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Damon Salvatore didn't do small. He didn't do quaint. He certainly didn't do normal. It went against everything he'd made of himself. Damon Salvatore was the biggest, modernist, adventurous man who'd ever left Mystic Falls and he was entering the same way he left. There was no fanfare, no announcements, and certainly no expectations. One morning he was there and the next he'd slipped away as if he hadn't been there at all.

Sure a few of the local women had been saddened by the news of the hottest man to grace Mystic Falls in the past century had disappeared. Rumors abounded over his sudden disappearance. Maybe his father had finally had enough of his behavior to finally ship him off to some remote place as punishment. Maybe he'd finally had enough of his stepmother and had just left. Or maybe, and this was what had the young women so worried, he'd run off with some beautiful woman. Either way, Damon hadn't returned when his family had moved from town and the Boarding House had stayed empty.

Not even Damon understood why his father has summoned him back to small-town America but he came nonetheless. His father had made it clear, go or be cut-off. So Damon packed up his beloved Camaro and hit the road. Six hours later and he breezed past the sign, grimacing as he saw signs for the Fall Festival. Small-town entertainment was one of the lowest priorities on his list of "Things to do in Mystic Falls". In fact, he would tell you the thought of attending would be part of slow-torture his father would probably think up to teach Damon a lesson of some sort.

The grimace remained as he turned the corner and drove the two miles outside of town to the Boarding House. There was a newspaper by the mailbox and a few circulars hanging out of the box. Apparently mail and paper service had been resumed since he'd been ordered back. Daddy Salvatore had been busy driving the point home. Damon was in Mystic Falls to stay for some nasty reason and he'd better get used to it.

He stopped the car and retrieved the useless papers and resolved to call the post office and Mystic Falls newspaper. He didn't need the crap and he'd put an end to it. Why waste paper on someone who had gone digital? He'd read the New York Times and forgo the local paper. It was useless anyway. How many articles about the apple cider for the fall festival were really necessary? It was laughable they even bothered with printed paper in a town so small.

He sighed at the sight of the long driveway and pulled off to get to the house sooner. Chances are the place was a mess inside and he'd be busy putting in calls for a cleaning service. If he remembered correctly, there had been a local cleaning service when he'd lived here as a teenager. Hopefully they were still in business. Damon Salvatore also didn't clean.

He drove up to the garage and hopped out, flicking keys as he searched for the one which would open the ancient lock. He'd have to have an automatic door installed so he could get rid of the outdated fixtures. No sense living in the dark ages while living in a small town.

He groaned as he slid the door down once the car was parked before turning to the old door that led back to the yard. There was no connecting door to the Boarding House and garage and he was at least pleased it wasn't raining. Rain and his leather jacket usually didn't see eye to eye. Still his trademark style, he still wore his dark leather jacket habitually and was never far from it. It didn't hurt the ladies found it irresistible either.

The heavy front door creaked as he pushed it open. It would need to be oiled probably since the hinges seemed a bit rusty. The front hall was a bit dusty but it looked decent enough. The sparse furniture was covered in old white sheets and the light fixtures had been dismantled. It would take days to get the house in some sort of order but then Damon didn't care much. One bedroom, a functioning kitchen, one clean bathroom, and the Parlor were all that mattered. The rest could remain as it was since he had no plans for them. As far as he was concerned this was a pit stop on the way to his greater plans.

What those plans were didn't really matter yet. Maybe Damon hadn't decided just what those plans were but he knew he wouldn't find them in small Mystic Falls where everyone ate at the same little restaurant and kids took over the family business. Nearly 85% of students never left town once they graduated and the majority of them followed the family into whatever they had done for decades.

Right now he would do whatever he could to get out, move on, and live life to the fullest. First, he had to figure out what his father wanted from him in Mystic Falls. Secondly, he had to do it. Finally he had to separate from himself from his family's tight grip. First he'd meet up with Sheriff Forbes and get reacquainted with the town.

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"Well if it isn't my favorite little delinquent," Liz Forbes said as Damon breezed into the sheriff's station. She smiled as she went and fetched a cup of coffee, pushing it into Damon's hands like he'd asked for it. She motioned for him to take a seat and he did, slipping into the worn leather. He hadn't been inside since the last time he'd been picked up for underage drinking. His father had nearly stroked out when he saw his fifteen year old son drunk as hell and making sloppy passes at one of the female deputies.

"I've come a long way from being a delinquent, Sheriff," Damon said. She regarded him coolly for a moment before nodding. She took a sip of her own coffee as she stared at a boy grown up. He had been seventeen when he disappeared from Mystic Falls with no word. The Salvatore's had done nothing to stem the rumors and had never commented on the eldest son's fate. Liz had thought it would be a cold day in hell before Damon Salvatore came home. Apparently it was getting a bit chilly.

"So I see," she replied simply. "Your father called and asked me to show you around although nothing much has changed. He's given you proxy vote in the Founder's Council since he hates the Salvatore's having nothing to do in local government. Meetings are the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month."

"I care little for my father's wishes and/or the status of the Salvatore's within local government. I'm here as some sort of punishment and I endeavor to get out of here as soon as possible," Damon replied darkly.

"Well you may have found things have changed here if you'll look hard enough," Liz said. "Sure the same businesses and families are still here but things have changed. I wouldn't discount your father's intentions so quickly."

"Father has made it his life's work to make miserable so we might as well pretend we're on the same page and move on," Damon replied. "I suggest we get this tour and information meeting on the road so I can get to the bar. Agreed?"

"I suppose we can do that although remember Damon, the bar in this town closes at eleven and public drunkenness is still illegal," Liz said as she stood up. "I won't hesitate to arrest you."

"Duly noted Sheriff," he said with a mock bow. "I'll do my best to remain on my best behavior."

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Liz had been right, of course. The town hadn't changed much at all. The old doctor's office on the corner had closed up when the local pediatrician had died in car crash but quickly another doctor had set up shop in a more family practice sort of way. They had little need for duplicate professions but occasionally the owner of an establishment would take on an apprentice or trainee to better serve the community.

The Grill had changed hands twice since he'd left. Once to a niece who inherited when the owner passed on. The niece hadn't been particularly fond of small-town life and had sold it to the Founder's Council meaning; Damon controlled roughly 1/13th of the establishment. It had been necessary for the community to keep the establishment open.

The majority of workers were teens and college-age students getting some experience before taking over the family business. A few select workers had stayed on to keep themselves busy while husbands worked or retirees clung to sense of independence. The restaurant was also the only full-service restaurant in town and served as the centerpiece to the tourists. There was one breakfast diner for trucker's and the one semi-fancy restaurant open for dinner only.

Liz had glossed over the town square and central park since other than a new swing set, nothing had changed. She had shown him the new dentist office which had moved from Oak Street to settle on Main when the coffee shop had joined forces with the morning diner. It turned out Mystic Falls had no need for a coffee shop since people didn't congregate there in the evenings.

Finally she had left him alone for a short time while she attended to some silly dispute between two people trying to park in from of the corner store. One claimed the spot was theirs while the other claimed they had their turn signal on and was already backing into the space when it was stolen from them. Damon could care less and figured let them fight it out but Liz had immediately excused herself to help negotiate a resolution.

Being sufficiently bored out of his mind, Damon decided to stroll around the outside of the town square. There was nothing to do yet since Liz hadn't dismissed him, nor had he anything to do. All he had to look forward to was a glass full of bourbon and perhaps a warm body to pass the night. He could only hope the girls were still as loose as they'd always been. Without that he would have to visit the other towns in hopes of some form of entertainment. He wasn't going to be bored here if he had his way.

He watched a few kids playing by the playgrounds and he found himself smiling. It had been years since he'd felt that carefree but he could remember it perfectly. He'd never been particularly close to anyone growing up but he could remember watching everyone else playing with their friends. A wave of bitterness crept through him as he stared at a few brave kids who had climbed on top of the jungle gym.

A few protective mothers were calling after their children when one or two toddled along. It was apparently a meeting place for families to meet up and allow their children to play. He hadn't had that luxury growing up since his stepmother wasn't the maternal type. She was more of the spend-a-lot-of-money type. If only his mom...

There were some really attractive single moms moving around from the lack of rings on their fingers. Damon couldn't always tell if they were single since some women had deemed the practice archaic and refused to wear wedding bands. Either way a few of them had to be single and most of them were pretty attractive.

Apparently sex was on the brain for Mr. Salvatore and he wanted it sooner rather than later. If only he could ditch the sheriff and find some available woman to pass his first evening in this hellhole. He pulled out his iPhone and glanced down as the text coming in from his usual booty call. He hadn't called in a few weeks and she must have been getting a little...antsy. He sighed and pushed it back in his pocket. He wouldn't be back for a long time if Giuseppe had his way. No point in prolonging the denial.

He turned around when he heard laughter of a different sort and he froze. His eyes fell on the source of the laughter and in his haste he still managed to catch the fact it was a florist shop. Long chocolate hair flipped around her as she vibrated with happiness. An elderly woman stood nearby and seemed to be telling her a story. She shook her head at something said and he caught a glimpse of her smile. He felt his blood run hot as he watched her help the woman inside, still laughing away.

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Elena Gilbert didn't do traditional. She didn't do normal. She certainly didn't care what anyone said to her. It went against everything she'd made of herself. Elena Gilbert was the bravest, protective, moral woman who'd ever decided to buck tradition and do something unheard of in Mystic Falls. She had been completely under the radar until she'd made a decision at the age of seventeen which had changed her life drastically.

She would have been prom queen, valedictorian, and then star-student at a big university. She would have graduated at the top of her class and landed some big-time job at a New York City Publishing company. She would have met a man, dated for a year to eighteen months before marriage would be offered. She would have a few children while working her way up the corporate ladder.

All that went away the moment she learned she was pregnant. Her aunt had wanted her to give the child up for adoption but the second she saw the little "plus sign" she knew she wanted this baby. She had fought for nine long months to keep the baby and thankfully he had the sense to wait until three days after her eighteenth birthday.

Christopher Grayson Gilbert had been born March 14th at 1:27 a.m. He weighed a healthy 7lbs. 5oz. and became the apple of his mother's eye with one glance. Chris had come home after two days being cooed over and cared for by an army of nurses. They loved his dark hair and bright blue eyes. Surprisingly he didn't take after his mother in the slightest but he slightly resembled Elena's younger brother so she forgave him that.

While Elena's aunt grudgingly accepted Christopher with few words, her disdain for an unwed, uneducated aka non-college grad, teen mother overrode that. Within three months Elena and Christopher got their own apartment and began their life together. Seven years later they were still in that tiny apartment, living life the best they could. Elena tried to instill every value into her son and the first on the list was wealth wasn't everything.

It was a lesson they learned together every single day together. Her son had everything she could provide and she hoped he didn't want for anything. He had food, good clothes, and some small luxuries she could afford. Occasionally they would visit a friend's house so they could match some pay-movie since it was one luxury she couldn't afford for her son.

Mystic Falls was the perfect place to raise a child and she had an amazing support system. Two of her best girlfriends had stayed local and took Christopher on the occasion Elena had an appointment or a date. An old boyfriend played ball and taught Christopher all the things a little boy should experience in life. Her brother taught him creative arts and helped out when he could.

As a rule Elena didn't date and Christopher grew up without any man but family or family friends around him. She had never expressed a desire to be with a man and promised herself Christopher was enough. He would come first, no matter what.

The florist shop had been a lucky find for her when she needed a job. Mrs. Flowers, her real name, had accepted Elena into the shop with open arms. While she only had a part-time job there, every dollar was important. It was there she brought Christopher when she had to work. He had grown up among flowers of all kinds and early on had discovered flowers conveyed all sorts of emotions to their owners. From the first time he realized that, he'd given Elena flowers so she'd have a little love in her life.

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It was an early day in September when Elena found an odd feeling spread through her when she got up from her sofa bed. She had felt a sense of change hanging in the air around her as she'd begun to scramble four eggs. She had popped two slices of toast in the toaster and scrounged for the last cup of milk. She didn't get paid until Friday and they'd have to do their best.

She took her old coffee mug and filled it with tap water, dished three eggs onto Christopher's plate, and added one piece of toast before sliding it on the table. The glass of milk joined it quickly as she took her one egg, piece of toast, and water to join her son's meal. He would come stomping out of the bedroom in a moment, rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up. He disliked being trouble for his mother and did what he was told with little fuss. By the time he'd sat down Elena had glanced out their window to see if something was outside. Nothing had been.

With Christopher walked to school and her purse clasped tightly to her shoulder, she considered the $15.87 in her wallet. She needed to feed Christopher for three more days before payday and there was that sweatshirt he desperately needed for the fall. Maybe Jeremy had something she could alter to fit Christopher. She sighed, smiled and tried to be as optimistic as possible.

She could make stew and that would last them a few days. It wouldn't be too expensive. She could get a quart of milk and Christopher would have milk for a few days. She held her last two dollars, glanced down and picked up a candy bar. Christopher had been so good the past few weeks and he'd asked for one but she hadn't had enough money. He could have one now and she resolved to get another one for him in a few weeks again.

From there she'd run back to the apartment and put the groceries away before throwing on her work clothes. Mrs. Flowers would be expecting her at ten and she had never been late in seven years. One longing glance at the empty coffee maker and she was out the door, umbrella clasped in hand. There had been a forty percent chance and she wouldn't get caught unprepared.

The morning had been slow while she waited on a few customers. Mrs. Fell needed a centerpiece and Dr. Bennett needed a bouquet for his wife. She'd smiled the whole time while she chatted with each customer and tried to shake the strange feeling she'd had all day. It had lingered over her lunch of one apple and an end piece of bread. She shook off hunger when another customer came in, helping the teen boy choose the perfect flower for his first date with a girl.

Around four o'clock, Elena had forgotten all about her hunger and her odd feelings. She stood up quickly when she saw Mrs. Flowers returning with a few bags. She rushed out to help her boss with the remnants of the local bridge club. Those ladies only played cards but they loved their ornate flower arrangements.

Elena took two of the bags while Mrs. Flowers started telling her about the newest gossip surrounding Mayor Lockwood. He had a new woman monthly and his wandering eye knew no bounds. Poor Mrs. Lockwood had to look the other way if she wanted to keep being the wife of the Mayor. The Lockwood's held a lot of power in Mystic Falls and no amount of scandal could stem it.

"The man was outside of the Country Club with his newest floozy," Mrs. Flowers had said with glee. Gossip sustained her, she claimed. "I stepped outside and he started raving about the most beautiful woman in the world was there."

"And what did you say?" Elena asked as she waited for Mrs. Flowers to be ready to head inside.

"I told him I was flattered but he wasn't really my type," she cackled. She laughed loudly and Elena found herself smiling and laughing with her. "He glared at me but I managed to shake these old hips at him."

"Well maybe he'll think of his wife..." Elena giggled as she shook her head with laughter as Mrs. Flowers continued her story.

Elena glanced out at the park in her pleasure and froze. Her blood bubbled in her veins and her heart pounded wildly. There by the entrance to the park was a gorgeous man. His dark hair and vibrant blue eyes ensnared her for a second. His eyes met hers for a second and she felt the world tilt.

Mrs. Flower's voice echoed softly in her thoughts before she shook her head and helped her inside. Attractive men she'd seen before and this one would be no different. Christopher was all she needed and no man would change that. No matter how much she told herself that as she closed the door to the flower shop she couldn't shake the feeling something had changed in Mystic Falls and it was here to stay.

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I just couldn't help myself. This chapter has been bouncing around my head for over a week and "Clue Me In" stopped flowing. I figured I would try to get this down and then turn back to "Clue Me In". With "Their Best Weekend" ending soon and "Their Best Life" ending soon after, I figured it was okay to put this out there.

Next up will be CMI, TBL, TBW, and then this one. Well unless I get randomly inspired out of order. That happens occasionally.

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