"Elena Gilbert, would you like to dance?" Stefan asked his girlfriend, his eyes shining. Elena smiled back to be kind, because she knew that he was trying. They stood on the dance floor, staring at each other. Elena's bright red dress looked beautiful, sparkling every time the light hit it. Stefan wore a black tux. It was his first high school prom.
"Of course," She said, accepting Stefan's outstretched hand and giving him a big hug. As she pulled away, she looked at him with skeptical eyes. "Look, you don't have to do this. I know things are tough right now."
Stefan knew what Elena was talking about. She didn't have to explain. It had been three weeks since Katherine Pierce, his first love, had arrived in Mystic Falls. Both Stefan and his brother, Damon, had loved Katherine in 1864 until she had been taken away by the ruthless citizens of the town. While Damon thought Katherine was trapped in a tomb for over a century, Stefan thought she was dead. Katherine had actually escaped and didn't even bother to find them, although they had given up their mortality for her.
Since Katherine had arrived, Stefan still had feelings for her, while Damon had realized that his chemistry with her no longer existed. But now, Katherine was playing with Stefan's mind. A few days ago, Katherine had told both brothers that she had always loved Stefan more, and Stefan didn't know why, but his heart skipped a beat as he heard that, and he became scared of himself for Elena's sake. He didn't want Katherine; He wanted Elena, but the two vampires had a blood bond.
Katherine's blood burned through Stefan and Damon's veins for 145 years. Of course he had a gravitational pull towards her. She was the only vampire on the planet who could attract him without using compulsion. Unlike Damon, who was now over Katherine due to his strength, Stefan didn't drink human blood. That caused him to have a strong reaction to her.
Stefan knew that Elena sensed his insecurities, and when he tried to tell her about his feelings, it came out jumbled, and sent her the wrong message. He had broken her heart, and ever since Katherine arrived, Elena felt uncomfortable with him and could not be herself. That killed him inside. He knew that he would never leave Elena. He just had to convince himself every moment that it was Katherine's blood reacting to his that caused him to be so unsure.
It was so hard to explain this to Elena. He was afraid that if she learned about the "imprint" she would leave him, thinking she couldn't compete with that. But Elena could compete with it, because they had the strongest, purest connection: love. He didn't know how to tell her any of this, and it was tearing them apart.
"Stefan?" Elena asked, a bit annoyed, tearing him away from his stray thoughts.
"Oh, Sorry."
"It's okay. I know you have a lot going through your mind right now." Elena looked upset. She was losing hope in him. He couldn't stand this any longer. He couldn't stand one more moment without holding her, without showing her how much he truly did love her. Tonight was her night, her turn to be his and only his, the way it was supposed to be.
"Elena, look at me." Stefan grabbed her hands, and gently pulled her into his arms so that his lips were right at the portal of her ear. "Listen to me: Katherine is nothing. I only want you going through my mind. You're all I want to think about. You're the only person I want to dream about when I close my eyes. Tell me you believe that." His voice was gentle and seductive.
"Oh, Stefan," Elena managed to get out, her breath coming short from her sudden pleasure, as she wrapped her hands around the masculine ones holding her so fiercely.
"Tell me."
"I believe it." And then Stefan spun himself around, so that he was facing her, his hands caressing her forearms. Before either of them could get out another breath, Stefan let his lips meet Elena's. He ran his fingers through her hair, as she held the back of his neck. Everything was so wrong between them, and this was the smallest thing that they could do to make it right. Love surged through their fingertips. As their kisses grew longer and more passionate, someone behind them cleared their throat.
Katherine. On Elena's night!
"I'm sorry to… interrupt," she said bitterly. At that point, Elena backed away from Stefan. She glared at Katherine. It was like looking through a mirror, except the reflection was twisted and evil. "I know how fun it is to kiss Stefan," Katherine chuckled. Stefan smiled, trapped in her trance. Elena rolled her eyes, hurt.
"Katherine, you need to leave," Elena said angrily.
"Yes, you should," Katherine said, trying to sound cute. Stefan looked at Elena solemnly.
"Elena, wait," Stefan whispered, until he was cut off by Katherine's touch. Elena didn't feel any pity for him. She kept walking, shaking her head sadly. She was losing Stefan. As she turned around, the two vampires were gone.
She was furious. Stefan had ditched her, at the prom! She didn't understand what was happening with him. She had decided that he didn't want her, and a tear streamed down her cheek. Elena didn't even have a way to get home. She didn't know who to talk to. Bonnie was still dancing. So, she decided to call the one person who knew almost everything about her: Damon.
"Hello, you've reached Damon. Please leave a message at the_"
"Oh, shut up. I know you're there," Elena smiled as she sat on the bench. If she had called Damon a month ago, it would have been awkward for her, but Damon was her best friend, in a way. He was the only person who was willing to listen to every stupid thing she wanted to talk about. He was the person that told her everything that Stefan wouldn't. He wanted to protect her. She was his only friend.
"How's prom?" Damon asked, laughing through the phone.
"Complicated," Elena replied simply. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything. I need you to pick me up."
"Well then I'll be right there," Damon said happily. He hung up. Elena stared at her cell phone for a moment and laughed to herself. As strange as it sounded, Damon was a good guy. But his past was with him like the jacket on his back. She wondered what Damon would be like without that coat of evil. She had seen a mature side to Damon, and those moments together were most of their best. Was that the humanity in him? Before Elena could think any more, there Damon stood, in the parking lot, with his Porsche convertible.
Damon's white t-shirt contrasted perfectly with his tanned skin. Elena smiled to see him, but he was completely zoned out, for he had not expected to see Elena looking even more extraordinary than usual.
Of course Damon was out of it. This was the sight he had walked in on: Elena dressed in a gorgeous off-the-shoulder, red dress, complimenting her every curve. It almost looked orange when she moved, and the sparkles on the one strap caught the moonlight and took his breath away. A black line went from Elena's eye to the curve of her lip; her mascara, smudged from her tears. Damon thought that the mascara line made her look even more beautiful, but anything would look dazzling on Elena. She needed comfort, and she was going to get it.
"What happened?" Damon asked her, concerned. He moved to the bench and sat beside her.
"If I told you, you'd leave."
"Why would I leave when I have a beautiful girl sitting next to me right now?" Damon replied. He was shocked by his sudden outburst, but Elena grinned at the compliment. It didn't reach her eyes, though. "Now, what's bothering you?"
"Katherine," Elena answered, her voice exploding with anger.
Damon was shocked. "Katherine was at the prom?" He was now angry too. Katherine had caused so much trouble in Mystic Falls.
"Yes."
"What happened?" Damon asked, with a furrowed brow.
"She left with Stefan, and he didn't protest." He was now furious. Stefan had always warned Damon about breaking Elena's heart, when he turned out to be the one doing it.
"Oh, wow. Elena, I'm so sorry this happened." Damon didn't know what else to say. All he could think about was how much he wanted to hug her, to comfort her and rid Elena of all the pain his brother had caused.
What was wrong with him? Vampires didn't want to comfort girls, they wanted to get the chance to nibble on their necks, yet here Damon was, debating with himself over how to make her feel okay.
Damon could tell that Elena felt awkward talking about her relationship issues, but he was happily surprised to see what she did next.
She fell into his arms.
She wasn't sobbing, but she needed someone to comfort her. Elena just sat there with Damon's arms around her. He held onto her for dear life. Damon felt amazed, to finally hold her, to finally have her.
When Elena unwrapped her arms that were folded across her chest, she wrapped them around Damon's waist, enjoying the moment while it lasted. Damon did the same in return. Elena was now sitting in his lap, embracing him.
Suddenly, Damon realized that Elena was not in his arms for comfort any longer. She was enjoying the moment just as much as he was. This had started as a need for safety, for shelter, but now it had just turned into a needfor each other.
No, her sudden feelings were not created to get revenge on Stefan. As Damon held Elena, she realized how special it was to be held, to be cared for by him. Finally, they had a moment to be together, and no longer could Elena deny her feelings. She was a bit shocked to realize that she had had some sort of romantic moment with her ex-boyfriend's brother, and stood up as soon as she gathered her thoughts.
"Damon," Elena whispered. It was all that she could say. She was in shock from their sudden chemistry.
"Elena," Damon said, equally soft. A gentle smile played with the corner of his lips. Without trying to do anything, they had walked close to each other, their faces less than an inch apart. Damon walked up to Elena and wrapped his arm around her waist. She closed her eyes in pleasure. Suddenly, Damon turned around, laughing.
"What?" Elena asked, laughing herself.
"Nothing. The moment just seems surreal."
Elena chuckled. "No need to be cheesy."
"I'm not. So, anyway, where am I taking you?"
Elena was about to tell Damon to drop her off at her house, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Stefan was still at the dance, talking with Katherine! It was as if she had never even existed. That hurt.
"As far away from this town as possible," Elena cried. Her anger towards Stefan was turning into hatred. She quickly ripped off her Vervain necklace that Stefan gave to her and threw it into the bushes.
"You're taking this lightly," Damon said sarcastically.
"Let's go," Elena told the gorgeous vampire, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. Damon loved how fierce her voice was when she tried to calm down.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, I don't want to come back any time soon."
Damon laughed again. Elena found his laugh quite attractive. "I've never seen this side of you before. I like it." His voice was a bit over the top and it made Elena smile. She got in the car and they headed for the highway.
"You should probably call Jenna," Damon told Elena. His hands were on the steering wheel, but his eyes were on her. He could still drive perfectly.
"Oh yeah, I completely forgot!" Elena said, shocked with her lack of organization. After all, she had gotten into a car for who-knows-how long with a reckless vampire and was still wearing her prom dress. She picked up her phone and dialed her aunt's number.
"Elena?" Jenna asked as she answered the phone.
"Hi Jenna."
"How's the prom?"
"Umm, it's fine… I'm going to crash at Bonnie's place tonight. We didn't see each other for most of the night, and I need the details."
"Ok," Jenna said simply. "I'll see you tomorrow after school, okay?"
"Yeah," Elena confirmed. She hung up the phone.
"Well done," Damon said to Elena, giving her a very sexy look from the corner of his eye. "I like a woman who knows how to be independent."
"I wouldn't call that being independent," Elena said, grinning. "So, where are we going?"
"Cape May!" Damon exclaimed, giving Elena a daring look.
"New Jersey?"
"Well, you did say you wanted to go far away, to get your mind off of…"
"Don't say his name!" Damon laughed at Elena's sudden explosion. He pulled into a gas station and turned, so that he was facing her.
"Feisty, I like it!" Damon said, as his eyes trailed along the outline of Elena's dress again. Elena noticed what he was doing. She grinned wildly at Damon, who looked deep into her chocolaty eyes, as if looking into them for the first time. But in a way, he was looking into them for the first time. He was looking into Elena's eyes, eyes that showed no resistance, only a kind approval, almost a loving approval.
"Damon!" Elena shouted, as she realized that she was getting lost in the blue depths of his eyes. "Please, don't compel me! I thought we covered this in Atlanta!"
"Sorry. I honestly didn't even know I was doing it. I wasn't prepared to get lost in your eyes either!" Damon said seductively. Elena laughed flirtatiously, looking at him through her long, dark lashes.
"Just don't do it again," she said quietly.
"Just don't tempt me again!" They both started laughing. Suddenly, the man working at the gas pump showed up by their car. He obviously wasn't expecting to see such a beautiful girl sitting in there. The young man seemed to be in shock, staring at Elena's beautiful facial features. Her hair was still in an up do, showing off her high cheekbones.
"Hi. My name is… uh, Josh. Umm, what will it be?" The teenager asked Elena, showing her a dazzling boyish smile. Elena showed the worker a cute grin, and Damon felt a pang of jealousy in his stomach. Josh flipped his blonde hair back, and it was obvious that he was flirting.
"As much as this gets us," Damon answered, getting Elena's attention off of the teenager. He handed – oh what's his name- a huge wad of cash. The worker took it happily, but didn't take his eyes off of Elena.
"So, where are you two headed?" he asked, as he worked with the pump.
"Cape May," Elena stated.
"I'm sure you'll have fun." Once again, his eyes were locked on Elena's.
"Yes, we will. Thank you." Damon's voice was bitter.
As soon as the worker filled up the tank, Damon drove back onto the highway. He wasn't mad at Elena for getting hit on- after all, it seemed that at the moment, it was impossible to be any more beautiful.
Elena looked at the clock. It was two in the morning! Her eyelids were becoming heavy, yet she couldn't fall asleep. The wind whipping in her face was too much. Damon noticed that. As soon as he found a rest stop, he pulled in. Elena was half asleep.
"Hey," Damon whispered to her. Elena drowsily looked around, examining the cars around them.
"What?" Elena asked, her voice slurred and tired. Damon smiled, finding it quite cute.
"Do you want to change out of that dress?"
"I have nothing to change into."
Damon smiled at her. Before Elena could question him, Damon had disappeared. About thirty seconds later, he reappeared with a Pink Floyd t-shirt and a pair of bright blue shorts.
"Here, put these on."
"Did you pay for them?"
"Somewhat." Elena was too tired to ask Damon what that meant, so she took the clothes and went into the dingy bathroom. She let her hair out and replaced the dress with the mismatched shirt and shorts. She took off her heels, so that she was comfortable, and washed her face, so the black mascara smudge was gone. Then, she grabbed her things and went back to the parking lot.
Damon thought that nothing could compare to Elena in a prom dress. He had been wrong. Only his amazing night vision could have spotted such a light in pure darkness. Elena was approaching him, wearing a simple pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She looked so laid-back, so careless. She was barefoot, and although she was extremely tired, she still walked gracefully and there was joy in her step. There was no longer a mascara/tear smudge on her face, only a light coating of eyeliner and blue eye shadow. He gasped. He was in shock of himself. Here he was, marveling over the beauty of a human girl.
Elena jumped in the car, her eyelids drooping. "I'm tired," she stated.
"Well now you can sleep," Damon replied, chuckling. Elena closed her eyes, and Damon sat there watching her for a while, just admiring her. He could tell by her breathing that she couldn't fall asleep.
"Do you want me to make you fall asleep?" He asked, not sure of what her response would be.
"Yes," She sighed. "I didn't know it would be so difficult falling asleep in a car!"
"Come here," At that point, Damon grabbed Elena and pulled her over to him, so that she was sitting on his lap, her head on his shoulder. He let out a small sigh when she nestled herself happily into his arms. "Elena, are you comfortable?"
"Of course," she answered. He could tell that she was actually falling asleep this time, for her reply was quiet and distant. Damon held Elena softly, making sure that he didn't make her do anything that he would regret later. He whispered in her ear simple things, telling her to rest, using the mildest form of mind compulsion. Soon, she was heavily breathing and fast asleep, her head on Damon's chest. Soon, he was resting peacefully also.
Idiot! Stefan thought to himself as he reached the boarding house. He had spent hours feeding, trying to gain his strength as much as possible, by drinking from every animal in sight. He couldn't let Katherine take control over him again. He knew how much he had hurt Elena. He left her alone on the most important night of the year. And he left with Katherine. Katherine had also somehow compelled him to come back to the prom, to Elena's prom, an hour later. He felt terrible. He didn't care how early it was; he needed to call her. He couldn't fall asleep knowing that Elena was somewhere, thinking about how much she loathed him. He quickly picked up his iPhone and called Elena.
"Stefan?" a familiar voice picked up. It was not the gentle, feminine one Stefan was expecting. It was Damon. Why was Damon with Elena at three o' clock in the morning?
"Damon?"
"Mmm hmm?"
"Why did you pick up?"
"Because she wasn't going to," Damon laughed. "She's asleep. You do know it's three in the morning?"
"Yes I do, and why do you have, my girlfriend's phone? Is she okay?"
"First of all, your ex -girlfriend wanted to leave this town ASAP, thanks to you." Damon said, laughing at Stefan's rage.
"Damon! You shouldn't do this…"
"And you shouldn't hurt her like this, yet it happened." Stefan then heard Damon hang up. He threw the phone, and punched a deep hole in the wall. Why did Katherine have to be at the prom anyway? He was not going to lose Elena to his heartless brother. The last time Damon went on a road trip with Elena, they grew closer. When they went to Atlanta, they had formed a friendship. What would they form now? A romance? No, he couldn't let that happen. He would call her later, and find out where they were headed. He would pick her up and take her back home, and clear up everything. If only his life were that simple...
