Damon was walking through a grocery store while Bonnie put things in the cart. This was a standard Tuesday as Elena worked most of the time, which left Damon stuck with the shopping. Usually Damon was able to persuade someone to come with him and that someone was usually Bonnie but occasionally Stefan when he wasn't busy with Caroline.

Damon loved shopping with Bon Bon – it reminded him of their time together in 1994 – but today there wasn't much that could improve his mood.

"Which one does Elena like again?" Bonnie asked as she held up two boxes of cereal. Damon pointed, but didn't speak.

"You know you should really make her come shopping at least once," Bonnie argued as she had done many times before.

"Elena's working," Damon replied as he always did.

"She works too much," Bonnie said.

"She loves her job," Damon said monotonously.

"Yeah, but she loves you more," Bonnie said as she continued to select items from the shelf. "She'd make time." Damon didn't really feel like explaining how he knew this already and Elena always made time for him. It was just that now Elena needed the distraction.

"Your one-year wedding anniversary is coming up," Bonnie said cheerfully. "You guys got something special planned?"

"Nope," Damon said.

"What's wrong Damon?" Bonnie asked as she turned to face him, a determined look on her face.

"Nothing."

"Bullshit!" Bonnie said. "You two are both acting weird and sulky and I wanna know why."

"I'd tell you Bon Bon," Damon sighed. "But Elena doesn't want me to talk about it."

"This is me Damon," Bonnie said. "Surely Elena didn't mean me?"

"She meant everyone," Damon said. "And I kinda agree with her. When we know something you will be the first to know. Promise." He smiled and hoped she would drop it.

"Alright fine," Bonnie said reluctantly. After a few minutes of silent shopping in which Bonnie knew her best friend well enough to not even ask Damon what food brands Elena preferred, Bonnie changed the topic. "Enzo wants to start shopping with you too."

"Okay," Damon said. "Could be fun."

"The three of us could go and make you the third wheel," Bonnie teased him.

"Ah the dreaded third wheel," Damon replied. The teasing was helping his mood at least. "Something to look forward too." He sighed. "Thanks for shopping with me Bon Bon. I hate doing this by myself."

"No problem," Bonnie replied. They finished shopping in silence, packed the car and headed home. Bonnie helped put away all his groceries, still without speaking, but as she stood by the front door about to leave she turned.

"You guys aren't breaking up are you?" Bonnie asked.

"Of course not," Damon said with a sigh, but he didn't add that wouldn't really blame Elena if she did leave him, at least if, as he feared, he was the problem.

"Alright then," Bonnie said. "And you are going to tell me what the heck is going on with you guys as soon as you can?"

"Promise," Damon smiled at her and she seemed content with that.

"Okay… bye then," Bonnie said. "I'm meeting Enzo for dinner." Damon waved goodbye to his friend and closed the door behind her.

Once he was alone Damon checked if he had any messages on the landline. He checked the mail and just in case he'd ignored his phone while he was out he double checked that as well. No news.

Damon sat on the couch to watch TV till it was time to start making dinner. It was like living in limbo these last few days waiting to hear what the problem was. He was glad Elena at least had work as a distraction. Damon had become quite the cook since becoming human, which had demanded he add considerably to his workout routine. Jogging just wasn't going to cut it anymore. He'd bought exercise equipment that was set up in the rec room, but at the moment Damon decided to give himself a pass and stream some very inaccurate show about vampires on Netflix. These vampires had to be buried in the earth in order to be the undead which Damon found very hilarious. Also it was full of other mythical creatures that weren't quite right. The witches were half demons warlocks and the werewolves were born not triggered. The part angel people were Damon's least favourite part. He gave up on the show to make dinner when he was sick of the TV. He had just finishing setting the table when Elena arrived home. She had that same look on her face she'd had every day since their returned from the clinic. Hope on her face as she asked him with her eyes if he'd heard anything. Damon just shook his head. She looked sad for a moment, as always, then sat down to dinner.

She told him about her day and about her patients, about the ones she'd saved the ones she couldn't. Elena had chosen neonatal for her specialty though he wondered if she now regretted that.

"They'd been trying to get pregnant for ages," Elena was explaining. "Just to have their daughter born four months early." Damon listened patiently since he had nothing to add. He knew talking about work helped keep Elena distracted. "We had to hook her up to a ventilator with an IV and so many other tubes. She's so tiny. Her parents couldn't even hold her."

"Did the baby make it?" Damon asked.

"She was breathing when I left," Elena said. "But I'm not sure if she will still be there when I return."

"That sucks," Damon supplied, not sure what else to say.

"I miss vampire blood," Elena said. "I understand why Meredith stole yours now. It might save her."

"You know enough vampires," Damon suggested. "Get some blood."

"But if it doesn't work," Elena said. "The baby wouldn't get to die a human death, she'd be a tiny immobile vampire… and I just don't think I should make the decision for her and I can't tell her parents about vampires." She sighed.

"Any happy patient stories today?" Damon asked her as they finished dinner.

"I worked on a preemie boy all day," Elena said. "He developed an infection that spread to his blood, threatening to shut down his organs. I kept pumping antibiotics into him and I tried to keep his blood pressure stable. He will probably live if he makes it through the night." She paused pushing her empty dinner plate away. "Dinner was great thanks."

"You're welcome," Damon replied.

"With him I might have risked Vampire blood," Elena began her story again. "It would have cured the infection instantly. I feel so limited by medical technology and conventional science sometimes." She looked so frustrated Damon got up and took her in his arms.

"You did everything you could," Damon said. "And if you weren't there it's not like any ordinary vampire would have healed such a patient. It's not like you being human is why…"

"Why the baby might die?" Elena asked. "Because it feels like that to me."

"Ask Enzo, Stefan or Caroline," Damon replied trying to inject some cheeriness into his voice. "You could do what Meredith did but with volunteer vampires."

"You know it's not about…" She started but Damon saw tears in her eyes.

"I know, love," Damon said pulling her in close and holding her. She never actually cried but Damon held her anyway, praying to a god he didn't believe in that he could make her happy. Damon guided her to the couch and they cuddled up together.

"So enough about me," Elena asked and he could sense the same fake cheerfulness in her voice he'd created in his own. "How was your day?"

"Went shopping with Bonnie," Damon said. "She wasn't happy I didn't tell her what was wrong."

"Not yet," Elena said. "Let's just wait and see if there's something to tell first."

"I know," Damon said. "I agree. It was just strange to keep it from Bon Bon."

"Caroline kept asking me too," Elena said. Damon suggested they watch a movie and managed to see a smile on his wife's face for a solid five minutes while she selected one. He lived for her smiles. They settled in and started the movie, Elena resting her head on his shoulder. Damon wrapped a blanket around them both and pretended to care about the movie she choice. Sometimes in moments like this when Elena was warm and safe in his arms he wondered why he was so upset. Surely he had everything already.

"Maybe this is enough," Elena spoke suddenly as if she could read his thoughts. "Maybe I don't need-"

"Don't," Damon spoke cutting her off. "None of that thinking until we know, one way or the other."

So how much do you hate me? ^_^ I tried to make it not obvious what was wrong but my beta already knows what it is so she couldn't tell me if it wasn't obvious or not. Anyone have any guesses? This part has been planned from the start. We are actually getting closer to the scene that came into my head that inspired the whole fanfic! I will tell you when that scene gets uploaded. :D Thanks! Please review!