Hello, my lovely reviewers! Sorry for the long wait – thank you for your patience and support; it really means a lot to me. I do hope you'll continue to read and review – I absolutely love your feedback! Speaking of which, I need your opinion on something.

As I began writing some more, I realized that things were starting to get really steamy and kind of graphic – as in, not 'T' material. Haha, I tried to fix it so it was, but it just didn't work out that way. So there are a few options here, which are basically a) bump the rating up to 'M' or b) leave out the scenes completely and think of an alternative idea. I don't want to post the scenes I had in mind as one-shot because then it wouldn't really be with the story. Anyway, what do you guys think? I think I'm probably going to bump it up to 'M,' anyway, but it's good to get a feel for how many of you are actually opposed to this! Thanks, guys. : )

With that said – read on. Be warned, though – there is still a long journey ahead for our weary characters.

Ice
Part V: Recalescence

There you are standing right in front of me
There you are standing right in front of me
All this fear falls away to leave me naked,
Hold me close, cause I need you to guide me to safety.

No, I won't wait forever
No, I won't wait forever

In the confusion and the aftermath,
You are my signal fire.
The only resolution and the only joy,
Is the faint spark of forgiveness in your eyes.

-Snow Patrol, "Signal Fire"

"Love," Damon murmured against Elena's neck, eyes still closed, "love is such a strong word." He lifted his trembling hands and grazed her hair softly, feeling the each individual damp tendril as they slipped slowly through his numb fingers. His wrists were still throbbing from the vervain ropes, but he didn't care; he had to touch, had to make sure that she was actually real and that those words were real.

"Yes, Damon," Elena confirmed, answering his unspoken question as she kissed his forehead chastely. "I love you...remember?" She closed her eyes, too and willed him to remember what had transpired. "I need you to know this more than I need to draw my next breath," she whispered, moving her lips from his forehead to his cheek. Leaning forward slightly, she finally pressed her lips against his with the gentlest of pressure. His mouth was slightly cold but she could feel the underlying warmth radiating from his body and she knew that this warmth was just purely him.

"I remember," he said raggedly, body trembling suddenly against hers. "How could I ever forget?" He and Elena opened their eyes at the same time and locked gazes, sparks passing through them, causing their bodies to jolt in shock. As he looked into her warm brown eyes, he realized that he didn't so much as remember the precise events of what had transpired; instead, he remembered the fire and how it had burned so hot that it could not have possibly been a figment of his grief-stricken imagination. They had lit each other up, burned bright, and then had been forced to surrender their heated, dying embers to a cold and unkind darkness. He remembered the faintest of whispers, the smell of her hair, the taste of her blood, and the way he let her kindle a flame that he had been so afraid of embracing. Fear had characterized him before fire, and Elena had eliminated the fear with one simple kiss and three words, and a flame.

"Rose compelled you, Damon," Elena whispered to him. "I didn't forget because I had vervain on me. Damon, after she did it, I realized that I couldn't make you remember - that you should remember on your own, that your feelings for me were still there and that you would act on them when the time was right. I know now that any time is the right time, Damon, as long as I get to be with you. You are my soul mate, and I have never meant anything so sincerely in my entire life. Parts of me have always loved you, even when I was too afraid to admit it to myself." She could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks; she didn't care. She had cried so much that a few more droplets of water soaking the earth would make no difference.

Rose and Stefan turned away from them, giving them space. They were both ashamed – Rose because she had deceived one of the only friends she had left and Stefan because he might as well have driven a stake through Damon's heart by complying to do what had been done. But he intended to make that up to his brother fully, no matter how he did it. There were nearly two centuries of shame, anger, and hatred between them and it was time to heal their relationship.

Tears formed at the corners of Damon's eyes. He blinked a few times and let their warmth graze his cold skin as he leaned his forehead against Elena's. "I love you, Elena, but I don't deserve your love," he whispered softly, feeling despair weigh heavy against him.

Elena gently wiped his tears away with the pads of her thumbs. "I will love you when you deserve it the least because that's when you need it the most." She touched her lips to his again and murmured, "We can't hide from this any longer."

A ragged sob ripped from Damon's throat as he finally gave in. "I love you," he managed, voice shaking as he tried to slide his arms around her waist. He was shaking hard against her, hardly able to stand.

She stroked his hair, lightly touching the dark tresses, fingertips gliding softly over the base of his neck. "I know; you're beautiful because you can love after all you've been through, Damon. I know it's a mess; I'm a mess but I'm going to take care of you now – I'm going to heal you." She kissed his bruised throat as he grasped her tiny waist, trying to hold himself up.

Stefan continued to watch them, and to his own surprise, he did not feel envy. He felt something else; something that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he knew it was some kind of higher understanding of seeing two people so in love. He wasn't jealous and he knew that he would do whatever it took to protect Elena and Damon because they were the most important people to him and they were especially vulnerable right now. They were his family and he loved them.

The healing powers of love allowed Stefan to forgive Damon. They had both had their shares of hardship in this eternal life, but no one had been so unjustly treated by it than his elder brother. Yes, Damon had committed atrocities in the past – and so had he – but that didn't make him better than Damon. They were at the final stage now, the beginning of what was sure to be a very long fight and Stefan was so unwilling to give into Klaus that he had enlisted the help of the woman who had fucked both of their lives up – Katherine. But he knew Katherine better than she thought he did; he knew that parts of her were evil, wicked, and willing to do anything to keep herself safe.

But he also knew that she was willing to do anything to keep him safe – and in turn, he could protect his family and friends. He turned his head slightly and saw Rose observing Damon and Elena in much the same way he was; not with malice, but understanding, and he figured that since she had something to fight for now, she wouldn't be so quick to abandon them. He knew that she cared about Damon and that Damon cared about her – and that would be enough.

Elena knew the weight of the world was on their shoulders, but she felt weightless, standing in this snowy, dark clearing, holding Damon close against her. "We need to get out of here," Elena said softly, after the long silence and after the tears had mostly subsided. She readjusted her arm around his waist, trying to grip him tighter. "You can barely stand."

He flinched when Elena's hand grazed the bruises on his hips; Klaus had grabbed him from behind and had been completely unforgiving, first snapping his right arm and then applying all kinds of unimaginable pressure to his body. It was suffice to say that he could not handle anything else.

Elena shot him a worried look and then finally motioned for Stefan and Rose as Damon leaned unsteadily against her. "I know he has vervain on him, but most of it should be washed away by now. I can't hold him up much longer." She frowned at his tattered shirt and carefully unbuttoned the rags and threw them to the ground. His dark jeans and black shoes were in tatters, too. She could see the dried blood and dark marks on him. It made her sick.

Stefan removed his leather jacket and held it out to Damon. "Put this on," he said softly.

Damon put the jacket on, shivering. He felt faint...and the voice in his head was back again – Klaus – telling him to give up. And he was compelled to do so.

Elena gasped, realizing that something was wrong as Damon's eyes rolled up in the back of his head.

He felt his eyes close as the earth swayed dangerously under his feet and just before he hit the ground, Stefan had him in his arms. One of Stefan's arms was locked firmly behind Damon's knees and the other supported his back. The dark head lolled against his chest; he swallowed hard, relieved to see the eyes fluttering slightly.

"Okay," Stefan said lowly, gripping his nearly unconscious brother tightly, "Elena and I will take him back to the house. Rose, I need you to dispose of those bodies and any other evidence that might be lying around from what went on here tonight. Understand?"

Rose nodded. She was worried about Damon and even if it meant staying out here alone for awhile to clean up and make sure that they weren't followed, then she would do it. Klaus had fucked around with her for too long – it was time to stop being scared and start taking action. She took off quickly, leaving the trio behind.

"He needs to feed as soon as we get him out of here," Stefan said, walking quickly to a hidden clearing of trees, where he had parked his car.

"I know," Elena murmured.

"And knowing my brother like I do, he's probably going to resist at first." Stefan momentarily locked gazes with Elena. "Please make sure he doesn't."

She nodded slowly, understanding dawning on her. Stefan wanted Damon to take her blood, which she would willingly give him from now on. "Stefan," she said softly, as they reached his car, "I still love you, too, you know. Damon might be my soul mate, but you're my fidus Achates." She opened the car door.

Stefan smiled for the first time in ages as he lowered his brother carefully into the backseat of the car. He turned to Elena and reached out to touch her cheek. "In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum."

"Into your hands I entrust my spirit," Elena repeated, whispering softly as the snow continued to fall from the sky, blanketing the silent earth. She gazed at the younger Salvatore for a moment before kissing his cheek. They stood like that for a moment before Stefan moved to get into the driver's seat and Elena to the other side of the car.

She got in and carefully placed Damon's head in her lap. "We are not at the end of things yet," she murmured, stroking his hair, "but when we get there, we will be unstoppable."

A faint peal of laughter sounded from the woods as Stefan pulled away but it could not be heard over the sudden howl of the wind.