Sorry, guys. Life got in the way and I didn't have time to update. This is more of a filler chapter, but still important! Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!

Chapter 9

"Do you have the room key?" Damon asked for the third time.

"Hm?" Elena looked up from the floor before his words finally registered, "Oh! Yeah, it's in my purse." She fished around in her purse before pulling out the key card and handing it to her boyfriend.

He plucked it from her hand and slid it into the door with ease as he opened the door. He ushered her in ahead of him and smiled as he took in the room. It was simple, yet elegant. Clearly meant to be stayed in minimally because the previous occupants were most likely always drunk from partying in the Quarter.

Elena wandered into the detached bedroom and set her purse on the bed, her head still swimming with the events from the day she'd had. She desperately wanted to take a shower, but realized that her clothes were still nestled safely in her Escape in the Quarter. Sighing, she got up and headed back to the door, purse in hand.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked from the couch, phone in hand.

She bit her lip slightly, "I left my clothes in my car. And I really want to take a shower."

He nodded, "I'll call Stefan while you're gone." He got up and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, placing a gentle kiss to the top of her head, "Don't be gone for too long, 'Lena. I've missed you."

"I'll be right back. Promise," she assured him with a smile before he let her go.

"Shot of Tequila, please," Elena mumbled to the bartender.

She knew that Damon would be on the phone with Stefan for a while and she didn't feel like just sitting around the hotel room and listening in on their conversation. Sure, she would've loved to get out of her ruined clothes and take a long hot shower, but right now she just needed a drink.

Elena gratefully downed the shot he left her and motioned for another. She had carefully avoided her usual bar for fear of being recognized. She desperately wanted to go back to how things were a couple days ago, but then she wouldn't have Damon back. Damon. Her heart fluttered at the mere thought of him and she knew she was doomed. She loved him with every bit of her being.

But she had also learned to live without him. At first, the pain was so crippling that she had wanted to die. She spent days in bed, practically desiccating from depression and no one could help her. No one cared enough to check on her and when someone finally did, it was Stefan. And he wanted what she couldn't give him: her heart.

Elena played with the full shot glass sitting on the bar top. She wanted to drink to forget, but she also couldn't help but remember. Elijah had been so kind to her when he and Finn rescued her. He wanted her to be happy regardless of his feelings. She cared for him so deeply that she didn't want to hurt him. She couldn't hurt him.

She pulled out her phone and sent a short text to Elijah before she left the bar, leaving her second shot intact.

I'm so sorry, Elijah.

Elijah looked down at his phone screen, dumbfounded. Why was she, the woman of his dreams, apologizing to him? If anything, he should be apologizing to her. If he hadn't of burdened her with his feelings.

"Oh come now, Elijah, don't tell me you're going to get all broody over my doppelganger, again," Klaus sang as he strolled into Elijah's study.

Elijah sighed, putting his phone back inside his suit pocket, "Niklaus, I assure you that my feelings have quite literally less than nothing to do with you."

"Go out and find a girl," Klaus stated before sitting on the couch opposite his brother, "That should get your knickers unknotted. Find one that reminds you of Elena."

Elijah's jaw ticked in annoyance, "You of all people should know that I don't just jump into bed with random women nor do I try to replace women who reject my advances."

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Klaus growled, narrowing his eyes.

"I seem to recall a certain blonde haired, blue eyed woman in Mystic Falls who was less than interested in what you had to offer," Elijah said, his voice rigid, "And now you've moved on to Camille who, what a coincidence, has blonde hair and blue eyes. Perhaps, you have a type, but I'm practically positive that she's just a replacement for Miss Forbes."

"Don't you dare speak her name," Klaus snarled, getting up from the couch and staring menacingly down at his elder brother, "We reached an impasse. Simple as that."

Elijah sighed, "Meaning she exchanged sex for the life of her boyfriend. Sad, really. But at least you got what you were after. You never keep them after you bed them, do you? It would seem that Finn and I are the only noble men left in our family."

Elena walked through the hotel room door, sighing when she heard that Damon was still on the phone.

"Yeah, go ahead and bring Caroline," Damon said into the phone as Elena went into the bedroom. She busied herself by hanging up the clothes that had spent entirely too long trapped in bags. Nothing she bought seemed to say Elena Gilbert, they all seemed to say something else entirely and Elena couldn't put her finger on it.

"You were gone for almost two hours," Damon whispered in her ear, suddenly appearing behind her and wrapping his arms around her small waist.

She shrugged indifferently, "I knew you'd be on the phone with Stefan for a while. I wanted to give you some space."

He placed soft kisses against the side of her neck, "I don't need space from you ever again. I spent entirely too much time away from you and I intend on making it up to you. Quite vigorously." His experienced fingers lifted her shirt slightly, rubbing small circles against her exposed flesh.

"Damon…" she sighed, trying to find a way to break away from him without hurting his feelings, "I need to take a shower…"

He smirked against her neck, "Perfect, I'll join you."

"No, by myself. I've had a rough couple of days. Besides, we'll have time to ourselves later."

Damon sighed, "Actually Stefan and Blondie are going to be here sometime tonight."

"And they're staying in our hotel room?" Elena asked, wondering what he was getting at.

"Ugh, no," Damon shuddered, "But they do have vamp hearing and I kinda don't want them to hear our reunion."

Elena laughed, "Is that what we're calling it?"

"That's what I'm calling it, so you'd better get ready," he purred, almost causing her to become a puddle on the floor.

"Tonight," she said softly before she disentangled herself from him and bounded to the bathroom.

"Oh, come on! Can't this plane go any faster?"

Stefan laughed, "Calm down, Caroline. It's faster than running, just remember that."

Caroline gave him a pointed look. All she wanted was to be in New Orleans with her best friend. She missed Elena terribly and it had hurt her when she left suddenly. But she had to admit to herself that she had been an awful friend; she should've known that Elena needed someone to rely on and she wasn't there for her.

"Do you think she'll forgive me?" She asked timidly, staring out the plane's window.

Stefan sighed, "I don't know. I think we both need her forgiveness, but I'm not sure if either of us will get it."

"Stefan Salvatore, what did you do?" Caroline nearly screeched, causing the people closest to them to stare.

"Keep it down, Caroline," he hissed, "I just…I tried to get back with her when we thought that Damon wasn't coming back. I thought that her feelings for me would return if Damon was out of the picture."

The blonde gasped, "You didn't."

"I'm not proud of it," he said, looking down, "But I still love her. The kind of love we had doesn't just go away."

Elena sat in the bathroom applying her makeup. She felt like going all out tonight thinking it would help cover her insecurity about Damon's return. She was putting the finishing touches on her hair when Damon popped his head into the bathroom.

"You almost done?"

She turned to face him and smiled, "Yup, just need a couple more minutes. Where are we meeting Stefan and Caroline?"

"You look even more gorgeous than I remembered," he said in awe, his bright blue eyes appraising every bit of her.

"I'm not even dressed yet, calm down," she blushed, setting the curling iron down and moving past him to the closet.

Damon wagged his eyebrows at her, "That's my favorite way to see you, so what's your point?"

"Behave yourself," she chided, pulling out a slinky black dress and slipping it on. It accentuated her curves perfectly and ended mid thigh.

He groaned, "How am I supposed to behave myself when you look like that?"

"You've kept your hands off of me for almost a year, I'm sure you'll survive a few more days."

"You weren't standing in front of me for the past year," he said pointedly, a wicked grin coming across his face, "Besides, I can make it quick."

Elena sighed, grabbing her Louboutins from the closet and pulling them on, "Shouldn't our reunion be romantic and not rushed?"

"Fine, fine."

She stood up and grabbed her purse, "So where are we meeting Stefan and Caroline?"

"A bar in the Quarter. Roxy's? Romo's?" Damon shrugged his shoulders, "I can't remember the name. Barbie picked it out online."

Elena gulped, "Rousseau's?"

"Yeah, that's it."

She groaned internally and had to resist the urge to smack her hand against her face.

"Elijah, really? Are you going to move into the bar or what?" Cami asked as she poured the Original another drink.

Elijah sighed, "Either I sit here and harmlessly ingest alcohol or I go after Elena and do something I'll regret."

What was he supposed to do? He couldn't show up at Elena's hotel and spill his guts to her. He would do anything to get her to love him, but the Salvatores always stood in the way. First Stefan and now Damon. When would it be his turn?

Elijah thought his ears were deceiving him as he heard the tinkle of her laughter flitter through the bar. He turned discreetly and his eyes landed on a beautiful sight: Elena. She sat at a table with Damon's arm around her as she talked animatedly to her best friend across from her. His heart felt a pang of jealousy as he surveyed the couples.

"Keep staring and you're going to burn a hole through her head," Cami chided softly as she followed his gaze to the beautiful brunette.

He turned around and gave her a pointed look, "Camille, pray tell, what would you rather I do?"

"Really?" She arched her eyebrow at him, "I'd straighten myself up and go talk to them. Feign an interest and see how he's settling in with being back from wherever he was. I have no idea why I'm giving you a pep talk, you're completely capable of wooing whatever woman you choose."

Elijah took a deep breath and stood up, fixing his suit jacket as he looked at Cami, "Right. I'm an Original. Nothing less."

"A badass Original," the blonde added with a smile.

"A what?" He asked, a smile tugging at his mouth.

Cami grinned, "A b-a-d-a-s-s Original," she smacked his arm lightly, "Now go play nice with your girl!"

He composed himself and walked confidently over to the table, stopping at the head when Caroline looked towards him.

"Oh, hi, Elijah!" The blonde bubbled out, "Where's Klaus?"

"Be a little more obvious, Blondie," Damon quipped as he took a sip of his drink before looking over at the Original, "What can I do fro you, creepy?"

Elena smacked his arm, "Damon, be nice," she turned towards Elijah and smiled, "Would you like to join us, 'Lijah?"

"Am I the only one that doesn't get a nickname?" Damon scoffed.

Stefan snorted, "Oh, you have a nickname, brother. We just don't say it to your face."

That comment earned a roar of laughter from everyone seated at the table besides the blue-eyed vampire who merely glared at his younger brother, "Keep talking, Stef. Unless you like your head detached from your shoulders."

Elena ignored the brothers and turned her sight once again to Elijah, "Come on! Sit with us! We don't bite," she smirked, motioning to the unaccompanied chair beside her.

"On the contrary, I seem to recall that you bite a lot," Damon said slyly, wagging his eyebrows at the brunette.

Elena blushed uncomfortably before standing up, "You know, I should probably take Elijah to where his car is." She held out her hand to Damon, "Can I have the keys, please? It'll only take a few minutes."

Damon handed over the keys, "Don't take too long, otherwise I'll might have to come looking. And we both know how I am when I'm impatient."

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~Grace