Capital Letters

twenty-one

The scene was utterly surreal. Nathan found himself standing beside a float that seemed like a portal to the past, an ode to 1864—the very year he had met his demise. Yet, here he was, dressed in the finest attire of that era, a perfect fit for the extravagant occasion. He couldn't help but marvel at the absurdity of it all as he prepared to stand next to Miss Mystic Falls on the float.

Arriving at the school alongside his younger brother Stefan, Nathan offered a warm smile and reached up to straighten his tie. "This looks familiar, where'd you get it?"

Stefan couldn't suppress a chuckle, albeit a reluctant one. "Ha ha. You know it's yours. I couldn't find any of mine."

Nathan's smile brightened, revealing his appreciation for the brotherly banter. "Oh, I wonder what Father would think if he knew his precious boy was stealing. Though, I suppose you aren't as precious to him anymore, seeing as though you killed him. Oops."

Stefan rolled his eyes, responding with a touch of exasperation. "Shut up."

As the two brothers engaged in their customary ribbing, Damon, ever the charismatic presence, strolled over with Aria by his side. Aria was clad in one of the dresses from 1864, part of Nathan's carefully preserved collection.

"Look at you both, all retro," Damon says

Stefan questioned Damon's presence with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

Damon's reply was casual and laced with his signature charm. "Why wouldn't I be here? Bonnie deactivated the Gilbert invention, Isobel's gone, and it's Founder's Day. I'm here to eat cotton candy and steal your girl."

Stefan scoffed, clearly not in the mood for Damon's antics. "Don't start with me."

Damon couldn't resist a playful jab. "Oh, you started it, Stefan, with that whole 'I'm insecure, leave Elena alone' speech. I'm still enjoying that."

Stefan shrugged, maintaining his composure. "As long as you heard it."

Damon theatrically cupped a hand to his ear. "What? You have no sense of humour."

"Actually, I just have no sense of Damon humour," Stefan retorted.

Nathan, growing weary of the banter, glanced over at Aria, a longing in his eyes, contemplating the idea of simply walking away with her. Damon's teasing was becoming tiresome.

"Damon humor? Hey, look, I get it. I'm the better, hotter, superior choice, and you're scared now that Katherine's out of the picture, I'm gonna turn all my attention to Elena. But don't worry. Elena is not Katherine," Damon declared confidently.

Stefan agreed with a nod. "You're right. She's not."

But just as Nathan's irritation began to ebb, he watched Elena's grand entrance. Her hair cascaded in curls that bore an uncanny resemblance to Katherine's, and the dress she wore was an eerie mirror of their doppelgänger's style. As Elena locked eyes with them, she offered a bow and a sly smirk.

Nathan's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Oh, absolutely not. I'm leaving now," he declared, turning to Aria and extending his arm toward her.

Aria accepted his arm with a knowing smile. Elena's attire had dredged up memories, mostly painful ones. As they walked away together, Aria leaned in with a smile. "This suit looks a little familiar."

Nathan chuckled, his gaze drifting down to his period attire. "Oh, yeah. It's the suit I was going to wear to our wedding. But it didn't work out, did it?"

Aria's voice carried a note of reassurance. "No, it didn't. But it was for the best. I mean, think about it. If we had gotten married, everything would've still happened. I'd be trapped in the tomb, only you never would've moved on. It all worked out for the best."