Boarding House:
Stefan is looking for a book, he seems to be stressed. He roughly pours himself a glass of whiskey and drinks it.
Clara comes down hearing someone else in the house and sees Stefan acting erratic.
"Is everything alright?" She asks concerned,
"Fine." Stefan replies trying to end this conversation before it begins
"You're a horrible liar." She remarks
Stefan gives her an un-amused look but Clara keeps on him,
"Come on, we were getting along so well, when we were near death." He rolls his eyes at that but it works in letting his walls come down a bit.
"I suppose Damon told you of my blood problem." He states, but Clara's face gives nothing away,
"No I am sorry he didn't, should he have?"
"I don't know maybe, just surprised he didn't take the opportunity to gloat to you about my recent missteps." Stefan explains why he was quick to assume she had already been informed,
"I am sorry I'm not sure I follow, what missteps?" Clara asks,
"You asked me if Damon ever did anything worse than me... truth is I was far worse than Damon could ever aspire to. I wiped out whole villages. They called me a ripper because of how I tore my victims apart in my frenzied attempt to gain access to their blood. I took Elena's blood that night hoping to be strong enough to protect you both, and now I am afraid it has woken the monster inside of me and there might be nothing I can do to put him down again. The one person I had that helped me control him Damon took from me... he killed her in front of me on my birthday no less."
Clara moves closer to Stefan and cautiously places her hand in his.
"I am terribly sorry for what you have suffered. I would never dream to replace your dear friend, but is their anything I can do to aid you in her absence?" She asked sincerely,
"No, thank you but no, I don't think there's anything anyone can do." Stefan regretfully tells her,
They just sat there together allowing sadness to sit with them without trying to talk it away.
Damon finally arrives home and rushes to Clara, Dress box in hand.
Clara looks up amused at her husband.
"What have you done?" She asks,
"Get dressed my love, a night out is just what the doctor ordered." he explains,
Clara peeks inside the box
"And who is this doctor?" She asks,
"I'll show you later tonight when we come back home," Damon says wiggling his eye brows at her causing her to giggle.
Lockwood Mansion:
Damon couldn't have been prouder to walk into the Lockwood home that night with his wife on his arm. She outshone everyone else in the room with her beauty and she was all his.
Clara was excited to be out of the house, and thrilled Damon trusted her enough to be around humans and mingle with important people from the town. This was a first for her, going to a grand event as a guest and not working behind the scenes. It was so thrilling but also nerve wreaking but she trusted Damon would not let her make too big a fool of herself. She just had to be careful about her language. Not to speak in so many full sentences and abbreviate even when unnecessary where the tips her husband had given her.
She wore a one shoulder dress, cut well above her knee, something she had never seen before and certainly never wore. It was a soft baby blue with a longer skirt in the back than front. It was a strange dress to her, but she had to admit it was beautiful and very fun to wear, certainly a lot more comfortable then the dresses ladies of her time where forced into.
"Are you sure showing this much of my legs isn't scandalous?" She asked, feeling very exposed,
Damon smiled at his wife's innocence.
"Positive, it'd be a crime to keep them covered up." They got lost in each others eyes and kissed a little too long for being in public but didn't regret it for a moment. They only broke apart when Stefan interrupted,
"Oh god! I shouldn't be here." he says nervously,
"Come on, don't be a downer, it's a party for the founding families! That would be us. That would be rude to skip it." Damon tells his brother,
"I really liked you a whole lot better when you hated everybody." Stefan remarks,
"Oh I still do. I just love that they love me."
Clara shakes her head at her husbands behavior and asks Stefan, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good, I'm fine." Stefan replies genuinely touched Clara cared for him
Damon didn't exactly like the tenderness between the two of them and quickly inserted his own brand of snark squashing any of those mushy feelings from growing.
"No cravings? No urges? Is that whiskey you've been drinking all day doing its job?"
Stefan tries to laugh Damon off but he presses on, "We are who we are Stefan. Nothing's gonna change that."
"Ah! Nothing will make you happier to just see me give up, Damon?" Stefan asks him,
"Whatever, it's inevitable." Damon says surprising Clara, "Damon!"
"It's fine Clara, Damon's just being Damon I'm used to it. Well, I'm gonna find Elena." Stefan says taking off further into the party.
Clara turns to Damon a little baffled by his behavior, "Your brother is struggling, was that necessary."
"Why are you suddenly so concerned with my brother?" Damon asks her suspiciously... and slightly jealous,
"Because he's my brother now too." Damon wasn't expecting that answer and it took some steam that had been building out of him. He remembered what Clara has said this morning about having more faith in him than her own insecurities and decided he could trust her too.
"You're right, he is. Of course you care for him as such, I just have a habit of being an ass whenever I see an opportunity." Damon tells her,
"I've noticed." She replies dryly,
"Well, lucky for me you happen to love my ass." Damon says dropping his voice in the way he knows gets to her,
"Hmmm, that I do." Clara leaned up and pulled Damon down to meet her in another show of PDA.
Stefan is at the bar drinking. Elena arrives. He sees her, puts the glass on the bar and waves to her, "Hey!"
"Hey. How are you?" Elena asks him,
He kisses her on the cheek forcing her head to turn slightly, she spots Damon and Clara, "Wait is that Clara, is it safe for her to be here, around all these people?"
"Its fiiine, nothin to worry 'bout." Stefan tells her,
"Are you drunk?" Elena asks, kind of amused seeing her boyfriend act like a typical teenager.
"Okay, I know it's a little weird but it's really helping me. The alcohol takes the edge off." He explains,
"You're totally that drunk high school guy at parties sneaking booze." Elena responds finding the situation amusing,
"I totally am, yeah." Stefan whisks her onto the dance floor, and Elena decides just to get the most out of Stefan's carefree attitude although it did concern her to see Stefan use compulsion on the DJ to change the music, it was something Damon would do not Stefan.
Damon brings Clara over to Sheriff Forbes wanting to introduce her to one of the few people in this town he actually likes.
"You know I love a woman in uniform but I have to side with this one, you certainly clean up well." Damon harmlessly flirts causing Elizabeth to laugh,
"Thank you Damon. Cheers!" They clink glasses and Elizabeth goes on to ask about Clara, "And who is this lovely beauty?"
"The reason I came over, I would like to introduce you to my wife." Damon says shocking Sheriff Forbes... she nearly chokes on her champagne.
"I'am sorry did you say wife?" She asked needing to check she wasn't hearing things,
"Shocking I know." Damon says,
"Well, its a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Salvatore, can't imagine why Damon never mentioned you before." Elizabeth says extending her hand for Clara to shake,
"You as well, and please call me Clara. And I imagine my lovely husband was simply trying not to brag." Clara replies quickly shaking the sheriffs hand,
"Sassy too, she'll keep you on your toes. How long have you been together?" Elizabeth asks,
"Indeed she will," Damon agrees pulling her slightly closer to him, "and we've been together since we were children... she was my best friend growing up and I've been completely besotted since the day I laid eyes on her." Clara ducks her head into Damon's chest slightly embarrassed and surprised by how sweet he is being, but loving every moment of it.
"Wow I feel like I am seeing a whole new Damon Salvatore. You know I had my doubts about you at first but like everyone else on the council you've won me over." Elizabeth admits,
"Thanks Liz. I don't really want this talked about, but I consider you a friend and know you well enough to know not to try and sneak anything past you but the truth is we have been separated for a few years... that's why i never mention her before." Damon says candidly, well as candidly as he can without letting the vampire bats out the bag,
"Its alright you don't owe me an explanation." Elizabeth tries to tell him
"No really, its okay you should know. I was young and stupid and I made a horrible mistake that nearly cost me the best thing that ever happened to me. Truthfully I never expected to get a second chance and I am just really thankful I am getting one now." He explains looking at Clara with such love and devotion Elizabeth Forbes sees nothing but a repentant husband determined to make his marriage work, a rare thing nowadays.
"Well welcome to Mystic Falls Clara, I hope you both are very happy here." Liz tells Clara,
"Yes, I hope so as well, and thank you for being so welcoming." Clara responds gracefully,
"Actually would you mind if I spoke to your husband alone for a minute there is some council business we need to discuss." Liz asks her,
"Why don't you go check on Elena, seems my brother is making a spectacle of himself." Damon suggests,
"Of course, again it was lovely meeting you." Clara tells Sheriff Forbes.
"You as well." Liz replies,
Clara joins Elena at the bar watching Stefan dancing with Kelly Donovan.
"Is he gonna be okay?" She asks Elena,
"Exactly what I would like to know..." Elena mutters,
Damon watches making sure Clara is alright without him and then turns back to Sheriff Forbes, "It's really nice how welcoming the council has been. I like my life here in Mystic Falls. Starting to feel like home again."
"Well, you're not gonna like what I have to tell you. Jonathan Gilbert's claims check out. Blood bank, the missing people, all of it's true. We might have a problem." Liz tells him,
But Damon is slightly distracted by his brother making a jack ass of himself, Seriously Stefan, couldn't go one damn day?! Damon thinks, very frustrated and annoyed but tries to only let his concern show on his face to not tip off to the Sheriff he is privy to anything else going on around them,
Damon spots his wife dancing with Donovan and want to go over and take her out of the quarterback's arms but Jeremy arrives and interrupts him.
"Excuse me Sheriff. I was curious if there's been any more information about what happened to Vicki Donovan?" Jeremy says interrupting Damon and Liz,
"It was an overdose, Jeremy." Liz tries to tell Jeremy,
"Yeah, but her body was buried. Somebody must have done that." Jeremy adds making Damon really uncomfortable.
"We're aware of that. The investigation is ongoing but there's nothing more I can tell you at this time. I'm sorry." Liz tells a frustrated Jeremy,
"It's okay." He says and then takes off, Well this could be a problem Damon thinks to himself before making his way over to his bride.
"Care to take a stroll my lady?" He asks gallantly,
"It would be an honor." she says playing along, Damon secures her arm through his and they walk out onto the balcony together enjoying the night air.
"I am sorry we never got to do this back then." Damon tells her,
"We're here now that's all that matters." Clara turns around in Damon's arms ready to kiss him but notices a man behind them, John joins them outside.
"Damon, right?" John asks,
Damon turns around his whole body tenses trying not to kill someone in the middle of a party but wanting to do nothing else, "John."
"And I am afraid I have yet to make this lovely young woman's acquaintance yet." John says as his smarmy eyes travel over Clara,
"And you're not going to," Damon says drawing John's attention back to him, "what do you want?" He asks through his clenched jaw,
"We didn't get the chance to meet at the council meeting." John explains, but Damon tries to change the conversation,
"Are you enjoying the kick-off?" he asks,
"Oh yeah. I forgot how much fun these small town celebrations can be. How long have you been in town?" John directs his last question to Clara.
"Oh, not long at all. Why do you want to know?" Damon answers for her planning all the ways he plans on killing Elena's uncle,
"Just making friendly chit chat." John replies,
"Except we're not friends." Damon replies causing John to get a tight smile on his face
"No, I tend not to be friends with vampires." he looks at both Damon and Clara pointedly. Damon moves Clara behind him trying to shield her from John's threatening stares.
"And you're telling us this why?" Damon asks,
"I just thought we get the introductions out of the way." John explains,
"You know that I could rip your throat out before anyone would notice?" Damon threatens,
"Well I am on vervain... but why don't you take a bite to find out?" John tempts him,
"This man hardly seems worth our time Damon, perhaps we should go back inside." Clara says trying to end this stand off,
"I must say, Mrs. Salvatore you speak as if you were from a different time... say 1864. It wasn't such a good time to be a vampire then you see they were running amok and we were forced to hunt them down, throw them in a church and burn them to ash." John says goading her,
"I wasn't aware you were quite so old Mr. Gilbert, perhaps you can share with me you skin care regimen." is Clara's quick reply,
John lets out a sarcastic chuckle and Damon is losing his patients with Elena's tool of an uncle.
They look at each other and smile. Damon and Clara start to leave but Damon changes his mind at the last moment and rushes towards John, breaks his neck, and throws him off the balcony.
When Damon and Clara re enter the party it seems they have missed something they has been commotion over Kelly Donovan and Tyler Lockwood.
They ignore the small town drama and make their way over to Elena who is watching Stefan with concern.
"You wanna hear the bad news or the really bad news?" Damon asks Elena,
"Actually, I don't want any news Damon." She tells him,
"Alright, let me rephrase. Do you want to hear how the council is back in vampire killing mode or how I just killed Uncle John Gilbert?"
"What?" Elena asks horrified,
"Uh honey," Clara tries to get Damon's attention as John Gilbert walks in very much alive. When she succeeded Damon is non too amused, "You gotta be kidding me."
Later Damon walks up to Alaric
"Look at his right hand." He says nodding over to John
"His ring... well, it looks like mine." Alaric says confused,
"Yeah, and that would be a big coincidence if he didn't just came back from the dead five minutes ago. Where the hell did you get that ring?" Damon asks him,
"Isobel, my wife."
"Who gave birth to Elena, under the medical care of the esteemed DR Grayson Gilbert, John's brother!" Damon says angrily putting the pieces together,
They both look at John.
"Do you think John knew Isobel?" Clara asks joining the conversation,
"I think John knows a lot of things." Damon says annoyed a his kills keep coming back recently,
Later Damon and Clara are enjoying a slow dance
"I am sorry tonight was ruined." Damon apologizes,
"Ruined please, all this excitement and intrigue... I've had a fabulous time, and I get to recover from it all day tomorrow while I avoid the sun." Clara tells him,
"Lucky." Damon responds inching his head closer towards her,
"Very," Clara replies and pulls Damon down further for a long deep kiss.
Not long later, Damon sees John is leaving and asks Clara to stay inside as he and Alaric follow him
"Not a chance." She answers,
"Yeah I figured come on,"
The three of them catch up to him outside.
"Going somewhere?" Damon asks,
"I've never liked to be the last one to leave a party. It's too desperate." John replies, "You're going to kill me again or you're gonna let Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work? Perhaps the Mrses would like a go?"
"Tempting." Clara says dryly,
"do you know who I am." Alaric asks, needing to know more about John's connection to Isobel,
"I do. Alaric Saltzman, a high school history teacher with a secret." John explains,
"Sure know a lot for someone who just got to town." Damon says hating this guy more and more by the second,
"More than you can imagine, Damon. My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything that you (He looks at Damon) or you (He looks at Alaric) or even you (he looks at Clara) knows. So, if you're planning on some clever high speed snatch ring vamp kill move, know that if I die, everything I know goes to the council including the fascinating little tale of your wife's resurrection."
Clara has to hold Damon back from doing something stupid.
"How did you get that ring?" Alaric asks,
"I had inherited one, my brother Gray had the other. This was his (He shows his ring to them) and I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel if I had known she'd hand it over to another guy."
and now Alaric is losing his control.
"What do you want?" Clara asks wanting to just cut to the chase,
"So many questions. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ric. And Clara, I've heard so much about you."
John leaves. Damon, Clara, and Alaric look at each other, each a little shaken.