Chapter Ten

DPOV

She's confused. Hell bent on confusion. She doesn't know me that well so she doesn't understand what I'm doing. Or on what's going on. And yes, that is a very good thing. I have her exactly where I want her. Confused.

As I lay in my bed I hear Elena move around the house to the guest bedroom. For a minute my thoughts run wild about her sleeping next door. Her long olive toned legs wrapped around me. Her luscious lips pressed up against mine in the perfect innocent way she makes everything feel. Feeling her shake beneath be as I lay her down on the bed….

I shake my head to clear these thoughts. I can't be "Lover Damon" I have to be "Friend Damon". That is the only way I'll be able to let her get to know me. For her to see the real me. For us to be together. I already have everything figured out. I know exactly what I am going to do.

This plan has been going on in my mind for a while now; Elena coming along is just the icing on top of the huge triple chocolate cake. I need to find a fantastic lawyer. Tell him all about Katherine's behavior towards Bryan. All about Mason and his own abandonment. My whole reason of being in this mess in the first place.

And when I win the case, have Bryan as my own son, I can be free of Katherine. I won't have to cheat. Elena won't feel like she's breaking this screwed up family apart. Because let's face it even though she won't be the cause of it falling apart, it needs to. Bryan needs a good stable environment. We can grow up here. Bryan and I. Eventually maybe Elena. And if it doesn't work out with us, Elena still needs to be a part of Bryan's life. It's important.

So yes, I will be Elena's friend. Show her the real me. Let her get to know me like no other girl has before. And then she will realize that this is worth fighting for.

I wake up at 7 o'clock to start on breakfast. I know how Bryan loves his eggs in the morning and I just hope that Elena will appreciate the pancakes, fruit, bacon, and eggs. Friends cook for friends right?

I walk downstairs and prepare for breakfast and just as I was finishing up I hear Bryan start to cry. Right on time.

I started for the stairs and then I hear a door open. The guest room.

"Hey honey it's okay. Elena is here. You had a rough night didn't you. Oh gosh do you smell that Bryan, daddy must be cooking something yummy for us. Come on lets go."

Elena's sweet voice fills me with happiness. A smile grows on my face and I rush back to the kitchen. I fix her and Bryan a plate and by the time they come in I'm fixing mine.

"Hey guys. How's my little guy doing?"

"Well I think the delicious food woke him up. He must be very hungry."

I looked up from my plate to glance at Elena and what was supposed to be a glance turned into a stare. Her hair was messy just from waking up. No make-up. Her clothes were wrinkled and she was smiling down at Bryan. And she is still beautiful. I could get used to this….

I recovered just as she looked at me and I smiled a warm smile. A friend smile.

"Well y'all should dig in before it gets cold. I hear my pancakes are amazing!"

Elena let out a giggle and my heart swelled. Captivating.

She put Bryan in his booster seat and she sat down on the stool. I gave Bryan his plate of eggs and his fork and he quickly dug in. Bryan looked up at me and smiled so big I swore eggs were going to fall out. I heard myself chuckle and looked at Elena. She still hasn't touched her food.

"Do you not like pancakes or something?"

"What? No! I love pancakes. It's just…you are so good with him. He's lucky to have you in his life."

Don't make a smart ass comment Salvatore. "Yeah well I just want to be good for him. After Mason, his own father, leaving him. Katherine never being around. I just know he needs someone in his life that will love him and care for him the way a parent is supposed to."

Elena's smile widens, "Well you're doing a fantastic job at it."

I watched as she cut a piece of pancake with her fork and lifted it to her mouth. She chewed and she gave a little moan. I almost lost it.

"That good huh?"

"Best pancakes I've ever eaten. Or maybe it's just that I'm so hungry."

"No I'm guessing it's the best pancakes you've ever eaten."

She laughs and I give her a smile.

"So Damon…I have a question."

"Girls usually do." I can't be a complete fake or else she will see right through me.

"You don't seem like the type to just give up."

"I don't. But I had a moment. Moment is gone. And now I can focus on other things before I get ahead of myself."

I took a sip of my orange juice as she mulled what I said over. After a while she said, "Are you trying to get on my good side?"

"Well that depends…is it working?"

"Maybe…."

" I'm just being honest. I've always heard that 'Honesty is the best Policy.'"

"Well you heard correctly. So what is on the agenda for today?"

"I'm going to do a little bossing around, go out for lunch, meet a lawyer, more bossing around, plan a meeting with a man we want for my company, and then pay you, spend time with my boy, and sleep. I'm guessing I already know your plans."

"Lawyer?"

"Yeah. See I've been planning this for a while. Like a month or so and I figured it's time to put the plan in action. I'm going to try and take full custody of Bryan."

Elena's eyes widen in shock and just stared at me. Okay that was not the reaction I was looking for.

"Elena?"

"I'm just…confused."

"You get confused a lot. See when Katherine gets home, I tell her that I don't want to marry her. I tell her that I'm going to try and get full custody of Bryan because she's not fit to be a mother. Now I know her reaction. She will be pissed off. She doesn't want Bryan, but the fact that I'm going to fight her for him will make her want to win. I won't kick her out, but I will make her sleep in the guest bedroom. My lawyer will come over the next day. Court. Then well…I win."

"You just…act like that's exactly how it's going to work."

"Because that boy right there," I point to Bryan, "is what I am living for. I will not go down because I love him. I will not lose because I love him. I will not waste any time just so I can make sure he lives the life he deserves."

"Then you make sure you win."

"I plan on it."

We finish our food in silence and after we rinse the dishes Elena excuses herself for a shower and I lean towards Bryan. "I will not give up on you. I love you little guy."

Then I pick him up and hold him close.