Damon knows that he's going to be dead on his feet by the time his Tuesday lecture rolls around but it can't wait. He needs to do this now. Luckily, he finds a flight from Richmond to New Orleans. His arrival time is 19:45 so he should have plenty of time to speak to Vanessa, take a shower and hopefully catch a nap before he has to catch his noon flight back to LA.
As soon as he steps outside, he flags down a taxi and gives the driver the address. He's certain that Vanessa won't be there, she still keeps her own apartment. She does have a key so she can check up on him when he's home and his place when he's on the road. He's not sure exactly what he's going to say to her but he knows with absolute certainty that it needs to be done.
After paying the cab driver, he goes into his place and immediately strips out of his clothes to take a hot shower and change into some clean stuff. He pulls a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and then stretches out on the couch. He feels the butterflies in his belly but he doesn't want to delay the inevitable. Picking up his phone, he takes a deep fortifying breath and presses her icon for the last time.
"Damon!" she squeals, sounding pleased. "I'm so glad you called. Is everything alright?"
"Hey Ness, I'm actually here in NOLA, can I stop by?" he sighs mentally.
"Really? Are you okay?"
Damon avoids her question. As much as this needs to be done, he hates that he has to hurt her. "I just need to speak to you."
There's a short pause from her end of the line before she responds. "Of course you can, you should have come here directly from the airport anyway."
"I'll be there soon." Damon doesn't wait for the response and ends the call. This is going to be fucking hard, but he's sure about one thing. Now that he finally owns his past mistakes, he knows that he's doing the right thing.
Half an hour later he's ringing Vanessa's doorbell, his heart heavy but his determination fierce. Vanessa lets him in with a beaming smile, standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek as he doesn't offer anything else. She's a little taken aback, he can tell, but he just gives her a tight smile and continues into the living room.
"Why didn't you use your key?"
"Didn't feel right," he mutters pulling it out of his pocket having separated it from the rest earlier.
Vanessa looks at the key and then back at Damon. "What are you telling me, Damon?"
"Ness, I'm really sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am but it doesn't feel right to marry you now..."
Their conversation is a short one. Damon's hating himself for having to do this to her but it's only right. He never should have asked her to begin with, somewhere deep down, he's always known that he didn't love her. It isn't fair to keep her on a string when he's in love with Elena. This decision is what's best for all of them. Vanessa doesn't feel the need to yell at him or threaten him, she's not making a scene but he can hardly blame her when she tells him to go now and walks out of the room.
He lays the key on the table before he leaves.
An unexpected rain shower splashes his heated skin. He turns his face to the sky to absorb it along with a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder. He continues down the sidewalk. The rain feels good although he doesn't know why. Damon Salvatore is not one to enjoy this kind of weather.
When he sees the time flash on a fluorescent sign, he realizes that it's not that late. He pulls out his phone and calls his best friend. Who is he kidding anyway? What he needs is someone to lend him an ear and give him a healthy glass of bourbon. If he doesn't fix his life soon, he's going to become an alcoholic. He slides into his car and takes the right turn that leads to his house. Soon afterwards he finds himself standing in Ric's doorway. The happy face Ric greets him with lifts his spirits a little. At least there's one person who is happy to see him today.
"Are you sure about this?" Ric seems to be in shock when Damon explains his reason for being in New Orleans today.
"I'm sure. How can I marry Vanessa when I'm still in love with Elena? It's not fair to her, she deserves better. There's so much to think about when it comes to my wife. I don't even know if there can be a future for us and yet if I had a choice to make between the two of them, there would still be no choice to make. That thought makes it even more clear... It's Elena that I want to be with."
"You sound sure!" Ric laughs at Damon's struggle with words, that's a first for his erudite friend. "Man... when it comes to Elena, you've always been a goner."
"Yes I have but sadly, I didn't know what I had when I had it."
They drink a lot and Damon's sure he won't be getting any sleep tonight. He's in no hurry to go home. After procrastinating for as long as he dare, he finally looks at his watch and knows it's time to get his things ready so he can get to the airport in the morning. He leaves his car at Ric's because he is in no shape to drive and the walk will do him good. It does nothing to relieve everything that's weighing heavily on his conscience though.
A few hours later he's all ready to go to the airport when he remembers the book, The Da Vinci Code..., the one he never finished reading after Elena fell down the stairs and their daughter's life ended. He puts his bag aside, goes back to the bedroom and pulls open his dresser drawer. Carefully placed under his t-shirts, there it is. He opens the book to the place he stopped reading. He feels his heart squeezing, painfully so when he sees the picture that he used as a bookmark. Three and a half years have passed since the last time he held it in his hands.
It's time to finish the story...
Having had another successful presentation, Damon answers one final question before hopping into his rental car to go back to his hotel for a quick shower and a change of clothing. He cinches the towel around his waist and then struts into the bedroom. He drops the towel and then slips on a clean pair of boxers, his favorite jeans and a Varvatos tee shirt, he picks up a bottle of water then hurries outside to go meet with the youngest Mikaelson. When he arrives, he's directed to Kol's location.
As soon as he sees Damon, he waves him over.
"I have hours and hours of downtime," Kol reassures him confidently when Damon comes to stand beside him. That's not exactly reassuring.
"We can talk now but I won't be done here for a couple of hours. Afterwards we can stop for some takeout and I'm all yours, Professor."
Damon knows he should probably feel honored but it's going to take some time for him to get comfortable in the man's presence. The guy is doing him a great favor and he needs to not feel annoyed in this atmosphere or in his presence. For Elena's sake and probably his own, he needs to put some effort into it.
He can admit that Kol hasn't given him any reason to feel so uptight in his company. He's not going to change overnight and he's more than willing to try but right now, he's a work in progress.
Over the next few hours, Kol gives Damon ample opportunity to change his opinion about him. He's Elena's dear friend and colleague and not at all what he expected. For that he has to give Kol credit. The young man is surprisingly down to earth, smiling all the time, treating crew and fans alike with kindness. He's impressed by his unselfishness. During breaks in the filming, he not only shows Damon around but also signs autographs and jokes with his co-workers. His scenes are effortless and Damon can't help but feel respect for him.
It's ironic that just a week or maybe two ago Damon would have thrown this offer right back in his face. Eventually Kol is ready to leave. It's been an exhausting day shooting outside and yet he looks excited about the prospect of spending the evening with the erstwhile Professor.
Damon is aware that Kol received at least four messages since he's been here, no doubt offering him a more interesting evening than what he has in mind.
"I can't wait till I tell my brother I had dinner with you, he'll be so jealous!" That explains his enthusiasm, at least a little bit.. "What will it be, Damon, Chinese, Thai, Greek or good old Mexican food?"
"Chinese is ok."
"Well, we could go for pizza I guess, but..."
Kol's house is probably not that far from Elena's and it's everything Damon would expect from a movie star. The essential swimming pool and beach access makes him chuckle slightly. Everything is white except for a little color with the furniture and the throw pillows. It's tastefully decorated but his walls are covered with classic movie posters. There's Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, King Kong, the 1933 version, Damon has to chuckle when he notices the Wizard of Oz print.
"What's the deal between you and Elena? I know you probably think I'm a shallow bastard but I'm pretty perceptive. I've noticed how Enzo tenses up when you're around."
"Err, nothing Kol. There's history between us. And a problem that needs solving."
"I'm aware," Kol gives him a wink. "I'm not as clueless as you seem to think, Damon. The vibes between you two... Ouch. But what's happening with you right now? Why now?"
"Let's just say I took a good look in the mirror and I didn't really like who was staring back at me."
"Come, professor," Kol invites Damon, gesturing to follow him. The interior is even more impressive as they get further into the place. There's a personal touch to it as well. There are pictures of his family, Elena and Enzo too. His heart jumps a little when he sees the huge smile on her face, one that he didn't put there. The young man really does have good taste which surprises Damon although he knows it shouldn't. He stops in his tracks when he sees The 'Mona-Lisa' among other great works of art.
"You made one for Elena too, right?"
"Yeah," his face lightens up even more. "She put it in the living room," he adds. Damon can tell he's proud of the fact. "Alright Professor, I still think you would have a better experience watching it on the big screen but this will have to do."
Kol leads him to a large room, a screening room. Although not theatre sized, there's a huge screen on the wall. Damon laughs shortly, his eyes widening at the opulence.
"Wow Kol, I'd certainly say this comes close."
Kol nods with a satisfied smile. "Now sit. Watch. Be amazed.."
Damon forgets about his Chinese, he just can't tear his eyes from it as the love story unfolds before his eyes. She's astounding. Damon needs to remind himself to take a breath more than a few times. Kol comments once in a while about their Golden Globe movie but he's mostly silent, not wanting to disturb his guest's experience.
Damon is mesmerized by her presence. It's almost as if she's right here in the room with him. It's a WW2 era movie, the title is 'Tomorrow'. Elena is playing a young mute girl, Katerina who loses her parents tragically to the Gestapo and is taken in by a childless couple. She finds Kol's character hiding out in a theatre, the two of them share an incredible bond and fall in love over the course of many months. When their characters make love, Damon can feel his face heat up. Her body is still exquisite.
He glances over at Kol who doesn't look the least bit embarrassed. Ultimately the Gestapo finds him and sends him to the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. By some miracle, he survives his confinement and is reunited with Katerina before the end credits begin to appear on the screen. He could not be more proud of his wife's stunning performance.
When Kol switches off the projector, Damon sits for a few moments silently, unable to react. Kol gives him a beaming smile. "You know, she's incredible, it's impossible for me or any actor quite honestly not to be good next to her, she motivates you, challenges you to be better, to reach higher. Elena has a gift. Now professor, even you have to admit that this was a work of art."
Unable to take his eyes from the screen, he simply admits, "It was, she was brilliant."
Atticus Shane pushes his chair away from his computer screen. He can't explain it but he's become rather obsessed with Professor Damon Salvatore. His gut instincts have never failed him and the gnawing sensation he feels in his belly won't go away. There's something about that man that he just can't quite put his finger on. He has tried repeatedly to keep a tail on him. The problem is that the guy has a sixth sense, it's like he can feel his presence and always manages to give him the slip, sometimes in the blink of an eye.
He's gone to a few of the guy's lectures just to see what he could learn but hours of boredom is all he came away with. His boss even hinted that he should give it up, leave Damon Salvatore alone and move onto some real news or another of dime a day celebrity scandals. Although he doesn't know why, he can't get rid of the feeling that there's a story there waiting for him to find.
Today he actually got something accomplished. He was staking out the location, the set of Kol Mikaelson's newest project. Although he shouldn't have been because Kol is actually pretty down to earth, he was surprised when he came out to speak to him and some of his cohorts during a break in filming. He hopes to have a good scoop to report to his boss by this evening.
Atticus gets the surprise of his life when who should he see, the one and only, Damon Salvatore walking side by side with the young actor. He stands back, trying to stay hidden so Damon won't see him. He looked none too pleased the last time they crossed paths. Not today, he waits and watches hoping to figure out what these two are up to.
After visiting with Kol for a little while, Damon says goodnight to his host. He's had his eyes opened and he leaves Kol's home a changed man. He'd like nothing more than to drive straight to Elena and Enzo's house to tell her about all of these crazy and confusing new feelings but that's not fair to her. Not yet. He's not ready. She's not ready either, not after everything he's done to make her feel less than desirable. If only he could turn back time, take a fresh look and realize what he had when he had it.
Damon needs time to process all of this, it's happening so fast that his head is a maelstrom. He's needs to try to make sense of it all but most of all he needs to somehow prove to her that he's not doing this on a whim, that he's deadly serious about trying to change things between them. Most of all, he needs to earn back her trust which he so carelessly let slip from his fingers.
He needs time. And that's something that he doesn't have. By the end of the week he's scheduled to return to NOLA to go back to the classroom. He knows Vanessa will cover for him as she's professional enough not to let their personal life prevent her from doing her job. However this is not a matter of days or even weeks. Enzo made it clear that he wouldn't let him near her before he proves to him that he's not the same person that arrived in LA just a few short weeks ago. How is he supposed to do that?
He parks the car in the hotel's parking ramp and sits inside for a few minutes to let all the chaotic thoughts settle. While relaxing in the shadows he catches a little activity several cars from his. He can't believe his eyes, is it that damn reporter again?
He gets out of the car and locks it and in a normal pace walks to the elevator. Just as he passes Shane's car, he quickly grabs onto the door hand, pulling the annoying little man out of it.
"What the hell?" he fumes, glaring at the reporter's terrified eyes. "You never give up do you?"
Atticus takes off his sunglasses. With a shaky voice, he warbles, "Doctor Salvatore... What a coincidence."
"Try again," Damon mocks, yanking his form and propping him against the car.
"I... I.. I'm sorry for...following you?"
Damon scowls, looking at him with disgust. "People like you are the reason why I really hate this Hollywood crap." It's a relief being able to vent his frustration out loud. "I don't understand why on earth you would target me as someone important to follow?"
Atticus recovers from the shock of being jerked out of his car quickly. "I didn't actually follow you... today," he adds quickly when Damon raises an eyebrow, signaling that he isn't buying his bullshit.
"I was at the location of Kol Mikaelson's new movie. Quite honestly, Dr. Salvatore, I found it interesting that you were there. When I saw you two leaving together, I followed him home."
Damon gives him a mocking grin. "You must be bored to death, listening to my lectures, lying in wait for hours while scoping out houses and hotels... And you get nothing for your efforts. I bet your boss isn't happy with you either."
Shane's sour expression tells him he's not far from the truth.
"I have to admit I have found nothing worth publishing yet. But I find all of this very interesting, your friendship with Kol, his brother Elijah, which would be understandable given his interest in the arts and sciences. I saw them at one of your lectures. And then there's the fact that you are clearly a member of Elena Gilbert's inner circle. I'm intrigued by the fact that she's dating Mr. St. John and yet you seem to be tight with her. You are quite the celebrity among academics and yet there's never been any mention about you in connection to... Miss Gilbert?"
He's fishing, Damon knows and his face stays stone cold. "And? If you think I'm going to spill my guts just because you pointed out some random coincidences, you can think again because you're only going to be disappointed."
The journalist grimaces, there's always a chance he can deduce something from his targets by their facial expressions but clearly the good professor is nothing if not a smart ass.
"Alright, professor, I'll quit digging. For now. Hopefully you can accept my apology for disturbing your evening. I'm just going to go home now."
Damon nods and steps further away from him. Shane slides behind the steering wheel. Just as he reaches to pull the door shut, he turns his head aside and delivers a parting shot.
"I saw Miss Gilbert at your lecture too, incognito." Before Damon can retort, Shane steps on the gas pedal and drives off.
Did he just say that Elena was at his lecture?
Damon is tempted to go after him but he has no idea where to look. Something tells him that he hasn't seen the last of the intrepid reporter. If he did jump in his car and try to find him, he'd be playing right in Shane's hands. It would alert him even more to the fact that there is a story between himself and Elena. It's been both an illuminating and an exhausting day. He yawns just as the elevator doors slide open. He jumps in and pushes the button for his floor. When it dings, he drags himself to his room.
The shower helps him relax, still, when he's lying in bed in the dark room he can't fight it any longer and allows himself to think about what the stalker told him.
Elena came to his lecture. Incognito.
He goes through all the possible motives that could bring her there, but there's always just one possible outcome.
She still cares.
What proof can he give her, that he's not the same self-centered moron that he once was. He grimaces when he thinks about himself and the fact that he was too blind to see what was right in front of him. A man who couldn't pull his head out of his ass long enough to keep her from fleeing.
Elena is the only one who has ever been able to obliterate his walls and see him at his most vulnerable. Vanessa couldn't and now he wonders what he ever saw in her. He shakes his head in disgust at himself.
He was too busy denying what he had with her and too full of stupid excuses that he not only pushed Elena away but he also hurt her. That thought alone makes his heart squeeze painfully. If only he could turn back time?
Despite his inner turmoil, he closes his eyes and falls asleep in no time.
The morning sun creeps into the room reminding him that he forgot to close the blinds last night. Squeezing his eyes shut, Damon turns around, hoping to go back to sleep for a little while. However, his mind has other ideas and soon he starts contemplating the last few hours. Did he really spend the evening with Elena's actor friend watching one of her movies? He turns onto his back and throws his forearm over his eyes as some of the powerful scenes from the movie fill his head. He wishes he wouldn't have wasted so much time.
Several days pass and he hasn't made any head way. With his time in LA dwindling, pangs of desperation begin to gnaw at his insides and prick at his heart. Dropping his face into his hands, he weaves his fingers into his hair and tugs in frustration.
What can he do? What proof can he give her...?
And suddenly, he knows what he has to do. He jumps out of bed and calls room service to order breakfast. He dresses up quickly and while he's waiting he's searching on his laptop for the address he needs. By 8 a.m., he's already on his way, hopefully the business opens its doors early. As soon as the taxi drops him off at the Celebrity Magazine offices, Damon steels his resolve and goes inside.
Atticus Shane almost has a heart attack when Professor Damon Salvatore storms into his office. His eyes widen and he pushes his chair back so he has a little room to bolt if he needs to. Maybe the good doctor has reconsidered or maybe he wants his head on a platter?
"What... What can I do for you Dr. Salvatore?"
Damon drags the chair across the floor, turns it back to front and straddles it. Very meticulously, he crosses his arms over the back of it and leans forward with a deadly gleam in his eyes.
"Quite frankly, Mr. Shane, I'm out of options and you are going to help me."
Thanks to each and every one of you. We're in simply in awe of your kindness and support for our stories and for sharing your love for this beautiful couple known as Damon and Elena with us.
Thank you Eva. You're the best. I love you dearly.
Kol and Elena's movie is our story "Tomorrow" if any of you are interested. In the story, Damon is the Kol character.
Chapter title: 'Time is Running Out' by Muse.
Welcome to the Jungle is in progress.
Have a fabulous day and a wonderful weekend. Thank you all again, you're the best.