Previously In Lover Come Back…
His lips twitched upwards to flash a menacing smile, "The name's Elijah Mikaelsen, and that child is the reason."
"Run, Elena! Run!" Bonnie screamed, forcing herself to continue the river of pain to him.
Looking up to the sky, she begged, clutching her stomach, "Please."
"Stop! Please! Help!" She screamed with all of her ability.
"Elena?" A silky voice asked.
"Damon?" She frantically asked, not being able to see anything because of the fog.
Just as the doctor was about to give up hope on the child, the world was once again surprised.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The doctor examined the picture before stating, "It most definitely is a boy. Congratulations."
She glanced towards her, "You guys just left me in the alley unconscious?"
Elena bit her bottom lip, "Yeah, sorry about that."
Chapter 17: With a Little Help From My Friends
His head was in a different state as he brought the glass of bourbon to his lips, drinking slowly, trying to think of something else than the crimson liquid that he had not consumed in nearly a week. The urge for blood was nudging him closer to the edge of snapping, and he most definitely did not want to shout at Elena. Ever since they had returned from New York City, he felt this tug deep within him to drink from her, but he knew that it would be a serious risk especially in her condition.
Elena came pouncing down the stairs in her baby doll nightgown that clearly showed off her baby bump. As her eyes caught sight of Damon doing various chores, she started to lightly skip towards him, about to wrap her arms around him.
But before she could do so, he sped around to face her, a small glare on his face, "What are you doing out of bed?"
Her head tilted to the side, "What do you mean?" She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, "I wanted to help you."
Her small smile dropped when Damon hissed, "I told you that you needed bed rest, and now you completely went against my orders," He pointed towards the staircase, "Go back to bed."
She shook her head stubbornly, "No, I want to help you."
He sighed, tearing her arms from his neck, "Fine," He hissed before tearing the list of chores in his pocket in half and giving the smaller half to her, "You can do these." He began to continue to clean the countertop.
She skimmed through the list before looking up to him, "Aw, you gave me the easier chores."
He turned around to glare at her, "This is your last chance before I sling you over my shoulder and carry your ass up those stairs." She winced before darting upstairs to get changed.
As quick as Elena could, she put on black, snug yoga pants, a deep purple blouse, and a pair of running shoes she had found in the black bag from the Vegas trip. She glanced around his room for a few brief moments, taking in every detail. The four-poster, wooden bed, large curtains draped over the main window, the wooden paneling on the walls, and to her right was the exquisite bathroom which held a white tub fit for two people, a sizable shower, and wooden flooring.
She lightly smiled at the dark persona that fit Damon exactly before rushing down the stairs once more. Once she came to the kitchen, she took out the list from her pants' pocket and read down the list.
-Gather flowers from the backyard
-Wash the sink
-Get the newspaper
-Dust off the books in my room
-Put new towels on the towel rack in the bathroom
She sighed, realizing that he had given her the much easier chores. Deciding to start from the bottom up, she walked upstairs into his bathroom, and over to the closet in the corner. Digging out two, fresh towels, she closed the closet door and walked over to the towel rack. She swiftly replaced the old with the new. Clapping her hands, she muttered, "Well we can cross that off the list."
Her eyebrows scrunched together at the idea of dust, but shrugged her shoulders before walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Glancing around, Elena soon found the bookcase which must have held nearly fifty books. Most of them were historical books about Mystic Falls and Virginia, but one book immediately caught her eye.
"Gone With the Wind? Seriously?" She took the book from the packed shelf, not realizing that the book was nearly holding all of the books together. As soon as she had the books in her hands, the row of books tumbled to the floor, leaving a mess of dust.
She sighed before bending down to begin to pick them up one by one. Minutes later, she had the books neatly arranged on the shelf, proudly looking at the clean row, but knew that the other shelves still needed to be dusted off. Walking into the bathroom, she grabbed the duster from the closet and walked back to the bookcase.
Elena swiped the duster across one shelf, earning herself a good cough from the cloud of dust that resulted. Fearing that she would inhale the dust, she quickly swiped the rest of the shelves before walking back into the bathroom to wash her hands.
The rush of the water against her hands felt like heaven. These chores were more frustrating then she had in mind. Looking down at the list on the counter, she quickly crossed off the item.
"What's the problem now?" Jeremy whined as he walked up to the group. The team had assembled at the colossal, outdoor mall. Bonnie trailed behind him, holding his hand.
"We'll be surprising Elena with baby junk," Tyler answered before Caroline forcefully nudged him in the side, "things."
Alaric glanced around at the mall, "Does everyone know what they are assigned to get?"
Caroline nodded, "Jeremy and I are getting clothing and a changing table." Alaric quickly wrote it down on the piece of paper before turning to Tyler.
He thought for a moment, "Oh yeah, Bonnie and I will be getting the little tyke a stroller." Alaric shook his head, amused by his answer and turned his gaze towards Matt.
"You and I are getting the crib." He rolled his eyes, not too happy about their assigned item. Alaric smiled before announcing, "Alrighty, everyone split up!"
Bonnie excitedly walked down the sidewalk, glancing from shop to shop, Tyler lacking behind her.
She whipped her gaze to behind her, "Come on, Tyler! I can see the store just down the strip."
Tyler sighed before catching up to her, "Which store are we going to exactly?" He winced at the articles of baby clothing in the shops' windows.
Bonnie chuckled, "Baby Wonderland."
He immediately halted, his eyes wide, "No, nope. That store is hell."
She crossed her arms, glaring towards him, "You are going, even if I have to drag you there by your hair."
He pouted before muttering under his breath, "You're just like Caroline." By that time, Bonnie was already opening the door to the store, inhaling sharply in anticipation.
He had to run to catch up to her, and by the time he was there, he had to bite his lip from screaming in horror. It was mostly bright, pastel colors everywhere; on the walls, the clothing, even the cashiers' seemed to be talking to adults like they were communicating with a baby.
Biting his lip harder, he rushed over to Bonnie who was glancing at the walls of strollers. His eyes widened at the wide variety of strollers. She was awe-struck before she rushed over to a brown-blue stroller.
Tyler sighed, "That has two seats." There was a seat facing the person pushing the stroller and another facing the front.
She glanced over to him in a no-duh way, "One seat is for when he is a little baby, and the other is for when he gets a little bit older." She had a far-away glance on her face as she thought back to her vision of Elena's baby boy.
Tyler snapped his fingers in her face, "Earth to Bonnie," She glanced up to him, "Let's just keep looking."
She nodded before walking down the large aisle once more.
Tyler followed after her before catching sight of a stroller, "Bonnie, check this one out." He looked at every detail of the stroller in approval before Bonnie walked over.
She chuckled, "It's like the Cadillac of strollers."
He nodded, keeping his gaze on the stroller, "And it comes in black, so Damon will definitely approve."
She smiled as she looked at the stroller which was all black with small splashes of gray in the safety padding, it was lightweight, multi-position reclining, convertible harness that grows along with the child, one-hundred-eighty degree rotating canopy for shade, and the seat was also a car seat.
"Let's get it." He blurted out, grabbing the stroller and began to roll it towards the check-out line.
"What is this place?" Jeremy asked, awe-struck by the size of the store.
Caroline chuckled, throwing the door open, "Little World, it's the best baby store in the mall."
Half an hour later, Jeremy was rushing around the store, looking at the various clothing, "Look at this!" He held up a small, black leather jacket that was identical to Damon's.
"Oh my, you have to get that." Caroline said after glancing up from the changing tables section.
He nodded, throwing the leather jacket into the basket which held a mountain of clothing and made his way over to Caroline who had finally found the right changing table.
"Isn't this just so perfect?" She pointed to the dark, mahogany table that was decorated with black dots. He nodded before saying, "You should definitely get it."
She smiled, grabbing a box, "Oh, I am," She then held up a small pair of combat boots, "And these, I am definitely getting these."
By the time they had checked out, the two had paid a whopping total of nearly $250, paying with Jeremy's collected money and Caroline's birthday cash from previous years.
Within the large, shopping mall, one pair, Alaric and Matt, were lost in the world of baby paraphernalia.
"Why are there so many?" Matt choked out, glancing at the large room filled to the brim with cribs at the store, Cribs Inc.
Alaric shrugged his shoulders, "People go gaga over babies."
He chuckled before walking up to one crib, "What about this one?" The crib was a deep brown, with a light green mattress.
Alaric shook his head, "It's too bright."
He nodded before walking down the line of cribs, until an employee walked up to them, "May I help you?"
Matt nodded, "Yes, thank you. We're looking for a crib for our friends."
She smiled, "How nice of you. Any style or color you have in mind?"
Alaric stepped forward, "Dark colors, maybe Italian."
She thought for a moment before darting her pointer finger into the air, "Ah, we just had a crib imported from Italy. It is absolutely gorgeous."
Alaric smiled, "Perfect, may we see it?"
She nodded before directing them towards a section in the back, "Here it is." She pointed towards the crib that was breathtaking, "It is a wonderful expression between tradition and style. It is delicately carved with breathtaking designs. The wood is carefully painted with safe, black paint that is approved by our company as perfectly safe for children to bite on."
Matt tilted his head, "Bite on?"
She chuckled, "They go through a teething stage where they bite anything and everything because they are growing their first set of teeth," She glanced back to the crib, "The mattress provides exceptional support for the child, and it is by far the most comfortable crib we have in stock."
Alaric clapped his hands together, "We'll take it."
After collecting the newspaper and washing the sink, Elena made her way outside to gather some flowers. She had no idea what the flowers were for, but she guessed that he wanted her to arrange them. Her feet shuffled towards the small patch where flowers, mostly roses, were thriving.
Bending down, she lightly grazed the tips of her fingertips across the pedals of the roses. They were truly exquisite with their blood red pedals and dark green stems; quite a sight.
Carefully, she plucked eleven roses, but while plucking the final rose, she pricked her hand on a thorn.
She sighed, watching the river of blood ooze from her hand, "Every rose has its thorn." She winced suddenly, feeling lightheaded, "Ouch." She said, holding her head with one hand and the roses in the other.
Damon was inside, reading a book and drinking bourbon after finishing his half of the chores. Of course, he used the unfair advantage of the vampire speed to complete the laborious tasks. Sighing, he took a sip of the bourbon, inhaling sharply. As he inhaled, he caught scent of blood, not just anyone's; Elena's.
Panic immediately set in as he rushed to his feet and sped outside, finding her crouched down, holding her head and a group of flowers. He growled, seeing the blood smeared on her forehead. She hadn't meant to smear blood all over herself, she was just lost in the moment.
The vampire side of him was kicking in when he caught sight of the blood, and it was making him much more frustrated than before. "What did you do?" He snapped, causing her gaze to whip towards him.
"I cut my hand on one of the rose thorns." She murmured, afraid of him being angry.
He sped towards her, examining the cut on her hand. The hunger was dripping in his voice, "You have to be more careful, Elena!"
She winced at the anger in his tone, "I'm sorry." She stood to her feet before walking inside the house, leaving Damon to cool off. He immediately felt awful for snapping at her, but he couldn't help the hunger.
Speeding inside, he took his seat near the fireplace once more and continued his session of bourbon and a good book.
Elena kept wandering through the house, trying to gain his attention. After a while, she felt ignore, so she went to the next level. She slowly walked past him and near the staircase where she walked half-way up before purposely tripping. Her knee collided with the wooden steps, causing her to bite her lip from calling out in pain. He seemed to be lost in his reading to not even notice her fall.
Elena's mind immediately drew to the conclusion that he was sexually frustrated, even though she was far off target. Dashing upstairs, she dressed in the lingerie set that Damon had kept for when he compelled mindless blondes back in the day. She then applied make-up that highlighted her features. Smiling at herself in the mirror, she strutted down the stairs and into the parlor.
Seeing him reading the book immediately made her sigh. She slowly and quietly walked up to him, settling herself onto his lap, gaining his attention.
He glanced up, clearly annoyed, "What are you doing?"
She frowned, "I want to feel loved."
An immediate sigh escaped his lips, "Not now." And he gently pushed her off of his lap. Her bottom lip slightly quivered, thinking that he did not love her anymore. Rushing up to the guestroom, she locked herself inside. Damon kicked himself, for he knew that she was most definitely hurt by what he had done because he did not want to take out his hunger on her. Shaking his head, he continued to read his book.
The entire team assembled in the mall's park, announcing what they got.
"So we were all able to get what we were supposed to?" Alaric asked, glancing around. The duos all nodded.
Alaric clapped his hands, "Okay, let's go."
The pairs all boarded into their cars which were packed with the things they had bought. Caroline and Jeremy proudly glanced into the back of the car in which you could barely see the rear window, and then they all drove to the boarding house.
Feeling as if he was in the worst possible mood, he consumed more and more alcohol. As the umpteenth glass of bourbon touches the rim of his lips, the doorbell sounded. Shaking his head, he ignored it and downed the glass, not leaving a drop unconsumed.
Seconds later, the doorbell continuously rang, Caroline being too impatient to wait, so she kept her finger pressed onto the button.
His entire self-controlled snapped, "Elena, get the fucking door!"
Upstairs, Elena heard the anger laced in his tone. She hid under the covers, afraid to go downstairs. There was silence before one, final ring of the doorbell. Completely angered, Damon sped to the door, whipping it open, "What?"
The entire group's eyes widened, Caroline smirked, "Surprise!" The team piled in with their unwrapped gifts in hand, Damon still seething by the front door. He slammed it shut before making his way to the parlor where the group had placed their gifts.
"What is all of this?" He hissed, glancing at all of the paraphernalia.
Tyler chuckled, "It's for the little tyke."
Before Damon could reply, Matt stepped forward, "Could you show us to the nursery so we can set up all this stuff?"
Damon glared at him, "There is no nursery."
After heading out to buy the materials needed, and with no help from Damon, the men of the group started to transform one of the many guestrooms into the nursery, while Bonnie and Caroline comforted Elena.
"What's the matter?" Caroline brushed a hand through Elena's chestnut hair.
"H-he doesn't love me anymore." Elena choked out, her eyes burning from the unshed tears that were building up.
"Of course he loves you, Lena. You're having his child." Bonnie cooed, rubbing circles into her back.
Elena thought for a moment, "He has am awful way of showing it."
Caroline chuckled before lying down beside her.
After having a heavy debate about whether to paint the room black or a dark blue, the room was painted. The dark blue walls were still wet as they began to set up the crib, well, they attempted to set up the crib.
"What did the directions say again?" Matt asked, holding two pieces of wood.
Tyler read the directions aloud, "Insert piece B into piece C."
Jeremy snickered, "How do you what's what?"
Alaric sighed, "There are two B's." He held up two pieces of wood.
Matt tilted his head, "Maybe there's a second C."
Damon couldn't take the bickering going on between the group of men, so he sped upstairs, "Let me see those directions." He had managed to cool down.
Tyler didn't hesitate to hand over the directions. Damon quickly skimmed through them, "It says right here that there are two B's and two C's." He looked around on the ground, "There are stickers on the wood, so look for the second C."
Jeremy looked at the piece of wood in his hand, "Oh, I have it." Damon took the piece from his hand before collecting the other three, and walking towards the pieces of the crib that were already put together.
"Okay, put the mattress in." Alaric instructed as they all proudly gazed upon the finished crib. Tyler and Jeremy lifted the mattress and carefully placed it in.
The two stepped back, all five folding their arms across their chest in triumph.
Matt raised his hand for a high-five to Tyler, who slapped his hand against his. But just as the victory dances were about to begin, the creaking of wood sounded. All gazes were back on the crib just as it collapsed in a giant heap to the floor.
"Dammit." Damon hissed.
After they all consumed two glasses of their choice of alcohol, they pieced the crib back together, and carefully put the mattress back in.
"Oh, please work." Jeremy pleaded.
Tyler crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping that it would stay together.
Minutes passed, each one of them holding their breaths.
Alaric smiled, "I don't think it's going to fall apa-" Just as the words left his lips, the creaking of wood filled the air and the crib collapsed once more, leaving them all to kick themselves in frustration.
Nearly two hours had passed as the girls walked down the hall.
"I wonder what they've been doing all of this time." Caroline muttered as they came upon the closed door of the guestroom.
Bonnie shrugged her shoulders, "I hope it was something productive, and not just something stupid."
Elena chuckled in agreement before gripping the door handle and turning it. With one hand, she pushed the door open and was taken aback by what she saw.
The girls stepped into the room to find all five men sprawled in various spots across the floor, all drunk, and completely exhausted. But what mostly made them angry was the crib in the corner that was in a giant heap on the floor.
A/N:
This chapter was so much fun to write!
If you wonder where I get these ideas from, I use music (all instrumentals):
With a Little Help from My Friends by the Beatles
Time After Time by Eva Cassidy
Help Me Make it Through The Night by Elvis Presley
Next Chapter:
Somebody is watching over the Boarding House.
Elena keeps her distance from Damon, but when he asks
her about the man that was following her, she tells him
everything.
Elijah attacks someone.
Remember; your reviews are my inspiration to keep writing!