Hello hello! A short(er) update tonight, a bit of football and a bit of fluff, but I'm enjoying having my best friend from college visiting before Christmas and a trip to NYC. Hopefully you'll still appreciate the fluff. :)
Thank you so much for all of your reviews and compliments. And the Twitter love! I stumbled across all sorts of Twitter love last weekend and it was just amazing. Thank you so much.
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.
Damon blew his whistle sharply.
"O'Conner! Was that an eligible receiver?" Tate O'Conner just looked at him, wide-eyed, his mouth guard swinging. "Well?"
"No, sir," he answered.
"Then why did you throw to him?"
"He was open, Coach." Damon huffed and threw up his hands.
"It doesn't matter if he was open! He's ineligible, based solely on the number he's wearing! That's a five-yard penalty! Penalties killed us in the scrimmage, and they'll kill us against Dixon on Friday." He paused and shook his head. "Do you need a lesson on what constitutes an eligible receiver?" Tate shook his head.
"No, sir."
"Then run that play again." Tate nodded once.
"Huddle up!" he called to his offense.
"Is that steam coming out of your ears?" Stefan asked. His older brother was in an especially good mood for the evening's practice. Damon shook his head.
"They don't listen. It goes in one ear and out the other." They watched the play unfold in front of them. This time, Tate hit Jeremy perfectly. "Nice!" Damon called. "That was textbook. Run it again." He turned to Stefan. "I'm going to go yell at the defense for a while. Watch Rodriquez. He's got a little bit of a limp, don't know if it's serious."
"Rodriquez is fine," Stefan said, searching out the team's big center. He found him easily and watched him limp slightly back into position. He frowned. "When did he do that?" Damon shrugged.
"I don't know. I just noticed it. Pull him if he doesn't pull himself. We can't afford to lose him." Stefan only nodded. Damon parted ways and meandered over to where Ric and Tyler were watching the defense.
"If you didn't like what you saw from the offense, you won't be too pleased about what's going on over here," Tyler admitted. "We've been running through the cadence. They don't get it. The pause is causing them to jump off sides."
"They're going to have to get it," Damon stated. "Dixon's got a third year starter, and he's been doing that same slow clap cadence all three years."
"Watch," Ric said, nodding towards the field. The first string defense lined up against the second string, acting as the opposing offense. The linebacker standing in at quarterback called a play, using hand claps to put the play into motion. To no one's surprise, two players jumped off sides. Damon blew his whistle. "Here we go," Ric muttered with a note of amusement. He liked the way Damon coached. It was no nonsense. Damon ignored him.
"Off sides!" he roared. "Again! What's the cadence? Someone clap it out for me!" A defensive end clapped it out. "Someone else!" A safety did the same. "One more person!" A linebacker clapped out the rhythm. "So you do know what the cadence is! Why are we jumping off sides, every single time?"
"Coach, that's like, the slowest cadence in the history of football," one of the players spoke up. "We just want to hit people."
"It's slow on purpose," Damon countered. "It's slow to draw you off sides. Each time you jump the gun, they get another five yards. Do it twice in a row, that's a first down they didn't have to work for. Yes, it's slow. But, it doesn't matter. You still have to be mindful of it. Otherwise, you're giving them the game. Understood?" There was a general mutter of understanding. He nodded. "Back to you, Saltzman, Lockwood." He turned on his heel and headed towards where Enzo was working with the special teams unit. "Can we make a field goal or not?" he asked. Enzo nodded towards their kicker.
"Watch and see."
The ball was snapped. The holder neatly put the ball into position. The kicker approached and belted it through the uprights with room to spare.
"Very nice," Damon said, appreciating what he saw. "Thirty yards out. Not bad. He had about ten more yards on that one."
"He can make them from 45, easy," Enzo said. "It's the top of his range right now, but I think we can get him a few more yards by the end of the season."
"Well, if nothing else, maybe we'll score a few field goals this season," Damon muttered. Enzo chuckled. "Good work," he added to his kicker.
"Thanks, Coach," the boy replied, knowing that was as high of a compliment as he was likely to get. Damon walked away, going to stand on the sidelines and observe for a few minutes. He took a few deep breaths and rolled his shoulders.
Monday had been trying to prove a point all day. Elena had been running late, so he had been forced to leave her coffee on her desk instead of hand it to her in person. His first block class had gone well enough, until he spilled his own coffee all over his desk. His second block had been rowdy, and while his third block had gotten off to a good start, a fire drill in the middle of it had sent them into chaos. He'd missed lunch, trying to round up all of his students.
He had intended to use his fourth block free period to grade some papers, but had ended up on the phone with a parent who was convinced their child was already failing and asking for extra credit work. By the time he got off the phone, he was running behind for football practice and Elena had already left for dance practice at the rec center.
Now, he was hungry, had a mountain of papers to grade, hadn't seen Elena all day after spending all of Saturday with her and, much to his satisfaction, part of Sunday, and his team was making one mistake after another. All he wanted now was to call Elena, eat some dinner, and go to bed. He would worry about his students' papers tomorrow.
As practiced drew to a close a half hour later, he stood before his team.
"Does anyone know who General Robert Neyland is?" He wasn't surprised to see Tate O'Conner's hand go up. "O'Conner?"
"He coached the University of Tennessee in the 30s and 40s," he said, "in between serving in the military. He's a legend. UT's stadium is named after him." Damon nodded.
"Exactly right. Neyland developed the seven maxims of football, seven sentences he had his team repeat before each game. Tennessee still repeats those sentences today. Those seven sentences encompass everything it takes to win a football game. Anyone happen to know what the very first one is?" As he expected, no one raised their hand. "The first maxim is 'The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.' It really is that simple. The team that plays the cleanest game wins. We're playing sloppy. If we want to win, we need to play clean.
"Tonight, I want you to go home and think about your position. Think about what you can do to play clean. Tomorrow, when you come onto this field, I want to see you put it into action. It's that simple. Understood?"
"Understood," the team muttered. Damon nodded.
"Any questions?" A hand appeared. "Jennings?" The junior offensive lineman grinned.
"Coach, I hear you've got some pretty sweet dance moves." Damon narrowed his eyes. Jeremy had the good sense to look guilty as the team whopped and howled. "How's about you show us a few?" He danced a little jig.
"Last time I checked, this was a football field, not a dance floor," Damon stated. "Knock off the dancing, Jennings. Now." Jennings quit on the spot, sensing he may have pushed things too far.
"Should I go run?" he asked, jerking his thumb towards the track. Damon sighed and shook his head.
"If I make you run laps, I have to stay until you're finished, and I'm tired of looking at teenagers today." Ric snorted back a laugh. He shared a similar sentiment. "Consider yourself on notice, however. Get out of here, all of you." With that, the team broke and headed for the locker room.
"Dance moves?" Ric asked curiously. The other coaches started collecting the equipment they had used for the day.
"Ava Kate was showing me some of her ballet steps the other day and Jeremy caught me trying to do them with her. He apparently ratted me out to the team." Ric snorted as he picked up cones, passing them to Damon to stack.
"Ballet? Really, Damon?"
"I asked Ava Kate about dance class, she showed me some moves, one thing led to another and she asked me to dance. I couldn't tell her no."
"Or, you wanted to impress her mother."
"That too," Damon admitted. "But, it made Ava Kate happy, so it was worth it."
"She's my niece," Ric reminded Damon in a warning tone. "They both are." Damon nodded.
"I know. And I promise, they're in good hands. I'm not going to hurt them." Ric smiled ruefully and slapped his shoulder.
"For some reason, I absolutely believe that."
They finished gathering and storing their equipment. After a quick recap of practice and a few notes with his coaches, Damon headed for his truck, eager to put the day behind him, but well aware of the growing stack of papers he needed to grade. He was just debating on what he was going to pick up for dinner when his phone rang. He looked at the display and saw Elena's name. He smiled broadly.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hi," Elena replied. It sounded like she was driving. "How was your Monday?"
"It was the kind of Monday that gives Monday its bad name," he replied, unlocking his truck. "How was yours?"
"It started off rocky. Ava Kate had a lot of opinions on what she was going to wear, Jeremy didn't want to get up, and I didn't get to see you this morning. The coffee on my desk was a turning point, though. The day is definitely better."
"You missed me?" Damon teased.
"I've quickly gotten used to your sardonic wit to start my day." He smiled.
"Well, I missed seeing you, too," he admitted. "I spilled my own coffee everywhere, my second block class, your brother included, acted like they had never seen the inside of a classroom before, and that fire drill during third block sent my kids all over hell. I missed lunch, trying to wrangle them."
"That wasn't a fire drill," Elena told him. "Some kid pulled the fire alarm by the gym."
"Explains why it was during lunch," he muttered. He slid behind the wheel of his vehicle.
"Have you picked up something for dinner yet?"
"How do you know I'm not making a gourmet meal right now?" he countered.
"Because of the sheer amount of times you've referenced the fact that you can't cook," Elena stated. "And, I know you are probably just leaving the school."
"Guilty," Damon admitted.
"Come over," Elena proposed. "I'm making fajitas. The chicken has been in the crockpot all day, so it's basically already ready for us."
"You don't have to feed me every day," Damon told her, only to be polite. He wanted nothing more than to see Elena.
"You don't have to bring me coffee every day, but you do it anyway," she countered. "Come over, Damon. Have dinner with us. Hold on." There was shuffling and, for a moment, silence. He was about to hang up and redial, thinking he'd lost her, but she came back on the line. "We want you to come have dinner with us, right Ava Kate?"
"Right!" came a little voice. She had put him on speakerphone. He smiled.
"How can I say no to that?" he asked.
"You can't," Elena stated.
"I'll come over," he said. "But, I'm bringing dessert."
"If you must."
"Ava Kate? What do you want for dessert?"
"Um…" He heard the child thinking it over. "Cupcakes!"
"Cupcakes it is," he promised. "I'll see you soon."
Damon flipped a card over. A pig. He thought about it for a moment, sure he had seen the card's match before. He chose another card and flipped it over. A cactus.
"No match!" Ava Kate sung, flipping his cards back over for him. She flipped the pig back over, then reached for a card near the cactus. She turned it over, revealing the pig. "Match!" Damon groaned to himself. "I get to go again!"
"I told you she was good," Elena reminded him, entering the room from where she'd just turned on the dishwasher. "Ava Kate, you've got thirty minutes, then its bath time." Ava Kate didn't reply, focusing on the cards Damon flipped over. Jeremy thundered down the stairs on a trajectory for the front door. "Jeremy!" Elena called. "Where are you going?"
"Out," Jeremy answered, stopping in the doorway.
"It's after seven on a school night. Where are you going?"
"Just, out." Elena shook her head. Damon listened in, even as he played with Ava Kate.
"Have you done your homework?"
"Don't have any." Damon couldn't help himself.
"You sure about that?" he asked. He flipped over a card, matching the dog he had just unveiled.
"You got a match!" Ava Kate called out. "You get to go again!" Damon smiled at her as he collected his cards. Jeremy glared at Damon. He'd forgotten his history teacher was in his living room, the same teacher who had assigned reading and subsequent questions, due the next day.
"I'll do it later," he said evenly. Damon didn't say anything further, focusing on his game with Ava Kate.
"Jeremy, you have homework," Elena said sternly. "And probably not just in Damon's class."
"I'll do it later," Jeremy repeated. "I'm out." With that, he left, shutting the front door a little hard than was necessary. Damon glanced at Elena.
"You okay?" She sighed, reaching for Ava Kate's backpack.
"Yeah," she replied. "That was pretty standard Jeremy." Damon dropped the topic as Ava Kate turned over yet another match.
"You're kicking my butt," he stated. Ava Kate giggled. There were only a few cards left to match. In a nearby armchair, Elena was sifting through the papers Ava Kate had brought home from school. Among her art project, a worksheet on shapes, and a flyer about the school's upcoming fundraiser was a note from the teacher. Elena opened it curiously. Her frown deepened as she read it.
"Ava Kate, did anything happen at school today that you forgot to tell me about?" Ava Kate flipped over the last two cards, sailboats.
"I won!" she declared.
"You sure did," Damon agreed, taking in his measly pile of cards. He held up his hand for a high five, which Ava Kate gave him enthusiastically.
"Ava Kate?" Elena asked, a note of warning in her tone.
"Hey, I think you mom is asking you something," Damon said, nodding towards Elena. To his surprise, Ava Kate rounded the coffee table, stood in front of him for a moment as though she were debating, then, making up her mind, climbed into his lap. She snuggled close, her hands wringing together. She was nervous about something. He instinctively pulled her close.
"Ava Kate, did you forget to tell me something about school today?" Elena tried again, trying not to get distracted by the fact that her daughter looked right at home in Damon's lap. Ava Kate shook her head, but there was a guilty look about her. "Are you sure?" Ava Kate nodded. Elena sighed. She understood. Ava Kate was afraid of getting in trouble. Still, they needed to address the letter from her teacher.
"Can I take my bath now?" Ava Kate asked, trying to ward off what she knew was coming. Elena shook her head.
"Sweetheart, your teacher sent a note home that said you were disruptive in class today, and that it wasn't the first time. Can you tell me what happened? You're not in trouble, I just want to know what's going on, so we can figure out a solution." Damon decided to give mother and daughter some privacy.
"Why don't I go put the cupcakes away?" he asked. He made to move Ava Kate from his lap.
"No!" she cried, turning to cling to Damon. "Stay!" She felt safe with Damon. Maybe, if he kept holding her, she wouldn't get in trouble. Damon looked to Elena for guidance.
"It's okay," she told him with a nod. "Stay." He nodded once. Elena turned back to Ava Kate. "What's going on?" she asked. "Do you know what it means when your teacher says you're being disruptive?"
"It means I'm not sitting in my seat and being quiet when I'm supposed to be," Ava Kate said so softly even Damon had to strain to hear her.
"That's right," Elena agreed. "Why are you getting out of your seat and not being quiet when you're supposed to be?" Ava Kate just stared at her. "It's okay," Elena prompted. "I'm your mommy. You can tell me."
"I don't want to get in trouble," Ava Kate said softly.
"You're not in trouble," Elena said gently. "Mommy just needs to understand what's going on so we can find a way to fix it." Damon gave her a little squeeze in hopes of encouraging her. Ava Kate responded by snuggling closer.
"It's okay," Damon whispered to her. He couldn't help himself. "I've got you." Ava Kate looked at him for a moment, as though debating on whether or not she could trust him. He gave her a soft smile. She pursed her lips and turned to her mother.
"It's okay," Elena repeated, trying not to be distracted by Damon. "Tell me what's going on." Ava Kate sighed.
"Kindergarten is boring!" she declared. "I already know all the stuff! You said Mrs. Page was going to help me learn how to read books, but she's not teaching me anything!" Elena sighed.
"Ava Kate, school is just starting. You'll start to learn new things soon, I promise." Ava Kate looked doubtful.
"Kids in my class still can't write their names," she informed her mother. "It's not looking promising." Elena's jaw dropped at Ava Kate's sass. While she knew she should correct her, part of her was proud to hear her daughter act more like a five year old girl than she had in a while. She saw Damon stifling a laugh.
"What do you do when Ms. Page says you're being disruptive?" she asked.
"I talk to my friends or I get out of my chair and find something to do."
"Like what?" Elena pressed. Ava Kate shrugged.
"Sometimes I read books. Sometimes I play with things in the centers." Elena sighed again. She knew exactly how Ms. Page felt as a teacher. It was difficult when a child wasn't listening. But, as Ava Kate's mother, she also felt for her child.
"I'm going to email Ms. Page in the morning and set up some time to talk with her," she told Ava Kate. "We'll see what sort of solution we can come up with, okay?"
"Okay," Ava Kate agreed.
"In the meantime, I want you to stay in your seat and listen to instructions."
"But, what if I get board?"
"Raise your hand and ask Ms. Page for something else to do, or for permission to read a book. Don't just get up and help yourself."
"Okay," Ava Kate repeated. Elena held out her arms.
"Can I have a hug?" The little girl slipped off of Damon's lap and crossed the room to her mother. Elena hugged her tight. "You're a good, smart girl. I love you."
"I love you, too, Mommy." Elena kissed the top of her head. Damon smiled at the exchange.
"Why don't you pick up your game and then head upstairs? I'll come up in a few minutes to give you your bath." Ava Kate nodded. Damon helped her pick up the game. She placed it on the shelf with several other board games.
"I should probably get going," Damon said in an effort to be cognizant of the fact that was a school night. He made to stand.
"No, stay," Elena said. "I mean, if you want to. I'm going to give Ava Kate a bath and put her to bed, but… if you don't mind sticking around…" He smiled at her.
"I don't mind at all. You go do whatever you need to. I'll be here when you get back." Elena nodded.
"Feel free to watch TV while you wait." She gave him a smile before leading Ava Kate out of the room. He settled into the couch and pulled out his phone. He replied to texts from Stefan, Caroline, and both of his parents, checked his email, then pulled up a highlight reel of Dixon's previous season. He was still watching YouTube clips a half hour later when Elena and a freshly bathed Ava Kate reappeared.
"Hey," he greeted. "You all clean, little lady?" Ava Kate nodded.
"From my hair to my toes," she confirmed. He chuckled.
"Ava Kate wanted to tell you goodnight," Elena explained.
"Are you headed to bed?" he asked, putting his phone aside and sliding to the edge of the couch. Ava Kate nodded again as she approached him.
"It's a school night," she stated.
"Yeah, it is. You have to get a good night's sleep so you'll be ready to learn tomorrow." Ava Kate smiled at him in return.
"Goodnight, Coach Damon," she said softly. He felt his chest expand.
"Goodnight, Ava Kate," he replied. He held his arms out to see if she would come to him. She hesitated for only a moment before she went to him and let him pull her into a hug. "Sleep tight, sweetheart." Elena had to look away to blink the tears from her eyes. The sweet scene was almost overwhelming for her. He let Ava Kate go and she ran back to her mother.
"I won't be long," she promised. Damon winked at her.
"Take your time." He settled back into the couch, content to watch more YouTube highlight reels of the teams First Flight would face this season. Another half hour late, Elena returned.
"Thanks for sticking around," she said, settling onto the couch next to Damon.
"Is Ava Kate asleep?" he countered, putting his phone aside.
"She is. She tends to fall asleep without much of a fight." She fidgeted with a throw pillow, looking distracted. Damon frowned. He bumped her lightly with his elbow.
"Everything okay?" She looked at him and couldn't help but give him a small smile. He really did seem to care.
"I'm just worrying over Ava Kate disrupting class," she confessed. "She's such a good child and she absolutely hates to be in trouble."
"I don't see her as the unruly kid who disrupts class," Damon offered. "It's not like she's doing obnoxious stuff. She's just trying to fill her spare time, which it sounds like she has a lot of."
"I was afraid this was going to happen," Elena admitted. "I've spent a lot of time with her, teaching her things, showing her how to write her name and teaching her how to read. She's so smart, that's why I pushed for her to start kindergarten this year instead of next. She needed the social interaction, too." She blew out a breath. "I've made my kid too smart for kindergarten."
"Kindergarten is tough," Damon told her. "You have kids who have parents like you who worked with their kids and sent them to preschool. Then, you have parents who managed to keep them alive and that's about it. The first several weeks of kindergarten is a lot of trying to get everyone on a much more level playing field."
"I know," Elena agreed. "I just worry that Ava Kate is still too advanced for kindergarten. I don't have a lot of options, though. I'd love to send her to a private school where the curriculum is a little more challenging, but we don't have any on the island and I can't home school her. I mean, I could, I guess, but she needs the social interaction."
"Is there any sort of gifted program she could be a part of?" Damon asked. Elena shook her head.
"We have the Governor's school for high school students and the middle school has a talented and gifted program, but there's not really anything at the elementary level, especially not for kindergarteners. The First Flight school system isn't exactly rolling in funding, let alone advanced classes."
"You and her teacher will be able to come up with a solution," he told her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Ava Kate is a good kid."
"She is," Elena agreed, curling closer to Damon. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
"You're beautiful," he said, making good on his promise to tell her often.
"I still think you're full of it," Elena countered, tipping her head upward so she could see him better.
"I'm not," he said simply. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. He sighed when he broke away, resting his forehead against hers. "I've needed to do that all day."
"Needed?" Elena asked. He nodded.
"It was a long, long day."
"I missed seeing you today."
"I missed seeing you," he agreed. "As it turns out, I've gotten rather fond of our morning coffee dates." Elena smiled.
"I do rather enjoy those." Damon kissed her forehead, feeling fortunate that she seemed so comfortable in his arms now.
"I have a question."
"What?" Elena asked.
"I would like to take you on another date. And then, I would like to take you and Ava Kate on another date. I did promise her I'd take her crabbing, after all." Elena smiled.
"I'd like that." She especially liked that it seemed Damon was planning not one, but two, dates. He nodded once.
"I was thinking, maybe Saturday? After Ava Kate's cheerleading practice? We could take her crabbing, and then maybe you and I can go out to dinner or something?"
"There are a lot of questions in that sentence," Elena said with a smile. He shrugged good-naturedly.
"I'm a little nervous about asking a pretty girl out." Elena laughed lightly.
"You don't have to be," she told him, reaching out and running a hand through his thick hair. "She's really looking forward to going out with you again." Damon leaned down and stole a kiss.
"Good. Does that mean Saturday is a go?" Elena nodded.
"Saturday is a go. Although, woe betide us if it rains. I don't think I can handle a second Saturday in a row of cheerleading practice and crabbing being rained out."
"I already checked the forecast," Damon told her. "The weather is going to be perfect."
"It sounds like a date." Damon kissed her softly.
"It is, most definitely, a date."
And so, football and fluff. The eligible/ineligible receiver rule is bit complicated to explain, but basically, only certain players on the field are eligible to catch a ball. The cadence the defense was working on is how the quarterback snaps a play into action. A slow cap can make a team jump off sides because they're so eager to go.
And General Neyland? I like him. A lot. But, I'm a Tennessee alumni and think he (and Peyton Manning...) walk on water...
I think you'll be rather interested in the next update...
Please let me know what you thought!
