Alive

Chapter 9

As she had expected Elena woke up a couple of hours later alone in his bed. She wasn't aware how their conversation ended but she knew she had made the right thing going to him. Being that close of Damon gave her peace and she needed a little of this before facing the rest of her day. She still had to go to Meredith and visit Liz.

Recapping quickly the day's events she sat up in the bed in a jump. She had totally forgotten of Little Damon. Would she never refer to him as Jacob again? She asked herself. Rushing back to her bedroom her heart almost flew through her mouth as she didn't see the boy. She went to Stefan's bedroom, though she knew that was improbable, but neither of them were there either.

She went downstairs almost stumbling on her feet. For some reason she went straight to the kitchen expecting that someone was just feeding the boy but had no luck either. Going back to living room she was already desperate when she heard the baby laughing. And there they were, Big and Little Damon, the big one had a glass of scotch in his hands while the baby laughed hysterically though she didn't know why.

Suddenly Damon moved in inhuman speed through the wall and landed where he was and Jacob couldn't stop chuckling. It must be a big adventure to the infant.

"You like speed don't you, Lil' Damon?" the vampire said as he took a big gulp of his drink. It was one of the few times Elena had seen a smile and not a smirk on Damon's face.

The baby started to babble excitedly things that she couldn't understand.

"I guess what he likes is you" she suggested as she approached them.

"Who wouldn't? You for example just loooove me" he turned to see her. He had heard her going to the kitchen and coming back and wasn't surprised by the look of her face. The tender look that only she had. He knew her I love you had been friendly but it didn't matter she loved him somehow and he felt flattered, even undeserving thinking back of everything he did against her and her friends in the past.

She rolled her eyes. "What else is in the basket? I think he'll be dirty soon, he's eating like a cow" she pointed as she only then realized the small piece of soft cookie he had in his tiny and fatty hand.

"Let's see" Damon moved with the baby in his arms, placing his glass in the coffee table.

"A blanket, a birth certificate that tells us Little Damon is an eight-month-old elder" he examined the document he placed back there earlier "A package of the cookies he seems to really like, a small pillow and that's it. You aren't a man of great assets, are you?" he turned to the baby that still held a cute smile on his face.

"We need to buy diapers and clothes I don't want him to be dirty and stinking" she pondered.

"Well as Little Damon's Jo left to hunt, I guess I'll have to drive you to the city because I dislike them less when they're clean and scented and I'm NOT buying infant's clothes. That's a lesson for when he's three" Damon moved around still with the baby.

"You could have fooled me. Playing with him and keeping him in your arms while I'm already here would make me think you like children" she shook her head and smiled softly. The little boy was definitely what kept her sane in the crazy day they had. If Jacob really belonged there with them she wasn't sure anymore if it was because he needed them or if they needed him.

"No, Elena, I don't like children at all, I got him from his bedroom because he was crying his lungs off. They're noisy, demanding, boring and mostly useless but this is a Damon and I need to teach him everything he needs to know" he handed the baby to her "I can't let him be a Jacob just because of the lack of coaching" he showed disgust as he said the name.

"Okay, right, I'll take my purse" she said but before she could take more than five steps Damon handed it to her.

"Let's go" he said already walking to the door.

"Can we go to Falls Church? I don't want anyone to know about the baby yet" she suggested.

"What if we go to Washington? Maybe someone will recognize Little Damon in Falls Church" he suggested.

"Always up to a road trip, aren't we?" she smirked and he only shrugged "But we need a baby seat before we go, it isn't safe to carry him in my arms" she suggested and he nodded

"I'll steal one before the saleswoman even knows what happened"

"Damon!" she hit him in the arm playfully.

"What? You don't want people to know you're a mommy now and Amazon isn't that fast" he looked at her with widen eyes and then smirked.

"But we don't need to become criminals!" she complained

"Okay, okay, I'll take it but will let a twenty-buck bill over the cashier, okay?" he offered a cynical smile.

"Twenty bucks won't cover it"

"Don't push, Elena, don't push" he purred and she just shook her head.

The plan in the baby store had been just as they expected and Elena actually laughed while Damon figured out how to get the very easy car seat ready for Jacob.

They were almost reaching the road to leave the city when someone – a vampire – crossed the street in front of them. Damon pushed the breaks and turned the steering wheel because although the vampire moved in inhuman speed it wasn't that fast and it seemed to have jumped in front of the car a couple of seconds away of it.

Their bodies were pulled to the front but as Damon wasn't stepping too much on gas they didn't hit the windshield. Elena immediately turned to check on Jacob. Although Damon had struggled to understand the simple car seat system he had attached it properly and the baby was just crying probably because the seatbelt hurt him and because he had been scared.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked her and when she nodded he hopped out of the car and tried to track down the vampire. "Keep the windows closed"

Damon ran to the surrounding always coming back to the car not longer than a few seconds and then running to check on another direction.

"Was it her?" Elena asked scared as he entered the car again.

"I can't say. I couldn't identify any smell" he said checking on the baby again who was still crying. "Let's get out of here, whoever it was I don't want to wait until it comes back. Try to distract him"

Elena did as she was said and played peek-a-boo with Jacob who slowly stopped crying and then laughing as she continued playing with him but she was still worried and Damon knew it.

"Do you think his life is in danger?" she asked quietly looking at the boy while he played with her fingers

"There's something supernatural about how he ended up in our doorstep Elena. He had a junkie as a mother and a coward as a father, he's better with you than he'd ever be" he assured knowing her too well. She was thinking that the baby wouldn't be safe if she kept him but he also knew she was already attached to the little human.

"It's just we all seemed fated to die and he's so young and innocent, he doesn't deserve to lose his life" she was getting emotional and Damon just wished he could do something about it before she cried.

"The same promise I made to you, goes to him, okay? I'll protect him from everything" he avoided her eyes this time as he didn't want to touch the subject of their previous conversation in the car that morning. He still needed to really to know what she meant when she confessed her feelings drifting to sleep. He was sure she meant as a friend but he wouldn't think about it yet because he wasn't prepared to any different conclusion.

"Thank you, Damon" she looked at the baby again. She knew he'd be okay.

They took a total of three hours in Washington shopping only clothes, diapers and baby food. Damon was worse than any girl she had ever gone to a mall trip. He even bought a black leather jacket to Jacob much to Elena's dismay especially because it'd only fit him in ten months. Surely he went to the most expensive stores in the city and she was exhausted when they finally headed home, letting toys, furniture and other items to order online.

"Well buddy, that was the first and the last day of fun you had with Uncle Damon, the Great, from now on you should get used to Uncle Jo Stefan, the Boring as he's your official sitter" Damon talked to the baby in his arms as they entered the boarding house "And I know this is breaking your little heart but I already taught you all the lessons you could learn in such early age and so I'm discharged. See ya when you're three" Damon handed the baby to Stefan who instantly noticed he was dirty and needed to be changed and by the smell of it, it wouldn't be pleasant.

Damon smirked as Stefan frowned and headed to his bedroom. The afternoon he spent with Elena and Jacob had been interesting and unexpected. He'd never admit it but he had liked. The little boy could be young but he was definitely amusing and very smart. But Damon didn't do domestic and being that close to Elena and a baby wasn't what he had planned for the rest of his days. Or maybe now that he knew he was going to die that'd be exactly how he wanted to spend the remaining of his undead life. He frowned at the thought. He could barely recognize himself anymore.

He wouldn't accept his supposed fate that easily and he wouldn't turn into his brother or even worse as Stefan still had a hard time around the baby. He'd do what he always did and he'd start it now.

He flew from his window and started to walk in the woods. He wasn't going to anywhere specifically but he knew sooner or later he'd find what he was looking for. And he wasn't wrong, about fifteen minutes after he left he felt someone's presence. He kept walking as if he didn't realize but he paid attention to every move around him. He didn't know if his plan would work and he needed to be prepared if she decided to attack him.

She followed him from a safe distance for both of them and he smiled. She couldn't help herself and see what he was planning to do as he didn't talk about any plans to anyone. Maybe she even knew he knew about her presence and that would be even more predictable.

"So Katherine, nice job with the daughter of the Sheriff" he said after they walked for nearly an hour.

"Come on, sweetheart, I know you're there and I must say though I'd love to kill you, I won't do it tonight, so you can breathe relieved and show your pretty face" he smirked stopping on his tracks. And as he imagined there she was, coming from behind him, walking and swinging her hips like she usually did. It still impressed him that he knew her this well.

"What if I decide to kill you now?" she said in a singsong tone that reminded him of himself.

"And spoil your plan to make me and Stefan feeling powerless to protect Elena's friends and ultimately her? I guess you wouldn't be you if you did that" he turned to look at her, their smirks matching.

"Always so smart" she approached and started to walk around him, appraising every part of his body. "But maybe too arrogant to think that you'd stand a chance against me. I'm not afraid of you Damon, I'm your sire, there's nothing you can do against me that I won't do twice better to you"

"True but I have my pride" he looked her from the corner of his eyes as she started walking slower around him.

"Having fun being a daddy?" she whispered in his ear, stressing the last word "You did buy some nice stuff to the pest"

"That's Stefan's place, I'm not dating the mother" he shrugged.

"Well but you took her and the little monster to the best stores for brats" she turned and looked at him.

"I'm a man of good taste, Katherine, and the kid was lucky enough to be named Damon, someone has to teach him, even on such early age" his smile was fake and cynical.

"Was it true? What you said to her in the car?" she asked looking at him but the moment the last word slip through her lips she resumed her moves around him.

"Which part, Kath? You know for someone that spends all the time listening to other people's conversation you should be more specific" he retorted as she stopped in his back.

"You had wanted a life with me? House, fence, kids and all?" he couldn't see her face as she was behind him and her tone didn't seem to change. She sounded just curious.

"Does it really matter, Katherine? You weren't a human, I was some delusional guy who you fooled so whatever plans I had for us are irrelevant" and for the first time since she met him he was tense.

"No, it doesn't. I was just curious. So why am I honored with the visit again?" she promptly changed she subject appearing in front of him with an innocent smile.

"As you seem too well informed you might know about the little witch prediction" he raised his eyebrow seeing that she was as much uncomfortable as he was about it.

"And why would I give credit to that little Abracadabra apprentice?" she disdained with an evil smirk.

"Maybe because that little Abracadabra apprentice was right about the destruction starting now with the people she cares though she has no idea that it all comes down to the people Elena cares about" he matched her smirk

"Oh, one doesn't need to be a second class witch to know my plans, do they, Damon?" she quipped.

"She doesn't know you, Katherine, she has no idea you'll avenge Elena for claiming your boyfriend as her own by killing off all people she truly cares about. Neither the little witch could imagine that you'd kill Saint Stefan too for daring to fall in love with your cheap copy. And still she predicted people Elena cared would be killed along with the vampires. Are you really willing to be killed along because of your jealousy revenge?" he also started to walk around her and they were now sort of dancing in front of each other.

"And you Damon, where is the part of my plan that you get in?" she challenged "You're a vampire and so you'll be dead too. Why would I kill you?"

"Beginners would think because I'd defend Elena from you and it'd piss you off so you'd kill me to accomplish your final goal. But that's not that I think" he moved faster than her and was now behind her, whispering the words in her ear.

"And what you think, Love?" she smiled, liking the closeness.

"That you weren't able to choose a century and a half ago and you wouldn't be able now either. It has always been the two or none" his fingers softly and barely touching her cheek.

"You know me too well, Damon. Killing you was never part of my plans but recently you gave me reasons to change my mind" she turned around so she was now facing him. Her eyes challenging and hungry as always.

"Yeah, and what was that?" he smirked.

"You fell in love with her" she vamped out and moving pretty fast pinned him to the ground, her long fangs burying in the flesh of his neck, gladly not only sucking but draining him.

AN: will Damon be the next victim? By the way I'd like to know your opinion about which two humans of each gender should make it to the end out of: Alaric, Jacob, Jeremy and Matt / Bonnie, Elena, Jenna and Meredith.

I love reviews so don't be shy; thanks a lot to XxxmusicluverxxX, KB22 and shadylady21 for reviewing last chapter.

Talk to you soon

Babi