?? ??????? || ?.?. , ?.?. & ?.?

The Founders' Day preparations were in full swing, and Carol Lockwood was at the center of it all, barking orders like a drill sergeant. "No, no, no! The marching band should be in front of the Historic Society. Matt, get up on the float! Boys, I told you to put the chairs on the Founders' Float! Ladies! Time to get on the float!"

Stefan stood off to the side, looking out at the chaos with a mix of annoyance and resignation. Damon and Isaac arrived just as Carol was giving her instructions, but Isaac’s expression was anything but enthusiastic. He was dressed in a ridiculously outdated outfit that Damon had insisted on—1800s-era clothing. Isaac looked down at the clothes in disgust.

"Look at you, all retro," Damon teased with a grin.

Isaac tugged at the fabric uncomfortably. "Is this really how you dressed in the 1800s? Didn’t you get hot in that?"

Damon shot him a sideways glance, unfazed. "It’s classic, man. Trust me, I looked good."

Stefan, noticing their arrival, raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Why wouldn't I be here?" Damon smirked. "Bonnie deactivated the Gilbert invention, Isobel's gone, and it’s Founders' Day! I’m here to eat cotton candy and steal your girl."

Stefan’s expression hardened. "Don’t start with me, Damon."

Isaac, still baffled, interjected. "What are you guys even talking about? Why do you always act like you’re in some secret club? You never tell me anything."

Damon didn’t answer Isaac directly but threw a glance at Stefan. "Oh, Stefan, you started this whole 'I'm insecure, leave Elena alone' thing, and now I get to enjoy it," Damon teased, his voice dripping with amusement.

Stefan didn’t flinch. "As long as you heard it."

Damon shot Stefan a playful smirk. "What? You have no sense of humor, Stefan."

"Actually, I have no sense of 'Damon humor,'" Stefan shot back, unfazed.

Damon shrugged, unbothered. "Hey, I get it. I’m the better, hotter, superior choice, and you’re scared. Now that Katherine’s out of the picture, you think I’m gonna start focusing all my attention on Elena. But don’t worry, Stefan. Elena is not Katherine."

Stefan’s eyes hardened. "You're right, she's not."

Just as Damon and Stefan exchanged their usual banter, Elena approached, dressed in a stunning period gown. The resemblance to Katherine was uncanny—same dark hair, same striking beauty. Elena smiled at them and gave a small curtsy.

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. You two are having déjà vu of Katherine?"

Damon, ever the joker, flashed Isaac a smirk. "Don’t you have a girlfriend to see?" His voice was light, but there was a hint of irritation behind the smile.

Isaac, catching the hint, shrugged. "Yeah, I do." He turned to walk away, not wanting to get tangled in their drama any longer.

As he walked off, Damon and Stefan continued to eye Elena, both clearly reminded of Katherine, yet both unsure of how to navigate the complicated feelings she stirred in them. The tension between them was palpable, but neither seemed ready to admit just how much it all bothered them.

---

Isaac approached Bonnie with a grin, his mood lightened now that he was away from the tension of the Salvatores. "Hey, babe," he said, his voice warm and casual.

Bonnie looked up from adjusting her dress, her face lighting up when she saw him. "Hey," she replied, a smile spreading across her face. She glanced at his outfit and raised an eyebrow. "What’s with the... old-school look?"