Hello!
I know those who followed this one-shot are going to be surprised with the alert, and truthfully I never thought of extending it. But this idea has been playing in my mind for a few weeks now and I had to get it out.
It's soft and fluffy, something which is clearly not my forte, but that didn't stop my stubborn self.
Enough with my ramblings. This is not beta-ed, so all the mistakes are on me and only me.
See you at the bottom...
Damon was shaking. Yes, you heard it right. Damon Salvatore, the eternal stud who was not so eternal anymore, was trembling like a leaf. Never in his 180 years in this world he had an iota of a hint that this would happen. But like every other thing in his life, this flailing of nerves was attributed to one single name.
Elena.
Elena, the other half of his soul, the love of his life, the mother of his kid(soon to be kids), and his fiance. And in a few hours, wife.
It's not like their relationship had been less than married till this point. They had already seen worse things in a few years than your average married couple does in a lifetime. She was living with him since she woke up from her coma, which was more than four years. They were bringing up their three year old together, yet a wedding seemed to be a huge stepping stone to him. She was going to take his name after taking up his heart, mind, body, soul and the right to be called the mother of his kids. And with this thought he was back to being nervous as he'll once again.
"Are you trying to lose those few inches around your belly by walking around your room?" Alaric snickered, bringing Damon out of his reverie.
"I don't know about that, but you definitely need spectacles. You're getting old, buddy." Damon retorted.
"Last I checked, you're the one born in 19th century. If I was you I wouldn't dare talk about my age." Before Ric could start feeling proud of himself for such a witty comeback, Damon pointed out towards his graying hairline and said, "Well, this says otherwise." Alaric promptly threw the tie he was holding out for him on his smirking face.
"Dick."
"Careful Ric, you're starting to sound like the guy with a vengeance who tried to kill me but ended up dead himself." Damon threw back while trying to make a perfect knot to go with his tux.
"I think it's not wise to go down the memory lane and recount all the times we both succeeded in killing each other, at least not today." Ric tried to joke but Damon knew his words had an underlying meaning.
"Yeah, let's not." He resisted himself from thinking about everything that went down between him and his best friend during the time Elena was away, but the bad memories had a way of creeping up on the worst possible moment. They were back to being friends, but it didn't mean their journey coming close the each other was full of sunshine.
It was once again Elena who brought her family together. When she read all the journals her friends wrote for her, she put the pieces together and took it upon herself to mend their broken bond. Family nights became a regular occurrence in their lives, which often ended with Dalaric(as Jeremy liked to call them) crashing in the parlor with their favorite bourbon. Gradually, the continuously flowing alcohol resulted in them talking it out. They blamed, yelled and even kicked each other one time, but in the end nothing could be worse than the idea of losing their best friend.
They were a huge part of each other's lives, but some shards which were deeply embedded cause a twinge every time we think about them.
"Okay, enough! You've officially forgotten how to tie a perfect Windsor." Alaric eased the tension by taking over the tying-the-knot job, which Damon was finding as hard as rocket science at that moment. He tried to stop Ric, but he slapped his hand away.
"Damon, I know we have talked about it numerous times, but that won't change the fact that I was a shitty friend to you, especially when you needed me the most."
"You're talking like I was Florence Nightingale reincarnated during those horrendous years.."
"Will you stop joking about every single thing and let me say this once?" Ric growled, annoyed by Damon's habit of taking it lightly. Damon straightened up, listening intently to what he had to say.
"We both know we weren't there for each other when needed, but that doesn't mean I'm not on freaking cloud nine today. As a parental figure to Elena, I'm proud that she's chosen you to be her husband. You're the right man for her." He clapped him on the shoulder, showing his appreciation for the man he had become. "And I'm also proud of you, buddy. You've made a good life for yourself, you're raising a kid fantastically, and you're going to marry an amazing woman. You already got the girl, but now you get to keep her for the rest of your lives. There's nothing in the world which would make me happier than seeing two of the most important people in my life getting their happily ever after, together." He added with a heavy voice, finishing up the knot. Damon didn't waste a breath and hugged the life out of him. Maybe this was what they needed, to not only understand their differences, but also their love for each other.
"I'm so glad to get this out, I swear." Ric said, shaking his head and they both broke into fits of laughter.
That's how Jeremy found them, sprawled on either side of the enormous bed in Damon's old room.
"Seriously? Of all the days, you chose this day to gossip and giggle like school girls?"
Damon's retort died on his tongue when he looked at him. He had his serious face on, and now that he proclaimed to be a grown up, Damon knew it'd be a risk to piss off his Bride's baby bro. Not like he had a chance with the way Jeremy was going on.
"You," he pointed at Damon, who suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights, "Be on your way to the venue. Right. Now!" He stressed on the last two words to exercise his authority as the man of the Gilbert family, which amused Alaric to no ends.
"And you stop smiling there and go pick up the girls. Why am I the only one acting like an adult today? Here I have you two and then there's Elena, who according to Caroline is giving Niagara Falls a run for its money." Jeremy muttered, immediately catching Damon's attention.
"Wait, she was alright when we talked last night. What's wrong?"
"Don't you think it's something you should've figured out by now? You're marrying her for God's sake, I thought you knew her?"
"Damn it, Little Gilbert! You're telling me that your sister is crying non-stop on the day of our wedding, when I haven't seen her since yesterday morning. How am I supposed to know?" He almost shouted, but then another thought came to his mind.
"What if she's having second thoughts about it? She's ready for it, right?" He started pacing the room, again, much to Alaric's annoyance.
"I don't remember saying anything that could change her mind. Everything was going perfectly. Why in the world would she cry on our wedding day?"
Ric had had enough, so he grabbed Damon by his shoulders and sat him down. "Now listen to me, you thick-skulled! Women cry on special days, it's nothing. She must've been missing her parents or something, you and me both know she won't leave you. Now get your ass in the car and marry the girl."
"Elena, sweetie, I think you should stop. You're ruining two hours of my handiwork."
"I'm trying, Care. It's just that, I just can't stop crying." And then she broke down into a fresh wave of sobs.
"Shh, everything's perfect." Caroline soothed her while combing a soft hand through Elena's curled tresses. "You're going to walk down that aisle like we practiced, you're going to get married to Damon, you're going to kiss him so hard that he loses every sensible thought right there when I say 'You may kiss the bride' to him, and then you two are going to leave us for a month to make some more adorable babies like Jenna." She said in a single breath, shushing Elena in the process.
"Wow! I guess that worked. I suddenly don't feel like crying." Elena murmured the last line more to herself. The picture Caroline painted was so perfect, she forgot why she was so damn emotional before. Until she remembered the part about Jenna-like babies.
"But are you sure you'll be okay with Jenna for a month? You've two of your own too, and we know what chaos those three can create when they're together."
"Yes, Elena, I know I can handle the-"
"No, wait. What if Jenna is suddenly sick? Or she develops an allergy for something? We'll be halfway across the world, we can't come back immediately. Oh god, why didn't I think about it? How can I leave her here, alone?"
"Elena!" Caroline screeched. "Stop! Your ramblings are putting me to shame. Nothing's gonna be wrong. Now please, enough with the worrying. Just get on with this."
Damon and his groomsmen reached just in time. Now he was very impatiently waiting for his girl to be there and come running to him down the aisle. From what Jeremy told him on the way, it was clear that he won't be calm until he sees her at the altar. After putting some of the pieces together, he came to the conclusion that this was probably the doing of pregnancy hormones, but obviously he couldn't say it out loud. That was something only he and Elena knew. It was their little secret until later tonight. But it didn't hurt to be sure about her abnormal emotional breakdown.
"Relax, Damon. You gotta stop biting your nails, or Elena might not have a finger to slip the wedding band on by the time she comes here." Ric snorted, trying to ease the tension which had creeped up on him.
"I would, but the general track record of peaceful wedding ceremonies is just too bleak in this town to calm me down." He grumbled, remembering two of the most devastating days of his life. Agreeing with him, Ric finally gave up and distracted himself from the bad memories by looking around the venue. Damon and Elena had chosen a serene place to get married. Sure it was in the middle of nowhere, with a pond on the side and a touch of wilderness, but all these factors added to the tranquility of the place.
Just then the sound of the wedding band playing A Thousand Years filled the surroundings. Both of them turned in time to see Caroline almost running towards the altar to take her place as the wedding officiant. She gave both of them quick smiles and waved towards her girls sitting in the front row with Matt's family.
She was followed by Bonnie, in her pale blue Maid of Honor dress, holding hands with the prettiest ring bearer slash flower girl Damon had ever seen. He forgot any kind of anxiety he was feeling just by looking at her innocent face and those doe eyes. Although they were as blue as his, but still they reminded him of Elena. She was an exact replica of her mother, which made her even more precious for him. Not like she was less precious anyway.
He looked up behind her and was greeted by the most beautiful sight ever, rivaled only by the moment he saw Elena holding Jenna for the first time. She was looking like a dream, literally. For a moment there Damon thought he might pass out because of the overwhelming emotions he was experiencing.
She was holding Jeremy's arm snugly, probably because she didn't trust herself to walk through the aisle without a hitch. The place, the occasion, the people gathered around them, and the meaning of it all was dawning upon her. Holy shit! She was getting married.
But then she looked at Damon and everything faded in the background. There he was, the man she wanted to be with, whom she was already promised for eternity, the father of her kids, and about to be her husband. Just thinking about it all left her with peace in her mind, which she felt to the bone. And then he smiled, truly smiled at her. It was his smile for her. Only she was privileged to get it from him. His pretty blue eyes crinkled at the edges, making him more beautiful than ever, and his lips curved up in a lovely angle even Pythagoras couldn't name.
She had reached at the end of the aisle, where Jeremy let go of her hand and placed it in Damon's. He turned to take his seat, but not before whispering something in Damon's ear which even she couldn't hear. Damon replied with something snarky and Jeremy promptly showed him the finger.
"What was that?"
"That.. was your baby bro warning me. You know, don't ever hurt my sister and all, she's very delicate."
"And what did you say to him?"
"Nothi-"
"Damon?"
"I just said that you didn't look delicate when you were screaming my name loudly the other night." He blurted, earning a harsh glare and a punch in the arm from Elena.
"Why am I even marrying you?"
"Umm, because you love me? Because you can't live without me? Or because we already have a daughter together, and another one on the way?"
"Geez, couldn't you be quiet for once?"
He smirked, Elena trying to hide something from everyone was always amusing. "And lose the chance to boast about my ability to knock you up again? Nah, I think I'll pass." He whispered conspiratorially.
"Will you two stop your chit-chat so that I can commence your wedding? I don't know about you but the guests you invited are waiting for it." Caroline said irritatingly. They both nodded at once and begrudgingly stood a bit far, holding each other at arm's length.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of these two beautiful people. If the phrase 'made for each other' was coined thinking about someone, I can bet it was them." She smiled broadly at her own statement. "Before I begin, if anyone has any objections to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." Damon scanned the crowd, for any possible offender who could ruin his day, but it was for nothing. Nothing could separate them.
"Damon and Elena have written their own vows. So Damon, you're up first. Go steal the show." She uttered the last line in a whisper, which was only audible to Damon's ears, accompanied by a wink.
He nodded his head towards his sister-in-law gratefully, and then addressed his girl. "Elena, I've been in love before, but now that I think about it, that wasn't love. That didn't make me feel a fraction of what I felt every time I was in your proximity." Elena was already tearing up, dabbing under her eyes with the back of their joined hands. "Your love has made me a better man. You've given me everything I wanted, and even things I never know I needed so much." He glanced behind her at Jenna, who was watching the ceremony full of awe and wonder. "I've been yours since the second I laid eyes on you, we've already promised each other a lifetime together. But today, I give you the only thing I hadn't yet, my name. I promise to love you, be loyal to you, make you laugh even in the darkest times I wish you'd never get to see, to hold you, support you, be your best friend, confidant and lover, for the rest of our lives." Elena couldn't stop herself from jumping into his arms. She knew whatever vows he had written, she'd be emotional by the end, but this was just too much. Her heart was exploding with the love she felt for him, which was clearly reflected in his eyes.
"Elena, it's your turn." Caroline interrupted, breaking the moment the couple was having in each other's embrace.
"I've no chance to top your vows, but here goes nothing." Damon laughed and placed a feather light kiss on his bride's forehead, giving her a silent 'go ahead'. "When we first met, you were not the guy I ever imagined getting married with. During the time we got to know each other and fell in love, we both grew as individuals. You told me that I make you a better person, but the truth is, you have influenced my growth from a girl who just wanted to give up and sacrifice herself whenever things got difficult, to a woman who learnt to face it heads on and fight for herself. Every moment that I've spent being in love with you has been a blessing, no matter how tough the going got, and I'm not sorry for anything. I'll be spending the rest of my life giving you all the love and devotion you deserve, and more than that. I promise to love you, trust you, be your rock, your sounding board, to hold your hand when the pessimist in you comes up, and to be yours till the end of your lives." She breathed out, and when she really looked into Damon's eyes, they were glistening with tears full of adoration. She mentally patted her back.
"Wow! I don't even think I need to ask, but do you, Damon Salvatore, take my best friend, Elena Gilbert, to be your wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Caroline asked.
"Of course I do." Damon said and kissed Elena's hand. He couldn't stop touching her. The thought that this woman standing in front of him was now lawfully his was enough to take his breath away, but holding her grounded him.
"And do you, Elena Gilbert, take my brother-in-law, Damon Salvatore, to be your husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
"I do." Elena's voice was getting heavier by the second. Thankfully, Caroline called up Jenna to bring the rings to distract her. Looking at her parents, in her pink dress, witnessing this moment between them with a twinkle in her eye, she reminded Elena of her childhood self, the one who was ignorant of the supernatural world around her. At that moment she wished that her daughter would never get to see the things she survived.
Damon took the wedding band from Jenna and slipped it on Elena's ring finger. It looked perfect with her huge engagement ring. Elena did the same.
"With the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife." With that the entire gathering erupted into applause and cheers. Caroline was yet to say Damon's favorite part though.
"Blondie, I think you're forgetting a very important detail here." He hissed. Clearly enjoying his annoyance, she pretended to be oblivious about it for a few seconds, but after he sent a death glare towards her, she couldn't pretend and said with a laugh. "And you may kiss the bride, Damon."
"You bet I will." He punched his fist in the air like a kid. Even Jenna was thoroughly enjoying her father's theatrics.
He leaned towards Elena and whispered, "Until death do us part." And then he kissed her like he had never done before, but before it could escalate, Elena pulled back.
"Uh-huh, I think you promised me forever. Death will be too soon to leave you." She reminded him.
"If it makes you happy, I intend to find you in every life after this life ends."
Satisfied with his answer, she grinned and said, "Deal!" before they lost themselves in each other.
If you have any ideas/headcanons about Delena post their HEA, let me know here via PM or on twitter Delenarya, and I'll see where it goes.
Read and Review, pretty please?