Elena was still shaking from her run in with Rebekah, when she pulled into her driveway. She took a few deep breaths to settle herself, before going in to tell Damon the news. Going to the Grillle turned out to be a mistake just like he had said. Why does he always have to be right? It was inevitable that word would get back to the Originals, but Elena had hoped to keep it from them a while longer. She was enjoying the semi-peacefulness of a life without Klaus trying to drain her, or Rebekah trying to kill her. Rebekah knowing about the baby just stirred trouble up all over again. Elena sighed deeply. "I guess I'd better go in and break the news to Damon."

When she walked in the door, Damon was sitting on the couch, battling with Jeremy in a zombie killing game on their Xbox 360. From the sounds of it, Jeremy had just decapitated a group of 'walkers' with Damon's assistance, prompting both men to cheer. Damon actually gave Jeremy a 'nice job baby Gilbert' comment. Elena had to smile at the sight of her brother and Damon actually getting along like normal people. Too bad she was about to ruin Damon's good mood. In a weird way, Jeremy hated Damon, but at the same time, he respected him like a brother, a brother who would kick his ass if he got out of line. And Damon doesn't think he'll be a good father.

"Hey, you two."

Both guys gave her a brief glance before returning to the game. Almost in unison, they said, "Hey."

Elena thought they looked cute and decided to tease them. She set down her purse and removed her coat. "Sharpening your skills for the zombie apocalypse I see."

Damon, never missing an opportunity to be snarky, replied, "Well, we are in Mystic Falls where 'nothing bad ever happens.' Just trying to stay on our toes for the next big bad."

Elena smirked. "Yes, we seem to be a magnet for all things evil. Though I think I'd like to pass on the zombie thing." Hesitantly, she said, "Speaking of evil, I kind of...had a run in with Rebekah." Damon immediately stopped playing and gave her a sharp, worried look. He tossed the remote down and walked over to Elena.

Jeremy had been too engrossed in the game to catch what Elena had said and was annoyed when Damon suddenly quit their game. "Hey, you can't just leave me hanging when I'm surrounded by zombies. Dick, not cool."

Damon gave him an irritated look, "Yeah, well, a real life apocalypse trumps a fake one any day." He turned back to Elena, crossing his arms over his chest. "What happened?"

"Um, well, you know I went to the Grille with Bonnie and we ran into Caroline. Caroline was bouncing all over the place with excitement about being home and making plans for us to hang out."

He nodded, rotating his hand in a motion meant to move things along. "Yeah, forget about Barbie. What about Rebekah?"

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, Caroline sat right next to me in the booth. She noticed the heartbeat but couldn't figure out what it was at first."

"And so you told her."

"Yeah, I...I told her the story we came up with. Rebekah must have heard us talking because, when I stopped for gas on the way home, she mentioned it."

Damon's eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "What did she say to you?"

"I'd just finished pumping gas and, when I turned around, she was there. She said something about me being in a delicate condition. I tried to deny it, but she said she knew and that Klaus would be thrilled. Then I just got in the car and drove straight here. If I'd known she was at the Grille, I would've waited to tell Caroline later. But none of us saw her anywhere."

Damon needed to be certain about what Rebekah knew. "You only told Caroline the story we came up with right? You didn't tell her anything else?"

"No, I...I just told her what we agreed on."

"What about Bonnie? Did you and Bonnie discuss it before she got there, or anywhere else those hybrids could've overheard you?"

Elena sounded less than convincing. "I don't think so."

"Think Elena. You need to be sure," Damon said as his voice rose in frustration.

She racked her brain, trying to recall every conversation she and Bonnie had had about the baby. "No, I'm sure. We only talked about him in private, never in public."

The tension in Damon's shoulders visibly relaxed. It wasn't until then he realized Elena was shaking. He closed the gap between them, placing both of his hands on her arms. He began rubbing them gently to calm her. His deep blue eyes looked at her lovingly. "It's ok Elena. It doesn't sound like Rebekah knows much. We knew they'd find out eventually."

Elena lowered her head and pouted. "Yeah, but I was hoping not for at least another month."

He looked down at her stomach. He said, "I don't think that was going to happen anyway. His heartbeat keeps getting stronger. You said yourself that Barbie could hear it."

She looked down in defeat. "I know."

"So, what did Barbie have to say about it? I'm sure she had something to say. Did she buy the story?"

Elena raised her eyes back to meet his. "She did, and she was livid. You'll be happy to know for once she agreed with you about killing the guy."

He pulled his head back slightly in surprise. "That's a first. Maybe there's hope for her yet."

"Don't count on it because she was appauled that I was going to have you help me raise it."

He scoffed. "Of course she was."

They'd both forgotten Jeremy was still there until he spoke. "So, you're sticking to the plan? You're still moving in with him?"

Damon replied sarcastically, "Of course she is. It's important now more than before. As soon as it gets back to Klaus that she's pregnant, he'll be hovering all over Elena. And we still have Rebekah to worry about. Not to mention word spreads like wild fire around this town. The Original pain in the asses aren't the only ones she needs protection from."

Jeremy looked at him curiously. "Who else would care that Elena is pregnant? I mean, as long as no one knows a vampire is the father, she should be fine, right?"

Damon paced, running his hand along the back of his neck. Finally, he rested his hand on his shoulder, attempting to knead the tension away. He explained. "No, we don't know that for sure. The council has been unstable since Ric spilled about the town's vampire problems. We don't know if he told them about Elena being a doppelganger. Those members come from a long line of supernatural haters. Outside of a few members wanting to lynch all vampires, they've been a little too willing to allow me to continue meeting with them, to see if we can come to a compromise. I don't trust what they're up to. I'm not willing to risk Elena's safety." He stopped pacing when he was in front of Elena. "Do you have everything packed for tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I just have to put some last minute stuff in a box."

"Good. I took care of the deed to the boarding house, so you'll have to invite me in again."

Jeremy asked, "How did you manage that? I thought when she died, it voided the spell."

"It did, but Bonnie said if I had Elena sign a new deed, and it was filed in place of the old one, it should work. I took it to the clerk this afternoon. At first, she refused to file it because nothing had changed. But with a little compulsion…," he smiled.

Elena looked at Jeremy, feeling guilty about leaving. "Are you sure you're going to be ok here? You can move in with us you know. There are plenty of rooms."

Jeremy looked at her but pointed at Damon. He said, "Move in with him and listen to the two of you go at it like you have the last 2 weeks? I think I'd rather take my chances with Klaus harassing me."

Damon taunted, "Yeah, well, I haven't been thrilled with you being around either. I'm getting tired of being quiet."

Jeremy looked at Damon in disbelief. "You call that quiet?"

Damon teased, "You should hear us when we're not quiet."

Elena interjected immediately before things could go any further. "Ok, ok, enough. I get it." She caught the smirk both guys gave each other out of the corner of her eye. They'd been trying to get a rise out of her to make her feel less guilty about leaving. Hmmm, pretty slick you two.

The next day, they got a later start than they'd planned, since Elena's stomach decided to act up. Her morning sickness had been intermittent lately. This was just one of those days. Fortunately, it took them only a few hours to move her things over. She was leaving most of her bedroom furniture with a few exceptions. She brought over a cedar chest that belonged to her parents, her computer desk and chair and an antique rocker she wanted to use after the baby was born. There was already plenty of furniture at the boarding house. It wasn't necessary to move anything else. If she thought of anything she needed, they could always get it later. Damon's room had enough closet space anyway for 3 people, which worked in her favor, since the majority of what she had to bring over consisted of clothes and shoes. Damon lugged in the heavier items like her books, computer, furniture, and storage containers, filled with who knows what else. It was incredible how much stuff one girl could have.

He brought the last of her clothing up to the bedroom and placed them on the bed with the others. Elena was sorting through her clothing, deciding where to put everything. "Here is the last of it. And I thought I had a lot of clothes."

With her back still to him, she smiled widely, as she continued folding some shirts. "Well, at least mine aren't all black."

"Hey, it makes it easier to do laundry if everything is the same color."

Elena laughed. "Nice try. You send your shirts out to be cleaned, so I'm not buying that one."

He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He placed a small kiss near her ear. He whispered, "Come on, I happen to look sexy in black."

She turned around in his embrace, resting her hands on his chest. She bit her lip seductively, staring at his chest. She ran her fingers up and down the opening of his shirt. Swaying gently in his embrace, she coyly said, "You look even hotter in nothing at all."

Just before his lips kissed hers, he replied, "Ooo, then maybe I should get naked."

She giggled when he kissed her. Her hands slid down from his chest to wrap around his back. Elena's hand brushed up against something soft and fluffy in his back pocket. She parted from his lips, trying to peek around behind him. "What's that in your back pocket?"

Damon had been so engrossed in kissing her that he'd almost forgotten what was there. He pulled out from behind him her teddy bear. His arms had been filled with her clothes, so he improvised and stuffed the bear's leg in his back pocket. Shaking it in front of her in a dancing motion, he said, "I couldn't let you forget your bear. Not when he's seen all the naughty things I've done to you."

She smiled big and took the bear from him. "No, I certainly wouldn't want him spreading rumors about me because I abandoned him. Thank you." She leaned back in and kissed him softly, slowly.

When they parted again, Damon said, "I'm feeling kind of peckish. I'm going to go grab a snack. I take it you've got it under control here?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to finish putting my clothes away."

"Ok, if you need me I'll be downstairs."

Damon had just poured himself a glass of blood and sat down on the couch, when his cell phone rang. He was taken aback by the name on the caller ID. "Stefan?"

"Damon, what the Hell is going on there? Caroline just called me and said Elena had been assaulted."

Dammit Barbie, why can't you just keep your mouth shut? "Relax Stef. Elena is fine."

Stefan's voice raised in disbelief at his brother's laxed attitude. "Caroline said she's pregnant. That's hardly fine, brother."

Damon sighed heavily. Looks like I'm going to have to tell him before he strokes out. "Stefan, listen to me. She's fine. That's just what we told Barbie because it's not safe for anyone to know the truth."

"What truth? What's going on?"

"Elena wasn't assaulted. Bonnie put a spell on me so Elena could get pregnant."

The silence from Stefan's end was deafening. There was such a long pause that Damon looked at his phone to make sure they hadn't been disconnected. Finally, Stefan spoke. "So, the baby is...yours?"

Damon could hear the conflicting emotions in Stefan's voice. He knew he was relieved Elena was fine, but he could tell Stefan was saddened that it hadn't been him. Damon sighed heavily, "Yes."

"Wait, that means it's a boy."

"Yep, that's the point. Bonnie found a way to break the Petrova curse."

Stefan understood finally. "No female, no more dopplegangers. Hmpf."

"Exactly. There's more to it than that, but I'll save that for another time. Let's just say Klaus and his siblings' days are numbered that's why we needed the story. If he finds out the truth..."

Stefan said, "He'll kill them both. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks."

"Damon, if you need anything..."

It was Damon's turn to finish the sentence. "I'll call you."

"Take care brother."

"You too." After they hung up Damon sat there, looking at his phone, deep in thought. He loved Elena more than anything, but he knew Stefan loved her too. It had to sting to hear she was having his child. All the more reason it was good that he'd left town for a while. None of them needed the additional stress of tippy toeing around each other.

A while later, Elena came downstairs to find Damon in the kitchen, pouring a cup of soup to go along with the sandwich he'd just made for her. "I figured by now, you had to be hungry."

She scrunched her nose at the idea of eating. "Not especially." Damon was just about to insist, when Elena cut him off. "But I know, if I don't you'll just keep pestering me until I do."

He smiled in victory. "Yep. Come on, you can bring it in the great room. We can sit by the fire while you eat." Elena carried the cup of soup, while Damon took the sandwich and a glass of milk into the other room. They settled down next to each other on the couch, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

Damon let out a heavy sigh. "Stefan just called. Apparently, Barbie called him with the news."

Elena was in the middle of eating her soup but stopped mid-sip. Her face dropped in guilt over not telling him. "He shouldn't have had to find out that way. What did he say?"

"She'd told him about the assault. So, he wanted to see if you were ok."

"Please tell me you told him the truth."

"Of course I did...sort of."

"What do you mean sort of?"

"I told him about the spell just not about killing the Originals. I said I'd fill him in on the rest later."

Elena could see in Damon's eyes that the conversation had been hard. She stroked his hair soothingly. She said, "It's good that he knows the truth. You ok?"

He gave her a less than believable smile, trying to hide his feelings. "I'm fine."

Not entirely convinced, she set her soup down on the coffee table then snuggled closer to him. She pulled back the collar of his shirt to kiss down his neck and along his collar bone. "You know, while I was upstairs I couldn't stop thinking about the image of you naked. I keep having this flushed, aching feeling between my thighs." She squirmed in place, rubbing her thighs together in anticipation. "Do you think you can help me with that?"

In their brief time together, she had gotten more bold in asking for what she wanted. He knew it was due to his influence, which made her attempts at seduction even more enjoyable. A rather devilish smile spread across his face. "Mmm, is that right? So, tell me what I can do the ease that ache," he teased, stroking his hand along her hair.

She purred between the kisses she placed down his chest. She undid each button slowly until his shirt was completely open. When she reached the edge of his pants, she was excited to see how hard he was already. Her hand firmly rubbed over the large bulge in his pants. Then she unzipped them. "First, I was hoping to taste you." She unbottoned his pants. He let out a moan, when her hand slipped inside his jeans, to feel the heat of his incredibly firm erection.

"Then what?"

She slid down on the couch, kissing around his lower abdomen, making his cock flinch at her closeness. "Then I want you to take me from behind, thrusting slowly, so I can feel every inch of you deep inside me." Her tongue licked over the head of his cock, and then she slowly took all of him in her mouth.

He watched her, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of her sucking motions. His head flopped back in pleasure, while his hands ran through her hair. His excitement was heightened by the erotic sounds her mouth made, as she took him in and out. Breathlessly, he said, "That is a...veeeery...good idea." He placed both hands on her face. He guided her head up from her position to bring her in for a passionate, tongue filled kiss. He said softly, "Why don't we move over there closer to the fire, where I can give you want you really want."

Elena grabbed the throw off of the couch and placed it on the floor in front of the fire place. She removed her top before lying down invitingly. Biting on her finger, she watched him through lust filled eyes remove the rest of his clothes, the ache in her growing more desperate. He laid down next to her, staring in her eyes with intense desire. He brushed her lips with his thumb then ran his fingers lightly down the supple cleavage of her lace covered breasts. He leaned in to kiss her deeply, while his hand inched down her body, slipping inside her yoga pants. The feel of his fingers on her skin were electrifying. They both felt her flush of wetness when his fingers rested on her aching nub. Her kisses became more desperate against his mouth with each stroke. With her hormones bouncing all over the place, she'd lost her tolerance for teasing. When she was ready, she simply couldn't wait. She pulled her lips away begging him. "Please, Damon...now. I need to feel you."

He pulled off her pants and panties, tossing them to the side. She rolled on her side to face the fire, waiting for him to join her. The warmth of the fire on her, combined with the feel of his body against her back, intensified her desire. Damon pushed her hips slightly forward, so her knee rested against the floor. He ran his hot cock along her slit, teasing her. He entered in one slow, deep thrust. She screamed, "Oh God!"

He licked the inside of her ear, asking softly, "Does that help your ache?"

Her answer came out in a pleasurable moan. "Mmmm hummm. It feels incredible."

He smirked against her ear, running his hand down her hip, around to the front, to stroke her clit. "Then this should feel even better." Her body arched into him, as she choked back a scream. He sucked along her neck raising the blood in her carotid to the surface. His fangs protruded aching to drink from her. Instead, he simply took pleasure in grazing his fangs along her artery. No matter how much pleasure it would give them both, he refused to drink from her while she was pregnant. His fingers continued to work their magic on her, as he steadily increased his deep penetrations. Her heart was beating faster, and her breath was becoming more ragged. He said, "That's it let go. I want to feel you cum." He felt her clench around his member just before she violently exploded. The tightness of her muscles squeezing against him, combined with the sudden flush of her fluid, sent him over the edge just a few strokes after her orgasm.

After a few moments, they regained their composure. He pulled himself out but continued to hold her in his warm embrace. She moaned softly at his touch, as he ran his fingers lightly down her neck and over her shoulder. Her hair was flipped to the side, allowing him to place soothing kisses along the base of her neck and down her back. She purred, "Mmmm, that feels nice."

"Good, it's supposed to." His warm breath tickled against her ear, causing her to shiver.

She twisted her torso slightly to look at him. Still smiling like a school girl, she asked, "What were you like when you were a little boy?"

He snickered. "What?"

She turned a little more, so she was now on her back looking up at him. "I want to know what you were like, so I know what to expect from him."

He gave her a wry smile. "How do you know he'll be like me? Maybe he'll be like you."

"Well, I already know what I was like. You on the other hand, I have no idea."

He looked at her incredulously. "Really? What do you think? I was trouble of course."

She laughed. "Yeah, I could've guessed that much. Seriously though. What kinds of things did you like to do when you were a kid?"

He repositioned himself on his elbow to rest his head against his hand. He intertwined the fingers of his other hand with hers, resting it against her chest. "You realize things were much different then than now."

Her eyes looked up at his blue ones, the reflection of the fire entrancing her with how it made his eyes dance. "I know, but I like hearing about your human life. You don't talk much about it."

"Because it was a long time ago." She gave him a look he knew meant she wasn't about to let him off the hook. "Fine. I liked playing the piano, reading, riding my horse. Stefan and I used to play war in the woods with these little wooden soldiers. I spent a lot of time cleaning the stables too."

She looked at him confused. "I thought you had handlers for that."

"We did, but I used to get in trouble a lot. Cleaning the stables was supposed to teach me 'discipline and responsibility.' It backfired because I liked spending time with the horses." She laughed.

"One time Stefan took our father's prize stud out for a ride without his permission, and the horse got away from him. He was terrified of getting in trouble, so I thought I'd create a diversion. I took some gun powder from our father's storage area and lit it out back. Let's just say the explosion was bigger than I expected." Damon laughed at the memory. "It took out half the fence around the stables." Elena opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth in shock. "God, was my father pissed. I had welts on my back for a week."

Elena gave him a horrified look. "Damon, that's awful."

In his usual fashion, he tried to make it sound like it was nothing. "Yeah, well, he was kind of a bastard. At least that time I deserved it." He saw the look of sympathy in her eyes and realized he gave away too much. After a moment, he gave her that seductive smile she loved. He leaned down mere inches from her lips. He said, "So, where were we?" He gave her a quick, sensuous kiss, lightly caressing her lips with his back and forth.

She knew he was trying to change the subject to cover up his pain. She stroked the back of his hair. Softly, she said, "I was just about to tell you how much I love you. And that I'm glad I am here."

He whispered against her lips, "Me too," just before he closed the gap between them.