Five Years later...
"It's really nice here," Kaley remarks, linking her arm through Damon's as they stroll around the property, stopping when they reach the Alpaca enclosure.
"You're not too bad yourself," Damon winks at her, tickling her nose with the dandelion that he stooped over to pick.
"Flattery will get you everywhere," she leans up to kiss his cheek. He's about to turn it into a proper kiss when the sound of a B-1B Lancer flying overhead distracts him.
"Ellsworth," he squeezes her hand.
"Can I pet one?" she climbs one rung of the fence and starts to run her palm over the animal's neck. For the briefest flash of a moment, his mind takes him to Elena. She's never far from his thoughts.
He misses her something fierce.
She's a big recording star now. Her CD's are everywhere, she's been a featured guest on many talk shows, interviewed for magazines and headlined concerts. He's seen pictures of her in 'People' magazine and the tabloids, always holding hands with her manager, Tyler Lockwood. The mere thought makes Damon's curl into a fist.
In the first months after she moved to Seattle, she would call or text somewhat regularly. Now though with her star shining bright, calls are rare but he does get Christmas and birthday cards. He knows she's busy and he doesn't begrudge her the success she's worked so hard for. Still, he can't deny it hurts to think she's moved on, left him behind along with all the moments they shared both good and bad.
"Damon?" his eyes snap up to meet Kaley's green ones.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought."
"Do you want to talk about it?" she tilts her head as she looks at him.
Damon shakes his back and forth then moves to stand beside her on the fence as more alpaca's amble over to check them out.
While she's busy petting them, he considers her. She's pretty, he has fun with her but his heart longs for what it cannot have...
With gleaming smiles on their faces, Elena and Tyler step onto the red carpet to attend a movie premier, one that is featuring two of her songs.
Microphones are being shoved in their faces, cameras are flashing, momentarily blinding her. She should be used to it but even now it feels so surreal that this is her life.
Sometimes though in quiet moments, she can't help but feel an emptiness, that she's missing something.
Someone.
Regret comes to her in quiet moments, such as when she's going to sleep or stops to take a break. It washes over her like the long slow waves on a shallow beach. Each wave is icy cold and sends shivers down her spine.
Sometimes she longs to go back and do things differently. Although she doesn't carry a lot of regret about the path she's chosen...one stares at her every night when she looks at the pictures she keeps in her bedside stand.
Damon.
There are times that remorse is heavy and feels like it'll consume her. In her mind she envisions the ocean. It's become her place of refuge, the one where she goes to think. She envies the pebbles, hard and lifeless, unable to feel the torments of life.
This is how she feels at this very moment. She wonders what he's doing right now... Does he have a girlfriend? Is he doing okay? Is he married? No, she brushes off the thought, she'd know somehow.
But she did right. Didn't she...? Damon's part of her past. She was supposed to leave and live her life far differently. She got what she wanted.
She can't go back.
She won't...
"You okay?" Tyler squeezes her hand when he catches a far off look in her eyes. He feels the burn of jealousy scorch his insides when he wraps his arm around Elena's waist and pulls her in close, dropping a kiss to her cheek. It's obvious to him where her mind is at.
"I'm good," she lies smoothly with a smile on her face and squeezes his hand back. Using her free arm, she waves at the crowd just before she and Tyler duck inside the theatre.
Later in the evening at the after party, Elena keeps as far away from Tyler as possible without it being too obvious. There was no getting out of tonight's event with him but that doesn't mean she likes all the hoopla. Sometimes she revels in it, other times it weighs like cement on her. When necessary she can put on a good act.
The dinner passes pleasantly enough, although she swears, she feels Tyler's eyes boring right into her but whenever she looks around to confirm her suspicions, he appears to be deep in conversation with another one of the guests.
Suddenly she feels his hand on her shoulder. Looking up, he winks and raises his champagne flute with the other. "So, what I would like to do is propose a toast to one of the most talented artists I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Let's hear it for Elena Gilbert."
Livid on the inside at him for embarrassing her, she nods and smiles dutifully. It reminds of the times her mother would make her smile despite the things going on in their house. She's not entirely free from the woman. There's no rhyme or reason to her calls but when she does, Elena ignores it and changes her number as quickly as she can...Just like that her thoughts go back to Damon.
She's never kept him up to date on how to reach her for fear her mother would get it out of him one way or another, even if it means stealing his phone which she did do one time to beg for money.
Tired and in no mood for Tyler's theatrics, she picks up her Louis Vuitton clutch, leaves the hall, and waits for her limo driver to take her back to their hotel.
"Wow, that dedication was really something wasn't it?" Tyler appears next to her again just as the car arrives. Elena smiles at the driver and slides in, half expecting him to follow.
"And there she goes, the queen of running away," His last comment echoes behind her as the limo pulls away from the curb.
Laying on the cool sheets, with the patio doors open, Elena expects to feel some semblance of relief. She knows she'll have to have a talk with Tyler. They're sharing a suite she fully expects to hear him return at some point. Generally, she's happy with where her life is, small town girl to music superstar and yet tonight all she finds is sadness, more acute than ever.
A frantic volley of knocks sounds on her bedroom door and she looks up at the clock next to her bed, it's well into the early hours of the morning. She cracks the door open blearily to find Tyler standing on the other side. Trying to slam the door shut, he blocks it with his outstretched foot and pushes his way inside.
"It's late, Tyler, what do you want?"
He takes her by her shoulders, and crushes his lips to hers, hot, bruising and caustic, bringing up his palms to cradle her face. He pushes her further into the room, kicking the door shut behind him, his mouth never leaving hers.
"Tyler, please we ca-"
He silences her by lifting her onto the dresser, sweeping aside a glass vase, shattering it when it hits the floor. He stops to look into her eyes once again, "God, I'm absolutely insane about you."
His hands are all over her, biting and caressing into her skin. There's no love behind what he's doing. He's angry and trying to transfer some of that onto her, he needn't have bothered. Elena has enough of her own to last a lifetime. Rather than fight, she lets him devour and consume her.
The morning breaks and she sits on the edge of the bed, a sheet wrapped around to cover her. She feels strange, although she shouldn't, maybe it's just the circumstances of it... All she can do is watch him and wait for the serene look now on his face to change into something else when he wakes up and sees her.
He stirs, buries his face in the pillow for a few minutes before finally swinging his legs over the side of his bed. He drops his head in his hands and rakes his fingers through his hair then he reaches for his trousers, slips them on along with his dress shirt from last night.
He walks to the door and she thinks for one awful minute he's going to drop her from his label without so much as a whisper but he turns and speaks.
"I'm crazy about you, Elena. I want you; we could have something great together but I can't compete with a ghost. I may have your body but I'm not foolish enough to believe that you'll ever give me your heart," his eyes meet hers. "I'll see you back in Seattle."
And then he's gone...
Quietly as he can, Damon slips out from underneath the covers. He looks back at the woman laying catawampus on the bed, her arm draped over the side, eyes closed in sleep. She's beautiful and kind but there's something missing and he knows what it is- she isn't Elena...
Tip-toeing into the bathroom, he closes the door and stands over to the sink to splash some cool water on his face. Once it makes contact with his heated skin, his body begins to relax. It isn't that he regrets what they've done, it just seems that no matter how much he pushes himself towards her, his heart rebels, wanting what it wants or rather who it wants.
Kaley is safe. She knows his world and seems to enjoy spending time with him but she doesn't awaken or stoke the fire inside of him that wants more, that wants her.
Damon looks at himself in the mirror and runs his fingers through his mop of hair. He doesn't look any different but he feels different, changed somehow. He wonders about seeing her again, would the sparks fly or has Elena given up on what could have been a once-in-a-lifetime love? Does she love Tyler Lockwood? He wishes he knew the answers.
Needing to escape such thoughts, he turns on the shower and steps inside, toes flinching as they touch the chilled ceramic tub floor. He turns the dial, old and metallic, releasing thousands of lukewarm drops, wetting his hair and trickling down his back. His eyes fall closed over and over, each time showing him images like photographs...
Shaking himself out of it, Damon considers Kaley. She doesn't push and allows him take things at his own pace. By all rights, he should consider himself lucky to have found someone like her.
The shower door suddenly slides open.
"Kaley!" Damon's eyes snap to hers.
When she offers to join him, he extends his hand to help her step in.
Damon welcomes the interruption with open arms and a heart that belongs to someone else.
Thank you all. Eva and I love this DE so I'm happy you're interested in them too.
Chapter title: 'Shooting Star' by Elton John.
I did post a o/s yesterday, 'Just Cupcakes'.
Have an amazing day. Until next time.