Authors's Note: Hi guys, welcome to chapter 7! I absolutely adore this chapter and I hope you guys love it too. Again, please keep in mind that I'm still in Manado so I have yet to watch episode 7. I don't know what happens besides DEX. Anyway, I just went snorkeling and saw 6 sea turtles! Yay! Please continue to review. I love you all!

(Gentle reminder, chapters 5 & 6 have been edited slightly and reposted)

Chapter 7

Elena's Point Of View

It was the day of the Miss Mystic Falls dance and because I was one of the candidates last year, I had to be present today. I would have gladly skipped it by saying i was unwell because of recent events but Caroline forced me to go. I was supposed to be here with Stefan but because of the breakup, I was left without a date. I had tried to get Matt to be my date but Caroline was acting strange and wouldn't allow me to do that. I didn't know what was up with her but now I had nobody to dance with me and I was going to be the odd one who had to settle for one of the men in the crowd. Thanks a lot Caroline Forbes.

I arrived at the event with Caroline and Bonnie. We each got a glass of champagne and walked about mingling with people. I was still feeling quite out of it but Caroline and Bonnie forced me to stuck it up and forget my problems at least for today. Bonnie saw a friend of her father's and went to say hi so Caroline and I were left to ourselves.

If I thought Caroline was acting strange all week, it was nothing compared to how she was acting today. She was sticking close to my side and she seemed very distracted. I tried asking her what the matter was twice but she shrugged it off and said she was just nervous for her spotlight dance later on. I rolled my eyes at her and continued tagging along behind her like some lost puppy. And that's when I saw him.

He was wearing a suit and he had his hands shoved in his pockets. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Caroline...?" I asked uncertainly.

She gasped softly and looked around.

"I think I'm hallucinating again Caroline..." I said slowly.

Her face broke out into a radiant smile and she grabbed my hand. "No you're not. C'mon." She dragged me forward towards Damon.

This was not possible. Damon was dead. I was there. He died. This was not happening. But then again, I thought I saw him at the bridge last week. I had been so sure it was him but Stefan had challenged me and made me question what I had seen. Caroline stopped again and looked me in the eye.

"Whatever happens, remember that he has been here for a week and has been giving you space because of the breakup. He's been anxious to let you know that he's here so please don't get angry. It's not his fault okay?"

"Caroline, what the hell is going on?" I asked uncertainly. I could not take my eyes off Damon.

Caroline did not answer me however. She just let go of my hand and walked off. I was left with Damon. I was so scared. So confused.

"Elena?" Damon asked as he cautiously approached me.

"This is not happening. You're dead. This isn't happening. Oh god..." I muttered as I took a step back from him. I was grateful that we were in a reasonably secluded area of the party.

"Elena, please let me explain. Don't be afraid." He pleaded.

The next thing I knew, the whole story came out. The cure, Stefan blackmailing Damon, Damon going to Chicago and then the world, wanting to come back to check on me, finding me on the bridge, saving my life, waiting for Stefan to find out what had happened, finding out about the breakup, deciding to stay and then calling Caroline to find out the best time to show me that he was alive and not a hallucination.

I stumbled back another step. "This isn't possible..." I mumbled. However, the more rational part of me said that it may complete sense. I was not there when Damon supposedly died. Stefan's shady behavior and his anger every time I brought him up. Hiding away from me, getting angry when I insisted I saw Damon at the bridge...it all made sense now.

"Elena...please. Don't be angry at me. I didn't want this. I didn't want to leave you like that."

"I'm not angry at you. I'm not. I'm angry at Stefan...How is this happening? Oh God...you're alive...you're here. Damon you're here!" I cried before throwing myself at him. I felt him wrap his arms around my waist and hug me hard. I was crying now as I clung to him like a lifeline. The reality that my Damon was not dead hit me square in the chest.

"Shhh...I'm here...I'm here. I'm so sorry. I'm here now." He gently soothed.

I cried into his neck and then I shifted my head such that I could press my lips to his jawline. He just hugged me harder.

"I missed you. I missed you so much Damon. It was weeks before I could stop crying." I whimpered.

"I know. I know. I'm so sorry to have put you through this. So sorry."

I don't know how it happened but he gently led us both to the bench and pulled me down on his lap. I was still wrapped in his arms. They felt like home. As my sobs started to ebb away, I rested my head on his chest and he started to rub circles on my arms.

"I don't understand. Why? Why would you leave me that? I thought I meant more to you than Stefan's blackmailing!" I sobbed.

"You do. You do mean more to me and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't think. I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do."

"You could have stayed! You could have promised Stefan you'll leave, got the cure and then stayed! You could have not left me like that. Now I don't even know how to feel..."

"It's okay. It's going to be okay. I'm going to stay here. I'll be here for you. I promise. I promise to never leave you again." He murmured in my ear.

"I love you Damon." I whispered.

"I love you too sunshine." He replied as he gently kissed the top of my head.

Just then, we were interrupted by Caroline.

"I am so sorry to interrupt but Elena, the dance is starting in ten minutes and we need to get ready." She said uncertainly.

I sat up, moved so that I was sitting next to him instead of his lap and wiped my eyes. "Okay. Thanks Caroline." I took a deep breath to compose myself and then looked at Damon with a wide smile. "Damon, would you dance with me?"

His smile lit up his whole face. He got up and held out a hand for me. "I would be honored Miss Gilbert."

I took his hand and together we walked to the dance floor. Tyler was waiting for Caroline there and his eyes widened in complete shock when he saw me walk in on Damon's arm. I smiled reassuringly at him and Caroline whispered something in his ear. He relaxed slightly as he took Caroline by the hand and led her to the dance floor.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Bonnie standing with the crowd. Jeremy was standing next to her and I could see that they were sharing similar shocked expressions.

Damon pulled my focus back to him when he walked me out to the dance floor and spun me around once before waltzing with me. We stared into each other's eyes as we danced and I was the happiest I could ever remember being in a very very long time.

When the first song was over, other couples started to drift onto the dance floor as well and soon we were surrounded my other couples. I saw Jeremy and Bonnie dancing together and that's when I saw Klaus. He was in a suit and he was taking Caroline's hand and dancing with her and Tyler moved to stand with the people that were watching. Briefly I wondered what Caroline was doing messing around with Klaus and Tyler. I decided that I would talk to her about it later. Right now, I could only focus on one thing. And that was the fact that I was in Damon's arms.

Damon's Point Of View

It turned out that I was worried about nothing. Elena was not angry at me at all. In fact, she had thrown herself at me and then asked me to be her partner in the Miss Mystic Falls dance. It could not have gone better.

I was so happy. I had almost forgotten how Elena's hugs felt and how amazing it was to dance with her. Of course, I couldn't let myself be completely at ease with how things were playing out. She was angry at Stefan. As angry as I was with my brother, I could not let her think that it was completely his fault. Well, it was completely his fault but she didn't have to know that. They had just broken up a week ago and I knew that she was upset with him about it. If she thought that he was the one who had decided to tell her that I had died instead of just left, there would be hell to pay. She would never forgive him.