Lullaby (Helen)

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky."

His tender caresses fueled the familiar fire in me, but I got the impression that he was putting all of his 150 years of experience into that one night just to show me how much he desired me and how much he loved me. I was more than glad for the sound spell I had put on the room. His hands seemed cool on my heated skin, his lips soft but forceful at the same time while they made love to various parts of my body. Like in a delirium, I experienced the new memories he created and step by step I started taking the lead again. Slowly, I let go of my guilt trip. The way Damon and I made love, there was no abuser, there was no victim, there were only partners in an incredibly tender dance of fiery passion. Gasping I clung to him when he made me come for the umpteenth time that night. "Damonnn…" His name wrung itself from my lips as a hoarse cry. He possessed me so intensely, over and over again, as if he wanted to erase the slightest doubt from my brain. Groaning he followed me over the cliff and again we tumbled into oblivion together.

Hearts beating like crazy, breathless gasps, murmured endearments and the crackling fire were the only sounds inside our safe cocoon while we lay exhausted between the sheets. "Hold it, I need a break…", I finally sighed as his lips started wandering over my chest again. "Mmh,…. alright." Reluctantly he tore himself away from my breasts and looked down on me. "How about a nice bath? To recuperate?" he asked with a roguish grin. I knew what he had in mind. „To recuperate, Damon, only to recuperate", I reminded him. After another passionate kiss he jumped from the bed and walked over to the tub to start the bath. I disentangled myself from the sheets and staggered over to him. The bubbles smelled wonderfully of lavender and together we enjoyed how the hot water unfolded the essential oils. Damon sat behind me and had his arms wrapped around me. I leaned to his chest and relished his closeness. "Did we banish the demons?" he whispered at some point. I listened for any dark thoughts inside my mind, but there was no echo of my trauma anymore. "I believe for tonight, we did", I replied faintly and felt the grin on his lips which teased my neck and shoulders. "Does that mean we have to repeat this every night?" he purred seductively. The erotic timbre of his voice stirred the embers of my lust again and prevented me from protesting too harshly. "In a moderate form", I stated with a nod and closed my eyes. He chuckled softly.

When I opened my eyes again, I was surprised to find myself dried and safely tucked in our bed. I must've fallen asleep, I thought and shook my head. I turned around, but Damon wasn't there. However, the door connecting our room to the nursery was open. Had Brannon woken him? I got up and put on my robe before I walked over. I opened the door a little further and peeked into the room. Damon sat in the rocker and Brannon rested on his naked chest. Both were fast asleep. Damon's strong arm was safely tucked around our child and he looked relaxed. Wisps of black hair covered his forehead and the moonlight which peered through the drapes conjured silvery reflections on his fair skin. Fascinated, I stared at the magical scene before me. The small and the big raven, I thought and touched my raven pendant. Mom and Abby had discovered that it was a charm made by my ancestors, most probably Elspeth's charm. The connection between vampires and ravens was very old and worked both ways. Vampires had used ravens to spy on their possible prey during day and ravens had benefitted from vampires by feasting on the remaining corpses. It was a powerful charm and as long as I was wearing it, no vampire could compel me.

Quietly I walked over to them and intended to lift our son from his arms, when Damon flinched like from a punch. "No…", he moaned fearfully and held tighter on to Brannon. I'm not the only one with demons, I thought. Tenderly, I caressed Damon's hair and he relaxed again. „Hush, all's well, Darling", I whispered to his ear. With a sigh, I took the woolen plaid from the small couch and covered him and our son. Then I curled myself up on the couch and waited for Damon to wake up. I must've dozed off because when I opened my eyes again, I heard him moaning. Damon was dreaming, and it sounded like he was having a nightmare. I got up and walked over to him. His face contorted as if he was in pain and he tossed his head. Firmly, I took Brannon from his arms and put him back in his crib. Our son was fully awake, but to my amazement he didn't cry. "Shsh, go back to sleep, sweetie", I cooed and tucked him in before turning back to Damon. I touched his face. "Damon!" He didn't react, he was completely caught up in his dream. „Damon, wake up! It's a dream!" I said a little louder. „Helen…", he moaned agonized. „I'm here, Damon, wake up!" I replied and kissed him. Finally, he showed a sign of recognition and wrapped his arms around me, deeply inhaling the scent of my hair and skin before he opened his eyes. They were moist and looked fearful at me before the expression changed into relief. "I'm not the only one with demons, hm?" I whispered and threaded my fingers lovingly through his curls. "Probably", he replied with a shaky voice and kissed me.

Appropriately enough, our son decided to raise his voice at that moment. Sighing I got up and lifted him into my arms. "I think he's hungry again", Damon said and vamp speeded away. Only minutes later, he returned with a bottle and I handed Brannon to him. I loved those father-son moments. Seeing the strong vampire feeding the tiny human being in his arms with such care, made my heart swell with love for them every time. He sat in the rocker again and Brannon sucked with loud slurping as if he hadn't been fed for at least twenty-four hours. I couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Are you sure we've got a baby? Sounds more like a skunk bear", Damon mocked me. I grinned at him. „He's got his father's insatiability", I returned. Damon grinned back. „Really? Are you complaining, Helen?" he asked with a cocked brow. I remembered the last time he had said that. „Only that you didn't wake me properly", I replied with a smile. His eyes widened. "You still remember", he blurted. I leaned down and kissed him. „I will never forget anything about you", I replied softly. After Brannon was done, Damon carried him around, gently rocking him while he hummed the same tune I had heard from him just before Christmas. "I think I know that melody. What's it called again?" I asked. He tucked our son in. „I think nowadays it's called twinkle, twinkle, little star", he replied. „I know that one. Wanna sing him to sleep?" I asked and laced my fingers with Damon's. „If he tolerates it…", he teased and stood next to me while we softly lulled our son to sleep...

Epilogue (Damon)

Five years later, I watched my son from our bedroom window as he played in the garden behind the boarding house. Brannon had grown quite fast and turned out an earnest child with a stubborn streak that reminded me of myself. I had to smile. The little raven had more in common with me than most people knew, but he also bore a large portion of his mother's genes. Especially his eyes, those large, deep-blue eyes which made it so hard to resist him. He was curious without end and more than once Helen and I had come under pressure for failing to offer an explanation regarding his various talents and our family. When he had turned three, we had discovered that he could communicate with ravens just like me. Without being a vampire! Nobody knew if it was due to his kinship with me or because of his mother's genes. And he was fast on his short legs, way too fast for a normal child. Meredith Fell was convinced it had been the blood I had given Helen after the car crash. We had refrained from telling her about the birds. Helen and I had never kept her or my talents from Brannon, but we had established rules on how to use them. We played role model for him, teaching him how to keep a low profile.

Helen and I had settled down at the boarding house. She had traded Baton Rouge for Mystic Falls, Matt had employed her as a bartender and we raised our children here. Our children – I still shook my head every time I saw our second-born. About one year after Brannon's birth, I had asked Helen to be my wife. I had gotten down on my knees, with a ring, flowers and all – and she had thought I was kidding her! I had been pissed-off while she hadn't been able to stop laughing. Only after the third try she had agreed with tears of laughter in her eyes. Everyone else had been flabbergasted. Stefan had declared he wouldn't believe it until he would hold a written wedding invitation in his hands. Well, two days later he had received it. I would've loved being a fly on the wall, but fortunately Elena had taken a picture with her phone. His expression had been hilarious! Things had gone similarly with the rest of our friends – they just couldn't believe it. I knew how they were feeling – it had been pretty surreal for myself, but I had remained adamant about it. And that was why we'd had a wonderful party, organized by Caroline. Luckily, none of our past foes had gotten a wind of it and our life afterwards. It was as if we were living under a magic cheese dome. I was strongly convinced that Jessica, Abigail and Bonnie had something to do with it. Our relationship to Bonnie had extensively improved since she had helped rescuing us.

However, almost nine months after an unforgettably intense wedding night, our daughter Laura had been born. Helen hadn't hesitated for a moment that night. She had only reminded me of the consequences, but I hadn't stepped down. For the first time ever, I had the chance to watch the progress of a pregnancy up close, and it had been fascinating. Months later, we had argued if I should be present during the birth at all, but I had insisted on it. It meant the world to me to support my wife while she feared it would be too challenging for my control. Of course, I had managed. I had prepared myself carefully after all. Laura had been born a little too early and had to be taken into intensive care. It had been horrible, especially for Helen who had to fight her previous trauma again, but the little one had proven to be tough and had quickly made it back into our arms. All of this had happened without the aid of my blood. Meredith hadn't dared to give Laura anything since we hadn't known if it would mess with her witch genes. Our daughter was our little sunshine, always happy and her brother adored her. She was the spitting image of her mother with her red curls and her deep-blue eyes. Just now she was running from the patio towards Brannon who lifted her up and swung her around one time. She squealed with joy. Helen followed her outside and I observed that Laura pulled at her hand and led her to one of the flower beds. The little one touched one of the plants with her index fingers and within seconds the flower grew into full bloom. Helen looked up to the window with a surprised expression on her face – she always knew where I was. I sighed and hoped that the three-year-old would listen to my explanation of our rules. Real life is never getting boring, I thought and walked down into the garden…

THE END

A/N: Many thanks to all readers, especially those who left a review. If you're interested in another TVD story of mine, checkout my story "What am I to you?"