Her Little Moon [tvd]

Chapter 28

Elena sat in the middle of her bed with Natalie sitting between her legs, flipping through a photo album she had found, tucked away.

"Mama, why do you look so big here?" Natalie asked, pointing at a picture where she was fifteen, pregnant, and smiling at the camera while she cupped her belly.

Elena smiled softly as the memory of that day came to the surface of her mind. "Because you're in there, moon."

Natalie looked up at her with wide eyes. "I was in your tummy?"

She laughed. "Yes, you were. You were in there growing."

"Oh, Why was I growing in your tummy, mama?" Her daughter asked looking at more pictures of Elena throughout her pregnancy.

She hesitated. How exactly do you explain that to a two-year-old without any follow-up questions? "Well, that's where everyone starts growing. In their mommy's bellies."

"Ohh," She said and continued to flip through.

Elena sighed wistfully. Looking at each picture with nostalgia. It had been so long since she had seen any of those pictures, most of them being from her freshman year. The year she was pregnant with Natalie.

"Who's that, mama?"

Elena looked down at the picture Natalie pointed at. Wow, how she had completely forgotten about that one. In it was Noah Kenner smiling brightly at the camera and Elena, hugging him and kissing his cheek, young teenagers in love.

"Oh, baby. That's me and your papa before you were born."

Natalie smiled widely. "Really?" She leaned in closer to look at it, her little fingers tracing her papa's face. "Do I look like him?" She asked.

Elena smiled softly, caressing her soft hair. "I think you do." Natalie leaned into her hand, letting out a yawn.

"C'mon, moon. Time for bed." She closed the photo album, set it on the table, and turned off the lights. Pulling the covers back, Elena waited until Natalie cozied up against her before covering them both.

The silence grew comforting, slowly lulling Elena to sleep. But Natalie's voice broke through it.

"Mama?"

"Yes, moon?"

"Is daddy still my daddy?"

Elena moved back slightly to look at her daughter with warmth and worry. "Of course, he's still your daddy. Nothing will change that."

"Even when papa comes back?" Natalie asked, looking at her with big hesitant eyes.

Her heart squeezed. "Even then."

"Daddy will come back too?"

"Yes, baby. He will." Elena pulled her close to her chest, holding her tightly. Her soft shushing filled the room. "Let's sleep."

Natalie didn't ask anything else. She simply let out a sigh through her nose and hugged Elena back.

-

Elena had always had a love/hate with mornings. But with Stefan, it was love. It would consist of sleeping in until Natalie woke up. Brushing their teeth, kissing each other, and playing around in between, before heading downstairs for breakfast. But her favorite part was waking up to the warmth of Stefan's chest against her cheek. Her head rising up and down with every breath he took. Looking up at him to watch him at his most vulnerable. Stefan always said no matter how deep she slept, she always curled up against him like a cat looking for warmth