A/N: The events of Legacies don't exist in this version of a Delena future, okay?
Seattle/Mystic Falls – December 2022
As he walked around the sofa, his eyes met a by now familiar sight. Elena was stretched out on her side, nursing baby Stefanie who was cradled next to her. On the low table next to them Elena's laptop played some kind of instructional video of a guy in a lab coat and Elena watched while stroking Stefanie's downy locks. As familiar as the view was to Damon now, it had lost nothing of its appeal. The sight of his wife and his daughter still managed to take his breath away. They were his. Even after months of it, he still couldn't wrap his mind around it.
Damon leaned against a pillar, watching his little family. Elena's hand kept stroking the baby's head. Her eyes were on the screen, but she seemed miles away. She looked up eventually, surprised at seeing Damon there. Her surprise quickly turned into a happy smile which then morphed into a grimace.
"What?" Damon asked.
"You're gonna hate me," Elena said miserably, hitting pause on the video.
Damon's eyes lit up. "Really? What did you do?" He sounded gleeful and way too excited by the prospect of Elena's supposed wrong-doing. Expectant, he perched on the sofa table.
Elena rolled her eyes but only so she wouldn't grin at his antics. "I think I want Stevie to grow up in Mystic Falls."
A shit-eating grin grew on Damon's face. "Did you hear that, honey?" he said to his daughter. "Mommy just called you Stevie." However, this didn't seem to excite little Stevie as much as it did her father as she continued to suckle her mother's breast.
Elena groaned and was about to playfully hit Damon, but he caught her hand and instead leaned in to kiss her, still grinning too wide to do a proper job of it.
"Damon," Elena admonished with a sweet smile. "Did you hear what I said?"
Damon made an effort to look serious. "You want to move back to Mystic Falls. Yes, I heard you. Where does the part where I'm supposed to hate you come in?"
Elena looked confused. "You wouldn't mind moving back?"
"Why would I mind?"
"You've gone to all these lengths to build a life for us here. Buying this beautiful house, close to the hospital. You just bought another freaking property, for Christ's sake. And your bar. I know you love your bar."
"I do. But I love you and Stevie more. And besides, Mystic Falls is my home, too."
"So," Elena hesitantly said, "you would be okay with us moving back to Virginia, back to Mystic Falls, honestly?"
"Would that make you happy?"
Elena nodded.
"Then let's do it."
"What about the bar?"
"Enzo and Dot have it all handled."
"And the restaurant?"
"I have complete faith in my manager and head chef."
"What about the wine bar? You haven't even had the grand opening yet."
"I'll hire another manager. Or sell it. Whatever."
"And my hospital?"
"They love you there. They would give you raving recommendations for whatever hospital you'd choose next. And if not, we get Caroline to compel you a spot in any residency program you like."
"Why does this feel like you're trying to convince me and not the other way around?" Elena asked when it seemed like Damon had the answer to everything.
"Because you worry too much. And because you're always too damn selfless, so much so that you don't know how to ask for things you want." His eyes unfocused briefly in thought and a second later he amended, "Except in bed. You have no problem asking for what you want when the clothes come off."
"You're impossible," Elena replied with a slight shake of her head and a grin on her face.
"I am also right."
Elena had nothing to reply to that which was as good as an admission. "Where would we even live?"
"Well, the boarding house is out, obviously, it being a school and no longer mine. But the tenants of the new Gilbert residence might be persuaded to move out."
Elena stared at Damon blankly. "Tenants? New what? What are you talking about?"
Damon grimaced. "Did I forget to mention that? I kinda had the house rebuild after you took the cure and while you were sleeping. It's been rented out to a nice couple the past couple years or so."
Elena was stunned into speechlessness. Her mouth opened and closed but she had yet to come up with a reply. Even Stevie had stopped drinking and was watching her mother. "Who owns the house?" she eventually muttered.
"You do. With me as your proxy. After your parents died, Jeremy got the lake house and your dad's former practice, you got the family residence."
"I know that. Why did I not know about the house?"
"Well, you never sold it. What did you think happened to it?"
"I don't know. I kind of didn't think about it after I burned it down. I had just assumed it was gone."
"It was. And then the insurance money came in and I used it to restore it to its former glory. With a few add-ons here and there."
Elena, seeing as their daughter was done, tucked herself inside and adjusted her t-shirt. Handing Stevie to Damon who placed her expertly over his shoulder for burping, Elena sat up. "And the rent?"
"Goes into a trust fund for our kids."
"Can we go see it?"
"The house?"
Elena nodded.
"Why not?" Damon returned. "Just tell me when and I'll book the tickets."
"Christmas?" Elena suggested. "Stevie's first big trip."
"See?" Damon gloated. "I told you, 'Stevie' suits her."
Elena rolled her eyes, but she secretly agreed. The nickname suited their daughter well.
"What brought on the sudden change of heart?" Damon asked later that same evening.
They were sprawled out on top of the bedcovers, with Stevie between the two of them and getting a few pre-bedtime cuddles in.
"It wasn't actually sudden." Elena smiled apologetically, because she'd been having these thoughts in passing for the last few months, but never actually given them much weight. At least not enough to share with Damon. It's only been after she found out that she was pregnant again that she started considering the idea in earnest.
While Elena thought about how to put her feelings into words, she pulled Stevie back by one leg before she could get closer to the edge of the mattress. The little girl hadn't learned how to full-on crawl yet, but managed to move around quite a bit by performing some sort of a belly-flopping backwards motion. Stevie rolled around and grabbed Elena's fingers, bringing them to her mouth and chewing deftly on them.
Elena smiled softly at her and began, "As much as I love this place," she said, gesturing around herself at the loft, "I don't see Stefanie growing up here, or the little bean in here." She placed a palm on top of her stomach. "I want them to grow up in a house on a quiet street where people know each other and look out for each other. I want them to have a home with a garden and a porch and I want them to have a swing."
"Like you had," Damon remembered.
"Yeah."
Damon nodded, realizing something. "You miss home."
Elena shrugged, half-apologetically. As usual, he wasn't wrong. Whenever she watched their daughter, seeing her reach one milestone after another, Elena was always reminded of her own mother. Having a daughter made her suddenly remember dozens of scenes from her childhood that she hadn't thought about it in almost two decades. Her mom telling her about the tooth fairy the first time Elena lost a tooth. Her dad putting up the swing in the garden. Her and Jeremy plotting behind their parents' backs when planning a surprise for Mother's Day. Her and Jenna dancing on her bed to some rock song Elena was way too young to understand the lyrics to.
She had so many memories of growing up happy and loved. And all those memories had a home. A physical place that was more than just a house.
"And it's been quiet these last few years, hasn't it?" Elena asked, referring to their hometown. "No more supernatural drama."
"I guess it's as safe as any place. At least not more dangerous than a big city like this one."
"So, are we really thinking of going back then?" Elena wondered, breath held.
"I guess so," Damon replied. "If this one approves." He pulled Stevie up into a sitting position against his side and twisted to kiss her head. Stevie looked up and tried to catch his face between her hands, possibly aiming for his nose as a chewing toy. She was chewing on things a lot lately. Damon distracted her with tickles.
Elena watched them for a while, listened to their conversation – Damon's mock-earnest tone and Stevie's jabber. Then another thought hit and she frowned slightly.
"Why the long face?" Damon asked when he glanced up and saw the uncertainty on her face.
"We'll have to tell everyone," she said.
"Well, yeah," Damon replied, confused.
"By everyone I mostly mean Bonnie. I don't want to leave her."
Now Damon grimaced too. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation.
"A Virgin Mai Tai and a Cuba Libre for the ladies," the waiter announced, placing the drink order in front of Elena and Bonnie. "And would you like to order something to eat?" he asked.
Elena motioned to Bonnie who quickly asked for the signature burger of the chain restaurant they had chosen for their wild girls' night out. Though 'night' wasn't exactly correct. More like 'late afternoon' because Elena had an early shift next morning. And they were yet to see how wild they'd be able to get with a baby in tow, since Elena had brought Stevie along because Damon had an appointment at the bank.
"I'll have the pizza with anchovies and pineapple. And could you put some chunks of banana on top after it's cooked?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Elena saw Bonnie pull a disgusted face.
"Banana?" the waiter asked, to make sure he heard correctly.
"Uh-huh," Elena confirmed.
"Hoo-kay," the waiter replied with a frown, jotting down the order on a notepad and leaving them be.
Bonnie was about to comment on Elena's choice, but then reconsidered. She had been offered some weird and experimental culinary combinations by Damon over the years, all of which had turned out to be surprisingly tasty. Maybe this was another one of his creations, though she couldn't really see how. Or maybe the banana was for Stevie? Bonnie looked at the baby, resting peacefully in her carrier right now, taking in the new place and new people.
Elena meanwhile nipped on her drink and Bonnie followed her example.
"When will you be able to drink alcohol again?" Bonnie asked with a side glance at the virgin cocktail. "It's just not the same when only one of us is getting wasted.
"Dot and Deja should be here in a little while. I'm sure they'll be happy to join in the debauchery," Elena replied. "And to answer your question – at least another 12 months or so, probably more."
Bonnie scrunched up her nose, doing the math. Something didn't work out.
"I'm pregnant," Elena helped along, seeing the confusion on Bonnie's face.
Bonnie's jaw dropped and she stared at her best friend. "Are you serious?"
Elena nodded and finally allowed the big grin to show on her face.
"You're really pregnant, like really, really? Again?" Bonnie asked to make sure.
Elena nodded again. "Yeah. It wasn't planned, but—" She broke off and shrugged, waiting for Bonnie's reaction.
Bonnie blinked at her, then at Stevie. "Stevie, your mom is pregnant," she unnecessarily said, because she had to say something and it was the first thing that came to mind.
Stevie excitedly beat both arms and legs against the soft padding of the carrier, though Bonnie doubted it was at the good news, but rather at hearing her own name. She really enjoyed it when people talked to her; especially the sound of her name which never failed to make her smile.
Bonnie smiled in return before looking back up at Elena. "Well, I don't need to ask you how you feel about it. You look radiant. You are happy, right?" she asked when Elena, despite her glow, started chewing her lip.
"Over the moon," Elena replied.
"Then what's the matter?"
"The matter is… That's not the only news I wanted to tell you."
"Okay," Bonnie drawled. "Do I need to be concerned?"
"Not really." Elena breathed deeply in and out before spilling the beans about her and Damon's plans to move back to Mystic Falls.
After listening to Elena's explanations, Bonnie remained quiet for a long time as she digested the information. Elena waited for her to say something.
"I always knew the Seattle gig was only temporary."
"You did?"
Bonnie tilted her head, regarding Elena with a soft smile. "Don't take it the wrong way, but you have always been a small town girl."
Bonnie wasn't wrong. She rarely was.
Elena smiled down at her food that the was delivered some time during her monologue. No, the banana had not been meant for Stevie. Though knowing Elena was pregnant had already cleared up that confusion.
She added, "I always knew you'd go back to Mystic Falls eventually. Just like I always knew you were meant to be a mom."
"I know," Elena nodded. "I just wish I could take you with me. I'm being selfish, sorry."
"Maybe one day," Bonnie said, not promising anything. "I don't want to go back to that place right now. It's filled with too many… not-nice memories still."
"I understand." Elena paused. "There's no chance I could change your mind, is there?" she half-jokingly asked.
Bonnie shook her head. "Not right now. No."
"'Not right now' is not the same as 'never'," Elena replied.
It made Bonnie smile. "No, it isn't," she agreed.
It seemed to be enough for Elena. "Okay. Then maybe one day."
"Possibly. Depends on whether Damon's level of insufferable outweighs the cuteness of this one," Bonnie replied, tickling Stevie and making her laugh.
For a few moments all of them were laughing, Stevie's peals of laughter infectious as always. But eventually Elena sobered.
"I'm really going to miss you," she said.
"No, you won't. We'll talk and videochat all the time. Besides, it's worse for me. I'm losing two of my best friends at the same time." She seemed to realize what she said a second later and added, "Don't tell Damon I called him my best friend."
Elena snorted a laugh. "Your secret is safe with me. Though, FYI, it's not much of a secret."
"Still," Bonnie shrugged. "Appearances, et cetera."
"Bonnie?" Elena asked hesitantly after a little while. "The vision you had of our family…"
Bonnie's face twisted in regret and Elena hurried to assure her, "No, no, I don't want to know what you saw. It's not about that."
"Okay," Bonnie replied. "Then what is it you want to know?"
"In this vision – were you there with us?"
"Is this your roundabout way of asking if I see myself returning to Mystic Falls for good?"
"Maybe." Elena wasn't even sure. She just needed some reassurance that Bonnie would continue to be part of their lives, she guessed.
"I can't tell," Bonnie replied. "I mean, I don't know if I saw it as a removed spectator or if I was part of it. I just don't know."
"Okay," Elena said and nodded.
"Hey," Bonnie reached over and squeezed Elena's wrist, "no sad faces, okay? You're going to have another baby! You're going back to the place that you love, be a mom, and a doctor, and have a beautiful family with the man of your dreams whom you've loved for longer that you care to admit."
"Don't know about the 'always dreamed of' but certainly more than I bargained for."
"Oh, come on," Bonnie waved the statement away.
"Come on what?"
"Come on, Elena," Bonnie repeated, more insistently, adding pointedly raised eyebrows into the mix.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"I'm talking about Caroline's fourteenth birthday party."
"What about it?"
"You seriously don't remember?"
Elena shrugged. She really didn't.
"You don't remember Caroline making us describe our perfect men?"
Elena's eyes unfocused as she dimly recalled a party at Caroline's house. Though, if she wasn't mistaken, she remembered it mostly for the fact that it had been the first time she'd drunk alcohol.
"Dark hair, electric blue eyes, strong but not too muscly," Bonnie tried to jog her memory. "He has to be funny and know how to dress and—"
"—bonus points if he has a nice car," Elena joined Bonnie as they both finished describing Elena's fantasy husband from sixteen years ago.
They laughed so hard, they had to lean against each other.
"Oh my god," Elena wheezed through tears of laughter, "I completely forgot about it."
"Your subconscious hasn't, it would seem," Bonnie joked.
"Not to burst anyone's bubble, but I think I was describing Jordan Dittley from sixth period."
"The rich kid whose parents bought him a car before he even knew how to drive?"
Elena shrugged non-apologetically.
"But he was dumb," Bonnie exclaimed. "He was way older than all of us and was still taking the same classes. He was like the poster child of the dumb football player cliché."
"I didn't say anything about smart being a requirement, did I?" Elena returned.
"Well, I'm glad someone up there heard your wish and send you a baby daddy who fit your description, but had some actual brains," Bonnie said.
Meanwhile, halfway across town, Damon was having a similar conversation with Enzo, though his was unplanned.
Damon had just removed his tie and suit jacket – he'd needed to dress up for an appointment at his bank. A knock on the door made him detour on his way upstairs.
"Hey, I thought I heard you come back," Enzo greeted. "Got a minute?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"I wanted to talk to you about a business opportunity."
"Oh?" Damon replied. He moved to the fridge, pulling out a water and offering one to Enzo as well before sitting down at the table to listen.
Enzo explained, "I was approached by this guy a few days ago. He's looking for investors and or partners to open up a night club slash open stage club for upcoming artist. And with the experience I got running your place, I figured I could do it. What do you say to a little bit of competition?"
Damon hung his head and shook it. "What a timing, man. I was going to ask you if you wanted to take over the managing position at Pinnacle for good."
"You were? Why?"
Damon sighed and grabbed a bottle of whisky from the cupboard plus two glasses before settling in to explain the situation, including his and Elena's plans to move back to Virginia.
"You're giving up this big old city for a speck of dust on a map Mystic Falls?" Enzo joked.
"I have kids now," Damon replied, the plural slipping out automatically. It wasn't much of an explanation and yet it was the only one that encompassed everything he was feeling. Judging by the far-away look in Enzo's eyes, he understood.
"You know," Enzo mused, "I remember a certain bachelor party when you told me you were going to become human for Elena. Get old and die for Elena. Because all you wanted was to be with Elena."
"And I remember you not believing that I was being serious. You know, if I was a petty person, I'd point out that you're living the happy married life with a certain ex-witch. Oops. I guess, I am petty." Damon grinned and toasted Enzo.
They downed their drinks.
"You'd do the exact same thing now that I did back then," Damon stated. He didn't need to phrase it as a question. They both knew it was true.
Enzo looked around the place. His eyes lingered on the photos on the wall of Elena and Damon, and newer ones of Elena and Damon and Stevie. He took in the bottle warmer on the kitchen counter. The baby blanket thrown over the sidearm of the sofa. A plush toy sticking out under it.
Now that he had Bonnie, Enzo understood what made Damon turn his life upside down and inside out for the girl he loved. He'd have done the same thing in his situation.
Just a few weeks later, Damon and Elena and baby Stefanie strolled down the street that had been Elena's home for the first 18 years of her life. They were staying the weekend in Caroline's house that stood empty since Alaric and his twins had moved into the former Salvatore residence because Caroline couldn't stomach the thought of strangers living in her mother's house. Alaric had offered a room in what was now the Salvatore Boarding School, but with the new students they needed all the space they had. Besides, Elena didn't want a crying baby to wake everyone up in the middle of the night.
Even though it was December, the weather was nice enough that Elena suggested they walk the short distance between Caroline's house and the old, now new, Gilbert residence.
Elena gasped and stopped as they rounded the corner into Maple Street and the house came into view. She glanced at Damon then back at the house.
"How? What?"
Damon smiled and pulled her closer until they stood right in front of it.
"I know people always say stuff like 'It's bigger than I remembered', but this one actually is bigger – as in, twice the size. What did you do?"
"Well, you know," Damon circled the topic a bit before diving in, "with the Heretics moving into town and the good citizens of Mystic Falls moving out, more and more people started selling, property prices dropped. Long story short, I bought the neighboring properties – for a steal, really; tore them down, and had the architect scale up the plans. The back yard's bigger now, with a huge garden. And there's also now space for a decent sized pool in the back, if you want one."
Elena stared at the house in awe. The main building was basically still the original Gilbert house as she remembered it. But attached to its side and offset towards the back was now an annex, with a wraparound porch bringing the two parts together nicely. A few paces next to it stood a smaller building that looked like a garage big enough to fit at least three cars.
"Will the tenants mind if we check it out a little?" Elena asked.
"They're not home. We can't go inside, but I got their permission to walk around the premises."
Elena smiled and bent down to pick up the sleeping baby. They left the baby stroller on the front lawn and walked up the steps to the main entrance.
"You even put in a new porch swing?" Elena exclaimed and let her hand brush over it. She sat down, leaving room for Damon. "I feel bad though. We can't just throw out the tenants."
"It was a two-year lease that's almost up anyway. I already let them know that we wouldn't be extending it. They're cool with it."
"Are you doing this just because I asked?"
Damon bit his lips as he considered. "Pretty much." He nodded.
Elena switched Stevie to the right arm to better lean in to kiss Damon. Her lips slowly slid over his, her breath washing over his skin in a soft caress. With a suppressed groan she added more pressure and his mouth opened under her insistence. Elena's tongue swiped across his lower lip and dipped inside. When their tongues met, Elena could feel Damon's chest vibrate under her palm as he released a quiet growl and pushed further into her, one of his arms wrapping protectively around hers where she held the baby and the other going into her hair, pressing her even closer. They sealed their lips tighter together, both hungry for each other.
They broke apart, breathing heavily, foreheads leaning together.
Elena smiled with her eyes closed. "Are you always going to indulge my every whim, for the rest of our lives?"
"That depends," Damon replied pulling back to look at her, "are you always going to kiss me like that when I do?"
Elena's smile grew wider. "Probably."
"Then yes, definitely."
Pulling away reluctantly, Damon asked, "Do you want to walk around the property a bit, see the rest?"
"In a little while," Elena replied, laying her head on Damon's shoulder.
He pulled her closer and she turned a little to better fit under his arm. Damon kissed her hair and stroked Stevie's head as she slowly began to wake up. She fussed a little until her eyes found her parents and she settled down, big eyes taking in the new surroundings.
"They're turning blue," Elena muttered quietly.
"Huh?"
"Her eyes," she said, nodding her head towards their daughter. "They're turning blue."
It was true. The murky dark grey of Stefanie's eyes had begun to lighten over the past weeks. Already the grey was almost gone completely. Elena studied the shape and the dark eyelashes rimming them – Damon's eyes.
"She's got your chin dimple," Damon said and touched a fingertip to the tiny indentation. Stevie caught his finger in her fist and started gnawing on it. Damon thought he could feel the outline of two tiny teeth under the gums. "She'll have your hair too," he finished.
Elena nodded, having noticed that as well. The black shock of hair she'd been born with was almost gone. The new hair that grew in its place was lighter, the glossy brown of chestnut.
After they'd been quiet a while, Damon nodded to the spot in front of them and said, "This is where I kissed you for the first time."
"It is," Elena said, smiling softly. "Though, to be honest, I was already in love with you by then."
"I knew it!" Damon cried out.
"So many things happened on this porch; in this house," Elena quietly mused. "Seems like a different lifetime."
"It was," Damon replied.
"Have you ever thought about it?"
"About what?"
"How we're going to tell our kids about it all? The supernatural stuff? How do you explain that, hey, your parents used to be vampires and kill people."
"Well, I'd first suggest we wait until this one here is born," Damon let his hand slip down to the not quite there yet baby bump hidden under the thick winter sweater. "This way we'll only have to do it once. And maybe wait a little; at least until they start forming words. That might help."
"Stop making jokes. I was being serious."
"I don't know, Elena. I'm not a fan of lying to your children, in general."
"But?" Elena asked because she felt a but coming.
"But even parents who don't want to lie to their kids make exceptions, right? They pretend that Santa exists. That eating your greens will make you strong. All kinds of stuff."
"I guess it all depends on timing?" Elena suggested. "We'll ease them into it somehow."
Damon huffed out a short laugh. "I just realized: Growing up in Mystic Falls, hanging out with Josie and Lizzie, visiting their Auntie Caroline in the Salvatore Magic School. If they grow up in a world where that's the baseline for normal, I guess there won't be a need for the big talk at all. At least up until the moment they hear stories about their parents and decide to investigate. But at least they'll already know about the supernatural world by then. So, it's a good thing we're coming back to Mystic Falls, I guess."
"Yeah, I guess," Elena echoed.
Damon stood up and took Stevie from Elena's arms. "Come on," he said. "Let's go see the back."
Elena nodded and followed Damon.
"Elena? Elena Gilbert?" a voice from across the street called out just as Elena and Damon sat off on their walk back to Caroline's house.
Elena turned in the direction and saw a lanky, pretty, dark-skinned woman of roughly the same age as herself coming towards her. She was pushing a wheelchair and Elena thought she recognized the man in it. She couldn't remember his name, but the face was so familiar. "It's Elena Salvatore now," she replied with a polite smile as she eyed the woman in front of her, trying to place her face. Her eyes widened when she finally recognized her. "Tiki?"
"Yeah," Tiki replied, "you remembered."
"Well, it has been a pretty long time," Elena returned and made the introductions, "This is my husband, Damon, and that's Stefanie." To Damon, she said, "Damon, this is Tiki – we used to have classes together back in high school."
"A life and a half ago, right?" Tiki commented.
"I heard you moved. To Europe? Or was that just a rumor?" Tiki made small talk as Elena noticed Damon eyeing the old man in the wheelchair who was clearly Tiki's grandfather. And suddenly, Elena knew where she had met the old man before.
She carefully gauged his reaction to Damon while she answered Tiki's questions, "Yeah, no, not a rumor. We did go to Europe for a while." Technically true, Elena thought. "But we're back now."
"Wow. That's great," Tiki exclaimed. "Let me know if you're looking for a job, or something, yeah? I work in the nursing home downtown. I usually take out Gramps for a walk after my shift. Anyway, if you want to know what's going on in this town, all you have to do is listen to the old ladies. They're better informed than the Mystic Falls Courier." She laughed at her own joke.
"Thanks, but I think I'm set. I'll be working in the hospital across town," Elena explained.
"Oh, you're a doctor? I remember going to your dad's practice when I was a child. It's about time this town had another Dr. Gilbert."
"Still Salvatore," Elena corrected.
"Right," Tiki quickly replied. She glanced over at Damon and back to Elena. "Hey, weren't you dating Stefan Salvatore back in high school?"
"Uhmm, yeah," Elena blinked rapidly, not knowing how to respond. "It's complicated?"
"I heard he died a few years ago. A tragic accident?" Inclining her head towards Damon, she said, "I'm really sorry."
"Thanks," Damon replied.
"Well, if you're looking for a place to live, I hear the tenants here will be moving out soon," Tiki nodded towards the building behind them. Then she froze, putting two and two together. "But wait. Didn't this used to be your house?"
"Yes," Elena laughed, "it still is."
"Ah, that explains the gossip I heard in town. Some old ladies were talking about a founding family coming back or something, but I couldn't figure out who they were talking about. It was you!"
Elena shook her head helplessly. "Wow. News travels fast, huh?"
"Small town," Tiki replied. "You must remember how it is."
"Right," Elena said. "Well, we have to go. But it was really nice seeing you again, Tiki. You too, Sir," Elena addressed the old man.
"He can't talk that much anymore, ever since the stroke," Tiki explained, gently stroking her grandfather's shoulder. "But yeah, same here. Take care."
When they parted ways again, Damon muttered under his breath, "The woman sure does talk a lot."
Elena smiled absentmindedly, only half-listening.
"What?" Damon asked, noticing. "Having second thoughts about coming back to this beloved gossip mill?"
"No," Elena said, emerging again.
"Was it her gramps? I thought I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes, but I might have been mistaken."
"He was the one that told me about Stefan and you back then. About knowing you in the fifties."
"Oh," Damon breathed. "Hm," he thought out loud. "I'd be concerned about whether he was going to expose us, but there's nothing left to expose. I'm human. I'm a dad, for Christ's sake. I merely share a name with a guy he had seen in passing almost 70 years ago. I don't think you should be concerned."
"I'm not," Elena answered.
"Then where did your thoughts stray to?"
"You know how I was going to work in the clinic here?"
"Yeah?"
"What if I wanted to reopen my dad's old medical practice instead? Is that crazy? It won't be right away. I still need to finish the residency. But after that? I could do it after that, right?"
Damon smiled and kissed Elena's temple. "You can do anything you set your mind to, Elena."