Hello, hello! Next update is officially here!
I have some news - I have finished this story! There will be about 3 more updates and an epilogue. It's so bittersweet, but the story is winding down. Sigh. It makes me sad to just think about it. You all have been amazing and supportive and I feel like I have accomplished so much with what I once thought would be a simple little story about racing and family. Thank you so so much for all of your support. You are the reason I keep updating and sharing.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vampire Diaries.
"You know, there are days when I really can't believe this is real life," Damon commented as they entered the train-themed amusement park, Molly skipping happily between him and Elena, holding each of their hands. "I am taking my three year old to an amusement park so she can ride a train and have a go on some kitschy kiddie rides." Elena laughed lightly.
"Not quite the weekends in Sonoma from days gone by, is it?" she asked. They were in Sonoma for the weekend's race, and while they used to go to wineries and restaurants, even spas, during their downtime, they were now searching out the area's child-friendly attractions.
"We are going on a date tonight," Damon said. "Just me and you. Mom already agreed to watch Molly."
"Really?" Elena asked, looking excited. "You arranged that?" Damon nodded.
"Family date during the day, grown up date at night." He winked at Elena. "Daddy thought ahead." Elena laughed.
"Can we ride da horses first?" Molly asked, interrupting her parents.
"Whatever you want," Damon agreed. He looked at Elena. "Are there horses here?"
"She means the carousel," Elena said, nodding towards the ride up ahead. "Why don't you take her to the carousel and I will go get our train tickets?"
"Deal," Damon said. He kissed Elena's cheek. "Come on, Princess. Let's go ride a plastic pony."
"You could buy me a real one," Molly propositioned. Elena smirked, listening to the exchange.
"Sorry, kid. You missed your window of opportunity on that one." It had been more than two weeks since Molly's allergic reaction and things had returned to normal. Damon was a lot less inclined to buy Molly a pony now that she had recovered – and he had tripped over her doll's accessories a few more times.
"Let's negotiate the terms," Molly countered. Damon's jaw fell open, as did Elena's.
"Where did you hear that?" he demanded.
"It what Nonno say to people he wants things from people," Molly said, referring to the times she had overhead her grandfather negotiating with sponsors. Elena stifled a laugh while Damon sighed.
"There is nothing to negotiate," he informed her. "No real ponies."
"There is always a price," Molly replied seriously. Elena laughed outright. Damon had to crack a grin.
"She has been hanging out with my dad too long," he told Elena. "Next thing you know, she will be dictating my racing strategy."
"Or signing your paycheck at the very least," Elena teased. "I will be right back." She walked off towards the stand to buy train ride tickets. Damon looked down at Molly who had her hands on her hip and was looking at him expectantly.
"What?"
"I not gettin' any older, standin' here," she told him. He chuckled as they started to walk towards the carousel.
"You mean you aren't getting any younger," he corrected. "You hear that one from Gigi?"
"Aunt Care," Molly answered. "She say dat to Uncle Stef for takin' too long to get our ice cream from da store." Molly's eyes widened. "I not supposed to tell you and Mama she give me ice cream before dinner." Damon sighed again.
"That explains Tuesday night bedtime," he grumbled. He vowed revenge the moment his nephew was old enough to eat solid foods. "Which of these ponies do you want to ride?" Molly surveyed her options as they waited in line.
"The pink one," she said, pointing to an old but gaudy plastic horse.
"Shocker," Damon quipped. When it was their turn, he helped Molly onto her horse and after a quick lecture about holding on, he left her to stand outside the fence and watch. Elena joined him just as the carousel started.
"You aren't riding it with her?" she asked. Damon heard the familiar note of worry in her voice.
"She's fine," Damon said, looping an arm around Elena. "Look at her." Molly passed them, grinning broadly. She waved and they waved back.
"She's too little…," Elena started. Damon looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Elena blew out a breath. "She's fine," she said to herself. "She is completely fine." Molly passed them again, still waving. "And having the time of her life, apparently."
"We can give her this one," Damon said. "She's not tall enough to ride the other rides alone."
"Sounds like a job for Daddy," Elena mused.
"They are kiddie rides and you are smaller than I am. Sorry, sweetheart, but this one is all you." Elena laughed and leaned into Damon's embrace.
"So," she started as Molly passed them again. "I was thinking…"
"Uh oh…" Elena lightly smacked Damon's chest in protest.
"We have another off week in two weeks." Damon nodded his agreement. "What do you think about you, Molly, and I heading down to South Carolina for a few days?" Damon looked at Elena.
"Really?" he asked.
"I thought it would be good for the three of us to get away for a few days, spend some time to ourselves. Besides, I should probably check up on my parents' place. The caretaker sends me updates every week or so, but…"
"Let's go," Damon said. "Let's make it a full week. I think we need some time together, away from my family and racing." Elena smiled at him. She had been careful not to imply that she wanted some time away from the Salvatores as she loved them dearly, but she did spend a significant amount of time with them and felt it would only be beneficial if she and Damon had some time away, with Molly, to work on their relationship.
"I would like that," she said. "And I know Molly will love getting to go to the beach."
"The kid does love the water," Damon commented. The carousel slowed to a stop. "I'll get her," he said, moving away to retrieve Molly from her horse.
Elena hung back at the fence, just to watch Molly and Damon. She found she did that a lot lately, taking them in, considering how much she loved the both of them. She was thankful for not only the relationship developing between daddy and daughter, but also for the fact that Damon had lived through his accident and found his feet again. She laughed as Damon tickled Molly, causing Molly to break into a fit of giggles. She was still smiling when he returned, Molly slung over his shoulder, still giggling.
"What?" he asked, noting her smile.
"You really are a great dad," she told him. "I love watching you with Molly." Damon lit up at the compliment as he righted Molly, keeping her in his arms.
"She is a great kid," he said. "She makes it easy."
"She is a pretty great kid," Elena agreed, reaching out to tickle Molly who giggled again. "Now, how about that train ride?" Molly cheered. Damon reached out and took Elena's hand.
"Know how Molly didn't want to go to bed Tuesday night?"
"How could I forget?" Elena replied dryly. "I so enjoyed all the screaming and tantrum throwing."
"Aunt Care and Uncle Stef gave her ice cream," Damon informed her. "Turns out, our kid isn't so good with secrets."
"As soon as that kid of theirs is old enough to eat solid food, we are stuffing him so full of ice cream and cake that he will never want to eat it again," Elena declared.
"That's my girl," Damon stated. They joined the line to board the train. "Some train," he muttered, getting a good look at the engine they were about to board. There was a steam engine, but instead of boxcars as he had expected, there were mere carts attached behind the train. In his opinion, it was a glorified hayride. Elena winked at him.
"We are going to learn a lot about history," she told him.
"I can hardly wait," he replied dryly, moving forward with the line.
"Hey, Molly, guess what?" Elena asked, changing the topic.
"What?" Molly replied.
"Me, you, and Daddy are going to the beach!" Molly perked up.
"Really?" she asked excitedly. Elena nodded.
"Really," she confirmed. "In two more weeks, we are going to go spend a whole week at Nonni and Pappi's house." Molly looked thoughtful.
"Nonni and Pappi are in Heaven," she stated. Elena nodded and swallowed past the lump that suddenly formed in her neck. Damon reached out put a comforting hand on Elena's back.
"They are," she agreed. "But, we will be able to spend time in their house and remember them. We can go to the beach and explore the town. It will be fun."
"Can I swim?" Molly asked.
"You can," Elena said. "We can build sand castles, walk on the beach. Maybe even go on a bike ride around town." Molly looked from Elena to Damon.
"And Daddy is coming, too?" she asked.
"I am," Damon confirmed. "We are all going together."
"Can we go now?" Molly asked. Damon and Elena laughed.
"Daddy has a race he has to win first," Elena told Molly. They moved forward in the line again. Damon snorted. Sonoma was a road course and he had historically been mediocre at best on road courses. His qualifying time had already landed him just mid-pack. Elena gave him a small smile, knowing he didn't especially like the few weekends of road courses on the NASCAR schedule. "Then, next week, we have a race in Kentucky. We will go to the beach after that, deal?"
"Deal," Molly agreed.
"Looks like we're up," Damon said, nodding towards the train car. "Let's go see the wild, wild west. From a hay wagon." Elena rolled her eyes as they boarded the train, but with a smile on her face.
Elena surveyed the piles of clothing on the bed before her. She had mastered packing for their weekends at the track. It was fairly straightforward to put together a few outfits for her and Molly for three or four days and she kept a full second set of their bath and beauty supplies so she wasn't constantly packing and unpacking. Going to the beach for a full week required a whole lot more packing, however, not to mention a different sort of wardrobe.
The sound of Molly's footsteps running down the hall sounded, followed moments later by Molly bursting into the room.
"Manfa is all packed!" she declared.
"Good work," Elena replied. She had given Molly the task of packing her doll's things in an effort to give her something to do besides "help" her pack their bags. "You sure you got everything?"
"I gots everything," Molly confirmed. Elena knew she would have to rummage through the bag Molly had packed once Molly was asleep for the night, because 'everything' truly could mean everything with Molly. With no regard for the carefully organized piles of clothing on Elena's bed, Molly pounced onto it and sat down right in the middle. Elena merely blew out a breath and started straightening the piles again. It was part of the motherhood deal. "Where is Daddy?" Molly asked, bouncing lightly.
"Daddy is at his house," Elena answered. "He's packing his things to come with us to the beach."
"Will he be here later?"
"He will," Elena answered. Molly considered her mother for a moment.
"Mama, why don't Daddy live wif us?" she asked. Elena looked at her, surprised by the question.
"Well," she started, trying to find the right words to explain. "You see…" Molly looked on expectantly. Elena sighed and put down the t-shirt she was folding. She joined Molly on the bed, using her foot to push a pile of clothing out of the way. This conversation was more important than any pile of clothing.
"Well?" Molly prompted. Elena decided to give Molly a version of the truth she could understand.
"A long time ago, Mama and Daddy were boyfriend and girlfriend," she started.
"Like Kristoff and Anna?" Molly asked, referring to Frozen.
"Sure," Elena agreed. "Like Kristoff and Anna. "We were boyfriend and girlfriend and we loved each other so very much. So much, we ended up with you." She tapped Molly on the top of her nose, making her giggle.
"Then what?" Molly asked.
"Well, sweetheart, sometimes, even when people love each other very, very much, they make mistakes. Mama and Daddy both made mistakes and we decided not to be together. Daddy decided he wanted to live all the way in Florida, and I decided I wanted to live out in California with Nonni and Papi. When you were born, Mama and Daddy were still really far apart."
"But Daddy still loved me," Molly piped up. "Even if he not with us."
"That's right," Elena agreed. "Even if he wasn't with you, he loved you, so very much."
"And then what?" Molly prodded, snuggling into her mother's side. She liked hearing about her mom and dad.
"Well, after we had lived in California for a while, your Nonno called and asked if I would like to come work for him and his race teams. I said no at first, but Nonno kept asking me. The third time, I said yes and you and I moved back here, to Mystic Falls."
"Where you was a little girl," Molly said, remembering that her mother had grown up in Mystic Falls, in their very same house. "You sleeped in my room!"
"I did," Elena confirmed with a fond smile. She ran a hand over Molly's hair, which was swinging long and loose down her back. "Before we moved back here, Daddy had a really bad accident."
"At Dega," Molly supplied.
"Right, at Talladega," Elena said, impressed as always by what her daughter remembered at such a young age. "He got hurt really bad and he had to come home from Florida. It was hard for Daddy, at first. He had a lot of injuries, and needed Nonno and Gigi's help. He had also had some – disagreements – with Nonno and Gigi and needed to apologize."
"Did Daddy say he was sowwy?" Molly asked. Elena nodded.
"He did," she said. "But, sometimes, it takes more than 'I'm sorry' to make things okay, so Daddy had some work to do to show them he was sorry. And then, you and I moved back. As Daddy got to know you, he fell even more in love with you. It's hard not to love you." Molly giggled, making Elena smile. "Daddy and Mama talked about the mistakes they made and apologized to each other. We decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend again, which means Daddy and I are spending time together and falling in love again."
"You love Daddy?" Molly asked, her eyes sparkling.
"I do," Elena confirmed. "And, your daddy loves us. He doesn't live with us right now, but he has been spending a lot more time here. Have you noticed that?" Molly nodded.
"Daddy sleeps on da couch," she stated. Elena chuckled.
"He does," she agreed. "But, well, maybe, one day soon, Daddy could live here, with us. What do you think about that?"
"Daddy could be here all da time?" Molly asked.
"All the time," Elena repeated. "He would be here in the mornings when you wake up, and at night when you go to bed. He would be here to help you with your schoolwork and help Mama with chores. He could watch movies with us and play with you. And, he could make us those really yummy pancakes of his, whenever we wanted them, even at dinnertime." Molly considered.
"Would Daddy have to sleep on da couch all da nights?" she asked. Elena shook her head.
"Daddy would sleep in Mama's bed," she said. "We would move his things into our house and we would have to share the ice cream with him." Molly frowned.
"Daddy has to buy his own ice cream," she informed her mother. Elena laughed outright.
"We will make it a condition of him living with us," she said.
"What is a con-di-shun?"
"It's like, a rule," Elena told her. Molly considered for a moment.
"It is a rule dat Daddy buy da ice cream," she stated. Elena laughed again.
"We can make that a rule," she said. She didn't think it would be all that hard of a rule for Damon to follow. "So, you like the idea of Daddy living with us?" Molly nodded.
"I want Daddy to live wif us," she said. "I love Daddy. I don't like it when Daddy has to go to his house." She crinkled her nose. "Daddy's house is small. I not have a room at Daddy's house."
"Daddy's house is small," Elena said, thinking of Damon's apartment. She kissed the top of Molly's head. "I'm going to talk to Daddy about moving in with us," she said. "But, in the meantime, why don't you and I keep this conversation between us?" Molly nodded.
"Like a secret," she said.
"Exactly. It's a big decision, and I want to be the one to talk to Daddy about it." Elena could tell by the look on Molly's face that she was thinking about something. She waited, knowing Molly would ask when she was ready.
"Mama? Is you and Daddy married?" Elena sighed and shook her head.
"No," she said. "We aren't married." She didn't tell Molly that she hoped maybe they one day would be. She didn't want to get Molly's hopes up. She didn't want to get her own hopes up.
"But, you has a Molly," Molly replied in confusion. Elena bit her lip for a moment before replying.
"Being a Mama and a Daddy doesn't mean two people are married," she said. "Being married means – deciding you want to be with someone forever. They become your wife or your husband. Like Gigi and Nonno or Aunt Care and Uncle Stef."
"So, Daddy is not you hus-bend," Molly said, working it out in her mind.
"No, Daddy is not my husband."
"But, is Daddy gonna be your hus-bend?" she continued. Elena blew out a breath.
"Maybe one day," she said. "We will just have to see." While Molly was seemingly paying attention and asking hard questions, Elena decided it was a good time to ask Molly something else. "Molly, you know how your last name is Gilbert?" Molly nodded.
"Like you," she said.
"Like me," Elena agreed. "Daddy's last name is Salvatore. Kids usually take the last name of their daddies when they are born, but since your daddy lived so far away, he wasn't there to sign the papers when we named you. So, your last name had to be Gilbert, like mine. But, I think it would really mean a lot to Daddy if we changed your last name to be Salvatore, like his." Molly thought about it.
"So, I not be Molly Gilbert no more?" she asked after a moment.
"You would be Molly Salvatore," Elena told her. "Molly Virginia Salvatore, to be exact." She felt a little bit of a pang at the idea of Molly no longer sharing her last name, given that there was now no one left in her family to carry the Gilbert name forward. Still, she knew in her heart it was the right move. "What do you think about that?" Molly shrugged.
"I not know how to spell Salvatore," she said. Elena raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know how to spell Gilbert?" she countered, amazed at how her child's mind worked.
"Well, no," Molly admitted. She looked up at Elena. "I think I wanna be Molly Salvatore. It sounds pretty." Elena laughed lightly.
"It does sound pretty," she agreed. "Let's keep this a secret, too, for now, okay? I know Daddy really wants your name to be the same as his and it will be a big surprise for him." Molly smiled.
"I like su-prizes," she said.
"So do I," Elena said, looking at Molly fondly. As far as she was concerned, Molly was the very best surprise she would ever receive. "Our lips are zipped about everything we just talked about, right? We aren't going to tell Daddy about him maybe moving in or your name being Molly Salvatore? Because these are like, presents, for Daddy, and we don't want to ruin the surprise." Molly made a scene of zipping up her lips.
"Lips are zipped!" she said. Elena nodded. She knew the present angle would get Molly to keep a secret. The kid loved to give presents, almost as much as she loved to receive them.
"Front door, open," chimed the house's security system. Molly looked at Elena, her eyes wide. She had come to associate that phrase with one thing. "Front door, closed."
"Molly?" Damon called. "Elena?" Molly lit up.
"Daddy!" she squealed. She sprung from the bed, clothes flying every direction in her wake. Elena listened as Molly's feet thundered down the hallway and Damon's came up the stairs, warning her to slow down as he went. She heard Molly's delighted laugh when she reached Damon and smiled.
She felt a certain peace wash over her. She was in the right place, making the right decisions. For the first time in a very long time, she didn't doubt that.
"I think that's the last of it," Elena said, surveying the luggage loaded into the back of Damon's SUV. He looked at her.
"You think so?" he asked. "No kitchen sinks or bathtubs we need to 'find a place for?'" Elena had the decency to smile guiltily. She had been a bit of a dictator while packing the car, telling Damon where to move something, how to wedge in just one more bag or item they simply had to have. He, of course, hadn't listened to a word she said, choosing to arrange the luggage as he saw fit. In the end, he had managed to cram half of her house in his Chevy.
"At least I thought ahead and had us load up tonight," she said. "You want to leave so early in the morning the coffee shops aren't even open. We could have been standing in the driveway, having this discussion by streetlamp."
"Look around, 'Lena," he said. "We are." Elena smiled at him. They hadn't gotten around to loading the car until after a dinner of takeout pizza and keeping Molly up past her bedtime, letting her run around in the backyard and then watch a movie, doing their best to tire her out so she would sleep through at least part of the car ride the next day.
"I can't believe you want to drive eight hours with a three year old. I took her cross-country. I can vouch for how much fun it is."
"Driving to the beach is part of the beach going experience," Damon said. "That's what we did growing up."
"Remember that about four hours in," Elena quipped.
"I'm more worried about you, a half hour in," Damon bantered back, even as he slipped an arm around her and they started towards the house. "We are leaving at four AM, sharp. There is at least an hour or two until Starbucks opens. I'm not sure you can make it that long."
"Again, your bright idea to leave before the sun comes up, the roosters crow, and the coffee shops open."
"I want to beat the morning rush hour traffic," Damon reminded her for the umpteenth time. They had chosen to make their week in South Carolina go mid-week to better accommodate their racing schedule. They would be back in Mystic Falls on a Tuesday, giving Elena a day in the office to get things completed and Damon a day to catch up with his team before it was on to the next race.
"Just know you may not arrive in Beaufort with two happy women," Elena told him.
"I'll buy the little one ice cream and kiss the big one senseless," Damon replied. "Everyone will be happy in no time." Elena snorted in response, making Damon chuckle. He led the way to the living room where he fell unceremoniously onto the couch.
"Comfortable?" Elena asked. She joined Damon, laying her body on top of his.
"I am now," he replied, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her quickly.
"We should go to bed," she said. "It's after eleven, and someone is insisting everyone – including a three year old – wakes up at three-thirty."
"I'm already in bed," Damon informed her. Elena considered him for a moment.
"Maybe you would like to sleep somewhere a little more comfortable," she proposed. Damon raised an eyebrow.
"I'm listening."
"Come upstairs," Elena said, already moving to stand up. "My bed is plenty big for the both of us." Damon sat up on the couch and considered Elena.
"You sure?" he asked. "I don't want to cross any lines…"
"I'm sure," Elena told him firmly, looking directly into his eyes. She took his hand. "Come upstairs, Damon." She bit her lip for a moment. "I have missed sleeping next to you." She remembered how he used to pull her into his chest and keep his arm around her, even as they slept. She wanted that again. He stood and took her other hand.
"I have missed sleeping next to you, too," he said. She gave him a smile before leading him upstairs, turning off the few lights that were still on as they went. They stopped outside of Molly's room and peeked in on her before padding down the hall to Elena's room. She moved the throw pillows and pulled the covers back.
"I'm going to put on some pajamas," she said. "Make yourself comfortable." She turned to head into her bedroom, leaving Damon to have an internal debate. He had showered and changed into clean gym shorts and a t-shirt before driving over to Elena's for the night, figuring it would be easiest for him to just roll off the sofa and round up his girls the next morning. He knew they would leave Molly in the pajama shorts and t-shirt they had put her to bed in, but it was Elena he reasoned he would have to argue with. Elena seemed to sense his debate. She stopped at the on suite door. "I said to get comfortable," she reminded him. She winked at him and disappeared into the bathroom.
"Get comfortable," he mumbled to himself. He made a decision then to pull his t-shirt off. If he were at home, he would have stripped down to nothing but his boxer briefs. But, that felt like it was too comfortable, at least for now. He hoped, by the time their week in South Carolina came to a close, he and Elena would be a lot more comfortable with one another, in the physical sense. He slipped into bed and waited for Elena.
"All I need to do in the morning is put my toothbrush and toothpaste in my bag," she said, appearing a few moments later. "Besides getting Molly together, of course." She was wearing a pair of soft shorts and a t-shirt Damon recognized as one of his from years ago.
"I wondered where that shirt went," he commented. Elena smiled.
"I found it in my stuff not long after we moved to California," she said. She slipped into bed beside him. "I must have shoved it deep in the back of my closet. I found it in a random box when I was unpacking after our move back."
"It still looks good on you," Damon said. He reached out and rubbed the worn, soft fabric between his thumb and forefinger.
"I only started wearing it again recently," Elena replied. She reached over and turned out the light before lying down next to Damon. She turned on her side so she was facing him and found him doing the same. "Mind if I come closer?" she asked. Damon felt his heart skip a beat.
"I would like nothing more," he confirmed. Elena flashed him another smile before she turned so her back was to him. She slid close, settling in against his chest. He instinctively wrapped an arm around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"This feels better than I remember," Elena said.
"It really does," Damon agreed. He moved just enough to kiss her. "Goodnight, Elena."
"Goodnight, Damon," she replied. "Don't worry. The alarm is already set for an ungodly hour."
"I know. I set my phone too. Just in case you decided to try and sneak another couple of hours of sleep past me." Elena chuckled.
"The thought crossed my mind, but I remembered, I can sleep in the car. You? Not so much." She kissed Damon again. "I love you, Damon." He smiled.
"I love you, too, 'Lena," he said. "Get some sleep."
Laying in the dark a few minutes later, Elena already sound asleep in his arms, he thought holding her really did feel better than he remembered. Except, in his memories, they were wearing a lot less clothing.
They're going to the beach! And a lot of fun things can happen at the beach... So fun we may have to change the rating of this story to 'M'...
Some of you have asked if I intend to write another story. The answer - maybe. I have an idea for one, but I also want to focus on turning both Settle Down and, eventually, this story, into published original works. Of course, I don't know where to begin to make that happen but, we'll figure it out, right? So - I may right another story. We shall see. :)
Let me know what you thought!