Elena's grateful to arrive at the clinic and put her thoughts of the past aside. She's about to unlock the door to prepare for the day when Matt Donovan appears from the side of the building.
"Hey there," Matt says awkwardly, no doubt sensing the tension that fills Elena immediately.
"What are you doing here?" Elena challenges, her eyes boring into his.
"I tried to call you," he replies sheepishly and glances down at a little girl who's holding a puppy. "I got Mandy a pet. I wanted it checked out before we follow through with the adoption."
Bending down, Elena forces a smile for the freckled little, blonde girl. "Why don't we go inside, there are some colors, markers, search and find books and Legos, you can check those out while I look at this puppy."
Mandy flashes her a big grin as Elena unlocks the door and they walk inside. The little girl shoves the puppy in Matt's hands and makes a beeline for the little corner table and chairs.
"Thanks, Elena," Matt smiles at her.
Elena levels her ex with an angry glare. "I told you to stay away from me so why are you here? Why aren't you with Violet?" she mocks, her expression hardening.
"Violet ran off with someone she met at a strip bar," he admits as he meets Elena's stare.
"And?" Elena prods.
"If I'm being honest, I wanted to be close to you again...maybe start over?" Matt looks down guiltily.
Elena pulls him to the side so she can speak with him more discreetly. "Matt, you made your choice. And if you want the truth, I'm glad. We wanted different things in life. I knew we were over even before I caught you cheating. I just hadn't told you yet. So, although it hurt at the time, it was for the best that you had your tawdry little affair. That choice still stands and there will never ever be a 'you and me' again. Are we clear?" Elena asks, her hands on her hips as she glowers at him.
Before he can answer, Caroline walks in holding a coffee carrier and the office mail followed by Kol Mikaelson and his dog.
Elena shoots Matt one last look before approaching Kol. "Hello, Clarence!" she stoops down to pet the Golden Retriever. "Not feeling good?" she asks, looking up at Kol.
"He's not quite himself the last couple of days. Not eating, laying around," Kol explains as he rubs the dog's head.
"I'll need to examine him," Elena states as she looks up at Caroline. "Will you put them in a room? I'll be in shortly."
"Come with me, Kol. We'll put Clarence in room 2."
"What about me?" Matt interrupts, looking decidedly put out.
"Put him in the broom closet," Elena calls to Caroline as she enters her office and slips on her lab coat. She pulls a bottle of water out of her office fridge and takes a long swallow. After releasing a frustrated sigh at seeing Matt again, she grabs her stethoscope and her day begins.
"Thank you, Mrs. Flowers, I'll see you soon." Elena waves behind her as she leaves the coffee shop. She's blinded momentarily by the sun. Shielding her eyes with her palm, they come to rest on Damon sitting in an iron chair on the patio out front, back hunched and taking gulps from his cup. Her stomach performs unexpected gymnastics when she looks at him, not helped any by the Ray-Bans he's sporting or the way his onyx hair is mussed just so.
"Damon? Hi," Elena acknowledges him.
"Hello, Elena," Damon looks up from his phone, finishes his text, and sets it face down. "I was just chatting with Sybil."
"I'm a fan of her movies. What's she like?"
"She's very beautiful. A lot like you in that department," Damon says as he raises his cup to his mouth and takes a swallow.
"Damon!" Elena feels her cheeks heat up. She takes a moment to compose herself before continuing. "I know she's gorgeous. But what's she's like? What's her favorite color, flower, what does she like to do in her free time?"
"She's very complicated and selfish at times, but also very sexy and seductive. And she has talent."
"That Golden Globe she won is a testament to her skills as an actress but why are you avoiding my question?" Elena locks eyes with him.
"Honestly, Elena, I don't know." Damon shrugs his shoulders.
Elena looks at him curiously for a moment. "Um, I need to run, I'm taking this pastry to your dad." She raises the bag to show him.
"I'm headed that way too. Can I give you a lift?" Damon throws a few coins on the table as he stands up.
"It's not far, I'm going to walk. Thanks for the offer, though." Elena smiles at him and walks away. Once she puts a little distance between them, her hand flies to her chest to calm down her erratically beating heart.
"How are you feeling, Giuseppe?" Elena asks as she enters his room. Without waiting for a reply, she takes the pastry out of the bag and sets it in front of him. "Mrs. Flowers said these are your favorite."
"Why did you call Damon? He has more important things to do than be here." The elder Salvatore scowls at her.
"You can play a grumpy old man with a lot of people but not me. If Damon didn't want to be here, I'm sure he wouldn't have bothered to come all this way. He could have just as easily picked up the phone and called you." Elena hands him a fork.
Giuseppe reluctantly picks up the utensil and takes a bite. "It's good."
"Of course it is. The pony is doing well. I checked on him this morning," Elena explains, taking a seat at the bedside. "Can I ask you something?"
"Nothing I can say will stop you so go ahead." Giuseppe looks at her as he stuffs another forkful of pastry into his mouth.
"You're in a fine mood today. Maybe I'll just go," Elena retorts, sliding her chair back to stand up.
"What do you want to know?" he sets the fork down to give her his full attention.
"Are you ever going to talk to Damon and tell him your side of the story?" Elena meets his stare when his eyes snap to hers.
"I did what I thought was in his best interests. And look at him, he's a world-famous musician."
"But you're still his dad," Elena points out.
Giuseppe's words die on his lips when Damon pokes his head through the door. "I was in town for a cup of coffee. Thought I'd run by. Hello again, Elena."
"We ran into each other at Mrs. Flower's coffee shop. I'll be on my way so you two can talk." Elena stares at Giuseppe, telling him with her eyes what she cannot say out loud.
"Thanks for the pastry. Tell Theophilia thank you for me," Giuseppe tells Elena.
"Will do," Elena adds, smiling. "Bye, Damon," she calls out loud just as the door swings shut.
"What about this one?" Elena pulls out a short brown dress from a circular rack so Caroline can give it the once over.
"Ew! I don't think so. The Founder's Ball is a formal affair. You need a tea-length or a floor-length dress."
Elena sighs in frustration and stuffs the dress back haphazardly "You know I don't know the first thing about this stuff and I hate these formal affairs."
"That's why you're lucky to have me!" Caroline, who is in her element, gives an ear-to-ear grin and holds up a pile of dresses that are draped over her arms.
Elena skeptically eyes the pile and briefly considers running out of the store.
"Oh no, you don't!" Caroline senses her mood and catches her by the arm, yanking her into an empty fitting room.
"Okay, let's get this over with." Elena rolls her eyes. She starts stripping down and reaches out for Caroline to hand her the first option. Shimming it up halfway up her thighs, she can already tell she hates this one and steps out of it leaving it in a heap on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Caroline hastily picks the frock up and places it back on its hangar.
Laughing at how aghast Caroline looks, Elena shakes her head. "I'm not wearing that dress."
Muttering something about how Elena is utterly clueless about things like this, Caroline sets about choosing a few more for her to try on.
On her seventh dress, Elena's about had her fill when she spots one hanging on a side-rack. After slipping into it she runs her hands up and down, smoothing the royal blue chiffon gown that's nipped in at all the right places. She sighs in relief when Caroline stills and takes a step back.
"That's the one." The blonde circles her. "It's perfect."
Elena meets Caroline's eyes in the reflection of the mirror. "You think so?"
"You're going to turn heads. And it's about time."
Elena sighs and sits down on the tiny bench in the corner and carefully considers her wording. "You're right. Seeing Matt again made me realize that. I've never really admitted it before but truthfully I'm glad he screwed around with Violet. I shouldn't have needed that kick in the ass to break up with him. I'd known for a long time that I didn't want to be with him, I just didn't want to hurt his feelings."
"You need to put yourself first for once, Elena. Would you have married him to avoid hurting his feelings?" Caroline asks, holding her hand.
"No," Elena scoffs, adding, "I wouldn't have let it go that far."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Elena replies firmly as she stands to slip off the dress.
"I like seeing you like this, you have a spark in you I haven't seen for a long time, and if Damon being back is the reason then who am I to judge?"
"This isn't about Damon. He's engaged, Caroline. There's never going to be anything between us."
"I know he's engaged but you're the one he married," Caroline points out with a wink.
"We were 13," Elena protests, rolling her eyes playfully at her friend.
"Sometimes, Elena, those first loves are the ones that were meant to be."
"Get your head out of the clouds, Care, it's not going to happen." Elena pulls her tee-shirt over her head, and before Caroline can continue this silly conversation, she picks up the dress and exits the changing room, letting the curtain fall closed behind her.
"Sybil, I have to run, I'm about to go inside."
"Have a good time. Tell your dad hello for me," Sybil remarks.
"You've never even met my dad," Damon points out, his brows drawing together.
"I know but...I'll have Vicky send him some flowers or something...My director's calling. Love you. Muah!" Damon hears her say before she clicks off. He pockets his phone and steps out of his rental car.
The late-day shadows spread out behind him as he approaches the Lockwood estate to attend the gala. Damon received a personal invitation from Carol Lockwood when he ran into her at the Mystic Grill. He's barely inside the door when he's approached by his one-time rival, Mason Lockwood.
"Damon Salvatore! How are you doing?"
"Good," Damon replies, filching a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter.
"What's it been about ten years?" Mason asks and lifts his glass to his mouth.
"Fifteen actually."
"And what brought you back?" Mason continues, winking at Amber Bradley when she strolls by them.
"My dad broke his hip."
"I think I heard that. So Sybil Cade? She's fucking hot, you're a lucky man," Mason remarks, his eyes lingering on a blonde woman's derrière.
"I am..." the words die on Damon's lips when he catches a glimpse of Elena on the stair landing. She's a vision in her royal blue strapless gown, looking more like a figure in a romantic novel.
Elena turns suddenly and looks right at Damon. He is caught staring, but he doesn't look away. She does but then looks back.
Their eyes meet across the space of the ballroom. Damon walks away from Mason and skirts through the crowd, arriving at the staircase just as Elena reaches the bottom step.
"You look beautiful," Damon exclaims as he takes her hand and presses his lips against it.
Elena's heart races and her cheeks feel warm. "You clean up nicely too," she returns the compliment.
"Would you like to dance?" Damon extends his arm.
Elena gazes across the lacquered tiles and nods at Damon.
He takes her hand and leads her onto the dance floor. As the thrumming rhythm of classical music whispers into his ears, he takes her in his arms and the two begin to dance.
They fall in step, letting the rhythm control their movements. All the scenery and people around them dissolve. It's herself and Damon, alone. His cobalt eyes glisten, and a smile spreads across Elena's face. Uncontrollable feelings surge through her body, and her fingers tingle. Her body is acting on its own, with no chains to hold her back.
Damon draws her close to his chest, and Elena wraps her arms around his neck.
Her brunette locks fell over her eyes, like a curtain blocking out the sunlight. Her breath catches when Damon brushes a strand off of her face.
She can't remember the last time she's danced like this. Damon's hand grabs hers and she swings backward, dips low, then soars into the air. The flashing colors momentarily blind her… she touches the ground again and skids to a smiling, breathless halt as the music ends.
"You're good at this," Damon remarks as urges her off the dance floor with his palm on the small of her back.
"Dance lessons when I was a kid," Elena admits. She can't deny the electricity that's thrumming inside of her at being so close to Damon. She feels a little relief when she notices Caroline approaching the two of them.
"There you are." Caroline moves to stand beside Elena. "Didn't I tell you this was the dress?" she remarks as she peruses her friend.
"You do look lovely tonight, Elena," Damon concurs. Before he can continue the conversation, Carol Lockwood latches onto his arm.
"I have some people I'd like you to meet." Carol starts tugging at him much to his dismay.
"Sure," Damon agrees. "Bye, Elena," he says softly as he's being dragged away.
"He's damn good to look at," Caroline states and grabs two flutes of champagne from a waiter.
"Yes, he is. But he's engaged, Caroline."
"The way he looked at you, Elena...he may think he loves Sybil Cade but he doesn't. Yes, she's beautiful and knows how to act but she's as shallow as a kiddie pool. It's quite obvious that Damon has his eyes elsewhere if you take the time to really look."
"If that's true, Caroline, it's his decision to make. I won't be a part of it." Elena empties the champagne flute with one swallow.
"Alright...let's get something to eat before that alcohol goes straight to your head." Caroline links her arm with Elena's and leads her to the refreshment table.
Elena doesn't cross paths with Damon again. As soon as the clock strikes midnight, she grabs her things and leaves the gala without bothering to say goodnight.
Thank you all so much. You're the best.
Chapter title: 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA.
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend. We'll see you next week with chapter 4.