ALYS
Despite Damon's unexpected presence, Saturday night's dinner party had been fun, and I had admittedly enjoyed myself. Still, Elena felt the need to apologize to me on Sunday, when we were back in our small dorm room. "I really had no idea that Caroline would invite Damon, too. I'm really sorry if he made you uncomfortable."
"No, it was okay. He was behaving pretty civilly most of the time. Besides, I had better get used to his presence. It looks like I'm going to see more of him in the future." Damon had applied for a post-doc assignment in the history department and was looking for a house in Greenville. That still had me baffled. I couldn't fathom why he would want to stick around all of a sudden. It surely couldn't be because of me, and Elena's ressemblance to his ex-girlfriend seemed a much too trivial reason. I couldn't help but fear that his motives were more nefarious.
"Well, that might not be such a bad thing..." Elena offered tentatively. "Maybe this is a chance for you two. You know, to get close to each other again, after you've been apart for such a long time."
I made a noncommittal sound. "Hm. At least that's what Damon says he's hoping for." I sighed. "He suggested that I move in with him."
"He did?" Elena looked at me in surprise. "What did you say to him?"
I hesitated, avoiding her eyes. "Nothing, yet. But you know how I hate this rooming-in situation..." This place was so cramped. And you could never be sure who walked in on you.
"Alys, you don't need to explain or even apologize to me. If that's what you want, I'm happy for you."
"I'm not sure if that's what I want... Damon and I never got along that well after – the death of our parents. But he's my brother, and I suppose I'm still wondering if there isn't a chance for us to make up again." Even though I knew that he was staying because of some hidden agenda and not primarily because of me, I couldn't help hoping that I was at least playing a small part in his decision.
"That's totally understandable." Elena sighed. "I wish I still had my brother. Though we might not be close, either. He was more than ten years my senior. He'd be close to thirty, were he still alive."
I couldn't quite mask my expression on hearing her say that, but I probably didn't need to worry. Feeling regret and guilt was a reasonable explanation for the queer look I gave her. Elena didn't comment on it. "How soon will you move out?" she just enquired.
"I don't know. He has to find a place first, and I need to decide if I really want to jump into it." Maybe it was a good idea. I could better keep a watch on him that way. I only wished I could give Elena the clear warning that I felt was needed.
BONNIE
Caroline was ecstatic when she heard that Damon would be working with Mr. Saltzman while doing his research. Given that he was an expert on American History who had published a book on the Civil War, he'd even be holding some of the seminars. "Imagine that! Mr. Saltzman and Damon both in the same classroom... I bet that's gonna raise attendance rates considerably! I'm so glad I elected History this semester!"
"I somehow doubt that it'll also raise attention levels," Elena remarked rather drily.
"Oh, he'll have my full attention, for sure! The new semester is starting out great!"
About two weeks later, Caroline wasn't quite as happy anymore. Outside of classes, she hadn't seen all that much of Damon, given that as a staff member, he was not attending any of the social gatherings. He had rented a place off campus instead, and didn't show the customary presence that could reasonably be expected of a boyfriend.
"He might not even go to the campus party with me, which really sucks," she complained, sulking to me and Elena while we were sipping our coffees on a bench outside the campus library building during lunch break. "I guess this stupid not-quite-a-party thing at the Lockwoods' next week is about the first event we'll actually be attending together. I don't really understand why he's interested in it at all. Just old people and a collection of dusty historic memorabilia."
"It's an exhibition of the Mystic Falls Historic Society," Elena pointed out, slightly indignant at Caroline's depreciative description of the upcoming community event that the locals of Mystic Falls actually took great pride in organizing. Her parents had both been council members and doubtlessly would have taken part in it. Besides, she and Jenna had donated some of the Gilbert family heirlooms for the exhibition. "Of course Damon would be interested in that – he's with the History department, if that rings a bell?"
Caroline sighed. "I know. At least it's an opportunity to dress up nicely. I bet Damon will look heavenly in formal dress!" Looking at it from an objective perspective, Damon sure looked good no matter what clothing he wore, but he didn't have any kind of appeal to me. He was dark and sinister and still made my hackles rise.
"Caroline – you do realize that he can't continue dating you, now that the term has started and we're all back to campus, right?" I asked her, slightly exasperated at her groupie behavior. "There are rules for teacher-student relationships: They're not allowed. He could get fired for that."
Caroline shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll just have to be extra careful and make sure we're not seen together on campus. But on the bright side: He has his own house – in fact, it's a mansion – a little outside of town, surrounded by acres of wood and no watchful neighbors for miles."
"How do you know?"
"He showed it to me, of course. It's really awesome! You should see the gigantic fireplace in the living room! Best make-out place ever..."
"Okay, stop it right there, I don't wanna hear that!" Elena made a show of holding her ears shut.
"Well, that's a pity, because I would love to hear some more about Stefan and you. You haven't been sharing much, lately."
"That's because there's not much to share. We've been to that frat party together – just because you talked us into it, I might mention – and as you well know, we didn't enjoy it that much and left early."
"Yes, that's exactly the point where I want you to pick up and start spilling."
Elena sighed and got up to throw her empty paper cup into the waste bin. "Look, Caroline, up to this point, Stefan and I are – friends. We like to talk and hang out or have a coffee together, but that's it. I'm not exactly the type of girl to dive into it like you do. We're just taking things slowly."
Caroline and I exchanged a glance. Okay – so Elena hadn't been into any kind of relationship except for the brief interlude with Matt, and she had been taking that rather slowly, too. But sometimes, I wondered if Elena had a commitment issue. If Stefan wasn't able to sweep her off her feet, who was? Even I had a problem understanding what she was waiting for, though I couldn't honestly say that I didn't feel a little relief, too. If they continued just being friends...
"What?" Elena asked, when we both refrained from saying anything. "We've only known each for like three weeks."
"You don't need to get defensive about it," Caroline finally said, never able to keep her big mouth shut. "Like you say, you're not that kind of girl. Don't rush into it. Take your time! After all, what's a year in a lifetime, right?" I shot Caroline a warning glace. I understood her need for retaliation after Elena and I both kept criticizing her thing with Damon, but I still felt protective of Elena. I know how much she still hurt – losing your entire family probably made you guard your heart more than people without that kind of experience did.
"I really like Stefan," I said, trying my best to sound encouraging and not enamored. "He clearly has feelings for you, and I think the fact that he's respecting your need for going slowly only shows what a caring soul he is. So don't worry about it too much and just listen to your gut feeling."
ELENA
I was still musing about Bonnie's comment as I made my way over to the science lab. She obviously suspected that I was the one stepping on the brakes in this relationship, but I wondered if that was really the case. True enough, I had always been reluctant to open up to people, but that wasn't the case with Stefan. After only a month, I felt more deeply about him than what could be considered reasonable. It was surprising and a little alarming – especially since I was not entirely sure if the feeling was mutual. It seemed more and more like it was Stefan who kept his distance – if out of consideration for me, or due to personal reasons was hard to tell.
"Elena, wait!" I heard Alys's voice call me from behind, jolting me out of my musings. I stopped and turned, shading my eyes against the sunlight.
Alys caught up with me and quickly pulled me into the shade of a huge tree. She hated being out in the sun. With her pale complexion, she easily got sun-burned and was wearing long sleeved shirts even in the middle of summer.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you – I had my earphones in. What's the matter?"
"I'd like to ask you a favor... Damon wants me to come and check out the house he has rented. It's a little bit on the outskirts of town and not quite in walking distance."
Alys didn't have a car. Hers had succumbed to age about half a year ago, and having a lack of money and no pressing need for a replacement, she hadn't gotten a new one. With Caroline, Bonnie and me around, there had always been someone to give her a lift on weekends to get back to Mystic Falls. Most of the time, we all went together.
"You want me to drop you off?"
"No, Damon is taking me after lunch. But it'd be great if you could pick me up later, if you don't mind?"
"Sure, no problem. Just give me the address and name a time."
"Thank you! I really appreciate that. Would around 4 p.m. work out for you?"
"I'll be there!"
*'*'*'*'*
Almost with the strike of the clock, I pulled my Volvo into the driveway that led up to the house, which, according to my GPS, was the right address. I was rather skeptical about that: The house that came into view between huge trees was enormous. Was Damon thinking about renting out rooms? This was definitely way too big for just two people, provided Alys really took him up on his offer.
After parking the car on the pebbled area surrounding a dried up fountain, I crossed the somewhat neglected lawns towards the arched front door. It looked more like a church entrance than a door to a house. There was no bell, either, just a giant lion head doorknocker. How very stylish.
After a minute or two, which I guessed was an appropriate time frame considering the size of the house and the time it probably took to cross it, Damon opened the door. "Elena!" he said, cocking his head to the side and lifting an eyebrow. "What an unexpected surprise! You were not on my list of visitors for today..."
Somewhat befuddled, I cleared my throat. "Hello, Damon," I managed to say. "I'm actually here to pick up Alys. She said she would be here with you to have a look at the house and she'd asked me to come for her about now..."
"What a pity, she's not here yet. Something came up and she couldn't catch a ride with me. She said someone would drop her off."
"How strange. I wonder why she didn't call me..."
Damon pulled a phone out of the back pocket of his jeans. "That's probably because I happen to have her phone. She must have accidentally forgotten it in my office when she came to meet me."
"I see," I murmured, slightly flustered. "Well, then, I'll be heading back and pick her up later. Just tell her to give me a call whenever she's ready."
"After you've been driving all the way?" Damon asked. "Don't be silly! You're more than welcome to wait for her. Please, do come in..."
I hesitated, unsure whether I should do as suggested or rather run as quickly as possible and come back when Alys was around. Which would be silly. He'd been acting pretty normal at the dinner party, so I had no reason to be uneasy, right?
Damon held the door open invitingly. "Unless you are afraid to, that is?" There was a challenge in his voice that I refused to back down from. "Of course I'm not", I said, straightening my back and stepping in. "Why should I be?"
He just shrugged his shoulders and lead me through the hallway into an even bigger room that was clustered with all kinds of antique furniture. Bookshelves lined the wall, old fashioned looking chairs and a sofa hovered around a carved coffee table and a huge staircase led up to the second story, forming a balcony that lined half of the downstairs. The pictures on the wall were oil paintings, the chandelier in the center of the room looked like Louis XIV.
"Wow!" I said, undecided whether I should be impressed or appalled. "This is your living room?
"Study, parlor, Sotheby's auction – have your pick. A little bit kitschy for my taste, but well... the place came furnished."
"It's a beautiful house, though," I said, looking around curiously. There were deep, transom windows that looked out into a lush, overgrown garden. Despite the vintage furnishings, the room was still comfy – I could hear the soft ticking noise of a huge grandfather's clock that stood behind a quite impressive desk, which was almost buried beneath leather bound books. They looked antique, too. Yet it seemed that Damon had just been reading in them. "I'm interrupting your work..."
Again, he shrugged. "It's a welcome break. I've just been reading." I glanced at the book that lay open on his desk. It was handwritten on stained, withered pages, with letters that looked more ornamental that legible. "You can actually read that? The handwriting is awful!" The corner of his mouth twitched in slight amusement. "It's old. From the 1860s."
"One of those diaries you were mentioning?" He nodded, looking at me attentively. I felt awkward under his penetrating stare. I cleared my throat. "So, what exactly is it that you are doing? You said you are into local history. Into what, precisely?"
"Local myths and folklore in historical context." Again that peculiar, expectant expression. As if he was curious for my reaction. Did he expect me to be impressed? It didn't sound like a Nobel-prize worthy subject, after all. Damon went to the coffee table and poured himself a drink that looked suspiciously like whisky. Without the coffee. Seriously? It wasn't even four o'clock.
"Can I get you something to drink, too? Maybe some water..."
"No, thanks." I shouldn't have come in. For some reason, Damon's presence did nothing to make me feel comfortable, even if he was now playing the charming host as he offered me a seat on the giant sofa. Thankfully, he sat down on the chair instead, still quietly observing me like I was some unknown species. When he made no attempt to pick up the conversation again, I nervously resumed my previous interview. "So, you're a historian?"
Again, his mouth curved up in silent amusement. "I guess you could call me that."
"And that's why you're hanging about in the library and the town's archives?"
"M-hm. They have excellent documentation from the period I'm mostly interested in: that of the civil war."
"For all I know, there aren't any legends about Mystic Falls – apart from the founders' stories. Nothing mystical, despite the town's strange name." Damon's eyes lit up. Their color made me think of a mountain lake's crystal clear water and the blue, sunlit sky reflected on its surface. And the only mystic thing right now was my pondering this.
"Oh, but there are! Stories about witches, werewolves, vampires..."
I snorted. "You believe in fairy tales? I'd more expected you to be among the first to laugh about them." Damon looked leaned closer, as if afraid to be overheard. "What if they aren't laughable?" he asked in a low voice, mocking me again. "What if they aren't even fairy tales?"
I shrugged. "We'd probably be safer to stay home at night, in that case."
"Well, that's definitely a good piece of advice. Never walk around alone in the dark."
"I don't. Besides, I have Bonnie. You've met her. She believes she's a witch. She says it runs in the family."
"Really? Interesting. I should have another talk with her, sometime."
"Funny – I wouldn't have thought you would be interested in this esoteric stuff."
"Why not?"
"I don't know... you don't seem the type." He curved his eyebrow upward and somehow managed to look questioning and provocative at the same time. "Then what type am I?"
I responded without thinking. "The one mothers warn their daughters about," I said, speaking out loud what was on my mind. Of course, that made him smile wickedly.
"Devilish, dashing and dangerous?" he asked back. That about summed it up correctly. Yet I couldn't let it stand after my earlier blunder. "Secretive and self-assured to the point of arrogance," I corrected. "Contradictory as your given name." The last had him look at me with a slightly puzzled expression. "What's contradictory about that?"
I shrugged. It was obvious. "The demon versus the archangel."
"Well, I don't oppose to the first, given it really goes well with the afore mentioned 'devilish' and 'dangerous'," he said, one corner of his mouth perking up slightly. "But how does the archangel come into play?"
His obvious mystification had me frown. "Your second name, Gabriel?" I offered helpfully. How could a historian not know the origins of that?
"I don't have a second name."
I frowned. I clearly remembered what Caroline had found out about him – almost her exact wording. "But that's what you told Caroline..." I said, probably sounding a little bit accusatory. "Your second name was Gabriel. You're a Gemini, spent some time in Florence and are now going for your Ph.D. You said you liked Anne Rice and your favorite color is blue."
He arched an eyebrow. "Well, well, someone's been paying attention..."
I blushed, silently cursing myself. Why did I remember all of her rambling about Damon, anyway?
He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Caroline was putting me through an interview that felt like the holy inquisition. I had to come up with something to satisfy her curiosity."
"You made it all up?" I looked at him, dumbfounded. "None of it is actually true?"
"Well, if you must know: The truth is that I am – a Scorpio. My favorite color is black. I already have a Ph.D and my favorite author is Edgar Allan Poe. But I really am doing research into the town archives."
I frowned at him. "Do you always lie to your girlfriends?" I had already suspected that his morals where questionable, but this really topped it.
"Going out with Caroline a couple of times doesn't make her my girlfriend."
"Meaning you just lie to everybody out of a bad habit, then..." I concluded sarcastically.
"It's neither a habit nor always bad," Damon countered and gave me a knowing smile. "I bet you're not always being honest, either. People have to protect their secrets, especially the dark ones."
It was easy to imagine that Damon was harboring dark secrets. Probably more than one. I wondered if Caroline had any idea what she had gotten herself into. He was just playing with her, and most likely, he was going to shred her heart to pieces. "So – given that you are not so sure whether you are her boyfriend or not... Will you be going to the campus party with her?"
"Are you fishing for a date, Elena?" Damon asked, his expression portraying interest, mockery and mild amusement. "I'm sorry for having to disappoint you. I'm a research fellow – I'll chaperone. It's against campus rules to go out with a student. You'd get me in seeriouus trouble..."
Alys was right. It was useless to try to have a meaningful conversation with Damon. He turned the tables on you before you even saw the move coming, and he was shameless in choosing his weapons. "Cocky much?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in a poor imitation of his signature smirk.
"Very much!" he willingly agreed, not really providing me with a target.
Fortunately, I was saved from having to come up with another witty comment when we heard the door open and fall shut and Alys burst in.
"Look who the storm blew in!" Damon said in greeting. "Alys, my most precious sister!" She turned to me, forcing a smile. "Elena! I'm sorry – Stefan needed my help with something urgent, and it took longer than expected. I hope Damon hasn't been his usual intolerable self?" She looked concerned for some reason and was scanning my face as if looking for injuries.
Her worries surely seemed exaggerated. She was only 20 minutes late, even if I had had to spend them with Damon. "No worries. He's been perfectly well-mannered and polite, at least with me." I cast him a meaningful glance which he countered with a mischievous grin.
"Yeah, don't worry, Alys. You're still early enough. I haven't eaten anything, yet."
Alys shot him a killing glance and took my arm. "Maybe we should do this some other time."
"Ah, rubbish. You're both here, and I bet Elena would love a tour of the house. Who knows – she might even want to move in here, too, once she sees the bathrooms! Come on, ladies!"
Admittedly, I was curious about this weird place, so I agreed to stay. Damon showed us around the house, which actually was more of a mansion. As he told us, it had once been a boarding house, thus the many bedrooms. Despite being old fashioned, it was high above dorm level in terms of comfort. In fact, it was downright luxurious. The living room featured the enormous fireplace Caroline had colorfully mentioned, and seeing the plush carpet in front of it brought unwelcome pictures to my mind. I felt myself blush, and even more so as Damon had obviously noticed my discomfort and raised a questioning brow. I refused to look at him and quickly moved on to the kitchen. Unlike the rest of the house, it was modern and came with all necessary equipment, like a dishwasher and a brand new gigantic cooler/freezer. It also featured a marble top kitchen island with bar stools. That alone was to die for – if you liked cooking, that is. Something I knew Alys wasn't at all interested in.
"Very impressive! Probably a little over the top, since you'll probably not be using it very much."
"Why not?" Damon asked. "Actually, I'm an excellent cook."
"Really?" Another thing that was unexpected. "You don't seem like the homey type. You know, apron, cookies, homemade meals..."
"You seem to have put a lot of effort into 'typing' me, Elena", Damon pointed out, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But I bet you got the most important parts wrong..."
"Oh, really? So you're not an incredibly arrogant player with a bad ass attitude and a serious lack of conscience?"
"That's not the most important part I was referring to..." he said, smirking.
"Then what is?" I asked, wondering what could possibly be more defining for Damon than the afore-mentioned characteristics. Before Damon had a chance to elaborate, Alys intervened. "Elena, let's get back to the dorms. I've seen what I came to see."
"But wait – didn't you say you guys wanted to have dinner together? Maybe Damon could drop you off later..."
Damon stifled a laugh and Alys paled. What was it with Alys and a shared meal? "No, thanks!" she said stiffly. "I'm going to have my share of evenings with Damon soon enough, and I still have a paper to write for Mr. Saltzman. Let's go!" Alys rushed me out the door and towards my car. Damon followed a bit more slowly behind to see us off. Casually leaning against the doorframe and looking incredibly smug, he raised a hand and waved us good-bye. "Thanks for visiting, Elena!" he called in a honeyed voice. "Next time around, I hope you'll stay at least long enough for a drink! Or I could even make you dinner... I'm sure you'd love it!"
I simply rolled my eyes at what could have only been a hidden innuendo that I wasn't quite catching, and got into the car.
"Well, that was certainly an interesting visit..." I mused when we were on our way, shooting a quick look at Alys, whose mood was incredibly hard to judge. She sighed. "Guess it's going to be an interesting life with him constantly around..."
"So, I take it you have made up your mind, then? You're really going to move in with Damon?"
"Yes, I guess I am."
"Honestly, I can see why you'd prefer living there over staying in those deposit boxes they call dorms. The house is extremely spacious, luxurious, very private. You might not even run into him all that often."
Still, Alys's face remained devoid of any emotion. She looked pensive, maybe a little resigned. I certainly was no judge of sibling relationships having lost every chance at that at a young age, but I still wondered. "I don't know, Alys – shouldn't you be feeling more comfortable around him if you're actually planning on moving in with him? I mean, you two still seem awfully tense around each other... and that makes me wonder if it's really a wise choice."
"Elijah didn't quite like the idea, either. I think he doesn't trust Damon."
"Then why are you doing it anyway?"
Alys heaved another heavy sigh. "I sort of promised him. Besides, I could more easily keep a close watch on him that way."
I looked at her questioningly. "Why do you think you need to watch him?"
"Someone better!"
Okay – this was not exactly self-explanatory, either. There was definitively some piece of information I was still missing out on. Whatever was preoccupying her, I knew Alys well enough not to push. So I drove on and patiently waited for her to continue, which she finally did. "He's after you", she finally dropped the bomb. "I'm afraid you stirred his hunting instincts."
My first reaction to this was a spontaneous laugh, but it somehow got stuck in my throat. "Hunting instincts?" I asked, the slightest note of insecurity in my voice. "Like he is – what?"
Alys gave me a meaningful glance. "Dangerous", she said ominously. For some funny reason, I never thought she was joking.
"Dangerous as in 'he's a heartbreaker' or 'you wouldn't want to run into him in the dark?'" I enquired.
"Both. And thanks for not laughing."
I wasn't. Actually, I found myself believing her. Apart from the obvious, there was something dark and mysterious about Damon. Like he was hiding something. But surely not a secret attraction for me – I knew my place when compared to my lively, outgoing and bedazzling friend. It wasn't my heart Damon was bent on breaking. "You don't need to be worry about me," I said, though I found very little comfort in it myself: "He's with Caroline."
Alys turned to look at me, her face bearing gloomy expression and her voice sounding doubtful. "Did he say that? She's so totally not his type."
"What is his type?" Not that I needed to know. I wondered why I had even bothered to ask.
"You are," Alys said simply. "So you'd better watch out. He might be using Caroline just as a means to get to you."
I snorted. "You think? Not the most convincing strategy!"
"Damon likes playing these sort of games."
"Well, I hope he's not intending to play them with Caroline, for if he is, he's the one who will have to watch out," I said fiercely. "She might be a bit naive, but she has a good heart, and I'll not stand by and watch it be broken."
There was a strange expression on Alys's face and the comment she gave me was most peculiar. "Broken hearts are the least of my worries. As long as they're are still beating..."
A/N: It might be a little late to point out that this story is slow-pace and focussing on the development of relationships between the characters (although there will be plenty of action later)... I very much liked the beginning of TVD, when the humans were still clueless about the demons walking around. I hope you like it, too. If so, please comment, because I'm really interested to hear what you're thinking!
