Author's Note: Hello everyone, I shouldn't be starting another story but I had this idea pop into my head. This will be a Delena story, with other relationships developing as the story goes along. This is a AU, below is the summary:
In 1994 when Damon asked his brother to hit the road with him instead of saying no Stefan says yes and hits the road. Now seventeen years later his Stefan calls his brother from Mystic Falls, desperate for help…
How A Road Trip Changed Everything
Chapter 1: First Meetings
Damon Point of View
Mystic Falls, 2011
It was late evening when Damon's Camaro sped down the interstate blowing past the Welcome to Mystic Falls sign, his hands tightening around the wheel. He hadn't set foot in his hometown since he and Stefan had hit the road seventeen years ago. He had returned at the request of his brother Stefan Salvatore after a desperate phone call received saying he needed Damon's help. He had called two days ago and informed him that he had been residing in Mystic Falls for several months and had started a relationship with a human named Elena Gilbert but other than that his brother said he would explain later.
It hadn't been until Stefan has asked for his help that he realised there was something seriously wrong. When he had told Stefan to cut the bullshit tell him what exactly is going on Stefan had revealed that Katherine had returned to town. Damon knew Katherine wasn't dead and whilst he had been travelling with Stefan, he had revealed to him that Katherine wasn't dead but was sealed away by a spell in the tomb. During the trip with his brother after he had revealed Katherine's fate he and Stefan had sat down with several bottles of bourbon. The 'talk' that took place that night would go down in the Salvatore's brother history went down in history as the most explosive and volatile fight between the brothers in their lifes.
They had started talking about Katherine, but it had devolved into a brutal fight, verbal and physical blows had been exchanged and all the bad history between the brothers exploded in the span of a night. There had been stakes, blood and more than some harsh words exchanged between both but as the morning rose the two brothers; drunk, clothes torn and covered in each-others blood had collapsed onto the floor of what had once been the lounge room before they had started their conversation as they passed the bourbon between each other.
The outcome of the fight had three effects on Damon Salvatore; the first was that he and his brother had gotten back to where they had been before Katherine had come in and torn them apart. The second had been a personal discovery of his own, Stefan had been screaming at him at how Katherine never loved either of them when a bolt of realisation had struck Damon.
Katherine had never loved him, he had tried to repress the memories but he remembered all the times Katherine left him for his brother, the times she had compelled him whenever he asked whether she loved him and on one occasion he had spotted her leaving Stefan's room the morning after she had spent the night with the younger Salvatore. Katherine had never spent the night in Damon's bed, once she had gotten what she wanted from Damon she would leave. The third and perhaps the biggest change in Damon was that for the first time in over fifty years his emotions had switched on.
Damon had admitted that he had made the wrong choice in loving Katherine and swearing an eternity of misery on his brother. He had apologised to his brother (something that was hard for Damon to do) and so had Stefan. They had spent the next year travelling together rekindling their brotherly bond until Damon one day had come to Stefan and told him that he was leaving. At first Stefan had been upset that Damon was leaving but then Damon explained his reasoning behind it.
For the first time in his life he wanted to try to find his place in the world; no father beating him into submission, no woman lying and manipulating him and perhaps the hardest thing to say to Stefan was no brother who's shadow he had lived his entire life in.
Stefan had been upset but Damon had assured him he needed to find his place and he couldn't do that with him…at least not right away. That didn't change the fact he was his brother or how much he loved him he had just needed to find himself away from the ghosts of his past and come to grips with his newly awakened emotions.
That had been five years ago, he and Stefan had kept in touch often talking on a weekly basis, but it had come as a shock when Stefan not only told him that Katherine was back in Mystic Falls, but his brother had fallen in love. He had to admit it had hurt when he heard the news; he had hoped that they become closer but not close enough to pass on that knowledge that his brother had found someone.
As Damon shifted the car down into a lower gear as the trees beside the road started to give way to houses and before Damon knew it, he was driving through the town square. Damon took in the buildings as he drove, not much had changed since he had last been here. Stopping at the red light, his phone started ringing from his pocket. Pulling it out he rolled his eyes when he saw his brothers name appearing on the screen for the tenth time in the last two hours.
"Brother so help me if you keep calling me, I will block your number" Damon snarled raising the phone to his ear. His brother simply laughed at his empty threat before continuing.
"How far away are you? And you haven't spotted Katherine, have you?" Stefan's voice asked causing Damon to roll his eyes.
"No brother I haven't spotted the wicked bitch of the west but thanks for worrying mom" Damon teased his brother as the light turned green.
"Alright, where are you?" Stefan asked as Damon started driving through the lights and continuing towards the Salvatore boarding house.
"Coming through the town square now Stefan I'll be about ten minutes" Damon replied before he hung up abruptly on his brother.
Stefan was used it by now and seeing as he was less than ten minutes away from the boarding house, he didn't see the point in continuing that conversation. Before he knew it, Damon was pulling up to the boarding house. There were several cars already arrayed outside several SVU's, a hybrid, Stefan's classic red Porsche and perhaps most unusual of all was the Sheriffs car sitting beside the others.
As he got out of the car he realised he couldn't hear into the house, suddenly Damon could feel a surge of magic in the air and realised that a witch had placed a spell over the house (probably to stop Katherine from spying). As Damon opened the car and walked to his trunk the front door opened and his brother walked out to stand on the front porch. Damon collected his bag and looked up smiling at his brother who returned it with a look of relief at the sight of his big brother.
"Hello brother" Damon said as he came to a spot placing his bag on the ground a neutral look on his face.
"Damon" Stefan replied the same look in his eyes before both brothers grinned and pulled each other into a hug.
"You look good brother" Stefan said as they separated, Damon bend down to pick up his bag and started to follow his brother into the boarding house.
"You too and I have to be honest I do not miss the grunge look. It didn't suit you" Damon replied smirking as he started to walk into the house.
"Damon wait…there's something I have to tell you" Stefan said grabbing his elbow and turning his brother back to face him.
"What is it Stefan, I'm tired and want to get this little meet and greet with the local humans over and done with" Damon asked turning back to Stefan who had a look that could only be described as uncomfortable.
"Elena's inside…there's something I need to tell you" Stefan said unable to look his brother in the eye.
Damon rolled his eyes and continued walking into the house, as he passed the threshold, he could hear a great many heartbeats coming from the sitting room. As he walked towards the room, he opened the door as Stefan caught up with his brother and turned him around again.
"Wait Damon-"Stefan tried but failed as Damon walked into the room and came to a sudden halt, frozen in place.
There where was an array of people situated around the room; there was an older looking blonde woman whom he recognised as Liz Forbes stood beside the fireplace who was in conversation with a young blonde vampire who smelled like a newborn. Sitting on the one of the couches was a older couple who looked to be in their early thirties holding hands and sitting quite close together, these two he didn't recognise.
On the other couch opposite them was a young woman whom he recognised as Bennet Witch seated next to a young man around seventeen years old holding her hand. It was the brunette on the couch which had frozen him in place; if he hadn't heard the heartbeat or smelled the fresh blood flowing through her veins he would of attacked. But it was more than that, as he looked into her eyes they truly gave her away, there was a warmth in her soft brown irises that he had never seen in Katherines. She looked exactly like the woman whom had destroyed the brothers and suddenly Damon had understood why Stefan had never mentioned Elena Gilbert before.
"Stefan…what the actual hell you have serious explaining to do" Damon said as he slowly turned to his brother with an incredulous look on his face disregarding the people in the room for the moment.
"Look Damon now really isn't the time…we have a situation and we need your help" Stefan said to his brother but Damon was still standing gazing at the Katherines doppelganger.
"What the hell is going on Stefan?" Damon asked truly confused for the first time.
Katherine's look a like stepped forward and offered out her hand to him, smiling softly.
"Hi I'm Elena Gilbert, its nice to meet you" she murmured to him, Damon arched his eyebrow at his brother (whom Elena was currently ignoring).
"Damon Salvatore, but I'm sure you already know all about me I am after older hotter brother" Damon replied raising her hand to his lips and kissing her hand gently on the back causing her to blush and step back.
"Actually Stefan only mentioned he had a brother a couple of days ago" Elena murmured shooting Stefan a look that Damon recgonised as the universal look that Stefan had screwed up.
"Ouch…well I guess Stefan's not one to brag" Damon murmured dropping his bag and walking into the room.
He ignored everyone and went straight to the liquor car and poured himself a drink. Everyone was following him (particularly the young blonde and Elena), as he finished fixing himself a drink he came to stand beside Liz and smiled at her, the sheriff for her part simply looked confused.
"Good to see you again Liz" Damon said to her which just deppened her confusion even further.
"We've met?" Liz asked confused as Damon laughed and looked at his brother.
"Seriously Stefan if you're going to be honest with these people then be completely honest" Damon exclaimed at his brother before he turned back to Liz.
"I was in town about seventeen years ago, we met but I compelled you to forget me…don't worry I swear I only compelled you to forget me" Damon said holding his hands up when Liz got an angry look on her face. The young blonde vampire shot up beside Liz and looked him over real quick before giving him a flirtatious smile.
"Hi I'm Caroline Forbes" she said holding out a perfect manicured hand which Damon took.
"Ahh the last time I saw you, you were a only a couple years old, you're mother was quite proud" Damon replied dropping her hand missing the pout that came over her face when she didn't get a kiss on the back of her hands.
"Bonnie Bennet" the young mocha skinned woman sitting next to the young man who shared features with Elena.
"Jeremy Gilbert" he said when Damon eyes moved over to him, Damon toasted him in greeting quite comfortable where he was.
"I'm Alaric Saltzman and this is my girlfriend Jenna Sommers" the older couple on one of the sofas introducing themselves.
"Good to meet you, now you want to tell me why I just drove fourteen hours and across the country Stefan?" Damon asked getting the feeling that he wouldn't like what he was about to hear.
"Well it started when Stefan arrived back in town" Elena spoke shifting Damon's attention to him.
Several hours later…
(Essentially the events of season 1 and 2 up to episode 12 of have happened but there are differences which will be explained as the story goes on)
"So let me get this straight…the oldest vampire in history wants to sacrifice Elena because she is Petrova doppelganger to unlock his werewolf side. And that's the latest problem, Katherine is also back and trying to offer her up on a platter…and the tomb it was opened…Stefan what the hell were you thinking?" Damon exclaimed at his brother who was trying to look everywhere but his older brother.
"I don't know what you mean" Stefan mumbled weakly trying to change the subject.
"Why the hell didn't you call me the second Anna got back to town, or hell when Katherine did?" Damon screamed at his little brother.
"I was protecting you" Stefan tried to explain weakly which caused Elena to shake her head his disbelief.
"I am 176 years old and your older brother I don't need you protecting me" Damon exclaimed at his brother.
"Goddamn Stefan lying to me isn't protecting me…you should of told me Katherine was back" Damon yelled at his brother.
"And what would you have done huh?" Stefan screamed back coming straight into his brothers face. Damon shoved him back, the pair forgetting they had a captive audience for the latest Salvatore drama.
"I would have found a nice point stake and shoved it through the bitches heart like she deserves" Damon said stepping straight up to his brother.
The veins broke out across Stefan's face making Damon realise his brother still had little self control and was unable to control his instincts. Concerned for the humans in the house Damon grabbed Stefan and vamped him outside away from everyone else. Before Stefan had realised what had happened his brother had dragged him several miles into the forest surrounding the boarding house.
"You need to cool it brother…what the hell is wrong with you when was the last time you fed?" Damon asked as his brother looked down guiltily.
"A couple of days ago" Stefan replied causing Damon to rolled his eyes and shoved him in the direction to go deeper into the forest.
"Go feed before you accidently eat your girlfriend" Damon murmured as Stefan mumbled something out that even Damon with vampire hearing struggled to catch.
"Don't mumble Stefan what was that?" Damon asked exasperated at his younger brother.
"We're on a break" Stefan mumbled as Damon rolled his eyes.
"Go eat, I'll go have a chat with the Scooby gang and get the info I need go fee" Damon said pointing to the trees, Stefan looked like he would fight for a minute before he sighed and turned around walking into the forest.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" Damon asked the empty tree's around him, the uneasy feeling growing in his chance that he seemed to get whenever he returned to this town. As he made his way back to the boarding house, he remembered how Mystic Falls had a way of changing his life and not always for the better.
End of Chapter Note: So what did you guys think, for those of you reading my other story a Change of Destiny don't worry it will be continued I simply couldn't get the idea for this story out of my head. Please let me know if you liked the idea for this AU and leave a review with your thoughts, as always till next time….