Chapter 8: Lucky in Love

*****Los Angeles*****

Xander came up behind Elijah. "What are you doing?" he asked. He was standing in the doorway to the library.

"I have been watching Niklaus for the past half hour help Winifred decorate the nursery," he said.

"Why are you watching? You should go help," Xander said. "I'm sure they won't mind."

"I do not want to help them," Elijah said.

"Then why are you spying?" Xander asked.

"It is rare to see Niklaus smile so much. I have forgotten what he looks like when he is happy," Elijah observed, looking still at the scene.

"Having a kid when you thought it was impossible is an incredible thing," Xander said.

"Yes," Elijah acknowledged. "But I do not think it is only that. Winifred is enchanting. Her mind is brilliant, and she is utterly charming, without artifice. I think my brother will soon forget all about Miss Forbes."

"Blonde bombshells are not easy to forget," Xander said, grinning. "But I do agree that Fred is a welcome addition to the family. If I had met her before you, I would have totally asked her out. I love women that are smarter than me!"

Elijah smiled.

"Xander!" one of his girls called.

"Can you tell Neely to stop being a bitch," she said.

Xander looked and saw Aleah, a petite blonde slayer, who sometimes reminded him of Buffy except her hair was a more white than golden. She was eighteen and wanted to take classes at UCLA in the fall.

"Neely, stop being a bitch!" Xander called out loudly.

"That's not funny!" Aleah glared. "She's too far way, and she won't listen unless you make her."

"You're a slayer—you make her," Xander said. "I don't mediate catfights unless a slayer is under eighteen. You are an adult. Settle your own disputes."

"Fine," she said, sticking her lip out in a pout before flouncing away.

Elijah chuckled. "You do that so easily," he said. "You will be very good with our niece when she gets here."

"Experience in wrangling superpowered teens? Check!" he said with a smug smile.

Elijah gave one last glance at his brother before suggesting, "Shall we go have lunch?"

"Sure," Xander said, following him down the hall.

Klaus laughed as Fred tried to put together the crib, insisting she could do it. However, she would get distracted after putting together one piece and then lose track of the pieces. He was finding her efforts vastly amusing.

"Why don't you let me do it?" he asked.

"Fine. You are the daddy after all," Fred said, flashing him a smile.

He put it together very quickly, and Fred hugged him. "Thank you!"

"You do not need to thank me. She is my daughter, too," Klaus said.

He enjoyed doing something so simple and easy for his daughter.

"Do you think our daughter will have a good life?" Fred asked.

"We will make sure she has a wonderful life," Klaus said. "No harm will ever befall her."

Illyria came forth. "I will kill anyone that dares harm her or hurt her feelings!" she declared.

Fred took back over, shaking her head. "You cannot kill other kids who might be rude. That's wrong," she told Illyria. However, she spoke aloud so Klaus could hear.

"I think between Illyria and our daughter, we will be very busy," Klaus remarked, grinning.

Fred laughed in agreement.

*****Valentine's Day****

In Mystical Falls, Buffy and Rick were arguing about how to celebrate the day.

"It's our first Valentine's as a married couple," Rick said. "I would like to take you out some place nice."

"I'm too fat to be seen in public," Buffy announced. She had hit the seventh month, and it seemed her weight doubled overnight. None of her clothes fit her. "I don't even have anything to wear."

"Why don't you go shopping while I'm at school?" he suggested. "You're off today. Try to be home by two, so you can take a nap. I want you well rested for our night out."

"Fine," Buffy agreed. "It's not fun going by myself, however. Willow is in class, and Rebekah is in New Orleans."

"I will tell Willow to meet you at the Grille on her lunch break at eleven thirty?" he told her. "You can show her what you bought, have lunch, and she can help you decide what to wear."

"Most shops don't open until ten," Buffy pointed out. "I doubt I'll find anything by then."

"Well, do your best," he said, smiling at her. He kissed her and went off to school.

Buffy drank her orange juice and ate her boiled egg and toast. After she got dressed and left her house, it was a bit after nine.

"I can do this," she decided.

Surprisingly, she found two dresses with princess trains that she liked. They flattered her without making her feel fat. One was red and the other a dark purple. It was eleven when she made it to the shoe store to find the right shoes. Even her feet her fat and swollen. Wearing cute heels was out as an option. It was depressing that someone as short as she was had to buy flats to wear with a nice dress, but she did it.

Already making sacrifices, and she wasn't a mother yet!

Willow ordered her lunch for her, so when she got there, the food was just coming out.

"I ordered a chicken sandwich with fruit," Willow said.

Buffy looked at the two identical plates and smiled. "Works for me. Thanks," she said, taking a sip of the drink that Willow ordered.

"So show me what you got," Willow said as she bit into her sandwich.

Buffy ate some of her fruit, and then showed her outfits to Willow. Both decided the red was the best for the romantic night.

"I just feel so unattractive," Buffy said with a sigh. Then she picked up her sandwich.

"To Rick, you are just as beautiful as always. You're pregnant with his baby," Willow told her. "You don't need to worry."

"Are you saying that as my friend or as a druid? You know-know?" Buffy asked.

Willow smiled. "Both," she assured her friend.

"Okay. I'll relax and not ruin his first Valentine's Day married to me," Buffy said. "Tell me what you're doing tonight? I know you don't plan on staying in town."

"Nope. I'll open a portal to New Orleans. They have some of the best places there for romantic dates," Willow said, grinning. "Unlike here, I don't have to worry about anyone's judgment about our relationship."

"Good. You have a good time. Tell Spike hi for me. I got that really cool painting he sent for the nursery," Buffy said. "You need to come by and see it. It's a family scene at the beach. Very serene. Goes with the pale green color scheme we selected."

"Spike is full of surprises," Willow said. "He loves New Orleans, but I think he's missing Angel. There's no fighting there, so he is getting a bit bored. I think after this week, he'll head back to Los Angeles for a bit."

"I explained that he and Angel can't visit until the baby is at least two weeks old," Buffy told them. "Giles and Liz are going to be here to help me with the baby."

"Are you counting down the days?" Willow asked.

"Definitely," she said.

The girls enjoyed their lunch, and then Buffy went home to put away her things and rest.

At school, Elena was given a note to go to the office at the end of the day. She smiled, knowing that Damon probably sent her something.

A dozen roses with her name on them were given to her. She read the card. Soon. Love, Damon. Was the coming in? She felt excited at the thought and decided to dress up and get ready just in case.

At seven, her doorbell rang, and she opened the door in anticipation.

Damon held a small teddy bear with a heart that said love u on it. "I see you got my flowers," he said, taking in her very sexy black dress.

"I was hoping you would be able to come in," Elena said, pulling him in with a kiss.

"I missed you," Damon said.

"I missed you, too," she said. "Thank you for the flowers and the bear. You're so sweet."

"I try," he said, glad to have her in front of him after all these weeks. It had been Christmas since they had seen each other.

"Well, you succeed," she said, laying the bear down on the table by the front door.

"Are you going out with someone?" he asked, taking in her appearance.

"I dressed up for you as an act of faith," she said, looking smug.

He laughed, hugging her to her. "I am glad that I'm not disappointing you," he said. He led her out to his car.

"How's things going in L.A.?" she asked. They talked normally once a week, but he texted her daily.

"Good. Angel is helping Fred make Klaus crazy," Damon shared as he opened the door to his car for her.

As they drove, he shared a few examples, making her snicker. "I do like the idea of Klaus not being able to make a woman do what he wants," she said.

"Well, the guy is stuck. I almost feel sorry for him," Damon said. "Illyria is someone he genuinely respects and considers a friend—she's very loyal to him."

"And we know how much the egomaniac loves loyalty," she commented.

"Right," Damon agreed. "Then there's Fred. She's a genius like you've never met before, but she's got this Texas twang and Southern charm that just totally disarms you."

Elena was surprised when Damon took him to his house.

"I have made you a very nice Italian dinner," he told her. "Family recipes only."

She smiled, touched at his effort. He led her to the rarely used kitchen, so they could sit at the smaller kitchen table where he had a tablecloth and candles ready.

"Will you pour something to drink?" he asked.

"Of course," she said. She poured a glass of water for herself and a little bit of red wine. Then she filled up his glass while he grabbed the two salads that he had prepared.

They enjoyed his wonderful meal while catching up and simply enjoying being together.

"How long are you going to stay?" she asked.

"A few days," he said. "Are you and Caroline going to come out for Spring Break?"

"I think Bonnie's going to go with Caroline to visit Stanford, but she doesn't really want to run into Fred or Klaus," Elena said.

"So how about I get you guys a nice hotel downtown, and you can give her at least a day or two to tour Los Angeles. She didn't get to come last time," Damon pointed.

"That would be wonderful," Elena said, smiling in approval at him.

He made some chocolate mousse for dessert and then presented her with a gift. It was a diamond tear drop necklace.

"The last time I gave you a gift it was something old, so I decided to give you something new this time," he said.

"Damon, it's too much. You already gave me flowers and the bear," she said, overwhelmed. Teenagers her age just didn't get such extravagant gifts. He put it on her, and she thanked him.

"I get to decide what's too much," he told her. "I wanted you to have something beautiful."

She kissed him, thanking him again.

Then she reached into her black handbag and gave him a wrapped box. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to mail this," she told him, smiling. When he opened it and took at the small bottle, she continued, "This is my favorite male cologne. I thought you might like it."

He opened the lid and smelled it. "Smells nice," he agreed. "If you love it, I will wear it and think of you."

"It doesn't take much," she said. It was ridiculously expensive, but she wanted to get him something nice. Now that she saw her gift, she was so glad that she had gone through the effort.

He led her over to his sofa, and they began kissing. Finally, Elena said, "Damon, I think that we have waited long enough. I love you. Make love to me."

Damon gave her a slow smile, seeing her certainty and began to kiss her. Then after a few minutes, he stood up and shrugged off his dress jacket and kicked off her shoes. Elena stepped out of hers while he brought down the sides of her dress, kissing her neck and shoulders. When she reached out to unbutton his shirt, she said, "I can't believe this is finally happening."

"I love you, Elena, and you were worth waiting for," he told her as he gazed down at her. Although she mirrored Katherine, the innate goodness in her shown out of her eyes.

He never thought of Katherine when he was kissing her.

Elena was the one.

*****Los Angeles******

Klaus wasn't sure how to handle the romantic holiday. He was technically single, but he did have an important female in his life. One who was going to give him an even more important female in his life.

Klaus did what he always did when he was struggling with something; he went to his big brother.

Elijah was having a quiet breakfast in the kitchen with only Xander as it was too early for the slayers to be up and about.

"Good morning, brother," Klaus said. He looked at Xander, grinning. "Good morning, brother's lover."

Xander snorted. "Xander is my name. I don't think I've heard you say it much if at all," he pointed out.

"Well, Xander, I hope you don't mind if I ask my brother a question," Klaus said with an easy smile. He was actually quite fond of his brother's lover, finding him amusing and loyal. Two qualities that Klaus always appreciated in a person.

"Nope. I will start cleaning up," Xander said, picking up their plates and walking over to rinse them in the sink.

"What is wrong, Niklaus?" Elijah asked.

"I was just wondering if you thought I should give Winifred a gift for Valentine's Day," Klaus wondered.

"Why would you not give her a gift?" Xander asked, inserting himself in the conversation. "She's pregnant with your baby."

"It is a romantic holiday, and we are not a couple," Klaus replied.

"You are a couple," Xander said. "You will be tied to her the entirety of your daughter's life. As parents, you need to be a unit if you want to be good parents."

"I agree," Elijah added. "You might not be Winifred's lover, but you were Illyria's. You carry respect and affection for both women. You definitely should get her a token of some kind."

"If we were lovers, I would by her jewelry. What do I give her?" Klaus wondered.

"Something personal and from the heart," Xander said.

"Something that shows she matters," Elijah added.

Klaus nodded, thinking about it. "I will. Thanks," he said, leaving.

"Do you think he'll listen?" Xander asked.

"I do. He cares about her," Elijah said. "More than he realizes."

"She's an easy person to like," Xander said.

Elijah got up and came behind Xander as he was wiping the stove. He put his arms around his waist. "You are an easy person to like," Elijah said, kissing his cheek. "I have reservations for us tomorrow at a nice place in Catalina Island. You said you've never been there."

Xander turned around, smiling. "Really? That's great! Can we go snorkeling? I've not done that in forever," he said.

"Why not scuba diving?" Elijah asked.

"Seriously? Don't you have to be certified?" Xander asked.

"If you're human," Elijah reminded him. "We can buy the equipment and rent a boat."

"Do you know how to do it? I don't know how," Xander said.

"I do," Elijah said. "For a time, Klaus was into searching for buried treasures in the ocean floor. All of us are quite proficient at it, actually."

Xander was very excited about it, and he pulled out his phone.

"Are you calling Willow or Buffy?" Elijah wondered, amused. Xander may not live by his closest friends, but he still spoke to them often, mostly daily.

"Both. I call Willow, and then she adds Buffy to the call," Xander said, grinning. "We have to gab about the holiday before and after. Sending pictures during is also expected."

Elijah laughed. "Enjoy your talk," he told his lover. It was a bit odd that Xander's closest friends were women that he was never lovers with, but Elijah knew that to Xander they were like his sisters. The bounds between him and the two women were every bit as strong as Elijah's with his siblings.

Sometimes, blood ties weren't needed. Of course, Xander would say shedding blood in battle with them was basically the same thing.

He was probably right.

*****That Night*****

Klaus was nervous as he located Fred in their baby's future nursery. She was sitting in the rocking chair he had purchased crocheting.

"Hello. I didn't know you crocheted," he remarked, coming into the room.

"My mother taught me when I was a young teenager, insisting it would help calm my busy mind," Fred told him. "She was right. It does."

"What are you making?" he asked.

"A blanket," she replied.

"I have something for you," Klaus told her, handing her a somewhat large red gift bag. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Fred was surprised but smiled as she put aside the crochet. She reached into the bag and pulled out a full-size baby book. It was white with the words "First Baby Book" on it. She grinned as she opened it, and then she looked surprised.

Fred could not believe he gave her any gift on the romantic holiday, so she was tickled. However, when she opened the book and saw a hand drawing of herself with the word Mother above it, she was deeply touched.

"Klaus, this is amazing! I knew you were an artist, but this looks exactly like me!" she exclaimed. Then she turned the page and saw a drawing of Illyria with the title Mother Protector at the top, she grinned. "This is too perfect."

She turned the page again and saw one more picture of Klaus himself. Where the two women were drawn in full body, his was just a face. However, he was smiling, and his dimple was showing. Father was written at the top.

"Wow! Klaus, you are so talented," she said. "This is so thoughtful."

"I know we aren't a traditional couple, but I wanted you to know that you mean something to me," he told her.

Fred got up, placed the book on the chair and went to him. She put her arms around in and hugged him. "Thank you," she said.

Klaus felt a movement close to his private area where her belly was pressed against him and realized in amusement that his baby had kicked. He pulled back to look down at her. "I think our baby approves, too," he observed.

Fred laughed, putting her hand on her stomach. "She does, doesn't she?" she said. "She has an amazing daddy, and she is going to be very lucky."

Klaus was struck by the look on her face as she gazed down at their unborn child, a soft smile on her face.

She was so beautiful.

It occurred to him that he was the lucky one.

*****Chapter End****

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