Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
ELENA'S ESCAPE
~ Barroom Brawls ~
On her afternoon break, Elena stopped by Darren's Hardware and bough a tri-speed bike. Elena congratulated herself on another step on her way to independence completed.
When she got back to the Grill, the evening shift was just starting and she found Lexi in the break room, gulping down what must be her tenth cup of coffee that day.
"Did you find something you liked?"
"Yeah. You're now looking at the proud owner of a… ok, I have no idea what kind of bike it was, but it's guaranteed to take me between work and home."
"Good. So, are you ready for your first bartending gig?"
"Bring it on."
"That's my girl," Lexi smiled and they went out to the bar. "So remember, if someone asks you for a drink you don't know how to mix, you give me a shout or you look at this little cheat-sheet," she pointed to a laminated menu on the counter. "Here are the ingredients, the quantity, and the price."
"Got it," Elena said.
"Good. I know you'll do great."
Matt wasn't much for uniforms. All he asked was that his staff wear jeans and black tops to create a sense of unity, and that everyone wear a short blue apron with Mystic Grill printed on it. This suited Elena fine, because she wouldn't feel comfortable wearing the tight-fitted tank top that Lexi wore. Instead, she chose a black button-down shirt that covered just about everything. As the night went on, though, Elena started to re-think her choice of attire. She was sweating like crazy.
"You look hot," a dark-haired, broad-shouldered man said, leaning over the bar. Elena gave him a puzzled look. "You should take that off," he gestured to her shirt.
"Don't mind him, he's a douche," Lexi said, shoving two beers into the man's hands.
"I was just trying to be helpful," he muttered and wandered back to his friends.
"That's Tyler Lockwood," Lexi said in Elena's ear. "He's a dog. You know he used to date Caroline Forbes, right? Well, he cheated on her with Matt's sister Vicki and got her pregnant. Now she's home on bed rest while he's scamming on the new hot bartender." Elena caught him looking at her and shuddered. Lexi noticed her reaction. "Yeah, my thoughts exactly."
Elena turned her attention to the new customer who had just sat down at the bar. "Let me guess… bourbon neat?" she smiled.
"That's my drink," he smiled back at her. "So how's your first day been?" Damon asked as Elena scooted the tumbler over to him.
"Long," she sighed. "But I like it."
"Lexi's been good to you?"
"I'm always good," Lexi interjected.
"Oh, really?" Damon raised his eyebrows. "Because I seem to recall a time when you were really…"
"Ok, you're cut off!" Lexi said quickly.
"I haven't even had one drink," Damon objected.
"Stop filling this poor girl's head with stories, then."
"I always tell the truth, you know that."
"Yeah, well, some truths are better left unspoken."
Elena silently agreed.
"So, you come here every night?" Elena asked when Lexi left to tend to another customer.
"Is that a pick-up line?" Damon winked.
Elena involuntarily blushed. Man, it was hot in here. "No."
"Riiight… well, yeah, I kinda do. In case you haven't noticed, there's not a lot to do in this town, so every summer I come back here, I spend my evenings at the Grill, seeing as how all my friends work here."
"Aww… did you just call me your friend, Damon?" Lexi teased as she was getting her customer's order. "Your life must be so… pathetic."
"I wasn't talking about you, Lex."
"Right, because you have so many friends here…"
Damon rolled his eyes. "Ignore her. She's just jealous because no-one wants to talk to her unless she's pouring them drinks." For that remark, Damon got a peanut thrown at him.
"Hey! I wasn't ready. You're making me look bad here, Lex."
"Oh, I think you're doing great with that all on your own."
"I'm excellent at catching peanuts, by the way," Damon said in a stage whisper to Elena. "I can also tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue," he added with a wink.
"Wow… just like Matt's mom," Lexi said, earning herself a glare from Damon.
"So, how late are you working tonight?" Damon turned to Elena, changing the subject.
"Oh, for another hour or so, I guess."
"Well, would you like a ride home?"
"Actually, I bought myself a bike today, so no more walking through the woods."
"A bike? What is it with you and your aversion to cars?"
"Well, for one thing I can't afford a car yet, and then there's the tiny detail of me not having a driver's license."
"What? How do you not have a license? You're certainly old enough."
Elena scoffed. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"
"I just meant, you're not sixteen anymore. You are older than sixteen, right?"
Elena laughed. "Yeah, sixteen was about ten years ago."
"Ok, good. So how come you never learned how to drive?"
Elena shrugged. "I guess… it was never the right time."
"Well, no time like the present. You're starting fresh, right? Let me teach you how to drive."
"No, that's ok, Damon."
"Really, I insist."
"I don't want to take up your time. You're only here for the summer, and…"
"What better time to learn? The weather's great, I have a convertible, and a lot of free time on my hands."
"Just say yes already," Lexi sighed, "you'll never be rid of him until you do."
"Wow, Lex, that was the first smart thing I've heard come out of your mouth in like… ever," Damon mocked.
"Ok, ok," Elena laughed. "Will you two give it a rest already? Thank you, Damon, I would like to learn how to drive."
"Great. We'll have our first lesson on Sunday. That's your day off, right?"
"Well, you would know… you negotiated my schedule," Elena smiled.
"Right. I'm clever like that."
"And modest." Elena chuckled.
"And hogging the seat, "Lexi interjected. "Come on, buddy, there are other customers in this bar, you know. Actual, paying customers."
"I'm a paying customer," Damon pointed out.
"Yeah, well, paying customers who don't waste their time flirting with the bartender," Lexi clarified.
"I don't think I'm wasting my time at all," Damon smirked and dropped a bill on the counter, taking off.
"Is he always like that?" Elena asked as she and Lexi were closing up.
"Who?"
"Damon."
"You mean the perpetual flirt? Yeah, he has been for as long as I've known him."
"Oh."
"Why do you ask?"
"No reason. Just… curious about the people in this town," Elena shrugged, trying to act indifferent.
"Well, if you wanna know everything there is to know about the people of this town, I'd talk to Caroline. She's a sweetheart, but she's the biggest gossip."
"She is?" Elena said, suddenly worried about the bruises Caroline saw. Did she tell someone?
"Yeah, love her to death, but that girl does not know when to shut up. This one time, I told her I suspected my boyfriend Lee was cheating on me, then the next thing I knew, I was getting sympathetic looks from people and little old blue-haired ladies would stop me on the street and give me dating advice."
"Was he cheating?"
"No! The girl people had seen him around with was his cousin. We managed to put our relationship back together, but I learned my lesson. Don't tell Caroline Forbes anything you don't want to come back and bite you in the you-know-what."
"Gotcha," Elena nodded in understanding, inwardly cursing herself for going shopping with Caroline in the first place. But how was she to know Caroline would walk into the changing room without warning?
Lexi waited until Elena had unlocked her bike before saying goodnight and getting in her car. Elena got the distinct feeling that someone was watching her, but she couldn't see anything. She pedaled back to the boarding house as fast as she could.
Damon insisted on driving them to the college the following morning. As Elena stepped out of the car in front of the Mystic Falls College, she was in awe. It was a gorgeous, ivy-league looking building. The main building was surrounded by lush green lawns and old maple trees.
"Wow, it's breathtaking," Elena said, wide-eyed.
"I like it too. Now, come on, we're gonna be late for class."
"You're the professor, you're never late – everyone else is simply early," Elena joked.
"Please don't call me professor," Damon cringed. "It sounds so… old, like I should be wearing tweed or something."
"Ooh, and patches on your elbows," Elena mocked.
"Oh, you know I could rock any look," Damon winked.
"Whatever. Now, you were saying…"
"Huh? Right… class. It's this way."
Elena found herself pleasantly surprised. From her seat on the first row in the auditorium, she had a perfect view of Damon. He was a spirited lecturer, his passion for literature shone through his eyes, and Elena was mesmerized. As he spoke of his favorite authors throughout history, Elena realized he was quite the romantic. Not something she would have expected from his everyday behavior. Maybe it was all a charade. Could it be that underneath his playboy exterior, there was an actual heart beating? Elena couldn't seem to figure him out.
"So, what'd you think?" Damon asked as they were gathering his things from the lecture hall.
"About…?"
"The school? The auditorium? The students? The class?"
"The school and the lecture hall are as gorgeous as the exterior. The students seem nice, and dedicated. The class was interesting. It was a great introduction to literature."
"And what did you think…" he stepped closer "… about the teacher?"
"He was very… passionate," Elena breathed. Lost in his blue eyes, she stood frozen as he reached up to brush a strand of curly hair aside.
"I really like your hair like this," he said softly.
Elena immediately backed away from him, a startled look in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Katherine?" Damon said, concerned and puzzled at her sudden reaction.
"Uh… nothing," Elena shook her head. "I should get going, I promised Caroline I would meet her for coffee."
"Ok, but…"
"Thanks for… it was a good class," Elena said, getting her purse and heading out.
"Wait! How are you going to get home?"
"I'll walk."
"Katherine…"
"I need to go. I'll see you."
"Hi sweetie," Caroline said as Elena came through the door to Sally's Bakery and sat down at the table Caroline had claimed.
Sally's Bakery was a small establishment, with only a few tables. Most of Sally's baked goods were sold over the counter, but the small café section was quaint and Sally herself served them their coffee and cupcakes, wearing a frilly apron that made the white-haired lady look like someone who just stepped out of a story book.
"This place is adorable," Elena whispered to Caroline as Sally went to tend to her other customers.
"I know, right. And Sally's cupcakes are the best. So, how was your first day as a TA?"
"It was… interesting. I didn't do much, really, just handed out the syllabus and reading list. But I got to sit in and listen to the lecture. I had no idea Damon was so…"
"Bookish? I know, it's completely out of character, but he's passionate about it."
"Yeah… well, I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity, I mean, I don't have the qualifications for being a TA, and I hope he doesn't expect me to teach a class or anything."
"Nah, Damon's pretty laid-back. I mean, he doesn't usually take on TA's for his summer classes, so I doubt he's expecting you to do what a TA usually does."
"Wait- he doesn't take on TA's for the summer classes? Then why…?"
"Why did he offer the position to a girl he just met with no experience whatsoever? He obviously likes you."
"No, that's not… oh, no."
"You didn't think he might have ulterior motives?"
Elena sighed. "Now I feel stupid."
"Don't. It's still work experience. Who cares why you got the job?"
"But what if he expects…?"
"Damon is a lot of things, but he would never take advantage."
"Ok." Elena let out a sigh of relief.
"So, Matt said you did great at the Grill yesterday," Caroline smiled.
"Yeah? That's nice."
"So you think you might be sticking around for awhile?" Caroline said, sipping her coffee, trying to sound casually interested.
"I don't have anywhere else I need to be," Elena shrugged.
"So tell me about yourself… how come you ended up in Mystic Falls?"
"I was looking for a change of scenery," Elena shrugged.
"Where did you live before?"
"On the west coast." Elena sipped her coffee, hoping Caroline would drop the subject.
"Wow, that's… pretty far."
Elena shrugged.
"Do you still have family there?"
"No. I lost my entire family in a fire."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"I was running late for a family reunion at my parent's house, and when I got there, the building was on fire. I was in the process of moving, so I had stored all of my stuff in their basement. Everything was lost. I just had the clothes on my back and my purse, and I didn't see the point in sticking around, so I stepped on a bus a few days later and I ended up here."
"That's terrible!" Caroline exclaimed and reached out to squeeze Elena's hand. "I'm so sorry, Kat."
"It's not something I like to talk about," Elena said, focusing on her cupcake and silently praying that Caroline would take the hint and stop asking questions. If Caroline really was the gossip Lexi claimed her to be, Elena's story would spread around town and people might stop speculating about her past.
"I understand. But if you ever feel like talking, I'm here, ok?"
"Thanks," Elena smiled warmly. She felt guilty for lying to Caroline, but she couldn't take any chances. It was for the best.
On Thursday morning, Elena took attendance while Damon went over his notes one last time before class.
"All right, everyone. As you can see from your class schedule, today we're covering the epic genre. Who can tell me what 'epic' means?"
"Something huge, life-changing?" someone suggested.
"Like, legendary," a young blonde girl said, smacking her gum in the process.
"Well, an epic is traditionally a genre of poetry, poems dealing with serious subjects and details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. However, in modern terms, epic is often extended to other art forms, such as novels, plays and films, where the story is centered on heroic characters. Epics in this sense are depictions that capture impressive struggles, such as stories of war, adventures, and …"
"I didn't hear you come home yesterday," Damon said to Elena when the class had dispersed.
"Caroline dropped me off. I was tired, so I went straight to bed."
"Oh. Listen, about yesterday…"
"I actually need to get going. Lexi called in sick and I promised Matt I'd fill in for her."
"You're working at the Grill tonight?"
"Yeah. Don't worry, I rode my bike to the college this morning, so I won't be walking home after my shift."
"Ok, well… I'll see you later, then."
"Uh-huh. Bye."
Damon stood frozen for a moment, watching Elena walk away. She was avoiding him, he was sure of it. He must have spooked her yesterday. Usually, women were all too happy for his attention, but this girl was different. Maybe Matt was right, maybe someone did hurt her in the past. He should probably just back off, but there was something about her. He wanted to know her.
It was a busy night at the Grill, and towards the end of her shift, Elena was exhausted. She was gathering her tips from the table that just left and wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. She suddenly felt a hand on her buttocks and a hot breath on her neck.
"How 'bout you take my order next?" a hoarse voice whispered in her ear.
Elena was about to remove herself from the situation when the man suddenly groaned. Elena spun around and saw he was being pushed up against one of the pillars in the restaurant, his arm twisted behind his back. A dark-haired man in a leather jacket was growling at him. "You try that again and I will. Break. Your. Arm," he enunciated. "Got it?" Tyler Lockwood groaned in response and Damon let him go with a pat on the bad. "Good. Now run along."
Elena stared at him in shock.
"Hey, you ok?" Damon said, stepping closer.
Elena reeled back instinctively. "I'm fine. I've got work," she said, excusing herself.
When Elena left the Grill, Damon was waiting for her, lounging against his car. "What are you doing here?" Elena said as she went to unlock her bike.
"I thought you might need a lift."
"I told you, I have my bike."
"Leave it."
"I can't do that."
"Why not? You don't even have to lock it. The crime rate in Mystic Falls is like… zero."
"I can take care of myself, Damon."
"Oh, I have no doubt about it. But I'm here, and I'm offering my assistance."
"You don't get it, do you? I want to be independent. I spent too long… uh, never mind. I'll see you later, ok?"
"Stop being so stubborn."
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. What's so bad about getting a ride from someone? You let Caroline drive you home yesterday."
"I don't need you to save me!"
"So this is about that sleazebag Tyler?"
"Just… forget it."
"No. Why won't you just talk to me?"
"I don't know you!"
"And whose fault is that?"
"Hey, what's going on out here?" A blonde man opened the back door. "Kat? Damon? I heard shouting."
"Everything's fine, Matt. I was just on my way home," Elena said, taking the opportunity to get on her bike and take off, leaving Damon to answer to Matt.
"What's going on?" Matt said, his eyes narrow.
"I think you were right about her," Damon said. "She's definitely hiding something. And I intend to find out what exactly that is."
"Listen, man, maybe you should just let her be."
"I can't."
Author's Note: Definitions of literary terms are courtesy of Wikipedia.