An: Thank you to all who have review and gave me ideas of what you want to see, you may even get to read some of them soon. I know this chapter is extremely short so please don't be mad. I was just afraid that if i didn't post anything this week i would continue to lose readers, and I don't want that.

Please, please continue to read and review.

Chapter 7

Caroline and Elena sat in the bakery waiting for the people they were going to interview for their intern, ideally they would like to have someone who's young and eager to learn. They got six applications to fill the position and only one of them would be able to work for them. Elena didn't want to have to tell the people who didn't get the spot, and she was just hoping that Caroline would take care of it for her.

Both girls decided that they were going to do two groups and do a group interview and have skills test. They were going to do three parts to the interviews, one with questioning, one with design, and one with taste. While they were looking for someone who was eager to teach they also wanted it so the person came with a little background towards cooking and cake design.

While Caroline sat there fussing making sure everything was ok with the interview area, Elena could stop thinking about what she was going to do to pay the bills she wanted to be able to hand this on her own, and asking Damon to pay rent was just awkward and made her uncomfortable to think about. She didn't want to lose the bakery but if it was between her home with her kids or the bakery and homeless, she would do whatever it took to keep the house. Even selling her dream.

"What's with you?" Caroline asked frowning at Elena, seeing her with her own frown on her face.

"I don't know. I'm just thinking." Elena shrugged brushing off her friends concern.

"Elena." Caroline whispered concerned. "What's wrong? Is it Damon?"

"No it's not Damon. He's been great, the kids love him, Addison called him Daddy."

"What did Damon think?"

"He didn't say anything he just smiled sadly."

"Well do you think you should tell her?"

" I don't know. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Don't you think she will get hurt when Damon leaves?"

"I guess, better tell her now than later." Elena sighed.

"Talk to Damon first, you need to know where you guys stand. What is he doing here and how long he's staying." Caroline said.

"Yeah I guess you're right."

"I know." Caroline said chipper.

It was a long and hard day, Elena hated doing the interview and hated that Caroline made her. They were able to narrow it down between two; Claire, a young girl who was almost 20, and a girl Rebecca, who was 16 and looking for something to do after school and on the weekends, and was considering going into pastry. Both girls were nice and although Rebecca was young she was also the one who was most promising in skill and could really take something away from interning for them. She was a cute young blond who looked like she was just looking for someone she could trust and believe in, you could just tell the way that she had herself guarded. They told the two that they would let them know at the end of the week.

While Elena was on her way home she was seriously considering picking up some work someplace else until she got the money. She hated Stefan and wanted nothing more to tell him how pissed she was that he left her and the kids in this mess. Elena wasn't going to worry about it until after Liam's birthday not wanting to be a pooper on her son's 6th.

The day of Liam's birthday party came quickly and he was ecstatic. It's been two days since his birthday party. He woke up early and bounced into the living room going to wake up his mom, he was only slightly confused when he saw Damon lying in the bed with her but his excitement took over his thoughts.

"Mommy!" He said pouncing on the bed effectively waking Elena and startling Damon. "Today's my birthday party!" He cheered a big smile on his face.

"Is it?" She asked teasing her son trying to ignore the hot hand on her stomach. She and Damon stayed up late watching a move and ended up falling asleep together.

"It is! It is!" He shouted.

"Too early." She heard Damon groan behind her his voice muffled by the pillow he was trying to hide in.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Elena asked ignoring Damon and slid off the pullout couch pulling her tee shirt that slid up in her sleep.

"Chocolate Chip Pancakes!"

"What else?" Elena asked picking up her son.

"Bacon, strawberries, whip cream." He said smiling.

"Sounds like a plan." She said. She walked into the kitchen looking for all the needed ingredients, when she turned around she smiled as she saw Addison climbing on the pull out couch and climbed on to Damon's back.

"Wake up Daddy." She giggled. Daddy that word seemed to come back and haunt Elena, she still wasn't sure how to address it, because who's so cruel that they would tell a small child that they aren't her father, and her father didn't want her. Elena didn't know what to do, Damon hasn't said anything about it at all and to even confuse her more, it was strange but it almost seemed like he didn't mind her calling him Daddy. Even after talking to Caroline she was lost.

Liam sat table eating his birthday chocolate chip pancakes.

"What are we doing today?" Liam asked excitedly.

"Whatever you want."

"Can Damon and I play soccer?" Liam asked.

"That's up to Damon." Elena said and Liam looked up to Damon excitedly.

"Definitely." Damon said. He had one more present up his sleeve but he wanted to wait until when Elena gave him his birthday presents after breakfast.

"Alright baby do you want to open your presents?"

"Yeah." Liam said excitedly.

"I'll go get them be right back." Elena smiled and walked into her bedroom going into her closet to get out the presents she had hidden. She couldn't wait to see him open his bike she got for him. When she came back to the living room she saw that Damon was nowhere in sight, but she didn't think anything of it.

"Alright Baby, open up." She said setting down the presents in front of him. Liam looked down excitedly but surprising to Elena, he didn't start to unwrap.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I want to wait for Damon." Liam said looking up at his mom.

"ok." She nodded. "I'll go see where he went." Elena said having a feeling that he was in the garage. She walked out to see Damon looking in a box.

"What are you doing?" She asked her eyebrows raised.

"I was just checking on something." Damon smirked.

"What did you do?" She asked not liking that look that was on his face.

"Never you mind. Let's go in so the Birthday boy can open his gifts."

"Damon." She said clearly not amused, but followed his wishes and walked inside and sat on the floor leaning against the couch.

"Can I start now?" Liam asked eagerly.

"Go ahead baby." She said and watched out of the corner of his eye as Damon sat the box carefully down and then moved so she was also sitting against the couch, watching Liam open his big present first.

"Aw cool!" Liam exclaimed seeing his new bike one that had training wheels that could come off.

"Thank you mommy!" Liam cried a big smile on his face and ran over to give Elena a hug and a kiss. He has talked about getting a bike so he could learn for the last few months and finally Elena broke down and brought one when they were on sale. Liam was happy with the other little things he got and was looking excitedly looking at the last box, which was the one from Damon.

Liam crawled over to the box and lifted off the lid and squealed with shock and excitement. Addison not wanting to miss out why he was so excited crawled over to the box and peered inside. Elena turned and gave Damon a nervous look before she saw what the kids were so excited about. Looking in her son's hands she saw a small blue merle Australian shepherd puppy.

"Damon?" Elena asked surprised, who knew Damon was such a softy.

"Well I was walking by the shelter one day and saw him. I thought it would be ok but if it's not, then I will take him back." Damon said sincerely but somehow he knew that it wouldn't come to that.

"Can we keep him?" Liam asked looking up to his mom with pleading eyes.

"Of course." Elena smiled. She would do anything to keep her son smiling like he was now. She just wished that Damon didn't surprise her like he did and just talked to her about it.

"Doggy Daddy!" Addison giggled running her hands threw the dogs fur, and squealed when the dog licked her face. Addison ran into Damon's chest trying desperately to get away from the dogs kisses even though she was smiling.

"He won't hurt you Hun, he's just giving you loving. He likes you." Damon said holding the girl to his chest with a smile.

"I 'ike 'im too." Addie smiled and looked back at the dog again.

Elena sat there flabbergasted, not only did Damon respond to Addison calling him Daddy, he also responded to her daughter and called her hun. Elena knew it was time that her and Damon had a talk, she no longer could let this continue. But she could wait until tomorrow.

"What's his name?" Liam asked playing with the dog.

"His name is Max. He's only about 2 years old."

"Max." Liam called the dog to him, petting him.

"Now guys you need to take care of the dog, he will need food, water, and you'll have to make sure he gets lots of love." Damon told the children.

"I can do that." Liam nodded.

"Thank you Damon." Liam smiled.

While the kids played with him in the living room, Damon looked over at Elena to see what she was thinking when he noticed her looking at him.

"We need to talk." She said quietly not wanting to alert her children.

"Elena I'm sor-" Damon said but was cut off by her.

"No we'll talk tonight." She said and then turned to her children and watched with a smile as her children laughed and played with their new dog.

AN: Thank you for reading, you guys are awesome I asked to get to 55 reviews last time and you guys got me all the way to 59, which was 14 reviews total. I am really greatful to all who review, but part of me is bummed that out of 85 people who have alerted only 14 of them could review my last chapter. Thank you to those 14 readers.

I would really like to see if you guys could top the record for my most reviewed chapter, which is currently 14 review in one chapter.

As always please tell me what you loved, hated, what you would like to see, adn what i need to try to improve on.

Thanks to every reader and reviewer.

Also if you would like to see what their does looks like i will tempt to post it on my bio. If anyone does go to check it out and it doesn't work please let me know. Thanks.

I will post a longer chapter next thursday!