Hey there!

Oh God I can't believe we're coming to an end. We just have one more chapter after this one and then it'll be finally over. I really hope you liked the way this story turned out and I want to thank you all for sticking with me until now.

Really hope you like this chapter and as always I couldn't have done this without Lorena.

Enjoy!

You're a song written by the hands of God
Don't get me wrong cause this might sound to you a bit odd
But you own the place where all my thoughts go hiding
And right under your clothes is where I find them
Underneath your clothes there's an endless story
There's the man I chose, there's my territory

-Shakira-

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Elena rested her head on the window of the cab as they neared the entrance. To say she was nervous was an understatement, it had been five days, nine hours and twenty minutes since Damon had visited her in her parent's lake house. And if she was being completely honest, she missed him and the girls like crazy.

She had spent the last week enjoying some family time, letting herself be cuddled by her mom and learning self-defense with Ric, and meeting Jeremy's girlfriend and telling her embarrassing stories about her brother. She had played dolls with Margaret and braided her hair when she asked for it. Elena hadn't realized how much she missed her family and how much she needed them until she was back home, that's why it had taken her so long to go back.

But once someone had told her that we always go back to the places where we loved life, and she guessed that was the reason for why the taxi driver was bringing her here.

He parked near the entrance and she exited before paying her fee, she buzzed the intercom and greeted Charlie who looked truly happy to see her back, the gates opened for her and she walked feeling like she had spent years away from this place rather than mere days.

She heard laughter coming from inside and her insides warmed at the sound, how much she had missed those laughs! How much she missed this place! She knocked on the big mahogany door and waited patiently until it opened.

"Blessed the eyes that see you" Stefan whispered in awe before taking her in his arms and twirling her around while she clutched his shoulders with strength

"Put me down you idiot" Elena whined

"Wait, you forgive me right?" Stefan stopped for a second and looked at her "You know because you never answered any of my calls or texts" He put her back down on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I've been a sucky friend"

"No, I was the sucky friend. I'm as sucky as Heidi and Spencer, and I'm so sorry for it" Elena raised an eyebrow and gave him a questioning look "What? The Hills is my guilty pleasure"

Elena laughed and hugged him once again "I've truly missed you Stefan"

"I missed you too, you are my best friend, you hardheaded stubborn woman"

"What's all this fuzz about? What's taking you so long?" Elena heard Damon's voice being carried across the hallway and felt her nerves returning. Stefan smiled knowingly at her and somehow that made her feel better. "Stefan?"

Damon stopped still when he spotted her standing next to his brother, his mouth parted in a surprised gasp and he could do nothing but stare at her, being afraid that his mind was playing tricks on him and she really wasn't here.

"Hi" Elena waved awkwardly and he was two seconds from running towards her when girlish shrieks startled him and stopped his movements.

"Lena, you're back!" The girls yelled in unison and ran towards Elena whose lips broke in a major grin. "You feeling better?" Violet asked before launching herself into Elena's arms, who kneeled down so she was able to catch the little girl

"Yes, I'm better" She answered and Damon was able to catch the double meaning to her words.

"Lena you're going to stay?" Briar asked in a hopeful voice

"I don't know, am I?" Elena said softly while her eyes moved towards him

"'Course you staying" Violet answered fervently "Right daddy?" The little girl turned her blue eyes towards Damon "Is Lena staying?"

"Yes, Miss Elena will be staying with us" He said with a catch in his voice that made Elena's heart soar with happiness "We'll make sure she never gets hurt or sick again"

Briar nodded while she placed a kiss on Elena's cheek "'Course silly" Violet said before placing her tiny arms around Elena's neck "We will take good care of her" Elena smiled as her eyes filled with tears and placed a kiss on the head of each one.

"I've missed you girls so much" She said in a trembling voice "Talking on the phone is not the same"

"No, it's not, we've missed you so much" Briar said softly and Elena's heart broke while looking at the girl. That beautiful special girl who was abandoned by both parents.

"Well, I'm back now" She stroked the girl's hair and smiled at her

"'Fore anything else, I want know" Violet spoke in a very serious voice and Elena smiled, she had forgotten how funny and bubbly Violet was "Who's your favorite?"

"What?" Elena asked while laughing

"It's me, right?" Violet said with a smirk that made her resemble Damon so much.

"No, Lena tell her it's me" Briar interjected

"Girls, girls we already discussed this. I'm Elena's favorite" Stefan said with a smile before ruffling Violet's hair

"No, silly, you're not" The youngest girl said while laughing

"Honestly, I can't decide" Elena said in a serious voice "I just love you all so much" She said while her eyes went to Damon once again. He smirked at her and just like that everything was okay in the world again.

"Girls, can you give me and Miss Elena a moment please?" Damon asked

"You're not going to reprimand her, right daddy?" Briar asked while eying Damon suspiciously

"You going to tell her you love her?" Violet asked and both Elena and Damon looked at the little girl with shocked expressions

"What?"

"You want to marry her, and kiss under a tree" Violet say before bursting into full giggles with Stefan following her lead

"I'm sorry what?" Elena asked

"We already know you two are together" Briar asked in what appeared to be a very adult way "We saw you kissing the other day"

"It was gross" Violet said, still in her fit of giggles

"And kind of cute" Briar said smiling

Damon and Elena looked at each other with shock and mirth in their expressions as the other three people in the room continued laughing at their expenses. "Come on girls, let's give the love birds some time alone"

"LOVE BIRDS!" Violet shouted before laughing again "Like pigeons Uncle Stefan?"

"Yes my darling, just like that" Stefan took the girl in his arms while Briar trailed along beside them, leaving Damon and Elena alone in the foyer.

"Hi" Elena said shyly once Stefan and the girls had disappeared around the corner

"Hi" Damon answered as a hint of a smile appeared on his face. He started walking towards her and Elena felt her palms starting to sweat and a coil in the pit of her stomach forming because of his closeness "I've missed you" He murmured

"Oh Damon" Elena forced the words, struggling with the lump in her throat "I've missed you too" In the blink of an eye she was in his arms, breathing in his scent, he was crushing her in his arms as he murmured sweet nothings against her ear

"You have no idea how much I've needed you" He told her before moving back and staring into her eyes "I've been going crazy without you"

"Me too" She answered honestly with a watery smile

"No more secrets, Elena, I promise you. I'm done keeping them. I would never let anything get between us, I swear" He took her face between his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips, it was sweet, soft and didn't last long enough. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you" He whispered against her lips

"It's okay, I understand now"

"No, it wasn't okay. And I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you" Damon closed his eyes and pressed her to him, his chin resting against her forehead. He breathed in her scent while his fingers played with the softness of her hair "I can't stand the thought of you leaving again"

"I'm not going anywhere, Damon" She griped his shirt at the sides and placed a kiss on his neck "I'm here for the long haul, with you and the girls."

Damon opened his eyes and stared into her chocolate ones, how he had missed those eyes during the last few days. Now that she was back here it felt like he could finally breathe again. She was the missing piece that he had needed his entire life. And she was finally back with him, Damon wasn't letting her go, ever.

"I love you" He leaned down and whispered against her lips

"I love you too" She smiled and met him halfway for another kiss. Longing, joy, love, all melted together in that one kiss. He smiled against her mouth, unable to hide his delight at having her back

"You have no idea what I'm going to do to you tonight" He whispered huskily against her ear once they broke apart. Elena shivered under his words, longing for the completeness only his body could provide.

"Can we come in now?" Stefan asked and Damon rolled his eyes at the sound of his brother's words

"Unbelievable"

Stefan ignored his brother's comment and came barreling down the foyer again with the girls right behind them. They launched themselves at Elena once again and started telling her about all the things she had missed, while Stefan looked at his brother with a knowing grin.

"I was thinking a family lunch"

"Huh?" Damon asked

"Yeah, tomorrow. We'll grill burgers by the pool. You know, we have to celebrate"

"Yes, daddy pleaseeeeeee" Violet said and looked at Damon with what he liked to call her 'Shrek cat eyes' and he could do nothing but comply. He honestly would have given in anyway. Elena was back and that was a damn good reason to celebrate.

"You know what, I think this might be the best idea you've ever had Stefan"

"I am a very clever guy"

They all laughed as they continued to enjoy the small moment of happiness life was granting them.

Elena smiled as Violet rambled about a new doll she wanted Damon to get her, the little girl was perched on her lap and Elena stroked her hair softly as she spoke. Caroline and Briar were across from them on the table Damon and Stefan had set up in the yard, the eldest Salvatore girl had on a pair of white sunglasses Caroline had given her and was chatting happily with her teacher, while the men were standing a few feet away grilling the burgers.

Damon had followed Stefan's plan and had organized a little get together, just the six of them since Matt had traveled outside the city and hadn't been able to make it and Bonnie and Enzo claimed to be busy but they all knew they were getting at it. Violet heard something that caught her attention in the conversation across the table and moved forward so she could hear better and participate. Elena smiled at the back of her head and moved her eyes up where they instantly collided with a pair of blue ones.

He smirked at her while completely ignoring what Stefan was telling him and Elena couldn't help the smile that spread across her face and the heat warming her face from the way he was looking at her. She was so grateful that she chose to follow her heart and come back here, if she had lost this because of the fear of being hurt again she would have never forgiven herself.

He winked at her and resumed his task with the burgers as she looked across the table again to find Caroline giving her a knowing look, Elena blushed and joined the conversation the blonde girl was having with the girls.

"Chef Stefan Salvatore, I like the sound of that" Stefan said with a triumphant grin a few minutes afterwards as he placed the food on the center of the table.

"I wouldn't count on that, brother" Damon rolled his eyes as he sat next to Elena "There's not much science to grilling burgers"

"I beg to differ" Caroline said which earned her a wide grin from Stefan "I once managed to burn all the meat"

"True story" Elena said while Violet giggled and dropped out of her lap, running to the other side of the table to sit next to Briar.

Elena's heart melted and other parts of herself heated up while watching the way Damon was around his daughters. The way he leaned across the table to set Briar's burger right and how he removed the pickles from Violet's when he saw her scrunching her nose. Even Caroline was looking at him with gooey eyes as he played the perfect father.

"I have an announcement to make" Stefan said after a while

"This ought to be good" Damon muttered under his breath, which earned him a jab in the ribs from Elena

"Valerie and I have decided to take another chance at our relationship" He said while looking around the table, appearing very nervous

"Who's Valerie?" Violet asked first

"Seriously?" Damon said "I didn't even know you were seeing each other again"

"Is she pretty Uncle Stefan?" Briar asked

"Very pretty" Stefan answered with a dreamy sigh and Elena prayed to all the gods out there that the woman was clever enough to treat him right.

"Well I guess congratulations are in order" Damon said with a small smile

"You marry her and have babies like daddy and Lena?" Violet asked in a sweet voice

"Whoa whoa, let's just go one step at a time" Elena said, raising her head with panic on her face

"But I want a little brother" Violet said with a grin, Elena looked at Damon for help but he only shrugged.

"Well I have an announcement too, not that you care about my life but I'm moving in with Klaus" The blonde said with a wide grin

"What?!" Elena shouted and nearly stood up from her chair "You've been seeing him for- "Caroline gave her a pointed stare and Elena decided to keep whatever she was going to say to herself "Well, if you're sure, then I'm very happy for you"

"Is he the tall, blonde guy who talks funny like Enzo?"

"Yes"

"He is very pretty" Briar said with a dreamy sigh as Elena and Caroline giggled

"Oh dear lord don't" Damon muttered

Elena leaned into him and whispered "Yeap, your girl is growing"

"No, she'll stay a baby forever" He pouted "Both of them" His eyes moved across the table at the girls who were now grilling Stefan and Caroline with questions "I'll just freeze time right at this moment"

"Not even you can do that" Elena said as she moved closer and rested her head against his shoulder. Damon placed a kiss on top of her head and circled an arm around her

"Love you" He whispered

"Love you too" She answered

The afternoon kept flowing as the food became less and the heat started to grow. They all went into the pool and as they joked and splashed around, Damon looked around at the people with him and realized that for the first time in his life he was truly happy. He had found the missing piece in his puzzle, who would have thought that the last nanny marrying off was the best thing that ever happened to him?

He drew Elena closer to him and pressed a kiss onto her damp forehead "Thank you for needing a job" He said as a big grin spread against her lips.

This was what he had wanted his entire life and finally had it.

Because of you I forgot the smart ways to lie
Because of you I'm running out of reasons to cry.
When the friends are gone, when the party's over
We will still belong to each other