A/N: Thank you so much for all those who read and for the positive feedback-it means so much to me. Here's the final part to the story-I hope it's not too horrible or too cheesy.

We Might Not Make It Home Tonight

Month 4

"No peeking Mr. Salvatore!" Elena shouted, her voice faraway.

"I would never!" He responded apparently insulted.

He heard Elena's soft chuckle before the sound of her footsteps faded away.

Damon grinned as he pressed his forehead to the wall, facing away from the angelic creature and began the count to 30.

1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 30!

"Ready or not, here I come!" He shouted dramatically.

He walked quietly around the small house, concentrating on the sound of—there it was!

THUMP THUMP

THUMP THUMP

Damon's favorite sound-Elena's steady heartbeat.

"GOTCHA!"

He threw open the shower curtain, nearly ripping it off completely, and….the tub was empty.

But, he had heard her heartbeat?

Where did she—

"Gotcha!"

Elena, out of nowhere, had pounced on his back and was giggling like a hyena.

"I win! I finally outsmarted you at my favorite game!"

Damon smirked.

"Fine you win. This time. Now let's see who wins at MY favorite game…"

Elena jumped down and Damon turned around to face her.

They locked eyes and now, Damon was sure that was HIS heart that was beating so loud.

She took his breath away.

She was beautiful. Perfect. Radiant.

And she was his.

She bit her lip and smiled up at him mischievously.

"And now what game might that be Mr. Salvatore?"

Damon waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh I think it might be one of your favorites too…"

He scooped her up and rushed them both to the bedroom.

He set his princess down gently on the bed and straddled her carefully.

Her pupils were dilated and her breathing shallow.

She was excited.

She was anxious.

He tucked a stray strand of her silky hair behind her ear and whispered sensually, "Have you guessed what game it is yet Ms. Gilbert?"

Elena let out a little moan.

"I think I have an idea…"

"Then let's play," Damon said.

Then, without warning, the right side of Elena's face was struck by a pillow!

She gasped and saw Damon grinning down at her.

She glared at him.

"You little—"

She smacked him back with another pillow and the two continued the battle until not a single feather was left in any of the pillows.

Still clutching her side that had cramped from laughing so hard, Elena laid her head on Damon's chest as he lay on his back on the giant bed.

They lay there for a while; just listening to each other's heartbeats but suddenly, Elena felt her stomach become queasy with emotion.

Noticing her change in breathing, Damon shifted their bodies so that they were facing each other on their sides.

"What's wrong princess?"

Elena looked deep into his bright, blue eyes and felt herself melting into a puddle. She loved when he looked at her like that—which was, all the time.

"I just—I love you too much Damon." She looked away embarrassed.

"Is that, um, a bad thing?" Damon asked warily. When she didn't answer he tenderly placed a finger and her chin and made her look up at him again.

"Yes and no."

Damon waited patiently for her to explain herself.

"It's just," she sighed. "This love I have for you, it's unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's the strongest, most powerful most consuming feeling in the world. I sometimes feel like I'm drowning in my love for you."

"That's beautiful Elena," Damon said, his eyes twinkling happily. "How could that possibly be bad?"

Elena reached up and lightly caressed his face.

"Because if I ever lost you, I don't think I could go on without you. All of me, would die with you."

They stared at each other solemnly.

Damon leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss on her soft lips.

"I would follow you anywhere Elena, even into death."

Elena felt her heart soar with more love than she ever thought possible.

She leaned in and returned the kiss—though much more passionate and much more urgent.

And Damon returned it just the same.

Elena woke up with a start. She raised her fingers up to her lips, where she could still feel his taste lingering there.

What has she done?

What did she do?

But before she could think anymore, pain engulfed her completely and she let out an ear splitting scream.

Damon touched his lips gingerly. He could almost still feel her. He could almost still taste her.

But almost wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough.

He sped up his pace as he walked down the street, ignoring the murmurs and whispers that followed him like hawks.

He kept his hands in his pockets, determined to keep under control, and remained unflinching as harsh words made their way to his ears.

Words like:

"Crazy."

"Nutter!"

"Depressed…"

And sentences such as:

"Poor guy…"

"What's he got tied around his waist?"

"She just got up one morning and left him! Just like that!"

"Why would anyone leave him?"

"I remember when they'd walk to that park together on Sunday afternoons. She was a very pretty girl, always laughing…"

"HA! Look at his beard!"

Damon stroked his chin. The beard wasn't immensely thick or horribly long. Just slightly unkempt and scruffy. Itchy too.

Bonnie had chased him with a pair of scissors the last time he had visited the boarding house—she was living there with Jeremy (who, according to Alaric, was hardly ever seen.)

Bonnie was quick for a witch. Then again, he wasn't very fast for a vampire. Not anymore.

He had only finally got her off his back when he had promised to shower.

He always kept his promises.

Damon let out a shaky sigh. He finally had reached his destination—the park one of the passerby had mentioned; the park where he and Elena had gone to almost every Sunday afternoon. She loved the swings while he, on the other hand, preferred the slide.

He sat down on one of the empty benches and quietly looked around.

Children were laughing and having the time of their lives.

Parents were reading their newspapers or gossiping with each other while still keeping a close watch on their kids in case of any trouble.

The park was so alive.

And he, he was so dead.

"Hey Damon."

Damon peered his eyes away from the various activities on the playground and greeted his friend with a slight nod.

"Any news?" Alaric asked kindly.

Damon stood up and untied the jacket around his waist.

"I found this in a Goodwill about an hour away from here. I smelled it from 50 feet away…"

He extended the jacket carefully, his hands shaking slightly.

It was a thick, ugly yellow raincoat.

"It was her favorite jacket," Damon said throatily.

"Why would she dispose of it?" Damon muttered to himself, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Damon, um, have you thought anymore about what I said the other day?"

Damon looked up and stared at Alaric in silence for several long minutes.

He finally broke his gaze and nodded slowly.

"Ok, I'll do it."

Alaric breathed a sigh of relief.

"When can we go?" Damon asked, tying the jacket around his waist again.

"We can go now, if you'd like. The healer said he'd take you in whenever." Alaric suddenly grinned. "He's heard about you. You should've seen the look on his face."

"I assume he looked scared."

"Not at all!" Alaric exclaimed. "Apparently, you're a hero to him and his family. He said he won't even charge you instead, he'd like an autograph for his daughter!"

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Me, a hero?" He shook his head as he followed Alaric to the parking lot. "And this guy is apparently supposed to help me?"

Alaric chuckled. "He's not a psychiatrist. He's a supernatural healer. Knows all about vampires—loves them. He runs some sort of secret hospital/sanctuary where any vampire is welcome. Opened sometime during the war, I think."

Damon widened his eyes impressed.

"How did you find it?"

"I didn't," Alaric confessed. "Meredith did."

They reached Alaric's car and both got in—Damon in the passenger seat.

"So, things are going well with Buffy the vampire slayer?"

Alaric rolled his eyes.

"Fortunately she hasn't had to slay any vampires as of late but yes, Meredith and I are great—more than great."

Damon looked at him curiously. Alaric was turning a bright red.

"I, um, I proposed to her last night. And um, she said yes."

Damon eyes widened, startled at the news.

"That's great Ric." Damon said through his teeth, hoping his smile was convincing. "Really great."

They sat in mostly silence for the rest of the ride, something Damon appreciated.

He was happy for his friend; he truly was, but he couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy. Alaric could be with the woman he loved but Damon couldn't.

Damon swallowed thickly. He hoped this doctor/healer person would be able to help him—apparently he had created a special type of blood for vampires that would give him extensive amounts of energy and strength.

Damon needed all the energy and strength he could get as he still hadn't been feeding or sleeping.

He hadn't given up on finding Elena.

They finally arrived to a large, country home completely surrounded and hidden from the rest of the world, in the heart of a large forest.

There were a few people strolling around the luscious gardens in the front and others sitting on a porch, just watching the activity with a lost look in their eyes.

Whatever Damon had been expecting to find, it hadn't been this.

Alaric and him made their way up the large steps and proceeded inside.

It looked like the entrance to any regular home, expect much bigger and much cleaner.

Everything was spotless and in place.

It was disconcerting.

"We're here to see Healer Vidornick," Alaric said to the petite redhead at a counter Damon hadn't noticed.

The lady dabbed her eyes lightly with a napkin and let out a small sniffle. "It might be a bit of a wait. One of the patients got very ill and he's been tending to her all morning. He doesn't think she'll make it."

Alaric shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, I'm really sorry…"

He turned to Damon. "Should we just come back tomorrow?"

But Damon wasn't looking at him. He was staring down a hallway, his body rigid, and his eyes opened ridiculously wide.

"Damon?" Alaric asked concerned. "What did you see?"

But Damon heard nothing Alaric had said. He sprinted down the hallway and grabbed a young man roughly by the arm.

"Ow! What the hell—"

The young man froze.

"D-Damon," he stuttered nervously.

Damon was at loss for words.

Alaric reached them, panting with the redhead close behind.

"What are—" He too, froze. "Jeremy? What are you doing here?"

Jeremy's eyes were red and he looked almost as thin as Damon. He gulped and ran a hand through his disheveled brown locks.

"I, um, I'm visiting."

"Visiting? Who are you—" Alaric's mouth dropped. "No…" He whispered.

Jeremy wrung his hands together frantically, panic all over his face.

"I didn't want—I never thought—" Jeremy started.

"Take me." Damon said, his blue eyes bored into Jeremy's. "Please," he added in a desperate whisper.

Jeremy let out a long sigh.

He waved off the nurse. "It's fine Hanna. I'll take them."

He turned around and slowly walked down the corridor. Damon followed closely, his heart racing.

Jeremy halted in front of a wooden door and knocked twice softly. A bell rung from inside and Jeremy turned the knob slowly. He walked inside and motioned Ric and Damon to follow him.

The room was no ordinary bedroom.

It was quite large, with its own fireplace and kitchen.

It had been decorated quite nicely, with expensive looking furniture and various paintings, but was uncomfortably warm. Even for him.

There was a massive bed in the very back of the room, right in front of the wall-to-ceiling windows. A small figure was sitting on the bed staring outside; her legs were bent and her chin rested on her knees.

She wore a long-sleeved, white nightgown and had on very thick long johns underneath.

"Hey," Jeremy said softly.

The girl let out a long sigh. She placed her hand on the window and closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of the sun hit her skin. She shivered.

"Would you like another blanket?" Jeremy asked, his forehead creased in worry.

She nodded and then, slowly turned her head around.

"There's…one in—"

She froze.

Alaric gasped.

Damon fell to his knees.

It was her.

It was Elena.

They stared at each other, paralyzed—unable to speak, unable to move.

Jeremy pushed Alaric gently out the door, leaving the two star-crossed lovers alone.

Damon could taste his tears on his tongue—he was crying. He didn't know when he started…he only knew he couldn't stop.

She looked so…beautiful.

She was unnaturally thin and pale and had even darker circles under her eyes than he did.

But she was still absolutely gorgeous.

Her brown eyes, that were usually sparkling and full of laughter, were bloodshot and lifeless.

Her hair, that he had loved to run his fingers through, was short—barely reaching below her earlobe.

But she was still absolutely breathtaking.

"You—you found me," Elena whispered, her face glistening with tears. "I—I told you not to look for me."

Damon stood up, his legs wobbling, and cautiously approached her.

"When have I ever listened to you?" Damon said croakily.

Elena stared at him in panic as Damon reached her bed.

"You should've Damon," she said, her voice shaking. "Go!" She shouted, her eyes blazing. "Go now! Forget you ever saw me!"

Damon's eyes flashed angrily.

"NO! I'M NEVER LEAVING YOU ELENA! I'M NEVER LETTING YOU GO AGAIN! NEVER!"

They stood a few feet away from each other-Damon at her bedside and Elena on her knees on the bed-their chests heaving.

Elena shuffled closer to the edge of her bed and started hitting Damon's chest weakly with her tiny fists.

She yelled and cried hysterically until Damon took hold of her small face and placed his lips over hers, kissing her hard.

Her hands relaxed and wrapped themselves around his neck, bringing him closer to her.

She opened her mouth and immediately felt Damon's warm tongue snake its way inside—happily reuniting with hers.

She let out a moan as Damon's right hand lowered down her body and wrapped around her tiny waist. His lips left her mouth and he gently nibbled down her neck. Elena trembled in his arms and inched even closer to him.

She wrapped her legs around his thin torso and he placed his hands under her bum, squeezing gently, and lifted her off the bed.

He kissed her feverishly.

He ravished her mouth and his hands caressed every inch of her body.

She suddenly pulled back and started coughing…and coughing…and coughing.

"Put…put me on…" She nodded towards the bed and Damon quickly set her down.

She continued to cough into her blankets—staining them with red.

Damon felt his heart drop.

Fear settled in every pore of his body.

"Elena!" He exclaimed panicked. "What's wrong? What can I do?"

The coughing finally subsided and Elena leaned her head against the bed headboard.

"Nothing…" she said weakly.

Damon touched the red spot on her bedspread—blood.

He stared at her, absolutely horrified.

She stared back sadly.

"Why did you look for me?" She asked miserably.

"Because I love you." Damon stated simply. He reached out and took her small hand in his. "Why did you leave?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Because I love you."

Damon creased his forehead and gaped at her. "I don't—"

"ELENA!"

The door to Elena's bedroom flew open and several people barged in.

Caroline meant to fling herself at Elena but suddenly stopped short upon seeing Damon.

Bonnie and Stefan froze behind her.

Damon whipped his head from Elena to Caroline and stood up slowly.

"You knew?" He whispered. Caroline's eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights. "YOU ALL KNEW!"

His chest heaved painfully as angry tears ran down his face.

"YOU KNEW WHERE SHE WAS ALL THIS TIME! WHILE I WAS FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR HER—WHILE PEOPLE THOUGHT I WAS GOING MAD?"

The three of them hung their heads.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT…." Damon shouted furiously and maniacally while pacing the room. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

He picked up a small dresser and threw it as hard as he could across the room.

"Damon…" Elena called faintly from her bed.

Damon whipped his head around and saw that she was extending a small hand to him—reaching out to him.

He dropped the lamp he had picked up and walked to her. She squeezed his hand weakly and pulled him toward her.

"Don't get…angry…" Elena said with difficulty. "I…made them…swear."

Damon's lip trembled. "But WHY Elena?"

Elena sighed. She looked over at her friends and taking the hint, they grudgingly exited the room.

"Why Elena?" Damon asked again.

Elena tugged at his hand and Damon climbed onto her bed.

She rested her head onto his chest and inhaled deeply.

His scent was intoxicating.

"Damon…I'm…dying…" Elena whispered feebly.

Damon's heart stopped.

"Wha—what?"

Before she could answer, Elena started coughing again and this time, she didn't stop. Blood spurted from her mouth and Damon yelled frantically.

Several people ran in, including his five friends.

A large, heavyset man placed the back of his hand on Elena's forehead while a nurse checked her pulse.

She told the man the reading and the man shook his head sadly.

"How much longer?" Stefan asked solemnly.

"Better say your goodbyes," the Healer said quietly. "She won't make it past the night."

Stefan hugged a shaking Caroline tightly as Bonnie sobbed loudly into Jeremy's chest.

The Healer looked down at Elena sadly, before exiting with the nurse.

"Can someone tell me what the hell is happening?" Damon shouted hysterically.

He felt a gentle tug at his shirt and looked down at his angel. Elena raised a trembling hand and pointed towards her bedside drawer.

"Open…" She whispered weakly.

Damon nodded and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before getting off the bed and opening the drawer.

The drawer was crammed to the very top, filled with various items.

He recognized these items.

-The beloved teddy bear that her mother had given to her.

-The stuffed Koala that Damon had given her when Stefan had run away with Klaus.

-The vervain necklace that Stefan had originally given to her but that had eventually become a symbol of trust between her and Damon.

-The ring John had left for her after he had died.

-Damon's bright blue shirt that Damon had assumed he'd just lost. It had been Elena's favorite on him.

And pictures. There were so many pictures. Of her family. Of her friends. But mostly, there were pictures of them.

-Damon going down the slide, his hands in the air.

-Elena and Damon posing in front of their silly looking snowman.

-Damon standing in the kitchen with a sheepish look, cookie dough all over his face and clothes.

-Damon soundly sleeping bare-chested on their bed.

She hadn't forgotten him either.

And then he spotted it.

A little leather-bound book.

Her last diary.

He opened it and read the first words of the first entry.

Dear Diary,

I'm so in love with Damon Salvatore!

"Read…it…all," Elena said hoarsely.

And he did.

Damon sat at one of the comfortable, plush couches reading, while each of Elena's loved ones spoke with her—saying goodbye.

The past three years were all in this little book.

300 pages of their life.

He read how happy she was with him—how much she loved him. He read how she dreamed of marrying him and maybe adopting a child someday. He read how she knew she would turn one day. But she had to wait until Damon was ready to turn her.

The he read about how she started to notice her body getting weaker. He read how she coughed blood in the shower and the doctors didn't note anything different.

He read how she visited a supernatural Healer and he diagnosed her with an incurable disease. It had entered her system sometime during the war and had slowly been killing her for three years. It was a sort of cancer—a supernatural cancer. Her ring couldn't save her and turning would only kill her faster.

The Healer had given her six months to live.

Damon read her agony as she debated when or if she should tell him. She felt her frustration and saw the spots where her tears had fallen upon the pages.

I can't let Damon die with me.

Knowing this…and knowing nothing can be done…would destroy him.

I won't make him go through this with me! I won't!

If I just leave, he'll eventually forget about me.

He'll eventually move on with his life and find someone else with whom to share his life with.

Damon read how much it had pained her to pack her suitcase and fake her anger with Damon. He read how she had told Jeremy and, eventually, her other friends and made them swear not to tell Damon anything. Nor Alaric. She knew Alaric would tell Damon the truth.

He read how she died slowly each day. He read as she described her nightmares and her despair. She missed him so much. She cried herself to sleep every night. She realized she preferred death than to live without him.

The healer says I have less than a week left.

I just want it to be over.

Not because I want my body to stop hurting.

Not because I'm sick of coughing blood.

Not because I'm constantly freezing.

I want it to be over…because I can no longer handle living without Damon.

Part of me hopes Damon has moved on and forgotten me.

But another part, a selfish part, hopes that Damon is still out there searching for me.

Oh if I could see him once more.

Oh if I could kiss him one last time.

Damon closed the book and looked down at his shirt. It was completely soaked with tears.

He looked over at Elena.

She was whispering something to Jeremy as he sobbed loudly.

He finally stood up and kissed Elena on the forehead before being led out by Bonnie.

The room was now empty.

And it was dark.

He dragged his feet across the room and made his way to Elena's bedside.

She smiled up at him and patted the spot next to her.

Damon wiped his eyes and crawled in next to her under the covers.

Elena immediately curled into him and sighed happily.

Damon wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. He bit his lip, drawing blood, so that he could resist crying out.

He blinked furiously, attempting to avoid shedding any more tears.

But failing miserably.

Her small, fragile body was so cold.

Damon placed little kisses all over her head, running his fingers through her short hair.

He remembered reading how she had been so self-conscious of the way chemo had made her long locks disappear.

"I love your hair like this." He whispered. "You look beautiful."

Elena nuzzled his chest with her nose. "Don't…lie…"

"I would never lie to you," Damon said softly.

He felt fresh tears seep through his shirt.

"I….know…"

Elena gave a little whimper.

"I…am….sorry…"

Damon shushed her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Don't Elena. You don't need to apologize. I understand…I understand why. Shh..shh. Relax…just relax…"

They lay there in silence…just listening to each other's heartbeats.

The sound of her heartbeat was still his favorite.

"Da….mon…?" Elena murmured weakly.

"Yes princess?"

"Why…didn't you…ever count…to thirty?"

Damon lowered his body on the bed to place a tender kiss on her lips.

"Because I couldn't stand to be without you for more than 3 seconds. Any longer and I'd go insane."

Elena smiled and puckered her lips up at him. He captured them in a sweet kiss, until Elena lost her breath and pulled away.

"I'm…going…to go hide…again," Elena managed to say in between coughs.

Damon's heart raced in panic.

"No….don't go Elena," he pleaded frantically. "I just got you back."

Elena touched his face tenderly. "Just…count to 30…for real…and then…come…find me…"

The meaning of her words dawned on him and he nodded slowly.

"I will Elena. I'll find you. Go hide."

Elena wiped away one of his tears and smiled. "No…peeking…"

Damon gazed deeply into her brown eyes for several long seconds before he slowly closed his own.

She rested onto his chest and sighed.

Everything became quiet.

And then Damon realized, that he no longer heard her heartbeat.

Month 5

"Here is the testament and here…are your keys."

Damon handed over the little silver keys to the eager, happy couple standing in front of him.

The husband shook Damon's hand excitedly and Damon couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you so much sir! I'm so glad you allowed us to buy this beautiful house at a price so low! My wife, she would have been heartbroken if we couldn't have gotten it! She fell in love with it right away you see…"

Damon waved his hand to stop the man from talking.

"Don't worry about it! You don't have to thank me! I just wanted to ensure that someone worthy would become its owners. This house—"

Damon looked up at the cozy little white house.

"This house is very special."

He cleared his throat.

"Well, go on then! Go start making some memories!"

The couple ran off hand in hand towards the house, shouting their thanks behind their shoulders.

Damon chuckled then slowly began walking in the opposite direction.

He looked up at the sky as he walked and sighed happily as he felt the sun's rays hit his face.

It was time.

He turned into the cemetery and made his way over to the tombstone that was surrounded by roses.

Jeremy came every other day to replace the withering roses with fresh ones. He had sworn to never let a flower die on Elena's grave.

Damon kneeled before the small mound and read the words engraved on Elena's headstone.

She walks in beauty, like the night.

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent.

He smiled and ran his fingers through each word.

"Ready or not," he whispered, his eyes twinkling. "Here I come."

He slowly took off his ring and set it down on the ground.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes—already feeling the sun penetrating through his skin.

He smiled.

He'd be home soon.

Thank you for reading!