A/N: We are cruising along in time a little. It's not a major jump, just enough to let us see how things have been going for DE with the pregnancy and the store. Many of you have said you love where they are in their relationship right now. I appreciate that. I've worked hard to make this crazy build up, and hearing that you see it the way I do makes me feel like I've done my job.

We'll see even more development in this one. Damon will have a breakthrough.

But first we'll start off with a fun little flashback that just hit me one day. It connects in a tiny way that may not be entirely obvious, but I'm throwing it in because it keeps that link between past and present DE. It's fun to see more of what things were like back then, and we've seen so few happy scenes from when they were 18. I just had to do it ;)

Thanks for reading!

Somebody I Used to Know

Chapter 20

"Woah, woah, there's a wet mop right there," Damon breathed, dodging his head out of the way as Elena pushed him roughly against the wall in the janitor's closet of their high school. They were eighteen…they'd been dating for just two weeks. Finding places to be together could be hard, but Elena was always up for a challenge.

"Sorry," she panted, pulling his shirt open and kissing his chest breathlessly. "We can't miss another class today. We have exactly three minutes until the bell rings. I'm not exactly watching what I'm doing here…" It was almost pitch black inside the closet, but the feeling of her bare skin against his told him her clothes were coming off, too.

"You're crazy!" he laughed as he heard cleaning supplies crashing down around them. "You… are crazy."

"Two minutes," she whispered again and her hands went to his belt. He smiled as her hands slipped under his the waistband of his boxers, grabbing him roughly.

"Dear. God," he moaned. She nodded and he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He walked her backwards in the tiny closet, pushing her into what he thought was the opposite wall. But his feet kept shuffling further than they should have. She'd not only bumped broom; the back of her leg had unlatched the door….

But he didn't notice. His eyes were closed and he was lost in her bare skin.

"Excuse ME!" a voice said loudly and Damon's eyes shot open. It was too bright…too fluorescent. They were in the almost empty hallway now, partially exposed. Panic set in as he set Elena down and pulled her shirt back around her shoulders, covering her back. She hid her face against his bare chest. Her eyes scanned over the scratches and marks she'd left on him in moment's time and she couldn't help but smile for a second.

She'd always known they could get caught. It was part of the thrill, after all. But she wasn't sure she was prepared to explain if they ever did get caught.

"Mr. Saltzman," Damon cleared his throat. He looked at the clock ticking on the wall. They had one minute. One minute before that bell would ring and classes would let out. Kids would be rushing through the halls and they'd be there, naked. It was supposed to be a secret…now they were screwed… "I…"

"You have thirty seconds to go in the bathroom, separately, and get your clothes on. You will not be going to your next class….I want to see your faces in my office immediately following," he gritted his teeth. Damon's hand stroked over the back of her head quickly, hiding her face. There was still a chance he'd let her off easily…

"Miss Gilbert," he said with a sort of crazy soft authority in his voice. "I know it's you…." She nodded. Her head was still against Damon.

"Go…" he said seriously. "Just….just go…." He pointed. He watched them scatter and muttered "unbelievable."

They made it to the bathroom in time. No one else had seen. But when they reappeared to Alaric Saltzman moments later, it felt like the whole world knew. They sat side by side as he stared in disappointment from behind his large oak desk.

"What were you thinking?" He cleared his throat. "Do you have any idea…" he scrunched up his nose, "Really? In the janitor's closet? At school? Come on guys…" Elena's head fell into her hands. She was not an exhibitionist, but Damon made her want to do crazy things.

They were lucky he was the one to find them. Damon's guidance counselor had become almost a friend over the last year. Things with has Dad had gotten worse and Damon needed someone to talk to. Alaric didn't make him feel like a kid…

"I'm sorry, Ric," he frowned, leaning forward in his seat.

"Mr. Saltzman. Right now, I'm Mr. Saltzman and you two are completely out of line. I didn't even know you two were…"

"No one does," Elena managed out. "Please, don't say anything."

Alaric sighed. "Elena…I know that you're both 18 and all that…but this is a school. This is not your bedroom. I can't tell you what to do at home but you may not do this here. Do you even know what would've happened if someone else had found you?" He put his head in his hands. "You skipped class so you could…!" he trailed off. He slammed his fist on the desk. "You're putting me in a bad position here. I'm the cool guy, I get it…but I'm still an authority figure, here…"

"Then do what you have to," Damon said seriously. "Go ahead." Elena shot him a worried glance and he shrugged. He knew Alaric better than she did. He knew he'd go easy on them.

"What, Elena? They're going to find out soon enough," he explained, touching her cheek. But she just closed her eyes and moved her head away.

"Not like this," she whispered. "This is mortifying! I'm supposed to be the good girl. And my Dad will kill you. Seriously…you will be dead, Damon…"

Damon smiled and shook his head, imagining John's reaction.

"Look, I get it, okay? You're young. You're in love…but please be in love somewhere else from now on. You're getting detention," he said calmly. "One week's worth of detention."

"So you won't say anything to…" Damon smiled.

"You skipped classes…you earned detention. Tell your parents that…it's bad enough." He stared at them seriously and opened the door for them to leave his office. His eyes told them they were lucky. "And don't screw this up. I need my job."

When the door clicked closed, Damon tipped his head backwards against the cold, white walls of the hallway. His head turned to see her laughing.

"We were almost in serious trouble. Almost," her eyes flashed in wickedness.

"It's what we do," he smiled. "We cause trouble together. You're a wildcat, Lena." he said smiling. "I like it."

"No…" she let her fingers walk up his chest quickly before rubbing his lower lip. "You love it," she whispered back.

"I just love you," he said, smiling. "Now, it's time to be on our best behavior. See you in detention Lena," he emphasized her name and waggled his eyebrows.

Damon's eyes widened as Elena at her breakfast on the counter of their bookstore. "Ugh, baby..." he frowned. "Teriyaki beef jerky in peanut butter? That is not breakfast, that's just freaky."

"Deliciously freaky," she smiled, biting into it. "Come on, try it," she walked around to the other side of the counter and held it by his face. He jerked his head backward. The smell was enough to do him in.

"No thanks," he waved his hand. "You two enjoy," he winked, pointing to the baby.

"Oh come on, try it!" she tickled his side with her free hand. "You don't know what you're missing..." She bit into it.

"You eat some of the most batshit crazy food I have ever seen right now," he said seriously. "If this store fails we should turn this place into a weird food craving restaurant, because..." he furrowed his brow.

"So you're admitting some of it looks appealing?" She held it out. "Would I lead you astray?" She batted her eyelashes.

He sighed. "Fine. I will try this one time. One time. But bring the garbage can over because you might see it again in a minute," he pointed to the can behind the counter.

He took a bite and thought it over. It wasn't...terrible...

"Okay, I'm not going to throw up. But I long for the days when you just want pancakes again," he admitted. "Is this craving thing just going to go away after the baby is born?"

But Elena ignored his comment when her eyes caught on a box on the floor behind the counter. She lifted it and carried it over to one of the bookcases. It rested on her stomach now, as most things did these days. She was 18 weeks and her nausea had subsided considerably. The baby was growing nicely, the doctor said. Her stomach stretched and grew to accommodate, but her insecurities about her body were fading now. The baby had always been real, but now she could feel it. She wasn't sure at first, but now she was certain. Flutters turned into kicks, and Elena found herself stopping throughout the day, waiting to feel the next one.

"The books I ordered are here," she smiled, touching her stomach. "I'm excited."

"She's at it again, isn't she?" He smiled when Elena nodded sweetly. He ran over to her and put his hand on her round stomach. He waited for a moment but felt nothing. The usual disappointment spread across his face when he felt nothing.

"It's okay," Elena touched his hand, smiling encouragingly. She'd been feeling the kicks for almost two weeks and he'd never felt it. "It's random, really. It's not like the baby doesn't want you to feel it, Damon…"

"I know," he shook his head, trying to wave off the obvious fact that it bothered him. It was written all over his face. He exhaled. "But do you think she feels me?"

She nodded. "Of course the baby feels you there, somehow," she said gently.

She hadn't bothered to correct him on unknown the gender of their baby anymore. He was so convinced it was a girl. When she'd mentioned it the first time he'd responded sadly, "It's better than saying it."

He was a serious Daddy. She wanted to hang onto how it felt…excitement of the unknown was amazing when she got to share it with him…

"Maybe I'm doing something wrong," he frowned. "You said she's been able to hear for weeks. She should know my voice by now, Elena. But I haven't been around. I've been so busy…"

"Stop this silliness now," she arched an eyebrow. "You have too much going on to be worrying about this. The baby knows you, okay?" She smiled. "Maybe she just wants you to relax a little…maybe she senses you're stressed."

"You think?" He sighed, staring at her stomach. She had a point, he knew.

"Yes. I think," she touched his cheek. She sighed and opened the box on the counter. "Check these out! I did some research and picked out books of other authors from Virginia…people we legitimately have a shot at bringing in for a reading or signing," she handed him a few. "I could call a few later, maybe."

"You're a charmer, you know," he said honestly. "You're good with this. You have people skills."

"Really? I would've thought the opposite," she laughed. "Like I said, you're the wordsmith."

"I can write, but when it comes to actually winning people over, that's all you. I have to work hard at it, but you flash your pretty eyes and they're sunk, Lena. And I don't blame them…" he squeezed her hand and continued,

"I've always been sort of in the shadows. Even with my book. It did okay…but Kat is the one who actually fueled all of that. I was happy to write it…happy to publish it…but Kat handled most of it…" he sighed and his sad face turned up into a smile. "But I can't wait to hear what else you've come up with. We should sit down and figure this all out…" His eyes went up to the clock. It was 6:30 a.m. The store would be open in an hour and a half.

Guilt crept up into Elena's stomach now. She'd kept it to herself for too long. She'd told herself things were too crazy with Elijah's amnesia to stir up more trouble. But she couldn't avoid it anymore. He'd just talked about Katherine and his book…this was the perfect time to bring up her idea…

"Meet me at the beanbags," she tipped her head toward the corner, motioning to their familiar space. Big things always happened there…

"This sounds serious," he teased but his smile faded when she didn't laugh.

She lowered herself down carefully and Damon smiled at her insistence. He dare not tell her 'no.' In another month or two, there was no way she was getting back up on her own. She pulled out her phone and scrolled to a bookmarked page on her browser.

"I've been working on something for a while," she breathed. "You may not think so at first, but it's a really great idea, Damon."

"I'm sure it is," he listened. "Most of yours are," he winked.

"Ugh…" she closed her eyes. "Hold off on the sweet comments until you hear what I have to say, please," she requested. He was making this so much more difficult than if she'd just come out with it.

"I feel like I need a disclaimer here," she sighed. "I need to preface this with, 'I didn't want to keep this from you, but…'" His face turned down into a gradual frown and his eyebrows knit together in concern.

"Okay, I'm thinking up all kinds of crazy ideas here, so please, just tell me now."

"I think we should have Katherine come in and do a joint signing with you," the words rushed out of her mouth. Once her sentence was out, she held her breath, waiting…

He stared at her in a frown. He was absolutely flabbergasted. This wasn't even an option. There was no way in hell he was bringing that woman into their store. He didn't need her help. He didn't want her help. He wanted nothing to do with her. There was nothing but poison and pain between them. His brain knew what he wanted to say, but his lips couldn't form the words. He was in shock. Elena shouldn't even want Katherine there. Nothing worked out when those two shared the same air…

"Okay, you're really pale right now. Are you breathing?" her eyes widened. "Damon..." but he said nothing. He simply stared at her like she was absolutely nuts. "I need you to say something. Please…" she scrunched her eyebrows downward.

He shook his head angrily. "No," he laughed crazily, bitterly. "No."

"No…as in?" she fished for answers.

"No, as in, that woman is not welcome here," he stood up and paced in front of the beanbags. "How can you even suggest something this ridiculous?"

She pushed her hands down on the mushy chair, trying to get herself quickly. Her arms went out to steady him in place. "This is exactly why I was afraid to tell you," she swallowed. "Because I knew this is how you'd react. You're overworked and overtired and…"

"But you did anyway," he frowned, cutting her off. Tension tightened his shoulders…

"Because I'm not going to lie to you, and this is a good idea," the words punched out of her mouth and he shook his head in anger. He didn't say a word, but his feelings were written all over his beautiful face. He closed his eyes.

"Please stop," she fought the tears off. "I don't want to argue about this. Stay with me here. Look at me, Damon…"

He exhaled and reopened his eyes, waiting for her to finish. His fists were balled.

"I have my reasons. I've done research, Damon. Do you know what she's been up to since you two stopped talking?" She was gentle now. Neither one of them needed any more stress in their lives. It would be ridiculous to think Katherine wouldn't bring at least a little stress, but the benefits would outweigh the minor setbacks, she believed.

"She's drawn for more kid's books. Her work has been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art," she wasn't saying these things as a compliment. Katherine was anything but admirable on the personal level…but when it came to business, she had it down. She was the 'it girl'.

She saw a flash of surprise shoot through his eyes and she continued, "But you were her first book…" a brilliant smile crossed her lips. "She got her start with you. Do you see where I'm going with this? Every big name, every well-known person has a backstory. Your book is hers."

"You're thinking like a businesswoman here," he frowned.

"Isn't that what I should be doing?" she breathed.

"Right now I need you to think of how this makes me feel, Elena. Think of it as if you were my wi…" he broke off. This was not the time to accidentally call her that. "Just think of how it makes me feel…" His eyes looked sad, confused.

He wasn't sure if she didn't hear his almost flub or if she'd chosen to ignore it for the better. But her eyes filled with a momentary fire. She was desperate to get him to understand…

"I have," she smiled sadly. "And I know this can't be easy for you. I know that it's personal…"

"Easy? Elena…I never wanted to see that woman again and she's already been in here once! We hurt each other, a lot…" He huffed. "Now you're suggesting she help us? I do not want her help!" he walked to the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry to say this, but we need help. Everybody needs help sometimes," she said seriously. "I did…" her voice broke.

"Not from her. She made me feel like a fool. She made me feel guilty about something I worked hard on for years. That book meant something to me and she called it stupid."

"I don't understand," she shook her head. "That was her book too," she frowned.

"You'd think that, wouldn't you? But it didn't have any meaning to her beyond the fact that it got her name out there," he shook his head. "And I see it did get her name out there. It was her first project, yes…but Katherine isn't sentimental like that, Elena. She loved me…she said she did…but she didn't love that part of me…"

"I don't know much about her," she frowned, "aside from the fact that I'm public enemy number one in her eyes."

"Trust me. It's probably better that you're in the dark about her regarding some things," he leaned against the counter. "She handled the business side of everything," he started. "My book was published…it did okay…but it wasn't some huge international success. It wasn't even a national success," he frowned.

"Well it should be," she walked up to him. "That is a damn good book and you deserve more recognition for it." She felt genuinely bad about it. She'd done so much research about Katherine but hadn't taken any time to actually read up on the book's sales. "Aren't you angry about that?"

"It was personal growth for me. It started out as just a way to get out my hurt," he took her hands in his. "I felt like I was with you when I wrote," he smiled. His anger wasn't toward her, she knew. He was frustrated with the entire situation. He had a right to be upset with her suggestion; even she thought she was out of her mind for it. But as he explained his deepest fears about his book, she found greater reason to feel good about her suggestion. He deserved the world and more for what he'd done. "Yes, I published it because I wanted to share it with people. I love sharing it with the kids here," he swallowed. "But I never let the fact that it didn't hit bestselling charts change what it meant to me."

"But that is your book," she smiled. "Be proud of it. No matter how it started out…you finished it. You accomplished that. No one can take that away from you. Not Katherine, not book critics…"

"If Katherine comes here to do a signing, people won't be coming because they recognize her work from The Little Red Dragon. It may have put her name on bookshelves, but she's done more than just that to get herself out there. I haven't done anything,"

"Then we're going to change that," she smiled. "Let's ask her to come here. It's a good opportunity for her, too. She'll see that."

"Ugh…" he looked sick. "Lena…"

"No, Damon. You should own this. She'd have no fame if you didn't write that story. You gave her that. Don't you dare let her take that from you," she'd put her whole heart into that, he knew. His frown worked into a grin when he saw the passion in her eyes.

"You are so sexy when you're determined," he smirked, but she was too worked up to take a compliment.

"Don't you see why I'm doing this? Yes, our business is rocky. But suddenly this has turned into more than that," she swallowed. "I will not sit here idly while that woman takes all the credit for everything. You say she took care of all the publishing details? Do you think it's possible she discredited you? Do you think she lied about anything?"

"I don't know…I just signed the papers…at that point I needed to be done with it to keep her…."

"Ugh, Damon…." She shook her head, her voice groaning in aggravation.

"Well, we were going to get married… She was better with business than I was so I let her do all the work on it. She had a degree. I didn't. I didn't think I was smart enough with all of that, and I didn't think I had a reason not to trust her with it," he bit out. "She got it published. I'll give her credit for that. But I should've been more proactive. I got my royalties and all that…but once it was published it was done. I didn't try to do anything else for it because she made me feel like I'd be stupid to…" he swallowed. "I could've forced myself out there. I could've tried to promote my stuff at libraries or talked to the publisher about working out signings…I would've paid money to set that stuff up…"

It was spilling out now…all of it…

"But the second I changed the ending she closed off. She was angry with me. She claimed it was just a book, but she nearly bit my head off when I brought it up at dinner or any other time. She changed her drawings and submitted it without another word. I had to choose her or the book, Elena…but in the long run…I chose neither," he laughed. "I didn't want her and it was too late for my book, I thought. It felt like I lost….but being back here with you in this place made me happy to share it again…."

"But it isn't too late," she smiled. "We're unique here. This store isn't just a chain bookstore in a big city that people pass by every day without a second glance. It doesn't blend into the background like those other stores. We own this place…you own it: the author of that amazing book. This is an amazing opportunity…" she was full of ideas. It was hard for him to deny that she was amazing at this. "But I don't have to tell you that because you already know it. You came up with the idea to make this store just for kids. You were so excited about it, Damon."

"And now it's tanking," he said seriously. "My ideas weren't good enough…"

She shook her head seriously. "So we hit a rough patch," she smiled sadly and reached out to touch his face. "And you're just tired, honey," she paused, giving the words a moment to sink in before she continued,

"I know I'm annoying you with this because I keep saying it. It's okay to be tired. But I'm afraid you're working so much that this isn't fun for you anymore." She saw tears forming in his eyes and it startled her. He tried to be so tough but he was falling apart. "You can only be so brave, Damon. You can only do so much. What can I do to really convince you that you don't have to do this alone?"

She was right. She said everything he needed to hear. She always did. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere along the line she'd figured him out. She was practically in his head. His fears and doubts were obvious to her but she didn't point them out. She supported him…she let him know she understood his feelings but she didn't make him feel guilty about it. She wanted to help him figure it out. He'd relive that moment every day; he'd fall in love with her for a new reason every single day.

"I love you," he smiled. "I love that you do this to me."

"Make you cry?" She smiled sweetly and winked. She knew he was on the upswing now. She'd seen the shift in his blue eyes.

"You figure things out inside of my head that even I didn't understand or know. How do you do it?" He asked in wonderment.

"It's simple. I love you," she smiled. "And while you're here working your ass off every day, I'm sitting at home thinking about how you must feel. You feel pressured, I think. You carry the world on your shoulders, and that's amazing…but sweetheart…"

"I'm the father," his voice shook, but he willed his tears to dry up. "This is my family, Elena. I need to take care of you. It's not because you aren't able to. It's because I want to. I need to. This is my role. This store is just a means to support you."

"It doesn't have to be. You can have a little of everything. But you won't if you burn out…and I'm not going anywhere, so stop worrying about doing everything to hang onto me. I'm yours." She nodded.

She was right again. He did take everything upon himself. Surely something would get less attention one day. And if he had to choose, he knew in an instant what it would be.

"I'm not failing us. I am not losing every dime we have on this place. We need that money for our family, Elena," her eyes widened at his reaction. She was absolutely shocked. "We'll sell the store if we have to…" he said quickly, slamming his hand down on the counter.

"What?" her mouth fell open in shock. She didn't expect that to ever come out of his mouth. He didn't give up on things so easily. But he was tired…so tired…

He hadn't even seen his passion slipping away. What had once been a dream had simply turned into work…a place that took him away from Elena; a place that didn't make him feel good about himself because he only saw red…

"I don't think you mean that," she shook her head. "Is that what you really want?" The thought of giving up the store, a symbol of their childhood, terrified her. But He was more important to her than it would ever be. It may have brought them together, but it sure as hell wasn't going to tear them apart again….

"If that's what it takes… then I'm with you on your decision," she offered up when he said nothing. Tears filled her eyes. "But I think this place means more to you than you can remember right now. When this is all over…when our baby is born and you hold her," she winked, "you'll wish you could bring her here and read to her. You can put in fewer hours and still do a good job. Hire someone. Be here less…it's okay to spend some of our money if it means you'll be happier." She sighed, but worked up the courage to continue,

"Putting in less time doesn't mean you care any less about this place. If you're here 14 hours or 8 hours a day, every single minute of time will be worth it to know that it'll be hers someday, right? Everything our parents did with this place was for us. We always knew it would be ours." She smiled. "You're not afraid because you think you're doing a bad job here, Damon," she paused, "You're afraid because you think our baby won't get this chance…aren't you?"

"Yes," he admitted, exhaling. She hit it right on the head again. He hadn't been able to narrow down his biggest fear, but it was out of her lips and obvious in a moment's time. "My family will always come first. You two will always come first," he swallowed. "That's something our parents got wrong. We're going to do it right."

"I think we already are," she squeezed his hand.

"I want to keep this place, but you're right. I don't love it right now…not like I did. Something's got to give, Elena, or I will really consider selling it. And the second it starts to come between you and me…it's gone." He snapped his fingers. "Not another thought."

She nodded, afraid to ask what he was really saying. Was the Katherine topic just out of the question now? He'd been so vulnerable with her and she hated to ruin it their connection.

"And you're right, I can't do it all," he sighed, "As much as I'd like to think I can, I can understand why my father came home from work crabby most days. I need your help," he paused. "You're good at this…." He squeezed his eyes closed. "I love you, and I know you have our best interests in mind when you suggest Katherine…"

"I do, but I get your hesitation. If you really don't want to, I respect it. We'll find another way. I just want you to be happy. I think you deserve so much more than what you've gotten out of that whole situation."

"Do you really think you could work that out? Do you really think if she came we could make a big enough event out of it? People would see me…I'm not that public of a person, especially with this…"

"You gave that amazing speech at the dinner. You went to that city council meeting. You are a strong, handsome man. People respect you, Damon…"

"But none of that was from my heart," he smiled. "The store is important, but that book is an emotional piece of my life. Can I face that? They may want to know the history of it, how I got the inspiration…If this gets big, can I face that all again? Can I face that pain again?"

"I'm your dragon, right?" She kissed him on the forehead. "You wrote that ending before it ever seemed possible that it could come true. But you were right; I did come home. And I'm here, by your side. I'm not leaving again. I love you," she whispered. "There's nothing to be afraid of, nothing to beat or overcome anymore…you can face it because you know the ending. We're living proof of our favorite fairytale,"

He blinked back the tears that threated to fall again. Every day she meant more and more to him…if that was even possible. For years he'd had to be brave and strong without her, but he'd never let her go completely. She'd been like a security blanket to him so long ago. He got older, and he didn't think he should still want that comfort, need that comfort…but he couldn't help it. He just did. And as an adult he could see why. She'd never gone away, not really. She'd just been tucked away for a while, waiting for him to realize it was okay to need something to badly again….

He needed her that way. He needed her in ways he didn't even know yet…

"And you said you aren't good with words," he pulled her into his arms. She tipped her head up to look into his eyes as he held her. "But I love you so much that somehow it all ends up making sense in the end." He paused. "So…okay."

"Okay? So you want to do this? You want to try to get yourself out there? This could do so many things for us. Maybe one day you'll have time to write another book."

"We'll ask her," he said simply. "But you have to remember…you and I are the last people on the face of the earth she'd ever want to help. The odds of her agreeing…"

"She showed up here a few months ago of her own accord," she reminded him. "That had nothing to do with her success as an artist. She was checking up on you…" She frowned.

"Pft," he waved his hand. "No she wasn't. She doesn't care. She wanted to throw my shit at me and rub her little 'I told you so' in my face. But that's okay. She can rub it in as much as she wants. She's only hurting herself there. I knew she was right that I still wanted you, it's not a shock. But I have to admit…I don't think I really want to be the one to call her about this…."

"I don't expect you to," her words were gentle. "I can call. She already hates me; I don't think I could do much else to make it worse. And if she doesn't agree, we'll figure something else out. I have a whole boxful of books from people who'd probably kill to do a signing at a place like this. Come on, Damon, let's do this. Let's get this fire going…let's start some trouble…it's what we do, right?"

He smiled, thinking back to easier times….

"I know we need to get going on this, but can we at least wait to set it up until after the ultrasound?" he requested. "I just want to be able to clear my head for a bit before it gets all nasty and hazy in there again. I want to be carefree when I see how much she's grown. It'll be an amazing reminder of why I can make sacrifices like this and be okay with them."

"Four days," she smiled. "And then we can start picking out names if you want," she held up a baby naming book. "Start decorating the nursery…"

"That all sounds amazing…but can I ask you something without you getting angry or feeling like I'm pushing you?" She nodded. She knew what was coming. "We've spent the last five weeks together in your bed, every night. My apartment has just become a place to keep my crap, basically. I don't think any of the food in the fridge is even any good anymore," he laughed. "I don't even ask you if it's okay to sleep over anymore…I just end up in your bed, eating your food…"

"Oh, Damon," she rolled her eyes. "As if I mind! I want you there with me! You keep me warm at night…"

"Then let's stop pretending and make it real," he pled. "I don't want to go back to my apartment. My place doesn't even feel like home anymore. It's empty and lonely because you're not there…" he slid some books onto a shelf. "You asked what you can do to help me, so I need to be honest with you about what I want."

"Of course. I want you to be honest, always."

"Do you know that I can't even come up with a word to describe what you are to me? You're not my girlfriend, and we're not even going the baby mama route," he laughed. "But I do know what I want you to be someday…" his voice went uneven now. "Is it silly of me to want to take these little steps to get there?"

"No. You're not forcing me into anything. I'm already in this, I'm already there. We'll decorate the baby's nursery in our home. I want you to move in with me. And before you start up again, I'm not just doing you a favor. I want it, too. Let's really start out lives together…"

"Good," he looked at his watch and frowned. It was almost time to open.

"But let's wait until after the ultrasound to do all that, too. For now, you can just keep doing what you're doing. Keep coming over…" they hadn't had sex yet…not since that crazy night after the burial. It would happen, he knew…when it was right. For now, he showed her his love in so many other ways.

"I just remembered something," he flipped to the front of his book and looked at the publishing notes. "Kat went through a relatively small, new publishing company for this. She knew someone from college who worked there…Sage, I think it was. She had an in…who knows what she did to get this out there? I don't know much about what the company has done since…but I bet you're right…I bet this would be golden now that Kat's hit it so big…"

"Stay positive," she smiled. "That's my Damon. Now, we open in an hour. How about we take a quick snooze on the beanbags?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Snooze, or…"

"Oh, I meant sleeping, for sure," she laughed. "It's not easy getting up at the crack of dawn but my body just doesn't let me sleep in anymore. It's awful."

"You do roll around a lot," he considered.

"Yeah well," she shrugged. "You might like that eventually," she smiled suggestively.

"You kill me. You know that, right?" She took his hand and led him to the beanbags. The fell asleep quickly, soundly in each other's arms. There was something comforting about those chairs…even if they were so low to the ground….

He startled awake when he heard the alarm on his phone sounding. "I'm up," he mumbled as he fiddled with it to turn it off. They had 10 minutes to collect themselves before they had to unlock the doors. He was never too concerned; customers rarely came in during the first hour of business…

"Morning again," he whispered to the baby. He leaned into kiss her stomach and put his hand out for a moment. He was just about to move it when it happened. A kick….then another one. His eyes widened as the widest grin she'd ever seen spread across his face. She put her hand onto of his and moved it to another area so he could feel it again. He was speechless as he stared at her bare skin. He pressed his forehead against her stomach and enjoyed the moment. And when he looked up at her in silence after a moment, all she could see in his eyes was absolute wonderment…

"Oh my God," he laughed. "This is… hey, what are you doing in there?" He smiled.

"She's telling you she loves you," she looked into his watery eyes for the second time today. But these weren't tears of exhaustion or worry. These were tears of a man who'd just felt movement of a life he'd created. They were tears of joy, of pride. There was nothing like this in the world. He was sure of it. He'd never feel this way again, he thought.

But he'd shed thousands of tears for his baby over the years. Happy tears, sad tears…tears of a father who really understood what was important in life. This was just the beginning of the wave of emotions that would overcome his soul….

"See, Daddy? She's telling you to stop worrying. The minute you relaxed, the baby knew. There's already a connection," she smiled. "She," she smiled, "or he…the baby worries about you too. Maybe it's silly to think that but I believe it. So, do us all a favor and chill out with work, okay? We need to find more time for moments like this."

But Damon heard nothing. He just moved his hand on her stomach, craving the tiny movements. "You're strong in there," he sighed. "Salvatore's are strong so I never doubted it for a second."

He was just so sweet. "Listen, Daddy has to open up the store now," he explained. "Someday, if this goes right, this will all be yours," he said and Elena breathed a sigh of relief. Something as amazing as feeling the baby move had given him a wave of hope. "But thank you for telling me you love me," and he looked up into Elena's tear-filled eyes, "and you, too. Thank you for loving me, for doing this…It makes it all a bit easier to remember why I'm here."

And it was all he needed to give him purpose again. He was filled with new life in a heartbeat…just like that. He could breathe a sigh of relief now. His baby loved him, Elena loved him, and soon, kids and parents around the world would know his name. He was Damon Salvatore, the author of a once underappreciated children's book…

But at the end of the day he could forget all that. He didn't have to remember his fears about Katherine's return or about their business…

He'd tuck himself under the covers of her soft bed, pull Elena into his arms, and remember who he really was. He was just Damon; a friend and a lover and a father. His entire life had led up to this moment…when he could close his eyes and feel like the world wasn't on his shoulders….it was sleeping in his arms.

A/N: Can I just say I love vacation? I am really going to miss having this amount of time to sit down and write. It has been wonderful!

I'm curious to hear what you think Katherine will bring to the table if she does agree to help them. Her intentions have been fuzzy to us; we've seen her only from Damon's POV. There's a good chance there's more to this story than we know….

We'll find out more about Elijah in coming chapters. I needed this one to reach other to other topics, but keep it in the back of your mind, as always. People tend to reappear in my stories! It's not always this way, but I tend to only introduce characters in the past that will have some sort of role in the future.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I've got so many more fun moments for them to share and I look forward to bringing them to you along the way!