Here we go... only a couple more chapters left then I get to cross this story off of my list and start something new! Woohoo! I have loved writing this story, it's meant so much to me. As always let me know what you think. I'm sorry it's so late.
Thank you to my beta Courtney for whipping this chapter into shape.
"Elena Marie Gilbert would you do me the honour of being my wife?"
The words still rang in the air and Elena was aware that her mouth was wide open. She knew if she didn't say something soon he would get the wrong impression and she would probably start catching flies. Somehow she knew he was going to ask her at some point during their time in Venice, but she never thought it would be on board a gondola. On the list of possible romantic proposals this easily topped the list. Proposal on a gondola in Venice easily ranked up there with atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris in Elena's opinion. That was Damon though, beneath the bad boy act he sometimes held. He was one of the most romantic men you would ever have the pleasure of meeting.
"This is so unexpected." Elena whispered.
"Is that a yes or a no? I warned you this was coming." He asked her anxiously.
"Yes. I will marry you." She told him and he broke out in a wide grin. He looked so happy that there was no nervousness and no uncertainty in her at all. She knew she was making the right decision for the rest of her life. The rest of her existence.
"I will make you so happy." He promised her as he slid the gorgeous ring onto her ring finger. The ring was even more beautiful now that it was sitting on her finger, even more so than it was when it was sitting in the box.
"I'll marry you on one condition Damon." She continued.
"What? Anything?" He promised her, still elated that she finally said yes.
"I want to get married in Verona, Juliet's Balcony as soon as possible. The first time we can get in there to book a ceremony I want to do it. I want to be married to you when we go home." She told him.
"Done. That would be perfect." He told her leaning in and capturing her lips between his.
"I know I'll be facing a certain backlash from my friends and family for not including them in the ceremony; especially Caroline. She will never forgive me for not having her as my maid of honour, but this is all I have thought about since I decided that I wanted to marry you. I wanted to get married to you in the most romantic place I could ever imagine and we can do that. Everyone back home will forgive us in time." She explained.
"Or just a thought Elena, but we could have a reception when we get home. You can still name Caroline as your honorary maid of honour and I'll name Alaric as my honorary best man. Caroline will be somewhat appeased and we'll get your dream wedding." Damon suggested.
"That is a great idea. Caroline may just go for that." Elena enthused as she turned her head and kissed him again.
"Amore." The gondolier sighed happily from behind them.
"Where does this boat stop?" Elena asked softly.
"I'm not too sure. Does it matter?" He asked.
"Well I kinda wanted to head back to the hotel to put the hotel room that you so generously booked us to good use. I mean it is our engagement night." She suggested to him as her fingers walked up his chest.
"That is an intriguing idea, but I thought we'd stop for a bottle of wine first. I'll call the hotel and have them send up a bottle of their finest champagne for when we get back too." Damon offered her.
"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Elena asked teasingly.
"I highly doubt one bottle of wine and one bottle of champagne divided up over a couple hours is going to make a couple of vampires drunk." He reminded her.
"Oh right. As weird as it sounds, I sometimes forget that's what I am. I mean whenever I'm around you, you make my heart beat like crazy." She admitted. "As if I were young again."
"You're a born romantic." He told her as he lowered his head to hers again, capturing her lips between his.
"So are you. I mean you came up with this proposal which was so perfect. If was more than I ever imagined I would get." She told him caressing his cheek softly.
"I had a whole speech planned out but when I was getting ready to ask you the whole thing just flew out of my mind. It was just completely gone so I just went with it. The most simple and often used proposal of all time." He shrugged, not overly impressed with his proposal. The only thing that had gone correctly was gondola.
"No it was perfect. Every part of this night has been perfect. Thank you." She whispered, kissing the side of his neck as she snuggled closer into his embrace. He tightened his arms around her as they sat amongst the blankets while the gondola gracefully floated down the canal.
"I'm still trying to decide if it would be a better idea to change my relationship status on Facebook now or wait until we get married." Elena noted casually as they strolled hand in hand down the path looking for a wine bar.
"If we're getting married in the next couple days maybe you should wait. Just go all in and announce that we're married via Facebook." Damon suggested and Elena laughed at the idea. Oh what a mouthful she would receive from her family and friends.
"See that's an idea because last time I talked to Caroline we were in the middle of the engagement ring fight. She'll be completely astounded that we went from fighting to married in the course of only a few days." Elena told him.
"See every plan has some benefits. This one has more benefits than flaws." Damon agreed
"Everyone back home is going to flip." Elena mused.
"Oh well they will have a couple weeks to get used to the idea. Now let's go share a bottle of wine." He told her when they found a wine bar. She smiled and he leaded her inside where they sat down at a secluded table. There were only a couple tables filled in the place, the fact that it was so empty made it that much more romantic. The waiter came by and spoke on Italian, so Damon ordered them a bottle of wine speaking fluent Italian. The waiter walked away and returned a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. He poured a small amount into a glass and offered it to Damon to took a sip. He told the waiter that it was good, so he poured glasses for the two of them. She took a sip and smiled.
"This is really good." She told him.
"I know what you like." He told her as he took a sip as well. "I know you quite well."
"So how much trouble do you think we're going to be in when we get to Mystic Falls when they find out we're married?" She wondered idly.
"Hopefully they'll get over it. Alaric will be pissed since he won't get to be my best man. Stefan will be pissed for the same reason. Caroline may or may not ever speak to you every again." Damon told her.
"But if we give her a reception then she should be fine I think." Elena decided.
"So when do you think we should get married?" He asked.
"I think with a quick dose of compulsion we could get in and do it this Monday since that's the only day they can be done." Elena told him.
"Sounds perfect." He agreed as he finished his glass of wine.
"Can we please ignore the champagne tonight and just make love?" She asked him.
"You don't want champagne?" He asked her.
"I love champagne but I just want you to make love to me." She said.
"I'm sure we can do something with that." He assured her lifting her hand and pressing his lips to the back of it
"You can't tell me that you don't want to make love?" She asked him.
"I always want that, but I wanted tonight to be whatever you wanted it to be." He told her.
"This is what I want. I want to go back to our room and spend the night just us. I want to make love to you on the terrace and then again in our bed." She told him.
"Okay, lets go then." He said putting the cork in the bottle and signalling the waiter for the bill. He gave the waiter more than what was owed and took Elena's hand leading her out of the wine bar. They walked back to the hotel, knowing that in the long run it would take less time than take another gondola.
"It's so beautiful out here tonight." She whispered as they walked down the streets. The moonlight shining down on them.
"Somehow it still pales in comparison to your beauty." He told her pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"How do you always manage to say the most beautiful things to me?" She asked him.
"I don't know. They honestly just pop into my mind." He told her.
"I love it. Come here." She said wrapping her arms around his neck and stepping onto her tip-toes to kiss him passionately. He wrapped his arms tight around her body and brought her closer to him, kissing her deeper. Other people walked around them on the narrow roads as they kissed.
"We should get back to the hotel." He told her long moments later.
"Yes." She agreed as she took his hand and twined her fingers with his as they resumed their walk back to the hotel.
When they got back they were greeted at the door by the man behind the desk. Elena smiled at him as they walked to the elevator their hands swinging between them.
"Enjoy your evening." The man called after them.
"Thank you." Elena told him as they got into the empty elevator. The elevator seemed to be going so slow as they slowly ascended to their floor. When the elevator stopped they walked to the room and shut the door.
"I love you." She told him as she immediately launched into his arms, kissing him with everything she had.
"If you're not careful this is going to happen right here." He warned her.
"Outside. I want to make love to you under the moonlight. I've never done that before." She told him as she pulled away from him.
"Whatever you want." He told her as she took his hand and pulled him to the terrace doors. Once they were outside she reached up onto her tiptoes and kissed him again.
"I can't wait to marry you on Monday." She told him
"Even if it's just you and me there?" He asked.
"Yes. It's going to be so perfect." She assured him as she sat down on the white lounge chair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her, kissing him deeply. She spread her legs so he was lying between them. He braced his weight on his arms even though she didn't mind it when he pressed into her fully. "I want this so bad."
"Me too." He told her gently pushing her dress up. The moonlight shone on her skin making her seem even more unbelievably beautiful than she already was. He gently pulled the thin strap of her underwear down her toned legs before depositing them on the edge of the lounger.
"I'm so ready for this." She whispered to him as she undid the button on his dark-wash jeans and pushed them down just enough to free his large erection. He bent over and kissed her softly as he lined up his length with her. He gently pushed into her, moving slowly.
"You feel so tight." He told her as he sank into her all the way.
"Hold me." She begged him and she felt him wrap his arms around her crushing them together fully. They moved together fluidly, in a way that made it clear the many times they had done this. Their bodies knew each other perfectly. The sounds around them were the soundtrack to which they paced their lovemaking.
"You feel so good." She breathed when he came into contact with her g-spot.
"God I love you." He told her kissing her neck and down her chest before making the return trip and taking her lips once again. They moved together perfectly; totally in sync.
"I'm close." She told him as she arched her back into him.
"Fuck, me too." He told her feeling dangerously close to the precipice.
"Come with me." She told him, her eyes locking on his; blue on brown. He picked up his pace reflexively chasing an orgasm which seemed content to evade him. After just three more thrusts she went off, calling out his name with her eyes squeezed shut. Damon thrust once, twice and a third time before coming inside her. He called out his relief and his body shuddered with the force of the waves rolling through him.
"Oh God." He moaned when the waves finally started subsiding.
"Take me to bed." She told him a few minutes later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning Elena woke up to the sun shining on her engagement ring. The diamond sparkled even more in the sunlight, it truly was a perfect gem.
"You like it?" Damon sleep-filled voice asked.
"You already know I do." She told him.
"But now that's it's on your finger do you like it?" He asked.
"I love it." She assured him, a grin appearing on her face.
"I think we should check out today and go reserve our time at the wedding site for Monday. Then she should head back to Sarteano and ask if Bella and Antonio will come with us when we get married." Damon suggested.
"That sounds perfect." She told him reaching over and pecking him on the lips.
"Then maybe we should head out." He told her swinging his legs out the side of the bed. Elena smiled and watched as he rose from the bed and pulled a pair of jeans over his bare body.
"Yeah just a minute, I'm too busy admiring the view." She told him grinning.
"I'm sure you are. Come on get up." He urged her as he left the room. Elena shook her head and finally rose from the bed. She took a quick shower before dressing in a white flowery sundress and meeting Damon in the living area.
"Are we ready to go?" She asked.
"Yep, I'm ready if you are." He told her. She took his hand and followed him down the elevator. Checking out didn't take long even though they were leaving before they were scheduled to.
After a quick dose of compulsion at the wedding site they were on their way back to Sarteano. They were officially getting married Monday morning at 10am.
"I'm so excited." Elena said with her head on Damon's shoulder as they drove back at above the speed limit.
"Me too. You'll finally be mine in every way." He told her kissing her temple.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Damon and Elena parked in front of the house they saw an unfamiliar car out front.
"Damon, Elena you're back early." Bella noted when she saw them pull up.
"Yes. Who's here?" Damon asked curiously.
"Just my son and daughter in law. They are trying to convince us to take our grandchildren for the weekend so they can head out of town for a couple days." Bella told them apologetically.
"Tell your son that it's cool if they're here as long as they're gone by Sunday because we need you for something Sunday and Monday." Damon told her.
"Are you sure? I'm sure they would go for that if that's all they could get." Bella asked.
"Yes." Damon told her, in way too good of a mood to care if there were a couple kids roaming around the house.
"I will go run it by my son. What do you need me for on Sunday and Monday?' She asked curiously.
"Elena and I need you and Antonio to come to Verona with us for the day." Damon told her with a smile matching the one that's on Elena's face.
"Oh why?" She asked grinning in response to the one on Damon and Elena's faces.
"We're getting married on Monday morning and we need someone to stand by our sides." He told them and was happy when he saw the bright grin flash across Bella's face.
"Yes. I will absolutely be there as will my husband. I must tell my son the plan." She enthused as she rushed back towards the guest house.
"You just made her so happy." Elena approved.
"Well now I better go think up something for dinner that I can feed kids." Damon murmured.
"I'm sure Bella is willing to feed them." Elena said.
"Well I was thinking about inviting them over for dinner anyways before I found out the kids were going to be there." Damon demurred as they walked into the house.
"I'll go tell them." Elena told him as she turned around and headed towards Bella and Antonio's two bedroom guest house.
Elena knocked on the door and Bella answered it.
"Elena, what can I do for you?" She asked stepping aside to let her into the house.
"I was just inviting you and your family over for dinner." Elena told her.
"Oh we wouldn't want to impose like that. By the way this is our son Alonzo and his wife Maria. This is their daughter Lucia and their son Franco." Bella introduced Elena to her family.
"It's nice to meet you. I am Elena Gilbert. Damon Salvatore the owner of the houses fiancee. Well wife on Monday." She told them.
"It's nice to meet you. Thank you for letting our children stay. We need a day or two away." Alonzo told Elena.
"It's no problem. We don't' spend too much time with children, it's nice when we do." Elena told them.
"Thank you for this. Tell your fiancee as well. But we had better head out or else we won't get there in time." Alonzo stated as he took his wife's hand.
"I will see you Sunday morning." Bella stated firmly, pointing at her son.
"Yes mama." He promised as they got into their car.
"Are you certain you want us to come over for dinner? I can cook something here as well." Bella asked Elena.
"Oh yes. Damon asked me to invite you all." Elena told her nodding her head. Franco started pulling at his grandmothers apron and she turned around. He whispered something so low in her ear that even Elena's vampire hearing couldn't pick up.
"Franco would like to know if him and his sister could swim in the pool tonight. They love swimming in the pool whenever they're here." Bella asked.
"Of course. I was planning on swimming tonight also." Elena told her.
"Perhaps we will all swim tonight." Bella mused.
"That sounds perfect, but I better go see if Damon needs help in the kitchen." Elena told them as she stepped back outside and headed back to the house.
Once dinner was ready they all sat down at the outside dining area. The kids dug into the lasagna that Damon had made and Bella grinned.
"I've never seen them eat like that." She noted as they demolished their plate.
"I am a kick-ass cook." Damon told them.
"Yes you are." Bella laughed as they kids looked up at him with horror at his inappropriate words.
"Bad words Damon." Elena teased him.
"I'm not used to kids." He defended himself.
"It's okay. I'm sure they've heard worse words." Bella told him. Once dinner was done the kids cleared away the dishes much to the surprise of Damon and Elena.
"I thought we'd give you the day off and make the kids do the dishes. We told them that if they clean up, they could go swimming." Bella told them.
"Well I'm not going to argue with you. We should go get our swim suits on." Elena said.
"Uh if they just load the dishwasher the dishes should come out clean. It's an excellent dishwasher." Damon told Bella.
"Of course. They're really good at dishes." Bella told him as Damon followed Elena into the house.
"You like them don't you?" Elena asked as she went into the bathroom to put her bikini on.
"The kids? Have you ever met a kid I like?" Damon questioned.
"I think you like them." Elena teased him.
"Fine, they're not completely irritating. Come on, lets go swimming." He told her opening the bedroom door as Elena slung her bathing suit coverup over her bikini.
Somehow by the time they got back downstairs the kids were already finished with dishes and heading over to the pool with swim suits on. Damon and Elena both suspected that their grandparents helped them with the dishes.
"Can we go swimming now Mr. Salvatore?" Franco asked. He was obviously the spokesperson for the kids.
"Sure." Damon said gesturing for them to get into the pool. Damon walked over to the diving board and executed a perfect dive to get into the water while Elena went in through the shallow end of the heated pool and met him halfway.
"This feels so nice." Elena sighed. Damon reached for a spring float that was already inflated and pulled it into the water.
"Want this?" He asked her.
"Absolutely." She said hopping onto it and lying back. He leaned his elbows on it and floated around the deep end of the pool while the kids splashed in the shallow end and Bella and Antonio sat with just their feet in the water.
"I can't wait for Monday." Damon said.
"Me neither. Just a couple days I will be Elena Salvatore." Elena whispered.
"That'll be the best moment of my existence." Damon whispered.