I have a confession to make. I haven't watched Vampire Diaries, save for a scene here, maybe an episode there, since halfway through season 5. Even so, I HATE the storyline unfolding right now. So, hopefully, some Delena here will at least - lighten the blow? Maybe? I don't know... But here's to hoping!
Thank you so so so much for your reviews! I was so tired when I posted the last chapter. I went to bed, woke up to dozens of emails, and was quite confused and sure something big had happened at work and I'd slept through it. Nope. No crisis plans to worry about - just you wonderful people blowing up my notifications! Please, keep it coming!
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.
The next week passed in a blur. They spent another full day in South Carolina, Elena tying up as many loose ends as she could in the time she had, before they flew back to Mystic Falls on the Salvatore Racing plane. Damon had spent most of his time at Elena's, occupying Molly and doing what he could to ease Elena's burden as she made funeral arrangements and dealt with things like life insurance and death certificates.
The day of the funeral dawned dreary and cool for mid-April. It was fitting, Damon thought, as he held the door of his SUV for Elena. Molly was already strapped into a car seat in the back, all three of them clad in black. Elena whispered a thank you as she slid into the passenger seat.
He drove them to the church in silence. Even Molly was quiet, picking up on the somber mood from the adults. They arrived at the church first, as Elena wanted. Damon parked and gave her a questioning look. She simply nodded and together, they got out of the SUV. Elena took Molly from the car seat, placed her on the ground, smoothed out her dress, and fixed her bow. The child held both of their hands as they climbed the church stairs. Once inside, Elena stooped to Molly's level.
"Molly, do you remember how I told you Nonni and Pappi have gone away?" she asked. Damon heard her voice crack. He stood aside, letting them have their space. Molly nodded.
"Dey in Heaven wif Jesus," she said.
"That's right," Elena confirmed. "But, their bodies are still here and when we go into the sanctuary, they will be there. They are going to look a little different, but they are still your Nonni and Pappi. Okay?" Molly only nodded. Elena hugged her daughter close, then picked her up. Damon remained in the back of the sanctuary as Elena and Molly said a private goodbye to Miranda and Grayson Gilbert. He gazed out the window for several minutes, until the first car pulled into the parking lot. It was, of course, his parents, along with Stefan and Caroline. He slipped into the sanctuary and quietly joined Elena and Molly. Elena was openly crying and Molly had tears rolling down her cheeks as she clung to her mother.
"Come here," Damon said gruffly. He enveloped them both in his arms. It bolstered him to feel Elena lean into him, as though she needed his support. He gave them a few moments before squeezing them once more and letting go. "My parents just got here," he said. Elena nodded and wiped at her eyes with a tissue held in her free hand.
"We should greet them," she said. Damon reached for Molly. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, feeling like his own father in that moment, and dabbed at Molly's tears.
It was a beautiful funeral. All of Mystic Falls turned out, along with a number of people from the NASCAR community. Miranda and Grayson were beloved in the town, even if they hadn't lived there in several years. Miranda was the granddaughter of a racing legend, her father a driver, and she herself a driver and advocate for women in the sport. Elena stood and gave a eulogy and in that moment, Damon was sure she was the strongest person he knew. She had lost first her brother and now her parents and through it all, had been raising a beautiful, smart, kind little girl. He hugged Molly to his side, overwhelmed with love for her and her mother.
After the funeral and burial, Elena received people at her home. There was a steady stream of visitors, paying their respects, bringing casseroles and baked goods. Ginny took over, coordinating the food she had thought to have catered for the mourners while storing the dishes brought by others. Giuseppe entertained the men, while Stefan mingled and Caroline stayed closed to Elena. Damon stuck to the shadows, never far from Elena and Molly, speaking politely to those who addressed him, but largely keeping to himself.
He couldn't help but think of his own parents. Things were such a mess between them. In the wake of the Gilberts' deaths, he had realized it could have been his parents. His parents could leave Elena's tonight and never make it home. That was the way the world worked. He didn't think he could live through it if he lost them while their relationship was in shambles. He had already lost so much time with them. He had to make moves, apologize, repair the bridges he burned. He couldn't keep waiting.
Slowly, the mourners trickled away, leaving just Molly, Elena, and the Salvatores. Stefan and Caroline left shortly after, a pregnant Caroline exhausted after a day on her feet, promising Elena she would be back in the morning. He suddenly didn't know how to act, alone with his parents and Elena, so he excused himself, citing that Molly needed a bath and her pajamas. When he came back down the stairs a half hour later, Molly in his arms, he found Elena alone in the living room, still in her black dress.
"She's all clean," he announced, depositing Molly on the couch beside Elena. "No more smudges of chocolate to be found." Molly giggled.
"She certainly had her fair share of baked goods today," Elena said. She had to smile, despite how exhausted she was. Damon had gotten the bath time routine down, but he was still lacking in the hair arena. Elena ran her hands through Molly's dark strand, gently untangling them. It would be a nightmare to brush in the morning.
"She was spoiled rotten," Damon agreed, settling down on the other side of Molly. He looked at Elena. "How are you doing?" he asked. "Tell the truth." Elena sighed.
"I'm exhausted," she admitted, letting her head fall back on the couch. "I needed today. It was closure. It still hurts. It hurts so much. But, I needed today to say goodbye. Tomorrow, I'll just – take it as it comes."
"That's all you can do," Damon replied. "One day at a time, one step at a time."
"Can we watch a movie?" Molly piped up.
"Pick one," Elena agreed. Molly leapt from the couch.
"Please not Frozen," Damon muttered. "Please not Frozen." Elena chuckled softly.
"My guess is Cinderella," she muttered back as Molly dug through a selection of blu-ray cases. "Caroline took her to see the live action version a couple of days ago and now she is obsessed."
"What you mean is Caroline used our kid to see a princess movie," Damon replied. Elena laughed again, making Damon smile. Moments later Molly emerged with a movie in hand.
"Cindy-rella!" she announced.
"Told you," Elena said as Damon pushed himself off the sofa to start the movie.
He returned to the couch, Molly once more tucked between them. They barely made it thirty minutes into the animated film before both Molly and Elena were asleep. Hearing his parents moving around in the kitchen, he carefully extracted himself from where Molly was laying half on him, half on Elena. He pulled the throw from the back of the couch and covered them both. In the doorway, he stopped and leaned against the frame, watching them. He was so absorbed that he didn't hear his father approach.
"The kitchen is almost clean," Giuseppe said. "Your mother is handling the last of the dishes and she managed to put most of the casseroles and baked goods away."
"Thanks," Damon said, sparing his father a glance before reverting his eyes back to Elena and Molly. "You and Mom have been a big help today." Giuseppe clapped Damon on his shoulder.
"I would say it was you who has been a big help," he countered. "All week long, going to South Carolina with the girls, staying here, taking care of Molly, helping Elena. You have really stepped up. I'm proud of you for how you have handled everything."
"Elena needed someone," Damon said. "I was here. I wasn't going to let her go to South Carolina alone as upset as she was and someone needed to get Molly back and forth to school this week. I just did the responsible thing." His gaze was still on Elena and Molly. Giuseppe looked at them and back at Damon.
"You love her."
"Molly is everything to me," Damon answered. "It's been less than three months since finding out about her, but I couldn't love her more if I tried." Giuseppe smiled.
"I know you love Molly," he said. "But, I was talking about Elena." Damon pursed his lips.
"I never stopped," he admitted, deciding to be truthful. "Despite everything." Giuseppe nodded.
"I know," he said. "Why do you think I brought them back here?" Damon whipped his head towards his father just as Ginny called from the kitchen. "The lady calls." Giuseppe turned to go to his wife.
"Hey, Dad?" Damn called after him. Giuseppe stopped several steps down the hall. There was so much Damon wanted to say. He settled on simple. "Thank you." Giuseppe smiled at his son, understanding, and nodded.
"You're doing just fine, Damon," he said. "Just hang in there." He continued towards the kitchen and Damon decided to follow, thinking the trash would need taking out and he could use a snack.
Neither he nor Giuseppe knew Elena heard everything.
Elena took a deep breath before descending the stairs. She could hear Damon and Molly in the kitchen, chattering away as the sound of bacon frying filled the air. She could smell coffee as well. Her stomach let out a little growl. She hadn't eaten much over the last week, despite the ever constant stream of Ginny's home cooked meals and neighbor's best casseroles.
"Good morning," she greeted, entering the kitchen.
"Morning," Damon replied, glancing over his shoulder as he focused on the pancakes he was flipping. He was wearing pajama pants and a white t-shirt. Elena knew if she walked into the living room, she would find the blanket and pillow he used the night before neatly folded on the end of the couch.
"Mornin' Mama," Molly chirped. She was standing on a chair at Damon's elbow.
"Good morning, baby girl," Elena said. She leaned down to kiss the top of Molly's head. "Smells good," she added, leaning on the counter.
"Bacon, eggs, and pancakes," Damon answered. "Molly's pick."
"Molly picked well," Elena said. Damon winked at her.
"There's coffee if you want some," he said. "I know there's plenty of casseroles and food, but I thought you might want something besides shepherd's pie for breakfast."
"I'm going to take most of that food to the shelter today," Elena told him as she poured herself a mug of coffee. "We don't need it. But, I'm keeping Mrs. Fletcher's cheesecake."
"Good call on the cheesecake," Damon agreed. Elena stirred some sugar and cream into her coffee and mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do.
"Molly, can you run upstairs and play with your dolls for a few minutes? We will call you when breakfast is ready." Molly frowned while Damon looked on curiously.
"I helpin' Day-mun," she stated.
"I need to talk to Damon about grown up things for a few minutes," Elena countered. "Go upstairs and play with Samantha, please." Molly looked ready to put up a fight.
"You have been such a big help with breakfast," Damon said, stepping in. "It's almost finished, and there is really nothing else to help with. Listen to your mom and run on upstairs, okay?" Molly glared at him for a moment.
"Molly," Elena said in a stern, warning voice. The child let out a dramatic huff and climbed off the chair. In true Molly fashion, she stomped all the way up the stairs.
"Someday, that stomping is going to be followed by the slamming of a bedroom door," Damon stated.
"Probably sooner rather than later," Elena agreed before turning to Damon. She took a deep breath. "Damon, I think its time to tell Molly the truth." Whatever Damon had expected Elena to say, it hadn't been that. The spatula in his hand fell to the stovetop.
"What?" he asked, caught off guard.
"I want us to tell Molly," Elena said again. "I think its time."
"Really?" Damon asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. Elena nodded.
"You have been wonderful, not just over the last week or so, with everything with my parents, but really since you found out about her. It was rocky at first, but, well, you are a natural, for a lack of better word."
"You want to tell Molly…" Now that Elena was onboard with telling their daughter he was her father, he was suddenly terrified. How would Molly take it? Would she understand? Was it too soon?
"It's your call as to when we tell her," Elena said, picking up on his anxiety. "I'm ready whenever you are." For a moment, Damon considered telling her they would wait a little longer. It would give him time to work out what he wanted to say. Except, he had thought about telling Molly for weeks. He wanted her to know. Ready or not, it was time.
"Okay," he said slowly. "Let's tell her."
"Let's tell her," Elena echoed. Damon took a deep breath, picked up his spatula, and flipped his pancakes just before they burned.
"How do we do this?" he asked. "When? Like, is one time better than the other? What do we tell her?"
"We can tell her whenever you want," Elena said patiently. "You can take her out for ice cream and tell her one on one…" Damon was already shaking his head.
"I want you there," he said. Elena nodded.
"Then we will tell her together," she agreed.
"I liked that ice cream idea," he said. "How about we take her to that frozen yogurt place near The Grill this afternoon and then maybe walk over to the park?" It felt like they were planning a covert mission. Elena nodded in agreement.
"After her nap."
"After her nap," Damon repeated, reasoning that gave him about six hours, give or take, to figure out what to say. He slid the last of the pancakes onto a plate. "Breakfast is ready."
Damon was quiet as they walked towards the park, Molly between them. Elena held her cup of frozen yogurt, and Damon held her hand. Her Samantha doll was securely in her arms. Elena glanced at him occasionally on the short walk, wondering what was going on in his head.
He had left shortly after breakfast, citing the need to go home and shower. Elena knew he really just needed some time to pull himself together as he had practically moved in over the last week, showering at her place, making meals, even cleaning. She herself had spent the rest of the morning and all of the early afternoon trying to figure out how to tell Molly, trying to guess at what Molly's questions would be, and determine what would happen next. Frankly, it was a relief to think about something besides the loss of her parents and all the loose ends that still needed to be tied up with their estate.
Damon led the way to an empty bench. Once Molly was settled, Elena handed her the cup of frozen yogurt and sat down beside her. Damon did the same on Molly's other side. For a few minutes, all three focused on eating their frozen yogurt. Elena broke the comfortable silence by taking a deep breath. She looked at Damon for confirmation and he nodded, a nervous glint in his eye. Elena responded with a single nod of her own before turning to Molly.
"Molly? Damon and I have something we want to talk to you about." Molly looked at her mother, still shoveling her frozen yogurt into her mouth, making a mess as she went.
"Is I gettin' a pony?" she asked. Elena chuckled and heard Damon do the same. Elena shook her head.
"No, sweetheart. No pony. This is a pretty big thing we are about to tell you. We both want you to know that we love you and you can ask us any questions you might have, okay?" Molly nodded.
"Okay, Mama." Her legs dangled from the bench, her dress spread neatly around her. Damon though of how innocent she looked in that moment, in her dress and bow, eating her ice cream. He would always picture her like that – as the petite little girl who insisted on wearing dresses and bows every single day, even when she was tumbling in the grass of the infield with the kids of other NASCAR drivers.
"Molly, do you remember what I told you about your daddy?" Elena asked her.
"You say he loves me very, very much, even if he's not wif us," Molly answered. Elena nodded.
"That's right," she agreed. Damon felt another wave of gratitude that Elena had told Molly her father loved her. She could have easily told Molly he wanted nothing to do with her.
"Well…" Elena started before faltering. She was at a loss as to what to say next.
"Molly, what your mom is trying to tell you is that, well, I'm… I'm your daddy," Damon said, stumbling through the revelation. Saying it, to Molly, he realized, made it feel very, very real. Molly turned swiftly and looked at him.
"You my daddy?" she asked. Damon nodded.
"I am," he confirmed. "And what your mom told you is completely true. I love you, so much. I know I wasn't with you for a while, but I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere." Elena reached up and wiped tears from her eyes. Molly turned back to her mother.
"Is Damon my daddy?" she asked, looking for her mother's confirmation. Elena nodded.
"He is," she replied. Silence fell between the three of them for several long moments. "Molly?" Elena prompted. "What do you think about Damon being your daddy?" Molly shrugged.
"I not know," she said.
"Do you have any questions?" Damon asked.
"Um…" Even at just three years old, Molly could tell she was supposed to have questions. "Why is Day-mun here now?" Elena looked to Damon to answer.
"I was in Florida for a long time," Damon answered patiently. "You remember the first race you went to? In Daytona? That's where I was living. And you were all the way in California, which is a really long ways away from Florida. I was really – busy – and couldn't be with you and your mom. But then, I moved back to Mystic Falls and so did you and your mom. So, now that we all live in the same place, I can be here for you."
It was an extremely simplistic answer, but it was the best way Damon knew to explain without telling her the full truth, the truth she was too young to hear. Someday, she would find out about how he spent the first few years of her life, but he could only cross one bridge at a time.
"Okay," Molly answered simply.
"Anything else?" Elena asked. She had expected more questions, more explanations. Molly was an inquisitive child and Elena had thought about and Googled every sort of question could think of. Molly looked from her mother to Damon and back again.
"Do I has to call Day-mun daddy?" she asked her mother. Again, Elena deferred to Damon. She saw his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed hard. He had never said it, but she knew him and she knew he wanted her to call him "daddy."
"I would like for you to call me daddy," Damon answered carefully. "But, you don't have to. You can call me whatever you want."
"I can call you Day-mun?" Molly clarified. Damon nodded.
"If that's what you want." Molly just nodded and put her empty cup down on the bench.
"Can I go play now?"
"You sure you don't have anymore questions?" Elena prompted.
"Nope," Molly said, squirming in place. "Can I play? Please?"
"Yeah," Damon agreed. Her attention span was gone. There was no use in fighting it. "Go on." Molly was off like a shot, racing towards the playground. Damon sighed and leaned back on the bench, his frozen yogurt barely touched on the bench next to him. "So, that was that."
"She's three years old," Elena reminded him. She didn't know what he expected, but Elena could tell it hadn't gone as he thought it would. "It's going to take more than a few minutes for her to understand that you are 'daddy.'"
"I know. I guess I just expected her to be – more excited or have more questions or – something. She just said 'okay' and ran off to play."
"She's three years old," Elena said again. "She's just a little girl, Damon. She will have questions, eventually. We will answer them as they come. And, when she's ready, she will call you daddy. You just have to give her time, build your relationship with her. She already adores you. I bet, sooner rather than later, neither of you will remember a time when she didn't call you daddy."
"I just want to do this right," Damon admitted. Elena gave him a small smile and nodded.
"I know you do." She took a breath, her mind suddenly made up. "Damon, I heard what you said to your father last night." He looked at her sharply.
"What did you hear?" he asked. There could only be one thing she overheard that would have her bring it up now. Elena swallowed back her nerves.
"Well, everything," she said. "I woke up when you pulled the throw over us. But, I was referring to what you said to Giuseppe – about still," she paused, "being in love with me." Damon sighed and ran a hand over his face. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, but looked at Elena.
"I'm not going to deny I said it," he told her. "No use, as you overhead anyway. But more than that, I've lied enough – to you, myself, my family. I do still love you. I never stopped." He took a breath. "And I know that it isn't enough." Elena felt a pang in her chest.
"Damon…" Damon shook his head and sat upright.
"You don't have to say anything," he said. "I don't expect you to return the sentiment. Not after all this time, after everything that has happened between us." Elena sighed and turned to him.
"I still have feelings for you," she confessed. "But, Damon, I can't… Not right now." Damon looked at her, hardly believing his ears. She still had feelings for him. Even if she couldn't act on them right now, it gave him a sense of hope that maybe, one day, they could find their way back to one another.
"I understand that," he said. "I'm not going to push you." He pursed his lips. "But, Elena, I'm not going to make it easy for you to forget I'm here. I'll give you time, space. But, I'm going to be here, doing everything I can to prove to you I'm not the same guy I was back then. And, when you're ready, we will talk about everything. For now, I'll settle for what we have." Elena gave him a tentative smile.
"Which is?" Damon returned her smile.
"We're friends."
"Friends," Elena repeated. She nodded. "I like that."
So, a lot happened there, huh? A funeral, Damon basically tells Elena he still loves her, they tell Molly... Remember, Molly is only three And barely three at that. She doesn't fully understand what she's being told. I've written some stuff about Molly that I'm really loving. I can't wait for you to read it!
Please let me know what you thought!