Body-head. Body-head. Body-head. Elena combo punches a sandbag with Kat's face on it. Body-head combinations are highly effective but criminally underutilized strikes in mixed martial arts. You strike your opponent's body, making her drop her hands down for protection. You then strike her unprotected head, either knocking her out or making her raise her hands back up for protection. Rinse and repeat until knock out. Easy to explain, hard to execute. This morning, Elena's form has been sloppy and undisciplined. She recites Damon's punching acronym A.R.T. for awareness, rhythm, timing. Unfortunately, with the acronym come the memories. Just last week, he stood behind her with his hands on her waist to guide her through the proper torque. She leans into the memory of his touch. His fingers form a strong yet welcoming pressure. The hard planes of his chest mold against the back of her head. His stubble tickles the underside of her chin when he breathes instructions into her ear.
Elena gives her head a few vehement shakes, hoping these intrusive memories fall away. You think life is easy as a female fighter? At every twist and turn, everyone you already know and everyone you newly meet spouts the same misogynist bullshit at you. You're way too pretty to fight. Why don't you just find a nice man and have some babies? Leave the fighting to the menfolk. Damon was one of the few to believe in Elena, her abilities, and her right to fight. He respected her as an equal. But did he really? He about-faced and objectified her in the same breath, having the nerve to determine her future with another man without her knowledge or permission. She has noticed him do that to his countless one-nighters and friends-with-benefits, but to her too? Damon might as well have just snapped Jeremy's neck.
The name "Elijah" flashes across Elena's phone screen to signal an incoming call. Ugh, speaking of "misogynist." Elijah was dumbfounded when Elena confronted him about his deal with Damon. Elijah swore that he was going to tell Elena about it himself. Really? That confession would have been three years too fucking late. The end of their relationship was punctuated with a Superman punch. What else could he possibly have to say to her? She rejects his call.
Ric wobbles backwards as Elena lands another one of her crane kicks on his padded chest guard. Her noticeable lack of focus is affecting her technique but not her power. He wishes he could bottle up her power for fight night, which is tentatively three months from today. The President of the UFC has set the earliest provisional fight date possible, which assumes that Kat disposes of Meredith Fell with ease in two weeks and their fight does 100k+ pay-per-view buys. Imagine two UFC champions from small-town Mystic Falls? Watery doe eyes curb Ric's enthusiasm.
Elena crumples into Ric's arms. She finally lets the tears flow freely. She has just signed a provisional one-fight contract with the UFC. Her dream of fighting in the UFC is one step closer to being a reality, but everything is riding on Kat. Kat has to beat Meredith, and Kat has to generate 100k+ pay-per-view buys in the process. Kat this, Kat that. This morning, Elena channeled her energy towards hating Kat to keep her other, more complicated emotions at bay. Like hate-love. For Damon. The diversion worked somewhat until now. Elena really only thought of Damon one time, when combo-punching the sandbag. OK, fine, the thought was long and drawn-out, but it was still only one thought.
Ric smooths his hands down Elena's back. In six years, he has only seen her cry once and for Damon then too. When Ric first met Elena, she was a fresh-faced senior cheerleader in high school. She had escorted Damon to wrestling team tryouts. Ric assumed the two of them were a couple. They had traipsed into the gym looping arms and holding hands like delusional Kumbaya fools! He was stupefied when those delusional Kumbaya fools proceeded to kick ass and take names in his usually hard as fuck tryouts. She had not been intending to try out for wrestling herself but was thoroughly intrigued by the sport once she watched it up close. Unfortunately, there was no high school wrestling division for girls, so she wrestled boys in her weight class. She finished fifth at nationals.
Ric would later discover that little Elena Gilbert had been a rebellious hellion since childhood. Elena at six had longed to join Damon in Shorin-Ryu martial art classes, but John outright refused. You're way too pretty to fight. Why don't you just find a nice man and have some babies? Leave the fighting to the menfolk. From then on, Damon secretly taught Elena everything he learned in class. Elena at 18 brought her rebellion to John's rigid rules out from underground. She joined the wrestling team. She openly trained Shorin-Ryu and earned her black belt in record time. She and Damon took up mixed martial arts together. She felt free. And hopelessly in love. So in love. She still feels hopelessly in love, despite everything. So in love.
Kat glances down at her phone screen one last time before boarding her return flight to Florida. Damon has yet to return any of her several urgent calls.
Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback, follows, and favourites. Special thanks to vamomoftwins, bellax0xchristina, Debbie1689, laila324, hpdork22, SarahConnor2021, damonenelenafan, and 5ka.