I only ever try to make you smile
No matter what we're gonna keep you occupied
.
.
.
Having no other choice, Elena and Damon walked the long route to her house. She couldn't walk with him through town square. What if someone stopped to talk to him? What if she couldn't answer his questions about Mystic Falls? For now, all he knew was that he time traveled to the future. He went along with it saying she was either crazy or he was vividly dreaming. The 'V' word was never mentioned. For safety reasons, he couldn't know about vampire Stefan or his future self. She was worried about changing history. Damon needed to turn into a vampire otherwise everyone would end up living in an alternate present. How confusing!
Elena wondered about what was happening meanwhile in the past. Did Damon disappear from 1864? Or was he in a comatose state? She felt bad for his father and human Stefan. It must have been strange that he never came back from hunting.
"I apologize in advance if you find this question offensive..."
Elena turned to him with a raised brow in curiosity.
"Do women no longer wear gowns? I am most confused by your attire. Are those trousers? Are you a career woman?"
"I doubt you could offend me. It's understandable that you're curious. You can ask me anything you want." She said sincerely touching his arm and he pulled away like she burned him. She coughed awkwardly. "Women still wear gowns for an appropriate occasion such as a dance or wedding. While daily, women wear casual dresses, skirts, denim like my trousers or shorts."
"Shorts? How progressive." Damon blushed. "Then you are not a career woman?"
Elena laughed. "No, I'm a student."
"Oh, then you have a governess?"
'Go figure my obsession with Jane Eyre is proving resourceful', Elena thought with a smirk. "No, I attend a school outside of my home."
"There are boarding schools for women?"
"Yes, but I do not live at my school. School now..." Elena paused trying to come up with a good explanation. "Is like your university life except it is funded by the government and coeducational."
"Fascinating." Damon said with wide eyes.
"I'm sure. Maybe you'll be able to help me with my fascinating history report." Elena joked.
"Tell me, if I am from the past as you claim and you are from the future... then how did you recognize me?"
'Shit, didn't think he would ask', Elena swallowed. "John Gilbert wrote about you in his journal."
"Most unusual as we are often in conflict." Damon frowned.
"Why is that?"
"Father and his close friends support the Confederacy. I do not care for the war or violence for that matter. I tried to find a way to be exempt from service, but it looks like I have no choice." Damon lamented.
'Amazing how he'll become an animal that enjoys violence', Elena frowned. She looked around and noticed they were close to the residential border with roads and sidewalks.
"Damon, I think it's important to mention that transportation has evolved. We drive cars, which are, uh, mechanical carriages." She said not knowing how to describe a car.
"Mechanical carriages?"
"You'll see one soon enough. I don't want you to be frightened. You'll be safe with me."
"Why would I be frightened of a-" His eyes went wide when a large SUV sped past them.
Elena studied his expression in concern. She didn't want him to faint or something.
He was in shock, but the good kind. "Remarkable! Do you own a car?" He asked almost giddy.
"Actually, I need to buy a new car." 'Because I crashed mine and you saved me from the wreck', Elena added in her head with a shiver.
Damon nodded and observed their surroundings. "So this is where the residents of Mystic Falls live now? All of the homes are close together. Why there is no privacy. I bet you can look into your neighbor's window!" He said mortified walking down the sidewalk. "No one owns land anymore?"
"Uh, no, not really. This is pretty much what you get in Mystic Falls."
"How many people live in each home?"
"Hmm, one to five, I guess is average."
"What about staff?"
"Staff?" Elena asked confused. "Right, I understand now. Live-in maids are not a common practice anymore."
"I imagine your life is rather difficult. Who maintains your wardrobe?" Damon was confused. The women he knew changed six times a day and wore complicated corsets, petticoats, etc.
Elena laughed at how spoiled Damon must have been. She wondered how the brothers survived without a maid in the boarding house.
"Well, here we are, this is my house." Elena said when they reached her driveway.
"It looks... lovely." Damon said with a smirk. "Do you reside with your husband or family?"
"Husband? I'm definitely not married! I live with my aunt and brother."
"Your parents passed?" Damon asked sadly.
Elena nodded.
"I am sorry. I remember how tragic it was when my mother passed." He said sympathetically.
Elena unlocked the doors nervous about who was home. It could break her whole cover. "Jenna?" She called out. No answer. "Jeremy?" No answer.
Elena sighed and checked the side table for any notes. In her favor, Jenna was spending the weekend away working on her thesis, but Jeremy would come home eventually. She had no idea what to do about him. The idea of having a slumber party with Damon would sound odd to anyone! He wasn't even a teenager!
"Like you, I have a younger brother. His name is Stefan. He is seven and ten years."
It slipped Elena's mind that human Damon loved his brother unconditionally. "Your brother is the same age as me. How old are you?"
"Four and twenty." Damon answered absently looking at the decorations in the living room. "Photography has reached perfection in this century." He gulped picking up a picture of Elena in her cheer uniform. He was admiring her long legs and flat stomach. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She looked fragile, but after talking to her, he found her to be rather lively.
"Has a gentleman asked for your hand in courtship?" Damon blurted out surprising them both.
"I, uh, well." Fuck. Elena didn't know what to say. The question was loaded seeing as Stefan was her boyfriend.
Damon blushed. "Please forgive me. That was bold of me to ask, as we have been acquainted for less than a day."
"Apology not necessary. I couldn't think of a reply because relationships between women and men are different in this era."
"Oh, I see. I should have guessed. That is why you are not worried about us being unchaperoned."
"Yep. No chaperone needed. Women get married much older now... if at all."
"Yes, quite a different time indeed. Am I to assume that women have other means to live comfortably?"
Elena nodded in agreement. "Women are allowed to choose any profession."
"President?" He smirked, cocky like vampire Damon.
"Almost." Elena muttered thinking about Hillary. "The current president is..."
Damon jumped hearing a strange ringing noise. "What is that?"
"Just my phone." Elena said softly trying to calm him. "I need to take care of something. Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable as my guest."
Elena rushed out the door leaving a bewildered Damon in the living room. Elena walked around the porch to answer Stefan's call. She didn't want Damon to catch a word of the conversation.
"Elena. How is everything?" Stefan asked in a normal voice.
"How can you ask that? I'm entertaining the Civil War human version of your brother!"
Stefan chuckled at the ridiculousness. "I'm still having a hard time believing it. How could this happen? For what purpose?"
"I have no idea but Bonnie left town after Gram's funeral. We're going to need a witch to send him back. It's not like we can keep him here."
"Well, umm, I can check in with other vampires that I'm friendly with. Maybe I can find us a witch."
"Okay. That sounds like a solid plan."
"You haven't told him about me? Or about his death?"
"He doesn't know about vampires."
"Good, he should find out from Katherine; you know, the destined way."
"About Katherine..." Elena started awkwardly. "He thought I was her but he hasn't gone to war yet. Is he in love with Katherine? Have they been intimate?"
"I don't think they had sex during their first weeks together. Unless he didn't tell me."
"Alright." Elena said relieved.
"Why do you ask?" Stefan asked suspiciously.
"So I can estimate how awkward this situation must be for him. I was worried about how he'll treat me."
Stefan laughed at her nervousness. She had nothing to worry about. "Enjoy the southern gentleman version of Damon while you can. Sure, he'll be, uh, playful..." He paused. "But you're perfectly safe with him."
"This is..." Elena was at a loss for words. "Have you told 'our' Damon?"
"He won't come out of his room." Stefan grumbled. "I don't want to barge in, we'll just end up fighting and trashing the house."
"Great." Elena said sarcastically. "Well, we can't have two Damons walking around Mystic Falls. Somehow I don't think a long lost twin story will hold."
"You'll have to keep him at your house."
"Have you lost your mind? What about Jeremy?"
Stefan groaned forgetting about her family. "Make something up."
"So, what exactly? You're expecting me to babysit a grown man! A man that will become a vampire with no redeeming qualities!"
"I know, I know, trust me..." Stefan muttered. "I don't like this anymore than you do. But he can't interact with me or his present self. We need to know what type of spell we're dealing with before exposing him."
Elena sighed knowing he was right. Thankfully she had a brother, so she didn't have to shop for manly things. "What about clothes?"
"Good thinking, he's gonna need some. I'll swing by with some clothes once everyone is asleep."
"I thought you were going to find a witch?"
"I'll leave tomorrow morning."
"Okay, but please, don't leave town without telling 'our' Damon."
"I know."
"I better go."
"Elena. I love you."
Elena shook her head in disbelief. It looked like she was stuck with human Damon. When she walked back into the house, Damon was asleep on the couch looking peaceful. She imagined that time traveling must be an exhausting experience. It was strange seeing his face alive with imperfection. She continued to stare at him... she had to admit, he was rather dashing. She recognized the Damon signature charm, but she felt a magnetic pull to the human version. There was something about him that put her at ease. Strangely, she was excited to figure out which traits were inherently pure Damon. The man inside the vampire.
Walking closer to him, she frowned seeing him shivering. The house wasn't cold so it was unusual. She walked to the linen closet to grab a blanket and placed it over his body. She started to worry about him, none of this was his fault, hopefully his body could handle being in the future.
Elena sighed and retrieved Jane's journal. She had a sinking suspicion that it was the catalyst for the latest supernatural event. The journal was the last thing she read before mysteriously loosing consciousness. She took a seat on the small couch across from Damon. She wanted to stay close to him in case he needed anything. With one last look at him, she opened the journal and started reading.
Four hours later, Damon was still asleep and unfortunately looking sick. His face pigment looked unhealthy. Elena was frustrated 'cause Damon likely caught a common cold. Hopefully it wasn't serious, there was no way she could take him to a hospital. It's not like he had an ID or health insurance.
The journal was a tearjerker. Jane's husband Lucas disappeared from their home three weeks before Christmas. "I do not understand how I am still breathing. Every day I wake up with a larger hole in my heart. Soon the hole will be all that is left of me. I will become nothing. I am nothing without him. I cannot exist without my other half. I wish whatever took him will take me too." Jane wrote on December 7th 1880.
While Jane was shopping at a marketplace, she encountered a gypsy who could 'see her sorrow' from a great distance. The gypsy told Jane to recite a 'prayer' each day to summon her husband home. Elena deduced the 'prayer' was the passage/poem she read about soul mates. Unfortunately, Elena didn't know if Jane was ever reunited with Lucas, because the journal ended without a conclusion to the story. Elena was going to have to dig through the other heirloom boxes for the second part. Hopefully, Jane continued documenting her life.
Out of all the information provided, Elena understood that the 'prayer' was enchanted to locate your soul mate. If that was the case, why would human Damon be her soul mate? He was technically dead. What about vampire Damon? Aren't they the same person at different parts of a life timeline? All of the questions in her head were making her dizzy. She didn't want to jump to conclusions until she could finish reading the story. She absolutely needed to know what happened to Lucas.
Elena dreaded telling Stefan about Jane's journal but he had to know. Things would have been less alarming if it was Stefan delivered in human form. Someone up above believed Elena belonged with Damon. Everything was fucked up considering Damon was mourning 'the love of his life', also known as her doppelgänger. Elena sighed getting up from the couch to find some aspirin for her headache.
In the end, Elena decided not to call Stefan about the journal. She would tell him in person later in the evening.
Elena turned her body hearing the door unlock.
"Jer." She whispered not wanting to wake up Damon.
Jeremy's eyes darted to Damon sleeping on the couch. "What's up with him?"
"He's sick. He's staying here 'cause he's miserable at home." Elena tried to say convincingly.
Jeremy looked baffled. "Uh huh and what about Stefan?"
"He went out of town for a few days."
"Okay... then." Jeremy shrugged nonchalantly. "Have you picked up dinner?"
"No. Do you want to order something?"
"Chinese?" Jeremy asked picking up the cordless phone.
.
.
.
Just after two in the morning, Stefan silently climbed through Elena's window. He placed Damon's clothes on her dresser and stirred her from sleep.
"Hey." She said sleepily with a small smile.
"Brought the clothes." Stefan motioned.
Elena nodded.
"I took a peek at him." Stefan said sheepishly. "Seeing is believing. Hearing is surreal. He has a heartbeat."
"I know... there's something I have to tell you..."
Stefan's brows furrowed noticing the extent of her nervousness. Her heart was racing.
"I might have caused this."
"What are you talking about?" He asked incredulously.
"I was looking through an old Gilbert journal..."
"As a rule, don't do that anymore." Stefan jokingly chided.
"I read a passage and I think the words were enchanted." Elena stretched to get out of bed. She opened her nightstand to retrieve Jane's journal. She opened it carefully to hand Stefan the 'prayer'.
"Eternal promise that we made to find one another in this new time and place." Stefan mumbled a part of it. He looked at her suddenly looking resentful. "Basically, if this is true, you're telling me that Damon is your soul mate?"
Elena bit her lip in uncertainty. "I'm telling you that this passage likely caused this supernatural snafu. Try and get a witch to check it out and see what we're supposed to do." She sighed. "Soul mate or not, this is a mistake. I can't keep human Damon! We have 'our' Damon."
Stefan growled. "There's no way you're keeping him! He doesn't belong here."
Elena stepped back frightened by her vampire boyfriend. "I just said that. I'm sorry! I didn't ask for this to happen."
"Of course you didn't." Stefan said sounding bitter. "I'll call with news."
"I..." Elena didn't have a chance to respond. Stefan jumped out of her bedroom window.
She flopped back on her bed. "Damon... you destroy me and you don't even know it."
A/N: I'm planning to write 14-15 chapters. I hope Stefan wasn't OOC; I don't usually write him. Damon vs Damon isn't going to happen for awhile. (Drunk) Vampire Damon in the next chapter! He's going to visit Elena. Be Good & Review!
An anonymous reviewer asked the following questions...
So Damon 1864 and Elena are Twin Flames?
Yes.
And vampire Damon isn't in love with Elena in your ff?
What do you think? This story is set a week after 1x14 'Fool Me Once'. He's messed up over Katherine.
If Damon 1864 and Elena are Twin Flames then how come Vampire Damon isn't also her Twin Flame?
You're going to learn why after Stefan finds a witch.
At this point Elena is still with Stefan?
Yes, but not for long... Stefan can't compete with a human Salvatore!