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"OH, LOOK AT YOU," AURELIA EYES DARTED TO THE source of the infamously cocky, charming voice of Damon Salvatore, who sauntered over to her as she leaned against the barβ€”that did not serve alcohol at a high school promβ€”with her face on her hand. "All by your lonesome. Without a date. That you could have had if onlyβ€”"

A small glare in his direction made him pause for a moment and clear his throat. "If you came here to gloat, I'm really not in the mood, Damon." She mumbled, eyes downcast to her mocktail.

"Because I was right when I told you to go for it, grab Stefan and give him a big kiss,and yet, you declined my idea so rudelyβ€”you know, it's no fun if you react to my comments acting all depressed, right?" Damon found himself enjoying his own humor less and less in that moment as he watched Aurelia's face grow dimmer by the second. "Shit, you aren't really acting, are you?"

"Really, really... not in the mood." She responded, frown growing.

"Sorry." He mumbled, now feeling insensitive to Aurelia's occasional display of emotion. "Wanna talk about it?" He had to lean his head over the bar table slightly to get a look at her face, hoping that she'd show him more than just the sideβ€”that too, partially obscured by her hand. "Aureliaaaaa." He sang softly, a desperate smile poking at his cheeks in an attempt to lift her spirits.

"Go ask your brother." She spat, though not out of hatred or angerβ€”Damon had to blink a few times when he heard disappointment in her tone. "He's busy dancing with your girlfriend."

"Oh, that?" His eyes fell on the pair not too far away, near the center of all the couples on the dance floor. "Well, that's justβ€”you knowβ€”him trying to strategize and convince her to turn her emotions on again." A small scoff from her made him frown in confusion at the puzzling blonde. "Whatβ€”are you jealous or something?"

When Aurelia hesitated to answer, his eyes widened. "...no." Her little mumble was far too quickly spoken to be the truthβ€”and when she looked over at Damon, his expression made her panic internally. "Damon, noβ€”"

"Oh my God." He said, and she knew she was screwed. "Aurelia Parker in a state of seething jealousy. I never thought I'd see the dayβ€”"

"β€”'seething' is a bitβ€”"

"I know I was teasing you and my brother earlier today for the heck of it, but you really like him, don't you?" His question made Aurelia smack him on the chest once. "Oh, come on, I saw the two of you back in the day, and you're not going to let me know about the gossip? Me? The only person who actually witnessed your cheesy romance?"

"I don't know what's happening." Aurelia was clearly avoiding eye contact with Damon. "I knew I had feelings for him, but I didn't know it was this bad, eitherβ€”"

"You simp." Damon poked her in the shoulder, ignoring the death glare she shot at him immediately. "You're absolutely adorable. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" And when she shot him a pointed look at the obvious answer for that, he muttered a quiet 'ah.' "Well, what's stopping you from telling him about it? You're smart enough to know he feels the same way."

"Correction: I'm smart enough to think that." Aurelia replied, voice low and still full of disappointment as she stirred the drink. "I'm not certain. And besides, I don't want to be. Nothing good's gonna come out of it."

"And why the hell not?"

"Damon," There was something of a bitter laugh in her voice when she said his name after a few moments, finally turning entirely to look at him. "Look at me." Damon's eyebrows furrowed at the sudden statement, head tilting in confusion. "Don't you think I've noticed the way my cheeks are hollowing out slowly?"

And something came crashing down on him the moment she said that, his eyes widening and darting around her pretty features. "Iβ€”"

"The way my eyes seem to sink further and further back into my skull?" She continued, lips curling downwards. "And that's only everything you can see. Doesn't even...count how I've been feeling since this Expression crap started." She was honestβ€”every bone in her body had begun to ache, her muscles were soreβ€”but Damon didn't need to know the details. "I've pushed away the idea of actively confronting this situation for now because there's so much happeningβ€”but it... doesn't erase the fact that I'm still dyingβ€”"

"Don't say that."

"Blood from the vein's been helpful enoughβ€”I still have a good deal of my strength...but I still threw it up. Which means it's not enough of a solution." She sighed, and Damon pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not giving you any excusesβ€”which is why my feelings for Stefan cannot be something I pay attention to, as good as it would feel to give into them."

"Haven't you been in control long enough?" Damon asked finally, eyes softening at the sight of the obviously depressed woman in front of him. "You've put aside your own life for the sake of the people around you. Not to mention, when you first got hereβ€”I know you didn't want to treat us as harshly as you did. Either Klaus was making you follow orders, or you needed to push us away for our own safety."

Aurelia looked at him in surprise, wondering when he'd figured that out.

"Point is, you haven't done a whole lot out of your own complete willβ€”not for a while, at least. It's the same right nowβ€”you're pushing away your feelings for Stefan because of the mess that's happening right nowβ€”but why can't you let yourself be happy and indulge for once?"

"Because, Damon," Aurelia sighed, gaze turning bittersweet. "If Stefan reciprocates what I feel for himβ€”doing something about it is only going to hurt him more if we don't end up finding something to save my life."

"And what about you?"

"I spent one and a half centuries knowing he was aliveβ€”and my love for him took a long time to fade away. If I could handle thatβ€”" She chuckled melancholically. "I can handle dying without reigniting burned out flames."

"Aurelia..." Damon was clearly upset now, the kind that meant he felt defeated. "I just...haven't seen you prioritize yourself enough."

"I have!" She hissed stubbornly in response. "I think."

"The fact that you're looking at Stefan and wishing beyond belief that he asked you to dance with him, that you're jealous of Elena despite knowing he isn't in love with her anymoreβ€”you haven't prioritized your feelings enough. You clearly want more, but your selflessness is stopping you."

"Damon..." Her voice came out in a plead this time, and the light in her eyes began to falterβ€”she knew he was right, but she couldn't switch up now. "Let's not talk about this, please." Her hand gently touched his forearm, and she forced a smile. "I can't think about all of that right now."

"But I'm worriedβ€”"

"I know, and I'm so grateful that you care about me so much after all these years." She acknowledged. "But right now, you have a humanity-less doppelganger to worry aboutβ€”a two-thousand-year-old immortal, and I can see Caroline coming up behind youβ€”" Damon quickly straightened up his posture, understanding his friend's intent. "Hey!" Aurelia brightened up with the snap of a finger at the sight of the woman she so adored, arms extending out for a hug.

"Aurelia!" Caroline was cheerful, clad in her getup for the evening, hair pulled up in a fancy bun that only she knew how to style. "You saved my life." She graciously leaned her head on her sister's shoulder, and Aurelia grinned at the adorable nature of the girlβ€”whose priorities were so beautifully different from her own.

"I don't think I pulled this dress off as well as you do, Care." With a little scrunch of her nose as she pulled away, Aurelia tapped Caroline's nose affectionately. "You look like you belong to royaltyβ€”like a princess." Caroline giggled at the array of compliments Aurelia unabashedly showered on her.

"Looking good, blondie." Damon chimed in, earning a playful eye roll from Carolineβ€”but Aurelia pursed her lips. "Right, you're both blonde. I mean Barbie blondie. You know, because Aurelia's the moody, dark one out of theβ€”" And a swift smack from both women shut him up. "Rude. I was only trying to compliment Caroline, here."

"Uh huh." Caroline hummed, quickly becoming protective of Aurelia.

"And not to undermine the look," Damon narrowed his eyes skeptically. "But wouldn't you already know what she was wearing, 'Lia? You look like you saw her for the first timeβ€”"

"Oh, that's because I gave the dress to her from the Mikaelson Manor." Aurelia replied nonchalantly, but it made the Elder Salvatore raise an eyebrow.

"Wasn't she... shopping for dresses earlier today?" At his words, the pair of blondes exchanged glances, and Caroline felt herself panic when she began to see Aurelia seething.

"She was," Aurelia began, looking back at Damon with a smile that made him feel true fear. "But someone decided to swipe it from her." Caroline placed a hand on the elder's shoulderβ€”though she was angry as well, Aurelia's anger spoke well for the both of them.

"Whoβ€”"

"So," The three heads turned to face an approaching Elena, with an irritated Stefan following right behind her. "How do I look?" Elena gestured to the pretty pink-red dress she was wearing, giving her unwilling audience a little spin to show off how great she thought she'd looked in it.

Aurelia opened her mouth to speak, but Caroline's explosive nature jumped ahead. "Are you kidding me?" She asked, venom laced in her glare and voice. "You look like a backstabbing biβ€”" A look from Stefan made Caroline's anger dissipate quickly, and her shoulders slouched slightly in disappointment. "The dress is... beautiful, and it brings out your eyes..."

Elena smugly smiled; head held high to everyone's frustration. "Thanks. I thought I'd do it a favor." Aurelia, who'd been gritting her teeth, took a step forward and placed a rough hand on the doppelganger's shoulder, earning a small noise of pain from the near-smack. "You look cute, too, Aureliaβ€”"

"I know, don't you worry your empty little head about it, Elena." Aurelia's tone was sweet, innocentβ€”much in contrast to the way her eyes were practically shooting daggers into Elena's. "I really wish you'd chosen a dress you deserved to wear. It's quite the disappointment to see such a beautiful gown ruined by such a stale personality."

Elena clenched her jaw at Aurelia's words, shoving the blonde's arm away from her shoulder.

"Might I suggest green? To represent your pathetic, unending envy of all that's good in your friends' lives?" Aurelia's smile only grew in size at the satisfying look of defeat in the brunette's expression. "Jealous little bitcβ€”"

"Aurelia." Stefan interrupted with a pleasant smile, earning her immediate attention. "Join me for a dance." Aurelia spared a quick glance towards Damon, who'd winked at her quickly, and then back at the man who had finally asked for her to dance with himβ€”he'd extended an arm out for her to take.

"Oh, alrightβ€”"


YES, AURELIA, LIKE A NAÏVE TEENAGER, WANTED TO dance with the man she had feelings forβ€”of course she did. She hadn't expected to be mumbling under her breath at the sight of him dancing with another womanβ€”especially when she knew the reason why. So, yes, she'd be happy that he was finally dancing with her as she'd hoped.

If only it hadn't been a strategy to prevent her from lunging at Elena's throat. She wanted to frown stubbornly at the fact.

But as she felt his hand gently slip around the side of her abdomen to rest comfortably at the curve of her waist, her thoughts fled her mind, and the air she breathed fled her lungs. "You should've warned me beforeβ€”" Her protest was interrupted by the raise of his eyebrow as he lifted her arm to rest on his shoulder.

"I asked you to dance, 'Relia." He was confident in the manner that he spoke with, his free hand also confident with the way it slipped into her own, fingers interlocking instinctively. "Don't you think that entails the physical contact?"

"I guess it does." Aurelia muttered, head bowing slightly to avoid his gaze, which seemed all too piercing in that moment, as if one look in her eyes would give him every glimpse of her yearning soul. "I can't believe you thought to distract me from ripping out Elena's hair with a dance of all things."

"It worked, didn't it?" He answered her statement with a question yet again. "Here you are, much calmer as you prepare to dance with me. Was I not right, Aurelia?" Aurelia huffed at the sudden self-assurance that seemed to wash over the man's demeanor.

And damn it, he was so infuriatingly hot like that.

"By the way," She nearly let out an audible gasp as she felt his grip on her waist tighten and pull her towards his chest. "I don't think we can dance very well if we're at an arm's length away from each other, yeah?"

The internal version of herself was screaming into a pillow at the way his voice lowered the closer she was to him. "Y-Yesβ€”" She could barely speak at this point, feeling her cheeks warm up quickly. "So, did you... manage to make progress with Elena when you danced with her?" When she looked up at him, she'd already found looking down at her, a small smile on his face. "Stefan?"

"Hm?"

"I asked you a question about Elena." Stefan, though composed, blinked once and then proceeded to answer her question.

"Nothing of interest, really." He answered. "I was dangling the usual emotional bait about her friends, Jeremy, Damon, but she just wouldn't bite." A hint of annoyance laced his voice. "I was bored a few minutes inβ€”and honestly, I've just been getting tired of her crap."

"The heroic Stefan Salvatore," She teased, letting herself sway to his guidance under the sweet melodies dancing through the atmosphere. "Finally sick of the people that need saving."

"Funny," He found himself chuckling with her. "I know there was a point where I cared about her deeplyβ€”but ever since her transition into a vampire, I've found myself more and more mentally drained around her. She's just... a lot."

"Vampires can be a lot." Aurelia hummed in agreement, but frowned when he shook his head. "What?" She quickly asked.

"Not to compareβ€”" He pressed his lips together before he spoke again. "But you weren't. Caroline wasn't. Neither was Lexiβ€”or most vampires." Aurelia laughed softly, lightly slapping him on the chest.

"I meant newbie vampires." She clarified. "Plus, you didn't exist when I first transitioned. How would you know?"

"Call it a hunch," He was simple with his answer, smiling down at her once again. "Considering I know you so well..."

"Uh huh." He feigned hurt when Aurelia hummed sarcastically, earning yet another light laugh. "I feel like I was all over the place in 1864. Especially with the Katherine drama. I don't know how you came to the conclusion that I'm better put together than most vampires."

"You had every right to lose your mind with the Katherine drama." He assured, spinning her awayβ€”and when she came back to him, she hit his chest softly as he took hold of her waist again. "If I lost the person I loved to someone who wanted nothing more than misery for me, I'd barely hold myself together."

"I guess... I can't argue with that."

"As of right now, though," He continued, and spun her against him, allowing her back to rest against his chest as they continued to sway to the music. "I think you're one of the most put together people I know." With a questioning look that he knew she would've given him had she been looking at him, he leaned down closer to her ear. "You've been so independently and unapologetically yourself for so longβ€”especially in this centuryβ€”and you've managed to put your own priorities away to take care of the people you love. I don't know how you manage everything going on with your life at the same time, but you do, somehow."

"It's just...something you get used to doing..."

"And that is why," He breathed near her ear, and her eyes fluttered close for a moment. "I think you're one of the most precious people I've known." And then he let her face him again, watching in admiration as she hesitantly opened her eyes to meet his. "But don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Of being precious?" She asked, and he chuckled at her innocent question. Of course, that was the question he implied underneath the one he really posedβ€”but upon seeing the adorably confused look on her face, he decided to clarify.

"Of being the only one to take care of yourself fully." Aurelia found herself at a loss of plausible words when he looked at her with intentβ€”eyes twinkling to reflect the pretty lights dispersed throughout the tent. "I know you've opened yourself up to me so much more than you've been used toβ€”I couldn't be more grateful for itβ€”but with everything going on... I just wish you'd let me in a little more."

"What does that mean? I've... let you in, Stefan..." She tried to say, but was silenced with the shake of his head.

"I would never force you to do something you don't want." He began, and leaned further down to look at her better. "But I'd like to take the risk of asking you to let me take care of you."

He then sighed, eyes falling close for a moment.

"When I saw you in this dress earlier tonightβ€”I don't know how to explain itβ€”" He shook his swirling thoughts away to effectively communicate with her. "But I saw you from 1864β€”and you don't enjoy reminiscing about the past, I knowβ€”but I saw a woman that refused care from anyone, despite being the woman who cared for everyone, even at her own cost." He then smiled nostalgically. "You've always had that quality about you."

"Always?"

"Even today, 'Relia." He hummed, his gaze fixed on her in a manner of devotion. "I see that same woman before me nowβ€”and she's undeniably breathtaking in every mannerβ€”but she seems to be getting tired of being so incredibly strong by herself."

"Stefan..." She could only say, the reflective light in her eyes beginning to shake with the emotion he'd taken her into.

"I know you're not getting any better, Aureliaβ€”so please," His voice softened, and his grip, though remaining as comforting as ever, tightened ever so slightly. "Please, let me do something. Tell me what to do to make you feel better. Or just, let me care for you in the way no one else seems to have."

Stefan had to internally smack himself. What he was saying was no better than a confession of his feelingsβ€”but why did it feel right?


"THEY'RE SO DREAMY." CAROLINE MUSED; HANDS CLASPED together at the ship of her dreams gracing the dance floor with their electrifying chemistry. "What do you think, Damon?"

"Oh, Caroline," Damon hummed with a tone of nostalgia. "You have no idea. The last time I saw them this...lost in each other was so long agoβ€”I thought I'd forgotten what that looked like."

"I don't think I've seen Stefan look this... relaxedβ€”they're talking, but there's something about him that..." She trailed off, a happy smile painting her pink lips.

"β€”Makes you feel like all his barriers are down? Like

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