a/n: Oh wow, I can't believe I actually finished this one! I meant to include more about the actual wedding, but when it came down to it, I liked this a lot better. It was simpler and more Delena I think. Anyway, I'm so glad to have been able to share this with you guys and thank you all for reading/reviewing/favoriting! You guys are amazing!

I'll be finishing Vices and Virtues next and then working on my other two :) Enjoy!

THIRTEEN

The closer it came to December, the faster time seemed to move. No matter how many wedding plans we checked off the list, it felt like nothing was getting done. In fact, it felt like for every thing we checked off, three more popped up. Bonnie was stressed because I was stressed which only made Stefan and Damon more and more afraid of us. Things didn't start slowing down until the guests began to arrive. It was a sign that the end was near and soon, all the madness would go over. While that had it's sadness attached to it, I was more than ready to begin my eternity as Mrs. Salvatore.

Now, with a house full of people three days before the wedding, the nerves were back and tensions were running high.

Damon broke me out of my trance by clearing his throat. I turned my head to look at him. He was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. "Look, I know you're stronger than me, but would it kill you to flinch a little when you drink that?" he teased, nodding the glass of his favorite scotch in my hands.

I looked down and then back at him, this time with a challenging smirk on my face. I raised the glass to my lips and let the liquor burn its way down my throat; not flinching in the slightest.

"Cruel," he muttered before coming to sit by me. He stared out at the water as I had been doing. The past few weeks I had been using our private balcony as an escape from everything else. "You've been out here for a long time you know."

"Have I?" I asked.

He nodded and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I said and set the glass on the table beside me. "Just needed a break."

"You're the one that invited them to stay with us," he reminded me, grinning smugly.

"Yeah yeah," I muttered and laid my head on his shoulder. "I thought your friend Simon was coming too?"

"He is," he assured me. "He won't be here until the time is right."

"We're getting married in three days," I said, my voice flat.

"He likes to keep people on his toes."

I pulled back to look at him, a smile on my lips. "He is aware that I killed all of the Originals, right?"

"He's aware," Damon answered, smiling as I put my head back on his shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll be here."

We were silent for a little while, both of us watching the waves and enjoying each other's company. I cleared my throat and started the conversation I knew he wasn't going to like. "You know I love you, right?"

"And here I thought you were just marrying me for my money," he quipped. I smacked him playfully and then pulled away so I could face him. "What's this about?" he asked, his voice turning serious.

"There's something I want you to do for me."

His eyes blazed with mischief as he tilted his head to the side. "I'm not sure I know where you're going with this."

I bit my lower lip and got to me feet. "Well, there's this tradition..."

"Which one?"

"The one where the groom doesn't see the bride before the wedding." His silence and stony look told me he understood now. "It would only be until the wedding is over," I added.

"But we'll still be living in the same house."

I wanted to laugh at his pouty expression. "I'm not asking you to keep yourself locked in a room, Damon. I'm just asking that the night before the ceremony, you sleep in another room. That way I can get ready and truly surprise you when I walk down the aisle."

That mischievous look in his eyes reached his lips, pulling them into a sinfully delicious smirk. "I think you should convince me to do this," he said, his voice dripping with challenge.

My brow rose and I inclined my head. Slowly, I made my way to him and straddled him, cupping his face once my body was covering his. I let one hand slide down his chest and cup him through his jeans. His eyes fluttered and his jaw ticked, softening only when my lips sought his. It was as if in the split second our lips made contact, it awoke the beast within us both. With being so absorbed in the wedding plans, I had been a little neglecting in this department, something that I was going to make up for tonight.

He wasted no time in heating up the kiss, his hands grabbing my hips as hard as he could. I brought my hand back up so that I could work at the buttons on his shirt. I knew it was one of his favorites which was the only reason I didn't just tear it from him. I shifted my hips, making him groan as my jean clad core rubbed over his hardened member. A slight growl came from his throat as he surged forward, pining my back against the railing of the balcony. I moaned low in my throat as the wrought iron ledge dug into my now bare back as Damon pressed his body as close as he could to mine and kissed me harder.

My lips detached from his abruptly, moving to his throat before he had time to complain. My mouth trailed over his collar bone and down to his chest as I sank to my knees in front of him. I looked up at him as I began to undo his jeans. Slowly, I pushed the remnants of his clothes to the ground and just as I went to take him into my mouth, Damon pulled me back up and turned me around. I gasped slightly from the sudden action which was followed by an equally fast removal of my jeans. I barely had time to process it all before Damon slid into me.

We both let out a groan of pleasure as he buried himself completely and stilled for a moment. He waited until I rotated my hips to begin and before I knew it, he was thrusting into me; no holds barred. I gripped the ledge of the balcony and met Damon with each stroke. I tossed my head back and moaned his name. I had almost forgotten how he could make me feel.

I gasped in surprise again as Damon spun me around to face him and lifted me up by my hips. The same moment he slammed my back against the wall of the house, he was back inside me, his lips pressed to my neck. The mix of pleasure and pain was more than enough to send me over the edge. With one hand on the back of his head, I tipped mine back and gave in to my release. Damon's fangs slid into my throat, sending me higher and allowing him to come with me.

When we came back to reality, I leaned down and pressed my forehead to his. "Convincing enough for you?" I whispered.

He chuckled and in a blur we were on the bed. "Not even close," he teased in return and captured my lips.

I stood in front of the mirror, watching Bonnie run circles around me as she put the final touches on my hair, makeup, and accessories. She was making me dizzy. Just when I thought I would snap at her, someone knocked on the door and I let out a sigh of relief as she went to open the door. "What?" she snapped.

I turned and smiled at Stefan as he smirked at her. "I just wanted to speak to Elena before she walks down the aisle."

Bonnie drew a deep breath and put on her "no" face, but I spoke first. "Bon, could you give us a minute?"

She cleared her throat and nodded stiffly. "I'll go grab a drink and be right back," she assured me and closed the door behind her.

"She's more uptight than you are."

"It's a maid of honor thing."

"No, I'm sure it's just Bonnie. You weren't like this at Jenna's wedding."

Both of our smiles disappeared as we remembered Jenna's wedding. More specifically where Velken had ended my undead life. I cleared my throat and shook my head against the memories. "Anyway. What did you want to talk about?"

His eyes scanned me from head to toe and back again very slowly. It was almost as if he were ingraining me on his memory. "You look perfect," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice and his eyes once they finally met mine. "I always assumed that when I saw you in a wedding dress, you would be walking down that aisle to become Mrs. Stefan Salvatore."

I wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so I waited for him to continue.

"I know it was wrong and foolish, but I kept waiting for Damon to mess up and do something truly evil and let you see who he really was so that you would come back to me, but it never happened." He stopped and smirked at me. "You're just as bad as he is, you know?"

I smiled widely. "I know."

"I'm sorry for everything; for ever hurting you at all."

"I am too," I said and moved forward to take his hands in mine. "But that's all in the past, okay? I meant what I said the day Anya brought me back. Everything before that day is water under the bridge."

"Yes, but I was still in love with you then," he said, his eyes locking with mine. "For the first time in a decade, I can finally look you in the eye and say that I'm over you. I love you, but I'm not in love with you. Not anymore."

I smiled and blinked to keep back the tears. "I love you too, Stefan. I always will."

"You know, when the two of you announced your engagement, I always thought I would feel jealous and hate being here, but now, I just want you to be happy. Both of you, together."

I squeezed his hands and nodded. "You're all the family he has left so don't you dare be a stranger, okay? It'll be the five of us for all eternity."

He nodded back and raised one of my hands to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss onto the back of my hand and beamed at me. "Let's go get you married."

The moment I took John's hand, I began to tremble with anticipation. All day I had been calm and it was as if all the nerves I had been keeping bottled up were finally catching up to me. As we approached the back of the aisle, everyone stood up and my eyes immediately locked with Damon's. He was staring back at me with awe and wonder and a hint of mischief as usual. The music started and John and I began our walk to the altar. It was a short walk given that there weren't a lot of guests, but it still felt like it took forever to get there.

John let go of my hand and kissed my cheek before taking his seat. I moved to stand beside Damon and then turned to face Simon, the man who had shown up only an hour ago to officiate the ceremony. He smirked at both Damon and I and then began his speech. The entire time he talked, I was too busy stealing glimpses at Damon. I wanted nothing more than to reach over and touch him, but I had promised myself we would save all of that for after the reception.

When it came time to recite our vows, Damon and I turned to face each other. "It all started with a girl. She led us down a path of misery and deceit; one that I never thought I would get out of. Then one day, there was a light at the end of the tunnel and there you were. Our path to each other was a hard one, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I would give my life for you; whatever it takes to keep you safe because you're mine forever and always."

It was short, but it was perfect. It summed up everything and it made me laugh inside because I knew he was keeping it simple so that the ceremony would end faster. He took my hand to slide the ring onto my finger and I couldn't help but shiver a little from his touch.

Then it was my turn.

"I thought I had life figured out; high school, college, career, family, but none of that really panned out. My parents died and I became someone different. It wasn't until you came around that I started being myself again and I don't know where I would be without you either. We've been through so much and I know we can handle whatever eternity has in store for us. The two of us together are invincible; always have been, always will be."

I placed the ring on his finger and we both stayed still, waiting for our favorite part. "I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Simon said, his voice deep and soothing.

Like magnets, Damon and I were brought together in the blink of an eye. His arms were around me and mine were around his shoulders, pulling him close. Our lips met and our guests cheered us on. I smiled into the kiss and opened my eyes for a split second to see that he was doing the same. "Now you're officially Mrs. Salvatore," he whispered against my lips.

"Forever and always," I replied and kissed him again, thus kicking off the beginning of our eternity of marriage.