TVD fic:Man of the House (Stefan&Damon centered)
Title: Man of the House
Author: BambiScott
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Damon/Caroline, Stefan/Elena
Word Count: 2,300
Disclaimer: Own nothing at all song title provided by Chuck Wicks.
Summary: Major Damon Salvatore of the US Air Force has been deployed for over a year. His brother Stefan has been in charge of taking care of Damon’s family. Brotherly bonding at the end!
AN: Thought about this before and knew it had to be written. Note I changed Caroline and Damon’s ages. Kids pictures are here. Celestyn and Zach
Stefan since a young age knew how to take care of himself. His father, Giuseppe, had worked long hours which lead to Stefan basically being his own guardian. Except for the fact he had a ten year older brother named Damon.
Their mother had died when Stefan was six and now at sixteen he had been in Damon’s custody since his brother turned eighteen, eight years ago. Damon had been more of a father to him than their own.
But with being in Damon’s care meant he was also in Caroline’s. Caroline Beula Forbes-Salvatore had been married to his brother for eight years. She had been around for years. In fact Caroline had been his babysitter when he was young. Now she was more of a older best friend who also did everything a mother would do for you.
Though the past year has been hard on all of them.
Damon has been deployed and had only been home once since the day he left.
So Stefan wakes up at six in the morning and hurries to get ready for school. By the hour’s end he is pouring milk into two bowls with captain crunch, one bowl has very little milk because of Celeste’s condition, the other is almost over filled for Zach.
Celestyn Jade Salvatore is almost seven, and a half, she tells her uncle. She looks just like Damon but Stefan can see Caroline’s eyes in her. Stefan knows that Celeste can not have too much milk at one setting or she will get very bad stomach pains. He knows that she loves bubbles and he can trick her to do something for him with just offering a piece of candy.
Zachary James Salvatore is five and just started kindergarten. He’s named after his great uncle who lives in town. Zach’s all Caroline, brownish-blonde hair blue eyes, but he’s a spit ball like his dad. Stefan can’t seem to get a word in with his nephew. So he knows when to talk to him, nap time.
Stefan hears a playful scream, Zach must have woken Celeste up, like normal. After he gets the kids their breakfast he goes to the couch, where Caroline is sleeping, to wake her up. She’s told him before just being in her and Damon’s bedroom makes her more depressed so she spends her nights on the couch. He feels sorry for her but he feels sorry that he is here and Damon isn’t.
With that they have what’s left of a family breakfast where Zach spills his cereal and has to change before they can leave. Celeste and Caroline get into a fight because Celeste can’t invite boys to her birthday party.
“It’s a sleepover!” Caroline yells.
The two bicker just like Stefan remembers Caroline doing with her own mother.
Stefan drives the kids to school then to his own.
At school he’s normal, a football player, not a make shift dad. He has a girlfriend, Elena, and not a wife. His friends are all ready to support him however he needs it. By second period Tyler and Matt have already asked if he wants to throw the football around after school.
“Sorry got to pick up the creatures today.”
“Aw that sucks. We can come by and help. I guess.”
Matt has always been too nice. He has always been there when something came up and no one but Stefan could watch the kids. He has helped out numerous times when Stefan really did need it.
“No way dude. I’ll just practice making out with your sister.”
Tyler states knowing he has far too many other things to be doing then helping out his friend like making out with his other friend’s sister. He’s the guy who you go to when you want to forget about your life. But Stefan can’t forget today.
Caroline works for a Creative Arts Law Firm, an hour away, and she has the biggest meeting of her life scheduled for later in the day. If she gets this client it means she can work from home for the rest of the year. Both her and Stefan are praying everything goes right.
In Calculus Bonnie’s face saddens as she shows Stefan her test. She got another D. If she gets another that means she can’t go on the class trip and her father will ground her for weeks, probably the rest of the school year. Stefan tries to give her a reassuring smile letting her know he will help her study. But their past nine study dates had been rain checked and he knows that Bonnie getting another D is kind of his fault.
He’s thankful that at lunch Jeremy sits next to him. He never needs or wants anything from him. They are friends but mostly only do things when Elena is involved so throwing the ball around is not something they would do. He’s a year younger so that means he hasn’t had Calculus yet. But Stefan wants to hit his head when Jeremy starts talking.
“Luka heard from Anna who heard from Amy who heard from Bonnie that Bonnie likes me. Is it true?”
Stefan doesn’t have time for girl problems. He hasn’t even taken out Elena on a date for two weeks. But he can’t tell Jeremy to get lost so he says he will ask Bonnie in history class and call him tonight to let him know.
In History class Bonnie denies ever saying anything to Amy.
Just as the bell rings Mr. Salztman, the history teacher, asks Stefan if he can talk to him.
“How are you holding up with Damon gone?”
Stefan gives him a ‘are you kidding look’ before he replies. “Don’t worry Mr. S I’m doing fine.”
Alaric, whose Damon’s best friend, knows that’s not the case. But he then tells him about his latest paper as he half listens. Its been over a year but Stefan misses the times where Damon, Caroline, Alaric and his wife Jenna, whose Elena’s aunt, spent drinking wine after dinner giving Stefan and Elena time alone.
He knows Jenna and Alaric would be willing to watch the kids for him but they already take them when he has football practice and once a month on Fridays so he can take Elena out. It doesn’t seem fair to ask anymore from them.
By the time dinner is done Stefan still has to finish reading the next chapter of Biology, text Jeremy the results he found out from Bonnie, call Elena for their hour of talking and pack the kids lunches. He’s glad that he sees Caroline’s smiling face walking through the door, as she tells him that she is working from home now.
Its been a couple of weeks and Stefan seems to get a bit more of his life back. He doesn’t need to make breakfast but since he is used to getting up super early he makes the coffee and wakes up Caroline.
He goes to football practice and has time to hang out with Tyler and Matt at the grill. He’s even got a half an hour two days a week to help Bonnie bring up her grade before the next test. Elena and him finally go on a date though it happens to be at Chucky Cheese it doesn’t matter as long as they are there together.
After dinner Stefan washes the dishes as Caroline watches the news, just in case she states. One Thursday night on the news it says several aircrafts where Damon is located had been struck down. Caroline starts balling and Stefan can only comfort her so much because he’s in shock and worried about his brother as well. They are using each other because each of them have a part of Damon in them but what they really need is for him to be home.
The next day Alaric and Jenna come over. There’s no news to report yet. No one is sure if Damon is alive or dead. Alaric takes Celeste outside to let her show off her cheerleading moves. Stefan is outside playing ball with Zach but before he knows it Zach runs into the house. He tries to catch him but the little boy over hears Jenna comforting his mom.
“Uncle Stefan is daddy okay?” Is the only thing Zach can spill out.
A week later they get an email from Damon saying he is okay and nothing happened to him. Relief is in their house for the rest of the night.
It’s the Mystic Falls Winter Wonderland celebration today. Celeste is so excited because she along with her ballet class get to dance for everyone at the Lockwood’s party. The founding families along with their guest enter the Lockwood’s and before Stefan can go look for Elena, Tyler drags him off.
After explaining to Tyler that he doesn’t want another beer, one was enough, he goes to find Elena whose talking with her aunt and Caroline. They’d been talking about Celeste and her ballet class. Caroline tells them that her daughter is the best in the class, just like a proud mother.
Celeste was amazing at her dance. Stefan thought it was a scene from the Nutcracker but he wasn’t too sure. When they got home Caroline can’t stop talking about it.
“You’re father would be so proud.” Caroline hugs her baby girl.
“I know mommy.”
Stefan watches his niece go up the steps heading to her room. Something is wrong. He follows stopping at her bedroom door seeing her on the bed holding onto her bear, which Damon bought when she was born, as she cries her little blue eyes out.
Celeste finally sees him and can only state. “I don’t want to let her down.”
Stefan’s taken back at first but then he remembers when his mother died he was a year younger than his niece and recalls all the times his father and Damon got into fights over something that reminded them about mom.
He forgot Celeste had to grow up just like he had to look after Damon’s family while he was away. She had to be brave and not let Caroline see her like this because knowing Caroline when her child cries she cries right along with them.
She’s only seven, and a half, he has to add. She should be having sleepovers, running around with the Fell boys who are her age, or climbing the big oak tree in the backyard. She didn’t need to know about wars and what they did to people or families.
Stefan’s almost mad at his brother for picking this type of career. He knows that he can’t be mad even if he wants to. He needs to suck it up and sit down and sooth Celeste like Damon would. He needs to be the man of the house so when Damon returns everything is not so broken.
Later that night Stefan does research on what to say to kids who have a parent in the war. He’s going to talk to Zach about what Damon is doing. He hopes he understands. If not he will ask Jenna, who has regular talks with the kids on this matter.
Stefan comes home from football practice one day to hear Damon’s voice. He gets excited thinking his brother is home but he walks into the kitchen seeing Caroline’s phone on the table. Its just speaker phone.
“I love you dad.” Zach says cheerfully.
“I love you too Zach.” Then Damon’s voice changes, as if he is about to cry, like the time he had to tell Stefan about their mother. “I wish I could reach through this phone and hug you and Celeste and your mom.”
Just like that Damon’s call ends.
It’s finally Saturday. Stefan’s home alone. Caroline took the kids to visit their grandmother so he has the house to himself. He thinks he will call Elena and invite her to spend the day with him, inside. Then the phone rings.
“Elena I was just about to call you.”
“Little brother.”
“Damon.” Stefan sits up straight on his bed. “How are you? Caroline’s not here.”
“I would have called Caroline’s cell if I wanted to speak with her Stefan.” Stefan lets out a little huff, like a laugh, at his brothers comment. “I’m doing good. I’ve been hearing how great you have been with the kids and Caroline.”
“I’m not that great I’m not you wait how do you know?”
Damon does his famous laugh. “I have spies. The whole town has been emailing me about how great you have been. Even some Bonnie girl emailed me about a math test. Is she your girlfriend? What about Elena?”
“Damon you know Bonnie. She’s been my best friend since third grade.”
“Oh yeah. Are you sure you are still friends? I mean maybe she’s just using you to get a better grade in math.”
“Damon stop.” Stefan did really miss his brothers sense of humor but he didn’t need to add that to his ego. “Does Caroline think I’m doing a good job?” He can’t help but ask.
“She has only nice things to say about you. You don’t know how much of a help you have been this year. I swear Care would have gone crazy if you weren’t there keeping her grounded. I’m glad my kids can tell me stories of what they did with Uncle Stefan. We, I’m so proud of you son.”
Stefan doesn’t speak as soon as he hears Damon call him that. Even with living in the south he knows his brother just doesn’t throw that word around. He knows just as much as Stefan thought of Damon as a father that his older brother thought of him as a son.
“Get home soon brother.”