I've been thinking about this story for a long time. I hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries.
Chapter One
When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers. -Oscar Wilde
The vampire laid there, dying slowly, painfully. The girl tucked into his side was human, the being noted. How peculiar that this vampire and human were in love, despite the girl's belief that she could only love one person. Love was infinite; it didn't matter who you were, you could love more than one person at a time. Yes, the love she felt for this vampire was different for that that she felt for the other, but it was just as potent, just as strong. This girl had a fierce will to protect those she loved, and this man was no different from the others close to her heart.
If this being were so kind, it would have changed that about her. The girl's willingness to die for her friends, her family, made it harder for her to lose those people. She put herself in their place, wished desperately that she could have died instead.
But this being wasn't so kind. Yes, it could change such miniscule details, but that would change the happiness in the end. That could destroy entire worlds from being built and falling. It could see past, present, and future. It decided what was to be done and what could be held off. Whether human or not, the creatures of Earth bowed to its wishes, even if they didn't believe it to be so.
"You should have met me in 1864," the vampire murmured, eyes blinking open, though it took much of the man's power. "You would have liked me."
Pity for the poor soul wrestled throughout the being. This man believed that he would never be better than his brother, would never be able to get the girl of his dreams. But what if the being decreed it to be different? What if it changed the past to control the present?
I am in charge of this picture, the being thought to itself. I can change it to whatever I please. Is that not my job? It always preferred to do the unexpected, to fix its mistakes. So, if it changed just a little part of history, it would still have the ability to change it all back. If it turned out badly. Which it could change again, anyways. Why not give it a chance?
Your life is about to change, vampire. Let me fulfill that wish.
So, as the vampire and human shared a soft kiss on the bed, Fate answered Damon Salvatore's wish, sending the two back in time.
Men wish to be saved from the mischiefs of their vices, but not from their vices. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Brother!" Stefan Salvatore called, jogging to meet the older Salvatore halfway up the walk. Giving him a hearty hug, the green-eyed brother said, "I thought you were not returning for much longer! How did you manage to get away so early?"
Damon Salvatore shrugged, smirking with white teeth, though it didn't reach his bright blue gaze. "I do not care much for what they wanted me to fight for. So I left." He spoke easily, as if being a deserter were nothing more than a minor rule broken. Unfortunately, the oldest Salvatore child knew better. He knew that his father might bail him out of trouble, but he would hear of it for the rest of his life. Giuseppe Salvatore wasn't known for being particularly forgiving of his eldest son because he had the looks of the dead Mrs. Salvatore.
Where Stefan's light brown hair matched their father's, Damon had their mothers black, wavy locks. The younger brother was tall with thick shoulders while the other was more lean, though just as tall as Stefan. With him, Giuseppe could forget the wife he had loved and lost, the woman that had run from their family. But with Damon, it was a battle to control the urge to break down, to admit that he was wrong. Even the dark-haired Salvatore's mannerisms were that of his traitor of a mother. But the youngest...he was full of blind loyalty to his father; if he didn't believe in what he was ordered to do, he would still stand by his family.
And that was why Giuseppe loathed his oldest son. There was no love lost there.
Stefan's eyes widened, pity clear in his gaze. He knew all about his father and brother's strained relationship. And worried over Damon constantly.
But that didn't stop him from quickly changing the subject. Throwing his arm around Damon's shoulders, he said, "We are expecting guests to arrive any moment. The Pierces have asked that we take in their two daughters. Twin daughters." Stefan winked before playfully punching his brother.
They were both physical men that loved to play games and fight; they had gotten into trouble over it in the town before. When they went into town, other men steered clear while the women watched with interest burning in their eyes. But it was always a game to Damon and Stefan. All they needed was their brotherhood, they would say.
Well-known in the area, people often wondered if there were two brothers closer than the Salvatores.
And the answer to their rhetorical question was always no. There were no two brothers that acted more like best friends than Damon and Stefan.
"Twin daughters, hmm? Sounds...interesting." Damon returned Stefan's wink. He led them back towards the main house, pondering aloud, "Now, which would I like? If they are twins, then there is no doubt that they are both beautiful."
Stefan grinned, probably already half-lovestruck. "Do you not think that they deserve a choice? When one chooses you, you can have her," he reasoned with a chuckle, ever the romantic. Though he was only eighteen, he was already thinking of marriage and children, where Damon—twenty-three and ever the bachelor—wanted nothing more than to use his freedom to the fullest.
Damon raised an eyebrow at his brother as they distanced themselves from each other, moving up the porch towards the doors of their family home. "And if they both choose me?" he asked, smirking.
Shaking his head, Stefan merely chuckled.
The sound of hooves broke into the brothers' conversation, making them turn to look over their shoulders. A delicate carriage led by two black horses that looked more devil than horse was coming up the gravel towards them. The driver looked a little dazed, as if he wasn't quite sure of what he was doing, where he was going.
The two Salvatores watched in silence as the carriage drew right up beside the porch and the driver dropped from his perch to open the door. They were both dazzled by the women that stepped out, helped by the confused man.
Both had long brown hair drawn up under their hats, only one had wild curls while the other's hair was straight. Two pairs of brown eyes caught Stefan's and Damon's, one gaze narrowed appreciatively as the other held a friendly twinkle. There was something ethereal about them, something that made the men both excited and wary.
"Mr. Salvatore," the curly-haired one purred, curtseying just in front of Stefan as he bowed gracefully. She let him take her hand to plant a kiss on the top of it and something flared in her eyes. Perhaps it was knowledge, or maybe something darker, but it was there, hiding in the brown depths. Turning her attention to Damon, she gave him a slow perusal before giving a half-smile. "And Mr. Salvatore, I take it? Are you the infamous Salvatore brothers, or are there more of you running around?"
Damon noticed that, over this sister's shoulder, the other was rolling her eyes as she helped their maid from the carriage. "I would not call us...infamous, per se." He gave her a smug smirk, but felt his gaze being torn between the two of them. "But, yes, we are Damon and Stefan Salvatore." He threw his arm around Stefan's shoulders, catching him off guard as he seemed stunned by the beauties before them. "Unfortunately, he seems to have lost his tongue as of late, so you will have to make do with my companionship."
The devious sister raised an eyebrow as her grin grew on her face. "Oh?" she said daintily before gesturing towards her sister. "Well, we are the Pierces. My sister Elena," she said the name with none of the usual sisterly-love that other girls in town used when speaking of their sibling, "and I am Katherine."
"And this is our personal maid, Emily Bennett," Elena interjected with a punishing glance thrown at her sister. It was as if she were trying to scold her sister for being impolite to a guest rather than a servant.
This intrigued Damon. Where Stefan was transfixed with the first beauty to approach them, his brother wanted to know more about Elena. Her manners were strange, for some reason, and made little sense to him. It was as if she believed that servants were on the same level as the others, though he did think that himself. Why treat someone differently just because of the circumstances they were born into? It could have just as easily been anyone else.
But not many high-born women thought that way. They cared more about roping a wealthy husband than how they treated the help.
"It is nice to meet you, Miss Pierce," Damon said, keeping his eyes locked with Elena's as he took her hand and brought it to his mouth. Her hand seemed to be burning through the glove that covered it, shocking him, to say the least. They stood there for a moment, watching each other—she being suspicious while he was perplexed—until Katherine cleared her throat.
As the two broke their gaze, Katherine suggested to Stefan, "Would you please show me to my room? I really must freshen up; it felt as if the ride took much too long!" She laughed at her own joke, taking the younger Salvatore's elbow before he could even offer it.
Feeling a bit scared for his brother, who already appeared lovestruck, Damon offered his arm to Elena. "Would you like me to show you to your room, as well?"
She looked shocked as she glanced down at his arm and then back up. There was definitely something strange about this girl that he couldn't quite put his finger on. However, she eventually gently took his arm, murmuring, "Yes, thank you. I would like to have a word with my sister, if I could."
Permission? She is asking permission? Damon wondered to himself as he led her through the large house. He wanted to know this girl better, he decided. And he planned to find out as soon as possible all of those pesky little secrets swimming behind her eyes.
Little did she know that the Damon Salvatore charm was about to turn on to full mischief.
"There is in every woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity." -Washington Irving
"What do you think of the Salvatores, sister?" Katherine asked her double, practically purring with delight at the treats she had been given. She stared at herself in the mirror, eyeing herself from every side. "Are they not...delectable?" she added, giving Elena a mischievous wink.
The other Pierce merely shook her head, murmuring, "Do you intend to have them both, then, Katherine? I am sure that even you can see the problems that could cause." Elena was used to having to cover for Katherine's...playmates. If she was the last person to see them alive, suspicion would always fall on her shoulders, a lesson she hadn't learned since they had been changed together centuries before.
"To have both of them? What a wonderful idea, sister!" Katherine decided, flopping down on her bed with an excited huff. "I enjoy Stefan's youthfulness so much more, but Damon's...danger is almost as fascinating. I can practically smell it rolling off him in waves, can't you?" Lying on her stomach to watch her sister, Katherine winked, smiling as if she were beginning to plot once more. "Or perhaps I should leave the elder brother to you? He might be just what you need now, you know. When was the last time you had a reasonable caller, anyway?"
Rolling her eyes, Elena continued to unpack her things, gently placing them where she felt they belonged. "Katerina," she said, using her sister's original name, "I have no use for callers. I already take it upon myself to be kept far apart from my...donors, so to speak. The closer I am to them, the more likely that we will have to up and leave again in the dead of night."
A spark came to Katherine's eyes then, not one of anger, but one of planning. "Perhaps this will be our last home, sister. I am tired of running and I am sure that I can make someone help us."
Elena jumped to her feet, spinning to face her sister. Pointing an accusatory finger at Katherine, she snarled, "You will get us killed!"
"Exactly."
Not knowing what to say to the devious gleam in Katherine's eyes, Elena merely gawked at her. Of course, she knew that her sister had no intention of dying for real. She put too much effort into survival, as it were. But whatever Katherine was planning, she expected Elena to be a part of it, that much she was sure.
Yet she was so sick of this life. They had to run to stay alive, feed on innocents to heal their wounds. All she wanted was to rest.
A knock sounded at the door, snapping both Pierces out of their conversation. Since Elena was only too used to her sister's "you do the work" attitude, she was the one to answer the door, opening it widely to see who stood outside of it.
Stefan, with a large smile on his face, glanced down at her, but, of course, Katherine was already at her side. "Hello, Miss Pierce," he said, dazzled by the curly-haired sister. "I was wondering if you would like a tour of the plantation since you will be staying with us here." He extended his arm, a hopeful look on his face that worried Elena. She would have to make a note to have Emily put some special ingredients into the home's water supply.
Katherine waved playfully at Elena as she took the offered arm, whispering, "Don't wait up, sister."
Elena watched as they walked down the hallway, already laughing together as if they were courting. Though Katherine had always been open about her relationships, to say the least, it was unlike her to swoop in so...quickly. If she really was planning something at that moment, Elena didn't doubt that it had something to do with the Salvatore brothers. She worried for their safety, though she had long learned not to grow attached to humans.
They lived and died. So was their fate.
As she started to shut the door, a long-fingered hand stopped its movement by holding the door just above her head. She glanced up to find Damon staring down at her, a smirk on his face. "I was hoping, Elena, that you might like to accompany me into town? I have a few errands I must attend to, but I would like to show you around."
She raised an eyebrow at his blatant use of her given name. Did he truly believe that she would let that go unpunished? "Well, Mr. Salvatore, I must decline. You see, I have only just arrived and I have much unpacking to do. The next time you go into town, perhaps."
Katherine would have chuckled at her, declaring her to be a cold princess by the tone of her voice.
As she slowly pushed the door closed, she was shocked that his hand didn't move. If she had had the mind to, she could have overpowered him. But she knew that he would begin to suspect something and she didn't need to create suspicions so early in their time in the small town of Mystic Falls.
"I hope that I have not offended you in any way," he murmured, leaning closer to her face. "Still, I would very much like you to accompany me. Is there any way I can change your mind? Perhaps if I promise something in return?"
Her eyes narrowed on him. She didn't know what to make of his question, but curiosity was eating at her. There was something about him that...made her want to be more like her sister. Of course, not entirely like Katherine, but she wanted to have fun.
Taking a page out of Katherine's book, she smirked. "And what kind of 'something in return' would that be?"
He seemed surprised for a moment, then another disarming grin spread across his features. He gently took hold of her wrist, bringing it to the proper position at his elbow, and murmured, "You will just have to wait and see."
This first chapter is short, I know, but I don't want too much to happen in one chapter.