Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing. Only the story is mine.

Note: Previously, in "Stranger Things Have Happened," Damon's ex-wife, Rose, intrudes on Damon and Elena.

Hey, guys, I had some time to think about this next chapter. And, now that I have an idea for how to proceed with it, I'm going to go ahead. No spoilers, just sit back and relax!

ON WITH THE SHOW!

Stefan and Rebekah's Mansion – After Rose's Intrusion...

Rebekah Mikaelson Salvatore hummed tune to herself as she put some laundry away. She knew that Stefan wanted her to take it easy, especially in her condition, but she didn't want to just sit around and do nothing. She was still at her task when the phone rang. Not sure who it was, she went over to the living room and looked at the ID screen, seeing Damon's number. Curious as to why her brother-in-law would be calling, she decided not to keep him waiting and answered it.

"Hello, Damon. To what do I owe the honor of receiving this call from you?"

"Hey, Bex. Is Stefan there? I need to talk to him."

Rebekah pouted. "You mean you didn't call to talk to me? Damon, I'm surprised at you. I thought you'd have better manners than that?"

"I'm sorry, Rebekah, but I really need to talk to my brother," said Damon, his voice sounding impatient as he spoke. "Could you please put Stefan on? I promise that the next time I call, I'll have more time to talk to you."

Rebekah was about to reply when she saw her husband coming toward her. He had heard her pick up the phone and gave her a curious look. "Who's on the phone, Bekah?"

"It's Damon," she replied. "He says that he really wants to talk to you." She gave him the phone. "Here you are, my love."

Then, she kissed his cheek and walked away to complete her task, after which Stefan brought the phone to his ear, wondering what Damon was calling him about. "Damon?"

"Stefan, we have a problem," his brother replied. "You remember my ex-wife, Rose, right?"

"Are you kidding me? I wish I could forget her," said Stefan. "Damn bitch made not only your life miserable, but everyone else's lives miserable as well." He sighed. "Why?"

"You're not going to believe this," said Damon. "She showed up at the summer estate."

"Why would she do that?" said Stefan. "You got that in the divorce, along with everything else."

"I really don't know, and it pisses me off to no end," said Damon. "She says that she wanted to reconcile with me, but I didn't believe a word of it. If she truly wanted to reconcile with me, she wouldn't have shown up unannounced like that. She's up to something, damn it, and I'm going to find out what the hell that is."

"Did she say or do anything to hurt either you or Elena?"

"No, she didn't," said Damon. "Though, she did call me a bastard." He sighed. "Stefan, I wanted to kill her. I had the knife in my hand and I was about ready to stab her with it. You have no idea how much I wanted to end her once and for all. And because she came in without my permission and I felt threatened, it would've been self defense."

Stefan nodded, even though Damon couldn't see him through the phone. "What do you think we should do about it?"

"Call Liz," said Damon. "She helped with getting rid of Elena's ex two months ago, so there's no reason why she wouldn't help us with Rose as well."

Stefan said nothing to that, just considered exactly what they were talking about. Something had to be up, because as Damon just said, if Rose truly wanted a reconciliation, she wouldn't have just shown up unannounced the way she did.

After a while, he said, "Was anything else you wanted to tell me, Damon?"

"Well, I do have some good news," said Damon. "I asked Elena to marry me."

"You did?" said Stefan. "That's great, I was wondering when you were going to, especially since you feel so strongly about her. Did she accept?"

"She did, and I couldn't be happier," said Damon. "Damian needs a mother, and there's no one better suited for that job than Elena is. And I'm definitely going to do whatever it takes to be a good father to her son."

"Well, in spite of the crisis you two endured, it's good to know that you're engaged. I'll have to arrange for an engagement party to be thrown for you," said Stefan. "Right after I tell Liz about Rose, of course."

"Of course," said Damon. "I never want to see that vile woman again, Stefan. I thought I had seen the last of her after the divorce was finalized, but apparently, she's wormed her way back into my life again."

"After Liz gets through with her, you'll never have to worry about her darkening your doorstep," said Stefan. "Listen, I'll get in contact with Liz after I hang up with you."

"Thanks, Stefan. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You're my brother, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you," said Stefan. "I'll take care of everything. You and Elena just relax and try to enjoy yourselves. Trust me, by the time you two come back to Mystic Falls, Rose will be dealt with."

Salvatore Summer Estate – After the Call...

Damon sighed as he hung up the phone. He felt relieved knowing that Stefan would be handling things on his end. Elena waited until he faced her before she said anything.

"What did he say?"

"He said that he's going to call Liz and take care of everything," he replied. "We'll never have to worry about Rose showing up to ruin our lives, like she tried to do."

"Good, because I don't want that woman coming anywhere near us again."

Damon nodded and hugged her to him. "She'll never come near us, not as long as Stefan and Liz are around." He kissed her. "I love you, Elena. I hope you know that."

"I do," said Elena. "And I love you too." She returned his kiss. "Will it be okay if I called Evan and told him the good news? I want him to know that he's going to be getting a new father soon."

"I don't see why not," said Damon. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled to know about us."

Elena got out her phone and dialed the number to Damon's mansion, where Evan was being looked after by Dante. After several rings, her son picked up on the other end. "Hello?"

"Evan, it's Mom."

"Hey, Mom, I was just thinking about you," the boy replied. "What's going on over there? Are you and Damon having fun?"

"We are," said Elena. "In fact, I have good news for you. Damon just asked me to marry him, so you'll be getting a new daddy soon."

"That's great, Mom! I really like Damon," said Evan. "He's awesome!"

"He is awesome, isn't he?" said Elena. "I like him too." She sighed. "I just wanted to tell you what went on, because I know you're going to ask us when we get back. Are you being a good boy for Dante?"

"Yeah, Dante is the best. In fact, he's going to order pizza for dinner."

"He is?" said Elena. "Well, don't eat too much, because I don't want you to get a tummyache. The same goes for Damian. I don't want either of you to get sick."

Damon listened as Elena talked to her son on the phone and took her hand in his, gently squeezing it. He considered himself the luckiest man alive to be getting her as his wife, because she was a great mother, much better than Rose had been.

I'm definitely looking forward to our wedding now, he thought. With that horrible bitch out of the way for good, there's nothing that can prevent me from having a life with Elena.

Note: With that, I'll end Chapter 14. I'll have the wedding in the next chapter, and probably do another chapter after that, because I'm going to want to possibly include Elena being pregnant. Stay tuned!

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