Why yes, yes I did post two chapters at the same time. The reason you ask? I'm really anxious for you to read the next two chapters. Damon and Molly bonding, snow storms, Daytona... Lots of good stuff.
And I'm feeling generous, so, two chapters!
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing - I'm PUMPED for you to read these next two chapters!
"Do dey have chicken fingers here?" Molly asked, looking up at her mother as they made their way down the sidewalk towards The Grill.
"They do," Elena confirmed. "Really good ones. And French fries."
"What else do dey have?"
"Grilled cheese," Elena answered easily. The menu hadn't changed in the twenty plus years The Grill had been serving Mystic Falls. "Cheeseburgers. Steaks. Baked potatoes. Salads. They have all sorts of food. Pizza, too."
"I might want grilled cheese and not chicken fingers," Molly stated.
"You can have grilled cheese if you want. And, if you eat your dinner, you can have dessert, too." Molly beamed. She then tugged at the collar of her pea coat.
"Why do I has to wear a coat?" she wanted to know.
"Because it's cold," Elena explained. "You wear coats when it's cold."
"Is it ever gonna be not cold?" Elena smiled, well aware of her daughter's aversion to the cold. It was late January, the heart of winter in Virginia. Her west coast born child was used to sunshine and t-shirts year-round.
"It's going to be cold for a couple more months," Elena told her. "But, when we go to Florida in a couple of weeks for the race, it will be warm there and we can go to the beach while we're there. And guess what?"
"What?"
"It might snow tonight!" Elena watched happily as Molly's eyes got big.
"Snow?" she asked. "For real?"
"For real," Elena confirmed with a nod, hoping the weather man was right. Molly had never seen snow and had been excited about the idea since moving back to the east coast. She herself was looking forward to snow and, even more, Molly's reaction to it. They reached The Grill and Elena opened the door for them.
"Can we build a snowman?" Molly asked as she passed under her mother's arm.
"If there is enough snow," Elena promised, letting the door shut behind them.
"Elena Gilbert! I heard you were back in town, but seeing is believing!" Elena smiled at the elderly lady seated just inside the restaurant. She searched her memory for the woman's name, recognizing her face. It came to her suddenly.
"Mrs. Frances! It's so good to see you again!" she said. Her childhood librarian stood and moved in for a hug.
"You look absolutely beautiful," the woman told her as she released Elena. She spied Molly. "And is this your little one? My goodness! She is precious!" Molly shyly tucked herself into her mother's side, her fingers going to her mouth, suddenly bashful.
"This is Molly," Elena confirmed, putting a comforting arm around Molly. "Molly, can you say hello to Mrs. Frances?"
"Hi," Molly said softly. Mrs. Frances clapped her hands in delight.
"Oh, she is darling!" she exclaimed. "Now, Elena, tell me, how are your parents?" Elena covered up her sigh. She didn't want to be rude, but she was hungry and her day had been busy, full of meetings and scheduling more meetings, in between taking calls from reporters about everything from Stefan's prototype to Damon's return to the track and his latest outing the next town over which, from what she could tell, was innocent enough, if not desirable.
"They are doing well," she said, hoping they could leave it at that.
"Now, they moved to Beaufort, South Carolina, right?"
"They did," Elena confirmed. Beside her, Molly squirmed. She gently hugged her to her side in an effort to remind her to mind her manners.
"Growing up, my family vacationed there…"
Elena knew she wasn't going to be eating anytime soon. The people she knew growing up in Mystic Falls all reacted the same when their paths crossed now – they wanted to catch up with her, tell her how happy they were to have her home and how beautiful Molly was. She knew, too, that a number of them were rather curious as to the child's parentage, given some of the leading questions they asked. She glanced around the room, recognizing faces here and there. Her eyes fell on a familiar head of raven hair, seated at the bar. Of course Damon would be there.
"Oh, yeah, my parents mentioned that," Elena said in response to something Mrs. Frances said, trying to return her attention to the woman. Molly continued to squirm. "Molly, stop," she reprimanded quietly as Mrs. Frances continued reminiscing. Without warning, Molly broke away from Elena. "Molly!" she called, watching as her daughter made a beeline for Damon. Damon turned at the sound of her voice, just as Molly reached him.
"Hi, Day-mun!" she exclaimed. Damon looked down and smiled at the toddler. She was bundled up against the cold, but her cheeks were rosy, her hair windblown, despite her stocking hat.
"Hey, Molly," he replied. He glanced at Elena who was commandeered by Mrs. Frances. She looked in their direction, but Molly climbed onto the stool next to Damon, ignoring her mother. Damon turned back to his plate of food, Molly seated at his side, watching him as her legs dangled. "How's it going?"
"How's what going?" Molly asked.
"How is your day going?" he clarified. "Was school good?"
"I like school," Molly told him. She pulled off her gloves and placed them neatly on the bar top. She then pulled off her hat, her hair standing on end momentarily from the static electricity. She then went to work on the buttons of her coat, but her small fingers couldn't quite manage the buttons. Damon watched her struggle for a few moments.
"Need some help?" he asked. Molly looked at him.
"Buttons are tricky," she said. He nodded in agreement.
"That they are," he said. He put down his knife and fork and helped her undo the buttons of her coat. He caught it as she wiggled out of it, then draped the small coat over the seatback of Molly's stool.
"Mama said it's gonna snow," she told him. She reminded him of a tiny adult in that moment.
"That's what they say," he agreed. He could feel Elena's looking periodically in their direction. "You like snow?"
"I don't know," Molly said with a shrug. "I never see'd it before."
"I guess it doesn't snow much in southern California, does it?" he asked.
"We not have to wear coats either," Molly told him. Damon couldn't help but chuckle. She reminded him so much of Elena, her easy wit and petite features. Perhaps that was why he was so drawn to Molly – she was a part of Elena.
"Well, well, well!" came a voice. Damon looked up to see Al, the longtime owner of The Grill, standing in front of him. "You must be Elena's little girl!" Molly smiled shyly at the stranger. "I've been waiting for her to bring you in here!" Without warning, Molly reached out for Damon and started to move herself into Damon's lap. Taken by surprise, he quickly looped an arm around Molly to keep her from tumbling to the floor and scooped her into his lap. She smelled like lavender and vanilla – like Elena.
"Her name is Molly," Damon confirmed. "Seems she's a bit shy." He would have never thought it, given that his interactions had been with a chatty, bubbly toddler. Al looked from Molly to Damon and back again. The resemblance, he thought, was uncanny. She was petite, like Elena, but everything else about her was Damon. He let it go, however. It wasn't his business. Again, Damon felt Elena's eyes on them. He chanced a glance over his shoulder to see her a few steps closer to them, but still caught up in conversation with Mrs. Frances.
"Tell you what, Molly," Al said, reaching onto the counter behind him. "These brownies just came fresh out of the oven. If your mom says it's okay, you can pick whichever one you want." Molly's eyes grew big.
"I can pick one?" she asked, her hand already reaching towards the basket of brownies Al had produced. Damon was quick to react.
"Sorry, kid," he said, gently moving her hand away from the basket. "Those brownies have nuts in them." Molly's face fell.
"They has nuts?" she asked, to make sure she heard Damon right.
"Yep," he confirmed. "No brownies on the menu today."
"She's allergic?" Al asked. Damon nodded.
"Very, according to Elena. Trust me, don't try to give her kid a snack without the go ahead from Mama Bear."
"You're allergic to nuts too, aren't you?" Al asked casually.
"It was one of your infamous brownies that sent me to the hospital for the first time," Damon reminded him.
"Can I has a brownie with no nuts?" Molly asked hopefully. Al shook his head.
"Sorry, sweetheart. I don't have nut-free brownies today. But I'll see what else I can dig up, okay?" Molly nodded, the disappointment clear. Al excused himself to help another customer. Damon helped Molly back to her own stool.
"I want a brownie," she sulked.
"If it makes you feel any better, I can't have a brownie either," Damon told her. She looked devastated. He knew what it was like, to be a kid and want a treat he couldn't have. "I'm allergic to nuts too." Molly looked at him curiously.
"You are?"
"I am," he confirmed. "But, it's okay. There is a whole lot of other things on Al's menu that don't have nuts in them."
"Like what?" Molly asked. Damon reached for a nearby menu.
"Let's see," he said, turning the menu to the dessert section. He pointed to the first item. "There's chocolate cake," he read. "Strawberry cake. Several kinds of pie – the apple one is my favorite, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And milkshakes. Al makes really good milkshakes."
"What kind of milkshakes?"
"All kinds," Damon said, putting the menu down again.
"Chocolate ones?" Molly inquired.
"Chocolate ones," Damon confirmed with a nod. "With whip cream."
"And sprinkles?" she asked hopefully.
"If that's what floats your boat," Damon said. Molly giggled which made Damon grin.
"What's so funny?" he asked her.
"You are," Molly said happily. Damon raised an eyebrow. He had been called a lot of things over the years, but funny was never one of them. He saw Elena approaching from the corner of his eye and turned his attention back to his food, a wave of nerves washing over him and disappearing as fast as they came. He hadn't quite shook his mother implying that there was chance for them to reconcile.
"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you that you cannot run off like that?" Elena asked a she arrived on the opposite side of Molly.
"But I could still see you, Mama," Molly pointed out in a singsong voice. Damon couldn't stop himself from smirking. Molly, it seemed, had her mother's sass.
"Molly," Elena warned.
"Sorry, Mama," Molly said sweetly. "I not do it again."
"So you say for the tenth time this month," Elena muttered. She looked at Damon then, wishing her heart didn't still give the very faintest of flutters at the site of him. "I hope she wasn't bothering you," she said, indicating Molly with the tilt of her head.
"Nope," Damon said. He reached for his glass of bourbon and Coke. "I ran interference. Al was offering her one of his walnut brownies." Elena's eyes grew wide.
"She didn't…"
"No," Damon said, cutting her gently. "She didn't. She was pretty bummed out about it too." He watched as Elena visibly relaxed.
"Thank you," she told him with complete sincerity. "I have an EpiPen in my purse, but I would prefer not to use it."
"I've got one in my glove compartment," Damon countered. "I would also prefer not to use it." Elena smiled.
"Well, thank you," she said again, before turning back to Molly. "Come on, missy. Let's get a table and order something to eat."
"I wanna sit here," Molly said, placing her hand on the bar.
"We are going to sit at a table," Elena said. "The bar is not a place for little girls."
"I not a little girl," Molly countered. "I a big girl." Damon cut into the steak on his plate, listening as mother and daughter argued.
"Little girl or big girl, I'm still your mother," Elena informed her, gathering her hat, gloves and coat from the counter. "Now, let's go get a table." Molly sighed.
"Fine," she relented. She was about to slide off the stool when a thought occurred to her. "Day-mun say I could get a milkshake," she stated. She sat up straighter, almost defiantly. Elena raised an eyebrow and glanced from Molly to Damon and back again.
"He did, did he?" she asked. Molly nodded.
"With whip cream and sprinkles," she clarified.
"We will discuss this after you eat your dinner," Elena told her. "Tell Damon goodbye." Damon took that as his cue to swallow the piece of steak he had been chewing and turned back to Molly.
"Bye, Day-mun," Molly said. "Mama says we has to sit at a table." Damon grinned at the child's dramatic roll of her eyes.
"Between me and you, you should listen to your mother," Damon told her. "She's kind of scary when she gets mad."
"Hey!" Elena protested, making Molly giggle.
"And to be fair," he added, looking at Elena, "I didn't tell her she could have a milkshake. I merely tried to cheer her up after the devastating news that she couldn't have a brownie by trying to show her all the things she could have."
"Well, you did an excellent job," Elena said, but there was a gleam in her eye that made Damon smile softly at her. "And thank you, again. For the interference." Damon just nodded. "Come on, Molly." He watched at Elena helped Molly down from the stool and kept a hold of her hand as they made their way across The Grill and took a seat. He waved down the waitress who had been serving him.
"Can I have my check?" he asked. He jerked his head towards the table where Molly and Elena were seated, Molly already coloring the kid-friendly place mat. "And theirs too." He grinned. "And make sure you add a chocolate milkshake with whip cream and sprinkles for the little one."
"That was sneaky." Damon looked up from the magazine he was reading.
"What was sneaky?" he asked, taking in Elena standing before him. She was dressed for the weather, clad in jeans and a red sweater with a scarf artfully wrapped around her neck. She was wearing duck boots this time, something Damon couldn't believe he noticed. She perched on the arm of one of the chairs in the Salvatore Racing employee lounge.
"Paying for our dinner," she said. "And making sure Molly got the milkshake I was going to let her have anyway."
"She looked like someone had kicked her puppy after I told her those brownies had nuts in them," Damon said. "I can relate. Those brownies are delicious and they send people like me and her straight to the emergency room." Elena bit her lip at the "people like me and her" line.
"It was sweet of you," she said instead. "Unnecessary, but sweet. Thank you."
"Consider it a contribution to my brownie point reserve for when I inevitably piss you off down the road," he said. Elena chuckled.
"Will do," she said. There were other things she needed to be doing, but instead, she hovered in the lounge. "Any reason in particular that you're sitting around the lounge reading a magazine on a Thursday morning?"
"I got here early to lift with Enzo, saw the new issue of NASCAR Illustrated on my way out, and next thing you know, I'm lounging in the lounge." He raised an eyebrow. "See what I did there?" Elena rolled her eyes.
"Between you and the weather man's cuddle alert, I've heard enough cute phrases for the day."
"Ah, yes, the cuddle alert," Damon mused. "Meteorologist David Johnson's infamous way of saying it's cold as balls outside."
"Well, if that promised snowfall of his doesn't start soon, Molly is going to show up at the news station with a pitchfork and a lit torch in protest," Elena said. "She has never seen snow before and she's pretty excited. She threw an impressive tantrum this morning because it hasn't snowed yet." Damon chuckled.
"Where is your munchkin anyway?" he asked. "Aren't all the schools closed in anticipation of this might happen snow storm?" The weatherman had been promising a significant snow fall for the last 24 hours, but not a single flake had fallen yet.
"She came with me to work and your mom promptly showed up and stole her from me. I actually have no idea where they are."
"Toy store," Damon guessed. "Or the ice cream shop. Maybe the bakery. Those are Mom's go-to places when she has a kid in her charge."
"Good, more toys and sugar."
"Sounds like a good day," Damon mused.
"It does," Elena agreed. She played with the ring she always wore on her right ring finger. It was Molly's birthstone, a gift from her brother a few days after Molly was born. She would treasure it forever.
She had to tell Damon about Molly, soon. There was a relationship forming between the two. She needed to tell Damon that he was her father before Molly got too attached. If he didn't take it well, if he elected not to be in her life, it would be easier for Molly to lose him now, rather than down the road.
"You okay?" Damon asked, recognizing the pensive look Elena was wearing. Elena looked at him.
"Yeah," she said. She bit her lip. She had to do this. "Damon, do you think…" She was about to ask him if they could talk when the lounge door burst open.
"Mama!" Molly rushed across the room and threw her arms around her mother. Elena nearly fell off the arm of the couch, laughing.
"Easy there," she said, hugging Molly back. "Where have you and Gigi been?" Giuseppe had filled her in on Damon asking about Molly calling him Nonno. He seemed to have accepted that Molly and his family were close without question, for which she was grateful.
"To da store!" Molly said happily. "We gots lots of food!"
"It was a mad house," Ginny said, entering the room. "People go plum crazy over a loaf of bread, just because it might snow a little bit."
"How many loaves did you buy, Mom?" Damon asked cheekily. Ginny noticed him lounging in a chair then. She cuffed him around the head and then leaned over and gave him a motherly kiss on top of the head. Elena saw the faint smile that the gesture brought out of Damon, which vanished almost as quickly as it came.
"It's as cold as a witch's belt buckle out there," Ginny said, taking a seat on one of the sofas. "And not a single snowflake to be seen." She looked from Elena to Damon, just then realizing she may have interrupted something. It was too late now, she reasoned, making herself comfortable. Meanwhile, Elena was whispering something to Molly who nodded with a smile and turned towards Damon.
"Hi, Day-mun," she said, taking a few steps towards him. Ginny sat forward in interest, eager to see Molly and Damon interact.
"Hey, Molly," he replied. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his magazine abandoned on the table in front of him.
"Thank you for my milkshake," she said sweetly, a handful of dress in one hand as she twisted back and forth.
"You're welcome," Damon said with a nod. "Was it good?" Molly nodded enthusiastically.
"It was yummy!" she confirmed. Her eyes got big as though she realized something and she turned towards Ginny. "Gigi! Can I has my Pirate's Booty?"
"What?" Ginny asked. "Oh, that stuff," she said, already digging through her bag. "What an awful name for a food." She handed Molly a Ziploc bag full of cheese puffs. Elena just sighed and shook her head. Ever since Damon had showed her that he could catch puffs in his mouth, she had been obsessed with it, wasting more as she tossed it in the air and missed her mouth than she actually managed to eat.
"Watch dis, Day-mun!" Molly exclaimed. She threw a puff in the air. It bounced off a nearby armchair. "Shoot," she muttered, already reaching for another one. Damon grinned and watched as she repeated the process a couple more times, each without success.
"You are making a mess, Molly," Elena said. Damon winked at Elena and reached for Molly's bag of puffs.
"Open up, kid," he instructed. Molly bounced on her toes a few times before doing as instructed. Damon neatly tossed a puff into her mouth.
"Again!" Molly cried once she chewed the puff. Damon obliged, finishing off the bag and only missing Molly's mouth a couple of times.
"You're getting better," Damon said. He held up his hand for a high five which Molly happily gave. "Think you can pick up the ones we missed with?" Molly nodded.
"Yep!" She happily skipped around the room, picking up her puffs. Ginny watched in mild amusement at how Damon interacted with Molly. It was simple, sweet. She knew in her heart of hearts that if Damon wanted to, he would be an excellent father.
"She's been hooked on Pirate's Booty since you showed her that little trick," Elena told him. "She asks for it for snack every day. And then she gets in trouble at school for trying to toss it in other kids' mouths." Damon and Ginny both laughed.
"That's our girl," Ginny said, looking at Molly adoringly. The lounge door swung open again and Ric came striding in.
"Good, someone who isn't doing anything that can help me," he said, eyes on Damon. "Get up Salvatore, and meet me downstairs in the garage. I need someone to help me swap an engine out of one of the Nationwide car."
"Who says I'm not doing anything?" Damon asked.
"You're sitting on your ass…"
"Ric!" Elena gestured towards Molly who was looking at the stranger with wide eyes, her fingers now in her mouth, shy once more. "Language!" Ric had the good sense to look guilty.
"Sorry," he muttered before turning back to Damon. "You're sitting on your hind end…" Damon snorted at Ric's choice of words. Ric glared at him. "And I need help. Everyone is so worried about this snow storm that isn't coming that half of them took vacation days and those that did brave the non-storm are tied up. Come on, pretty boy. Let's get dirty." Damon rolled his eyes, but stood anyway.
"I hope you get stuck in a snow drift on the way home," he told Ric.
"I hope your balls turn blue and fall off," Ric shot back.
"Ric!" Elena cried again as Ginny reached for Molly and covered her ears with her hands. Ric once more looked guilty.
"Sorry," he apologized again, turning towards Elena. "Me… Little kids… Things that don't go well together."
"Your mother would tan your hide if she was here," Ginny told Ric as she uncovered Molly's ears. Molly, still shy, climbed into her grandmother's lap.
"Good thing she's in Minnesota," Ric quipped. He turned towards Damon.
Elena saw the moment Ric put two and two together.
He turned towards Damon, but just as quickly, looked back at Molly. His eyes shifted from one to the other and back again, his pupils growing bigger as he figured out what, so far, Damon seemed to be oblivious to. He looked at Elena in search of an answer to his unasked question. Holding his eyes, Elena shook her head minutely. Ric gave her a faint nod in return, understanding – yes, Molly was Damon's. No, he didn't know.
"You're wasting daylight Saltzman," Damon said, heading towards the door. "Enjoy your snow day, Mom, Molly, Elena." He disappeared through the door. Ric gave Molly once more glance before following after him. Ginny raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
"I should get back to my office," Elena said, standing from her perch on the arm chair, her chance to tell Damon about Molly seemingly gone for the moment. "Molly? Are you staying here with me or going with Gigi?" Elena knew Ginny would take Molly with her for the day at the slightest of hints that Molly wanted to go with her.
"Oh, she's coming with me, of course," Ginny said, squeezing Molly who was still on her lap. Elena opened her mouth to agree when the door opened yet again, revealing Damon with a big grin on his face.
"Hey, Molly! Come here!" he said with a note of excitement in his tone. "There's something you need to see." Molly didn't hesitate. She slid off her grandmother's lap and rushed across the lounge.
"Damon, what…?" Elena asked. Damon winked as Molly reached him. He took her by the hand and left the lounge, leaving Elena and his mother to follow him out into the hall. While the lounge, situated in the center of the building, didn't have windows, the hallway had floor-to-ceiling windows halfway down that overlooked the picnic area of Salvatore Racing.
"Look at that," Ginny said softly, observing Damon and Molly walking ahead of her. Elena smiled and nodded. Father and daughter holding hands. Despite the truth that hung heavy around them, it was a sweet moment. Ginny took her phone out of her purse and snapped a photo of the pair. Elena glanced at her, but didn't say anything.
Without warning, Molly shrieked in delight. She let go of Damon's hand and ran to the window. "It's snowing!" she cried. She jumped up and down in place, her hands pressed against the window. "It's snow! It's snowing!"
Damon laughed at the toddler's enthusiasm over something he had seen dozens of times. Elena beamed, while Ginny stood back and watched. From the other side of the hallway, Ric did the same.
"Looks like the weatherman was telling the truth after all," Damon commented.
"It's snowing!" Molly cried out again. She turned to Elena. "Mommy! It's snowing!"
"It is!" Elena said, coming to stand near Molly and Damon. The snow had started suddenly and, it seemed, with a vengeance. The ground was already covered, the blades of grass barely visible. She couldn't help but smile. It had been nearly four years since she herself had seen snow and she too was excited, just as much by Molly's excitement as by the snow. "Look at that."
"Can we go play in it?" Molly asked, still bouncing in place.
"Of course we can," Elena confirmed.
"Maybe you should head home first," Damon said. "It's coming down fast. It won't take the roads long to get bad." Ginny smiled from where she stood. Even now, Damon still worried about Elena.
"You're probably right," Elena said, glancing at Damon before turning her eyes back to the snow. Molly had flitted over to Ginny and was pulling her by the hand to see the snow. Damon raised an eyebrow.
"I'm what?" he asked. Elena narrowed her eyes at him.
"I said probably," she countered. Damon chuckled. She gave him a soft smile. "Thanks for showing her the snow. She's been so excited about her first snowfall." Damon nodded.
"No problem," he said with a smile of his own. He felt a weird sort of warmness in his chest. "But really, you should probably get home. Mom, too."
"What about you?" Elena asked. "You headed home?" Damon shrugged.
"I'll help Ric out and then head home. Or, I might work on the Camaro for a while."
"You should try to get home home before the roads get bad," Elena countered. Damon smirked and winked at her.
"Yo, abominable snowman!" Ric called. "I need to swap that engine out. And I'd like to do it before I get snowed in this joint for the next three days." Damon rolled his eyes.
"Coming," he said. He turned towards Ginny. "Mom, you good to drive home?"
"I've only had a few hits from the flask today," Ginny countered easily. "I think I'm good." Damon shook his head and looked at Elena. "Need chains put on your car?" he asked. He jerked his thumb at Ric. "I've got someone who will put them on for you. I might help if he's nice."
"I'm good," Elena said with another smile. She had always loved how Damon and Ric bickered, almost like an old married couple. "I've got four wheel drive."
"Do you know how to use the four wheel drive?" Damon replied.
"I think I can figure it out," Elena shot back. Damon chuckled.
"Drive safe, then," he said. Ric dramatically tapped his foot. "I guess that's my cue," Damon said. "Bye, Elena."
"Bye, Damon," Elena replied with a slight nod of her head.
"Mom, take your time driving home," Damon said. He put one arm around her and gave her a side hug. His gesture took Ginny by surprise. Once, he had hugged her and his father every time they left. Now, she barely saw him, let alone hugged him. She returned the hug.
"I will," she promised. "You take your time as well, you hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am," he replied. He reached out and playfully tapped Molly's shoulder. She was still enchanted by the snow. "Have fun in the snow, kiddo."
"I'm gonna build a snowman!" Molly replied enthusiastically. "Mama, come on!" Damon smiled.
"I'll see you ladies around," he said before turning to leave with Ric.
"Let's get our stuff and head home," Elena said. "Thanks, Ginny, for taking her for a little while this morning. I was able to get a lot done."
"Oh, of course," Ginny said, hugging Molly to her side. An idea struck her. It was somewhat devious, but a little push never hurt anyone. "Damon!" Damon stopped at the end of the hallway.
"Yeah, Mom?"
"Why don't you help Elena get her stuff and Molly to her car?" she asked. "With it snowing, she could use an extra set of hands."
"Oh, Ginny, I don't need…" Elena started.
"Of course you do," Ginny said with a wave of her hand. "Wrangling this one when she's this excited is going to be a job. And then you have your bag, Molly's bag. And I bought Molly a few things at the grocery store. You'll have your hands full. I would help you myself, but someone has to go run my husband out of this place before he gets snowed in. I think, if given the option, Damon would rather help you." Both Damon and Elena knew there was no use in arguing.
"Mom does have a point," Damon agreed. "Ric, I'll meet you down in the garage in a few minutes."
"Yeah, yeah," Ric said with a wave of his hand. "Don't get lost on your way back." Damon rolled his eyes. Ginny excused herself to go to Giuseppe's office, leaving Elena, Damon, and a still excited Molly standing in the hallway.
"You really don't need…" Elena started.
"We both know my mother is probably lurking somewhere, making sure I do the chivalrous thing and help the two of you to your car."
"Mama!" Molly wined. "I want to go outside!" Elena recognized the onset of a temper tantrum. She sighed.
"Let's stop by my office and get our things," she said to Molly. "Then, we'll go."
"Yay!" Molly cheered. She was still wearing her coat, hat, and gloves. Before Damon realized he had done it, he scooped Molly into his arms.
"I've got this one," he said to Elena, indicating Molly. Elena didn't trust herself to speak. It looked so natural, Molly in Damon's arms. Instead, she nodded.
The three made their way to Elena's office, Damon and Molly keeping up a steady conversation about snowmen while Elena was lost in thought, trying for the umpteenth time to figure out how to tell Damon about Molly. She listened to Molly giggling at something Damon said as she quickly gathered her things. Her bag on her shoulder, and the bag of junk food courtesy of Ginny in one arm, she reached for Molly's bag, only to find Damon already holding it. Again, she took in the sight of Molly in Damon's arms, her Frozen bag looking right at home.
"You ready?" Damon asked.
"Yeah," Elena nodded.
"Day-mun, do you know who Olaf is?" Molly asked.
"I don't think I do," Damon answered, leading the way towards the staircase, skipping the elevator out of habit. Again, Elena listened as Molly filled Damon in on Olaf, the talking snowman from Frozen. At the glass double doors that led the way from the lobby to outside, Damon stopped. "You ready for this?" he asked Molly, nodding his head towards the snow. Molly nodded enthusiastically.
"Hurry!" she told Damon, making him laugh. He pushed open the door and held it for Elena.
"Molly, it's your first snowfall!" Elena said. She juggled the grocery bag in one hand and fumbled for her phone with the other. She swiped with her touchscreen gloved finger to open the camera. She wanted to document the moment. Setting the camera to video, she turned it on Damon and Molly. With a pang, she realized it was the first time Damon got to experience any sort of "first" with Molly. Guilt quickly set in, as it had with more frequency lately, as she truly realized the impact of keeping Molly from Damon.
"Here we go," Damon said to Molly. He stepped out under the building's overhang and into the heavy snow. Molly shrieked in delight once more.
"Snow!" she cried out, raising her hands in the air. "I love this!" Both Damon and Elena laughed. Molly started to squirm. "Put me down!" she demanded. Damon did as instructed. Molly immediately put her gloved hands into the snow and laughed out loud at the sight of her handprints when she pulled them out. Damon couldn't help but smile at her innocence.
"Check this out," he said, squatting down to Molly's level. He picked up a handful of snow, already nearing an inch deep, and made a small snowball. He tossed it ahead of them. Molly laughed and mimicked his motions. He made another snowball and tossed it, Molly doing the same. He glanced at Elena, realizing she was videoing them. He turned away and smirked, making another ball of snow. Without warning, he tossed it at Elena.
"Damon!" she shrieked, dancing a view steps to the side to avoid the snowball. It hit her shoulder and dissolved. Molly giggled, jumping up and down in the snow. Damon laughed. Elena stopped the recording.
"You going to put that on YouTube?" he asked with a grin.
"I should," Elena retorted. "It might do you some good to have something a bit more innocent out there."
"Touche," Damon agreed. He could see the road from where they stood. It was quickly becoming snow covered. "As much as I hate to break up this parking lot party, you really should get home." Virginia didn't get big snowfalls often, and when it did, it was paralyzing. Damon tried not to think about how far behind the snow might put Salvatore Racing on Daytona prep if crew members couldn't get to headquarters.
"We should," Elena agreed. "Molly, come on, sweetheart. We need to get home."
"I'm playing!" Molly wined. She had ventured a few yards away, steadily kicking at the snow with her boot.
"We can play more when we get home," Elena promised.
"Come on, munchkin," Damon said. He again scooped Molly into his arms. This time, she started to kick and scream.
"No!" she yelled. "Put me down! Put me down!" Damon looked to Elena as he made a move to put Molly back on solid ground, not sure how to handle a toddler's tantrum.
"Don't put her down," Elena instructed. "She doesn't get her way on this." Molly continued to squirm, but Damon obeyed Elena's instructions, holding on to the squirming toddler as they made their way to Elena's small SUV.
"Hey, Molly, it's okay," he tried. "It's getting slippery out which means it's not safe to be on the road. Your mom just wants to get you home safely. Then you can play in the snow some more, okay?" If Molly heard him, it fell on deaf ears as she continued to throw her tantrum.
"Molly, that's enough," Elena said sharply. Still, Molly's tantrum raged on. They made their way to the car and Elena opened the back door, putting her bags in the floorboard. With some effort, Elena took Molly from Damon and somehow, managed to wrangle her into her car seat, all while Molly continued to kick and scream. Elena shut the car door and turned to find Damon had cleared the thin layer of snow that had already accumulated off her windshield.
"And here I thought she was perfectly angelic," Damon mused. He could still here Molly's tantrum, even with the car doors shut. Her endurance was impressive.
"She's wonderful," Elena said truthfully. "Until she sets her mind to something. And then, it's do or die. Or, in her case, throw a tantrum worthy of Naomi Campbell."
"I'm impressed," Damon said. Molly's screams were dying down, but were still audible.
"She'll scream it out and be asleep by the time we turn onto the main road," Elena said. She opened the driver's door. "Thanks for your help," she told Damon. "Turns out, I actually needed it. I would have stood in the middle of this parking lot fighting with a screaming toddler while trying to balance groceries and my bags. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. It's not fun."
"Glad I could help," Damon said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to ward off the cold. Elena noticed.
"You don't have a coat on!" she stated. "You must be freezing. Go inside."
"It's not exactly warm out here," Damon agreed. "You should get going, too." Elena nodded.
"Thanks again," she said, sliding into the car. Damon nodded at her and then looked past her into the backseat. Molly had stopped screaming, but tears ran down her face, her cheeks read and splotchy.
"Bye, Molly," he said. She didn't reply, just sniffled and hid her face in her car seat. Damon smiled and turned back to Elena. "Drive safe, Elena."
"I will," Elena replied. "You drive safe, too."
"Driving is kind of my thing," Damon said with wink that made Elena chuckle. He moved to shut her door for her, but a thought occurred to him and he pulled it back open. "Hey, earlier, you were going to ask me something? Before my mom and Molly showed up?" Elena was sure her heart stuttered to a stop for a moment as she recalled she had been about to ask Damon to talk with the intentions of telling him the truth about Molly.
"Mama!" Molly suddenly wailed from the backseat. "I wanna go!" Elena sighed. With the snow falling heavy and Molly mid-meltdown, now wasn't the time.
"It was nothing that can't wait another day," she said. It had already waited three years. Damon nodded.
"Drive safe," he said one more time before he shut her door.
Elena blew out a breath as she cranked the car, watching Damon walk back to the building, his dark hair dusted with snowflakes. In the backseat, Molly started to whine again. As she put the SUV in drive and pulled forward slowly, she shook her head slightly. There were soap operas with storylines less complicated than her life.
"Did you dig her a clear path and drive her home?" Ric asked when Damon appeared in the shop.
"Her kid threw a tantrum in the parking lot," Damon answered. "Getting everyone and everything in the vehicle was easier said than done. It's getting nasty out there. Let's get this engine swapped so we can get home."
"Let's just pull this engine out," Ric said, motioning towards the car. The hood was already popped and Ric had been at work getting the engine ready to be lifted out of the car. "We'll drop the new one in whenever Snowmageddon has passed."
"Sounds good to me," Damon said. He picked up a wrench and went to work loosening a few bolts Ric hadn't loosened yet. Ric leaned against the car, letting Damon do some of the hard work for a change.
"That kid of hers…" Ric started.
"Molly," Damon supplied. He passed a bolt and washer to Ric who pocketed it for safe keeping.
"Molly," Ric corrected. He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "She's not… You know…" Damon raised an eyebrow, glancing at Ric as he continued to work.
"You couldn't make more sense if you tried," he said. Ric sighed.
"That kid, are you sure… Hell, I'll just come out and ask. Is that your kid?" Damon straightened up so fast he barely avoided smacking his head on the car's hood.
"What?" he asked. Ric shrugged.
"The resemblance is uncanny," he said. "I mean, her eyes…" Damon studied him for a long moment.
"I can't think about that," he said. Rich raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"I can't think about it," Damon said with a shake of his head. "I can't think about who Molly's father is. It's a can of worms I can't open right now. I have to focus on Daytona. I have to get through Daytona before I can spare any brain space to think about something else more complicated than what I want for lunch."
Ric nodded. He got it. Damon wasn't blind to the fact that Molly looked exactly like him or the fact that the toddler called his parents Gigi and Nonno. But, he and Daytona was like David and Goliath. He knew Damon well and knew he was a hell of a lot more nervous about racing again than he would ever admit to. After the traumatic few months he had had, Damon truly didn't have the capacity to take on anything else life changing, at least not until he, hopefully, got a successful race under his belt and worked through his fears.
"Besides," Damon continued. "Elena wouldn't keep something like that from me. No matter how we left things, no matter what I did, she wouldn't keep something like a child from me."
"If you say so," Ric muttered. Despite Damon's beliefs, Elena had clearly done just that.
"I say so," Damon said with finality in his voice. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Ric decided to let it go. He knew the truth and, he thought at least, Damon knew it deep down. All he could do was be there to help him pick up the pieces when he inevitably found out and self-destructed. "This is the last one," Damon said, passing him one last washer and bolt. Ric pocketed it and together, they started hooking chains to the motor.
"So, Molly's parentage aside," Ric started, deciding to change the subject. "You and Elena?"
"What about me and Elena?" Damon asked. A curse word slipped from his lips as he tried to force the chain's hook into place.
"You chasing after her again?" Damon's hook snapped into place.
"Like I told my mother, that ship has sailed."
"You seemed kind of cozy just now," Ric continued.
"You're an ass."
"You like her," Ric teased.
"Everyone likes Elena," Damon countered. "She's nice and likeable."
"But you like like her."
"Are you 12?" Damon asked. "Let's talk about you. What's up with you and that doctor chic you met while I was in the hospital?"
"Oh, I'll tell you what's up," Ric said, waggling his eyebrows. Damon snorted. "I owe you, by the way. Had you not gone and nearly gotten yourself killed at Talladega, I wouldn't have had to go to the hospital. And had I not had to go to the hospital, I wouldn't have met Jo."
"Glad my near death experience proved to be beneficial for you," Damon quipped.
"Everyone has to be good for something," Ric mused. Damon chuckled. At one time, Ric had been his closest friend, second only to Stefan. He liked having Ric around again, even if they weren't as close as they used to be. Ric was one of the few people who didn't treat him differently, now that he was back.
"You good?" Damon asked, his last chain fitted in place.
"I'm good," Ric confirmed. They stepped back and Ric hit a button on the lift. They watched in silence as the motor, blown during a final practice session at Daytona, was pulled from its place in the car.
"You should have seen them," Ginny said, settled comfortable in her armchair near Giuseppe's desk, a mug of tea in her hands as snow continued to fall outside. "Damon and Molly. It was the sweetest thing. He was so good with her, tossing those puffs to her and then coming to get her when it started to snow. He didn't think twice about picking her up. And, well, you saw them in the parking lot."
"I did see them in the parking lot," Giuseppe agreed patiently, flipping through some notes from his crew chiefs on the status of their cars for Daytona. "You practically dragged me to the window and made me watch."
"He has to know," Ginny continued. "On some level, he has to know that Molly is his. You know how Damon is, Giuseppe. I love him, because he's my son, but he is selfish. He thinks about himself and what will benefit him almost exclusively. Yet there he was, wrapped up in Molly, telling Elena to drive safely. He still has feelings for her, Giuseppe. I just know he does."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Giuseppe cautioned. "Damon and Elena didn't end well. And there's the small matter of Molly's paternity. We won't be planning a wedding anytime soon."
"Well, a funeral looks slightly less likely, at any rate," Ginny intercepted. "Damon has been on his best behavior as of late, has he not?"
"He has either been on his best behavior, or he has gotten better about hiding his worst behavior," Giuseppe mused. "The fact that Damon hasn't ended up a trending topic on Facebook in a few weeks doesn't mean he hasn't been up to his old tricks."
"Well, I don't think he has," Ginny said almost defiantly. "He came to family dinner."
"He did."
"That was a step in the right direction," Ginny insisted. "It's been nearly four months since his accident. Two since he moved into his own place. It was his first meal with us since Christmas and you'll remember how Christmas dinner ended."
"It was more like the Fourth of July," Giuseppe said.
"Exactly," Ginny agreed. "Yet, we made it through family dinner without incident." Giuseppe sighed and removed his reading glasses.
"Tesoro, I love you more than my own life," he said. "I know you want Damon back. I do too. But, he has to come back to us on his own. He has to work through whatever it is that he has to work through. We can't make him do anything. We also can't allow one dinner or a few tender moments with his daughter to get our hopes up."
"I know," Ginny admitted. "It's just hard not to."
"It is," Giuseppe agreed. "He still has to find out about Molly, as well. I know our son. He's a hot head…"
"Like his father," Ginny mumbled, remembering some of Giuseppe's moments from his driving days. Giuseppe chuckled.
"He's a hot head," he repeated. "When Elena tells him about Molly, he's going to be angry. Not just with her, but with us as well. We have to be prepared for that. We have to know that when the other foot falls, Damon will likely turn his back on us."
"I won't let him," Ginny said defiantly. "We let him run away once. I won't let that happen again. He needs his family." She sat back in her chair, putting her tea cup down and picking up the knitting project she had been working on in her spare time. "Besides, I've seen him with Molly. He adores her. He won't be able to turn his back on her."
"I've seen Damon with her too," Giuseppe reminded her. "And I agree, he cares for our princepessa. But, we have to be ready for the worst." He knew his wife wanted their family back to the way it used to be, when they were tight knit and close. But, even in the best case scenario, there was no going back. There was too much water under the bridge. Whatever their new normal would become, it wouldn't go back to the way things used to be.
"I'll tell you what," Ginny said. "You be ready for the worst. I'll be ready to fight to keep my son in this family."
Damon woke up with a groan. His head hurt, and it felt like someone had stuffed dozens of cotton balls in his mouth. He pushed himself into an upright position, cringing at the light pouring in from the nearby window. He rubbed his hand over his face as the events from the night before came back to him. After two days of being snowed into his apartment, he had braved the still icy roads and headed to The Grill where he drank too much and brought home a redhead.
When he remembered the redhead, he looked over to the other side of his bed. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she was already gone. There was nothing worse than trying to extricate a one night stand from his apartment who had decided she wanted to be more than a one night stand.
Sighing, he pushed himself to stand, took a few steps, and tripped over one of his boots. He caught himself on his dresser and winced as pain shot through his head. He gave his head a little shake and continued towards the bathroom. He emptied his bladder, and then drank right from the sink as he tried to rid his mouth of the dryness.
He half stumbled through his small, messy apartment to get to the kitchen. He filled a glass – whether clean or dirty, he didn't know – with water and found his bottle of aspirin. He popped two in his mouth and swallowed, closing his eyes and letting regret roll over him.
Once upon a time, he would wake up from a night of drinking and one night stands to do it all over again just hours later. That was Daytona Beach and his days with the Mikaelsons were for him – one big playground. Now, back in Mystic Falls, it didn't hold the same allure. Maybe it was because he was Mystic Falls, driving for his family. Or maybe he was older and things like all night binge drinking were losing their appeal. And his near death experience probably had a thing or two to do with it as well.
He spent a lot of time feeling like he was at a crossroads. He couldn't go back, but he couldn't seem to move forward either. He had no idea what forward was.
He finished off his glass of water and filled it again, starting to feel a little better. Right now, he reasoned, he needed to focus on the NASCAR season. They would be heading to Daytona in a few days for the duels, qualifying, and media days. That was where his focus needed to be.
Not on what he didn't have.
Or on little girls with vivid blue eyes.
WHEW! That was a lot of bonding time. All important. On to the next chapter...