Authors note:
Hey guys! I'm back already! And with my longest chapter yet! I couldn't help it after all of your amazing reviews! You're all so inspiring! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I promise this isn't a vampire diaries/ Gilmore girls crossover story, it's just that a lot of the emotion I want to capture was inspired by some reruns I've been watching but I promise this will continue to branch out into a story of its own. Ok everyone read and enjoy! P.S. I hope all you mothers out there had a good Mother's Day!
Flashback:
"Hey Elena" I hear someone say as they approach the table I've been studying at in the library
"Um, hey Robert" I know he's one of Damon's friends from the pub that night, I just hope I got the name right
"You remember. Good"
"I never forget a name once I've put a face to it" I joke and smile at him
"Well that definitely makes this a lot easier. Do you know Tyler Lockwood?" he asks
"Yeah, we actually grew up together" Curious where he's going with this
"So you've probably heard about his party" I nod "well I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?"
"Oh… Go with you. Like a date?" I ask
"That was the plan…"
"Um, well I don't want to cause any trouble between you and Damon…"
"I don't think it will be a big deal, besides he's taking some girl named Jessica; if you don't want to go that's fine… I kind of feel like I'm putting you on spot here…" he pauses and I frown at his words, and can't help but wonder if Jessica is the girl from the bistro the other day
"No, No Robert, I'd love to go with you" I smile at him
"Ok good, pick you up tomorrow?" he smiles back
"Yeah; I live in the Bradford apartments, just off campus"
"9:30 good?" he asks
"Perfect "
"I can't believe you, you've practically been a nun since you broke up with Elijah and now…"
"I have not been a nun" I interrupted her
"You were this close to joining the convent" she hold her thumb and for finger out to show me "and now you're having sex with Damon Salvatore and, going on a date with his friend, Elena Gilbert… you little hussy" she turns and smirks at me
"Could you possibly make me sound anymore like a slut… Jeez Care; and I'm not having sex with Damon, we had sex, once. And I haven't even heard from him since, and as far as Robert goes, he asked me to go to a party with him. That's all. Besides, isn't this what you wanted? For me to let loose and to not over think everything…"
"Whoa calm down, I wasn't trying to put you down or anything, I'm actually a little jealous of your new found spontaneity, I'm just still a little worried about you"
"Well stop… Please. Ever since my parents died all anyone has done is worry about me, and I'm sick of it. I'm I big girl Care, and I know you mean well, but I chose this, so please… stop worrying" I look at her seriously
"Ok" she says, but I raise my eyebrows at her pointedly "I said ok. I won't bother you about it anymore. You said you're fine and I need to believe you" she smiles "Will you just promise me one thing?" she asks me and I nod "If at any point you're not fine anymore will you promise to come to me?"
"Of course" I say
"And in return, I promise there won't be any lectures or I-told-you-so's on my behalf, ok" she smiles at me and opens her arms out for me
"Ok" I laugh and hug her
By the time Robert and I get to the pub where the party is, it's packed
"So do you have any Siblings?" I ask as we sit down at a table
"Yes, two sisters"
"Oh that's nice" I smile "Are you close to your family?"
"Actually, I can't stand my family." he says seriously
"Oh, um, I'm sorry" I say awkwardly
"But unfortunately for me my trust find doesn't kick in until I'm 25 so it looks like I'll have to stick around them for a few more years" I can tell he thinks this statement is funny, but given my situation I'm appalled that someone can take their parents for granted like that.
Just get through this night I keep telling myself
"That's too bad" I say
"My entire goal in life is to suck up to my father so that I receive to majority of their inheritance, leave nothing to my sisters and go on to live the frivolous free lifestyle I want, and leave nothing for the rest of the family" he continues
"That's your entire goal in life?" I ask astonished
"Yep" I hope he's joking
"Well that's… something" I'm speechless
"I'm gonna go grab a drink, you want anything?"
"Um, sure" anything to get away from you for a minute, I think to myself
"Anything specific?" he asks
"A Tom Collins please"
I spot Caroline dancing on the other side of the room with Stefan so I wave to her
"Hey 'Lena, you having a good time?" Damon says as he approaches from behind me
"I am, thanks" I nod, not wanting him to know I'm miserable
"Good, that's good. Me too, I'm having a good time too" I can tell he's drunk because he's slightly slurring his words
"Good" I nod and can't help but giggle to myself a little
"Yes, it is good" he takes a big gulp of his drink "So, I didn't know you knew Robert?"
"I met him at the pub that day" I remind him
"ohhhh right; Right. Well, you must've made quite an impression on him"
"He just asked me to come to this party, that's all" I shrug
"Sure" he slurs and takes another drink "he's kind of a jerk" he states obviously
"Excuse me" I act offended even though he's right, he is a jerk
"Robert… He's kind of a jerk. Haven't you noticed he's kind of a jerk?" he smirks
I just purse my lips, and shake my head, and pretend like I have no idea what he's talking about, and he seems to buy it.
"Huh" he tilts his head at me and then gulps down the rest of his drink "The night's still young," he grabs my arm and pulls me into a dark corner of the room "come on"
"Damon, wait…" I start to protest
"You look great tonight" he interrupts me and pulls me flush against his body
"Well, thank y…" he silences me with a kiss
I start to kiss him back, but thankfully I snap back to reality and break the kiss
"Damon… stop" I say when he tries to kiss me again, I glance around the room to make sure no one is watching us
"Right, so how've you been?" he asks.
"I've been fine"
"Good. School's good?"
"Schools hard" I sigh in annoyance, I'm starting to get tired of his games
"Well, it's supposed to be hard, it's grooming you for life" he shrugs and leans in to kiss me again and I give in, I can't help but kiss him back
"We can't do this here" I rationalize when we finally break apart
"You're right. Let's go" he reaches for my hand and tires to lead me away but I stand my ground
"Go where?" I laugh humorlessly
"You're place, my place; let's get a room at the Plaza…"
"We can't just leave, we have dates, we came here with other people" I interrupt him
He starts to chuckle…
"I don't like this" he waves his hand between him and I
"Like what…"
"You here with Robert…" he says
"You're here with Jessica!" I start to raise my voice a bit, I'm quickly moving from annoyed to angry
"I know" he raises his voice too, so I lower mine before we cause a scene
"So what's the problem?"
"The problem is you're here with Robert, and it's bothering me, and I don't like that it's bothering me" he throws his hands up like he's surrendering
"Sorry… Do you want us to leave?" I ask confused
"nooo" I shakes his head "I want us to leave, you and me" he grabs my shoulders
"I can't do that" I shake him off
"Oh so you wanna spend the rest of the night with Robert instead of me?" he looks genuinely offended
"I came here with Robert" I say apologetically
"So dump Robert, I hate Robert" he says simply
"You're the one who said you wanted to be able to keep seeing other people" I say confused
"I know what I said ok; I don't need a play by play" he huffs out, clearly frustrated
"Ok, I have to go, I have a date, enjoy the rest of the party"
I leave him alone in the corner
Present Day:
"Are you sure you're ok with coming with me tonight?" I ask in the car on our way to Caroline's house for our Pre- Thanksgiving dinner, a tradition of ours since our first holiday season away from home, with my parents gone and Caroline's parents divorced and constantly working, we decided we might as well celebrate on our own and have a drama free holiday, before we went home for the holidays.
At least that's how it started but with Stefan, Damon, Andie, and Luke thrown in the mix it may not be so drama free anymore, but I'll try my damnedest to keep it that way for Caroline's sake, she prepares for this event all week.
"Yes, for the hundredth time, I'm more than happy to come with you because I really do want to meet your friends" he grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze
"Ok, I just want to make sure you don't feel like I'm forcing you into this, or like we're moving too fast" I smile at him
"I think we're moving just fine" he says as he laces our fingers together and brings my hand to his lips
"Good, me too" I smile and blush
"Wow she really goes all out doesn't she" Luke says as we pull up to Caroline's house and he notices the front yard decorated to the nines in fall décor
"Oh yeah, Believe me, once you meet her it'll all make sense, and just wait till you see how she does Christmas" I blush as I realize I basically just committed to a Christmas with him, what if he's not interested
"Christmas huh?" he glances at me "sounds good" he bends down to kiss me
At that precise moment the door opens and Damon steps out, holding a ringing cell phone in his hand, and freezes like a deer in headlights
"I uh…" he glances in between us, then down at his persistently ringing phone "my phone, um, my phone was ringing and was just stepping out to uh…"
"Answer it" I finish for him
"Uh yeah" he nods "business never sleeps. Not even on Thanksgiving apparently" he shrugs
"Well by all means don't let us get in your way" I grab Luke's hand and walk him into the house. Leaving Damon on the porch
"Was that the ex?" Luke asks as we hang our coats on the coat rack
"Yeah that was Damon; please don't let him get to you, ok?"
"He seemed fine; you however sounded a bit hostile"
"I have to sound that way… trust me, the moment you let your guard down with Damon, is the moment he'll strike"
"Elena!" Caroline runs over and hugs me, effectively ending our Damon conversation for which I am extremely grateful for
"Hey Care, this is Luke. Luke this is my best friend Caroline" I introduce them
"It's so nice to finally meet you Caroline, I've heard so much about you" Luke holds his hand out for her to shake
"Oh silly we don't shake hands around here" she pulls him in for a big Caroline hug "I've heard so much about you too, It's about time Elena brought you to meet everyone, I can finally put a face to your name" she smiles at him
"Likewise, and thank you so much for inviting me to your home to celebrate the holidays with you guys, it's very gracious of you" man he's good, I think to myself
"Oh please! The more the merrier! Listen I'm gonna go check on things in the kitchen. Everyone else is in the living room, why don't you guys go in and make yourself at home"
"Wow, look at you mister smooth" I tease him and grab his hand to lead him to the living room
"What too much?" he laughs
"No not at all, you were quite the charmer; I think you've won her over already" I laugh
When we get to the living room I scream
"Oh my gosh! Jeremy! When did you get back from New York? You weren't supposed to get here until next week!" I grab him a for a big bear hug
"I got some extra time off work and I wanted to surprise you, so I came in late last night and asked Caroline if I could crash here"
"Man, she is getting way too good at keeping secrets! First the engagement and now this! Ugh! I missed you so much!" I pull him in for another hug, when I hear Luke clear his throat
"Oh gosh I'm sorry! Luke this is my brother Jeremy. Jeremy this is Luke, my, uh, my friend" I say
"Nice to meet you man" Jeremy moves to hug him, and I'm glad no one decided to comment on that awkwardness
"You too" Luke replies
"And this is Stefan, Bonnie, and Andie" I tell Luke "Everyone, this is Luke" they all get up to say hi and greet each other
"Hey, will you be ok if I go check on Caroline, to see if she needs any help in the kitchen" I whisper in Luke's ear
"Of course, I'll be fine" he whispers back "besides it'll give me a chance to ask Jeremy to tell me some embarrassing stories about you while you're gone" he says loud enough for everyone to hear
"Don't you dare!" I point my finger at him and he grabs it and pulls me in for a kiss
"Hey are you ok?" I hear Andie ask Damon on my way to the kitchen, when I glance over my shoulder Damon is standing at the drink cart; I don't stop to hear his answer.
"Hey do you need any help in here?" I ask Caroline
"Actually yes can you help make the Salad? The tomatoes and everything are over there" she points to a basket on the counter
"Sure" I grab everything and start chopping
"So, Luke seems nice" she says
"He is, he's really kind, compassionate and sweet" I say
"And you're ok with that?" She asks
"Yeah, I'm not freaking out like usual, and he understands that I need to move slow, that I'm damaged goods, and want to take my time getting to know each other" I laugh
"Well if you're happy, I'm happy. I'm gonna start taking all this stuff to the table" she grabs some stuff and leaves the kitchen
When I hear footsteps I turn to see who it is, when I realize its Damon I sigh
"Cool your jets turbo" he says sarcastically "I'm just getting some ice for my drink"
"Well get it and go" I say bitterly
"Still mad at me?" he asks
"The last time I saw you, you barged into my house late at night and tried to tell me how to live my life… what do you think?" I huff
"I told you, I was just worried. It won't happen again" I know he said it to make me feel better but it doesn't
"Oh what a relief" I say sarcastically
"I can't win with you can I? Damned if you do, damned if you don't; isn't that how the saying goes?
"I'm sorry, I'm just on edge" I admit
"About what?" he shrugs
"Luke's in there…" I say like it's obvious
"And…"
"And that's the guy I'm seeing"
"So… Andie's in there too" he says it like it's so simple
"Are we really doing this?"
"Doing what?" he asks
"Being civil, acting like we're just two old friends, you're not gonna be mean to him, or tell him about our sex life if you happen to get him alone…" I look at him pointedly
"Ugh! That was before I apologized to you and I told you wouldn't do that to you again, and as far as I'm concerned, it won't take much acting, we are old friends, sure there was some sex thrown in the mix but you were my best friend before everything went down, you know that" he looks at me sincerely and I blush
"Ok fine, but the only way I'll trust you is if you start limiting your alcohol intake for the rest of night" I point at him
"Oh now that's not fair! You know I need this just to get through an evening with Blondie let alone one of her most beloved holidays!" he whines
"It's not my fault you can't control yourself when you're drinking" I tease
"That's a lie and you know it, if there's one thing I've always been good at, it's holding my liquor"
"Oh yeah" I raise my eyebrows at him "remember back in college at Tyler's party, you were so drunk you tried to convince me to leave the party with you, and leave Robert alone" I laugh
"Ugh Robert, I still hate that guy" he laugh
"Ugh Jessica, I still hate her" I say
"Yeah well I hear she's a stripper now, so it looks like you came out on top" he jokes "and if we're being honest I wasn't even that drunk that night, I just really wanted to get you alone again" he wiggles his eyebrows at me
Of course my blush immediately surfaces and betrays me
"Your still just a beautiful when you blush as the night on that rooftop" he says and moves a strand of hair behind my ear
I clear my throat
"How about we start moving all this food onto the table" I say
"Yeah" he smiles at me "sounds good to me"
We both grab a plate and head for the table, I notice that I'm smiling to myself and I can't seem to help it, because something inside of me healed in that kitchen just now.
I guess we all have something to be thankful for.
End A/N: Review, review. Come on… you know you want to = ]