And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full
I've traveled each and ev'ry highway
But more, much more than this
I did it my way

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption

I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
But more, much more than this
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my….way.

Yup, this sums up what I'm feeling right about now.

Chapter 26: The Wedding Version 1

"Damnit Elena, keep still! I'm gonna get mascara on your cheeks if you keep squirming!" scolded Caroline who was trying to put the finishing touches on the nervous bride.

"Care, I'm going to be late to my own wedding! What if there's traffic? What if the car won't start? What if Damon thinks that I ran off? We have to go now!" Elena muttered as she wrought her hands together nervously.

"Well, it's your own fault that you woke up late on your own wedding day! Although, from what I heard last night, you needed the rest," Caroline said with a smirk as Elena blushed deeply.

"Errmm...well, Damon came over...and we-we just..."

"You don't have to defend yourself, I get it," Caroline giggled, "Anyway, I got to live vicariously through you for one night, and it was HOT. I think even Bonnie will be having trouble looking Damon straight in the eye without blushing later. Anyway, we have another hour before you have to be there, so take a deep breath, and go to your happy place while I finish making you look perfect."

Elena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm her nerves and slow her racing heart. Now that the time had come for the actual wedding, she couldn't wait to walk down the altar and join Damon at the front. She imagined the lives they would build with each other, starting from the honeymoon in Italy. It would be interesting to see where his Italian passion side of him came from. She couldn't help herself but to smile softly as she remembered their intense love-making session last night. Never had she experienced such passion with another guy before and she knew that it was because it was Damon Salvatore; their chemistry was off the charts!

"You're gonna have to stop smiling like that, you're scaring me!" Caroline teased. "All done! Now, go put on your dress and I'll go get your veil."

Elena walked dreamily in her walk-in wardrobe and unzipped the garment bag to reveal the dress within. A sense of calm came over her as soon as she slipped on the delicate gown, feeling the soft fabric against her skin. Under strict orders from Caroline, she refrained herself from looking in the mirror until she was given the green light. So, she stepped into her new pair of satin shoes with diamond studded details and carefully walked out into the bedroom where she was greeted by a screaming Caroline.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Bonnie get in here! You. Look. Absolutely. Amazing! Bonnie!" she yelled out while jumping up and down in excitement. Bonnie ran into the bedroom, panting slightly as she shot a curious glance at Caroline before her jaw dropped when she caught sight of Elena in her wedding gown.

"E-Elena, wow! Y-you look stunning! That dress...there's no better way to wear it," Bonnie said.

"Really? You don't think it's too much or too old-fashioned or too..."

"No! It's exactly right for you and Damon. Now, the veil," Caroline said as she pinned the long veil at the crown of Elena's head, her hair swept up in a messy side bun over he left shoulder with loose tendrils around her ears. "There, perfect! Now, you just need two more things; something new and borrowed, so here is my new diamond hairpin," she said as she pushed it into her hair next to the veil.

"And here's something old and blue, a pair of lapis lazuli earrings. I've enchanted them with the daylight spell, you know just in case you may need it during your honeymoon or later," Bonnie said with a tentative smile as she slipped the earrings on Elena's bare earlobes.

Elena looked at her two friends with so much love and gratitude for all that they've done for her and their support on this day. Her eyes started misting with tears as she wrapped both of them in a hug. "Thank you both, so much. I just really love you guys!" she sniffed.

"Awww, we love you too!" Caroline said with a smile as Bonnie nodded with a wobbly smile.

Elena sighed and then asked, "So, I'm ready and you both look really great in those dresses. Shall we go?"

"Umm, Elena, can I talk to you for a second? Caroline, if you don't mind, do you think you can wait in the car for a few minutes? We'll be right behind you," Bonnie nodded at Caroline as the blonde eyed her suspiciously but obediently left them alone upstairs.

"What is it Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"I-It's about Damon. Originally, I planned to-" Bonnie started but was interrupted by Caroline's raised voice.

"Elena! Can you come down here? You have a visitor!" her urgent voice drifted up from downstairs. Elena and Bonnie looked at each other in alarm and quickly walked downstairs to find their friend.

"Who is it Ca-?" Elena shouted as she descended the stairs, only to look up at the open doorway to find herself staring at a familiar face.

"Elijah?" she gasped and then flew down the stairs to him and then threw her arms around his stiff frame impulsively.

Elijah stood at the entrance in stunned silence momentarily as he recovered from her sudden embrace. Against his own judgement, his lips relaxed into a reluctant smile and wrapped his own arms around her, resting just above the small of her back, his chin resting against her forehead.

"I'm so glad you're here, I missed you so much!" she whispered against his broad shoulders.

"Me too, Layna. How are you?" he whispered back.

She pulled back slightly to look into his eyes as she smiled, "You know how I am, you can feel it," she gestured to her bracelet.

"So, excited, happy and scared all at once?"

"Exactly," she grinned at him. Then she noticed Caroline and Bonnie's bewildered faces behind her, so she stepped away from him. "Actually, we're on the way to the chapel right now, you want a lift?"

"Actually, I came to tell you something. Can your friends just give us a moment?" Elijah asked politely, his gaze on both of them.

"Err, yeah sure. Elena, we'll be right outside if you need us," Caroline said as she gave him a warning look before she pulled Bonnie outside.

"Well, you can come in, Elijah," she invited and watched him cross the threshold hesitantly. He walked straight towards her and held both of her hands in his.

"Forgive me for not commenting first how enchanting you look right at this moment. I think you put all brides to shame, Layna," he whispered.

"Thank you, Elijah. It means a lot to me that you're here." she replied.

"Actually, I came to warn you about Klaus. He knows where you are. My trouble-maker of a sister told him, and I think he may be on his way over, if he's not already here."

"Oh, wow, I didn't expect that. But we don't have time to plan anything, the weddings is in less than half an hour! Can we talk about this later, like after the ceremony? I'm leaving for my honeymoon right after dinner, so we won't be here for him to find anyway. It's okay, Elijah, we-we'll figure something out," she said.

"Layna, I tried to buy you more time, at least until after the wedding, but my mother...we have to get rid of him as soon as possible. We can't risk him tracking you down. There's something else you have to know; we found another Bennett witch and together with Bonnie and Esther, they can complete the reversal spell on me and my siblings. That will weaken Klaus enough for us to kill him, but you'll-"he didn't finish the sentence when he caught sight of her expression, her eyes panicking and worrying.

'No! You can't kill him! That will mean that you'll be dead too! No, I can't handle that, not right now. Please Elijah, hold them off from doing the spell, at least until we can figure this out! Please, promise me that you'll stop them! Promise me, Elijah!" she said frantically, unable to imagine losing her new best friend who have done so much for her. She had to save his life, maybe talk to Esther to see if she can undo the binding spell she cast on her children.

"Shhh, Layna, don't worry. It's not going to happen today, not if I can help it. But you have to promise me one thing, Layna. I won't risk your life, not in the slightest. So I want you to drink my blood, just in case. If nothing happens by the end of the day, then it will leave your system by tomorrow, so no harm done. This is just a precaution," he suggested, unable to tell her the real reason he wanted her to have vampire blood in her system. He could already see the fear and panic rising in her, and he didn't want to spoil her big day. There'll be time to come clean later, he thought.

"No, I-I can't! I'm not ready to become a vampire yet, if ever! This is something I have to discuss with Damon, I can't just decide on it! It will change our whole lives," her eyes pleaded with him to understand, but she knew that if he forced her, she couldn't do much about it.

"Layna, if Damon knew that you were in danger, do you think that he would hesitate forcing you to drink his blood? And like I said, this is just a precaution, if there's no sign of Klaus, then you remain a human, still vulnerable and defenceless, but human no less. He doesn't even have to know, if you think that it will just worry him unnecessarily. Please, Layna, if you won't do it for me and my own peace of mind, then do it for Damon. You've overcome so many obstacles just to be together, so why won't you do whatever it takes to make sure of a future with him? Will you risk your life to leave him to face eternity alone after all this? If you died, don't you realize that you'll ultimately be killing him too?" he asked gently, knowing that they were out of time.

"I-I don't know. I can't think about this now. Just let me get through the wedding first. I'm sure nothing is going to happen today, so this whole conversation is pointless anyway."

"Well, if you truly believe that, then what's the problem with taking my blood now? If there's no danger, then having a little vampire blood in your system shouldn't be an issue, should it? Please, Layna, just do it and then you can go ahead to the chapel and marry the love of your life," he said, his brows rose as a challenge. She hesitated and thought it through. He was right, what's the harm in taking a little precaution? She just hated lying to Damon about it, and she knew that if he found out that she was willing to take Elijah's blood, he'd freak out. No, he can't find out. And he won't.

She turned her gaze to Elijah and nodded mutely. He sighed in relief and brought his wrist up to his lips and bit through the flesh, and then he raised his bleeding flesh to her mouth. Her eyes followed his hand as it came nearer to her, finally stopping just an inch away from her mouth. This was Elijah, she trusted him. All he's done for the past few months was tried to protect her. She lowered her lips to his wrist and sucked tentatively, tasting his thick blood as it flowed into her mouth. She had been unconscious the previous two times he fed her his blood to save her, so she didn't expect that he'd taste sweet, warm and a little coppery. She had three mouthfuls in her before she lifted her lips from his wrist and retreated back a step. She felt a little lightheaded for a moment, and then slowly she could feel her tiredness from last night disappear completely. She felt energetic and refreshed, as if she just drank a pot full of coffee.

Elijah gave an approving nod and leaned in to pull her into his arms. "Layna, you are the most amazing creature I've ever met, and I've met a fair share in all my years being around. You truly have the biggest heart and a brave soul like no other. It's an honour to have met you, and being able to call you my friend," he said softly as his finger stroked her smooth cheek. "I just have to tell you something, before you're someone else's forever." He tilted her head back and stared deeply into her wide brown eyes. "I love you, Layna Sommers aka Elena Gilbert," he whispered before he raised her right hand and pressed his lips softly against the back of her palm, the gentlemanly gesture as befitting the noblemen he used to be. "I'll see you later." And with that, he was gone, leaving her standing alone in her living room.

"Elena? We have to leave now, we're running late already. Where's Elijah?" Caroline's voice from the door entrance shook her out of her reverie.

"He-he's gone. I think he went ahead to the chapel."

"Oh, I thought he might have gone with us in the car. You okay?" Caroline asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Umm...let's go, Damon will be worried," Elena grabbed her bouquet, took a deep breath and walked to the car.

Damon was more than worried. He had been a nervous wreck all morning; ever since he got kicked out of his own bed and house by Caroline who had stormed into the bedroom waking him and Elena up, yelling at him for tiring out the bride who needed her beauty sleep. He didn't see what was wrong; Elena looked absolutely gorgeous this morning, with her messy tangled hair, her skin covered with a deep red blush from being woken up completely naked with her fiancée on her wedding day. If it weren't for the pesky blonde friend of hers, he would have gladly stayed and showered with her and then have a quickie, not necessarily in that order.

When he got back to his apartment, he found his best man and his brother waiting for him inside, both worried out of their minds when they couldn't find him. The first thought that came to Stefan's mind was that he had pre-wedding jitters and maybe he had just took off, but Ric, who had more faith in him than his own brother did, thought that either Rebekah or Klaus had shown up and killed him, thus revealing that he didn't have much faith in his fighting skills.

After he had explained that he spent the night at the house with Elena, they calmed down slightly and forced him to take a shower and get ready.

'Hey, Damon, do you have the rings? And your vows?" Ric called out from the living room.

"Yup, got the rings here in my pocket and I don't need to write my vows down. I have it all in here," he pointed to his head as he strolled out from the bedroom. He saw them look at him in shock for a moment before they recovered.

"Oh great, you're gonna say something inappropriate again, aren't you? You should've written down your vows, man. That way, I can go over it and give my stamp of approval," Ric groaned.

"I want it to come from my dead, cold heart, not some impersonal piece of paper," Damon said.

'For you, impersonal piece of paper beats running off at the mouth, over-sharing again. Remember, this is a chapel, so none of those R-rated talks, okay?" Ric warned. "Stefan, how are we on time?"

"Plenty. It's still early, we have forty five minutes to go. Anything else we're forgetting?" Stefan asked.

"Yes! Mr. Cuddles! Stefan, will you bring him along with you to the chapel?" Damon smirked.

"Forget it, I am not carrying that bear around with me everywhere! It's childish and insane!" Stefan retorted indignantly.

"Hmmpf, I'm telling Elena you said that about her bear, you see if I don't!" Damon threatened. "Okay, can we just go earlier? Just in case there's traffic, or the car breaks down, or she gets there early and don't see me. She'll think that I ran off or something! Come on!"

"What a big baby," Stefan muttered under his breath as he and Ric hurried after his brother who was already out the door.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to the chapel a few meters off the Strip. Damon greeted Matt, Tyler, Jeremy, Liz and Meredith at the entrance and most of them looked at his outfit of choice in unconcealed shock. They hadn't seen him in any other colour than his usual signature black, so it was a drastic difference from his usual look. When Jeremy commented on it, he just replied dryly, "Well, it's an extraordinary day, so I had to make an effort to make it special."

Soon, he was pacing up and down the aisle and around the pews, glancing at his watch every few seconds. Stefan was holding on to his phone, and he kept hounding him to call Caroline or Bonnie to find out where they were.

"Damon, it's still early, we still have fifteen more minutes before they are expected to arrive. Just stay calm, okay?" Stefan said.

"Can't you just call them? Maybe they ran into some trouble, or maybe Elena had changed her mind. Just call them, Stefan!"

"Elena wouldn't change her mind! Besides, Caroline texted me earlier, saying that they just need to put some finishing touches on Elena and then they'd be right out of the house," Stefan lied, so that his brother would calm down.

"So, she didn't get cold feet? She's still coming?" Damon asked, his voice hopeful.

"Yes, they are coming. I think you should just sit down and relax, you look really stressed out."

"Yeah, yeah, I should calm down. I'm too nervous, aren't I? It's really happening? We'll be married within the hour. Elena will finally be mine," Damon nodded to himself absently as he felt himself calm down somewhat at the thought of her being his wife officially.

Fifteen minutes later, Damon was the subject of many amused gazes as he yelled at Stefan to call Caroline again. "They are officially late! Something's happened, I know it. Elena would never keep me waiting like this. Fucking call her already!"

"Alright, I'm calling! Stop swearing in a chapel!" Stefan whispered, nearly at the end of his wits with his frantic older brother. He lifted his phone to his ear and waited for the call to be picked up on the other line. After a while, it went to voice mail. He almost cursed himself at the thought of breaking the news to Damon.

"Well? What did Caroline say? Where are they?" Damon demanded.

"She...didn't pick up. It went to voice mail. But this doesn't mean anything, they are probably in the car, and didn't hear the phone," Stefan tried to explain but Damon was having none of it.

"That's it. I'm going to the house. Stefan, my wife is missing! She could be dead! She could be kidnapped! She could be in Mexico by now while we're here waiting!" Damon yelled loudly, starting to take off his jacket and about to run all the way to the house.

"Hey, they're here! The car just pulled up. Places, everyone," Jeremy called out from the entrance before he disappeared through the doors again.

Damon sighed in relief and pulled his jacket on again, adjusting his collars. "I knew it, I knew she'd make it," he grinned and took his place at the end of the aisle in front of the priest. Stefan and Ric caught each other's eyes and rolled them simultaneously while Liz and Meredith tried to keep their faces straight. Ric went to stand in his spot beside Damon facing the entrance with his hands clasped together in front of his thighs. Damon was facing the front, trying to steady himself for the first glimpse of his bride. He forced himself not to turn to look behind him before she appeared.

Outside, Caroline and Bonnie helped Elena out of the backseat carefully, as Jeremy stepped out of the chapel to offer his arm to her.

"Wow, you look really great! Every bit the radiant bride. So what took you guys so long? Damon was driving all of us insane with his incessant yelling for us to call you," he told her.

"Yeah, Elijah showed up suddenly. Is he here? Have you seen him?" Elena asked.

"Nah, haven't seen him. But then, we had our hands full with the stressed out groom, so maybe I missed him. So, are you ready to go get married?" Jeremy smiled.

"Like you wouldn't believe! Come on, let's go." Holding on to Jeremy's arm, she carefully lifted up her train and walked towards the entrance where Bonnie and Caroline were waiting with her bouquet. Caroline handed her the heavy bouquet and kissed her cheek before she stepped into the chapel. When the wedding march music started playing, the blonde vampire started her slow walk down the aisle, grinning broadly.

"Bonnie, you know what to do, right?" Elena whispered. The witch nodded and smiled, "See you on the other side, Mrs. Salvatore." With that, she entered the chapel and followed behind Caroline.

Elena took a few deep breaths and glanced at her brother who nodded at her in encouragement. "I wish that our parents and Jenna could be here today. They would be so proud of you, like I am."

"I know, Jer. They are here." She slipped her arm through Jeremy's and together they walked into the chapel. As soon as she appeared, Damon could hear the collective gasps from everyone around him. Using his super hearing, he could hear her take one step, then two down the aisle towards him.

Damon's POV (cue music: Make You Feel My Love – Adele)

I steeled myself and inhaled deeply before I turned around to face my bride. I could feel my own eyes widened in shock and my mouth hung open as I saw her for the first time; she was a vision in ivory, her hair was tied in a side swept messy bun and her veil arranged artistically around her flawless face. My gaze then swept down the length of her body, the exquisiteness of her dress wrapped around her perfect body as if it was customized for her. Her shoulders were left tantalizingly bare and inviting as the straps of her gown was positioned just off her shoulders. The vintage lace that swirled around her gave her an ethereal beauty that robbed me of every thought in my mind.

I can't believe she's mine.

That thought replayed over and over again in his head and he felt his heart swelled with pride as he caught her unwavering gaze on him. At that moment, no one else existed, it was only him and this...angel walking towards him, too slowly for his liking. Everything else blurred except for Elena, his Elena.

He exhaled the breath he was unconsciously holding when she placed her hand in his, their fingers intertwined with each other, as he turned his body to stand beside her. "You're perfect," he whispered to her and he watched her blush at his compliment. Finally, they turned towards the priest who was waiting for them to acknowledge him.

Elena's POV

As I took my first step down the aisle, I had to hold myself back from sprinting down the length of the aisle to Damon, who somehow was perversely turned away from me. All I could see was the back of his raven black hair and his broad shoulders wrapped in white.

White?

I had to blink a couple of times before I was able to trust my eyes. Damon in white- I hadn't expected that at all. Just then, he turned his entire body to face me and then all I saw were his wonderful blue eyes. His eyes had widened a little and his mouth was slightly open as he saw me in my dress for the first time. I saw his eyes taking inventory of my appearance, starting with the top of my head and then slowly work their way down my entire body. The second his eyes left mine, I snapped out from a daze, and I, too, fully took in his whole appearance. From the back, his white suit didn't do him justice. Now that I got the full view of him in his all-white pants, shirt, coat, vest and tie, I wondered why I ever thought that he looked gorgeous in black. I was stunned that he looked even better in white, as they brought out the blueness of his eyes in a totally different intense way.

Then, his eyes suddenly caught mine again, and I swore that I could see a hint of pride in them, and of course, passion, love and lust. I lost myself in his eyes for a moment, my feet automatically moved towards him on their own accord. At the back of my mind, I prayed fervently that I didn't trip on my feet and land sprawled on the floor. As we gaze at each other, our eyes silently communicating our love to each other.

I can't believe he is mine.

I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have found my soulmate at such a young age. And in a way, I was glad that I had run away from home when I did. Otherwise, who knew what would have happened?

I was brought back to the present, when Jer let go of my arm and placed my hand in his. My fingers automatically gripped his tightly, grateful to finally be standing next to him. I felt my face grew hot when he whispered two words that meant the world to me, "You're perfect."

Priest's POV

I have never seen a more ridiculously good-looking couple in my life. Having seen the bride, I now understood the reason the groom was a bundle of nerves when he was waiting for her to arrive. I would be insecure too, if my bride looked like that. Watching their silent interaction with just their eyes as she was walking down the aisle, any doubts I had about soulmates and fate flew out the window. This young couple in front of me filled me with such hope and joy that it took me a moment to realize that they were waiting for me to start the ceremony. I cleared my throat and started speaking.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Damon and Elena in matrimony, which is not to be entered into lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." I paused for a moment while everyone waited for the tense moment to pass.

"As Damon and Elena take their vows today, we are privileged to witness the joyous love of a new family. May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort and contentment that is known in the hearts of all God's children. An essential requirement of a good marriage is a strong bond of real friendship and trust. Damon and Elena, your love for each other will grow deeper with every passing day, but it's important to remember that your love stands on a foundation of genuine, mutual affection and respect for each other. To truly LOVE another person is to be willing to accept both their strong points, and their weak points, with equal measures of understanding and respect. The vows you are about to exchange, will serve as a verbal representation of the non-verbal emotions that are as real as anything that can be seen, heard or touched.
For it is not the words that you will speak today that will bond you together as one - but the strength of the love and commitment found deep within your souls."

"Now, at this time, I ask you both to face each other and take each other's hands. Damon, have you prepared your vows?"

"I have. Elena, before I met you, I was an empty shell of a man. I'm grateful for your friendship, for it is this friendship that has gradually changed me into the man I am today. A man who is capable of love and being loved in return. A man who is capable of forgiveness, faithfulness, and being brave enough to remain at your side despite having fears. I offer you my solemn vow to love you unconditionally, to support you, to honor and respect you, to weather the storms with you and to cherish you for as long as I exist. I will spend every waking hour trying to make you happy as long as you remain by my side. From this moment on, my heart, body and soul belongs to you and only you," he declared solemnly and then slid his gaze sideways to his best man in a smug look.

"Elena, have your prepared your vows?" I asked.

"I have. Damon, for as long as I've known you, you have never failed to evoke many emotions within me. You've managed to infuriate me, hurt me, and disappointed me. But despite all that, you have also made me laugh with you, care about you, forgive you, and love you. I am so proud of the man you've become today, and I hope that I can be your pillar of strength as you've become mine. I promise to love you forever, in sickness and in health, to support, honor, respect and obey you, to remain by your side for as long as I exist. I will go to the ends of this world for you, as long as you go there with me. I have nothing left to give you, for my heart, body and soul already belongs to you. I love you," she declared.

"Do you, Damon, take Elena to be your lawfully wedded wife, your best friend, your partner?"

"I do."

"And do you, Elena, take Damon to be your lawfully wedded husband, your best friend, your partner?"

"I do."

"May I have the rings please?" I asked.

The groom reached into his jacket pocket just as the doors at the back burst open. I squint my eyes to avoid the sudden glare of the sun as a tall gentleman strolled in with a smirk.

"Well, isn't this romantic? A wedding in a chapel! I must say I feel quite neglected. My invitation must have gotten lost in the post. And can I just say, my doppelganger looks every bit as perfect as I had imagined the whole way here. I'm surprised at you, Stefan. I would have expected you'd play the role of the groom rather than a brother-in-law."

Damon gritted his teeth and turned to face the intruder while keeping his body in front of Elena. By now, most of the guest had stood up and placed themselves protectively around Elena.

"Klaus," Damon's voice dripped with hatred as he studied his enemy, "you're interrupting my wedding."

"My apologies! I'll leave you to it then. After I have collected what I came for, the show will go on! Now, Elena, would you please walk towards me? I give you my word that no one will get hurt if you cooperate."

"No! Elena, stay behind me. Klaus, what will it take for you to leave us alone?" Damon bit out.

"I just want my doppelganger, you let me have her, and I'll leave you alone. I'll take her and disappear completely, and you will never see her again. That's the price you'll have to pay since you both blatantly disregarded my rules when you both left and led me on a wild goose chase. Now, be a good boy, and step aside and let her come to me," Klaus said in his extremely polite and proper way of a typical English manner.

"You're gonna have to go through all of us to take her," Stefan spoke up as he walked a few steps forward, putting himself between Klaus and Damon. He watched Klaus' eyes drifted from him to Ric, Jeremy, Tyler, Bonnie, Caroline who were all shielding Elena from his view. Only Matt remained slightly to the back, right in front of Meredith, Liz and a terrified looking priest.

"That can be arranged," he smiled before he suddenly appeared in front of Stefan and placed a swift kick on his chest, sending Stefan sprawling into Bonnie and Caroline, knocking them both off their feet. Then he was beside Jeremy and Ric, knocking their head together with a loud crack as they fell to the floor.

Elena screamed Jeremy's name as she attempted to run over to her wounded brother on the floor, but she was held back by Damon, who wrapped his arms around her as he tried to back them up towards the back of the chapel. His head whipped around to find an alternative exit route and then suddenly he was in the air, and he heard Elena's frightened screams as he felt his body slammed down on the front row pews. A narrow and sharp piece of broken wood poked deep inside his flesh as he yelled out in pain.

Elena tried to run to him but Klaus was too fast, as he grabbed her arm and spinned her body to slam against his front as he held her neck in a tight grip. He was caught off guard, however as she stepped on his toes with her heels and pushed the heel of her palm into his nose with all her might. His head snapped back from the force and he temporarily released her from the shock of her attack. She managed to stumble her way to Damon and pulled out the piece of wood lodged deep into his ribs. As Damon slowly recovered from the wound, he saw Klaus reached out for Elena again, but he managed to spin his body on top of hers in a protective position so that Klaus' hand grabbed him instead.

Furious at the obstacles, Klaus plunged his whole hand into Damon's chest, and wrapped his fingers around his heart. Elena shouted at Klaus to stop as Damon gasped in pain.

"Stop, don't hurt him. I'll go with you! Just leave him alone," Elena pleaded as tears poured out from her eyes.

"It's too late, love. I gave you a chance to come willingly and peacefully, but you ignored my request. Now you have to watch your fiancée die because of your stubbornness. This will teach you not to defy me again," Klaus smirked as he squeezed his fingers tighter around the appendage. Damon moaned out in pain as he tried to keep his eyes open to look at Elena, mentally saying goodbye to her and to convey how much he loved her. Just when he felt his heart about to jerk straight out of his chest, the pressure was gone immediately and he could hear chanting coming from the entrance.

Elena had her eyes closed when she thought that Damon was going to die, and her eyes flew open at the sound of chanting. She turned her head towards the entrance of the chapel and saw Esther and Bonnie's cousin walking slowly down the aisle holding a grimoire. Klaus had released Damon and turned towards his mother in fear as she approached him. Suddenly, a third voice joined in the chant; Bonnie was now standing next to Lucy with a bleeding gash on her head, but managed to keep her voice steady. As the chanting got more intense, a gust of wind blew around the small chapel and flames of candles shot up to three feet high.

Then, Elijah appeared in front of Klaus and the hybrid retreated a few steps as he started to feel himself doubling over in pain. Elijah had also fallen to the floor writhing in pain, but managed to crawl towards Klaus. A few seconds later, as the three witches' chanting reached a crescendo, the freak gust of wind quieted down as suddenly as it appeared and the candles' flames extinguished by themselves.

"Elijah, now!" Esther's voice rang out. Damon watched in slow motion as he whipped his head to where the Original siblings were, just in time to see Elijah reach into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a long white stake and plunged it directly into Klaus' heart, silencing the loud bellow he was releasing. The hybrid squirmed around on the floor for a few more seconds, his hands wrapped around the stake protruding from his chest as if attempting to pull it out, before he finally went still.

Damon looked relieved that the danger was finally over but then he noticed that Elijah was still on the floor, his eyes shedding tears as he kept his eyes on a spot just behind him. Damon then realized that Elijah was staring at Elena, so he whirled around in time to see her fainting. He caught her just in time and clutched her to his body, hugging her close and intending to tease her about fainting later on when she recovered. By now, the other people finally recovered from Klaus' attack and were getting to their feet.

"No! Elena!" came an anguished cry, and Damon looked up to see Caroline staring at his bride in horror.

"Relax Barbie, she just fainted, that's all," he said to comfort the blonde vampire, but she just shook her head as tears poured down her face. He watched her in confusion until he noticed Ric, Stefan, Bonnie, Liz, Matt, Tyler and Jeremy all staring down at the girl in his arms. He pulled back, expecting to see her eyes closed but not hurt. He was surprised to find her eyes half-opened and focused on him. Then he noticed the pallor of her face and then he looked down, and his eyes widened in horror at the sight of her perfect ivory gown stained with blood. The stain had started at her chest and was now spreading rapidly through the lace of her gown, turning it crimson red on no time.

"Elena? What's wrong? Sweetheart, please, tell me what's wrong?" he pleaded. He saw her lips move and he leaned in to hear her and managed only to make out one word, "Wait…" before her eyes closed shut.

"Elena? Wake up! Don't close your eyes! Say it again! Elena!" he shook her shoulders as he refused to believe the evidence that she was gone. He couldn't make any sense of it. She wasn't hurt, he had protected her with his own body. So, why was she bleeding? He felt Bonnie's presence beside him, and she was crying earnestly now as she stared at her best friend. Slowly, the sounds around him got louder as the guests of their wedding were all in tears, Jeremy, Stefan and Ric all collapsed on their knees on the floor. Then damon realized that the reason he could hear the background noises were because the one sound he was hearing was no longer there: Elena's heartbeat.

'I'm sorry for your loss. But in order for Klaus to die, the doppelganger had to die too. It was her blood that made Klaus into a hybrid, and therefore they are linked. If you kill Klaus, then she's dead too," Esther said.

Bonnie turned around to glare at her, "Why didn't you tell me? I would never have agreed to help if I knew Elena had to die! You should've told me!"

"And what good would that do? If we didn't find a way to kill Klaus, then Elena's as good as dead anyway. And you would have lost more people. I got here just in time to save Damon from having his heart ripped from his chest. Klaus would never have allowed any of you to live after today. It would have been a day of greater loss. I lost all my children too, you know," Esther said softly.

Everyone's attention except for Damon shifted to Elijah. Sure enough, he was lying on the floor as still as death.

"Damon, I'm so sorry. I didn't know! I swear I didn't. Initially I planned to get Esther and Lucy's help to turn you into a human. That's the only reason I told Lucy where we were. I couldn't take the risk of you hurting Elena if you stayed a vampire, so I-I wanted to turn you into a human. We needed all three of us for the spell to work, and I knew that it would work since she wanted to turn her children to humans too. I didn't know that Klaus was going to appear today, and Elena was going to –" Bonnie trailed off, as her gaze slid over to her dead best friend.

"It doesn't matter," Damon whispered, "Nothing matters anymore." With that, he lifted Elena up in his arms and sped away without looking back. He ran and ran, not caring if anyone saw him. It was sometime later that he stopped and looked around himself. He had run all the way to the Grand Canyon. He supposed that this place held some meaning to him as it was where he wanted to bring Elena to on the day he was supposed to propose. He set her down gently on the ground. Then he took off his jacket and covered her chest with it, to avoid seeing the blood on the gown. If he didn't see it, he could pretend that she was just sleeping.

As he looked down on her face, he felt furious that once again he got cheated of everything that made him happy. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of his life, but it had turned into the worst day of his existence. His reason for living was gone. He felt hollow, empty. He broke down as he felt a deep sense of loss, loss of the only woman he had ever really loved with his whole being, loss of the life they could have had together, loss for the future he had envisioned, loss of what made him human in the first place.

"Elena! How could you leave me now, after all we've been through? Remember our vows we said today? You promised to be with me, so how could you leave me alone here? I vowed to give you my heart, body and soul, and then you left me and took them with you! Take me with you then! I want to die with you, because I see no other reason to live. Wait for me, darling, please wait for me. I'll see you soon, my wife," he leaned down to kiss her cold lips as his tears rolled down to wet her face.

He thought about taking off his ring and burn in the sun, but he can't bear to leave her body all alone out here. He looked around for another alternative, and spotted the piece of wood that she had pulled off of his chest earlier in the chapel. It was still in her grip. It had missed his heart by inches earlier, but now, this time, he would make sure that it didn't miss. He caressed her soft hair and her cheeks for the last time, and leaned down to kiss her lips again, and then remembered the rings in his pocket. So he took them out and slid the wedding band onto his own finger, and then the smaller one onto hers. Then he laid down right beside her and held her hand in his.

"Our love is eternal and it is stronger than death. Elena, let me find you again in death, and once again, we shall be reunited there."

Then, he closed his eyes, and with his right hand, plunged the makeshift stake deep into his own heart.

An hour later, Elena stirred and opened her eyes a little to peek around her. It was so bright around her, almost too bright. As her eyes focused, she was astonished to find herself lying on the ground at what could only be the Grand Canyon. She sat up in alarm, and realized several things at once; one, that the jacket that covered her had fallen down to reveal a large blood stain on her wedding dress. Two, that someone was holding her hand, and three, that everything was so clear and bright suddenly. She then realized, from Jenna's experience, that she was in transition. She was becoming a vampire. For once, she was actually glad that she wasn't stubborn enough to ignore Elijah's request.

Then, she looked down curiously at the person whose hand was attached to hers. She noted with alarm that it was Damon, and he had a stake protruding from his chest. She hoped to God that whoever who did it missed his heart, but then that hope died when she saw his face. His handsome, gorgeous face was now grey with veins appearing around his eyes. She had seen this before, many times, in fact. It meant that her dear sweet husband was dead, for real. She had lost him forever. She looked around for the murderer, but couldn't find a single soul around. She looked down at their joined hands and noticed their wedding band on her fingers.

If she was wearing the band, it meant that Damon had put the band onto their fingers, But before at the chapel, Klaus had interrupted before Damon could even remove the rings from his jacket pocket. She felt around the jacket that had fallen around her, and searched for a sign of the box that the rings came in. She couldn't feel it, so she looked around and finally saw the opened box on the other side of his….body.

He did it. He killed himself for her. Because he thought that she was dead, and that he'd lost her. She burst out into tears as her heart broke at the thought of losing Damon forever. She couldn't imagine a world without the snarky, cheeky vampire she had loved and married. She didn't expect him to kill himself. Fly off in a rage and plot revenge for her, sure. But not suicide. She collapsed on his chest and cried her heart out for the loss of her beloved husband.

She couldn't believe that this was the end, the path she had chosen to be with him, had resulted in tragedy. This was a storyline for the movies, not real life. Was she never meant to have a happy ever after no matter what? Was she destined to be alone and suffer losses after losses because of what she was? A doppelganger?

She couldn't imagine being a vampire and living an immortal life without him. She wouldn't have survived an entire day without him, let alone an eternity. It would be like hell on earth if she were to suffer that fate.

She knew that it had been hours since she woke up. She had been holding onto him for dear life as she wept on his chest, stopping sporadically to consider her options, and then continued weeping again. She knew that she must be running short of time, as her throat was burning and she felt…hungry or thirsty, depending on how you look at it. Her body was signaling to her that she needed to feed, to hunt for blood so that she could complete the transition. She always thought that she would have another vampire with her to help her learn the ropes if she ever turned to one. Like how Stefan was there for Caroline when she first turned. Somehow, she had always imagined that it would be Damon to be the one to guide her through it.

She tried to recall how long it was for a transition to last in the case of Bill Forbes, Care's father. He opted not to turn, so he died anyway. There was a time limit to such things, but why couldn't she recall it? Was it four to five hours? Or the next day? She had no idea. She thought she might as well prepare for it, just in case she'd just die at any time. She traced her fingers along Damon's face, pad of her thumb brushing past the raised veins around his eyes. It's a pity she couldn't look into his blue eyes one last time.

She sighed and ignored the pain in her throat as she settled down into the original position she woke up in, right beside Damon with her hands clasped in his. She let herself feel regret over the hurt she'd cause Jeremy, Ric and all her best friends for leaving them behind. A pang of guilt hit her when she thought about the brother who had lost yet another one of his family, in fact, the only family he had left. Although, technically she had died in the chapel, right in front of them all. She still didn't understand how she died, but perhaps it had something to do with Klaus. It didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore.

She felt her strength draining from her as time dragged on. It was growing darker now. Or perhaps her vision had blurred so she thought it was the sky that got darker. She felt relieved that it was almost time. She wasn't afraid of death. In fact, now she welcomed it. For it meant that the pain would stop. The pain of feeling, of the great loss that she had suffered, not only for Damon, but for Jenna, John, and her parents.

Soon, she would be reunited with her love, and hopefully her family too. Perhaps she would finally find happiness in the afterlife that she didn't find in the real one. Yes, death is good, it is kind.

She smiled to herself as she felt herself slowly floating away.

"I love you, Damon. I'll see you soon, my love."

Then her eyes closed for the last time.

Okay, please don't hate me! I said in the very beginning that this was a tragic love story. I had planned for this exact scene of Damon and her dying at the end from the very first chapter. It was the chapters 2 to 25 that I didn't plan for. Their tragic death was inspired by Romeo and Juliet, and that was a classic beautiful love story.

So this is my version 1 of the ending, the original one I had in mind. Before you guys send me hate mails, I do intend to have an alternative ending, which I will post in the final chapter 27. I guess that I didn't want to disappoint those of you who have stuck to this story from the beginning expecting to find a happy ending. I wrote certain dialogues in this chapter that would lead to the alternative ending scenes. So, make sure you read all the dialogues above.

I apologize if I offended you in any way, with my story. Sometimes, a very powerful love story doesn't end happily, and therein lies the emotions that you get from reading it. The message that I'm trying to send with this ending is that love conquers all, even in death. And that Damon and Elena's love for each other was too deep to be able to survive from. I find it….poetic.

Alright, bring on the big guns, and tell me if you like the way it was written or if you demand for the other version. Let me know by reviewing.

Thanks again for sticking by me. Again, don't hate me!

Cheers!