"Daddy, look it's a bear," Olivia squeals, running to look at the big grizzly as it lumbers around in its enclosure.
"You can't run away from daddy anymore okay?"
"I sorry," she apologizes, her lower lip popping out in a pronounced pout, one she's perfected to wrap her father around her little finger.
"Come here," he shakes his head and lifts her into his arms. He cannot believe his daughter is three years old already. In some ways it feels like a lifetime since that day, the one that changed their lives forever. Others, he remembers her birth and how happy he and Elena were...
"Daddy, the giraffe." Damon lifts her onto his shoulders and approaches that paddock. The animal leans its long neck toward its mother, resting its head against her. Olivia is mesmerized by their elegant posture. Their fur is a rich chestnut painted on golden cream. She watches them entranced, she can't quite get over their legs, so stretched but strong at the same time. When the smaller one looks her way, she claps excitedly.
From there they walk to the big cats exhibits, stopping first to see the lions. With golden paws crossed before his snout and shaggy brown mane the lion's rib cage expands and falls with the rhythm of one in deep sleep, yet he is quite conscious and alert. In the early summer daylight he is simply stunning, its sleek, golden fur laid over his elegant frame and lean muscle. His nose is broad and eyes a soft yellow-brown, large and dark rimmed. Out of nowhere he yawns revealing a flash of pink and the sight of his long teeth and tongue. Then in one fluid movement he is up and stretching just the same as a house-cat.
The next paddock over is a cheetah. Its a spotted, slender, sleek, graceful, swift predator, and the fastest land animal. Cheetahs are majestic creatures, both beautiful, and mysterious. Adorable cubs are playing around her, snapping at each others' tails. Their mother just sits back and watches, tail flicking every now and then.
"Daddy, babies, can I have one?"
"Oh no, they'll eat you," he teases, setting her down.
"Daddy, I want one."
"You already have a cat. What would Amy do if you brought another one home?"
"I love my Amy."
"I know you do, baby girl. Let's get something to eat and after we see the monkeys and the elephants, it'll be time to go home." Damon offers his hand and as soon as she puts her tiny one in his, they walk away to find some food.
By the time Damon turns into the driveway, Olivia is sound asleep in her car seat. Trying not to wake her, he carefully unfastens the straps and lifts her out, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Grabbing her backpack with the other hand, he uses his rear to shut the door. Once he's inside, he goes straight to her room and lays her down, hoping she'll nap for a couple of hours. Quietly closing the door, he trots down the stairs to get a cold bottle of water from the refrigerator.
When he reaches the threshold, he leans against the frame, crosses his arms and watches her doing the dishes, her hips swaying to the song on the radio. It is nothing short of a miracle that she's here and before him now. Damon cannot count the number of times he has heard that word since Elena's remarkable recovery. Her critical care doctor pulled no punches, initially telling them that her chances of survival were practically nil. She almost proved him correct, hovering on death's door for several days with her family standing vigil, growing steadily weaker until one day, without warning or fanfare… she slowly, almost imperceptibly began to fight back.
Her vital signs started to stabilize and return to baseline as her body began its lengthy journey towards recovery. One week later she was taken off the ventilator allowing her to breathe on her own. She and Damon were able to speak to one another for the first time since she called him on the phone the morning of what was supposed to be their wedding day. He remembers hearing the shots and the terrifying sensation of dread as it crept down his spine like a spider leaving a trail of silk. Nightmares still plague his sleep from time to time, he wonders if they'll ever truly be gone.
After two harrowing weeks, Elena was transferred out of ICU and into a bed on the medical floor. A week after that, she was doing well enough to be discharged. By the time of her release both she and Damon were long overdue for a break, both emotionally and physically. One bullet tore through her abdomen, lacerating her liver causing massive blood loss, the other went into her chest, shattering ribs and puncturing her lung. After a stint in a rehab facility for strengthening, she was finally able to come home to him and Olivia.
Elena feels a hot breath on her neck then the tender brush of his lips, burning as they make contact with her neck. A hand runs through her hair as his kisses become harder and more urgent. His other hand slides around her waist to cradle her bump and pulls her into his pine scented body, his kisses now moving to her shoulders and into her hair.
"Damon," she breathes, letting him hold her up. Turning around in the circle of his arms, she gives him a peck and looks over his shoulders. "Where is she?"
Dropping his mouth to her ear, he brushes his lips against it. "Down for the count, hopefully for a couple of hours so her mother and I can have a little fun." Taking her hand, he leads her to their bedroom. With gentle hands, Damon lifts her sundress over her head and eases Elena on the bed. As soon as he discards his own clothes, he covers her body with his own.
He strokes his fingers over her exposed skin, his touch familiar and demanding. His lips drop to her flesh, leaving a hot, moist trail against her skin. Elena moans and sighs beneath him, touching, kissing him and rolling her hips against his groin, teasing him.
When Damon finally enters her, Elena carefully scrutinizes his face for every glimmer of pleasure that she gives him. Knowing how close she came to death, she savors every hiss and grimace. He pumps his hips against hers in a fluid, rhythmic waltz, perfected by burning need and his all encompassing love for her. Elena rises to meet each surging thrust, taking him as deeply inside her as she can. The pure joy that washes over his features as he releases is all Elena needs to surrender to her own trembling climax.
"You still keep your eyes open," Damon sighs unevenly when they lay panting and perspiring together in the aftermath.
"Not always, hardly ever anymore," Elena reassures him, palming his cheek and raising her head to kiss him. They have no time to recover though before...
"Mommy? Daddy?"
Damon jumps off the bed, tosses Elena her dress and quickly slips on his shorts and tee shirt. Shaking his head, he rolls his eyes playfully at Elena and then opens the door to let their little girl in.
"You're supposed to be taking a nap."
"Daaady," she drags, "I tell mommy about the zoo." With the book he bought her in hand, she crawls onto the bed beside her mama and hands it to her. Elena kisses her head, rests the book on her belly and starts to read to her.
Damon can't stop looking at his family. Six months after the shooting, they married at the Salvatore beach house with only their family, Caroline and Liz as their guests. It was the third best day of his life, the first two being when the doctor told them that he believed she was going to make it and their daughter's birth.
"Mommy, can we take my baby to the zoo when it comes?"
"Yes," Elena smiles, setting the book on the bedside stand before getting up.
"Don't go."
"Mommy has to make supper." Elena kisses her head.
"Can I help?"
"How about we all help?" Damon asserts and throws Olivia over his shoulder, winking at his gorgeous wife before leaving her alone. She stands there for a few moments and then pulls her journal out of the drawer. Elena sits down at her desk to grab a pen while the thought is still fresh in her mind.
The happy ending always comes on the last page. When she was a little, she always dreamt of how her story would end. She wrote it carefully, making sure it didn't have any flaws but now she knows all too well that it did. She fought through every chapter of her life, even during the hurt. She believed in the last page of the last chapter - where the happy ending is mentioned.
Little did she know that she wouldn't have to wait till the end of her story... Her happy ending arrived the day Damon came into her life...
The End...
You didn't think we'd really let Julian win did you?
Thank you all for loving this Damon and Elena as we do. The DE fandom is the best there is. We're happy to be a small part of it.
Thank you Eva. Love you.
Chapter title: 'Your Guardian Angel' by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
We hope you all have a lovely day. Thank again so much for your amazing support. It means more to Eva and me than you know. We'll see you tomorrow for WTTJ 34 barring any unforeseen circumstances.