I'm sorry about the wait. Thank you Lauren for being the most awesome beta on this planet.
Someone like you
Chapter 16
'Never let me go'
"You have big ears."
Her laughter filled the bedroom as he cocked his head to the side and glared at her, his blue eyes daring her to say more. She bit her lip and stared at him, still in awe of his beauty. Her brown eyes traveled over his body that was stretched out on the bed beside her, his hands tucked under his head, elbows resting on the pillow, his abs on display, the white sheet draped over his hip. They had woken up like this for the past four days and it still seemed like a dream to her; waking up to his blue eyes, whispering good morning into his ear, having lazy morning sex until noon or spending the whole day in bed just losing themselves in each other's bodies. She discovered sides of him that she never knew existed, she discovered sides of herself she didn't know were there, it made so many more emotions come to the surface, it made her doubt her marriage so much more.
"It's a good thing, you know?" She pushed herself up on her elbow, chuckling softly at the way he was still glaring at her. "It means you're not as perfect as I thought; your perfection can be intimidating sometimes."
"Do you always talk this much in the morning?" He grabbed the pillow from behind his head and covered his face with it. "It's annoying."
"You weren't bothered by my talking the past few days."
"That's because I knew how to shut you up." He threw his arms over the pillow, turning away from her. "But I'm too exhausted to do it now."
"You are totally worn-out after last night." She scooted closer against his back and threw her arm over his waist, pecking his neck. "My poor thirty-year-old sex god."
"At least I still lived the 80's." He pushed the pillow aside. "Those were the good years."
"Does it bother you?" She placed her chin on his shoulder, looking down at his face. "That I'm so much younger than you?"
"You'll never hear any guy complain about having a younger girl."
"But do you notice it?"
"Sometimes." He turned around on his back, looking up at her. "I notice it but that doesn't mean it bothers me."
"I like it that you're older." She leaned on her elbow next to him, stroking his black raven hair back. "You've seen the world and you know so much about life, it makes me feel safe."
"I can show you the world, you know?" He whispered, his blue eyes filled with emotions. "Just tell me where you want to go and we'll go there."
"Right now," She pecked his lips softly, smiling at his serious face. "I just want to go to the grocery store because we're out of chocolate."
"But you haven't said a proper good morning yet."
"Good morning Doctor Salvatore."
"Good morning Miss Gilbert."
She kissed the pout off his lips and slowly slid her leg over his waist, her knee resting against his hipbone. He moaned softly into her mouth as she pressed her lips firmer against his, the movements of her pink lips becoming more demanding. She pulled away to catch her breath and started pecking his chin, leaving a trail of kisses all the way up to his ear. A chuckle escaped her as she bit his earlobe softly, taking his whole ear into her mouth.
"You're drooling on my ear."
"It's to prove that your ear isn't that big." She kissed his cheek, smiling widely. "It fits into my mouth & my dentist always tells me I have a small mouth."
"That's an insult for little Damon." He tapped her nose, his blue eyes narrowing. "He fits in your mouth too."
"Did I hurt his feelings?" She pecked his lips, her hand traveling over his abs. "He didn't seem to be upset with me this morning."
"He was having a great time with you this morning."
"With me and my mouth."
"Exactly."
She couldn't help but to smile at the goofy grin on his face, her lips softly pecking his, her legs entangling with his. These little signs of affection came more and more these days, him holding her hand on the street, her feet in his lap while he was working on his desk and she just watched him, quick kisses between dinner, dinners in restaurants. All those things possible in a city a thousand miles away from her husband.
"Thank you for last night." She nibbled on his chin, looking up at him. "That was a really good restaurant."
"Just like I told you." He secured his arms behind her back, pushing his nose against hers. "I liked the dessert best though."
"It's because I'm so yummy."
His chest vibrated beneath her as a short laugh from him filled the room, his blue eyes shimmering in amusement. Those laughs appeared more and more every day she spent with him, she was the one to put them there and that fact made her happy and sad at the same time. Because once she left those laughs would disappear again and they would go back to the motel room where they were locked up in a town where they weren't free. They would hide themselves between four walls, in each other's bodies, run into each other's arms whenever she could get away from her husband. And the longer she was here in this loft with him, in a city where they were free to go wherever they wanted, the more she realized how much she wanted this life with him, how just the sex wasn't enough anymore.
Sex had never been something she craved until she met him, she only participated because it pleased her husband and she wanted to be a good wife. But then he came into her life and he did things to her body she never dreamed of, it became her who dragged him to bed every chance she got. But now, when she lived with him, shared his life and daily-life the sex alone wasn't enough anymore, the secret meetings cut her deeper and deeper. Because she slowly started realizing that she wanted the comfort of his arms, she wanted to lose herself in his touch, she wanted to come home to him.
"That's your phone." Damon reached next to him on the night table. "Probably Stefan again."
"Ignore it."
"He'll just keep on calling." Damon pushed the phone against her ear. "He always keeps on calling until you answer."
With a sigh she took the phone from him and rolled off his body, watching the blue shimmer fade away in his eyes. This was how it went every morning and night; they were having a blast, her phone would ring and she would talk to Stefan for a few minutes only to discover then that the man behind her had disappeared or that the good mood he had been in was replaced with another one that kept her at arm's length. Even now when she sat up and turned her bare back to him, she could feel him slipping away, the laugh off his face, his head turned away from her.
"Elena's phone."
"Hi you." Stefan's voice came through the phone, the sound filling the dead silent room. "I'm just calling to tell you that I love you, that I miss you and that I hope you'll be back soon."
"I'll be back in three days." She glanced over her shoulder, finding Damon looking up at the ceiling. "How's everything going there?"
"Everything's fine." Stefan chuckled softly. "I ran into Caroline this morning, she had no idea you had a case in Washington but I told her it was all very sudden."
"Yeah..." She shook her head, swallowing back the lump in her throat. "I didn't have the time to tell her about the case."
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"If it's about what we discussed last night..." Stefan's voice trailed off. "Don't worry about it; we'll talk about it when you get home."
"It just took me by surprise." She smiled tightly. "It's all very sudden and quick, we're still so young."
"We're married Elena." Stefan laughed into the phone. "It's only normal once you get married."
"Of course." She bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder again. "I have to get back to work."
"Okay." Stefan whispered into the phone. "I love you, be safe and I'll call you tonight."
"Bye."
An uncomfortable silence filled the room as she placed the phone back on the night table, her eyes scanning over Damon's unmoving body, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his back pressed into the mattress, the white sheet still draped over his waist. She didn't dare to say a word and lay silently beside him, staring at the wooden patterns in the ceiling. It took a few minutes before she gathered the courage to extend her hand and grab his, her thumb caressing his, her heart grateful that he didn't pull away from her touch. She cocked her head to the side and watched his chest go up and down, his eyelashes blinking every few seconds.
"He wants to start a family." She whispered softly, watching his reaction. "He wants us to get pregnant."
"What do you want?"
"I don't know." She turned her head back to the ceiling. "I know I want children but I don't think I want them now."
"Then why don't you tell him that?"
"I'm his wife." She squeezed his fingers between hers, shaking her head. "I'm supposed to give him children."
"Welcome in the twenty-first century, Elena." He let out a hard laugh, pulling his hand out of hers. "Women have a say these days."
"That's not the way I was raised." She pushed herself up, looking down at him. "A woman has to stand behind her husband and she has to love him and take care of him."
"It's not because your mother raised you to be a saint that it's the right way to live or that you actually have to be one."
"If I lived the way my mother taught me then I wouldn't be in your bed or then I wouldn't have lied to my husband and taken a flight here to spend the week with you."
"That's exactly the funniest part of this whole week." He let out a humorless laugh and got up from the bed. "You're spending the week with me but you're discussing children with your husband."
"It's not like that."
"No?" His blue eyes went wide, staring at her. "Then what is it like?"
"I don't know." She got up from the bed, grabbing his shirt from the chair. "I don't know what I'm doing with you or what I 'm doing with him; I just know that it's not right to keep on doing it."
"Then stop doing it."
"It's not that easy."
She slowly slid her arms into the sleeves of his shirt, buttoning it up with his eyes on her, following her fingers down to the last button. That blue fire burning her skin made her tingle on the inside again, reminding her how just a look from him made her heart swell. She loved him, would do anything to feel like this every second of the day, she was happy, happier than she had ever been. Yet, some part of her was scared, it was so afraid of what she felt for him that she couldn't run into his arms and tell him exactly how she felt, it was so overwhelming and deep that it made her run in the other direction, into the arms of a man that was safe to love because he was as afraid to lose her love as she was to lose Damon's.
"I don't want kids." His blue eyes locked on hers, his voice breaking the silence. "I never wanted any."
"You owe the world kids with your genes." She tried to lighten the mood by giving him a small smile. "And Lauren will be nagging for grandchildren until you give them to her."
Whenever he was working during the day or the night, Lauren kept her company, taught her how to cook, showed her around town. The woman had become like her own mother, taking her under her wings in the big city where she didn't know anyone besides the man she fell in love with. It became clear to her that Lauren's only purpose in life was to protect and love her son in a way she had never seen any mother do. She watched over him like a hawk, but that didn't mean that she had her claws into him; on the contrary, she seemed to know how to let him loose better than her own mother had ever known.
"She knows how I think about it." He turned his back to her, zipping up his black jeans. "She just hasn't gotten used to the idea yet."
"Why not?"
"Why not what?"
"Why no kids?" She threw her arms up, sighing. "It's not like you can't afford them."
"And the reason why I can afford them is exactly why I don't want them." He walked out of the bedroom into the kitchen. "I'm not going to give up my career to change diapers and be up all night because the baby isn't in the mood to sleep."
"What if you meet someone who wants kids?" She stomped after him, her eyes wide open. "What if you fall in love with her and you can't imagine your life without her but she wants to have kids?"
"If I can't imagine my life without her than I hope she feels the same way about me," He turned around, his blue eyes boring into hers. "And she'll understand and respect my decision."
"What if she gets pregnant by accident?"
"Do you really think I'd let that happen?" He arched his eyebrow at her, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'd have a vasectomy."
"What?" Her eyes popped out of her head. "You'd have an operation just so you're sure you'll never have children?"
"I've seen too many couples get pregnant without wanting to," He shrugged indifferently. "It would be easier for me and it would be easier for her."
"So you're saying that you wouldn't trust her even if she's on the pill?"
"I'm not saying that I wouldn't trust her," His blue eyes went wide. "I'm saying that birth control isn't always reliable."
"You fuck me without a condom." She whispered quietly, her eyes dropping to the floor. "What if I get pregnant?"
"I don't know, sweetie." He cupped her face in his hands, making her look up at him. "I guess I trust you enough to not get pregnant."
She averted her eyes from his, pulling her head out of his hands, her brown eyes going to the floor, the pain ripping through her stomach like a sharp knife. Ever since she was a little girl, she imagined herself as a mom, her children playing in the backyard while she was nursing their little brother or sister on the porch. Her husband would come home, peck her cheek and run into the yard to play with their children. It was all perfect in her mind, creating a new life, the ultimate bond between husband and wife, being a mom, protecting that part of yourself that you love more than anything else, giving the happiness of living to another tiny human being.
"I want kids." Her teary brown eyes found his again, her voice barely audible. "I always wanted to be a mom."
"Then I guess you'll just have to go back to your husband."
A tear rolled over her cheek as he turned around and walked past her into the bedroom. She took a deep breath, the images of their lovemaking from the night before flashing through her mind, his smile in the restaurant, their hands intertwined, his blue eyes shimmering as she told him stories about high school. Everything about it felt so different than at home with her husband, her dreams seemed to be different ones here, her goals seemed to change, her personality opened a lot more layers. The ringing of her phone made her jump slightly, her eyes focusing on the lit screen on the table.
"Hello?"
"Elena!" Caroline's voice made her cringe. "Where are you?"
"I'm..." She shook her head, looking for words. "I'm just not at home."
"Stefan told me you're in Washington for a case." Caroline's tone was accusing. "But we don't have any cases in Washington, I checked it Elena, double checked it."
"Did you tell Stefan anything?"
"No, of course not." Caroline sighed into the telephone. "If you ran away you must have had a good reason but I'm worried, where are you?"
"I didn't really run away, Caroline." She shrugged, another tear escaping her eye. "It's more like I followed someone."
"Elena, where are you?"
"I'm in Chicago."
"Why would you b...?" Caroline stop mid-sentence, gasping. "NO.. NO.. NO. Tell me you are not with Damon."
"I am with Damon." She sobbed into the phone, her eyes glancing nervously to the bedroom door. "I followed him here."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I'm madly, head over heels in love with him."
"Elena..."
"Don't, Caroline."
She knew the speech she would get to hear, that the man she fell in love with was a womanizer, treated women like toys, that her heart wasn't safe around him. She didn't need Caroline to tell her that her heart wasn't safe around him, he had already stolen it, squirmed his way in and claimed it as his own, effectively pushing her husband out of his way to possess all of her.
"I just don't want you to get hurt." Caroline whispered in the phone. "And what about Stefan?"
"I don't know, Caroline." She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I just know that what I feel for Damon isn't the way you're supposed to feel for someone when you're married to someone else."
"When are you coming back?" Caroline's voice was filled with worry. "You can't just disappear and leave Stefan behind thinking that you're on a business trip."
"In three days." She placed her palm against her forehead. "But I don't know what I'm going to tell him."
"I'll pick you up at the airport and we're going to talk about this." Caroline let out a humorless laugh. "I just can't believe this, I mean I always thought that you would be the one who'd never do something like this."
"I didn't plan on falling in love with him." She wiped the tears out of her eyes. "It happened before I could stop it, I didn't even see it coming."
"Try to figure it out, Elena." Caroline must have thrown her arms up in the air. "We'll talk about this when you get back, this is serious."
"Don't you think I know that?"
"We just..." Caroline's earrings rang in the phone. "We'll figure it out when you get back."
"Okay." She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "I'll see you at the airport, I'll text you when I've landed."
"I'll see you then."
Once Caroline disconnected the call, she threw her phone back on the table, wiping the tears out of her eyes. She took a deep breath, her eyes glancing at the closed bedroom door. Her feet started moving by themselves, her hand finding the handle, slowly pushing it down so the bedroom door opened. With a last sigh she pushed it further open and was met by the empty room. She nervously looked through the door of the en-suite bathroom, hearing the shower on, the steam filling the room. A pang shot through her heart at the knowledge of him having his first shower alone since she stepped into his loft.
Her heart drummed in her chest as she walked through the open door, finding his silhouette behind the frosted glass, the beats of water falling down on him, his hands weaving a path through his hair, foam running down his abs. She pushed herself up on the bathroom unit and watched his form move in the shower until he turned it off, pushing the glass door open, grabbing a towel from the rack on the wall, his blue eyes briefly glancing at her before he started to dry himself. Her eyes were fixed on him as the black towel moved over every inch of his body, his eyes looking everywhere but at her.
She ignored the way her stomach squeezed together as he walked towards the sink next to her and started brushing his teeth, ignoring her completely. Her brown eyes traveled over his body, from his damp hair to the towel that hung around his hips, her body tingling in anticipation. The attraction between them sizzled in the air, he didn't even have to look at her for it to be present, it was something that was just there, trying to persuade their bodies to collide every second of the day, their souls only at peace when they were together, screaming when that other part of them stepped out the door. He was her drug, she was an addict, high on him, high on the emotions he was able to let her live through. His love for her being the most addicting drug she had ever tasted.
And he did love her. She was sure of it. Any other girl would have been left behind in some motel room the second he got bored of her, but she was still here. He took the time to fight with her, took her to restaurants, spent every single second of his free time in her arms, kissing her senseless, attending to her every need, loving her so much that it became the only thing she really craved.
"Here's your ring." His blue eyes were fixed on hers as he held the golden wedding ring up. "Your husband is going to ask questions if you don't bring it back with you."
A whirlwind of emotions went through her as she stared at the golden band in his hand. It felt like that little golden ring was a cage, the cage that held her captive in her own body and mind, that locked her dreams on the outside so she couldn't live them. She had heard more than once the story of someone who went through divorce, their finger still aching to have that ring around their finger. With her it seemed to have the opposite effect, the fact that the ring wasn't around her finger anymore made her free, made her free to love someone else, made her choices her own again.
"No." She closed his hand, his long fingers covering the ring. "I don't want it back."
"I thought you were going back to your husband."
"That was your idea." Her doe eyes locked on his blue ones. "I don't want to go back to my husband."
"What about kids?" His blue eyes bored into her brown ones. "I'm not going to change my mind."
"You'll just have to let me babysit a lot." She smiled tightly, blinking the tears back. "And I'm going to spoil those kids rotten so you'll just have to get used to being called Uncle Damon."
She inhaled deeply as he leaned forward and buried his face in the crook of her neck, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, pressing him tightly against her, his hands resting on her thighs. Her lips pressed quick kisses against his temple while he kissed her neck, his hands moving over her skin. Her arms only wrapped tighter around him as he wrapped her in his embrace and just held on to her, their breathing the only sound in the room.
"I have to leave for work." He mumbled against her shoulder, snuggling deeper into her. "My shift starts in half an hour."
"Yeah..." She placed another kiss on his damp hair. "I'm going shopping with your mom; she's going to redecorate her living room."
"Great." He growled, making her smile. "Which means I'll get to carry boxes to the attic the whole weekend."
"She might have mentioned telling you to do that."
"I'm sure she did." He pulled back with a sigh, focusing his eyes on her face. "I have to go."
"I wanted to ask you something." Her eyes started to shimmer, her hands cupping his face. "Can I paint a wall red? Your apartment is so white."
"No."
"Green?"
"No."
"Orange?"
"I hate orange."
"Purple?" She bit her bottom lip as she noticed his annoyed glare. "No?"
"No." He shook his head, an amused smile playing on his lips. "I'm getting out of here before you want to dye my hair."
"Damon?" She stopped him as he tried to step through the bathroom door. "Are there any other things I should know about you?"
"You still have a lot to learn."
"You still have a lot to learn."
"But my teacher says I'm the smartest boy in my class." Liam's blue eyes lit up. "And she's really smart."
"I don't think you're smart enough to assist me in theater, buddy." He ruffled the chestnut hair. "Maybe in twenty years."
"How many fingers, Daddy?"
"All of your fingers and toes."
"I don't count on my toes."
"Maybe you should learn that before you get into a theater with me." He held the little boy's shoulder once they stepped out of the elevator. "It would get you a lot further."
A smile came across his face as Liam's lips started to form a small pout, the same one Elena sometimes carried. He always thought he would never get to see this, detect his own character traits in another human being that was a part of him or notice the same facial expressions on a young boy's face. He still couldn't get his head wrapped around the whole parenthood thing and knowing if he was doing it right was the biggest question of all.
"I need you to do me a favor, okay?" He crouched down in front of Liam, looking around the hospital hallways. "I want you to stay here with the nurses for a few minutes while I talk to your mommy."
"But I want to see Mommy." The pout on his young face became even bigger. "Pretty please?"
"You'll get to see her." He squeezed Liam's shoulder. "I just have to talk to her for five minutes."
"Okay."
"This is Mirna." He pointed his chin to the young nurse behind the counter. "She's going to stay with you for a few minutes."
"Hi, Liam." Mirna crouched down in front of him, her brown eyes shimmering. "Do you want to help me out here?"
Damon mouthed a quick thank you at the brunette as she led Liam behind the counter and helped him up on a chair. He averted his eyes back to the white hall in front of him, approaching the door on the right with trembling hands. He had never felt any emotion so vicious as the ones that were running through his body right now, not a single one that was stronger than the other, all of them called to the surface by the few words she had spoken to him last night.
With a sigh he put his hand on the handle and pushed it down, slowly opening the door until the room was completely visible. His blue eyes fell on the girl on the side, eagerly taking her clothes from the closet and carefully placing them in the suitcase on the bed. She didn't even notice him as she was folding her pants and t-shirts so they all fitted into the suitcase in front of her. Her brown eyes were focused on her work, her white teeth occasionally biting on her bottom lip, her high ponytail that held the silk brown locks swayed with her every movement. He printed her peaceful face into his mind, knowing it would probably be the last time he saw it.
"I thought you were supposed to stay for another three days."
Her brown eyes snapped up and locked with his blue ones, the peaceful expression faded from her face. He felt the pang that shot through his heart, the brown eyes staring at him, filled with betrayal, disappointment, hate.
"And I thought a phone was used to have a conversation." Her hard eyes snapped to his face. "But apparently you just use it to say hello and hang up again."
"You think I want to have a conversation like that on the phone?" He stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. "That's a conversation that would change my life, your life, Liam's life."
"And you just hung up on me!"
"Maybe because I wasn't sure if it was you or the meds talking." He grabbed the chart from the end of her bed and started reading. "If it was you talking than we need to have a long conversation about this and we need to have it face to face."
"Aren't you even going to apologize?" She stared at him in disbelief. "I told you I wanted to be with you and you hung up on me."
"If I apologized you'd make an even bigger drama out of it." He shrugged indifferently. "So let's move past this and get to the actual subject."
"There's nothing to discuss anymore." She threw her shirts in the suitcase, shaking her head. "Last night I wanted to discuss that subject, now I know that it was wrong of me to want to discuss it in the first place."
"Good." He threw his arms up, walking further into the room. "I wouldn't want to spend my life with the nagging insecure bitch you've become anyway."
She stood nailed to the ground once the words were spoken, the realization slowly sinking in. She had been weak when she met him, only to become a strong independent woman under his influence. He gave her the courage to stand up for herself, to chase her dreams and stop fearing what other people thought about her. It had been one of the big differences in the relationship she had with him as opposed to the one she had with her husband; they were equals. They were both as strong as the other, they fought, they discussed, they loved with the same strength, with both of them being on the same level as the other. That disappeared again once she left him, because she was broken apart, she didn't have him to support her anymore, to guide her and tell her that she should make her own decisions. Instead she became that weak person again, the one she used to hate so much, the one she feared of becoming again the day she left him.
"You know I was proud of you the day you walked out on me?" He stared out of the window, watching the skyline of the quiet town. "Because you didn't need me anymore to make a decision, you just packed your bag and slammed the door in my face."
"That I walked out on you made you proud?"
"You left Stefan because I had your back." His blue eyes snapped to her brown ones. "You knew there was someone to fall back on, but with me you did it all by yourself and I made you become that strong woman that left me that day and that's what made me proud."
"I'm still that woman." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at him. "You just came back here and started messing with my head and that's why you don't get to see it."
"No, you became weak again." He let the words roll off his tongue. "You came back here and that husband of yours managed to squeeze you right into that vulnerable position again. And the only reason why you had the guts last night to call me was because for a moment you were that strong woman again and you could make decisions on your own again."
"I booked a ticket for Chicago the week after I left you." She blurted out, her eyes pointed at his face. "But I didn't get on that plane because I figured out I was pregnant, so don't tell me that I'm not strong because I stayed away from you because I knew you didn't want to be a father. You never even bought a ticket to Mystic Falls to come after me because you're the coward."
He had once bought a ticket back to Mystic Falls, she didn't remember and at some level he didn't want her to because that night was the one that had kept him going during the past years. He had held her in his arms again, stroked her hair, kissed her skin, whispered soothing words in her ear, loved her the way only he could love her. He came back for her, only to leave her again twelve hours later, realizing he wasn't yet ready to give her everything she wanted. But that didn't mean that he didn't leave something of him behind.
"Why only after a week?" He softened his tone, looking straight into her brown orbs. "Why not sooner?"
"It was my revenge." She pressed her lips tightly together. "I thought you'd come after me but then you didn't and I saw that week as my revenge for hurting me."
"You know what my revenge was?" He arched his eyebrow at her, a small smile playing on his lips. "I painted that damn green wall white again."
"You still weren't over that green wall?"
"I hated that wall." His eyebrows frowned together. "I just let you paint that damn wall so you'd stop nagging about it."
"It took me a week to paint it." She slapped her forehead, chuckling. "And you just made all of that hard work disappear."
"It only took me two days." He sat down beside her on the bed, a smile on his face. "And I did four layers."
"You didn't have someone who attacked you every five minutes for sex."
"How would you know that?"
"You told me." She bumped his shoulder, muttering under her breath. "Idiot."
He narrowed his eyes at her, making a smile appear on her face. She threw her head back with laughter as he just shook his head in amusement, clearly not even offended by her words. This was how it always had been, she could say the most silliest things and he'd roll his eyes at her, smiling just because she would have a broad smile on her face. His heart started aching with the thought of losing that laughter out of his life, losing the love that hid behind that laughter. It made him want to fight even harder for that other smile that made his heart beat.
"If you go back to Stefan," He watched the laugh fall from her face, a pregnant pause lingering. "I'll take Liam from you."
"What?" Her eyes went wide, her voice only a whisper. "You can't do that."
"You go back to him and I'll fight you for custody." He got up from the bed, leaving her shocked behind. "He's my son and he should know."
"So you're forcing me to go with you?"
"No." He threw his arms up. "I know that you think that you're doing the right thing by staying with Stefan, but you don't love him and it's time that you stand up for yourself and Liam. Leave him, just leave him."
"Stay out of my business!" The tears started streaming down her face. "You only came back for that stupid trial, you never wanted to be a father so you don't have the right to take Liam from me!"
"I took care of that stupid trial." He spat in frustration. "Klaus dropped the charges."
"How much did it cost you?" She got up from the bed, hugging herself. "Why do you have to ruin everything?"
"It cost me enough." His voice sounded husky, filled with emotion. "And I didn't ruin everything, that trial would have ruined you so I made it go away."
"You ruined us!"
"Mommy?"
She spun around, Damon's head snapping in the same direction, their eyes locking on the blue eyes of the little boy. Liam's young eyes looked at Damon before they switched to Elena's eyes and found the tears streaming down her face. He looked so vulnerable and innocent in that moment that it made her tear up all over again. Her little boy, the light of her life, her reason for existing, she never wanted him to know how pain felt, how heartache could ruin a person.
"Mommy, don't cry." He stepped through the door, his big blue eyes focused on her. "Why are you crying?"
"It's nothing, buddy." She wiped the tears from her face, forcing a smile. "Come here, give me a hug."
"Damon can fix you if you're hurting."
"He can't fix this."
"I thought you said you were a good doctor." Liam looked up at Damon. "Then why can't you fix Mommy?"
"Doctors can't fix everything." He ruffled the boy's hair. "Sometimes only time can fix something."
Liam pouted his lips as he thought about Damon's words, his arms reaching up to his mother who picked him up and hugged him tightly, inhaling the smell of his chestnut hair, enjoying his small arms wrapping around her neck. She opened her eyes, locking with the other blue ones in the room, finding him watching them, his face thoughtful, the conversation from a few minutes ago lingering in the air.
"Thank you for watching him." She cleared her throat, her heart aching as she looked into that ocean of blue. "But Stefan is picking me up in an hour so we'll take him home with us."
"You're supposed to stay for another three days." He shook his head at her. "It's not smart to discharge yourself."
"I want to go home." She placed Liam down on the bed, handing him his color book. "I feel fine and I want to take care of my son again."
"I can take care of him for a couple more days."
She rolled her eyes, avoiding Liam's curious gaze. Her heart started beating faster in her chest as she stepped forward and grabbed Damon's arm, dragging him to the door, ignoring the way her skin tingled by touching his. She looked back at Liam who was coloring his drawing and pointed her stern look at the man before her again.
"I think you don't get it." She arched her eyebrow at him. "You just threatened to take my son away from me. This is not a discussion, it's not even a fight, it's a war now."
"Elena..."
"No." She pulled the door open, her face harder than ever. "Get out of my sight because I don't want to spend the rest of my life with the asshole you became."
He looked up at her, with those ocean blue eyes that used to stare into the depths of her soul. But she closed that gate to him the second he threatened to take away that soul from her. He had always been though, stronger than she ever was, but when the fight came down to love a child, a mother would always win. And he knew he'd release the lioness with his threat, the Elena he knew that could make him get on his knees, crawl over the ground like a snake.
She didn't even blink as he stepped through the door, his blue eyes boring into hers, her breathing heavier than before. She closed the door behind him once he completely stepped through it and turned back to the boy on the bed, his blue eyes carefully watching her, much like his father's had been doing a couple of minutes ago.
"Why did Damon have to leave?"
"Because your daddy is picking us up in a few minutes." She sat down beside him, rubbing his back. "And then I'll finally get to go home with you again."
"But now Damon will be alone." He looked up at her, his face sad. "Can't he stay with us?"
"I don't think that's such a good idea, sweetie."
"But Mommy, I like Damon." He rested his head against her shoulder. "We're best friends."
"I know you like him."
"I even showered with him." His blue eyes shimmered. "And we played the whole time and we talked about everything and he let me sleep with him and this morning we made pancakes."
"So you had a good time?"
"Yes." He nodded fiercely, taking the red pencil from the box. "He was almost as fun as auntie Care."
"Auntie Care is more fun?" She chuckled softly, hugging his back to her chest. "Why?"
"She lets me stay up longer."
"Of course." She placed a kiss on his hair, rocking him. "I always suspected that."
"Mommy?" He turned his head over his shoulder, forgetting all about his drawing. "Were you crying because you were fighting with Damon?"
"Yeah." She nodded sadly, stroking his chestnut hair. "We got into a fight but you don't have to worry about it."
"You shouldn't fight with Damon, Mommy."
"No?"
"No." He shook his head, turning back to his drawing. "Because he loves you too."
"Daddy!"
Elena sat straight up in bed as she heard another scream from her son's lungs. The cries reached her even through the walls of the house, her heart squeezing with every new one. She threw the covers off her and grabbed her robe from the bed, shielding her body from the cold winter. Her ears found the crying boy before her eyes, her husband trying to sooth his cries with whispered words.
"Mommy!"
Her heart squeezed another time as he reached for her, his eyes red and puffy, the tears rolling down his cheeks at the speed of a waterfall. Stefan turned around, rocking Liam in his hold, the boy struggling against his embrace. She reached forward and rubbed the boy's back, trying to ease him back to sleep after another nightmare.
"I told you to stay in bed." Stefan's eyes focused on her. "You need your rest, I'll get him back to sleep."
"I can't sleep when he's screaming like that." She took Liam from him, rocking him gently. "Go to bed, I'll deal with it."
"I want Daddy." Liam cried against her shoulder, gasping. "Daddy!"
"Daddy's right here, Liam." Stefan squeezed his shoulder, rubbing gently. "I'm right here."
"No!".
"Stefan just go back to bed." She stroked Liam's hair, holding him tight. "He'll calm down in a minute."
Liam kept trying against her neck while she watched Stefan get out of the room, eying the both of them with concern. She hushed Liam, stroking his hair, holding him tight, rocking him. The boy's cries were muffled a bit by her robe when she started rubbing his back, his eyes fluttering.
"What's wrong, baby?" She whispered into his ear. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"I want Daddy."
"Daddy's asleep now." She placed a kiss on top of his forehead. "We'll call him in the morning, okay?"
"No!" He started crying again, the crocodile tears rolling over his pink cheeks. "Daddy!"
"Okay, okay." She sighed, looking around the room. "We'll go downstairs and try to call him, okay?"
She took a deep breath as Liam nodded and stilled against her shoulder, his big blue eyes watching as they entered the hallway and she carried him down the stairs. Her hand trembled as she retrieved her cell phone from her purse and started searching for the number in the contact list. She pressed the green button and put the phone against her ear, hearing it ring on the other side of the line.
"Come on, Damon." She bit her lip, tapping her foot. "Pick up."
Liam's eyes were fixed on the phone against her ear, his pink lips parted, his tiny body trembling with anticipation and impatience. A sigh escaped her as it went to voice mail, Liam's eyes tearing up again as he saw her hit the red button.
"He's probably asleep." She shook her head at him, throwing the phone on the desk. "I promise we'll call him first thing in the morning."
"No. Now."
"Liam."
"Mommy." He started crying again, hugging her neck. "I want Daddy!"
"Liam, he's asleep." She shook her head, her own eyes filling up. "I can't just magically wake him through the phone."
"Daddy!"
"Okay." She rolled her eyes, picking the phone up. "I'll try one more time."
Liam just kept on crying this time as she put the phone to her ear, hushing him while listening to the ring on the other side. She bit her lip after three times and finally a tear rolled down her cheek as it went to voice mail again. Liam's screams became louder when she put the phone back on the desk, his whole body trembling against hers, her own emotions a mess.
"Stop crying and pull your coat on." She put him down on the floor, grabbing her car keys. "We're going to see Damon."
He nodded fiercely and ran to the hallway for his coat, she went after him and helped him zip it up before pulling the front door open, closing it quietly behind her. She opened the car door and helped Liam buckle up before she brought the car to life and drove away from the house, her eyes glancing at Liam in the rearview mirror. Her head was a whirlwind of thoughts while driving through the quiet town, the engine of her car the only sound to be heard. Liam stopped sobbing somewhere halfway down road and it made her sigh in relief.
"We're almost at the hotel." She looked up in the rearview mirror. "But we have to be quiet because people are asleep, okay?"
"Okay."
Her eyes traveled over the parking lot of the hotel, finding an empty spot near the exit. She got out of the car and pulled the door open, freeing Liam out of his seat belt. The boy took her hand once she had locked the car and stayed close to her as they entered the lobby and walked to the elevator. She pushed the button and watched the numbers go up above the steel doors, her heart beating frantically in her chest. Once the doors opened again she led Liam into the corridor and scanned it quickly, finding no one. Liam's eyes lit up once he saw Damon's room, his tiny hands already pushing against the wooden door.
"Damon." She knocked on the door, clearing her throat. "Are you in there?"
"Daddy!" Liam's eyes started tearing up again, his little fists slamming against the wood. "Daddy!"
"Damon! Open the damn door!"
She took a step back once she heard the lock being turned, the door slowly opening, Liam slipping through it before the man behind it was even in her sight. Her heart jumped in her throat as Damon's blue eyes locked onto hers, she sighed in relief, tears welling up in hers eyes as she saw him standing there, unharmed, his chest bare, his hand resting on their son's shoulder, his expression wary and concerned at the same time.
She launched forward and collapsed against his body, her arms wrapping around his neck, her face finding that spot against his shoulder where she fitted perfectly. Liam's sobs were as loud as her own, the little boy clinging to Damon's leg like he would never let him go again. Damon stood frozen in their embrace, his arm hesitantly wrapping around her back, his other hand rubbing soothing circles over Liam's skull.
"What's wrong?" Damon pulled his head back so he could look at her. "Are you two alright?"
"Don't leave, Daddy." Liam cried against Damon's leg, his big blue eyes looking up at him. "Please don't leave."
"Why would I leave?"
"Because you had a fight with Mommy." Liam clung even harder to his leg, his body shaking. "And I don't want you to leave."
"I'm not leaving." He let go of Elena and picked the boy up from the ground. "Don't worry, I wouldn't leave my best friend."
"No?"
"No." Damon shook his head, wiping the tears from Liam's face. "I would never leave you buddy."
"Pinky promise?"
"I pinky promise."
The smile that appeared on Liam's face made her heart swell and her tears flow. The comfort of being in his father's arm made his eyes flutter while Damon carried him over to the bed, gently tucking him under so he could peacefully fall asleep while his father sat next to him, the worries of fifteen minutes ago disappeared from his young face, the screams that had come from his lungs long forgotten now he felt safe again.
Elena sat down on one of the chairs in the room and watched Damon stroke Liam's hair, whispering soothing words into his ear, earning a smile every few seconds from the boy's face. She had always known that at some point in his life her little boy would find someone that would fill the empty space, that the day he'd meet his real father he'd probably never let him go again because he was the only father that would be able to understand him to the core, that would be able to connect with him in a way father and son were supposed to. She had known that, it was what she had been dreading the most when his real father showed up, because she knew neither of them would want to get out of the other one's life.
"Get in the bed." Her head snapped up, Damon suddenly standing beside her. "You shouldn't be driving and I'm too exhausted to."
Her lips parted slightly as she looked up at him while he threw one of his shirts at her for her to sleep in. He disappeared into the bathroom while she quickly changed into the gray shirt; she quickly inhaled his scent and then fixed her eyes on the closed bathroom door. Liam turned around on the bed, he sighed into his sleep before his breathing went back to the steady pace. Her feet carried her to the closed door, goose bumps appearing on her bare legs and arms, her hand reaching for the handle of the door, pushing it open to find Damon bent over the sink, breathing heavily, his fists grasping the sides of the counter.
"I'm sorry that we had to barge in here in the middle of the night." She closed the door quietly behind her, her voice making him look up. "But I didn't know what else to do; he just kept on screaming for you."
"It's my fault." He looked up in the mirror, wetting his lips. "I told him that he never met me because we got into a fight and you left."
"He probably thought you were going to leave because we were fighting at the hospital." She nodded in understanding. "Now it makes sense."
"I'm tired of this, Elena." He looked up at her, broken, tortured. "I'm tired of fighting with you all the time."
"I'm tired of fighting with you." She leaned against the door, staring at him. "But every time I tried to let you back in every bone in my body starts screaming at me because you've hurt me before and I don't ever want to feel that kind of pain again."
"That's why you suddenly changed your mind again this morning." He shook his head sadly. "I hung up on you and it hurt your feelings."
"I don't want to be weak anymore, Damon."
"You don't have to be weak anymore."
She knew why she didn't have to be weak anymore, because he was back, her rock, the one she always depended on, that one person in the world that would always have her back. He came back for her and brought the strength back she had left behind the day she left Chicago. It didn't matter anymore that he'd been gone, she had forgiven him long ago, the pain of not being able to go back to him still lingering beneath the surface, the love she had received in return by not going back to him, from the child he gave her.
"If you ever threaten to take my son away from me again," Her voice was husky, her eyes watching his every movement. "I'll kill you."
"I know."
The words rolled off his tongue like they were the most normal thing in the world, no fear or shock rested behind it, he knew what their son meant to her, what she'd do if anyone even thought about hurting the little boy she had always protected with her life. That's why his next steps were so cautious, filling the gap between them that had been there for the past five years, closing the emotions that still lingered between them in the air, finding the lips from the woman he'd always love.
She didn't even know why she had ever tried to fight them; she could see it in his eyes the moment before he closed his lips over hers. He would never hurt her again because with every beat she had to take from him, he hurt himself as much as he hurt her.
Her mouth moved with his in the familiar pace, hungry, desperately, clinging to the other like they would die the moment they let go. It took them five years to get to this point, to fill the need inside of them to be one again, to let their souls collide with their other halves, to let their hearts finally come home.
And he would always be that one place that she'd call home. That one place where everything was familiar, safe, the exact feeling she got while he ravished her mouth, while his arm slipped under her to hold her up against the door, that exact feeling that closed around her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. It wasn't need that brought them to the ground, her back pressing against the cold floor tiles; it was absolute desperation that brought them there, desperate to be with each other again, to fill that empty space that only the other could fill.
He slowly pulled his shirt off of her, gazing down at her like she was the most precious treasure he had ever seen, his blue eyes traveling over her naked chest, his hand softly cupping her breast. It was all too much for her, the emotions in his eyes, the vulnerable man in front of her, it made her want to cry all over again. But she didn't cry, instead she gave him a mesmerizing smile, her body moving up to unzip his black jeans, helping him take them off.
She had always known she had been blessed to get to lay her eyes on him. The sculptured chest the dream of every warrior, the black raven hair the wish of every model, those ocean blue eyes the death of every woman. She was his woman, but instead of killing her, those blue eyes were what had kept her alive all this time without him, the ocean blue eyes he passed on to their son, giving her that one thing that would make sure she'd never be able to forget him.
Her hands were still wandering over his chest as he sat down between her legs, her body sprawled out on the bathroom floor, his body hovering above hers, trembling in anticipation. He quickly removed her panties from her body, her heart beating frantically in her chest, his breathing heavy.
He settled himself in front of her entrance, the hard length pushing against her opening. And as he thrust forward and made them one again after five years, she finally came home, the empty space in her chest was filled, the nagging feeling in her stomach faded away and everything in the world made sense again. Every fight they had, every conversation, every time she ran out the door to launch herself back into his arms, all those moments leading up to this one moment that would change their lives forever. Because she wasn't going to let him go again, not now she had him back in her life, in her body, in her heart and soul.
His thrusts were deep, his eyes never leaving hers, growls falling from his lips and she couldn't believe it had been five years since he had last made love to a woman. It was a skill he would never unlearn, he could make her body tingle before he had even ripped her clothes off, he could make her hum in satisfaction before his lips had even touched her skin. He was that person that knew her body better than anyone else ever would, because she had shared it more with him than with anyone else. He became the owner of it, that person that could use it whenever because it wouldn't survive without his touch, that claimer that could own it because no one else would ever be able to properly love it.
His chest moved against hers, his breathing in her ear, her nails digging into his back, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist while his hips seemed to push faster with every new movement. He was desperate, needy, after five years of not loving someone, he finally had someone again to love. And then it hit her, he had been alone for the past five years, lonely. No one was there to hold him, hug him, support him, talk to him after he had a rough day. No one told him how proud they were of him, how much he meant to them, how much he was loved.
"You'll never be alone again."
The words escaped her, breathed into his ear as his cheek rubbed against hers. His thrusts faltered for a moment to lock his blue eyes with her brown ones, the desperate need to love her again reflecting in them, the desperate need to finally come home to her again.
"I love you Damon Salvatore." She tugged his head to her, breathing against his lips. "I never stopped loving you."
The force behind the movement of his lips on hers said enough about his love for her, the words may not have been spoken but she had always known that they loved on the same level, that no one else would ever be able to love them on that level. It was the thought that filled her mind as he drove them to the edge, she had never really loved before him, her heart had never been possessed like this, like the day she ripped it away from him, it died in her chest. Her lungs had never before needed the air that was him, until the day she walked out on him and they seemed to stop breathing for her.
Her world shattered into a million pieces as he growled against her neck, shivering on top of her, his body trembling as she held onto him, panting, her nails digging into his flesh, her body completely satisfied yet craving for more. A minute passed before their breathing got slightly normal again, Damon's head resting on her chest, his ear above her heartbeat, his whole body drowning in sweat drops, her own body doing very much the same thing. She placed a kiss on his hair, trying to stop the trembles that went through his body, the shivers that ran down his spine. Her hand traveled over his arms, trying to warm him up, getting his body still on top of her.
They didn't need words to tell the other what they felt in that moment, she could feel it radiating from him, the way his blue eyes were staring in front of him but not really seeing anything, the way his body was draped over hers, afraid she might disappear once he freed her. Her body clung to his, afraid he might leave her again if she let him go. They stayed like that for minutes, hours, days, the unspoken words spoken with just their breathings, the emotions lingering between them with just the touch of their skins, the blissful moment broken by the ring of his cell phone.
"It's the hospital." He absently mumbled against her chest while she stroked his hair. "I should take it."
"Go." She placed a kiss on top of his head, helping him get up from the floor. "Before it wakes Liam up."
She immediately felt cold the second his body left hers, naked. His eyes were distant while he got up, not even glancing at her, his head seemed to be a thousand miles away and for some reason it scared her because she was all too aware of him. The only thing she could do was grab his shirt and pull it back over her head while she heard him mumble on the phone in the other room, his sighs reaching her in the bathroom. His voice disappeared but his body reappeared in the bathroom, his blue eyes looking for her brown ones, his face filled with an expression she couldn't read. Her heart drummed in her chest, her eyes looking for support in his, her soul feeling him slowly pull away.
"They found a heart for your mom."
Please review!
Follow me on Twitter for spoilers & updates: QueenOfDelena