Chapter 18

"Damn it, Elena! I haven't done anything yet. Just because Blondie has a vision of something that MIGHT happen." Damon stops his rant as he suddenly realizes he is in the kitchen and no longer in front of Elena trying to reason with her in their bedroom. He shakes his head as he looks around, he standing in the middle of the kitchen in his boxer briefs, with Bonnie, Enzo, and Stefan staring at him. Their smiles have him realizing that he has no hope of reasoning with his pregnant magical wife. Damon rolls his eyes as he walks towards the coffee pot, "Damn it, when is this baby going to be born!" Bonnie starts laughing, "Getting in trouble again?" Damon shakes his head, grabs the mug from her hand and adds coffee to whatever is in the mug, and takes a swallow, "Judgy, I don't need another witch on my ass." He turns to his brother, "Would you mind asking your wife to stop telling my wife about visions of things that haven't happened, especially things that I haven't done." Elena walks in the door, "YET, haven't done yet, Damon. Caroline is simply preparing me for some stupid, idiotic future action that I can prevent you from doing. Good morning, everyone." She walks over to the cabinet and gets a mug for tea, acting as normal as possible. Damon counters, "Nothing has happened, Elena. You are always telling me how marriage is about communicating, adults communicate feelings. You didn't communicate, you just teleported me to the damned kitchen, in my damned underwear." Damon decided that was the point to leave on, he walked out of the kitchen, still muttering words about how he hasn't done anything, even if it happens, no one knows if there was a legitimate reason for his actions.

Ric walks in, "What is going on with him?" Elena responds, "I caught him before he was stupid, he is mad because of it." Ric looks completely confused, "Am I supposed to understand that?" He looks around the room to a lot of sympathetic faces. Elena hands him a mug of coffee, "I'm so glad I caught you before you headed to the Armory." Ric sipping from his coffee mug, "What's up?" Elena casually walked over to him, and in a lower tone, "I was hoping you and I could talk about restarting my defense training. I'd like to figure out what would work for your schedule." Dead silence took over the room. Ric's eyes traveled to her baby bump, "You want to restart now, while you're pregnant?" Elena nodded her head, "Of course, Peanut is completely fine and healthy. I was doing well before I was a vampire, now that I'm human again, I need to make sure I can protect myself and my child, witch or not. I was hoping to work more with the bow and arrow. I've been practicing a little on my own. I think I'm getting the hang of it. I'm hitting the target more times than I miss it now and it's a bit on the fun side. I do enjoy it. It is good exercise too." Stefan interrupted, "Does Damon know about this?" Elena turns towards him, "Yes, we have talked about the importance of protecting our children and future children. We as parents need to do all we can to prepare ourselves."

Stefan got a smile on his face, Caroline's vision started to make sense. When Care had told him about the vision of Damon spelling Elena in the Mansion and not letting her out, he couldn't understand why his brother would do something like that. With Elena's request to Ric, the mystery is becoming clear, Stefan decided it was going to be fun to watch this unfold. He knew all too well how Elena was when she got an idea in her mind, he was sympathetic to what his brother was about to deal with, Stefan's grin grew wider, he was going to enjoy the complete kiosk and torture his brother's life was about to become when he found out Elena's little plan.

Stefan walks into his brother's bedroom, as Damon comes out of the closet buttoning his jeans, Damon snarls, "Stef, I don't want to hear it, she isn't right, Elena Gilbert Salvatore, all-mighty good girl, righteous to the bone, is not right. She can't get mad at me for something I haven't done. I have 181 years of evil that I have done. I'll be damned if I'm going to be blamed for something I haven't done. Period. With or without her added so-called prophetic 'Yet'." Stefan tries to hide his grin, "Ok, I didn't come up here to talk about your marriage issues." Stefan threw at Damon a 6 foot wooden Bo staff, "I was hoping you were in the mood for some sparring. We haven't had a good sparring match with Bo staff in what, 155+ years? Last time, you came home for leave in 1863, and you were all excited about this new fighting weapon for 'gentlemen'. If memory serves me, Father was not familiar with it. That made you even more eager to master it, and make sure I did as well." Damon held the Bo staff with both hands, gently gliding his hands back and forth the smooth surface of the staff. It had been over a century since he had held one in his hand, his memories came flooding back as the wood slid through the motions of his gentle grasp. The eyebrow of his left eye lifted as he tighten his grip and did a twisting motion on the bo, 'this was going to be fun' was the thought that came to mind as the words left his mouth, "Prepare to be bruised, little bro."

After breakfast, Elena is back upstairs, the sun is shining through the windows. Elena thought to herself, 'we are going to have a beautiful spring', she walked to the windows. She was going to open them, the sun undoubtedly had warmed the brisk morning air. As she reached for the window latch, she heard an unusual noise coming from the outside. She slowly opened the double door pane windows just a crack and her jaw, literally, fell at the sight that came into view.

Stefan jeered, "Almost got you on that one 'Older brother'" making sure to put a major emphasis on the 'older' brother. 'crack' 'crack' as the Bo staff slammed into one another. Damon countered, "oh geez, Stef, could you make that one any easier to predict." Stefan takes a wide swing that Damon has to jump over the staff, "Almost clipped ya." Damon responds, "In your dreams, baby bro."

Elena is staring with her mouth open, she isn't sure what to do or say. Her heart rate has doubled in the past 30 seconds, "Caroline, I need you to get the half-gallon of chocolate ice cream from the freezer and 2 spoons. Meet me in my bedroom. NOW!" She knows her sister-in-law and BFF for most of her life will not want to miss this.

'crack' swoosh 'crack' 'crack' Stefan turns a 180 to block Damon's sneak attack from the left side, he counters to the right, but misses as Damon pulls a stealth Matrix move. Damon takes a fast leap backward, "TIME... Stef… TIME!" Stefan laughs, "Getting tired ole man, I'm finally wearing you down." Damon quips back, "Fuck you, just want to take this shirt off, it's soaked and getting in my way." He peels off the sticky garment and throws it on the lawn. Stefan decides that is a good idea, with both shirts laying safely on the lawn, Damon puts his hand out and points his index finger at his little brother, "Time to teach you some manners, little boy." 'crack' 'crack' and the sparring continues.

Elena's breath gets caught as the scene continues playing out on the lawn below her, no more than a minute has gone by, she closes the windows, turns her head toward the open bedroom door, "Caroline, bring the Fudge Sauce with you, we are going to need it." She walks over to the french doors, opening them wide, then pulls the side chair over to sit in front of the full glorious view of the Salvatore Brothers half-naked, hot, sweaty, and straining their bulging muscles with every stroke of those crazy wooden sticks. She felt the cool breeze of Caroline using her vamp speed, "What's up with the emergency preggo cravings?" Elena didn't say a word, she simply pointed her finger towards the outdoors, Caroline turned her head and dropped the ice cream container, "Holy shit!" Elena picked up the ice cream and opened the lid, she took one of the spoons from Caroline's hand, "EXACTLY!" Caroline simply sat on the floor next to Elena, opened the fudge sauce jar, pouring it directly into the ice cream tub. Caroline pointed her empty spoon in the air toward Elena, "You are a Genius!" They clinked their spoons as they watch their gloriously sexy husband act out a Greek mythological battle of Gods in the backyard.

After 10 minutes of watching the brothers battling, the wives were breathing heavily, and the ice cream was almost gone. Elena takes a deep breath and rubs her baby bump, "Pregnancy hormones are driving me nuts right now." Caroline laughs, "What's my excuse! It is taking all my self-control not to vamp down there and vamp him to our bedroom." Elena joins in with a chuckle as Caroline continues, "Is it my imagination, have their bodies changed since becoming human, I mean, Stefan, he has gotten thicker in his shoulders, and maybe a little more in the thighs too." Elena agrees, "I wasn't going to mention this to Damon. I agree, he has physically changed, Damon is so sensitive about the idea of it. I don't think the internal stud is ready to know he is changing, even if it is in a positive direction." They both giggle, hoping not to draw attention. Caroline looks out at the sparring brothers, "Yummy, how long do you think they are going to be at this? My mind has been plotting all types of things to do to…"

Caroline stops in mid-sentence, her attention is diverted to pass the lawn's edge, "What is that? Elena, can you see anything at the tree edge right past the top of Stefan's head?" Elena sits up in the chair, "Nope, what am I looking for?" Caroline focuses more, "I see mystic energies... faint… dark… There is something back behind the trees. I'm going to go check it out." She was gone and out the window, which caught the brothers' attention immediately.

Damon and Stefan's eyes looked up to the open balcony doors of Elena and Damon's bedroom. Stefan caught a whiff of Caroline's perfume before he saw her, he let his eyes follow the scent to the direct opposite side of the acreage. He saw Caroline blur to a stop at the tree line, he ran to her with staff in hand, sensing concern from their lover's bond. Now that a general alert had been set, Damon felt his brother's concern, he looked at Elena, who gave him a wave that all was ok with her and the baby, so he set off after his brother.

Stefan reached Caroline's side, "What's going on?" Caroline squatting down, "I thought I saw some energy colors over here…. (poking at something that looks like gooey tar with flakes of red crystal in it)… Look at this... Have you ever seen anything like it?" She winds a bit of it on the end of a small twig and stands up. The brothers lean in to inspect it closer, each of them shaking their heads. Damon asks, "Are you getting anything mystical off of it now?" Caroline twists the twig around in a 180, "Not a thing… But I will say I do feel like there is a shadow-like essence on it. Like it was mystical or there was an aura around it not too long ago. I wonder if the bits of red have something to do with it?" Damon leans down to the earth ground, "Let me get this contained. We can get it to Dorian. Maybe he can find out something about it." He uses his magic and creates a stone bowl directly underneath the gooey substance. As the bowl rises, the tar goo is caught inside, Damon lefts the bowl off the ground, looking at the contents, he notices how the goo has taken the form of the hallowed half sphere, there was something about it. Damon wiggled the bowl, the goo followed the twists and turns of the movement. Stefan and Caroline watched as Damon was working with the bowl, Stefan was the first to break his concentration, "What has your attention?" Damon speaks in a hushed tone, "Not sure, the way this is moving, it might be familiar. I just can't seem to place it." He looks up and takes a deep breath, "Stef, too many lives to think back on, all the years as a vampire and the visions with Demetrius, my human brain doesn't work like the old V one, I guess I'm still getting used to that part. It takes a bit more to focus and pinpoint memories." Damon looks at Stefan, who is nodding his head in sympathy and understanding. The three of them turn and head back to the mansion.

The Salvatore Mansion had created a new routine during the next few months. The 3 families and 2 bachelors created a unique live/work lifestyle where family and magic co-existed in a way that no one realized was possible.

Growing families was the priority, it was an amazing change in luck or the fates came into play again when Dr. Meredith Fell came back to Mystic Falls. Elena had run into her at a Founders Event, she was so excited to see her, that Meredith landed on the wall from the hug. Elena and Meredith spent the entire event catching up on the last 5 years, Meredith couldn't believe all that had supernaturally happened to the Scooby group. Eventually, Peanut came up and of course, the lack of open-mindedness to the supernatural medical professionals that existed in Mystic Falls, Meredith agreed to take on Elena and Bonnie's pregnancy, even though OB wasn't her specialty, she wasn't a novice, she has done more than one rotation.

The first doctor's appointment with Damon and Elena included a 3D imaging ultrasound of Peanut after the initial exam was done. Elena lay on the exam table with the paper gown, Damon was standing next to her. Damon nervously, "Lena, maybe I shouldn't really be here, this lady's medical… stuff… I wasn't… I mean… This wasn't something that we guys were privy to. I'm not so sure… I mean, watching that thing... that stick thing… Psycho doc is going to put it… I'm just not so sure I'm ready for modern medicine." Meredith starts laughing, "Oh my god, this is an ultrasound machine Damon, not an exploding kitten." She did that on purpose, reference one of their adventures, it did the trick, the reference got Damon's attention. Meredith continued, "Damon, you will be fine, this is going on top of the baby, you are going to see everything on the monitor… Here… (pointing at the blank scene)... Trust me, you are going to want to be here with Elena when you see your child for the first time. If anyone in 1860 could have done this, they would have done it." Elena grabbed Damon's hand as Meredith lifted the paper gown above her baby bump, "Elena, the gel is a bit cool." Meredith smeared the lubricant over the baby bump, she turned on the monitor and picked up the ultrasound wand, laid the wand on Elena's belly, pushed a few buttons on the machine.

Damon's eyes went wide, his mouth opened, his breath sucked in deeply, "That's Peanut." Elena squeezed his hand, "That's our Peanut." Meredith grins, "One day, you have to tell me why Peanut. Here's Peanut's legs, arms, there are 5 fingers there, then there are the other 5 fingers, we have 5 toes, another 5 toes here." Damon asks, "Any more toes… 1 more big one maybe?" Meredith laughs, "Before I answer that, hold on." She pushes a button. And the sound of a heartbeat, a very loud, fast heartbeat is heard. Elena whispers, "Oh my god, Peanut's heartbeat is the most beautiful sound." Elena feels a tug on her hand, she turns to watch Damon falling to the ground. Meredith stands up and rushes to Damon's side, she notices blood pooling under his head. She gently lifts his head, he has a small gash, "He's ok, he hit his head and needs a few stitches, he's just passed out. I'm going to go get some help so I can get him on the couch. I'll get him stitched up, then we will continue this. This is too much, the big bad evil vampire Damon Salvatore passes out at the sound of his child's heartbeat. I can't wait to see how he explains his injury." Elena tries very hard to hide her smile and hold back her giggle, "Here let me help get him on the couch, I can use Peanut's magic." Elena raises her arms, and Damon glides through the air to the couch. Meredith impressed, "Nice trick, so you're a witch now too." Elena responded, "Only while I'm pregnant, something about doppelganger blood and being a battery for Peanut." Meredith made a mental note to ask more questions for medical purposes to help with the pregnancy care, right now, it was about Damon's wound. Damon started moving, "What, hey, Doc, why... What's going on?" Meredith grins, "You, my friend, fought with the floor and the floor won. It seems your baby's heartbeat did you in. Don't worry, you aren't the first expectant father to have this response." Damon was confused, "What are you talking about? What response?" Elena looks over at him, "Honey, you passed out." Meredith finished suturing Damon's head up and went back to Elena, "Now that Dad is all fixed up, let's get back to Peanut and Mom, shall we." With the ultrasound machine back on and Peanut's heartbeat playing in the background, the images of their baby's body became much clearer. Meredith moves the wand back and forth, "Shall we find out the gender?" Damon looks at Elena, who nods her head 'yes', Damon's voice takes a little higher pitch than normal, "Yes, we would like to know." Meredith grins, "Ok, Peanut, let's see if we have an extra appendage that Dad will have to teach you about." After a minute of the wand moving, Meredith stops, she pushes a button on the computer, the image on the monitor focuses. Damon stands up straighter, "That's my boy in there." Elena takes offense to that, "Excuse me, that is my son, who is going to love and cherish his mother, just like his father does." Damon looks into her eyes, his thoughts immediately turn to the future of having males in their family that are at her beck and call, knowing her, that is exactly what is going to happen. Elena Gilbert has put every Salvatore male under a spell, why not this one too. He bent down and kissed her passionately with the biggest smile on his mouth.

Elena and Bonnie's baby bumps continued to grow, regular visits with Dr. Meredith Fell finally put the fathers at ease with a medical stamp of healthy mothers and babies. Being able to know the human, the physical side of the pregnancy was on schedule made the mothers easier to comfort at the end of the day.

The magical powers increase as well. Bonnie's powers mature, she can understand the difference between her daughter's magic that was growing inside her. Damon and Stefan's proficiency with magic was growing as well. The three witches together have created new protection spells, even one that eased some of Damon's anxiety on how to keep all the humans and semi-humans protected when away from the mansion. Now each of their family had charms that were linked, a simple touch would alert the others that something is going on.

Caroline's visions are also growing, but still not consistent. Stefan and Damon were able to make a pendant from a chunk of the Amazonite Crystal, she was learning how to come & go from the visions. Her visions are mostly of the brothers or of events within their lifetimes, she can trigger them with items and concentration, she had not had any vision of a person or event outside of her circle of loved ones. The parts of her new power that she and Elena had fun with was discovering mystical energy in the Founding Family archives, aka Salvatore, Gilbert lake house, Forbes, and Lockwood attics, they spent hours and hours rummaging through attics and garages.

Elena started back to medical school, she compromised with Damon, which meant she was only gone for one full day per week at Whitmore, the rest of the classes were online. Damon and Stefan turned the conservatory into a study for her, a place where she could get plenty of light. She was surrounded by earth, plants while pregnant. They even added a water and fire feature, just in case she needed a dose of Stefan's magic for the baby.

Ric's goal of creating a place for the twins to learn and be safe was becoming a family priority. Jeremy had returned home with a story of two orphaned werewolf kids with no one to protect them. He met them in North Dakota, he had to leave them in CPS, he hated it. Jeremy knew their lives were going to be hell, he made sure to get the social worker's name and contact information. He told everyone as soon as the armory was up and running, he wanted to take a trip with Caroline and get those kids, bring them here. The family was impressed at the commitment in Jeremy's voice. They knew he wasn't going to give up on these kids. It put the Lockwood School for Gifted Children (Everyone had voted to name the school after Tyler as a founding member of the Scoobies, he would be honored) Every week the armory looked more like a school. Everyone pitched in, Stefan and Damon put their 1800s construction and craftsmanship into as many details as possible. Damon wasn't above using magic whenever possible for labor cuts, he often used it for pounding nails and sawing wood. Stefan would not admit it, his abilities with fire made the biggest difference in timing with welding and ironwork. Before the plumbing contractors were finished with their work, the brothers had the main entryway and most of the classrooms finished, they were halfway done with the student dorm rooms by the time the kitchen was started.

Stefan bought Caroline a birthday present, the Mystic Falls local news channel 3 Action News TV station, it wasn't the strongest signal, but it was hers. She loved the ruckus of news production, it also gave them a direct connection to anything weird that happened, she immediately set up a hotline with a reward for the weirdest tip for Mystic Falls happenings. She had a staff of 4 that she could boss around as much as she wanted, although, she only admitted it out loud to Stefan. She could take the girls with her to work, they had their own office with their names on the door, realistically, it was a playroom with clear window walls that everyone could keep an eye on them at all times.

Life had taken on a new normal for the Salvatore brothers, Damon and Stefan had bonded in ways they never knew possible, not just with each other, also with their wives and friends. Stefan stood pouring the bourbons as was his evening ritual when he left the Armory before his brother. He had left an hour ago, he was showered and changed, and he had just hung up with Damon.

He was thinking about what Damon said on the phone when Lizzie came running into the Library "Zio… Zio" as she jumped into his arms, Stefan squatted down, "I got you, what happened?" Lizzie cried on his shoulder, "There is a monster in our room. Don't let it get me, please Zio." Stefan held her tight, "Lizzie, I will never let anyone or thing hurt you or Josie. Tell a little bit about the monster, so I know what type of spell I need to prepare to fight it. Ok?" Lizzie put her sweet little 4-year-old arms around his neck nodding her head up and down. Stefan looked into her eyes and saw complete fear, "Were you laying on your bed when the monster scared you?" Lizzie answered, "No, I was drawing a picture of me and Josie at my desk. I miss Josie." Stefan tries to comfort her, "I know, she and Mommy will be home soon. Did you see what the monster looked like?" Lizzie tried to answer, "Yes, it had red eyes and bigger teeth than Mommy's vampy face. I didn't like its hands because they hurt my skin." She showed him her wrist, there was a red inflamed rash, it looked like a reaction to werewolf venom. Stefan looked at her wrist, "Now that is an ouchie, let's see if we can make this all better."

He took her into the kitchen, and got a bowl of cool water, he put his hand into the water, circling the water, he filled it with his magic. "Ok, Lizzie, put your arm into the water, and you need to take all the magic out of the water, ok, siphon it all." Lizzie looked into Stefan's eyes and nodded, she lowered her hand into the water, the fizzing attached to her wound immediately. Stefan noticed the rash was healing, the redness was fading, and he started to breathe again. He heard the front door open, quietly he said "Someone might be in the house." Stefan wasn't sure who came home, he knew Enzo or Caroline could hear him, Damon already knew something was wrong, as he alerted him through the brother's magical bond.

Bonnie came into the kitchen, "Enzo is checking the house now. Are you ok?" Stefan handed Lizzie to Bonnie, "Can you stay with Lizzie? I need to see what gave her that rash. Lizzie, tell Aunt BeeBee what the monster did and looked like, ok?" Lizzie nodded yes. Stefan looks Bonnie straight in the eye, "Kitchen only!" she nods, knowing that Stefan has only spelled the kitchen with protection. He rushes out of the kitchen, ends up in the entry, just as Damon and Matt walk in the front door, Damon questions, "What's the Bro 911?" Stefan tilts his head, "We have a Super Monster in the house, Lizzie is ok, it came after her, she and Bonnie are in the kitchen." Damon demands, "Elena?" Stefan shrugs his shoulders not knowing. Stefan continues, "Enzo is in the house looking." Stefan looks at Matt's hand, nods that he has the Gilbert ring on. Damon directs, "Matt and I will take the south wing. You go find Enzo and Elena, last time I talked with her, she was going to take a nap." Stefan ran up the stairs, Enzo caught up to him in the hallway, "There is a black tar on the floor of the girls' room by the window, I checked the entire room, it seems to be clear. What are we looking for?" Stefan shakes his head, "Might be a werewolf, but I don't think so. Lizzie's injury looks like a reaction to werewolf venom, it wasn't a bite. I don't know, let's just keep looking. We have to warn Elena, Damon said she was taking a nap." They head toward her bedroom. Enzo could hear Elena humming to herself with lots of movements, she was not resting. Enzo whispers, "She is up." Stefan knocks on the door before opening it, "Elena, we've got a situation." Elena turns quickly, "What's up." Stefan answers, "Someone or something got into the girls' room and came after Lizzie, she's in the kitchen with Bonnie. Damon and Matt are searching the south wing." Elena drops the baby clothes that she was folding, and lifts her shirt partway. "Stef, give the baby a boost, we can help Bonnie." Stefan agreed, he lit the candle on the nightstand, pulled the fire into the palm of his hand, and placed his other hand on the bare skin of her exposed baby bump. Elena closed her eyes, she could feel her son absorbing Stefan's magic, she knew what to do next, she stretched out her hand and concentrated, the fireball appeared on her palm, she opened her eyes, "Ok, I'm ready." She snapped her fingers and the fireball disappeared. Stefan nodded, "Go to the kitchen, Bonnie is there, keep my spell up and call Caroline, let her know what is going on. See if Bonnie learned any more from Lizzie." Elena nods, "Be careful." As she heads out the bedroom door. Stefan and Enzo follow her out and down the hallway toward more rooms. They carefully check each one, finding nothing.

Meanwhile, in the south wing, Damon and Matt are going room by room. Matt has his gun drawn as he covertly wraps around each corner, Damon keenly aware of each sound in the hallway, they came to Bonnie and Enzo's room, Damon holds his finger up. He puts his hand flat on the door, closes his eyes. He opens them quickly and points at the door, letting Matt know something is in there. Matt takes a step back, postures in the ready, Damon slowly opens the doorknob with one hand, and has the other ready with a stunning spell. The door opens wide and a black beast comes charging at them, Matt fires his gun, emptying the magazine, Damon sends the spell, freezing the monster in its tracks. Both Damon and Matt take a breath, the danger has passed for the moment. Matt says, "This is a new one. Where do you think this came from?" Damon smirks, "Hell if I know. I'm pretty sure, not the Atlanta zoo." This monster was 5 feet long with 2 legs in the front and 4 hind legs each leg ended with 6 clawed toes. Its head had the shape that reminded them of a werewolf but larger, much larger, with small red eyes, a long pointed nose, and a wide mouth with octopus-like suction cups all around it. It was covered in a feathered pelt, Damon thought it reminded him of the crows he used to control when he was a vampire. Matt asks, "Do you think it is dead?" Damon answers, "I turned its muscles and organs to quartz. I don't think it can do much more living." Matt questions, "Quartz?" Damon responds, "Easier to view under a microscope. I've been helping Elena with microbiology." Damon shrugged his shoulders. Matt laughed as he put his gun away, "Man, you completely are whipped."

Stefan and Enzo hear the gunshots, they run towards them.

In the kitchen, Bonnie, Elena, and Lizzie are sitting together at the table talking about how her Uncles are all looking for the monster and once they find it, they will make sure to tell it to go away and never come back. Lizzie proceeds to tell them that she has the best uncles in the world, a vampire, a hunter, and 2 superpower warbots, Bonnie can wait to call Damon by his new nickname. The gunshots get their attention, Elena stands up, Bonnie looks at the door, then, 3 black-feathered beasts with red eyes and claws come through the windows without breaking the glass. Elena grabs Lizzie, puts her under the table, slides the chairs in front of her. She stands in front of the chairs and starts hurling fireballs at the two coming from sink windows, Bonnie unleashes a brain aneurysm making it crumble to the ground as his head oozes black goo from every feature. Elena's two are on fire still clawing their way towards the girls when Elena throws a spell that turns them into stone. This freezes them in their tracks. Elena notices their eyes are still red. She runs to the cabinet and grabs a cast iron pan, she does the best imitation of a home run swing she can come up with and sends chunks of concrete monster pieces all over the kitchen. Elena takes Lizzie into her arms and covers her eyes to make sure she doesn't see anything, Bonnie knows that Lizzie can siphon the magic, so she doesn't do a cloaking spell. Bonnie tells Lizzie, "I want you to close your eyes, so you don't see the monsters, Aunt E and I made a big mess of them, I promise you, they can't hurt you or us anymore." Lizzie did what Bonnie asked and closed her eyes tight. Lizzie chatters, "I'm going to tell Mommy that my Aunties kick butt too" Elena and Bonnie look at each other shaking their heads if this little one only knew.

Elena had Lizzie in her arms on the couch, when everyone gathered in the living room. Enzo vamp'd to Bonnie, put his hand on his child, "Are you two ok?" Bonnie nods her head, "We are better than ok, we are perfect." Damon sat next to Elena, mouthed 'OK' she nodded back. Lizzie climbed onto Damon's lap, "Uncle D, Auntie E, she made 2 of the monsters break into pieces with a frying pan. You are wrong, Auntie E knows how to use a frying pan." Damon was completely confused as to what emotion to show first, joy that Lizzie was fine and not traumatically damaged from the experience, annoyed that he just got outed for accusing Elena of not knowing how to cook, completely freaked out that Elena and Bonnie were attacked in the kitchen. Damon looked at Elena, but Bonnie answered "Three came through the windows without breaking glass. Elena took care of two of them, I got the third. Lizzie was completely safe the entire time. So were WE!" Damon took Lizzie in his arms, "Of course, Auntie E knows how to use a frying pan, I bet she hit those monsters super hard with it." Lizzie bounced her head up and down agreeing with a big smile, she leaned in and put her arms around his neck, then she whispered in his ear, "Don't tell Auntie E or Auntie BeeBee, I was scared for a minute. They weren't, they were mad at the monster for interrupting girl time in the kitchen. But I was scared. I forgot to use my special magic you gave me." Damon put his arms around her, held her tightly, "Baby, you did just like you were supposed to, you listened to your Aunties, you stayed right where they said. Most importantly, you didn't let those monsters get you. I got you. No one gets Team Salvatore." Lizzie asked, "Can I stay right here with you, I promise I won't make noise while the grownups talk." Damon squeezes her, "Little Bug, you aren't going anywhere, now shush, and rest for a while." Lizzie yawned with her arm firmly around Damon's neck, she closed her eyes and the monsters didn't bother her at all.

Damon kept his voice at a mild tone so as not to disturb Lizzie, "So what the hell are those things? Matt and I got one in Enzo & Bon Bon's room. We need to get it contained." Bonnie answers, "Everything in the kitchen happened so fast, I think I might have recognized it as a hellhound from one of the etchings at the armory. Ric and I were discussing something about my witch ancestors and the hellfires the night that we sent Katherine back to hell. Do you think she found a way to mess with us again?" Damon and Stefan looked at each other. Elena answers, "If she did, we have the upper hand now since I'm a Petrova with doppelganger blood. If it was her, she would have to use her blood to create the hounds, since she's a dead human. If we can get some of the monster goo, we can find out if there is anything that bonds to mine. Right?" Damon shakes his head, "It can't be that easy, if it is Katherine, she knows that too. More importantly, she knows that we know that. Elena is a Petrova, Katherine is a Petrova, we do the spell it might give Katherine a foothold on earth again. Too many what if's for us to try anything until we know more. If this has anything to do with Katherine, we have to be extra careful and knowledgeable before making any move at all." Stefan's voice has complete disdain, "Agreed, Going through glass, that doesn't sound very hell-like. Heat melts glass. How does something go through glass without breaking it?" Enzo adds, "For tonight, is there a barrier spell or something that can keep us safe from unwanted guests? '' Bonnie starts thinking, "If Elena and Stefan can offer some Doppel blood, I can put a barrier spell around the entire house." Damon interrupts, "No, Bon Bon, that will require too much Bennett blood. I know that spell. I think I have a better idea. How does everyone feel about a camping trip? Just for tonight." Stefan smiles, "That is a great idea, the Temple cottage"

Caroline and Ric walk in the doors with a sleeping Josie in his arms. Caroline vamps to Damon, "Lizzie!" Damon leans so Caroline can see a perfectly safe and healthy sleeping Lizzie. Damon assures her, "Stefan healed her right away. She is fine." Caroline walks over to Stefan, "Healed her?" Stefan pulls out his cell phone, Ric joins them looking at the photo Stefan took of the rash. Stefan uses his calm voice, "We want to stay at the Temple tonight, all of us. The creatures came in through the glass windows without breaking the glass. Caroline, this might be a mark. Damon and I want to get the girls into the pond. We want to make sure there is no dark magic. I cleaned it right away. It's the girls, we want to make sure and not take any chances. They are Gemini twins, there is a chance that it can transfer to Josie without direct contact." Ric shakes his head yes, "It could be a mark. That is the safest place, the cottage offers the best protection. I'm going to take what I can of these creatures back to the Armory and see what Doran and I can come up with." Matt agrees, "I'm going to join you. I've got the sheriff's computer connected there now, I can log in and see if there are any reports with similar MOs. We need to get on top of this." Caroline was pissed off, "What are these things that came after my girls?" Matt offers the answer, "Damon and I got one in Enzo and Bon's room. I'll go with you." Bonnie gets up, "Hold on, let me get a bag and spell it, just in case, we don't want anything to get loose." Stefan walks toward Caroline, "Let me come to I'll add some silver to your spell, if there is any werewolf to this creature, it will help. Matt, for the goo, there are silver goblets in the dining room, we should use to collect it." Matt nods, "Good idea." Enzo follows Caroline and Bonnie, "I'll do the heavy lifting, Ladies."

Damon still holding a sleeping Lizzie, he looks at Ric with Josie in his arms, "We should get the girls to the pond tonight. We don't know if it was a mark or not. If it was, Stef and I can pull it out completely from both of them. Ric, I promise, we can protect them." Ric looks at him, "Damon, these are my girls, my life, I can't lose them." Damon knows exactly how his friend feels, "You won't. Ric, we won't. This family needs everyone to do their specialty. You, my friend, are the expert. Give us something on what this is. Stef and I will find out what kind of magic this is and get rid of it. You and Doran give us an idea of where it came from so we can permanently get them out of our lives." Ric hands sleeping Josie to Damon, he touches both his daughters' heads, "My life is in your hands, don't let me down." Damon gives him a look that puts Ric at ease, "Never again my friend, never ever again." Ric goes upstairs to help with the collection.

Elena combs Damon's hair with her fingers, "You're worried about the girls." as she watches him staring at them in his arms. Damon whispers, "I can't get inside them right now, I can usually feel them when they are siphoning me. I realize they aren't siphoning. I just want to know they are ok and safe. Elena, if something is hurting them. Ric and Care will be devastated." Elena leans on his shoulder, "Damon, you will be devastated, you love them, just as much, you don't care that they aren't your blood. They are your nieces, the nieces of your heart. And you would give up your life for them without hesitation. Wouldn't you?" Damon struggles to keep his voice calm, so he doesn't disturb the girls that are secure and sleeping on his lap without a care in the world, "Damn it, Elena. We have to get them to the pond. Now!"

Bonnie comes downstairs, "God that is an ugly thing. It doesn't have much in the way of teeth. Ric and I were talking, it must suck magic or souls, it takes something. Enzo broke it up into pieces, it seems to have mostly chambers, again for storing. We just don't know what. Just another thing to re-enforce the idea of a sucking monster. Caroline and Enzo are bringing it down now. Matt and Ric got some goo too. It's sticky, no one got it on them. I think the rug is a goner."

Damon gives directions, "When it is safe, the two of you should go upstairs and pack a few things for the cottage. Also, get things for the girls. I know that Caroline has all the linens and household items already there. We just need clothes, food, blood bags, and the girl's toys. You two stay together, no solo mission, promise!" Elena and Bonnie look at each other and then look at Damon, they look back at each other, as their eyes meet, they start to laugh, they know what the other is thinking. The looks say it all, 'Who is this Damon sitting on the couch with a sleeping twin in each arm, calmly barking domestic packing lists in the middle of a monster invasion crisis? Where is the crazy impulsive Damon of just 1 year ago covered in blood from ripping a heart or two from someone's chest?' With a smile and a smirk, the wife and the best friend lock their arms, head up the stairs to pack bags, and leave Damon protecting his precious cargo.

Stefan is downstairs, "Where's Bonnie and Elena?" Damon frowns then whispers, "They are upstairs packing together. I told them to stay together. The twins should have protection at all times. I'm on duty. That thing went after the youngest witch in the house and the two pregnant witches? Bonnie said it has suckers on the mouth. I'm thinking…" Damon did not finish his thought out loud, Stefan was already shaking his head in agreement. Stefan thinks out loud, "I've been thinking about the girls being the only Geminis, that may be… they are targets… Could be the same with your baby and Bonnie's? Think about it, we are the first in our coven for over 3,000 years. Bonnie has made a new coven with Enzo & the doppel blood, we have no idea what type of magic will develop from that. Your child is the product of the last female doppelganger with the cure in her veins and an Element High Priest. Elena is a powerful witch using the baby's magic, the baby isn't born." Damon tries not to raise his voice, "Stef, Tell me about it. Elena knows I haven't talked to her about it. She knows that I have been unusually quiet about her safety. When she used magic to protect herself from the falling tree…" Damon shrugs his shoulders "That moment was a very tough one, I was terrified, if I was still a vampire each one of those contractors would have been dead in a second. I also realized that Elena understood how to borrow from the baby, and how powerful he is and will be. I've been keeping Elena 'juiced' ever since, I appreciate the brother boosters." Stefan nods, "I have to admit, that was a moment I don't want to relive. I think you have something with the coven thing. If our destiny is to bring peace to magic, it would make sense that dark forces would sense that something has changed on the 'good' side. They would be trying to join as many covens together as they could. Young, small covens joining together would be ideal. How do we protect the Gemini Coven when the coven's leader is dead in hell and the only other witches are 4-year-old siphons with no magic of their own." Damon smirks, "That my brother is a good question. Once we get everyone safe at the cottage, we will start figuring out an answer. In the meantime, will you, please take your kiddos. I'm going to go help the preggos." Stefan leans down and takes Josie from Damon. Damon lays Lizzie on the couch, kisses her forehead as he covers her, Stefan takes the seat Damon relinquishes with Josie in his lap, laying his arm across Lizzie.

Enzo carrying the bag, "This thing isn't exactly on a carb-free diet." Damon laughs, "Let me get the door and trunk." walking in front of Enzo, "What's your guess on this thing?" Enzo answers, "Ric was talking about some ancient hell guards. It carries a bit of weight, given that you have screwed with hell a few times. It does bring up a question, is Mystic Falls the only place that hell fires can be summoned? Matt is going to reach out to Interpol and see if there are any questionable events." Damon dropped the trunk, "That is a question worth looking into. I hate to bring her into it, Sexy Bex would have a good idea on an answer to that question." Enzo grins, "Elena and Caroline are not going to be happy about having the Original Sister back in the party. From the stories Bonnie has told me, the brothers have both partaken of the sexy part." Damon rolls his eyes, "Ancient history, no one even remembers that far back. Caroline joins them holding a paper bag, "Damon, when was the last time you bought Elena diamond jewelry?" Damon questions, "What does that have to do with anything Care?" Caroline laughs, "You bring Rebecca back to Mystic Falls. It will have everything to do with it. And you can take your brother to the Jewelry store with you." She hands him the bag, turns around, and walks back into the house. Damon concedes, "I think I'll ask Ric if there is a way we can research this on our own first." Enzo grins, "Good idea, Mate." They hear Caroline's laughter in the house. Ric has the car keys in his hand, "Ok, I think we got everything, I pulled some of the rock fragments from the kitchen and the charred remains that Bonnie cooked. Not sure what we can pull from them. Dorian and I will work on them." Damon reminds, "Ric, what if we are dealing with something pre-Cade hell, that is over 1,000 years ago. That is pre-Originals, did the Armory have any research that old? Can we do any fact-finding?" Ric answers, "I think we can hit a few high notes, I'll find out more once I get into the archives. Dorian has been digitizing almost everything from the vaults, so we might be able to have something tonight. Something tells me that you and Stefan might be able to help out with your ancestors with this one." Damon agrees, "We going to ask, right after we make sure the girls are protected and mark free. Girls first, Ric. I'll let you know as soon as we are done." Ric puts his hand on Damon's shoulder. Matt comes out the front door "Do we have everything we need?" Ric nods, "Yep, off to the Armory." Matt opens the passenger door "Ok, I've called the station to have a patrol car drive by here every 30 minutes looking for outlines of people walking in the house, or for the lights off. Make sure to leave all the lights on and the drapes open. We want these things to be seen from the street. None of my guys are coming inside." Damon is proud, "Smart thinking Sheriff". Ric gets in the car and off they speed out of the carport and through the driveway.

Damon heads upstairs to find Elena and Bonnie in Bonnie and Enzo's room packing, Elena says, "I'm sure, has to be, we are both pregnant with witches." Damon smirks, "So my intelligent and amazing wife has a theory." Elena and Bonnie both jump just a bit at the sound of Damon's voice, "How's the packing going? Where can I be of assistance, to my two favorite knocked-up beauties?" Bonnie throws a rolled-up pair of socks at Damon, "No beautiful, amazing, powerful pregnant witch wants to be called 'knocked up', remember that Damon, because we both can burn your eyebrows right off." Elena laughs, "That's right, grab those two bags to your left. They are for the twins and Caroline/Stef. Bon is done with her and Enzo. We were heading to our room next." Damon questions, "Have you noticed anything unusual?" Elena answers, "Nothing so far. This rug is done for, I asked Enzo to put it into the fireplace before we leave. We should destroy the goo with fire." Damon looks down at the rug, "Damn, this was one of my favorites, picked it up in '42. Let's get going." He lowers his head, giving the loss a moment of silence, picks up the bags, and heads downstairs.

A little while later, Bonnie and Elena are in Damon and Elena's Bedroom when Enzo and Damon walk in, Enzo announces, "We have everything so far packed in the SUV, just waiting on this last one." Damon helps out, "Bon, why don't you head out with Enzo, I'll finish up with Elena. We need another witch to help Stef with the twins." Bonnie nodded and took Enzo's extended hand. She looked back to see Damon wink at her as they walked out the door. Elena suspiciously. "What was that for?" Damon walked over to her, "I just wanted a moment alone with my wife since we are about to spend the next who knows how long in a small cottage full of people." He takes her in his arms and captures her mouth with his. She wraps her arms around his neck, pressing her baby bump into his body, deepening the kiss much more than Damon was prepared for. Her sweater was off, and her shirt was almost over her head by the time he realized what he was doing, "Damn it, Elena, Do you see what you do to my control!" He said as a demand, not a question. She laughed, "It isn't my fault you are a horny devil." As she reached down and stroked him over the fabric of his pants, he grabbed her hand, "Stop it now!" Elena straightened her shirt, picked her sweater off the floor, put it on the bed, and looked at Damon with a glint in her eye. Damon pointed his finger at her, "Don't look at me like that, we aren't vampires anymore, so there isn't such a thing as quickie vamp sex. And no human quickie either. Elena, you need to stop it and get back to packing. You and your pregnancy hormones are going to be the death of me." Elena grabs his shirt collar and pulls him in for a hard, deep open mouth, passion-filled kiss that sends sparks flying and catches Damon completely off guard, she ends the kiss as quickly as she began it, "But what a way to die, my love!" turned and walked into the closet. Damon, watched his wife's shapely rear-end walk away from him, he reached down to re-adjust himself, since her sexy assault left him uncomfortable and painfully wanting. Damon catches a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, he frowned at himself, at 181 years old, when it came to Elena he had the self-control of an adolescent boy. Elena came out of the closet with her arms full of clothes, "Ok, this is what we need for a few days. Did you get the toiletries?" Damon takes the clothes from her arms, "We are good." He packed the rest of the duffle bag and zipped it shut. Damon tries to hurry her up, "Elena, let's go" as he puts his arm around her and has the bag in his other hand, they head out the bedroom door.

The 3 vehicle caravan was on its way to the Temple Cottage. Stefan and Caroline took the twins in the SUV packed with all the supplies, Enzo and Bonnie followed in the Enzo's new Mercedes, Damon's Camaro brought up the rear blasting 1970's grunge rock just to keep Elena's hands from roaming places he couldn't handle right now.

The caravan arrives at the Cottage, parking one by one in the front, as the passengers start to exit the vehicles, the last car gets all the attention, Damon pleading, "Elena, I'm sorry, Baby, really, I didn't mean it, honestly. Elena. I was just. Honey." Elena slams the car door. Stefan held up his arms, "Damon?" Damon threw his arms up and rolled his eyes, "Pregnancy Hormones gone wild." Unfortunately for her husband, Elena did not wait for him to help her out, she was facing him on the other side of the car catching his conversation with Stefan. His description of the drive did not help his plight at all, this was made crystal clear as she waved her hand in small circles, then thrusts toward Damon, and pine cones from a nearby tree came hurling at Damon, finding their precise aim, his chest, leaving dirt imprints on his shirt. Damon cried, "OUCH, Elena, I'm not a vampire anymore, that actually hurts." Elena yells, "I know!" as she opens the front door of the cottage and walks in, Bonnie and Caroline laughing, not far behind her, "He should know better than to mess with a pregnant woman, let alone a pregnant woman with access to witch powers." Damon sending death looks to his sister-in-law and his BFF, "Not helping ladies, not helping." Enzo hits Damon's shoulder, "Rookie move, Mate. Have no idea what you did. Rookie Move." Stefan hands Damon 3 bags, flashes an "I agree" face at him, loads up Enzo and grabs a couple of boxes, and heads into the cottage, leaving Damon completely on his own.

Caroline follows Elena into the living room "So, what happen, what did Damon do?" Bonnie was right behind, holding her baby bump, smiling, "Wait for me, I want in on this conversation too." Elena confesses, "I should not have used magic on him. I was just so frustrated. He makes me so mad sometimes." She stopped, maybe he was right, maybe she was being a little bit hormonal. Caroline questions, "Well? It is understandable, he is Damon Salvatore have all. Yes, he is my brother-in-law and I do kinda love nowadays, but he is still Damon Salvatore." Both Elena and Bonnie looked at Caroline with the most ludicrous smile on their faces. It was so nice after everything that this family had been through they could laugh and accept the whole of each person, and love them. Caroline knew what her friends were thinking, so she smiled with them as she reminded, "Well, what happen?" Elena starts explaining the events, "When we got in the car, he turned on the music, and I asked if I could… "Enzo came into the living room, "Sorry Ladies, do we know which rooms are for who yet?" Caroline looked at Enzo very annoyed, "I will show you. Elena, don't you say a word until I get back. I'm not missing anything." as she huffed away.

Stefan came in the door, he puts the bags down. He sits next to Elena, she takes a deep breath, she readjusts so that her back is leaning on his chest and his arm goes around her shoulder, she takes his hand and puts on her baby bump, "If you going to defend your brother, you might as well give your nephew some juice. I woke Peanut up and he is jumping all over the place. Stefan laughs as Elena puts her legs up and settles in for a sermon on the virtues of her husband. Stefan starts the lecture, "He is sorry. He is still figuring out this husband and father role. His only instinct is to protect you. Damon has only known you one way. He also had vampire blood as a backup if something went wrong. Everything did a 180 on him. He couldn't be happier, he is human and you are awake. Now you are growing his child inside you and magic is everywhere. Remember as vampires, we thought magic was the plague, magic was the one thing that hurt us, we had no defense to fight it. And now it is beaming out our pores. His child has given you powers. Everyone thinks Damon is in control and ok with all these changes, he isn't as confident as he is projecting. He is There are so many human considerations that he was never exposed to even as a human. And now, he is not just exposed but having to support and react to." Elena yawns, "I just want him to be a normal boyfr... I mean husband." Stefan laughed "You want an almost 200-year-old ex-vampire to be normal. Let alone that specific person is Damon to be normal. You really don't want him to be anything other than Damon. Elena, you magically hurled pine cones at him. That isn't exactly normal behavior yourself there Mrs. Doppelganger." He kissed her forehead as he started playing magic hide n seek with his niece or nephew. Damon walks through the front door, he sees Stefan with Elena and knows that Stefan has calmed her down. Stefan nods his head and smiles, Damon mouths the words 'Thank you, bro' and continues up the stairs to their room.

By the time that Caroline comes back downstairs, Stefan has calmed the baby to the point that now Elena is also sleeping. Stefan whispers, "She finally fell asleep. Peanut was giving her quite the fit." Caroline lifts Elena's legs and sits next to her. Caroline starts talking in a low rhythmic tone, "I am so glad that you get to experience this pregnancy with Damon and Elena. We don't get to do the child thing the normal way. Life has a way of making sure we get to experience all of it. We have two amazing girls. And now, we get to help Elena with Peanut every step of the way. I can't imagine being any more fulfilled in this amazing life." Elena stirs, "The best Uncle and Auntie in the world. But lousy BFFs... Ssshh, I'm trying to sleep." Stefan quietly responds, "Let me help with that." He stands up, and carries Elena upstairs, where Damon is unpacking their bag, he turns the covers down so Stef can lay Elena on the bed. Damon puts his arm on Stef's shoulder to thank him for making sure she was better, Stefan nodded and left the room. Damon turned to his wife and takes off her shoes, he pulled up her shirt just a bit to make sure her pants were unbuttoned, he smiled after seeing that she was wearing the maturity pants she threw a fit about being forced to buy since nothing fits and everything hurt. He took the blanket and covered her, kissing her lips "I love you, Elena Gilbert Salvatore."

Damon was halfway down the stairs when he saw Stefan with a glass of bourbon in his outreached arm aimed directly at him. As he reached the bourbon, he took a small sip, he heard Stefan "So you want to talk about that?" Damon nods, "Not exactly sure what that was about, we were driving along. She was a little upset that we didn't have enough time at the house to... You know! Pregnancy hormones are the greatest in one area, I might add. To dial the frisk down a bit I put on some grunge rock from the '70s, it isn't exactly her favorite. It worked, she was distracted. Elena started talking about a new haircut after the baby was born. She thought about cutting her hair shorter, she said something about a short bob, whatever that means. I told her that Katherine cut her hair in the 1920s and showed me a photo and it looked good, very sassy & sexy. Elena went crazy about how she was fat and I didn't find her sexy, I didn't want to make love to her anymore... On and on about everything that didn't make sense. Then she hurls pine cones at me. She could've killed me." Stefan laughs so hard, he spits his bourbon into the fire and the flames flare, "Being a little overly dramatic brother, apparently, Elena isn't the only one with hormone issues." Damon pissed, "Stefan, you are not helping. My wife is pregnant, she isn't making any sense, and has access to magic. Exactly how am I supposed to handle this?" Stefan explains, "Damon, you are not supposed 'handle' it. You're a husband and a soon-to-be father. You have to support her, love her, and just roll with it. And most importantly not come unglued when she does. You were right, she is having an issue with hormones. You don't need to tell her about it. That is stating the obvious. No wonder she hit you with pine cones. Be thankful if you were a vampire, she would have staked you." Damon and Stefan clinked glasses on that statement.

Elena stretches her arms, she opens her eyes, she hears laughter downstairs. Her nap did her a world of good, she feels refreshed. She throws the covers off and looks around the room, she stands up and slowly walks to the wall closest to the door. She recognizes the artwork sized photo hanging of her, Jeremy, and Jenna took the summer after her parents died, Elena smiles at the smiles in the picture, remembering how Jenna had blackmailed her and Jeremy into a weekend at the lake house, then the picnic lunch on that blanket, the blanket from hell, they put their heads down so that the photo could be of the three heads touching at the top. They laughed so hard trying to hold the camera and push the button, three hands doing three things from above the blanket from hell. Elena laughed out loud remembering how hard it was to get the photo taken.

The next memory she had was when they were looking at all the attempts 27 of them to be exact, this one was the only one that captured true smiles, and the first time each of them had laughed since Miranda and Grayson died. Elena ran her fingers over the photo, she whispered "Damn it, Damon, how am I supposed to stay mad at you." Even as the selfish, bad decision-making vampire, Damon was a romantic, sentimental fool, as a human and now a witch there was no difference. Damon still made her his world, he turned their cottage room into a little sanctuary, with little mementos of her life, his life, and their life together. On the walls were framed photos and photo collages of them, their friends and family in between, what she knew had to be original artwork with themes of family gatherings. On their dresser was a silver tray with her favorite perfumes and 2 of his colognes, more pictures of family, the largest frame being her favorite photo of them from the wedding. She opened the dresser drawers, the top one had her hairbrush, a selection of hair ties, clips, her makeup bag, the travel-size toiletries she had got for weekend getaways, and a mini jewelry box. She opened the jewelry box, it was filled with a few pieces from home and a few new pieces that she hadn't seen before, she would wait for Damon to announce what he had done, she closed the box. The rest of the drawers had his/ her underclothes, pajamas, and anything that wasn't going into the closet. Her side of the bed nightstand had a large beautiful ornately carved rose quartz crystal, she walked over to it, as she got closer, she realized what the carving was, it was her and Damon dancing, not just any dance, the dance in her dream when Kai put her to sleep, it was his promise of forever, it was sad but real in his mind and heart. It was so beautiful, a tear ran down her face, as her fingers gently glided over the carving of Damon. She wasn't ever going to stay mad at him long, she looked up and saw the well-used vintage books on his nightstand, she didn't have to go over to know what the title was.

She gazed around the room noticing the potted plants and flowers that dotted the room, just enough to give a comfy natural look and feel. She loved it, their sweet home away from home. Peanut got her attention, or her skin's attention, no one had told her about how uncomfortable fabric would feel on her skin being pregnant, these maturity stretch pants were the worst. Elena went straight to the closet knowing Damon had unpacked their clothes. Their closet was small, just big enough for long weekends and the items that they were going need to have on hand. She noticed the new plush robes, she thought how great those would be for evening dips in the temple pond, there are also a few new flannel shirts she hadn't seen before, memories of her parents at the Lakehouse came into her mind, as she grabbed the sleeve of one, "Damon, what am I going to do with you!" came out more as a statement than a question. In the back was a garment bag, Elena unzipped it, the color was majestic, a regal amethyst purple silk gown, she puts it out more, lingerie gown. She puts it against her body, and laughs "Well, now, I know why this is in the garment bag, in the back of the closet, and not in our bedroom at home." she pats her baby bump, "I will not be wearing this until after we meet you, our darling little Peanut. I wonder when your Dad bought, I will wager it was before he realized you were here." Elena put the gown back the way she found it, she wasn't going to let Damon know she found his surprise. She found the day dress she was looking for, light green with yellow and blue flowers, went back to the bed, took off her clothes, and put her dress on. She got her hairbrush and hair tie, Elena decided hair up was the way to go tonight. She looked in the full-length floor mirror, pinched her cheeks, dabbed a bit of lip gloss on, and decided she was ready to take on her husband, out the bedroom she went.

The fireplace was roaring, Stefan was laying on the area rug, he had small golf ball size fireballs in each of his hands that were strategically placed above his head that was laying on the stonework of the fireplace, the twins were down at his feet, each had a hold of one of his ankles with one of their little 4-year-old hands, while the other hand was waving slowly in the air. Bonnie and Caroline were sitting on the couch, completely engrossed in what was going happening on the floor in front of them. To the left was the kitchen, where Damon and Enzo were preparing dinner, the sounds of the knife hitting the wood chopping board would silence when a cheer of encouragement would come from the kitchen. As Elena reached the bottom step, she realized that Bonnie was teaching Lizzie and Josie magic, the twins were siphoning from Stefan. She caught Damon's attention, her reaction to the realization as to what was going on made his heart leap, her smile brightened the entire room from his perspective. Elena saw the floating feathers, "Bonnie, I love this, can you teach me to? I can use Peanut's magic." Elena walked over to the twins, attempted to get to the floor a few times in a graceful manner, before Caroline took pity on her "Just fall into my arms, I got you." The whole falling event was over before Damon could protest. Elena was in and out of Caroline's arm, safely on the floor in a comfortable position with pillows behind her back, courtesy of Caroline's vamp speed.

Damon's heart flipped during the brief second he watched his pregnant wife fall into his sister-in-law's vampire strong arms, which still didn't stop him from feeling incredibly uncomfortable with his human reaction time, he looked down and the knife was still in his hand. He looks down at his hand, puts the knife down, and shakes it out. Enzo pats his shoulder, "Mate, she is fine, there was never any danger. Trust her." Damon looks at Enzo, "I'm trying I can't figure out if my mind is having a hard time or my heart, maybe it's both. They are my world." Enzo points with the wooden spoon in his hand "Tell me about it" the aim of the spoon is Bonnie. Damon picks up the knife and starts chopping again "So have you picked a date for the wedding yet." Enzo's stance changes "That bloody woman will not pick a date until our daughter is born. She refuses to wear a wedding dress pregnant. My daughter is going to be born illegitimate. I cannot say anything or do anything to change Bonnie's mind. We live in 2020, not 1890 is all I ever hear from her. That Witch is getting on my last nerve." Damon agrees, "Bon Bon is a stubborn one, I definitely know that from personal experience." Enzo lowers his voice, "I'm sure you are dealing with the same libido issue with Elena." Damon nods his head, "I'm not complaining at all." Enzo confesses, "Last week, I thought I'd try a different strategy, no sex until Bonnie agreed to a wedding date before the baby was born." Damon shook his head, he knew that was not the smartest move to make. "How did she take that strategy?" Enzo whispers, "From your tone and smirk, you already know it was a complete failure. Never realized how mad that my little witch could get, she actually bound me to the bed until…. Well, I did what we wanted to do." Damon raised an eyebrow "Bound... hmm Bon Bon, didn't realize she had the kink in her. Congratulations Mate." Enzo unsettled, "Damon, this isn't funny. I want to marry that witch… NOW... and she wants to marry me, just not until after the baby is born? What am I going to do?" Damon sympathetically responds, "She loves you, she is carrying your daughter. She isn't going anywhere. Bonnie Bennett's love moves heaven and destroys hell. You, Mate, need to deal with the fact that you are in love with a modern woman who is independent, powerful, and has her own mind. It's hell, don't I know it. But damn it, they are the best." Enzo exhales deeply as if admitting defeat. Damon puts his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Come on man, you are alive'ish, in love with my best friend, the most amazing and a powerful witch, who for some reason, I cannot figure out, loves you with her whole being. Seriously, is there anything else to really want?" Enzo puts the lid on the pot, walks out of the kitchen, straight to the backside of the couch, behind Bonnie, leans over her, she looks up, he catches her bottom lip with his mouth and kisses her deeply, "You win love. You get everything you want. The one catch, is we start planning now. So pick the date, after Sheila Emily St John Bennett is born. Because you, Bonnie Bennett, are going to be my wife, from that moment on." Damon in a male pride voice, "And that is how you take charge of a situation." Elena and Caroline say in unison, "Wedding planning party!" Stefan lifts his head up and smiles as the twins hover feathers over Enzo and Bonnie's heads.

At the dinner table, the conversation turns to the twins. Lizzie asks, "Zio when the monster hurt me right?" Stefan put his hand on her head "Yes, honey, that is what we are talking about. Uncle D and I want you and Josie to be safe forever and ever. That is why we are going to take you to the pond after dinner. Mommy and I talked about it on the drive here today." Josie excitedly, "I know, we get to swim in the pond too." Caroline "Yes, after you play with Zio and Uncle D's magic." Damon "It is a beautiful night for a swim. I think everyone should come out to the pond. Elena and Bonnie, it would do you some good too." Bonnie comments, "I would love a cool dip, this heat got to me today." Enzo agrees, "Sounds like a family dip it is." The twins are so excited they start getting out of their seats, Stefan reminds, "Hey... Hey... Dinner isn't over yet, you haven't finished eating. I've never ever known you not to want dessert?" The twins freeze in mid-scoot "We are having dessert?" Stefan nods, "Yes, but you have to finish your dinner. Uncle D and Uncle Enzo made delicious pasta and chicken, we don't want to hurt their feelings by not eating." Both the girls turn towards the table in their chairs and shake their heads, they look at their uncles, "Dinner tastes really really good." Enzo is still not used to the twin's affectionate stares, he blushes when says "Thank you" Damon in a more gruff voice, "You munchkins, need to eat until your full. All the magic full we are going to have will make you hungry if you don't start with a full tummy." Lizzie looked at Uncle D with big bright eyes, she took her fork and put a fork full of food in her mouth. He gave her one of his signature sexy irresistible Damon eye looks with a wink, which she promptly tried to return blinking both eyes back at him. Everyone at the table got a wonderful chuckle from the exchange, Damon was choking on his food from Josie's response.

As dinner continue so did the conversation regarding tonight's ritual. Caroline asks, "Did Ric find out anything else about the mo…. Books" Not wanting to remind Lizzie of the attack, "We found upstairs? The twins had developed faster than any children their age in many ways, and in other ways, they were exactly where they should be, this however was one of those ways they were smarter than Caroline wanted them to be. Lizzie reminds Caroline, "Mommy, Daddy didn't take books to the armory." she was still getting that word right "He took the monster's head." As she took another bite of pasta. Caroline shakes her head, "Yes, Lizzie you are right. I have no idea, why I even try. Their childhood is going to be a therapist retirement fund." Stefan put his arm around Caroline, "From where I'm sitting, it looks like they have an amazing childhood, surrounded by a family that will do anything to protect them, including telling them the truth for their protection." Caroline looked around, everyone at the table nodded their head, if they continue to chat like it isn't a big deal, the girl would not think it was a big deal, just another day in the lives of Team Salvatore, Caroline shrugged her shoulders and continued, "Has Ric learned anything more from the monster's head." She stared at the girls watching them continue to eat the food like the conversation was about water cooler gossip at the office. Damon smiles as he watches the girls continue to eat, "I talked to him an hour ago, nothing new, but a little bit of a theory. Ric found valves from the suction cups leading down the neck to what he assumes is a holding tank of sorts. Since the attacks were on Elena and Bonnie, Stef and I have been thinking, there is a theory that is coming together."

Damon has everyone's attention as he continues, "Bon, you were the last Bennett witch born with powers. It's been 24 years, not a full generation, not something that your ancestors would worry about. Others would take notice. When it comes to powerful magic, outside of New Orleans, the Bennett line is it. Until now, the little witch inside of Elena might be giving off a powerful magical aura. A little miss 'I can play with my child's magic over here' has been using our child's magic as 'a come find me beacon'. The theory is these guys go around siphoning magic, a specific type of magic, young, immature magic. Once we get to the temple, Stef and I will summon our bloodline for a couple of 411s, the guess is this type of young magic can be turned, light or dark." Stefan takes over, "Demetrius told us, our destiny has always been to protect the balance between light and dark. If dark is trying to tip the scale, our job may have a start date." Damon leaned back, put his arm on the back of Lizzie's chair, and nodded. Elena gets to the conversation, "How do you know that these things can siphon or take the magic from our kids?" Damon looks at Elena with a 'that is my girl' look that makes her get all tingly inside. Damon winks at her, continually being impressed, "My dear, you are always right with the lesson plan, we want Ric here before we start talking about this part." Caroline questions, "Ric is coming?" Stefan nod as he answers, "When Damon called he asked Ric to head over, we need both of you to hear and think about a proposal that we would like to make regarding the twins."