Thank you so much for all the support! I especially enjoyed writing this chapter. I love writing comedy just as much as writing drama. Both are a lot of fun! Hope you guys enjoy this. If you have any ideas for the story going forward, PM me! I have an important message at the end of the chapter.
Everyone was eager to help Elena out during her pregnancy, which came as a surprise, since she was a still in high school and carrying a baby. Most people would feel as though they were being judged as careless and naive by their teachers, classmates, and relatives. Mystic Falls was different, and acceptance came easy to many of them, mainly those who knew about vampires, werewolves, witches, hybrids, and dopplegangers. It was just another day in the neighborhood...dopplegangers getting pregnant seemed like another twist added to the many the town knew of.
Caroline was most excited to hear of Elena's pregnancy. She knew that with a baby came shopping, naming, and party planning. She would stop by almost every week to help Elena out.
Bonnie was not as joyful about the news, mainly because the Father of the baby happened to be Damon. She hated knowing that Elena and Damon were now linked for life with this baby. She still talked a lot with Elena, but she rarely went to her house to see her in person.
Jeremy was pretty shocked about the news. He was not a fan of vampires or Damon, leaving tension in their family. Elena tried to keep him positive by telling how wonderful he would be as a Godfather or simply an Uncle if he declined the honor.
Stefan had received the news rather late. He was out of town for the entire first trimester and refused to pick up his phone when Elena called. He almost didn't believe the news when he heard it. It was absurd and seemingly impossible. Of course there was a slight sense of jealousy, even though his humanity was not like it used to be. He would come for the Baby Shower, if there was one and only if they invited him first.
"Damon," Elena shouted from the kitchen, as she made a sandwich. Damon was there in a flash and it took Elena by surprise. Her heart raced, not expecting such a response.
"Yes? Would you like a massage? Get the camera? Did your water break?" Damon said, naming the most random things.
"No to all the above," she giggled before continuing. "Caroline told me there are some classes on giving birth at the birth clinic this week. I really want to go. She said that they recommend bringing your spouse." Elena finished, her heart finally slowing down.
"No way, Elena," Damon said in a cocky manner.
"Come on Damon. It's important that we are prepared and we get to meet other couples that are expecting. It will be so much fun!" Elena exclaimed.
"I may be the Father our baby, but there is no way I am going to a birthing class. It will burn my ego." He responded sarcastically.
"Then I will ask Matt to go with me. You know, that's actually better. Matt is great at breathing exercises and he's a lifeguard, so he can resuscitate me if I hyperventilate!,"Elena said, obviously trying to make Damon jealous of such an idea.
"Fine I will go. Only because I hear birthing class can be dangerous!" He laughed as he made his joke.
She waddled over to him and kissed his cheek before returning to finish her sandwich. There was a knock at the door as she took a bite of her food. Damon answered it swiftly and Elena could hear a bubbly voice at the door.
"Where's Elena? This is a serious girl emergency." Caroline said, almost slurring the sentence .
"Kitchen. I hope you can figure out where that is at least. I'm not the Butler here," Damon's voice sounded annoyed.
Caroline was already in the kitchen as Elena took a second bite. Caroline looked like she was going to shout "Godzilla has taken over the town". Her concerned expression made Elena laugh slightly before Caroline spoke.
"We need to plan you a baby shower. I almost completely forgot. With everything going on with Tyler, I forgot about the party." She said frantically.
"Care, I really don't need a Baby Shower. We can buy everything the baby needs on our own. You know I hate parties," Elena said, her voice sounding strained.
"Too bad! Every expecting Mom needs a little party to welcome her baby. Plus, I am planning everything!" Caroline's smile grew as she imagined how wonderful her plans were.
"Fine, but don't get carried away. Oh, and don't invite random people! Just a small gathering is fine." Elena almost whined the last part, as she hated huge gatherings of people.
"I can't promise you anything, but I will try!" Caroline ran back out the front door, too excited to chat any longer. Parties were her thing, and she couldn't wait to coordinate everything in it!
"Let's get this over with," Damon muttered as they reached the entrance to the birthing clinic. When they walked in, there were three other couples, forming a circle in the room. They all sat chatting quietly to each other as they waited for the class to begin. Elena's excitement overtook her, and she almost ran across the room to an empty gap in the circle. Damon was a tad slower, still debating whether to stay or be a coward. They sure didn't have anything like this in 1864, and maybe there was a good reason.
"Welcome class," A woman spoke as Damon sat on the floor next to Elena.
The room looked like a ballet studio, with mirrors, a wooden bar trailing around the room at waist height, and a pile of yoga balls thrown in one corner. The other couples didn't seem tense, and what annoyed Damon the most was seeing that the men were just as excited as the woman. He thought they were a bunch of wusses...where was their manliness?
"It is great to see all the couples that showed up today. We will be practicing breathing methods for labor, and different positions you can use to ease the pain." The woman said, her voice very soothing.
Her hair was very long and extremely curly. Hair care was obviously the least of her worries. She wore no makeup, and no bra at best. She was obviously very free-spirited and may have been descended from a Hippie or two. She wore a long patterned skirt that touched her ankles, along with a pair of brown clogs.
"This woman is a nutcase, Elena." Damon whispered. She immediately hushed him, obviously interested in what the woman had to say.
"Let's begin. First, I will have the ladies sit with their legs crossed. Make sure your back is straight and you keep we are going to be using a breathing method that uses rhythm to get you through each contraction." The ladies in the room began to mimic the teacher's actions. Elena followed eagerly, as Damon rolled his eyes in disbelief of her interest.
"'Who, Who, Ha'is the phrase we will be repeating. As the pain increases, we will recite the phrase faster and louder. It will help you fight through the pain." The woman announced, the men in the room snickering at the phrase their spouses would be using.
"Now men, I want you to recite the phrase with your spouse, so she knows she is not alone. She needs your help to push through each contraction." All the men began kneeling in front of their pregnant spouses, preparing to recite the phrase with them. Even Damon reluctantly positioned himself in front of Elena, who's eyes were closed, as if she were meditating.
"Who, Who, Ha" The entire room recited together.
"Who, Who, Ha." Elena said, punching Damon in the shoulder until he joined her.
"The pain is increasing ladies, louder and faster." Elena and the rest of the woman obeyed and they began chanting it at an alarming speed. The repetition was enough to cause a migraine to any onlooker.
Elena grabbed Damon's hand as she began chanting loudly. She made disturbing faces as she did. Damon knew she was taking this too literally. There was no pain, but Elena pretended she felt it. Damon stopped chanting, nervous that his brother or old friend might be watching nearby.
"DAMON! HELP ME." Elena shouted over the chants. Before he could even refuse, the teacher quieted the room.
"Now we can move on into birthing positions." She said soothingly, her eyes closed.
"We will first start by lying on our backs with our feet touching the floor and our knees in the air." Everyone followed her direction.
"Now I want the men to position themselves so that you are kneeling in front of her hips, so you can help deliver the baby if needed." The woman said louder than usual.
"This looks so wrong, Elena. No wonder the men come." He said laughing.
"Damon, come on. Be 're 150 years old, and you still can't get it together." Elena said, unamused by his comment.
"Now, as a woman, you need to decide the position you are most comfortable with. If you choose to give birth in our clinic, you will have the option to change positions and walk around during labor, allowing you to find some needed comfort, which can change often during labor." The woman announced.
"Okay, the next position is to be on your hands and knees, like you are crawling. This position is great because you can sway your hips side to side, which helps ease the pain. We recommend that your spouse rub your back rhythmically or use his own hands to sway your hips with you." The woman was already swaying her own hips as she finished speaking.
"Oooo...I like this one. It really relieves my back pain." Elena muttered to Damon as she began to sway her hips side to side. Damon couldn't help but find it sexy and a total turn on. She looked incredible swaying her body.
"Help me out Damon." Elena whined as she rotated her hips. Damon gave in and grabbed Elena's hips from behind and slowly moved them side to side, following an invisible beat.
"Now, If you bow your head to the floor, you find increased stability and relief. You can begin using your breathing method whenever you feel ready." The woman announced, walking around the room as she spoke. Damon was hoping Elena would choose to skip the silly chant, but of course she began as soon as the woman finished. She bowed her head to the ground, her butt now up in the air.
"Great form, Elena. Damon, keep those hips swaying to the rhythm of Elena's chants. If she increases, you increase too." Damon wanted to tear that woman to pieces. He felt so out of place here. He was a vampire who used to ruthlessly rip people's throats out, and now he was at a birthing class being told how to stay on beat. Like he needed a lesson...he was an expert in keeping the beat...if you know what he means! Wink wink...
"Damon, can you massage my lower back with your thumbs while you do that? It feels so good." Elena asked, her voice muffled slightly. He obeyed and began massaging her back, never losing his rhythm.
"That feels amazing," Elena moaned as she began to chant 'who who ha'.
"Alright class. I have one last position before we use the yoga balls. I want you to just stand with your partner standing behind you. You can both place your hands on her belly and sway side to side." She said, helping one of the woman get up off the floor.
Elena stood up with Damon's help and she waited to feel Damon behind her. Damon was quick in wrapping his arms around her and placing his hands on top of hers, which were placed on her bulging belly. They began to sway together. Memories flooded back to the Miss Mystic Falls dance. Damon had replaced Stefan as Elena's escort, forcing them to have to dance together. The rhythm their sways made was about the same that they danced to that night. Elena closed her eyes as she was soothed by the flashback.
"Great job class! It looks like we are out of time for today. Sorry we couldn't get to the yoga balls. We will do that next week!" The woman exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.
"Aw shucks. I was really looking forward to those yoga balls," Damon muttered sarcastically to Elena, knowing she was laughing deep down.
They said goodbye to all the other couples, and of course the teacher before heading for the parking lot. Elena was tired, and definitely ready for a nap.
"Damon, though you were a total jerk, thank you!" Elena rattled, as she opened the car door.
"Toward the end, it was actually quite nice, but you are not dragging me to another one. Once per eternity is plenty," He said with a cocky smile.
There needs to be at least FOUR reviews by 1/20/13 or I will stop the story, and I would hate to do that because I have so much more to write! There will be a huge twist in upcoming chapters if I continue! There is no point in continuing if there is no feedback or active support. Sorry, but no support=no motivation to write!
