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What if Elena Gilbert lived in 1864? What if Katherine wasn't the only one captivating Damon Salvatore? What if a human Damon fell for an also human Elena? What if they had met during the war? What if their families despised one another? What if Katherine and Elena didn't actually look alike? What if...
Mystic Falls, Virginia 1864
"Father you must understand-" Damon goes on, trying to explain his situation to Giuseppe, Stefan and Damon Salvatore's father. But his father doesn't budge as the disappointment all consumingly inundates Damon.
"Understand?" Giuseppe cuts off his son from speaking. "Understand that my son does not wish to fight for his own country like a coward?!" Giuseppe flares with anger.
"Father, what country? The country is split apart, men fighting against other men. This is not war, it is murder, killing the people who live in the same country as I?" Damon questions, completely taken aback by his father's commands.
"Are you saying you are a union sympathizer?"
"What? Of course not." Damon responds as calmly as possible even though he wants to scream in this moment. Damon Salvatore is a twenty-two year old young man, striving to please his father and make a decent living for himself. But through his well mannered appearance and stone cold walls is a boy, a boy who lost his mom from consumption, a boy who fails to make his father happy, a boy who doesn't believe in war but also doesn't believe in love.
"You will defend the Confederacy! Did I fail to teach you how to be a man?" Giuseppe questions, his narrow eyes cutting through Damon's sorrowed ones like a hot knife.
"No sir," Damon takes a step back, staring at the cold floor beneath his feet.
"Well, good then, you leave for battle in four months time." Giuseppe tells his son stoically, not a hint of emotion in his soul. Damon doesn't understand, doesn't understand how his father can despise his own flesh and blood so much. "Now please excuse me but I have work to get done."
Damon nods nobly, stepping out and shutting the white door. He walks out, his head hung low as he trudges into the parlor. The Salvatore's are wealthy, one of the founding families of Mystic Falls. They own much land, his father holding one of the highest positions in town, mayor. Their lifestyle is luxurious, flaunting around as if they are superior to all below them. But Damon Salvatore, Damon Salvatore is not his father. He may not exactly know what he is, or what he desires to spend his life doing, but the one thing he does know is that he is certainly not his father.
"Hello, Mr. Salvatore," The Salvatore's maid, Emily Bennett, approaches Damon. Her dark complexion glows from the summer light as Damon nods respectfully in her direction.
"Emily," Damon uses her first name as he steps away and through the large black double doors. Looking back at his home, he feels a sense of nostalgia. He will miss this place when he leaves for war. The lovely, green garden where his mother would stand and breathe in the fresh, autumn air. The white mansion that Stefan and Damon would run tirelessly around, desperately trying to seek the other person. The home holds memories, but also a sense of pain. The life draining out of his poor mother as she lied in bed for months. The screams of his mother crying as his father abused her. The tears that flowed down Damon's twelve year old face when Giuseppe planted his cigarette bud into his forearm. The emptiness that now fills this home, the emptiness that used to be filled by his mother.
Damon turns around none the less, walking towards nothing. The soft, yet humid summer air enters his lungs, sweeps past his skin. His dark hair blows in the wind as he approaches a pathway. The perfectly cut grass crunches under his feet as he makes his way across the yard, reflecting on his decisions. Suddenly, snapping him directly out of his thoughts, he hears a small noise coming from above the hill. He has never gone this way for it is past the property boundary. But he takes a risk, treacherously entering another man's land. The soft sound becomes more clear the closer he gets, and the closer he gets, the more he sees. Once all the way up the hill, he catches sight of a young woman. She is humming to herself, a green diary lying on her lap. The clothes she wears are not like most woman, in fact she wears much less than most. Her waist is not confined by a tight corset. Her hair is not pinned up, but is flowing, a wavy flow of long brown hair reaching the middle of her back. The dress she wears is long but not puffy, instead it is straight, a white, silky texture that appears to be soft to the touch. The stunning woman is captivated by the journal on her lap when suddenly she looks to her left, catching a glimpse of Damon. Immediately he tenses, looking from side to side as if there is another person surrounding the two of them.
"Oh my goodness," The woman immediately stands up and Damon is stunned when he sees her whole body, her face, her eyes, her skin. Is it even possible to be this beautiful?
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you miss." Damon speaks out to the anxious woman who is looking him up and down as if she knows exactly who he is.
"It is quite alright, Mr. Salvatore."
"You know who I am?" Damon questions, a soft smile climbing its way onto his face as he takes one step closer.
"I do and before you get any closer I suggest you go back to where you came from." The mysterious woman takes a step back, a sassy tone evident in her soft, yet stubborn voice.
"And why is that?" Damon questions, intrigue covering his every word.
"Because my mother says a man should not see a woman in this state." She tells Damon honestly, trailing her hand down her body as if to show Damon how "improper" this encounter truly is.
"And what do you think about that?" Damon challenges.
"Excuse me?" She responds, taken back by all of his sudden questions.
"Do you also believe that a man should not see you as you are right now?" Damon clarifies.
"I do what I am asked of." The woman reveals to him as she grabs her journal from off of the green grass where she had been sitting beforehand.
"So you don't agree?" Damon doesn't know what it is about her that makes him want to know everything, but she is different. If she really believed what her mother had told her, she would have never even stepped out of the house.
"I do agree, now if you would excuse me I need to go." She takes one last step back, turning away from him with an uneasy look cast upon her stunning face.
"Wait," Damon calls out, stopping her in her tracks as she looks back to meet his ocean blue eyes. "What is your name?"
"Now why would I tell a stranger my name?"
"Well, I am no stranger considering you know my name." Damon smirks, the witty side of him taking over. He can tell he is making the woman nervous. Maybe she finds him just as intriguing as he finds her to be.
Then the girl smiles, not a weak smile, but a full smile. Never had he seen such a beautiful sight, the sunset reflecting off of her glowing skin. "Goodnight Mr. Salvatore," The mysterious woman speaks politely before almost running back down the green hill. Her brunette hair flows magically through the soft wind as Damon watches her find her way back home. He wishes he caught her name, even her first name would have been helpful, but no. She rejected him, walking away before he could even charm her. Where did woman like her come from? Damon knew woman, he sees them everyday, but not like that, not like her.
Regardless, Damon begins to walk back to the mansion. There, in the garden stands his brother chatting with Katherine Pierce. Katherine Pierce is a Bulgarian orphan, abandoned by her family. Damon's father took her in a few months ago, aiding her with a place to stay. When he had first met her, Damon was captivated, by her beauty, by her touch, he still is if he is being honest. She has been playing around with both of the Salvatore brothers, making both of their heads spin, or so she thinks. Damon's head is currently spinning, but not over Miss. Pierce. As sexy as she is, she also happens to be manipulative, a condescending liar in fact. Katherine uses both brothers, toying with them as if they are small dolls. But like habit, Damon finds himself drawn over to the seductive brunette as she sways in her large, blue gown.
"Damon!" Katherine jumps up in delight, her brunette curls bouncing up and down as she takes a quick glance at the other brother, both of which she has wrapped around her delicate finger.
"Brother," Stefan nods in Damon's direction but his eyes are ultimately fixated on the smiling brunette. Stefan and Damon have many differences. Stefan has a dirty blonde hair color while Damon has a dark brown almost black color. Stefan's eyes are dark green while Damon's eyes are icy blue. Damon craves a new beginning while Stefan is perfectly sufficed with what he has in the moment. Stefan is father's favorite while Damon follows far behind in their father's eyes.
"Miss. Katherine," Damon smirks, lowering himself as he places a gentle kiss on her gloved hand.
"Where have you been? You know Mr. Salvatore, I get quite lonely without the proper amount of company." Katherine slurs out seductively as she twirls her fingers across Damon's chest.
"Is that so?" Damon questions, but suddenly instead of being completely caught up in her stance, he finds himself thinking of the beautiful brunette he had spoken to before this. How different she was... it was remarkable, a breath of fresh air.
"So which one of you will be escorting me to the ball?" Katherine questions, raising her eyebrow to a sassy arch as she eyes between the two handsome brothers. Both of them rise, accepting her offer.
"I would be honored." Both of the brother's speak out in unison as Damon glances at his brother and then back to Katherine. A pleased smile crosses her face as she shakes her head.
"Both the smart and kind Salvatore brother's coming to my rescue, how will I ever choose?" Katherine questions, her eyebrows crouched together as if she is contemplating the "difficult" decision. The two brother's wait for her answer until Emily comes up from behind them, whisking Katherine away as she dangles her fingers, waving goodbye. The two brothers stand there for a moment as they gaze at the woman.
"Stef, do you know of the family who lives across the hill?" Damon suddenly asks his entranced brother.
"What?"
"The family, the family that lives beyond that hill." Damon points to the hill in which him and the mystery woman met.
"Oh yes, you mean the Gilbert's?
"Gilbert? Why does that sound so familiar?" Damon questions, thinking about the familiar last name.
"The Gilbert's are one of Mystic Falls founding families Damon. John Gilbert, Grayson Gilbert, father's enemies of course." Stefan reveals to his brother and Damon's eyes widen. Could it be? Could the girl who caught his eye actually be a Gilbert? Maybe she hadn't lived there, maybe she was just sitting there because she felt like it, Damon thought.
"Oh yes, the Gilbert's, of course." Damon nods, acting as if he is not completely appalled at the moment. Is that why she knew him? Is that why she was so set on being free of him? Because he is a Salvatore, because he is the son of Giuseppe Salvatore.
"Father said not to invite the Gilbert's to tonights ball, not to even associate with those fools." Stefan tells his brother, a look of disgust on his face. Damon just nods in response, taking in his brother's words. "Not associate with those fools." What does that even mean? He thought.
"Do you know them?"
"Father does, and if father does not respect them then we shall not respect them either." Stefan tells his confused and pensive brother.
"Of course," Damon nods stoically, still caught up in his own over whelming thoughts.
Stefan then smiles, bumping Damon on the arm. "Katherine is quite something isn't she?" Stefan asks his brother, a foolish smile plastered across his face as he looks out into the yard.
"What? Oh, yes, Katherine." Damon nods, finally coming back to reality. "Katherine is wonderful." Damon finishes his sentence but all he can picture is the brown haired girl in her white silk dress and bare feet. How different she was, how knowing and intelligent she appeared to be. Damon doesn't even know her name and yet he feels this odd connection to her, as if he were being pulled up to speak with the stranger earlier this afternoon.
"Well, I shall go get ready for the ball, see you tonight brother." Stefan nods respectively, but Damon just stands there as his brother walks off and fades away from his view. He just stands there, staring at the hill, wondering if he will see that woman again.
George Lockwood stands, giving a vapid speech full of fake smiles and fake applause. Damon stands in the corner, a fake smile plastered on his face as well as he watches Stefan and Katherine. Little to Damon's surprise, Katherine chose the more suitable choice for any young woman, his brother. Stefan is whispering to her, probably sweet nothings that send her heart into the stars while Damon stands here alone. He watches them, completely oblivious to the world around him as George suddenly stops speaking and everyone raises their champagne glasses. Damon raises his as well, as if his arms are moving unconscionably while he gazes at his brother. How does this always happen? He thought. But Damon doesn't get upset, getting upset would mean he cared and honestly he hadn't cared for something deeply in quite sometime. Of course he thought he loved Katherine, but she didn't choose him now and she won't choose him later. Damon settles to that conclusion though and makes peace with it as he discretely exits out of the crowded ball room. All of the founding families, besides the Gilbert, are dancing, chatting, giggling, and drinking in the Salvatore estate, Damon's home. But sometimes, after a "lover" chooses a brother over oneself, one might just need a simple break from it all. So Damon took a break as he let the cool, July air swipe past his face and the bright stars flooded the night sky. Step by step he walks, closer and closer to the place he had been thinking about all evening. One more inch and he's there but when he reaches the top of the hill, where the giant willow tree sits, the girl is not there. Damon sighs, rubbing his hand against his warn out face as he laughs dryly at himself. What a fool he is, he thought to himself.
"Are you stalking me? Mr. Salvatore," A soft, female voice than awakens from behind him as he turns only to see the woman, the same woman that intrigued him immensely.
"Yes, I am," Damon laughs, bringing a smile to the blushing woman's face. She looks stunning, her hair is braided behind her and this time she is wearing a corseted gown. Damon doesn't care much for the large gowns, but they are expected of a woman and she looks just as beautiful now as she did several hours ago. The difference being earlier she appeared to be more free, more alive, more herself.
"Shall I call the police then?" The woman jokes, her bright smile sending nervous chills down Damon's spine.
"I think we can do without them." Damon answers lowly, almost as if he were whispering through the dark night. Something awakens between them as both of their eyes meet lustfully. What is going on? Both of them thought that very question as his eyes dart to her soft lips for half of a second.
"Mr. Salvatore why are you here?" The woman eventually questions, her voice shaky as if she just came out of a thick trance. Her eyes dart to the ground and then back up to his ocean blue eyes as she fidgets with her slim fingers nervously.
"Well, when I don't know someones name it has a tendency to stay with me, constantly nagging at me." Damon smirks helplessly. "Would you be so kind to tell me your name, put me out of my misery." Damon pleads jokingly and yet serious all at the same time.
The woman laughs, the sound filling Damon's heart with this unknown feeling. "You came up here to know my name?"
"No, I came up here to get a moment away, but your name would be greatly appreciated Miss... " Damon leads on, waiting for her to fill in the blank. Her face than falls, dropping as if he had hurt her.
"I-I-"
"And my name is Damon by the way." Damon informs her, gently showcasing that she can trust him. "You may call me Damon, if you'd like."
"I would like that, Damon." She pronounces his name sweetly, a cheesy smile showcased on her breathtakingly stunning face.
"So Miss. Whoever you are, why are you always up here?" Damon questions, lightening the mood between the two people.
"I need to get away once and awhile, like you, I suppose."
"Get away? Get away from what? May I ask," Damon questions the still unnamed woman as she takes a step away from him, looking out at the green hill. Her eyes then close as she inhales a deep breath of fresh air. Damon watches her as she relaxes completely, how beautiful one human being could be, he thought.
"I have a strict family I suppose, I love them dearly but sometimes I imagine my life being..." She trails on, not finding the word she is searching for. "Different." She finally reveals to him as she looks up to see him now standing directly beside her.
"Me too," Damon nods, completely agreeing with the woman beside him. "What would you imagine?"
"You sure do ask a lot of questions Mr. Salvatore, I mean Damon." She corrects herself, a playful smile expressed on her face.
"Well, how am I to ever know anything about you if I do not ask questions?" Damon questions, his voice low as she stares into his eyes once more.
"Maybe you shall never know me." She shrugs, grabbing a hold of her dress as she walks away once again. The woman is quick on her feet, sending Damon to almost trip as he races back towards her.
"But I want to know you." Damon informs her seriously as she stops in front of him. The light from the moon reflects off of her blushed cheeks as she turns around, a saddened look cast upon her face.
"Trust me Damon, you do not wish to know me. I happen to be a-a-a" She stutters out the last word but fails to let the name roll off of her tongue.
"A Gilbert?" Damon questions, finishing her sentence. Her head then pulls up, her terrified eyes locking with his.
"You knew?"
"Now I do." Damon nods, her comment revealing to him that Stefan was right. The family that lives here is the Gilberts and the woman standing in front of him is one of them.
"I must say goodnight." The woman backs away, picking up her dress lightly as she begins to walk away from him.
"I won't say anything, know one will know you are associating with a Salvatore." Damon chuckles, but the chuckle comes off depressing as she stops her movement. She then feels guilty for her behavior as she turns around for the second time.
"I apologize it's just my father would condemn my behavior at this moment." She tells Damon honestly, his eyes completely focused on her intensely.
"Than I suppose I shall keep you a secret, Miss Gilbert." Damon smiles, sending a smile to guide her lips up as well.
"I suppose I will keep you a secret too, Damon." She glistens in the light and Damon tries his hardest to keep his jaw from dropping onto the ground beneath them. Her beauty stuns him, but what stuns him even more is just, her.
"What gives you the idea that I need to be hidden?" Damon raises one eyebrow, questioning her words.
"Well," The woman gets more comfortable as she takes a casual step closer to his stance. "You did come all the way upon this hill just to get a moment alone, so I would conclude that you are indeed hiding." She informs Damon, a witty yet confident smirk plastered across her face.
"What if I lied and I did indeed come up here in search for you?" Damon then questions in a husky tone, causing her breath to stop. Something fills the air between them, lust, passion, a bundle of tense emotions that neither of them understand one bit. Damon takes another step, then another, until her face is inches away from his. She swallows roughly before shaking her head and glancing up at the brightly lit moon up above.
"Do you ever think about the moon? Sometimes I imagine that I live there." The young woman smiles a nostalgic smile, as if she is reliving old memories. "No one judges, everyone is just simply themselves, no scandals or inane family drama, just simplicity, just love." She speaks softly as they both look up at the full moon that sits there in the sky amongst the darkness.
"That is what the moon is like?" Damon questions quietly, only crickets and their breathing echoing through the quiet night.
"That is what I imagine it to be like, yes." The girl tells him as they both suddenly connect again, her brown eyes piercing into his blue ones. "You are different Salvatore, different then I'd thought you be." She smiles.
"And how's that, Miss. Gilbert?" Damon snickers, waiting for the woman's answer.
"I am not quite sure." Her eyebrows scrunch together as she glances at the young man standing in front of her. "I am not sure." She repeats the same sentence twice as she looks at him confusingly, as if she can't quite figure him out yet.
"Lena!" A harsh voice that echoes through the night as both Damon and the girl tense up suddenly. The abrupt shouting startles him, but sends her into a panic.
"I have to go, it was nice to see you again, Damon." The girl smiles sweetly, walking away from him.
"Nice to see you too, Lena was it?" Damon questions the name that had been called out in hopes to bring her home. The young woman then turns for the last time, a bright smile shown across her face.
"Elena, my name is Elena." She reveals to him before running back to the countryside home all the way down on the other side of the hill. Damon stands there, completely taken aback by what just happened, by the feelings he had encountered. She did something to him, and suddenly he no longer cared that his brother is dancing with the woman he is "in love" with. He does not care that his father commands him to travel off to battle in four months. He doesn't notice or feel anything except the pure thrill that exerted throughout his whole being. She woke him, opening his exhausted eyes to a world he never thought about. She is intelligent, compassionate, she is forbidden, a secret, but everyone has their secrets, and at this moment he wants nothing more than for her to be his secret.