Chapter Six- Bridges

"ELENA!" Caroline snapped at me, shaking me out of my thoughts and scaring me half to death "Can you please get off your phone for one second and at least act a little bit excited" It was the first Sunday off I had had in over four months, and instead of relaxing at home in a bubble bath or reading a book at the downtown café, Caroline had somehow roped me into shopping with her. It was no secret that my fashionista abilities were borderline pathetic and the idea of spending an entire day in search of the 'perfect' dress for the upcoming Miss Mystic Falls pageant made me want to run for the hills. But Caroline Forbes was my best friend, and somehow, I always ended up doing the things that she wanted to do. It was all part of her arm twisting charm. Wearing an uncomfortable dress and heels while reliving our glory days at the town beauty pageant wasn't exactly my ideal Saturday afternoon, but this year I was given the honour of presenting the new queen with her crown. I still often felt a tinge of animosity from Caroline at this time of year, I had beaten her for the title in our sophomore year and she had never really gotten over it. It had been the only real fight we had ever had in our friendship. One that I still to this day liked to tease her about every so often. "I'm thinking I might go for a nice and subtle colour like electric blue or burnt orange"

"Care, there is nothing subtle about either of those colours" I chuckled, watching her flip her fingers over the formal rack in Darlas's Boutique "What's wrong with one of the thousand dresses you already own?"

"I've already worn them. And besides, this is mine and Stefan's first official event as a couple and I want to look like a knockout"

"You could wear your pyjamas and achieve that sweetie" I told her, causing a soft blush to spread across her cheek. "You're lucky you are attending as guests and not in an official work capacity"

"Oh come on it's going to be fun! You have to spend a few minutes announcing the girls and their escorts and then a little while later announce the winners. You'll be done and free to drink champagne and enjoy the frivolities with the rest of us"

"I guess you're right. It might be nice to get out of the house for an evening"

"You are way overdue to have a little fun missy, although I must admit, you've been pretty cheerful lately"

"Cheerful?" I laughed at her choice of words

"Well….just….less, miserable I guess" She smirked brightly. I had noticed the difference within myself lately, and it seemed she had as well. And although I knew I still had a long road to travel on my way to self-fulfilment and moving forward with my future, I was taking the right steps to get there. My progress with myself was encouraging and steady; my progress with Damon however was a different story. I had been doing a lot of thinking about it lately, and Stefan's advice on healing myself before I could begin healing him was completely spot on. I realised that however much I loved him, I had become consumed by our relationship when I was a human which is why I completely rejected my transition when he was gone. In the last days of my humanity so much of my identity was wrapped up in him that it was no wonder I didn't know who I was as a vampire. It was important for me now to work on my career (in a healthy way), maybe even start studying again on the side and rediscover my own passions separate from him. But that didn't mean that I couldn't try at every opportunity to thaw the ice sculpture that he had become, it just meant that my wellbeing was my priority, and that didn't mean I loved him any less, it just meant that I needed to start loving myself more. "Hello? Earth to Elena" I had completely zoned out from Caroline and had not even realised she was talking to me. She stood holding up a black lace dress with her impatient hand on her tiny waist "What do you think?"

"It's absolutely gorgeous….it just seems a little too, plain for you" I commented. Caroline could pull off almost any dress on the planet, but she tended to gravitate towards more show stopping numbers. And this, well, this dress was absolutely stunning, but it lacked the vava voom she was known for.

"Oh it is, but for you it's absolutely perfect. Simple yet sophisticated" I usually hated her thrusting clothes into my face, but I had to hand it to her, this dress was perfect for me.

"I actually love it" I gushed

"Well try it on….we don't have all day!" She ordered. I often had to remind her that technically I was in fact her boss, not the other way around. It seemed to fall on deaf ears though. I took the hanger from her hands and made my way into the change rooms, followed eagerly behind by an impatient looking Caroline. "So now that we potentially have a dress…..I think it's important we get you a date"

"Huh?" I asked, not quite hearing her from the other side of the curtain

"A date! As much as I love you I don't want you third wheeling with Stefan and I all night…."

"But you're my safety blanket!" I joked, eliciting a scoff from her

"You're too hot to go stag to an event like this"

"Well actually, I was thinking about asking Damon" I told as I began zipping up the back of the dress. The fitting room fell silent. I knew she would be completely opposed to the idea, but I thought it might be a good chance to dig around inside his head and see exactly what I was working with. Since the morning at the Manor when he had seemed concerned that I was injured, his mission to take me down had cooled down slightly, and I took that as a sign of hope. He was still very much an unemotional robot with nothing but his own self-interests in mind but I hoped that with some consistence effort we could become friends and go from there. How well my plan would work was unknown but I at least had to try.

"Please tell me that was just a terrible joke" I finished zipping the dress and walked out of the fitting room. Her face was unimpressed and slightly horrified.

"What do you think?" I asked, swirling around on the spot

"I think you better answer my goddamn question"

"I meant about the dress" I smirked

"Stunning, you're getting it. Now stop deflecting and tell me that you are kidding about asking that horrible excuse of a man to the pageant"

"He's not a horrible excuse for a man…" I defended, causing her eyebrow to curve "Fine he's pretty horrible right now but that's not him"

"Elena…"

"Besides things have been well….okay…between us lately and I thought this might be a chance to work on our friendship"

"FRIENDSHIP!" She shrieked "You want to be friends with your ex-boyfriend who is currently operating without a soul?"

"Shh" I hushed, noticing that the increase in her pitch had garnered attention from the shop assistants

"No, No, I don't like this one bit."

"Well you don't have to like it Caroline but it's my decision"

"Okay let's just say that you do ask him and he even says yes…do you really think that he's going to spend an entire night being nice to you? Especially considering the entire town is going to be there?"

"Maybe" I shrugged

"I just feel like you're setting yourself up for something horrible Lena. It's taken months for you to get back to a normal version of yourself and I'm worried that he's going to ruin that the second that you give him the opportunity to" I gave her an understanding smile, it was something that I had been considering a lot lately as well "He is cunning at the moment, which means he is capable of just about anything. And I worry that he is going to use the feelings you have for him to his own sick and twisted advantage"

"Oh I'm counting on it" I told "Care, I know you're worried. I am so lucky to have you in my life watching out for me and if I haven't said it enough lately I appreciate everything you do for me. But I have to do this. I'm the key to making him flip the switch, I know it, and I promise you I'm not going to go in there with my eyes closed and expect that if I tell him I love him he's going to come back because that's just not realistic. But I have to try. Because if the shoe were on the other foot…"

"He would do it for you….blah blah blah" It was my turn to furrow my brow at her now which elicited a deep frustrated breath my her chest "Well the shoe isn't on the other foot and the one in the firing line is my best friend so excuse me for trying to save you from the bullet"

"That was like two different metaphors all in one" I laughed at her

"Just….be careful Elena. I know you're suddenly on a mission to get him back but don't lose yourself in the process okay?"

"Okay" I smiled.

It was Wednesday, and Enzo and I had kept our agreement of weekly wing night. Work had been surprisingly drama free of late, and considering everything that I had been through in the last few years, and the last few months in particular, I found myself constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Katherine was nowhere in sight, Jeremy was doing amazing in school and had gotten quite a few scholarship offers for next fall, the merger was going extremely well and although he was still an emotionless rock Damon had actually been a pretty amazing help. I hated feeling like such a pessimist but I was conditioned to be prepared for the fall out that was due to happen at any minute. I was finishing up my last meeting of the day and I had come to feel a quiet confidence in my ability to lead the team. If you had told me a year ago that I would be the interim head of one of the largest companies in the continental US I would have told you that you were insane, but I felt a natural ability to succeed in this type of industry, and it was exhilarating. Damon was in the meeting today and he had been in a receptive enough mood that I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to ask if he wanted to attend the pageant with me. Caroline had been incessantly harping at me to reconsider since our shopping trip on Sunday, but I had a good feeling about it and hoped to prove her wrong. I concluded the meeting and was relieved to see Damon was still typing away on his laptop at the desk and hadn't moved to leave right away as some of the other execs had. I was nervous, and why shouldn't I be, I was basically voluntarily getting in bed with the devil; but I had come to terms with the fact that this endeavour wasn't going to be easy, and I would no doubt have both wins and loses along the way.

"Damon" I finally mustered up the courage to say "How are we looking on the taxable income for the last seven financial years?"

"No luck yet. I have a few more phone calls to make before I resort to flying down there and compelling the accountant" He could feel the shock I was projecting at his response and he finally looked up from his screen and gave me a sarcastic look "I'm kidding"

"God, well, alright…just keep me updated"

"Will do boss" He responded as he moved from his chair and began packing up his station. I knew it was now or never, but the coward inside of me was begging me to reconsider. The worst thing he could do was to say no, but I think a part of me was even more scared that he would say yes. A yes would give me hope, and hope was a dangerous thing. His head moved so his chin was now resting on his left shoulder and his eyes gave me a look that told him he was a little annoyed that I was watching him so anxiously. "Something else I can help you with?"

Everything inside me was screaming to turn and walk out the door; every fibre inside my being and every instinct I had was yelling that this was an incredibly stupid idear and for my own best interest I needed to abandon it. But I reluctantly ignored them as I took a deep breath and prepared the speech I had practiced so many times in my head over the past few days "Yeah actually um….I was….well…"

"Spit it out Elena I don't have all day" He groaned, tired of my inability to speak in this moment

"I was wondering if you were busy on Saturday…" I finally managed to say. My fingers curled into a nervous fist and I noticed how much sweat had built up in the centre of my palms. The impending No was lingering in the air, I could tell, and I just needed to remind myself that it wasn't the end of the world. Embarrassing and a little heart breaking yes; but I could handle it.

"Come on Elena…..please tell me you're not going to force me to work. I've been a good little boy lately and have been on my best behaviour. I think that warrants me the weekend to myself"

"No…no…it's not work, well, kind of, but not really…" I mumbled. Come on, I wasn't this person. This person who couldn't even ask a simple question in the fear of being turned down. I was the one in control of my life and my emotions, and regardless of the outcome he wasn't going to change that. I inhaled again, steading myself, and trying to conjure the confidence that I knew was buried somewhere inside. "I've been asked to present the crown at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant on Saturday. I was wondering if you would like to attend it….. with me." The darkness of his eyes widened and his head tilted on its side as the crack in his brow furrowed. He seemed completely perplexed by the question; it was obviously the last thing that he had expected to come out of my mouth.

"With you? Like….a date?"

"No not a date more like…a united front. I think it would look good in the society pages to have the current CEO and the previous CEO attend together. It may quieten the whispers of internal trouble within the company since your departure" The look on his face told me he believed the lie about as much as I did, but what had he expected me to say? That this was a desperate reconnaissance missions to get inside his brain in an attempt to reignite some humanity in him? That would go down about as well as a wooden bullet to the heart.

"I'm already going" He responded very matter of factly. His face had changed by now, it had hardened, and any trace of the surprise he had been wearing a few seconds earlier was now gone. "With someone" I had prepared for it. I had prepared for the no, but I hadn't considered just how much pain would course through my heart hearing that it was not just a rejection, but one involving him taking another woman. I couldn't let the ache show though, especially on my face, it would give him too much pleasure in his current sadistic state if he knew just how much it hurt me. I could feel the traitorous tears starting to form in my eyes, and I would be damned before he would see them fall.

"Right. Of course. I guess I'll uh…see you both there then" My feet moved and carried me out of the conference room a little too quickly, but I needed to get as far away from him as I could. You are stronger than this Elena I told myself as I flew as fast at 'human' pace as I could, and finally, as the elevator doors closed behind me, I let them go.

X X X

It was busier than usual in the Grill for a Wednesday afternoon, but Miss Mystic Falls was the biggest event on the town's social calendar for the year, meaning relatives and the like usually flocked to town a few days before. The rest of the afternoon had been a blur and I had toyed with the thought of rescheduling with Enzo due to my unexpected outburst at Damon's rejection, but I figured some decent company and a few beers could only improve my mood. I had really wanted to go home and lock myself in my bedroom with a bottle of hard liquor and a blood bag; but $4 beers and bbq wings was a fairly decent compromise. I searched the crowded bar and managed to locate Enzo sitting in the booth closest to the bar. His eyes found mine and he gave me a friendly wave as I made my way over to him. He was definitely handsome; with dark eyes and attractive pointed features, but it was not his 'good looks' that was the most pleasing about him. It was the instant feeling of calm you felt when you looked into his kind eyes. Not to mention how perceptive he was. I could tell from the look on his face the moment I sat down that he sensed something was bothering me.

"I'm guessing a beer isn't quite going to cut it" He greeted. I didn't have the energy to hide my foul mood, all I could manage was a slow blink and a nod. He slid out from the booth and I resumed my usual task of becoming completely lost in my thoughts in his absence. I mindlessly toyed with the gold ring on my middle finger and pondered if there would ever come a time in my life where things were just easy. I didn't quite foresee that happening anytime in the future. I hadn't even noticed that Enzo had returned with my drink until his deep voice began calling my name, trying to break the hold my daze of thoughts had over me.

"Sorry….it's just been…one of those days"

"I feel like it's been one of those decades for you" He smirked at me in an almost successful attempt at cheering me up. I appreciated it, but I needed to try and get out of this mindset of feeling sorry for myself all the time. It was a useless waste of energy and it literally got me nowhere.

"Yeah it has but I need to stop letting it affect me" I told in defiance of my emotions "If there is one thing I had learnt in the past few months it's that I am a world champion hurdler. Life has thrown me some pretty awful curve balls but at the end of the day, I've survived everything that's come my way so….I just need to start being more thankful for that then revelling in the torment" Enzo's eyes widened at my words

"Well fuck Elena, I would have gotten a scotch as well if I knew we were gonna jump head first into deep shit like this" I laughed hard at him, and the smile that crossed my face was the exact reason that I had not cancelled on tonight. "All jokes aside though, I think that's a positive attitude to have. You're a fighter Elena, I've sensed that in you from the moment we met, but you also carry the weight of everyone else on your shoulders….and although being so kind is an admirable trait, it will also sink you. You've got to stop feeling so responsible for other people's actions….no matter how much you care about them"

"I don't…" I began to defend myself, but the look Enzo gave me was enough for me to stop

"The only actions that you are responsible for are your own. You need to learn to let the rest go...especially when it comes to a certain ex flame of yours"

"I do not hold myself accountable for the things that he does" I argued

"Oh really? How many times did you apologise to me after what happened here last week? A hundred? Maybe two hundred? Come on, you're more self-aware than that"

"I just know how much better he is than his current behaviour and…. I don't know ….I feel obligated somehow to make sure others do as well"

"It's not your place. You're not his keeper"

"I know, I know" I agreed "Old habits just die hard though you know?" He looked at me curiously for a moment as he ran his ring finger around the top of his beer bottle

"It was a lot more serious with him than you lead everyone to believe wasn't it" It wasn't a question, it was a statement and I didn't quite know how to answer the question because there were so many things that Enzo couldn't know. I settled on a shrug and a nod just to add to his confusion as I sought refuge in the bottom of my scotch glass. "So what has he done this time then?"

"What makes you think he has done anything?"

"That look you get on your face"

"I don't get a look"

"Yeah you do. It's completely different than the one you have for everything else that frustrates you"

"I do not have a look. And even if I did, we haven't known each other long enough for you to know if I have a look"

"Denial is a beautiful place to live in Elena" He smirked, eliciting a joyful grin on my mouth

"So is Assholeville"

"Touche" He lifted his beer up and cheersed my witty comeback as we both laughed whole heartedly

"And he hasn't done anything it was just….a misunderstanding"

"How so?"

"Oh I just….asked if he would like to attend the Miss Mystic Falls pageant with me on Saturday and he….already had a date"

"And why would you throw yourself in front of a bus like that?"

"Well it was more for work than anything else….I thought it would be a good opportunity to show our faces together and shut down any rumours about a power struggle…"

"Elena, you don't have to lie to me alright" He cooed softly. It was the second time today that the lie had fallen flat after delivery "You wanted to go with him and that's fine" I really did need to work on my poker face. His gaze was sympathetic enough to prompt me to open up a little

"I just thought it might be a good start in repairing our relationship you know. Have some fun together. Now instead I'm going to have to go stag and feel even more humiliated while he traipses some floozy around on his arm…"

"Who said you're going stag?" He asked with a cheeky grin on his face "You'll go with me"

"Enzo that's really kind of you but I don't need a pity date.."

"It's not a pity date. I'm not going to let you skulk around a town event because Damon 'Dipshit' Salvatore is too stupid to realise what he's missing out on. We'll go together, get gloriously drunk and show him how stupid he is to turn down a night with you for some other woman"

"You're a pretty great friend, you know that?" I smirked

"It's just one of my many great qualities" He grinned "I'll guess I'll need to rent a tux"

"It's not that formal. A nice suit will do just fine"

"Is Caroline going?" Enzo asked

"Yeah she and Stef will both be there. It's actually a bit of a sore event for her. I beat her for the crown back in the day and she's never quite forgiven me for it"

"Oh well now I am definitely coming" He chuckled. I jumped slightly as a loud clunk from something being dropped on the table took me by surprise, I looked down to see my personal planner attached to a large hand.

"Lost something?" The deep voice asked and I followed the hand up to the chiselled body it was attached to.

"Oh thank god I've been looking everywhere for it!" I sighed in excitement. Excitement that my planner was not gone not excitement that Damon was throwing it on the table in front of me. I was still a little embarrassed from our encounter this afternoon and I didn't plan on being face to face with him again quite so quickly

"We can't have you missing that bikini wax tomorrow now can we?" He smirked. I could tell from the change in Enzo's posture that he wasn't pleased with Damon's sudden arrival, and I just prayed to god that Damon wasn't in the mood for another confrontation. We had barely escaped without the two of them coming to blows last time we were here, I didn't have the energy to prevent another bar brawl tonight; especially considering the damage Damon could inflict on a human. That being said, my own rage began overwhelming my senses at the fact that he had invaded my privacy.

"You read it?" I asked through gritted teeth, half of me wanting to let it go and half of me wanting to rip his head off

"Oh relax Elena it's your calendar not your diary. I opened it to see who it belonged to"

"It's still personal. You should not have read it"

"I believe the term you are looking for is thank you" He growled at me.

"Thank you. Now please go away" I heard Enzo's voice say from across the table, bracing myself for the outburst of testosterone that was sure to follow. Damon's head snapped to his direction, but thankfully, he didn't seem as angry as I had expected him to be

"Enyo. I didn't even see you there buddy. I shouldn't be surprised though. You're like Gilbert's shadow lately…..still sniffing around for that promotion I see"

"Alright Damon. You've returned my planner…you've insulted us both….time for you to go" I told, trying to defuse the situation before it blew up.

"What..I'm not part of the cool group? I'm not hip enough to be invited to drink with the popular kids after work?" The look that I sent his way was sharp enough to cut steel, but it seemed to fuel his fire more than ward him off "Or is it because this is a date? Because if it's a date and I'm interrupting I will totally leave"

"It's not a date but I'd still like you to leave" I told as politely as my anger in the moment would allow me. My eyes met his and we sized each other up for a few seconds before he folded. His head bowed as a sign of compliance and with one last shooting glare at Enzo, he turned and walked away from the booth.

"Well…..at least that wasn't awkward" Enzo commented.

X X X X

The rest of the week dragged on, and thankfully, other than one brief and crowded staff meeting, I didn't have any more one on one confrontations with Damon. I knew that I was going to be hurt if he turned down my invitation, the entire thing was a pipe dream to begin with, and I had to sort through my emotions and try to prevent my go to defence mechanism from being anger instead of dealing with the fact that I was upset. I had fully taken on board what Stefan had said to me before I had experienced my mini breakdown/breakthrough, whatever you want to call it, and by clinging onto anger as an emotion I was doing myself a serious disservice. Regardless, it was easier said than done as a vampire. Caroline had been both happy and angry when I had told her what had transpired between the two of us. Happy that I wasn't going to be subjected to 'his own personal form of sadistic cruelty' all night, as she had put it, but also angry that his rejected had upset me so much. Honestly, I don't know why she was so surprised, but it was probably because I had been a monotone zombie in the emotions department lately, and it had been quite some time since she had seen me react so humanly to something. It was a blessing and a curse, but none the less, the state of things, so I was just going to have to deal with it. I was actually quite happy that Enzo had agreed to come with me to the pageant. He was right, no matter how humiliated I felt at Damon's rejection, me moping around while he enjoyed his night with one of the many women he seemed to have on his arm lately was even more pathetic. Instead, I would present the crown, shake some hands, and try, as hard as it may be, to have a fun filled evening with a friend and co-worker.

Ever the stylist, Care had begged me to let her do my hair and make-up for the event; knowing full well that if I were left to my own devices I would have brushed my straight as nails hair into a messy ponytail and threw on what minimal makeup I possessed in my arsenal. I was quite surprised at how beautiful I looked after her beauty blender and Sigma brushes had spent 45 minutes bashing my face. She had filled in my usually unkempt eyebrows so they were both even, applied a charcoal smoky effect to my large eyes and finished it off with a dark maroon matte lipstick causing me to make a mental note to pay more attention next time so I could attempt to duplicate it for future events. She of course looked stunning as always with not even a hair out of place. I had always been envious of how glamorous Caroline was, but tonight, I was actually feeling a little glamorous myself for a change, which was nice. A little before 2, after applying the finishing touching, we both headed down the staircase of the Salvatore Manor. Expecting to find Stefan waiting for us by the door, we were both shocked to see Damon standing by the large mahogany entrance looking perfect in his tuxedo.

"Ladies" He greeted with his trademark smirk. His acknowledgment was met with a scowl from Caroline as she turned on her heels at the bottom of the staircase and went back upstairs in search of Stefan. I shook my head in humour at her response before leaning against the guard rail, if not a little awkwardly. I didn't want to be alone with him, especially before I had to speak publically. The last thing I needed right now was for him to get inside my head and throw me of balance right before I presented the crown in front of the entire town (and visiting relatives). "Did I say something to offend her?"

"I think your general existence offends her these days Damon" I joked lightly.

"How will I sleep at night knowing that poor sweet Caroline Forbes thinks lowly of me" He gasped as he overdramatically placed his hand on his heart

"Perhaps if you stopped being such a dick people's opinions of you might rise"

"Nah. I have too much fun being the bad guy. Besides, chicks dig it"

"I'll bet"

"Well, I must say, you look….well….who knew under all that hostility and pantyhose you were hiding someone who can wear the hell out of a cocktail dress?" He smirked as his eyes roamed me up and down. A part of me jumped for joy at his comment, but even when he was saying something positive there was still a veil of disparage cloaking it

"Thanks. Who knew under all that cruelty and rudeness you were hiding someone capable of almost giving a compliment" I retorted sarcastically. I expected a scowl to cross his face but instead I was met with a smirk. Was he enjoying this banter?

"You know Elena that smart mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble with me one of these days…"

"My mouth is fine…and if you don't like it…."

"Who said I didn't like it?" He questioned. He was giving me a strange look, one that I couldn't quite place, and I found myself becoming increasingly uncomfortable yet excited under his gaze. I felt something between us; a spark, a fire, one that I hadn't felt since before I was human, and I didn't know what to do with it. His eyes locked mine and the deep dark pools I had been lost in so many times stared right down into my soul. I was frozen; completely mesmerized, and I couldn't escape them. A loud knock from the door broke me out of my trance and without turning away from me, Damon reached over and opened the door. A nervous looking Enzo began peering at me in the doorway and I had to force a smile on my face to break the tension that was left lingering in the room.

"Am I late? You said 2 right?" He greeted with a smile, causing Damon's top lip to form into a scowl. His head moved from Enzo to me and back again before he turned on his heel and marched out the door past him in what could only be described as a huff. What the hell had just happened? "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No, No, of course not" I lied, still a little dazy from the strange moment that I had just been a part of. "Caroline and Stefan should be down in a minute"

X

The entire ride over to the benefit I couldn't get the encounter with Damon out of my head. It was the first time since he had been back that I had felt like I was looking at him when I locked eyes with him. Even if it was just for a few seconds, I saw a glimpse of the man I used to love, and it both excited and terrified me. I knew I was being poor company for Enzo. I was zoning in and out of my own thoughts and barely taking in the conversation around me. Once we reached the benefit and my initial obligations were met, I decided to make more of a conscious effort to be present instead of lost inside my own mind. That was a dangerous place to be at the best of times.

We were having interim tapas while the judges were busy making their decisions and Enzo has disappeared inside to get us both a fresh glass of wine.

"What is up with you?" Caroline asked subtly, trying in vain to get out of Stefan's earshot, but considering he was half a foot away and a vampire that wasn't exactly going to happen

"Nothing…I'll….tell you later"

"Damon" She stated

"Yeah but, I don't really want to talk about it right now"

"No, I mean Damon is headed over here" She told, flicking her head in the direction of the incoming threat. He looked so goddamn good in a suit that it temporarily distracted me from the stunning woman on his arm. I had seen her face many times before, but only once in person, a few months ago at the grill in my first few weeks of working with the company. Andie Starr, the local news presenter and current date of Damon Salvatore. She was the epitome of everything I wasn't. Womanly curves, thick full lips and a come hither look about her that I could never in my wildest dreams pull off. She screamed sex, and I had to admit, they made quite the couple.

"Ahhh, the elusive threesome. Andie, let me introduce you" He greeted as they came to a stop in front of us. "This is my brother Stefan Salvatore and his neurotic and overbearing girlfriend Caroline Forbes" Caroline flinched sharply at his introduction but we were at a town event and she had enough decorum not to make a scene over a petty comment. "And this perpetually sullen young lady is Elena Gilbert…"

"Oh your assistant… I remember" Andy responded looking me up and down "They really let anyone into these events don't they"

"Actually I'm his boss now" I returned with a sweet smile "I must say there are some fantastic benefits from being CEO of such a large corporation. It gives you a lot of pull with people should you need any favours. Mayors, TV Station Mangers….I'm actually on extremely good terms with Steven Quinzell….he's….your boss right?" I shouldn't have stooped down to her bitchy level with such a thinly veiled threat, but something about her got under my skin; other than the fact that she has on the arm of my ex…whatever. Andie's face turned as white as a ghost as Caroline and Damon both held back sniggers….obviously humoured by the diva flare up I was having.

"Now now Elena play nice. Where's your errand boy? He hasn't grew tired of your company already?" Damon asked with a faux smile on his face

"Excuse me" I replied politely, tired of this little game he was playing and unable to face the two of them with any form of public decency any longer. I managed to locate Enzo inside waiting patiently at the bar, and sighed a loud exhale of relief from being away from the Damon drama.

"Didn't take long for him to get to you" Enzo laughed as I leant against the bar

"You are getting a little too perceptive for your own good Mr. St James" I responded "At least it's just petty insults these days. I should count my blessings that he's not still trying to get me fired"

"He really is an insufferable ass. It baffles me as to what you see in him"

"Someone else" I told lightly before wrapping my fingers around the stem of the champagne glass the bartender had just placed on the counter "But, I did make a promise to not only you and myself that I would not spend my night skulking so; I'm activating the 'Let's get gloriously drunk and have a fabulous time plan'"

"There's the spirit!" He cheered. Our conversation was broken by one of the event planners who informed me it was time to present the crown. I threw the rest of the bubbles down my throat for liquid courage and followed her to the staging area. It felt so strange to be announcing the winner and presenting the crown now, it seemed like yesterday that Caroline and I were standing exactly where the girls were tonight; decked out to the nines in our formal dresses and a bundle of nerves as to who the winner would be. Life was so much easier then, so pure, and never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the existence of all the things that went bump in the night….nor the fact that I had now become one. The crown gathered as I began my announcements. Thanking the town sponsors again, reminding the audience and the contestants of the 'life changing prizes' awarded to the winner and reassuring the girls that no matter what happened here tonight they were all winners in my eyes. It was all a bit trivial to me, but I remembered back to being that age and thinking that this was the most important night of my life, and who was I to take that away from them?

Courtney Lockwood was announced runner up and Judy Fell took home the crown, which was a massive shock to everyone. The niece of the mayor had been the favourite for months…..or so Enzo had told me….and nobody had expected little mousy haired Judy Fell to take home the big honour. It reminded me of the night I had won, with everyone expecting Caroline to be crowned. After placing the decades old tiara on her head, Judy took the hand of her partner and was escorted onto the dance floor for the traditional dance. One by one couples followed the contestants onto the dance floor, and as the warm afternoon breeze brushed across my face, I couldn't help but smile as I saw the youthful hope radiating from them.

"Well done boss" Enzo greeted as he joined me "You're a hell of a public speaker"

"It was the champagne" I grinned "Liquid courage and all"

"Well looks like Donnie from Accounts owes me $50. I had money on Fell"

"You did not"

"No. I followed the crowds and bet on the Lockwood broad. Serves me right for listening to the sheep"

"Well aren't you just a little local now" I laughed

"Tell me about it" He grinned in response "Would you care to dance?"

"I really am terrible" I confessed.

"As am I. Maybe two negatives will balance each other out" Without waiting on my agreement Enzo took my hand and led me out onto the dance floor. It had been a long time since I had danced with someone like this, it was quite possibly with Damon in front of the fire place at the Manor the first night we had slept together, and I noticed how uncomfortable I felt being in such close contact with another man. Enzo's hand was placed appropriately on my upper waist and wasn't intentionally doing anything to make me feel this way, but it had been some time since I'd had hands on me like this. As soon as our bodies began moving to the soft melody of the orchestra, I knew he had been lying about being a terrible dancer. Of course an English private schooled man would know how to dance. I gave him a knowing look which elicited a chuckle from his throat "Alright, so maybe I'm not that terrible. Just let me lead and you'll be fine"

"You shit" I laughed in faux anger, but I could not stop the smile that crossed my face

"I like it when you're like this Elena. It's nice to see you smile"

"I smile"

"Yeah but I have to work hard to make you do it" He laughed "I know it isn't my place, but I do consider you one of my only friends in this town…a good one at that…..and I can't hold my tongue any longer"

"Enzo.."

"You're wasting your life chasing after him Elena. I think he has made it perfectly clear that regardless of what he may feel for you, he enjoys torturing you and leading you on more than being you"

"I'm not a victim Enzo. I choose to hold onto what I feel and I choose to pursue a friendship with him"

"Well I think you're making the wrong choice. And I'm not the only one" He told softly as he swirled me around with his left hand "Caroline is worried about you to"

"Look Enzo, I appreciate the concern, I really do. But I'm a big girl, and this isn't yours or Caroline's business" I knew he was just looking out for me, but the last thing I needed in my life was someone else treating me like a victim who couldn't look out for herself. I knew that it was a high likelihood of getting hurt on my Damon mission, I knew that better than anyone, but I had made my decision, and I was the one who had to live with it, not them

"I just want you to know that you have other options"

"Options?"

"Yeah" He breathed deeply "You're a beautiful woman Elena…there's a hundred men who would line up to get a shot with you"

"I highly doubt that"

"Well it's true. You're dancing with one right now" No. His eyes were pleading with me to believe him but I couldn't go there with him. Why was he trying to ruin this? Our friendship was too important to me for him to be saying things like this to me. His grip on me tightened and he tipped me down, his face following closely to mine as he did. I was petrified, I knew he was about to kiss me, but my brain was paralysed as to how to stop it. I felt a sudden jolt as I was pushed back up to standing position by an unknown force and as my eyes readjusted, a large fist connected with Enzo's face, sending him flying a few feet back. I was shocked, unsure of what had just happened until I saw a furious looking Damon standing where Enzo had been hit.

"I've been wanting to do that for weeks"

A/N- Thank you for your patience my gorgeous followers. I have been on vacation for a few weeks and recently became engaged so that has been taking up a lot of my free time.

More Chapters coming your way very shortly 3

-Littledove.