A/N: Hey, hi, hola everybody. Welcome to what is potentially the longest one-shot you will ever read.

This story was loosely inspired by two things: firstly, an old episode of the TV series 'Bones', where Booth saves Brennan from a serial killer, called the Gravedigger. At least, that's how I remember it. It's been a while! (BB shippers, high five.)

Secondly, the latest episode of TVD, where (spoiler if you haven't watched it yet) Damon has the fantasy that Elena rescues him from Rebekah's torture. That kind of made me think about writing this story, and here we are. I took an entire Saturday to write this. I wasn't kidding about the length!

I hope you all don't hate it too much. Much love. ~ K

A bitter, earthen smell invaded her nostrils. The ground below her was hard and cold, but years of disuse had evidently led to the gritty dirt and small stones that pressed against her soft skin. She opened her eyes and saw nothing. Everything was black. She half expected dark shapes with glinting fangs to loom out of the darkness at her, lunging at her bare neck, eager to drain her body of the warm fluid that tied her to life.

But there was nothing.

Elena raised her hand to her head, groaning slightly. She could already feel a lump rising against her soft fingers and winced as she tentatively pressed it. Upon retracting her fingers, she realised they were wet.

She was bleeding.

She strained to remember the events that had resulted in her waking up here, but nothing was clear. There were dark spaces in her memory, and Elena filled with dread as she considered the possibility she'd been compelled. Her hands darted to her throat and she relaxed considerably as she realised her precious vervain necklace still sat at her collarbone.

She slowly sat up, trying not to make a noise. Common sense told her that whoever had put her here wanted to ensure she stayed, by whatever means necessary. She wiped her hands on her jeans and felt at her wrist, searching for the gold watch he had given her for her eighteenth birthday. She cried out in pain as the shattered glass of the clock face punctured her fingers.

So her watch was broken. She had no way of knowing what the time was, and therefore no way of knowing for how long she had been trapped here. In fact, Elena realised, she had no idea if she'd been here for minutes, hours or even days.

Surely the Salvatore brothers would be looking for her by now.

Elena crawled across the hard stone floor until she found a wall, using it to pull herself to a standing position. She felt unsteady and her head spun in protest, but she breathed deeply and forced herself to focus.

She became aware of the roughness of her tongue and the dryness of her throat. How long had it been since she'd had a drink? Her stomach was free of the pangs that indicated hunger – now was not the time to be thinking about his Italian cooking – but she knew she couldn't possibly last long without a drink. She licked her cracked lips impatiently. She had to figure out what had happened.

What was the last thing she remembered? She'd woken up in her own bed, and Jeremy had brought her breakfast. He'd been incredibly nice to her since Stefan had run off. She felt tears prick at her eyes as she thought about her vampire boyfriend – ex-boyfriend? – and reminded herself that he'd been compelled to behave the way he did. He'd fought it as much as he could, but it wasn't his fault that a millennia-old vampire with little to no morals and substantially less humanity than his younger counterparts had taken away his freedom.

But if Elena was honest with herself, strange as it was that this dawning of realisation came to her as she was dying in a dungeon, their relationship had been slowly deteriorating anyway. She had found her mind wandering when he kissed her, instead of the blissful oblivion that she had used to feel. She'd often wished she were somewhere else as they lay in bed together. She knew he had felt it too, but both of them accepted that it was a fact of life. Sometimes, your heart made decisions for you.

Elena hadn't stopped loving him, but she was falling out of love with him, which was a completely different thing altogether.

And Jeremy. Sweet, caring Jeremy. Elena couldn't contain the tears this time as she thought about her little brother. What if him bringing her breakfast had been their last moments spent together? What if she died here, of thirst or starvation or suffocation, or some immortal beast hungering for her flesh? She couldn't leave him without a family. She was all he had.

Elena resolved now to make sure she made it out, alive or undead. No matter what she had to do to survive, she would do it for Jeremy.

Hazy memories whipped through her mind as Elena thought about events from later that day. She'd eaten lunch at the grill with Caroline; yes, that was it. Her best friend had been flirting shamelessly with random strangers in an attempt to make Matt jealous. Admittedly, it had worked, and Caroline had emerged flushed and bright-eyed from a bathroom visit, followed by Matt with a similar expression on his face a minute later.

Elena had insisted that she could walk home by herself, and Caroline could go hunting. Her bathroom rendezvous had clearly left her with a hunger that the burger and fries couldn't satisfy. The dark look in her bright blue eyes reminded Elena of what she saw in another cerulean gaze, whenever he looked at her, and that was often when he was the most unpredictable.

And so, Caroline had taken off and Elena had begun her walk home, and Elena thought now that that was the last thing she remembered.

Or was it?

Coming back to her now was a very unclear memory of a phone call. Elena pressed her eyes shut and saw the blurry phone screen in her mind. Stefan, the caller ID had read.

She fought a wave of dizziness and lost, slowly sinking to the ground and breathing hard. She didn't want to empty the contents of her stomach now, not knowing when, or even if, she'd have the opportunity to eat again.

Stefan had sounded upset on the phone, but determined. What had he said? Elena could only remember a few vague details now.

He knew her heart wasn't in it anymore. And he wasn't coming back. He didn't want her to wait, he had said. He wanted to free her, to let her know it was okay for her to move on. He knew that she was afraid of the guilt that would destroy her, and he'd told her that they were over for good and she didn't have to feel guilty for her traitorous heart anymore.

He'd also said that he would always love and respect her as a friend.

Elena couldn't recall what she'd said to him, but it wasn't important. Stefan had always been good to her, and he had known that her staunch loyalty and aversion to immoral actions would hold her back on leaving him to be with someone else. His final act of kindness had been to give her the push that she wouldn't have had the bravery to give herself. He wanted her to be happy.

There was a loud bang, and Elena heard footsteps descending down stairs. She leapt to her feet – dizziness forgotten, heart pounding – and ran away from the sound, eventually crashing into another wall. Her hands fell on something cold and heavy. Metal, maybe? She held it in her hand, hoping it would be a weapon for self-defence, and recognised it as a strong metal chain. It took a moment before she pieced together this information and realised her location.

There was a creaking of a gate, and the scrape of iron on stone. She felt goosebumps run up and down her skin. The new presence in the room was definitely not friendly.

She braced herself for the impact, and again she saw those brilliant blue eyes that left her speechless. If she died today, she wanted those eyes to be the last thing she thought about; she wanted to die with his name on her lips.

But the impact never came, and all she heard was the clink of glass before her captor left exactly the way they had came. Elena briefly saw dim light before the wooden door closed, and she realised it was nighttime, or early morning, judging from the slight indigo tinge to the light.

She looked around and realised that this same faint light was streaming through a few cracks in between the stones. With difficulty, she spotted a glass on the floor by the gate and crawled towards it.

Water! Precious hydration. Her captor had some sense in them after all. She gulped a mouthful before checking herself. This could be the last drink she saw for a while.

So he didn't want her to die, not yet anyway. Elena acknowledged now that she knew who had taken her. It was exactly like Klaus to torment her like this.

She set the glass down and became aware of an eerie sensation through her veins, burning hot and ice cold at the same time. The last time she had felt this was when he had forced her to drink from him, his shining eyes full of panic and fear that he would lose her. And he had, for a little while, but not to Klaus' ritual. It had taken a while for her to forgive him for trying to turn her. She thought back to just a few moments ago when she had vowed to allow herself to be turned if it meant seeing Jeremy again. Oh, how times had changed.

So whose blood was in her system? Not his, and not Stefan's, and not Klaus' – it wasn't his style. Caroline's: potentially. But why?

Pain shot through Elena's body and she fell to her hands and knees, lights flashing before her eyes in the darkness. Suddenly, she was standing outside the blood bank, evidently having just slaked her thirst. The gentle dawn wind lightly toyed with her long hair, and a curled tendril flew in front of her face before she impatiently brushed it away.

Wait: curled?

Suddenly she found herself doubling over in pain again, before she stood up again. Elena was seeing double now. She could see the blood bank and feel the breeze on her skin, yet she could also see the faint half-light and feel the filth beneath her blood-covered hands back here in her prison.

Elena, a voice called out to her in her head. Her own voice, nearly, but it was a fraction lower and silkier.

Elena, it called again, this time with more certainty and urgency. I know you're there. I can help you.

"Katherine?" Elena whispered incredulously. Her ancestor had fled Mystic Falls and never looked back, at least until now.

Don't speak, the voice commanded. I don't want him to hear you. Just listen to me.

Elena nodded silently before she wondered how she thought Katherine would receive her signal. It didn't matter.

One of Klaus' hybrids attacked you. I heard you screaming and came to help. I fought the mutt off, but you were bleeding out on the pavement. He was new; he couldn't control himself. I didn't have a choice. I had to give you my blood to save you.

Katherine had saved her? Why?

I know it's hard to believe after all I put you through, Elena. But I don't want you to die. You're my own flesh and blood.

If Katherine had saved her life, how had she ended up here?

I was taking you to the boarding house, but evidently Klaus found out about his failed kidnapping. He came with more of the hybrids, and overpowered me. I tried everything to stop him, but he was just too strong.

What did Klaus want with her? Leverage? Revenge?

I don't know, Elena. And for the record, I don't know how this connection that we have right now works. I think it has something to do with the fact that we're doppelgangers, and you have my blood in your system. Who knows? Ask your witch friend after you make it out. But first, tell me where you are.

That, Elena knew for sure. The cold, unforgiving stone chamber, the heavy, rusted chains and the claw marks etched into the walls told her that this was the Lockwood werewolf containment dungeon.

Suddenly, Katherine was off and running and Elena's mind whirled as she was taken with. Where was Katherine going?

I'm going to find Damon. It's going to take more than one of us to rescue you.

Elena saw the hospital, and then the police station flash past her. Why was Katherine heading in the complete opposite direction of the boarding house?

He's out looking for you. He hasn't stopped looking. Neither has Caroline. Even the witch-girl's tracking spells didn't work. She thinks Klaus must have another witch on his side. She's been immersed in her dusty spellbook for the past four hours.

Elena was overwhelmed at the effort her friends were putting in to save her. Even Katherine, who had once made her existence hell, had put her life on the line to save her.

Elena, I'm sorry for everything. I was a complete bitch to you and I know that now. I hope you can forgive me.

Elena knew that Katherine was genuine. Her eyes filled with tears of tiredness and emotion.

"Of course I forgive you," she breathed. Maybe, after all this was over, they could be friends. Elena wanted to meet the Katherine that the Salvatore brothers had fallen in love with all those years ago.

Are you injured at all?

Elena looked at her fingers. The blood was drying now, and her skin was slowly healing. Katherine's blood was doing its work well. Her body still ached – fractured ribs took forever to heal, even with vampire blood – and she still felt as if she might be violently sick, but she was alive.

Okay, Elena. Don't try anything drastic. I'll contact you again if I need to.

And then it was over, and Elena was alone with her thoughts in the Lockwood cells. Nothing to do now but wait until her Salvatore – saviour – arrived.

Time passed, and when Elena awoke from her fitful doze, sunlight was streaming in through the cracks. A bowl of fruit had been left next to the glass of water, and Elena chose a blood red apple and bit into it, savouring the sweet taste.

Judging from the angle that the light was shining, it was early in the afternoon – at least, if he had taught her correctly.

"You never know when tiny skills like this are going to save your life, Elena," he had said, his blue eyes twinkling. She'd been so frustrated with him, but he had taken her hand and all her vexations at him had melted away.

Now that she'd allowed herself to think about him, he wouldn't leave her mind. Her dreams had been littered with images of him to the point where she couldn't distinguish if they were memories from reality or figments of her imagination. Between them, there were flashes of visions of wherever Katherine was; what she was doing, Elena couldn't decipher. The vampire was too impatient to stop and explain everything.

She felt better now, rejuvenated and energised. She explored the cells as much as she could, but Klaus had been careful to section it off so she had no hope of escape.

Her heart leapt into her throat and pleasant tingles raced through her body as she heard his voice. She couldn't work out the words, but it put new hope in her that her salvation was near.

Katherine must have been right in her assumption that her blood had connected their spirits. Elena was nearly fully healed and the blood must be nearly passed from her system entirely. That explained why the connection wasn't as clear as it had been the first time.

As Elena processed this thought, she thought about something else that would be passing from her system soon. Her hands darted to her neck again and she breathed a sigh of relief as she found her necklace still there. She still felt uneasy, however.

The copious amounts of vervain she took every day would be gone from her system in a matter of hours. It wouldn't take Klaus much effort to take the necklace from her, and then she was defenseless against his compulsion. That must be what he was waiting for; he had some master plan he wanted to carry out, but what was it?

She struggled to focus, trying to connect again with Katherine.

The image before her swayed, then vanished and his face materialized in front of her.

"Elena?" Katherine said, aloud, and upon hearing her name spoken, the blue eyes she could see flashed with hope, concern, fear, and, as much as she hesitated to admit it, lust.

I think Klaus is waiting until he can compel me. You have to hurry. Elena felt the scene already going blurry. Their connection was weakening.

"Katherine? What is it? Is she okay?" He panicked.

"Klaus is going to compel her as soon as the vervain is out of her bloodstream." Katherine sounded like she was trying to stop her voice from betraying her anxiety, but Elena knew what she was thinking.

We're coming now, Katherine answered grimly, and the connection was lost.

As Elena took in her surroundings again, she heard Klaus' footsteps on the stairs again, and he reappeared with two hybrids in tow.

"So, Elena, how are you feeling? I must say, I didn't expect Katherine to interfere so much with my plans. She's lucky she got away before I could kill her. Oh well, I'll catch up with her someday."

"What do you want with me, Klaus?" Elena spat, her hatred evident in her voice.

"Now, now; remember your manners, Elena." He looked into her eyes and his pupils dilated strangely. Elena knew this to mean he was attempting compulsion, and she could feel her mind fighting him off.

"Not quite empty yet, are we? I guess my friends can help you out… when they stop choking, I'll know you're ready."

The hybrids stalked forwards, and one darted at her, snapping at her wrist. It recoiled as her blood stung it, then leapt again and latched on this time. Elena screamed with everything she had, hoping her rescuers were close.

The other hybrid bit at her back. Both growled with each new taste of vervain-infused blood, but it became less and less frequent. It was pointless to struggle. She could feel her consciousness slipping as the beasts drained her of life.

She screamed again, with all her remaining strength: this time, a single word.

"Damon!"

The door crashed open – in fact, he slammed straight through it, splintering it into a thousand pieces. Some stuck in him, inflicting damage, but his heart was full of a ceaseless fury, dark veins protruding around his eyes like they did when he hunted. One hybrid was flung backwards into a wall before Damon lunged at Klaus. Caroline seized the other and wrestled him to the floor, snapping and snarling.

Elena felt herself being lifted from the floor as Katherine carried her to their freedom. She could almost see the sky, almost feel the wind… but Klaus appeared in front of them, seizing a split fragment of door from the ground.

As if in slow motion, Klaus drove it straight into Katherine's heart.

Elena felt herself hit the ground as Katherine dropped her, and she felt the stabbing in her own heart simultaneously. The vampire slumped soundlessly to the ground beside her. She screamed in agony, feeling the pain that her vampire counterpart did, as burning sensations ripped through every nerve. Katherine turned her head to face her, gasping and vomiting blood, and their identical brown eyes met.

Elena.

Elena felt the tears well up as she heard Katherine's voice in her head. No. She couldn't be dying. Not after Katherine had gone through so much to save her.

You forgave me. Thank you.

Katherine's skin began to blister strangely, as the skin of vampires always did when they were staked. This, however, was more horrific than any death Elena had seen. She'd never known how long a vampire remained conscious for after they were staked, nor had she known how much pain they had to endure. Not until now, when she felt every moment of it.

"Thank you for saving me," Elena whimpered.

You have the Petrova fire, Elena.

The pain went away, and Elena let out a devastated sob. A single tear lay untouched on Katherine's cheek.

She lifted her eyes and saw that Caroline had successfully slain her hybrid, and was now fighting the other. Damon was now fighting Klaus hand-to-hand, and clearly he was losing. He saw her look up at him and yelled.

"Get out, Elena! Go!"

She tried to crawl towards the doorway, but she heard a thud as Klaus flung Damon out of the way.

Next thing she knew, she was slammed against the wall as Klaus seized both of her wrists, and it felt like time stopped. Caroline leaped up, leaving the other hybrid slowly dying on the ground.

"Take one step closer to me and she dies," Klaus hissed.

Damon's chest was heaving, his blue eyes wide and terrified.

"That's better, isn't it," Klaus remarked, and he released Elena's hand slightly. She still felt dizzy, but an idea struck her as she spotted the gold band on her wrist.

Klaus opened his mouth to say something, and Elena gathered every bit of her courage and strength as she swung her arm up, full force, and slammed the broken watch straight into his eye. Splinters of glass punctured his eye and dark blood gushed from it as he yelped and swore in pain. He released his hold on Elena and she collapsed to the ground, barely conscious and gagging. Damon seized his chance and lunged at the handicapped Original; Caroline headed straight for Elena to pull her clear.

Klaus screamed, an inhuman, bone-chilling sound. He slammed Damon to the ground, his blood-drenched hand at his throat. He whirled on Caroline, flinging another poorly made stake at her, and luckily, Caroline moved quickly enough that it missed her heart and struck her in the shoulder. She recoiled with a cry of pain and Klaus seized Elena and dragged her back again.

He forced her head up, causing her to look him straight in his eyes, one bleeding and swollen, the other gleaming with dangerous rage. The pupils dilated again, and though she tried to fight it, Elena felt herself enter a trance. The sound of Caroline's sobs and the hybrid's choking gasps melted away, and all she heard was Klaus' voice in her head.

Kill Damon.

Damon heard Klaus whisper the words to her and he felt dread wash over him. She slowly staggered to her feet and walked over to the broken door, choosing the largest, sharpest piece of wood.

Kill Damon. Do it. You have the stake. Kill him.

The words repeated over and over in Elena's head. Her mind was blank. She didn't see why not. The only way those words would stop would be if she obeyed them.

Her brown eyes clear, she lowered herself until she was kneeling beside him, grasping the stake in her right hand.

She was gripping the stake so tightly that it was making new cuts in her hand. She looked serene, almost asleep, but her eyes were glassy and wide open. She positioned the stake on his chest, pricking him on the skin exactly above his heart.

There was no point fighting now. Klaus was holding him down, and Damon couldn't bring himself to hurt Elena, even if it was the only way to preserve his own life.

No. He would die for her, and maybe Klaus would allow her to live, letting her go, unscathed. His eyes locked with hers as she lifted the stake above her head, ready to take his life away.

Something clicked in Elena's mind as her soft brown eyes met his ice blue ones. Something seemed amiss. Something didn't seem right about the fact that she was holding a piece of wood, ready to stab the vampire beneath her, and a voice was instructing her to do so.

A new voice sounded in her head. Her own voice, nearly, but it was a fraction lower and silkier.

You have the Petrova fire, Elena.

Everything came flooding back as Elena hauled herself back to reality, using Katherine's dying words as an anchor.

With every last ounce of strength that she possessed, she drove the stake into the vampire's heart and collapsed.

Damon saw fireworks gleam in her eyes, and he resisted the urge to close his own. He wanted the last thing he saw to be her, compelled or not.

But the pain never came. Instead, she abruptly changed direction and plunged the stake into Klaus' heart instead. It was evidently as much of a shock to the Original as it had been to Damon and Caroline. Damon moved quickly to catch Elena before her head struck the floor.

In a flash, both vampires fled, an unconscious Elena in Damon's arms. They didn't wait around to see what happened to Klaus, as they knew an Original couldn't be staked in the normal way. The important thing was that it bought them enough time to get away.

They arrived at the boarding house where Bonnie, Alaric and Jeremy had been anxiously waiting. When Damon laid Elena on the bed, Bonnie instantly started chanting spells over her. Jeremy held her hand. Damon resorted to pacing at the foot of the bed, his stomach in knots.

Nothing Bonnie seemed to be doing was working, and Damon realised what their only option was. He bit hard into his own wrist, drawing blood, and roughly pushed Bonnie out of the way.

He held his wrist above her mouth and a few drops landed on her cracked lips before trickling down her throat.

The room was silent as they waited, hoping, praying.

She coughed slightly and encouraged, Damon pressed his wrist against her mouth. Her eyes flickered open and alighted on his. Her mouth closed around the wound, her hands lifting to hold his arm, and she drank, never breaking eye contact with him.

As they watched, the scars all over her began to heal themselves, and she seemed stronger with each passing minute. Eventually, she relaxed her hold on him and her eyes closed. She was sleeping now.

Alaric decided it would be best not to move her until she was fully healed, so they left her asleep in Damon's room. Caroline murmured to Damon that she was going to go find Katherine's body, so they could give it a proper burial. The others all returned home, and Damon went downstairs to find a blood bag to feed from – he needed to replenish his strength.

After he had eaten, he returned to his bedroom and sat by her side. He hesitantly took her hand and kissed it softly. She looked beautiful, on his bed like this. Even though blood had dried all over her skin, her hair was tangled and matted, and her clothes were stained and torn, he could feel his heart swelling as he remembered the way she had screamed his name with so much pent-up emotion behind the one word.

It didn't take long for Damon to drift off to sleep too, still holding her hand tightly as life returned to her.

The sound of a phone buzzing on the bedside table woke Elena, and she blinked groggily at the flashing screen.

"Hello?" She answered timidly.

"Elena, you're awake!" Caroline shrieked through the phone.

Elena winced. It was five in the morning, and she was still half asleep. She didn't know how Caroline could sound so positive.

"No, no I'm not awake. What's going on?"

Damon was sitting bolt upright. Evidently his vampire senses could pick up Caroline's words.

"I have fantastic news. Klaus is dead."

"What?" Damon and Elena said together, incredulously.

"It's true! I went back, and he was still lying there, looking like any other dead vampire. Naturally, I checked with my mother. Apparently, when the Lockwood family built the door, they made it out of some rare wood, obtained from a white oak tree. He's gone for good."

Elena took a moment to process this news, but Damon's eyes had lit up. He took the phone from her, asked a couple more questions, and then slowly set the phone down.

Elena looked at herself now, and realised how filthy she was. She glanced at Damon and the way he was regarding her made her feel strangely uncomfortable.

"Can I take a shower?" She asked him shyly. He smiled at her and nodded.

"I'll leave a change of clothes on the bed for you while I go downstairs and make something to eat."

Elena nodded and he left the room, closing the door softly behind him. She stepped into the shower in Damon's en suite bathroom, allowing the water to run over her newly healed skin and washing away all the dirt and blood from the past two days. When she'd finished, she slowly pulled on the clothes Damon had left out for her – a pair of her yoga pants and an oversized shirt. The shirt was his; it smelt like him, and Elena breathed in the comforting scent now.

She forced herself to eat some of the breakfast he'd prepared, but she was aware now of the fact that he was watching her intently. She didn't break the silence, and she felt as if she could have taken a knife and sliced through the tension in the room, it was so suffocating.

She returned upstairs to the bed, and her heart fluttered a little as she heard his cat-like steps behind her.

The threat had been lifted. Klaus was dead for good.

It was only just starting to sink in. She was free of Klaus forever.

And there was someone else she was free of too, Elena thought as she sat down on the bed. Damon leaned against the doorframe, still watching her like a bird of prey. She and Stefan were over. Which left her free to pursue other things… other people.

As if Damon read her mind, he flashed across the room and sat down next to her. She looked at him, and realised his close proximity as her heart started to beat faster. She knew he could hear it, too.

"When I was trapped in there… I couldn't… I didn't stop thinking about you," Elena said breathlessly. She couldn't read his eyes as they studied her own, so she rushed what she had to say next.

"Damon, I can't hide it anymore. I don't want to, and I don't have to. And I know you feel the same way."

He traced a finger along the side of her face gently, caressing her chin in his hands. "Say it, Elena."

"I love you, Damon Salvatore." Her tone was simple and honest.

"I love you too," Damon breathed as he leaned in, capturing her lips in his.

It was the best feeling she'd ever known. Sparks flew before her eyes, and her heart jackhammered in her ribcage as he twisted his fingers in her hair. His other hand curled around her, pressing in her lower back, pulling her closer into him. She wrapped her own arms around him, breathing him in.

The kisses were less desperate and frantic now. They slowly lay down together on the bed, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world for her to unbutton his shirt, running her fingers along his well-defined torso. She placed soft, feather-light kisses down his chest before returning back to his mouth, his lips tasting heavenly.

He pulled the shirt she was wearing over her head, and Elena shuddered involuntarily as she realised what was coming. He hesitated, pulled back, and looked at her.

"Are you ready, Elena?" His eyes showed honest concern, and Elena truly loved that he was allowing her to see all of him, one hundred percent unadulterated.

She nodded, swallowing hard. "But first…"

"What is it?"

"After tonight, after we're finished…"

"Yes?"

"I want you to turn me."

She heard his nearly imperceptible intake of breath, and immediately started ranting.

"I know it's selfish and I know you don't like it, but I just want to spend all of eternity with you. I want to wake up every morning next to you, I want to walk and hunt beside you, and I don't want you to have to protect me for my whole, albeit short, life. Please, Damon; I love you and-"

He cut her off, pressing his lips to hers again and kissing her deeply.

"Of course," he whispered, pulling her close again and resuming what they'd started.

Elena was lying with her head on his bare chest as it rose and fell with his even breaths. She'd never felt so complete before. The last time she remembered being truly happy was prior to the death of her parents, and even then, it hadn't felt like this.

She slowly rose and dressed, finding hers and Damon's clothes scattered all around the room. Although he'd been perfectly gentle with her, he hadn't held back in the undressing department.

She could still feel his blood coursing through her veins, and she looked at him now, sitting up in bed, his eyes full of love for her.

"You're ready?" He asked again. She nodded firmly, and took his hand.

Wordlessly, she led him out to Wickery Bridge. He looked confused.

"Why are we here?"

"Something Matt said to me once. Elena Gilbert should have died on this bridge with her parents. And in reality, she did. I wasn't the same after that. I wasn't me, not until I met Stefan and you and my life became even more crazy and messed up, and even now I'm a different me. I think it's poetic, then, that I die here. Like I was meant to the first time."

Her eyes filled with tears and though she tried to hide them, Damon couldn't be fooled. He wrapped his arms around her, unable to get enough of her now she was his. After all, he had to make up for lost time, didn't he?

But no, he realised. She would be his forever after this.

They stood together at the edge. A small cross etched into the white oak wood marked the exact spot where her parents' car had plunged off the bridge. She took a deep breath and kissed Damon, seeking bravery and hoping he would transfer some to her through their passionate embrace.

"I love you," he whispered to her. He heard her repeat his words, and she closed her eyes, clinging tightly to him.

Together, they leaped into their new lives.

Together for eternity.

Thirty years later

"Mama! Mama, look!"

"What is it, sweetie?"

Elena looked fondly at her children as they chased the puppy, their early Christmas present, around the yard. She would be forever indebted to Bonnie and her daughters for finally developing a spell that allowed her and her husband to conceive. The little girls, now nearly seven years old, were very much alive and very much human. The one girl, who had called out, had waist-length brown hair trailing behind her in messy curls as she ran, and the other had mid-length black tresses, dark as a raven's wing. Both, however, had their father's ice-blue eyes, and they glittered just like his did now as he watched.

Elena knew that someday she and her daughters would have to decide if they wanted to live for a lifetime as humans, or for eternity as vampires. She was, however, determined that her daughters would have the choice and nobody would take that away from them. Elena had made her decision that day in the Lockwood cell, and she hadn't looked back. Her children would have the same privilege – it was her duty as a mother to ensure it.

There was a shout, and a blond-haired boy with scabby knees and a bright grin came barrelling around the corner. The girls squealed with delight as the boy, only slightly older, joined in the game. It would be funny if one of them married him someday, Elena mused. The dark-haired twin took the boy's hand and showed him how to command the puppy to sit. It probably would be Jenna. She was quiet and reserved and sweet – exactly like Elena. Katherine was too fiery-tempered – the Petrova fire – to get along well with Caroline's son. As if she'd heard her mother's thoughts, the girl with chocolate ringlets turned her gleaming eyes toward Elena and smiled.

"Will! William, be careful, please!" Caroline called after him, one hand on her swollen stomach. Even in her eternal youth, she looked breathless and exhausted by such a rambunctious boy. Elena bit her tongue to keep herself from reminding Caroline that her kids' endless energy was her own fault.

Matt came around the corner, holding the hands of a five-year-old boy and three-year-old girl. He'd aged quite well, considering. Caroline had respected his decision not to be turned. She regretted that by the time she was able to have children, he was already much older than he'd expected to be when he became a father. Matt, however, loved it.

"Go on, Alex, Tori; go play with the puppy!"

The kids bounced off and joined their older brother and the twins. Joyful shrieks ensued as the excited Labrador leapt at them, licking their faces and chasing his tail.

"So," Elena said, turning to her best friend. "Another girl on the way, huh? Have you decided on a name yet?"

Caroline nodded, but a mischievous grin was playing at the corner of her mouth.

"We've chosen the name 'Ashleigh'... and what about you, Elena? Don't try to tell me otherwise; I'm not blind, you know!"

Elena blushed crimson and her own hand went to her very slight bump. "I haven't told them yet. I'm saving it for Christmas. I'm pretty sure Katherine knows already, though. She mentioned something the other day about hopefully getting a little brother."

Caroline winked conspiratorially at her. "I won't breathe a word. Bonnie's granddaughter – I think her name is Marlowe? You know, Sheila's daughter, not Abby's. Anyway, Marlowe had a vision of you having another baby: a boy this time. Bonnie wanted me to check it out. Apparently, she's just as sharp as her grandmother – or just as nosy as her grandfather."

Elena smiled. Jeremy was pretty curious about everything, and Marlowe took after him in so many ways, so it wouldn't be surprising.

Alaric had died a year previously. He'd been like a grandfather to the twins, and the loss had been devastating, but his ring couldn't protect him from cancer. He did, however, leave them with many precious memories, and Elena was grateful to him for everything he had done for her and her family.

Stefan had travelled the world, becoming a writer. He'd never settled down, not longing for a family like the rest of them had. They heard from him occasionally, as he sent postcards from exotic destinations he visited in almost every country. Last she'd heard, he was trekking across the Australian desert. He had a soft spot for his nieces, though, and he'd made sure that the puppy he'd bought them – the girls had named him Ricky, after their honorary grandfather – would arrive in time for Christmas.

Elena could not have been happier. Her life was perfect. She glanced at Damon and saw he looked worried, but he saw her look and put his arm around her shoulders, leaning in to kiss her gently.

"I don't deserve to be this lucky," Damon said softly to her. Caroline tactfully pretended not to be able to hear them and waved to Victoria, who was riding piggyback on her father's shoulders.

"Why's that?" Elena asked, after sharing another kiss with him. Even after a quarter of a century of marriage, her love for him had not faded a fraction, and she knew it never would.

"I never did anything to deserve this. I killed people. I tried to kill you, once." Elena smiled briefly at the memory of those early days. "But look, here I have you by my side for the rest of our endless lives, and we have our two beautiful daughters… nothing could be better than that. I'm scared that one day I'm going to wake up and this will have all just been some cruel hallucination."

Elena kissed him again, trying to rid him of doubt.

"It's real, Damon, can't you feel it? It's real; I swear. I'm here, and I'll never leave you."

Their foreheads were touching, and he rested his hand on the front of her hip as he began to kiss down the side of her neck. Despite Elena's decision to reserve the surprise for Christmas, her unborn child had other plans. It kicked out, hard. Damon gasped and pulled back, his eyes wide and hopeful.

"Was that…?"

Elena laughed as the baby kicked again in confirmation. Jenna and Katherine were listening too, now. Even the puppy sat curiously, head cocked to one side, staring at them. Both families waited breathlessly for her answer.

"Yes, honey. Your son is trying to say hello."

A/N: Well, there you have it! And if you managed to stick with it the whole way through, I'm incredibly flattered.
Just to clarify the families that resulted, in case I didn't make it clear:

Elena and Damon had twin girls, naming them Jenna and Katherine. In my head, their unborn son is called Stefan.

Caroline married Matt, and had William first (Caroline's father), then Alex (no reason), then Tori (Victoria, after Vicki), and then Ashleigh, which is a shoutout to the wonderful Ash (katerinapierce/ninalooch on tumblr) who has been on hiatus for like two weeks now and I miss her a lot, so I wrote her into the story. Yup.

Jeremy and Bonnie married, and of course both remained human, so they aged. They had two daughters, Sheila and Abby, who would be in their late twenties now, I guess. Sheila has a son, Parker (yay, Bones!), and a daughter, Marlowe (I think it's pretty). Abby also has a daughter, who in my head is called Ebony.

I named all of these characters because I initially decided to have them all together, but it was kind of frenzied and confusing to have that many children running around. I couldn't see it properly in my mind when I was writing it, so I just removed the Gilbert-Bennett family.

Another shoutout here to my platypus. Thank you for listening to me whinge on Skype about not being able to write a convincing Delena sex scene.

I'm considering writing a sequel here, still a Delena-orientated one but with Katherine and Jenna playing more active roles than just the epilogue. If you'd like to see one, let me know in the reviews.

Thanks again! Love you all. ~ K