So this chapter ran on longer than I thought, sooo be happy! Lol.
I really liked this chapter, and I hope y'all do to!
Also, please note that I wrote this in under an hour, at two in the morning, so please forgive any mistakes, thanks in advance! Lol
It's for Chris.
She just had to remember that.
April ran a hand through her hair as she followed Briana into the Grill.
She could hardly believe her father let her leave, even if it was just to "play pool and get dinner with some of her girlfriends".
She actually felt bad for lying to him.
But she had to come.
Her eyes scanned the crowd.
Friday night was karaoke night at the Grill so it was more packed than usual, but of course that was the point of her choosing it.
It's not like she was going to meet up with Kol in a dark alley.
No, a public place was best.
After a minute, she found him, sitting at a side booth, alone.
She quickly told Briana that she'd be back soon, and zigzagged through the crowd until she was standing next to the last person she wanted anything to do with.
Kol's eyes lifted when she sat down.
"I wasn't sure you'd come," he told her.
Luckily they were far enough away from the stage that she could easily hear him over the music.
"Neither was I," she answered honestly, "But you said you had heard something important, and that it involves Chris...So, I'm here."
Kol nodded, before sighing, "Look April, I'm really sorry about-"
"I know," she cut him off, "And I told you, I get it, I do, but I can't forgive you yet."
"I understand," he assured her, "I just had to say it."
She nodded, "Okay, now you have...So let's get to the point."
She crossed her arms as she leaned back into her seat.
Kol searched for his words, "Right...uh, well, I'm not sure exactly what it was, But um, I heard something this morning."
April remained silent, and he continued, "There was an older man here, at the bar this morning, talking to Vicki...it was her shift. And she called me over. They were talking about Chris, and Damon. I'm not sure what Vicki was telling the guy, But he seems to know a lot about Chris's family, and he kept asking Vicki questions about you and Chris."
April blinked, "Who was he?"
Kol shrugged, "No idea. I'd never seen him, But he was odd. A little too interested, I guess."
"Great," April groaned.
"What?" Kol prodded.
She eyed him.
Well, It's not like he didn't know who Damon was.
"Chris said there's a reporter in town, trying to get a scoop on Damon. He found out about Chris, and well, I guess that's a big deal for their story or whatever. He's a rumor mill, tabloid type, total ass."
Kol actually looked concerned, "Well, from the questions he was asking Vicki, the guy's more interested in Chris than Damon. Might want to give him a heads up."
April nodded, "Yeah, I will."
The air grew cold with the silence and April pulled her sweater tighter against her, "So, um, what all did Vicki say?"
"Nothing flattering," Kol assured her, "You know Vic. She was spinning him tales of every color. She even seemed to think that you and I...well,"
"Oh my god," April huffed, "She's ridiculous. Nobody else knows about Halloween, So she's making up her own truth."
Kol had the decency to look guilty, "Anything I can do?"
April shook her head, standing, "No, not really. I just...I don't know. I need to talk to Chris, But um...thanks. You didn't have to tell me this...So I appreciate it."
Kol nodded, "It's little, in comparison, you know...I guess I'm just hoping everything can just, well...I'm sorry, April. I know I can't make up for what I did, But I'm gonna try. And despite my actions that night, I don't want Chris to get hurt, and whatever is going on with this reporter guy, well, it seems big."
April considered that, "Yeah, it might be. But we'll have to see."
He nodded, "Guess so."
She swallowed, "So, I'm gonna go find Briana...watch yourself."
He gave her a half smile, "You too, Young...Oh, and uh, for the sake of my life, can you not tell Chris we met up, please."
April nodded, "Of course, I'm not an idiot."
He thanked her, and she left, running her mind over how this was all about to go down.
Elena hadn't realized how long she could hold her breath, until her phone finally rang at ten that night, and she exhaled in relief.
"Hey baby."
Damon's voice put every part of her at ease.
"Hey," she tried to control her pounding heart, "I was starting to get worried."
"Yeah, I know, sweetheart, I'm sorry," he sighed, "I spent a large chunk of today getting everything ready for tomorrow. And meeting with Alaric and some of the producers at the label. I just got back to my apartment."
"Oh it's okay," She assured him, "I figured you had a lot to do."
His "Hmmph" was plenty answer.
"You sound tired," she noted, falling back onto her bed.
"That's one word for it," she could hear the smile in his voice, "Let's just say it's a lot nicer where you are."
"I can imagine," she noted, "Though I'm still not sure I shouldn't have come with you."
Damon chuckled, "Baby, I would have loved to have you here, but Chris needs you more. Especially with that asshole reporter lurking about."
"Yeah, I know," she sighed, "I'm just pouting. I kinda got used to having you here in bed with me. It's a lot bigger when I'm by myself."
"I know, baby," he assured her, "But I'll be home before you know it, and the bed will be crowded again."
She laughed, "It's only crowded because we sleep in the middle."
She ran her hand across Damon's pillow, "Is it too teenagery of me to sleep with one of your shirts?"
She heard Damon's breath hitch, "Not at all...I'll tell you what. Look on the floor, by my side of the bed."
She smirked, but did as he asked.
Sure enough, a black long sleeved T-shirt was thrown across the floor.
She picked it up.
"You're so messy," she teased.
Damon's laugh made her smile.
"You were the one that threw it down there last night, sweetheart," he reminded her, "But anyway, It's clean, and it should still smell like me."
She brought it to her nose, breathing in his scent.
"Yeah, it does," she told him, burying her face in it.
Damon was smiling.
"Good. Now listen to me...take off your clothes."
Blood flooded her cheeks, even though she was alone in the room.
"Damon!"
He laughed, "No, I'm being serious, Elena. Come on. Just take off your pajamas."
Still blushing, she did as he told her to, stripping to her underwear.
"Okay," she told him, "Pj's are gone. Now what?"
"Turn the lights off, and lay in the middle of the bed for me."
She didn't protest this time, her curiosity getting the best of her as she flipped off the lamp and settled into the mattress.
"Okay," she breathed.
Damon was quieter now, "You have my shirt?"
"Yes," she ran the fabric through her fingers.
"Put it on," he told her.
She did so quickly, loving how big the soft cotton was on her.
"Let me guess," Damon exhaled, "Three inches too long in the arm, and the length of it could be a dress on you?"
She laughed, "Pretty much."
Damon smiled, "Good. Because I want you to imagine that's me. I want you to imagine my hands on your skin, my body against yours, my arms around you, holding you."
She swallowed, curving his pillow against her side, trying to picture the sleeve of the shirt drifting over her the way Damon's fingers do.
It almost worked.
She cleared her throat, willing back the tears, "I feel you."
She heard his deep sigh, "I feel you too, baby. I'm with you, even if I'm not. I'm never going to let you feel alone again."
She bit her lip, pulling the sweater over her face, breathing him in.
"I love you, Damon."
"I love you too."
Chris was lucky that his mother was distracted come Saturday morning.
Not that he blamed her.
But it did make it easier to get her to agree to let him out of the house.
April had texted him, wanting him to meet her at the coffee shop on the square.
Apparently she had something to talk about, and it seemed rather important.
He grabbed the keys to the camaro, after Elena okayed it for him to drive it only to the square and back, and pulled out of the drive.
He loved the way the car felt on the winding blacktop, and his excitement grew for the day the Firebird was ready.
He made it to town in less than five minutes.
He could see April's dark hair through the cafe's window and hurried to join her.
She smiled at him when he walked up, standing to kiss him.
Two lattes were already waiting on the table.
"What's going on?" He greeted, grabbing one of the cups.
April motioned her head, "Let's go outside to the benches and talk. I don't want to be overheard."
He nodded, and let her grab her coffee before leading the way outside.
The benches and picnic tables were placed sporadically throughout the town square, and luckily, thanks to the slight nip in the air, most were empty.
April chose one of the wooden tables and sat down, Chris following.
"So that reporter guy has been asking around about you," she started, her expression hesitant.
Chris rose a brow, "Oh really?"
She nodded, "And he's asking the wrong kind of people...You remember Halloween night, why I came to Tyler's?"
Chris nodded, "Vicki was talking shit and...Oh god, tell me she's not his informer."
April sighed, "I wish I could. But yeah, apparently she was very chatty with him yesterday. And he wanted to know a lot about you...about us, and I'm not sure what all she told him, but if it's anything resembling the crap she was spewing out that night at Bri's, we have an issue."
Chris ran a hand through his hair, "Great. Just fucking perfect."
"I'm sorry baby," April dropped her head.
Chris sighed, "No, you're fine. This isn't your fault...come here."
He took her hand and led her around the table, until she was sitting next to him, curled into his side.
His arm draped over her shoulder, and he kissed her head, "We'll deal with this. It'll be alright."
He wasn't sure if he was telling her this, or himself, but either way it felt like the right thing to say.
April tilted her head up, meeting his gaze, "I love you."
He smiled, kissing her lips, "I love you too."
He pressed their lips together again, then again, until her mouth opened, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
April was the one sure thing he could cling to right now, and he had no problem doing just that.
He clung to her and kissed her, letting all of this recently developed drama fade away.
The only thing that mattered was this girl in his arms.
He maneuvered them around so he could lift her slightly, so that she was sitting atop the table, at the perfect height for him to lean into their kiss, which was quickly growing more desperate.
Clearing his head just enough to remember where they were, Chris pulled away, and grabbed April's hand.
Drinks forgotten, they ran across the courtyard of the square, back toward the camaro.
On the opposite side, and Chris's destination, was an alleyway, between the coffee shop and William Forbes' old antique shop.
April laughed a little as he dragged her down it, before stopping to push her slowly against the wall.
"You're crazy, Salvatore," she accused, and Chris could only grin.
"Crazy for you."
She laughed again, "That was really cheesy, you dork."
He smirked cupping her face, "Doesn't make it any less true though."
Then they were kissing again, lips, arms and breath all tangling, teasing as they groped and moaned against each other.
Chris could have stayed that way forever, if it wasn't for the sudden flash.
He and April jumped apart as a man with the camera snapped away, Edward Garrison smirking behind him.
"What the hell?" Chris demanded, pushing April behind his body as he straightened himself.
"Nice to see you again, Christian. Who's this pretty little thing? April Young, I presume?"
Chris rolled his eyes as the cameraman looked at Garrison.
"You were right, Ed. He's a dead ringer for Damon!"
Chris's annoyance spiked, "Come on, April, let's go."
She nodded, following him as he moved to step around the two son's of bitches, who were unfortunately, blocking their only exit.
Before he could slip by though, the camera was flashing again, and Garrison was talking.
"Sneaking around back alleys with a girl is very naughty of you, boy. Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
"Fuck off," Chris hissed, squeezing April ahead of him, now that the camera was behind them.
"Geesh, kid," Garrison commented, keeping speed with the couple, "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Chris ignored him; just a few yards to the camaro.
"Speaking of your mother, I did finally manage to get a name. Elena Gilbert. Apparently from one of your quaint little town's founder list. And if I remember correctly, the Salvatore's are on that list as well. Seems like that would make you a bit of a celebrity already, wouldn't it?"
Chris grit his teeth...almost there.
"So," Garrison continued, "Tell me, how has Damon managed to keep you a secret all these years? Or was this as much news for him as the rest of us?"
Chris pulled out the keys, unlocking the car as they came up to her and made sure April was safely inside before turning to Garrison.
"I'm afraid I'll have to leave you with "No comment", and by that, I mean that it's none of your business. But I will say that you were right about the Founding Family crap. I'm a bit of a legacy, coming from two of the five, so maybe you should think about that before you try harassing me again."
A flicker of emotion passed over Garrison's face then.
"Are you actually trying to threaten me, boy?"
Chris smirked, using his inherited height to his advantage, as he lifted his chin, "Oh, it's not a threat. If you'd done your research, you'd know that not only is the sheriff of Mystic Falls also a founding family member, but she happens to be my aunt's mother. We're all close here, so I'm just trying to warn you of the possible consequences you could face if another incident like today occurs."
Garrison looked stunned for a moment, and Chris used that second to jump in the car and put her in gear, nearly bumping over the cameraman as he did so.
April grabbed his hand as they left the square, and only then did he realize he was shaking.
Damon hadn't felt butterflies like this in years.
They were the deep, nauseating kind, usually associated with stage fright.
To be expected, Ms. Monica Fields had assured him, as they talked the plan over.
Alaric had been right to choose this woman, Damon soon realized.
She had patiently listened to him explain everything, then reviewed with him the questions she planned on asking, so he could format his answers, before going live.
She had also accommodated her set for the band, and was more than willing to let Damon perform.
It would, after all, be great for her ratings, so everyone won.
Damon shot Elena a quick "About to go on. I miss you" text as the stage director called his name.
He silenced his phone before walking over to his instructed seat, across from Monica, and smiled at the assembled audience, who were clapping at his entrance.
He saw the cameraman give the countdown, and he took a breath.
Time to get this show on the road.
Monica's professional voice filled the air as she addressed the camera, and the audience.
"Hello, and welcome back, everyone, to Monica's Daily Dish Out! As promised yesterday, I have a special guest star joining me, a well known name in the music industry, Mr. Damon Salvatore!"
Clapping and familiar cheers rang from the audience and Damon smiled at them.
"Damon joins us today for an exclusive insight to his postponed Fire It Up Tour, which as many of you know, was cancelled last month as a personal decision between Damon and studio director, Alaric Saltzman, is that correct?"
She eyed Damon kindly, giving him his lead in.
"Yes, Ms. Fields," he started, leaning back into his chair, as if this were any other interview, "Alaric and I sat down a few weeks ago and decided that a postponement on the tour would be the best decision for everyone. I had gotten pretty far off my game and performing in that state wasn't fair for the label, and it wasn't fair to the fans who are spending their hard earned money to come watch the shows. So a consecutive decision was made for me to take a break, and have the chance to find my muse again, which is what I've been doing this past month."
"So I've heard," Monica smiled, "You went back to your hometown in Virginia, did you not?"
"I did," Damon nodded.
"And can I assume that your return to Los Angeles is confirmation that you found what you set out for?"
Damon genuinely grinned, "Well, Ms. Fields, to be honest, I found a lot more than just inspiration during my time away. I uh, I ran into an old friend back home-"
"A lady friend," Monica suggested, and Damon nodded, "Yes ma'am. My high school sweetheart, to be exact."
An "aww" rang through the crowd and Damon winked at them, earning some giggles.
"That must have been interesting," Monica opened.
"To say the least," Damon allowed, "But we were able to spend some time together, get reacquainted, and we realized how much we'd missed each other, over the years."
He couldn't help the pull of his lips. They'd definitely made up for lost time.
Monica smirked, "Oh my, look at that smile, ladies and gentlemen. If I didn't know better, Mr. Salvatore, I'd say this woman has you smitten!"
Damon laughed along with the audience, before saying, "Well you aren't wrong there, Monica. You see, Elena, that's her name, she was the reason I even got my start here. She was always my biggest supporter, and we loved each other. She was even the inspiration for a lot of my earlier stuff. However, when I moved up here to L.A, things got...complicated, and unfortunately, for personal reasons, we weren't able to make things work out, but that didn't mean I felt any less for her."
Monica nodded, "Of course not...And now?"
Damon shrugged, "We are definitely in a different place than we were back then, and are trying to figure things out, now that we've both had time to grow and figure out what we want from life, together and separately. But she's an incredible person, always has been, and I'm excited to see what the future holds."
"Very nice," Monica complimented, "And speaking of what the future holds, there was a curious video of you leaked recently, featuring a new song...Do you mind if we play it on our screen back here?"
Damon lifted a hand, "Not at all. By all means..."
Monica cued to someone off stage, and soon the lights dimmed, and the recorded video of his performance at the Fall Festival began to play.
He should have realized that someone would put it online, but had been too distracted to care that night.
Not that it really mattered now.
He focused his attention on the screen, hearing his own voice echo through the room.
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
The lights brightened when the clip ended, and a humming whisper was buzzing through the audience.
Monica faced him, "Now, from what I've gathered, this was a benefit performance you did for your hometown's Halloween festival...but this last song...It seemed a bit more personal. What can you tell us about it?"
Damon cleared his throat, suddenly feeling nervous again.
This was it.
"Of course," he started politely, forcing himself to remain calm, "You're right. This song certainly is more personally than, well, probably anything I've ever released before. I'm sure that after this clip went viral, rumors speculated the meaning I could possibly have behind the lyrics. And I wish there was a simple explanation. But there's not. There's only the truth. And the truth is, about a month ago, I discovered that I was the father of a teenage boy."
Sorry for the slight cliffy! Lol
But I'm already started on the new chapter, so it should be up soon!
I hope y'all enjoyed, and I can't wait to hear what you thought!