Common Misapprehension

by Aikou

"You would have liked me in 1864." In search of a gift for Elena, Damon urges Bonnie to use magic in effort to help him remember where he had hidden his mother's jewelry box in 1864. Instead, the spell erases all of Damon's memories after he hid the box. While Bonnie looks for a way to fix the problem, Elena & Co must re-adjust Damon to modern times, vampirism, and other discoveries about his present life, they come to terms with their own previous judgements of Damon. Set after S:3, E:9, Christmas time.

III. My Apologies

The forest was dark at night, barely illuminated by the stars, however the darkness did not inhibit the path for the two vampires who possessed exceptional night vision. They continued to trudge past the barren winter trees. "Miss Caroline, c-could you please explain to me… what the purpose of this is again?" Damon stammered as Caroline dragged him through the woods by his arm.

"Look, we can't have you losing control, as usual, and going off massacring people in town just because you don't understand how to manage your appetite!"

"I do not want to do that! The thought of killing people makes me feel acutely nauseous… or guilty… or both!" he cried.

Caroline stopped and turned to face him with raised eyebrows, her grip still tight around his arm, "Really? Hm… Somehow, I don't believe you."

Damon shrugged and looked up at her hopelessly, "I do not understand why you all seem to be under the impression that I am this despicable monster… I swear to you, I am nothing of the sort! I deserted the Confederate army because I couldn't handle all the blood and violence..."

The blonde vampire released Damon to the ground, who crumbled with his pathetic admission. She sighed in exasperation while he regained his composure, "Damon, we just can't take any chances with you."

"Is there a way I can prove the honor of my word?"

"Your word!," Caroline scoffed, "You're Damon Salvatore, for Christ's sake! Besides that you've manipulated and used me as your own personal errand-running-juice-box…! I mean, I think I can trust you one minute, and the next you're trying to rip my boyfriend's heart out of his chest to satisfy one of your ridiculous ego-trips!"

Damon slumped his shoulders and sat on the ground, contemplating her words deeply. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence for Caroline, and then Damon rose slightly so that he could kneel in front of Caroline, taking her hand in his. She stared at him with disbelief, "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Miss Caroline," his blue eyes gracefully captured hers, "I am profoundly ashamed of the behavior I have displayed towards you and your loved ones. I wish you to know it grieves me to think you have this image of me. Please, tell me what I can do to make amends?"

She yanked her hand away, "Ew."

He continued to look at her hopefully. She sighed closing her eyes for a moment, "Well… okay… Apology accepted… I guess."

Caroline was battling with herself, however something about Damon's unusual, yet, sincere warm smile won her over. "You can start by making sure you listen to what I say," she added.

Damon nodded in earnest, awaiting her instructions. She continued, "Now, go find a rabbit and kill it."

His expression went bilious, "A rabbit?" he choked out.

"Or a deer, or a squirrel. Whatever you come across first."

"Why would you want me to kill innocent forest animals? I've never liked hunting!"

Caroline rolled her eyes and grasped his arm, pulling him to stand up, "Better innocent forest creatures than innocent people."

She walked around behind him and lifted her leg to shove his back with her foot, "Now, get going!"

Bonnie and Elena took turns dipping french fries into the ketchup and consuming them. "Stefan said that when you become a vampire, all your personality and emotions become heightened," Elena said in-between chewing.

Her witch best friend took a sip from her water, "I think it's too early to judge his character, Elena. 146 years of being obsessed with someone who never loved you is a long enough time to change someone for the worse."

"Wow," Elena smirked, "Is this the usual Damon-cynical Bonnie Bennett I'm talking to? Are you actually giving him the benefit of the doubt?"

Bonnie shrugged, "Look, the spell I did messed him up, so I feel guilty about my mistake. But the important thing is I didn't get a bad feeling about him after he reverted to the Civil War Era. Originally, no, Caroline, Ric and I didn't think you should be around Damon. Especially not alone."

"What's that supposed to mean, Bonnie?" Elena raised an eyebrow, "Is this another one of those we-suspect-Elena-has-unwarranted-feelings-for-Damon crusades?"

Bonnie gave her a serious look, "Elena, we were just trying to protect you."

Elena rolled her eyes, "I'm safer with Damon than I am with Stefan at this point."

Bonnie was silent, feeling as if she shouldn't further the subject matter. Luckily, Caroline burst into the grill, and immediately made her way toward them, "Ew, ew, ew, ew!" she exclaimed flicking her hands as if they were covered in slimy residue.

Bonnie slid out of her side of the booth and stood up, "Caroline, what is it?" she asked concerned.

"Nothing," she swayed toward them, "He just… he apologized to me."

"Apologized?" Elena questioned, "What did he do this time?"

Elena and Bonnie listened patiently as Caroline shook her head, "I was ranting about how shitty of a person he was and then he dropped to his knees and begged for forgiveness," she paused and gave them a stern look, "It was gross."

Elena started laughing, "Really? Is that all? Why is that gross?"

The blonde vampire frowned, "Because… he sounded sincere."

Elena stopped, and furrowed her brow, "Wow. That must have been strange for you. I can't say Damon hasn't tried to apologize to me before, but it was never over the top like that."

A polite male voice interrupted their circle, "I am sorry… but I couldn't help but hear everything you said… even though I was across the room."

They turned to see a very confused, ruffled side-parted hair Damon standing behind them. Elena slid further into her booth and patted the seat, "It's okay Damon, that's normal. Sit down."

Caroline and Bonnie followed suit and sat across from Elena and Damon. "Is it?" Damon queried.

"As a vampire you also can hear almost anything that you focus on, across a greater distance… Sorry, I should have mentioned that," Caroline laughed nervously, "No wonder you weren't successful at hunting."

Damon nodded, "It's quite alright, I can't say I really tried… I think for now I will prefer the … um, blood package."

"You were probably too busy telling Damon what a terrible person he is," Elena reprimanded Caroline.

Damon nodded again, "Yes," he said assertively, "Miss Caroline was very kind to enlighten me of all my transgressions against you, Miss Elena, and you as well Miss Bonnie… and Tyler Lockwood… Miss Vicki, Miss Elena's brother Jeremy," he continued his list of names.

Caroline smiled triumphantly, "I think I like him better this way."

Elena frowned and put her hand on Damon's shoulder, "Damon… it's okay, really. We know you don't know any of this, so just forget it for now."

"But I can't!" he exclaimed, frustrated, "I cannot be more sorry for the things I have allegedly done to you Miss Elena… and to you Miss Bonnie. You have shown such kindness toward me, even though I have acted as such-"

"A jackass?" Bonnie interjected.

"Yes."

"Guys, lighten up!" Elena started to get frustrated at what she felt was injustice, "We forgive you, okay? Please let it go?"

Damon looked nervously at Bonnie, who sighed and gave in, "Apology accepted, Damon."

Again, his face lit up with a warm smile unlike anything Bonnie had encountered in the malevolent vampire, "Thank you," he said.

She forced a smile in return and instantly diverted her eyes elsewhere, uncertain of what to make of the situation.

"You sure, Elena?" Bonnie asked, glancing at Damon.

Damon was far too interested staring at the bright neon signs decorating the nightlife of Mystic Falls, "The town sure looks like a much more evolved place!" he remarked to himself.

Caroline waved to Bonnie, "I'm getting in the car Bonnie!"

"Bonnie, I'm fine. It's better that he stays on my couch overnight, just in case. I don't know what he might find in the boarding house," Elena responded, hugging Bonnie good night.

"Night, Elena. Call me if you need anything," Bonnie added as she headed off with Caroline.

Elena and Damon were left alone. Damon fidgeted nervously for the moment, "Have you no chaperone?"

She raised a brow, "What? Why would I need that?"

"Well I … We are alone together at night now, would that not be inappropriate? I understand you are a lady of the community and I would like to respect that," he stated.

"Damon, these are very different times. Things are more laid back now. Besides, we're just friends," she motioned for him to follow her.

"So you are saying that if I were to make my intentions known, then we would require a chaperone?" he furthered.

Elena stopped, looking at him almost sorrowfully, "Damon… I'm not Katherine. Don't pretend I am."

"I was only asking theoretically," he sounded a little despondent.

There was silence, and Elena continued to walk towards her car in the parking lot. He dashed at vampire speed so that he was standing in front of her. She gasped, startled at his sudden movement, "Damon! Don't do that, you scared me!"

"Forgive me! I forgot of my vampire abilities, please don't be frightened!"

"It's fine, Damon. And you don't have to apologize all the time."

"I am sorry."

Elena laughed, "And now you're apologizing for apologizing!"

He smiled warmly, enjoying her laughter, "Miss Elena."

"Elena."

"I know you are not Katherine," he reached out to comb the hair out of her face, "I have never met two more different people."

Elena bit her lip, perturbed by her emotions as he smiled at her. The coolness of Damon Salvatore was certainly missing. Was this the humanity hidden under the layers of sarcasm and rage in the vampire she knew? She shook her head, convincing herself that it could possibly be a very clever ruse. He was after all, the basis of personality for the sometimes sociopathic Damon.

She sighed as she got to her car, and looked up at him to realize he was gazing at her. He must have been wondering what she was thinking. "The truth is Damon… for as long as I've known you, I've only started to realize you are not entirely as you have appeared."

He looked at her questioningly. Elena suddenly felt she finally wanted to confide in this warm version of Damon. Pour her heart about everything she could never tell him before, because she was so busy keeping her guard around him. But her heart sank as she realized all the things she wanted to tell him about his current life, she couldn't. She had to keep to the lie she told about Stefan and Katherine. Feeling defeated she shook her head and unlocked the car, "Let's go."

Author's Note: Thank you for reading :) I was wondering your thoughts on the character's reactions. I pictured them to be pretty wary of the situation, considering Damon's collective actions in the last episodes. Poor guy! Be so kind as to review !