Outlook on Life

Chapter 8:

Damon

She's breathtakingly beautiful. All night he hadn't been able to go a full minute without chancing a glance at her, especially when she wasn't looking in his direction.

The moment he saw her at the bar Damon knew he wanted her, but it's the way that he wants her now that's scaring him. he doesn't just want to fuck her... he wants to spend time with her, he wants to look at her, he wants to hold her, he wants to ditch work and go to the bar to listen to her make fun of Stephen and what she calls his 'hero hair' moments.

Work has always been the most important thing in Damon Salvatore's life, it's what he's known for, yet in comparison to this one woman nothing matters; not even work.

Family time wasn't a part of the night he was particularly looking forward too. Ever since mom died Giuseppe pulled away from them all and now the only conversation his father can stand to have with either of his son's is about business. It's always about business with their father who pretty much ignores both him and Stephen now. Well, he ignores Stephen a little less for some reason.

The only other time Damon's had a conversation with his father non-business related in the past 18 years is when he's getting yelled at or lectured about something. So, naturally their version of family time was sitting and talking business for another few hours. But the highlight was getting to hold Elena while she downed quite a few beers.

Damon was snapped out of his thoughts and reflection on the evening so far when Elena stood in front of him "Damon?" he loved the way she said his name like that.

"Yeah?" he questioned when he realised she had been trying to get his attention.

"Do you have a shirt I can wear? I really would rather not sleep in jeans" she said pointing to the jeans she was currently wearing and he nodded his head to the chest of draws behind her "Whatever's fine" he added when she started looking through the draws.

Going over to the get changed himself he fished out sweatpants and a thin shirt to wear to be himself. "I'll sleep on the floor" he announced turning around and freezing when he saw Elena standing in his room getting changed right in front of him.

She looked over at him pausing in taking off her shirt to frown at him "I'm not kicking you out of your bed" she shook her head at him and he wanted to argue but she was standing in front of him half naked in her tiny black lacy underwear. Damon gulped "I couldn't make you sleep on the floor Elena".

"Then we share because i'm not kicking you out of your own damn bed, Damon" she crossed her arms over he chest and he nodded his head turning away knowing that if he didn't then he wouldn't be able to take his eyes off of her once her shirt was off.

God your such a perv, he cursed himself.

When he himself had quickly changed, Elena was already wearing his thin black shirt and was pulling back the covers on one side of his bed. It didn't help that him, that she was the hottest woman he'd ever seen who was now currently climbing in his bed. With a nervous sigh he followed her lead; mentally kicking himself for acting like a 12 year old boy who's never seen a woman before. It's pathetic.

"Thanks for coming tonight" he said while staring up at the roof praying he wasn't making this awkward for her as well since he had to try and resist the urge to reach out and touch her.

"So, you know you never told me you were 'The Damon Salvatore'" she said in a voice mocking all the new people he met tonight who were all too eager to introduce themselves to 'The Damon Salvatore'.

"I didn't want you to think of me differently" he confided and she snorted which made him frown and roll onto his side so he could see her odd reaction to that; Elena did the same, turning on her side to look at him.

"What you though because you had money and a fancy job i'd go all fangirl on you" she teased making him a little stupid for not being 100% sure she wouldn't have had that kind of reaction; but his life had taught him that people are greedy, so he had to be sure. Elena rolled her eyes and smiled at him and it was just so contagious that he couldn't help returning it.

"I don't know, but I liked being just another customer in a bar" he stated using her words from the first time he visited the bar and she snapped at him.

"if it helps your still gonna be just another customer at the bar" she shrugged before looking a little serious "I have to say I don't envy you, all those people we met today they look like they would give anything to be you and I just don't get it" her little nose wrinkled up in a look he knew meant she didn't like something but Elena quickly added "Not that there's anything wrong with being you"

He chuckled at that a little, he couldn't' help it, her lack of filter was one of the things he liked most about her; you could count on Elena to tell you what she was thinking. "I have to say your probably the first person I've met with that opinion, can I ask why?" in all honesty he was curious about her answer. Nobody has ever not wanted to be in his position but it would make sense that Elena of all people would be the one in a million to wrinkle her nose at it.

he heard her sigh deeply "My life hasn't been easy and I'm sure money would have saved me more than a few times from going through the things that I did" she paused in thought and he wondered what was so bad that she had been through "I know what the world and people in it are like, probably better than most and I know how to survive on my own because of it...the bad things only made me a stronger person in the long run and no amount of money would make me want to change that"

they were both silent for a while after her answer, Damon's head was swimming with questions for her that he didn't even know where to start with asking any of them. "Elena" he said hearing her mmhm "If I ask you something will you actually answer me?" he wondered out loud.

"I'm a private person Damon, I won't say that I'll answer but you can ask i guess" she sighed loudly making him feel a little guilty for asking but he was too curious about her and all the cryptic answers she gives only made him want to understand more.

They were both silent again for a long pause and he almost didn't ask a question, but decided he'd ask and leave it up to her to answer it "What was it like growing up for you? what was your family like i mean?" he clarified and hear her snort at his question.

This woman and her odd reactions, he mused as he waited to see if she'd acknowledge his question.

Damon watched her bite her lip obviously thinking about how to answer that "I didn't have one" she admitted making him furrow his brows in confusion "I've been on my own my entire life, I've never had a family" she clarified but he was still confused on what she was talking about, how could someone never have a family? she couldn't have been alone all her life, right? "I'm really tiered Damon" she cut him off before he could ask anything more and reluctantly he nodded before turning over to sleep.

The next morning Damon woke up in his bed alone.

He rolled over rubbing his eyes as memories flooded his brain form the day before. If it weren't for the pile of clothes on his bedroom floor he would have thought the sexy bartender that slept in his bed was just one more of the fantasies that he'd been playing in his mind about her more frequently than he'd like to admit.

Getting out of bed Damon made his way out of his room and down the stairs, smelling the new scent of baked goods flooding his nostrils; like any smart man he followed that delicious smell that lead into the large open kitchen area.

Stopping dead in his tracks when he saw the scene playing out in front of him. It was like one of the many memories he has left from when his mother was alive. Elena was in the kitchen cooking while Stephen and Giuseppe sat watching on the stools under the kitchen island table, munching on a selection of muffins and breakfast.

As Damon made his way further towards the kitchen he let his eyes roam over Elena who was standing in the kitchen cooking for his family wearing only his thin black t'shirt that fell down mid thigh on her olive skin.

Announcing himself Damon walked into the open kitchen space "You do know we have hired help for this?" he pointed out receiving a glare from Elena that shut him up quickly; in his defence she was scary when she was mad. While he hesitantly took a seat next to his father he only then noticed the kid that was sat on the counter next to her.

Max, their head of security's son was sitting on the counter next to Elena stirring something in a large bowl with a wooden spoon looking like Christmas came early. The kids mother died giving birth and sometimes when Henry can't find a babysitter he has to bring his kid to work and sit him in front of one of the televisions on the property all day while the cleaning lady watches him.

Once Elena returned her attention from Max's stirring back to where she was taking out the muffins Damon realised she was singing softly to herself, while the kid watched her in awe much like what Damon noticed his father and brother's expressions were; and what he assumed he also looked like watching her.

Elena however was yet to notice any of them gawking at her as she continued singing softly to herself sounding like a literal angle "Necesitado, me encuentro Senor...Ayudame a ver, yo quiero saber lo que debo hacer...Muestra el camino, que debo seguir...Senor, por mi bien, yo quiero vivir un dia a la vez"

"Mr. Salvatore's" Max smiled holding up the mixing bowl and whisk to show the three of them "Elena's teaching me to make muffins" he said as if showing the bowl as proof, but the kid was beaming at Elena who ruffled her hand in his hair. "What are you singing?" Max asked tilting his head curiously at Elena.

She smiled softly at him before answering the 7 year old "When I was younger, in one of my homes...there was a broken radio in the kitchen on the window and it only had one tape in that I could play" she explained

"One of your homes?" Max questioned, scrunching his face up in confusion and Damon noticed both his Dad and Brother doing the same.

"Yeah" Elena nodded at him "Kids who don't have families get sent to live with other people willing to take them in" she explained in a light tone but the tense look on her face told all the adults it wasn't a good thing.

"Did they teach you to cook?" Max asked.

Elena looked hesitant and tense before shaking her head 'no' at him, her eyebrows pinched together but she focused her attention back on the pouring the mixture in the tray in front of her while she answered "I got sent around a lot staying with different people all the time" she admitted and her voice cracked a little at the obvious pain the memories brought "In one of the places I lived there was an old man who's kitchen window was directly across from theirs...this was the same house with the radio" she quickly added looking over to Max who nodded in understanding, well at least the same house part he understood "He would open the window sometimes when they went home and I would jump across into his house and he'd tell me how to cook since I didn't know how and he was a bit too old to stand for that long" she explained as the side of her lips turned up in a small fond smile a the memory surrounded in obvious pain.

Damon exchanged a concerned look with both his father and brother who unlike Max saw the pain and vagueness in her answer instead of 'the cool neighbour'. Elena didn't seem to notice as she went back to singing softly to herself in Spanish "Una dia a la vez, dios mio, es lo que pido de ti...Dame la fuerza para vivir un dia a la vez...Ayer ya pasao, dios mio, manana, quiza no vendra...Ayudame hoy, yo quiero vivir un dia a la vez".

"What are your plans for today, Elena?" Giuseppe asked from where he was sitting on the same stool he used to occupy when their mother was alive. For the first time in years Damon saw his father smiling slightly and talking about something non business related.

"Not sure" Elena shrugged a shoulder looking up at Giuseppe with a genuinely warm smile "I'm not as busy as you are today" she added which caused Damon and Stephen to look at their father confused at when he had told Elena his plans for the day? Damon wondered but their father seemed oblivious to their staring as he smiled at Elena "I might go and see if Kat or Stephen has work for me"

"Kat is the friend who works at the other bar with you, Right?" Giuseppe asked and Elena nodded with a smile obviously having had a conversation with their father before he and, from the looks of Stephens puzzled face, Stephen joined them.

"Yeah, Katherine" Elena elaborated

"Will you be accompanying Damon to his work event tomorrow night?" Giuseppe asked "I know the two of you are just friends but your presence would be much appreciated...it seems your able to keep up with the business conversations I had many guests last night asking about you" his father admitted surprising both him and Elena.

Elena looked up with a small frown "I guess that's good they didn't find me rude then" when Giuseppe raised a brow she explained "When I get bored, sometimes I get a little snappy and I now know a few polite ways to explain that you want to screw someone over on a contract deal" she sighed and Giuseppe barked out laughter at her explanation.

It was a sight that brought a reluctant smile to Damon face as he watched for the first time in years, his father acting like a regular person capable of feeling happiness; Which he'd started to believe was impossible for his father.

"I take it you said as much to them" his father asked and she nodded not looking like she regretted saying as much "Well I like that you speak your mind" his father added now smiling brightly. Damon watched as his father shot him a smirk when Elena looked away. "Well, Elena on behalf of Damon and my company I would like to invite you to accompany Damon to tonight's event. It would help Damon's business reputation to be seen with the same woman at a few events instead of feeding into his playboy rep and since the two of you are friends I think you'd be able to entertain each other" Damon had never before wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole, this much in his entire life.

Why his family continuously feel the need to ask women to be his date, is beyond his understanding. But...it's not like his father or Caroline were wrong in picking up the fact that he was into Elena. Plus it's a little less embarrassing if he's not the one asking, not that he'd ever admit that out loud.

Elena looked like she was considering it for a really long minute before she glanced his way with a sigh "Would I have to shake peoples hands?" her nose wrinkled up, a tell tail sign that she didn't like something and it was a gesture Damon found adorable. "I really didn't like that" she admitted making him and his father both laugh.

"I noticed" Damon winked at her with a smirk "What was it you said about the next Bob or Jason you meet?" he asked feigning innocence but getting a sharp glare from Elena. Damon opened his mouth to repeat what she said she'd do just as Elena cut him off "You go right ahead Damon, but just be warned I'll have to explain that conversation and especially the part where you mentioned Caroline" they started at each other for a long minute as he tried to figure out if she really was serious about telling Caroline that he considered her a friend; that was not good for his reputation.

It was him who shot a glare at her but she was looking pretty smug "You promised" he pointed out "You cant tell Caroline shit" he reminded her confidently but she only smirked back at him which made him seriously doubt himself on that.

"I spent the whole night listening to men brag about loopholes in contracts Damon" Elena reminded him "My exact words were... "I promise I won't tell Caroline that you-""

"Okay, Okay!" he cut her off quickly, not at all liking that she was just as smart as him right now "Your a bitch, you know?" he huffed and she smiled brightly at her victory.

The three of them fell into easy casual conversation about business while Elena helped Max clean away the mess from cooking. "Oh, Elena you don't have to clean them" Stephen interrupted her washing the mixing bowl in the sink "We have people who do that for us" he added as if that was supposed to make her feel better but her nose scrunched up at the information.

Just as Stephen said that one of the cleaning staff walked into the kitchen and immediately started cleaning the kitchen. Damon held back his laugh as he watched Elena mentally struggle with not helping clean. Her fingers practically twitched when the cook picked up the sponge she'd been washing the dishes with.

His fathers laughter startled him "Just go help Elena" his father encouraged and she was so eager to take over the cleaning she practically shooed the cook out of the kitchen with a relieved smile in her face.

Giuseppe leaned in closer to him as they watched her happily cleaning, his father had a huge smile on his face "When your mother hated even the idea of having anyone clean up after us" his father announced surprising him with the information. Sure Damon remembered growing up that they never had staff until after she passed away, but his mother was something his father avoided talking about since her death.

They were all dressed and ready for the day now. Elena was sitting on the couch across from his father as he, Caroline and Stephen all entered the room surprised to see the usually cold and formal Giuseppe laughing and chatting with Elena as if they were old friends.

She was even sipping a glass of bourbon with him while they talked; bourbon that was strictly off limits to the anyone but Giuseppe. Their father used to only do that on the weekends when he was home instead of working and seeing it again was unusual for all of them. Damon exchanged odd glaces with an equally shocked Caroline and Stephen before walking in the room.

"Oh I like you" he caught the end of his fathers conversation as Damon sat down across from them.

"Hey" Elena shot him a smile before her eyes flickered over to Stephen and Caroline which she exchanged smiles with. Caroline was edging nervously in the room watching the exchange between Giuseppe and Elena like a tennis match and Damon couldn't blame the girl; his father hated Caroline. Caroline had been trying for years to get Giuseppe to have even the simplest of conversations with her but the stubborn man repeatedly shut her attempts down. Damon could only imagine the stab seeing his father and Elena laughing and talking together made on his sensitive sister-in-law.

Damon and Stephen had grown up with the constant cold attitude their father had and so it never fazed them when he ignored or shut them down; Although this was anything but cold.

"I was thinking and I remembered a while ago where i first met you" Damon said to Elena who looked at him like he was crazy "When I saw you at the bar that day it was bothering me that you looked so familiar" he confessed.

"Damon" Elena said slowly "We met at your brothers bar when you said I broke that guys heart" she reminded him with a slight chuckle as though he was crazy, but he shook his head at her.

"No, we met at the train station before that and it took me a while to remember but I never did ask what you were doing that day" he informed her with a slight smirk as she just looked at him with confusion, she obviously had no idea what he was talking about "New York City train station, you bumped into me and then pushed me in front of a security guard" he continued and watched as her face stayed confused for a minute longer before her eyes went wide with realisation.

"Nuh uh" she shook her head at him "You were the asshole who cared more about his expensive suit than the person who was knocked on her ass" there was disbelief in her voice and he knew they're going to have a differing opinion about how that all went down.

"You pushed me in front of a security guard!" he shot back at her and she frowned back at him

"You were like" she cleared her throat to try her best impersonation of him "That's an expensive suit and now it has a tiny drop of coffee on it" she mocked him in what he assumed was a voice that was supposed to sound like him "I got coffee all over my shirt and knocked on my ass, hard by the way" she pouted "And you were all 'my suit'..You deserved to get pushed in front of that guard"

"I was not" he argued "I was going to help you, but you had already stood up" Damon ignored her scoff at his argument.

"Yeah and then you gave me the creeps by looking at me like you were undressing me in your head" she said frowning and crossing her arms over her chest "I can't believe I didn't realise that was you!" she shook her head at herself and he was also a little surprised that she hadn't remembered, it wasn't exactly an insignificant thing.

"So..." he prompted wanting her to answer his original question. Only now did he realise he had his father, brother and sister in law watching them with confused grins.

"So what?" she countered not having noticed the others yet because she was busy frowning at him looking thoroughly annoyed with the topic of conversation but he just had to know, it had been bothering him recently.

"Why was the guard chasing you?" Damon rolled his eyes.

But she countered his question with one of her own instantly "How do you know he was chasing me?" she challenged

"Uh because he was yelling at you to stop" he added simply and he knew she knew he had caught her "So, what did you do?" he prompted again

With a roll of her eyes and a loud huff in annoyance she shrugged her shoulders "You know the little gate where your supposed to pay for the train?" she asked and when he nodded she continued casually "Jumped it" she announced as if it she were talking about the weather that day not committing a offence.

"Why?" Stephen interrupted "It's not even expensive you could have just paid" he frowned at her as if ready to scold her but Elena sat up straighter and tensed obviously not wanting to talk about this anymore. "Things like that aren't cool Elena, what would have happened if you got caught? i'm doubting they'd have let you off with just a small fine-" Stephen was cut off by Giuseppe

"Enough Stephen" his father announced "You should be getting ready to go to work by now" Giuseppe interrupted and everyone knew it was just their fathers polite way of telling Stephen to leave. Stephen left followed by a gasping Caroline quietly at his fathers stern look.

Giuseppe turned to Elena "I'm sorry about him Elena" he said looking genuine as he rested his hand comfortingly on her arm and she smiled softly at him.

"Thanks" she sighed "If that's how your son see's me do you really think I should be someone you should ask to be anywhere near you company event tomorrow night, i'm positive Damon can find someone else-"she started but his father cut her off with a scoff.

"You my dear are the only one I trust to be able to accompany my son without signing an NDA before the event" his father stated and it was then that he realised Giuseppe hadn't umped on him about getting an NDA signed like he usually did with Damon's dates. With one look at his father he knew the man meant what he was saying to Elena.

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Elena

Damon had offered to drop her off at home but Giuseppe had kindly suggested that they take her home on their way into work instead. She suspected that his suggestion was more out of not wanting to break conversation than convenience but in the end that worked out better for her since she was able to leave a little later and get dropped off at Stephen's bar instead of her actual apartment where she knew a very pissed off Tyler was waiting.

This morning was much better than last night; turns out she really liked Giuseppe and talking to him wasn't awkward like it had been in the past meeting someone else's family. Giuseppe had told her a story about his life before he met his late wife Lily, he seemed to slightly be able to relate to the no money and no experience part of her life when he left home on his own. Unlike his son's he didn't have the best upbringing with an abusive father and oblivious mother.

She was rather relieved when he stepped in with Stephen on her behalf, since he himself had pulled that stunt many times in his life before his father passed away and he inherited enough money to live comfortably on, which was used to work hard at building his own company.

"Thanks for the ride" she smiled brightly at Giuseppe and Damon before getting out of the car and heading to the apartment. She may have undersold the distance she lived from the Salvatore bar just a little. Or a lot. The bar was in the middle of New York smaller business district. It's a nice and relatively safe area located near New York's middle class apartments, because nobody lives in houses in the city. It was a 40 minute walk from the bar to Tyler's apartment in the slumps of NY.

As Elena passed from the business district into the middle class district the changes were immediate and noticeable. The one thing about New York is the huge gaps in financial and social classes. Your either the richest of the rich like the Salvatore's or your just plain rich which in this city is considered more like middle class. Then you have to slums which are covered in garbage and graffiti, with homeless people lining the streets and crappy motel sized apartments.

Elena chuckled a little to herself as she walked up the stairs to Tyler's apartment seeing the front door of the apartment was rotting with a broken deadbolt. The comparison to the mansion she just spent the night in to the best apartment she's ever actually lived in, is beyond a major different.

When she opened the door she was expecting Tyler to be home since he didn't actually have a job other than selling drugs; She was just crossing her fingers that he was either too drunk or high to really notice her come in later than she had said she would. Since he tended to get violent and controlling a lot more often now.

She tried shutting the door as quietly as possible just in case he was out of it but she soon realised it wouldn't have mattered since he was sitting on the mattress on the floor waiting for her. When he looked up and their eyes met she knew it would be bad this time. The way his eyes were glazed over in anger and darker than normal, let her know he was in one of his blind rages that she couldn't defend herself against.

"Where were you?" he demanded standing up and towering over her as he grabbed her arm and threw her into the kitchen, beyond livid at that point and not waiting for any kind of response from her. Tyler's fists connected with her stomach a few times bringing her to her knees and as much as she tried to scramble away of soften his blows she knew she wasn't getting away from the abuse he was intent of making her suffer through. After the way they were treated growing up, you'd think he would be against making anyone feel the way he was made to feel. But then again, life isn't a movie and thing's don't always have a happy ending.

"STOP, I was at work Tyler" Elena yelled at him trying to crawl away from him so he could calm down some before he caught up to her again. Tyler was having none of it this time and he reached under the table pulling her by her hair backwards, He made no effort to even acknowledge her protests of screams as he beat into her.

"Get in the fucking shower" he yelled at her when he stopped hitting her long enough to realise she was covered in blood. Elena wasted no time getting off the floor quickly and into the shower despite her bodies protests at the movement.

Taking deep breaths she let her let her mind relax from the adrenaline as she stared at her naked feet watching as the now red water swirled into the dirty drain. "Cut off the water Elena" Tyler yelled through the locked bathroom door as he pounded his fist on it making the whole thing rattle on it's hinges.

Doing exactly that she stepped out of the shower turning the water off and assessing her naked body in the mirror. Her stomach that took the brunt of Tyler's anger was covered in nasty looking bruises, luckily this time her sides were relatively untouched. her thighs and legs were covered in dark circles from where he repeatedly punched or kicked her as she tried to lessen the blows with her legs. Her arms this time looked like they were untouched from the awkward way she had been laying to the floor protecting her head; which now she was grateful for even if it meant exposing her back to him. Turning in the mirror the backs of her thighs had two large marks from where his knees pressed his entire weight into her slender body. Her back has various bite marks and deep lacerations from his belt were too hard to keep looking at.

Abuse it's something to be taken lightly but Elena didn't know what to do anymore.

A mix of emotions swelled up in her chest that she had to bite back to keep calm, she couldn't let herself cry. In all honesty she already felt weak enough for not being able to stop him. She felt weak for needing him because she had no place else to go. If living on the street was an option she would, but the winters in New York are too cold to survive and all the shelters are full right now; she checked. Until she could afford a place of her own she would just have to deal with Tyler and then she can make a clean break from him.

Slowly she managed to pull on a lacy blue thong and matching bra as she dressed herself in her black jeans and a deep blue tank top with her signature leather jacket and matching deep blue high heeled ankle that she left the illusion of safety the bathroom gave her.

Tyler was anxiously waiting in the kitchen for her looking only slightly sorry "Elena" he breathed out as if he had been worried about her "Are you feeling okay? You shouldn't have stayed out all night" as quickly as his concern showed it dissipated and the blame took it's place...making it all her fault, as per usual.

"Save it Tyler" Elena rolled her eyes at him grabbing her handbag off of the floor where she had dropped it during his attack "I have volunteer group now, I'll be back after work though" she announced walking straight out the door knowing he had already memorised her routine so he could control her. Not that she would actually let him have that much control over her.

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