The Newest Salvatore

Chapter 61

It was that day of the year that Damon always tried to keep Ottilie busy for, and preferably free of Mystic Falls. He wasn't sure what thoughts or grudges that the young girl harboured against Elena, but he knew that as a young child, Ottilie had been terrified of her. In a bid to avoid seeing her like that, perhaps more for himself than for her, Damon made sure to take her out of the town on the one day of the year that Stefan's compulsion allowed Elena to come back to visit any family and friends who still wished to see her after the event that led to her banishment.

"Where are you taking her today?" Asked Stefan, breaking his brother out of his contemplative state. Damon sighed, knowing that this day was not at all easy for Stefan either, as Elena had once been the love of his life before she attacked Ottilie.

"Probably just for a walk and picnic or something - essentially somewhere she won't be."

Stefan nodded, knowing who his brother was eluding to.

"Will you go out today or will you see her?"

"Caroline wants to avoid her so we're going out; she's not forgiven her yet for what she did."

Damon wouldn't let his brother avoid his question.

"And you? Have you forgiven her?"

"No, I don't think so," Stefan looked sad, and Damon wondered for a moment about just how human his little brother really was, feeling all this emotions. "She almost killed Otti, I don't think I can ever forgive that, no matter how much I once loved her. And now, now I'm with Care and I'm so, so happy. I really love her, Damon."

Damon chuckled and clapped his brother on the back. Once he would have teased him mercilessly, he thought, but now he knew exactly how Stefan felt.

A couple of hours later, spurred on by Elena's imminent arrival at her house to visit Jeremy, and the inevitably of accidently bumping into her in such a small town, Damon, Lexi and Ottilie were crammed into Damon's camero and were speeding off to the beach at a nearby lake to have a picnic.

Ottilie was chatting excitedly to Lexi from the back seat about what she'd packed for their lunch. Damon and Stefan had been teaching her to cook and she was excited to show off the fruits of new skills, all neatly packed into containers in a vintage picnic basket that Damon had dug out of the attic for her, much to her delight.

Arriving at the beach, Damon let out a groan as he saw the amount of people on it, all enjoying the first sunny day in ages.

"I swear there never used to be this many humans..." he grumbled.

"Cheer up," said Lexi, "no need to sound like such an old man..."

She winked at Ottilie before she grabbed her beach towel and ran to find a spare spot, leaving Damon glaring and Ottilie giggling in her wake.

"Who's she calling old?!" Exclaimed Damon, handing Ottilie her towel and taking his own and the picnic basket from the boot of his car. "Come on you," he said, ruffling her hair and setting off towards where Lexi was setting down her towel.

"This is amazing," announced Lexi, voicing all of their thoughts as they basked in the sunlight, relishing the warmth.

"Have you got enough suncream on?" Damon asked Ottilie, obviously not quite relaxed enough to stop his parental worrying.

"Yes, dad," sighed Ottilie, rolling her eyes at Lexi and giggling.

"Hey, not fair!" Argued Damon, sitting up to look at them. "You can't both gang up on me!"

"Sorry sweetie," shrugged Lexi, who, not looking at all apologetic, snuck a grin at Ottilie.

Just then, both of the vampires ears pricked up, picking up on a sound audible only to their acute hearing.

"What's wrong?" Asked Ottilie, immediately picking up on the change in their demeanor.

"There's a child... crying for help!" Lexi was looking at Damon, worry clear across his face.

"I think they're in the water," he confirmed, as he and Lexi stood up, ready to try and help.

"You think someone's drowning?!" Gasped Ottilie in alarm.

Without giving her an answer, Lexi and Damon left as quickly as they could without arousing suspicion amongst the beach goers who densely populated the sand. Ottilie ran to keep up with them, losing them for a second in the myriad of people, before spotting them close to the water's edge, their eyes scanning the water for signs of a child in distress.

Noting his daughter standing next to him, Damon sighed in frustration.

"You stay right here, little lady, I do not want to have to rescue you too, understand?"

She shook her head. "But Dad, I can help!"

"Stay here or so help me, I'll..."

A scream ripped through whatever he was about to say.

"MY SON, PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP!"

The distraught cry of the child's mother spurred Damon and Lexi in the water, headed straight for where they could see a small child struggling to stay afloat. It was clearly exhausted, and having swum out too far, was too tired to get back, and was crying for his mother.

Ottilie hopped from one foot to the other, anxious watching the water for signs of Damon and Lexi returning with the child. After a few terrifying moments, she saw Damon's raven hair breaking through the surface of the water, dragging a little boy back to the beach, supported by Lexi.

Ottilie ran straight into the water to get to them, looking into Damons face to gather whether he'd been able to save him.

"We need to get back to shore," Damon said, gruffly, evidently very worried about the young boy in his arms.

"I can save him," exclaimed Ottilie, already taking hold of the little boy's hands.

"Otti..."

She had already closed her eyes and Lexi moved to guide her with them back to the beach as she completed her magic. The boy was already beginning to stir, violently coughing up the water that he'd ingested, his eyes flickering open, searching the faces around him for a familiar one.

Ottilie's own eyes opened lethargically, and Damon looked worriedly at her.

"He'll be fine now," she managed to say, concentrating all her strength on getting to shore.

"Okay, don't you go fainting on me, Otti," Damon instructed, "I can't carry both of you," he added, knowing full well that he could  and would should he have to, but not wanting to give her the option.

Reaching the beach, Damon set the now recovered boy onto the sand into the waiting arms of his mother. Smiling briefly at her cries of gratitude and the awed murmuring of gathered onlookers, he took Ottilie's shoulders firmly in his hands and led her away as quickly as subtlety would allow, Lexi following them closely. 

Just as they arrived back where their towels were laid out on the sand, Damon felt Ottilie stumble next to him, her knees giving way and hitting the sand.

"Oopsy daisy," he sighed, catching her quickly before the rest of her body hit the ground, and laid her gently on his towel which was the nearest to them, supporting her head gently with his hands. He felt her wrist quickly for a pulse, some relief washing over him as he felt it strong and steady. Alternating between gently patting her cheek and shaking her shoulders slightly, he tried to bring her round, watching as colour began to return slowly to her pale face. 

"Alright, sweetheart," he soothed as her eyes fluttered open. "You're alright, I've got you."

She clung tightly to his hands as her world stopped spinning and her vision began to clear. "The little boy, was he okay?" 

Lexi appeared next to Damon, gently wiping the small trail of blood from Ottilie's nose with a tissue she had procured from her handbag. "He's fine, sweetie," she smiled, "everything's fine."