Author's Note: Yes, I know this is a filler chapter and it took me like forever to write it but my muse has been absent for a while but she might come back strong when tickled with lots and lots of reviews :D

Chapter Seven

Turning Heads

It had been a day since he'd seen Millie, leaving her reluctantly in her bedroom just before her parents got home from a week-end trip and they hadn't even exchanged numbers because it had all happened so fast. After she had dropped the bomb of their irrevocable companionship they sat down on her bed for a while and stared at each other. She would occasionally shake her head, somewhat in disbelief, mirroring his emotions but he was more disbelieving at the evident change of his feelings.

It felt so weird to be completely filled with affection, to not want to smash something, to not be...angry all the time. He had almost forgotten how that felt. And then they'd started talking about anything and everything, she'd asked about his taste in music and he had to confess that he wasn't much of a listener, causing her to play him her favorite songs and he even put up a smile when he didn't like the songs. If the real Damon, or at least the beast everyone thought he was, had seen this, he would've strangled him.

And they'd talked about Millie, about what she was and why he, having been vampire for quite a while, hadn't known about the existence of such companions.

"There aren't so many, not enough of us to be...common", she'd said, "The hybrid children grow up like humans, they're just a lot stronger and faster, they turn when they first drink human blood, which happens when they're considered ready and the companions, the women, they're turned after having the children normally, so there are no real evident vampire families walking around, at least not for long and...no one bothers to ask, why would they? Vampires don't usually notice the difference between a vampire hybrid and a real vampire, a vampire is a vampire"

It was still a lot to get his head around, that he was destined to be a father, initially he had been repulsed by the idea but the longer he thought about it the more he liked the idea of a small version of him walking around and...quite frankly it would have been a waste of genes, both his and hers.

They'd sat there until he heard the engine of her parents car stop in front of the house and then left in a hurry, with a quick kiss, well, as quick as they were able to break apart, and promised to pick her up on Monday to go to school.

Which he was doing and for the first time he thought that it had actually payed of to tell the headmaster of Mystic High that he wanted to finally make his high school-graduation (telling the big fat lie that he had never made one) and went back to join Elena and Stefan in their senior year. He had done it on a whim, originally to be closer to Elena but now...now it was the ideal situation because he could be with Millie, watch over her and protect her.

And with a whiff of air that flew from the motion, Millie came running out of the front door, smiling brightly and everything was just fine. If he'd still had a heartbeat, it would've stopped.

She swiftly got in to the car and let herself drop into the passenger seat, tilting her head.

"Good morning", she smirked, "I missed you"

"I missed you, too", he replied and it took a while until he could start the car and drove towards the school.

"So you're really sure you want to make us official?", Millie asked, "Isn't this a bit rushed?"

"Well, people need to get around to the fact, since we're having a baby soon", he joked but he didn't miss the flicker of fear in her eyes, "kidding"

"Elena is gonna be shocked", she stated after acknowledging his quickly added response, "she thought you hated me"

"Well, I'm sure I gave the impression", he said, pulling over to the school, "Stefan asked me yesterday why I didn't like you"

"What did you tell him?", Millie asked, sincerely curious.

"I told him that he wouldn't understand and that I absolutely do not not like you"

"Well, I guess it's on now", Millie smirked, catching the first surprised glances from the spectators on the schools parking lot, "this is going to be good"

Repaying the smirk, Damon got out of the car and walked around to open the door for her and helped her swiftly out of her seat. She glanced up at him with a twinkle in her eye and he smiled back reassuringly, letting the door shut with his one hand and holding on to hers tightly.

Saying they turned only several heads would be a crying understatement, everybody stared after them as they walked to the main building, most of all so Elena and Stefan, Stefan being more able to control his features, though his eyes spoke of distrust and wonder.

"Good morning", Damon grinned and couldn't help the mischievousness twist of his lips that his features did on their own accord, the only response he was used to giving to the suspecting look on Stefan's face.

Millie's palm in his seemed to fit just right, as if it had been made to complete it the way it did, he felt her blood rush even and strongly float through her veins. She was perfectly well.

"Damon", it was a warning and a question all wrapped in one as Stefan shot him a glare and a nod indicating that he wanted to talk, or better, interrogate, him in private.

"Here comes the fun part", Damon sighed, squeezed Millie's hand and kissed her softly on the cheek, "be right back"

Turning his head he left the girls, Millie radiantly happy and Elena utterly confused to a state where her whole face seemed to ave fallen apart in surprise, he followed Stefan to the football field, internally squealing about his struggle to process what he'd just witnessed.

"What are you up to, Damon?", Stefan cut right to the chase.

"What do you mean?", he played dump for the sheer entertainment of it, "If you're allowed a girlfriend so am I"

"Damon, this is not some sick joke, I thought we were clear on that, you can't hurt or turn or kill anymore people here"

"I have no intention of doing either, I could never hurt Millie", he said, his features not betraying the seriousness of his statement because it was the sheer truth, "I love her"

"This is not funny", Stefan looked like a living grave-yard, as usual.

"And I'm not joking", he could be straight faced just as well, "I told you you can't possibly understand this"

"How am I supposed to buy one word of this? You've been avoiding her like the plague since she came here, what tells me you're not planning anything?"

"Man, bro, how about a little trust, a little faith in your brother", Damon said with a smirk, apart from the fact that he really wanted to make Stefan see that he would never harm Millie, he was also wildly enjoying the taunting him, "Seriously for once, Stefan, I love her and not just because she's smart and funny and beautiful but also because I kind of have to, she's my companion"

As if struck by lightening the expression on Stefan changed from skeptical to considering.

"It's nothing more than a legend, there are no real companions", he insisted after a while, "it's just a myth"

"Believe me, it is not", for once Damon was dead serious, he was getting bored by Stefan's stubbornness in distrusting his motives, "When she came here I had no idea what was happening and I avoided her for that fact, because she pulled me to her and I didn't like it because I couldn't understand it but...it's impossible to run and it's not like with Katherine where I just happened to not love her anymore, I can't stop loving her because it's a natural state, she found me and know she's as much a part of me as I'm a part of her. It's all true, there are companions, for a few of us out there and they breed, and eventually, some day, I am going to be a father"

Stefan just stared at him, disbelieving, wondering, weighing weather or not to trust his words.

"You can ask her", Damon tried one last time, "but if you ever ever had reason to believe me, you can believe me now, I love her, Stefan, I'm bound to love her, it's an unchangeable fate"

"I'm keeping an eye on you", Stefan huffed finally, "If I see her bruising or hurt in any other way, you will have to face the consequences"

"Whatever", Damon rolled his eyes at his brothers big words and trailed back, with his a couple of paces behind, to the school where Millie stood, still happy as a clam and Elena still more than less weirded out.

She mirrored most of the other students, more so Bonnie and Caroline who seemed completely taken aback from the sight of Damon, wearing a big fat grin, walking hand and hand through the corridor with Mystic Highs newest fantasy girl.

A little later at lunch when Millie was getting something to eat, Elena sat down beside Damon and eyed him curiously.

"I thought you didn't even like her", she finally said, keeping her eyes cast at Millie.

"I thought so too", Damon replied, "but turns out that I do...a lot"

"Who are you and what have you done to Damon?", she asked more serious than joking.

"I guess you have to ask her", he said slowly, watching his girlfriend coming back to them and sit down at their table.

"What are you talking about?", she asked briskly, biting from her apple.

"Nothing", Damon smiled and took her hand, completely oblivious to all the eyes turned on them in the cantine.