Humanity 6 "The Change"

Chapter 18

ASHLEY'S POV

I sigh deeply as I lean back into Damon's chest, allowing him to wrap his strong arms around my waist. We've been sitting in this bathtub together for over an hour, but I'm not complaining.

I smile to myself, watching Damon trace small circles on my stomach. Ever since I told him about the baby, he can't seem to keep his hands off of it, which I find adorable.

"You feel okay?" He whispers deeply into my ear.

"I told you, I feel fine, Damon. Don't worry about me."

"How can I not worry? You have a small child inside of you." He says, nuzzling his face into my neck.

I giggle at his words as goosebumps spread down my arms from his touch. It's so gentle and soothing.

I'm about to reassure him that the baby and I feel fine, when my nose picks up on a scent in the air.

"Do you smell something?" I ask, sitting up slightly.

Damon inhales deeply, identifying the scent. "Mom's cooking." He concludes.

"Is that bacon?"

"Yeah, or some baby she abducted from a nearby village." He groans, and I smack his arm playfully.

"Hey. She can hear us." I scold. "You have to give her a chance...just like I gave you a chance. She's your mother."

As I speak, I lean forward, pulling the plug from the drain. The water starts emptying out of the tub, and I hear Damon whine because he doesn't want to get out. As much as I'd love to, we can't stay here forever.

"She's not my mother. She's a tool to get Stefan's humanity back because there is no doubt that he and Caroline are fangs deep in bodies right now. So, the sooner we get our supernatural-born killers out of circulation, the better." Damon speaks.

I stand from the bathtub and wrap a towel around my wet body as Damon gets out behind me. He also grabs a towel before pulling me into his arms.

"You could at least try to be nice." I whisper as he tightens his grip on me. "Damon, come on. We need to get dressed."

"I'd rather throw you onto the bed, and not let you leave." He says, lowering his voice. It's so deep and intriguing, but I can't right now.

I smile at him before leaning up and kissing his cheek. He rolls his eyes as I pull away from him and walk into his bedroom to find some clothes.

"Have you seen my t-shirt?" I ask as I look around the room.

"I prefer you without one." He says. Even though I'm not facing him, I know that he has a smirk plastered to his face.

"I'm not so sure your mom would feel the same way."

I turn to the dresser to find my shirt, pulling the top drawer open. Before I can even look, Damon rushes over to me and slams the drawer shut.

"Here." He says, holding up his own t-shirt. "Take mine."

I frown at his strange behavior before shrugging and taking the shirt from his hands. He gives me a small smile as I walk back into the bathroom to get dressed.

***

Damon seems to have recovered from whatever happened upstairs earlier, and we walked down to the kitchen, hand-in-hand. When we come around the corner, the table is set with an impressive spread of breakfast food, and Lily is standing there smiling at us.

"Wow." I exclaim, walking over to take a seat as Damon joins me.

"This was always Damon's favorite. Eggs and bacon with little toast slices...no crust of course." Lily explains with a grin.