A/N: So I have to apologize profusely to all of my amazing readers. I had this chapter written like 2 weeks ago, and I edited it like a a week and a half ago. For some reason I was under the impression that I posted it. I just realized that I hadn't. So please forgive me! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

I turned quickly to find my double standing in the doorway wearing a beautiful pea green corseted dress made of heavy silk fabric, a full bottom skirting the wooden floor. Damon stood behind her, loyal as a puppy. Her face fell as she saw me.

Turning to Damon, Katherine spoke in a gentle voice, inconsistent with everything I knew about her.

"Damon darling," she purred. "Give me a little time to visit with my dear sister."

She spit the word 'sister' as if it were venom leaving her mouth, contradicting her earlier tone. Damon had obviously told her my lie and she had decided to go along with it until she assessed the situation herself.

"Of course, Ms. Pierce," Damon replied. He was sickeningly obedient.

Katherine leaned into him sensuously, whispering so that we could all hear.

"I will see you later tonight."

Her finger trailed from his neck down his chest, stopping provocatively just before the hem of his pants. As he smiled at her, my stomach twisted knowing the pain that her advances would cause him over a century later.

Katherine shut the door as Damon left, turning to me. Her eyes pierced through me angrily.

"So sister, you should explain yourself immediately if you would like to leave this room with your heart still in your chest."

When my heart sped up, Katherine smiled hungrily.

The next hour was spent in explanation. I told her the truth about the time traveling and about knowing that we were connected in some way. I purposely left out my relationship with the Salvatore brothers and herself in the future, knowing that it would be better for her to not have that knowledge.

At the end of my story, Katherine remained quiet for a few moments as if debating about whether or not to believe my story and keep me alive. After a while she rose from the windowsill where she had sat listening.

"Emily, get Elena some descent clothing to wear. Since the Salvatore's already believe she is my sister she will have to act the part and stay under their roof."

Emily nodded obediently and Katherine continued.

"Get her back to where she needs to be, Emily. I would hate to see her meet an untimely end before that can happen."

Twenty minutes later I was in a room of my own and fully dressed in the most uncomfortable thing I had ever worn. The corset Emily had put me in shrank my waist size to half what it normally was, and I struggled for breath. When I looked into the mirror, however, I was surprised by what I saw.

The powder blue dress gave me an hourglass shape, the bottom full and round with the front gathered higher to reveal a cream underskirt. The neckline was rounded and dipped low. Delicate, cream lace lined the hem and framed my chest.

Emily looked at me satisfied.

"There," she said. "Now you are presentable."

"Thank you," I stammered. "You've been so kind."

Emily smiled without responding. She went to grab her grimore and sat down on my bed, patting the sheets beside her and beckoning for me to sit as well. I did so uncomfortably, forced to sit straight-backed in the constricting dress.

"I have been thinking of this relative of mine and how worried about you she must be. I think I have a way for you to communicate with her."

She opened the book on her lap to the page Bonnie had read from earlier today and set it on my lap, handing me what looked like and antique steel pointed pen.

"If you write in the pages of this book, she will be able to read your messages. Sadly, there is no way for her to respond, but she will know that all is well with you and that we are searching for a way back."

"Thank you," I said sincerely, taken back by her unexpected kindness.

She smiled warmly at me.

"You are most welcome. I must go find Katherine. The inkwell is on the desk against the wall. Take your time. Supper is at six."

With those words she rose and left the room, leaving me alone. I made my way to the desk tucking the layers of the skirt of my dress under me as I sat. Opening the grimore, I read over the spell that landed me here. Slowly, I dipped the metal tip of my pen into the inkwell and started to write.

Bonnie

I smiled at the thin script that appeared on the paper. The pen felt right in my hand, and I imagined the dozens of letters that Damon probably wrote like this in his human years. It felt so romantically antique.

Bonnie. It didn't work how we planned. I'm in 1864. Emily is going to help me back.

I stopped writing and contemplated telling Damon that I was sorry, sorry that I wasn't strong enough to stay. I knew now that it was the reason I left, not to fix things to save others, but to save myself from heartbreak.

Tell Damon that I'm sorry that I thought things would be better without him. Tell him that I know I was wrong….and that I'm looking forward to having dinner with him and his family tonight.

I added the last line after thinking about it for quite some time. If I knew anything about Damon, it was that he would be sick with worry about what had happened to me. Knowing that I was still safely by his side even in a different century was sure to calm his nerves the tiniest bit.

"Elena?" I jumped when his voice sounded from behind me. He chuckled leaning against the doorframe in a way that reminded me of his cockiness that I had grown to know and love. "Did I startle you?"

I closed Emily's grimore quickly and stood, suddenly growling lightheaded from my quick movement and limited amount of air in my lungs from the corset hugging tightly at my frame. Seeing my sudden uneasiness on my feet, Damon quickly approached slipping one arm around my waist and the other taking my hand. Despite his efforts to help me, his body pressed against mine while he held me made it harder to breath.

"Thank you," I said in barely a whisper.

I was glad that he couldn't hear my heartbeat because it was hammering hard against the tight fabric of my gown.

"You're very welcome," he responded, not loosening his grip on me.

I could feel the heat building between us and my knees suddenly felt weak. When he finally did let me go, he did so slowly and somewhat unwillingly. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he spoke.

"Supper is ready and everyone is downstairs waiting. We should join them."

"Oh, of course."

He turned to leave the room leading me down the stairs and into the expansive dinning room.

I took a deep breath as I entered the room, realizing that I was actually going to meet Giuseppe Salvatore.

…..

Supper was over and the Salvatore's cook was bringing out an assortment of pies. Giuseppe Salvatore laughed heartily from across the table. He had grown fond of me since the beginning of supper and was enjoying tales of Katherine and I's supposed childhood.

"What delightful women the two of you are. I would have never imagined the two tricksters that you describe. What did your sister do when you cut off her braid?"

I smiled warmly at Giuseppe and his apparent pleasure from the story I had just pulled out of the air when he asked about our childhood together. Katherine did not look so pleased. She cut into the boysenberry pie with a force that no one saw as they listened to my fictitious story.

"She ran to mother crying, holding her missing locks in her hand, begging her to sew her braid back in. Mother had to explain that she couldn't mend her hair as she had mended her petticoat the week before."

Giuseppe burst into peals of laughter once again.

"Ms. Katherine, why did you not tell us of this story before? You're sister is such a delight."

"Isn't she?" Katherine replied acidly.

Guiseppe did not hear the bitterness in her voice, as he asked for another glass of wine from the servant standing behind me. Damon did, however, as he looked at the two of us. Clearly wanting to keep Katherine from growing angrier with me, he spoke, shifting everyone's attention from the two 'sisters' to himself.

"That reminds me of when Stefan and I were young. Stefan had swallowed a watermelon seed, and I had him convinced that it would start to grow in his tiny stomach."

"Oh, yes," his father interjected. "He came to my study crying, asking me if his skin would burst off when it grew too large. Isn't that right, Stefan."

I glanced at Stefan who was obviously not paying attention, too sickeningly entranced with the woman sitting across from him, as he had been for the majority of the evening.

Startled by the sudden mention of his name, he smiled at his father, successfully convincing him that he had been paying attention the entire time.

"Yes, father," he agreed blindly, picking slowly at the piece of pie in front of him.

I looked away quickly, choosing to avoid any contact with him as I had been throughout the entire meal. It made me sick to see him pining over Katherine all night, and I didn't want to be reminded of the monster that he would become within a years time and then again over a hundred years later.

As I quickly averted my eyes from Stefan, I caught Damon's eyes from the other side of the table. Surprisingly, he didn't drop his stare when our eyes locked. I could feel my face growing red, and I looked down to my half-eaten dessert.

Giuseppe yawned from across the table.

"What a delicious dinner," he said almost to himself. He took the cloth napkin from his lap and laid it on the table. "It was wonderful getting to know you Elena, and we are happy to have you staying with us. Unfortunately, I must retire for the night, but I look forward to enjoying your company for as long as you would like to stay."

I stood as he did and curtsied. Katherine fumed from beside me.

"It has been a pleasure, Mr. Salvatore."

A/N: Hope you liked it and that you aren't too made at me for the wait. Please be kind and review!