My Light

13

STEFAN'S POV

I felt like I was seeing their alternative future as we watched from the archway of the kitchen. 

Damon was playing with Hope on the counter as Bella made some food. Damon was being all goofy. This is what they would have been like as parents, together. They would have had a happy giggly child, full of love. 

They feed her together. "I can't believe that's the same person who pulls peoples hearts out." Bonnie said watching with me. "Thats who he was." I say with a smile. "My big brother." I said softly. They couldn't hear us the music was playing from he speaker blocking out the sound for them. Damon was laughing as Hope sprayed Bella with her food. Bella wiped her face and then wiped it on Damon. They were both laughing now. "You miss him." Bonnie said I looked at her. "All the time... but I knew he was there." "He was protecting himself." She said back I nodded.

"What we watching." Care said coming beside me wrapping her arms around me. "Cute! It's like a sitcom." She said watching with us. Elena joined us, she looked sad. I guess it was hard for her to see Damon this way. Damon was soft with her but he never let his guard down like he had in the moment. He picked Bella up and tickled her as she held Hope. "Get him Hope." She said and the baby held Damon's face. "No! Dee!" She called. And Damon's smiled so wide. "No hurt." "Oh he's to hurting Ari bub." Bella assured. 

"We should leave them to it..." Elena said pulling us away from the scene. Gosh Bella please stay.

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DAMON'S POV

I sat next to Klaus on the couch as the girls took Hope out to the garden to play for a while before the sun set. "I see you are fond of my Ari." He said. "She's not yours." I shot back. "No longer yours." "What do you have a crush on her or something!" I said getting defensive. Then I hear Bella in my head play nice. I rolled my eyes internally. Klaus wasn't an easier person to get on with. "I care about her and I won't allow silly little boys to break her heart!" He said firmly standing. I stood along with him. 

"Look Bella cares about you a lot... you're her family... You was there when I wasn't." I begin. "Yes Ari Is our family. I intend to protect her." "I know." I said brushing off the correction of her nickname... I'll call her whatever I wanted to. "She's asked me to try with you so I will for her sake... I care about her too and thats not something I admit lightly." I inform him. He had a hard look on his face, he was studying me I stood there waiting for him to say something. "Well I appreciate you trying." He said. "And she seemed to trust you enough to formally introduce to to her sister." "sister." I coughed... "Yes, thats how Hope see's her." My face soften again. "She has always been there, guiding her." She's 2 guiding her through what? "And she always will be... Arabella may be the only Mikealson who isn't a Mikealson." He informs me. "I took her under my wing." He turned from me. Gush I feel a Klaus speech coming on. Better get comfy. I sit back down. "She's a product of me." I hope not, Devil spawn. I liked my Bella the way she was pre Klaus. Then again she's not changed all that much, just a little more aggressive now, which I throughly enjoyed. As long as it came without the guilt. "She was hurt and scared and vulnerable until Rebekah brought her to us." I felt the guilt rising if I just fought Katherine's stupid compulsion she would never have been hurt or alone or scared! "She's my daughter in many ways." Klaus said. "And I won't stand to see an tyrant like yourself hurt her Damon." Tyrant? This dude knows were in the 21st century right? "So if you do... Just know that a fathers love breaks bones of the ones that hurt their daughters." He said looking me in the eyes. "I will end you if you hurt her. As her friend as her boyfriend as her enemy. I will end you." He says seriously. I believed him but Klaus had a heart? Not as selfish as I thought. "She deserves the world." "Oh I agree." I say. "And I intend to give it to her, on a silver plater." I say cockily. He looked me over once. "So we starting fresh?' I asked. "I can't see why not, if it's for Arabella." He says with a soft smile as he said her name. He did care for her.