Disclaimer: Not my characters, obviously. Just playing in their world for a while.

Author's note: Happy New Year, everyone! Sorry for the delay in updating this one. The holiday season has been hectic, to say the least. Well, here 'tis: the final chapter. I really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you like the ending. Thanks to all for reading and commenting! :)

To give me comfort and love me through
In the lonely hour, I need you

It was beyond time to get the spell lifted from Mystic Falls, Damon mused. He was tired of crashing at Alaric's. He missed his house. He missed his bed. He missed his booze.

Plus, so many of the memories he'd created with Elena had happened there. It was his home. Their home.

Elena chose that moment to flop down on the bed beside him, momentarily distracting him from his depressing thoughts. Since they'd come back from Denver, she'd remembered a few more bits and pieces but nothing substantial. Even though she hid it well, he could tell she was getting frustrated.

"Well, this is a fun way to spend a Friday night," she sighed.

"If we keep hanging out here, Ric's going to charge us rent." Grabbing his glass off the nightstand, he tossed back the rest of his bourbon, letting it warm him from the inside out.

"I don't think he minds. He's gotten pretty cozy with Jo lately. Plus, it's better than the dorm. At least we get a little peace and quiet here," she pointed out. Shifting onto her side, she reached out and combed her fingers through his hair. "I've made such a mess. If I could take it back, I would. In a heartbeat."

Catching her hand, he brought it to his mouth and pressed a kiss into her palm. "We'll fix it."

"How? We've been working on it for weeks now and I've only gotten back a handful of memories."

"Something's better than nothing," he said, taking the glass-is-half-full approach for once. "We can always build on those. Or make new ones, which we've already been doing, by the way."

"I know, but I want the originals back. Maybe if I step over the border again—"

He immediately shot down her ridiculously dangerous idea. "No. Absolutely not. The border's out. You're not risking your life for this."

"Dammit. I wish Klaus or Elijah could just compel me to remember again." She fell back on the bed and ran a hand over her face.

"That would be super, but it doesn't work that way, babe."

"I know." Turning to look at him, she continued in a quieter voice. "Can we keep trying?"

"I'm running out of things to show you that don't involve me dying, or coming damn close to it, or . . ." he trailed off, deciding not to elaborate further and hoping Elena wouldn't notice.

"Or what?" she asked, lifting a brow.

Right. He should've known better. "Making love to you," he admitted.

She sucked in a breath, her wide eyes searching his. "You wouldn't want to . . .?"

He groaned at her implication. "Jesus, Elena. It's not that. Not even close. Were you there in Denver? It was all I could do not to carry you back to that hotel room and have my way with you until one or both of us forgot our own names."

She smiled at his honesty. "So what's stopping you?"

He squeezed his eyes shut but forced the words out anyway. "Without all of your memories, it would feel . . . wrong somehow."

Her face fell, but she quickly recovered. "No, I understand. You're right."

Shit. The mixture of sadness and disappointment written on her features was like a stake to the heart. He couldn't give up now. There had to be something . . .

Getting to his feet, he went over to Alaric's dresser and started rummaging through the drawer he'd claimed as his own that contained the few pieces of clothing he'd acquired since returning to the present. Finding the jeans he'd been wearing when Bonnie sent him back from 90s-ville, he rifled through them until his fingers closed around the object he needed.

Covertly slipping it into his pocket, he turned to find Elena watching him closely. "What are you doing?"

"Show-and-tell time. You up for it?"

"Definitely."

Scoping out Ric's apartment, Damon located the biggest mirror he could find (outside of the bathroom because that would just be weird). Taking Elena's hand, he led her over and positioned her directly in front of it. Stepping behind her, he met her eyes in the glass and smiled.

"Pretend we're in Stefan's bedroom instead of Alaric's loft, and this is what we were doing on the night of your 18th birthday just before we went down to the rave—uh, party, I mean—that Caroline had so lovingly planned. You were hiding out in Stef's room and soaking up all the broody vibes when I found you. Contrary to what you might think, I didn't give you a hard time about it. Just the opposite, in fact."

Don't worry. I'm not gonna lose it, at least not before the cake.

It's your party. You can cry if you want to.

"I brought you a present, which you briefly accused me of stealing, and it ended up being this." Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew the necklace and held it up for her to see.

She studied the piece of jewelry, her eyes narrowing. "That's Esther's talisman, the necklace Stefan gave to me shortly after we met."

"Yeah, to protect you from me," he grumbled. "Anyway, because it meant so much to you back then and helped you feel connected to my brother while he was MIA, I knew it was the most meaningful gift I could give you. When you asked me to do the honors"—he unclasped the chain and held it in front of her—"I couldn't resist."

As the metal of the pendant touched Elena's skin, she locked gazes with Damon in the mirror. Before she could blink, she was bombarded with images, many accompanied by snippets of things she'd said. Things Damon had said. A connection right from the very beginning. Confessions of love. Promises for the future . . .

A chance meeting with a handsome stranger.

You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure and even a little danger.

An impulsive man she was drawn to even though she knew she was playing with fire.

You and I, we have something.

A selfless admission unexpectedly revealed.

I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it. I love you, Elena.

A vow given out of fear for her life and a refusal to lose her.

I will always choose you.

An act of forgiveness as Damon lay dying.

I like you now, just the way you are.

A first kiss shared despite the consequences.

If I'm gonna feel guilty about something, I'm gonna feel guilty about this.

Acceptance of the person she'd become when others had turned away.

I don't think I've ever seen you more alive.

A belief in the feelings they shared despite the unfortunate circumstances.

It's the most real thing that I've ever felt in my entire life.

A revelation given with a clear head and a knowing heart.

I am not sorry that I'm in love with you.

A missed opportunity turned into a romantic, rain-soaked evening.

Promise me this is forever.
I promise.

A promise that nothing would come between them, no matter what fate had planned.

You are my life.

A chance for a life together.

Do you see a future with me? Because that's all I see.

When the barrage of memories came to an end, Elena blinked a few times to clear her fuzzy vision and found Damon staring down at her where she was sprawled out on Alaric's bed, worry rolling off him in waves. His hand caressed her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. "Are you okay?"

She took a moment to assess things. Nothing hurt, although her head was still spinning a little. Her thoughts were clear. Her memories were . . . complete. No more gaps or missing information. No more fake remembrances covering up real ones.

Lurching up off the bed, she flung her arms around Damon's neck and squeezed until she was sure she was on the verge of choking him. Tears filled her eyes, blurring her sight once more. "Better than okay," she half sobbed. "They're back, Damon. I remember everything." With a watery laugh, she yanked him back down with her, and he landed beside her on the duvet with a surprised "oof."

Before he had a chance to react, she slid on top of him, her knees framing his hips as she leaned down to claim his lips in a searing kiss. Every few minutes, she'd pull back and take a breath, words spilling out of her that she repeated on a loop until they became a kind of mantra. "I love you. I'm so sorry I hurt you. Please forgive me."

Damon did his best to keep up with the onslaught, finally rolling them over and pinning her beneath him. "Easy there, sweetheart. I'd almost forgotten how enthusiastic you get." When her smile turned into a pout, he caught her bottom lip between his teeth and gave it a tug. "Of course I forgive you, Elena. I'm just glad you're back. All of you."

Picking up where they'd left off, she continued to demonstrate just how enthusiastic she could be, her tongue tangling with his until they were both moaning in delight. When she hooked her leg around his hips and pressed herself against him, he broke the kiss with a growl. He dropped his head into the crook of her neck, his breath warming her already heated skin. She sifted her fingers through his hair as she wondered what the time out was all about. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He chuckled before raising up to gaze at her with a look of regret. "This may come as a surprise, but I do draw the line at certain things, and getting hot and heavy with you on my best friend's bed is one of them."

She laughed loud and long, the sound echoing off the walls and filling the room. Wiping her eyes once the last giggle had subsided, she rolled her hips just to see what kind of a response she'd get. He didn't disappoint.

"Stop that," he hissed, clamping a fang onto her earlobe before soothing the sting with his tongue.

"Well, I guess we'd better take this elsewhere then. Any ideas?"

"A few." Reluctantly pulling away from her and dragging himself off the bed, he held out a hand to help her up. "Shall we?"

She took what was offered, stumbling a bit when she got to her feet until Damon steadied her. "Just a second. There's something I need to tell you."

"Hmm?"

She ran her hands up his arms and across his shoulders until they were resting on either side of his neck. "That memory from the night of my birthday," she began, "was the key to everything. Before Alaric could compel me, he said he had to find what he called the 'signature memory,' one that would impact all the others, domino-style, once it was altered. Turns out that was the one."

"And what made that particular memory so special?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. "We weren't even together then."

Smiling up at him, she let the truth wash over her, as powerful now as it'd ever been. "Because that was the first time I knew I loved you," she murmured.

Damon's mouth opened and closed a few times before he spoke, and even then, all that came out was a whisper. "What?"

"Giving me back the necklace when you could've just as easily tossed it in the quarry. What I felt for you in that moment was love, pure and simple. For someone who keeps claiming to be selfish, you're pretty selfless, you know that?"

He started to shake his head, but she stopped him, her hands moving up to cup his face. "No, don't try to deny it. When you found out I'd had all the good memories of you erased from my mind, you didn't fly into a rage or kick me to the curb. Instead, you helped me and you refused to give up. You even forgave me after all the pain I'd caused you, and for that, Damon Salvatore, I will love you forever."

He was silent for a while, his expression one of awe. Finally, he snapped out of his daze and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. "Forever sounds damn good to me. I'll take it. And ditto, by the way," he added softly.

When he released her, she caught both of his hands in hers. "How about we make a few more new memories tonight?" she asked, the gleam in her eyes impossible to ignore.

"I'm all for it," he agreed, leading her toward the door. On the way out, he took a brief detour to collect the bourbon along with his glass. He poured some for Elena and then raised the bottle in a toast. "Here's to a future with the woman I love. May it be compulsion free and last for an eternity."

"He's a poet, too." Elena smiled and clinked her glass against the bottle Damon held. "To the future."

Downing their drinks, they put the empty bottle on the kitchen counter with an IOU note stuck to it and left the apartment hand in hand to begin their future together, their 'forever.'