This one is shorter and not as good as the past two. It's more or less just a filler chapter until the relationship work starts next chapter. Enjoy. Please read and review. it would mean the world to me.
"They're going to Italy? For a month? Over the top bastard isn't he?" Jenna asked shocked, when Alaric told her about Damon and Elena's trip to Italy.
"They need this Jenna. Have you heard them fighting lately?" he asked.
"Yes. But couldn't they go somewhere closer, and not for a month? That is just over the top. It's insane." Jenna said.
"They need it badly. They're going to his villa in Italy. They're leaving on Wednesday." Alaric told her.
"I'm so jealous." she whined.
"I know." Alaric assured her.
"Well I guess it's only right that I throw them a Bon Voyage party." Jenna said pulling out a pad of paper and starting a party to-do list.
"You do that. They assumed you would, because that's just what you do. And maybe if we behave this time, and let them do what they want, they will let us borrow the house sometime and we can take a trip." Damon suggested.
"What kind of house is it? It's not some grungy crash pad for when he happens to be in Italy, is it?" Jenna asked warily.
"Definitely not. It is quite the opposite. The house is bigger and grander than the boarding house." he said.
"Over the top bastard." Jenna muttered.
"Yep. And he's proud of it. That house he had put a lot of effort into because he doesn't have to share it with Stefan. Apparently he has houses elsewhere too, such as Greece." Alaric stated dryly.
"Do you think this trip will truly help their relationship? I'm starting to think maybe they should just throw in the towel?" Jenna asked him.
"I think if this trip doesn't fix them, then they should consider that." Alaric decided after thinking about it for a moment.
"Well then I hope for both of their sakes that this fixes them. Elena has been happiest when they've been together. Even now with them fighting 80% of the time, she's still happier as a person now than she was before Damon." Jenna said.
"They have issues. And they're both so stubborn. But that stubbornness could come in handy as they won't give in too easily. I'm sure they'll work it out. As her aunt, what do you think their problems are based from?" Alaric asked hoping for some insight.
"Well the Elena I remember couldn't wait to get married and have a family. The family aspect is out for her now. That could be causing some of it." Jenna said thinking about it for a moment.
"She chose to become a vampire. Damon didn't pressure her into it. She can't hold that against him." Alaric said.
"She probably doesn't. It's just like she lost a whole potential future when she chose Damon. It makes the little things he does wrong seem so much worse because in choosing him she lost the thing she wanted most in the world. So the little things are magnified in her perspective." Jenna explained.
"I guess that makes sense. But Elena wanted this. Damon was what she wanted most in the world." Alaric argued.
"Maybe he was, but now that she has him, the other latent desires have come out. Now knowing that it's impossible could be making her desperate for a child. Something that no matter how hard he tries, he can't give her." Jenna explained.
"I guess I understand that. But they are so in love with each other. I'm sure it'll work out. So what do you have planned for this party?" he asked changing the subject.
"How does my big boyfriend feel about barbecuing? It's the easiest solution for a party that has to happen so soon." Jenna suggested.
"I'm cool with it. What are we barbecuing?" he asked.
"Hotdogs or hamburgers. You can pick." she answered.
"Hamburgers. Chips and pop." Alaric answered. Jenna nodded her head and wrote that down on the sheet.
"Okay next task..." Jenna said looking at her list and checking to see what was next.
"The weather in Italy is nice right now right?" Elena asked from the walk in closet as she tried to figure out what to pack.
"It's always nice in Italy. Pack whatever you want." he called back to her from the bed in their bedroom.
"You're helpful. Dresses and shorts or jeans?" she asked.
"Pack both. We're there for a month. And there is a washing machine there, so you can wash clothes." he told her.
"Sounds good." she said choosing a few sun dresses and some denim shorts. She stuffed those into her large suitcase before picking a couple of pairs of jeans to stuff in as well.
"You know we don't leave for a couple of days yet right? You could pack tomorrow." he suggested.
"I'm too excited to wait. I'm hoping that maybe if I'm ready to go the trip will happen faster." she said smiling brightly.
"Sorry but it doesn't work that way. If I wasn't afraid of being staked, I would whisk you off right now. But I don't want to risk pissing off Jenna, thus pissing off Ric who is very handy with a stake." Damon said.
"I guess. But even if we were to leave early, we don't have plane tickets." she said sitting down on the bed beside him.
"Doesn't matter. Compulsion is amazing. We could compel ourselves a couple first class seats." Damon said shrugging his shoulders.
"I will not compel someone to get free plane tickets that is so wrong." she said annoyed.
"Okay okay. I know you have morals. I don't want to fight about this right now." he said raising his hands in surrender.
"Okay." she said taking a deep breath to calm her annoyance.
"Let's just focus on getting through these last couple days, and then we can focus on us." he sighed.
"Okay. Just a couple more days." she said laying down on the bed beside him.
"Where the hell is Ric and those extra hamburger buns. Mystic Falls isn't that big. How long can it take to go to the grocery store?" Jenna demanded to no one in particular.
"We don't need more buns Jenna. There is still half a dozen." Elena told her aunt, laughing at her.
"I don't want to run out of food. There is quite a few people here." Jenna said taking a deep breath.
"You won't. I've already ate my fill and Damon is sitting over there rubbing his non-existent stomach." Elena said flashing a smile over to Damon.
"You two seem to be getting along better now." Jenna noted.
"It's the anticipation of a month of alone time. I'm just hoping that this trip fixes us and not pushes us further apart." she whispered to her aunt.
"I hope so too. So what exactly are your problems?" Jenna asked conversationally.
"It's just we're fighting a lot. About little things and bigger things. If we would have dealt with the underlying issues before now then we would probably be fine right now. But we didn't. Now we have to suffer." Elena explained.
"How did you deal with the problems at first? Obviously that approach wasn't effective." Jenna stated softly.
"Oh it wasn't. We dealt with our issues with sex, and clearly that didn't help. It helped at the beginning, because the sex was always great. But in the end it just covered up our issues not really dealt with them." Elena admitted.
"That's what this trip is all about I guess. I hope it works out for you. For the record I've never seen you happier than when you two are happy." Jenna said patting her shoulder reassuringly.
"I hope so too. I am so in love with him. That hasn't changed. Even when we're fighting, I'm still in love with him." Elena admitted.
"I know. But now where is Ric. I need hamburger buns." Jenna said ending the subject, sensing that Elena was getting uncomfortable with the conversation.
"Actually I just heard his car in the driveway." Elena said hearing the car in the driveway.
"Good I am going to dismember him." Jenna said walking to the door.
"Calm down Jenna. Don't hurt him. It is possible that the store was really busy. Just calm down. I know that Damon really likes Ric, and we need to keep him alive. Even someone like Damon needs a friend." Elena said trying to calm her aunt down.
"Okay. Fine. I'll calm down. Only because it'll probably help your relationship if Damon has someone to rant to from time to time. Just like you have me." Jenna said patting her shoulder again.
"Thanks Jenna. But I am so excited for Italy. I've wanted to go there since I was a kid." Elena enthused to her aunt.
"I'm happy you're getting that. And I'm happy you are going with such an over the top bastard such as Damon. You'll get to experience Italy with loads of money and an amazing house. I am so jealous. I want a holiday." Jenna said her lower lip protruding slightly.
"Go to the lake house for the weekend. If I could I would take you. But I can't. This trip is for me and Damon." Elena said slightly apologetic.
"I know. But the lake house isn't as fun as it used to be now that I know you're going to Italy." Jenna stated.
When Wednesday morning finally came, Elena sat in the passenger seat of Damon's Camaro as they drove to the airport.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked peering at her from the corner of his eye. He could see the excited smile on her face and how she was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Oh yes. I'm so excited." she said.
"I can see that. You can't even sit still. You're like a kid on Christmas morning." he told her laughing.
"I can't help that you're making one of my dreams come true." she said smiling.
"I'm glad I still have that effect on you. I'm not doing my job right if I can't make your dreams come true." he told her taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it.
"You've made my dreams come true for the past few years." Elena whispered knowing he could hear. He smiled softly as he parked in a spot at the airport.
"Let's go." he said popping the trunk so they could grab their luggage. They walked into the airport side by side and manoeuvred their way to the check in desk. When they were through they went to security and made their way through. Elena was impressed the Damon never tried to compel the guards. She wouldn't put it past him. They got through the security line with no issues and sat down in the waiting area.
"OK, there are going to be some rules on this trip though." Damon said turning towards her, deciding that this would be the best time to discuss that.
"Okay." she said trying to urge him to continue.
"We have to work on our relationship, but given that if you need to get away from me, please do so. If you want to take a swim by yourself, or walk along the grounds, do it. I will only go with you if you want me to. But you can't constantly avoid me, and you can't leave the grounds alone. You have no idea how long it would take me to find you if you left. We're going to give ourselves and each other the benefit of the doubt this trip and dedicate ourselves into finding the two people who were in love before all of this." he explained. She nodded her head solemnly. "Okay. Those sound fair." she agreed.
"Good. Now lets just wait for our plane, then go to Italy." he said satisfied and more excited than he was before.
After the nearly 9 hour flight, the plane finally landed in Sarteano Italy. Elena was peering out the window at everything she could see and was eagerly awaiting their turn to exit the plane.
"I'm so excited." she said clapping her hands together.
"You've said that a time or two lately." Damon muttered good-naturedly.
"I know. But I am. Come let's go." she said seeing a break in the people on the flight. They snuck out with the carry-on's and stepped off the plane.
"So, how are we getting to the house?" Elena asked.
"Right there. That is Bella and Antonio. They watch the house." he said seeing the two people he was looking for.
"Bella and Antonio." she repeated not wanting to forget their names.
"Signor Salvatore. Welcome back." Bella said smiling warmly at him.
"How was your flight?" Antonio asked.
"It was fine. But tiring. We just want to head to the house." he told them. They nodded their heads eagerly and took the carry-on's from them.
"Come." Bella said leading them out of the airport. They got lead to a black sedan which Antonio opened the back doors for them.
"Thank you."Elena said.
"You are most welcome. " Antonio stated climbing behind the wheel of the car.
After driving for a few minutes, during which Elena had her head craned practically out of the car, trying to catch a glimpse of everything, they finally arrived at the house.
"Here we are. Home sweet home." Antonio said parking the car at the front of the house so they could unload their luggage.
"Thank you Antonio." Elena said wheeling her suitcase over to where Damon was already unlocking the front door
"Are you ready?" Damon asked as Elena nodded eagerly.