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"Why are you picking an outfit for me, Damon?" Cordelia questioned the blue-eyed vampire who was currently looking through her dresses. "Because I am not going to the Founder's party with Miss Angela so you've volunteered to be my date," Damon replied as he held up a navy blue dress and nodded appeased, "You should wear this one." Cori rolled her eyes and took the dress deciding not to argue Damon's choice. "You know Angela will throw a fit about you taking me and not her, right?" Cori asked him as she watched him open her underwear drawer, "Really, Damon?" He shrugged before closing it and turning to her.

"Angela is getting too... cosy and I have no intentions for anything more than to appease my thirst so I won't kill anyone in town," Damon informed Cori who shook her head before moving to the box under her bed and pulling it out, she shoved it in Damon's chest. "What is this?" Damon asked before opening it to see blood bags, "How did you get your little paws on this?" Cori smirked as she began brushing her hair, "Thomas Stewart has a thing for my sister and he does everything I ask in hopes to appease her." Damon grinned at Cori's game of using the guy for her own benefit, "That's a very Damon move of you." Cori scoffed as she looked up at him, "No. It's a very Cordelia Forbes move, thank you very much."

"If I'm going to be your date to the Founder's party, you have to buy me a strawberry milkshake and fries after it," Cori told Damon as she shoved him off of her bed. "Why do you mistreat me?" Damon asked with a pout making Cori laugh, he smiled slightly before speaking, "Deal. But I may have stirred trouble." Cori turned to Damon with an exasperated expression, "Even after what you heard?!" Damon shrugged as he stood up, "I made a promise besides, I live for eternity and I wanna have some fun." Cori shook her head with sigh before Damon spoke, "Plus, if my plan goes the way I'm hoping then you'll have Stefan all to yourself."

Cori looked up at Damon confused, "What are you talking about?" Damon smirked as he placed his finger against his lips before walking towards the door with his cooler of blood, "See you later for the party." Cordelia felt uneasy about the games that Damon could be playing but she couldn't really do much, so she shook it off and moved to finish putting her outfit together for the Founder's party. "Cordelia?" Liz spoke as she stepped into the room, "Oh that dress is perfect but please explain the older male?" Cori laughed at her mother's face, "Do not worry, Mom. Damon and I are strictly friends." Liz nodded before she walked over and cupped her daughters face, "I love you, sweetheart."

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Dolled up for the party, Cordelia made her way outside where Damon was waiting for her against his car, he smiled seeing her. "You look beautiful, Lia," Damon complimented making Cori smile as she hadn't been so sure before. "Thanks, Damon. Who knew you could actually pull of a suit," Cori teased as Damon opened the door for her. "I think I'm the only person that could pull off a suit," Damon replied before closing the door and rushing around to the driver side. "I wouldn't count on that," Cori replied with a smirk. "Well, be warned. Angela had a fit and she may target you," Damon told Cori who huffed in annoyance, "Thanks, Damon."

The two friends made it to the Lockwood home and Mrs Lockwood was quick to greet her, "Cordelia! You look smashing." Cori smiled up at the woman, "Thank you, Mrs Lockwood. This is my friend, Damon." Mrs Lockwood looked up at Damon with a smile, "Oh, well, come on in." Cori sighed as she and Damon stepped into the home. "Lovely to meet you. I've been looking forward to this party for quite a while," Damon expressed politely to Mrs Lockwood despite Cori picking up on the underlying meaning behind his words. "Well, enjoy," Mrs Lockwood said before turning to greet others like a good host. "Let's get a drink," Damon told Cori as he linked arms and headed inside.

"So the town has a vampire council but they still welcome people in?" Cori muttered to Damon who laughed, he agreed with her but ultimately, the polite nature was a bonus to him. Damon spotted Stefan and Elena as they walked into the party, Stefan kisses Elena on the cheek and Damon watches them looking slightly jealous. "Oh God, please don't tell me this is what its about," Cori whined gaining Damon's attention. "Whatever do you mean?" Damon asked her as he grabbed two drinks for him and Cori. "Damon, I saw the picture of Katherine... You feel something for Elena too, don't you?" Cori asked bluntly.

Damon finished his drink before looking at Cori, "Let's dance." Cori sighed before accepting his subject change for now but she finally understood what this whole game was about for Damon, he had feelings developing for the same girl dating his brother. The two were dancing though Damon was watching Stefan and Elena while Cori had spotted Angela who was glaring at her with an expression that screamed "You're dead". Cordelia rolled her eyes at the brunette before turning her gaze to Damon, "Watching them isn't going to change anything, Dames." Damon turned to look at Cori, "Did I mention that you looked beautiful?" Cori laughed as she let Damon spin her around.

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"'The founding families in Mystic Falls welcomes you to the inaugural founder's council celebration.' Wow, look, it's the original guest registry. Look at all these familiar names-Sheriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood. Is that Damon Salvatore? And, Stefan Salvatore?" Elena questioned Stefan as Damon and Cordelia joined them. "The original Salvatore brothers. Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually," Damon replied to Elena alerting them to his presence. "We don't need to bore them with stories of the past," Stefan spoke up as he glanced at Cori before focusing back on his brother.

"It's not boring, Stefan. I'd love to hear more about your family," Elena expressed to Stefan who was clearly hesitant. Cordelia looked up at Stefan, "Would you like to dance? Damon has given up because I'm better than him and I'd love to see if you're dancing is as good as Damon claims." Elena looked between them as Stefan seemed to hesitate while Damon spoke, "Yeah. You wouldn't mind, would you, Elena?" Cori looked between them as Stefan sighed, "Sure. One dance wouldn't hurt." Cori smiled at that before she and Stefan walked away leaving Damon and Elena to their own company.

Stefan rested one hand on Cori's waist while the other held her hand, her free hand resting on his shoulder as they danced to the music. "Damon tells me that you tried to poison his drink with Vervain," Cori said to Stefan who sighed. "Zach and I don't trust him and he's a risk to the town," Stefan replied to Cori who shook her head. "And he'll continue to get worse if you simply lock him up, Stef. There has to be another plan," Cori told him with a frown, she knew it'd take time for them to heal but she didn't want them making decision that worsen it before they finally fix everything between them.

"I don't know what else to do, Cori," Stefan told her, she frowned at the hopelessness in his eyes and nodded, she let him do what he needs but she'd pick the pieces when it all fell apart. "Thank you for the dance," Cori told Stefan as the dance came to an end, she stepped back and bowed her head slightly before the two walked back over to Damon and Elena. "What'd we miss?" Damon asked the two. "We were just chatting. Drink, Damon?" Stefan offered. "No thanks, I'll pass," Damon replied to Stefan. "Stefan, do you have another dance in you?" Elena asked her boyfriend. "Absolutely," Stefan answered her before he took her towards the dancefloor.

"They look so cute together," Angela's voice spoke as she stepped up to the two. "Don't talk, please," Damon replied to Angela who pouted. "You saved me a dance, right?" Angela asked completely ignoring Cori. "Sure," Damon replied before he and Angela went to the dancefloor leaving Cori to herself. "So much drama..." Cori muttered as she finished off her own drink and walked away, she decided that she had enough fun for the night. Cordelia spotted Caroline and Bonnie laughing as they danced with each other so she decided to leave them be and turned to another familiar face for a ride home. "Hey Sam, are you free to drive me home?" Cori asked. "Yeah, sure," Sam replied with a grin.

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"You know there are other ways of doing this," Cori spoke as she looked up into a pair of blue eyes that looked into her own with intrigued and admiration. "And what would they be, dear one?" The accented man, Nik, asked as he brushed his fingers down the side of her face. "We work together... I don't know what its like to suffer what you have but I do understand your brothers willing nature to help you. If it were my sister in your place, I'd be doing the same," Cori expressed to him as she rested her hand on his chest, his heart racing under her touch, "So please, consider my words, Nik. That's all I ask." He leaned forward with a wolfish grin, "Whatever my Queen wants."

Cordelia's eyes opened as she woke during the night, she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as kicked the covers off of her body. She made her way to the bathroom to do her business considering she was already awake and when she walked into her room, she spotted Stefan sitting on her bed. "Stefan?" Cori questioned but he didn't look up. "Damon's locked up. I put vervain in Angela's drink and Elena found a bite on her so she's freaked out thinking Damon's abusing her while Angela swears that it's purely consensual... at least she isn't lying about that," Stefan muttered out.

"Okay... Well, I'll talk to Damon and as for Elena, you need to open up a little bit Stefan," Cori told him as she moved to sit next to him, "You and Elena jumped straight into this relationship without hesitation and there are so many lies hidden away to protect her and you. But a relationship can't strive off of mystery and secrecy. You'll have to open up eventually, tell her the truth or walk away." Stefan looked up at Cori, "I don't think I could walk away." Cori shook her head as she rested her hand on his shoulder, "Stefan Salvatore, you can't run forever. She's a replica of a vampire you once knew. Someone is bound to show up thinking she's Katherine."

Stefan looked shocked by her words, "Damon?" Cordelia shook her head, "Leaving the photo on your desk is not a smart move. But still, you know I'm right. Katherine and Elena are connected somehow and something tells me that... her fate is tied and she's bound to learn the truth. Let her hear it from you." Stefan looked down at her words, he truly took them in and was grateful that he had Cordelia. "Trust me when I say this, Stef... Everything will work out in the end, I just know it," Cori promised before she smirked, "So movies?" Stefan laughed before the two got comfortable and started watching Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And they were content... even if it felt like something was missing.

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Rosemary Speaks

I love building friendships but writing friends who are blind to their emotions, that's some annoying shit to write. But imma do it anyway.

Damon and Cori's friendship, how do we like it?

Cori's strange dreams, what could they mean?

Stefan and Cori hanging out but blind to what's right in front of them, when will they see the truth?

How do you think Katherine will react to Cordelia?

Any extra thoughts, suggestions or questions?

See you in the next chapter!