Damon sighed as he drove his car up the driveway of the boarding house. He had just spent the whole day at the police station going over an important case with Liz Forbes and now it was eleven p.m. and he was ready to come home, have a shot of bourbon, and see Elena. They had only been married a few months now, but it felt like they had been together for ages, and it was getting better everyday. Everyday he found a new way to make her smile, to make her laugh, and to make her blush. As Damon walked up the path to the front door, he thought about her dark brown eyes that he loved so much, especially when they were looking at him like she had a secret, and the secret was that she loved him. He knew it, but she said it all the time anyway, and he liked that. He loved her too, more than anyone else in the world.

Damon was just pushing his key into the lock at the door, about to turn the bolt, when the door swung open swiftly. Damon looked up surprised to see Elena. Elena with a big grin on her face and another secret in her eyes. Well, Damon thought, I'll humor her for a while, but then I'll figure out this secret before she has a chance to say it herself. I know she's itching to tell me something, I wonder how long she can last before she blurts it out.

"Hey, I though you would be asleep," he said, "what are you doing up?"

"Well I had to be awake to welcome you home," she said giving him a peck on the check. "So, welcome home. How was work?"

"Hmm, it was productive, but we still need more evidence. Elena, seriously, you're normally asleep by now, what's up, is something wrong?"

"No nothing's wrong," she said grinning, "I'm just awake to welcome you home and serve you dinner."

Hmm this secret, he thought it has something to do with dinner, or she's going to tell me at dinner.

"Well, I already ate at the office, so I'm just going to go to bed, are you coming?" he said trying to suppress his even faint smile so she wouldn't catch on that he had caught on to her prank, or whatever it was.

"Ahh, no. I was waiting to have dinner with you, so why don't we go to the kitchen, and I'll eat, and you can have a drink. You normally have a drink after work."

"Yes, but I'm just so tired, I think I'll go to bed." He pretended to yawn and stretched his arms over his head.

"No!"

"Is there some reason I shouldn't go to bed, Elena? Is there something you're not telling me?" Damon said raising his eyebrows.

"Uh, no. It's just that it's really important that you come to the kitchen with me."

"Okay, I will, but you're acting really strange Elena."

Elena grabbed his hand and tried to drag him to the kitchen, but he kept his leisurely pace. As they entered the kitchen, Elena said, "Okay, I'll pour you a drink, and would you please get the casserole out of the oven?"

Damon said okay, and grabbed an oven mitt and opened the oven door. His expression was minutely confused, but then all confusion was replaced with awe, joy, and pure happiness. He almost cried out with excitement, but if he wanted to trick Elena, he had to pretend to be oblivious. He didn't know how long he could pretend to not know, though, now that he did know. He was especially surprised to think of how long Elena must have known, and not told him, this must have been the longest secret she has ever kept. Damon pulled his mask of ignorance over his face and turned to Elena.

"Elena, I thought you told me to get the casserole from the oven, but all I see in here is a hamburger bun."

Elena danced over to his side, "oh look at that, how did that get in there?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you. Why is there a bun in the oven?"

"You tell me, why do you think there is a bun in the oven?" she smiled.

"Oh, Elena, I don't know… are you trying to tell me something?"

"Yes…"

"Are you trying to tell me to buy more hamburger buns? Because if you are, this is the weirdest way possible."

"No… it's something else, keep guessing."

"Are you telling me to get a grill so we can cook hamburgers properly."

"No…"

"Well, then I'm really going to have to think about this one. A bun, "he paused, "in the oven. Hmmm. A bun in the oven" He stared at the ground, but glanced up occasionally to gauge Elena's expression. He could tell when she was beginning to get fed up, because her hands started tensing and drawing into fists and her teeth were tightly biting on her bottom lip. He started pacing back and forth across the kitchen scratching his chin, and as he reached the window he heard her sigh of exasperation.

"Okay, I'm just going to tell you. I put the bun in the oven because I was trying to tell you…that…" she paused, "Damon, I'm pregnant!"

"I know." He smiled, ran up to her, grabbed her waist, and lifted her off the ground. She laughed with joy as he twirled her around, and then he watched her face as she analyzed what he had said in response.

"Wait," she said, and he stopped and put her down, "you knew?"

His lips started turning up into a grin.

"You knew?" she punched him in the arm, "then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I thought it was more fun this way."

"You're a jerk," she growled.

"Okay, Elena, I'm sorry, but a hamburger bun in the oven, really? That's how you tell me that you're pregnant? Wow, that's really romantic."

"Well I thought it would be funny to watch you figure it out, but you just turned the joke around on me," she sighed, "when did you figure it out anyway?"

"Well I had a high suspicion as soon as I saw your face, but it wasn't confirmed till I opened the oven door," he shrugged.

"Well so much for trying to be creative."

"It was creative, you just can't keep a secret."

"Hey, I can keep a secret, okay. You're just too good of a face reader."

"Trust me Elena, it has nothing to do with me, you can't keep a secret with anyone."

"Fine," she huffed, "you won, and oh by the way, did you hear me say I'm pregnant?"

"I did, and I'm so happy. It's unbelievable how perfect this moment is." He smiled.

"Nope, you're still just happy you pulled one over my own head. Well, trust me, I'm gonna get you the next time I announce that I'm pregnant, it's going to come completely out of the blue and shock you."

"Woah, Elena. Woah, let's not get carried away. Let's just have this baby first, don't get ahead of yourself."

"I'm not saying we should start right now, I'm just saying." She huffed.

"Right…" Damon said, walking away grinning.