Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story

Chapter 4

That weekend night, Jeremy and Bonnie decide to eat out and later check out a new local bar. Elena was tempted to join them but was bounded by a certain someone. Adam was incredibly clingy, not wanting Elena to leave his sight or he would throw a massive tantrum. Elena sat on the floor playing blocks with Adam while Miranda watched the cooking network with heavy lids.

Lost in his work load, Damon had been hiding in the study for hours, gently rejecting Adam's invitation to play whenever he sneaked in. The clock stroke 10pm and Miranda stood up yawning;

"Well its bed time for the extremely young…" narrowing her eyes at Adam, "….and the extremely old" she finished, pointing her finger at herself.

Elena giggled "you're not that old mom". Elena picked Adam up as Damon exited the study.

"Come on, let's go…" Damon reached for Adam. It was routine that he would sleep with his father on the weekends but the little boy had a change of plans.

"Sleep with mommy…" he said tugging at Elena's t-shirt. Elena instantly felt anxious; she wouldn't want to tare Adam away from Damon especially if it was already a routine. She tried persuading Adam but he seems to inherit Katherine's stubborn trait. She shot Damon an apologetic glance but Damon just shrugged. Elena took it as a sign of approval and was about to retreat to her room when Adam spoke again;

"Daddy too…daddy come too".

"What a sticky situation this is…" Miranda mocked, covering her mouth to muffle her laughter.

Damon and Elena however did not find this situation the least bit amusing. They were silent. Damon looked confuse about what to do while Elena blushed. "Good god, what should I do?" Elena asked herself, setting her gaze everywhere else but in Damon's direction. They barely knew each other, but the decision they made that morning would involve running into situations like these. How far are they willing to play pretend? Sleep in the same bed? Go groceries shopping together? Elena's heart raced, its rate increasing with every look she exchanged with Damon. Damn his piercing blue eyes, he should wear sunglasses at all times before causing any serious damage.

Elena's heart paused and sank to her stomach when Damon replied casually "sure…lets go. Its way past your bedtime"

Elena carried Adam up the stairs with Damon trailing behind them. Miranda blew kisses to Adam and watched them reach the top of the stairs "Goodnight mom" Elena manage to say but in a nervous voice. 'Hope Damon didn't notice' she silently prayed. As if Miranda read her mind, she gave Elena a reassuring smile.

Damon lay on the side of the queen sized bed that was closer to the door in Elena's room, his ankles crossed. Adam was between him and Elena's very rigid body.

"I'll leave when he falls asleep"

Damon whispered softly and Elena started to relax herself. Adam's eye lids were only half open but if Damon moved, he would notice. Damon's loud sigh suddenly broke the silence followed by a startling question;

"Why would you want to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Be a mother….you're young and beautiful. You should be out there having fun, living your life on a weekend night. Go dancing…"

"Dancing? Ugh, I'm a terrible dancer. I'm doing everyone a favor by not stepping on the dance floor" Elena giggled, feeling light headed. It was probably because she was slowly getting sleepy. Not having to see Damon's face had also given her more courage to talk and calmed her nerves.

"Okay, maybe travelling around the world…" he threw another suggestion.

"I'm actually not fond of heights, so the less time I am required to be thousands of feet above ground, the better" she smiled widely. "Come on. What else you got?" challenging him.

Damon bit back his laughter. He thought; she got spunk, but a different kind than Katherine's. "Hmmmm" he tried to think of more, things he was deprived of when he carried all the responsibilities of being a father at the age of 28. Damon rests his hands behind his head, looking up to the ceiling. He always wanted to go fishing in the middle of the sea, go skiing, hiking, ride his motorbike across the states and the list goes on forever.

He then looked at Adam lying next to him, his angelic face upturned to Damon, and at that instant, he mentally crossed out each desire off his list. Having Adam was definitely not part of his master plan, but he wouldn't, not even for a second, trade him for the world.

"That's all you have?" Elena mocked with raised eye brows; her voice snapped him back to reality.

'You could be getting married and have children of your own' Damon thought to himself but restrain from saying something potentially hurtful, out loud.

"My point is, you could be anywhere, do anything. Instead you're here looking after Adam. You don't have to commit if you don't want to; we'll manage" the sad tone in his voice got Elena thinking.

"How can I possibly say no to him when he needs me…"Elena said, brushing back Adam's hair from his small forehead; a look of defeat across her beautiful face, admiring how adorable Adam looked half asleep. Damon noticed the extreme gentleness of her touch and he shifted his body nervously the moment he realized he was imagining that very same attention on him.

"Katherine had no problem saying no…" he suddenly recalled bitter memories and advert his gaze towards the ceiling.

"Damon you have to know something, Katherine and I…we're not alike. People always say we're as different as night and day" Elena's reply strike an interest. Damon propped himself on his elbows to face Elena.

"Whatever you assumed about me, you need to delete them" she continued. Damon laughed softly.

"I assumed you looked…different." He said quietly, Elena responded with a questioning look.

"Your mother said Katherine had a sister, but nobody said you would be a complete carbon copy of her, too similar to possibly be two different people. Consider me successfully 'mind fucked' the first time I saw you" a hint of laughter in his tone. A smile was playing at the corner of Elena's lips and she proudly announced some facts she was sure Damon didn't know about her and Katherine

"We were 12hours apart you know. Kat was delivered at midnight but I refuse to follow in her foot steps and came at noon the next day. It was a miracle." 'As different as night and day' Damon remembered her words earlier.

"Wow, I didn't know that" the mood of their talk was light and relaxing. He was sure he was enjoying it.

"But you know, Adam will be spoiled by you…and your inability to say no once in a while" Damon concluded, he was merely teasing but Elena took it rather seriously. Damon was surprised when she suddenly apologized.

"I know I have no clue how to be parent, I barely have any parenting skills or knowledge. I'm beginning to think you're right. I have no idea what I have put myself into…" she carried on guiltily, afraid that she could be as unprepared as Katherine was to raise a child. She was afraid of doing something, anything wrong that might cause her nephew's childhood to be a horrible one.

"I found out about Adam existence only a few days ago but I really do care about him Damon. I just… I want to do the right thing…for everybody" She said more to herself than to Damon.

The weight on her shoulders grew heavier and her delicate brows snapped together. Damon didn't believe their light conversation had made a drastic turn; she looked like she was having a panic attack. "Elena, are you okay? He straightens up and reached an arm behind Elena's shoulders, stroking it slowly to calm her. When she nodded, it was Damon's turn to speak

"I know you want to do the right thing, for your family…but what about yourself? This will be a great sacrifice; you have your whole life ahead of you" he put things so rationally, assuring her that he can handle Adam on his own, just like he has the past 3 years. Unfortunately Elena was thinking with her heart and not her head.

"This is what Katherine would have wanted" she finished and rested her head against the headboard behind her. Her loyalty, no, her unconditional love for Katherine awed Damon to silence.

He found it difficult to keep his promise and leave Elena's room once Adam was asleep an hour later. Elena sparked so much feeling in him, at times they laughed, and at times they shared deep conversation. He was more than anything, curious about her and how different she was from Katherine.

But he reluctantly dragged his feet off the bed, when the ticking clock on the night stand reminded him of the late hour. He closed the door behind him. They merely exchange smiles instead of goodnight bids.

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