Chapter Eighteen

Surprise

"Sunlight comes creeping in. Illuminates our skin. We watch the day go by stories of all we did. It made me think of you. It made me think of you..." ~ Birdy

"The day we met, frozen I held my breath. Right from the start, I knew that I'd found a home for my heart...And all along I believed I would find you. Time has brought your heart to me. I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more..." ~ Christina Perri ft. Steve Kazee

"Lightning strikes at my soul. I breath in deep breaths of hope, and wake up from my quiet dream to see you so perfectly..." ~ Goodnight Nurse

I sat at the kitchen counter eating my toast, reading a novel. It was quiet in the house, people either asleep or out for the day. Everyone has been busy with the plans, so when the prospect to leave the house came up everyone jumped at the opportunity.

It was Dave's idea for everyone to get out and do something fun this week. A whole lot of them opted to take a road trip to Georgia and have a couple of days there.

Others opted to stay in Mystic Falls and catch up on some well needed sleep. I was in that category. I wasn't interested in leaving and going to party in Georgia. I wanted to stay here and sleep. I was also hoping that Damon and I would be the only ones left in the house, but we weren't. I smiled aware of the two pairs of eyes staring at me.

One as green as mine, the others as blue as the ocean. "No," I said for the umpteenth time. "Please," Sasha begged. I looked up from my novel and put my coffee cup down. I met Sasha and Damon's big-eyed gazes, and laughed. They've been asking me to go for a hike and picnic with them for the last couple of days. Dave left with Bonnie to go show her some ancient witch burial ground, where they could practice some new spells. Sasha wanted to stay behind and pester me for a picnic.

I was all for a picnic, but the hike was the last thing that had me excited. "Please, Ava," Sasha said clutching her hands together. I looked at the two of them shamelessly giving me their pouty looks. I sighed and put my novel down.

"Fine," I said getting up. "But, I'm not carrying the picnic basket."

"Yay!" Sasha said jumping up and down.

"We created this," Damon said with a chuckle.

"Mm-hmm," I said leaving the kitchen. I heard Sasha say to Damon, "I told you I'd break her." Damon's laugh faded as I went further down the hall. I walked upstairs and jumped in the shower. I got dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, tank-top, hiking boots and a light cardigan. I pulled my hair in a ponytail, just as Damon walked into the room. "I'm just about ready," I said with a smile. "You look good," Damon observed wrapping his arms around my waist. He gave me a soft peck, resting his forehead against mine. "Sasha is waiting downstairs," he said stepping away from me.

"Yay, hiking," I said with a forced smile.

"You're going to love it," Damon teased slapping my ass.

"I bet I will," I replied with a shake of my head. "Coming?" I asked pausing at the door. "I just need to grab a couple of things," Damon said a bit mysteriously.

I raised an eyebrow, but only received a charming smile from Damon.

"Right," I said walking away. I went downstairs to meet up with Sasha. But there was no Sasha in sight. The picnic basket was packed and ready to go, but Sasha wasn't around. Damon met me by the door and picked up the picnic basket.

"Where's Sasha?" I asked, as Damon opened the door. "She's going to meet us halfway," he said leaving the house. I followed a bit suspicious of what is lying ahead. There has been a bit of whispering between Damon and Sasha, and they were both too eager for this picnic to happen.

After about an hour's walk through the woods, and unsuccessful probing from me about what Damon and Sasha were up to, we arrived at the spot Damon wanted to take me to. I paused mid sentence and came to a halt. The view in front of me took me back to my first official date with Damon. Granted the view has changed over the last century, but it was still as breathtakingly beautiful. It was filled with greenery and a small majestic waterfall. I only recently rediscovered these memories, and now I'm glad I did. This was the spot where Damon first told me that he loved me.

That was a lifetime ago. Damon reached out and took my hand in his. I turned to him with a big smile. "It's just as beautiful as I remember," I breathed letting Damon lead me to a small clearing. He dropped my hand and put the basket on the ground.

I handed him the blanket and he shook it open putting it down on the ground.

"My lady," Damon said formally, holding out his hand for me. I took it and he helped me sit down, just like he did all those years ago. The only difference back then was that I needed the help with the dresses we wore, now with jeans the sitting down process was a lot easier. "I knew you two were up to something," I said as Damon sat down next to me. "I wanted to get you out of the house," Damon said pulling the picnic basket closer. He opened it and took out all my favorites. Cheese, wine, cinnamon French toast, pancakes, blueberries, cream and chocolate. "I love it," I said leaning over and giving him a kiss. "Sasha organized it all," Damon said touching the side of my face. "She gets that from me," I joked.

We ate, laughed and joked around. It was the first time in weeks that we had no worries. It was great to hear Damon laugh, and it felt great to relax.

Damon got up and held out his hand. "What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Care for a dance?" Damon said eloquently, bowing in front of me. I laughed, and took his hand. "It's not in my nature to say no," I replied, as he pulled me to my feet.

We stepped off the blanket, as Damon wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. I wrapped one arm around his neck, and held his hand with the other.

We swayed to our own beat, our gazes locked. "You're beautiful," Damon observed, dropping his hand to the small of my back. "I love you," I breathed, standing on the tips of my toes brushing my lips against his. "I love you too," he said cupping my face in both hands, deepening the kiss. After a moment, lost within the kiss, Damon pulled away, still holding my face in his hands. He gave me a peck on the top of my head, before getting down on one knee. "Damon?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you doing?" Damon smiled and pulled a small box from his jean pocket.

The tiny red leather box looked familiar. "Avalon Victoria Harvey," Damon began with a foolish smile. "I know I'm about a century late, and I've hurt you more times than I can count. But, I love you and I want the chance to be your husband. I want a future with you," Damon said, opening the box, revealing the ring that he got me more than a century ago. It was a beautiful Victorian style ring that was yellow gold and had three emerald and diamond stones. It was just as gorgeous as I remembered it.

"What makes you think that we'll ever make it to the alter?" I asked, wiping away a tear. "Our first wedding got cancelled, Vincent nearly beat me to death while we were engaged, and I nearly died trying to marry, Jax."

"Fourth time the charm," Damon said with a nervous laugh.

"Fourth time the charm," I said with a smile, holding out my left hand.

"Is that a yes?" Damon asked getting to his feet. "Yes, yes, yes," I said, as Damon slipped the ring on my finger. Damon got up, pulled me closer, and kissed me.