Joy- One thing that I really try and do with this story is make sure that
people don't have to wait that long for an update. I don't think I've had a
day where I didn't update since I started in mid-December, but I could be
wrong. If I did have such days, they were few and far between. Anyway,
while Damian is the main character of the story I do try and give people
their own time to shine, as you have said. If that means keeping him out of
the picture from time to time, then so be it. As for Ned, I don't really
like him at all, and will probably never use him in this story, sorry.
You're not the only one who wishes that Lorenzo would just go away (points
to Shamira), but he's an important part of the story and hasn't started his
real power play just yet. Sadly, Carly would probably like the
manipulation, since, if Damian did work for Lorenzo Sonny would find
himself very displeased with his child and probably just stop trying to be
around him, and that would make Carly very happy. Still, since you
requested it (well, it was really already planned, but you got lucky),
here's a whole lot of Damian, just for you!
Story-
Damian's Apartment-
He groggily looked at the alarm clock with a half-opened eye. He had gotten several hours of sleep, but they weren't enough. He acknowledged the fact that he had things that needed to be done, and the sleep could wait. Besides, he had gotten a few good hours, which were a few good hours more than the horrid sleep he had gotten at the hospital. Damian reached over for his cell phone and picked it up. His eyes adjusted to the small screen as he pushed the first button on the phone, already programmed to send the call over the country to his grandparents. It started to ring and Damian quickly became impatient, he hoped that they were home. It was Sunday, but it was already the afternoon, church should have been over with.
"Hello?"
"Julia?" Damian noticed the voice of one of the many cousins he had. She was 10, and was one of the few tolerable relatives that he had.
"Who is this?" She wondered.
"It's Damian."
"Oh," She said. "Why are you calling?"
"I want to talk to Nana or Papi, are they home?"
"Yeah," She handed the phone over to their grandmother.
"Hello?"
"Nana, it's me."
She smiled on the other end of the phone, "Damian, what is it?"
"Can I come home this upcoming weekend?" Damian asked. "I mean, you're not going to be out of town or anything, are you?"
"No, we don't have any plans," She replied as she eyed the girl attempting to get into the cookie jar. "Julia, stay out of that jar, you'll spoil your brunch!"
"She's not going to listen, you know."
"Oh, she'd better listen."
"You're not going to get the chankla, are you?"
"If I have to."
That sent a shudder down Damian's spine. He had memories of the dreaded sandal being used as a means of punishment. He might have had a few marks left from the few times he was deemed bad enough to be on the receiving end of the chankla. Thankfully, they were few and far between, but they left an impact on him. "Just give her a cookie, one won't hurt."
"I suppose. All right, you get one, just one." She turned to the phone again, "Why do you try and protect her?"
"You raised me to protect my family, didn't you?" He replied.
"I suppose we did. Why do you want to come home so soon?"
"I need to talk to you about something," He told her without getting into the situation too heavily.
"You can ask me anything over the phone, honey. You know that."
"I just need to talk to you face to face, you and Papi."
"Is something the matter?"
"Please," He said softly. "I don't want to talk about it over the phone."
"Are you okay? Tell me that much."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
She relaxed a little, but she was still not entirely sure what Damian wanted. "If it's that important to you, which I think it is, we'll talk about it together when you get here. You sure you can't talk about it over the phone?"
"Positive," He told her quickly. "I'll find a flight out in a couple minutes, I'm actually going somewhere."
"Where are you going?"
"To go see someone," Damian kept the specifics out of his grandmother's mind. He hated being so cryptic with her, but if she knew where he was going she would also find out why he wanted to come back home so much. He wanted to be the one to tell them both that he knew about Elias's past, he didn't want them to find out by beating around the bush. "I'm sure you've got a whole lot of things to get ready for brunch. Tell everyone I said hello, would you?"
"Of course. Bye, Damian."
Damian closed the phone and thought about what she was likely doing. Sunday's were hectic at the Zuniga house. The family always got together for a post-church meal where they would talk about things that had happened. Damian didn't really like the meals, but he'd stay outside for the most part, usually because he knew how much having the entire family together meant to his grandparents. Family meant more to them than anything. That was probably why Sonny's boss had Sonny do what he did with Ana-Maria. She was Elias's precious daughter. He didn't have time to make any speculations at the moment, he would find the answers when he went home.
Damian walked downstairs a few minutes later. Elizabeth was still working. She remembered that she was supposed to tell him something but didn't get the chance when she saw him earlier that day. "Damian, you got a minute?"
Damian turned and sat on the stool, "Yeah, what is it?"
"Ric told me that he got the results from Kyle's autopsy back, and the things that they found in his system clear you of any speculation to his death."
"I didn't kill him."
She nodded, "And now everyone will believe you."
"They should have believed me when I told them I didn't in the first place," Damian repiled somewhat bitterly.
"They were just doing their job," Elizabeth said softly. "You can't blame them for thinking that you might have had something to do with it."
"Because of who my father is?" Damian asked.
"That's a big reason for it, yes. The other being that you did get into a fight with him the day before."
"He deserved the punch I gave him," Damian said. "No one should treat people like that, especially women."
"You're a better man than he could have ever attempted to be," Elizabeth told him. "Don't let anyone else make you think that you didn't do the right thing."
"I won't," Damian got off the stool. "I'm going to check in on Michael at Sonny's. Thanks for the information and the advice, Elizabeth."
She smiled, "Anytime."
Damian walked out of the diner and dialed a number on his phone, standing outside Kelly's as he waited for someone to pick the line up. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to book a flight from New York to Los Angeles, please. Late Thursday or Early Friday if possible with a return on that Sunday. No, coach is fine. Damian Zuniga. Yes, I'll pay with cash when I get there. No, I don't need anything else, thank you." Damian closed the phone. There were no flights on Thursday that were open for him, but he did get an early morning Friday flight. It would give him enough time to find out more about his past. With a flight booked he headed out towards Sonny's.
Faith watched on from a safe distance, an evil grin on the face of the widow. "Junior's leaving the nest already? That gives me an idea."
24
Story-
Damian's Apartment-
He groggily looked at the alarm clock with a half-opened eye. He had gotten several hours of sleep, but they weren't enough. He acknowledged the fact that he had things that needed to be done, and the sleep could wait. Besides, he had gotten a few good hours, which were a few good hours more than the horrid sleep he had gotten at the hospital. Damian reached over for his cell phone and picked it up. His eyes adjusted to the small screen as he pushed the first button on the phone, already programmed to send the call over the country to his grandparents. It started to ring and Damian quickly became impatient, he hoped that they were home. It was Sunday, but it was already the afternoon, church should have been over with.
"Hello?"
"Julia?" Damian noticed the voice of one of the many cousins he had. She was 10, and was one of the few tolerable relatives that he had.
"Who is this?" She wondered.
"It's Damian."
"Oh," She said. "Why are you calling?"
"I want to talk to Nana or Papi, are they home?"
"Yeah," She handed the phone over to their grandmother.
"Hello?"
"Nana, it's me."
She smiled on the other end of the phone, "Damian, what is it?"
"Can I come home this upcoming weekend?" Damian asked. "I mean, you're not going to be out of town or anything, are you?"
"No, we don't have any plans," She replied as she eyed the girl attempting to get into the cookie jar. "Julia, stay out of that jar, you'll spoil your brunch!"
"She's not going to listen, you know."
"Oh, she'd better listen."
"You're not going to get the chankla, are you?"
"If I have to."
That sent a shudder down Damian's spine. He had memories of the dreaded sandal being used as a means of punishment. He might have had a few marks left from the few times he was deemed bad enough to be on the receiving end of the chankla. Thankfully, they were few and far between, but they left an impact on him. "Just give her a cookie, one won't hurt."
"I suppose. All right, you get one, just one." She turned to the phone again, "Why do you try and protect her?"
"You raised me to protect my family, didn't you?" He replied.
"I suppose we did. Why do you want to come home so soon?"
"I need to talk to you about something," He told her without getting into the situation too heavily.
"You can ask me anything over the phone, honey. You know that."
"I just need to talk to you face to face, you and Papi."
"Is something the matter?"
"Please," He said softly. "I don't want to talk about it over the phone."
"Are you okay? Tell me that much."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
She relaxed a little, but she was still not entirely sure what Damian wanted. "If it's that important to you, which I think it is, we'll talk about it together when you get here. You sure you can't talk about it over the phone?"
"Positive," He told her quickly. "I'll find a flight out in a couple minutes, I'm actually going somewhere."
"Where are you going?"
"To go see someone," Damian kept the specifics out of his grandmother's mind. He hated being so cryptic with her, but if she knew where he was going she would also find out why he wanted to come back home so much. He wanted to be the one to tell them both that he knew about Elias's past, he didn't want them to find out by beating around the bush. "I'm sure you've got a whole lot of things to get ready for brunch. Tell everyone I said hello, would you?"
"Of course. Bye, Damian."
Damian closed the phone and thought about what she was likely doing. Sunday's were hectic at the Zuniga house. The family always got together for a post-church meal where they would talk about things that had happened. Damian didn't really like the meals, but he'd stay outside for the most part, usually because he knew how much having the entire family together meant to his grandparents. Family meant more to them than anything. That was probably why Sonny's boss had Sonny do what he did with Ana-Maria. She was Elias's precious daughter. He didn't have time to make any speculations at the moment, he would find the answers when he went home.
Damian walked downstairs a few minutes later. Elizabeth was still working. She remembered that she was supposed to tell him something but didn't get the chance when she saw him earlier that day. "Damian, you got a minute?"
Damian turned and sat on the stool, "Yeah, what is it?"
"Ric told me that he got the results from Kyle's autopsy back, and the things that they found in his system clear you of any speculation to his death."
"I didn't kill him."
She nodded, "And now everyone will believe you."
"They should have believed me when I told them I didn't in the first place," Damian repiled somewhat bitterly.
"They were just doing their job," Elizabeth said softly. "You can't blame them for thinking that you might have had something to do with it."
"Because of who my father is?" Damian asked.
"That's a big reason for it, yes. The other being that you did get into a fight with him the day before."
"He deserved the punch I gave him," Damian said. "No one should treat people like that, especially women."
"You're a better man than he could have ever attempted to be," Elizabeth told him. "Don't let anyone else make you think that you didn't do the right thing."
"I won't," Damian got off the stool. "I'm going to check in on Michael at Sonny's. Thanks for the information and the advice, Elizabeth."
She smiled, "Anytime."
Damian walked out of the diner and dialed a number on his phone, standing outside Kelly's as he waited for someone to pick the line up. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to book a flight from New York to Los Angeles, please. Late Thursday or Early Friday if possible with a return on that Sunday. No, coach is fine. Damian Zuniga. Yes, I'll pay with cash when I get there. No, I don't need anything else, thank you." Damian closed the phone. There were no flights on Thursday that were open for him, but he did get an early morning Friday flight. It would give him enough time to find out more about his past. With a flight booked he headed out towards Sonny's.
Faith watched on from a safe distance, an evil grin on the face of the widow. "Junior's leaving the nest already? That gives me an idea."
24