Title: Tale As Old As Time

Summary: For who could ever learn to love a beast? Damon Salvatore takes a young girl as his prisoner in exchange for her father's safety. But, the vampire has a secret he's hidden for years… will she be the one to break it? Will they even want to? A classic supernatural telling of a familiar fairytale.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

A/N: 3 months later... See! I'm doing better! You'll be happy to hear that this fic has been moved to top priority and is no longer on hiatus. Unless something comes up it will be updated regularly which for me usually means weekly. And now without further ado, I give you the third update to TAOAT…


Damon peered out the window of his bedroom as he towel dried his hair. He had just returned from a trip into town and a morning feeding and the quick wash in the shower had been a must. He smelled of earth and the woman's overbearing perfume and the last thing he wanted was Elena to smell another woman on him. Since he had saved her that one night from the woods their relationship had been slowly progressing. She questioned him about his long life and he asked her about the trifles of her human life. He taught her to cook exquisite Italian dishes and showed her the elaborate library that existed within his massive home. They had playful fights with pillows, water, and snow.

It took some time, but he eventually trusted her enough to believe she wouldn't leave.

That was why his eyes followed her now as she walked among his neglected garden not with apprehension of her fleeing but with a clenching heart that gave way to just how strongly he was feeling towards the woman before him. Their relationship had been forced but that did not mean it had been rushed. It took time to sift through the many complexities that made Elena Gilbert who she was, and he wasn't exactly and open book either. They found many similarities in their stubbornness and the way they fought to protect those they loved. Eventually they reached a place full of brutal honesty and a realness that took most people years of built trust to achieve.

"Admiring the scenery?"

Damon turned around to find Stefan standing near his bed with a tray of food in his hands. With a roll of his eyes, he adjusted the towel around his waist and took a sip of the mimosa that was placed on the tray. "Stalking me much, nephew?"

"Just… observing," he replied, placing the tray on Damon's nightstand. Stefan walked towards the window and caught sight of Elena as she approached a bird that was resting upon a low branch of a tree. Her dark hair and navy jacket with gold clasps stood in vast contrast against the snow coloring the once green grass. She was hard to miss and that was why knew exactly what had captured his uncle's attention so raptly.

There was a long stretched silence as Damon disappeared into his bathroom to throw on a pair of dark jeans and a black V-neck shirt. When he reappeared, he approached the tray of food, picking up a piece of French toast and taking a greedy bite before returning to his place by the window. Elena now leaned against one of the large trees and surveyed the open grounds before they blended into the thicket that surrounded the boarding house.

"I've never felt this way before," Damon stated, honestly. "It's like I'm not in control; like I'm not… me."

"A girl will do that to a man."

Damon shook his head. "But I'm not a man. I'm a monster. A monster that doesn't deserve her. She belongs amongst the sun with someone… well, someone like you."

Stefan turned towards his uncle whose face was a mask of indifference. "I don't think you see yourself clearly, uncle. This is a curse not a lifestyle choice."

"But before the curse, the things I did, the man I was…" Damon sighed, fogging up the glass in a perfect circle. "I wasn't the kind of man worthy of Elena's affections."

"Why not let her be the judge of that?"

Damon groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "Listen to me. I sound like some Jane Austen novel."

"I was moments from whipping out the kissing song." Stefan laughed.

"You do and I'll pull a Nottingham and carve your insides out with a spoon."

Stefan held his hands up in surrender. "You won't hear a single verse from me."

As Damon continued to eat his food in relative silence, Stefan went about tidying up the bedroom. Elena was still out in the cold, her jacket wrapped tightly around her slender body as she stared out into the blinding snow. Damon couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking and whether or not she was truly happy here. He knew it would be asking too much to say that she would chose this over life with her father, but he at least hoped that she was enjoying herself.

He decided that he would have to do something for her. It was as he was mulling over ideas through his mind that an old conversation between them took priority. He knew the risk he was taking but it would be worth it once he saw the smile light up her face. With one last look out the window, Damon finished his food and stood, stopping Stefan in his cleanup.

"I want to do something for her. Can you help me?"


"Close your eyes," Damon requested.

Elena looked at him questioningly, her eyes narrowing and her lips puckering in disproval. After coming inside from her walk, Damon had pulled her aside and told her they were going into town. She fought to control the surprise in her eyes, but the mere fact that she would get to see something that wasn't the boarding house was enough to make her scream in excitement and drag him to the car. Somehow she remained calm enough let him lead her to his blue Camaro and only let herself smile for the briefest of seconds as he flashed to the other side. Elena was practically bouncing in her seat the entire drive to town up until Damon pulled to the side of the road just as the beginnings of civilization began to poke through the trees and demand she close her eyes.

"It's a surprise."

Begrudgingly she closed her eyes and let Damon wrap a scarf around her head. She could see movement through the fabric as Damon checked to make sure she couldn't see before the car started up again and they began speeding down the street. After a few minutes, the car came to a stop and she heard the car door open up before she heard the same sound beside her followed by the feel of Damon's hand taking her own.

"Can I open them?" she questioned.

Damon guided her along the sidewalk. "No. No. Not yet." She heard the sound of a bell jingling above them before they stopped moving. "Wait here."

There were muttered voices and Elena waited until there was silence again before speaking. "Now?"

"Yes. Now, little Miss Impatient."

With an expel of breath at Damon's nickname, she loosened the scarf around her eyes and let it fall to her neck. Her eyes grew wide with wonder as she took in the grandiose store she stood in that was filled with the most beautiful dresses Elena had ever laid her eyes on. Her hands ran over the various fabrics of lace and silk and chiffon. It was all too much for her to handle at once.

"What are we doing here?" she made out through a smile that was beginning to hurt her cheeks.

Damon smirked. "Pick one."

"Pick one? For what?"

He walked towards her, trespassing on her personal space in that way that made her want to run for the hills and inch closer all at once. "I believe you asked me if you could go to the Miss Mystic Falls dance the other day."

"You're letting me go?" Elena exclaimed, her smile opening wider.

"On one condition."

Elena moved forward, making them only inches apart. His breath fanned her face sending her into a haze and his eyes bore into hers making her want to lose herself in their depths. "Anything," she breathed without concern over what he could be asking her.

"I'll be escorting you."

"Y-You want to go with me?" Her heart began to beat wildly against her chest and she felt the blush warm her cheeks as she realized Damon could hear every thunderous beat.

He looked down at her, drinking her in as he spoke. "You're still my prisoner, Elena. I can't let you return home without making sure you won't run away. Plus, I'll have to deal with your father's compulsion."

"So, this isn't a d-date?"

Damon hesitated before masking his emotions and stating, "No." He stepped back, giving Elena the space she so desperately needed to regain control over her emotions. He gestured around the room. "Well?"

"Thank you, Damon. Thank you for this."

He waved her response away. "Don't worry about expenses. Just pick the dress of your wildest dreams."

"Really?"

At Damon's nod, she turned around and began browsing through the vast amount of dresses the store offered. Anything that stuck out, she threw on Damon's awaiting arm and by the time she had looked through everything, he had a stack that reached under his chin. He followed her into the dressing room and placed the dresses on the racks available before shutting the door behind him and telling her to "have at it".

After trying on dress after dress she finally put on a silk gown that touched the ground that had a bias cut and a flare silhouette. Around the bodice was micro-pleated chiffon that was held up by thin straps that crisscrossed in the back. It was a royal blue that looked exquisite against her olive skin and Elena had never felt more beautiful.

"I found the one I want," she called out.

"It's about time!" Damon groaned in exasperation. They had been here for hours. Elena chuckled and went to open the dressing room door to show Damon only to be stopped when it wouldn't open. "Save it for the dance, Elena."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go for shock value. Don't you know anything about pageants?"

"You do?" Elena joked.

"Watch it," Damon jested. "I'll go get the owner so she can put it in a garment bag and ring it up."

It was all handled in a blur and soon they were back on the road headed towards the boarding house. Damon carried the garment bag into Elena's room and placed it in the closet. Elena watched as he closed the door shut and turned towards her.

"Thank you so much, Damon. For letting me have this."

"I know it means a lot to you." He reached behind him to pull something from underneath his leather jacket. "There's one other thing." Damon handed her a green, leather bounded diary that held nothing but blank pages just waiting to be covered in ink.

Elena looked up at him with confusion. "What's this?"

"It's a place for you to get out anything you might be feeling. I know that by keeping you here I'm keeping you from friends and family and I don't want you to be holding everything inside and turning into some brooding, miserable person like I was."

Elena understood what he was saying. That he was keeping her hear not as a prisoner, not because he wanted to drink from her, but because he was lonely. In a house full of servants that were all stuck in time because of him, he had no one he could really relate to. Even though she had shown him kindness and understanding, their relationship to each other was still on shaky, uneven ground. No one in his life had chosen to be here, with him. By giving her a journal, he was making sure she would have an outlet so that she didn't hold everything inside. It was a place for her thoughts, a place where she could rant about the unfairness about being forced away from her life.

Little did he know she wasn't as miserable as he might have thought.

With a nod, Damon walked towards the door. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."

Elena watched him shut the door behind him and took a seat near the bay window that looked out at the forest below. She opened up the diary and poised a pen at its pages.


Dear Diary,

Today was different. There is a change in him, a goodness. I can sense it. Maybe I can help him overcome his sadness and free us both from the sadness that keeps us from moving forward. There is something inside him that calls out to me and up until now I feared it. Trust breeds trust. Since he trusts me enough to take me to Miss Mystic Falls, I should trust him enough to open myself up to the possibilities living with him could bring. For the first time since coming here I look forward to the day. I look forward to seeing him.


A/N: I'm not sure how long this story will be, but I'm pretty sure it won't be as long as my others- after all, Beauty and the Beast wasn't that long of a movie to begin with. Hopefully, you all stick with me through Damon and Elena's parallel journey.