The Devil Takes Care of His Own

Surprises

Months had passed by and each one was more eventful and dramatic than the last. Nik and Elijah were busy at working to aid the werewolf community per the request of an old friend. Plus, my darling fiancé was trying to reunite with the old clan that he could have belonged to. I was unfortunately yet excitingly close to my due date. Despite the fact that Nik had no ill intentions towards our child, the witches were still trying their hardest to get rid of our unborn baby. Now, more than ever, Nik was worried. We were walking beside each other with our hands intertwined when we were stopped by someone I hadn't met before.

"Genevieve, nice to see you here." Nik said politely while sliding my body behind his due to this strange anxiety he had towards everyone lately, he was really worried that someone may try something.

"Klaus, I didn't expect to see you here. Who's this?" she asked him, looking me up and down a bit.

"This is the love of my life," he shifted so I wasn't behind him anymore, "Genevieve, this is my fiancée. Princess, this is an old friend."

"This is Ashley? I've heard rumors about you both."

"Well, I hope it's all been good things."

"I'm just surprised that the two of you are still together."

"Of course we are. We always will be. Well, until I die or she kills me."

"Awe. I feel so loved." I said jokingly while I rolled my eyes a bit.

"And you're just about ready to pop, aren't you?" she asked me, her eyes on my stomach.

"My due date is next week."

"I assume the two of you have decided on a name already?"

"We're debating between two names, actually." Nik told her, making me shake my head.

"We're debating between two names? That's funny because I've decided that we're naming her Gabrielle." I said, making Nik groan a bit since that wasn't the name he had been rooting for.

"I don't remember agreeing on that." he said to me with a small whine that made Genevieve laugh a bit.

"You two are adorable and I definitely enjoy watching Klaus get put in his place. But I need to get going. There's a lot I've gotta work on. You know how it us, us witches are always busy." She said quickly before walking away in the opposite direction as us.

So, Nik and I kept walking without any particular destination. Nik was convinced that I should be home all the time since I was a few days away from popping. But, I was restless. I hated to be home at the compound for more than a day or two in a row. I was also convinced that being more active would be healthier for the baby.

"Is it just me, or was she a little suspicious?" Nik asked me after a few moments of us walking together in silence.

"Nik, you think everyone is suspicious lately."

"That isn't true."

"You spent twenty minutes yesterday asking Elijah where he was before he came home because you thought that maybe it wasn't really him."

"It could've been someone else in his body. We both know it's possible."

"Nik..."

"Look, if I am a little more protective lately, it's because all I care about is protecting my girls. So, tell me, did you think she was suspicious."

"If I say yes, you'll probably end up killing her."

"Princess, that isn't your concern."

"She's a witch, Nik. Literally every single witch within a hundred mile radius is suspicious to me lately."

"And you say I'm the paranoid one?" he teased playfully.

"Well, I blame my paranoia on you."

"Can I ask you something?" he asked me, confusing me just a bit while I looked up at him to see the look on his face and try to guess whether or not this was going to be bad.

"Of course, Nik. What's on your mind?"

"How do you feel about Damon and Bonnie being on the other side again?"

"I don't know. I guess I haven't really thought about it that much." I told him honestly, shrugging a bit and I could tell that my reaction surprised him.

"You don't know? You have no opinion about this? I'm surprised. You typically have a lot of strong opinions that make me do whatever you want."

"Well, I'm sad. I wish Damon was safe and home where he belongs. But there's nothing that I can do about it. Besides, we weren't ever really that close anyway. Why do you ask? Is there something going on?"

"No. Just, you're gonna be having the baby soon and I worry that you might feel differently after she's born."

"Why would I?"

"I guess because you're going to be a vampire again."

"I don't get it." I said in another confused tone similar to the one that had slipped from me just a few moments ago, "Why would me becoming a vampire again change anything? I kinda assumed that it would be much better."

"Don't worry about it baby. It's getting pretty crowded out here. Let's start getting home."

I nodded and we walked leisurely back to the compound. Nik's hands gently led me upstairs and I stretched a bit. My back was aching, my chest was sore, my ankles had swelled up to an impressive size, and my stomach was absolutely huge. The whole situation was actually pretty funny considering the fact that I had once devoted so much time towards my appearance. Hell, when I met Nik, I spent most of my day working on what I looked like. My walk was a bit closer to a waddle and Nik lovingly teased me for it every once in a while.

"I want to go take a nap." I told him, mumbling a bit while he wrapped his arms around me.

"Alright, princess. Let's go up to the bedroom." He said, making me roll my eyes a bit since he had barely left me alone for the last few weeks.

"Nik, why don't you go find something to do?"

"Because I want to be with you."

"I know, but I want you to have fun. I'm sure you have someone to kill or something you want to do."

"You're sure? I know you probably don't want to be alone though."

"I'm just gonna get into the shower and then take a nap."

"But-"

"-it's not very fun to be nine months pregnant. I'll be fine. I promise. You can come check up on me every thirty minutes if that'll make you feel better."

"Can we turn that into fifteen minutes?" he asked with a little pout.

"Will that make you feel better?"

"I would feel better if it was every five minutes, actually."

"Fifteen minutes will work." I said before he leaned in and kissed me softly.

"Alright. I love you, princess."

"I know, Nik. I love you too."

I pecked his lips again then went upstairs to our bedroom so that I could step into our bathroom to shower before I took my small nap. Yet, before I knew it, I was screaming in pain due to the birth of my first child. Unfortunately, I definitely wasn't where I had planned to be. There were witches standing above me and all I wanted was to be back home with Nik.