"How are Giuseppe's horses?" Elena snaps her head up at the sound of Caroline's voice. She forces a smile as she continued wiping down the table after treating an injured puppy. "They're fine. The foal is a beauty."
Caroline shakes her head while marching in her direction. Gently, she covers Elena's hand with hers, stopping her movements. "The grapevine has it that Damon is back in town."
"Actually, I ran into him this morning. He must've got in sometime during the night," Elena mentions as she tosses her rubber gloves in the wastebasket.
"Well?" Caroline prods, her eyes boring into Elena.
"Well, what? We talked for a few minutes...I left."
"And that's all?" The blonde looks at her skeptically.
"Yes, that's all..." Elena pauses when the door cracks open.
"I just wanted to let you know that Mrs. Mikaelson is here with Petula."
"Thank you, Dana. Give us a minute."
Dana nods and pulls the door closed.
"I suppose that's my cue to leave. You know I'm always available if you want to talk," Caroline calls over her shoulder and returns to her own office.
Elena shakes her head and picks up the chart just as Esther enters with her feline.
"I have to go now, Sybil, bye." Damon quickly clicks off his phone before she can reply and enters the hospital through the sliding glass doors.
He's butted heads with his dad over the years; mainly over the fact that he hasn't once returned to Mystic Falls since he and mom left after she filed for divorce. And there were many birthdays, Christmases, sporting and school events that passed without him seeing Giuseppe.
And of course, there was the incessant chatter from his mom who never missed an opportunity to badmouth the elder Salvatore. To this day, he isn't sure he knows the real reason his mother hates his father so fucking much.
Approaching his dad's room, he raps slightly on the door and pokes his head in. Damon gasps slightly at the sight. Seeing his dad in a hospital bed appearing so fragile and in pain almost stops him in his tracks. His dad at least while they were a family has always been the epitome of strength, and never once did he walk away from his responsibilities until...
Cautiously he steps through the door and pulls up a chair, taking a seat at Giuseppe's bedside. He watches his dad sleep, not quite sure if he should wake him. A half-hour passes, Damon yawns in boredom. Getting up, he walks over to the window and stares at the small rural village of Mystic Falls. The Founders Hall is still the centerpiece of downtown.
"Damon?" comes weakly from behind him.
"Dad?" Damon's head snaps to the side, meeting his father's eyes.
"Am I dead?" Giuseppe asks, looking at Damon as if he's seen a ghost.
"No. No," Damon reassures him while shaking his head back and forth.
"Why then? You haven't been home in 15 years." As Giuseppe attempts to raise himself, a grimace of pain racks his features.
"Lay down, dad, or I'll call the nurse," Damon scolds, arching an eyebrow at his old man.
"I don't understand any of this." The older man adds in frustration as he takes in his surroundings.
"You fell. Elena Gilbert found you and called emergency services. You broke your hip."
"She shouldn't have bothered you. Wait until I get a hold of... ouch," he blurts out when he shifts slightly.
"I'm glad she called. It's been a long time, dad, too long," Damon mentions as he sits back down.
"You've been busy making a name for yourself and well, your mother hates me. Lily told me to stay away."
"Maybe someday I'll find out why my parents hate each other but that's a topic for another day. Is there anything that needs to be done at the house?" Damon asks, tenting his fingers.
"The horses need to be fed and exercised. The yard needs mowing and Jasper is probably losing his mind..." Giuseppe's voice trails off when a nurse enters the room.
"I heard your raised voice, Mr. Salvatore. Do you need something?" Mary Louise asks, her eyes drifting to Damon and then back to her patient.
"He can probably use something for pain, he's been grimacing since he woke up," Damon speaks up when Giuseppe begins to shake his head no.
"I'll see if it's time. Physical Therapy will be in soon too," Mary Louise informs the two men on her way out.
"I guess I'll go if you're going to be tied up for a while. I'll stop back later."
"Sure," Guiseppe mumbles, looking away.
Damon feels a twinge of something he can't quite identify. "Bye, Dad," he stares at his father for several moments before walking out of the room, letting the door swing shut behind him.
"Knock, knock," Damon calls out as he enters Creature Comforts, Elena's veterinary clinic.
"Damon, hi," Elena replies, crooking her finger for him to come inside. "Did you see your dad?" She picks up the cat and puts it back in a kennel.
"He was rather gruff. But in fairness to him, he's in pain," Damon answers with a sigh.
"Normally he's pretty stoic so he must be hurting." Elena turns to face Damon.
"Is he? You probably know him better than I do now..."
"Well maybe if you had bothered to come home sometime in the last 15 years, it wouldn't feel that way." Elena meets his stare, knowing she likely overstepped her bounds.
"Have you ever asked Giuseppe why he stopped coming to see me?" Damon asks with a hint of hostile inflection in his tone.
"Actually, Damon, I have," Elena starts, and lets the words hang, "But that's your dad's story to tell, not mine..."
"I came here to take you out for lunch. Maybe I should leave?" Damon points to the exit.
"Damon, I'm sorry. Let's just drop this topic, okay? And I would very much like to have lunch with you."
"When you look at me like that...how can I say no? I couldn't when we were little and I can't now," Damon waggles his brows playfully. "I'll just wait outside," he adds as an afterthought and walks through the clinic door...
The Mystic Falls are brilliant in the afternoon sun. The foamy crests of the crashing water are the only sound they hear. The hills and forests surrounding them are beautiful, Damon forgot how much he enjoyed coming here as a kid.
The scent of moss and lichen be-fowls the air. Damon and Elena continue their walk for several hundred feet until they reach a tranquil spot near the Falls. The water tumbles down the hillside in a series of mini-waterfalls. It tinkles in a laughing sort of way.
The trees and vegetation are lush green and provide shade from the blistering sun. The tall grasses whisper sweetly in the afternoon breeze. Damon used to love this place when he was young, the place from which the founders chose the town's name.
Damon walks down to the water's edge and stoops down to dip his hand in the water. It's cooler than he expected for this time of the year.
"Have a seat," Elena points to the other side of the picnic table and begins to pull some food out while Damon sits down.
"Are you married? Kids? Anyone special?" Damon asks, tossing a few grapes into his mouth.
"If I was married I wouldn't be here with you right now," Elena states, the corners of her mouth lifting into a grin. "I went to Vet school and built my practice. I guess I just kind of forgot about the marriage and children thing."
"Well, Dr. Gilbert, I'm glad I had the good sense to marry you when I did," Damon quips with a wink.
"Right," Elena laughs, shaking her head. "Enzo is still in town too. He married Bonnie Bennett."
"I should say hi while I'm here," Damon empties his water bottle and crumples it up.
"They're in the Bahamas. Normally Sheila takes care of your dad but she went along with Bonnie and Enzo to St. Bart's. They should be home next week sometime. What about your fiance? Is she going to join you?"
"No, she's filming a movie in Europe and planning our wedding in her free time," Damon admits and looks away from Elena's piercing gaze.
"Welcome home, Damon."
"No, this isn't my home anymore." Damon gets up and walks toward the water in silence.
Elena sighs as she watches him. Maybe some people can't go home...
Damon sitting on the porch nursing a glass of bourbon. The evening sun cast long shadows on the ground. The slanting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge to the sky. His eyes land on Elena's house. It's good seeing her again. She has blossomed into a beautiful woman...
He lifts his glass to his mouth and takes a drink, savoring the slight burn as it goes down. Damon looks at his guitar. The first time he picked a guitar up, he was 8 years old. After listening to his favorite rock bands, his interest sprouted enough for him to walk ask his parents to buy one for him. He had to work hard to earn half the cost. When he dropped the money into Giuseppe's hands, he took Damon to the only music shop in Mystic Falls.
It was there Damon purchased his first guitar. It was a cheap guitar, brown body, black pickguard and lining, and an illustrious fretboard. Of course, back then he didn't understand much about what makes a good one. All he cared about was that he finally had his very own guitar!
Damon played more and more but no matter how much he practiced he just wasn't getting anywhere with playing. After realizing this, his mom decided it was time to sign him up for guitar lessons.
Of course, being a young kid around the time, Damon had no patience and just wanted to start rocking out riffs left and right. His teacher, Mrs. Fell was a very "classical" type of teacher. She stuck to the simple form of learning Jingle Bells and spent a month and a half on the G note. After about 3 months, Damon asked himself, "What am I doing? This isn't what I want."
After discussing it with his mom and dad, Damon left Mrs. Fell's tutelage. Once he became a teenager, his interest in the guitar slowly faded. He thought he was done with it; after all, it was just a hobby. The guitar went to a corner to collect dust. He had more important things to do. Spending time with his friends, school activities, sports, and Elena.
Once he and his mom were settled in LA, he picked it up again. He was 14 at the time. His mom found him a teacher that he meshed well with. He did start college but his attention was focused on writing music and lyrics, and perfecting his guitar skills. Eventually, Mr. Griffith, his instructor, landed Damon an audition with a music producer.
Then came stardom and Grammy Awards which is where he met Sybil. Eventually, he landed the movie role as his star grew brighter. Damon takes another swallow of bourbon and picks up his guitar. It's then he notices Elena's kitchen light come on and there she is. She parts the curtain and something stirs inside of him, something he hasn't felt for a very long time.
Elena isn't just beautiful, she makes the space around her beautiful too. And she does it with ease. It's who she is. Elena is a flower that makes others bloom, makes him bloom.
Damon smiles and begins to sing as he plucks the strings of his guitar.
And I'm gonna keep on lovin' you
Cause it's the only thing I wanna do
I don't want to sleep
I just wanna keep on lovin' you
And I meant every word I said
When I said that I love you
I meant that I love you forever
Damon sets the guitar down, picks up his pencil and paper, and begins to write, the words filling his mind as something unexpected fills his heart.
As Elena drives to work, she glances to her left and catches a glimpse of the old Parker farmhouse. She and Damon used to spend so much time there when they were little. On a whim, she turns into the driveway and stops when she reaches it. The old door creaks when she opens it. Whether the chill is real or just part of her imagination, Elena wraps her arms around her middle when goosebumps begin to erupt on her flesh.
The Parker place is long forgotten and was abandoned years ago. It is broken down with disrepair and weeds fill the garden where once the grass had been as soft as a blanket. Birds no longer sing in the trees, and even the insects have largely left the house. Part of the roof has caved in after years of storms and neglect.
No sunlight dances in through the dirty windows. Cobwebs hang listlessly, their occupants dead or gone. The dust makes for a dreary carpet on the sagging floor. A stray fly buzzes around a chandelier that stares miserably down from where it's bolted to the ceiling. And open door creaks as a breath of wind causes it to move on its rusty hinges. A crumbling piece of cloth flutters through the air, like a bird trapped in a cage. It is an empty, forlorn building, without a breath.
She remembers playing hide n' seek with Damon and their friends in this old house. Their parents always cautioned them to stay away, saying it was dangerous and warning that one of them would get hurt.
Elena learned her lesson the hard way when she stepped through a rotted piece of flooring and broke her arm. She was grounded for two weeks after that escapade. Still, she and Damon couldn't bring themselves to stay away.
"I'm going to throw a rock at the old Parker house?" Damon looks at her before taking off on a run.
"Oh, no, Damon, don't! I-I love that old house," Elena calls aloud as she runs after him.
"What? You love this place? It's creepy," Damon teases, running his fingertips like a spider up her arm.
"Stop it!" Elena swats his hand. "This house wasn't always dead. A long time ago, it had lived and breathed with its family."
"You talk about it like it was alive!" Damon looks at her like she's nuts.
"Don't look at me like that! It's like walking on the Titanic. People lived here once."
Damon whistles The Twilight Zone theme at her and circles his index finger by her head.
"Forget it!" Elena frowns at him, clearly irritated.
"You can make a wish and try to break some glass. You got to be a pretty good shot though." Damon waggles his brows at her. "Now watch. There's a window right on the third floor there, see?" Damon points at it, picks up a rock, and launches it. The sound of shattering glass follows.
Elena gives him a shove and takes off in a run, "I'll beat you home," she yells over her shoulder and disappears over a hill.
Elena snaps out of her reverie when the summer wind sends the door slamming closed. The house lives no longer and it never will again. With a sigh, she returns to her car to head to work. Although she has many memories of her childhood and her time spent with Damon, for the first time they ignite something...something that makes her feel a little uneasy...
Huge thanks to everyone. We're very happy you like this Damon and Elena. There are some shorter chapters in this one, it did start out as a one-shot.
Thank you, Eva.
Damon's song lyrics: 'Keep On Loving You' by REO.
Throwing rocks at the old house is an ode to It's a Wonderful Life.
Chapter title: 'That Old Feeling' by Frank Sinatra.
Have a fantastic day.