You sat in a chair on your front porch, your feet propped on the railing in front of you. The book you were reading had sucked you in, but that didn't keep you from glancing up occasionally and surveying the town around you. 

You sipped your lemonade and shifted your position just a bit to get more comfortable. Today was the first day in months there was no supernatural drama to worry about. Well, none you were going to worry about anyway. Your phone was turned off and laying on the kitchen counter. If it was an emergency they'd come find you, you reasoned. You deserved a day off and today was the perfect day for it.

You'd been friends with Jenna and had come to Mystic Falls with her when she suddenly found herself caretaker of two teenagers. She'd been so grateful for your 'sacrifice' but in reality you'd been looking for a change of scenery anyway. Truth was you were a rather powerful witch that was far older than you looked. 

And it was a good thing you'd tagged along. Your intervention with the hybrid had kept your friend alive. He was more than willing to find another vampire for his ritual when you promised to do some work for him. You shook your head as you smiled, remembering Niklaus was rather disgruntled to learn that didn't mean you'd cater to his every whim. Then you'd kept Kol from being killed by Jenna's nephew. 

Somewhere along the way, you'd managed to befriend both sides of the supernatural drama that saturated this little town. You could leave at anytime, and you'd thought about it. But you'd been dreadfully bored before Mystic Falls. At least there was never any shortage of excitement around here.

"There you are, gorgeous," a smooth voice said and you peered over the top of your book. Damon Salvatore leaned against one of the posts on your porch, smirking in your direction. Your heart did its normal dance it did whenever he was around. "I've been calling for hours."

You arched a brow, determined to appear completely unaffected. "Day off, Salvatore. Remember those words coming out of my mouth yesterday?"

"Yes, but what's a day off without a drink at the bar with a few friends?"

You narrowed your eyes. "When you say this do you mean, hey, let's have a drink? Or do you mean, please come help me keep someone from killing Elena?"

He held up his hands in a gesture of innocence you didn't buy at all. "Just a drink, Y/N. Stefan will be there." There was a teasing lilt to his voice as he said the last. 

"I told you before, Damon, I don't like him like that." You and Stefan had gone out on two dates before deciding you were better off as friends. You were both longing for other people whether you wanted to admit that or not. He still wanted Elena while you pined for the elder Salvatore.

You stood with an exaggerated sigh. A drink actually sounded lovely, but he didn't have to know that. "All right. One drink."

He grinned. "Great." His smile slipped as you opened the screen door heading into the house. "Where are you going?"

You glanced down at your outfit. "I'm not wearing this. I don't even have shoes on."

He groaned making you roll your eyes. He was always so dramatic. You stepped inside and slid on a pair of strappy sandals, pulling the strap up over your heel. You grabbed a 3/4 sleeved top and slid it on over your tank top before grabbing your phone and slipping it in your pocket. 

Stepping out of the house, you shut the door behind you. "Was that minute long wait too much for you, Damon? Should I call Stefan of the hero hair to come save you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Y/N." You linked your arm with his as you walked. He shifted so his arm was around your shoulders and he tugged you against his side. 

"You're buying. Didn't feel like bringing my purse," you informed him as you draped an arm around his waist. You loved being like this with him. And if just for a moment you pretended he was yours, what was the harm?

He shrugged as if it didn't matter and it probably didn't. He'd just compel the drinks out of the bartender anyway. When you arrived at the Grill, Damon detached himself from you to open the door. You stepped inside only to be met with a loud shout. "Surprise!"

You blinked in awe and glanced around the room. "How did you know?" you finally asked. You hadn't celebrated your birthday in decades. 

"My fault I'm afraid," Jenna piped up. 

Of course it was her. She stepped forward and you embraced your red-headed friend. "Thank you, Jenna."

You made your rounds through the room, greeting your friends. Well, all but the Mikaelsons. It didn't escape your notice that they weren't part of the festivities. "I think you missed a few invitations," you said to Damon as you sat beside him at the bar. 

"Um...no. No, I didn't," he insisted and sipped his drink. "I still don't understand how you can befriend them so easily."

"Do you really want to have this conversation again?" you asked.

He glanced at you from the corner of his eye and shook his head. You told him once that you'd figured out how many people he and Stefan would kill over a thousand years and it surpassed what they'd laid on Klaus's doorstep. In truth, you'd just made up a number, but it worked and that was the important part. 

You sipped at your drink and chatted with people as they came by while Damon stayed right by your side making sure your glass was always full. It was a couple of hours into the festivities before you heard, "Look, Brother. A party. I wonder what the occasion is."

You grinned and hurried across the room to launch yourself at Kol. He laughed as he caught you and spun you in a circle. "Hello, birthday girl."

Understandably you and Kol had become incredibly close after you saved his life. "I thought you weren't coming?"

He leaned forward to speak in your ear. "And miss all the excitement? Perish the thought, Darling."

He passed you off to his brothers, who both hugged you as well only for you to end up with Rebekah's arm around your shoulder. When you turned back to Kol, Damon was there handing the Original a beer. "You didn't honestly think I wouldn't invite your best friend, did you?" he asked with a smirk.

"Thank you, Damon." His words brought another thought to mind and you pursed your lips as you glanced around the room. You hadn't seen Stefan for ages. Or Elena for that matter. You hummed to yourself.

"Oh, no," Kol said drawing your attention.

You glanced at him with arched brows. "What?"

"You've got that look," he answered. 

"What look?" 

The group around you laughed. "The look that usually means there's going to be trouble," Klaus added his two cents with a smirk. 

You shook your head and fought a smile. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to visit the ladies' room." 

You headed toward the hall, arms crossed over your chest, looking for your two missing friends as you went. To your surprise there was a line in the hallway. "What's going on?" you asked.

"Door's locked," a girl you vaguely recognized answered.

Your gaze shifted to the door and there was that feeling again. You walked over to the men's room and pushed the door open. "Anyone in here?" you called. There was no answer. You gestured into the room with your head. "Use this one. I'll see about getting ours open."

The line of women hurried into the other restroom. Apparently they'd been waiting awhile. You studied the locked door again. You should go get an employee with a key. That's what you should do. Instead you chanted a spell and waved your fingers over the lock, smiling with satisfaction when it clicked open. 

You pushed the door open, stopping it with your hand before it could swing closed. You leaned against it with one shoulder and watched in amusement as Stefan and Elena struggled to put their clothes to rights. They glanced at you in unison and froze. 

"This isn't what it looks like," Elena argued. 

"I can explain everything, Y/N," Stefan said with wide eyes as he continued to tuck his shirt into his pants. 

"You two don't owe me an explanation. I'm not the one here with a boyfriend." But oh did your heart ache for Damon. He didn't deserve this. 

Her eyes suddenly got wide, panicked. "You can't tell Damon. He'll flip out." She grasped your arm and you stared at her hand until Stefan pulled her away.

You shifted your gaze to the two of them. "I'm not going to tell him anything. Because when you two leave here, you're going to find him and confess. Do anything else, or tell him anything but the absolute truth and I will destroy you. Understood?"

Elena started to say something and Stefan slipped his hand over her mouth as he nodded at you with a small smile. 

You looked between the two of them one more time. Their behavior was odd even for two people just caught in a compromising position. You stepped back into the hall and let the door shut. 

"So how long do you suppose they had the bathroom tied up for?" The voice made you jump and you turned in surprise to find Damon leaning against the wall beside the door. He honestly didn't look upset at all. "I mean, did it not occur to them people might have to actually use the bathroom or what?"

You arched a brow. "You're taking this well."

He shrugged and draped an arm around your shoulders. "Let's just say things between Elena and I aren't what you think." A million questions flew through your brain as he steered you through the crowd. Before you could ask any of them, you arrived at the table where the Mikaelsons sat. "Stay here," Damon said and kissed your temple before disappearing.

"There's my girl," Kol said, pulling a chair over next to him. You sat, but your eyes followed Damon as he moved across the bar to talk to the band singing in the corner. "What's up with him?" Kol asked as he tugged you against his side. 

"Hold on a second," you said and your eyes followed Stefan and Elena as they reappeared from the back hall. They immediately separated. Stefan went to the bar and grabbed a couple of glasses and a bottle while Elena made her way to Damon. She stood on her tiptoes and said something in his ear. He looked annoyed as he shook his head.

"Have a drink," Stefan said as he handed you a glass of your favorite alcohol. 

You hummed in acknowledgement before taking a sip. You finally tore your eyes away from Elena and glanced at Stefan. "I thought you were going to tell him."

"Don't worry about it. It's taken care of," Stefan said. 

You heard the amusement in his voice and frowned as you leaned against Kol once more. "It doesn't matter because he already knows. He was in the hallway when I left."

"Well, don't keep the rest of us in suspense," Rebekah said glancing between you and Stefan. 

You were prepared to answer when Damon's voice cut you off. "Hello, everybody." He was up on the little stage using the band's microphone. He shot a smile in your direction as he waited for everyone to quiet down. "As you know, we're here to celebrate the 24th birthday of the lovely Y/N."

You snorted a laugh. Kol glanced down at you with an arched brow. "If I'm twenty-four, so are you," you said causing the Original to chuckle before you turned your attention back to Damon. 

"Y/N, you are the reason we are all here. In this room. Together. You make us set aside our differences just to see you smile. And we made you a little something." He lifted his arm as if to signal someone then paused. "Oh, yeah. And I would also like to report that the women's bathroom is now fully functional as it is no longer being used for sex."

You choked on your drink as the lights went down and Kol patted you on the back as he laughed. 

"Damn it, Damon," Stefan muttered.

Once you quit choking you laughed. "Well, that's one way to make that announcement."

A video started playing on the wall across from you. All of your best friends were gathered together outside somewhere smiling and waving at the camera. Matt popped out to wave into the camera, apparently he was the one filming.

The image cut to Jenna and her radiant smile. "I guess I'll start. You came here for me, but also for yourself I think. This place suits you. You've saved me in more ways than you can ever know."

"Which means you saved me," Ric said off-screen and the image widened to include him. He sat behind Jenna, his arms wrapped around her with his hands resting on her belly. "And this little one, whoever they are."

Your hands flew up to your mouth and tears welled in your eyes. Jenna was pregnant.

"We already discussed it," Jenna said and smiled up at Ric, "and if it's a girl, we're naming it Y/N." 

Kol rubbed your back as the tears fell down your face. At least they were happy tears for once. 

"I can't believe you all kept that from me," you shouted into the dark to be met with laughter which died down quickly as Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie came onto the screen. 

"Hey, Y/N/N," Bonnie said with a wave. "You're older than us, but you've always been there helping us out. We just wanted to say thanks." All three girls said happy birthday before Matt passed the camera to Caroline. 

"Hey, it's me. Matt. But you know that. Anyway. Thanks for making sure some of us stay ourselves." He scratched the top of his head. "Well, you know what I mean."

Jeremy pushed him out of the way and he and Tyler popped onto the screen. "And for keeping some of us from making stupid mistakes."

"All right, children. Run along. It's time for the adults to talk now," Klaus's voice came from off screen and you glanced over to find him smiling at you. He gestured to the wall so you'd turn your attention back to the video. All the Mikaelsons were onscreen at once. 

"Oh, God," you moaned and Kol chuckled behind you. 

"Hello, Y/N," Rebekah yelled with a wave. "You saved my brother."

"You helped us all see other ways to accomplish our goals," Klaus added.

"We've had numerous discussions on topics I haven't had the pleasure of debating in years," Elijah said with a smile.

"And you're my best friend. But you knew that already." Kol hugged you from behind and kissed the top of your head as his counterpart talked on the screen.

"In short, Y/N/N, you're family. Always and Forever," Elijah said.

"So, even though Damon said this was supposed to be your present," Rebekah rolled her eyes as she made that announcement, "here's a key to our home. You're welcome anytime. Not that you didn't already know that."

Rebekah slid a key across the table to you and you snatched it from the surface and shoved it in your pocket. "Thank you," you mouthed to her. She smiled and nodded.

"But of course, that's not much of a present. And we do like to make grand gestures in this family, don't we?" Klaus said from the video. "So here's the rest of your present." He held up an envelope. "I bought your house from your landlord, love. It's yours now."

You sat there stunned for a moment before turning slowly to look at Klaus. He grinned at you. A real genuine smile, not a smirk. He slid the envelope across the table. "We all chipped in, love. Happy birthday."

"You bought me a house," you said, your voice low. You looked at the envelope then at all of them. "You bought me a house."

Rebekah waved her hand through the air. "Oh, who cares. It's not like we're not drowning in bloody money. It's our way of making sure you don't run off."

"Do you think she's had enough time to freak out about the house yet?" You heard from the video and turned back to see Stefan and Damon were now on the screen. It was Damon that had asked the question.

"Probably not, but this was supposed to be a short video," Stefan answered. "How do you want to do this?"

Damon winced. "I think maybe you better handle this first part."

Stefan nodded once and let out a long breath. "Elena and I...Elena and Damon..."

"Really, Stefan?" video Damon asked. 

You watched as Elena marched onto the screen and gave Stefan a long, lingering kiss. You were fairly certain there was tongue involved. 

"Guys!" Damon finally yelled. When they kept kissing he looked at the camera and shook his head. "This would be why you haven't seen me with Elena for the past several weeks. Yes, we kissed. Yes, I wanted her once upon a time. But that changed. It changed a long time ago if I'm honest."

Your heart pounded in your chest as your eyes stayed glued to Damon. Was he honestly saying what you thought he was? Could he possibly love you as much as you loved him? The tightness in your chest from the anticipation made it hard to breathe.

The camera zoomed in on him. "You see, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you. Head over heels, crazy, insane, love." Your hands covered your mouth again as you tapped your feet on the floor in excitement. He'd said it. Damon Salvatore loved you.

He glanced down then back up. "But you know me, Y/N/N. In fact, I'm pretty sure you know me in ways no one else does. And knowing me as you do, there was no possible way you could love me back. There was no possible way I deserved you. So I avoided you. And drank. And got in a fight with your best friend because he wouldn't keep his paws off you."

You glanced back at Kol and he grinned as he gave you a nod.

"You can thank him for knocking some sense into me, actually. Look, I'm about to do something incredibly foolish and probably a little bit selfish but I can't help it. Just...have some pity on an old man and let me down easy, huh?"

With that the video turned off. After a moment the lights came up, starting dim and slowly getting brighter. You had intended to find Damon immediately but as it turned out, you didn't have to. He was right in front of you. On one knee.

You gasped and tears streamed down your cheeks as you did your best to wipe them away. You kept your gaze locked on his, not even glancing at the ring in his hands. It wasn't important. Only the man in front of you mattered. 

Damon gave you a rare, genuine smile. "I realize I'm skipping a whole bunch of steps here, but I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone. Marry me, Y/N/N. It doesn't have to be next week or even next year, just promise me somewhere in the future you'll be my wife. We can do the whole dating thing if you want, but wear my ring. Be mine."

You leaned forward and took his face in your hands. "You are 100% crazy, Damon Salvatore, but I love you, too. And yes, I will marry you." You pressed your lips to his and a cheer went up from the crowd around you.

You, however, heard nothing but Damon's declarations of love for you as he slipped the ring on your finger.  

***

A/N: Holy hell this is long. And not at all what I started out writing. Hope you liked it.