A day later than usual with my update, but at least its a long one? :)

I loved your comments and tweets from last chapter! If you've read my other two stories, you know I like the slow burn - but not too slow... Keep the comments and tweets and follows coming - I love talking to you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.


Damon picked up a battered football helmet and studied it. The blue paint was scratched, the inside padding worn and dirty. It needed a new facemask, too. He made a face and tossed it haphazardly into a bin. "Is this really all of it?"

"This is it," Stefan confirmed. He was sorting through a pile of faded jerseys, separating the ones with too many holes from the ones they could salvage for another season. He held up a blue home jersey. The '11' had peeled to a point he could barely read it. He sighed and tossed it into the discard pile. "I don't know that we'll have enough home jerseys to go around."

"This is ridiculous," Damon stated, tossing another helmet in the bin. "Absolutely ridiculous. How are they supposed to play decent football if this is the crap they have to play with? I'm not sure this stuff is in good enough condition to protect them properly."

"We have what we have," Stefan mused.

"Yeah, well, the field is a wreck and I wouldn't sit on those bleachers without a tetanus shot. This is pitiful."

"Ric, Matt, and Tyler are doing what they can to get the field in shape, but it needs to be re-sodded. Even if we could afford it, we wouldn't have time to get it done before the first game." They were less than three weeks away from their season opener and had a scrimmage schedule next week.

"That's why we have a booster club meeting tomorrow night."

"Again, we don't have a booster club," Stefan reminded him. "This isn't Texas, Damon. We barely have a PTA."

"We have a booster club starting tomorrow night," Damon said with determination. "I emailed the parents."

"You might get two here. Connor's dad is a given, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that someone else might show up."

"We are going to have a Booster Club, and they are going to raise money for this football team," Damon said stubbornly. Stefan sighed and shook his head. He would support his brother, regardless, but he didn't think Damon realized the mountain he had ahead of him.

"Have you reached out to any of the other faculty?" he asked. "I can't say they would be willing to help, but you could probably get a few of them interested."

"I'll ask Elena," Damon replied automatically. "And Caroline has to help. She married you. She's family. She's obligated." Stefan glanced at Damon as they inventoried equipment.

"If you want Caroline to help, I would suggest not informing her she is obligated. Telling her she has to do something is the fastest way to get her to dig her heels in and refuse."

"I can handle Caroline," Damon said dismissively. He had handled her earlier when she showed up at practice to pick up Cody and attempted to lay into him about letting the kid run a few drills, complete with pads. He tore a broken chinstrap from a helmet. "Speaking of Elena, what's going on there?" Stefan eyed him. This was the second time Damon had asked him about Elena.

"What do you mean?"

"She's a single mom, but like, what happened to Ava Kate's father? You said he wasn't in the picture and she mentioned the guy was from Chicago, but left it at that."

"That's more than she usually says about the bastard," Stefan muttered. "That's Elena's story to tell, but he is definitely not in the picture. It's just Elena and Ava Kate, has been for the last two years. Officially, anyway. It's pretty much been just the two of them since Ava Kate was born."

"Ava Kate isn't just shy," Damon stated. "I've been working with kids long enough to know there's more going on there."

"Like I said, that's Elena's story to tell," Stefan replied with a note of finality. He loved Elena like a sister and while he loved his brother more than anything, he wasn't going to tell her story, a story she held close to her vest. "You know, Caroline thinks you should ask Elena out. I have to agree with her. Elena might be a little hard to convince, but you tend to be a pretty determined guy, once you set your mind to something." Damon glanced at his brother.

"Caroline make you say that?" Stefan shook his head.

"I know you and I know Elena. You would be good together, not to mention good for each other. She needs a guy that will treat her and Ava Kate well and you need a woman who can put up with your crap. You're a decent guy and she's no pushover. Besides, I saw you two Saturday night. You were into her." Damon gave up trying to hide his grin.

"She's pretty great," he admitted. "From what I know of her, at least. She's beautiful. She's good with the students. And judging by what I saw Saturday night, she's a great mother."

"She is pretty great," Stefan confirmed. "Ask her out, Damon." Damon considered it. A relationship wasn't high on his priority list at the moment – he was more interested in salvaging what equipment he had, raising money for new uniforms, and rebuilding a football team, all while adjusting to living in a new place and teaching history again – but if he had learned anything from the last year, it was that life had a mean curveball.

"You said it would be hard to convince her to go out with me. Why?" Stefan pursed his lips for a moment before answering, choosing his words careful, once more in an effort to protect Elena.

"She hasn't had the easiest go of it," he admitted. "A lot has happened to her in the last few years. Her trust is pretty shaky and she's going to guard Ava Kate with her life. But, if anyone can break through the wall she's put up when it comes to dating and relationships, it's you."

"I'll ease into it," Damon decided, wondering once again what happened to Elena in the past. "Just – don't tell Caroline. She'll be annoying about it."

"She's going to be annoying about it, anyway," Stefan replied. "She won't push Elena but so much, but you? You will wish for nails on a chalkboard by the time she's done with you." Damon chuckled.

"That's a nice way to talk about your wife."

"Determination is her middle name," he replied. He looked at his watch. "I need to get going. I promised Care I would swap out Cody duty with her so she could come back here and finish organizing her supply closet. She somehow managed to convince the district to paint her classroom, and needs to get everything out of the way tonight."

"I'm going to head to my office and get some work done," Damon replied. "Do me a favor? If Gilbert is still watching film with the offense, send him my way."

"Will do," Stefan promised, wondering just how many members of his offense were still watching film two hours after practice ended. His guess was very few. "See you tomorrow, Coach."

"We have a booster club meeting at seven," Damon replied. "Don't forget."


"Stefan said you wanted to see me?"

Damon bookmarked the sports apparel website he was browsing and swiveled his chair to face Jeremy Gilbert. "It's Coach Salvatore," he corrected. "At least when you're at school or football practice. Call him whatever you want outside of that. Come in and have a seat."

Jeremy eyed him, but did as he was instructed.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked.

"You aren't. Although, it's interesting that being in trouble is your first assumption as to why I called you in here."

"I tend to spend a lot of time being lectured about my behavior," Jeremy fired back. "Forgive me, Coach, for assuming you wanted to give me one of your inspirational talks." He had heard about Coach Salvatore, how he was pulling players in one by one and telling them they could do whatever they wanted, if they just worked hard enough. He wasn't buying it, however. He knew from experience life was a bitch, no matter what the fading and peeling inspirational poster around school tried to tell him.

"How are things going?" Damon countered, ignoring the jab. Jeremy looked suspicious. "At wide receiver. Are you settling in?"

"I like it," Jeremy replied honestly. "It's a hell of a lot better fit for me than defensive tackle."

"Watch your language," Damon warned. "And, I agree. You are much better suited for wide receiver. What do you think about Conner?"

"He's a good quarterback. His throws are accurate. His calls are clear."

"And the offensive line?"

"It would be nice if they would block from time to time." Damon had to fight not to chuckle. He was in agreement.

"We're working on it," he said diplomatically. "So, football is going well. What about everything else? You're going to be a junior, right? Ready for school to start back in a few weeks?"

"I suppose so," Jeremy said, once more looking skeptically at Damon. "I have my class schedule. I will pick up a notebook and a few pencils before school starts. I might even get a new pair of shoes, you never know."

"What do you like to do outside of football?" Damon pressed, ignoring Jeremy's attitude for the moment. The boy shrugged.

"I just hang out at the beach with friends, go to movies, that sort of thing. There isn't exactly a lot to do around Nags Head."

"I heard you like to draw. Any truth in that?" Jeremy shrugged again.

"Yeah, I guess." Damon raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" he pressed. "You guess you like to draw?"

"Fine. I like to draw. Big deal. Why do you care, anyway? Why am I even in here? So far, you're just asking me a bunch of stupid questions."

"Watch it," Damon warned. Jeremy pursed his lips and had the good sense not to reply. "I'm just trying to get to know my players better. Teams work better when they are familiar with one another. And I know you lost your parents recently. That has to be tough."

"Let me guess, you have been talking to my saint of a sister."

"She mentioned that your parents passed," Damon confirmed.

"Elena should mind her own damn business."

"Mouth!" Damon reprimanded. "As for your sister, I don't know her well, but I would hazard a guess that she is doing the best she can, raising a child and being your legal guardian, on top of teaching and coaching the dance team. You would do well to show her some respect."

"She does have her hands full," Jeremy volleyed back. "Which is why she shouldn't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"You're sixteen," Damon replied. "You have no idea how to take care of yourself." He reached for a stack of post-its on his desk and scratched out a phone number. He passed it to Jeremy. "That's my cell number. If you ever need anything, call me, no matter what time it is." Jeremy took the paper, crumbled it, and put it in his pocket.

"You give this number to everyone else on the team?" he asked. "Or am I a special case? Someone you have been told to keep an eye on?" Damon gazed at Jeremy for a long moment, his fingers tented in front of him.

"I give it to those I think may need it," he answered. He left it at that. "It's getting late. Go on home, kid. I'll see you in the morning." Jeremy nodded his head once, stood, and left the office. Once he was in the hallway, he pulled Damon's phone number out of his pocket. He made to throw it away, but at the last second, changed his mind. He slipped the wrinkled paper into his wallet. Just in case.


"Careful with that," Caroline warned as Elena picked up a tray of beakers. Elena rolled her eyes.

"I'm capable of moving a few bottles across the room without breaking them," she informed Caroline.

"I only have a few beakers. If you break those, I'm screwed." Elena ignored her. She moved the tray across the room and placed it neatly on a shelf in Caroline's supply closet. "There we have it. All safe and sound."

"My hero," Caroline said dryly.

"Someone looking for a hero?" Caroline and Elena turned towards the voice to find Damon leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed, looking amused.

"And we're still searching," Caroline quipped. "What do you want, Salvatore?"

"Is that how you treat family?" Damon asked.

"It's how I treat you." Damon rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Elena," he greeted, working hard to keep his smile casual. She was dressed down, wearing athletic shorts and a First Flight t-shirt, her hair in a ponytail, no makeup to be hand. She was stunning. He pretended note to notice how long and tan her legs were.

"Hey, Damon," she replied with a small smile of her own. Damon noticed Ava Kate sitting at Caroline's desk, playing with what looked like paper dolls.

"Hi, Ava Kate," he said. "How's it going?" The little girl gave him a bashful smile, but didn't reply.

"What do you want, Damon?" Caroline asked. "We're busy. I have to get this room cleaned up…"

"Before it gets painted in the morning," Damon finished. "Stefan told me on his way out to trade Cody duty. I would offer to help if I didn't have a down to the wire project of my own. Which leads to why I'm here. I need some help."

"With?" Caroline pressed. Elena lifted herself to sit on a desk, listening.

"I need the two of you to show up here, tomorrow evening, at seven o'clock, for the first booster club meeting of the year." Caroline raised both eyebrows. Elena cocked her head in interest.

"First Flight doesn't have a booster club," she told him.

"We do now," Damon informed her. "I can only count on the quarterback's dad showing up. I need people there. Support. I'm enlisting the two of you."

"Sorry, Coach, I have plans," Caroline informed him. She resumed her work, sorting through a basket of supplies.

"No you don't," Damon countered. "You're going to spend the day, sitting in your classroom bossing a bunch of people around who don't need your help to do their job, go home, have dinner, put Cody to bed, and watch The Bachelorette or some equally awful reality show."

"Exactly. Plans." Damon rolled his eyes and turned to Elena.

"Elena?" Elena chewed her lip, considering.

"Ava Kate would have to come," she finally said. "I don't have anyone to babysit her on such short notice." Caroline raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. It wasn't that Elena didn't have anyone to watch Ava Kate. It was that Elena trusted very few people with her daughter – and her daughter trusted even less.

"The more the merrier," Damon said. He glanced at Ava Kate. "How is she at fundraising?"

"Well, she does have that cute and innocent thing going for her," Elena ventured. Damon smiled at her.

"That's the kind of thinking we need," he said. "So, you'll be there?"

"Why not?" Elena replied. She smirked. "I kind of want to see how this booster club of yours turns out."

"It will be a smashing success," Damon promised. He looked at Caroline. "Be there at seven, sharp, Barbie. Bring the squirt with you if you have to." With that, he turned on his heel and left the room. Caroline stared after him.

"Did he just convince me to be a part of his booster club?" she asked.

"To be fair, I think he told you you were a part of it."

"Jerk," Caroline muttered. She brightened. "But, that means you get to spend more time with him!" Elena sighed.

"Caroline…," she warned.

"You could do way worse," she continued. "Hell, you have done way worse. Look at it like this, he already knows about Ava Kate, so there's no awkward 'oh, hey, so I have a kid' conversation to worry about. I will even vouch for the fact that he's good with kids. Cody loves him. Damon is the fun uncle, but he is also good at disciplining him when he needs it. And let's be honest, Cody needs it."

"He is good with Cody," Elena mused, thinking of how Damon had both played with Cody and corrected him when needed at the cookout.

"Just get to know him," Caroline urged. "He's a good guy, Elena. A really good guy." She paused for a moment. "And, despite the brave front he puts on, he's hurting over everything that happened in Texas. He could use a friend."

"I'm sure he's a good guy," Elena said. "But, dating…" She trailed off and shook her head. "I have to focus on Ava Kate. And Jeremy." Caroline reached out and took Elena's hand.

"Elena, I know you've been hurt. I know the last few years have been hard for you. But, things are better for you now, right?" She waited until Elena nodded. "I know it's scary, putting yourself out there, but you deserve to be happy, too, whether that's with Damon or someone else. I know you want to do what's best for Ava Kate and Jeremy, but sometimes, what's best for them, is for you to do something that makes yourself happy." Elena smiled sadly.

"Knowing that and doing that are two very different things," she said. She reached for a microscope. "It's getting late, and Ava Kate's bedtime is an hour from now." Caroline nodded, knowing the conversation was over. That didn't mean she was giving up.


Damon took a deep breath, wondering what the hell he was doing as he put one foot in front of the other on a path to Elena's classroom. He knew she would be there. They had a staff training at nine, and while he didn't know Elena well, he already knew she was dedicated to her job. He paused in the doorframe and smiled. She was there, her hair falling over her shoulder as she focused on the computer screen in front of her. With another deep breath, he raised his hand and rapt on the doorframe. She jumped.

"Damon!" she breathed when she spotted him. "You have to stop doing that." He chuckled.

"Sorry," he apologized, walking into the room. He indicated the drink carrier in his hand. "I, um, brought coffee," he added lamely. He didn't even know if Elena liked coffee, but it was the best idea he had come up with in his quest to get to know her better since leaving Caroline's classroom the night before. He had dreamed – vividly – about her long legs the night before, distracting himself from coming up with a better plan. "You might not be a coffee drinker, but I thought I'd take a chance... Most teachers are." Elena was smiling.

"You brought me coffee?" she asked, standing. She was wearing another modest yet form-fitting dress, this one blue.

"To thank you," he said quickly, not wanting to come on too strong. Based on what little he knew about Elena's past, he knew he needed to take things slow with her. "For agreeing to come to this booster club meeting tonight." She smiled bigger.

"Well, thank you," she said. "I happen to fall into the category of teachers who get by on coffee during the day, and maybe a glass of wine by night. I also happen to think the coffee the school supplies is terrible." Damon smiled.

"It is," he agreed. He removed a coffee from the container and held it out to her. "It took me just two days to decide to bring my own. There are sugar and cream packets in the middle of the tray, if you need them." Elena reached for two packets of sugar and a container of cream.

"Thank you for this," she said again. "You didn't have to, though. I've been saying this school needs some sort of boosters club since I started here last school year."

"I haven't exactly been given the okay from the district to have a boosters club, but I'll deal with that as it comes," Damon said. He was used to ruffling feathers in the name of getting his way. He looked around the room. "Where's Ava Kate?"

"Daycare," Elena answered. There was a guilty tilt to her voice that Damon didn't miss. "She doesn't especially like it, but until school starts, it is what it is."

"Oh, well, I thought she might be here, so I brought her a hot chocolate. He indicated a small lidded cup. Elena beamed, Caroline's words of Damon being a truly good guy echoing through her mind.

"That was really sweet of you," she told him. "I'm sorry she's not here to drink it. She loves hot chocolate."

"No need to apologize." Damon perched on one of the desks in the room. "I just didn't want her to be left out."

"Well, I appreciate it all the same." Elena took a sip of her coffee. "So good." Damon chuckled.

"Better than school coffee?" he asked.

"A thousand times over," Elena confirmed. Damon put the tray down and picked up his own coffee.

"So, I had a little conversation with Jeremy," he started. Elena raised an eyebrow.

"How did that go?"

"He was a little standoffish, but it wasn't too bad." He smirked. "He referred to you as his saint of a sister." Elena rolled her eyes.

"That's his favorite line."

"I gave him my phone number, told him to call me if he needed anything." Elena's eyes flashed.

"You didn't need to do that," she informed him. She hated when people questioned whether or not she, as a young single mother with a past, was capable of taking care of a bratty sixteen year old. Jenna had offered to take Jeremy time and time again, but Elena refused. He was her brother, and, therefore, her responsibility. She had already lost her parents. She wasn't going to lose her brother, too.

"I know," Damon said, sensing she was going on the defensive. He decided to be honest. If he made her mad, he would just have to apologize and go from there. "Jeremy is a teenage boy. I've spent a lot of time with teenage boys over the years. I haven't known you long, but I can tell you're doing a great job, being his guardian, being Ava Kate's mom, being a teacher. No one is questioning that here. But, there are things that teenage boys get into that they may not feel comfortable fessing up to their big sisters about. He will probably never use it, but he has it, just in case." Elena sighed.

Damon had a point. She had kept things from her mother as a teenager, going to Jenna instead for advice on boys, clothes, and everything in between. She knew Jeremy was slipping deeper and deeper into a dangerous crowd. She also knew he was protective of her, despite her being ten years older than him. He would do whatever he needed to do to keep from hurting her, even if it meant hiding that he was in trouble.

"I hate to admit you are right," she confessed. "I try to keep up with him, what he's doing, all that stuff, but he doesn't tell me anything. If he got in trouble, I would be the last to know. Not that I would expect him to call you, either. He tends to think he can deal with things on his own."

"He's a teenage boy," Damon reminded her. "Speaking as a former teenage boy, they pretty much suck." Elena couldn't help but laugh making Damon smile.

"Thank you again for the coffee."

"My pleasure," Damon said with a nod.

"I'm sorry Ava Kate isn't here to enjoy the hot chocolate, but thank you for thinking of her."

"Of course," Damon said, as though thinking of Ava Kate was as natural as breathing. To him, it was. "I guess I should find someone to drink this."

"Maybe Caroline?" Elena suggested.

"She'll probably accuse me of trying to make her fat," Damon mused. Elena snorted, trying to keep her laugh at bay. "I'll give it to whichever one of my coaches I see first."

"That sounds like a decent idea."

"I should go to my classroom and get some work done before this training. To say I'm behind would be an understatement. I'll see you later."

"See you later," Elena agreed. Damon winked at her and left the room. Coffee in hand, Elena returned to her desk, a small smile on her lips, Caroline's words about Damon being a good guy echoing around her mind louder than ever.


"These trainings are stupid," Caroline muttered as they entered the auditorium designated for the day's session. "I could be getting so many other things done. I left a bunch of buffoons in my room with paint. God only knows what its going to look like."

"It's part of the job," Elena reminded her. Caroline spotted the coffee in her hand.

"You got coffee from Sand Dune this morning, and didn't bring me any?" she demanded. "You are the worst friend." They found a couple of empty seats together and sat down.

"Damon actually brought me coffee this morning," she admitted. Caroline's jaw dropped.

"Shut up! Did he really?" Her eyes were sparkling. Elena nodded. She had almost not told Caroline, but she found she wanted to. She wanted to laugh and giggle about boys with her best friend, just like they used to when life was a lot simpler.

"He said it was a thank you for attending his booster club meeting tonight."

"I'm attending that stupid meeting and he didn't bring me coffee this morning," Caroline declared. "But, seriously, he brought you coffee?" Elena nodded.

"He did," she agreed. She pursed her lips, looking almost bashful. "Caroline, he brought a hot chocolate for Ava Kate." Caroline looked at her for a long moment. She understood. Damon had thought of Ava Kate. She gave her friend a genuine smile.

"I told you, he's a good guy," she said.

"Maybe," Elena agreed. She busied herself with her bag, searching for her notebook and a pen.

"You aren't saving these seats, are you?" Stefan asked, appearing at Elena's side with Damon in tow. He didn't wait for her to answer, settling into the seat next to her.

"They are yours for the taking," Elena quipped.

"Hey, Stefan, switch with Elena," Caroline said. "I want to sit by my husband." Elena had just enough time to glare at Caroline who smirked in response before she was swapping seats with Stefan and settling in between Damon and Stefan.

"What exactly is this meeting about?" Damon asked, leaning towards her. He smelled good, Elena noted, like cologne, mixed with sea salt.

"We have one every year. Mrs. Marshall will hobble on stage and drone on and on about testing schedules, policy changes, curriculum updates, every boring thing you can think of. And then, we'll break for lunch – which is provided and easily the highlight of the day, as long as you like subs – and come back to talk about how we handle things like bullying and what to do if there's an active shooter or a hurricane."

"Running laps is great for bullies," Damon quipped. "If there's an active shooter, you hide the kids as best you can, and take him down. As for a hurricane, doesn't this place evacuate and shut everything down?" Elena's eyes twinkled. She somehow already knew Damon would be the first one to run forward to protect someone else in an emergency.

"Is running laps your solution for everything?" Damon shrugged.

"More or less. Push ups, running the bleachers… Sometimes I mix it up."

"To answer your question about hurricanes, the school system usually closes down before the storm hits, and we have the option to evacuate, unless it's a category three or higher. Then, the mandatory evacuations tend to kick in." She returned to rummaging through her bag in search of her pen. When she found it, she settled back against the chair.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, noting the notebook. It looked like she was sketching out lesson plans and discussion questions.

"Pro tip? Always bring something to do during these things. Mrs. Marshall goes on and on and on. " Damon looked around and noticed most of the other faculty had pulled out notebooks and even tablets under the guise of taking notes.

"I guess I'll have to amuse myself with my own wit," Damon quipped. He glanced at her pages again. "You have your lessons planned through September?"

"Some of us like to plan ahead. I'm hoping to have at least a couple of weeks of October planned by the end of the day." She looked at him. "How far ahead have you planned things out?"

"Let's see… School starts on a Tuesday… So, Wednesday. I have through Wednesday." Elena snorted.

"Damon, school starts in two weeks." He waved his hand.

"I'll figure it out," he said dismissively. He still had plenty of time to get together a few weeks' worth of class plans, and work from there. "I have the syllabi done, so I know what I'm supposed to be teaching when, even if I don't have an actual plan. I'm more concerned with getting my team ready for their scrimmage later next week, and the opening game two weeks after that."

"How's that going?" Elena asked.

"The defense doesn't suck, but my offensive line can't tackle anyone to save their life, which means my quarterback spends a lot of time scrambling to make a play happen. Which he is actually very good at, all things considered. Our scrimmage against Carver next week should be one step above disaster."

"Way to be positive."

"I didn't say it was going to total disaster," Damon pointed out. Elena rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "What classes are you teaching, anyway?" He knew she taught English, but she didn't know what grade levels she taught.

"AP Literature, AP Composition, and eleventh grade English this semester." Damon let out a low whistle.

"That is one hell of a lineup."

"I like it," Elena admitted. "It keeps me on my toes." She loved her AP classes. One focused on literature and allowed her to read her favorite books over and over and discuss them with her students who always surprised her with their ability to decipher them. The other taught her students how to write critically, compose full, thought out essays. She loved watching their writing improve as the semester progressed. Her eleventh grade classes were hit or miss, depending on the mixture of students, but she tended to always find a child that she could encourage, work with to show them they could do the work, if they put forth the effort. Seeing her students succeed was the best part of her job. "What classes do you have?"

"AP U.S. History and two classes of eleventh grade U.S. history. According to the class roster, I get about two-thirds of my football team as students – and a shocking number of them are seniors, meaning they failed the class last year."

"I think I have quite a few of your players, myself."

"Give 'em hell," Damon advised. "Make them read everything Shakespeare ever wrote."

"Not a Shakespeare fan?" Elena asked. Damon shook his head.

"I never understood why my English teachers insisted that where for art thou crap was, in fact, English." Elena laughed. Caroline elbowed Stefan, beaming. He returned her smile and winked. At the front of the room, Mrs. Marshall hobbled to the podium. Damon leaned towards Elena.

"She looks like the Trunchbull." Elena snorted.

"How do you know so much about Matilda?"

"I couldn't sleep one night last week so I turned on the TV. It was on some family channel."

"Ladies and gentleman!" Mrs. Marshall called. "Let's get started!" She turned on a power point presentation. Damon leaned towards Elena again.

"Will she notice if I fall asleep?"

"Shh!" Elena reprimanded, putting her finger to her lip. With a small smirk on his face, Damon leaned back in his uncomfortable chair, wiggling to get as comfortable as he could. His comfort only lasted a few minutes before Mrs. Marshall decided to introduce the new faculty members. Only Elena heard Damon groan.

"Before we dive in, I want to introduce you to our three new hires," she said. She went in alphabetical order, introducing a middle-aged man that would be heading up the special education program, followed by a woman who was the new school nurse.

"And, finally, we have yet another Salvatore joining us!" Mrs. Marshall announced with over the top enthusiasm. "Please meet Damon Salvatore, our new U.S. history teacher and head coach of our football team!" Damon half stood and gave a halfhearted wave. "Welcome, Damon! We have no doubt you will be an asset to our school, just like your brother and sister-in-law." Damon smiled politely. "Now! Let's start with the fun stuff – our school year calendar!"


Damon glanced at his phone. It was almost three o'clock. He felt like he was back in school himself, anxiously awaiting the dismissal bell. He hoped there wasn't a quiz on anything they had reviewed since lunch as he had did everything but pay attention.

During the lunch break, he had sat outside at a picnic table with Elena, Caroline, and Stefan, enjoying the freedom from the antiquated auditorium and dry presentation. The sea air made him feel alive, and he relaxed, laughing and talking with his brother, engaging Elena in conversation, listening intently as she shared a funny story about something Ava Kate did that morning. Before heading back to the auditorium for the afternoon session, he took Elena's advice and ducked into his office, grabbing a notebook to draft lesson plans. To his surprise, he had managed to get quite a bit done.

Now, though, his attention span for anything academic was shot, his mind turning to the football practice scheduled to start in an hour. Next to him, Elena had abandoned her lesson planning and was discreetly playing a game on her phone. He was fairly certain Stefan was asleep, his head bowed and resting on his fist, Tebow style. Caroline was filing her nails. It was the same story all around him. He wondered if Mrs. Marshall was remotely aware that she had lost her audience. Not that she ever had it.

"We're nearly done!" she chirped from her podium. "Just a few announcements…" She ran through a list of dates everyone needed to be aware of, from workshop days to back-to-school night to, Damon's surprise, the first football game. "Does anyone have any announcements to add?" Damon didn't hesitate to raise his hand. "Damon?" He stood.

"We're having our first booster club meeting tonight, at seven o'clock, in the cafeteria. We would appreciate the support of anyone who can make it." He sat back down, figuring his job done. Someone else raised their hand. He couldn't remember the man's name, but he thought he taught technology.

"I wasn't aware we had a booster club."

"Tonight is the first meeting," Damon repeated.

"Why does the athletic department get a booster club?" someone else asked. "The marching band doesn't…"

"The marching band has more money than any other student group in this school," Stefan piped up. "You have your own booster club in the form of your band parents." Damon gave his brother an appreciative nod. Next to him, Elena raised her hand.

"Elena?" Mrs. Marshall called.

"This boosters club? It is obviously for all athletic programs, right? Not just the football team?" Damon looked at her, aware that her dance team was classified as an athletic program at the school. He had intended the booster club to be beneficial for his team and his team only, but he had a feeling things weren't going to work like that, not at a school system that was starved for cash.

"Of course," he answered. She smirked at him in response.

"Any more questions?" Mrs. Marshall asked. No one raised a hand or spoke up. "Well, then, class dismissed!" There was a collective groan at her weak attempt at a joke.

"Well-played, Ms. Gilbert," Damon commented, remaining in his seat as Elena packed up her bag. He stuck his pen behind his ear. She smirked at him, her hair tumbling over her shoulder.

"You aren't the only one that can strategize around here." She had been plotting since the evening before on how to leverage the boosters club for her dance team, as well as some of the other sports. "Lucky for you, my girls happen to be excellent at fundraising."

"They better be," Damon grumbled. "I don't have enough shoulder pads to outfit my entire team." Elena just winked.


So much flirting... Damon is definitely into Elena. And I think Elena might like him too... And don't worry, we're definitely going to have some things outside of school coming soon. Right after that booster club Damon is so excited about.

I've wrote quite a bit of this story at this point and I have to say, I really like Damon's character... Like, a lot.

Let me know what you thought!