Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: In 1861, Damon was happily married. Katherine and Emily had been looking for a new suitable town to live in and came across Mystic Falls. Katherine kills Damon's new bride, Beth and her body is left for Damon to find. Emily, not wanting to see anyone hurt, had given Beth Katherine's blood when she found out that Katherine had taken a liking to the Salvatore brothers. Beth leaves Mystic Falls, when she learns what she had become. After watching the town's reactions, Katherine has Emily cast a spell on everyone in the town to make them forget Beth and the attack. Katherine can't stay away from the Salvatore brothers, so that is why she returns in 1864. When Damon encounters Katherine (Season 2 Episode 1) in the Salvatore Boarding House, she makes him remember his wife and what really happened in 1861. Little does anyone know, Beth is undead and kicking in Mystic Falls.
1861
The loud 'bang' of a gun being fired awoke me from a dreamless sleep.
I gasped, sitting up immediately. "Damon?" My husband wasn't anywhere to be seen. My heart dropped. Suddenly, the door was thrown open. My friend, Clara, Giuseppe called her 'our maid' although I preferred to think of her as a friend, rushed to my side.
"Everything is alright, ma'am. Your husband requests you remain here." She smiled in a strained way. Her voice said one thing, her expression another.
"Clara, what is happening? Why was there a gunshot?" I started for the window, wanting to see.
Clara blocked my way, "Please, ma'am."
"Clara, please. What is happening?" My hands were shaking. My mind was reeling; what if something had happened to Damon? Or his brother or father?
"There was a man. He had been drinking and he came here, yelling at Mister Giuseppe about money. The man had a gun." Clara held my shaking hands, trying to calm me, "Mister Damon is alright. He shot the man when he tried to shoot Mister Giuseppe."
I was so relieved that all of the breath went out of me at once. It took me a moment to speak again, "Is he dead?"
"I don't believe it true, ma'am. Mister Damon shot him in the leg." Clara sat down beside me, patting me on the hand.
I shut my eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. After a moment, I said to Clara, "I should probably dress."
"Right away." She dipped her head just a bit before going to my trunk and retrieving my deep green silk dress and cream colored corset.
I braced myself up against one of the bedposts while Clara laced up my corset and dress. Just as she finished, there was a knock on the door. Clara went to open it.
Damon entered. For a moment, I only wanted to look at him. I walked right up to him and ordered, "Tell me what is going on."
"It's taken care of. There's nothing to worry about." He reached out to touch my face softly but I took a step back.
"What is going on? I have heard it from Clara and now I would like to hear it from you."
"Woman, you are insufferable…" Damon said, less tense as he chuckled. He sat down on one of the soft armchairs next to the window while I stood, defiant until he told me the truth. Damon sighed, "Elias Berch –"
"The one who spends his nights at the saloon?" I couldn't resist interrupting him.
Damon wore a slight smile on his face, "May I continue?" I nodded. "Father was attending a card game last night with Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Fell. They were kind enough to let Mr. Berch join them. Mr. Berch lost thirty dollars."
"Thirty dollars? Who in their right mind would –" I saw that Damon was smiling again. I sat down across from him and mimed putting my hand over my mouth.
"Father and the other men offered to give Mr. Berch back his money but he wouldn't take it. Then, of course, he headed to the saloon. And that's where he was until near ten minutes ago. Mr. Berch knocked on the door and father opened it to find Mr. Berch had a pistol aimed at his forehead. Mr. Berch said that he didn't want his money back, but his pride. Stefan and I had been in the library and we heard them yelling…"
There was another knock on the door. "Come in." Damon called.
Stefan opened the door wide enough so that we could see him. He looked to me first, "Good morning, Beth."
"Good morning, Stefan." I replied out of politeness.
Stefan looked to Damon and said, "The sheriff would like to speak with you, brother."
"Of course. Tell him I'll be down in a moment." Stefan nodded and shut the door.
Damon kissed my hand, "And what will you be doing today?"
"I need to visit Melinda Gilbert. She's wanted me to meet her niece, Rebecca for a while now." I started to ask Damon what was really on my mind, but I stopped myself.
"What is it?" Nothing got past him.
"Our house. Any word on when it will be finished?" I couldn't take living under the same roof with Giuseppe Salvatore much longer.
Damon smiled a bit, "Jacob says a month at the most." Damon kissed my forehead and went downstairs to talk with the sheriff.
That afternoon, Damon accompanied me to visit Melinda and her niece. "Elizabeth!" Melinda was delighted when she found Damon and me on her porch. "Rebecca, come downstairs!" She called into the house. "Please, come in." Melinda said as she stood aside.
A young girl with strawberry blonde hair, maybe thirteen at the most came rushing down the stairs at the sound of her aunt's beckoning. "Yes, Aunt?"
"This is Elizabeth Salvatore and her husband, Damon. Say hello." Melinda pushed her niece forward.
"Hello." Rebecca said shyly, curtsying.
I smiled, "Hello."
Just then, Melinda's husband, Jesse, came around the corner of the parlor. "Damon." Jesse said, "Come. Let me pry you away from your bride for a moment; I have something you're going to want to see." Damon nodded, smiling at me before he followed Jesse out of the room.
"May I offer you some tea?" Melinda asked, taking me into the dining room.
"Yes, please." I took the cup after she poured some of the freshly brewed tea into the china. I took a sip; something was a bit off. It was almost salty and metallic tasting…
"Aunt, may I go outside?" Rebecca asked with longing.
"We will all go." Melinda smiled at me. I made sure to leave the tea in the dining room.
Melinda led Rebecca and me out to the garden. Rebecca eventually ran off to play with one of Jesse's hounds, bored with our conversation. "Are you enjoying being married?"
"Yes." I chuckled as we strolled the edge of the garden that lined the forest.
She watched Rebecca giggle as she ran around the garden, delighted with the world. "I think it is good for her to be away from Atlanta for a while. The city was suffocating her."
"She seems happy here." I responded, suddenly distracted by a rustling in the trees to our right. "Did you hear that?"
"No." Melinda said, trying to listen. I walked a few feet into the woods, looking around for the source of the noise. There was another rustling, this time further in. "I heard it this time. What could it be?" She asked as we walked further into the woods and closer to the noise.
Suddenly a woman came from the trees. Melinda and I both gasped. She was beautifully dressed. Long, curly brown hair fell loosely from her hat. "Hello." She said in a pretty voice.
"Hello. Are you lost?" Melinda asked, stepping forward a bit to get a better view of the woman.
"I believe so. I'm looking for the town of Mystic Falls." The woman stepped toward us as well. She turned to me, focusing on my bracelet. "Your bracelet is beautiful. May I?" She held out her hand for mine.
I hesitated, cautious; I'd heard of the women who were drifters… "Briefly." I responded, offering her my wrist.
The woman reached out with a blinding speed, gripping my wrist and turning me so that I was locked in her arms. She grabbed a handful of my hair before I could scream and sank her teeth into my neck. Melinda screamed and started to run, but the woman released me and grasped Melinda by the chin and snapped her neck. I screamed when my friend fell to the ground and I saw the strange woman for what she really was. Her face was contorted, veins bulging from her blood red eyes, fangs instead of teeth. Her teeth were back in my neck before I could move.
I could feel the life draining out of me. "Elizabeth!" Damon yelled from the garden. He wouldn't find me. I was going to die.
R&R Please. Chapter 2 will begin the actual story in present day Mystic Falls.