The Song That Calls Me Home Chapter 21, a vampire diaries fanfic

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BTW: Just a reminder that the songs are not mine! I totally stole from my top favorite song lists lol, and we are just going to "pretend" like Damon wrote them, kay? Okay! Thanks!

Once Elena had called in and worked everything out, she made her way back into the living room, to find Damon sitting on one side of the couch.

He had an acoustic guitar under his arm, and was strumming some tune that was unfamiliar to her.
When he took notice of her, he smiled, but continued to play.

She sat opposite of him on the couch, relaxing into the cushion as his melody filled the air.

"That's good," she encouraged, "Is that something from your book?"
She noticed the black folder he use to carry spread open on the coffee table.

But he shook his head, "No, this was actually one of my earlier songs…after I left here."
She considered this, "Which one?"

He stopped playing, then answered, "Here without you."

Her brow raised and he smirked, seeming almost embarrassed, "Yeah, I guess I wasn't being very subtle."

"You're music has always been tied to your emotions," she reminded him, "That's why it was so good…though it was a good few years before I worked up the nerve to listen to anything you put out…so I think I missed that one."

He nodded, "You inspired it, if that wasn't obvious."
She smiled a little, "Play it for me?"

He swallowed, but nodded, and began strumming again.
Seconds later, his voice joined with the music.

"A hundred days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face
A thousand lies have made me colder
And I don't think I can look at this the same.
All the miles that separate
Disappear now when I'm dreamin' of your face.

I'm here without you baby,
But you're still on my lonely mind.
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time.
I'm here without you baby,
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl, it's only you and me.

The miles just keep rollin'
As the people leave their way to say hello
I've heard this life is overrated.
But I hope that it gets better as we go.

I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind.
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time.
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight, it's only you and me.

Everything I know, and anywhere I go,
It gets hard but it won't take away my love.
And when the last one falls, when its all said and done.
It gets hard but it won't take away my love.

Elena felt speechless as his words played out, and had to close her eyes.

If there was one thing about Damon that never ceased to amaze her, it was the way he could portray his heart through the words he sang.
It was part of what had her so crazy about him in the beginning.

And now, it filled her with the same bit of sorrow he'd probably originally intended for the song to carry.

"That was…heartbreaking," she replied honestly, once his hands left the instruments.
He lifted his gaze to hers, "Possibly because I was heartbroken when I wrote it."

"There is that," she allowed, "So what else you got?"
His brow lifted, "You want me to keep playing?"

She nodded, shifting on the couch, "To be honest, Damon, I could listen to you sing all day…I've kind of missed it."
He smiled, then moved to stand, "I have an idea."

She eyed him curiously, "What kind of idea?"
He picked his car keys off the table, "Get a jacket, and come with me."

"We're leaving?"
He nodded, "I think some fresh air might do you some good."

Having no argument, she consented, "Alright."

He picked up his folder and guitar, while she grabbed her coat, and had the door open for her by the time she turned around.
She stepped outside, the warmth of his body close behind.

Christian hated athletics.
He hated football, and hated the fact that Coach Tanner hated him.

But some things couldn't be helped, so he jogged around the track, pretending to be interested in the asphalt beneath him, when really his mind was wandering.

All morning, he'd felt stubbed.

This might have had something to do with the fact that his favorite grandfather had been lying to him.
Well, maybe not lying exactly, but Grayson knew exactly how Chris felt about Damon…and the man should have told him the truth.

He exhaled, his breathing hitched.

His immediate thought would have been to assume that Damon was lying, making up a story as a lame excuse to cover why he took off, but past his reflex blame of the man, Chris knew it had been true.

Everything Damon had said was the truth.
Grayson had let him believe the worst, and Chris couldn't wrap his mind around that.
What kind of a grandparent wants their grand-kid to hate their parents?

Would manipulate them into thinking their own father was dirt, just because he disapproved of him nearly two decades ago?
It just wasn't fair.

All of the adults in his life were idiots.
Did they seriously think that the best choice for him was to keep Damon out of his life?

Was that not his decision to make?
And did he not deserve to hear the truth?

Hell, so far, Damon was the only one who hadn't lied to him.

Well, Elena hadn't either…not really. But she could have been a little more clear on the fact that-
Unless…she didn't know either.

Chris's eyebrows furrowed.
Since Grayson had been a little too hush hush about his conversation with Damon, there was a good chance Elena didn't know the whole story either…just the watered down excuses Damon had given her back then to make her give up on them.

She didn't know that he'd left for her.
Because he thought he was doing the right thing by her, even if I was a stupid move.

If she knew, surely she would have confronted Grayson about it.
His mind flashed back to a few nights ago, at his grandparents.
Had his mother and grandpa not been arguing upstairs?

What if she had found out?
And if it was true…

Chris tried to put himself in their position.

If Damon had loved his mother, and idiotically left for misplaced nobility, then him coming back meant what?
The right thing to do now would be to stay, and try to spark a relationship with his son, which admittedly, Damon was trying to do.

But where did that leave him with Chris's mom?

Surely they would both put two and two together.
Damon left, to give her a better life, which clearly, was a failed attempt, and she had avoided everything about him, thinking that he left her out of boredom.

And it was clear that they still felt something.
You could literally feel the stares they tossed at each other.

So much that he'd actually almost wanted to comment on it the night before, at the Salvatore's house.
All throughout the meal, he'd catch them eye-locked, and had begun to wonder if they even realized they were doing it.

Even if they didn't, there was something there, and it could only be avoided for so long.
Eventually, they would have to face where they stood with each other, and when that time came, he wondered what would come of it.

Would they try to work out a custody thing of him? Try to be friends, and raise him on equal footing?
Or would they try and make it work again? Could they still love each other, after all his time?

And if they did, how did he even feel about that?

Not that self-reflection was his strong suit, but he figured it was best to deal with it out here, while distracting himself from the run for the next twenty minutes, than later, when he had too much time to ponder and question.

But the problem was, he didn't know how to react.
Or what to think about any of it.

Because he and his mom had been fine for all these years. They'd had ups and downs, but they'd always pushed through, and had each other.
If Damon was back in the picture, she wouldn't be just Chris's mom anymore.

And he wasn't sure how he would feel, knowing there was another man in her life.
But if he was being honest, would it be much different than it had been these past few days?

Sharing her hadn't seemed so bad then.
And if anyone was going to be with her, it might as well be his father.

It's not like he wanted her to die alone or anything, and Damon was obviously sticking around.
So maybe he'd be okay with that…with them.

If it even happened, of course.
But hell, with their track records, he'd be lucky if they survived a month without something stepping up to ruin everything.

Ha. A month.

He tried to imagine Damon still sleeping on his couch in a month.
Being there every day, having dinner, watching tv, playing those stupid board games his mother insisted on keeping around.

Things being normal.

Then he tried to imagine Damon sleeping in his mother's bed in a month.
The two of them getting together…and if he was torturing himself, getting married, later on.

Actually making them a family.
There were worst things in life, of course.

Christian tried to imagine a family life style.
Because as much as he loved and respected his mother, Elena was only one person.
And she was more like his roommate than his Mom.

They had to work together to make things work…always.
But with Damon…maybe she could relax a little.

Maybe they all could.

He pictured his baseball games, with Damon in the stands.
The Founder's events, where he stood with Giuseppe and Stefan, bound by his unexplainable surname.

There had been so many times he'd wished Elena had made him a Gilbert instead of a Salvatore.
He'd gotten sick of trying to explain himself all through Jr. High, and had been in a fair share of fights because of it.

But now Damon could be there, and Chris didn't have to be the bastard son of the wayward black sheep anymore.

He could be just like Tyler and Kol, and every other functional teenager at Mystic Fall's High.

Speaking of the devil…
Kol came jogging up next to him.

"God, is this class almost over?" He groaned.
Chris smirked, "Not tiring out yet, are you Mikaelson?"

"Not all of us enjoy this as much as you do," he shot back.

Chris kept his pace steady, "It's not about enjoying it. It's about keeping your mind off of it, and enjoying the benefits."

He could feel Kol's eyes rolling.
"Yes, Chris, April has described to us all in full detail how much she appreciates your totally hot bod. No need to rub it in."

He smirked, but decided to change the subject, "Well, at least things will get better once baseball starts."
"True," Kol agreed, "Then the coaches will finally get off their high horses about the football stars."

Chuckling, Chris threw him a look, "Well, seeing as one of our friends is one of those football stars, you might want to be careful with the insults."

"Yeah, yeah," he shrugged it off, "But Tyler's the one who chose to do football, track, and baseball this year. So if he hears me talking shit, it's mostly his own fault."

"Whatever you say man," Chris laughed, "Whatever you say."

Half an hour later, Damon parked the Camaro, and smiled at Elena's confused face.
"Why did we come here?"

Her family's lake house was just as he remembered it, big, secluded, and brought right out of nature itself.
All alone it was a welcoming sight, not even mentioning the landscaping they'd had done on the outside.

"I thought it would be good to get away," he explained, "Away from small town prying eyes. And besides, this place has a lot of good memories."
She smiled a little, opening her door, and he followed her lead.

Although, once her door shut, she turned to him, "So, you know we can't get in, right? I mean, Dad has the keys, and it stays locked because they only use it on holidays and-"

"Elena," he cut her off, "I didn't come for the house."
He nodded toward the dock, and she blushed, "Oh."

He could imagine everything passing through her mind, just as clear as it was passing through his own.

It had been her sixteenth birthday party.
Grayson and Miranda had thrown a huge bash for her, here at the lake house, and as the night winded down, Elena had sweet-talked them into letting her, Caroline, and their friend Bonnie have a sleepover.

Damon remembered her pouting face, telling them that they'd be sure and pick up everything, and Caroline had a car, so they could come home the next day, and that she'd have her phone if there was an emergency.

They'd eventually agreed, with only two rules.
No alcohol. No boys.

He wanted to laugh, because that had lasted all of about five minutes.
Once the adults were gone for good, the whole gang had come back.

In the end, it had been a good size group of people, including himself, Elena, Caroline, Stefan, Bonnie, Matt, and Mason.
There had indeed been alcohol, thanks to Mason, and it didn't take long for the music to start, and for the games to begin.

He'd been dating Elena for months at this point, and was head over heels for her.
So in the middle of the night, he'd woken her up, telling her to sneak outside with him, so he could give her his present.

They'd gotten outside without waking anyone up, and he'd led her out to this very dock.
Of course, he'd gone all out, with candles, rose petals, and even an assortment of chocolates.
She'd loved all of it, and had been excited when he pulled out his guitar, and played the song he'd written especially for her birthday.

Of course one thing had then led to another, and before he could even register what was happening, she had pulled him down on top of her, their lips connecting as they made a bed of the blankets surrounding them.

He had taken her virginity that night, and lost his own.
It was monumental to say the least, to be so connected with one person…back when sex actually meant something to him.

He knew that night, once they had finished, and laid in each other's arms, looking at the stars, that he was never going to be able to shake this girl.
She'd wrapped herself in his heart, and he'd always love her.

She would always be his first.
Just as he would always be hers.

"You know, I never have been able to look at this place the same," Elena's voice pulled him from the memory, "Each time I've been out here…it's the first thing that comes to mind."

He adjusted the guitar on his back so he could take a seat, and she sat across from him.
"It was pretty special," he offered, and she nodded.

"So were we."

He couldn't find a comment to that, so he did the next best thing he could.

He settle the guitar under his arm, and he played for her.

Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did!

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!

Chris's thoughts?
Delena song, and memories at the lake house.
What do you think will happen next?

And just saying, I loved writing a big scene in the next chapter! ;)