Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries nor am I making any profit from this. Characters, etc. belong to their respective owners.

A/N: Okay, for those of you that kept asking me about this, I'm sorry that it took me forever! I'm truly astounded by the amazing responses I've gotten to this fic (especially since I'd never even planned to post the first installment) and I can't thank you all enough!

A lot of this is in Damon's POV and I don't really have any explanation for that except for it's just how it turned out when I wrote it.

Also, I'm sorry if the timeline for this entire fic seems really strange or off or something…I didn't really plan it out well because I only ever intended for it to be a one-shot (but, hey, I don't know if it could be any weirder than the timeline of the actual show!)

Enjoy!

Naming a baby shouldn't be so hard, yet somehow it is.

They'd discussed baby names while she was still pregnant, but after she'd stupidly brought Damon's father into the conversation, the matter had dropped and never been brought up again. Until now.

"We could just come up with a baby name later," Damon suggests to Bonnie who was still in the hospital the day after giving birth. She gave him a look, letting him know that she thought he was being an idiot.

"Damon, we've had months to think up a name and we can't just leave the hospital without a name. Not to mention, in Virginia, you're required to fill out a birth certificate within seven days after giving birth." She doesn't mention the judgmental looks from some of the staff. Not that it's really any business of theirs. Naming children is a very delicate process.

When he opens his mouth up to speak again, she cuts him off. "And, no, you're not going to compel people to get that deadline taken care of because it's only going to cause problems later on. We are getting this done before the baby and I are discharged."

Damon just rolls his eyes at her and perches on the edge of her bed, near the bassinet where the baby lay. His eyes are still that hazy blue that all babies are born with and Damon wonders if he'll end up with his eyes or Bonnie's eyes. The baby had the same facial structure as him, but everything else was Bonnie's...almost like the perfect mix of the two of them.

He's gonna be a lady killer, Damon thinks. And if he dared say that aloud, Bonnie would surely give him the look and declare that he better not mean that in the literal sense.

"What about Alexander?" Bonnie asks, breaking him out of his reverie. "That was my grandfather's name."

Alexander. He mentally rolls the name on his tongue, testing it out. It isn't a bad name. Maybe a tad too common for his tastes, but there's always worse names out there.

"I like it," he decides finally. Bonnie flashes him a smile that lights up her whole face and he feels a strange sensation jolt through him.

"And for a middle name…Damon."

"What?" he asks.

"Damon. I mean, I want his middle name to be Damon," Bonnie clarifies. He smile widens even more and he thinks it might actually be brighter than the sun.

He wishes he had some smart response, but he finds that he's a little choked up. Even more, he doesn't even feel bothered by the notion that he's become soft.

They get the birth certificate filled out later that afternoon before Bonnie is discharged from the hospital along with the baby. The doctor had wanted to keep the baby another day since he was a month early, but Bonnie insisted on taking him home since, thankfully, he was perfectly healthy.

"Alexander Damon Bennett-Salvatore," Bonnie coos and Damon laughs a little because a name that long sounded so pretentious just as he's sure the kid will be someday. She straps the baby into a car seat in the back of his vintage Camaro with Damon simply looking on because the car seat looks way too complicated. The Camaro isn't exactly the most sensible car to have with a baby, but hell would freeze over before he gave it up and he refuses to be caught dead (or in his case undead) driving Bonnie's Prius.

Damon feels his lips quirk up at the combination of their last name. They had always made a good team.

Babies were hard work. There's definitely no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Bonnie can't even remember what a full night's sleep is like and she's fairly positive that the dark circles around her eyes that could make people mistake her for a raccoon were never going to fade.

Still, she loves her little boy more than she's ever loved anything in the world and she knows that Damon feels the same way even if he doesn't necessarily verbalize it like she does.

Both Bonnie and Damon wonder how they are supposed to figure out the tricks of a vampire-witch hybrid baby (Will he have magical powers? Does he need blood?), but so far little Alex hasn't exhibited anything out of the ordinary.

After a few weeks, Damon can see Bonnie's on the verge of a break down.

Some nights the baby would cry and absolutely nothing would soothe him. It's plain as day that those nights made Bonnie feel like a failure and he knows how hard she's trying to be better than her own parents were (and that's without taking into consideration the ridiculous amount of parenting books she has). He feels the same way.

He all but pushes her out the door to spend some time with Caroline and Elena because he has a feeling that if she does snap, he'd be the one feeling the brunt of it. And he knows firsthand that a pissed off Bonnie Bennett is unpleasant (and that's the understatement of the century).

He can see that she's hesitant, probably feeling some separation anxiety but he assures her that everything will be fine.

"Besides, Stefan's here," Damon adds. "Which means I get to stick him with any and all diaper duty.

That makes Bonnie laugh a little.

"It's not that I don't trust you," She says quickly. "You're a good father," if his heart was still functional, it would have skipped a bit, "I've just haven't really been apart from him…"

"It'll just be a couple of hours and it's usually his nap time right now, so he'll be out for most of it and you can always come back home."

She looks at the baby, still considering it even though Caroline and Elena are probably getting impatient. "Okay, I'm going to go now," she decides nodding and slinging her purse over her shoulder. She moves closer to Damon who's currently holding little Alex in his arms.

"See you soon, baby," she says, kissing the top of the little boys' head.

"Have fun," Damon says and he presses a kiss to her cheek. For a moment Bonnie looks taken aback, but then she smiles softly and says a goodbye before heading out the door where Caroline and Elena are waiting for her.

Damon can't even find it in himself to be bothered by how…domestic he's become.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to this," Stefan says when Damon enters the room, baby monitor in hand.

"Get used to what?" Damon asks, going to pour himself a drink. Bonnie would have his head if she knew that he's drinking while he's supposed to be watching the baby (even if a drink or two doesn't get him drunk), but as long as Stefan's big mouth doesn't blab, he's in the clear.

"You…being a father." Damon just gives him a look, but doesn't bother to respond. "Even after seeing how you were with Bonnie, I still didn't know what to expect when the baby actually came. I have to say, I'm impressed."

"Glad I have your approval," Damon replies dryly, taking a healthy sip of bourbon.

"What I'm trying to say Damon is that you're a good father." He looks at Stefan and shrugs it off, but he's secretly happy than anything that both Bonnie and Stefan think that he's a good father. It meant that for once he's actually been doing something right.

"I have something for you," Stefan says, pulling a small box out of his pocket.

"Jewelry? Oh, Stefan, you shouldn't have," Damon replied mockingly, placing a hand over his heart. "What would Elena think?"

"Just open it," Stefan replies, rolling his eyes.

Damon shrugs and when he opens the box he sees a ring that he'd recognize anywhere nestled inside.

"Our mother's wedding ring," he says, carefully taking it out to look closer at it.

"I've had it for years," Stefan says. "I've seen you with Bonnie and your son. I don't know if you've ever even thought about tying the knot or anything, but um, it's yours."

Honestly, Damon has thought about it before. He just can't decide whether to take that next step or not.

"You're not going to give it to Elena?"

"Just take it, Damon."

"Thank you, Stefan," Damon says and he really does mean it. His parent's marriage may not have been the happiest, but his mother loved that ring and he thinks Bonnie would too (if he does propose, that is).

He can see the surprise on Stefan's face and he knows it's because he never really thanks anyone for anything (Bonnie being the only exception). It makes him realize just how much he's changed and it still doesn't bother him.

"So, how's the life of a mother treating you?" Asks Caroline, who was happily diving into a large salad.

"Caroline, you come over to see me and Alex at least twice a week. Sometimes more," Bonnie replies dryly. Elena just gives them a small smile and shakes her head.

"Well, I don't know! Maybe something's happened since the last time I've seen you!"

"Nope," Bonnie says with a shrug. "Same old, same old. Sleepless nights, taking care of a baby, wondering if he's going to start having vampire or witch abilities or both and if someone's going to start coming after him because he's technically a hybrid…the usual."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Elena asks, concern showing in her brown eyes.

"I just…sometimes I wonder if I'm a good mother," Bonnie tells them, picking at her food.

"What? Of course you are!" Caroline exclaims through a mouthful of lettuce.

"Bonnie, you've only been at it for a few weeks." She reaches out, resting a hand on Bonnie's shoulder. "Of course you're going to make some mistakes, but I've seen you with Alex and you're a wonderful mother."

"Yeah," Caroline says, waving her fork around for emphasis. "And besides, you have Damon and—I never thought I'd ever say this because, well, it's Damon—but he's been with you every step of the way and he's actually been helpful."

"Speaking of which," Elena says, a mischievous twinkle in her brown eyes. "What is the deal with you and Damon?"

Bonnie quickly swallows the sip of ice tea that was in her mouth before she chokes on it. "What?"

"Well, you guys have a baby and you share a bedroom, so are you actually official?" Caroline asks.

"Oh, uhm, I don't know. We're just…us."

"'Us'? What does that mean? Don't tell me he can resist you! I mean, look how ginormous your boobs got after having a baby!" Caroline all but screeched for the world to hear.

"Caroline," Bonnie hissed, scrunching in her seat and crossing her arms in front of her in a poor attempt to hide her breasts. "I'm breastfeeding a baby. That's why my boobs got big. It's not like that between me and Damon."

"Well, you guys have a baby, so clearly it has a to be at least a little bit like that," Caroline replies, giving her a look. But…" the blonde vampire hesitates, biting her lower lip slightly. "Damon's treating you okay, right? I mean, I can see that he's changed from when he…well, you know…but I just want to make sure."

Bonnie and Elena look at Caroline slightly surprised. While she's never missed her chance to rag and Damon (and she has every reason to do so), but she never really mentions what he did to her.

"You know I haven't forgotten, right? What he did to you?" Bonnie asks, scooting closer to Caroline. "I don't want you to think that I'm okay with it."

"No, I know. Like I said, he's changed for the better," Caroline says. "Besides, I know you put him in his place," she says with a bit of a smirk.

"If you ever want me to give him an aneurism, just let me know," Bonnie replies with a grin.

The three girls burst into laughter.

"You know, sometimes I feel really incompetent," Bonnie says quietly later on that night when they're lying side by side in bed. She knows she's about to lay out her deepest darkest fears in front of him, but since Alex is his son too, she thinks that maybe he'd understand better than Caroline and Elena could. "I don't feel like I'm good enough."

Damon thinks she's referring to being a parent, but he also wonders if she also means in general. She's never really been anyone's number one…hell, sometimes not even their number two. If anyone can commiserate with the feeling of anyone always being in last place it's Damon.

"You are," he says as he turns on his side to face her. She's lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. He cups her cheek to turn her face towards him and brushes dark curls of hair out of her face. "You're more than good enough."

She just looks at him for a moment as if she's searching for something in his eyes.

"What if they come after him?" Bonnie asks. Her chin quivers slightly and he wonders for a moment if she's going to start crying.

"Who?" He asks, eyebrows furrowing. He feels his body tensing up and he wonders if something happened to make Bonnie ask this.

"I don't know. Some witches, I guess or some sort of fucked up supernatural sort of thing. Alex is technically a hybrid and you know…" she trails off.

Oh.

"He hasn't shown signs of anything supernatural. Witch, vampire, or otherwise, but if it happens and if anyone decides to come after him, we will find a way to deal with it and if anyone would be able to protect him, it's you," he assures her. "You're kind of a badass witch," he adds with a smile.

She doesn't look so convinced and he's not sure what else he can do. Reassurance has never been his strong suit. Without really thinking about it, he pulls her into his arms. Her body stiffens at first, but then she slowly relaxes.

It doesn't take her long to fall asleep. As he looks down at her petite body, it strikes him how young she really is. She had graduated high school when she wasn't quite three months pregnant, but never mentioned college. He knows that Caroline and Elena plan on enrolling in a community college in the spring, having decided to take a short break before diving into college.

It makes him realize that while he knows things no one else does like her deepest fears, there's still so many things that he doesn't have a clue about. He's pretty sure that she planned on sticking around even if it is just for their son, but he has no idea what she wants for the future.

They've shared some kisses here and there but never really talk about their relationship or if they even have one, which he knows would be a stupid question because they share a home, a room, a bed (even if all they do is sleep), and most importantly a child.

He begins to stroke the dark curls of hair that keep her face hidden from him and he thinks about the ring Stefan gave him that's currently sitting in his nightstand and he finds that he hopes he'll always be a part of her plans.

Damon wonders if that night should have changed something between them because strangely things didn't feel any different.

Then it hits him that it's okay. Because they've grown so comfortable with each other and that's just how things were.

He realizes that he's been heads over heels for Bonnie even before she got pregnant.

He's becoming a little fixated on the ring that's still sitting in the top drawer of his nightstand. He thinks he actually will ask Bonnie to marry him. He just has to work up the nerve to actually do so and then maybe say several prayers that she'll actually say yes.

At about five months old, Alex begins to start teething and he decides that his favorite thing to chew on are Damon's fingers.

Bonnie tells him that he doesn't know which is worse; Alex's penchant for pulling on her hair and earrings or seeing him chewing at Damon's fingers.

He honestly doesn't mind all that much. Sure, it's a little irritating, but it's not like it actually hurts and even if it did it isn't like he wouldn't heal right away.

"You shouldn't let him do that," Bonnie tells him, pulling his fingers away from the baby and offering him a teething ring. At first Alex looks disgruntled, but when it becomes clear that his favorite teething toy isn't come back, he starts chewing on the teething ring. "It'll only encourage him to bite others and let me tell you, that's not so pleasant when I'm trying to nurse him."

"It'd be such a shame if he hurt the goods," Damon replies, not bothering to hide his appreciative glance. Bonnie feels her face heat up, but she just rolls her eyes and playfully slaps him on the shoulder.

"You know, teething means he's probably going to say his first word soon," Bonnie tells him, recalling what she's read in a book about development that she's bought.

And thus begins their competition to get Alex to call them first.

"Mama," Bonnie whispers, hovering over his crib one afternoon as she tries to put him down for a nap. "Can you say 'Mama'?"

"Nope," Damon says from the doorway. "Because he's obviously waiting to call me 'Dada' first."

Bonnie almost laughs at hearing Damon say 'Dada' because, even with a baby, words like that just didn't come from him. Hearing Damon's voice only makes Alex more awake and he starts to fuss, so she quickly works on trying to settle him back down.

"Mada," Alex says happily.

Bonnie and Damon both look at him.

"Did he just…" Damon trails off.

"I don't know if he was trying to say 'mother' or if he was combining 'mama' and 'dada'," Bonnie says with a small laugh, looking down at the little boy almost wondrously.

Damon definitely decides that he likes the idea of him combining the words 'mama' and 'dada'. Like he and Bonnie are just meant to be a team, a combination, together.

He cups Bonnie's cheeks and brings her in for a deep kiss.

When he's a little less than ten months old, Alex begins to learn how to pull himself up and take little steps, using furniture for leverage.

Bonnie's worried about what sort of mischief he'll get into, so she makes sure there's a careful eye on him at all times.

She finally decided to enroll in the same community college that Elena and Caroline were attending.

"I don't really know what I want to major in," she tells him as she looks over the different classes that are offered. "But I think it's a good idea to give the college thing a try and see what happens. I don't want to enroll in too many classes because of Alex."

So, Bonnie starts off with a small handful and general education classes and while she's away, it's up to Damon to keep an eye on Alex, which was much easier said than done.

For a kid that's not even a year old and just learning how to walk, he can be quite the handful.

And of course it would happen on Damon's watch that Alex took a little fall and hit his head on the edge of a coffee table.

He shoots up fast and gets to his son, swearing up a storm and he knows Bonnie will have his head for this, but right now he's more worried about his son because didn't babies have soft spots or something? Or do they grow out of it by now?

He quickly picks up the screaming boy and nearly has a heart attack when he sees the blood and quickly wipes it away to assess the damage.

To his surprise, the cut right above his eyebrow was already knitting back together, leaving his brown skin smooth and unblemished. He'd never known that the little boy had even gotten hurt if it wasn't for the blood.

Damon's relieved that Alex isn't actually hurt, but he's a little apprehensive about this new ability. He's known that sooner or later his son would eventually begin to show some sort of supernatural ability (because with a vampire and a super powerful witch for parents how could he not?), but he thinks about what Bonnie said the first night she fell asleep when he was holding her.

If Alex's powers grew and began to attract some unpleasant things…

He becomes adamant about what he told Bonnie that one night. They would find a way to deal with it if it happened because it's their son and they'd do anything for him.

When Bonnie comes home that afternoon, he sits her down on the couch explains to her what happens and he sees that same fear and worry in her eyes that were there when she shared her fears with him.

"I told you," Damon says, "That if this happened we'll find a way to deal with it. And we will."

She looks down at the little boy she's holding in her lap. He looks like any other child, happy and squirming to get out of her arms and on the move again. She presses a kiss to the top of his head before looking at the father of her child

"We will," she repeats before pressing a soft kiss to Damon's lips.

Before either Damon or Bonnie really knows what hits them, Alex's first birthday comes.

"We did it," Bonnie says, turning to him with a smile. "We actually lasted a whole year as parents."

"Just seventeen more to go," Damon replies, nodding. "Then we can kick him out."

She laughs and playfully slaps him on the shoulder.

"I'm going to go get him ready for the party," she says and then leaves the room.

Damon waits till the door closes behind her before he digs in the nightstand for the ring Stefan gave him.

Today is the day he's finally going to ask Bonnie to marry him.

He's not going to lie; he's nervous as hell about it. He knows that Bonnie would never leave him and he would never leave her, but they've never really discussed just where they stand in their relationship.

He stands in the doorway of the nursery, watching as Bonnie gets their son ready for his first birthday party. She's talking to Alex non-stop, telling him what a handsome little boy he is.

He feels the smile spreading across his face and that comforting warmth that happens every time he sees Bonnie and their son and suddenly he's not so nervous anymore. Even if Bonnie says no, it will still be okay because they would still be a family.

About halfway through the party, when Alex is happily situated with a piece of cake in front of him, Damon pulls Bonnie into the kitchen, away from everyone else.

"Bonnie," he pauses for a minute. He had thought about what he wanted to say thousands of times, yet somehow it all seems to escape him when he looks into those bright green eyes of hers, the same eyes that their son has. He pulls the ring out of his pocket and drops down to one knee. "Marry me?"

Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open a little because she certainly hadn't been expecting that. "What?"

"I love you." A pause. "Will you marry me?"

She's completely dumbfounded and at a loss for words, but manages to quickly nod.

He barely manages to slide the ring on her finger before she grabs the fabric of his shirt around the shoulders and pulls him up so she can press her lips against his.

Caroline, obviously having heard Damon propose, chooses that exact moment to walk in squealing and clapping her hands and talking about how she's going to plan that best wedding ever. Stefan and Elena, both smiling brightly, follow shortly, Elena holding Alex in her arms, cake smeared all over his face

Watching his now fiancé take their son from Elena, laughing at little at the mess all over his face, Damon's utterly amazed at how well things have turned out.

They both know that there are plenty of struggles to come, but for now they are content with the peace that they found and the life that they were still building for themselves.

A/N: And here concludes this little diddy. I was actually going to end this at the part where Damon decided that it would be okay even if Bonnie said no when he popped the question, but I thought it'd be way too cruel to end it without actually showing him pop the question and letting Bonnie answer. I'm sorry if all this was way to sappy, but…Bamon fluff.

I had so much fun writing this little fic and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it just as much! Thanks so much for all your words of encouragement!

Thanks for reading!