Normal things – (Helen)
Underneath your clothes, by Shakira
"You're a song
Written by the hands of God.
Don't get me wrong, cause
This might sound to you a bit odd,
But you own the place
Where all my thoughts go hiding.
Right under your clothes
Is where I find them."
The next morning I woke up slowly. Damon's arm was wrapped around my non-existent waist and his body lay pressed to my back. He had buried his nose in my hair near my neck and one leg was between mine. He was still asleep, or at least pretended to be. My memory of last night returned and combined with the feel of his bare skin on mine, I shivered slightly. We had slept together - the first time in over half a year - and despite my advanced state I had more than enjoyed it. It had been wonderful, all the sensations had been so intense. The baby had protested, but after a while it had been quiet, so that we could repeat our love-making a few more times. Damon had been so considerate and treated me with so much tenderness that it had almost brought tears to my eyes. My waist circumference and the baby's reaction had both of us laughing, but this had been quickly replaced with passion. I would've preferred not to get up and remain in his arms forever, but an all too human need drove me out of bed now and into the bathroom.
When I padded back to the bed in the dark room, a narrow strip of light from the window fell on him and let his skin appear even brighter. He had turned on his stomach in his sleep and now clutched his pillow. I trailed my index finger gently over his spine. "Mmm," he hummed softly to himself and I leaned over him to place kiss next to kiss along his spine. When I arrived at his tailbone, he turned around and stretched. "Good morning," he said and sat up to kiss me. "Do you have anything in particular on your mind?" he asked softly and gently pushed me back against the pillows. "Depends on your plans for today," I whispered, running my fingers over his chest. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and I quickly pulled the blanket over my body. "What the hell…?" Damon exclaimed indignantly. "The spell, they can't hear you," I reminded him. He groaned and hung his head briefly. "Can't I remain undisturbed … just once," he growled to himself as he stood up and slipped into his shorts before he opened the door a crack. "Good morning! I wanted to ask if you come with me to get the tree?" Stefan asked before Damon could snap at him. Damon frowned. "What tree?" he asked. "Well, the Christmas tree," was the reply. I giggled. Damon turned around and gave me a confused glance. I just grinned. "Today is Christmas Eve, remember?" I said. "Well, come on, brother," Stefan said. "Go," I nodded to him. "I don't want to leave you alone," he said, furrowing his brows. "Elena can stay with her, Damon," Stefan suggested.
He still hesitated and I took the initiative. "I'll send him down as soon as we've showered, Stefan," I said and pushed myself off the bed with the sheet wrapped around me. "Wait a minute," Damon protested, but I walked purposefully toward him. "Hi Stefan," I said and smiled at him. "Give us a minute, will ya?" I said to him, ignoring Damon's angry glare as I closed the door again. "I'm waiting downstairs," Stefan said with a cheerful laugh and I heard him running down the stairs. Damon stood in front of me, hands on hips and looked grimly at me. "How dare you treating me like this?" he asked irritated. "Tit for tat, my darling," I replied casually and walked naked into the bathroom after I had thrown the sheet back on the bed. "Are you coming?" I asked before I went into the shower. Eyes closed, I let the water run over my body. Somehow I felt very well this morning, I was in tune with myself and nothing could shake this feeling of satisfaction. Seconds later, I felt Damon's hands on my body.
"You're unbelievable, you know that?" he said and pressed his naked body against mine while he was lathered my breasts. "Incredibly naughty, or something else?" I prodded and gasped as he twirled my nipples between his fingers. "If you weren't pregnant ...," he growled and left the sentence unfinished. I could feel his excitement at my back. "Then what?" I gasped as he buried one hand between my legs and circled my love pearl with one finger. "I'd take you - hard – right here," he whispered close to my ear and nibbled along my neck. I shuddered at the thought alone. "Then do it," I moaned and pressed my body against his. "Are you sure ? I can also ...," he said softly and increased the pressure on my clit. "No, don't! I want you in me," I gasped. A low growl escaped his throat. "Put one foot up," he ordered huskily. I followed him and put one foot on a small tile prop that was inserted into the wall halfway between the fitting and the floor.
I leaned against the wall as he repositioned himself behind me. "Feel this?" he whispered, teasing my entrance with the tip of his member. I just nodded. "Come on," I whispered. He held me and pushed slowly into me. I tipped my pelvis to accommodate him better. The feeling was incredible and I groaned. "Dammit, Helen, that's...," he groaned. "Damn intensive," I gasped as he pulled back a bit. He moved slowly inside me, too slow for my taste. "Harder," I demanded. He thrust a little harder just to slow down in the last moment to slow down so he wouldn't hit the cervix. It was as if acted with the handbrake on. "Harder, damn it," I cried. "No," he groaned. "I don't … want … to hurt you," he stammered. I sobbed as his finger stimulated my clit harder now and turned my head as far as I could to look at him. His face was tense and focused, his eyes were closed. "Damon," I breathed. He looked at me and froze in mid-movement. "Come," he whispered, pressing my clit between two fingers while he thrusted hard at the same time. My mouth opened in a silent scream and my whole body trembled with an orgasmic wave that rolled abruptly over me. I closed my eyes and felt how he climaxed with a growl after a few more thrusts.
Wheezy panting filled the room, my knees buckled and he held me gently so that I didn't fall. "Everything okay? Can you stand?" he asked anxiously after a while. "Just a moment," I whispered and raised myself to stand tentatively on both legs. I turned in his arms and put mine around his my neck. "Yes, I can," I replied softly and leaned against him. The water still pelted down on us, but it was cooler now. His blue eyes searched my face tenderly before he stroked the wet hair out of my face and kissed me gently. Then he reached for the thermostat and turned the hot water on. Now it was warm again. "It won't hold long," he said and started soaping my back. I let go of him and took some shampoo. We washed each other in silence before cold water finally drove us out of the shower. I watched as he dressed in vampire speed and envied him while I was still struggling with my stockings. I still had not resigned myself to having to put my feet on a chair to put on the socks comfortably.
Finally we were done and went downstairs. Stefan waited impatiently in the hallway, like a kid. "Finally! What the hell took so long?" he grumbled. When he saw our faces, he held up his hands and squinted his eyes. "No! I don't even want to know," he exclaimed. Elena joined us. "What do you not want to know?" she asked innocently. "How my girlfriend and I enjoyed our shower," Damon replied casually while I rolled my eyes and threw my hands in the air. "Damon!" The man was impossible! Elena laughed. "Get over it, Helen, he's always been like this," she said. "Seriously? How did you endure him?" I asked jokingly. "Ignored him as far as possible," Stefan smirked. "You stay out of this," Damon interjected and pointed his finger at him. Then he turned to me. "And you," he whispered dangerously low and grabbed my chin gently, "you will enjoy a few quiet hours in this house, understand?" Then he kissed me briefly to confirm it. "Ay ay, Sir," I saluted mockingly. Elena gave Stefan a kiss and poked Damon in the side for fun. "This time you better get a decent tree and not some measly sapling," she exhorted the two. Damon rolled his eyes and huffed in exasperation.
The two moved off and I was left with Elena. "Do you feel like breakfast?" she asked, linking her arm with mine. "Oh yes, I could really use that now," I said and followed her into the kitchen. "Sit down, I 'll get you something," she said. "I'm pregnant, not sick," I returned determined and glanced into the fridge. "Wow, for a vampire household that's a lot of edible stuff," I remarked. She giggled. "Well, Matt, Bonnie and Jeremy are human and Tyler also eats normal. Besides, many vampires love to taste food, even if we don't actually need it." She shrugged. "That's true, Damon for example likes Italian cuisine," I said and took out some jam and peanut butter. "I think toast fits me best this morning," I said, setting plate and cup on the table. I ate breakfast while Elena kept me company. "Damon seems to have adjusted quite well to his new role," she said casually. "What do you mean?" I asked. She folded her hands on the table and looked down on them. "Well, in the past, he was always the one who acted the most daring and shunned no risk."
I leaned back. "Except with you," I said softly. She looked up. "You've changed him a lot, Elena, and even if something broke in him that night, his new traits still remained," I said. A painful expression scurried over her face. "Whenever I think of how much I must've hurt him, it twists my heart, but I don't dare to talk to him about it," she replied. I put a hand on hers and smiled at her sympathetically. "I think he would listen to you, despite everything he's been through. Elena, just talk to him," I encouraged her. She took a deep breath and suddenly her face changed. She growled and jumped up. I looked at her in horror, backing away as far as I could with the chair. "Elena! Stop," I cried. She touched her face and retreated a few steps. "You're bleeding," she growled. "I can smell it." I shook my head. "Impossible," I still said, but suddenly I felt moisture between my legs. "Oh no," I cried, standing up. I looked at my lap, but there was nothing to be seen. Panic surged through me and I fled up to our bathroom as fast as I could. On the toilet I took off my clothes and saw a small stain in my panties. It wasn't much blood, but I was a little worried. "Helen, are you okay?" Elena called from the doorway. "Yes, I think so. I just need to change," I replied .
After I had washed myself, I put on new underwear and put a small towel between my legs since I had no sanitary pads. "Should I call Damon?" she asked when she saw me. I shook my head. "No, absolutely not. I'll call Dr. Fell," I said, searching for my cellphone. She stared at me like before in the ktichen. "Um, Elena? Can you control your blood thirst?" I asked and pulled her out of her trance-like state. "What? Um, yeah I guess so," she whispered. I hit Dr. Fell's number and she answered immediately. "Hi Helen, is everything fine with you?" she said. "Well, I 've had something like a small bleeding and wanted to know if this ... uh , well, ... um , could happen through sex?" I asked and lowered my voice on the last few words. Dr. Fell was laughing on the other side, but then she got serious again. "That's possible, but usually it isn't dangerous. Can somebody get you to the hospital, just to be safe?" I looked at Elena. She was still tense. "Not really. Elena would drive me, but she doesn't cope well with the smell of blood. I would have to drive myself," I said. "Stay at the boarding house, I 'll be right there," she replied seriously and hung up. I looked at my phone in astonishment. "Dr. Fell is coming over," I said. "I'll go and get me a blood bag from the basement. Wait here for Dr. Fell, okay?" Elena said and disappeared the same second.
I made the bed and covered it with the bedspread again. Then I lay down and waited. I knew from the doctors in Baton Rouge that a bleeding could occur, but I was still a little worried. At first, I wondered if I should call my mother. She didn't know that I was in Mystic Falls and if I called her now, she would surely be very concerned. About a quarter of an hour later there was a knock at the door. I got up and opened it. Elena stood there with Dr. Fell. "Dr. Fell, that was fast," I said. „I'll wait downstairs, Helen," Elena said. She looked a lot more relaxed than before, so I assumed that she had satisfied her thirst. I nodded at her with a smile and closed the door behind Dr. Fell. "How do you feel, Helen?" she asked. "Good, very good," I said. "Has the bleeding intensified?" I shook my head. "No, I don't think so." She looked at me. "Please take off your pants and panties and lie down for examination," she said. I divested myself of said garments. "Show me the towel," she said and reached for it. "Hm, only a spotting," she muttered and put on sterile gloves. "I 'm going to examine your cervix now," she said, inserting her fingers carefully into my vagina while she simultaneously palpated my abdomen. "Everything feels normal here," she said. She pulled her hand back. "And no fresh blood on the glove," she said, taking them off.
"Does that mean it was just a false alarm," I asked relieved. She nodded. "I should think so. Was your partner a little rough lately?" she asked softly. I blushed thoroughly. "You don't need to be ashamed. Sexuality during pregnancy is important for couples, but he should be very gentle," she replied. "It was my fault, I wanted it," I said softly. She only smiled. "Don't worry, the child can't be hurt. Now, I'd like to take a look at your womb," she said and stood beside the bed. She let her hands slide over my taut belly with expertise and felt for the outline of the child. "It feels as if it's transverse. This is very good. Which week are you in now?" she asked. I needed to count inwardly for a moment. "This should be the 29th week," I replied. "Okay, then you should start with check-ups every second week in the new year. Have you got a doctor here?" I negated. "If you're staying longer, just come to me in the hospital, okay?" She let me stand up again and I got dressed. "Thank you, Dr. Fell," I said .
She looked at me searchingly and hesitated before she spoke again. "Helen, it is your private thing, but ... when you're together with Damon, please, please be careful. He shouldn't feed on you at this stage. You need all your blood for the baby," she said. My eyes widened and I almost gaped at her. "You know ...?" I whispered. "That he's a vampire? Of course," she said blithely. "My family is one of the founders, we know about a lot of things," she added. I didn't know if this should calm me the or not, but for the moment I was just relieved. "Don't worry, he really takes good care of me," I replied. "Which I find almost unbelievable since the child isn't his," she said as she was packing up her bag. I opened my mouth already, but I remained silent out of precaution. "He has just changed a lot," I just replied. Suddenly I winced. "WHAT?" someone yelled down the hallway and a door slammed. Not a second later the door flew open and a completely distraught Damon stood there. "Helen! Meredith, is she alright?" he shouted agitatedly and with the next blink he stood next to me. Frightened, he looked me over. "Everything's okay, Damon. Don't worry," she said, grinning at him. "She'll tell you," she added with a glance at me and left the room.
"I'm fine, Damon, and the baby too," I said, putting my hands on his chest. He sat on the bed with a groan and held his head. "Oh God, and I thought ...," he groaned. "Damon, look at me," I said firmly. He raised his head. How can he look so vulnerable? I asked myself inwardly. "Our, uh, our activities this morning have launched a tiny bleeding, but it's already over. Things like this happen," I reassured him. A sigh of relief broke from his chest and he fell backwards onto the bed. Breathing heavily, he lay still. "Damon, stop the drama. It's a normal thing, unless you won't touch me for the rest of the pregnancy." His head came up and he looked me over, his eyes saying it all. "Oh no," I protested and climbed onto his lap, straddling him. "I'm warning you, Damon Salvatore, don't you dare ignore my body for the next 10 weeks," I hissed at him. He sat up and wrapped me into his arms. "Okay, okay. I was just afraid something happened to you and Junior," he whispered, burying his face at my belly. I held him and kissed his hair. "But nothing happened and you have to stop worrying," I warned him. In a normal relationship, this incident wouldn't have been a problem, but here under these circumstances ... I had to talk with him how we should go on.
He held very still for a while and listened carefully to the baby. "He's so quiet today," he whispered. "Damon, I need to talk to you," I said, getting up from his lap. He looked at me intently and pulled me next to him on the bed. "Start," he said simply. "How do we continue from here? Are you coming back with me to Baton Rouge or should I stay here with you? Do you want to live with me after birth or do you want us to go separate ways?" I asked. He grimaced. "Why are you asking all this just now?" he said. "Because I just realized how complicated life can be here. I need to organize my life, I can't live on love and air. I have to go to work, pay my rent, raise a child – it all needs to be planned." I got up. All the concerns that I had pushed aside during the past few days now came up again. "And what role should I play?" he asked quietly. I looked at him in astonishment. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Well, I am the father, but at the moment you're talking about yourself, Helen. How do I fit in?" he said. I thought I'd gotten him wrong. Was he turning the tables now? "I don't know, Damon," I answered. "And how should I know?" he replied, standing up. "Well, you have so much more life experience," I said. "But this is the first time that I can be a father, and I'm a vampire. I don't know how we can make it work, but do we have to decide on it here and now?" He held me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes.
I felt a little overwhelmed and the tension filled my eyes with tears. "Shsh, don't," he whispered and pulled me to him. He caressed my hair and held me tight. "We'll figure it out. Somehow we'll get through this, okay?" he whispered. I nodded silently and took a deep breath. Tenderly, he cupped my face with both hands and kissed first my forehead and then my lips. "I love you, everything else will sort itself out," he added. "I'm sorry, Damon, I didn't mean to hurt you," I whispered. "Forget it, Helen, it's okay. Let's spend the holidays here and then we'll contemplate on a solution, okay?" he asked, looking me in the eye. So much confidence and love shone inhis beautiful eyes and I could only nod in agreement. "Agreed," I said. He smiled at me. "Good, now come down with me. We still need to decorate this monster of a tree!"
I followed him into the parlor and stopped when I saw a good 9 feet high and 6'6 feet wide Christmas tree in front of the large windows. "Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "Isn't this a dream come true?" Elena broke my reverie from behind, a stack of boxes on her arms which concealed her completely. She almost tripped over the carpet edge and the high stack in her arms swayed dangerously. Damon stood nearest and caught her, keeping the boxes from falling to the ground. "Thank you," she whispered, beaming at him. "Just watch where you step," Damon replied brusquely and Elena's joy disappeared again. I had the feeling that a conversation between the two oft hem was strongly in order. "Where do we start?" I asked, rubbing my hands expectantly. Damon turned to me. "We will decorate the tree and you will sit on the couch, put your feet up and watch," he said firmly. "Aww, Damon," I muttered and made a pouting face. "She could hand us the baubles," Stefan said, who just came in with a high folding ladder. "Please, Damon, let me help, yes?" I begged, tugging at his shirt. With an innocent look I batted my eyelashes at him. He closed his eyes and sighed. "How could I resist you?" he said and handed me a box.