you were here beside me

The darkness...

The pain...

It was pulling him in.

He screamed, fighting it. He just couldn't hold on. It was pulling him under...

"Damon!"

Damon Salvatore woke with a start, running a shaking hand through his sweaty tresses. He felt small, gentle hands on his back and calmed. But just slightly.

"Are you all right?" Bonnie whispered, rubbing small circles on his lower back.

Damon nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just got to get it together."

Bonnie sighed. "That's the third one this week."

"It's only normal, Bonnie," murmured Damon.

"I know but-"

"Darling, I'm fine," he interrupted quickly. He leaned back and kissed her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

She didn't want to argue, especially at three o'clock in the morning. She sighed again and let her head fall back into the pillows. Damon then started to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"I want to peek in on the kids. I'll be right back."

He pulled himself out of the large bed and slowly slipped from the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him. He stepped down the hallway and silently unclicked the first door he came too.

Eight year old Morgan Salvatore was laying on his back, his mouth slightly open, black curls strewn out on the pillow in a dark halo. His breathing was deep and even. He was there.

Damon took a deep breath and padded down the hallway a few more feet. He twisted the knob on four year old Aiden Salvatore's room and stuck his head inside. The nightlight lit up the room, bouncing light off the floor and the small bed where the just out of toddlerhood child lay curled onto his side, sleeping peacefully.

Damon felt stupid for freaking out. Their boys were just fine. He really needed to get it together.

"Get it together?" murmured Bonnie when he repeated it back to her as he climbed back into bed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"What?"

"Just...just keep doing what you're doing," Bonnie whispered. "And I swear to God, Damon, if you know you're going downhill, you come to me."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Who says I'm going downhill?"

"Most people like you do that."

"Go back to sleep, Bonnie. I love you."

He planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Yech. You need to brush your teeth."

"Oh, shut up."

"Damon! Damon Angelo Salvatore, get up! You're going to be late for work!"

"Argh..." Damon rolled over onto his front, moaning into the pillow.

"Damon, I swear to the Heavens if you don't get up, I will send in the big guns!"

That got him. Damon sat straight up and threw the covers off of his legs. But of course, being him, he decided to test it. "You wouldn't dare, Mrs. Salvatore!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Bonnie cried. "Oh, Aiden! Morgan!"

"All right, all right! I'm up, I'm up!" Damon stood up into a shaky stance. It had been a late night the previous night, working late grading papers and then going through what he had went through. He was slightly surprised that he hadn't lost his mind yet, like Bonnie was so worried about. He was fine. Just fine.

He staggered down the hallway and made it to the top of the stairs before he tripped over a toy. He grunted in pain as he stubbed his toe but picked the small truck up.

"Aiden Cody Salvatore, if you don't start picking up your little matchbox cars, I will start flushing them down the toilet!" he called down the stairs.

A squeak of horror was his answer. The tiny fair haired boy bolted up the stairs and snatched the toy truck out of his hand, running down the hallway and slamming the door to his room. Usually, threats (never carried out) worked quite well but of course, the toys would start being left out once again less than a week later.

As he walked into the kitchen, there was a tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee. His nose perked up and he walked with his eyes closed to the stove where his beautiful wife was working. His arms laced around her waist and he planted a wet kiss on her neck.

"You have got to stop doing that," she murmured against his cheek as her fingers twined through his clasped ones.

"Nah. It's tradition," he whispered back, kissing her again.

"Ew! Mommy and Daddy are kissing again!"

The married couple broke apart and their eyes found their boys standing in the kitchen doorway. Aiden was already climbing into a kitchen table chair while Morgan watched him warily, ready to spring if he started to fall.

Watching that out of the corner of his eye, Damon felt something odd stir inside of him. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"You okay, Damon?" Bonnie whispered, placing a plate of fresh toast on the table.

"I'm fine, darling."

"'Kay."

Damon sat down and pulled a piece of toast off the top of the pile, cutting it into small squares for Aiden's tiny mouth. He gave a plastic spoon to the four year old and he began to splatter jelly onto the squares.

"Ew. Not so much, Little A," chuckled Damon, inwardly wincing at how sweet that was going to be.

"I like jam, Daddy!" Aiden smiled, already stuffing a piece into his mouth.

"It really is kind of gross, kid," smiled Morgan, allowing his mother to lightly butter his toast and put one egg onto his plate.

"You think so, Morgan?" asked Aiden.

"Just not so much jelly."

"'Kay!"

Damon stared at his elder son. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Morgan looked confused.

"Kid, you've got a way with your little bro that your mother and I do not."

Morgan giggled, a flush of red spreading his cheeks. "It's nothing, Dad. He's my little brother."

Damon ignored Bonnie's gaze as he turned back to Aiden, gently wiping the excess jelly off of his round, adorable chubby cheeks.

"All right, I'm dropping Aiden off at preschool and you are taking Morgan to his school, correct?"

"Yes. God, I can't wait until Aiden starts kindergarten. It's such a murder on gas taking one kid one way and one kid the other way," Damon groaned as he stuffed his gradebook into his shoulder bag and shifted a pot that he needed to fire later into the other arm.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and held the door open for him. She puckered up her lips and he planted a noisy kiss on them.

"I will see you later, Mr. Salvatore."

"You too, Mrs. Salvatore." He leaned down and scooped an arm around Morgan's middle and throwing him over his shoulder. Morgan squealed in delight, causing matching smiles to cross his parents' faces. "All right, child. Come on."

The drive to the elementary school took about twenty minutes and it was well on his way to the high school where he taught.

"Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we have pizza for dinner tonight?"

Damon smirked, glancing in the review mirror to the backseat where Morgan was safely buckled in. "I think your mother's making something tonight. But how about tomorrow?"

"Can you talk Mom into it? She really likes healthy food."

"I can use my charms on your mom," Damon smiled.

Morgan rolled his eyes. "Or Mom can beat you up."

Damon laughed aloud. "You are a very observant kid, you know that?"

Morgan giggled. "Can we listen to music?"

"Sure. What do you want? Rock and roll? R&B?"

"Dad!"

"Right, right. Sorry," Damon hit the button on the radio. "I forgot that you still listen to Barney Wiggles."

"I do not! That's Aiden!"

"Oh, you're not Aiden? Who's child is this?"

Morgan only laughed harder. Damon continued to smile. He loved the sound of his son's laughter and voice. Just having that around him...it made it all okay.

Music was not playing on the radio at the moment. He turned it up for the news and heard it.

"Mourners and family are already gathering for the memorial of the tenth anniversary of the tragic shootings at Colby University. With the fifteen deaths and the fourty one people wounded, there is a huge turnout expected and-"

Damon quickly flipped the switch off, ignoring Morgan's quiet protests.

"Buddy, we're already here," he said, pulling the car up the long driveway of the school.

"Oh, okay."

He put the Jeep into park and got out, opening the door for the eight year old as he slid out.

"Do you need me to come in with you?" he asked as Morgan adjusted his bag around his shoulders.

"No, Dad! I'm not a baby!"

Damon held up his hands in surrender. "Yes sir, General Salvatore." He mock saluted. "I will see you at two, all right?"

"Okay."

"And don't get into trouble!" He called after Morgan as the kid ran away from him, joining his already forming class at the front door. Morgan just waved back before disappearing into the crowd of kids.

Very short update. Confusing, I know, right? And of course, in my previous author's note, I had a whole different plan for this story and instead I threw that out the window. I'm sorry!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are much appreciated. Feel free to yell and scream at me. :D