A Miracle Unexpected

Chapter 36 - Don't stop

Damon's P.O.V.

"When are you going to start talking, kid?" I looked down at Lily as she rested in her swing. She looked up at me with her wide eyes that I loved and I chuckled. "No answer? I see how it is."

It was November. Lily was two months old, growing more and more as the days went on. I had unofficially moved into the Gilbert residence. Jenna wasn't thrilled but I didn't like being away from my daughter.

I turned away from Lily to continue cleaning up. Empty and half filled bottles filled the coffee table, while the floor was covered in baby toys. Lily began to shout and I chuckled, turning back to face her. "What?" I said. She shouted at me again and I stomped my foot playfully, moving back over to her. "I have a mess to clean, little girl."

In response, Lily blew raspberries at me and I chuckled as I scooped her up into my arms. "I can see that you won't let me get any cleaning done," I shook my head at her. As she sat in my arms, she turned her head around to examine her surroundings. She had gotten better at holding her head up and was always looking around. For a two month old baby, she was pretty curious.

I dropped down on the couch and kicked my feet up on the coffee table as Lily sat in my lap, leaning against my chest. She banged her hands on my knees and I turned, looking for something she could play with. I picked up a remote and turned the TV on, switching to the Disney channel. A show she had started to like recently was on and I sighed with relief. As the show instantly grabbed her attention, I tossed my head back and took a deep breath.

For once in my life, I was tired. There was once a time where I could take on twenty vampires and still be up for going out to a bar after. Now I was in a time where I had an alarm set so I could wake up before Lily and get bottles ready for her so Elena didn't have to get up. I was in a time where I napped when Lily napped. I was in a time where I got up at six in the morning to feed Lily while watching Blue's Clues. I was in a time where at seven o' clock at night, I was ready to crawl into bed and pass out. Weird, huh?

It sure as hell was a different lifestyle, but it was nothing I didn't expect. I knew from the minute that Elena told me she was pregnant that my life was going to change. I wanted that. I wanted everything to change and it did, all because of the little girl bouncing happily in my lap. I picked my head up to look at her, smiling like I always did when I looked at her. She was the reason why I was happy with this new lifestyle.

"We're home!"

I turned my head to look at the door, watching as the other reason to my happiness stepped in.

Elena.

I picked Lily off of my lap and laid her down in front of the TV, giving her a toy to play with. I stepped over to the door as Elena and Jenna shuffled in, carrying tons of grocery bags.

"How's Lily?" Elena asked me.

"She's in the living room being hypnotized by the television," I said as I took some of the bags from her.

"Jake and the Neverland Pirates, again?" Elena laughed.

"My favorite," I grinned sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes and leaned up to kiss me on the cheek once her coat was off. After, she walked past me and into the living room shouting, "Mommy's home!"

I stayed standing there for a minute, watching her bend down to pick Lily up. I had a smile on my face that I couldn't get rid of as I thought of how different things between us were. I shuffled into the kitchen with my thoughts and started to put the groceries away.

Things with Elena and I were slowly moving along. We spent more time together, with and without Lily, simply talking about whatever popped into our heads. We still had our arguments over small things, like when I would insist that Elena needed a night to herself to catch up on some sleep. Then there was the time when she had cooked dinner and with one taste of the mashed potatoes, I knew the rest of the meal would be inedible. I received a good smack against the head that night.