A/N: And here it is... Thank you all for reading!

It had been the happiest and hardest two years of his life. Things weren't perfect, they never were and he didn't expect them to be; but she was still with him, and in the end, that was all that had mattered.

It had taken months for his nightmares to stop; he would wake up screaming and crying that she couldn't be there because she was still gone. But she had woken up, she had come back to him, and she was always right beside him when he woke from his torturous dreams.

She had transitioned, and was now a vampire.

They had eventually left the clearing where he had gone to die that day; and when they arrived back at her house they were welcomed in cries of joy and relief that they were both alive.

They had known what he would do, and had searched for him like he thought they would; but none had been more surprised than Stefan when he told him where they had gone.

His brother didn't understand why he would take her there, but it didn't really matter; they were all too blindly happy they had made it home. He apologized to Caroline, but she would barely let him get the words out when he told her how thankful he was to her for saving Elena, and convincing her to live for him.

They had stayed for only an hour before he took her home to the boarding house; and he held her hand and told her he loved her as she took her first drink from the blood bag she needed. He held her while she screamed as the fangs ripped through her mouth; he remembered with perfect clarity how scary and painful it had been for him to feel his body change.

But she was strong, and she was brave, and she didn't hide or run when she transformed in front of him. He promised her that she was beautiful when the veins snaked around her eyes; and he showed her his so she would know that he had meant it, because they were now the same.

He did his best to be patient as he tried to teach her control; he wouldn't let her drink animal blood out of his fear of Stefan's past. He only allowed her blood bags at first, and for the most part, she took to it naturally. When she did get embarrassed or self-conscious he always assured her that there was nothing to be ashamed of; that this was who she was now, and she was a perfectly normal vampire.

Her emotions were uncontrollable for a while and they fought more than anything else; she would scream and yell, throw things and hit him, but he had expected it and bore it. He loved her wrath and had told her that before; and he promised her that she could get as mad as she wanted as long as she didn't leave. So she never left and she never tried; they wouldn't make that mistake again, not after everything that had happened.

No one had expected it the first time she took a life; they had thought she had enough control by then, but they had been woefully wrong. It wasn't really her fault, and she hadn't meant for it to happen; but it had still occurred.

She was with Caroline when he got the call; they had been out shopping and had ducked into an alley for a quick snack. She was learning "snatch, eat, erase" at his urging because he didn't want her to rely on blood bags; it wasn't a dependable source of food. But Caroline hadn't been watching her close enough, and before either had known what had happened, Elena had drained him dry.

He wanted to kill Caroline for putting her through that; but he didn't and he wouldn't. There had been close calls even under his protective watch; it was only a matter of time before it eventually happened. And no matter how mad or upset he was at her friend, he could never hate her, because she was the reason that Elena was alive in the first place.

Caroline had looked terrified when he got to them, like she was waiting for him to kill her. But he told her that he wasn't mad, just to take care of the body so he could get Elena home.

He carried her back to the house and held her while she cried for days; the first was always the worst and he promised it would get easier. She screamed at him that she didn't want it to be easier, and that she would never kill again; but he wouldn't let her live in denial, it would only make things worse.

He made her listen as he told her that someday, someone else would die; it could happen out of hunger, or anger, or simply by accident, but that it was bound to happen again. He promised her that no matter what, he loved her regardless; and that death was a natural part of life, especially for vampires.

She didn't want to hear it; her stubbornness had been magnified along with many other things. But he knew, that she knew, that he was right.

They made it through her guilt, and it was hard; but they could weather any storm as long as they were together. They never knew this more than the day that they lost Stefan.

There hadn't been time to tell them the night that Elena had died, but Jeremy had apparently had a heart attack when Stefan walked through the door. He had asked Jeremy once before to talk to Katherine's ghost, but he had sworn that he couldn't find her. So when Stefan had arrived to say his goodbyes to Elena, they quickly found out why; Katherine had stayed with him, even in death.

Stefan had loved her though he had fought it with everything he had; and Katherine had always chosen him, he was the only person she had ever really loved.

His brother could no longer handle the prospect of eternity without her anymore after he had lost Elena; and Damon understood, because he had tried to die when he lost his beloved too. But they still weren't prepared when Stefan took his life so he could be with Katherine.

The grief and pain nearly destroyed him; it was only second to how he had felt when he thought he had lost Elena. Jeremy tried to give him peace by telling him that they had found each other on the other side and had been able to finally move on; but the only thing that got him through it was having her by his side.

She took complete and total care of him while he broke over the loss of his brother; and she never left him for a second even when he lashed out at her. She was his strength when he had none, and she promised she always would be; and he knew that the only thing keeping him alive was the fact that she was there.

And she was there; she was still alive and right in front of him, telling him that she loved him and that they would get through this together. He could still touch her, kiss her, make love to her, as often as he pleased; and he lost himself in his passion for her as she carried him through his grief.

They came out the other side stronger than they had ever been before; and the devotion and commitment between them was nothing less than formidable. Nothing could ever break them as long as they stood together.

He had needed to wait for a year before he finally gave her the ring; he had wanted to do it as soon as she had transitioned, but it hadn't been the time. Bonnie had made a ring and had it waiting for her when they returned, so he held his tongue as he watched her put it on. He told himself that it was all right because he wanted to wait until they were ready, and they had all the time they would ever need.

He ended up waiting for longer than he liked, but it had never felt right when she was first learning how to be a vampire, and even more so when dealing with his brother's sudden death. But he knew that it was time, and he knew that they were ready, when he finally proposed to her on the anniversary of her re-birth.

He had gotten her out of the house so that he could prepare, and she had been stunned when she arrived home from a day with her friends to find what he had done.

She was led into the parlor by a trail of red rose petals; and every few feet there had been a note describing all the different things that he loved most about her. She was already crying by the time she reached him, and she looked at the room in awe at the multitude of candles that he had lit for her.

She had gone to him slowly, shaking in excitement, nervousness and anticipating; and when she finally reached him and took his hands in hers, she didn't resist when he kissed her sweetly and told her he loved her. They were both crying by the time that he kneeled down and offered her the ring; and she smiled at him and wiped his tears when he told her how much she meant to him, and how she always would.

She had answered that she loved him too, but that he didn't have to do this; the title didn't matter as long as he was hers. But he promised that this was what he wanted, and had wanted, and that it was for both of him. He was honest when he said that he wasn't taking no for an answer unless she really meant it.

When she finally whispered her yes, he thought he would die from joy; he hadn't expected anything different, but he loved to hear her say it. She cried even harder as he slid the ring into place; it fit her perfectly, but he had known that it would. It was meant for her and always had been; just as she was meant for him.

They had Alaric marry them in front of their family and friends; and they tried not to focus on those that should have been there, but weren't. They knew that wherever they were, they were looking down and smiling.

He hadn't been able to see anything else but her once she had made her appearance; and she glowed and beamed at him as her brother walked her down the aisle. She cried when he made his vows to her, and he had never meant anything more. He couldn't help the tear that escaped as she made her own to him, and he had barely held it together when he heard her say "I do".

Their love wasn't perfect, and it never would be. It was explosive and often violent, but it was passionate, and above all, true. It was worth fighting for, and he vowed to never give up.

Because she was life, and she was breath.

And she was his, forever.

FIN