A/N: sorry for the wait! I've had a million exams since class started earlier this month, but I finally got a bit of a break to bring this fic to an epic conclusion :) Enjoy!

They all stood there for longer than necessary, staring at the spot where Katherine had last been. The rain pelted down around them, suddenly falling harder than before. "Sh-she's really gone," Elena whispered, her teeth chattering. "It's over."

Damon was holding her wrist and now he pulled her towards him, his gaze searching her face. "How do you feel?"

Elena glanced down at her hands, but the glow had faded. She shook her head, "I don't feel any different." She looked over at Elijah, who still looked a little stricken. "What if it didn't work?"

He blinked, coming out of his reverie. "It'll have worked." Then his gaze sharpened, "We need to go now."

"Wait," Damon suddenly turned around on the spot, his expression becoming frantic. "Where's my brother?"

"I couldn't find him."

"What!?"

"We need to go," Elijah said insistently, "Klaus has the dagger and I'm—"

A scream pierced through the air.

Elijah sped away before Elena could even blink.

"Hold on," Damon said grimly, before gathering Elena in his arms and following in Elijah's footsteps. They reached the hall milliseconds after he did. When Elena opened her eyes, she blinked several times, trying to make sense of the scene in front of her.

Rebekah lay across the floor, a dagger firmly embedded in her back. Klaus was seated casually in an armchair, watching them. Enzo stood to his side, brooding. He caught Elena's eye, but his expression remained unreadable.

Elijah looked aghast. "Brother, what have you done?"

"No more than you lot would've done to me," Klaus replied, idly swirling his glass of wine. "Little sister tried to get the dagger from me. Foolish girl."

"I thought…" Elena's gaze darted between the dagger and Klaus. I thought only humans could wield the dagger. Just as the words were at the tip of her tongue, she swallowed them back, realizing how suspicious it would sound if she knew anything about it.

Klaus, however, wasn't easily distracted. His eyes narrowed, "You thought what?"

Elijah didn't move, but she caught the imperceptible way he tensed beside her. Elena frantically cast her mind for an excuse. "I thought Originals couldn't die."

The suspicion didn't fade from his eyes. "We can't. The dagger is the closest thing to death." He stood up, handing his wine glass to Enzo. "Of course, the process can be reversed, if one was to remove the dagger."

"Katerina is dead," Elijah suddenly said, his voice oddly calm given the situation. "Elena killed her."

Klaus glanced up, his expression calculating. "I presume I'm looking at the new Petrova heir, then." He gave her an odd smile and bowed his head slightly. "Honored." Elena didn't say anything, but she felt Damon move closer to her side. Klaus watched them, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Say, what's a queen without a castle?"

She frowned.

Behind her, Damon growled in warning.

Klaus sauntered towards them, and Elena felt the danger rise in the air. "I never cared much for expanding our empire," he said, "But Katerina has already secured this castle. It would be a shame for her hard work to go to waste, don't you think?"

"Brother—"

"Shut up," Klaus said pleasantly, not turning towards Elijah. "You've already done quite enough damage, don't you think? Just look at what your actions have done to our little sister."

Elena opened her mouth furiously, but only a gasp left her throat when Klaus suddenly blurred forward so that he appeared inches away from her. He leaned forward, his lips at her ear. "An heir needs someone equally as powerful at her side. Have you given any thought to my offer, love?"

She twisted away from him, not bothering to hide the revulsion on her face. "I already have someone by my side," she replied coldly, "And it'll never be you."

His expression abruptly turned furious and he grabbed her arm, hauling her forward.

"Rigescunt indutae."

Klaus froze in place, almost comically.

It took Elena a full second to realize that he was literally frozen in place. She whirled around to see Bonnie standing on the staircase. She was covered head to toe in blood, but she was alive. Relief flooded Elena so suddenly that she felt dizzy.

Bonnie smiled at her briefly, but it was tinged with pain. "I can't hold him for long," she warned.

"Elena," Elijah shouted, "The dagger!"

She wrenched her arm out of Klaus' grip and ran to Rebekah, her heart thudding within her chest. She fell to her knees and wrapped both hands around the dagger. Magic pulsed around it, resisting as she tried to pull it out. She gritted her teeth, and instantly light immersed her hands. The dagger slid out easily.

"Elena," Damon called, his voice tight. "Hurry."

She looked up to see Klaus had moved, his body half turned towards her. On the stairs, Bonnie's hands had begun to shake. She swayed, leaning onto the railing for support.

Elena leapt to her feet, stumbling back towards Klaus. She stopped just short of him, unnerved to see his eyes following her. "You—" Klaus rasped, his face beginning to become unfrozen. "You'll regret this." Then suddenly he staggered forwards, nearly crashing into her.

She spun on the spot, just in time to see Bonnie topple over the railing. She screamed. Damon started forward, but someone else got there faster. Elena's lips parted in surprise as Enzo blurred past them.

He caught Bonnie just before she hit the ground.

"Thank god," Elena breathed.

But then Klaus' fingers dug into her arm, pulling her towards him. He looked enraged. "Your god can't save you now."

Elijah appeared behind Klaus. "I wasn't certain what I would do when the time came to kill you," he said calmly, "But daggering our sister…that decided your fate." He grabbed both of Klaus' arms, holding him in a vice grip. "Enjoy hell, brother."

Klaus struggled, but Elena already had the dagger to his heart. She let her light infuse the dagger, and he let out a grunt of pain as it singed against his skin. "Haven't you heard," she said coldly, "I don't need anyone to save me."

The dagger slid into his chest as easily as it had slid out of Rebekah.

He fell out of Elijah's grasp and landed with a loud thud onto the floor.

Elijah let out a shaky breath, for the first time letting his composure fall apart. "He's gone. He's really gone."

Elena reached out to touch Elijah's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "It's over," she agreed. Then she turned around to find Damon at her side, as he'd always been. "It's over," she repeated softly, letting his arms envelop her into his embrace. She rested her head against his chest, her eyes closing contentedly.

EPILOGUE

"I feel like I've been waiting for this day my whole life," Caroline squealed excitedly.

Elena rolled her eyes good naturedly. "You'd think it was your wedding day instead of mine," she teased, "Speaking of which…"

"None of that," the blonde waved her hands, hushing her. "Today is your day. There won't be any talk of me and Stefan."

"Oh, so there's a 'you and Stefan' now, is there?" Elena asked innocently. Caroline shot her an exasperated look, and Elena grinned. She studied her reflection in the mirror, adjusting the ringlets framing her face. "I can't believe this is really happening."

Someone knocked on the door.

"Damon if that's you, I will personally kill you," Caroline screeched.

A low chuckle sounded from the other side of the door. "It's just me," Stefan replied. "I was wondering if I could get a quick word with the bride."

Caroline hmphed, but strode to the door all the same, her lilac dress swishing around her. "5 minutes," she warned as soon as she opened the door.

Elena turned to watch the exchange, noting the way Stefan watched Caroline walk past him, a slight smile on his face.

"Ah, so he smiles."

Stefan looked startled, as though he'd forgotten why he was there. Then he looked at her, and his smile widened. "Wow," he said, closing the door behind him. "You look beautiful." He paused and then added, "My queen."

Elena stood, the white dress falling softly around her. "None of that," she said firmly, "And don't go bowing to me either."

Stefan laughed. He walked towards her, taking both of her hands within his. "I just wanted to tell you how proud of you I am. You've been through so much since you got back here and you've faced it all head on and come out on the other side, stronger than ever." He leaned forward, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "A true inspiration."

She ducked her head, a blush staining her cheeks. "You're embarrassing me."

He winked at her, "Just practicing before my best man's speech."

Elena shook her head, "Do I need to be worried?"

Stefan tapped his chin, pretending to consider. "Most of my embarrassing stories are reserved for Damon."

"How..." she shifted, biting her lip. "How's he doing?"

Stefan smiled, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "I've never seen him happier."

Before Elena could reply, Caroline had knocked on the door and stormed back in without waiting for a response. "Your 5 minutes are up," she announced shrilly, "Out, OUT!"

Elena laughed as she herded Stefan out.

Caroline shut the door and whirled around dramatically to face Elena. "It's time."

Butterflies swirled in her stomach, but a smile lit up her face all the same. "I'm ready."

...

She'd been told, of course, that the entire kingdom would be present. But she was still taken aback at the cheering that greeted her as Jeremy brought her onto the red carpet.

The crowd was bright, colors flashing from every direction. "Better not trip," Jeremy whispered to her as they made their way slowly down the aisle.

She resisted the urge to step on his foot.

Then she happened to look up and see the person waiting for her at the end. The look on Damon's face was enough to make her forget about trying not to trip.

"Elena," Jeremy hissed.

"Huh?" She turned to him, confused about why he was tugging on her arm. He widened his eyes at her, gesturing to the ground.

She looked down, realizing she was floating several inches above the carpet. "Oh," she said, flushing. She concentrated on her feet until they reached solid ground again.

"I always knew she was head over heels for me," Damon commented loudly, earning a jab from Stefan.

The crowd howled in laughter, clearly loving it.

Jeremy took her the last several steps to the altar, and she was surprised to see the emotion on his face. "I'm proud of you, big sis," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek before stepping to the side as well.

That left Elena and Damon staring at each other. He looked awestruck as he gazed at her, "How'd I get so lucky?"

Elena reached out to touch his hand, letting a tiny bit of light seep from her fingertips. "Magic," she whispered, smiling as she allowed him to feel what she was feeling.

He sucked in his breath sharply, his fingers tightening around hers. "I can't wait till this is over so I get you all to myself." His words were heady with the promise of what was to come. Elena shivered slightly even as the sun shone above them.

Alaric stepped onto the altar and began reading from a very ancient looking book. Elena glanced over at the people standing behind her, and Jenna smiled back at her, tears glistening in her eyes. Caroline caught her eye and winked, but Bonnie's attention seemed to be elsewhere.

Elena subtly turned so she was looking at the crowd, following Bonnie's line of sight. Enzo was standing at the back, his arms folded. He seemed to sense Elena's gaze on him and he nodded at her once. Damon had happily suggested he be killed for his treachery, but Elena couldn't forget that he'd tried to help her in his own way. Not to mention he'd saved Bonnie's life when it mattered.

She let her gaze roam away from him, catching on a familiar sleek head of blonde hair. Rebekah was there, seated next to Elijah. Elena smiled, inexplicably happy to see both of them. Elijah met her gaze and let a smile graze his lips. He was king now, of his own kingdom, now that Klaus was (for all purposes) dead.

"Damon?" Alaric prompted, and Elena turned her attention back to the man standing in front of her.

Damon brushed a thumb against her cheek. "Elena and I were betrothed ages ago, and we grew up to be the best of friends." He smiled a little at the crowd, "I loved her before I knew what love was." Tears sprang to Elena's eyes. "When the spell was cast that took her away, I felt like—" His voice caught, and it took him a moment to continue. "Like my soul had been taken away, too."

The crowd was shouting in delight, but Elena had tuned them all out. His words were magically amplified to reach everyone in attendance, but she knew he was speaking only to her.

"I never would've guessed all that she would have to face when she came back," Damon went on, "But she shouldered the burden in only the way a true queen would. A true leader." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the ring on her finger, "A true heir."

Elena blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears blurring her vision. "My memories might've been taken from me, but my heart never forgot you," she said, and though her voice trembled, it stayed steady. "If it wasn't for the strength of your love, I never would've been able to get through the darkness." She clasped one of his hands within hers, "You were my light. And you always will be."

Alaric stepped forward then, handing Damon her crown. She smiled and bowed before him. He cleared his throat, taking a moment to compose himself. "May you lead your people through times of light and darkness, through strength and weakness, through illness and health."

She felt the weight of the crown as it was placed on her head. The crowd roared in approval behind her. "You may rise, my queen," Damon said, holding her hand as she shakily got to her feet. "May your rule be long and true."

Elena met his gaze as she stood, her heart bursting with happiness. "I love you, Damon."

"And I, you," he murmured, and then he was sweeping her into his arms, their lips meeting in a kiss. Their first as king and queen.

fin.

*thank you all so much for all your incredible reviews during the course of this fic! I'm so amazed it crossed the 1000 review mark. While I wish I had the time to keep this story going on forever, I hope you thought it came to a satisfying conclusion ;) xoxo