Thank you for the multiple positive reviews, again.
You were all right, immaturity leads to the opportunity for growth and hopefully our favourite couple are going to grow together.
This chapter contains one of the best scenes of the series, in my opinion. I hope you enjoy my take on it.
x-x-x-x
"Isn't it about time you got your own place?" Damon sneered as he walked through his own front door to find the witch doing what seemed to be yoga on a roll in front of his sofa.
"Most men go with, 'Honey I'm home.'" She replied, not turning to look at him. "How were the drinks? Still warm I hope." She added.
Of course she'd figured out where he'd been. He was getting entirely sick of her. Usually at this point he'd move on, often without telling her first. God, he could be a dick. Unfortunately, he had a Gilbert device to get his hands on before he could do that. Then he could sod off and leave this shithole and everyone in it behind.
He'd returned from Whitmore campus after receiving a text from the youngest Gilbert: Anna was going to be at the Miss Mystic Falls event. Damon half thought Jeremy had set it up that way on purpose, forcing Damon to watch Elena dance with Tyler fucking Lockwood. Perhaps Elena was in on it, setting him up for that pain, she had enjoyed rubbing up close to that smug little bastard the other night.
The grip he had on the bannister was starting to be too tight, he could hear the wood splintering.
"I thought a few sorority girls would have relaxed you a bit more?" She quipped at him, then her voice softened down to barely above a whisper. "Come talk to me Damon."
He turned, returning to the parlour to pour himself a drink and splay himself out on his sofa. He didn't want to talk, but she was right- he was tense and he needed to calm himself down before he went to the Founder's event. He couldn't make a wrong move in front of the council, or Anna. Plus, the last time he'd ignored Bree's request for a chat she'd given him an aneurysm so bad he could feel the residual healing for instead, he would sit and drink and maybe consider speaking. Maybe.
Bree had left him in comfortable silence, and after half a glass he decided to break it. It helped that she had just tried downward dog facing the right direction, a good view always cheered him up.
"I have to meet Anna, at the Founder's Court celebration." He couldn't see Bree's reaction but he could hear her breathing remain steady. She wasn't worried, and that calmed him.
"You mean, you have to go watch Elena in Miss Mystic Falls." She said, trying to go directly to the part of the event he really didn't want to think about.
"Not everything is about Elena." He responded. Bree sent him a scathing look as she switched position. He had to acquiesce. "I genuinely need to be there, Jeremy set it up- probably to screw with me. Anna has something I need to get my hands on. But yes, I am more pissed because I have to go watch Elena dance with fucking Tyler Lockwood."
He got up, poured another drink then sat down. "Why the fuck did she have to pick him?"
Bree sighed, "Why not? He's young, handsome, has prospects…"
'He's a fucking dick" He interrupted her. He hadn't told her what he'd said to Elena- he knew the telling off that would get him.
Luckily, Bree didn't make him. Instead, she paused her yoga and turned to look at him, hands on hips. Damon had seen that look before, whatever Bree said now he was going to have to do or he'd regret it.
"If you don't want to watch her dancing with someone else, then you have to be the person dancing with her."
x-x-x-x
Caroline and Elena both winced as Jenna managed to burn herself on the curling tongs once again. She'd tried to step in for Miranda Gilbert, helping Elena get ready. Caroline, finding her mother once again absent due to work, had joined the pair and they had prepared together.
Hopefully, Jenna would soon admit defeat and leave her and Elena to it. They were experts at getting ready and Caroline had been dying to get Elena alone all week. Something was up with her, she'd been miserable all week. Bonnie had managed to suss out that Damon had also left town so that was at least part of the problem but it wasn't just boy drama. Elena hadn't been this down in the dumps when Stefan had left and he was her epic love.
Luckily, that burn seemed to have done it. As Jenna excused herself to find some running water, Caroline took up the curling iron.
"You know, I won't hate you if you win, you know that right?" She'd been worrying all week that Elena was avoiding her questions because she was to blame. Caroline would die to win Miss Mystic Falls, but she wouldn't sacrifice her friend's happiness. If she lost, well, she would just have to be mad at herself. It wasn't Elena's fault she had the sympathy card.
Elena rolled her eyes, "Oh, you will Care, but I know you'd forgive me. I'm pretty certain you're going to win though- you practically run every event in town."
The finished the rest of the hair style in silence, pinning half Elena's curls up and leaving the rest flowing around her shoulders. She'd chosen a lapis lazuli pin, matching the blue of her dress. Even without makeup, she looked stunning. Caroline was going to have a run for her money.
They swapped positions, and Elena started to tease the end of her hair so that it curled and sat perfectly on her shoulders. "So, if it's not about Miss Mystic Falls, why have you been in such a crappy mood all week?"
Elena merely mumbled, "I haven't".
Caroline would have to let her ignore the issue for the next 5 minutes, her hair styling too precedence for now, but the moment both girls began putting the finishing details to their makeup she resumed the conversation.
"I can't believe I'm about to have this conversation; it's Damon isn't it?" Caroline pursed her lips. She had warned Elena, and hoped- Damon wasn't a good guy, but even Caroline could see that he'd been trying with Elena and Elena had brightened up around him. For weeks, she had been more and more like her old self. Now she was all doom and gloom again, and it had to be him.
"What are you going to tell me, Care, that you told me so?" Elena could be catty when she wanted to be.
"Actually, no." Elena might think she's a bitch, but Caroline would still put her friend above her opinions. She knew people could change, and maybe Elena liked it rough? It wasn't any of Caroline's business, she reluctantly admitted to herself. "I'm going to tell you to speak to him."
That broke the girl in front of her, and Elena almost let out a sob. Uh-oh. There could be no tears until after the winner was announced.
"Nope." Caroline said firmly. "There will be no crying today. You can tell me what happened in 100 words or less, I'll tell you how to fix it, and then we will go down there and remind every man and woman in Mystic Falls that we are the hottest girls in this town and any single one of them would be lucky to have them."
Elena's breathing slowed and she nodded, fanning at her eyes to remove the residual tears that were hanging there. 100 words was a game they'd played since middle school- could they fix any problems in less than 100 words? Caroline was glad she'd remembered it today, as it was clearly working,
Counting her fingers as she spoke (it was more of a guide than a hard and fast rule), Elena recounted the situation to Caroline. Other than a slight squeal at the mention of a kiss and a murderous look when she brought up what he'd said about Tyler, Caroline managed to stay silent. It was the hardest thing she'd done all day, and she'd managed to be polite about all the other girls- including the one wearing the sluttiest red dress Caroline had ever seen. Well, almost. She'd seen Bree last week.
"Right. First, stop kidding yourself. You want Damon as much as he wants you, and if you let yourself admit that you'd probably jump at the idea of living anywhere with him. He's an older guy, he's going to want to move quicker." Elena laughed at this, and Caroline loved to see the smile on her face. She continued, "Tell him that you're not sure what you want, but you want to spend right now with him. What's the worst that can happen?"
Elena just raised one brow at this.
"Thanks, Care." She pulled Caroline into a hug, carefully of course- neither wanted their hair messing up at this crucial stage. "It means a lot that you would accept him."
Caroline shrugged slightly and smiled at her friend, she knew she had no choice and trying to be harmonious about it would be easier on everyone, her included, than kicking up a fuss.
Holy crap, was Caroline Forbes maturing?
x-x-x-x
She watched Caroline go down the stairs, heard the announcement of her and her escort and then moved to the top of the staircase.
She frowned, almost panicking that Tyler wasn't there, when she saw him. His eyes met hers and it took all her focus to stay still until she was announced.
"Miss Elena Gilbert, accompanied by Mr Damon Salvatore."
That was her cue, she took one step forward, remembering to keep her pace steady as she descended. Neither had broken their gaze from the other since their eyes first met, but as she descended the last step she had to turn to take his arm.
She didn't dare speak, letting him lead her out to the dance floor outside. God, he knew the dance, didn't he?
Caroline, ahead of her, had already turned to face her dance partner- a strategic choice- and her eyes flashed with happiness for Elena as she saw who was accompanying her. God knows how Damon had pulled this switch off, but it was obviously a surprise to more than just her.
They paused at the appropriate spot, turned to face each other, and waited for the music to begin. He looked amazing in his formal wear, his eyes matched her outfit and the depths she could see in them bewildered her. How could she have hurt this man? She knew she'd done it deliberately when she'd pressed up against Tyler in the grill, chosen him as a dance partner. The initial argument may not have been entirely her fault, but that decision was.
'I'm sorry.' She whispered at an almost inaudible volume, knowing he would catch it.
He smiled at her, though there was still pain in his eyes as he did so. Then, the music began.
This was a dance of near touch, as they stepped forward their hands rested painstakingly close to each other, their gaze focused on each other as they turned. In practice, this had seemed ridiculous, unnecessarily prudish and old-fashioned, but with Damon it felt like there was electricity sparking between their hands. The near touch became almost painful as she longed to close the gap.
She didn't have to focus on her footing or the music, she just focused on Damon and he led the way. She didn't have to worry about him knowing the dance, it was clear he was more than familiar with the steps. With a pang of jealousy, she thought about him dancing it with Katherine and looked down at her feet, almost tripping as she was pulled out of the trance dancing with him had created.
Luckily, she had chosen the moment the dance turned to the style of a waltz, she was being held firmly by him- her hand in his and the other arm around her waist.
"'Lena," He whispered. "Look at me, baby."
She did, and it was like she was once more trapped in his spell, able to spin with him. Both of them smiled as they danced, relaxing into each other as they held their poses.
Caroline had been right, she wanted this. This wasn't a high school romance or a crush, this feeling could consume her. She could get lost in him for days and forget the world. It was an all-encompassing feeling when he held her, when he looked at her like that. She wanted it, but she knew what letting Damon love her would mean. She knew what she would have to do if she loved him. You never walked away from a love like that.
As the music drew to a close and the dance pairs said their farewells, Elena whispered, "I'm just not ready yet."
Damon bent to kiss her hand, using the moment to look up at her sinfully, "I have eternity to wait."
The realisation swept through her, one day she was going to die for him and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.
x-x-x-x
Damon had spotted the young looking vampire arrive earlier, but he'd had to divert to the dance. Now, she was stepping out of the mansion, clearly looking for the youngest Gilbert.
This was his opportunity, approaching her he offered a greeting.
"I believe the phrase the kids are saying this day is, 'You scrub up well.'" He smiled at her and gestured down at her dress.
She rolled her eyes at him, but accepted the compliment with no further protest.
Then, she surprised him; offering a piece of history to him. "I remember this event, I was supposed to compete in 1864; before everything happened. I was going to ask Stefan to be my partner."
Damon widened his eyes and gripped his chest in mock offence. "How dare you choose the inferior brother?"
"Please, you were obsessed with Katherine. You would have ignored me the entire dance." The girl had a point, and he just had to shrug. "Besides, my mother banned me from requesting either of you. Katherine wanted to dance with Stefan."
He managed to not flinch at that. It was ridiculous that it had been over a dozen decades, yet the idea of his brother being chosen over him still hurt. Pearl had advised her daughter well though, Katherine may have enjoyed playing the field but she was brutally possessive over both the brothers.
"Speaking of the wise Pearl, I believe she may be in possession of a Gilbert articfact." He paused, taking a sip, then adding "I need it."
She turned, frowning at him now, "Why do you want it?"
"I didn't say I wanted it, I don't know what it is. I need it. John GIlbert wants it, which means it's valuable to him in some way. I need to know why." He responded, scanning the guests as Anna processed the information to check for Elena, he heard her laugh in the distance. God, he hoped it wasn't Tyler Lockwood's joke. He'd followed Bree's advise and ensured he was the one she danced with, and had managed to stop short of killing the Lockwood boy to make it happen.
Pulled back to the conversation by Anna clearing her throat, he took a sip of his Champagne and gave her a grim smile.
"Which would benefit us, how? Why should we give it to you?" She asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Because right now, John Gilbert is the biggest barrier to you returning to Mystic Falls. I'm the second biggest." He flashed his eyes at her, turning his body inwards and widening his stance, threatening if you knew the context but perfectly natural to an outsider. "Let me have the device, I know him out of play and I'm happy with you. Win win for you. Happily ever after with little Jeremy over there."
She blushed, setting her eyes down. He had suspected that her affections for Jeremy Gilbert were strong enough for her to desire to return- the fact she came after a text had deepened that suspicion.
He hoped that she could persuade her mother that a teenage human was worth the risk.
He didn't know Pearl well, but he remembered that she was a wise woman. She'd wanted Katherine to leave before the events of the tomb unfolded, but Katherine had insisted on staying. In 1864, he had seen it as a sign she truly loved him and wanted to risk being into him.
Now, well, now he just wondered if she'd planned it all along. Manipulative bitch.
He raised his champagne flute to the young vampire before turning to depart for the direction he'd heard the laughing coming from. His brain knew that giving Elena some space was the wise idea, he'd practically ambushed her with the dance. However, he desperately needed to know that she wasn't laughing at some deft joke Tyler Lockwood was making, falling for his obtuse teenage flirtations as he gave her time. Luckily, getting slightly closer, he could hear her laughing with Jenna. Interestingly, about Alaric.
Finding a good spot to rest, he stood and listened to the tale of Alaric and the missing boxers. He'd use that valuable information later. From this vantage point, he could also hear Jeremy and Anna. Jeremy may have invited Anna but from what Damon could tell, he'd been playing it cool and ignoring her until she marched over and demanded to know why he'd dragged her.
The kid had been pretty pissed at Anna during what Damon had dubbed, 'The Big Reveal'. The two had been growing close, and then Anna had just left with Pearl. Damon was pretty sure that Anna's affection for Jeremy was part of the reason she'd left so abruptly- Pearl won't have been the most stable when she first emerged from the tomb and the Gilbert line would have likely been her first target.
The fact Anna had even come to Jeremy's text was a sign that either her affections were stronger than Damon had predicted, or Pearl was calm enough that she could risk returning to Mystic Falls.
Alaric strolled over, and Damon grabbed them both a fresh flute off a tray as one of the many staff passed by. Handing one to Alaric, he commented sarcastically.
"Even when I'm not footing the bill, I still seem to be the one getting your drinks." He tapped his glass against that of Alaric's, before taking a big gulp. His eyes drifted over to Elena once more.
"Long may it continue." Alaric responded, before following his eyes. "I see you and Elena have made up."
Damon pursed his lips. Had they? He shook his head gently. "Nope."
Alaric questioned him with his eyebrows, prompting Damon to respond further.
He sighed slightly, why did everyone want to know so much about his personal life? Living in Mystic Falls was like living with a dozen therapists. "She's not ready. I'm going to keep showing up until she is."
Alaric nodded, contemplating, "What if she is never ready?"
Damon had considered this option. He'd been so sure Katherine was his true love that he'd waited over a century for her. He didn't think twice about it, he'd known a vampire who had waited 800 years for her love and might still be out there, waiting. He'd learnt from her that waiting didn't have to mean misery and chastity, but he'd never opened his heart to another- not even to Bree.
At first, he thought he couldn't wait for Elena. The risk of her betraying him the way Katherine had was too huge. Plus, she was Katherine. An exact spitting image. Perhaps he was just being a complete and utter idiot the way Stefan had been, obsessing over someone looking so similar.
But then she wouldn't leave his head. Even a century ago, when he had been staying faithful to Katherine, it had been due to his belief that's what he should do. When he finally stepped across that line and took another into his bed, he didn't think of her at all- absorbed in the moment. Elena though; the thought of touching a woman other than Elena made him feel sick. Not because he owed her faithfulness, but because it was her. He only wanted her.
His trip to Whitmore and his lack of success with the girls there had told him all he needed to know, and even before he received the text from Jeremy he had realised he would eventually need to come back and fight for her.
Maybe it was an obsession, maybe he would wake up one day in 20 years, watching her raise a family from a distance and realise she would never be ready for him. Maybe he was destined to a life stalking her, much like Stefan had for a summer.
He's risked it, the pain and humiliation of rejection, he'd risked it all to be the one she danced with.
That dance had told him everything he needed to know to respond to Alaric.
"She will be. She wants it just as much as I do." He said, no waver in his voice at all.
He downed the rest of his drink, the Champagne wasn't good enough to be savoured anyway, and left the event before Alaric could protest otherwise.
x-x-x-x
Elena had changed dance partners to Damon Salvatore! They'd practically had eye sex the full dance, and it hadn't looked like the sensuality of the near touch and more like provocative foreplay on the patio.
Caroline's chances at winning had drastically improved with that dance, and not just because Elena had unwittingly jilted the son of the head of the voting panel.
She didn't seem to mind though, when the girls gathered to chat after the dance Elena was the calmest and most light-hearted she had been in weeks, if not the entire year. It was clear the gesture from Damon had reduced whatever pain he had been causing her, and even Caroline had to admit they looked good together.
Perhaps the genuine kindness and good nature of her best friend would dampen Damon's worst traits. Caroline truly hoped so.
Now they had reconciled, Elena had made it clear they were not together. She did, however, admit that they may be in the future. Terrifying.
She squeezed Elena's hand as they stood awaiting the announcement. Both their dance partners had long since disappeared, so the girls anxiously waited together.
Caroline needed to win this.
"Our new Miss Mystic Falls is…" She could almost feel her heartbeat in her throat. "Miss Caroline Forbes."
This was it. She's won.
She turned to see Elena's reaction, to commiserate her loss, but her friend's smile was huge.
Elena enveloped her in a hug, whispering, "You deserve this Care, you're inspirational."
Caroline walked to the stage to receive her ribbon and crown. She wasn't sure if she had ever been happier.