For the next few weeks everything continued in a rhythm that mimicked normalcy almost perfectly. For Elena, Damon and Alaric were becoming more and more like father figures. She found herself freely divulging details about her life to them and in response they listened, comforted her when she needed it, and offered pretty good advice. Her diary lay untouched in its hiding spot collecting dust. She didn't feel the need to keep her feelings confined to pages anymore. Now her feelings weren't like secrets that were kept in shadowy corners. Rather they were acceptable and not anything to be ashamed of.
However, Damon and Alaric were becoming exceedingly busy again. Damon, more so than Alaric. Often times he would sit up until one in the morning trying to iron out the details that were required to put together a successful event. So far he had the lanterns ordered, the permit for using the plaza as an event location, and the electricians who were responsible for stringing up lights and placing generators around the plaza.
One night, Alaric interrupted Damon's planning. Damon was sitting on the couch with the laptop in his lap, and an empty mug on the coffee table. Alaric plucked the laptop from Damon's lap and placed it on the table. "Ric, come on, I need to finish this," Damon said. His voice was tinged with irritation.
Alaric ignored him. He placed a leg on either side of Damon's waist and lowered himself onto Damon's lap. He leaned over and whispered into Damon's ear, "You've been at it all day. I think you need a break." Alaric began to kiss the tender flesh below Damon's ear.
A chill rocked down Damon's spine. "Ric, come on. Not right now."
Alaric sat up and frowned, "Why not? Damon, we haven't been spending as much time together lately. I just-"
"I know," Damon said soothingly. "Once all this is done-"
"Ok. Fine," Alaric said. He stood up and left the room. Damon felt guilty. He knew that Alaric wasn't mad at him. Alaric wasn't one to get angry over trivial things. He was disappointed which was even worse.
x~x~x~x~x~x
Stefan was woken up by the shrill ringing of his phone. He rolled over and answered it groggily.
"Stefan? It's your father."
He sat up and massaged the kink from his neck. He hadn't heard from his father since their last phone call."Hey, dad."
"Stefan, you're making a big mistake, so I decided to help you out. I drove up to Pennsylvania and met with the dean of admissions. He said that they can accept you back as long as you continue doing well academically and agree to rejoin the football team."
"Dad, I'm not making a mistake. I'm really happy with my decision," Stefan answered.
"Oh, well that's great," his father responded.
He's okay with it! Stefan could feel relief washing over him. "I knew you'd understand."
"I don't understand," his father said calmly, "I tried to help you Stefan. But if you're going to be stubborn, I won't waste my energy. I'm disappointed in you."
The phone line cut and Stefan froze for a moment. The relief was quickly retreating and he could feel the tsunami of emotions about to hit. He stood up with the intention of going to the bathroom and washing his face. Instead his body decided to act on its own. He fist made contact with the wall before he had time to react. Pain erupted in his knuckles and swore. He was supposed to be there for me. He was supposed to be my number one fan. Stefan thought back to all the high school football games. He could always look up into the bleachers and pick out his father's face. Now there was no one. No one on his side.
"Are you okay?"
Stefan looked up. Elena was standing in the doorway of his room. He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine," he responded gruffly.
"I hear a noise, are you sure?" her eyes fell upon his hand. "Stefan, what happened to your hand?" Her eyes found the spot on the wall where his fist had made contact. Some of the paint had chipped away and a fissure had formed, but other than that no damage.
"Elena, don't worry about me."
"Stefan, what happened?" she asked. They made eye contact and Stefan looked away quickly. "You were there for me," Elena said quietly, "Now, I'm here for you."
There was a pause. Finally, Stefan spoke. "My dad called. He called to tell me how disappointed he is in me."
Elena put a hand on Stefan's shoulder and massaged it gently. She expected him to shrug away but he didn't. "Stefan, your father doesn't understand that this is what you really want. He probably just thinks it's a whim. He's as worried as you are."
Stefan shook his head, "I'm not worried, Elena."
"Yes you are. You said so a few weeks ago, and I think you're still worried now. Stefan, we make a lot of choices in our life. You know what they all have in common?" He shrugged in response and Elena continued, "We're always unsure of how they're going to affect us."
"Yeah, I guess," Stefan said.
"It's going to be okay," she said softly. "You've got me and Alaric and Damon here. We're right behind you Stefan."
Stefan managed to half-smile. Maybe there are some people on your side. "Thanks."
Elena smiled in return, "No problem."
Without really thinking Stefan pulled her into a hug. This girl, who has lost so much, still has room in her heart to care for others.
He felt comforted by the soft warmth of her and she felt…safe.
x~x~x~x~x~x
Stefan felt better during the next week, but he still didn't feel like himself. He felt decent enough to do his everyday tasks, but he felt almost empty. He found his mind wandering back to the morning when his father practically disowned him. Curiously, he remembered how Elena had cared. He remembered their embrace. He remembered the warmth that seemed to spread from her heart and into his limbs.
Damon watched his brother and noticed his lackluster attitude. One morning, Elena came into the kitchen and Damon had an idea.
"Good morning, Elena," he said smiling brightly.
"Someone's cheerful," Elena said.
"I'm just really excited for the event I've been planning," Damon said casually.
"Oh right. The one with the lanterns. It sounds cool," Elena replied, opening the fridge to find something to eat. She produced a loaf of bread and a cart of orange juice.
"So you'll be going?" Damon asked.
Elena nodded, "Yeah, I guess. I mean. I have nothing better to do."
"Great. Can you drag Stefan with you?" Damon asked. His tone was still casual but his eyes were pleading.
"Yeah, sure. I'm going with Caroline and Bonnie, but he can definitely tag along."
"Great. I just really think it would be good for him to leave the house right now," Damon said. "I'm glad you're getting back out there too Elena," he added quietly.
Elena smiled, "Thanks Damon. I never thought I'd say this again, but, I'm actually pretty excited."
Damon smiled. It was great to see Elena in a genuinely good mood.
x~x~x~x~x
There was a soft knock at Stefan's door. "Come in," he said. He was scrolling through a google search for "Restaurant Job Openings". The door opened and Elena stepped into his room.
"Hey, I was just thinking, are you busy next-next weekend?" she asked.
Stefan shrugged, "Probably not, why?"
"I was thinking, maybe you wanted to go to that lantern party, event, thing that Damon's been planning?" Elena asked. She felt a black pit opening up in her stomach. She could feel it tugging at all of her courage.
Stefan thought for a moment. His first reaction was to refuse. "Sure," he said smiling. WHY? he cursed himself. Because I want to spend more time with her. She makes me feel alright.
Elena smiled, "Great," she said leaving the room.
x~x~x~x~x~x
Later that night, Damon was tempted to brew a some coffee and continue his routine of late night planning. However, he truly missed Alaric. Instead of turning on the coffee maker, he turned off the lights and went upstairs. Alaric was already asleep and Damon crawled under the sheets next to him.
"Damon?" Alaric asked. "What time is it?"
"It's only eleven," Damon whispered into Alaric's ear. "I've missed you."
"Day, it's okay. You don't have to put your planning on hold for me."
"I know," Damon said simply, "I want to put my planning on hold for you."
He began to nibble Alaric's neck playfully. Alaric rolled over and entwined his fingers in Damon's hair and pulled their faces together. Their kiss was passionate. Their lips moved in sync. Damon's tongue traced the top of Alaric's lower lip, and Alaric shivered in response. Damon wrapped his leg around Alaric's waist and pushed his body into Alaric's.
Alaric groaned. His lips moved to Damon's jaw and down his neck. He could feel Damon's pulse quicken under his kisses. Damon let out a soft moan and Alaric lost all control.
Hey, hope you liked the chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and constructive criticism :