Elena enters the party with Liz and Caroline. She's honestly overwhelmed with all the attention.
"You were wonderful!" A woman smiles as she touches Elena's arm.
"Oh, yes, absolutely wonderful!" Another lady gushes and smiles at her as she gives Elena's hand a squeeze.
Kol appears at Elena's side and leads her into the room. "I know it feels a little intimidating but these are your sponsors," he explains as he makes the introductions to Elena one by one. She finds herself being swept along in the tide of their enthusiasm and she has to admit that it's kind of nice to be looked after this way.
Sometime later, she excuses herself to go into an empty room. This is all so overwhelming. She stares at herself in the mirror. Her hair is held away from her face with pearl combs and thanks to Caroline's skill with eye shadow, hers look large and exotic. There's a simple silver choker fastened around her neck and her feet are encased in a pair of sparkly black peep toes that emphasize the length of leg left bare by the dress.
Elena is a little self-conscious about the amount of skin on display; the tube top leaves her shoulders completely bare and hugs the top curves of her breasts and the skirt itself falls to just below mid-thigh.
Hearing the sound of the door, she looks up as Kol steps inside.
"They're wondering where you went."
"What do they want?" she asks as turns to face him.
"Nothing. They wanted to see you and meet you. A winner. And that's what you are, Elena, a winner. And have I told you how lovely you look tonight?"
"Why do they have to touch me like that? I feel more like an object than a person."
"Because they want to touch someone who can do something they can't," Kol tells her honestly.
"We're on display, aren't we?" Elena stares up at him.
"That's right. And it's your good fortune that they want you to be. Everybody out there tonight, everybody who saw you today would change places with you in a minute."
Elena sighs, she doesn't know if she likes this part of the skating world.
"Don't worry about it. You're the star." Kol lowers his face to kiss her.
Elena stares at his mouth for a moment as if in a spell before she shakes herself out of it. "I can't."
"Do you want to give this all up, Elena?"
Elena's stare lingers for several seconds. "Is that a threat?" she asks and widens the distance between them.
"No, no," Kol assures her. "I'm sorry if it came out that way. I want this, Elena. I'm crazy about you and I need to know how you feel about everything?"
"I don't know, really. I feel like I can't get my feet on the ground." Elena's mind drifts to Damon.
"Understandable..." he forces a smile. "Let's get back to the party," Kol suggests and follows her out of the room. As he watches the slight sway of her hips, he has to fight the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her.
As Damon makes the drive across state lines he has nothing but the occasional interval of flying bugs being squished against his windshield to interrupt his tumultuous thoughts. He cannot ignore the churning mass of doubt in the pit of his stomach. He's nervous about seeing her, filled with mounting dread at who he may find.
Elena's been so clipped in his conversations with her? He goes back and forth with himself wondering if he's doing the right thing. What is the point of showing up only to have her hand his heart back to him in pieces? Damon cannot squash the fervent hope that she's still the Elena he knows and loves.
His cell phone rings, abruptly shattering the quiet within the car's interior. Damon makes a grab for it, the shrill trilling wearing on his already frayed nerves. He heaves a long-suffering sigh when he reads the number on the caller ID.
"Why are you calling me?"
Bonnie answers his irritated question with her own. "Where are you right now?"
"I going to see Elena perform at sectionals."
"So you're finally going to go after her. It's about time you got your ass in gear...Anyway, I hope that means you're in the middle of packing or something. You've let Elena alone long enough and—,"
"Bonnie," Damon groans.
"The time has come for you to stop licking your wounds, step up and reclaim your girl."
"Bonnie!" he explodes in an exasperated hiss, "I'm here already. I've been driving all night."
"Well, thank God," Bonnie huffs. "Have you seen her yet?"
Damon resists the understandable inclination to gnash his teeth. "No, I haven't seen her. It's after nine already."
"When are you going to see her then?"
"Tomorrow. I'm hoping to surprise her at the Broadmoor. Does that meet with your approval?"
"I suppose," she grumbles.
"I'm going to hang up now so I can get a motel room. Bye, bye, Bon-Bon." Damon expels a heavy sigh as he ends the call.
A long line of graceful girls enters the arena. At the end of the line, Elena is with Liz, Caroline, and Kol who's going to narrate her performance for his show.
Elena's nerves are on edge as this will be the first real test of her skills under Liz's tutelage. She's wearing a brand new and expensive icy lavender skate dress.
"Okay, here we go. Remember, concentrate," Liz says softly as they walk toward the ice.
"Give her the tight shot," Kol instructs his cameraman. "Lead her, lead her... Back to me now," he turns to face the man.
Reviewing the overall standings here at the Broadmoor World Arena where the annual Midwest sectionals will, we hope to send a champion to the nationals next month. All the training, all the sacrifices. And I don't mind telling you, I think I'm more nervous than Elena is. But this is the bottom line. And fourth overall, the astounding new skating discovery who is also training here at Broadmoor, Elena Gilbert...Cut," Kol adds as the cameraman pans to the crowd.
"Alright then," Liz says, patting her on the shoulder. "Get out there, have some fun because after this you've gotta get back to work."
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, the girl from Iowa in fourth place overall, Miss Elena Gilbert," comes from the rink PA system.
Damon stands up when he suddenly catches sight of her as she takes off her skate guards and waits for the announcer to call her to the ice. His heart is pounding in anticipation. He wants her to succeed more than anything. He stares unblinkingly at Elena as she skates to the center ice.
"Will you please sit down? We would like to see the performance," comes from behind him along with a tug on his jacket.
Damon nods absently and takes his seat.
Elena glides around the ice with the spotlight following her stride, taking the simple warm-up lap to get her feet under her and absorb the energy of the crowd.
Her eyes flutter closed and she melts just as the ET theme song begins. Her long program is physically taxing. Elena throws herself into the steps just as passionately as she always does.
She begins skating, spinning in one spot then opening up. She builds up speed, soars high, and delivers a triple axle perfectly much to the delight of the crowd who roars with approval. The soft voice of the song seems to amplify the sounds of her blades twirling and scraping over the ice, adding their own harmony to the music.
The lights glint against the rhinestones of her blue skating dress, pure and vivid contrast against the stark white of the ice.
The song comes to an end and the applause kicks in. Elena dips in a bow, before skating off the ice to Liz's awaiting arms.
"That was fabulous," Liz tells her as they wait for her scores.
"Ladies and gentlemen, here are the scores for Miss Gilbert: 5.8, 5.7, 5.7, 5.9, 5.9, 5.8. And we have a new Midwest regional champion. Miss Elena Gilbert," The announcer's voice is drowned out by thunderous applause.
The minutes that follow are complete chaos. Elena is hugged and congratulated but too caught up in the shock of winning to register the faces that approach her. Though she sees her name flashing on the scoreboard, she still can't quite believe she's really won and can't even begin to comprehend exactly what that means.
Elena finds herself glancing back over at the screen to make sure that really is her name, that it isn't some kind of an illusion. But every time she pinches herself, her name remains at the number one spot. Little by little, it starts to sink in.
Damon watches with pride as Elena skates out to collect the flowers that are being thrown down on the ice.
She waves the roses in the air as she returns to hug Liz, Kol, and Caroline, too.
"Everything is in place for the awarding of the medals to be presented by the President of the Broadmoor Skating Club," The announcer states as the stage is set up.
As Elena turns toward the rink, Kol grabs onto her, spins her into his arms, and kisses her.
"Do you hear them?" Liz bursts out excitedly as a wild-eyed Elena backs out of Kol's embrace.
It is all so surreal, Elena feels like she's flying and doesn't even consider that Kol kissed her. She's so excited, absolutely elated as she soaks in this moment...until she catches a glimpse of Damon.
"In third place, representing the North Skating Club..." comes the voice of the rink announcer as he begins introductions for the medal ceremony.
"Damon!" Elena bursts out in shock to see him. Suddenly everyone around them seems to fade away as she moves to stand in front of him. "Damon, you came."
Damon's breath catches painfully as he recognizes that his moment has arrived and he is completely unprepared for it. His palms sweat. His breathing becomes painful and labored. He's staring at her with a comical look on his face as if his insides have been kicked out.
"Please Damon, I have to go."
Damon never takes his eyes off hers. He doesn't even blink. "It looks like you already have everything you need."
"Ladies and gentlemen, Elena Gilbert."
With her eyes blazing with fire, she hisses, "Why don't you go start something else to quit?"
Her stare lingers for a millisecond before she skates onto the ice to receive her gold medal.
Caroline pokes her head through the crack in the door. The room is dark except for a candle that's flickering on the dresser top.
"You look like you could use some of this." Caroline holds up a container of cherry cheesecake ice cream and two spoons.
Elena's eyes are puffy, her hair is messy and for the first time since Caroline's known her, the fire is gone from her eyes.
Elena nods as the blonde enters the bedroom and closes the door behind her.
Caroline stretches out on the bed beside Elena and hands her a spoon.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Did you see what happened?" Elena looks at her.
Caroline shoots her an understanding smile "Yeah, and I gather that was Damon?"
"Kol kissed me, I didn't kiss him. Damon saw it and just assumed..."
"Well, Elena, what did you expect? Your actions pretty much telecast you were ready to put the past behind you. You told me yourself you haven't been talking to him."
"This isn't all my fault. Damon hasn't exactly run up a phone bill calling me either!" Elena defends herself.
"I'm on your side, Elena...It seems you both have made mistakes so you have to decide if you want to fix things with Damon or..."
"Or?"
"I think Kol is cute. He likes you, he told Mom as much."
"My relationship with Damon is over. You didn't see the look on his face," she sighs heavily as she considers her words. "The only way would be for me to give all of this up and go home. I can't. I want this, Caroline. I've dreamed of being in the Olympics for as long as I can remember."
"Do you think he'd want you to quit? Seems a little selfish to me," Caroline comments as she scoops some ice creams into her mouth.
Elena shakes her head furiously. "Damon would never ask me to do that."
"Maybe you need to tell him how you feel..."
"Damon knows...He'll never forgive me after what I said to him."
Elena sighs as she twirls her spoon in the ice cream and takes a bite.
"It's good."
The last many weeks have been a whirlwind for Elena. After the fallout with Damon, she has spent a little time getting to know Kol. They've gone out for lunch and a couple of movies but with skating consuming almost every waking moment, it's hard to have a relationship. Truthfully, she's in no hurry to rush into another one, preferring to keep it casual for now.
Every day she's up at the crack of dawn to practice and she wouldn't change a thing. She wants that gold medal more than anything.
"Hold still," Caroline tells her as she applies a second coat of mascara.
"You're good at this," Elena tells her. "Have you thought about being a professional makeup artist?"
"Absolutely," Caroline laughs as she closes the tube and reaches for a perfume bottle. "Do you like vanilla?"
Elena nods.
Caroline sprays a little of her Vaniglia del Madagascar for Elena to take a whiff.
"That smells heavenly."
"I know," Caroline agrees as she hands the bottle to Elena who sprays it on her pulse points.
"Kol's here," comes Liz's voice from the bottle of the staircase.
She smiles at Elena. "Let's go."
"So Elena," Esther Mikaelson says, "You must tell me all about yourself."
"There isn't much to tell," Elena says lightly, trying not to panic. Kol has gotten sucked into a conversation about market shares and Nielsen ratings. Since she has no interest in the topic, she starts to wander around. She's managed to avoid having to make conversation with anyone by pretending a fascination with the ice sculpture carved to celebrate her win.
Only now Kol's mother is bearing down on her and Elena gets the feeling that she isn't going to escape an interrogation without some difficulty.
"Oh, I doubt that," Esther says with a smile. "It's not often that Kol has someone so intriguing on his arm and it's even less often that said you aren't one of his usual empty-headed, types."
Elena stifles a laugh. "I think there was a compliment in there somewhere...So thank you."
"What's important is that he can't take his eyes off of you." Esther nods over Elena's shoulder, presumably in Kol's direction. She tells herself not to turn around but she can't help it. She turns to follow his mother's line of eyesight and sure enough, Kol is staring at her. When their eyes meet a slow smile curves his lips.
Deliberately turning her back, Elena tries to focus on Esther again but all she can see in her mind is Damon and the devastated look on his face.
"Elena?"
"We haven't known each other long."
"Still in the honeymoon phase, are we?" Esther quips.
"Something like that," Elena murmurs believing it futile to dissuade her of the notion, and takes a fortifying sip of her drink.
She listens then as Esther begins to rattle off something, and it is as if she can feel the walls closing in around her with each word that passes over her lips. Her heart seems to beat loud and faster, and the ache behind her eyes pounds like a runaway drum beat.
"If you'll excuse me, she says to Esther and quickly makes her escape. She goes to find a pair of skates and goes outside to the small ice rink on the property.
After lacing up her skates she starts doing graceful laps around the ice as she tries to remember how enjoyable it used to be. As hard as she tries, she can't get the image of Damon out of her mind.
Elena closes her eyes, her chest aching and burning with emotions that she can't even name. She tries to shake the feeling and concentrate on her skating. She looks natural as if she was meant to be on the ice. Both her and her skates move fluidly. There is not one jerky movement. She balances herself so easily; she truly is an expert.
Elena pushes harder and glides on her skates. Her left leg is slightly bent and her right is stretched out behind. Then she kicks her right leg up in front of her so the right knee goes up in the air. She rolls down the ice on the outside edge, watching out for a table and chair set that is perched near the entrance to the skating area.
She extends her right leg behind, again, and glides backward. She jumps high in the air. When she lands she looks like an angel with her arms stretched out as wings. Elena spins around, keeping her right foot straight and body free, and turns in a counter-clockwise direction, holding her chest out, head back, and left knee in the air.
Unaware of everyone staring at her from the windows above, Elena spreads her arms out as skates to build up more speed as she prepares to do another jump. The wind is in her hair, the breeze feels brisk across her chest and she feels alive.
As she launches herself for a toe loop, her skate catches a wide crack in the ice.
Her head slams onto the ice as she lands in a heap. Her eyesight blurs as her consciousness begins to trickle away. Throughout the inky space, Elena's heart pounds loudly and echoes in her ears. Feeling in her body drains away until finally, all is black.
"Oh, God, Elena..." comes from the window above.
Thank you, everyone. You're all gems for still supporting Damon & Elena all these years after the show ended. Also thank you to Eva, Kate, O, Sarah, and Jarka. You're all such good friends.
I'm not currently writing anything. I'm trying to come up with something for DE holidays 2023 but I'm not having much success.
TQR will update next.
Have a fabulous day.