After - A Delena Story

4 - Home -

I'm back. Back in town.
It's all the same.

"What was the story?"
Damon looks at me with a confused look on his face.
"What did you say happened to me?"

"If anyone asked we said you moved away with Jeremy. Too many bad memories here..."
He explains. That makes sense.

If I didn't come back for sixty years I would've came back to a town full of new people who never knew me anyway. Hopefully at least.

We finally pull up, Damon parks the car in the driveway of the boarding house.
I can't believe I'm back here.

It doesn't seem like anyone else is here. Only Bonnie and Caroline. Which is good.

Me and Damon hurry inside so I can hide upstairs before anyone gets here. Caroline insists on me hiding in the bedroom and she'll tell us when to come down.

Us as in me and Damon.
One, because Damon has vampire hearing and can hear when Caroline is ready for us.
And two, because Damon refuses to be away from me.

It's cute and I love it.
I've missed him so much and want to spend time with him. But I do hope he doesn't stay so clingy.

I walk into Damon's bedroom with him right behind me. It hasn't changed at all. It seems like nothing has really changed. Only the people and their lives.

"Welcome back to our room." Damon smiles and wraps his arms around me from behind.

Every time he calls it 'our' room my heart flutters.

"Your clothes are still where you left them. Everything of yours is where you left it." He says softly.

He seems so calm. It's weird.

"Except that." He points to my favourite shirt, a plain black T-shirt that is actually Damon's but I wore it so much that it became mine. It was laid out on the bed.

"The infamous shirt from my journal. Night four, I gave in and grabbed it, I slept with it every night, the only thing of yours I could bare to touch, it reminded me of you, smelled like you, so I'd hold it close to me at night and then lay it out like that every morning ready for the next night." He explains, the sadness in his voice becoming clearer and clearer.

It's bittersweet how he did that.
Sweet, because it's such a small thing but Damon would never do it.
Bitter, because it reminds me of how much pain he felt in my absence.

I turn around and cup his face in my hands, gazing into his ocean blue eyes that I can easily get lost in.
"I'm back. And I'm not going anywhere."

He smiles and his eyes soften at my words.

I lean up and give him a sweet, chaste kiss.

When I pull away he looks to the door and then back at me. "Stefan and Ric are here." He tells me.

The nervousness from before sets in again.
Not as bad, but nervousness all the same.

I'm actually going to see my friends and family again.

Stefan. Alaric. Jeremy and Matt.
Enzo is also coming, not to reunite with me...

But because Bonnie's here I guess.

I always felt a slight sympathy for Enzo.
He reminded me a bit of Damon.
He just needed someone to see the good in him.

And Bonnie did that.

I'm actually a bit excited to see the real Enzo.
Not the snarky, psychotic Enzo.

Me and Damon sit on the bed.
We can't talk now because Stefan could hear.
I personally don't want to take that risk.

We sit in silence. A comfortable silence.

I take in my surroundings.
Take in the fact I'm home.

Damon lays back on the bed and pats his chest, inviting me over. I smile and lay on top of him, resting my head on his chest.

We lay their, together, enjoying each other's company.

I'm so excited to carry on with my life with Damon.
But that excitement fades slightly when I'm reminded of the fact that I'm human and Damon is a vampire.

Does he still want to take the cure?
Probably not. Damon makes impulsive decisions.

We were at a wedding for gods sake.
That's got to make you feel things that Damon doesn't feel naturally. He talked about marrying me, being the father of my kids...

It all sounds surreal, like a dream, a dream I've had many, many times. But this is real life. All of it isn't easy and it isn't something you should decide to do so impulsively.

Damon loves being a vampire.
He's been one for over a hundred and seventy years.

There's no way he could decide to give that up so quickly. Even if he said he could.

I feel a tap on my arm, it's Damon.
I look up at him and he nods.

It's time.
Time to see everyone again.

I wonder if they look different...
Guess I'll see now.

Damon walks down the stairs in front of me, he's going to greet everyone and then Caroline is going to say something like 'here's the surprise' and I'll walk down the stairs.

Cringey. I know.
But also similar to how we surprised Damon so oh well. Caroline was proud of her plan and we couldn't really tell her it's kind of bad.

I listen closely.
Right about now I'm really missing my vampire hearing.

"Sorry I had to leave. Bonnie was a tad forceful." I hear Damon say. I assume he's talking to Stefan, Alaric or both.

"Hey Gilbert! I know I'm amazing but you might crush me."

There's no way Jeremy is hugging Damon?
Let alone hugging him so tight that he 'could crush him'. What actually happened while I was gone?

"Don't flatter yourself." Jeremy. Jeremy's voice.
He doesn't sound any different. He has the same sarcasm he always has in his voice when he talks to Damon. It's such a comforting sound.

"Okay! Okay! Lovely reunion but we have a surprise!"
Caroline shrieks.

"That's why you dragged us all here at seven pm." I hear Stefan's voice say. Hearing all of their voices brings me such a warm, safe feeling.

"Well I'm sorry. Next time I'll leave you out of our gathering." Caroline replies and Stefan laughs.

Stefan's laugh was such a genuine sound.
If that makes sense?
It was safe, comforting. It made you want to laugh.

"Now. Without any comments from the crowd." I can tell Caroline looked at Stefan for the last part.
"Here's your surprise!!!" Caroline squeals.

I feel like she's more excited than me.

I slowly walk down the stairs and try to catch everyone's reactions.