"My brother gave you what?" I asked, turning to face the blonde. We were in Caroline's room, the day of the ball fast approaching.
I had filled everyone in on what happened, with the help of Bonnie who explained the magic involved. Yet, none of us were certain of whether Esther's intentions were as good as she was saying. I was supposed to be picking up Caroline and heading to The Grill to meet Elena for lunch. And yet, she invited me inside to show me something. Something bad, apparently.
"A bracelet" Caroline replied, passing me a small black box. I opened it carefully, my eyes widening in shock as the light bounced off the diamonds in front of me, a multitude of colours shimmering across the wall. "...And a dress" she continued, her voice amounting to a mumble as she nodded towards the large box on her bed.
"Oh... he has lost his bloody mind" I sighed, shaking my head and passing the box back before placing my hands on my hips. "He definitely fancies you, incase you're wondering".
"Can you not tell him to stop?!" Caroline asked in bewilderment.
I snorted at that, before noticing the serious expression on her face.
"I... don't think so?" I scrunched my face up in confusion, earning a frustrated groan from Caroline. "I mean, I'll try, but if I know my brother, and I'm sorry to say I do... nothing I can say will have any affect".
"It's so creepy" Caroline groaned again, sitting down heavily on the bed with a shudder.
"Well, I'm afraid that's just the Mikaelson way, love" I winked, mimicking my brothers nickname, earning a laugh from Caroline.
"Anyways, enough about Klaus..." Caroline sighed, wrinkling her nose slightly at my brothers name. "how are things with you and Damon?".
"Yeah, we're... good". I replied, sighing as I got up again to head downstairs.
"Uh oh" Caroline leaned forward, grabbing her bag "you paused, she paused! Why did you pause?".
"I didn't!" I laughed, scrunching up my face in disbelief, too lightly to be believed judging by the expressions on her face.
"Has something happened?" she asked.
"No!" I said, almost too quickly, "god, no, if anything it's the opposite".
"What's that supposed to mean?". I could hear Caroline's voice behind me as we walked out of the house together.
"I..." my face reddened slightly as I struggled for words, my grip tightening on the handle of the car door.
"Oh come on, you're like a billion years old" said Caroline, reaching the passenger side. "Relationships are always the same, so what's the problem?".
"Nothing, there's no problem! that's the thing" I responded, before clambering into the car. "I mean, it's Damon". I let out a groan, before turning to Caroline as she sat next to me. "He's impulsive, stupidly arrogant and he makes me want to scream sometimes, he just... I just...".
"You love him" Caroline interjected. "But you haven't told him have you?".
I opened my mouth to reply, taken aback slightly by the sincerity of her sudden conclusion, before I closed it once more.
"I mean" I gulped, "I feel like what we had in 1864 was this simple, easy thing... but now, it's messy, complicated and it hurts" I sighed.
"That's because it's real" she said, as if it were obvious.
I shot her a pointed look, before rolling my eyes. And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was right.
"I just hate it because I feel so... overwhelmed and I..." my breath hitched in my throat as I struggled for words. "I don't know how to say it".
The smile faded from Caroline's face, concern washing over her as the two of us sat in the car in silence.
"In all honesty" She started, "When I first met Damon... he was a douche. A mega douche. And don't get me wrong, I still think he is one" she added lightly. "But the way he looks at you, I swear it's like something out of a cheesy romance movie, like... every girl wants to be looked at that way" she said softly, catching me by surprise.
"Im sure you're exaggerating" I laughed, the smile not quite reaching my eyes as I remembered the last cheesy romance she had forced me to endure. "I just... don't want to screw it up" I admitted.
"See this is exactly your problem" the blonde groaned. "You're afraid of screwing up. Have you guys even, y'know...?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively. "Oh my god" she mumbled, her hands flying over her mouth. "You haven't done it yet!".
I shot Caroline another look, my silence all but confirming my answer.
"I mean, you and Damon haven't done it yet, are we talking about the same person here?!" She asked bewilderedly, receiving only a shrug in response.
"It... hasn't been a priority with everything that's been going on, y'know? The whole, 'my brother's trying to murder everyone' thing hasn't really helped".
I started the engine, wondering if Caroline's confusion was justified.
"I say this, lovingly, as your friend" she said sincerely, "you're both being idiots" the blonde leaned forward excitedly, "you need to jump his bones already!". I snorted at that as I pulled out of her driveway, the two of us laughing together.
"Fine, fine" I managed, "I guess you're right...".
"Oh, I always am when it comes to this" she said with a wink. "You may be a thousand years old, but guys never change and Damon..." she sighed, smiling softly still "Damon loves you... so hold onto that, yeah?".
I couldn't help but smile at that, the same words I said to her echoing back to me.
And yet, I couldn't quite shake the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. A thousand years in this world and I have never been so perplexed over something so seemingly simple.
_________________________
"It's all so weird" Elena sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down heavily "They're throwing a ball. Like an actual ball".
"Hey, don't look at me" I rolled my eyes, sitting down next to her in The Grill. "I didn't plan this nonsense".
"It's some twisted Cinderella fetish is what it is" Caroline interjected, earning a snort from me in response.
"I just don't know why my mother of all people invited you, Elena... I hope it's nothing bad" I mumbled, chewing my lip slightly.
"I have no idea... There's only one way to find out" she shrugged.
"I thought you told Stefan you weren't going?" Caroline asked, squinting at Elena curiously.
"I did, which is all the more reason why I need a drama free bodyguard" the doppelgänger glanced between Caroline and I pleadingly, clearly wanting one of us to be with her.
"Right, because me hovering over you like a hawk won't look at all suspicious to my Mother" I said sarcastically.
"Well" Caroline raised her hands in defence, "I think Stefan would look a lot better in a tux".
"Ugh" Elena scrunched up her face at that, a pained look appearing in her eyes, before it flashed away once more. "I can't deal with him right now... Whatever Stefan's feeling, he's channeling it all against Klaus" she explained, her eyes meeting mine momentarily. "Anyways... I'm guessing you're bringing Damon, right?" Elena fumbled, attempting to conceal the uncomfortable atmosphere that was weighing down over us.
I smiled gratefully at that. "Yeah" I nodded, "in all honestly I'm just hoping for a drama free evening, is that bad?".
"Ooh, what's that?" Caroline cut in sarcastically, earning a snort from me. "I'm serious" I laughed, "I feel like whenever I manage to catch my breath here, another disaster happens".
"Tell me about it" Elena groaned, knowing all to well what I meant.
It was then however that a familiar figure entered The Grill, making the three of us turn around.
Rebekah noticed us almost immediately, walking up to our table with a glare spread across her face.
"Careful Grace" she said to me, "It's all well and good until she stabs you in the back".
"What are you doing here?" Elena demanded. "I know your mom's rules, No hurting the locals".
"Get over yourself Elena" Rebekah rolled her eyes at that. "It's not all about you".
With that, she left, heading towards the bar determinedly. She reached Matt, who looked up in surprise as he saw my sister approach him.
"Oh my god..." Caroline muttered, watching Rebekah pass him a small envelope, an invitation no doubt. "She's inviting him to the ball. Why is she inviting him?".
"Probably to get this reaction from us" Elena sighed.
Caroline scoffed at that, grabbing her bag from the seat next to her, "What time is this stupid dance?".
_________________________
After dropping Caroline back at home, I picked up my dress and headed back to the boarding house.
"Thought I heard you come in" I heard a familiar voice say, as I sat down heavily on the sofa. "Something bothering you, Red?" Damon asked, noticing the look on my face as he entered the parlour.
"What?" I asked, my head snapping up. "Oh, no... I'm fine" I gulped. "Just dreading this bloody ball".
Damon soon followed my movements, lifting my legs to make room for himself, before placing them back over his own. I smiled for a moment, Caroline's words running through my head as I felt the weight of Damon's hand resting on my leg.
I was afraid. I knew I was. I felt so entirely overwhelmed by what had been happening with my family, that I hadn't even noticed how intense these other emotions had become. I always knew they were there, deep down, but acknowledging them this way would be terrifying on a completely different level.
For a thousand years, the curse of my family has wreaked havoc across the world. I had seen too many people die. Too many to count. And now, admitting that I cared about somebody like this... how could it turn out well?
"Love is a vampires greatest weakness"
Klaus' words were echoing in my head as I chewed on my lower lip. And yet, I still couldn't believe them. Love makes us vulnerable, yes. But it could also become our greatest strength.
Despite the confusion running rampant in my mind, my thoughts trailed back to the ball that was happening tonight. It was too much. It seemed as though all of my other siblings had moved on, accepted what was happening. My family had always been good at adapting to strange situations. And yet, I couldn't shake this uncomfortable feeling that was eating away at my mind. Being on the run for so long had left scars. Being abandoned by the ones who promised to stay with me, always and forever, hurt. Then there was our mother, and Klaus and... no. It was too much.
"We can always just stay here, Grace" Damon said, making me jump slightly. He had been watching me, watching the frown on my face grow as the sun sank lower in the sky. "Have a little party of our own?" He added humorously, as he always did, raising his brows teasingly. Yet, the concern in his tone bit through his words, his gaze still soft as his eyes remained on me.
"She has to go, Damon" Stefan cut in dryly as he walked into the room. "We all do, or Mayor Lockwood'll have our heads". Damon winced slightly at that, noticing my gaze drop to the ground.
"Thanks, Brother" he sighed, "very comforting".
"It's the truth" the younger Salvatore shrugged, picking up the tuxedo that was laying on the back of the chair. "But... uh" he paused, noticing the look on my face. "It'll be fine... If anyone can get through tonight, you can".
His tone was uncertain. Whether this was due to his lack of faith in himself, or the words he was saying I couldn't tell. Even Damon seemed surprised.
"You think?" I murmured, smiling slightly as I looked up at him.
"You're probably the most stubborn person I know, Grace" he replied dryly, "It's annoying, but if it means you'll keep your head when your crazy family comes back from the dead to throw a party... I guess it has it's uses" he said simply, before turning casually to head upstairs.
I scoffed slightly, smiling, unsure of whether to feel insulted or comforted. Damon shook his head, a grin also playing on his lips as he watched his brother leave the room.
"Thanks Stef!" I shouted after him, decidedly feeling slightly better about everything.
"Not a compliment! Don't thank me!" He yelled back in response, making me laugh as he did so.
He was being deflective, and I could hardly blame him. But, his humanity was there. He had empathy. Which for now, was just what we needed.
"It was a compliment" I whispered to Damon, earning a smirk from the older Salvatore, before standing up.
"No it wasn't!" Stefan yelled from upstairs.
Of course he heard me.
"Was so" I replied in a sing-song voice.
"This proves it, y'know" I heard him laugh,
"You're so damn stubborn".
"Good!" I yelled, my gaze drifting upwards, before I looked back to Damon. He was smiling, his eyes soft as he watched me pick up my things.
I opened my mouth to say something. Anything. I needed to say it. He was watching me curiously, expectantly, as I closed my mouth once more. This wasn't the right time.
"Right..." I sighed, "I suppose I better get ready".