Disclaimer – I still do not own The Vampire Diaries or any its characters.
Author's Note – A big thank you to everyone who reviewed, I was happily surprised at the response. And of course thank you to my beta, the fabulous pandora03. She catches the many mistakes that I miss, thereby making a more pleasurable reading experience for you.
Standing in front of her full length mirror, Elena inspected her reflection carefully as she put the finishing touches on her outfit. Jenna was fussing with her corset as she fixed her hair, mindful not to disturb her curls.
"I don't know how girls dressed like this every day. I can barely breathe." She splayed her hands over her rib cage, feeling it shrink with each firm tug from Jenna.
She pulled the strings tighter making Elena gasp. "Don't be a baby. Suck it in." Securing the ends, Jenna reached for the satin bow and tied it around her waist. "What time is Damon coming over?"
Glancing at the clock, Elena's heart sped up, anxious to see his reaction to her costume. "He should be here in a few minutes." Jenna nodded, keeping her eyes down.
Her aunt had taken the news about their relationship fairly well. She felt Damon was too old for her and was somewhat disappointed in Elena's choice. Jenna had liked Stefan, trusted him. She couldn't say the same for Damon. When she considered how her own past was littered with less than stellar decisions, she had backed off. Sometimes it was best to let people learn the hard way.
The doorbell rang and Jenna patted Elena's back. "I think you're good to go." She left the room, narrowly avoiding Jeremy as he flew down the hallway, buttoning up the jacket of his Confederate soldier's uniform. "Get the door, Jeremy!"
He nodded and kept moving, not speaking to either of them.
Elena picked up her necklace and fastened it around her neck. She jumped when Damon suddenly appeared in the mirror behind her.
He pushed her hair away and kissed her shoulder, looking at her necklace disdainfully. "I'm going to have to replace this," he muttered quietly. He hated seeing Stefan's gift on her every day.
Exasperated, Elena huffed out a sigh, "Really? That's all you have to say?" She gestured to her dress and raised her eyebrows expectantly.
He whirled her around and his eyes tracked up her form lovingly, lingering on her cleavage. Corsets did have their advantages. "No need to fish, Elena. You look beautiful." In that dress, with her hair cascading around her face in loose curls, she also looked disturbingly like Katherine and the resemblance unsettled him.
She grinned at his compliment and smoothed her hands over the lapels of his jacket. "You look quite handsome yourself." The blue of his silk tie set off his eyes, making them even more vibrant.
He sat on her bed settling her in front of him. He reached for the hem of her dress and raised it, attempting to peek underneath. "Are the undergarments as authentic as the rest of the ensemble?"
She slapped his hands away with a laugh. "Don't even think about it! You have no idea how hard it was to get this on. I'm not about to let you take it off."
A deviant grin spread across his face and he tugged her down to sit on his lap. "That sounds like a challenge to me." He slipped his hand underneath her dress and slid his warm palm up her bare shin, over her knee. "Tsk tsk, Elena. No pantalets? Scandalous." His hand continued its trek upward. "What exactly are you wearing under here?" A smug grin appeared on his face when she relaxed, parting her thighs slightly. She wanted it as much as he did.
"Damon, my aunt could walk in any second," her voice was breathless and she struggled to put some authority behind her words.
He chuckled as his hand found its target. "That's what makes this so fun," he whispered as he rubbed her softly through the satin of her panties. Elena was breathing rapidly, the tight corset making it difficult for her to inhale deeply. Damon smirked as he watched her. With the corset and the look of bliss on her face, she looked like she'd be at home on the cover of a cheesy romance novel. Pushing the wet satin to the side, he plunged two fingers into her core and grinned at her soft moan. Settling his thumb over her clit, he stroked her as Elena rocked her hips to meet his shallow thrusts. All too soon, he felt her tightening around him. In the same moment he heard Jenna walking down the hallway, heading for Elena's room. He curled his fingers inside her and pressed firmly on her clit, pushing her headlong into orgasm. He swallowed her cry with a firm kiss before using his speed to rearrange her dress and move to the other side of the room where he greeted Elena's aunt with a casual, "Hello, Jenna."
"Hi." She looked past him to Elena who was seated on her bed, face flushed and breathing heavily. "Elena, you look like you're going to pass out! Come here, let me loosen that corset, I must've done it too tight."
She held up hand, halting her aunt. "No, I'm fine. Just…lost my breath for a minute." She glanced at Damon who was laughing silently behind Jenna, obviously delighted with himself. Jerk. Elena would have died of humiliation had she walked in even three seconds sooner.
"Are you sure? You don't want to be passing out on the float." she said with a smile.
Elena stood and walked over to Damon. "I'm sure," she said with a smile as she took his hand and dug her fingernails into his palm. She felt slightly mollified when he winced.
"Okay, then. See you later." She left the room with a polite nod in Damon's direction.
When she was out of earshot, Elena punched his arm with all the strength she could muster. He laughed at her attempt. "That wasn't funny Damon! She almost caught us!"
Catching her hands easily, Damon laid a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'm sorry, Elena." Her feathers unruffled and she settled down. Unable to stop himself, he continued, "I'm sorry that you're such a slave to your teenage hormones. You let me defile you in your room with the door open." He grinned at her furious expression. "I was right – you are a tart."
"And you're an ass. I guess that makes us perfect for each other," her voice was dripping with sarcasm as she glared at him. Elena would never admit it, but she secretly enjoyed their verbal sparring matches. She tugged him out of her room. "We should go. We're going to be late. I don't want to give Mrs. Lockwood another reason to hate me."
His head cocked to the side. "What do you mean 'another reason'? Why would she hate you?"
"She doesn't – not yet anyway. However, when I show up with you and she realizes that her boy-toy is taken, I have a feeling I won't be one of her favorite people," she said with a laugh as she descended the stairs.
"Boy-toy?" Damon scoffed as he opened the door for her. "I object to the term 'boy'." He favored her with a sultry stare. "I'm all man, baby."
She rolled her eyes as she strolled past him out the door. "You can show me how manly you are after the parade."
"I plan to." He spun her around, kissing her deeply and thoroughly before pulling away abruptly, leaving her disoriented and wanting. Smiling at the glazed over look in her eyes, he led her down the sidewalk.
The town square was bustling with activity and Elena was relieved when she found Caroline and Matt standing by the float. "Hey, guys! Caroline, you look gorgeous."
"I do, don't I?" she smiled at Elena, turning around to show off the back of her dress. Her smile froze when she spotted Damon with his arm around Elena's waist. "Why is he here?" Caroline scanned the area quickly. "Where's Stefan? Is he sick or something?"
"Something like that," Damon responded in a condescending tone. He found Caroline to be an insipid bore and couldn't muster the will to be polite.
Elena elbowed him sharply and pulled out his grasp. "Caroline, can I talk to you for a minute? In private?"
Caroline followed her to a secluded spot under a tree and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What's going on?"
Taking a deep breath, Elena plunged right in. "Stefan and I broke up. It just wasn't working out."
"Oh, Elena, I'm so sorry." She moved to offer her a comforting hug. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Elena stepped away from her outstretched arms and met her friend's gaze. "No, I'm fine. It was for the best. Also….I'm dating Damon now"
Caroline's jaw dropped and she threw her hands up, gesturing wildly. "What? Are you insane! He's a complete jerk, Elena! Or have you forgotten how he treated me?"
Elena crossed her arms over her chest, not about to back down. "No, I have not forgotten. What Damon did to you was awful. But…..he's changed, Caroline." Softening her stance, she pleaded with her. "I think we could make each other happy."
Caroline reeled back at that. "Elena, he's hot and all – but its Damon." She glanced over at Matt who was watching them pointedly. Reminding herself that she had the good guy, she sighed and swallowed her bitter words. Shrugging, she said, "Okay. If you're happy, then I'm happy for you." She hugged Elena and caught a glimpse of Damon's shrewd blue eyes over her shoulder. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she murmured.
The parade had gone well. Damon had behaved for the most part. He had smiled and waved at the crowd, while occasionally whispering lewd comments in Elena's ear. He had to hand it to her; she kept her smile in place the whole time, even during some of his cruder suggestions.
They had spotted Bonnie on the route, and the look of shock on her face told Damon she knew exactly what was going on between him and Elena. He darted off to find her while Elena changed out of her costume. While he didn't exactly like Bonnie, he did grudgingly respect her. Enough so, that he willing to humble himself in the hope of salvaging Elena's friendship with her.
Catching up to her, his hand landed lightly on her arm, gently stopping her movement. She jerked out of his grasp with more force than was necessary and the momentum propelled her backwards. She stumbled before steadying herself. "Don't touch me," she ground out through gritted teeth.
He raised his hands and stepped back. "I just wanted to say something to you." With complete sincerity he told her, "Thank you for removing the spell from Jonathan Gilbert's invention."
"I didn't do it for you. I did it for Elena." She pinned him with a glare. "Are you two together now?"
"Yes." Trying again, he spoke quietly. "I know you did it for Elena. That doesn't make me any less grateful, Bonnie."
Bonnie shook her head. His words meant nothing to her. "I don't believe this," she muttered. She turned to go and came face to face with Elena who had caught up to them.
Elena was looking from her to Damon, her expression cautious. "Bonnie….?"
"He's responsible for my grandmother's death, Elena, and you're dating him?" her voice was venomous before it cracked and she started to cry. "How could you do this to me? And for him? He's a monster, Elena."
She stood there, dumbfounded, as Bonnie turned and stalked off. Starting after her, she yelled desperately, "Bonnie, wait!"
She whipped around, furious. "No! We're done, Elena." She stepped close to the girl who had once been her best friend and practically growled with barely leashed rage. "You made your choice." She shot Damon a withering glance before continuing, "These are the consequences. Don't you dare ever come to me again asking for help. Got it?" She backed away slowly and gestured in Damon's direction. "And him? He takes one step out of line and I'll annihilate him."
Respect only went so far. Damon stepped forward, his voice low and menacing, "Don't threaten me little girl. I don't respond well to ultimatums."
"That wasn't a threat. It was a promise," Bonnie replied with a deadly smile. "Don't test me, Damon. You'll lose." She spared Elena a brief look before she disappeared into the crowd.
She watched her go, knowing their friendship was now irreparably broken. She had been pushing Bonnie's boundaries for months now and wasn't surprised that her relationship with Damon had been the last straw. She looked at Damon who was watching her intently.
"I tried, Elena. She's made up her mind about me and nothing is going to change it." As he spoke the words he realized how true they were. Suspicion began to seep through his system.
"I know." Elena twined her fingers with his.
Damon squeezed her hand reassuringly while his mind was fixated on Bonnie. He recalled her words to him right before he had surrendered the device to Elena. She said he couldn't trust her. He should have listened.
Damon needed to find John Gilbert and get the device back. Bonnie hadn't deactivated it; she wanted him dead. He was sure of it.
Lost in their own thoughts, neither of them noticed Katherine watching them from the shadowy doorway less than thirty yards away, her eyes riveted to their clasped hands.