A/N: Probably one of the funnier updates I have done. Lily. You have to love her.
So, there will be two more updates for this story. I am not going to make it as long as the first story, just because I want a fresh start to a new story and starting Tuesday, I will only be able to handle one story. I will jump the time ahead though, because I know you are interested to see how little baby Brooke came to be : )
So, let me know what you think!
"Well, how does the baby get in the mommy's tummy?" Lily asked again, looking back and forth between Alaric and her uncle.
Stefan ran his hand over his face. What the hell was he supposed to tell her? "When does she take that class that teaches her this stuff?" Alaric asked, looking to his friend so he didn't have to look at the expectant 7-year old in front of him.
"Not until 5th grade" Stefan said. He watched Alaric count on his fingers how many more years. They couldn't put it off for another three years.
"Alright Kid, I'm going to be straight with you" Alaric said, bending down to her level. Stefan held his breath, afraid of what his friend would tell his precious, innocent niece. "Babies grow inside the mommy's tummy. You know that, right?" he asked.
Lily nodded. "Yeah, cause the mommy's tummy gets bigger and bigger" she said.
"Right" Alaric said. "Daddy's plant a … a … a seed in the mommy's tummy" he said, looking over at Stefan who looked mortified by Alaric's analogy because in all honesty, it was the truth. "And then that seed grows into a baby" Alaric explained.
"Oh" Lily said, recognition flashing across her curious little face. "Like a sunflower seed that grows into a sunflower?" she asked. "Cause we planted a sunflower seed in some dirt at school and watched it grow up big and tall" she explained.
"Yeah, kind of like a sunflower seed, but a little smaller" Alaric replied.
"Does the mommy like it when the daddy plants a seed in her tummy?" Lily asked.
Both Alaric and Stefan turned beat red, clearly uncomfortable with such an innocent question that had their dirty minds going elsewhere. "Most of the time, yeah" Alaric said, wishing the floor would swallow him up right then and there. "So, do you understand how babies get in a mommy's tummy now?" Alaric asked. Dear God he hoped so.
Lily nodded. "Uh-huh" she told him.
Alaric let out a breath he had been holding. "Good" he said, standing back up.
"Lily, why don't you go with Alaric to the store and help him pick out some snacks that Elena will like" Stefan said, hoping to get some alone time with Elena.
"Okay" Lily agreed. She rushed out of the room to find her shoes.
"That was horrible" Stefan said, leaning against the wall.
Alaric scoffed. "I'm the one who did all the talking" he said, glaring at his friend. "Hopefully, she'll give that question a rest until she's …" he began, only for Stefan to finish for him.
"Married" Stefan stated, giving his friend a hard look. "No baby-making until she's married" he clarified.
"If you say so" Alaric laughed, loving that his dear friend assumed Lily wouldn't be interested in boys until she was much, much older. "I better go find her. Anything in particular you want from the store?" Alaric asked.
"Not really" Stefan stated. "Just watch what she throws in the cart. She will try and buy everything in sight that she wants. Stress that you are shopping for Elena" Stefan explained.
"Alrighty" Alaric stated, waving to his friend as he left the room. How hard could it be, shopping with Lily?
Stefan sighed before retreating the kitchen to make Elena something to eat.
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Lily got to walk alongside the cart at the store. Alaric was too busy texting Caroline to realize that Lily was throwing random items into the cart. Gummy worms, Oreos, Doritos, popcorn, Skittles. It wasn't until they were down another aisle and she was putting in a large can of beer that Alaric finally noticed. He looked up to find several women shaking their heads at him in disgust that he would let a little girl grab beer for him. "Lily" Alaric scolded lightly, grabbing the beer and putting it back.
She shrugged. "It's pretty looking" Lily told him, attempting to put another can of beer into the cart. This time, a green colored one.
"Stop that!" Alaric said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back away from it. "Kids don't drink beer" he said, picking her up and stuffing her into the front of the cart. He finally took notice at how much stuff she had in there. "Elena eats all of this stuff?" he asked skeptically.
"Uh huh" Lily nodded. Alaric sighed. Grocery shopping with her was a lot more work than he had thought. "Are you texting your girlfriend?" Lily teased.
Alaric pocketed his phone and stuck his tongue out at her. "None of your business" he told her.
They were silent as they went to the counter to check out. Alaric began placing all of the items on the counter. The woman behind the cash register was smiling at Lily. Lily was being her cute self, welcoming the attention. "She's not as cute as she looks" Alaric mumbled to himself.
When he went to pay, she decided to really be her cute, adorable self. "Alaric, how does a baby come out of the mommy's tummy?" she asked, looking at him. The woman behind the cash register giggled, waiting for his answer.
"They just come out" he said, giving her a short, vague response.
"But how?" she asked, clearly not going to give up on finding out the answer.
"At the hospital. The doctor takes the baby out" he said in a clipped tone, trying to shut her up.
But, the cashier was loving every minute of it. "She's precious" she said, giving Alaric a warm, flirtatious smile. He smiled at her too.
Lily rolled her eyes. "He's got a girlfriend" she announced. "Her name's Caroline and she's blonde. He likes blondes" Lily announced to the brunette behind the counter.
"Oh" the cashier said, looking back down at the register as she totaled the sales. Alaric paled at seeing how uncomfortable the clerk was. That damn kid. Though, he couldn't help but feel some pride that Lily was looking out for his and Caroline's relationship. Because Alaric really did like Caroline. "That will be $348.94" she said.
Alaric paled again. "You bought $350.00 worth of crap?" he asked Lily.
"No" Lily said, pointing at the lit up total on their screen. "$348.94" she corrected. "Maybe you need to go back to school and learn how to count money" she told him, her fiery attitude back and ever present.
Alaric cursed under his breath as he handed the woman his credit card. Stefan was going to pay him back. He grabbed all 23 bags of groceries and piled them into the cart. "Come on" he said, wheeling Lily out. "You're expensive" he told her as they exited the store.
"But I'm worth it" she said, giving him a cute, innocent smile that almost fooled him. Almost.
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Stefan wasn't sure how much time he had before Lily and Alaric would return. He also wasn't sure when Damon would be back to get Lily. He probably wanted alone time with Katherine.
Stefan peeked through the slightly open door to see Elena sitting up in bed, checking her phone. "I brought something to eat" he said, entering the room. Elena set her phone down as he approached. "Mini sandwiches, apple slices, crackers, and cheese" he said, setting the tray down on her nightstand.
"You didn't have to do that" she said, sitting up slightly more. "I could have come downstairs to eat" she added. She caught the nervous look he had, like he had made a mistake. "But thank you, for saving my ribs the trip down there" she said quickly, giving him a small smile.
He let himself breathe again. "I sent Lily and Alaric to the store" he told her.
"You sure that was a good idea?" Elena asked.
"No" Stefan smiled. He honestly thought it was a horrible idea. Elena smiled though. "By the way, I think we handled the baby in the tummy question for a while at least" he added.
"I'm sure she'll have a new question for us soon" Elena said, reaching over and grabbing for an apple slice. She reached for her glass and saw that it was apple juice. "Can you get me water?" she asked, hoping it wouldn't be too much trouble. But that is what sounded good.
"Yeah, of course" he said, leaving to get it for her. She grabbed her phone again, finishing her text to her brother. Stefan was back soon enough with a glass of water. "Thanks" she said, taking a sip from it.
"Do you need anything else?" he asked, reaching out to touch her leg, but then thinking better of it.
She saw how hesitant he looked. So she grabbed his hand and placed it on her leg. "It doesn't hurt there" she said, smiling up at him before she grabbed for another piece of apple. He smiled as well, sitting down next to her on the bed. But there was still a look in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher. "What is it?" she asked.
"I'm just so grateful that you're sitting here with me" he told her. She didn't have to look hard to see the tears glistening his eyes finally. He really had been trying to hold everything in for her, hadn't he?
She put the rest of her apple slice down and motioned for him to come closer. "Come here" she said, wrapping her arms around him as he lay gently against her. "It's okay. You can cry" she told him sadly, realizing that maybe that is what he needed. Permission and time to cry after everything.
"Everything hurt when I thought I was going to lose you" he said, gripping her sweatshirt tightly as he cried into the side of her ribs that were not hurting. "I was so scared" he mumbled, moving closer to her still.
Elena rubbed his upper back gently, yet firmly as she listened to him. This, consoling him, was what she was good at. This made sense for her. "It's okay" she soothed quietly, continuing to rub his back. "I'm here" she said softly.
"I promised you that life was over" he said, and she could barely hear him with his face buried into her sweatshirt.
There it was though. The guilt that he was letting control him. She couldn't let that consume him. "Hey" she said, her fingers slowly making their way to his face. "Look at me" she said. Slowly, he lifted his tear-stained face so she could see him. "There will always be things that are out of your control, Stefan. What happened to me was one of them. Yes, it was horrible and yes, I need time. But you have got to stop beating yourself up for it. Because I can't move on if you can't either" she said, hearing her own voice crack some as she spoke to him.
He nodded and then turned his eyes away from her, completely frustrated with himself. "You're the one that's hurting the most and I'm the one crying here like a baby" he said, wiping at his tears.
Elena reached out and wiped away one that he missed. "We all need to cry sometimes" she said, smiling weakly at him. "We're both going to be okay" she added, brushing her thumb over his cheek.
He looked into her eyes, wondering how she could be so strong at a time like this. He leaned in a little closer to her, welcoming the comfort that being close to her brought. "I love you" he said quietly.
"I love you, Stefan" she said, sliding her arms around his neck and pulling him in slowly for a hug. He tensed at first, not wanting to hurt her, but with a little encouragement from her, he slowly settled his arms around her, sighing contently when he rested his face in the crook of her neck. "So much" she whispered, letting her eyes close as she held onto him.
"Please don't leave me" he whispered as his warm tears fell against her neck.
She held on to him just a little tighter, knowing that his statement meant more than her simply walking out. He couldn't stand the thought of her being physically present, but not emotionally. She too thought that might be even worse. "I won't" she whispered back, feeling her own tears emerge as she kissed the side of his head. "I won't."
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As soon as they had heard Lily's voice filling the house downstairs, Stefan and Elena had parted, not wanting Lily to see them so vulnerable. Elena smiled weakly as she wiped away a few of his straggling tears and leaned in, kissing his cheek gently. "It'll be okay" she promised, giving him one last encouraging statement before he got up and left.
Lily came bounding into the room minutes later, hugging ten or so items to her chest as she climbed up onto the bed. "What's all that?" Elena asked.
"Snacks" Lily informed her. "Alaric bought them for us" she added. Gummy worms, cookies, chips, snack cakes, juice boxes, and a few other things buried underneath. Lily grabbed one of the packages and carefully opened it. "Here, you got to eat this" Lily said, handing Elena a shelled sunflower seed.
Elena took the seed and looked at her curiously. "Why do I have to eat it?" Elena asked. She hadn't eaten sunflower seeds since she was a kid. Usually at Jeremy's baseball games.
"So a baby can grow in your tummy" Lily told her, looking at her with anticipation.
Elena's mouth fell open slightly as she took in what Lily had just told her. "Sweetie, who told you a sunflower seed would make a baby grow in my tummy?" she asked, realizing the answer as soon as the question left her mouth. Alaric.
"Alaric said a daddy puts a sunflower seed in the mommy so a baby will grow in her tummy" Lily informed her. "But Uncle Stefan's busy right now, so I'm gonna do it for him" she added. "So eat it. That way the baby will be here by my next birthday!" she said excitedly.
Precious. That's the only word that Elena could use to describe Lily right now. She wanted this baby probably more than either Elena or Stefan at this point. "Come here" Elena said, holding her arms out for Lily. Lily settled right next to her. "I think Alaric didn't do a very good job of telling you how a baby gets in a mommy's tummy" Elena said, realizing that she was going to have to answer this question herself. "Mommies don't eat sunflower seeds to grow a baby" she began.
Lily looked up at her, confused. "But Alaric said it was a seed and when I asked if it was a sunflower seed, he said yes" she said, utterly confused.
Elena smiled before kissing the top of her head. A seed, huh? "Your uncle and I have to first decide that we want a baby, and when we do, we will make one" she explained.
"And then you will grow it in here?" Lily asked, pointing to Elena's stomach.
"That's right" Elena said, thinking that Stefan really got the best end of the deal out of it all. Deciding to stick with the sunflower seed analogy, she continued. "You remember when you grew sunflowers in class?" Elena asked. Lily nodded. "Do you remember all the things you needed to make them grow? The soil, the planter, the water, sunlight, and the seed?" she asked.
"Uh huh" Lily nodded, her eyes glued to Elena in fascination.
"Well, that's kind of how a baby is made" she explained. "You have to have everything ready and everything has to be just right for a baby to grow" she continued. "But your Uncle Stefan and I don't have everything we need yet to grow a baby, which is why we are waiting a little while."
"Can you go to the store and buy everything you need?" Lily asked, trying to speed the process up.
Elena smiled, but shook her head. "No Honey" Elena told her. "You can't buy all the things you need to make a baby in the store. They are already inside of us."
Lily raised her eyebrow thoroughly confused once again. "I don't understand" she said.
"Stefan and I already have everything we need to make a baby" she said, choosing her words carefully. "We just have to … wake them up and tell them that we want to use them to make a baby" she explained.
"Oh" Lily said. "So, everything you need to make a baby is sleeping?" she asked. Elena nodded. "Wake them up" Lily said.
Again, Elena shook her head no. "They won't wake up until your uncle and I are ready to have a baby" she tried again.
"When will you be ready?" Lily asked.
Elena shrugged. "I don't know" she told her, smoothing out her hair. "One day" she said, hoping that was true. She loved Stefan too much to leave him if he didn't want a baby. "Does any of that make sense now?" Elena asked.
"Yeah" Lily said, sighing. "I bought these sunflower seeds for nothin'" she said, tossing them aside and crossing her little arms over her chest.
Elena laughed. "Not for nothing" Elena said, grabbing them. "Why don't we go sit out on the back porch and I'll teach you how to spit the seed out and eat them" she said.
Lily's eyes lit up. "Cool!" she said, hopping off the bed and going around to help Elena up. Elena bit the inside of her lip. Damn, she still hurt. Definitely no baby-making anytime soon.
Slowly, Elena made her way downstairs. She saw Alaric and Stefan talking, both looking up at her and wondering what she was doing out of bed. "Gentlemen" Elena said, nodding at them and daring either of them to make a comment about how she shouldn't have been down there.
"Aunt Elena's gonna teach me how to spit sunflower seeds!" Lily informed them excitedly. Lily ran on ahead of Elena and out the back door.
Elena stopped at the bottom of the stairs and held on to the banister to steady herself. "FYI" Elena said, looking at them both. "Your niece tried to impregnate me with a sunflower seed" Elena said, looking at Stefan and tossing the seed she had in her hand at Alaric. "Never, ever apply for a sex education position Alaric" she added, a satisfied smirk appearing as she slowly followed after Lily.
Alaric and Stefan looked at each other before laughing. Leave it to Lily to take what Alaric said seriously and to try it.
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Lily and Elena had made it back inside long before it got dark out. Lily was in the kitchen helping Stefan make dinner while Elena was camped out on the couch, flipping through the channels.
The front door opened and Elena froze. Derrick was still locked up, but her sense of security when Stefan was out of eyesight was still lagging. Katherine stopped as soon as she saw Elena, clearly surprised to see her downstairs. "I'm just here for Lily" she finally said.
Elena nodded. "She's in the kitchen with Stefan" Elena told her, finding the conversation to be overwhelmingly awkward.
Katherine began walking towards the kitchen, but stopped, looking back at Elena. "I'm not going to gravel at your feet or say thank you for what you did for Lily" Katherine said, staring at her. "But thank you" she added. "What happened to you was horrible …" she trailed off.
"But it would have been unbearable for Lily to have gone through it instead" Elena finished for her. Elena understood. After all, that is the reason she had gone after Lily and convinced Derrick to let Lily go. "I did what I had to do. She's your daughter, but she means everything to me too" Elena said quietly. "So, I don't want your sympathy or your guilt" Elena said curtly.
Katherine nodded. "Good" she said, continuing on her way.
Elena leaned back and sighed contently. She and Katherine understood each other at least. "But Mommmmmmmmmmy" Lily whined, coming out of the kitchen with Katherine. "I wanna stay with Uncle Stefan and Elena" she said, pouting.
"Your dad and I are taking you out to dinner" Katherine informed Lily, sitting her on the couch next to Elena and grabbing her shoes to help her get them on. "Wherever you want, so think about it on the way to pick your dad up" Katherine added.
"The Grill!" Lily shouted out.
"Tell Elena goodbye" Katherine told her.
"Bye Elena" Lily said, crawling over to her and giving her a gentle hug. "I love you" she said, placing a big kiss on her uninjured cheek.
"Love you too" Elena said, returning the kiss.
Lily climbed off of the couch and Katherine followed her out.
Stefan appeared, carrying two plates and two bottles of water. "Pizza" Stefan announced, handing Elena a plate with homemade pizza on it. "Lily's idea" he added.
Elena smiled. It would be one of the first real meals she would eat since she had been home. "Thank you" Elena said. She watched Stefan make his way to the nearby chair. "Sit by me" she said, patting a spot next to her.
He happily obliged, sitting as close to her as he could. "Did Katherine behave herself?" Stefan asked.
Elena took a bite of her pizza and nodded. The cheese ran down her chin and Stefan came to her rescue, grabbing it. "This is really good" Elena said after she swallowed. He noticed how much brighter her eyes looked and it warmed his heart. Maybe a good dose of Lily was just what she had needed. She smiled at him as he looked at her. "What?" she asked.
"You look happy again" Stefan said softly. "And I want to kiss you" he added.
Elena smiled, feeling happier too. "Then kiss me" she told him.
And he did, leaning in slowly, pressing his lips firmly against hers, and making it count. After all, he had a lot of kisses to catch up on.