I know, I know it's been a long time since I've updated this. I apologize to no end. I'm really starting to update my stories again and am loving all the inspiration I've been getting lately. I'm hoping to finish one up and really get back into this one as well as If I Never Knew You. Hope all of you enjoy this and please, I know it's a lot to ask, but please review. Thanks! : )

Safe until Then—Chapter 5

Upping the Stakes

Damon didn't sleep a wink that night. He spent half the night watching over Elena in their bed, gently stroking her face and pushing her hair to the side, gazing at her. The other half was spent sitting in the armchair in the corner, watching over both of them when the sunrise came over the horizon. His mind was reeling with protective mode as he watched over Elena and their son. Whenever Aiden would start to cry or fuss, he would gently rock the crib to get him to settle down. Elena stirred a few times but mostly slept right through the night.

The deal Klaus had made him was a tricky one. Being honest with himself, he did want a clean slate for himself and for his family. Somewhere where they wouldn't be hunted like animals for the rest of their lives. He knew Elena wanted to settle down and raise Aiden in the same place for a long time. Klaus's deal offered that to them—a newer, fresh start.

On the other hand, he did not want to help Klaus murder and kill to avenge whatever the hell Klaus was trying to pull. He hadn't told him that part of the plan yet, but he knew that if given the right moment, his murderous control would slip. His mind would change and he would turn into a completely different person. A darker, more dangerous man that he hadn't been in years.

Elena had already witnessed a small taste of that before and it almost destroyed them. He would not let her see the rest of that if he could help it. He refused to be bullied into being that way again!

A groan made his thoughts stop and look at Elena. Her face was scrunched up before she rolled to her side, clutching herself into a fetal position. Damon was really concerned now, she was looking pale.

"Elena, sweetheart, are you alright?" he whispered, aware of the cameras in the room, not sure if they had sound or not.

Her face scrunched in pain as she started panting. She cried out in pain, clutching her stomach. Damon immediately flew the covers off of her to look. Blood was staining the sheets! Feeling around her stomach, she made cries of protests and pain when he reached her intimate area. Something was definitely wrong.

She was bleeding internally from the birth. And there was nothing he could do to stop it—she needed an actual hospital.

Immediately jumping into action, he wrapped her up in the comforter before quickly dressing into the clothes he wore the day before. Picking her up, she clung onto his neck and shoulders as he made to move toward the stairs.

Running down the stairs as fast as he could, he tried being very careful to not jostle Elena too much. He hadn't really thought things through on how he was going to get her to the hospital when that damn British voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Problem here, mate?"

Damon turned around, still holding Elena in his arms. "Yeah…my wi—Elena, she needs to go to the hospital. I think she's bleeding internally from the birth yesterday. She needs serious medical attention that I can't give her here. Please help us!" Damon didn't mean to beg, but he was desperate at this moment. Elena's face was quickly losing color and he didn't like how pale she was getting.

Klaus still stood there like an unmoving statue, arms behind his back. It was another minute before he spoke.

"Sure I'll help you Damon. As soon as I get an answer from you about my proposition."

Damon's eyes widened. "You said I had until this evening. A lot is at stake for me in this deal, Klaus! I can't think about that right now!" Elena's limp body was beginning to weigh a ton in his arms and it wasn't just her doing that…

Klaus was unmoving. His evil grin plastered itself upon his face again before his inhumanly, evil British voice spoke. "The way I see it, you already have a lot at stake now. Elena is bleeding internally and could die within hours…minutes…seconds," he whispered, moving around Damon in a circle. "So I'm upping the deal for now. Elena is in danger, and in doing this so is your own son. What will he do without a mother, I wonder?" He clucked his tongue in his mouth in a condescending tone.

Damon growled. He was really pushing his buttons and another snide remark from him would land him on his ass and his teeth into his neck.

At a loss, Damon didn't know what to do. If he agreed to Klaus's demands, he was damning everything he had worked so hard for in the last year. He hadn't killed in so long and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Elena witness that part of himself ever again!

But if he didn't agree, Elena would die. If she died, his son Aiden would grow up without a mother…

His decision was already made for him regardless of what he thought.

"Okay…you have your deal…I'll help you. You have my word," he spoke in a whisper. He saw Klaus's intent gaze upon his face, probably seeing if he was telling the truth.

This time Klaus smiled. Smiling, he brought his wrist up to his mouth, speaking into the microphone on his wrist.

"Henry, bring the car around on the double! We have to get to the hospital pronto! And Mike? Get the baby upstairs and put him in one of those portable thingy's…baby carrier, yeah. Do that and bring him downstairs in the next two minutes, got it? Oaky Dokie," he finished, bringing his wrist back down.

He walked past Damon to the car, getting the backseat door open for them. "Better hurry mate, gotta get the poor girl some care." Klaus smiled at him like an old friend before getting in the passenger seat. At the same time, his assistant Mike came out of the mansion carrying Aiden in his baby carrier, complete with blanket.

Damon felt a twinge of guilt for forgetting about his own son, but he couldn't dwell on that now. Damon quickly followed them out to the car, carefully maneuvering his way in with Elena in his arms. His driver got into the driver's side. Klaus simply smiled at him as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. That Damon hadn't just sold his soul to the devil for this deal…

…

Damon sat in the waiting room of the hospital, holding and rocking Aiden in his arms. It had been over an hour since they had brought Elena in and with every passing minute, his worry grew to new extremes.

Klaus was sitting next to them, his legs crossed and occasionally looking at his phone. He sighed loudly before trying to make conversation.

"So….what did you and the pretty lass name him?"

Damon looked over at him stunned before he was able to respond. "Oh…um, we named him Aiden. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just making light conversation out of dark circumstances. So…I'm assuming you want to know more about the deal you've made?" Klaus asked him lightly as if they were just talking about the weather.

Damon's nerves and lack of sleep finally caught up to him in that moment. He nearly lost it—"Klaus, I really…really don't want to hear about it now, okay? Elena is in there fighting for her life and I can't…" his words broke off at the near choke in his throat. The alternative was just too painful for him to comprehend. If she didn't make it through this, he would never forgive himself. And son or not, he wouldn't be able to function or even go on living…

Just then, footsteps could be heard in the hallways. Damon carefully stood up with the baby in his arms as he saw a doctor walking toward them. He was a middle-aged doctor, some grey in his hair, and an unreadable expression on his face.

"Doctor, how is she? Is my Elena going to be alright?!" Damon questioned, feeling more frantic with each passing second of not knowing.

The doctor put his hand on Damon's shoulder. "She's going to be just fine, sir. It was just some internal bleeding from the birth she experience recently. We managed to stop the bleeding in time. She should still be in a hospital for at least a few days afterwards, not out and about. Tell me, did she even give birth in a nearby hospital?"

"No, we decided on a natural home birth. Everything was fine afterwards until this morning. So…how long will she need for a recovery?" Damon asked his medical questions, his worst fear now sated knowing she was going to live and be okay.

"At least a few weeks. We'll keep her here for observation for a few days, but everything else is normal. She can still nurse Aiden like normal and we can have a basinet brought up for him if you would like. We just want to make sure the bleeding won't return. She was very lucky. Give us a few minutes and you can see her, alright."

"Thank you doctor," Damon managed to gulp before the doctor left. Holding Aiden up close to his face. His son's eyes were wide with wonder as he stared at his father. Damon couldn't help the teary smile that graced his face.

"Your mother is going to make it. Better be thankful for that next time you suck on her really nice tits, okay? That means you've earned it buddy."

….

A few hours later Damon found himself sitting in yet another chair, watching Elena sleep peacefully in the hospital bed. His son was sleeping next to her in a white baby basinet the nurse had brought in for him.

The day and night before were catching up with him. He found himself nodding off a few times only to jump slightly when he heard a noise.

The shuffling sound of feet is what woke him up next. Opening his eyes, he looked up.

Klaus was watching from the doorway. Damon almost growled when he saw him smirk. Damon was about to turn away when he saw Klaus mouth to him:

"One big happy family. Soon…the real work will begin."

….

And there's one more chapter for you guys. Hope all of you haven't given up on me, I promise I will update again soon. Just got stuck in a rut. Review as well please : )