Chapter 7: Blissfully Happy

Elena darted to the bathroom inside the gallery, hoping to make it in there before anyone saw her cry. She stared at herself in the mirror as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had never cried more than she had in the last two days, even when her mind was blank and she was busy doing a mundane task around the house, or talking on the phone with the party planner, she would feel the wetness dampen her skin.

She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, careful not to smudge or ruin her make up. Shaking the nerves out of her hands she dug through her purse for her lipstick intent on making herself look more presentable. The door burst open, and Damon rushed in checking all the stalls.

"What the hell are you doing?" she stated incredulously.

He went back to the door and locked it behind them. "No one saw me."

She cocked her hip and crossed her arms, masking her distress with petulance. "What are you doing in here, Damon?" she asked more pointedly.

Damon exhaled when he finally looked at her; even in her annoyance, she was still beautiful. Her hair cascading around her shoulders in curls, her bangs pulled back and cinched with a decorated hair comb. She was wearing a black knee length dress with a v-neckline and cap sleeves that hugged every curve, red pumps and matching red lipstick. "We need to talk." He rasped out bringing himself back to reality.

She rolled her eyes, and turned away from him to finish with fixing herself up. "We don't have anything to talk about." She was trying to give him the brush off, hoping he would just leave her alone so she didn't completely crumble before him. Every inch of her skin was humming to be close to him. "I thought you were done with me." She mumbled avoiding his eyes in the mirror.

He rolled his eyes and his lips curled in a lazy smirk. "I lied." His smile broke into a grin when she met his eyes in the mirror, and struggled to keep from smiling herself. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

He took a couple steps closer. "Now you're lying. I let you go the other night and I shouldn't have…I should have known something was wrong. Why did you change your mind?" When he saw her head hang, and she gripped the edge of the counter, he titled his head trying to read her face. "I'm right, aren't I?" when she didn't respond he stepped closer. "What changed your mind, Elena?" he questioned again more firmly.

"I didn't want to see you get hurt, okay!" she exclaimed. "I was worried about you."

His face contorted into a sobering frown. "Are you in danger?"

"Damon…" she whined with an indignant stomp of her heel. "Can you please just let this go?"

"No, I won't just let this go Elena…if you're in danger you need to tell me right now!" he whispered passionately forcing her to look at him.

Her eyes darted from his eyes to his lips and had to swallow her desire at his proximity. Her heart was pounding in her chest, struggling with herself on if she would speak what was on her mind. "Klaus goes out of town tomorrow." She rambled out breathlessly. "Meet me at dock 1 near the Falls at 7pm." She avoided his gaze. "My phone is broken."

Damon gently put a hand at the back of her neck and kissed her forehead sweetly. "I'll be there." He left the bathroom, leaving her alone to collect herself.

Elena shakily exhaled and rubbed her temples. "What am I doing?" she whispered to herself. The door opening behind her made her jump. She smiled at the other woman and rushed out after she entered a stall. She would put on a happy smile, and get through the rest of the night, pretending to be the lovely wife, and avoiding Damon at all cost.

Klaus watched as Damon's eyes followed Elena as she left the bathroom. There were a few moments where both of them were not on the gallery floor and he felt jealousy rise within him. He turned back to the bar, leaning on it next to his brother, who was casing a glance around the room; one hand tucked in his pocket and the other holding a glass of brandy.

"I need you to keep an eye on Elena while I'm in DC." He grumbled, his jaw ticking.

Elijah chuckled. "Trouble in paradise, brother?" he watched as Elena laughed with Rebekah as they signed up for different art pieces for auction.

Klaus pinned him with an unimpressed stare. "We had a disagreement."

Elijah smiled at his brother knowingly. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Damon, would it."

Klaus looked him evenly in the eye. "Will you do it or not?"

Elijah regarded Klaus carefully. "I will watch over her while you are gone, Niklaus, but I urge you to tread lightly here. We don't want to burn any bridges in Mystic Falls, and we all know how good you are at burning things."

Klaus's eyes turned furious. "Hold your tongue, brother." He broke away and focused again on Elena. "She's been having an affair with him."

Elijah chuckled, sipping his brandy. "And how is that any different from what you do when you're out of town?"

"She's been doing it under my nose. She cares for him." He grumbled in contempt.

The elder brother shrugged. "Then let her go…move on with your life and find another woman to fill your bed at night." Elijah secretly felt bad for his brother's wife. He could see her misery, and had watched the life slowly drain from her over the years. She was a lovely woman; far too good for his brother, far too innocent to be caught up in their business.

Klaus smirked. "Now why would I do that? Elena's perfect for me." He joked. "Something about her repugnant disdain for my very existence that I just can't get enough of." His eyes hardened. "She doesn't deserve to be happy with him after what she's done. I won't let her make a fool of me." He stalked off towards one of his friends, and Elijah sighed with a deep frown.

"You're doing that all on your own Niklaus." He uttered to himself.

…

As they entered their house at the end of the night, Elena stormed ahead of him and up the stairs. She was happy to be able to drop the act and not pretend that she wasn't disgusted by him. The truth was, she was embarrassed; Klaus led her around the room, schmoozing with his friends and business partners, kissing her cheek, holding her hand and being everything he never was when they were at home. She was forced to play along and keep up appearances and that was more embarrassing than the painting.

Klaus slammed the door behind them and ran up after her. She tried to close the bedroom door behind her but he forced himself in. "Leave me alone. I don't have anything to say to you."

"What did you say to him?" he grumbled, loosening his tie.

Elena watched him warily. "What did I say to who?" he tossed his tie on the ottoman on his side of the bed, and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"To Damon…" he snapped. "Don't play dumb, I saw you talking."

She exhaled shakily, her eyes following him as he sat on the ottoman to take off his shoes. "I was angry that he would auction off the painting. That was it." He stood gracefully and crossed the floor towards her. Elena stepped back instinctively. "What are you doing?" His shirt was open and his pants were unbuttoned, and she saw a look in her eyes that immediately made her sick.

He grabbed her chin and kissed her hard, his fingers painfully gripping her jaw. "Don't you lie to me Elena."

"I'm not, let go of me!" she responded quickly, pulling her face away from his grip. When she stepped back, the back of her legs hit the nightstand. "What is wrong with you?"

He encroached on her space further, running his fingers threw her hair at the back of her neck. "You make me a very jealous man." His knee pushed between her legs, and a hand gripped one of her thighs under her ass, his nails biting into her skin. His fingers crept up to the lace of her thong on her hips.

Fear took over her, but she tried hard to stay strong. "What are you going to do Klaus…hm? Is this how you want me? Against my will? What kind of man does that make you?" she snarled hatefully.

He growled in anger, shoving her to the bed face first, and pacing the floor. "You have some nerve you know that!" he pointed at her. "How dare you go behind my back, and act like I'm the villain in this!"

She laughed at the irony, as she rolled off the other side of the bed, trying to pull her dress down. "Look at you Niklaus! You're completely out of control…I don't even know who you are right now."

"I don't think you've ever known me, love. You think this is bad…" he warned with a gleam in his eyes. "I will not be made a fool of! You are mine!" he yelled.

Elena glared at him. "No, I'm not! We're not in love! Why am I so important to you? What do you want with me, Klaus? I know there are other women, and I don't care. This whole thing was a sham from the beginning, the only difference is that I thought this was real when we met, and you've somehow convinced yourself it's real now!" Reality seemed to hit both of them, and his shoulders dropped. "Just let me go…" She begged with tears in her eyes.

Klaus' eyes hardened again. "No." he stormed out of the room and into the spare room next door.

Elena collapsed on the bed falling into a ball of sobs.

But those marks on your thighs

This didn't feel like her life. She felt as if she was in a nightmare, or living in an alternate reality where everything was backwards. She knew that it would be hard, but she didn't expect this…she didn't expect to be held hostage. She would have taken court battles and nasty negotiations; she'd rather lose everything she owned over this.

After changing into her night gown, and mindlessly removing her make up, she let down her hair and crawled back into bed pulling her knees up to her chest. Tears continued to pour down her face as she replayed the last few moments back through her head.

Elena knew that Klaus' business was more that what met the eye, especially after the exchange she witnessed tonight. She knew that he was deeply connected to powerful people, and now she was even more concerned about what he was capable of. Another side of him was starting to reveal itself; a person that he carefully hid from her all this time, and she was terrified.

Don't they sting when you bleed?

…

Elena was lying in bed staring at the ceiling, waiting for Klaus to leave. She hadn't left this room since they got home last night, and she had no intention to until he was gone. The second she heard him at the door this morning, she darted into the bathroom and locked the door. As she took a shower, he moved around the bedroom, packing for his trip. Klaus hadn't even mentioned it to her, but she remembered the note on his calendar for tomorrow. He had to be leaving sometime today. When she heard the door shut, she felt safe enough to get out and move back into the bedroom.

She was nervous. Nervous to see Damon and also about the repercussions that would likely follow. What would she tell him? Her marriage to Klaus was so complicated and fucked up she didn't know if she ever wanted anyone to know the sordid details.

When the doorbell rang, Elena's heart jumped in her chest. Who would be here? She prayed Damon wasn't that stupid. Hopping off the bed, Elena stood at the top of the stairs while Klaus opened the door. "Caroline." He greeted pleasantly. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" Elena heard his voice soften and was relieved. Klaus had a soft spot for her; something that made her jealous when they first met, but now she found herself grateful.

"Well today is a special day." Caroline watched as Elena walked down the stairs and smiled. It had been a few months since they spoke, but no matter what, Elena would always be her best friend. "Twenty-five years ago, Elena became my best friend. And every year we celebrate; usually with wine, but this time I'll have to pass on that." She rested her hand on her tummy, which was still a tiny bump. Elena stood behind Klaus with tears in her eyes, happy she hadn't completely lost her. "So…can I come in?" she looked back at Klaus with a bubbly grin.

He regarded her for a moment, glancing back at Elena. "Of course…wouldn't want to ruin tradition." He fixed a curious stare on Caroline, closing the door behind her. "We haven't seen you around in a while…I thought you girls had a falling out."

Elena's eyes darted between them unsure what Caroline would say. She opened her mouth, noticing Klaus' expecting stare, but Caroline beat her to it.

She rolled her eyes. "Well yeah…but it doesn't mean we aren't still friends." She locked a soft gaze on Elena. "Elena's the closest thing I'll have to a sister, and no matter what happens, no matter how much time passes…she is always going to be my best friend." She stated pointedly. "And I'm going to need my best friend if I'm going to get through this pregnancy without killing Stefan." She and Elena laughed behind a few tears.

Klaus softened, kissing Elena on the forehead. Elena almost thought it was genuine, until she felt his firm hand grip the back of her neck. She was wise to not flinch. "Have fun with your friend, love. I have to go out of town, something came up."

Elena did her best to act surprised. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. Just business." Running his knuckles down the side of her face, he warned her with his eyes. He turned back to Caroline with a charming smile. "You girls behave tonight."

As he headed back upstairs, Elena turned around, shaking off the chill she felt up her spine. "When will you be home?"

He smirked. "Before you know it."

Caroline immediately pulled her into a tight hug. "Let's never not talk again!"

Elena cast a subtle glance upstairs and led Caroline into the kitchen. "While I'm glad to see you Care…what is this really about?" the house was huge and there was no way they could be heard from upstairs, but she kept her voice low. "Friendiversary isn't until next week." She raised a brow.

Caroline sighed deeply. "I miss you Elena! For years we have been drifting apart and I let it happen because I thought you were too busy with your new extravagant lifestyle to hang out with your old friends. I thought that you thought you were better than us, and didn't want to slum it anymore, and I know that that's stupid, and ridiculous but the more time that passed, the easier it was to just…stop trying." She rambled in her usual way, her arms flailing around her in her passionate expression.

Elena tried not to let her harsh words affect her, but the hurt was evident on her face. "I don't think I'm better than you Caroline. If I'm being honest, I felt like I was the one on the outside. Everyone was mad at me because Klaus" she whispered his name under her breath, "bought up Mystic Falls and eventually, they just stop talking to me all together."

"I'm sorry…I never thought about it that way." The blonde squeezed her hand in empathy. "I promise to be a better friend to you. Whatever you need, I'm there…and I need you too. I'm scared, Elena. I don't want to go through this without you. And someone needs to be the godmother." She raised her brows with excitement.

Elena's eyes widened. Under normal circumstances she would have loved the honor, but she was unsure if she could handle that kind of responsibility. "Oh, I don't know if I'm ready for that."

Her friend bristled, shaking her head. "What! Elena…this was the plan. We have discussed this. Many times!"

"We were twelve!" Elena laughed, but she could see the disappointment on Caroline's face. "Let me think about it, okay. Life is…kind of complicated right now."

Caroline softened. "Well tell me about it." She plopped into the chair at the breakfast table and encouraged her friend to sit across from her.

Elena sighed, and slid into the chair. "Klaus and I are in a bit of rough patch, but we're working through it." When she saw Caroline open her mouth, she continued. "Honestly Care…I don't really want to talk about that right now. I'd rather talk about you, and the baby!" her face split in a genuine smile. "Do you know what you're having yet?"

Elena was easily able to divert the conversation onto a happier topic; it didn't take much to get Caroline to talk about herself. It was nice to have this again; to be able to gab with her best friend, and laugh and joke and not have to pretend she was enjoying herself. Over the course of the day they did their nails, and facials, watched a movie and made dinner; Elena didn't even notice when Klaus left.

It was starting to get late, and Elena kept glancing at the clock as they cleaned up after dinner.

Caroline sighed with a playful roll of her eyes. "Okay…" she drawled. "You can kick me out now."

"What?" was she being that obvious? Her secret-meet up with Damon was only an hour away, and as comfortable as she was with him, she wanted to be able to at least look presentable.

Her friend smiled. "I think I have occupied your time long enough…you don't want to keep Damon waiting." There was a gleam in her eyes as she raised her brows knowingly.

The shock on Elena's face was blatant. "You know about and me and Damon?"

The blonde laughed. "Well…not all the sexy details, but I managed to pull it out of Stefan. I can't believe you didn't tell me!" she said accusingly.

Elena put a hand to her forehead, feeling herself get hot. "Stefan knows?" she shrieked. "Oh my God..."

Caroline reached over and put a hand on her leg. "Hey…we're your friends. It's safe with us. This has been a long time coming." She was shocked when Elena came to her one day saying she was getting married; there was no excitement in her voice, or happiness in her eyes; she chalked it up to the stress of dealing with her mother's illness. But she wasn't blind to the side glances and longing gazes that she shot Damon when she thought no one was looking. "Now go get ready!" As Elena stood and shook herself out of her shell shock, Caroline gave her a little slap on the ass. "And you better tell me all about this when you get back! I'm dying to know!" she called out after her.

…

Elena sat on the docks, her legs dangling off the edge. She had managed to get ready and out of the house on record time, Caroline dropping her off with twenty minutes to spare. It gave her some time to collect her thoughts and watch the sun go down over the water.

It wasn't long before he sat down next to her and she felt all her nerves fade away. "Hey..." her eyes looked him over, the light of the moon illuminating the alabaster of his skin, and the blue in his eyes.

"Hi..." his lips curled into a lopsided smile as she rested her head on his shoulder, and he immediately pulled her in closer, wrapping an arm around her. "I don't think I've even been here before."

She hummed a little laugh. "Yes, you have."

He looked down at her with a frown, unconvinced. "Oh yeah? When?"

"Fourth of July...everyone was down at the Falls trying to find a good spot to watch the fireworks. I grabbed your hand; we ran away from everyone and I brought you here. It was just the two of us…we had the best view in all of Mystic Falls." Her words were delicate as she relived it in her head. They were eight and ten; carefree and looking for adventure…their whole lives ahead of them. She wished she could go back and do it over again.

He kissed the crown of her head. "That was a long time ago." The memory started to come back to him; the two of them giddily bouncing on their toes with every crack in the air, laughing and exclaiming as each firework was bigger and better than the last. It was easy to get caught up in their past and part of him wished he could stay there with her, but he was anxious to know what this rendezvous was about. There had been so much back and forth between them in the last few days and he didn't know where they stood. "What's going on Elena?" he asked gently.

Sighing, Elena peeled herself away and focused on the water in front of her. "I did lie to you. Everything I told you that night was a lie. Klaus told me to end it with you. He threatened to stop paying for my mom's medical and put her out on the streets." The words got caught in her throat. "I worry about what he's capable of…he almost-" she stopped herself, not even wanting to admit to Damon what had almost happened the other night. How he almost forced himself on her. "I've never seen this side of him."

Damon turned towards her caressing her face. "I'm going to get you out of this okay." He vowed, the pain in her eyes reflecting in his own. "I have money saved; your mom will be fine." She was already shaking her head.

"No Damon…" she sighed heavily. "He has power of attorney. His name is on everything. That was the deal."

Damon tilted his head in confusion. "Deal?"

She stood suddenly, her stomach flipping. She needed the space. "I'm not proud of it." She watched as he pushed himself to his feet, but kept some distance, sensing her anxiety. "But I was desperate. My dad just left; I was drowning in mom's medical bills, and Jeremy was drinking himself into oblivion, how was I going to take care of them? I was just a kid myself!" She bit her lip, shaking her head thinking back to that moment. "Klaus promised me the world. Said he'd take care of everything…and then he asked me to marry him."

Understanding dawned on him as the pieces finally clicked together. "You felt like you had no choice."

"He thinks he owns me, Damon. He's holding this over my head and I just-I don't know what to do!" she rambled flustered. "If I leave, I put everyone I care about at risk, including you…" she gestured at him with a swing of her arm. "and if I stay…" she left it hanging in the air, thinking about how miserable she'd be.

Damon stepped towards her grabbing her hands. "What risk? I'm not afraid of Klaus, Elena. Five years of Marine training, remember?" he tried to ease her mind with a joke but she the fear didn't leave her face.

"Well maybe you should be. I am! Klaus is not who everyone thinks he is." She retorted.

He raised a brow. "A raging asshole? Yeah, we know."

She shook her head with a bitter laugh, turning away from him. "What do you think he does for a living, Damon? Do you know? I don't! His family has millions of dollars; where does it come from?!" she paced the docks, as the words rushed out of her, everything that she kept bottled inside. "I never wanted to ask those questions before, because I didn't want to be a part of it, but I think he's connected to some very corrupt people."

Damon's brow furrowed deeply. "That explains Liz's Red Flag theory." He muttered to himself.

"You brought Liz into this?" Realization hit her in the face, and she pursed her lips. "That's why she showed up at my house isn't it? What did you tell her?" the anger bit into her tone.

"Yeah, I called the Sheriff!" he snapped back. "I was worried about you, Elena! I was calling, I came by the house! I thought something happened to you!" Releasing a deep sigh, he calmed down. "She looked into him...no record, no previous charges. Totally clean."

Elena bit her thumbnail nervously. "Well that's good right?"

Damon shot her a weary look but chose to spare her the stress of what that could mean. Instead, he closed the gap between them and pulled her into a hug. "We're going to get through this."

Elena pulled away to look up at him with a relieved smile. She felt safe here in his arms; completely consoled of all her doubts, and the rest of the world just fell away. "Can you tell me again?"

It's the way that you are…

The boyish grin that graced his face made her melt. He grabbed her hand, and held it to his heart. "I love you Elena." He felt a drop hit his cheek, and then another.

The both looked up to see the sky start to roll in dark clouds and within seconds it was pouring heavily on them. Instead of a noise of protest or running for cover, Elena laughed, and tilted her head up, embracing it. And he watched her…falling even more in love with her in that moment. He watched as she closed her eyes, and for the first time in years, he saw that little girl she used to be.

When she looked back at him, her eyes were wild and filled with excitement. "We'll be blissfully happy, right? Promise me!" she yelled over the rain, begging him to reassure her.

And the way I'll forever be

"I promise." He leaned in, both of them still smiling as their lips met in a passionate kiss. The rain drenched them both, but neither of them cared.

Together they ran back to Damon's truck, neither noticing the other vehicle in the parking lot, silently observing.