AN: Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews this story! And big thanks to my Beta tsukikomew... now, I'm not gonna make you wait any longer than I already did!

Chapter 6 - About Care

Elena never deluded herself into thinking that the rest of "the Gang"- who'd all been filled in in some way or another at this point - wouldn't show up sooner or later to take a look at little Damon for themselves; to make sure for themselves that the crazy story they've been told was actually true. She just thought that it would be a little later, rather than so soon... or at least she hoped so.

But as it turned out, not even twenty four hours came to pass before the first visitor arrived at the boarding house wanting to take a look at him. Caroline – who had only been told this very morning – leading the way, of course.

Elena was just walking back downstairs after she had finished putting away her own clothes in the guest bedroom next to little Damon's when she heard her friends loud squeal slash cry.

"Oh. My. Gosh!"

She decided to take to steps at a time, hurrying down the stairs to get there faster. She could only imagine what her friends animated outburst would do to the little guys insecure nature. And she was sure that if she didn't get there soon enough some damage control would be in order.
To her relief she found Stefan still with little Damon when she got to the parlor, from where she had heard Caroline's cry of surprise. Her friend was standing in the entryway, jaw slacked and her eyes not moving an inch from the little guy who looked like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin and go hide somewhere.

"Care," Stefan mumbled cautiously. His eyes where moving back and forth between her and little Damon, seemingly torn between staying at his side for comfort or going over to help her get over the shock. When he heard Elena approach his gaze immediately settled on her. He sighed. "Hey, Elena," he said, consciously alerting the little boy at his side to her presence. His stance relaxed instantly. "Are you all settled in?"

"Yes. Damon helped me putting some stuff away," she answered, nodding her head towards the stairs. "Hey, Caroline, I didn't know you were coming over." She couldn't hide the slight tone of accusation she had to her voice.

However, that seemed to do the trick and get her friend out of her state of shock. "Oh... yeah, I just wanted to drop by... you know?" Her eyes didn't leave the obvious reason for her impromptu visit.

Elena couldn't help but to laugh at that. "Yeah, I'm sure you did." She walked over to her newly self-appointed fosterling, putting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Damon, this is my friend, Caroline," she told him in a calm voice. "Care, this is Damon."

The Blonde took in the scene before her. How protective Elena was of that little guy and how in tune he seemed to be of her very being. You could hardly tell that they had only known each other for about a day. It looked like he already was the moth to her flame. How ironic...

"Oh, he is Damon, alright," she chuckled, causing Elena to frown a little.

The little guy watched their exchange with equal confusion, trying to figure out the dynamics between this new visitor and the people he had encountered so far. He was still confused by some of their mannerisms. There greetings and behavior towards each other weren't always as polite or formal as he had been taught, yet they seemed to be rather friendly towards each other. He didn't always understand what was going on around him. The adults often spoke in hushed voices and sometimes he didn't really understand their dialogs anyway. As it was common with children who listened to a conversation carried on by their elders, some of the words and the context they were used in by far transcended his horizon and knowledge. And some of their phrasings were – frankly – just completely strange.

He had gotten used to some of it though. So far nobody seemed to be really put out by his unexpected presence in their home and so he decided to – at least try to – believe in their good nature and best intentions towards him. Until now none of them had given him a reason to assume anything else. Lena was the one he felt most comfortable around. She had been nothing but kind and accommodating towards him right from the moment she found him in the rain. She wasn't the least bit hesitant to invite him in her home, despite his drenched clothing, his inability to answer her questions and his uncertain origin. For some reason he felt safe and cared for by her very presence. He trusted her.

Stefan and Damon had been a different story, at first. Their initial reaction to him was what had scared him at the beginning and made him slightly more cautious towards them. But he had already realized these two seemed to be rather trustworthy too. His nightly encounter with Damon had eased his mind towards the strange man a little. Even though they hadn't really talked much he got the distinct and unexplainable feeling that the older Damon seemed to know exactly what to do. He didn't know him for that long and yet he had figured out instantly what had troubled him and how to help him. He was nothing but kind that night and for some reason the little guy had felt strangely comforted by him.

Stefan for one had been playing chess with him for the better half of the morning and while he wasn't as good as his father – who had taught him how to play the game when he was five – he still enjoyed playing with him. He had told him about his little baby brother, whose name was also Stefan surprisingly, and how he planned to teach him how to play the game, and every other game he knew, as soon as he was old enough.

"Father taught me how to play," he had announced proudly after his first victory over his opponent. "He used to play with me on Sunday nights." His little smile had vanished a bit at that. "But lately he is in his study a lot... his work takes up most of his time, he seems to be tired quite often and I do not want to be a bother."
"I'm sorry about that," Stefan had said and caused little Damon to nod his head in an accepting manner that appeared to be way to grown up for his tender age.

"Well... I promised my mother that I would be a good older brother to little Stefan." And just like that his proud little smile had been back. He had puffed out his chest a little and seemed to be positively glowing, when he announced: "I will be the best. I will teach him everything he has to know. How to properly hold his cutlery, how to read and how to feed the horses in the stables... and every game I know. And then we can play chess together every Sunday. He just has to grow a little more."

Stefan's eyes had widened in surprise and wonder and at little Damon's inquiring gaze he had said wistfully: "You know, my older brother taught me all these things when I was still a little boy. I'm sure you'll be a great big brother."

And that's how he had slowly started to take to both of the strange Salvatores.

Now he looked up at the blonde girl and contemplated what to do. So far, none of the people Lena had introduced him too had been straight-out unfriendly or mean, despite the initial reaction of shock and disbelief he felt himself getting used to already. He didn't really understand it but he just tried to be on his best behavior and make them see that he wouldn't be any trouble. He was brought up to be a polite little gentlemen after all.

He took a step towards the woman named Caroline – albeit unwilling to leave the comfort of Lena's close proximity – and took a little bow before reaching out his hand, waiting for her to take it.
"It's nice to meet you, Ma'am."

Caroline looked at the little guy with huge surprised eyes, unable to hide her smile. "Why... how do you do, kind Sir?" she said in her best impression of a southern belle, causing a blush to rise on little Damon's cheeks.

"Care," Elena couldn't help but to laugh as well, "stop embarrassing him."

"Well, he really is quite the little Gentlemen." His blush got even darker but one could tell without a doubt that he was secretly pleased with the compliment. "Are you sure he actually is... related to the older Damon?" Caroline asked with a little snort, carefully phrasing her question. "But then, of course ... the older version can be quite the charmer, too, if he wants to." And then, more quietly, so that the little boy wouldn't hear she added. "And if he expects to get something out of it."

Elena chose to ignore her friends last comment, knowing all too well what she was talking about. Because of what happened between Caroline and Damon – how he had preyed on and straight out used her while he was still on a mission to find Katherine and get revenge on Stefan – they would probably never be best friends. Caroline wasn't one to hold a grudge but it was also not in her nature to just forgive and forget such a major transgression.

However, over their battle with Klaus, both of them had developed at least a mutual respect for each other. Damon knew that – when worst came to worst – he could count on the blonde to keep Elena safe. Caroline knew how to recognize a man in love when she saw one and how to value the actions he took to – albeit maybe unconsciously – redeem himself in Elena's eyes. And she also started to understand the battle one could fight with his own humanity.

Well... and Elena knew, even if he would never admit it to himself, much less anybody else, that Damon did feel sorry for what he did to Caroline; at least to some extent.

"So, Care," Elena interrupted the brief moment of silence that had unfolded between them. "I know we made plans to go shopping with Bonnie tomorrow, but would you mind if I take a rain check? Damon here has been cooped up in this house since I brought him here yesterday and I wanted to take him out and around town for a bit."

Caroline didn't even get to answer, before she got interrupted by little Damon's excited voice. "Really?" Is eyes were practically sparkling and Elena couldn't help but smile at him. This hadn't been the first time he reacted to something that seemed like no big deal to her like she had just promised to give him the world. His childlike curiosity and eagerness to experience everything was more than endearing.

"Only if you want to, of course," Elena replied with a little chuckle.

"Of course I want do!" He blushed at his own exuberance. "I mean... I would love to accompany you to town, if it is no trouble to you, dear Lena."

"I couldn't wish for better company," she said. Then she turned to Caroline again. "So, about that rain check?"

"That's all right. This morning Bonnie didn't seem to be up for a big shopping trip to Richmond either. I bet I still have something in my closet that will do for Graduation."

"Thanks, Care. You're the best."

"And don't I know it." The blonde smiled. "I have one condition, though."

"Sure, what is it?"

Caroline put on her best sheepish expression, looking just like a girl of little Damon's age would. "Can I come, too?"

Elena turned to the small boy. "Well... what do you say?"

For a moment he looked a little surprised at her question but eventually he shrugged slightly and turned to Caroline. "Sure. You can come."

"Thank you!"

They started talking about where to meet Caroline the next day and what they would do first. It wasn't like there was much to do in Mystic Falls, but they still thought that he should probably get to know the town as well as he could, since they didn't know how long he would be staying with them. Caroline suggested taking him to a few places that would be similar to the way the town looked in his own time, so it would be a little easier for him to take everything in. Elena was still a little worried about how he would react to the 'modern world'. However, Damon had promised her that he would have his talk with little Damon this evening and she trusted him to take care of it. She tried to, at least.

While the two girls were busy planning their little sightseeing trip Damon's gaze kept darting back and forth between them, much like he was watching a tennis match. He seemed to be more than eager for the next day.

"So", Stefan piped in after a while, "did you see Bonnie this morning, Caroline? I think you mentioned something about it earlier."

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot." The blonde exclaimed. "I wasn't there for long, since she was busy going through every Grimoire she has. But she seemed to be onto something."

"She did?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. She didn't give me any specifics but she thinks she knows how the spell works and how to help you... solve everything. She also mentioned something about the balance of nature and time, however, it was all really vague and in no terms that I'd understand. I think she'll let you know as soon as she made sure that her assumptions are correct."

Elena sighed. "I'm just so worried that... I don't know. What if we do something here that... changes things?"

Caroline shrugged. "I can't help you with that, sorry. But Bonnie asked me to tell you not to worry and that – one way or another – everything is going to work out fine."

"I wish I could believe that. It just doesn't really seem like my life, you know? Or Damon's, for that matter."

"Well, you can talk to her yourself when we see her on Saturday. I'm sure she'll have figured something out by then." Caroline started to smile slightly. "As important as all of that is, I think we did enough worrying for the past year. I would not let either of you two spoil our graduation ceremony over this!"

Elena shook her head at her friend. "Care..."

"No, I'm serious," the blonde said. "You can all keep brooding come Sunday. The world isn't going to come to a sudden end just because we take a break for one day."

"Caroline is right, Elena," Stefan interjected. "Believe me, you should enjoy your graduation. Like you told me yesterday, for some of us high school will always be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. One day won't do any harm. And you can probably trust me on that, 'cause if my brother is right, I know a thing or two about brooding."

At that, both Caroline and Elena had to laugh while little Damon's gaze kept flitting back and forth between the three adults confusedly, since he hadn't been able to follow their conversation again.

"Lena", his small voice interrupted their laughter. "What does brooding mean?"

It was around midnight when the little boy woke up with a start, sweating from fear. His breathing was hectic and labored and it took him a moment to realize that he had been dreaming. For a moment he thought about seeking out his mother. She always took care of him when he had a nightmare. She would make him some warm milk, sit down on his bed and wait patiently until he drank it all and slowly got tired again. Then she would place his little head in her lap and comb her slender fingers through his raven hair, assuring him repeatedly it had just been a brutto sogno – a bad dream – and that he was safe with her. Always.

But that was the problem with his bad dreams recently; they were not just that and he had to realize it over and over again, every night when he woke up from one of his nightmares and noticed that he couldn't go to his mother anymore. She had passed away at the beginning of spring, shortly after little Stefan had been born, and Damon couldn't help but miss her every single day. He still remembered how he had run upstairs to her room that day, having picked the first of the spring flowers she loved so greatly, when he found his father at her bedside, a solemn expression on his face. It didn't take him long to understand what it meant, that the moment he had been scared of for a while had come at last and that he would have to say goodbye to his mother. Forever.

She had smiled for one last time when he had tenderly placed the flower in her long, black hair. And when he had hugged her as tightly as he dared to, burying his tear stained face in her neck, she told him that she loved him, that she would always love him, and that she wanted him to take care of his little brother. The promise he'd made were the last words he ever spoke to her.

That same night he was woken up by the first of many nightmares.

They were almost the same every time. In each one of them he was running through a dark forest, feeling like he was trying to find something or someone and at the same time seemingly running away from something else. He never knew what exactly he was looking for or what was chasing him, the only thing that clearly stood out was the fear. He would get frantic and stumble over protruding roots until; finally, he would see his mother, holding out her arms to him. But when he reached for her, she always disappeared. Sometimes the person he was apparently searching for changed from his mother to his father, or a crying baby Stefan. But the scene remained the same.

Tonight was the first time someone else had appeared in his nightmare. Suddenly his mother's raven black hair had turned a lighter shade of chestnut brown and all at once, it had been Lena's darker eyes he was seeing as well and her hand he was reaching for. And for the first time his fingers made contact. He grabbed her hand and she was pulling him towards herself until all of a sudden the scenery changed again. He watched with a mixture of wonder and foreboding trepidation as is hand became larger and stronger; the hand of a grown up man.

And then his Lena had disappeared.

Slowly he took in his surroundings and started to remember where he was. He was alone in a queen sized bed with fluffy white sheets in one of the many rooms of what Lena and the others seemed to call 'The Boarding House'. His mother wasn't there. But neither were his father or Baby Stefan.

His first instinct was to try and go find Lena. He was almost certain she wouldn't send him away if he told her he'd had a bad dream. Unfortunately, he didn't know which room she was spending the night in and his mother had taught him better than to sneak around in another's home. He thought about the last night when he had walked downstairs just to see if maybe one of the adults was still awake. He had been lucky that time, so he decided there was no harm in trying again.

He took a deep breath, gathering all his bravery, and slowly pushed the soft white sheet off of his legs. Trying to make as little noise as possible he climbed out of his bed and made his way down the hall. For some reason he was holding his breath when he climbed down the flight of stairs as if he was afraid to even just breathe. He could hear is own heartbeat in his ears and with all the stealth he was displaying, he felt like he was on one of the 'hunting adventures' his father used to take him on in the forest.

When he came closer to the kitchen he could already hear the strange humming sound of the tiny oven. After that, he wasn't even all that surprised when he found the older Damon still awake in the little room, just like he did the night before.

"You're awake again", he blurted out, still too sleepy to watch his manners as closely as he usually did.

The other Damon chuckled slightly. "I seem to have some troubles sleeping, lately," he answered with a strange look in his eyes. Then his face turned serious. "Had a bad dream again?"

Little Damon nodded, just as the the tiny oven stopped its humming and made a loud jingling noise that startled him slightly. The older Damon took out a steaming cup and held it out to him.

"Careful," he warned him. "You better take it by the handle, the mug itself is pretty hot."

For a short moment the little boy just stared at him with surprise. "It's for me?"

"'Course it is."

Slowly he reached out for it, grabbing it by the handle, just like the older one had told him to. "Thank you," he mumbled, staring at the mug pensively. Then he looked up again. "How did you know?"

The other Damon shrugged. "Just a hunch."

He went to sit down on one of the tall stools at the kitchen island, gesturing for his younger version to take a seat opposite of him. The little boy eagerly climbed up, happy at the fact that the elder was willing to keep him company. From what he had witnessed so far, he didn't seem to be all that sociable. He hadn't really seen him talk much to anyone, except for Lena and his brother Stefan. He almost expected him to just wait for him silently, while he finished his milk, so he was mildly surprised when he in fact started talking to him.

"You, uhm..." He started rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, a habit the little boy recognized. "I guess you don't wanna talk about them, do you?", he asked uncomfortably and at the questioning look on young Damon's face clarified: "Those dreams you have."

The kid shook his head looking down at the cup again.

The older Damon nodded understandingly. "I get that. I know how you feel."

For a moment they sat there silently, each of them seemingly deep in their own thoughts. Little Damon hadn't talked to anyone about his troubles, lately. The nursemaid was always busy with baby Stefan and he didn't want to add to her already hard workload with the infant. As for his father, he knew how he was barely able to cope with their beloved mother's death as it was. He locked himself up in his study a lot and the few times the young boy got to see him they merely had what was considered 'polite conversation'. He clearly didn't need the additional burden of his oldest son's grief.

But now he saw a possibility. Someone he could talk to about his sorrows; who was willing, available and – according to his own words – familiar with his loss.

"Will it...," he started tentatively, swallowing the lump that seemed to have appeared in his throat suddenly. "Will it ever get better?"

The older Damon's eyes focused on the child, starring at him pensively for a while. He seemed to be looking for the right words to answer his question, a frown setting on his forehead.

"Yes," he finally answered. "Not right away... not completely. But you're young... and human. You still have your whole... life in front of you; and so much time to heal. It's going to get a little bit better every day."

"You think... the dreams will stop in time?"

The elder smiled lightly, encouragingly. "Definitely." Then his expression took on a more serious look again. "You'll never stop missing her though."

The little boy didn't even ask how he knew. He had never mentioned his mothers passing, nor the nature of his dreams. But at this point he had somehow accepted the fact that the older Damon just seemed to know things; a lot of things, more so than adults usually did. He couldn't bring himself to worry about it, though. If anything, it comforted him to some extent.

"I don't want to stop missing her," he admitted softly. "I don't want to forget."

And just like that, the tentative, wistful smile on the other Damon's face was back. "Don't worry. You won't"

So... here's more DoubleDamon for you, you guys seem to like that ;)
Let me know what you think by using that new little review box at the bottom of the page :)

Reviews are better than Stefan admitting to being the King of Brooding! :) … and they get you a teaser for Chapter 7.

Important AN: My exams have started and I'm so busy with studying... I'm going crazy. That's why it took me so long to post this one... and why I also won't be able to get another Chapter to you until this time in August. So it's gonna be another month. -.- I'm sorry for the long wait, but I can't help it... I'll be done with Uni at the end of July and I hope I'll be able to write more frequently again then.

Until then... Thanks for sticking around and bearing with me!