Happy Monday everyone! Here is a new chapter for all of you to start your week off with. I hope you enjoy! Thank you to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. Your support means the world to me!

And I've dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead

Tuned in, turned on, remembered the thing you said

I'll be your cryin' shoulder, I'll be love suicide

I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life

-I'll be, Edwin McCain

It had been four years since Damon had been brought to Elena as her slave. Things were still going surprisingly smooth for them. Of course, like any real couple, they had their disagreements, sometimes just so they could have passionate makeup sex. After moving into their apartment, it had taken them a bit to settle into a new routine.

Even though Elena's classes weren't all day Monday through Friday, when she was at the apartment, she was often busy with coursework. A couple times Damon had watched her study, but she said having him sitting there and staring at her was unnerving. He could see how that would be a possibility. After all, he knew exactly what it was like to be on display.

Their sex life was healthy. Damon insisted on it because he knew it could help relieve stress. Sometimes Elena would say she didn't have time, but he always insisted that she make even just a little time for them. He didn't want her to go insane from never doing anything but studying. One of their favorite places when her schedule was crazy was the shower. Showering was necessary, and it made their messes easier to clean.

While Elena had settled into her role as a college student, Damon had become a homemaker. He spent his days making sure that the apartment was clean, making meals and packaging any that she might need to take with her, and doing other little helpful things around the house. He enjoyed being able to take care of her, knowing that the program had been pushing her hard. She'd had many sleepless nights, especially when exams came up. Damon didn't understand most of what she was learning, but he would still do his best to help her study, using tools like flash cards.

Finals were coming up again, and he could tell that she was stressed out. These weren't just any finals. Once she completed them, she would graduate early with honors. During finals week, he always tried to make sure that she was extra pampered so that hopefully it would ease some of the pressure.

Damon looked up at the clock, having just finished making dinner for them. When she came home, they would eat and then he would set up a hot bath for her. He heard the door open and close, and a smile crept up onto his lips. His angel had returned. He pulled out the plates and set the table, then brought their dinner over to it.

Elena came around the corner, and he could tell she had been crying. This was also a normal occurrence during finals. He knew that sometimes the pressure became too much for her. On days like this one, instead of coming straight home from class, she would find a place to hide so she could let all the tears loose. He had told her that he would never judge her for it, but it was something she just wasn't comfortable doing in front of him, and he understood that.

"Welcome home," he said, walking over to her and pulling her close. "I missed you."

She didn't say anything, but hugged him back, releasing the tension in her body. They stayed like that for several minutes before they let go and Damon led her, arm still around her waist, over to the table so that they could eat.

"What was I thinking?" she said halfway through their meal. "I can't do this. Why did I ever think I could do this?"

"Elena, it's almost over. You need to make it through this week, then you're done."

"What if I fail out of medical school?"

"That's not going to happen," Damon replied, shaking his head.

"You can't know that."

"I do know that, because you're you."

Elena let out a sigh, releasing some more of the stress. She finished the meal Damon had prepared for them, grateful to have someone in her life that took care of her. Without him, she probably would have wasted away to nothing because she would forget to do simple things like eat and sleep. He made sure that she got what she needed.

When she finished, she got up from her seat, strutted over to him, and sat in his lap. He gave her that look that drove her wild. Her eyes roamed his face, down to his neck, and spotted the collar. She hooked her index finger through the ring and used it to pull him into a kiss. For five years, he had worn it without complaints, letting it be a mark of her power over him, not as his mistress, but as the woman he loved. He could tell that she wasn't in the mood, that she had just wanted to give him a kiss. He didn't mind in the least. She was grateful because though he insisted they keep a healthy sex life, he never pressured her into it, and if she wasn't okay with something, then he would do everything to respect that boundary.

Five years together, and they were still learning about each other. Damon often surprised her with how thoughtful and sweet he could be. He had just gotten up to draw her a warm bath, something that he always did when he knew she was stressed out. She entered the bathroom behind him, watching as he checked the water temperature to make sure it was exactly how she liked it. How had she gotten so lucky?

"I made dinner reservations for us at that fancy restaurant you really like," he said, feeling her looking at his back. In their entire time together, she had never been able to sneak up on him. "I hope that's all right."

"What day?" she asked. She didn't usually mind it when he made plans for them, but during finals week, things were more complicated. She spent most of her time crunching as much information as her brain could possibly hold.

"Friday night, after your last final."

"Okay."

He exited the bathroom, allowing her to have her privacy. Neither of them was embarrassed to be undressed around each other. That feeling had faded early on in their relationship, but that didn't mean that they weren't entitled to peace when they wanted it. That was part of the boundaries they had set that made their relationship work so well.

He grabbed a book from the library and sat at the dining room table, reading. He heard the splash of water as she sunk into the tub, followed by a content sigh and his lips curled up. Once she came out, he would give her a foot rub. The labs usually had her on her feet all day, and he knew they were constantly sore. He engrossed himself with the story of The Three Musketeers while she relaxed.

Elena soaked for about an hour before getting out and drying off. She wrapped the towel around herself and came into the kitchen where she knew she would find Damon. It was his nightly routine that while she bathed, he would be reading. He felt her eyes on him and looked up from the book. He grabbed the bookmark, saving his page for later. Then he got up, took Elena's hand, and led her to the couch.

They sat facing one another and she put her feet up, appreciating the attention that Damon was showing her. She was glad that today was over with, and she hoped that tomorrow might be a little easier, though she had her doubts. She pushed those thoughts aside for now though, allowing herself to enjoy her boyfriend's attentiveness.

Friday at noon, Elena had completed all her finals. She wouldn't get marks until Monday, but she was hoping that she had passed them all. Damon had no idea why she was worried. She had yet to score lower than a B+ on a final, and that had only happened one time. She came home to him doing laundry. He was topless, and she took a moment to appreciate his body.

"How do you think it went?" he asked, feeling her standing there in the doorway.

"Well, I feel like I failed miserably, but don't I say that about every exam?"

"You do, darling," he replied as he moved the clothes from the washer to the dryer.

"What time is our reservation tonight?"

"7pm. Bonnie mentioned that you were all going out to celebrate finals being concluded."

"Yeah, is that okay?"

Damon looked up at her, brow furrowed.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I just wanted to make sure," she replied, moving to where Damon was standing and giving him a kiss.

He kissed her back, and when she pulled away, he looked down at her as if she was the only person on the planet. He could be so intense sometimes. He put a hand around her waist, pulled her to him, and he grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers. They danced together, and Elena felt all her worries melt away. He was good like that.

Bonnie and Caroline knew what Damon was planning. He had asked for their assistance in getting her out of the house. He still had to go pick up the ring he had bought her from the jewelers, and he didn't want her to get suspicious by him being too secretive. They had worked it out so that they could take her out for lunch while he did what he needed to do. He was eternally grateful to have their assistance.

He drove to the jewelers to pick up the ring that he was going to propose to her with tonight. It was simple, a gold band with a single, round cut diamond. The moment he had laid his eyes on it, he knew it would be the perfect ring for her. He spoke to her father about his intentions, and Grayson had quickly offered to assist Damon in making the purchase. He still felt guilty for having to go to her father for help, but he knew that he wouldn't have it any other way. Right now, they were living on Grayson and Miranda's dime though, and taking more didn't seem fair. Still, her father had insisted, and he had made sure that Damon knew he had his blessing.

Elena met up with Bonnie and Caroline at the local café. They made a point to get together at least once a week and keep up with each other through phone calls and text messages. Caroline had majored in drama while Bonnie had majored in occult studies. They were both finishing up with school early too. Bonnie was planning on taking the certification to become a teacher, while Caroline wanted to be done so that she could return to Mystic Falls, and to Stefan.

Elena was surprised that they had made it through the past three years with her being away. She knew Caroline had had it in her, but Stefan had seemed as if this was something he wasn't going to be able to handle. She had thought that after a year, he would have called it off in favor of dating someone closer to home, but he had proven her wrong, much to her surprise and delight. Caroline was one of her best friends, and she didn't want to see her get hurt.

During their last visit back home, he had popped the question to her, and she had said yes immediately. Elena was happy for them, and she was looking forward to their wedding. It did bring up thoughts of her own relationship. They had yet to take the next step, and she wasn't sure that they would. Things were pretty good as they were, and she didn't want to ruin that.

They talked about all the changes that were about to happen. About three years ago, they had been moving on from high school, into college, where they would prepare for the rest of their lives. Now, they were done with college, and once again ready to take the next step. When Bonnie got her teacher certification, she would have a job as a teacher in Mystic Falls. Caroline already had an offer as a local anchor. Elena would be going to the University of Virginia to become a doctor. She was hoping when she was done that she might move back to Mystic Falls and open a small practice there.

Once she was done at Whitmore, her parents had already set up an apartment for her to relocate to with Damon that would be closer to her new college. She was going to miss this little apartment that they had made their own, but she knew that they would both welcome the new. It was something fresh for them, something for them both to look forward to.

Damon sat in his car, looking at the ring, square jaw clenched as he thought about tonight. This was probably the second most nervous he had ever been, only being trumped by the day he had met Elena. He was on edge, worried that she might say no. She had never really mentioned getting engaged or married to him, and he wasn't sure it was what she wanted. He would find out tonight. He finally got out of the car and went upstairs to their apartment to get ready.

Damon pulled the collar down and buttoned up his shirt, which hid it. He didn't normally care, but he was wearing a suit and he didn't want the look to be ruined. He put on the tie, remembering the way Jeremy had taught him to tie it. The finishing touch was the jacket. He pulled it on, buttoning it up, and then straightened out the sleeves. Damon looked in the mirror, running his hand over the fabric a couple times to smooth it out. The collar wasn't even noticeable under his outfit. Perfect, he thought.

He had a glass of bourbon at his disposal, and he took a swig, trying to quell the nerves. After his twenty-first birthday, he had tried a whole laundry list of alcohol and found that he really liked bourbon. Elena commonly caught him with a tumbler of it in his hand. She had never minded because he didn't drink much. Now, though, he felt like consuming the whole bottle in hopes that it might make this easier. That was a horrible idea because if he did so, he wouldn't be able to think straight, much less walk straight, and he could see himself trying to get his bearings, just to fall over as he tried to propose. The image made him smile.

He grabbed the ring box and opened it again, making sure that it was still in there, then slipped it into his pocket. Perfect timing, he thought to himself as he heard the door open and close. Elena must be home. Damon exited their bedroom, coming out to greet his girlfriend with a kiss. She returned it eagerly, then pulled back and looked at him. She had forgotten how good he looked in penguin suits.

"You should probably get ready," he said, doing the eye thing. "We leave in half an hour."

"Can we just stay in? Your cooking is better anyways."

"While I appreciate the compliment, I want to take my gorgeous, smart girlfriend out into the world and show her off."

"Damon, I don't feel like going out."

His face fell as she looked up at him, able to see the disappointment written in his expression. She sighed. Damon never asked her for much, and he did so much for her that it didn't feel right to deny him.

"I'll be ready in twenty minutes," Elena said, her voice neutral.

"If you don't want to go out, we won't go out," he said, not wanting to pressure her into anything.

"No. I can tell you want to treat me to a night out. I'm tired and I have a headache, but I know you've had this dinner planned all week. Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready."

Damon was feeling guilty now. He hadn't meant to make her do anything she didn't want to do. He had been planning this all week, and he didn't know what he was going to do if those plans went south, but that didn't mean he wanted to push Elena into something that she didn't feel up to. He sighed, looking over at the window. He'd had it planned out perfectly, and perhaps that was part of the problem. He placed his hand in his pocket, feeling the ring box. Maybe another night, he thought to himself.

He walked into their bedroom, where Elena was currently changing. He looked at her bare back and let out a breath, walking up behind her and massaging her shoulders. She leaned into it, loving the feeling of his hands as he massaged out knot after knot. She had been so tense lately, and Damon's massages did wonders.

"You don't want to go out," he whispered in her ear, "so we're not going out."

Elena turned to him, an eyebrow raised, and now she was smirking. His massage, though short, had already put her in a better mood. She reached under the neck of his suit and grabbed the ring of the collar, pulling him closer to her. They were nose and nose.

"Stop being so difficult." Elena kissed him and then pushed him out of the room. "Now get out. I have to get dressed."

She came out wearing a black and white lace dress that fell above the knee. Her hair was braided to her left side, and she had on light makeup. Good choice, Damon thought to himself. He opened the door for her, and they left the apartment.

On the way there, she could feel that Damon was a little tense. She knew him better than anyone else, and she could always tell when there was something off. She had tried to ask him several times what was wrong, but he kept telling her that he was fine. He might be saying that, but she knew better than to believe it. Something wasn't right, and by the end of the night, she was going to get to the bottom of it.

They pulled up and she was starting to feel a little giddy. It had been at least a month since they had gone out together, and she was happy to be out in the world. Although she hadn't originally wanted to come out, she knew that getting out of the house was exactly what she had needed, and she was grateful to him for giving her that little nudge.

They arrived at her favorite Italian restaurant. She loved it because it had a beautiful outdoor patio where they could dine under the stars. It was May and the weather was perfect, which meant the tables and chairs were out. The host led them to a table outside. Damon pulled out her chair for her, then took the seat across from her. She held out her hand, and he immediately reached for it.

"Huh, I can literally count my lucky stars," he said as he looked up at the night sky, earning himself a giggle.

"I'm pretty sure if you tried to do that, we'd be here forever."

"Now, just because I didn't finish school," he said, an eyebrow raised, smirking.

"Not what I meant!"

He laughed at her reaction, shaking his head. He commonly made quips about himself like that. Elena knew they were partially defense mechanisms and partially just him trying to get a rise out of people. Yes, sometimes he even liked to try and get a rise out of her.

He ordered them a bottle of blush wine to go with their meals, surprising her. She couldn't think of a single time besides when he first tried it that she had seen him drink wine. His preferred drink had always been bourbon.

The waiter poured them each a glass, then left the wine on the table in an ice bucket. He picked up his glass by the stem and swished it, watching it move around. Sometimes Elena forgot that Damon had once been a part of a world of elegant dress and dinner parties. He may not have been in it for long, but that didn't mean that it didn't sometimes surface. A smile crept onto her lips as she watched him.

They ordered their food and got talking. Even though they saw each other quite a bit, Damon found that Elena was usually overwhelmed with her studies, and often she just desired silence. He never minded obliging her, he knew how hard she was working towards her future, their future. It was nice to hear her sounding so free and laughing so easily. It had been months since she had been completely relaxed.

When the food came out, they dug right in. Elena knew she was right that Damon's cooking was better, but that didn't mean the food here wasn't good. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until now, and it dawned on her that she had barely eaten today. No wonder she'd gotten a headache. Normally, Damon was right on top of that, and she wondered what had distracted him. Not that it was his responsibility to babysit her, because it wasn't, but he was generally very mindful of her needs. Something was definitely off.

When they had finished their main course, he had put in an order for a simple dessert. He had given the ring box to the host earlier with specific instructions, and now he was waiting. The plate came out with the ring box sitting open on it. The waiter placed it down in front of Elena. The words 'Marry Me' were spelled out in chocolate sauce. She looked at them, and then stared at him. He was smiling at her.

"So, Elena Gilbert," he said. "Will you marry me?"

"Damon, I… I don't know what to say."

He looked at her with that loving look in his eye, the one that said that no matter her answer, he would accept it, be okay with it. She looked down at the plate again, and then at the ring he had purchased for her. She had to admit that he knew her well. If she was picking a ring for herself, this was something she would have chosen.

"If you're not ready to give me an answer right now, I understand. Take all the time you need."

She picked up the ring box, examining it more closely, thinking about what this meant. She had wanted forever with him, and he was offering it to her. Getting married had never really been on her mind, but it appeared to have been on his. She was feeling uncertain. What if she said no and he decided that he wanted marriage? What if he left her because he wanted to settle down?

"Elena," he said, pulling her from her thoughts. "I mean it. Take all the time you need."

Was she insane? Of course she should say yes. That statement he had just made encompassed all the reasons that she should accept his proposal. He was patient with her, loving, and he allowed her to be herself. He didn't pressure her into things that she didn't want, he didn't make her feel less than. He brought out the person in her that she had always wanted to be, he brought out her strength. Her breath hitched and she smiled up at him.

"Yes, Damon," she said, watching as his smile grew. He got down on a knee, took the ring out of the box, and placed it on her left ring finger, right above the promise ring he had gotten her three years ago. Then he stood up and gave her a kiss. She kissed him back.

Damon settled back into his seat, watching Elena. She looked genuinely happy, which made him happy. He had noticed at first that she had seemed uncertain about the idea of marriage. True, they had never really talked about it, and he knew society thought about it as a natural progression of a relationship, but this had nothing to do with society's standards or expectations.

He had proposed not because he was expected to, but because he wanted to marry her, to devote that deeply to her for the rest of his life. Plus, now it would be a lot harder to get rid of him, he thought to himself. They split dessert in half, and both found that they couldn't finish it. Elena was quiet for the rest of the time they were at the restaurant, but he could tell that she was happy.

"Damon?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Yes?"

"Are you certain? What if we end up making each other miserable?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure we would already know if that was going to happen. If you prefer not to get married, that's fine Elena. I'm not going to push you into something you don't want to do, but I wanted to let you know that if you're ready, then I'm ready to commit to a lifetime with you. That's all I've wanted from the moment I met you."

She melted at that. He could be so sweet sometimes.

"Besides," he spoke again, "there's always an annulment or a divorce," and there was the snark.

"How would that work with…" Elena trailed off, looking down at her hands. She didn't need to finish that sentence for him to know what she was asking. It was something that Damon didn't know about. He didn't know anyone that had ever married a slave, so he couldn't answer her. He shrugged.

"My guess is we divorce, and you sell me, or decide to keep me and then we make each other miserable."

"What about freeing you?"

"We both know it's next to impossible. It's hardly worth spending the money to try. Most of those cases don't succeed."

She sighed. Damon didn't know she was already working on freeing him. On her eighteenth birthday she had started the process. Finally, she was an adult and had had the power to do so. The problem was that the legal system was set up in such a way that she had to fight tooth and nail for any part of the process to move forward. That on top of medical school had been exhausting. Still, she had decided not to tell him until the process was complete, not wanting to get his hopes up, or to have him try to stop her.

"Elena, I mean it. We don't have to go forward with a wedding if you don't want to. I'm not opposed to keeping our current arrangement."

"I want to marry you," she said firmly. "The what ifs just scare me."

"They scare me too, but even if it doesn't work, even if it all goes to hell, even if I'm miserable and alone, the smallest chance at the perfect life with you is infinitely better than one without you, and I know this, Elena. I love you and I will love you until I take my last breath on this earth."

"Sap," she said, laughing.

"Can't help it, you bring out that side of me."

They left the restaurant at 9pm. Elena kept forgetting that tomorrow was Saturday and that she was done with exams. Damon could tell that she was exhausted because details that she was normally good with kept slipping her mind. She had ended up falling asleep in the car. He got out, walked over to her side, and picked her up out of her seat, using his leg to close the door behind him. When he grabbed her, she put her arms around his neck and settled in. Damon carried her upstairs, struggled to open the apartment door, but once he got it, he brought her inside, swinging the door shut with his foot. He carried her into their bedroom, took off her shoes, and changed her from her dress into her pajamas. He pulled back the blankets, placed her in bed, then tucked her in.

He changed out of his tuxedo and got into a pair of cozy pajama bottoms, then got into bed next to her, watching her sleep for a bit before sleep took him. He dreamt that night of their future, a future that, four years ago, he never believed he would have. When he woke the next morning, Elena was already up. Damon listened and he could hear the shower running. He grinned and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. He checked that she had removed his collar, something she did in the morning in case he wanted to shower with her, then took off his pants, folding them and putting them on a rack before joining her.

She squeaked when he pulled back the curtain. She hadn't heard him come in. Damon stepped over the side and moved so that they were both under the water. She wanted to look up at him, but with the stream coming down directly on top of her head, she was pretty sure that was a good way to drown.

He leaned down and planted loving kisses along her neck, grasping between her legs with his right hand, rubbing to stimulate her. He was watching her face, waiting for any indication that she wasn't okay with this, but she wanted it just as badly as he did. Something had him thinking she planned this when she handed him the lubricant. He lathered himself up away from the water so that it wouldn't wash off. Then he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her over to him and pushing her up against the wall. He held her legs as he angled himself, entering her slowly. They were kissing, and his tongue was in her mouth.

Once he was fully sheathed inside of her, he pulled back and thrust in. He began to move his hips at a rhythm he knew she liked, slowly picking up the pace, and his head moved down to her breasts, kissing and suckling here and there. He took a nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it a few times before giving the same attention to the other. Her hand snaked down between her legs and he knew that she was touching herself, stimulating her nerves.

A moment later, she was convulsing around him, and he could feel her pulling him to his release. She arched off the wall, having cum, seeing white as she always did when she climaxed. He was right behind her, releasing his load inside of her. They both caught their breath, and he was gentle as he put her legs down.

"You've been really pent up," he said. "Normally you'd be all about foreplay." And it was never that easy to get her to orgasm, but he kept that thought to himself.

"I have."

They finished showering together, then went and got ready for the day. They met up with Caroline and Bonnie to tell them the good news. Elena was happy. She didn't know what it was she had done to deserve Damon, but she knew she was lucky to have him in her life.

That's the chapter folks! Feel free to let me know what you think with a review. The last chapter goes up next week!