Chapter 29


The week passed quickly and Damon fell into an easy routine. When Elena didn't spend the night he went to her place early to make her breakfast. Otherwise they would eat at his place and he would just drop her off on the morning as he picked up John which was quickly becoming their routine. She only stayed at home once this week. Not that Damon was complaining.

They had accomplished a lot over the week and Damon was ready to start interviews Friday afternoon. John was putting the food order together and Jeremy was overseeing the crew that was putting the decor together. He decided to go with a retro diner style theme complete with a jukebox. After a lot of consideration he decided to name it D & E's midnight diner. Jeremy designed a really cool sign for him. At the rate he was going he was hoping to open by next Friday which was only a week away now.

"Ready for interviews?" Damon asked John opening the door.

"Send 'em in." John smirked.

Finding people to work the midnight to six am shift wasn't as difficult as he thought it was going to be they actually ended up with a lot of applicants for both the night and the morning openings.

"Anna's here." Jeremy said looking nervous as the dark haired girl walked in.

"Hi." She said extending her hand to Damon. "I'm Anna."

"Anna, it's nice to meet you. I'm Damon." He said pointing to the chair.

"I've been serving a really long time. I'm really good at it." She said sitting down handing him her resume she smiled brightly. Her cheerful disposition was perfect for the image and vibe he wanted the place to have.

"I already told Jer I'd hire you." Damon said frowning. "But I wasn't considering the hours...this is going to interfere with school isn't it?"

"No it's fine. My mom home schools me." Anna said. "The day shift would work perfect for me actually. I can do my schoolwork when I get home."

"How many shifts are you looking for?" Damon asked.

"As many as I can get." Anna said enthusiastically.

"I'm not a slave driver. Your a kid. I was thinking three or four?" Damon smiled.

"I'm not just some kid. Please I need to work full time." She said her eyes looking desperate.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Damon asked.

"It's my mom, she can't work. She was in a bad car accident a year ago and hurt her back really bad. She can only sit and stand for so long during the day. We're still waiting on her disability and our savings are almost gone." Anna admitted. "So please Damon, I'm not afraid of hard work the more hours you can give me the better."

"No more then thirty hours a week." Damon said. "And I have to check into the states child labor laws on that."

"But..."

"But..tell me how much money you need to get by. I'll help you out." Damon said softly.

"I can't take you're money. I don't even know you...first Jeremy and now you." She scoffed.

Damon smiled inwardly Jeremy was offering to give away the inheritance he just got back? Seems like Vicki's old news.

"Anna I'm a millionaire." Damon shrugged.

"I don't care." She said stubbornly crossing her arms.

"Elena's going to love you." Damon laughed.

"Jeremy's cousin? I can't wait to meet her she sounds great." Anna said cheerfully looking happy to change the subject.

"What do you think the E stands for?" He grinned pointing to the sign.

"Oh that's so cute," Anna chirped."I can't wait to start? When do we open?"

"One week Friday." He said. "Plan on getting here a little before six."

"I'll see you at five thirty." She promised.

"Later Jeremy." She said tossing him a smile.

"Bye Anna." He said staring after her.

"Smitten?" Damon teased starting Jeremy out of his daze.

"We have to do something about the money situation." John said from the kitchen.

"Ease dropping?" Jeremy accused.

"So were you." John laughed.

"What do we do? She isn't going to just take it." Jeremy grumbled.

"You could offer her a loan like you did me." John suggested.

"It would take her so long to pay it back." Damon said. "I don't want to put a teenager in debt."

"We'll figure something out." John said. "Short of mailing an anonymous check to her house."

"That's an idea." Damon laughed.

"I think she would figure it out." Jeremy rolled his eyes.


Elena was in the parlor on the phone looking annoyed when Damon got home.

"Hi." He said kissing her cheek.

She hung up the phone and gave him a proper kiss burying her head into his chest and closing her eyes letting the stressful day melt away. She was hoping being this busy would keep her mind of Florida and Isobel but it didn't which was only making her feel edgier.

"What's up babe?" He asked.

"I'm trying to get the fricken staircase restored and not one person seems to be able to do it." She groaned. "I need to find someone that specializes in restoring stuff like this I guess...but the original workers need to uninstall the new staircase and the elevator. On top of that I'm getting all these call backs from the charities Bonnie and I contacted and I have no time for it all."

"I can help you, What do you need?" He asked.

"A personal assistant." She joked.

His eyes widened. "That's it!"

"What's it?" She asked looking confused.

"Do you really want a personal assistant? I'll hire you one. She needs the work and I can pay her much better doing this then serving." Damon said.

"Who?" Elena asked.

"Anna." He quickly explained what Anna had told him about her mom and she was nodding in agreement.

"Yes of course if she wants the job she can have it. I can pay her though." Elena said.

"I guess it doesn't really matter which one of us pays her." Damon shrugged. "But you did want to put that whole check away for the charity so why don't you just let me take care of it?"

"Works for me." Elena said. "Now we just have to find out if she wants the job."


Anna was pumped about the job and even happier when she found out her pay and that she could start Monday. Elena felt good that a part of Giuseppe's money was helping someone already.

They headed over to Elena's for dinner and they were all buzzing over how close the diner was to opening. Elena couldn't wait to see it in action. Damon was so passionate and alive over this. She knew Giuseppe would be so proud of him.

"Thank you guys for helping Anna." Jeremy said.

"I'm glad we could help." Elena said. "Actually she's going to be a bigger help to me then we are to her. I am so lost in all this stuff I have to do."

"Are you guys going to be doing most of your work from here?" Jeremy asked trying to sound casual.

"Hoping you can see her everyday after school?" Damon teased.

"I think it's time to ask the girl out already son." John said. "What's with the shy act around this one?"

"I don't know she's just so different then anyone I've ever met. When we're just hanging out it's so cool but as soon as I start trying to be more then that..I get so nervous I just flub up." Jeremy admitted.

John and Damon exchanged a glance.

"What? What was that look about?" Jeremy asked.

"Look?" Damon rubbed his head acting confused. "What look?"

Elena chuckled. "I for one am very glad to see you moving on. She makes you nervous because you really like her. I'll be working with her. I'll put in a good word for you."

"Thanks Cuz." Jeremy grinned.

"Man it's nice to have a Friday night off." John laughed. "I don't know what to do with myself."

"You could go out." Elena suggested. "Maybe you'll meet someone?"

"Where the Grill?" he sighed.

"You could try venturing out of town." Damon rolled his eyes. "I know it's scary to leave the bubble."

"I've just been to busy to leave the bubble." John grunted. "Where does a middle aged dad go to meet women these days?"

"Dad you are hardly middle aged." Elena said shaking her head.

"You could sign up for one of those dating internet sites." Jeremy teased. "Oh wait you already did."

"You did?" Damon raised his eyebrow.

"I did not." John said looking flustered.

"Then how come match dot com is all over the computer history? I know Elena wasn't using it and it wasn't me." Jeremy accused.

"I was just looking at the website." He mumbled.

"Stop teasing him. A lot of people have success with those websites." Elena offered.

"Let's just eat dinner and not discuss my love life please? " John sighed clearly unconformable.

"You don't have a love life that's my point. It's time to get out there dad." Elena said firmly.

"I don't care if I find someone or not. I enjoy my life the way it is Elena." John said.

"Dad everyone needs someone. What if you miss out on the one for you because you won't put yourself out there?" Elena pressed.

They were interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

"Maybe that's destiny knocking right now." John joked rolling his eyes and getting up to answer it.

He opened the door and his jaw dropped open.

"Oh fuck me." He said slamming it shut again.


"John?" Damon asked getting up and waling over. "What is it ...er who is it?"

"Okay I deserved that." A woman's voice came from outside the door.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked with Elena behind them.

"Go upstairs Elena." John said with a grim expression.

"Is it her?" She asked in a whisper.

"John please let me in. I just want to talk to her." She knocked again.

"Just let her in dad." Elena said in a flat voice.

"No..I don't want you hurt Elena."He stuttered.

She walked past him and opened the door. Isobel stared at her in shock. She didn't look much different then the picture Elena had of her. She had aged slightly but looked very much the same. She had dark almost black hair that fell to her shoulders. Chocolate brown eyes much like Elena's. Her cheeks had a slight flush to them. Unlike in Florida when she was to shocked to really stop and look Elena could see all the resemblances she had to her. It was surreal. A picture didn't do it justice.

She managed to pull her eyes away and took a shaky breath."What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you," Isobel said slowly her voice was very unsteady and Elena sensed she was about to cry. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that. He wanted so badly to tell her off but she just couldn't do it. Elena fell into a silence unsure if what she wanted what to say.

"I'm not asking for anything from you. I don't deserve anything. I just want to explain some things to you." Isobel pleaded.

"You want to unload your guilt on her." John snapped.

"No I want her to understand. I don't want her to think it was her." Isobel snapped back.

"It wasn't." She added looking at Elena.

"So I get painted as the bad guy in your story right?" John asked.

"No of course not." Isobel sighed. "I'd like to talk to you too."

"Your fifteen years to late Bell." John said.

Isobel's eyes snapped up at the old nickname she looked dazed for a moment.

"I'll hear what you have to say." Elena said. "But I have some things I need to say first."

"Please. I want to hear it." Isobel said looking sad. "I have to face how I hurt you."

"Okay."Elena said looking at Damon he gave her a smile and she took a deep breath.

"Let's go sit on the porch." Elena said looking back at the three concerned men in the house.

"I'll be fine." She assured them smiling and rolling her eyes as she shut the door.

"They are all very protective if you. That's good. I'm glad you are so well cared for." Isobel said slowly sitting down on the porch seat. Elena sat in the wicker chair at a distance from Isobel.

"I am really lucky." Elena agreed. "I would never take them for granted and never abandon them either."

"I'm so sorry..."

"I'm not done yet." Elena said surprised by her strength.

"It took me a long time to get here. John was great he never left he did everything for me. But it wasn't easy he was heartbroken and so was I, but I stayed strong for him. I always pretended like I was fine and I never was." Elena stopped her eyes started watering up.

"Do you know what its like to go to mother daughter events with your grandma? To hear all your friends complain about their own moms and all you can think is they have no idea how lucky they are? To try so hard not to think about it because every time you do you wonder why you weren't good enough?" Elena sobbed the tears flooding her face her vision was blurred and she could taste her tears but she didn't bother to wipe them. She was finally letting it all out after fifteen years and she just couldn't stop.

"No god no.." Isobel started crying.

"What was wrong with us? Why did you leave me? Why didn't you love me enough to stay?" Elena cried out.

"Oh god. Elena..no. You were perfect my sweet little angel. I loved you so much. I still love you so much a mother never stops loving her child never." Isobel sobbed.

"It wasn't you..it wasn't that I didn't love you or you weren't good enough it was me, I wasn't good enough for you." Isobel cried.

"You were my mother. I needed you perfect or not." Elena said still shaking and crying as she tried to digest Isobel's words.

Isobel started sobbing heavily unable to speak her body shook from her sobs and Elena watched her through her tears her heart twisting with the anger and restatement mixed with an empathy and a sadness. She felt mixed up and confused. She manged to slow her tears down and waited for Isobel to pull herself together

"Elena...I don't know where to begin. But this is why I'm here. You can't think it was you. It wasn't you." Isobel said her voice still trembling. "It was me. I was a terrible mother."

"I was sixteen when I had you. John and I lived with your grandparents when my parents disowned me. I'm sure you know that part." Isobel started.

Elena nodded for her to go on. Here it was she would finally learn the truth after no long. She wasn't sure what to feel.

"What you don't know is after I had you I became depressed. I was sixteen with a baby and I missed my parents. John tried so hard but we kept having setbacks. I repressed my feelings of sadness and resentment from him and pretended everything was fine. It wasn't but it wasn't you never you...I loved you so much." Isobel stopped to blow her nose.

"But I was no good with you. I could never quite calm you down like John could. I felt like I was a terrible mother and that I was failing you. I know now what I had was postpartum depression but at the time. I just ignored all the symptoms. At some point I started drinking. It seemed to make it easier to handle everything. I hid it from John how much I was drinking. But your grandma confronted me one day, about it, She told me I was being a horrible mother. I responded by drinking myself into a stupor." Isobel stopped and seemed to be bracing herself.

"Later the evening your grandma and grandpa were out and you're dad was at work. You were hungry so I started making something on the stove burgers I think...anyways I passed out on the couch and left the food on the stove. It started a grease fire about two feet from the living room floor where you were sitting by yourself. Had the next door neighbor not shown up..." Isobel stopped and started crying again.

Elena sat in stunned silence John had never once mentioned this. But the nurse in her could understand that Isobel was probably severely depressed at that point having never been treated. She had started self medicating with alcohol and then made a terrible mistake but Elena still didn't understand why she left and never came back.

"The neighbor covered for me. Why I don't know. We said I was cooking and grease splattered." Isobel sighed. "But it ate away at me. I couldn't stop thinking about what could have happened. I wasn't fit to be a mother. I was a nineteen year old screw up." Ispsbel sighed.

"So you just left?" Elena asked.

"I agonized over it for days. Finally one night I just took off and I forced myself to keep running. I ended up at my mom and dad's house. They checked my into a hospital." Isobel said looking pained to be reliving her past.

"You were severely depressed at that point?" Elena guessed.

"I wasn't even myself anymore at that point. I don't even know how long the time frame was between leaving and ending up at my parents. I don't even remember it but my mom said I looked like complete death when I showed up at their door." Isobel said her face somber.

"Why didn't you come back after you left the hospital?" Elena asked.

"Shame mostly. I couldn't face it. My parents manipulated my guilt somewhat they didn't want me saddled down with a child so young as you know. But it's not anyone's fault but mine. I was a coward." Isobel said. "And it hurt you and I'm so sorry for that for what you had to go through."

"I never stopped thinking about you and wondering about you." Isobel said. "It killed me inside seeing Maggie through all her milestones knowing I missed yours. So many times I wanted to find you but I always talked myself out of it. I didn't want to disrupt your life. Then when I saw you and you were all grown up and so angry and pained...I had to see you. I had to tell you the truth."

"Wow." Elena breathed her emotions in a bit if a tail spin. "I mean I know what depression can do to a person. I think I understand why you left."

The why, Elena thought to herself she finally got the why and it did change things, She still didn't completely understand why Isobel never came back. She still felt a lot of hurt towards her but her perception had shifted slightly.

"As long as you know it wasn't you Elena." Isobel stressed.

"I do" Elena said quietly. All these years she just thought they weren't good enough that her mom didn't want her when in reality her mom didn't think she was good enough for her to have her.

They sat outside for a while an awkward silence between them.

"Did you have postpartum depression with Maggie?" Elena asked suddenly then cringed at Isobel's shocked expression.

"No it's okay, fair question. I didn't, I was really worried about it though. " Isobel admitted. "It wasn't an easy decision getting married again. But my mom was pressuring me and Robert was a good guy. I know irony the women who pressured me away from my family pushed my towards this one years later...but I loved him and couldn't live my life in the past anymore. I was happy again with him even though it made me feel guilty often."

"Does he know about me?"

"He does now." Isobel said.

Elena nodded slowly. "He didn't come with you?" That really surprised her she knew Damon was sitting right by the door inside the house waiting for her. He would never let her face something like this alone.

"No... he couldn't get away. Besides I didn't want to bring Maggie along..not knowing how this was going to go. She doesn't know yet. Once she knows she will want to see you and keep seeing you. I don't want to hurt her if your not interested in that." Isobel said slowly.

"I would love to get to know her." Elena agreed. "Actually I insist on being able to be a part of her life. She's my little sister."

"Would you be interested in getting to know me at all?" Isobel asked nervously.

"I..yes. I think we could do that..but it needs to be slow. I need time to digest all of this." Elena said thoughtfully she understood now and that was a start. She didn't forgive her yet though and she was still really confused but she knew she didn't want this to be the last time she saw Isobel.

"Thank you." Isobel whispered her eyes growing wet with tears again.


**Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone! I'm glad you guys liked the John and Damon talk. I hope you liked the Elena/Isobel confrontation. I've been waiting to write that scene since I started this story. Thanks again for reading! Please review :)