Chapter 11
Elena woke up well past noon the next day. She was smiling as she jumped out of bed and threw her robe on over her flannel pajama pants and tank top. She and Damon had stayed at the restaurant late into the night dancing and talking and kissing some more of course. She could still feel him on her lips and was already craving more.
Elena ran down to the kitchen to start some coffee John looked up at her from the table.
"Was that you getting in at 3 am last night?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
"Why am I in trouble?' She scoffed.
"No, I'm glad your getting a life." He said nonchalantly looming back down at the paper.
"I always had a life dad." She rolled her eyes sitting across from him with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal.
"What I meant was a personal life." He explained.
"So I took my time getting over my break up to start dating again. Big deal." Elena shrugged.
"Ah hah! So you are dating someone." He smiled looking proud of himself.
"Nice trick dad." She laughed. "You could have just asked me."
"I have to meet him, he needs to past the test." John said with a serious expression.
"You already have and he already did." Elena smiled.
"Ah hah! So it is Damon." He smiled again and Elena just laughed shaking her head.
"What do you think of that?" She asked.
"Would my opinion really matter?" He asked.
"Yes dad your opinion always matters to me." Elena said sincerely.
"I think he's a good kid. He's a little rough around the edges but I get that. I was the back sheep to. Your a smart girl and I know you wouldn't be dating him if you didn't see something in him." John smiled.
"He actually said he can relate to you he said you were pretty cool." Elena informed him.
"I am pretty cool... for an old dad anyway." John agreed nodding with a thoughtful expression.
Elena giggled and got up to go shower and get ready
"He still has to pass the test." John called out after her.
"He already did." she protested.
"He has to do it again. On my terms now." John said firmly.
"Dad I don't want you getting him wasted." Elena sighed.
"I won't..." John said slowly.
Elena narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms.
"I'll get him completely inebriated." he grinned.
Elena groaned and started dragging herself upstairs.
"So you do have a boyfriend?" Jeremy asked he was standing at the top of the stairs.
"Not a boyfriend...why do you care?" She asked.
"Tyler was talking some shit about your new boyfriend at this party last night. I didn't realize you had one so I told him to stop spreading lies about you." Jeremy laughed."Oops."
"Is that all that happened?" Elena asked her hands on her hips.
"I might have hit him." Jeremy admitted.
"Jer." Elena groaned looking over him for injuries.
"It wasn't just that Elena. He was treating Vicki like crap all night and I had enough of it." Jeremy explained.
"I thought you were done with that girl." Elena rolled her eyes. She had no sympathy for the girl who slept with her boyfriend for 6 months in addition to having a fling with her cousin.
"That doesn't mean I want to see her treated like scum. Besides he didn't even hit me back he made some idle threat and walked away." Jeremy boasted.
"Because there was an audience. What happens next time?" Elena stressed. "Just leave him alone Jer, I could give a crap what he says about me or Damon."
"So you do have a boyfriend and his name is Damon." Jeremy teased.
"He's not my boyfriend." Elena hissed.
"Yet." John called out from the kitchen.
Elena's cell phone started ringing from her bedroom. Jeremy's eyes widened and he smirked running into her room.
"Don't you dare!" Elena yelled as she chased him.
He picked up the phone and jumped out of her grasp.
"Hello?" Jeremy answered continuing to duck and dive out of Elena's way as she tried to retrieve the phone from him.
"Elena?" He asked."She might be around who wants to know?
"Jeremy give it to me now." Elena hissed in a fevered whisper.
"Damon?" Jeremy asked raising an eyebrow. Elena rushed after him but he ran into the bathroom and shut the door "Are you her new boyfriend?"
"I'll kill you Jer, I swear I will."She said pounding on the door.
She could hear Jeremy laughing inside. "Huh..well good luck Damon."
He opened the door and handed her the phone still laughing. She slammed it in his face and calmed herself sitting down on her bed.
"Hey, I'm sorry about that my cousin.." She started to explain.
"Don't worry about it." Damon laughed.
"Hi." She said smiling and settling back into her bed.
"Well hello Elena." He replied making her smile even wider. "What are you up to today?"
"Nothing really." She said lamely cringing about her dad's earlier no life comment.
"Well would you want to come over and have lunch with me and my dad?" He asked. "I mean I know you probably don't want to hang out here on your day off..."
"I would love to." She cut him off jumping up to figure out what to wear.
Damon was buzzing after he got off the phone with Elena. He had been smiling all day. He couldn't get her off his mind he couldn't wait to see her again and kiss her some more. He wasn't used to feeling like this it made him a little edgy and wanted to call her the second he woke up but forced himself to wait for a little while.
Stefan decided to leave with him with Giuseppe for the afternoon. Damon headed upstairs with the wheelchair. The elevator was done and Giuseppe was going to use it like it not.
"Hey dad." Damon said pushing the wheelchair into the room.
"I'm not using that damn contraption. There is no way a sufficient enough elevator could be built in such a short period of time." Giuseppe crossed his arms.
"Stefan said they put extra guys on and rushed it because you were complaining so much about the noise." Damon reminded him.
"What about my staircase?" Giuseppe asked.
"Preserved and in the garage." Damon said.
"That's no place for such an antique piece of workmanship." Giuseppe gasped.
"Stefan will find somewhere to put it." Damon groaned. "Now come on let's get you out of bed."
"No." Giuseppe said. "I refuse to use it."
"Then your not eating lunch." Damon said crossing his own arms.
"I'll call Elena she will be appalled that you won't feed me." Giuseppe said smugly.
"Elena is coming over to join us for lunch. I think she's going to be offended when I tell her you refuse to come down." Damon shot back.
"Elena's coming over for lunch?" Giuseppe asked his stance softening somewhat.
"Yes, and she's going to be here in a half an hour. I need to start lunch, so come on." Damon said walking towards him.
"Elena will bring my food up to me." Giuseppe said.
"No she won't." Damon said in a warning tone. "It's her day off she is a guest."
"Your guest?" Giuseppe asked with a small smile.
"Yes my guest. Now come on dad. Think about how happy she will be to see you down at the table eating with us."
"Fine." He relented. "I will do it for Elena."
"Your being ridiculous over this whole thing." Damon scoffed helping him out of bed and into the wheel chair.
Giuseppe groaned when he looked at the new sleeker more modern black staircase with the elevator on the side. "Now my home looks like a hospital."
"Oh it does not." Damon scoffed wheeling him into the elevator despite Giuseppe's fears the elevator worked perfectly and he was able to wheel himself out and into the parlor.
"Isn't that better then being carried?" Damon asked.
"I suppose." Giuseppe relented. "What is all this stuff?"
He motioned to all of the bags and boxes that Damon just quickly brought inside last night before he went to pick up Elena.
"That's all my stuff." Damon said. "Don't worry I'll put it away later."
"Your moving in?" Giuseppe asked his eyes wide and hopeful.
"Is that okay?" Damon asked.
"Of course, better then okay." Giuseppe smiled.
Damon smiled back awkwardly and headed into the kitchen to start lunch.
Giuseppe joined him a few minutes later and raised his eyebrows.
"Why are you making that?" He asked pointing to the stove top where Damon was cooking soup and frying grilled cheese sandwiches.
"Because it's Elena's favorite." Damon explained.
Giuseppe laughed heartily. "My son the charmer."
"I took her out last night." Damon admitted unable to hold back the smile.
"You did?" Giuseppe smiled. "It went well?"
"It went great." Damon agreed. "I took her to my restaurant."
"She was impressed of course." Giuseppe said proudly. "As am I. Your going to make something of that place. I know you will."
Elena's car pulled up and Damon almost felt giddy he had to restrain himself from letting the food burn and running outside to rain kisses down on her.
"I'll let her in." Giuseppe offered heading out of the kitchen.
"You know dad for how much you hate this elevator thing you sure seem to enjoy being mobile." Damon called after him.
Elena was pleasantly surprised when Giuseppe answered the door in his wheelchair.
"Hello Giuseppe. Good to see you downstairs." She smiled as he led her in. "So it's all done?"
"Against my better judgment." He muttered.
She walked over to the finished elevator and new staircase and her eyes widened.
"It looks amazing." She said.
"Not as amazing as the grand staircase." Giuseppe moaned.
"Actually, I like it better." Elena shrugged.
"Told you the staircase was ugly." Damon smirked peeking out the kitchen.
Elena smiled widely at him her heart racing.
"Hey beautiful." He said gazing at her.
"I'll meet you two in the kitchen." Giuseppe said quickly wheeling out of the parlor.
"Hey..." She started but was cut off when he raced over to her and kissed her. She threw her arms around him and kissed him back eagerly.
"I've been dying to do that all day." He moaned happily putting his arm around her and guiding her into the kitchen. Elena loved the feeling of warmth and security the gesture gave her.
She took a seat at the table and beamed when she saw what Damon had made for them.
"My favorite." She told Giuseppe.
"So I hear." He smiled looking.
Damon handed Giuseppe his pills and water.
"I eat first." Giuseppe said firmly tapping his empty plate.
"Really?" Damon groaned picking up the plate.
"It's easier on his stomach." Elena explained.
"All day long, Elena does it this way, no Elena does this first, on and on." Damon said lightly as he filled up a plate and bowl for Giuseppe.
"They just don't listen." Giuseppe said to her in a low voice.
Elena smiled and rolled her eyes."Don't be so hard on everyone. I'm with you every day of course I have a better handle on your routine."
"She just spoils you." Damon quipped setting Giusppe's plate in front of him.
"She is a devoted nurse." Giuseppe said proudly. "You will do well in your career Elena."
"Thank you." Elena smiled feeling a burst of pride.
They all dug into their food and relaxed.
Giuseppe started in on fishing stories again and Elena patiently smiled and listened while Damon observed her. She was so kind and caring even his dad melted around her. Elena was like no one he had ever known before. Her beauty was just as much inside as outside. Seeing her like this so close to his dad was an interesting feeling for him. At first he didn't like how she was so intertwined in his family. But now he found it oddly comforting.
"I met your mother when I was on a fishing trip,." Giuseppe said suddenly catching Damon's attention.
"Oh?" Damon asked.
"I was with some college buddies we rented a cabin she and worked at the lodge. She and I spent many mights fishing together. I had never met a girl with so much spark. She captivated me from day one. Damon get's his wild spirit and passion from her. " Giuseppe smiled fondly at the memories.
"She was determined once she decided she loved me that was it. She loved me with with her whole heart and you boys too she loved you so much." He added gazing off.
Damon gulped hard and nodded his eyes slightly misty.
"I don't care what your or Stefan do with your lives as long as your happy. That's all I want now." Giuseppe said.
"Thanks." Damon said quietly. "It's good to know that."
Elena reached for his hand under the table and squeezed it.
"It's quite amusing watching the two of you. It brings back memories." He said looking at each of them for a moment.
Elena blushed nervously.
"Come on now old man your embarrassing my lovely guest." Damon smiled getting up to help Giuseppe with his pills.
Elena waited downstairs on the couch for Damon while he got Giuseppe settled in for a nap. She smiled softly feeling a nice peace within the house now. Elena could see the stress and the sadness that had been eating at Giuseppe had almost disappeared. Having his son back was the best thing that could have happened for him.
Damon bounded down the stairs and flopped down next to her putting his arm around her she snuggled close to him and found herself sighing softly. It just felt so good with him.
"Giuseppe looks so much better now Damon. You don't realize how much good you've done for him." Elena said softly
"I think it's you actually." He said stroking her hair. "You just have a way of making us Salvatore men melt, I guess."
She shook her head. "Not all of them."
"Okay me and my dad. Caroline beat you to Stefan." Damon joked.
"Well thank god for that." Elena laughed running her thumb over Damon's lip. "I would have missed out on you."
"Nah, I would have just stole you away from him." He quipped.
She rolled her eyes at the silly thought and leaned in closer to him. He kissed the top of her head gently.
"I'm actually glad I don't have to steal you from anyone. I don't know how you are single." He said.
"I haven't been able to find anyone worth it. Until now." She said. "You blew into my life woke up some pretty doormat feelings in me. I may have hated it at first but now I can't get enough."
"I don't know how I got this lucky. I was such an idiot being a complete ass to the most amazing girl in the world and yet you still give me a chance. Thank you for deciding I was worth that." He said softly.
"You showed me who you really are." She said sitting up and peering into his eyes. "Don't you go thanking me for liking you."
He leaned in and kissed her again she responded eagerly she couldn't get enough of him. Somehow she ended up on his lap kissing him hard and passionately his hands were running through her hair and then down her back only to travel back up again. The sensations of desire spread through her body and she moaned.
"Oh god Elena I want you." He said in response kissing her hard his hands tangling themselves in her hair.
"I do to.." She moaned. "But we have to slow down."
"I'll kiss you slower if you want." He teased pressing his lips to her softer.
"We can't yet..." She panted managing to pull herself back. "It's to soon."
"Or not soon enough?" He offered trailing tiny kisses down her neck.
"We have only been on one date." She protested.
"More then one." He pouted. "Today was a date and what about that night when we hung out at the grill. That was pretty much a date too."
"That was a non-date." Elena smirked. "And it's still too soon Damon."
"That was not a non-date." He cringed at the word."I took you out we ate I paid. I bullied off your ex and then I hugged you good night and went home and thought about you all night. Definitely a date."
"I couldn't stop thinking about you either." She said recalling her frantic conversation with Caroline.
"I can never stop thinking about you." He said stroking her cheek. "When can I be your boyfriend?"
He looked so sweet and vulnerable, Elena felt a rush of emotions whip through her like tornado.
"Right now." She said locking her eyes with his.
His gaze seemed to grow even more intense as he smiled happily.
"Good answer." He said in a husky voice claiming her lips with his own.
Merry Christmas everyone!
