Promise Me This~Damon Salvatore~Ch. 10

~My arms will hold you Keep you safe~

"So…what happened to Ronny?" Abby asked, looking up at Damon as they sat on the hotel bed the next morning. They were waiting for Stefan to come and pick them up in Damon's car. He didn't have all the details but he'd still come. Damon knew that much.

Damon looked down at her and into her eyes. His hand came up to lovingly stroke her cheek.

"Is it that bad?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Do you want the truth?"

"Always."

Damon nodded, taking in a breath before replying calmly with, "He's dead."

"Was it the accident?"

Silence.

"Damon?"

"He would have come back for you, Abby. Even when you turned 18 he wouldn't have stopped." He defended his actions.

Abby looked into his eyes, a single tear escaping her own.

"Don't cry…" Damon whispered, his thumb coming up to wipe it away as he held her face in his hands. "I had. To protect you."

"I know." She whispered, looking into his eyes so he would know she understood. "I know." She repeated, moving to rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm not crying for him."

"Then why are you crying?" He asked, lifting his eyebrow in confusion.

"For my mom." She replied, wrapping her arms around him as he did her. "Ronny was a piece of shit, but she loved him. Does she know?"

Damon shrugged. "I'm sure she does. I haven't checked the news or anything, but by now they would have found him in the car." He told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I made it look like he smashed into a telephone pole."

"What'd you do with my car?"

"Its taken care of." He told her with a shrug.

Abby started to ask 'how' but was cut off by a knock at the door.

"And Here's little brother to the rescue." Damon mumbled, getting up from the bed to open the door.

"Damon, what the hell is going on?" Stefan asked, coming into the room without any trouble.

Abby stood up from the bed, absently rubbing her hands on her pants legs.

"Abby? What are you doing here? Elena and everyone are freaking out! They said you left with Ronny but no one found you at the accident…" a look of realization came over Stefan's face as he looked at his brother. "What did you do, Damon?"

Damon shrugged, slipping his hands in his pockets as he moved to stand beside Abby.

"Damon, what did you do?" Stefan asked again, watching as his brother slipped his arm around Abby's waist while she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What I had to do, Little Brother." Damon replied, his teeth gritted.

"Damon…" Abby whispered gently, placing her hand on his chest and looking up at him with a calm expression.

Damon looked down at her, a soft smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he leaned down to gently rest his forehead on hers. "Okay." He whispered, his hand coming up to give her hand on his chest a loving squeeze.

After a moment, Damon forced his eyes away from Abby to look at his brother once again. "Alright Steffie, lets get out of here."

x-X-x

"I should call Elena." Abby said after a few minutes of silence in the car. Stefan was driving while she and Damon sat in the back together. "Do you have my phone?" She asked, lifting her head from Damon's shoulder to look at him.

"It got crushed in the accident." He told her with a small shrug. "You can use mine." he offered, pulling it from his pants pocket.

Abby gave him a soft smile, giving his hand a squeeze before slipping the phone into her own. "Thanks." She replied quietly as she scrolled to Elena in his contact list and pressed send.

This was going to be a long conversation…

"Damon?" Elena's voice came from the other earpiece a few moments later.

"Abby…Actually."

"Oh my God, Abby! Are you okay? We've all been so worried! Your mom called and said Ronny was in a horrible accident but that no one had found you! I've been calling you for hours!"

"It's okay, E. I'm okay. Damon…saved me."

"He…what? Damon? Are you sure?"

Damon rolled his eyes, giving a quite 'pft' at Elena's surprise. It was like she didn't know him at all sometimes.

Abby's little hand moved, giving his leg a reassuring squeeze to let him know it was okay. That she believed in him.

A smiled pulled at the corners of his lips as he wrapped his hand around hers and brought it to his lips.

"I'm sure, Elena. He saved me."

"Okay. Well, where are you guys now?"

"Stefan just picked us up. We'll be back in town in a few hours."

"Are you going to stay here again? Aunt Jenna, Jeremy and I have been really worried."

Abby shrugged even though Elena couldn't see it, and then rested her head back on Damon's comforting shoulder.

"I don't know. Not tonight."

"Well…have you called your mom? She's been worried sick."

"I'm sure she has." Abby replied, obviously not convinced.

"It's true. She's been calling here every couple of hours to see if we've heard anything." Elena looked at the clock on her wall. "Actually, she should be calling again anytime now."

"Well, when she calls you can tell her I'm fine. And that I'll give her a call as soon as I can get a new phone. But, I'm gonna go. I'll talk to you later." She said, hanging up before Elena could reply.

"Are you sure you don't want to call your mom?" Stefan asked from the front, looking at her through the rear view mirror.

"She's sure." Damon replied for her, knowing whatever conversation she and her mother had, Abby would want to do it without his baby brother in ear shot.

Abby gave him a thankful smile before moving to rest her head in his lap.

Damon smiled, running his long, strong fingers through her long hair to comfort her.

"Wake me when we get there?"

"As you wish." Damon agreed, continuing his comforting strokes as sleep took her under.

x-X-x

"Damon, whats going on?" Stefan asked when he was sure Abby was asleep.

"It's none of your business, little brother." Damon told him, still playing with her hair as he looked out the window.

"Fuck that! What the hell is going on? First you two are spending all this time together and then all the sudden she's scared out of her mind and trying to get the hell out of dodge and now you two are cuddling in the back seat? What's been going on with you two? How much does she know?"

"She knows everything about me Stefan! Everything!"

Stefan quickly pulled the car over before turning to glare at his brother. "How could you do that Damon? Do you even realize how dangerous that was, for you as well as her?"

Damon rolled his eyes, moving his gaze to meet his brothers. "Its going to be fine Stefan. I trust her."

Stefan seemed taken aback for a moment. Not hearing those words from his brother in quite some time about anyone other than Elena. After a moment he gave his head a small shake before replying with a little less fierceness. "Its dangerous for her now as well. She'll be a target for anyone coming after you...After us."

"Then I'll keep her safe." Damon replied, looking down at her with much affection.

"Damon…"

"I'll keep. Her. Safe." Damon growled, letting his brother know it was the end of it.

Stefan sighed, giving his brother a small nod so he would know he understood. Then, turning back around in his seat, Stefan once again put the car in drive and started back down the road towards Mystic Falls.

A N: I'm sorry this took me so long. I know I've been slacking off. I'm sorry. Works been crazy and I haven't really been up to writing. I'll try and get updates coming out faster if can. Thank you for you for your patience.