A couple of days later

Everyone who knew Caroline, knew also that her best strength was to organize good time. And now she was arranging the weirdest party they have ever seen. Having lived in apocalyptic enviroment for a very long time, there were no fancy decorations. But she made the best she could with different colourful paper , cutting it out in different shapes. Rebekah and even Bonnie helped her out. It was done in no time.

"Need to find some music. Anything."- Caroline said- "I want to dance. Dance stuff."

Enzo was very helpful there, having dragged up stuff from Matt's to Fell's Church.

"Here are her old records and the record player from Matt's house"- Enzo said bringing it in

"You went there?? It's dangerous!!"- Caroline repremanded him.

"Ah, 80's Madonna.. Like a Virgin..."- Bonnie said taking a record "remember his mom playing it when we would go to his house."

Elena and Bonnie teared up thinking of Matt. In their girly catching up, Elena finally found out that Matt died fighting a witch-vampire. He refused to be turned into a vampire.

"This is for Matt."- Caroline said joining them-"we could not even bury him properly. It was so rushed."

"We will do it properly."- Elena said- "when all this is over."

"Ok...no tears."- Caroline said-" He said that we should not cry, but try and kick their assess and make the best of our lives afterwards!"- Caroline said- "by the way... you and Elijah...not giving us any info, how is it going??!!"

Elena now looked at Caroline surprised she would mention anything in Rebekah's presence.

"Oh, come on, Elena!"- Rebekah now joined in the girly conversation- "stop being a prude. We know you're not full of virtue"

Elena first looked at Caroline and then Bonnie and she felt like something was seriously shifted.

"When I was undaggered you were not clear whether you wanted Damon or go back to Stefan, and you were already having something with my brother."- Rebekah then said.

Caroline couldn't believe that Rebekah was about to go on her envy trip after everything they had been through the years fighting against the heretics.

Elena stopped Caroline from going into full bitch mode and giving Rebekah the time of the day.

"Dreamy!!"-Elena answered.

"They haven't done it!"-Rebekah now said.
"That's it!"- Caroline now lost it. But Bonnie stopped her ripping into Rebekah with just a small handwave stopping both the Original vampire and her vampire friend in their tracks-
"Are you serious???"- she looked at both of them with her amber eyes glowing bright at both of them-"I thought we are done with the petty stuff??!!! What's with you digging at Elena?"- Bonnie looked at Rebekah puzzled.

Rebekah walked out.

"Stefan!"- Enzo then said having heard some of the girly clash-"he kinda blew her off."

"This is supposed to be us having some good time and not fighting!!"- Caroline sat down disappointed.

Elena went after Rebekah, finding her on the roof balcony.

"What?"- Rebekah said still annoyed to see Elena-"I don't want your pity or your 'Elena empathy."

"But you are still dishing it on me?!"- Elena said.
"I apologize, right."-Rebekah then said and then the real pain burst out of Rebekah-"I miss him so much!!"
Elena knew that it was not Stefan, Rebekah was so sad about.

"Matt was really a great guy"-Elena then said.
Rebekah now turned to Elena, her misplaced hostility vanished. There was genuine sadness in her eyes -
"He hated vampires, but he had never looked at me as if I was one. He saw ME, the girl. Just Rebekah. Huh, I feel so alone."

"You have us. And we've only been friends when I switched my emotions off. But there were times you couldn't hide that you were good."
"You were really bitchy when you flipped the switch"-Rebekah remembered.
"Slightly like Katherine"- Elena said.
"Nearly. But according to my brother, you are more like Tatia."-Rebekah said.
"He talked to you about it?!"-Elena was surprised.
"Elijah is very private most of the time, well, all the time, but I can get stuff out of him when he is suffering. And when you were in that coffin, he would sit vigil for days, months, years"
"What??"-Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"He sat in front of the tomb from 2020-2025-ask your friends"
"Not leaving it at all?"- Elena then said.
"Envious me wants a love like that"- Rebekah said-"you know that my emotions get the better of me and I lash out stupidly!"

"Yeah, you are an expert at lashing out"- Elena then said.
"Elijah wants things to be magical and right...when you two do it. He doesn't want mad vampire sex."

Elena stood up now and said-"I know. He told me."
"This going to be the first time for him"-Rebekah then said looking at Elena poignantly.
Elena's eyes now indicated that she didn't understand what she meant by it.
"Katherine lied."-Rebekah said-"they were never together."

Flashback
14th May 2025

Rebekah sat down next to her brother in front of the Salvatore tomb. She passed a blood bag for him.
"How are you doing?"- Rebekah asked Elijah.

"Fine and not exactly fine."-Elijah replied.
Rebekah sighed a little-"I know. There's. hasn't been any breakthrough."
Elijah only noded to what Rebekah had said acknowledging the information. It regarded breaking the link spell between Bonnie and Elena, but also the feud between Hayley and Klaus.
Elijah was pensive, Rebekah could see that his soul wasn't any better than a year before as she visited him.
"You have proved to be this family's greatest strength."-Elijah then said.
"Who would have thought that I would be the one with such reason and wisdom?!"-Rebekah then said.
"There have been thousand times I have clashed him...nearly killed him once.God knows I dahgered him three times, but the last time I would not have spared him"- Elijsh looked st Rebekah with eyes that spoke of s horrific truth.
"Klaus had really played out all of his cards. Hayley has become as bad as he is. I took Hope away. She is with the Deveraux witches."

"They will protect her."- Elijah said.
"The witches that once were our enemies. Go figure"

"Sophie Deveraux was on our side although it dodn't seem that way back then"

"Everything is so ironic"- Rebekah uttered.
"So it is."- Elijah muttered looking as if compelled at the door of the crypt.
They both took a moment to reflect, then Elijah said-
"When I first saw her it was like my breath was taken from me, but my emotions were nearly non-existant and all I did is scare her even more. And she had those two champions to rescue her from no matter what situation she was in and it made me furious for no reason at all. And at the same time she opened my soul. I remember talking to her the first time there was this courageous rebellious fire in her, defiant, ready to fight for her own even though she knew she was extremely vulnerable. When I thought that there was nothing, no hope, there she was- giving me every hope back that there is love, integrity, compassion in this world. Not everything was lost."

"There has always been her, right? You have never stopped loving her...and you saw the good in Katherine, too. I guess I get now how you could be with her"-Rebekah said.
"I have never been with her"-Elijah said-"not even Tatia. She was so very romantic and wanted us to wait to the wedding night?!"

"You are kidding me, right!?"-Rebekah looked at Elijah as if he was telling fibs.
"I'veckissed Tatia...and Elena...but we..."
"You kissed Elena?? When? At the Ball and she still didn't tell us what mother was planning!?"
"Calm down... In Willoughby when she was impersonating Katerina"

"Tatia wanted to wait??"-Rebekah said in disbelief"

"Rebekah!"- Elijah acentuated her name looking at her in the way not to mick the memory of his love for the doppelganger.

"Sorry. I think that you are the last romantic guy standing"-Rebekah said.
"I should not have walked away."-Elijah then said with deep regret in his voice.

"Why did you? You left her with that dimwit Damon Salvatore..."

"I was not worthy"-Elijah then said.

As Rebekah finished retelling Elena that particular moment, she got up and walked down to find Stefan.

****
Damon shared a bloody bourbon with Alaric.
"This is such a crowded space.:- Damon moaned-"
"I so remember the 80's "-Alaric said sipping down the spiked bourbon-"I was 14 when they this album came out"-he was referring to Madonna "Borderline"album playing in the big room.
"She was amazing in every sense"-Damon said.
"Don't tell me you and Madonna??"Alaric said.
"It was New York!!. You will never have that kind of crazy scene ever again. She wanted me to turn her, but...she was too wild"
"You compelled her to forget!"-Alaric concluded.
"Yep"-Damon replied-"another one?"- he now poured another drink for both of them.

Alaric accepted.

"To the retro party!"-Damon raised his glass.

"To Retro! I never thought I'd turn again"- Alaric said.
"It was for the good cause!"-Damon said.
"For Jo and the babies!"- Alaric looked at his drink sad.
"I wish I could turn back time, nut there is no magic for that!"-Damon said.
"Would you do everything differently?"-Alaric asked.
"Nah!...Maybe I would try to be a lesser dick than before."
"It wouldn't be you.We still don't know if a doppelganger with your face is lurking somewhere"-Alaric said.
"I am not a magical being"-Damon confirmed.
"But Stefan is?"
"Good point."-Damon retorted.
"Would that dopelganger fall for the witch and realize that she is the love of his life?"
"Bonnie is the one and only!"-Damon then said.
"She truly is unique"-Alaric uttered-"she made a man out of you!!"
"On that note, I have to see if she can mix some 90's Madonna"-Damon said and went to find Bonnie.
*******
"This party sucks!"-Caroline complained as everyone seemed to have dispersed around the house.
"Let me spike up your punch with this fresh supply of type B+ , your favourite"-Enzo said pouring a bit of blood into Caroline's punch glass.

"You really know how to woo a girl!"Caroline smiled a little her mood improving.
"I love a private party anytime anyday as long as it's you arriving to it!"
"Did someone tell you that you are a real smooth operator?!"-Caroline uttered.
"Maybe...but I can't recall it."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Oh, yeah, gorgeous!"-Enzo now took the vampire by the hand and swished with her to the middle of the room sliding his hands onto her lower back.

A song started that had slow dance tones in it. Caroline now wrapped her arms around his neck and they started to sway slowly to the rhythm.

Swaying room as the music starts
Strangers making the most of the dark
Two by two their bodies become one

Damon got to Bonnie, who was revisiting some of the records from the 90's

"In a fake world far, far away, 1994 was a really good year"-Damon said to Bonnie.
"Remind me why?!"-Bonnie chuckled a little.
Damon took the witch by the hand and said-"Cos I had to spend time with a witch that at first annoyed me to death, but then she did her magic on me although she possessed none and made me fall in love...with her, although I didn't know what was happening to me really"

"Shut up, Damon and kiss me!"-Bonnie said. The vampire was more than happy to oblige.

I see you through the smokey air
Can't you feel the weight of my stare
You're so close but still a world away
What I'm dying to say, is that

Elena, without any words came up to Elijah and took him by the hand leading him to the conservatory.
"Elena, is somethung in the matter?"
Elena replied with a  kiss.
He smiled a little as she moved slightly with the had to look into his eyes. Her hands slowly worked her way to undo his tie. He understood her drift now looking for confirmation in her eyes as they broke away for a second as to see if he was clear about her intentions.

"I don't ask for rose petals spread all over my bed or to fly me to the moon...you've already said it all in the lett..."

Elijah's heart now rocketed with all those sweet emotions cutting her off in the middle of the sentence with a passionate kiss making her lose all her senses all at once. No more words were spoken. There was no need for that. Their hands, their mouth spoke in more ways than words could ever do, and so  twirling among kisses and getting their clothes off they got to the vintage ottoman bed they have already spent several nights together watching the nightsky and talking themselves to sleep. There was no sleep to be had this night, but entertwining their bodies making love to one another slowly, wanting to remember every kiss, every touch, every move, every emotion burning in the light of their souls.

I'm crazy for you
Touch me once and you'll know it's true
I never wanted anyone like this
It's all brand new, you'll feel it in my kiss
I'm crazy for you

Trying hard to control my heart
I walk over to where you are
Eye to eye we need no words at all

Slowly now we begin to move
Every breath I'm deeper into you
Soon we two are standing still in time
If you read my mind, you'll see

That I am crazy for you