The brilliant white full moon shone down upon the sleeping town of Grandview illuminating the deserted streets as families slept in their dwellings. Stars scattered the dark blanket the sky had provided them with.
The Gordon's where one of the peacefully resting families as the night brought them dreams.
An owl was seated lightly on a high tree branch outside one of the houses large windows peering into the darkened room watching the young boy dream.
Lights flickered behind Aiden's closed eyelids, creatures lurked in the darkness they provided. Voices played in the five year olds dream, faces where blurred in his mind.
A young man stood before him, his features where sharp, his eyes where a piercing blue, the pupils where pin pointed as the anonymous face drew nearer.
The young boy screamed in his unconsciousness as he saw the razor sharp set of fangs retracting from the snarl that distorted the mans face.
Aiden had never seen the person who fell to the floor before, he had seen the other man numerous times in the previous nights that past him although he had never seen the mysterious man like this before, he had never seen anything like this before.
The child knew there was something wrong when he opened his eyes each morning after the vivid dreams, he would normally never remember them but now it was as if he had been there with him.
Before this man haunted his dreams he would wake in the mornings not even knowing if he had dreamt the previous night, his mind would have been as blank as the night sky itself.
When the familiar man tilted his head up he could only be described as a monster. A being that stalked his dreams poisoning them into nightmares.
It's fangs where stained red with blood, the same watery liquid had flowed down his chin and lips which held a bitter smile as his unresponsive victim fell to his feet. The man stepped away from the body backing into the darkness that welcomingly swallowed him.
Melinda Gordon jumped from her bed alerted from her sons vision.
"Mum?" the soft voice sounded as her bedroom door creaked open, Aiden's small frame stood weakly in the scarcely lit gap rubbing his eyes. The young boys silhouette walked towards her.
"Aiden" Melinda clicked on the small lamp that stood on the desk next to her bed illuminating the medium sized room, she ran a hand through her brown hair glancing over at the small clock that was laid beside it. The hands pointed to a time she had to look twice at, four in the morning.
"I had another weird dream." the retiring boy slumped onto the soft quilted mattress, "The man I told you about had weird teeth…"
Melinda wrapped a comforting arm around her son, "Shh, it was just a nightmare"
She ruffled the mop of dark hair that stood in different directions covering his head, his brown eyes met hers, they where a shade darker but confidently determined
"I don't have normal dreams, they always come true"
She laughed softly as his sentence finished with a theatrical yawn, he leaned against her shoulder as she soothed him, "Try get some more sleep."
…...
"WHAT?" the dark haired man spat down the phone as he squinted his cold blue eyes
"That's not possible." the smug tones that usually oozed in his voice had turned to ones of frantic fury
"He's at Grandview orphanage." the unknown female voice stated emotionlessly
"Who are you?" he hissed before the call died, the man slammed down the small phone onto the dark oak coffee table he sat by.
"Damon?" the mans younger brother entered the candle lit room, his face caught the light from the violently flickering flames letting shadows play across his nearly hidden features.
Stefan Salvatore's brown hair contrasted with the pale skin of his structured face, hazel eyes studied his on edge brother.
"Prank call" Damon muttered
"No it wasn't. she said you have a son?" Stefan's tall form stepped closer
"Do you know what privacy means?" His older brother slurred catching his eyes, his younger brother repeated the last part of his question, "A son?"
"Maybe she got the wrong Damon Salvatore, it's a good name," He paused as Stefan persisted, "We can't have kids. We're the undead or did you forget that?"
A new emotion leaked into the depths of his mind as his brother started to talk again, "Speaking of which I'm gonna go feed."
"Da…" Stefan stopped as his brother disappeared into the night.
…...
In the bright of day Melinda sat quietly in the back room of her neat antique shop reading the information the illuminated screen of her computer presented her with.
She idly played with the waves that flowed down her shoulders, "Vampires can't exist." She focused on the next story of the mythical creatures, luckily Aiden was at school which let her get all the facts she needed on the dreams they shared.
"Hey" the male voice made her jump, she glared up to the man who towered in the doorway, a smile stretched his features as she stood
"Jim" Melinda addressed her husband, a smile of her own twitched the corner of her lip "How was work?"
"Well now you ask," He greeted her with a kiss, "We had some really weird attacks reported," his wife minimised the internet browser before he could see what the page held, "Three people came in, they where nearly completely drained of blood, there was only enough to keep the alive, the only wounds they had where tiny puncture marks in their necks."
"Punctures?" She echoed seeing the blood stained smile that loomed before her
"There's been some hits around here that go all the way to Mystic falls, it might be a gang who's working there way to somewhere. Or, it could be a new kind of weapon.. Anyway, How was your day?"
"It was pretty much the same." She smiled casting a final glance to the computer.
"How was your day champ?" Jim messed up his sons hair as he climbed into the car
"It was okay but everyone thinks I'm strange cause I'm the only one who can see Laura"
"Who's Laura?" His dad replied glancing to Melinda who nodded slowly
"She said she wants to meet you." the five year old looked at her, "She said she knows about my dreams"
"What dreams?" Jim frowned casting a weary glance into the rear view mirror
"There was a man with fangs.." He explained before his mother silenced him,
"He was watching a horror movie, it played on his mind.." A nervous smile flittered across her features
"Do you think the atta.." Jim froze,
"No." Melinda stated finishing the conversation
…...
"Wouldn't you like to know if you had a son?" Stefan fussed as his brother glared into the red hot flame that licked at the wood in the giant old fire place
"What do you want me to do? Go find this kid and tell him I'm his long lost daddy dearest vampire of a father? The kid who I'm not even sure if he's mine or not but who really cares?"
"We need to make sure." His younger brother reasoned
"We? Since when are you so bothered?" a frown creased Damon's features
"Because it's a child Damon, he's in an orphanage meaning his mother has died, he needs to be looked after, who better than his own father?"
"Who worse than me Stefan?" he lifted himself from his chair, "A vampire? Raising a human kid? I don't even remember the mother."
"That's a start. We need to find out more about her, we need to figure out if he's yours…"
"And if he is mine?" Damon fussed, "Don't mind me when your eating cheerios and packing your pencil case son but I'm gonna sick my teeth into this juicy person? Not going to work."
"It's best to check. He could grow up being just like you. He could be wishing right now he had his father with him." Stefan challenged his brother
"Fine." Damon stated turning away, "I'll go."
"We will go." Another frown twisted Damon's features knitting his forehead
"I know you'll hunt there. I know you already have."
Annoyance flickered through Stefan's older brothers eyes, "I know you went there last night. You got so close to him but stopped."
"How do you know?" He snapped
"Because you didn't clean up."
"Okay" Damon resigned admitting the defeat, "I'm not doing this for some soppy reason. I only Wanna know if it's mine."
"If he is?" Stefan inquired
"We'll see."
…...
"I'll see you later" Jim kissed his wife goodbye before wishing his son and leaving for the hospital he worked at.
"Aiden" Melinda laid a gentle hand on his shoulder causing him to look up
"Can you tell me more about Laura?"
"She came to my class" he began to explain as they sat in the kitchen, "She walked up to me and asked if you where my mum. I said you where, she told me she wants to see you. They thought I was weird cause I saw her, she said she's gonna be at school tomorrow. She really wants to talk to you."
Melinda listened carefully to her sons speech gathering the ghosts details. All she knew was that she was a woman and her name was Laura. All ghosts needed help, it didn't make her any different.
"You said she knew about your dreams?" His mother quoted what he had said in the car
"She said she knew how to stop them."
A frown creased Melinda's usually calm face, she knew about ghosts, some cases surprised her but this did sound different.
As Aiden relaxed to the soothing sound of his mothers voice he faded away into an event filled dream
This time in the nights darkness the two males where planning. One of them was the monster that recurred in the young boys dreams the other was a relative, Aiden guessed they where brothers.
They sat in a car driving down long empty lanes. Ahead of them the sun began to rise, their mouths where moving but he couldn't hear a word they spoke. The bright sun rays bounced from the glimmering rings each of them wore, they where the exact same pieces of jewellery.
Aiden watched from the back of their car, the places they drove past looked familiar, the houses, the shops, the street signs.
…...
"Here we are." Stefan pulled the sports car to the edge of the curb, the two brothers where parked outside an antique building. The four walls that towered above them belonged to the towns historic orphanage. It was the place that had seen hundreds of child grow and develop.
"What do we do now?" Damon shut the car door leaning on the hood to slip the dark sunglasses over his eyes to block the powerful sun, as he raised his hand his protective ring shone magically.
"We go and ask questions." Stefan took the first step towards the building
"You think it's that easy?" Damon reached him as he walked around the car
"Of course," He rolled his hidden eyes as they ascended up the worn out stairs.
"Come in" An elderly female voice replied to the gentle knock on her office door
"Why hello," a smile crossed the woman's wise features welcoming the two strangers
"Hi Ms." Damon glanced at the plaque that stood on her oak desk, "Wood."
She nodded in reply, "I'm Damon Salvatore and this is Stefan."
His younger brother smiled at the woman who studied them
"Nice to meet you" she finally stated, "What brings you here? You're a bit too old to enrol or look for any spaces."
Damon cast a blank look to his brother who humoured the woman with a soft laugh, "We where wondering if a young boy was placed here after his mother recently died, past away."
"I'm terribly sorry Stefan but we can't disclose that information to strangers, we will need to see some proper identification."
"Oh I see," Stefan nodded
"Was that all?" Wood raised her eyebrows sending rows of creases to crumple her forehead
"Yeah" Damon nodded
"Well if you two come back with the right identification we can see what we can do about putting a child in your care. I must say you do make a, handsome, couple."
"Oh, no you see…" Stefan raised a hand in protest
"Enough, thanks for your help" Damon smiled at Wood before turning back to his brother, "Come on buttercup"
…...
The young woman smiled as her eyes caught hold of his icy irises nodding as she excepted the drink that he had sent across the bar to her. The smile that she gave him was one that he found breath taking, it would have been heart stopping but he was a member of the undead. He thought of his own un beating heart being distracted from the rhythmic sound of hers as she walked towards him.
Her name was Laura Green, his was Damon Salvatore, their relationship had only lasted for a couple days, he couldn't stay in one place for long.
The woman with green eyes that matched her name and deep auburn hair imprinted his memory with her smile.
She slowly faded away into his memories until the only thing he was looking at was a fire flickering wildly on the candle that land before him.
The apartment the Salvatore brothers where staying at was chosen by Stefan because he made Damon promise not to compel any of the local humans in the surrounding houses. The only place they could be given to them in such short notice was not to Damon's taste as he glanced around the room.
The electricity had cut out as had the heating but something felt familiar about it although he couldn't quite remember what. The damp walls where coated with peeling wall paper that would have been decorated with bright flowers, the furniture was in even worse shape. But he felt like he knew the place, either that or he had stayed in too many similar places.
Stefan had tried to make a phone call only to discover there was no dialling ton. Normally the elder of the pair would be happy to compel a human stealing their house and maybe a couple pints of blood. But this time Stefan had to take responsibility and his brother needed all the help he could get.
Since Stefan was old enough to remember his brother always had fun. When he got turned into a vampire he mixed fun with danger and was free of any past cares.
He had always lived inside a cold hard shell. No one got through it, only a few knew about it, out of those people Stefan was the only one still alive to know when the shell was about to crack and didn't want to watch his brother brake.
…...
"Hang on. You're trying to tell me vampires exist and those people we've been treating are really their victims?" Jim frowned as Melinda tried to explain what was really going on, "You're kidding."
"Nope." She pursed her lips, "Our son saw them, their here in Grandview. There's two of them, their male and searching for something, or someone in the orphanage."
"Aiden saw vampires?" he repeated emotionlessly, "Wasn't it a normal nightmare?"
"Jim, you know he doesn't have normal nightmares, or dreams." his wives voice was determined as they stood in the kitchen, their son was safely at school
"Mel, they can't exist.""Before you met me did you believe in ghosts?" She raised her eyebrows watching defeat wash over his expression
"So what are we going to do?"
"I have to find out what they are looking for." She stated
"I can't let you do that on your own.." He insisted
"You have to, all these creatures are the same, I can deal with it." She replied
"What are you going to do?" His voice laced with concern
"I'm going to the orphanage."
…...
"Ms. Wood, I know I need the right identification material but I need to know if someone called Laura past away leaving a child here with you."
A look of sympathy past the elderly woman's face as she caught the other females eyes, "Ms Green did unfortunately pass away, I don't know why there's so many people asking after her. Thomas is with us."
"What do you mean so many people?" Melinda frowned thinking of the monstrous vampire trying to take away the innocent boy, the woman didn't answer as Melinda thought of a different question, "Can I meet him?"
"I'm sorry." Wood apologised as Melinda knew her answer
"Thanks for your help."
As Melinda sat in wait outside the school gates she remembered her son telling her Laura would visit him again that day.
Aiden walked happily towards his mothers car holding the weightless woman's hand. Her red hair waved in the undetectable breeze giving the image of fire, her green eyes studied the jeep that waited for the child who's hand curled in the air grasping nothing to a normal persons vision but to him and his mother it was different.
"You can see me" Laura's voice was soft as she floated to the back seat of Melinda's car
"Yes" She agreed, "But what have you got to do with my sons visions?"
The ghostly woman paused before answering, "Their looking for my son, our son, he needs his father."
"Thomas?" The woman nodded swiftly shaking her glimmering red hair
"The two vampires?" She still hadn't gotten used to the other supernatural creatures she had stumbled across
"I didn't know he was at the time. I thought he had just left me. But when Tommy was born he seemed different, he's more advanced in the way he thinks. He looks just like him. He knows about stuff most adults don't have the slightest idea of. I know it's because of him."
"Why do you need me? Why would you haunt my son like this?"
"I had no choice, my son is five too, he can't be sent to an orphanage. He can't fade away. People will notice soon enough that he's different and won't accept him for it. I can't let him deal with it on his own."
"What do you want me to do?" Melinda glanced to her son knowing what it felt like to have a different child, one that didn't quite fit in with the others.
"I need you to help Damon. I need to see him. I have to talk to him."
…...
"Apparently there's meant to be a woman around here that can talk to ghosts, if your sure it was Laura you can try connect to her.." Stefan glanced at his brother who twirled his ancient ring around his finger,
"Oh great" He pursed his lips, "You believe mystic meg is real and want me to talk to her, do you know what you sound like? You might as well get a pack of tarot cards or put Madam in front of your name."
"Come on, it's worth a try. I believe her, she isn't commercialised, I had to do a lot of research to find out about her. Only a few people know what she can do. We should talk to her."
"You're being serious." Damon sighed, "I'll go see her."
"We will." Stefan added.
…...
"I need to find out where their staying" Melinda's fingers flew over the keys as her eyes studied the computer screen, Laura stood by her side patiently
"When Aiden saw them they where in a car, in this town but we don't know what hotel, or house, they could be staying at."
"Try the riverside hotel." The red headed ghost breathed,
"It's where I was staying when I first met him, I heard it's a mess now but he might be there. He might remember."
"Okay" Melinda replied as an image slowly loaded onto the white screen, "It really is a dump now."The building they where looking at seemed as though it had been empty of paying occupants for years, the four walls had been vandalised over the four long summer's they had seen.
"It was beautiful" Green sighed
"Do you think their there?"
Melinda's mind fell from their discussion before she heard the answer. She slipped into her sons mind who slept peacefully in his room.
…...
The two men where again driving down familiar roads , the younger of the pair sat behind the wheel while the older tensely watched for something. The car they travelled in stopped near a drive way. The engine cut out drowning the pair in smothering darkness, street lamps provided a small amount of help for them as they walked to the end of the drive.
"Their here." Melinda snapped back to the present, Green no longer stood near her
"Laura?" She whispered in the empty room
Slowly the unsteady physic moved towards the drawn curtains twitching the thick red material to the side. Her light brown eyes fixed on the three figures, Laura stood before the vampires, they didn't seem to notice her as they walked through her non existent form carrying on to the door.
Melinda stood on to the other side of the entrance watching the brothers approach, she could see the difference between their personalities easily. The taller of the pair had a lighter shade of hair with darker eyes, he seemed more humane. His company sent a shiver sown her spine, he was slightly shorter, his features where sharp and dangerous, his eyes where a shade of icy blue, it was only a shade of ice that she could describe the cold glare as that looked straight through the door at her. His dark hair matched the black outfit he wore , he truly did look like a vampire or some kind of night creature.
"They need to be invited in" Laura sighed as she reappeared at the nervous woman's side, "They can't just walk in"
The dangerous looking male stretched a closed fist towards the door as Melinda twisted the keys to open it, his ring shone in the provided artificial light. She opened her home to the creatures who where capable of draining every ounce of life from her.
Damon glanced to his brother before letting his eyes fall on Melinda's small form, "Gordon." he stated, she nodded once waiting for the next question
"May we come in?" Stefan's voice was sincere showing even more differences between them
"We only want to ask a few questions." a looked of loyalty past his deep hazel eyes as his brother rolled his dramatically.
"Sure" Melinda forced a polite smile opening the door fully, Laura stood in front of Damon with a hopeful expression only to be disappointed when he walked straight through her once more
"You've come about your son" Melinda turned to the colder brother who quizzically looked at her, "Laura's here."Damon scanned the room searching for the female spirit who reached out a gentle hand brushing it across his cheek, sadness flickered for a split second in his expression only to be replaced by the rock hard shell he stayed in, a tear ran down her weak features
"How did she die?" His voice was emotionless as he stared at the only source of life in the room
"A car crash." She stated getting a nod in response
"The kid is mine?"
"Yes" Laura whispered, "Tommy looks just like him."
Melinda nodded, "His name's Thomas.""He's five," She agreed with Stefan's statement
"Laura wants you to take him. She says he is different to other children, he has a lot more knowledge about things and a lot of strength.""Great. So now I'm super boys father?" he muttered humourlessly, "The old bat won't let me anywhere near him."
"Compel her." Laura floated forward
"Laura said you can compel her?" Melinda frowned at Stefan who began to answer,
"we can't."
"We can. I can. We can leave town with him." Damon stated surprising all the people living and dead in the room.
A smile twitched the end of Laura's lips, "I knew he would want him."
"Can you tell Laura something?" He mumbled, "I did care." another tear rolled down from the ghostly eyes
"She knows" Melinda nodded wondering what he was really like under his cold emotionless shield
"Thanks." He muttered turning back to the front door
"Where are you going?" Melinda frowned
"To get me son."
…...
Stefan sat tensely in his car tapping on the steering wheel waiting for his brother to leave the old orphanage building, he strained his ears listening to his brothers soothing voice as he compelled Wood. He could imagine Damon's eyes turned to pin points while he fed her the truth laced with white lies.
He could feel what the older woman had felt, how she wasn't willing to give in but had no choice. He could hear the sound that made a smile form on his lips, a heart beat, not Wood's but another, smaller heart. The heart that belonged to Thomas Salvatore.
"Their together." Laura stated as she sat by Melinda, "Tommy has his father." The ghosts bright green eyes where red rimmed as she smiled softly, the physic returned the gesture noticing the faint glow on Laura's face.
"It's amazing" she mumbled standing gracefully floating towards the light, her feet barely made contact with the floor. She cast one last smile to the living world before stepping into the beautiful unknown place.