Chapter 57 – The Planning
The news had been announced, and the excitement still lingered in the air like sparkling champagne bubbles. Damon Salvatore — yes, that Damon Salvatore — had decided to get married. If someone had said that out loud a few years ago, everyone would've laughed, mocked, and kicked them out of Mystic Falls.
But now? It felt right... natural.
The next morning, the Salvatore house was bustling with movement and energy. Elena sat curled up beside Damon on the couch, fingers entwined with his. Stefan and Caroline were in the kitchen, seated at the table, sipping coffee, with playful smirks on their faces.
Alexander leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching the scene with a rare softness in his eyes. Happiness, it seemed, suited them. It suited him too, despite everything.
Caroline was the first to break the silence.
"So… when's the big day?"
Damon raised an amused brow. "Oh, you're already pushing me down the aisle?"
Caroline smiled teasingly. "Just an innocent question."
Elena laughed. "I don't mind speeding things up. The faster we go, the less chance Damon has of getting cold feet."
"Cold feet?" Damon said, feigning offense. "Have you met me? I've stormed burning buildings, fought ancient vampires, stared death in the face. Marriage? Doesn't even give me goosebumps."
Alexander chuckled. "You screamed when a squirrel jumped on you last week."
Damon defended himself, "That was a demonic squirrel."
Stefan chimed in mockingly, "Sure, we'll write that in the official account."
They spent the entire day joyfully planning, filled with teasing and warmth. Elena wanted a simple wedding, but one with a touch of beauty. The surprise? Damon agreed without hesitation. He wasn't after grandeur or opulence, but something intimate… familial… surrounded by friends and loved ones.
They all agreed to hold the wedding at the Salvatore house, just as Stefan and Caroline had done before. The garden would be transformed once more, this time with a blend of Elena's softness and Damon's elegance.
Caroline, without waiting for permission, took over the organization completely.
"This is my natural domain," she said as she grabbed a notebook and started sketching floral arrangements.
As the day wore on, Alexander found himself on the back porch with Bonnie, sitting in gentle silence, her head resting on his shoulder, breathing in the stillness of the moment.
"Do you think Damon's really ready?" she whispered.
Alexander smiled softly. "He's been ready for a while. He just needed time to heal. We all did."
Bonnie looked up at him. "And you? Have you healed?"
He didn't answer right away. The breeze swept strands of hair from his forehead. "Still on the road."
Inside, laughter continued. Stefan and Damon were mock-arguing about the right tie color for Damon, while Elena tried on rings she'd been thinking about for months. The scene wasn't chaotic — it was filled with love. And in the middle of it all, the Salvatore brothers stood, finally enjoying a life free of war.
By the end of the day, the three brothers sat alone in quiet. Damon took a sip of bourbon, then said, "We're really doing this, aren't we?"
Stefan answered with a smile, "You are, specifically."
Alexander added, "And we're with you… every step of the way."
Damon looked at them both, studying the faces that had been with him through everything. "Looks like I'll need two best men at the wedding."
Stefan blinked in surprise. "Wait, what?"
Damon said simply, "Both of you. It wouldn't be right without either of you. I mean, you did it — do you really expect me to choose?"
Alexander smiled quietly, saying nothing… sometimes, silence carries the truest replies.
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The Salvatore house was cloaked in an unusual stillness that morning. The kind of stillness that comes before storms, or the big moments that change the course of life. Outside, Mystic Falls shimmered under calm sunlight, birds chirping as if unaware that today marked the wedding of Damon Salvatore.
Inside, the groom sat at the kitchen table, leaning on his elbows, staring at a coffee cup he hadn't touched. He hadn't blinked in at least five minutes.
Stefan entered first, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Trying to brew your soul inside that cup, or what?"
Damon gave his brother a slow look, then muttered, "I think I'm dying."
Alexander followed, hair still damp from the shower, shirt half-buttoned, casually walking over and sitting across from Damon with a sarcastic tone, "Well done. There it is — the classic pre-wedding meltdown. I was starting to worry you were actually excited."
Damon groaned. "I am excited… just trying to… process."
"Process?" Stefan replied, smiling with mockery. "You look like someone just told you you're marrying Katherine."
Damon snapped his gaze up sharply. "Do not say her name today."
Alexander raised a teasing brow. "Still time to back out. If you want to go full cliché, we can help you out the window. Or dig a tunnel. I'm great at digging tunnels."
Stefan leaned on the kitchen counter, sipping his coffee slowly. "Or we could bury you alive. Technically, you'd still be married… just harder to reach."
Damon stared at them with a long, expressionless look. "Why are you like this?"
"Because we're your brothers," Alexander answered with a grin. "And if I don't laugh right now, I'll cry over your romanticism."
Damon ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Elena's perfect. This is the life I want. I just… I've never done eternity like this before — not with vows and rings and everyone watching."
Stefan said, tone calm despite his earlier teasing, "Vampires don't get pre-wedding anxiety… but if we did, this would be the textbook case."
Alexander gave a sideways smile. "Want me to throw you in the lake again? Might clear your head."
Damon chuckled despite himself. "Last time you did that, I came out with algae in my pants."
"Which means it worked."
A moment of silence passed between them, then Alexander's voice softened.
"Look… the nerves are normal. But Elena loves you. And you love her. You died for her. Went through hell to get back to her. What we're doing today? Just a celebration. All the real stuff… you've already done."
Stefan nodded in agreement. "Yeah. And if anyone deserves a happy ending, it's you. Even if you're acting like you've been exiled into it."
Damon let out a long sigh. "You're right. I'm being an idiot."
Alexander stood and stretched. "True. But you're our idiot."
Stefan laughed. "Now go shower. You smell like fear and regret."
As Damon trudged off toward the bathroom, Stefan looked at Alexander and whispered:
"He's going to cry, isn't he?"
Alexander replied without hesitation, "Oh, definitely. Give him five minutes after Elena starts walking down the aisle."
Both of them shared a dark, quiet grin.
And so the day began — with laughter, sarcasm, and a whole lot of love hidden behind the insults.
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