December 1944

"Be careful, Stefan," Damon cautions as they continue their trek. The mountain path is covered with loose rock, each one washed smooth by the river that once ran freely over them. Damon wonders how many millions of years ago. He and Stefan love to come to this place, it's a treasure trove. They have found fossilized teeth, bones and even fern like plant life before. He even found a Trilobite fossil one time. It's one of his prized possessions. It sits atop his dresser.

Thick, dark green leafy boughs arch over their path from either side shrouding the harsh midday sun. Still it doesn't make their steep incline any easier. When they reach a couple of big boulders, they stop to rest for a few minutes. Damon unscrews the lid from his canteen and takes a long swallow before handing it to his little brother. Leaning over, he fixes his shoes laces and then looks around. The boulders that are in constant shadow are moss and lichen covered.

Ten minutes or so later, the brothers get back to their feet to continue their trek. When they reach the lake, they drop their packs and then go in search of some dried leaves and branches to start a campfire with. While Stefan goes for more wood, Damon finds some rocks to encircle the fire so it doesn't get spread out of the perimeter. Once they have everything, they start the fire and then strip out of the clothes to go into the clear blue water. It's the dead of summer so it's not too hot or too cold. Damon shields his eyes and looks up at the sky. The sun is cascading making the azure blue lake glimmer like diamonds.

After spending a good hour in the lake, they get out, realizing only then that they should have gone fishing before they stirred up the water with their bodies. Damon chuckles and hands Stefan one of the apples that their mom packed for them. Damon breathes a sigh of relief when he finds sandwiches too. He'll have to remember to thank his mom when they get home tomorrow. After they eat, they sit around the campfire. Damon's eyes twinkle, meeting his little brother's as he tells him ghost stories. By morning, Stefan is snuggled next to Damon, his head under the covers.

Damon's eyes snap open when the announcement to board the train bound for Mystic Falls is announced. Damon stretches his arms then stands up, picks up his bag and starts walking towards the door to go outside so he can get onto his train. When he sees the snow coming down through the windows, he pulls his coat tighter around his neck. He hadn't noticed the Christmas decorations before. There was a time, not so long ago really, when he loved Christmas.

He almost loses his footing, dropping his bag when someone bumps into him. The man excuses himself and helps Damon pick up his things before hurrying off. Sighing, Damon shakes his head and starts to walk outside. He pulls his ticket out of his inside pocket and hands it to the attendant along with his suitcase. Quite honestly, he could have picked any other town but he liked the name, Mystic Falls. It could be a nice place to look around before...

Damon steps inside the train and takes a seat. He looks around at the other passengers for a bit before opening up the magazine he bought and burying his nose in it. When he feels a slight brush against his knee, he looks up and sees a woman taking the seat beside him. The first thing he notices is that she's beautiful. She has a hat on her head and her long chestnut brown hair is in waves, her big brown eyes are mesmerizing. Unexpectedly his heart speeds up when she smiles at him. He returns it, albeit with one that doesn't reach his eyes. With a nod of his head, he drops his gaze back to his magazine.

Elena is a little jumpy around the crowd of people that are hustling to get on the train. It's been some time since she last found herself surrounded by such a crowd. Truthfully, it's not like she's in midtown Manhattan or anything but it still makes her a bit uncomfortable. Obviously she's only one of many people who are going out of town for the holidays.

She hands the attendant her ticket and after he checks it over, he nods for her to get on the train. She's so looking forward to seeing her family, but is also wary of what the next few days will hold for her and for them. How will they react? Starting tomorrow she has eight days before she has to go back.. If only she could turn back the clock, she would change so many things. She continues down the aisle and when she sees an open seat next to a soldier, she sits down, accidentally brushing his knee as she does so. It's obvious to her that he seems in no mood for conversation. He hides his face under the cover of his magazine, probably hoping she'll leave him alone.

She smiles but is struck by the sadness she sees dwelling in his eyes. Although she doesn't understand it, she feels concerned for the sad looking soldier who's sitting beside her.

"I'm Elena Gilbert," she mentions, sliding her hand over to shake his. He swallows thickly and takes her hand, shaking it slightly before letting go.

"Lt. Salvatore, Damon."

Silence lingers between them for several minutes before Elena adds, "I'm a sales woman."

He really doesn't want to have a conversation. How does he tell her, anyone for that matter what's churning inside of his mind? So rather than be rude, he keeps the conversation light. "I've been back to the States for a short time. I am a member of the 101st Airborne Division. I'm on my way to Mystic Falls for a little holiday."

"Me too, My sister, aunt Jenna and my uncle live there. I'm going to spend a few days with them."

"That's nice," Damon adds, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. He offers her one and then lights up, reaching over to light hers too. He wonders how he can end the conversation without being rude. She takes a long drag, nodding her thanks when their eyes meet. When he finishes his smoke, he puts it out, pulls his hat down over his head and closes his eyes.

Elena picks his magazine that drops from his hand and opens it up to thumb through it. Before long she's yawning herself. She closes her own eyes and quickly dozes off to the sound of the train wheels skimming along the tracks.

The ghost is more silent as it moves from grave to grave. He's skeletal in appearance but his eyes, they glow and almost unworldly shade of orange. Damon feels his lungs seize inside of his chest. He opens his mouth to scream but no sound comes out. The thing draws closer and closer, Damon backs away as far as he can until he's stopped when he bumps into something. It points his finger at the huge monument next to him.

Swallowing thickly, Damon's heart is beating so fast that he can barely suck in a breath of air. When the monster points at it a second time, Damon's head bobs of its own accord, it's as if he has no control over his body. Although fear is encompassing every inch of his body, he turns to look at it. There they are, all the names of his men that perished the day they stormed the beach at Normandy.

He chokes just thinking about that day. The weather's finally decent and nothing hints at the doom that awaits them, the sights and sounds of that day are burnt into his mind forever.

The ocean runs red with the blood of his fallen comrades. One by one, they drop beside him but Damon keeps going, he has to. The coppery sanguine smell of blood mixes with gun powder. Round after round of ammunitions are fired at the beach in front of him. The sand is also becoming stained with the blood of his fellow soldiers.

A grenade detonates near him. Blood and entrails splatter all over Damon but still he pushes forward. Just as he reaches the sand, by some miracle he hears his name whether real or imagined over the thunderous bombardment. As if in slow motion, he turns to the sound at the same time a bullet pierces the man's face. Damon's mind goes blank. Someone from behind pushes him forward onto that bloody beach. It's a behemoth of death and darkness, all Damon sees is red and then he feels a sharp pain in his belly just before he collapses onto the crimson stained sand.

Always a light sleeper, Elena wakes up to the sound of his whimpering. Sitting up straight, she looks around, noticing that the train car is much less crowded than it has been. She must have slept through one of the train's stops. When she hears the sound again, she looks at Damon, frowning when she sees the pained look on his face. For a few moments, she considers whether or not she should wake him but when he continues, she gently jostles his arm.

"Sir? Sir! Lt. Salvatore!"

The insistent voice just doesn't stop bugging.

Let me die, I can't take it anymore... He's not sure whether the voice is real or if the tiny hands pushing against his arm are his imagination playing tricks with him. Slowly Damon comes to his senses but doesn't open his eyes immediately. He tries to remember where he is and who's voice brought him back to reality. His mind is hazy, it's almost as if there's a tangled web of electrical cords inside, he struggles to find the right one to plug in. Hearing the soft voice again, he latches onto it and slowly pulls himself out of fog.

"Sir? Damon? Are you alright? You were tossing and groaning..."

It's her voice, the woman on the train. Elena Gilbert. He can feel the rhythmic movement of the train, he refocuses on it, needing something to hold onto in a feeble effort to ground himself. He feels his limbs shaking, he knows his voice will sound weak and confused if he speaks. His heart is thrumming along at a frenetic pace but somehow he manages to hone in on her voice again. The sweet, yet concerned lilt coming from her lips sounds like it means something. He can't even remember the last time someone called him by his given name.

As his mind acclimates to the present, leaving the past behind, he finally opens his eyes, his meeting her concerned ones.

"I'm sorry Lt. Salvatore, you were having a nightmare. Please forgive me for waking you but it sounded like you were in pain and stuck deep inside your mind."

"I... my apologies. It doesn't happen often...," Or rather it doesn't happen often in front of witnesses. He hates being and especially appearing so weak.

"No need," Elena responds kindly, "we all have our own nightmares."

It's early in the afternoon by the time the locomotive pulls into the Mystic Falls station. Elena collects her meager belongings, some garments and a few cheap presents for her family and stands out of the way for a moment to let the other passengers get around her. Other than a short note to inform them that she was coming, Elena wasn't able to tell her family a time or even a date when she would arrive so no one is there to pick her up. It's been some time since she was here last but she will find her way easily enough. It used to be her home once too.

Is it too early to barge in on them? She doesn't want to invade their lunch but it's quite cold outside. Her belly is a flutter with anxiety and nervous energy, she just wants to get the welcomes over and done with. With a sigh she hesitantly turns to walk to the exit.

"Miss Gilbert?"

Elena looks up to see Lt. Salvatore. "Yes?"

"I... Would you join me for a cup of coffee and maybe a piece of cake if it's on the menu?" he nods to the only restaurant at Mystic Falls train station. Elena's surprised but he is nice and she needs distraction before she faces her family so she accepts his invitation with a small smile.

"I'd like to, Lt. Salvatore, thank you."

They walk side by side to the restaurant and she wonders what spurred him to invite her when he clearly seems to be a loner. He looks rather tightlipped, not that she would judge. She's not ready to share anything, including an honest conversation about herself.

"I wanted to apologize to you for my behavior on the train. The least I can do is explain."

Elena wants to protest but he's already pushing the door open and holds it for her.

The restaurant is rather empty. It's not surprising, it is Christmas Eve. Everyone is hurrying home to their families, except for she and Damon it seems. He looks around, before pointing at a secluded corner table. There's not much light so they can keep to themselves and not attract any unwanted attention. Damon orders two coffees and a couple of pieces of cherry pie, the waitress having informed them that they're out of cake for the day. Once the older woman walks off, Damon takes off his uniform coat and then helps Elena with hers.

His mama raised him to be a gentleman so he pulls out a chair, gesturing for her to sit. Once he scoots it in, he sits down too. A long but not entirely uncomfortable silence follows.

When the waitress returns with the coffee and two slices of pie, Damon takes a swallow. After the woman walks away to attend to another customer, Damon starts the conversation. He doesn't look at her and the timbre of his voice is monotone.

"It's always the war... I can still see it all in my mind, vividly so. The air smelled acrid and dark. All the smoke in the air made the sun burn orange. One of the guys called it a Halloween blood sun. But there was no need for costumes, tatty clothing or fake limbs. There was no shortage of the real thing. Blood, dismembered limbs, even heads were everywhere. Every time I close my eyes, I see the congealed reds and browns. The very air we breathed was pungent with the odor of the dead and dying. None of us knew how to buy a ticket out of the place."

Elena's stunned at the terror he must have experienced. Her heart goes out to him, how can she wallow in self pity in the face of such tragedy? She can't help but feel ashamed.

"I...," how is he supposed to continue? He can't tell her. This must be enough of an explanation. There's no reason to burden her with it.

Elena can see he's struggling to continue. "You don't have to tell me, Damon, I'm sorry, Lt. Salvatore. Don't tell me anything you really don't want to but if... when you're ready, I'm here for you. It's easier sometimes to talk to a stranger."

"Thank you, Mrs. Gilbert. And it's Damon. I'll think about it. You're not a stranger though, not anymore, we've been talking for several hours now." His smile is almost genuine, but she's sure he put his best effort into making it appear so and still it's mesmerizing.

"What about you? Will you tell me more about yourself?"

Elena's breath hitches. The thought she might tell him her story... But she can't do that, not when he has so much pain to live with already. So she does what she does best. Stall. "We'll see about that. And it's Elena."

Damon can't believe he's sitting here with a woman, having coffee and surprisingly delicious piece of pie. Not a bad way to spend Christmas Eve. On the other hand he doesn't need nor does he want a taste of a normal life right now. He needs to remember. He doesn't want anything to hold him back. She, Elena didn't tell him much, but it's nice to listen to her voice. The sweet, melodic sound could almost lull him to sleep.. maybe she could even keep those nightmares away.

"I should probably go..." she tells him when their coffees and pie are finished. They... my family I mean, will be waiting for me."

For the last few minutes she could see the distant look in his eyes. It's easy for her to deduce that Damon's mind started drifting to somewhere else. He looks so far away... She suddenly feels worried about the lonely soldier.

"Maybe we could meet up again, you said you're staying for holidays? I can show you around..." she looks at him hesitantly, waiting for his reaction.

For a few moments Damon savors the prospect but then he remembers he's too broken to even consider the idea. He would only drag her into his misery. In the meantime Elena picks up on his telling silence and something in her eyes dies.

No, Damon, you can't take that away from her. She'll find out soon enough anyway. It's all that he has to give her.

"What do you suggest, Elena?"

She describes the restaurant they should meet in the evening, The Grill, it's close to where her family lives. She asks the waitress for a piece of paper and then writes the address down for him. She folds it up carefully, takes his hand, lays it in his palm and then curls his fingers around it. When their eyes meet, she sees a slight twinkle in his. She hopes so anyway.

They part ways outside the train station, both aware it was probably the last time they will see each other.

Thank you all for opening the story. I hope you'll like it as much as Eva and I enjoyed writing it. I also want to give you all an extra special shout out for putting "Tomorrow" over the 3000 review milestone. Eva and I are stunned and beyond elated that you all grew to care for that characterization of Damon and Elena too. You are the best audience in fan fiction. Thank you all so very, very much.

Thank you Eva for everything, You mean the world to me.

We have an ICEM o/s coming, a TGH sequel chapter coming, a surprise among other things for the holiday season. I did post the sequel chapter to 'Burnt Ice' on Wed. Eva and I are also hard at work on "Welcome to the Jungle'. It won't be ready till sometime, hopefully early in 2018. Damon is a cold case detective, Elena is the owner of The Jungle...

My very dear friend Short on words is back with 'A Wonderful Lie'. Mariah April May has two fabulous stories in progress 'The Devil's Obsession' and 'Marry Me Instead'. Florencia7, JustiniaKorax, Salvatoreboys4ever, TheLittle MissVixen, AfterSundown, Deepwater1978 and VitsAsh among so many others who are keeping Damon and Elena alive through their stories.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend. Thank you all again. We'll see you next time.