Seattle | June/July 2022
"So weird," Damon said, not for the first time.
They had just stepped out of Elena's hospital, the very same where she had delivered Stefanie, and paused outside the main entrance.
Elena moved the gauzy fabric covering the baby from the harsh sunlight, but Stefanie didn't even notice her first foray into fresh air as she continued to sleep peacefully in her baby carrier, having just been fed. Glancing up at her husband, Elena smiled. "Let's go home?"
Damon shook his head as if to dispel the thoughts his mind had wandered to, then nodded. As they made their way to the staff parking lot where he'd parked his car in Elena's spot, he kept muttering to himself.
Elena's smile widened further. Damon had been starstruck since the moment he'd held his daughter for the first time and it seemed as though the feeling hadn't yet abated. "Are you sure you can drive?" she asked with a grin.
"Of course. Why the hell not?"
"You seem very caught up in your own world."
"Because it's frikkin' crazy," he exclaimed. "Just think. It was two of us when we left the house and came here. And now we're three. There's a whole new person in the world. And she's ours. Tell me that is not the craziest thing you've ever heard."
"If you put it that way, I guess it is kind of amazing."
Elena's phone rang and Damon hurried to answer it before the ringing could wake Elena or the baby. Caroline's number flashed on the screen and Damon grimaced. He'd seen her name under missed calls the evening before, but he'd forgotten to call her back, he'd been so exhausted after bringing Elena and the baby home.
"Thank god Bonnie filled me in," Caroline began after a quick greeting. "I was beginning to wonder if something had happened to both of you when I couldn't reach your phones."
"Something did happen to us," Damon quipped. "We just had a baby. They're kind of high maintenance."
"Bonnie said you're all back home already. Does that mean we can come visit now?"
Damon heaved a sigh. Apparently, it was going to fall to him to deliver the bad news. "Yeah, about that. Not exactly," Damon drawled.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You can all come for Elena's graduation. Not before."
"What?" Caroline screeched into the phone. Damon had to hold the phone away from his ear for fear of going deaf. "That's weeks away!"
"I realize that."
"I want to hold the baby," Caroline protested. "And the girls want to meet their new cousin."
"And they can," Damon replied. "On graduation weekend."
"I can't believe you won't let us visit before then!"
"Caroline!" Damon almost snarled, trying to make her understand. "Every couple newly turned parents would be overwhelmed by the situation, but on top of that Elena has only weeks to prepare for her finals."
"But… but… I can help. I can stay with you and I can do the shopping!"
"I have our groceries delivered."
"Then, then, I can cook!"
"I'm a chef, Caroline."
"Okay. So, I can clean."
"I don't think Joanie, our cleaning lady, would like you encroaching on her terrain." Okay, so strictly speaking that was a lie. While they did hire a cleaning lady a few months ago, Damon couldn't vouch for her already having grown attached enough to them to bother. But Caroline didn't need to know that.
"But I can help with the baby, too. I can change her, and sing her to sleep."
"So, basically do all the things Elena is looking forward to doing once she's done with her finals."
After this weekend, which they decided to take off to try and get some routine going with their new baby, Elena was going to disappear into her books for a couple of weeks, only coming up for feeding time, while Damon took care of their daughter. That was the solution they had come up with to the busy schedule ahead of them. And while Damon didn't doubt that having Caroline around could be a huge help and relief on all of them, he also couldn't allow Caroline to sweep in and take over Elena's role. Elena wouldn't like that.
Caroline didn't contradict his statement as she remained quiet.
Softer, Damon added, "You can't bond with her daughter before Elena had even had the chance to."
"I know," Caroline admitted grudgingly. "I just want to meet my niece."
"And you will. Graduation weekend. Four weeks from now."
They hung up a little while after that, Damon promising to send tons of pictures and updates.
"So, that didn't go over well, I take it," Elena said behind him and Damon turned, realizing his wife was awake.
"Nah," he replied, "Blondie understands."
"Damon?" Elena's voice, kept low, called out from the bed. She yawned into her palm and sat up, finding her husband sitting in the rocking chair next to Stefanie's crib.
He was supposed to put Stefanie down after Elena had fed her around two in the morning, and he had. Only, he hadn't returned to bed afterwards. Which was what had woken Elena up when she turned around in bed and discovered his side empty.
"Damon, you need to sleep," she said, speaking quietly. "Come back to bed."
"I will. Just five more minutes," he replied, not looking up.
Elena rose from the bed and came to his side. She pushed his messy hair away from his face and said, "You said that already. One hour ago."
Damon turned his head at that. "It hasn't been an hour," he protested.
"No," Elena agreed and grabbed his wrist to check the time. "More like an hour and a half." Glancing at her sleeping daughter, she added, "You have to sleep when she sleeps or pretty soon you'll be walking around like a zombie."
"I know," Damon returned, "it's just… It's hard to stop. Look at her. She's beautiful."
Elena was partial, of course, but yes, she had to agree. Stefanie was a cute baby. "And are you just looking slash admiring? Or are you clandestinely trying to come up with a plan on how to cover the whole world in cotton so she'd never have to get hurt?"
"A little bit of both," Damon admitted. It didn't surprise him that Elena knew his thoughts almost better than he did. He had been sitting there imagining various revenge scenarios to enact on anyone who dared hurt his little girl.
"You won't be able to protect her from every kind of pain, Damon. She'll skin a knee, she'll get a sore throat, she'll get her heart broken, she'll meet people that won't be kind to her. That's the world we live in. You can't protect her from everything. That won't mean you failed as a father."
"I know. But I can teach her to be strong and to stand up for herself."
"Yes, you can. And you will. But first you're going to have to catch some sleep." She squeezed Damon's shoulder and he stood up, taking her hand in his.
But instead of going back to bed, they stood there, both of them gazing down at their sleeping daughter.
"God, she's cute," Elena whispered.
"Right?"
Her little bow mouth moved slightly as she slept and soft, tiny whimpers would occasionally be heard.
"It's so funny. I spent a century and a half roaming the world, thinking I have everything figured out," Damon suddenly spoke. His voice sounded a little detached, almost far away. As if he was really just talking to himself. "But then I met you. And I loved you. And because you loved me back, she's here."
Elena smiled and leaned against Damon's shoulder. Damon wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her hair.
He wanted to say thank you, like he'd wanted to do every day since he'd held his daughter in his arms for the first time. But a thank you felt too inadequate for everything he was feeling. If it wasn't for Elena, then he'd never know this feeling. This hard to describe emotion where his life felt like it wasn't completely his anymore, yet more full than he'd ever imagined.
So, because there were no words to say it, he just squeezed his wife closer and held her.
"Damon?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm exhausted." She leaned on him heavily and Damon adjusted the grip on her side and guided her back to bed.
These were the only few days they allowed themselves a time-out. Come Monday morning, it was back to studying for Elena who had to cram for her final exams and back to business as usual for Damon. Except, he'd have a baby in tow from now on.
Damon's life consisted of a series of sixty minutes increments and his days were structured around Elena's finals schedule and Stefanie's feeding times. One hour had become the extent of how far into the future definitive plans were possible.
He had one hour to devote to paperwork in the mornings while Elena fed and took care of Stefanie. Then her books took over her attention and the rest of the morning was Damon juggling household chores with baby sleeping, baby crying, baby feeding while Elena took a short (decaf) coffee break, and baby walking. The walk usually took them to the former café on the opposite square of their block. Strangely enough, this was the part that, at least at the moment, took up least of Damon's attention.
There was really not much for him to do yet while the building was still in the process of being converted into an upscale wine bar. He checked in daily on the progress and if a detail required his attention or the construction crew needed a decision from him, Damon discussed it with Stefanie. She was a great sounding board. She listened carefully while he described the options, never pushed back when he defended his standpoint, and agreed with his every decision.
The only downside was that every day when Damon came in to inspect the place, work came to a sudden halt as every worker stopped to come over and say hello to the boss and the boss-in-training.
A week after Damon had started bringing her along, the guys had presented Damon with a belated baby gift. It was a bright yellow hardhat. The tiniest bright yellow hardhat imaginable, and it was anyone's guess where they had found one in the first place, but a hardhat it was, complete with a chinstrap and everything.
Damon had put it on Stefanie, taken a picture and sent it to Elena's and Bonnie's phones. Both had replied within seconds, trying to outdo each other with the number of heart-eye emojis.
The next week the same crew added a sticker to the hardhat that read 'BOSS' in block letters. Someone had added 'mini' in Sharpie on top of that.
Funny enough, a mini boss was exactly what Stefanie was. She set the pace and the schedule and Elena and Damon had no choice but to follow.
If Damon timed it right, Stefanie would fall asleep on the way back home, giving him and Elena a short break to have a quick lunch and, on the very good days, even time for a power nap.
Once awake, fed, and changed, Elena went back to her books and Damon packed the baby into his new car and drove over to the restaurant.
Pulling a shift in the kitchen was out of the question, of course. But he had never done it on a regular basis anyway.
He spent an hour talking to his manager while his wait staff fought over who got to take care of Stefanie that day. Then he spent another hour in the kitchen, talking to his chefs and sous-chefs and listening to their problems.
"Okay, everyone," Damon called out to his staff once that hour was over as well, "stop cooing over my child now and give me back my daughter. We're on a schedule."
After a quick pitstop back at home, Damon strapped the baby to his chest and went downstairs to check on the bar.
"You have exactly sixty minutes," he announced when he strode into the back office where Dot was pouring over some documents. "Go."
"Kelly called in sick again this week," Dot came to the point right away.
Damon frowned. That was the third time in the past month. "Do you want to let her go?" he asked.
"No," Dot replied, "I want you to transfer her to the Pinnacle, if you have an opening there. She's a good girl and not a bad waitress. It's the break-up."
Damon sighed but nodded. "That's why relationships in the workplace don't work."
Kelly and Doug went through an ugly break-up a while ago and it seemed the girl still couldn't bring it over herself to work next to her now ex-boyfriend.
"I'll talk to my manager. See if he can use another waitress."
"Thank you."
"Anything else?"
"The Newport delivery was late again. It was only a day this time, but it keeps happening. You might want to look into switching delivery companies?"
"If I know you at all, you have a list with alternatives ready for me to check out."
On cue, Dot produced a sheet of paper and wordlessly passed it to Damon. He put it away for safekeeping where it was protected from the various liquids that could come out of a baby.
"I'll look into it tomorrow during office time," Damon replied.
They continued for the better part of an hour until Stefanie began to fuss. "It's almost bedtime for her," Damon explained. "I have to go. Elena should be done with her marathon studying soon."
"How is Elena?"
"Well, all her classmates are enjoying their free time already since taking their exams almost a month ago and Elena is not. On top of that, she just delivered a baby, so her body hurts, she's emotional, and she's supposed to enjoy the time with her baby but instead she has all her notes from the past three years she needs to go over. What do you think?"
Because of her due date, Elena had been granted an extension for her final exams and that date was soon approaching.
Dot grimaced. "Well, send her my best. And if there's anything I can do to help…"
"Thanks. But you already are helping," Damon replied, motioning to the list in his binder. He started collecting his things when Stefanie started stirring. She'd want to be fed soon and besides, the hour was coming to a close. Dot helped him adjust the strap securing Stefanie to his body and rested a hand on her tiny head, stroking it gently.
"How come you never ask to hold her?" Damon wondered aloud. "Everyone else always is."
Dot shrugged. "I'm not really good with babies."
"Never wanted one for yourself?" Damon asked, making small talk. Damon wasn't usually one for small talk. But lately, every conversation he had revolved either around the baby or one of his businesses, and he found himself craving a conversation about something else for a change.
"Honestly? I haven't made up my mind yet. I know I don't want to be a single mom. So, it follows, that the decision would not be solely up to me."
"And have we met the person you'd want to make that decision with yet?" Damon not-so-covertly prodded.
"Is this your way of asking how things are between me and Deja?"
"Well, now that you're bringing that up…" Damon grinned.
Dot shook her head slightly to hide a smile. "What? Spying got too time-consuming?"
"What?"
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."
At Damon's confused look, Dot explained, "That one bar a couple months ago, when Deja and I were on a date? I saw you and Elena there, spying on us."
"Oh no. Leave me out of it. I had nothing to do with that. That was all Elena."
Dot fixed him with the most disbelieving glare. "Really? You're going to put this on your wife?"
"Because it was her freaking idea," Damon insisted.
"Right. I'm supposed to believe your pregnant wife schlepped you to a wine bar?"
"I told her that would happen," Damon muttered to himself. Louder, he said, "As soon as she has time for it, I'm going to make her come down here and confess that she was the one to drag me to the bar."
"Unbelievable. That you would sell out your wife like that."
Damon's jaw almost fell to the floor. "I'm—?! You—" he flustered, trying to keep his composure and put things straight, but then he noticed Dot's grin breaking free, despite how hard she tried not to let it. The fight went out of Damon. "You know."
"Of course, I know," Dot confirmed, giving up the pretense. "Elena came down to talk to me a few days after and apologized for intruding on my privacy."
"Oh."
"Yeah. She was also fishing for information on how the date went."
Damon nodded pensively. "Yep, that sounds like her."
In that moment, Stefanie started writhing and making unhappy noises that sounded like short grunts.
"Does she actually ever cry?" Dot asked, because Damon had been bringing Stefanie every day since she was born and Dot was yet to hear her approach anything like a cry or a wail.
"Only when she wakes up and doesn't see or hear us. Or if somebody she doesn't like holds her."
Dot raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't like or you don't like?"
"She, actually." Damon's devilish grin flashed across his face and before Dot could interpret what it meant, he had placed the squirming Stefanie in her arms.
Dot froze in shock and so did the baby. They both stared at each other for a moment. Then Dot tried a tentative smile and Stefanie's arms windmilled, which, Damon explained, was a sign of approval.
Dot relaxed a little, adjusting her hold on the baby and cuddling her close.
"Oh, look, she likes her Aunt Dottie," Damon cooed.
Dot's laser focus found Damon and she glowered at him. "You are not teaching your kid to call me that!" she threatened.
Damon shrugged unconcerned.
Dot turned her attention back on Stefanie and brought her closer to kiss her forehead. "God, how can something so tiny smell so amazing?" Dot muttered.
Damon snorted. "I invite you to come up and assist a changing of the diapers. You'll quickly change your mind."
Now it was Dot's turn to snort. "No thanks, I'd rather live in my phantasy world where babies are perfect little angels."
"Hello stranger," a voice greeted Damon in front of his building. He turned around, coming face to face with Bonnie.
"Stranger?"
"Well, I have barely seen you three since you came back from the hospital."
"Yeah, I guess," Damon agreed and sighed tiredly. "There's just not enough hours in the day. I encourage you to go have a baby and find out for yourself."
"No, thank you," Bonnie laughed. "Even though this one is so cute she could turn anyone's mind around. But I think I make a better auntie than mommy." She made to reach for the baby and Damon unstrapped her from himself to place Stefanie in Bonnie's arms.
"Well, if Auntie Bonnie ever wants to babysit—" Damon let the sentence drift off meaningfully.
"Right," Bonnie taunted, making faces at Stefanie, "as if you'd just hand over your child to anyone."
"I will have to see qualifications first, of course."
Bonnie ignored his comment. "Are you coming or going?" she asked. "I wanted to talk to you and Elena."
"You can come up anytime," Damon replied. "Well, not when Elena is studying. You can't come up then."
"Yeah, I heard all about that from Caroline. That's actually what I've been meaning to talk to you about."
Damon unlocked the front door and held it open for Bonnie.
"I think Caroline feels left out," Bonnie continued.
"What am I supposed to do about it?"
"You could make her Stefanie's godmother. I know you asked me and I said yes, but I think it would really mean a lot to Caroline. Especially since this little one was named after Stefan?"
Damon sighed and motioned upwards towards the stairs. "If Elena agrees," he said and followed Bonnie and Stefanie into his apartment.