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Here's the last day of their visit. I think Frannie is my new favorite character. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 31: Stamp of Approval

The delicious smell of coffee sweetly assaults my senses pulling me from my slumber. As I blink myself awake, I find a steaming cup of coffee sitting on the bedside table along with a note from Damon.

Sleeping Beauty,

I missed waking up beside of you but thought it best to carry you to your room after you fell asleep last night. I figured the bed should look like someone had slept in it. ;-) Enjoy your coffee and a shower then come downstairs whenever you're ready. I'm cooking breakfast for my two favorite girls.

Love,

Damon

P.S. Your pajamas are back in your suitcase but I'm considering raiding your dresser drawers and donating all of your sleeping apparel to charity. I definitely prefer you wearing nothing but a sheet.

I feel the smile spread across my face before reaching for my mug. In the first sip my heart melts a little more as I realize that my man has not just left coffee but has mixed in the perfect amount of hazelnut creamer. Damon is such an enigma. To the rest of the world, he is demanding, intelligent, unattainable and a bit of an asshole. To me he is all those things plus sweet, caring, flirty and provocative. There are times when he is a sweetheart and others when he is a pain in the ass. But he is my pain in the ass. Last night, he had gone from domineering to sensitive in the bat of an eye. He always knows just what I need and gives it to me without hesitation even when I don't realize the necessity. He challenges me, he comforts me and he makes me feel alive—something I had not felt in a long time until he came back into my life. And, as he admitted yesterday and has told me numerous times since, he loves me.

Walking down the stairs I get a whiff of breakfast and am suddenly ravenous but as I near the kitchen I hear Frannie say my name. I slow my steps and give into temptation as I listen in on their conversation.

"Well, you were right. Elena is a sweetheart. I'm so glad you brought her home!" I smile as I hear Frannie's approval.

"I told you that you would love her." I can tell by his voice that Damon's smirking.

"Yes, you did. The important question is do you love her?"

"I do, mom, more than should be legal. What do you think dad's opinion would've been?"

"Oh, mio caro, Giuseppe would have adored her but most importantly he would've loved the smile that she puts on your face. It pained both of us to see you so unhappy all those years. No one wants to think of their child being alone."

"Mom, I wasn't technically alone," Damon devilishly chuckles in what I think is an attempt to lighten the conversation.

"Damon Francis, you are not too old for me to put you over my knee! Just because I couldn't do anything about your playboy behavior does not mean that I approved! You might not have been by yourself but you were alone in the truest sense of the word. Now, you're lit up like I haven't seen since you were a kid. That girl is good for you. Plus, Elena has moxie which she'll need if she's to put up with your sass!" I hear a sharp smack followed by Damon's hearty laugh and I'm fairly certain that Frannie just gave her son a well-deserved swat.

"Mom, she's it for me." My breath catches as I hear Damon's heartfelt admission.

"And I couldn't be any more pleased. Besides, I want more grandbabies and I'm not getting any younger!"

"Ma, you can kill the mood of a heartfelt declaration in an instant!" Damon groans.

"Like mother like son!" As I step into the room I find Frannie holding Damon's face in both hands as he rolls his eyes.

"Good morning!" I hope my expression doesn't give away all that I heard.

"Hey, baby." Damon rounds the kitchen island and greets me with a slow lingering kiss that borders on inappropriate considering his mother is standing there.

Frannie clears her throat before saying, "Damon, she's going to need to breathe at some point."

"You're the one that keeps bringing up grandchildren," Damon says against my lips. "I'm just trying to hasten the process." Damon jumps and I giggle as Frannie snaps her son in the behind with a kitchen towel.

"Elena, I raised him better," she says with a melodramatic shake of the head accompanied by a smile.

I walk over to Frannie and give her a big hug. "Trust me, you raised him just right." As I step back, I add, "You can't help that he's a big goofball sometimes." Frannie's hearty laughter rings through the kitchen as we sit down to enjoy the feast Damon has prepared.

After breakfast, Frannie ushers me into the family room. Damon has kicked us out of the kitchen insisting on cleaning up everything himself. I feel bad leaving him to do the dishes on his own but I know that his ulterior motive is to give Frannie and I more time to get to know one another. She is armed with a scrapbook and invites me to join her on the couch. "Oh, goodie! Is this what I think it is?"

"If you are hoping for baby pictures of your boyfriend, then, yes!" Frannie beams.

"Well then, how can I resist?" I giggle. As we look at the pictures, Frannie enchants me with stories of Damon as a little tyke. It seems he started working his charm while still in diapers. "You know, back when we were in college I remember Stefan bringing a scrapbook of pictures of Damon and letting me see it. I loved seeing his photos but this is so much better with your stories!"

"Uh oh, this screams of trouble. What are you two up to?" Damon squeezes in beside me on the couch wrapping his arm around me.

"I'm regaling her with stories of little DayDay," laughs Frannie.

"DayDay?" I ask with a raised eyebrow looking from Damon to Frannie and back again.

"That's what I, uh…" Damon trails off.

"That's what you what?" I prod.

"That's what I used to call myself when I first started talking," Damon rushes out.

"Oh my gosh! That's so precious!" I squeal.

"And, that's enough of this walk down amnesia lane," Damon grumbles as he reaches for the scrapbook.

"Oh no you don't! I still have naked bath time pictures to show her!"

"Stefan actually showed me those," I admit.

"Yes, but did Stefan know what Damon used to call his…"

"MOTHER! THAT IS ENOUGH!" Damon growls. "What did I ever do to you, woman?"

"This is the first time you have ever brought a girl home. How am I supposed to know what is appropriate?" Frannie demurely asks, looking at me with a wink.

"THIS is not appropriate!" Damon exasperatedly says.

"Showing pictures of my beautiful baby boy isn't ok?"

"You know what I mean!" Damon says through gritted teeth. "You are going to embarrass her and I'll never see her again."

"Oh, and giving her a tonsillectomy with your tongue in front of your mother wasn't embarrassing in the least."

I'm starting to feel like a favorite toy being pulled in a tug of war. "Mom, keep this up and you can kiss the idea of any grandkids from me goodbye," Damon mouths back effectively stopping his mother in her tracks and I cannot help bursting out in uncontrollable giggles.

"You two could not be any more alike if you tried!" I say while whipping tears from my eyes leading them to join me in my laughter. We moved on to later times in Damon's life: his first lost tooth, little league, boy scouts.

"I'm still using those knot tying skills," Damon brags causing me to blush.

"I always told you that boy scouts would come in handy," Frannie's ignorance is bliss. Damon leans over and nips my earlobe.

"Oh, look, it's your prom picture! Don't you look handsome in your tux!" I gush. "Who did you go to prom with? Let me guess, a cheerleader?" I turn to smile at Frannie and am met with a scowl.

"That is one of my son's worst mistakes also known as Katherine," Frannie practically snarls.

"Mom hated her. At the time, I was too infatuated with her and blinded by her pompoms to see the truth."

"Yeah, right, her pompoms," huffs Frannie.

"And what was the truth?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"That she was a manipulative slutty bitch," Damon matter-of-factly said.

"Damon Francis, don't make me wash your mouth out with soap!" Frannie sternly reprimands.

"Mom, don't even try to say you don't agree."

"Well, yes," she begrudgingly says. "But you don't have to be so crass about it."

"Can I ask a question that has nothing to do with your prom date?" I ask.

"Yes!" They answer in unison causing all three of us to chuckle.

"Who plays the piano? That is one gorgeous instrument!" I gesture toward the beauty that has had me drooling ever since I first noticed it.

"You mean to tell me that my son has never played for you?"

I gasp and round on Damon. "You play? Why did you never tell me?"

"After I heard you play the first time, I knew that I paled in comparison," Damon says softly, tucking a stray hair behind my ear.

I remember the first time I played for him. Playing the piano was therapeutic for me so I used to reserve one of the practice rooms on campus and go play twice a week. Damon had practically begged to come hear me until I finally gave in and allowed it. I thought I'd give a little nod to one of our first conversations by playing "Moonlight Sonata". When I finished, Damon was speechless for a few moments before taking my breath away with a scorching kiss. He said he had been moved by the emotion I poured into the piece. I was still in my doubting phase and figured he just used it as an excuse to make out. After the first time, he insisted on being there with me more times than not.

I lean over kissing his cheek and whisper, "Please, play for me?"

"You are going to be sorely disappointed. I must plead for your forgiveness before I even start," Damon says before moving to the piano bench and sitting down to play. He looks me squarely in the eye as he starts to play the opening notes of "Moonlight Sonata." A small smile is dancing on lips. His long beautiful fingers dance across the keys drawing out the beautifully timeless melody. As the last chord fades, he reaches for me to join him. "I couldn't help but think of that day in the practice room."

"Me too," I say placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "Thank you, baby."

"Now, it's your turn. Mom, you won't believe her. She makes me sound like a newbie." He scoots off of the bench encouraging me to play. I place my fingers on the keys and begin playing "Liebestraum" by Liszt. Not only is it one of my favorite pieces but it was also a favorite of my parents. As I play it, I feel myself being transported to a different reality—one where my parents would still be here and able to be part of this moment. I close my eyes, lost in the music. When I finish, Damon sits beside me and wraps an arm around me, kissing away the tears that have escaped my eyes.

"What's wrong, Lena?" Damon asks, concern coloring his voice.

"I just wish I could have the opportunity for you to get to know my parents like you're allowing me to do with your mom," I explain.

"Oh, baby, I know." He again wraps me in his loving embrace allowing me to collect myself. Frannie has excused herself from the room giving us these moments to ourselves. Once I feel together again, the three of us spend another lazy afternoon together.

"Well, I hate to do this but we are going to have to hit the road, baby doll," Damon says with a squeeze of my hand. We gather our things and move to the door.

"Elena Gilbert, I am so happy you put up with my rascal of a son and am even happier that you came to visit!" Frannie says wrapping me in a big hug. Pulling back she adds, "Promise me that you will come back to see me! Next time I'll teach you to bake my secret chocolate chip cookie recipe."

"Another family recipe?" I grin.

"Better, no one knows this one but me and it's also Damon's favorite!" She plants a quick kiss on my forehead. Looking me in the eye, she addresses Damon, "Take care of her, Damon, or else I will tan your hide like I should have when you were a kid. I like her."

"Mom, my hide would like to file a protest and say that you tanned it plenty," Damon playfully argues.

"Obviously not enough," teases Frannie before embracing her son. She kisses both of his cheeks and whispers something in his ear that causes him to grin from ear to ear.

"I'll take that as your approval," he says.

"You better believe it, bambino!" she answers, looking first from him to me and back again.

"Frannie, thank you for a wonderful weekend. You have no idea how much this has meant to me." I take a deep breath before adding, "This is the first time I've felt like this since losing my parents. Thank you." I take her hand and squeeze it before placing a kiss on her cheek.

"OK, OK," sighs Damon, "Let's go before you two decide you want to become roommates and kick me out of the house so you can paint each other's nails." As we pull away, we wave back at Frannie who stands in the doorway of the house waving until we are out of sight.

"That was a lovely weekend," I say leaning over to kiss Damon's cheek as we ride down the road.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he answers before turning to kiss me at the stop sign. "Have I mentioned that I love you?"

"I think I may have heard it once or twice but it never gets old. I love you, too, DayDay." I snort from the horrified look on his handsome face.

"Ah, yes, those snorts. That's so hot!" he mocks. "I'm going to find a way to get back at mom for telling you that!"

"I adore Frannie!"

"Well, I think it's safe to say she feels the same about you. Not that I expected anything different,"

"Oh, by the way, what did she say to you before we left?"

"When? I don't know what you're talking about?" Damon's attempt to play dumb is ruined by the huge grin on his face.

"Damon! What did she say?"

"You want word for word?" he smirks.

"Sure."

"She said I should marry you."

AN: Again I say, I love Frannie! I will definitely being doing more with her sometime. I hope you enjoyed their visit. The drama will be amping up once they get home. EEK! If you have time and feel led, please review. It really is inspiring to read your feedback. I am so grateful for the reviews and PMs!