Chapter 24: The Bitch Has A Heart?

Elena had held back the tears for so long now, she didn't even know if she could actually cry anymore. She loved Damon and Stefan more than anything. (Well, apart from Romeo; but the love for a son was completely different to a man's love to a woman) Finally, Elena swallowed, letting the budding tears escape from her eyes and run down her face. She couldn't help it, she was so exhausted right now, emotionally and physically, she had no idea what to do. As her eyes locked onto Damon's face she saw it.. His tears.. His, his vulnerability. Elena looked to Stefan now, shaking her head as the tears fell from her cheeks and landed on each of their hands.

"Stefan, I know when you're lying to me, I can see it.. You're still in love with Katherine," Elena's voice was soft now, not harsh like it had been; she was simply stating the obvious.

Stefan seemed lost for words.. "I.. I.. But.. I.."

Katherine simply watched them.

Stefan did not know what to say . Did he? He used to.. But the love for Elena was stronger than anything else he ever felt. He stayed silent after that, not wanting to lie, or say anything unnecessary.
Damon stared at the tear that fell onto his hand, before kissing it away. He didn't want her to cry. He didn't want her to be sad. He wanted to protect her from all the evil but he couldn't. All he could do was stay by her side till the end, and that was exactly what he was going to do. He wasn't going to step away even for a second, he won't let himself get dragged away, no. He would be there until the very end.

Katherine shook her head. What was happening to her? She should be enjoying the scene in front of her. Each of their pain should be a highlight of her day, but.. But she couldn't do it. As much as she did hate Damon, she loved Stefan, and that fact could not be changed. Elena smiled at Stefan and Damon and tried to speak but couldn't. Before the words managed to escape her lips, Katherine spoke.

"Right, enough of this heartache, It's giving me a headache," abruptly, she moved over to them and dragged Damon away from her. "Both of you out, Elena and I are having some alone time. And If any of you enter this room again, I will kill her," Katherine voice was deadly serious as she stared at the Salvatore's.

Elena brought Damon's face to hers but kissed his cheek not lips and did the same to Stefan. "Go, please. Do what she wants," she murmured.

Stefan got up and did head for the doors. However Damon wasn't going to go so easily.

"I'll go, but if you as much as put a finger on her..!" He threatened before walking out the door, all the while keeping his eyes on Elena now.

Stefan closed the door shut, and looked at Damon.

"What do you think she'll do?" Damon shrugged, he was in no mood for games, but he was ready to jump into the room any second, to defend Elena, Katherine wasn't getting away so easily. Not with him around.

Elena watched both of the brother's go and gulped, turning her gaze directly up to Katherine who was no silently pacing her room.

"What is it you want Katherine? You want to kill me? Then go ahead and kill me. But please, make it easy on the other two.." Elena coughed before continuing "They don't deserve it."

Katherine immediately stopped pacing and walked over to her, a slow smile stoked across her features and her voice was nothing short of an angel's.

"Oh, Elena.. I'm not going to kill you. All I'm going to tell you is what I know you want to know; the father of your baby.." Katherine's voice was cold.

Damon leaned against the banister and crossed his arms over his chest. He was getting impatient, but nothing worrying seemed to be going on in the room. Stefan was standing still, as always gazing at the door.

"Do you think we'll get out alive?" He finally asked, Damon looked at him, before speaking carefully.

"I wouldn't count on it. It's Katherine. She has no redeeming qualities whatsoever." Damon shrugged and looked down.

It took Elena a minute to realise what Katherine was saying. She shook her head, frowning.

"How do you know that..? And, and no, I don't want to know, Damon and Stefan are perfectly happy with having-"

Katherine smirked.

"Do you ever wonder why you always say Damon's name first Elena? In both talking about Romeo's father's and just the two of them in general?" Katherine was hinting at what Elena didn't want to hear.

"Damon..." The word almost died on her lips.

Katherine nodded swiftly, her lips now at Elena's ear.

"You can see it, can't you? A perfect family. You, Damon and Romeo... You want it, don't you Elena?"

Elena tried to deny it, but she couldn't.. She couldn't say anything.

Both of the guys were getting impatient, Stefan not showing it, however Damon was. He started tapping his fingers on the banister, before speaking.

"That's it. She's taking to long. I'm going in." And he rushed for the door.

Stefan grabbed his wrist. "Damon."

But Damon was in no mood for listening to Stefan. He opened the door and walked in.

"Time's over."

"Take it from a vampire who's been around for centuries.. As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm, you're doomed," and they were Katherine's last words. And with that, and a quick smirk and a mumbled 'Take care of him' she was gone.

Elena had frozen completely, she hardly noticed the boys rush in. Katherine's words were ringing in her head. Damon... Damon. It had to be him.

Damon rushed to Elena, and untied her, before taking her in his arms, and kissing every inch of her face.

"Oh, Elena, love. Are you alright?" Damon pulled away but only a little so he could look into her eyes.

Stefan was standing nearby. He just didn't know what to say or do. He still felt guilty. For betraying Elena, and for... for everything really. He couldn't name it all now.

Elena's body wasn't controllable anymore. Every move Damon made to her she let him to, but never once did she look at him. She just stared straight ahead, Katherine's words replayed over and over in her mind, she couldn't process anything. Elena snapped out of it and nodded, swallowing.

"I.. I'm fine.. I. I'm okay," Elena tried to stand, and at first couldn't, but eventually forced herself up. "Let's go home," she whispered.

Damon picked her up in his arms, and headed for the door.

"Stefan." He called for the older brother didn't move. Stefan looked at him, and followed them before speaking.

"We need to get Romeo. Let Bonnie and Ric know everything's fine." He said quietly.

Damon nodded. "And I want my leather jacket back." He smiled slightly, before looking down at Elena.

Elena's body again, simply followed Damon's as her head buried into Damon's chest she couldn't look at Stefan, she stayed silent. She loved Damon more. Damon was Romeo's father. She wanted them to be a family.. A real family, and it took a vampire bitch from the past to make her discover that. She looked back at Damon but didn't smile.

"Ric's house it is then." Damon decided as he walked out of the house and straight up the path to where Ric's house was.

Stefan was following them behind, but he seemed off. He felt off, as if someone turned some switch off in him. Damon didn't have time to ponder over it, because within minutes they were knocking at Ric's door. Bonnie opened and gasped.

"Elena.! You're alive!" She exclaimed. "Ric!" She called before stepping aside. "Come in."

Elena' hands clung to Damon, clung to him.. Why didn't she feel a yearning to cling to Stefan anymore? She did still love Stefan, did she not? Elena was frowning inside, but on the outside showed no emotion at all. Her eyes closed over the journey to Ric ad Bonnie's house., It was cute that they were together, but sort of weird too. Elena didn't smile at Bonnie; she couldn't remember how to smile.

"So it would seem," Elena replied to her best friend before hiding her face into Damon's chest.

Damon walked into the house. Ric appeared, while Stefan just stepped in.

"Shh, Romeo's asleep." But of course, the child seemed to be like a super spy or something, because not only did he hear them come in. He heard them speak, and now he was running towards them.

"MUMMY! DADDY!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, before literally jumping and hugging Damon's legs. Damon nearly fell, still holding Elena.

"Yes, Romeo. It's us, now can you let Daddy move?" Romeo shook his head violently.

Everything was completely going over Elena's head right now, she wasn't sure what to believe. Elena didn't care that last night Damon had been in Katherine's arms.. All she knew was that she wanted him and just him. It was only when she heard Romeo's screams that Elena became alive once more. but she wasn't smiling she couldn't smile. Elena slid out of Damon's arms and wrapped her own around her little baby boy.

"Romeo, oh sweetie.. I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered, the first time she'd spoke since they'd left her house.

Damon watched the boy and Elena, and smiled. He liked .. No, loved to see them all alive and healthy. He looked up at Ric and Bonnie.

"Thank you." He said quietly, before bending down to hug Romeo and Elena.

He honestly didn't expect to see his son again, and didn't expect to come out alive. But here he was, alive, very alive, and so was Elena. And that was all that counted. Elena held her boyfriend, Damon and her son, Romeo so tightly in her arms, she feared she'd burst with emotion. It was only then that Elena felt her muscles as well as the cuts all over her body ache. Katherine might have messed her up physically, but what she said made so much sense. Elena pulled away because of a shaper pain shooting up her back.

"I'm sorry.. I.. I'm just aching," she admitted softly.

"It's okay, love." Damon said, before picking Elena up again. "We'll get you home.. Stefan?" He turned around to tell his brother to mind Romeo, but.. Damon frowned.. Stefan wasn't there. "Where's Stefan?" He asked no one in particular.

Bonnie answered. "He left... I thought you would notice." She said it quietly.

Damon sighed, before looking at Romeo.

"Come on, boy. We've got to get home." He bent down, with Elena in his arms. "Jump on my back, big man."

Romeo did as he was told, before wrapping his little arms around Damon's neck. Damon stood up and looked at Bonnie and Ric.

"Thank you again."

They nodded and he left.

Elena allowed a soft smile to break across her face as Damon called her 'love', it gave her a strange sort of feeling whenever he said such things to her. The moment Damon mentioned Stefan's name, Elena frowned. Where was Stefan? And then she felt another sort of pain overtake her body, but it was in her chest this time. Over her heart; Elena shook her head, and smiled to bonnie and Alaric but it didn't touch her eyes. She leant her face into Damon and smiled contently. Elena glanced up to Damon's face and noticed Romeo to peak around to look at her.

"I love you, beautiful... Both of you," she whispered, and remarkably, Romeo understand and giggled at her.

Romeo giggled and flashed her a grin, before speaking.

"I love you too, mummy." Damon raised his eyebrow, a smirk tugged at his lips. "You don't love daddy, no.?"

Romeo stopped giggling before attempting to hug Damon, which meant choking him. "I DO!" He chirped.

"Yeah, enough of the hugging. I..Need...air." Romeo loosened the grip before grabbing Damon's hair. "Daddy's a horseeee!" He sang, Damon narrowed his eyes.

"Daddy is not a horse. Daddy's way better looking. Tell him Elena." He looked at Elena, and smiled slightly.

Elena couldn't help but blink a few times, she would never really get over how smart that little kid was, he really did take after his dad. And Katherine was right, Damon was his dad. And somehow, deep down she' always known, just like she'd always known he was in love with Katherine. She knew he loved her too, but wasn't sure if it was enough anymore. Elena looked up at the two boys and couldn't help but laugh out loud at him. Elena took one of the boy's hands and shook her head.

"Your daddy is not a horse... Do you really think your mummy would settle for someone who was less than how gorgeous he is," she teased.

Damon grinned proudly. "See, kiddo? I'm not a horse. I'm prince charming."

Romeo seemed to be thinking about something for a second. "Can I be your knight?" He asked after few moments of deep thinking.

Damon raised his eyebrow. "Sure thing. But are you good enough to be my knight?" He asked, a smirk tugging at his lips once again.

Romeo pulled his hair, to the point where Damon nearly screamed. "I don't know, am I daddy?" Romeo was grinning, Damon not so much. "You are, you are indeed." anything to avoid the hair pulling.

Elena allowed herself a smooth eye roll before grinning, shaking her head slightly and chuckling. Elena nuzzled her face in between Damon's shoulder blade and neck and let her eyes flutter to a close, listening to her two favourite people in the world talking. Who knew the voice of the people you loved could calm you down so much? Her wounds still ached, but none of that mattered, she ad her boys. Eventually they had arrived home and Elena opened the door before sliding off of Damon and walking around to his back. She tapped Romeo and he flung himself into her arms.

"It's time for a little boy to go to beddybyes, kiss Daddy good night," she smiled.

Danny+Jackie x3