Chapter 25

Damon woke up to a soft knocking sound. He threw his pillow over his head trying to block out the noise and fall back to sleep. The knock grew a little louder and he sat up groaning.

"What do you want..." He clammed him mouth shut as his eyes focused on Elena's room and Elena's bathroom door where the knock had come from.

Elena woke up her eyes wide and pushed him. "Go hide."

"From your cousin? Like he's gonna care." Damon rolled his eyes.

"Uh Elena I'm not deaf." Jeremy laughed from the other side of the door.

"Just get in here then." She hissed.

"I knew I heard someone climbing the side of the house last night. I figured you were sneaking out or he was sneaking in" Jeremy snickered.

"Do you think dad heard him to?" Elena asked looking nervous.

"His room's across the hall on the other side of the house I doubt it." Jeremy shrugged.

"What do you want anyway?" Elena asked glancing at the lock. "It's eight am are you sick or something?"

"Sorry you're usually up early. When you didn't answer I thought you might have been listening to your I-pod." Jeremy explained.

Elena nodded she sometimes did lay back early morning and listen to music.

"Anyways I'm here because I wanted to show you something I came up with." He said looking sheepishly at Damon. "I'll come back later through."

"No, let me see it." She said seeing he had his sketch book with him.

"You draw?" Damon asked getting up to join them at Elena's desk.

"Yeah mostly fantasy stuff." Jeremy said looking down. "Just for fun."

"Hey that's cool. I bet the chicks dig it." Damon quipped.

"I never really showed anyone but Vicki.." He said.

"You should you are really good." Elena said.

"Can I see some of your stuff?" Damon asked.

"Uh yeah okay." Jeremy said opening his sketchbook and showing Damon some of his favorites. He was really into fantasy and mythology drawings.

"These are really awesome." Damon said his yes wide. "You have a real talent here."

"You really think so?" Jeremy smiled. "Thanks. That's why I'm here. I was thinking about your charity and I decided to switch gears a little and challenge myself. Every charity has like a symbol and a name. I could help you with that. I could even help you set up a web page. I started sketching some ideas..."

He flipped to the front of his sketch book and Elena looked over at all the different things he had done she really liked them all.

"I think I need a name first but I would use any of those." She said. "I like the linked hands one a lot. But I still have so much to do including figuring what exactly it is I need to do, but once I'm ready to start looking at the design stuff I could really use your eye."

"Great. I'll help you in anyway I can art-wise." He said.

"Thanks Jer." She smiled. "It's so nice of you to help."

"So could you design a restaurant menu?" Damon asked.

"That would be simple." Jeremy laughed. "I could just do that on the computer. And yes I'll help you."

"If you want a job in the mean time. You can come work for me. I'm ready to get this cafe launched and I have a ton of stuff to do." Damon said. "I'll pay you good."

"Pay me in beers and you got a deal." Jeremy offered.

Damon laughed and shrugged. "Why not?"

"You can't actually pay him in beer." Elena said rolling her eyes. "Do you have any idea how illegal that would be."

"He's not an employee though he's my friend and he's helping me out." Damon pointed out.

Jeremy smiled his eyes lit up a bit. Elena realized Jeremy really looked up to Damon. She liked the fact that Damon considered Jeremy a friend. It was good for him. He did ask for beer after all he could have taken the money and bought drugs. Beer was a better alternative she supposed.

"So when do you want to get started?" Jeremy asked.

"A week or so." Damon shrugged. "I know you'll have school but you can just stop in and help out whenever. I want to have it up and running by the time Elena is getting ready to launch her charity so I'll be able to step away and help her."

"When do you think your going to hire staff?" Jeremy asked. "Like waitresses and stuff."

"Is there a specific waitress you have in mind?" Damon asked with a smirk. "If it's Vicki hell no."

"It's Anna." Jeremy said quickly. "She applied at the grill but they slow down in the winter and don't need her. It's just her and her mom she could use the money."

"Of course I'll hire her." Damon said. "But it's going to be a while before I actually need a wait staff."

"I know but at least she has something she can do now." Jeremy said looking relieved.

"You've been seeing her?" Elena asked getting excited.

"A little we're just friends." Jeremy said but he blushed slightly.

"Right." Damon laughed.

Elena's door flew open and John walked in with his arms crossed.

"Damon." He said pointedly.

"I came by this morning." Damon explained. "I was looking for Jeremy actually. He's going to help us with the cafe."

"I see." John said. "What time did you come by?"

"Early I don't even remember the time." Damon said squinting his eyes and appearing to be trying to remember.

"Jeremy's never been an early riser." John pointed out.

Jeremy took that moment to slip out throwing an I'm sorry look back at them.

"Well I came to see Elena too. See I made this promise to always make her breakfast and since she was here this morning..here I am." Damon smiled.

"Are you trying to charm me? I'm a dad remember? That doesn't work on me." John laughed. "I wasn't born yesterday. I didn't hear your car this morning."

"If I snuck in here last night... wouldn'tI have snuck out already?" Damon countered.

"If you were smart yes. But your cocky and you like to push your limits." John smirked.

"Okay, okay so he spent the night but nothing happened." Elena sighed.

"Elena...must I repeat myself. I wasn't born yesterday...but you're my daughter and I would prefer to continue to be stupidly and blissfully unaware of your personal life in that way. Which is hard to do when it's across the hall." John moaned.

"It's true we just slept. I swear." Elena said. "Besides I'm eighteen years old. If I want an overnight guest it's my call."

"It's my house." John said.

"Actually it's Jer's house." Elena countered. "Who is not even quite seventeen yet and you allow girls to sleep in his room all the time. Can you say double standard?"

"I mean as long as you promise when he's over here you just sleep." John finally relented.

Elena opened her mouth but John cut her off.

"No actually I want Damon's word." John said staring down Damon.

"I can promise to behave if you're here." Damon offered.

John just grunted and left the room muttering under his breath.

John insisted Damon make breakfast for everyone and he agreed deciding to whip up a few things he planned for the cafe.

"I think a breakfast place is a great idea. The town needs it." Elena said sipping on coffee.

"But the other place did go under. We have to find out why and not make that mistake." Damon said filling up plates of food and piling it on the table.

"It's a small town Damon." John advised him. "People were coming in on Saturday and Sunday mornings,a few regulars during the week. It just wasn't enough."

"I need to find a way to draw in a larger crowd." Damon mused.

"This is really good. Once they taste this they are going to come back." John said as he started trying the omelet.

"You could stay open all night." Jeremy suggested. "Kids would show up after parties and stuff. It's actually kind of close to the hospital to so you would draw in their employees too."

"Twenty four hours?" Elena frowned.

"Don't worry Elena, I'm the owner. I'll dictate my own schedule." He promised her. "Once my staff is set I won't even need to be there for more then a few hours a day."

"Still twenty four hours is risky. It costs money to stay open all day and all night." John mentioned. "You would need another manager in addtion to me if not two not to mention the rest of the staff."

"What if it opens late night like midnight and stays open until noon?" Jeremy suggested.

"I like that idea, It's different." Damon murmured. "I wouldn't need to add a lunch or dinner menu that way."

"A lot of people crave breakfast at night. It's a cool idea." Elena nodded.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door Elena jumped up to get it while they continued to mull over restaurant ideas.

"Bonnie." She hugged her friend tight. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. How are you?" She asked softly.

"Getting better." Elena said feeling a new strength behind those words.

"I have so much to fill you in on." She said pulling her friend upstairs.

Damon, John and Jeremy headed over to the restaurant to do some more brain storming and Bonnie and Elena spent the rest of the afternoon researching different charity organizations and taking notes on how they got started. Bonnie had advised Elena to take this slow one step at a time. First things first was to get a plan together.

They were interrupted in mid-study by Elena's phone.

"It's Car." Elena said picking it up. "Hey Car wha..."

"What! He did! Ah!" She exclaimed jumping up to her feet, "Oh my god!"

"What?" Bonnie exclaimed looking antsy.

"Stefan proposed to her." Elena said. "It's Bonnie."

"Caroline really!" Bonnie screamed. Elena put her phone on speaker and the three of them started jumping up and down squealing.

"When did he do it?" Elena asked.

"Last night." Caroline said softly. "It was so sweet.. and um we don't want to wait so drop your plans for next week girls cause we're going to Florida for a destination wedding."

"Florida?" Bonnie and Elena asked at the same time.

"Yes Florida." Caroline sighed. "It was the only place I could find for next week."

"Why the urgency?" Bonnie asked.

"We just want to be married." Caroline sighed. "After everything we went though life is short why waste it when you have the one you want forever."

"Oh that was very sweet." Elena said her eyes getting misty for her friend.

"Those were his words...part of them." Caroline gushed.

"Congratulations Caroline." Elena said. "I'm so happy for you guys. I know Giuseppe would be beaming right now."

"He really would." Caroline cried into the phone.

"I just can't believe it! I'm so happy for you guys!" Bonnie chirped.

"So you guys will come then?" Caroline asked.

"Of course!" Elena said.

"We wouldn't miss it. What about Matt?" Bonnie asked.

"Of course and Damon. Stefan has it covered so don't worry about money Bonnie."

"I'm so excited!" Elena said smiling.

"When do we leave?" Bonnie asked.

"Monday morning." Caroline said. "I need to hit the tanning bed pronto. I'll check in you girls later."

"What about shopping?" Elena asked.

"Keep your phone on when I said I would check in you later. I meant by then the shock will have worn off and I'll be in full on panic mode." Caroline said quickly before hanging up.

Elena and Bonnie laughed and tried to get back to work but soon found themselves talking and daydreaming about weddings.

Damon drove home late evening after being at the restaurant all day. The three of them had accomplished a lot today. He had a pretty clear plan of what he needed to do and not just on the professional side of his life.

He was planning to use this time with John to get him to trust him hopefully enough that when Damon asked his permission to marry Elena he would agree. So far things were going well. John didn't bring up finding Damon in Elena' bedroom this morning again. He actually relented surprisingly fast. He laughed, musing to himself about how he of all people got lucky enough to have a girlfriend with a laid back dad.

But Damon did respect John enough to not want to do the things to Elena he loved to do in his home or at least not while he was across the hall . He figured he should get an apartment for now so they had a private place to be together. He considered asking her to move in to a place with him but he kind of wanted to be engaged to her first. He loved making her swoon and felt like the proposal would be more of a surprise if they weren't living together at that point she would probably be expecting him to propose and he didn't want her to expect it.

He figured as soon as the restaurant was launched and he had John's blessing he was going to ask her. He was still worried she would think it was to soon. But he felt how close they were now how bonded they were. He could feel her love for him just being next to her. It was surreal. He couldn't wait to make her his wife.

Stefan was sitting on the couch smiling when he came in.

"What's with you?" Damon asked.

"I asked Caroline to marry me and she said yes." Stefan said beaming.

Damon felt a surge of anger rush through him, He knew it was completely irrational after all they had been together for a lot longer. But Stefan's sudden gesture ruined his plan. He couldn't propose to Elena right after Stefan proposed to Caroline. He took a deep breath and turned away for a second trying to compose himself.

"You could at least pretend to be happy for me." Stefan said dryly the smile leaving his face.

"I am." Damon said quickly the anger disappearing when he saw the hurt look on Stefan's face. "I just.. I had this plan and now.."

"You were going to ask Elena?" Stefan said his eyes wide. "I thought you were waiting, I didn't know..."

"I've been going back and forth on it." Damon admitted,.

"It is kind of soon." Stefan said gently. "I mean I know you're crazy about her and you just want to start your life with her. I understand...but if you rush it and she's not quite ready..."

"I know." Damon sighed.

"Watching weddings tends to put girls in wedding moods you know." Stefan said nudging him.

"So I should wait until you get married to ask her?" Damon scoffed.

"It wouldn't be a long wait. We're getting married next week in Florida." Stefan informed him.

"Really?"

"Destination wedding so everything is set up, hotel rooms, flight, the ceremony, dinner afterwords. All Caroline has to do is buy her clothes and pack both of which she is probably stressing about right about now." He said looking at his watch. "Your girlfriends going to be really busy this week."

Damon manged a laugh shaking his head. "You know actually a little trip might do us all some good right now. I'm sorry for my initial reaction. I was literally just thinking about it today. Losing someone puts things in perspective."

"You don't want to waste time. I completely get that. I'm sorry I screwed up your plans." Stefan said.

"It's okay, actually you guys getting married right away like this doesn't hinder it that much." Damon admitted.

"I agree about the vacation we all need it badly. That's another reason we wanted to do this now." Stefan said. "And in a low key way."

"I'm surprised she doesn't want to plan every little detail and make it some dream wedding." Damon said.

"When you do something as a job you don't really want to do it on your personal time." Stefan said.

"Partially maybe. I think it's more for you Stefan. She knew you wouldn't want a big fancy wedding." Damon said. "She is a good girl Stefan and I'm glad you have her. She's really good for you."

"She's the best thing that ever happened to me." Stefan said frowning. "You think she's sacrificing her dream wedding for me?"

"No...I think she just knows this will be easier on everyone. But you should do something for her..."

"What?" Stefan asked.

"Take her to Hawaii on a surprise honeymoon afterward." Damon suggested.

Stefan nodded booting up his laptop to start making the arrangements.

"That was really nice of you to suggest." Stefan said.

"Caroline has been really amazing through all of this. I knew you were okay because you had her. She deserves this Stefan."

"You should tell her that." Stefan suggested.

"I will." Damon nodded.

"Congratulations Stefan." Damon said giving him a hug.

"Thanks." Stefan said smiling again.

~Thanks again everyone for reading and reviewing. I hope you liked the update! :)