Title: Miles To Home
Summary: For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.
A/N: This chapter turned out completely different than how I had expected it to but I'm pretty happy with it nonetheless and hopefully you will be too :)
Damon's POV…
She's walking towards me just as beautiful as the last time I saw her. I mean let's be honest here I can't remember a moment when Elena Gilbert isn't stopping my heart with just how goddamn gorgeous she is. Even when we were dating and she would drag me on five mile runs and we would both be drenched with sweat and her ponytail was a mess, I just couldn't get over the light in her eyes and the way she smiled at me as we both tried to catch our breath. To be honest, it just made it all the more harder to breathe.
So the fact that she's walking towards me now with her hair pin straight with light make-up and glossy lips has my heart and respiratory system working overtime; she's dressed in a long flowing dusty pink gown and a bouquet of pale pink roses and white lilies. Her smile is bright as she looks ahead towards the alter, towards me, and then I watch as her cheeks blush and she hides behind a curtain of her hair before she brings her eyes back to mine.
I've imagined her walking down an aisle towards me over a thousand times, in a thousand different scenarios, in different ways. In every single version of them she was looking at me as she is now but even my imagination can't compete with the real thing. I almost have to remind myself we're in public, at my brother's wedding, where her boyfriend is in attendance. I have to remind myself not to clutch my heart and make her laugh as she steps closer and places her foot upon the stairs leading up to the dais.
Her eyes meet mine as she takes her place across from me and my brother. I'm standing by his side, supporting him and being his best man and I have to remind myself to enjoy this moment despite the woman I'm in love with being just a few feet away. I want to know what her and Elijah talked about last night, where her head is at with me and him and who she's going to choose. I want to know everything.
But as Elena's eyes snap towards the direction she just came from I follow her gaze and see my future sister in law walking towards us and I have to bring myself to this moment. Caroline has both her parents at her side and her face is bright and happier than I've ever seen her. Her eyes are intent on Stefan and I laugh at the way her parents seem to be holding her back from running into his arms, reminding her that she was the one who insisted on the pace. I clap my brother on the back and shake his shoulders a bit but his eyes never stray from his future wife.
"She looks beautiful," I whisper.
And I watch as his smile widens. He knows this—the whole room does. Caroline's hair is up with pieces of hair hanging around her face. The bottom half of her legs are exposed as she walks down the runner, showing off some heels I'm sure she spent a fortune on. There's a long veil pinned into her hair and it's draping down her back—I know from conversations that it was her grandmothers. But it isn't just the dress and the make-up and the shoes that show how beautiful she is, it's the way she is looking at my brother.
The way he is looking at her.
This is real love right before all of us in this room. The stuff fairytales should be written about. It's not charm and idealism; its faith and trust and real connection. It's everything I ever wanted with someone. It's what I thought I had once upon a time with Elena before I hid things from her and she ran away. Before we both became our mistakes and tried to build our lives without each other. Lives we both thought we were excelling in until we realized what was missing.
My eyes glance up at her and I see she is fighting back tears as Caroline kisses her parents and her father places her hand in Stefan's. My brother chokes on a sob and goes to wipe at his eyes and I see Caroline's hand brush the tear away as she blinks away her own. They're both so happy that they're bursting with it.
I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed myself.
The room falls silent as the minister welcomes us and gives us a speech on the beauty of love and brief story on how Stefan and Caroline met. He keeps it brief and lets my brother and Caroline share their vows. There isn't a dry eye in the house and I even have to pass over my handkerchief to Elena when her emotions become too much. She gives me a smile and mouths a thank you and then we both hand the soon to be newlyweds their rings.
With promises of forever and all that good stuff about sickness and health, for richer for poorer, they each slide on a ring and are proclaimed husband a wife. Then the room erupts into cheers as my brother launches as Caroline and she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him with all she's got. They forget the room, forget the crowd; they're too wrapped up in each other. The minister steps aside and claps his hands and I thank him for a beautiful service.
I congratulate my brother and my sister in law and I watch as Elena does the same, hugging them both as fiercely as I did. Then Caroline takes back her bouquet and raises it into the air and her and my brother make their way back down the aisle they had traveled down separately only this time it's hand in hand, together. Husband and wife.
Stepping towards Elena, I offer my arm. She gives me a smile and slips her arm through and together we make our way out. My eyes stay on her face, following her gaze, trying to see how she reacts when she catches sight of Elijah. But I don't see him. He's not here and as curious as I am, I'm not going to ask.
Nothing could make me drop that brilliant smile from her face.
We exit and step out into the sunlight. Caroline and Stefan are already in each other's arms, swaying and kissing as a photographer takes some candid shots. Elena slides her arm out and twirls a bit and I have a memory of one of the first times I got her drunk and she kicked my ass at pool and tried to do some messed up cheerleading routine to celebrate declaring that her tolerance was high despite the slur of her words and the shakiness of her steps.
She looked as free then as she does now and I can't help but wonder the reason behind it. It could be as simple as cutting her parents off from her life or it could have a much deeper meaning. One I'm hoping has to do with me.
Caroline and Stefan finally break apart and Elena run towards the newlyweds and hugs them both again. I walk slowly towards them and give them both a hug of my own.
"I can't believe you guys are married," Elena squeals.
"I know!" Caroline yells, shaking her head in disbelief. Her hands clasp her face and I take note of the new silver band accompanying her diamond ring.
Caroline's parents and my father join us and we begin receiving guests out into the garden. Tables with white linen and surrounding a dance floor covered by silk and lights await them and I can hear the audible gasps from guests who doubted that Caroline Forbes—I mean, Avery—could pull it off. The DJ Elena and I listened to is already getting the party started as cocktail hour begins and once all the guests are situated the four of us and our families—minus Elena's—went further into the property near the river to take some photos.
It's an organized mess of photos and poses and "you stand over their" and "tilt your body this way" as we try to get all the shots we can in this allotted time. During a collection of shots of just Elena and Caroline, I finally pull my brother aside and ask him the one question I've been dying to get an answer to ever since I literally shook every single guest's hand.
"Where is Elijah?" I whisper.
Stefan's eyes slide over to where Caroline and Elena are posing with their backs to each other and their bouquets raised in the air, making sure their far out of earshot. He turns towards me. "Don't get any bright ideas but Elijah flew back to New York this morning."
"What?"
"Elena showed up at our place late last night," he finishes, giving me a warning glare. "I was on the phone with Caroline when she showed up."
My mind is racing. What does this mean? "Are they broken up?"
Stefan shrugs. "I have no idea. Caroline didn't really get into it and neither did Elena. She just wanted to focus on the wedding."
I nod my head, even though I'm full of questions. This isn't the time. I know that. I'll talk to Elena myself later. It just feels better to know that I don't have to look over my shoulder waiting for Elijah to pop up. "Thanks, Stef. Sorry for asking about it."
He places his hand on my shoulder. "I want you to find your happiness, too, brother."
"But for right now… let's focus on yours." My hand points over to where Caroline is waving him over. "Your wife wants you."
"My wife." He smiles. "I like the sound of that."
My brother doesn't say anything else as he jogs over to where his wife is. He gives her a kiss and poses for some more photos and Elena makes her way towards me. She's pinching her cheeks and moving her jaw and puts the widest smile on my face. "Cheeks hurt?"
She nods. "Too much smiling."
"And the night has just begun."
Elena stares at my face for a moment before she says, "That it has." She elbows my side, smiling. "Save me a dance?"
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and fill up with pride when she doesn't shrug out of my embrace. "You've got me all to yourself the whole night; except for an obligatory dance with the bride."
"No date?" she asks.
I shake my head. "No boyfriend?"
She chews her lip and then meets my eyes. "No. Not anymore."
I guess I have my answer.
Elena's POV…
"This is the last of it," Katherine says, shutting the trunk of Caroline's car. It'll be mine for a while since the newlyweds are off in a limo to a secret location to enjoy a little alone time before they're off on their honeymoon. They've even been kind enough to let me stay at their place while I figure some stuff out. Including a trip back to New York to get everything settled.
There's no way Rebekah is letting me live with her after what happened between me and her brother. Family always comes first. Speaking of which…
"Thanks, Kat. You really didn't have to help me clean up."
She shrugs. "After all you've done for me? It's the least I could do."
"How is that all going?" I question, knowing that Elijah promised that despite everything he'd finish helping my sister. He cared enough about me to not punish my family for what I did. "You have everything all set for the appeal?"
"Yeah, Child Services came by and did the assessment and it seemed like everything is okay with that. It's just a matter of convincing a judge how much everything has changed." She pauses, looking at me. "You'll be back for that, right?"
I nod, reaching out and squeezing her arm. "Wouldn't miss it."
"And then what? What's next for you and Elijah? I noticed he wasn't here tonight. Did he have some big hospital emergency?"
My eyes drop to the floor and I squeeze my hands together. "He headed back a little earlier than planned. I don't think Elijah and me are going to work out."
"I'm sorry, Elena. It seemed like you two really got along."
"We did but…" I don't even know how to explain it. Something was just missing with Elijah. We didn't click the way we should and with all my uncertainty about the future and his pressure and planning about it we reached a crossroads. I just wasn't as in love with him as I thought. I loved him, I really did, but it's like Damon said; he just wasn't who I thought about when I closed my eyes. He wasn't the one who got a part of my soul.
That belongs to someone else.
When I entered the hotel room, Elijah had spread candles and rose petals all over the place. I was confused to say the least—we were in an odd place and now he was getting romantic?—but I acted surprised because I was. The moment he saw me, he dropped to one knee and confessed that he had been planning this for some time and even though it wasn't how he wanted to do it, he wanted to marry me. We belonged together.
But I wasn't feeling it. I just didn't feel as strongly about us as he did and I most certainly didn't want to marry him. Getting married right now was like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. I pulled him up to me and told him it wasn't working out and that's when we just started fighting. Never in the years we've been together had I seen Elijah so heated. He always remained cool and quiet when we fought, despite my yelling. Not last night. Last night I saw the passionate side of him, he always kept contained.
Ultimately, he left with his ring and I blew out all the candles, grabbed my things and checked out. It was a little too early to be heading to Caroline's but I just couldn't be there in that hotel room any longer. Not with all the remnants of my failed relationship. I gave her a brief overview and we went to bed and I carried on today as if nothing had happened. I wasn't about to ruin my best friend's wedding day.
However, the wedding was over now and it was all finally sinking in; along with the fact that I had to talk to Damon; sooner rather than later.
"You weren't in love with Elijah," Katherine says simply, finishing the sentence I couldn't finish aloud. My face must show my surprise because she leans against the car and continues. "I knew it from the moment I saw you with him. You were the people pleaser I grew up with despite the backbone I've been seeing in you lately. If it was real love you would be yourself. Like the way Caroline and Stefan are."
"I know," I frown, leaning against the fully packed car. "I just wish I realized it sooner. I was trapped in some kind of bubble in New York. It wasn't until I came back here that I realized how much of it was just because it was expected of me and not because of what I wanted."
"So, now what?" my sister asks.
I smile; a little uncertain "Now I head back to New York and drop out of the internship and get all of my things from Elijah's family's brownstone. Then I guess I come back here, find a place to live and get some kind of job until I can figure things out."
"And Damon?"
"I don't—" But I fall silent when the sound of another voice accompanies my own.
"What about Damon?" the man in question says, sauntering forward with a to-go bag in his hand.
Katherine rolls her eyes. "Didn't you eat enough at the reception?"
He shrugs. "You can't let all this food go to waste." Damon holds the bag out towards me. "This is for Elena anyways. They don't have any food over at Casa Avery. Stefan told me to make sure I grabbed her some leftovers."
"Oh," I say, grabbing hold of the bag and placing it on the trunk. "Thanks."
The three of us stand there in silence for a few moments before Katherine clears her throat and grabs her purse. "Well, if that's everything I'll be heading home." She steps forward and gives Damon and me a hug. When she lets me go, she stares at me and says, "Call me when you get back."
"I will," I say.
Katherine heads towards her car and drives off and it's only when her lights disappear in the distance that Damon finally speaks. "Where are you going?"
"Back to New York."
His face shows every bit of the shock he must be feeling. "You're going back?"
My eyes drop down. "I have to. There are some things I need to take care of."
"I'll go with you."
I shake my head. "This is something I need to do by myself, Damon. You can't come with me."
He studies my face for a moment. "Where does that leave us?"
There it is: the million dollar question. I know the answer should be simple but I'm so uncertain about my life right now that even though I know that I love Damon and I want to be with him I'm not sure what that means for us. How do we even start? Do we just pick up where we left off or do we try and start over? There's just so much I don't know. We're both so different than who we were in high school and yet still so much the same.
"I don't know, Damon."
I see the tension in his jaw as he turns away from me. He's silent and lost in thought and even though there's a bunch of things I want to say I can't get the words out. "Have I lost you forever?" he finally says.
There's a crack in his voice and it has me reaching for him. My hands cradle his face and I force his eyes to look at mine. "Never. I want you in my life, Damon Salvatore. I'm in love with you. I've always been in love with you. It's why it was so hard to think about you when I was gone. It's why I tried to build a life without you and why it fell to pieces. I just don't know where to begin with you and me."
"We just start," he says with a little shrug, wrapping his hands around my waist and rolling the words off his tongue like it's the simplest thing in the world.
I shake my head. "I can't. Not now. Not when everything in my life is so uncertain. If we're going to do this, Damon, we need to do it right. I need to put New York behind me."
"Can't you do all that and still be with me?"
My hands slide down his face and rest on his chest where his heart is hammering underneath my palm like it's trying to break free and get to me. "We'll be together. I have no doubt about that. I can't shake you no matter how hard I try. It's just going to take some time. I did just get out of a serious relationship only last night."
His forehead drops to meet mine. It's like he can't bear to look at me. "So, we're just putting this thing between us on pause?"
"Just until I get back."
Damon sighs and I take a moment to lose myself in the sound of his breath, the feel of it hitting my face. We're so close and it would be so easy to just reach up and kiss him but that would only confuse him further. The moment New York and Elijah and the Mikaelson's are behind me is the moment I want to begin again with him. This way there is nothing in our way. I don't want to get together only to leave him again; no matter how short the trip.
"You certainly have a way of making me wait, Elena Gilbert."
I give him a small smile even though he can't fully see it. "Hopefully it's worth the wait?"
Damon hesitates and then smirks down at me. "Always."
Our foreheads separate and I lean forward and kiss his cheek, lingering for a moment before I pull back and whisper, "I'll be back before you know it. You won't even notice I'm gone."
He shakes his head, frowning. "I always notice."
The sadness in his voice has me putting aside my own rules and pressing my mouth to his. He deepens the kiss, sliding his hands up my back, along my arms to grab hold of my head and hold me to him. I melt into him and cling to his waist, digging my nails into his hips. It seems like forever has passed until we finally come up for air.
"A few days?"
I nod and repeat his words a little breathlessly. "A few days."
Damon smirks at me. "Elena Gilbert, will you go on a date with me…a few days from now?"
I smile, shaking my head at him. "I would love to."