[A/N] Well...I'm sorry, guys, both for the lateness of this chapter and for the short length of it. It didn't seem easy to break it off any other way. This time, I really don't have an excuse for the lateness other than getting a new computer and not realizing FFN would accept documents from Notepad. :P We'll be coming to the end of this fic soon. Maybe ten more chapters maximum.
When I woke up the next morning and glanced into Damon's room in order to make sure he was still there (the events of several days ago coming to mind), I discovered that he appeared to be about five years old, rather than two.
While this was a relief - he was growing up, meaning he might be back to normal sometime in the next few months - it also saddened me. Damon as an adult had been an asshole to me most of the time, and I found myself hoping that his experiences as a child would remind him he didn't have to be.
"Damon," I murmured, moving over to his bed and lifting him out. "Time to get up."
For a moment, there was no response as Damon continued to sleep peacefully, and then my voice seemed to register with him. He yawned, rubbing his little fists against his eyes.
"Steffy?"
"That's me, buddy. You want to go to the park today?" I asked him, carrying him downstairs.
Too sleepy to really draw up any enthusiasm for the idea, Damon nodded. I deposited him on the couch before moving into the kitchen to make him some cereal or something.
He only followed me, though. "When can we go to the park, Steffy?" he asked, a little more animated now. "Can Elena come? Can Ric? Can Matt?"
I froze in the middle of retrieving the Lucky Charms from the cabinet. Until now, Damon had expressed no memories of Matt Donovan whatsoever, and I wondered why on Earth they'd be drawn up by the mention of the park. Maybe it was something to do with him growing.
Yes, that was the only thing that made sense. If he remembered completely, he'd remember that he didn't exactly get along too well with Matt - or any of us, really. Maybe the memories were surfacing as his brain developed...?
Shaking my head slightly, I regained my composure and poured the cereal, then brought it to him. "Well, buddy, I'll call Matt up and see if he'd like to come to the park, yeah?" At his answering nod, I smiled and ruffled his hair before heading off to the living room to do just that.