Title: The Best Man

Summary: Damon and Elena meet at a wedding, which ends hotter than anyone would have thought. Continuation prompt by Lucy.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

Elena stood in the foyer looking back at the place she had called home for the past twenty-six years. A floodgate of memories filled her as she remembered all the good and bad times that had been held within this place: the parties and holidays, the childhood tantrums, every mandatory family game night and Sunday dinner. Now her aunt and uncle and their unborn baby would be moving in and making some memories of their own. Her mother's décor touches were long gone as were family photos of her and Jeremy growing up. Sure, she was still in a few around the house. But now they were mixed in with photos of Jenna and Ric's travels rather than her own parents. It didn't feel like home anymore and that was a good thing. She always knew she would be welcomed here with open arms but she had a new place to call home.

And a someone.

With one last look, she picked up her bags and left her childhood home, closing the door behind her. When she looked up he was there, leaning against his Camaro and smiling at her with adoring affection. She took a deep breath and let out any anxiety she was having and marched toward him with purpose. Damon was already reaching for the few bags she had. "Is this everything?"

She nodded. "Just some clothes and knick-knacks I had here for the past two weeks. I've been slowly moving the rest of the stuff to my apartment." She smiled. "My apartment. It feels good to say that."

"It's a place all your own," Damon remarked, putting her suitcases and duffle in the trunk and closing it shut.

They both hopped into the car and he drove the short distance to her apartment. As they emptied his car and entered the building, all Elena could think of was the night before. She had spent the night tangled up in bed with Damon. They kiss, fondled, had sex multiple times, ate, and then just veg'd out watching Netflix. It was the perfect way to spend her first night in her new place. He got lunch going while she emptied the suitcases. Suddenly she felt soft music coming from the kitchen and low humming carried the tune. This was her new definition of home and she was kind of loving it.

"You really didn't have to come with me."

"Yes, I did."

"But this is going to get really awkward really quick and then we'll all be stuck in a car together."

"It's going to be fine."

"It really isn't."

"Elena, will you just relax." Damon grabbed hold of her shoulders and maneuvered her closer so that their foreheads touched. "She's your aunt and my best friend. Everything is going to be fine."

She let out a breath. "No. Ric is going to kick your ass and Jenna is going to finish you off."

He laughed and turned her body around so that he could sling his arm around her shoulders. "I'll get one hell of a lecture from Ric and Jenna will probably ream me but as long as you're happy they'll be fine with it." He paused. "You are happy, right?"

Elena whipped her head towards him. His eyes looked vulnerable even though he was trying to appear as though the question didn't faze him, as if it was silly of him to even ask. Those eyes of his though, they always gave him away. She beamed at him. "More than I have been in a very long time."

Then she kissed him, full of passion, and Jenna and Ric chose that moment to exit out of the gate. "Ugh. Gross."

They both jumped back and when Elena saw her aunts face even though it was filled with disgust, she pounced. Her arms wrapped around Jenna's still tiny frame as she gushed about just how much she missed her. Which was a lot. She could hear Ric and Damon greeting each other and Ric's hushed warnings. When the girls pulled back, Jenna was smiling. That was before she looked towards Damon. Then the grimace was back.

Elena chose that moment to embrace Ric as Damon gathered their bags. "I missed you both so much," she admitted. In an attempt to steer the conversation towards happier topics Elena asked, "How was the honeymoon?"

That got them both talking. Damon hung back with their bags, which Ric helped carry, as they both talked about their various adventures on their honeymoon. Jenna was already whipping out her iPhone to show pictures as Ric bragged about how he dragged Jenna to some historical sites even though they were on their honeymoon.

Everything was going positive until they were in the car. Elena was driving. Damon was beside her. And the newlyweds were in the backseat and suddenly silent. The awkward silence lasted until they hit the highway and then Elena and Damon were subjected to some tough love.

"So when did you think it was okay exactly to get in my niece's pants?" Jenna questioned, hitting the back of Damon's head.

"Jenna, I can expl—"

"I gave you one rule prior to the wedding," Ric interrupted. "One rule. Steer clear of Elena."

"Look, Ric. I had every intention—"

Jenna threw her hands in the hair and hit Damon again. "This is ridiculous. Elena, do you have any idea what you've got yourself into? Did you at least make sure he got tested?"

"Can both of you just stop?" Elena screamed, silencing everyone. Three pairs of eyes all turned towards her. "I'm an adult and I made an adult decision. You both warned me about Damon's reputation but I'm choosing to trust that he won't hurt me. I'm choosing to have some faith in us. Something I would appreciate from the both of you."

It was silent for a moment and Elena felt Damon's hand on her thigh as it gave her a light squeeze. They knew going in that this was going to be difficult. That Ric and Jenna knowing Damon's past wouldn't take the news of their relationship too easily. It was hard to see past someone's past even when they proved those expectations wrong. Which Damon had done again and again these past few days they spent getting to know each other.

"You break her heart and I'll castrate you," Jenna stated.

Damon turned towards her. "I have no intention of breaking her heart even without the threats to my appendages."

"Damn right you won't," Ric added.

"Can we stop talking about castration and threats and talk about your honeymoon please?" Elena offered, navigating the Founder's Day traffic getting into Mystic Falls.

Damon smirked. "Yeah, like did Jenna do any drunken table dances? That's usually her staple after a night of partying."

Jenna's Table Dancing was something everyone knew about. Get enough drinks in Elena's aunt and she would no doubt be putting her pole dancing exercises to work on the bar. Not to mention the one time she tried to pull Ric up there and the poor guy turned beet red as Jenna gave him the most erotic lap dance of his life. Elena was surprised she didn't need some extensive therapy after that image. There was definitely no table dancing in Jenna's near future. Of course, Damon didn't exactly know the reason behind that.

Elena watched as Ric and Jenna shared a look in her rearview mirror. She watched as Jenna nodded and Ric smiled. "Nope. No more table dances for this one for a while."

"Why? What's wrong?" Damon was confused. Table Dancing Jenna was a staple at parties.

"I can't drink." Jenna answered with a mega-watt smile.

"Wait…" Damon's eyes were bugging out of his head. "You're not…? Jen are you pregnant?"

She nodded and Damon erupted into a congratulatory cheer. "Wow! Congrats!" He met Ric's eyes. "You've got some quick working swimmers, buddy."

"First my boyfriend's imminent castration should he break my heart and now we're disgusting my uncle slash stepdad slash high school teachers sperm. This isn't awkward," Elena mumbled. "Nope"

"Actually…" Ric was just the tiniest bit embarrassed as he addressed Damon. "Jenna is about 8 weeks."

Damon balked. "Shotgun wedding, huh?" he laughed out through his shock.

Jenna slapped Ric in the shoulder. "I told you people would think that! Forget the part about us being engaged for 6 months and finding out I was pregnant at my bachelorette party. All everyone will think is that I should hardly have worn white knocked up."

"No one thought you should be wearing white to begin with," Damon joked.

"Ew! Damon!" Elena screeched. "That's my aunt."

"Oh, please. You told me about the Chunky Monkey incident. Don't try to pretend that those Gilbert Family walls aren't thin."

Now it was Jenna's turn to screech. "You told him about the Chunky Monkey incident?"

"And the pom-pom cover-up."

"Damon!" Elena yelled.

Despite some borderline domestic violence and inappropriate conversation the ice had officially been broken.

Once Jenna and Ric had been dropped off with promises to stop by the Founder's Day parade and party; Damon and Elena headed over to the town square to set up for interviews. It went by relatively quick considering Elena had to interview the mayor and the entire Founder's Council. She had also gathered up some of the graduating class and some alumni and townies to talk with about what Founder's Day meant to them and how its meaning changed through the years. It wasn't long before her part was over and Damon had to focus on capturing all the floats that made their way down Main Street. Elena caught Alaric and Jenna in the crowd and shot them a text about meeting at the Ferris wheel when the parade was over.

While the parade went by Elena could only focus on Damon. He was so caught up with capturing the photos that he didn't notice her admiring the line of his jaw and the broadness of his shoulders. Or how his body looked lean but when you ran your fingers down his chest to his abdomen you felt just how muscular he really was. She focused on the protruding veins and muscles of his arms and just as her eyes flicked up to look at his chiseled face, he side-eyed her with a smile. "Shouldn't you be watching the parade?"

"I'd rather watch you instead."

He smirked. "Even my ego can't afford to get any bigger by an article on just how hot I am."

"Oh, so you think you're hot?" She teased.

Damon waggled his brows, his eyes focused on the sight in front of him still. "I know it isn't my winning personality. These blue eyes have gotten me into some trouble."

"Eh," Elena mocked. "You're alright. I guess you could say you're attractive."

He tickled her sides causing her to laugh. "I have to focus, little miss distraction."

She smiled. "Okay." Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she took it out to see a text from Jenna.

You look happy...

Elena looked up and saw her aunt watching her. She typed back a response.

I am. So happy.

Jenna responded right away.

He seems happy too. Ric even said he's never seen him like this. Guess some guys can change with the right girl... Xo

Tears filled her eyes as she smiled down at the text message. She'd be lying if she said that Damon's past didn't affect her. She knew just how bad of a player he had been before she came along. It wasn't like she thought so highly of herself that she believed he could change so quickly but to hear it from Jenna and Ric who knew Damon so much better than she did was just what she needed. It told her that this decision she had made in trusting him wasn't a mistake. That it was right. That this could possibly work out.

And she desperately wanted it to. Because even though she hadn't said it out loud yet, she knew just by the feeling she got being with him that she was falling for him. Falling hard.

"Mystic Falls looks beautiful from up here," Damon stated, snapping a photo on his phone.

"It really does," Elena agreed. They were on the Ferris wheel currently stopped on the very top. She was nestled on his lap with his arms around her and it was the definition of heaven.

Damon held his phone out in front with the lens facing them. Elena tried to hide her face as he started kissing her neck, temple and cheek. "Come on, 'Lena. Just one photo."

She relented and smiled at the camera as he snapped the shot. "Happy?"

"Very." He let her see the photo. They were both smiling brilliantly. They looked happy and adorable and dare she say it… in love? She shook the thought away. It was way too soon to be thinking the "l-word". Way too soon.

"So I have something that I want to ask you."

Elena snuggled closer, fighting the chill. "Ask away."

"After Jenna and Ric's party I have to shoot some photos for National Geographic in Italy. Would you want to join me?"

She twisted towards him as the Ferris wheel began to move again. "Are you kidding? I would love to!" Her smile faltered. "I'm not sure I can take the time off of work so early on."

"What if I told you I could get Elijah to give you a story for the Virginia Herald that would require you to join me?"

"I'd tell you that you were crazy but to go for it!"

Damon laughed. "It's just with me being in D.C. tomorrow and now this trip we'll hardly have any time together. Just a few days before I'll have to leave again."

Elena placed a light kiss on his lip before burrowing back into the nook. "I'd love to come with you Italy. And it's not cause I've never been and I've always wanted to it's just cause I'd miss you," she teased.

He squeezed her tighter, tickling the exposed skin between her sweater and jeans. "You'd totally miss me."

She looked at their tangled legs. Her Converses mixed with his Doc Martens, her hands on his skinny, chicken leg thighs. Tomorrow he would be gone and she knew that she would miss him. There was no hiding it. He had spoiled her this past week and tomorrow he would leave her alone to deal with the withdrawals. "Yeah. Okay. I'd miss you."

Damon showed her his phone where it was open to his Instagram page. The most recent photo was the one he just took of them and underneath was the word "girlfriend" with a heart. Her heart swelled. She had blurted out the word boyfriend earlier in the car but the truth was they had never exactly defined the relationship. It was the confusing part of growing up where it wasn't mandatory to pass the girl you like a note asking her out with a checkbox for yes and no. As you grew up things were messy and confusing and someone had to make the first move to make it official or exclusive.

This was Damon's move.

Her mind mentally checked off the yes box and tilted her head up to kiss her boyfriend.

A/N: The secret is coming out either in the next chapter or the following one. You've been warned *insert evil laugh*