Hey there, I know... I know... I suck and I'm a loser :( I've been getting over a long, crummy sickness so some of my friends have been helping me by proofreading and such. Anyways, thank you very much for sticking with me :)

This chapter is a sad one, but fear not! There are probably about 5 chapters left and all will end well!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, the characters, or their likenesses.

The dining room at the boarding house had transformed into what Caroline had dubbed, Wedding Central. There were pictures and fabric swatches and brochures strewn about the solid oak table. Elena was curled up in a patch of sunlight that was warming the leaded glass windows flipping through yet another magazine. She was beginning to wonder how much of this she was actually doing for herself and Damon and how much of it she was doing for their friends and families. Despite what Damon seemed to think, she was truly happy with their courthouse wedding. To her the wedding wasn't what mattered; it was their marriage that she treasured.

She thought back to the evening before when she and Damon had spent several hours exploring the Falls looking for the perfect place for their ceremony.

Flashback

"I'm done, I can't walk anymore," Elena mumbled as she drug her feet in the dirt to make her exhaustion evident. "My legs are dead."

"Come on, baby, don't you think you're being a little melodramatic?" Damon chuckled as her watched her plod along miserably. She plopped down on a rock nearby and laid back with her arms outstretched to the sides, sighing loudly.

"Nope, I'm done," she affirmed.

"Looks like I'm packing you out then," he responded and grabbed her hands in his own to jerk her back up onto her feet.

"Damon, what are you—" she ended with a squeal as he turned quickly and hoisted her onto his back as though she were a satchel. She giggled loudly as he continued down the path as though nothing was any different. She laid her cheek against his shoulder and hugged his neck tightly, having no complaints over their closeness.

"Such a strong and sexy outdoorsman," she cooed and played with the collar of his t-shirt.

"Lucky you," he answered with a cocky smirk. Sooner than Elena desired they were back at the flattened parking spot near the bottom of the Falls. She frowned theatrically when Damon set her down in front of the Camaro's hood. "Oh come on, Pouty, the fun doesn't have to be over just yet," he grinned wickedly and lifted her onto the hood of his car.

"No," she giggled again and pushed him off of her half-heartedly. "Someone… anyone… could see us!"

"Mhmm," he agreed and pulled her closely to him again and kissed her soundly. "That's half the fun."

After a few more protests, Elena gave into him. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist the tender butterfly kisses he lavished on her neck or the soft caresses he drew down her back. It hadn't taken him that long to re-learn all of the things she utterly surrendered to. She was far more taken with small, simple gestures of affection than large, attention-getting ones and he was more than happy to hold and kiss her to her heart's content.

With all of the gentleness he could muster he laid her back on the hood of his car, taking in how ravishing she looked against the glossy sky blue paint. She reached out for him but he caught her hands in his own.

"Just let me watch you," he demanded huskily. Her big brown eyes darkened with desire and she pulled her hands away from his, tracing the lines of his palms lightly as she did so. Her fingers fell to the buttons of her sweater and she slipped them deftly through their confines, keeping her heated gaze fixed on his. His hands found her hips and he traced his thumbs across the waist of her jeans, brushing his thumbs across her tanned abdomen. She arched her back just enough to shuck her sweater and peel off the soft, white tank top she wore underneath, revealing her satin lilac bra. It was a simple French design that let her olive skin and sumptuous curves speak for themselves.

Damon's chest was heaving with lust and it was all he could do to keep his hands on her jeans without stripping them off. Elena liked having that power over him and she wanted to test his control just a little more. She flattened her hands over her collarbones and ran them slowly down the length of her body, stopping at the swell of her breasts to knead the pliant flesh, coaxing a soft moan from her lips. Her hands continued their sure path to the button of her jeans, pulling the fly open painfully slow and lifting her hips from the hood enough to pull them off completely.

She was left only in her bra and matching boyshorts. She could feel Damon's gaze licking flames up and down her body and she was empowered by the burning of her skin. With wantonness that she didn't know she possessed she threw her hands above her head and spread her wavy hair out of the smooth metal beneath her, writhing against the hood as her hand trailed back down her flat stomach to sneak below the band of her panties.

Her fingers found the coarse patch of curls under the lilac satin as she crept closer to her hidden warmth. She traced a finger over her slick slit and groaned at the sensation. Damon licked his lips with anticipation as he watched Elena's face contort with pleasure as she stroked herself.

"Keep going," he groaned and spread her knees wide enough to accommodate his hips. "You have no idea how fucking beautiful you are, baby."

"I want more," she purred, wrapping her legs around him and fisting her unoccupied hand in the front of his shirt.

"Show me."

Without hesitation she took his hand and guided him her molten core. He regained control of their situation by plunging a finger into her heat and twining it with hers that was already stroking her inner walls. He knew her body so intimately that he flexed their joined fingers to stroke her most sensitive spot. Almost immediately her body began to quiver and tighten, but to her surprise Damon withdrew their fingers.

"Please, Damon," Elena whined and ground her hips against his in search for some degree of relieving friction. He unzipped the fly of his jeans and freed his throbbing length within in seconds while pulling his wife's panties down her long, smooth legs. In one swift thrust he was buried within her to the hilt. Her back slid across the smooth paint but he held her hips in place with his strong hands.

"Fuck, Elena, I—" his words tangled in his throat when she contracted around him. His overly sensitive head swelled impossibly larger within her and he could feel every ridge and curve of her silky embrace. Elena's back arched off of the Camaro's hood and she let out a keening cry with her release. His hips slowed as she rode out her orgasm and her tight grip loosened around him. With a few more thrusts he could feel himself coming undone but he had to see her shatter beneath him once more.

With his hands still firmly on her hips he pulled her against him in time with his renewed thrusts, delving more deeply within her than he had before. Suddenly his entire body felt cold without her touch and he canted forward to cover her body with his. Her hands tunneled under his shirt and stroked the firm, strong planes of his chest before her nails bit into the skin at his sides.

"Kiss me, Damon," she begged in a broken voice. "Kiss me."

She didn't even need to ask, but as soon as she did he sealed his lips over hers, swallowing her sighs. She was insistent against him, all teeth and gentle bites. He had a talent for igniting her body and soul and she wanted everything he had to give her. His hips pumped into her determinedly and his lips sucked the soft skin at her neck but it still wasn't enough. It would never be enough; she would never get her fill of him. Ever.

With two earnest strokes they came together. Damon held himself on his elbows to keep from crushing Elena, but he dropped his forehead to her chest and peppered her skin with little kisses as they both caught their breath.

"I'm going to have bruises on my knees for once," Damon chuckled, referring to the chrome bumper that was digging into his kneecaps. Elena gasped indignantly and batted his chest, a stark contrast to the woman who spread herself out on his car and touched herself so brazenly.

"Oh my god, someone is coming," Elena shrieked and pushed him away from her.

"Someone already did, twice," he smirked as he tucked himself back into his pants and watched her scramble for her clothes before leaping into the car and ducking away from the window.

"Damon!" the familiar voice of Liz Forbes called out as she waved from the driver's seat of her patrol car.

"Evening Liz," Damon waved back, thanking his lucky stars that he'd gotten his pants back in place in time.

"Everything alright?" she asked with real concern in her voice. Damon had to acknowledge that it did look a little strange, parked in the middle of nowhere by himself at dusk.

"Oh yeah, just planning a romantic picnic for the missus," he lied smoothly.

"How is Elena?" Liz asked.

"Oh you know, can't keep her hands off her delicious husband," he shrugged, stifling a laugh when he could hear Elena kick the firewall of the passenger's seat.

"Don't let that honeymoon phase pass you by," Liz laughed as she slowly inched her patrol car down the road. "Have a good evening, see you around."

"Goodnight sheriff," Damon nodded. As soon as her taillights were gone Elena popped up in the passenger seat, glaring through the windshield at him.

"Ready to go, my sweetest love," Damon asked charmingly as he slid into the driver's seat.

"Can't keep my hands off of you, really?" she shrieked and whipped at him with her sweater. "She's Caroline's mother, Damon, she's like a second mom to me! That's so embarrassing!"

"The truth will set you free," he said solemnly as he started the car.

"Sometimes, I really don't like you," she muttered and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You love me, honey," Damon said with a self-assured smile.

"I guess so," she replied with a playful eye roll and he joined their hands together on the gearshift.

Present

She tossed her magazine in a growing pile with a huff, she couldn't bring herself to care about the difference between ecru and ivory anymore. She just wanted to tell Damon to call the whole thing off and plan a honeymoon to the Bahamas instead. With a sly smile she decided that that was exactly what she was going to do and she leapt up from her spot and dashed to the study where she knew he was probably reading.

"Damon," she chirped as she rounded the door and she couldn't stop the blood-curdling shriek that escaped her lips. Instead of finding Damon reclined in his reading chair as she had expected he was slumped on the floor by the fireplace. "Oh my god, Damon," Elena screeched and flew to his side, kneeling over his unconscious figure. "Damon, wake up!" she cried shaking his shoulder.

His head lolled to the side, as he remained motionless in her arms. Her shaky fingers wiped away a thin trail of blood that crawled from the corner of his lips. She drew Damon close to her and kissed his head as her tears disappeared into his thick ebony locks.

"Stefan! Stefan!" she screamed as loudly as her tears would allow. "Stefan, help!"

"What's going on?" Stefan asked as he strolled casually into the study. His ever-even keeled expression briefly fractured in a moment of panic, but was back in place before Elena could notice. He dropped to Elena's side and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"I don't know. He's bleeding. I just don't know, Stefan" Elena sobbed hysterically, still shaking Damon. "Damon, wake up. Please, wake up."

"Hey, Lena, calm down. It's going to be ok," Stefan said gently and gathered his sister-in-law in his arms. His first task was to get her out of the study before she traumatized herself beyond repair, then he could deal with his brother. "Go find Caroline and meet us at the hospital. Let her drive, ok?"

"Why isn't he waking up? Stefan, do something!" Elena cried and clung to him like he was a life ring amidst the ocean.

"I will, Elena, I promise. But first you need to go find Caroline. Can you do that for me, please?"

"Ok," Elena sniffled and bolted from the room without so much as a glance back as the scene she knew would break her.

As soon as Elena was out of sight, Stefan knelt down by his brother and gave him a robust slap on the cheek.

"Damon," he commanded and jilted his shoulder. "Wake up, asshole. Seriously, it's not funny." The only response Stefan got was the shallow rise and fall of Damon's chest.

"You asked for it then, brother, I'm calling 911," he taunted as he pulled out his cell phone, hoping that something would rouse Damon. He wouldn't admit his own panic at the risk that Elena could walk back in and see him. With all the calmness he could muster he gave the emergency dispatcher their address and was left to wait the long minutes for the ambulance to arrive.

"Stefan?" a hoarse whisper from the doorway caught his attention. Caroline looked back and forth from the hallway to the study, likely making sure the Elena coast was clear. "What's going on?"

"I have no idea, he just passed out and won't wake up," Stefan explained quietly.

"Damon fainted? Very Gone With the Wind," Caroline smiled, trying to ease some of the tension she could see winding through Stefan's shoulders. He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey," Caroline said and squeezed his hand gently. "He's going to be ok, Stefan. We'll meet you at the hospital, ok?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in a few," Stefan nodded. Caroline gave him a sweet peck on the cheek before zipping down the hall to chaperone Elena to the hospital.

AYATM

"Stefan?" Damon muttered groggily, cracking his eyes open to take in the room around him. Bright lights, sterile white walls, uncomfortable bed. Shit… hello again Mystic General he thought to himself.

"You're finally awake," Stefan answered and stretched out from where he had been sleeping in the bedside chair. "You missed the game. Atlanta won."

"Good. They look good this season," Damon muttered and looked around the room. There was no trace of the Elena, not the lingering sweetness of her perfume or her worn leather handbag. "Where's Elena?"

"She's fine, she's at home with Caroline and Jenna," Stefan answered as he tapped out a quick text to Caroline on his phone.

"What happened?"

"You passed out in the study and smacked your pretty mug on the mantle."

'This shit is getting old," Damon groaned and leaned back against the scratchy hospital pillow. Now that Stefan mentioned it Damon could feel a dull throb in his jaw. "What's the damage this time?"

"Nothing serious, just low blood pressure."

"Oh," Damon said with a pleased smile. "Good."

"Funny thing, though, your bloodwork," Stefan started casually.

"What about it?"

"Just kind of wonky, you been sick lately, Damon?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me, brother. I've already talked to your doctor. Have you been sick lately?"

"Yes," Damon mumbled. And by sick he'd been sick almost every day since he'd been home from the hospital and no amount of saltines and ginger ale seemed to assuage it.

"Let me guess, headaches, too? Maybe migraines? Blurred vision? Ringing in your ears?"

"What are you getting at, Stef?"

"Your margins weren't clean," Stefan explained and pinned him with an accusatory glare. "But you wouldn't know that, would you? Seeing as you've bailed on every single follow up appointment you had."

"What margins? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your tumor margins, you idiot. It's still there! The surgery didn't get the whole thing. Damnit, Damon! What were you thinking?! Every appointment! Dr. Fell has been trying to get a hold of you for three weeks!"

"I know," Damon answered quietly.

"You knew?!" Stefan roared.

"Yes."

"You selfish bastard! How could you do this to Elena? To me?"

"Fuck you, Stef. I did this for you and Elena."

"Well thank you, I'm sure watching you die is going to be swell."

"Do you have any idea what it feels like to wake up with the woman you love and not remember how you got there? To see her look at you with the memories of a life you have no idea existed?! I watched myself tell everyone about the best day of my life on a fucking video and I can't remember a damn minute of it. It fucking sucks, Stefan, and I'm not doing it again. I'm not putting Elena though that again."

"So you'd rather her just lose you altogether."

"She did lose me, don't you get that! You didn't see how broken she was, you didn't hear her crying in the shower every night. She lost me and I was still there giving her hope that everything would be ok."

"I thought you were starting to remember things."

"Moments, Stef. Tiny flashes here and there, and most of it I pieced together from things you all said."

"You're still being selfish," Stefan stubbornly replied.

"I love her, Stefan," Damon said quietly and looked at his hands. "I love her with everything I have. I can't— I can't put her through all of this again. I hope you understand that."

"I don't," Stefan snapped. "I don't understand any damn bit of it."

"That's your problem then."

"You promised her a wedding and a family, Damon. You obviously haven't heard how she and Caroline chatter endlessly about raising kids together. You must not have heard the happiness in her voice. I get that you love her. I love her, too, Damon. Elena has been a sister to me for my entire life and it hurts like hell to think of her as a widow. You of all people should understand that since you escorted her to her parents' funeral. Orphan and a widow before thirty… how much you must love her."

"What are you suggesting?" Damon bristled at his brother's insinuation.

"I'm suggesting that you're being self-centered, idiotic, and pathetic! Get your shit together, Damon. Do you really think that anything could be worse for us than you dying?! Elena losing her husband and best friend and me losing my big brother! How is that better? Stop being a dick, Damon. Do the right thing," Stefan ended his rant. "I'm going to get coffee."

Stefan disappeared from the small room leaving Damon alone with his brother's words hammering through his skull. His intention was not to be selfish; in fact, his intention was to be utterly selfless. He didn't want to put the people he loved most in this world through another catastrophe like before. As much as he hated the thought of leaving Elena, he couldn't bear the thought of leaving her with memories of a sick and crippled husband. He knew that chemotherapy and radiation and whatever else the doctor talked about in her voicemails would rob him of his strength and energy. Fighting this thing would change him and he didn't know if Elena would be able to love the man that was left at the end. She still wanted to travel and see the world, which would be hard with a sick husband at home. He had resigned himself to enjoying whatever time he had left with her and leave her with the memories of the man she fell in love with and loved her completely in return. Then when he was gone, he would just be… gone. No lingering. No drawn out suffering. Just here one day, gone the next, a clean break so to speak.

It wasn't until Stefan actually said the word… widow, that the full gravity of the situation hit him. He imagined the vivacious, beautiful, loving woman he'd worshipped on the hood of his car the evening before dressed in black, being supported by his brother and her best friend as she made her way down the aisle of Mystic Falls Baptist church to his flower-laden casket. He imagined her collapsing under the weight of her sorrow like she had at her parents' funeral, only he wasn't there to catch her. He wasn't there to carry her from the cemetery or make sure she was getting enough to eat. She'd still have her brother, and Stefan, and Caroline, of course, but it wouldn't be the same. Jeremy lived in California and, eventually, Stefan would have to go back to New York. She'd be alone: an orphan and a widow.

The image of Elena curled up in the rain clutching at his tombstone was the final motivation he needed. He grasped for the nurse call button and pressed it several times. When the nurse burst into the room she was clearly expecting an emergency.

"I'd like to speak with Dr. Fell," Damon asked calmly.

A/N: What do you think? Remember, all's well that end's well and this is gonna end well :)

XOXO ~ Anna