There had been only one thing passing through Damon's mind as he rode on the back of a car that huffed and puffed as it went. Well, it was more like only one person. The same person that had haunted his dreams every single night since he'd met her at the barbeque at a neighboring plantation before he had been shipped off for war.
"Ah, Damon! There you are! Come, come! I have someone to introduce you to!" Giesueppe Salvatore called as he beckoned his eldest son towards him. As Damon approached his father, he believed that he would be introduced to one of his father's newest associated or someone as equally uninteresting to him, until he saw just who his father was in the company of.
The brown-haired man's breath caught in his throat as he approached. The woman standing next to his father was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had a petite figure that was clearly shown off in her devil red dress that had a strange neckline. The shoulder straps laid off of her shoulders and laid in line with the rest of her dress, exposing just the smallest bit of bosom. Her color was very pale, but far from that of an ill patient and it only helped her three most prominent features stick out and announce itself to all others who happened to be watching her - her dark hair that flowed half way down her back sat in soft curls, dark brown eyes and stark red lips that seemingly matched her dress. For a moment he wondered if her lips were naturally that color, but he was hopeful he'd be able to find out at a later date.
As Damon came to stand next to his father, his father's strong hand rested on Damon's shoulder. It was odd to see his father seemingly proud of him.
"Miss Waldorf, this is my oldest son, Damon. And Damon, this is Miss Blair Waldorf. She is visiting from Saratoga," his father explained. Damon watched Blair curtsy before him and he made sure that the moment she stood straight, he had her hand in his. His bright blue orbs found her gaze as he pressed his lips to her soft hand.
"Welcome to Mystic Falls, Miss Waldorf. I trust you've been treated well by our humble town?" Damon asked softly. He was honestly shocked he was able to get so many words out in such a manner without fumbling over himself. All Blair did was offer him a small smile. It seemed to have a dual purpose. It hid and showed everything in front of him, something he was truly terrified of seeing but at the same time, all he wanted was to see more of it.
"It's been truly splendid. I couldn't have asked for better hosts."
"Miss Waldorf-"
"Pardon me, Mr. Salvatore but, please, call me Blair. When you address me in that way I feel so much older than I actually am," she requested in the sweetest tone he'd ever heard. To Damon, her voice was similar to that of an angel. Even his father seemed to be taken with her.
"Of course. Blair is staying with my business partner, Marco. You remember him, don't you Damon?" his father asked him, something he only half heard. His eyes were glued to Blair.
"Yes, father, I do."
Giesueppe looked between his son and the girl from Saratoga and slowly allowed a smile to appear on his face.
"I'm going to leave you two alone. Damon, I trust you can be a gentleman and show Miss Blair around the property?" His father didn't wait for an answer before leaving the pair alone. Blair seemed so confident and sure in her beauty, something Damon clearly wasn't. Standing in front of her both frightened him and drew him closer. After a moment, Damon extended his arm to the young woman and Blair graciously took it.
"What brings you to Mystic Falls?" Damon finally managed to choke out as he began to walk her out onto the large back yard where the barbeque was in full swing.
"Pleasure. I've always wanted to see other parts of the country and with the rumors of war springing up everywhere, I thought it wise to do it now." She spoke with such confidence and fluidity, without any fear or precaution.
"You are not afraid of the war starting and you being killed?" he asked, obviously confused by her devil-may-care attitude.
"To me, life should only be worried about if one has someone to live for. Since I sadly, do not, I live life to the highest of it's potential. Why be afraid of something you can't control?"
The pair spent the rest of the barbeque talking and slowly, Damon had grown comfortable enough to not act like a raving fool. Slowly, he felt himself falling for the mysterious girl, and he could only hope that she felt the same.
Finally, war came and split the pair. Damon and Blair promised to write back and forth to one another, figuring out a system once Damon found out that Blair was determined to continue traveling, even while the war was going on. Damon begged her to stay in Mystic Falls where his father and brother could watch over her, but she refused.
"What's life without a little danger, Damon?" she'd use as her argument. Blair never had to give much of an argument against Damon. He would have walked across water for the young woman.
Once he was gone and the letters started to arrive, he slowly became convinced that he was completely in love with Blair Waldorf, and he had at least a part of her heart.
Finally, the car came to a stop in front of his home and he smiled looking up at it. He was finally home. The only thing that could have made it better? If he had heard from Blair the last few weeks. She had seemed to have fallen off of the face of the earth and it terrified him. Pushing the thoughts of the love of his life aside, he sat on the edge of a bench in his back yard, smirking at his brother's figure as it left the large manor.
"And here I thought you would have grown up while I was gone," he said, causing Stefan to suddenly turn. A bright smile appeared on his face when he saw the image of his brother in Confederate uniform. The brothers soon embraced as if they hadn't seen one another in decades, when in actually it had only been nearly a year.
"What are you doing home? You didn't say so in any of your letters."
"I wanted to surprise you. Have I achieved my goal?" Stefan laughed at his brothers antics and clapped him on the shoulder.
"There's a surprise for you inside," Stefan said, avoiding his question.
"Well this doesn't seem fair. Here I was trying to surprise you and father and you two come up with a surprise for me?" Stefan laughed one again and shook his head.
"This was a surprise for all of us. Go inside."
Damon didn't waste another minute. Throwing his pack over his shoulder, he made his way into the Salvatore manor and was struck dumb when his surprise came into view.
Before him, sitting politely in his father's chair sat a smiling Blair. Gracefully, the girl stood, and allowed her hands to keep themselves folded in front of her. He briefly noted that she was wearing a dress that matched his uniform. That didn't matter to him however. In the blink of an eye, Damon had rushed over to the young woman and scooped her up into his arms twirling her around before he leaned up and placed a kiss on her lips. In that kiss was everything he had. All of his love for her and all of his desire. Her gloved hand came to rest on his unshaven cheek as she returned the kiss.
"I have missed you, Damon," Blair whispered against his lips.
"I love you," he whispered in reply before he could even control what his mouth said. Blair grinned down at him.
"I love you, too, Damon."
A/N; I don't own either verse or characters. Blah blah blah. I'm just having some fun. Review?