Redemption
There is a chance, he thinks. That maybe, just maybe, she can redeem him.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.
A one-shot collection exploring Damon's developing relationship with Elena, for that part in all of us that knows all Damon needs to be good is her. Because at this point in the series it just can't be ignored, and this whole waiting for the finale is driving me nuts. So, what better way to curb the appetite than start from the very beginning? An attempt, like all the other attempts out there, to get inside the elusive Damon Salvatore's mind. [Tags throughout season one]
Human
Tags: Night of the Comet; Friday Night Bites
x
I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There's nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love.
The whole point was really just to mess with Stephen. Damon supposes swearing eternal misery to his younger brother can also include kitchen conversations with his very human girlfriend, but he wasn't expected it to become so...real. He didn't expect Elena to actually care, to offer condolences for Katherine's death, but he realizes in that instant that she's right.
You lost her too.
He's not sure what coerces him into mentioning cheerleading, into going down that road of "what matters in life" with her, but somewhere down there in the dark, nearly empty thing that passes as his soul, he means what he says.
He means every word.
x
When he first meets Elena it almost physically hurts. Their resemblance is so uncanny that Damon finds himself thinking the morbid, masochistic thought that maybe it's Katherine. Maybe he's found his love again. He has to restrain himself from flitting across the room with that blinding vampire speed and touching her, holding her and never letting go. But then he hears the very real sound of her heartbeat, and the steady thrum of blood that runs through her veins. It's calling him. He smells something sweet, soft, so unlike the rich spice of Katherine's scent. And then he has to stop himself for another reason altogether.
He plays the gracious, charming, and coy older brother part well. All the while he's wondering if this sabbatical Stephen's been on for all these years has rendered him insane. Did he truly think Katherine could be replaced with this...this mirror image? And then Elena speaks; confident, unwavering, somehow immune to his charms, and Damon knows. She is not Katherine. Elena practically exudes goodness. Kindness. Love.
She chose Stephen, after all.
x
He knows that Stephen thinks him a monster, a demon, an evil force that hounds his life without reprieve. He supposes its better this way. He can't change who he is, nor does he want to. Nevertheless, here he is in Elena's room, watching her chest rise and fall as she sleeps. A part of him he thought he'd crushed long ago yearns for the peace he finds on her face. It pains him. She pains him. His hand moves, brushing a delicate strand of hair from her face. Something like longing draws his finger down the smooth curve of her cheek as he drinks her in.
She wakes up, but he is gone. There is nothing to give away his former presence. Not a whisper, a shadow, nor the overwhelming aura of heartbreak.
Author's Note: Not quite sure where all that came from...huh. Well, hope you enjoyed my first foray into this fandom, and reviews are loved and cherished.
Hopefully I'll update tomorrow. Forewarning, I'm skimming the next few episode into one. She finds out, she's scared...yeah yeah.
Annie
