Prologue: The Beginning is the End is the Beginning

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything from The Vampire Diaries all of the prospective characters, story-lines, and similarities are property of the respective writers. Everything else is my own original work and any similarities to any other FF's are purely coincidental. That all out of the way, PLEASE ENJOY!

Elle POV:

I removed my cell phone delicately from my pants pocket. I dialed the only person in the world I ever trusted, my cousin Elena. R-I-N-G...R-I-N-G...C-L-I-C-K..." Elle!, Oh my god I haven't heard from you in ages, is everything OK?" Elena asked both excited and alarmed. "Hey Lena, you remember my brother? Well he moved back home and he beat the shit out of me, I was lucky to get away" I slurred almost in hysterics. "I have nowhere to go, Lena" I said as I started sobbing.

I didn't care about my so called "brother" the monster, after all he was adopted, he meant to me about as much as the rest of our "family" meant. To our foster parents we were just another fat check from the state, more money to pilfer away on their drug and alcohol addictions. They didn't give a fuck about any of us, we were just walking, talking cash cows that kept on giving. And being greedy they took and took and took milking us for what we were worth to the state.

I was used to getting roughed up and sexually abused. Too many years spent being passed around from foster home to foster home. When Elena was 14 she learned of me, her mother had wrote of me in her journals before she died. Elena with her curious nature managed to track me down, after the first time we met we were instantly close like sisters. It's a shame, that was before my passion and fire all but burnt out or in my case got beat and raped out. All I felt afterward from then on was numbness both inside and out.

"HELLO? ELLE?" I hear pulling me out of my thoughts. "Oh sorry Lena, I'm still here just got lost in thought for a moment. So is it ok if I come stay with you?" I continued. " I can do better than that sweetie! My fiancé, Stefan." "Wait! Hold up!" I all but screamed giddy into the phone, "thank god Stefan finally came to his senses and wrangled you in! I thought he'd never ask. Congratulations sweetie!" I beamed. Elena chuckled on the other end. " So like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted" she teased, " Stefan and his brother Damon own the boarding house here in town and I'm absolutely sure they wouldn't mind putting you up in one of the 12 spare bedrooms."

"Thank you SO much Lena" I replied. She must have heard the bus engine in the background as she said next " No problem Elle, where are you?". "I'm kinda already on the bus to Mystic Falls" I confessed sheepishly. I was internally grinning at her soon to be reaction and as expected she laughed at me. "Oh sweetie, I've missed you immensely! I'll pick you up from the bus station Elle, what time do you get in?". "I get in at 5 and Lena", "Yeah", " I love you." "I love you too Elle, see you in awhile." I gingerly put my phone back in my pocket and stared at the blur of lights as the bus continued on the highway. For the first time in 23 years I felt like I was going to be home, and with that I sighed my first breath of relief in my entire life.

Elena POV:

I bound clumsily down the stairs and ran to my car without giving Jenna and Jeremy a second thought. I couldn't contain my excitement. ELLE! My sweet ELLE! I could not wait for her to get here. Her life has been one tragedy after the next. Although I'm thrilled she's coming here to stay I can't help but wish the circumstance was different. I couldn't help but be slightly saddened. I could only imagine what her appearance would look like, especially after her brother got through with her. It's been an eventful month for me. Most of it had been quite good for a change today aside.

First and foremost the all time BEST day of this month, of my entire existence for that matter was Stefan proposing... TO ME I may add. I've never been so blissfully, fulfillingly happy EVER in my entire life. Then there was Damon and I, we had finally found some comfort and common ground in our dysfunctional friendship, to others it still appeared weird...even to Stefan, but for us it worked so I never complained.

AND even though I was frighteningly sure it would NEVER happen, Stefan and Damon started to slowly but surely rebuild their relationship. It hasn't been without it's obstacles but still any progress to me was better than the two of them constantly pitted against each other in a death match. Damon still goes on a drinking binge every so often at Mystic Grill, sticking to his ever faithful bourbon, whiskey, and bloodbag liquid diet. Always trying to drink away the bitch's (Katherine's) betrayal's, not that I blame him. Stefan on the other hand relished in the peace of knowing she was finally dead, he even has a glow about him and barely broods at all anymore.

As I pulled up into the long, deserted driveway, I could see Stefan and Damon peering out the drapes. When I reached the house Stefan was already at the drivers door offering his kind assistance to help me out of the seat. "Hello love" he said as he placed kiss after kiss on my cheeks, finally landing his last one on my lips, "What brings you here, not that I mind at all in the least". "Well actually I need to talk to you...and Damon" I chimed. We walked inside and met with a lounging Damon, laying in front of the fireplace sipping a bag of blood like a juicebox.

Like I expected Stefan was very agreeable about Elle taking up residence in the boarding house, Damon on the other hand wore a questionable facial expression. I batted my eyelashes at him giving flashing him my best puppy dog face. It wasn't long before he to agreed. Damon quickly disappeared before I had time to process his absence. From upstairs in Damon's wing of the house I could hear furniture moving and various other shuffling noises.

As I blinked Damon had appeared in front of me as if he never moved a muscle flashing me a 250 watt grin. "Damon...what did you do?" I questioned emphasizing my every word. His grin grew larger before he spoke. "Well the room is all set up. I figure if there is going to be a HOT girl in the house, she should bunk near yours truly" he finished wiggling his eyebrows and flashing his grin again. "Behave DAMON!" I said half shouting at his retreating figure and half rolling my eyes.

I heard chuckling coming from behind me. It was Stefan. I couldn't help but smile at him as I turned around and kissed him. "Come on Stef, we gotta get going to the bus station, it's 4:30, Elle will be arriving soon." With that he whisked me up in his arms at vampire speed. When I opened my eyes we were already on the road and I was perfectly buckled in leaning on Stefan's chest as he drove. I listened to his breathing trying to calm down and not be nervous about seeing Elle.

A/N: Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed this first chapter :-). There is 24 more chapters to come your way. I'd like to give a special SHOUTOUT to my girl Caroline (FellsChurchVA) on twitter for coming up with my title name 3. So please review, they are my motivation and inspiration. Also recommend the story to a friend if you think they'd like it. Til the next chap XOXO