Sorry it's taken so long for this chapter to appear. Funny thing, when you're writing full-time, working on fanfic feels like cheating on your job.
Thanks for sticking with me. Quick word of warning - this chapter's short. I'm planning on posting chapter three on Monday, but this is where the break needed to fall...
Happy reading!
The not-so-gentle buzz wouldn't let him fall asleep. After spending eight hours asleep in the car, how had Elena managed to fall asleep the second her head touched the pillow? Damon knew she'd been working long hours from the nights he'd driven past their house, her house now, on the way home from the bar, but not even the fact that she looked like hell had made him realize just how exhausted she was. The next time Russell came in for a drink, he'd have to talk with him about Elena's schedule.
And then she'd kill him.
He'd spoken with Elena's boss exactly once, and he'd been joking at the time, saying that he was seeing more of Russell than he was of his own wife—then he said he wanted Elena to have Russell's schedule soon. The jerk had taken it badly, turning around and immediately going back to the hospital. Russell gave Elena a lecture about getting her husband to meddle in hospital business that both embarrassed and infuriated her. It didn't help that it was her birthday. Or close to her birthday. She'd been working the day shift, or at least what came close to the day shift; she came home absolutely livid—demanding that he stay out of her business. Damon's comments probably just cost her the promotion that would have led to better hours and the slightest chance that they could sell the house and move somewhere without a crack house two doors down.
Everything else was fuzzy after that. He said some things. She said some things. He couldn't even remember specifics. But the damage was done. He'd walked out. By the time he'd wondered if he'd done the right thing, too much time had gone by.
She'd moved on with her life.
He'd moved on with his.
Weeks passed. She found someone to mow the lawn. Whoever it was didn't do it like he did. Instead of the careful diagonal lines he'd worked so hard to cultivate, they mowed the grass like they didn't care…because they probably didn't. They weren't the ones who re-sodded that house that had been abandoned for so long. She got someone to paint the house too. She'd hated the blue trim he'd chosen. It didn't matter if it was period-appropriate. It made the house stand out, and in that neighborhood, standing out was just asking for a break-in.
Damn, they never should have bought the house. Elena hadn't wanted it. Damon saw the promise in it, promise that neither one of them had time to bring to light. Now the house was a liability. They'd never be able to sell it, not without losing more money than they'd put into it. It didn't feel right to take it away from Elena anyway. First he made her buy a house she hated, then once she made it into some kind of a home, yank it back away.
Or maybe she'd be relieved.
He'd seen the absolute fear on her face when she was walking in the other night. Her face was pale. Her lips were taut. She fully expected to find someone waiting to hurt her…and she walked right in anyway. She'd always been too brave for her own good.
And selfless.
Just like tonight. Why else would she be sleeping on a chair when the bed had enough room for a whole football team?
An attitude like that was how they'd always been able to talk her into taking just one more shift. If she didn't pick it up, somewhere a kid might die without a trauma surgeon.
That mindset was why he'd almost never seen her.
That mindset was why he'd fallen in love with her in the first place.
He couldn't think about that now. Not ever, really. He'd lost her along the way.
Things were better this way. When they were together, they couldn't manage two sentences without fighting. Hell, the other night they argued about what time it was. They were just too broken to fix.
Someone was giggling down the hall. He'd never really thought the walls thin here. He hoped they weren't, or Stefan had gotten an ear-full through the years. He'd have to apologize. Someday. Somewhere, a man whispered back to her.
Jeremy and Bonnie.
He was almost sure of it. Caroline was too far along for that kind of laughter. It was just one more in a list of things he didn't want to deal with tonight. He grabbed a feather pillow, mounded it over his head, and tried to catch hold of impressively-elusive sleep.
The crowd at the parade was standing almost shoulder to shoulder. Did this many people even live in Mystic Falls?
"I can't believe everyone came out in spite of the snow." Damon kicked inch-deep snow off his boot-top. He'd been to the Christmas parade every year of his life—not even missing the event when he was away at college. He couldn't remember ever having more than just a dusting of flakes.
"Festive, isn't it?" Caroline bounced at the head of the group meandering down the sidewalk.
"And cold." Elena shivered just in front of him, shoving her hands deeper into her pockets. Without thinking, he unwound his scarf and dropped it onto her shoulders. She turned back and looked at him with such complete surprise, it was as if he'd slapped her. "Thank you."
"Maybe next year you'll bring your own."
She frowned. "Probably not."
"It's tradition."
"I guess it is."
It never failed. Every year, Elena swore she brought her scarf. Every year, she managed to forget it. Last year she'd accused him of stealing it out of her bag. At least this time, she knew he had nothing to do with it.
A cluster of elementary school kids rushed past them. He didn't recognize any of their parents. Stefan hadn't been exaggerating when he said the town was growing at an insane rate. If Ric hadn't reserved seats for the group in the grandstand, they wouldn't have had a chance of getting a spot to watch the parade.
"I didn't think you were going to make it." Ric waved from the center of a section of empty bleacher. Tori bounced on his lap while Bryce ran back and forth in front of the viewing area. The town wasn't the only thing that had grown. The twins were so big, Damon almost didn't recognize his godchildren.
"We had to park at city hall." Stefan helped Caroline climb onto the second row of the metal seating.
"Felt like we were part of the parade." Caroline huffed like she'd just run a marathon. Damon didn't miss Elena's sharp glance in Caroline's direction. She'd asked Caroline if she was sure she was up to the walk several times. After the last time, Caroline told her that if she asked again, Elena was going to have to cook Christmas dinner all by herself.
No one wanted that.
"Look how deep it is!" Bryce rabbit-hopped through the snow. Each time, the snow reached almost to the top of his galoshes.
"I've never seen anything like it." Elena leaned forward, grabbed a handful of snow, and tossed a loose snowball at Bryce. The little boy immediately dissolved in laughter while jumping backwards. Tori was already in the process of sliding off Ric's leg and climbing onto Elena's lap. Damon didn't know how Elena did it. Kids were drawn to her like magnets. No wonder she ended up working in pediatric medicine.
She helped Tori settle in her lap, pulling her close to her chest. "Where's Jo?" Elena tugged the scarf off her neck and wound it around her scarf-less goddaughter.
"She had to work."
"We get chocolate later." Bryce pressed his hands against an empty seat, jumping up to be a part of the conversation.
Ric nodded at his son before looking back between Damon and Elena. "Jo's meeting us for hot chocolate after her shift is open."
"At the new coffee shop? That's my favorite." Caroline chimed in.
Stefan laughed. "They know her on sight."
"Their hot chocolate is the best. It's like drinking chocolate soup."
"You have to come too." Tori prompted.
"She does." Caroline exchanged a high-five with the kindergartener.
The first strains of the band came from down the street. Everyone settled into their seats except for Bryce. He was content to stay on his feet just in front of Ric. As the band approached, Tori crept off Elena's lap and moved to stand next to her twin.
Snow started falling in earnest as the third float rattled past. Searching for candy the occupants of the float threw was impossible. By the time the candy hit the ground, it was buried beneath the huge, puffy flakes.
"How long is it?" By the time the first half-hour had passed, Bryce was finished. He was skipping to the edge of the parade route and back.
Damon nodded in sympathy. "It's longer than normal. I don't blame you, Bud."
Stefan stifled a yawn. "I think they said there are sixty floats this year."
"Seriously?" Jeremy turned around with wide eyes. "Do you think anyone would notice if we left."
"Don't you dare." Elena's voice stilled him in his seat. "This is tradition. We don't mess with tradition." Her voice choked, and she dabbed at the corner of her eye. Even while sitting behind her, Damon could tell that her chin was shaking.
"Are you okay?" Bonnie's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah." Elena gave an exaggerated swipe at her eye. "Just got a snowflake in my eye."
"A snowflake. A snowflake." Bryce spun in a circle with his arms high above his head.
"What's going on?" Ric leaned forward in his seat. No float had passed for over a minute.
In the distance, an antique firetruck stood still. Damon could hear the engine trying to choke to life. "I think they're having trouble with Old Rusty down there."
The sound of metal grinding on metal was barely audible above the impatient murmurs of the crowd. Several of the younger kids started racing up and down the edge of the street. Tori finally gave in to temptation and took the opportunity to dig for candy in the snow.
The crowd cheered when the fire truck's engine sputtered to life. It lurched forward and immediately went into a skid.
"It's going too fast." Damon was on his feet, Ric copying his movements directly beside him.
The engine slid closer and closer. The driver's terrified face was visible through the glass. He spun the wheel, but the massive vehicle didn't obey.
"Everybody back!" A voice cried out. Damon couldn't tell who. The crowd erupted in chaos as the spectators leapt off the grandstand. Jeremy helped Stefan get Caroline down from the bleachers. Ric lunged forward to grab Tori. Metal ground against metal. Damon lost sight of Elena in the stampede.
The engine slowed to a stop. Steam seeped from beneath the hood. A very shaky driver rounded the front of the truck, his face pale as he studied the damage.
"Oh god!" Bonnie's shriek shocked the crowd to silence.
Damon followed her as she sped toward the wreckage of the former viewing area. Elena knelt in the snow, ripping her coat off. Bryce lay motionless in the snow. Bright red blood puddled beneath him.