"So Veronica, the Miss Mystic Fall's pageant is tomorrow. We know that Caroline agreed to take Klaus as her date but who will be your escort?" Elijah asked his niece.

"Well, Jeremy was supposed to be it but Abby Bennett called him, saying it would help Bonnie get better if he came to visit her so he left this morning for the next few days. I was going to ask Matt but he already promised Pastor Young's daughter April he'd be her escort back when I was supposed to have Jeremy. Caroline said she'd have someone ready for me, that I didn't have to worry." Veronica replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"I saw her speaking with the Salvatore brothers about tomorrow an hour ago. My guess is that one of them is going to be your escort." Rebekah said.

"Isn't Stefan dating Elena? Why would he want to be my escort when his girlfriend hates me?" Veronica wandered.

"He broke up with his last night. Apparently, she has changed too much now that she's a vampire and he doesn't love this new her as much as he used to. She's tired of him trying to change her back to who she used to be, too." Kol informed them and for a while, Veronica pictured her family as a bunch of old lady gossiping about the town's latest gossip.

"Please, she's just in love with Damon and Stefan finally got tired of being with a girl that loved him and his brother without being able to make a definite choice." Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"Wait, do you think that Caroline will have Damon escort MY daughter to this pageant?" Klaus asked, a worried expression on his face.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll have my taser with me." Veronica told her father while tilting her head and he chuckled.

"What every father wants to hear. You're right, that head tilt of yours is magic. Fine, I won't complain about him being your escort if he's the one Caroline gets for you but I'll be watching and if he takes one step out of line, I'll rip his heart out." Klaus told his daughter who nodded.

.

The next morning, Klaus drove his daughter to the location of the pageant and gentlemanly carried her small vanity and the bag with her dress in it to the room she was supposed to change in. Caroline was already waiting for them there and smiled when she saw Veronica.

"Caroline, you look beautiful, as always." Klaus greeted the girl he loved.

"Klaus, Veronica. Damon agreed to be your escort. Don't worry, he'll be on his best behavior, he promised me he would." Caroline said.

"I'm sure he will, especially since Rebekah went to remind him the rules of being a gentleman and the consequences of breaking the rules." Klaus smiled.

"I knew you'd do something like that." Caroline smiled before she added "Why don't you go wait for us downstairs? I have to help Veronica get ready."

"Very well. Call if you need anything. If you change your mind Veronica, the other dress is in the car." Klaus informed his daughter before kissing her forehead and leaving the room.

"So, you decided on the royal blue one then?" Caroline asked a few minutes later as she helped her friend do her hair.

"Actually yes. The blue one looks great but I didn't feel it… Aunt Rebekah is sure I'll have another occasion to wear it soon enough though." Veronica replied.

"I'm sure you will. Wow, did Klaus give you those?" Caroline exclaimed as she opened the vanity and saw the jewelry Veronica was planning on wearing.

"Yes, he gave them to me, claiming that I couldn't possibly play princess at this pageant without having the proper accessories."

In front of them, there was a golden necklace with the Mickealson's crest engraved on it, golden earring, a gold bracelet with stones as red as her dress, a discreet golden and red stoned tiara that could pass for a head band and a longer, golden chain.

"What's the chain for? I mean it's pretty but I don't see what to do with it…" Caroline wondered.

"It's for the waist… I wasn't sure but I still took it, just in case." Veronica replied.

"It would sure be original and look good." Caroline nodded.

A few more minutes later, Veronica's hair was done.

"Do you girls need anything?" Damon's voice came from the other side of the door before he walked inside.

"Damon! What if she wasn't decent?" Caroline exclaimed, throwing the hair brush at the blue eyed vampire.

"Then I would have seen the most beautiful thing in the world and I would be able to die happy because Klaus surely would have killed me?" Damon replied, making it sound like a question, obviously not taking things seriously and making Veronica blush.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked him.

"Checking if you girls need anything." He replied.

"We're fine, you can leave until it's time to do your job." Caroline snapped at him.

"Fine, I just wanted to check how you two were doing. By the way, if you're using the red dress that's hanging there, you'll have all the luck in the world. Elena is having April wear a blue dress that's almost the copy of the one she lost in last year. It's good not to wear the same color as the other girls." Damon said before he left the room.

"Is he some sort of expert on beauty pageant too?" Veronica wondered.

"Knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised. Now come on, time to put the dress on."

"Didn't you say that you wore a red one last year?" Veronica asked her.

"Don't worry, yours is totally different than the one I was wearing. You'll be much prettier." Caroline assured her with a soft smile and a few more minutes later, veronica was wearing the dress she had chosen with her aunt, wearing the jewelry her father had gotten for her and wondering if it was wise to add heals to her outfit.

"What if I fall?" Veronica asked her.

"Damon will catch you. Don't worry. You'll be fine." Caroline reassured her.

Veronica put on the heals just before Lilly appeared, giving her an approving thumbs up before Caroline went downstairs with everyone else and Veronica went to place herself with the other girls.

.

When her name was called, Veronica tried to ignore everyone's stare and walked down the steps, glad to see that Damon hadn't bailed on her.

"You look beautiful." Damon whispered to her as they danced the ancient dance she had been taught by Caroline for the occasion.

"Thank you. Elena can't get her eyes off of you. You must be happy." She replied in a tone just as silent, wondering why she couldn't break eye contact with him.

"Why would I be happy?" He asked her.

"Because you're in love with her." Veronica replied, wondering if, for once, her information had been wrong.

"Oh, that's in the past. I have no interest in being with someone who can't chose between my brother and me. I'm over her and all doppelgangers." He replied, his eyes not leaving hers one second, making her forget all her previous trouble about tripping.

"Oh…" Veronica didn't know what else to say to him so she simply listened to the music, her eyes still in his, wondering why he made her feel the way he did.

In the past, only Duncan had made her feel this way, and it wasn't even close to what she was feeling now. She couldn't possibly be falling in love with this vampire, could she?

Eventually, the contestants stopped dancing and left their dates to go line up and wait for the results of the election. Even then, Veronica could feel Damon's eyes on her and she knew that his smile was for her. Sis didn't notice her father glancing back and forth between her and Damon, she didn't see his frown either. She didn't see Stefan standing next to his brother, asking him what was going on. All she could see what Damon.

"And Miss Mystic Fall's this year is… Veronica Mickealson!" Caroline exclaimed happily before she rushed to crown Veronica.

"Congratulations Sweetheart, you were the prettiest by far." Klaus told his daughter proudly while Elijah snapped pictures of them.

"And you're not saying this just because you made me?" She smirked.

"I only made you, you became fabulous all on your own Love." Klaus told her.

"You've talked with Lilly, haven't you?" Veronica chuckled before Caroline came and took pictures of Veronica with all of her family before Klaus excused himself to spend some time with Caroline.

"Congratulation." Damon told Veronica.

"Thank you. You know that you don't have to stay with me if you don't want to. The election is over." She assured him.

"Please, I'm with this year's Miss Mystic Fall's. What could possibly be better than this?" Damon asked her while Stefan smiled softly from afar, knowing his brother was falling for the newest original.

.

Veronica spent the entire afternoon and part of the evening with Damon. They talked about a lot of things, got to know each other honestly. She could see that deep down, Damon was a good man, he had just been hurt a lot in the past and deserved some happiness.

Gentlemanly, he helped her pick up her things and drove her home. When he asked her out that night, she couldn't find it in her to say no. Instead she replied:

"Tell you what, if you can get my father to agree to us going out, then I'll go on a date with you." She told him with a mischievous smile before she went in the house, leaving a smiling Damon behind her.

What did you think of this one?

I think this story is almost over, for now at least. I'm running out of inspiration. Chapter 16 will be the last one.

Don't forget to review please!

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Lorelei Candice Black