"Please, Damon? I haven't been out of the house in months, and Elena said that she wants to go, too!"

Elena bit her lip; the last thing she wanted to do was bourdon Damon after all he had done for her. Yet, here was Caroline, bringing her into her speech about him lending them the car. Damon was sitting on the couch, rubbing his eyes and sipping bourbon; it didn't look like he had slept in more than 24 hours. Even for a vampire, that had to be a bit tiring. "Caroline," he complained, "You barely have your license. Do you honestly expect me to let you drive my car?"

Caroline pouted, "Please? Who knows how long Elena will be here; she needs some of her own clothes, too; she has to be sick of wearing mine."

Elena bit harder on her lip in guilt; she didn't actually have any money to spend at the mall. Was Caroline trying to swindle money out of him now, too? "Caroline…" she protested, but Caroline held up a hand to silence her. Damon glanced at Elena, obviously wanting her to be honest, "Do you really want new clothes?"

Elena blushed, "Well… I'd like to go to the mall with Caroline, but you don't have to…"

Damon cracked a small smile and pulled his wallet out of his jeans' pocket, opening it and pulling out a black credit card, handing it to her. "Buy whatever you like; just don't let Caroline get at it."

Caroline frowned, but quickly beamed, "You mean we can go?"

Damon stood up, "You can go; but I'm taking you."

Caroline glanced at Elena, and she shrugged; they would take what they could get. "Alright," Elena said, smiling at him. She followed Damon out the front door, turning back to glance at Caroline. "Are you coming?"

Caroline nodded as she fiddled with her daylight ring; really, she hadn't needed it until now. "Yeah… yeah, I'm coming."

Elena smiled softly and turned around again to follow Damon to his car. Caroline bit her lip, but then stood up straighter and confidently followed the two of them out into the sun. At first, she squinted her eyes shut instinctively, a bit nervous. But, when he skin continued to feel the same, a smile blossomed on her lips. From over by the car, Damon grinned at her, "Wishing you had come out of hiding earlier?"

Caroline grinned back and nodded. Damon grinned and got into the car, Elena hesitating at the passenger door. "Did you want to sit up front?" she asked, and Caroline smiled, shaking her head. "The back is cool," she said, walking forward and climbing in. Elena got in after her, sitting on the leather seat beside Damon. He turned on the car, and both girls jumped in surprise when Back in Black by AC/DC began to roar in their ears. Damon quickly turned it down, grinning sheepishly, "I was… uh… out late, and forgot to turn it down."

"Taylor Swift and AC/DC?" Elena asked with a giggled. Damon shrugged as he pulled out of the driveway. "It's not that weird; she went on tour with Def Leppard, didn't she?"

Caroline smiled from the backseat as Elena giggled and continued to talk music with Damon. Little did they know, this was all part of her plan; her plan to get them together. She may not have been frank about it, but she despised Rebekah with a fiery passion. The vampire was an evil bitch, who was cruel to Damon for no reason. Sure, Damon wasn't the nicest guy in the world himself at times, but he didn't deserve to be treated with such a flakey attitude. He deserved better; someone who could help him be better. Elena seemed like she may be that girl; she made him smile in a way Caroline had never really seen before. It was evident that he liked her. Caroline adored her; she was like the best friend she hadn't seen in years. Now, all that was left to do was make them fall in love.

"…and I knew Eric Carmen back in the 80s; something no one else knows is that I helped him write Hungry Eyes for Dirty Dancing. Sure, he was a great guy, but he couldn't write a bridge to save his life."

Elena looked astonished. "You can't be serious! I love that song!"

Damon grinned. "Oh, I'm serious. I'll have to introduce you to him some time."

Elena laughed, "It's he, like, 60 now?"

"Sixty-three," Damon said, and Elena laughed again.

Caroline grinned; this was going to be too easy.

… . … . … . … . …

"I can't believe you actually bought that," Elena said, grinning as she walked between Damon and Caroline through the mall a few towns over. Damon laughed in agreement. "She has a point, Care…"

Caroline frowned at them, holding her bag more tightly; she had just bought an adorable Mickey Mouse crop top that she loved, but the two of them seemed to find it hilariously cheesy. "Well, I don't think she does; I like it."

Damon grinned and shook his head, "I'm going to stop by John Varvatos; I heard they have a new collection of black V-necks in."

Caroline shrugged, "Whatever; we'll stop by the food court," she turned to Elena. "You must be starving."

Elena blushed. "I guess I'm a little hungry…"

"Then it's settled; Damon, you go buy more of the only brand name you own, and Elena and I will go stuff our faces with food we can't get in Mystic Falls," Caroline grinned at Elena. "Shall we?"

Elena rolled her eyes and grinned, nodding.

"I'll meet you two there," Damon said, heading in the opposite direction. Caroline nodded and towed Elena toward the elevators. Once they were inside, Caroline grinned at her. "I hope that you're here when summer rolls around."

Elena frowned and raised an eyebrow, "Doubtful, but why?"

"Because," Caroline gushed quietly, "Damon loves swimming. If you think he's good looking with his John Varvatos shirts on, just wait until he takes it off…"

Elena blushed. "I never said I thought he was good looking…"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh, please; everyone thinks he's good looking, Elena. You'd have to be blind not to."

Elena sighed. "Alright… maybe he's a little… sort of… seriously gorgeous."

Caroline grinned; Damon had only known her for two days, and already she was roped. They reached the second floor and got out, instantly overwhelmed by the various scents; pizza, hamburgers, French fries, corn dogs, and anything else in existence that could be fried and coated with grease. "Ah; I can smell the obesity warnings already," Caroline said, meriting a giggle from Elena as they headed over to the French fry stand. They got their baskets of fries, two dishes of ketchup and headed over to a table. Caroline, who hadn't had a good basket of concession stand French fries in years, immediately started to stuff her face in a slightly unladylike fashion. Elena giggled and dipped one of hers in her ketchup, taking a bite. "So," Caroline asked, swallowing and taking a sip of the Coke she had ordered with her fries, "what's your life back home like?"

Elena bit her lip. "It's… interesting, I guess."

"You guess? Well is it or isn't it?"

Elena sighed. "Alright, it's boring. Painfully boring. I work in a library, for Pete's sake! All I do is go to school, go home, go to work, go home, cook for Jeremy, clean up Jeremy's messes, and then go to bed and start all over."

"Who's Jeremy?" Caroline asked.

"My little brother; our parents died a few years ago, so it's just us. We live in a really small town and didn't have any relatives close or willing enough to take us."

Caroline bit her lip. "I'm sorry… about your parents. My mom still lives in Mystic Falls… but she thinks I'm dead, ergo why I don't get out very much."

Elena gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well, I'll have to introduce you to Jeremy. He'd love you. There aren't any girls in Fell's Church willing to give him the time of day. I don't get it; Jer isn't that bad, and, as far as little brothers go, he's… pretty cute."

Caroline gave a yearning groan, "I would so love to meet a guy. Any guy. Let's just say, my last relationship didn't end very well."

"Why not?" Elena asked, eating another fry.

"Well, I was turned into a vampire, fed on him to complete the change, and then Damon had to compel him to make him think I died, along with everyone else I know. So, he grieved me and then moved on to Eliza Mellark."

"What was he like?"

"Typical high school dream boat; quarterback on the football team, messy blond hair and baby blue eyes. His name was Matt Donovan."

"Did you… love him?"

"I guess so; it was short lived, so I never really found out how much I loved him, or if he loved me."

Elena looked sympathetic as Caroline ate more French fries. A few minutes later, Damon walked up behind them, a black shopping back in hand. "Ooh," he grinned, "fries." He snagged one of the few remaining ones in Caroline's basket before reaching for a chair at another table. "No, no," Caroline shook her head, standing up; "I gotta go fix my makeup now. Just take my seat; I'll be back in… a half hour."

"A half hour," Damon snorted, "just to fix your makeup?"

Caroline grinned at him before jogging toward the elevators; food court bathrooms had never been her style.

Damon sighed and sat in Caroline's seat, grinning at Elena. "She didn't drive you crazy, did she?"

"No," Elena shook her head, frowning. "She told me about her ex; Matt? It sounds like she's had a really tough time."

Damon nodded. "Put that together with her mom thinking she's dead, and she had plenty of reason not to leave the boarding house for two years."

"Two years in the same enclosed space," Elena shook her head in disbelief. "Two entire years…"

"It's awful, I know," Damon agreed, biting his lip. "I know I should have tried to take her out sooner… but I guess I've just been busy. Someone has to keep the baddies in check, seeing as though the attacks got so out of hand a few years ago that we had hunters knocking on our door."

"Hunters," Elena repeated, hearing the word again, "You mean like vampire slayers? As in Buffy?"

Damon grinned, "If I had a dollar for every time I heard that one…"

Elena grinned back at him, "Well, in your defense, you happen to be much more handsome than they make vampires seem. No freaky wrinkles or squashed noses."

Damon shrugged, "Well, we aren't exactly pretty when we… you know," he whispered, "vamp out."

Elena raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I know… I sort of witnessed it."

Damon bit his lip; he had nearly forgotten about Jack frightening her the night he found her. "You should never have had to."

She smiled fondly at him. "You know… you seem sweeter than you like to let people believe you are, Damon Salvatore."

Damon grinned, "And you happen to not be the innocent little flower I pegged you for, Elena Gilbert."

He and Elena then engaged in an unannounced staring competition, both grinning like the Cheshire cat the entire time. Damon suddenly surprised her, making her blink when he snagged one of her fries and popped it into his mouth. "Hey!" she said, laughing. He shrugged as he chewed. "You should have seen that one coming…"

She grinned and shook her head. It was while she was doing this that something caught her eye across the food court. "Hey…" she said, her interest peaking. "What?" Damon asked, swivelling around to see what had caught her eye. Elena stood up, abandoning her food and walked over to a attractive, glossy dark purple and blue poster hanging on a bulletin board announcing a ball of some sort. It seemed to be a theme ball; the 1800s. Elena grinned; it was perfect. The perfect opportunity to get Damon and Rebekah back together. "Well, that looks like it might be fun," she said, and Damon looked down at her skeptically. "Really?" he asked, "You don't strike me as a ball kind of girl."

Elena shrugged. "That's probably because I've never been to one. My town isn't exactly big on social events."

"Do you… want to go?" Damon asked, eyeing her curiously. Elena bit her lip; she hadn't expected him to ask her. As confused as her feelings began to make her, she discovered that she certainly wouldn't mind showing up at a fancy party on Damon Salvatore's arm. But… he wasn't hers to attend with. He was Rebekah's. Besides; she had Stefan. And Jeremy; she had to get home!

"I can't," she said, surprised at how regretful it honestly came out. "I'll likely be home by then… but you should ask Rebekah."

Damon frowned, "Rebekah?"

"Well… yeah. Maybe, if you asked her to go, she would want to… get back together with you."

Why did the idea upset her so much? She wanted to reunite him with his girlfriend. That was her plan!

Damon shoved his hands in his jacket pocket as he inspected the poster. "I dunno; balls aren't really her scene."

"Come on, Damon; no matter what you may think, every girl on the planet dreams of going to a ball."

Damon grinned, "Yeah, every girl you know. This girl, however, actually attended real royal balls over the years. I don't think a fake one would spike her interest."

"Well… maybe it would if you asked her." She put an extra emphasis on you.

Damon thought about it. "You know… maybe you're right. I mean, if it's me asking how can she say no?" he asked, grinning at her. Elena grinned weakly back. "It would be impossible for her to resist."

Damon glanced at the date; the ball was in two days. He would ask Rebekah tonight, then focus all of his energy on getting the girl beside him back home. Although, he couldn't help but wonder why she had said no when he asked her to go; he had thought that, maybe, she sort of… liked him. He sighed, "I'll do it; I'll ask her tonight."

Elena smiled. "That's great, Damon."

"But," he said, pointing at her, "if she turns me down, you're stuck with me. So, seeing as though the chances of her saying yes are low… I think you need a dress, Miss Gilbert."

Elena's eyes widened, "Oh, Damon, I can't ask you to…"

He rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and come on; I'm buying you a dress whether you like it or not."

Caroline reappeared at that exact moment, though, glancing at the poster. "Ooh," she giggled, "a ball! That sounds like so much fun… you two should go!"

Damon shrugged and Elena blushed.

"She insisted that I ask Rebekah. But, I did ask her first, so, if Rebekah says no, she's stuck going with me instead."

Caroline frowned. "You're asking Rebekah?"

Damon sighed and nodded. "It was Elena's idea, not mine. I'm taking her to get a dress right now."

"Oh, no you're not!" Caroline snapped, "Everyone knows that the guy can't see the girl in the dress until the ball!"

Elena raised an eyebrow as Caroline grabbed her arm. "I thought that only worked for weddings?"

"Weddings, balls; one leads to another in fairy tales, anyway… come on! We have to get you the prettiest," she glanced at the poster to discover there was a theme, "oldest dress we can find! To the antique dress store!"

Elena raised an eyebrow as Caroline began to drag her away, "They have one of those?"

Caroline paused. "Technically, it's a costume shop with really authentic costumes… but what's the difference?"

Elena shrugged, smiling. "Nothing, I guess."

Caroline nodded. "Exactly. We'll meet up with you later, Damon!" she called over her shoulder, dragging Elena into the elevator. Damon nodded and watched the doors close behind them. He frowned when they did.

He didn't want to ask Rebekah to the ball. The more he got to know Elena, the more he realized how wrong Rebekah was for him. Rebekah was conceited, vain, cruel and rude to him. Elena, however, cared about everyone but herself, was the kindest person he knew yet still possessed enough spunk to keep him interested, and she was… beautiful. He didn't understand why, or how, he could feel this way after only two days. But he did.

He hated the idea of having to show up at that ball with Rebekah. When he had asked Elena…

He meant it.

… . … . … . … . …

"Any news?" Stefan asked as he entered the small Gilbert house when Jeremy opened the door. The teenage boy shook his head dejectedly. "Nothing. There's no sign of her for miles."

Stefan frowned, shaking his head. "It doesn't make any sense. How could she be here one moment, and gone the next…?" he trailed off, his eyes widening. Jeremy began to babble nervously about the possibility of kidnapping or homicide, but Stefan could only think of one explanation that, now that he realized it, should have been obvious from the very beginning.

Katherine. That evil little witch, who had disappeared without a trace must have done something to Elena. In fact, the reason Stefan had noticed Elena in the first place was because she looked exactly like Katherine. He had run into her on purpose, just to see what she would say. But she didn't know him. It was like they hadn't been together for four years in high school; it was like he never existed. Which, now he knew made sense since it wasn't Katherine, and they had never met. What still puzzled him was how they looked exactly alike. Evidently Elena wasn't a witch. The horrifying question that was pulsing around in Stefan's brain was simple; what had Katherine done to Elena?

"Jeremy… maybe we should go look around town again. Maybe we missed something?"

Jeremy shook his head, "I've been checking for the past two days; there's nothing."

"But maybe we missed it? You can never be too careful when it comes to this stuff."

Stefan said this because he knew exactly what to look for now to prove it had been Katherine. If he could find that, he could find out exactly where Elena was. He waited eagerly for Jeremy to agree. Finally, the boy sighed. "Yeah, okay… let's go. But we need to hurry; the police are supposed to call here with updates soon."

Stefan nodded and ushered Jeremy out the door. They began walking Elena's usual route, Stefan searching for that familiar sparkle somewhere, anywhere… there! Over in that little clearing off the road…

"I think I see something," Stefan said, running across the street. "What?" Jeremy asked in disbelief, following him. Stefan reached the spot first and crouched down in the grass. Yes, it was what he thought it was; that familiar sparkling dust that marked where a witch had done magic on a mortal. So, Katherine had used some form of magic to transport Elena somewhere… she could literally be anywhere! Stefan groaned as he stood up, fingering the dust.

"Dude, what is that stuff?" Jeremy asked, confused. Stefan glanced at the boy, deciding he had a right to know. "It's witch's dust, Jeremy."

Jeremy stared at Stefan like he was crazy for a few seconds, and then burst into laughter. "Oh, that's a good one! First my sister comes home blabbering on about true love, and now you expect me to believe she was attacked by a witch?" Jeremy glared, "Not funny."

"No, Jeremy, I can prove it to you."

Jeremy snorted and turned to leave. "No, you can't."

Desperate to prove his point, Stefan did the only thing he knew would work. "Show me where Elena Gilbert is!"

He tossed the dust into the air, and it exploded in a burst of glitter, making Jeremy jump and whirl. When he turned, he was confronted with an image of his sister with a blonde girl about her age in a store somewhere, looking at dresses. There was no sound, but it was definitely her. "Oh, my God…"

"Where is she?" Stefan commanded, and the dust swirled before reforming again to show another image. This time it showed a cheery sign that read, "Welcome to Mystic Falls, Virginia!"

"Mystic Falls?" Jeremy questioned. "Where's that…?"

Stefan was pale, "It's a highly magical town. But it's filled with dark magic; vampires, mainly. The death toll is terrifying. I should have known she would be there."

"Well, how did she get there?" Jeremy snapped.

"You don't want to know. Let's just go bring her home."

Jeremy eagerly followed Stefan back to his house; he wasn't sure if this guy was nuts, or if he had eaten some bad food and was seeing things, but right now, it was the only plan they had that may lead them to his sister. Naturally, he was going to go along with it.