Got this chapter finished!

Pretty happy with it.

Glad ya'll seemed to like the emotional last chapter; hope ya'll enjoy this one!

Elena's POV

When I awoke in the morning, my first conscious thought was that the nausea was back.

I groaned internally, knowing that it was probably the trail mix's fault.

Luckily though, it wasn't so bad that I felt the urge to run to the bathroom quite yet.

Small victories, right?

I rolled onto my side, noting that Damon was thankfully still asleep.

He looked as if he needed it, as the circles that had found permanent residence under his eyes were as apparent as ever.

I settled against the mattress, staring at his sleeping face.

All the hard lines of stress had dissipated in sleep, and he looked younger in his relaxation.

I wished whatever peace he found in sleep could somehow carry over to his waking hours, but I was starting to think Alaric was right, and Damon wouldn't return to normal until this whole ordeal was over with.

I glanced down at my stomach.

Somehow it looked even bigger than it had last night, but I was beginning to get used to that.

The babies were growing so fast.

I was glad for it though, because the faster they were able to develop, the sooner I could deliver, and the safer we'd all be.

And we would be safe.

I had to believe that if I was going to get through the remainder of the time it would take until my children could be born.

Especially because Damon's doubt was nearly as strong as my hope, and one of us had to have faith.

My mind drifted back to our conversation last night.

We never really finished it, but Damon had opened up a little, and that was a start.

And he'd named our son.

I smiled, running my hand over the skin of my stomach, where Daniel was currently resting.

Daniel and Skylar Salvatore.

Somehow giving them names made the whole thing more real, personal.

These were my babies.

I was making the right choice, even if Damon couldn't see that yet.

I stared back over at him, smirking at the adorable way his lashes curled over the top of his cheeks.

His bone structure was as always, breathtaking to me.

Damon was a beautiful creature, brutal and delicate, with more love in his heart than I could comprehend in my lifetime.

It was an odd concept to wrap my mind around, and had baffled me since we'd first gotten together, but his unwavering devotion really did seem to know no bounds.

I loved Damon, I did, with everything in me, I loved him, but I knew that no matter how impossible it was, he loved me more.

He would always love me more, and that's why this situation of ours was so hard for him to accept.

But tonight the witches would bind us, and maybe he would finally understand why I was willing to take the chance.

Because the closest I was ever going to get to understanding Damon's love for me, was in the love I felt for our babies.

I just prayed this worked.

I reached out and stroked Damon's cheek, repeating the motion until his eyes opened.

It didn't take long, as he was always on alert lately.

"Good morning," I smiled at him, snuggling closer into his embrace.

He blinked for a second, then glanced to the window as if to confirm that the sun had indeed risen already.

I wondered how long he'd been awake last night, after I'd passed out.

"Morning," he grumbled, his voice husky with sleep.

The sound was a stroke down my body in the most intimate of ways, reminding me of many different mornings we'd woken up together, touching completely without hindrance of clothes, as we now did.

I missed the feel of my mate.

With that in mind, I nuzzled against his neck, inhaling that wonderful scent of his as deeply as I could.

His hand jumped to my waist and I practically purred as he pulled me closer.

The sound was undeniably needy, and Damon seemed to pick up on this, as I drifted my hand down his bare chest.

I followed the trail of hair down his stomach and stopped at his waistline, before repeating the motion.

He growled and my body reacted immediately to the sound, wanting him.

But his hands had stopped gripping me, and were now actually keeping me from molding the rest of my lower half against him.

"Elena..." Damon's sigh was a protest, and I paused immediately.

He didn't say no to me when it came to this.

Ever.

"What's wrong?" I asked, pulling away.

The pupils of his eyes were dilated so much that the blue of his iris was almost nonexistent.

"We can't," he answered stiffly.

I crooked my head, pulling myself up onto my elbows to hover above him, "Why not?"

"You're pregnant," he said, as if that was all the explanation needed.

I shrugged, "So? I was pregnant the last time we were...together."

Who knew the days between that time and this one would feel like years?

"Yeah, but that was before."

"Before," I repeated, but he didn't elaborate.

He didn't have to, though, because I knew exactly what he meant.

Before you found out that I was possibly dying.

I sighed.

This really wasn't the morning I'd been planning out in my head about ten seconds ago.

"And if you remember, you didn't immediately heal," he pointed out, "You bruised."

"So, I'll bruise," I reasoned, and dropped my head to kiss his shoulder, "It's not like it's going to really hurt me, and I want you."

My lips moved up to Damon's neck, and I could feel him struggling with himself.

And just when I thought he was going to give in and let me have my way with him, I was flipped, so that he hovered over me.

"I'm okay with you on top, too," I grinned, but his expression wasn't very humorous.

"We aren't doing this," he stated, and the Alpha tone echoed in his voice.

I wasn't sure if that was on purpose or not.

Mostly likely it was just because he felt very strongly about this, which probably meant that I shouldn't push the matter.

But my hormones didn't really care about what I should or shouldn't do.

The just wanted him inside of me, as quickly as possible.

"Damon," I whimpered, trying to lift my hips to rub against him.

We were still naked, and it wouldn't be too hard to-

"I said no," Damon's teeth flashed, his hands tightening on where they had me pinned to the mattress.

The Alpha command was definite in his voice now, and I shivered as it washed over me.

Instincts shut down my body, even though my mind was demanding that I fight for my point, and I quit trying to connect us.

Noting this, Damon relaxed his grip on me, and when I didn't attack him, he rolled off of me completely.

Then he sat up and threw his feet off the edge of the bed.

I turned my head and ran my eyes all over his naked back.

He'd leaned forward and his muscles rolled, and I wanted so badly to feel their strength.

But for whatever reason, the Alpha in his voice was so much more authoritative than I'd found Alaric's.

I realized that I didn't want to disobey him, and that instinct outweighed even this bout of horniness.

But not my frustration.

Damon looked back at me as I flopped straight onto my back, and groaned.

A little smirk played across his lips, "Sorry kitten."

I rolled my eyes, "No food, no wolf, and now no sex? It's a good thing this is a short pregnancy."

He chuckled lowly, then stood, "It sucks, I know. But I won't risk your health for a little pleasure, and I know that you wouldn't want to jeopardize the children either."

"Doesn't mean I have to like the restrictions," I reasoned, and he leaned over to kiss my head.

"It's only for a little while."

I smiled, "True. Though sex may be cut for a bit after the babies are born, considering…"

The smirk fell away from Damon's face at the reminder of the upcoming event, and those hard lines reappeared.

"We'll see," he said, dropping his gaze, before heading to his dresser to pull out a pair of jeans.

A black shirt followed, and reality followed it.

Danger, Giuseppe, witch spells, and the whole rest of the nine yards waiting for us outside of the bedroom door.

It was so easy to just get lost in my mate and let the worries float away.

But there were things we had to do, and Damon's coldness was a hard reminder.

"We should probably get downstairs, huh?"

He nodded, "Probably. Bonnie's grandmother is arriving today, and I want to make sure she comes alone. You can shower, and do whatever you need, though. I'll have something waiting for you to eat."

The thought of food brought back the feeling of nausea, but it's not like I was going to tell him that.

"Okay, sounds good."

He nodded, and gave me a final kiss before walking out of the bedroom, shutting our door behind him.

As expected, when I came downstairs to the smell of breakfast, I wasn't able to stomach the idea of eating anything.

Not even the raw meat, which led to a round of bottled water and IV bags with Jo for the remainder of the morning.

Damon resumed the expression he'd carried all week, and I felt as if the moment we'd shared last night was gone.

The distance was back in his eyes, which were void of anything else.

At least, until Sheila Bennett arrived just after noon.

Bonnie's grandmother drove onto our property in a very unimportant gray car with faded paint.

The Pack was ready, circling the drive behind her, to be sure that any other guest hadn't decided to make a surprise visit with her arrival.

Bonnie flew down the stairs, as the car was parked, and the door opened to reveal an older woman with the same dark hair and dark skin as her granddaughter.

But unlike Bonnie, the fact that her grandmother was something supernatural was painfully obvious.

Necklaces of crystal hung at her throat, and her scent was potent with magic.

Her gaze swept over the group assembled on the porch, and narrowed.

I had the feeling that she didn't particularly like our species, but I couldn't detect any fear leaving her body.

Damon stepped forward, "Thank you for coming."

Sheila released Bonnie and gave him a nod, "I did not come for you, wolf. I came because my granddaughter has asked me to help the wolf girl descended from witch blood. Where is the child?"

Damon looked back and nodded, permitting me to come forth, and when I stepped from the porch, Bonnie's grandmother instantly apprised me.

"So it was truth. The rumors of the female wolf," she mused.

"I told you," Bonnie muttered, "Grams, this is Elena. Elena, my grandmother, and our coven leader."

Sheila extended her hand, "Come here, child."

I did as she said, and walked forward, taking her palm.

Her eyes closed, and she exhaled deeply, "Yes...there is certainly magic within you. More than the mere wolf curse...and your children..."

Her eyes opened to focus on my belly, and she dropped my hand in favor of touching it, "I sense a strong pull from them as well."

A frown crossed her lips, and her hand pressed harder onto my stomach, "In fact, their magic is easier to read than yours. So strong...it is a wonder it has not taken more of a toll on you."

I didn't have time to respond, before Damon had cut in.

"We are trying to prevent that from happening. They said there is a spell you can do, the three of you," his gaze flickered from the Bennett's to Jo, who was standing next to Alaric on the porch, "That would bind Elena to me. That it would save her."

Sheila smiled at him, "I suppose I don't need to ask who the father is."

Damon's jaw twitched, "All you need to do is tell me if this will work. You've come all this way, so I assume you know it will."

"I will do the spell," Sheila assured him, "But no, I can not guarantee it will work. No one can do that, courtesy of this unique situation. But Elena is blooded from me, and mine. I will do what I can to see her and her offspring through this."

"You can trust her," Bonnie nodded at him, "Don't worry. We all want the same thing."

"Then we do this tonight," he agreed, looking from them to me, "If you still want to."

I nodded, "Whatever will help the babies."

Sheila turned to Bonnie then, "I trust that you and Josette have explained all aspects of the spell to them?"

Bonnie nodded, "As well as we can. They know the risks."

Her grandmother nodded, and looked at Damon, "Then we do it tonight; when the moon reaches its fullness in the sky."

The arrival of yet another witch didn't seem to phase too many of the Pack members, but I noted that Klaus did stick a little closer to Caroline, and that Alaric's eyes stayed on Sheila warily through the rest of the day.

Like me, he'd sensed her power, and had guessed at how strong she was.

It was a good thing she was on our side.

But of course, her magic was going to be what helped me, so I wasn't going to waste time fearing it.

Bonnie had helped the woman settle into a room upstairs, Mason disappearing with them, as Damon had put him in charge of their protection.

The time passed quickly, my mate reviewing the monitors and setting up another patrol before relaxing enough to join me on the couch, in the study.

Caroline was on my other side, and was talking across the room to Stefan about the twins.

"Well obviously they'd have to have witch in them," Stefan was saying, "Elena's mother was one, and she's already shown her power. But my Giuseppe wouldn't know that for sure. He only wants them because of their strength as wolves."

"Because they're the first ones to be born?" Caroline confirmed, "I mean, with both parents being wolves."

He nodded, as Damon settled down into the cushion beside me, "Exactly. He thinks they'll be some sort of subspecies, and I doubt he'll stop at anything to have them. Can't imagine what he'd do if he knew they were part witch as well."

Caroline pulled her feet up and shook her head, "But you can stop him, right?"

"We will stop him," Damon spoke then, "When he comes for her, we'll kill him."

My friend shuttered, reminding me that this world was still so new to her.

I reached out and took her hand, "We're all going to be fine."

She nodded, and Alaric came into the room with Jo, causing all of our heads to turn.

But they were looking at me and Damon.

"It's time," Ric said.

Jo nodded, "The moon's reached it's apex, and I've gone over the spell with the Bennetts."

Damon stood, and helped me to my feet, "Alright. Where are we doing this?"

"Up stairs, in the infirmary," Alaric answered.

I rose a brow, "I thought the moon factored into this."

"To draw the strength from," Jo answered, "Which we will be able to do from anywhere. But just in case this thing backfires, and for whatever reason triggers a negative response, we want you near medical supplies."

Damon's expression darkened, "Is that possible."

"Anything is possible," she reasoned, "But if the spell works as it should, you will be bound, and that will be that. Sheila will explain the rest."

He nodded, and we followed them up to the attic.

I took a deep breath as we entered the infirmary, feeling nervous for what was about to happen.

This was good.

But being connected so completely do Damon...it was intimidating.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked me, as the door was shut behind us, leaving us with just Alaric and the witches.

I forced myself to nod, "It's the best thing for all of us. The safest."

He nodded, "As long as it works."

His gaze lifted to the three women that were adding some kind of herbs to what appeared to be a bowl of water.

I didn't want to know the specifics.

"If anything goes wrong," he addressed them, "You concern yourself with her, do you understand? Whatever it takes to make sure she's alright."

Bonnie reached out and actually touched his arm, "We will. Elena's going to be fine."

I appreciated the confidence in her tone; the same confidence that radiated from her body.

It helped ease the fit my chest has having; maybe this would be alright.

"Okay," Sheila brought the bowl over to two of the cots that had been brought forth for the spell, and sat it on the ground between them, "I need you both to lay down here."

We moved to do as she said, Damon helping me rest back against the first cot, before taking the opposite one himself.

"Alright, here is what will happen," she began to explain, "The two of you are going to link hands, over the bowl, fingers pressed together, but not interlaced. I want your wrists to be touching."

Damon held out his hand and I took it, positioning as she instructed.

"Good," she approved, "Now when we start the spell, the potion will rise to the connection, and you will feel cold as it touches you. Do not break the connection. If the spell works, the coldness will spread, until it covers the entirety of your body. Then the binding will begin."

She motioned the other two witches forward, "When the place where your wrists are touching begins to burn, the spell is completing. I will tell you when it is over. The process should be painless, but can be overwhelming. It is easier if you both try to void yourselves of any emotions prior to the binding, so your partner will not be overcome with them. However, the echo of them is inevitable."

The three witches linked hands as well.

"Try to remember why you're doing this," Bonnie suggested, "It will help keep you focused."

"How will you know it's worked correctly?" I asked.

Jo lifted her free hand, "There will be a binding mark on both of your wrists, containing the essence of the spell. When the time comes to break the bond, we'll sever the mark on either of you, and they should both disappear."

"Well, you've just thought of everything, haven't you?" Damon swallowed, "Let's finish this."

I shot him a look, "Damon."

His eyes flickered back to me, "The moon won't be positioned right for much longer."

Sheila spoke up then, "He is right, so I'll forgive the rudeness."

"Sorry," he offered, sounding only slightly apologetic, "But we need to do this."

She nodded, "Then close your eyes wolf, and try to do as I've said."

I focused on my breathing, making it my only conscious thought, as the spell began in quiet chants.

Damon's palm was warm against mine, but I could feel the slight tremble in his wrists.

I turned my head towards him.

Having ignored Sheila's last bit of advice, his eyes were still open, the blue orbs focused on my face.

I stared back at him, holding his gaze until a chill touched our hands.

My eyes shot down to them then, and sure enough, the liquid in the bowl had risen, taking on a glowing essence, and had wrapped around our palms in a string.

The chanting grew louder, repetitious.

Breathe, I reminded myself, just breathe.

The coldness began to spread then, as Sheila had said it would.

The sensation was strange, not like being drenched in water, but as if ice was actually trying to flow through my veins.

I shuttered, and Damon's hand pressed harder against mine.

Another breath; more cold.

Then it hit me, like a brick wall.

"No, there has to be another way. Any other way. A spell, a herb, I don't care. A sacrifice? I'll kill anything you want. Just give me another option!"
Jo's saddened face,"If there was any other way, I would have suggested it. I swear. But these are the options you have. If Elena carries to term, the babies might be strong enough to survive outside of her, but her chances of making it through are minimal."
A gasping voice, "This isn't happening."

"If those children of yours were to die, Elena would grieve them as strongly as you would grieve her," Klaus was speaking, "She's as empty without them, as you are without her in your life. Killing them would be worse than death for your mate."

"I'm sorry, Alaric. I didn't mean for this to happen," Damon was saying, "This isn't what I wanted."
"Yet you were still willing to challenge me," Ric prompted, looking bloodied up after the Alpha fight, "Knowing you would win."
"You would have killed the human. Elena would have been devastated. You really think I could allow her to be upset like that?"
"I did not wish to upset her, but upholding our law is-"
"My job now," Damon's voice was firm, and Alaric nodded.
"I just hope you know what you're doing. You've never hesitated to break the rules for her."

Desperation, "He just wants the girl. Please. There's no quarrel with the rest of the Pack. He just wants her."
Anger unlike anything I'd ever felt, and Stefan's voice, "You shouldn't have said that."
It was followed by Klaus, "No, you really shouldn't have. The children she carries inside of her are his."

My own sleeping face filled my vision.
"They will be fighters," Damon's voice drifted, "With a mother like you, how can they not be? But you have to live, baby. They're going to need you. You're so good, and strong, and beautiful. There's so much that I just can't give them alone. So you have to make it, okay? You can't leave them...you can't leave me."

So much pain.

"Please, baby...don't leave me."

I cried out at the onslaught, and felt the burning of my wrists.

My heart was pounding and I could feel the twins moving beneath my skin; the only sense in the sea that had overcome me.

The babies.

I threw all of my focus onto them, as wave after wave of misplaced feelings and thoughts ran over me, twisting my mind and stopping my breath.

Then just as suddenly, it stopped.

The heat faded, and the chanting silenced.

My only emotion now was a sense of awaiting.

"It is done," Sheila's voice broke through the haze, "The mark is complete."

Damon's hand leaving mine caught my attention, and I looked over at him.

He was sitting up, his chest heaving.

"Elena?"

He was pulling on me then, lifting me upright, "How do you feel?"

Concerned.

Bonnie laughed when I said the word out loud.

"Then the spell definitely worked."

I blinked, and looked at Damon, "You're concerned."

"I'm fine," he said, but that wasn't exactly right.

I felt different now, certainly stronger, and the nausea nearly gone.

But I could feel the drain of it on my mate, the weight of the my body's toll echoed in him.

"I feel better," I admitted, "Less weak."

A smile broke across Damon's face, a real smile, and his relief filled my chest.

"That's good, kitten."

I looked around the room, and tried to settle my heartbeat.

My body felt normal, and I could think clearly, but it still felt strange.

"You will need an adjustment period," Sheila said, "But after a few hours, the sensitivity should balance itself out, so you will only feel extremes, instead of every little thing."

"Thank you," Damon told her, sincere this time, and I felt his gratitude.

"This is weird," I muttered, and looked down at my stomach, "The babies will be okay though, right? This won't affect them?"

"They will be fine," Jo said, "But it is hard to say if they will be affected or not. The situation is new, after all. But there is no threat to their well being with this spell."

I nodded.

That would have to be good enough.

"So you two feel alright?" Alaric checked, staring between me and Damon.

We both nodded, but then Damon reached over to Jo's pile of supplies, "Best make sure this worked completely."

"You doubt us?" Sheila shot at him, and his brow raised.

I felt the contempt of the stare as if it had come from my own body.

The utensil in his hands was a scalpel, and he looked over to me, "Brace yourself."

He sliced the thing across his palm, and blood welled in his hand, as pain filled mine.

I looked down at the skin, but no mark appeared.

"You felt it," he asked, and I nodded, watching as his wound began to heal, and slowly the pain faded from my own palm.

"Then it worked," Bonnie assured us, "Though you should try it the other way too, just to make sure the transference was equal."

I nodded, and Damon handed the scalpel to me.

I ran it on over the back of my hand.

He didn't flinch, as I had, but his hand twitched and he said, "I feel it."

I looked down at my own mark, and watched as it began healing over.

Another wave of relief, "Thank god."

"It's healing at wolf speed," I announced, and Damon stood, pulling me into his arms.

I would have recognized the hope in his eyes, even without the bond, but feeling it spread within me was the best encouragement I could have received.

If he was feeling hopeful, then maybe this really was going to work.

I dropped my hands to my stomach.

We would be okay.

So the spell worked!

Let me know what you thought about the chapter! :)