Pages in Between Chapter 7, a vampire diaries fanfic

Author's Note: I won't be writing an author's note at the bottom for this update. I was too lazy to do it! So I hope you like this update!

Previously in "Pages in Between", it is discovered that Hayley was the long-lost half sister of Damon and Stefan, and April gets taken to the hospital.

Chapter Seven

St. Joseph Good Samaritan Memorial Hospital – The Following Morning…

Mackenzie spotted Liam and his parents in the entrance to the hospital and broke into a run, grinning as Liam opened his arms to catch her. "Oh, love, you have no idea how good it feels to see you again!" he said with soft enthusiasm, kissing her affectionately on the lips.

"I think I do!" she replied with the same soft enthusiasm as him then turned to Caroline and Klaus when the joined them. "Hi Aunt Care, Hi Uncle Nik!"

"Hi sweetheart," Klaus replied, kissing her cheek before Caroline gave Mackenzie a gentle hug.

Mackenzie looked at Liam. "I guess we'd better go to Aubrey's room then. I think seeing you will make her smile. Though, I hope she doesn't think I broke my promise."

"You didn't break your promise, love," Liam said. "You had no idea that Aubrey's mother would go to my mother." He squeezed her hand gently to reassure her. "So, don't get into a fret over it, all right?"

Mackenzie nodded. "I suppose you're right. Stress isn't good for the baby."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Baby, what baby? What are you talking about?"

"It's a long story, and I don't want to get into it right now," Mackenzie said. "Though, I'd be more than to happy to explain later." She sighed. "Besides, my being pregnant isn't why you're here."

"Right," Liam said. "I'm here to visit Aubrey." He gave Mackenzie a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I do look forward to your explanation later."

"And we do too, actually," Caroline said. "This is the first time we're hearing about this."

"I know, but as I told Liam, I'll explain everything later," Mackenzie said. "For now, let's go see Aubrey."

Liam nodded and turned to his parents. "Do you mind if we go alone in there first? I'm sure that Aubrey will want to see us together," he said.

His parents nodded. "Of course, Liam, go ahead," they replied in unison, gesturing for him to go on ahead with Mackenzie, who he smiled at as he held out his hand. She slapped hers into his and they walked into Aubrey's hospital room, hand in hand.

"LIAM, MACKENZIE, YOU CAME!" Aubrey squealed quietly and Liam smiled at her soft enthusiasm as he kissed her on the lips before Mackenzie hugged her gently.

"Of course we did, love," Liam said. "We thought you might want to see someone other than those bloody doctors."

"Yeah, they can get pretty monotonous after a while," Aubrey said. "It's good to see people that I actually care about." She sighed. "I guess my mother didn't keep quiet about my condition, huh?"

"No, she didn't. Liam said that his parents found out when she went to them," Mackenzie said. "And I was the only one who actually kept your secret."

"Its okay, Mac, I'm not upset about it," Aubrey said. "Besides, you didn't know that my mother was going to do what she did."

Liam nodded. "That's exactly what I told her."

Mackenzie then felt nauseous and, letting go of Liam's hand, rushed into the bathroom and Liam cringed at the sound of vomiting coming from the other side of the door. Aubrey heard it too and looked at Liam. "Liam, what's wrong with Mackenzie?"

"She's pregnant."

Aubrey scowled in confusion. "Pregnant? How? Who's the father?"

"I don't know, she didn't tell me," Liam said. "She just said that it was a long story and that she'd explain later. I am rather curious, but I'm not about to force her into telling me."

Aubrey took his hand. "You still love her; I can see it in your eyes. I see it in her eyes as well. You two obviously have history together, which was why I wanted her to be there for you when the time came."

"Yes, and I'm glad you did," Liam said. "Mackenzie is a sweet girl and I adore her." He patted her hand gently. "I love you, Aubrey."

"I love you too, Liam," Aubrey said. "I know it's going to be hard for you to say goodbye, but don't think of it as goodbye. Think of it as 'see you later'." Aubrey sniffled at that, and pulled Liam with her until he was sitting next to her in the bed, her arms wrapping around him as his did the same to her. "I'm going to watch over you every day after I'm gone, Liam, I can promise you that. I'll be your guardian angel and Mackenzie's too," she told the British photographer.

Liam smiled. "I'd like that, love. Mackenzie will and her baby will too. It won't be the same without you, but I'll try to move on."

Mackenzie returned from the bathroom and still looked a little pale, so Liam got up and put his arms around her. "I just want to go home and rest for a little bit," she told him in a ragged whisper. He nodded and brought her over to Aubrey for one final hug before leading her out of the hospital room, where he stopped in front of his parents.

"She's still in there, but I'm going to take M home. She's not feeling too well," Liam told his parents, who nodded and hugged Mackenzie, telling her to 'get well soon' before the four of them split up and went in two different directions. When Mackenzie nearly collapsed onto the floor beside him, Liam picked her up in his arms and carried her outside to his car, which he'd brought separately from his parents.

Mackenzie sighed as Liam carried her out to his car. Once they got there, he opened the door and gently placed her in the seat, placing her seat belt on before getting in on his side and started the engine. It was quiet between them for a few minutes until Liam broke the silence. "Are you all right, Mackenzie love?"

"I'm fine, just a little morning sickness. It comes and goes," she replied. "Liam, I think I should explain myself." She saw that he was about to protest. "No, I want to explain. Besides, I promised that I would and I intend to keep my promise."

"All right, if that's what you want," Liam said. "We've got a bit of a drive, so I think that would help to pass the time."

"It's not a pretty story," Mackenzie said. "Two months ago, I caught Riley kissing Penny after my Grandma Mimi's funeral. I got so mad that I said that I never wanted to see either of them again. After I returned to South Carolina, I went to Jacques' bar, the Function Junction, because I wanted to have revenge sex with a random guy to distract myself from the anger I felt. I met this guy, Luke Garrison, and we went back to his place and I got what I had gone out to get. Tanya helped me sneak out the next morning and I swore that I'd never see Luke again. Two months later, I find out I'm pregnant, but I told myself that I wouldn't tell Luke about it. Then, the other day, he kidnaps me and…"

"Wait, he kidnapped you?!" Liam said. "He didn't hurt you, did he? If he did, I'll knock that bastard on his ass!"

"No, but I was afraid he would," Mackenzie said. "He got arrested thanks to Aunt Anna."

Liam nodded. "I'm glad you're safe, love." Curiously, he added, "So, what about Riley?"

"We're taking it one day at a time," Mackenzie said. "It's going to take a while before I can trust him again."

A Few Days Later – Junction Function

Mackenzie walked in and greeted Jacques and his partner with a smile then went up into one of the VIP sections of the bar, closing herself into a room and flopping down into a chair to watch all the people downstairs, her nose pressed against the pane of the glass. She was soon startled out of her thoughts when a soft knock came to the door, turning quickly out of the chair to go answer it, smiling at Liam through tear-filled eyes. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he folded her into his arms.

"Riley and I ended it, this time for good," she sobbed out quietly, her sobs muffled in the material of his shirt.

Liam ran his fingers through her hair. "You ended it? Why? I thought you were working it out?"

"I did too," she replied. "But, he confessed to me that he still loved Penny and that he was going back to her, so we went our separate ways." She sobbed again. "Great, now I'll have to raise my baby alone."

"No, you won't," Liam said. "If Riley doesn't want to be there for you, then I will."

"But, Liam…"

"No, Mackenzie, I want to do this," Liam said. "Aubrey said so herself, we have history together, and that was why she wanted you to be there for me." He stepped back and held her hands in his. "Let me return the favor. Let me be there for you."

Mackenzie said nothing, just smiled and kissed him, reaching up to run her fingers through his curly blonde hair. She didn't know why, but something told her to reach out to Liam to be her hero. Liam smiled against her lips and returned her kiss, moaning as their tongues made contact with each other, which sent all the old feelings he had for her to come rushing back to the surface. A few minutes passed before he stepped back again, looking down into her eyes.

Finally, Mackenzie said, "All right, Liam, I'll let you be there for me." She placed his hand on her belly. "And for the baby too; I know this isn't quite what either of us was expecting, but I guess fate has a funny way of intervening."

Liam gently rubbed her belly. "You're right, it does. I still love, Mackenzie Salvatore, and I know that you feel the same about me."

"Yes, Liam, I do. I never stopped loving you, even after we broke up." She giggled slightly. "I just can't wait to see the look on Aunt Care and Uncle Nik's faces when they find out about this."

"Oh, I think they knew that there was still a spark between us," Liam said. "That kiss I gave you and the way we held hands while walking to Aubrey's room tipped them off."

She giggled some more and then he threw her over his shoulder. "Liam! Liam, what? Liam, what are you doing? LIAM MIKAELSON, YOU PUT ME DOWN, RIGHT NOW!" Her soft yells were drowned out by the noisy club as he carried her out of it, smiling at Jacques and Frederick as he left.

Liam carried Mackenzie out to his car and placed her in the passenger side, just like he did before, and placed her seat belt on before getting in on his side and, just before he starts the car's engine; he took out a silk scarf that he tied over her eyes. Mackenzie certainly wasn't expecting this at all. Just what was he planning?

"Liam, why did you blindfold me? Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise, my love," he replied. "I didn't want to spoil it, so I'm making sure you don't see where I'm taking you."

Mackenzie was about to say something when he kissed her gently and then started the engine, driving away from the club. He wanted this to be special for them. Fate was giving him a second chance with his former love, and he wasn't about to waste a single moment. If he learned anything from watching how affectionate Klaus and Caroline were toward each other growing up, it was that a man should do everything in his power to make sure that the woman he was with was treated like a queen every day.

"I hope this is a good surprise, Liam," Mackenzie said. "I swear to God, if you take us somewhere dumb…"

"Oh, Mackenzie, I thought you had more faith in me than that," Liam said. "Trust me, you'll like this surprise. And if you don't, you're more than welcome to hit me."

She remembered when he said that to her, when they were freshmen in high school:

Flashback – Almost 6 Years Before

"Mackenzie, wait up!" an accented voice called out the brunette and she turned to smile at Liam as he jogged up to her then stopped before he knocked her into the set of lockers at her back. He frowned when he noticed the stack of books in her hands, her arms nearly buckling at their weight. "What are you doing, carrying all of those?"

"I'm carrying them, Liam; I am going outside to wait for my mom or dad to get here so I can put them in their car," Mackenzie replied with a roll of her eyes.

Liam shook his head and took some of the books from her. "Not all of them, you're not."

"You're too much, you know that?" Mackenzie said. "Sometimes, I think Uncle Nik and Aunt Care raised you too well."

Liam laughed. "Well, I can't help myself. You're more than welcome to hit me."

When they arrived at their destination, Liam stopped the car and turned off the engine then climbed out of the car and ran around to help Mackenzie out, keeping his hand entwined in hers as he leads her to her surprise.

Mackenzie could've sworn she heard sea gulls and the ocean as she walked. "Liam, are we…at the beach?"

Liam nodded and smiled as he removed the blindfold. "Yes, we are. I wanted us to be somewhere special for the next part of your surprise."

Mackenzie didn't need to guess what that was, because she already knew. He was going to sing for her, like he did when they were in high school.

When he began to play the first chords to 'Back at One' by Mark Willis, she felt tears sting the corners of her eyes.

It's undeniable that we should be together
It's unbelievable how I used to say I'd fall never
The basis is need to know, if you don't know just how I feel
Then let me show you now that I'm for real
If all things in time, time will reveal

Chorus
One: you're like a dream come true
Two: just want to be with you
Three: girl, it's plain to see that you're the only one for me
Four: repeat steps one through three
Five: make you fall in love with me
If ever I believe my work is done, then I start back at one (yeah)

So incredible the way things work themselves out
And all emotional once you know what it's all about babe
And undesirable for us to be apart
Never would have made it very far
Because you know that you got the keys to my heart
Because

Say farewell to the dark night, I see the coming of the sun
I feel like a little child whose life has just begun
You came and breathed new life
Into this lonely heart of mine
You threw out the life line just in the nick of time!

When the song ended, Mackenzie wrapped her arms around Liam's neck, kissing him deeply. Liam smiled against her lips and returned her kiss. After a few minutes, he stepped back, reluctantly breaking the kiss and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. It was quiet between them, the only sounds being the beating of their hearts, the waves hitting the shore and the sea gulls.

Finally, Mackenzie said, "Thank you, Liam. I really liked the surprise."

"I'm glad you did, love."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," Mackenzie said. "But, I'm glad that you're back in my life."

Liam smiled. "I think I know what you did, you stole my heart and took my breath away." He got a little closer and rested his forehead against hers. "And I'm glad you're back in my life as well." He kissed her again, exploring her mouth with his tongue and hearing her soft moans.

"Can we go someplace where we won't get caught?" she asked once they parted their lips. He nodded and grabbed his guitar then took her hand, and they left the beach, getting back into his car, where he stored his guitar away in the very back of the car.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked as he started the engine of the car, waiting for her response as he began driving in no general direction.

Mackenzie got an idea. "I got it! We can go to the lake house."

"When you say that, are you talking about the Gilbert family lake house?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Mackenzie said. "Grandpa Grayson doesn't use it anymore, but he just had it remodeled a few years ago. My parents used to take us there every summer, except for last year, when we went to Hawaii instead." She smiled. "We'll have all the privacy in the world there; our only little hideaway."

Liam nodded. "All right, if that's where you want to go, then we'll go there."

Gilbert Lake House – Several Hours Later…

Liam pulled the car to a stop in front of the lake house, remembering the first time he saw Mackenzie nearly naked. She had been skinny-dipping in the lake, and his parents were in the house talking to Damon and Elena.

Flashback – Gilbert Lake House, 6 Years Ago…

Liam walked outside, hoping to get away from baby-sitting duty. It wasn't that he didn't like watching his younger siblings, which he did, but he needed space in which to create. Once he got outside, he saw Mackenzie swimming around in the lake. When he looked closer, he saw that she didn't have a suit on, which made his eyes bulge and his member harden against his will.

END OF FLASHBACK...

Mackenzie saw that Liam was quiet. "Liam, are you here with me or are you somewhere else?"

Liam shook his head. "Oh, sorry, I just had a flashback to a particular memory I had about you." He smiled at her. "And it was a very beautiful memory at that."

Mackenzie blushed as she figured out which memory he was talking about. It was the one where he had seen her skinny-dipping in the lake. She then smiled at him. "Yes, I remember that day as well. You were so cute the way you tried to deny seeing me like that." She sighed. "Too bad it's getting cold out, or I'd suggest that we go skinny-dipping."

She ran up to the house but he quickly followed behind her capturing her between the doors to the foyer and the living room, pinning her against the wall with his hard body. "Do you know how much I want you right now?" he growled down at her and Mackenzie nodded, pulling his head down to fuse their lips together, moaning as their tongues collided.

Liam growled playfully against her lips as the kiss deepened. He missed this more than he'd like to admit, and now that he was experiencing it again, it was driving him crazy. Mackenzie jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him even deeper. Unable to take it anymore, Liam carried her upstairs to the master bedroom, kicking the door shut with his boot. He then carried her over to the bed, where he deposited her onto the cool sheets, following after her and pulling his jacket off, throwing it onto the floor. Mackenzie pulled his shirt off and threw it onto the floor by his discarded jacket, leaving his lips to kiss his chest, earning her a groan from him.

Liam helped her off with her jacket and then her shirt and bra, licking his lips at her perfect breasts. He gently took one in his hand and licked the nipple with his tongue. Mackenzie felt his hot breath on her skin and arched her back, letting out a scream of pleasure, panting as the sound grew louder. Hearing her screams, Liam smiled against her breast.

"That's it, love," he whispered. "Scream for me; let me know that I'm driving you crazy right now."

Mackenzie trembled at his whispered words of encouragement, letting out another scream, reaching her hands until they came upon his belt, undoing it and then went for the button and zipper of his jeans, pulling them off and tossing them on the floor. Liam did the same with her jeans, kissing his way down her body to her belly button, licking it playfully with his tongue.

Mackenzie groaned at the feel of it all. "Liam, please…"

"Please what, sweetheart?" Liam said, his blue eyes glazed over with lust and love. "Tell me what you want."

"Don't tease me," Mackenzie pleaded. "Please, I want you in me."

Liam licked his lips. "As you wish, my queen," he said hoarsely.

That being said, he removed her jeans and panties, as well as his boxers, grabbed her hips and drove his erection into her, groaning as he felt her tight, wet heat all around him, thrusting slowly at first so that she could adjust to him and then gradually picking up speed. Mackenzie keeps her hips in time with his thrusts, keeping in sync with his movements as she pulled him down for a scorching kiss that ignited a fire within their souls. Feeling herself getting close, she pulled away and let out a scream so loud that she thought her vocal chords would shatter, Liam following suit half a beat later.

Once they both came down from their high, Liam collapsed gently onto Mackenzie then rolled to his back before gently rolling her until her back was to his front, kissing her shoulder gently. "I missed these moments with you," she said in a soft murmur as his breath tickled her hair.

Liam smiled, kissing her shoulder again. "I did too." He then ran his fingers through her hair, which felt like black velvet against his skin. "You're even more beautiful than ever."

Mackenzie giggled. "And you're even sexier than ever." She sighed happily. "Who'd have guessed that the one for me was there in front of me all along and I never knew it until now?" She turned slightly and looked at him. "Why did we break up in the first place, Liam? Why didn't we just stay together?"

"We were too young to be tied to each other at the time, so we thought we'd take a break for a while and see other people," Liam said. "Then, if we found that we still loved each other, we'd find each other again. But, if we didn't, then we'd still be friends and support each other, no matter who we ended up with."

Mackenzie nodded. "I guess that's true." She smiled. "I'm glad it was the former and not the latter, because like I said at Jacques' bar, I never stopped loving you. You were my first love, Liam, and the love of my life. I thought Riley was the love of my life, but it turned out to be you all along." She shook her head. "I'm rambling, aren't I? I never did learn how to control that."

"I think you're adorable when you ramble," Liam said. "In fact, everything about you is adorable. No, wait, you're past the adorable stage. Now, you're sinfully gorgeous."

She began to laugh and burrowed her head into his shoulder to muffle the sound. Mackenzie then felt him leave the bed and rolled over to see what he was doing, shocked at the sight of the ring he held in his hands. "Liam…what are you doing?" she asked with a soft gasp.

"Mackenzie Veronica Salvatore, I come to you today as a man, nothing more, nothing less, to ask you if you will do me the great honor of becoming my wife," he said as he knelt down beside her in the bed.

"Yes. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes…I will marry you, Liam Niklaus Mikaelson!" she exclaimed, pulling him down for a kiss before he pulled back so he could place the ring on her finger then kissed the knuckles.

Liam smiled at her. "I love you so much, Mackenzie, and I'll make you the happiest woman in the world." He placed his hand on her belly, kissing it gently. "And I promise you that I'll be a good father to this little one."

Mackenzie felt tears stinging her eyes. "I know you will, I have no doubt of it." She laughed despite the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. "Wait until my parents hear about this. They're going to be so surprised."

"I know they will be," he replied, pulling her over him after placing the box that was now empty on the nightstand. "And I look forward to the day that I can call you Mackenzie Mikaelson."

Mackenzie smiled. "I do too. Mackenzie Mikaelson, that has a nice ring to it." She kissed him softly. "And I also think Aunt Care and Uncle Nik will be just as surprised, even though you told me that they already knew that there was still something between us." She giggled. "Wow, I'm going to have to learn not to call them that anymore. After all, I'm going to be their daughter-in-law one of these days."

"I'm sure they won't mind if you accidentally call them that once in a while," Liam said. "I call your parents Uncle Damon and Aunt Elena sometimes." Getting an idea, he reached over and grabbed his cell phone. "You know what? Let's not wait to tell them. Why don't we call them now?"

"You want to call them right now?" Mackenzie said. "But, Liam…"

"If not now, then when?"

Mackenzie nodded. He had a point. There was really no sense in waiting, especially when they were this excited about their engagement. She grabbed her cell phone and watched as Liam dialed his home number. After several rings, Liam heard his adopted brother, Sebastian, on the other end. "Liam?"

"Bas, hi; are Mother and Father there? I need to talk to them."

Sebastian nodded on his end. "Sure, I'll get them." He called to Klaus and Caroline and then Liam heard his mother pick up, obviously curious about why her eldest son was calling like this.

"Hi, Liam," she said. "Sebastian said that you needed to talk to me and your father."

"I did," Liam said. "Mother, I've asked Mackenzie to marry me, and she said yes."

"That's great, honey," Caroline said. "Damon and Elena will be surprised to hear that, I'm sure. I always knew that you'd end up with Mackenzie, even though you also loved Aubrey.

"I did love Aubrey, yes, but it wasn't she same as the love I have for Mackenzie," Liam said. "I didn't want to waste a second, because I knew that fate was giving me this second chance to be with my first love."

Mackenzie listened as he told Caroline the news. As much as she wanted to tell Damon and Elena the news, she wanted to wait until Liam was done telling his.

"So, you're approving?" Liam asked his mother.

"Yes, darling, I approve of the engagement. Please go call your future in-laws!" Caroline demanded before turning to the audience in front of her. "We have a wedding to help plan!"

Liam smiled as he hung up the phone. "Well, my side has approved. Better call your parents, love."

Mackenzie nodded at his suggestion and dialed her parents' number, biting her lip as she waited for someone to pick up. Finally, she heard Damon pick up on the other end. "Mackenzie?"

"Hi, Daddy," she replied. "Listen, um, I've got some news for you. Are you in the same room with Mom? I want her to hear this too."

She heard some shuffling in the background, as well as her father calling for her mother. Then, Damon said when he picked up again, "Okay, sweetheart, we're here. Now, what's the news?"

"Daddy, Liam proposed!"

Elena then took the phone from her husband. "He did? Oh, Mackenzie, darling, that's wonderful! Even though I'm disappointed about Riley, I'm glad that you have Liam. He always did love you. So, have you told his parents yet?"

"We just did, actually," Mackenzie said. "They approved."

"Well, if they approve of it, so do we," Elena said. "We love you, Mackenzie. You and Liam deserve every ounce of happiness in the world." She hung up and said to her husband, "Damon, call Stefan and tell him that we have a wedding to plan."

He nodded but pulled his wife close to him. "Our little girl is growing up so fast," he said in a choked voice.

"Oh, Damon, we knew this day would come eventually," Elena reminded him as she snuggled into her husband's arms.

Damon nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's just that I still picture her as a little girl running around here in coveralls and pigtails. Now, she's going to be wearing a wedding gown. That's an image that's going to take a while to get used to."

Finally he sighed and, kissing his wife, excused himself from the room to call Stefan and tell him about Mackenzie's engagement. He took out his cell phone and dialed his brother's number, waiting somewhat patiently for him to pick up. Finally, he heard Stefan pick up on the other end. "Damon? What's going on?"

"Are you sitting down, brother? I've got some exciting news to tell you," he replied. "Mackenzie just called us a few minutes ago. She's engaged."

"Engaged?" Stefan said. "Who did she get engaged to, Riley?"

Damon rolled his eyes at his reply. "No, you idiot, she's engaged to Liam; Riley's no longer in the picture. And, as much as I don't like saying it because I'm still grateful to him for helping us when Mackenzie got kidnapped, I'm glad that he's out of her life."

"Liam? Wow, that's…that's great," Stefan said. "Do Klaus and Caroline know about this?"

"They do," Damon said. "They called them before they called us."

"So, I guess this means there's going to be another wedding, huh?" Stefan said. "I just can't believe it. I mean, it seems like yesterday that Mackenzie was running around in coveralls and pigtails."

"Don't remind me," Damon said. "I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that my little girl will be wearing a wedding gown." He sighed. "We'll definitely have to invite our half-sisters to the wedding, since I'm sure they'd like to see their niece."

"I was just thinking that same thing," Stefan said. "Well, I appreciate you telling me, Damon. Rebekah is going to love this when I tell her."

He hung up and felt his green eyes welling up with tears.