a/n: two things, 1, I know this chapter is seriously lacking. It was one of those where nothing sounded good to me. I did try to write out the double date, but I couldn't think of anything interesting for them to talk about. 2, I'm aware that Damon isn't as assertive as he usually is. The reason he isn't like that (yet) in this story is because he and Elena hardly know each other. Do they love each other, yes, but at this stage, they're still trying to adjust. Don't worry though, he will be back to "normal" soon. The next chapter is the talk that they both have been putting off. This time they're actually going to finish their conversation :)

ELEVEN

Elena was sitting on the couch, watching a movie when her phone rang. She had been taking a break from her homework and needed something to distract herself. With Stefan still at work, a movie sounded like the perfect idea. She had contemplated calling Caroline, but she figured the blonde would be over soon enough to get ready for their double date.

"Hello?" Elena answered, pausing the movie.

"Elena, it's Dr. Corbin." Elena stiffened at that. "I'm calling about the paternity test that you wanted to take. There is a few other options that you can do in the next couple of weeks. I could tell you about them over the phone or you could come in to see me today."

Elena looked down at herself. She was definitely not going anywhere with the lack of grooming. "Over the phone is fine."

She heard the shuffling of papers on the other line and then he cleared his throat. "There is a test that we can run on a fetus that can determine if the child will be special needs. If it is, we can even tell what type of special needs it will be. Doing this also gives us the fluids that are required for a paternity test."

"Okay," Elena said, agreeing to it already.

"There are risks."

"What kind of risks?"

"There is a one in ten chances that the procedure could result in a miscarriage. There is also the possibility that if the child was normal, the needle could cause it to become mentally challenged."

"How many times have you done this?" she asked, wanting to know the facts.

"Many times."

"Have any of the negative things happened?"

"Not to my patients, no."

Elena nodded and bit her lip, debating if the risks were worth taking. She thought of Stefan and Damon and it instantly made up her mind. "How soon can we do it?"

"Somewhere between your eighth and thirteenth week."

Elena took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright."

"Would you like to make the appointment now?"

"Yes please."

He was silent for a moment, but she heard the clicking of computer keys in the background. "I am going to advise that you bring someone with you. This sort of thing is hard to do alone."

Elena said nothing; she wasn't sure what to say.

"Two weeks from Monday you'll be nine weeks along. Would that day work for you?"

"That'll work."

She heard the computer keys again and then his voice. "The appointment is set up, but there is one more thing I have to say." Elena bit her lip, but waited for him to continue. "I've informed you of the risks, but I have to also recommend that you wait until the child is born. That way, there risks are nothing more than an infection."

"I understand, but it can't wait that long," Elena answered. "Look, if this is awkward for you, I could always find a different doctor. I would completely understand if this is too much."

Dr. Corbin chuckled and Elena frowned. "You do realize that your father would kill me if he knew I let you see someone else." He paused and when he spoke again, his voice was collected. "Yes, it is a little strange, but it's your life. I'm not judging you Elena."

He was, but Elena didn't really care. She was judging herself too. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll see you in two weeks," he said and hung up.

Elena put down her phone and sat there silently, staring at the movie that was still on pause. She looked down at her stomach and pulled up her shirt a bit. She placed her hand on her skin and smiled faintly. She might owe a paternity test to Damon and Stefan, but it was mostly owed to her unborn child. It would be better for everyone in the long run. Whatever the outcome, someone was going to get hurt.

Elena came back to reality and called Isobel. Since the party, she had been avoiding her and Damon. She was afraid of telling Isobel because that would make this all more real somehow. And saying goodbye to Damon had been awkward because she didn't want to and because she knew Isobel was watching. It made her wonder who else was picking up on their signals.

"Elena?" came Isobel's voice. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she answered and frowned. "Why does everyone ask me that right off the bat?"

She heard Isobel chuckle. "It happened to me too when I was pregnant. Get used to it," she advised. "What's up?"

"I was thinking about what you said Wednesday," Elena said, her voice quiet. "I need someone to talk to."

"I can be over soon."

"No," Elena said quickly. "I have plans for today, but I'm free tomorrow. We could do lunch."

"I'd like that," she answered and then after a brief pause asked, "Are you really okay?"

Elena thought about how to answer that one, but shook her head. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow," she said and heard Stefan's car in the driveway. "Stefan's home, I'll see you tomorrow," she added and hung up. She shut off the TV and stood just as Stefan came through the door. She put on a smile and forced herself to act normal.

Caroline came in just as Elena was coming down the stairs. "Hey," Elena said, offering her friend a smile. Since Stefan had come home, Elena seemed to cheer up a little. She had been pretending at first, but as he sat with her and told her about his day, she felt better. It was normal. She had even finished her essay and gotten ready in a reasonable amount of time and keeping her focus.

"You guys aren't ready yet? Where's Stefan?" Caroline demanded, looking around.

"Relax, Care, he's almost ready."

"Is Tyler for sure coming?"

"Yes."

"Did you tell him what it was for?"

"Yes."

Caroline's eyes went wide. "Elena! You weren't supposed-"

Elena rolled her eyes and placed her hands on Caroline's shoulders. "Would you relax? Tyler wants this, you want this. You're both too stubborn or afraid to ask each other out, so we set up a little double date. You're going to be fine. It doesn't matter what did or didn't happen that night, you want to be together now."

Caroline stared at her and then slowly started to smile. "What would I do without you?"

"Let's hope you never have to find out."

Caroline moved away and gave Elena that look that told her she was already planning something major. "You know if we make this work, we could get married and raise our kids together! We could go on double dates all the time!"

"You're getting ahead of yourself," Elena warned. This was why Caroline's relationships didn't last as long as she wanted. She was too aggressive. If she wanted something, she did whatever she had to to get her way. Most men couldn't handle it. The good thing was that Elena thought Tyler would be good for her. They had known each other long enough now and he had yet to call her crazy in anything more than a playful way.

She sighed and her excitement dwindled. "I know, but after Matt..."

"Hey, don't think about him."

Caroline shrugged. "I haven't in awhile," she said and shrugged. "I just want to find someone. I want the love that you found."

Elena froze at that and her smile disappeared. Caroline noticed immediately and opened her mouth to say something, but Stefan came down the stairs. She bit her lips and stared hard at Elena. "Hey Care," Stefan greeted. "Tyler was talking about you all day."

Caroline's gaze snapped to him and she smiled wide. "Really? What did he say?" she asked.

Elena let out a sigh of relief as Stefan distracted Caroline, giving Elena some time to collect herself and hope that Caroline let it go.

Stefan and Elena sat in silence. They were on their way home from dinner with Caroline and Tyler. They had hit it off quite well and it seemed that the awkward tension that had been lingering between them was gone. It was a nice change of pace, especially for Elena, because for an entire night she was happy. She had felt like her old self again. Even if, in the back of her mind, she had been thinking of Damon, she had enjoyed her time with Stefan. But now that they were on their way home, they could both feel the shift in the atmosphere around them. They both knew what needed to be said, but neither of them was ready to do so.

"So I've been thinking about Damon," Stefan said, causing Elena to nearly jump from her seat.

"Yeah?"

"I love that he's back in my life. There's a part of me that's always been missing him. I want to renew our relationship and build it back up." He turned to her and smiled. "I want you to be part of his life too and vice versa. I think it might be a good idea if you were to get to know him too, but by yourself."

Elena swallowed hard at that. "Okay..."

"I'm just saying that it would be okay if you guys hung out when I wasn't around. I'm gone away a lot and that would give you guys plenty of time to get to know each other better. After all, I'm sure even you have your limit with how much Caroline you can take."

Elena couldn't help but smile at that. It was true. As much as she loved her best friend, there were days where she just didn't want to deal with her. Her smile faded as she went over exactly what Stefan had said. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but feel a little excited about getting permission to spend time with Damon. Alone. Immediately their last kiss came to mind and Elena squirmed in her seat.

"I mean, I hang out with Jeremy and Caroline by myself," Stefan continued. "I want you to feel that comfortable around Damon that way too."

"I think that can be arranged," she answered, trying to keep her voice even.

"I've been wanting to tell you about him for a long time."

"I wish you would have."

"I know family means a lot to you, but I knew you would have wanted to meet him. I just didn't want to get my hopes up of finding him, let alone that he actually wanted anything to do with me."

"Why would he not want anything to do with you?"

Stefan shrugged. "I don't know. It was always a fear of mine. Completely unfounded, I know, but it was there." He smiled and reached over to take her hand in his. "I had a good time tonight," he said and looked over at her. "I know things have been a little strange lately and I'm not going to pressure you into talking to me, but I love you, okay? Don't ever forget that."

Elena nodded. "I won't," she whispered. This time, she couldn't say it back.