A ball? Tonight? A ball tonight? What happened to RSVP and excitement and anticipating the event? What happened to a dashing gentleman asking to be your date and dress shopping with Caroline?

Alright, if she was being honest, the dashing Salvatore brothers who would insist on attending [if they knew she was attending] and dress shopping with Caroline were two things she could live without at the moment. However, something she couldn't live without was a dress. A dress fit for a ball.

"This is when you need a fairygodmother," Elena muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She briefly wondered if Bonnie could conjure up a dress, but squashed that idea. Not only was it ridiculous, but Bonnie was currently spending quality time with her mother for the first time in fifteen years. Quality time that didn't involve hybrids and spells and Original witches. And honestly, if Bonnie caught wind of what Elena was planning, she had no doubt the Bennett witch would tell Stefan. And maybe even Damon.

There was a basket of laundry on her bed, despite the fact she hadn't done laundry in ages. Add that to my to-do list, she thought as she pawed through the contents of the blue and green basket. Her hand stilled when it grazed the fabric of a familiar black dress that had only seen the light of day when Jenna and John were buried. She quickly shoved that dress to the bottom of the basket and only then realized that all the clothes before her had been previously hanging in her closet. And they were folded. All of them.

Turning towards what appeared to be an undisturbed closet, Elena contemplated calling Damon. Knowing her luck, some crazy vampire with a vendetta against Katherine would come jumping out at her, fangs ready to tear into her throat. By the time they realized she wasn't the vampire bitch who actively ruined everyone's lives, she would be dead. Gone. Done for. And if she lingered on that thought too long, it started to develop some appeal.

Get a grip, she thought, if someone wanted to kill you, they probably wouldn't hide in the closet. And if they did, they certainly wouldn't take the time to clear out your clothes and neatly fold them.

She stepped forward and ripped the closet door open, jumping back into a fighting stance ready to attack whatever villain was hiding. If she was going down, she was going down with a fight. Fortunately for her, today the villain in the closet was an elegant arrangement of tulle and sparkles.

The dress all but fell from the closet as though it were dying to be worn. Black and brown and doused in a soft glimmer, it was certainly a beautiful thing to behold. Elena cautiously toed it as though it would bite and when the full skirt of the ball gown didn't snap at her, she pulled it off the hanger and allowed herself to admire it. A white card fell from the ribbon at the waist and she carefully set the dress down on her bed in order to retrieve. Flipping it open, she saw a script as neat as the man who had written it.

The abrupt invitation may have left you without time to shop. If that is so, please accept this as an apology.

-E.

She had to admit, the man had great taste. Then again, judging from the suits he was so fond of, she hadn't expected less. Part of her felt almost guilty for wanting to wear the dress and the other part was paranoid someone would disapprove. But then again, no one would know the dress had been a gift from Elijah and he certainly wasn't the sort to kiss and tell.

Kiss? Where had that thought come from?

a/n: This little thing was rolling around in my head because it's not like Elena had anymore time than Caroline to shop for the ball.

Do I have to say I don't own TVD and the characters? You're going to put me through that?

Fave, flame, faint. And by that I'm subtly telling you to review.

oxox