A/N: Hey all. Hope you guys enjoy this update! It has pretty cute moments within it.
Thanks so much for reading and enjoy. I will be posting the last chapter shortly.
Must Love Dogs Chapter Thirty- Seven
It had taken weeks to get everything in order. Although, miraculously after jumping through a few hoops with selling SD Realty. Damon had somehow managed to get most of the paperwork done without Stefan's help. Now, the last step for him was to hand Lexi the keys and sign a few last minute papers before the transfer of ownership changed over to her management. "All you need to do is sign on the dotted line and it's yours. All of it." Damon told her, turning the paper towards Lexi and watching as she spun her thin golden colored hair in between her fingers.
"The transfer won't really be official for at least another few months. But, I am glad to take over as a replacement for Stefan until the paper's go through. Damon, I can't take this on all alone. It's a huge responsibility. So, I have a few connections which have said they'd help me out if I needed it." Lexi admitted, looking up at the glass windows that looked into the hallway. "Thank you, Damon. For this. Tell Stefan thank you too for giving me this opportunity earlier than expected. I promise that I won't change too much around here. And, you and Stefan will be welcome to visit anytime that you want." Lexi explained with a beaming smile as she watched Damon almost reluctantly hand him over the keys.
"Stefan still isn't really on board with this. But, it's for the best and I know that he'll understand." Damon paused, licking his lips nervously and tapping his fingers against the stacks of papers in front of him.
"Lexi, I'm not going behind my brothers back and selling this business because I'm a ruthless person. I'm doing it without him and handing it over to you because he said that you'd be the best one for this job. You know real estate, you know our clients and you know our families and you are going to do wonders for this place." Damon swallowed down the lump in his throat. Acknowledging the fact that in less than 48 hours, Lexi Branson would have full control over the place that Damon and Stefan raised themselves up by their bootstraps was a little hard to swallow.
"I just, I can't believe after all these years, after all the hand work and long hours my brother and I put into making this company what it is and what everyone in this state knows it as. That by tomorrow morning, I'm going to wake up without it. I'm just going to be a husband, a dad and a guy who has had his face plastered on few billboards around town for this company." Damon chuckled, placing another set of keys against the table and sliding them over to Lexi as she smiled at him with an apologetic look.
"You and Stefan have worked so hard and I think it's time you both just need a break. Go be with your families, go enjoy your hard earned money and take a vacation or something. But, if either of you ever need a job again. I'll be here and I'd gladly take you on as my advisers." She told him with an honest tone, leaning over the table and placing her hand on top of Damon's as he too smiled at her through tears in his eyes.
"Thank you, sweetheart. I'll make sure to be in touch with you and stop by to see how you're doing with this place. Just make sure that you've got a good team set up to help with all of it." He added in, signing one last paper and turning it back to her as he watched her lean back into her chair. Lexi was taking over Stefan's office and since Damon moved everything out by the request of his brother, it was bare enough now for her to start filling it with her own things.
Damon got up slowly from his chair, fixing his suit as he looked around the room quietly. "I'm going to miss this place. I really will. Be good to it." He told her with an honest tone, as she nodded and locked her eyes on to him.
"I will. So, will my new associates. You know, one of them is a Mikaelson." Lexi confessed, watching as Damon inhaled deeply and looked as if he was going to have a small heart attack.
"Relax, it's not Elijah or Rebekah. Truth be told. I wouldn't let him or her in this place after what both he and Rebekah did to you and your brother. And as far as Rebekah goes, I'd arrest her ass for trespassing." Lexi smiled, watching Damon tilt his head to the side in confusion. "If it's not Elijah. Then, who is it?" He asked, clearing his throat and smiling as she sighed out a breath before replying with a grin.
"His name is Kol Mikaelson and he starts next week. I haven't met him yet because he does most of his deals in Boston. However, he heard about me and your firm. So, Klaus called me up and told me that his brother is looking for a new place to work. He's got a lot of years of experience and then, I said that I'd like to interview him." She smiled brightly as Damon nodded and tapped his hand against the wooden door frame.
"I'm happy for you, Lexi. You deserve this and I'm sure you and Kol will do great things for this place." He replied to her, turning to exit her office as he closed his eyes for a brief moment when he added in. "Good luck with everything and if you need me. You know where I'll be."
"Damon," Lexi paused, calling out to him and watching as he turned around.
"Tell Katherine to call me sometime and please keep in touch. I've always thought that you two were great for each other. It was Rebekah who spun the lies about me not liking her when I met her two times at a fundraiser. I think Katherine's a force be to reckoned with and she's one hell of an amazing person. Plus, she's smart too. She married you." Damon chuckled at her words, waving her off as he walked away and over his shoulder he shouted. "I'll tell her. Take care, Lex."
"So, how'd it go?" Katherine asked, brushing her teeth as Damon slipped behind her. She felt his hands moving to lay across her stomach when she lifted up her head and looked into the mirror to see Damon smiling so wide that it looked as if his cheeks hurt.
"It went great. Lexi's going to have a great team. One of the guys is Kol Mikaelson, Rebekah and Elijah's youngest brother." Damon explained, feeling Katherine's body tense up. She knew Kol, she knew him well and she had always thought that Lexi would be perfect for the 28 year old, flashier and much more sociable and handsome Mikaelson brother.
"Really?" She asked, dropping her tooth brush into the holder beside the sink and wiping her hands on the towel to her left side.
"Yeah. I think it's a great idea." Damon replied, kissing the back of Katherine's neck while he felt his wife relax into him.
"Good, Lexi needs someone like him to push her buttons a little." Katherine replied, turning in Damon's arms to face him as he secured his blue gaze on to her.
"So, what are you going to do tomorrow morning on your first day of being a free man." She asked him, tracing her fingers against his jawline as Damon kissed her lips quickly. Katherine watched him back away as he looked up at the ceiling for a moment and then he pursed his lips together.
"I was thinking our beautiful family could go out to the beach and have breakfast at that new place near Key West that's close to Stefan's condo." Damon suggested as Katherine leaned forward and placed her arms against his shoulders while smiling at him.
"I'd like that. Just the three of us." Katherine said, pulling herself against Damon's chest as he held her tightly and whispered into her ear. "It's been too long since we've been a family together, Katherine. And, I promise that from now on. I'm going to make up from everything that I've missed out on with you and Izzie."
"I know." Katherine replied simply, backing away briefly and giving him a sweet smile. Damon reached out to her, spinning her back towards him and watching Katherine lean forward while she spoke against his lips before her mouth meet his. "I've missed being a family with you too."
"Momma! Look at the birds!" Izzie shouted out, running up and down the shoreline as Damon held Katherine's hand tightly and she watched their daughter run towards the flock of seagulls.
"Stay on the sand!" Katherine shouted out towards Izzie. She was holding her white flip flops in her hands and chasing all the birds that had been flocked around a few pieces of bread.
"Okay, momma!" Izzie shouted back, making airplane noises and giggling loudly as the cold water touched her bare feet.
"So, I'm finally a free man." Damon said, pulling Katherine close into him and kissing the side of her face as she nuzzled her body closer towards his. The winds had begun to pick up and it was starting to get a bit colder as they walked along side the shoreline.
"You sound like you just got out of jail after serving a 25 year sentence." Katherine joked, getting a nudge on her shoulder from her husband as he exhaled deeply. The sand was still warm under their feet as Damon and Katherine walked together, stealing glances over at each other like they were still young teenagers who were madly in love with one another.
"It was like a life sentence. That god awful office kept me away from all of this. From you, from our daughter. I'm finally free to enjoy it all." He smiled, seeing Katherine smile back at him. She was glad too. Being happy was an understatement when she knew that Damon would be spending a lot more time with both of his favorite girls.
"So," Katherine paused, keeping her eyes on Izzie. She was smiling at Damon as he reached out his hands to her and she grabbed a hold of them. Her brown eyes filled with a sweet admiration for her husband as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"I'm a lucky man to have you in my life, Katherine." He whispered against her ear as he felt Katherine wrap her arms around him and kiss the side of his neck. "And, I am a lucky woman. Because I have you and I have our beautiful daughter." She said, watching Damon back away with a smile on his face.
"When are we going to add another baby?" His question made Katherine become completely frozen, her arms sliding away from Damon as she looked out in the distance, noticing that Izzie was now sitting in the sand and had just started to make a sand castle.
"Soon, I hope." Was all Katherine replied before Damon watched with a bit of confusion while she turned away from him and ran towards their daughter, scooping her up into her arms while Katherine spun Izzie around in a circle. He could hear their laughter as he too ran up behind them and heard Izzie yell out with an excited tone. "Come on daddy, build a castle with me!"
"Okay." Damon replied with a beaming smile, kneeling down into the damp sand and watching as Katherine rolled up her sleeves as she nudged his shoulder. "Yeah, daddy. Build a castle with your daughter." She added in teasingly, watching as Izzie plopped down into the sand while she sat across from him. Damon's eyes swept across Izzie and then back to his wife as he closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of the beach atmosphere. He was a lucky man indeed, he thought as he took a pile of sand and asked Izzie with a sweet lingering glance. "Baby girl, what kind of castle do you want me to build you? I can make you anything you want, I have all the time in the world to build sand castles with you."
"Stefan!" Elena screamed out in anguish, clutching on to her stomach with tears welling into her eyes as she heard him run into their living room. Elena's hands were shaking, her eyes glazed over with tears and she was nearly doubled over in pain. "What's wrong? Elena, tell me what's wrong!" He exclaimed, trying his best to stay calm and put on a brave face. But, he could tell by the look of fear in her eyes that something wasn't right.
"I think my water just broke. But, it's too soon. Stefan, it's too soon!" She repeated, reaching out for him as she began to sob against his shirt. He pressed his lips against the top of her head, brushing back a few strands with his finger tips as he exhaled deeply into her hair. "We're going to be okay. Everything is going to be just fine. Let's get you to the hospital, okay?" He told her calmly, waiting for her sudden contractions to pass before he helped her up and ran back into their bedroom, grabbing her emergency over night bag that they had packed together.
"It hurts, It hurts so bad!" Elena began to cry, feeling him lift up his hand and caress her cheek as Stefan locked his eyes on to her and gave her a tearful glance. " We need to go now. Okay, sweetie. We need to go to the hospital." He said hurriedly, helping her out of the apartment and slowly towards the car. Elena nodded, breathing deeply through her nose as Stefan helped her into the car and nervously ran over to the other side of the BMW.
Stefan's hands trembled as they put the keys into the ignition and he put the car in reverse. He didn't even wait for the engine to warm as he heard Elena cry out in pain. "Please hurry." She whispered, closing her eyes and placing her hands on to her stomach as Stefan swallowed down all of his doubts and fears while holding on to her left hand, her engagement ring digging into his skin. He glanced over at her nervously, trying to not show how scared he really was because in less than a few hours, Stefan was going to be a first time new father.
Hours had passed and in the early morning, Elena finally heard the words she was hoping to hear. "One more big push!" Stefan heard as Elena's sobs filled the room and she exhaled heavily, tears streaming down her face when it was finally all over with the last few words of encouragement for the nurses and doctor that surrounded them. They both froze the moment they heard a roaring sound of a baby's first breathes after a few minutes. "It's a boy!" Doctor Fraser announced while she held the reddish and slimy looking baby up in the air and then handed him over to a nurse in the room so that they could clean him up before he was rushed back into a room for observation.
"You did amazing." Stefan whispered into Elena's damp hair as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Elena's exhausted sounding voice was scratchy as she told him that she loved him and that she was scared for their son.
"He's going to be okay." Stefan replied reassuringly, holding on to Elena's hand as he helplessly watched the nurses rush Ben out of the delivery room after cleaning him up so that they could monitor his temperature and vitals.
"I know he will. I love you." Elena said with a tired tone, her eyes starting to become heavy as Stefan heard the nurse come back inside of the room, preparing to move Elena to the recovery room. He released her hand, kissed her lips gently as he replied back. "I love you too."
"I'll see her later after I call my brother. I'd rather just let her rest than bother her." Stefan told the nurse who held Elena's chart in her hands. Stefan watched as she nodded and then suddenly told him to follow her outside of Elena's hospital room so that the doctor could talk to him privately about his and Elena's son.
"Mr. Salvatore. Congratulations are in order." Doctor Fraser smiled, slipping off her blue face mask as Stefan took off the light blue hairnet which had been on top of his head for the last few hours since a nurse had told him he could come in and see Elena while she was in the delivery room.
"Thank you." He replied tiredly. It had been a long few hours and even though Stefan already knew that Doctor Fraser was going to tell him that Ben was born 2 months early. He was scared to death about her telling him something else was wrong with his son.
"How is he?" Stefan asked with a frantic tone, watching her smile at him.
"He's smaller than an average baby born at full term. Although, his vitals and temperature have all become regulated and I think he's going to be just fine. You know, Ben seems like a fighter. He's fairly healthy for being 2 months premature. However, he's not really out of the woods yet. Mr. Salvatore, your son will need to be in the hospital for a weeks longer than Elena, just as precaution." She explained, watching Stefan's green eyes fill with a bit of relief. He couldn't wait to return to Elena's room and tell her the news. Even though he knew Ben was going to be in the hospital for a bit longer, knowing that he seemed to be in fairly good shape was a big worry lifted off of the young father's shoulders.
"Congratulations, once more and I'll be in her room to check on you all in a few hours before my shift ends." Doctor Fraser said smiling, patting Stefan on the shoulder and leaving him alone as he stood in the hallway, glancing over the small babies that were all wrapped up in pink and blue blankets. Stefan smiled as his eyes swept over each one of them.
"Damon?" Stefan questioned while placing his cell phone into his hands, feeling it buzz frantically before he answered it with a relieved tone.
"How is she? How's Ben?" Damon asked with a worried tone, hearing his younger brother choke back what sounded like tears as he stated with a smile on his face. "Elena's in the recovery room and I haven't held Ben yet because as you know, he was born a little earlier than we thought he would be. But, he's okay. Damon, he's okay and I can't wait until we bring him home so that I can hold him and just be with him."
"I know." Damon replied back simply, fighting back tears of relief himself as he thanked god for Elena and Ben being alright.
"They need to keep him here for a while. But, I plan on coming here every day until he's released." Stefan pointed out, running his hands through his hair as he heard Damon reply back softly. "And, Katherine and I will be there with you and Elena. Stefan, he's your son and he's my nephew. We can't give up on him."
"Damon," Stefan paused, glancing down at his shaking hands as his brother took a deep breath too.
"Yeah?" Stefan heard him answer.
"I love you and thank you for never giving up on me." Stefan told Damon simply, as if it was something they always said to one another and not something within the moment.
Damon laughed a little, wiping away his own falling tears as he added in with a voice that was fighting back even more tears while he said. "I love you too, Stefan and I know for a fact that Ben is going to be the luckiest little boy around having you as his father. Congratulations, little brother."
A/N: Thoughts?
Reviews are always appreciated! :)