A/N: this is my first Vampire Diaries fanfic, please go easy on me. I have plans for this one, R&R if you can! Basically AU/AH, doesn't follow much of the TV show except for some things.

I don't remember how I came to where I am now, surrounded by vampires who only want to be my friend. That's what they say anyways, I feel it's true with one of them, the chivalrous one called Elijah. I'm not so sure about the others though; I see the way the sister glares at me, wishing I were dead, wishing she could dig her fangs into the side of my neck. Every time she looks at me it's like I can feel those teeth in my skin, sinking deeper and deeper until I unconsciously place a hand where I can feel it. We don't speak. Kol seems amused by me, getting in my way and trying to make me angry, purposefully trying to break my composure, and he is relentless. I have not met a more determined man in my life, hell bent on corrupting the innocent. Until I finally met Niklaus. He will surely be my undoing; he radiates with a primal energy that calls to me, a blazing fire of passion and anger that dominates the room he walks into, and he holds a power over his siblings I cannot recognize. Respect? No. Fear. They fear him, and I can understand why.

Times have changed dramatically from whence I came, where homes were still made from turf and wattle. Today, I suppose, we had been called druids, although I don't believe that term is correct. My husband would have been considered a warrior by today's standards, a sea-faring voyager that traveled to other places and claimed land, traded with other communities, and he would always return to me. Until the one night there was no one home to return to; I had been uprooted by magic. Of what kind, I could not say, but it was not of the helpful nature for this must be a curse. A nightmare that could only be escaped by more magic. And that, was something with which I was not willing to dabble.

"What are you doing, love?" his voice filtered through the grand kitchen, raising my head to look at who entered. Niklaus. I had been daydreaming, looking out the window as the rain spattered on the glass and left rivulets to fall and collect at the bottom. On a day like today, we would have been gathering the water, thanking the Gods for blessing us by sacrificing a goat or a lamb. All things considered barbaric now. I'm not even sure where I am now, what this place is, or what I am going to do. "Evelyn?" I blinked again and realized I had been staring at him as my train of thought continued.

I blushed and looked away. "Sorry," I muttered, returning my gaze to the window. "I was...remembering."

I wasn't aware he had crossed the expanse of the kitchen to look out the window next to me, his hands on the counter like mine, his little finger dangerously close to mine. "And just what were you remembering?" he inquired further.

I was silent for a moment as his request processed in my mind. Surely it would be okay to tell him, he did ask after all, although I was worried something I said would start an explosive tantrum for which he was renowned. "Home. My husband, my neighbors, the smell of the forest after a rain storm," I said, peeking at him from the corner of my amber toned eyes.

He glanced at me the same way, a small smirk on his face. "Well, I can certainly help with the last bit," he said, pushing off the counter and walking out of the kitchen.

"You're...you're letting me go outside?" I questioned, following after him.

He stopped in his tracks and I almost bumped into his as he turned around with a hurt look on his face. "Letting you? You're our guest, Evelyn," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me out. The rain was lessening substantially as we stepped out and I realized we were joined by another, Elijah. He followed in step behind us after Klaus released my hand, the three of us walking into the forest that encompassed the mansion and I could already feel the energy emanating from within. "Here, love, take a walk." He stepped aside and held his hand out towards the forest, that smirk I loved plastered on his face.

He nodded once in permission and I stepped past him, looking back over my other shoulder to see Elijah with a similar smile, his hands in his suit pockets. A gentle wind blew my red curls around my face and I breathed in the natural scent of the forest, turning my face against the wind and shutting my eyes. Suddenly, I was filled with a euphoria I hadn't experienced in some time, extending my hands to the sky and breathing deeply. Little droplets of water from the treetops dripping onto my pert nose and I found myself laughing with relief, a weight lifting off my shoulders as I kicked off my shoes and dug my toes into the earth. This was where I was meant to be, this was where I belonged. In the distance I could hear birds chirping, a waterfall crashing into a river, the galloping of deer rumbled beneath my feet and I'd never felt more at home. The laughter turned to tears as I lowered my arms and returned to myself, breathing heavily as the adrenaline left me and the tears stained my face, tears of happiness.

I turned back to the brothers with a broad smile on my pale face, tears still brimming my eyes. "Thank you," I whispered, bending down to pick up my shoes and carry them back to the duo. "I needed this."

"Anything you need, Evelyn," Elijah said, holding his arm out for me, his brother doing the same on the other side. I linked my arms in theirs, careful my shoes didn't dirty his suit, and followed them back to the mansion.

"Don't you dare track dirt in here," Rebekah's voice came from the sitting room doorway, her heels clicking on the floor as she approached us.

I blushed and stepped back onto the mat, dusting my feet off before slipping my socks back on. "My apologies Miss Rebekah," I said, not making eye contact.

"Miss? She's hardly a lady," Kol said from the top level of the stairs, looking down at us with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Why must you be so mean, Kol?" Rebekah quipped, pouting at her brother.

"No, she's right, I mustn't track dirt on your beautiful floors," I said quietly, the energy from earlier gone and I felt trapped and alone once more. Everything was so white, clean, and pristine in the mansion that I would feel horrible for days if I scuffed anything.

"Oh, come now," Klaus said, resting his hand on my lower back. "That's what maids are for! Come, Evelyn, let's have a drink."