The Pageant Part 2 (For All I Need)
Ich muss mich mal wieder korrigieren: Diese Kapitel wird wahrscheinlich in bis zu vier Teile geteilt werden müssen. Dafür komme ich aber gut voran. Vllt schaff ich den nächsten Teil schon heute Abend. Sonst morgen.
Was gibts sonst noch zu sagen? Achja, ich liebe ja diese tolle Tanzszene *_* Und hab sie deshalb auch eingebaut. Wollte die schon in meiner FF drin haben seit dich die Preview gesehen hab und ich wollte sie perfekt machen. Nun, Julie Plec und Kevin Williamson haben sie schon so ziemlich perfekt gemacht. Und trotzdem gefällt mir meine Version sehr gut. Ich hoffe euch auch. Viel Spaß!
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The Lockwood estate was already quite crowded when the Gilberts got there. Bonnie came running up to them to wish Elena good luck and tell her that she'd find Caroline and her competition inside.
"Is Damon here yet?" Elena asked her, looking around for him.
"No, not yet."
Where is he? Elena wondered when she entered the Lockwood manor. People were hurrying past her back and fro. A little lost Elena looked around for someone she knew and found Caroline and Matt standing in a corner of the large hallway and walked to them.
"Hey," Elena greeted them and added to Caroline. "You look great."
"You, too," Matt replied reflexively. Caroline glared at him but he didn't notice it because he was busy scrutinizing Elena from head to toe.
"Thanks, Matt. Have you seen Damon?"
"No, I haven't," Caroline said coolly while taking a look into her pocket mirror.
"I wonder why he isn't here yet," Elena said to herself.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon."
"Soon will be late," Caroline told them. "It's already two."
And suddenly the Lockwoods told everybody to take a seat in the garden. Mrs Lockwood then called all participants to follow her into the room whose porch led into the garden. Matt joined Jenna, Jeremy and Bonnie and Elena and Caroline were left waiting with their competition. One after the after they were alphabetically called outside. Forbes came before Gilbert so Elena had to wait with three other girls she barely knew from school. She tried to start a conversation but was ignored. A few minutes after Caroline had left Elena was called. She took a deep breath and stepped outside.
It was a beautiful day. It was warm and the sun was shining. While walking up to some sort of speaker's desk Elena flashed a smile to her family and friends.
And the quiz started.
It was easier than expected. The jury members were Mrs Lockwood, a man Elena didn't know and a descendent of Honoria Fell, one of the founders of Mystic Falls whose daughter was taking part in the pageant as well. The questions weren't difficult. Elena always immediately knew an answer to them and everytime she gave the right answer her supporters were clapping. After ten questions and ten right answers Elena was released. Mrs Lockwood sent her upstairs to the second floor where she would find a room at her disposal to freshen up. Elena gladly accepted the offer, reentered the manor and went upstairs.
The doors of a few rooms were wide open. Elena chose the first the approached, entered and closed the door. Then she turned around to take a look into the mirror and gasped.
Stefan was reflected in the mirror, right behind her. She turned around.
"Stefan, what are you doing here?" she asked perplexed.
"Are you kidding me?" he answered. I would never miss you being proclaimed Miss Mystic Falls."
"But what about… you know… the people?"
"Don't worry. I've got it under control," he assured her.
But Elena didn't agree. A look into his dark eyes revealed the truth to her. She couldn't trust him.
"I'd rather you go home," she told him carefully. She didn't want to hurt his feeling despite it.
"Elena, you have no idea how much I missed you," Stefan said and slowly approached her.
"Stop!" she shouted. "Don't come closer or I'll scream!"
"Elena, are you really afraid of me?" he demanded incredulously.
"You only got yourself to blame for it," Elena replied.
Stefan looked like he had just been punched into the face. He was staring at her in disbelief.
"I've got it under control, really."
"I'm sorry, Stefan, but I can't trust you anymore," she told him sadly but determinedly.
Stefan's face fell. He was hurt.
"I'm sorry," he apologized and in a blink of an eye he was gone.
Elena's heart was beating fast. Her breathing was labored. She had a panic attack at the thought that Stefan was around so many people. Where the hell was Damon? She desperately hoped that nothing had happened to him. Disturbing images flashed through her mind. She was trembling violently now. Tears welled up in her eyes. She was going to break down. Her legs were giving in…
As fast as he could Damon rushed over to the Lockwood residence. He was outrageous. Stefan had fooled him! He had betrayed his worthy trust once again. Damon knew that he would find him at the pageant. There was no other place he could be. Stefan wanted to see Elena and Damon was afraid that that wasn't everything.
Too fast for the human eye to see he entered the manor through the window of the room he could feel Elena's presence in. When he was inside he saw Elena standing opposite of him. She was leaning against the door, slowly sliding downwards…
"Elena!" In an instant he was by her side and caught her. "Elena, breathe. Now's not the time to break down." He gently patted the back of her head. "Everything will be fine."
Elena just stared at him, unable to speak.
She couldn't tell him, she couldn't. She was shocked. Her mouth was open but no sound came out. But it turned out that she didn't have to say anything at all because Damon already knew.
"Elena, I have to tell you something. You have to be very brave now." He took a deep breath. "Stefan fooled me. He's still drinking human blood and I lost him. I guess he's here… somewhere."
"He is." Elena finally found her voice again but it was still shaky. "He was here," she whispered. "He said he'd stay and watch my performance."
"What? Damn, he's out of his mind. I have to find him."
"Damon!" Elena demanded his attention. "The crowd… all those people. How will he be able to resist them? I don't want anyone to get hurt or even die because of him!"
"They won't. I'll find him and then I'll deal with him. Don't worry," Damon promised. "But I'm afraid there's something else."
"Something else?" Elena repeated weakly.
"Yes. Does Stefan strike you as the jealous type?"
"I don't know. You know him better than me. He's your brother."
"I thought I knew him," Damon corrected. "Anyway. We're both very impulsive when it comes to love. When I found our Stefan was sleeping with Katherine. And with him on 0 negative it'll be much worse. I babbled, okay? He knows I'll be escorting and dancing with you."
"Oh my god…" Elena was clutching her heart. "I can't… I can't do this right now. I'm gonna go to Mrs Lockwood and tell her I'm not feeling well."
She turned around and put her hand on the doorknob.
"No, you won't" Damon effortlessly kept the door shut with one single hand and placed the other on soothingly on Elena's shoulder. "This pageant is the perfect opportunity to distract you from all of this."
"But Damon," Elena said and turned around to face him. "I don't care about the pageant. I never wanted to be part of it. I don't want to win it."
"But I want you to."
Elena stared at him until it slowly dawned on her. "So you put my name on the list?"
"Guilty," Damon replied grinning. "Like I said, I wanted to distract you. I never expected Stefan to burst into it though."
Elena sighed. "You're impossible."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't compliment. Okay, look," she said. "I expect you to be there when they call me down. Don't embarrass me with your absence no matter what Stefan is up to."
Damon's face lit up. "That's what I wanted to here, honey! I'll patrol the estate, trying to find him but I'll hear them call you and I'll gladly be there to lead you across the dance floor."
Elena smiled. Damon nodded and left. Elena turned around, opened the door and stepped into the hallway where the other girls were already waiting. She walked straight over to Caroline.
"Hey."
"Hey." Caroline smiled. "Our competition just decreased to three."
"Really?" Elena asked surprised.
"Yup. Turned out those girls may be beautiful but also dumb. Three of them didn't pass the quiz," she told her. "Now it's only us, Tina Fell and that girl Amber."
Hearing her name Tina turned around to them and shot them a glare. Elena flinched but Caroline ignored her and babbled on. "You know, I used to be like them. Focused only on beauty."
"No, you weren't," Elena contradicted reflexively.
"Yes, I was," Caroline insisted. "Don't lie for me. But I changed. Ever since I'm with Matt I'm starting to realize what's really important. Matt has helped me to change. He also studied with me for the quiz."
Caroline was smiling proudly and Elena was feeling uneasy. "Look, Caroline, about Matt…"
"There's nothing to talk about," Caroline cut her off.
"Yes, there is," Elena said. She took both of Caroline's hands into hers and made her face her. "I know you're mad at me for that Matt goggled at me earlier. To ease your pain, Matt and I are history. I'm with Stefan–" She swallowed the lump that was suddenly in her throat down. "And I'm gonna stay with him. But I know Matt. And you can believe me when I say that Matt wouldn't be here if he wouldn't like you."
She gave Caroline an encouraging smile and Caroline smiled back.
"Thank you, Elena. Hearing you say it means a lot to me."
"You're welcome," Elena said. "So what do I have to expect now?"
"Well, I asked my mom. She never participated but her sisters did," Caroline told her. "They're gonna call us down and then we'll dance with all the participants including the ones who lost already. First we'll dance all together but then each couple will dance in the center for a short time with the other couples dancing around them."
Elena nodded. "And after that the talent show starts, right?"
"Right."
"And how much time do we have between the dance and the talent show?"
"A quarter of an hour," Caroline answered.
"That's enough," Elena replied. To pull myself together, she added silently. The talent show was still freaking her out. "What are you gonna do?"
"At the talent show? I used to play piano but I quit after my parents got divorced. But it's the only 'talent' I have so I'm gonna play. And you?"
"Damon persuaded me to sing."
"Wow, in front of all those people? I never heard you sing before."
"I guess it's a good thing," Elena commented and Caroline nudged her.
"Look, Elena, I'll be honest with you," she said. "The pageant means a lot to me, you know. I really want to win. But if you win it'll be fine. No hard feelings, okay?"
"No hard feelings," Elena agreed. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to win anyway."
"Great!"
They shared a smile and kept standing by the banister until they heard Mrs Lockwood's voice from downstairs.
"Tina Fell."
Tina flashed a superior grin to them before the walked down the stairs. Soon after her Amber and Caroline were called and then finally
"Elena Gilbert."
Elena inhaled sharply and walked over to the stairs. Slowly and gracefully like a princess she walked downstairs. It was a spiral staircase and before Elena reached the turn she was worried about Damon. Would he be there downstairs or did he maybe get into a fight with Stefan? Everything was possible…
But then she walked further down and could see the hallway.
And there at the bottom of the stairs was Damon, waiting for her.
"Elena Gilbert," the jury member Elena didn't know said. "escorted by Mr Damon Salvatore!"
Elena smiled in relief and was still smiling when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Damon was smiling, too, took her hand led her elegantly into the backyard. The jury and the audience followed them. Outside the couples, the jury and the audience took their places. Once they had the music started, the dance partners approached each other and started dancing. At first the music in the background was typical waltz music but then it changed to modern music – the cue for Tina Fell and her partner. They dance throughout the whole song with grace and the remaining couples encircled them dancing.
When the song ended and another one started Amber and her partner changed positions with Tina and her partner. Same procedure when it was Caroline and Matt's turn. Elena smiled as she watched them floating across the dance floor.
The music changed again and Damon and Elena waltzed into the center. The music playing in the background was Within Temptation's 'All I Need'. A song both of them knew very well.
I've lost all my trust
Though I've surely tried to turn it around
Elena noticed Damon staring at her. He was getting lost in her, she could tell.
"Come on just say it."
"Say what?"
"That I look like Katherine."
Damon looked puzzled at her.
Can you still see the heart of me?
"I don't see Katherine in you," he told her sincerely. "All I can see is a beautiful woman with amazingly expressive eyes who is kind enough to dance with me."
All my agony fades away
When you hold me in your embrace
Elena smiled. He could never imagine how much those words meant to her.
They turned around and took a step closer to each other while dancing.
I want to believe that this is for real
They turned around again, their gazes never leaving each other's eyes.
Save me from my fear
Don't tear me down
Elena help but smile at two things. First, at how perfectly the song matched her and Damon and secondly at the fun she was having as she was dancing with him. Damon and the song had managed to take her worries off her chest so that she could enjoy the moment. And she did. She enjoyed each and every second of it.
Don't tear me down
For all I need
At some point the world around them disappeared. It was only her and Damon dancing.
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear it down
What's left of me
Elena found herself drawn even closer to Damon. There was hardly space between them now. Their faces were only inches away from each other. And she never wanted this moment to end.
Make my heart of better place
Make my heart a better place
The song faded out and Damon and Elena slowed down in accordance to the rhythm of the song.
And then something happened no one could have foreseen.
Slowly but determinedly Damon's face closed in on her.
And their lips touched.
Elena's heart stopped beating and her eyes widened.
The kiss was soft and long. It made her stomach do somersaults.
But she felt herself unable to respond. She was completely taken aback.
A second that felt like ages later Damon broke the gentlest of touches just when the music stopped. And the audience applauded excitedly.
Neither Elena nor Damon paid attention to them. Damon's face was still close to Elena. He was gazing intently at her and Elena stared back, panting.
She was speechless.
Damon had kissed her.
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Ha! Damit habt ihr bestimmt nicht gerechnet! XD
Ich hab hin und her überlegt ob ich Damon Elena schon so früh küssen lasse, aber ich glaub das Timing ist gut gewählt.
Also bleibt dran, wenn ihr wissen wollt, wie es weitergeht ;)
Eure Asu
