Elena sips a warm cup of tea, wrapped up in a blanket, on the couch, watching the fire lick at the inside of the stone fireplace.
After her mini breakdown, Damon had convinced her to stay there for awhile until she calmed down and they would discuss what to do next. It made Elena feel relieved when he had "what we're going to do next" instead of "what you're going to do next." It showed her that Damon really would be there for her, to help her how he knew best.
"Do you need anything else?" he asks, startling her.
She jumps.
"Sorry," he says and sits down on the couch beside her.
"Its okay," she says. "And no, I'm fine. Thank you."
He nods and silently watches the fire, looking as if his mind is somewhere far, far away. Some place Elena doesn't know and probably never will.
She watches his pale blue eyes, the red of the flames reflecting in them, making it look as if his eyes are burning. Elena wishes she had the ability to read Damon's mind, to see what really goes on behind those blue eyes of his. He tries so hard to come across as, well, a dick and usually lives up to it, but in rare moments like these she see's something more in Damon. Something deeper and something real. It makes her wonder if they had met before he became a vampire what he would be like.
She sighs, though, knowing she'll never truly know.
"I know a doctor," Damon says, suddenly. "I can call her tomorrow, if you want. She knows all about vampires so she'll be able to help more than any other doctor."
"Yeah, sure," she says, breathing a sigh of relief. That had been one of her biggest worries, actually finding someone who could help.
"Elena," Damon says, hesitantly. "You know there are no guarantees in this, right? We can't be sure that everything is okay with the… baby."
"I know," she says, fear settling in her stomach. "I've thought about it."
"It could… hurt you," he says, his voice lowering and his eyes darkening at the thought of something hurting her.
She looks down at the tea, avoiding his dark gaze. "It's a baby Damon," she says, softly.
"A baby whose father is a vampire," Damon points out.
She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I know."
He senses her frustration and quickly says, "This woman I know… she's the best. If she can't help, no one can."
While that does make Elena feel better, something else still lingers underneath the surface… "Damon, I have to ask you something."
He nods. "Okay."
"And you won't lie to me?"
"No."
"Will you give me your word you won't lie?" Elena asks, knowing he would never break his word.
He hesitates a second before saying, "Elena Gilbert, I give you my word I won't lie to you."
Satisfied, she says, "Damon, do you know where Stefan is?"
His face suddenly becomes blank, completely unreadable. "No," he says, toneless. "I don't know where he is."
Elena raises an eyebrow. "Damon, are you lying to me?"
Damon shoots her a semi serious dirty look. "No, I gave you my word didn't I?" he asks, sounding offended by her accusation.
Elena sighs, a headache coming on. She desperately wants Damon to know where Stefan is, so he could call Stefan and tell him everything that's going on. If Damon did, would Stefan come back? The whole reason he left was to give her a normal life. This certainly isn't heading in that direction. Quite the opposite actually.
"Yes, you did," she says, sulkily.
His harsh expression softens and he hesitantly reaches on to touch her hand, lying on the couch beside her.
She looks down at their hands, debating whether to pull back or not. She knows Damon has feelings for her, its obvious. It always has been. And she has feelings for Damon too. She cares about Damon, even when he does horrible things. She can't explain, she just does. Maybe its all the times he's saved her life, or Stefan's or other people she cares about. Damon's always been a pain, but she feels safe with him. She decides not to pull back her hand.
"Elena, if I knew where Stefan is, I'd drag him by the hair back here to make him take responsibility for knocking you up," he says. By the ending, he's smiling widely, lightning the mood.
Elena rolls her eyes but smiles at him. "You make it sound like we were two cliché teenagers and he ran away from fatherhood."
Damon shrugs, smirking. "What can I say? I feel somewhat responsible."
Elena raises an eyebrow, interested in this one.
"I guess I should have given Stefan the birds and the bees talk sooner," he says, mock seriousness on his face.
Elena rolls her eyes, picks up a pillow and throws it at him.
He catches it, shaking silently with laughter.
She shakes her head at him and sips the now cold tea.
They both stare at the fire in silence, each thinking of the exact same thing.
"You can stay here tonight," Damon says after a little while. "I'll call the doctor early tomorrow and we'll go."
She nods, agreeing. "I'll just call Jenna and tell her I'm staying at Bonnie's."
He nods.
"Damon?"
"Elena?"
"Thank you."
Hope you enjoyed. Sorry its kind of short. I wanted to go ahead and update. Review(: