I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once
The way you did once upon a dream
Elena's eyes open and discover that her head is resting on Damon's chest. If not for the lingering sensation between her thighs, she would have almost believed the past few hours had been a dream, an exceedingly vivid dream, but a dream nonetheless.
But she hasn't been dreaming.
She feels her cheeks flush at the memory. Before Damon, Elena never felt so special or so treasured. In these moments, there is truly nothing separating them. Her lips curl into a grin at the memory. She absently runs her hand over Damon's chest.
"You're awake." Damon leans down and kisses the top of her head.
"Yeah." Elena shivers as he runs his hand down her side.
"We had quite a workout last night," Damon winks and rests his hand on her hip.
Elena's cheeks flush a light pink. "We did. I'm sorry I fell asleep."
"Nothing to be sorry about."
Elena laughs as she tilts her face up and kisses him on the lips as little footsteps pad on the wooden floor of the corridor and come towards their bedroom. The knob twists and a little girl dressed in kitty pajamas races inside and jumps on the bed.
"Can we swim in the ocean today?" The little girl starts bouncing up and down on the bed.
Elena strokes the raven-black curls off of her small face. "It depends on if daddy has other plans for us."
"I want to play in the water." Mae pouts.
Elena takes her daughter in her arms. "We don't want you to get sick if the water's cold. Vacation won't be much fun if you have to stay in bed."
Another pair of light footsteps saunter into their room and stand in front of the bed.
Damon turns his head around and looks at their son in his dinosaur pajamas. "Did your big sister wake you up?" He tilts his head toward Mae.
Noah bobs his head as a yawn escapes.
"Come on up." Damon helps him crawl onto the bed where he worms his way between his parents and closes his eyes as he snuggles against Elena.
Damon winks at Elena as he turns the cartoons, scrolling through the channels until he finds Chip n' Dale.
"Daddy and I will make breakfast while you two watch TV. I'll come to get you when it's time to eat." Elena kisses Mae's hair and Noah's forehead before crawling out of bed.
"Okay." The little girl nods and settles into her mom's pillow. Noah nudges closer.
Elena slips on her robe and looks at Damon. "You coming?"
"I'll be down in a few."
She pecks his cheek. "Whatever you say."
Damon grabs her arm and pulls her closer. "I mean it," he reiterates as he presses his lips to hers.
"Of course you do." Elena rolls her eyes playfully and walks to the door.
"Start the coffee and I'll be down!" Damon's voice comes behind her just before she pulls the door closed.
The beach is crowded with tourists, many lazing about on the sand, others licking ice cream cones and to her left is one of the lifeguard towers. Elena whispers in the breeze, her eyelids fluttering closed as she breathes in the briny aroma. Scrunching her toes, she feels the softness of the sand, still damp from a retreating wave.
The sand blurs out in a blissful trance, the shore fading into liquid gold, vivid in the brilliant light. Her pale lips curve upward. Turning her gaze to the far-off horizon, the flaring hues of the sun melt into the sky and ocean like a painting. The forever stretching sea is masked with an apricot color, that beautiful umber flowing into turquoise. Through narrowed eyes she watches as each wave overlaps one another, sending the white bubbling crests descending, masking the shore with the transparent fading water.
Today there are little pockets of surfers. Elena watches for a moment as one of them carries his board into the water to catch a wave. He's tall and lean with curly blonde hair that is dripping in wet ringlets around his jawline.
"Hey, I'm right here," Damon teases, winking at her.
"Nothing wrong with looking," Elena laughs, "and besides, I've seen your eye roaming, too."
"Daddy, look!" Noah calls out as he adds another bucket of sand to his castle.
"Great job, buddy!" Damon replies and misses his hair.
"Why do you do that?" the little boy looks up with a mean face.
"Cause daddy likes to," Elena explains as she watches Noah slide his bucket through the sand. For that tiny moment, the waves hush, and the birds hold their chattering.
"Mommy, look!" Mae pouts when the corner of their castle crumbles as if it were a piece of birthday cake at the hand of a hungry child.
"It's okay. Your sandcastle is perfect just the way it is. Take a picture, Damon." Elena nods at her husband who dutifully snaps a few photos with his phone.
"Can we go into the water now?" Mae asks as she tugs on Elena's swimsuit.
"Yes, you can go in the water but we can't go too far out. Your daddy will worry about us." She winks at Damon. Taking their hands in hers, the three of them plunge into the blue-green water. Small swells lap against their legs.
Mae and Noah squeal as they splash around.
"Wave at daddy!" Elena tells them and smiles to see Damon recording them.
"We're in the water, daddy!" Mae calls out as she splashes her brother.
"Look what I found!" Elena shows them a conch shell.
"Can we keep it?" Noah asks, his eyes wide. "Let's go show daddy."
"Okay," Elena follows them onto the sand, laughing as they run to Damon.
"Daddy, can we get a snow cone?"
"Sure." Damon lifts Noah onto his shoulders and takes Mae's hand. "Mom, we'll be right back, we're getting a snow cone."
Elena smiles at her family as her fingers sift through the sand...
"Is this a game of hide and seek?" Elena asks as she walks down the beach toward the snow cone stand. "Okay, watch out, Mae and Noah, mom is up for the challenge."
She looks around a little more, unable to find them. "You guys are being really quiet," she calls out as she continues to look walk down the sand in search of them.
"Okay, this isn't funny anymore. How about you all come out now?" she spins around as fear begins to creep over her.
"Damon!" Elena looks around confused as everything around her vanishes...
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Machines hum and beep as a series of tiny explosions go off behind her eyes, intense detonations of pain that herald her return to consciousness. The mere act of parting her swollen lids is agonizing and yet she tries anyway.
They burn.
They throb.
They ache uncontrollably. Tears leak from their bruised corners. Somehow she manages to crack them into the barest slits but the world is blurred, indistinguishable. Her eyelids shudder restlessly, wanting to open and relieve the pressure she feels in her head but their harsh glow blinds her with every attempt.
It is too much. Her brain explodes with excruciating pain. With her eyes still closed, she listens to the rhythmic blips that are coming from somewhere beside her and the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears, obliterating every coherent thought, save one.
Pain…so much pain she wants to die. It's everywhere, It spreads through her entire body like a holocaust, torturously eating away at her.
She wrenches open her eyelids, ignoring the dizzying pain that comes with it. She cannot see anything but she can feel the agonizing heaviness in her legs, the tingling in her fingertips…it's all over.
She pushes past the ache in her limbs, past the fire in her brain to latch onto the questions pervading her fuzzy perception.
What happened to her?
Where is she?
How did she come to be there?
"Oh my gosh, Elena, you're awake! Can you hear me? If you can, squeeze my hand," The nurse coaxes as she takes Elena's hand in her own.
A panicked look washes over Elena's face as she struggles to move.
"Elena, look at me. Calm down," Nurse Violet instructs her as she says into her Vocera, "I need a doctor in room 512, the patient is awake."
An unsettling feeling begins welling inside of her. Something's wrong—but Elena can't quite tell what it is.
Moments later the door swings open and a man in a white lab coat approaches her bed.
"Hello, Elena. I'm Dr. Fell." Meredith gives her a moment. "Okay, I have a little light for you." She pulls her penlight out of her pocket.
Elena groans.
"I know. I know it's bright. Just bear with me. Can you follow it?" she asks as she moves the pen side to side and top to bottom, watching as her eyes track it. "Good. Do you know where you are?"
"A hospital?" Elena rasps.
"That's right. Listen, I know things are rather confusing for you right now. We're going to call your family, all right? And run a few tests while we wait for them."
Elena grunts and lets her eyes fall closed.
"It's a miracle!" Caroline squeals. "I can't believe you're awake."
"What happened?" Elena tries to raise herself up.
"Careful, easy there, Elena," Jenna cautions. "Your doctor said you'd be stiff, your muscles need to get used to moving again."
Elena's eyes are darting around as she looks for him. "Where's Damon?"
"Who's Damon?" Caroline asks, looking at Elena curiously.
"My husband," Elena croaks, her eyes round with fear.
"Elena, you're not married," Bonnie shoots a look at Caroline.
"My kids, my kids. Where are they?" Elena asks frantically as she struggles to sit up.
"Kids?"
"Yes, Mae and Noah, where are they?" Her voice grows louder with each syllable. Her heart stammers in her chest, setting off an alarm above her.
Nurse Violet rushes into the room. "Elena, now you need to listen to me. Calm down."
Elena's hands are shaking and her eyes swim with tears, "How can I calm down? Where are my husband and children?"
"Elena, sweetheart," Jenna takes one of her hands and cradles it between her own. "You are not married and you don't have any children."
Those words have her stomach lurching and she holds back a gag as a shiver rolls through her body and prickles her skin with goosebumps.
"No, no! You're wrong!" Elena's heart pounds at an increasingly rapid pace as she struggles with the effort to prop herself up.
Bonnie shuffles closer and holds a straw to her lips. "Elena, breathe. Calm down."
Elena's face contorts in agony. "No," she shakes her head, hoping that this is some terrible nightmare that she'll wake up from.
"Listen to us, Elena, there was an accident, and whatever family you think you have, they don't exist," Jenna looks at her sympathetically.
"But I was just with them. The four of us were at the beach..." Elena's voice cracks as her eyes fill with tears.
Elena feels as though she's entered a house with the gas stove left on; the atmosphere is dense and strange.
She doesn't understand any of this.
"Doctor, why would Elena think she's married and has children?" Jenna asks, concern etched on her face.
"The accident wouldn't make her think these things, would it?" Ric asks, sharing a look with Jenna.
"The brain is a delicate thing," Dr. Fell explains. "It's most likely an effect of her coma. You can think of it as a dream."
"But she thinks it was real. I thought she'd be thrilled to wake up, instead, she seems miserable and afraid."
"You have to remember, she just woke up today. It's, it's going to take some time for her to adjust. The good news is that she remembers all of you so we know it's not amnesia," Meredith points out.
"Could she get worse?" Ric asks, holding Jenna's hand.
"I am going to run some tests but from what I've seen, this is recovery. Honestly, from a medical standpoint, this is the best possible outcome."
"Thank you, Dr. Fell." Jenna offers.
"Of course. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."
"Sure, thank you again," Ric stands and shakes her hand, and watches her depart till the elevator doors slide shut.
When Elena notices it's getting darker in her room, her head lulls toward the window. The sky is beginning to look ominous and a boom of thunder rolls across the area. The boughs of the trees sway in the strengthening gusts. The first drops of rain fall like bullets against the glass. On the horizon, a jagged bolt of white-hot lightning splits the sky, followed by another clap of thunder as if playing notes in a celestial symphony.
Elena absently rubs her hands together. Another peal of thunder rattles the plate glass window and a tremendous gust of wind. She looks away when her door opens up as Jenna enters her room.
"How are you feeling?" Jenna asks as she pulls a chair beside Elena's bed.
"How do you expect me to feel? My family is gone."
Jenna brushes a strand of hair off of Elena's face. "The accident happened three months ago..."
Elena's eyes flicker toward the windshield, registering the way the glaring white headlights in front of her dip with the curve of the road. Suddenly the beams are bearing down on her. Pure terror surges through her veins. Her heart lurches at the screech that echoes through the night as the black vehicle hurtles directly towards her.
Elena screams in terror as the car swerves, the tires lifting as she slams against the door. Her body is a slave to gravity as they collide, the back tires squealing against the asphalt as it spins out of control.
Darkness closes in around her when the car flips, spinning end over end as it careens off the road, stopping suddenly when it slams into a tree. Her neck jerks with the whiplash-like jarring of her body.
Elena blinks as the blood mats itself into her eyelashes, her neck wrenches back and as the pain dulls to a constant throb, her head lulls to rest against her shoulder. Her eyesight blurs as her consciousness begins to trickle away.
Throughout the inky space, Elena's heart pounds loudly, echoing in her ears, alongside her own desperate pleas for help. Feeling in her body drains away until finally, all is black.
"That night is seared into my mind." Jenna reaches into her bag for a tissue to dab her eyes.
Jenna wakes up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. Reaching blindly for where it sits on the bedside table, she finally locates it.
Ric groans and turned over burrowing his head into the pillow. Seeing the hospital's name light up on the screen she brings the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Is this Jenna Saltzman, Elena Gilbert's aunt?" a strange voice asks.
Jenna sits up straighter and reaches over to turn on the light, fully awake now.
"That's me"
"I'm Dr. Fell calling from the hospital, I'm afraid I have to inform you that your niece has been in a serious car accident and we're going to have to ask you to come in"
Jenna's stomach plummets, ceasing to be able to think straight, and her mouth goes bone dry.
"Is she...I mean, she's okay, right?"
"Mam," the doctor hesitates "We really just need you to come in and we can talk about it when you get here."
Without responding, Jenna hangs and turns to wake Ric, desperate to get to the hospital.
"It stormed that night. The road was very slippery, and parts of it were flooded. Another vehicle hydroplaned and slammed into you. He walked away pretty much unscathed... For a while, the doctors didn't think you'd make it. The first several days were touch and go. After the immediate crisis passed, the news came that you might live, but not wake up. I know that you are confused, Elena. I know that everything is a lot to take in. Just don't forget that we love you. I prayed for this every moment over the last months."
"I know." Elena forces a smile. "I love you, too, Aunt Jenna," she whispers softly as she turns back to the rain...
Ric loads the last bag into the rear of the Explorer. He's relieved that Dr. Fell made rounds early this morning since he knew Elena is anxious to get out of the hospital. He slams the gate shut before stepping around the side of the car and getting behind the wheel to drive to the front of the hospital to pick her and Jenna up.
"Easy." The nurse's aide takes hold of Elena's arm as she helps to maneuver her into the wheelchair.
Elena tries to brush her hand away. "I'm fine." When she stands fully upright, the room swims in front of her.
"We can all see that." Jenna arches an eyebrow.
"You're weak from inactivity." The nurse shakes her head. "You shouldn't be going home, you should go into a rehab facility for strengthening." She studies Elena with a critical eye. Her complexion changes to pale as she stands fixed in place.
"Really, I'm alright. Home is a couple of hours away."
"That's good to know." The nurse's ponytail bobs as she nods. "Well, let's get you on your way."
Jenna walks behind the aide pushing the wheelchair. She's had enough hospital experience in the last three months to know they won't let Elena leave without one.
As the aide backs the chair out of the elevator, she turns and addresses Jenna. "Why don't you go pull your car around? We'll meet you at the circle driveway."
Elena leans over and looks up at the girl behind her. "Really, you don't have to stay with us."
The aide nods. "It's kind of my job." She watches as the sliding door closes behind Jenna.
"Oh, here he is." Jenna states as Ric pulls up with their white Explorer.
Elena gingerly slides into the back seat.
"Have a safe trip home." The aide smiles and closes the door behind Elena.
"Thank you." Elena returns the smile and gives a brief wave and buckles her seatbelt just as Ric is pulling into traffic.
Elena's head lulls against the window as she watches the scenery go by.
"We stopped at your apartment and picked up some things."
"Is my apartment?" she asks, wondering if she still has a place to live.
"It's fine. Actually, Jeremy's been staying there and paying the rent. You have two bedrooms so I didn't think you would mind."
"No, so long as the rent was paid. Could we just go there?"
"The doctor said you shouldn't be alone for a few days. Besides, we want you home."
"If you say so." Elena looks out of her window. The sky is dark and the large clouds are moving in. Trees cower from the harsh wind. A steady drizzle of rain begins to descend from somber clouds. Opaque puddles gather along the crevices and cracks of the soggy ground. Lightning illuminates the sky and is shortly followed by a deafening rumble.
Elena lays her head back on the seat and watches but soon her eyes drift closed.
"I'm going outside for a couple of minutes," Elena tells Caroline.
"I'll take my break when you come back," she calls as Elena pushes the door open. Looking over her shoulder, Elena nods, adding, "I won't be long." She walks around to the front of the building and leans against the exterior.
"Good?" Damon moves to stand beside her.
"Do you want a swallow?" she offers with an impish grin. With him so close that their flesh is almost touching, Elena feels like every fiber of her being is vibrating. Adrenaline is coursing through her veins, her hands tremble slightly and her eyes are wide.
"Sure," he takes it from her, brushing her hand. As always when he's near Elena, it feels as if there's a trail of gunpowder in his veins and she has the only match.
So entranced with each other, neither notice the black clouds billowing in from the west. The air grows heavy and the suffocating humidity presses down. The scent of rain is dark and heady. A stillness falls over the street, and in the silence comes a low crackle of thunder, rolling across rooftops to the pattering of tiny raindrops. For a moment, everything stops. Even the wind holds its breath. A streak of hot silver splits the sky, and the downpour begins.
Grabbing Elena's hand, Damon pulls her under the awning.
The rain runs down their faces as their mouths meet. Damon pushes his lips more firmly against hers and the wave that runs through her is intoxicating, making her head swim as she pulls back to take in his beautiful face.
"I have to go inside," she utters, her gaze drifting from his eyes to his mouth and back again.
Without saying a word, he cups her face in his hands and gives her another kiss. When they part, he opens the door for her. "Goodnight Elena."
Touching her lips, she watches dreamy-eyed as he gives her a smile and disappears around the side of the building.
"Elena, we're home," Jenna says softly as she gently nudges her niece.
"Why don't you go to your room and rest a little. I'll wake you when supper's ready."
"I'm fine, Aunt Jenna."
"The doctor said," Ric interrupts, meeting her eyes through the rearview mirror.
"Okay, do you at least have my phone or my computer?"
"Yes, but you must promise to take it easy," Jenna scolds softly as she opens the front door to let Elena inside.
"I know you're concerned but you need to stop hovering," Elena calls over her shoulder as she slowly walks up the staircase to her childhood bedroom.
Jenna watches till he hears her door snap shut. "Things should start getting back to normal now that she's home."
"Normal, you do realize she isn't the same person, right?"
"Maybe not now but she will be. She needs time and the doctor suggested a therapist."
"Psychiatrist?" Ric asks.
Jenna glares at him. "Call it what you want, but it's someone that can help her, you know, emotionally."
"Elena thinks she has a husband and children. You think a shrink's gonna fix that?" Ric counters.
"I don't know, Ric but we need to do anything and everything we can to help her."
"You're right, I'm sorry. I'll start supper." Ric agrees and kisses Jenna's cheek before walking into the kitchen.
"Can you get that?" Jenna calls aloud when the doorbell rings.
"Yep," Elena replies and opens it, smiling when she sees Caroline who pulls her into an embrace.
"Hi." Caroline pulls her into an embrace. "Oh, I'm not hurting you am I?"
"No, I'm fine. Come on in." Elena pushes the door closed and follows Caroline into the living room.
"You had us all so scared."
"I know," Elena agrees with a tight smile.
"So, how's it been? Being back I mean."
"Did they tell you I'm crazy?"
Caroline takes Elena's hand. "So, you really think you were married?"
"Yes, it felt so real." Elena drops her eyes to her hands that are knotted on her lap.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you how weird it sounds."
"Caroline, can you take me somewhere?"
"Let's go," Caroline pulls her keys out of her pocket and follows Elena outside.
"That's it. This is our house," Elena announces and gets out of the car before Caroline even has the engine turned off.
"Hey, easy," Caroline cautions, watching as Elena walks up the porch and peers through the window.
"It's completely empty. He's not here."
"The place is still under construction, Elena." Caroline points to the building materials laying around.
Elena's hands are clenched so tightly that her nails dig into her palms. "His name is Damon. He is three years older than me. He loves me and he loves our children, Mae and Noah, and they get along well and have the most creative minds." Elena's chest grows tight and bile rises in her throat.
"Elena." Caroline pulls her into a hug but she won't be dissuaded.
"It wasn't a dream. You don't miss a dream. You don't feel heartbroken for a dream," Elena cries as her heart pounds in her ears.
"I'm so sorry, Elena. I wish I knew how to help you." Caroline wraps an arm around her shoulder and leads her back to her car...
"I have an idea. Let's go see Jeremy and see if he can join us for lunch, my treat," Caroline shares a glance with Elena as she pulls to a stop at the red light.
"That sounds nice. Actually, he's been AWOL since I got out of the hospital."
"Bonnie said he's been ridiculously busy helping his boss set up the store."
"So, that's more important than his sister waking up from a coma?" Elena lets her anger slip.
"Don't be mad at him, Elena. You know he hates hospitals since..."
Elena sighs. "I know you're right."
"Do you want to go to see him or do you want me to take you back to Jenna and Ric's?"
"Jeremy, as if you had to ask." Elena rolls her eyes.
"You got it." Caroline steps on the gas when the light turns green.
Caroline's car comes to a stop in front of the House of Thunder motorcycle shop. It's an airy open brick front building with a vintage Indian Motorcycle on display as window dressing.
"This is it. Let's go inside."
Elena's barely on her feet when she hears a familiar voice.
"I'm so glad you're finally here." Her brother says as he walks closer to them and envelopes Elena in an embrace.
"It's a miracle," Jeremy states, adding on a sigh, "I'm sorry I didn't come to the hospital...I hate that place."
"I understand, Jer. I'm happy to see you, too."
"Come on, I'll show you around," Jeremy states as he releases her.
"Looks like a great place," Caroline remarks, eyeing the motorcycle in the window. "Nik would love that one."
"I want you to meet the boss. He's on the phone with Mr. Mikaelson from the bank." Jeremy holds the door open for them.
Elena's eyes widen. There are several brand new shiny motorcycles, biker clothing, helmets, leathers, and everything a bike aficionado could want. She walks among them, running her fingers across the soft material.
"You know those would look really good on you." a vaguely familiar voice comes from behind and her breath catches in her throat.
Elena turns and her heart starts beating like a racehorse. He is the most beautiful man she's ever laid eyes on. He's tall, with dark hair and blue eyes and oh my God, it's him.
"Excuse me, is this Mr. Mikaelson's office?"
Elena turns toward the voice and her heart stops for a brief moment. In her office, stands the most gorgeous man she's ever seen. He's tall and lean, wearing a black V-neck tee, a leather jacket, dark jeans, and black boots. But what really draws her in are his eyes – light blue and framed with lashes as dark as his hair.
Time seems to stand still as they take each other in; his eyes are devouring her just as hers do the same to his. When their gazes finally meet, Elena's stomach clenches at the fire she sees staring back at her. It's been a very long time since she's felt butterflies.
"Um, yes, I'm his secretary, Elena Gilbert," she says as she stands up.
He stares at her for a few moments. "Oh, I'm... I'm Damon Salvatore," he reveals, extending his hand.
Elena's heart ticks up a beat the second she shakes his hand. "Yes, Mr. Mikaelson is available. I'll just let him know you're here." She steps out from behind her desk, raps on the door, and steps inside.
"Mr. Mikaelson will see you now," Elena informs him and she hopes he doesn't notice her pink cheeks.
"Thank you. It was nice meeting you, Elena Gilbert." Damon states as he walks past her and into the office while she pulls the door closed for him.
Elena's hands go to her cheeks as she sits back down...her blush is a dead giveaway but his beauty makes her feel every single pound of her heart.
"I'm Elena," she stammers and finds herself staring into his blue eyes.
"I know who you are."
"How do you know?" Elena asks breathlessly, suddenly feeling faint.
"Are you okay?"
"I...I..."
Damon acts quickly, catching her before she lands on the floor with a thud. He carries her into his office and lays her on the couch.
Jeremy grabs a bottle of ice water and rushes inside with Caroline.
Within seconds, her eyes snap open and her cheeks grow rosy red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she sighs and nods when Jeremy hands her the water. Elena takes a long pull before sitting up.
"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Damon asks, concern visible on his face.
"No, I'm fine." She nods her head. "You said you know me?"
"Yes, I was the driver of the other car, Elena. I wasn't speeding. The road was slippery. My car hydroplaned and I lost control. I came to see you in the hospital, to see how you were. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am this happened to you."
"He's right, Elena. The police didn't even give him a ticket, it was just a freak accident...like mom and dad," Jeremy interjects with an uneasy look on his face.
"The only thing I really remember is the lights coming at me..." Her words trail when she sees the grimace on Damon's face.
"I don't blame you. Bad things happen sometimes," Elena tries to reassure him but she can't stop staring at the blue eyes she woke up to every morning in her dream world.
"Um, I think I should take Elena home so she can rest. I'm sorry, we probably overdid it today." Caroline interrupts Elena's musings.
Elena nods and Damon helps her to her feet. The spark she remembers at his touch sends a jolt through her.
"You sure you're okay?" Damon asks when she wobbles slightly.
"I'm just tired. You have a very nice place here and thank you for giving Jeremy a job."
"He earned it. I don't know if you noticed but his artwork is on the walls," Damon points to a couple of the drawings as he walks outside with her and Caroline.
"I'm coming back to my apartment as soon as I feel up to it, Jeremy," Elena warns him as she slides into the car.
Jeremy chuckles and raises his palm in goodbye before walking back inside.
"Nice to meet you, Elena," Damon states as he pushes her door closed. With a nod, he steps away.
As Elena's buckling her seatbelt, she catches a glimpse of a woman approaching Damon at the store's entrance.
The blonde throws her arms around his neck and kisses him...
I'm so excited to hear your thoughts on this short story. Thank you for reading.
Massive thanks to Elena for making me another gorgeous cover image.
A huge thank you to Eva. Love you more!
Lyrics: 'Once Upon a Dream' from Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty.
Chapter title: 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes' from Walt Disney's Cinderella.
Have a lovely day and we'll see you next with LIALG 23.