Devils Don't Fly

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 1: Coming Home


Summary: When millionaire Damon Salvatore returns to Mystic Falls, a trail of bloodshed and excitement follows. Elena Gilbert is fascinated by him and his daughter, Nadia. Much to her surprise, she's hired to be Nadia's full-time babysitter. Her thirst for information leads her down a dangerous path as she discovers that there's a lot more to this family than she imagined.

Disclaimer: Although the plot is my own creation, I do not own any of the Vampire Diaries characters.

Title Credit: "Devils Don't Fly" Natalia Kills


Walking down the suburban streets of Mystic Falls at this late hour made Damon Salvatore feel like a predator. His gleaming eyes scanned the landscape while his enhanced ears listened for a nearby beating heart. He would be lying to himself if he pretended he wasn't some sort of monster. He knew he was out for the kill, and nothing could've excited him more.

After miles of walking, he came across a worthy candidate for his prolonged dinner. The blonde was struggling to lift a stack of boxes. She didn't notice him standing a mere five feet away from her. He cleared his throat and heard her heart attempt to leap through her chest.

A flutter of nervous laughter slipped from her lips as she turned around. "You scared me!" Her initial accusatory tone lightened once she saw how attractive he was.

The man held his hands out in defense. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you." He redirected his gaze to the boxes. "Those look heavy. Need some help?"

Entranced with his sudden and appealing appearance, she didn't even bother looking at the boxes. She numbly nodded her head before regaining the ability to speak. "Y-yeah, that would be great."

He shot her another charming smile before reaching for the boxes. Instead of lifting them up, though, he dropped them back down and pinned her up against the car with incomprehensible speed. A look of pure panic filled her eyes as she contemplated screaming.

The man stroked her arms as he loosened his grip. "You should feel honored, Blondie," he murmured, moving some loose strands of hair from her neck. "This will be my first kill in Mystic Falls since the 90s…" At this point, he was speaking more to himself than her. After all, it didn't matter that she knew this information.

He drew a deep breath as his fangs poked through his gums. As his face took on a more monstrous façade, her temptation to scream grew stronger. She let out a good howl before he placed a hand over her mouth and sunk his fangs into her soft flesh.

With each mouthful of blood he sucked out, her body lost resistance and strength.

He grinned as he sucked hungrily at what little life she had left. Just as he was about to finish her off, the porch light turned on and the door swung open. A woman wearing a police uniform squinted into the darkness. He barely had enough time to move their bodies to the other side of the car. The girl was bordering unconsciousness and hardly knew what was happening.

Holding her chin up, he forced her to look into his eyes. "It's unfortunate, but you're going to forget our little meeting tonight. You were just out here unpacking, you tried to carry more than you could manage and fell."

The compulsion maintained her attention long enough for her to nod before she slumped against the car again. He leaned in for a quick peck on the lips and was amused to see that such a little action could leave behind so much smeared blood.


Few things were as spooky as a nearly abandoned college, even if it was just a local community campus. Most students already left for summer vacation, and Elena Gilbert was one of the last lingering students. Her roommates, Caroline and Bonnie, had already headed back to Mystic Falls the previous night.

Everything was packed. Everything had been triple-checked. Yet, Elena still sought excuses to stay in the empty room. She mulled over the option of taking summer classes, but knew that this already cramped campus would become even smaller and considerably more boring. Unfortunately, Mystic Falls wasn't too much more appealing.

Ever since her parents died in a car crash near Wickery Bridge, nothing was normal in her life. Elena and her younger brother, Jeremy, were left in their Aunt Jenna's care. Eventually, Jenna married the high school's history teacher, Alaric, and their mismatched family felt somewhat whole again.

But it would never feel like home.

She groaned as she collapsed onto her bed and stared at the cracked ceiling. I don't belong anywhere, she thought sadly.


Each summer, Mystic Falls sponsored a series of community events. They usually didn't start until mid-June, so Elena couldn't fathom why there was so much traffic this late at night.

She craned her neck in an attempt to see around the other cars. Feelings of mixed curiosity and frustration prompted her to roll down her window and see if she could hear anything.

"Can you believe he's back in town?" a woman asked her friend as they scurried down the sidewalk.

The other woman shrugged. "That boarding house has been empty for as long as we've lived here. I didn't think anyone owned it anymore."

The boarding house, Elena wondered. Why would anyone care about that decrepit building?

She leaned out her window to address the passersby. "Who is moving into the boarding house?"

"Damon Salvatore," she replied. "His family has owned that land since this town's foundation, you know."

Elena thanked them for the information, but failed to see how that news could possibly result in such a commotion. What made the return of this Damon Salvatore so sensational?

Regardless of the reasoning, Elena knew that there was no way she'd make it home in this traffic. She took a sharp right and managed to find a parking spot in front of the Grill. Maybe after having a quick bite to eat, the drama will die down…or at least she hoped that would be the case.

Unfortunately, most of the people dining at the Grill were just as enamored with the gossip. Spotting her friends in a booth nearby, Elena shimmied between tables and sat down next to Bonnie.

"You should've left when we did," Caroline said, absently tightening a scarf around her neck. "I already have all my things unpacked."

"Plus, we avoided that insanity outside," Bonnie added, stealing a French fry from Caroline's plate.

"Speaking of that insanity, what the hell is going on? Someone outside said that everyone's excited because some guy is coming to town–."

"ELENA," Caroline said, cutting her off. "He's not just some guy! Have you seen what he looks like?"

"Have you seen what he looks like?" Bonnie asked, arching a brow.

Caroline's shoulders slumped. "Well, not yet. But from what I've heard, he's a major hottie. He's some fancy millionaire from New Orleans and a single dad. He has a four-year-old daughter."

"Why would someone like that want to come back to Mystic Falls?" Elena asked, reaching for a menu. "Especially after leaving a place like New Orleans."

"He's one of the Founding Families," Bonnie noted. "Maybe that has something to do with it?"

"I don't care why he's here," Caroline declared. "As long as I get a chance to use my seductive charm on him."

The girls busted out in a fit of giggles. The likelihood of someone high profile like him taking notice of a couple broke college freshmen was laughable. But Caroline was determined and would probably make it her summer goal to get to know Damon Salvatore.

Thankfully, the conversation shifted to something else. Even as they discussed their summer plans, Elena couldn't help but wonder if she was the only one who still didn't understand what made this guy such a big deal.

It took another two hours for the hype and traffic outside the Grill to dissipate. Elena didn't really mind, though. Matt's shift ended shortly after she arrived, so he and Tyler joined their table. She hadn't heard from either of them since spring break, so it was nice to catch up.

Matt got a scholarship to play football for Virginia State, and Tyler's parents finally convinced him to pursue the path of politics. Despite completing a full year of college already, Elena felt as if she didn't accomplish anything. Her major was "undecided," which made her envy their more concrete career plans.

After saying her goodbyes and promising to hang out more often, Elena headed to her car. She fumbled through her purse in search of her keys, but stopped short when she heard footsteps behind her. Spinning around, she saw a little girl approaching her.

"Momma? Momma, is that you?" she said, a small smile forming on her face. Filled with excitement, she increased her pace, but tripped over the long fabric of her dress.

Elena gasped, hoping that the girl didn't hurt herself. She ran over to her and helped her get back on her feet. Aside from some dirt smears, the girl appeared to be fine. She wrapped her arms around Elena's waist. "I knew you'd come back."

"Did you lose your mom, sweetie?" Elena asked, glancing around to see if she could spot any women nearby.

"I thought I did, but here you are!" the girl grinned.

Elena frowned. How could this girl think I'm her mother? I've never seen her before…

She took the girl's hand and led her back toward the Grill. "Why don't we go over here and–."

"Nadia!" a man called. "Come on, Nadia. It's time to go!"

The girl looked between Elena and the man hailing her from across the street. "Is that your dad?" Elena asked, squinting to get a better look.

She nodded and tugged on Elena's hand. "Now that I found you, we can all go home."

Elena tore out of the girl's grip and bent down to her level. "My name is Elena Gilbert…I'm only nineteen years old. There's no way I could be your mom, Nadia."

Nadia pouted and looked like she was about to explode with resistance, but after the man called her another time, she receded. She gave Elena one last hard look before running across the street.


Things at home were pleasantly predictable for Elena. Jeremy was curled up on the couch with his girlfriend, Anna. Alaric took a break from grading history exams to congratulate Elena on her hard work, while Jenna rushed her into the kitchen to ask about Elena's social life. At first, Elena didn't really want to engage – mostly because there wasn't much to tell. But when Jenna pulled out the chocolate chip ice cream, Elena gave in.

Despite rumors that friends should never be roommates, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline's friendship only grew stronger while they lived together. They went to as many frat parties as possible, yet Elena still came up empty-handed in the relationship department. About two months before the spring semester ended, one of her friends, Aaron, asked her to be his girlfriend.

Their relationship so far had been depressingly similar to her relationship with Matt, but Elena was willing to give Aaron a chance. After all, it's only been a couple months.

Once it was Jenna's turn to dish, she revealed that she started taking online classes and got a job at the high school as a secretary. Elena wasn't quite sure how it happened, but suddenly the conversation shifted back to that infamous Damon Salvatore.

"Do you have any idea why this is such a big deal?" Elena asked, licking the last of her ice cream off the spoon. "You should've seen how crazy people were acting."

"Personally, I don't get it either," Alaric weighed in, leaning against the doorframe. "He's just some rich guy who's stupid enough to move to a small town."


The following morning, Elena felt as if all her worries had vanished as the result of sleeping in her own bed. With a brief stretch and a yawn, she crawled out of bed and went directly to her laptop. Renewed with this sense of positivity, she decided to start looking for her summer job.

Of course, the Grill had a ton of openings…so did several of the shops in town. Elena half-heartedly submitted a few applications, but none of these jobs sounded particularly exciting…or well paying. It wasn't until Elena found an ad for a babysitting website that she felt her high hopes return. She used to babysit for the neighbors all the time when she was younger. And, if she recalled correctly, Elena made quite a bit of money during those summers.

All she had to do was create a profile that showcased her skills and submit it to whichever parents she'd like to work for. The list of clients was arranged according to the most popular searches. At the top of the list was an offer to work for a single father and his four-year-old daughter. The babysitter would be paid $20 an hour and work 40 hours a week.

"It's perfect," she murmured, anxiously clicking the link. Her heart sank when she read the contact information: Damon Salvatore. "That figures."

She was going to return to the list of other less-obnoxious candidates, but froze when she saw the picture of him and his daughter. Two very striking details caused such a reaction: the man was impossibly attractive…and his daughter was the girl that Elena ran into last night.

Excellent pay and good looks aside, if Elena were to take this job, she could find out why that girl would've been so convinced that she was her mother. Of course, it could also lead to some awkward situation, but Elena felt it might be worth that risk. She always had an insatiable curiosity, and this situation was no exception.

Not wanting to let doubt hinge her decision, she hastily hit the submit button and got off the website. She was starting to understand why everyone was so excited for Damon to return to Mystic Falls. Him and his daughter would be a mystery she'd look forward to solving.


Surrounded by boxes and ancient furniture, it was a miracle that Damon was able to not only set up his laptop and Wi-Fi, but also make space for the coffeemaker. He smirked as he scrolled down the massive list of new emails from today alone. It wasn't terribly surprising to see that most of them were responses to the ad he placed on some nanny website.

The first few responses were obvious attempts to meet him. None of them had any relevant experience and hardly any credentials. Although he absolutely loved all the attention he'd received since returning, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. So far, these girls couldn't hope to have a chance at this job.

He poured a vial of thick red liquid into his coffee and swirled it around while clicking the next link, which proved to be a huge mistake. The moment he saw the girl's picture, he spat the coffee all over the computer screen. She looked impossibly like his wife, his dead wife. Upon scrolling through her profile and staring at her photo, Damon concluded that this 19-year-old couldn't be his wife.

Of course there were some subtle differences that he easily picked out, but that didn't make the sight any less haunting.

Her list of work experience could've said just about anything and it wouldn't make a difference. Damon's mind was set – she would be the one. She had to be the one. He needed to understand her, needed to know her.

After jotting down her contact information, Damon turned off the computer and leaned back in his chair, his lips stretched into a content smirk. I knew there was a reason I chose to come back to Mystic Falls, he thought.


A/N: Well here it is...yet another new Delena story. I've been working on this for a little over a week now and have the entire story planned out, so that should definitely make updates happen frequently ;) This chapter was meant to be ambiguous, so don't worry if it's a little confusing...things will be better explained in upcoming chapters.

If you read some of my other stories, I can tell you that I have several chapters planned for them; however, my hard drive crashed a few days ago, which means my laptop may or may not still have all my files on it. So, to kill time till that's repaired, I decided to work on something new. Let me know what you think!

XoXo Amber