Thank you Lauren for betaing this chapter.

Someone like you

Chapter 12

'Need a second to breathe'

Her eyes switched between the blue ones and the closed ones from the boy in his arms, her heart drumming in her chest. She focused on the ocean of blue when he squeezed her hand, holding it in a tight grip. Tears welled up in her eyes as they stared at each other, remembering the times she woke up next to him in completely different circumstances. With his arms wrapped around her, his naked chest breathing against her own, her body comfortable and at peace.

She didn't have to almost die to realize she would never belong to someone else, she knew. When they had started an affair she told herself it was just physical and that after a few times her body would be satisfied so she could go back to her husband. But the truth was that deep inside of her she knew that after him, she couldn't just go back to her husband, not when she had been possessed like that, not when she had felt things her husband would never be able to let her feel.

She had to die to realize that you couldn't walk away from the one that was made for you, the only one who could love you the way you were supposed to be loved. The day she realized she stopped loving her husband and had fallen in love with someone else, terrified her, because she didn't want to give up her safe harbor, the place where she had let her anchor down. But that day disappeared to the back of her mind the day she realized just how much she loved him, what she would do to keep him so she would be able to love him. It had scared her at the time and she tried to fight those feelings, only to lose that fight. She was made to love him, she had been born to live next to him, to carry his ring and raise his children.

So at the end of the day that's what she did, she gave into him and spoke the words, held him in her arms and silently vowed to spend the rest of her life with him. And in return he loved her more than she thought possible, deeper than she'd ever seen a man love a woman. He became her world, became the air she breathed and the longer she loved him, the more she started to understand why she had been afraid to love him. He had the power to tear her down and kill her just with a few words, he could leave her and she would fall into pieces, finding no way out of her grief. Her heart had understood all along, there would be no man after him.

"You know." Her eyes traveled between his blue ones and Liam's sleeping form. "You know."

"Shh, it's okay."

"I'm so sorry." Tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."

"Calm down." He shifted in his seat, holding Liam against his chest. "Everything's okay."

"Is he okay?" Her eyes shifted to Liam who snuggled deeper into Damon's chest. "Was he hurt?"

"No, he's fine." He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "He's going home tomorrow."

"I want to hold him."

"I'll wake him up." He pulled his hand from hers, placing it on Liam's arm. "Ready for tears?"

"I just want to make sure he's okay." She nodded, flinching as she tried to move. "I want to hold my son."

"Liam." Damon shook his shoulder, quietly repeating his name until his blue eyes started to flutter. "Look who woke up."

"Mommy?" His blue eyes snapped open and locked with the brown ones from his mother. "Mommy!"

"Easy little guy." Damon picked him up as he tried to jump on the bed. "Your mommy is hurt."

Elena didn't feel the pain in her body anymore as she wrapped her arms around the little boy, squeezing him tightly against her. More tears streamed down her cheeks as she held him for dear life, showering the side of his face with kisses, whispering soothing words to her son that lay now crying in her arms.

"You okay?" She clutched him tightly against her, wiping away his tears. "Does anything hurt?"

"No." He shook his head and buried his face in the crook of her neck, sobbing quietly there. "I missed you Mommy."

"I missed you too." She ran her fingers through his chestnut hair, ignoring how much it hurt. "My beautiful son."

It was one thing to love a man, it was another thing to love his son. Because that piece she took with her the day she left him, was also the biggest piece of her, a piece she had been selfish enough to claim as her own. Once she became the mother to their son, some part of her felt complete; the child she wanted lay in her arms, the man she loved was in some way there, the foundation of the family she dreamed about was within reach.

"Damon."

She reached for him, for the first time since she woke up really realizing he was there, that she had spoken the words she should have said the day he forced them on her. Now their son was safe in her arms, there was only one other person to worry about, to hold in her arms to know she was really back in the world of the living. She pulled him next to her and shifted under Liam's small frame, taking all his weight on her to make room for his father. A sigh escaped her as he lay down next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, his blue eyes focused on her face.

"My boys." She wrapped her arms around both of them, squeezing them tightly. "I was so scared I wouldn't see the two of you again."

"Don't worry Mommy." Liam looked up from his spot, his eyes red and puffy. "We're not going anywhere."

"I know you're not going anywhere." She placed a kiss on his forehead, smiling softly. "Mommy's just being silly."

"He's right though." Damon's voice made her head turn around, her brown eyes locking with the ocean blue ones. "We're not going anywhere."

"Come here." She pulled him down by his collar, pushing her lips against his temple. "I know you're not going anywhere."

And as he looked back up at her, everything seemed so easy. There was no hurt, no betrayal, no heartbreak, just two people in love. It was as simple as that, she loved him and if she followed her heart, she would have forgiven him a long time ago. They would have been husband and wife by now, parents to their children. If she had followed her heart five years ago, she would have slammed the door shut behind her, sat on the staircase for five minutes and walked back in to wrap him in her arms and archive the fight as one of their many. But it hadn't been just one of their fights, there had been too much hurt, too much betrayal for her to forgive and they both knew it.

"He's out like a light." He pointed his chin to Liam who lay soundly asleep against his mother's shoulder. "He had a rough day."

"Did anything happen?"

"Not really." He pushed a stray hair back behind her ear. "He just needed his mom to wake up."

"I have this feeling his daddy did a pretty good job at taking care of him while I was unconscious."

"Yeah.. Stefan was mostly with you during the visiting hours." He pushed himself up on his arm, looking down at her. "But Caroline took him for lunch every day and Bonnie came by a few times."

"That's not what I meant." She cocked her head to the side, touching his cheek. "He wouldn't sleep in your arms if he didn't trust you."

"I buy him food." He shrugged indifferently. "It helps a lot."

"You've changed."

"Good or bad?"

"Good." She ran her fingers through his black hair, staring at him. "Five years ago you'd have run a thousand miles by now."

"I had a lot of time to process it." His eyes traveled to Liam's sleeping form, his blue eyes shimmering with pride. "We have a pretty great kid, you know?"

"I think we did a good job."

"You mean I did a good job?" He waggled his eyebrows at her. "You just had to spread your legs."

"Excuse me?" Her brown eyes went wide, her mouth forming a wide O. "I carried him for nine months, I didn't sleep for three months while I was pregnant and I had to raise a mini-you."

"Exactly what I mean." His eyes shimmered with mischief, a smirk resting on his lips. "You had fun."

"Stop teasing me." She slapped his chest, shaking her head in amusement. "I know you're just trying to push my buttons."

"I would never do such a thing."

"Of course you wouldn't."

He chuckled as she rolled her eyes at him, a gesture that was so familiar. Everything about them was so familiar, so easy and comfortable, a place where you found peace in. She looked up at him, remembering the times he looked down at her like that after a night filled with passion, the quiet and sweet mornings that followed after them. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if there would any be moments like that in the future, mornings like that with their son in his parents' bed.

"Damon." She shook her head, looking at Liam. "We need to talk."

"And we will talk." He squeezed her waist lightly, smiling at her. "But first you need to get back on your feet and out of this hospital and then we'll talk."

"Hic et nunc, right?" She stroked the fabric of his shirt on the inside of his arm, knowing exactly where the words came from. "Hic et nunc."

"Hic et nunc?"

She let her fingers trace the small tattoo on the inside of his arm, reading the words over and over again. Her bare back was pressed against his naked chest, his arm wrapped around her, his fingers combing her long chestnut hair in a rhythmic pace, the sweat drops of their early love making still running down their skins.

"It's Latin." He placed a kiss on top of her head. "It means here and now."

"Does that mean you never think about the future?"

"No, it means I never think about the past, what happened happened, you can't change it, you can only regret it." He pressed his cheek against hers, leaving a kiss on her shoulder. "But why regret it if you can't change it?"

"Because you can learn from it." She looked up at him, straightening herself. "You don't make the mistakes you used to make."

"You can learn from them but do you have to regret them?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, shaking her head. "Depends on what it is."

He opened his mouth to speak but before he was able to voice his thought, he was cut off by the ringing sound of her phone. With a sigh she entangled their limbs and got up from the bed, finding her purse on the ground.

"Hi Caroline." She put the phone to her ear, receiving an annoyed look from Damon. "Can I help you?"

"Where are you?" She listened to Caroline's rambling as she took her spot back in Damon's arms, snuggling into his chest. "We were supposed to meet for breakfast."

"Really?" She arched her eyebrow, holding back a moan as Damon's lips found their way to the sweet spot behind her ear. "When did we say we'd meet for breakfast today?"

"It's tradition." Caroline's voice pitched. "Whenever the boys are away for the weekend to one of their football games, the three of us have breakfast."

"I'm sorry Caroline, it slipped my mind."

"Where's your head these days?" Bonnie's voice suddenly blasted through the phone. "We've been doing this since you and Stefan started dating."

"I'm really sorry Bons." She chewed on her bottom lip, noticing Damon's questioning gaze. "Let's make it brunch, okay?"

"Sure." She placed her head back on Damon's chest as Bonnie seemed to calm down. "But where are you?"

"I'm at my parents' house." Her voice trembled, her eyes looking at Damon. "You know I don't like sleeping alone in that big house."

"Do we have to pick you up there?"

"NO. NO." She jumped up straight. "I'll meet you at the grill in an hour."

"Okay, see you there."

"I feel dirty." Damon cocked his head to the side, glaring at her.

"Why?"

"If you're at your parents' house, that means I'm supposed to be your dad."

"You're too pretty to be my dad."

"We talked about this before." He threw his arms up, throwing his legs over the bed. "I'm not pretty."

"I'll call you handsome if you let me have dibs on the shower." She pecked his cheek, finding her toiletries in her bag.

"Why can't I have dibs on the shower with you?"

"Because if you get into that shower with me, I'll never be on time."

"This is your lucky day." He smirked dangerously, grabbing her waist. "Quickies are my specialty."

"You're not quick enough for this quickie." She pushed him back against the mattress. "Stay here."

She grabbed her robe and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. With a sigh she started brushing her teeth, hearing the different noises from the bedroom. She jumped as the door was suddenly pushed open and Damon walked into the bathroom.

"I have to pee."

"Couldn't you tell me two minutes ago?" She rinsed her mouth, glaring at him.

"I didn't have to pee two minutes ago." He rolled his eyes, shrugging. "But then you started talking about the shower and I started thinking about water which made my bladder think about water and suddenly I realized I had to pee."

"Yeah.. that makes complete sense."

"So get out or I'm just going to pee while you're in here."

"Fine." She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the counter. "Pee."

"Are you sure you're a girl?" He cocked his head to the side, studying her. "Pee scares girl."

"Don't poop in front of me and I'll be fine." She waved a hand in front of her. "Go on."

"I'm going to pull my penis out."

"Ooooh." She waved her hands above her head. "Make sure he doesn't scare me."

"He didn't scare you last night." He waggled his eyebrows at her, unzipping his black jeans. "Exactly the opposite I might say."

"Can I ask you something?" She kept her eyes on his bare back as he turned to the toilet. "Do you ever sit down just to pee?"

"Yeah..when I'm drunk." He looked over his shoulder, smirking. "Bad college experience."

"Do I want to know?"

"Let's just say the room was on fire and I was the fireman."

"You never come into my bathroom when you're drunk."

She turned back to the sink and started removing the makeup she hadn't been given to remove last night when he pushed her against the wall and carried her to bed. Her eyes snapped up as she heard the toilet flush and watched him walk in her direction, nudging her to the side so he could wash his hands.

"My turn to ask questions." He leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why do you always ask me and never your husband?"

"Ask you what?"

"You know what." He rolled his eyes at her, taking the washing cloth out of her hands. "All these questions about sex and what men do."

"You're just more open about it." She shrugged indifferently, timidly looking at him. "My relationship with Stefan isn't like that."

"You're married to him, it's the most intimate relationship you can have." He lifted his shoulder, his blue eyes wide open. "But it's like he shuts you out."

"I know it seems like a foreign concept to you but some people have boundaries." Her voice trembled, her brown eyes locking with his blue ones. "Even in a marriage there can be something like privacy."

"But not like something about sex."

"He's raised differently than you." Her eyes went wide, staring at him. "They don't talk about sex in his family, it doesn't exist to them so he's not comfortable talking about it."

"Since he's having sex with you, he should at least talk about it with you."

She wasn't faithful to either of them and unlike her husband he knew there was another man in her life, that she shared her bed with someone else. He never mentioned it but sometimes he let something slip that made her aware of the fact that he didn't completely agree with it. Her husband was still her husband and she would try to be the wife she had promised to be on their wedding day, only did she have someone on the sideline, someone waiting for her in the shadows, waiting for her to run into his arms and drag her away from her life. He knew her husband still tried to love her like before he came into her life, but he also knew that he was the one that shared her bed the most, that he was the one she craved every second of the day. And if they kept going like this, there would be a time when he told her to choose because she couldn't keep the both of them. Silently she prayed that, that day would be in the distant future because she wasn't ready to leave her safe harbor, the man she had loved for over three years. But on the other side she wasn't ready to say goodbye to the new man in her life, she needed him, longed for him every hour of the day.

She started to lean on him, trust him with her whole life and all her thoughts. He knew every little thing about her, more than her husband would ever know and it scared her to let someone get that close but on the other side it felt good to have someone that close. When they started an affair, the lies started, the manipulation of her every friend and family member, but not him. Because he lived the lie with her and became the only person that knew the whole truth about her.

"Can we stop talking about this, please?" She looked him firmly in the eyes, begging him with her doe ones. "I know you think he's a sucky husband, but he's a good man and he takes care of me."

"He just needs his privacy, right?"

"I wish he was as open as you, but.." She touched his arms, searching for words. "That's not who he is and I married him for who he is."

"You can ask me any question you want, okay?" He cupped her face in his hands, his blue eyes looking at her. "I don't want you to break your pretty little head about something silly; I don't want any secrets between us."

"There aren't any." She kissed the inside of his palm, reveling in his touch. "There will never be any."

"Get in the shower or you'll never be on time."

She smiled softly, leaning forward against his chest, her ear pressed against his heartbeat. A sigh escaped her as he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly against him, leaving a kiss on her forehead. Most of the time she just wanted to disappear into him, run away from her life and hide in his body so she didn't feel the worries that her everyday life brought.

"I think you need a shower too." She looked up at him, pressing her mouth to his.

"I thought you got dibs on the shower?"

"You can have dibs with me."

He nodded gently, knowing what she needed right now; he always knew. Sometimes she wondered if he had the ability to read her mind, to give her body exactly the kind of comfort it needed, to speak the words she needed to hear to be soothed.

He started tugging on her robe, letting the two sides fall open and expose her naked skin to the cold air. His blue eyes roamed over her body, devouring it as they darkened with lust. Her lips trembled as they softly met his in the middle, slowly falling into the gentle pace they had perfected.

She grabbed the waistband of his jeans and pulled his stomach against hers, feeling him press into her. Her fingers started playing with the button, fighting with it until it loosened and she could drag his zipper down. He growled into her mouth as she let the jeans slide over his bottom, following its path down with her palms.

"You're going to be late." He breathed against her lips, grabbing her thighs. "They'll kill you."

"Shh. It doesn't matter." She claimed his lips back as her own, pulling him into the shower. "Here and now."

"Here and now." He nodded with a small smile, watching her stroke the fabric of his shirt. "We don't have to think about tomorrow."

"Can tonight last forever?" She stared at him, her doe eyes finding the blue ones. "I don't want this moment to end."

"It doesn't have to." He took her hand in his, kissing her wrist. "We can be like this forever."

"Doctor Salvatore."

His eyes left hers as a nurse appeared in the doorway, carrying a frustrated look on her face. She swallowed back the lump in her throat as he held her hand tightly in his, stroking it with his thumb. She moved her head to the side, finding her son soundly asleep on her chest, his pink lips parted, dreaming silently about a peaceful world. A small smile came across her lips as she looked at the two other bodies in the bed, her mind wondering what she did to deserve them, how she pleased God to let him give her the man she was made for and make her the happiest person in the world, why she got to carry his son and got a piece of him forever.

"We have to run some tests on Miss Gilbert." The nurse put her hands on her hips. "You should take Liam to his room."

"It's fine." Elena lifted her head from the pillow, looking for the nurse. "They can stay."

"It's best if they leave so we can run a few tests before your husband arrives." The nurse stepped into the room. "We've already called him, he's on his way."

"Normally I'd pull out my doctor's card and put her in place but she's right." Damon placed a kiss on the back of her hand and draped her arm back on her stomach. "You should have an x-ray and Liam should be in his own bed."

"Damon.."

"Don't worry." He got up and moved to the other side of the bed, leaning over Liam's sleeping form. "I'll be around."

"Goodnight my beautiful baby." She placed a kiss on top of Liam's head and squeezed him tightly against her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Elena." He kissed her cheek and picked Liam up from the bed.

"Goodnight Damon."

Liam placed his head against his chest as he carried him through the empty corridors, whispering a few words in his sleep. Damon smiled as he noticed the trait he inherited from Elena, remembering the nights he would listen to her talking in her sleep, silently wishing that he could hear it every night.

"Daddy?" Liam moaned in his sleep, his blue eyes fluttering. "Where's Momma?"

"Mommy's going to sleep in her bed tonight." He placed him down on the hospital bed, pushing the sheets out of the way. "You can see her tomorrow."

"I'm going home tomorrow."

"I know." He stroked Liam's chestnut hair back, sitting next to him on the mattress. "You can finally sleep in your own bed again."

"I don't want to go home." His blue eyes snapped open, locking with the ones from his father. "I want to stay here with you and Mommy."

"Wanna know a secret?" He leaned closer to Liam, whispering slowly. "I don't want you to go home either."

"Then why can't I stay?" His big blue eyes looked up at Damon, filled with questions. "I can stay with Mommy while you're fixing people."

"No." He ruffled the boy's hair, smiling softly. "You should go home and sleep in your own bed, a hospital isn't a place for a boy like you."

"You can stay with me." Liam's eyes went wide, his voice filled with excitement. "I have a really big bed because Mommy sleeps with me all the time."

"She does?"

"Yes." He nodded fiercely. "She has nightmares all the time but she says it's better when she sleeps with me because I keep them away."

"What are the nightmares about?" Damon arched his eyebrow at the boy. "Did she ever tell you?"

"No. Mommy says I shouldn't worry but sometimes she wakes up crying and screaming because of a bad dream." His blue eyes drowned in sadness. "I don't like it when Mommy cries. It makes me scared."

"Mommy's a big girl." He lay down next to Liam, turning on his side. "You shouldn't be scared, she'll be fine."

"Sometimes when Daddy is away with Grandpa, Mommy doesn't go to work and lets me stay home from school and we spend the whole day together without Daddy." He put his finger to his lips. "But I can't tell anyone, it's our secret."

"My mom used to keep me home from school all the time." Damon rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. "She hated it when I was away the whole day and she didn't get to spend time with me."

"I never spend the day with Daddy because he thinks I should inac..intr..intact..int.. I should talk to other kids." Liam looked up at him, folding his hands under his cheek. "But I play a lot with uncle Tyler and Grandpa."

"He's right, you should have friends but there isn't anything bad about spending time with adults." He tucked Liam under as he started yawning. "And sometimes you just need your mom."

"Who's going to take care of Mommy when I go home?" His blue eyes welled up with tears. "Someone has to make her smile."

"I'll make her smile." He scooted a little closer to Liam. "I took care of you and when you go home tomorrow, I'll take care of your mommy."

"Damon." Liam clutched his black shirt with his little fist. "Are you staying tonight?"

"Silly question." He placed a kiss on Liam's forehead. "Where else would I go?"

"Goodnight Daddy."

Liam placed his cheek against his father's chest, yawning his way into sleep. The older blue eyes looked down at him, feeling his heartbeat in his chest, wondering why he had been so stupid to miss out on five years. He hadn't been ready at the time to be a father so he stayed away after she left and as a punishment, he had to miss out on five years of his son's life, not knowing that in the deepest part of him he wanted to be a father, that he wanted to protect that piece of him, that he wanted to share a piece of him with the woman he loved.

"Goodnight son."

"Giuseppe."

Damon plopped down in the booth, meeting the glaring green eyes. A shiver went down his spine as he thought that people saw Giuseppe in him, a cold man, someone that couldn't love anyone besides his son. The man that had left his mother and never appeared again; the same man that had felt obligated to sign his birth certificate in secret but refused to acknowledge him as his son in public.

"Let's make this quick Damon." Giuseppe slammed his glass of bourbon down on the table. "What's the business deal?"

"First things first." He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's your problem with my son?"

"You don't have a son." Giuseppe let out a hard laugh. "At least not one I know of, or did one of your one night stands finally get pregnant?"

"Well yes." He smirked dangerously, boring his eyes into the green ones. "I believe your son took her in."

"You do not talk like that about my son." Giuseppe's hand balled into a fist on the table, his green eyes wide open. "I will not allow such words from someone who never took one responsibility in his life."

"You don't like me talking shit about your son?" His teeth clenched together, his blue eyes burning with fire. "Well Giuseppe, seems like we have something in common after all."

"What's the deal?"

"What's your problem with Liam?"

"He looks like you." Giuseppe spat at him, his hands gripping the table. "He reminds me of everything I hate."

He felt the pang in his chest once Giuseppe spoke the words. He had long ago said goodbye to this man, gave up any hope to ever have a father. But that didn't mean that it didn't hurt to know the one that gave you life, hated you, hated the thought of you, hated the fact that you lived.

"Here's the deal." He threw the papers he had been holding on the table, straightening himself. "You sign them and I won't inherit anything the day you die. It's what you want, you don't want me to get anything from you."

"Why would you do this?" Giuseppe stared at the papers and back to him. "You love luxury, you love money, it's the only thing you want from me."

"You think that?" He arched his eyebrow at the man, shaking his head. "The day I met you, I thought I'd finally get a father but that dream died long ago. Now I'm just here to make sure my kid doesn't suffer the same fate."

"So what happens if I sign this?"

"According to the law every child gets a piece of the inheritance when their parents die, this way you disown me and Stefan will get everything." He swallowed back the lump in his throat. "In return you stop treating Liam like he's a hole in the road and act like he's the most special kid on Earth."

"How do you know I won't just sign this and keep on treating him like I treat you?"

"Because you're a man of your word, it's the only redeeming quality you possess."

"I will sign this thing." He grabbed the paper from the table, retrieving a pen from his pocket. "Just so I'm sure you don't get a penny from me."

"Don't worry." He cocked his head to the side, his eyes shimmering in amusement. "From what I've heard, your poor writer son needs it more than I do."

"Stefan has a job now." Giuseppe looked up, grimacing. "He works for me now."

"Of course." Damon let a hard laugh escape his throat. "He could never accomplish anything on his own."

"He married Elena on his own." Giuseppe smirked, glaring at him. "That's something you didn't succeed in."

"It's a shame he didn't know how to keep her."

"She came back to him." Giuseppe pushed the papers back in his direction. "He couldn't stand the sight of you but he took her back and raised your son with her, that's more than I would ever do."

"What you said about hating me?" Damon stood up, grabbing the papers from the table. "You don't hate me, you hate yourself for what you did to your wife, you hate the thought of me because I'm here to remind you of it."

A flash of pain crossed Giuseppe's eyes, his mask broken. "How is Lauren?"

"Dying."

"Damon!"

Liam jumped off the bed as he entered, his blue eyes shimmering in joy. A sense of pride washed over him, knowing that one of the obstacles to keeping his son happy had been taken care of. He scooped the boy up in his arms and placed a kiss on top of his head, squeezing him tightly against him.

"Hello Damon." Caroline turned around from the closet, carrying Liam's clothes. "I knew you would squirm your way into his life."

"Caroline." He nodded in acknowledgment. "Are you taking him home?"

"Yes." She put one of her blond curls back behind her ear, smiling softly. "Stefan spends most of his time here with Elena or at work so I'm going to stay at their place for a while, he should sleep in his own bed."

"You're a good aunt."

"Auntie Care's the best." Liam's eyes shimmered, a wide smile on his face. "We're best friends like her and Mommy."

"He doesn't like staying with Bonnie, they don't get along." She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "I wonder where he got that from."

"You have to admit the kid knows who the good ones are." He winked, looking at his son like a proud father. "You could learn a thing or two from him."

"Or more." Liam cocked his head to the side, grinning. "I taught auntie Care how to play on the Wii."

"And that's exactly what we're going to do tonight." Caroline put her beaming smile on, focusing on Liam. "We're going to play on the Wii, watch a movie and eat lots of ice cream."

"See why I love her?" Liam turned to Damon, grinning like a kid that was just promised ice cream.

"Your clothes are packed." Caroline zipped the suitcase up. "We're going to say goodbye to your mommy and head home."

"You know what?" Damon grabbed Liam's suitcase from the bed, carrying it to the door. "I'm going to walk the two of you to the elevator."

"Someone has separation anxiety." Caroline sing-songed, rolling her eyes at him.

"I'm just being a gentleman." He shrugged indifferently. "Most women would appreciate the gesture."

"Damon." Liam pulled his attention back to him by patting his cheek with his tiny hand. "When will I see you again?"

"I don't know buddy." He squeezed the boy's waist, shaking his head. "But you know how to find my office right?"

"I have to push the fourth button in the elevator, walk through the end of the hall and take the third door on the right." Liam nodded proudly, his blue eyes shimmering. "I remembered when you showed me."

"And what do you do if I'm not there?"

"Then I go to the nurse and cry until she calls you."

"Good boy." He put Liam down in front of the elevator, placing a kiss on top of his head. "I'm so proud of you."

"You're going soft, Salvatore." Caroline took the suitcase out of his hands. "You're like a big melting ice cube."

"Your name is Salvatore?" Liam's blue eyes went wide, staring at Damon. "My name is Salvatore too."

"I know."

"Does that mean we're family?" His blue eyes lit up in excitement. "Because then we can spend Christmas together and me and Mommy can make you a present and we can sing songs around the Christmas tree and,..."

"Slow down." Damon chuckled, taking his son's shoulders. "It's all very complicated. We'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded timidly, his blue eyes filling with sadness. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too buddy." He wrapped his arms around the small body in front of him, sighing into the crook of Liam's neck. "Be good for auntie Care."

"Always."

Damon smiled as Liam pulled back and took Caroline's hand. He watched them walk into the elevator together and sighed as the doors closed in front of him. A hole appeared in his heart as the little boy was now pulled away from him. He had known their time was limited and that he'd have to give him up again once they discharged him. He thought he wouldn't have any problems with it, that he'd be relieved to see his son go back to the only father he knew. But during the past four days, something had changed, something deep inside of him had made its way up, a longing, a craving he hadn't known he had. The desire and the urge to be a father to the son he gave life to.

"You know don't you?" A voice behind him made his head snap around. "You're an asshole but you're not an idiot."

"I know a lot of things, Stefan."

"I knew she named him after you, she thought I didn't." His green eyes locked with his blue ones. "After I found out you were my brother, I learned everything there's to know about you, Damon Liam Salvatore."

"So you did show some interest." Damon smirked, walking past him. "That's more than our alleged father ever did."

"I actually liked you until I found out you fucked my wife." Stefan's shimmering eyes went dull. "Let's say it changed my opinion on having a brother."

"I'm sure it did."

"Does Liam know about you?"

"He knows I exist." He rolled his blue eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "He doesn't really know who I am though."

"Let's keep it that way." Stefan's eyes narrowed, his body stiffening. "He doesn't need to be confused about something that eventually will only hurt him."

"Who said I'd tell him?" Damon arched his eyebrow at him. "My son deserves to be raised by good people and the last time I checked, you're still a better person than me."

"When did you figure that out?"

"Five years ago." He looked down at the ground, staring at Stefan's feet. "When Grayson showed up that night with the birth certificate.."

"Grayson did what?" Stefan interrupted him, his green eyes going wide. "What birth certificate?"

"Right. You don't know." He rolled his eyes, looking back up at Stefan. "You really think you're legally Liam's father?"

"Who else is?"

"I am." He spoke the words slowly, watching Stefan's face carefully. "Grayson came to me the day after he was born, I signed the birth certificate."

"But I signed the birth certificate." Stefan shook his head doubtfully. "I'm his father."

"You're not." Damon shook his head. "She didn't want him to be yours so Grayson made sure there were two birth certificates, one with your name and one with mine."

"But if you're Liam's father, what happened to the birth certificate with my name on it?"

"She keeps it somewhere so she can push it under your nose when you try to question if you really are his father." He shrugged indifferently. "The one with my name on it was filed."

"How could she do this to me?"

"She was the one who didn't want Liam to be yours but Grayson took care of it." He swallowed back the lump in his throat. "She doesn't even know he was with me, she doesn't even know I knew she was pregnant. She thinks Grayson pulled a few strings and made him mine, but that's not how it works, he needed my autograph."

"You knew she was pregnant?" Stefan shook his head at him. "How could you've known?"

"I didn't go to medical school for eleven years to learn how to change diapers." He rolled his eyes, giving Stefan a mocking look. "Besides it didn't take a genius to figure it out, I'm pretty sure you would have noticed too."

"You knew she was pregnant?"

"Like I already told you three times. Yes." He threw his arms up as Stefan gave him a look. "I didn't want to be a father back then and it's clear now that she doesn't want me to be his father. I tried to drag it out of her ever since I've been here, even went as far as asking why she didn't have an abortion. The only thing I got was a slap in the face."

"All this time I thought I had a son with her." Stefan looked up at her, his expression shocked. "Turns out I have nothing, no son, not even a wife."

"You have a wife, Stefan." He clenched his teeth together. "You have the most amazing wife in the world. And you have a son, you raised him, Liam sees you as his father."

"But I don't really have her." His green eyes looked up at him. "I know you take my place next to the bed after visiting hours, I know you were there when she woke up and I know she's now waiting until you come back."

"She deserves you because I don't deserve her." Damon shook his head, swallowing back the lump in his throat. "She loved me more than anything and I hurt her so badly that she'll never look at me like she used to. But you never hurt her, she came back to you because she knew she could trust you and she could trust you with our son."

"You're wrong." Stefan let out a hard laugh, starting to count on his fingers. "She only lets three people near him, Grayson because he loves you, Caroline because the two of you have some weird understanding going on and Tyler because he reminds her of you."

"Whatever the reason was..." He lifted his shoulders. "..she chose you over me and she let you in Liam's life."

"She hated that she was pregnant when she came back." Stefan looked him firmly in the eyes, seeing his expression hardening. "She thought about an abortion and then she got a scare, just a small bleeding but after that, that baby became her world. He didn't sleep in his crib until he was one year old, it took three years before she let Caroline babysit him for a few hours."

"I..."

"You don't know all that because you weren't here." Stefan crossed his arms over his chest. "I more than once wondered how it would have been like if you were."

"I'm out of her life now."

"Then why is she still wearing that ring around her neck?" Stefan looked up at him. "It's a silver ring with a diamond in it, she's had it ever since she came back and she doesn't take it off for even a second. What does it mean?"

"That ring isn't any of your concern."

"But it bugs me." Stefan let out a hard laugh. "It's been tormenting my mind ever since I noticed it. The only thing I can come up with is an engagement ring but she's still married to me so that can't be it."

"Like I said, Stefan." He turned his back towards him, walking to the elevator. "That ring isn't any of your concern."

His fingers pushed a strand of her chocolate brown hair back behind her ear, his blue eyes glancing over her sleeping form. He softly let his fingertips move over her cheek to her stretched neck, feeling the muscles beneath it. A small sigh left him as he moved over her collarbone to the silver necklace that rested in the place between her breasts. He followed the necklace to the swell over her breasts, finding the silver ring that rested on her skin.

He turned it between his fingers and felt the weight in his palm, remembering the times when she wore it on her hand, showing other men that she was bound to someone. He smiled softly at the memory of when she saw it for the first time, the tears of happiness that had run down her cheeks, the smile that was plastered on her face.

A small gasp left his throat as a warm hand wrapped around his own, their fingers intertwined, the silver ring clenched between their palms. Her brown doe eyes bored into his ocean blue ones, shimmering with tears she held back. A small smile rested on her lips, remembering the same things that were now rushing through his mind.

He pulled his hand from hers and retrieved the same silver necklace from under his own shirt, a silver ring wiggling as he held it up in the air. A whimper left her throat as she took it in her hand and stared at it, tears running down her cheeks. He stroked them away and smiled at her, his fingers moving over her cheek as they both remembered what they once were.

"Hi wifey."

"Hello husband."

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