Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).

I apologize about Guardians of the Cure. At some point I will revise it, so that it works, but I want to see how Legacies pans out as I would like there to be as much canon included as possible.

I hope everyone likes this story. If you do, please press the like, or follow buttons.

The Ceremonies

Damon's his forehead against Elena's, them both slightly breathless brought on by their climax's from making love. Hay was prickling Elena's back, but she didn't care. She was in the arms of the man, or currently vampire she loved, and this could possibly be the last time they made love to one another while he was a vampire, therefore comfort came secondary to the pleasure of being together in the most intimate way. This could also be the last time they didn't have to concern themselves about contraception.

Elena didn't want the moment to end as Damon kissed her, his fingers ghosting down the side of her body. Elena recognized this sign, his recovery was nearly over and he'd be ready to make love again in a matter of seconds. Damon had a voracious sexual appetite, and it appeared becoming human hadn't quelled Elena's either. A single touch from him had the potential to turn her into a quivering mess filled with desire. She just hoped Damon's sexual needs wouldn't be dampened as a result of becoming human.

Suddenly Damon lifted his head and frowned. Elena continued kissing Damon's neck as she didn't want this moment to end and was ready for more, but whatever had caught Damon's attention through his vampire hearing was clearly distracting him from the task at hand.

"Um, I think it's starting." Damon told her as shock hit Elena. She thought they'd only been in the loft for half an hour. The ceremony wasn't for another two hours, there was no way they'd been up there all of that time.

Elena pulled away from kissing Damon's neck. "What? No! What time is it?" she asked as she turned over and looked at her phone to look at the time, only to see five missed phone calls and more than twenty text messages from Caroline. "Oh my god. No, no, no, no, we're so late." she cried in panic, as she sat up and started putting her clothes back on.

"Well, you're the one who couldn't keep your paws off me." Damon protested as Elena frantically threw his shirt at him.

"Damon, put your tux back on." Elena demanded.

"I am, I am." Damon smirked then began to laugh at her sense of panic while they get dressed.

Once they were dressed and vaguely presentable, they quickly made their way downstairs, although they still looked slightly disheveled, complete with with sex-hair and several stray pieces of hay stuck in their hair and clothes. Once they reached the wedding room, they found a very unimpressed looking Caroline waiting for them as they walked in.

"Well, I hope it was worth it." Caroline snapped as Elena picked a piece of straw out of Damon's hair.

"Actually..." Damon smirked.

"Ick, gross!" Caroline interrupted him, cringing with disgust. "Not the time, okay? Have you seen Bonnie or Matt?" she asked.

Elena frowned. "They're not here yet?" she asked, worried, knowing something must have happened to them.

"Ohh, just go, go. Go, go, go." Caroline sighed with frustration.

"Okay." Damon smirked as he and Elena started to make their way down the aisle to cue the beginning of the wedding. Elena placed her arm in Damon's, however when they looked up to where Ric was stood, they realized they were the wrong way round, so they swiftly swapped places and continued walking until they finally made it to the alter. They both took their spots, Elena on Jo's side and Damon behind Ric.

"And so?" Ric asked Damon, eager to know his best friend's decision.

"Looks like I'm joining the human club!" Damon told Ric as Elena smiled at him coyly from across the aisle. "It's a big night for both of us." he added.

"I'm proud of you." Ric whispered.

"You, too, buddy." Damon smiled.

Damon and Ric were both distracted as the music started up. They turned to see a stunning looking Jo walking down the aisle, surprisingly escorted by her father. The crowd watched them as they approached Ric, the bridesmaids and groomsmen at the altar. Eventually the music stopped and everyone was in position, as the Officiator began to address the audience, although whether Ric heard him was unclear as he seemed to be in a world of his own, stunned speechless by the sight of Jo. As they faced each other, their smiles of happiness couldn't be more obvious than if they'd placed a message on the back of a plane saying 'I love you'.

"Welcome, family and friends." The Officiator smiled at the audience. "On this magical evening to the wedding of Alaric Saltzman and Josette Loughlin. Josette and Alaric have prepared their own vows." he told them.

"Ahem." Ric cleared his throat nervously. "Neither one of us should be here right now. We've spent our life dodging fate and beating the odds." he started as Damon and Elena stared at each other happily, sharing in their own private declaration of commitment Damon had made earlier, momentarily ignoring the speech Ric was making, before turning their attention back to the ceremony.

"But, because we did." Ric continued. "I got to meet you, the most beautiful, hilarious and intimidatingly brilliant woman I have ever known. You inspire me, you've shown me that happiness is actually something that I can have in my life. And so..." Ric took the ring from Tyler. "I promise to be with you, and love you, and to dodge fate with you for the rest of our lives." he continued as he put the wedding ring on Jo's finger, which prompted Jo to begin to cry.

The Officiator turned to Jo. "Josette?" he smiled.

"Oh god, that's a tough act to follow." Jo said with a panicked voice, causing everyone to laugh. "Here it goes... Alaric Saltzman, you are... an exceptional human being in every way." she started.

Damon glanced over at Elena and smiled, causing her to lower her eyes and blush. As he did, Elena realized, that even now, after all of these years together, he could make her feel like a teenager with a schoolgirl crush. Except Damon was real, and he was hers, and about to become human for her. She wasn't sure when he planned on taking the cure, although he had hinted it would be that evening. But as happy as she was about the prospect of them growing old and dying together, Elena had to admit their was a niggling doubt in the back of her mind whether Damon was doing the right thing. Some people were born to be vampires, and like Caroline, Damon was one of them. It was his identity, and he was prepared to give it all up for her. Elena found it a strange mixture of romantic and overwhelming. However, deep down Elena was also concerned about the man Damon would become.

Stefan had warned Elena about Damon's personality when he was human. He was sweet but lacked direction. If this proved to be the case once he became human again, he was going to end up depressed and potentially resentful of giving up his life as a vampire, and this was something she didn't want to feel responsible for. Of course, Damon had stipulated he'd made the decision for the both of them, and it wasn't doing it just for her. The life he said wanted with her was based on having a human life with a family. But it had been a long time since Damon had been human and Elena didn't know if having a family and children of his own was something he'd ever even wanted back then. Today, what Damon had done was more than your average marriage proposal, and it had taken a lot of courage on his behalf.

Elena just hoped Damon didn't change much when he became human again. Her own experience had already taught her the bloodthirsty nature of a vampire was something which disappeared. However the rest of her new personality traits had remained. Elena hadn't returned to the pre-vampire version of herself. Instead all she'd lost was the urge to kill, the penchant for violence and the desire to drink blood. Everything else remained the same. Emotionally things didn't feel any different. Although she may have been so completely used to heightened emotions, she'd learned how to deal with them. Once they'd disappeared, she'd stopped trying to do anything about it and had been left feeling exactly the same. If anything, her feelings for Damon were more intense than they'd ever been, even before she asked Ric to compel her memories away.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride" The Officiator announced.

Clapping from the audience brought Elena out of her thoughts as she glanced up at Damon who frowned with concern. Elena smiled and mouthed the words "I love you." to him. A huge grin erupted on his face as Jo and Ric began to walk back down the aisle, now as a married couple. Damon took Elena's arm as they followed them through the vast amounts of confetti which was now raining down upon them.

Damon leaned over to Elena's ear. "Do you wanna do this one day, with me?" he asked in a low voice.

"Is that a proposal?" Elena whispered.

"It might be." Damon shrugged.

"Only if we do it before you take the cure." Elena told him.

"Why?" Damon frowned.

Elena turned her head and looked at Damon in surprise. "Don't you want Stefan to be there?" she asked. "Once you've taken it, we're going to have to disappear off the face of the planet to make sure you're safe. You'll never see him again. He's your brother, you at least owe him that." she said as they continued to slowly follow Ric and Jo.

"I guess." Damon frowned. "This is not some ploy to stop me from taking it again is it?"

Elena laughed. "You've made your point very clear, I know you want to take it. I won't stop you. But I think we ought to do the marriage thing while we can be with our loved ones." she smiled.

"Deal!" Damon whispered. "We could even use it as our goodbye party, and when we slip off on our honeymoon, we vanish and never come back to Mystic Falls." he suggested. "And for wherever our honeymoon takes us, we'll both be in need of sunscreen, and daylight rings will be a thing of the past. Although, if I get my way..." he smirked.

"Then yes Damon. I will marry you." Elena smiled. "Although I do expect a real proposal." she winked. "Down on one knee and all."

"I have already gotten the most fabulous engagement ring for you." Damon smiled. "But it cost more than Ric's salary, so proposing here, tonight, might not be a good idea." he added.

"You didn't have to go to extremes." Elena chided.

"Oh but I did." Damon grinned as he pulled Elena in towards him and they began to kiss.

"Eww!" Elena heard Caroline's voice. "Kiss for the camera was meant for Ric and Jo, not you two." she said, stood glaring at them with her hands on her hips.

"I can kiss Elena whenever and wherever I want Blondie." Damon said pointedly as he kissed Elena once more. "Only Elena is allowed to tell me to stop." he smiled.

"Well as the fill in wedding planner, it is my responsibility to know whether you have your speech ready." Caroline snapped.

"Yeah yeah. It's right here." Damon patted the breast pocket on his jacket. "Although Ric would probably prefer it if I had forgotten it." he grinned.

"Ugh! Please don't say it's dirty." Caroline narrowed her eyes.

"The dirtiest." Damon taunted her.

"Well, don't forget there's a whole coven of witches ready to take you down with a big headache if your not careful." Caroline crossed her arms smugly. "Bonnie, Matt!" she called out as Damon and Elena turned to spot the latecomers. "Okay, so what was your excuse, and it better be a good one." she asked.

"Flat tire." Matt sighed.

"C'mon Damon." Elena pulled on Damon's arm. "Let's join the party." she insisted.

After the meal and speeches, came the music, dancing and drinking. Damon's speech had gone down a storm, as although it was filled with tales of their drinking exploits, there was nothing too incriminating to embarrass Ric with which could be relayed at a wedding.

As much as Damon and Elena wanted to make their own announcement public, this was Ric and Jo's day, and they were not going to spoil it by stealing the limelight away from the happy couple. Instead they told those who they deemed important enough to be invited to their own wedding. Elena had already decided she wanted Caroline as her wedding planner, as they wanted to get things moving as quickly as possible, and knew how well she'd organized her Liz's funeral. Elena also felt this would give Caroline something to do to occupy her and help her with her grief. They were going to need someone extra efficient, as they planned to marry one week after Jo and Ric returned from their honeymoon in Europe. That gave them three weeks to prepare.

Those three weeks flew by. Miraculously, although unsurprisingly, with Caroline at the helm, everything was planned and ready with a day to spare. Elena had Caroline, Bonnie and Jo as her bridesmaids, while Jeremy was back from hunting vampires to give her away. Stefan was Damon's best man and Ric was his groomsman.

Damon had spent two nights in New York with Stefan, Ric (who had been back from his honeymoon just three days), Jeremy, Matt and Tyler for his bachelor party. Elena had very reluctant to let Jeremy go with them, but he was almost nineteen, and was probably going to get up to worse at college. She just hoped Matt and Ric would keep him in check and away from Damon's bad influence. Whether they were able to or not, Elena never found out, as there seemed to be an unwritten bachelor party code, whatever happened in New York, clearly stayed in New York as nobody would tell her anything about their adventures.

Elena herself was thrown a bachelorette party by Caroline, Bonnie and Jo. Jo got her revenge by hiring a stripper in the guise of a doctor before they head to the grill and eventually a club after Jo left, too tired to carry on as a consequence of being pregnant. The next morning, Elena experienced her first major hangover since becoming human again, and for a moment, while her head was in the toilet and she was vomiting, she wished she was still a vampire. The healing properties of vampirism certainly did have it's perks at times. Elena just hoped Damon realized how little he would be able to drink once he became human again.

Finally the big day arrived. Elena wore a white dress, made with a sleeveless tulle, organza and hand-beaded embroidered lace ball gown with double lace shoulder straps, sweetheart neckline, drop waist, chapel length train. Instead of a veil, Elena had opted to wear an intricately hand made white gold hair comb, coupled with crystals and ivory pearl beading, imitating flowers, berries and leafs, to hold her hair in place. Her earrings were white gold drops, with diamonds, pink sapphires and pearls. The overall look was chic yet subtle and understated. Once she'd finished getting ready, her three bridesmaids, who wore pink, looked as though they were all ready to cry when they saw her. Caroline, Bonnie and Jo left her time to be alone for a few minutes to compose herself.

Elena had gotten ready in Stefan's room as he'd been charged with guarding the dress from Damon's prying eyes. Although Elena suspected Damon didn't care what she wore, as long as she was there for them to seal their lifelong commitment towards one another. As she gave herself a final check over, she noticed Stefan's reflection in the mirror, standing in the doorway, watching her, in almost the exact same way as Damon did on the night of her eighteenth birthday.

"Hey." she smiled at him as he walked in.

"Hey back." he smiled. "You look beautiful. My brother is a lucky man." he told her.

"Thank you. I promise to try not to cry." she shrugged.

"Oh I think you have every right to cry." Stefan narrowed his eyes, as he walked towards her. "Look I just need to say something..."

"Stefan." Elena sighed. "I'm not sure this is the right time. You know, just before my wedding."

"Hear me out." Stefan insisted. "When we first started dating, at first I thought my brother wanted to be with you just to spite me. And in all fairness, that was probably a little bit true. He definitely didn't want you because you looked like Katherine. But along the way, you showed him something he wasn't used to, kindness and compassion. A willingness to forgive him. It was all he'd ever wanted from someone. And because of that, he fell in love with you, despite you looking like the woman he hated the most in the world." he took a deep breath. "I trusted you and was absolutely sure you'd never fall for him. Well at first I didn't. I knew you'd never cheat on me, but I wasn't blind Elena. The signs were there the night Damon tried to get Katherine from the tomb. I felt jealous of the way you held him. I was almost glad he snapped Jeremy's neck, when he was wearing the ring. I was absolutely convinced you'd never forgive him, but you did. Not over months or weeks, but days. I should have known then. But I continued to ignore the warning signs."

Stefan..." Elena interrupted, but Stefan shook his head.

"Wait." he told her. "Look, I was kidding myself. Although you chose me as a human, I now doubt we would have lasted any longer than we did when you turned. You'd have gone searching for him, because even though you didn't realize it at the time, you were hopelessly in love with him. You were just scared of the implications and hurting me." Elena frowned in sympathy. "I thought you came into my life because you were my soulmate, but I now know, you were fated to come into my life because you are his soulmate, not mine, and he is yours. The both of you defied all of the odds, and no matter what fate handed you, you were inseparable. No matter what it was, including death, you overcame it. Now I see, I was just your first obstacle." he initially lowered his eyes before looking at Elena once more with a smile. "But I am glad you ended up with Damon. You gave me back my brother. Sadly, today you're about to take him away from me. And yet, I'm happy, because for the first time in his entire life, Damon is happy. He is giving up everything to be with you, to build a life and family with you. So Elena, I need you to promise me one thing, that you'll try and make it worth it for him. Make him happy."

Elena turned to Stefan and smiled. "I promise." she said.

"And one more thing." Stefan frowned. "If you and Damon have kids, at least find a way to let me know, so I can watch over the future generations of Salvatore's after the both of you are gone." he said sadly.

"I will." Elena agreed. "It'll be nice to know my family are being looked after." she smiled warmly.

"Just don't tell Damon I asked you to. We're not supposed to keep in contact." he choked back a laugh.

"Ric, Jeremy, Caroline or Bonnie will let you know." Elena nodded. "We're not completely cutting off from our friends.

"Just me?" Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"We're only going to be using email where we can't be traced." Elena told him. "It's your choice Stefan, we could still..." she started.

"No!" Stefan stopped her. "If I here how you are, and what you're doing, I'll want to know where you are and come and see you. But when the time comes, I'll want to know about any nieces or nephews when Damon is dying." he said sadly.

"Of course." Elena put her hand on Stefan's arm in a gesture of support.

"Ahem." Came Jeremy's voice, clearing his throat dramatically to announce his presence as Stefan and Elena turned to see him standing in the doorway. "Do you wanna go and your best man duties?" he asked Stefan.

"Um, yeah... I should go find Damon." Stefan frowned as he kissed Elena on the cheek. "Good luck." he smiled before leaving the room.

"What did he want?" Jeremy scowled after Stefan had gone.

"He just wanted to thank me for giving him his brother back." Elena told him.

"Um, aren't you two like, going to disappear from him?" Jeremy frowned.

"Yeah." Elena nodded sadly. "He means the last few years when they finally got close again." she said as she felt a sadness tug around her heart, threatening to turn itself into tears.

"Hey, it's a happy day." Jeremy insisted as he saw the signs of sadness on Elena's face. "Only tears of joy."

"I promise." Elena choked back a sob.

"So, don't be creeped out, because you're my sister and all." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "But you look really beautiful. Damon is going to go crazy when he sees you." he told her proudly, prompting a smile from Elena. "We need to get going, your carriage awaits." he added as he held out his arm and Elena took it.

Outside, there was indeed a carriage with two horses. It was a small nod to Damon's past, being the type of carriage from his previous era as a human. But it just made Elena feel like she was living out every little girl's wedding fantasy. She was especially fortunate to met her soulmate with her own Prince Charming, although most people would beg to differ about him being charming. To others he was more like Prince, cocky, sarcastic and arrogant, but with her he was different, and that was all that mattered. The only piece missing from her wedding was her parents and Jenna, but she knew she couldn't dwell on that, otherwise she'd ruin her make-up, and Caroline would probably kill her. Jeremy helped Elena step up and get inside the carriage, where Bonnie and Jo were already waiting. As Caroline had been the wedding planner as well as a bridesmaid, she'd already left to go and ensure everything was perfect before Elena arrived.

Damon and Elena had decided to get married in a barn similar to Ric and Jo's, which was attached to a local hotel. It had been expensive, but Damon had insisted he'd waited a hundred and seventy four years for this day and he wanted everything to be perfect, even if the gathering was only small. The one relatively important person missing from the proceedings was Damon's mother Lily. It turned out Matt and Bonnie hadn't been late due to a flat tire, they'd been dealing with Lily. Initially they wanted to kill her, but she'd managed to reason with them, telling them if they did, they'd make an enemy of both Enzo and Stefan, and they'd both come to kill them.

Realizing Lily was right, Bonnie placed the desiccation spell on her, until they were sure Damon and Elena would be as far away from Mystic Falls as possible, cloaked and unable to be traced using a locator spell. Stefan and Enzo hadn't been happy with what they'd done, but Lily was a dangerous distraction at a time when they should all be celebrating a happy time for everyone. Eventually Stefan and Enzo agreed, as long as Lily was woken after Damon and Elena were back from their honeymoon and settled into their their new lives. Bonnie had promised she'd wake her in three months, giving everyone time to adjust to their new circumstances.

Twenty minutes later, the carriage pulled up outside the converted barn. The small gathering were already inside waiting for her. Caroline and Stefan were at the entrance as they were the cue to start proceedings. Eventually when it was Elena and Jeremy's turn to enter the barn Boccherini's Menuet Célèbre filled the air. Damon and Elena had chosen that particular song as it meant something special to them both. The song had been playing when Elena was introduced and descended the stairs at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant before she and Damon danced together. It had been the first time she'd noticed Damon in any way other than being Stefan's big bad older brother. In some respects, it was the start of things for her, and apparently for Damon too, as that was the day he realized he was falling in love with her.

As Elena and Jeremy slowly made their way down the aisle, Damon initially refused to turn to look at her. But when Ric nudged him, he turned around and saw her for the first time. Damon's face was a picture of shock and adoration. Elena's wasn't much better. Damon always looked fabulous in a suit, and today he was wearing a charcoal suit and black tie. He had a red rose boutonniere, which matched Elena's bouquet, which was made up of white calla lilies and red roses.

Eventually they made it to the alter. Jeremy gave Elena a peck on the cheek before handing her over to Damon, giving him a scowl as he did so. Normally Elena would have expected a smirk or sarcasm from her husband to be, but today she could see he was truly nervous.

"I've never seen you look more beautiful." he whispered to her, causing Elena to blush, as they took their places in front of the officiator.

"I would like to welcome you all, family and friends." The marriage Officiator smiled at the audience. "On this beautiful afternoon to the wedding of Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert. Both Damon and Elena have already prepared their own vows." he told them, looking at Damon.

They'd written small parts of their vows together so they would say something similar about their commitment, but the rest they'd written alone themselves, and this was the first time either of them were to hear the vows in full.

Damon cleared his throat and took Elena's hands in his. "Elena Gilbert, the first time I met you, I thought you were someone else, the woman, who at the time, I thought was love of my life. An easy mistake under the circumstances." he said as the crowd who knew about Katherine laughed. "But it turned out I was right, you are the love of my life. We have experienced trials and tribulations, life and death, even passed through time and space to be together. Yet no matter what, nothing can tear us apart. You, Elena Gilbert, showed me how to be a man again. You showed me compassion and forgiveness, where nobody else did. You showed me what true love really means. You are the light to my darkness, my humanity, my love, my soulmate, my everything. And I promise to walk to the ends of the earth to be with you, support you and maybe guide you, although that's probably not a good idea." he frowned, bringing a ripple of laughter from the audience. "Until the day we are temporarily separated by death." he continued. "After that I want to spend the rest of eternity in whatever comes after this life with you. I love you Elena Gilbert." he added as Ric handed him the platinum ring, which he placed on Elena's finger, as she began to cry with joy and emotion over his words.

"Oh my god." Elena wiped a tear away. "That was beautiful." she said as Damon smiled warmly at her. "I'm not going to beat that, but here we go." she said, taking a deep breath. "Damon Salvatore. When we met, at first I only saw you as my boyfriend's, older bad boy brother. As far from the type of man I thought I could ever fall in love with. But no matter how hard I tried to resist it and deny it, the pull to you was too deep. I just couldn't shake you. The odds were always stacked against us, yet no matter what decision I made, whatever fate was supposedly meant to have designed for me, I always ended up making my way back to you. You just snuck up on me without warning, and consumed my whole being. You are the person who owns and protects the darkest parts of me. You define me. Your love for me is unconditional, even on my worst days, you look after me. You showed me what it was like to live and be free. You are my best friend, my partner, my lover and my soulmate. I promise to be by your side, in good times and bad, through sickness and health, until the day we are temporarily separated by death. After that I want to spend eternity in whatever comes after this life. I love you Damon Salvatore." she said, as Ric handed her the other platinum band, which she placed on Damon's finger. They then held hands once more for the next part.

"Do you, Damon Salvatore, take Elena Catherine Jane Gilbert to be your lawful wedded wife?" the Officiator asked.

"I do." Damon smiled, as the Officiator turned to Elena.

"Do you, Elena Catherine Jane Gilbert, take Damon Salvatore to be your lawful wedded husband?" he asked.

"I do." Elena replied, trying to hold back the tears.

"By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife." the officiator announced. "You may kiss the bride." he told Damon, who wrapped his arms around Elena's waist and pulled her in close as they kissed to rapturous applause, until they eventually they broke away and stared at each other lovingly in the eyes.

"I love you Damon Salvatore." Elena whispered.

"I love you Elena Salvatore." Damon smiled back as they both looked at the audience. "I think it's time to get this party started." he, as they left the alter to a shower of confetti.

For the dress it is the David Tutera Arwen, 215277, although I changed it to white.

If you like the story, please like, follow or review. Reviews inspire me, correct my mistakes, allow me to engage and answer questions. They also help motivate me to get the following chapters out quicker.

Mandzipop