I just realized this story has more than 600 reviews. Holy whoa. That's incredible. Thank you a million times over. I've been writing up a storm, and can't wait for you to read the next few chapters. That's all I have to say about that... Let's bring some racing back into the story, yes?

Thank you so so much for reading and reviewing!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vampire Diaries.

"Salvatore!"

Damon stopped and turned at the sound of his name. "Elijah," he greeted.

"You're a sight for sore eyes, mate," Elijah Mikaelson responded. "I haven't seen you since Vegas, three weeks ago."

"You have seen me since then," Damon pointed out. "I vividly remember blowing past you at Auto Club last weekend." Elijah snorted and leaned against a nearby toolbox.

"Not my finest race," he agreed. "My car was loose all day, then I lost my transmission."

"Lot of that happening over at the Mikaelson shop this season," Damon commented casually. Elijah made to reply, but then he sighed and shook his head.

"I can't come up with a counter argument for that," he admitted. "We are off to a rough start this season." It was true. Klaus, Elijah, and Kol Mikaelson, along with a fourth driver, Damon's replacement, were struggling. Between blown equipment, getting caught up in accidents, and simply not having the best cars in the field, they were off to mediocre starts, at best. Kol had scrapped a couple of top tens, but that was as good as it got, at least a handful of races into the season. "It looks like Daddy is treating you well back at Salvatore Racing." Damon shrugged.

"I've got good equipment, a decent team." He couldn't complain but so much. He had squeaked out a Top 5 finish at Vegas before getting caught up in a crash at Phoenix the next weekend and finishing 24th, a few laps down and duct tape holding his car together. He had rebounded the previous weekend at Auto Club, racing for the win, only to get loose going into the final lap and lose several positions, finishing 8th. Despite the decent start to his season, something was off. He worked well with Ric as his spotter and Enzo as his car chief. They were two members of his old team. It was Mason, his crew chief, he couldn't quite get on the same page with.

"Really, though. Where have you been?" Elijah asked. "Other than that night in Vegas at the casino, you have been skipping out on us. Hell, you even left that leggy blonde at the bar."

"I've got to keep my nose clean," Damon reminded him. "I've still got seven races worth of probation left from NASCAR and my dad, well, my contract came with a lot of stipulations." It was the easier answer. Elijah raised an eyebrow.

"You sure that's it?" he prodded. "No new family members or reunions with ex-girlfriends?"

"What are you talking about, Mikaelson?" Damon picked up a socket wrench and spun it around in his hand.

"I've heard the rumors," Elijah said. "Admittedly, Donovan is behind a lot of them." It was Damon's turn to snort, this time in disgust. "But, I've also seen the kid. You can't deny her." Damon chewed on his lip, debating on how to answer. Finally, he settled on the truth. As Elijah had pointed out, there was no use in denying it.

"Her name is Molly," he said. "She turned three a few weeks ago. My ex-girlfriend is her mother."

"Molly," Elijah repeated. "She's a pretty little girl." Damon nodded.

"She's perfect," he confirmed. Then he eyed Elijah dangerously. "I will do anything to protect her," he warned his former teammate. "She's innocent. She won't be hurt because of my mistakes." Elijah raised his hands in genuine surrender.

"I'm not taking it to the press, if that's what you're implying," he said. "I won't even take it to my father. I have a little one of my own, remember? I get it, Damon. I really do." Damon had forgotten until that moment that Elijah had become a father just after the race season ended. He still did his fair share of philandering, but had settled down quite a bit since his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Katherine, gave birth. He thought they were currently "on again."

"That's right. A boy, right?" Elijah nodded.

"Elijah James, 4 months old, as perfect to me as your daughter is to you." He grinned. "Listen at us. We've gone soft." Damon chuckled.

"Parenthood," he said with a shake of his head. It still felt like a funny word to associate with himself.

"Parenthood," Elijah echoed. He clapped Damon on the shoulder. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about how things ended with you and the team. I didn't agree with Dad firing you like that, especially right after what happened at Talladega." Damon blew out a breath.

"I had it coming," he said. "I made a lot of mistakes." He paused, reflecting on the last few months. "I'm glad it happened." He left it at that, but he thought Elijah might understand. It wasn't that the last several months had been easy. They had actually been incredibly difficult and times were still tough. But, had the Mikaelsons not let him go, he would have been back in Florida as soon as he was physically able. He was certain he would still be blissfully unaware of Molly. He couldn't imagine a life without her now.

"We should probably suit up," Elijah said. "It's just about time for qualifying."

"Good luck," Damon replied, already turning in the direction of his hauler at the realization that Elijah was right.

"You'll need it," Elijah retorted. Chuckling, Damon walked away. He wasn't sure, but he thought there might just be a spring in his step.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he emerged from the cockpit of his car.

"That son of a bitch!" he erupted, ripping off his helmet. "That son of a bitch!" His eyes flashed dangerously as his crew rushed around him, evaluating the damage to his car.

"Damon, calm down," came his father's voice. Damon whirled to see Giuseppe making his way towards his garage stall at a steady pace.

"Calm down?" Damon repeated indignantly. "Donovan intentionally…"

"Got into your bumper and sent you up the track into the wall," Giuseppe finished. "I know. I saw the whole thing. It was an asshole move. But, you need calm down. There are officials all over the garage and you are still on probation."

"Do you think I give a fu…."

"Damon!"

Elena's voice cut through the noise around him. He turned and spotted her immediately, a reproachful look on her face. Both of her hands were clamped down over Molly's ears, despite the fact that the child was still wearing her pink, sparkly earmuffs to protect her ears from the din of the racetrack, which was muffled to a dull roar in the garage area. She was standing in front of Elena, tears streaking her face, her lip trembling. Damon felt some of the rage that had built up fast and furious over the last ten minutes dissipate.

"Hey…," he greeted lamely, a wave of guilt washing over him as he realized how close Molly had been to seeing a side of him he didn't want her exposed to.

"Molly was watching the race with Samantha on top of Martin's pit box," Elena told him. "She saw you crash and it scared her." She gave Damon a pointed look. He nodded once, already moving towards Molly. He stooped down in front of her and gently pushed her earmuffs back from her ears.

"Hey, Princess," he greeted. "You okay?" Molly nodded, her hand in her mouth as her eyes continued to water. "Did my accident scare you?" Molly nodded again. Damon reached for her hands, taking both in his, even the one covered in spit from her mouth. "I'm okay," he told. "Not even a bump. Sometimes, our cars crash. It's not fun, but we have a lot of stuff that keeps us safe. You don't have to worry or be scared, okay?" Molly nodded one more time. "Come here." He pulled her into his chest and hugged her close. He felt her small arms circle around his neck and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. He was still wearing his fire suit, but he was sure he would feel the dampness of her tears as she cried had he not been. He stood, keeping her in his arms.

"I was at Jeff's pit box when you crashed," Elena told him, her gaze working over him. Damon knew that look. She was looking for injuries. It was a look she had appraised him with many times before, sure her eyes might catch something the infield medics missed. "Samantha texted me that Molly was inconsolable. I tried to tell her you were fine, but I think she needed to see for herself."

"I'm okay," Damon said again, giving Molly another squeeze, his eyes on Elena.

"You sure?" Elena asked. "I mean, I know you've mentioned your shoulder still bothers you. And your leg..."

"I'm sure," Damon said again. "I'm pissed off, but I'm fine." Elena raised her eyebrow and gave him a sharp look. "Sorry," he said with a slight grin. "Donovan has me riled up."

"I think that was the point," Elena stated. "That wreck looked deliberate."

"I agree," Giuseppe said, inserting himself into the conversation. "Unfortunately, its going to be hard to prove. 'That's just racing' will be the argument." Damon opened his mouth to curse, but caught himself just in time.

"Donovan is playing with fire," he said instead. "I'm not going to stand for it."

"Keep your nose clean," Giuseppe warned him. "I'll handle Donovan and his camp." Elena could tell by the set of Damon's jaw that letting his father handle the situation was the last thing he wanted to do. Instead, he huffed out a sigh.

"Fine," he agreed. "But if he does it again…" He trailed off, keeping his less than PG thoughts to himself in the presence of Molly.

"Day-mun?" Molly asked, lifting her head from his shoulder.

"Yeah, Princess?"

"I not like that blue car."

Even his crewmembers let out a laugh at the child's observation. Matt Donovan's car was cobalt blue.

"Me either," Damon stated. "We'll just have to beat him at Texas next week." Molly nodded in agreement.

"Is you car broke?" she asked, peering past him at the damaged vehicle.

"Looks like it," Damon said, turning towards the car to really examine the damage. His right front fender was crumbled in on itself and the entire right side's paint job was gone, his black and red paint scheme left on the section of wall he hit.

"We're going to get you back in it," Enzo spoke up. "There's still a good chunk of race left. Give us a few more minutes and we'll strap you back in." Giuseppe nodded his approval.

"Get in some laps, get some points," he agreed.

"What's the damage?" Stefan asked, walking up to the group. Damon raised an eyebrow at his brother's appearance.

"What are you doing here?" Giuseppe asked, taking the words out of Damon's mouth. "Don't you have a car to worry about?" Stefan sighed and shook his head.

"Jeff's engine blew," he reported. "Everything was going great, we were running up front, and all of a sudden his oil pressure tanked and smoke started rolling from the hood. We're done for the day." Giuseppe let out a frustrated groan.

"Jeff's out, Damon is several laps down, and Martin hasn't been able to make it into the Top 15 all day. Hell of a day for Salvatore Racing." Elena cleared her throat, this time glaring at Giuseppe. He grinned sheepishly, but didn't apologize.

"The garage is clearly no place for a lady," Elena said, stepping forward. "Molly? Damon is going to get back in his car. Why don't we go finish watching the race from Damon's pit box?"

"Okay," Molly agreed. Damon kissed the top of her hair before passing her to Elena.

"I'll send Gigi your way," Giuseppe added. "That way, she can take Molly when the race is over so you can make the press rounds."

"That would be great, thanks," Elena said. "Tell everyone goodbye, Molly." Molly, already back to her usual upbeat self, made a scene out of waving and calling goodbye until Elena pulled her earmuffs back over her ears and exited the shop.

"Damon?" Mason called. "Grab your helmet and get in. We're about ready." Damon nodded.

"Gentlemen," he said, addressing his father and brother. He gave them a mock salute before turning his attention to his car and his team. Giuseppe noticed Stefan watching Damon, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What?" he questioned. Stefan shook his head, the gears still turning. He glanced around for anyone that might overhear before turning to his father.

"Something is off with Jeff's engine blowing like that," he said in the lowest voice he could manage and still be heard over the race on the other side of the wall. "I'm going to have to wait until we're back home to go over it in detail, but I told the crew to just load up the car and leave everything as is. We were running too well and the readings were too good for it to just blow like that."

"What are you saying?" Giuseppe asked, picking up on the suspicious tone in Stefan's voice.

"I'm saying that engine was marked for Damon's car," Stefan answered. "Mason and I agreed to switch things up a few days ago, based on some test data."

"You think someone tampered with the engine?" Giuseppe pressed.

"I don't know," Stefan replied. "But, with Donovan out there pulling stunts like he did today, I wouldn't rule anything out. At least not when it comes to Damon. Donovan has it out for him." The pair traded a grave look.

"Let me know what you find out," Giuseppe ordered. Stefan nodded.

"I will."

Elena opened the garage bay door a few inches and peeked inside. As she suspected, Damon was there, working on his Camaro. If he wasn't with Molly or at a race, he tended to be in that bay, shut of from the rest of the world. She pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside.

"Hey," she greeted, shutting the door behind her. Damon rolled out from underneath car and peered up at Elena.

"Hey," he replied. He sat up, dropped his wrench, and reached for a nearby grease rag. Elena tried not too notice how his plain white v-neck t-shirt, smudged with grease, clung to his chest. She tried, too, to ignore how Damon he looked, a smear of grease on his cheek, his hands filthy, despite his efforts with the rag. Outside of seeing him in his fire suit, this is how she pictured him when she allowed herself to think of him over the years, working on a car, covered in grit and grime.

"The mailman just delivered a copy of ESPN magazine," she said, leaning on the Camaro's fender. "Your interview starts on page 42. It's pretty good."

"I said all the right things, did all the right things?" Damon asked. Elena nodded.

"It's a good piece," she said. "It's pretty short, but I got an email from the writer a little bit ago. They want to talk about doing a more in-depth piece."

"That's good, right?"

"It's really good," Elena confirmed. "You are off to a strong start this season. You have had several good finishes, you are seventh in the points, have kept out of trouble. They like the comeback angle."

Damon wanted to scoff at the fact that he was making a "comeback." He should be in the prime of his career, winning racings and battling for the top spot in the point standings. Instead, he was trying to prove he hadn't wasted away his talent. He knew Elena was working hard to turn his reputation around, however, so he let it go. Instead, he fixed his gaze on her.

"So, what's the real reason you stopped by?" he asked. He knew her too well. They had a standing meeting every Wednesday morning where Elena went over marketing and press obligations for drivers. The ESPN article was nothing she couldn't have waited until the next morning to tell him about. Elena let out a huff at how easily he could peg her and held up a piece of paper he hadn't noticed before.

"Any ideas as to why I got an email today, confirming that the remainder of Molly's tuition for this year has been paid, as well as her tuition for next year?"

"I took care of it," Damon said, standing up from his rolling work bench. Elena sighed.

"Damon…"

"Elena," Damon cut her off, "I know you said you didn't want anything from me. You didn't ask. I offered. Or, rather, I just paid her tuition bill. That's all."

"You can't just plunk down thousands of dollars…," Elena started.

"Why not?" Damon countered, cutting her off again. "It's not like I bought her a pony or a Ferrari. I paid for her education. I know you've been doing it all on your own for the last three years, but you're not alone anymore. I'm her dad. I might not know much about being a parent, but I have the means to be financially supportive."

"I just don't want you to feel obligated…"

"You're not hearing me," Damon broke in, frustrated. "I am Molly's father. I want to be a part of her life. I want to do things like paying for her education. It's not an obligation. It's something I want to do." Damon reasoned it technically was an obligation as a parent to financially support their child, but he wouldn't dare tell Elena that at the moment. Elena blew out a breath.

"Okay," she agreed somewhat begrudgingly. "Just… Talk to be me before you do things like this, okay?"

"Fine," Damon relinquished. He crossed his arms and leaned against the car. "Since we're talking about Molly…" Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" Damon ran a hand through his hair.

"We need to tell her I'm her father," he stated. "It's been almost two months." Elena sighed. The topic was quickly becoming a point of contention. Nothing had changed in the few weeks since her birthday. Molly didn't know he was her father, he was still at odds with his family outside of anything that involved racing, and neither he nor Elena had so much as hinted at the way things had been left between them four years earlier. Everyone wanted to move forward, but no one seemed willing to make the first move.

"We will tell her," Elena promised him. "When the time is right."

"And when will that be?" Damon pressed. "Tomorrow? A week from now? Three years from now?" Elena shook her head.

"Soon," she said. "Just – soon, okay, Damon? Telling Molly you are her dad is huge…"

"It is," Damon agreed. "She deserves to know the truth. "

"She does," Elena agreed. "But, she's also three years old. We can't just spring this on her." Damon sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"We have to figure this out," he said. He didn't put it in words, but Elena knew what he was referring to. Custody agreements. Child support. Everything that came with co-parenting. She didn't want to think about any of it. Things were already complicated enough.

"I know," she admitted. Her phone chimed, reminding her she had a meeting in 10 minutes. "We will tell Molly the truth soon. We will also talk about – everything else." Damon knew the conversation was over, at least for the moment. He nodded.

"Fine."

"We will," Elena said again. The tension between them was steadily growing. She knew it wasn't just that Damon wanted to tell Molly the truth. It was everything left unsaid between them. Damon just nodded. With a sigh, Elena walked away. She was almost at the door when her phone rang. She stopped and read the screen. "Hello?" she asked, walking out the door.

With a shake of his head, Damon went back to work, sliding back under the car. He had just gotten as comfortable as he could on the workbench when the door opened again.

"Damon?" Elena called. He rolled back out from under the car.

"Can't stay away, can you Gilbert?" She spared him a glare before she spoke.

"Molly's school just called. She's sick. She has a fever and a sore throat. Is there any way you can go pick her up? I hate to ask, but your mom is at some sort of community fundraiser meeting and Caroline, your dad, and I all really need to be in this meeting with Martin's sponsor, and I don't know where Stefan is…" She looked frantic as Damon raised his hands to quiet her.

"I've got it," he said. "I just need to wash off the grease, then I'll go get her." Elena nodded.

"Thank you," she said. "Just – bring her back here and I'll see if I can leave early…" Her mind was racing a mile a minute. These were the moments she found single parenting the hardest. Both her child and her job needed her at the exact same moment. Molly won every time, but it was still hard. Damon shook his head.

"I'll take her back to my place," he said. "I know you've got a lot going on. Stay here, get your work done. I'll hang out with Molly."

"She's sick…," Elena started.

"I'll call you when I pick her up," Damon said, cutting her off. "Don't worry, Elena. I'll take care of her." Elena sighed, relenting. She needed to let go, let Damon be a parent, no matter how hard it was for her.

"Okay. Just – make sure you call me when you pick her up. I'm worried…"

"She's okay," Damon said, reaching a greasy hand out to place on Elena's bare forearm. "Don't worry," he repeated. I'll take care of her."

Elena quietly let herself into her house. She hung her bag and coat on a rack by the door, dropped her keys and phone on a side table, and padded into the living room.

"Hey," she said softly, finding Damon on the couch. Molly was sprawled across his chest, sound asleep.

"Hey," he replied, careful not to wake Molly.

"How is she?" Elena asked, sitting down next to Damon. She reached out and rested a gentle hand on Molly's back, her mothering instincts kicking into overdrive at the sight her little girl. Molly was clearly sick, clad in pajamas, her face flush.

"She's been cranky all afternoon," Damon answered. He too had changed out of the old jeans and t-shirt he had been in earlier. He was wearing a pair of loose sweatpants and a Salvatore Racing logo t-shirt now. "I picked up her prescription after we went to the doctor. She had her first dose about an hour ago and it knocked her out."

Damon had never felt more responsible in his life. Upon arriving at Molly's school, he had no doubt that she was sick. She was burning up to the touch, cranky, and just wanted to be held. With a temperature of 101, he knew she needed a doctor. He called Elena, got Molly's pediatrician's name, and took Molly to the doctor, all the while assuring Elena he had it under control. He had gone through the drive thru of their local pharmacy to pick up her medicine, double and triple checked the dosage, and had done whatever he could do to make Molly comfortable and happy for the rest of the afternoon, including asking Elena where her spare key was, figuring Molly would be more comfortable in her own home than his.

"Poor girl," Elena said. "She looks miserable."

"She's downright pitiful," Damon agreed. "I tried to feed her, but she didn't even want a popsicle." Outside, a low rumble of thunder sounded. "Sounds like those storms the weather guy called for are moving in." Elena nodded.

"It's already drizzling. You can see the storm coming in over the mountains." She gave Damon a soft smile. "Thank you for your help today. I couldn't have done it without you."

"She's my girl," Damon said. "I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but as long as she's comfortable, I guess we're okay."

"You're doing just fine," Elena told him. She jumped slightly as another boom of thunder surprised her. Molly squirmed, but didn't wake up. "You really are, Damon." She hesitated for a moment. "I'm proud of you." Damon gave her a bashful smile.

"I needed to hear that," he admitted. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

"A lot of it is instinct," Elena said. She smoothed a hand over Molly's hair, not realizing just how close she was to Damon in that moment. He noticed, however, and tried not to show how much it affected him. "You have always had good instincts." Damon shook his head.

"Maybe I have good instincts," he said, "but I'm not so good at using them." Molly moved again, her chin digging into his shoulder. He winced a bit.

"You okay?" Elena asked. Damon nodded.

"My shoulder is stiff today," he told her. "Between the crash on Sunday, the way I was holding it under the car, and the weather – it's just a little sore. Nothing that won't go away in a day or two."

"We can move Molly," Elena offered. Damon shook his head.

"She's fine where she is." He looked at Elena. "I kind of like being the one comforting her." Elena nodded in understanding.

"My favorite thing is when she decides she wants to snuggle," she admitted. "When she was a baby, it was all the time. Now, it's less frequent, and definitely on her terms, but sometimes she will climb into my lap or sneak into my bed and just want to cuddle. I love those moments. Especially since I know there won't be nearly as many of them as she grows up."

"Molly is always going to need you," Damon said. "You're her mom." Elena looked at him for a long moment.

"Do you still need your mom?" she asked. Damon knew what she was doing. She was trying to bring him around to the idea of working things out with his parents. He hadn't really spoken to his mother since Molly's birthday, and he had only traded work-related sentences with his father and Stefan. He sighed.

"I love my parents," he said. "It's just – hard right now." He had been thinking about it a lot over the last few weeks. A lot of his anger had faded. He was still mad, but at this point, he had realized it was less about anger and more about simply not knowing what to say, where to begin.

"You should talk to them," Elena said.

"I talk to them…," Damon ventured. Elena gave him a look.

"You know what I mean." Damon sighed.

"I know I should," he admitted. "I will, one of these days." Elena pursed her lips, but didn't say anything. It seemed they were all doing their fair share of putting things off with a promise of "I will." Outside, the storm broke in full force.

"Mmmm," Molly whined, stirring on Damon's chest.

"Hey, it's okay," Damon said softly. "It's just a storm."

"How are you feeling, baby girl?" Elena asked, leaning still closer to Damon so she could see Molly's face. The scent of her perfume filled Damon's nostrils.

"I sick," Molly croaked.

"I know, baby," Elena said. "Can I get you anything?" Molly shook her heard no.

"Maybe some soup for dinner?" Damon prompted. "We can make a grilled cheese, maybe have a popsicle for dessert." Again, Molly shook her head no.

"You have to eat something," Elena said. "Chicken nuggets?"

"I'll go to Chick-Fil-A," Damon offered. Elena sent him a look that was somehow both endearing and a glare. The closest Chick-Fil-A was 45 minutes away and the storm was growing in intensity by the minute. Despite his offer, Molly shook her head no.

"No eat," she mumbled. It thundered loudly and she jumped before trying to bury herself deeper into Damon's chest. He tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her hair. "My throat hurts."

"I know it does," Elena replied, making a mental lap around her kitchen as she thought of things to offer Molly. "How about a smoothie? I can make you a strawberry one." Molly lifted her head.

"With nanners?" she asked hopefully.

"I think we have some bananas," Elena said. "Want me to make you one?" Molly nodded. Elena practically sprung to her feet. "You stay here with Damon. I'll be right back."

In the kitchen, Elena leaned on the counter and took a few deep breaths. She had known Damon was at her house, but it had still thrown her to see him sitting on her couch, Molly in his arms. He looked like he belonged there, like he was as integral to the scene in her living room as Molly. It was a vivid reminder of what could have been.

With another deep breath, she set about making Molly's smoothie. She had thought she was over Damon, that she had moved past him after all this time. She was starting to realize that she hadn't moved on, but merely tucked her feelings for him away in the dark corner of her mind while she focused on raising Molly. Now, with him there, being the father she always believed he could be, she was finding it harder and harder to deny that she still had feelings for him.

She turned on the blender and closed her eyes for a few moments. She was exhausted, on top of everything else. She loved Molly. She loved her job. But some days, the hectic schedule she kept caught up with her. Today was one of those days.

Smoothie in hand, she returned to the living room. Molly was still in Damon's lap, but he had turned the TV to cartoons and she was now nestled in the crook of his arm, sucking on her thumb as her head lulled against his shoulder. Elena smiled softly.

"Here's your smoothie," she said, passing Molly the spill-proof cup. "You sure you don't want anything else?" Molly didn't bother answer, just took her smooth and started to sip on it.

"Think she'll be up to traveling tomorrow?" Damon asked. Elena sighed as she sat back down on the couch.

"She's going to have to be," she said. "She will have a couple more doses of antibiotics and hopefully she will get a good night's sleep and be feeling better in the morning."

"Maybe you can come a little later," Damon suggested. "Tomorrow afternoon instead of tomorrow morning. Or, Mom would probably stay back with her." Elena shook her head.

"I'll see how she feels in the morning," she said, not wanting to leave Molly, even with Ginny. Damon nodded in agreement, then looked at her.

"Why don't I order us some dinner?" he asked. "It's been a long day and I don't think either of us are up to doing much past sitting on this couch for a while. You still like that Chinese place near The Grill?" Elena nodded.

"That would be good," she said, accepting the fact that Damon intended to stay for a while without a fight. He had been hanging around a lot lately. "I don't have it in me to cook anything." Damon winked at her as he pulled out his phone.

"I've got it covered."

The next morning, Elena woke up to Molly climbing into her bed.

"Good Morning," Elena greeted sleepily, smiling at Molly as she crawled under the covers and snuggled into the extra pillow. "How are you feeling?"

"Icky, but just a little," Molly answered. Elena chuckled.

"So, you still feel bad, but not as bad as you did yesterday?" Molly nodded in confirmation. Elena reached out and smoothed her messy hair. "Think you're up to riding on an airplane this morning?"

"To da race?" Molly asked. Elena nodded.

"To the race," she confirmed. "We're going to Texas this weekend. And then, we get a weekend off for Easter."

"I wanna go to da race," Molly said. "I like races."

"I know you do," Elena said with a shake of her head. Molly truly was all Salvatore. The little girl rolled over on her side so she could look at her mother.

"Where's Day-mun?" she asked.

"He had to go to his house," Elena answered. "You'll see him today, though." Damon had stuck around until just after ten o'clock the night before, helping give Molly another dose of medicine and tuck her into bed before leaving.

"On the plane?" Molly clarified.

"On the plane," Elena confirmed.

"Will he watch a movie with me?"

"He might," Elena said. "You will have to ask him." She already knew Damon would. It had quickly become something he and Molly did on their flights to races – sit together and watch a movie of Molly's choice. Molly had been disgruntled to learn they were driving to Martinsville the previous weekend instead of flying as Damon wasn't riding with them. She studied Molly for a long moment. "You like Damon a lot, don't you?"

"I love him," Molly answered confidently. "He's my best friend." Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I thought I was your best friend," she teased, not letting on how much her heart twisted with all sorts of emotions to hear her daughter call her father her best friend. Molly shook her head.

"You my best mama," she said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, what about your friend Harper at school? You told me last week that she was your best friend."

"Harper my best friend," Molly said. "Day-mun is my best grown up friend."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Elena said. She held out an arm. "Since I'm your best mama, how about you come over here and snuggle with me for a few minutes before we have to get ready to go to Texas?"

Without protest, Molly slid over to her mother and tucked herself into Elena's side. Elena held her close and breathed in her three year old scent.

It looked like she wasn't the only one in over her head when it came to Damon.

And that thought scared her to death.

It was high time to bring some racing back into this story. Damon is off to a decent start, 7 races in. Martinsville didn't end too well for him, but that was Matt's fault... NASCAR drivers race for points as well as wins. As I've mentioned before, the season ends with The Chase for 16 drivers. To make it into the chase, they look first at wins. If a driver wins, they are in the chase. If less than 16 drivers win throughout a season, they start looking at points. So, Damon needs to win. Or he needs a lot of points. Often, they will put drivers back in their wrecked cards because they can earn points, even when they are laps down, rather than take a DNF (did not finish).

It's all very complicated.

Tension is building between Damon and Elena, both good and bad tension, if you catch my drift.

But, for the next update, we shall go to Texas. At least for a little while.

Please let me know what you think!