A/N: Hi, everyone! Sorry it took so long for me to update. I was trying to get through my second semester of college with really great grades, and I didn't know how to balance out that, my social life, and this story. Whoops. Also, I didn't know where I wanted this to go, but updates should be more frequent now. It's summer, I'm off school, and I wrote an outline for where I want this to go. Sorry I've kept you waiting! Thank you so much for the reviews and the encouragement to keep this story going. I appreciate it so much! As usual, please read and review. (:

-Damon's POV-

The next morning, after Mysterious Girl Elena waltzed in and out of my life, I came home and took a really, really cold shower, and fell asleep. I probably should have found another girl to rock my world for the night, but after that intense moment on the dance floor, I didn't have it in me to woo someone else. We didn't even have sex, and I felt more... 'okay' than I had in a long while. It didn't ease the sexual frustration, but it made me feel good to have Katherine off my mind for a while-which I guess was the whole point.

I turned over in bed and looked at the clock. 9 o clock in the morning. I sighed. Admittedly, I missed Aidan. Usually he's up and about around this time, jumping in my bed to make him breakfast. I wonder if it's too early to pick him up...

I pick up my phone and call Rose, the mother of Christian, Aidan's friend from school. While dialing the number, I feel a pang of guilt. No matter how good it felt to be with that Elena woman, I am still a father. I have a responsibility to my son, and I spend an entire day moping around over something that's been done for two years. My son needs me, and I continuously let him down.

"Good morning, Damon! Have fun last night?" Rose teased when she answered the phone, obviously oblivious to the internal war I'm having with myself.

"Well, yes and no. Not the fun you're thinking about, though," I answered, detached. "How's Aidan?"

"Oh, he's great. Bouncing off the walls now. He and Christian demanded I make them pancakes this morning for breakfast. I just sent them outside to play-all that pent up energy in their system was about to explode! Would you like me to put Aidan on the phone, though? I think I can pull him away for a minute or two..."

I smiled at the vision of Aidan "and Christian" demanding pancakes for breakfast. No doubt it was Aidan's idea. Pancakes were his favorite food group (yes, I did say 'group'. Try and get an eight year old to eat vegetables, and tell me what you'll do when he refuses to eat until he gets what he wants-I guarantee you'll let that unhealthy food choice dominate your child's eating habits so that he doesn't wither to nothing), besides pizza. Pancakes and pizza. I don't know how he does it. He'll grow out of it, though. I was like that when I was a kid, until I tasted my mother's food. Aidan hasn't tried mine yet, so he hasn't been privy to what truly good food tastes like. But he will. He's Italian, just like his daddy.

"No, that's okay, Rose. I'm guessing he probably doesn't want to come home any time soon?"

Rose hesitates. "Ummm... He may have asked me to stay until noon. Is that okay? I figured you probably wouldn't be... Um, ready, before then. But I can take him home for you, if you want?"

I bite back a sigh. In theory she would be right, but in reality, sex or no sex, the woman would have been out the door when I woke up. My kid comes first, no matter how much it seems otherwise.

"Yeah, you're right. That's fine. Thanks, Rose. I'll give you some money for gas and for taking care of Aidan. I want you to know I appreciate it."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Damon. Aidan's practically family. I'll see you around noon. Get some rest and relax before Aidan gets home!"

I laugh weakly. "Yeah, yeah. Bye, Rose." I hang up the phone, get up and rummage around my kitchen to make some coffee. Once the coffee pot is done, I look for the creamer and realize I'm out.

Well, we need food anyway. I get my keys and head to the grocery store.

-Elena's POV-

Well, last night was pretty weird.

Not only does it seem I momentarily lost my mind, but Caroline won't shut up about TD&H (Tall, Dark and Handsom)-AKA Damon.

"Elena, you could have gotten lucky! He was staring at you like you were a brand new Lamborghini with black leather seats and the best stereo system money can buy!" Caroline brags, getting herself a coffee. My friends decided to stay the night since they wanted to dish out the details of my temporary promiscuous actions on the dance floor.

I mean we kissed. And that was... Only the best kiss I've ever received. And he kissed me like he'd wanted to kiss me for years, but at the time we didn't even know each other's names?

Neither one of us seem like very responsible, mature adults.

Probably because we're not. I mean, come on. I spend most of my time with eight year olds and enjoy it. What does that say about me?

"I don't know, Caroline. It felt nice, yes. It wasn't groundbreaking or anything like that, though. He was just a really cute guy that just happens to have the most smoldering blue eyes I've ever seen. No big deal," I shrug.

Caroline rolls her eyes at me. "Whatever, Elena. I'm just saying it's nice to see you go out there and just... Get what you want, you know? I mean, you're not going to be young forever. You never took advantage of those times in college, or met anyone new. I'm just afraid..."

I give Caroline a cold stare and she trails off; for good reason. She knows why I didn't go all wild and crazy in college. I didn't go wild and crazy in college because I got wild and crazy in high school and it left me without two parents. I guess you could say I learned my lesson early.

"What are you afraid of?" I ask, encouraging her to rephrase what she was about to say.

She looks at me with a soft, understanding look. "No, you're taking it the wrong way, Elena. I'm just afraid you're closing yourself up to everyone new." She walks up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. "I know Bonnie and I are the best people who will ever walk into your life, but you're such a great person, Elena. Everyone loves you, and you don't even have to try. Yet you can't see it. As your best friend, I just don't want you to be alone. You deserve love, and happiness. And you've just never been the same since..."

I tense at the end of her spiel, and turn back to cleaning the counter off, or anything other than looking her in the eye when she says the truth I don't want to hear. "I know. Thanks, Caroline. I'm glad to have such a great friend like you."

That distracts her from our momentary serious talk. She giggles and fans herself. "Oh, I know. I'm amazing. Anyway, do you have any creamer? I don't see any..."

"Ah, shit." I look at Caroline apologetically. "You know I don't drink coffee, just tea. I only have the coffee machine here for you guys. Let me run to the store and get some, okay?"

"Okay. Do you want me to go with you?"

"Nah, that's okay. I'll be right back," I wave goodbye and walk out the door...

...and out of the tension of that dreaded conversation.

Damon POV

Have I mentioned that I hate grocery shopping?

On my way to the store I realized we're out of a lot of things. Cereal for Aidan, milk, some cheese, and dinner items. I always put grocery shopping off because I hate doing it so much. Walking up and down the isles, looking for stuff you need, wondering why the hell it's so hard for you to find the items. You've been to this store a million times. Why is it you can't find the stuff you need still, and you've come to the store so often?

Then there's the cheesy music. Who listens to this shit? It's like kind of poppy one minute, then jazzy, then straight up elevator music. And the random announcements. "Buy one get one free of Colgate toothpaste, isle five!" No one wants your overpriced toothpaste. Do they expect people to hear that announcement and run to isle five immediately to buy that buy one get one free deal? I don't even know.

At this point I'm not paying attention to where I'm going and I bump into something with my cart.

"Hey, watch it! What do you think you're-"

The woman cuts off and we stare at each other for a minute. She's looking at me like she's shocked to find me here in a grocery store. Do I know her...?

"Oh! Damon. Uh, you okay? You kind of hit me with your cart..."

I look at her closely. She's got long brown hair, dark brown eyes, olive skin, and she's got sweat pants on and a t-shirt. But those eyes...

Oh my god. It's Mystery Girl!

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Elena. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. I apologize."

She smiles sweetly at me. "It's fine."

Awkward silence ensues. While Elena turns her attention back to the isle, I take a chance to study her again. Sometimes you get drunk and you realize in the morning the girl you thought was the most attractive thing ever turns out to be... Not. You know? But it seems my intoxication level did nothing to my eyesight, because she's still... Really hot. She's not in the bangin' dress from last night, but her hair is in this really sexy bun thing, and she's wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. I think there's a song by some overrated rapper guy who says something about a girl looking good with sweatpants and no makeup on, and I suddenly realize what he's talking about. Some girls can't pull that off, but apparently Elena can.

"Ms. Gilbert!"

I look up to see what disrupted me from checking out Elena, and see a tallish, plain looking guy with blond hair walking over and smiling at Elena like he just won the lottery.

Oh yeah. I'm not the only one in this town who wants to get into this girls pants, clearly.

"Hi, Matt! Wow, it's so nice to see you! Out of the classroom environment I mean. You look so... Laid back."

This Matt dude and Elena hug each other, and begin chatting. I start to wonder if I should leave, but then I remember something Elena said. And that last name... It sounds so familiar.

"Uh, not to break up this friend powwow or anything, but classroom?"

Elena looks from me to Matt. "Oh, I'm so rude! Matt, this is... Damon. Damon, this is my fellow coworker and friend, Matt Donovan. We both work at Mystic Falls Elementary."

Wait. That's where Aidan goes to school.

"Really? What grade do you guys teach?"

Matt answers. "Well, I teach fifth grade math. The kids are alright, but they all think they're adults because they're heading off to middle school after the year is over and sometimes it can get annoying, dealing with their attitudes. But Elena has the best grade of them all-she teaches third grade."

Hmmm.

Elena laughs. "My kids can be a handful sometimes too. For example, there's a kid in my class named Aidan. He's a trip. He's full of energy, but he is definitely a lot to handle in the classroom. He loves to misbehave. I think he only misbehaves though because he doesn't get enough attention at home."

I'm fuming. This is the teacher that's constantly emailing me! About my son! And here she is, laughing about him with some other dopey teacher. And she has the audacity to question my parenting skills. Coming from a teacher who probably doesn't even have kids. This bitch doesn't have a clue.

"You know what? Maybe your students would behave better if you started focusing on how they act in your classroom and rectifying that, rather than emailing their parents every time something goes wrong."

Elena's smile disappears. "I'm sorry... Where is this coming from?"

"Well, Ms. Gilbert, I'm Damon Salvatore. Aidan Salvatore's father." I quip, and that silences her.

Elena's mouth almost drops completely to the floor. She reaches out to touch my shoulder. "Mr. Salvatore? Look, you misunderstood me, I've been trying-"

I push her hand away and interrupt her. "I don't think I've misunderstood anything. What I do understand, is that I will be taking my son out of your class as soon as possible. Good day, Ms. Gilbert."

I walk out of the grocery store with none of the things I had when I came in, and go pick up my son; disbelieving I ever wanted to sleep with someone like her.