chapter 7
Damon pov.
Last night was awful. The kids kidnapped, locked in a flaming truck and Abby basically trying to sacrifice herself for her siblings. Thank God they all got out alright though. I don't know what I'd do without these kids. And they're not even mine!
"Damon, I'm hungry!" Elena called to me from the shower. I stood up and walked into the bathroom, knocking on the shower door.
"What do you want, baby?" I asked, smiling as she poked her head out of the door.
"Cheese. Literally anything with cheese. Ooh, and ice cream." She grinned. I nodded and leaned down to peck her lips once before walking back out of the room. I practically skipped down the stairs and actually ran into the kitchen. I knew what Elena is like when she is hungry, especially now that she's pregnant.
I grabbed the bread, butter and cheese, and picked a random knife from the drawer. I started humming as I got to work on buttering the bread. I quickly buttered it, put cheese on it and made a sandwhich, grabbing the lighter and quickly toasting it. I cut the sandwhich into triangles and put them on a plate, walking to the freezer and grabbing a tub of double chocolate ice cream and a spoon. I got everything and ran back up the stairs, careful not to drop anything but smiled at the sight infront of me when I walked back into the room.
Elena was in her pajamas and sat on the side of the bed which Rudy, Sheila and Abby were sleeping in. They were nacked after last nights events, Abby especially, and we got back around two thirty am. They decided they didn't want to be woken by anyone or anything.
Elena leaned down over them and kissed each of their foreheads, before seeing me watching her. She sat back down and held her hands out.
"Gimme, gimme." She giggled, laughing as I walked to her and handed her the plate and tub, bowing once she threw the tub on the floor next to her and took a large bite of the sandwhich, moaning in satisfaction. I laughed with her and sat next to her, lifting the tub and spoon off the floor and opening it, ignoring the glares I was getting from Elena in my periphial vision. I smirked as I dug out a scoop, popping the spoon in my mouth and swallowing, mimicking her satisfied moan. She wolfed down the rest of the sandwich, and put her hand out for the spoon. I gave it to her and she got a massive spoonful, piling it on and opening her mouth wide so she could get it all in. I laughed at the sight and pulled out my phone, taking a picture of her and laughing even more. She gave me the death glare, which only caused me to practically choke on my laughter. She hit me, harder than I would have expected. I stopped laughing, and rubbed my arm where she hit me.
"Ow, no need to be so cranky." I said playfully. She didn't hear the playful tone and started to cry. I sighed deeply and stood up, reaching for her and pulling her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around my lower back, and rested her head into the crook of my neck. I snaked my hands around her waist, and pulled her as close to me as she could go without putting pressure onto our babies. Only three and a bit more months and I'm going to be a daddy. I'm going to have a family, with the most amazing woman on the planet. I chuckled and released Elena, crouching down and placing one hand on either side of her belly.
"Hey, baby girls. It's your daddy." I said softly, pressing a light kiss next to either of my hands. "I just wanted to say, I can't wait to meet you both, and I'm going to love you both so much. But if either of you have any boyfriends before you're eighteen, I will hurt them." Elena giggled, and rubbed her belly. I kissed all over the baby bump, which apparently tickled Elena as she was giggling madly. But I didn't stop until I had covered every inch of her bump. "I love you both." I finished, pressing one last long kiss on her tummy before standing up again, and looking at Elena's love filled eyes. "And I love you Elena Gilbert, soon-to-be Salvatore." I picked up her hand and looked at where the diamond covered ring was supposed to be. "Wheres the-" I began to ask, but was cut off by Elena.
"My hands and feet have been swelling and shrinking. I thought it would be best if I left the ring somewhere safe, so it's in my nightstand." She said. I nodded and looked down at her hand again, it did look larger than usual.
"Is it normal? What else happens? Does any of it hurt?" I asked, staring at her in concern. I just realised we were over halfway through the pregnancy and I didn't even know what happens throughout. I mentally nagged myself for it while I looked at her.
"Well, swelling is normal. Every pregnant woman gets swelling hands and feet. Uh, no it doesn't hurt, not yet anyway, but everything happening to me right now will get ten times worse in the nex few months. Then the babies come. And we get to live happily ever after as long as they aren't dopplegangers." She joked. I looked at her a bit frustrated. She could sense that. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or scare you." She apologised. I nodded and took a deep breath. She held my hands in hers and got on her tiptoes, kissing my cheek over and over again. I gave in and pulled her face slightly so the next time she kissed me, it was my lips and I made sure to deepen the kiss, taking my hands out of hers and holding her face, rubbing her cheeks with my thumbs.
We stayed for quite a while, before Elena abruptly pulled back and clutched her stomach in pain.
"Damon, it hurts." She groaned, moving away from the kids on the bed and towards the doorway, staggering across the hall to our room. I followed her and sweeped her up bridal style, carrying her into our room and laying her down on the bed. I sat next to her, leaning over her protectively. She stared up at me, and then winced again. I felt tears burning in my eyes. I absolutely hate seeing Elena in pain, and this was the worst I had seen her since we missed Bonnie's funeral. She pushed down on her stomach even more.
"Elena let go of your bump, you're going to crush it." I ordered as softly as I could. I took her hands in mine and she screamed in pain. By now the kids were awake and at the door, looking at Elena in worry. "Elena squeeze my hands as much as it hurts. It's okay. Just do it." I whispered. She closed her eyes and nodded, squeezing my hands, harder and harder by the second. I gritted my teeth in pain. She really is hurting. "CAROLINE!" I screamed. I felt a whoosh of wind and Caroline was right next to me, soon joined by Stefan. Elena screamed and I let the tears fall, onto Elena's head.
"What the- what's wrong with her?" I heard Caroline ask shakily. I shook my head and shut my eyes again as Elena squeezed even harder. I snapped my eyes open when the screaming just stopped, when the squeezing just stopped. Her eyes were closed and her hands dropped to her side, her chest barely moving.
"ELENA!" Me and Caroline shrieked, and we heard Abby cry and grab her phone. She dialled 911.
"Hi I need an ambulance to the Salvatore boarding house off the turning by Wickory Bridge and the second exit on the roundabout on Route 37. A pregnant woman was- she was screaming and she just stopped and- and we don't even know if she's breathing. Please, hurry." She said, and walked out the room with Sheila and Rudy in tow.
"'Lena, baby please, don't do this. Just wake up, just open your eyes." I sobbed desperately. She took a deep gasp and her eyes slammed open.
"Damon, the pain, it's gone." She said. I looked at her confused, and she returned the look. "Damon, what does that mean?" She asked me, tears welling in her already red rimmed, chocolate coloured eyes. I shook my head in confusion and gathered her in my arms, hugging her close. I felt her return the hug, and felt safe, almost normal. At least I did until CareBear and Hero Hair involved themselves in our moment. I glared at Stefan in warning, until he started to laugh and backed away, gently dragging Blondie with him. They walked out of the room and I hugged Elena again, letting her sob into me. I leaned onto her, letting my body relax until the paramedics came into the room.
They checked her vitals, again, and did an ultrasound on the babies, checking their heartbeats and vitals. When they saw everything was normal, they said to her,
"Have you been eating and drinking?" She nodded. They wrote that down. "Have you been stressed out recently?" She nodded again, and looked to me asking me to explain.
"A few months ago her best friend died. Her husband couldn't live without her and killed himself, and we took their three kids in, but last night they were kidnapped and nearly killed, but saved by my brother and sister-in-law." I explained, realising I had made a mistake.
"When you say kidnapped and nearly killed, were they physically hurt?" I nodded slowly. They looked at me in concern. "Did you get them checked out?" I shook my head, and they looked at me with their eyes wide.
"The oldest kid said she didn't want to go. We tried to reason but she threatened to jump out the car and take her siblings with her. We couldn't have her getting hurt even more so we gave in and took them home. They've been fine today." I explained in as little detail as possible.
"Can we see them?" the taller one asked. I looked to Elena, and she nodded.
"Abby, bring Sheila and Rudy in here please." I called into the other room. The kids walked in less than half a minute later, and I smiled at them reassuringly. "These men want to see if you are okay after last night. Just let them check you out." I reasoned. I looked at Abby and she looked at me slightly angry, then nodded, nudging the kids in the direction of the medics. One by one, they got checked out, Rudy, then Sheila, then Abby. Rudy and Sheila were fine, but Abby had smoke caught in her lungs, which could leave damage permanently. She had to go for an operation.
They then went back to Elena, and told her she would have to stay in observation overnight as well as Abby.
"Can they at least get a room they can share?" I asked. They looked to eachother and nodded. At least they were going to be comfortable.
Getting Elena down the stairs and into the ambulance was a struggle. She kept demanding that if she wasn't allowed to walk then it was only me who could carry her downstairs. When the medics kept trying to argue and put her on a stretcher, she broke into tears and hid under the duvets, screaming every time one of them tried to touch her. She was afraid after what happened last night, so I told her she would be okay and that I would carry her. I picked her up bridal style and made my way to the stairs, slowly and carefully making my way down them with Elena pressing her face further and further into my shirt. The kids all came downstairs, Abby carrying a bag with a lot of clothes. Caroline took it from her and lead the kids to the car.
"I'll bring them to the hospital. I'll meet you there and she will check in and all that." Caroline promised the medic. He hesitated and then nodded, getting in the drivers seat of the ambulance. The other medic got in the other side, and I put Elena in the back of the ambulance, sitting with her and holding her hand for the entire ride there. She kept looking at her stomach and then me, nothing else. I squeezed her hand every time the ambulance stopped at a crossing, or traffic lights. She was still terrified from what happened with the kids. She needed to know I was here. Always.
"'Lena, relax. I'm here for you, and I am not leaving your side. So suck it up." I said, laughing at the end. She smiled and rubbed her belly. I placed my hand on top of hers when the babies started to kick. "I just realised, we've only got one name picked out. We need another." I said softly. She thought for a second, then smiled brightly.
"Lilian, in honor of your-" She began, but I cut her off.
"My mother? Hell no, we are not naming our daughter after the bitch who stood and watched as Stefan and I were beat, who faked her death and left her family, and worst of all, gave Kai the idea to link Bonnie's life to yours. She did horrible things to me and you, I am not naming my daughter after her. She's been dead to me since before she even died." I said bitterly, tpractically spitting at her. Her smile vanished instantly, and her face was replaced with a look of hurt. She started to cry.
"Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, but those years you were gone were the hardest in my entire life. Those years you weren't here with me were the ones I did the most stupid things. Please, please, please forgive me for snapping, but I don't want any reminder of those years, and my mother is the biggest reminder of all. I don't want our daughter to be a reminder of her. I didn't want her to be in any way connected to her. Please understand." I begged. She stopped crying and nodded, understanding what I was saying. She smiled and leaned up to peck my lips with hers.
"How about we call her Jemma? After Jenna but with M for Miranda." I suggested. She looked up at me in pure love, something that thirty years ago I never would have expected. Not from her anyway.
"Thats perfect." She whispered. I leaned down to kiss her passionately, and she returned it. We stayed there until the ambulance pulled to a stop, but we hadn't even noticed until the medics came to get her out. They had brought her a wheelchair, but she wouldn't get in it until I promised her I would be the one pushing her. We finally got her in and I wheeled her into the ER, where Caroline, Stefan and the kids were waiting for us. We met them at check in and registered Elena and Abby for a room, and helped them settle in. As far as we knew, Elena would only be here for one night, but Abby could be here for a while. I looked at Caroline and smiled. She smiled back and I looked back at Elena, who was trying to stand and getting into a fit about her being allowed to do what she wants. I ran next to her and picked her up, cradling her as close to me as I could. She calmed down after a few minutes, and wrapped her arms around my neck.
I set her on her feet and supported her back, holding her up by under her arms. She smiled at me and I walked her over to Caroline, who laughed at the sight.
"You know, I remember just before the twins were born. I refused to do anything unless they were on my terms. How do you not remember that, Damon. I was a nightmare." She confessed, laughing at the memory.
"Well, you're always a nightmare. And I was dead for most of your pregnancy." I reminded her. She stared at me, and Elena turned her head to stare at me. I forgot she wouldn't know about that. Oopsie... I looked at her and moved us towards the seats. She glared at me but sat down anyway.
"I completely forgot to tell you. About three years after you... died, my mother and her family were reunited with Lily's husband Julian. He had this sword and stone which, when pieced together, can send any supernatural being to their own personal hell, leaving their soul trapped in the stone. That son of a bitch stabbed me and Stefan with it and died but Bonnie got us back out, months later. Then I went on a killing spree. Well I killed one person while I was still readjusting. Then I demanded that wolf boy take me to your body so I could speak to you. Only, I hallucinated a guy from my hell in your coffin and-" I took a very deep breath, almost choking on it. "I burnt the coffin to the ground in order to pass the test, to get out of hell." I looked at her face, and saw that she was crying again. "But Enzo told me about a month later that it was a fake coffin, and you weren't inside it. I stopped hallucinating and everything went back to normal, well as normal as it was." I took another deep breath and looked into her eyes. She stood up and, when I went to help her, shook me off. I kept trying to help, but she turned around and slapped my cheek, hard. Caroline supported Elena's back and walked away, leaving me behind in the room with two dozen strangers staring at me. I punched the air in frustration and walked out the doors. I'm really going to have to work hard to get past that one.
Elena pov.
I sat in the hospital bed crying into Caroline's hair, sobbing harder every time she told me he was only hallucinating. She eventually gave up and asked me if I wanted to speak to him. I hesitantly nodded, and she went outside to get him. Ten minutes later she came back, angry as hell.
"Where is he?" I asked quietly. She shook her head.
"He took off and he's not answering my calls. He's even changed his voicemail to 'Blondie, I don't want to speak to you so go away'. How can you put up with him?" She snapped. I felt my eyes tear up.
"He left me? He friggin left me!" I yelled. She sat next to me and hugged me as I let myself cry again.
"He didn't leave you, sweetie, he just wants to give you space to calm down. You were really mad at him." She reasoned. I nodded but carried on crying.
"What's wrong with me? Why can't I stop crying?" I asked, frustrated. She chuckled against my head.
"Nothing's wrong with you, sweetie. It's just the hormones." She chuckled. I nodded and hugged her again, but we were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"'Lena? Can I come in or are you mad?" I heard him ask quietly. I pulled away from Caroline and looked at him. My face must have seemed fuming, because after a minute he went to walk away.
"Don't even think about ditching me again." I snapped. He walked in and sat on the end of the bed, reaching for my hand. I didn't want him to touch me, I didn't want him near me right now, but I didn't stop him when he pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it softly. I didn't stop him when he put his hand on my baby bump, or when he moved to kiss my forehead.
"Elena, I love you so much. Please don't stay mad at me for something I only did because of stupid hallucinations. You do realise that I would never, ever do that to you if I kew what I was-" But I cut him off.
"If you're about to say if you knew what you were doing, you clearly did know. If you didn't know you wouldn't then you wouldn't be telling me because you wouldn't remember!" I shrieked at him. He moved backwards slightly, and I could tell my words got to him. Normally I would apologise to him, say I didn't want to hurt him. But right now I really don't care.
"No, do you know what, Elena? I haven't even got to this part yet, the part where what I did actually sank in. I told Julian to kill me, and get it over with. Because I couldn't live with the guilt of what I thought I'd done to you. I couldn't live with it, Elena! And I tried to get myself killed in so many ways, asked so many people to kill me because I didn't care anymore. I didn't care about life because I thought you were DEAD!" He roared back at me. I softened up a little, and shifted a little closer to him. He noticed that and moved closer to me too, and we both caved, joining in a hug. I pulled away, and looked at him, staring into his sapphire blue eyes.
"You wanted to die?" I asked him in disbelief. He nodded and held my hand in his.
"I went to a club, where you have to wrestle another vampire until you die. Stefan saved me, he heard me ask Julian to rip my heart from my chest, he saw Julian start to, he knew what was going on and stopped him. He saved me. I didn't ask him to but he did, for about the a millionth time. I'm sorry, Elena. What I did, it was the worst thing I have ever done, and I will never, ever, forgive myself for it. So forget that I asked you to forgive me, because I wouldn't either." He finished. He started playing with my hands, drawing shapes on the back of it with his fingers like he usually did when he was nervous or ashamed.
"Don't be afraid, baby. I'm not going anywhere, no matter what you do. I love you." I said. He stopped playing with my hand and out his hands on either side of my face.
"I love you too, Elena Gilbert. Please, please, please help me move on from this. I will not be able to without you. I really do love you, you mean the world to me and I really do hate myself for what I did. I hones-" I cut him off again, but this time with me smashing my lips on his, our mouths moving in sync with each others. I moved my hands, one to his neck and one to his waist. He ruffled his hands through my hair, and we both deepened the kiss, never letting the other go.
But we were forced to stop when Abby came in, saying she wanted to get changed. I laughed and Damon pulled away, resting his forehead on mine. He pecked my lips with his and walked out of the room. Abby started going through her drawers, looking for a t-shirt or something. She found what she was looking for and pulled off her top, throwing it onto her bed and pulling on a new one.
"Are you okay, Abby? I realised I haven't had a chance to ask you, and I just want to know." I whispered to her. She looked at me, and took her hair out, combing through it with her hands and pulling it into a ponytail.
"I'm fine, I mean, I have to go for surgery, but it doesn't hurt as much as I would have-" She was cut off as she began to cough into her hands, and when she stopped she looked up at me wide eyed. She showed me her hands. They were covered in blood. "I think I'm gonna be sick." She said, gasping and walking over to our ensuite bathroom. I heard her gag as she emptied the contents of her stomach. "ELENA IT'S BLOOD AGAIN!" She screamed, and I stood up. I ran out of the room and called for Damon.
"DAMON! DAMON PLEASE!" I yelled, ignoring the glares I was getting from passer-bys. He ran up to me, and held me in his arms. "It's Abby, she's coughing up blood and vomitting blood and I'm scared, Damon. I don't know what to do." I sobbed, into his shoulder. He ran into the bathroom.
"Elena, get a doctor!" He growled. I ran out of the room and screamed.
"I NEED HELP IN HERE!" I screamed, letting the tears fall. "PLEASE HURRY!" I screamed, lettig out a breath of relief as I saw three doctors sprinting towards me. "She just started coughing blood and vomitting and- wait, what happened to her?" I asked, confused as they carried her out of the bathroom. She didn't stop them or make a sound, she was unconscious. Damon came out behind them, tears streaming down his face. He opened his arms and I ran into them, wrapping my own around his back. "What's going on Damon? What's happening to her?" I sobbed. He put his face in my hair, probably trying to hide his tears from me.
"I don't know, baby. I don't know." He whispered into my hair. I cried even harder. "She's going to be okay, 'Lena. She has to be okay. She can't leave us." I hear him whisper. I piulled out of the hug and put my hands on his cheeks, wiping away his tears. He tried to turn away, to hide himself from me, but I wouldn't let him.
"Don't hide from me, Damon. You don't have to bottle up your feelings to protect me, I want you to let me in." I whispered. He nodded and his eyes started welling up again. "It's okay, I'm right here." I reassured him. He cried into my hands.
"I'm scared. What if everything's not okay? What if she doesn't get better? I can't lose her, 'Lena. I'm not ready." He sobbed. I hugged him again and sobbed with him. Rudy and Sheila ran into the room.
"Abby, where are you?" They asked in unison. They were innocent and adorable and knew nothing.
"Abby had to, uh, go with the people who are making her all better. She could be a while." I told them, letting Damon go and crouching down to their height, opening my arms so they could hug me. I held them close to me. I saw Damon hesitantly walk towards us and crouch down, wrapping his arms around us.
"Why are you both crying?" Rudy asked. I sniffled and moved back a bit so I could look at him.
"Because we are a little scared. Last night scared us, sweetie." I answered half honestly. We were scared but not just because of last night. We were terrified for so many reasons, Klaus, last night, Abby, the idea of failing as parents to these kids or our kids. We were terrified by practically anything nowadays, and I was starting to get sick of it. They nodded and I stood up.
"Damon, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked slowly. He looked up at me and nodded, following me as I lead him out of the room, leaving the kids in the hospital room. "i'm going to go to find out where she is and what's going on, are you coming with me and leaving the kids with Care or staying here with them?" I asked him. He beckoned behind me for Cartoline and I weakly smiled, starting to feel a little dizzy. "Damon, something's wrong." I said, clinging to his arm for support.
"HELP!" He yelled to the doctors at the far end of the room. "Stay with me, Elena. Open your eyes. Keep you-" Was all I heard. Then everything went black.
After what felt like years I opened my eyes, narrowing them under the brightness of the room.
"DAMON!" I screamed, thrashing around on the bed. He reached for my hand and I calmed down.
"It's ok, I'm here." I heard him reassure me, lightly squeezing my hands. He sat on the bed next to me and opened his arms. I crawled into them and hugged him.
"What happened, Damon?" I asked quietly. He took a deep breath and I could tell he was about to give me bad news.
"Your stress levels were too high, and you collapsed. They ran a few tests on you and the babies, and they said if your stress levels get anywhere near what they were while you are still pregnant, the babies might have to be born early to avoid any severe damage being done to them." He whispered. He took one of his hands and put them on my face, wiping away tears I didn't even realise were there.
"I meant with Abby, what's going on with Abby?" I muttered, and knew he heard me. He shuffled to the side of the bed and stood up, walking to the window. He loooked away and I choked on a sob. "Is she- is she okay?" I sobbed, holding back tears.
"I got word from the doctors a few minutes ago, they don't think she's going to make it. She lost too much blood and there was a lot more smoke in her lungs that the medics let on. There was never a chance of her making it, 'Lena. She has only hours left." He sobbed, putting his hands over his face, letting me hear what was going on in his emotions.
"NO! No she isn't. She's going to be fine Damon, you said so yourself. You said it." I cried frantically, my chest heaving. He ran back over to me and gathered me in his arms. I let myself cry, and didn't stop myself when I started to scream in anger. He started to roar as well, not even attempting to stop me.
"We can take the kids and say goodbye." He choked out. I cried and nodded, gathering myself and standing up, clinging to Damon for support. We told the kids that they had to come with us to go see Abby, and they followed us happily. Together, we made our way to the elavators and waited as it went to floor 6, the floor people go in to wait until they die. I shuddered at the thought and held back more tears, my grip on Damon's arm. He lead us into room 43, and hesitated before walking in with me and the kids in tow. She was awake, but barely.
"ABBY!" The kids cried in joy, running over to hug her.
"Hi babies, you okay?" she asked quietly, holding one of her siblings hands in each of hers. They both nodded and told her about the last few hours with Aunty Caroline and Uncle Stefan. She listened carefully, laughing when Rudy told her that he fell down the stairs almost. Sheila kept complaining that the food here was nasty. "Sounds like you've been having fun then." She said, I started to cry again. "I'm going to talk to Elena and Damon for a little bit, can you wait outside for me?" She asked the kids. They nodded and ran outside, shutting the door behind them. "Hi." She said, looking at me with tears glistening in her eyes. "Elena, please don't cry. I'll be with my mom and dad. I'll find them and we will find peace together." She explained, trying to convince me.
"You're 13 years old, you shouldn't have to be going anywhere. You're not ready!" I snapped, crying even harder. She took my hand and held it tight, not letting go. We heard Damon sob in the corner, and Abby took his hand in her free one, holding both our hands close to eachother.
"Thank you both, for everything. Thank you for taking me and my brother and sister in after the worst thing imginable happened, after we became orphans. Thank you for looking out for us, for catching them last night. I will never be able to repay you for that. I love you both." She cried, sniffling every now and again. I choked back another sob.
"Please don't leave us. We can't lose another person, another person who means as much to us as you do. You might be Bonnie and Enzo's daughter, but you and your siblings are our family." I sobbed, my vision becoming blurred because of the tears I was holding back. I let them out and didn't let her hand go as they fell onto both our hands. Damon let out a strangled sob.
"NO! You do not get to die on us!" He roared, making both me and Abby jump. He threw Abby's hand down and grabbed his phone, texting someone. "I love you, Abby St. John. There is no way I am letting another person I love die. Not when there's something that can be done about it." He spat, looking into my eyes. I realised what he meant and shook my head.
Just then Stefan walked into the room. He bit his wrist and marched next to Abby. She started to protest, and I stood protectively infront of her. Damon shot me a warning glare, and I looked back at him in pure anger.
"Stefan, don't you dare!" I spat. He looked hurt for a second, but looked back at Abby.
"She's going to die, Elena. I can heal her. Does that not mean anything to you?" He spat back, and I looked at her. She looked up at me, a hint of betrayal in her eyes.
"No, get away from me Stefan. I'm not going to. What if it goes wrong, what if I turn into a vampire? I don't want that, and I'd rather die now than have that." She reasoned. I understood where she was coming from. I didn't want to be a vampire either. I wanted to stay human. I sat next to her and held both her hands in mine.
"Abby, we want to help you, to protect you. Think of your brother and sister, and when you don't walk out of this room and come home, ever. Think of how they will feel without you, without their big sister, who has protected them and loved them in so many ways. You have made these last few months possible for them, and without you, I don't know how any of us can help them. And I want these babies to be born and have their super awesome best friend Abby. If you want, you can be their sister. If you want, you can be whatever you want. So please just do this, let Stefan heal you. He will compell the doctors to let you go and we will spend the night at your parents, where no vampires can get in. We will stay there until the vampire blood has passed through your system and you will be fine. Just let Stefan help you. Please." I begged, realising she had stopped trying to protest. She nodded, and Stefan rebit his wrist, moving close to her and holding it out to her. She took his wrist in her hands and pulled it to her lips, she started to drink.
The heart monitor started beeping at a more healthy pace. She pulled her mouth away and wiped her face, swallowing the little blood left in her mouth. She looked at me and smiled weakly, nodding back at me. She stood up.
"I feel normal again." She said joyfully, spinning in circles and laughing. The younger kids came running in, looking scared.
"He's here, he's here!" They cried. I looked to Damon in confusion and he returned the look. "He said he wants to hurt us. He said he wants us dead." They cried. Damon grabbed Sheila, Stefan grabbed Rudy and I took Abby's hand in mine, dragging her. One by one, we climbed out the window, getting onto the fire escape ladder and running down.
"Who was it, Sheila?" Damon asked her. She looked at him and made a noise.
"He said his name was Kol, I think. And there was a woman with him, she said her name was Rebekah." She blurted. Stefan, Damon and I looked at one another and then told the kids that no matter what, they had to run. I was beginning to get exhausted, and Abby was already dragging me. Stefan got the kids to go up ahead with Damon so he could carry me. He sweeped me up bridal style and I lookd at him, smiling. This felt awkward. We made our way to them and Stefan put me in the car, in the back with Sheila and Rudy. They were hugging and shaking, afraid of the two people they only spoke to for a minute. Damon and Abby were in the front, and Stefan said he needed to get Caroline. Damon slammed on the gas pedal and we sped off towards what I assumed was Bonnie and Enzo's house, before they died. I hugged the kids from the side and they started to stop shaking. We pulled into the garage. We all got out and ran inside the house, but Damon stayed to lock the car and garage door.
"DAMON HURRY!" I called, looking between him and the kids, who were running up the stairs. He staggered back to me, smiling faintly, blood trickling from his waist. "DAMON!" I cried. I ran forward and caught him as he fell, still smiling at me.
"It's okay, go, hide with the kids." He whispered. I shook my head and sat down, resting his head in my lap. I looked at his hand and almost laughed. He had Ric's ring on. I let out a breath of relief.
"Come back to me, baby." I sobbed, pressing kisses to his forehead. I heard a clanging coming from the garage door and laughed. It was the Mikaelsons trying to get in. I guess the house was signed over to the kids. I pulled Damon's body into the living room, covering his wound with a scarf and making him as comfortable as I could.
"'Lena, I need you to kill me. This is going to take forever, just get it over with." He pleaded. I gasped in horror at what he had just asked and almost protested before I realised he was right. I let go of his hands and covered his nose and mouth. "I love you." He said before I squeezed down, crying my heart out. He stopped moving and lay there, his ocean blue eyes staring up at me.
I cried even more. "I love you, Damon Salvatore." I sobbed quietly, standing up and walking over to the kitchen to wash my hands. When my hands were washed, I heard laughter from the little kids. I walked up the stairs, so quietly they didn't hear me. I pushed their bedroom door open and it creaked. Abby screamed and the little kids did too.
"It's only me, it's only me." I said softly, walking in and sitting beside them all. "What you been doing?" I asked. They looked at one another and then looked back at me.
"Abby's been telling us stories about momma and dadda. When are they coming back? I miss them." Rudy whispered. I looked at Abby, and she looked at Sheila.
"Sweetie, you aren't going to see your parents for a long time. They had to go on a secret mission to a place called heaven, and once you go there you can't come back." I explained, leaning forward and kissing his head. He looked up at me and I saw he had started crying. "Don't cry sweetie, you'll see them again. Everyone goes to heaven, you see. When they have had the perfect life with the perfect people they go to heaven, and complete a mission. Your parents went there, I'm going to go there, Damon's going to go there and so are all of you." I told him. His eyes lit up a bit and I smiled down at him. He smiled back.
We heard a noise from downstairs.
"You guys wanna pla hide and seek?" I asked them. They nodded and smiled. "Great. You guys hide, and you stay in your hiding spaces in absolute silence until I find you okay? Rules are you have to hide upstairs and stay there until I come and get you. Best hiding place wins a candy bar." I told them. The younger kids smiled and stood up. I stood up too and went to walk downstairs. I heard their footsteps creaking and them laughing.
I went into the kitchen and took out a stake from the wine cabinet. I knew Bonnie wouldn't have a house without stakes, and I knew she wouldn't want her kids finding them, so the wine cabinet was my first idea. I pulled out the first one I saw. I held it up and walked over to Damon. He suddenly sat up and took in a deep breath. I threw the stake down and walked over to him, hugging him.
"There's something in here." He told me. I heard Sheila scream and we both ran up the stairs. The kids were gone... Again.
