Chapter 4: Maybe…

They had been driving for nearly six hours, and while it wasn't silent the whole ride, the further they got the less there was to say. The tension between Elena and Damon didn't help. Of course, there was plenty for them to discuss; like their almost kiss, or the feelings that were clearly still brewing, but the presence of the witch in the backseat made that an awkward topic of conversation.

Bonnie leaned forward between the two front seats. "I don't understand why we didn't just fly…we aren't even halfway there yet."

"Elena hates flying."

"I hate flying."

Damon and Elena answered at the same time. She broke out into a smile, watching as the trees passes by in a blur. She was grateful for the drive; it gave her time to prepare for whatever they would find there. She was also grateful Damon was driving, because her nerves were so racked, she wouldn't be able to focus. However, it was getting late; the roads were a dark abyss, with no other headlights but their own to illuminate the way, and her stomach was growling.

"Maybe we should stop for the night." Elena voiced, turning to face Damon. "We can start fresh in the morning."

Bonnie skimmed the map on her phone. "There's a motel off the next exit. And there's a pub right beside it. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

Damon caught her eyes in the rearview. "Are you offering?" he grinned cheekily. She shot him back a plastic smile and the middle finger. "Ooh, careful with that thing, Sabrina. Don't want to turn me into a frog."

"Maybe then, you'll shut up." she bickered back.

"Nope! I'll just continue to annoy you…until the end of time. Ribbit."

"Well with any luck, I'll meet a nice French chef who will cook your legs for me on a silver platter."

Elena chuckled. "Well, you two clearly missed each other."

Bonnie turned to Elena with a roll of her eyes. "I'm quickly rethinking that."

"Aww…you missed me Bon-Bon?" he teased with an exaggerated pout.

She leaned in on the back of his seat. "I thought I did…and then I remembered how infuriating you were."

Damon smirked to himself. "I missed you too." he responded genuinely. All their bickering and bantering aside, Bonnie had turned into one of his closest friends, and he enjoyed every jab and barb she threw his way. His smile grew when he felt her hand squeeze his shoulder, and he crossed his left hand over to hold it there. He had done and said so much to hurt her, and yet she forgave him somehow, and for that he was grateful.

They pulled off the highway on the next exit, to a small town on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. Damon followed Bonnie's directions to the motel; it wasn't anything special, in fact, and it wouldn't be their first choice to stay, but according to the map it was the only one for another hundred miles. They parked Elena's SUV in the front, and Damon checked them in while Bonnie and Elena got out to stretch their legs.

"Are you sure you're ready for this? New Orleans is Mikaelson territory. The chances of running into Klaus-"

Elena let out a troubled sigh. "Extremely high…I know. But if my girls are there then it's worth the risk. Damon says Rebekah can help." she rolled her eyes, and the name slipped from her lips with bitterness. "I guess they had a thing, once upon a time."

Bonnie huffed a laugh. "And how do you feel about that?"

"Honestly? Insanely jealous. I don't even know her and I hate her already; and it's ridiculous because I have no right to feel that way. I guess a part of me will always consider Damon…" she trailed off, feeling silly voicing it out loud.

"Yours?" Bonnie finished for her, and Elena nodded sadly.

Damon walked back out a few minutes later with a room key dangling from his fingers. "Good news and bad news. Bad news; they only have one room left…good news; one of you lucky ladies is bunking with me tonight." he flashed his eyes with a smirk.

The witch rolled her eyes, and canted her head. "Well, gee, I wonder who that will be. I call the bed closest to the bathroom." She grabbed her bag, and snatched the key out of his hand as she passed leaving Damon and Elena alone in the parking lot.

The way he stared at her was filled with intensity, and it dawned on her that he'd overheard her conversation with Bonnie. She glanced away, feeling like a teenage girl under his gaze. "Look, Elena…Rebekah and I-"

"Don't." She cut him off. "You don't have to explain yourself to me Damon. You had this whole life without me, and I had mine without you. We don't owe each other an explanation." Elena kept her eyes on the gravel under her feet.

Damon slowly closed the distance between them and tipped her chin up to look at him. "I know…but I would never lie to you. So, if you ever want to know anything…I'm an open book." He let his hand trail down the side of her face, before reaching down to grab her bag. "Let's get inside."

With a meek smile, she followed him to the room.

Once they settled in, Bonnie popped over to the pub next door to order some food to bring back to the room, while Elena tried to chase away her problems with a hot shower. The water pressure was terrible and felt like each drop was pelting down on her like a thousand knifes, but it was a welcomed distraction from the man in the other room plaguing her thoughts.

Elena got changed into a pair of black leggings and a loose t-shirt, and when she walked out of the bathroom, she felt a school of butterflies take flight when she saw him; jeans slung low on his hips, his button up shirt discarded and flung across the bed, his hair mussed as he pulled the plain black t-shirt over his head. His solid chest and abs slipped from view as he tugged the hem of his shirt down. She swallowed thickly when his eyes met hers, and he seemed to drink her in as well. Having children gave her body a womanly curve; soft but supple, and filled her breasts, which were evidently bare beneath her thin top.

He pulled his gaze away reluctantly, and busied himself with pouring them both a drink in the tiny paper cups. He handed one to her, and then sipped his as he slowly settled onto the bed, resting his back against the headboard, stretching his legs in front of him and crossing them at his ankles. Elena crawled onto the bed, sitting cross-legged in front of him. "Can I ask you something?" She rasped quietly, looking into the cup; anything to avoid the intensity of his cerulean stare. "You were there…at the wedding." she knew she didn't have to elaborate on who's wedding, when he nodded with a deep swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "Why didn't let me know you were there?"

Damon let the corner of his lips curl up, remembering just how beautiful she looked that day; her hair cascading behind her in loose curls, a crown of flowers circling the top of her head, and the form fitting lace gown, simple but elegant, encrusted with tiny pearl designs. It took everything in his power to not swoop in there and stop the whole thing; instead, he left her with a gift, one he was proud to see hang from her neck as she walked down the aisle, and still hung from her neck now, tucked beneath her shirt. "I wanted to." The words came out huskier than he meant them to.

.

Six Years Ago:

He was standing in the doorway of the country club room where Elena was waiting. He could see her reflection clearly in the mirror she was standing in front of, but the angle prevented her from seeing him. She was looking herself over one last time, straightening her crown of flowers, adjusting the neckline of her strapless dress, and gently fanning out her hair over her shoulders. Damon watched her fiddle with the antique, tear-shaped ruby necklace that hung delicately on her chest, a smile gracing her face, and he couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips as well. Just as he was about to step in the room, Bonnie flounced in from an adjoining room dressed in a champagne-colored gown in the matching silhouette, a flower crown also on her head.

"Oh my God, Elena…" she looked near to tears as she stepped up beside her. "You look lovely. Are you nervous?" Elena was taking in calming breaths, a hand clutched over her chest.

She blinked before turning to face her friend. "You know what? No, I'm not. I'm excited! I want this. I can't wait to marry him, Bonnie. Oh my God…I'm about to be someone's wife, how crazy is that?" Elena laughed, and she bounced on her feet.

Bonnie shared in her laugh, and then she sobered for a moment. It took all of half a second for her to recover and smile through it. "Caroline said it's time…we can head down now." Elena turned for the main door, and Bonnie grabbed her arm gently. "Go down this way, it leads right to the terrace." The jewel caught her eye, and the witch's gaze glazed over. "Where did you get that necklace?"

Instinctively, Elena's hand reached for it. "It was waiting for me when I got in here. I figured it was my something borrowed." She shrugged and smiled brightly before heading downstairs.

Bonnie waited until she left, and her face fell. "Or something old." she let out a heavy sigh, before turning to face the doorway. "Are you crazy? What are you doing here?" Damon stepped into sight, looking more morose than she'd ever seen him. "Please tell me you weren't planning on ambushing her on her wedding day, Damon!" she hissed, storming over with a hard shove at his chest that barely moved him. She noticed he was at least dressed for the occasion, in a silver-grey suit, and black button up, minus the jacket.

Damon pinned her with a glare. "Well, what did you expect me to do? Something sensible? Something selfless? Yes, I was fully prepared to ruin her perfect day, just so I could spend thirty seconds in her presence; to have her look me in the eyes so I could see for myself that she was happy without me. Because I am that selfish, Bonnie! Because despite my best efforts, I do still love her, and she deserves to know that."

Bonnie's eyes softened, and some of her anger dissipated. "If you love her, you will let her walk down that aisle today." Damon let out a heavy sigh, knowing that she was right. "She is happy, Damon. You saw her face…I know you know that's true. Seeing you is only going to plant the seed of doubt and make her question all her choices up to this point. You're her weakness…and you and I both know that she'd leave all this behind in an instant just to be with you. Maybe that's what you want…but it's not fair to her." She patted his chest comfortingly, seeing the hope slip from his eyes. "Let her be happy, Damon." She moved passed him towards the hall, and he gripped her arm gently.

"Bonnie…don't tell her where the necklace came from, okay?" he asked, emotion pulling on his words. "It's better if she doesn't know." the corner of his lips pulled up briefly in a miserable smile, and she nodded, her eyes welling as her suspicions were confirmed.

"I won't."

.

Elena's fingers gravitated to the ruby pendant that hung on her neck, and pulled it out. "You gave me this?" she whispered in disbelief. "I always assumed it was from Aaron."

Damon nodded. "I thought it was for the best you didn't know. You looked so happy…I didn't want to ruin that by flipping your life upside down." he focused on the shimmering jewel, and reached out to let it rest on his palm. "It was my mother's. Before she died, she made me promise to give it to the woman I love on her wedding day…I think the idea was that woman would be marrying me," he chuckled humorlessly, "but I didn't want to go back on my word." he whispered, finally meeting her eyes.

Elena wiped the tear that fell, and scooted closer to him, putting her cup on the nightstand. She grabbed his hand and placed it over the pendant resting by her heart. "I never take it off. Maybe that's why I could never let you go…because you were always right here." She brought his hand up to her cheek, and Damon smudged the tear off her skin, coasting his hand down her neck and slowly pulled her closer to him, as he leaned forward.

The door opened, and Bonnie came in with her arms full. "Okay! So, I got burgers, fries and…booze!" she dropped the bags on the table and produced a bottle of whiskey with a bright smile. She noticed how quickly they seemed to shuffle away from each other and the embarrassed look on Elena's face. Damon however seemed frustrated. Bonnie's eyes darted between them. "I just walked in on something…awkward." she laughed nervously.

Elena ran a hand through her hair and pushed herself off the bed. "It's fine. Let's eat, I'm starving." She shot Damon a sly smile, which he returned, as Bonnie handed over the take-out containers.

He continued to surprise her; when she thought that he'd forgotten about her, that he wanted nothing to do with her anymore, it was in fact the opposite. As selfish as he claimed to be, even then, in the end, he did the most selfless thing he could do and let her be happy. As he recalled the story of that day to Elena, she realized that Bonnie was right; if Damon showed his face that day, it would have changed everything. She would have run into his arms and let him whisk her away to wherever he wanted to take her. She would have pleaded with him to never leave her again, and tell him how much she still loved him. But then she would have broken Aaron's heart…and she would never have Aria and Sadie. Her whole life would be different. So, maybe it wasn't right then…maybe they both needed to be different people for them to work, and maybe that was right now.

...

Damon lay awake that night watching Elena as she slept beside him. As if he was reassuring himself that she was actually here within arm's reach. He'd done so many terrible things, he didn't feel like he ever deserved to have her be so forgiving, but here she was curled in his side, her fingers intwined with his.

Now was his chance to make it right; to make up for years of disappointment, pain and heartbreak. He'd do everything in his power to give her the things she wanted, no matter the cost. Damon was not going to let her down again.

.

AN: Hey everyone! I hope I still have readers on this one; I feel like there's not a lot of interest on this story, but I'll keep going on it. I have the remainder of the story planned out in my head, and I'm probably not going to draw this one out as long as some of my other stories. But I wanted to advise in advance that while there are going to be some elements of the TVD story line, and possibly The Originals as well, but I'm changing some of the set up and the way things play out. Please let me know what you think!