Well here it is, the final chapter.
Dear Diary,
As we prepare for Jenna and Alaric's wedding it is hard to believe that the day has finally come. The day will be filled with lots of joy and happiness as we welcome Alaric into the family. As maid of honour I have done my best to help make sure everything is taken care of so that when the time comes Jenna can just focus on marrying the man she loves. The two are perfect for each other and about seven months from now the two will welcome their first child.
The day will also mark probably the last time that we will all be together in Mystic Fall for a while. Following the wedding Damon and I will be preparing to move into our new apartment, as we get ready to start college. We are so excited to take this next step and live together but at the same time I am going to miss seeing Jenna everyday. She has become such a mother figure to me and pretty much a second mother to Claire.
The last few years have had its ups and downs and I have grown so much in that time. It's hard to believe that while I wasn't so thrilled at first to moving to Mystic Falls I am really going to miss this town. It was the place Damon and I first met and although our first meeting wasn't much a fairy-tale we have come so far. It is the place Claire was born and where she took her first steps and said her first word. When I first arrived in Mystic Falls I thought I would be dying to get out but that isn't the case. Mystic Falls has become my home and it will be hard to say goodbye, but at the same time I'm looking forward to the next chapter in our lives at VSU.
Elena
It was the night before Mystic Falls would all gathered together for the wedding of Alaric Saltzman and Jenna Sommers. The happy couple had huge smiles on their faces as family and friends had come together at the Gilbert house to start the celebration. Many of the town's people were in attendance and enjoying the time to catch up with each other.
The busy wedding planner that Caroline was; had her running around the house making sure all last minute details and jobs were given out to people so that tomorrow everything would go smoothly.
"DAMON! DAMON!" Caroline was yelling as she quickly made her way through the crowd in the living room to find Damon behind the bar mixing drinks for the party.
"What Barbie?" Damon asked as he rolled his eyes. It seemed that most of the night he was either making people drinks or answering Caroline's questions as she carried around that pink clipboard.
"I have 50 bottles of wine, 10 cases of beer, and 12 liquor bottles being dropped off tomorrow at 8am, please tell me that the ice was delivered to your house!" Caroline asked ready to freak out if he told her it hadn't.
"Yes" he told her while making a drink and handing it to someone across the bar counter.
"You're sure?"
Rolling his eyes he looked at Caroline wondering why she needed the reassurance twice. "Well that or my freezer is full of human blood that I am stashing away," he teased even though Caroline didn't find it funny at all.
"DAMON!" Caroline snapped as she stomped her feet not liking that he wasn't taking this serious.
"I HAVE IT!" he snapped back at her. "Here have a drink" he said and then quickly mixed her a drink and handed it to her.
"Damon I'm eighteen I can't drink," she told him.
"Trust me if this loosens you up no one here will dare turn you in" Damon told her knowing that she was definitely getting on the nerves of a few guests. "Its vodka and cranberry juice it won't hurt you," he told her.
"Trust me Caroline I wish I could drink" Jenna said a she approached the bar counter looking like she was ready to tare her hair out.
"Wedding jitters getting to you already" Damon teased with a smirk as he placed the vodka bottle down on the counter. Jenna was just glaring at him, as she was obviously not in the mood for him to be an ass.
"No Ric's parents are here and let me just say I am getting a clear picture of what my in-laws are going to be like" Jenna told him and then looked over at the elder couple sipping wine as they were talking to Damon's uncle.
"I take it you haven't mentioned the B.A.B.Y?" Damon said with a whisper.
"Are you crazy? Between his parent and my devoted Christian cousins telling them about a baby out of wedlock will lead us down to a conversation I don't want to get into the night before my wedding," she told Damon.
"I think Elena and I saved you being the family disappointment" Damon replied with a smile.
"You really aren't good at this bartender therapy," Jenna told him with a huff.
"Well I can't give you what I usually prescribe," Damon said as he held up a bottle of alcohol.
Jenna gave a laugh and has she rolled her eyes she headed off to talk to the in-laws as they discussed her house décor, job and anything else they could judge her on. Doing her best to stay calm as she approached Alaric's parents she put a smile on her face.
Alaric's mother was eyeing Jenna up and down with hardly any emotions displayed on her face. Just looking at her Jenna felt like she was being judge and she knew that this was just the beginning. For years to come Jenna was going to have this woman in her life second-guessing all the decisions between her and Ric and their future children.
"I must say this house it quite beautiful," she said with a smirk.
"Thank you" Jenna answered with a nod and doing her best not to look so intimated by the woman who for years was the one of the most important woman in Alaric's life.
"Needs a little decorating by I can take care of that," she added before taking a sip of her wine.
Jenna just gave a nod and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from saying anything she would regret. She just kept telling herself that she just had to make it through the next 24 hours and then his parents would be heading home again.
"The food is delicious" Alaric's father said as he had a plate full of finger foods. He offered some to his wife but she politely decline saying she was full.
"Well I can't take credit for the food, Damon was the cook" she replied as she looked back over at Damon handing out drinks to people.
"Well I hope he is sticking around, wouldn't want my poor Ricky to starve now would we" his mother said in a teasing tone but as Jenna just tried to laugh it off she couldn't help but notice that the woman seemed quite serious.
"I'm just going to go check on my nephew" Jenna said as she forced a big smile and walked away. As she left Alaric's parent s behind she headed into the kitchen where Alaric came over and wrapped his arm around her.
"24 hours and then they are gone" He reminded her.
"Yeah until she returns to take over our Lamaze classes" Jenna whispered to him although she knew she just had to let it go.
Back in the living room Elena sitting on the sofa with her second cousins Charity and Faith who were twins and the daughters of the devoted Christian family. Their father was a Reverend at a small church not too far from Mystic Falls and the family in many ways made other Christians feel like total failures. "We have Bible Readings on Monday and Tuesdays, Gospel choir on Wednesday, Prayer classes on Thursdays and Fridays, we volunteer at the seniors home on Saturdays and then we have Sunday school on Sundays" Faith said as she informed Elena of their very busy weeks.
"We prayed so much that you would be forgiven for your sins" Charity stated as she referred to Elena getting pregnant before marriage.
"Oh Thanks…" Elena said as she tried to force a smile.
Over the many years Elena and Jeremy didn't see much of their cousins who were being raised very differently then her and Jeremy. Usually the only time they ever saw them was around Christmas because growing up their parents couldn't handle anymore then that. While Elena never had a problem with their religious choices she was always given the feeling that although they said they didn't judge them, it always came off condescending.
"You may have fallen for temptation but if you asked for forgiveness God will save you" Faith added.
"That is great" Elena replied as she wished to could escape this painful conversation. Her cousins were the type of family where their parents were very strict with everything in their children's lives from what they ate and even what they did with their free time, which of course included no t.v. The twin girls who were seventeen were always wearing dresses that had sleeves and went down to their ankles. Their hair was tied back in a braid and they wore no makeup because they believed makeup attracted Satan to them. They also had a little brother Peter named after Saint Peter and he always wore dress pant and a white dress shirt.
Any toys they had growing up were either educational or religious but Christmas had a no present policy because it was believed that Satan came in the form of Santa to trick people of the true meaning of Christmas.
"Mother says you and Jeremy really need our prayers" Charity said with a nod.
"I think we are doing okay" Elena tried to say with a smile but the girls just shared a look of disappointment. Rolling her eyes Elena wished she were old enough to drink because the futures Mother Theresa's that actually probably thought they were better than Mother Theresa were driving her insane.
Back at the bar, Damon passed Alaric a drink just as Elena and Jenna's cousin the Reverend and the Patriarch of the crazy bible huggers; Damon referred to them as was coming over. "Trouble at six o'clock" Damon mumbled to Ric before the Reverend was standing at the bar.
"Drink?" Damon asked although he was pretty sure the answer was going to be no.
"No, Alcohol is nothing but a substance created by the devil to lead us to temptation" he said firmly.
His comment was made just as Alaric was taking a sip of his drink and making the already awkward moment even worse. Biting his bottom lip, Alaric gave a forced smile while the Reverend just stood there and was pretty much openly judging him with his eyes.
"Well in that case I guess it all thanks to the devil that I'm employed" Damon joked since he was a bartender at the University.
"Satan sends us all forms of temptation but we must stay strong against you and your alcohol, I'm glad to see Jenna and Elena are at least resisting the alcohol" the Reverend said before he turn and left Damon and Alaric standing there trying to process what the Reverend had just said about them.
"For a man of God he is very judgy" Damon stated.
"I'm pretty sure he just accused us of being sent by Satan to bring people to the dark side" Alaric said as he watched the Reverend rejoin his freaky perfect family.
"Yeah the St. Peter kid is just as annoying, he came over earlier reciting Bible passages on how God wants him to resist me" Damon stated and then handed Ric another drink.
Alaric looked at the drink and then over at the Reverend, as he seemed to be contemplating having another drink. "I don't think I should" Ric said as the Reverend had obviously made his feel guilty.
"Oh come on don't let that idiot get to you, come on you know you want another," Damon said as he held the glass up in front of Ric as he smiled.
"You know he may be on to something when he says you are sent to by Satan" Alaric said as he gave in and took the drink.
"Trust me we have better cookies on the dark side" Damon teased and then look back over at holy Reverend and smiled as he held up the bottle of bourbon. The Reverend was standing on the other side of the room with his wife and children with one hand resting on his wife's back and the other wrapped around his son as if trying to protect them from Damon and his Satan ways.
"What are you doing" came Elena's voice as she approached the bar and saw Damon staring at her cousins across the room.
"Your holier-than-thou cousins don't like me" Damon stated as he turned to look at Elena who had her arms crossed over her chest and staring at Damon knowing he was trying to cause trouble. "I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm the son of Satan" Damon added.
"And now you are trying to mess with him" Elena said shaking her head. "Oh I hope the wedding goes better then this party" Elena said this a sigh as she looked over at her cousins and over at Alaric's parents.
"What are you talking about things are going great!" Damon said with a laugh.
"How?"
"Well I have gotten most people drinking, your Reverend cousin over there I think is afraid I can get his daughters pregnant just by looking at them" Damon said as he looked at the two twin girls standing next to their father. Giving the girls a smile he saw their faces go red and watched as the Reverend quickly put his arms around his girls as if to shield them from Damon's dark magic.
"Stop it Damon" Elena warned him as she nudged him in the stomach, as he seemed to be having way too much fun messing with the Reverend.
"Oh I'm only kidding" Damon told her and then leaned in for a kiss. As his hand came up to run his fingers through her hair he had a smile on his face.
"What?" Elena asked him, as he seemed to have gotten an idea in his head while he was looking at her.
"I just thought of another idea of why tonight was a success," he told her.
"And what would that be?" she asked as she stepped at little closer to him and played with his shirt collar as she too smiled since she had a faint idea where he was going with this.
"Its always a goal at the wedding to take a bridesmaid home for the night and I believe I will succeeded" Damon said as he pulled her even closer to him as his hands were on her hips and his lips passionately captured hers.
"You sound pretty sure of yourself" Elena teased when she broke from the kiss.
"I'm Satan's son, I have my ways" he joked.
Elena couldn't help but laugh before she leaned in for one last kiss before she was going to make him abandon his bartending duties so that they could get the hell out of there.
Not long after that kiss Elena and Damon said their goodbye to everyone and got Claire up since she had been sleeping upstairs during the party. The three hopped into Damon Camaro and headed back to the Salvatore house in the hurry.
Luckily Claire was still really tired and Damon was able to get her out of the car and into bed without the exhausted little girl waking up. Once she was in bed the two quickly made their way to Damon's room as they could hardly keep their hands off each other.
With the door closed he had Elena pressed up against his bedroom door as his hands had her arms pinned over her head while his lips tasted whatever skin he could. Elena started to moan from the pleasure and it just excited Damon even more. His hands finally released her as they moved down her body to find the zipper on the back of her dress.
With her hands free she wrapped them around his neck she claimed his lips while he worked quickly on getting the dress unzipped. Slowly she started to move them closer to the bed and as Damon walked backwards he finally got the dress undone and it fell to the floor. With a smile Elena was standing in only her undergarments and started to unbutton Damon's shirt and toss it across the room. She had a smile on her face as her hands moved over his upper torso for a moment, feeling his muscular chest before she pushed his back on the bed.
"And the Reverend thought I was the bad one" Damon teased as Elena was climbing on top of his and slowly undoing his belt.
With a little laugh Elena leaned down to press her lips against his for a quick kiss. "You always have to be careful around us quiet and innocent girls" Elena told him as she pulled the belt out from around his pants and let it go flying across the room.
As Damon lay on his back, Elena was straddling him and her hands pressed down on the bed so that his head was in between them. As she captured his lips with a kiss that was so addicting, her tongue slipped inside his mouth.
While Elena was busy working on pleasuring him with a kiss, Damon's hand were slowly moving up her thighs and getting dangerously close to an area that had Elena's body begging for him to touch. "Damon" Elena moaned as she felt his hands creep inside her panties to pleasure her in a way that she couldn't help but moan.
His hands continued to touch her while Elena quickly freed herself from her bra and unbutton Damon pants. With her bra no longer in the way Damon's lips tended to her breasts as he slowly rolled them over so that he was now on top.
"You are so beautiful" Damon whispered as Elena seemed to be having trouble catching her breath with everything he as doing to her.
Not being able to wait any longer she stripped him of his pants and boxers and her panties soon followed. Moans and gasps escaped both of them as their bodies connected and sent them both close to the edge.
The following morning Elena had to reluctantly leave Damon in bed so that she could get back home to get ready for the wedding. They had a full morning planned with makeup and hair before they got into their dresses and headed for the church.
When she arrived back at the house it was quite the busy place as it had been turned into a mini salon as girls in the wedding party were running around the house trying to get ready. Setting her purse down in the living room, Elena looked around for Jenna but instead found Caroline on her cell phone and looking like she hadn't slept all night.
"NO I need the flowers there now! The decorator is on her way, and needs the flowers there when she starts," Caroline yelled into the phone.
Elena bit her lip wondering what was going on as Caroline ended the call. "Everything okay?" Elena asked knowing that if things weren't going as planned then Jenna was going to have a meltdown over it.
"Well the flowers haven't been delivered yet, I can't get a hold of the baker of the cake and the limo company only has one limo when I asked for two" Caroline said as she threw her hands up in the air. "It's a disaster!"
"What's going on?" came Jenna's voice as she approached the two girls and saw that Caroline seemed really stressed.
"Nothing!" Elena chirped before Caroline could go on and list off everything that was wrong. Today it was Elena's job to keep her aunt calm and assure her that today was going to be one of the happiest days of her life as her and Ric became husband and wife. "Caroline is just doing final checks, we should go get our hair and makeup done" Elena told her and then with her hands on Jenna's shoulders she started to push her towards the stairs and leave Caroline to handle everything else.
"You know Elena, as beautiful as this wedding that Caroline has planned is becoming she really knows how to make me start panicking" Jenna said as the two girls made their way up the stairs and into Jenna's room where the hairdresser was all set up for them. "Its gotten to the point I'm afraid to ask her how she is doing."
Elena gave a laugh as she took a seat in one of the hairdresser's chairs so that they could get started on getting their hair done. "Yeah, that is Caroline for you, she tends to overdue things or overreact."
"Yeah well I have to say that Alaric's parents got a very detailed description of the wedding from her and I think they may actually enjoy themselves" Jenna told them.
"Not giving such a cold shoulder anymore?" Elena asked knowing that Jenna was having a hard time getting his mother especially to warm up to her being a good wife to her only son.
"I got a brief awkward hug when they left the party last night," Jenna said with a smile. "Last time they were in town I got a shoulder pat," she added with a laugh.
"NO I CAN'T HAVE THE SECOND LIMO COMING AT 4PM! THE WEDDING IS AT 3PM!" they heard Caroline yelling from downstairs.
Elena looked over at Jenna as she was nervously biting her bottom lip and holding her breath in panic. Today was the one day that Jenna wanted everything to go smoothly, she didn't want to be one of those brides who freaked out and thought everything in the wedding was falling apart.
"Everything will be fine" Elena tried to assure her as the two girls sat there while the hairdressers were curling their hair. "Today is your day and at the end of it you will be marrying your best friend."
Jenna gave a nod as she tried to breath slowly and stay relaxed. Today was her day and it was going to be a beautiful day.
Bonnie arrived at the church wearing a green dress with a smile on her face. She had received some amazing news earlier this morning and she was still trying to wrap her head around this great opportunity she had. As she climbed the steps of the church she heard a car engine pulling up to the church and as she turned around she saw Damon's blue Camaro.
She gave a small wave as he hopped out of the car and moved towards the back of the car so that he could get Claire out of the back seat. Bonnie watched as Damon seemed to be talking to the little girl and then as he slowly lifted her out she saw Claire had on a red summer dress with a white bow around her waist to match her little white sandals.
Bonnie's smile grew even bigger as she watched Damon walking towards her in a nice tux and Claire on his hip. The little girl looked so adorable in her dress and she had a beautiful smile to match. "Wow she looks adorable" Bonnie said as Damon climbed the steps of the church and came to stand beside her.
"Yeah, it was quite the morning trying to get her into the dress" Damon replied as he remembered her running away and wanting to wear nothing but her diaper today.
"Well you did well," Bonnie told him with a nod.
"Except for the hair" Damon said as he looked at his little girl's wild curly dark hair. "I still can't master the hair and this bow thing," Damon told her as he held up a little white bow that Elena had left for him to put in her hair.
"A girls hair is a man's worst enemy" Bonnie said with a laugh. "Here let me," she offered and held out her hands so that Damon could hand Claire over to her.
"Thank you!" he said gratefully as he passed Claire over so that Bonnie could get her hair done to meet Elena's expectations.
"Hey, no problem. The guys just finished their golf game an hour ago so they will be arriving here soon," Bonnie told him as she referred to Alaric and the groomsmen, including Jeremy.
"Ric was golfing?" Damon asked finding it strange.
"Yeah one of his groomsmen suggested it" Bonnie told him as they made their way into the church to take a seat in one of the pews and try and tame Claire's wild locks.
Sure enough it wasn't long before the doors to the church opened and Alaric, Jeremy and the other groomsmen walk in all dressed in their tuxes ready to go.
"Hey look who cleans up nice" Damon said as he stood up and walked over the Alaric.
"Yeah he looks pretty good for someone who threw up on the eighteenth hole," Jeremy laughed as he as playing with his jacket sleeves.
"I thought we agreed that that piece of today events would remain on the golf course and not talked about again," Alaric said as he threw Jeremy a glare.
"Sorry" Jeremy said with a laugh before he walked over to Bonnie, as she was just finishing up Claire's hair and adding the white bow in her hair. Leaning over the pew he pressed a kiss on her lips. "Hey" he said softly.
"Jeremy!" Claire chirped happily at seeing her uncle.
"Hey beautiful" Jeremy said with a chuckle as he leaned down to kiss his niece on her chubby cheek.
Bonnie smiled at the cute interaction of Claire and Jeremy and the big smile that Claire had on her face as she talked to her uncle Jeremy. "Okay all done" Bonnie said as she helped Claire off the pew bench so that she could run off and over to Damon. This left Bonnie and Jeremy alone and as he took a seat beside her she thought back to the news she wanted to share with him.
"Listen Jeremy I have some news" Bonnie told him as she reached out to link her fingers with his.
"What is it?" Jeremy asked her.
"I got accepted by Barbizon modeling school in New York City," she told him with a smile. "I'm going to be able to start my modeling career and this time do it right."
"Bonnie that is incredible" Jeremy said with a smile at first but then he thought about what this meant. "New York City… that's pretty far from here" he said as he looked away from her. The two were just really starting to get to know each other and even though he new Bonnie was going to be going away to school he had hoped it would be close enough that they would see each other.
"I know" Bonnie said sadly as she tightened her grip on his hand. "Maybe I should hold off on a year and then we can go to New York together," she suggested.
Biting his bottom lips Jeremy wasn't sure what to say to her and instead just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. He knew that this was a conversation they would have to have but right now he just wanted to hold her.
What's going on with them?" Alaric asked Damon as they looked over at Jeremy and Bonnie hugging.
"Beats me" Damon said as he had Claire spinning around on his legs.
"So did you really throw up?" Damon asked with a laugh.
"Hey, I doubt you were mister cool when Elena was in labour and knowing that just in a matter of time you would be a dad" Alaric snapped.
"Actually I wasn't aware she was in labour until just before this one decided to make her grand entrance" Damon said as he handed Claire his phone to that she could entertain herself with it before the ceremony started. "I spent most of the time trying to get my keys out of the sewer. When I did find out I was more concerned of how Elena was planning to murder me for not being there right away" he said as he remembered back to the busy day that Claire came into their lives.
"Well your time will come my friend" Alaric told him as he gave Damon a wink knowing that sometime in the future him and Elena would be making the big walk down the isle.
"Lets just focus of you" Damon said wanting to get the topic off him and Elena getting married right now. "Now should I get you a barf bag to keep up on the altar?" he teased and watched as Alaric gave him a deadly glare.
As the bridesmaids had their hair and makeup done they started to gather in the living room wearing their bridesmaid dresses. Caroline was doing some last minute checks with the girls as Elena came down the stairs to join everyone.
She was wearing a red garnet colour dress like the other bridesmaids with a sheath and sheer hem that came to just above the knee. Pulling the dress together was the garnet lace cap sleeves and a white gold necklace.
"Jenna will be down any second," Elena said to Caroline as she came to stand beside her as she slipped into her black sandals.
Caroline gave a nod and smiled as things were coming together. "Both limos are on their way and we will be heading for the church in fifteen minutes" Caroline said happily. "Everything is coming together perfectly now."
Elena was about to say something else but was interrupted when she heard gasps from the bridesmaids in the living room as they looked towards the stairs. Quickly Elena turned her head just as Jenna was descending the stairs. Her white gown was a strapless English netball gown with a train that trailed behind her down the stairs as a jaunty satin bow that was just off center in the front at the waist added the perfect touch. Her long hair was curled and up in a stylish bun while her bridesmaids including Elena had a half up and half down do.
"Oh Jenna you look so beautiful" Caroline said as she did her best to hold back tears.
Jenna couldn't hide her smile as she reached he bottom step and stood in front of her bridesmaids and Caroline. In less then an hour her and Alaric Saltzman would be saying "I do" and it was a feeling that made her so happy.
"Okay everyone limos are outside its time we get going" Caroline told them all and as everyone had a smile on their face they headed out of the house to the limos sitting out front. The four bridesmaids and Caroline climbed into the first limo and then Elena helped Jenna climb into the second limo as she held up her wedding dress so it wouldn't get wrecked. Once she was in Elena hopped in beside her aunt and as she closed the door of the limo they all headed off in the direction of the church.
Looking out the window Jenna was on her way to the church on this beautiful July summer day. Today all her dreams were coming true and at this very moment Alaric was standing at the altar with Jeremy at his side and a church full of all of their family and friends waiting for her to arrive.
The nerves were making it hard for Ric to stay still as he stood at the front of the altar pulling at the sleeve of his jacket as he looked down at the many guests who had come to help celebrate one of the most important days of his life. In the front row Damon was sitting with Claire as she was playing with his phone to keep herself occupied before the wedding. A couple pews behind Damon sat Jenna's Christian cousins as they said about fifty prayers before the wedding ceremony. On the other side were Alaric's parents, as they both seemed so serious as they sat together waiting for the wedding to begin.
"Do you have your vows?" Elena asked looking over at her aunt.
"Yes, they are all finished" Jenna said happily.
"You were cutting it kind of close," Elena said with a laugh.
"They are done, that is the main thing," Jenna said happily just before they heard a loud bang and the limo came to a sudden stop. "Whoa" Jenna said as she looked out the window knowing they couldn't be at the church yet.
"What's going on?" Elena asked looking around, as they seemed to be on a very quiet road. Biting her bottom lip she opened up the door of the limo and saw the air full of smoke. Stepping out she saw the limo driver bent over the front of the car as smoke was coming out of the engine. "What's going on?" Elena asked him as she walked towards the driver.
"I'm sorry but this car isn't going anywhere" the driver said.
"WHAT?" came Jenna's voice as she picked up the skirt of her wedding dress and climbed out of the limo. "I have a wedding I need to get to," Jenna yelled as she stood in front of them motioning to her wedding dress.
"I'm sorry but this limo isn't going anywhere anytime soon" he told the two as he shrugged his shoulders.
"WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSE TO DO? I NEED TO GET TO THAT CHURCH!" Jenna yelled. She had done so well at not freaking out about every little thing but now she couldn't hold it together anymore.
"Hang on I'll figure something out" Elena told her as she did her best to keep Jenna calm as she stood there in her wedding dress and beside the broken down limo ready to totally lose it. "I will get you to that church, you are going to marry your best friend and you are going to get that happily ever after that you deserve.
Caroline arrived with the other bridesmaids at the church and as they stood at the back of the church they waited for the other limo to arrive. "They should of just been right behind us" Caroline mumbled as the bridesmaids got ready to walk down the isle as they stood in their red dresses with white rose bouquets.
Checking her watched Caroline was really starting to worry because now it had been about ten minutes and there seemed to be no sign of the Limo carrying the maid of honour and the bride.
Inside the church people were also starting to get really fidgety as they looked at their watches and then looked at the back of the church to see what the hold up was. Ric now had beads of sweat running down his face as he to was starting to worry. Something was definitely up as the doors at the back of the church stayed closed.
"She must be making the final touches on her vows" the minister said calmly hoping to ease the groom's nerves.
"She would of kicked my butt if I wasn't ready" Ric said quietly back but in the back of his mind was hoping it wasn't more serious then that.
In the front row Damon was slouched over and doing his best to avoid the hated glare coming from Elena's cousin the Reverend. Things had gotten even more intense when one of his daughter made a quiet comment about how hot Elena's boyfriend was and although Damon wasn't looking at them he could just imaging the Reverend tightening that chastity belt on his daughters. Damon just rolled his eyes and thanked god he would only have to deal with them on limited occasions.
Lying on her tummy on the pew bench Claire was making herself comfortable as she continued to play with Damon's phone. Talking softly to herself she pretended to tap her fingers on the phone screen just like she saw her daddy do all the time. Suddenly Elena's picture appeared on the phone showing an incoming call. Problem was it was on silent and while Damon wasn't really paying close attention he just assumed Claire was pretending to call mommy on the phone. Hitting a few buttons Claire disconnected the call from Elena.
"He hung up on me," Elena said in shock as she was disconnected from the call.
"Oh this is just perfect" Jenna said as she was on the verge of tears. "If we start walking it will take us about thirty minutes in these shoes and dresses and we can't be there that late."
"I'll keep trying" Elena told her as she cursed Damon under her breath and tried dialing again. "Today better not be the day he decides to be a better Christian and not answer his phone in a church.
It was now no secret that something was going on with the bride as the wedding was now running a good fifteen minutes behind. Caroline was at the back freaking out as the limo company couldn't get a hold of the driver. "I AM MISSING MY BRIDE THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!" Caroline was yelling into the phone while the bridesmaids and groomsmen stood and watched.
Alaric was now standing at the back of the church dialing Jenna's number but was getting no answer. "She probably doesn't have her phone with her," he said now really worried about what had happened.
"This is crazy, they can't get a hold of the limo driver and Elena's phone is busy," Caroline snapped, as she was ready to pull her hair out.
"Honestly Blondie you had two main jobs for this wedding, get the groom here and get the bride here" Damon teased.
Caroline rolled her eyes not needing Damon's input on the situation when she already knew how bad things were. "Oh Shut up Damon!" she snapped at him. "Can you go tell everyone there is just a little hiccup, but the wedding is going to happen."
"Only if the bride didn't run off" Alaric's mother spat out.
"Jenna didn't get cold feet" Ric assured his mother.
"Yeah well don't worry about the wedding guest, the holier than thou Christian cousins are reading out their favourite bible passages to everyone" Damon explain as they all looked down the isle towards the altar where the cousins had taken over and were reading the bible to everyone.
"MOMMY MOMMY!" Claire chirped as she walked up to Damon and holding the phone to her ear.
"Aw are you calling mommy? Tell her if she is on he run she better not let Caroline find her because she a little crazy right now" Damon teased as he made small circles with his index finger up by his ear motioning crazy.
"Damon you are not helping!" Caroline yelled again.
"Bye, bye Mommy" Claire said as Elena's picture on Damon's phone disappeared again when she disconnected the call.
"Hung up on me again" Elena said in anger.
"Try Ric again" Jenna called out.
"I did it was busy, as was Caroline and no one else has their phone on" Elena said sadly. "I'm gonna keep trying."
"Give daddy as kiss," Damon said softly to his daughter as the two were sitting outside of the church while everyone else was inside freaking out.
"MUUAHH!" Claire exaggerated as she gave her daddy a kiss and then wrapped her little arms around him.
"Where is your mommy" Damon said out loud as he looked down the road.
"Mommy!" Claire chirped as she held up Damon's phone and showed that he had more than ten missed calls from Elena.
"Whoa, whoa," Damon said as he held Claire on his knee with one arm while the other held the phone to see just how many times Elena had tried calling him in the last fifteen minutes.
Before he could call her back the phone lit up again and Elena's picture appeared on the screen.
"Mommy!" Claire said as she pointed to the picture of Elena on the phone.
"Yeah that's mommy," Damon said as he accepted the call and brought the phone to his ear. "You know if you and Jenna are playing runaway bride I really don't want to be your accomplice" Damon teased.
"Damon shut up this is not the time for you to be a smart ass!" Elena screamed into the phone. "Our limo broke down and we need you to come pick us up," she told him and in the background Damon could hear Jenna making threats if he didn't hurry.
"Okay, calm down I'm on my way" Damon said as he got to his feet.
Just then Caroline walked out of the church and saw that Damon seemed to be heading off.
"Wait where are you going?" she asked him.
"Well I've got my hero hair on and I'm off to get the bride and bring her to her wedding" Damon said with a smile. "Please try not to lose this little one like you did the bride and maid of honour" Damon said as he handed Claire over to Caroline without giving her time to question him as he ran off to down the steps of the church and to where his Camaro was parked.
Still really lost as to what was going on Caroline figure that she would head back inside and explain that Damon was off to get Jenna and Elena and that the wedding you resume very shortly.
Standing on the side of the road the bride, maid of honour, and limo driver all looked relieved as they spotted the blue Camaro pull up next to the broken down limo. "I believe there is some place you need to be?" Damon called out as all three walked towards the car.
"Damon one day far, far away from now I'm sure I will laugh but right now I just want you to get me to that church!" Jenna said as she picked up the skirt of her dress and squeezed herself into the passenger seat.
"Yeah and I'm sure that same day you will find it funny that Claire had been playing with my phone while you were trying to call" Damon said with a smile as he looked at a tense Jenna and a annoyed Elena.
"Unbelievable" Elena said as she rolled her eyes.
"Lets not dwell on that too much, we have a wedding to get to!" Damon said as he quickly turned the car around and sped quickly towards the church. Leaving the broken down limo behind on the side of the road the sound of the church bells could be heard getting louder and louder the closer the got.
As the Camaro pulled up to the church Damon parked the car and quickly hopped out of the driver seat. Running around to the other side of the car he opened up the passenger side door to help Jenna climb out in her wedding dress.
Elena was next to hop out of the back of the car followed by the limo driver and as they stood in front of the church Elena helped Jenna straighten out her dress and veil. Jenna had a huge smile on her face as she knew that she was just steps away from marrying her best friend.
"Okay ready?" Elena asked.
Jenna gave a nod just as Caroline was seen running out of the church towards them and holding out their bouquet of roses. Handing Elena the white bouquet Caroline gave the final check of hair dress and makeup.
"I'm ready' Jenna said as she accepted the bouquet of red roses.
Holding out his arm Damon help Jenna climb the steps of the church and as he did Jenna found herself thinking about how different the relationship with Damon had become over the years. She use to see him as a spoiled jerk that thought of no one but himself, and he was the last person he ever wanted his niece to end up with. Yet now she honestly couldn't think of anyone better. "You know years ago if someone told me that I would have to rely on Damon Salvatore to get to my wedding I would of laughed" she told him as the climbed the steps.
Damon too chuckled as he looked over at Jenna in her wedding dress and thought about how much things had changed. "I wouldn't have even held my breath for a invite a few years ago" he responded as they made it to the front door of the church. "Well, I say we get you married, and save all your guest from having to listen to a another round of bible passages from your cousins" he added as they entered the church lobby.
Taking a deep breath Jenna watched as Damon headed into the church to take his seat next to Stefan since he had Claire on his lap and was entertaining her by getting her to point at all the roses in the church.
"Okay it's time" Elena said as she came around dropped the veil over Jenna's face. As the double doors open it revealed the long isle down to the altar and her groom. Her smile grew as her eyes fell on Alaric as he stood on the altar. While the wedding guests were all standing and staring at her, her eyes were one the love of her life.
Caroline made a motioned to the choir and the music started, Elena started to walk down the isle and Jenna slowly followed behind. Making her way to the front of the altar everything that followed went a lot of smoother. Jenna and Alaric exchanged vows and said their "I do's" in front of all their family and friends.
At the outside wedding reception Alaric and Jenna were cutting the three-tier wedding cake and playfully feeding each other their first bit as they stood in the decorated garden. The band started playing and everyone started to take to the dance floor.
Stefan and Rebekah had Claire with them as they got the little girl to dance to the music. Both Stefan and Rebekah couldn't help but laugh at the little girl as she shook her hips to the music. Picking her up Stefan spun her around as Rebekah stepped a little closer to Stefan as he held Claire.
"She is so adorable" Rebekah said with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm going to miss her like crazy when we leave for our trip for Europe" Stefan said as he leaned forward to kiss his niece on the cheek.
"It's going to be a great trip," Rebekah said happily as she thought about her and Stefan enjoying two weeks in Europe before school. "Paris is going to be so romantic," she added happily.
"Je t'aime" Stefan said with a smile to his girlfriend.
"I love you too" she responded with a smile, as she loved that Stefan was practicing his French for their trip.
"I can't believe how fast this wedding came," Elena said as she thought about how quickly time had gone. "A month from now Damon and I will be leaving for school and settling into their new apartment" she said as she talked to Caroline and Bonnie.
"Yeah its crazy, Tyler and I leave for California in a couple weeks" Caroline said as she thought about her and Tyler's plans. The two of them were going to do some traveling around California before starting school at UCLA. "Its going to be so weird not seeing you guys everyday" Caroline said sadly as she thought about how all their lives were changing and taking them all in different directions. "I'll be in California, Bonnie your going to New York and Elena you'll be at Virginia State University"
"We'll stay in touch" Bonnie assured her knowing that although it was going to be difficult they would all find away to keep in touch with each other.
"I'm sure Damon wouldn't mind spring break in California" Elena told them with a smile.
"You and Damon already for VSU?"
"Yeah pretty much everything is packed, just a few little things left but its really starting to sink in that we are going to be leaving Mystic Falls."
"Well promise me that no matter where we are in our lives we talk at least twice a week, even if its just help figure out what to wear" Caroline asked not wanting her and her best friends to drift apart.
"Promise" Elena and Bonnie replied as all three shared a hug.
Across the dance floor Damon was sitting at a table watching as Stefan and Rebekah danced with Claire. He smiled at how happy Claire was and was really enjoying getting lots of attention. As he sat there his eyes turned to look at Elena as she was laughing with Bonnie and Caroline about something.
It was hard to believe that this could possibly be the last time they would all be together for a while. Sometimes it was hard to believe how fast the time had gone by and that the little baby that he used to rock to sleep in the middle of the night was now two years old and him and Elena were about to take a big step and live together.
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Elena walking towards him in and Damon couldn't help but think how amazing she looked in that garnet bridesmaid dress. She had a big smile on her face as she approach Damon and took a seat on his lap.
"You've been quiet" Elena said as an arm wrapped around his neck and her fingers started stroking the back of his neck.
"Just thinking," he told her as his fingers caressed the soft skin of her legs.
Elena gave a nod and then as she got to her feet again she held out her hand to Damon wanting to dance. He gave her a smile as he slowly got to his feet and interlinked their fingers as the made their way on to the dance floor. Once she found a spot Elena turned to face Damon and allowed him to take her in his arms as they started to slowly dance to the music.
"It was a beautiful wedding" Elena said as she looked over at her aunt and new uncle as they were dancing with big matching smiles on their faces. She was so happy for her aunt as she married her best friend and was expecting their first child together.
"It was, but so will ours" Damon said with a smile as he looked down at Elena before he spun her around.
When he pulled her back in close Elena had a smile on her face, "You think about our wedding?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I mean the way I seen it you and Claire are my future. One day, that will be you and me," Damon told her as he motioned over to the happy newlyweds.
Elena gave a smile and then leaned forward for a kiss. Everyday she woke up still in disbelief at how lucky she was to have a man like Damon in her life. He was the person she could talk to about anything, he was her rock when she felt like the world was against her, he was her best friend and most importantly he was an incredible father to their daughter. The light in his eyes when he played with Claire was the same look her mother had always told her only a real man had and that the only thing better then having an amazing man in your life was your child having him for a father.
"I Love you" Elena said with all her heart. Leaning in for another kiss, it was slow and tender as his hand came up to cup her face. The two got lost in each other until the sound of their two-year-old daughter calling out
"MOMMY! DADDY!" chirped through the air as she came bouncing over to them.
As Damon broke from the kiss he looked over at their daughter as she came running towards them in her little red dress and curly bowtie hair. Backing away from Elena just a little bit he knelt down to pull the little girl into his arms as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. With a smile Damon had his arms wrapped around both his girls as the danced to the music. As he had both other them in his arms he couldn't help but think about how although a part of their lives was coming to a close, their story was really only getting started. To get to where they were now they had some unexpected journeys but he couldn't wait to find out what lay ahead for him and his girls.
Dear Claire,
I am writing you this letter after finishing my senior year of high school. It has been a crazy four years from heartbreak, fear, love and happiness. I am writing this letter to you so that one day when you are older it can tell you one of the greatest love stories I know. I have kept a diary that I want to share with you, so you can see how you my beautiful daughter have given me and your father the greatest gift of all.
We were very young when you prepared to make your entrance into this world, many may have said Damon and I were only together because of you. We won't deny that you weren't planned because that would change our whole story. I was fifteen and your father was seventeen and you could probably say polar opposites. We weren't looking to fall in love but then again you can never plan to fall in love. Usually it just sneaks up on you, latches on and no matter what you do or how hard you try to deny it, you can't shake that person from your heart. As they say opposites attracted and in many ways things only made sense to the two of us.
Everyone knows that teenage couples don't have a good shot of staying together forever. No one knows what the future holds but the same could be said about any couple really. No matter what happens Claire, as the years go by I want to you to see the love Damon and I have for you and our family.
Being young teenage parents we dealt with a lot of emotional struggles and many more then most would. People complain about teenage drama but the truth is everything in our lives seems like a big deal and that our whole lives depend out each decision we make. At that young age you are still trying to figure out who you are, and how to deal with the obstacles in life.
There were many nights I would cry myself to sleep in fear that I wasn't strong enough, that I wasn't giving you everything you needed. Before you were born I was terrified that I wouldn't be ready for you, because how does a fifteen year old prepare for such a huge responsibility when you are still trying to figure out how to take care of yourself. When you were born I cried because I was exhausted, afraid that I wasn't doing enough. I thought I wasn't spending enough time with you or that I wasn't concentrating on my studies, or that when I was studying and you were sick I couldn't handle both.
They say teen mothers rarely finish high school and when I was pregnant many of my teachers and student turned their back on me. Kids can be so cruel and I dealt with my share of people talking about me behind my back but I wouldn't give in. I wanted to finish high school and if it hadn't been for Damon, Jenna, Jeremy and my true friends I'm not sure I would be holding that diploma today. You Claire were also a big part of my success, because that beautiful smile would get me through each day and I prayed that I would be able to give you the life you deserved.
Over the last two years Damon and I have worked hard through sweat and tears but it has all been worth it to watch you grow from that tiny baby we brought home from the hospital. Being able to hold you whenever you had a bad dream or just needed a hug is what has helped us keep going.
As hard as these last few years have been, I wouldn't change having you in my life for anything. As I said; you are part of a beautiful love story that I hold in my heart since the day I saw Damon holding you in his arms and making a promise to you that no matter what happens or how hard life got you are his whole world. We may have been young when we had you, but the way I see it, we only get to love you that much longer.
Love Elena
THE END
Wow it is so sad to see this story end but I am so glad you all continued to follow along. I know some people have asked about a third story about these characters and while I haven't ruled anything out this is the end for now. Thanks for reading.