Chapter 20

Elena was sitting on the sofa next to Ric. Lexi had compelled all the people to forget what they had seen and heard and to let Ric go home, Elena needed him the most right now. Jeremy came in the room wiping his hands with a cloth and his hair all messed up,

"I've chained him up, and injected him with another shot of Vervain, so he should be down for a while." At the sound or Jeremy talking about Stefan being chained up and knocked out, made Elena break down. She collapsed into Ric's shoulder and cried. Jeremy dropped the bag of crisps he was holding on the counter and went and sat down on the sofa. "Elena I'm sorry, but it needed to be done, you heard the way he was talking to that Colin guy and the other people. It wasn't him. I know it is a special time now with Archer but it wasn't him and Lexi is going to help us get him back on track." She sat up and started to rub her eye's, she looked at the two amazing men sat each side of her and knew she could trust them to help Stefan.

"Thank you, and I know it is for the best but Stefan wanted to be the one to show Archer his room, he wanted to be the one to sit with him on the sofa first, but he didn't get to." And as if on cue Archer started to cry, Elena could hear through the baby monitor that sat on the counter. "I better go and get him, he's probably hungry." She got up from the sofa and grabbed the bag that was on the table by the stairs, it was one Stefan had brought, it was navy with a little money on each side.

"Shhh, you hungry little man?" Elena bent over the crib and picket him up and as soon as she did he stopped crying, "You weren't hungry at all were you?" she kissed the top of his head and started to sway back and forth on the spot. "Do you like your room Archer? Your dad and Uncle Jeremy decorated it for you. Sorry your dad is not here, he is in a bit of trouble with aunt Lexi and a lot of other people. But he will be here soon I promise." She looked at his little face, slightly tanned because of Stefan's Italian heritage, he had Stefan's sandy blonde hair and his eyes. But he had Elena nose. Stefan loved that nose. She watched him try and fit his fist into his mouth and when he hit his nose he started to cry again. "It's ok, shhh." She kissed his nose and started to rock back and forth again.

"Do you mind if I hold him?" Elena hadn't noticed Lexi come in, she had probably been there for a while but Elena didn't care. "If you don't want me to I understand. I just wanted to see Stefan's child and see if it is possible for us to have kids." She started to leave the room,

"Lexi, you can hold him if you want." Lexi came back in and Elena passed him over to her, she took him and sat in the seat that Jeremy had put in the corner.

"God, he is a double of Stefan, it really is possible." Lexi started to blow raspberries and make silly noises, and Archer kept trying to grab her nose. "He is adorable Elena, can I keep him." she looked at Archer and started to speak in a baby voice, "I can't keep you can I, your mummy and daddy will miss you too much, but you can come and stay with me all you want. As long as it is ok with your mummy." She looked up to Elena who had gravited to the chest of draws and was organizing his clothes. Elena looked at Lexi with a smile on her face, she was amazing with Archer, and if she wasn't a vampire she would be an amazing mum. They heard a clutter coming from the basement, Stefan was awake. "The Vervain didn't last for long, I'll go and check on him." Lexi put archer back in his crib and looked at Elena who was running her hand through her hair, "he will be fine Elena, I will get him back on track. Look at me it has been 20 years since I drank human blood, and I don't even feel the temptation for it. It just takes time trust me." Elena nodded at Lexi's reassurance,

"If you don't mind, I picked out his favorite sweatpants, t-shirt and jumper, they're on the end of the bed, second door on your right." Elena placed Archer's wolf in his crib, and turned to look at Lexi,

"Here is a better idea, why don't you come and give them to him, it will show him he still has his family around him, and that you are here for him."

Stefan was curled in a ball on the bed, it was the one that used to be in the spare bedroom, Lexi and Jeremy had moved it for him. It killed Elena to see him like this but he was going to get better and that is all she told herself. At the sound of the door opening his head snapped up,

"Elena go away, I don't want you to see me like this." He went back into the fetal position on the bed faced away from Elena. Elena looked at Lexi who have her a little nudge, Elena entered further into the room, it was the old study, Stefan hadn't had the need for one neither did Elena so they used it as a storage room, all the boxes had been cleared out and to one wall was the bed, and another was a mini fridge along with a book shelf filled with Stefan's favorites. She sat on the end of the bed and placed her hand on Stefan's foot,

"I am here Stefan and I am not going anywhere. Alaric and Lexi are here so is Jeremy and most importantly Archer. We are all here, your family is all here to help you because we love you. And I brought you your favorite clothes." At that he turned round and stretched his legs out. Lexi entered the room and shut the door, locking it to make sure Stefan could not get out.

"I'm sorry Elena, I don't know what happened, all I knew is that when he hit me I wanted to rip his throat out." Elena moved closer to him, knowing that he would never in a million years hurt her. He sat up fully on the bed and lent against the wall, Elena moved and sat next to him, "is Archer ok?" he looked at Lexi with his big eyes,

"He is fine Stefan, he is amazing." Stefan collapsed and started to cry and just fell into Elena's shoulder, and buried his head into her t-shirt.

"I'm sorry Elena. I am so sorry, I will do anything to get things back to how they were. I love you Elena and I am sorry that I failed you." She started to stroke his back and pulled him in closer, Lexi left the room but Elena knew she was still watching,

"Stefan it is ok, how about you get changed and I bring your Laptop down here and we can watch a film. The quicker things go back to normal the better." He sat up and kissed her, he started to take of his t-shirt before Elena stopped him, "not tonight, ok?" he stopped and looked at her and grabbed the pile of cloths of the end of the bed.

It had been 5 days since Stefan's incident, and he was doing a lot better. Lexi was bring him 2 bunnies a day, to make sure he was fed, however he was still getting injected with Vervain now and then, which Elena didn't like but Lexi said was necessary. Every night Elena had spent watching a film in the basement, Alaric had been sleeping in their bed and Jeremy had been sleeping on the sofa, Lexi said she would find her own accommodation and no matter how cute Archer was, he still woke her up in the night. Any time he did wake up either Alaric or Jeremy would get him before Stefan would even hear him, it was Lexi's idea.

"Can I see archer, this afternoon?" Stefan was eating a ham and cheese sandwich that Alaric had made him. Elena thought for a second, and then took another bite of her sandwich.

"I'm sure you can, but I will bring him down here." He smiled and the chocked, Vervain.

"How is he doing?" Stefan managed to regain himself after the small amount of Vervain in his sandwich.

"Well, yesterday he managed to fit his hand in his mouth, it was really cute, and I wish you could have seen it. And this morning he laughed, he actually laughed Stefan." Elena was smiling from ear to ear, and so was Stefan he pulled her over onto his lap and kissed her neck,

"Why did he laugh?" He managed to get out between kisses. Elena was having a hard time trying to concentrate on her answer,

"Lexi was playing with him and waving his toys around and making silly noises and she tickled him, and he laughed. It was an actual laugh, mixed in with a bit of crying but we were both sure it was a laugh." He kept kissing her as if she hadn't said a thing, she eventually gave in and turned round and started to kiss him as well.

He pulled of his t-shirt and Elena ran her hand down his perfect abs and kissed them as he took of her shirt. When her shirt was off he cupped his hands round her boobs and kissed each one. He struggled with her belt, but managed to get her jeans off, he pulled of his sweat pants in the sexiest way Elena had ever seen someone take of their trousers. She ran her hand through his hair while he undid her bra strap, he pulled off his boxers and she pulled of her panties. He started to kiss every inch of her body, using his tongue to lick circles round her belly button and nipples.

"OH SHIT!" they hadn't heard the door open, and they both hurried to grab clothes to cover themselves.

"Mummy, what was Uncle Stefan doing to aunt elena?"