Chapter 6

"Well? What do you think?"

Bonnie, Rebekah, Liz and I were all seated in the bridal boutique's dressing room which was tastefully decorated in cream and pale blue furniture. The room was oval-like with a curtained area off to the side where Caroline had gotten dressed in her wedding gown.

"It's beautiful!"

"Stunning!"

Care's mom, Liz, had tears in her eyes and this only invoked them to appear in Care's eyes too.

"You look amazing, Care." I wanted to hug her but didn't want to crease the gorgeous dress.

The dress was pure white and strapless. The bust of the dress was covered with a delicate and intricate lace, reaching a smooth line across the top of her chest. The dress was ball gown shaped, but still highlighted her tiny waist. Organza and silk made up the ruffles that flowed from the lilac ribbon cinched around her waist and circled around her, brushing the floor. A chapel train lay behind her of ivory organza. Her golden hair had been tied up into a neat bun and a flowing chiffon veil fell delicately along her back from a diamond clasp fastened above the bun.

Liz walked up to Caroline and brushed away a stray curl, tucking it behind her ear, "you look beautiful darling."

"Thanks mom. Gosh, I can't believe it. I'm getting married!" She wiped away a few tears and beamed at all of us. "It's actually happening!"

I have never seen her so happy and was glad that she and Stefan had got together. I was truly happy for them and realised that I had let go of any grudges I may have held against Stefan. "Caroline. You look stunning."

"Thanks, 'Lena. Come here." She reached towards me.

"I don't want to crumple your dress."

"I don't care." She launched herself at me pulling me into a hug. And then allowed Liz, Bonnie and Rebekah to join in. At that moment I was glad that I had come home.

…..

Caroline was dressed back into her pastel yellow dress and we were heading out of the boutique. "So what's the plan now?" Caroline turned to us.

"Well Bonnie and I wanted to get some lunch and would love for you all to join us," Rebekah asked.

"I'll catch you girls later; I have to get back down to the station." Liz pecked Caroline on the cheek, gave us a smile and left in her car.

"Well, 'Lena? You coming?"

"I'm sorry, but Jeremy was going to take me to visit Alaric today."

"Oh, do you want me to drive you back to the boarding house?" Caroline asked.

"No, you go ahead. Jeremy has to drive through town anyway to get to Alaric so I'll call him to pick me up."

"Okay then, catch you later." She pulled me in for another hug, "I'm glad you came by the way."

"I am too."

…..

"I'm glad you came to see me Elena. I was starting to think I had been forgotten."

"I would never forget you Ric."

"Listen, um, if you do want to come back to the house, I know it is yours, just say the word and I will be out of your hair-."

"Ric, this is your home too. I am happy where I am and besides somebody needs to keep and eye out on this kid." I ruffled Jeremy's hair as he ducked away.

"Okay. Okay. Well I'll see you guys soon."

Alaric waved us off as we left the house in Bonnie's car, which Jeremy had borrowed.

"So?"

"What?"

"I heard you bumped into Damon."

"And?"

"Well, what did he say? What did you say?"

"Nothing, we just chatted and caught up."

"Ah."

"Ah? That sounded like an 'Ah' ah."

"No, that was just an ordinary 'ah'.

"Uha?"

"Uha."

"Okay then."

"Okay." Both of us looked at each other as we drove back to the boarding house and couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, mine being a nervous one and Jeremy's being that chuckle your sibling gives you when they know that they have got something over you.

"So what about you and Bonnie? Ric was telling me that you hardly stay over at home any more?"

"Yeah, Bonnie and I are thinking of moving in together and are having a bit of a trial run." His canniness surprised me.

"Well that's … that's great!"

"I know right."

…..

"Damon, would you stop moving!"

"I'm sorry Elena, but when someone jabs a pin you can't expect them to just stay still!"

"You are a grown man! Suck it up!" Not hearing a reply, I glanced up and caught Damon's smouldering eyes glaring down at me. Hastily avoiding them I returned my attention to the task in front of me. There had been a drama with the suits Caroline had ordered for the groomsmen.

"How could this happen! Oh God, oh God! Why is this happening?" Caroline burst out for about the twentieth time since the suits arrived.

It appears that the order had somehow gotten messed up and the suits were all too big, unfortunately the store was taking no responsibility for their mistake and could not get more custom made ones in time for the wedding and Caroline had refused to settle for anything less than the best.

"Care, it will be okay." Stefan tried to soothe Caroline once again, but it only increased her wrath as she turned on him.

"Don't you patronize me! You look like an undersized monkey in that suit!"

"I'm sure that's not the only thing undersized in that suit," I heard Damon mutter under his breath. Luckily we were at the other end of the room and it didn't seem like they heard us, but I did reward Damon with another poke of a pin. "Ow!" He squealed again, jumping away from me. "You did that on purpose!"

"I did not!" I yanked him back towards me by his trousers.

"Damon! Let me see yours!"

"Great Damon, you put us back on radar." I muttered to him. Caroline stalked over to us. Shifting to a more comfortable standing position, I moved aside as Caroline inspected the dark, now sulking vampire.

"Not bad, at least the jacket fits."

"That's because I have a lot more muscle under this jacket then your beloved could ever hope to see, Barbie." I heard Stefan snort from his side of the room.

"Elena? Pass me some of those pins; I think the hemline of the pants is a bit too short now."

Damon leant forward, "Come anywhere near me with those pins and I will snap your neck."

"Good luck with that."

"Stefan, if you want to add your two cents then say it to my face."

"Sorry, love."

"You will be. Okay let's fix this. Stefan is going to get a suit fitted at the shop; they said that they could manage one in time, just not the whole party. Elena, you have Damon covered?"

"Care, I really don't know why you want me to do this? I've never sewed in my life."

"Relax, we just need you to pin. Bonnie will sew. Bonnie, how's Jeremy's coming along?" She marched off towards their corner. Alaric's suit fitted perfectly somehow so he had been released from captivity a while ago.

"I'm out of pins." I said looking around me for any strays.

"There are more in the attic," mumbled Bonnie, holding a piece of thread in her mouth as she stitched up Jeremy's pants.

"Thanks!" I called cheerfully, eager to get out of the room and away from Bridezilla.

I had just reached the bottom of the staircase when a rush of air alerted me that someone was stading behind be, swirling around I found Damon with his eyes as wide as saucers.

"Don't leave me there alone!"

"Damon, you're a big boy. Really."

"Well Stefan just asked Barbie why they can't just order some rental tuxes and she's had a fit. Vampire style."

"Great." I mumbled, well then hurry up; it will save me a trip back to that room if I can do you up there."

"Do me?" Damon's eyes twinkled with humour as he raised his eyebrow suggestively.

"Don't start." I trudged up the twisting staircase while Damon trailed behind me, muttering a soft 'ow' every time a pin stuck in his leg. "I thought vampires could deal with a little pin prick?"

"Elena, these are wedding pins for fittings. Trust me, they hurt a lot more than a stake to the stomach."

"Baby." I muttered.

"So we're at that stage are we? Cute nicknames and all?" I rolled me eyes, trying to ignore him. "Nice ass, by the way."

I had to resist the urge to kick backwards into his stomach, but I had a feeling that it would hurt me more than him.

Reaching the attack I noticed that this was one room Care had not yet reached as it was still dark, eerie and cluttered as it had been before. Outfits from the twenty's overflowed out of antique wardrobes, books lay in messy piles across the huge dusty and slightly torn Persian rug spread across the floor.

"My carpet!" Bellowed Damon when he saw his precious rug. He launched forward to inspect it on his hands and knees.

"Damon get up, you're going to get dust all over that suit."

"Elena, it's my carpet that that thing has put up here and it's torn and dusty. I paid a fortune for it!"

I found the pins standing in a jar on top of a pile of old silk material. "Found them!" but as I whirled around Damon had just stood up and I found myself crashing into him, both of us landing on his precious rug. I was now lying on top of him, his chest pressed against mine, our faces only inches apart. Slowly I felt myself leaning forwards, my lips lowering towards his. The heat in the room grew rapidly.

"Elena." Damon whispered softly.

"Mmm." I mumbled, sounding completely incoherent.

"The pins."

"What?"

"In my leg."

"Oh God! I'm so sorry!" Quickly I scrambled off of him, the moment gone.

Using the old lamp in the room I finished pinning Damon and told him to go find Bonnie.

As we descended the steps Damon asked, "you were totally going to kiss me there, weren't you?"

"Was not."

"Was too. I'd hate to disappoint you though." And with that before I could reply Damon launched his lips onto the side of my neck from behind, kissing me there and scraping his teeth along my shoulder blade. And then he was gone, and I was left standing at the bottom of the stairs like an idiot.

Nicely done 'Lena, nicely done.

Merry Christmas!