A/N: Hey readers! THIS WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTER FOR THIS STORY. But, I have written an epilogue as well. So, please be sure to read it and enjoy! :)
Thanks so much for reading!
Loving You Is Endless- Chapter Twenty-Four
...….5 months later...
Caroline's P.O.V.
"Wedding planner at your service, guys? Where is everyone!" I shout out, snapping my fingers together when I push a few boxes in to the apartment, my hair's a mess and I'm wearing sweat pants. I guess running around town- being the impromptu wedding planner and the maid of honor will do that to. But, when I get a better picture of the apartment -the state of it shocks me. And, it's evident that Stefan and Elena still haven't moved out yet because the whole place has clothing scattered everywhere, boxes and newspaper shreddings all over the floor.
"What the hell happened here?" I yell out in the quiet room. It's dead silent. But, I can swear that I hear the water running faintly in the bathroom and the sound of Stefan and Elena giggling. Are they showering together?
"Elena, come back here! We only have a few more hours until Damon whisks me away and I have to go get ready for the wedding. A few more hours and-." He stops, toweling falling to his waistline as I turn away from him- horrified as he steps into the living room and towards the entry way to the apartment.
"Oh my god..Were you two? Oh my god! I'm just going to go back outside." I state, walking directly back out towards the door as Stefan says my name in a light, fluffy and playful tone.
"Oh come on, Caroline. We were just having some fun. You know, I won't be able to see her for a few hours..I'm making the best of it." Stefan says, doubling over with laughter as I turn back to see him wrap the fallen towel back around his waist, shaking his head when he calls out to Elena who walks out of the hallway in his shirt and a pair of hot pink underwear on- at least she's semi dressed.
"Caroline!" She exclaims joyfully, running towards me, sliding against the flooring in the apartment, almost knocking over one of the stacked boxes that her and I were packing up with their things just last night.
"I'm sorry, I thought you had said that you weren't going to be home for a few more hours. I thought you were going to go over to Matt's and get some of your stuff to move in to his apartment..So, I got bored and I called..." Her voice trails off as I see Stefan shrug his shoulders back, waving at me as I let out a laugh.
"You called over your fiancée for one last attempt at sneaking around before you two get married tonight. You don't need to explain, Elena. I get it. Just..It would have been nice to. Oh, I don't know- to be notified before I walked in on your naked fiancée in all his glory. I mean, I don't mind it, because I still think he's hot. But...you know. It would have been nice." I tell her, watching as she covers her mouth with her hands and laughs, looking back to where Stefan had been standing just a few minutes earlier as she moves her hand away and places it on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Caroline. I just wanted some alone time with him and we were trying to..conserve water." She explains with a wink as I roll my eyes at her words, laughing.
"Ha, of course you were. Now, we have less than 8 hours to get you two married and Bonnie's waiting for us to do our makeup and then from there, we're getting dressed and heading out to the hotel where the venue is at." I tell her as she smiles.
"Okay, so where do we start?" Elena asks, placing her hands on to her hips as I shake my head, standing behind her and placing my hands onto shoulders as I lean towards her ear and whisper. "How about you go get some pants on and then, we'll start with kicking Stefan out to go meet with his brother, Nick and Nathan. They're waiting for him to do one last fitting of their suits."
"I'm so glad that they decided to make it to the wedding." She states, smiling as I lean back and step beside her, taking in her happy facial expression.
"I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. Since, the day that Stefan came back and stood at this very doorstep, telling you that he missed you." I comment, watching Elena lean her head back onto my shoulder, her damp hair causing my pink button up shirt to get wet.
"Yeah, because I haven't been this happy in a long time." She says in a serious tone, turning her head to smile at me as I clear my throat.
"So, have you heard if anyone from your family is going to be at the wedding?" I ask her, listening when she sighs out a breath and that same lingering smile returns. Yet, theres this saddened undertone to her voice when she replies.
"Jenna. That's the only person who's going to there tonight. My parents and Jeremy politely declined and to be honest, I'm okay with it. I've accepted the fact that they're happy for me. But, in their own ways, I guess. And, Jenna's the only person I want there since her and I have patched things up in these last few months." She confesses.
I smile at her, nodding and pulling her into my side, embracing her with my arm around her waist, leaning my head against her shoulder when I state. "Good. Because, your aunt's single..right?"
Elena laughs, hugging me back and smiling when she nods and turns to me. "Yeah, why do you ask?"
I shrug my shoulders back, grinning widely when I reply with a simple answer. "No reason, I just know of a cute doctor that helped save your fiance's life that's been invited to your wedding too and I was thinking of doing a little matchmaking. Besides, why should anyone be at a wedding alone. It's not fun at all."
Damon's P.O.V.
He's placed his hands over his chest, huffing out a breath as I exhale out an annoyed sigh. I've been trying to pick out a tie to match my suit for the last hour before we're supposed to leave to the small venue that's at in the middle of the city, somewhere in downtown.
"The blue one." Nathan comments, looking over at Nick who's bent down, polishing his shoes and looking back as his son when he nods. "Yeah, go with the blue one."
I smile, adjusting the blue tie around my neck as Nick looks up at me again. "So, are your brother and Elena going to be staying in New York..I know that a few months ago, they had mentioned to Denise and I that they might be leaving town after..." His voice trails off when I turn my head to glance over at him.
They had thought about it, all of us had- including Lexi and I. We weren't supposed to make New York our home. It was always just supposed to be a temporary thing. But, over the last few months, it's grown on us. Everything about this place suddenly feels like home and I can't think about leaving it. Not just because Elena and Stefan had decided about two weeks ago that they'd be buying a house they'd been looking at for over a month now- one that's closer to Nathan and his family.
"They've decided to stay here, to be closer to you guys, actually." I tell him, watching as his face lights up and he leans into me, patting my shoulder when he adds. "Good, because Denise, Nathan and I were hoping that they'd stay here to watch him grow up. Look, Damon...I know that your family barely knows us. But, we know Elena and we love her. We respect the decision she made. If it hadn't been for her, making that tough choice. My wife and I would have never had children and it may sound bad. But, we're thankful for her choice."
I look back behind me, noticing that Nathan has his headphones in now, he's playing some video game on the ipad in his hands, completely ignoring us and oblivious to what we're even discussing.
"Yeah, he seems happy with you guys. But, what I'm wondering is if you guys will ever tell him who Elena really is and who Stefan is to him?" I ask him, watching Nick run his hands through his hair when he leans back down, focusing in on polishing his shoes again.
"We need to sit down with both Stefan and Elena. But, yes. We plan on it, to tell him more in detail. Because, our son deserves to know that her choice wasn't easy and that she didn't want to give him up. He needs to know that she loves him and that your brother does as well. However, they were doing the best thing they could at the time for their child."Nick explains, looking over at me as I look down at his black shiny dress shoes and smile. "Yeah, he does. Because, my brother and sister in law. Love their son more than anything. Even if he isn't living with them."
Nick nods, grinning when he looks back at Nathan, still immersed in his game and he states. "I know. Who wouldn't love him? He's a great kid and he has a lot of love to give to people, especially all of his family."
Stefan's P.O.V.
The hours seem to go by too quickly as I pull my dark blue suit jacket over my arms and look up at Damon who's standing next to Nathan.
"Are you nervous?" Damon asks me, smirking a bit as I smile. I am just a little bit. I'm nervous that I'm going to forget the vows or that I'm going to faint from being nervous. I can't think about it, so I settle on bending down and looking down at my son, our eyes level with each others as he steps towards me with a huge smile on his face.
"You look nice, Stefan." He tells me, placing his little fingers against the collar of my white button up shirt, grinning.
"Thank you, buddy. So do you." I comment, turning towards Damon whose hands are in his pockets, a smirk forming across his lips.
"Once that music starts in a few hours..." Damon's voice trails off as I watch Nick stand up, smiling and nudging Nathan's shoulder. "We'll be back later. I'm going to give you two some private time, alone." He explains for his departure, taking a hold of Nathan's hand as Damon and I watch them both get up and leave the room.
"Okay." Damon states, smiling and placing his hand on to my shoulder, sliding them down my arm, smoothing out the wrinkles in my suit.
We wait until they leave, standing and staring at each other. I watch my brother shrug his shoulders back. "You know, mom and dad are really proud of you. Like, I am. Stefan, I came out here to New York for you. I wanted to help you, I wanted and needed to help you get better because your not only my brother. But, my best friend and I owe you. So, I..I bought you something and figured that you and Elena could enjoy it on your honeymoon. It's a very nice gift."
I watch as Damon pivots on his heels, back turned towards me when he turns back around, smiling when he adds. "I actually wanted to enjoy this with you. But, I thought it would be better if you shared it with your soon to be wife." He comments with a wink, taking out a medium sized bottle of white wine.
"I guess you two can drink it somewhere in paradise...Oh, by the way..How does Bora Bora sound for your honeymoon spot?" He asks me, slipping his hand behind him, digging it into his back pocket. I watch with a surprised gaze as he hands me a pair of airplane tickets, both mine and Elena's names on them.
"Damon, you're kidding. You can't send Elena and I off to Bora Bora...I have medical bills and things to pay off! Do you know how long that's going to take for Elena and I to pay you back for this?" I ask him with a laugh, taking a step back from my brother as he grins.
"You don't need to worry about that at all. Mom and dad pitched in. They're at a medical conference in Denver. Said, that since they couldn't be here for your wedding and that I might as well give you the gift we all helped buy for you guys. Stefan, I promised them that I was going to help you and bringing you here, to New York. Was just part of it. I want you and Elena to go on your honeymoon and not have to worry about anything, as far as your medical bills. Whatever your medical insurance didn't cover, Lexi, Caroline and I helped pay off the rest with a generous donation. So, this is your clean slate, little brother. Your second chance."
"What?" I ask him. Damon smiles even wider, his blue eyes glistening as he looks around the room, placing his hand on my shoulder again. Our eyes are locked on each other's as he states in a firm tone. "I love you, Stefan. And, you're my only brother. So, this is your second chance at living, at life and with Elena. Don't question it, Stefan. Enjoy it and have a wonderful and memorable time."
I stare at him, smiling even wider as I pat him on the shoulder and in a chocking tone full of emotions I whisper out a soft. "Thank you." Before pulling Damon towards me for a hug when I add. "Thank you, for saving my life and always believing in me. Thank you, for being my best friend and my brother."
Elena's P.O.V.
A knock causes me to jump and nearly drop the tear drop crystal earrings that I'm trying to put into my ears when I hear his voice. "You ready, Mrs. Salvatore?"
I smile at the at the way he says it, slowly opening the door and gasping a little, Damon leans against the door frame, stunned. "You look..." His voice catches, grinning widely when he takes a few more steps into the hotel room that Bonnie, Caroline, Lexi and I had been spending the last few hours getting me and themselves ready for the wedding.
"Do I look okay?" I ask him, running my hands over the bright white lacy material of my wedding dress. It's a long sleeve laced dress, the back of it opens and exposes my tanned skin a bit, the lace from the material of the dress flows down and puffs out towards my feet a little, exposing my white high heels and making my slender figure look tall and my whole body feel radiant.
Damon clears his throat, smiling, grinning wider than I have ever seen him do before. "You're the most beautiful bride in the room." He comments, holding out his hand towards me as I smile, shaking my head with a laugh.
"I'm the only bride in the room." I point out, feeling when he tugs me towards him, placing his arm over my shoulder as he lets out a loud laugh. "Stefan's going to go crazy when he locks his eyes on you. Now, let's go before your bridesmaids come in here and think that I'm helping you plan an escape route." He tells me, taking his hand off my shoulder when he looks over at me, this beaming smile still on his face.
"What?" I ask him, getting a bit annoyed, watching his shoulders shrug back. "Seven years ago, I wanted you to be my sister in law because I thought you were the one who understood my brother the best and that you'd take care of him. You've outdone yourself, Elena Gilbert. Today's that day that I've been hoping for. We're finally becoming family, Mrs. Salvatore."
I nod, wrapping my arm around his as I laugh. "I guess, I have in trying to help Stefan, I just want him to be okay. I love him, Damon. And, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with your brother. I want you to know that..I can't wait to be his wife."
"I know. So, let's get you two crazy kids married already!" Damon exclaims, leading me out of the room towards the stairs that lead directly out to a small garden behind the hotel.
"You ready to become Mrs. Elena Salvatore?" He asks, glancing over at me when I lock my eyes on to his and we just stand there for a moment, taking in the moment. Taking in the fact that in just a few short hours. Stefan and I will finally be starting our lives together as husband and wife, like we should have done years earlier.
I smile. I can't even attempt hiding it and part of me doesn't even want to when he says my new last name. My own arm grips Damon just a bit tighter when I nod, taking the first step down the stairs to go outside, where I know everyone is waiting for us. "More than ever." I reply, feeling his hand tighten around mine when he smiles.
"You nervous?" He asks me as I look around us. The back yard to the small hotel that we've been staying at for the last few hours is beautifully decorated, it's all Caroline and Bonnie's doing I assume because I can't think of anyone else who would know exactly what I wanted before I even told them except for them two.
"Bonnie and Caroline did this?" I whisper into Damon's ear, watching him nod. He laughs a little as he adds. "Lexi helped out too. She actually ordered the cake and stuff. We just wanted to do something nice for you guys. We wanted it to be perfect. Oh, and look who's here."
Damon points his finger towards the three rows of white chairs with red bows tied to the back of them; red roses and white lilies are on each side of the gazebo where Stefan, Matt, Caroline, Bonnie and Lexi are all stranding under the small white colored gazebo, including the person we hired to initiate the wedding.
"Jenna and Elijah?" I comment, turning my head to wave at them a little as my aunt waves back at me, a huge beaming smile on her face when she mouths. "You look beautiful."
"Are they…" My voice trails off when Damon shrugs, his smile widening as we get closer and closer to the gazebo and my eyes lock on to Stefan's when Damon says with a wink. "Lexi and I set them up on a date for your wedding. Hey, no one should go solo to weddings. So, I figured that would be a nice pair for the night."
The vows are read, the ceremony wrapped up beautifully and as he takes a hold of my hand and leads me on to the dance floor for our first dance. I can't hide how excited I am to start this new chapter in our lives. "He's sending us to Bora Bora. He gave me two tickets that are just sitting in our hotel suite." Stefan comments, pulling me towards him as his hand rests on the small of my back and he watches my brown eyes light up when I give him a confused look.
"Who's sending us to Bora Bora…Do you even know how expensive that is…" My voice trails off, looking around the room at who he could even be talking about. Surely Denise and Nick would never do that and Elijah is out of the question..He was just Stefan's doctor for a short time... So, that only leaves-
"Damon and Lexi. My parents too. It's their wedding gift to us." He says.
"He's not. Are you even sure that the tickets are valid? Knowing your brother he could totally-." I'm cut off when I feel someone tug at my dress and I look down at who it is.
His eyes are like his father's, a huge grin is on Nathan's face and the white tie around his neck is a bit lopsided as he smiles and asks. "Can I have this dance with Elena?"
Stefan leans towards me, kissing my cheek as he whispers. "I'll be right over there if you need me. I'm just going to go sit down and talk with your aunt. Have fun dancing with your other date." I smile, leaning down towards Nathan as he wraps his arms around me and states in the most honest tone ever. "You look beautiful today. My mom and dad wanted me to tell you that and I wanted to dance with you. But, I wanted to ask you if you..wanna dance with me?"
I laugh a little, brushing back his brown hair with my fingertips, smiling when I glance down at my wedding band when I clear my throat, extending out my hand towards Nathan. "I would be honored to dance with you, Nathan."
He smiles, it never leaves his face as I get up, spinning him around. My son's giggling fills my senses and I can't stop smiling when he takes a hold of my other hand, looking up at me with wide eyes when he adds. "You're my other mom and I love you. I wanted you to know that too."
My breathing hitches, tears suddenly attempted to fill my eyes as I bend down to his level and tilt my head to the side. "What did you say?" I ask him, feeling when he lets go of my hand and he grins, repeating the words. "You're my other mom, Elena and I love you."
I shrug my shoulders back, watching as he leans into me and wraps his little arms around my neck tightly, exhaling deeply. "I love you too. I love you a lot, Nathan." I comment, choking on my words when I grab a hold of him, hoisting him up in my arm my arms, slowly walking off the dance floor with my son in my arms and making my way back towards the table where everyone's sitting around talking.
Nick stands up, taking Nathan from me as I smile through my unshed tears, leaning into me as he adds. "He doesn't really understand it yet. But, we wanted to tell him today that his other mommy was getting married to his other dad. He's your son, Elena and he deserves to know the truth, even if he's too young to understand right now. Denise and I have decided that from now on, whatever Nathan wants to know that we'll tell him and over time, when he's older- any questions he has should be answered by all of us- especially you and Stefan. Anyways, Congratulations on the marriage." Nick tells me, pulling me into a hug as I hold onto to them both- Nathan against him- and tears begin to fall down my cheeks.
My eyes are glazed over with more tears when I look around the table at everyone who's there- everyone we care about. Caroline's holding Matt's hand, Bonnie's sitting in between my aunt and Elijah, laughing at something that Elijah's said. Damon and Lexi are talking quietly and Stefan can't take his eyes off of me. When I finally sit down, Stefan takes my hand into his own, intertwining our fingers when he leans into me and asks. "So, Mrs. Elena Salvatore. How does it feel to be called that, finally?"
I'm grinning when I move into him, kissing his cheek as I comment in a serious tone. "I love it, like I love you. It's taken forever for us to be together like this. But, here we are. Finally, together with everyone we love. We're finally getting our second chance." I reply, feeling Stefan's hand slide down my bare back when he adds. "True. Now, how about we ditch this little get together and go back to our hotel room, I have a fun game we can play?" His voice is eager and for a moment I swear my whole body tenses at his words and his touch. I smile, kissing him again and I clearing my throat when shake my head. "Not yet. I have one more thing to do." I comment, taking a hold of the half filled champagne glass sitting in front of me.
My hands are shaking a little when my spoon makes a loud chiming noise against the glass and when everyone stops talking and looks up directly at me; my eyes fill with tears that start to spill over my cheeks as I start speaking. "I just wanted to make a toast. To every one of you who made this day possible for Stefan and I. We're thankful for all of you and we're beyond happy to call you guys a part of our family. To Denise and Nick, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your family. Thank you for making me realize that I made the right choice. He's a wonderful little boy and I can't imagine my life without him in it. I can't wait to see Nathan grow up into the wonderful and amazing young man I know that he'll be…" My voice trails off when I take a deep breath and clear my throat, looking around the table, continuing my speech.
"Jenna, thank you for understanding and being here for me. I love you. And, last but not least. To my amazing and handsome, husband. Thank you for loving me, for never giving up on us- even when I made it hard for you to even want to stick around. Stefan, you're my best friend and you opened my eyes to living every day like it's my last. Because of you, I'm a better person. You made me a better person with your strength and love, with your kind and forgiving heart. I love you so much. I always have and I will never stop loving you, until we're old together. So, you better get used to a lifetime of me telling you that." I comment, laughing a little when I place my hand on to the table and feel Stefan give my hand a tight squeeze.
He watches me slowly sit down and just when I do. He too, gets up and lifts up his glass, smiling at everyone around the small outdoor space. "I just wanted to say that I'm thankful you're all here and that you guys got to experience our wedding day with us. It means more than any of you will ever know to Elena and I. Also, I wanted to tell my wife something." He pauses, looking down at me as our eyes lock when I look up at him and he adds. "Thank you for believing in me, for never giving up on me and loving me as much as you could during the difficult times and the good days. I love you, Elena and that will never change. So, here's to second chances and to a lifetime of being together with you, my wife." Stefan comments, smirking when he sits down and leans into me, capturing his lips against my own softly.
I lean back, smiling and looking around the table filled with everyone that Stefan and I care about. And, for a moment I can't picture myself anywhere else but here. With everyone that we love, everyone that we care about. It's because of them that Stefan and I were able to get our happy ending and I don't ever think that I could say thank you enough to any of them for helping us be here, in the moment and surrounded by the ones we love.
"To Mr. and Mrs. Stefan Salvatore. May you both have a lifetime of love, of laughter and happiness. May you both live your lives fully and never once give up on each other or the love that you both share." Lexi states, leaning against Damon as I nod, smiling even wider when I lean my head against Stefan's shoulder and whisper into his ear. "To a lifetime." I comment, grabbing his hand into my mine and smiling when I glance down to see our rings glistening, knowing our future will be filled with memories, love and laughter, a future that we can finally have together. Stefan smiles when I lean into him and add in a voice that's just above a whisper. "I love you, Stefan and no matter what comes our way, I know that we'll face it all together. I can't wait to start making beautiful memories with you. My husband, the love of my life."
He smiles, that beaming and cheerful glance is in his green eyes as he pushes away from me for a moment, grinning even wider when he moves towards my lips and whispers against them right before kissing me. "Who said that we had to wait to make memories, give me five more minutes with everyone and let's get this honeymoon started already. Because, let's face it, Elena. Our whole wedding, and the honeymoon...has been 7 years... long over due."
Don't forget to read the epilogue! :)