So excited!
Today's my birthday, and I'm finally getting to go to SeaWorld.
But I managed to get this posted first for you guys, because I love you all! ;)
Hope you enjoy :)
The day passed faster than Elena had realized.
As they finished the last minute touch ups, the sun had started sinking, and Damon drove Chris home, so that they could get ready and be back before six.
She'd stuck around at Miranda's request, finishing the ticket packages at the entrance.
Caroline now sauntered toward her, "Good your still here!"
Elena glanced up at her, "Yep, just finishing up though."
The blond nodded, "It's almost five. Damn. I need to leave soon, and make sure Stefan got the kid's costumes figured out."
Elena nodded, finishing the last of the bags, "See you later tonight then?"
"Yes," Caroline agreed, leaning onto the table, "By the way, what are you wearing?"
Elena rose a brow, "You mean my costume?"
"Duh," Caroline droned, "You were supposed to find one weeks ago, so you wouldn't forget like you have for the past three years."
"Yeah, yeah," Elena nodded, "But I've been busy lately and things slip my mind."
"So you didn't get one?" Caroline pouted.
Elena chuckled, "I have one, but it's nothing big."
"What do you mean?"
Elena pulled out her phone, and pulled up the picture of the nurses costume she'd found in a thrift shop.
Caroline appraised it, "It's not bad, but..."
"But what?" Elena inquired.
"But it doesn't send out any kind of message," she reasoned, "Seriously, you and Damon have been flirting it up all day, and your costume needs to scream at him...and this...well, this isn't even trying!"
Elena laughed, "I bought this before he came back, remember? I wasn't exactly thinking about trying to raise anyone's blood pressure."
Caroline sighed, "Fine, you win that one, but still. The point is you need to raise his blood pressure...not to mention something else..."
"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed with a blush, "So not going there."
"Oh, honey, we're already there!" Her friend teased, straightening, "Okay, come on."
"To where?" Elena asked hesitantly, allowing Caroline to help her up.
"To my car," the blond reasoned, "I know exactly what you need!"
Elena swallowed, "Should I be afraid.?"
"No, you should be grateful!" Caroline demanded, "Because I spent all month planning this costume, and it was going to be a surprise for Stefan tonight, after the kids went to sleep, but something tells me that you're gonna need it a lot more than me."
Elena scoffed, "Please tell me you aren't expecting me to tramp around the town square in lingerie..."
"It's not lingerie!" Caroline defended, then winked, "But it does come with a matching bra and pantie set."
"Great," Elena groaned, as they reached the car.
Caroline opened the back seat door, and pulled a box toward her.
After flipping the slides of it, the top slid off, and Elena saw a lot of white.
"What is that?"
"It's your costume," Caroline smiled, pulling it from the packaging and holding it up.
"The tag named it Little Taste Of Heaven, but I thought it was adorable and sexy, so I bought it."
Elena looked it over.
It was an angel costume.
A short little dress, with a corset top.
Definitely sexy, and certainly a little questionable in decency.
"I don't know, Care..."
"You're wearing it," the blond commanded, "We're the same size, so it'll fit. The wings look amazing with it, and Damon won't be able to take his eyes off of you."
"You don't think it's a little...little?" She questioned.
Caroline smirked, "It'll be fine! You're sexy, Elena. Own it. Besides, the white will look perfect with your tanned skin, and I have some body glitter. So just curl your hair, twist it up, and put on those lacy Gordon heeled boots. It'll look hot."
Elena eyed her, "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"
"Not a chance," she agreed.
Elena sighed, "Fine, give me the damn costume."
Caroline grinned, placing it back in the box and handing it to her, "Your welcome!"
"Uhhu," Elena smirked.
"You'll be thanking me later," Caroline promised, pulling her into a hug.
Elena hugged her back, "If you say so...I'll see you at six?"
Her friend nodded, "I'll be in by back up costume."
"What exactly was your back up costume?"
Caroline sighed dreamily, "Marilyn Monroe."
"Wow."
"Yup."
They both giggled, and Elena shook her head, "Well Marilyn, I'll see you later."
"See ya!" Caroline smiled, waving.
Still smirking, Elena made her way to her car, clutching the box in her hands.
This was going to be interesting.
Damon ran a hand through his hair for the fourth time that evening.
He and Chris had finished an entire card game as they waited for Elena to finish getting ready, and she was still in her room.
"How much longer can she be?" Chris groaned.
Damon smirked at him, "Might as well get use to this, Chris. Women are always gonna make you wait."
"Not encouraging," he grinned back, staring down the hall, "We're gonna be late if she isn't through soon."
"Nah, we'll be fine," Damon supported, checking the time on his phone, "You got everything you need? Jacket, money?"
"Yeah," Chris nodded, "And my phone's fully charged, so I'll text you guys the second we figure out whose all going with who."
"Is that the only condition your mom gave you?"
Chris shrugged, "That, and to behave myself. I have to admit though, I'm surprised she's letting me stay over at Tyler's tonight...did you say something to her?"
Damon shook his head, "No, that was all her decision. I only stepped in last night because it's Halloween, and I'm sure you could use some fun, especially given all the changes lately. But your mother is still right about a lot of it. When you get grounded, it sucks, but you have to do the time, otherwise, it doesn't mean anything."
He nodded, "I know, I know. I'm just really glad she's letting me go tonight...so thanks, for helping persuade her."
Damon chuckled, "I wish I could take the credit, but I think we know your mother doesn't do anything she doesn't want to do."
"True," Chris allowed, "Though I wish she'd want to hurry."
He looked toward the hall, "Mooom! We need to leave soon!"
A rushed, "Okay, okay!" was the answer, and a few moments later, the bedroom door opened.
Elena came into the living room, and Damon smiled at her appearance.
Her hair was twisted elegantly into a bun on the top of her head, with loose curls framing her face.
Her makeup was more than she usually wore, and the white eye-shadow was a starking difference to her doe brown eyes.
He couldn't see her costume, as she was wearing a thin calf-lengthen coat, but a tuft of something white was sticking out from the bottom, under the last button.
"Sorry," she exhaled, "But I'm ready now."
"Good," Chris sighed, standing, "Let's go, please."
Damon also stood, as Elena grabbed her keys, and tossed them over to him, "You drive."
He smirked, "Yes ma'am."
It took less than five minutes after parking for Chris to take off.
Damon assumed he was in a hurry to meet up with his friends, so they could get going before it got too dark.
He walked around, opening Elena's door, and helping her out.
"Do we need to grab anything?" He asked, checking the backseat.
"Just this," she said, holding up a bag in her hand, "I brought everything up here earlier. We just have to walk around and make sure nobody needs help with anything."
He nodded, "Sounds good."
He slipped an arm around her shoulder then, and lead her toward the square.
Caroline spotted them first, of course, as she buzzed around one of the booths, and waved them over.
Elena slid out from his arm, but took his hand, leading the way.
"I was wondering when you guys were going to get here!" she stated, shifting through some sheets.
"My fault," Elena smiled, "Hair didn't want to cooperate."
"It's perfect though," Damon whispered into her ear.
She glanced up at him, but Caroline was already talking, "It's no biggie. Everything's actually going pretty smooth...But I think the guys were bringing extra speakers over from the Grill, so Damon, if you wanted to go help, I think Stefan's over there."
He nodded, "Sure."
Kissing the side of Elena's head, he took off toward the Grill.
"Your makeup looks amazing," Caroline smiled the moment Damon was out of hearing range.
Elena chuckled, "Thanks."
"But you should really ditch the coat. It's not even cold out here, and there's no point in wearing the costume if you're just going to hide it."
"I know," Elena sighed, "It's just so...revealing. I mean, I haven't worn anything like this since Chris was born, and it feels weird."
Caroline gave her a look, then finally nodded, "Okay, sorry. I'm being pushy. But you really should have more confidence in yourself. I mean, you're gorgeous. And you do want to grab Damon's attention, don't you?"
"I think so," Elena answered hesitantly, "Don't get me wrong, I like the costume, and it does look good, and I'm sure Damon would love it too...but it's not just me and Damon out here. My parents are here somewhere, and so is my son...it's awkward."
Caroline giggled, "I promise you, it's not that bad. I checked at the store before I even bought it. I wouldn't embarrass you that way. Really, it's fine. Maybe a little revealing, but not inappropriately so."
Elena raised a brow, "You're sure?"
"Absolutely," Caroline nodded, "You'll look perfect! Wait where are your wings?"
"In the bag," she answered, holding it up.
"Put them on!" Care encouraged.
Elena sighed, before finally reaching up and undoing the buttons on the coat, and slid it off, tossing it onto one of the chairs next to Caroline, then reached into the bag and pulled out the wings, sliding them into place.
She did a little twirl, just for the hell of it, and placed her hands on her hips, "You approve?"
Caroline laughed, "Oh yes! Definitely!"
She wolf-whistled for good measure, making Elena chuckle, "Okay, okay...now that the show's over, what can I do?"
Caroline pushed a stack of papers her way, "All we have to focus on tonight is this."
Elena looked down at the forms, recognizing them from past years.
"So we're just separating them into the right categories?" Elena asked, making sure she was clear on the task.
The blond nodded, "Yep. Children's Hospital is this stack," she motioned to the first one, "The food pantry is this one, and the bridge restoration fundraiser is this stack."
Elena nodded, leaning over to get a better look at the papers, "Seems easy enough."
"Yeah, we'll be done in no time," Caroline assured her.
Elena smiled, getting to work, as the laughter of towns folk filled her ears, everyone and their children out to celebrate in the community.
Damon helped Stefan settle the last of the speakers behind the stage, leaving the crew to set it up.
"I thought this was take care of earlier," Damon wondered at his brother.
Stefan shrugged, "Guess it wasn't load enough for them."
"Ah," Damon nodded, knowing how that could be.
"But at least that's the last of it," Stefan nodded, "As long as we avoid our mother and my wife, we shouldn't be corroded into anything else."
Damon chuckled, "You know that's impossible, right."
Stefan grinned, "One can dream."
Damon clapped him on the shoulder, before motioning back toward the booth he'd left Elena at, "Come on, lets get back to them."
Stefan fell into step with him, agreeing easily.
He picked fun at Caroline's bossiness occasionally, but Damon had seen, even in this short time, just how much Stefan loved the girl.
They had a beautiful family, and he really regretted staying out of touch all of those years, and missing so much.
But at least he was getting the chance to be apart of it all now.
They walked in silence across the increasingly crowded square until Stefan let out a low whistle, "Man, you better thank my wife."
Damon shot him a confused look, "Why's that?"
Stefan motioned a few yards away, "Because I can promise you that that wasn't Elena's idea."
Damon followed his gaze, and immediately realized what he meant.
He felt his eyes bulge a little, and he tried to swallow against his suddenly dry throat.
Elena had removed the over coat, and was leaning casually over the booth table, looking at a paper Caroline was holding.
The jacket had hid her costume from him, and now he was kind of glad, because there was no way he'd have let her leave the house without ripping it off of her.
The short, poofed skirt showed off her long tan legs, and the tightly fitted corset top hugged her curves to perfection.
She practically glowed in the sunset, the last of the light bouncing off her shimmering angel wings, and all he could think was that he couldn't get his hands on her fast enough.
"Forget the thank you," Damon exhaled, "I'll send her a fucking gift basket."
His brother chuckled as they closed the rest of the distance to their women.
Elena turned, just as Damon's hands landed on her waist.
Without hesitation, or discreteness, he kissed her.
In the middle of the town, for the whole world to see.
And she kissed him back, for once choosing not to give a damn about what anybody thought of it, and lived in the moment.
Damon's lips were hard against hers, wanting and teasing, but he pulled away before it could become inappropriate.
She took a breath, looking up at him through her lashes, "And hello to you too."
He smiled, cupping her cheek, "I had to do that."
She smirked, as the sound of Stefan's and Caroline's conversation filled the air behind them, "I'm glad you did...but you could have at least given me some warning."
He was grinning now, "You mean like this?"
Ever so slowly, his gaze drifted down to her lips, and he bit his own, making her knees weaken.
God this man was beautiful.
He finally leaned down, savoring each moment, until his lips finally touched hers again, in the briefest second.
She slid her hand onto his neck, pulling him against her.
He complied, kissing her the way she wanted.
When he pulled away, nothing but happiness radiated from his eyes.
"I like kissing you," he said softly.
"I like it too, but that could just be because I like you," she countered with a smile.
His eyes heated, "And I love you."
Her breath caught, at his final admission.
She wanted to say it back...so much, she did.
But something in her throat kept her frozen in his arms.
He dropped his forehead to hers, kissing her nose, "You don't have to say anything" he assured her, "But I wanted to tell you. You had to know how I felt...but you don't have to say it back."
He must have sensed her inner battle, because his arms tightened around her, and he stroked her hair, "I love you, Elena. That's enough for me right now. Just let me love you."
She swallowed, "Thank you, but it's not enough for me...I have to..." she sighed, looking up and holding his gaze, "It's just a lot to take in...feeling this, for you, again..."
"I know," he assured her, stroking her back.
"It's strange," she admitted, "How everything's so different, yet at the same time, nothing's changed."
He nodded, letting her talk.
"Until you showed up, everything's felt like a big blur...and it's like I'm finally getting some clarity. Feeling things that I thought I'd buried years ago."
"It's unnerving," he agreed, "But we can handle it."
She bit her lip, "What makes you so sure?"
He twirled a piece of her hair around his finger, "Because I think we're meant for each other. We made it back to this place, and after everything, we are right here, where we wanted to be, so many years ago. That has to say something about what we felt for each other, doesn't it? What we still feel..."
She nodded, "It does...because I've never been able to get over you."
"I dreamed about you for years after I left," he admitted, "I never thought a life with you was possible, after what I did, but Elena, you've always been it for me. And despite everything, I love you, so much. I know that without a single doubt. And I don't plan on letting you slip through my fingers again."
She closed her eyes as a smile covered her lips, "I wish you knew how long I've wanted to hear you say these things."
He lifted her chin up, until she looked at him, "Get used to it sweetheart, because I plan on being here, telling you I love you, every day, for as long as you'll let me."
She nodded, "Then I'll wake up every morning, kiss you, and say I love you too...because I do, Damon. It scares me to death, but I'm in love with you. And no amount of time is going to change that."
The smile he gave her reached his eyes, and as he leaned down, claiming her lips once more, she was the happiest she ever remembered being.
This was all she'd ever wanted.
This love that she believed in, so much, that she was willing to take a risk, on the chance that maybe it would be everything she'd dreamed of.
And with the way Damon was staring at her, as if she was the only thing in his world, she thought that maybe, just maybe, it really was.
So much fluff! I loved writing this chapter :)
Soooo, what did you guys think?
I really really would love a lot of beautiful review to read when I get up in a few hours ;)
Please?
For my birthday ;)
Lol, love you guys, thanks for all the support!