a/n: I'm torn between making part five or just ending it. If you'd be up for another installment I will oblige and write it :) If you think it would be drawing it out too much, let me know. And no, this isn't the end of this story just yet. Thank you to my readers and reviewers!

FOURTEEN

The plane ride home was probably the longest one I had ever taken. Stefan, Damon, and I had made sure we ate heavily before coming to the airport. I spent the ride leaning on Damon and talking to him. There were times that I caught myself staring and he had to remind me that he was really there. My emotions were something that I had to get used to. After several months of not feeling anything, it was strange to feel it all. Pearl met us in Jeremy's car, the one I had given him, once we arrived at the airport in Richmond. "Does anyone know we're coming?" I asked, looking at John.

"Just Pearl," he said as we all piled into the car and began to drive. John turned around in the front seat to look at me. "Things have changed since you've been gone."

I held his gaze for a long moment before I nodded. "Is that you're way of saying Jeremy's one of us now?"

He nodded and I knew that it hurt him. He still hated vampires in general but now his daughter and his only nephew were one. I reached forward and put my hand on his shoulder. "Sorry."

He shrugged and looked forward. "His choice."

The good thing about coming back in early January was that Matt and Caroline would be away at school. Bonnie was supposed to have gone to school as well, but I knew she had stayed behind because she wouldn't be able to concentrate. The rest of the ride was quiet and as much as I wanted to see Jenna and the others, I just wanted to go home and enjoy being with Damon. We pulled up in front of the house and Jenna was sitting on the porch drinking coffee, bundled up in a sweater. Today wasn't as cold as it could have been and her eyes lit up when she saw all of us. Her mug fell to the ground and shattered, the coffee staining the wood as she flew down the steps and threw her arms around me.

"Thank God you're home!" she squealed. She let go of me and pulled Damon into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're alive and well," she said to him and then laughed. "Well, you know what I mean."

"It's good to be back," he told her and we watched her hug Stefan, Tyler, John, and then finally Alaric. Their reunion went something like mine and Damon's had only a little bit more controlled.

We walked into the house and standing in the kitchen were Anna and Jeremy. They both did a double take and then, using his speed, Jeremy was there to sweep me off my feet. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?"

"Surprise?" I said sarcastically as I returned his hold.

He shook his head and smiled before he looked at Damon. "Good to see you again," he said to him.

Damon's brow rose. "Really?"

"You can't be all bad if she loves you," he said, nodding in my direction.

"Thanks Jer," I said and shook my head as they exchanged the "man hug." I waved to Anna. "Hi."

"I hope you're not mad," she said, her eyes flickering to Jeremy.

"Of course not," I replied and gave her a short, awkward hug. "Welcome to the family."

Jenna and Alaric came in after the exchange of greetings and was closing her cell phone. "Bonnie is on her way," she said excitedly and hugged me again. "I'm so happy you're home."

"Me too," I said and I could feel her heartbeat; feel it against my chest. I tore myself from her grasp and cleared my throat. "I think I've had enough hugs," I said around a tight throat.

"What happened to your eyes?" she asked, taking a step back from me. I could smell her fear from where I stood.

I looked at my reflection in the window and sure enough, my eyes were beginning to glow. "That would be an unfortunate side effect of an incident with Tyler," I muttered.

"I'm just that unforgettable."

I gave him a warning look as Damon's head snapped in his direction. "I wouldn't bring that up again if I were you."

He looked at Damon whose eyes were spitting daggers at the wolf. He cleared his throat and turned back at me. "Consider it done."

Jenna's wide eyes lost their fear after a few moments and she swallowed. "Um, Tyler. Your uncle told me to have you call him when you came back."

"I'll do that," he said and went into the office to make the call.

"And you," she said, putting a hand on her hip. "We have wedding plans to make."

"Give me two days to adjust and I will be at your beck and call."

She nodded, finding that answer acceptable. "Okay, you're the maid of honor..."

"And?"

"And I don't have many female friends. Would you mind if I borrowed yours?"

I smiled and nodded excitedly. "Whatever you need."

"Oh good, because I already asked Bonnie to be my bridesmaid and of course Anna. I was thinking of asking Caroline too, but I know you haven't told her about this yet."

"I don't think I'm going to tell her. Telling her would mean telling her what Damon did to her and I don't think I can do that. It's your wedding though," I said and smiled at her.

"I think three of you will be plenty. Jeremy is going to be the best man and John said he would give me away."

My smile widened as I looked at the group of men still standing in the hallway talking. "Let me guess, Damon and Stefan will be the other groomsmen?"

She nodded and offered me a glass of wine that I accepted. "Hilarious right?"

"You bet."

We were silent for a moment before she asked a question that made me choke on my drink. "When are you and Damon tying the knot?"

I had to lean over the sink to avoid spilling the wine on my clothes and spit it into my sink. "I don't know. We're going to live forever, I kinda figured that was enough."

She gave me that "I don't believe you" stare. She nodded her head and tipped her glass at John. "He would love to walk his daughter down the aisle."

I knew Damon was listening intently, I could see it in his face as he tried to keep up with his conversation. I smirked at that small victory. "Let's work on your wedding and let the other subject go."

She clinked her glass to mine and smiled my way. "I can do that," she said and took another sip before looking back at Alaric. My eyes met Damon's and he winked. I winked back at him over the glass and took another drink myself. Inside I was feeling the irony of Jenna's suggestion. I had no problem turning into a vampire to be with Damon, but marriage? That was giving me butterflies.

Bonnie came in as I finished my glass and I was glad I set it down because she jumped me. We both went down on the kitchen floor, catching all of the attention from the men. "Don't you ever scare me like that again Elena!" she cried as she held me. She said some other things but they were too high pitched for me to catch. However, I could read her thoughts and they were all happy about my being there. We got to our feet, no thanks to anyone else, and she hugged me again. When she let go she went to Damon and hugged him briefly. "Glad you're home," she said before moving to Stefan.

Damon had raised his brow at me and I shrugged. As Bonnie's reaction to me faded into the background, I watched all of them mingling around the great room of the house and couldn't help but feel that swell of happiness that told me I was home. And I was exhausted. I moved to Damon and he slipped an arm around my waist. "Let's go," I breathed.

"Sounds good to me," he returned.

I said goodbye to everyone at once, promised I would see them tomorrow, and we both took off to the boarding house. Once we were there, we stood in the hallway and I knew down to my bones that I was home. It felt so, so good. I pulled off my jacket and just let it fall to the ground. I was pretty sure that I was on the verge of dropping to the ground to kiss the floor I was so happy to be back. I took off the necklace that contained Katherine's ring and handed it to him. "Here, you should take this."

He took it, walked to the trash can, and threw it in. "I don't want anything to remind me of her. I'll have Bonnie spell something else for me."

"I like that idea."

"Yeah?" he said, looking at me with his smirk of arrogance. "I have another idea that you may like."

"I think you should tell me about it," I breathed before moving towards him. I put my hands on his hips as he cupped my neck and kissed me. Our reunion had been nothing like this. It was more final here. We were together and we were home. It was perfect.

Sometime between being downstairs and laying on the bed we had both lost our clothes. By some unspoken agreement we were taking it painstakingly slow. He started at my lips and kissed his way down; touching every inch of my skin. By the time I felt his tongue touch my most sensitive spot, my entire body was alive and thrumming with pleasure. He stopped before my release and kissed his way back up the same way he had on the way down. I was trembling by the time it was my turn to return the favor. When I reclaimed his lips, we were both trembling with want and need.

He rolled so that I was beneath him and he slid inside me with ease. I cradled him between my thighs and with each penetration, my body lifted off the bed to meet him and accept all of him. His kisses were feather light and like torture to both of us. Going slow was a test and we were both failing. I gripped his shoulders and when a groan escaped my lips, he took that as an invitation to pick up speed. I wrapped my legs around him and began scraping his back with my nails. He buried his face in my neck and nipped lightly. I closed my eyes and ground my head against the pillows as I felt my head begin to bind. His fangs slid into my skin and sent me hurtling over the edge. I cried out and shuddered as he continued to thrust and drink at the same time. It wasn't long before he was following suit and came right after me.

He collapsed on top of me and rolled off to lay on his side. He licked his lips and seemed to delight in the taste. "You must be an angel," he breathed as he wiped blood from his chin and licked it off. "You taste exquisite."

"That's a horrible pick up line," I breathed and laughed slightly, only to be cut off by a deep kiss. I tasted my blood on his lips and when he pulled away, I licked them clean. "Oh," was all I could say. My blood tasted faintly similar to what Anya had in her cup.

We lay there for a little bit in silence. I was staring at the ceiling while he stared at me and played with my hair. "I heard what Jenna said."

I moved to my side and cocked an eyebrow. I knew he had heard, but I had stayed out of his head though I was curious about his thoughts on the subject. "And?"

"She's right. John hinted at it too."

I lifted my head off the pillow. "When?"

"Before Klaus." Something in his tone was off.

I smiled widely as I realized why. "Your man date?"

He responded by putting a pillow over my face. "You weren't supposed to remember that."

I giggled as I tossed the pillow off the bed. "Like I would ever let you live that one down."

He laughed and then took my hand in his. He toyed with the ring on my finger and held my gaze steadily, showing that he was going to be serious. "Is it something you would want?"

I bit my lip. "I never really thought of it before. I know it would mean a lot to Jenna and John, but... I don't know."

He traced my jaw line with his index finger and then tipped my chin up. "Give it some more thought and let me know what you decide."

I snorted. "I never pictured you ever marrying anyone."

"I didn't either until I met you."

It immediately brought tears to my eyes and he shied away. Cruel vampires still get uneasy around tears. I laughed and kissed him repeatedly. "I'm crying because I'm happy," I said against his lips.

"Is that a yes?"

I pulled away and smirked, pulling soft black trendils of hair from his face. "You didn't ask me anything." He stared at me for a second and opened his mouth. I stopped his words by laying two fingers across his lips. "If you're going to pop the question, I want you to get creative. Surprise me," I said and smiled down at him.

He nodded. "I'm up for a challenge," he said around my fingers.

"Good," I said and kissed him while sliding over top of him.

It felt so good to be home.