"Mommy, why are we here?" Ellie asks as she walks inside the antique store with her mother and grandmother.

"I have a question for Mrs. Lockwood," Rebekah explains as she walks up to the counter.

"Rebekah, Evelyn," Carol Lockwood greets them.

"Hi, Mrs. Lockwood!" Ellie pokes her head out from behind a rack of clothing.

"Hi Ellie," she waves at the little girl. "Now, ladies, how can I help you?" Carol turns to Elijah's mom and sister.

"Has anyone bought in 1940's clothing recently?"

"No." Carol shakes her head. "Occasionally someone comes in to buy something for a school dance or masquerade party but I haven't sold any of that stuff in the last six months."

"Thanks, Carol," Rebekah sighs.

"I know she's a little out there, Rebekah, but it's Christmas so we should make her feel welcome." Evelyn shoots her daughter a look.

"Mommy, look at this," Ellie interrupts, handing her mom a postcard.

"It's the gazebo! Look, mom." Rebekah hands it to Evelyn.

"Didn't Elena say that they used to decorate the gazebo for Christmas? It's beautiful."

"I think she did. Why did the town stop doing this?" Rebekah asks Carol as she hands her the postcard.

"People just got busy. The sense of community began to falter as the years passed. I'm going to talk to Richard. I'm sure we have some extra decorations at home to fix it up. We can serve hot chocolate, coffee, and cookies."

"That's a great idea, Carol. Count us in," Evelyn volunteers.

"I'll call you later."

"Sounds good, Carol," Evelyn says over her shoulder as she nudges Rebekah and Ellie out of the building.

Elijah walks into the living room where he finds Elena standing by the window, staring outside while humming a song.

"I need to go back to work." Elijah points over his shoulder. "What are you humming?"

"I'll Be Home For Christmas." Elena steps away from the window.

"I think we have that." Elijah goes to a cabinet and pulls a CD out.

"What's that?" Elena asks, looking at him curiously.

"In the 1940's it would've been called a record album." Elijah chuckles as he inserts the CD into the player and presses start. "Can you dance?"

Once the music starts, Elijah places his hand lightly on her lower back. Elena rests her hand on his shoulder, and their free hands meet. Together, they dance to the music, their feet in perfect sync. As the song progresses, Elijah feels her relax which is evidenced by a small smile that forms on her lips.

They quickly part when a throat-clearing sound comes from behind them. Elijah looks up to see his mom, sister, Ellie, and Gia watching them.

"Hey," he steps back even further from Elena as he suddenly feels overheated. "Elena was humming so I showed her the CD player and well..." he stammers as his eyes lock on Gia's...

Elijah enters the kitchen where he finds his mom busy cooking supper. He takes a breath and approaches her. "I'm sorry about earlier, I was just trying to make Elena feel more comfortable. It was nothing."

"Don't apologize to me, tell it to Gia."

"Huh?" Elijah looks at her strangely.

"Oh come on, Elijah! Don't tell me you haven't noticed the way she looks at you," Evelyn remarks incredulously.

Elijah gawps like a fish for a few seconds when Rebekah walks in wearing 1940's garb.

"Why are you wearing that?" Elijah peruses her.

"We're going caroling, just like they used to do in the olden days."

"And whose bright idea was that?"

"Elena's. And you're coming along." Rebekah tosses an old-style jacket at him. "And you're going to tell Gia you're sorry and invite her to join us."

"Where do you two get this idea of me and Gia?" he puts his hands on his hips as he stares at his sister.

"You can be so thick sometimes, Elijah!" Rebekah leaves the room with a loud huff.

"How did I get to be the bad guy?" Elijah turns to his mother.

"I don't think you need me to explain it to you," Evelyn replies, arching an eyebrow.

Elijah stares at his mother for several seconds before shaking his head and walking out of the kitchen door, slamming it shut behind him.

"This is called a computer. Well, it's more like a mini one," Ellie explains as she shows Elena her tablet. "We can look at anything you want right here."

"Really?" Elena remarks with incredulity.

"See," Ellie remarks, pointing to some old pictures of Mystic Falls including the school and children dancing.

Elena smiles at the little girl. "I used to get so excited for the school dances. There was one, in particular. The winter dance was only a few days away...I kept hoping a certain someone would ask me to go with him."

"Tell me about it, please?" Ellie coaxes as she looks wide-eyed at Elena.

"It was a snowy afternoon..."

Sitting in her window seat with her legs crossed and her head resting against the wall, Elena stares outside. The yards still look pristine, with no blemishes from kids tracking in the snow. The last few browned leaves cling to the otherwise bare branches of an oak tree. Icicles hang from awnings while rooftops glitter and sparkle with frost. The big evergreen tree in her front yard is a twinkling rainbow of color.

Daydreaming, her cheek leaves a mark on the window. The waning afternoon light struggles to break through the murky cloud bank. Sighing, she takes her pen and starts to write in her journal, her wishes, her hopes, her dreams that always include Damon. Matt already asked her to go to the dance but she couldn't say yes knowing she'd spend the evening wishing she was staring at eyes as blue as spring rain.

A rap on her door interrupts her train of thought. She looks up just as the door creaks and her mother pokes her head in.

"Damon is here to see you."

"He is?" Elena blurts out, a wide smile forming on her lovely face.

"He sure is," she confirms, stepping aside to allow her daughter to pass.

Elena finds Damon sitting on the couch with his right foot bouncing on the floor.

"Hi," Elena grins and sits down beside him.

"I came to ask you to go with me to the winter dance..."

When she smiles, the corners of her mouth lift and her eyes twinkle. "I was hoping you'd ask..."

"Does that mean you will?" he asks as he rubs his hands on his jeans.

"Yes!" Elena bobs her head excitedly.

"Um l better go now, mom's waiting for me." He gets up and walks to the front door. Before opening it, he zips up his coat and turns back to Elena, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"And did he kiss you? At the dance, I mean?" Ellie asks, her eyes wide.

"Yes...He kissed my cheek and it felt like magic; all of his kisses did..." Elena's eyes begin to well with tears so she excuses herself and hurries to her room to have a good cry...

With Gia giving him the cold shoulder, Elijah leans back in his desk chair and tries to start up some conversation. "I love winter. White Christmas's and all that. I hope it snows." When she keeps her back turned to him; he gets up to close the distance between them.

"Well, do you want it to snow?"

Finally, Gia turns to him with a disgruntled look on her face. "People are talking."

"About what?" Elijah looks at her incredulously.

"You know very well what," Gia scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If I knew what, I wouldn't be asking." Elijah returns and jams his hands into his pockets.

"Her!"

"Oh please!" Elijah's forehead furrows in consternation.

"People are wondering who this strange woman is and we're supposed to be finding out...when in reality one of us has the hots for her."

"Don't be ridiculous," Elijah scoffs.

"I saw it with my own eyes. Is slow dancing some new devious way of extracting information?" Gia arches an eyebrow.

"It was nothing, Gia."

"Really? Does she know that?" Gia spouts, her jaw clenching.

"I'm not going to dignify this ludicrous conversation with an answer. Now, are you going to go caroling with us tonight? Mom and Rebekah want you to come...and so do I," he adds as an afterthought.

"I'll consider it," she glowers at him.

Elijah sighs and returns to his desk with a disgruntled look.

At seven P.M., the flatbed hay truck lurches forward down the driveway at the Mikaelson place. Elijah, Evelyn, Rebekah, Ellie, Elena, and Gia climb on. Mikael's rusty old farm truck creaks and groans and backfires as it crests the hill on the Birches road. The winter sky is hard and cold and clear. The stars sparkle like gems in a blackened sea.

"When I was a girl," Elena states, "we had horse-drawn sleighs, with bells on the runners."

"Wow, that must have been amazing," Ellie blurts out, smiling widely at Elena.

When the hay truck jounces into town, Mikael cuts the motor. They all jump off and start down the sidewalk. A sudden stillness replaces the accompaniment of the tired old engine, and the power of their voices becomes huge against the stillness. As their confidence as singers grows, their harmonies swell, and melodies that are a hundred years old escape with the steam of their breaths.

"The first Noel the angels did sing..."

The icy air whistles around Elena's ears, causing her skin to tingle and sting. Fingers and toes are numb, but it's a good feeling. Snug inside her many layers of clothes, nothing can spoil the overwhelming feeling of being taken back to childhood. Snowflakes are falling gently from the sky, tickling the end of her nose. Elena laughs when Ellie sticks out her tongue to catch a few.

Everything glistens as if a fairy has sprinkled her dust over the entire world. Colors are brighter against the pure white blanket that spreads as far as the eye can see. The houses become works of art, with their beautiful undisturbed snowy roofs and twinkling Christmas lights.

"Was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay..."

As the group makes their way to the gazebo where they're to help Carol Lockwood decorate, they continue the songfest. "Hark the herald angels sing..." A young couple joins in now, tentative and off-key, and Elena suddenly realizes how glad she is that these people are enjoying something as much as she always has.

When they stop on a corner to wait for the light to change, Elena looks over her shoulder and notices Elijah putting his scarf around Gia's neck before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She smiles at the sight...

"No school today! Do you want to go outside and play?" Damon and Stefan stand on Elena's porch rubbing their gloved hands together.

Elena looks over Damon's shoulder. The neighborhood kids are jumping about and running around. Some of them are aiming snowballs at anything that stands still long enough. Smaller kids cower and scatter as they try to avoid the incoming missiles. Girls scream and hide as they are bombarded with wave after wave of relentless snowballs.

Elena bobs her head excitedly and slips on her coat. "Mom," she yells, "I'm going outside."

The air smells pure and fresh. Everything seems quieter, almost muffled. "There are no cars out," Damon remarks as they look either way before crossing the street.

"The roads are icy," Stefan points out.

"Let's make a snowman!" Elena picks up a handful of snow, forms it into a ball, and begins to roll it in the snow. Snowmen begin to appear on every corner. There are; fat ones, thin ones, wobbly ones, and tiny ones. But what always makes her sad is that it will all melt away.

"It'll snow again, Elena. We can make lots of snowmen," Damon explains as he pokes a carrot nose into the snowy face.

"I know but it's never the same Frosty," Elena mentions as she forms a mouth with some rocks.

"You're wrong, Elena! Frosty always comes back," Stefan reminds her as he sticks a handful of snow in his mouth.

Elena steps back to look at their creation. With a big teethy smile, she plops down and begins to make a snow angel. Shivering when she gets up, Damon takes the scarf from his neck and wraps it around her own.

"Thank you, Damon," Elena says softly and when he turns to look at Stefan, she presses a kiss to his cheek...

"Elena?" Ellie tugs on her coat sleeve.

"I'm sorry. I got a little distracted." Elena smiles at the young girl and takes her hand to cross the street. Approaching the town square, they're just finishing up Silent Night. Once they all warm up with a cup of hot chocolate, they decorate the gazebo and break out in applause at how pretty it is when Richard Lockwood flicks the switch.

"Hey, let's take a picture," Rebekah suggests. "Mrs. Flowers, will you take it?" she offers the older woman her phone.

"Of course, dear. All get together now...say cheese," Theophilia Flowers instructs as she snaps the photo and hands the device back to Rebekah.

"Thank you." Rebekah smiles at the older woman.

"You take a picture with that?" Elena asks, pointing to the blonde's cellphone.

"See!" Rebekah shows it to her.

"Wow, technology today," Elena looks at the photo dumbfounded.

"I'll print you a copy of it. You can take it with you when you leave..."

"I'd like that, Rebekah, thank you." Elena turns away when her eyes start to well up...all she wants for Christmas is to go home...

"I'm going to boil some water for a glass of Chamomile tea. Would you like a cup, Elena?" Evelyn asks as she fills the teapot.

"That would be wonderful, thank you..." Elena replies with a sigh as she pulls out a chair.

"Thanks, Elena, I had a great time tonight," Elijah remarks as he sits down beside her.

Elena doesn't miss the look Gia gives her when she takes the seat next to Elijah. Rather than say anything, she takes the tea Evelyn offers her and takes a sip.

Elena closes her book as soon as the school bell rings, signaling the end of English class.

"Hey, you!" Caroline falls in step with her. "Where are you headed?"

"I'm trying to avoid Matt. He keeps asking me to the school carnival," Elena explains while walking down the hallway.

"Why don't you want to go with him? He's cute!" Caroline sighs dramatically, "and there he is." she waves at Matt to get his attention.

"Caroline!" Elena grits her teeth.

"I have to run, talk to you later," she quickly walks off.

"Hi Matt," Elena says as she continues down the hallway.

"Come on, I know you want to go to the carnival with me. What does Salvatore have that I don't?" Matt grabs her arm, stopping her from running off.

"I already told you that I'm going with Damon."

"You heard the girl, Donovan!" Damon abruptly steps in front of him. "Get your meat hooks off of her."

"Big tough guy telling me what to do?" Matt glowers at Damon.

"You're all bluster, Donovan. Now let her go!" Damon repeats.

Elena notices that Damon's right hand is curling into a fist.

"No!" Matt snaps, raising his chin in defiance.

"Okay, you asked for it!" Damon lets go with a tremendous right hook.

Matt crumples to the floor in a heap.

"Damon?" Elena exclaims as she stares at Matt's prone form.

Mr. Maxfield appears shaking his finger at Damon. "You just earned a week's detention, Mr. Salvatore."

"It was worth it!" Damon smirks at Elena as the principal pulls him backward into his office.

"Elena?" Evelyn mentions and gives her a slight nudge.

"I'm sorry, I was daydreaming..." her voice trails off when she notices the lighted motion clock. Elena gets up to have a closer look. "You won't believe this but Damon and I had one just like this. We got it for a wedding present," she explains as she runs her fingertips over it.

"That was my grandmother's. It's a family heirloom. Someday I'll give it to Ellie."

"It has a little E-shaped crack," Elena observes, running the tip of her finger over the defect and the engraving. "What a lovely sentiment."

"It is," Evelyn pauses to take a swallow of coffee. "I was told that happened when my grandma's cat knocked it on the floor. Amazingly, it didn't shatter to pieces."

"Indeed...If Damon and I would have had the opportunity to have children; I think we would have done the same...passed it down I mean."

"I'm sorry, Elena. He must have been a wonderful man."

"He was. He truly was...I think I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight everyone," Elena says over her shoulder as she leaves the kitchen...

When she gets up the next morning, Elena is determined to stop her tears. Nothing productive comes from crying all the time. She quickly dresses and hurries downstairs to talk with her benefactors.

"Good morning, Elena," Evelyn greets her with a smile and a cup of coffee.

"Good morning and thank you," Elena replies and takes a seat beside Ellie. "I'd like to say something."

"Of course," Elijah answers, lifting his cup to his mouth.

"I want nothing more than to go back where I belong... but none of us knows if that's even possible. What I'm trying to say," Elena pauses and sucks in a breath. "I'm going to try to make the most of my time here. I'm tired of crying."

"I don't have any answers but if you are who you say you are; then maybe there's a way to get you back, we just have to find it," Elijah opines.

"What if we go to the library? Maybe there's some old book?" Rebekah interjects before taking a bite of toast.

"Mystic Falls has a library?" Elena stirs some sugar into her coffee.

"Yeah, you'll see. Mr. Parker donated a bunch of money for books and stuff. It's amazing." Ellie mumbles with her mouth full of cereal.

"Don't speak with your mouth full," Evelyn chides her granddaughter. "But the library is as good of an idea as any. We'll go after breakfast." Evelyn remarks and sets down a bowl full of scrambled eggs and a platter of hashbrowns before pulling out a chair for herself...

"Good morning, Mrs. Pierce," Elijah greets the woman who walks out of the station when he opens the door to enter.

"Do your job," She snipes at him then walks away with a pronounced clip-clop of her heels on the sidewalk.

"What was that all about?" Elijah looks at Gia as he slips off his coat.

"We have to do something, Elijah. We have a duty to the people of this town. It's our job, and every day that goes by, something else strange happens."

"For example?"

"The way she has your whole family twisted around her little finger. The way you look at her!"

"Oh come on, that's not true. I don't look at her in any particular way."

"Oh, please, Elijah. I'm not blind. You practically have googly eyes when you look at her."

"I don't! She's a nice lady who needs help. That's all I'm trying to do. Do I like her? Yes, but not in the romantic sense."

"Why? What is it about her?"

"I can't explain it, Gia. I wish I could. I just have this instinctual need to help people who are lost, rather it's in the strict definition of the word or emotionally."

"If you could step back and put your police hat back on. Con artists think on their feet. She could have easily picked up those clothes at a thrift store and the driver's license she could have had printed. Why are you so sure she's legitimately here from 1945?"

Elijah pulls a pen out of his pocket.

"What's that?" she asks.

"A Parker brand pen from Elena's handbag. I found it in the shed."

"Why is that significant?"

"There's a story behind this pen. To mark the company's 51st year, the Parker 51, this pen was developed in 1939 and 1940. It was launched in 1941. It won the Academy Award for Best Design and is probably one of the best pens of the 20th century."

"You've done your homework," Gia acknowledges.

"This pen is from 1941. It's an original first-year model in Blue Cedar with a wedding band cap. It looks brand new."

"It's probably a reproduction."

"No, it isn't. I checked with Atticus Shane in Fells Church. He's an avid pen collector and an expert in the Parker brand of pens. This is real, Gia," Elijah explains, his eyes locking on hers.

"She could have found it in an antique store while preparing this whole 1940's persona," Gia scoffs.

"Nothing's going to convince you so I'm not even going to try. But I believe her and if there's a way for her to get back to her time, I'm going to find it!" Frustrated, Elijah grabs his jacket and leaves the office with a loud snap of the door.

Elena gets up early and carefully tiptoes down the staircase and into the kitchen. She reaches for the pen and paper to write a note that she's going for a walk. Just as she opens the door, Elijah appears in front of her.

"You going somewhere?" he asks.

"I was going to go for a walk," Elena tells him, her hands clasping together.

"Is something wrong?" he prods.

"I want to go to the cemetery to see if Damon is there," Elena says softly and drops her eyes when they mist up a little bit.

"Oh, I see...I can drop you off, you can come down to the station afterward and I'll drive you back here."

"Thank you, that would be nice." Elena reaches for a tissue and dabs her eyes. She now notices the distant look on Elijah's face. "Is something wrong? Gia maybe?"

"Yeah, we're just having a little disagreement," he divulges.

"You know, I met Damon when we were five. He could be such a brat sometimes...he'd tug on my pigtails, steal the swing at the park. I was a little clumsy back then so he'd tease me. My point is, every relationship has bumps. But if you care about her, don't give up."

"Tugged on your pigtails?" Elijah bursts out in laughter.

"Yes, he did," Elena nods, glancing at the clock she noticed last evening.

"You like that?" Elijah remarks when he sees what she's looking at.

"I was telling your mom last evening that Damon and I had one just like it...but here I am dawdling. You probably need to get to work." Elena changes the subject.

"Yeah, let's go." Elijah opens the door and follows Elena outside, pulling it shut behind him.

The sun shines brilliantly and its glare is bright and cheerful. It's morning, the weather is brisk with a smattering of wisp-like clouds in the sky. it's a beautiful repose for those who have been laid to rest in this solemn place. Elena walks down the snowy path, looking at the name on the headstone.

There are so many of them so Elena walks solemnly to the WW2 Memorial that sits in one corner of the cemetery. With her heart heavy, she starts to peruse the list of names embossed in the dark granite stone. George Fell, Henry Wattles, Harper James, Luke Parker, Alaric Saltzman...

Her head spins as Elena steps back in confusion when she finds no Damon Salvatore engraved into the stone. She looks again, running her fingertips over the raised letters.

"Was Damon's body never found?" she asks herself. She starts looking at the headstones again, finding the Salvatore crypt. And even inside, Elena finds Stefan's plague but Damon's not there and neither is she...

"I don't understand..." Elena mutters. She would be almost 100 years old in 2021. It's not impossible that she could still be alive...

Her heart leaps into her throat as she fights a rising panic. Her hands feel clammy as she walks out of the crypt. She draws up her collar at the brisk breeze. The trees are still swaying in the wind. The white blues and silvers of wintry dreams swirl in the sky above.

Shaking off her momentary stupor, Elena's more confused than ever by this crazy world she somehow finds herself in. Hurrying out of the cemetery, she starts walking at a brisk pace to the police station.

Maybe Elijah can help her figure this out?

Where's Damon? ;)

Huge thanks to all of you and to you, Eva.

We'll see you next week for part 4. I think you'll like it.

Have a wonderful day everyone and thank you.