Hello! Happy long weekend! And, it seems, happy long update! This version of Damon has quickly become one of my favorite characters to write. He's complex and layered and its so much fun to dig through his psyche. That's why he ends up telling so much of this story - he's fascinating to me, as a writer.

Thank you so so much for your compliments last chapter! For those of you asking for more Molly, I think you will like this chapter - she's very much the star of this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.

"Hello?" Damon called, closing the front door behind him. He heard his mother reply, but it was Molly who appeared in the hallway.

"How is Daddy's girl today?" he asked as he hugged her. He was intentional with his use of "daddy."

"I spend da night wif Gigi and Nonno!" Molly told him, arms looped around his neck as she looked up at him. "Gigi makin' waffles for breakfast."

"Did you have fun?" Damon asked as Ginny appeared in the entryway.

"So much fun!" Molly said.

"What brings you by this morning?" Ginny asked curiously. "You just missed your father." Damon shrugged a shoulder. It hadn't exactly been his intention to arrive after his father left. He merely wanted to catch his mother before she took Molly to school. Regardless, it was still easier to face his parents one on one rather than him against the both of them.

"I heard you had my girl," Damon replied. He released Molly and stood. She still had his hand and was swinging it back and forth. "I haven't seen her in a couple of days." The Richmond race had been on a Saturday night. They had arrived home in the wee hour of Sunday morning and he had spent some time with Molly that afternoon after everyone had slept, but between Molly's dance lesson on Monday and Elena's working late the day before, he hadn't seen her. He missed her. "I thought I might stop by before she goes to school, say hello."

"I not got to go to school today," Molly piped up. "I'm gonna stay with Gigi!" Damon frowned.

"You don't have school today?" he asked. He felt like Elena would have mentioned a school holiday. She was pretty good about keeping him up to date about Molly's school schedule. She did it more out of courtesy, telling him what letter they were learning that week, showing him her art projects, but he appreciated it all the same.

"I's skippin'!" Molly said gleefully.

"You're what?" Damon asked.

"Oh, she's just going to…," Ginny started.

"I's skippin'!" Molly repeated, giving a little excited bounce. Damon eyed his mother.

"You told her she could skip school?"

"Well, I just thought, with everything that's been going on, maybe she could use a day with her Gigi," Ginny stumbled. Damon raised an eyebrow. He had never seen his mother flustered, but he had caught her red handed.

"Did Elena clear this?" he asked. Ginny looked guilty. He shook his head. "She needs to go to school."

"Oh, Damon, she's just a little girl…," Ginny started. Damon held up his hand.

"Mom, no," he said firmly. "She misses enough school as it is with our race schedule. She missed several days when the Gilberts died and a couple of days when she was sick a few weeks ago. I don't want her missing school just because her grandmother decided it would be fun."

"Now Damon…," Ginny tried. Damon raised an eyebrow. Ginny stared him down for several long moments before she finally broke into a grin. "Look at you," she stated. She left it at that, but Damon understood – she was both impressed and surprised that he took a stance opposite her.

"She needs to go to school," he said, glancing down at Molly. She was still holding his hand, but the swinging motion had stilled. She was looking up at him with interest.

"I suppose you're right," Ginny conceded. "Molly, dear, your breakfast is getting cold. You will have to eat quickly. We're already going to be late, and we still need to finish getting you dressed." Molly frowned.

"I not gots to go to school," she stated.

"You daddy said you do," Ginny told her. "Go on to the kitchen and eat, please."

"I not goin' to school," Molly informed them.

"Molly, you have to go to school," Damon said, gently but firmly. "We're leaving for Bristol tomorrow. Today's your last day of school for the week."

"I not…," Molly started.

"Molly," Damon cut her off, stooping back down to her level, "I want you to go eat your breakfast. Then, we will finish getting you ready. Either me or Gigi will drive you to school."

"I not going," Molly repeated. She dropped Damon's hand and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. Ginny stood to the side, curious and content to watch the scene unfold. Molly reminded her strongly of a young boy with raven hair and bright blue eyes she herself had faced off with a time or two in days gone by. "Gigi say I not have ta go."

"I'm your daddy and I say you do." Molly narrowed her eyes.

"No." Damon raised an eyebrow.

"No?" he repeated.

"You not the boss of me," Molly informed him.

"I'm your father," Damon repeated, placing a hand on her elbow. "I want you to go eat your breakfast, and then go to school."

"No!"

"Molly!"

"You not the boss of me!" she shrieked. She tugged away from Damon and ran across the entryway. She climbed the first few stairs and stopped, glaring at him.

"Molly, this isn't a game," Damon said, willing himself to keep his patience. "Let's go eat breakfast."

"I not hungry."

"I'm not asking, Molly." Damon took a couple of steps towards her. She climbed a few more steps in return. He stopped, vaguely comparing the scene to a hostage situation in his head.

"You're not the boss of me!" Molly squealed once more, her voice rising. "Mama and Gigi and Nonno are da bosses! Not you!" Ginny watched as Damon deflated before her eyes.

"Molly…," he started, at a loss for words. It felt like she had slapped him. Ginny decided it was time to intervene.

"Molly Virginia, that is enough," she informed the child. She strode across the entryway with purpose. "You come down those stairs right now." Molly knew she had crossed the line. She stuck her fingers in her mouth and looked guilty as she descended the stairs, stopping on the bottom one. She looked up at her grandmother, both expectantly and with a trace of apprehension.

"I has my breakfast now," Molly said so softly it was hard to hear her.

"You will," Ginny agreed. "But you hear this, missy. When your father," she pointed at Damon, "asks you to do something, you are expected to listen to him, just as you would listen to your mother, me, or Nonno. Now, you apologize to your father for your behavior."

"Mom, she's…," Damon started. Ginny's sharp look quieted him.

"Go on," Gigi prompted, giving Molly a gentle push towards Damon. Molly looked bashful as she stood before him. Damon stooped back to her level.

"I sowwy, Day-mun," she muttered. Damon nodded in response and gave her a hug.

"Go on and eat your breakfast," he said, turning her towards the kitchen. Molly obeyed. Damon stood to face his mother.

"She's a headstrong little girl," Ginny said in an effort to comfort him. "She got that honest."

"She's just like Elena," Damon muttered, glancing in the direction Molly had disappeared. Ginny just smiled in response.

"She's a little girl. Just give her some…"

"Time," Damon finished. "Just give her some time." His frustration was clear. He ran a hand over his face. "Do me a favor? Don't mention this to Elena?"

"Okay," Ginny agreed, studying Damon. She wondered what was going on in his head. She knew from Elena that it bothered him that Molly wasn't referring to him as "Daddy." She understood. She herself had longed for nearly four years to hear her oldest son's voice call her "Mom."

"Make sure she gets to school, okay?" he asked, already headed for the door. Ginny frowned.

"You're not going to stay for breakfast?" she asked. "There is plenty of batter. I will have a waffle hot off the iron for you in just a few minutes."

"I should get to the shop," Damon said, already moving towards the door. "I've got a team meeting…" Ginny knew the Salvatore Racing schedule like the back of her hand which meant she knew Damon's team pre-race meeting wasn't until late morning.

"If you must," she sighed. Damon was at the door when she spoke again. "Did you need something?" she asked. "Besides stopping by to see Molly, of course." Damon swallowed and shook his head. He had wanted to see Molly, but his real reason for stopping by had a lot more to do with trying to move forward with his mother.

"Don't worry about it," he said in a gravely voice. "I'll see you at the airport tomorrow morning." With that, he left the house. Ginny sighed and shook her head with a hint of frustration before joining Molly in the kitchen.

"Can I please has more juice?" Molly asked sweetly, determined to be on her best behavior. Even at her young age, she knew no one wanted to be on Ginny Salvatore's bad side.

"You may," she agreed. She went through the motions of refilling Molly's glass, then sat down across from her with her own breakfast.

"Gigi?" Molly asked a few minutes later.

"Yes?" Ginny looked across the table to find Molly's eyes big, shining with unshed tears. She frowned. "What's wrong, sweet girl?" She was already pushing her chair back to go to her granddaughter.

"Is… Is…," Molly stuttered. In one motion, Ginny was seated in Molly's chair, Molly in her lap.

"Is what, Molly?" she pressed. Molly's lip quivered.

"Is Day-mun mad at me?"

Ginny felt her heart break. She hugged the little girl to her.

"Oh, no, darling, he's not mad at you," she explained. "He loves you, more than you realize." She felt the few tears that trailed down Molly's cheeks and dampened her blouse.

"He not mad?" she asked, her voice muffled by her grandmother's reassuring shoulder. Ginny gently sat Molly upright so she could look at her.

"Sweetheart, Damon loves you," she said. "He's your daddy. He loves you so much. It just – hurt his feelings when you wouldn't listen to him."

"I sowwy," Molly muttered.

"I know you are," Ginny confirmed. "You'll listen to your daddy next time?"

"I listen to Day-mun," Molly said with nod. Ginny kissed the top of her head and returned her to her seat.

"Finish up your breakfast," she said. "We need to get you to school." Molly gasped.

"It show and tell day!" she exclaimed.

"It is," Ginny confirmed. "Your mom said she packed one of the toy ponies you got for your birthday to show." Molly considered this.

"Can I take one of da cars in Nonno's office?" she asked, referring to the matchbox replicas of each and every Salvatore Racing car from over the years that Giuseppe kept in his office.

"Nonno would probably be okay with that," Ginny agreed. "Which one do you want to take?"

"Daddy's," Molly said, going back to her breakfast. "I take Daddy's. "

Elena was absorbed in her work. She found Wednesdays to be her busiest day of the week. She was typically out of the office on Mondays and Tuesdays, but if the week's Cup race fell on a Saturday night, as many of them did this season, she usually ended up in the office Tuesdays. Wednesdays were her last day to get things done before they were on a plane bound for whatever track the schedule took them to next. She finished proofing pre-race reports on Damon and Martin and sent them out to her press contacts. She was in the process of posting them on the Salvatore Racing website when a soft knock on her doorframe sounded. She looked up to find Ginny in her doorway.

"Hi," Elena greeted, returning her gaze back to the screen. "I didn't expect to see you around the shop today." Ginny notoriously kept a full schedule. Wednesday was her community center day.

"That stubborn mule of a man I married called and asked if there was any way I could bring him a sandwich because he just couldn't get away for lunch," Ginny said with a roll of her eyes. "He happened to know I was in the next town over and he is rather fond of a sandwich shop there." Elena chuckled. She knew Ginny was all too happy to bring her husband a late lunch.

"It has been a busy day around here," she said. "The haulers left for Bristol this morning and the last team meeting of the day just wrapped up."

"I would like to know what Giuseppe is thinking, putting that kid in Jeff's car," Ginny stated. "I told him he was insane." Elena pursed her lips to keep from laughing. She had similar thoughts on Giuseppe's choice to fill in for Jeff for the remainder of the season. Eric Johnson was only 20 years old. He was a decent Nationwide driver, but had yet to be behind the wheel of a Cup car. Stefan, too, wasn't thrilled, but he trusted his father's instincts.

"Giuseppe knows what he's doing," Elena said diplomatically.

"That's a very polite way of saying you agree with me," Ginny stated. Elena laughed again.

"Did Molly get off to school okay?" she asked. She had checked in on Molly last night and Giuseppe had regaled her with stories of their night and early morning playtime while they waited for the coffee to brew in the Salvatore Racing kitchen that morning, but she hadn't spoken to Ginny since the night before and knew Ginny would be the one who actual saw to Molly's routine whereas Nonno would be happy to let her stay up too late, eat whatever she wanted, and encourage her to skip school in favor of hanging out with him.

"Well, eventually," Ginny admitted. Elena looked away from her work, suspicious at Ginny's tone.

"Eventually?" Ginny sighed and sat down across from Elena.

"There's something I'm not supposed to tell you," she started. Elena raised an eyebrow. "Damon stopped by this morning."

"Oh?" Elena asked. She wasn't entirely surprised. Damon seemed to be set on reconciling with his family and she had a feeling his mother would be the place he truly started to make progress.

"He said something about wanting to see Molly, but I have a feeling there was more behind his visit," Ginny continued. "But, well, he busted me. I was going to let Molly skip school today and take her with me to my community center meetings." Elena's jaw dropped. Here she had thought Giuseppe was the bad influence. Ginny hurried on. "The ladies just adore her and there has been so much going on lately, that I thought Molly could use a day with Gigi…"

"Ginny, she misses enough school…," Elena started.

"Yes, yes, Damon already put me in my place," Ginny replied with a wave of her hand. "I was rather impressed. He was very firm in Molly needing to go to school, so to school she went."

"What part of this are you not supposed to tell me?" Elena asked skeptically.

"Well, there was an incident with Damon and Molly."

"An incident?"

"You see, Molly was rather set on not going to school," Ginny explained. "And Damon took a firm hand with her. Molly is a headstrong child, just like her daddy was – and still is."

"With Damon and I as her parents, we were pretty much guaranteed a headstrong child," Elena mused. "What happened?"

"Well, after a few refusals to go to school, Molly told Damon he wasn't the boss of her." Elena frowned.

"That doesn't sound like Molly. She's stubborn, but she's not defiant. She usually listens, save for the occasional temper tantrum. Even then, she follows directions, she just does it kicking and screaming."

"It was a bit out of character," Ginny agreed. "She told Damon that you were the boss, and myself and her nonno, but not him. She was determined not to listen to him. It upset him more than he let on. I know you said he is struggling with her not calling him 'daddy' yet. His face fell and the fight sort of went out of him. I think he would have caved and let her stay home if I hadn't intervened." Elena sighed.

"If I had to guess, I would say it hurt him," she told Ginny. "He wants Molly to love him and think of him as her daddy so much. I know he understands that Molly is young and that this is a big change for her, but, well, I think he's going through some personal reckoning right now. Hearing Molly tell him he's not the boss probably hurt him more than it would have under different circumstances."

Ginny didn't ask what Elena meant by Damon and his personal reckoning. Her son was still distant, but she could see the changes in him, the effort he was putting in, not just with Molly, but with Elena as well. Stefan had told her a bit about Damon's attempt at apologizing. She knew he needed to do things on his own terms, but she wanted to do what she could to lessen his burden, even if that was simply ensuring his child went to school.

"He didn't want you to know," she told Elena. "I'm not sure why, exactly, but I thought you should know, as Molly's mother."

"I'm glad you told me," Elena said. "It's her friend Harper's mother's day to pick the kids up from school. She's going to drop her off here in a bit. I'm going to talk to Molly, see if I can work out how she feels about Damon." Ginny nodded.

"I think that's wise," she agreed.

"Damon just wants to be a good father to her," Elena said. "He takes any setbacks with her personally." She had a feeling there was more to it than that. Right now, Molly was the one relationship he felt secure in. While he hadn't been a part of her life at first, he was there now, loving her and doing what he could to make up for lost time. He hadn't hurt her or disappointed her and he wanted to keep it that way.

"He's been wonderful with her," Ginny said. "Who would have thought?" Elena shrugged.

"I knew he could be a good father," she said. "I've always known and believed that. But, even still, seeing is believing."

"He's come a long way in the last few months," Ginny mused. Elena nodded.

"He has," she agreed. That was the absolute truth. Ginny gave her a long meaningful look as she stood to leave the office.

"And you, my dear girl, have everything to do with it."

Elena tried to return to her work, but her attention was elsewhere. Ginny had left an hour ago, leaving her distracted as she thought about Molly's behavior and debated on how to approach it, what to do.

She sharply missed her mother. As much as she loved and trusted Ginny, this was something she would give anything to ask her mother's advice on. It had been Miranda who served as her sounding board and her reference manual, the person she took her problems to, asked for parenting advice. It had been hard enough to be several hours apart instead of a short drive away when they moved back to the east coast, but now that Miranda was gone, Elena truly felt lost. She sighed, trying her best to focus on finalizing the weekend's itineraries, arranging interviews and appearances at autograph booths. She made a post-it note reminder to ask the drivers what song they wanted to use for driver intros at Bristol, a track that liked to do everything on as grand of a scale as possible. The sound of footsteps in the hall made her look away from her work.

"Damon!" she called before she could stop herself as he passed her open door. He backtracked and stopped in her doorway.

"Hey," he greeted. "What's up?"

"I was looking for you a few minutes ago," she told him. "I thought maybe you had left for the day." Damon shook his head and stepped into the office. His plain white t-shirt was wet with stamp and clinging to his well-defined chest, his hair rumbled from his workout, ear buds draped around his neck.

"I went for a run," he told her. "It's beautiful out, so I skipped the treadmill and hit the pavement." He didn't wait for an invitation, sitting down in the chair across from her. "I was going to grab a bottle of water and then work on the Camaro for a while before I go home to pack for the weekend."

"Do you have a minute in that busy schedule of yours?" Elena asked.

"For you? I might even have two." Elena rolled her eyes. Damon had gotten braver over the last couple of weeks, casually slipping in flirty banter. Elena half wondered if he realized he was doing it, but Damon had never been one who did things without purpose.

"I heard Molly was a bit of a brat this morning," she ventured. Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Mom?" he guessed. Elena nodded.

"She said you didn't want me to know." Damon sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Why not? If Molly is acting out, that's something I need to know."

"I don't really know," Damon confessed. "I guess, in that moment, I felt like a failure. Given how much of a failure I've been recently, I didn't want you to think less of me. Not when I'm trying to turn things around." Elena frowned.

"Damon, why would I think less of you? Molly was being uncharacteristically bratty. That's not your fault." Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"Like I said, I don't know. It was just the first thought I had – don't let Elena know our daughter won't listen to me."

"She listens to you," Elena said. "Which is why this morning was so unlike her."

"What do you think is going on?" Damon asked. "Is she rebelling against the whole me being her daddy thing?"

"Well, it's the end of April," Elena began. "We moved back here in the beginning January. In four months, Molly has moved from one coast to another. She was used to seeing my parents almost every day, going to school, doing the same routine. Suddenly, she was in a new home, surrounded by people she knows, but who she only saw a couple times a year. They are suddenly around all the time. She's has a new school. She is on a plane bound for another race track in another state every week. And, most recently, she found out you are her daddy and she lost her grandparents. She's three, Damon. Barely three, at that." Elena blew out a long breath and rubbed her temples, her elbows resting on her desk. "It's a wonder she's only just acting out."

Damon let out a low whistle. "I hadn't thought about everything she's been through in the last few months," he admitted. "We should have waited to tell her I'm her father. That would have been one less thing to burden her with."

"No," Elena said firmly. "Telling her was the right thing. We couldn't keep her in the dark, not when she is already so close to you. It would be wrong to keep it from her any longer."

"Maybe," Damon agreed. "I just hate that she's been through so much. Like you said, she's barely three years old. I just want to protect her, you know? I'm her dad. I want to pull her into my arms and keep her there where she can't get hurt." Elena smiled at him.

"Careful, Damon," she teased. "Someone might overhear you say something like that and accuse you of being a father." Damon chuckled.

"So, what do we do?" he asked. "I'm trying, but I'm new to this. I'm looking to you."

"Well, a few weeks ago, I would call my mother," she said. Her chest squeezed. Damon gave her a small, sympathetic smile. "I don't think it would be a bad idea to talk a counselor. That seems like the responsible thing to do."

"A counselor," Damon repeated slowly.

"I know you and I know you don't like the idea," Elena started. "But, counseling could really do her some good." She looked at Damon. "It helped me." Damon's breath caught in his throat for a moment, taken by surprise at Elena's confession. She had been in counseling.

"When…?"

"After Molly was born," Elena admitted. "I was having a hard time with – everything. I needed someone to talk to. I stayed in counseling until just a few months before we moved back here." She didn't add that she was seriously considering scheduling a phone session with her therapist in California, given everything she had been through lately. She could see the guilt in Damon's eyes, but he didn't address is, choosing instead to shoulder it.

"In a shocking twist, I wasn't snorting my disagreement," Damon said. "More like, the irony of it all. It's been strongly suggested more than once that I go into counseling and I outright refused. Now, I'm sitting here, mind racing, trying to figure out how to find Molly the best counselor possible." Elena smiled at him.

"You really are a good dad, Damon."

"I just don't want to screw her up," he said. "I don't want her to – repeat my mistakes." He didn't say more and Elena didn't press. Whatever Damon was working through, she knew he needed to do it at his own pace, in his own way.

"There's something else…" Damon raised an eyebrow. "After you left, your mom said Molly got upset and asked if you were mad at her. Ginny assured her you weren't, but if you don't have plans this evening, I think it might be a good idea for you to spend some time with her."

"Mad at her?" Damon asked. "Elena, no. Not even close. I didn't even raise my voice…"

"I know," Elena said gently. "She's perceptive. She picked up that you were upset. Her friend Harper's mom is going to drop her off here soon. If you're free, maybe you would want to spend some one on one time with her before dinner?"

"My big plans included a burrito and packing for this weekend," Damon said. "I'll take hanging out with my girl over that any day."

Elena couldn't help but smile. She had fallen for Damon, the edgy up and coming NASCAR driver, as a college student, suddenly seeing him for the man he was becoming instead of the guy she had grown up kicking a soccer ball around with on race weekends from time to time. She had loved that version of him, cocky, a little dangerous, eyes only for her. But this Damon, the Damon as a father, was proving far more attractive than a championship winning Nationwide driver had ever been.

"Want to take her after she gets here and then drop her off with me in time for dinner?" Elena proposed. That wasn't exactly what Damon wanted to do. He hated dropping her off when all he wanted was to be with both of them.

"How about I hang out with her after she gets here and she and I show up at your place around dinnertime with pizza?" he offered. "You have to pack for the weekend, right? It'll save you some time, not to mention trouble." Elena briefly considered the idea of not having to cook and clean up her mess on top of everything else she needed to accomplish.

"I want…"

"Green peppers and pepperoni on your half," Damon finished with a smile. "I know."

"Pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and olives on yours?" Elena asked, smiling back.

"Only way to eat a pizza," Damon confirmed. "Will Molly eat cheese? I'll get her a kid-sized personal pizza."

"She actually likes pepperoni and cheese," Elena said. "Thank you, Damon. I owe you big time for everything you have done for me and Molly over these last few weeks." Damon shook his head in disagreement.

"I told you I wasn't going to push you, but I also told you I was going to make it hard for you to forget I'm here." He winked at her and enjoyed the faint blush that spread over Elena's cheeks. "Harper – she's that weird little red headed kid with the pigtails, right?"

"Damon!" Elena chastised.

"What?" Damon asked, pushing himself out of the chair. "It's how I remember their names. That Eli boy? He's the blonde bowl cut that kept picking his nose when he thought people weren't looking at Molly's birthday party. I don't like him, by the way, just because he's a boy that knows my daughter's name. Oh, and Katie? We shouldn't let Molly play with her. She's a witch in sheep clothing."

"You are terrible," Elena said, eyes twinkling. "And, you are right about Katie. Molly isn't exactly fond of her, but we couldn't not invite her to the birthday party."

"I won't encourage it, but I secretly hope Molly pushes her down on the playground one day," Damon said. "She's bossy and rude."

"I personally hope Molly steals her boyfriend or beats her out for prom queen in high school," Elena countered. Damon shook his head.

"No can do on the boyfriend," he informed Elena. "I'll lock her up Rapunzel style before she dates." Elena rolled her eyes, still smiling.

"Go do – whatever you were going to do. I'll call you when Molly gets here."

"Sure you don't want me to keep you company?" Damon asked, only partially teasing. "I could give you more descriptions of Molly's classmates…" Elena laughed and shook her head.

"Go," she said. "You're distracting me." Damon winked at her as he made to leave the office.

"That's exactly what I intend to do."

"How was school?" Elena asked Molly as she texted Damon that Moly had arrived.

"I learned 'bout the letter Q," Molly answered. She was seated in a chair across from Elena's desk, her legs dangling.

"Oh yeah? What starts with 'Q'?" Elena asked.

"Queen," Molly answered. "And quiet." Elena smiled.

"Very good!" she exclaimed. Molly beamed.

"I has show and tell today," she continued.

"That's right! Did you show your classmates your pony?" Molly shook her head and started rummaging in her backpack. Elena frowned. "Then what did you show them? Or tell them?"

"I showed dis!" she said proudly, holding out her hand. In her palm sat a matchbox replica of Damon's Cup car.

"You showed them Daddy's car?" Elena asked curiously. "Where did you get that from, anyway?"

"It Nonno's," Molly said. "I has to give it back, but Gigi say I can has one of my own." Elena nodded.

"We can get you your own replica of Daddy's car," she said, intentionally calling Damon "Daddy" in hopes that Molly would pick it up. "What did you tell them about Daddy's car?" She was curious as to how Molly had explained the car to her classmates.

"I say it my Day-mun's car and it go fast," Molly said. Elena picked up on how Molly associated the word 'daddy' with Damon, even if she wasn't addressing his as 'Daddy.' "And he win'd when we was at Texas." Elena chuckled at Molly's explanation. "The boys wanted to play wif it but I say no 'cause Nonno not play wif it," Molly added. She had taken Gigi's instructions to be careful with the car and bring it home to Nonno safely very seriously.

"Nonno doesn't play with his cars," Elena agreed. "But, we can get you one that you can play with, okay?" Molly shrugged.

"I like Nonno's cars on the shelves," she said. "I want that."

"I guess we can do that, too," Elena said. It amused her that her daughter was so girly in so many ways, but still harbored a soft spot for racecars. She liked to say it was the Salvatore in her, but she reasoned Molly got her love of NASCAR on both sides. "Daddy will be excited to hear that."

"Daddy will be excited about what?" Damon asked, walking into the office. He went straight to Molly, leaned down, and kissed the top of her head. "How's my girl?"

"Hi, Day-mun," Molly answered almost shyly, even though she beamed up at him. Damon returned her smile and picked her. He knew he hadn't so much as raised his voice at her, but he still felt guilty that she had thought he was mad at her.

"Molly took a matchbox of your car for show and tell today," Elena supplied. "And now she wants a shelf with model cars on it, just like Nonno has."

"Oh, yeah?" Damon asked. Molly nodded and held out the car to him. Damon balanced her in one arm and took the car with his free hand, looking it over. The likeness was incredible, right down to the placement of sponsor stickers. Even though the first model of a car he drove had been produced years ago, it still humbled him to think people were buying replicas of his cars. Like his father, he too had a matchbox model of every car he had ever driven. It was on display in his living room, but he now knew it would have a new home soon. "This is just like mine," he agreed.

"The boys liked it," Molly supplied. "The girls thought it was for boys."

"Girls can race just as well as boys," Damon told her.

"Your Nonni drove racecars," Elena reminded Molly. Molly nodded.

"I gonna drive one, too," she declared. Elena groaned while Damon chuckled.

"You get a couple years older and we'll put you in your first race," he promised.

"Maybe," Elena added. Damon grinned and winked at her, thrilled at his daughter's interest in the sport he loved so much.

"Molly, why don't you and I go hang out and let your mom finish what she's doing?" Damon asked. Molly nodded.

"What we gonna do?" she asked.

"What do you want to do?" Damon countered. Molly thought.

"Can I see da cars?" she asked.

"Of course," Damon agreed. He put Molly down and passed the car back to her. She returned it to its safe place in her backpack.

"Keep an eye on her, Damon," Elena warned. "I know most of the crew members have already left for Bristol with the haulers, but they might have left a grease pit open or tools laying out…"

"She'll be fine, Elena," Damon told her firmly but gently. Elena gave him a small, guilty smile. She knew she could trust him, especially with Molly. He offered his hand to Molly. "Let's go, Princess." He led Molly down the hall and took the elevator to the floor below, instead of the stairs, taking Molly into account.

It was slow going around the shop. While a number of cars were on the road to Bristol, there was still plenty for Molly to see. Shells of cars being built out for upcoming races. The cars they ran the previous week. She even had an up close view of one of their Camping World trucks that had crashed the previous week. Molly was full of questions, asking them faster than he could answer. He smiled the whole time, enjoying the chance to bond with her.

"You want to see the car I'm building?" Damon asked as they rounded the corner near his closed off garage bay.

"Is it a racecar?" Molly countered.

"Well, not really," Damon said. "It's a Camaro though, like my racecar. Except I can drive this one of the road when I finish it." Molly had asked if they could go for a ride in one of the racecars, but he had explained why racecars weren't allowed on the road. He opened the door and let Molly enter the bay in front of him. He stood and watched as she walked around the car, looking at it curiously. He grinned to himself at her serious expression.

"It not got wheels," she observed. "And its color is ugly." Damon laughed outright.

"It will have wheels on it in time," he promised her. "And, when everything else is finished, I'm going to paint it."

"What color?" Molly asked.

"Blue," Damon told her. Molly made a face. "What? You don't like blue?" Molly shook her head.

"I like pink," she declared. Damon made a face mimicking the one she made.

"We will paint your racecar pink one day," he promised. "But, we will paint my car blue." Molly shrugged and stood on her tiptoes. She could just barely see through the car's window.

"You got no seats," she informed him. "Or steering wheel." She looked at him very seriously. "Or windows." Damon laughed again and scooped her up into his arms.

"All in good time, Princess," he told her. She did have a point, however. He had built an engine, transmission, and a few other parts, all of which were scattered around the room, but it was time to start assembling things under the hood. "You aren't impressed by Daddy's Camaro, are you?" Molly shook her head.

"That not a car," she informed him, pointing at the shell. He threw his head back laughing. He gave her a hug.

"I told your mom I would pick up pizza on our way to your house. We should probably get going."

"My backpack in Mama's office," Molly replied.

"I'm sure your mom got it, but I'll check, okay?" Molly nodded.

"Text her," she said. Damon chuckled again.

"You are too smart for your own good," he informed her. "I'll text her. But, before we go, let's sit down and talk for a minute." He took a seat on an overturned milk crate, Molly in his lap. "I want to talk about what happened at Gigi's this morning." Molly's demeanor instantly changed. Her bottom lip poked out as she gazed at her hands in her lap.

"I sowwy," she nearly whispered. "I not nice at Gigi's."

"Hey," Damon said, gently placing a crooked finger under her chin and raising her gaze to his. "It's okay. Sometimes we have bad days and we get a little cranky. I just want to make sure you know that I'm not mad at you. I never was. And I also want to make sure you know I love you to the moon and back."

"Gigi say you not mad," Molly said, some of her perk returning.

"I wasn't and I'm not," Damon said patiently. "But, Molly, I am your father. I know I haven't always been around, but I want you to respect me the same way you respect your mom."

"I has to listen to you," Molly said. Damon nodded.

"Yes," he agreed. "Listening to me and your mom is good. We want what's best for you. We love you and want to keep you safe, but we also want you to grow up to be good and kind."

"I gonna drive racecars when I grow up," Molly informed him. Damon smiled.

"You probably are," he agreed. "You're a Salvatore and a Gilbert. Driving is in your blood." He brushed a few stray pieces of hair from her face. "Think you can give Daddy a hug?" he asked. Molly practically flung herself at him and wrapped her small arms around him. He hugged her back. "I love you, Molly." Molly squeezed him tighter.

"I love you too, Day-mun," she replied, her head on his shoulder.

Unshed tears burned at his eyes. She hadn't called him "Daddy," but she had said she loved him and that was almost as good.

Molly is acting out a bit, huh? About time, really. I also liked that flirty banter between Damon and Elena. A few of you picked up in the last couple of chapters that there are hints of the "old" Damon and you're right. His swagger is coming back.

Next chapter, it'll be back to racing. Stay tuned - its a bit of a doozie.

Please let me know what you thought!