A/N: Goodness gracious me! I cannot, CANNOT, believe the amazing response you guys! Y'all are spoiling me something awful.

Now, a lot of you are concerned (rightfully so) about how in the hell we are going to resolve this mess in the short time we have left. Believe me, I get that. Quite a few of you have expressed that no matter the ending, there really isn't any way to resolve this to 100% satisfaction because of the problems the characters are encountering. I understand that too. All I ask, and hope for, is that you trust me a little more and that when all is said and done, you're satisfied with the ending I chose to give them. It may not work for everyone, be enough for everyone, and that's okay. As a writer, you have to be honest with yourself and know that not everyone is gonna love everything. But dammit, I'm gonna try to make that happen ;) So let's get to it, shall we?

All my love and devotion to my amazing beta, Trogdor19, who is currently off being adventurous and fabulous while she shows the wild who's the real queen of the land. You are my hero, woman. Come back soon, I miss you!

Chapter 20: Things I Hear

"Good morning, dickhead," I taunt Ric when I stroll into work at my typical five after nine, falling casually into my seat and logging into my phone before I swivel my chair, facing him.

I am not going to look at her.

Nope. Not gonna.

I take a bite of my bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, and my traitor eyes dart to the right and then back forward.

Son of a bitch.

I'm going to sit here and eat, thinking long and hard about the right calibration between the bass and treble levels in my car stereo. Or maybe just mentally rebuild the entire engine piece by piece, seeing if I can recall every part and the order that I bought them in.

I am not going to focus on the image of her sitting hunched over at her desk, her chin propped in her hand as she stares at the wall beside her, showing me the back of her head. There's no such thing as sunset-pink cardigans and gray pinstripe pants, especially not ones that are pulling up an extra few inches with her legs crossed, showing me a bit of ankle and the faux-reptilian material that her one-inch heels are made out of.

I swallow my food and in my peripheral vision I see Elena uncross her legs and kick off her shoes under her desk, and I turn my chair slightly more away.

"You can keep your tomatoes…" I smirk, glancing down at her feet and then up at her eyes, my voice dropping huskily. "If you tell me what color toenail polish you're wearing."

She gasps with a blush. "I am not telling you that!"

I don't want to see what color she's wearing today. It's not for me to know.

"Good morning to you too, douche," Ric replies and I smirk, taking a sip of my coffee. "You're chipper for a Tuesday."

"Can't be any worse than Monday," I tell him, and I hear Elena suck in a breath.

"Come on, three more," I tell her and she sucks in a breath before she gives me all she's got. "Two… Last one…" I tell her and she knocks the ever loving shit out of my hand.

I hiss with a grimace, and she gasps and covers her mouth with her glove-covered hands.

"Oh my gosh, Damon! I'm so sorry, are you okay?" she squeaks, and I can't help but laugh as I pull off the mitts. Even though it's really embarrassing that she actually hurt me.

"Let me ask you something," I say seriously and Ric jerks his chin at me. "Is the phrase supposed to be 'It's all uphill from here', or is it 'downhill'? I can never get that shit straight because you go up from the bottom, but climbing is harder than coasting down…" I trail off and force a chuckle at myself, and Ric tilts his head at me curiously.

Yeah, that was subtle. I'd probably be doing better at the whole play-it-cool slash unaffected thing if my mind wasn't busy galloping through memories of her. Especially when it comes to a harsh halt on that single, perfect hour I got before I said the words that sent her running while I was thoughtlessly asleep. We were relaxing naked in my bed, blissed out on endorphins and each other, and I should have stayed awake, appreciating every second that I had her for. But I didn't.

I pillow my head with my hand, turned slightly to look at a smiling Elena beside me. She's stretched out on her stomach, but her knees are bent and feet are swinging lazily, her weight braced on her elbows. She bites her lip with a blush, and I smile.

"What?" I ask quietly, running a knuckle down her bare back, and she shivers and shrugs.

"Do you remember when we met?"

I rack my brain, but come up blank. I remember the first time she griped at me for being "unprofessional," but I don't recall the first words I ever said to her.

"I remember where we met," I try and she laughs softly.

"I guess I can't blame you, infant that you were…"

"I was twenty-one, perfectly legal for cougar prowling," I joke and she narrows her eyes at me. "And as I recall, you didn't think I was too young when you were fresh out of training and asking me a million questions every day about how to file this or where to transfer that." I wink at her and she glances down timidly, because we both know she desperately relied on my help for a good three months before she got the hang of taking claims, which is actually pretty quick.

I roll fully on my side, facing her. Her gaze softens as I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear, then hook a fingertip under her chin so I can lift a kiss from her lips.

"You going to remind me?" I ask, and she shrugs one shoulder.

"I guess we didn't really meet, I just saw you."

"You remember the first time you saw me?" I tease and she blushes, looking down.

"No."

"Liar…" I breathe playfully.

She stays quiet for a moment, and I smooth my palm over her lower back. And that seems to do the trick, because her voice is sweet and almost nostalgic when she tells me, "I was walking back with Maggie to one of the conference rooms…"

"Scandalous," I grin and she rolls her eyes. "Please, do continue."

"Anyways," she says, "it was my last interview and she was pointing everything out in the building, and you were standing at the end of a row and talking with some guy. It was probably Ric now that I think about it, but I don't remember." She shakes her head, her whole face lit up. "But whoever it was, he said something that made you laugh. And it wasn't that cocky little chuckle you do," she says and I arch an eyebrow at her with a smirk, "I mean you really laughed. And you just looked so…"

"What?" I ask when she trails off.

"Free," she says affectionately, and my smile grows. "You were so beautiful, and almost…light, in a way. You looked like the world was at your feet and even though I didn't know you, I just couldn't imagine you ever being afraid of anything. It was mesmerizing. I don't know how else to explain it."

I tilt my head at her, stroking my fingertips up her spine. "And then what happened?"

Her cheeks suddenly blaze. "Nothin'."

"Sounds like somethin'."

"Damon," she whines, and I chuckle. And apparently in a cocky manner because she points at me and goes, "That one, right there. That's the smug laugh."

"Whatever you say," I tell her. "So what happened next when you were checking me out during our first non-meeting?"

She chews on the inside of her lip for a minute before she picks at the pillow case, then mumbles something I don't catch. I tickle her side and she squirms, then finally huffs out a breath. "Fine. I was walking by and you looked up, and then you kinda smiled and winked at me."

"Nice," I drawl, and she scowls at me. "What? You're pretty," I say smoothly. "It's not like you can blame me."

"Yeah right, you were probably looking at Maggie's ass."

I clear my throat, then lay fully on my back and study the ceiling.

I don't say anything for a minute, just thinking, and her nails begin combing through the hair at my temple. "I was just kidding," she says regretfully, and the corner of my lips turns up.

"It was cold that week," I say quietly, and her hand pauses. "You were wearing a red trench coat with big black buttons on the front, and the belt was tied in a bow behind your back." I can still see it, every little detail. "You'd left your coat open, but that was perfectly fine with me because it meant I got a peek of your white button-down blouse, and that high-waisted black pencil skirt you like to torture me with." She laughs softly and I feel myself grin wider, my voice dropping lower. "Your shoes matched your coat. Bright red, crazy high stilettos and I swear you looked like the devil's mistress on Christmas morning. Sexiest thing I've ever seen."

Her nails resuming combing through my hair, and I close my eyes peacefully.

"You know what's funny…" she murmurs.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't wear that to my last interview."

I glance at her, my brow furrowed. I know she wore that outfit. It's crystal clear in my memory and I've been impatiently waiting for the day it reappears, half-worried I'm gonna lose it in my pants the second she shows up in that red coat. But she's never worn it again.

She leans down and kisses me soothingly, pulling back with a bright smile. "I wore that to my first."

Back on Failed Plan: Act Casual, I toss up a chunk of my biscuit like a piece of popcorn, catching it in my mouth.

"Claims reporting, this is Elena…" she says gently and I startle at her voice, a little too soft and borderline choked up, and Ric's eyes widen.

I clear my throat. "Have you seen Jeremy?"

"He's at his desk," Ric tells me and I nod once, quickly eating the rest of my breakfast before balling up the wrapper and pelting him with it.

"Miss me," I taunt and pucker a kiss at him, getting up and heading down the aisle.

But not quick enough to miss the sound of Elena telling her customer, "I will," and I try to stand a little straighter as I walk away from her, making sure my steps are slow and measured and not as hasty as my heartbeat.

It's my only option. I can't take this.

I rap my knuckles on Jeremy's wall and he looks up from his computer, quickly closing a screen that looked suspiciously like his ex's Facebook page. Try working four feet away from her.

"Damon, good morning. What can I do you for?"

"Got a minute?" I ask and he nods, turning in his chair to face me completely. I take the opposite seat and rest my foot on my knee, leaning back nonchalantly. But I realize my fingers are tapping out a spastic beat on the armrests and I stop them, blowing out a breath. "Last time we talked you mentioned there were some options for moving into other departments…"

Two minutes to eleven. Thank God it's Thursday, but I need it to be about nine hours later.

"Claims reporting, this is Elena. How may I help you?"

And that's why.

I hate my job.

I hate my life.

I. Hate. Everything.

I switch into a break mode and lock my computer, tossing down my headset, and I am just about to get up when I hear Elena say, "Oh! Hi, this is Elena Elena, how are you?" and I pause. "Uh-huh, hold on just a sec…"

I see from the corner of my eye as she looks behind her at Ric, who is currently on a call, and then at me.

"Damon…"

I barely control my flinch. It's the first time she's said my name in three days. Three crazy long fucking days.

"Hmm."

"Jenna's on my line."

My head whips towards her, my brow furrowed. "What do you mean Jenna is on your line?"

"She called in and asked to speak with Ric, said she was his girlfriend but couldn't get through to him on his cell. I think it was just a coincidence she got me…"

"Send her over to me," I tell her and she nods.

"Jenna?" Elena says into her headset, Ric glancing at me worriedly and I hold up a finger for him to wait. "Ric is on a call but I'm going to transfer you to Damon, okay? Alright, you too, bye."

I pick up my headset and put it back on as my phone rings, wincing at the display when I see: Inbound Transfer: Ext 64973, Gilbert, Elena.

"What's cookin', gorgeous?" I tease as I accept the transfer, and I'm instantly bombarded with the sound of a busy highway in the background. My heart slams in my chest as I listen for sirens or any other clue as to what is going on, but I keep my face clear because my best friend is watching me like a hawk while he's stuck asking some guy which fender got torn off from his Mustang.

"Damon, good God," Jenna sighs, frustrated, but she's not screaming or crying and a massive knot unwinds in my chest. "Something is wrong with my car which I completely blame you for, and why don't either of you ever answer your cell phones?"

"Maybe because we're working so we can buy you pretty dresses," I tell her. "What's up with the clanker?"

"It made this horrible chugging sound like ki-lunk—ki-lank—ka-bump, and then it died. So now I'm stuck out on I-35 in lunch hour traffic while you two play thumb war in an air-conditioned building."

I snort and look at Ric. "Car died."

He mutes his headset. "Again? I thought you said-"

"I fixed that, you're the one that bought the piece of crap when I told you not to."

"Here's an idea," Jenna says sarcastically. "Instead of arm wrestling about whose fault it is, how about one of you come get me so I don't die of heatstroke and exhaust fumes. And yes, before you ask, I already called the tow truck…"

"Are they taking it home or to a garage?" I ask seriously. Knowing Jenna, she probably told the guy to take it wherever he thought was best which will mean his cousin Roy-Roy's chop shop, and that's just more work for me down the line. "Because if they're taking it to the house, you can just ride with him."

"If you think I'm letting some stranger drive me home then you can also bet that I'm gonna feed you nothing except steamed rice for the rest of the year."

"Yes ma'am," I drawl and roll my eyes at Ric. "She needs a pick-me-up."

He glances at his computer and then back at me. "Tell her I'm sorry, but it's gonna be a while because I'm just starting a six car pile-up and this guy talks like Elmer Fudd."

"Jenna," I tell her and she huffs at me. "I'm gonna come get you. Where you at, girl?"

She gives me the mile marker and detailed instructions on what to tell Ric about abandoning her to the harsh Austin summer heat, and I tell her I'll see her soon but that she better look hot. And my pun was not appreciated because she growls and hangs up on me, and I log out of my phone and computer for the day, grabbing my stuff from my desk drawer.

"Yo," I tell Ric and he mutes his headset. "I'm heading out, I'll text you when I get her."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I don't want to be here anymore anyways."

"Thanks man, see you at the house tonight," he says and goes back to his call.

"Damon," Elena says and I look at her.

I hate that she's so goddamn beautiful.

"Can I…" she starts and I arch an eyebrow that cuts her off, and then her face falls. "Is Jenna okay?"

"She's fine."

I get up and head down the aisle, stopping by Jeremy's desk to tell him I've got a family emergency and I'll see him Monday, and he nods at me.

Monday is gonna be…interesting.

"Thanks again, Damon," Jenna tells me when we head inside the house, and I set down the bag of groceries on the counter, starting to unload them.

"Mm-hmm," I mumble.

Turns out she did tell Bobby's Tow Service to take her car wherever they wanted, so I got to have it out with the redneck when I informed him he was taking the car where I wanted it to go, which was to her house so I can work on it tomorrow. It's not like I won't be here. I can barely stomach my apartment anymore.

"You want some lunch before you head back?"

"Nah, not hungry," I tell her and then I yawn, scrubbing a hand over my face. "Just gonna go home."

"You sure?"

"Yep," I tell her, grabbing the carton of eggs from the bag.

"Funny how I got Elena when I called," Jenna says and I fumble the eggs while setting them on the shelf, damn near dropping them.

"Fancy that."

Jenna clears her throat and I roll my eyes, moving all of her ten billion cups of yogurt to the door so they're not taking up the entire bottom shelf. "You guys break up?"

"Yep," I tell her and go to grab the milk off the counter, finding her leaning against the sink with her arms crossed and looking more upset than she should. "What?"

"Nothing," she says innocently, and I lock my jaw closed, shutting the refrigerator a little too harshly after I put away the milk and the juice. I pile up the dry goods in my arm and walk them over to the pantry. "Can you get her back?" she asks quietly, and I shake my head.

"Isn't my call."

She stays quiet as I put away the rest of the food, finally closing the last cabinet and facing her. Her arms are still crossed, her mouth twisted to the side like she's concerned about something and I know that look.

"Thanks for the help with the groceries," she tells me with a soft smile, and I arch an eyebrow at her.

I help around the house all the time. It's only fair since I'm always here, and me doing shit has never been anything attention worthy. Except when I've slacked a bit in the past and she basically gave me a list of chores.

"What is it, Jenna?"

She sighs, tilting her head at me. "When was the last time you slept?" she asks me gently and I look away, and then I shrug. "Okay, well I'm gonna go water the garden, the guest room is made up."

I glance at her and she smiles, pushing off from the counter. She lightly lays her hand on my shoulder as she walks past me, and I stay still, listening to the back door close.

I need to go home. I should go back to work. I blow out a breath and run a hand through my hair. I turn and head to the guest bedroom.

I close the door and set the stuff in my pockets on the nightstand, then kick off my shoes and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Like I've been doing all week. I haven't gone anywhere, really done anything, unless you count going to the gym on Wednesday but that sucked. She's everywhere I go, because I can't get her out of my head. So I figured I may as well be at my apartment where I should be comfortable.

But truthfully, I think I've been waiting, possibly hoping, for a knock on my front door. It's probably why I haven't been able to sleep, but I should know better. She was the one that said she didn't want this, so it's not like she's going to come looking for me anymore.

I turn my head and glance at the alarm clock, my vision snagging on the pile consisting of my car keys and cell phone; lingering on the roll of Lifesaver peppermints that I've been inexplicably carrying, but haven't been able to bring myself to open. I sigh and turn over and hug the pillow, closing my eyes and breathing deep the smell of lavender fabric softener. No vanilla, no blackberries. Just lavender.

I need to let it go.

"Stop," I hear Ric say quietly from the living room, and my eyes open groggily.

It's dark in the guest bedroom, and when I look at the alarm clock, it's almost midnight. Holy shit.

"I just want to check on him, make sure he's okay…"

"Jenna, he's fine," Ric sighs. "He's a big boy and if he gets hungry, he'll get up. Just leave him be."

"I just haven't seen him like this since he got Mono two years ago. You remember that?"

"How could I forget?" he says with a chuckle. "He did nothing but sleep for six weeks and when he did get up, he was silent. Best time of my life."

"Ric," Jenna scolds. "This isn't funny. He's really upset."

"I know, babe," Ric tells her sincerely.

"Did he tell you what happened? When I asked, all he said was that it wasn't his call."

Ric clears his throat and my brow furrows. "He hasn't told me anything, but I've got a pretty good idea of what split them up."

"Well?" she asks when he doesn't continue, and I listen closer.

"I'm not really supposed to know this, she kinda let it slip one morning when she and I were talking…" He pauses and I grit my teeth. "She was married before, a long time ago, and her husband died."

"Oh my God," Jenna says and fury burns through me. "That's horrible…"

"I know," he agrees.

"So you think he left her because of it?"

"I don't know," he tells her. "I mean, it can't be easy for the guy, to know something like that. But if he told you it wasn't his decision, then she must've pulled out when it got too serious."

"Was it that serious?" Jenna asks, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

"I think so. She didn't show up to work on Monday, and Tuesday when he came in he was trying to act like he was fine, but he was sorta all over the place and she was really upset. They sit right next to each other, and they're not talking, at all." Ric clears his throat again. "He talked to Jeremy for a while Tuesday morning, and then he was in meetings almost all day Wednesday. I think he's applying for another job so he can get away from her."

"But Damon never backs down like that," Jenna says, shocked, and Ric gently shushes her. "It's always someone else's problem if they don't like him…"

"Mm-hmm."

"He must be heartbroken…" Jenna says worriedly, and I wince.

"He'll be okay, just give him some time."

I get up and scrub a hand over my face, straightening out my shirt although it's pointless because it's completely wrinkled.

I head into the living room and find Ric and Jenna snuggled in his recliner, and Jenna sits up like a shot.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Ric smirks at me, not even bothering to react to my glare.

"Damon, you hungry? I can warm you up some dinner…"

"Thanks, Jenna," I tell her, and she smiles as she wiggles down and heads into the kitchen.

I take my seat on the couch and blow out a breath, but my temper is blazing. Ric cocks an eyebrow at me, and I shake my head. "You're a piece of shit," I snap at him and his eyes flare.

"Sounds like you need a longer nap."

"Sounds like you need to insulate your damn walls," I growl, and he balks. "You knew. You knew and you didn't tell me. Some fucking friend you are."

"Damon…"

"Ric, first you told me to stay away from her because you thought I wasn't good enough. If you had the balls to tell me that, you could've added, 'By the way, don't get hung up on this one because she's already taken.'"

"I never said you weren't good enough for her," Ric says strongly, and I scoff. "I told you to stay away because I didn't want you to get burned by something you have no control over, and it wasn't my place to tell you."

"Bullshit. And I did get burned, because you fucking kept it from me."

"This isn't my fault," he tells me and I narrow my eyes at him. "If you can't deal with the fact that she was married, that has nothing to do with me."

"Who said I'm the one with the problem?"

"Then what happened?"

"She's never going to love anyone else!" I yell, and Ric grimaces.

"You don't know that," he says quietly. "She could just need time…"

I lean forward, hardening by gaze. "How much time? It's been six years." He sighs at me and I tilt my head at him. "Say something happens to Jenna. How long before you can love someone else? A year, five, ten?"

"Don't fucking say that shit," he snaps and I cock an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, you don't want me to say it because you know the truth. It will never be enough time, and even if she did decide she was ready, I'll always know that if she had a choice between him and me, she would choose him."

"So you do have an issue with it, it's not just her."

"I wasn't given a chance to figure out how I feel about it, because she broke up with me in the same breath that she fucking told me."

"Look, Damon. I know you're pissed about this, but I wasn't trying to sabotage your relationship. I just figured it was between you and her, and it was better if I stayed out of it."

"If you thought it was better to stay out of it, then you should have done that from the beginning."

He rolls his eyes at me and my hands clench into fists.

"You know what? Fuck you," I bite off and get up from the couch.

"What are you doing, Damon?" Ric drawls, and I round on him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I shout. "The woman you love is right there, right fucking there and guess what? You're never going to find anyone better than her, and she's always going to choose you first. And what are you doing about it? Nothing."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ric yells, getting up from his recliner and standing toe to toe with me.

"I mean we bought that ring months ago, and you're fucking sitting on it!"

"Dude!" he hisses and looks towards the kitchen, and when my eyes follow his, they pop.

Because yep, Jenna is now standing in the doorway and her eyes are wide, her hands covering her mouth.

"You asshole," Ric growls at me, then takes a hesitant step toward Jenna. "Babe," he starts soothingly. "Let me explain…"

"Is that true?" she whispers, and I wince.

"Jenna-"

She cuts me off with a warning finger, and I cross my arms, hanging my head.

"Honey, listen to me," he says as he stops in front of her. "I was only waiting because I was going to propose to you on Columbus Day."

Fucking hell, I feel like even more of a prick, however that's possible. I should have figured he would do that because she loves that damn "holiday" and always dresses up like a pirate. Don't ask me fucking why.

"Really?"

I see out of the corner of my vision as he nods, running his hands down her arms. "Yeah."

"I…" she starts and sniffles. "I love Columbus Day."

He laughs quietly. "I know, baby."

"I'm really sorry, Jenna," I say guiltily, and when they both tell me to shut up without looking at me, I shift my weight.

"Anyway," Ric starts again, then swallows thickly. "I had this whole thing I was gonna say about starting a new journey and we may not end up where we set out to but I know it's gonna be great as long as we're together…and you get the idea."

"Aww, Ric…"

"Nice, man," I mumble.

"Thanks," he tells me, his voice all strained, and I don't know why he's getting all nervous like he doesn't know her answer is gonna be yes. The big question is why the fuck I'm still standing here. "So, Jenna…" he says, and blows out a breath. "Will you marry me? Despite the fact that it also means you're stuck with Damon?"

"Of course I will," she tells him sweetly and I turn away so they can have their moment in the kitchen. With me standing in the living room.

Awkward asshole, party of one.

"Hey dickhead," Ric says a minute later. "Maybe you could redeem yourself by-"

"On it," I tell him and pick up the corner of his recliner, grabbing the ring box he's had hidden under there for the last four months. I walk into the kitchen and Jenna is hastily wiping at her eyes, totally beaming, and I should so not be here for this. "Here," I tell Jenna and hold out the ring box to her, and Ric snatches it out of my hand.

"You gonna put the ring on her finger too, dick?" he scowls at me, and I hold my hands up, backing away.

"My bad," I drawl, heading back to the living room and re-taking my spot on the couch.

I try to block out the sound of her gasp and subsequent giggles, their whispered "I love you"s and all the stuff that normally makes me squirm like crazy. But Ric sounds happy, and I'm glad for him.

At least one of us gets to be.

A/N: Alright guys, hope you enjoyed! Can't wait to hear your responses below, and I'll see you next chapter!

-Goldnox