a/n: alright, chapters 2 and 3 are pretty much a retelling of "Founder's Day" with a few twists here and there. I thought long and hard about skipping them, but it needed to be included so bear with me :) Thanks for the reviews and for adding me to your alerts/favorites!

TWO

Jeremy ate his breakfast in his room, going out of his way to avoid me without hiding it. Even Jenna caught the tension, but she didn't ask about it. After I helped her clean up, we headed to my room where she helped me get ready for the Founder's Day Court. "I really don't want to do this."

"Go to the celebration or wear the dress?"

"Both," I muttered as I sat on the chair while she did my hair for me. "Stefan and I had a fight last night," I admitted.

"What about?"

"Damon."

She made an O with her lips and moved out of my sight. "Why would he be the center of your argument?"

"The girl that Stefan dated before me was dating Damon at the same time. They knew about it, but it hurt them pretty badly just the same. He's worried that my friendship with Damon might turn into something more."

"Should he be worried?" she asked cautiously.

My eyes dropped to my hands in my lap. "He's constantly flirting with me, but he flirts with everyone. I can't help how Damon feels," I answered.

She stopped briefly, letting my hair cool before she grabbed another chunk to curl. "That didn't exactly answer my question."

"I hated him when he came into town. He was a jerk and he used Caroline," I paused remembering that I couldn't tell her about the Bonnie incident. "He did everything he could to hit on me, to make Stefan jealous and then it just...stopped. He backed off and started being nice. I learned I could trust him when we ended up in Georgia and since then, we've been friends. I'm his only friend," I said that last part quietly and when Jenna stopped, I got to my feet.

She watched me pace, holding the curling iron carefully at her side. "Elena, I hate to say this, but that didn't answer my question either."

I stopped in my tracks and looked at her. "I'm just saying that I trust him. He's my friend and my boyfriend's brother. Nothing more."

"Are you sure about that?"

I opened my mouth to tell her I was a hundred percent sure, but quickly closed it when I realized that might be a lie. "All I know for sure is that if Stefan doesn't drop this jealous act of his, we may not make it as a couple," I said and sat back in the chair.

"You're not going to like what I have to say, but here it is. If you are having feelings for Damon, it would be best to come clean with Stefan now. Even if you don't know what exactly it is, it should still be said. If you wait too long, someone's going to get seriously hurt and the last thing you need is to be the one to drive two brothers apart."

I swallowed thickly at her words. She didn't even know Katherine and she had the situation down. "Like I said, Stefan knows he can trust me. He doesn't exactly trust Damon, but as long as I'm with him, I would never do anything to hurt him. I am nothing like Katherine."

"Is that the ex's name?" she asked and I nodded, but didn't say anything else. Luckily, she got the hint and changed the subject. "At the risk of sounding nosy, what's wrong with you and Jer?"

"Just brother-sister stuff. Nothing important."

"You sure?" she asked, fully aware that I was lying to her.

"I'm sure," I replied and she began talking about her clients while she finished my hair. She continued to complain about a particularly obnoxious couple while she helped me with my make-up and finished when I stepped into the dress. We were standing in front of my full length mirror and once she began to lace the back, I couldn't help but think of the picture I had found in Stefan's room. I really did look like her.

"You are so gorgeous," Jenna breathed and I met her gaze in the mirror. Her eyes were watering, making mine tear up in response. "Your mother would have been so proud of you. Again."

She put her arms around me from behind and smiled at me. "Thanks Jenna. Okay, now I really can't breathe," I said and she began to laugh as she pulled away.

"Welcome to mid nineteenth century fashion. Alright, go, have fun, and put all personal problems aside until the parade is over. Or maybe until tomorrow. Just have fun."

"Sounds like someone wants to come after all," I said and winked at her.

"I do have to work today."

"The whole town is off," I stated as she opened the door for me and picked up my bag that contained a pair of clothes for me to change into after the parade. "How is it that you have to work?"

"I'm showing my oh so wonderful clients a house in Richmond. I'll be back in time for the fireworks and whatnot."

I nodded and made my way to the front door. "Thank you again for helping me."

"You're welcome, now go," she said and shooed me outside.

The drive to the town square was entirely too long. Even with the radio blaring, I still couldn't stop the little voice in my head from nagging at me. Each time I glanced up in the rearview mirror, I thought of that portrait and almost ran a few stops signs and red lights because of it. The worst part was if I was that if even I couldn't help but see Katherine, what would Stefan and Damon think when they got a look at me like this? When I finally found a parking spot, I had somewhat calmed my thoughts down and decided I wasn't going to think about that anymore. I left my duffel bag in the car, tucked my key into my bra, and headed across the crowd of people in their Founder's Day attire to find Stefan. I stopped when I saw him talking to Damon. Damon saw me first since Stefan's back was too me and his expression made Stefan turn around. The look in their eyes was identical and I knew they were reliving the actual Founder's Day, but I was determined not to let it bother me at the moment. I smiled in their direction and gave a small curtsy before heading over to them.

"You look great," Stefan said as he extended his arm to me.

"As always," Damon added and winked at me before Stefan turned to glare at him. "Have fun on the float," he teased and disappeared into the crowd.

"I didn't think he would come to the parade," I said as we walked towards our float.

"Me neither, but he did." He stopped walking and stared at me. "Elena, about last night-"

"Let's not talk about it right now. Let's just act like nothing happened for the parade and then we can talk." He nodded in agreement and we started walking again. I spotted Jeremy in his costume and stopped again. "I'll meet you at the float. I need to talk to Jeremy."

"Alright," he said and leaned in to kiss my cheek before continuing without me.

I hurried to catch up with Jeremy. He glanced my way and kept walking. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a stop. "We need to talk."

"No we don't."

"Jeremy, you need to know that-"

"Elena!" he snapped, making me jump. He snatched his wrist away from me in a violent way and stepped back. "Leave me alone will you?"

I watched him walk briskly away and decided against hunting him down. I sighed and looked to my left to see Bonnie. I waved and she returned it with a slightly nervous look on her face. I approached her, smiling wearily. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. We still had a lot of work to do on our friendship. "You look really good."

"Thanks," I said and looked down at my dress again. "I just wanted to thank you again for removing the spell."

"Don't mention it," she said and shifted on her feet. "You're going to be late. Don't keep Caroline waiting."

We both grinned at that and I nodded. "I'll find you later," I promised and hurried through the crowd to find the Mystic Falls Court float. After Stefan helped me up, we took our places and got ready to wave our way through the city.

After the parade, Caroline and I went to the school where they were letting us store the dresses. We helped each other undress and then changed into our normal clothes. "Much better. I can breathe again," I said as I worked my dress into the garment bag.

Caroline rolled her shoulders and nodded. "I love playing dress up, but Bonnie pulled the strings really tight."

"So did Jenna," I said and laughed as I zipped up the bag and went to the sink to touch up my make-up. "How are Matt and Tyler?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes and came to stand next to me. "I know what Tyler did was wrong, but he won't accept any apologies. It's starting to get really annoying. How are things with Stefan?" She saw my hesitation and her brow shot up. "That good, huh?"

"We're just at a fork in the road."

"Well," she said and set my blush brush on the counter. "You and Stefan are so perfect together it makes me sick. That should count for something."

I shook my head and hugged her. "It does. We'll work it out," I assured her and began throwing my things back into the duffel bag. "I'm leaving everything here and I'll get it on the way home."

"Sounds like a good plan," she said and we brought our things to the gym where everything was being stored.

Caroline and I parted ways once we got outside and I made my way towards the Grill. I headed inside in hopes of seeing Jeremy again, but found Damon instead. "I like you better like this."

"Like what?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

"In normal clothes. Don't get me wrong, you looked beautiful in the period dress, but it wasn't you."

I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head to the side, a hint of a smile on my lips. "Was that an insult?"

"It was a compliment. Friends do that you know." He grinned slyly. "Or so I'm told."

I smiled and then looked away for a moment. "Look, about last night."

"What about last night?" he asked in a coy voice as he moved a half step closer and did that flirty look with his eyes.

I let my eyes roll at that and stepped back. "I'm going to tell Stefan where I was and that you were there. I want him to be able to trust me, but you have to stop with the flirting."

He pretended to pout and my eyes picked up movement at a table behind him. It was Jeremy just about to finish his meal. "I promise to stop flirting while Stefan is in earshot."

My eyes met his again and I smiled lightly. "We'll talk more about this later," I said and walked carefully to Jeremy. "Jer, you have to understand that I only did what I did to protect you. I'm sorry a thousand times over. Tell me what I can do to make this right," I demanded.

He looked up at me and then slid out of his chair. "Go to hell Elena," he said bluntly with more than a hint of hate in his voice. With that, he slipped past me and out the door.

I looked up and met Damon's eyes. He straightened when he realized I was looking at him. When my eyes began to water, I looked away and blinked in order for the tears to go away. When I looked back up, Damon was gone. I sat in the chair Jeremy had vacated and put my head in my hands, trying my hardest not to cry. I took deep, even breaths to make the ache in my heart dull for a moment and jumped when a hand touched my shoulder. I looked up to see Stefan who slid into the seat opposite me. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Jeremy. Damon caught up to him outside. I think we may have gotten through to him. I told him I was the one that killed Vickie."

I let that sink in before I spoke again. "After our fight, I went to apologize to him and it made it worse. He told me that he read my journal and..." my voice began to break again. "He doesn't think of me as a sister anymore," I finished quietly.

His hand came across the table to cover mine, his thumb absently stroking at my skin. "Is that why you didn't answer my calls?"

I shook my head. "After he kicked me out of his room, I drove to the ruins of your old house. I was going to answer you once I got there, but Damon showed up and we talked for a bit."

He withdrew his hand and all the sadness I was feeling turned to anger in an instant by that action. "You were with Damon."

"Seriously?" I hissed and stood up. I turned and walked out of the Grill. I knew he was following me and I led us to the least crowded section I could find. "I didn't plan on meeting him and he was surprised to see me there."

"Why didn't you say something earlier? Or call me back to let me know that you were alright?"

"Because I didn't want to talk to you last night, for one. Damon and I just talked. See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I tell you I'm with Damon and you jump to conclusions. I'm sorry that Katherine came between you two, but I am not her and you can't seem to grasp that."

"I trust you, I just don't trust him."

"That shouldn't matter Stefan. I have a say in what goes on in my life. Damon is not going to force himself on me and you know it. Isobel said what she did to drive a wedge between us and apparently it's working. I can't control how Damon feels and he is entitled to feel however he wants to. That's not going to change how I feel for you."

"Elena, he's still angry with me for turning with him; for making him turn without Katherine around. I still think that he's biding his time until he can get you."

"Then let him scheme!" I snapped. "The only way anything would happen between Damon and me is if I let it." I took a step back and ran a hand through my hair. "I think we should take a break."

"Elena-" he began with worry and hurt laced in his voice.

"I need you to trust me. Until I know that you can, I don't see us going any further than this. I love you Stefan, that's not changing, but I just think we should take some time apart from each other."

He shook his head and gathered my hands in his, clutching them to his chest. "No, absolutely not. I trust you, I really do. I mean that with all my heart."

I couldn't resist the urge to smile at that one. "Technically, you don't have one of those," I said softly in a teasing sort of way.

"It's there, it just doesn't function." He grinned back at me and brought his lips gently down to mine. "I know I'm turning into a jealous boyfriend, but I can't seem to stop it."

"Stefan, I'm never going to lie to you or keep things from you when it comes to Damon. Neither will I do that with anything else, but especially not where he's concerned. I know Katherine broke your heart, but I am not her and I never will be."

"I love you."

"I love you too," I breathed and he kissed me deeply this time. When I pulled back, I put my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes at him. "However, if I sense that you really can't trust me when it comes to my friendship with your brother, we really will be on a break."

He nodded and put his arm around my shoulders. "I will try," he said.

"That's all I ask." With that, we headed out into the crowd to participate in the various activities set up around town while we waited for the night time celebrations to start.