Author's note: I can't believe it's almost over. I am going to really miss the Salvatores (and the Saltzmans, even though they haven't been in this story as much). Thanks to all my faithful reviewers for your input and encouragement along the way. I still don't own TVD, but the plot is mine.

Warnings: Mature, adult content, sensitive subject matter, language, violence, character death

Elena groaned as she rolled onto her stomach in her sleep. Not her brightest move. Trying not to put too much weight on her shoulder, she pushed herself off the bed - more than a little surprised to realize she was still unclothed. After one too many kids ended up with a stomach bug in the dead of night, she and Damon were faithful about making sure they were wearing something before they went to sleep. She pulled her robe over her shoulders as she slid out of bed - trying not to wake Damon.

"Are you alright?"

"Sorry. I didn't want to wake you."

He rolled onto his side to face her, and the moonlight streaming through the windows was bright on his face - one more reminder of how little time they had left. "I wasn't asleep." Listening to his voice, she realized he was telling the truth. He really had been awake. He reached out and took her hand. "Do you need something?"

"Just the bathroom." She tied the robe's belt around her waist as she plodded to their bathroom. Coming back to bed, she saw that Damon had taken the opportunity to put his boxers on. He held the sheets back to help her get back into the bed easier. She snuggled against his chest and used him as a pillow. He rested his hand on her arm and gently rubbed it up and down.

She tried to go back to sleep, but her mind was too busy. In less than 48 hours, this latest vampire chapter in her life would be over - one way or another. Her throat tightened and she struggled to swallow as she realized the implications of that fact.

"Can't sleep?" He whispered.

She shook her head and sighed as she clung more tightly to him.

"Need to talk?"

"I don't want to keep you up."

He laid his hand atop hers. "I haven't been asleep yet." He stared up at the ceiling. "You're not bothering me."

"It's almost over, and I'm so scared." She let out a gentle laugh. "Funny. Back in high school, when everything was happening. I remember being conflicted. I remember being worried, but I was never really afraid." She squeezed her arm around him. "But I am now."

"You were bad ass back then." He laughed into her hair. "You slapped me. You tried to throw Katherine out of your house. It's different now. You have more to lose."

She thought about Katherine's words in their living room and about how Josef had used the threat of hurting Claire against her in the woods. "I don't want the kids here tomorrow."

"What?"

Elena shook her head. "You heard Katherine's story. Josef said he'd hurt her brother and sisters if she resisted him. He threatened Claire. He's not afraid to hurt the people we love." She paused. "Katherine promised him the doppelganger. When he finds out I can't break the curse, he's going to come after the kids."

"As long as they're inside the house they're safe."

"It just takes one match." She remembered the night she'd stabbed Elijah. "Isobel and John said they want to help. I want them to take the kids away from here, not just Emma. All of them."

Damon was still debating their decision hours later. He'd never been separated from his family by choice...the nights Elena was in the hospital was different somehow...but he knew this was the right decision. If he knew his children were safe, well, he'd be prepared to do whatever he had to in order to make certain Josef never left the clearing when the time came.

"Surprise!" He forced an excited smile as he looked at the confused faces of his children. "How would y'all like to skip a few days of school?"

"We can't miss school." Brayden looked like Damon had just suggested they all jump off the roof.

"Sure you can. It'll be fun. Pretend like it's a pre-new-baby vacation." Damon was working hard to sell the trip, but he could tell that Claire wasn't buying it for a second.

"What if I don't want to go?" Claire frowned as she looked at her suitcase sitting in the entryway.

Elena had made sure they were all packed and ready when the school bus dropped their kids off after school before disappearing to their room. Isobel and John were due any minute now, and Elena wasn't in any shape for prolonged inspection by the kids. She'd always been a horrible liar.

Damon surveyed the living room. He hadn't expected the stand-off with Claire. Now wasn't the best time. They had an audience. Brayden and Nathan stared expectantly at Claire as if trying to determine the correct attitude to have at the news of this unexpected trip. He'd had enough of the preteen-angst-attitude. He pointed to the front door.

Claire solemnly took a seat on the swing. "Am I in trouble?"

"Maybe." He did his eye thing in her direction. "That depends. Why do I suddenly have a surly teenage daughter?"

"I'm not a teenager." Claire scuffed her shoe along the wooden plank of the floor.

"You're acting like one." Damon draped his arm around the back of the swing.

Claire bounced her head off the chain of the swing. "I don't know where I fit." She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her hands around them. "Brayden, Nathan, and Emma...and now the baby...they're really yours."

"You're really mine." Damon corrected.

"Not really."

"Yes you are. Claire, you're my daughter in every way that counts."

"But I'm not." She shook her head. "And Madison said that I was a mistake."

"And she's been grounded until summer vacation because of that comment."

Claire gave a tentative smile. "She got in trouble?"

Damon nodded. "She said something that wasn't true."

"But even Mom said she wasn't expecting to have me."

Damon shifted in his seat to better face her. "That doesn't mean you were a mistake. It just means you were a surprise."

"Who would want a surprise baby?"

Damon hesitated for a minute. If he survived the meeting with Josef, Elena was likely going to kill him for what he was about to say. "Do you really think we were planning on having this next baby?"

Claire blinked at him in shock. "I've just kind of gotten used to Mom being pregnant."

He whispered. "So have I." He leaned back. "But that's beside the point. This baby, she wasn't exactly planned."

Claire's brow furrowed in a perfect representation of her father, even her eyes were the same intense green. God, Damon missed Stefan some days. Claire continued on, not realizing how much Damon was struggling to focus during what might likely be his last father-daughter moment with Claire. Damn, he didn't want her to lose two fathers. "Mom's so excited about the baby."

"Because she was a surprise - not a mistake."

Claire still looked sad.

"That's not all that's bothering you." Damon could read it in her expression. Not knowing what was coming, he didn't want to leave any strings untied. "You can tell me."

"It's just weird. The kids at school laughed at me last week. We were doing our family tree presentations." Claire dropped her eyes to the ground - afraid to look at him. "You're my dad, but you're not. You're my uncle, but you're not. Do you know how strange that looks? How many kids thought that was gross?" She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I was so embarrassed. No one on earth knows what that feels like."

Damon fought back his laughter. He always loved it when Stefan's flair for exaggeration showed through. He ran his hand along the peeling wood of the swing. He needed to paint it...sometime...when he didn't have a pressing appointment with a vampire. He and Elena had both learned a while ago that sometimes trying to shelter the ones they loved from the truth had ended up hurting more than it helped the situation. Claire might as well know the truth. "Your mother knows."

Claire looked up in stunned silence.

"The others aren't old enough to know yet, so don't say anything to them, but if you talked to your mom - she could tell you that she completely understands what you're saying."

"No she doesn't."

He looked at her and nodded. "Your mom was adopted. Miranda and Grayson - you know they died while she was in high school - they weren't her biological parents. Just like I'm not your biological dad."

"That still doesn't make it the same."

"It does when you know that Uncle John is her dad." Damon waited for a defensive comeback from Claire, but he could tell that he'd stunned her into silence. "Uncle John and his girlfriend had a baby when they were too young to take care of her, so they gave your mom to his brother and his wife."

"Uncle John is my grandpa - not my uncle?"

"Yep."

Claire brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Can my life get any more confusing?"

Laughing, Damon ruffled her hair - resisting the urge to explain that her grandmother was a vampire who used to be married to her Uncle Ric - but that was a conversation for a much later date. "Come on, let's help make sure your mom packed everything you need."

They walked back into the room to find Elena putting the finishing touches on Emma's hair. She'd already french braided one side, and Emma held two purple bows in her hands. "Did you leave the curls in the bottom? I like my curls."

"I know you do." Elena wound the clear elastic band around the second braid before reaching for the bows. "Now remember, don't wade too deep into the water. You can't swim as well as you think you can."

"I'll take care of her, Mom." Claire stepped away from Damon.

"I know you will." Elena smiled through her tears. "You always have."

"Mommy, are you crying?" Emma stroked Elena's cheek.

"No." Elena fought for control. "I just must have gotten hairspray in my eye." She winced as she stood up from kneeling on the ground. She looked at the boys sitting on the couch playing their video games. "This weekend's a special treat. Y'all behave for Uncle John and Miss Isobel." She waited for their response.

"We'll be good." Nathan pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"You're not the one I'm worried about." She turned and stared at Brayden who cringed under her loaded expression.

"I'll be good. I promise."

A car turned into the driveway, and Damon pushed back the curtains and looked out the picture window. "They're here." He walked to the foyer table and picked up the bag filled with snacks and games for the car. "Alright, everybody get your bags." He slid the bag over his shoulder and waited for Elena to step in front of him. He placed a steadying hand on the small of her back as they both watched their family file out the door. "Y'all are going to have such a great time." He nodded to John. "Thanks for taking them on the trip!" He was just a little too enthusiastic.

"When we decided to take the trip, we thought it would be even more fun with a few kids to share it with." John thought it was easier just to play along. Isobel stood behind the rented SUV and helped the kids load their luggage as John stepped to Damon's side. His voice low, he spoke directly into Damon's ear. "I still don't like this. We should be there too."

Damon gave the slightest shake of his head. "This is what Elena needs right now." He looked pointedly into John's eyes. "Someone has to still be there when all the dust settles. Someone we trust with them."

"I understand." John flinched as he stepped back and gripped Damon's hand. "Good luck."

"I should be the one saying that to you." Damon watched as Elena wrapped all four kids into a group hug before loading them into the car.

"Have a great time!" She waved as she shut the door behind Emma. "Don't forget sunscreen."

"Take care of yourself." Isobel ran her hand down Elena's arm before giving her a quick hug. "I don't know what Katherine's plan is, but believe me, you can trust her."

"That's what I'm counting on." Elena called out as Isobel stepped into the vehicle.

Damon stood behind Elena and placed his hands on her shoulders as they watched John drive away.

"I expected Elena to be here." Katherine looked around the room.

Damon shook his head. "She wanted to go spend some time with Jeremy. He took the day off." He didn't add that she'd been driving him insane walking in circles around the living room. He'd called Jeremy and begged him for help keeping Elena occupied.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Everyone's so convinced tomorrow's going to be a bloodbath." Katherine ran her hand along the mantle. "I keep telling you I have a plan."

"And yet, you won't tell us what it is."

She gave him a coy smile. "That would ruin the surprise." Her voice took on a more serious note. "Trust me, Damon. It will work." Turning back to the collection of pictures on the mantle, she picked one up at random. It was one of Elena's favorites - she'd taken it just after they'd married. Damon, Elena, and Claire were visiting the zoo for the first time. Still fighting back fatigue early in her pregnancy with Brayden, she'd paused on a bench. Claire was just beginning to walk, and she wasn't content to wait for her mother to catch a breath. Claire loved the way the wooden boards on the overlook sounded beneath her feet. Damon had walked on ahead with Claire. The pair had just turned back to get Elena when she snapped the picture. The contrast in light and shadows across their faces was perfect. It was the only casual snapshot on the mantle.

"Being human works for you." She traced her finger along the edge of the picture. "I'm glad Lucy was able to help you."

He leaned his arms against the back of the armchair. "So am I."

Katherine took her usual place on the far end of the couch. "I should never have turned you."

Damon shrugged. "If you hadn't, I wouldn't have met Elena. And I wouldn't have them." He pointed to the pictures. "It seems to have worked out alright."

"But still."

"I asked you to turn me. It was my idea."

Katherine shook her head. "Not as much as you think."

He regarded her with suspicion. "What are you saying?"

"Have a seat, Damon. This is going to take a while." She didn't speak again until he was settled in the chair opposite her. "Your first memory of me is when I met you at your father's house." She raised an eyebrow in an implied question.

"You were walking along the lawn with Stefan." He agreed. "I'd just gotten home on leave after being wounded in battle."

"The Battle of Bristoe Station...over 1900 casualties between the two sides." She stared at Damon's stunned face. He never spoke about his experiences in the war. He wasn't sure if even Stefan had known what battle he'd been in. "The Civil War was a very good time for the vampires. So many dying, so much confusion. It was beyond simple for a weakened soldier to just disappear. The medical staff was so shorthanded, they just assumed one of the boys died while someone else was on watch."

She inclined her head in his direction. "They needed nursemaids on the battlefield."

"Mmm hmmm. The first time I saw you was a day or so after the battle. I was with a group of ladies tending the wounded. We moved from one battle to the next. Most of the boys...they didn't stand much of a chance. If the blood loss didn't take care of them, the infections and the gangrene would. You were lying on the bare dirt. They'd run out of cots. You were burning up with fever, and your curls were slick with sweat. Something about your eyes...they captured me...pulled me in. I listened to your ramblings. You just wanted to go home."

"With a stomach wound like you had, I never expected you to survive. But you did. The next morning, as we were feeding everyone what passed for breakfast, you reached out and caught hold of my skirt. Ever so politely, you asked me if I could bring you a sip of water when I had the time. And I was taken with you."

"Every day you got a little stronger. You spoke of your home...your brother...the town. You missed it horribly."

"One morning, I came to the field, and I couldn't find you. You'd developed an infection overnight. The doctor had ordered you to be taken to the dying field so you couldn't spread it to the other soldiers. You were out of your mind with fever, but you still cracked your eyes open when you heard my voice. I knew I couldn't let my sweet boy die. I gave you my blood. I compelled you to think you were destined to be with me. And then I took the memories away so I'd be a stranger to you when I arrived in Mystic Falls."

Damon shook his head in disagreement. "I was never compelled."

"Damon, you were always compelled."

He widened his eyes in shock. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Just in case." Katherine stood up - a hint of regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Damon." She bent down, placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, and was gone.

Elena stretched and cracked open her eyes. The sun was streaming brightly through the window. She'd definitely overslept - a hazard of using your children as your alarm clock. When they're not home, you don't wake up. She reached for Damon, but she just found a cold, empty spot on his side of the bed.

She took a deep breath and was almost overcome by the somewhat unfamiliar - but entirely welcome - smell. Coffee.

Damon hadn't brewed a pot since they'd found out she was expecting this little one. He knew how much she loved it. They joked that her veins sometimes flowed with seventy-five percent coffee, but caffeine was strictly off-limits while she was pregnant, especially with this one. Since he couldn't torture her by making her watch as he drank it in the mornings, he'd given it up as well.

Her suspicions raised, she made a quick stop in the bathroom before heading down the stairs.

"Not so fast." Damon met her on the stairs with a tray in his hands. "You almost spoiled the surprise." Nodding his head toward their bedroom. "I can't bring you breakfast in bed if you're not in it."

"Breakfast in bed?" She looked at him in confusion. Today was the day. She was already overwhelmed by the complexity of what she was feeling. Of all the emotions coursing through her, hunger was the last on her list. "I'm not hungry."

"Of course you are." Damon flashed his eyes at her. "Go on, hop back in." He caught the door with his foot to open it completely so he didn't upset the overly full tray.

Elena slid back into bed, feeling mildly silly. She'd already been up and washed her face. Damon didn't need to serve her in bed.

"Much better." Damon gave a satisfied nod. He lowered the tray to the side of the bed and carefully took a seat alongside it. Elena studied his selections - Belgian waffles, sliced strawberries, whipped cream, and two steaming cups of coffee. She recognized this breakfast. They'd had it before.

"Happy anniversary." He cautiously leaned over and placed a light kiss on her lips.

"It's not our anniversary." Elena shook her head.

Damon shrugged. "Two more weeks...close enough. How often do we have a Saturday morning to ourselves?" He cut off a section of waffle and stacked it with strawberry and whipped cream. He held it the fork in front of her lips and waited for her to take a bite. "Are they as good as the ones we had on our honeymoon?"

Damon was trying to keep the mood light, so Elena desperately tried to follow suit. "Better." She fought to swallow. "I didn't know we even had whipped cream."

He gave her a suggestive look. "I always hide a can in the back of the fridge. Never know when it'll come in handy." He cut off another wedge of the pastry. "But for now, I want to make sure you eat something." He handed the fork to her. "Do you remember our first morning at the inn?"

Elena's cheeks flushed pink. "The time breakfast turned into lunch?"

"That would be the one." Damon pulled the sheets back and ran his hand over the smooth skin of her thigh. "Give you any ideas?"

She used her doe eyes to their full effect. "But then my coffee would get cold." She reached for the cup and inhaled deeply. "I thought coffee was off limits. What's the occasion?"

"We were out of orange juice, and this is a special occasion." He took her fork from her and cut off another section of waffle. The fact he hadn't touched his own plate wasn't lost on Elena. She dutifully took another bite and played along with the charade.

Each bite was a monumental task as she fought the tightness in her stomach that had nothing to do with morning sickness.

Finally, her plate was cleaned except for a single dollop of whipped cream. Ignoring the fact he hadn't eaten at all, she picked up the tray and got out of bed. As she placed it on the floor next to the bed, she scooped up the dollop of whipped cream. Giving her best attempt at a playful expression, she wiped the whipped cream onto his lips.

"You're going to have to clean that up."

"Am I?" She crawled on her knees across the bed.

"That's the rule. Whoever starts the food fight has to clean it up."

"I don't have a napkin."

His voice took on a husky tone. "I can think of other ways."

Elena didn't need an invitation. She leaned over and her parted lips met his. His lips answered back with a hunger that exceeded hers as he slid her nightgown off one shoulder and then the other. In one fluid motion, he removed her nightgown and pulled her atop him. His gaze so intense, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time.

They knew every nuance of the other...every spot that would make their partner gasp for breath. And today they took full advantage of those years spent together.

This moment needed to last.

Elena tucked herself under Damon's arm - one leg still draped across him. As he stroked her hip, she ran her hand over his cheek and made him face her. "Promise me this isn't goodbye." Her chocolate brown eyes begged him even more forcefully than her words.

Those eyes...

Windows into her soul. She could make him do anything she wanted simply by looking at him like she was now.

Damon stared into her frightened doe eyes and, for the first time, he made a conscious decision to lie to her. He wiped the single tear from her cheek before he cupped her face in his hands and rested his forehead against hers. "I promise."

Those eyes knew him even better than he knew himself. Suddenly they sparkled a little too brightly in the rays of the late afternoon sun. She knew.

He felt a nudge against his side and smiled. "She's awake." He ran his hand over Elena's belly. He kissed Elena on the cheek while he felt their child moving within her. "You know, we haven't talked about names at all." Elena simply shook her head and he knew she couldn't answer him - not right now. He prattled on, pretending they weren't lying to each other while giving her time to collect herself. "Madeline? Katie? Isabella?"

Elena cleared her throat and whispered, "Sounds like Isobel."

Damon nodded. "Sarah?"

Elena shook her head.

He thought about the shelf full of books in her office. "Lily?"

"Lily's nice." Elena agreed.

"You've always liked Harry Potter." Damon stroked her cheek. "Much better than Hermione."

Elena let out a quiet laugh. "I'll be right back." She slid out of bed and made a visit to the restroom. When she came back, the mood was broken. Damon was sitting up in the bed staring out the window. He'd never realized that a day could be both shorter than he ever dreamed and far longer than he'd ever wanted.

He glanced toward the clock. The hours were winding down. Damon gritted his teeth together to force himself not to break the charade. At least he'd been able to help pick out his last baby's name. "We still have a few hours. What would you like to do?"

Elena pulled her robe over her shoulder. "I'd like to make one visit."