"I've changed my mind."
"Elena…"
"Damon, please…"
"Elena…look at me."
"It's not supposed to be like this? Why do I feel like this?"
"Look at me. If you want to back out we can run. I'm serious. I'll run with you."
"You will?"
"Yes. But you don't really want to run."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know you better than you know yourself."
"Keep talking… you're calming me down."
"You're nervous. It's natural."
"It's not meant to feel like this. I feel sick to the core. I think it's a sign."
"What do you feel sick about. Tell me?"
"I don't know. Everything."
"Are you scared about forever… or are you scared about standing up in front of all those people."
"I don't want to be the centre of attention. I don't want to let anyone down."
"How would you let anyone down?"
"I don't know…what if I throw up…or laugh at the wrong moment. Or I could trip on my dress and fall."
"I would never let you fall."
"I know that."
"Just think about Doug and forget about everyone else."
"What if his mother's right? What if I'm too young for him? I mean I'm barely twenty one…"
"Elena. Do you love him?"
"Yes."
"Then that's all that matters."
"You're right."
"Plus…you can always get divorced if you change your mind."
"Damon!"
"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Are you ready to go?"
"…yes."
"Okay. You look beautiful."
"Thank you for giving me away, my Dad would approve."
"This kind of sucks."
"What?"
"I don't want to give you away; I need you in my life forever. Can't I just keep you?"
"Nothing will change. I promise, you'll always be my best friend."
"Good. Deep breath. This is our queue Gilbert."
"Keep hold of my hand. Don't let me fall."
"Never."
Elena's eyes fluttered open. She was lying on the couch fully dressed in last night's clothes. God her head hurt.
"Ugh." She groaned as she sat up, she'd been dreaming about her wedding day again.
"Feeling rough?" Doug said
Elena looked up, Doug was sitting at the table eating a bagel
"Yes." She croaked
"Good." He said "That was quite a performance you pulled at dinner."
Elena blinked rapidly "Me? What about your mother?"
"What about her?"
"She is a complete cow! Did you not hear how she spoke to me?" Elena demanded
Doug took another bite of his bagel and ignored her.
"I'm getting a shower." She muttered acidly
Elena's whole body relaxed under the hot spray. She was reliving her conversation with Damon from last night. She felt strange… she actually felt hopeful. She couldn't remember the last time she felt hope, and she hardly dared to admit it but she felt excited. She needed to make plans… how. When. Where? She wasn't due to ovulate for another week so she had plenty of time to hammer out the details. The thing she had never actually discussed with Damon was how they would carry out the deed. Would they actually have sex or would they try artificial insemination. She quickly imagined herself having sex with her best friend… she shook her head, she actually felt embarrassed and rather hot, she turned the water temperature down. They couldn't have sex…could they? No. It might ruin their relationship and Elena loved Damon far too much to risk it.
When she was dressed and ready she grabbed her phone. She typed "artificial insemination" into the search engine and memorised the details from a useful website.
Even though she had another week, Elena wanted to get the ball rolling. She grabbed her purse and car keys.
"Where are you going?" Doug said "I thought we both took the day off work to spend some time together?"
"I'm going out." She said "I have things to pick up"
"I can come too." He said
"No." she said quickly "I can manage alone."
She drove to walmart and grabbed a shopping basket. She walked to the health department first and grabbed an oral syringe. She picked up a durex finger vibrator; the website she'd consulted with advised the woman who was to be inseminated to have an orgasm after the procedure as the convulsions would help push the sperm into the uterus. Elena threw the box into the basket. Next she went to the home department and looked for the storage containers. She selected a Tupperware container. Looking into her shopping basket she felt embarrassed. She grabbed some random items on the way to the checkout, a lip stick, eye makeup remover wipes and a deodorant. She felt rather guilty as the cashier scanned the items, she was paranoid that they would guess what she was up to, but the girl who scanned the items didn't look at them twice. She shoved them in a carrier bag and asked for the cash. Elena paid and practically ran to her car.
Just as she unlocked the door her cell rang out.
"Hi." She answered
"Hey." It was Damon "How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad. You?" she asked
"I feel like I got hit by a train." He said
She laughed.
"So…about last night…" he began
"Are you calling to ask if I was so drunk that I forgot our agreement?" she asked
"Yeah, kind of." Damon laughed
"Well I didn't" she said "…were you hoping I'd have forgotten or changed my mind?"
"No." Damon said "Like I said, I'll do anything for you Elena." He said
"Okay good." Elena replied. "Is this kind of weird that were just having a casual conversation about sperm donation?"
"We've always been weird." Damon joked
"Hey!" Elena laughed "Speak for yourself Salvatore."
Damon laughed at their banter.
"So I'm actually outside walmart." Elena confessed "I've picked up some stuff for us."
"Oh. Okay." He replied "such as?"
"Well I kind of looked up a website about artificial insemination this morning…" she broke off for a second, when he didn't say anything she continued. "I didn't think you'd want to try the natural way." She added
"Right." Damon said and she wondered whether he meant "You're right" or "right, you've already decided."
Elena shook her head "uh yeah... so I bought the essential stuff. I was mortified; I kept thinking the girl at the checkout knew what we are going to do."
Damon laughed "Turkey baster?"
"Hmm, no not quite that obvious." She said "Oral syringe."
"Interesting." Damon said and she blushed for some unknown reason "So when are we doing this?"
"In about a weeks' time." She said
"Okay, cool."
"I was thinking we could get a motel room or something." She said blushing again
"A motel? Isn't that a bit seedy?" Damon said
"I guess." Elena said
"Leave it to me, I'll book somewhere." He suggested
"Thank you."
"Okay I better go. I've avoided my computer all morning, time to get some writing done."
"Happy writing Damon." She said before she pressed the end call button.
A/N Hey there! Thanks for the latest reviews :D I apologise if this chapter seems a bit messy but It's the middle of the night and my eyes are bleary! (literally!) keep reviewing you lovely people! Dr. B x