Author's Note: Hey, I told you guys I'd be posting the rest soon! :) Hope this makes up for my months of not updating. PS: I love the way this chapter turned out. Let me know what y'all think!

The next day found Katie and Damon both much more relaxed; and Katie was especially easy-going compared to her anxiety ridden, busy body. Damon decided it was nerves from not being in trouble for getting in the water yesterday –which she should've been- and from embarrassment at falling asleep so early. It wasn't necessarily from falling asleep, but from being carried to the car…and then to bed. Damon –by the way- was right about that and Katie didn't like that Damon knew her temperament like that.

She was kind of excited to be going to school tomorrow, but Damon didn't need to know that. It seemed like a long time ago that Damon had signed her up to attend Mystic Middle –she told Damon she was 11- when in reality Katie should've technically been in like 4th or 5th grade. She was only barely 10 when Damon and her met; and wouldn't be 11 until the next February 17th.

Strangely enough –considering she'd went to a vast selection of schools in the past 5 years (starting when she was only 4) - Katie skipped a grade; which was even worse because of starting so early made her 2 years younger than the other students instead of 1. The coupled with her height, did not make school easy for Katie's welfare.

"I hate school!" Katie shouted, surprising Damon who had never heard Katie raise her voice that high, and angering him about the slammed door. Katie was followed inside by Stefan who gave Damon a look that could only convey: –she's all yours-.

"Whoa, wait a minute." Damon called, intercepting the child with a gentle tug on her arm. "Let's get this straight, A) don't slam my doors and B) does throwing a temper-tantrum really seem necessary for this?" He was getting way to good at parenting for his liking…damn it Katie!

Katie huffed, blushing and scuffing her shoe against the carpet, "I…not really, sorry, Damon." She mumbled, staring down at her shoes.

"Good. Now, why do you 'hate school' all of a sudden? You were so excited this morning." He was being slightly sarcastic, -like he would be if he was talking to Stefan- not considering that Katie was a child with a child's temperament…her tears quickly made him reconsider.

Katie sniffled, swiping away at the embarrassing tears. "No! Don't look at me!" She exclaimed, upon Damon trying to tilt her chin up to see her face/eyes. He ignored her, grasping her small hands in his, "Stop."

She stilled, hiccupping on a sob that Damon didn't wasn't expecting. "Let me go, I'm… m-'m crying, my face is gross."

"It's fine, Katie,, just…just calm down enough to tell me why you're crying, okay?" He asked, trying to give her a choice that wasn't actually a choice.

"Please let go of my hands." Katie requested, quieting down in a matter of a minute. She waited until Damon complied, then said, "I hate school, because I, I just do."

Damon's eyes rolled heavenward. "That's the worst excuse, one of the worst excuses I've ever heard. Besides, I want to know why you were crying not why you hate school." His arms instinctively crossed.

Katie scoffed, "You know why I was crying."

"Yes, I forgot that I was talking to a child and not an adult; who wouldn't have been upset by sarcasm."

Despite herself, Katie smiled, "That's the worst apology I've ever heard."

"He's given worse." Stefan added, before heading out the door to go to Elena's.

"Ignore him." Damon instructed, although not really caring because it made Katie happy again, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, 'm okay, thanks." She said, smiling genuinely this time, "Sorry about the door."

"Yeah, whatever- just…don't do it again." He offhandedly replied.

Katie looked thoughtful, and suddenly asked, "Can I have high-heels?"

"Excuse me?" Damon snorted, was this kid serious?

"You know," She gestured with her hands, "Caroline has them, the shoes…that make you taller?" She asked, imploring Damon with her eyes –and thinking about how much of an idiot he was-.

"Katie." He held up a hand. "I know what they are, okay? I know what they are, which is exactly why you can't have them."

"Why?"

"Because A) they don't make high-heels in your size, B) you're like 11 and 11 year olds don't wear high-heels, and C) there's a reason I call Caroline 'Vampire Barbie' and the way she dresses is part of it. Plus, you aren't dressing like a prostitute on my watch."

"That's…" Katie poked out her lip, pouting momentarily, and then giggling at Damon's last statement. "Katherine's like a prostitute…I think, are prostitutes and sluts the same?"

It was an innocent question, but Damon glared at Katie for her choice of words. "Katie, don't say that word."

Katie's eyebrows furrowed, "Pretty much everyone I know calls Katherine that."

"Yeah." He scoffed, "And I'm pretty sure everyone who calls her that is an adult. Or, at least older than you are, right?"

"That depends. Are we going back to Elena's parent's cabin? Today?"

"You have school tomorrow." Damon pointed out. "And don't you have homework?"

Katie considered lying until Damon raised his eyebrows at her with a look that meant: I dare you to lie to me. "Yes, I have homework." She admitted.

Damon smirked, "Good girl." And Katie scowled.

"Go do it. We'll go back this weekend, and what won't we do?" He asked, although it was rhetorical.

Looking away, Katie mumbled, "Not get in the water."

"Right. Go on." He said, pushing her forward with a swat to the behind.

"Don't hit me!" She called, over her shoulder and racing away upstairs to her bedroom. She wouldn't have thought it possible that night Damon opened the door, but Mystic Fall's was starting to feel like home…and Damon was starting to feel like family.

AN: Well, what'd you think? I hope you like this chapter as much as I do! (I know it's really just a conversation, but it's SUPER important for the story's development.)