Sorry it took so long, been in a funk lately.


One week.

Seven days.

148 hours.

Elena had been in a coma for a week now and Damon had yet to leave the hospital. He would eat in the hospital cafeteria, but promptly return to Elena's side lest she wake without him there. Jenna and Alaric would bring Grayson to see Elena daily, but Damon didn't want his son to see her in her comatose state much out of fear that that would be the only way he would remember her if she didn't wake up. So, Grayson and Damon would have their own visits while Jenna and Alaric spent some time with Elena. Damon would prop Grayson on his knee as Grayson weaved tale after tale of what he'd done that day or he'd bring a book along to show off his newly learned skill. Damon beamed with pride as his son would glide over the pages flawlessly as he would read to his mother. Over the past seven days, Grayson had read to Elena everyday. He'd already gone through all of the Curious George books and was now on the ever entertaining Dr. Seuss. Though he listened intently as Grayson read, his insides cringed with each moronic rhyme, but he couldn't be more happy to hear those rhymes coming from his only son.

Soon, though too soon for Damon, Jenna and Alaric would say their goodbyes as Grayson kissed his mother's cheek. "I love you mommy," he would say as he patted her hand and hugged Damon. After they'd gone, Damon would scoot his chair to Elena's bedside and take her hand in his. He kissed her lips softly and pressed his forehead to hers.

"I love you." He gave her hand a gently squeeze before silence ensued until he fell asleep with Elena's hand firmly in his.


Sunlight filtered through the curtains, lightly touching Damon's eyelids. He scrunched his nose at the enemy sun, five more minutes please. The sunlight became brighter as the sun moved higher into the sky, seeming to ensure that Damon wouldn't be getting those extra five minutes. He heaved a sigh and opened his eyes. Instantly his eyes fell upon the tubes and machines still connected to his wife and he felt a pang in his chest. She'd been comatose for a week without any sign of her waking up. Although he was still hopeful, her doctors had informed him that if she were going to wake up then she would've done so by now. He rubbed her hand and let out a chuckle. Elena was the most stubborn woman he'd ever met, and it was very unlikely that she'd do anything she was told to do - or expected to do, for that matter. He scimmed his fingertips down her arm before clasping his hand around hers. A tears slipped silently from his eye and slid down his cheek as he brought her hand to his lips.

"Oh my love," he whispered softly into her palm. "I wish you weren't so stubborn." He kissed her hand again as he heard a light knock on the door. He quickly wiped the tear away and turned his head to find Jeremy, Bonnie, and Caroline standing in the doorway. All three faces held sympathetic, weak smiles that made Damon queasy.

"Hi." Bonnie held up her tiny hand in a mock wave and stepped forward into the room and Caroline and Jeremy followed suit.

"Bonnie, Jeremy, Caroline, glad you could make it," Damon gritted through his clenched teeth. Elena had been here a week and they hadn't called or tried to find out how she was. He'd called them the day of the accident and they'd told him that they'd get there as soon as they could.

"We got here as soon as we could, Damon." Bonnie said, echoeing his thoughts perfectly. He continued to rub circles on Elena's hand with his thumb, refusing to look at them.

"Could've been sooner," he muttered under his breath. Caroline's weak smile dropped into a frown and she heard Damon's counter.

"Well, what matters is that we're here now," she said, playing to part of peacemaker. "And we'd like to see Elena... alone, please." Damon hadn't gotten much sleep that night, so he didn't feel like arguing with the tall blonde. He gave her a slight nod before standing from his chair. He smoothed Elena's hair down with his hand and kissed her forehead.

"I should probably grab a bite to eat," he said as he made his way to the door. He grimaced as he thought of the less that edible goo that the cafetera served.

"Uh, I'll go too and give you guys some 'girl time'," Jeremy said as he followed Damon out of the room. They walked in silence down the hallways towards the lunch area; they didn't really need to say anything because they both knew how the other was feeling - although, let's be honest, they didn't really want to break the male norm and have a discussion of their feelings. It made Damon sick just thinking about it.

The moment Damon saw what the hospital was trying to pass off as food, he immediately opted for something from a vending machine. After settling on chips and a water, he sat down at an empty table with Jeremy seated across from him. With neither asking for nor volunteering information, they fell into an awkward silence as Damon ate and Jeremy watched.

"I'm sorry, dude," Jeremy said, finally breaking the silence. Damon hated teenager jargen about as much as he hated Dr. Seuss, but he could forgive his brother-in-law. He cocked an eyebrow at Jeremy and swallowed.

"Not your fault."

"Still," Jeremy countered and with that the fell back into their silence until they made their way back to Elena's room.

"...oh, and Jeremy and I are engaged! Can you believe it Elena? We're gonna be sisters, finally," Damon heard as they walked through the door. Jeremy, being the dutiful fiance, stood next to Bonnie as Damon waited to resume his position by Elena's side.

"One day, Elena, you're going to have to come out to Los Angeles. It is so beautiful and sunny," Caroline rambled as she played with Elena's hair. Damon could see the tears brimming in her eyes, but she kept a wide grin plastered on her face. Bonnie turned her attention to Damon as Caroline continued to ramble on about how great California was.

"How are you doing, Damon?" She said as she gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Walkin' on sunshine, and you?"

"Damon," she said.

"Bonnie," he echoed hoping she'd get the hint that he didn't want to talk about it with her. Bonnie, clearly taking a hint, held up her palms in surrender and walked back to Jeremy and Caroline. After their almost conversation, Damon zoned out as Caroline's voice invaded his senses.

"...and Grayson. Oh, I bet he is such a cutie, Elena." Damon's ego surged as he recalled that his son was in fact a cutie, as he did look like Damon.

"Where is he?" Caroline asked in Damon's direction.

"Jenna's." Caroline searched her brain to remember where Jenna and Alaric had moved and then a smile spread across her face.

"We should go see him. It's been so long, Bonnie." She gave Bonnie a pleading, almost child-like, look and stuck out her bottom lip. So like her, Damon thought. She turned her pout towards Damon and he all but told her to leave as he gestured towards the door. Her pout turned into a smile when Bonnie said yes and they all stood to leave. They all gave Elena a kiss on the cheek and said their goodbyes before walking out of the room. Jeremy stopped in front of Damon and stuck his hand out. Damon warily took Jeremy's and in a shake and nodded his thanks. When they left, he closed the door and took his position by Elena's side.

"Oh my love," he said taking her hand in his, "You have the weirdest friends." He laughed a little as his mindly suddenly flashed to Caroline's pouty face. He waited for her to counter him, but she didn't. He feared that she may be forever silent and oh how he wanted to hear her voice again. He didn't even care if she yelled at him, he just wanted to hear her voice that was like a symphony in his ears. And he wanted to feel her ambrosial kisses as she pressed her body against his, making it all that much harder for him to breathe. With her, he didn't seem to be able to hang on to any strand of control, but he loved every second of it. He twurled her engagment ring around her finger as he thought about the day that would forever be etched into his brain and branded on his soul.

"Okay, no peeking, you promised." His hands were covering her eyes as he walked her into a delicately lit room with a small table with two chairs. The table was topped with a blood red table cloth that hung to the floor and a large, white candle that lit the small area. The rest of the room was lit by intreqitly placed candles. He continued to walk her forward until he suddenly stopped, the abrupt movement making her giggle. Her hand came up to his as she tried to pry them from her eyes so she could finally see where they were.

"Ah, ah, ah Elena. You promised." She sighed dramatically and he could practically hear her bottom lip jut out into an obvious pout.

"But, Damon, I wanna see," she whined, making him laugh. Suddenly she turned around and their noses touched as she smiled at him. She pressed her body hard against his and lightly ground her hips into his causing his breath to catch in his throat. She peered up at him with lust-filled eyes as she brought her lips to his. He became almost lost in the kiss until she pulled away suddenly and giggled. He opened his eyes as she was turning around. Her mouth fell open and her eyes brimmed with tears.

"It's beautiful," was all she could say. She turned to face him and threw her arms around his neck. "You did this?" she asked.

"All for you," he said. He pushed her back gently and then pulled out her chair as she sat down. Instead of sitting down across from her, Damon remained beside her as he fiddled with something in his pocket. Elena's brow knitted together as he dropped to one knee with a small box in his hand. It took her a minute to register what was happening. A tear slipped down her cheek as he opened to box and she realized that this moment would forever be branded on her soul and etched into her brain.

He studied her face for a moment before swallowing. Now or never, he thought. He took a deep breath and looked deeply into her molten chocolate eyes.

"Elena," he began, "you are..."

"Yes," she said, cutting him off. He was taken aback at how quick she was to answer.

"Let me finish," he said. Her mouth popped into a O shape and she nodded as a light giggle escaped her lips.

"You are the most infuriating person," he said and she wrapped her arms around her chest in frustration. He was insulting her, she thought. He laughed but continued, "The most infuriating person I've ever met, you're stubborn and independent and frustrating..." Her mouth pressed into a hard line as he kept insulting her. "And I wouldn't have you any other way. You are everything I want and need and I love you more than anything." As the sweet words spilled from his mouth, tears spilled over her cheeks. "I know that nothing I do will ever be deserving of you, but you would make me the happiest man alive if you would do me this honor. So, Elena Gilbert, will you marry me?" Her mouth widened into a grin and she nodded.

"I already said yes you big dummy," she said as she threw her arms around his neck on hugged him tightly to her. She pulled back and he began to kiss every inch of her face. He kissed her lips hotly and then slid the ring onto her slender finger. She stared at it for a second and then took his face in her hands, "Forever," she said as she kissed him long and sweetly on the lips.

"Forever," he echoed onto her lips.


I hope you all liked the proposal scene as much as I love writing it. R&R please and thank you.

Disclaimer: I got nothin' on TVD.