Caroline, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Stefan were left at the bar wondering what to do now. Finally, Stefan spoke to Bonnie, "I'll go talk to Stefan. You should probably speak with Elena." To Caroline and Jeremy, Stefan said, "Hang tight, here. I don't think we'll be long. We need to get back soon anyway."
Bonnie and Stefan left the bar together. When they were outside, Bonnie saw Elena sitting at a fountain in front of the library. Stefan saw Damon leaning against a tree nearby. Grabbing a glass of whiskey for Damon and himself, he strolled over to Damon, as Bonnie went to Elena.
Stefan handed Damon his drink and said, "Even when you do something great, you screw up. How do you manage it?"
Damon acknowledged the statement with a grimace and lifted his drink up in a toast. "Here's to screwing up," and took a long pull of whiskey. "She called me noble, brave, and good. Can you believe that? Maybe I'm making progress."
"She also called you a coward, so don't get cocky."
Damon shrugged and took another drink. "I said I was making progress, that's all."
Stefan lifted his glass for another toast, "Well then, here's to progress."
"What are you going to do now, Stef?"
"I'm flying back to California tomorrow. I've got a nice place there, I think I'll start a bar."
Damon nodded, "Bar's a good idea. Steady stream of people, plenty of opportunities to feed."
"I can't do that Damon. I can't live that way, constantly fighting the urge. It works for you, it doesn't work for me. Besides, I've discovered big game hunting, you know, animals that can fight back, bears, lions, wolves. The blood tastes a lot better, it has more energy, besides it's more of a challenge than hunting humans even. You should give it a try."
Damon considered the idea, "Interesting, Elena and I will come out to see you in a little while. You can introduce us."
"Promise?"
Damon grinned, "Absolutely!" They shook hands and rose to leave.
"You and Elena going to be okay?" Stefan asked.
Damon watched Elena and Bonnie together and nodded, then sighed. "Yeah, we'll be fine. She's a complicated woman, did you know that?"
Stefan shook his head, "I always found her straightforward."
Damon grimaced, "I guess it's me then."
When the four approached each other, Elena reached up and kissed Damon and gave him a hug. "I'm ready to go home, Damon."
"Sure, let's round up Jeremy and go."
Jeremy and Caroline were still sitting at the bar when they re-entered. Elena spoke up, "We're ready to go Jeremy." She gave Caroline a hug. "It's been really good to see you Care. I'm glad it's working out with Katherine. It looks like she's interested in Lance. Do you know what that's about?"
Caroline shrugged. "Katherine likes guys and they like her. It's hard to tell when she's serious."
"I wonder what she's going to tell him about tonight," observed Damon. "Let us know if you think that's going to be a problem, okay?"
"How will I do that?" asked Caroline. "I don't know how to get in touch with you."
"Bonnie," replied Elena. "You can get us through Bonnie."
Caroline sighed, "I wish you would tell me what's going on."
Elena glanced at Damon, and he nodded. "I'm pregnant, Care. We're kind of hiding out until the babies are born."
Caroline's eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. The she let out a scream as she hugged Elena. "But how? Did you take the cure? I thought there was only one? But Damon, how could you …?"
Damon didn't answer, but just grinned. Elena replied, "It's all very complicated. No, I didn't take the cure. I am human, but only temporarily. I don't want to say anymore, Care, but I wanted you to know."
Caroline nodded, but then exclaimed, "Babies! You said babies. You're having more than one?"
Elena nodded and grinned. "Apparently, I'm having twins."
Caroline screamed and hugged Elena again. "But you can't hide out who knows where. We have to have a baby shower!"
Elena laughed, "When we come back, maybe. Right now, I want to go home, Care, I'm tired."
Later that night, after they made love, Elena cuddled against Damon and allowed her hand to travel over his body, exploring, touching, caressing. "I like learning about the good things you've done Damon. I'm proud to be your wife, you don't have anything to prove to me. But, I like to hear when you've done something brave, and good, and noble."
Damon sighed. "There's a lot more bad, than good, Elena."
She nodded. "I understand. I understand that you've lived a hard life. It's part of who you are. It's part of why I love you."
For the remainder of Elena's long life she would consider the next three months spent in Gloucester as the most special. The first few weeks there, the place was packed with tourists for the fall colors, but when the leaves dropped and the winter storms began they had the place to themselves. She had easily compelled the locals to cover for them but in the process found them open and friendly. She and Damon had everything they could want. A friendly pub nearby where they could have a drink with new-found friends, and plenty of time to be left alone to enjoy each other.
Since she was human, their sex had to be different, more restrained. Damon had to be more careful to avoid hurting her. Sometimes she became impatient with him because he was too restrained, but they soon figured that part out as well. The one thing she missed as a human was being able to taste his blood. Naturally, since her fangs were dormant she wasn't able to bite Damon, and Damon refused to drink from her because it took her too long to heal. She grinned to herself when she thought about when she returned to being a vampire because she figured they would make a bloody mess. She already had plans for when she returned to being a vampire. She'd keep it a secret until they were in bed together and then she'd bite hard and long, and take a nice long drink.
One thing she learned about Damon that amazed her was what an excellent cook he was. He taught her how to cook so that she knew her way around the kitchen well enough, but whenever they had company or wanted to make something special, she gladly turned the kitchen over to him, knowing he'd 'throw together' some culinary masterpiece. Whenever they discussed their future, she would bring up the idea of starting a restaurant. She was convinced it would be a success. Damon was less optimistic. He had never really tied himself down to a single location and found the idea foreign to him.
They had quickly established a routine. She would get up early and take long walks along the shore. Elena found the seashore called to her. It didn't matter what the weather was. There was something about the ocean that reflected her spirit. Calm and serene one day, violent and deadly the next. She was well aware of the blistering temper she kept within her heart. She knew that, when aroused, there was no limit to what she could do to vent her anger. She also knew of her capacity to love and forgive. The quick changes of mood of the sea called out to her and somehow helped her understand her own feelings. The sudden changes of the sea made her feel as though she wasn't alone.
Damon, on the other hand, tended to sleep in. She knew that some of that was on purpose as he knew she enjoyed the solitude of the early morning. He had developed the pattern of going into Boston twice a week to feed. He would come home late and she could smell the liquor and perfume from the women he would feed from. One time she commented on being the only wife okay with her husband coming home stinking of another woman's scent. His response was that it would look rather strange to be biting another man's neck in a nightclub. But, that was the last time she smelled another woman on him when he came home. She asked him if he showered before he arrived home and he smiled and said that he had found another solution. That was all she could get out of him about that.
An Old Friend
January arrived cold, with a winter blizzard. Damon was stuck in Boston, the night before with all the roads closed. Because of the weather, he had not been able to feed, everyone was bundled up at home until the snow stopped. He had received word that evening that the roads north were open and he was hitting the bars to feed before he left for home. It was a cold night and Damon was leaving a bar having fed when a familiar voice called his name.
"Damon! Damon Salvatore! Damon, wait up!"
Damon's instincts at first was to ignore the person calling and hurry away, but then his memory placed a name and face to the voice and he laughed and turned around. "Meredith, my God, how the hell are you?"
Meredith Tappinger was a woman who looked to be in her early 30's with dark brunette hair that hung in stylish long curls and draped elegantly over her body, almost to her waist. She was dressed fashionably in slacks, a beige silk blouse, and wearing a leather jacket. Without heels she was almost as tall as Damon, with the spikes she was wearing, she was slightly taller. She laughed gaily as she gave Damon a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Damon Salvatore, you are looking absolutely yummy. How long have you been in Boston?"
"I'm not really, I'm living in Gloucester, I just come in to visit a couple of times a week to get something to eat."
"At a gay bar? I saw you just leave there. Since when does Damon Salvatore feed at a gay bar?" Meredith took a step back to examine Damon and try to figure out what was going on with her old friend.
Damon looked down sheepishly, "It's hard to explain, Meredith. Feeding from women doesn't seem right somehow. I had never thought about it before, but there's a sexual part of it."
For a moment, Meredith was puzzled, trying to figure out what Damon was trying to say. Then it hit her. "Katherine! You finally managed to get Katherine." Meredith gave Damon another hug. "I'll be honest, I never believed that would work out. I'm happy for you, Damon. Where is she? I want to meet this girl you waited 150 years to free."
"No, Meredith, I'm not with Katherine. I'm completely over her."
"Okay, Damon. What is going on with you?"
"Why does their have to be something going on?" asked Damon defensively.
"Oh Damon, there is always something going on. I'm sure my instincts are right. If it's not Katherine, it's another girl. Come on, spill it. Who is she?" Then Meredith spotted the wedding band on Damon's hand and became suddenly serious. "Wow, I never would have seen this coming. Are you legitimately married? You're not pulling some con are you? You've always been honest with the women in your life. Tell me you're not pulling some sleazy scam on a girl."
"Dammit Meredith, no I'm not doing anything like that! I am legitimately married. Her name's Elena."
"So where is she? I want to meet her."
"I told you, she's in Gloucester. I was just about to head home when we met."
Again Meredith was puzzled. "Okay, why are you here to feed, and she's waiting at home for you? Oh my god, she's human! You've married a human? Are you out of your mind? She knows you're a vampire right. Tell me you didn't marry a human and hide the fact you're a vampire from her."
"Meredith, why don't you just shout out to the world? Yes, she knows everything about me."
"So she is a human! When are you planning to turn her? You are going to turn her. You know relationships between vampires and humans don't end well."
Damon sighed in exasperation. Was there any way he could get in control of this conversation? "Look, Meredith, why don't you come home with me tonight and you can meet her. I'm not going to explain anything without her being there. Can you get free tomorrow? You can spend the night tonight and the three of us will have the day together tomorrow."
Meredith scowled at her phone as she checked her calendar and then smiled. "Yes, that will work out fine. I've just cancelled a couple of morning appointments and now, not only do I have tomorrow, but I have the entire weekend."
"Good," replied Damon. "Let me call Elena to give her a heads up." He called her on his phone and when she answered he said, "Hi Elena, listen I'm about to head home. I've run into an old friend, and I've invited her over for a few days. We'll be there in about an hour and a half."
"An old friend? How old a friend? How much does she know about us?"
"I knew her in the early nineties. She knows all about me, she doesn't know anything about you."
"What kind of friend is she?"
"She's just a friend, Elena." As he said that, he noticed a mischievous glint in Meredith's eyes and decided he had better come completely clean. "Okay, I guess you could say she was a friend with benefits."
"Of course," Elena replied dryly. "Do you have any other kind? Listen Damon, of course she can come over. I definitely want to meet this friend of yours, with benefits. I'll make sure the guest bedroom is made up, but I'm tired so don't expect me to be up when you get in."
After Elena hung up he said to Meredith, "It's all set."
"Great," she replied. "Let me have your address. I'll go home to change and pack and I'll see you there."
Damon arrived home about midnight and found Elena awake in bed, reading. "Where's your friend?" she asked.
Damon kissed Elena hello, "She'll be here in a while. She had to get some things."
"Well, you can show her where to settle in. I'm going to sleep."
"Uh, Elena, I think you're going to have to invite her in."
"Oh bother. Okay, so, tell me about her."
"Her name's Meredith Tappinger."
"She's pretty, of course."
Damon sighed, "Yes, she's pretty. She is also wicked smart. Smarter than me for sure."
"That's not saying much," Elena joked.
"Ouch. She was a therapist when I met her. I don't know if she still is."
"What exactly is she to you?"
"I guess you could say, she's been my Lexi."
"Really? I never thought of you needing a Lexi."
"I don't mean it that way. I'm just saying we have that kind of relationship, kind of like a brother/sister relationship."
"With benefits."
"That was a long time ago, Elena. It's kind of a case where we tried it on and mutually decided that we weren't suited for each other that way."
"So why did you say anything?"
"Because, knowing Meredith, I figured it's better to be candid."
Elena smiled, "Maybe you are pretty smart. I think I hear a car in the driveway."
In a few minutes, they heard Meredith knock and call at the front door. Elena went and opened the door and held out her hand to say hello. "I suppose, your Meredith, I'm Elena. It's good to meet you." After they shook hands, Elena turned and went back inside, leaving the door open and Meredith standing outside. Elena stopped and turned back smiling sweetly, "I am so sorry, Meredith. Please come in." Meredith entered, noticing Elena's pregnancy and glanced at Damon questioningly.
"I know we have a lot to talk about, Meredith," said Elena. "However, being pregnant tends to tire me quickly, so I'm sure you'll forgive me if we leave getting acquainted until the morning. Here is our guest bedroom. I'm sure you can find everything you need. Help yourself. Have a good night. Damon?"
"Night Meredith," Damon gave her a brief hug and went into the bedroom with Elena.
Meredith stood in the center of the living room without moving for several minutes trying to process the startling information she had received. She tried in vain to reconcile the Damon Salvatore she knew 20 years ago and the apparently domesticated version she saw tonight, married to an obviously pregnant, human, lovely young girl. She finally gave it up. Tomorrow would certainly be an interesting day.