a/n: alright, now this is the end of my Vampire Diaries series, sad I know. I had a blast writing it and once I figure out what to write next, I'll start posting right away. Dark Alana had mentioned doing a VD/TrueBlood crossover and I'm still figuring out the details, so if you're interested, let me know and I'll move it to the top of the to-do pile. If any of you have a suggestion on something you would like to see, let me know about that too and I'll see what I can come up with. I want to say a huge thank you to all of my readers and reviews because without you, I wouldn't have completed Nothing Without You. Let's face it though, with a muse like Damon, it's hard not to get inspired! One big thank you to Zoraya Windwalker for being my beta for this story. And of course I promised you a Delena wedding so don't worry, it's coming (eventually). Alright, enough about me, on with the story!

TWENTY-ONE

I experienced the sensation of falling until I opened my eyes. My surroundings were hazy, but I could make out the horizon with a hint of dawn and a woman with blonde hair that floated around her like a halo. Her blue eyes were full of compassion and joy as she lowered to the ground right along with me. I closed my eyes for just a moment and then felt a jolt as I hit the ground with a dull thud. I squeezed my lids tighter as wave after wave of nausea ripped through me and the urge to throw up was almost unfathomable. My fingers clutched at the grass, getting dirt under my nails and my heart raced while I waited for the world to stop spinning. I took deep, even breaths to try and make the nausea disappear and sighed heavily when it finally did. Though it was gone, my head was throbbing and I was trembling. I carefully pulled myself into a sitting position and sat for a moment just in case the nausea came back. I used more strength than I ever had to stand up and tried to catch my balance. I looked around to see where I was. Once I had stopped swaying I narrowed my eyes in confusion as I saw the back of my house. Why was I lying in the backyard?

I made my way to the patio on shaky legs and rested on the steps to catch my breath before I climbed them. I hadn't realized how out of shape I had gotten until I reached the top of the short staircase and had to stop to catch my breath. Again. I took a deep breath and headed for the sliding glass door. I paused with my hand on the handle as I caught a good look at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a strapless dress of purple and blue and at one time it would have been a beautiful outfit, but it was currently torn and tattered as if I had been attacked by an animal. I wasn't wearing any shoes and the skin that was exposed was splotched with dirt. I moved my hand up to touch my face; my brown eyes were filled with the usual curiosity and intelligence, but for some reason the color seemed wrong. My hand slid up to my hair. It was a disaster in and of itself. It was tangled into hundreds of knots, frizzy in spots, and was decorated with leaves, twigs, and blades of grass. I shuddered and slid the door open, the blast of cool air from the air conditioner gave me the chills as it contrasted with the warm outside air.

I shut the door behind me and then turned to look at the empty room. My eyes scanned what was left of the room and I folded my arms over my chest. A chill ran down my spine at the sight of stacked boxes by the door, in the living room and furniture strewn about the room. "Jenna?" I called out softly, jumping at the strange sound of my own voice. I wasn't sure that anyone was here, but it was worth a try. "Jeremy? Anyone home?" I called out with a little more confidence in my voice.

My heart pounded in my chest at the sound of something crashing upstairs and I strained to hear what else was going on. Before I could move another inch, there were footsteps on the stairs and I saw Jenna racing towards me. She was a blur as she practically jumped over boxes to get to me and I staggered backwards as she flung her arms around me and held me tight. "Oh my God, Elena! Where- What- Elena!" she muttered over and over again along with other incoherent phrases. Her tears wet my skin and my hair and left me feeling very odd.

"Jenna, what's wrong?" I asked around her hold that was on the verge of choking me.

"Nothing! Everything is perfect," she breathed excitedly.

I slowly put my arms around her and patted her back. "You can let go now," I struggled to say and she stepped back just enough to let me breathe.

She ran her hands all over me as her eyes did the same. It was as if she was having trouble believing I was there. Her phone rang and she reluctantly let me go to answer it since it was sitting on the kitchen island. My eyes widened as I noticed a baby bump barely beginning to poke out beneath her clothes and watched her wearily as she trembled while on the phone. She put the device back on the counter and hurried back to my side. "Look, John and Alaric are on their way home. You should go take a shower; I still have clothes unpacked that will fit you."

I didn't argue with her as she laced her fingers with mine and led me upstairs to my old room. I stared at myself in the mirror while she went to get some towels and the clothes. I concentrated on the color of my eyes. They had always been brown, but it still didn't seem right. She came back in and set the items on the sink. "Thank you."

She hugged me hard again. "I'm sorry, I just can't believe you're here. I'm pretty sure it's one of those too good to be true things, but I don't care. I'm going to believe it," she babbled and then shut the door on her way out.

I shook my head, deciding it was best to figure out what she was saying later. I made my way to the shower stall and turned it on. I made sure the temperature was right and then worked myself out of the ripped up dress. There was a brush on the counter as well and I used it to work out the knots before stepping under the gentle stream of water. The bottom of the stall turned a murky brown the instant the dirt began to rinse away from my skin and I noticed some flakes of blood that had been crusted on my side. I shut my eyes and positioned myself under the water so that I could wet my hair down first.

I jumped as the scene in my head took me to a forest on the brink of sunset. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel fear and pain clearly as though I had lived through it. I opened my eyes again and took a few deep breaths to try and clear my head again. I knew whatever I had just experienced was a memory; one that I wasn't so sure I wanted to relive. I reached for the shampoo and began to lather my hair. Luckily the brush had taken out the debris for me. I kept my mind blank as I rinsed my hair and then applied the conditioner as well as washing away all the grime that had collected on my skin. By the time I shut the water off, the bathroom was filled with steam and the mirror was fogged over. I towel dried at a record pace and just patted my hair, deciding to let it dry on its own as I stepped out of the bathroom in Jenna's clothes. The house felt even more empty on the second floor than it did on the main one. Out of sheer curiosity, I opened my bedroom door with caution and looked around. It was very empty. There was a mattress on the ground and a dresser against the wall. I moved to the closet and it was empty.

I wracked my brain to think of where all of my things could be and when I drew a blank, I decided to close my door and head back downstairs. My history teacher and my uncle were pacing behind the couch and they both stopped when they saw me. Jenna immediately started crying at the sight of me and I averted my gaze from her in case I started to cry too. The look on John's face told me that crying was in my immediate future whether or not I liked it. He approached me at a half-run and gathered me into his arms tightly. He lifted me a few inches off of my feet and then set me down. "Uncle John?" I whispered, slightly afraid of his actions.

He stilled, sensing something was wrong, and pulled back a little. He looked back to Jenna who was shaking her head. "She came in the back door and called for Jeremy and I," she managed to get out while she wiped at her eyes. "She was wearing the dress from...from the..." her voice trailed off and she put her hands over her face.

Alaric went to comfort her and I turned my attention back to John. "Something is obviously wrong. Would you care to explain it to me?" I asked, trying to keep the tearful sound out of my voice.

He swallowed thickly and looked at them before resting his eyes on me. "I think there's someone else who can explain this much better than I can."

I narrowed my eyes at him and opened my mouth to ask, but Alaric cut me off. "I'll call him."

"No, I think it would be better if it was a surprise," John said with a smile on his face.

"What about Jeremy?" Alaric asked.

"I'll make sure to tell him next."

Jenna got up and came to hug me again as John grabbed his keys and headed to the door. "I'm so glad you're home," she breathed and kissed my cheek.

Even Alaric hugged me and I was beginning to feel very strange. "Very glad to see you," he breathed, squeezing my shoulder for comfort.

"Where did I go?" I asked. "And how long was I gone?"

"Just go with John. Damon will answer everything better than we can."

I stilled when he mentioned that name. It made me shiver all over while my heart beat increased, my breath caught in my throat, and my knees began to get weak. Why I couldn't remember the reason for that reaction was beyond me. "I'll see you later then?" I asked.

They nodded and I waved as I followed John to his car and slid into the passenger seat. "I know everything may seem very odd, but there's a very good reason for it."

"Why did you hug me? I was under the impression that you didn't really care about me?"

His grip on the steering wheel tightened and his lips made a thin line. "You'll remember soon enough," he said once he found his voice. I nodded and turned to look out the window to watch countless trees zip by as he drove to our destination. When we pulled up to the boarding house, my heart skipped a beat and I got the sense that I was home. Which was weird because I couldn't remember ever having been here. He parked off to the side of the house and we walked up to the front door. Instead of knocking, he let himself in and I hesitated before following him. "Wait here," he instructed.

I was too busy turning around in small circles taking in the multitude of decor and the immaculate size of the rooms. My mouth hung halfway open in awe at the size of the parlor and I couldn't resist the temptation to take the few steps down into it. I turned around and straightened immediately at the sight of a tall, lean, dangerous looking man leaning against the banister of the stairs. His black hair was a mess and the look in his dazzling blue eyes played at my heartstrings. I gulped and felt my cheeks redden as my heart raced while he practically drank in the sight of me. "Your heart is beating," he finally said. His voice was silky and it echoed through me in a familiar way.

I put my hand over my heart, keeping my eyes on him and nodded. "I hope so." I looked at the door when I heard the engine of a car start. "Where's John?"

"He left out the back door."

I fought the urge to ask why and simply nodded my head. "You must be Damon."

He gave a curt nod and then started making his way to me. His movements were graceful; like a hunter stalking his prey. Before I could say another word, he had me in a hug that nearly broke my heart. It was tender, loving, sweet, and full of passion. One of his hands cupped the back of my head while the other was locked around my back in order to squeeze me to him. I had my hands pointed towards the ceiling where my fingers could almost reach his shoulders. "I thought I had lost you for good."

"I don't understand," I said, pulling out of his grasp with some effort. "Jenna nearly tackled me the moment she saw me and won't stop crying. My uncle was hugging me and being nice when he usually goes out of his way to avoid me." I folded my arms over my chest and stared at him. "John said you could answer all my questions."

"I can," he replied and held out his hand.

I took it somehow knowing that I could trust him despite the aura of danger that surrounded him and followed him to the stairs. He kept his hand firmly in mine and I could feel his restraint. It was like he was having trouble believing that I was there and he needed to be touching me in order for it to register. Quite frankly, I didn't mind one way or the other. He pushed open one of the doors on the second level and I peered cautiously inside. It was a bedroom and just like the rest of the house, it was familiar though I hadn't the slightest clue of why. "Yours?" I asked.

His eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief as he nodded and gestured for me to come inside. I stepped in and sighed with relief when he kept the door open. "This way," he said and led me to an arched passage that had a massive walk-in closet leading to an on-suite bathroom.

The moment I saw the garments hanging there, my jaw dropped. "This is where all of my clothes went," I breathed and he let go of my hand so I could reach out and touch my things. My eyes closed and I shuddered as another memory played out behind my lids. This time I could see two other figures a little ways from me. Their faces had been smashed in and they were covered in blood. My jaw dropped in horror and if Damon hadn't been there to catch me, I would have fallen. "I keep getting these images," I breathed as I clung to him while I trembled. "Something awful happened. I need to know what it is."

He cupped the side of my face, his thumb running lightly over my lips as he looked at me. "You're remembering the events of your death."

"Excuse me?" I whispered at that absurd statement. What was even more absurd was that deep down I didn't find anything disturbing about it.

"Elena, you died almost six weeks ago."

"No-"

"You turned to ashes in my arms right after you killed Velken."

His words sparked the full memory and everything came flooding back to me. Had Damon not already been holding me, I would have fallen for the second time in less than five minutes. I clung to him and cried on his chest until the world fell back into order and I understood what was going on. "Anya was the one who brought me back."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I remember seeing her right before I woke up in the backyard. My guess is she did one last thing for me because I did her job for her."

"In record time," he said proudly.

"I'm surprised that she did bring me back even though she warned me that I was going to die anyway."

"What?" he asked, a little anger showing through in his voice.

"We'll talk about that later okay," I promised and cupped his face. "Right now, I don't want to talk." He closed the gap between us and pressed his lips to mine. It was one of the best kisses I had ever experienced. It was more intense and more passionate than the one we had shared when I rescued him from Klaus. Our tongues were coated with salty tears and I was certain that they weren't all mine. He pulled away at the sound of several other voices shouting up the stairs. "I guess that reunion will have to be put on hold for a moment."

"Not very long," he assured me as he thread his fingers through mine and led me downstairs to be reunited with the others I had left behind. Just as we reached the bedroom door, my stomach growled very loudly and I stopped in my tracks. I looked at Damon and we both began to laugh. "We'll go get something to eat the minute everyone settles down."

"Thank you," I said and he squeezed my hand for reassurance. "Here goes," I muttered and we headed out of the bedroom on our second attempt to greet the others.

Damon let me go down first so that he didn't get caught up in the mob that surrounded me. I barely had time to register who was there before the excited shrieks and tearful eyes filled my senses. "You're human again?" Jeremy asked when he managed to hug me by himself.

"Apparently," I breathed as he loosened his grip and stepped away so Bonnie could take over.

"God damn Elena. I swear...you need to stop dying on me."

I laughed and felt my own eyes welling up with more tears. "I make no promises."

From Bonnie I was sent into Matt's arms. This was definitely a pleasant surprise. "Look, I don't care what happened before; the fact is you died and I hated myself for never having the chance to make things right between us."

"Told you I would get him to come around," Caroline whispered with a tight throat and I hugged them both as hard as I could.

Even Anna gave me a firm squeeze. "I'm glad you're back. Damon was turning into a real asshole again."

I giggled at that and turned to look at him. He shrugged his shoulders and then began to glare a little past my shoulder. I turned to see Tyler and my grin only widened as he launched himself at me. "Thank God!" he growled in my ear as he spun me around. "I didn't think I would ever get to see you again."

"Ditto," I breathed and used his shoulder to steady myself. I was going to say more when I saw Stefan standing off to the side. Tyler nodded and I walked over to Stefan. "Matt just said something like this to me, but everything that happened before is forgiven."

"Elena-"

"Stefan, you're not listening to me. I died. I wasn't supposed to come back and I want to start over. How many other people do you know that can go from human, to vampire, to angel, and then back again?"

"None," he admitted with a hint of a smile.

"Didn't think so," I said and moved in for a hug. It took a second for him to respond but then his arms tightened around me. "I know I said I never wanted to see you again, but that isn't true."

"I know and I really, truly am sorry for everything I did." We were silent for a few seconds before he added, "But I don't think he will forgive me."

"Yes he will."

I pulled back and smiled at him. "We'll see."

I widened my smile before going to back to Damon. He wrapped his arms protectively around me and kissed my forehead. "Look, I know everyone is more than excited to see Elena, but she is human again and she's starving. The two of us are going out for dinner and all of you will be spending the night at a place that is not here. Correct?"

There was laughter and a bit of awkward shuffling before everyone was back out the door. "I don't really feel like going anywhere."

"I already ordered a pizza."

I laughed and leaned in closer to him. I inhaled deeply and reveled in the scent that was Damon. "Six weeks, huh? What did I miss?"

"As I'm sure you saw, Jenna is starting to show and the newly weds are off to Phoenix in three days. The people that bought their house gave them extended time to move so that they could grieve."

"Anything change between you and your brother?" I asked, craning my neck so that I was looking up at him.

His lips twitched into a smile and he nodded lightly. We moved to sit on the couch where I lay with my head in his lap. "He was there when you turned to ash and he kept me from tearing up the reception. You had already killed the bastard who killed you, but I was too angry to care. So instead of the party, I lashed out at Stefan. It took care of all the anger and betrayal I felt from him over both you and Katherine."

"Does he know this?"

"Of course not."

I grinned and shook my head. "I really think you should tell him. That way we can put all of this behind us and start over."

My stomach growled again and I groaned at the unaccustomed sound. "This is going to get very old very fast."

"Want something to drink?"

"Water," I answered and he got up to get me a glass. I sat up and settled into the arm of the couch. He handed me a glass and sat next to me while I drank it. He played with my hair as we sat in silence until the pizza came. I wolfed it down, having been more hungry than I realized and immediately regretted being so gluttonous from the uneasy feeling in my stomach due to the greasy food. "That wasn't such a good idea," I mumbled after drinking another full glass of water.

"Probably not, but no matter what you would have eaten, you would have over done it. Why not have it be something extremely bad for you?" he teased as I got up to wash my hands.

The moment the water shut off, I felt the air stir behind me and I smiled as Damon's arms snaked around my waist and pulled me close to him. One arm slipped away to raise up and brush the hair off the side of my neck. He placed a few small kisses onto my skin and I shivered. "It's so strange to be human again."

"I think it's invigorating. You smell heavenly," he breathed and delicately kissed the curve of my shoulder again. "Are you up for a more thorough welcome?"

I turned in his arms to kiss him properly. "Has the answer ever been no?" I whispered and kissed him soundly.

My arms circled around his neck while his slid down so that his hands could grip my sides. He lifted me up so that I was sitting on the counter and then wedged himself between my legs. I locked my ankles behind him as my hands came down to start unbuttoning his shirt. After the last button, I ran my hands up his chest and stopped at his shoulders before pushing the shirt slowly off of him, letting it float softly to the floor. He cupped my face and tipped it up so that he could kiss me, gently nipping at my bottom lip. A shudder ran through my body at the feel of his teeth and he grinned as he pulled away. "The sound of your heart beating is driving me crazy," he breathed as he moved his face into the curve of my neck and inhaled deeply.

My eyes shut automatically as my head tipped backwards when his lips parted and the feel of fangs scraped my flesh. I inhaled sharply as he pierced my skin and began to draw blood from the small wound. My breathing accelerated and just when I felt my stomach drop, he pulled his head away and licked his lips. "As good as you remembered it to be?" I asked in a husky voice.

"It still tastes a little like angel," he replied and smiled faintly.

"Don't get used to the human blood," I said and leaned back, supporting myself with my hands behind me, palms down on the surface.

His brow shot up and he tipped his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

He knew exactly what I meant, but he wanted me to say it. "You don't think I went through all of that to just walk away now did you?"

"No, but you have a second chance at a human life."

I sat up straight and cupped his face. "My human life will be meaningless if you're not in it. Damon, I meant it when I said I wanted forever with you. Unless-"

He interrupted my thought by kissing me. "Unless nothing. I want you by my side for all eternity." He smiled wistfully for a moment as he looked at me. "Though it is kind of nice to be the strongest of us again."

I laughed at that and shook my head. "Anya said I would go back to the vampire that I used to be once the Originals were dead. That's why the stakes were able to kill me. Who's to say that becoming a vampire again won't bring my powers back?"

"You're not feeding from any supernatural as your first meal. I will make sure of it."

"Good point." I straightened up and looked at him. "So, what are you waiting for?"

"Now?"

"Why not?"

"I thought we were-"

"We will," I said and smirked. "As soon as you change me."

He kissed me playfully and pulled away with a large smile on his face. "Bossy Elena was always my favorite."

I moved to the edge of the counter and then slid off to stand on my feet. I started for the stairs without saying anything and stopped on the first step when I realized he wasn't following me. I turned to him and beckoned him with a tilt of my head. Before I even turned around, I felt the air shift and the next thing I knew I was lying on the bed beneath Damon. "You really want this?" he asked softly, brushing the hair out of my face.

I nodded, running my hands up and down the hard planes of his chest. "Give me one good reason that I should say no and walk away from all of this."

He smirked and leaned in to kiss me gently. "I'm going to be selfish and say there is nothing better in life than me."

I tilted my head to the side and looked at him through half closed lids. "I would have to disagree on that one. We both know I'm the best reason to live."

His smile was soft and I couldn't help but smile back. "I couldn't agree more," he whispered and then closed the gap to press his lips firmly against my throat. A shiver coursed through me as his lips parted and his teeth grazed my skin. My eyes closed the rest of the way as his fangs slid into my throat and I could feel the blood leaving my body. My breathing became rapid and my heart raced in my chest. The weaker I became, the more I had to force myself not to struggle or fight him off of me. It was getting extremely hard to breathe and he pulled away when I began to wheeze. He brought his wrist to his mouth, bit it, and then placed it over my lips. "Drink," he demanded in a husky voice.

I needed no further encouragement than that and began to drink the blood that seeped from his wound. I felt completely alive the more I drank and my head swam as if I had had too much caffeine. When he pulled his wrist away, I looked up at him with a slight pout on my face. "Love you."

"Love you too," he returned and then pulled both of us into a sitting position. Before I could react, he put his hands on either side of my head and twisted. In the blink of an eye, everything went black.

I groaned before I opened my eyes and moved my body despite the wave of nausea that was creeping its way through my body. "It's alright Elena, open your eyes."

They fluttered open on demand and I found myself looking right into Damon's blue ones. "At least I remember you this time," I mumbled and immediately regretted talking.

He laughed and then waved his hand to someone over my shoulder. "You were only out for half an hour this time instead of days. I called John and he agreed to help you complete the transition."

I moved my head carefully to see that we were in the living room. I was on the couch with Damon on the floor by my head. He got up and let John sit in his place. He moved to the cushion where my feet were resting so that he could watch over me. "Thank you," I mumbled to John and he inclined his head.

"Hopefully my blood won't turn you into SuperElena like it did last time."

I laughed and then groaned. "I kind of liked SuperElena."

He laughed with me and then extended his wrist. I brought it to my lips and felt the pressure building in my gums until my fangs slid down from their sheath. I bit into his wrist and sighed at the first taste of blood. I only needed a little to complete transition and I found that it was very easy to retract my fangs and sit up to wipe my mouth of the excess blood. "I'm going to assume your control is due to the fact that you used to be a vampire," Damon said tightly.

"Maybe the vampire I was meant to be was capable of reading minds and all that other cool stuff?"

"Like being stronger than me?"

I smirked and shrugged. "Maybe."

"I think that's my cue to leave," John said and kissed my forehead before getting to his feet. "Take care."

When he was gone, I looked down at my hands and stilled. "Where's my ring?" I asked.

Damon stood to rummage around in his pocket and then held his hand out with the palm up. There was my vampire ring and my engagement ring. "I have both, which one would you like?"

"Both," I answered quickly and stood up with my hands out.

He slipped my vampire ring onto my right thumb and my engagement ring onto my right ring finger. "Now you're back to normal."

I stretched, arching my back in the process. "I feel like I could run a marathon."

"Or have a night full of amazing vampire sex?" I pretended to think about it and dissolved into laughter as he drew me to him and kissed me roughly. It was in that moment that I felt safe and secure for the first time in my life. Here we were, starting a brand new chapter in our lives; one that was going to be full of adventure and romance. One that did not involve death in anyone's immediate future.

"I love you. So much," I breathed against his lips.

"I love you too," he whispered back and lifted me so that I could wrap my legs around his hips. With that, he carried me up the stairs and to our bedroom to celebrate this new and exciting part of our lives.

A life that would last forever.