Hello All!
Well here is my shot at an actual full length story (instead of my oneshots –which happen to be SO much easy to write- I can skip all the boring stuff and get right to my favourite part!). I spent a lot of time actually planning this one out, mapping out characters, plots, subplots and making everything flow. I am planning to update this once a week (do not hold me to that!) and so hopefully I can make everything flow nicely, get it updated on time AND be happy with my work all at once.
Alright. So this story is a VERY alternate universe. Damon is good (for the most part ;) ) and Klaus is a major character for the 'good side'. Elena's parents are John and Isobel, they raised her themselves. The Founder's council is very aware of every vampire in town and –as expected- don't like them being in Mystic Falls. I think that's all you need to know for now. The rest you'll just have to read about!
Summary:
The human and vampire worlds are at odds. The Founder's Council knows everything about the vampires in Mystic Falls and plan to finally rid the town of the 'bloodsuckers'. Damon ends up badly injured and while nursing him back to health, Elena falls in love with him. What happens when the vampires try to create a truce between the two races? Is peace attainable? Will love conquer all? Or will Damon and Elena's star-crossed love destroy all hope for a better future? DamonXElena based on the timeless story of Tristan and Isolde.
Rated M for possible future scenes.
Enjoy!
Mystic Falls, Virginia; 1863.
"Why is this happening?" Damon Salvatore was running out of ideas. He had only been a vampire for a few short weeks, but in that time he had managed to fail at every attempt to reunite with his beloved town. He didn't understand, he still loved the town and the people in it, why couldn't they see that he was still the same man? Couldn't they get over their false prejudices? He was Damon Salvatore for Christ's sake! They grew up with him, knew everything about him; and yet they still treated him as though he was a monster.
"They hate us, Damon," His brother Stefan explained simply, "You knew how they felt before. Why would they change their minds now?" He paused, Damon almost believed he could see a sliver of sadness breaking through his brothers newly sheltered emotions, "We're as good as dead to them now."
Damon wasn't used to seeing his brother so withdrawn; unlike himself, Stefan chose to turn off his feelings in exchange for some peace from his inner turmoil. He didn't like this new side of him; the optimistic brother was gone, replaced by some cold hearted stranger. Damon looked down at the patch of grass they were sitting on, wishing the ever-helpful little brother would come back and help him restore his town's faith in the vampire race, "There must be a way."
"There isn't" Stefan insisted harshly, "Not now, and not likely ever." He paused, "And now they know we're out here. It's not going to be long before they come after us like they did those other vampires."
Damon sighed, leaned forward and closed his piercing blue eyes. Why couldn't things just go back to the way they were? "We're going to have to tell Klaus."
Stefan nodded silently. If it wasn't for the older vampire, the two brothers would have never made it to where they were today. They had been given a miracle when Klaus stumbled upon them; it was right after one of his first feedings. Damon had only wanted to taste the woman's blood; she was walking alone along the road well past dark and was easily compelled to already forget the entire encounter. It seemed innocent enough; take a sip and leave. Damon had been so thirsty that night, too.
Damon didn't even remember what happened. He sunk his teeth into the surprisingly supple flesh and the next thing he knew it was morning and he was in a strange house. What he did remember was a large man with a European accent chuckling something about his apparent 'overdose' the night before. Klaus taught Damon how to ease his way into the feeding; Klaus taught both Damon and Stefan a lot of things.
He had them drinking animal blood after two weeks; said it was the first step in gaining human trust. Damon believed in him; if he ever wanted to live peacefully in Mystic Falls again, he needed Klaus' help. There was no point in not telling him about their most recent screw up; if the humans decided to come after them it was better if they gave their mentor a heads up.
Damon stood up from the ground and brushed off the remaining pieces of earth that clung onto his clothing. "Let's go, brother." He addressed Stefan, "I'm not getting any younger here."
"We're stronger together."
Damon Salvatore listened intently to the man speaking to the room full of vampires. He had informed the older vampire of his and Stefan's dealings with the town, and instantly word was sent out to every vampire he was in contact with. Here, a month later they all sat in Klaus' small house, considering his proposition.
"The Founder's have managed to get rid of most of the vampires in the area with that tomb." Klaus began speaking, "We're divided and weak, and that's just how they like us. If we were united, we would outnumber them. We could easily disarm any attacks without hurting them and finally bring peace to both races. That's why we're all here today, to make this pact."
"Who would be in charge?" asked Elijah, a vampire nearly as old as Klaus. Even though Klaus assured Damon that Elijah could be trusted, he couldn't help but dislike the older vampire. There was something about him that resonated in Damon, telling him to be wary.
"The strongest; most level-headed." Stefan's new friend Lexi spoke up, she stared right at the head of the room, "Klaus." Elijah did nothing to hide the look of disgust that marred his features. Damon knew the expressions of a power-hungry man well, and Elijah was no exception. He agreed with Lexi, Klaus was the best option for leader; looking around the room, it seemed many of the other vampires shared the same thought.
"If you are happy living alone and afraid of their weapons, then by all means go." Klaus addressed Elijah.
"If we were happy with that, we wouldn't be here." Elijah responded bitterly, speaking for himself as well his small coven of two plain faced men and a petite brunette woman. They all seemed scared to be in here, and Damon wondered what they must have went through; it had to have been horrible for them to break out of their safety zone to make a pact with a vampire they didn't know at all.
"I have lived through lifetimes of war. If I am to live for thousands more then I want somewhere where I can live in peace -." Klaus continued.
"Why should we do this?" Interrupted a sceptical large blond male Damon didn't recognize.
Klaus turned towards him, "because everything else has failed."
There was silence for a moment before the sound of shattering glass swayed everyone's attention to the opposite end of the room. "They're back," Stefan whispered, but everyone's sensitive ears heard him; the humans were back to try and finish them off. Damon shook his head, didn't they realize that the vampires could kill them in an instant, and that the only reason they were spared was because they wanted peace? Why couldn't the humans accept that?
Everyone was up in an instant. It was unlikely that the humans had unknowingly found another witch to do their bidding, but no one was taking any chances. They immediately spread out, Damon sped to the back porch, making sure the entrance there was covered, in the corner of his eye he saw Stefan doing the same for the side door. He looked around, his eyes spotting smoke around the house. Had they set a fire? Damon squinted his eyes, but still saw nothing; what did they have planned?
He was suddenly surprised by a body pushing him into the mudroom. It moved faster than he expected, and by the time Damon had a chance to reorient himself, the figure had closed the door. Using all the speed he could muster, Damon jumped up to the door and grabbed the handle to follow the human out. He hadn't even fully grabbed the handle when his hand suddenly overcame with a burning sensation. Damon knew instantly what it was; Vervain.
The pain was overwhelming, and Damon quickly recoiled, not in any hurry to touch the torturous handle again. It took another moment for him to realize the smoke was beginning to seep under the entry. Quickly, Damon spun to the only other exit in the tiny room, a window. He punched through the glass, shocked to find it had been also laced with vervain. He shook out his burning hand, waiting for agony to pass.
Damon looked back at the small window; shards of sharp glass poisoned with vervain mocked him. He knew it would be a tight fit to get out, the glass would pierce his skin and leak vervain into his sensitive flesh, making his escape from the fire would be undoubtedly painful. A figure took his attention from the glass to the woods that lay behind them; Elijah was free.
"Help!" Damon yelled, making eye contact with the older vampire. For a brief moment he calmed; he was going to be released from this hell hole. His relief vanished when the vampire looked away, and ran into the dark of the forest. "No! Get me out of here!" Damon called again; his efforts were futile, the vampire was already too far gone. He looked frantically to the door and back, only one thought was racing through his mind, I'm going to die in here.
Damon's view of the traitor and the woods that swallowed him vanished when Klaus stepped in front of the window. Klaus threw Damon a pair of and stood by as he effortlessly unlocked the door and walked out into the backyard where Klaus stood.
"Where is everyone? Stefan? The humans?" Damon asked, frantic. The house was already halfway in flames, and there was no water source close enough. Rescuing it would be futile.
Klaus put a hand on Damon's shaken form, "It's alright, Damon. You're safe; the humans have run off," He paused for a moment, "And Stefan is alright too. He's tending to the ones with injuries from the vervain. The only loss we've suffered today is the house."
"And Elijah." Damon added, frowning as he thought about the coward.
"I am right here, Damon." The man interrupted their conversation. Damon spun around to face the vampire that had left him to die, "where did you think I was?"
Damon was furious; he knew Elijah had run off. Taking a quick look at Klaus, Damon decided to hide the incident; an argument would only backfire Klaus' plan to bring them all together. Staring back to Elijah, Damon replied, "Nowhere, I suppose. For a moment I thought you were dead to all of us."
He ignored Elijah's smirk and focused back on Klaus and the ordeal they just went through. Could the two races really live together in harmony? If the burning house signifies anything, then no, Damon thought to himself. "The humans will never accept us." He spoke.
"They will," Klaus argued, "It will take a lot of work, but they will." The older vampire looked around at the house, and the injured vampires lying at the edge of the forest under Stefan's care and then back to Damon, "Someday."
Congratulations! You have witnessed the first attempt at vampire unity! The next chapter will begin in present day, and thus will officially begin our story!
I hope you enjoyed; please leave a review!
