Here we are. The final chapter. Wow. I'm still in denial! (No worries - there will be an epilogue!) I am so sorry for the length of time it took me to post. I started a new job (and I've been working on my new story - first chapter now posted!) and life has been extra busy, with all the fun fall things going on.

Thank you all SO MUCH for reading and reviewing. I'm still just floored by how you all have embraced me and my story. Thank you a million times over.

Let's stop babbling and get to the good stuff.

Things I Don't Own: Vampire Diaries.

Stefan fell into the seat next to Damon with a sigh. "Who would have pegged Liz Forbes as one to serve cheap liquor?" he asked, making a face as he turned up his mixed drink. Damon didn't answer. Instead, produced a flask from his coat pocket. He unscrewed the top and poured a generous amount into Stefan's plastic cup.

"Elena warned me," he said, answering Stefan's unasked question.

"She's a saint," Stefan proclaimed after another swig of his much stronger drink.

"That she is," Damon agreed. He topped off his own drink before screwing the top back on and tucking the flask away again. "You will have top shelf at your wedding." It wasn't a question, but statement.

"I'm in charge of the liquor," Stefan confirmed. "It's handled." Damon shook his head.

"I'm in charge of the liquor," he countered. "Consider it part of my best man duties." Stefan shrugged.

"Okay," he agreed. Damon's taste in liquor was expensive and fine and he would trust him blindly with ensuring the open bar was well-stocked. "Want to take on addressing save the dates and picking out table linens?" Damon snorted.

"You're on your own for that," he said. "Tell you what though. I'm a nice guy. You can leave my save the date stuck to my fridge. Saves you the price of a postage stamp."

"That's generous," Stefan replied dryly. Damon chuckled. He picked up his drink and searched the room with his eyes. It didn't take him long to find Elena. She was dancing with Caroline who was radiant in her wedding gown, a shiny new band glittering on her left hand. Damon smiled to himself as Rebekah joined the pair, shimming her hips and making Elena throw her head back in laughter.

He loved her. He completely and wholly loved her. What really amazed him though was the fact that she loved him. He hung on to every single time she said "I love you." Sometimes it was a quick "love you" at the end of a phone call. Other times it was a sweet "I love you," her eyes full of light and, if he dared believe it, happiness, as she looked up at him. He himself said "I love you" often, during a commercial break or out of the blue in the middle of dinner. He wanted her to know, to be sure of his feelings for her.

They had been back together, officially, for nearly a month now. The night on her porch, with her agreeing to be his girlfriend again, had been a turning point. Any residual tension had fallen away. Elena had let him back in and he had felt whole again for the first time since she walked out of his life. They had spent the rest of that night making out like teenagers until Elena was drifting off to sleep in his lap. He had gallantly carried her to bed and then slept on the couch, not willing to push his luck, but not willing to leave her either.

There had been some tension the next day, although not between he and Elena. Ric and Jenna had arrived late morning to pick up Ella and Damon had still be there, playing outside with Ella when their car pulled into the driveway. Ric gave him a questioning look before shaking his hand. As men tended to do, that was all it took for them to fall back into easy conversation.

Jenna, however, had been another story. Seven months pregnant and low on patience, she glared at Damon, pulled Elena into the house, and from what Damon gathered, asked Elena what, exactly, she was thinking, taking him back after everything he had put her through. Her reaction was a bit over the top, fueled more by hormones than actual malice, but Elena stood her ground, informing Jenna that it was her decision. Damon had decided to be the bigger person and pulled Jenna aside to offer her an apology for hurting Elena and promised to never do it again. With her husband, daughter and niece pro Damon, Jenna had no choice but to begrudgingly forgive him.

"You really love her," Stefan stated, catching Damon looking at Elena as though she was the only person in the room. And, he assumed, she probably was as far as Damon was concerned.

"More than anything," Damon confirmed. He gave a little shake of his head as though shaking away disbelief that Elena was actually his and reached for his drink once more. "We got pretty damn lucky in the woman department."

"That we did," Stefan agreed. "Rebekah and Elena are pretty amazing." The wedding DJ switched to a popular dance song. Damon and Stefan groaned at the same time while everyone on the dance floor, Elena and Rebekah included, started doing the steps that went along with it.

"Remind me to get the name of this deejay," Damon said. "I want to not hire him for my wedding."

"Your wedding?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Something you haven't told me?" Damon shook his head.

"Not yet," he said. "We won't be stealing your wedding thunder. But if I have my way, we won't be all that far behind you."

He had been thinking a lot about proposing to Elena. He would be perfectly content to present her with his mother's engagement ring right then and there. But instead, he kept it locked away in the safe in his father's – or now, his – study, waiting for the right time. They had come a long way in a relatively short time, but they were still working through residual issues and adjusting to being in the same place, almost all the time.

His instinct at first had been to see Elena as much as possible. He had thought the more time he spent with her, the more likely she would be to see how serious he was about putting her first, making their relationship a priority. And at first, it had worked well. But, Elena was independent and liked to have time to herself. He got upset when she turned him down for a lunch date to work on the outline of her next book and that had led to their first fight since getting back together.

But, true to her word, Elena hadn't walked away. She had calmly explained to Damon that she loved him and loved spending time with him, but also wanted, needed, some time to herself as well to do the things she loved, like writing, just like he needed his own space to tinker with his car or read. He had sulked, had pushed back with a low blow about how first, he was never around and now, he was around too much, what exactly did she want for him? In hindsight, he couldn't have blamed her if she turned on her heel and walked out of the boarding house given his immature approach to the fight, but instead, she had stood her ground and they had worked through things.

The song changed to a slower number. Damon put his drink down and stood. "I'm going to dance with my woman," he told Stefan.

"Guess that means I have to dance with mine," Stefan grumbled although he was slow to follow Damon to the dance floor. Damon met Elena on the perimeter.

"Dance with me?" he asked, gallantly holding his hand out and bowing. Elena giggled.

"Of course," she said, taking his hand. He spun her in a circle and then swept her into his arms, pulling her close. "You're such a good dancer." Damon grinned.

"And you're a little drunk," he teased, nuzzling her hair.

"Am not!" Elena protested.

"Are too," Damon replied. "You've had one too many glasses of wine, Miss Gilbert."

"In that case, I guess you're driving us home."

"I drove us here," Damon reminded her.

"Technically, the limo drove me here. With the wedding party." Damon rolled his eyes. It was rare that drunk or even tipsy Elena made an appearance, but he was always amused when she did.

"Fine," he relented. "But I, as your date, drove us to the rehearsal dinner last night where I begrudgingly left you to spend one last night with Caroline as a single woman. And I'll be the one driving us home tonight." ,

"Home?" Elena asked flirtatiously. "My home or your home?"

"Whichever you prefer," Damon answered. He pulled her still closer, never able to get enough of her. "You're my home, remember? Doesn't matter where we are otherwise."

"You can be so sweet," Elena mused. She rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed. "We're going to be okay, Damon." Damon raised an eyebrow even as he kissed her temple. He didn't know what inspired her to say that, but he wasn't going to question it.

"We are," he confirmed. "We're going to be just fine."

"Our wedding is going to kick this wedding's ass," Elena continued. Damon burst out laughing, still holding Elena tight.

"Don't let Caroline hear you say that."

"Think about it," Elena said, pulling away just enough to look up at Damon. The song changed to a faster number, but Damon and Elena continued their slow dance. "We know what Caroline and Tyler did. Then, we get to be Best Man and Maid of Honor in Stefan and Rebekah's wedding. That will be all of our friends married, so we will know what they did at their weddings and then we can top it." Damon chuckled again.

"I like the way you think, Gilbert," he said. He twirled her again. "But right now, I think we should visit the coffee bar."

"I don't want coffee. How about another glass of wine?" Elena proposed, wrapping her arms around Damon once more.

"I think you've had enough wine," Damon countered. "You're going to have quite the hangover in the morning if you keep going."

"Good thing you know how to take care of hangovers then," Elena quipped. Damon chuckled.

"That I do," he agreed. He dipped his head down and kissed her lightly. "Coffee?"

"If you insist," Elena pretend pouted. Then, her eyes lit up. "We could sneak off into the coat closet! I haven't actually seen one around here, but this place is pretty fancy so I'm sure there is one. We could do what we didn't do the night we met." Damon kissed Elena's cheek again.

"As much as I'm dying to get back into your pants, I don't want to get into your pants in a coat room at a wedding," he answered. As much as their relationship had progressed, they still hadn't crossed the line into complete intimacy. They had decided as a couple to take the physical side of their relationship slow.

"My, how you've changed," Elena quipped grinning up at him, her cheeks flushed and happy. Damon smirked.

"I haven't changed all that much," he stated. "I normally wouldn't bat an eyelash at whisking you off to a coat closet and having my way with you. Except, I'd like our first time since getting back together to be a classier affair."

"So, I'm going to guess we won't be getting naked tonight given my state of almost drunkenness?" Elena replied. Damon laughed again and planted one more kiss on her cheek.

"I would rather you be sober," he confirmed, thinking 'almost' was more like a 'definite,' Elena just didn't want to admit it. "That way, when I make you call out my name over and over, you'll be sure to remember it in the morning."

"If you make me scream your name over and over, I'll remember it the next day no matter what," Elena said coyly. She pressed her hips into Damon's suggestively. He groaned.

"Coffee," he said, giving her a squeeze before letting her go. "Now. Otherwise, I'm not going to be able to control myself."

Elena groaned and rolled over, pulling the comforter over her head to block out the light streaming in through the windows. Someone chuckled. "Shut up," she mumbled. They laughed again, this time with more enthusiasm. Without warning, the blankets were pulled off her head.

"Morning, sunshine," Damon stated.

"Go away," Elena replied, making Damon laugh once more.

"I brought pain killers and water," he told her. "And there's a big, greasy breakfast menu planned should you ever decide to join the land of the living today."

"Stop talking and give me the pain killers," Elena stated, pulling a hand out from under the covers.

"Your wish, my command," Damon answered. He placed two pills in her outstretched hand. She popped them in her mouth, pushed herself into a sitting position with another groan, and accepted the bottle of water Damon was offering her.

"I need coffee," she said. "Lots of it."

"Pot's already on," Damon confirmed. He reached out and tucked a strand of tangled hair behind her ear. He smiled at the disarray. Half of her hair was still in its up do for the wedding, although he had done what he could to pull the pins out in the wee hours of the morning, a job that proved to be never ending. She had slept in her makeup, the mascara smudged around her eyes. He had helped her out of her dress and into one of his t-shirts and she had fallen asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. He was sure she had never been more beautiful.

"What?" Elena asked, looking at him curiously. Damon smiled at her.

"You're beautiful," he declared. "Absolutely beautiful."

"You are so full of it," she said with a shake of her head. Still, she leaned forward and gave him a quick but sweet kiss that still faintly tasted of red wine and the mint toothpaste she had haphazardly used several hours earlier.

"I'm not full of it," Damon argued. He reached for her and pulled her closer, leaning back against the pillows as he maneuvered her into his lap. "I'm telling the God's honest truth."

"Maybe you're still drunk from last night," Elena stated. She kissed him again.

"Only one of us is hungover this morning," Damon retorted. He buried a hand in the back of her hair and pulled her even closer so he could kiss her again, this time deepening the kiss. Elena sighed with contentment as she parted her lips for him at his unspoken request.

"I am not hungover," Elena said as they broke apart for air. Damon snorted back a laugh.

"'Give me the pain killers,'" he mimicked in a high pitched voice. "'I need coffee.'"

"Shut up," Elena muttered before she kissed him again. By now, she was straddling his hips, Damon's hands on her hips as he flirted with the edges of the t-shirt's hem.

"I love you," Damon breathed as he continued kissing her.

"I love you," Elena responded. Her hands roamed the hard lines of his chest. She kissed him again. "But I really do need coffee." Damon chuckled. He kissed her once more before he let her go. She got up as gracefully as she could manage. Her head did hurt, but on the whole, her hangover wasn't all that bad.

"You love me, but you love coffee more," Damon said as he got out of bed as well. "I see how it is." Elena looked over her shoulder at him as she made her way to his bathroom.

"I do love you more than coffee," she said. "But please, don't make me prove it." Damon burst out laughing then. He went in search of a t-shirt before he descended the stairs, only to hear Elena shriek from the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" he called out, already heading in her direction.

"You are a liar!" Elena exclaimed. Damon appeared in the doorway and realized she had gotten a glimpse of herself in the mirror. He grinned.

"What, pray tell, did I lie about?" he asked.

"'You're beautiful,'" she mocked, as he had done earlier. "'Absolutely beautiful.' I look like a meth addict in need of a fix!" She turned on the faucet and went to work trying to find the remaining pins in her hair.

"More like a hungover maid of honor in need of coffee," Damon replied seriously. Elena scoffed and threw a hairpin at him. She missed him by several feet. "That's the best you can do?" he asked.

"I'll hurl this bottle of hairspray at you if you make one more peep," Elena stated. Damon crinkled up his nose.

"Why is there hairspray in my bathroom?" he asked.

"It's mine," Elena said. "Can you be useful and hand me a washcloth from the linen closet."

"Will it result in a bottle of hairspray being hurled at my head?" Damon replied, even as he moved towards the linen closet.

"If it's accompanied by another comment about being hungover or how beautiful you seem to think I am, yes."

"Such violence in this tiny little body," Damon said, looping an arm around Elena's waist and kissing her cheek as he dropped a clean washcloth on the sink. "I'm going to go downstairs and make you that big, greasy breakfast."

"I really do love you," Elena said. She tilted her kid so she could kiss Damon's cheek and then ran the washcloth under her faucet. Damon smiled, smacked her backside playfully, and then ducked out of the bathroom laughing as she shrieked again.

Still smiling, Damon entered the kitchen and went to work, frying bacon and eggs and feeding slices of bread to the toaster. He was slicing an avocado, having recently discovered that Elena loved them, when she entered the room. She was freshly showered and wearing another one of his shirts.

"You have your own bottle of hairspray in my bathroom, but you don't have any of your own clothes here?" he asked. Elena smiled, her damp hair hanging around her makeup-free face. Damon realized he was wrong earlier. This was as beautiful as he had ever seen her.

"I have my own clothes here," she stated. "But, yours are more comfortable. And they look better on me."

"That's hard to argue with," Damon agreed. "Pour us a couple mugs of coffee? I'm going to finish up breakfast." Elena nodded and set about her task. Within a few minutes, Damon slid a plate in front of Elena and sat down across from her at kitchen island.

"This looks amazing," she stated.

"Bacon, egg, cheese and avocado sandwich with a side of fried potatoes," Damon said. "I seriously missed my calling as a chef."

"I don't know," Elena said seriously. "That beefaroni you made the other day really missed the mark."

"It came from a can and I was in a hurry," Damon shot back, making Elena laugh through a bite of her sandwich. Damon smiled as his picked up his own sandwich.

These were his favorite moments with Elena. They went on plenty of dinner dates at everywhere from The Grill to expensive French places in Charlottesville. They went to the movies and had taken both a cooking class and a painting class. She had gone with him on his most recent trip to New York where they had spontaneously decided to make it a long weekend in the Hamptons which was a virtual ghost town as it had been just shy of 'the season.'

But these moments, teasing her as she washed her face, sitting across from her having breakfast, those were the moments he loved. When he thought of Elena, he didn't automatically think of her in a little black dress, seated across from him as they tried to decipher the French menu. He thought of her sitting cross-legged in the middle of his bed, her hair piled into a knot on the top of her head, chattering away about her plans for the day as he leisurely got ready for work. He thought of her showing up unannounced the mill with lunch or playing the lookout while he rigged the kitchen sink sprayer with a rubber band when he and Stefan had been in the middle of a childish prank war a couple weeks ago.

There was no use. He was going to have to ask her.

"So, I've been thinking…" he started.

"About?" Elena prompted.

"You only have, like, one drawer of stuff here." Elena nodded.

"I guess that's true," she said. "Although, I think there's a dress or two of mine in the closet."

"Looks like you've bought duplicates of all your beauty things," Damon continued. "I never see you really carrying a bag, but all of your stuff is in my bathroom."

"Is that a problem?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow. She shoved a forkful of potatoes into her mouth. Damon nodded.

"It is," he said. "It's a problem that some of your stuff is here, and some of your stuff is forty-five minutes away."

"If you want me to take my stuff home, I will," Elena said, growing defensive. "You can have your precious bathroom space that you weren't actually using back."

"See, that's the thing. I don't want you to take your stuff home."

"Then what do you want?" Elena asked. "Because I'm not exactly following you." Damon swallowed down the nerves he was suddenly feeling.

"I want you to move in here, with me."

Silence followed. Having made his request, he waited, the ball in Elena's court. He had thought this through and had plenty of answers ready to go to any question or doubt she threw his way. He just had to hedge his bets and wait for her to respond. It felt like forever, but was really no more than a full minute, before she finally spoke. He found himself leaning forward in an effort to make sure he heard every word she was about to say.

"You want me to move in here, with you?" she asked. Damon nodded.

"That's right," he confirmed. "I would say it makes the most sense."

"And why would it make the most sense?"

"How many times in the last two weeks have you slept at your place?" he asked. "Just in the last two weeks. We're not talking about any other timeframe. Regardless, the statistics would be similar." Elena looked at him as she did the math in her head.

"10 days," she said, making a face as she realized just how many days she had gone without going to the lake house. "I've slept here 10 of the last 14 days."

"11 days," Damon corrected. "And it would have been 12, had Caroline not insisted that you spend the night before her wedding with her."

"It's been 10 days," Elena argued. Damon shook his head.

"11," he said again. "I'm counting the night you turned up at 2AM – with Ella, might I add – because you couldn't sleep at Ric and Jenna's with the baby crying at the top of its lungs all night." Elena frowned.

"I forgot about that," she admitted. "Lack of sleep."

"So, that's 11 of the last 14 days," he said. "Seeing as one was spent at the hotel with the bride, you have only spent 2 nights at your place. If you want to look into the last 30 days, the number of days you've slept here creeps into the mid-twenties."

"Okay, so I haven't slept at my place as much lately," she conceded. "I mean, there was Caroline and Tyler's wedding, Bonnie's birthday thing, Jenna and Ric's new baby… There's been a lot going on. I can stay at my place if it's a problem that I'm here so much." Damon sighed and shook his head.

"Did you miss the part where I asked you to move in?" he asked.

"No, I just…," Elena floundered for words. "You're asking me to move in." Damon nodded.

"I am," he confirmed. "You don't have to tell me yes or no right now. I know it's a big change. But I'd like to throw the option down on the table." Elena nodded slowly.

"Okay," she agreed. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I'm asking," Damon said. It wasn't all he was asking. He was asking her to move in with him, take the next step in their relationship. While he had hoped for an immediate "yes" from her, he supposed it was the natural response to be surprised by his request.

"What would I do with the lake house?" Elena questioned, speaking her thoughts out loud. Damon raised an eyebrow.

"The same thing your parents did with it all those years," he replied. "Use it as a vacation home. I assure you, you and I will frequent it. I'm not above whisking you away to the lake on a spur of the moment getaway."

"It would be nice to be closer to Ella and the baby," Elena continued, not really paying Damon much attention as she sifted through her thoughts. She picked up the remaining half of her sandwich and took another bite.

"Ethan," Damon said. "The kid's name is Ethan." Elena rolled her eyes while she chewed. There was an ongoing debate between Jenna and Rica about referring to their newborn as "the baby" versus his given name of Ethan. Sides had been taken and it was clearly the women against the men.

"He is the baby," Elena pointed out. "He's three weeks old."

"Yeah, but he's also got a name – Ethan. You and Jenna keep calling him 'the baby' and he's going to be answering to it when his 10 years old."

"Oh, they'll have at least one more kid by then," Elena said with a wave of her hand. "And then that one will be called 'the baby.'"

"See? It's not even a permanent nickname. If you want to nickname him, call him something like 'Saltz' or 'Big E.' Give him something cool."

"'Saltz or 'Big E'?" Elena asked. "That's your idea of a cool nickname?" Damon nodded, continuing to eat his breakfast. Elena shook her head. "You are not allowed to nickname our kids." Damon raised his eyebrow again.

"We jumped from moving in together to having kids," he stated. "Does that mean you agreed to move in with me at some point over the last 30 or so seconds?" Elena narrowed her eyes at Damon.

"Like you didn't know I was going to agree to move in with you," she stated. Damon's eyes grew wide.

"You will?" he asked, unable to hide his surprise. "You're going to move in with me?" Elena shrugged casually and continued eating her breakfast.

"I thought about it," she started.

"For 30 seconds," Damon grumbled, earning himself another glare. He smirked in response, but didn't date remind her that less than two minutes ago, she had said she needed to think it over.

"I thought about it," Elena said again, raising her voice an octave. "And, I mean, you're right…"

"Wait, I'm what?" Damon interrupted again. Elena fixed him with still another glare, this one lacking the playfulness of her previous ones. He held up his hands as a gesture of peace. She nodded once and continued.

"I spend a lot of time in Mystic Falls, visiting Ric and Jenna, hanging out with Ella and now, Ethan. Bonnie and Jeremy live here and Caroline and Tyler are only like, 45 minutes away. And technically, Caroline still works here, since this is where her office that she never actually uses is. Stefan and Rebekah just bought a house here. I love the lake and living there has been amazing, but I think the idea of the place being used as a vacation home again – like Mom and Dad intended it to be – isn't all that bad of an idea. Plus, I already have a key to the Boarding House."

"You do, indeed, already have a key," Damon confirmed, recalling the day not too long after they had officially gotten back together that he had casually given her back her spare key to the Boarding House, the same one he had found left behind on his dresser the day after she had left him. Soon after, she had given him a key to her place, something he hadn't had before as there had never really been a need, given the sparse amount of time he spent in Mystic Falls back then. "Ric, Jenna, the kiddos, Stefan, Rebekah… They all live here. Caroline and Tyler may as well live here… What about your boyfriend? Where does he live?" Elena smiled at him as she slid off her stool. She rounded the kitchen island and sauntered up to Damon who had turned on his stool to face her as she approached.

"He lives in Mystic Falls too," she said as she looped her arms around Damon and came to stand between his legs. "So, you better not tell him about this little arrangement of ours."

"What little arrangement would that be?" Damon asked. He encircled her with his arms and pulled her closer.

"This whole living together thing," Elena said. "He would kick your ass."

"Is that so?" Elena nodded.

"He's this big guy, has a really nasty temper. I'd stay away from him if I were you."

"Duly noted," Damon said with a chuckle. He hugged Elena tighter as her arms tightened around him. "We're doing this?" he asked again. Elena looked at him square in the eye and nodded.

"We're doing this," she repeated. "Me, you, this house, our stuff. We're doing this."

"We're doing this," Damon said once more. He leaned in then and kissed her deeply, relishing in the way she fell against him with a happy sigh as she deepened the kiss. They didn't pull away until they needed to breathe.

"I love you," Elena breathed out. Damon smiled and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too," he said. "So much." His arms still around her, he gave her a gentle squeeze. Elena's hand trailed down his chest.

"Damon?"

"Hmm?" He kissed her temple, unable to get enough of her.

"Take me upstairs." Damon pulled away just enough to look at her to make sure he heard her correctly.

"What?"

"Take me upstairs," Elena repeated firmly. Her eyes, locked on his, were full of desire, trust. Damon didn't have to be told again.

"Come here," he said gruffly. He swept her off her feet and into his arms, eliciting a squeal from her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her up the stairs to his bedroom.

To their bedroom.

It was peaceful throughout the Salvatore Boarding House. Elena and Damon were seated side by side on the couch, each buried in a book, their feet propped up on the coffee table. They had spent several hours between the sheets, getting intimately reacquainted with each other. There were time when Damon in particular regretted agreeing to take things slow physically, but he could say with confidence that it was worth it.

With a content sigh, Damon closed his book and stretched his arms over his head while rolling his neck.

"Finished?" Elena asked, not taking her eyes off of her own book.

"I'm coming back as a Navy SEAL in my next life," Damon informed her. He waved the book he still held in his hand. "This guy is a bad ass."

"Then I want to come back as the damsel in distress you rescue and fall in love with," Elena informed him. She marked the place in her book and closed it.

"Regardless of what we come back as in our next lives, we'll still manage to find one another," Damon informed her. Elena smiled and shook her head slightly in amusement. Damon managed to take her breath away at the most surprising times. The better part of the last year had been full of ups and downs, but worth every bump.

"Can I make a recommendation for the next book you should read?" she asked. Damon raised an eyebrow.

"As long as it's not about vampires or a bunch of kids fighting to the death in arenas controlled by crowd sentiment."

"It's not," Elena promised, already putting her book aside. She stood and hurried out of the room. Content, Damon sat back on the couch and blew out a breath, relaxing into the leather as he closed his eyes. He was reminded of his earlier thought, about how these moments were the ones he found so precious. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of Elena's footsteps echoing on the hardwood floors upstairs. A handful of minutes later, she returned.

"We need to talk about redecorating this place," he said, his eyes still closed. He felt Elena place a book in his lap as she sat down beside him. "All this dark wood and antique furniture has been done to death."

"We can talk about that later," Elena said. Damon's eyes flickered open and landed on hers. He grinned.

"You already have an idea about what you want," he teased, catching the gleam in her eye. Elena shook her head quickly.

"No, I just…"

"You just have a whole Pinterest board full of home décor ideas," Damon interrupted. "Home décor, weddings, parties, crafts you'll never make…"

"We'll talk about it later," Elena said pointedly, making Damon laugh. He turned his attention to the book in his lap. He sucked in a breath out of surprise.

"Your book," he managed to croak out. Elena nodded.

"Open it," she said softly. Damon looked at her for a long moment, suddenly nervous. He still had not read Elena's second book, not because he didn't want to, but because his lingering feelings of guilt over how their relationship had hit rock bottom still haunted the recesses of his mind and for some reason he was sure a psychiatrist would have a field day with, he identified reading her book with losing her. Finally, he flipped open the front cover, expecting to see her signature. There was nothing. "Turn the page," Elena urged gently. Damon did so. He sucked in a breath. On the page opposite of the printed book dedication was Elena's elegant penmanship.

"I only know that I love you. That's your misfortune." – Love, Lena

"Lena," he breathed out, his eyes reading the Gone With The Wind quote again, the same quote he had muttered the night he had first said "I love you."

"You said you wanted a signed copy," she said quietly. She instinctively understood the significance of the signed book to Damon. "Now, you have no excuse not to read it." Damon reached for her and pulled her into his lap.

"Thank you," he said softly, resting his forehead against hers. They both knew he was saying thank you for more than the book. Elena played with the hair at the nape of Damon's neck.

"Read the dedication," she told him. Damon moved just enough so he could look at the book again. He bit his lip, overwhelmed. Following Jenna, Ric and Ella, whose names were listed first in Elena's dedication paragraph, was his name. Damon, Thank you for proving that I was wrong about you.

"You weren't wrong about me," he said after several moments. "But, you changed me. You make me a better man." Elena shook her head, her fingers still working through Damon's hair.

"You have always been a good man, Damon," she said. "You just had to figure that out for yourself." Damon pulled Elena even closer.

"I'm going to read this book immediately," he said, placing the book on a nearby end table. He kissed her softly. "But first, I'm going to make love to you." With that, he gently laid Elena on the sofa. He knew, as he carefully settled his weight over her, that he would marry her soon. He couldn't stand her not being his wife much longer.

His lips on hers, a sense of peace he had never felt before washed over him.

He was in Mystic Falls.

He was with Elena.

He was home.

If I had it to do over, I would have named this story "Turning Home."

Home was such a huge theme throughout. What is home? Where is home? Elena's home is Mystic Falls. It's where she feels safe, loved. Damon's home is with Elena for the same reasons. And, I daresay, Elena's home has shifted to Damon as well.

They have come full circle, fallen in love and basically fallen in love again. I like where we're leaving them.

Stay tuned for the epilogue!

And - shameless self promotion - please check out my new story, Restrictor Plate. It's quite different from this one, but it's going to be fun. I'm loving writing it - hence why there are almost 75 pages of it already finished!