Damon brings his coffee cup to his lips at the same time the speaker concludes his testimonial. The group leader Markos gets up to say a few words, talking about some events they have coming up, a potluck meal that they're planning for next week. Everyone is supposed to bring a hot dish, vegetable or dessert. Dropping his chin to his chest, he's about to get up to use the bathroom when the man sitting next to him gives him a nudge.

Damon eyes him with a confused look on his face. The guy gestures to Markos with his head. "You've been coming for some time now, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?"

He knew it would come to this moment. The one where he has to step out of the safety of anonymity and become the guy who was unable to bear the consequences of his actions, the guy who ran, the guy who broke his wife's heart. The fact he isn't alone in this, especially in this room, doesn't help. If anything he has a feeling that unlike others he doesn't have any excuses. Everything inside is telling him to run, but if he ever wants to progress, he has to do this.

Somehow.

Without saying anything, Damon stands up. As he slowly moves to the podium, his heart is hitting his chest so hard it feels like it'll break his ribs and poke them through his skin.

"I, um, when I've thought about this, I'm feeling very nervous about coming up to speak, and..."

Say something, you can do this, you have to do this for her... Just open your mouth and...

"Now that I'm up here, I'm sorry, I just can't do this. If you'll excuse me," he quickly steps from behind the podium and leaves the building without meeting anyone's prying eyes.

As soon as he's outside, he lights up a cigarette and starts walking down the block to where he parked his car. It's not like he dislikes or thinks ill of these people, that's not it at all, it's just that he can't be in front of a crowd and just spill his guts.

Damon's always kept things close to the vest, quite honestly, it's Elena who he's always been the most open with, more so than his parents and certainly his siblings. Ric knows things, Enzo, too, but he wasn't around during the whole spectacular self-inflicted crash and burn.

Shaking his head, he glances down at his watch, snuffs out his cigarette, and jumps in his car hoping to reach Enzo's place before he closes.


Reaching the gym, he goes inside immediately noticing Enzo brawling with some guy on the mat. In the mood to spar a little himself, he goes to the locker room to change clothes and then goes to wait his turn. It doesn't take Enzo long to dispatch his opponent, the two shake hands, and the other guy walks off, nodding at Damon when he passes beside him.

Enzo chuckles and motions for Damon to join him. He does and gets into position. The two men bow and then start dancing around each other. Damon ducks avoiding his swing. He curls his hands as if gripping imaginary balls and launches himself at Enzo, knocking him over.

As soon as Enzo frees himself, he takes a step forward and chambers both his hands, palms forward, elbows bent. He shouts as if he's a warrior then launches himself at Damon, pinning him to the mat.

"Say it," Enzo laughs.

Damon's cackling so hard that he can't get a word out. Enzo gets up, offers his hand, and pulls his friend to his feet. "Good workout."

"You beat the crap out of me, Enzo," he raises his eyes, still shaking with laughter.

"I'm the master," he winks. "I'm hungry for a cheeseburger. Want to go to McDonalds with me?"

"I'd like that, I'll just go change clothes." Damon nods and disappears into the locker room.


"So what's on your mind?" Enzo bites into his quarter-pounder with cheese.

"Thanks for letting me spar with you."

"There's nothing wrong with an occasional clash between friends," Enzo sticks his straw in his mouth and takes a big swallow.

"I'm sure you can figure it out. I came from an AA meeting. They wanted me to speak... I froze and walked out. I'm not like them, Enzo. I've always kept my feelings inside. There are only a couple of people I trust. I've been going regularly but instead of making progress, I feel like I'm regressing," Damon stuffs a couple of fries into his mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not that I want to go down a fifth of vodka but I always feel so on edge when I leave the place."

"Look Damon, you're doing great staying away from it but if you keep putting yourself in that situation... it's like you're lining up the deck chairs on the Titanic, my friend."

"You don't understand, Enzo. I can't disappoint Elena again. I'm doing this for her, what will she think if I quit?"

"I think if you explain it to her, she'll understand."

"I don't want her to have to understand, I want her to be proud of me again, I don't want her to have to make any more excuses for her sorry-ass husband."

"If you're going to be a sad sack, I could say go fuck yourself," Enzo chuckles, arching an eyebrow.

With the corners of his mouth lifting, "My friend," Damon returns, "with the day I've had, that is a distinct possibility."


The next day, Elena's house is empty when he drops her mail off. Although he's certain that she's at school, it's hard not to feel disappointed. Rather than dwell on it, he finishes the neighborhood deliveries and then moves to the next one.

When he finishes for the day, he returns the truck and goes to look for Ric. Knocking on his door, he waits till he hears the familiar voice telling him to come in. "Ric, how are ya?"

"Just finishing up, Jenna's got pulled pork for supper."

"Sounds good. Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Shoot," Ric gestures for him to take a seat.

"Other than here at work, we haven't spent any time together... I don't want to get into the heavy stuff here, Ric but I thought maybe we could take the bikes out, take a ride, we haven't done that in... God, I don't remember."

"How does Saturday sound? We can stop for lunch at one of those dives along the 101."

"Saturday sounds good. Give Jenna my best," Damon gets up. "I'll let you get back to work." he starts to walk out.

"Damon, why don't you come to the house around 10, you can say hello to Jenna yourself."

"I'd like that, thanks Ric," he nods and leaves the office, pulling the door closed behind him.


After leaving Ric, Damon heads home but traffic moves slowly because of an accident. When he gets home, he tosses his key on the counter. After taking a shower and slipping into a clean pair of boxers, he pulls a bottle of water out of the fridge then plops down on the couch and spreads his legs across the sofa table.

Soon Onyx finds her way to his lap, she stands up to nuzzle his face and laves her sharp tongue across his stubbled jaw. He leans forward to pick up a string and starts to play with her for some time before she tires of it. She jumps down, has something to eat then returns to his lap, burrowing against his belly.

He's unaware he's softly scratching the cat between its ears and despite his long day, he smiles. His mind drifts to his dream, one of the best he's ever had. He can't help but think that if he's ever lucky enough to be with Elena that way again, he suspects she'd purr much like Onyx is doing right now.

Reaching to his right he picks up his phone and clicks on her number.

"Damon, hi."

"I just wanted to check in. I missed you today."

"Me too. I was at school."

"I figured as much. I talked to Ric today. We're going to go riding Saturday."

"That's great, Damon. Maybe you can stop by when you're done. I'll make you supper."

"How about I make you supper? I'll pick you up and bring you here. You haven't met Onyx yet."

"Is that your cat?"

"Yep, she's sitting on my lap right now."

"Nice," she pauses for a moment when he hears the doorbell in the background.

"Someone there?"

"It's my mom. I have to go. I should be home when you bring tomorrow's mail."

"I'll see you then. Goodnight, Elena. I love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight," she ends the call.

Tossing the phone on the cushion beside him, Damon lays his head back and closes his eyes.


"I'll take a wild guess, you had a date...," It's not a question and under Kol's all-knowing gaze her cheeks turn pink.

"What makes you say that?" she mumbles but doesn't expect the answer. Of course, he delivers one.

"Well, considering you've been walking around in a daze since Monday... I'd say you either saw and more likely spent some time with Damon over the weekend?"

Elena fights an eye roll but knows very well he won't buy it. "Okay, Sherlock, we spent Saturday together. I made lunch and we went hiking."

"And?" Kol's brow raises.

"And nothing. It was nice... Okay, there was a kiss."

"A kiss?"

"Yeah, just a kiss...," She pauses for a moment, then turns her head to look into his eyes. "Look, I know you're worried, and thank you for that. But I'm not jumping into anything rashly. I know it must sound crazy, but he's doing great, I can see that."

"Yeah, and you're the best judge in this case," Kol mumbles sarcastically but she can see he's not going to try to talk her out of it. Not that he could.

"I promise I'll be just fine," she gives him a reassuring smile.

You bet you will and I'm going to make sure of it...Kol's thinking when they go their separate ways after entering the school building.


Damon slips his motorcycle helmet off his head, sets it on the seat, and swallows thickly. Just as he starts to walk the sidewalk that leads to their front door, Jenna runs outside to greet him, immediately pulling him into a hug. His nostrils inhale the delicate hint of vanilla in her hair.

"It's good to see you," she steps back, her eyes perusing his form.

"You too, Jenna." She's just as pretty as the first day he saw her. So much time has passed since then.

"You've lost weight, and you look fitter, look at those biceps," Jenna teases, squeezing one arm.

"I had to do something to keep busy, you know since..."

"Have you seen Elena?"

"I have, we spent a day together. It was great."

"I'm glad," she starts to say when Ric appears on his motorcycle.

"I had to fill my gas tank. You ready to go," he steps off and kisses his wife.

"I'm ready," Damon pulls his bandanna down over his hair. "Nice to see you Jenna," he adds, striding his motorcycle.

"I'll see you later," Ric waves as he and Damon step on the gas and pull out of the driveway.


They drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, the wind blowing in their faces and their skin. The machines sound awesome, the controls are a sublime connection, and the dangers are real, all the while they're timing turns, leaning, accelerating, and enjoying the scenery and weather - at certain moments he feels a deep peace and serenity, albeit temporal, as most things in life.

Riding his bike at this time of the day, he's trying to think of a word to describe the incredible clouds that are overhead. The road snakes along the Pacific, it's a beautiful drive, as they get close, sometimes they pick up the scent of barbecue and he glances over to see a group of people set up on the beach.

After a couple of hours of riding, they park their bikes and go into a small roadside restaurant. Damon wipes the sweat from his brow and follows Ric to a table.

"I'm your waitress, Emma. Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll have a b... skip that, I'll have a Pepsi," Ric says, taking the menu from her hand.

"Ric, if you want a beer, it's fine. I'll have a Pepsi too," Damon opens the menu. Emma returns shortly with their drinks and takes their food orders. Damon orders a BLT with fries and cole slaw while Ric orders a fish sandwich with the same.

Turning his head, Damon looks out at the ocean. The sea is a beautiful turquoise color, he looks away when he hears Ric's voice.

"Jenna and I are adopting my sister's son. She's into the drugs, can't get her act together, it's either us or he goes into foster care."

"Wow, that's good of you and Jenna."

"Well, she's going to have to relinquish her parental rights. Damon, this is a cautionary tale. This could be you losing rights to your kid."

"I know that, Ric. Don't you think I know the gravity of all the horrible things I've done? I can't change the past, all I can do is try to make the future better and try to repair some of the damage. I don't expect you to forget, but I hope you can forgive."

Ric takes his time to answer, his eyes fixed on something outside the window. "You know, I don't think there's anything to forgive, Damon. Most of all, you were hurting to yourself. It was difficult to watch your downfall, I was worried we'd never get you back... But if you need to hear it, yes, Damon, keep doing what you're doing and I can forgive."

"That's all I needed to hear," Damon leans back when Emma returns with their plates and slides them in front of the two men.

"Thank you," Damon reaches for the salt, sprinkles some on his fries, and digs in. Ric watches his friend and a good feeling erupts, one that's been absent for a very long time.


Damon puts the finishing touches on the table, placing the silverware meticulously and rearranging one sprig of baby's breath that looked a little out of place. Elena loves more simple flowers but he thought roses were called for today. Feeling something rub against his pant leg, he looks down to see Onyx nuzzling against his bare lower legs.

Stooping over, he picks her up and cradles her in his arms. "Wait till you meet Elena. You're going to love her," he scratches behind her ears and then sets her back down. Moving to the kitchen, he checks his skillet and turns the shrimp. He's making shrimp scampi pasta with asparagus. He also bought some sparkling apple juice and has it cooling. The doorbell rings just as he's sprinkling some fresh parsley on their food. Wiping off his hands, he sets the towel aside.

"Elena, come in," he steps back so she can come in. Immediately she notices the fancy table and the roses.

"You have a nice apartment," she mentions, looking around.

"It's not much, a roof over my head's all I need."

"I think that's true for all of us," she wanders into the room when he pushes the door closed.

"Have a seat, I'm just finishing up. I made your favorite shrimp recipe."

"You didn't have to go to all that trouble."

"No, Elena. I wanted to. Have a seat, I'm sure Onyx will be on your lap in short order," he laughs when she hops on the couch just as the words leave his mouth. The sniffs at Elena a little bit. She raises her hand to pet her and she bats her paw at Elena, earning a laugh from the humans.

"Come here, kitty," Elena coaxes, wiggling her fingers, and then she pounces, gently nipping at them. Picking her up, she starts petting her and then notices that Damon's dancing around in the kitchen. It brings a sense of deja vu, he loved to cook for her when they were first married. As she looks at the décor, it's decidedly low-key. There's less materialism, not that he ever was hung up on that kind of thing but he did like his electronics and his motorcycle.

'You ready to eat?" He sets the platter on the table.

"You bet," she gets up and Damon pulls a chair out for her. Picking up the tongs, he plates some pasta for each of them. Before sitting down, he picks up the sparkling fruit juice to fill their flutes.

"It looks delicious," she lowers her head to take a whiff.

"Dig in," he picks up his fork but waits till she takes a bite before taking one himself.

"Oh my God, it's heavenly, Damon," she puts her fork down and takes a swallow of juice.

"Whew," he sighs heavily. "I'm happy you like it."

"I do, very much. I've always told you that you're a great cook."

"I guess that's one thing I do well," he drops his eyes and sticks another forkful of food into his mouth.

They eat the rest of their meal in companionable silence. After putting the food away and doing the dishes, they settle on the couch. Elena curls her legs underneath her to face Damon and takes a drink of her sparkling juice. "How are the AA meetings going?"

Immediately on the defensive, Damon looks away. "I'm going Elena, honest I am, but I don't want to talk about them."

His body language is anxious, and she doesn't miss the light sheen of sweat that's shining on his forehead. She doesn't believe he's lying to her, and he wouldn't, not again but it's easy to see that something about these meetings disturbs him. Although she knows it's important whatever it might be, she's not going to push him to open up, not till he's ready.

"It's okay, we don't have to talk about them," she moves closer and palms his cheek, gently turning his head to look at her. Soon she leans in for a taste, lips on prickly skin as she presses every inch of their bodies together.

Damon stares into her twin pools of melted chocolate that go deep into his soul. He smiles at her before slowly leaning into her. His heart is beating so hard, it feels like it's going to explode. Finally, his lips touch hers. Sparks fly, and the world slowly disappears around them. He pulls her closer and kisses her deeper and more passionately. A smile grows on his face when he feels her hands play with the short hairs at the back of his neck, finally, they pull apart.

Elena squeaks when Onyx jumps on her lap, her tiny claws sinking into her flesh. Damon laughs and lifts Onyx to the free cushion beside him. He picks up the TV remote and wraps an arm around her shoulders to pull her flush against him.

Sometime later, Onyx gets up and stretches, kneading her little paws into his leg. When he doesn't arouse, she jumps to the back of the couch and starts to bat his head. His eyes open briefly before he shifts and buries his face into a sleeping Elena's hair before drifting back to slumber.


Huge thanks to everyone. You're all amazing.

Chapter title: Whatever It Takes by Lifehouse.

I did post the first chapter of "Hey, Santa" yesterday. It's this year's short Christmas story.

Have a fabulous weekend.