AN: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I love them all!

Elena

I looked into the mirror on Friday morning, and almost gasped at my reflection. The yellow dress hugged my curves perfectly and accentuated my breasts. Corset-like ribbing framed my torso, while the flowing fabric created an elegant knot in the front. The hue contrasted terrifically with my skin tone, and the gauzy material flowed gracefully down to my feet.

This is the dress! I know that I'm not getting married or anything, but I can't help but feel the tears well up in my eyes. It's perfect!

Caroline emerged from the dressing room to the right of the mirror. She looked like a goddess. The sea foam green brought out the accents in her eyes, and the cut was perfect. Tyler wouldn't be able to keep his hands away! I opened my mouth to praise her, only to see her lips part in surprise. She looked like she was about to faint.

"Care! Are you okay?"

My words seemed to pull her out of her stupor. "Yeah. Yes. I'm fine. But Elena, you look…"

As Caroline searched for a word to complete her sentence, I started to doubt my choice and my instincts. Maybe the dress wasn't as good as I thought it was. Now that I think about it, the yellow could be a little too bright. How much cleavage is considered scandalous?

"…perfect." Caroline's voice startled me out of my criticisms.

I took a deep breath and looked at myself again. "You really think so?"

"I know so!" Caroline walked a circle around me, assessing all aspects of the gown. "I think you could go with some nude pumps, and if we curl your hair and pull it back a bit…"

She continued to ramble on about makeup and gold versus bronze jewelry, while I just stared at myself in the mirror. Would Damon like the dress? God, I'm so nervous. The butterflies in my stomach wouldn't shut up. It was an official date, he asked me to a dance with him. And his father would be there, which mad me nervous, especially after the comment he made to me on the phone a while back. The last thing I wanted was Giuseppe to ruin my evening with Damon.

I looked into the mirror again and twirled around on my own, watching the fabric swirl around my legs. Caroline gave me a smile of approval, and I smiled back. Things were looking up.

I'd bought the dress, and the accompanying accessories that Caroline suggested earlier this morning. Now, I sat on my couch at home, freshly showered, nothing to do but to watch my hair dry. There were five hours till the time Damon reserved for picking me up and I sat in nervous anticipation. It was way too early to start getting dressed, and I needed my hair to dry before I curled it anyway. But sitting here and doing nothing was killing me.

Knowing I had a late night ahead of me, I decided to try and take a nap, hoping to push away my anxiety for a little while. I turned on my stomach and lay with my in the pillows, giving my hair as much room as possible to dry. But nothing could keep my mind from running away with itself.

It had been three days since the night that Damon stayed over, leaving in the morning after untangling himself and kissing me on the cheek. What is with him and kissing me on the cheek? Every time he does, my head wants to turn and capture his lips with mine. But I'll take what I can get.

He felt so good in the morning, despite my little freak out the night before. Granted, he'd seen me at my worst, but I still felt bad for my body's instant reaction to his. I woke up with my head nuzzled in his chest, his arms around my torso, and his legs intertwining with mine. His breathing was slow and steady, and I spent the time before he woke up memorizing the way his muscles rose and fell with every inhale and exhale. He is so perfect; the lines of his body are completely mesmerizing. If he was mine, I would touch him all the time, trace him with my hands, and never let him forget how amazing he is. But he isn't mine, so I have to resort to staring for now.

If only that morning had gone differently, if only I had told him the truth. "Damon. I love you. I'm in love with you."

He would look at me with those beautiful blue eyes and exclaim that he was in love with me too, that he's waited years for me to say those words. Our bodies would tangle together and he would kiss me, and kiss me, and kiss me.

I woke up to the sound of someone pounding on my front door. I sat up with a start, thinking that Damon was here; before I remembered that Caroline was coming over to get ready with me. She never went to prom when she was in high school, her grandmother passed away and her family had to go to the funeral, halfway across the country, leaving her in black instead of something sparkly. Caroline wanted to do the whole shebang, the dress shopping together, getting ready beforehand, riding there in a limo, for the fundraiser, so she could have prom a few years too late. She'd already dragged me shopping, insisting that I needed the perfect dress so I could impress Damon, and now she was banging at my door ready for makeup and gossip.

I pulled myself off of the couch, disappointed to be leaving my own personal sanctuary. Caroline bounded into the front hall once I opened the door, he curious eyes taking in everything I owned. She had never been in my house before, and to be honest, I was a little nervous to have her here. Other than Damon, no one besides me had stepped over the threshold for years.

Caroline fingered the antique lamp on a side table, and gazed at the family picture that sat next to it. My mom and dad were holding hands, Jeremy was on my father's shoulders, and I had my arms wrapped around my mom in a hug.

Caroline looked back at me. "Family?"

The pang hit my chest immediately, I felt as though someone were hitting me in the heart, as I always do at the mention of the people I have lost. But I am stronger now; I can handle a simple conversation about things that are gone. In the past month, Caroline has become a good friend to me, and her exuberance and kindness has brought me out of my state of depression. I know how to have fun, how to laugh again, things that I had only been able to do around Damon. Slowly, I'm becoming myself again, and Caroline was a major instrument in my metamorphosis. She deserves the truth, and I owe it to myself to tell her. The ache isn't gone, and the gaping hole hasn't closed, but I'm feeling a little bit more whole.

"Yeah." I move closer to her, pointing at the faces as I gave them names. "That's my mom and dad, me, and my brother Jeremy."

Caroline stared at them for a moment. "You don't talk about them much."

"They passed away when I was fifteen."

She looked a little stricken, like she had no clue what to say. "You look like her, your mom."

I smiled at that, it was a compliment I would never get tired of hearing. "Thanks Care."

Grabbing her hand, I pulled her away from my past and into my bedroom so that we could begin to pretty up for our big night. Caroline looked around my room and smiled, before her eyes caught the edge of fabric sticking out from the bottom of the bed. Running over, she plucked it from the floor. It was a black V-neck of Damon's, he must have left it and I never noticed. It was no big deal but Caroline thought differently.

"Oh my god! Whose is this?"

I laughed. "Care, Damon must've left it…"

"What?" She screeched. "Damon slept in here?"

"Yeah, he stays over a lot because…"

She interrupted again. "He stayed over? Are you guys having sex? Why didn't you tell me?"

"No! No, it's just something we do. He just comes over and cuddles with me."

"And you keep telling me that he's not in love with you!"

Wait, what? "He's not!"

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Honey, if a man is cuddling with you without having sex first, there are definitely feelings there."

No way. It's not like I've cuddled with a ton of guys, it's only been Damon, and so I wouldn't know. But that doesn't have to be true right? Damon's just a nice guy, and we are really good friends, so it's only natural that we would surpass those boundaries. Yet Caroline does have a freakish amount of knowledge about the male species. Could she be right? No. There was no way that it was true. Damon has no feelings for me. I would know if he did.

"We're really good friends Caroline. We're basically the same person; it's only natural that we would have no problem sharing a bed with each other."

She shook her head, and pulled her oversized makeup bag out of her purse. I was ready to change the subject. "So the guys will be here at seven…"

"Let's go then!"

I started to curl my hair, while Caroline squeezed into the bathroom next to me and started applying her makeup. Times like these made me want a sister, someone to talk about boys with, someone to argue about bathroom space with. We put on some music, and Caroline kept hip bumping me, making me laugh.

"So, what's the deal with you and Tyler?"

Caroline blushed a little bit. "I don't know. I mean we only officially met four days ago, but we already know each other so well. That night he stayed with me was like, magical." She smiled. "I like him a lot."

"Are you sure you're not moving a little…fast?"

"We haven't kissed or anything, we've just been spending time together. He asked me to come to the fundraiser with him though, which is amazing, because he has all these beautiful girls fawning over him all the time."

"Oh please! Caroline Forbes, you are ten times more gorgeous than any of those women. Any guy would kill himself to be with you."

She snaked her arm around my waist and gave me a squeeze. "Thanks Elena!"

I finished the last curl, and backed up from the mirror, examining the sides of my head. My hair fell over my shoulders in ringlets. I pulled it to the side and pinned it in a loose chignon, letting the curls spill out.

We switched places so that Caroline could do her hair. "So, are you excited to see Damon?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like this will be the first time I've ever seen him Care."

"I know, but this is kind of different right? It's like a date almost."

"Ugh! I wish. He probably just sees it as a friend thing. Don't get my hopes up."

I perfected my makeup as she spoke. "You never know. Maybe this is the night. Maybe he'll wake up and realize that he's in love with you. And then you can have sloppy wedding sex, except not at a wedding!"

"I wish!"

Caroline started bumping her hips in to mine, singing at the top of her lungs. "Elena's gonna have sex! And it's gonna feel so good! When she lets Damon put his penis inside her!"

I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. "Stop! Stop!"

"She's gonna have sex and she'll never go back! To the not-having-sex with Damon ways of the past!" She dissolved into giggles.

"Care, I totally hate you!" I laughed. She wiped under her eyes, making sure her makeup hadn't smeared. "But seriously though. You totally want to have sex with him!"

"Of course I do, but you don't have to sing about it!"

What if I did have sex with Damon tonight? I mean, it won't happen, but theoretically…would I be ready? I mean I know the basics. But…

"Care?"

She looks at me in the mirror. "Uhuh?"

"Does it hurt? The first time?"

I'd told her about my embarrassing virgin waiting-for-Damon thing. "It does, but only a little."

"That's what Damon said, but he's not a girl, so…"

"Wait, you talked to Damon about it?"

"Yeah. So?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around your friendship. It's like you're married, without the sex."

"I guess." I fiddled around with my makeup brush. "What if I'm really bad?"

"What? In bed?" She turned to face me. "Honey, if your first time is with Damon, it will be perfect for you. You're in love with him, and he'll be in love with you. You just need to show him your love and pleasure him the best you can."

"I don't even know how to do that!" I'm freaking out about something that will never happen!

"Elena, you'll be fine! It's just so…hard to explain." She turned back to the mirror. "All I know, is that when two people love each other as much as you and Damon, you won't be having sex, you'll be making love. Just let him take the lead."

I took a deep breath. "Okay. Sorry for my freak out."

"Don't worry about it." She finished her hair, and took a look at both of us in the mirror. Our makeup was flawless, and our hair was done, but I wore one of Damon's shirts, and Caroline had on sweat pants, which kind of ruined the whole image. I smiled at our reflection. "Time to get dressed!"

Caroline's excitement was back and she basically dragged me to the bed where both of our dresses still laid in their garment bags. I slowly unzipped mine, already feeling the butterflies welling in my stomach. I would be wearing this dress the whole night with Damon.

I pulled the gown out of the bag and pulled it on, letting the fabric graze my body. Caroline came to zip me up and I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

A stranger stared back at me. Her hair was off of her neck, and her eyes shone with excitement. The yellow dress clung to her curves. She looked beautiful. And she was me!

Caroline came up next to me and asked me to zip her. I did, and we turned to look in the mirror, standing side by side. She looked stunning and I told her so.

"Thanks Elena, you do too! Now we need our shoes!"

Soon we were standing a few inches taller, and we were complete. I reached for Caroline's hand and held it tight. "Thanks for being my friend. I don't know what I would do without you!"

She looked like she was about to cry. I laughed and hugged her. "Don't cry! It's a compliment!"

"I know, I know! Sorry. You're welcome, you've become like a sister to me as well."

Even though I had lost my biological family, I felt as if I could make one on my own. Damon and Caroline were my family now.

We were still hugging when we heard the knock on the door. Caroline flew into a frenzy. "Oh my god! They're here!"

I laughed at her excitement and called down the stairs. "Just come in!"

The front door opened and Caroline let out a squeal.

"Stay down there!" I yelled. I looked at Caroline. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. I belted down the stairs again. "We're coming down!"

I grabbed Caroline's hand and pulled her out of my room, leading her to the top of the steps. I took a deep breath. Damon is down there. I'm so nervous to see him, for him to see me. What if he doesn't like my dress? Oh god, the butterflies are back.

I heard Damon's voice float up from the bottom of the stairs. "We can't wait!"

The second I heard his voice my body calmed down. I grabbed Caroline's hand. "Ready?"

She grinned at me. "Let's go."

We took the steps one at a time, slowly revealing ourselves to the men below us. When I could see to the bottom of the stairs, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of Damon. He wore a fitted black tux that outlined his body perfectly. The black in the fabric and the black in his hair contrasted with the icy blue of his eyes. He was easily the most attractive man I'd ever seen on a normal day, but right now I was convinced that he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on. His face broke into a brilliant smile, and I had no choice but to follow suit. I moved down the last couple of steps and Damon walked to meet me. He took my hand in his and gently pressed his lips to the back of it, never taking his eyes off of mine. Sparks ran through my veins at the contact of his lips on my skin. He took the other hand as well, and stepped closer to me, our entwined palms the only thing keeping our bodies from pressing against one another. His gaze traced my features, and then rested on my eyes again.

"Lena, you look absolutely stunning."

God, I am so nervous! Why? I've known this man practically my whole life, he's my best friend and my protector. And I'm also completely in love with him. I'm practically melting at the touch of his hands. The butterflies in my stomach are relentless, and my heart is screaming for me to kiss him.

"Thank you," I breathe. "You don't look too bad yourself."

He laughs deep in his throat. It's the sexiest sound I've ever heard. I swallow hard and look straight into his eyes, only to find that his blue ones are already fixated on me. His hands are still clasping mine, and both of his thumbs are rubbing my skin, sending fire shooting through me with every rotation of his fingers. I can't look away, those eyes have kept me going so many times, I feel safe in them. Damon moves a fraction closer to me, something he probably did unconsciously, but my body felt every movement, and the air between us crackled with electricity. If I moved a tiny bit, our chests would be touching. He releases one of my hands and moves to cup my face. Instinctively, I gently leaned into his hand, feeling the warmth spread throughout my body. We're sharing air, breathing in each other. He moves even closer and our chests touch and I gasped at the contact. The butterflies in my stomach are trying to break free. He's so close to me. Is he going to kiss me? God, I want him to kiss me.

"Guys?" Caroline's voice breaks our moment, and Damon takes a step back, leaving my body cold. It takes me a minute to remember what's going on, but then I see Caroline in her dress, holding hands with Tyler Lockwood. Wait. Holding hands? What happened to taking it slow?

Wow, I am such a prude. Holding hands is not going too far. Even so, I catch Caroline's eye and pointedly stare at their interlocked hands. She looks at me in response, and runs her gaze between Damon and me.

Tyler interrupted our silent conversation unknowingly. "Are you girls ready to go?"

Caroline snagged her clutch from the table and smiled up at him. "All set."

He looked at me for confirmation. I threw in some enthusiasm. "Hell yes!"

Damon grinned and placed a hand on the small of my back, guiding me through the door after Caroline and Tyler. He halted behind me to lock and check the door, just like the gentleman he is. I smiled at him when he walked back toward me.

He gave me a questioning look. "What?"

"Oh nothing!" I called over my shoulder as I made my way to the limousine that was waiting for us on the curb. Sliding in, I admired the beautiful interior; I could easily live in here. Damon came in after me and shut the door behind him, sitting right next to me, even though there was enough room for a football team to sit comfortably. Caroline and Tyler started up a conversation, and Damon and I joined in. Our thighs were touching, as were our arms. I finally felt warm.

Damon

This girl had no idea what she's doing to me. I was already anxious enough; I mean I know things now that I didn't know before, which changed our whole situation. Now, I want her, I love her, and she doesn't love me back.

When she walked down the stairs in that dress, she was easily the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She looked mouthwatering, the fabric hugging her curves. I wanted to grab her and make her mine, rip the dress off of her body and praise her with kisses.

I got so close to her before Barbie interrupted. I could feel her face in my hands. I convinced myself later that her breath picked up when I touched her.

I wanted to kiss her. I was fucking going to kiss her.

We moved into the limo, and she was pressed against me, making my pants slightly uncomfortable. And she kept giving me these sweet little smiles, ones that I have to return. I'll have to make her see that she needs to be with me, tonight.

Elena

We arrived and Damon helped me out of the limo and walked me up to the doors. The hotel was beautiful from the outside, but the interior was even more perfect than I had imagined when I put the party together. I'd almost forgotten that I had planned this event for Klaus. Klaus.

I'd been able to keep him out of my mind recently, mostly because there was no room for anyone other than Damon up there. But now he invaded my head again, his hands racing up my legs and grabbing my breasts. I drew in a sharp breath at the memory of his body caging mine. Damon's arms encircled my waist. "Lena? Are you okay?"

I stayed in his arms a little longer than necessary. "I'm fine; I was just remembering…him."

He pulled my face up to his. "Hey. Try to put him out of your mind okay? We're going to have a great night."

"I know."

Just then, a server came up to us. "Miss Gilbert?"

"Yes?"

"There's a little bit of a problem with the money for the caterers, I was told to find you?"

"I'll come with you in just a minute." I turned back to Damon. "Can I leave you for a couple minutes?"

"Sure. Just come back."

Damon

Elena walked away from me, her perfect body swaying in her dress. Damn. She's gorgeous. I ambled over to the bar and ordered bourbon while I waited for her to return from her party planner duties. Women of all ages milled around me, trying to catch my eye, flaunting their breasts and hiking their dresses up their bodies. I mean, I know I'm attractive, but some girls go to extreme lengths to get my length.

None of them can compare to my girl though. They don't have olive skin and big brown eyes, the long silky chocolate hair, the perfect ten figure, legs that go on for miles, the sweet smile, the sassy remarks, the altogether perfection. A girl with blonde hair plops down on the stool next to me, and I quickly assess her. Pretty face, blue eyes, okay figure. She would be a perfect candidate for the Damon Salvatore Bed Buddy Program. Normally, I would pounce, give her a compliment or two and take her to bed. But now, she's not what I want. Having random sex with a stranger repulses me actually. Did I just say that?

The blonde babbles about herself for a while, but I'm not really listening. I'm watching a beauty in a yellow dress talk to an attractive guy all the way across the floor. Who is that guy? Why the fuck is Elena talking to him?

She throws her head back in laughter at something he said, and he takes the opportunity to stare openly at her breasts. I'm so angry; I almost shatter my glass on the counter. How dare he look at my girl like that? He reaches out his hand and gives it a kiss before leading her onto the dance floor. Like she would fall for that cheesy stuff, I mean his form was all wrong…

Elena smiles and presses her perfect body up against his, letting him guide her to the music. I can't contain my jealousy. That should be me!

She gives the mystery man a smile, looking him like he's the center of the world. I growled and grabbed the blonde by the wrist.

"Ow! What are you doing?" She squeaks.

"We're going dancing!"

AN: So we're getting somewhere!

If you wanna see a picture of Elena's dress, search: Emmanuel Ungaro Yellow Gown

Review please!

Song: Losing Your Memory - Ryan Star