Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I don't claim to own The Vampire Diaries. The Vampire Diaries belongs to LJ Smith and the CW. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.
The next morning, Elena stood at the bottom of the staircase, watching as maids and servants rushed throughout the house. Some were sweeping the floors; others were polishing vases and tabletops. The house was buzzing with movement as they all dusted and cleaned.
Elena weaved between two women carrying polished plates and saucers. She knew she would have to get out of the house as soon as possible or soon enough she would knock someone over with her wide skirts. She dodged between a few more people between finally reaching the door. She made a quick escape from the house and was about to head toward for the front lawn when she saw a flurry of skirts from the corner of her eye.
Elena pretended not to see her, still heading toward the lawn, but Katherine stopped her.
"Elena," she called out. "Don't act like you don't see me. Let's not be childish."
Elena sighed as she turned around. She sincerely hoped she hadn't made any noises while sleeping. She didn't need Katherine harassing her again. The dreams made her feel awful enough. Good girls didn't have such dirty dreams. "What do you want, Katherine?"
She shrugged casually, walking towards Elena slowly as if she didn't have a care in the world. "I'm just waiting for Damon to make an appearance. He's supposed to show us the garden. You didn't forget, did you?"
"How could I forget? I've been looking forward to it," Elena said with a tight smile.
"I suppose I should apologize for so rudely interrupting the day you had planned with him," she said, coming to stand beside her.
Elena gave her a friendly smile. "I don't mind at all."
"I wouldn't want to make you jealous," Katherine continued.
Elena kept her tone pleasant. "It's not me who's jealous, sister. You're acting like I've stolen your favorite toy. And he doesn't even belong to you in the first place."
Katherine chuckled. "You're causing quite the commotion over this."
Elena clenched her teeth. No one knew how to press her buttons quite as well as Katherine did. In any other circumstance, it might have been a sign of a close bond; they knew each other better than anyone else did. It was true, they did know each other better than anyone else did, but it didn't make for a strong sisterly relationship.
"Why must you always want what I have?" Elena asked angrily.
"Need I remind you, he isn't yours," Katherine said with narrowed eyes. "However, I do find it amusing that you seem to think so."
"That's not what I meant and you know that," Elena said in irritation. "If he was falling all over you like his brother, or anyone else, for that matter, you wouldn't pay him any attention. It just bothers you that he seems fond of me."
Katherine rolled her eyes.
"Do you enjoy making me miserable?" Elena asked with an exasperated look on her face.
Katherine shook her head. "No, Elena. I enjoy getting what I want. If that means stepping on some toes, even yours, to get there, then that's just what must happen."
Tired of listening to her, Elena turned to go inside. But before she could take another step, Damon walked out the door and onto the porch. There was no escape now.
He looked flustered, even though he was dressed impeccably. He really was gorgeous. There was something about the sharp contrast between his dark hair and light blue eyes that made her heart race. It was hard enough to remain calm and collected when she kept remembering her dream.
"Damon!" Katherine cried in excitement. She bounced happily, her glossy curls catching the light. "I've been waiting for you."
Elena glared at her.
"We've been waiting for you," she corrected.
Damon's blue eyes flickered between them. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I was caught up in something."
Elena kept quiet, silently wondering what he had been doing.
"No harm done," Katherine said in a pleasantly smooth voice. "You're worth the wait."
Elena did her best to keep her composure. She gave Damon a cheerful smile when he looked at her.
"Let's go to the garden, shall we?" Damon asked as though Katherine hadn't said anything at all. He offered an arm to both sisters. Katherine took it immediately, never taking her eyes off Elena. Elena reluctantly intertwined her arms with his.
Elena had to hand it to Damon; he handled having a girl on each arm very well. Caroline's warning speech ran through her head again.
She pushed the thought away as Damon led the twins around back.
Katherine gasped when she saw the garden, making a dramatic show of how impressed she was. It was a winding maze of shrubbery and flowers like nothing Elena had seen before. A path laid with stones guided the way. Tall trees with sweeping vines lined the area around it, creating spots of shade throughout. Her brief glimpse from the house that she had gotten earlier didn't do it justice.
"It's beautiful," Katherine murmured in an awestruck voice.
While Katherine was busy acting like the garden had taken her breath away, Elena decided to jump in. "Your father keeps the garden up in your mother's memory?"
Damon nodded, keeping an even pace with the twins. "Mother loved the garden dearly. Father keeps it up to keep her memory alive. He misses her terribly, even if he doesn't mention her very often."
"I'm sure the memory is too painful," Katherine said sympathetically. "It's quite a loss when you lose a parent."
"My loss doesn't compare to yours," Damon murmured. "You lost both your parents."
Elena felt pressure at her side as Katherine sank into Damon sadly as they walked. "It's hard for us not to feel completely alone."
"Let's not burden Damon with our troubles," Elena said coolly. At any moment, she feared Katherine may collapse in tears. Then Damon would be forced to pay her attention.
"You're right, Elena. I'm being silly. Our sufferings are none of anyone's concern," Katherine said quietly.
They continued through the maze, finally reaching the thickest part of the garden where the flowers were. Elena gently tore away from Damon and Katherine, crouching in the greenery to inspect a large patch of bluebells.
"I love bluebells," Elena said, skimming her fingers along the pink buds and blue-purple petals. "I haven't seen any like this before."
"They were my Mother's favorite, Virginia Bluebells. They're different from the common bluebell because their petals open up more. That's why they have the pink buds," Damon explained. "Mother had a difficult time getting them to bloom here because they're mostly found in wet woodlands."
Elena looked over her shoulder to see Katherine holding onto Damon possessively. She gave her a demure smile.
Katherine turned to Damon, still latched to his arm. "I'm quite impressed with your flower knowledge."
Damon shrugged. "I used to like to watch my Mother garden. She would talk about the different types as she tended to them."
Katherine gave a delicate smile. "That's darling."
Elena resisted the urge to wipe the smile off of Katherine's face. She stood, running her fingers over the flowers and bushes as she walked ahead. Damon stayed a few feet behind her, slowed down by Katherine's purposefully dragging pace.
"I like daisies," Katherine said in a bored voice. She laughed to herself. "Elena, do you remember when I used to pluck the petals off to determine if a boy loved me?"
"How could I forget?" Elena asked, eyeing a group of flowers with red petals. "You did it nearly every day. I thought you were foolish."
Elena slowed down in an attempt to keep her pace even with Katherine and Damon, who offered his arm to her again. Katherine watched her carefully to see if she took it, which she did. Katherine was still leaning into Damon, her head on his shoulder.
A group of flowers with three white petals and a small yellow center caught Elena's eye. They looked a little like lilies, which her Father loved.
Taking note of Elena's interest, Damon spoke up. "Those are trillium wildflowers."
"They look like lilies," Elena mused.
Damon smiled. "You miss nothing, Miss Elena. They're actually from the lily family."
Elena beamed.
"My sister is quite observant," Katherine said, never one to let Elena have a moment. "She likes to watch from the sidelines. That's one of the reasons we're so different. I would be rather be involved in the action."
Without thinking, Elena tightened her grip on Damon's arm out of anger. He didn't seem to notice as she dug her nails into the hard muscle of his bicep. She caught herself and loosened her grip.
"I admire those with an eye for details. They're the ones who are less likely to act impulsively and make mistakes that they'll live to regret," Damon said. "They also rarely speak out of turn."
Elena stuck her tongue in her cheek to keep from laughing. Katherine was constantly saying something bold and uncalled for, but only her parents had ever called her out on it.
"I guess that's why I admire my sister so dearly," Katherine murmured.
It was quiet as they wound the rest of their way around the garden, eventually coming to the end. The exit of the garden was marked by a white trellis draped with vines. Off in the distance, a croquet set was visible.
"You play croquet?" Katherine questioned.
Damon nodded. "Stefan loves it."
"I love a good game," Katherine said with a devious smile.
Elena glared at her. "My dear sister tends to forget that there are rules to every game."
"Who needs rules?" Katherine snickered, catching the double meaning behind Elena's words. "We should all play a croquet game sometime. Elena and I are quite good."
"Forgive my sister," Elena said to Damon. "She's not very modest."
"I'm just being truthful," Katherine said innocently.
Elena fanned herself, letting go of Damon's arm. "Katherine, aren't you getting overheated? You've been glued to Damon the whole time. It's hot enough without someone else's body heat."
Katherine shot daggers at Elena with her eyes, but she released Damon. She put a hand to her head and closed her eyes. "I am feeling rather faint."
Elena pursed her lips. Katherine was amazing at turning anything into a scene.
"We should get you both inside before you overheat," Damon said in finality.
They made their way to the house with Katherine finally unlatched from Damon's arm. Katherine was making exaggerated motions of fanning herself, but Elena had to admit, it was really hot outside.
"I hate this awful weather," Katherine whined. "Especially in these dresses. Sometimes I wish I could just take my petticoat off."
Elena blushed bright red but she hoped Damon wouldn't notice or that he would attribute it to the heat. She was suddenly assaulted with images from her dream last night. The kissing, his skilled fingers, his hands. She tried to take a breath after realizing she had been holding it, but her corset seemed to tighten around her. The next thing she knew, her legs were weak and things started to go black.
"Elena?" Katherine asked, her eyes studying her face nervously. "Are you ok?"
Damon was watching her carefully, holding onto her elbow in case she started to go down.
Elena was struggling to keep her eyes open. She put a shaky hand out to Katherine. "I'm fine," she assured.
"Elena, look at me. Focus." Damon reached for her chin, holding her head up. His blue eyes searched Elena's. "Stay with me. You're fading fast."
She tried to focus, but she could still only take shallow breaths.
"I'm afraid she's going to faint," Katherine warned anxiously. She clutched her sister's arm. "Go get help," she begged.
The last thing Elena saw was Damon racing for the house.
. . .
When Elena woke up, she was on her bed. Katherine was at her side, staring at her.
"You're awake," she said softly. "You've never fainted before. You scared me."
Elena tried to sit up, but Emily was on the other side of her, holding her shoulder down. She was fanning her. "Go slow, Miss Elena. You got overheated."
Elena looked down to see she was only wearing her corset, fully loosened, and her pantaloons. "So I did."
"I thought maybe you tightened your corset too tight," Katherine said with a laugh. "You've never fainted before."
Elena shrugged. "It had to happen sometime, I suppose."
Elena studied Katherine's relieved expression. As much as her sister claimed to dislike her, she really had been worried about her.
"Miss Katherine was very worried about you," Emily said with a smile. "And so was Mr. Salvatore."
"Damon?" Elena asked.
Katherine noticeably stiffened.
Emily nodded. "He was outside the door, earlier. He probably still is. Maybe when you're properly dressed, he can come see you."
"In her room?" Katherine asked frantically. "Alone?"
Emily gave Katherine a look. "I'll stay in here. I won't take any funny business, Miss Katherine."
Katherine pouted. She stood up in a huff and headed towards the door. "I'm thankful you're okay," she called over her shoulder. Elena was certain she had been sincere earlier, but the mention of Damon had thrown her off.
Elena sighed as Katherine walked through the door, opening it just enough to catch a glimpse of Damon standing in the hall. Elena's heart fluttered. He was still there.
"What happened, Miss Elena?" Emily pressed. "It's not like you to faint, even in the heat."
"I guess I got…worked up," Elena murmured, thinking of the dream's odd effects on her. "It must have been the heat and my corset."
Emily nodded knowingly. "Those corsets are nothing but trouble."
"I didn't mean to cause such a ruckus. Women faint all the time because of these dreadful things," Elena muttered, running her hand along the boning in her corset.
"You should take it easy," Emily reminded. "But I can dress you proper if you wanna see that Salvatore boy."
Elena's heart started racing. She took a deep breath. "That would be very helpful, Emily. I'd like that."
Emily snickered. "I think he'd like it too. Mmmhmm."
. . .
A/N: I hope the fainting situation wasn't too overly dramatic, but it was a pretty common thing when women were wearing corsets. Anyway, thank you for all the alerts/favorites/reviews! Also, I've had a ton of people asking for a certain thing to happen, and I'm going to give that to you next chapter. ;)
