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Damon laid awake in the dark, hours after Chris had gone to bed.
His mind was much to wired to fall asleep.

For the first time, he felt like he'd actually made some progress with Chris.

Annoyance had flashed through him when he realized that Grayson had been putting rumors into Christian's head, but he was standing by what he'd told his son.
Grayson wasn't his problem.

And Chris seemed mature enough to make his own decisions about his feelings, so he'd just do what he could to prove that he could be trusted, and let the chips fall where they may.

Grayson could worry about up keeping the feud bitterness between them, because he had better things to fret about than that.
They were all adults, and it had happened too long ago to make much difference now, so he was just going to focus on his family.

Valentina's words came to his mind then.

He trusted his mother's opinion, always had, and she truly seemed to believe that he should fight for Elena, even if the woman in question wanted an indefinite hold on the romantic side of their relationship.

Not that he didn't understand that, but his mother was right.
They'd waited so long, been miserable so long, without each other that no one was really going to win in this situation.

As he thought about this, a noise sounded from down the hall.
It was muffled, but loud enough to make him sit up.

What the-

He heard it again, and realized it was coming from Elena's room.

Quietly, but quickly, he got up, slid on his pants, not taking the time to worry about his shirt, and was at her door.
The noise grew louder as he silently pulled it open, and exhaled, before slipping inside.

It was dark, but the light coming from the moon outside the window illuminated the place enough that he could make out Elena's form on the bed.
Though, the way she was tossing, he might have been able to anyway.

"Elena?" he whispered.

She was still tossing, a sob escaping her lips.
He realized then that he noise had been coming from her, and was confirmed seconds later, when she cried out.

Concerned, he moved to the bed, sitting on the edge, and reached for her, "Elena."
He tried shaking her a little, but that only seemed to make the thrashing worse.

"Hey, sweetheart, it's just me. Elena, baby, open your eyes."

She whimpered against his hold, and he noticed that she was sweating.
He brought his hand to her head.
God, she was burning up.

"Elena," he tried again, earning him a wail so mournful, he hurt for her.

Making a quick decision, he pulled the blankets back, and laid down next to her, pulling her against his body, and holding her there.
She thrashed at first, but he kept whispering in her ear.

"Shh, it's just me. You're okay, sweetheart, I'm here. Okay? I'm here, Elena. Wake up. Come on, baby."

She seemed to calm some, and seconds later, her eyes fluttered open.
"Damon?" she exhaled shakily.

"Yeah, it's me," he told her, moving back to see her face, "Are you okay?"

"Am I dreaming?" she asked confusedly.
He chuckled slightly, "No, you aren't dreaming…though it seemed you were a few seconds ago…and you seemed upset."

She ducked her face down, "Did I?"

He sighed, resting his head on hers, "Elena, don't do that. Don't hide from me."
He felt her swallow, and pressed on, "What's the matter, sweetheart? What had you so upset?"

She sighed against him, her warm breath near his neck, "It was just a nightmare."

"What about?" he asked, "Chris again?"
He felt her nod, the pulled back a little, so he could see her face, "Him…and you."

That surprised him some, "Me?"
She nodded, "You left…you both did."

Damon swallowed, "We're both still right here, Elena."

Her eyes closed, "But it felt so real. Chris hated me…he really hated me, for lying to you…for keeping him away from you, and you hated me too. You told me that a good mother would let her son meet his father. That she would let him be a part of-"

A sob rocked through her, and Damon tightened his grip, hating that she was hurting.
"I'm so sorry, Damon," she gasped, "I never should have made everyone lie to you. I should have called you the second I knew I was pregnant. I am so so sorry….I was so selfish, and Chris suffered for it, God, I'm a horrible person! What kind of mother would do that?"

Unable to listen to her beat herself up, Damon took her face in his hands, "Elena, baby, listen to me."
She met his gaze hesitantly.

"You are a wonderful mother, okay? We all made mistakes, and yes, they suck, but it doesn't matter anymore. And nobody hates you. Chris adores you, and you know it. That nightmare wasn't real. This is real. We are real. And that's all that matters. Okay? You have to cut yourself some slack."

She nodded slowly, relaxing finally, into his embrace.
With a sigh, he moved his arms around her body and pulled her into a hug.
She fit so perfectly against him.

And her hair. He inhaled the scent he once had memorized, and half expected to be waking up from a dream himself.
But this wasn't a dream.

This was his reality now, and they were both going to have to work through that.

He dropped a light kiss to her forehead, and pulled away, noting the cup on the other side of the night stand.
Reaching over, he grabbed it, "I'll get you some water."

She nodded, and he sat up, walking to her bathroom, instead of all the way into the kitchen, rinsed the cup out in the sink, and refilled it, before bringing it back.
She had turned on the lamp, and the glow was welcoming as he brought the drink to her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Thank you," she told him, taking it, and sipping on it.
She still seemed shaking, so he reached out, running a hand down her back.

She sat the cup back down, before readjusting herself, and lying flat, a thin sheet pulled up over her while the thicker blanket remained at the foot of the bed.
"Is there anything else you need?" he asked, and she shook her head.

He nodded, letting his hand stroke her arm one more time, before reaching over her and turning off the light.
The darkness was sudden.

"Goodnight, Elena."

He moved to get up, but was halted when she quickly propped up, grabbing his hand.

"Damon, wait."

He stopped, turning back to look at her.
Even in the dark, he could see the fear and vulnerability on her face.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

She bit her lip adorably, seeming to hesitate.

"Elena?"

She swallowed, finally lifting her gaze to his own.
"Do you think that you could maybe…stay? In here, I mean. With me?"

He blinked at her, and she cleared her throat, "I just…I don't really want to be alone right now."

Shaking off the shock, he nodded, "Um, yeah. Sure, of course."
Relief clearly flooded her face, and she moved over, making room for him.

Hesitantly, he pulled back the blankets and slid in beside her.

She turned, facing him, "Do you usually wear jeans to bed?"
He smirked, "No, I don't, but I wasn't sure you'd be too comfortable if I-"

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," she reminded him, "And you should be comfortable too."

Shrugging, he gave in, undoing the button on his pants, and sliding them off, making sure his underwear stayed in place.
He kicked the jeans away, and they landed somewhere on the floor, but he didn't have time to register where, because Elena was suddenly moving into his arms.

Her head rested on his chest, her arm draped over his stomach, and his bicep became her pillow.
He didn't want to scare her by moving too fast, but let his arm cradle around her until she was molded into him.

Her eyes were closed, and she seemed much more peaceful now.
And admittedly, so did he.

So instead of questioning it, he decided to hold her close, dropping his head on top of hers, as if they'd done this a million times, and then again, maybe they had.
Maybe this feeling of intimacy wasn't something that time could take away.

He let his finger drift through her hair, as her breathing evened, and he thanked whatever lucky stars he had that he was here, holding the only girl who had ever meant a thing to him.

And he was never letting her go again.
His heart clenched with realization that maybe they really were it for each other.

But the difficulty came in separating what he felt now, with what he'd felt for her in the past.
Because fifteen years ago, it had taken everything in him to leave her.

And he'd never been able to come back.
Because he knew he was weak.

She'd always been there, in the back of his mind.
The one he'd let slip through his fingers.

And he'd known himself well enough to know that coming back to Mystic Falls would only cause him trouble.
He had imagined seeing her again in at least a hundred scenarios.

Most of which involved her kicking his ass, or showing up to some town even with a husband and kids.
Those haunting thoughts had left him awake on his lonely nights, when he wondered where life had taken her.

He had never imagined it would be here, raising his son.

A rush of loss passed through him again as he thought about everything his pride had cost him.
But that wouldn't be the case anymore.

He stared down at her upturned face.
So sweet and restful.

He'd do whatever it took to make it up to her. To be there for her and Chris now that he actually could.

Mentally, he promised himself that he wouldn't give up until his family was happy, holding everything they deserved.
And Elena definitely deserved happiness.

That gorgeous seventeen year old girl he'd last seen was a woman now.
A stubborn, independent, beautiful woman, who was stronger than anyone he'd ever known.

She'd have to be, to have gotten through all of this practically alone.
But she wouldn't be alone anymore.

He removed his fingers from her hair, and trailed the tips across her cheek, and down her neck, unable to tear his eyes away from every line of her.
He would make her happy again.

He had to.

A certainty settled over him, and he knew his life was about to be different.
He was going to have to start making some changes in his career, rearranging his priorities, but it would be worth it in the end.

Slowly, he let his eyes trail down her face, to those perfect full lips.

Then, hesitantly, he leaned forward, and light as a baby's breath, pressed his against hers, sealing his promise.

He would change, for her; for their son.
Pulling away, he sighed.

This was going to be his life one day.

He was going to give them both a second chance at a happy ending.

Starting one day at a time.

Okay, so a little fluff there, and more Delena to come! :)

Review and let me know what you thought, please!