Epilogue Part I
ONE YEAR LATER (June)
"I can't believe graduation is here already!" Caroline squealed as she put on her graduation cap. Tyler draped his arm over her shoulder and placed a light kiss on her cheek.
"It seems just like yesterday we were just a couple of horny freshman…" Tyler said. A low chuckle erupted from Matt.
"Freshman, sophomore, junior, senior…your hormone levels didn't change, dude!" Matt reminded him.
"Yeah, didn't you make out with Mrs. Donavon?" Bonnie asked. Matt rolled his eyes and Caroline put her finger to her lips, trying to tell Bonnie to be quiet.
"You guys are never gonna let me live that down are you?" Tyler asked, burying his face in Caroline's shoulder. Caroline smiled and kissed Tyler's forehead.
"Hey!" Elena said, towing Damon along by the hand. Their fingers were intertwined and the engagement ring was glistening underneath the lights in the drama room where the graduates were staying until the ceremony. A smile was evident on her features as she looked at her childhood friends.
"We were just reminiscing about the good old days…" Bonnie said with a smile, pulling Caroline into a tight hug.
"How is 'Kelly Donavon' a good old day memory?" Tyler asked, a frown on his face. Damon cocked his head back and let out a small laugh.
"Well first, from what I got from her – she's good…and she's old." Damon said, ticking the reasons of with his fingers – earning him a glare from Elena.
"What exactly did you get from her?" Elena asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
"Wait, wasn't that our double date night?" Caroline asked. "You, me, Matt and Stefan…" Caroline reminded Elena.
"Oh yeah…" Damon added in a mock tone, turning to his fiancé. "So I guess dating my brother totally trumps making out with Kelly Donavon…" he said with a smirk, knowing he'd won.
"Shut up," was all Elena could reply.
"I love when you talk dirty to me…" Damon teased, kissing her hair. She rolled her eyes at how quickly Damon could make her pissed off to happy, in just a matter of seconds.
"This is definitely not how I pictured my senior year…" Bonnie muttered, folding her arms across growing belly. Their small group in the room behind the stage erupted in a fit of laughter.
"Oh come on Bonnie, these robes allow lots of flow. You can't even tell you're pregnant!" Caroline said, looking at Elena for some help.
"Yeah," Elena piped up with a smile. "And besides, you aren't even that far along…"
"I'm far enough along that Jeremy has to suggest switching to maternity pants…" she huffed. Bonnie received the news that she was pregnant four months ago. She and Jeremy were absolutely ecstatic.
"Is it gonna be like a mutant-witch baby?" Damon asked, a smirk on his face. Bonnie narrowed her eyes and Damon's hands flew to his head, feeling a minor headache coming on. Elena stifled her laughter, rubbing Damon's back and turning to her best friend.
"You can't exert too much power, remember?" she reminded her.
"Yeah but still, it's a piece of cake…" Bonnie said, her eyes suddenly growing wide and a smile playing on her lips. "Ooh! Cake!" she said excitedly. Everyone erupted in a fit of laughter.
"Would the graduating class of 2012 please make your way towards the auditorium now? Thank you." The principal's voice boomed throughout the speakers in the school.
"Wait!" Caroline said. She began fanning her face as everyone could see the tears threatening to fall. "I just want to say that I love you all so much. We've been through so much together these past three years, and it's been one hell of a ride. And I can't think of anyone else I would have wanted on this adventure with me…" Caroline choked out, before turning to Tyler and wiping her face on his robes.
"This isn't goodbye, Caroline…" Bonnie reminded her. Elena's eyes wandered to Damon who was standing behind her.
"Yeah…it's just the beginning," Elena said with conviction, her eyes never leaving Damon. Caroline shook her head and let out a small huff.
"Alright, let's go graduate!" Caroline said excitedly. Matt, Tyler, Caroline and Bonnie all filed out of the room.
"Are you coming?" Bonnie asked Elena. Elena looked between her best friend and Damon, and offered Bonnie a smile.
"Yeah, in a minute!" she said. Bonnie nodded and followed her friends before Elena turned to Damon.
Elena stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around Damon, burying her head in the crook of his neck, allowing a few tears to escape her eyes. He didn't say anything, he just held her tighter. After a moment of silence, he released her slightly and kissed her full on the lips with as much passion he could without earning a trip to the principal's office. "I love you brown eyes," he whispered on her lips before extending his hand out to her.
"By the way, feel free to mention how I rocked your world in your speech…" he added as they walked into the auditorium.
…
"Bonnie Bennett!"
The crowd erupted in a round of applause as she walked up the stage with a slight waddle due to her growing belly and accepted her diploma. She turned to the audience with a bright smile on her face, waving her diploma at everyone. Jeremy stood up from the crowd, clapping his hands fiercely, smiling ear to ear.
"Joel Buckley…Kaitlyn Brown…Roger Bruins…Abby Coles…Sarah Danes…Clara Danes…"
"Matt Donavon!"
"Caroline Forbes!"
Everyone in the auditorium clapped their hands together furiously. Elena and Bonnie cheered from their seats and even Damon offered his friend a clap. Her mother stood proudly, hugging Caroline's father next to her. Tyler was howling with the rest of his male friends, earning an eye roll from Caroline as she descended the stage stairs.
"Tyler Lockwood!"
All of his friends cheered, and Caroline blew him a kiss from her seat.
"And last but not least, our Valedictorian for the graduating class of 2012…Elena Gilbert," Elena walked up to the podium hesitantly.
"Have you ever read a good book or a good story, and when you're on the final chapter and the final page, you feel a sadness you can't explain?" Elena began.
"Sometimes if you're lucky – the story or book will have an epilogue or a sequel. I stand here before you, my fellow graduates to tell you that although the high school chapter in our lives has ended, the story is far from over."
"We are all still so young – we have time to fall in and out of love and to make mistakes. We still have the opportunity to fail and succeed and to change our minds like we change our underwear. There are tears of sadness running down some faces, why? This isn't the end. This is the beginning of something really, really amazing,"
"For some people, maybe it's college. Maybe it's your dream job. Maybe it's marrying the love of your life," Elena glanced at Damon in the audience when she said this. A wide smile spread across her face and she had to turn her attention back to the whole audience. "Or maybe it's starting a family with the one you love," she winked at Bonnie and Jeremy.
"Maybe it's finally accepting who you are, and not being afraid of who you could turn out to be," she offered a smile to Caroline and Tyler. Elena pursed her lips, contemplating what to say next.
"Just promise one thing. Don't forget what these four years brought to your life. Don't forget about the people that taught you all about friendship and bravery and courage. Don't forget about the smiles and frowns and laughter and tears and break ups and make ups. Don't run from your mistakes, learn from them, and embrace them…I wish you all the happiness in the world, I can't think of a group of people that deserve it more…"
Elena smiled and took off her cap, throwing it in the air. "Congratulations, WE DID IT!" she shouted with excitement, and the rest of the people threw their caps in the air.
…
FIVE MONTHS LATER (December)
"Well done, Gilbert…" Damon said, patting Jeremy on the shoulder. Bonnie leaned into Jeremy as they held their newborn daughter in their arms.
"She's so beautiful!" Elena gushed, counting the fingers on the baby.
"They all look the same to me…" Tyler said from behind Caroline. Caroline rolled her eyes and joined Elena in gushing over the baby. Jeremy got shuffled out of the way so he stood in the corner of Bonnie's hospital room with Alaric, Tyler and Damon.
"So what's the name?" Tyler asked generally. Jeremy and Bonnie exchanged a look and a wide smile spread across Bonnie's face.
"You guys look, it's officially midnight…" Alaric said, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Merry Christmas!" he said with a smile. Elena crossed the room and suddenly she was in Damon's arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and earned a gentle yet passionate kiss from her fiancé. Tyler gave Caroline a light kiss on the lips, followed by Jeremy hugging his girlfriend and newborn daughter.
"Yeah, just let me hug my special someone…" Alaric turned to the empty space beside him and rolled his eyes."Oh wait…" he muttered. Damon chuckled and snuck up behind Alaric, giving him a bear hug and lifting him off the ground in the process, earning a laugh from everyone in the room.
"I officially hate Christmas…" Alaric mumbled, taking a seat in the vacant chair by the door. Damon faked a pout which Elena quickly turned upside down with a kiss.
"Do you mind? We have virgin eyes in the room!" Caroline huffed from the corner.
"Care, I think it's safe to say that none of our eyes are virgins…" Tyler scoffed, his eyes darting to the baby in Jeremy's arms. "Oh yeah, the baby. Virgin eyes, got it…" he muttered, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah well unnamed baby better get used to it…" Damon muttered against Elena's hair.
"Actually, she isn't unnamed…" Jeremy said, eyeing Bonnie with a smile.
"Her name is Arianna Noelle Gilbert," Bonnie said proudly.
"Noelle?" Elena questioned.
"She should know she was a Christmas miracle, she deserves something good given all the craziness we're gonna have to raise her in," Jeremy explained.
"Pfft, what craziness?" Caroline said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Oh goodness, let me think…" Damon pretended. "Oh I know! A witch for a mother," he turned to Bonnie. "No pun intended, take it whichever way you'd like. She has father who wears a magic ring, two vampire aunts, a vampire uncle, another werewolf uncle and then an average Joe grandfather. Yeah, I see the normalcy…"
"Fine, despite the craziness…I can't think of a baby that's going to be loved or protected more," Alaric offered. For the first time in what felt like forever, every head in the room nodded in agreement.
…
FOUR MONTHS LATER (April)
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Elena put down the bridal magazine she was looking at and answered the door.
"Stefan," she breathed with both a mixture of surprise and fear in her voice. He gave her a small smile and Elena opened the door wider for him. "Come in," she asked with a smile. He hesitantly stepped over the threshold.
"How are you?" he asked sheepishly, avoiding her gaze. Elena folded her arms across her chest, her diamond engagement ring sparkling in the sun from the open door. Elena didn't say anything, knowing that he was going to look at her soon. She was right, soon enough Elena was faced with the familiar emerald green eyes she used to love so much.
"Did you really come here to ask me how I am?" Elena asked, narrowing her eyes in question.
"I came here to say I'm sorry," he admitted. "All of this…what happened to you…it shouldn't have gone down like that. I was out of my mind that night and I never got to apologize for what I did to you," he gestured towards Elena. Elena took a small step forward and wrapped her arms around Stefan's broad shoulders. He initially tensed at her touch and then relaxed, wrapping his arms lightly around Elena's waist.
"Thank you…" Elena whispered. "For giving me the best gift I could have ever asked for," she released him from her grip and placed her hands on either side of his shoulders. "If it weren't for you coming to town, I – I wouldn't…" Elena struggled for the words without sending Stefan off the deep end.
"You wouldn't have met Damon," he finished for her. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and apologetic. She shrugged her shoulders, an apologetic smile on her lips.
"I love him, Stefan…" Elena told him. "But you're right about one thing – it shouldn't have gone down like that night. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't grateful," she admitted. "If that night taught me anything it's that you can't waste time. I realize now that no matter how much I want to strangle Damon half the time, I love him. And I don't want to waste the rest of eternity denying the inevitable…"
"Elena…are you happy?" he asked, cutting her off.
"I am, Stefan. I'm very happy…" she told him honestly. He nodded his head slightly in defeat before offering her a genuine yet pained smile.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay for myself…I'm leaving town again. I'm thinking about heading over to Mexico. Lexi had some friends there; I thought I'd see what I find…" Stefan said.
"Stefan –" Elena interrupted. "Don't leave just yet. Damon's gonna be home soon, I know he'd like to see you…" she told him.
"I doubt it; I tried to kill him last time I was here…"
"You're Stefan and Damon. It'd be weird if you two didn't try to kill eachother at least once a decade," she said with a playful smile.
…
"Stefan," Damon choked out. Damon's blue eyes widened with both anger and surprise, and although he didn't want to admit it – a tinge of relief.
"Hey big brother…" Stefan offered with a small smile. Elena walked up to Damon and put her hand on his shoulder, he relaxed a bit at her touch.
"I'll be upstairs…be good," she warned Damon as she headed up the stairs.
"What are you doing here?" Damon asked, heading over to the parlour for a drink.
"I came to apologize to you and Elena…" Stefan admitted. Damon rolled his eyes and took a swig of bourbon straight from the bottle.
"Oh, you wanted to apologize?" Damon's hand flew over his heart. "I'm touched, really I am…" he said sarcastically. "Well sorry pal, sorry isn't gonna justify trying to stake me but then missing and staking the human girl you used to have the hots for," Damon spat at his brother. He didn't even bother to care if Stefan was still dangerous. Although new, Damon knew Elena could hold her own if something happened.
"I understand why you hate me, but I came to make peace. Elena thought I should stay to see you…" Stefan admitted.
"She did?" Damon asked.
"Yeah, she thought you'd want to see me…" Stefan told him. Damon rolled his eyes at the vampire upstairs who no doubt was listening intently onto every word that was being said. "But clearly you don't… I'm sorry for all the trouble, tell Elena I say goodbye." Suddenly, Elena appeared at the bottom of the stairs. She raised her eyebrows at Damon and then smiled at him. A low growl erupted from Damon's throat as his resolve completely vanished with Elena's smile.
"Wait…" Damon said through clenched teeth, catching Stefan just as he was about to leave. Elena came up behind Damon, wrapping her arm around his waist. "I'm getting married, and as you know…Damon Salvatore doesn't do that kind of thing very often…"
"He also doesn't speak in first person, apparently…" Elena quipped.
"Anyways, it would…" Damon struggled. Elena rolled her brown eyes and smiled at Stefan.
"What Damon's trying to say is that it would mean a lot to both of us if you could be there," Elena offered. Stefan nodded, his eyes glistening with tears that threatened to spill over.
"Thank you…" he whispered.
…
ONE MONTH LATER (May)
"Elena, you are seriously the most beautiful bride I have ever seen!" Caroline gushed as she finished spraying her brown hair with hair spray. "It's kind cool to, you know? It's like…The Corpse Bride, only you aren't a skeleton!" Caroline finished. Elena furrowed her eyebrows together in amusement and looked at Bonnie's reflection in the mirror, whose expression was the same as Elena's. Both girls started laughing, earning a squeal from the five month old baby in Bonnie's arms. "What?" Caroline huffed, eyeing her two best friends.
"Just something funny Arianna did…" Bonnie defended, offering a wink to Elena. "Elena, are you okay?" she asked, noticing her best friend's change in demeanour.
"I can't believe I'm getting married today…" Elena whispered in amazement.
"I just can't believe you're getting married before me…" Caroline said absentmindedly. Elena turned in her seat, gazing at Caroline with a confused look on her face. "No offence," Caroline added as an afterthought.
"None taken," Elena said as she rolled her eyes with a smile. "Hey…how different do you think our lives would have turned out if Stefan never came to town and none of this stuff ever happened?" she asked quietly. The room fell silent as all three girls pondered what their lives would have been like if the past three years hadn't happened.
"I…I can't…" Bonnie stuttered in amazement. "I can't imagine where I'd be if I wasn't a witch or if I wasn't with Jeremy or didn't have Arianna…"
"I'm drawing a blank," Caroline admitted. "God knows my relationship with Tyler has been anything but perfect but…I can't imagine being with someone else,"
"I can't even begin to explain the emptiness I just felt in the pit of my stomach at the thought of life without Damon…there's no world for me without him," Elena said with conviction. Both Bonnie and Caroline smiled at Elena, amazed by her love for the vampire. Their thoughts were interrupted when there was a light knock on the door. Jeremy poked his head in.
"We'll give you two a minute…" Bonnie said, standing up from the chair and following Caroline out with Arianna.
"You look beautiful, sis…" Jeremy breathed.
"Thank you," she said. They stared at eachother for a moment, each of them thinking the same thing as the other. Elena bowed her head down in defeat, stifling back a sniffle. Jeremy wrapped his arms around Elena's small frame and kissed her forehead lightly. "I wish they were here…" Elena breathed against her brother's tuxedo.
"Me too," Jeremy whispered.
"I mean…they were supposed to be here," Elena breathed. "Mom was supposed to cry at graduation. Aunt Jenna was supposed to squeal over you becoming a father. Daddy was supposed to walk me down the aisle; John was supposed to hate me for becoming a vampire. Isobel was supposed to hate Damon for marrying me!" she huffed.
"Don't kid yourself Elena…Mom was there at your graduation. Jenna was the special someone giving Ric an imaginary hug in that hospital room. Dad is gonna be holding your other arm when I walk you down that aisle, and John couldn't hate you – Damon, maybe, but not you. And Isobel…she probably does hate Damon…" Jeremy finished. Jeremy wiped the tears from his big sister's face and pulled her into another brotherly hug. "They're not here physically, Elena. But you're never alone…you still have me," Jeremy told her.
"I love you, Jer…" she whispered to her little brother.
"Ahem," someone coughed awkwardly, another head poking in the door. Alaric stepped in and smiled at Elena and Jeremy. "You guys alright?" he asked, looking at the only children he'd ever have.
"Yeah, we're just missing everybody…" Elena breathed. Alaric nodded, stuffing his hands in his pocket awkwardly. "How's Damon?" she asked with a smile. Alaric rolled his eyes and let out a small laugh.
"He can't wait to marry you that's for sure…" he muttered. Their thoughts were interrupted by a small cry from the hall outside the room.
"Uhh…that's my queue. I'll go take care of that and I'll be back, okay?" Jeremy asked Elena. She nodded and watched as her little brother left to take care of his daughter. Elena was distracted by Alaric pulling something out of his jacket pocket. In his hand was a silver bracelet with a sapphire blue diamond heart on it.
"What…what's this?" Elena asked, mesmerized by the way the silver shined in the light.
"Damon told me you're wearing the pin Jenna gave you for the Miss Mystic Falls dance."
"Yeah, it was my mom's…" Elena told him.
"Yeah well, the rule is something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue…" Alaric explained as he clasped the bracelet on Elena's right wrist. "This can be your something new and something blue, since your pin is old and borrowed…" Alaric explained.
"Jenna bought it in advance, a graduation gift… I completely forgot about it until I was going through some boxes at my place. She left it there; she didn't want you finding it ahead of time…"
"It's beautiful," Elena breathed. "Thank you," she said, wrapping her arms around Alaric. He hesitantly patted her on the back in response.
…
"I hate monkey suits!" Damon complained as he fixed his bow tie in the mirror. Stefan chuckled from the corner and turned Damon around, fixing the tie Damon messed up.
"It's your wedding day, you'd stand out like a monkey if you wore something different," Stefan reminded him.
"My wedding day," Damon scoffed.
"It's about time, eh?" Stefan joked.
"I've waited an eternity for Elena Gilbert," Damon admitted – not caring that he sounded like a high school girl. "Thank you, Stefan…" Damon added. He turned around to face his little brother, whose green eyes had widened in confusion.
"I never got to apologize for the eternity of misery and all that, and I never got to thank you for standing up for me today," Damon looked away, not wanting to look his brother in the eye. "It means a lot…" he added.
"Is Damon Salvatore getting soft?" Stefan asked, stepping back in mock amazement.
"I may be getting soft, but I could still kick your ass…" Damon muttered, rolling his eyes. Stefan cocked his head back and laughed before turning Damon around and offering him a brotherly hug like when they were human.
"Am I interrupting something?" Alaric asked, standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"What's up?" Stefan asked, looking at Alaric.
"Well, since I'm now the closest thing Elena has to a parent, I feel like it's my job to look out for her…and I've seen in all the movies that a certain speech is required from such a figure," Alaric said matter-of-factly. Alaric crossed the room and stood in front of the groom. Damon folded his arms across his chest, barely suppressing a smirk.
"Do go on…" Damon asked, Stefan almost doubling with laughter behind Ric.
"You could snap me like a twig if I say something wrong, so I'm just gonna say to treat her right because I can't think of someone who deserves it more," Alaric finished, looking at his shoes awkwardly. Damon patted Ric on the shoulder.
"I'm proud of you, finally learning whose boss!" Damon said proudly. Alaric rolled his eyes and turned around, following Damon out the door, hearing the music beginning to play.
"Oh and as I'm sure you've heard the ceremony is about to start…" he muttered as all three men filed out the door.
I hope you enjoyed part one of the two part epilogue! I had a lot of ideas for where the characters and story could end up. The wedding will be included in the next chapter, but this is by far the longest chapter yet with over 4000 words, so I figured I'd keep you guys interested. If you want to see part two, I would like at least 220 reviews on the story! They mean so much to me you guys, I just want to know that you are actually enjoying it. Thank you so much, I love you all!