Feel This Moment
Disclaimer: I don't anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.
So, so sorry it's took me this long to update! I've been in a bid of a rut with this story right now tbh, I had the first half of this chapter written weeks ago but I could just never finish it until now.
Bit of an out of season chapter here but oh well!
Damon is 33, Elena 32, Declan 6.
"Oof!" I hear Damon groan from beside me and I peel my tired eyes open just in time for my own legs to be crushed.
"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up!"
"Too early!" I hear Damon whine from beside me tiredly but I smile when I see that he is already sat up straight, our son now sat comfortably in his lap and I turn my head to see Declan still jumping around my bed by my legs, and I pull myself up to my own seating position.
"Merry Christmas sweetie." I hold out my arms and he leaps over towards me for a tight hug and I press a kiss to his cheek before letting go and leaning over to Damon's side of the bed to see another pair of blue eyes shining excitedly back at me. "Merry Christmas Noah." I kiss him on the cheek before pulling him into my arms, his own immediately wrapping around my neck.
"Merry Christmas Momma! When can I open my presents?" my three year old replies with a toothy grin and I look over his shoulder to see Damon watching us with a soft smile on his face and my heart immediately flutters and I begin to wonder for the billionth time what I could have possible done in a previous life to end up with these three amazing boys in my life.
Noah Damon Salvatore, born nearly four years ago, is the perfect mixture of both me and his father looks wise, unlike Declan who is the double of Damon.
Behavior and attitude wise however, Noah is all Damon, even at just three years old.
"Who wants to go and see if Santa paid a visit last night?" Damon perks up, climbing out of bed and I grimace slightly as Declan and Noah both jump to their feet on the kingsize bed, totally not caring that they are standing on me.
"Come on!" Damon picks up a six year old Declan in one arm before hooking little Noah under his other, flinging them both over each of his shoulders.
"Be careful, Damon." I worry slightly as I climb out of bed myself and slip on my husband's large sweater over my head and follow them out of the room.
Damon looks back and grins at me. "Meet you down in a few? I promise I'll make sure these little munchkins won't open a single gift until you join us."
"Noooo! Can we open one? Please Daddy!" Declan shouts and Damon chuckles and shakes his head.
"Nope! Not until everyone is down by the tree together." Damon replies with a smirk.
"Hurry up Momma!" Noah shouts at me from down the hall as Damon carries them away and I smile and call back that I won't be long.
I walk across the hallway to the bedroom opposite ours and slowly open the door, I smile as I edge closer to the crib that is placed across the room and my heart melts when I look down to see matching dark brown eyes looking up at me, gurgling noises coming out of her cute pink lips.
"Hello beautiful." I reach my hands into the crib and pick up my sweet baby girl into my arms. "Merry Christmas." I kiss her soft forehead and pat her slowly on the back as her head lies onto my shoulder, soft yapping noises leaving her lips as she chats away in her own little language.
Grace Natalia Salvatore, Natalia being named after Damon's mother, was born just six short months ago and she is the cutest baby girl on the planet, I may be bias but that is the truth and I'm sure that if anyone said any differently Damon would most likely kick their ass.
"Come on, let's go and see Daddy and your big brothers." I push some of her dark brown hair from her forehead before leaving the room to walk downstairs where I can already hear the loud chatter from the living room of excited voices.
About five seconds after I walk into the room, Grace starts wiggling against me, her arms held out immediately for Damon and I watch as my husband grins smugly before standing to his feet to approach us.
"Morning Gracie!" he gushes as he steals her from my arms despite my protests and peppers her face with kisses and I can't help but smile as I watch the two of them interact, Grace's hand pressed onto Damon's face, her other one clutching his short hair.
Damon is such an amazing father, I can't even imagine him not being a Dad now, everything he does he does it for our kids and I know that he loves them more than anything in the world. It's hard to believe that while I was pregnant with Declan he was nervous to be a father, scared that he would end up like Giuseppe or he would fail in some kind of way. I know that he knows that isn't the case now though, he's confident in his ability to be a good Dad, and our kids absolutely worship him.
"Can we open our presents now?!" Declan looks up from his place by the tree, his Spider-Man pajamas covering his little body as he watches me with eager impatient eyes.
"Why don't we try taking our time this year?" I suggest as I kneel down beside him and Noah, Damon sitting next to me with Grace rested on his lap, leaning with her back against his chest as she now plays with her car keys, totally oblivious to the presents underneath the tree that are for her.
"I wanna go first!" Noah completely ignores what I just said as he dives under the tree to pick out the biggest gift with his name on.
"No you went first last year!" Declan argues.
"No I didn't!"
"You did!"
"Boys." I interrupt them. "Come on, no fighting on Christmas ok?"
"Ok Mommy." Declan sighs but Noah's attention is still focused solely on his unwrapped presents.
I glance at Damon who is smiling to himself and I shake my head with my own smile before picking up one of Grace's presents to hand over to him, even though she'll have no idea what is going on.
"Gracie can go first since this is her first Christmas." Damon says with a firm tone hidden in his voice.
"Daddy please!" Noah whines as he stands to his feet and tugs on Damon's arm. "Please Dad!"
"Gracie first." He repeats firmly.
"I don't know why you're arguing about going first anyway; me and your Uncle Jeremy always wanted to be the one who opened the very last present under the tree."
I watch as a look of interest crosses Noah's face and I try to hide my amusement as he eyes all the presents for a moment before turning back to Damon.
"Ok, Gracie can go first because this is her first Christmas." He gives his seal of approval, like he genuinely believes that this was his idea to begin with and I notice Damon trying to hide his smirk as he starts to help Grace unwrap her first gift.
I smile and sit back and watch my children open their presents with wide excited smiles on their faces and there is no better feeling in the world than the one when you watch them open their presents that they asked for on their Christmas list to Santa, toys that they have been asking for and wanting for weeks, even months.
I sit back and take photos, just enjoying the moment, still wondering how I got so lucky to be blessed with this beautiful family.
The next couple of hours go by with the same usual chaos that has been occurring for the last few years on Christmas morning, once all the gifts have been opened, I go to the kitchen to make everyone breakfast, knowing that we have plenty of time before we are due round at my Aunt Jenna's house since the boys got us up so early, but as I listen to the constant laughter and chatter coming from the living room I know it was worth it and they will enjoy those extra hours they have to play with their toys.
I smile when I feel a pair of familiar arms wrap around me from behind. "What are you thinking about?" Damon murmurs into my ear, his lips lightly touching my earlobe for a second.
I shrug and lean back into him. "I'm just happy." I smile and close my eyes as he nuzzles my neck before kissing it slowly.
"Mhmm." He mumbles against me before trailing kisses down to my shoulder. "Me too."
"Where's Gracie?" I ask curiously after a few moments.
"She's sitting with Dec, I've been sent in here to tell you to hurry up with breakfast, orders from your youngest son." He chuckles and I roll my eyes.
"God he is just like you."
I just know that Damon is smirking right now. "He just knows what he wants and when he wants it, nothing wrong with that." He says lightly and I laugh before pulling away so I can walk to the fridge to pull out the milk carton to pour in his cereal.
"Sure, you would say that." I wink at him slightly before pouring the milk in the bowl and handing it to him. "There you go, deliver it to our majesty."
Damon chuckles and takes it from my hands. "Thanks." he leans forward to kiss me on the cheek. "Don't be long, you're missing all the fun." he smiles sweetly before wondering off back towards our kids.
I smile and let out a content sigh, taking in this short moment of peace before everything gets chaotic again.
I just know that the moment they step into my Aunt Jenna's house that I'm not going to even be able to hear myself think.
But I wouldn't have it any other way.
I walk back into the living room with everyone's breakfast and we eat it all together on the floor just like we do every Christmas and birthdays, knowing that there is no way she would be able to tear the boys away from their toys for just 15 minutes to sit at the table.
"Come on you, come sit with Mommy." I pick up Grace from Damon's arms before sitting her on my lap to face me and pushing some of her soft hair from her face. "Are you hungry sweetie?" I lift her up slightly with a smile before glancing at Damon who is playing with the boys. "Babe, I'm going to go feed her then dress her will you make sure they get dressed and ready to go soon?"
"Sure." he smiles at me before I stand up, Grace in my arms and head towards the bedroom to breastfeed.
After feeding her and putting on her new dress that I bought specifically for her today, I quickly peak into Noah's bedroom where Damon is currently trying to persuade him to put his games console away so he can dress him.
I smile as I watch for a few moments before heading back towards my bedroom and placing Grace gently into the play pen placed across from the bed and I quickly get changed, knowing that I won't have much longer before I have to pack up the car and get everyone moving.
Of course by the time we get the boys dressed and ready to go, we are running late.
It's a usual occurrence from us Salvatore's, and it drives Damon absolutely crazy but I don't it's going to get any better anytime soon, if anything it'll only get worse once Grace is up and running on her feet!
"Merry Christmas!" Jenna swings open the door, a Christmas themed apron hanging over her.
"Nice sweater." Damon chuckles with a smirk, carrying Gracie in his arms as we we walk inside where Ric enters the room, a reindeer jumper covering his top half.
"Not a word, Salvatore." Ric glares at him and I laugh as I push the boys inside, and they immediately scatter off upstairs, probably to look for Joe and Alice so they can compare presents.
"How was your morning?" Jenna asks curiously as I follow her into the kitchen, Damon and Alaric immediately heading into the living room and no doubt the drinks cabinet.
"Chaotic." I smile. "But fun. Yours?"
"Same. Joey woke us up at 3am this morning!"
"No way!" I laugh with wide eyes. "I thought my lot were early!"
"Ric sent him back to bed, but then he came back with Alice barely an hour later! Eventually we gave in and took them downstairs to open their gifts."
We continue to make chatter as I help Jenna with the finishing touches to our dinner. Every year we take turns being to host, well, when it's our turn it's Damon who does most of the cooking, but that's only because he is such a control freak in the kitchen! Must be the Italian in him.
I nearly drop a bowl I'm carrying as I walk into the dining room and Noah runs straight across in front of me, Joey chasing him and I smile and I roll my eyes before placing it safely onto the table, not before shouting at them to not run in the house of course.
I walk into the living room where Damon is sat with Ric, Grace sat in his lap while a much bigger Alice is sat in Ric's and I smile as I pick up on her very animated story about how some boy called James in her class has cooties and tried to kiss her, Ric and Damon listening intently, gasping in all the appropriate places.
"Boys are silly aren't they." I grin as I take a seat beside Damon, tapping his arm while my other hand pushes some hair from Grace's face.
"So silly!" Alice agrees with me.
"Hey!" Damon sends us both a mocking glare. "I'll have you know, boys are better than girls."
"Agree." Ric smirks and it results in a punch to the shoulder from his daughter.
"Boys smell!"
I laugh as Alice and Ric bicker over who is better, boys or girls and Damon turns to face me with a raised eyebrow.
"Is this what I have to look forward too when this one gets older? You two ganging up on me over your distaste for men." he teases and I laugh and pull Grace from his lap and onto my own, kissing the top of her head softly.
"Yup! We are going to run rings around you Salvatore." I smirk. "I've been outnumbered by you boys for far too long! I need my revenge."
Damon chuckles and dips his head to press a slow soft kiss against my lips.
"Auntie Elena!" I hear Alice gasp in horror and I pull away and look over to find her staring at me mortified. "What are you doing! You'll catch cooties!"
"Woops." I jokingly wipe my mouth. "My mistake sweetie."
"Cooties huh?" Damon wiggles his eyebrows at her before leaping to his feet and catching Alice in his arms, immediately peppering her cheeks with kisses as she screams and squeals in his arms.
I laugh as I watch the scene and before I know it all three boys run into the room, not wanting to miss out, and jump on Damon, overpowering him too the floor as they play fight.
We spend the rest of the day doing what we do every year. Stuffing our faces on food, playing family games afterwards before swapping more gifts.
Damon and I then take the kids home before we settle all snuggled together on the sofa, a large blanket covering us, while we drink hot chocolate with marshmallows and watch a Christmas movie.
As the credits roll, I glance at Damon who has Grace asleep against his chest, Declan is half asleep in the middle of us, his eyes flicking between open and closed and Noah is completely conked out on my other side, his head resting in my lap as I play with his soft dark hair.
Damon smiles the softest smile and mouths 'I love you'.
"I love you too'" I whisper back, because I do. I love him, I love our children, our family.
Our life together.
"Merry Christmas, Elena." he smiles at me, his spare hand reaching out over Declan to land on my cheek.
"Merry Christmas, Damon."
Hope that was ok, not my best chapter I know and there wasn't really much going on, but I was feeling a little pressured to get something up and posted so hope you still enjoyed it.
Thanks guys :)