Author's Note: I meant to have this out weeks ago, back before all the Katherine flashbacks appeared. But I was lazy and did not finish typing it though it had been handwritten in one of my notebooks for days.
I broke my one rule here. I despise original characters because the stories that include them are hardly ever worth reading (that is only my opinion of course). Some stories make them work but usually I find myself disappointed whenever someone throws some random character at the Salvatore brothers. But this idea refused to leave my head until I eventually was forced to write it down.
Lillian has been present in my thoughts since the series began and I wanted her gone so I wrote this little one shot in hopes of doing so. Honestly her character's background has been cut down in this and I had always pictured her becoming present later in the Salvatore's life. Perhaps I will post it one day if anyone is interested. But for now I have edited my image of her to fit this.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of its characters, you know the drill.
He wasn't sure why he chose to step in the diner. Of all the places this definitely was not high on Damon Salvatore's list of places to be. It was an entirely different setting than what he was used to. Actually, it was vastly different. The diner was not dimly lit with light music that could barely be heard over the chatter. It didn't reek of scotch and whiskey either. No, this place was bright, the lights glaring, soft music drifted from a juke box pushed in corner. The room smelt of grease from the kitchen and coffee that was poured in literally every cup. There was even the smallest hint of maple in the air. His brow was raised in silent amusement as he slipped into a single booth, thumbing idly through a menu he knew he would not need.
"What can I get for you?" The voice was raspy, that of a smoker, he suspected. It sounded like a poor attempt to sound alluring and seductive and when he looked up to see her grayed, straw like blond hair and face full of makeup he wanted to cringe. But he refrained and turned on that charming smile of his.
"I'll take a coffee," He replied, if not alcohol he might as well take caffeine.
But then a rather mouth watering scent drifted to his nose which he willingly inhaled. His icy eyes flickered from frame to frame. They settled on a distinctly feminine shape with curls that reminded him of the color of fire and it was pulled up in a casual twist. Her blue eyes were a brilliant shade that almost looked purple and perfectly matched her uniform. The scent came off of her in waves and his eyes nearly caressed her neck, imagining his fangs sinking into the flesh. Of course this all filtered through his head in less than a second, ending with the thought, and I'd willingly take her on the side.
"Actually there is one more thing," He spoke while his eyes were still on the waitress. He paused before turning his eyes to the current person before him. His grin grew before slipping once he made eye contact and his voice fell to a monotone. "That waitress with the red hair, get her to bring me my coffee. When she gets close to my table I want you to trip her,"
"I'll have her bring the coffee then I'll-"
"Yes, yes, I know. Now go," He replied effectively cutting her off. He leaned back in his chair. The smallest of smirks was playing across his lips. It wasn't until he heard the sound of footsteps that he looked up.
She was just retreating from the kitchen, not looking too thrilled with her new task. He also noted that she did not carry herself with much confidence. He assumed it was because she was new. But he could not help but notice the sort of graceful way she moved. There was a gentle sway of her hips that he suspected she was not even aware of. Her smile was shy and she avoided eye contact as she walked past customers familiar with her. His head was cocked to the side slightly, his eyes drinking in her every move. She looked familiar. Her lips, her nose, the overall face shape. But her hair color was different. The shape and color of her eyes were different. She reminded him of Lillian.
He seemed far away then. Flashes of a young woman with dark hair and eyes as green as oak leaves. He remembered the way the curls framed her face. He remembered the way his favorite dress of hers hung on her. He remembered the locket she always wore around her neck, tucked beneath the fabric of her dresses. He remembered the graceful steps and her shy smiles. He remembered her cheeks flushed with pink, parted lips gasping, dark hair falling from pins. But what he remembered most was seeing her pale and lifeless, hair spilling out of her bun, the pink hue of the skin of her neck matching the fingers of a drunken father. Lilly had been his first conquest but she certainly had not been his last.
He nearly forgot his task at hand with his thoughts so far away. Thinking about Lilly always led to thoughts of Katherine. Thoughts of Katherine always brought distractions. So it was by pure luck that he managed to save the coffee mug before it crashed to the floor. It was pure luck on her side that the coffee pot did not spill the burning liquid all over her as it fell onto the table. It was everyone else's pure luck that no coffee was spilt on his jacket. Because if that had happened there would have been hell to pay, alluring blood or not.
But as she apologized time and time again he turned on his charm, it was like flipping on a switch it came so naturally. Thoughts of Katherine and Lilly were tucked back into whatever crevice of his mind they had sprung from. Now his thoughts were focused on -Danielle, he spotted her name on a tag pinned to her shirt. When she leaned forward to wipe up the mess he was the perfect gentleman and aided her. His fingers gripped napkin after napkin. He almost felt bad for causing her such trouble. Almost, but not quite. Not even close actually.
"I'm sorry, I really am," She repeated for maybe the tenth time. "I'll get you another coffee, on the house," She added quickly.
"If you wanted to buy me a drink you didn't need to trip and spill it. All you had to do was ask," He knew the risk of saying the statement but he was wearing the brilliant smile he was known for. Plus his ego doubted he would be rejected, cockiness just poured through him.
"I-uhm," She flushed, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear. He could not help but be amused by her stuttering.
"When do you get off work?" He asked while pushing the used napkins into a pile.
"Another ten minutes or so," She replied without really thinking.
"I'll still be here," He glanced up, his forearms resting against the table. "I'm Damon by the way,"
"Danielle," Her tone was a bit uneasy, as if she did not know what to make of the situation. "I'll have someone out with your coffee soon,"
With that she scooped up the napkins and walked back toward the kitchen. Damon sighed under his breath, tearing his eyes from her retreating form. It was supposed to be proper manners to avoid playing with your food. But he did love to toy with these walking blood sacks. He relished in the delight of it, it gave him a sense of power to control their minds, to see the fear slip to perfect compliance. Perhaps that made him sick. He had stopped caring a long time ago. All he was focused on now was seeing if Danielle would sound like Lillian when she called out his name in ecstasy.
For a fleeting moment he wondered if Danielle's blood would taste the way Lillian's would have. He could not exactly compare the two. Lilly had been before Katherine, before he was changed. Lilly was probably the only woman, aside from Katherine of course, that he had ever remotely held romantic feelings for. But as soon as Katherine had snaked her way into his life and crawled under his sheets he had forgotten all about Lilly. When Katherine was around it was nearly impossible to think about anyone else. She had managed to twist his life until it revolved around her without compelling him. The things love forced a person to do.
Love. The very thought of the word brought a scowl to his face. Love had only brought him pain and misfortune. Those humans made seem so simple with hearts and flowers and rings. They made it so overrated. If he had ever been genuinely happy because of love it was those fleeting moments with Katherine. Even then Saint Stefan was there to taint that happiness. Because no matter what Damon did to hold her attention, her affection, her eyes always fell back to Stefan. He wasn't daft. He saw the smiles she shared with his little brother, his baby brother; he saw the sinister glint in her eyes. It stung to know that she was toying with the both of them. What hurt worse was knowing that she had no attention of stopping.
His eyes slid back into focus to see a single cup being placed in front of him. His eyes narrowed as the dark liquid fell into the cup. When he looked up he spotted the first waitress, her blindingly red lips pulled back into a smile and the way she was batting her lashes made it appear that her raccoon eyeliner was stinging just a little. He did not return the smile. His hand shot for the mug before taking a sip. He did not reach for sugar or cream figuring he might as well drink it black. He also figured that Danielle's blood would be the best sweetener he would ever need. Because whether she knew it or not she would be a willing blood donor.
It was not until he had completely finished his coffee that he heard her light footsteps again. She hesitated at the end of the table before finally sitting across from him. She eyed him warily. Her blue eyes traced over his frame and he made sure to turn on that smile of his. But her lips turned down into a frown. He broke eye contact then and his fingers ran along the rim of the cup. He leaned back, pushing the object away and over to the side.
"Am I upsetting you?" He asked after a beat when her expression remained the same.
"No, it's not that," She replied before pulling out her bun so that her fiery hair fell around her shoulders. He was sad to see the sight of her neck vanish. "You don't look familiar, it's a small town. You aren't from around here. You new in town or just stopping by?"
"Stopping by," He noted that there was not much emotion in his voice. "I'm visiting family a couple of towns away."
"Family?" She asked, sounding skeptic. Well, hey, it was not a total lie. "You don't seem too thrilled about that. Where exactly?"
"Mystic Falls," He replied, trying to keep his eyes from settling into a flare. She was asking too many questions for his liking. But he figured he would humor her. After all she would not remember this encounter in the morning. Well, not all of it.
"So you have family in Mystic Falls, that you're visiting," She began, saying each word slowly. "But you aren't happy about it,"
"That is what I said," He fired back, nearly cringing. "My brother and I don't get along but I decided it was time for a visit. Is that really so hard to comprehend?"
His voice was still level. But there was something underneath it that she just might have heard. He was being defensive and they both knew it. But she did not say a word. She remained silent, her eyes trained on the table between them. A couple of times he caught her looking over at him from under her lashes. When she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear her neck was revealed again. His eyes settled there for a fraction of a second. He had to remind himself to stay alert and keep in check. Otherwise his face might just betray not only his thoughts but his secret as well.
"It was a girl wasn't it?" She finally asked, thoroughly jolting him from his inner rambling.
"What?" He asked after a pause.
"It was a girl. She's the reason you and your brother don't get along," She replied with a small smile. Damon's own lips pulled down into a scowl. She did not say it like it was a question. She said it matter of fact, she knew she was right without any response from him. His hands clenched when she spoke again. "I imagine she must have been something special to split up two brothers, I'm certain you were close before it happened. What was her name?"
"Yeah we are not getting into that," His voice was more of a snarl than anything. His hand reached out and his fingers wrapped around her wrist. To anyone watching the exchange they looked like any couple, her hand grasped in his. But the second her eyes flashed fear his voice slipped into that single tone he was familiar with. "You are going to follow me outside, not questions asked."
He was humming with the power that rushed through him. His mind was alert. He needed to leave soon or he feared he would bite her then and there. At the moment his instincts were screaming to forget her body and the fit of passion he had planned. But all the same his curiosity needed to be quelled. Would she cry out like Lillian? Would she smile and giggle softly the way she had? Would she trace circles along his arm when it was over?
Questions poured throughout his mind. Memories attacked him one after the other. But it was Danielle, not Lilly, who brought him back to his senses. She was standing now and tugging gently on his hand. Her face was a clean slate, eyes wide with wonder and a sort of ditzy smile played across her lips. She looked like she had been compelled. When he stood and tossed a couple of bills on the table she nearly dragged him out of the diner. A smirk had taken over his features. Perhaps she would be willing after all. Perhaps she would no longer need to be compelled more than she had been.
When her hand snaked around the back of his neck he was mildly surprised. Generally he enacted the first move after compelling his prey. This was entirely different. She was the first to kiss him. Her lips were soft against his, moving in such a tender way that he was not comfortable with. But when he tried to deepen the kiss, bring things more to his element and slip his hand under her shirt, she pulled away from him. A crease began to form on his forehead, showing his frustration.
"When you leave for Mystic Falls you should talk to your brother, make amends and all that. Fighting over some girl is not worth giving up your family," Her voice was a whisper. She smiled and leaned in expecting another kiss.
Damon's lips were curled into a silent growl, his eyes were narrowed. Every thought of seducing her flew out of his head. He was looking through a red haze when she leaned in. His hand moved to cover her mouth, her lips brushed against his palm. He tugged a little too hard because she cried out in pain but he was past carrying. The sound was muffled anyway so it did not make much of a difference. He felt his canines lengthen before he viciously bit into her neck. He realized grimly that even while he fed from her she would be give up and be silent. He pulled away momentarily only to bark for her to be silent before returning to his meal. His anger would not let him spare her. He had already taken too much and to leave her walking, to leave her alive, he would have to give her his own blood. This was not a sacrifice he was willing to make and he smiled a sort of sad smile as the last drops fell onto his tongue.
He did not drop her body the way he wished to. Instead he scooped her into his arms before fleeing into the nearest bit of forest and disposing the body there. If the typical animal attack excuse was going to hold she would need to be somewhere among animals. He grimaced a little at the way her hair fanned around her face. Even in death she reminded him of Lillian. He felt a small pang at the memory and quickly turned his back. This was no time to dwell on any form of the past that did not have to do with Katherine. He would have her back soon enough and the thought made his lips turn into a smirk. His tongue flicked out to capture a forgotten bit of blood at the corner of his mouth before he walked back to his car still posed in the parking lot. Mystic Falls was in for one hell of a ride.