Chapter 10
"Damon, I am perfectly fine! I don't need you to tag along tonight!" Sarah told her best friend as she stuffed a number of items into her duffel bag.
Damon rolled his eyes as he lay on her bed, flipping through her grimoire. "Please! You can barely walk to your front porch without getting into trouble. Your not going alone."
Sarah paused in her movements, candle in her hands, and sent Damon a look. "Its one werewolf. An inexperienced werewolf at that and plus Caroline is going to be there."
"And legally blonde is supposed to make me feel better?" he scoffed. "I'm going. Just deal with it."
"Your infuriating."
"And you complain a lot." he shot back, sending her a playful smirk. "You know Spaz, I almost get the feeling that you don't want to spend time with me. Why is that?"
"Besides the fact that your a cocky bastard?" she said with a smile. "You need to help Stefan, Elena, and Katherine with the Klaus thing. You've been so focused on me you forgot that your supposed to be helping them." she reminded him.
Damon shrugged. "I like you better."
Sarah rolled her eyes in an exasperated fashion and put her hands on her hips. "Damon, go help your brother and Elena research or at the very least help Katherine."
"Your just saying that because you two had that epic revelation and your friends again."
"No, we're trying to be friends again. And I'm saying this because my situation is under control, Elena's isn't. She needs you right now."
Damon sighed and gave her a pointed look. "Your too nice for your own good."
Sarah gave him a smile. "Well not everyone can be as badass as you Damon."
"I invented that word." he told her with a smirk that quickly faded. "I won't come, but promise you'll be careful." he suddenly said in a serious tone.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "You know you seem to forget how powerful I am sometimes. I am a hybrid."
In a flash Damon was in front of her with a deep look of worry in his eyes. She had never seen him that intense before, like he was pleading to her, almost desperate.
"That doesn't mean your indestructible." he told her, his voice tense and serious. "If he breaks out and goes after you, get your ass out of there. I don't care what happens to him, you just get out of there with Caroline. I lost you once and I'm not doing that again. So promise me you'll be careful."
Sarah stared into his mesmerizing blue eyes, nodding ever so slightly. She had forgotten that everyone had thought she was dead, that Damon had mourned her once. It broke her heart to think that she put him through that...that she was the cause of it. "I promise." she said softly. "Your not getting rid of me that easy Salvatore, your stuck with me."
Damon smirked. "I could think of worst punishments."
Sarah smiled at him as he pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek and walked out, mumbling/complaining about having to spend the day with Katherine, Elena and Stefan. When they were younger, Damon and Stefan were so close, as brothers should be. Then again, many things had changed since then...
~*Save Me*~
June of 1852
Mystic Falls, Virginia
"Why can't we go to the dress fitting?" the girl behind whined for the tenth time that afternoon.
A ten year old Serenity Giovanni merely rolled her eyes at the girl her mother had forced her to be "friends" with. "Because I hate dresses. Mama can't force me to wear one if I'm not there." she said as they made their way into the garden, a place she learned she would love with only two days of being in Virginia. It was a beautiful place, full and brimming with flowers.
The girl, Katelyn Fell, frowned at her. "Your strange Serenity. What kind of girl doesn't like to wear dresses? Don't you think its fun to dress up like our mothers?"
"Don't call me that. And no, I don't." Serenity told her. "Now quiet down, our parents will here us."she said as she neared a tree, a tall oak surrounded by vines. She smiled at the tree. "My bedroom is right up there, and I just had to see this. Isn't it pretty? Do you see the vines?"
"My dress would have been prettier." Katelyn complained loudly.
Serenity breathed a sigh of annoyance. "Katelyn, you have to be quiet!" she said as she rounded the tree before a yelp escaped her lips as she tripped over something, or rather, someone.
"I'm sorry!" Sarah sat up from the ground, looking up at the boy she had just tripped over. He was her age with black hair that swept over his startling blue eyes. If her mother was there, she would have probably called him handsome. He held a hand out to her, which she gratefully took.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't see you, if I had I would have moved." he said in a gentlemanly matter she knew had been taught to him.
She filled with her braided hair unconsciously. "It's quite alright, I wasn't watching where I was going."she said politely.
"I'm Damon Salvatore." he said holding his hand out to her.
Serenity smiled and shook his hand. "Its nice too meet you, Damon Salvatore"she said.
"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" he asked her.
"I don't like my name very much." Serenity told him. "And your a strange boy in my garden, I don't think it would be smart to tell you my name."
"I'm not strange!" he exclaimed. "Your the strange one here. What kind of girl doesn't tell someone their name?"
"What kind of boy lays in a garden that isn't theirs?" Serenity shot back.
Damon suddenly smiled at her. "Me of course" he said, sounding much older than he actually was. "Can I make up a name for you then?"
Serenity cocked her head at him. "You want to make up a name for me?" she asked. "And you say you aren't strange."
"Your stranger than me!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!" Damon shot back.
"Your both strange!" Katelyn suddenly exclaimed before stalking off. "I'm going to that dress fitting!"
Serenity watched the girl go with mild annoyance. "Oh no, now she's going to tell my mother where I am!" she complained as she sat down, cross legged in a huff.
"Are you going to tell me your name now?" he said, sitting beside her.
"What is it with you and my name?" she asked irritably. "Its just a stupid name."
"I want to know what to call my new friend." Damon told her.
Serenity looked over to him, her hand pressed to her cheek in a miffed fashion. "You want to be my friend?"
Damon shrugged. "Well, yeah. You seem nice."
"We just met" she told him.
"I know...Do you not want to be my friend?" he asked, sounding disappointed.
Serenity smiled at him sweetly. "Yes, I want to be your friend Damon Salvatore." she said happily. "What were you doing in my garden?" she asked.
Damon scowled, tugging at some of the grass. "Hiding from my father and Mr. Giovanni. They want me to go hunting with them."
"You don't like hunting?" she asked.
The boy shook his head. "I hate killing things, but my father is going to make me go. Mr. Giovanni told me to hide here if I didn't want to."
Serenity smiled. "That's because Papa is a nice man."
"So your the mysterious Giovanni daughter?" Damon said with a laugh. "Its an honor too meet you Ms. Giovanni."
"Don't call me that!"
"Now why shouldn't I Ms. Giovanni?" Damon teased mercilessly.
Serenity rolled her eyes at him. "If I let you make up a name for me, will you stop calling me that?"
"Maybe." he said. "Unless you tell me your name?"
Serenity giggled "Nope."
Damon smiled with her. "Alright then, how about Gertrude?"
Serenity made a face and shook her head with a laugh. Damon only smiled. "Okay then, Prudence?"
"Your terrible at names." she laughed with a slight shove.
"Alright, I have one!" he said with a wide grin. "Sarah."
Serenity raised an eyebrow. "That's what you came up with?"
Damon frowned. "You don't like it?"
"I love it!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "I'll be Sarah Giovanni for now on."
"Serenity Alessandra Giovanni, come in for your fitting this instance!" Sarah cringed at the sound of her mothers angry voice. She glanced apologetically at Damon and stood.
"I have to go." Sarah told him sadly. "I'm sorry."
Damon caught her hand before she could walk away, a hopeful expression on his face. "Can we meet here tomorrow?" he asked.
Sarah smiled at him and nodded. "Of course." she said before running off to her house where her mother stood waiting. Damon watched after her, a small smile on his face.
~*Save Me*~
Present
Damon rolled his eyes as he walked into the Salvatore House to the sight of Elena and Stefan kissing. They broke apart and apologized quickly, giving each other coy smiles while doing so. Usually it bothered him. The sight of the girl he loved kissing his younger brother, it always broke his heart. But now as he saw them there, it didn't bother him. It was gross, a little annoying because the PDA was getting to be a bit much, but it didn't bother him too much seeing them this time. Damon scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. Did he even love Elena anymore? She wasn't his to protect and she was even a priority anymore. Sarah was. Sarah always had been. He smiled to himself slightly thinking about her.
"What are you smiling about?" Stefan asked his brother as the older Salvatore flopped on the couch.
Damon shrugged, smile still on his face. "Just a good day." he answered simply.
Stefan raised an eyebrow at him. "I haven't seen you this happy since..." he smirked at his brother as an idea popped into his head. "How was Sarah?"
"She's good, why?" Damon said, giving his brother a confused look. At his continuing smirk Damon's expression dropped. "Your a dick." he muttered
Stefan chuckled. "I'm just saying, I haven't seen you smile like that since you and Sarah-" using his vampire speed, Damon covered his younger brothers mouth before another word could be spoken.
Damon glared at him. "Remember when I said that if that ever got out I would kill you. Yeah well when we were human that didn't hold a lot of value, but now I mean it, I will kill you." he threatened.
Elena raised a eyebrow at the two. "What did you and Sarah do?"
"Nothing." Damon said sharply, releasing his still smirking brother. "Lets just work on finding Klaus and killing the asshole. You guys come up with anything?"
Elena shook her head. "We still have a lot of books to get through." she said. "Katherine was actually useful."
"Where is the she devil anyway?" Damon wondered aloud, picking up a random book.
"She went to see Sarah before she left to help Caroline and Tyler." Stefan told him. "I can't believe your here helping us and not with her."
Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. She made me come help you guys. If it was up to me I'd be in the woods doing Dog catcher duty." he told them. "Like I said you aren't my priority anymore." he said before walking away towards his room.
Elena sighed and gave her annoyed boyfriend a look of reassurance. "I'll go talk to him."
The doppelganger went to his room, where sure enough the older Salvatore brother was shrugging off his jacket to his bed. She took in a shaky breath and lightly tapped on his door making him groan.
"What Elena?" he asked in an annoyed tone.
Despite his unwanted demeanor she offered him a small smile. "Can I come in?"
He rolled his eyes and motioned for her to enter. Elena walked into the room, taking in the familiar surroundings. She sat on her bed and watched as he moved around his bedroom not bothering to look at her.
"What do you want?" he asked her, still not looking at her.
"I just wanted to know whats been up with you." she began, a few picture on his night stand catching her eye. "You've been really distant lately, we've barely had any time to talk."
Damon scoffed slightly. "Please like we were great buddies before." he said sarcastically.
"But we were friends Damon." she said, picking up a picture. It was of him and Sarah. But it was definitely not from this century. Damon's hair was longer, and so was Sarah's. Damon was dressed in his confederate uniform, smiling nice and brightly with his arms wrapped around Sarah who smiled with as much happiness as Damon displayed. Her hands rested on Damon's chest delicately and her head rested just below his chin, looking very comfortable in that position. She was adorned in a beautiful dress that fit her perfectly, her hair pulled into a loose french braid, some strands escaping to frame her face. They looked so happy together.
"Yeah well things have changed." Damon mumbled loud enough for her to hear.
Elena put the picture down with a sigh, finding that most of the pictures on the table were of him and Sarah, in this time. Others were of him and Carmen, him, Caroline and Tyler, him and Alaric and Stefan, even of him, Bonnie and Jeremy. None of her though. And he looked so happy in those pictures. Happier than she'd ever seen him.
"Damon, just tell me what's going on. What did I do? What can I do?" Elena asked him.
Damon turned to look at her for the first time, his expression stony. "You can not ask questions. Nothings wrong with me."
Elena sighed. "Alright fine, if you don't want to tell me you don't have to. But you can talk to me Damon. I'll be here for you."
Damon shut his eyes as she started to walk out of the room. Why did she always do this to him? "Wait," he called out to her.
Elena stopped in her tracks, a smile on her face. "Yes Damon?" she asked, playing innocent.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I-"
"Damon, Elena, get down here!" Stefan called from downstairs.
Elena and Damon looked at each other before bounding downstairs to where Stefan had called. Elena gasped at the puddle of blood that covered the floor where a man lay heaving with Stefan over him, pulling four wooden stakes from his body. Damon was immediately at Stefan's side, surveying the man.
"What the hell happened?" Damon demanded, pulling out the last stake.
Stefan shook his head. "He showed up here like this, he fell as soon as I opened the door."
Elena stepped forward to help but Stefan motioned her back, giving her a meaningful look. Damon sighed and threw one of the stakes to the side.
"Alright who the hell are you and why are you here?" he asked the man who now gripped his shirt where his previous wounds once were.
The man breathed in a sigh of relief. "My names is Richard Grant, Katerina told me to come here if I ever needed somewhere safe to stay."
"Do you know who did this too you?" Stefan asked him helping Richard sit up.
Richard nodded, wincing at the pain in his rib as they cracked back into place. "Evan Basinger."