Holy! Thank you for all the subscriptions and story alerts I received this morning! I love waking up and seeing that my inbox has been bombarded with emails =3

I have a few ideas as to where I could go with this, but as always I would love some feedback from you guys! I get a lot of inspiration from music, so if you have any song suggestions, that would also be wonderful!

Anyway, on to the next chapter.

Chapter Two: An Invitation

Elena awoke in the morning feeling more refreshed and rejuvenated than she had in awhile. Maybe it was her newfound determination to prove herself to Damon that had her so excited. Or maybe it was the small note that she found lying on her dresser when she awoke that said, Thank you for the note last night. I appreciate it, but it still doesn't change anything. I meant what I said yesterday. Damon. Even though nothing had changed, and she understood perfectly why, it meant that he was giving her the chance that she wanted.

She smiled, knowing exactly what she needed to do next. To be honest, she really enjoyed this challenge he was presenting her with. She knew that it was going to be tough, but nothing in life that was meaningful or worth pursuing was ever easy to attain. She wondered how it took her so long to realize that Damon really was worth the fight, and she would do anything to keep him in her life.

Just then her cell phone rang from her bedside table and she rushed over to pick it up, hearing Caroline's voice bubbling with excitement on the other end of the line.

"Elena! You're home right? We should go shopping for our 20's flapper dresses and accessories today if you're not busy?" Elena knew that was Caroline's way of guilt tripping her into feeling obligated to go.

She laughed, "I would love to Care, wanna pick me up in half an hour? I need to get ready."

"Sure, no problem! See you soon!"

They hung up and exactly half an hour later, Caroline was waiting outside in her car, honking the horn like a mad woman. Elena wished she was nearly as excited as Caroline was, but somehow every Mystic Falls High decade dance ended in disaster—or at least near disaster, and she couldn't help but feel this one would be no different. But for her best friend's sake, she put on a smile and adopted a positive attitude before climbing into the car.

It took no time at all to find their dresses at the little boutique in a nearby town. They laughed, took pictures, and found the perfect outfits for the dance. Elena chose a white flapper with sequins and pearls that showed off her olive skin and black accessories to compliment the outfit nicely. Caroline chose a hot pink dress with tassels covering it from top to bottom, and white gloves to go with it.

On the drive back to Mystic Falls, they talked about Elena and Damon's little vacation to Denver. Elena remembered how upset Caroline was to find out from Bonnie the last time they had kissed, so she told her friend everything from the kiss to the fight, but not about her most recent decision.

She was surprised when Caroline suggested that she ask Stefan to the dance. She didn't bother to ask why, she knew Caroline still harbored some bitterness towards Damon for the way he had used her when he first came to Mystic Falls. Yet, she couldn't help but feel that everybody needed to open their eyes to how much Damon had changed since he first showed up. It was amazing really.

Elena didn't talk much after that conversation and allowed Caroline to ramble on about Tyler for the rest of the drive. She vaguely wondered how everyone had ended up in such messed up relationships. Stefan was a ripper, Klaus was a maniacal hybrid who apparently fancied Caroline, Tyler was a werewolf who had almost killed Caroline, and Matt was laying the moves down on Rebekah, the manipulative original slut. And then there was Elena, who was falling in love with her ex-boyfriend's older brother. Boy, it was all so messed up that she chuckled and let out a sigh.

By that time, Elena had been dropped off at her house, and Caroline had left. Elena decided to pay a visit to the boarding house—more specifically, to pay a visit to Damon.

"Well hello Elena, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Damon sported his classic smirk as he leaned against the doorframe and cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

"I have a favor to ask of you. May I come in?"

"You're always welcome, it's not like you need to ask anymore…but yes, please come in." He was cautious every time Elena came to him with a favor to ask. For some reason, they were never favors that particularly benefited him in any way. "So, what's this favor you wish to ask of me?"

She smiled widely. It unnerved him a little, because he had no clue what she was smiling about so vividly. "Damon, will you be my date to the decade dance tomorrow night?" This definitely took him by surprise, and he gave her a hesitant look. "I'm serious Damon. I would like for you to be my date. I was serious when I wrote you that note last night. I know you're going to make this difficult for me, but at least accept my invitation…" She gave him a pleading look that he could not say no to. He actually wondered if it were possible for anyone to say no to a woman who looked positively seductive with a pouty expression on her face.

"Well, it would be rude of me to decline, wouldn't it?"

"Is that a yes?"

"Of course. Just don't be angry if I'm looking exceptionally ravishing tomorrow night. Better be on your best behavior if you want to be my date! I can't have you all over me at a high school dance, now can I?" He shot her another classic smirk, and disappeared into the parlor before calling back to her. "I'll pick you up at 9?"

She smiled even though he couldn't see it, and agreed before returning home for the night. Back at the boarding house, Damon sat in front of the fire sipping from a glass of whiskey, wondering how in the world he was going to stay in control of his feelings if Elena continued with this challenge. She would undoubtedly win if she was in fact serious about her feelings for him. He chuckled, remembering a time when it was he who had tried almost anything to win her over. Now the roles were reversed, and he realized he was going to enjoy it, even if it didn't turn out like he wanted it to. He downed the rest of his whiskey in one gulp, and then headed up to his room, contemplating all the ways he could make this more challenging for her.

Ok, so I know that she actually goes to the dance with Stefan in tonight's episode, but I thought this would be so much better!

Hope you enjoyed it and please don't forget to leave me a review :) Also, enjoy tonight's all new episode! YAY!