You are my Freedom

Hello, Husband

Clara opens her eyes and is rewarded by staring directly into Damon's. She didn't even need to see the rest of his face or person, she would know those eyes anywhere.

She smiled, "Hello, Husband." She says simply and is surprised when Damon responds by launching himself on top of her kissing her firmly on the lips while his hands press on either side of her face as if he's afraid she'll turn away from him, but she could never refuse his kisses nor would she ever want to.

Damon finally let Clara's lips go free but he keeps her firmly in his grasp needing her to hear what he has to say,

"I" he pauses, "Love," "You"

Damon emphasizes each word desperate for her to know how much he truly means them dreading having to explain how he ever could have forgotten her.

Clara moves her hands up and gently holds Damon's face in them, mirroring his hold on her.

"I know." She tells him, but there is another meaning behind those words.

Damon scrunches his brows at this not sure if he can believe her, one wrong word, one miscommunication, if she runs from him now... he can't... he wouldn't survive now that he's had her in his arms again.

"Baby, I am so sor-" He is cut off before he can finish with Clara reaching up and placing a kiss upon his lips this time. After thousands of conquests, nothing has ever felt as pleasurable as her sweet kisses to him.

"I know." She tells him again.

Clara seeing the confused look on her husband's face continues.

"I didn't at first." She explains, "At first I was worried you were killed going on that mission to bring defectors back but after everyone was found slaughtered at the house I assumed you were too ashamed to face me so I went in search of you."

Damon closes his eyes pained that his love knows of the sins he committed even as a human. So used to being judged and discarded by everyone in his life he couldn't see that look of disdain in her eyes so he squeezed his eyes shut terrified to keep looking into her beautiful orbs.

But he felt her run her fingers through his hair and then heard her gentle voice asking him to look at her.

"I love you Damon, I don't know what happened but it won't change how I feel. I might hate what you did if you were at fault but I could never hate you. The important thing is you weren't among the dead, I don't ever want to live without you. Please look at me, my love." She beseeches him,

Damon still has his eyes clamped shut, "It was my fault, and it's not even the worst thing I've done, without you I've grown into a monster far worse than Giuseppi. If you were to truly see me for who I am now, there is no way you could ever love me." He says sounding broken at the thought.

"What do you mean who you are now, how much time has passed?"

With that Damon's eyes shoot open, "What's the last thing you remember?" he asks.

Damon hadn't thought of what to say or how to explain things if she were to awaken not knowing what she now was.

Clara takes a beat, "That woman, Katherine, she was keeping me captive. I found you and tried to approach you but you looked straight through me like I meant nothing to you."

He closes his eyes again feeling like a stake had been stabbed through his heart.

"I was hurt of course, but I hung around trying to make sense of it." She tells him, "At first I thought maybe you had hit your head and were too hurt to remember things properly but the more I observed the more I noticed how Katherine seemed to be orchestrating everything... treating you and Stefan like marionettes pulling your strings whenever she felt like it. Then I started to hear rumblings in town about vampires, eventually, I put it all together.... I tried to save you, you know?" She chuckles at the absurdity.

He studies her, and silently urges her to continue her tale,

"I was naive and severely out-matched. I thought she would kill me but it was like she wanted to break me first. She tried to convince me that you didn't want me anymore, that you were in love with her. That you had just been playing with me and could never want an actual life with me." Damon has to move his hands away from his love's head because he is furiously squeezing them into fists wishes he could have them about Katherine's neck right now.

"She thought she was being clever and manipulative," Clara continues, "thought she was so much smarter than me but no one is more educated on you than me. Even if you had been just fooling me you would never share with Stefan, if you thought your brother was in love with a girl you would bow out. That I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt. You are very possessive in your love... I made a mistake though. I thought I saw a c***k in her armor, a weakness I could hit to make her feel pain, but it just caused her to lash out. She changed me to be like her and condemned me to a life forever without you."

She brings her hands to stroke Damon's face, "I don't know how you defeated her and how we are here together but I know I love you and I know I will always love you more than whatever your sins are. You are my husband and that is something not even she could take away."

Damon looked at her speechless for a moment. Gratitude and love overwhelmed him.

Suddenly the corner of his lips inches up, "You're wrong you know? If Stefan ever fell for you I'd fight him to the death for your love." He tells her.

Clara giggled a little,

"If anything you just proved me right. Damon..(She kisses him) Salvatore...(kisses) does...(kisses) not...(kisses) share."

Damon now kisses her and deeply, licking her lips open letting his tongue dive into her mouth. He was certain no one had ever been more in love than he was with this magnificent woman.

The heavy petting continued for some time before Clara pulled back.

"Wait you didn't answer my question."

Damon was too distracted by the feel of her again to properly pay attention, he continued to kiss, licked, suck, and nibbled down her neck, finally mumbling "what question?"

"How long has it been?" It was like ice water had been thrown on him. He sat her up and pulled her into his lap knowing he would soon need to comfort her.

"It's been a few years...quite a few."