Hello there!

Well, the end is finally here. I want to take a moment here to share some words with you, I know this will probably be a long author's note but please do read it.

I started writing fanfiction back in 2011 and I must admit I wasn't very good but I'm proud to say I think I've gotten better with time. Damon and Elena were the fictional couple that inspired me to create stories, they showed me there was something inside me that wanted to break free and that I had many things to say, for this reason, they will always have a special place in my heart and I will always be grateful to them. If I'm honest when the show ended in 2017 I was really afraid this community was going to break like so many times happens but I'm so happy and touched that after three years we're still here supporting each other.

Sadly life gets crazy and hard, I've struggled with fanfiction for the last couple of years because writing is a time-consuming activity and I never want to give you poor quality work or leave you hanging, for this reason, I've decided to step away from the site. I still have so many stories inside me but I just can't find the time and on most days the inspiration to put them to paper. Will this hiatus be permanent? Only time will tell, once already I tried to leave fanfiction but it ended up sucking me in once again, however, I don't think you'll be seeing me around in the near future.

So, one last time I want to thank every single one of you for supporting me always. To the ones who have been with me since the beginning and the ones you just started reading, you mean the world to me and your words and encouragement were the thing that put smiles on my face on days life was especially hard so I will always be eternally grateful to you. If you want to find me on social media you can follow me on twitter ( SamC_3)

Now please enjoy and do let me know what you think of this last chapter and if the end I gave Damon and Elena was satisfying to you.

"And will I tell you that these three lived happily ever after? I will not, for no one ever does. But there was happiness. And they did live."

-Stephen King-

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7 years later

Somewhere in Northern Italy

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The slightly damp air made the tendrils of hair that escaped her French braid cling to her heated skin as she sat in the balcony of their home, her gaze was trained in the bluest sea she had ever known while her teeth bit into a ripe piece of albiccoca and felt the sweet juice drip down her chin in a tasty mess; instead of reaching for a napkin, she used the back of her hand to clean herself and then proceeded to lick the sweetness that had stained her skin.

"If I wouldn't know you any better I would think you are trying to provoke me" The deep laughing voice that spoke from behind her belonged to her husband, she didn't even need to turn around to know his ocean blue eyes were twinkling with mischief.

"You always think everything I do is a provocation" She answered before placing the fruit above the small ceramic plate that rested on top of the small wooden table in front of her.

Her husband approached her, his hands going to the skin of her neck in a soft caress, his thumb playing with the hollow spot in her collarbone "Because it is" His voice was husky as he whispered the words into her ear, her eyes closed as she leaned into his touch.

"Damon…" The words escaped her lips before she could stop herself and felt him smile against her skin, years had gone by since the last time they were allowed to use their real names in public but in the intimacy of their love, they would remain as Damon and Elena forever.

His lips caressed her skin as they traveled the length of her throat until they reached her neck, his hands followed suit and wandered down her body, stopping to cup her heavy breasts and settling on their final destination, the still small but yet prominent bump that was now her once flat stomach.

It took a long time for her to be brave enough to ask for what she desired, a long time for the nightmares to stop and the feeling of being watched over to disappear, weeks had gone by and then months and soon months became years until she felt safe enough to ask him for the one thing she knew he would never deny her.

And now here he was, nestled safely inside her womb, the product of the purest form of love she had ever known. She wanted to believe she had left everything behind and that the fear of being discovered no longer existed but she knew the fear will never truly fade away, some part of her will always be waiting for the other shoe to drop and for this magical dream she woke up in every day to disappear but she couldn't put her life on hold anymore, her heart desired a child and she was tired of letting ghosts from their past stop her from getting what she wanted so she had asked and Damon had agreed.

"Elena…" The sound of her real name on his lips never failed to make her heart speed up as if she was still that silly seventeen-year-old girl who lived for his approval and praise.

His lips moved from her neck up to her cheek, the softness of them making her shiver and lean into his touch, her own hands wandering towards him, her fingers finding the taut skin of his forearms to let him know she wanted to have him in front of her now.

"I missed you today" The words left her lips in a breathy whisper as her eyes opened to find him staring at her, penetrating blue eyes making something coil deep in her tummy.

Damon gave her the wicked smile that made most of the women in their neighborhood swoon before leaning down and scooping her into his arms, a smile of her own matching his as he moved them inside the house towards their room.

"I see someone is a bit eager today" She joked as he placed her gently on the bed, the fabric of the blue sundress she was wearing rode up until it rested mid tight, the sight of her toned legs awaking something primal in him.

"I am always eager for you, sweet wife" He climbed on top of the stark white bedspread, his legs open on each side of her as leaned down to brush his nose against hers, his fingers losing themselves between her thighs until they reached the place he often liked to worship.

"Damon…" His name escaped her in a throaty moan as his fingers played with her in the way she loved the most, her hands finding his face and brining it towards her chest, the scrape of his beard making her tingle all over.

"Again," He asked as he lowered the front of her dress with his teeth, his lips soon finding her rosy nipples, taunting them with a near touch as his fingers continued to play her expertly.

"Damon…" She answered to his command and was rewarded with the lap of his tongue around one of her nipples, his mouth closing in on it and delighting himself as she had done earlier with her fruit. She threw her head back at the strong sensation, her hand gripping his black hair with such force he whimpered into her skin.

Her mouth opened in a gasp, the blood in her veins burning with the desire she had for him "More, I need more" She said as she pulled him away from her chest, a confused expression crossed his features briefly before she pushed at him until he was lying on his back so she could climb on top of him.

"It would seem I am not the only eager one" He jested as she went to work on the buttons on his jeans, hasty fingers that took no time in freeing him, a soft whimper leaving her lips at the sight of him hard and ready for her.

"Shut up Damon" She muttered before she raised her hips and covered him with her heat, a relieved sigh leaving both their lips at the feel of fulfillment they experienced at being joined. "Oh God, Oh God" She repeated as she moved above him, her free breasts bouncing up and down and hypnotizing him with the sight.

"Jesus Elena" He murmured as he felt her clenching around him, one of his hands moved to work on her clit while the other roamed the skin of her thighs, delighting himself in the touch of her skin. Her hands tore open the white shirt he was wearing, her nails digging into his pecs as she leaned over him, her movements frantic as she tried to reach the pleasurable explosion that waited for her.

Damon hissed at the feel of her nails digging into his skin, his passion escalating at the mixture of pleasure and pain, his thrusts speeding up to match hers, his fingers working furiously at her clit as he felt her walls starting to tighten around him "Kiss me" He ordered seconds before he felt her explosion coming over, she fell over him, their lips finding each other as she rode the so much needed pleasure, her walls contracting around him as her lips attacked him with insatiable hunger, triggering his release.

"My God that was fantastic" She murmured minutes afterward, as she lay nestled into him, the dress now long forgotten on the floor next to the rest of his clothes, "I think I'm still trembling"

"Well, I am that good"

"No, I am that good"

He kissed the tip of her nose before sighing tiredly and releasing her from his embrace, he stretched his back and felt the soreness of his muscles; it had been a long day hauling boxes of new merchandise and now that the adrenaline of their lovemaking had died done he could feel the weariness slipping in.

"This pregnancy is turning me into a horny beast so unless you want me to attack you again you better stop exposing yourself to me in such an erotic manner" The words of his wife were accompanied by the soft touch of her hands on the skin of his back.

He chuckled before letting himself fall back into the bed next to her "You don't see me complaining do you?" He asked, "But I don't think I can match your stamina again so soon so how about I run a bath for us?"

She smiled wickedly at him "I think that is the best idea you've had today" She told him as her hands went to his chest, her fingers tracing the indents of his muscles and making something stir inside him "Plus, I don't think your friend agrees with you" Her eyes gestured towards his semi-erect member before she laughed and abandoned the bed, her naked backside on display for him.

"You'll be the death of me Elena" He murmured as he followed her into the bathroom.

He opened the faucet and watched as the water started filling the ivory-colored tub, his wife moved around the bathroom until she found the small glass jar containing her favorite bath salts and poured them over the steaming water. His eyes remained glued to her as she grabbed her long hair and twisted it into a bun at the top of her head, her large breasts bouncing with each move.

She was breathtaking. Elena had always been a startling woman but now without the traces of worry on her face and the roundness of her stomach where she carried their child her beauty had become something ethereal, exquisiteness presented in the shape of a woman.

Sudden as the strike of thunder, the memory of her body chained to a ratty old bed appeared on his mind, the stench of fear surrounding him as he tasted vile at the back of his throat. Those moments remained as the longest of his life, moments where he truly believed doom had reached his door; he didn't fear death a part of him would have welcomed it gladly but Elena deserved to live, deserved to experience all the things that had been denied to her by the mere fact she was born into a crime world.

So he hadn't given up, he had managed to pull her out and into the back of the house just mere seconds away from the explosion that destroyed all evidence that could tie the Mikaelson to illegal activities. A shudder went through his body as he recalled the sight of his brother's lifeless body on the wood's ground, of the blood that bathed him, a symbol of everything that their life had been so far.

"Are you all right?" Her sweet voice snapped him back from the dark place he sometimes went to "You're shaking" She murmured as her arms cradled him to her body, his head resting against her soft chest as his hands went to rest on her round belly.

"Just a bad memory"

She sighed sadly "I know those all too well" She murmured gently before releasing him and cupping the side of his face that showed the remains of their old life "But memories can't hurt us, not really" He smiled back at her marveling at the easiness in which she always managed to calm his fears.

Damon took her hand and helped her into the tub, a breathlessly moan abandoning her lips as she sunk into the hot water, he took his place behind her, her body cradled between his legs.

"Is new merchandise read?" She asked absently as settled into his body, her fingers tracing idly circles in the skin of his thighs.

A deep chuckled left his lips and made his entire chest rumble, Elena's heart soared at the feel of it and the sound reaching her ears, a sound that once upon a time had been so foreign to her ears now filled every crevice of their home on daily basis.

"Now you remember the store"

Elena smiled slightly at thoughts of their small vintage clothes store, their main source of living and the place that gave her heart happiness, things had been hard when they first became Matteo and Emiliya Esposito but little by little things had fallen into place and their life became what she always dreamed it could be, so much that sometimes she feared everything would come to end too soon.

Not wanting to let her dark thoughts dampen their mood, she shifted against his body making her bum caress his member earning a pleasure hiss from his lips in response "It's not my fault you distracted me with your hot body, oh great husband"

Damon threw his head back and laughed, aware of the way his wife wanted to distract him "Yes my dear, everything's is ready for tomorrow" He answered as one of his hands went to rest over her breasts, cupping one and letting his fingers trace gentle circles around her nipple.

Elena sighed to the feel of his playful touch against her body, despite her rising libido she chose to only settle against his body and enjoy the lazy pleasure his touch brought her "I would like to go early with you and afterward stroll a bit through the market to get things ready for dinner" She said, her mind already swirling around ideas for dinner the next day, the night which marked the anniversary of their rebirth.

On her free days Elena loved nothing more than to stroll around one of the small markets of their neighborhood, she got lost in the smells and the colors she saw around her. She didn't know if it was the place or her perspective but since she set foot in Italy as a new person she had the impression that everything around her was heightened, the colors were brighter, the flavors tastier, the people were louder and the sun seemed to shine every single day.

Her happiest days were when after closing their shop Damon would grab her hand and led her towards the beach where they would spend their evenings sinking their feet in the water and splashing each other or meeting their friends in a small bar. Not that their life was all rainbows and sunshine because Damon was still quite an infuriating man and she could be a spoiled brat sometimes, but even in their worst days she always tried to remember their journey together and that no matter how much her husband angered her she knew he loved her and could never be happy with anyone else but him.

Her husband who was now placing a kiss below her ear "I like that idea a lot"

"Oh and Nora brought us some albiccocas, her trees are blooming this year"

Damon grunted in appreciation, his teeth nipping playfully at the tender skin of her earlobe "Oh I noticed the albiccocas all right"

"Perv"

"Only for you"

They remained in silence for a couple of seconds, the quiet sound of the water moving in the tub the only sound that accompanied that warm summer day.

"Damon…" Elena said, a question seemed to be logged on her throat "Do you ever miss it?"

Damon breathed deeply, the image of his brother's body coming back to him as vividly as it had been when he last saw him seven years ago. He didn't know much about what happened to life in their old world after that; he was sure back in Colombia cartels probably fought each other for control over the zones belonging to his grandfather and he didn't care much to know who had succeeded, he knew people all over the world had fallen after John's organization was dismantled and hundreds of children were released from the nightmare they lived in but he was also aware that somewhere out there some other "John" was preparing to rise and that it would continue on and on because the world was a dark and ugly place.

The dark thought still kept him awake some nights.

But the ghost in the name of John Gilbert had disappeared once he was gruesomely murdered in prison, weeks before his mother took a gun to her head and followed the steps of Giuseppe Salvatore. The Gilbert-Salvatore Empire had fallen and was now buried in the ground and the thought of it made satisfaction bloom in his chest.

Thoughts about old dark days left a bitter taste in his mouth, so he tried to push them away as he breathed in the sweet smell of his wife's hair "No, not in the slightest" He answered honestly.

Every morning that he woke up away from that rotten darkness he felt grateful for the new chance life had given him, for the opportunity to rectify his mistakes and though he knew there wasn't enough time in his life to atone for everything he had done, he only hoped God would merciful on him when his time came.

Sensing the unsettling feelings rising in him or perhaps unsettled in her own way, Elena craned her neck slightly until she could stare into his eyes "Me neither, I'm so happy here some days I fear it is nothing but a dream" She confessed before moving her head so she could ghost her lips over his.

"But it's not a dream, is our life" He answered against her lips. With the years the fear of being discovered lessened but it was always there, a present shadow wanting to overcome their sun.

But Damon knew the chances of being found were almost nonexistent, the one person who made their new identities and their new life possible was someone who never left lose endings, someone who he tried to leave out of his thoughts because despite the great trust and care he developed towards him he hoped to never see him again.

He had given them an escape and knew he would take the secret of such escape to his grave and for that Damon will always be grateful.

Tenderness overwhelmed her features "Yes it is" She told him before pecking his lips softly and going back to her position with her back against his chest "I love you, so much"

He sighed into her hair "I love you too Bonita"

During his whole life Damon had known hell was the place he belonged to but by some twist of fate he had been given the chance to experience heaven in the form of the woman now resting in his arms and he will make sure to spend the rest of his life doing the necessary to make her happy and to repay the small miracle that was granted to him when she chose to love him.

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THE END