WHO: Stefan, Damon and Baby Alexia WHEN: Late Monday night WHERE: The Vampire Diaries Mansion WHAT: Damon gets to know his neice RATING: Low STATUS: Complete
Elena was finally asleep although she'd been fighting it hard for hours, not wanting to miss a moment of Alexia. The baby had fed and slept for a little time while Stefan and Elena had watched, just happy that their daughter was safe and well and completely, perfectly normal in every way. She'd woken just after Elena had drifted off and, instead of letting her wake her mother, Stefan had gently lifted her up into his arms and carried her downstairs to the living room. Cradling her adoringly, he rested one hand on her little stomach, through the white baby-grow they'd dressed her in, and cooed gently to her, telling her again and again how beautiful she was and how much he loved her as he sat down on the couch with her.
There weren't a lot of things that amazed Damon, but this was sure as hell one of them. Seeing not just any baby being born, but his brother's...it was a bit awe-inspiring. Damon was up as he usually was this time of night, leaving Brooke upstairs in their bed to head down and get a glass of bourbon. He smiled seeing Stefan and nodded his head in his direction, noting the baby in his arms. He was already proving to be a great dad. "Long night."
Stefan looked up at the sound of Damon's voice, too engrossed in his child to notice that anyone else was in the room. The smile widened on his lips and he nodded at his brother. "Worth it though," he said, the same thing that he and Elena had agreed immediately on seeing Alexia for the first time. "I still can't quite believe she's real..." He looked back down at the baby; at her wide, green eyes and downy, already-dark hair - a beautiful mix of him and Elena.
"Real and human," Damon said, forgetting about his love of alcohol to peer down at the baby, taking note of those familiar oak green eyes, though her's were young and bright, not old and keen like her dad's. He sat beside Stefan, grinning and reaching out to play with Alexia's little toes gently. Why did she have to be so cute? Melting Damon's heart just like that. "Uncle Damon is gonna kick anyone's ass who messes with you, yes he is," the man cooed.
There was something particularly strange about hearing Damon using baby talk that made Stefan chuckle softly. "I think she's going to be one of the best protected children ever," he mused, glancing up at his brother. The human child in a family of vampires; nothing would ever be allowed to harm her. "Do you want to hold her?" Stefan asked, watching Damon's familar face which was showing an unfamiliar soft expression. Although things hadn't always been perfect between them, Stefan knew that Damon was going to be a good uncle, and not just because Alexia was part of Elena.
He looked a bit nervous for a moment, after all, it wasn't like Damon had much experience with kids, but he also had this weird sort of natural instinct about it that he decided to just roll with. He smiled at his brother and gently and carefully took the baby from him, cradling her in his arms protectively. Seeing her look up at him, he couldn't resist kissing her forehead softly and he swore he saw...adoration in her young eyes. First Damon was gifted with a loving woman, now this. "Wow...this is so weird..."
Stefan passed Alexia over, keeping one hand beneath her downy head until Damon had her securely in his arms. There was something not quite right about seeing Damon holding a baby, but he was being gentle and loving, just like an uncle should be. Although he couldn't relax completely while someone else was holding his child, Stefan leaned back against the couch cusions, watching the pair with a smile on his lips. "This whole situation is weird," he said, agreeing with his brother. "But I know what you mean. ...You're good with her, you know."
Damon looked over at Stefan, his blue eyes going wide for a moment from shock. "Well...good, because I've only held a baby like once in my life," he said, laughing softly, happy his brother would trust him with this gift. "You and Elena...you're going to be awesome parents, I can see it already." He turned his eyes back down to Alexia, seeing her gripping at his shirt as well as she could. He wondered how she would react in the future, having a family of vampires, a father and uncle that would never grow old. "You're lucky you're cute, I don't let just anyone fist my Varvatos," he told her as though she could understand.
Stefan was touched by the honesty in Damon's words. He knew his brother wasn't big on expressing his feeling and that for him to say that he thought they'd be good parents really did mean a lot. Stefan chuckled softly, watching his daughter's tiny hand clutching the front of Damon's black shirt. "I think you've got a fan there," he said, sitting forward so he could softly stroke the crown of Alexia's head. "It's strange to think that we were both as innocent as that once upon a time..."
Damon snorted. "I'm sure dad knew I was naughty coming straight outta the womb. Alexia on the other hand... I mean, look. She's not even crying, most people cry when they see me," he joked, running his thumb over her cheek and seeing her smile. Jesus, she really did love him at first sight, it seemed, and Damon didn't mind one bit. "I think she likes her cool uncle more than dad," he said, smirking.
Stefan laughed and nodded, trying not to be too loud - he didn't want to wake Elena as she deserved the rest. "You're probably right about that," he said, watching his brother and daughter. "I was innocent though." He let his fingers keeps trailing lightly back and forth over the baby's head as he watched her reaction to Damon. He was glad she liked him. Damon wasn't a bad person and not enough people had been there for him over his life. Brooke was definitely helping calm him down and perhaps Alexia would be just what he needed. "Maybe," Stefan said with a smile. "As long as she's happy and healthy, I don't really mind." He let his hand fall to his lap. "Thank you... for your support up there. The smell of all that blood... Well, you know."
Damon's expression softened at Stefan talking about the blood. He had paled considerably during the labor, but managed to hold himself together well. The elder man shook his head a bit, "I think it was less me, more her." He nodded down at Alexia who started fidgeting a bit in the next few moments, reaching out for her dad with a pouty face. "Alright, hold in the waterworks, kiddo, he's right here," he murmured, moving to hand Alexia back over to her father, settling her in Stefan's arms.
Stefan knew the truth of Damon's words. Alexia had kept him focused. He couldn't mess up; it hadn't even been an option. Stefan reached out and took his daughter from Damon, nestling her into the crook of his arm as he settled back against the couch. "She'll probably fall asleep again soon. I read that babies sleep a lot at first..."
"You should get some sleep too. And some blood." He smiled a bit and petted Alexia's head, then stood up, stretching out. "I better head back up, Brooke is probably squirming in her sleep, wondering where her vampire pillow has gone." He just studied the sight before him, smiling, then,shaking his head and walking towards the stairs. "Goodnight, brother. Sleep well."
Stefan nodded. He knew he needed blood but he would feed when Alexia was alseep. He wanted her first day to be completely normal with no supernatural drama and that included seeing daddy drink blood. Stefan watched his brother head for the stairs and gave him a little nod. "You too..." If anything, having Alexia here actually made him feel closer to Damon which was definitely not a bad thing. Alexia was a miracle; perhaps she could perform miracles too and bring the brothers back together. "Good night."