"That's the spirit, John!" Elijah said heartily, clapping the plantation owner on the back. John laughed, his mood seemingly improved from Elena's antics earlier. Elijah's smile was easy to come by, and naturally set everyone around him at ease. He was very charismatic, as was Damon, but in a way that made people much more comfortable to be around him. While Elijah's charm would be in place at a ball, Damon's charms erred on the side of danger, dangling on the razor's edge.

He turned to his counterparts. "Stefan, Damon! Our good friend John has offered to host our company for the month, although, from his hospitality, it seems he wishes we would stay longer!"

"Of course I am, my boy! It's an honor. You are welcome as well, Niklaus. As you and your brother are now on good terms, I owe you my allegiance as well."

"Klaus." A smile tugged at his lips. "I thank you, Mr. Gilbert. I am not one to waste words on such trivial things, but thank you." While Elijah was constantly making friends and doing his best to keep them, his brother seemed to be apt at accomplishing the opposite. Only recently had the brothers been on good terms, and it often seemed shaky at best. The brothers' past was not something that was discussed between any of the company. Klaus was normally the quieter of the two, but if you asked any of the company, he usually seemed to be up to something, albeit trivial. He was wary and had every right to be. Elijah was the one who inherited the family plantation. Klaus was simply the bastard brother who had ranking but nothing to his name.

John cleared his throat. "Mr. Mikaelson, would you mind leading us into dinner? You are the guest of honor, after all."

"Let us go in together," Elijah said, motioning for his men to follow after.

As the men filed into the lavish dining hall, Stefan and Damon remained outside the doors. Stefan was pacing the stretch of floor, brow furrowed. Damon was leaning against the wall, amusedly watching his brother. This was a testament to their personalities; one brother caring too much, the other, not enough.

Stefan stopped his pacing long enough to make eye contact with his brother. "Damon, did you notice John's daughter?"

"When do I not notice girls?" Damon shot back; enjoying his brother's growing discomfort at the prospect of anyone else being interested in Caroline. "I'm only teasing. Yes, I did see her, but she did not catch my eye."

"Is she not a wonderful young lady?" He said, a bit dazed. His gaze was drawn towards the window, where all the young ladies were coming in from the orchard to join the dinner party.

Damon scoffed. "Do you really want my opinion? You, of all people, know how I criticize women. Would it be wise for me to shatter your illusions with unforeseen faults?"

"Please, Damon. Speak as plainly as you will."

"Well…" Damon brought a finger to his chin, pretending to ponder the girl. "She's too short to be thought of highly, too dark to be fair, and too small to be considered great."

Stefan sighed at his brother's attempt at wit. "Damon…"

"Well, she is who she is… I don't like her." He said matter-of-factly.

"Ha, ha," Stefan jeered. "You jest, surely, Damon, but I grow tired of your wit. What do you really think of her?"

"Why do you ask, brother?" He grinned maliciously. "Thinking of making a purchase?"

Stefan looked toward the window once more. "Would it even be possible to buy anything as rare and precious as Caroline?"

Damon's grin grew large and he held his hands to his chest in mock earnest. "Oh, yes! And I bet you could find a fine case to place her in, too." He dropped the smile and rolled his eyes. "Are you telling the truth or not? If I'm going to play along, I have to know which tune to follow."

Stefan ignored him. "She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"I don't see it. If her cousin Elena hadn't such a nasty temper, she would be much more beautiful than Caroline." Damon paused. "All this talk about girls—this doesn't mean you're looking to get married, does it?"

Stefan wouldn't look him in the eye. "Although I did once swear never to marry, I do not know if I can keep that promise if Caroline—"

"What is with men these days?" Damon railed. The brothers had sworn this promise together not a year ago. Could this girl have infiltrated his mind so much he was willing to throw his vow away? "Is not any man content to be a bachelor? She'll be unfaithful, Stefan. If you want to throw away your life, and your free time, be my guest. But mark my words, brother; you will not receive sympathy from me."

Luckily for Damon, their leader approached, cutting the stem for any further argument on the subject. "Look, it's Elijah."

Elijah held his wine glass out in greeting, the slightest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "What secrets have you brothers been keeping?"

Damon smirked. "You would have to force me to tell."

"Loyalty, Damon," he said seriously. "You are required to tell me."

The smirk dropped from his face, only to be replaced by a sullen look. He did not like to be ordered around, but you could always find your way around most compulsions if you thought about it enough. He was excellent at following orders but not in the way that was originally intended. "I do like to think I can be trusted with secrets. But," he continued, a mischievous look now adorning his face, "my loyalty is to you. I must confess. Stefan is in love. With who, though, that's the question, isn't it?" Before Stefan could protest, Damon dug his hole deeper. "With none other than Mr. Gilbert's lovely daughter, Caroline."

Stefan simply glared, while Elijah looked highly amused. He shrugged. "Let it not be said that I am not a loyal man."

"Not to your brother!" Stefan argued. He turned to Elijah. "I do not love her."

"Look at him deny it!" Damon laughed. "Not a minute ago, you were dreamily staring out that very window confessing your love for her." He did his best to reenact his brother's love-struck brooding, but wasn't satisfied with his imitation. "I just can't be you, Stefan. I don't have the hair. Or the moral obligations."

Stefan shrugged, looking to Elijah as if he was his only hope. "I might love her," he said softly. "I must admit."

Worried at his friend and superior's response, Stefan glanced at Damon, who rolled his eyes, wanting to be the least involved in this drama as possible. Elijah's stern countenance grew into a genuine smile, relieving one brother and surprising the other. "That is good, Stefan. She is indeed very worthy of your love."

"You must jest," Stefan said slowly. "Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes?"

"No, no, I'm very serious," Elijah said, raising an eyebrow. "When have you ever known me to lie? I am a man of honor, after all. I do swear."

"I, too, swear. I am in love with Caroline."

Damon sighed exasperatedly. "And I, too, swear that I spoke honestly and bluntly when said this was an absolutely terrible idea."

Ignoring Damon, Stefan soldiered on. "I really do love her."

"She is worthy of your love, Stefan?"

"Didn't we just go through this? No one marks what I say," Damon said, emphasizing every word in hope for a greater impact on his brother's love addled brain. "Nothing will change my mind about this, although I wish it would change yours."

This finally caught Stefan's attention. "You never did believe in love, brother," he said wryly.

"Or reason," said Elijah distastefully.

Damon put his hands up in mock surrender. "I do thank my mother for giving birth to me and raising me, but beyond that, I want nothing to do with women and marriage. Marrying one will soon lead to their own infidelity. In lieu of insulting any specific woman, it's simply best to avoid them all. Therefore, I shall remain a bachelor and save my money."

Elijah smiled into his wine glass, sharing a knowing look with the younger Salvatore brother." Mark my words, Damon, before I die, I will see you sick with love."

"Never!" Damon said adamantly. "I want nothing to do with the sort. You will likely see me sick with many other things, but never love, my friend. I'd rather-"

He cut him off. "We'll see. I'll remember this fuss you made."

"And I'll say I told you so," Stefan interjected.

"If I change my mind, you lot can use my as target practice as you're suiting up to be Cupid. Whoever hits the bullseye is my hero," Damon deadpanned.

"Damon, really," Elijah sighed. "You'll regret those words, as they will likely be your demise. While you're waiting to die before you marry, you might as well hurry to the dining hall. Do give him my respects, and tell him I will be back shortly. I have business to attend to, and Stefan should be present as well. Excuse us," he bowed and continued his way down the long hallway that led into the dining hall, Stefan following on his heels. The Gilbert mansion was large, and Damon regretted that he would not be present long enough to explore it as he would wish to. He had always loved large houses, and could not wait to make it home again to their plantation. It was on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, but with the company staying here and it being over a day's ride, it would not be likely he could visit home this month.

Damon sighed and turned towards the dining hall, knowing he must relay Elijah's message to their host, but not liking the odds it gave him of running into unwelcome Gilbert relations.

While Damon was playing nice with the host and his party, Stefan struggled to keep up the pace at which Elijah was going. "Elijah? What are we doing?"

Elijah rounded another corner into a room he had not seen before and closed the door. "Elijah?"

Noting the concerned look on his friend's face, Elijah placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Stefan. I am your friend, and you have my loyalty. I want to help you."

"With Caroline?"

"Yes, of course!" Elijah smiled. "Just tell me what you would like me to do."

Stefan scuffed the floor with his foot. "Well, I met Caroline after I had enlisted but before we marched. I looked on her with the eye of a soldier. I didn't want to get too attached and then go off and die in battle. My mind was occupied with wartime thoughts, and left no room for entertainments of love. But now that the war's over, at least for now—all I can think about is Caroline. She's beautiful, and I do not believe I would feel this way if I hadn't felt it before I left."

"Stefan, enjoy it," he encouraged, knowing how young hearts did grow in these endeavors. "And worry not. I will speak to John for you. I'll convince him to let you marry Caroline. Is that not satisfactory?"

Stefan smiled, embracing his friend. "You can see how I feel, and I thank you for granting me the validity of it, as well in your actions of securing it."

"Anything for my second in command. Tonight there is to be a masquerade ball. I will disguise myself as you and woo the lovely Caroline. I'll pour out "my" feelings to her, and there is no doubt she will love you. It is hard to miss the way she looks at you. With this being done, I will talk to her father. He will not refuse my approval, as with it comes my friendship. In the end, she will be wholly yours. Come, let us put our plan into reality."