You know what blows my mind? Besides the fact that people actually read my stories? The fact that y'all talk about them. There's this whole community I'm only starting to learn about and its just mind-blowing. Thank you so much - for reading, for caring. I like talking to you, too. So far, I just do that on Twitter. Find me there - link in bio!

Thank you so much, too, for your reaction to the last chapter. That was a big one. I think you'll rather enjoy this one, too. I hope. At least, you will if you've been waiting for Damon and Elena to finally go on a date.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.

Elena paused in the hallway on her way to answer the door to check her reflection one last time. Her hair fell in soft waves, thanks in no small part to several hair products. She had kept her makeup simple, but still managed to play up her best features. Everything about her look was simple, but, she hoped, that was enough. She hadn't been on a date in so long that she wasn't sure how to dress for one.

With a deep breath, she resumed her trajectory to the door. She paused once more, a few feet from the door, to take one final deep breath. While she couldn't remember the last time she had been on an actual date, she was sure she hadn't been this nervous. She reached for the doorknob and pulled it open to reveal Damon. He looked as nervous as she felt.

"Hi," he greeted. She couldn't have stopped herself from smiling if she wanted to.

"Hi," she replied, taking him in. He was wearing khakis and a bright blue button down, tucked in, his sleeves rolled a few times. He somehow looked both put together and like he just rolled out of bed, his hair messy, his smile crooked.

"You look beautiful, Elena," he said, trying hard not to rake his eyes over her body. It was though they had coordinated their outfits, her royal blue sleeveless dress the perfect compliment to the shirt he had spent more time picking out than was strictly necessary. The dress's skirt flared out from the waist and stopped a few inches above her knee. Her heels gave her just a couple more inches of height. She self-consciously moved a wavy strand of hair behind her shoulder.

"Thank you," she replied. "You clean up well yourself."

"I like to change out of the football t-shirts and team polos occasional, mix things up." Elena laughed as he hoped she would, making him smile. "You ready to go?"

"Almost. I just need to turn off some lights. Come in." She turned and led the way into the house, Damon following her. "I hear you had a fun day." He snorted from behind her.

"I hope you aren't too fond of Caroline. I've been daydreaming of ways to make her disappear without a trace all damn day." Elena laughed again as she turned off a couple of kitchen lights.

"Was it that bad?"

"It was horrible. It was bad enough that she woke me up from a deep sleep on the first morning I've been able to sleep in in ages. Then, she started going through boxes and pulling things out, all while keeping up a running commentary about how she couldn't believe I hadn't unpacked yet and why on earth did I have so much football crap. The icing on the cake though? She facetimed my mother and showed her my place. The only thing worse than Caroline lecturing me? My mother and Caroline lecturing me at the same time." Elena's eyes glittered with amusement.

"So, awful?" Damon sighed.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Caroline got me all wound up."

"Caroline can do that," Elena agreed. "I hear there was a shopping trip, too?"

"She took my credit card and bought all kinds of stuff. Towels, new bedding, shelves… Apparently, jersey sheets from Target are unacceptable once you get your first real job out of college. But, my place is devoid of boxes, and don't tell Caroline, but those new towels she picked up are really soft." Elena laughed.

"Your secret is safe with me," she promised. Damon followed her into the living room to turn a lamp off.

"How is Ava Kate?" he asked. He had been texting with Elena all day, making plans and checking in on Ava Kate after the previous day's meltdown.

"She's good. She was excited to go to Caroline's. They're going to make s'mores again, and play on the beach. Cody offered to watch Frozen. I think he feels guilty."

"Caroline punished him today by not letting him come with her to my house," Damon told her. "What the kid doesn't know is he got off easy. He would have shown up expecting a good time with Uncle Damon, only to end up hauling empty boxes to the curb." Elena walked into the hallway, all the lights off, and picked up a clutch she'd left on a side table.

"I'm ready if you are," she told Damon. Her stomach did a nervous sort of flip. He smiled at her.

"I'm definitely ready." She tilted her head towards the door, smiling.

"Let's go, Coach."

"Ladies first," he replied with a flourish of his hand. Elena led the way outside, pausing at the door to lock it. Damon watched as she tried the knob twice, making absolute sure it was locked. He didn't comment, but he tensed his jaw, just for a moment, at the fact that she had been hurt in the past. "Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm.

We shall," she agreed. She slipped her hand around the crook of his elbow and he led her to his truck. Ever the gentleman, he opened her door and helped her in before sliding behind the wheel. "Where are we going?"

"Blue Water Grill," Damon answered. "I hope that's okay?" She nodded.

"I love that place," she confirmed. "I haven't been there in ages." She smiled. "You know, that was…," she trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind." Damon glanced at her as he navigated a four-way stop.

"Tell me," he prompted.

"It's sort of silly…"

"I spent the day with Caroline," he reminded her. "I'm sure I've heard more ridiculous things today alone than anything you could tell me." She gave him a small smile.

"I was just thinking, Blue Water is where my dad took my mom on their first date." Damon glanced at her again and fought the urge to reach across the console to hold her hand. He wanted to at least sit down to dinner before making his next move, even if it was a small one. He instinctively knew she needed him to take things slow.

"I must have good taste, then," he said. Elena's lips turned upward just a little.

"Dad reached across the table to take Mom's hand and knocked a candle over in the middle of dinner," she told him. "It caught the tablecloth on fire. One of the waiters put it out with a fire extinguisher, but they had to close the restaurant because of the smoke."

"Sounds like it worked out okay in the end." Elena nodded.

"Dad asked her to marry him four months later and they eloped two weeks after that. It definitely worked out. They were more in love than ever when they died." Damon smiled at her once more.

"That's a great story," he said. "My parents have a similar one. Mom was a waitress at some diner on the outskirts of Dallas. Dad had a construction job nearby, and stopped in for coffee one morning. He saw her and said it was love at first sight. He came in every day for a week and made sure to sit in her section before he finally worked up the nerve to ask her to dinner. They were married within the year."

"That's a pretty great story, too," Elena replied. Damon nodded.

"They are pretty great parents," he admitted.

"You said your dad is retired?"

"He calls himself retired, but he's not. He just has a bunch of people who run the company for him. He shows up for meetings or when he gets bored or, now that Stefan and I are out of the house, wants to boss someone around."

"What does he do?"

"He went from a lowly construction worker, paid by the hour, to the founder and owner of one of the premiere construction companies in and around Dallas. He worked hard, squirreled away every spare penny. Now, he's set."

Set was an understatement. He and Stefan had sizeable trust funds and had never wanted for anything they needed. However, they had both been taught the value of hard work and had been earning their own money since high school to pay for the things they wanted. They had both had to pay for half of their first cars, and then were responsible for the gas and insurance. He had hated ponying up the insurance payment each month, but now that he was older, he was grateful his father hadn't spoiled them. He had a feeling Elena had a similar story. He didn't know much about her past, but he did know from Stefan that her father had been the Chief of Surgery at the hospital when he died and her mother was a psychiatrist.

"What about your mom?" she continued.

"Well, after she married Dad, she left the waitressing gig and went to work in a doctor's office, answering phones, filing insurance, that sort of thing. When Dad started his business, she left to help him with the bookkeeping. She retired a few years ago. Or, well, she quit. Dad is a lot of things, but good at keeping track of receipts and invoices isn't one of them. She was tired of dealing with him, and decided to let someone else do it."

"And then they have two football coaching teachers for sons," Elena concluded.

"Stefan's a teacher that happens to coach football," Damon clarified. "I'm a football coach that happens to teach." Elena smiled at him in response. He had a feeling asking about her parents would bring her down, so he asked about her dancing days instead. She was still telling him about some of her favorite recitals, and how excited she was that Ava Kate seemed to share the same love of dance, when they entered the restaurant ten minutes later, Elena once more on his arm.

"Two?" the hostess asked.

"I have a reservation," Damon countered. "Salvatore." The hostess checked a piece of paper and nodded.

"Follow me."

She led them to a table for two lined along floor to ceiling windows. Elena let out a soft gasp at the view. They were right on the bay, boats bobbing mere feet away. It was too early for the sun to set, but it hung low in the sky, casting a soft orange glow across the water.

"This is beautiful," she said.

"As are you," Damon replied smoothly. The hostess smiled. It was clear to her that Damon was smitten. She left them with a promise of their waiter arriving soon, watching covertly as Damon pulled out Elena's chair before settling across from her.

"If you're trying to impress me, it's working," Elena told him with a coy smile. She was feeling more confident, surer of herself. Damon's presence was so strong and steady that she felt – safe. Like she could relax, let herself genuinely smile and laugh and, perhaps, even trust him. It was a good feeling.

"I am definitely trying to impress you," he confirmed. "Which means, I should blow this out, just in case." He reached for the white votive candle on the table and blew. The flame continued to burn. He blew again. And again. "Must be a trick candle," he mused, trying to save face. Elena struggled to keep a straight face as she reached for the candle. She picked it up, turned it over, and pointed to the battery hatch.

"Even the magician couldn't figure out that trick," she teased.

"Funny," Damon retorted with a smirk that made Elena laugh. He took the candle from her and righted it on the table. He used his proximity as an excuse to take her hand in his. The soft smile she wore told him it was okay. "I guess that's one flame that will keep burning."

"And won't set anything on fire." Damon's answer was to wink.

Their waitress came, took their drink orders, and left menus. Dinner progressed easily, Damon holding her hand across the table through their appetizer, reluctantly letting it go when their main entrees arrived. Their conversation was easy, as it always was. Elena led the conversation, telling him stories from her childhood and more recent stories about her life in Nags Head with Ava Kate. He noticed she didn't talk about her college years or her time in Chicago, but he didn't press. He shared his own stories, made her laugh, convinced her to try his duck, which she didn't like. Too soon, their plates were cleared and Damon settled their check.

"Do you need to pick up Ava Kate, or could we, I don't know, go for a walk on the beach?" he asked as they walked to his truck hand-in-hand. "I mean, I know its cliché, especially since you grew up here, but I didn't have beaches in my front yard in my last town."

"I could go or a walk on the beach," Elena said, glad for the suggestion. She wasn't ready for the night to end, and Caroline had told her to take as long as she wanted. He drove them to a nearby public access lot and parked his truck. Elena kicked off her shoes in his truck, so he followed suit. He took her hand again and they climbed the stairs over the sand dune.

"It's incredible, isn't it?" Damon asked as he took in the ocean. "The ocean, I mean. You put your toes in here and somewhere halfway around the world, someone is doing the same. You're thousands of miles apart and yet, somehow, connected."

"That's deep," Elena observed. Damon shrugged a shoulder as they walked.

"I like to read philosophy when I have some spare time," he admitted. "Philosophy, history, mythology. That's probably a weird thing to admit."

"I read the classics over and over. I don't find it weird at all. Although, I wouldn't peg you for a philosopher at first glance. The whole tough football coach thing and all."

"Looks can be deceiving," Damon quipped.

"That they can," Elena agreed. She tugged Damon's hand and led them closer to the water's edge so they could walk along the surf. "So, coaching. Where was you first job?"

"Rockfort-Fulton High School," he answered. "I took a job teaching history and volunteered as quarterback and wide receiver coach. The team was terrible, not unlike First Flight's. I worked with them for a couple of years. We won exactly three games while I was with them. Anthony High School offered me a position as their offensive coordinator. I took it. It was a step up, a team that won a little more than half the time.

"Halfway through my third year, the head coach had a heart attack during a gym class, and I took over as interim coach for the rest of the season. The district offered me the job once our playoff run ended, and I coached there for two years, won my first state championship. Then, I got the offer from Plano Prestonwood Christian, one of the most elite private school programs in the country. I didn't bat an eye. I took it on the spot, no questions asked.

"I had three good years before it all went to hell. We won two state championships, lost the third one – my second year coaching – on a controversial call I still get mad about if I think about it too long. And, well, here I am, coaching First Flight and teaching history." He gave her a smile, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. She squeezed his hand, sensing he needed a bit of comforting, remembering that Caroline said losing his last coaching job bothered him more than he would admit.

"Where do you want your coaching career to go?" she asked. Damon looked at her for a moment as though he were deciding on whether he wanted to confide in her. He had big dreams, dreams that weren't going to come true in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He decided to give her a middle of the road answer.

"Wherever it takes me," he said diplomatically. Elena shook her head.

"Tell me the truth." He sighed. It was like she could see through him. It scared him and intrigued him at the same time.

"I want to coach Division I ball," he admitted. "I was being looked at for a few jobs at D3 schools before everything happened. I guess its fair to say I was knocked down a few rungs on the career ladder."

"I'm sorry things didn't work out as planned."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Damon said with a shake of his head. "Things have a way of working out the way they're supposed to." Elena smiled him.

"I guess they do," she replied. Damon glanced at her as they walked, her hair blowing around, her features soft, relaxed. She was stunning and he was falling, fast and hard. He decided to address the elephant he brought to their metaphorical room.

"I guess you know what happened that brought me here." Elena looked guilty.

"Caroline and Stefan…"

"I know," he said with a gentle squeeze of her hand. "It's not like it was a well-kept secret. It was front page, lead story news for weeks in Texas."

"You were innocent," Elena said, wanting him to know she knew he had been proven innocent.

"I was," Damon said with a nod. "Katherine was the spoiled daughter of a booster who didn't give her nearly as much attention as he gave my football team. She tried hard to make her story true, if you catch my drift, but I kept her at arms' length and when she didn't get her way – which didn't happen often – she fabricated a very believable story that was hard for me to prove wrong. I maintained my innocence and she eventually broke under the pressure."

"I'm sorry," Elena said again.

"I lost my job, but I kept my integrity," he replied. "That's more important to me at the end of the day. Being a good man, standing by my beliefs." He squeezed her hand as though to emphasize his point. She gave him a tentative smile. It was as though he were trying to reassure her that he was a good person, that he wasn't going to hurt her.

"You are a good guy," she told him. She was beginning to truly believe that. "Ava Kate likes you, and I trust her instincts." Damon had no idea how much she trusted Ava Kate's judgment.

"I like her too," Damon admitted. He was starting to adore the little girl. She was sweet and quiet, but he could tell there was a big personality, just under the surface. She only needed someone to coax it out of her. Just like her mother. "She's a great kid, Elena."

"I think so, too," Elena quipped. Damon chuckled.

"You're not biased or anything."

"Not at all," Elena said with a shake of her head. She grew serious then, as they continued to walk. "Thank you, for dinner and the walk. I love Ava Kate more than my own life, but it's been nice to have an adult night out."

"I'm the one that should be thanking you," Damon replied. "I got to spend my night with a beautiful woman. It's been a nice change of pace from watching game film while eating takeout from plastic containers."

"I don't know about beautiful…" Damon stopped in his tracks. He turned to face Elena and took her other hand, lacing his fingers through hers. He didn't know the full story, but he knew she was broken. He was smart enough to know he could only do so much to fix her – she had to fix herself at the end of the day – but he was going to make sure she knew he wasn't the guy who hurt her.

"You are beautiful," he informed her. "Not just in the obvious way, either. You have a good heart. I can tell in the way you love your daughter, your brother. Don't doubt your beauty, Elena." He gave her a shy sort of smile. "I think you might be the only one who doesn't see it." He noticed the unshed tears in her eyes then. "Hey, don't do that." He released one of her hands and brushed away a tear.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just…" She paused, unsure how to explain to Damon that she was overwhelmed by him, by his genuine kindness. She knew if she continued to date him, she would have to tell him the finer details of her past, but it was too soon for that. She couldn't unload on him, on their first date, that her ex did everything he could to make her feel absolutely worthless. "My ex…"

"Was an asshole, from what I can tell," Damon finished. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to tell me, Elena. I don't know what he did to you, to Ava Kate. The fact that he abandoned Ava Kate is all the reason I need to hate him." He spoke with contempt, a quiet rage.

"Thank you," Elena said again. "My ex… He wasn't a good guy." She left it at that. It was enough for Damon. He stepped forward and cautiously pulled her into his arms, not sure if she would allow it, half expecting to be pushed away. Instead, she melted into his hug, her own arms going around him. She fit perfectly in his arms, the scent of her hair filling his nostrils as her waves blew around them. He didn't want to let her go.

She felt safe the moment his arms went around her. For the first time in years, she felt secure. Protected. Even, if she dared think it, cared for. It was a foreign feeling, so much so it was almost unsettling. It was just a hug, but it was somehow everything she had been missing. She shifted subtly closer.

"You're beautiful," he said again. "And I plan on telling you that as often as it takes for you to start believing it." He fought the urge to accentuate his point by kissing her forehead. She needed baby steps.

"And I plan on doing what I can to make sure you eat something besides Ramen and Easy Mac," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood. It worked. Damon chuckled.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," he said. Elena squeezed his hand.

"I really don't want to say it, but we should head back to your truck. Caroline is willing to keep Ava Kate as long as I need her to, but Ava Kate gets upset if it gets close to bedtime and I'm not there to tuck her in."

"Of course," Damon said. "Let's go get the little one." Holding her hand, they turned and walked back the in the direction they came from. For the first time in a long time, neither of them felt like they were looking back.

"Tomorrow is your last day before school starts," Elena told Ava Kate as she folded laundry. "Are you excited for Tuesday?"

"I can't wait," Ava Kate said excitedly. "I'm going to be in real school, not just preschool." Elena laughed as she folded a shirt. Ava Kate was whip smart, eager to learn. She had been talking about going to school nonstop since she learned she could go to kindergarten this year.

"You are going to learn so much. You're going to learn reading, writing, math, science…"

"I can already write my name and read words," Ava Kate reminded her. "And I can write my whole alphabet."

"I know you can. You're a smart girl. But, school will teach you how to write and read even more things, and you'll learn about lots of other stuff, too."

"Like sentences?" Elena smiled.

"Like sentences," she agreed.

"Will I learn how to read your big books?" Ava Kate was fascinated by Elena's collection of books and often plucked one from the shelf, even if she couldn't read most of the words yet.

"You will. Maybe not right away, because Mommy's books are for grown ups, but you'll learn how to read books for your age and as you get older, you can start reading my big books." That seemed to appease Ava Kate. She played quietly with her doll for a few minutes, giving Elena's mind a chance to wander.

Her date with Damon had been perfect, from the moment he picked her up, until the moment he dropped her off at her front door. He had been a gentleman, opening doors and pulling out chairs. He held her hand and hugged her, both on the beach and when he dropped her off, but he didn't push for more, somehow understanding that she needed him to take things slow. He had texted her bright and early, just to tell her good morning.

Now, even as she folded clothes, Ava Kate at her side and Jeremy down the hall, she felt happy, relaxed. She was already looking forward to seeing him at school the next day for Back To School Night, to maybe talking on the phone with him later, if she worked up the courage to call him.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Did you go on a date with Coach Damon yesterday?" Elena stopped midway through folding a pair of Ava Kate's shorts.

"Why would you think that?" she asked carefully, unsure of how Ava Kate would react. Ava Kate shrugged, her doll in her lap.

"I heard Aunt Care say it on the phone with Cody's grandma." Elena sighed. Of course Caroline had called Damon and Stefan's mother. She was forever trying to get in Mrs. Salvatore's good graces, and tattling that Damon had a date would certainly help Caroline's cause. She sat down on the bed with Ava Kate, deciding to tell her daughter the truth. She always had, and didn't plan to stop anytime soon.

"I did go on a date with Damon. What do you think about that?"

"Was it like Belle and the Beast when they ate dinner and danced at the castle?" Ava Kate wondered. Elena smiled at he daughter's innocence. It had been shattered far too early in life, but every once in a while, like now, she was reminded that Ava Kate still held on to some of it. She was still a little girl.

"Sort of, I guess. He took me to dinner, and then we went for a walk on the beach before I came to pick you up from Aunt Care and Uncle Stef."

"Did he kiss you?"

"Ava Kate!" Elena exclaimed. Ava Kate giggled.

"Aunt Care said to ask you!"

"Your Aunt Care needs to mind her own business," Elena informed her daughter, reaching out to tickle her. Ava Kate collapsed into a fit of laughter. Laughing herself, Elena pulled her into her lap. Ava Kate leaned against her mother and looked up at her.

"Did you have fun on your date, Mommy?" Elena smiled at the genuine care and wonder in her daughter's question.

"You know what? I did. I had a lot of fun."

"Good," Ava Kate replied. "Everyone deserves to have some fun." Elena kissed the top of her head. She had said those words to Ava Kate many times over the last couple of years.

"That's true," she agreed. She moved so she was leaning against her headboard, Ava Kate beside her. "What do you think of Mommy going on a date with Damon?" Ava Kate shrugged.

"I like Coach Damon." She looked up at her mother. "I think he likes me, too," she added in a much quieter voice. "He's nice to me." Elena had to squeeze her eyes shut and take a deep breath to keep herself from shedding the tears that suddenly sprung to her eyes.

"He does like you," she said once she had composed herself. "He told me so himself. He said you are a great little girl." Ava Kate looked bashful.

"Do you think he'll take me on a date, too?" Elena found herself smiling again.

"If Mommy keeps dating Damon, the three of us will probably spend a lot of time together," she said. "We have to just see what happens."

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"We should have tacos for dinner." Elena frowned.

"Tacos? How did we go from talking about Damon to talking about tacos?" Ava Kate shrugged again.

"I just thought about tacos and decided that would be a good dinner." Elena sighed. She would never fully understand how the mind of a child worked, skipping from topic to topic with no transition.

"Tacos do sound good," she admitted. "Let's go to the grocery store. We'll make tacos and maybe have a movie night." Ava Kate was already scrambling off the bed, wrecking piles of neatly folded clothes in the process.

"We can watch Beauty and the Beast!" she exclaimed as she ran for the hallway. "Come on, Mommy! Let's go!"

With a smile and a sigh, Elena pushed herself off the bed and followed Ava Kate. While it had been a nice change of pace to sit down at a real restaurant, across from a man that seemed genuinely interested in her, she was back on mom duty. She didn't mind at all.

"You sure this is gonna work?" Cody asked. Both Stefan and Damon looked at him.

"Yes," they both answered. He looked skeptical.

"You can't catch crabs with chicken," he stated.

"What do you suggest we catch them with?" Damon asked.

"Fish."

"Chicken livers," Stefan countered.

"No one likes liver," Cody informed him.

"Crabs do," Damon said. He finished tying off the bait in the bottom of a collapsible basket. "You going to stand there and tell me and your dad what we're doing wrong, or are you going to put this basket in the water?"

"Gimme the basket," Cody said stepping forward. Damon looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Please," Cody added. Damon nodded once and passed the basket to Cody. "Now what?"

"Drop it over in the water, but make sure the chicken is facing up," Stefan directed.

"And hold onto the strings," Damon added. "Don't drop those in the water."

"Sit down on the edge of the dock," Stefan instructed. "I'll never hear the end of it from your mother if you fall in."

"I can swim," Cody muttered as he sat down on the edge of the low dock. He could see crabs scurrying around on the sand in the shallow water below his feet. Damon smirked.

"He's just like you were at that age," he told Stefan.

"Because you were such a good influence on me," Stefan retorted.

"Touché," Damon agreed. He had typically been the ringleader, dragging Stefan, however willingly, into one plot after another that left them in varying degrees of trouble with their parents. He finished tying off another basket and took a seat next to Cody, dropping his basket in the water. Stefan did the same on the opposite side. The little boy sat up a little straighter, feeling special to be included in an outing with his father and uncle. They tended to treat him more like an adult than his mother did.

"So, how was your date with Elena?" Stefan asked. Damon smiled to himself. He knew Stefan had asked him to come crabbing with him and Cody to ask him about his date, information he would surely take right back to Caroline who would, in turn take it to their mother who had already called him bright and early, wanting to know about his date. He had lied and said he was just about to get in the shower to get off the phone quickly, but knew he would have to call her back that evening, or else.

"It was good," he answered. He smiled bigger. "It was really good." Stefan grinned.

"Really?" Damon nodded.

"We went to dinner, and a walk on the beach before she had to go get Ava Kate. It was simple but, I don't know, it was just – good. She's incredible." He knew himself well and he knew he was, without a doubt, head over heels in like. It was thrilling and terrifying.

"She is," Stefan agreed. "She's been through so much, but she's still gracious, still sees the good in people. Caroline and I just want to see her happy. Her and Ava Kate."

"I still don't know a lot about her past, but I know her ex did a number on both of them. I won't hurt them like that. I couldn't hurt them like that." Stefan studied his brother for a long moment, then nodded.

"I know you won't," he said with certainty. He was about to say more when Cody interrupted.

"Look!" he cried. "There's two crabs in Uncle Damon's basket!" Damon looked down. Sure enough, two blue crabs had scampered into his basket.

"Come here," Damon said, jerking his head. "Slowly, so you don't scare them off." Cody carefully got up and crept the few feet to his uncle's side. "Take the strings." Damon passed them to Cody and put a hand on the boy to steady him, aware that he often got overexcited. "On the count of three, pull the strings up. You ready?" Cody nodded. "One… Two… Three!" Cody pulled up and the basket's walls came up around the crabs, closing them in.

"I got 'em!" Cody said excitedly. Damon chuckled as he stood and helped Cody pull the basket out of the water and to the dock. "Can I hold one? I know how!"

"Careful," Stefan said, reaching out to stop Cody from haphazardly grabbing one of the crabs. "Let Damon hand you one." Damon carefully reached into the basket and caught one of the crabs from behind, avoiding its pinchers.

"Hold it just like I am," he instructed. "If you hold it from behind, it won't be able to bite you." Cody grasped the crab from behind. It's pinchers snapped wildly at the air.

"Cool!" he laughed.

"Smile, kid," Stefan said, holding up his phone. "I want to send your mom a photo." Cody beamed for his father.

"Come here, quarterback," Damon said once Stefan had his photo. "Let's take a selfie." Stefan rolled his eyes while Damon snapped a photo of him, Cody, and the crab. "Those are two handsome dudes right there," he said, showing Cody the photo."

"That's 'cause we're Salvatores!"

"Yeah, we are," Damon agreed, holding up his hand for a high five. Cody slapped it enthusiastically.

"Alright, let's put the crab down and see what we can do about catching some more," Stefan said. "If we get enough, we'll cook them for dinner tonight." Damon took the crab from Cody and tossed it into a nearby bucket. When he turned, Cody was studying him.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

"You're gonna be a good dad, Uncle Damon," the boy said seriously. Damon smiled and affectionately ruffled the boy's hair. Cody was rambunctious and sometimes downright reckless, but every once in a while, he said something that proved he was listening, paying attention. Someday, he would grow into a good man, thanks largely to his parents.

"Thanks, kid," he said. Cody wandered over to the bucket holding the two crabs. Damon lowered himself to sit on the side of the dock once more while Stefan re-baited the crab net. "Know that stick you made fun of me for bringing?" he asked Stefan.

"Yeah?"

"Hand it to me. Your kid dropped the strings of his basket in the water when I handed him mine." Stefan chuckled and passed Damon the stick in question.

"You know, I bet Ava Kate would like this," he commented, fishing the strings out of the water. "She loved Oregon Inlet, and Elena said she likes the aquarium a lot." Stefan grinned at Damon as he dropped the basket back into the water, Cody returning to his seat between them.

"Cody's right," he said. "You're going to be a good dad someday."

Damon busied himself with his recovered strings, a smile on his face.

As much as I loved the date, I especially loved Ava Kate asking about the date. That was just darling. Also, in this part of the country, the new year starts in mid to late August. It's not quite Labor Day, yet, but school bells are gonna be ringing!

Please let me know what you thought of this one!