New chapter! :)
Enjoy!
It was the longest two hours of Elena's life, as she listened to her father's lecture.
The unbiased part of her brain was a little impressed, however grudgingly.
Stefan was right, the man was a genius.
But the other part of her wasn't paying attention to anything he was writing on the board.
It was too focused on the way his eyes would stop on her a moment longer than anyone else, after asking a question.
Or how he'd lose his train of thought when she stared back at him, instead of diverting her gaze, as she had the first half hour of the lecture.
Oh, he definitely knew who she was, that's for sure.
Finally, a bell on the far wall rang, and everyone jumped to their feet.
Elena picked up her bag, hoping to slip out with the crowd, but no such luck.
"Elena, hold up," Stefan called.
She hesitated, and he came up behind her, "I want to go ask Dr. Gilbert a few questions. Do you mind waiting for me?"
She was about to come up with some excuse to leave immediately, but as she glanced over, she noticed that her father's eyes were on them, and an unexpected flash of anger ran through her veins.
Damon was right.
She deserved an explanation, at the very least.
"Sure," she agreed, narrowing her eyes, "I think I may have a few questions for him myself."
They waited until most of the other students had cleared the lecture hall, before walking down to where Grayson stood, talking to another young man.
Elena hung back, as he shook the guy's hand, and turned to look at them.
She let Stefan talk to him first, as his questions actually pertained to the lecture, but didn't miss the way her father kept glancing back at her, his eyes silently begging her not to bolt.
Which was exactly what she felt like doing, now that she was up close to him.
She wanted answers she really did.
But the idea of talking to the first person who ever left her was intimidating.
Stefan finished speaking with the man, and when he turned, she moved to follow.
"Wait," Grayson called.
Both she and Stefan stopped, but her father's eyes were on her.
She bit her lip, then turned back to Stefan, "You go ahead. I'll catch up in a bit."
He shrugged, "Alright then. I'll save you a seat at lunch."
She nodded, and thanked him.
A moment later, the door shut behind him, and at last, the room fell silent.
A million openers flew through her mind, but none of the words seemed to fit the conversation she knew she was about to have.
Fortunately, he father spoke before she could think of the most appropriate one.
"Do you...do you know who I am?" He asked hesitantly.
She nodded, "Yeah, I do. And you know who I am."
Grayson held his stance for a second longer, but then his expression changed, "Elena."
Unwelcomed tears pricked the corner of her eyes as he said her name like that.
As if no time had passed between them.
She swallowed harshly.
"I thought that it might be you...but I wasn't sure...I couldn't know that you were really-"
"Your daughter?" She snapped, the anger from before bubbling up, "How could you know? I was practically in diapers when you last saw me."
He sighed deeply, "I imagine you are very upset with me..."
"Upset," she choked on the word, "Upset? No. That doesn't even begin to describe it."
Her voice leaked in venom as all her years of pent up frustration rushed forward.
Somehow everything that had happened to her could now be blamed on him.
He'd left.
He was the reason John had even come into her life.
Grayson nodded slowly, and it seemed as though, maybe, he had some tears of his own, "You need an explanation. I get that. But I'm afraid nothing I tell you will matter much. I ran out of excuses years ago."
Elena steeled herself, "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not asking for an excuse...but I do deserve an answer. You left us."
"No," he corrected, "I left your mother. Then afterwards, she refused to let me see you or Jeremy, so I-"
"What?" Elena bit, "Cut your losses?"
"I don't expect you to understand," he said wearily, "Things got complicated. I was struggling through grad school, your mother was sleeping around...things fell apart for us."
"So you get your crap straight, you don't abandon your kids," she reasoned, "Fuck what my mother said. You could have fought for us."
Grayson had the decency to look ashamed.
"I wish I had," he admitted, "But I was young. Stupid. I assumed you'd be better off with your mom, and I-"
"Would be free to live a life without burden," she finished, "Got it."
She'd heard enough.
It's exactly what she'd expected all along.
He hadn't wanted them.
If he had, he would have fought to keep her, and Jeremy.
But he didn't.
She turned toward the door, but Grayson moved to catch her arm, "Elena, wait."
She froze, "Why?"
"I...look, I'm sorry. I know this wasn't what you wanted to hear, but-"
"You're sorry?" She hissed, spinning around to face him, "Are you fucking kidding me?! You're sorry. Like that just makes up for everything! You were young, your marriage failed, so what? You had years to come back for us! You didn't!"
"I didn't think you'd want me in your life after-"
"Well, that was your mistake," she shot, "Because anything would have been better than what I had! Do you have any idea what you left us to?"
From the way his eyebrows pulled together in confusion, she realized that he didn't.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
The tears fell now, "Mom hooked up with your brother, a while after you left."
"John?" He sounded even more perplexed, "But I heard he was in jail, or something..."
Elena let out a dry laugh, "Oh, he is. Do you even know why? No, I guess you don't. How could you? You've been off living whatever life that suited you while the rest of us went through hell."
"Elena, what are you-"
"Your brother was a fucking creep who liked to touch little girls. That's what you left me with. And when he wasn't shoving his fingers where they didn't belong, he was hitting us...and our mother let him! He beat us so bad, it cost Jeremy his life! That's why John is in jail. So forgive me if I don't want to sit here and listen to your apology!"
She got a twisted sense of pleasure from the way her father's face paled.
"Jeremy's...dead?" He whispered.
Elena wiped the tears off her face forcefully, "For years now. Of course, you'd know that if you'd stuck around. But obviously, you couldn't be bothered."
With that, she turned on her heels and shot toward the exit.
"Elena-"
"Save it!" She threw over her shoulder, letting the door slam shut as she walked out of it.
She was almost to her room when she let the sobs overtake her.
She shook, and tears ran freely, as she unlocked her dorm room, praying that Lexi wouldn't be in at the moment.
What she hadn't expected to find on the other side, was Damon.
She blinked, but he didn't disappear.
He was really there.
She relaxed a little.
Of course he was there.
He was always there when she needed him to be.
"Come here, angel," he opened his arms.
Elena dropped her bag, and sprinted over to him, throwing her arms around his neck, and squeezing tightly.
"You're here," she sobbed, as he stroked her back.
"I'm here," he promised.
Damon waited patiently for her to calm down, before letting her go.
He brushed her hair out of her face, that was now puffy and red, from crying.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head, "Not yet."
He nodded acceptingly.
"How did you get in here?" She asked, suddenly, remembering that the door had been locked.
Damon smiled slightly, "I met your roommate...interesting girl. She let me in before leaving for some medical game something."
Elena chuckled, despite herself.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."
She shook her head, "No, it's okay. This is perfect."
He stroked her cheek, and she sighed, "It was him."
"Your father?"
Elena nodded, "He recognized me...tried to talk to me...but I lost it. Like everything I've ever been angry about exploded out of me, with him as the target...I was horrible."
"Nothing he didn't deserve," Damon reassured her.
"But I told you, baby, I don't want to feel this anymore. That anger...it's too controlling."
Damon considered her, "Then what do you want to do?"
She rested her head against his chest, "I don't know...run and hide? But I can't do that. I don't know what to do, but pretending like this didn't happen won't make it go away."
Damon sighed, "Do you want to talk to him again?"
She bit her lip, "Maybe...but right now, I just need a distraction."
Damon pulled back, and studied her, "A distraction?"
She nodded, and kissed him hard, "A distraction."
An hour later, Elena was pulling her clothes back on, as Damon stretched out on her tiny mattress.
She smirked back at him, "You gonna get dressed?"
He considered the thought, "Does my nakedness bother you?"
She chuckled, "No, but I do have a roommate who could be back at any time."
"Fair point," he noted, sitting up to grab his pants from the floor.
Elena shook her head, as a knock pounded on the door.
Grayson Gilbert had been successful at many things in his life.
Being a father was not one of them.
After Elena had left, he'd cried.
Tears for her, for his son, for all the things he would have been able to prevent.
An hour had passed before he had pulled himself together.
It was then that he decided enough was enough.
He'd been shocked out of his mind when he'd read his daughter's name on the list.
Had been understanding of her anger...but he hadn't expected to find out what he did.
When he left, it was selfish, but he had also truly believed he was doing his children a favor.
Their mother may have been many things, but she'd always loved them.
Or, he'd thought.
But John...his own brother had...
He had to swallow back the bile that rose in his throat.
God.
That poor girl.
His poor girl.
He owed her more than he could ever repay her, but he was through being selfish.
Elena was there.
She'd been right in front of him, and she'd been in pain.
He couldn't abandon her again.
Making up his mind, he knew he had to see her.
He had to talk to her, and try to make this right.
It was fairly easy to find her dorm.
All the students attending the summer medical program were being kept on the west side of the campus, the boys in Bradford Hall, the girls in Marston Hall.
And there were name tapes on the doors.
He found the one labeled "Elena Gilbert", and took a deep breath, before knocking.
The door opened a moment later, just as he was about to knock again.
Elena stood before him, disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes, her eyes widening as she saw who was at her door.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her hands lifting to grasp the front of few buttons of her shirt closed.
"I, uh, was just hoping we could talk," he told her honestly.
"We already did," she reminded him, her voice more distracted than cold, "But now, isn't really a good time. So please, just...go."
He understood why she might be hesitant to talk to him, but he wasn't ready to give up yet.
"Elena, please, I just want to-"
A quick rush of movement came from behind her, and suddenly there was a young man pushing his way in front of her.
"I believe she asked you to leave," he growled.
Grayson took a step back.
The guy that stood before him was more man than teenager.
He was roughly Grayson's height, but the rage pouring out of him made him tower.
And if that wasn't enough, the guy had a jagged scar that twisted down his face, starting from his eye and curving across his cheek, ending just at his lip.
His blue eyes were just as hate filled as his body.
Grayson felt an odd urge to shield Elena from whoever this was, because he was definitely dangerous.
But his daughter had grabbed the guy's arm, her voice steady as she spoke, "Damon, it's okay."
The young man's eyes fell to her, his face softening a little, "No. It's not. You'll never be forced to do anything against your will again, even if it's just talking."
He spat the last word at Grayson, the anger evident.
"I appreciate it," Elena assured him, "But it's okay. I promise."
Her hand lifted to the guy's, face, her thumb trailing over his scar in a loving manner.
Which is when Grayson realized that this Damon guy was shirtless, and the top button of his pants were unhooked.
He bit his tongue, to keep from commenting.
He knew it wasn't his place.
"I'm sorry," he said instead, Damon's words of "against your will" reminding him of what his daughter had gone through.
He didn't have the right to force a conversation on her either, "I was only hoping to talk, but if...if you don't want to, I understand."
Elena deliberated, her gaze flickering between him, and Damon.
Then she seemed to make her decision, and she squeezed Damon's arm, "Do you mind?"
The guy held her gaze, some silent conversation passing between the two.
Then he smiled, and Grayson was surprised at how much it changed his face.
"Go ahead, angel," he told her, "I'll wait here."
Elena nodded, then turned to Grayson, "You've got twenty minutes."
Let me know whatcha thought!
Xoxo