Hey hey DE fans!
Wow... just wow... thank you for all of your lovely reviews. I was really worried I hadn't done Delena justice in that last chapter, but you guys have put my mind at peace. And as a treat, I give you probably longest and busiest chapter yet. I hope it isn't too much. Please let me know what you think!
I'm halfway through the process of writing the next chapter. It's gonna be dramatic *evil laughter*
Anyways... here is the calm before the storm... enjoy!
Damon's POV
"So Bonnie is meeting you in ten minutes?"
"Yes she is," Elena said, shrugging her bag over her shoulder.
"Make sure you message me when you meet her. I don't want-"
Elena silenced him with a soft and supple kiss. Her lips were like velvet and she smiled against his. Damn she was so beautiful.
"I'll be fine," she hushed, her lips still touching his as she spoke. Damon could haul her over his shoulder and lock them away in his room for the duration of the day. But alas - reality was waiting for them. And it was a scary, scary place. Damon found himself gripping her waist subconsciously. He feared for her safety so much.
"I'm sure you will be, honey. But it's still a little dark and-" a crazed ex-boyfriend of yours called Stefan could be lurking in the shadows "... and I just want you to be safe."
"I will be. It's you who we should be more worried about" she replied, her voice laced with concern as her fingers toyed with his tie. "The sooner you're away from all of this the better."
Damon stared down at her while she continued to trace the stitching of his tie, not looking up at him. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her everything that was exchanged with Isobel. If what Isobel was saying had any truth, he could be far worse off than being shut away in a cell. He wondered if being shut away in the morgue was a more likely outcome. A cold shudder grappled his spine the moment Elena chose to look up at him. Her big, brown eyes were a swirling pool of sadness and fear. He had to change subject.
"And the sooner you're at school Miss Gilbert, the sooner I can get a move on and be there as well" he said, sealing his words with a loving kiss on her forehead.
"I love you," she whispered. Those three beautiful words warmed the cold chill that eloped his body moments before. He smiled down at her. One of his genuine, loving, caring smiles that he didn't dish out to people very often throughout his life.
"I love you too, Elena. Now scram" he joked, slapping her pert behind as she turned to the door. She squealed at the contact and while her mouth was aghast with shock, her eyes were twinkling playfully.
"You better watch your back, Salvatore" she joked, then quickly and quietly making her way out of his premises and setting a rushed pace down the street.
Once she was gone, Damon mumbled his reply under his breath.
"I will."
The moment Damon had a moment of silence he found himself falling into a state of serious anxiety. Those few minutes between each period, where his current class would move on to the next and he would be waiting for his next group, he was anxiously watching the door and the windows. It would fall silent, say for the distant echo of kids racing down the hallway or outside. Any off sounding footsteps or shouting, he would be stood bolt-upright, prepared and waiting for any assault.
By the time it was his third class, he was getting pretty annoying with himself.
"Get a fucking grip" he mumbled to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as he reclined in his chair, trying to force back the headache that poked at his brain.
*BANG!*
"Sssshh-it!"
A cold sweat flushed through Damon's body at the sound of several Christmas Crackers exploding simultaneously at his door.
"Mr Salvatore swore!" chanted some young kids who thought it'd be funny to frighten the living daylights out of him. He stared dumbfounded at the group who continued to laugh and chuckle away at the door with open crackers and party hats in their hands.
His heart rate refused to ease up. He really thought that was a gun shot. He really did.
Before Damon could dish them a telling off they scattered away, leaving him alone once more with an erratic heartbeat and sweat beading on his forehead.
"Stupid little pricks" he growled, rolling closer to his desk to open his next class register. He reached over for a pen in his stationary holder.
"Hey Damon..."
"Fuck!" Damon jumped back in his seat, pens scattering across his desk as yet another fright seized his body. "Oh it's just you..." he breathed, lowering the blunt pencil he had aimed in his hand as a weapon.
"Just me?" Alaric quipped, flopping his hand on his heart, "I'm hurt, Damon."
"What's up?" Damon asked, completely by-passing Alaric's crap joke.
As silence fell, Damon knew what Alaric was going to ask.
"Pretty dumb question but... are you alright, Damon? You can lower your weapon now..."
"No" came Damon's response as flung the pencil across the room, "I'm not alright at all, Ric."
"You seem more on edge than usual."
Damon slammed his register shut, finding it impossible to ignore Alaric. But knowing he only had minutes until his next class would start wandering in, Damon just came out with it. He would burst if he didn't say-
"Isobel threatened to kill me."
"What!"
"Isobel. You know, the psychotic bitch whose determined to fuck me and fuck my life up? She's threatened me with my life."
"... fuck," said Alaric, pretty much summing everything up. "Does Ele-"
"No and she isn't going to know about it if I can help it. As soon as the lights are up on the Christmas Dance I'm outta here. I just needed you to know."
Alaric nodded silently, clearly lost for words. It only surprised Damon slightly that he didn't question whether he was blowing Isobel's threats out of the water. But nope, it was plausible to think the woman would actually finish him off after the sick charade she's kept up over the last few weeks. The woman was in serious need of a doctor, the kind that would throw her into a padded room until she withered away to her death. Damon smiled morbidly at the thought as Alaric sighed heavily beside him.
"Why don't you just leave now?" Alaric suggested.
And to be quite honest, Damon hadn't thought about that. He no longer had any leverage to keep himself in Mystic Falls for so long, so why not skip town now while he had a better chance?
Then an awful thought occurred to him.
Just because I leave, who is to say that Isobel won't go after Elena once I'm gone?
"Oh God," came Damon's strangled voice as he sat upright in his seat.
"What, what?" urged Ric, moving closer to the desk.
Damon stood up and looked wildly to Alaric, bemused and panicked as to where to start. Why the fuck didn't I think of that sooner? He scalded to himself, horrified that his brain never registered with him that Isobel would be likely to enforce an attack on Elena. Why wouldn't she? Who better than Elena to question on his whereabouts if he mysteriously left? I'm such a fucking idiot!
"Damon what the Hell are you thinking about?" flared Alaric, almost going red in the face with anticipation.
"She'll go for her..."
"Isobel? Go for who?"
Damon slapped the side of Ric's head "who the fuck do you think, Ric?"
"Oh!" dawned Alaric, "Are you certain?"
"Positive" Damon stammered the moment several girls giggled their way into his classroom, oblivious to their hushed discussion. "Would you be willing to help us, Ric?"
Without hesitation, Alaric replied "yes."
Damon smiled and felt the first glimmer of hope rise in his chest.
He could not hide it from her. Elena had to know.
"Then I need you to help me and 'you know who' escape Mystic Falls..."
ELENA'S POV
Elena was at the most comfortable she'd been in the last week or so. She was sat in her bedroom with her best friends Bonnie and Caroline, crossed-legged in a circle on the floor, wrapping Christmas presents to their loved ones. Elena felt a warm and humble sensation melt in her body at the sound of Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' croon through her iPod dock. It amazed her that she could still feel this way, even though she was wrapping two less presents this year to put under the tree. Like the emotional sensor she is, Bonnie's hand gave Elena's arm a supportive squeeze.
"Thank you" Elena mouthed. Bonnie winked as she snipped off some tape with her scissors.
"I totally suck at wrapping and giving gifts. Getting them is SO much better" giggled Caroline. It would seem that the girl had long since forgotten the note drama that circulated around the school about Elena. It was at times like these that Elena loved Caroline for having the memory of a lonely goldfish. Elena grinned at her amusing thought as she neatly folded wrapping paper around a computer game she'd purchased for Jeremy.
She never bothered to ask why Caroline's loyalties had changed. It seemed Caroline at one point was close to cutting her off all together, she was far too proud to hang out with a friend who was at the centre of such shocking and popularity crippling circumstances. But maybe she'd seen an error in her ways and opted to support her friend, a first for Caroline Forbes. Bonnie swore to Elena that she hadn't said a word about Damon to her. Elena believed her with every fiber of her being.
"So have you gotten Matt or Tyler anything for Christmas?" Bonnie asked while neatly tying a big red bow on a parcel.
"Pfft, they're both on the fucking naughty list and getting a lump of coal each."
Laughter erupted around the room as Elena felt her cell buzz next to her on the carpet. Panic pounded through her to see Stefan calling.
She answered.
"Hello?"
"..." he hung up.
"Who was that?"
"Um an unknown number. Probably people still prank calling me about recent events."
Elena and Bonnie eyed up Caroline, making a point of how she briefly slipped into a crowd of such people. Caroline beamed an apologetic smile that Elena accepted.
Then her phone vibrated again.
"Hello?" she spat angrily, almost growling with rage as Stefan hung up again.
"Who is that?" Caroline huffed with her hands on her hips, "next time they call Elena just pass your phone to me, i'll tell them where to go."
And on cue, the phone buzzed in Elena's hand.
Caroline swiped it away.
"No!"
"Stefan whaddya want? Are you prank calling Elena? We're trying to have valuable girl time..."
Elena watched, wide eyed as Caroline listened to Stefan's distant voice down the receiver. A small frown etched on her perfect eyebrows. Elena looked at Bonnie, who looked equally as horrified.
"Fuck off Stefan," spat Caroline as she hung up.
"What did he say?"
"Ugh he was just reeling off a load of bullshit; saying Salvatore is 'gonna get it' at the dance. What a total prick, right? Seriously, you would think Stefan would grow the fuck up!"
"Really? Stefan said that?" questioned Bonnie disbelievingly.
"Yeah! Gah- he's just so pathetic!"
The less you know about this, Elena, the better.
We were interrupted.
It was no one
So it was someone?
And there... right there... it all fell into place.
Damon said Isobel was far more threatening than usual last night. Someone interrupted them while... while the two were doing things. Isobel leaves and then Damon says he's leaving the night of the dance whether he has leverage over Isobel or not. An overwhelming fear bled through Elena's body.
"Elena are you alright?" gasped Caroline, clambering over the presents to sit next to her, "I'm sure what Stefan said isn't true. He doesn't have a bad bone in his-"
"But he attacked Da- Mr Salvatore in class didn't he?" Elena gawped at Caroline, then swishing her hair over to Bonnie, "didn't he?"
Bonnie and Caroline gave each other knowing looks. Stefan's reaction to Damon was so uncharacteristically violent and no one saw it coming. It sounded like he was ready to finish Damon off. Who is to say he wouldn't do it again this time? And with Isobel planting seeds, who knows what awful plans are shooting up in Stefan's mind. Isobel had everything in place and everyone cornered.
The only thing left to do, was indeed, for Damon to run.
"Elena I'm sure everything will be alright," Bonnie said, then jumping as her own phone began to ring.
The look on her friends face told Elena that it was Damon. Bonnie shot her dark eyes up to Elena, who nodded in confirmation for Bonnie to take the call. Casually, Bonnie stepped up from the floor and answered the call,
"Hey dad, what's up?" Bonnie cupped her hand to the phone and looked down at her friends, "Grams has gotten into the liquor cabinet again, i'll be five minutes."
"Sure thing sweetie," cooed Caroline.
Elena smirked up at Bonnie, loving how well played that lie was.
It felt like forever that Elena was listening to Caroline reel off why Stefan would be too chicken shit to actually hurt Mr Salvatore. Stefan didn't hurt anyone. He was too busy playing the love-sick victim anyway. Some of the things Caroline came out with would genuinely make Elena smile, perhaps even chuckle. But most of what she was churning out made her own stomach churn violently.
She just wanted to be with Damon. She wanted him in her arms and in her sight all the time. That way she would know he was safe. Always.
Bonnie emerged a few minutes later with a humoured look on her pretty face.
"Grams is crazy. I just told my dad to put the woman in a home already!"
"You didn't!" Caroline laughed, clapping her hands at the hilarity of it all.
Elena found it hard to even crack a smile. She was desperate to know what Bonnie had discussed with Damon. It was another agonizing forty-minute wait until Caroline finally decided to call it a night on the gift wrapping. She smothered Elena with hugs and kisses, making sure that she promised to have a definite decision on what she was wearing to the dance by tomorrow morning. Once she was gone, Elena stormed back up to her room, almost falling flat on her face up the stairs.
Barging into her room, Elena frowned to find Bonnie rifling through her wardrobe. Elena rolled her eyes tiredly.
"Bonnie if you think I'm dress hunting for the dance, you can think again. Now what did Damon say on the-"
Bonnie emerged from the closet with Elena's old duffle that she used for her cheerleading outfit with a sad and worn out look on her face.
"You're to have a bag packed. Damon says to leave it with Alaric tomorrow morning."
"Huh?" was all that Elena could muster as Bonnie zipped open the bag.
"If anyone asks, it's old clothes for people to wear while decorating the gym for the dance" said Bonnie, roboticly reeling off a list that Damon must have fired down to her over the phone as she dumped the bag on the bed.
"I..."
"Alaric will have your stuff ready and waiting in his car once the dance is over. Along with Damon's..."
Elena walked across to Bonnie, placing her hands on hers as Bonnie almost began to weep. Bonnie gripped Elena's hands back and smiled through her grimaced face.
"So Isobel does plan to end it all" Elena stated hauntingly "and she's using Stefan to do it for her."
"It seems that way, hun," sobbed Bonnie. "And I believe Mr Salvatore when he says it's not safe for you to stay here."
Elena felt a tremor of fear throttle her heart. So this is what it has come to - running away. It was bad enough with just Damon fleeing. But with Elena going with him, he would be in twice as much trouble if they were caught. But at what cost when Elena was starting to fear for their lives? Isobel was a psycho bitch and Stefan... well he was just a complete surprise. They would not get the better of them. They could not succeed in ruining her life with Damon Salvatore.
But as Elena stared down at her tired looking duffle, which could probably only pack a couple of pair of jeans, tops and basic toiletries, she felt a wild surge of excitement pass through her like lightening at the thought of hitting the highway with Damon and never looking back.
If she was being honest with herself, apart from Bonnie, what else was there to miss in Mystic Falls?
Like she had just seen the light, Elena grinned from ear to ear at Bonnie as she floated across to her closet.
"Help me figure out what to take Bonnie. That duffle can only hold so many pairs of stockings and suspenders!"
3 DAYS LATER...
FRIDAY. DECEMBER 16TH. 09:25
DAMON'S POV
"... So there's the plan that I expect to be in perfect order for the duration of the evening. Does anyone have any questions?"
Silence blanketed the stuffy room as John Gilbert reeled off his overly-extensive list of protocalls for the school dance that evening. People looked back and forth between each other, no one saying a word. It would be pretty pointless to question John's ideas as they were always far superior.
Damon stared into space, his piercing blue eyes fixed on the water cooler that stared back at him while he chewed the end of his pencil. He didn't notice Ric glancing over to him occasionally with a concerned look.
"Sorry Damon, am I boring you?" announced John, standing tall with his hands on his hips.
Damon rolled his eyes over to John and sat up a little straighter in his seat.
"Not at all, John. I find it enthralling that you feel the need to remind us of fire safety three times over. If the tree lights explode we'll be sure to make the kids stop, drop and roll."
A whisper of giggles flurried around the room. John remained stern.
"You may be leaving us after today Salvatore, but I still expect you to know your place around here."
Several pairs of eyes stared wide eyed with surprise at Damon.
While Damon seethed with rage at John.
You fucking dick...
"That information was confidential, John. You knew that." Damon said through clenched teeth. He was fucked now. Everyone around the table had exploded into questioning of this unexpected news despite recent events.
A ghost of a smirk curled at John's lips.
"It will be such a shame to see you go, Damon..."
"I had an inkling you were leaving..."
"So what's the plan?"
"Where are you going?"
"Oh i'm sure it won't be far, he and Isobel can barely keep apart, isn't that right Damon?"
Questions, questions and more questions, Damon felt like his head was about to explode.
"Excuse me," he announced to the room, scraping back his chair and storming out, slamming the door with such ferocity that the walls shook. The dick, the absolute dick. That was no slip of the tongue, he said that shit deliberately. Damon told his subconscious to not even bother wondering if John was a member the Isobel-Stefan fanclub. It was too late to start ripping out his hair about that.
Damon slammed his classroom door shut, welcoming the silence and emptiness for a few moments, but then feeling anxious again that someone could be watching him. There had been no word from Isobel. Her threat very much loomed over his head like a thunderous black cloud. Stefan had not turned up for any of his classes since their encounter on Monday. Word was he was ill. Damon scoffed at the weak excuse.
Alaric soon entered his room without knocking.
"Plan for tonight still on?" he rushed.
Damon clenched his jaw, trying to keep his sanity together.
"It is. We don't have time to alter it." Damon said with an air of defeat. Obviously Isobel would walk through those doors to a stampede of women cooing her over his departure of Mystic Falls High. That knowledge would make her snap straight away, he knew that. "I gotta tell you Ric, I'm beginning to think more and more that I'm a dead man walking."
The fact Alaric didn't laugh or make any attempt of a joke made Damon twice as sure that he wasn't far off the mark with his last statement. Idly he looked at the clock, glaring at the hands that ticked towards 10am.
"I got your back, bud" Alaric assured him moments later.
"Just make sure Elena is safe. I can handle myself."
"Alright" Alaric said quietly.
Damon turned to face his friend, his eyes and face set in stone. "Do not allow Elena out of your sight and don't allow her to follow me under any circumstances. If Isobel is planning something then I need to get her as far away from Elena as possible."
"And what about Stefan?"
Damon paused, then sighed, laughing in the face of adversity.
"We can't exactly stop that lovesick idiot from attending his own school dance can we. We'll just have to hope he'll back out of any ideas that Isobels' planned for him."
"S'a pretty big risk, Damon," murmered Alaric, his brow wrinkled with uncertainty. Damon nodded, convulsing the dry lumps that had formed in his parched throat. With out looking Ric in the eye, Damon stepped over, clapped a firm hand on Ric's shoulder and said,
"But we have no choice but to take it."
He slipped his hand away from his shoulder and proceeded to leave his room. Alaric did not follow him this time.
Absent-minded and admittedly terrified, Damon wandered across to the gymnasium where the dance was being held later that day. He stared up at the familiar block, ignoring the icy winter wind that pinched at his lips and blew wildly through his inky black hair. Who knows what was going to go down in there in a few hours time. He hoped nothing obviously. That all this fear and panic was just a little game for Isobel. But deep down, as Damon entered the warm building, he knew that it was not an empty threat.
And as Damon entered the basketball court where several students were running around hanging up Christmas decorations and setting out the buffet tables, he received a text message from none other than Isobel herself.
Save the last dance for me tonight, baby?
I can't wait.
Merry Christmas x
17:30
Elena's pov
"Urgh! I wish I hadn't chosen to wear green now, I look like The Grinch!" screeched Caroline. Stomping her feet over to Elena's full length mirror and deeply scrutinizing herself.
"Care you look amazing. Green is your colour as we all know" Elena stated, sitting up as straight while Bonnie pinned the final locks of her hair into place.
"Are the flashing earrings too much?" asked Caroline, brushing off Elena's compliment and turning around to face them while pointing at her ears. Each one had a tiny dangling Christmas Tree, the baubles lighting up in different colours. Elena and Bonnie couldn't help but giggle.
"They're fine," assured Bonnie.
"But you're laughing!" said Caroline, though breaking into laughter herself.
"They're cute. Now stop moaning" Elena said, though inside she wanted Caroline to continue her usual tantrums and freak outs. Silently she knew this would be the last time they would be together like this for a while.
That was if tonight went to plan of course.
Uncertainly clenched at her stomach.
"There!" announced Bonnie, finishing with Elena's hair. "I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with myself."
"Aw Elena, you look amazing!" gushed Caroline with a grin from ear to ear.
Elena slowly stood up in her Grecian style dress. The ivory colour suiting her skin tone perfectly. She was glowing it seemed as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair twirled into a loose updo, with soft tendrils brushing her neck and back. Hats off to Bonnie, Elena knew she would never have been able to achieve the look by herself. As Caroline always said, Elena was pretty useless when it came to fashion.
A soft knock came from Elena's bedroom door and Aunt Jenna poked her head around the corner. She rattled the camera in her hand with a large, cheesy smile on her face.
"Kodak time!"
"Ooh Elena in the middle, we don't want my dress to clash with Bonnie's" Caroline stated in a military fashion. Elena giggled as she ordered them into place. Typical Caroline.
"Okay you ready?"
Jenna positioned the camera and the girls smiled. Elena was going to miss this.
"Cheese!"
"Cheeeeeeeessseee!"
The camera flashed, momentarily blinding Elena but Caroline had already snatched the device from Jenna's hands to look.
"Aw we all look so cute!"
Elena managed to a quick glimpse and it was indeed a beautiful picture of them. Tears threatened as she knew she wouldn't be around when it came to processing the photo.
"Flash too much?" asked Bonnie.
Elena quickly blinked away the tears that stung for release.
"Yeah... something like that."
They shared a knowing look. Elena wished she hadn't said anything as Bonnie's bottom lip began to tremble. Elena rubbed her arm affectionately. If it weren't for Bonnie who knows what kind of mess she would be in now.
"Are you girls ready to go?" Jenna asked.
"Yeah, we'll be five minutes" Elena said, quickly grabbing her clutch and slipping on her matching ivory shoes.
The three girls trooped downstairs and into the car where Jenna was waiting for them. As Elena slammed the door shut with a heavy 'thunk' she looked up at her house. The house with so many wonderful and awful memories. When would she be back here? She never even thought until now. Her room was a state and idly she thought about how annoyed Jenna would be about that. She didn't have time to mull over anything as Jenna rolled away from the sidewalk and onwards to Mystic Falls High.
Elena glanced across to Jenna who smiled back at Bonnie and Caroline who were laughing away at goodness knows what. Probably something to do with last years Christmas Party where they and a few other girls dressed up as Santa's reindeer. It was so much fun and they were all the centre of attention. Elena's tummy clenched again, though this time with fear. The attention she would get tonight would be far worse. She and Damon would be in the same room and no doubt a few people will bring that to light. They hadn't been seen together for weeks since she was in his class, playing the normal regular student, Damon the normal regular teacher, playing out another day at a normal regular high school.
Nothing would be normal about tonight.
Elena was terrified of what Isobel would bring.
And then there was Stefan.
"Are you feeling alright honey?" asked Jenna, reaching across to clasp Elena's hand.
"I'm fine," Elena lied, returning Jenna's humbling smile, "just scared i'll trip over this dress."
"I'm sure you'll be fine. You're gonna rock it."
Moments later they were pulling into the heaving parking lot. It was like they were going to a festival or rock concert, it was insane! Just people, cars and all things Christmassy everywhere. Caroline was practically bouncing with excitement in the back of the car.
"I see Matt!" she pointed. Sure enough, Matt was hanging around by his car with the football team, probably waiting for the last of them to arrive before going in.
Stefan was no where to be seen.
"Okay girls, take care of yourselves" announced Jenna as she put the car into park.
"We will!" yelled Caroline, itching to get out of the car and commense the party.
"Thanks for the ride Jenna"
"Not a problem, Bonnie, have a great time."
And as Bonnie left the car, Elena knew this was goodbye... until who knows when.
"So you'll be home for eleven-thirty right?"
"Yeah we have our cab booked" Elena said, feeling her throat closing up, her voice becoming heavy. Don't cry, don't cry!
"Are you worried people will make comments? Y'know about the whole..." Elena watched her Aunt struggle for the appropriate words "... the whole English Teacher thing?"
"I... I suppose I am. But i'm sure i'll be fine. I won't let them spoil my evening."
"Good girl" Jenna said, pulling her niece into a large hug.
Elena hugged her Aunt tight, inhaling the floral-like scent of her red hair, wishing she could have told her what she was doing. The guilt was horrible. She was leaving without a real goodbye and with no word of where she would be going. She just hoped Jenna and Jeremy would forgive her when it came to coming home again.
"Have a wonderful night, honey" Jenna said, cupping Elena's cheeks and planting a large smooch on her lips.
Elena squirmed, giggled and pushing herself away with a belly laugh.
"I'll get you for that later."
"Yeah, yeah. See you later!"
Elena closed the door and before she could think about anything, Bonnie was at her side to distract her.
"There's Damon," she whispered.
Oh... the best distraction.
Elena look up towards the school entrance... and there he was.
Her Damon.
A cold bluster of December wind blew them towards the school, they mingled with the large crowds who were all desperate to be inside where the base was beating out some cheesy pop. Caroline suddenly tripped into a Elena with laughter, sandwiching her between her friends, making her feel safe.
"They have a snow machine!" she said the moment it was turned on. Flurries of fake snow came wisping through the air to the delight of the crowds.
"Jeez can you imagine if it were real snow, these guys would be going ape shit," comment Bonnie.
Elena through her head back with a welcoming belly laugh. Her carefree laughter and nature in that moment did not go unnoticed by a certain pair of ice, blue eyes that subtly watched her only a few feet away.
Elena looked across to see him ever more closer. Her giggles surrendered to a loving smile. In a nano-second it was returned before he looked away to speak to Mr Saltzman next to him. He looked so calm and collected as always. Alaric said something to make him laugh and it was always rare to see Damon that way with other people. Elena was surprised with him and herself. Surely tonight of all nights they were meant to be at their wits end. Surely they should be on edge, glancing at everyone as if they're an enemy, not daring to meet one anothers stare.
But as her lover greeted her into the building, unashamed by the onlookers who whispered as he stated a simple "good evening, Miss Gilbert" maybe they were both behaving this way because after tonight, none of this would matter anymore.
It would all be in the past.
"Mr Salvatore," she nodded innocently, entering the building to find an audience watching them with sordid looks.
Without Bonnie for support, without staring down at the floor, Elena breezed through the crowds with her head held high and a dazzling smile.
Tonight was the night everything changed for the better. She was certain of it.
Okaaaaay I'm pretty mean for leaving it there, but I promise to punch out the next chapter asap. I haven't a clue how long it will be as a lot is about to kick off... we'll just have to wait and see how it pans out.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to your reviews!
Anna x