The guests started arriving just after 7pm and, as his Mother wanted to stay out of the limelight as much as possible, Elijah and Niklaus made most of the duty rounds.
It was boring and quite tedious, but he did it with as much courtesy as he could muster.
He looked around in the crowd as he moved from one guest to the other, giving polite greetings and nods, hoping that he would see Elena at some point, but he didn't.
He was standing in a far corner of the room around 8:30, taking a much deserved sip from the bourbon the bartender had poured for him, when Rebekah walked up with her date.
It was Matt Donovan, the boy Niklaus wanted to mate Elena with to continue the Petrova bloodline.
Elijah nearly shot the liquor out of his nose at the irony.
"Elijah, may I introduce my escort for the evening? This is Matt Donovan" Rebekah smiled, her arm entwined in the tall, blonde human's muscular one.
Elijah extended his free hand out and Matt shook it.
"Matt, this is my older brother, Elijah Mikaelson."
"It's nice to meet you," Matt said with a hint of fear in his voice
Elijah smiled, trying to put him at ease, "The pleasure is mine."
Rebekah had to have something up her sleeve, tonight, Elijah thought as he eyed them together, Why else would she bring one of the Elena's friends to the ball?
But, the way she looked after him, as he excused himself and left her side to get her a drink, she seemed genuinely taken with him.
Elijah decided he would let it go for now and keep just keep an eye on her.
After Matt left, Rebekah turned back to her brother.
"Niklaus wanted me to tell you that it's time for the announcement of the inaugural dance."
"What kind of dance will it be?" Elijah asked curiously as he took the last swig of his bourbon and looked toward the main staircase where Niklaus and Kol were already standing.
"A Vienna waltz" Rebekah smiled as she left his side and headed toward the staircase, "Well…a Vienna waltz with a modern twist."
Elijah smirked. His Mother had placed Rebekah in charge of choosing the commencing dance and the accompanying music. He should have expected as much.
"I'll be there in a moment," he said, sitting his bourbon on a passing waiter's tray and trading it for a glass of white wine.
He then headed up the stairs and joined the rest of his family.
"If I may have everyone's attention…"
The room suddenly became quiet and he as he scanned the crowd below him over the banister, he finally saw her—Elena.
She had been standing at the bar, talking with his brother, Finn.
She now turned to face him and his breath caught.
She was beautiful… dressed in a dark black and copper colored ball gown with her hair curled and resting over her left shoulder.
Elijah soon realized that everyone was waiting for him to speak.
"Welcome. Thank You for joining us." He smiled at the crowd, then turned toward the top of the stairs when he sensed his Mother's presence, "You know, whenever my Mother brings our family together like this… it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries old waltz. So, if all of you could please find yourselves a partner…Please join us in the ballroom."
Then Elijah turned and quickly descended the stairs.
Perhaps, he could catch Elena before the waltz and speak with her.
Elijah finished his wine as he reached the staircase landing.
He looked across the room and spotted Elena, but before he could go to her, his path was quickly blocked as a tall, dark figure in a tux stepped in front of her.
It was Damon Salvatore.
Elijah tuned in to their conversation.
"Don't even think about it." Damon said
"She wants to see me, alone, Damon," Elena replied
Elijah looked back to the top of the staircase as he watched his Mother make her way back to her quarters. He knew immediately who Elena meant.
Kol had been right. His Mother wished to speak to Elena.
"Well, it sucks to be her then." Damon continued, "Was I not clear this morning?"
"I was invited."
"You have to tell me before you walk into a lion's den."
"Why? So that you can stop me?" Elena retorted
"Uh…YES." Damon countered
Elijah watched as the two of them eyed each other for a moment, then Damon extended his hand to Elena.
"It would be rude not to dance, you know."
Elena rolled her eyes slightly and smiled.
"It is tradition," she said
Then she placed her hand in Damon's and he hooked it through his left arm as they started for the ballroom and Elijah watched them pass him.
Well, he decided, it was time to turn lemons into lemonade.
Elijah made his way through the crowd toward a tall, slender young woman with long dark hair, dressed in bright blue sequined ball gown. She was sipping champagne in the corner of the room with a friend.
"Good Evening," Elijah smiled, turning on his charm as the young woman lowered her glass and eyed him. "Would you care to join me for this dance?"
The woman took a breath and smiled, handing her champagne to her friend.
"Of course." She replied...
"Don't outshine us all now, Fred Astaire." Niklaus said in a low, cheeky voice as he passed Elijah with his own date on his arm and they lined up in forms just inside the ballroom, waiting for the waltz to start.
Elijah immediately recognized the young lady with his brother-it was Elena's best friend, Caroline Forbes. Worse, the Sheriff's daughter.
THAT is who Niklaus is infatuated with? Elijah thought to himself and rolled his eyes, Well, this night just keeps getting better and better…
Soon after, Rebekah and Matt also stepped in line in front of Elijah and his partner, trading places with them.
When Rebekah caught Elijah narrowing his eyes at her as the music started, she looked across Matt and smiled at her brother.
"You'll want to be at the back of the line, trust me," she said
Moments later, they were all doing the traditional steps as they entered in two single file lines on opposite sides of the ballroom. Men stood on the right and women on
the left, their arms across one another, right hand in right hand and left hand in left hand.
The song was quite modern and Elijah realized that this would be a slow waltz.
He didn't mind. He was better at slow waltzing anyway.
He glanced over to his partner and saw she looked quite serious, concentrating intently on her steps.
It made him smirk as they took their last step forward, then stopped and turned to face the center of the ballroom and the dancers on the other side.
Give me love like her…
Elijah froze when he saw Elena on the arm of Damon Salvatore directly across the room from him.
She turned away from facing Damon and her eyes immediately met Elijah's.
She smiled sweetly at him, then cast a glance over at him out of the corner of her eye as they crossed the room with the other couples, passing each other.
'Cause lately I've been waking up alone…
When they reached the other side of the room, Elijah closed his eyes for a moment, trying to catch his breath and steady himself, before nodding formally to his partner and using her right arm to twirl her into a standard dance frame.
Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt…
A moment later, they waltzed into the center of the room.
Told you I'd let them go…
As they moved past their fellow dancers, Elijah scanned the room for Damon and Elena.
It didn't take long before he found them. Elena staring intently into Damon's eyes, the two of them sharing a small smirk as they moved.
And that I'll fight my corner…
Suddenly, Damon turned them and Elena saw Elijah through the crowd over Damon's shoulder.
Her face softened as their eyes locked again.
Maybe tonight I'll call ya…
After my blood turns into alcohol…
Oh, I just wanna hold ya…
She smiled and Elijah couldn't help but give a small smile back.
It was there, again, like the previous night.
The connection.
He knew it was there because he felt his heart jolt.
Give a little time to me or burn this out…
We'll play hide and seek to turn this around…
All I want is the taste that your lips allow, my my my my…
Then it was broken. Damon had said something to Elena to bring her attention back to him.
Elijah looked down with a sad smile as their eyes left each other, then turned his attention back to his own dance partner as they continued to move.
Give me love, my, my, my, my…
Oh give me love, my, my, my, my…
Oh give me love, My, my, my, my…
Oh give me love, my, my, my, my…
Oh give me love, My, my, my, my…
Elijah nodded to the young woman kindly as they stopped on the far side of the ball room and stepped away from each other with extended arms, ready for the partner exchange that comes in the middle of the waltz.
"Thank You for the dance." He said in a kind voice and she smiled as he twirled her away from him toward the center of the crowd.
Give me love…
Give me love like never before…
'Cause lately I've been craving more…
The moment she left his presence, his eyes swept the room again for Elena.
But, it seemed she had already found a partner…or one had found her.
It was Stefan Salvatore.
Elijah studied them for a moment, then walked off the dance floor.