It's Double-Update day since I missed last week's chapter. Don't miss chapter 4.
Elena helps herself to another small glass of eggnog. Putting it to her lips, she sighs at the creamy goodness and seriously considers asking her aunt Miranda if she could use a tankard instead, it's that good. Usually this is how the Gilbert family Christmas party looks. Instead they're gathered for uncle Grayson's birthday celebration. Because it falls so close to Christmas, they don't go all out but this year they wanted to do something special for his 60th. Elena has to smile at the sight of her uncle positively glowing, he loves these gatherings and he's also ecstatic at being in the spotlight.
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Dad!" Elena turns around and gives John a hug. "You're late, any trouble?"
"No, just your mother working overtime to ensure she'd be the most beautiful woman in the room. She didn't think of you though," he winks and Elena gives him a shining smile.
"Thank you, where is she? I'd like to talk to her." Her mom, Isobel, isn't the most difficult mother in the world but she needs to be put first.
John looks around and nods his head in the right direction. "Over there."
"I'll be back daddy," she pecks his cheek and disappears in the crowd. Daddy. John sighs. Things used to be much easier, luckily, the way Elena looks at him hasn't changed.
"Mom," Elena approaches Isobel in the middle of a no doubt important conversation.
"Elena," she offers her cheek for Elena to kiss, although she doesn't exactly meet her eyes, she's busy entertaining a small group of someone's relatives hanging on her every word. The Gilberts' extended family makes it impossible to know everyone, as spouses and their partners come and go. Elena's sure she's never seen half of them. Unlike Isobel, she swears her mother knows the whole town.
"Meet my daughter, Elena." As usual, she's brief when it comes to introducing her youngest child. In her mother's opinion, there's nothing for her to brag about.
"Sorry I intruded," Elena says quickly. "I'll find you later, mom." She breathes out a sigh of relief when she's a safe distance away. These social events, charades really aren't the most pleasant thing in the world for her.
"Thinking of making a run for it?" Kai, the other half of the wonder twins whispers next to her ear which almost gives her a heart attack. Out of habit, she smacks his bottom.
"You! Nope, you know me better than that, I'm no quitter. Besides, I'm enjoying myself."
"Sure you are," he grins. "For the record, I'm avoiding your mother too."
They're silent for a moment, Elena's unsure of what to say. She knows Kai simply voiced the truth. Things are just… complicated. It's hard to remember a time when things were different with her mom, she thinks there was but honestly she isn't sure anymore.
"You came alone?" Kai addresses her again.
"Yep. I'm not the kind of woman who needs to prop herself up by showing off my latest crush," Elena posits, looking at him pointedly.
"That makes two of us," Kai nods and she wonders if it sounds just a bit bitter.
"And is there... a new crush I mean?" she can't help the curiosity.
"Nope, you know how it is. No strings attached and all…"
Definitely bitter.
Now she remembers. Kai used to have a crush on her best friend. Is it possible he might still…? She also recalls her suspicion about Rebekah and Tyler. "Oh, you sound like..," she falls silent, realizing it'd be a little hypocritical. She does the same. Considering Kai's smirk, he's aware he's got her.
"I saw your friend the other day. I was ordered to get checked out because of some minor injury," he seems irritated even now, her cousins hate to show any weakness, "and she took care of it."
She waits for him to continue, but nothing else comes out of his mouth. "That's it?"
"Yep."
Elena mentally sighs, he just confirmed her suspicion. He clearly isn't over her. Jeremy's different, laid-back, easy to talk to, personable. If a girl didn't want anything to do with him, he simply moved on to the next one. He found his true love in Bonnie and they've been together for a few years already. Kai on the other hand… If he could learn to relax and give himself a chance to find someone special? Rebekah would chew him up and spit him out. She loves her to pieces but she's too wild, independent and adventurous for a gentle soul like her cousin. It doesn't help his case that he's so serious all the time. Bekah remembers him as an awkward broody boy. If he's serious and wants her to notice him, he's going to have to step up his game.
"I don't see her as often as I'd like but we do keep in touch," she offers, glancing at Kai. Like Jeremy, he's tall, handsome, well built, the job they do is not for fragile people. Being a fireman is stressful and physically demanding. And yet, he still struggles with feelings of inadequacy, at least in the relationship department. Usually he's the one to drink everybody under the table when they're doing shots at the bar. He used to be good at riding a motor bike, she only hopes he doesn't combine both hobbies.
"Here you are!" Jeremy's already tipsy, which means he'll be even more fun. Leaning on his brother heavily, he gives him a bear hug. Kai chuckles trying to keep him standing. "Oh, cool, now do me a favor and avoid running into mom or she will chew me out for not looking after you."
Elena shakes her head at their antics, she's really fond of these two idiots, she hopes they will be safe keeping an eye on each other. She pauses at the thought.
Will any of them manage to live their lives without having to worry about heartbreak and tragedy all the time?
The party's almost over by the time Elena finds her dad again. He's standing with his brother, aunt Miranda and some of their relatives, laughing, some kind of alcohol in his hand. She likes seeing him like this. She stands several steps away for a few moments watching him happily chatting with his family.
"Elena…," he notices her and raises his hand motioning for her to come closer. She breezes into his embrace like she did when she was a little girl.
"I thought you might have left," he murmurs into her hair.
"No, I wouldn't do that. Not without saying goodbye. I'm not as anti-social as you all seem to think."
"I know," he smiles, "but it's really crowded here."
"Where's the Christmas party gonna be? Not here, I suppose."
"Probably at our place."
"If you need help, let me know, I'm volunteering right now," she offers with a smile, one that doesn't quite reach her eyes.
John chuckles. "Good to know and thank you. I may need some back up so your mother can't make it a meet and greet with the who's who of Durango celebrities."
"I can imagine," Elena grimaces. "Oh, dad, I wanted to ask you about Cassie? Do you see her much?"
John takes his time to answer. "Not as often as we'd like but yes, we do. Sometimes she spends a weekend... Your mother doesn't take it well," he adds, "she... well, she reminds her of Stefan, the face but not the eating habit..."
Even now she can tell how hard is it for her father to voice these thoughts. But she knows he would never try to avoid Cassie because of it. She hugs him one more time. "I love you dad..."
John kisses her forehead. "I love you too. Come for lunch next week?"
"Yeah, I'll let you know when I'm free. I need to talk to you about Kat and Cassie."
"Did something happen when you picked her up?"
"No, not exactly. Katherine just... seems a bit off. Why isn't she here anyway?"
"I did call her, she said she wasn't sure if they could make it," John frowns. "She's not obligated..."
"I know dad, but Cassie should be here, we're her family."
John shakes his head, it's obviously a touchy subject, one among many. "I know that. But we can't force her..."
Elena squeezes his hand. "Okay. We'll talk about it next week. See you then?"
No matter how much time passes, the wounds are still visceral and raw. And every day they have to get up and deal with it all over again.
"You can use whatever you need, Mr. Salvatore or you can store whatever don't want in the basement," Mr. Gerard is nice, constantly making sure Damon can read his lips. When he has something to say, he comes right in front of him seeking eye contact and then slowly and precisely articulates the words. Damon fights the urge to tell him he's not an idiot, he has to remind himself his neighbor does that for his benefit, he's not being rude, just considerate.
"Thank you, call me Damon please."
The man gives him a shining smile, a bit excessive in his opinion. "Only if you call me Marcel," he responds in his typical manner.
Damon gives a faint smile and follows Marcel through the house. He likes the guy, despite the fact he makes him feel abashed all the time. It's a beautiful house, a big one whereas Damon's house was modern and functional. There's an old time air about this Marcel's home, it's separated by six foot privacy fence from the neighborhood, the garden's rather wild but for some reason, Damon feels good in its privacy. The house could be a living museum. Aside from appliances and other modern amenities, everything is original or refurbished to reflect the age of the structure.
Although the tangerine and fuchsia walls are straight out of another era, the paint is barely a year old. The floral prints are bold and the furniture looks classic and comfortable. The huge bay window faces the Rocky Mountains, the view is to die for. Damon's going to put his desk close by so he can enjoy it while working. What really catches his attention is the bannister arcing like flowing water with the exact same smoothness it must have on the architect's sketch. Perfection in dark wood. A piece like that would likely have cost more than his annual salary and then some. Looking up, it appears to float over the wide spiral staircase with spectral ease. On closer inspection, it's supported with the most ornate wrought iron balustrades that appear to grow from the stairs themselves and blossom upward.
"Do you like it?" Marcel's once again right in his face when they end the tour downstairs in the kitchen.
"I like it very much, thank you." He takes a step back to put a little space between them. "Would you mind if I step outside to have a cigarette?"
"You can smoke in the kitchen or if you'd rather go out back... " Marcel stands aside, leaving the way to the door open. He finally realizes that his overbearing nature is probably making his guest a little uncomfortable. "Take a look around the garden, of course it's much prettier in the spring and summer."
Once outside, Damon takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh of relief. He's not a heavy smoker but in situations like this it's rather soothing. He looks around the garden. With winter upon them, there's not much to see really. Taking a drag from his cigarette, he walks through the dead plant life. It'll need to be tilled and replanted come spring. The gate is made of rough wood and is as big as a cow. He can imagine the ivy cascading over the fence, growing tendrils in every direction. The stone path is punctuated with weeds after every stone. There's a huge weeping willow, it bare branches flowing down on the light blanket of snow. He kicks a stone and smiles, imagining how beautiful the place could be when spring awakens them from their winter slumber.
He can't believe a place like this is just across the street in his neighborhood. Feeling encouraged by his short walk and chilly air he returns to the house to discuss the details.
"Hey, Elena, we haven't had a chance to chat," Bonnie stops her on her way out. She gives her a tired smile and is about to ask for a rain check when she remembers her curiosity about the mysterious Mr. Salvatore.
"True," she takes two glasses from the waiter and motions for them to sit down in the hall which thankfully is almost void of guests. "I was just heading out but I can spare a few minutes. We can do this again under more sedate circumstances."
"I'd like that," Bonnie sounds positively enthusiastic. "I heard you rescued one of my co-workers," she doesn't hide her own curiosity. "You know Damon Salvatore is a mystery, even to those of us that work with him."
"Mystery how?" Elena wonders.
"Ric assigns him to almost all of the high profile projects. I mean he does occasionally show up at the office but usually Ric lets him do all his work from home."
A home that exists no more...
"Was it bad? Word around this office is that there was nothing left of his house..." Bonnie mentions, eyeing Elena carefully. Even after dating a fireman for years she has no idea what they have to deal with on a day to day basis.
"Yeah, it was pretty bad," Elena reacts. She's not supposed to give any details but Bonnie doesn't mind, she happily chatters on.
"I haven't seen him since last week, well, he does make a rare appearance but Ric told us some things, most of us saw it on the news. I saw you on the news," she shares excitedly.
"Yep, I'm a superstar," Elena chuckles but she doesn't really find it humorous. Originally she had hoped that Bonnie could shed some light on the mysterious Damon Salvatore but now she feels ashamed she even considered it. He is certainly a nice man, a gentleman who's been struck by misfortune, more than once actually and doesn't deserve to have people sticking their noses in his business. How must he feel inspiring such gossip?
She easily changes the topic and chats with Bonnie for a little while longer before escaping a party that's really nothing than a painful reminder of how much Stefan's missed at every family event.
He spent most of the day with Mr. Gerard and except for a few unpleasant moments before the guy backed off on his overbearing manners, Damon actually enjoyed himself. After that they shared a drink and had a quality conversation. Tomorrow he can start moving his things in and Monday the house will be his. Marcel handed him the keys and let him know that he leaves the same day on the noon flight to New Orleans. Since he really has no belongings left to move, he'll have to get his insurance settlement and do some shopping. He needs a new computer, clothes and other necessities.
Deep in thought, he, out of habit, takes the route that leads him to the fire station, the one he's been avoiding for a few days. So much has changed over the course of the past week... Although he's walked past it a thousand times before without even noticing, this building suddenly means something to him. It's literally the difference between life and death. Now it just feels almost a little morbid to keep coming back here. Deep down he knows that is not his only reason for lurking around the place.
He's about to quicken his pace when he spots a familiar Jeep parking in front of the station. Despite his resolution it stops him in his tracks. He comes a little closer contemplating if he shouldn't quicken his pace and disappear before he gets some of the usual pitiful looks. He's very much not in the mood for that today. Still his mind and his feet have different ideas. It's unsettling at best. Rather than fight his instincts, he walks past the car, glancing inside to see that the child's seat is there.
What the hell is he doing?
He takes a deep breath and is about to turn on the spot to bid a hasty retreat when she walks out of the door, heading in his direction. Correction, in the direction of her car. He freezes, just for a second, but she's already seen him. Even though the lights around the fire station are too dark for him to see if her mouth's moving, she raises her hand to wave at him and for some reason his heart starts beating faster.
"Chief Gilbert," he sweats out of himself, hoping he's not shouting or whispering at her because he can't really tell.
She stops a step away, a small smile on her lips. She looks... the word stunning is the first thing that pops into his head. She is but she also appears rather... sad. The words escape him as it dawns on him how different she is when she's not in her uniform. He has endless trust in her ability to save his life, literally pull him out of the fire but at this very second, he'd take her in his arms and hide her from all the world's evil. As if that will ever be an option.
"Hello ."
He finally breaks free from his stupor and the most stupid thing comes out of his mouth. "Please, call me Damon."
She hesitates just a second. "Okay, but you must call me Elena."
Elena.
He can't believe this conversation is happening. His first instinct would be to run but he can't do that. Not this time. He'd have to relocate to the other side of the town to ensure he won't run into her anytime soon.
"Elena," he repeats. "I was having a look at the house I'm going to be renting... I'm on my way back to my buddy's place," he feels the need to explain why he's there. Why exactly?
"I hope it's going well," she nods.
"It is, actually, I'm moving in Monday. Impatiently waiting for the cleansing start."
"I was just...," she hesitates, "I was on my way from a family party when I got word about an incident concerning one of my guys."
Something's definitely wrong, Damon can see that. Why would she even tell him? It's not like she owes him an explanation. Her usual self confidence, warm smile... aren't here. And then it strikes him, he caught her in a weak moment. She's just a human being with the same problems and worries as anyone else. He suspects she needs someone to be there for her too. Could he be that someone?
No he couldn't. And he needs to remind himself of that.
"I saw you at the mall with your daughter yesterday."
She looks surprised for a moment, then her smile turns genuine. "Oh, that was Cassie, she isn't my daughter, she's my brother's... she's my niece. I have her for sleepovers and weekends sometimes."
Damon's stunned, he didn't expect that. He was so convinced... "I thought... you looked really close," he offers a smile. For some reason he feels relieved.
"We are. Sadly though, I don't see her as often as I'd like. With a job like this..."
Before Damon can respond a dark haired dark eyed guy joins them by Elena's car. "Can we go?" He gives Damon a curious look. "Ah, Mr. Salvatore, how are you doing? You look well, glad to see that."
Damon's momentarily caught of guard by his appearance, and how does he even know his name?
"Damon, this is one of my crew, Tyler Lockwood, he's actually the one who carried you out of your house."
"Glad to meet you , I'd like to thank you for saving my life. I know it sounds stupid but, trust me, I'm more grateful than you can imagine."
Tyler's nods appreciatively, he's used to people sometimes coming to express their grattitude, but more often than that, they try to forget about the whole ordeal and a fireman would just be a reminder of what happend to them. "And I thank you, , I was just doing my job but I'm really glad you're okay."
Damon squeezes his lips, trying to offer a smile, but he feels his time's up, he should leave, it's starting to feel a little awkward. He's about to open his mouth to say goodbye when Tyler covers it for him.
"Can we go?" he repeats to Elena and she shakes her head. "Sure."
Tyler isn't wasting time, takes the car keys from Elena's hand and waves at Damon. "Goodbye, it was nice meeting you." He unlocks the car, opens the door for Elena, walks around to the driver's side and hops in.
Elena once again turns to him and offers her hand to shake.
"Good night, Damon."
"Good night, Elena."
He stands there until the car moves from its spot, then quickly turns around and walks away. He wants to dislike Tyler Lockwood, which he supposes is jealousy, an emotion he has no right to feel. But since the guy saved his life and he actually seems like a good one, how can he not like him? Not only that, Elena certainly deserves to have good people in her life. Walking quickly through the park he realizes Elena didn't introduce Tyler as her husband or boyfriend... It really doesn't mean anything, she may or may not have one, he hopes it's the latter. Before he reaches Ric's house he comes to a decision.
He will find out if she's single or not.
He won't hide in Marcel's house and brood over everything.
And if there's the slightest chance to win her over, he won't stop or allow himself to get discouraged.
He's going to fight for Elena Gilbert.
Thank you all for the wonderful responses to this story so far. The DE fandom is hands down the best. We're happy to be a small part of it. I don't even know where to find the words to express how grateful we are for all of you.
Love you, Eva.
Chapter title: 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' by Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole.
Watch for WTTJ 41 and 'Winter Palace' to post this week.
Have a safe and wonderful day. Thank you all again and we'll see you next time.