...

"Alright," Stefan sighed, ruffling his hair. "How do we do this?"

But Damon just said, "No. I won't let you do this and give up your happiness for mine."

His brother looked at him mildly. "That's not what this is, Damon. Trust me. I had my shot at humanity. The second one… and I guess it's just not for me anymore. If there's a way around the cure being inside of me, then I'll more than gladly do this. Not just for you, okay? For myself, too…"

They exchanged a glance. Damon suspected that the younger one was not quite telling the truth, that he mostly just said it for Damon's sake, but he was grateful nonetheless, and honestly, he was for once ready to accept it.

If there really was a way...

"Are you sure?" He therefore asked as he got up off his chair and walked over to his brother, assessing him.

"I am, yeah."

There was a quietness in the Armory as everyone tried coming to terms with what that meant.

Bonnie was the first to start talking again. She had sat down on the chair Damon had vacated and was now looking over to Alaric.

"I don't know how to get around the cure. It's very strong magic and I'm not sure I can do it." She paused, looking to Stefan, then Damon. "If you are sure, I could try and see what I can do, but..."

"Do it," Stefan told her before she had even finished talking. Caroline shot him a glance. He could tell how anxious and tense she was.

She was battling with herself. She didn't want to interfere, but…

"Are you sure this is safe?" Caroline asked Bonnie, "I mean, what if you can't - I don't know - reverse the cure or deactivate it or whatever, could that hurt Stefan? We all know that simply extracting it would cause him to age super fast and die!"

"It's alright, Care," Stefan tried to appease her, "I'm willing to take the risk." He gave her a warm smile.

But she couldn't help but blurt, "Well, I am not!" She felt herself flush as her face scrunched up. There. Now they had all heard it. Pathetic little Caroline Forbes was still pining after Stefan Salvatore, and she was panicking at the thought of losing him. She was embarrassed, and that only made her even angrier. "What if something happens and you die?" She added quietly, trying to rein in her emotions.

"Caroline."

"No!" She retorted, suddenly right in front of him, getting in his face. "When you ran away with Katherine, I didn't say anything." He flinched. "I let you do your thing. I even tried to understand. But I was not happy," she paused. She saw his stricken look, and she felt for him then, but she had to get it out anyways. "This time, I'm not just gonna sit here and be quiet and pretend that this is okay. Because it's not. - Yes, I still care about you, Stefan Salvatore, and I don't think I could…"

He grabbed her hands, smiling a warm if sad smile at her. She had to close her eyes briefly to finish her sentence. "I can't lose you again, Stefan."

She looked over to Elena; she felt so selfish, but her friend was only smiling understandingly.

"You won't," he whispered when she turned her gaze to him again and he placed a soft kiss on her lips. There were tears in her eyes now, but she quickly wiped them away when they separated and Stefan faced the others again.

"I'm ready," he announced. "Let's get it over with."

"Bon Bon," Damon started, shooting his brother a glance that Stefan answered with a nod. "I trust you not to kill my little brother, so… if hero hair boy really wants to play the hero, let's try it out."

Bonnie glared at him, but went over to Stefan anyway, ready to use her magic.

"Are you sure?" She asked him one more time and he nodded his agreement. Bonnie extended her arms and placed her hands, palms out, forward. She was just about to get started, when Elena called out to her.

"Wait!" She said. "Caroline just mentioned extracting the cure… we know Stefan can't be turned again as long as the cure is in him, right? But what if it isn't?"

"He'd die." Caroline almost shouted. Was this so hard to understand?

"Well yeah," Elena said, infuriatingly calm, "but that'd still take a few seconds or minutes or whatever, right? I mean, what if someone turned him as soon as the cure was out?"

They all stared at her. It seemed so simple. Too simple. Caroline didn't trust the idea.

"What if something goes wrong?" Her voice sounded small.

Stefan, however, had made peace with it. He had made peace with himself, with his brother, with everything. If this helped Damon, he would do it.

Almost two centuries ago, he had forced his brother to turn into a vampire. Now it was time to protect Damon's humanity with everything he got, by turning into a vampire. Even if that meant he died trying.

Was he scared? Maybe. Dying super quickly of old age didn't exactly sound like a lot of fun. He also didn't have a death wish. Rather the opposite: he had a hunger for life that being human, and being with Katherine, hadn't even begun to quench.

He needed this just as much as Damon.

…

And so they planned it meticulously. Elena would be the one to extract the cure, while Caroline was to wait right by Stefan's side, ready to feed him her blood and kill him as soon as the needle left his vein. She had volunteered - of course - once it had become clear that they were going to do it no matter what.

"Let it at least be me," she had muttered, and Stefan had nodded, looking grateful, maybe almost happy.

"There's no one I'd rather have do it," he said, and gave her a soft smile that she returned, though tears were welling in her eyes.

Then it was time.

Bonnie whispered a spell, enchanting a syringe to help them get the cure out. When she was done, Elena inserted the needle in Stefan's vein, asking him one last time whether he wanted to go through with it, Damon hovering over them both. Stefan nodded, his brother's hand firmly and reassuringly on his shoulder.

She proceeded. They all looked on as the vial quickly filled with Stefan's blood. It was strangely mesmerizing. Elena looked up, just as she was almost done, and Caroline opened a vein in her wrist with her teeth. Her blood started dripping, ready, and then Elena took the needle out of the vein, and Caroline shoved her wrist against Stefan's lips, his beautiful lips... She felt him drink, a strange, searing sensation.

She didn't even give him a chance to say anything, or herself time to think, but just snapped his neck with one swift move. It was over. She gasped.

"Please wake up, Stefan," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. What if she had killed him for real?

…

Damon was holding his hand when he came to. He was sleeping at an awkward angle, his head resting against the chair he sat in. Caroline was there, too. He smiled at them both.

"Hey…" Caroline quietly said, returning the smile. "You scared us there for a bit. It took you a while to come back." She caressed his cheek, ran a hand through his hair. "How are you feeling?"

Stefan frowned, assessing himself. He felt… good.

"Better than I've felt in a long time," he told her, and moved to sit up. Damon was stirring, but still asleep.

"He was crazy worried about you," Caroline explained, "I'm sure he won't admit to it later, but I thought you should know."

"Thank you, Caroline." He stared at her. "For everything."

The next thing she knew, she had leaned in to kiss him, kiss him fiercely, and he had returned that kiss. And more... She moved to straddle him, her hands starting to roam up his body, while his hands slid up hers. Their passion was getting the better of them and they almost forgot that they still had company until they both heard a chuckle.

"I guess this was a success, then. Could have waited with the smut till I was gone, but hey, I get it," Damon said, grinning. "I'll… uh, get you something to finish your transition, brother. Whenever you two are ready…"

He winked at the younger Salvatore and was gone, leaving Caroline and Stefan to giggle to themselves a bit before continuing where they had left off.

…

It had worked then, Damon thought. It had really worked. With a deep sigh, he rubbed his face before heading out.

He wasn't quite sure what to think, yet. On the one hand, he was relieved and grateful that it all had resolved itself so quickly. He got to stay human with Elena and live his life out with her by his side. That was the most important thing. On the other hand, he'd had a chance to also be human with his brother, experience it all together, with all the trials and tribulations that brought with it.

Stefan was the single one person that completely understood what it meant to have been a vampire for some 160 plus years and then be thrown back into human life. They had shared everything together. Now they wouldn't get to go through the same things anymore, and Damon knew he would miss that.

Their paths would lead them different ways.

He would also miss giving Stefan a hard time for having been selfish and having forced his brother into turning into a vampire. He couldn't exactly do that anymore after the recent events. He had to chuckle a bit at the thought.

But now it was time to help Stefan complete his transition, and then it was high time Damon got married.

Damon Salvatore: human. Married…

Who'd have ever thought that this was how his story ended…

No, he thought. This was how it began.

...

Elena had no idea what she was doing anymore. Why on earth had she picked out this dress?! She tugged and pulled and pulled and tugged, but she couldn't seem to get the tight corsage in place.

She was ready to start crying. But she knew she couldn't do that because the amazing make up artist Caroline had booked for her - as a gift - had already finished her work and Elena didn't want to ruin any of it.

The hair stylist had done wonders with her hair that she'd had cut into a practical bob for work reasons. But now it still looked like she had the old luscious locks and when she saw herself in the mirror she was ready to go back to that hairstyle.

There was hairbands after all!

"Get up already!" She half whined, half yelled at the dress, just when there was a knock on the door and Caroline and Bonnie poked their heads in.

They were already wearing their bridesmaid dresses, a light pastel yellow that made them both look beautiful. "Simple and timeless" had been Caroline's credo, no frilly details had been allowed.

"You girls look sooo pretty!" Elena said, feeling the tears come and fanning herself to stop the emotional outburst. "And I can't even get into this stupid dress!"

"Aw…" Caroline smiled knowingly. "Girlfriend, we'll make it work."

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have picked a dress with a stupid corsage!"

"It's not stupid!" Bonnie said and all three girls examined the piece of fabric and pearls before they all started pulling together, until it finally looked right.

Caroline and Bonnie were the ones to start crying now, and Elena half laughed and half cried with them, chiding them, "Now you made me ruin my make up after all! I had been so good at keeping those stupid tears at bay…"

"I'm so sorry, Elena. You're just… sooo beautiful! It's like, we've always talked about this when we were kids, do you guys remember? How we'd all be together for each of our weddings and…" Caroline choked up a bit. "Now you're the first of us and it's perfect!"

"It's perfect because of all the work you put into it, Caroline. Thank you so much! I saw the flowers at the church and… the horse carriage. I mean, a horse carriage!"

And they all smiled and giggled and tried to fix Elena's make up quickly, before it was time.

It was time…

...

Later, when a solo violin was playing a beautiful song, Elena got ready to walk down the aisle. She had imagined this moment so many times, yet now that it was here, she felt completely unprepared. Her heart was beating so excitedly that she could feel it in her throat.

She saw her family - Jeremy - and her friends sit in the pews, and she smiled. She saw Caroline's little girls excitedly hop up and down in front of her, waiting for their mommy to give them the cue.

"When I tell you to, you'll start walking and throwing these beautiful rose petals, okay?" Caroline had instructed them for the umpteenth time, and Elena almost laughed. Her friend was more nervous than she.

And then she saw him, waiting up by the altar: Damon. In a tuxedo, all decked out. The most handsome man on the planet.

She threw a hand over her mouth, forcing herself to not start crying, when she noticed he had finally gotten a haircut. She grinned wide as he winked at her from afar. She had teased him about his choice of hairstyle for the last six months. And he had always just grinned at her and jokingly told her how superficial she was, making her feel slightly bad. But now here he stood, all groomed and just sooo very hot, that she felt her knees grow weak.

Which was the perfect moment for Alaric to appear by her side, softly whispering, "Shall we do this?" And she looked up at him and smiled and had to bite her cheek so as not to cry again.

...

She had been so worried about this part. The walk down the aisle. Alone. Without her dad. She had said she couldn't even really ask anyone else because she didn't want anyone to feel like a second choice, or like the stand in for a monster. It was the reason she hadn't asked Jeremy in particular. He was already struggling so badly with their father's legacy, with his own choices in life. Her poor brother had started questioning everything, yet felt unable to escape from his "duties" as a vampire hunter.

She felt so sad for him, so bad. But all she could do, all she could tell him was that she would be there for him when he needed her.

Deep down, tucked away inside of her mind, she had also been sad for herself. Because her father was going to ruin this special occasion for her. The man she had loved for most of her life, even after his death he still influenced her life, and not in a good way.

Then one day, Alaric had shown up at their house and Damon had been all ready to go watch some basketball game with him, talking about some random statistics and telling Ric to hurry and come inside and have a beer. But Alaric had grinned a little awkwardly and told his friend to slow down a bit.

"Can I have a minute with your fiancée first?" He had asked and Damon had given him a fake suspicious glare.

"I don't know. Can I trust you?" He had inquired before he had started grinning. Elena had rolled her eyes at him, and he had kissed her cheek briefly then left her and Ric alone, although not without saying, "Don't wait too long or the beer will get warm!"

Alaric had shaken his head and raised his eyebrows, all the while smiling at Elena.

"He's lovable, isn't he?" She had said, grinning, and he had nodded.

"Uh huh. Totally the word I had in mind."

They had both chuckled briefly, until he had looked at her, suddenly serious, and grabbed her hands. She had felt a sudden sense of worry.

"I know it's not my place, but… you're like a daughter to me, Elena, and I'm so glad you and Damon finally get to do this. Get married. And that you're happy. And I thought, maybe, if it's not too weird, that I could walk you down the aisle on your big day?" He looked at her sheepishly, awkwardly.

She had been so surprised and so unbelievably happy that she had been unable to say anything for a good long time, so she had given him a hug instead. She had started crying involuntarily, then said, "I'd love that very much. Thank you…"

...

Now here they were and he was really doing it, walking her down the aisle, smiling wide like a proud father, then handed her over to her husband-to-be, both men exchanging a meaningful glance before Alaric stepped aside.

"Hello gorgeous," Damon muttered as he took her in, the most beautiful girl in the world…

Caroline had tried to persuade them to say their own vows, but thankfully Damon had agreed with her when she'd said she'd rather do it the old fashioned way.

So, old fashioned it was, complete with a white haired pastor that forgot Damon's last name and even after a whispered reminder from Stefan, the best man, he managed to botch it.

"Will you, Damon Salvador…"

They couldn't stop giggling.

Somewhere, Caroline slumped down in her pew, trying to vanish. This pastor was so not a good choice...

It was funny, really; years later, Elena remembered this day so clearly. How they'd had such a hard time stifling their laughter, Damon, Stefan too. She'd remember every little detail, but the whole ceremony, the vows, would forever be a bit of a blur.

"You may now kiss your bride," the pastor said, a warm smile on his face, and Damon did. Her hand gently on his back, while he held her firmly, kissing her, bending her down as if dancing a tango.

The crowd was cheering...

Her smiling, crying bridesmaids, Bonnie exchanging a glance with Enzo and her baby.

But most of all, Damon. His warm touch against her, his very human warm touch. His breath in her hair, his "I love you, Elena Salvatore" in her ear, his hand clasping hers.

And the dance. Their dance. How they'd floated across the dance floor, the world around them a blur, the music playing just for them.

"I love you so much, Damon," she said as he whirled her around, before the music calmed to a slow rhythm and she could rest her head against him for a bit.

Then everyone danced along with them.

The flowers, the smell of jasmine in the air was heavy and intoxicanting. There was Laughter. Happy faces. The white doves that Caroline had organized flew up into the sky accompanied by another loud cheer. And yes, there were beautiful Japanese lanterns floating out onto the lake...

It was a mesmerizing day. And an amazing night.

...

They had decked out the house in just as many flowers. There were white balloons and garlands, there was a bottle of the best champagne and two glasses waiting in the bedroom.

And strawberries. Like a cliché - a perfect, most wonderful cliché.

Elena smiled as Damon danced her through the room, kissing her, licking her playfully, all the while guiding her over to the bed, half throwing her down onto the blankets, passion getting the better of them both.

Getting out of the dress was not very romantic and they giggled a little while wrestling her out of it, but then sobered quickly as Damon just stared at her for a bit, her lingerie accentuating her just right. He licked his lips, and then…

He trailed his way down from her mouth, down, down, stripping her as he went, until he buried his face in her hot core and as his tongue caressed her gently, there was only bliss...