Elena's POV
I reached my hands out to hold his face, pulling it up to my own.
"Look at me, Damon," I whispered and his blue spheres slowly moved to meet mine.
His sobs quieted down, but the tears kept trailing down his cheeks. I gently pushed his head back, feeling his locks between my shaking fingers.
"The baby's still inside of me. I didn't lose the baby," I spoke softly, pulling his hand to my abdomen, so he could feel my still bulging belly.
It had been hidden beneath the hospital sheets as I tried to sleep. His lips formed a small smile, the tears no longer pouring from his eyes.
I'm pretty sure he felt our child's heartbeat because a smile formed on his lips. I rested my hand on top of his, the final piece to the puzzle.
"Am I dreaming, Elena?" He whispered.
"I hope not," I whimpered, and I finally let the emotion consume me.
We cried together, his arms wrapped around me, and I could not stop looking at him, afraid he would disappear. I had missed him so much and it seemed too good to be true to have him beside me.
"Don't ever, ever leave me again, Elena," He hummed, holding me.
"I-I love you," I sniffled, having no other words to describe how I felt.
"You do?" He begged, "H-how can you love me after all I have done?"
There was no hesitance in my response. Something about Damon Salvatore filled me joy.
"You are good. I-I saw the good, Damon," I whispered, "I felt empty without you all this time. My heart knew what it wanted, but I fought it...for so long I did."
He smiled at me and those perfectly blue eyes stared right into my soul.
"Damon," I whined, "I can't fight this anymore."
With that he swooped in to capture my lips. I closed my eyes and allowed my heart to soar up and away. Finally, I felt I had come full circle, and finally I somehow felt whole again.
4 months later:
Damon's POV
She snatched my arm breathing heavily through each pulse of pain that was sent through her body. The midwife helped Elena into the tub when the contraction finally came to an end, and I was so hesitant to follow. The water immediately soothed her, and I watched as she finally relaxed her tense muscles.
"Damon," She breathed, urging me to join her in the tub.
I immediately stripped down to the swim trunks that I had worn underneath, knowing she wanted me in the water during the birth. I stepped toward the tub before climbing in. I sat down with my back pressed against the sides, waiting for Elena to choose a position. With another contraction coming close, she immediately locked her arms around my neck, sitting on her knees before me. She was whimpering erratically, pain spreading throughout her abdomen.
"Damon, I can't take it," Elena whined, digging her nails into my back as the contraction intensified.
I lightly rubbed her back, refusing to respond to her despair. I didn't know what to say or how to feel. Silence seemed to be the best policy in the moment. We would get through this. After all we had been through together, we would prosper.
"It...it...it hurts so bad," She muttered, burying her face into my neck.
I hated to see her suffer, but I knew she wanted this water birth, so I tried to keep her positive. It had been ironic for her to choose the most painful method of birth, especially after all she had been through. and though she wouldn't tell me her reasoning, I guessed that she wanted to prove she was stronger than everything...everyone.
"I know, darling. Just remember we will have a little baby soon." As I finished speaking, I felt her press herself harder against me.
"Elena, is there anything you need right now? I am going to check your progress." The midwife asked, but all my wife could manage to do was let out a whimper.
She began to scream, the pain tearing through her. Her cries made the hairs on my neck stand up, and I began to wonder if something was wrong.
"It's okay Elena. I am right here. Just sit in my lap and we can get through this," I announced as she finally made contact with my bright eyes.
She immediately obeyed, and rolled her hips over so she was facing forward, her back pressing against my bare chest. The midwife began to examine her cervix for progress and she smooshed me firmly against the porcelain tub.
"Fully dilated," The midwife mumbled.
The woman then turned her attention to Elena, pressing a cold washcloth to her forehead.
"Your body knows exactly what to do. You just do what your body tells you to. Damon and I are both here to get you through this." She assured her.
I could tell Elena wanted to push, but I knew she exhausted after thirty hours without sleep. Even I was beginning to run out of steam, and I hadn't done anywhere near the amount of work my wife had endured.
"Do you want to push, sweetie?" I whispered into her ear, pulling a loose strand behind her ear.
"Y-yes," she stuttered quietly just as I felt her tense.
Another contraction hit her without warning and she began to scream and squirm uncontrollably. My heart began to race, and I immediately hooked his arms under hers to hold her still. I rested my hands on her huge belly, feeling the intensity of the contraction. As Elena began to push, so did I. Everything Elena felt, I felt. It was a sensation I had never experienced, and it sent chills down my spine. I chanted her name as the contraction finally terminated, kissing her temple.
"Beautiful job, Elena!" the midwife told her with a smile.
Elena breathed heavily, her breaths mimicking my own. I began kissing her neck as a reassurance of her work, rubbing her belly rhythmically as we awaited the next contraction. As her breathing sped up, I knew the contraction was coming. She pushed with all the strength she had as I continued to kiss her neck. I watched as she spread her legs further apart, gasping for air. After pushing for so long, Elena was giving up, but I continued to reassure her that the baby would come soon.
"Now Elena, the baby is going to crown in the next push and it is going to burn a lot." the Midwife announced softly.
I encouraged her to push and when she did, the screams once again erupted.
"OH MY GOSH...it hurts...make it stop...please," Elena begged.
"You have to push the head out to make the burning stop."
Elena pushed the hardest she had ever, and I knew the burning must have vanished. She was breathing so fast that I thought she would faint.
"Elena, reach down and touch your baby. The head is out," The Midwife rejoiced.
"NOOOO!" Elena cried.
I wanted Elena to have some much needed motivation as I watched her losing her strength and willpower. With that, I took both her hands in mine and led them down between her legs. Her fingers felt a round mass and she began to pull back in protest.
"That's our child Elena. We created that. Now, you need to push this angel out. We can do this together," I told her.
As soon as the words were spoken, another contraction came and Elena once again squirmed in discomfort, screaming to the high heavens. She pushed through the contraction, feeling more burning as the shoulders of our soon-to-be-born child slipped out. Once again I guided Elena's hands down between her legs, forcefully wrapping her hands around the partially exposed baby. With another contraction, the baby slipped from her body, and I hauled the newborn onto her chest.
I felt an immediate attraction to this new bundle of joy, but I snapped out of my trance long enough to clean the baby's mouth out with my pinky. The infant instantly let out a long and ear piercing cry as I removed whatever was clogging its airways. A nurse wiped all of the goop she could from our baby before carefully lifting the baby's leg. Tears streamed down my cheek as I looked at the amazing creature.
"It's a baby girl," The woman cheered, and I continued to tear up.
"I am so proud of you Elena. You are incredible!" I praised as Elena began crying in my arms.
She must have felt so empowered by this birth, and this acknowledgement only added to the excitement of the most beautiful creature we had ever laid eyes on, lying in her arms. Finally, our life was complete.
1 year later:
So much had happened since the end of our nightmare. Diana and Elliott were now expecting a baby of their own only seven months after their wedding. As for all of those we left behind? They were still in the compound, now being dictated by Mosiah's eldest son. Although the hell for us had ended, it was still very much evident for those that refused to leave. Every woman and child that had been taken from the compound had been promptly returned, including Jenna, Caroline, and Rebekah.
It had been extremely upsetting for both Elena and me to learn, but we remembered how happy many of them were. Caroline and Rebekah had found husbands who loved them. Jenna was happy with Elijah and her baby. Who was I to impede on that? We offered help to our families, but they were all too afraid of change. So many were. Change was difficult and our families had only ever known that life. We couldn't expect them to leave with a bunch of promises, even if we believed they were crazy not to.
No one ever knew what became of Genevieve, but from Alaric's failed search, I suppose she had died that night in my arms. The memories of her innocent blue eyes and long blonde hair claw at me at times, and I am forced to lock myself away until I can regain emotional stability. I am just so sorry that I could not save her. Elena reminds me that in some way I had rescued her for a fate far worse than death. That is the only realization that keeps me sane.
Additionally, I had learned that Elena's father had died of a heart attack only hours after the birth of our baby girl. It was bittersweet for Elena. No matter what her father had done, he was still the man who had raised her. By the end of his life, he was unrecognizable, but she had loved him. I saw her silently cry as she rocked the baby in her arms later that night. I curled up next to her, comforting her ambivalent heart. Alaric found justice for wife, and though he is still a fucking drunk, he is a part of this family.
Then there is our daughter. Vivienne translates to mean life. What is life? Vivienne is life. She is the small angel who stole our hearts from the moment she was placed on Elena's chest. When I look into her familiar blue eyes, I see hope. I see hope for Elena and me. We had survived the rough storms of the sea and now there were only blue skies ahead for us.
"Damon? Where the heck is it?" Elena barked at me, babbling about something irrelevant.
"Elena," I breathed, laughing.
"Stop laughing, you jerk," She spat, clutching her hair angrily.
I grabbed her shoulders, holding her so that she faced me.
"Remember what we lived through. Breathe and remember to enjoy every moment we have together," I spoke softly, staring into her eyes.
Her face immediately relaxed, and she bit her bottom lip before smiling.
"Why are you so amazing?" She whispered before crashing her lips against mine.
Our lips rhythmically moved against each other, and I couldn't hold back. I was scared to let go of her, afraid to lose her again. I pulled her tightly against me until her entire body was touching me. My lips slowly crept across her cheek down to her jawbone. My kisses were so rough against her delicate skin, which was becoming red and blotchy beneath my lips.
"I love you, Elena Gilbert," I hummed, "In this life and the next."
"God bless you, Damon," She cackled, "But you're not getting out of changing her diaper."
And there we stood laughing incessantly as if the heavens had rained their beauty down onto our lives...just until the souls within us were forced to flourish exponentially.