Disclaimer! I do not own the gorgeous cast of Vampire Diaries, or the series! Sadly…But Alex is mine, so please don't 'borrow' her or the storyline to Forgive and Forget. Anywho, on with the story!
Present
"I-I'm fine." Flushing brightly, I knelt to pick up the glass. "Stare at his jeans Alex, stare at his shoes…anything!" I was thinking to myself, heart pounding. It needed to slow. He couldn't know anything was wrong. But something was wrong! He was supposed dead, nothing more than dust in the ground by now. I knew. I was there when they were shot!
A slightly tanned hand reached down to pick up the glass shards I missed. Damon was smiling, holding out his hand for me to take. I ignored it and rose to my feet, taking the glass and wrapping it in a paper towel before tossing it. I needed out of the house. Now. Taking a step to the door, I found my way blocked. "You must be Alexandria O'Conner." Damon's hand was outstretched again. "I'm Damon Salvatore."
"Uh-yeah. I'm Alex." I took his hand, hating myself every minute of it. Ice spread from his fingertips. Blinking in stark surprise, I quickly stepped around him and raced to the living room. Only one type of being on this Earth felt like that. "Dad, I need to er...unpack. See you at home. Nice to meet you all." The Council appeared shocked as I raced out of their like a bat from hell. The bike started with a growl and then I was gone.
Mystic Falls, 1862
"Good day to Miss Alexandria."
I turned to smile at the young man holding a bouquet of flowers in his gloved hands. "And to you, Master Salvatore." Damon smiled kindly at me, his glass like eyes twinkling with the contained mirth of one who knew something I did not. It was very likely. Damon did so love his games. Behind him the carriage awaited, though I highly doubted it would be in use for very long. Sneaking out past Grandmother required the use of less practical means.
"Right this way." Sweeping his arm up in a gracious bow, the young Salvatore gestured for me to enter the cabin. Smiling, I did so. The cool interior lessened the unbearable heat of the summer that had burned its way into the petticoats and corset. I sat, managing to fit the layers of clothing into the carriage. Damon leapt in beside me, shutting the door and sealing us away from the world. The creak of the wheels sounded and the horses took off.
For a moment we were silent, watching the tree line of the manor disappear. Damon spoke first. "So, any guesses on where we are going Miss Conner?"
I raised a brow, small smile playing on my lips. "Why no Master Salvatore, I do not."
Damon chuckled, keen blue eyes flashing. "Good. It's a secret."
"And I do so hate those. You really are a tease sometimes, Damon Salvatore." Tapping him lightly with a finger, I hid a grin beneath the silk of my fan. A moment later the carriage lurched to a stop.
"Here we are." That smile was on his lips again. How I loved to be on the recipient end of that smile.
I stepped out, taking his hand gladly for the balance, and for guilty pleasure. "Oh, Damon!" A gasp is loosed from my lips. It was beautiful, a hidden clearing. Birdsong and the sweet scent on lemon grass mingled, while a brook played its avian to the avian melody.
"You like it?" His eyes were on me now, fingers twining through my own.
Slowly I nodded, meeting his gaze. "It's beautiful."
"Good, because now it's ours." Ours. I loved the sound of that.
Now
A scowl had managed to permanently glue to my face. God I hate this place. This meadow had held far too many happy memories with a man who was supposed to be dead. Which clearly Damon Salvatore was not. For the freaking Mother's sake, he even had his gorgeous smile. Why oh why did Da bring me back here? More importantly, why did Gran? That was my reason for coming to this meadow. To contact her. Sadly, she refused to buy a cell phone. And a letter would take far too long. But here there was a direct draw to the elements. Even if she didn't care a cell, Gran always had her mirror in one of the many pockets found in her clothing.
I sat within the pentagram that had been traced moments before. Eyes closed, I inhaled slowly and drew a prick of blood with the small pocket knife that had been in my back pocket. The familiar shocking surge of magic raced to my fingertips. The pentagram glowed white hot, and suddenly it smelled of salt spray and rain.
"Alexandria O'Conner!" The thick brogue of Brighid O'Conner, matriarch of the Irish clan, snapped through the meadow. The birds stopped singing. Yes, even far away on the Emerald Isle, Brighid managed to silence Mother Nature.
"Gran." I intoned, crossing my arms.
"Well what do you want girl? I have errands ta run an' a family ta feed." I couldn't see her. There was not a mirror to use. But from the tone she was using, Gran was annoyed, as always.
"I just came back from an interesting meeting with the Founders. Did you know vampires have come back to Mystic Falls? And one of them just happened to be Damon Salvatore?"
The blunt question was met with silence. Gran was debating with herself. "An' I take it ya want ta know why I let ya return?"
"Well, yes. Obviously."
Another pause. Somewhere near her a tea kettle hissed. "Damon Salvatore cheated death. In doin' so, he took another's life. I think ya know what I speak of. It didn't sit well with the O'Conner's. We took action, but sadly, our matriarch at the time chose revenge to solve the problem instead of sending her daughter ta Ceridwen's field."
What? What was she talking about? More importantly, why did this sound like I was about to be thrown into an age old grudge between witches and vampires. "Gran, who are you talking about?" Dred roiled in my stomach with the coffee I should not have had.
"Ya know what I am speaking of Alex. How can you not? After all, ya remember everything else." The pentagram was fading in color. The spell would not last much longer. Contacting her again would be pointless, this place would be devoid of the energy needed for a night. I pressed on, words hurried.
"Gran, you can't be serious! That was two hundred years ago. I want to forget how I died and live this life like I'm normal for once!" Of course. Of course fate had to set me astray from the path of 'normal'. That was ancient history! I wanted to live in the now, not eighteen sixty two. I did not want to relive those memories.
"Alexandria. Ya know your task. Ye've known it since you saw the vampire again. If ya want to be normal, kill the demon and be done with it. Otherwise, get over it." Silence fell. My jaw dropped, and the pentagram's light died. Gran was gone, and I had just been issued one of the worst ultimatums known to man. Kill Damon Salvatore. Well, irony has stuck and my heart had started up a death sprint beat. Gods be damned, just leave it to a clan of witches to want an eye for an eye.
So, that's all for this chapter. Whatcha think?
Theme Song:
"Kill the Light" - Lacuna Coil