I know. I didn't think I was ever going to get an update finished either. Truth is, I'm struggling with this story. I have it all plotted out. I know where I want it to go. But alas, the words are struggling to come together. I've re-wrote this particular update time and time again. I'll get this finished though, one way or another! Basically, I have a tangled web to untangle - and it's complicated.
Thank you so much for sticking with me and being patient. I wish I could update faster, but like I said, between real life, other projects, and the sheer struggle of getting words to work together I'm having with this story, it is what it is. Let's all hang in there, deal?
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vampire Diaries.
Just like on the flight to Daytona, Molly started to squirm at the one hour mark. The flight to Atlanta was short, but they still had some time to go. Damon watched for a few minutes from his seat a few rows back as Elena tried to calm Molly, offering her things to do, and hissing warnings about her behavior. He took a deep breath and stood.
"Molly, what's all this noise you're making?" he asked in a casual tone, coming to squat down next to Elena and Molly's row. Molly looked at him for a moment her face full of grumpiness.
"I'm bored," she stated.
"So am I," he agreed. "Want to come sit with me and watch a movie?" Elena listened to their exchange with interest.
"What movie?" Molly asked. Damon grinned before he answered, not able to believe what he was about to say.
"There's this movie called 'Frozen' that I've never seen," he said. "And I hear it's one of your favorites. Will you watch it with me?" Molly's eyes twinkled as she nodded, a smile forming.
"You can meet Olaf!" she said happily. Damon chuckled.
"Yeah," he agreed. "I guess I can. Come on, kiddo. I've got it all loaded on my iPad." He stood and took Molly's hand, ready to lead her to his seat and watch his first animated movie in years. He had downloaded it from iTunes just for Molly.
"Damon, wait," Elena called. Damon turned back to her, sure she was going to give him some excuse about why he couldn't take Molly with him just a few rows back. Instead, she was holding out a pair of earphones and an earphone splitter. "So you can both listen." Damon smiled at her and nodded.
"Thanks," he said. He returned to his seat with Molly and sat down, pulling her into his lap. He was aware of Stefan watching him from a few rows back, but wouldn't give him the satisfaction of acknowledging him. In the seat beside him, Ric raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, turning his attention back to the book he was reading.
It didn't take Damon long to figure out that watching Molly was far more rewarding than watching the movie. She knew every word, every song, and had no qualms about singing softly to herself. She giggled at the snowman's antics, gasped as Anna realized her prince was no prince, and cheered when Elsa saved her sister. When it was over, Molly clapped her hands.
"I love that movie!" she said happily.
"It's a good movie," Damon agreed. He gave her a little hug. "Thanks for watching it with me, Princess."
"I want a sister," Molly stated. Damon felt himself blanch.
"What?"
"I want a sister," Molly said again. "Like Elsa."
"Oh, well, maybe one of these days," he said, fumbling for words. Thankfully, that seemed to be good enough. His stomach gave a weird sort of curdle as he thought about the fact that if Molly were ever to have a sibling, it would likely be a half sibling, at best. He knew he had no right to bristle over the fact that Elena may someday marry someone else, give Molly siblings. But he still didn't like it. That was a whole can of worms he would have to sort out at some point.
"Can I go back to Mama, now?" Molly asked. "She has my snacks."
"Yeah, come on," Damon agreed. He kept Molly in his arms as he stood and walked back up the plane aisle to Elena. Again, he was aware of his parents' eyes on him. He found Elena asleep. "Here," he said to Molly, sitting down in the empty seat beside Elena and reaching for Molly's bag that was spilling open on the floor, "let's let your mom sleep. What do we have to eat?" He pulled out a bag of cheese crackers and Molly grabbed for them.
"Can I has some juice?" she asked. "We has to ask the flying lady for it." Damon frowned.
"The flying lady?"
"The flight attendant," came his mother's voice. Ginny appeared in the aisle next to Damon. Damon took a steadying breath to keep him from responding in a manner he didn't want Molly to witness. Ginny flagged the flight attendant down and requested apple juice.
"Hi, Gigi," Molly said. She turned around in Damon's lap and snuggled against his chest, even as she snacked on her crackers.
"Hi, my sweet girl," Ginny said with a smile. "How was your movie?"
"I love Elsa," Molly replied. Ginny chuckled.
"I know you do, dear," she said. The flight attendant returned with Molly's juice.
"Will you hold it for me, Day-mun?" Molly asked.
"Sure thing, kid," Damon agreed. He ignored his mother, willing her to return to her seat, and knowing it was a futile effort.
"Damon, I didn't get a chance to tell you how well you raced at Daytona last week," Ginny said conversationally.
"Perhaps that was on purpose," Damon replied. He gave his mother a warning look with his eyes. She smiled in return and persevered.
"A twelfth place finish isn't anything to scoff at," she said. Damon sighed.
"Mom, don't," he warned. Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Don't what?"
"Don't do this," Damon said. "Not on a plane, when you have me trapped. Not at the airport when we land. Not at the racetrack. Not at home. Not anywhere. Don't do this."
"We need to talk about this," Ginny said in an undertone. Damon shook his head.
"There's nothing to talk about."
"There is, and we will discuss it," Ginny informed him. She leaned down and kissed Molly on the top of the head. "You have a nice nap, little lady. I bet we'll be in Atlanta when you wake up." Damon looked down at Molly to see she was indeed starting to drift off, curled up in his lap, her bag of cheese crackers held loosely in her hands as she blinked her eyes. "You'll need this," Ginny continued. She reached down and produced a fleece blanket from Molly's bag, then artfully draped it over the little girl. She looked at Damon as she stood up. "They haven't been sleeping well lately," she told him, nodding her head slightly at Elena. With that, she returned to her seat.
Damon glanced over at Elena and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She did look tired, he realized. He thought back to the night before when he had left Elena sitting at her dining room table, working on party decorations. It was already nearly 10:00 by then and she had mentioned still needing to pack. He wondered how late she had been up, how often she stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, only to wake up with the sun. He knew her pretty well still, all things considered, and knew she was likely losing sleep over everything with him and Molly.
That led him to wonder why Molly wasn't sleeping. She was up later than usual the night before, from what he could tell, because of candy from Caroline. But, if there was something else keeping Molly up at night, he wanted to know. He didn't know what he would do about it, but he still wanted to know. He added it to his growing list of questions to ask Elena.
"Day-mun, I want my juice," Molly said sleepily. Damon passed her the juice box.
"You finished with these crackers?" he asked. Molly tiredly nodded. He took the half full bag and tucked them into the seat pocket.
"I done with this too," Molly said, holding her juice out to him. She had barely touched it. He took the juice box and precariously placed it in the floor beside his feet. "I take a nap," Molly said, squirming to get comfortable in his lap. He had intended to return to his own seat once he deposited Molly with Elena, but given that she was napping and Molly had made herself at home in his lap, it didn't look like he was going anywhere. Besides, they would be landing soon.
"Sleep tight," he said to Molly. He helped her readjust her blanket. Her little arm slid out from under the fleece and wrapped around his neck as she sighed contently, her eyes already closing. Damon leaned the seat back just slightly and tried to get comfortable himself.
Except Molly was asleep on his chest. And she smelled like Elena's perfume.
"Nice job qualifying."
Damon sighed at the sound of Stefan's voice. He jumped down from his hauler where he had just finished removing his fire suit and changing back into street clothes.
"This your attempt at an olive branch?" he asked. Stefan shrugged.
"You did a good job," he said. "Just giving credit where credit is due. Starting eighth – nothing to shake your head at."
"I'll take it," Damon agreed. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. "Anything else I can help you with?" He watched as Stefan debated on whether he left well enough alone, or tried to start mending fences.
"Look, Damon, I know you're mad about Molly…"
"Mad, hurt, confused… There is a whole myriad of emotions for it."
"Damon, we tried…"
"I thought I said I needed time to deal with this," Damon interrupted.
"You did, but…"
"Then give me five minutes to deal with this. Giving that you all kept this from me for the last three years, leaving me alone for a few days is the least you can do." Stefan looked at him for a long moment.
"Will it be a few days?" he asked. "Or will you be ready to talk about this in, what, three years?" The two brothers stared one another down. "It wasn't just Elena you left, Damon."
With that, Stefan turned and walked away. Damon clenched his jaw and made himself take a few deep breaths. Stefan's attitude towards him since he returned suddenly made a whole lot more sense.
He couldn't believe he hadn't figured it out sooner.
Damon stopped on the edge of the park for a moment, just to watch. It was a decent-sized park, and within walking distance of the track. It was surprisingly uncrowded, with a few kids dotting the playground equipment, their parents mulling around, some paying more attention to their offspring than others. Molly and Elena were easy to spot. Molly stood out against the overcast sky, wearing a bright shirt and stripped leggings. She was climbing the stairs to the slide under Elena's watchful eye. He continued to watch as Molly slid down the slide into Elena's waiting arms. They both burst into laughter. He smiled. They were both beautiful.
With his nerves tumbling, he made his way to them.
"Hey," he said. "Mind if I join this party?" Elena turned to him, still smiling. She opened her mouth to reply, but Molly beat him to it.
"Hi, Day-mun!" she exclaimed. "Wanna play?" She looked happy, excited. His smile grew wider.
"I'd love to play," he said. With that, Molly wiggled until Elena put her down. She grabbed Damon by the hand.
"Come on!"
Damon looked at Elena, whether for encouragement or an okay, he didn't know. She gave him a soft smile and nodded. "Go on," she said to him quietly, before stooping down to Molly's level. "Molly, I'm going to go sit down on that bench over there." She pointed to a bench on the edge of the playground. "Damon is going to take a turn playing with you for a while, okay?" Molly nodded.
"Okay, Mama," she agreed. She tugged on Damon's hand again. "Come on!" Elena watched Damon's shoulders move up and down as he took a deep breath and allowed Molly to lead him towards the swings. She settled in on her bench with the intentions of reading a book, trusting that Damon would keep an eye on Molly, but found herself unable to look away from them.
Damon was a natural. Molly clearly adored him, her eyes dancing as she laughed at something he said as he pushed her on a swing. She had taken to him early on, leading Elena to believe, not for the first time, that Molly knew somewhere deep down that Damon was someone important in her life. She eventually led Damon to the slide, and then the merry-go-round, him keeping up with her every step. There was a moment of contention when Molly wanted to try the monkey bars meant for older kids, but, Damon handled her near temper tantrum and moments later, she was happily playing on the jungle gym.
What really stood out to her, however, was the fact that Damon looked happy. She hadn't seen him smile much, let alone laugh, but there was almost a permanent smile on his face as he played with Molly, and she caught him laughing a few times at something Molly said or did. She couldn't help but smile herself.
After nearly an hour, the pair made their way towards her.
"Mama, can I has my snack now,?" Molly asked, climbing onto the bench next to her.
"'Can I have my snack now, please'" Elena corrected gently. "And yes, you may." She reached into Molly's bag and pulled out a container of goldfish and a juice box. Molly took her snack and went to sit on the railroad ties lining the playground a few yards away. Damon sat down besides Elena.
"She has a lot of energy," he stated. Elena chuckled.
"She does," she agreed. "She's like the energizer bunny. She never stops. Until she hits a wall, has a meltdown, and then passes out mid tantrum." Damon smiled.
"She's a really great little girl," he replied. He looked at Elena for a long moment, his face growing serious. "I owe you an apology for what I said at Daytona," he started. Elena raised an eyebrow as she picked up his nervous energy. "I called Molly 'illegitimate.' That was wrong and couldn't be farther from the truth. I was angry, though, and said some things I didn't mean."
"It did hurt, hearing you say that," Elena admitted. "I know things didn't work out between us, but I like to think Molly was conceived out of love." She shook her head, but didn't say anything.
"She was," Damon said quietly, his eyes on Elena. He saw her eyes fill quickly with unshed tears, but she blinked twice and they were gone.
"Thanks for apologizing," she said, and the moment was gone. "You had a great qualifying run earlier, by the way."
"It wasn't bad at all," Damon agreed. "It could have been better. The car was tighter than I would like, but Mason doesn't always take my feedback into consideration." There was a hint of bitterness in Damon's voice. "I tried to go around him and get Enzo to take a pound or so of pressure out, but Mason caught me."
"It's early in the season," Elena mused. "You're still learning how to work together. You'll figure it out after a few more races."
"I hope so," Damon said. "My standards for crew chiefs are pretty high though, after working with Stefan for so long. I haven't had a crew chief as good as him since." Elena looked at Damon. She could hear something, wistfulness, perhaps, in his tone that told her there was more on his mind than just his communication trouble with Mason.
"Maybe the two of you will reunite one of these days," she tentatively suggested. Damon shrugged.
"Maybe," he said. "Probably not."
"You are nothing, if not optimistic," Elena quipped. Damon chuckled. A thought hit him.
"Wait. Aren't you supposed to be at the Nationwide Race?"
"I have to leave in about fifteen minutes," Elena admitted. She glanced at Molly who was still happily working on her snack. "You're good with her, you know." Damon shook his head.
"I'm just playing with her," he said. "I don't know how to do the rest of it."
"What's the rest of it?" Elena asked.
"You know, the parenting stuff. Like, discipline. And saying no. How do you say no to her? She's so cute, I just agree to things." Elena smiled.
"You figure out," she told him. "You fumble through and make what you hope are the best choices for your child's wellbeing, and then you suddenly realize you may actually kind of sort of have a handle on this parenting thing. Until your child does something new and you realize you actually have no idea what you're doing."
"So you're saying I'm never going to figure it out," Damon stated. Elena laughed.
"I'm saying that even when Molly is 20 years old, you're still going to question whether you're a good parent. I ask myself if I'm doing a good job by Molly every single day."
"You're doing a great job with her," Damon said sincerely. "She's smart, happy. And she's kindhearted. That's all you." Elena avoided meeting Damon's eyes.
"I do my best," she said.
"Your best is pretty damn good," Damon told her. "She's a good kid."
"Here's to hoping I don't screw her up with all of this," Elena muttered to herself. Damon pretended not to hear her.
"Thanks for letting me hang out with her today," he said instead. "I had fun." Elena allowed herself to look at him and smiled.
"Of course," she said. "She loved it, too." She pursed her lips. Damon raised an eyebrow.
"What, 'Lena?" he asked, making sure to keep his tone light. He saw the faint blush creep into her cheeks at her nickname.
"You looked happy earlier," she told him. "While you were playing with Molly. You were laughing. I don't think I've seen you laugh, not genuinely, at least, since I've been back." Damon didn't respond right away. Elena was right. It had been a long time since he had genuinely laughed, smiled, even. Today, so far, he had done a lot of both.
"I haven't had a lot to laugh about in a long time," he finally said.
"You've had a rough few months," Elena agreed. Damon shook his head slightly.
"I've had a rough few years," he corrected. He didn't elaborate, even when Elena looked at him curiously. She knew there was a pretty significant story that Damon was keeping to himself. She wanted to know that story, as she knew it would hold the answers to many of her questions. He wasn't offering anything else, and for now, she wasn't going to ask. For now, she had to focus on letting him get to know Molly – and figuring out how to co-parent when she was so used to going at it alone.
"We should get going," Elena said. She sounded disappointed. Damon nodded.
"Where does Molly stay during races?" he asked curiously.
"It depends," Elena said. "Sometimes your mom or Caroline keep an eye on her, but Martin's daughter, Samantha, watches her a lot. She's graduating high school in June and her parents agreed she could go on a senior trip to Mexico with her friends if she paid for half of it, so she's babysitting Molly as well as Jeff's kids on race weekends. And, during the week, if I need her."
"Samantha – she's the red head with freckles, right?" Elena nodded. "She's responsible? She keeps an eye on Molly?"
"She's great with Molly," Elena confirmed. "Molly loves her. She actually thinks Samantha is Anna from 'Frozen' because of the hair and freckles."
"You're sure she keeps a close eye on her?" Damon pressed. "Molly is really good at sneaking off from people. And does she know she's allergic to tree nuts? Not just peanuts, but all nuts?" Elena couldn't help but smile at Damon's interest over who was babysitting Molly.
"Samantha knows all about Molly's tendency to wander off, so she keeps a sharp eye on her. And, she knows that Molly is allergic to tree nuts. I put an epipen in Molly's bag and then Samantha has one in a first aid kit she keeps on hand. She's prepared, Damon. Molly is in great hands when she's with her."
"If you're sure," Damon relented.
"I'm positive," Elena confirmed. An idea came to Damon.
"Do you think she could hang out with me during the Nationwide race?" he asked. "I'd really like to spend some more time with her." He watched as Elena considered.
"Well, Samantha was going to watch her…," she ventured. "I guess I could still pay her – she's counting on the babysitting money for her trip. What were you planning to do during the race? I mean, where would you go with Molly? I just don't want you to have to change any plans or anything…" Damon knew Elena was trying to figure out what his plans were, so she could decide whether she would trust him with Molly's care. He knew he had to earn her trust, so he dismissed the slight feeling of irritation.
"I was going to hang out in my motor home," he admitted. "Maybe in the garage, but most likely the motor home. Some of my crew work on the Nationwide team, and the ones that don't are either watching the race or in the garage messing with my car. It's one of the only times I get to be by myself on race weekends." Elena nodded, noting that Damon seemed to like to spend a lot of time alone.
"I guess, if you want to take Molly with you to your motor home, that would be okay," she ventured. "Just – there's nothing in the motor home that she shouldn't see, right? I mean, a bunch of guys bunk there…" Damon chuckled.
"It's actually surprisingly neat for a bunch of guys," he said. "I promise, Elena, that I will watch her like a hawk. I'll feed her if she gets hungry. I'll even watch 'Frozen' again if she wants to. And then, I'll bring her back to you safe and sound. Or, you can come and get her. Hell, you can even pop in during the race and check up on us, if you want to. I just…" he hesitated. "I just want to spend time with her," he admitted. "I want to get to know her."
"I'll get her after the race," Elena conceded. "If, for some reason, something comes up, just text me. I keep my phone on vibrate so I'll know if someone is trying to reach me. I would never hear you if you call, but a text I can reply to."
"Deal," Damon said. He stood and offered Elena's his hand to help her to her feet. She took it without thinking. The same electric feeling that used to flow between them when they touched was still there. She dropped his hand quickly, but the feeling lingered. Damon did his best to hide how her touch still affected him. He also tried to push down the slightest bubble of hope that surfaced. "Molly?" he called instead. "You ready to head back to the track?" Molly frowned.
"No!" she stated stubbornly. "I stay here and play!" She started walking back towards the playground. Elena sighed.
"Molly Virginia," she warned. "Don't you dare go back to that playground. Damon glanced at Elena as he learned Molly's middle name – his mother's name. Molly kept walking. "Molly!" Molly defiantly kept to her path. Elena sighed and moved to follow her, anticipating a temper tantrum. Damon reached out and stopped her.
"Can I?" he asked. "I mean, I guess I should try…" Elena understood what he was asking – for an opportunity to be a parent, instead of the fun guy Molly liked to play with. She nodded.
"She's going to throw a tantrum," she warned.
"See one, do one, right?" Damon asked, referring to Molly's tantrum the day it snowed. "Here goes nothing. Molly!" Molly stopped at the sound of his voice. She turned towards him, halfway between them and the playground. "It's time to go," he said in a stern voice. She frowned.
"I stay!" she informed him. She turned on her small heel and continued on her way.
"Molly!" Molly kept going. Damon sighed. "She gets her stubbornness from you," he informed Elena before setting off after her. He heard Elena scoff. Elena crossed her arms to watch. She half hoped to witness Molly give him a run for his money, just as Molly did to her. "Molly, it's time to go," she heard Damon say. "We have to go back to the race track. You're going to hang out with me during the race, and we can play some more there."
"I wanna play here!"
"Molly, come on," Damon stated. "Your mom has to get back to the track. We don't have time for this." Molly stared him down. Without warning, she took off at a run. Elena tried to hide her grin, but gave up, hoping Molly didn't see it. Damon muttered a curse word to himself, then took off after her. He caught her easily, scooping her into his arms.
"Put me down!" she squealed, immediately starting to kick.
"Sorry, kiddo," Damon told her, heading back towards Elena who was doing a pathetic job at hiding how much she was enjoying watching him try to correct their daughter for the first time. "We're going back to the track now, no matter how much you kick and scream." As if trying to make it him prove it, Molly kicked and screamed harder.
"You're going to have an easy go of it back at the track," Elena informed him as they started walking back towards the raceway which was visible from where they were. "She always falls asleep after her tantrums." Damon adjusted Molly in his arms to keep her from falling out of his arms. Elena had to admit that he was having a much easier time holding on to Molly than she did, given how much bigger and stronger than her he was.
"Did you throw tantrums as a kid?" he asked.
"No, but your mom said you did," Elena replied.
"Figures," Damon muttered, readjusting his grip once more. "Molly, come on. That's enough."
"Just let her scream it out," Elena advised. She could hear the beginnings of Damon losing his patience. "It's annoying, but she can't have her way. She's going to have to learn that." Damon didn't reply, but Elena saw his chest puff up and then deflate as he took a calming deep breath. She didn't offer any additional advice, watching to see how he handled things. They walked back to the track, Molly's squeals filling the space until they started to die down. As they showed their passes to security to be re-admitted, Molly's screams ceased.
"She's gone quiet," Damon said, his eyes flashing at Elena. Elena smiled at him.
"She's asleep," she told him, nodding at Molly who had rested her head on Damon's shoulder and fallen asleep, just as she predicted. Damon glanced down as best he could and realized Elena was right. He smiled.
"Look at that," he said as he adjusted her so she was more comfortable.
"Like clockwork," Elena replied. She walked back to Damon's motor home with them, giving him last minute instructions like 'don't let her sleep too long or she won't go to sleep at a decent hour tonight' and 'no junk food. I mean it, Damon."
"She's going to be fine," Damon told Elena when they reached his motor home.
"She's not the one I'm worried about," Elena told him pointedly. "Seriously, Damon, if she gets out of hand…"
"Elena," Damon cut her off. "I need to do this." Elena bit her lip for just a moment as she nodded.
"I know," she said quietly. "Just… If you need anything…"
"I'll text you," Damon finished. "And, if you need to see for yourself that we're okay, just drop by. The code to get into the motor home is 212121." Elena made a face.
"Your car number, three times over?" she asked. "That's not very original." Damon shrugged slightly, careful not to wake Molly.
"It's easy to remember," he said. The intercom buzzed to life, indicating that pre-race festivities were about to start. Elena glanced over her shoulder where cars were being rolled into place on the grid and then back at Damon.
"I should go," she said.
"We will be right here," he replied. "And we will be fine." Elena nodded and, somewhat begrudgingly, left Molly with Damon. She looked over her shoulder as she walked away to see Damon carefully navigating the motor home's stairs, Molly asleep on his shoulder. He wanted to do this. And she had to let him. Somehow, she had to learn to trust him.
At least, she had to learn to trust him with Molly.
"I not want to play dis no more," Molly declared, looking across the small kitchenette table at Damon.
"Thank God," he whispered under his breath. He had found a travel sized Dr. Seuss memory game in Molly's bag and the pair had been playing it for the better part of an hour. He was bored out of his mind. "What do you want to do now?" he asked her. "We can watch cartoons," he added hopefully, glancing at the motor home's flat screen and satellite hookup. Molly cocked her head to the side, her eyes on him, thinking.
"I wanna see da race," she decided. She slipped out of the chair and ran for the front of the bus. By the time Damon caught up with her, she was standing on the driver's seat, trying to see what she could of the racetrack.
"You want to watch the race?" Damon asked. He could do that. He usually watched the Nationwide race anyway. Molly nodded.
"I not get to watch it last time," she said. "I has to stay with Samantha. But I wanna see the cars!"
Damon pursed his lips, considering. Elena hadn't said it was off limits. She hadn't told him he couldn't leave the motor home with Molly. He had woke her up about an hour after Elena left, and hadn't given her any junk food, as instructed. He figured that meant if he wanted to watch the race with his daughter, he could.
"Okay," he agreed. "We can go watch the race."
"Yes!" Molly shrieked. She jumped out of the driver's seat, stumbling in the process. Damon was quick to react, rushing forward and steadying her before she could hit the ground.
"Careful," he warned. He picked her up in his arms and moved towards the back of the bus. "We'll go watch the race," he told her, "but first, we have to get you a pair of earmuffs." Noise canceling earmuffs were easy to come by around a racetrack, and he found a few pairs in the back lounge of the bus. He picked up the smallest set, stood Molly on the lounge's couch, and put the earmuffs on. She frowned.
"What's dis?" she asked, pulling at the earmuffs.
"Earmuffs," Damon answered, pushing them off her ears. "Races are really noisy. Hear how loud the cars are now? They're going to be way louder when we go outside. You have little ears, so you have to wear these to protect your hearing." He adjusted the fit of the earmuffs and settled them back into place over Molly's ears. He nodded, satisfied, and removed them, letting them rest around her neck.
"These are for boys," she stated, taking in the earmuff's red color.
"You wear these for today, and we'll get you some for girls to wear to the race tomorrow," Damon negotiated.
"Dey have dem for girls?" Molly inquired. Damon nodded.
"Pink, sparkles, purple…"
"I want pink ones," Molly declared. Damon wasn't surprised.
"Pink it'll be," he promised. He picked her up. "Ready to go?" he asked. Molly nodded. She had a sparkle in her eyes as she looped her small arms around Damon's neck. "Let's go then."
He was nearly out the motor home when he realized Molly wasn't wearing shoes. He backtracked and found them under the kitchenette table. There was a struggle on his part in helping her get her shoes on. Once they were on her feet, he gave her a once over, decided she had all the appropriate clothing items, and picked her up once more.
"You hungry?" he asked. Molly shook her head.
"I wanna see the race!" she exclaimed, growing frustrated with their delays. Damon nodded.
"Let's go watch the race."
It took less than ten minutes for Damon to decide it was the best idea he had ever had. They had crossed the infield to a safe viewing area and as the cars thundered by again and again, Molly shrieked and clapped her hands, her eyes dancing. She kept looking at him, laughing and pointing to things even though neither of them could hear the other over the din. He was wishing he had thought to bring his earplugs when Molly suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, trying to think of a time when he had been as happy as he was right then. No recent memories came to mind.
The race, which was nearly over by the time they made it out of the motor home as it was shorter than a Sprint Cup race, ended with a Rousch Racing driver taking the checkered flag. Salvatore Racing's two drivers finished fifth and thirtieth, credit for both finishes largely going to a late caution that helped one and hurt the other. He turned to head back to the motor home, Molly walking at his side, holding his hand. He reached over and pulled her earmuffs off.
"What did you think, kid?" he asked.
"I loved it!" Molly shrieked, skipping a few steps. "I wanna see again!" Damon laughed.
"Maybe you'll get to watch the race tomorrow," he said.
"Will you drive in that one?" Molly asked. Damon nodded.
"I will," he confirmed. She beamed.
"I hope you win!" He laughed.
"I hope so too," he admitted.
"Day-mun, I'm hungry," Molly said. He was getting used to that – the way Molly changed the topic of conversation abruptly. He had an idea as they walked. Although he had spent most of the day with Molly, he still wasn't ready to part ways with her. He also wanted to show Elena that he could be responsible, that he could be a good father to Molly – that she could trust him.
"Why don't we find your mom and the three of us go get dinner?" he asked. Molly cheered in response. Damon grinned at her enthusiasm, then took a deep breath. He just had to get Elena to agree. He knew she was most likely to be with one of their Nationwide drivers right then, so he started towards the garage area, pausing to scoop Molly into his arms where he felt it was safer.
"Well, well, well," came a voice Damon didn't want to hear at any point, least of all when Molly was with him. "Looks like Salvatore has himself a mini me." Damon sighed and turned to face Matt Donovan.
"Not now," he warned. Matt smirked, taking in the similarities between Damon and the girl in his arms. He couldn't be sure, but he was smart enough to suspect Damon had a child no one knew about.
"What's the story here?" he asked, indicating Molly. Damon pulled Molly closer on instinct.
"Leave it alone, Donovan," he said. He moved to walk away. "She's off limits."
"You're not even going to give me a hint?" Matt called after him. Damon kept walking. He heard someone call Matt's name. "See you on the track, Salvatore," Matt called after him before turning in the opposite direction. Damon blew out a breath to calm himself down.
"Who is dat?" Molly asked curiously.
"Nobody," Damon replied. "Absolutely nobody." He spied Elena up ahead, standing by as one of Salvatore Racing's Nationwide drivers talked with the media. "There's your mom," he told Molly, pointing her out.
"Mama!" Molly called out, waving in Elena's direction. Elena looked in their direction and smiled when she spotted Molly. She waved back, then held up a finger to indicate she would be with them in a minute. Damon nodded. He occupied Molly by showing her the inside of one of the Salvatore Racing haulers. When he stepped out of it to see if Elena had finished up, he practically ran into his father.
"Damon!" Giuseppe exclaimed, surprised by his sudden appearance. He saw Molly then and broke into a big smile. "And my Principessa! Come see your Nonno!"
"Hi, Nonno!" Molly cried, reaching for her grandfather. Damon let her go, somewhat begrudgingly. "Me and Day-mun watched the race!"
"Did you?" Giuseppe asked curiously. He glanced at Damon who had crossed his arms and looked uncomfortable. Giuseppe took it as a good sign that his son and granddaughter were spending time together. Elena had told them Damon wanted to be a part of Molly's life. He hoped it was a step in the right direction. For everyone.
"We did!" Molly answered. "And we went to da park and played and we played Dr. Seuss cards too!" Giuseppe let out a whistle.
"Sounds like you've been busy today," he said. "Have you had fun with your – Da… Damon?" Giuseppe caught himself just in time.
"So much fun!" Molly said. She beamed at Damon who couldn't help but smile back.
"How about you, Damon?" Giuseppe asked. Damon recognized it for what it was – an attempt to start repairing the very deep rift between them.
"It's been a good day," he answered. "Molly likes racing."
"Of course she does," Giuseppe said proudly. He tickled her. "It's in her blood." Damon pursed his lips. He didn't know how to have a conversation with his father now. "You ready to race tomorrow?"
"I've got a good car, qualified well," Damon answered. "It should be a good race."
"You've won here a few times," Giuseppe replied. "This is a good track for you."
"That was a long time ago," Damon replied.
"You will do well," Giuseppe told him with conviction. "Don't think otherwise." He looked at Molly. "What do you think, Principessa? Do you think Damon will win the race tomorrow?" Molly nodded her head enthusiastically.
"Day-mun gonna win!" she said, grinning. Damon couldn't help but chuckle.
"I'll do my best," he promised Molly.
"That's all we can ask for," Giuseppe replied, looking at him. Damon knew his father didn't just mean tomorrow's race. He was spared having to reply by Elena's arrival.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Hi, Mama!" Molly replied, reaching for Elena.
"There's my girl!" Elena said, taking Molly from Giuseppe. Damon watched, unable to identify the feelings swarming in his chest as Elena hugged Molly. They shared an Eskimo kiss before Elena pulled back to look at her daughter. She noted the earmuffs that were still resting around her neck. "Did you have fun with Damon?" she asked.
"We watched da race!" Molly said, eager to tell anyone who would listen. "It was so cool!"
"We watched from a safe location," Damon added.
"I bet you loved that, didn't you?" Elena asked Molly.
"Can I watch Day-mun race tomorrow?" Molly asked, her arms looped around her mother's neck.
"We'll see," Elena answered. Damon wanted to step in and say "yes," but it wasn't his place. Elena's race days were busy, especially during Sprint Cup races, and he knew she had already worked out Molly's childcare for race day. He himself was certainly going to be occupied. He was only just beginning to navigate the waters of parenthood. He would pick his battles for now.
"I should go find Randy," Giuseppe said. "I don't think he's too thrilled with his finish today. Not that I blame him. He had a damn good car until that Bayne kid got into his rear." He kissed both Elena and Molly on the cheek before exchanging a strained goodbye with Damon.
"Was that so bad?" Elena asked, turning to look at Damon. She was still holding Molly.
"It could have been better," Damon mumbled, glancing in the direction his father had disappeared in. He could still see Giuseppe's bright red cap – his team's hat, even if he weren't racing that day. "But more importantly, this little one says she's hungry." He reached out and tweaked Molly's nose, making her giggle. He made sure to keep his eyes on Elena for his next statement. "I was thinking, maybe the three of us could get some dinner?"
Elena's felt her heart skip a beat at the mention of "the three of us." Deep down, she knew she still harbored the slightest of hopes that they would still be a family, even if she knew that ship had sailed long ago. She found herself nodding, telling herself it was for Molly's benefit that she was agreeing to get something to eat with Damon.
"I'm pretty hungry myself," she said. "Dinner would be good."
"There's this seafood place a few miles south of here…" Damon started. Elena smiled and shook her head no.
"We're taking a three year old with us," she reminded him. "She's not going to eat fish or shrimp or anything else that swims."
"You're right," Damon said, realizing his love of fine dining was out the window when Molly was with him. He could accept that, though. "Molly, what do you want to eat?" he asked.
"Chicken tenders," Molly answered immediately. Elena smiled wryly.
"It's always chicken tenders," she told Damon. He grinned.
"There's a Chick-Fil-A a few miles from here…"
"I want the cows!" Molly cried out, making both Elena and Damon laugh.
"The cows?" he asked.
"She likes the Chick-Fil-A cows," Elena explained. "Which means that's her absolute favorite place to eat right now. We had one about 15 minutes from us in San Bernardino. In Mystic Falls, we have to drive a little farther for one, so she hasn't really had it since we've been back."
"Chick-Fil-A it is," Damon agreed. "I'll call us a cab."
Within thirty minutes, Damon was placing a tray loaded with food on plastic table. He slid into the booth across from Elena and Molly. Molly was happily coloring a placemat.
"Not quite what you had in mind for dinner, is it?" Elena asked as Damon started divvying out the food. Damon smiled at her from across the table.
"I had planned on grabbing something fried from one of the vendors at the track and eating alone at my motor home, so I think this is better bet," he told her. He picked up the carton of Molly's chicken nuggets and looked at Elena. "She can eat this, right?" he asked. "I mean, I know they use refined peanut oil and it doesn't bother me, but…"
"She's fine," Elena said, appreciating Damon's concern. "I'm sure you already know, seeing as you just spouted out the word 'refined,' but peanut oil isn't considered an allergen and Molly hasn't reacted badly to it in all the times she's eaten here." Elena didn't tell him that she hadn't thought about the fact that they may have used peanut oil the first time she let Molly eat there.
"Can I has my chicken now?" Molly asked impatiently. Elena and Damon both chuckled.
"Just, like, give them to her?" Damon asked. Elena nodded as she spread a napkin over Molly's placemat. Damon opened the box of nuggets and put them in front of Molly. He then opened the fruit cup Elena insisted on instead of letting the kid have fries, as well as the kid-sized milk.
"See?" Elena asked. "Easy as can be." Damon smiled at her as he handed her her own sandwich and fruit cup.
"Thank you for letting me spend time with her today," he told Elena. "It's been – good." Elena gave him a warm smile.
"You did good today, Damon," she said, glancing at Molly who was happily eating her dinner and oblivious to the adults she was with. "She had fun. You even handled her temper tantrum."
"I did, didn't I?" Damon said, feeling proud of himself. Elena nodded.
"You did," she confirmed. They made small talk throughout dinner, listening to Molly tell them about her day in detail. When she was finished, she asked if she could go into the play area. They were seated next to it with a clear view through the window, so Elena agreed. When she returned from walking Molly into the play area, she slid into the booth across from Damon.
"She's the only one in there, but she's having the time of her life," Damon commented, watching as Molly went down a slide and landed in a ball pit.
"I have nightmares about the germs in those things, but I can't protect her from everything," Elena told him.
"Speaking of protecting her…," Damon ventured. "Matt got a good look at her today. He's an idiot, but he's not completely stupid. He wanted to know where I found the mini me." Elena's eyes narrowed.
"What did you say to him?" she half asked, half demanded. Damon shook his head.
"Nothing aside from 'not now' and 'she's off limits,'" Damon answered. "I'm not worried about him hurting Molly – even he wouldn't stoop that low. I just… Elena, this is bigger than just us. I have a little girl. I'm a public figure. It's going to come out eventually…" His mind was going a mile a minute now that he was thinking about it. Elena reached across the table and rested her hand over his.
"Damon, it's okay," she said gently. "We'll figure it all out as it comes. Honestly, now that you know, I'm not too worried about everyone else finding out, nor about what they think. My only concern now is telling Molly – when the time is right." Damon nods. Her hand slid away, and he found he missed it already.
"We'll take it as it comes," he agreed. He almost asked when she thought the right time to tell Molly would be would be, but let it go for the moment. They still had a lot to figure out. He decided to change the subject. "Molly seems to really like racing," he said.
"She's fascinated by it," Elena told him, watching Molly through the glass. "The cars, the speed, the pre-race show, all of it. Whenever she's at the office, she likes to look through the windows overlooking the shop and just watch everyone working. With my luck, she's going to grow up to be a NASCAR driver."
"And you wouldn't want that?" Damon asked.
"I want her to do whatever is going to make her happy," Elena replied. "I'd prefer if the thing that made her happy was teaching kindergarteners or something like that. It's hard to watch the people you care about hurtling around the racetrack at break neck speeds. And when they crash…" An involuntarily shiver went up her back. Damon had no way of knowing it was his crash at Talladega that played out in her mind as she spoke.
"Well, we have a while before we have to worry about that," he said. He looked through the glass and found Molly climbing through a tube. She spied him and waved happily. He waved back.
"You really are good with her, Damon," Elena said, having watched the exchange. She had the feeling he needed reassurance. He turned back to her.
"I want to be good for her," he admitted. "It's one thing to be good with her. I can play with her and take her to watch races all day long. It's another thing to be good for her." He pursed his lips, but didn't say anything else.
It was another crack in Damon's armor, Elena realized. There was so much she didn't know about him now. She knew nothing about the last four years. She didn't know what was going on in his head now. The restaurant was largely quiet, and Molly showed no signs of being ready to leave the play area anytime soon. She decided to ask.
"How are you doing?" she asked. "With all of this?" She motioned towards Molly. Damon sighed.
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," he admitted. "It's weird to wake up in the mornings and realize 'oh, I have a kid.' Then, I start thinking about all the things I need to do, figure out. At some point, I get angry at you, at my family. After I get angry, I start feeling guilty because I've been selfish and made a lot of bad decisions, and that a lot of this is my fault." He paused to take a swig of what was left of his soda. "Everything is a mess," he confessed. "And I don't know how to fix any of it."
"One step at a time," Elena told him. "That's all you can do. Spending time with Molly today, talking to your father, those are steps."
"I guess so," Damon said. He looked at Molly just in time to see what she was about to do. "Don't you dare!" he exclaimed, already rushing out of the booth.
"Damon… What…? Elena said, startled. Then she saw Molly, standing on the top of the slide, about to run down it. Damon threw the door open. Molly let out a squeal and started to run. She lost her balance and fell halfway down the slide, her small body contorting as she slid. Damon caught her a few feet before the end of the end of the slide.
"Molly!" he exclaimed, pulling the child into his arms. He sat down on the floor and started to check her for injuries. She was crying hysterically, but he didn't see any immediate injuries. "Where does it hurt?" he asked, trying to make sense of Molly's cries.
"Molly!" Elena fell to her knees at Damon's side. "Is she hurt?"
"I don't know," Damon replied. "Molly, what hurts?" Damon tried again. Molly cried harder. "Okay, calm down," Damon said, settling her into his lap. "Take a breath, and tell me what hurts." As concerned as Elena was about her daughter, she was also blown away, yet again, by how easily Damon took to Molly. "Shhh," he soothed. "Tell me what hurts."
"N..no…nothing!" Molly stuttered through her tears. "I scared!"
"Oh, sweet girl," Elena said, reaching out for Molly, her mother's heart breaking at her daughter's cry of being scared by her fall. Molly, however, turned and buried her face in Damon's chest, clutching him tighter as she cried. Elena sat back on her heels, surprised Molly didn't want her. She always wanted her mama when she was hurt or sick. Damon gave Elena a small smile.
"It's okay, Princess," he said to Molly. "You're okay. I've got you." He rocked her gently. A restaurant employee came in and checked to see if things were okay. Elena assured the girl that they were fine and that Molly wasn't hurt, just scared by her tumble. Molly had quieted down, her cries now whimpers in Damon's arms.
"Is she okay?" Elena asked, returning to Damon's side.
"She seems to be," he said. "You okay, Molly?" Molly nodded, still clutching Damon's shirt.
"Molly, you can't run down slides," Elena said gently. "You're lucky you weren't badly hurt." Molly merely nodded and Elena didn't have the heart to lecture her any further.
"You know, I saw a frozen yogurt place just down the street," Damon ventured. "Why don't we get some dessert before we go back to the track?" He looked at Elena for confirmation. She nodded.
"I think that's a good idea."
"All right, let's good, kiddo," Damon said, standing. Elena led the way out of the playground. "Here, Molly, let your mom hold you while I clean off the table."
"I can get it," Elena offered, but Molly was already reaching for Elena. She collected her daughter and rubbed her back as Molly laid her head on her Elena's shoulder. "She's getting sleepy," she told Damon has he gathered their trash.
"Get her some ice cream, and she'll be fast asleep before we get back to the track," Damon predicted. Elena nodded in agreement. She followed Damon through the restaurant, Molly still in his arms, and once outside, she felt him place his hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the frozen yogurt shop. He left it there as they walked down the sidewalk. Elena smiled at him and hugged Molly close.
For the moment, she let everything go.
She let herself pretend they were together, a couple, a real family.
She didn't want the night to end and reality to sink back in.
Bit of a longer update than usual, but I'd say y'all deserved it. We won't be going to every race, given that they happen nearly every weekend in a different place, but I thought we should go to Atlanta, the second race of the season. Up next? Molly's birthday! I've got a bit of that wrote and I don't hate it!
Please let me know what you think!