Hi guys! I apologize for the late update. Not long after I posted chapter 9 (within a week) an old friend of mine who I was close with passed away. I kind of lost myself a little bit for a few months but I slowly brought myself back. I'm still trying to get over it but I'm in a lot better of a place than I was in four months ago. Fanfiction wasn't my top priority and I didn't have any inspiration. I'm still trying to get back to normal so I'm hoping you all forgive me, it's been a really rough time and I'm living with a lot of regrets.

Chapter 10

We'll do it all

Everything

On our own

We don't need

Anything

Or anyone

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know

How to say

How I feel

Those three words

Are said to much

They're not enough

It had been exactly a week and two days since Damon had slammed the door in his mothers face.

He was still being held captive in his aunt and uncle's home but was allowed to roam around the house a little more freely. Grayson told him that he had to take it easy but he was okay to move around a little more. Grayson wasn't comfortable with Damon returning to school quite yet but told him he'd check him over again in another few days by just coming to the house, which Damon was happy about. He was sick of hospitals. Three hospital visits in only a couple of weeks have an affect on you.

He was allowed to leave the house for little slivers of time according to the doctor, but his family (and Elena) all forbid him. He loves them, but he's very annoyed by the babying. They stopped getting him a babysitter, thank god, but someone always called to check on him every hour, always waking him from naps. They'd usually call the house to make sure that he was actually there.

It was almost 2:30 and he was on his bed reading Ethan Frome for school, waiting for Elena to get there. It had been routine for her to come over right after school. He hated the book. It had a beautiful love story, but he knew that it was going to end tragically, and that just made him think about his own life. Did they really have a chance against the cruel world?

Suddenly, the door swung open and in bounded a happy and jumpy Elena Gilbert.

She immediately jumped on his bed.

"Hey baby!" She said before kissing him long and hard.

"Hey back." He smiled. "What's got you all happy?"

She pretended to think. "Well, I've been away from you all day and now I'm here, kissing my wonderful boyfriend."

He smiled. That was the first time she called him that. "Boyfriend?"

She paused, her face dropping. "Unless you don't want to be...? I know we haven't really been putting a label on what ever this is but that's what I thought we were."

"Of course I want that. It was just nice to here you say that... Girlfriend." He added at the end, kissing her nose.

She laughed before getting serious. "So, has your mom come by yet?"

He tensed up at that word. Mom. "No, which is a good thing."

"She knows you need a little space. You just found out that she's alive."

He nods.

"What are you going to do about her?"

"I've lived this long without her. I don't need her in my life."

Elena nods in understanding. "I know you think that, and yes, you'll survive without her but everyone needs a mom. I bet if someone asked you a month ago if you found out she was alive, you would say that you were happy. You would at least go have dinner with her."

"Stop pushing Elena." He untangled himself from her arms and left the room.

Elena sighed before getting up to follow him. "Damon!" She called.

"No. I'm done talking about this." He said as they entered the kitchen to get an apple. "Apple?" He offered to Elena but she said "no".

"You need to at some point!" She exclaimed getting back to the original topic.

"Where's Stefan?" He asked out of the blue.

"Caroline. Now stop changing the topic!"

"Not now!" He went to the couch.

"This isn't healthy!"

"You know what isn't healthy? Believing someone is dead, finding out they aren't, and then having everyone act like it's a normal thing and getting mad at me about it! That's not healthy!"

Elena calmed down. "I'm not mad at you. I'm not even disappointed in you. I just don't want you to regret this. Who knows how long she's staying."

He finally understood why she was pushing this so much and calmed down. "I'll talk to her. Just not right now. I know that she won't leave until I talk to her, so I have time."

Elena nodded, leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

They heard a knock at the door and Elena stood up to get it.

Liz Forbes was on the other side. "Hi, may I come in?"

"Of course, Liz."

They hadn't seen her in about a week.

"How are you Damon?" She asked, sitting down on the chair beside the couch Damon was on and Elena was returning to.

"I've been better."

She nodded. "I'm here about your father."

Damon tensed. "What about him?"

"First of all, I gave you some time to recuperate so I'm hoping you'll tell me more about what happened?"

"Whatever you need to convict my dad."

The fact that he still called him dad twisted Elena's stomach, even though she knew that it's a habit you can't shake.

"Also, we want to wait to have the court date until after all of the doctors visits are over. Every time you're there is more evidence against him. We also need to get you a lawyer. When would be a good time to meet with him or her?"

"Well, I'm not allowed to go to school right now so whenever."

"Great, and sex matter?"

"No."

"Okay, and can I ask you a few questions? You can wait until you have your lawyer or say pass to questions you don't want to answer."

"Ask away."

Liz looked down her notebook and got her pen ready. She had written all her questions down.

"Exactly when did his beating start?"

"June 16. This year."

"Do you know how many times he's beaten you?"

"I lost count." That hurt Elena.

"Had he ever hurt you before?"

"Minor things that all parents do."

Elena highly doubted that.

"Did he ever sexually assault you?"

Damon hesitated and Elena's head shot up. "No."

"Okay. I think you've had enough. I'll leave the rest for your lawyer."

"Can I ask you a question Liz?"

"Of course, Damon, anything."

"Did you know my mother was alive?"

Liz tensed. She knew that he knew she was alive. She had seen her in town and even had some small talk with her. "Yes, Damon. I did."

His jaw tightened. He had expected her to say no since this was a woman who he had trusted. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Your mother was always a friend of mine and I listened to her wishes. She didn't want you to know."

"Why the hell not?!" He screamed and stood up. He couldn't understand.

"Talk to her." And with that, Liz excused herself from the home.

Elena stood as well and put her hand on his arm. "Damon..."

"Maybe you should go too." He said softly.

Her eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"I need to be alone."

Elena nodded and left, feeling upset that he was building up wells right after she had finally torn them down.

Once he was sure she was gone, Damon left the house, knowing exactly where he was going.

She was sitting at home reading Ethan Frome for English, so far her favorite book.

She couldn't concentrate though. She just kept thinking of Damon and how she doesn't know how to help him. She's really worried about him and his mental health.

Her phone rang, she quickly grabbed it hoping it was Damon but the caller ID said a different Salvatore.

"Hey, Stef. What's up?"

"Hey, do you mind bringing Damon home? My parents are worried something is going to happen to him. You know how they are." He laughed.

Elena didn't. "What are you talking about?"

"He's not with you?" There was an obvious change in Stefan's voice.

"No. He kicked me out."

"What? Where could he be?"

When the boy walked into the County Jail, he walked right to the counter with a request.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" Asked an officer.

"I'd like to speak to Giuseppe Salvatore. I'm his son."

"Name please?" The officer, of course, knew the name of the seventeen year old but was required to ask. Mystic Falls was a very small town and he knew of the history of the Salvatore's.

"Damon Salvatore."

"Give me a moment to go get him, you can follow Deputy Smith into the room."

"Thank you."

Damon followed the man into the room where you could visit with the prisoners and talk to them through the glass using a telephone. It was just him, no one else was visiting that day, which he supposed was good for him. He sat for about five minutes when his father walked in. He stopped in shock at seeing his son before he went to sit down and pick up the phone.

"What are you doing here?" The man growled.

"I just wanted to see you."

"You don't have a right. You put me in here!"

"You tried to kill me!"

"Don't be a baby." Giuseppe scoffed.

Damon sighed. He regretted this already. "I didn't want to fight. I just had some questions. About mom..."

Giuseppe's eyes widened in shock. They hadn't talked about his wife in years. "What about her?"

"She came to see me." He said softly.

"How hard you hit your head, boy?" "Dad, I know that she's alive."

Once again, the older man's eyes widened, but this time in anger. "She said she'd stay away! She wasn't supposed to come back!"

"Please, Dad, just tell me why she left."

"You'll hate her." As much of a cruel man that Giuseppe Salvatore was, no one could ever deny how much he loved his wife. He would never wish her harm or for her only son to hate him.

"I just want to understand!" Damon exclaimed, exasperated.

"It wasn't just her fault. We all did things that made her leave."

"What do you mean? You forced her?"

"No! Never! I loved my wife. I still do. Damon, you have to understand, there's so much that happened that you don't know."

"That's why I need you to tell me!"

"I'm going to. But promise me you won't blame her first."

Damon was at a crossroads. If she chose to leave, of course he blames her. But he also needed to know what happened... so he nodded. He was unprepared for the response he got from the man sitting across from him.

"I'm not your father."

Let's waist time

Chasing cars

Around our heads

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lay with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told

Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am

All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lay with me and just forget the world?

Yup! Giuseppe is NOT Damon's father, but who is? You'll just have to wait and find out! When I planned out this story, I knew that I was going to have Lily live, that's why Damon never sees her or anything. He never gets proof, he only gets told. I had a bunch of scenarios in my head of why she left, I thought I had it all planned out, but when I was writing this chapter, I suddenly changed my mind. I had dabbled with the thought of him not being Giuseppe's but I scrapped it. But here it is, and no, I'm not tricking you. Question? Did Lily have an affair with a stranger? Are you going to meet his dad? Who do you think it is? Have you already met him? Maybe you won't meet him for a few chapters...

Have you ever read Ethan Frome? I had to read it in my senior year of high school. I thought it was a beautiful love story, but I didn't care for the way it was written. It's about a lonely man who falls in love with his wife's cousin when she comes to help them after his wife gets sick. I thought (strangely) it kind of related to Damon's life. The book deals with isolation, loneliness, and depression with all three characters and it does a great job of expressing the feelings in Ethan.

SONG: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. All Damon wants to do is lay with Elena and just forget everything. He's confused about all the things in life and needs to forget for a while.

NEXT TIME:

"I adopted you." -G
"You hated me. I didn't really care." -G
"Who's my father?" -D

"Can I stay here?" -D
"My bed." -E