A/N: Hello again my darling little readers. This chapter is really for one of my friends, Kia, who has been bugging me for the longest time about writing a double date with Delena and Klaroline. So, this is me fulfilling her wish. Enjoy!

PorcelainJester, I'm sorry! I had no idea - I had just finished watching Mean Girls (one of my favourite movies) and there's a scene where Karen says, "I thought she dumped him for Shane Oman?" to which Gretchen replies, "Irregardless, ex-boyfriends are just off-limits to friends. I mean, that's just, like, the rules of feminism!" :)

Word: Tremble
Set: Mid-season 3 (for the Klaroline), slightly AU as well…just because it's a double date with Delena and Klaroline.

Chapter Nine: Tremble

"No."

"Damon…"

"No."

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask!" Elena exclaimed, incredulous.

"You're right, I don't," he looked up from his book, "but you have your puppy eyes out in full force and I will not be swayed. You only use that look when you want something that you know I'll disapprove of."

Elena grumbled under her breath as she walked over to his bed, flopping down next to him with a huff. "But you didn't even know what I was going to ask," she said with a pout.

"Oh, come on pouty," he smirked at her. "But just as a matter of interest, what were you planning on asking?" Damon rolled onto his side so he could look at her more easily.

"Caroline wants to go on a date tonight," Elena explained, "and I told her we'd go."

"You, me, and Caroline? Sounds awesome." Damon rolled his eyes.

"No. You, me, Caroline…and Klaus."

Damon's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose comically high as he processed her words. "Klaus?"

"Yeah…Klaus," Elena pursed her lips. "Klaus is Caroline's boyfriend, if you want to put a label on him."

"Klaus, Elena? KLAUS? Caroline is dating Klaus? Of all the people in the world, she's going out with Klaus? Need I remind you that he's tried to kill you on numerous occasions?" Damon sounded so disbelieving that Elena had to laugh.

"I know, it makes no sense to me either, and of course I remember that. However, Caroline is my best friend. I have to give him a chance."

"That's adorable and all, but Elena, I don't know. He's Klaus. I didn't even know the guy had feelings, and now you're telling me that not only is he dating Caroline, but also that you agreed to go on a double date with them tonight? It's a little much for a guy to handle."

"Did you know I have this amazing ability to make myself cry? Would you like to see how I do it?" Elena asked mischievously, a wicked grin playing on her lips.

"Oh no, let's not do that," Damon shook his head, fearing what he would give into if he saw her cry.

"Pleeeeease, Damon? I'll do anything if you come on the date with us!" Elena said, resorting to begging.

"Anything?" Damon looked like he enjoyed the sound of that.

"Anything," she confirmed; a slight purr to her tone. Nuzzling close to his neck, she whispered: "But you'll only get what you want if you come with me."

Damon sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "You are going to be the death of me, Elena."

Elena giggled. "So that's a yes?"

"That's a yes. But don't think I won't forget your offer," he said with a quick grin.

"I know you won't," Elena laughed. "Thank you, Damon."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm amazing. You already know that," he said into her hair. Elena then felt the soft press of his lips against the crown of her head as he kissed her. She smiled softly.

"We can't stay in bed all day, Damon."

"I'd much rather prefer to stay here," he replied lazily. "An entire day in bed with Elena Gilbert! What would the neighbours think?"

"You have no neighbours, sweetheart," Elena reminded him patiently, "and as much as I would love to stay here with you, we have to meet Klaus and Caroline at 6 o'clock."

"Wonderful."


"How unbelievable. They aren't even here yet! We're supposed to be their guests, right?"

Elena sighed. After getting dressed into their fancy evening attire, they had driven to the restaurant where they were going to meet Klaus and Caroline. After a couple of minutes waiting, hardly as long as Damon was making it out to be, he started complaining.

"I could have stayed nice and warm in bed, but no, Caroline decides to-"

Elena tuned out. She didn't really want to hear Damon's little rant (to her, he was being a little ridiculous). Instead, she busied herself with watching how Damon's pretty blue eyes flashed whenever he was annoyed.

"Elena, are you even listening to me?" Damon demanded.

"Not really, no," Elena replied sheepishly.

"Why not?"

"I think you don't need to be overreacting this much, Damon," Elena explained.

"Well, I think that you need to be overreacting more. Or just even reacting more. You seem to be completely okay with the fact that we are going to be spending the evening with someone who is our arch nemesis, and it's infuriating," Damon sighed, rubbing his eyes as if suddenly tired.

"I understand that you're worried about me Damon," Elena rubbed his hand soothingly, "but Caroline will be able to stop him from doing anything stupid, trust me."

"I hope so," Damon muttered. Suddenly looking up, his eyes widened and Elena noticed his change in body posture. He had taken on a protective stance, and following his gaze, Elena knew why.

Klaus and Caroline had just arrived.

Elena couldn't really believe her eyes. She'd known for a while that they had been going out, but she would never have guessed the change that she had afflicted upon Klaus. The two were walking over to them, Caroline's arm linked in one of his, and both were smiling affectionately at each other as they chatted.

Elena turned and flashed Damon a wide-eyed look, and he nodded in understanding. He couldn't believe it either. Klaus seemed so…normal.

"Elena! Damon!" Caroline suddenly said; a wide smile on her face. She looked positively radiant.

"Hey Caroline," Elena greeted her friend. "New dress?"

Caroline nodded. "Klaus actually got it for me for tonight. Isn't it beautiful?" She gushed.

"It is," Elena said, jealously admiring it as Damon wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You're more beautiful, Elena." Damon assured her, whispering in her ear so that the other two vampires couldn't hear.

Elena smiled at this, but the smile quickly faded once she saw who was staring at her.

"Good evening, Elena." Klaus said politely. There seemed to be no reason to be afraid from the tone of voice he was using, but Elena saw how he was looking at her.

"G-good evening Klaus," Elena replied, her voice trembling slightly. She hoped nobody else noticed.

She should have known better. Damon had been watching the brief exchange like a hawk, and his eyes narrowed once he realised that Klaus had scared her.

A smirk on his face, Klaus then turned to Damon: "And good evening to you too, Damon."

Damon nodded stiffly, his eyes still trained on Elena. She turned to stare up at him with wide eyes, and he smoothly wrapped one arm protectively around her waist.

"Well! Shall we go inside?" Caroline asked, gesturing towards the door of the restaurant. She seemed to have no idea of the tension between the other three people, or if she did, was trying to remain as civil as possible.

Elena suspected it was because she didn't want to anger her boyfriend.

Once inside, a hostess shimmied over to the group with a wide smile on her face. "Good evening! How may I help you?"

"We have a reservation," Caroline told her. "The name is Caroline."

The girl nodded and walked over to a podium where she opened some sort of book. "Ah, yes. Right this way, please."

They followed the hostess to a nice-looking table. She placed some menus on the table as they all sat down, and walked away.

"Okay, what's with the weird atmosphere?" Caroline asked, finally picking up on what everyone was thinking. "Klaus honey, behave. It was hard enough convincing Elena to come with us tonight - I shudder to think of what she had to do to convince Damon."

Damon caught Caroline's eye and winked. "She hasn't done anything...yet."

"Okay, we do not need to hear about your sex life," Caroline cringed.

"Why not? You and I have had plenty of-"

"Some wine, I think?" Caroline interrupted him, signalling a waitress over, whilst glaring at her former lover.

While Caroline asked for a bottle of wine, Elena turned and glared at Damon too. That glare told Damon everything he needed to know, and like the whipped as fuck guy he was nodded his agreement.

"So Klaus, why don't you tell us how on earth you two started dating," Damon suggested, actually sounding curious.

Klaus smiled. "Do you want to tell them or should I?"

"You can," Caroline smiled back at him.

"Well, she had been bitten by Tyler and was actually very close to dying-"

"Bitten? By Tyler? As in...a werewolf bite?" Elena jumped in.

"Yes, a werewolf bite, Elena."

Elena turned to stare at Damon, before looking at her friend. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Caroline shrugged. "You didn't tell me that you and Damon had kissed that one time, remember? Consider it payback."

Elena rolled her eyes while Klaus cleared his throat.

"So, she was close to dying, and a distraught Tyler came to me and told me what had happened. I had never meant for her to get hurt, so I went over to her house and healed her. I also happened to find out that it was her birthday, so I got her a present," Klaus summarised.

"He was very sweet, and I, of course, was shocked. Later I started to wonder if he actually was a nice person, and after a few conversations alone with him I was convinced he was. He kept buying me presents too," Caroline laughed, "so of course that made me like him even more. Eventually he asked me out-"

"Which still sounds so lame to me. I courted you, and you accepted my love," Klaus said instead.

Caroline rolled her eyes this time. "Sure, honey. Anyway, we started dating but I didn't want to tell anyone because I thought you all wouldn't understand why we were going out in the first place."

"Which is true," Damon whispered to Elena. She grinned.

"And I know he's been such a dick to you in the past, Elena. Actually, not just to you. To everyone. But I promise he has changed, and I take full credit for that happening."

"Well, you're terrifying, Caroline. I'd hate to imagine you angry," Klaus teased her playfully.

With the two lovebirds now completely focused on each other, Elena and Damon turned to each other.

"Can you believe this?" Elena asked quietly. "He's such a different person!"

"Just before when we were outside the restaurant I heard the tremble in your voice, Elena. He might not be as different as you think he is," Damon replied.

"Yeah, I know. But that means he's just like you, Damon."

"Excuse me?"

"You're only ever completely nice and yourself when you're around me, sweetheart. You treat me so differently compared to everyone else," Elena explained.

Damon still didn't look convinced. "I'm not like Klaus though, right?"

"Well, you're much better than him, obviously. But he is being a lot nicer to us now that Caroline's here."

"I guess I see your point," Damon sighed. "But I am nice to other people too...sometimes."

"I know," Elena smiled at him. "I just meant that you are only yourself when you're with me, like Klaus is being right now."

"What is Klaus being like right now?" Caroline suddenly asked, catching the end of their conversation.

"Nice," Elena shrugged. "We find it weird."

"I know it's a little hard to get used to," Klaus said, sounding sincere. "But she has changed me into a different person."

Elena and Damon exchanged a quick look. They still didn't really believe him, but for the moment, he was being polite towards them.

Elena secretly believed he could change eventually. After all, Damon changed. For her.

A/N: Leave a review if you liked the chapter, and as always, I'll be back in a few days. Au revoir!