Hello my lovely readers! I'm back with a one-shot this time! I got this idea when I was singing at a wedding down in Germany, and I just couldn't let it pass - that being said, I'm not completely happy with it. Could've been better, but I feel like this is finished.

Please bear in mind that I am not from America, and we have different wedding traditions over here. My lovely, wonderful and totally amazing beta have of course helped me, so thank you for that Foreverfirstloves. You know I love you, hun!

I'll see you at the bottom!

Till death do us apart

"Care, I don't know if I can do this..." Elena said, putting down the beautiful bouquet in her hands. Caroline turned around on her heel, looking at her best friend. Her hands were on her stomach and her face was slowly turning pale. Putting down everything she had in her hands, she sat down next to her childhood friend and put her hands on top of hers. Worried blue eyes met brown, as the two friends looked at each other.

"You don't love him?" the blonde one asked, not judging her one bit. Elena's eyes widened and she shook her head, almost ruining her beautifully styled hair. The thought of having cold feet made her feel sick. Caroline put a gentle hand on her arm, hoping to calm her down.

"Then what's wrong? You're about to confirm your undying love for the man you love. He's waiting for you out there, you know."

Elena smiled, thinking of the beautiful man waiting outside the doors for her and her alone. This was supposed to be their day together. The brunette looked up at Caroline.

"I know. And I'm not regretting anything. But my parents are out there, Care. My dad is sitting in there, all too well aware he is the one who should be walking me down the aisle. He probably isn't even wearing a suit… What if they've said something to Damon? They just don't want this for me."

Elena felt tears pressing on, silently thanking Caroline for using waterproof mascara. The blonde wrapped her arms around her best friend, comforting her.

"It doesn't matter, Lena. Don't you see? Damon loves you exactly as you are. You two have been through hell and back to get to this place, and now you're finally here. He's out there, waiting for you, no doubt thinking you're rethinking this whole thing. Don't let your parents get to you. They can't stop him. Only you can," the blonde one said, wiping the tears off Elena's cheeks. She looked at Caroline, a smile spreading on her lips, while she slowly nodded her head.

"You're right… Let's do this. I can't wait to be his."

The two friends hugged, knowing everything was about to change. None of Elena's parents were aware of the couple's plans for the honeymoon. After the wedding, they would fly directly to Rome. Thing was, they hadn't ordered tickets back home. Elena's had enough of her parents, and the couple needed time to themselves. They needed to get away from Mystic Falls and away from the people trying to tear them apart.

Elena had been looking forward to this day ever since he'd proposed to her, and now that the day was finally here, she wasn't going to let her overprotective parents ruin that.

Grabbing the bouquet, she walked to the doors, relieved to see Jeremy standing there in his tux, a smile lighting up his face.

"You look beautiful, Sis," he said, taking her arm in his, preparing to walk her down the aisle.

When Elena's father had refused to be the one giving her away, her brother had stepped in instantly. She hadn't been surprised when her father had refused, but it'd hurt her a great deal. Ever since she had been a little girl, she'd dreamed of her wedding day, where her father would be walking her down the aisle to the love of her life. That dream had been shattered when her dad had yelled that he would never give her away to someone like Damon.

He'd made it very clear that he never wanted his perfect daughter to be with someone like Damon, and that him giving her away would only happen, if it was to a proper man.

That day, she'd come home crying, Damon instantly guessing exactly what had happened.

Grayson Gilbert had hated Damon ever since they'd first met, so he wasn't surprised the man had refused to give his only daughter away.

But seeing his fiancé cry like that, broke his heart, and he knew he had to do something to fix it. Talking to Grayson wouldn't help at all – he'd tried asking him for his daughter's hand in marriage to seem respectful, but Elena's father hadn't been happy. He'd left the room cursing, after telling Damon he'd never be good enough.

No, trying talking to the older man wouldn't help. If Grayson didn't want to give Elena away to Damon, that wasn't going to happen.

Damon hadn't hesitated to call Elena's older brother, Jeremy, and asked for his help. An hour later, Jeremy had arrived at their shared apartment, asking Elena if he could be the one giving her away. This time, her tears had been happy, and Damon knew he'd done the right thing.

He knew Elena had dreamed of her father doing it, but this was just as good. Their wedding would be successful.

"I bet she's having second thoughts."

The comment snapped Damon out of his memories. He instantly recognized the voice as Grayson Gilbert's, and felt the anger boil inside of him. When Elena had said she still wanted to invite her parents, Damon had protested. He had seen how her parents hurt her, and he wanted their wedding day to be happy. He wanted her to be happy.

That was also the reason it didn't take her long to convince him to add them to the guest list.

But when he heard her father talk about her like that, at their wedding, he regretted ever inviting them. He should've known they would try to ruin it somehow.
He'd come to terms with the fact that he'd been what tore Elena from her parents. He'd been feeling guilty for a long time, even trying to leave her once, so she could reconnect with her parents.

In the end, he'd listened to one crying voicemail from her, asking what she'd done to make him leave, and he'd returned, begging for her forgiveness. When he'd told her the reason for his leaving, she'd told him he was more important to her than her family. She'd looked him in the eyes, and told him that he was her family now.

That was the day he'd decided he was going to marry her.

He didn't want to live a single day without her by his side.

He'd gone ring shopping the next day, and had found the perfect one after 2 hours of looking around. Proposing to her had taken him a lot longer, though. Six months he'd spent, carrying around the small velvet box, trying to find the right thing to say, and the perfect moment to do it.

And in the end, she'd been the one making him do it. She'd begun fearing he was cheating, or was unhappy with their relationship. As soon as Caroline had told him about those fears, threatening to cut off his balls with a spoon if they were true, he'd gathered the courage and finally done it.

Needless to say she was ecstatic.

It'd been all tears and hugs and kisses, and they'd spent the whole night in bed, showering each other with love.

After that, the planning had begun. Caroline had been the first one to know, and she'd been jumping up and down, begging the happy couple to let her at least help planning the wedding.

When they'd seen the church on their wedding day, neither of them had regretted their decision, and they couldn't wait to see the reception.

Caroline had been great at trying to plan around Elena's parents, pretending they just weren't going to be there. At that time, Damon and Elena had decided not to tell them anything. One night while they were lying in bed, Damon had finally gathered the courage to tell her about his attempt to ask her father for her hand in marriage. Elena hadn't been surprised at her father's reaction, but she had teared up, and hugged him, while whispering how much she loved him.

And after inviting them anyway, her father had the audacity to talk about her like that, at her own Goddamn wedding. He knew they'd never support them, especially after having to hear about their engagement from someone else. They'd showed up on their doorstep one day, demanding Elena came to her senses and moved back home. Unfortunately, Damon had only been wearing a pair of sweats, his hair ruffled from Elena's hands, when he's heard her crying. Of course he'd hurried to the front door, wanting to protect his fianceé from whoever had the nerves to make his girl cry. Grayson had looked like he was going to explode and Miranda's eyes had fixed themselves on his muscular chest, her face quickly turning red. Damon hadn't bothered, though. He was furious with the older couple, for making Elena cry, again. He'd told them to call before visiting, and then shut the door in their faces.

Elena had broken down, then, and he'd instantly wrapped his arms around her, gently calming her down.

Thinking back to that day, Damon knew that if she heard comments like that from her parents on her wedding day, it'd break her down, and he couldn't let that happen.

Making a quick decision, he calmly walked down to the front row, bending down to Grayson's level.

"I'd suggest you keep quiet, or else I'll have you and your wife escorted out immediately. I know you don't support our relationship, but this is your daughter's wedding day. You should be the one walking her down the aisle right now. You should be supportive of her, because no matter whom she loves, she's still your daughter. I'm here today to make your beautiful daughter my wife, because she's the love of my life. Don't ruin the most important day of her life. You've already ruined the first part of her life," he whispered, fighting to keep his temper down. He didn't want to cause a scene at their wedding. The older man's eyes widened a bit, as Damon raised his eyebrows slightly.

Fixing his bowtie, he stood back up and calmly walked back to his place by the alter. His brother's hand patted his shoulder gently, as Damon stared right ahead, trying to calm down again. He's been in such a good mood, until that stupid comment. Now he had to fight to get back into the right mood.

The church was absolutely quiet for the longest minutes of his life, and then the blessed sound of the organ starting to play. His eyes turned to the door, knowing that in a few seconds, the love of his life was going to walk through those doors. He'd been ready for this day for so long, and now the moment was finally there. He'd never thought he would be getting married before thirty, but this day couldn't have come too soon. He'd been a womanizer when he was younger, but Elena had turned his world up and down. From the moment he met her, he knew she was different, but he'd thought that would change when they got into bed. But here he was, ready to make her his for the rest of their lives.

And he didn't regret a single thing.

Finally, the doors opened, and Damon's world stopped. He'd never seen anything as beautiful as her. The strapless dress hugged the curves of her upper body, and a big skirt made her look like a princess. Her hair was curled, tendrils hanging down on her olive skin. Her face was partly covered by the vel, but he could still see her beautiful brown eyes and full, red lips. A loving smile spread on her lips, as she slowly walked down the aisle, her arm firmly tucked under Jeremy's.

The first few steps were careful, as if she was afraid the floor would disappear under her feet. But as soon as she looked up and her eyes connected with his, her confidence grew and she glided up the aisle. Time almost stood still to Damon. Everyone around him had disappeared, only he and Elena existed in the room. He would gladly spend eternity looking at her like this. The happiness on her face wasn't hidden by the beautiful veil, and how he loved seeing her like this. The last year had been hard on both of them, so seeing her this happy on their wedding day was the greatest gift anyone could've given him.

He stepped down, ready to receive her from Jeremy, their eye contact never breaking. When they stood in front of him, he whispered a silent thank-you to Jeremy, before hooking Elena's arm with his own. As soon as he felt the familiar weight, the room came back, the organ still playing and someone blowing their nose.
Elena didn't look up at Damon, as they walked to the altar, standing in front of the prist. He smiled kindly at the couple, before opening his bible and beginning to speak.

He knew the couple wouldn't really be listening to his words; it was clear to him that they loved each other more than anything else, so why would they choose to listen? The man, Damon, had his eyes fixed on his bride and the priest knew this young woman was the only thing he was thinking about. A blush could be seen on her cheeks, even though she had fixed her own eyes on something behind his back. Obviously another emotional one. One look at her almost-husband and she'd probably burst into tears. The priest smiled, as he read from the bible, remembering how his own wife had reacted when he'd removed the veil that had covered her beautiful face. Tears had run down her cheeks, a big smile plastered onto her face, as they said their vows. It'd been a day he would never forget.

"If anyone would protest against these two young people joining, speak now, or forever hold your piece," the priest said. Damon stiffened, and felt Elena do the same next to him. This was the moment where Elena's parents could ruin everything. If they said something now, the entire wedding would be ruined. But nothing came from the hall, and the priest only smiled at the young couple in love.

They turned to each other, their hands firmly clasped together. Damon found it weird Elena wasn't looking at him, but decided not to read too much into it. He gave her hands a reassuring squeeze, before he repeated after the priest. It was only when he'd slid the ting onto her finger that she looked up.

The emotions in her eyes overwhelmed him.

Her eyes were brimming with water and the promise of unconditional love shone from them. Her voice was shaking, as she repeated the words, sliding the hold wedding band unto his finger. And finally, he was allowed to remove the veil, cup her face with his large hands and press his lips to hers. Not wanting to let go, he licked her lip once and stroke her cheek, feeling the wetness from the tears of joy, streaming from her eyes.

The sound of people clapping came back as they let go of each other, and Damon held her gaze. He couldn't believe it. She was actually Mrs. Elena Salvatore now. They'd fought for so long, and finally his dream had come true. Her parents didn't have any kind of hold over her anymore, and even though they'd been so close to ruining everything, it hadn't stopped them. She was his for as long as they both would live.

So, that was it! I hope you all enjoyed it, even though it was short and sadly, smutfree! That being said, I am doing something exciting this year, and participating in the annual Delena holiday A2A exchange! And that fic will be M-rated! Hope to see you all soon!