"What do you think of this one?" Elena asked, arching her back in the slinky black dress she was trying on.

"Is that wedding appropriate?" Isobel took a sip of her latte from where she lounged on a green printed chaise. She'd taken Elena to her favorite boutique to buy a dress to wear to Damon's boss's wedding, which was the very next night.

"I'm sure its Damon-appropriate." Elena said, and the girls both giggled.

The past couple days hadn't been so bad for Elena. She'd been so busy trying to ignore Katherine's presence that she'd almost forgotten to buy a dress, but other than that things had been pretty nice, especially between her and Damon. He'd even come home with a hotel room key one night, saying he'd missed their 'privacy.'

"What about this one?" Isobel had crossed the room and was holding up another dress from a display rack.

"Oooh." Elena appraised the lavender dress. It was made of a shimmery, soft-looking material, and it had an accented waist and a delicately carved neckline. Conservative, but also chic. "Let me try it on." She said.

The dress slipped comfortably over Elena's shoulders, and she admired herself in the mirror. It hugged her waist and flared out over her thighs. The lavender shade contrasted nicely with the tan she still had from Hawaii and her long, dark hair. "I'm buying this." She declared.

"Looks amazing." Isobel agreed.

The two girls spilled out onto the busy street ten minutes later, Elena with her packaged dress in hand and Isobel sipping the remains of her latte.

"Jack said he was just down the street." Isobel said, scanning the busy road with her light blue eyes. Jack was her boyfriend, and he was whisking her off for an afternoon date. Isobel seemed pretty excited about it. Elena had never met Jack, and she had to admit she was curious as to what he was like.

Just then, a sleek red sports car pulled up to the side of the road.

"Hi, baby." In the front seat was a handsome, sandy-haired guy with a smattering of freckles and bright blue eyes. He was built and muscular, and was wearing a casual white tee shirt and jeans. A tiny silver cross necklace caught the light on the front of his shirt.

"Hi! This is Elena Salvatore. She lives in my building." Isobel leaned down to kiss Jack before sliding into the seat next to him.

"How do you do?" Jack gave Elena a charming smile. Elena giggled and shook his hand.

"Have fun, you two." She said, watching as the car slid smoothly back onto the road. He seemed nice, and Elena was happy for Isobel. They'd been friends for all of five days, but she seemed like a genuinely kind and cheerful person.

Elena slid her key card into the apartment door after the short walk home. The space was clean, and she was happy to see that Katherine's purse and tall black heels were missing from the living room. That must mean that she was out somewhere. It was a Saturday, meaning Damon didn't have to work, and he was probably home.

Just the way things should be.

Elena found him on the balcony, sitting quietly in a chair and watching the sunlight stream through the skyscrapers ahead. He looked handsome as ever, in a grey tee shirt and dark jeans. His feet were bare, and propped up on the railing.

Elena walked over to him and settled herself in his lap.

"Hi," She said, pressing a kiss onto his cheek.

Damon responded by tucking her head underneath his chin and kissing the top of her hair. "Hi."

Elena took one of his hands in both of hers and pressed it against her cheek. "The view is beautiful." She said, mesmerized by the glittering buildings against the bright blue sky.

Damon gave her the telltale smirking expression that she had come to love. "Did you just say that because you want me to make some cheesy comment about how I think the view right here is more beautiful?" He cupped Elena's chin in one of his hands.

Elena giggled and playfully squirmed away from him. "No!"

"Good," Damon said, smoothing her hair away from her face. "Because it is."

Elena leaned up and kissed him. They sat there for a few more minutes, soaking up the sunlight and the comfort of each other's presence. Then, Damon got up and walked to the door that lead back inside.

"Where are you going?" Elena pouted.

"Come on," Damon held out his hand.

Elena cocked an eyebrow. "More surprises?" She asked.

"Maybe." Damon winked at her.

He led her down to the park that was a few blocks away from The Plaza. It was crowded with children running and laughing, young nannies pushing strollers, elderly couples chatting softly on benches, and dogs of all sizes scampering around together, their paws leaving marks in the lush grass.

They walked hand in hand through the rows of trees until they reached a secluded bench in the middle of a brightly colored tulip garden. Damon sat, and gestured for Elena to join him. He pulled a small white box out of his pocket.

"It was my grandmothers." He said as he handed Elena the box. His blue eyes were glittering in the clear sunlight. "What?" He asked when he noticed Elena staring at him.

"Sometimes I just forget how good looking you are." Elena admitted.

Damon laughed and rolled his eyes. "Just open it." He insisted.

Elena opened the lid of the white box. Nestled in velvet was a tiny diamond hanging on a delicate strand of silver chain. "Oh, Damon." She said. "Its lovely."

Damon shook his head. "You haven't seen anything yet." He reached into the box and took the tiny chain between his two fingers, lifting the diamond into the light. Elena gasped. It sparkled and shimmered with every color of the rainbow, glowing from within as if it was magical.

"Wow," She mouthed, watching as the diamond flicked majestically as it swung in the slight breeze that passed through the garden.

"I figured you might want something to wear to the wedding." Damon said, swooping her hair over her shoulders with one hand and easily clasping the diamond around her neck. "I knew no jewelry could possibly be as beautiful as you, but this comes pretty close."

Elena touched the small jewel where it hung just below where her collarbones met. It was so light and delicate she barely felt it on her throat, but just knowing it was there made her feel special.

"Thank you." She grasped Damon's hands in hers. "Really. I love it."

Damon kissed the tip of her nose and then her lips. "Anything for you." He said softly. Elena marveled at the fact that just three weeks ago he would have said those very words in a sarcastic, mocking tone. But now, he was looking at her as if he truly thought she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. It was a wonderful feeling.

They made their way back to the apartment slowly, the sunlight beaming down on them. When the reached the room, loud music was blaring from Stefan's bedroom.

"Katherine?" Damon called.

"No peeking!" Katherine poked her head out from behind the doorway. "I'm trying on my dress for tomorrow night to make sure its perfect."

"I'm sure you'll look great, Kat." Damon smiled at her. He turned to Elena once Katherine had shut the door. "She seems to be doing better, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, sure." Elena forced herself to say. She didn't want to ruin the moment they had just had, even though she thought it was ridiculous that Damon believed Katherine had been in a bad place in the first place.

The rest of the day passed without much excitement. Elena and Damon watched TV and lounged on the couch, trading stories about their lives pre-marriage. Katherine excused herself around dinner time to go see 'a friend.' Elena knew it was Stefan who she was going to visit, but she didn't say anything to Damon. She wasn't sure how he'd react. She didn't want to upset him by brining up old memories of Katherine and Stefan together. She knew that Damon was fine with Stefan taking Katherine to the wedding, but she wasn't sure if he would be okay with knowing how, er, involved they'd really gotten.

Once the door had shut behind Katherine, Elena nuzzled her head into Damon's neck. "How long is she going to be staying?" She asked, trying hard not to sound whiny.

"Not long, Kitten. Not much longer." Damon promised, stroking her hair with one hand.

They fell asleep like that, cuddled together on the couch. It was early, but Elena felt surprisingly tired. She wrapped a blanket around Damon and herself and let the rest of the world fade away.

The next morning, storm clouds huddled on the horizon, and a light drizzle had already started outside when Elena and Damon woke up.

"Good thing the wedding is indoors." Damon remarked as he sipped coffee from a white mug.

"Sit down." Elena said, gesturing to an empty chair at the breakfast table. Katherine had left a message on the answering machine telling them not to worry that she hadn't come home last night, because she was staying over at her friends.

Right, because Elena was totally worried.

She decided to take advantage of the extended alone time.

"I'm cooking you breakfast!" She announced to Damon. "Sit."

He did as he was told, watching her amusedly as she attempted to figure out how to make pancakes without a recipe or half of the necessary ingredients.

"Your kitchen is seriously lacking." Elena said finally, giving up on the pancakes and curling up in Damon's lap.

"Sorry, Kitten. I'll try to buy some more groceries tomorrow." Damon said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer. "For now, we should probably get going. The weddings at two, and it's a long drive to Pennsylvania."

"You're probably right." Elena agreed, giving him one final kiss before heading off to the bedroom to gather her things.

They drove for almost four hours on the smooth, busy highway. Damon had enlisted his chauffer to take them to their hotel in Pennsylvania, and this time Elena was happy about his presence. It meant that she and Damon were free to talk and cuddle and do whatever they pleased in the back of the car.

"What did you think of me the first time you saw me?" Elena mused halfway through the ride.

Damon ruffled her hair. "I thought you were beautiful." He said.

"Please." Elena scoffed. "You barely noticed me throughout our high school years."

Damon looked at her amusedly. "Why do you ask the question if you don't want to hear the answer? I'm being honest. I always thought you were pretty."

"I wish I could say the same for you." Elena joked, cocking her head and giving Damon a mock sympathetic look. "The truth is, I've always thought you were absolutely hideous."

"I don't think so, Mrs. Salvatore," Damon said, grabbing her around the waist and tickling her stomach.

"Stop!" Elena giggled, playfully pushing him away. Her laughter echoed through the car, mixing with the music playing in the background and sailing out through the open window onto the smooth road outside. In that moment, everything seemed to be perfect.

The driver pulled up to their hotel in Pennsylvania an hour later. Damon pointed out the beautiful church across the street where the wedding would take place.

"My boss's family lives here. That's why the wedding is here, not in New York." He explained.

Elena was barely listening. Instead, she was marveling at the fact that she was back in her home state. Of course, Mystic Falls wasn't anywhere close to Harrisburg, where they were currently. But it was much closer than New York. It felt odd, almost. Like she didn't belong here anymore. But also, in a strange way, it was nice returning here with Damon. It was almost as if things had come full circle.

Their hotel room was large and spacious. Damon left to greet his co-workers, telling Elena to get dressed.

"I'll meet you across the street in about a half hour, right before the wedding starts." He said as he adjusted his tie.

"You look handsome." Elena told him, kissing his cheek before he left.

Once she was alone in the room, Elena sipped the chilled champagne that had been left out by the hotel staff. She slipped into her lavender dress and styled her hair so that it hung in loose waves over her shoulders. Then, she quickly did her makeup and put on a pair of gold heels she'd borrowed from Isobel. The necklace Damon had given her was still fastened around her neck, catching the light and forming rainbows every time she passed under a shadow.

While she got ready, Elena stole glances at the church, watching as people began to gather in the spacious garden out front, dressed in formal clothes, greeting each other and drinking wine as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Elena wondered what her and Damon's wedding would have been like if they'd met traditionally. She would have liked to think that it would be something beautiful, held in a quaint and prettily decorated place like the church.

Enough daydreaming, Elena told herself, glancing at her phone and seeing that it was five minutes after the time she'd told Damon she'd meet him out front. She quickly grabbed her purse and hurried across the street to join the crowd outside the church.

"Elena!" Damon found her almost immediately, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "There are some people I want you to meet."

He then proceeded to introduce her to a blur of faces and names, co-workers and friends and CEOs and acquaintances. Elena nodded and smiled, greeting everyone graciously. It was odd to think that all of these people would know her not as Elena Gilbert, the teenager from Mystic Falls who's parents had died, but as Elena Salvatore, the young, wealthy wife of Damon.

"Sorry about that," Damon murmured in her ear once they were finally alone. "Its just that everybody's been wanting to meet you."

"Well," Elena smiled at him teasingly. "I'm flattered then."

Damon smiled back at her. "You look stunning, by the way." He said.

"Thank you," Elena replied. A thought occurred to her. "Did Stefan come? Wasn't he going to bring Katherine?"

"Yes, I just saw Stefan a few minutes ago. He was going to go fetch Katherine." Damon said. His eyes focused on something ahead in the crowd. "There they are now, actually." He waved Stefan over, and then a dark cloud seemed to pass over his face. "Uh oh." He murmured. "Don't get mad."
"Get mad at what?" Elena asked, peering over the heads in the crowd, trying to see what Damon was talking about. Then, Katherine popped out from behind a group of people, walking towards them with Stefan by her side.

Elena's jaw dropped. Katherine was wearing the exact same dress as her, right down to the lavender color.

"Oh!" Katherine's face was awry with false surprise as she spotted Elena and Damon. "How embarrassing!"

Stefan looked from one girl to the other and suppressed a chuckle. Damon awkwardly stared at his shoes. Elena looked Katherine up and down, her heart sinking as she saw how gorgeous the other girl looked. Her hair had been pulled up in a delicate bouffant, and her heels were sleek and silver. Next to her, Elena's long flowing waves looked childish, and her shoes looked tacky.

What a bitch.

"Well, great minds think alike, don't they?" Damon said finally. Stefan nodded in agreement.

Elena could only seethe silently as they made their way into the church. She was almost positive that this hadn't been an accident on Katherine's part. The bitch had probably peeked into her bags when she'd been out with Damon and then purposely gotten the exact same dress as her, just to mess with her nerves. Ridiculous.

They settled in the pews inside. Elena sat with Stefan on one side and Damon on the other. She only passed Katherine briefly while making her way to her seat, but the words that the sultry brunette hissed in her ear, followed by her telltale cackle, were unmistakable.

"Your dress isn't the only thing I'll be stealing tonight."