Finally, an update. I know you all hate waiting, but I'm not going to commit to updating on a certain day at this point - real life is busy! But, hopefully, you'll like this one. Hopefully.
Thank you so so much for all your comments, messages, and tweets. Only your support keeps me writing!
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.
"Do you want some more juice?" Elena asked as she poured herself another mug of coffee.
"No, thank you," Ava Kate answered. She pushed around her cereal, picking up on her mother's anxiety. Elena sighed to herself, aware that her mood was affecting Ava Kate.
"Eat your breakfast, please," she said. "We have to leave for cheerleading practice in ten minutes." Without a word, Ava Kate lifted a spoonful of Cheerios to her mouth. Elena blew out a breath and walked out of the kitchen, phone in hand. She dialed Jeremy's number. It went straight to voicemail. She muttered a curse under her breath and wandered over to the windows overlooking over sound to calm herself. She was focused on taking deep breaths when her phone rang out. It was Damon. "Hey."
"Good morning, beautiful," he chirped, sounding upbeat.
"Morning," she mumbled back. On his end of the phone, Damon frowned.
"Everything okay?" Elena sighed again, wondering just how many times she'd done that this morning.
"Jeremy didn't come home last night. It's not the first time, by any means, but he's not answering his phone or replying to my text messages."
"Didn't he say he was going to some kid name Steve's house?"
"I called Steve's parents a few minutes ago and woke them up. Steve apparently told them he was staying here. I haven't seen either of them." Elena stifled a yawn. She had barely fallen asleep last night before a thunderstorm rolled through, waking up Ava Kate. It was then that she noticed Jeremy wasn't home and hadn't been able to fall back asleep.
"I can drive around, see if I can find him," Damon offered, not sure what else he could do.
"No," Elena said with a shake of her head. "He'll show up eventually. He always does." She walked back into the kitchen. Ava Kate had only eaten a few more bites of cereal. She looked sad and worried. "Damon, can I call you back in a few minutes?" Damon's frown deepened out of concern for Elena.
"Of course. Whenever you get a chance." With a promise of calling him back shortly, Elena hung up and turned to Ava Kate.
"Okay, Ava Kate. What's wrong?" Ava Kate looked at her, but didn't say anything. Elena sat down beside her. "Ava Kate, you can tell me." Ava Kate pursed her lips.
"Are you mad at Damon?" she asked. Elena frowned and shook her head.
"No. Not at all. Why would you think that?"
"You didn't want to talk to him…"
"I do want to talk to him. I'm going to call him back in just a few minutes. I saw that you are upset, and I wanted to check on you. I'm not mad at Damon at all."
"You're sure?"
"I'm positive," Elena confirmed.
"Then, why are you upset?" Ava Kate asked.
"Your Uncle Jeremy didn't come home when he was supposed to," she explained, "and now he's ignoring my phone calls. I'm sure he's okay, but I want to know where he is."
"Oh."
"Oh? Elena repeated.
"Uncle Jeremy doesn't listen," Ava Kate said with a shrug. Elena half smiled. The child wasn't wrong.
"He doesn't," she agreed. "We're working on it, though." She watched Ava Kate for a moment, pushing her cereal around. "What else is bothering you?" she pushed gently. "I can tell there's something else on your mind." Ava Kate put down her spoon and squared her shoulders in a determined sort of manner.
"Does Liam have to be my dad, or can I have a different one?" Elena was stunned into silence.
"What?" she managed after a few moments.
"Does Liam have to be my dad?" Ava Kate repeated. "Or, can I have a new one? Like, am I stuck with Liam as a dad, or can I maybe get a new one someday?" Elena studied her daughter, thinking about the best way to answer. Staying true to her promise to always tell Ava Kate as much of the truth as she could, she reached out and turned Ava Kate's chair towards her.
"Sweetheart, Liam will, in a sense, always be your father," she began. They no longer referred to Liam as "Dad." He was called by his first name, no more, no less. Ava Kate's eyes grew big. Elena hurried on. "Liam will always be your father because he helped make you. But, he's not going to be your dad in any other way. You're always going to share some of his genes…"
"Jeans?" Ava Kate interrupted. "We don't wear the same size. He's big and I'm little." Elena smiled in spite of the situation.
"Not the kind of jeans you wear, but genes. They're what make you who you are, from the inside out." It was the simplest way she could explain biology to Ava Kate. "But, honey, it takes more than genes for a man to be a father. Liam couldn't do that. So, while he will biologically always be your father, he's not your father in the ways that matter most."
"What kind of ways?" Ava Kate asked.
"Well, he wasn't very nice, was he?" Ava Kate shook her head vigorously.
"He was really, really mean."
"He was," Elena agreed. "He didn't like to spend time with us or tuck you in at night. There are a lot of ways he wasn't a good father. But, you don't have to worry about him anymore. He's not going to hurt either of us, ever again." Ava Kate considered.
"What about getting a new dad?" she asked. "Can people do that? Get new dads?" Elena took her time before answering. She was walking into dangerous territory.
"Well, honey, sometimes, mommies get re-married and that person becomes their child's stepdad, and he can be kind of like a new dad." Ava Kate chewed her lip.
"Ari has a stepdad," she said. "And a real dad."
"Some people have both," Elena confirmed. "But, every family is different. Does that make sense?"
"I think so," Ava Kate agreed. She tilted her head slightly, looking at Elena. "What's Damon to me? You're not married, so he's not my stepdad." Elena reached out and pushed Ava Kate's bangs back, noting it was time for a trim.
"Damon is my boyfriend," she explained. "So, for now, Damon is your – friend."
"Friend," Ava Kate repeated.
"Friend," Elena agreed.
"Will he be my stepdad one day?" Elena sighed again.
"Maybe. We'll have to see where things go. But, remember, no matter what happens with Damon and I, I love you, more than anything. You're always going to be number one." Ava Kate nodded.
"You're my number one, too, Mommy," she declared. Elena smiled. Despite everything that had gone wrong that morning, her mood was lifted.
"Come give Mommy a hug," she said, holding her arms out. Ava Kate slid off her chair and into Elena's arms. "You want anything else to eat before we go?" Elena asked after a few more moments.
"No. I think we're late for cheerleading practice." Elena smiled.
"We are," she confirmed. "Go grab your bag and we'll go." Ava Kate scampered from the room. Elena carried her breakfast dishes to the sink turned on the water to rinse them. The front door opened and closed. She looked over her shoulder to see Jeremy walk past the doorway. "Jeremy!" She heard him huff and turn back.
"What?"
Elena took a moment to look at him. His eyes were bloodshot. He was still high from the night before. She took a breath.
"Where were you last night?"
"I was at Steve's…." Elena was already shaking her head.
"I called Steve's parents this morning. I woke them up. Which, by the way, they were thrilled about. As it turns out, Steve didn't come home last night, either." Jeremy's eyes widened.
"You called Steve's parents?" he cried. "Dammit, Elena!"
"You didn't come home," Elena reminded him. "You wouldn't answer your phone or reply to my texts. Remember how you were so worried last weekend when Ava Kate and I weren't here? Well, that might give you a little idea as to how I felt last night. You can't do this, Jeremy. You can't not show up. All you had to do last night was call me. Or send me a text. That's it."
"I was with the guys," Jeremy said dismissively. "I'm going upstairs. I'm tired."
"Hang on a second…" Ava Kate arrived.
"I'm ready!" she declared. Elena looked at her, then back at Jeremy. She couldn't yell at Jeremy the way she desperately wanted to – in a furious, protective big sister kind of way – in front of Ava Kate.
"I'm taking Ava Kate to cheerleading practice," she stated. "Afterward, she's going to Ari's for a play date and Damon and I are going on a date. Then, we're going to pick Ava Kate up and take her to a movie. After that, there's a pretty good chance we'll go get dinner. So, now that you know what I'll be doing today, what are your plans?" She spoke evenly, but Jeremy heard the warning in her tone.
"I don't know," he stated, saying each word slowly. "I guess we'll see where the day takes me." With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the stairs, giving Ava Kate's ponytail a playful tug as he passed. Elena blew out a breath and picked up her bag.
Ten minutes later, she was pulling into a parking spot at the rec center. She spotted Damon's truck parked a few rows over and smiled slightly. She had called him back once she was in her SUV, only to find out he was already at the rec center. She had expected as much. He had been at nearly every Saturday morning practice, much to Cody's delight, as he liked a detailed breakdown of his performance after each practice.
"There's my girls," Damon greeted as he walked towards them. Elena couldn't help but smile.
"Hi, Damon!" Ava Kate greeted. "I'm late for cheerleading practice!"
"You're not very late. They're just getting started." He nodded towards where a somewhat harassed looking woman was attempting to get a group of girls Ava Kate's age to line up in staggered rows.
"Go on," Elena encouraged. "I'll be on the bleachers with Aunt Caroline, like always." Ava Kate skipped away, leaving Damon and Elena alone. "Hi," she greeted.
"Hello," he replied, reaching for her. She allowed him to wrap her in his arms. She rested her forehead against his chest, breathing in his scent. Some of the stresses of the morning fell away.
"I needed this," she said. He gave her a squeeze.
"Rough morning?"
"You know about Jeremy," Elena said, pulling away. She had filled him in on Jeremy's return in the car. "Ava Kate…" She trained off, not willing to tell Damon the full extent of Ava Kate's conversation with her that morning. "She got off to a rocky start, but I think her day is turning around." She looked up at Damon who listening intently to her every word. "I think mine is, too." He smiled, leaned down, and kissed her quickly.
"Wait until our date later. You're gong to love it."
"You sound confident."
"I am," Damon assured her. He took her hand and together, they made their way to the bleachers, joining Caroline who was busy snapping photos of Cody on the practice field.
"I was starting to think you were skipping out on practice," Caroline greeted. "But then, that thing showed up," she jerked her thumb at Damon, "so I knew you would be here soon."
"I'm a thing now?" Damon asked.
"You told Cody to look and me and say 'you're pretty, Mom' when he knows he's in trouble. The first few times, it was cute. Now, it comes across as sarcastic – just like Uncle Damon intended." Damon laughed.
"I forgot about that," he said, smirking. Elena gave him a fond smile.
"You're not even a little bit sorry, are you?" Caroline asked. Damon shook his head.
"I'm really not," he confirmed.
They fell to watching practice, making small talk, commenting on the kids. Elena grew quieter as she watched Ava Kate jump around, shaking her miniature pompoms and trying to remember the words to cheers.
She wasn't blind to the changes in Ava Kate since Damon came into their lives. Ava Kate was more outgoing, laughed more. She was more content to stay where she was if Elena left the room instead of worrying about where her mom was going, and if she would come back. She was still shy around strangers, especially men, but she trusted Damon completely, running to meet him, asking him to carry her, even staying with him of her own recommendation the day he was stung by the jellyfish.
It scared Elena to her core. She knew Damon was a good guy, but that didn't mean things would work between them. Things were still new, exciting. But, what if they went wrong? What if things fell apart and their relationship ended? She would be fine. She had been through enough hard stuff to know how to pull herself back together again. Between what Liam put her through and her parents' death, the end of a relationship seemed like a walk in the park. It was Ava Kate she was worried about. Ava Kate was attached to Damon. What if, one day, he was suddenly no longer a part of her life?
She should have waited, she told herself. She shouldn't have allowed Damon to spend so much time with Ava Kate. She shouldn't have allowed their bond to form so early on. There were reasons single mothers often waited months, maybe even longer, to introduce their boyfriend to their child. Ava Kate was already fragile, given how tumultuous her first few years of life were. Elena couldn't bear to see her little girl's heart broken all over again.
Then there was the fact that she didn't want Damon to feel trapped. If he wasn't happy, now or down the road, she didn't want him sticking around because he felt obligated or didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. She knew she asking for a lot, for him to take on a woman with an abusive past, a child, and guardianship of a rebellious teenager. She also knew he was the kind of guy who wouldn't want to hurt her. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Stefan jogging up to the fence.
"Damon!"
"Little brother," Damon greeted.
"I need your help."
"Not my circus, not my monkeys," Damon drawled. He would absolutely help his brother, but he tried to be cognizant of the fact that the peewee team was Stefan's team. He knew, had Stefan not put his name forth instead, Stefan would have been named head coach of the First Flight team. He felt he owed him something of his own, even if were just Cody's flag football team.
"Quit being funny. I'm down a coach. Can you come out here and hold one of the tackle dummies?"
"You want me to let five year olds run into me," Damon stated.
"Basically," Stefan agreed. "Come on. I have their attention at the moment, and it won't last long. We have to strike while its hot."
"Wait a minute," Caroline interrupted. "Tackle dummies? No. This is flag football. They don't need to practice tackling anything." Damon snorted.
"Your kid took down that little curly haired redhead ten minutes ago with a beautiful tackle. I think you would prefer him to hit something that's not a human." Caroline opened her mouth to argue, but Stefan intervened, well aware of his wife's disdain for Cody's preferred sport.
"They aren't going to tackle it. I just want them to get used to pushing through a line."
"That's a terrible idea," Caroline informed him. Elena had to hold back a grin at the brewing argument.
"Damon, are you going to help me or not?" Stefan asked, ignoring Caroline.
"I'm coming," Damon agreed. He squeezed Elena's knee. "I'll be back."
"Okay," she agreed, giving him a smile. He stood and moved along the bleachers towards the field's entrance. Caroline slid closer after reiterating to a retreating Stefan that she didn't agree with his practice plans.
"What's got your pantyhose in a bunch?" she asked. Elena looked at her.
"What?" Caroline nodded in Damon's direction.
"You've been all quiet and weird. I don't think Damon's picked up on it, but I have. You were off in your own little world until Stefan showed up." Elena sighed. She knew she could tell Caroline anything.
"I think I made a big mistake," she stated. Caroline frowned.
"What did you do?"
"I shouldn't have let Damon meet Ava Kate so soon. They've gotten so close. Ava Kate is crazy about him, and he's so good with her. But, what if it doesn't work out? What if…" Caroline was shaking her head.
"No, Elena, you aren't doing this," she informed her best friend. "You are not doing this 'what if' crap. I know you like to think about all the scenarios, especially the worst case ones, but there are no what ifs right now. Right now, you have a man who is crazy about you and your daughter. There are no what ifs. Focus on what you have right now, right in front of you."
"I know," Elena admitted. "It's just hard. My daughter has been through enough. I don't want to put her through anything I can avoid."
"At your own expense?" Caroline countered. "Elena, you're allowed to be happy. You're allowed to want the company of a man, Damon or otherwise. You just have to let yourself be happy and stop asking 'what if' and expecting the worst, just because the worst has already happened to you."
"This is terrifying," Elena admitted. "I… Feel all these things for Damon. He's so good to me, and to Ava Kate, and Jeremy, too." She bit her lip. "I'm afraid of getting hurt," she realized. "And I'm looking for any excuse to keep Damon at a distance."
"God bless your mother for being a psychologist," Caroline quipped. "You got there all on your own." Elena chuckled in spite of herself.
"Thank you for calling me out," she said. "I really don't know what I'd do without you."
"You would probably have more money," Caroline mused, "because you wouldn't have someone dragging you to the mainland to shop every few weeks." Elena laughed outright.
"You are absolutely right," she agreed. She searched the field for Damon and found high-fiving a little boy on the team that struggled to keep up with the others. She smiled to herself as Caroline gave her a reassuring side-armed hug and once again reminded her that it was okay to be happy. She really was a lucky woman.
"Uncle Damon, you wanna come over and play some Madden?" Cody asked, walking alongside his uncle as they headed towards the parking lot.
"Sorry, kid, I can't," Damon answered. "I have a date." Cody made a face.
"A date?" he repeated. "Like, with a girl?"
"Yep," Damon said, his eyes going to where Elena stood across the parking lot, holding Ava Kate by the hand as she spoke with Ari's mother. "Your aunt Elena, to be exact." Cody scrunched up his nose even more.
"You're kiddin' me, Coach." Damon looked at Cody.
"Since when do you call me 'Coach?'"
"I'm tryin' something,'" Cody answered.
"Well, quit. I'm your uncle, not your coach."
"Well, ain't you a barrel of monkeys today?" Cody countered. Damon snorted.
"Where did you hear that?"
"Caroline says that to Stefan when he's extra cranky in the mornin.'" Damon raised an eyebrow again. A conversation with Cody was never dull.
"You trying something with calling your parents by their first names, too?" Cody nodded.
"What do you think, Coach? Does it work?"
"Not if you value your life," Damon advised. "Your dad will probably think its funny for a day or two, but your mom? Not so much. And stop calling me Coach."
"Yeah, Mom can be a real drag," Cody agreed. "She'll probably, like, take football or something away from me if I call her Caroline. She's already on my case about my behavior at school." Damon had to hold back a laugh. While Ava Kate had been reprimanded in the classroom for things like getting out of her seat while her classmates were still working, there was an ongoing battle of wills between Cody and his teacher. He spent more days than not in timeout during recess for things like questioning her reasoning when she told him his answer to a math question was wrong and starting up rather loud games of paper football during quiet time.
"You're probably right," he agreed. "From what I hear, your list of revoked privileges is rather extensive at the moment." Cody shrugged.
"I get Madden back today," he said. "I gotta to watch it, though. I ain't got much else Carol… I mean Mom and Stef… Dad… Can take away from me, before football goes. And I kinda like havin' Madden back, too."
"You could try behaving yourself," Damon advised. "It's not rocket science."
"Debatable," Cody mumbled. Damon snorted back a laugh. Being around Cody was often a reminder that he should apologize to his mother for his own behavior as a kid. He, too, had had some problems with remaining in his seat and keeping quiet, despite having near perfect grades. Cody was pulling off top marks as well, but Damon now realized it probably correlated to how much time he spent in time out, being forced to do to his school work.
"I believe this belongs to you," Damon said as they arrived at where Caroline was waiting for them by her SUV.
"Most days," she agreed. She reached out and ruffled Cody's hair affectionately. Cody grimaced and pushed her hand away.
"Where's Dad?"
"He's checking on Parker before we head home," Caroline answered, referring to one of Cody's teammates who had suffered a rather large gash across his knee from falling over his own two feet.
"Parker's fine," Cody said dismissively. "Kid just needs to rub some dirt on it. It was just a little blood."
"His leg really hurts and you need to be more sympathetic," Caroline informed her son. Damon gave him a little bump on the shoulder to show he agreed.
"Yeah, yeah," Cody said dismissively. His eyes lit up. "There's Cole! Can I go play with him, Mom? Just until Dad is ready to go? Please?" Caroline found the boy in question, busy on the nearby playground.
"Do you promise to come without incident when we say its time to go home?"
"Sure." Damon pursed his lips together to stop from smirking. That 'sure' didn't hold a lot of weight.
"You better," Caroline warned, "or you can kiss Madden goodbye for another week." Cody didn't bother to reply. He took off at a run, Caroline calling after him to watch where he was going. She shook her head and turned to Damon. He was looking across the parking lot at Elena, a small smile on his lips. She bit her lip for a moment, then charged forward with what she wanted to say. "She's freaking out."
"What?" Damon asked, turning to Caroline. She tilted her head towards Elena.
"She's freaking out." Damon frowned.
"Elena? Why?"
"She likes to take the 'what if' route. She's been in her head, debating whether or not she's making the right choices, letting you get so close to Ava Kate, and herself. What if things don't work out for the two of you? What if Ava Kate gets hurt? What if her past and the fact that she's a single mother and Jeremy's guardian is too much for you? What if you decide you want out down the road, but still stay with her because you don't want to hurt anyone?"
"That's ridiculous," Damon declared. "I'm not going anywhere, and I'm certainly not with her out of any sort of obligation."
"I know that," Caroline said. "And I think, deep down, Elena does, too. She's just not used to having someone in her life that genuinely cares about her. Look at her track record. So many people that she has loved have either hurt her deeply or died. Having a guy around who changes her oil and fixes loose gutters? That's brand new to her. Sadly."
"That's why she was so quiet earlier," Damon mused. "I thought she was just thinking about things with Jeremy this morning and watching Ava Kate." He watched her, smiling as she spoke with Ari's mother. A surge of anger ran through him, not at Elena, but at the people who had dared to hurt her.
"Don't tell her I told you," Caroline said. "But, I thought you should know. She's head over heels for you, but, you might have to pull her out of her head from time to time."
"Thanks for telling me," Damon replied. "I'm going to make sure she knows she's safe with me." Elena looked over and caught his eye. She smiled at him as Ava Kate tugged her hand to get her attention. She leaned down and spoke with the child, then straightened up and motioned Damon over. "That's my cue," he said to Caroline. He winked at her and made his way to Elena.
"Ava Kate wanted to tell you goodbye before she leaves with Ari," Elena explained after quickly introducing him to Ari's mother as her boyfriend.
"We still on for that movie?" Damon asked, stooping down to Ava Kate's level.
"Yes!" she said excitedly. "But, I'm going to go to Ari's house and play with our Shopkins first." Damon didn't know what a Shopkin was, but he went along with it.
"Have fun, okay? We'll see you later this evening." He held out his arms and Ava Kate went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. He gave her a squeeze, then let her ago. Elena gave him a shy sort of smile over Ava Kate's head as she leaned down to hug the child goodbye.
"Who was that guy?" Ari asked once she and Ava Kate were safely buckled into the backseat of Ari's mom's car.
"Damon," Ava Kate answered. "He's my mom's boyfriend." Ari's mom and older sister talked quietly in the front seat, not registering the girls' conversation.
"Is he going to be your stepdad?" Ava Kate shrugged.
"I hope so," she admitted. "I like him."
"I liked Max, and he's my stepdad now," Ari reminded her best friend. Ava Kate nodded seriously. Ari knew about things like stepdads, because she had one.
"He's really nice," she said. "He's teaching me about football." Ari made a face.
"Football is for boys."
"It's fun to watch," Ava Kate countered. "My favorite team is Texas A&M. Like Damon."
"Where is Texas?" Ava Kate shrugged again.
"I don't know, but it took Damon a long time to drive here." Ari considered for a moment, then dismissed the train of thought.
"Let's have a snack before we play with our Shopkin," she said. And just like that, they dropped the topic of Damon and planned out their afternoon.
"You're not serious," Elena declared. Damon grinned broadly.
"I've always wanted to go parasailing," he said, reaching for Elena's hand. He led the way towards a big, brightly colored building touting its many offerings of water-themed sports and activities. "Stefan and I used to beg Mom and Dad to take us whenever we went to the beach on vacation, but Mom always said no. Stefan has texted me so many photos of him sailing above of the water. It's my turn."
"I've never gone parasailing," Elena admitted. "Jeremy has, but I just – haven't."
"Until today," Damon said. He winked at her and opened the door. He hadn't brought up anything Caroline had said to him, and wasn't sure if he would, but he had noticed Elena seemed to have cheered up since they left the recreation center.
Inside, they registered at the desk and were led to a boat at the dock behind the building. Damon clamored into the boat and held his hand out to Elena to help her in. "I can't believe we're doing this," she muttered as she stepped into the boat. Damon grinned.
"It's going to be amazing," he stated. They took their seats and listened intently as they were instructed by a middle-aged man named George on how to strap in and what would happen once they were behind the boat. They were given the option to dip their toes into the water or remain dry, reminded that they couldn't promise them they wouldn't end up in the water. Damon jumped at the toe dip idea and before Elena knew it, she was being helped into a harness alongside Damon.
"Just remember I have a daughter," Elena told George. She was clearly nervous. "I need to come back in one piece." George chuckled.
"You'll be fine," he promised. He jerked his head towards Damon. "I don't think this one is going to let anything happen to you, anyway."
"Never," Damon agreed. He reached over and gave Elena's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Ready?" George asked.
"Let's do it," Damon confirmed. Elena blew out a breath.
"Here we go," George said. The boat cruised out of the channel and into the sound. George signaled for them to get into position. Damon reached over and took Elena's hand again.
"You okay?" Elena only nodded, feeling nervous. Damon squeezed her hand again.
"Into the air you go," George said.
And then they were flying.
"Oh my God," Elena gasped as they were cast into the air. She felt like a kite, sailing over the water. Damon whooped with joy, still holding her hand.
"You doing okay over there?" he asked once they were at their full altitude. He had to shout to be heard over the wind.
"I think so," Elena called back. She took a few big breaths. Slowly, she started to relax. The view was incredible. She could see for miles, make out the ocean, homes, boats bobbing in the sound. It was a crystal clear day, warm but with low humidity. The wind was whipping her hair, even though she had tied it back in a ponytail. She looked over at Damon. He looked positively delighted, his hair being tousled by the wind. She was struck by handsome he was. "You're right," she called to him, "this is amazing." He looked over at her and grinned.
"Told you!" Elena laughed. Their hands still clasped, they continued to soar above the sound for nearly a half hour before they were being brought back down. As George promised, he dipped their toes in the water. Elena kicked at it in sheer joy. Damon laughed. Soon, they were back on the boat, being unharnessed as they headed back to the marina. As soon as she was free of her harness, Elena turned and threw her arms around Damon. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps, laughing, his arms going around her.
"Easy, there, beautiful," he teased her. "You're going to knock me overboard." He could hear George and the boat driver laughing.
"Thank you for convincing me to do that," she said. "It was incredible."
He kissed her.
"I can't wait to tell Ava Kate about parasailing," Elena stated. Her eyes lit up. "They can do three at a time, and she's almost old enough, according to the paperwork. I know they close for the season soon, but maybe we can take her in the spring? She would love it!" Damon beamed. He loved that Elena was talking about them doing something several months down the line.
"I think that's a great idea," he said. "I think next time, we take a GoPro or something with us. Document the adventure." Elena nodded in agreement.
"I like that plan." He laughed and reached into the basket of fries they were sharing. They had some time to kill before they had to pick up Ava Kate for their movie outing, and had decided to sit outside at the adventure shop's outdoor café. They were relaxed, comfortable. He decided to ask about earlier, but in a roundabout way, without giving Caroline away. .
"Elena?"
"Hmm…?"
"How are you doing?" Elena looked at him.
"What?"
"How are you doing?" he repeated. "With us? I just want to make sure you're okay. I know this whole relationship thing is hard for you, after what Liam put you through." She gave him a soft smile.
"I'm okay," she said, truly meaning it. She took a deep breath. Her therapist had talked a lot about being honest and not repressing her feelings. She needed to answer Damon's question honestly. "I really am, for the most part. I just… I worry a lot about how close you and Ava Kate have gotten. I care about you, Damon, so much, but Ava Kate is my daughter and I need to protect her at all costs. I've been wondering if I let you two get too close, too fast. I've been wondering if I should have created more of a buffer, kept that relationship from forming until you and I had spent more time together. It's too late, now, but I don't want her to get hurt. I also don't want you to feel like you have to stay with us." She blew out another breath. It felt good to get things off her chest.
Damon took a moment to process everything Elena had said. He kept her hand in his, brushing his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand. He raised his eyes to look into hers.
"There's something I need to tell you." Elena sucked in a breath. "Something I probably should have told you a while ago." She pursed her lips. She was about to learn Damon's fatal flaw, she reasoned. She knew he was too good to be true.
"Let's hear it," she said shortly. Damon gave what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze of her hand.
"You know how my dad and I are really close?" Elena nodded, not sure what Giuseppe Salvatore had to do with anything. "Well, he's not my biological dad." Elena frowned.
"Wait, what?" Damon sighed. He really should have told Elena weeks ago.
"My biological dad is – or, was, I don't actually know where he is or if he's even still alive, nor do I care – a horrible man. I don't really remember him, honestly. He was my mom's high school sweetheart. They had a tumultuous relationship. They broke up and got back together time and time again. He was angry, abusive. She got pregnant with me her senior year of high school and dropped out. To say I was an accident is a gross understatement, but Mom never made me feel like that. I don't remember it, but he used to push Mom around. Naturally, it got worse and eventually, his anger spread to me."
Damon paused and extricated his hand from Elena's. He pulled his shirt down to show his shoulder on the left side. He turned and showed her his back. There were several faint small, round scars. Elena gasped.
"Damon…" She had an idea about what those scars were.
"He burned me several times with a cigarette butt and locked me in a closet when I was two years old. Mom says it's the only time he ever laid a hand on me, but it was a time too many for her. She waited until he went to work the next day and left. She drove until she ran out of money. That's how we ended up in Texas. I was born in Southern California. He never came looking for us, never tried to find us. He didn't care enough to.
"Mom got a job waiting tables and barely made ends meet. I spent a lot of time playing in the diner's storage room back then. We had this neighbor, Mrs. Lucy, who would look after me sometimes. She was an older lady, passed away several years ago, but she was Mom's saving grace back then." A sad smile appeared on Damon's lips. "I'm pretty sure there were nights we only had dinner because Mrs. Lucy brought us food." Elena reached for his hand, wanting to comfort him.
"Then, she met my Dad. I told you about how they met, but I left out the part where I went along on pretty much all of their dates, from the beginning. I bonded with Giuseppe, much like I've bonded with Ava Kate. Giuseppe adopted me about six months after their wedding. He's my Dad. I've never thought of him as anything else, and he's never thought of me as anything other than his son. He's taught me everything I know about what it means to be a good man, a good person.
"So, I get it, Elena. In a roundabout sort of way, I get it. I know why you're afraid of Ava Kate's bond with me. But, you don't need to be." He pursed his lips, hoping he didn't scare her off with his next declaration. "I love you, Elena. I also love Ava Kate. I'll agree that things have moved fast and I'll even admit that I should probably be scared by that. But, I'm not. Because I love you, and I love your daughter. I'm all in. I don't want you to doubt that."
Elena couldn't prevent a few tears from falling.
"You love me?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"I do," he confirmed. "So much." Not caring that they were in the middle of a public café, Elena stood and walked around the table. She settled in his lap. "What…," he asked, even as his arms wrapped around her. She leaned in and kissed him hard, her hands on either side of his face.
"I love you, too," she said when she pulled away breathlessly. He smiled and shook his head.
"You don't have to…" She put her finger on his lips to silence him.
"I love you," she repeated. "I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how I got so lucky, to have your misfortune in Texas lead you hear, to me, and to Ava Kate. I love you. Even though it does scare the hell out of me." Damon's response was to lean in and kiss her again.
"I love you," he said again. "You and Ava Kate. I'll respect any boundaries you need to have for Ava Kate, but I want to be a part of her life." Damon reached out and tucked her hair, now falling loosely around her shoulders, behind her ear. "I'm happy to be the guy, sitting on the porch with a shotgun when her date comes to pick her up." Elena laughed.
"Let's not think about my little girl dating," she said. "Ava Kate adores you. She's so much happier since you came into our lives. She's become more outgoing, more independent. I know that's because of you, spending time with her and making her feel valued. Thank you for that, Damon. And, for loving us." Damon swooped in and kissed her again.
"She deserves to feel valued." He gazed up at her. "So do you." He smiled. "I suppose its kind of ironic that our situation mirrors that of my parents."
"They say history repeats itself," Elena agreed. She grinned broadly. "And look at you, a history teacher." Damon laughed. "We're a walking testament." He kissed her again and only then became aware of the people around them. "What do you say you and I go get our favorite little girl and take her to a movie?"
"I'd say that sounds like an excellent plan." She stood and gathered her things. Damon took her hand and together, they walked to the parking lot. He kissed her again before he opened her door for her. They made the quick drive to Ari's house. Ari and Ava Kate were playing in the sandy front yard, Ari's mother and stepfather seated on the deck watching over them.
"Hi, Mommy!" Ava Kate called when she spied them. She stood and dusted off her hands. "Damon!" She ran for them. Elena half stooped, ready to catch Ava Kate in a hug. The child blazed past her and launched herself into Damon's arms. He laughed and stumbled a few steps as he hoisted her into his arms.
"Easy there, little one." He hugged her. "Did you have fun?"
"I did! We played with Shopkins and we had lunch and now we're making a fort for our doll, except it's harder than we thought it would be, so we're just digging in the sand and dirt."
"I can tell," Damon agreed. He looked at Elena who was beaming at him, feeling far more confident in their relationship than she did that morning. "What do you think, Mom? Maybe a change of clothes before we go to the movies?"
"I think that would be wise," Elena agreed, taking in her grubby little girl. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ava Kate's cheek. "I missed you today."
"I missed you, too," Ava Kate replied. She scrunched up her nose. "Kind of. I was sort of busy with Ari." Both Elena and Damon laughed.
"And so it begins," Elena mused. "Let's go get your bag and thank Ari's mom for letting you come over. We have to hurry a bit if we're going to stop by the house and change your clothes before the movie." She wiggled so Damon would put her down. Once her feet were on solid ground, she ran towards Ari.
"I think you're right," Damon mused, placing his hand on Elena's back as they walked up the sidewalk to speak to Ari's parents.
"I usually am," Elena quipped. "But, what am I right about this time?" Damon smirked at her sass, enjoying see that side of her more.
"I think Ava Kate likes me." Elena grinned.
"No," she said with a shake of her head. "She loves you. We both do."
It's funny, how when you're writing a story, you have one plan, but the characters sort of demand something else happen. Damon wasn't going to be the one to share that Giuseppe isn't his "real" father with Elena, but it felt like he needed to, right now. They also weren't going to exchange I love yous yet, but what are you gonna do when they both feel it?
I think Elena is still wary, but she knows she's wary, which is a good thing.
Let me know what you thought!
