SO. I got a little bored at work the other day and I googled my FF name... Holy moly, y'all! It was crazy to see you all saying such great things about this story on TVD forums, the actors' forums... Seriously blew my mind. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Just, thank you. I know I only manage about one update a week, but i am so thankful for you all and use this as my time to tell you as much. THANK YOU!
Now - how about a bit of - fluff?
Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries.
Damon cursed as his screwdriver slipped from the screw he was trying to remove. "Piece of junk," he muttered, fitting the screwdriver back to the screw. He turned the tool and again, it wrung off, leaving the screw in place. He cursed again, this time a bit more passionately.
"Sounds like things are going well in here." He turned to find Elena leaning against the doorframe of the garage bay. He gave her a guilty sort of grin as he sat on a milk crate in front of his Camaro's transmission, screwdriver in hand.
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked. He put the tool down and reached for a grease rag.
"Long enough to hear you cuss that screwdriver at least three times," Elena retorted, taking a couple of steps into the garage bay. Damon wiped the grease from his hands as best he could before standing.
"The damn screw is stripped," he said. "I'm going to have to either get a dremel or try to drill the head off." He thought about it for a moment. "I'll get Stefan or Enzo to do it. Both of them have stripped enough screws in their lives to know how to manipulate it." Elena just shook her head fondly. "What brings you by, beautiful?" he asked, moving towards her. Elena shrugged.
"I had a few minutes of free time," she told him. "I thought I would stop by, say hello." Damon reached for her. She stepped back. "Oh no. You are covered in grease." He smirked.
"A little grease never stopped you before." He took another step towards her. She took another step back.
"No," she warned him, holding her hand up. "Don't you dare." His smirk grew.
"Any of those conference calls using video conferencing?" he asked.
"No…" Elena took another step back, her eyes on him. He took another step forward in response.
"Then no one around here will mind if you get a little dirty." He lunged for her. She squealed and tried to dodge him, but he was quicker. Before Elena realized what was happening, he had her in his arms.
"Damon!" she protested, trying to wiggle away from him, even as she laughed. He just held her tighter.
"The longer you fight it, the longer I'm going to keep you here," he told her, smiling down at her. Her eyes were twinkling as she looked up to him.
"You're getting me filthy," she informed him.
"Grease always has looked good on you," Damon told her. He leaned down and pecked her lips. "Besides, a little bit of dish detergent and some cornstarch will get that right out of your clothes." Elena rolled her eyes.
"God bless your mother for putting up with you Salvatores all these years."
"She is, in fact, a saint," Damon agreed. He smiled at Elena. "Hey."
"Hey," Elena replied, returning his smile. He leaned down and kissed her soundly.
"God, I love being able to do that," he said once he came up from air.
"You are rather good at it," Emma confirmed. She stood on her tiptoes and pecked his lips once more. Now that she had decided to give him a chance, she found she felt lighter. She liked kissing him, feeling his arms around her. It felt right in every sense of the word. "I actually did have a reason for coming down here."
"Let's hear it."
"You know how the race at Kansas is sponsored by Spongebob Square Pants?"
"Dumbest thing I ever heard of," Damon muttered under his breath. Elena raised her eyebrow in warning, but the smirk on her face betrayed her sternness. Nickelodeon's foray into NASCAR was raising a few interested eyebrows, but in a sport driven by sponsorship, everyone was content to let it happen.
"Regardless of your feelings, Nickelodeon has asked that your car be one of the four carrying their Spongebob character paint scheme for the weekend." She waited, watching with amusement as Damon processed what she told him.
"You are saying they want me to trade in my black and red Rugged Mountain color scheme for a cartoon character?" he asked.
"Yep. They are paying Ragged Mountain for naming rights to your car this weekend, there is a bonus for you, all sorts of things. I know it sounds silly, but it is a big deal. They picked four of the best drivers on the circuit. Your dad is very excited about it all."
"There is going to be a cartoon character on my car," he stated. As a high profile racecar driver, he sometimes found himself in the middle of situations he would prefer not be in when it came to publicity. He just wanted to drive. Still, he did it with a smile on his face as he knew it came with the territory.
"There is," Elena confirmed.
"Will it at least be Spongebob?" he asked. Elena grinned broadly.
"Patrick," she said. "You are getting Patrick."
"Oh, good. Ric in cartoon form." Elena laughed outright.
"Look at it this way, not only will you be getting a lot of great publicity, you will have one very excited little girl when she sees your car.' Damon groaned.
"My car is going to be pink," he stated. Elena nodded.
"It is," she confirmed. "Molly will be the happiest little girl in Kansas. And, I think that car will look really good under the lights Saturday night."
"The things I do for my kid and my job," he said. He reached out and took Elena's hand. "What kind of bonus are we talking about?" Elena shrugged.
"Something like $25,000," she said. "I have to double check the details."
"Well, you and Dad know what to do with it." Elena smiled at him.
"You know you don't have to send every bonus to the NICU, right?" she asked. "It's okay to, I don't know, buy yourself something ridiculous or invest it, or something." It was part of Damon's contract that he received a substantial bonus each time he won. He had quietly donated his bonus winnings from both Texas and Talladega the local hospital's NICU. He shook his head.
"I don't need it," he said. "That money is doing a lot more good at the hospital." Elena's response was to stand on her tiptoes and kiss Damon's cheek. She knew he donated his bonuses as a way of trying to make up for not being around for Molly, a way to make it up for himself. "Got time for lunch?" he asked. "I know you said you were between conference calls, but we can make it quick, maybe go find that barbecue truck Dad turned me on to."
"As much as I would love that, I actually have to be at Molly's school soon," she said. Damon frowned.
"For what?" He raked his brain, trying to remember if there was a program or an assembly or something he was supposed to attend.
"They are having their Mother's Day tea early," she answered. "It's only Wednesday, but I have a sneaking suspicion that her teacher made it today so Molly could participate before we go to Kansas tomorrow."
Damon did his best to cover up his realization that Sunday was Mother's Day. That was the reason they were racing on Saturday night this weekend – to free up Sunday for drivers to be with their families. He had completely forgotten about the holiday. It had been four years since he so much as bought a card.
"I'm sure she will be excited," he said. Elena nodded.
"It's all she could talk about on the way to school this morning." Damon smiled. He hadn't intended to stay at Elena's the night before, but they had fallen asleep on the couch together and had been woken up by Molly climbing in between them that morning. She hadn't asked any questions, other than asking to snuggle with them, so they had obliged, cuddling together on the couch until they had to get up and start the day.
"Are you bringing her back with you?" he asked, turning over an idea. "Or, is she staying at school for the rest of the day?"
"I'm going to spring her early," Elena answered. "By the time I get back here, it will basically be time to go back and get her."
"Call me when you get back with her," Damon instructed. "I will come get her. She can hang out with me for the rest of the afternoon." Elena looked almost relieved.
"I was going to see if you were free to look after her," she admitted. "I have a couple of calls, and I really need to get a few more things done before we leave for Kansas."
"I haven't had a lot of one-on-one time with her lately," Damon said. "It will be good to hang out, have a daddy-daughter afternoon." Elena smiled at him. He had spent plenty of time with Molly, but with Talladega and the gender reveal party, there had been a lot going on around them.
"I'll bring her straight to you," she promised. "I'll even let you tell her about the pink car."
"Why don't we keep that one under wraps and surprise her at the track on Saturday?" Damon proposed. "If we get her reaction on camera, I bet it will go viral."
"My daughter is not going to be a viral video," Elena stated. "But, I should go. I don't want to be late, and I now have to stop by my house and change my shirt."
"I would apologize for that, except I'm not sorry," he said. He reached for her hand once more and pulled her toward him. "And, I'm going to kiss you again to prove it."
"Daddy, does dis store have a pony?" Molly asked Damon. He glanced down at her and smiled. She was holding his hand as they strolled through the outdoor mall, looking at him expectantly. He had noticed the fond looks he was getting from fellow shoppers, especially older women, who found the scene of a father and his daughter shopping together sweet.
"No, this mall does not sell ponies," he told her. "At least, not real ones."
"Then why are we here?" Molly wanted to know. She perked up. "Ice cream?" Damon stopped and stooped down to her level.
"We are on a top secret mission," he told her. "You and I have to find Mama the perfect Mother's Day gift."
"I already gots her a gift," Molly replied. "I gives it to her at school today." Damon had seen the gifts Molly presented Elena with. Elena had proudly shown them off, much to Molly's delight. There had been artwork, handprints made with plaster, and a macaroni necklace.
"Your gifts were beautiful and Mama loved them," Damon said patiently. "But, Mother's Day is actually on Sunday. Don't you think Mama deserves a special present on Mother's Day, too?" Molly nodded.
"I guess so," she agreed. A thought occurred to her. "Daddy, Manfa is my baby, like I Mama's baby. Do I gets a gift on Sunday too?" Damon sighed.
"That's not quite how it works," he told her. "But, there might be a surprise for you at the race track this weekend." Molly's eyes lit up.
"Really?" Damon smiled at her excitement and nodded.
"Really," he confirmed. "You will have to wait and see. Right now, we need to find a present for Mama."
"What we gonna get her?"
"I have no idea," Damon confessed. "You have any ideas?" Molly shrugged.
"A necklace," she said. Then shook her head. "I give her a necklace already. A bracelet. Or earrings."
"That could work," Damon mused. While jewelry was a safe bet, it didn't feel like the right gift to him. The way he figured it, he had four years of Mother's Days to make up for, both for Elena and his mother. He had an idea of what he would do for his mother – he even planned to give Caroline a small gift to continue his trek back into her good graces – but he was stumped as to what to do for Elena. "Can you remember what kind of gifts your mom might have gotten before?" He knew it was a long shot, but he had to ask.
"I not know what Mother's Day is until now," Molly said matter-of-factly. "I'm only little."
"Now you're little," Damon muttered. "A half hour ago you told me you were a grown three year old and could get out of the car by yourself." Molly shrugged.
"Mama likes ponies," she said. "We should get one."
"You are a little opportunist," Damon stated, standing up and taking Molly's hand once more.
"What a oppa-tunest?"
"It means we are not getting a pony. Come on, kiddo. Let's see what we can figure out."
For the next two hours, he dragged Molly in and out of stores, searching for the perfect gift for Elena. He managed to find something for Caroline, but was growing more frustrated – and Molly crankier – as they shopped. Molly became dead set on buying Elena a piece of jewelry and so finally, Damon relented and let her pick something out, deciding it would be from her.
"Are we done?" Molly asked, the shopping bag containing her gift for Elena swinging from her wrist. Damon sighed as he wandered through aisles of a home goods store. He had entered knowing he likely wouldn't find anything, but he was at a loss and willing to try anything.
"We are going to have to be," he conceded. "I told your mom we would be home in time for dinner."
"We gots to hide this," Molly said, indicating her package.
"How about I take it home with me?" he asked. "We are flying back from Kansas late Saturday night. I'll bring Mama's gifts over on Sunday morning, early." He hoped he may even manage to be there when they woke up on Sunday, even if it meant sleeping on the couch.
"Okay," Molly said. She stopped and held her arms out to Damon. "Carry me, Daddy. I not wanna walk no more." Damon smiled, feeling his heart twist as he looked down at his tiny little girl for a moment before sweeping her into his arms. Molly, tired from the afternoon spent traipsing up and down the mall, rested her head on his shoulder. "Mama say I gettin' too big to carry," she commented. Damon shook his head as he walked towards the parking lot.
"You are never going to be too big for Daddy to carry," he promised. He reached his car and buckled Molly into her car seat. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he tried to think of the perfect gift for Elena for Mother's Day.
"Daddy?"
"What, Molly?" Damon asked with more patience than he had. He was tired, sore, and Molly had a thousand questions about everything from what he was doing at the stove to why it was raining outside.
"Is you car gonna be pink next time you race, too?"
"No," he answered. "The pink car was a one time thing." He added some cheese and red and green peppers to the eggs he was scrambling, aiming to make them exactly the way Elena liked them. He rolled his shoulders, trying to work out some of the residual post-race soreness.
"I liked that pink car."
"So I've heard," Damon muttered to himself. It was all Molly had talked up from the time they arrived at the racetrack on Thursday. Now, early Sunday morning, the race behind them, she was still going on about it.
"Daddy?" He sighed.
"What, Molly?"
"Why you not win? You had a pink car! Pink cars go fast." Even as he struggled to hold onto his patience, he laughed at Molly's logic.
"My car wasn't as fast as the one who won," he told her. He had managed to squeak out a tenth place finish, even though he had been collateral damage during an early race accident, hit in the rear left fender by a sliding car as he tried to navigate through it. The race had been an uphill battle the rest of the night, but again, his crew came through for him.
"Uncle Stef should do a better job," Molly commented. Damon laughed outright. He didn't bother to tell Molly it was solely her uncle's guidance that had helped them still finish in the top ten.
"Breakfast is almost ready," he told Molly. "Go get your present for Mama." Molly did as instructed, rushing out of the kitchen for the small package Damon had wrapped to the best of his ability. She returned within moments.
"Gots it!" she declared. "Is Mama's breakfast ready?" Damon nodded.
"It is," he confirmed, indicating the tray he had pieced together. "Come on, kiddo. Let's take Mama breakfast." He let Molly lead the way, sure her excited footsteps would wake Elena before they actually got to the bedroom. When Molly pushed open Elena's bedroom door, he was surprised to find Elena still sound asleep. He smiled as Molly wasted no time springing onto the bed.
"Mama! Wake up!" She bounced on her knees, shaking Elena awake.
"Molly?" Elena asked groggily.
"Wake up, Mama!" Molly exclaimed. "We gots breakfasts!" Damon carefully placed the breakfast tray on the nightstand opposite Elena's side of the bed and waited for her to wake.
"You have what?" Elena asked, sitting up in bed and rubbing sleep from her eyes. It had been a late night – or an early morning, depending on how it was looked at – and she could have slept another few hours, easily. She glanced at the clock. It was barely after eight.
"Breakfast!" Molly said again. "For Mother's Day!" Surprise registered in Elena's features.
"You made me breakfast?" she asked. Her eyes were on Molly, but she glanced at Damon who, she noted, had an almost sweet nervousness about him.
"Daddy made it," Molly corrected. "I helped."
"She worked on her interrogation skills," Damon quipped. Elena chuckled. She was well aware of Molly's latest phase of asking everyone as many questions as she could come up with.
"I gots you a present, too!" Molly said. She held out the package to Elena.
"This is for me?" Elena asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Molly.
"Happy Mother's Day!" Molly sang, once more bouncing on her knees. Damon's eyes burned briefly with unshed tears. It was a sort of happiness he hadn't expected, seeing Molly and Elena together, Elena in a sleep t-shirt and shorts, Molly in a princess gown, celebrating Mother's Day in a way that was so stereotypical it nearly hurt. He didn't want the moment to end. It ate away at him that he had already missed so many.
"Let's see what this is," Elena said, pulling at the wrapping paper. She glanced at Damon again. "Did Daddy help you wrap this?"
"Daddy wrap it all by himself," Molly replied.
"Thought so," Elena quipped.
"Hey!" Damon protested. Elena winked at him. "That's from Molly," he added. "She picked it out all by herself."
"All by myself!" Molly repeated proudly. Elena pried through the wrapping paper to reveal a jewelry box. She opened the box and gasped.
"Oh, Molly!" she exclaimed, picking up a bracelet with a variety of charms hanging from it. Damon knew it wasn't something Elena would pick out, let alone wear often, but the gaudy piece of jewelry was from Molly, and that was all that really mattered. "I love it!"
"Put it on!" Molly said, bouncing yet again. "Put it on, Mama!"
"Okay," Elena agreed. She held the bracelet out to Damon. "Would you mind helping me with this?" Damon smiled at her.
"Not at all," he said. He kneeled on the bed and fastened the bracelet around her wrist. They exchanged a smile before he stood up once more. "I have something else for you," he said. He was suddenly overwhelmingly nervous. He reached for a package on the breakfast tray. "For you." Elena gave him another smile as she accepted the slender package.
"What is it?" Molly asked, peering at the package expectantly.
"I don't know," Elena said. "Let's open it. Want to help me?" Molly pounced, settling herself onto Elena's lap and going for the wrapping paper. Elena glanced at Damon. "You can sit," she said, nodding towards the bed to let him know it was okay to join them. He gave her a nod and settled onto the mattress, grateful she had settled his internal debate on whether he should sit on the bed with her, not wanting to cross any lines.
"Mama, look!" Molly said. "It's a picture!" Elena turned her attention to the package in Molly's hands. She gasped, her hand going to her mouth, tears already springing to her eyes.
"Damon…," she managed, taking the photo from Molly so she could look at it closely.
In the top frame, there was a photo of her mother, sitting on the porch steps. Elena herself was playing on the stairs with a doll, no older than Molly was now. In the bottom frame, Elena sat on the same stairs, Molly playing with several ponies a couple steps below her. Both mothers were looking at their daughters, laughing, eyes sparkling.
Elena ran her fingertips over the photos, letting a couple of tears fall. She looked at Damon. "Damon… How…" He slid closer to Elena in the bed, scooping Molly into his lap.
"I wanted to do something special for you," he said. "Molly and I went shopping on Wednesday, but I couldn't settle on anything that felt good enough. The next night, I was flipping through photos on my phone to show Ric something and found this one," he pointed to the newer photo, "that I snapped a couple weeks ago. I remembered you posting a similar photo of your mom not long after they passed away. I knew you kept a box of old photos on one of the shelves in the living room and I was able to find the original of you and your mom." She couldn't hold back her tears.
"Damon… Thank you… Thank you so much… This is just… Perfect…"
"There's something else," he said. "Turn the frame over." Elena did as instructed. There was a note taped to the back. She removed it and unfolded it. It was short, written in Damon's messy scrawl.
Elena,
I missed four Mother's Days. Nothing makes up for that, but I promise, I won't miss another, as long as you allow me to be a part of your life. I love you, Elena. So much. I want to thank you, too, for Molly. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. So, thank you. Thank you for that perfect little girl, and for loving her and raising her so well. She is the perfect little girl she is because of you. Thank you for her, and for letting me be a part of her life. The two of you saved my life. I promise to spend the rest of it showing you both how much I love you.
Love,
Damon
"Oh, Damon," Elena said. She was speechless. All she could think to do was wrap her arms around him, Molly between them, and hug him tightly. He returned the embrace, burying his nose in her hair and breathing her in. "It's perfect. Thank you. Thank you, so much."
"You're welcome," Damon whispered. "I just wanted you to know how much Molly and I love you, how thankful I am for the two of you."
"Thank you," Elena said again. "I love you, Damon. You and Molly." She was still overwhelmed.
"You squishin' me!" Molly cried out from between them. They broke apart, both laughing. Damon reached out and wiped away a few stray tears from Elena's cheeks, holding back tears of his own.
"I love you," he said. "And I love you," he added, tweaking Molly's nose. She made a face.
"Can we eat da food now?" she asked, bringing them back to the moment. They laughed again.
"This is your mom's," Damon said, reaching for the tray and placing it over Elena's lap. "Stay here, Molly. I'm going to run downstairs and get our breakfast, deal?"
"Deal," Molly said. She held out her hand. "High five!" Confused, Damon high fived her.
"Aunt Caroline teach you that?" Elena asked, picking up her coffee mug.
"Yep!" Molly said proudly, flopping back against the pillows.
"Thought so," Elena muttered, knowing Caroline liked to high five people when things went her way.
"Go get breakfast, Daddy," Molly ordered, crossing her legs in the bed and looking at her dad expectantly. Damon sighed and shook his head.
"Women," he muttered. He heard Elena laughing as he made his way downstairs.
A half hour later, the three of them were lounging in Elena's bed, empty breakfast dishes on either nightstand. Molly was lay on her stomach at the foot of the bed, watching a cartoon on the TV. Elena and Damon rested against the headboard, Elena curled into Damon's side, his arm casually looped around her. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this content.
"I was ready to kill you for waking me up so early after getting home so late last night," Elena told him. "But, I'm glad you did. This morning has been perfect." Damon placed a gentle kiss on her temple.
"I just wanted you to have a good day," he said. "Stefan, Dad, and I were talking, and we want to take all of you mothers out to dinner this evening." He had arranged to have four large bouquets of flowers delivered to his mother, one for each Mother's Day he had missed, along with a handwritten card explaining the flowers and how much he loved her and appreciated everything she had done for him.
"I like the sound of that," Elena agreed. She let out a wistful sigh and felt herself tearing up again. "I hadn't really thought about the fact that my mom wouldn't be here to celebrate Mother's Day with," she admitted. "We have been so busy, and so much has happened. I miss her, Damon. I miss them both."
"I know you do," he said. "And, I know no one will ever replace your parents, but I hope you know that you have me and my family."
"I do know that," Elena confirmed. "I'm so grateful for your family, Damon. You have no idea."
"I actually do have an idea," Damon admitted. "It's a different situation, but I have learned just how fortunate I am to have them in my life." Elena just smiled at him in response and snuggled closer to his side.
"You know, this is the first time I have really celebrated Mother's Day," she admitted. "I mean, my parents always gave me a gift of some sort and Molly always brought stuff home from preschool, but this is the first time I've had… Well, it's the first time…" She struggled to put her words together, but Damon understood. It was the first time she had her own little pseudo family to celebrate with. He hugged her.
"And it won't be the last," he promised. Elena realized then that Damon had never celebrated a Father's Day, at least not as a father. She vowed she would make it an unforgettable day for him.
The cartoon went to commercial and Molly sat up. She wedged herself between Damon and Elena.
"You comfortable?" Damon asked her.
"Yep," Molly replied, throwing a leg over each of them. Damon chuckled and got comfortable, intending to stay put for as long as he could.
Aw! I do love that little Molly. She is a based off of a little girl I used to baby sit (before she grew up on me!) and she was the sassiest little thing, and also smart as a whip. She's 12 now, and not much as changed.
I wanted to show them celebrating Mother's Day and functioning more as a family unit. More to come on the whole family unit thing.
NASCAR stuff - Nickelodeon sponsored the NASCAR race at Kansas this year, complete with Spongebob paint schemes and dancing characters. I thought that was a fun element to add to the story, especially since it involved a pink car.
Let me know what you thought!