Well, that was weird...

Damon was preparing to dodge Ric's awkward attempts to get him to open up as he does every day but his friend surprised him today, barely raising his head and waving at him from his desk when he passed his office on his way out. He must've either been busy or preoccupied with something.

Two hours at the gym was exactly what he needed. Enzo, like Ric, seemed to be extremely busy so although they didn't talk much, Damon left feeling satisfied. On his way out the door, Enzo caught up with him to double-check that he'll be there on Saturday.

Damon told him to chill. Yes, he'll be there. He's a little excited about the event but there's a little uncertainty too.

What will he do with a group of school kids?

This good feeling disappears the moment Damon spots his brother pacing in front of his door.

"I thought you'd be home earlier than this?" he starts as soon as Damon approaches him. "Hey," he adds the greeting as an afterthought.

"Nice to see you, too, brother," Damon mentally rolls his eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"What? I was hoping... we could talk. Maybe I can do something for you?"

Damon sighs in resignation and gestures his hand inside. This certainly isn't how he imagined his evening would go.

"Where were you?"

"I usually go to the gym after work. Next time, give me a heads-up first. That way we can arrange a time and you won't drive yourself crazy waiting for me... Come in," he unlocks the door, and Onyx, ready to welcome her daddy home freezes, then quickly disappears under the couch.

"What was that? Did you get yourself a cat? Why?"

"What do you mean?" Damon asks slowly. "You think I'm not responsible enough to take care of a cat?"

"No, of course not. But Damon, you have to take care of yourself first..."

"Oh brother, always so thoughtful." He points Stefan into the living room and brings a pot of coffee. "Sorry, no canapés, I wasn't expecting guests. So, brother," he doesn't give him a chance to prepare another speech, " is this a social call or are you here for a reason?"

Stefan squirms, "Well... I was thinking... I should offer you some help if you need it?"

"That's really nice of you Stef... or does it really mean that Rebekah sent you over here?"

"We... talked about it, yes, but of course, I don't need her to tell me when to support my brother. We're family."

He finally got into his role. Almost.

"As I said that's nice. Do you have anything particular in mind?" Damon's curious. He knows his brother well enough to know he wouldn't show up without a plan.

"I've been doing some research, looking into some support groups. I found one that sounds pretty promising. It's a normal part of treatment after... you know." Stefan looks extremely uncomfortable; Damon can tell by the way he's knotting his hands. " I think you should consider joining."

"What? Your idea of you supporting me is that I join alcoholics anonymous?" Damon asks incredulously

"I... yes! It works, they have millions of members. They have a complete program, consultancy services, and regular sessions. Look at the brochure," he carefully puts it on the table. "You're supposed to do something, seek aftercare... right?"

Damon feels rather annoyed and even angry, he swears he might start doing drugs if only to shut Stefan up. "Okay, okay, I'll look into it. Later. Happy?"

Stefan gives him a long look, then nods with a serious face and pats Damon's shoulder. "Okay, brother. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

Damon sits there a long while after Stefan leaves unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.

"Sure, why not?" Damon finally agrees and follows his friend into the brick three-story building. He's 17 and about to attend his first frat party. He's had a few buzzes before from beer but never what he'd call drunk.

"Wow, if we drink a lot these people will be impressed, right? We'll have a bunch of shots too, they're small, they can't be that bad for you!"

Damon looks at Will amused. "Lead the way," he stays behind him as they make their way to the refreshment table. They each pick up a couple of shot glasses and throw them back, Damon cringes at the burn but picks up another and another. He has a very good buzz going when a pretty blonde grabs onto his hand and pulls him into the crowd to dance. Before long, her mouth is on his and her hands are touching him. He wants more but he needs some additional liquid courage.

"I want another drink." he slurs against her neck.

The blonde winks at him and drags him back to the table, she picks up a bottle of Jose Cuervo and leads him upstairs to an empty room. After locking the door, she takes a long pull from the bottle and then gives it to Damon who does the same, not one but several swallows and when he shakily sets the bottle down, she pushes him back onto the bed and pulls off his clothes.

She tells him to open his mouth and he does allow her to pour more booze down his throat, encouraging him to drink up. He happily does so, batting the bottle away only when she climbs on top of him.

The rambunctious blaring of the small alarm clock jars him out of his uneasy sleep and he jolts up, smashing the snooze button as hard as he possibly can.

"Fuck," Damon mumbles, he knows that was his first time but he was too drunk and to this day, he still doesn't remember any more about that night.

Shuddering at the thought, he gets out of bed, jumps into the shower and after giving Onyx a little attention, he hurries off to work.

Damon doesn't expect to see Elena today, it's been more than a few days since he gave her the pieces of himself. Perhaps she'll feel uncomfortable talking to him after reading about his most private thoughts and rough emotions.

He wasn't sure about sharing something so intensely personal but inherently knew he made the right decision.

He sees her leaving the safety of her house and stepping onto the porch just as he drops some catalogs into her neighbor's mailbox.

Elena gives him a shy smile and nods to greet him, while he's struck by the light that radiates from her, even at this distance. He takes a shaky breath and proceeds to her yard to deliver a small pile of her own mail.

"Hey," Elena takes the initiative to greet him first and makes a movement as if she's trying to get closer.

"Hey," he responds but he can feel the sound of his voice is lifeless although he's never felt more alive than in her presence. His throat is strangely dry, he can see she's noticed too but he's unable to explain that it's not like it looks like, that it's actually the opposite.

Elena gives him a small smile and extends her hand to take the parcel of mail from him.

"Thank you... Not for this," she quickly clarifies. "For the birthday present, it was..." She looks aside to overcome the emotion but her eyes are quickly back on him. "I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I needed to read them all first and then as fate would have it, I haven't been home when you've made your rounds."

Damon nervously shifts his weight getting more uncomfortable by the minute. He wants to run but... isn't this what he was hoping for?

"I know you have to go; I just need you to know when you're ready to talk, I'm here..."

He nods, taking it as goodbye but before he turns his back to her, she lets herself be heard one more time.

"I want you to know... I'm so proud of you."

There's no more conversation and Damon eventually leaves but the effect... of what she said... is incredible.

In that frozen second between stand-off and fighting Damon sees Enzo's eyes flick to him and he tries to keep his face unreadable, no fear, no invitational smirk, and banking on his opponent to make a mistake.

"Oomph," Damon's raw voice is brutal against his ear. Enzo struggles against him, shooting his right leg out but today his movements are too slow. Hands moving from his waist, Damon seizes his arms, trapping them against his side. He pushed him roughly to the mat, the agile gesture causing Enzo to stumble, almost falling flat on his face.

"I can't believe it," Damon laughs, offering his hand to help his Sensei. "You're off your game today, everything okay?"

"Yeah, I have a bit of a cold," Enzo replies, picking up a bottle of water.

Damon pours one over his head and grabs a towel to wipe off his face. "Enzo, do you have a minute?

"What's on your mind?"

"My brother ambushed me yesterday. To make a long story short, he thinks I should go to AA meetings. I hate the idea, maybe even more that Stefan suggested it, however..."

"Look, Damon. The last thing I want to do is discourage you. AA's mission is commendable and I won't speak badly of them. As with every self-help organization, for some people it's a panacea, others don't find the help they need. One of their mission statements is that all members are anonymous. The anonymity removes the stigma of identification and recognition and allows participants a more comfortable experience in recovery. "

"Obviously you're familiar with the group..." Damon offers, taking a swallow of water.

"I've been around the block a few times Damon. As I said, I don't want to discourage you. If you want my advice, go to a meeting or meetings, maybe it's what you need, maybe it's not... there's only one way to find out."

Damon sighs and exhales heavily and steps off the mat. "Thanks, Enzo," he nods at his buddy and then heads for the showers to clean up before going home for the evening.

Damon feels exhausted and it's not from the gym. This day seemed to go forever. Now, close to the end of it, he's lying on his couch, imagining himself holding a glassful of glittering ruby liquid against the last rays of the sun that color it the deepest shade of red as if he were drinking blood.

Elena wasn't lying, he could read it in her eyes, he had to admit it felt good when she told him she was proud of him, she truly meant it. That itself made this whole effort worth it but he isn't sure what it actually means.

God, he's so tired... and the impulse to celebrate this one small step, the fact she's proud of him and all is still too strong.

Would she be even more proud if he took the next step in trying to get better...?

The ringtone pulls him out of his reverie.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hello, Damon. I'm just checking in. I hope that's okay?"

He gives it a thought and decides that... "It's all good."

"Mom says hi and said to tell you to come for dinner again soon. I promise we won't overwhelm you."

"Thanks, I will." It's nice to know that someone cares. Many people he met had no one to care for them. "I... talked to Elena today." He didn't realize he had nothing to share with his dad. It's too private, too fragile to be talked about. Why did he even open his mouth?

"That's good. The two of you probably have a lot to say to each other before moving on."

Damon goes silent for a moment.

Is that what it is? Moving on?

"Yes. It's a start...," Damon reluctantly agrees.

"Did you talk to Stefan?"

Damon detects a certain hesitancy in that question. His father isn't comfortable invading his privacy.

"You mean the AA thing?"

"Seems like an option...," Dad carefully offers.

"Yeah, I guess so," Damon admits. "Do you really think it's a good idea?"

"Might be?"

"Okay...," Damon then changes the topic, but he already knows he'll go through it. Not because of Stefan and not because of his Dad.

It's her face that will guide him to do his best.

Her, being proud of him, feels incredible

Thank you all.

Chapter title: Only Be Lonely by Annihilator.

Take care and have a fabulous weekend.