A/N: Wow. Here we are, the final chapter of S&SM. There will be a brief epilogue to close the story completely, but this is the last chapter. So many of you have taken the time to tell me you have enjoyed the story, and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read, and share your thoughts.

I have enjoyed writing this, even if it has been extraordinarily challenging in places, and am sad to say goodbye to it. There's a fair bit of info in this chappie. I hope it doesn't take away from the story too much. Thank you for every review, alert, and favorite. They all mean the world to me.

This is set six months after the last chapter.

Chapter 21

"What's next?" Elena asked Damon, while stirring the sauce on the stove.

"Add the cream, and bring to the boil."

Elena turned around to look at him. "Are you sure?"

He walked over to her, and held her new recipe book out in front of her. "Look, right here," he said, tapping the page, "what does it say?"

"Add cream and bring to the boil," she read aloud.

"See."

"You were right," she said, with a smile. "I just want this to be perfect."

"You've had Bonnie and Jeremy over for dinner before. Why is this so important?" Damon asked her with a puzzled expression.

"Because it is," she said to him.

She didn't want to elaborate any more than that. She hadn't told Damon that Bonnie and Jeremy had been trying to conceive for the past three months, and when Bonnie had called to tell her she had news, Elena had guessed she was pregnant. Bonnie wouldn't confirm whether she was over the phone, but Elena was ninety-nine percent sure she had been right. She had invited her brother and sister-in-law over for dinner tonight, and Damon had told her they could host dinner at his place because she didn't have a table big enough for four people.

Elena had thrown herself into preparations for the perfect dinner party as she had needed to something to take her mind off the fact that she herself was two days late. After checking her diary at work on Thursday she had realized she was still waiting for 'aunt flo' to come to town. Two days wasn't very late, admittedly, but Elena was panicking. Damon had said right from the start that fatherhood was not in his future, and in the six months they'd been together, she didn't think he'd changed his mind.

Not that the last six months hadn't been perfect; they had been. They'd been amazing, and wonderful, and more than she'd ever hoped for. The idea that she might be pregnant should be a happy and exciting thought, but instead she was terrified of what it would mean for her, and for him, and for them. She hadn't taken a pregnancy test yet because she simply wasn't ready for the answer. She was living in hope that her period would appear at any time. She tried not to think about what Damon would say if she told him she was pregnant.

Five or so months ago he had started spending time regularly with Joey, his cousin's son, on weekends. Damon had told her that Joey needed at least one Salvatore male to hang-out with, to offset the bitterness that came from the Salvatore women. Elena had thought it was a wonderful idea, and she had even believed it might help him warm up to the idea of fatherhood, but it hadn't changed his opinion at all.

"Every time I look at Joey, I think that could have been my son or daughter, left alone without a father. I won't put a child through what Joey is going through."

His comment was something she had tried not to dwell on over the past months. After all, she'd said they would have a relationship while it worked for both of them. In light of Bonnie and Jeremy's news, however, Elena wondered how much longer this relationship could work for them. Even if she wasn't pregnant, she wanted to be eventually. While she was extremely happy for Bonnie and Jeremy, their news was a painful reminder that a child with the man she loved wasn't an option. How long could she continue her relationship with Damon realistically?

"Can you let them in, please," she asked Damon, when a knock on the door sounded.

"Sure," he said to her, giving her a strange look.

Damon couldn't help but feel that something was going on, and Elena was holding out on him. He tried to dismiss the thought as he opened the door to the other couple.

"Hi, Damon," Bonnie said, with a wide smile.

Damon knew his suspicions had been right when Bonnie embraced him in a tight hug. She had warmed up to him significantly after an initial wary period, and he liked her, but normally she didn't…hug.

"Hey, man," Jeremy said, after Bonnie moved away.

Jeremy also gave him a guy hug and was wearing a huge grin on his face. Between the hugging, the smiles, and Elena's desperation to cook the perfect meal, Damon assumed he was the only one here who had no clue what the hell was going on. He found out quickly when they were seated in front of their meals at the dining table.

"Bonnie, would you like some wine?" Elena asked pointedly.

"No, thank you. I won't be having wine any time soon."

"Oh, that's a surprise. Why not?" Elena asked.

"Because….I'm pregnant!"

The next few minutes or so were a blur, as Elena and Bonnie jumped up and down and squealed. There were hugs and kisses all round, and plenty of smiles.

"I can't stop grinning like an idiot," Jeremy told Damon.

"It's an exciting time for both of you," Damon replied.

"In less than eight months I'll be a dad," Jeremy said. "That's crazy. Me, responsible for a baby."

"You'll make a great dad," Bonnie told him softly, sitting down next to him and patting his arm softly.

Bonnie's eyes misted up as she and Jeremy looked at each other, and they shared a private moment. A moment, Damon could see, that had Elena misting up too. She caught him watching her, and gave him a watery smile. He knew his own smile was stiff in return, and as she turned and walked into the kitchen his heart sunk. This – he couldn't give her this. He wouldn't destroy a child's life; a woman's life, the way his father had. He just wouldn't do it, especially to Elena. Elena already knew that, but as she came back out of the kitchen, with a smile that was just a little too big, he wondered what was going through her mind right now.

Bonnie and Jeremy were in a great mood, and at any other time he would have enjoyed their company immensely, but Damon couldn't help feeling that this night, and their announcement, would only highlight the difference between what he wanted in his future – or rather what he didn't want, and what Elena did want. He hadn't told Elena that he couldn't imagine his life without her. Neither of them were willing to compromise on children or marriage, and he knew that.

He'd been so happy these past six months, and the success of his personal life had certainly had an impact on his professional life too. His book was finished and about to be published, and RCW were extending his radio show by and hour and a half every Friday. He was close to having his Mom's house paid off, and his new publicist, at Mystic Falls PR, Oliver Clifton, wasn't too bad either. The middle aged PR rep wasn't as attractive as Elena, but Damon was okay with that.

Damon could have pushed to get out of his contract with Mystic Falls PR, however, Elijah had promised to leave Elena and all four girls alone, if Damon stayed with the company. Elijah had also promised to keep the girl's new company supplied with a steady stream of smaller clients. Knowing Elena was safe, and that her business would be okay, was enough to keep Damon there. Seeing the girl's company taken care of was more important.

The four girls didn't have the big names yet, but Damon was sure they would get them. They were kicking ass. The name of their firm was – REAL PR; R.E.A.L for the letters of their first names, Rose, Elena, Anna and Lexie. In fact they were doing so well, that Caroline had moved over to be an assistant to all four ladies. Despite the amount of work, Caroline insisted she was happy. Damon thought his brother was also partly responsible for keeping a smile on her face as well.

As Damon forced each laugh and smile for their company, he tried not to think about how much Elena, her friends, and her family, had come to mean to him. Tonight could change everything between them, and he didn't like it. He'd never given permission for his world to be flipped upside down. Bonnie and Jeremy's news had to be having an effect on Elena, and he wondered just how much longer she would choose to keep doing this with him.

"So," he said to Elena, as they cleaned the kitchen later that night, "you're going to be an aunt."

"Yes," she said. "It's wonderful news."

"It is," he agreed.

She stopped wiping the counter for a moment and looked at him, and Damon walked over to her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her against him. It felt so good to have her in his arms. He didn't want to give this up. He brushed his lips across hers, and then nuzzled his face in her hair. He felt her tense momentarily, before she softened against him.

"Are you tired?" he murmured against her hair.

She shook her head.

He took her hand. "Come on."

Elena let him lead her upstairs, and she changed into his spare bathrobe as he ran a bath. When she walked into the bathroom, he was already sitting in the bath, filled with water and bubbles. It was evidently hot, judging from the steam rising off the water. The candles were lit, music was playing softly on the stereo, and she could smell the rose essence he'd dropped in the water. She shrugged of the fluffy robe, letting it slide to the floor, not missing the way his eyes devoured her naked body, and stepped into the hot water. She felt her toes tingle with the heat, and the water burn her as she sat down.

Damon watched the flush hit her cheeks. Her hair was piled on top of her head, and she fanned herself as perspiration beaded along her brow. After behaving in front of their company all night, he needed to touch her. At times like this, when he found himself in doubt about how much longer she would be his, his need to possess her was even more intense.

He reached for her, and as his lips melded against hers, he reveled in the feel of her slippery skin against his. They pulled apart and he ran his thumb along her cheekbone, smearing white frothy bubbles over her delicate skin. He tapped her nose, leaving a few bubbles there too.

"I love you," he said to her.

"And I love you," she said to him.

Elena sat back as he began to rub her feet. She closed her eyes and listened to the crackle of the bubbles surrounding them, and the soft music playing on the stereo as she enjoyed his touch. His hands worked along her calves for a while, before moving to her hamstrings, and then the inside of her thighs. She expected him to move his hands higher still, but he took his time. When he did finally run a finger between her legs, her eyes flew open, latching onto his.

His expression was so serious and intense, it was startling. He was watching her so closely that Elena thought he was trying to imprint this moment to memory. She closed her eyes against the thought. Did he have some sixth sense about what was to come? Had he asked the same question that she had, after hearing Bonnie and Jeremy's news? How long could they continue this relationship realistically?

She stopped thinking as he reached forward and pulled her to him, crushing his lips against hers. She hadn't been wrong. There was always an intensity about him in the bedroom, even when he was playful; but this was as intense as their last night together on tour. His lips all but devoured her as they slid along her jaw, and her neck, and his hands were just as frantic. She moved to get closer to him. Her breasts pressed against his chest; the bubbles crackling between them.

She reached out and wrapped her hand around his shaft, stroking him softly. He made a loud sound of approval against her shoulder before he brought her to climax by grazing his thumb softly over her nub, and sliding two fingers in and out of her. The water made it easy for him to lift her onto the tip of his shaft, and her body craved his so desperately that the water provided minimal resistance. Once he was deep inside of her, their movements together were slow, and tender, but no less intense. They came together, and Elena had no idea she'd let tears fall, until he was wiping them from her cheeks.

After their bath, they lay in bed together facing each other.

"Do you want to tell me why you were crying earlier?"

"Not really."

"You can tell me. You can talk to me about whatever it is."

"I'm late," she said to him.

"For what?"

"I'm late, Damon. As in two days late. As in I might be pregnant."

He stopped rubbing circles on her arm, and sat up in bed. "How? I mean you're on the pill."

She sat up beside him.

"I know. I never missed one, but maybe when I had that virus a few weeks ago, and I was throwing up…I don't know. Maybe that affected it."

The panic and the worry on her face clearly echoed his own panic.

"Come here," he said to her.

They lay back down in the bed, but she was aware that he wasn't asleep. She couldn't sleep either. At some point during the night they slipped away from each other, and she felt him tossing and turning. The last time she looked at his alarm, it was four-thirty in the morning. After that she fell into a deep slumber. When she woke up it was nine-thirty, and the bed was empty. She put the spare bathrobe on, and made her way down stairs.

"Damon," she called out.

She found the house empty, but in the kitchen there was a note.

Needed to get out of the house. Went for a ride. Call you tonight. D.

"So, I guess we won't be spending Sunday together," Elena said out loud, screwing up the piece of paper and throwing it in the trash.

She packed her things into her overnight bag, locked the door behind her, and got into her car to drive home. Damon had freaked out just like she'd thought he would, her period was still MIA, and she felt like crap. She picked up a pregnancy test on the way home, and tried not to think about the fact that in her ideal relationship both she and her partner would be excited by this, and they would both want to share this moment of truth together.

It would be a lie to say that part of her didn't feel angry that Damon had gone this morning. She knew it was wrong to expect more from him. He'd never been anything but honest and upfront about how he felt regarding fatherhood, but this hadn't been deliberate. She was going through this too. She knew this was the end of the line for them now. She could admit that this morning, even if she hadn't quite admitted it last night. The thought was more than devastating, and more than heart-breaking. It hurt so much she wondered if she would survive it; but if neither of them would compromise then this was really it for them. It didn't matter what the results were.

At four o'clock Damon was still at the bar. A day of drinking had done nothing to decrease the anxiety and panic he was feeling. He'd had no intention of coming to the bar, but that's where he always ended up. It had been the same after Lucy had fallen pregnant.

"Hi, Handsome," a sugary sweet voice said behind him.

He turned around to find a very pretty blonde in her early twenties eyeballing him like he was a lollipop.

"Can I sit down?" she asked him.

"It's a free country," he told her.

"Buy me a drink," she said softly. "Promise I'll make it worth your while."

He was about to say no, but decided why not? He ignored the phone ringing in his pocket, but pulled it out when he felt a message come through.

Results are in. If you want to know, you know where to find me.

He put the phone back in his pocket and bought 'Melissa' another drink, and tried not to think about the fact that he was destined to repeat his father's mistakes all over again. An hour later, he and Melissa were still drinking. She was giving him all the signs she was interested, and when she told him she had a hotel room five minutes away, she couldn't have made her intentions any clearer.

He played along with it, however, when she leaned forward and kissed him, he felt nothing but cold disgust with himself and the situation. He felt nothing for the blonde, and he didn't want what she was offering in any way, shape or form. His heart belonged to Elena. That thought didn't make him feel any better, because he didn't have a future with Elena, did he?

He paid his tab, hunted down a cab, and went straight to the woman he hoped would have an answer for him. He banged on the door, tried the door handle, but it was locked. He banged again. Finally the door flew open.

"Damon, what are you doing here? Are you alright?"

"I'm not alright. Elena might be pregnant."

"Come in, and sit down. I'll put the kettle on. You smell like you could use a coffee."

Damon followed his mom into the kitchen, and took a seat at the table. Within minutes he was sitting with coffee, and roast beef, potatoes and gravy.

"Don't fuss," his mom said. "It's just leftovers. Now tell me what's on your mind."

Damon looked at her. How could his mom not know what was on his mind right now?

"First Lucy, and now Elena. I messed up Mom. I keep messing up."

"Damon, what happened with Lucy was over eleven years ago. You were young, and it was a confusing time with your father turning up, and you're hardly the same young man you were back then."

"I'm still a Salvatore. I'm still my father's son."

"Now listen to me," she said walking over and grabbing his chin to make him look at her, making him feel like he was ten, instead of thirty. "I don't want to hear that again."

"You've said it yourself," he said to her accusingly.

"Said what?"

"I'm just like my father."

"Nonsense. At times I've said you have too much charm just like Giuseppe, but I've never said you were just like him."

"What am I going to do?" he asked her. "I can't be a father."

"Why not?"

"I'm not father material."

"You've been spending time with Joey lately, mentoring him, and giving him a father figure to look up to."

"That's different."

"How is it different?"

"He's not mine."

"That makes no difference. Giuseppe never would have done that."

"I cheated on Elena," he said to her.

She sat down opposite him. "Tell me what happened."

"I've been at the bar all day, just like Dad would have been. After Elena told me she might be pregnant, I couldn't think straight. I went to Ric's. I met this girl named Melissa. I bought her a few drinks."

"You had sex with her?"

"No," Damon said.

"You kissed her?"

"She kissed me, and I kissed her back."

"So you bought this girl a few drinks, and shared a kiss, and now you feel bad about it?"

"Yes, I feel bad about it."

"Your father never felt bad about it, Damon."

"Never?"

"No, he never felt remorse for any of the things he did."

"How can you sit there and so calmly talk about Dad, after everything he did to you."

"Your father made a lot of bad choices, and I made my share of bad choices too, but he gave me two wonderful sons, and I believe both of you have already learned from his mistakes."

"How can you be so sure? How can I be sure? How can Elena ever be sure?"

"There are no guarantees in life, Damon, but understanding life is about choices will help. There is always a choice. You love Elena, don't you?"

"You know I do."

"Every day you're with her, you choose to do the right thing by her. Every day, you choose to stay with her, and love her, and treat her right."

"You make it sound so easy."

"Love is never easy. When someone affects you so much that you can't imagine your life without them it is too powerful to ever be easy."

"How can I ask Elena to take such a chance on me?"

"What have I just been saying? Elena has to make her own choices, and you can't take that away from her. If she wants to take that chance on you, and you on her, then both of you are lucky. And for the record, I think you would make a wonderful father."

"You're my mother. You have to say that."

"I have to say no such thing. Look at the responsibility you've taken on without being asked; too much responsibility. When you were younger you took care of Stefan, and when I was going to lose my house you've paid for almost all of it, even though you were angry at me for letting your father back into our lives. I'll pay every cent back."

"You don't need to, Mom," he told her.

"I don't know what I would have done without your help, Son. You take care of Joey, and now you are trying to take care of Elena. We all make mistakes, and as a father – as a husband, you will make mistakes, but acknowledging them, and learning from them, is more important than not making them in the first place. Your father never did that. He never changed, and he never grew up. Someone has to break the cycle."

Damon shook his head. "I thought that was Stefan's job."

"Don't underestimate yourself. Watching you grow into the man you are has been worth the heartache."

"I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything to me. It's Elena you need to talk to."

"I should go."

"Take my keys. Bring the car back tomorrow."

"Thanks Mom," he said, standing up and leaning over her to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"You didn't touch your roast."

"I have to see her."

"Go. Give Elena my love."

"I will," he called, as he walked out the door.

On the drive over to Elena's apartment, parts of the conversation with his mother replayed in his head creating an entirely different conversation.

"…you're hardly the same young man you were back then."

"I'm just like my father."

"Your father never changed, and he never grew up. He never felt remorse for any of the things he did."

"I can't be a father."

"Why not? I think you would make a wonderful father."

"How can Elena ever be sure?"

"Elena has to make her own choices. If she wants to take a chance on you, and you want to take a chance on her, then both of you are lucky. Every day, you choose to stay with her, and love her, and treat her right."

"I'm not father material."

"You take care of Joey, and now you are trying to take care of Elena. As a father and as a husband, you will make mistakes, but acknowledging them, and learning from them, is more important than not making them in the first place. Someone has to break the cycle."

Someone had to break the cycle. According to his mother, he already had. He was already different. He felt remorse for hurting people. He tried to take care of Elena. He wanted to help Joey. Everybody made mistakes. He just had to make sure he learned from his. He loved Elena. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. If she was willing to try this; if she was willing to take a chance on him, knowing as much as she did, then why wasn't he willing to take a chance on himself?

Fatherhood was something that he'd never thought he wanted, but if he considered the idea he might be different to his father, how did he feel about being a father? The idea was still terrifying, but less so than it had been earlier today. Joey seemed to get a lot out of their time together. Moreover, Damon enjoyed spending time with the boy. As he thought about what it would be like to kick the soccer ball about with his own son or daughter, he felt his chest expand and grow warm, instead of feeling tight and making him breathless.

He pulled into the lot of her apartment building while imagining his child, and Elena, and their life together. Instead of the future looking bleak and lonely, suddenly it seemed full of possibility. Once he was standing in front of her door, however, he felt wracked by nerves, and panicked. Would she still want to take a chance on him after the way he'd acted today? He knocked on the door.

Elena opened the door without saying anything, and walked back into the apartment. He closed the door behind him.

"Where have you been?" she asked him.

"Ric's."

She nodded as they stood in the kitchen facing each other. "So after a day of drinking you're ready to know?"

"Yes. I'm ready to know now."

"I'm not pregnant. You're not going to be a father."

Damon felt as if he'd been hit between the eyes. He wasn't going to be a father. While the relief was certainly there, he was surprised to find a small amount of something resembling disappointment mixed in with it too.

"You're sure?"

"The test came up negative, and I got my period a few hours ago. I'm sure."

He walked over to her and out his arms around her. She was completely rigid in his arms, and he knew what was coming next.

"I don't want to do this again," she mumbled against his shirt. "This isn't working for me anymore."

He loosened his hold on her, and they looked at each other. He could see the barely contained emotion in her eyes, and struggled to keep his own emotions under control.

"I shouldn't have left you the note this morning. I should have been here with you."

"You needed time and space. I get that, but I want to get married and have children, and you don't. Today should have been exciting, but instead I was freaking out about what it would do to you if I was. I want the person I'm with to be there when I take the test, and share my disappointment or excitement."

"I will be next time," he said to her. "I promise."

She shook her head.

"Listen," he said to her. "I know I said I didn't want marriage or children, but what if I said I was changing my mind?"

"I would ask what had changed your mind."

"I was at Ric's today. I didn't sleep last night, and this morning I felt the same panic and fear that I did when I found out Lucy was pregnant."

She flinched as if he'd hit her.

"I went to Ric's because that was what I used to do when I was freaking out about Lucy. There was this girl there. She wanted me to buy her a drink."

"Did you?"

"I did."

She moved away from him and he let her.

"She kissed me, and I kissed her back for a moment."

Elena gripped the counter behind her so she wouldn't hit him. While she had been alone and worried, he'd been buying drinks for another woman and kissing her.

"I don't want to hear any more."

"I didn't want her, Elena. All I could think about was you, and how much I was going to hurt you, and how much I never wanted to do that. The me from eleven years ago would have gone to bed with her, but the person I am today wasn't interested. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"What?"

"Yeah, I do, but I knew that this was the end of the line for us because of how I felt about becoming a father. I went to Mom's tonight and she made me realize a few things."

Elena was listening very intently now.

"I'm not my father," he told her.

"I know that."

"But I didn't know that. Not until today. I've made mistakes; big mistakes, but I've grown from them. I've learned from them."

She nodded.

"I want the chance at a future with you, and I want the chance to be a better father to my children, than my father was to me."

He did, Damon realized. He wanted his children to grow up feeling a lot better about themselves than he had. He wanted to stop the cycle of hate and bitterness from the Salvatore women, but most importantly, he wanted Elena and the future they could have together.

"I know I'm asking you to take a chance on me here, and that has to be your choice, but I love you, Elena. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and even though the idea still terrifies me, I want children in our future too."

He was standing right in front of her. "What do you say?"

Elena took in the serious expression on his face, and knew he meant every word he'd just said to her. He was a different man than the one who she'd met eight or so months ago. The difference was that he was starting to see himself differently. To hear him say he wasn't his father changed everything. He had finally started to listen to the opinions of those who loved him. He was willing to try, and that had been all she needed to hear.

"Yes," she told him. "Yes – to all of the above."

Before she could blink, he had swept her into his arms, and he was kissing her as if she'd just made his every wish come true.

A/N: I know some of you would have liked to have seen Elena pregnant. What can I say? There will be an epilogue. I hope you liked Mama Salvatore, and Damon's chat. Thanks for reading, and please review.