Standing beside Damon at the car rental counter, Elena is excited to be back in Montana. Although it's early November, Elena hopes the weather will hold during their visit so she and Damon won't have to worry about driving in snow and ice. Although as Alaska natives, they are more than used to bad winter weather. Still she doesn't like to drive on ice. The fire season ended in spectacular fashion. A large wildfire broke out in Chugach National Forest in the southeast part of the state. Their crew was deployed almost immediately but they still were in the thick of things for almost a week before they, along with other firefighters and air tankers helped to get it contained. Chugach encompasses millions of acres of land and it's one of the most beautiful places in the world including Prince William Sound. Bald eagles, brown bears, silver salmon, killer whales all thrive and are there in abundance. Rainy day or sunny day, any day in Prince William Sound is a once in a lifetime day.

"Are you ready to go?" Damon asks, tossing the keys in his hand. When she nods, he picks up their suitcases and walks out through the door that leads to their rental vehicle. As soon as they have their luggage stowed, he opens the passenger door for her then hops behind the wheel. As soon as they reach the highway, Damon exits onto Interstate 90, hoping to make the hundred plus mile drive in relatively good time. Knowing how anxious she is to see her grandparents again, he sets the cruise control for seventy five and keeps his eyes on the road ahead of him.

With Elena's direction, he parks the car alongside the curb in front of her grandparent's home. Before he even has engine stopped, Elena is out of the car and running across the grass to greet them. He can't help but feel his heart burst at how happy she is with these people. With tears in her eyes, he notices her pointing at him. Stepping out of the car, he walks over to Elena. Once introductions are made, Damon shakes each of their hands and then takes Elena in his when they follow Peyton and Evelyn into the house.

"You have a lovely house here," Damon exclaims, his eyes glancing all around the Cape Cod style house.

"It's so good to meet you, Damon. Elena has told me all about you."

"Is that good or bad?" he jokes, pressing a quick kiss to Elena's cheek before sitting down on the couch beside her.

"It's all good," Evelyn says with a smile. "Elena tells me that you have to fly back a little early?"

"Just a couple of days early. She'll join me on the weekend," Damon says smiling. After giving her hand a squeeze, he continues, "My parents are going to Hawaii for their wedding anniversary and I promised them that I would keep my little sister. They've been planning this trip for over a year already so I couldn't ask them to delay it." Sharing a look with a Elena, he turns his eyes back to Evelyn. "She's seven and a spitfire and I wouldn't have it any other way. My brother is up there so he and his girlfriend are keeping her the first night and I'll take her as soon as I get back. Stefan's tried but couldn't get the time off and his girlfriend works nights so I need to get back."

"I never thought of it Damon but I wonder if Caroline would keep her a night and then you can fly back with me?"

"Willow likes Caroline a lot so if she can watch her for a night, that would solve out problem."

"I'll call her later," Elena squeals, leaning against him when he puts his arm around her shoulders.

"I hope it works out for you two. So what are you going to do now that the fire season is over?" Peyton asks, offering Damon and Elena some hot chocolate with Bailey's Irish Cream in it. Taking a sip, Damon savors the taste of the rich chocolate and the Bailey's topped with whipped cream.

"This is delicious. I need to remember this recipe. Is there a certain proportion you use?"

"No, Damon. I just make it to taste," Peyton adds, taking a pull from his own mug.

After taking another swallow, Damon sets his mug down and adds, "As far as the off season, I work year round at Fort Wainwright. When spring rolls around again, I'll likely fly into Missoula to train the newest crop of smokejumpers. I enjoy that a lot and perhaps, Elena can come along," he adds, giving her a smile and a hand squeeze. Lifting his mug to his mouth again to take another sip, he licks his lips, adding, "I intend to try this out with my parents. I have a feeling my dad will really like it." When his eyes drift to Elena's, he leans over to press a kiss to her temple. Feeling so incredibly loved by both Damon and her grandparents, Elena is simply beaming. In Damon's eyes an in his heart and mind, all he wants is for her to be happy and being here with him and them, she is. When Elena yawns, Evelyn smiles knowingly.

"Come, I'll show you to your room," she says. Putting her mug down, she gestures for them to follow. Picking up the suitcases that he carried in earlier, Damon follows along. Although he's not surprised, he feels a little disappointed when she shows them to two different rooms. But since it's her house, he has to respect her wishes. Setting Elena's luggage down, he gives her a quick kiss then follows the woman to his own room. As soon as she pulls the door shut leaving him alone, he plops down on the bed and closes his eyes, letting sleep take him as he dreams of Elena.

After spending several days with her grandparents, it's finally time to fly back to Alaska. Fortunately the weather cooperated and so they spent time touring Montana with Elena's grandparents acting as their guide. Even though Damon is familiar with the area since he has been here for a few years helping to train new smokejumpers, he has only had a cursory look at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman. He's seen the dinosaur exhibits but not much more. Peyton and Damon made the trip when Evelyn came down with a cold. Elena chose to stay at home with her. Pulling into the car rental lot, Damon parks the car and gets their bags out. After turning in the keys, they get in line at their airline counter to go through security and check in their luggage. As soon as they reach their gate, they sit down and wait. Taking his phone, Damon texts Stefan their flight number and presumptive arrival time. Moments later, it rings with an acknowledgement from his brother that he'll be there to pick them up. Once he sends a text to thank him, Damon tucks his phone back into his jacket pocket and looks out towards the window to watch the planes arriving.

As soon as they board the plane, Damon links his fingers with hers. When they're in the air, she looks over at him, smiling when she hears him snoring lightly. It'll be fun to tease him about that she thinks to herself. It's been a long flight already and by the time the fasten seatbelt light comes on, he's just starting to wake up. Again he takes her hand just as the wheels hit the runway. When the plane reaches their gate it comes to a full stop. Standing up, Damon stretches and as soon as the crowd thins out a bit, he gets into the aisle, stepping back so Elena can get out of her seat too.

Going immediately to their luggage carousel, Damon turns around when he hears his name. Seeing Willow running pell-mell towards him, he opens his arms, lifting her in them as soon she reaches him. Giving her a hug, he tells her how much he missed her.

"I missed you so much too, Elena."

"Me too, Willow," she says, embracing the little girl in her arms as soon as Damon puts her down. Stepping towards Stefan, Damon shakes his hand, greeting both him and Lexi. As soon as they retrieve their suitcases, they leave the airport, falling asleep in the backseat, waking only when Stefan pulls into Damon's driveway and stops the car.

Waking up, Damon carries Willow into the house after Elena unlocks the door. Since he's been gone and so Brady wouldn't have to run out to his place to feed them and let them outside, the dogs are at his place. Tomorrow he'll take Willow and they'll bring them home. Letting Elena go first to pull down the covers, Damon carries her up the spiral staircase and then carefully lays her in the bed. After covering her up, he presses a quick kiss to her forehead and then closes the door softly so as not to wake her. Finding Elena looking out of his bedroom window, he walks over to her, wrapping her in his arms from behind. Glancing outside himself, he smiles when he sees snow starting to come down. It's light and pretty and glistens in the moonlight. "Shower with me," he breathes against her earlobe.

Nodding, she lets him lead her to the bathroom, releasing her only long enough to turn on the shower. Without taking his eyes off of her, he first removes her clothing, eyeing her body with lust. Desire and love immediately start to burst, surging through his veins with each pump of his wildly beating heart. Feeling a little out of sorts that she's standing here naked while he's fully clothed doesn't sit well with Elena. Grabbing his shirt tails, she gives them a tug sending the buttons flying haphazardly and bouncing on the tile floor. Staring over his chest and firm abs, she motions for him to turn around. When he does, she starts kiss the length of his scar and when she finishes, she spins him back around and press a kiss to the scar that sits in the hollow of his throat. In the next second, he has her in his arms, their lips joined in a long slow mind numbing kiss that makes her knees buckle.

Once they break apart to take a breath, Damon slips on a condom and pulls the curtain back long enough for them to step into the shower and relax under the hot steamy water as it pelts down on their skin. Taking her hands, he wraps them around his neck and tells her to keep them there. Using his, slides them along the curve of her ass and then lifts her into his arms. With her back against the shower wall, he uses it to help hold her up so he can grab his cock and position himself at her entrance. In one swift motion, he slides inside. Moving his hands back to her bottom, he holds her to him as Damon starts to push inside of her again and again. Her head falls back against the tiles as they moan together at the intensity of them joining so intimately. His face is buried in her neck as he holds steady inside of her. Steadying his legs, he tries to catch his breath, his lumbering heartbeat is literally making him feel breathless.

"I can't hold on much longer," he mumbles with his mouth against the skin of her gazelle like neck. His belly starts to burn and swirl as he pounds into her, hitting spots that only he has been able to reach. Within moments, he pants, "I need you to cum, Elena." The sound of his breathless voice is all it takes for her to shatter in a blaze of fire with his name on her lips. Grateful for her release, Damon thrusts harder and harder until he spills himself inside, crying out her name with such reverence that it sounds like a prayer. Damon holds her against the tile till the trembles in his body begin to ebb away. Carefully he lowers her to the shower floor. As soon as he's sure her legs won't give out, he lets go and presses his palms against the wall. Dropping his head, he whispers how much he loves me. Finally looking up, he wraps one arm around her waist and kisses her fiercely under the deluge of his showerhead.

After slipping off the condom, he picks up the bottle of shampoo and squeezes a dollop into his hand. "Turn around, sweetheart." When she does, he lathers up her hair, working the suds down her body, washing it as if she's his most precious thing in the world. When he finishes, Elena takes the shampoo and gives his body the same care and attention that he gave hers. As soon as all of the suds are rinsed off, they step out of the shower. Using a towel, Damon drops to his knees and starts to dry first one leg and then the other but not without pressing a kiss to each thigh and then her center before standing up to dry her upper torso, pausing to swipe his tongue across each nipple. As soon as he finishes, he picks her up and carries her to bed where they make love again before they finally fall prey their exhaustion and drift off to sleep wrapped in each other arms.

Approximately 8 months later:

Every year at the start of their smoke jumping season, they have a picnic at Fort Wainwright. Will is here with his wife and kids. He's back at full strength and Damon is thrilled that he'll be part of his team again. Looking around, Damon greets the assembled masses. Glancing over at Rebekah, he gives her a wink when he sees Matt stroll up and drop a kiss to her lips. He'll always be grateful to her for interfering in his relationship with Elena. He'd like to think that he would have earned Elena's trust back without her meddling but he knows that Rebekah made it happen sooner than it might have otherwise. And although Elena's relationship with her family is faring much better, they're not here today as they flew to the states to pick Katherine up to bring her home from college. Damon and Jeremy have become fast friends. Damon has taken him sledding and they also have done some cross country skiing together. He's bunked at Damon's a couple of times too when he's partied a little too hard, having called Damon to be his ride. Snapping out of his reverie, he nods at Brady who has Caroline wrapped in his arms.

When he feels a nudge, Damon looks down to see his sister. Family members are also invited to the get together because one they're in the thick of the season, it's sometimes hard to spend time with their loved ones. "Will you play catch with me?" she asks, handing him a ball.

"Why don't you play with Will's boys?" he asks.

"They're boys," she explains as if it's no more complicated than that. He has to laugh when he sees the face she makes.

"Alright, I'll play catch with you." Following her out onto the track, he tosses her the ball, laughing when starts running for it after it bounces away from her. By sheer happenstance, he notices Elena chatting with Kol and his girlfriend, Bonnie. Sensing his stare, Elena looks up, smiling that beaming grin of hers when their eyes meet. As if bound together by some natural chemical, she always seems to know when his eyes seeking out hers. Miffed about Damon ignoring her, Willow throws the ball, hitting him in the head.

"Hey," he squawks, looking rather indignant.

"You're supposed to play with me and you're giving Elena googly eyes instead," she explains, arms crossed over her chest.

"Googly eyes?" he laughs, harder still when he sees her serious face. In a surprise move, he lifts her in the air so she can wrap her legs around his neck. Carefully he trots over to his parents with the little girl giggling all the way. After his dad lifts her off, Damon sits down at the picnic table and starts to eat a piece of chicken. Moments later, Elena sits down beside him, leaning her head against his back. Hearing her yawn, he turns around and presses a kiss to her lips. "Tired?"

"You kept me pretty busy last night, Mr. Salvatore," she whispers, raising an eyebrow at him. As a feeling of male pride starts to flare inside of him, Damon smugly waggles as brows at her. Knowing the moment is at hand, Damon excuses himself to use the bathroom. As soon as he reaches the building, he runs inside to his office. Unlocking his desk drawer, he pulls out what he came to get. With a shaky hand, he puts it in his pocket, pushes the drawer closed and runs back outside. Knowing where Elena is, he walks directly over to her. When their eyes meet, he drops to his knees. With the box laying in one palm, he takes her hand with the other. Suddenly it's completely quiet at the picnic except for Willow asking their mom what big brother is up to.

Meeting Elena's eyes, he sees that they're as wide and as moist as his are. Feeling his heart slamming against his chest while his stomach is roiling with nervous energy, he finally chokes out the words. "Elena, I love you. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

Her own heart is pounding so hard that she can hardly breathe much less speak. All she can do is bob her head vigorously up and down. Happiness is exploding inside of her when he slides the ring onto that finger. Standing up, he pulls her flush against him and joins their lips in a long, slow and smoldering kiss. When they part, their foreheads meet, each flashing a beaming smile at the other. Lost in the emotion of it all, he steps back when he feels a hand squeeze his shoulder. His dad gives him a hug and then leads their friends and family into an almost thunderous applause. Before they even have a chance to celebrate, the fire alert siren starts to wail. The gathered smokejumpers rush into the building, slip into their suits and gear up as quickly as they can. By the time they get outside, Marcel already has the plane warming up. Once everyone is inside, Damon climbs in and waves goodbye to everyone. After blowing a kiss to Willow, he pulls the hatch closed just as the plane begins to taxi down the runway, its occupants prepped and ready to begin another long season of fighting fires.

The End.

Thank you so much Eva. Love you lots and lots.

Huge, huge thanks to all of you for taking this journey with me. I appreciate each and everyone of you so very much. You're all the best.

Chapter title: 'I Believe in Happy Endings' by Neil Diamond.

PR and ICEM are still in progress. Eva and I are throwing around ideas for a sequel to this. I hope to start posting "The Truth Beneath the Rose" soon. Also working on "Who Wants to Live Forever."

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Have a safe and wonderful day. Thank you all so much.