Author's Note: This was the inspiration for this chapter:
/IATzYdiWtQ0 and this is Damon's lullaby: /SlwvY1U1lJI
When Stefan walked through the door Katherine's mouth dropped open. She stood and walked to him slowly, cradling a baby in a light pink dress. Without a word she carefully handed the baby to Stefan. Scarlett stared into her father's jade green eyes, the ones that matched hers, and smiled. Stefan very gently stroked her curly light brown hair and she made the cutest giggle.
"She likes you." Katherine whispered. He walked over to Katherine and pecked her lips lightly.
"I love you." She grinned pulling him in for a rougher kiss.
"I love you too, Stefan. Welcome home." Scarlett's hand curled around one of Stefan's fingers and he looked down lovingly at her.
"Her middle name is Mary." Katherine added quietly. Stefan's smile grew and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Thank you."
Damon took Elena and Sebastian upstairs, leaving the other three Salvatore's to themselves. He laid down on the bed, allowing Sebastian to curl up on his chest. Elena nuzzled into Damon's side and he gently caressed her back. Sebastian made sweet little whimpering sounds as he got comfortable and Damon softly sang him to sleep. It was the lullaby he remembered his mother singing to him all through his childhood, and once or twice to Stefan before she died.
Heaven's gift to me
Just the way you are
A new aged child
Always in my heart
There's so much in life
For you to be
And so much to see
You are heaven's gift to me
"Hmm…that's pretty." Elena murmured, half asleep herself. Damon smiled, his mind back in the 1800's with his mother.
"You like it, baby?" Elena nodded. Sebastian seemed to have liked it too as he was now fast asleep. Then again, it didn't really matter what Damon sang, Sebastian had always proven to be fond of his father's voice.
"Princess? Are you still awake?" She mumbled at faint yes as he entwined his fingers in her long brunette locks.
"Be my wife, tomorrow." She recalled the first time he'd said that and she grinned sleepily.
"I need a dress…" Damon shook his head.
"No you don't. Elena…I'd really like it if you wore my mother's wedding dress. If you don't mind, of course. You are the only woman that's ever meant as much to me as she did." He said very quietly. She couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want to wake up Sebastian or if he was scared his voice would crack.
"I have her wedding ring too…Elena; it would mean the world to me if you'd have both." She sat up and softly traced the outline of his jaw with her finger.
"I would love too." He beamed in surprise and got up slowly, laying Sebastian in his bassinette beside the bed. He held out his hand for her to take.
"Let me show you." She took his and he led her down to the basement, which to Elena's surprise was filled with old items from the 1800's.
"Stefan and I kept a lot of things from our childhood. It's our way of memorializing the people we used to be. Most of Mother's possessions are down here, although I keep the dress and ring locked away in a chest instead of laying around like the rest of this stuff." When they reached the corner of the basement there was a large wooden chest sitting beside an enormous antique wardrobe. Damon pulled a skeleton key from his pocket and unlocked the chest. On top was the ring, which Elena didn't get a good look at before he slipped it into his pocket.
"You'll see that tomorrow." He said with a wink, pulling out the dress. It was beautiful. It had a two-piece silk and wool blend trim with pinked and pleated silk taffeta on the ruffled skirt, which was lined in polished cotton. The bodice was a lemon taffeta corset that laced up the back with a mild sweetheart bust line.
"Do you like it?" His voice was almost timid and a hint of a blush was visible under his ocean colored eyes.
"No," She said with a tiny smile. His face fell but she busted out laughing and cupped his chin with her hand.
"I love it." He laid the dress back in the trunk and twirled Elena around, pulling her into a heated kiss.
"You have no idea how happy that makes me." She kissed his neck and licked along the side of his face.
"How about you show me." He chuckled and gently pushed her away.
"How about no." She pouted and tried to snake her hand up his shirt.
"Why not?" He kissed her hard, biting her lip and lapping the blood with his tongue. She groaned and he smirked, pulling away.
"Because tomorrow is our wedding night…pre-marital sex is a no-no." She nearly burst out giggling.
"We have a baby together Damon, I think that rule went out the window nine months ago." He smirked wider.
"Did it, Miss Gilbert?" He asked coyly, kissing the back of her hand. She grinned, knowing what game he was playing now.
"Of course not, Mr. Salvatore." She snickered, doing her best curtsey even though she was wearing jeans. Damon proceeded to do the eye thing he knew she loved and extended his elbow for her to loop her arm through.
"Come on a stroll with me, Miss Gilbert." She took his arm and he took her out of the basement and out on the front yard, where they continued to walk along the side of the road.
"Back in my day weddings were done at home on the Plantation. The wedding party consisted of six family members each and the entire house would be decorated in white flowers. Each family member was invited by a servant who hand took them the invitation, which was bands of ribbon mounted on white parchment." Elena watched his face intently as he spoke, loving the way his eyes twinkled when he reminisced.
"Then the family members would stay the night and were expected to sleep on a piece of the wedding cake." Damon chuckled at the look Elena gave him.
"It was said that a person sleeping with wedding cake under their pillow would dream of their future partner that night, it was tradition." He explained with a fond smile.
"Now day's cake is moister and softer than it was back then so it could get messy, but I think messy is fun." Elena grinned.
"Do you want to stick by your old world traditions tomorrow, Mr. Salvatore?" He laughed.
"Well we'll have to make exceptions for the wedding party, and no one has servants anymore so we could just be assholes and knock on everyone's door at two AM when we finish making the invites…but other than that, yes." She gasped in mock-horror.
"Mr. Salvatore! No one in the 1800's used such language!" Damon laughed and wrapped an arm around her.
"Sure we did, as long as Father didn't catch us." He said with a wink. He walked Elena back inside the house and up to their room.
"Okay Elena, I'm going to make a bottle for Sebastian. He's still asleep but he needs to eat so wake him up. I will quickly go get parchment from the store and then you and I are going to be assholes." She rolled her eyes playfully and nodded, gently nudging her baby and picking him up from the bassinet. Damon was back in a flash with a warm bottle and a grocery bag from the store. Elena wondered if she would ever get used to vampire speed and having a ridiculously fast husband.
Sebastian ate hungrily in his mother's arms while Damon gracefully wrote the wedding date, place, time, and who was getting married in his beautiful penmanship on ribbons and gluing them to the parchment. He wrote six invitations and then made a tiny one for Scarlett. Sebastian began to cry after finishing his bottle and Elena cradled and rocked him as Damon sang again and rubbed his back.
You are so sweet and pure
Just the way you are
Mama's precious jewel
Daddy's rising star
There's so much in life
For you to see
And so much to be
You are heavens gift to me
That was all it took and Sebastian was once again fast asleep, not even stirring as Damon took him from Elena and lay him back in the bassinet. The couple stood there for a moment, hands clasped together and heads leaning against one another's.
"He's perfect, Elena." He whispered. She squeezed his hand.
"I know." Damon then turned to grab the invitations; his eyes alight with playfulness and excitement.
"Come on, Princess." He said as he grasped her hand and pulled her down the stairs.
Stefan and Katherine were still down there, watching lovingly as their daughter slept in Stefan's arms. Damon handed them each an invitation and he tucked the small invitation into Scarlett's blanket.
"You're the best man Steffy, and Kat's maid of honor." Damon called over his shoulder and tugged Elena out the door. He opened the door for her and grinned wolfishly at her.
"Get in babe!" He urged excitedly. Elena giggled, loving his sense of adventure and getting in the car.
"Who all did you invite?" She asked happily, unable to stop smiling.
"Alaric, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Adriana." She cocked her head to the side.
"No Caroline?" Damon snorted.
"After what that bitch did to you? Hell no." Elena seemed pleased with this and laced her fingers between his. Soon they pulled up at Alaric house and Damon bounded to the door with Elena at his side. He had to ring the doorbell about five times for him to even get out of bed.
"What the hell do you two want?!" He barked, obviously not one that enjoyed being woken up at two in the morning.
"You are cordially invited." Elena practically sang as Damon handed him the invitation.
"And this couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
"The wedding is tomorrow, buddy." Damon chimed. Alaric was taken back a little.
"You are oddly chipper tonight Damon…it's creepy." Damon shrugged.
"Well, I'm feeling oddly human tonight, Ric." With that Damon turned on his heel and strode back to his Camero.
"Come, Beloved, we have more houses to hit." He said in his best gentlemanly voice causing Elena to giggle again. Alaric just shook his head wearily and went back to bed.
Damon and Elena got back from giving everyone invitations around 3:30 AM and Damon could tell Elena was growing tired.
"Go to bed Princess, I got this." She nuzzled into him.
"But you need to sleep too." He petted her hair.
"I will sleep later, go on to bed. Okay?" Too tired to argue, she nodded and went to sleep after checking on Sebastian.
The next morning Elena awoke to an alarm that Damon had apparently set without him or Sebastian, but there was a note on Damon's side of the bed.
"My dearest Warrior Princess,
Don't freak out, Sebastian is with Jeremy. I am where I need to be for the ceremony, everything is ready and awaiting you. Katherine will be with you shortly, she's listening for the alarm. She'll help you into your dress. The red dress beside your wedding dress is for the covenant ceremony, which we shall discuss later. I love you.
-Eternal Stud"
Elena put the note down and walked over to the dresses. Beside Damon's mothers dress was a long flowing red and white dress. It was also a corset dress, the corset part being red and flowing out into a silky white and red skirt. She reached out to feel it when Katherine walked in.
"Nuh-uh, not that one. I'm helping you into that poofy thing." She said pointing to the wedding dress. Elena stepped into the dress and held her breath as Katherine mercilessly laced it up.
"Hurts doesn't it? I was so happy when they did away with these damn things." She grumbled. Elena nodded, struggling to get a breath in.
"There you go." Katherine smiled, handing Elena a small bouquet of red roses wrapped in a lace handkerchief at the bottom. Then she grabbed a cream colored ribbon and brained two strands of Elena's hair back, trying them together with the ribbon so that it looked like she had a small braided crown while the rest of her hair was kept long.
"I used to wear my hair like this in the 1400's…I think it's cute on you." She said with a grin. Elena pulled Katherine into a hug.
"Thanks, Kat." Katherine grinned wider.
"What are maids of honor for right?"
"Best friends." Elena corrected. Katherine looked a little shocked but then beamed at Elena.
"Exactly! Now let me get my make-up bag!" She rambled excitedly.
When Elena finally descended the Salvatore staircase all eyes were on her. Elena noticed that Damon had taken the time to decorate the house in white daisies and ropes of smilax. Stefan was standing to the left of the fireplace, Katherine took her spot on the right, and in the middle was her Damon. The other guests were standing off to the side and out of the way as Elena approached him. He looked amazing as always, in a Victorian style tux and a broad smile on his face.
"You are so beautiful." He mouthed to her as the minister began to speak, who was standing opposite of Damon on the other side of the room.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of friends and family, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony." He turned to Damon.
"Will you have this Woman to be your wedded Wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep only unto her, so long as you both shall live?" Damon winked at her.
"I will." Then he turned to Elena.
"Will you have this Man to be your wedded Husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Will you obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep only unto him, so long as you both shall live?" She nodded happily.
"I will."
"Who is giving the bride away?" Alaric stepped forward.
"I am." Alaric then took Elena's right hand and placed it in Damon's as instructed by the minister. He then kissed Elena on the cheek and whispered "congrats man" to Damon before heading back to his place with the rest of the guests.
"Now repeat after me. I Damon, take you Elena, to be my wife. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life." Damon repeated the words while gently caressing Elena's hand.
"Your turn, Elena. I Elena, take you Damon, to be my husband. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life." Elena also repeated the vow, her eyes never once breaking contact with Damon's. Then Stefan walked over to Jeremy and took Sebastian and carried him over. The ring was in the shirt pocket of his little onsee. Damon got them out and then kissed his sons temple before Stefan took him back.
"You said he'd make a cute ring bearer…you were right." Damon whispered. It took all of Elena's strength not to burst into tears.
"I love you so much." She whispered back.
"I know." He mouthed cockily, doing the eye thing again. It was for the first time that she got to see Damon's mothers ring. It was a simple wedding band with rose cut diamonds and synthetic rubies embedded in a little row. It was beautiful.
"With this ring I thee wed." Damon said gently, placing the ring on her left ring finger above her engagement ring. Then she took the simple gold wedding ring she'd gotten him in her hand.
"With this ring I thee wed." She choked out, about to cry, slipping it on his left ring finger.
"By the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
"Finally!" Damon breathed, dipping Elena back and kissing her with all that he had.
Damon and Elena cut the cake and then Damon took her upstairs to help her into her other dress. He unlaced her dress and went to get the red one as she stepped out of it and carefully laid it on the bed. He kissed her collar, gently sucking and leaving a hickey.
"I can't wait to do that everywhere to you tonight, Mrs. Salvatore." She blushed deeply at the name.
"Your rule not mine, Mr. Salvatore." Damon chuckled and held her hand as she stepped into the red dress and he laced it up the back for her. One look at her in that dress and he groaned.
"How did I get so lucky…" She rolled her eyes at his lust-filled expression, remembering how he'd brushed her off the night before.
"Behave yourself, Mr." She scolded playfully, taking his hand as the couple headed out to the cemetery. Damon grabbed two silver goblets and handed one to Elena. Bit a hole in his wrist and let his blood drain into the cup, gesturing for Elena to do the same with hers. Then they laced their arms together so that her goblet was in front of him, and his was in front of her.
"I give you my blood, my body, and my soul. You are mine and only mine, my darling, my life, and my bride, for all eternity." He smiled gently and Elena took a deep breath.
"I give you my blood, my love, and my everything. You are mine and only mine, my protector, my soul mate, and my beloved husband, for all eternity." Then the two of them rose their goblets to each other's lips and partook in each other's blood simultaneously. As the blood dripped down their throats they could literally feel each other's soul, the intense blood bond they shared deepening and becoming the most permanent and scared bond ever shared. When the cups were empty they dropped them to the floor, kissing passionately and exchanging blood in their mouths, as if to seal the bond. When they pulled back they grinned at each other, blood all over their face and clothes. Damon licked his lips.
"That's why I had you change dresses…I knew this would be messy." With the new bond bubbling under their skin, just one smile was all it took. They pounced on one another, Damon tearing her dress off, along with his pants after pulling a condom from his pocket.
"You anticipated this?" She asked quizzically. He smirked.
"Oh I hoped for it." He once again took her lips with his and shoved his tongue in her mouth forcefully, dominating the kiss. Pulling away he buried his face between her legs and gently nibbled at her clit, causing her to through her head back in a moan.
"Damon…p-please." He nodded in agreement.
"I know baby, I know. I need it too." He pulled the condom on and gently eased into her, nearly losing himself at the sound she made. He picked up the pace, slamming into her hard and pulling her into another needy kiss.
They made love in the cemetery as the sun began to set; connected by an unbreakable bond, a love that was more than love, deeper than love. Something only the two of them would ever share. Damon reached his climax and screamed her name, her body tightening around him.
"You're my everything." He whispered, staying within her and pulling her close to his chest. Elena had never felt more wanted or needed in her life.
"As you are mine." She responded gently, burying her face in his neck, aching to be closer. They laid like that for hours, husband and wife, souls bound and laced by each other's love forever.