Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries nor anything else related to it.
Rating: Mature-lemons and language and perhaps more.
Pairings: Elena/Damon and Stefan
Beta: Mist
A/N: This story starts out from the beginning of the show, except Elena doesn't go to school and meet Stefan first. No, she leaves town and finds herself face to face with Damon. He has a motive of course for meeting her first and she falls for his charms but not without some resistance at first. It's my first VD story so please be gentle with the reviews. I adore both D/E and E/S but deep down I think that Elena is better for Damon. xoxo August
Elena Gilbert sat at her desk staring at the blank piece of paper with a pen in her hand. She was trying to find the right words to say good-bye to her best friend Bonnie. She knew it was going to crush her spirit when she learned that Elena had made the hasty decision to leave town and start a new life far away from Mystic Falls and her friends.
It was the only thing that made sense to her. She needed to start fresh. She needed to be in a new environment where no one knew about the death of her parents or how she was miraculously the only one rescued from a horrific accident that had been partially her fault. If she hadn't gone out that night and stayed home like she was supposed to then her parents wouldn't have been out that faithful night when the thunderstorm had poured out of the sky and made visibility nearly impossible. Her father wouldn't listen to her mother when she suggested they park the car and wait until it pass.
No, her father thought if they drove slower then they would still make it home safely. Then out of no where a big semi truck came flying over the bridge and clip them, causing her father to loose control of the car despite the slow speed they had been driving and crashing over the side of the bridge where the car smashed into the deep river that quickly engulfed them.
When she woke up she was in a hospital room where her Aunt Jenna and Jeremy sat looking excited and sadden to see her open her eyes. The months that followed the accident had been nearly unbearable. The therapy helped and even the medication numb the pain but now school was approaching and she didn't want to go back and see all the sad faces. No, she wanted something new. Something fresh and shiny. Something that would help her move forward with
her life. She was leaving for Georgia in the morning to attend Brenau Academy for girls. It had everything she could enjoy in a school. They had a newspaper and a book club two things she was planning to join to help improve her writing skills.
Taking a deep breathe she wrote her tender good-bye. Slipping the paper inside an envelope and sealed it with a kiss with her strawberry lip gloss lips.
"You can do this." She spoke to herself as she placed it on the dresser.
"The car is here." Jenna opened her door, smiling sadly at her.
"Okay. Here is the letter to Bonnie and there is also one for Caroline and Matt. Can you make sure they get it. I don't trust Jeremy to do it." Elena suck in her breathe as she glanced around her childhood room, trying to memorize every content before she began her journey.
"I will." Jenna step closer to her and threw her arms around her tightly.
Elena didn't want to start crying. Not now. She knew if they both cried she might not make it out of the front door. She had been given a scholarship to help pay her first year tuition and room and board which was amazing since she had sent it in late.
She couldn't back down now. Someone had put faith in her and she had to prove them right.
"I love you guys. I will be home for the holidays." Elena whispered, peeling her Aunt's arms off of her.
"I know." Jenna wiped the tears from her face and presented Elena with a proud and strong smile.
"Good. Now I assume Jeremy took off like he always does." Elena rolled her eyes sarcastically. She knew Jeremy was infuriated with her decision to leave town. He saw it as an act of betrayal by abandoning him to suffer through the school year alone. She had offered to help him apply for the same school but he had just laughed in her face. He couldn't stand the school he was already in and knew that a school as elite as Brenau wouldn't be any better for him.
Jenna simply nodded her head, lowering it as she looked at the floor beneath them.
"Okay. Well, there is a letter up there for him too." Elena chuckled bitterly.
Okay." Jenna reached over and helped carrying her luggage down the flight of stairs and to the entryway where a chauffeur stood awaiting to take Elena to her new school and new life. She was surprised when they offered to drive her there instead the usual flight.
"Is that all Miss Gilbert?" The chauffeur asked as he took the items and placed them gently in the trunk.
"Yes." Elena smiled nervously at him.
"Bye Jenna. I love you guys and I appreciate everything you have done for us. Please, please watch Jeremy closely. He still hasn't give up the drinking and drugs. He needs to stay in counseling." Elena warned her Aunt who had a tendency to slip into her own world of pain and forget her new job as guardian.
"I will." Jenna promised.
Elena walked out into the sunlight and looked back for just a second at her home and said a quick prayer to her parents hoping they would understand why she had decided to flee the safety of their home.
Elena slipped in the car and waved quickly before the door was closed behind her.
Leaning her head back she closed her eyes not bothering to open them and look one final time at the town that she was fleeing from. She didn't want to lose her courage and she didn't' want to see everyplace she had ever been with her parents. This was one of the major reasons she was leaving town. There was no where she could go that she didn't have a connected memory to one or both of her parents.
XXX
Elena was woken up when the car came to a stop for some time. Opening her eyes she peeked out of the dark tinted windows to try and understand why they had been parked for so long. It was early evening and they had only stopped once since they left her house so she could make a quick bathroom break and stretch her legs.
She heard the trunk of the car open and then the door was opened and Elena was startled when she saw a man climb into the car next to her.
"Thank you Frances." The gentleman said with a graceful voice.
Elena scooted over to the opposite side staring suspiciously at the unexpected passenger.
When he turn to face her Elena felt the pit of her stomach hit the floor. The man had the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her life. His hair was a little long on the top but short in the back. It was dark as night. His body frame from what she could make out underneath his jeans and shirt appeared to be modestly built. She couldn't see anything wrong with him. Not one physical flaw.
"Hi, I'm Damon Salvatore." He extended his hand out to her.
Elena hesitantly took it although her heart was shaking in her chest and a screaming sound was ringing in her ear. She couldn't explain it but something warned her that looks could be deceiving and this man despite his beautiful face and delicious body he had the potential of being dangerous.
"Hi, I'm Elena Gilbert." She replied softly.
"It's nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind that I'm sharing a ride with you. I called the school to see if they had anything available and learned that you were the last one to arrive to school tomorrow and heading in my direction." He explained for the unexpected intrusion.
"Oh. Are you a teacher there?" She gulped hard trying to imagine him as a teacher and came up short with what possible subject a man like him could teach teenagers. He barely look over twenty-two, so he was still rather young to be a professor at such an elite academy that prided themselves on having the top professors and curriculum.
"Not exactly." He laughed wickedly as his eyes shimmered with delight.
Elena gulped air again. The man seriously had sex appeal and he knew it.
"I'm actually just an advisor. I also sponsor a few students each year." He answered with a modest smile.
"Advisor? What do you advise on?" Elena wrinkled her nose trying to picture some poor girl crying on his shoulder while he showered her with wisdom and compassion. It didn't seem like his sort of thing.
"Life. I talk to the kids about different avenues they can take down their path of success. I'm a successful businessman. I take off a few times each year to help with this academy among a few other foundations that I help sponsor." His eyes twinkled with pride.
"You said you "sponsor" students. What does that entail exactly?" Elena suddenly recalled that her application had mentioned she had been picked up by a last minute sponsor who had read her resume and application and agreed to pay for everything.
"It means that I can check on the students that I endeavor with the funds to spend time learning and living at the academy. If they don't do as well as I would like then I can take back the money I offered to pay for them. Usually it doesn't happen but every once in awhile I find myself with a student who doesn't reach his or her potential and I'm sadly in the position to send them home." He explained with a blank expression.
Elena felt goose bumps sprout up and down her arms and neck. She didn't realize that she could possibly lose her sponsorship if her sponsor disliked her. She hoped who ever had chosen her was a decent and kind person.
"How about you? What are your plans for Brenau? Do you see yourself obtaining the top spot in all of your classes?" He asked curiously as he reached into the bar section and made himself a bourbon on the rocks.
"I hope so. I want to do my best. I normally do well in school." Elena felt her stomach knot up in fear that maybe she had brought on too much for herself this time. She was a perfect student back home but the lessons and expectations would be much higher at the academy than at Mystic Falls High.
"That's good. Just remember always keep you head held high. No one is better than you. If you show one moment of weakness the rich spoiled teens will eat you up." His voice warned her that he wasn't teasing and this only made her cringe in fear more.
"Great." She mumbled as she placed her forehead in her hand. She began to breathe erratically as she fought back a minor panic attack. She had packed her medications in her over night bag and didn't dare ask the driver to stop so that she could take it now. They had to be close to the academy and she didn't want this sponsor to tell her sponsor how she had be medicated in order to cope with the world around her..
"Are you okay?" He asked with genuine concern in his voice.
"Sure." Elena stared down at her feet as she paced her breathing.
"We can pull over if you need too." He offered.
"No. I will manage." Elena shook her head which made her dizziness feel worse.
"Honey, it's okay if you need help." Damon tap on the glass window behind him, causing the driver to slow down and then stop completely on the side of the road.
Elena felt warm tears spring to her eyes as the driver opened her side of the door. Elena didn't argue or protest she simply step out of the car and began to suck in the fresh evening air.
Wiping away the angry tears that were leaking from the corners of her eyes she lifted her head back to stare up at the starry sky.
"Have you eaten today?" Damon stood a step behind her.
"No." Elena replied weakly.
"That's probably why you don't feel good. That and nerves. I take it this is your first trip to Brenau." He stated casually.
"Yes." Elena inhaled sharply.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. The school is very nice. Did you know that it's located on a old Southern Plantation. It was one of the richest homes in the area before the civil war destroyed it." Damon's voice soothe her nerves as she turned half way to look at him.
"Really." Elena smiled half hearted. She loved antiques and civil war period. She envied the women who wore the beautiful ball gowns and had servants to wait on their every need. She knew that eventually if she had lived in that time period she would have grown bored with the lack of activity in her life. However, a few days of luxury would have been pleasing enough for her.
"Yes. They even have a few of the original slave houses where the professors and a few other employees reside while the students get to remain in the big house. Well, not all of the students. Some of them are local and go home and a few of them stay in the newer buildings that were created to go along with the academy itself." He continued to describe the life she would soon live.
"I would love to stay at such a house." Elena's eyes sparkled excitedly.
"Usually the students who live there either volunteer to stay there or have wealthy families that offer to pay for the elite privacy of such a house. There are only twenty-six rooms in the house."
"Oh." Elena saw her fantasy vanishing like bubbles being popped. She didn't have a wealthy family to support such a lavish room for herself. She reminded herself that perhaps she would befriend someone who did reside it and get the opportunity to at least explore the house.
"Are you from a rich family?" Damon asked curiously.
"No. My parents...well, they couldn't afford even the school. I have a sponsor." Elena answered with a tint of pink in her cheeks as she realized that she would be considered beneath some of the students that would attend the academy. She sucked in her pity and warned herself to remember she was just as worthy as they were to be there. Why else would someone pick up her tuition and board after it was turned in late?
"I can't wait to see who pick up such a lovely lady." Damon took her hand gently in his and kissed the edges of her fingertips. Elena felt her heart flutter, her head spin and her legs went limp as a noodle. Damon swept her up before she hit the ground.
"Sorry." Elena muttered as her eye lids fluttered rapidly.
"Let's get you something to eat." Frances take us to Carbonna. It's about two miles down the let himself in on the other side as Frances drove them to the restaurant he had requested.
"I'm normally not like this. I guess with my nerves and everything I just didn't think to ask for food earlier." Elena felt horrible. She wondered if Damon thought she was a weak pathetic teenage girl.
"It's okay. I understand what can happen when one deprives themselves of a good meal." Damon winked at her as Frances opened the door in front of a restaurant that made Elena once again nearly swoon. It wasn't a diner or a family eatery but appeared to be a five star restaurant.
"I don't know if I can afford this." Elena chewed on the corner of her lip as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"It's on me." He smiled affectionately, crooking his arm so that she could onto his elbow while he led them inside.
Elena was deeply impressed with the luxurious surroundings and the food soon filled her with the nourishment she needed in order to think straight and find the courage that she had once carried around with grace and style.
XXX
She had soon found herself relaxing and enjoying their casual conversation until her turned it around on her and her childhood. She wasn't ready to really talk to anyone about her haunted past. The point for leaving was to leave it all behind.
"I'm sorry, I just had a lot happen to me in the past six months. I don't like to talk about it. " Elena apologised for withholding her own stories from him after he had shared so many with her. She knew he had a younger brother whom he deemed a nuisance in every way. She could relate with his stories because like him she was the older sibling between her and Jeremy.
"I see. No problem. It looks like we are here." He glanced out his side of the window with a disappointed smile.
"OH." Elena jumped over to the window and stared out of it. She couldn't see much due to the darkness of the night. She was impressed with what she could manage.
The car stopped in front of a large southern manor that made Elena's heart quicken with pleasure.
"It's grand." She cried out excitedly.
"It appears this is your stop." He cocked an eye brow as Frances opened the door assisting her.
"Thank you Mr. Salvatore." Elena smiled sweetly at him.
"Damon, please call me Damon." His smiled widen and his eyes held hers for a second. A second longer than necessary and a second that it took her stomach to knot up and her head to spin with possible fantasies about what it would be like to start an affair with such a man as Damon Salvatore.
Elena blushed softly as she pressed her lips together and gave him a weak smile before finally got out of the vehicle. Frances had already taken her bags up to the front doors of the house.
"Are you sure I'm suppose to stay here?" Elena frowned awkwardly as she stared up at the enormous front doors of the mansion.
"Yes. It said to deliver Elena Gilbert to Brenau Mansion. Here." Frances handed her an envelope before nodding his head politely and then went back to the vehicle where he still had to deliver Damon Salvatore to his location.
Elena took a deep breathe as she opened the envelope and found a key inside of it on a silk purple ribbon. A note was also inside of it.
Elena,
Here is a key to your room. You will find it on the second floor, right hallway, last room on the left. Your first day is tomorrow so be ready and dressed by 8 am for orientation.
Your sponsor,
D. Salvatore
Elena's hand shook with shock, her head whipped around to discover the car had already driven away. Elena was experiencing conflicting emotions. On one hand she was pleased that Damon had been so generous to her but on the other hand she wondered if he had purposely chosen to pick her up to give her a test of sorts. She felt rather humiliated as it occurred to her that she had nearly fainted in his arms. Why had he chosen her exactly? What appealed to him about her resume? How could a man like Damon Salvatore randomly choose her out of hundreds of applicants? Her gut warned her that he had a ulterior motive. There was no other reason that a man has sexy, sophisticated, and wealthy as Damon would simply choose a small town girl who had recently lost her family and her way in the world due to his genuine sense of generosity.
XXX
Elena pulled back the blankets of the queen size Victorian style bed and climb in with ease. She laid there pondering on what she had done. She had checked her messages and saw that there were no missed calls and felt sad that no one had bothered to check in on her. She knew i it was for the best but it still stung her ego.
Closing her eyes she fell asleep quickly.
She could hear the music straying up to her room. She push the covers off of her when she picked up the distinct sounds of voices along with the music. Looking at her clock it showed it was barely midnight. Why were people downstairs at this hour? When she arrived it was as quiet as a mouse in the house.
Slipping into her house shoes and grabbing her robe to cover herself up she snuck down to the first landing of stairs. The music wasn't exactly the normal kind that teenagers would be listening to. It was a piano. Someone was playing a beautiful song. She didn't hear a many voices as before. Curiosity built up and she knew she had to take a peek to see who was up this late and why?
Taking careful steps she made her way down the last few stairs and tip toes in the direction of the music. She found the source of it. Pulling back the double doors she peeked inside and was shocked to find there was no one in the room but the person who was playing the piano.
She suddenly felt like she wasn't suppose to be there. Feeling confused and scared she started to turn back but then she heard his voice as he called out to her.
"Come in Elena." His voice vibrated straight through her. Her eyes widen, her mouth fell open and her heart ached. She suddenly felt as if she had known him her entire life instead of the few hours she had.
"I...didn't mean to intrude." Her voice shook.
"Of course not. Please come closer." His voice drew her like a moth to a flame. She felt her feet lifting up and before she knew it she was right next to his side. He turn to me, his hands slid around my waist, pulling me up against him. Licking my lips I felt my pulse go in rocket speed. The touch was shooting electrical pulses through out my body.
"Elena, you want me don't you?" His eyes look up at me as his hands continue to massage my waist.
"No...maybe." She couldn't think straight. She barely knew this man. How could she feel like this so soon? Her body quiver as her legs began to shake beneath her.
"Elena, sweet...sweet...Elena." He untied her housecoat his hands push her blouse up and his hands touch her flesh, causing her to suck in her breath as they made their way higher until they were cupping her breasts. She gasped as his thumbs flick across her nipples causing them to harden and her body to melt like lava.
"Mr. Salvatore...we...shouldn't..."She hoped to find the right words to stop him from doing something they both would regret.
"Damon, call me Damon. I want to hear you say my name loud and deep as I fuck you so hard Elena." His voice was deep and hoarse as his eyes burned into hers.
Elena thought she would faint. There was so much power in his touch and in his eyes. He was the most persuasive person she had ever met in her life. He could make you do anything he wanted and he knew it. He was definitely lethal and it excited her.
"Damon." She spoke his name with an eagerness that surprised even her.
"That's right darling, your mine and only mine." He stood up, removing his hands from her breast and circled them instead around her neck as he tilted her head back, while leaning his face toward hers.
"I won't share you this time. You were meant for me." His voice was strong and stern. She didn't understand what he meant by those words but she suddenly felt as if he had claimed her as his own. Normally this would have anger her when a guy tried to brand her like a cow or horse but when he look into her eyes as his lips grazed so gently across hers, she knew she wanted to be his and only his.
Elena woke up with a start. Sitting up in the bed it took her several minutes to get her bearings back. She remembered where she was, which wasn't her old room or old house and to remember why she had come here in the first place. Her heart ached as the memories of her parents death seep into the back of her mind she yank away the covers and walked over to the window. Pulling back the delicate cotton curtains she look up at the full moon and wondered if this emptiness inside of her could ever be filled again.
Then the dream she had pop into her mind and her body lit up like the fourth of July. She didn't understand any of the dream or why she had these strange feelings toward a man she barely knew.
"Who are you Mr. Salvatore and why did you pick me?" She whispered to the empty room as she stared out at the dark filled night, wishing she could shake these crazy feelings that her new sponsor had somehow sparked in her empty heart.
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