Summary: Elijah officially becomes a constant in not only Lily's life- but in Damon's as well. From there, Lily gets to spend some time with Elijah and his family.
A/N: Literally Lily appreciation!
All it takes is one non-school related one-on-one conversation with Damon to clarify things for Elijah. And his conclusion is simple:
He is absolutely fucked.
It has been a few weeks since Rebekah's birthday party and a lot has changed. For one, he is currently sitting on his living room floor with Lily who is so strategically putting little polka dot bows in his hair. Why? Well, he's not exactly sure because really, who's able to say no to Lily? Elijah sure can't.
It has been a week since Damon called in to the school about being late. As much as he hates it, he doesn't have much of a choice. But he feels terrible about it.
Then there is Kol, the savior for Damon when he offers to babysit for that extra hour. So there's a new arrangement put in place. Lily goes home with Elijah, and he and Kol watch the child until Damon is able to pick his child up after work. It works, it's functional and Lily loves it.
So that brings him back to his current situation; being completely and utterly wrapped around this child's finger.
There's about an hour left before Damon leaves work so Elijah has Lily's things packed and he head's to Klaus' home. Kol is already there which is good because he should be there so Lily can officially meet him.
As soon as he walks through the door, his brother stops him, raising a brow at the child who is perched on his hip. "Brother, whose child have you napped?" He asks.
Lily doesn't even give Elijah a chance to reply because she's speaking immediately. "Daddy had grown up work to do. And it is very rude to not say hello to new people!" She scolds.
Klaus just puts his hands up to show he's meaning no harm. The child is so sassy. "I am so sorry. Hello, sweetheart." And smiles and extends his hand to Lily.
She smiles and says, "I'm Lily Alexandria Salvatore. It is nice to meet you." She's polite. She's been taught to use her manners.
Klaus adores the child already.
Kol jumps right in, engaging with the child and they just hit it off. Elijah thinks it's because Kol is such a child at heart, but he knows it's because Kol is just naturally good with kids. It's a trait that they all seem to have.
It's only been thirty minutes and they're all in the living room surrounding the table. Lily is staring intently at Kol as the room falls silent. There are two other sets of eyes on them but she's too focused on the man in front of her to notice.
Kol is staring right back at the child, raising a brow as he grins. The tension is high and no one is really moving. Just focus and steady breathing. "Alright, kid. You ready?" He asks.
Lily nods, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I'm ready, Kols."
"You first, then." He says, grinning from the nickname that the child has given him.
Lily nods again and shifts in her spot as she places all of cards down on the table facing up. "I have a king, queen, nine, eight, and a five!"
Kol groans and slumps back against his chair. "Oh god, you beat me again!"
Klaus laughs and claps his hands together as he takes a seat next to the child. "Fantastic. That's a flush." He has been watching their games since they started them.
Lily beams and throws her hands in the air. "I am the queen! Bow down, peasant!"
"Kid," Kol starts, eyes focusing back on Lily. "Who taught you how to play poker?"
"Mommy." She answers as if every mother taught their children how to play poker.
"I see."
Klaus keeps laughing. He really can't help it because come on, this child is one of a kind.
"Both of you are terrible influences." Elijah chimes in. "Need I remind you that she is four years old? You should not be encouraging poker."
Kol scoffs. "This four year old has skills, Elijah. I will definitely encourage her natural skills. Isn't that right, Miss Lily?"
Lily nods as she sips the apple juice that Elijah handed her. "You lost, so you have to pick up the toys."
Elijah groans. Damon is going to think he's the worst babysitter in history.
Kol pretends to whimper and slumps until he rolls to the floor. "My heart. I won't survive this loss!"
Lily hands her juice to Klaus and slides from the couch. She kneels down next to Kol and frowns. "Don't be sad. I'll help you clean up. It's okay." She leans over him, squishing his cheeks together with her little hands. "Okay?" She smiles and everyone in the room melts because she's the cutest.
Kol smiles up at her and nods. "Yeah, thanks, kid. How can I be sad when you're so sweet?" He jolts up and grabs her before jumping to his feet. "Let's clean up and then I'll show you Klaus' secret painting room."
Lily squeaks and glances at Klaus. "Nik! You have a secret painting room?"
"Well it's not secret anymore, sweetheart!"
Elijah just shakes his head because how on earth did this four year old manage to turn his brothers into fawning worshiping puppies? It's a true talent. He could only imagine what would happen when Rebekah meets the child.
It has become a regular thing now for Lily to just leave school with Elijah. Between work and those tedious long lasting meetings, Damon is constantly late with picking Lily up. And he refuses to have his child waiting an extra hour at school for him. He's skeptical of it at first but after actually talking with the man that entire night at Rebekah's birthday party, he knows his daughter is in good hands. Plus, Kol, despite his constant teasing of his brother, he looks up to Elijah and that's all the reassurance that Damon needs.
This marks the third time that Lily is babysat by Elijah. It's usually always on Mondays because that's when all of the companies decide to reevaluate their standing contracts. But at least it's less stressful since he knows his child isn't waiting for him to show up. That helps him through the meetings.
After Lily's first time leaving with Elijah, she was able to meet Kol and Klaus and she absolutely loves it. That's why it took a few tears and bear grip hugs to convince her father to let her stay for one more hour. But this time around, they are at Elijah's house and she would be sad because she wants to see everyone again but she's in Mr. Elijah's house and there's a blonde woman sitting in the living room. She's far from shy but she also knows not to talk to strangers so she stands behind Elijah, holding onto his pant leg.
Elijah just smiles and reaches down to pet the child's head. "Lily, this is my sister Rebekah."
Lily peeks around her teacher and smiles widely when the woman waves at her.
"Rebekah, this is Lily." Elijah's says, finishing his introductions.
"Well aren't you precious. It's very nice to meet you, Lily. I've heard a lot about you."
Lily giggles and moves herself completely from behind Elijah and makes her way over to Rebekah. "Hi, Rebaker."
Rebekah laughs because the child can't pronounce her name but it's so damn cute. "Oh, sweetie."
"I'm sorry."
Rebekah shakes her head. "Don't apologize. Just call me aunt Beks."
Lily squeaks. "Aunt Beks!"
Elijah shakes his head and heads into the kitchen. This must be punishment for something he did. Because this child was attaching herself to his entire family with such ease. How was that even possible?
From that day on, Lily and Rebekah are inseparable. Damon just knew it was going to happen because all Lily talks about is Elijah and aunt Beks.
Friday finally comes and Damon's faced with big teary eyes and a pouty lip. She's shoving a note into his hand and sniffling quietly. It's about 'Mommy and Me' swim classes but it's only for women and children under the age of eight. Damon feels heartbroken because he wants her to have things like this but he can't give it to her. Damon's prepared to beg the director to make an exception for Lily but one of his favorite blondes comes to the rescue.
Rebekah stops by a few times a week to visit Lily and Damon is happy that she does because Lily loves surprises. And what's a bigger surprise than having someone volunteer to give your daughter the one thing that she wants the most?
Rebekah wipes the tears away from Lily's eyes and promptly tells her that there is no time for tears because bathing suits are waiting to be bought.
Damon almost loses his life when he attempts to tell Rebekah that Lily has nearly 14 bathing suits thanks to Caroline. But he figures out what she's doing so he shuts his mouth and watches them waltz out of his house.
Hours later they return and Lily is hugging two bags close to her chest. She's excited and wiggling when Damon picks her up and carries her to the living room. "Okay, honey, show me what you got today."
She grins and tells him to close his eyes as she digs through the first bag. "Okay, daddy."
Damon blinks and lets his eyes wander over a cute little green one piece with little white stars on them. It suits her really. "Lily-pop, that's the prettiest bathing suit that I've ever seen."
"You haven't seen the second one." Rebekah coos.
Lily grabs the second bag and pulls out another one piece with a connected skirt. It's yellow with red fishes on it. Lily's wiggling so Damon knows which one she's going to wear tomorrow.
"That's my favorite." Damon says.
"Mine too." Rebekah agrees.
Lily slides out of her father's lap and dumps the rest of the contents of the bag out onto the floor. There are water wings, goggles, flippers, and a blow up floaty. Damon sighs and throws Rebekah a knowing look and she just grins.
"There is always a reason to shop, Damon."
Saturday morning comes early for Damon because it's 4am and Lily is crying. It's a faint cry and Damon jolts up to find his child standing in the kitchen making grabby hands for the refrigerator. She's half asleep and cranky and he knows she's thirsty. He forgot to leave out her juice cup the night before and he feels awful about it. It became routine when he realizes that his child habitually wakes up around the same time for something to drink. She comes right out of her room and straight into the kitchen to get water or juice. Whichever she decides to have after dinner. She refuses to wake him up so he just kept the cup somewhere that she could reach it.
So he picks her up and rocks her as he paces the kitchen for about three minutes. She settles down and he kisses her cheek to make sure she's okay. That's when he grabs her juice and lets her sip on it while they head to his bedroom. Once she finishes, she crawls into his bed and quickly falls asleep. It's moments like those that melts Damon's heart.
Several hours later he's woken again but this time by small hands squishing his cheeks together. It's Lily sitting on his chest and smiling down at him. "Daddy, aunt Beks will be here soon. We have to get up."
Damon groans but smiles as he sits up and wraps an arm around his daughter before pushing himself out of bed. He has her hooked under his arm as her feet dangle. She's so tiny. "Alright, munchkin, time to get ready."
Damon gets her bathed, clothed, and fed before Rebekah arrives a little around 11 o'clock. The Mommy and Me swim class doesn't start until noon so they have time. But according to Lily, they are running late.
"Are you ready to hit the road?" Rebekah murmurs.
Lily nods and kisses her father and says they will be back soon. And then they both are heading out of the door.
Lily is a brave child and she likes to try new things. But the pool is bigger than she thought it would be. It's nothing like the kiddie pool that she has in her backyard. She's scared of course but she's still going to do it because it's what she wants the most.
They change into their swimsuits and the instructor blows the whistle for everyone to get in the water. Rebekah sits near the edge then drops into the water with ease before facing the child. Lily is just standing there because she still isn't sure about this whole humongous swimming pool business. But Rebekah is reassuring her that everything will be fine so Lily steps closer.
Rebekah reaches out and Lily jumps and the water splashes. She squirms with a slight whine but once she relaxes, she feels okay. Her legs are wrapped tightly around the woman but that's okay. It's expected.
"See, it's not so bad, right?"
Lily smiles and finally loosens her legs from their vice grip. "It's not bad." She realizes that her water wings help her float and that opens up an entirely new door for her.
Rebekah smiles and lifts her up out of the water and swirls her around quickly. "You're like a dolphin!"
Lily squeaks and kicks her legs to splash the water. "I'm a dolphin!"
After more time has passed, Lily is okay with Rebekah letting go and the instructor is teaching the children how to doggy paddle. Lily has the hang of it and is so excited to move on to the next move. She deems the back stroke as her favorite but she won't do it unless Rebekah holds her arms under her the entire time. Lily says that she might fall but Rebekah doesn't have it in her to tell the child that physics doesn't work that way.
The last thirty minutes of class is free time and Rebekah puts on Lily's goggles and little breathing piece because they are going diving. She holds her close and counts to three then they go under. It took them three tries, but Lily felt better about being submerged into water when she saw Rebekah do it first.
They spend the rest of the time swimming around the pool. Most of that time Lily was riding on Rebekah's back with her arms wrapped around the woman's neck. She felt like she was on a boat.
When the final whistle is blown, everyone climbs out of the pool and heads to the showers. Lily likes the swim classes. She's glad that Rebekah took her.
Lily loves her aunt Beks.
Sunday is slow and quiet because Lily is spending the day with Stefan at the zoo. Caroline is still out of town so it was just the two of them. He would have tagged along but sleep had taken over. Plus, he would let Stefan and Lily have their uncle-niece bonding time.
The house had been empty for about five hours. Lily was picked up around 8am and somehow it was noon already when he is waking up to his doorbell echoing throughout his home. He is tempted to ignore it and continue with his peaceful sleeping but its Sunday afternoon. It must be important if someone took time out of their day to stop at his house.
After the second ring he forces himself out of bed and shuffles to the front door. He doesn't even check to see who it is, he just pulls the door open.
Oh.
It's Elijah.
"Mr. Elijah, you have perfect timing." He's teasing but at the same time he is serious. He was sleeping so well.
Elijah's parts his lips to speak but nothing comes out. He's torn between reaching out and touching every inch of the exposed skin of the shirtless man before him or with kissing the lips that keep letting Damon say his name like that. But both of those would be inappropriate because...well reasons.
Damon just smirks. "Cat got your tongue, teacher?" He waits for a reply but still nothing. So he steps aside and motions for Elijah to come in. "Well how about you step inside and gather your thoughts while I drown myself in coffee."
Elijah feels stupid but he can't help it that Damon gets him like this. "Good afternoon." He manages out as he steps into the Salvatore's residence, trying so hard to ignore how good Damon's bed head looks. "My apologies for the intrusion. Lily left her backpack at Klaus' home."
Damon smiles at him and takes the offered bag before heading to the kitchen. "Thanks." He says, grinning as he sets the bag in an empty chair. "How do you take your coffee?"
With a side of vodka for being an idiot and to drown himself from the awkwardness. "Black."
"Ah, good. Creamers are for the weak."
Elijah wonders if it would be rude to offer Damon a shirt. Because how is he supposed to focus on anything but smooth pale skin that's sitting directly in front of him? He tries to calm down by keeping his eyes on Damon's face. His really nice face. His really nice face with gorgeous eyes and nice lips and...
"You're either plotting a murder or slowly dying from how terrible my coffee is." He grins and takes another sip. Clearly things aren't awkward to him. He just figures Elijah is a man of few words. Whatever it is, he really likes it.
"Oh, no. The coffee is great, thank you." He looks down at the cup then back up to Damon. "Rebekah told me she took Lily swimming." There, small talk is good.
Damon nods, sipping his coffee. "Yeah, she's been talking about it since Rebekah dropped her off yesterday. Just wait, she's going to be telling you the diving story when she sees you. Prepare yourself." He wasn't kidding either. Lily had told him that she couldn't wait to tell Elijah about her swimming pool adventures.
Elijah looks up from his coffee again and just smiles. "I look forward to it."
A week passes and Damon finds himself inviting Elijah over for breakfast. Lily insists on it but Damon wants him there as well so it works.
It's early when Elijah arrives and Lily races Damon to the door but she needs his help with getting the door open because she's small and the door is heavy. But once it's open, Lily latches onto Elijah's leg and starts telling him about how she missed him and how she's going to take a karate class when she gets older. Her thought process is all over the place all of the time.
Breakfast hasn't even started but Damon insists on cooking and Elijah offers to help but no. Damon boots him out of the kitchen and that leaves Lily and Elijah to keep themselves entertained. That works out fine because Lily has a list of games lined up for them to play.
It's really funny how easily Elijah fits in with Damon and Lily. There's no intrusion and awkward feeling with his presence. He just fits in like a missing puzzle piece. Damon wonders if this is how things are supposed to be. He doesn't get much time to focus on the question because he hears his daughter crying and he drops everything that he's doing and darts into the living room. Lily has fallen off the couch and hits her knee pretty hard on the wooden floor. He can't wait to get carpet installed. But before Damon can swoop in, he stops right in his tracks when he sees Elijah scooping her up from the floor. He watches as the man cradles Lily close and rubs her back. He's shushing her and wiping at her tears. He faintly hears him whispering, "don't cry, I've got you, sweetheart. It's okay. I promise." The crying stops soon after and she's sniffling against his chest. He's so good with her.
Damon thinks he's in love.
After that, Lily and Elijah just join Damon in the kitchen while he makes the waffles. And Lily is swiping pieces of cheese from the bowl Damon has sitting near the eggs that he's going to pour it into. Elijah's not going to tell. And Damon's not going to tell her that he sees her. It's a great relationship really.
Breakfast is done in no time and they're all at the table and Lily gets Elijah to sit next to her and that's fine except he's directly across from Damon and he really doesn't need to see the man at this angle. Not again. He hates staring directly at him because sometimes his quick glances turn into longing gazes and lingering thoughts begin to stir. So he tries to focus on something else so he's relieved when Lily asks him to cut up her waffles. But he's not okay when he hears what comes out of her mouth next.
"Mr. Elijah, are you going to marry my daddy?" She asks as if she's talking about the weather.
Elijah chokes on the egg that he was chewing on and he hears Damon's groan loud and clear.
"Lily, baby, you can't go around asking people that. You're going to get daddy engaged or something." Although, his child has great taste because wow. She sure knows how to pick out a nice husband for her father. He's grinning and Elijah's face is actually a little red. "I'm curious though, why do you think that?"
"Cause you both smile at each other like they do in the movies."
Damon just grins and Elijah dies a little. Surely if Lily notices him staring and smiling at Damon...then Damon notices too. Great.
Just great.
While Elijah recovers- or attempts to, Lily is stealthily swiping strawberries from Elijah's plate. He doesn't even notice.
"Lily." Damon says, watching her swipe the man's fruit. "Why?"
"Because your plate is too far away, daddy." Plus, it always tastes better when it's from someone else's plate.
Damon groans again. His daughter is utterly ridiculous. He loves it so much though.
Elijah catches her the fourth time and just smiles and ends up turning his plate to the other side so she can get the rest. What a great team.
After breakfast, they're all sitting on the couch watching a movie of Lily's choice. So of course it's Disney. It's always Disney. But she falls asleep halfway through and it's not even close to nap time. But Damon doesn't mind. He'll just have to make sure she stays up and plays a lot before bed time so she isn't up all night. She's in Elijah's lap and to his surprise, he's asleep to. Damon just smiles because it's really cute at how much Lily loves this man and how good Elijah is with her. It warms his heart.
It's quiet and he tries his best to get off the couch without waking anyone. But he manages to pry Lily off of Elijah and takes her to her bedroom. He gets her in bed and returns to the living room with a blanket in hand. He waits a moment and contemplates if he should just wake the man up or lay him down on the couch. He looks so peaceful and relaxed so it would be a shame to wake him. So Damon settles for covering him up and returning to his spot on the other end of the couch. It's a nice comfortable silence that lulls him to sleep as well.
They stay like that for a few hours until they're woken up by Lily who's grinning at them like she's discovered the secrets of the universe. God, she's so much like him.
Elijah is a little caught off guard because he hadn't planned on falling asleep but it was nice. When he looks over at Damon, he stiffens because the man is looking right back at him with the warmest smile.
Lily is suddenly latching onto Elijah and Damon grins because he knew she would be hyper after her nap. So they end up playing hide and seek with her. She makes them both hide which is fine, Damon hates trying to find her in such a big house.
He drags Elijah into the hallway closet which is a pretty nice spot considering Lily has walked by them at least four times since the game had started.
Elijah is nearly dead because he can't think straight or focus when he has Damon pressed flush up against his front. The closet is small and he's sure it's just for show because it's placed in such a random spot. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that he can feel the heat beaming off of Damon's body and he can feel the man's breath right on his neck and he really wants to die.
"I swear she never thinks to check the closet but yet I always end up hiding here when we play." He whispers as he shifts some against Elijah. "She never gives up though."
"...she is a persistent child." Elijah manages to whisper out.
"Yeah, she is."
Elijah is sure that he is going to die.