Baby Mikaelson

Chapter Nine: The Devil in the Details

Elena Gilbert

The Devil is always in the Details. That's what we learn when find ourselves tied up on a line someone else fastened for us. We begin to judge ourselves for getting ourselves into this mess, some may even say we brought it on ourselves by not opening our eyes to the reality. How do we learn from this mess...?

The now compelled gynaecologist and surgical midwife in the room with me went about their business as I lay on the examination table in the gown they had given me for the exam. Both of them compelled by me to perform my exam and procedure and ignore any aspects of my exam that might cause them to think there was anything different about me and how my body reacted to any cuts during the exam.

If they thought anything was supernatural about me, they were to block it out like it was a bad dream and focus on making me feel comfortable and at ease. I wanted to do this properly and that meant feeling as human as possible and I deserved to be treated like any other patient.

Bonnie had explained to me it was all about tricking my body into believing I was still human and still able to bare my own children. She had even offered to come with me this morning but I assured her I would be fine on my own. Just like me she was as equally disappointed in Damon's reaction to the news.

Damon was shocked, I told him and he immediately poured himself a glass of bourbon. That was the response I was to expect from him when I just told him such glorious news. When he did this I walked out, I left the boarding house and went over to Bonnie's house. She surprised me when she went back to the house to talk to Damon and convince him how this was good for me and that he should be happy and supportive.

He was so focused on finding the cure that it was like nothing else about our life together mattered more to him. I wanted him to see that this was my way of staying human, by starting this progress and seeing how my body responded to it. I was going to be checked over, go on fertility drugs, and do whatever else Shane insisted I do because it was the right choice for me.

I still wanted children. I wanted to have a baby and Damon needed to see that.

Didn't he see the way I looked into each passing pram? Didn't he see the pain I endured as a vampire? As a monster. That's what I thought of myself now, I didn't feel at all like the girl I was before. It was as if I died in that water and never woke up.

Bonnie had done so much for me, she wanted me to have children and I wanted it too. She promised me she would support me and Shane was on board to answer any questions or concerns I might have because he had done his research.

Shane wanted me to do the procedure this morning, he wanted me to have some of my eggs extracted so he could test them with some hybrid sperm. I didn't even know they had gathered a sample yet or who was even on board to help us.

When the reality set in for Damon that in order for me to become pregnant I would need sperm from a hybrid and not from him he almost walked out. He nearly packed a bag and left me, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind about who the father of my baby would be, he just assumed it would be him. Of course I wanted it to be him, there was nothing I wanted more than that. But Shane explained it wouldn't work, if vampires could have babies together then there would be some history on it, someone at least once would have mentioned it somewhere.

The hybrid was the only way to succeed.

Damon and I hadn't spoken much and I'd spent less time at the house and more time with Bonnie, especially since Caroline walked out on us all leaving us all hurt, practically destroyed. She didn't seem to care that she'd hurt us, we never saw her in school and she always quick out the door before we could even attempt to say hello to her. How could she do this to us? Didn't she realize what I was about to go through?

I remained still as the procedure began, the midwife talked me through the procedure as it happened. It wasn't comfortable, even for a vampire it wasn't easy to experience.

I wished Damon had been here to hold my hand, he would have smiled and made some joke just to make me smile and take my mind off things.

The less time he spent with me the more I wanted to focus my efforts on becoming pregnant, the less we talked the more I wanted to look into meeting hybrids myself. I wanted to talk with them and make them see that I was a good person and a victim of Klaus just like them and if they would help me then maybe I would have the chance of life and of motherhood. Without this I didn't want to imagine the time ahead of me, all those years without a family, just me and Damon surviving one drama to the next.

As I lay on the exam table, I began to wonder if the father of my baby would have been here if I had approached the hybrids we knew. Would he have held my hand? Taken Damon's place and been supportive of my efforts?

When the procedure was over I was informed that they had managed to secure an egg which was good. They would store and freeze them so I was able to take them with me when I left. After they were done with me I compelled them to forget I was here for that, I wasn't even in the hospital and they both had work to get done.

I had kept my stored eggs tucked against my chest as I walked out of the hospital and made my way to the college to see Shane.

Bonnie had given me the directions I'd need when I arrived at the campus, they were in an outer building, completely out of the way where no one ventured.

I entered the room and found Shane looking down into a microscope.

"Hey" I said, announcing my arrival

"Elena, didn't expect you so early" Shane said inspecting his watch

He looked at my hands where I was clasping my stored eggs and I smiled at him.

"How did it go?"

"Oh well"

Shane shook his head "Forgive me, I just meant about the results"

I laughed, "Of course, erm yeah they said it all looked fine and they managed to get one, which they tell me is good"

"It is good" He held out his hand and I gently proceeded to pass it over to him.

Shane set it down beside him and folded his arms.

"Everything okay?"

"Not so much, we did have a sample of uh the hybrid sperm but, the tube we had it in got smashed when some books were knocked over"

"You're kidding right?"

"I really wish I was. I know its terrible considering you just had your procedure"

I nodded and tucked my hair behind my ear.

Shane sighed "Well I guess it doesn't have to be a total loss, I could give you a little insight to what we'll do to get you towards your baby goal"

"What do you mean?"

"Well it's not your everyday type of offer but I could provide erm a sample. Then under the scope you can see just how easy, it is going to be for your egg to become fertilized"

Suddenly it was very warm in here and I was very aware of my own ears. I didn't know if I should be disgusted or grateful that Shane had made this offer. The truth was it was a little bit of both in that moment.

"It's of course your choice, I just know I'm capable because I was a father so"

"Uh how would you even?"

"Well you could go out for a walk and by the time you come back I'll have everything set up"

I nodded.

Why did I nod?

I left him alone, I walked out and began to walk the grounds of the campus while Shane did exactly what we both knew he was going to do. How could he even offer to do something like that? Was he that into science? Or was he just that selfless that he wanted to do this for me?

Damon would have broken both his arms and legs for suggesting this to me. But he would have been disgusted with me for allowing Shane to do this.

I came back an hour later to the room praying Shane wasn't sweating or showing signs of his efforts. He wasn't at all he didn't even look up at me he just kept his focus on the scope.

"Come take a look" Shane told me his eyes not meeting mine.

I came to his side and looked into the lense and watched Shane work. There was a circular shape in the centre of the plate, I took biology this was obviously my little egg.

"Here we go" Shane said softly.

Suddenly they were everywhere, dancing around my eggs eager to get to it.

I bit my lower lip and my eyes left the lens to look over at the glass tube holding Shane's sample. It was still half full.

He had managed to provide so much in just one go.

I returned my attention to the lens and looked inside.

I watched as my egg was pierced and I smiled.

"How did that work so fast?"

"My wife and I didn't even need to try, believe it or not it was our first time without proper measures taken and it worked"

Shane leaned in a little but not uncomfortably close.

"There's your baby"

I laughed at the sight "It's amazing, I mean really when you think about it"

The Devil is always in the Details. That's what we learn when find ourselves tied up on a line someone else fastened for us. We begin to judge ourselves for getting ourselves into this mess, some may even say we brought it on ourselves by not opening our eyes to the reality. How do we learn from this mess...? We learn by controlling what comes next, if the Devil is in the details then it's up to us how we respond to the devil and how much control we allow the devil to have next.

"Too bad I'm not a hybrid"

I leaned up immediately meeting Shane in the eye.

"Too bad" Shane repeated

"I should uh, get going"

I left without another word said between us. I never slowed my pace until I reached my car and climbed inside immediately taking off my jacket.

"What just happened?" I gasped.