Walking into the glass room, Damon sets his insulated coffee mug on one of the bleachers in the training gym. As he looks over the newbie class that he's to train, he wonders how many of them will drop out. Although the course is only four weeks, Damon agreed to help train a couple of classes. But this is his last group for the season and once they complete the course, he can fly back home. Although he can't deny the natural beauty of Montana, he much prefers to be in Alaska and near her. Dropping his gaze for a moment, he picks up his mug again, taking a long pull of the rich dark rock gut coffee. Taking a breath, he sets it down to address the group.
"My name is Damon Salvatore. I'll be your instructor for the next month. First you all should know what your training consists of. First of all, hit the floor, I want twenty five push ups to start and we'll hit the bars and you'll each need to do seven pulls ups. And my young Padawans, when you're done with those, you will do forty five sit ups and a one and a half mile run that will be time. It needs to be completed in less than eleven minutes. Any of you who are unable to complete the physical requirements will not be allowed to continue," Damon explains, his eyes roaming over the group of ten men and six women.
"The first thing I'm going to do is go over a little of the history of smokejumpers. In 1940, William C. Lee, a major in the US Army visited a smokejumper training camp here in Montana. He was inspired by the training and the military potential of our techniques. He went onto found the 101st Airborne Division. It was his soldiers who were depicted in the series, 'Band of Brothers'.
Also during World War II, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, all Black army airborne unit was stationed on the West Coast to protect against an onslaught of fire balloons from Japan. Between 1944 and 1945, 9000 balloon based incendiary devices were sent to the United States, 1000 of which made it to American shores. While on alert for the balloon bombs, the 555th made more than 1200 fire jumps and worked on over three dozen fires in the Pacific Northwest. There are fewer than 500 smokejumpers working today. As a result, the gear we need to do our jobs isn't something we can run over to a local Walmart to buy. As such, we have to make all our jumpsuits, harnesses, and gear bags ourselves, from scratch," Damon explains.
"In my first few seasons, I learned that inspecting, repairing and making your own gear is a big part of daily life between fire jumps. Designs are handed down from generation to generation of jumper, tweaked based on new technologies and experiences, and quality control is maintained by people who truly know the stakes. Any questions?" Damon asks, looking over his pupils. When no one raises their hands, he picks up his mug again, swallowing what's left in it.
"Let's see what you're made of. Start your push ups now," he says, counting as they do the required number of push ups. Once they finish, he makes them start in on the rest of their indoor activities before they file out of the gym to go on their mile and a half run. As soon as they're all in position, he blows the whistle sending them down the track. When he hears his name, he looks up, smiling when he sees an old friend of his, Nik Mikaelson. Damon shakes his hand, pulling him in for a one armed hug, saying, "It's good to see you, buddy."
"How it's going, Damon?"
"I'm good, real good. But I'll be even better when I finish this class. Because as soon as I'm done, I'm hopping the first plane home. How are you?"
"Good, I'm here to train a class too. Maybe we can get together this evening for a few beers?"
"Sounds great, Nik. Where do you want me to meet?"
"The Tamarack Brewing Company. They have good food too. My treat?" he offers, smirking at Damon.
"How can I pass that up?" Damon laughs.
"I'll see you tonight then, say around six thirty?"
"Sounds good, Nik. I'll see you there," Damon adds, watching his friend disappear into the building.
Escaping to privacy of her room in her parent's house, Elena gets on her hands and knees, retreating to the back of the walk in closet. Pulling up the corner of loose carpet, she pulls out a small notebook. Blowing out a breath of air, she opens it up to pull out her stash of papers. She looks over the old photos, most of which are grainy and blurred but she can still see a bit of what he looked like. She came across the articles about this man when she first became interested in smoke jumping. Always a voracious reader, she read everything she could find on the profession at the local library and through the internet.
When reading over his obituary in the newspaper article, Elena takes a little comfort in the fact that he died a hero. Having previously showed an interest in it, it was really only after she read about this man that she knew with absolutely certainty that she wanted to become a smokejumper in the first place, even driving herself to Fort Wainwright to talk to Ric about the program and what she needed to do to become a smokejumper. He gave her a tour of the facility and she watched others train and that's when she knew without doubt that it's what she wanted. During their down season, she took her EMT classes so she could stay connected to the firefighting profession. Her ambulance company berths out of the fire station where Liz is the captain.
Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes for a moment as she tries to get herself under control. Sometimes she feels so lonely and lost. But when her mind drifts to her smokejumper family, an unwitting smile forms on her face. Turning her attention back to the paper in her hand, she runs her finger along the yellowed and fragile clipping. The article is old, the ink blurred and is mostly worn away. Very little of it is legible now but it says that he grew up around Missoula, Montana which is where Damon is teaching some smoke jumping recruits. Often she has wondered if he too was as infuriating then as Damon can be now? Despite the fact that he raises her dander with regularity, she can't help but admire and respect him so much. Damon cares about all of them and there's no doubt in her mind that he'd sacrifice himself if necessary to save one of them.
Hearing a rap on the door, she quickly puts her stash away, vowing to remember to take it back to Fairbanks with her when she goes home in a couple of days. "Elena, are you ready to go? We need to get to the fundraiser."
"I'll be right out, mom," she replies, sighing as she runs her hand through her hair. When she hears her door creek, she looks up to see Isobel standing in the doorway.
"You look a fright," she says, her voice condescending as always. "You have dark circles under your eyes. If you would get a decent nine to five job, you wouldn't be so tired all the time."
"I like what I do, mom. I love both of my jobs," she protests, knowing that her mother views her career choice with disappointment. Once Isobel finishes her hair, Elena gets up to follow her mom out of her room.
"You're not wearing those clothes, surely?"
"Mom, it's just a town meeting. No one is going to care that I'm wearing jeans."
"Elena, at least put on some dress pants."
"Fine," she mumbles, pushing the door closed when her mom walks out so she can change.
Pausing in front of her vanity mirror to give her appearance another quick look, she reluctantly leaves the solace of her room to join her family. Her dad is the mayor of Delta Junction, Alaska. It's just a small town and because they're well off, they've always been the leaders of the community. She was sent off to boarding school, the Chrysalis School for girls in Eureka, Montana as soon as she was old enough. Katherine and Jeremy were given the choice as to whether they wanted to leave home to go to school whereas Elena was put on an airplane with an "I'll see ya at Thanksgiving" and that was it. She remembers hearing about smoke jumping for the first time when she was in high school. The Montana smokejumpers, based in Missoula, were sent to Arizona to help put out some wildfires. Intrigued, she read everything there was to read but it was finding out about him that was the icing on the cake as far as choosing to become one herself. But because it's a seasonal occupation, she works as an EMT for the Fairbanks fire department during the off season. As much as she loves that job too, smoke jumping is her true passion.
Following her parents into the town hall, Elena dutifully takes a seat beside Jeremy. Katherine is in New England attending college. Although Jeremy goes to a prep school in Anchorage, John picked him up in his private plane. He keeps it in a hanger in Fairbanks, taking it up in the air for pleasure and business. As mayor, he tries to recruit business to come to their small town. To be fair, he has been able to bring some commerce to Delta Junction. Once order is called, John stands up to address the gathering. Bored to tears, Elena's eyes drift shut, only to be rudely awakened by an elbow to the ribs by her mother. Dropping her chin so her mom doesn't see her eye roll, she excuses herself to use the bathroom so she can splash some cold water on her face. When she returns, she internally breathes a sigh of relief that the event is over with. Everyone is having coffee and cookies and chatting. Needing some fresh air, Elena walks outside and stares up at the night sky. There are stars as far as the eye can see. Feeling a bit of a chill, she turns to go back inside but is interrupted when the people start walking outside. She visits with a few of the town's folks and then follows Jeremy to their car.
"Dad is a little agitated with you for taking a beat," Jeremy teases with a smile on his face.
"I'm sorry, Jeremy. I was falling asleep as is."
"I know," he whispers, "but you know, dad. He doesn't like to be embarrassed."
"I know, Jer. Let's just go home," Elena says, sliding into the back seat beside him. Moments later her parents join them.
"Elena, you really couldn't stay awake for an hour and a half?" her father asks, raising an eyebrow at her.
"I'm sorry, dad. I didn't sleep well last night."
"Don't let it happen again," Isobel snaps, giving her a harsh look before turning around. Shaking her head, Elena stares out of the window as John backs out of his parking spot and pulls onto the road to go home. All Elena can think about is how happy she'll be to go home to Fairbanks the day after tomorrow.
"Over here, Damon," Nik mentions, waving his arm in the air for Damon to see. The place is big, a large bar that forms a ninety degree angle. There are tables and chairs and an upstairs for customers who want to have a meal. Having met his buddy here several times in the last month, Damon has a pretty good feel for the place. It's a very nice bar and maybe someday when he retires from smoke jumping, he'll open a place just like this in Fairbanks or perhaps Anchorage. Returning the wave, Damon takes the barstool beside his friend, signaling the bartender to pour him a drink.
"So, you're flying back to Fairbanks tomorrow?"
"I am. When are you going to come for a visit? Mikael and Kol talk about you all the time."
"I'm not a big fan of the cold weather nor the midnight sun. But once the season is over, I may fly up to see my dad and brother."
"Mikael is the best spotter I've ever worked with. Kol has some learning to do but he's doing a great job."
"Good to hear. So.. how many in your class bugged out?" Nik asks, taking a swig from his glass of bourbon.
"Actually I only had one drop out. Rebekah told me that she was going to try to join me in Alaska," Damon winks, knowing that she's Nik's cousin.
"Well, you best keep your hands to yourself, Damon. She has my dad wrapped around her little finger and Kol too for that matter."
"I'm not interested in your cousin, Nik. She's too young for me plus, I have my eye on someone else.. unfortunately she's off limits too," Damon says, throwing back his tumbler of bourbon. After signaling for another, he spins around, seeing a raven haired girl sidling up to the bar. Forgetting all about his refill, he waggles his brows at Nik and approaches the girl. Laying on the Salvatore charm, Damon asks her if she'd like to go someplace more private. When she nods, Damon winks at Nik and follows the girl out of the bar.
"Damon, you're back," Brady greets him, pulling him into a guy hug. "We missed you up here."
"It's good to see you too, Brady," Damon adds, tossing his duffel bag through his office door. Walking over to the coffee pot, he pours himself one and then plops down in the chair behind his desk. Brady follows after him, pulling up a chair. "So did I miss anything good while I've been gone?"
"Well.., Ric still has Stefan working around here. And the biggest news is that Elena broke up with him."
"What!?" Damon asks, his jaw hitting the floor.
"Yep. It was right after you left."
"Seriously?"
"Ah ha. Stefan has been moody and trying to get her back but I think that ship has sailed."
"Is she seeing anyone else?"
"Are you interested?" Brady laughs.
"Nah, you know she's too good for the likes of us," Damon points out.
"Yeah, you're right."
"That's the last thing I expected to hear," he starts to say, pausing when he hears Stefan's voice. When he appears in Damon doorway, Brady excuses himself, darting around Stefan as he walks into the room.
"So I suppose he spilled about Elena?"
"He may have mentioned it. What happened?"
"She got pissed about Will who's doing much better in case you're interested?"
"I'll have you know, I called him weekly while I was in Montana. I know he's doing much better but he still needs a lot of physical therapy. You could have died up there too, Stefan. What the hell were you thinking?
"It's been months, Damon. Get over it."
Feeling his temper starting to flare, Damon swallows past the lump in his throat. "And Elena?"
"She ended things not long after that, said something about not wanting to date another firefighter. I intend to get her back. And just so you know in case you can't figure it out yourself, you better keep your paws to yourself, Damon. She doesn't need a lowlife like you in her life."
"I'm not going to dignify that with an answer," he snaps, his momentum gone as soon as he hears her voice. Shaking off the urge to go to see her, he turns his attention back to Stefan. Although every instinct inside of him wants to get a rise out of his brother, he bites it back, telling Stefan to close his door on the way out. When the alert siren suddenly goes off, Damon runs out of his office to grab his gear and suit up. After pulling on their suits, gear, parachutes and helmets, they run outside to board their plane. Once everyone is safely inside, Marcel takes off. From the air, smokejumpers receive their jump commands to ensure equipment is properly rigged and that static lines are correctly attached from parachutes to the plane. Their spotter, Mikael is also on the plane to keep an eye out for the fire and to make decisions as to where the crew should make their exit. Once a suitable area is chosen, streamers are thrown from the plane to reveal wind speed and direction. When Mikael gives the signal, they exit the aircraft in tight body position. As they hurtle toward the Earth, they deploy their chutes. And when the ground gets close, they bend their feet and knees together and slightly bent to hit the ground on a roll as they've been trained. In the space of about a second, they touch the ground with the balls of their feet, rolling in the direction of the landing, absorbing gravity with the calf, thigh, hips, and the side of the back.
Once they land, they shed their jump gear and jump suits, link up, and secure their gear, which was airdropped in separate containers. The boxes are designed to sustain them on location for at least 48 hours, and contain food, chainsaws, first aid kits, water, and other necessities. After a brief regrouping, they head toward the fire. The general strategy is to first "build a line" from the fire's point of origin, using a feature such as a road or stream, if available, or to dredge a line themselves, if necessary. A line keeps the fire from circling back. From the origin, and working toward the "head" of the fire, the point where it's spreading the fastest. It's there that Damon and his crew flank the fire, suppressing it by cutting down fuel sources which include everything from scrubby brush to hundred foot trees. After a lot of grueling, back breaking work, they eventually extinguish the head almost like fingers snuffing out a match. Their work is brutal and dangerous as it involves not only handsaws and mountainous wilderness but also giant walls of fire that consume everything in it's path unless they're able to outflank it.
Chancing to take a glance at Elena, she never fails to impress him the way she goes right after the fire. The woman has more balls than some of the men he's worked with during his tenure as a smokejumper. An unconscious smile forms on his face when he drops his eyes. Turning his attention back to the task at hand, he continues swathing up the underbrush, finishing up the fire break.
Having successfully helped to bring the fire under containment, they head back to Fairbanks. Exhausted and near the point of collapse, Damon drops onto one of the benches in the locker room where they're all relaxing for a few minutes before heading into the showers.
"You guys did a great job out there the last couple of days. I'm really proud of you all. If any of you are up to it, drinks and food are on me at Tubby's," Damon says, throwing his head back against the locker.
"I'm in," Brady says, patting Damon on the leg before dragging himself to his feet to take a shower. After taking a deep breath, Damon stands up, tugging his shirt over his head. Unbuckling his belt, he unsnaps his pants before disappearing into the shower too. Despite having worked with Damon for the last year, she's never seen him shirtless before. Nor does she miss the large scar on his back that borders the edge of his left scapula, ending under his axilla. The origin of his scar is legend around here. How much of it is true and how much of is is embellished, she's not quite sure? She has to admit the man is an Adonis. Feeling a shiver, she drags herself up too, walking into the women's shower stall. After cleaning up, she puts on her jeans and tee shirt then hops in her car to go to Tubby's with the guys. When she has to stop at a red light, she quickly calls her friend Caroline to tell her that she's going to swing by and pick her up. Wanting to drink tonight, Elena will need someone sober to drive her home.
When they get to the bar, Elena parks beside Damon's car. "You'll have a good time, Care. They're all good guys," Elena reassures her, linking their arms to walk inside and join her friends. "For those of you who don't know her, this is my friend, Caroline. We grew up together. She just moved back and is now my roommate. In case ya didn't know, she's Liz's daughter. So y' all better be nice to her," she warns them playfully. Caroline takes a seat beside Brady while Elena sits next to Damon. Using only her eyes, she signals for Damon to fill her glass. With a wink, Damon picks up the pitcher of beer and fills her glass. Moments later the waitress takes their orders and brings them another couple of pitchers of beer. When Stefan shows up, Elena drops her chin to her chest in annoyance. "Buzzkill is here," she whispers not so softly to Caroline before finishing off what's left in her glass. Seeing that she needs a refill, Damon gladly obliges.
"Elena, I'm so glad that you're okay. Can I buy you a drink?"
"I'm fine, Stefan. Why wouldn't I be? And I already have a drink courtesy of your brother," Elena adds, raising her glass to Damon.
Turning away in agitation for a moment, Stefan grimaces slightly. Forcing himself to smile, he turns to face her again. "Do you think maybe we could talk?"
"No, Stefan. I'm not interested in talking. I'm only interested in drinking tonight," she continues, pointing at her glass while her eyes drift to Damon. God he's hot, she shudders cause she knows she shouldn't be thinking such thoughts. Brushing it off, she leans her head away when Caroline whispers something about how cute Brady is.
After Elena gives refuses to give him the time of day and not one to like being ignored, Stefan starts to flirt shamelessly with their waitress causing Elena to roll her eyes. When he fails to get his desired response out of Elena, he leaves in a huff. Good riddance, Elena thinks to herself. Needing to pee, Elena slips into the bathroom. On her way back to the table, she stops to order a couple more pitchers for her and her friends.
"Sure thing, Elena," Matt the bartender says. Unable to take his eyes off of hers, he overfills the pitcher, getting beer all over his hands. Although she tries, Elena is unable to suppress the laugh that bursts out of her mouth. Matt looks at her like..., she can't decide but his eyes are alight with something.
"Um, Elena, Caroline told me that you broke up with Stefan. Would you consider going out sometime?"
"Matt, we've known each other for a long time. But you know what, I'd like that," she agrees. Picking up a napkin, she writes down her phone number, leans over the bar and stuffs it in his pocket. He's practically beaming when he hands her the pitchers.
"Thanks, Matt," she says, spinning around and walking rather unsteadily back to their table.
A couple of hours later, Caroline disappears with Brady leaving only Damon and Elena still at the bar. Knowing that they've both had too much to drink to allow them to drive, Damon volunteers to walk Elena home.
"I'm a big girl, Damon. I don't need a babysitter," she says, slurring her words.
"I know you don't, Elena. But it's late and it's dark outside," Damon admits. Even though he knows he doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell with her, he would hate himself if something were to happen. After paying the bill, Damon and Elena walk outside, make sure their cars are locked and then start walking back to Elena's place which fortunately is only a few blocks away.
When they get to her door, the crisp air has cleared her mind up enough to realize that Damon can't get home either given his inebriated state. The next words are out of her mouth before she even gives it any thought. "I know I'm going to regret this but you can sleep on the couch."
"You don't have to do that Elena. I can sleep in the back seat of my car," he yawns, his eyes staying closed longer and longer. Forcing his eyes to open wide, Damon focuses in on her face. She's so beautiful and smart and fearless, every cell in his body is urging him to just kiss her but before he can act, he sees Stefan's face in his mind. Shuddering, he starts to retreat, stepping back out of her doorway.
"No, Damon, come on in. You won't make it back to your car." As much as he infuriates her at times, she can't deny the man is devilishly handsome, the days growth of stubble does wicked things to her insides but she can't let herself go there. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she steps aside, sweeping her arm as she motions for him to come back inside.
Knowing she's right, he walks into her house. "You have a nice place here," he remarks, staring at the fireplace. As soon as Elena hands him a pillow and a blanket, she says goodnight before walking down the hall and into a room. Left to his own devices, Damon makes himself comfortable on the couch. As soon as his head hits the pillow and despite knowing that it's impossible, he can't help it that his dreams take him to a perfect world where she is his.
Thank you, Eva. Love you lots and lots.
Thanks to all of your for taking the time to read and review the first chapter. I really appreciate it.
Chapter title: 'If You Only Knew' by Shinedown
'St Helens' is now marked complete. "I Can't Escape Myself' is in progress. Watch for my one shot "Train of Consequences" to post soon.
Reviews are love.
Be safe and have a terrific day. Thank you all again. We'll see you next time.