A/N: Alright, here it is, the tenth chapter. Thanks you guys, for still being on this journey with me and giving me the encouragement I need to keep going. In case anyone is still wondering, I don't own TVD. Also, the lyrics I'm using in this chapter are from the Leonard Cohen Song "Dance me to the end of love". Alright. Ready? Here we go.
The tenth chapter, in which there is dancing and then there isn't
They spent the next week in this manner. Elena would work out with Bonnie in the mornings. They had now moved on to actual martial arts instructions and Bonnie was showing her kicks and punches which Elena relentlessly repeated. After lunch they would continue with defensive techniques. Elena was a fast learner and worked hard, but even so, actual progress was slow. The sheer feeling of taking her life in her own hands however gave Elena a sense of empowerment well worth all the aching muscles. At night they would make dinner together. Elena and Damon were almost always manning the kitchen, often the kids would help and everybody participated from time to time. Even Vicki had taken to helping out at least some of the nights. Elena assumed she was simply too bored to not help, but maybe she was also enjoying herself while ogling their bodyguard. After all, there were few things sexier than Damon Salvatore in the kitchen. After dinner they would gather in the living room and play or read. Sometimes Elena would head out for late walks on the beach, accompanied by either Bonnie, Caroline or Vicki. She was forming an easy rapport with the girls and felt glad at having formed those new friendships. Who'd have thought that it could be easy and not come with pain?
On Wednesday, the husbands called again, yet again cancelling on their weekend plans. It should have upset Elena, especially on this weekend, but in reality it didn't even faze her and that didn't surprise her anymore either. Vicki was another story. She spent her ten minutes yelling at Tyler that she couldn't believe he missed her so little. Elena could just imagine him sitting on the other end of the phone line, rubbing his eyes and trying to calm her down, telling her that he missed her just as much as she missed him and that he wished he could be there with her but that circumstances were stacking against them and that she needed to understand.
"You're the best," was all Mason said when Elena accepted his cancellation and she could have cried because what he interpreted as understanding was really indifference.
Vicki slipped into a bad mood and no amount of sunshine and good food could bring her out of it so when Friday came around, everyone was surprised when she announced: "We should have a party."
"A party?" Elena asked, somewhat taken aback.
"Yes a party!" Vicki confirmed. "It's Friday night for God's sake. We've been holed up here for like an eternity! Plus, I found the good stuff," Vicki said with a broad smile and produced a bottle of vodka from behind her back.
"Where'd you find that?" Damon asked, suddenly standing next to them and alert. Elena thought she saw something like worry bordering on anger on his face.
"It's not like I was snooping around," Vicki defended herself. "It was in the night stand."
Damon only stood for a while, glaring at the bottle like he would burn it if he could. "Fine. Drink it," he finally said, almost like it was an order instead of a permission, and walked out of the room briskly. Elena followed him with her eyes, unable to place the rage she felt rolling off his receding form. Vicki, happily oblivious to the shift in mood (or possibly simply ignoring it) bounced off into the kitchen to get glasses. From the corner of her eye, Elena saw Bonnie follow after Damon.
"Drinks!" Vicki exclaimed, coming back into the room, the bottle in one hand and empty glasses in the other.
"We haven't even had dinner yet," Elena half chided and half laughed.
"Fine, you make dinner, I start drinking," Vicki agreed with a wink and plonked down on one of the sofas.
Make dinner… Yes, Elena had helped out in the kitchen over the last two weeks but she didn't think she could make a dinner for a bunch of people by herself. She looked around helplessly for a while but no help was forthcoming. Vicki had poured herself a glass and hid behind a book Elena doubted she was actually reading. Caroline was sitting on the floor, playing with the kids. The only people who she deemed able to plan and prepare an entire meal were in Damon's bedroom. Presumably talking about his aversion to vodka. She heaved a sigh and made her way down the dark corridor, hoping to be able to motivate at least one of them to help her. When she stood in front of the door, her hand perched to knock, she heard their voices travelling through the wooden door. It sounded like an argument, but not like they were actually fighting.
"He promised," she heard Damon say accusingly, although obviously not actually accusing Bonnie. "Before I left Riverside, he promised."
"Maybe he forgot," Bonnie reasoned.
"They don't forget that, Bonnie!" Elena heard a sound like glass crashing against a wall.
"Mom?" she turned around and saw Jenna standing at the end of the hallway, looking at her with her big eyes. "What's going on?"
Elena dropped her hand, deciding that she didn't want to interrupt this particular conversation after all. With a smile she walked up to her daughter. "Nothing, let's go make dinner, okay?"
"What are we making?" Jenna asked when Elena took her hand and the headed towards the kitchen.
"I really don't know," Elena admitted. "You're Damon's sous-chef, remember? You'll need to help me figure out how to feed everybody."
"All I can do is season meat," Jenna returned, something like desperation in her voice.
"Well, that's the most important part," Elena reassured her, watching a relieved smile spread across her daughter's face. "You season the meat, I'll make the potatoes." Those, Elena could do. Clean, boil, peel. No problem.
"Deal," the girl replied. Elena watched with amazement as Jenna pushed a chair against the kitchenette and climbed up on it to better reach the counter top. She reached up, grabbing several spices from the spice rack attached to the wall, before climbing back down and getting the meat from the refrigerator. Elena watched the little girl open the big packages with her tiny hands, spreading out the comparatively gigantic slabs of meat and seasoning them, holding the oversized salt-shaker with both hands and jerking her arms up and down to let the white grains fall evenly over their food. She held the big pepper-mill almost with her entire left arm while laboriously twisting the head with her right hand, not an easy feat, since she couldn't properly closer her fingers around it. She worked so diligently and meticulously however, a concentrated look on her face, that Elena felt a wave of pride wash through her.
Caroline and Jeremy joined them after a while, helping with the salad and the sauce and the general mood, as Jeremy was telling them about how they should build a sand race track next to the castle. Maybe even a whole kingdom.
When they were setting the table, Bonnie and Damon finally joined them again. Elena and Jenna were just getting the last bowls from the kitchen when Damon walked in, looking a little sheepishly.
"You made dinner," he said with a small smile.
"I seasoned the meat!" Jenna stated proudly, holding the steaming plate up so he could inspect it.
"Best sous-chef ever," Damon praised and stroked a hand over her soft golden hair. Jenna threw him an elated smile and left to put the food on the table.
"I made the potatoes," Elena said quietly, smiling, mimicking her daughter's pride.
"But Mrs. Gilbert, you're not kitchen help," Damon chided playfully.
Elena recognized the little stab but also the good-natured smile it was accompanied with. "But now I could be," she stated. "How about that."
He nodded. Understanding. Pleased. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stormed off like that," he finally apologized.
"It's fine," Elena replied and then added: "You have taught us well. We can feed ourselves now." He threw her a sad smile. "Are you okay?" she finally asked.
"Yeah," he waved off her question. For a momenrt they were just standing there, not moving, as if waiting for something. Finally he spoke again: "It's my brother. Stefan. He's an alcoholic."
"I'm sorry," Elena said, setting down the bowl of potatoes but not daring to move otherwise.
"It's his booze," he continued by way of explanation. "He's been in and out of rehab so many times, it's ridiculous. Has been to jail almost as often. He's an angry drunk. He would beat his wife, Lexie. At first she would try to sober him up herself. Tied him to a chair once." Elena swallowed. "It would work, the first few times. He would stay sober for a few weeks, months even, then he'd relapse. He put her into the hospital more than once. Afterwards he would repent, swear to never touch another drop. She would go home with him and help him hold his promise. Until this day I don't know if she's the strongest or the dumbest woman I've ever met. She still believes in him. She says he's not the same person when he drinks and she still loves the real Stefan." He shook his head. "I told her to divorce his sorry ass. But she just stands up to me and shakes her head. 'Either you help me help him or you get the fuck out,' she told me. I shouldn't do either. I should have him locked up and get her committed. But he's my brother." Damon looks up and for the first time since she's met him, Elena thinks he looks helpless. "He called me, in tears," he continues. "He said he wants to get his act together. For real this time. Lexie's on a business trip and he asks me to take him to rehab before she comes home because he can't bring himself to look at her and admit that he's relapsed again. I drive to his house and we throw out all the bottles. Then we come here and throw everything away. He shows me all his hiding places and we clean it all out. Then I take him up to Riverside Rehab. He promises me that everything's gone, that we threw it all away. That he's serious this time. And then we find this shit. In the bedroom he shares with his wife."
"Maybe he did forget it," Elena supplies, not caring enough for propriety to hide that she has overheard his discussion with Bonnie.
"He would never. He knows exactly how much alcohol he has and where it is. This is not a rest that he forgot in some corner because he passed out drunk and didn't remember the next day. This is a full bottle, stashed away. He would never forget this. He hasn't let it go. I don't think he ever can. He begged me to help him and then he lied to me."
Elena could see the look of defeat on his face. So this was what he had left the army for. To help his alcoholic brother. And apparently their father closed his eyes to the problem. Elena wished desperately she could help him somehow but she came up blank. She felt that nothing she could say could be a proper response to what she had just leaned.
Suddenly the door burst open. "You guys!" Vicki exclaimed. "We're waiting for you. Are we gonna get this party started or what?"
Before Elena could reply, Damon had turned around to Vicki. "Yeah. Let's go." And with a heavy sigh, Elena followed.
They ate and the mood got increasingly better. Vicki, oblivious to the drama surrounding her was getting happily buzzed and keeping the conversation light. Caroline and Elena had joined in the drinking, but diluted their vodka with orange juice. Bonnie and Damon abstained, stating the fact that they were working as a reason, but Elena supposed that Damon didn't want to touch the alcohol for other reasons as well.
After dinner they settled into the living room and lit a fire. Elena was sitting on the couch with Caroline, chatting, glad that this was something she could do now, while Vicki was dancing to her iPod-playlist with the children. Bonnie was poking the fire, watching the dancers, smiling brightly.
When an especially sappy song came on, beginning with the line "It's the lady's choice", Vicki spun around with a gleeful squeal and extended her hand not holding the vodka towards Damon. "Hear that? Ladies' choice!" She exclaimed and looked at him expectantly.
He grabbed her hand with a smile and spun her around and into his arm swiftly. "What is this even?" he asked, giving her a playfully disgusted look.
"Keith Whitley!" she exclaimed, throwing one arm across his shoulder.
"You say that like it's a good thing," he returned.
"He speaks to my soul," Vicki replied, throwing her head back lightly and giving him her best pouty face.
Elena watched them from the sofa, watched Damon's hand rest on her friend's lower back, watched their hips sway slowly to the music, watched his lips quirk into a smile at something the woman in his arms said, watched said woman throw her head back in laughter and then lean forward slightly to say something low into his ear. Elena only became aware of the fact that she was watching them, probably more like burning holes into the backs of their heads, when his eyes suddenly flickered up and met hers. She instantly turned away, redirecting her attention towards Caroline who was still sitting next to her.
As she turned her head, she was met with curious blue eyes. The blonde was watching her carefully, almost inquisitively, like she had discovered something but wasn't sure what it was exactly. Elena, feeling caught, blushed and was relieved when Jeremy interrupted them before Caroline could elaborate on what exactly it was she thought she had seen on her boss' face.
"It's ladies' choice, Miss Caroline. So you can ask me to dance now," the little boy told his nanny.
A bright smile lit up the face of the bubbly blonde. "Would you dance with me, Jeremy?" she asked, stretching her hand out.
"Alright," he agreed nonchalantly and grabbed her head. The two moved over to the dance floor and twirled around to the music. Elena couldn't help but laugh, all previous thoughts forgotten.
"Mom?" Jenna asked, leaning against the sofa's armrest bashfully. "Do you think Damon would dance with me too?" she asked, fidgeting with her fingers, her eyes downcast.
"I'm sure he would love to," Elena confirmed. "It's ladies' choice. You should ask him." Jenna's eyes lit up and a careful smile crooked her lips. Hesitantly, the little girl approached Damon and Vicki and seeing her elated face as Damon bent down and picked her up, setting her down on his hip, grabbing her hand and jutting their arms out, swinging her around like they were waltzing, Elena felt a smile spread across her own face.
"Your child has stolen my man," Vicki complained only half serious as she dropped down on the sofa next to Elena.
"Your man is a hundred miles away, working," Elena reminded her.
"So is yours," Vicki replied pointedly.
"I know," Elena nodded, taking a sip from her glass. "What a bunch of assholes, am I right?" she said and had to start giggling, in which Vicki whole-heartedly joined her.
"That they are," she laughed and drained her glass. "I can't believe Mason isn't here this weekend."
Elena shrugged and looked down at her hands. "It's fine. His job's important."
"It's not really all that important," Vicki scoffed and Elena couldn't muster up the energy to disagree. "Oh my God!" Vicki suddenly exclaimed. "We should go skinny dipping!"
"Yeah, I'm not going skinny dipping," Elena shook her head vehemently.
"Yes. Yes. Come on." Vicki insisted.
"Hell no," Elena stayed firm.
"Fine. Be the bore that you are," Vicki huffed and stuck her tongue out at her. "I'm going skinny dipping!" she called into the room. "Who's coming with me?" And without waiting for a reaction, Vicki had opened the front door and run out, only leaving her t-shirt behind.
Elena gaped in shock at the opened door only to see her son suddenly speed out of it as well. "Jeremy," she yelled, jumping off the couch. "You are not going skinny dipping with Vicki."
Caroline ran after him quickly, unable to suppress a giggle. "Don't worry, Elena, I'll hold his eyes closed."
Jenna, not wanting to be left out of the fun, flew after them and Elena could hear the gleeful squeals of her kids in the night. Bonnie was about to follow but stopped short in the doorway, throwing an uncertain look into Damon's direction. "I should… follow them. Just to make sure nothing happens," she explained.
"Sure. Safety reasons and all," Damon supplied and rolled his eyes with a smirk.
"Exactly," Bonnie replied with a wink and was gone as well.
"So, Miss Elena," came Damon's voice from behind her. "Have you ever danced with Superman?"
"I have not," she replied, turning to him with a smile.
"Would you like to?" he asked and held his hand out for her to take.
"I would! Wherever might he be?" she asked, looking around the room, as if searching.
"Cute," he returned and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him and dipping her low.
Elena was caught a little off guard and her breath caught in her throat. "You're good at this," she observed huskily.
"I'm good at a lot of things," he replied, his voice low, his face only inches from hers, before he pulled her back up and swayed her slowly to the music.
"My son has run after his skinny-dipping aunt," Elena started, wanting to dissipate the electricity in the air somewhat. "I think he has been spending too much time with you."
"Why would you think that?" Damon asked, his voice still low. "I'm not out there watching my aunt skinny-dip."
Elena was acutely aware of how close their bodies were to each other. His hand pressed firmly into her lower back, his other one was closed warmly around hers. She felt the strength in his arm and the grace in his legs. She was once more close enough to smell him and it made her a little light-headed. Leonard Cohen's raspy voice was now providing the backdrop to their dancing.
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
He turned them around easily and she felt herself lean in closer, until her cheek was next to his, feeling the heat radiating off their bodies and collecting in the small space between them. She could see the hair in his neck brush against his skin when he lightly turned his head and could feel her fingers itch, wanting to run through it, imagining what the soft, fluffy hairs there would feel like against her fingertips. She felt him turn his head ever so slightly in her direction, could feel his breath gently caress her naked shoulder and a shiver ran through her that she prayed he didn't notice.
"Jeremy!" they suddenly heard from outside, possibly Caroline's voice, followed by Jenna's wail.
"Moooooooom!" she heard her daughter scream and before Elena could even register what was happening, Damon had let go of her and was sprinting towards the door and disappearing through it. Elena ran after him, trying to catalogue what was happening while starting to run across the now cool sand towards the small landing stage that was reaching into the ocean, where she saw figures huddled together.
"Moooooooooom!" she heard Jenna cry again and then saw a body that looked like Bonnie leap into the water. A few feet ahead of her, she saw Damon, running, discarding his shirt and reaching the landing stage, only to pull off his shoes and jump into the ocean as well.
When Elena reached the others, she saw Caroline clutch at Jenna who was staring at the water with a tear-stained face. She could make out Vicki's head bobbing up and down with the waves next to the landing stage, holding onto the wood with one hand and also fixing the endless dark waters before her. "What's going on?" Elena asked with a shaky voice, not wanting to believe what she already knew had happened.
"Mom, Jeremy fell in," Jenna cried and threw herself into her mother's arms. Elena felt a numbness go through her. She clutched Jenna tightly to her body to feel something, anything that might tether her to the world, thinking she might otherwise faint.
"I'm so sorry," Caroline exclaimed, looking up at Elena through equally teary eyes. She was still sitting on the ground, unable to move. "They were playing, the wood was wet…" a sob ended her attempt at an explanation. Bonnie emerged but only for a second to take a deep breath, before disappearing again under black waves.
Too long, Elena thought. It's taking too long. And it's too dark. Only the feel of Jenna's warm tears against her skin kept her from crumbling to the ground.
A/N: I know this is crazy but review this maybe? xoxo