A/N: As usual, thanks to everyone of who took the time to review, especially those of you who have been reviewing every chapter :). It means so much to us. Now, as promised, on to the next chapter and the start of the Founder's Ball.

Disclaimer: Wish we owned it.

1864

Elena POV

The moment dinner was over, Katherine swept out of the room with her head held high, without a glance at either me or Damon. Since my impromptu announcement, she hadn't spoken to either of us, only engaging in polite conversation with Mr Salvatore. Stefan, however, lingered in the room.

'I'm glad you two are going together,' he said, looking from me to Damon with the smile I knew so well. 'I hope you have fun.' He glanced briefly at the door. 'Don't worry, I'm sure she'll come around….eventually.'

With that, he too left, probably to follow Katherine, leaving me to wonder at how unaffected I had been by that smile – and also how Stefan could possibly be naïve enough to think that Katherine would eventually come around to the idea of Damon and me going to the Founder's Ball together.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to Damon. Despite the expression I'd seen on his face at dinner, I wasn't sure how he felt about taking me – it was possible he'd only been relieved that he didn't have to answer Katherine.

'Damon, I'm sorry about that, I just…I hated how triumphant she looked and I wanted to do something to take that expression off her face. She always wins…I just wanted things to not go her way, just this once.' I babbled, trying to get it all out as soon as possible so he could politely tell me he didn't want to take me and it would be over. I was surprised at the amount of pain the thought of him rejecting me cause. 'You don't have to take me, we can make an excuse…'

'Elena.' Damon cut me off, reaching for my hand and squeezing it, hard. 'I meant what I said before. I would be honoured to escort you to the Founder's Ball.'

'Really?' I asked. I knew I shouldn't feel so happy about this, but I couldn't help it.

'Really,' he answered, smiling. It wasn't his usual cocky grin, but somehow it made his face seem softer, happier. 'And Elena…thank you. I had no idea what to say to her.'

With that he leaned forward, kissed me softly on the cheek and, dropping my hand, left the room, leaving me standing there alone, my cheek and hand tingling as if he were still touching them.

Over the five days between that eventful dinner and the Founder's Ball, I missed Bonnie and Caroline constantly. I'd missed them before – had missed all my family and friends – but now I needed them more than ever.

I needed them to tell me what to do, to help me explain why I was having these feelings for Damon. There had been times in 2010 – our trip to Atlanta came to mind – when I'd felt flashes of something between us, but never like this. Never feelings this strong or this constantly present. And never when Stefan had been in such close proximity. Granted, Stefan here wasn't the Stefan I knew but still, surely his presence should have prevented me from having feelings for Damon. Did I even have feelings for Damon? Or was I just lonely in this time and starved for friendship?

I asked myself these questions over and over but could never come to any conclusions. I desperately missed having a friend to talk to – the only person I could talk to in this time was Damon himself, and no way could I share my current confused state with him.

The day after he and I decided to attend the ball together, I was reminded that there was someone else in this time who wanted to help me, after all. I was awoken as usual by Emily, who always arrived to help me dress. On this particular day, however, she looked worried.

After waking me, she rushed to the window, appeared to see something outside, then returned to my bedside.

'Miss Katherine and Mr Salvatore' - I presumed she meant Stefan – 'are walking in the grounds. We can talk,' she said urgently.

Understanding immediately, I swung myself out of bed. Katherine was usually either in her bedroom the mornings, or in Stefan's. Both were very close to my room, making more than small talk between Emily and me impossible.

'What possessed you to announce that you're attending the Founder's Ball with Damon?' Emily chastised, as she held out the dreaded corset for me to put on. 'I've rarely seen Miss Katherine that angry. Don't you think you'd better try and stay on her good side until we work out a way to get you home?'

I raised my chin slightly. 'I'm not afraid of Katherine, Emily. If Damon and I want to attend the Ball together, then we will. I'm not going to let her stop us.'

Emily stopped fussing with my corset and turned me to face her, looking grave. 'Elena, you have no idea what she can do to you. You'd do better to leave both Salvatore brothers alone.

I suddenly remembered that, although I'd told her the truth about coming from 2010, I'd left out my relationships with the Salvatore brothers and my knowledge that vampires existed. It might be time to share that knowledge. I had to trust Emily to help me.

'Emily…I wasn't completely honest with you before.' I said hesitatingly. Her expression turned ominous, but I kept going. 'In 2010…I know both the Salvatore brothers. They're some of my best friends, in fact.' I still wasn't able to be completely honest, I thought bitterly. Telling Emily I was in a relationship with Stefan wasn't likely to make her any happier with the idea of me attending the ball with Damon. Also, that was one piece of information I wanted to keep from Katherine at all costs, and that meant not sharing it with anyone.

Emily took a step back, looking shocked. 'You know?' I knew I didn't need to say any more. The fact that I knew both the brothers 145 years in the future would tell Emily that I knew the truth about vampires.

'Well in that case, what are you doing?' Emily demanded. 'You know what she can do, why are you provoking her?'

'I have a plan, Emily.' I said calmly. 'I know what I'm doing here, and if all goes well, I'll be gone in less than three weeks.' And the Salvatore brothers will be able to live out their human lives happily, I added silently.

'You have a plan? Really?' Emily sounded sceptical. I nodded. I did have a plan. OK, so it involved three weeks of waiting for the council to try and round up the vampires, and then required a whole lot of improvisation to steal a watch (that I still didn't know how to use) and save my friends, and basically had nothing to do with my going to the Founder's Ball with Damon, but it was still a plan. Sort of.

Emily opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, the slamming of a door downstairs indicated the return of Katherine and Stefan. She finished helping me dress in silence, and I headed downstairs and out of the house.

For the next few days, I had barely any time alone with Damon, nor any time to continue my conversation with Emily. Katherine seemed to have made it her personal mission to make sure Damon and I were never alone for a second. The walks we'd taken together now included Katherine and Stefan, and although outwardly sweet, Katherine shot me many poisonous little glances that made me sure she was plotting something. Despite not wanting to bow down to her, I spent an increasing amount of time reading books borrowed from Mr Salvatore's substantial collection in my room.

The day of the Founder's Ball finally arrived. I woke up with a tingle of nerves and anticipation in my stomach. Tonight I was going on what possibly amounted to a date with Damon. Tonight I was going to work out what there was between us, as well as show Katherine she couldn't win all the time.

That evening, a disapproving looking Emily helped me dress in a dark red ball gown with a full skirt that she'd somehow procured – I couldn't imagine Katherine lending it to me. I wouldn't let her style my hair, insisting on leaving it loose. I knew that Katherine would have hers in some elegant style, and I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and see something that made us look different.

'Are you sure you want to do this?' Emily asked in a low voice, as I turned to face her.

'Yes,' I said simply, holding my head high.

She sighed, but opened the door and followed me down the stairs and out the door, to where Damon, Stefan and Katherine were waiting. All three were dressed in formal clothes, but I barely glanced at Stefan or Katherine, my eyes going straight to Damon. Seeing him in the old fashioned (to me, anyway) suit made my heart beat faster and I had to take a deep breathe to calm myself.

He'd started when he saw me, and our eyes locked as Stefan stepped forward. 'You look beautiful, Elena,' he said, bowing low and kissing my hand. I barely noticed, but was somehow able to stutter my thanks, still locked in Damon's gaze. He stepped forward next.

'Elena,' was all he said as he kissed my hand, but I could feel the intensity of his stare burning my skin.

Katherine said nothing, only looked at me with the expression of one who is mildly interested. Nevertheless, something in her expression made me feel uneasy. After almost two weeks of peace, maybe she'd plotted something for tonight?

The carriage delivered the four of us to the Lockwood mansion about twenty minutes later. As I took Damon's arm to climb out of the carriage, I marvelled at the sheer size and beauty of the place. It was hard to believe that 145 years could turn this incredible house into the set of ruins in the wood that I knew it was in 2010.

The next half hour was a blur of introductions and being asked how I was enjoying my stay in Mystic Falls. It occurred to me that the townspeople were going out of their way to make me feel welcome, and I was grateful. Despite Damon's friendship, I still felt lonely and out of place here.

'Two more weeks until you can go home,' I told myself firmly, then caught sight of Damon coming towards me. My stomach gave a jolt at the thought of leaving him. If my plan succeeded, I'd never see him again.

I pushed the thought out of my mind as Damon arrived by my side. 'Would you care to dance, Elena?' he asked, his eyes travelling down my body. I swallowed, hard. I couldn't allow Damon to have this much of an effect on me.

Despite that, there was no way I could reasonably refuse to dance with him, so I allowed him to take my hand and lead me onto the dance floor. I realised after a second that the dance was the same as the one we'd danced at the Miss Mystic Falls competition in 2010 and silently thanked God that it was a dance I knew. Memories of that dance, of how Damon had saved me from embarrassment, flooded my mind and I remembered how then, too, I'd felt flashes of something between myself and Damon.

During the first part of the dance, we weren't touching, but somehow the intensity of it didn't diminish. I could feel eyes on my back and knew that Katherine was probably watching us, but as I gazed into Damon's eyes, I knew that I didn't care. Then his arms were around me, and I couldn't breathe. I realised how aware I was of his touch, how it made every inch of my skin tingle, and how safe I felt in his arms. A part of me never wanted the song to end.

It did end, however. I drew in a long breath, pulling away from him, already feeling the loss of his arms around me. I could see in his eyes that it had affected him too. I was more confused than ever. What was I doing? Why was I building a relationship with Damon? Why was he getting to me this much?

Damon volunteered to get us drinks, and I gratefully went out onto the patio, needing to gather my thoughts. And that's where Katherine caught me.

She grabbed my wrist, pulling me into the shadow of the house. 'I've had enough of you,' she hissed, sounding completely unlike her usual self. 'I told you I wanted to know why you're here, and you are going to tell me. Now.'

She was trying compulsion again – I could see her pupils changing size. Protected by my necklace, I didn't break eye contact, even though I was terrified she was going to work it out any second, rip it off my neck, and leave me defenceless.

'Why. Are. You. Here? What are you trying to do?' Katherine demanded, her voice as cold as ice.

'I told you. I got here by accident. All I want is to get home.' I forced myself to sound confident.

Katherine gripped my arm so hard it felt like the bone was about to snap.

'I will find out what you're doing. And until then, you'd better leave Damon Salvatore alone, do you hear me? You don't want to find out what I can do to you.' she hissed, dropping my arm and disappearing into the house.

I leaned back against the wall, cradling my bruised right arm against my chest, breathing hard. What was I going to do?

'Elena? Is everything OK?' Damon was suddenly there, carrying two drinks and looking concerned. At the sight of my face, he left the drinks on the railing of the patio and took my hand. 'What happened?'

Despite what Katherine had just said, despite knowing that there would be consequences, I couldn't hold it together anymore. 'Katherine,' was all I could say before I flung myself at him. He hugged me tightly, stroking my back. 'What did she say to you?'

I pulled away from him. I had to pull myself together and tell him what had happened. 'She doesn't believe that I came here by accident. She thinks I'm here on purpose to somehow hurt her. And she warned me to stay away from you.'

'From me?' He looked genuinely confused.

'I don't think she wants us getting any closer.' I said grimly. 'Us coming here together…it upset her perfect little world. Maybe…we should stay away from each other from now on.' I really didn't want to do that – I hated conceding to Katherine. And looking into his eyes, which showed nothing but concern for me, I felt pain constrict my chest. How was I going to survive here for the next two weeks without my only friend?

Damon reached out and took my injured arm, gently stroking the finger shaped bruises that had already appeared. He looked directly into my eyes. 'I…don't want to stay away from you, Elena.'

'I don't either,' I said quietly, unable to stop myself.

We stared at each for a second, each unable to break the eye contact. Then he tugged gently on my arm, pulling me towards him, and his lips were on mine.

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