Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room
And we're not speaking
And I'm dyin' to know
Is it killing you
Like it's killing me?
I don't know what to say since a twist of fate
When it all broke down
And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now
Next Chapter
The Story Of Us by Taylor Swift
Chapter Seven: The Story Of Us
Elena didn't know which was worse. The fact of that she felt like she was being kicked in the gut every time she saw Damon and Emily together, or the fact of that she was using Stefan to make Damon jealous. At the moment, using Stefan felt worse because through her past week of flirting with him, it lead to him asking her to another Lockwood party, this one happened to be one that came around every Fall when it was nice and cool outside in Mystic Falls when the nighttime skies were always clear, and the event was appropriately called 'A Night Under The Stars'. Elena knew Damon was going and that he was taking Emily with him; Caroline was going with Tyler since apparently, despite the fact of that he was a werewolf that could kill her with one bite under the full moon (and thankfully the party wasn't on a full moon), they were friends and decided to go together; and Jeremy surprised Elena by saying that he asked Felecia to go with him, Elena didn't mind, Felecia was the nice one that didn't almost kill her and in fact protected her, so she was okay with her little brother going to the party with the one vampire that was practically Damon's long lost sister since Elena noticed that Felecia and Damon pretty much had the same attitude.
But Elena was up in her room, starring at herself in the bathroom mirror, trying to figure out weather she was happy to be going to this party, or if she wanted to fake being sick right now and stay home, not having to see the nauseating happy couple.
"Elena…what are you doing?" Jeremy asked as he walked into the bathroom to see Elena just starring at herself "Are you turning into Caroline on us?"
"No!" Elena said and slapped Jeremy on the shoulder and he just laughed at her "I'm trying to decide on what to do"
"I thought you were going with Stefan?" Jeremy asked
"I am…I'm just deciding on weather I want to go or if I want to play sick" Elena said
"I told you I got Damon for you, right?' Jeremy asked with a smirk on his face
"Yes" Elena sighed "Thanks, but it doesn't really help since he heals up right away"
"I could just put a stake thought his heart and-"
"NO!" Elena said quickly
"Just kidding" Jeremy laughed "Lighten up a little Elena"
"…Sorry" Elena said
"I think you need to go to this thing. Have a good time with Stefan. Me and Caroline will be there too. And Elena, just because you're going with Stefan to the party, doesn't mean you have to be the guy's girlfriend again" Jeremy said
"…Thanks Jer" Elena smiled and hugged Jeremy
"No problem" Jeremy sighed and hugged Elena back "Oh, and you look great Elena"
"You don't look too bad yourself, James Bond" Elena smiled and laughed a little
"Hey, I thought you said no more jokes about the suit" Jeremy smiled
"My apologies Mr. Bond" Elena smiled and Jeremy just smiled and rolled his eyes at Elena, letting her get away with all the jokes so she would have a good time tonight
"Taking Elena to the party, just like old times" Damon said as he walked into Stefan's bedroom
"Damon, for the last time, I'm not trying to steal Elena away from you" Stefan sighed, he was really starting to get tired of this part of the plan, of making Damon jealous, it was Caroline's plan, so why was he suffering for all of this?
"I know" Damon said
"…So why are you in here Damon?" Stefan asked
"I'm here to tell you, screw Caroline's plan" Damon said "I'm going to get Elena back, my way"
"Damon, I don't know about that-"
"Stefan, sometimes, if you want things done right, you have to do it yourself" Damon said "And I am not going to let Blondie keep telling me what to do and how to do things anymore. So when I walk up to you and Elena, you go talk to Emily, I told her already I was doing this, and I go win Elena back, got it?"
"Fine, do it your way Damon" Stefan sighed
"Thank you" Damon said with a smirk "Oh, and I'd go with the red one" Damon said pointing to the ties laying on Stefan's bed and without another word, Damon left and Stefan put on the red tie.
Emily was putting on the last bit of her make-up in the mirror when Felecia suddenly showed up behind her, she was already dressed and everything.
"So, what made you say yes to Elena's younger brother?" Emily asked
"He's cute" Felecia said "And he like to torture Damon." Felecia smiled
"Sounds like a match made in heaven" Emily sighed
"What's got you so down?" Felecia asked "Things not going well in your make believe relationship?"
"No, it's not that, he's winning back Elena tonight anyway, or, he's going to try at least" Emily said "But, that's not what has me down"
"What is it then?" Felecia asked
"…I think I'm gonna go look for Elizabeth. I miss her" Emily said
"Em, you know you cannot bring her here, right?" Felecia asked "She's a ripper, she'd tear this town to shreds, or at least what's left of it"
"I know. Which is why tomorrow, I'm leaving. I'm gonna go look for her, spend some time with her" Emily said "She's practically my sister and I haven't seen her in almost two years now"
"Good luck then on finding her" Felecia said "I heard she was somewhere over in Verona, right?"
"That's what I hear there, so I'm gonna check there first and see where I go from there" Emily sighed
"I hope you find her. Just…don't turn into a ripper on me" Felecia smiled
"I promise I won't" Emily smiled "You know, you're not so bad Felecia"
"You're not half bad either Em" Felecia smiled "So, you almost done? We gotta go in like a half hour or something, I think Stefan just left to go get Elena, or he's leaving right now, which means, Jeremy will be here soon"
"Yeah, I'm done" Emily said and walked away from her mirror "How do I look?" Emily asked and twirled around for Felecia
"You look beautiful" Felecia smiled "Now, let's go, you don't wanna be late for your date" Felecia laughed
"Yes, because Damon is so far away being in the room next door" Emily laughed
"Alright, I'm leaving Elena, I'll see you there" Jeremy smiled and kissed Elena on the forehead
"Okay, see ya there Jeremy" Elena said and watched Jeremy walk out the front door
It wasn't long before there was someone knocking on the door and Elena opened it up to see Stefan standing there with flowers for her.
"Thanks Stefan" Elena smiled and kissed him on the cheek as she took the flowers from him
"I thought you'd like them" Stefan smiled as he walked into the house "Where's Jenna? I just saw Jeremy leave"
"Jenna's already there at the party" Elena said as she put the flowers down in the kitchen "She went with Alaric"
"Well, we better get going then" Stefan said and led Elena out of the house and into his car
"Thanks again for taking me Stefan, you didn't have to after everything" Elena said
"I wanted to take you Elena. You're my friend" Stefan smiled
"…Thanks" Elena said
"Exactly how many parties do the Lockwood's throw every year?" Alaric asked Jenna as they stood outside where the party was and they were right by the bar the Lockwood's had set up outside on the clear starry night
"Too many to count" Jenna sighed "But, on the bright side, they always have plenty of liquor at their parties, enough to make you not give a damn about who you're talking to" Jenna said and took a sip of her drink
"And that is the wonderful truth" Alaric smiled and started drinking his drink now too when he spotted Damon walking out into the party, but not with Elena like he expected, instead it was this blonde girl he'd never seen before "Who's that Damon's with?" Alaric asked Jenna curiously
"His new girlfriend" Jenna sighed "It's driving Elena nuts. She really liked Damon"
"Liked or likes?" Alaric asked
"…Likes" Jenna sighed
"Young love, such a complicated thing" Alaric said
"Tell me about it. I've been having to listen to it everyday, all day" Jenna sighed "I love Elena to death, but, if I have to hear Damon's name one more time, I'm gonna have to get a lifetime supply of some very strong rum"
Before Alaric could say anything, he saw Jeremy walk in with a redheaded girl he had never seen before either. He was curious to ask, but he decided to drop it. Next he saw Caroline and Tyler walk in, they seemed to be having a pretty good time. And finally, he saw Elena and Stefan walk in together.
"And Elena and Stefan?" Alaric asked
"Just friends" Jenna said
Alaric was watching them all for a minute. Whenever Elena looked at Damon, Damon made sure to flirt with his date and make her laugh and smile. And whenever Damon looked over at Elena, Elena was sure to flirt with Stefan and have her hands all over him. Alaric soon realized exactly what game they were playing.
"I get it now" Alaric said
"…What?" Jenna asked confused
"Watch Elena and Damon for a few minutes, you'll see" Alaric said
Jenna did just that and saw the same thing Alaric had been seeing. "Ah, the jealousy game. Been there, done that" Jenna said
"And did it work for you?" Alaric asked
"Oh yeah, that thing always works" Jenna smiled "I just hope they know what their doing"
Elena had been watching Damon and Emily for the past hour and a half they had been there, they always seemed so happy and flirty, it made Elena sick. Soon Elena saw a drink appear in front of her and she looked up to see Stefan handing it to her.
"Thanks" Elena smiled and started drinking right away
"I figured you needed it, especially after looking at Damon and Emily for the past two hours" Stefan said
"I'm sorry I'm such a terrible date" Elena sighed
"I wasn't gonna say that, but…" Stefan said and smiled a little
"How can I make it up to you?" Elena asked
"A dance should do it" Stefan said and held his hand out to Elena
"You forgive people easily, don't you?" Elena asked as she walked with Stefan out to the dance floor
"Most people I forgive easily" Stefan said and him and Elena started dancing to a slow song
"Most people?" Elena asked
"I forgive you easily Elena, that's all you need to worry about" Stefan smiled "And, you don't have to keep pretending to flirt with me in front of Damon" Stefan whispered in her ear
"…How'd you know?" Elena asked
"Kinda obvious" Stefan said "You only do it when he looks at us"
"…So, do I win the World's Worst Person Alive Award?" Elena asked with a guilty look on her face
"Nope, sorry, that still goes to Katherine" Stefan whispered to Elena and it caused her to laugh a little
"Do I get runner up?" Elena asked
"If it makes you feel better" Stefan said "You're the runner up" He laughed
"Thank you, I love my award" Elena smiled
"Starring at them isn't going to help you Damon" Emily said and she kept drinking her drink
"Look at them, laughing and smiling" Damon grumbled and finished off his drink
"So, go do something about it" Emily said
"Like what?" Damon asked
"Ever hear of cutting in? I thought you always used to do that when you politely asked to dance with someone who was already dancing with someone else?" Emily asked
"…I knew there was a reason why I changed you" Damon said and walked away from Emily and towards Stefan and Elena to cut in on their dance
Damon tapped Stefan on the shoulder and looked at him, "May I cut in?" Damon asked with a smirk and Elena rolled her eyes at Damon. Stefan stepped aside and let Damon cut in and he walked off to go talk to Emily "It really is just like old times, you don't wanna dance with me right now" Damon said
"I don't mind" Elena sighed
"So, should I be expecting you and Stefan to be getting together again?" Damon asked since his jealousy was getting the better of him
"No. We're just friends" Elena said
"Oh…good" Damon said
"What about you and Emily?" Elena asked lightly, trying to hide the jealousy she actually had towards her
"Yeah, that's not gonna work out" Damon said "It's like dating blondie all over again except this time, I can't compel her to shut up" Damon sighed and it caused Elena to laugh a little "So making fun of Caroline makes you laugh now?" Damon asked with a smirk
"No" Elena said and tried to stop smiling but it didn't work "It's only because…it's true"
"It's nice to see you laugh again" Damon smiled
Elena didn't know what to say back, so she didn't say a word and just smiled and kept dancing with Damon.
"Well, they may not be dating again, but at least their smiling with each other, right?" Caroline asked Jeremy as they stood by the bar and watched Damon and Elena walking around now and talking
"It's a start" Jeremy sighed "It'll at least give Jenna a break for a few days"
"Hey, where's your date?" Caroline asked
"Uh, she's over there" Jeremy said and pointed her out talking to Emily "Where's Tyler?"
"He said something about having to go take care of something for his mom" Caroline sighed "And then he disappeared"
Jeremy looked over and saw Felecia and Emily walk away. "So then, with both of our dates missing in action, would you like to dance?" Jeremy asked Caroline
"I'd love to" Caroline smiled
"So I guess you should be getting back to Emily, huh?" Elena asked
"Uh…I guess so" Damon sighed and didn't want to tell Elena that Emily was probably leaving Mystic Falls at this very moment "It's getting late…I could take you home if-"
"No, I'll have Stefan take me home" Elena sighed "You should…go back to Emily" Elena said and started to walk away from Damon and over to Stefan
"Elena," Damon said and grabbed Elena's wrist
"Ow!" Elena squeaked and Damon immediately let go
"Did I hurt you?" Damon asked and walked up to her right away, terrified that he actually did just hurt Elena
"No…it's just sore still from when Emily grabbed me" Elena sighed
"Oh" Damon said and held Elena's hand gently in his hands and he saw the fading black and blue there, it was faintly there but obviously it still hurt Elena "I'm sorry" Damon said and realized just how close him and Elena really were. He wanted to just lean in a little closer and kiss her and he wanted to kiss her over and over again after that. But before he could kiss her, Elena gently pulled away.
"Goodnight Damon" Elena said and instead kissed him on the cheek and walked off over to Stefan.
Damon heard Elena tell Stefan she was tired and it was getting late and he took her hand and led her out of the party. She was gone for tonight, all too soon for Damon's liking. Damon looked around to see if Emily was still there, and he saw her patently standing there, waiting for him, she was probably saying goodbye. Damon sighed and walked over to her.
"Leaving?" Damon asked
"Yep" Emily sighed "I'll come back after I see Elizabeth"
"Damn, I thought I was getting rid of you" Damon said and smiled a little
"Can't get rid of my that easily" Emily laughed "Try not to get your heart broken again while I'm gone"
"I'll try, but I can't promise anything. I don't have my heart anymore, Elena took it" Damon said
"Be careful anyway" Emily sighed "Good luck" She said and hugged him
"You too" Damon sighed and let Emily go and in the blink of an eye, Emily was gone. He looked around the party to see Caroline with Tyler and Jeremy and Felecia. Everybody had somebody, except for him, again.
Elena was just walking out of her bathroom after getting changed and she stopped dead in her tracks and felt her heart race when she saw Emily standing there in the middle of her room.
"How did you get in here?" Elena asked slightly scarred
"Your aunt let me in. Don't worry, I didn't compel her or anything" Emily said "She let me in all on her own"
"Why are you here?" Elena asked
"Well," Emily sighed and sat down on Elena's bed "Sit and I'll tell you"
Elena carefully sat down on her bed next to Emily and waited for her to start talking.
"I'm leaving Mystic Falls. And I didn't want to leave without tell you I'm sorry for hurting you…physically and emotionally" Emily said
"You didn't hurt me emotionally" Elena tried to protest
"Lie all you want, but I saw you with Damon tonight" Emily said "And I'm sorry I caused all of that"
"So…why did you hurt me?" Elena asked and started rubbing her wrist
"…I was protecting Damon" Emily sighed "Over the years, weather he likes to admit it or not, after we broke up, he sorta became my friend, almost like a brother in a way. He's the only person I know that would protect me if I were on the verge of death. And I guess…in a way, I was protecting him…from you hurting him again"
"…That makes sense" Elena sighed "…So you weren't really dating Damon?"
"Nope" Emily said "Only to make you jealous, which obviously worked" Emily laughed a little "So, with that all being said…goodbye Elena"
"…Goodbye" Elena said and unexpectedly hugged Emily and Emily awkwardly hugged her back
And as soon as they were done hugging, Emily got up and left and Elena got in bed. She couldn't help the smile on her face, knowing that Damon and Emily were never really dating. Elena was able to get under the covers of her bed and turn out the light with a smile on her face. And that smile stayed there all night because right before she went to sleep, she knew she was going to go see Damon tomorrow and she was going to kiss him the way he should have been kissed tonight.
A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter. I wanted it to be a Lockwood Party that they had that little moment at, so I made one up, they throw enough parties anyway, they can have a made up one now too :P
Yes, Emily is gone (for now) and she explained to Elena why she reacted the way she did and now she's off to go find Elizabeth.
Elena now knows Emily and Damon were faking it and now she's gonna go kiss Damon ;)
xoxo, Avril