She looked up at the mirror and studied herself. The white gown flowed from her hips down into a beautiful ruffle pattern made of lace and tulle. The top half of the dress hugged her body nicely and at the waist was a large flower.

She smiled a bit. The dress was beautiful; there was no doubt about that.

Her eyes reached her face. Her eyes were perfectly made with brown and gold makeup to compliment her natural olive tone skin and dark brown eyes. Her cheeks held a few strokes of pink blush and her eye lashes were dark and thicker than usual.

She reached over her head, vial in hand, and brought it down in order to cover her face.

She took a deep breath in.

"Elena?"

She turned around, careful to not rip the dress. She smiled when she saw it was Caroline at the door.

"Hey,"

"Oh, you look beautiful!" Caroline said, excitingly. In a swift moment, she had closed the door and crossed the room to give Elena a hug.

"Thank you. Is everyone here?"

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, I have Tyler distracting the groom." She grinned. "Everyone looks amazing!"

Caroline, herself, was wearing a lavender color empire waist dress that flowed down to the ground. Elena looked out into the window across the room. Caroline followed her gaze. Outside the window, far off into the distance was the Salvatore house, where Elena knew he was sitting on a chair sipping a glass of bourbon. She sighed.

As if she read her mind, Caroline looked back at her and said, "He's not here."

"I didn't think he would. It's fine."

Caroline looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry Elena. But you broke his heart."

Elena nodded and looked back at Caroline. "I know. It's my fault, but I at least thought he'd come for Damon, not me." She sighed again and straightened her posture.

"Let's go. Don't want to keep everyone waiting." She said with a smile. Caroline semi-smiled at her and started walking towards the door.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me, Stefan."

Stefan looked up from his glass of bourbon to his eldest brother. "Elena?"

Damon nodded. "It's been a few years now. I feel like it's the right choice." He walked over to the couch and sat down. "I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you before I did, since she's… you know…"

Damon didn't need to finish his sentence. Stefan stared at his brother with a blank face.

…Since she was mine first.

Stefan got up slowly and walked over to the small table with the glass of bourbon placed on top of it. His throat was burning, but he didn't care. He needed more. Damon watched as he poured his glass half way.

Damon chose to wait for his brother to say something. He knew this was a touchy subject for him. He chose to keep his witty comments to himself, for now.

Stefan didn't say anything. Instead he lifted the glass to his lips and drank until there was nothing left. He then set his glass down, fighting the urge to throw it against the wall and ringing his brother's neck.

"I appreciate you telling me now rather than later." Stefan finally said. He looked at his brother with no emotion visible on his face. "I'm happy for you."

"Well thanks brother, but that still doesn't answer the question at hand." Damon said, rising from his seat.

Stefan closed his eyes for a second and nodded his head. "It's fine. I'm fine. No need to worry about me, Damon. I've dealt with you two for a long time now. I can deal with it."

"I do hope you know that a few years is nothing compared to eternity… we are vampires, Stefan. Immortality is usually a package deal with the turning."

"Let's just leave it at that, Damon. I'm happy for you guys." Stefan turned from his brother and walked out of the room.

He looked up to the clock, ticking lowly in the background, hanging on the wall across from him. 3:15 P.M. It would be starting soon. He took a swig of his glass and set it down on the coffee table in front of him. He glanced down at the invitation on the table.

Elena Marie Gilbert & Damon Anthony Salvatore

invite you to celebrate their eternal commitment to each other in a ceremony of matrimony.

Saturday June, 15, 2012

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Stefan must have read it a hundred times and with each time, he got angrier and angrier. He slowly picked up his glass, took a sip, and then threw it against the wall. God, that felt good. He had held that in for so long. His breathing quickened. He could feel his still heart racing. He yelled, lifting the coffee table in front of him and smashing it across the room. There was so much anger in him, so much hurt. He didn't know what to do.

He didn't think it would ever end up being something serious. He just thought Damon was a phase Elena was going through. He thought she'd come back to him.

He walked across the room, pushing a lamp down as he did. It made a cracking sound as it hit the floor.

He couldn't let this happen. Of course, Damon was his brother, his family. But Elena was the love of his life. He couldn't let her slip away.

He walked through the house and up the staircase, determined to stop this.

Stefan, could you meet me later? We need to talk.

Stefan stared at the text message from Elena. It had been a week since his talk with Damon about his possible marriage with Elena. He wasn't sure if he was ready to face it all. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know her response to the life-changing question she had been asked. He sighed and looked up unto the trees. He needed his alone time for Damon, Elena, and anyone else who tried to talk to him. So lately, he had been coming into the woods halfway between his house and the town.

Let's meet up now. In the woods.

Sent.

He was sitting on a fallen tree, elbows on his knees. He buried his face into his hands, trying to relax himself. He wasn't sure if he could see Elena right now… What if he totally and completely lost it?

"Stefan?"

He looked up. It was her.The setting sun was in back of her making her to be solely a silhouette to him. He could still see her dark brown eyes and her soft lips, her long dark hair semi-covering her face. All these precious memories started running through his head. He looked down at the ground.

"That was fast."

"I was in the neighborhood." Or in other words, she was with Damon.

Stefan fought the urge to show any emotion. His face was blank. "What do you need to talk about?"

She sat down next to him on the tree. "Well, I have some news for you actually, and I wanted you to hear it from me first."

This was it. She was going to tell him her answer to Damon's question. Part of him didn't even want to hear it, he didn't want to know. He closed his eyes, waiting for her to continue.

"Damon asked me to marry him…" she started. She waited for a reaction, but nothing came. "And I wanted to let you know my answer now before you heard from anyone else."

He couldn't do this. "Elena, stop beating around the bush." He looked up at her finally. "What was your answer?"

She looked at him, surprised. "Well… I wasn't sure you knew…"

Stefan got up quickly from the fallen tree and looked at her. "You can't play this game with me, Elena. Either you want to be with him or me. So I need to know your answer now."

She got up slowly and took a step towards him. "I don't want to hurt you, Stefan."

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" he said angrily. He took a deep breath in, trying to compose himself. He can't lose control now.

Elena sighed. "I said yes, Stefan…"

Stefan looked at her. He couldn't hold it in any longer.

"We already have a set date in June… I love him, Stefan." She continued. "But I want you to be there, when the time comes."

He continued to look at her. He felt like he had just been stabbed in the chest, and he definitely knew what that felt like. She wanted him there. She didn't want him though. Not the way he wanted her. He blinked and looked down at the ground.

"Stefan, I need you to say something, please."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Something… anything." She took another step toward him. "I need to know what you're feeling right now. I want you to be honest with me."

"You want me to be honest?" He asked looking back at her. He scoffed. "You don't want me to be honest with you, Elena. You won't be happy with what I have to say."

Elena crossed her arms over her chest. Stefan knew she was getting upset now. "No, please be completely honest with me, Stefan."

He sighed angrily. "Fine, I'll be honest. I don't want you to marry him, Elena. I don't want you with him. I think that's pretty obvious because I want you. I want you to myself, Elena. I love you." He looked up at the leaves of the trees. "But see, I've been dealing with it for a while now. I've been dealing with you and Damon together and I thought I had that all under control. Until this…"He looked back at her. "I can't handle you being married to him. I can't do that. I'm sorry."

Bonnie's phone chimed signaling a phone call was coming through. She was getting ready to walk out the door to the ceremony down the hall, but she stopped dead in her tracks. She knew who was calling her… And it was about time. As she walked to grab her phone, she glanced at the clock. 3:47 P.M.

There wasn't much time left.

She flipped open her phone. She didn't need to check her caller ID. "Finally," she breathed into the phone.

"I need you to stall as long as possible."

"How long exactly? Can't you just get over here with your super vampire speed?"

"Not exactly. I'm driving there. I can't risk getting my suit dirty now, can I?"

She chuckled. "You have twenty minutes. Be here."

She closed her phone, placed it back on the table, and turned around to find Caroline at the doorway.

"Was that him?"

Bonnie nodded, but didn't say anything else. She reached for her bouquet of white roses off the chair next to the door.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on, Bonnie?"

"We have to stall for twenty minutes. That's all I'm giving him. He better make it count."

Caroline smiled finally and took Bonnie's arm as they walked out of the room.

Stefan walked out of the house, dressed in black, head to toe. He had a white shirt inside his buttoned suit jacket. He wore a purple tie to match the color of the wedding. He had to blend in after all. He sped to his car, got in, and fired it up with no hesitation. In one swift moment, he had buckled his seat belt in and raised the volume of the radio.

Pardon my interruption, this drink's just setting in

He backed out of the drive way, determined to get to the church as fast as possible. At the end of the driveway, he switched the gears into drive, and within minutes he was going 50 MPH down the dirt road to town.

On my reservations, a reason I don't exist

He wasn't sure what was going to happen. He didn't know what he was going to say. He just knew he had to stop it. He couldn't let her marry him, not now, not ever. He loved his brother very much, but he was in love with Elena. He had gone long enough letting her play happy with Damon.

She says, can you keep a secret

He slowed his speed. What if she was happy with him? Genuinely and completely happy with Damon? What if by doing this, he was going to fuck everything up? He looked down at his speedometer, 37 MPH.

A ceremony set for June

When they had last spoke she had told him, she loved Damon. He slowed the car a little more. What would happen then? Was he going to be alone forever?

I know it's a rush but I just love him so much,

He was first though. She loved him first. That had to count for something right?

"Stefan, I do need you to understand something…" Elena said finishing the space between them. Stefan looked down at her for a split second and then away at the trees in the distance. She gently moved his face to look at hers again. He looked into her beautiful dark eyes and automatically felt a pull toward her. Her hand migrated toward the back of his neck, slowly bringing him closer to her.

"What?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Now they were inches apart. With no hesitation, Stefan's feeling took over him and he locked lips with her. She didn't hesitate in kissing him back, passionately. He wrapped his arms around her small waist bringing their bodies together. Her grip on her neck grew stronger and their kiss escalated. He broke apart from her soft lips to make his way down her neck. She moaned slightly. Her finger nails raced along his back, urging him to continue. He made his way back to her lips, kissing her stronger than before.

A leaf fell from high above unto Elena's head, almost as a warning sign. She stopped abruptly, pushing Stefan away quickly.

"Oh my god…" she whispered to herself, shocked. She was out of breath.

Stefan stared at her, catching his breath.

"I got to go…" she said, before racing away from Stefan.

No, it counted for something, especially if she still wanted him. His foot pressed down on the accelerator, increasing the speed of the vehicle. He had to get there, now.

I hope that you can meet him soon.

He finally made his way to the end of the dirt path, and turned right unto the main street. The church was just down the road and around the corner. He peeked at the time on the dashboard. 3:58 P.M.

No, I don't wanna love, if it's not you

His skin got warm at the thought of having her in his arms again. He missed her so much. He needed her to make him whole again. He raced down the road, careful of the traffic around him. He swerved from lane to lane in order to get there as quick as possible.

I don't wanna hear the wedding bells bloom.

He slowed the car as he got ready to turn. He switched on his turning signal, waiting for the traffic to go by. He glanced at the time; 4:03 P.M. It just started. He glanced back at the traffic, finally turned down the road where the church was. He could see it from where he was, or maybe it was his vampire-enhanced vision. But right now, all he knew was he had to get there fast.

Maybe we can try one last time

He finally got to the church, that was visibly packed. He didn't bother parking his car in a valid parking spot. He quickly turned off the car and ran into the church.

But I don't wanna hear the wedding bells chime

He raced into the foyer of the church and saw Bonnie. Bonnie looked relieved and made her way to him.

"Finally you're here! We stalled as long as we could, but Damon insisted on starting. It started a few minutes ago."

He looked at her, gratefully. "Thank you so much, Bonnie. I owe you one."

She shrugged. "You two belong together. You know it, she knows it. Everyone knows it."

He smiled at her and walked towards the doors that led into to where the ceremony was taking place.

Elena held her bouquet tightly in her hands. One step forward, then another. She calmly looked around her as she walked down the narrow aisle with Jeremy on her arm. Jeremy was dressed in a black tuxedo with a black bow tie. She took a deep breath in watching everyone watch her. She then looked forward. There in a black tuxedo with a lavender color tie was her groom-to-be. He was grinning ear to ear, watching her walk down to him.

Elena bit her lip and looked around again. He was nowhere in sight. She sighed.

She was a few feet away from the altar when she heard the door open from behind her. She didn't turn around because she knew it would mess up the whole ceremony. It was probably Bonnie anyways…She said she had to run to the bathroom right before the ceremony started.

Once she finally got to the altar, she felt Jeremy release her arm. She looked at him as he bent down to kiss her cheek. She smiled. "You ready?" He whispered to her.

She smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess so." She whispered back.

Jeremy nodded and smiled and looked over to Damon. "She's all yours."

The audience chuckled slightly and then it got silent. She finally turned to Damon who seemed as excited as a five year old on Christmas morning. She smiled at him as she walked towards him.

The priest cleared his throat as a signal for the ceremony to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we have gathered together to celebrate the marriage of Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert." He said, opening the leather bound notebook in his hands.

Damon took Elena's hand in his as her other hand held the bouquet. She smiled up at him, nervously. She looked out unto the audience, at all her family and friends.

"Marriage is the promise between two people who love each other, who trust each other, who honor one another as individuals in that togetherness, and who wish to spend rest of their lives with each other. It enables the two separate souls to share their desires, longings, dreams, joys and sorrows, and to help each other through all uncertainties of life."

Elena breath quickened. Was she making a mistake?

The priest smiled at the couple and turned a page in the notebook. "Before we continue, is there anyone in the audience that objects to the matrimony of these two wonderful people… Speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest looked up at the congregation, as well did the bride and groom.

Elena's breath caught. From the back of the room, she saw him. He was sitting by himself in a pew at the end of the aisle. The room was silent. Elena's hand fell from Damon's.

He slowly stood from his seat in the pew.

From the first pew, Bonnie and Caroline's eyes followed Elena's. Both girls smiled, knowingly.

"Stefan…" Elena whispered to herself. Damon heard and look towards the back of the room. He froze.

Stefan made his way towards the middle of the aisle. "I object!"

The priest obviously hadn't been expecting this. He stuttered for a moment. Damon was the first to break the silence. "What are you doing here, Stefan?"

"Last time I checked, I was invited to this beautiful wedding ceremony." He walked down the aisle. Every eye in the room was on him, he realized. Elena just stared in disbelief. "But on the contrary to what the priest said, I'm not here to celebrate." He stopped walking once he reached the first pew. He stood still, watching Damon. "I'm here to stop it."

Damon walked to Stefan, leaving Elena's side. "Dear brother… brother, brother, brother. How did I know this was going to happen?" He smirked. "I guess I know you a little too well."

Elena took a step towards the Salvatore brothers, still unable to say a word. Stefan took a step closer to Damon. "You knew you closed the line, regardless of what I said to you."

Damon chuckled slightly. "I like pushing your buttons. It's a favorite past time of mine."

"Should I say something?" Caroline whispered to Bonnie. She shook her head. "No, let them get it out. Elena will handle it."

"From as long as I could remember, you always had it out for me. I could never be happy whenever you were around. So I'm not letting you take away the one thing that made me happier than ever." Stefan said, glancing at Elena.

"Why would you even allow yourself to be put in this situation? I can't wrap my head around it." Damon said laughing. "I had asked you prior to this day whether you were okay with my decision. Yes, Damon. It's fine, Damon." He mimicked his younger brother. "I'm happy for you, Damon." He rolled his eyes.

"What did you expect me to say, Damon?" Stefan's voice rose slightly.

Elena breathed in and finally got the courage to say something. "Guys, calm down."

The boys kept talking as if they didn't hear her.

"Oh, well I don't know! How about, No Damon, don't marry her, I still love her?" Damon's voice rose as well.

"You knew good and well I still love her!"

"Guys! Seriously?" Elena yelled. "In front of everyone?"

"You know what? I'm done." Damon said, walking past Stefan towards the exit door. He turned around briefly. "You win, Stefan." He breathed out, seriously now. "Her love for me was never as strong as her love for you."

Stefan watched as his brother exited the church, fist still clenched. Elena made her way to his side. "Did you mean that?" she said, lowly.

He looked into her dark eyes and felt that pull again. "Did I mean what?"

She looked into his eyes, forgetting her train of thought. It felt like they were the only two people in the room. "When you said you still loved me... Did you mean it?"

He smiled slightly. "Yeah."

She smiled up at him but didn't say anything. He wrapped his arms around her as if to hug her, but did so lightly. She was home again.

"Can you guys kiss already?" Someone exclaimed from the crowd.

"Oh my god, Caroline!" Bonnie scolded. The audience laughed. Stefan and Elena then realized they were still in the church, surrounded by all their loved ones.

Stefan pulled Elena closer to him. She grinned at him and his hand made his way to her face. His thumb caressed her face, lightly.

"I love you too." She whispered to him. "Always have, always will."

She closed the little space between them, her lips meeting his. There was a roar of applause in the background, but that was ignored for the moment.

He finally had her back, where she belonged.