Author Note: Welcome to the tale of 3 siblings, vampires and a rather lovable doppelgänger. This story, like most others, will have a happy ending. I am a Delena shipper, so no worries in that area. I am happy to announce that I do NOT own The Vampire Diaries; if I did I would make one hell of a mess of it. I do require comments in order to update! Read and Review!

-Patato Girl (**)

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I heard the rapping of knuckles on my front door and turned from Elena, the tears spilling over the brim of her eyes. My feet treaded heavily as I crossed the wooden floor and twisted the knob of the door, tugging it open lightly so not to rip it off its hinges.

Below me on the porch stood a girl, red hair and kaleidoscope green eyes with flashes of brown and gold. My feet felt like they were encased in concrete as I stood rooted to the ground and my jaw was left gaping at the sight before me. If anything was more important than Elena at this moment, it was her. Her face still held the youthful plump shape of a ripe summer berry; she was almost as tall as me, wearing a brown summer dress that was far too flirtatious for her actual age, if it was her. She was stunning, I ran my hand along her jaw and my eyes roamed her face, assessing her every movement, making sure that it really was her and not just some figment of my overactive imagination.

"Maria?" I whispered, she looked up at me with her kaleidoscope doe eyes,

"Damon? Is it really you?" her voice sounded so hopeful and her frail figure was shaking like a leaf, "Yeah Marie, it's me" her red lips spread into a wide grin and she sprung at me, wrapping her arms and legs around me. "Oh my lord, Damon I've missed ya so bad" I could smell her familiar scent of roses and mint as her my face was buried in her unruly auburn red hair, it was like time traveling into the past, a better and happier time,

"I've been lookin' all these years but you were gone" she whispered in my ear in her southern accent, "I thought you were dead". I couldn't stop looking at her, a hundred years since I had last seen her, my little sister.

I heard Elena cough lightly into her fist, trying to draw back my attention. I put Marie securely back on the floor and kept one of my arms around her waist as I turned slowly towards Elena towing my sister with me, Marie whistled softly under her breath "wow Damon" she said, impressed, "got yourself quite the looker, huh?", I could have laughed at the confused look on Elena's face, but then I realized that she had never seen me show anyone affection intentionally, and Marie and I had just put on quite the show.

I could still see the tears in Elena's eyes, and unfortunately for me, Marie saw them as well "Damon Salvatore!" she slapped me in the stomach, "What are you doin' makin' this poor girl cry", before I had time to explain myself Marie had already marched herself over to Elena, and looking her straight in the eye and flashing her usual charming country smile, she gave her introduction,

"Hi! My names Marie, you must be a friend of my favorite brother!" Elena stood in place, studying the girls face impassively. Much to my surprise Elena extended her hand, "hi I'm Elena." She said cautiously, Marie ignored the outstretched hand and went straight for the kill. She wrapped her arms so tightly around Elena that I was actually glad that she was a vampire, because one of Marie's hugs could strangle a bear. Marie squealed, delighted "Oh my lord my big brothers gotta girlfriend!"

Elena's eyes widened till they were the size of dinner plates, we both spluttered and stared at her, at a loss for words, Elena looked heartbroken at the same time, and even I could see that. Marie didn't know about the bond, how could she? It was still like opening a wound that had never been properly closed in the first place. Marie reassessed Elena's face, studying her radiant olive toned skin and those molten chocolate chip brown eyes that I was so besotted with. "Why are you makin' your girlfriend cry Damon?" she said angrily, I had forgotten about her mood swings since we'd been apart. "She seems a hell ova lot nicer than those blonde bimbo sluts you used to bounce around with, this one seems to have her head screwed on right" at the end on her spiel she nodded her head curtly, content with what she had just said.

Marie wasn't making things easy for me, how was I supposed to let go of Elena with my very persuasive little sister pressuring me and telling me the things that were amazing about her, like her not being one of those cheap sluts who would do anything just to get me to acknowledge them, her telling me the things I already knew, the things I know and love. How on earth did I, Damon, the big bad wolf, get turned into a pansy-ass softie like my brother?

Marie glared and Elena had hope gleaming in her eyes, they both looked at me expectantly, as if I was supposed to give some declaration of love, one that I wasn't allowed to give. I opened my mouth, hoping words would come to my rescue, but my rescue came in the form of two annoying blondes, one knocking on my door like it was some kind of contest, and one ringing the doorbell trying to out-do the other. I sighed in relief and opened the door for the second time that day, still careful not to rip it off its hinges. It swung open with a satisfying clank against the wall to reveal Caroline and my brother, much to my dissatisfaction. There was me thinking that this whole deal with Elena would be resolved easily, well not easily, telling the girl you love to go be happy with someone else is never easy, but maybe if I had gotten lucky it would have been a lot smoother. Damn it, I'm a pansy-ass, why don't you just give me a dress and call me Caroline. Or you could give me bad luck, bad taste, and overly gelled hair and you can call me Stefan. I am a part of the pansy-ass club. Kill me now.

With all my inner musings I had completely forgotten about the four extra people in the house, and I had momentarily forgotten how much Marie hates her older brother, Stefan.

"M-marie" he stuttered "I thought you were dead!"

"Do I look Dead?"

I saw that deadly glint in her eye and leaped forwards to pull Elena out of the way, we moved closer to the sofa, and further away from the two siblings. Caroline seemed to catch on pretty fast and just before Marie leapt at Stefan she scattered out of the way. Elena was cradled in my arms and Caroline looked like she had a million and one thoughts running around that small head of hers, which is not a good thing. Believe it or not, I have a decent understanding of women, it's better for them to have a bunch of little bombs go off once in a while rather than all that steam building up and causing the next Hiroshima bomb. At the rate Caroline's going, we are going to have to take cover under the moon to be saved. She always acts calm, and she keeps a level head, one of the very few things that I admire her for.

Elena started nudging me on the shoulder, getting harder and more persistent with each poke, reluctantly, I gave her my attention and she slanted her head in the direction on my siblings, "what's going on there?" god, she sounded so amazing just saying the simplest things, and now I could never have her without knowing if she really loved me, or if it was just the sire bond, "Let's just say that St. Stefan wasn't always a saint, and he and Marie didn't quite see eye to eye on things" she nodded, carefully considering her next words, then her eyes went cloudy and she looked far off. I assumed it would be a while since she knew what she wanted to say.

I turned back to Marie and Stefan to see her screaming at him, "You were a selfish asshole who took me for dead!" Marie screamed, Elena finally spoke again "you never told me you have a sister" she sounded sad, I hadn't meant to make it seem like she shouldn't be a part of this but I guess with all that's going on right now I never actually told her much about Marie. "I didn't know I had a sister Elena, I thought that she died years ago, long before Katherine came along. She disappeared one night outside our lake house and we never saw her again, everybody took her for dead, and Stefan was the first to accept it. I spent years looking for her and I didn't what to dwell on it, I'm sorry I never told you, but it never seemed important."

He expected to look up at her and see steam coming out of her ears, or worse, tears, but when he looked up at her she bore a bemused smirk, "Damon, you actually thought I wouldn't care that you had lost your sister?" he straightened up and thought about it for a second, he realized that without meaning to, Elena had just pin pointed his worst fears, nobody caring. He shrugged "nobody seemed to care in the past, when she first went missing, so I never really thought that it would be any different now.", "well for what it's worth, I'm glad that you have her back" he smiled weakly and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, Caroline saw the exchange and was fuming.

She sauntered over to us in those ridiculous heels that she wears and wrapped her hand around Elena's wrist, "sorry Damon, I need to borrow her for a second" a second my ass, I held my cynical comments back, I knew that they wouldn't be appreciated by Elena nor Caroline. "Caroline tugged on Elena's wrist and pulled her from my lap, "maybe you should separate Stefan from the hoe though" and at that second the entire room stopped, Marie stood up from her position over Stefan and brushed her clothes off, I pushed Elena away from the blonde and grabbed Caroline by the neck, "say that one more time. I dare you" I threatened her, she struggled to get my hands off her neck, and Elena just sat back down on the couch and put her head in her hands while murmuring something about having thought filters. Marie took three dangerous strides towards Caroline, "well that wasn't very nice now, was it chica?" her light southern sounding words burning through Caroline's thick skin faster than acid.

"I don't think I've properly introduced myself, I'm Marie. Marie Salvatore."

If Caroline wasn't so busy gaping she probably would of fainted. I released her neck from my grip and let her fall to the ground in a heap of embarrassment. "I… Umm… Oh my God, I am so sorry I thought, I… God help me." She stuttered. I could see Marie's façade falling to pieces and she doubled over in giggles.

"Oh ma God, you are such a cutie, ya'll thought I was mad?" everyone stared at the vampire in complete astonishment, and I suspected everyone was thinking the same thing, 'how is this girl related to Damon?' I was hiding a smile of my own.

Marie came and wrapped her arms around my waist, "I missed ya Damon",

I smirked "I missed you to Marie" I returned her hug "but where have you been all this time?" I asked, her shoulders rose and fell in an exaggerated sigh, "well this is a long story so can we save if for later?" while she was talking she gave him a look that clearly said 'we will talk about this later and if you make me say it now I will kick you where it counts and you'll be serenading your sweet Elena soprano style.' If anyone can say that much in one look, it's my sister. So I suggested that I take her and Elena up to the rooms so that they can pick their own, it seemed like Marie was staying for a while and It doesn't look like I have any say in it. As for Elena, well, she has a loving brother who happens to be a hunter who has had his 'let's kill my vampire sister' switch triggered. So her place is pretty permanent unless he completes the map, and even then he might still have the 'let's kill my vampire sister' urge. I can't say that I'm complaining though, oh wait, yes I am. How am I supposed to keep my distance from Elena and let her be with someone who it not sired to, if she has chosen to sleep in the bedroom right next to mine? That's right, I can't.

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