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It might be a little while until the next update because I have finals soon, and I probably won't get back to the story until that's over with, but I'll try to get back as soon as possible.


"How are you feeling?" Damon asked, pulling up a chair beside her bed. It was almost physically painful to watch her lying there hooked up to an IV drip and god knows what else, knowing that he was probably the reason she was there in the first place.

"Okay." Her voice was still very hoarse, and her throat felt uncomfortably dry.

"Here you should have some water." He reached over to small table above her bed and poured the water into the tiny plastic cup slowly bringing it to her lips.

Elena took a small sip of the cool liquid and almost instantly she could feel the intense dryness in her throat disappear. "Thanks."

"Look Elena, I didn't mean to—"

"No you were right." She interrupted before he could finish his last thought. "You have a right to know." Elena couldn't believe she was finally about to tell him the truth, and it only took her passing out and ending up in the hospital for her to actually come clean.

"I shouldn't have pressured you the way I did." Damon replied, feeling the need to take some responsibility for what happened. He still felt incredibly guilty about it, even as she tried to reassure him that he wasn't to blame. He figured this is what it feels like to be Stefan.

"As easy as it would be to blame you for this, it wasn't your fault Damon, I did this." She admitted. "I haven't been managing my stress very well these last few months and I guess it all just caught up to me."

He nodded in understanding, his inner anxiety betraying his seemingly calm demeanor.

"I'm sure you're expecting some answers, so we shouldn't waste anymore time." She added nervously. "I figured she never actually told you about me." Elena began, finally looking him in the eye. "Katherine was it?"

"No she didn't." Damon replied. "How do you know her?"

"Well I don't, but we had an encounter in New York, right after I found out." Elena still couldn't say the words out loud. It was all just too real, happening at such neck braking pace that she didn't even have time to process most of it.

"You mean after you found out you were pregnant?" Damon inquired now briefly holding her gaze. Those big brown eyes did something to him that he just couldn't explain, he felt like he was swimming in a warm sea of chocolate.

"Yeah, she informed me that you didn't want anything to do with it, so after spending days trying to get in contact with you I guess I just gave up." Elena admitted. She searched his face for a reaction, but he averted his eyes, concentrating on the plain square tiles on the ground.

"I knew nothing of it," he informed her in a low voice. The magnitude of the anger he felt literally scared the crap out of him, considering anger was never really a foreign emotion to him. He had spent most of his life repressing some form of aggression, at Katherine, but mostly at his father, but he had never experienced this feeling of complete blood boiling rage and hatred.

"I figured as much." Elena whispered mostly to herself. "Look, I don't expect anything from you, if that's what you're thinking."

"Obviously not," Damon responded almost bitterly. "Or you wouldn't have kept this from me for two months."

"Can you seriously blame me?" She asked incredulously "You didn't even know who I was when you saw me at Bonnie's; do you know how hard that was for me?" Elena began to sense his anger, but she couldn't decide if it was geared towards her or Katherine.

"So I guess that automatically makes it okay to keep it from me." He knew he was a dick for being unable to recognize her initially, he still couldn't believe he hadn't, he must have been really drunk because Elena Gilbert was anything but forgettable. The warmth that radiated from her big chocolate orbs affected him in a way no woman ever had, not even Katherine in her glory days. Her lustrous brown hair complimented them perfectly, and he could almost remember feeling of her soft delicate skin against his. She appeared almost ethereal, beauty unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Everything about her just seemed so pure and wholesome; and despite the fire that simmered beneath the surface, she carried this aura of genuine kindness and compassion.

"I didn't say that," Elena replied in a small voice.

"Then what are you saying Elena, because I'm having a hard time understanding."

"I didn't tell you because I was afraid." She finally admitted. "I was afraid of how you'd react. I didn't think you'd believe me." Elena was avoiding his eyes again, staring down at the blanket that covered the lower half of her body.

Damon knew this part would be the hardest, but it had to be done. He knew Elena wouldn't happy about what he was about to ask her next, but he just had to be sure. "Do I have any reason not to believe you?" He asked in a quite tone.

"Are you implying that I'm not being honest?" Elena asked immediately getting defensive.

"I'm not implying anything but you haven't exactly been forthcoming in the last few months."

"So you don't believe this baby is yours?" Elena couldn't believe her worst nightmare was slowly becoming a reality. At any moment she expected Damon to tell her he wanted nothing to do with her or her baby. It's what she always anticipated, what she always feared, and any moment he'd confirm her biggest fears.

"That's not what I said."

"What are you saying Damon? Because it that's exactly what it sounds like." Her voice was beginning to break as she struggled to keep the emotions at bay. The hormones were definitely taking a toll on her, all of her emotions seemed to be magnified and borderline irrational.

"I just want to know that you're absolutely sure this baby is mine." Damon clarified.

"Do you think we'd be having this conversation if I wasn't?" Elena shouted. "Like I said Damon, if you want no part in this, you're free to go; I can do this on my own!" She knew the last bit was a blatant lie. She was absolutely petrified at the idea of doing it alone, but she wasn't about to let him know just how much she needed him, afraid of showing any vulnerability or weakness, especially if he made it clear that he didn't want to be involved.

"I'm starting to think you're the one who doesn't want me to have any part in all of this!" Damon bit back. "You decided to keep this a secret, even when it was clear that I had no idea." He instantly regretted raising his voice at her, after all getting her all worked up and stressed out would only exacerbate her condition.

Before Elena could think of a reply, she heard the door swing open and the nurse came rushing into the room. "Is everything alright in here?" She inquired giving Damon a suspicious look.

"Everything's fine." Damon replied dryly, the woman's accusatory glare pissed him off all over again.

"Mrs. Gilbert, we ran some test, and the baby seems to be doing fine." The nurse informed Elena. "Though I am a little concerned about your blood pressure, it seems a little elevated. This is usually due to stress, I'm going to advise you take it easy from now on."

Elena's eyes wandered over to where Damon sat until they met with his. She could see the instant regret written all over his face as he took in the information the nurse provided.

"I'm Nurse Angie by the way. I can see you originally scheduled an appointment with Dr. Fell to find out the baby's gender next week, but we can do it now if you're up for it."

Their eyes were locked completely enthralled by each other. She searched his eyes for a response or any indication that he had any interest in this baby, as he looked for a sign that she wanted him to be a part of this experience. They both silently communicated their mutual consent and agreement, completely oblivious to the nurse who looked on clearly left out of the silent conversation.

"Yeah… That sounds good." Elena spoke, finally breaking out from under the spell of his cobalt blue eyes.

"Would you like me to call in your friends?"

"No, actually it's just going to be the two of us." Elena confirmed. For some reason she felt compelled to leave Bonnie and Caroline out of it. It was such an intimate moment and she wanted to prove to him that she wanted him to be a part of the experience; she wanted the two of them to make this thing work, whatever it was.

"Elena, are you sure, I don't mi -." Damon

"I'm sure," She interrupted giving him a small reassuring smile.

"Alright, this is going to be cold." Angie cautioned before placing the icy gel against her abdomen.

Elena sucked in a breath of air, still caught off guard by the cold thick substance being spread across her stomach despite the warning.

Once Nurse Angie got everything in working order, Damon and Elena could see the blurry image of their baby on the monitor, they were only able to make out a few parts, but they could hear the heartbeat, strong and steady. Damon swore he never heard a more beautiful sound in his entire life.

"This right here is the head," the redhead pointed at the monitor. "And it looks like we're having a boy, Congratulations!"

Elena didn't even realize she was crying until she felt the tears roll down her cheeks. It was all too much to take in; in that moment everything felt so real. She was having a baby; they were having a baby, her and Damon together.

"Hey, don't cry." Damon reached over and wiped the never ending tears from her face. He slowly joined her on the bed, gently wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into a comforting embrace.

"I'll leave you two alone." The nurse disappeared almost as soon as she said it.

For the first time in the last few months, Elena didn't feel completely terrified. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't because she was lying in a hospital bed in the arms of Damon Salvatore, but there seemed to be little else to explain the feeling; the feeling of complete security and acceptance.

"Damon, this is your baby and I do want you to be a part of his life." She admitted, her voiced was slightly muffled as her head rested against his chest. She adjusted herself so that she could look into his eyes, and what she saw sent her heart racing a million miles per second. His eyes held so much adoration and understanding, and all it did was make her want to curl up even closer to him.

"I know, and that's all I want." He used his free hand to rub tiny comforting circles around on her back. Elena wished they could just lie there forever. It felt so good to finally have everything out and in the open, no longer burdened by the secrets she kept or the fear of raising her son alone.

"We should probably get Bonnie and Caroline in here and tell them the news." Damon advised. He got up from where he sat on the edge of her bed to summon her friends who waited impatiently in the hospital waiting room. Elena immediately felt the effect of his absence, instantly missing the warmth that his body provided when it was pressed flushed against hers.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's a boy." Caroline cried in excitement. "I totally called that today, when I picked out that onesie."

"I'm so happy for you Elena." Bonnie joined her friend on the bed. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Much better," Elena assured, instantly relieving her friends of their worry.

"I should probably give you girls some space." Damon announced. "Elena I'll check on you a little later, I just have to deal with something." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before reluctantly letting go.


"Get your shit and get out!" Damon shouted within moments of entering his apartment. He was experiencing various extremes of emotions. On one hand there was the indescribable feeling of joy after just having heard the sound of his son's heart beat, but even that couldn't erase the intense rage he felt toward Katherine.

"So I guess you're just as gullible as I thought." Katherine announced. "God you're so desperate." Katherine spat. "Don't tell me you're all upset that I didn't tell you about that little tramp and her bastard baby."

"Watch your mouth!" Damon bit back, seething with rage. "Just get your crap and get out of my apartment!" Damon was growing increasingly impatient at her childish antics, so he took matters into his own hands grabbing her suit cases and tossing them out of the apartment. Throughout the years Katherine had wronged him in a number of ways but this was the final straw. He forgave her for a lot of things that most people would deem completely unforgivable, but for this he couldn't possibly forgive her. Every time he thought about the possibility of his child being out there completely unaware of his very existence, he wanted to destroy something.

"So you're just going to toss me out on the street?" Katherine asked, taking a cautious step towards him. He was a ticking time bomb, so she knew she had to choose her next words carefully. "Damon, what I did was for the best, why can't you see that?"

"For the best?" Damon let out a humorless laugh. "In what world is it best to keep someone from knowing about their child?"

"Oh please, how do you even know it's yours? Oh wait don't tell me, I bet your precious Elena told you so." Katherine replied in a mocking tone. "You've been through this before Damon, why are you being so careless now?"

"I don't owe you any explanations, I just want you to get your stuff and get out of my apartment."

Damon didn't have a single doubt in his mind that the baby was his. In the past he had women claimed that he fathered their children only for DNA test to prove otherwise. Elena on the other hand, didn't strike him as someone who would try and take advantage of him. From what he inquired from Bonnie, Elena was quite successful in her career as a chef. She worked as a personal chef for many big name celebrities and was the head chef at one of his favorite five star restaurants in New York, not to mention she had planned to open her own restaurant there in Mystic Falls. Elena Gilbert was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, and had the drive and passion to get it herself. She didn't need any help financially, and he was sure he wasn't on her list of favorite people, so he couldn't think of any reason for her to lie to him.

That was more than he could say about the woman who stood in before him. Katherine came from a very wealthy family, and at twenty-six years old had never worked a day in her life. She was beyond spoiled, so used to getting her way that she'd resort to damn near anything to make sure it stayed that way.

"Are you even going to bother to get a DNA test?" Katherine asked ignoring his incessant demands.

"I don't see how this is any of your business; we're no longer together and after tonight I want nothing to do with you." Damon replied, counting to back-words in his head in an attempt to calm himself. It was trick he learned as a young boy after his mother insisted he needed anger management.

"Damon, I'm just trying to protect you." Katherine supplied, moving closer in an effort to touch his arm. He quickly brushed her off, before her fingers could brush his bicep.

"I don't need your protection Katherine, I can handle it myself."

"See there's your problem. What makes you so sure you can do this? You don't know anything about being a dad because you never really had one." Katherine knew she was hitting a nerve, but that had been her plan all along. She had failed at keeping Elena away, but she knew just what to say to get to Damon, she knew all his weaknesses and she was ready to go in for the kill. "Even if you are this child's father, I've known you for a long time Damon and this is one of the things I guarantee you won't be good at."

"You don't know anything about me." Damon replied in a less than convincing voice, unable to hide the insecurities that slowly crept in.

"I know that the best thing you can do for Elena and that baby is stay away." Katherine replied trying to gather every ounce of false sincerity in her body. "You don't want to screw up this child's life; this baby will only end up resenting you, like you resented your own father." Katherine watched as a slow realization made its way into Damon's eyes, and in that moment she knew she almost had him exactly where she wanted him.

"Face it Damon, you're damaged beyond repair, if you had even a shred of decency you'd want better for your own child." Katherine added walking away, confident that she had finally gotten to him. Katherine gathered her scattered belongings and called a cab, leaving a confused and very conflicted Damon standing in the middle of his living room.


2 Weeks Later

"I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since you've heard from him." Bonnie said looking at her friend who seemed more interested in the baby catalogue than anything she had to say.

"Which one do you like more?" Elena replied, pointing at the various baby strollers on the page. "I like this one, but it only comes in blue and I swear this baby will not own a single blue thing, if I can help it."

"Elena, are you even listening to me?" Bonnie asked, pulling the catalogue out of her hand.

"What do you want me to say Bonnie? Obviously Damon doesn't know what he wants, and I don't have time to wait around until he makes up his mind." Ever since the moment they found out the baby's gender Elena had yet to hear from Damon. He didn't call; he never visited and practically avoided Bonnie at work. Elena couldn't believe things took a turn for the worst, just when they were looking up. She didn't know why she'd come to expect any different, her life has been a series of disappointments and tragedies. It was foolish and naïve of her to expect any different when it came to her situation with Damon, especially considering the way it began.

Elena didn't shed a single tear over Damon's absence. What good could that possibly do? This baby needed someone who'd be there no matter what, and unlike Damon she didn't have the luxury of walking out whenever she felt like it, not that she could ever imagine not being a part of her baby's life in the first place. It was such an amazing feeling, loving someone that she hadn't even met yet, but every time she looked at that ultra sound photo her heart swelled up with an intense feeling of joy that was impossible to explain. In that moment nothing else mattered, just her and her baby, and together they'd overcome whatever obstacles that came their way. She often found herself smiling at the mere thought of holding her son for the first time; she even got into the habit of speaking to him whenever they were alone. She spoke to him about everything from the weather to her plans about her new restaurant.

She convinced herself to be glad that Damon flaked out before he could form any real bond with the child, at least her baby wouldn't have to endure the devastating loss after getting too attached. So maybe Damon did them a favor after all. Things could definitely be worst. What if it took years for Damon to come to the realization that he just wasn't cut out for this father role? She couldn't imagine having to console her child at five or six years old, after his father just decided to up and leave.

"There has to be a reason," Bonnie insisted. She knew Damon, and though he was a womanizing ass hole, he wasn't heartless, and he never went back on his word. Damon's word was usually as good as gold.

"It doesn't matter, Bonnie. All that matters is that he's not here now." Elena couldn't believe Bonnie of all people would try and justify Damon's behavior. "And whose side are you on anyway?" Elena asked glaring at Bonnie from across the table.

"It's not my job to be on anyone's side Elena; I just want what's best." Bonnie clarified, taking Elena's hand in hers. "I want what's best for you and this baby."

"Well maybe this is best." Elena countered, not believing the words even as they came out of her mouth.

"You know that's not true, this baby deserves better than this Elena."

"Well what do you want me to do? I was honest, I told him I wanted him to be a part of this, and he couldn't have made it any clearer that he doesn't." Elena knew exactly what Bonnie wanted her to do. Her friend wanted her to reach out to Damon, and talk to him, reason with him, beg him to come back. Elena rolled her eyes at the very thought. She refused to beg Damon Salvatore to be a part of her baby's life; she already told him she'd do it on her own if she had to.

"Elena, just try and talk to him." Bonnie begged.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Elena got up from where she sat disappearing into her room.

Bonnie didn't know what else to do; with Damon avoiding her at work and Elena being her usual stubborn self, she was left with no other option but to sit back and watch the whole thing unravel before her. It pained her to watch everything fall apart especially since she thought progress was being made. Bonnie suddenly realized what she had to do, she could work on Elena, but she needed someone to talk to Damon.

Stefan! If there was one person she knew Damon confided in, it was his brother, if their interaction at work was any indication. Stefan was the best person for the job, he was the only person. Now all she had to do was gather enough courage to call him.


"Bonnie tells me you and Elena haven't been speaking." Stefan stated casually, pouring himself a glass of Damon's best liquor.

"This is not happening. We're not discussing this right now, or ever." Damon replied, attempting to walk away.

"What's going on, did she say the baby isn't yours?" Stefan asked pressing on despite his brothers warning.

"No she said it's mine." Damon explained. "It's a boy," he added in a small whisper, stopping in his tracks.

"So I'm guessing this means you don't believe her." Stefan gave him a questioning glance, hoping Damon didn't catch on to the fact that they were in fact discussing it.

"I believe her."

"So what's the problem?" Stefan couldn't understand his brothers thought process. He knew his brother better than anyone and Damon may have been a lot of things, but skipping out on his own child was way out of character. He knew there was something more there, and he promised Bonnie he'd get to the bottom of it.

"The problem is Katherine finally said something that made sense, something that actually had some truth to it," he answered in disbelief.

"Oh, Katherine." Stefan laughed in amusement. "Of course, how did I not see that one coming?"

"What do I know about fathering a child?" Damon asked, searching his brother's face for the answers he didn't have.

"So you have some doubts." Stefan gave his brother a worried look. "Does that mean you run away and leave Elena to do this alone?"

"She'll be better off." Damon replied. "Look I said we weren't going to talk about this, and I meant it. This has nothing to do with you."

"I can't believe you let her get to you again, Damon." Stefan raised his voice. He was so sick and tired of Katherine waltzing into Damon's life leaving nothing but chaos in her wake. "You need to stop giving her so much power over you!"

"This has nothing to do with Katherine!" Damon shouted, tossing his glass of bourbon into flickering flames of the fire place where he stood. The tawny liquid reawakened the flames and Damon could feel the warmth spread across his entire body.

"Then what the hell is this about?" Stefan's voice rose to match his brothers. "This is all about Katherine, you just don't realize it. She knows just what to say to get you all worked up and doubting yourself."

"She won't stop until she pushes away everyone in your life, and you're left with only her." Stefan moved to stand right behind his brother. "You know I'm right." He let his hand rest on his brother's tense shoulders. "And besides, mom would be furious if you deprived her of those precious grandchildren she's been going on and on about."

The brothers both let out a soft chuckle at the mention of their mother. Their mother had been dropping hints that she wanted to bare the title of grandma for quite some time now, constantly nagging her boys about settling down and starting a family.

"What if she's right?" Damon asked in a gentle voice. He desperately wanted to believe what his brother was saying. There was no doubt in his mind that Katherine had her own agenda, but it didn't stop him from believing everything she said. He was unfit to be a father, and his son would suffer the consequences.

"You shouldn't accept that kind of defeat Damon. You take this as a challenge, prove her wrong, but most importantly prove something to yourself, to Elena and your son." Stefan said, before making his way back to where he sat on the couch.

"And besides if you walk away from this child now, you will regret it for the rest of your life." Stefan spoke silently.

"You think dad ever had any regrets?" Damon and Stefan never spoke about their father; they mostly just pretended Giuseppe never existed, the few times they did discuss the older man was only with each other. There was just too much pain and unresolved anger and resentment associated with their dad.

"I can't imagine he wouldn't after everything that's happened." Stefan eyed his brother solemnly, before taking a sip from his glass.

Damon nodded in a silent agreement, before pouring himself a new glass of bourbon.

"You know what you have to do right?" Stefan asked eying his brother attentively.

"Yeah… I know exactly I what I have to do." He pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Elena's number. He downed what remained of the amber liquid for courage before pressing the call button.


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