Everytime I try to fly
I fall without my wings
I feel so small
I guess I need you baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, it's haunting me

Thursday November 24th

10 ½ weeks pregnant

Shit.

My dad is looking at me from the dining room chair. His face resting on his hand and looking at me with the most disappointed look I've seen. He stares at me waiting for a answer. And I know this is it. It's time.

I take a deep breath and tears get in the way. Before I know it I am sobbing. I lift my head up to see my dad sitting straighter now and looking at me like he never has before. He walks over to me and is now standing right across from me.

"Elena your pregnant aren't you?" He says straightforward.

I look up at him and nod.

He sighs and rubs his hands over his eyes. A thing he does when he is stressed.

"I didn't even know you were sexually active Elena! Damn it!" He says and takes deep breathes.

"I'm sorry daddy." I whisper.

He looks at me with anger but when he sees my tears he stops and I can see his face soften. "How far…along are you?" He whispers.

"…Almost 11 weeks." I squeak.

"Elena.." He sighs. "Who….W-who is the…father?" He finally gets out.

This is the part, I want to steer clear from. He is already mad I am pregnant much less when I tell him the town's womanizer who is two years older than me knocked me up. I bite my lip and cross my ankles not knowing how to say this.

"Elena…answer me. Who is he?" He says as calmly as he can.

"Daddy…"

"Elena answer me." He demands.

"Damon Salvatore." I whisper.

I look up to see his reaction and he is frozen. His jack slacked a little and his eyes gazed over. After a moment he lets out a deep breath and looks at me.

"Elena…I will support whatever you do. But…you're almost 16! You shouldn't be a mom at this age…are you sure this is what you want?"

I nod. "I never really thought about abortion dad…I…I love it" I mumble.

He nods and smiles a little before saying. "I am assuming Damon knows, from Jeremy telling me you two have been hanging out?"

"Yeah, though I didn't want him to know at first, given his reputation but he found out on accident and he turned out to be supportive. He is the one that reassured me to keep it and to see the doctor" I explain to my dad.

"Damon? Supportive?" He asks confused.

"Dad don't judge him okay? But he has been very supportive and been a big help to me" I defend.

He sighs and rubs his hands over his face again. "What were you thinking Elena? Did you use protection at all?" He exasperates.

"I don't know what I was thinking and I was on birth control for a little bit but I changed brands…" I explain shyly and I know what he is going to say next.

"Birth control? Where the hell did you get that?" He raises his voice.

"A walk in clinic..." I cough.

"Well what about condoms Elena!?"

"I know I was stupid okay! I didn't use them and I don't know why." I shout losing my patience. I take a few deep breathes to calm myself. "I didn't do it on purpose dad okay? But I am keeping it…So if you want me to move out or something-"

"Move out? Elena I won't kick you out. I am just a little shocked and disappointed" He breathes out.

I nod my head knowing he has a right to be. "I know and I am sorry." I whisper.

He smiles and walks over to hug me and I breathe him in letting out a few tears. I know he never expected his little girl to get pregnant at such a young age with someone she isn't even dating. But I know my dad and he will support me. He might not be happy but he would always support me.

"It will be all okay Elena…we can figure this out. But I want you to finish school" He pulls back and looks seriously at me.

"That's a big thing for me too dad. I really want to finish school and it's a big priority for me. Going by how far along I am I should give birth around June which is around when school ends… I can do this dad. I have to." I say bravely.

"You have grown up so much already haven't you?" he asks softly.

I nod. He sigh and kisses my forehead. "Okay we can talk more about this later, but you will be the one to tell Jeremy." He says firmly.

My eyes widen and my eyebrows shoot up. "What? No! Dad he will kill me and Damon!" I plead.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Damon kind of deserves it."

"Dad be nice." I warn.

"I want to meet him soon." He says firmly.

"No cause you and Jeremy will gang up on him!"

"And?"

"Dad!"

"Fine, fine, fine. But you will still tell Jeremy and that's final. Now go upstairs while I make dinner and…think about this" He sighs.

I nod and run to my room to end this torturous conversation. I shut my door and let out a cry. It's not a bad cry just a stressed out I-want-9-months-to-be-over cry. I let out a shaky breath before pulling out my homework and doing it. I need to keep up with my studies. After an hour of doing my homework I can't get the conversation from my dad out of my head. I lean over to get my phone and decide to tell Damon my dad knows. I just want him to know and get it off my chest.

My dad knows. I guess a friend of his congratulated him on being a grandpa, surprise to him.

I text Damon. I don't wait long for his reply.

How did he take it? Does Jeremy know? Should I padlock my house?

I laugh. Please Jeremy would just burn it down. Amateur.

No just my dad. And he was mad and disappointed at first but he says he will be here for me. And he wants to meet you. You aren't exactly his biggest fan right now…beware.

I feel bad for Damon, I mean, it was my choice too and here he is getting all the blame. I mean he is going to get hounded by my dad and Jeremy and I am sorry but no one should get hounded by them. It's scary. My phone buzzes and I look down.

Good news for me. I'm not dying tonight ;)

I smile. Oh how innocent he is.

Nope you're out of luck. My dad wants me to tell Jeremy. And it's not like it will be a secret for long so I am going to tell him tonight at dinner. Wish me luck

About thirty minutes later my dad calls me and Jeremy down for dinner. Jeremy must have come in and I didn't know. Damn it. I was hoping he was at some girls house or something. How I ended up the one having a kid is beyond me. I let out a deep breath and go downstairs. I made sure to put on one of my tight shirts to showcase my belly. No hiding now. Though it's not really something you notice unless you are looking for it. To a lot of people I bet they think I gained weight. I wish.

I make it downstairs and head into the kitchen. My dad has things lined up to make tacos. Yum. I grab a plate avoiding eye contact with my dad who is staring at me like a hawk and at my belly. I grab stuff and make my taco before sitting down. My dad and Jeremy arrive a minute later and we all eat. I can feel my hands shaking and my head throbbing at the thought of telling him. He is going to flip I know it.

"Elena, I think it's time you told Jeremy." My dad says taking a bite without look at me. He is punishing me. Guess I deserve it but still, it sucks. I gulp and fidget with my hands in my lap.

"What is it?" Jeremy asks harshly, feeling the tension between me and my dad.

"Go on Elena." My dad encourages and I look up at him and he isn't mad I can tell he just wants me to face up to my actions.

I let out a deep breath and look at Jeremy. Better do it quick and fast. "I'm pregnant" I say boldly. And I look at his reaction and at first he is working out what I said then I can see his eyes burning red and he slams his fist on the table.

"What the fuck!" He yells.

"Jeremy let your sister explain" My dad defends me.

"She's fifteen, Dad! God damn it! Who is he Elena?!" He shouts at me. "Who knocked you up? I swear once I find him-" He shakes his head at all the possible thoughts.

"I will tell you once you calm down Jer!" I raise my voice. His reaction is really pissing me off even though I expected it. I'll blame it on the hormones.

"Calm down?! Are you fucking kidding me?! You're a godamn sophomore in high school! You are fifteen! What the fuck!" He runs his hands through his hair and stands up fuming.

I sigh not sure how to handle this situation. I look up and see him pacing back and forth muttering things.

"Elena tell me right now, who knocked you up?" Jeremy walks over to me.

I can feel my anger rising. I know he is my brother and he has a right to know but I don't like his reaction. It's my business. I stand up and we are now facing each other.

"Jer stop acting this way! It's my life!" I shriek.

"Your life! Oh so you think you can make decisions and do what you want? And look where that got you!" He screams back. "Elena tell me right now who the father is." He demands.

"Damon!" I yell. "Damon Salvatore!" I scream at him and he falters. "Are you happy I told you now!?"

He freezes. Probably taking in the fact one of his friends knocked up his fifteen year old sister. He then looks at me then my dad before walking towards the front door and grabbing his jacket.

"Jer! Jer! Stop! Where are you going?!" I yell after him. I can hear my dad behind me also trying to see what Jeremy is doing.

"What do you think Elena!"

"Don't hurt him! Please!" I plead.

"Why? Do you love him or something?!" He yells.

I stop. What kind of question is that. I find myself frozen in shock. I didn't expect that to come out of his mouth. Me and Damon definitely have a weird relationship and there is a lot of tension but me in love with him? That is absurd.

"Jer…of course not but it is as much my fault as his! Give him a brea-"

"Break! Are you kidding me? He is the same age as me while you are barely a sophomore! He should have known!" He hollers.

"Jeremy please stop, please! Just stay and here calm down!" I sob and try to grab his jacket but he shakes me off.

"Elena let him go. He needs to do this" My dad whispers next to me.

I am torn to let Jeremy do what he wants but also protect Damon. I don't want him to be hurt. I know Jeremy won't kill him. Maybe. But I also know that Jeremy and Damon do need to talk, though I would rather it be when my brother doesn't have that murderous look in his eye.

I nod.

Jeremy looks between us then slams the front door. I pull out my cell phone and dial Damon's number. At least giving him a warning. It rings and rings. No answer. Damn it. The one time he doesn't answer. I hope to god he isn't home.

"Elena-" I hold up my hand and go to my room, forgetting about dinner. I plop down on my bed and let out a few cries. I thought could handle this better but they are all so mad and disappointed. And trust me I get it but it still isn't any fun. I lean against my head board and run my hand on my tiny bump. I will be eleven weeks in a couple of days and the closer I get the more excited I get. I want to meet this baby despite the circumstances. I decide to work on my homework even if it is impossible because I can't concentrate.

After about an hour I hear my front door slam and I know Jeremy is home. I hear voices downstairs and I run out my door and down the stairs. When I reach the bottom my heart stops. Damon is in my living room with my dad, and Jeremy's sporting a black eye and a bloody nose. Oh god.

"What is going on..." I whisper as I enter the living room.

"I just-you know, thought we would have a 'family' talk." Jeremy smirks coldly.

"What did you do to Damon, Jeremy?" My voice shakes as I look at Damon's wounds again.

"Eh, just a little disagreement" Damon waves off.

"Damon" I scold.

"Elena" He says back before turning serious. "I'm fine"

I sigh and turn back to my brother and dad who are watching us closely. Grayson nods and we all take a seat. I sit next to Damon on one couch and Jeremy and Grayson on the other.

"Let's just get this over with" I sigh and put my head in my hand.

My dad clears his throat and looks at Damon and me. "You do know what you guys did was wrong."

We both nod looking down, too ashamed.

"And now it ended in a child who didn't ask for this. While I would love a grandchild it is way too early…" He trails off before looking at us intently. "Are you sure adopt-"

"No" Damon says quickly and shoots his head up. "We have talked about it and we don't want that for our kid…We want to keep it"

Grayson holds up his hands in defense. "Hey, that's fine, I want to meet my grandchild too but you have to think of the kid, and Elena is only a sophomore so she will be in school and you I hope are going to college. The baby needs parent's is all I am saying…"

"I never planned on going to college and if I did it would just be a couple of business courses. My parents own a chain of businesses and want me to take over"

"Yeah I know about your parents business. I went to high school with them when they were starting it. Can you run a business while being a dad?"

Damon nods vigorously. "I will run a business while being a dad. I will make it work. I want to be there for him or her" Damon whispers.

My dad sits back and observes Damon as if he expected something else. Which he probably did. No one believes me when I say Damon is supportive and sweet. I mean I didn't until recently also.

"Did it ever occur to use a condom" Jeremy blurts out.

"I told you at my house…we got caught up and I thought she was on birth control…" Damon mumbles.

"OH! I SEE HOW IT IS. JUST EXPECT HER TO DO ALL THE WORK!" Jeremy stands up and yells.

Damon cringes from his yelling. "Look I know it was a mistake. I was stupid"

"Yeah you could say that! Dick!" Jeremy yells again. My dad puts a hand on Jeremy's shoulder to calm him down and Jeremy sits back down.

"Jeremy calm down….So are you guys going to do this? Raise a kid as teens?" My dad asks.

Me and Damon share a look full of understanding. We both turn back to my dad and brother at the same time and nod. My dad sighs before looking at us again.

"So what did the doctor say when you went yesterday? Everything good?"

"Yeah" I speak up for the first time. "Everything is good though we have to go more often cause of my young age.." I whisper.

My dad knows probably knowing that already. I am pretty small boned so how a baby is supposed to come out is unknown to me.

Jeremy leans forward and looks deep into Damon's eyes but this time Damon sits up straight and doesn't blink. He is being brave. "If you leave or hurt my sister or her baby…I will kill you. And you know I know people. You know my people…don't mess with us. That is a warning. I am only letting you live cause you are the father and my sister would be mad. Consider yourself lucky after knocking her up" He says before adding. "Oh and we aren't friends anymore" Jeremy says and leave angrily and we hear his bedroom door slam a moment later. I know he is trying to keep his anger contained. Probably easier now since he punched Damon.

"Well that went well" I laugh to ease up the mood but Damon and my dad are tense.

"But seriously Damon….Jeremy is right my daughter is too young to do this by herself. I mean I can help but she really needs you, so as not-happy I am about this, can you please stay and not run off? I need to know this for my peace of mind" He breathes out.

"Don't worry about that. My parents are always gone and I was practically raised by a nanny….I want the exact opposite for my kid…" He says confidently.

My dad smiles and nods. "I'm still not happy for you having sex with my daughter and knocking her up but you two seem really good about this so I am happy about that. And next time I'll have Elena's insurances pay for her visit, sorry for you having to pay out of pocket" My dad says sincerely.

Damon shakes his head. "Nah I have money coming out of my ears and I felt good helping out…I told Elena too I would buy most of the baby stuff since she has to…You know carry it and all. She gets the hard part" He laughs. "So I'll do this part."

"You seem like a good man Damon…don't mess it up." My dad says and stands up but then turns around. "Oh and I want you to come over here regularly to get to know you more since I will be seeing a lot of you. And no going into Elena's room alone"

"Dad come on we already did the deed." I joke.

"Elena I do not want to hear that. For all I know you are the first Virgin Mary." He half jokes before leaving us alone.

"Your dad is in denial." Damon laughs when he is out of the room.

I laugh along with him. "No he knows, he is just trying to be funny" I scoff.

"I like him. He is funny and supportive while looking out for you at the same time. My dad is like that sometimes, he just isn't around."

"Maybe they will come home now with your child…" I trail off trying to comfort him.

Damon's family situation makes me sad. I always had a great family. Not a lot of drama until my mom died and Jeremy got worse. Oh and my pregnancy. If I ever meet his parents I definitely want to talk with them. I not only want them to be here for their grandchild but I want Damon to have a role model and parent beside him and it breaks my heart hearing he hardly got that. I would probably rebel to if the same thing happened to me. Maybe this baby is good.

"Maybe…" He says deep in thought.

"Is your bruise okay? And your nose…?" I ask worried. He is sitting on my couch as if nothing happened but his nose is still bleeding a little and his eye is completely black. My brother doesn't do things halfway does he?

"It's fine. Trust me I get beat up a lot whether its guys that are mad I slept with their girlfriend or dads that think I corrupted their daughter. Angry brother, that's a new one" He jokes sadly.

Oh god. I want to cry. I'm blaming the hormones again. I look up at him and his face is expressionless. This is not okay. No one should feel like this. "Damon…" I look into his eyes, he looks back at me and we share a deep connection. What is happening? I cough and look away before I scoot closer and hug him. I can feel him tense from shock before relaxing and hugging back. We might not have planned this but we are a team now.

We stay locked in each other's arms for a few minutes before I pull away. I turn to look at him and he is looking at me weirdly. What is it?

"Sorry about my brother again. He's in that gang and can get pretty scary…."

"It's fine Elena it's not your fault. Don't hold yourself responsible for his actions." He says firmly.

I nod.

"Have you eaten dinner?"

I shake my head. "We started eating but when I told Jeremy things got out of hand…."

"You need to eat. Let's go" He says and stands up and holds his hand out in front of me.

"Wha-no!" I shriek. "I am in trouble as it is"

"Oh come on live a little…while you can. Besides I am not backing down. You need to eat. He won't mind I mean…How much more trouble can you get in?" He smirks.

I can never turn that smirk down. Damn it Elena. Be more strong. What-then again…What harm can it do? It's not like I can get pregnant again. I sigh and grab his hand and stand up. He smirks proudly. Cocky bastard. I go and grab my jacket and look around. My dad isn't anywhere to be seen. Eh what he doesn't know can't kill him. I shut the front door and we get into his Camaro.

"What are ya hungry for?"

"Hmm…Burgers and fries!" I say excitedly.

"Elena the doctor said to stay away from greasy food. We don't want our child to be fat do we?" He jokes.

"Of course not but I want fries" I pout.

He looks into my doe eyes and I do my best to do those puppy dog eyes. Come on Elena! You can do it.

He sighs. "Fine. Just this once cause you had a hard day, okay? But after this it is strictly salads." He scolds.

"Maybe."

"Elena."

"Damon."

He sighs. We can never not banter or fight. I have grown to like it in some instances but right now I want to strangle him for trying to keep me from my fries. Don't get between me and my food.

We arrive at a burger joint that's a strictly drive in and I vaguely remember coming here a few times with my dad as a kid. A lot of high school kids hang out here and I try to avoid them as much as I can outside school. I am trying to avoid them not knowing just yet. If I had it my way they would never know until you see me holding a baby.

We get out together and walk to the line and wait. There are people from high school all around us and I feel myself get nervous and cover my bump. I feel stupid, after the talk with my dad I changed into a tighter shirt and now it's more obvious. As if Damon senses my panic he looks down and sees my covering my belly.

"Still trying to keep it a secret?" He jokes lightly.

I nod. "I personally never want them to find out" I laugh lightly.

"How can I help you?" The lady asks once we reach the top.

Damon looks at me to start. "Uhm I will have 2 burgers and a side of fries with a chocolate milkshake" I finish and the lady gives me a weird look and I glare at her.

Damon laughs before starting his. "I will have 3 burgers 2 sides of fries and a soda" He concludes. The lady gives us both weird looks and we laugh before she rings it up.

"Total will be $13.54" She says.

"I got it." I say pulling out my wallet"

I feel Damon's hand stop mine and I swear I feel my skin catch on fire. While I am caught up in the way his touch makes me feel he pays for our meal. I snap out of my trance and I slap him on the shoulder.

"Hey! I wanted to pay for that! I got a lot of food" I pout.

"Hey don't use that pouting face on me Gilbert!" He scolds. "And you said you were going to try and be lenient more on the money. Plus…I got more food" He says smirking.

I roll my eyes. A minute later she brings us our mammoth order and we go to sit on the front of his Camaro.

As we are eating I break the silence. "Did you order more food just to make me feel better for not being a whale?" I joke.

"No I actually eat a lot. But if it made you feel better then bonus, because you are not a whale." He assures.

I smile appreciative of that.

"And if anyone tells you different I'll kill them? Alright?" He smirks.

I suddenly feel so safe with Damon. Almost like he would protect me from anything and not just cause of the baby but because he cares about me. I know it is bad to think like that but I can't help it. Maybe he likes me for me. Just maybe.

I smile again and we eat our meal in comfortable silence. I can feel my phone vibrating signaling my dad and brother are probably looking for me but right now I don't care. I am tired of over thinking and being sad. I want to just eat crappy food in silence and be free. After we finish, we walk over to the garbage can and while we are over there a few of Katherine's cheerleader friends see us and walk over. Great her pep squad is here to interrogate me now too. I turn around to face them already on the defense.

"Hey Elena, Katherine sa-" But she stops with one look at my belly.

Shit. Again.

She has her mouth still hung open before looks back up at me with a smirk. "Well, well, well….look who is knocked up…and I am guessing by Damon." She looks at him standing beside me who has his jaw clenched. "Wow…what a slut" She laughs. "Oh honey Katherine will not be happy…good luck at school tomorrow." She says with a cold smile and leaves with her friends who also hear the entire conversation. Fuck.

Everyone knows.

I feel cries leaving my body and I am full on sobbing. Damon walks towards me and hugs me for a few minutes while I let it all out. I can feel his hand rubbing my back soothingly while I let it all out. This is horrible. I thought I might have a few more weeks but I was too careless. I am naïve and kept wearing tight clothes. This is all on me. I shouldn't have been so careless. Now everyone will know.

I pull back with my eyes full of tears. "Sorry…" I let out another sob.

"It's fine." He whispers.

I nod and he leads me back to his Camaro away from witnesses. I get in and look out the window the whole way home. He gives me the space I need. I respect him for that. Before we know it I am home and I feel silent tears rushing down.

"I am sorry it happened like that. I'll make sure tomorrow things go fine okay? Don't be scared" He says bravely.

"Scared? Are you serious? Katherine is going to murder me!" I shriek. "She was mad at me for talking to you let alone having your child!" I yell. He winces at my words. I sigh "Sorry I am just really stressed now" I breathe out.

"Please don't be stressed okay? It's not good for the pregnancy. I'll deal with it as much as I can. Just go take a bath, okay? I'll be here tomorrow to pick you up. Text me if you need me" He says softly.

"I know I am being selfish, I mean…you are involved in this too."

"Don't worry about me. I am used to people talking about me. Now go relax" He orders.

I nod. But before I get out my dad and my brother are running across the lawn to me. I sigh. Great more stress.

Jeremy makes it to the car first and opens up my door. "Where the hell have you been!?" He hollers and grab my arm and gets me out. I sigh not even putting up a fight.

"Elena!" My dad screams just reaching me. "You can't just leave like that in your condition please…"

"My condition? I'm not sick. I'm pregnant" I scoff.

I hear Damon get out and is now standing next to me. "Sorry we got hungry and I took her out for some food since she missed dinner. Blame me, not her" Damon says.

My dad and Jeremy scowl at him as if waiting for him to be rude but it doesn't happen.

"You could have called or left a note" My dad says turning to me.

"I know and I am sorry. If it makes you feel better I wish I didn't go now…" I mumble.

"Why?" My dad asks.

"We had a run in with some high school kids who found out…" Damon coughs.

"Shit" Jeremy says. "Look Elena I won't let people hurt you okay? And if I hear someone talking shit ill stop them okay?"

"I'm going to do the same. It is not going to be pretty with Katherine hating her" Damon says.

"Shit it's not..." Jeremy thinks it over, probably of possible ways to stop people from coming after me.

"Look I am just going to go inside." I say while more silent tears fall as I head for the door. I hear the three still talking, probably about me how they are worried blah, blah, blah. Well you know what? They should be. Tomorrow is going to be hell.

Not trying to bribe you or anything but the more reviews i get the faster i update hahaha. IT GIVES ME MUSE

PLEASE REVIEW

Thanks to Anna who beta'd this chapter. And to so many others you know who you are. And of course to Rita who left a 1k review hahaha. love her.

Message me on tumblr at elenasempathy to contact me. And visit my 'joceysfanfic' tag for spoilers and where im at in the next chap

Spoiler- of course yes the whole school finds out next chap and Elena does not deal well... Xo

Until next time.. :)

PS: I'll try and update once a week and YES i am going to do a sequel. xo. (as long as people continue loving this story :D)