Damon's Camaro sped down the small stretch of neatly paved road towards to tiny town, and Elena's hair billowed in the sea breeze. A smile spread widely across her face and Damon couldn't help but smile too.

Elena had wanted to stop at the Town Square first to scout out all the shops, so Damon parked across the road from the Clock Tower. The town was first settled by Italians and had a large population still, Damon told Elena, and that the Square, along with the Tower, was named after the original Palazzo del Orologio in Venice. Elena's interest in the town's history dwindled after she spotted a little boutique just down the street, and she headed in its direction, Damon in tow. He got the hint that she'd rather shop than listen to him right at the moment, so he shut up pretty quickly and prepared himself for the onslaught of clothes and shoes that were no doubt waiting for Elena to try on.

She almost skipped into the quiet little store, and browsed each rack with care and precision, not wanting to miss anything out accidentally. Damon dawdled behind her feigning interest, when something caught his eye.

The boutique's sign described it not only as a unique place to shop for clothes, but also where one would find vintage clothes of the original settlers on display, dating back to the 1850s. What had caught Damon's eye was a dress that he recognised, one that was imprinted in his memory; however long ago the event occurred. He slowly walked over to it, displayed on a mannequin set up on a pedestal; arguing with himself in his head.

It couldn't possibly be, he thought. She wouldn't have worn something like this more than five times…

He was still astounded at the similarities. He craned his head upwards to get a better look at the detail of the neckline, just out of curiosity, but he saw what he didn't expect to see; something only he could see with his enhanced vision. He inhaled sharply, and just then Elena noticed that he wasn't by her side.

'Damon?' She had spun around and saw him a few metres away, inspecting an old dress. His back stiffened and she walked over to join him.

'Damon? Are you alright?' Her hand went up to ease the tension in his shoulders, but his eyes were still fixed on the dress.

'This was her dress,' he whispered. 'She wore it the night she told me what she was.' He didn't trust himself to raise his voice to anything louder than a whisper. 'I didn't think she'd kept it.'

It finally clicked. Katherine. Even after she was pretty much out of the picture until further notice, she still managed to pop up in some shape or form reminding them of her presence.

Elena slid her hand up and around his left shoulder, her other hand resting on his right bicep, her face resting on his right shoulder; and she gave him a reassuring squeeze.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered too, following his lead. 'She still manages to cause trouble even when she's most likely on the other side of the world.'

They stayed in silence for a minute or two. Then Elena voiced her thoughts. 'Are you absolutely sure? It could just be a startlingly similar style,' Damon didn't answer immediately. He exhaled heavily.

'I can see traces of blood, Elena. My blood. In the exact spots it was all those years ago.' His voice was raised now to a low rumble and she could hear the stress in his voice. 'I guess she would've wanted to move on straight away, somewhere far from Mystic Falls and the carnage she caused there.' He leant his cheek against the crown of her head, but she drew him closer and wrapped her arms around his waist, as close as she possibly could. His shoulders relaxed and his arms wound around her, his face burrowed into her neck. They held each other for a little while longer, enjoying the sound of each other's breathing, before Elena whispered in his ear.

'We can go to another shop, or walk along the beach if you want,' Her palm glided up and down his spine.

'Might be a good idea,' He drew back so he could look at her. 'This place is a little stuffy anyway.' Elena smiled at him, and he returned it, and lowered his voice again. 'Thank you, Elena,' She reached up and cupped his cheek.

'Anytime,' He leant into her touch, and she reached for his hand. 'Come on, we've got a town to explore! Now, what were you saying about that tower… ?' She dragged him out the door and threw a 'thank you' over her shoulder to the bored-looking young assistant who looked like she couldn't care less. The sunshine hit them like a wall of white as Damon started off again on his history monologue.

After exhausting all possible dress shops except this last one that Elena was determined to scour, Damon was a little, or possibly a lot, tired of the endless racks of clothing which all seemed fruitless in Elena's Quest for The Dress. She wanted a summer dress that was good for nights out, but also for the numerous special dinners and dances that Mystic Falls seemed to never run out of. However, her spirit at the beginning of the day had now somewhat deflated as nothing suitable turned up, and she was desperately hoping that this last shop would be the answer.

She searched, and she searched, but she could find nothing; until Damon's boredom overcame him and he decided to look for The Dress himself. What he wasn't expecting was to succeed.

The dress in question came to just above the knee, had a plunging neckline, and was tight fitting – pretty much Damon's Perfect Choice. It was white and would contrast deliciously with Elena's olive skin, which would now become even more sun-kissed after their little beach retreat. The fabric above the high waist was ruched vertically and the thick straps criss-crossed over the back and joined the rest of the dress at the waist. Damon thought it would be perfect.

Elena was unaware of Damon's findings and was churning out no after no as all the dresses she tried on weren't quite right. There was a knock on her door and Damon held the dress over the top of the door, waiting for her to take it.

'Thought you'd like this one,' He said from outside.

'Thanks,' She sighed and hoped this one would be The Dress.

She slipped it over her head, and, after adjusting it, felt Damon should see what it looked like so she opened the door without even checking in the mirror whether it actually looked nice.

From Damon's quick intake of breath, she knew this was it. She looked up at the mirror at the end of the corridor, and gasped herself. It hugged her enticing curves just right, emphasising her flawless body and her perfect olive skin. The neckline pushed her breasts up slightly, making them look larger but not showing off too much skin. Her long legs went on for miles and her mahogany tresses flowed over her shoulder, her slim fingers resting on her hips making her appear even more slender.

She studied herself thoroughly and suddenly Damon was behind her, his hand on the small of her back. His head dipped until his lips were right by her ear, his eyes holding her gaze in the mirror.

'I think it's the One,' He smiled and she leant back into him. His arms automatically found their way around her hips and rested on her lower stomach, his touch a caress. She closed her eyes and his cheek rested on her temple.

'We are most definitely getting this dress.' she mumbled, and suddenly she was off her feet. Damon swung her round and she squealed in delight, attracting a glare from the store manager and strange looks from the other customers. Damon gently let her down, her giggling and him chuckling as she raced back to the changing room to get back into her own dress as quickly as possible.

Elena was out in a flash, dragging Damon to the counter to pay for the gorgeous dress. After all, he did say he would buy her something, didn't he?

The store manager seemed relieved that the disruptive customers were leaving and sent them on their way rather abruptly. The pair didn't mind too much though, Elena's stomach had caught up with her and now she was feeling ravenous. It made a dying whale sound and Damon looked at her, amused.

'I'll take those dying walrus sounds as a cue to find a place for lunch?' he laughed.

'I would advise not to ignore them, so yes,' The shopping bag hung off Elena's left wrist, and her right hand was tangled with Damon's, swinging between the two.

'Lunch it is, then.'


Reviews are love!

-M