A/N: here's more!

Elena woke, still groggy as she tried to shake herself out of her deep sleep. Looking around, she had no idea where she was. This didn't look like her hotel room and when she crossed over to the window she was surprised to see Creole townhouses and quickly realized she was in New Orleans. Turning swiftly, she found herself bumping into Damon and sighed in relief.

"Thank god. What happened?"

Smirking, he brushed her long hair over her shoulder and played with it for a moment before looking in her eyes. "Oh, the usual," he replied. "Hot welcome sex when I met you at your motel and then I snapped your neck like a twig. A couple of hours later we made it to New Orleans and now Klaus is throwing a ball in our honor."

"Klaus," she took a step back. "We're in Klaus's house," Elena began to hyperventilate.

Damon grabbed her shoulders and tried to soothe her. "Don't freak out; we were supposed to end up here anyway. This was the plan," he reminded his girlfriend.

"Yes, Damon, but somehow I thought I was going to have two more weeks of road tripping bliss before looking into the eyes of the man who is singlehandedly responsible for every misfortune that I have had to endure." Elena continued to panic when she suddenly thought about her friend. "Where's Caroline? Is she safe?"

"Blondie is fine; don't worry about her. She's enjoying the claw foot soaker tub in her en suite and getting lousy with Klaus's most expensive champagne."

Assured of her friend's safety, Elena allowed her nerves to settle and she leaned into her boyfriend. "Hey," she complained as his words finally sank in, "why did you snap my neck?"

"Oh, it was nothing. It just seemed like the best way to reset you after you admitted your dirty little secret to me," he snickered and her cheeks flushed, remembering her newest obsession. "I was tempted to take you up on your offer too but then I remembered that I never fare well with these little love triangles," and Elena pretended to swat his chest.

"And why is Klaus throwing a ball in our honor?"

"Well, personally I think he just wants to impress Malibu Barbie vampire but he said that he wanted to reassure our little gang that he was taking perfect care of Katerina as promised."

"And how long do we have before this ball?" Elena played with the buttons on his shirt.

"Another two hours," he said pressing kisses to her neck, liking where this was going.

"Oh, good," the brunette sashayed over to the door over in the corner with a devilish half smile. "I just love soaker tubs," and ceremoniously locked Damon out.

Rebekah had been surprised when Matt had agreed to join her in Europe. For those fleeting weeks the original had experienced painfully beautiful human moments with someone who didn't constantly remind her of every poor attribute that comprised her heart and soul. Matt Donovan gave her the chance to let someone in without worrying if she was good enough.

She didn't want the summer to end. This was the life she had always imagined; what the blonde had craved. People took for granted what it meant to be alive. They just naturally assumed that they would grow old; fall in love and start the cycle over again. Rebekah had taken it for granted before her father slaughtered her and her siblings and it was a dream she had never been able to let go of.

Now, in the middle of the day as she finally arrived in Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana, Rebekah resented her brother's summons which lured her away from Mystic Falls favorite son and regretted that she allowed herself to be at Klaus's beck and call; regretted her own cowardice, in more ways than one.

Elena emerged from the en suite with her hair piled in a messy bun and wrapped in a pink towel. "What exactly am I supposed to wear to this thing anyway?"

"Your friend Klaus left a dress for you while you were soaking," Damon began to tell her when Caroline barged in wearing her hair like Veronica Lake in a knee length gown that was covered in clear beads, belted at the waist and had a sheer, sleeveless boat neck with silver ankle booties.

"Oh my God, Elena," the blonde squealed. "You're not even dressed!"

"I'm a vampire, Care. I think I can manage to get dressed relatively quickly," Elena replied, zipping into the closet and finding the dress bag with her name on it. Coming out, Elena appeared in long sleeve, ankle length gown that also featured a boat neck and was sheer but for the blue beads that formed a floral pattern and a gold ribbon that belted at her waist. Quickly, she went about curling her hair and then pulling it back into an elegant updo before applying her makeup and perfume.

"I'm ready when you are," she said and Damon held out both arms, escorting them downstairs. Elena was just glad their was safety in numbers.

They arrived in the formal dining room just moments before the Katherine made her appearance. The room was stunning and Damon grabbed to champagne flutes for the girls just in time for Klaus's toast. Katherine's stare had met Elena's and both girls narrowed their eyes at each other before the shock settled in.

"And so tonight, I entrust her care to one of you as I grant my blessing and announce their engagement," Klaus announced to applause.