Hey guys, got an update for ya!
I loved all the reviews! :) I'm glad that most of you seem excited to see how this is unfolds!
Anyway, here's the next chapter!
"What time were you planning on heading back?" Elena asked again from the driver's seat of her parked Sedan.
"I told you," Caroline's voice echoed through the line, "We'll be heading back in an hour or so."
"Alright. Just let me know for sure," she told the blond, switching the phone to her other hand so she could finish checking her makeup.
"I will, Elena. Now calm down. Everything's going to be okay."
Elena sighed, "Yeah, because I'm only about to go talk to the father of my child, who, by the way, has no idea that the boy even exists! Not to mention that I haven't seen him since high school. Do you have any idea how long it took me to get ready? I feel like I'm going to puke."
"Just breathe," Caroline instructed, "That's just the nerves. But it will be okay. Maybe he'll be leaving soon…"
"But what if he's not?" Elena pressed.
"Then he isn't," her friend stated, "and then maybe you can figure out a way to tell him about Christian, then maybe he'll actually want to be in his life. Things happen the way they do for a reason."
"Oh, don't get all philosophical on me, Care."
The blond chuckled, "Then don't make me! But you'll see what I mean. Just go in there, have lunch, and try to get your bearings. Let the rest work itself out."
She sighed, "Yeah, yeah you're right. I'm just freaking out a little."
"Well, try to calm down," Caroline insisted, "And get your butt in there before he thinks you stood him up."
Elena scoffed, "No less than he deserves."
"That may be true," Caroline reasoned, "But you'll never know how to settle this if you don't talk to him."
"I'm going, I'm going," she promised.
Caroline laughed, "Okay, call me later. Love ya!"
"You too, Care."
She hung up then, taking a deep breath, and got out of her car.
After locking the doors, she used her window as a mirror to straighten her outfit.
She hadn't been joking with Caroline.
It had literally taken her an hour to find a suitable outfit, until she had finally just decided on her dark wash jeans, knee-high boots, and a flowing silk blouse, topped with her long brown coat.
Simple and sophisticated, yet didn't make her feel like she was on a date.
She fluffed her hair one more time, then took a breath, and began to make her way across the parking lot, into the Mystic Grill.
Damon had missed this place.
The light chatter, the cheap booze, the modern music, and the set of pool tables in the back.
The Grill hadn't changed much from when it was his old hang out place.
Except now a people knew him, and not just in a small town kind of way.
He'd barely been there half an hour, and already a handful of people, mostly females, had stopped to talk to him, and confirm that he was who they thought.
He'd finally, politely, gotten rid of the last of them.
"Another one?" the young man behind the bar asked, and Damon shook his head.
Elena had just walked in, and she probably wouldn't appreciate him being drunk through their conversation.
"No thanks," he answered, throwing down a twenty, "But you can keep the change."
The man thanked him as he got up from his seat, and walked across the semi-crowded restaurant to meet the beautiful woman.
"I was wondering if you'd show," a voice called, and Elena turned to see Damon walking up.
She swallowed, trying not to notice how good he looked in his dark jeans and deep blue button up shirt.
"I told you I would, didn't I?" she challenged, and he nodded.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you might have not have changed your mind," he reasoned, running a hand through his dark hair.
"Well, I didn't," she pointed out, "So…you want to take a seat?"
Damon nodded, letting her take the lead.
Focusing on her breathing, she walked past him and found a booth for them to sit at.
He slid in across from her, and she was again astounded at how much Chris favored him.
Everything, from the hair to the bone structure.
It was uncanny.
Damon chuckled, "Keep staring, and you're going to make me blush."
Elena blinked, embarrassed, "Sorry…it's just…it's been a while."
Damon nodded, "That it has."
"So…" she started, "Why exactly did you want to meet up?"
Damon grabbed a menu to flip through as he answered, "It seemed…appropriate. Given how we left things yesterday morning."
"I see your point," she reasoned, "But then again, I wasn't the one inviting me upstairs for a promising display of talents."
Damon smirked a little, his blue eyes looking up at her, "Touché. That one was on me."
She raised a brow, "You really had no idea who I was?"
He held her gaze, "I really had no idea who you were. If I had…well, I would have been much more polite."
Elena hardly believed that was true, "And why's that?"
He sat back into cushion, "Well, I don't generally make a habit of trying to be a dick."
"And it might have been a little awkward if you'd known it was me," she challenged, "Given our…history."
Damon considered this, "Maybe just a little."
A waiter came by to get their drink orders then, and Elena took advantage of the moment to calm herself.
Once he left, Damon looked back at her, "Look, I just wanted to apologize, alright. I shouldn't have spoken to you the way I did. I'm sorry."
He seemed sincere enough, so she let it go, "It's fine."
"And," he continued, "I'm sorry for the way I treated you before I left town."
Elena's brow raised, "You mean when you broke up with me? Come on, Damon, we were kids then. That was years ago…no need in harboring guilt for it."
He chuckled slightly, "No, but like you said, we were kids then…stupid kids…and I was a bit harsh."
She shrugged, "I got over it. Besides, I think you were a little more stupid than I was."
His eyebrow cocked, "Yeah? Coming from the woman who got us arrested for climbing the water tower her sophomore year."
Elena smirked, "Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time. At least I wasn't the one that got the group to do shots during detention."
"Ah, the glory days," Damon grinned, "But if you really want to go there, who was the one that shoplifted from Fred McCormack's supermarket?
"Oh, like you weren't right behind me, telling me what to hide in my shirt!" Elena accused, with a laugh.
Damon nodded, "I was…but wasn't the one who got arrested for jumping off of Wickery Bridge. Twice."
"It was a dare!" Elena defended.
Damon chuckled, "So then I guess we can say that we were evenly stupid back then."
Elena nodded, "Yeah, maybe."
The waiter brought out their drinks then, and they ordered their food.
"Is this place still good?" Damon asked.
Elena nodded, "Best food in town."
Damon chuckled, "Well, judging by the size of Mystic Falls, that isn't saying much."
"Well we can't all be Hollywood, can we?" she shot.
Damon raised a brow, "No, I guess not. But to be honest, I'd prefer the Mystic Grill's burgers over Fondue on the Boulevard any day."
"Then why'd you stay gone so long?" Elena asked, a little accusingly..
Damon shrugged, thinking of all the time he'd lost track of, "I don't know. I guess I just lost the need to come back. Like I said, I was a stupid kid. But then the years started to pass, and before I knew it, I was hitting my thirties."
"Yeah, time sort of sneaks up on you that way," Elena agreed.
Damon nodded.
"So…what made you come back this time?" she pressed.
"Boss man thought it would be good for me," Damon told her, "Apparently my music isn't what they want it to be."
An odd look crossed Elena's face, which made him curious, "What?"
She cleared her throat, "Well, in all honesty, I'd have to agree."
Damon raised a brow, "You listen to my music?"
A light blush colored her cheek, "You're a pretty popular name at the moment…and the radio use to play your hits on a loop."
"Ah…so what do you think?"
She took a breath, and he got the feeling this would be good.
"Your stuff in the beginning…it was good. I mean, I've always known you were talented, and I knew that you'd sell your songs…but lately…I don't know…they just don't really seem…you."
He raised a brow, "Is that right?"
She nodded, "It's just that your sound has changed. It's all hard music, with pointless lyrics. None of it means anything."
He considered this. She was pretty much hitting the nail on the head.
"Yeah, I guess you can say that I've gotten away from my drive. I just sing what they tell me to, now."
She shook her head, "Well, you can tell that your heart isn't in it."
He blinked at her.
How was it that even after all this time, she was still reading him like a book.
"I guess I just forgot what I was singing for."
Now it was her brow that raised, "Like you ever needed a reason."
He gave her a look, "What do you mean?"
She smiled a little, and he was again, stunned by how beautiful she looked, "Just that you didn't use to care. About the opinions, about the depth of the song…you just played. Singing because you could. Because it was something that you loved doing, something that you had a passion for, and that's how it should be."
He couldn't help but agree with her.
"Maybe it just seemed less complicated then."
"Yeah," she allowed, "Maybe."
Damon sighed, praying that their food took a while to cook.
He wasn't quite ready to say goodbye.
Elena could barely believe how fast the time was passing as she and Damon swapped stories.
They had gotten their food, and were picking at the remainder while he told her about some relapse they'd had in the studio.
She listened, but most of her focus wasn't on the words, but the man himself.
In nearly fifteen years, almost nothing had changed.
Damon was the same light hearted, deep person he'd always been.
This made her happy for some reason, thinking that that part of him was able to survive.
"So when do you have to go back?" she asked, once he was finished.
"In a month or so," Damon shrugged, "They weren't very clear on the when…just that I needed to get back in touch with my muse."
She chuckled a little, part of her mind easing.
A month…that wasn't too bad.
And that gave her time to decide on what she wanted to do about Christian.
She still hadn't told Damon…wasn't sure that she should…but in a way, it might be inevitable.
Maybe she'd let Chris decide.
A quiet "hmm" from Damon made her lift her head.
"What?"
He was looking around, curiously, "Did you notice?"
She glanced around, not sure what he meant.
"Um, noticed what?"
He seemed to be counting the booths, then smiled up at her, "This is the booth."
Elena raised a brow, "The booth?"
He nodded, "The first time we officially met, when Caroline set us up on that date…this was the booth."
Elena blinked, then looked around again.
He was right.
They had been sitting straight down from the door, across the bar, and diagonal to the pool tables.
"Huh."
Damon exhaled, "I guess that's a weird thing to remember, huh?"
Elena shook her head, "No…I remember almost everything about that night…I just didn't realize that we'd sat in the same spot."
Damon nodded, "It was a good night."
She couldn't disagree.
That night had been perfect.
Hell, most of their relationship had been perfect.
Sure, they had fought.
Had their ups and downs, just like every couple, but they'd been crazy for each other.
Completely and totally committed.
She sighed, as all the memories washed over her.
He had been her first…her everything.
"We really loved each other, didn't we?"
He swallowed, meeting her gaze, "Yeah…I guess we did."
She let her eyes drop, suddenly feeling a tear form.
Thoughts of what could have been would only drive her crazy. But in this moment, it was too raw, too real. And she couldn't ignore it.
She blinked a few times, then swallowed, "So, um, did you ever, you know, meet anyone?
Damon shook his head, "There were a few girls here and there, but no one that really mattered."
She nodded, hating that she was happy with that news.
"You?" he asked.
She shook her head, "No. I've dated a little over the years…but there was never one who stuck."
She was curious when his brows furrowed.
"What?"
He blinked, "Nothing really…it's just that Mom…well, after you left, I asked how you'd been. She told me that there was a guy in your life. And that he was pretty important."
Elena bit her tongue.
Val had to have been talking about Chris.
But there was no way she could really explain that to Damon.
Or could she?
It was the perfect opening…
She sighed, then took a breath.
"Well, it's not exactly like that…She was probably talking about-"
Her phone rang then, and she cursed.
"Sorry," she told Damon, checking the I.D.
He motioned for her to take it.
"Caroline, hey."
"Hey!" Caroline's voice sounded, "We left a few minutes ago, and we should be back soon…just thought I'd let you know…are you home yet?"
Elena glanced over at Damon, "Um, no…not exactly…"
"You're still at the Grill with Damon?"
Elena's eyes widened, "Is he in the car with you?"
Caroline knew she meant Chris.
"Oh, no! I have my two. Stefan took Chris. He's gonna drop him off at your house."
Elena breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, that's fine…I'll be there shorty."
Caroline understood, "Alright, call me as soon as you can!"
Elena hung up the phone, and Damon raised a brow.
"Sorry," she told him, "But I should probably get going."
Damon nodded, "Yeah, that's fine…do you need a ride?"
"No!" she answered quickly, and Damon raised a brow.
Sighing, she took a breath, "I mean, no thank you. I have my car…but thanks for lunch…really…I had a good time."
Damon smiled, and nodded.
Maybe she was just being polite, but it meant the world to hear her say that.
"Well, at least let me walk you to your car."
She nodded, and he flagged a waiter, getting their check.
Once he settled the bill, they stood, and walked out, meeting the cooling fall air.
They reached her car, and Elena turned to face him.
"So, um, thanks again…for lunch."
He nodded.
"No problem. Maybe we can do dinner sometime."
Her furrowed brows was all the answer he needed, "I'm not sure that that would be such a good idea."
He eyed her, "And why not?"
Biting her lip, she shifted her weight, "Because I think we said what we needed to say…at least for now."
Damon considered this, "Did you enjoy yourself?"
She sighed, "Yes, but-"
"If we didn't have a past, would you go to dinner with me?"
She paused, thinking, then finally answered, "Maybe…but it doesn't matter, Damon…we do have a past."
He nodded, "But a lot has changed since then."
She her mind seemed to wander, as she answered.
"Yeah, you're right…but too much has changed."
He raised a brow, "I'm asking you to dinner, Elena…not to elope. Can't we just go out, and see how it goes."
She huffed, but almost seemed to be considering it, "I…I don't know. But I really need to get home…so can we talk later?"
He could accept that for now, "Yeah…of course."
He held the door as she got into her car, "Drive safe."
She nodded, thanked him again, and then was gone.
Damon watched until her car disappeared.
Christian changed the weight on his feet, wishing that his uncle would hurry.
They had had to stop by the Salvatore house so that Stefan could talk to his Giuseppe, but it was taking a lot longer than he'd thought.
At least they'd had a blast that weekend!
It had been too cold to swim, but they'd been able to ride the four-wheelers on the back trails, and they'd even built a giant fire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows on.
It had passed quickly.
April was texting him now, reminding him about the essay they had due in a few days, and was wondering if his mom would be cool with her coming over to get his help.
He shot back a reply, telling her that he'd ask.
Of course, that was assuming that Stefan hurried up and got him home.
A moment later, he heard the front door open, and wondered if his Grandmother had come in.
He stood up from his seat on the couch, just as the guest walked in.
And he froze at the sight of the man in front of him.
Damon Salvatore.
His father.
Don't kill me too bad for the cliffhanger! lol.
I'll update soon, promise! Can't wait to see what you guys think about this chapter!
Please, please, review!