Sorry, I know the last chapter was kind of slow!

But this should make up for it :)

Hope you like!

Elena followed her father up the stairs, toward the attic, mixed feelings assaulting her.

No matter how polite he played it, she knew exactly why he wanted to speak to her alone.
Hell, the whole town knew about Damon's return, surely Grayson had heard the news.
However, she had her own bone to pick with him, so maybe it was a good thing.

"Elena," he started, the second they were up in the attic, "We need to talk."
She nodded, steeling herself, "We most certainly do."

"Why didn't you tell me that Damon Salvatore was back in town?" he half asked, half demanded.
She raised a delicate brow, "Why is it any of your business?"

"Answer the question, Elena."
She exhaled, "Alright, fine. As soon as you answer mine….Why did Damon really leave sixteen years ago?"

Grayson eyed her, "Are you implying something?"

"Drop the act, Dad. I know what you did…what you told him."

Grayson grit his teeth, "I only made suggestions. Leaving was his choice."

"Because you berated him into thinking he was worthless!"

"He was!" Grayson spat, "You had an entire life ahead of you, Elena. He was nothing. A wanna-be musician who only wanted one thing from you. I did what I had to, to protect you."

"And look how well that worked," Elena hissed, "Not to mention that he's now one of the most popular names in the music industry. And how dare you say he was nothing. You knew how I felt about him, how much he meant to me!"

"You were a child," Grayson insisted, "You had no idea what you felt. And he got famous by chance. He was no good for you, Elena. Not then, and not now. People in this town talk; I know the two of you had dinner. I don't know what he's telling you, but you don't want to go down that road. The best thing you could do is forget all about him. Don't let him convince you that you need him in your life."

She shook her head, "He is the father of my child. How can you expect him not to be in my life?"

"He doesn't know about Chris, so as long as…" he seemed to measure her expression, and his face glazed over, "You didn't."

Elena sighed, "Valentina told him where I lived, he came over, and Chris answered the door. There's nothing I could have done."
Grayson let out a swear word, then, "Well, what did he say?"

Elena brought her chin up, "He wants to be in Chris's life. And Chris wants to get to know him, too."
Grayson shook his head, disapprovingly, "You are seriously going to put that boy through that?"

Her eyes flashed, "What I chose to do about my son, or my life, is none of your concern. And I don't need your approval in my choices. Like it or not, Christian needs Damon."
"He needs a positive role model, who's going to stick around," Grayson shot, "Giving Christian false hopes that Damon might actually step up makes you nearly as bad he is."

Elena huffed, "You don't know a damn thing about Damon. You never have."
"And you're sure you do?" Grayson pointed, "It's been fifteen years, Elena…how well could you know him?! Not to mention that he's never once come home. How do you know he wasn't aware of Christian all along? Maybe that's why it was so easy for him to leave."
Elena shook her head, "You would go there, wouldn't you? But it's not true. I was there, Dad! I saw Damon's face when he realized Christian was his. He wants to get to know him, and I think it's a good idea."
"Until he leaves town again," Grayson insisted.
"He's not leaving," Elena stated coolly, "And he's actually going to be staying with us."

"Us?"
She nodded, "Me and Chris. Like I said, he wants this to work."

Grayson froze, "Staying with you? He's living with you?!"

Elena held her ground, "Moving in tonight."
Grayson grew furious, "Have you lost your damn mind, little girl?!"

Not feeling the need to defend herself, Elena remained calm, "You don't have to like it. But it's my choice, and there's nothing you can say about it. I am not a kid anymore, Dad, and I'm not going to let you dictate the decisions I make about my son."

Grayson was fuming, but steadily replied, "He's going to destroy you both. And you'll have no one to blame, but yourself."
Elena nodded, "I guess that's a risk I have to take."

He grunted, "Well, I hope it's worth it."
Elena's eyes rolled, "It will be if Christian gets the chance to know his dad. And as a father, I figured you could respect that!"

Grayson shook his head, "No, I can't. Because that boy will be a hell of a lot better off without Damon in his life."
Elena exhaled, "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. But it's not your decision, it's mine...and Chris's. We've talked about it, and we both think that this is something we need to do, so hate it all you want, but it wont change anything."

Grayson didn't answer, just glared at her disapprovingly, but she really could care less.
Her mind was made up.
"So, are we going to get this stuff or not?"

Chris could hear his Grandfather's raised voice, and his mother's occasionally, but couldn't make out the words they were saying. But he caught that the gist of it was about Damon.

"Are they okay?" he asked his Grandmother.
Miranda sighed, "They will be, eventually."

Chris's brows furrowed, "Why does Grandpa hate my father so much?"

Miranda stirred the pot on the stove, but looked up at him.

"To be honest, you'd have to talk to him to get a straight answer. But personally, I think it's because he felt threatened by your dad."
Chris leaned against the island, "What do you mean?"
Miranda brushed a strand of his bangs out of his eyes, "It's crazy…how much you resemble him."

Chris nodded, but didn't plan on letting her deviate from the topic, and apparently, she realized this.

"Okay, okay. When your mom was in high school, she was pretty focused on being a doctor, which of course, your grandpa was thrilled about. She dated this guy Matt, who was the quarterback, and she was a cheerleader, and it was pretty much the one-two-three step plan your grandfather had always wanted for her. Then she met Damon."
Chris nodded, "Grandpa told me that Damon made her change her mind."

Miranda shook her head, "Not exactly. Your mother has always been very sure of herself. When she and Damon got together, I think it was good for her. Given, he wasn't a perfect kid, and they got into trouble a few times, which was a first for your mom, but I really think she was happiest then. I'll always be grateful to Damon for that. He really brought out the life in her."

"So what went wrong?" Chris pressed.

"I'm not sure," Miranda admitted, "I know that your grandfather never really liked him to begin with, but the more Elena began to change, the more Grayson's resentment toward Damon grew. Damon was doing something that scared Grayson. He was actually making Elena think about her life, question her decisions. Then when your mom decided that she wanted to go to California, to college with Damon, to study music, your grandpa lost it. He told her that he didn't want her with Damon anymore, and that he was messing up her future…they fought about it for days, maybe even weeks."

"Sounds intense," Chris noted.

His grandmother nodded, "It was for a while. But your mother had made up her mind. She loved Damon, and no one was going to sway her. In her mind, they had the perfect plan. Go off to college, she'd write the music, he'd sing it, and they'd live happily ever after."

"But Damon left," Chris pointed out.

Miranda sighed, "Yes, he did. But to be honest, it wasn't very surprising to me. People change, Chris. And high school relationships don't always last. Damon moved away. He was gone for a while…and I think in that time, he got the chance to prioritize his life. He knew that Elena had had plans before him, and that his dreams were going to take him down shaky roads. I truly think he did what he thought he had to at the time."

"And Mom getting pregnant was just a happy accident?" he scoffed.

Miranda blushed a little, "It did come as a surprise. I remember your grandfather was furious, but that's life, and sometimes it doesn't go the way you plan. Besides," she cupped his cheek, "Now we have you."

He sighed, "Yeah."

"It'll work out," she promised, "Just give it time."

He nodded, "Did Mom talk to you?"
"About Damon finding out about you?" she nodded.
"No," Chris corrected, "About Damon moving in with us."

Miranda's widened eyes was answer enough, "No…she didn't."
He nodded, "Well, he is…tonight."

She looked up at the ceiling, "No wonder they're going at it."

Chris shrugged, "I think it might be a good thing…that he'll be around."
Miranda gave him a smile, "I'm sure it will be fine."

They heard the decent of footsteps then, and Elena and Grayson appeared.

"Okay, we got down everything of importance that we could find, and put it in the spare bedroom," his grandpa said, "I'll help you sort through it, see if we can find you what you need."

Chris grinned, "Awesome. Thanks, Grandpa."

Grayson nodded, "Anytime…you girls okay with the dinner?"

Miranda nodded, but Elena just ignored him.

Chris was curious, but decided not to bring it up yet.

"Okay, good. Come on, bud," he placed his hand on Chris's shoulder, leading him toward the staircase.

Once upstairs, Grayson sat on the edge of the bed, pulling one of three boxes toward him, "This is the one with all of the journals. I'm not sure what the order is, but there were a good handful of them."

Chris nodded, opening another box, "Cool stuff."

Grayson smiled, "Yeah, Johnathan Gilbert was an inventor. He has all sorts of gadgets that have been collected over time."

Chris dug through the box, finding all sorts of odds and ends, "This is great, really."

They were silent for a moment, shifting through the stuff, until finally, Grayson cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, Chris."

Christian looked up at him, "For what?"

"For your life being crazy these past few days," he explained, "I talked to your mother…I know that Damon's back, that he knows about you, and that he's moving in."

Chris nodded, "Yeah, it's been a weird week."

"I'm surprised Valentina got involved. She was the one who told him where you lived, wasn't she? Apparently, the Salvatore's can't just leave things where they need to be."

Chris couldn't help but flinch a little. He liked his grandpa, he really did.
He was closer to Grayson than Giuseppe, but Valentina was above them all.
No one really got him the way his Grandmother did, though she claims it's because he was just like Damon growing up.

"I don't think she meant to cause trouble," he defended.
"No, of course not," Grayson reasoned, "But either way, it would have been easier she and Giuseppe just stayed out of it."

"Grandfather wasn't a part of all of this. I don't even know if he knows that my dad found out about me," Chris told him.
"He may not," Grayson admitted, "Hell, given that the man is either drunk or working, it's no surprise he has any idea of what's going on."

Chris's eyes narrowed.

He had never heard his grandfather attack the Salvatore's the way he was now, and could only assume it had more to do with Damon than them.
"You don't like them, do you?" he stated.

Grayson didn't deny it, but added, "I respect their standing in this town. But that doesn't mean I agree with their choices. I can assume that they have something to do with Damon being back."
Chris was almost annoyed, "Is it really so bad that he is?"

"You weren't here when he left the first time, Chris. Your mother deserves better in her life. So do you. That man has no business being back in Mystic Falls."
Chris shook his head, "You really do hate him."
"I hate what he's done," Grayson corrected.

Chris swallowed, "Then looking at me must drive you crazy. Being reminded constantly of him…how can you hate him so much about him, and not feel the same when you see me?"

"Chris, no," Grayson shook his head, "Don't think that. Damon has nothing to do with the relationship you and I have. I love you, Chris. You're my only grandchild, and it wouldn't matter who your father was, I'd love you the same...but I can't change the way I feel about Damon. And he had no right to barge into your life after being gone for so long. It's very irresponsible of your mother to think that he's going to just jump into being a father to you."

Chris blinked, "How do you know he won't?"
Even to his own ears, he sounded a little defensive, so he wasn't very surprised when Grayson's eyebrow lifted.

"I just mean that he could," Chris edited, "He seems like he has good intentions."
Grayson chuckled a little, "Son, the road to hell was paved with good intentions….but you could be right. And for your sake, and your mother's, I really hope you are."

"What do you mean?" Chris pressed, curious.

Grayson eyed him, "I'm just saying that sticking around wasn't exactly part of Damon's agenda in the past. I'd hate for you, or your mother to get close to him, just to have him leave again."
"Mom trusts him," Chris observed.

"And look where that got her fifteen years ago…come on, Chris. You're a smart kid. Damon hasn't been in Mystic Falls for years. Just from what I've seen in the media, he's been sleeping his way through half the west coast, and getting drunk before most of his concerts. I'm just concerned that he's going to use you, and your mother while he's here, and then he's going to ditch."

"Use us how?" Chris demanded.

"He's already going to be staying with you, isn't he?" Grayson started, "Then imagine the publicity you could bring him….not to mention that it wouldn't be the first time he's used your mother as an easy lay."

"Grandpa," Chris complained.

"Just saying," Grayson insisted, "I just want you guys to be careful. You don't really know much about the man, and your mother is a love struck fool when it comes to him, always has been. She's going to need you to be the rational one, Chris. Don't let Damon use her. Keep your guard up."

Chris nodded, seeing his point.
His mother already felt comfortable enough with Damon to move him in.
And he knew from his online stalking how much of a playboy Damon had been over the past fifteen years.

And he wasn't going to let his mother be hurt again.
No way.

"I'll be careful Grandpa. I promise. He's not going to hurt my Mom."

Grayson smiled kindly at him, clapping his shoulder, "That's my boy."

Aaaand let the Grayson bashing begin! Lol.

So what did you guys think about the confrontation?
Is Grayson right to assume that Elena is being to quick to let Damon back in her life?
What about Chris? Do you think that he will be able to work out his relationship with Damon while these doubts still plague him?

Should we sacrifice Grayson on an alter of fire? lol.

Haha okay, well reveiw and let me know what you think!