Hey guys! This chapter is extra long :)
Mainly because I love you guys and wanted to thank you, but also because it's the 40th chapter, and I've never written a story so long!

It wouldn't have happened without all of your amazing reviews though, so thank you!

This chapter is going to deal with a lot, so I thought I'd warn you in advance lol.
Some major Damon/Chris. A little Elena/April and even some Grayson insight.

I really can't wait to see what you think!

Oh, P.S with the song in this one, It was originally something else, but I tweaked it and wrote a little extra to make it fit better!

Damon slid into the role of performer quite easily.

He loved being on stage in front of a group of people that truly made him feel as though his music was worth something.
It's one of the things he loved about it in the beginning, and had forgotten over the years.

Elena had mentioned that his music had gotten away from him.
That it wasn't really his music anymore, and he had to agree.
This was the first time in a while he'd gotten to sing freely, and actually choose the songs.

And the towns folk weren't disappointed, if the loud clapping and screams at the end of each song was anything to measure by.

He smiled.

Something about being back here, in this town, with these people...it felt right.
Singing his songs, doing what he loved, and knowing that Elena was out there, supporting him.
It's the way it should have been all along.

Him, the music, and the crowd, all in harmony.
Not the flashy concerts, with smoke and lights, and forced grins for thousands of cameras.

That wasn't necessary here.
This was home.

And if he needed any further proof of that, all he had to do was look off to the left, where Elena stood, smiling brightly.
Being famous was never his dream...this was.

He returned her smile, and noticed Chris sitting at the picnic table next to her, April at his side.
Huh, looks like they came back early.

Chris caught his eye as he looked in that direction, and flashed him a thumbs up.
Damon blinked.

An entire new wave of emotion hit him at that moment, and his voice was lost.

He'd always known, somehow, that Elena was there, wanting this for him, pushing him on through his dreams to do his best.
She had always believed in him.

But Chris...his son was watching him perform.

There were no words for the feelings he had in that second, and if it weren't for the expecting audience in front of him, he probably would have rushed down off the stage, just to pull the boy into his arms again.

Would he ever get use to this?
He was a father, and some ultimate force above seemed to think they deserved a second chance to make things work out.

And he would thank every star in the heavens for that, as long as he lived.
But it still couldn't make up for everything...

Words flashed in his mind then. Lyrics he'd been working on this past week, after going through all of Chris's baby picture's with Elena.
He'd used those emotions as inspiration.
And seeing Chris's blue eyes, watching him in the crowd, made him decide.

He knew exactly what song to end on...and hopefully, let his son know everything he felt, without having to embarrass them both by trying to explain it.

He checked the mic and addressed the crowd, "Okay everyone, last song for the night!"
Some groaned, others cheered, but he just smiled, before turning to the band, "You guys can wrap up...I'm gonna go acoustic on this one..."

They nodded, shaking his hand, before making their exit.

Damon reached over to the drummer's set up, and grabbed the stool.
He placed it center stage, and sat down, leveling the mic, and bringing his guitar up under his arm, before looking up.

"This is something new I've been working on," he admitted, "And it's the first time I've played it to anyone, so be nice."
Some chuckles followed, and he smiled, setting his eyes on his family, especially Chris, and the words flowed freely.

"I looked through the photographs
While lying on the bed
There's two more on the dresser
And thousands floating through my head
I can't believe how fast time flew
It ain't suppose to be like this
Now every time I look at him
I see how much I've missed

I missed his first steps
His first words
I love you daddy
Is something I never heard
Oh it hurts me so
To see my little boy grow
Up in pictures"

He could tell by the stunned look on Christian's face, that he hadn't been expecting this.
But his entire attention was captured, as he looked up at Damon.
Damon strummed his guitar, the music coming as natural as the words, while he sang to his son.

"I have all my excuses and
I can do my best to do my part
But it can't compare
With what I pay with my heart
There's still unspoken words beneath
That weigh heavy on my mind
'Cause now I see there was no good
In my goodbye

I missed his first steps
His first words
I love you daddy
Is something I never heard
Oh it hurts me so
To see my little boy grow
Up in pictures"

Damon closed his eyes then, his heart breaking with the words.
At the reminder of all he'd lost in his selfishness...all that he'd never know, or get to experience.
And how much Chris was hurt by his ignorance.
The boy had grown up without a father, and it wasn't fair.

"It takes all I have
To keep the pain inside
What I wouldn't give if
I could turn back time
But I'm left laying here
Knowing I can not replace
What I took from him
And I'm not sure what to say

Because, I missed his first steps
His first words
I love you daddy
Is something I never heard
Oh it hurts me so
To see my little boy grow
Up in pictures"

Chris swallowed, not really sure how to respond to what he'd just heard.

Damon had wrote a song...about him. Or to him...
It was a written apology for the world to see, and Damon's emotions had been raw, and real.

The man waved goodbye to the crowd, and exited the stage, disappearing behind the back, and the next musical performance came on to start setting up.

Chris inhaled as he watched Elena disappear, probably to go meet Damon, and tried to remind himself that all of this shouldn't be a big deal.

That his girlfriend was right next to him, and that crying at the age of fifteen was a sissy move.

But he couldn't help it.
The tears were coming without his consent, and he wasn't even sure why.

Maybe it was the accumulation of everything that had happened that night, with Kol, and Damon, and realizing that he finally had a family, but the next thing he knew, his face was in his hands, and his whole body was shaking from sobs.

He felt the pair of arms around his waist tighten, and knew April was giving him her support.
A small part of him felt selfish, considering what she'd gone through tonight, but when he pulled back and saw the understanding smile on her face, he knew it was okay.

She was giving him permission to feel without the guilt.
So he leaned into her, and for the first time in forever, really cried.

He wasn't sure how long they were like that, before hand on his shoulder called his attention, and he looked up to see his mother, who also had tears running down her face.

She cupped his cheek, then leaned down, whispering to him.
"Go see him, baby...he's in the Grill."

Chris could only nod, and wiped his face off, before throwing a look at April, "I'll be back."
She nodded, as Elena sat down across from her, "We'll be waiting."

He smiled slightly, ran his sleeve under his eyes once more, and walked toward the Grill.

Elena brushed away her own tears as her son disappeared.

Damon's song had hit them all, and she was so happy to see Chris finally let go.
He'd been almost too okay with Damon's return, since they'd tried to work everything out, and she had been waiting for something like this to happen.

She just didn't expect that it would happen this way.

She had followed Damon, who was with Val, back into the Grill, so they could avoid any questions that may have arose.
When she'd walked in, he'd pulled her to him, and kissed her soundly, before asking to see Chris.
Elena had nodded, assuring him that she'd go get him.

Now as she sat with April, she could only imagine the conversation that was going on between her two boys.

"That was beautiful," the younger girl commented.
Elena smiled at her, noticing that even her eyes were a little teary, "It really was..."

"I'm glad that Chris has his Dad now," April sighed, leaning an elbow on the table.
Elena agreed, "They need each other more than they realize...I wished I'd known that sooner."

April reached over, taking her hand, "You did your best, and Chris loves you...don't feel guilty." Elena smiled at her.
She had always liked April, and the two talked a lot over the past year.

It's not that they were super close, but Elena tried to be there for her as much as possible, feeling so bad that such a sweet girl had no mother figure to talk to.

"Thanks sweetie," she patted April's hand, and cleared her throat, "So how has the Haunted House?"

She thought the change of subject might help clear the emotions, and she was also a little curious as to why they were back so early, and had wondered if the plans had changed.
Chris hadn't said, when they'd walked up.

April seemed to hesitate, and her gaze slid down, "It was pretty good, I guess."

Elena got an odd sense that something was off, "Yeah?"
Still avoiding her gaze, April nodded, "Yep."

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked out of habit.
Having a teenage boy who was always up to something had honed her sense of telling when something was wrong.

And April was definitely leaving out something.

"It's fine," April assured her, but her voice was small, so Elena felt completely justified in pulling out her "mother" face.
It worked all the time with Chris, and seemed to have a similar affect on his girlfriend.

"Well, most of the night was fine," April amended.
"What happened?" Elena pressed.

April shook her head, "I was stupid...I didn't think. And it nearly got me in trouble."
Elena's brows furrowed, "How do you mean?"

April bit her lip, and Elena sighed, reminding herself not to push to hard.
From what she knew, April was pretty independent. She had to be patient, and let the girl open up freely.

She gently ran her thumb over April's hand, "You can talk to me about anything, Sweetie...you know that don't you?"
April nodded, and when she looked up, fresh tears were in her eyes, "I do...and thanks. It's just, I think I'm still processing."

Elena nodded, but didn't comment. April had to open up on her own.
"I was with Chris most of the night," she finally started.

Elena stayed silent, but was sure to make sure April knew she was listening.

"But when we got to this House of Illusions, we got separated. Kol was with me though."
April exhaled, "We got out before Chris, and Kol convinced me to go ahead to the next trail, where we were supposed to meet Chris at, but when we got there, there wasn't a line, and Kol goaded me into doing the trail with him...but he'd been drinking..."

Elena swallowed.
She knew Kol Mikaelson pretty well, seeing as all the boys had been at her house a few times, and he was definitely capable of causing trouble.

That he'd been drinking didn't really surprise her too much.

Her interest peaked.

April was staring at her hands now, "We were being chased by something, so we ran. Kol was leading me, and I couldn't see. When we finally stopped, we'd gotten off the path somehow, and Kol got sick...or at least, I thought he had. But he tried to...he tried to kiss me."

Elena blinked, not expecting that.
Kol may be a handful, but she'd have thought that group of boys were too close to move in on each other's girls.

Apparently she was wrong.

"I told him no," April continued, "And he got angry...he called me a tease. He...he wanted to know if I was with Chris because he was a founding family member. He asked me why I...why I'd want Chris and not him."

Elena could feel the frown set on her face, and April's face was wet with the tears that were now in her voice, "I didn't mean to make him feel like that," she hurried to say, "I never meant to, I didn't even know I he was interested, and now Chris is going to kill him, and their friendship is ruined, and it's all because of me!"

Elena quickly moved around the table so she could sit next to the girl, and pulled her into her arms, "No Sweetie," she hushed, running a hand over April's head, "It's not your fault. You can't help that Kol tried to kiss you...I'm sure he and Chris will talk, and-"

April was shaking her head, "No..." she whispered, "He didn't just try to kiss me. He tried to...rape me."

Elena froze for a second.
Kol had tried to rape April?!

"April, honey, what exactly happened?" she asked softly.

The girl took a breath, "He started saying all of those things...then he said he'd make me sorry. And he grabbed me. I tried to fight back, but he was too strong. He...he had his hands on me, trying to touch me, but I kept hitting him and screaming. I was so scared...I thought no one would hear me...but then Chris came. Him and Tyler."

Elena's hand covered her mouth.
Chris had found Kol trying to rape his girlfriend...
She knew her son well enough to understand what April had meant now about Chris killing Kol.

"What did Chris do?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

April shook her head, "Nothing bad. I begged him to leave. I didn't want him getting in trouble because of me...but I think Tyler may have hit Kol, because he was bleeding when they dragged him to the cars. I rode here with Chris. Jeremy and some of the others took Kol home."

Elena pursed her lips, nodding.
"I am so proud of you, April. You handled the situation with a lot of maturity, but honey, you have to understand that this wasn't your fault."

"But it was," April insisted, "Kol was drunk, and I must have provoked him somehow...I didn't have to go out there with him. I should have just waited for Chris."

Elena rubbed the girl's shoulder, "Sweetie, no. You can't blame yourself. Kol did this, and he's the one at fault. Not you."

"But if Chris gets in trouble for doing something to him-"

"I'll handle Chris," Elena promised her, "I'll talk to him, and if you want, we can go to the station in the morning and file a complaint."

April bit her lip again, "What will that do?"
"It'll make sure Kol doesn't mess with you again. That's what."

April gave her a weak smile, then hugged her, "Thank you so much."
Elena squeezed her back, "It's no problem. You know that."

They pulled apart, and Elena checked the time.
It was about eleven.

"Is your dad home, April? Or do you need a place to stay tonight? Chris is going to Tyler's so his bed is free, if you'd rather be somewhere else. I imagine you're pretty shaken up."

April smiled kindly, "Thank you, but I'm actually going with the girls to a sleepover. I really do appreciate it though."

Elena nodded, "Of course. And you can call me if you need to talk, or anything happens okay? You have my number."
"Yes, ma'am," April nodded.

Elena hugged her again, but this time, didn't let go.

Her son was living proof that every child should have two parents in their life, and having lost a mother so young would be devastating.
And she knew it wasn't much, but being held by a loving figure, after such an ordeal, may be just what the girl needed.

And Elena was more than willing to spread her mothering wing.

Chris lingered outside the Grill for a few minutes, not really sure what he was supposed to say to Damon when he went inside.

But huffing out some air, he told himself not to be a coward, and finally opened the doors and stepped inside.

There were a few workers or volunteers around in different costumes, but he didn't see Damon's plain black jeans and T-shirt anywhere.

"Dad?" he called hesitantly, looking around.
"Chris?" He looked over and spotted his uncle Stefan.

"Hey," he gave a nod, "Have you seen Damon?"
"He's in the back," Stefan directed, "But he should be back any se-"

"Chris."
Christian turned, just as Damon walked in through the side door.

"Hey," he addressed.
Stefan seemed to gather that they were needing to talk, "I'll go get the other boxes."

Damon nodded at him, before walking up to Chris.
"I was starting to think you didn't want to come," Damon noted.

Chris bit at his lip, "It's not that I didn't want to...I just wasn't sure what to say when I did."
Damon nodded, "Let's step out back?"

Chris agreed, and followed him to the door.

The back of the Grill opened to a vacant lot, where a few employee cars were parked.
Damon sat down on the steps, just off the door, and Chris joined him.

They sat in silence for a moment, nothing but the night, and the slight sound of jazz from the square, around them.

Damon spoke first, "I meant it you know..."
Chris turned, meeting his gaze, "Which part?"

"All of it," Damon admitted, "But mainly, how much I regret what I took away from you...from us. It's not right, and it's not fair."
Chris nodded, "I know...but we can't really do anything about it, right?"

Damon set his jaw, "Not really. But that doesn't change the facts. I know I apologized before...but I've been thinking a lot these past few days, and I owe you more than just an apology. I owe you an entire childhood, and that's the only thing I can't give to you."

"It's okay," Chris assured him.
"No, it isn't," Damon insisted, "Chris...I let you down. I let your mother down. And still, the two of you have given me this incredible blessing. This second chance, and I can't thank you enough for that. And I'll do everything I can to get it right this time. I promise you that."

Chris smiled softly at him, "I know that, Dad, really I do."
Damon nodded, "Good. But I also have to be honest with you, Chris. I will do my very best to be the father you deserve, and the man that your mother deserves to have in her life...but I can't say that I won't make mistakes. I'm new to all of this, and it's going to take time before we are all used to it."

"But you'll be here, now," Chris pointed out, "We have time to get use to it."
Damon nodded, "Yes. But there will still be adjustments."

"And we'll handle it," Chris stated.
Damon smiled, "Yeah...we will...I just didn't want you to disappoint you."

Chris shrugged, "People tend to surprise you. And you aren't doing too bad so far."
Damon chuckled, "Thanks. I think...though it definitely helps that you and your mother have been so great about it."

Chris stared off into the lot, "I think it's just because, in the end, we all want the same thing."
Damon was looking at him, "And what's that?"

Chris turned his head, meeting his father's eyes, "A real family."

Grayson Gilbert prided himself on many things.

He was a pillar of the community, donated to charities regularly, tried to be a good husband, and was a polite, God-fearing man.

But he was a father, first and forever.

He remembered all too well, over three decades ago, when they'd placed that little pink blanket in his arms.
"Elena," Miranda had said, "Her name is Elena."

That moment had changed his life forever.

He loved his wife, of course, she was his better half, and he loved his town, his traditions, his home. They were all a part of him.
But since the day Elena was born, she was the heartbeat in his chest.

His reason for living, his purpose on this earth.

He knew he had been a good father to her, as she grew up, and he knew that they had a good relationship.
But he also knew that he'd made some mistakes.

The biggest of which, he was realizing, might have been Damon Salvatore.

He'd known his as Giuseppe's boy, at first.
The oldest of the next generations of Salvatores.

He didn't particularly have a problem with the family, but Giuseppe wasn't at the top of his poker night list.
They shared a mutual respect for each other, and that was that.

Then Elena had mentioned, so casually at dinner one night, that Damon had asked her on a date.
Grayson had been surprised.
Last he'd heard, she was talking to Kelly Donovan's son, Matthew, who was a good, quiet kid.

With some persuading on Miranda's part, Grayson had agreed to let Elena go on this date with Damon.
It was just a movie after all.

But she'd come home that night with stars in her eyes, and he knew that he was going to have trouble.
She was only fifteen, and somehow convinced herself that she was in love.

He prayed that it would fade with time, before she got hurt.
But it hadn't.
If anything, as the months passed, she and Damon became inseparable.

Grayson eventually convinced himself that if Elena was happy, he should just be happy for her, and he really tried.

But then she had mentioned that Damon was planning on leaving, to go off to California for his schooling, and Grayson saw the inevitable heartbreak on the horizon.

He now saw that maybe he pushed her too hard toward the medical path.
She'd seemed interested, but if he'd taken the time to really look, maybe he'd have realized that her heart wasn't in it.

But he hadn't, and therefore, was sent into a panic when she announced that after her senior year, she was going to join Damon in California so they could start a life together, living off their music.

He felt justified in his doubts, and still did.
It's the dream of every young musician, and only a small amount actually made it in the music world.
That Elena was willing to put all of her eggs in this basket worried him.

Such a rash, impulsive decision was unlike her.
So he'd assumed it was Damon's doing.
Elena was smarter than that, but even the best could fall pray to manipulation.

It was then that Damon truly became the enemy.

He wanted to drag Elena far away from her home, and the family that had loved and supported her for seventeen years, to take a shot at a throwaway dream.
It wasn't something Grayson could just watch happen.

His mind became consumed with keeping Elena safe, and sheltered, and close to him.

He hoped with urgency that the semester Damon stayed away would lessen the attraction they held for each other.
But again, he'd been wrong.

They'd talked on the phone for hours, skyping, and planning future dates.
It seemed that Damon still planned on having Elena come to California with him.

So Grayson did the only other thing he could think to do.
He had to make Damon realize the truth.

Elena didn't belong out there, living off of nothing.
She had a promising future, top grades, and endless possibilities.
If the boy really loved her, surely he'd understand that Elena deserved a lot better than the half-life he could offer.

So Damon came home, and Grayson eventually talked to him.
He'd laid everything out.

Had told Damon exactly what he thought, and insisted that Elena would be better off without him and the nonsense he filled her head with.
It had taken some reasoning, but finally the guy had seen the light, and agreed to do what was best for her.

A small part of Grayson hated doing it.
He knew Elena would hate him for it, when she found out, but it would be better for her in the long run.
Everyone had a first love, and everyone managed to keep on living once it ended.
She was a smart girl. She'd be okay.

At least, he'd thought.

Seeds of doubt had grown in his mind the week after Damon left.
When he would hear his daughter crying, and screaming in her sleep, all hours of the night.
Her pain broke his heart, but he assured himself, over and over, that it was the best thing for her.

But weeks went by, and Elena didn't seem to be moving on.
In fact, she grew paler, slept less, and started getting sick.

He didn't find out why, until later.

When Elena finally came clean about being pregnant, Grayson's mind had snapped.
He'd went through so many loops, just to get his daughter away from Damon, to give her a real chance, and yet, somehow, Salvatore still managed to ruin her life.

But in all honesty, he hated himself as much as Damon in that moment.
He was the reason Elena would have to go through this alone.

So the simplest solution that came to him was to get rid of the problem all together.
Terminate the pregnancy, and it would be as if nothing had changed.

Damon would stay out of their lives, Elena could still go on to a good college and have a successful career, and he, selfishly, wouldn't have to feel the guilt of the situation he'd forced her in.

It made perfect sense at the time.

But Elena had once again, surprised him.
She refused, flat out, to have an abortion, and insisted that she could finish school, do college, and find a job, even with the baby.

She told him heatedly, that she understood what she was giving up, and she understood how hard this was going to be, but that she was going to do it, because it was her choices that had led to this, and she was going to take responsibility for them.

He hated it, but at the same time, was so proud of her in that moment.

And she had proved everything she said to be true.
His baby girl had worked her ass off to finish school, and managed to enroll in online classes, right before Chris was born.

Then she'd gone into labor.

Grayson recalled perfectly, the day he saw Elena holding his grandson.
He had smiled, and in the moment, was so glad that Elena hadn't listened to him.

He thought not of how Christian's blue eyes and black hair resembled a man he despised, but of how Elena's face glowed as she stared at her son.
The pure adoration and love that came off of her was enough to give him hope, that maybe she had a handle on this...that somehow, she'd still be okay.

He and Miranda had helped her, after Chris's birth, and the Salvatore's had stepped up too, surprisingly.

Chris got older, and Grayson couldn't help but love the little boy.
They grew close, as Elena finished her schooling, and got a job at some magazine.
Everything seemed to be turning again, and things fell back into place.

For fifteen years, Grayson watched Christian grow.
There were times, admittedly, when the boy's resemblance to Damon was staggering, but he didn't let it bother him.
Chris reminded him more of Elena, anyway, with his personality.

Once or twice, Christian had asked about Damon.
Grayson had tried to explain what had happened, in the best way he could, but his guilt consumed him, as he looked into those haunting blue eyes.

He still felt like he did the right thing, in trying to keep Elena from Damon, and if Chris hadn't of been born, he was sure his plan would have worked.

But it was harder to believe that when he looked at a boy who had grown up without a father's love, because his grandfather made that decision.

It was easier to believe that Damon was the bad guy.

Grayson kept tabs on him, just in case, and saw how his behavior declined.
He had made it to the big leagues, sure, but that didn't change anything else.

Damon would never deserve Elena, and each infraction he had that got splashed across the internet was just further proof of that.
The more Damon messed up, the better Grayson felt.

Because it eased the guilt he held, allowing him to convince himself that he was right, and talking Damon into leaving was a good choice to make.

But then Damon had come back...and he found out about Christian.
Grayson wasn't sure what to expect.

He had assumed that it wouldn't be above Damon to use this to his advantage.
Elena would accept him, just as she had before, and Chris would follow her lead.
And when Damon left this time, there was a lot more at stake then Elena's broken heart.

Still though, he wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
So instead of confronting Damon, he tried to talk sense into his daughter.

Surely she wouldn't want to jeopardize the life she'd built for herself and her son.

But he'd ate his own words as she'd stormed away from him, insisting that Damon was here to stay.
He'd felt lost, and spiteful, and was unsure what to do.

He didn't know what Damon was capable of, or what his motives were.
All he had was his fears, that the man was going to move into town, and hurt his family, his little girl, and his grandson.

So he'd held on to his suspicions, making sure Damon knew that he wasn't going to be able to fool everyone with whatever plan he had.
And Grayson was so sure Damon had a plan.

Until tonight.

He had sat in the folded out chair, next to Miranda, as Damon had come out on the stage.
There had been a lot of modern day music he'd rolled his eyes out, but a few stood out.

As did the way Damon kept watching Elena as he sang.
Grayson had felt that same doubt creep back up, followed by the guilt.

This slight possibility that maybe Damon really was upset by what had happened.
That he really did just love Elena, and wanted a second chance.
But still, he couldn't be sure, and he wasn't quite ready to give the benefit of the doubt to the man yet.

But then Damon had played his last song.

A song, not to Elena, but to Christian.

Grayson swallowed hard, as the memory of Damon's agonized voice rang in his mind.
Even as cynical as he was, he knew that the range of emotion pouring out of those lyrics couldn't be faked.

Grayson was, after all, a father.

He never would have believed it possible, but part of him...understood Damon, in that moment.
The pain, the loss, making choices that you can never fix...it was too honest not to be real.

And that left him very conflicted.

He couldn't say for sure that Damon didn't have some sort of plan, or secret motive.
He couldn't say for sure if the feelings he'd spun for Elena were real or not.
But after tonight, Grayson was certain of one thing, and of course, it would be the one thing that might possibly make him reconsider his opinion.

Because no matter his personal feeling for the man, he could not deny the truth.
Damon loved Christian.

And anyone who could feel that much for their child deserved at least a little respect, even if Grayson was too proud to admit it out loud.

Miranda's voice called him from his thoughts.
"Sorry, what as that, dear?" he asked.
She smiled, "I wanted to know if we should go get some drinks now? I'm getting rather thirsty."
He nodded, "Sure."

He stood, stretching, before kindly offering his wife a hand, and helping her to his feet.

Grayson Gilbert did, after all, consider himself a gentleman.
Which was probably why his hidden guilt was, once again, knocking against his heart.

Damn him.

Okay, so like I said, this chapter had a lot going on lol.

Please, please leave nice long reviews with lots of feedback.

Also, please tell me what you'd like to see happen.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads with the path this story could take, and I'm hoping the feedback I get from you guys will help me decide!

But other than that...

Did you like the song?
My heart broke a little writing Chris's reaction. Such beauty in the moment that he realizes his father is really there in front of him, wanting him.

What about April and Elena? Did that convo feel natural?

Also, Grayson's drabbling.
Please understand that I'm not trying to defend him.

He made some crappy choices, and was selfish, but I'm hoping to show that even though he messed up royally, he's still human.
He made a huge mistake, and he really does have to deal with it internally.

Annnyway, I really hope you liked it, and can't wait to read your reviews :)