Disclaimer: End of. I don't own TVD. Blame LJSmith and the CW. Because I don't.
I hope to god this is the some-kind of conclusion you were looking for.
If not, forget it existed, end it on chapter 23.
Thanks. That's all I have to say.
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Epilogue
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At first, he felt nothing, saw nothing, and then remembered to breathe. It was at that point that he realised his eyes were closed. He also felt very, very naked.
"Damon?" He was hallucinating, surely. He had to have been. If he wasn't, then for sure, he was insane.
She stroked a fingertip down his cheek, followed the line of his neck so that her hand was resting on his shoulder. There was fire all over his body, all along the path she was taking. There was no way in hell that he was even going to dare to open his eyes for fear of losing the touch of his beautiful delusion.
"I won't disappear," She murmured, and he knew, knew it was her. "I've been waiting for you."
"You will." And for a second, he wondered why he sounded so vulnerable, so alone. Then he realised he was fucking scared. He didn't think he could handle losing her again. "You always do. It's just a delusion, always a delusion."
Silence.
"I knew she'd leave," He found his lips tingled as he spoke, feeling a little detached, a little uncomfortable, and reached up to touch them as an attempt to calm the sensation. Other, slimmer, slightly warmer fingers got there first.
"I've never left you." She said simply, he jumpstarted, but still kept his eyes closed tight. "I've always been around." There was a pause and she ran her fingers up and down his upper arm again. To him, it was the best feeling in the world. "Now, for god's sake, Damon. Aprite gli occhi!"
She accompanied it with a demanding smack to his upper arm, and Damon felt a light weight across his hips. Solid delusions. Damon Salvatore could take Death to a new level.
"No," He fought simply, "You'll disappear." He growled the words, but felt a strangely solid hand take his and squeeze it. His hallucination was beginning to feel real. He surely was insane.
"I won't. You have my word."
"Don't let go." He begged, and she swore she wouldn't.
"I promise," A fingertip traced the curves and hollows of his cheekbones, just underneath his eyes, "Please Damon, I've missed your eyes." There was the tingle of a soft kiss pressed to each of his eyelids, "Open them."
He did.
At first, he wondered what was happening – after decades of Power, he was accustomed to hawk-like vision, sharp and defined, and the blur of human eyes meant that he felt blind, then, as he blinked twice, three times, she began to take shape and focus.
"It's you." He managed to splutter dumbly, and she nodded, her mouth pressed together to fight away the sudden onslaught of seven years of pent-up emotion. He was real. She was real. All of it was far too much.
"Uhhuh." She squeaked as she nodded more.
"I never stopped loving you," He whispered as he dared to take her face between his hands, "You know that, don't you?"
"Sempre, Damon Salvatore." She whispered, before leaning forward to push her lips to his. "Per Sempre, mia anima gemella."
Forever.
There was nothing more to say.
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As the sun rose across Mystic Falls, Bonnie Bennett left her grandmother's house and, for the first time in a very long while did not feel the oppressive darkness or the searing sunlight which made her ache and want to cry.
Slowly taking the four steps down from their porch to the lawn, she felt her foot nudge something down on the path. Glancing down at it, she noticed an ornate, silver ring adorned with what looked like Lapis Lazuli, or something just as precious, nestled into the grass.
It glittered in the sunlight, and Bonnie decided it was pretty enough to pick up and keep. She crouched down in order to pick it up, but let out a gasp as her fingers wrapped around the precious stone.
A thousand different images, memories of a time shelved, pushed aside or repressed, exploded into life before her eyes, but the feelings... oh the feelings.
Love. Pure, honest and unchained.
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A/N: your reviews have been heartwrenching, and heartwarming. Your constant love has been almost as incredible.
Translations:
Aprite gli occhi – open your eyes.
Per sempre, mia anima gemella – forever, my soul mate.
