Introduction
She'd been as intense as a lightening storm from the moment of her birth—smart, cunning, and curious to a fault. Even as she was learning to toddle around the house, her meaty little hands clinging to the furniture for dear life, she had this determined look in her eye like she was about to embark on a grand adventure.
That's why when her raggedly tired mother walks in her room to flip her light on and tell her it's time to get ready for school, she isn't all that surprised to find an empty bed and an open window. Inconsolable, but not surprised.
"Damon," she screams, and it reminds her of high school days when daily life was filled with this sort of high-stakes terror. A lot has changed since then, she muses through blistering tears. She wonders, even as she collapses on the floor of her little girl's bedroom, if her heart can possibly take any more.
He is at her side faster than she can imagine, almost like he reached her at vampire speed, even though she knows that isn't physically possible. Their relationship has been strained for months now, tossed about in the waves of the ordinary. You'd never know it, though, the way he pulls her limp body into his lap and caresses her cheek as though she is the most delicate creature he's ever laid eyes on. "Lena, wake up."
His soothing words bring her back to reality and as her eyes flutter open, she finds herself looking deep into his. The concern that rests at his brow is identical to their eldest daughter's, and it's enough to send her reeling again, sobbing as she draws him into a tight embrace. "She's gone, Damon, Stefanie's gone."
It's only then that he seems to notice the empty bed and the open window, the fact that his little girl, his pride and joy, has vanished. The anger that once overcame him as a vampire has not made an appearance for many years. Elena once laughed at him and told him that becoming a dad made him soft, but he knows it isn't true. He still feels with as much passion as he ever did, he just chooses to control it these days for the sake of his family.
His family. His heart wretches in righteous anger as he stands, his wife falling from his arms. Just as he lets out a blood curdling scream and is rearing back to punch the wall, a droopy little face appears in the doorway still clutching his blanket.
"Daddy? Mommy?" Terror glistens in his mother's doe eyes. "What's wrong?"
It's enough to snap Damon out of his rage and center his mind on the situation at hand. He is a father. His daughter is missing. His wife is inconsolable and his son is terror-stricken. As Elena reaches forward and pulls the boy into her arms, kissing his forehead and assuring him everything will be alright, he reaches for the cell phone to call Matt Donovan at the Sheriff's department and report a missing person. It's all he can do to keep it together, but he knows he must. After over 150 years of ripping people's throats out at will, it feels strange to rely on the feeble law enforcement to find his daughter, but he has no other choice.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note: Thank you all for reading this introduction to a story I hope to flesh out (lol bad vampire joke) within the next few weeks! I hope you enjoyed! Comment with any suggestions you have and follow for updates!