Emotions

Installment 10: Paternalism/Maternalism

Description: Elena makes a promise to babysit, and she wants some company while doing it. She never expected that it would lead to her discovering a whole new side to the closed off Damon Salvatore.

Context: Season 3 fic. Thanks to nallemorin for the request.

Rating: K

"Hello?"

"Oh, Elena! Oh, thank God! I was worried you wouldn't pick up!" Mrs. Clark's erratic voice pounded into my ears and I jumped at her almost-shouting volume. It was the day of the quarterly school dance and I was standing in front of my mirror, holding up a variety of dresses to my body. Stefan would be accompanying me tonight and it was kind-of a big deal; this dance would help determine how salvageable our relationship was now that he had returned from Klaus.

"Oh, Mrs. Clark. Hi," I responded.

"I'm so glad you answered. I have a big favor to ask of you," Mrs. Clark said and I exhaled deeply in disappointment. I already knew what she was going to ask of me, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to say no.

"What's that?"

"You know how my husband has his big business Gala tonight? Well, I totally spaced out on it! Can you believe that?!" she paused.

"Oh, no," I said, feigning worry.

"I know! Anyway, I can't find a babysitter for Sabrina and Jacob. I know this is really last minute, but could you do it?" she finished her plea. I sighed and placed the light blue dress that I was testing out onto my bed. I smoothed the skirt down.

"I don't know, Mrs. Clark. I have the school dance tonight."

"Oh honey, I know! But, I would double your pay. AND you can bring a friend to help you out!" Mrs. Clark tried to convince me. I nibbled on my bottom lip in silent contemplation. I knew that Mrs. Clark was holding her breath on the other line. I've known the Clarks my whole life and would always help them. I sighed.

"What time?" I asked.

"Oh, Elena! You're the best!" Mrs. Clark squealed. I pulled the phone away from my ear once more. Mrs. Clark, despite being a 50 year-old housewife, tended to squeal like a teenage girl…or a dying pig. "Come by at five?" I looked at my clock; it read 4:15PM. The dance started at six. I grabbed the stack of dresses sitting on my bed and tossed them into my closet in defeat.

"Of course. See you then," I said.

"Thank you!" Mrs. Clark's voice died out as I hung up my phone.

I sighed and instantly pressed '2' on the speed dial. I raised the phone to my ear and waited patiently as it rang.

"Hello?" Stefan answered.

"Hey, Stefan," I cleared my throat. "I'm so sorry, but I can't go to the dance tonight. Something came up."

"Oh…" Stefan responded. I could hear the disappointment in his voice and internally kicked myself. I hated disappointing the people I cared about. "I get it. What are you doing?" Stefan paused, and I was about to respond when he interjected, "Are you…are you going to be with Damon?"

I furrowed my brow at his assumption and shook my head even though he couldn't see me. I was honestly a little blindsided by his presumption. I mean, Damon and I had gotten close and I cared about him (a lot more than I probably should,) but I wouldn't just ditch one Salvatore for the other. I hoped he thought more of me than that.

"What? No," I defended. "I have to babysit the Clark kids."

"Oh," Stefan responded; his voice wasn't as tense as it was just a moment earlier. He chuckled at himself. "Okay. That's really nice of you to do, Elena," he commended me.

"I suppose. It's not ideal," I responded with a mirthless chuckle.

"Yeah, well, it's pretty selfless of you. One of the qualities I admire most in you," Stefan said.

"Thanks for understanding…one of the qualities I admire most in you." I responded, twirling a piece of hair around my finger.

"Who's that?!" Matt's voice echoed from Stefan's end of the line. The guys all decided that they would spend the day together before the dance to coordinate everything for their dates.

"Elena! She can't make it tonight!" Stefan shouted back.

"What a loser," Matt joked.

"He knows I can hear him, right?" I asked Stefan. He chuckled.

"He's about to. I gotta go, but I'll see you later. Have fun tonight," Stefan said and I nodded.

"Yep. You too," I responded before lowering the phone from my ear and ending the connection. I pressed the '4' on the speed dial and waited as the phone rang.

"Red or blue?" Caroline answered. I knitted my brows together and sat down on my bed.

"What?"

"Red or blue, Elena!? I have to choose my dress for tonight!" Caroline asked. Her voice was filled with panic. I obviously called her in the middle of a Caroline-emergency.

"Um, I don't know. Red looks good on you."

"Thank you!" Caroline said dramatically. She exhaled and fumbled with her phone, obviously discarding the blue dress. The fumbling stopped and I heard her clear her throat. "So, what are you wearing tonight? Anything specialto surprise a certain Salvatore?" Caroline teased knowingly, but her voice quickly changed from playful to slightly-judgmental. "And by 'certain Salvatore' I mean Stefan…not Damon." I rolled my eyes at her words.

"Not like it actually matters now. I can't go," I said begrudgingly.

"No!" Caroline exclaimed, "You are not allowed to ditch me! Bonnie's already ditching me for her mom and now you!"

"Caroline…" I attempted to reason with her.

"And what about Stefan?! Now he won't have a date and it will be all awkward!" she continued completely unaware of my interjection.

"Caroline!" I shouted demandingly. She shut up instantly. "I have to babysit the Clark kids and I am allowed to bring a friend. I was wondering if you wanted to ditch the dance and help me out?" I asked hesitantly. I knew that asking Caroline to ditch a school dance to watch little children was almost as condemnable as asking a dolphin to grow legs and live on land, but it was worth a shot.

"Elena…" Caroline began. I recognized her tone—she was about to reject me. I huffed and fell back on my bed in defeat.

"It's cool."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I insisted, raising my hand and tracing invisible patterns on the ceiling.

"Okay…if you're sure…" Caroline paused. "Is there anyone else you can ask?"

I choked up. There was one person…but he was my very last resort.

"Yep…there is," I replied hesitantly. Before Caroline could bombard me with any more questions, I pulled the phone from my ear and hung up on her.

I went back to the dial pad and my thumb hovered over speed dial '1' button. I didn't think Damon would be a very good babysitter, and but desperate times called for desperate measures. I sure as hell wasn't going to give up my Friday night alone. I was determined to bring someone down with me. I clicked the number and raised the phone to my ear.

"Well hello there, beautiful," Damon purred into the phone. His velvety voice erupted goose bumps across my skin and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I shook myself, hating how the mere sound of his voice made me melt. I wasn't supposed to feel that way about Damon, that's how Stefan was supposed to make me feel. My heartbeat spiked and I cleared my throat to make sure my voice wouldn't betray me.

"What are you doing tonight?" I asked.

"Whatever you want me to do," Damon sneered sarcastically, but his voice was playful, "as usual." I smiled into the phone and flipped over onto my stomach, kicking my feet up behind me.

"Great. You're babysitting with me," I said. Damon was completely silent on the other end and I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from laughing.

"Is it too late to retract my offer?" Damon asked. I let a little chuckle escape my lips.

"Yep. Pick me up in twenty?" I requested. Damon grumbled on the other end.

"Fine, but you owe me."

"I always owe you," I teased, somewhat flirtatiously. I caught my flirt and internally shamed myself, reminding myself to stay calm, cool, and collected.

"Oh, do you now? You can bet that I'll collect on that," Damon replied coquettishly. The moment the words fell from his mouth, all my morals disappeared and I knew that I was putty in his hands. I closed my eyes and I could almost see his flirtatious smirk and smiling eyes.

"Is that a threat, or a promise?" I flirted.

"Mmm," Damon growled playfully. The sound blossomed butterflies in my stomach and warmth spread across my body. I pursed my lips to hold back giggles. Somehow Damon made me feel simultaneously sexily mature and childishly giddy. "Both."

"Good," I chuckled a bit and flipped onto my back. "I'll see you soon."

"K bye, Gilbert," Damon responded.

"K bye, Salvatore," I lowered my voice to imitate his tone mockingly. I could practically hear Damon roll his eyes on the other end before he hung up the phone.

"Elena!" Sabrina and Jacob shouted in unison as they tumbled into my arms. I laughed as I hugged them tightly.

"Hey, kids!" I said, kissing them both on the head.

"Okay Elena. Here's the emergency contact numbers, you can feed them leftovers in the fridge, and no ice cream tonight," Mrs. Clark said as she hurriedly grabbed her purse and shawl. Jacob and Sabrina both groaned in disappointment at the ice cream ban. Mrs. Clark kissed me on the cheek and rushed out the door after her husband, not even acknowledging Damon's presence. I wished I had that ability, but unfortunately, Damon always demanded my attention.

The moment the door closed, Jacob and Sabrina stepped out of my arms and looked up at me expectantly. I smiled down at them. Their eyes diverted to the black-haired, blue-eyed vampire standing next to me.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Sabrina asked. I raised my eyebrows and shook my head quickly, trying to ignore the little chuckle that escaped from Damon's lips.

"No, he's—."

"Damon," Damon interrupted. He knelt down until he was eyelevel with the kids. "And I'm more like her bodyguard."

"Damon," I groaned.

"What's bodyguard mean?" Sabrina asked eagerly.

"It means that it's my job to make sure no one hurts your lovely babysitter," Damon responded with a playful smile on his cheeks that I'd never seen before. It made feelings bubble up in my heart that I'd never felt before. A gentle smile curled onto my lips as I watched Damon with the kids.

"Like a ninja?!" Jacob asked; his eyes lit up like fireworks. Damon's eyes narrowed and his smirk widened.

"Exactly like a ninja," he said. A wicked smirk landed on Jacob's lips and he jolted forward, karate chopping Damon on the shoulder. My heart jumped to my throat at the movement; I stood poised, ready to interject and pull Damon back if he were to longue. Damon looked down at where Jacob hit him and then back up at the little boy. He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. "Oh, you're gonna regret that," Damon said. His tone was completely playful and I relaxed instantly.

"Oh yeah?" Jacob teased.

"Oh yeah," Damon said. He reached forward and tickled Jacob's stomach. "You better run!" Damon shouted. Jacob giggled uncontrollably and pulled away from Damon. He turned around and ran into the house. Sabrina followed her brother, laughing hysterically as she went.

Damon stood back up. I stared at him with a teasing smile on my face. He very purposefully did not look at me. I cleared my throat. Damon begrudgingly turned to look at me. I wiggled my eyebrows.

"You know Elena, I do have a little brother," Damon said.

"Yeah, but your little brother is Stefan," I responded. Damon rolled his eyes and began walking away from me.

"Believe it or not, we were kids once," Damon called back to me.

"Oh c'mon Damon," I said, "we both know you're still a kid."

The evening was relatively nice considering I was getting constant texts from Caroline about the fun she was having at the dance. Honestly, I didn't care. I was having so much fun with Jacob, Sabrina, and Damon.

The highlight of the evening would have to be when I was giving Jacob a bath. Sabrina and Damon were playing in the kids' room. When I came back from getting Jacob all ready for bed, I walked in on Sabrina dressing Damon up like a princess. I fell over laughing. He looked so adorable with his pout and little crown and wand. The second he saw me, he threw off the crown and wand. He looked officially pissed, but I was still laughing hysterically. Sabrina was trying to get him into a tutu, but apparently, that took it too far.

It was so bizarre seeing Damon like this. He was different around the children: happier. I wondered if this was what he was like when he would spend time with Stefan when they were younger.

I even caught Damon sneaking Jacob and Sabrina some ice cream before bed. I pretended not to notice. Seeing all three of them huddled up by the freezer sneaking ice cream was too cute to stop.

When it came time for bed, I offered to tuck Sabrina and Jacob in, but Damon insisted that I relax and he'd do it himself. I was too tired to argue with him.

I was on my way to the couch when I heard Damon's low voice speaking softly to Sabrina and Jacob in their bedroom. I planned on just strolling right past the partially open door, but Damon's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Well, goodnight," he said.

"Damon?" Sabrina asked with a yawn.

"What?" Damon asked.

"Can you tell us a bedtime story?"

"Ohhh, I don't know, Elena—."

"Please, please, please, please," Sabrina and Jacob begged in unison.

"Oh alright," Damon conceded. I poked my head through the door and saw Damon pull the blankets up to Sabrina and Jacob's chins, tucking them nice and tight. A small smile curled onto my lips and I turned around, sinking down to the floor outside the door. I waited for Damon's story.

Damon inhaled deeply before beginning.

"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess…with long brown hair and warm brown eyes. She was stunning: her smile was the kingdom's sunshine and her laugh...her laugh was the chapel's bells," Damon's voice grew distant, almost as though he were lost in nostalgia. I furrowed my brow at his tone and words. Damon continued, "Now, in a land across the lake from the princess, there was another kingdom. This kingdom had two handsome brother princes, each looking for a princess to marry. The younger brother was looking for a princess to marry out of love…the older brother was looking for a princess to marry so he could rule the kingdom. One day, they decided to venture across the lake to find the princess that could give them everything they ever wanted. When the younger brother met the princess, he fell in love immediately. And when the older brother met the princess, he too fell in love, but his heart was clouded with his selfish desires."

"Well, who did the princess love?" Sabrina interjected. There was a long silence and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. This story was just a little too familiar…

"The younger brother, of course," Damon said with a hint of sadness in his voice. You'd have to listen very closely to hear it, but I could. I could always hear the sadness in his voice.

"How do you know that?" Sabrina asked stubbornly.

"Because I'm the storyteller, dumbo," Damon responded sarcastically.

"That's a boring story."

"It's not done yet," Damon said; his voice was oozing sarcasm. There was another silence. "Now, will you let me continue?"

"Yes," Sabrina said with a groan.

"Good. Okay, so the older brother was tainted with selfish desires, but the more he got to know the princess, the more those desires disappeared. He started to feel good again, but she had fallen helplessly in love with his brother. He hated watching them fall in love and plan their life together. That was, until one day, when the kingdom was sleeping, a great, big, evil dragon attacked the city and stole the younger brother. Days and weeks and months passed and the princess wouldn't stop looking for her prince. The older brother, lost in a haze of love for this princess, did everything he could to help her, even though it pained him to do so. After all, he loved his brother and he loved his princess, so he would do anything to guarantee their happiness," Damon paused.

"And?" Jacob asked eagerly. "Did the dragon come back and burn the kingdom?"

Damon scoffed.

"The dragon did come back, but it didn't burn the kingdom. It just dropped off the younger brother. So, at long last, the young prince was reunited with his love, and she with him."

"What happened to the older brother?" Sabrina asked with a yawn.

"What do you want to happen to the older brother?" Damon asked.

"I want him to be with the princess and be happy," Sabrina responded. Her voice was tired; she was half asleep. My heart was throbbing in my chest—I think I might have wanted that too.

"But the princess loves the younger brother," Damon insisted.

"Nah-uh! You don't know that!" Sabrina insisted.

"Yes, I do, you little twer—."

"Does the princess stare at the older brother when he's not looking?" Sabrina asked Damon. Damon sat in silence, finally listening to Sabrina instead of arguing with her. "Does she laugh with him? Is she happy when she's with him?" Sabrina's questions, although rhetorical and directed towards Damon, really made me think. The answer to every question thus far was 'yes.' "Does she tell him everything and hug him when he's sad and is she sad when he's sad?" I sat in stunned silence. For such a young girl, Sabrina had an amazing understanding of love. Maybe love did transcend age. I quickly shook myself from my thoughts. I don't love Damon, I reminded myself.

"Okay, okay. The older brother found happiness despite everything and everyone lived happily ever after. Good? Good. Sleep tight kiddos," Damon insisted. I heard him stand up, turn off the lights, and walk to the door. I jumped up and was about to run away when he emerged from the room. Our eyes met and my breath caught in my throat. Damon watched me tenderly as he slowly closed the bedroom door. He took a couple steps toward me. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

"Damon—," I didn't know what to say. Damon stopped moving and watched me curiously, waiting for me to finish. I struggled with the formation of words. "I heard your story," I finally choked out. Damon raised his eyebrows and waited for me to keep talking. I didn't know what I wanted to tell him. My mind was buzzing with possibilities: I didn't know you felt that way? –Nope, that would be a lie— I care for you? –Yeah, the whole world can see that— I feel what you feel? –Do I?— My feelings for you terrify me and I haven't quite figured out what to do with them yet? –Well, that's the truth, but what good does that do?—

I must have stood there thinking for too long though because Damon eventually just shrugged and sighed.

"It's just a bedtime story, Elena," he said; I could hear the lie in his words. "Don't read into it."

Damon walked past me, accidentally brushing my shoulder as he went. Tingles exploded across my body at the small touch and I had to inhale sharply just so I wouldn't fall over from the rush that rocked my body. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to focus on my breathing. Finally, I felt composed enough to turn around and walk back into the lion's den that contained the most dangerous lion of them all, Damon Salvatore.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Sorry it took so long to update. Any requests? Let me know. Leave a review with your thoughts on this installment please! Hope you enjoyed!