A/N Sorry for the lack of updates on my stories. I had my 15th birthday, SPEAKING OF, JOSEPH MORGAN (KLAUS) tweeted me Happy Birthday on twitter! I was soo happy!

Anyway and things were a bit messed up with my personal life and I was spending more wasted time arguing on Facebook rather than writing haha.

I dedicate this chapter to and Cdaye8184, two very loyal reviewers ;) They simply deserve a shoutout, check out their profile/stories :)

That night was horrible for Damon. He was feeling very guilty for not believing Elena, but at the same time, he didn't know what to believe. It could've been just a simple dream, just the desire he had to hold his daughter. But yet again, they were Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert, nothing could be simple for them.

He knew well that if the baby was alive, she was still condemned for a hard future. He knew that Cheryl's fate was to destroy Klaus. According to the witches, Cheryl cannot be harmed by Klaus as a child, however, when she is older, her powers will not be enough to protect her from Klaus and she would've to fight him herself. Damon also knew that Cheryl's bond with Elena was not normal, it was beyond that. For one, Cheryl was the one that saved Elena in the first place.

"Damon?" Elena's tiny voice brought him back to reality.

"Hey," He said softly, turning to face her.

"What are you doing up?" She yawned, "It's not like you have trouble sleeping…" She smiled at the last statement.

"Just…a confusing dream," Damon covered, "I'm fine."

"What was it about?"

"Nothing. Just stuff from the past," He continued, not wanting to open the not-so-closed wounds.

"Oh," Elena said, "Well, are you okay now?"

"Of course," He smiled sweetly at her. "What are you doing up?"

"I had a confusing dream, too," She said softly. "About Cheryl."

"What was it about?" Damon straightened, eager to hear what's next.

"She was just asking me why we're giving up on her. She also asked me to hold her."

Those words confused Damon even more. It was the exact same dream, then. Could this really be a signal, something that showed them that their baby was alive?

Damon surprised her by holding her tight. "Elena…" He cried out helplessly, and in a second, he fessed up, telling her about his dream.

"Oh my God," Elena whispered. "Damon…"

"Elena, I do not want to get our hopes up," He said, "That's why I kept it from you. I wanted to protect you from it…I'm so sorry, Elena. I should've believed you…"

"Damon, I understand why you didn't," Elena looked at him compassionately. "We've been through a lot…"

Damon held Elena closer to him. "I can't ever go through that kind of pain again, Elena…Seeing you dead…and my baby gone…" His blue eyes were watery and vulnerable now, and Elena shushed him, tightly hugging him.

"I'm determined now, though," Damon said, his voice serious and clear. "I won't let anything happen to either of you…And I trust you, Elena-I trust your instincts."

Elena grabbed his hand. "We're in this together, Damon."

Weeks passed. Things were not getting any easier. There were no other signs that their baby had a chance of survival, and this resulted in a lot of heartache again, though Elena was ready to fight till the nine months passed. Things were not getting any better with the vampire-human war going on, and lots of teenage girls and women were being mercilessly taken as vampire slaves, and Elena shivered at the thought. Sure, her story ended up sweetly, because Damon loved her more than he loved himself. But when she thought of the humans in the Dark Dimension, that were beaten and fed on mercilessly, and when she thought about the girl from Europe at Vladimir and Duncan's residence, her heart ached. Too many people were getting hurt.

Her thoughts ran to Larissa, Damon's housekeeper when she was still just a property to Damon. She didn't even know what happened to her. Larissa was the one that brought her to Damon after the good advice she had given her. She owed that woman.

"I just wish this will be all over…"

"It's all Klaus, you know," Damon explained. "He hates the human race so much."

"There must be something that can stop him," Elena continued, "He can't just kill everyone." She stared at the little kids on the television screen, who were crying helplessly. Her heart ached.

"During the months you spent in the Dark Dimension, there were other vampires that fought for human rights," He continued, "I heard them talking about him. But everyone said that Klaus is unstoppable…Unless, well…" He stopped, thinking about their baby as the only way to kill Klaus. His heart swelled and his stomach churned. Elena nodded, understanding.

"Do you think he will find out about me?" Elena asked him after a while, as Damon's hand gently stroked her hair.

"I don't know, Elena," Damon sighed, "But I will do everything I can to make sure he doesn't."

"What do you think will happen if he finds out I'm not dead?" Elena shivered, "I get it…He would try to kill me again. But what about you?"

Damon tightened his grip on her. "Klaus's unpredictable, Elena." That was the safer choice, right? He couldn't tell her what Klaus would do. Not only that he'd kill Elena again, but he would also turn Damon into a monster, or give him some kind of painful ultimatum.

"Do…" Elena opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly, she paled.

"Elena?" Damon sensed that something was wrong, and he grabbed her hand gently, to keep her still. She didn't speak to him.

"Elena?" He called again, but Elena's eyes were blank. Her face was pale as a sheet, and she felt a wave of nausea.

"I don't feel so good," Elena mumbled. "I feel numb…Damon, where are you? I can't see…"

Damon squeezed her hand, "God, Elena, what's going on?"

"My stomach hurts," Elena whimpered, "So bad…"

Damon froze. "Elena…"

She looked at him with teary eyes.

"I can hear movement," He stated, kneeling down in front of her. "The same movement I used to hear when you were pregnant…" Very slowly and gently, Damon reached out to stroke his fiancé's belly. "I can hear her, Elena."

"Oh my God," Elena gasped, tears of happiness trailing down her cheeks, her hands reaching to grab Damon's shakily as he guided hers on her own belly.

"She's truly special," Damon said, "She says she loves you, Elena. She wants to spend time with you soon."

"I love you too," Elena wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I love you so much, baby…"

"She says she loves her daddy as well," Damon continued, "She's telling me that I'm a good person."

"Damon," Elena sighed happily, reaching out to hold him close. "Thank you for everything."

"No, Elena. Thank You," He caressed her cheek lightly. "You're the one who changed me."

1 month later

"No, I like this one!" Elena whined at the section of the baby clothing. "Look, it has flowers on it."

"Well, this one has teddy bears," Damon argued. "And yellow is nicer than pink."

"But baby girls love pink!" Elena complained, and at that Damon laughed. She was being so serious, it was so cute.

"Mrs. Salvatore, why so glum?" He teased her, "We can buy both."

"Are you planning on spoiling Cheryl the way you spoil me?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Mhm, yeah," Damon placed a kiss on her browbone. "What do you think, Cheryl?" He whispered to the unborn baby. It was truly amazing how he had the ability to hear her speak.

"See? She likes being spoiled too."

Elena laughed. "Stop being cute, Count Dracula."

"That hurts," Damon groaned playfully and backed her up against the wall. "I'll have to make mommy pay now, have I?"

"Damon, stop, we're in a shop," Elena blushed when Damon kissed her neck.

"So? Why can't I kiss my fiancé in public?" Damon pressed a tighter kiss on her skin. "I'll make you pay…after you've given birth," He winked at her and she chuckled.

It was amazing how much things were simple during that month. After they learned that Cheryl was okay, Damon made sure that Elena and his daughter got the best of everything they wanted. They bought their baby little gifts and clothes, and they were even planning on decorating a room for their child. Elena wanted to stay in Italy since everything was friendlier, though everyone knew about the existence of vampires. Damon kept a low profile as much as possible, though he was clearly suffering because he couldn't get into the bloodbank easily since lots of the guards and people wore or ate vervain. Sometimes, he'd drink animal blood instead.

Before her pregnancy, Elena volunteered to sustain him, and he had the ability to make it pleasurable for her too so he wasn't worrying. But with her being pregnant, he knew that Cheryl was already taking a lot of blood, like every baby does. He didn't want to continue to take her blood, he wouldn't risk her diagnosing anemia.

Elena was weeks away from giving birth now, and Damon wanted to be there for her in any way possible. He wanted to be there when Cheryl arrived in this world.

"No," Elena had complained, "Why do you want to torture yourself like that? You know that there will be blood…besides, I won't be alone, Stephanie will be there."

"Shh, stop worrying," Damon assured her. "I wouldn't have told you if I can't do it. But I can."

And after a feather light kiss on the lips, Damon reassured Elena that they will all be okay.

After the baby shopping, they returned home, exhausted. Elena slumped on the chair, her big bump exhausting her. She was feeling very sore lately and bubble baths were her relief.

"I'll go have a bath," She told Damon, "My back's so sore…"

"Sure," He kissed her forehead. "Am I invited?"

His smirk was wide and Elena smacked him playfully.

A few minutes later, though, he heard her call his name. "Damon, I bought a new shampoo, do you mind getting it for me? I think I left it in a plastic bag in the car."

"Sure," Damon called out, walking outside to grab the bag.

He had barely walked a few meters away from the door when he felt a large impact on his head.

Elena sighed. How long does it take to get a plastic bag out of a car?

"Damon," She called in annoyance. "I'm not in the mood to play."

No answer.

"You're going to make me dry and get new clothes," She whined, "And I'm not even done yet."

No reply.

She sighed, drying her hair, disgusted by the smell of water in it. She tightened a bathrobe around her body.

"Damon?"

This time, Elena got worried. "This isn't funny, Damon."

She walked out the door slightly.

A scream escaped her lips.