The Stranger
It was a dark night, as Damon lay in the middle of a road waiting for someone to come along. It was how he got his food. And that's when he heard a voice; her voice.
After Elena Gilbert hung up and put her cell phone away, she looked up to see a guy; a stranger.
"Katherine," Damon greeted, though she smelled human.
"No. I'm Elena."
"I'm sorry. I must be mistaken. You just really remind me of someone."
"I get that a lot."
"So what are you doing out here alone?"
"Ex-boyfriend problems. I'm waiting for my parents."
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
"Why? Nothing bad ever happens here."
"By the way, I'm Damon."
"So, Damon, what are you doing out here alone?"
"The usual."
"Like?"
"Looking for what I want."
"Well, I wish I knew what I wanted. My parents have it all planned out."
"You want what everyone else wants."
"So, Damon, the mysterious stranger who has all the answers, what do I want?"
"You want adventure, mystery, and maybe a little danger. I want you to get everything you want. But now, I can't have people knowing I'm in town yet."
"I won't tell anyone. I promise."
He was surprised that Elena wouldn't tell anyone. The humans he had met in the past had been talkative. And they always told one another everything. But not this girl. He felt that she was telling the truth. He didn't have to compel her to forget that they had met.
"Good night, Elena."
"Good night, Damon."
As Damon walked away, he felt drawn to her and didn't know why. But he kept walking until he reached the shadows of the darkness. And from that darkness, he watched as Elena got into the car with her parents. Then he watched as her father drove away in the car towards the Whickery Bridge. There was silence from them until her parents asked her how the party had gone. She went into talking about her fight with her ex-boyfriend, Matt. But he didn't hear her mention him. And that's when he knew that he could trust her.
It was a beautiful day as Elena Gilbert headed home. She felt alone these days. Her parents were dead, but Damon Salvatore had saved her life. Now her and Jeremy's guardian was their Aunt Jenna.
When Elena got home, it was early evening. Her Aunt Jenna was home as usual.
"How was school?" Aunt Jenna called from the kitchen when she heard the front door close.
"Good," Elena called back, before heading up the stairs to her room.
Once in her room, Elena put her bag on the floor by her desk, before going to check on her younger and only brother, Jeremy. He was having a hard time with their parents' deaths. It had been last summer, but it was hard. Now her brother mostly got home late and stayed in his room. She didn't know what he did all that time. She and Aunt Jenna didn't know what was wrong.
She knocked on her brother's closed door, which was right next to her own bedroom.
"Jeremy?" she called through the closed door.
"Go away, Elena."
"Can I come in?"
"Go away."
"Jeremy, you know we can talk about this is you need to. Right?"
"I know, Elena."
"Okay. I'll see you later then."
With that, she went back to her room to do her homework.
After they had dinner, Jeremy stayed in his room for the rest of the evening as usual. Elena stayed downstairs with Aunt Jenna for a little bit, though. They both knew Jeremy needed help. They just didn't know what to do.
Later, Elena went to her room and closed her door for privacy. She walked over to her desk and sat down in her chair, before she got a pen from her pen holder on her desk. Then she opened her right top drawer of her desk and took out her journal. She closed the drawer and opened her diary on her desk. Then she started to write, as thoughts came to her. She did this every night. It was her own personal therapy. She had done this since last summer.
Dear Journal,
Jeremy is acting strange. He doesn't come out of his room except for class and to eat, and he skips class and if failing his classes. He has developed an attitude towards everyone, and he's withdrawn. All I know is this. He needs some kind of help. If he doesn't stop this, I don't know what will happen. I think he's still grieving for mom and dad. This might be his way of calling out for help and dealing with it. But it's not the way to go. I'm still grieving too, but I'm not acting like a stranger. Instead, I'm coping by writing all of this down. Speaking of stranger, I wonder where Damon is...I haven't seen him since last summer when he saved my life. If it wasn't for Damon, I'd be dead. Where is he? I miss him.
She put her pen and journal away before getting to her feet. She was tired. She looked at her clock that sat on her nightstand. It read ten-thirty.
The next day passed quickly. Before she knew it, school was over and her best friends were walking at either side of her. Caroline Forbes, the Sheriff's daughter, was on her right. She had blond hair and blue eyes, while Bonnie Bennett whom lived with her grandmother, had hazel eyes and black hair.
Soon, they departed from her to go home, as did Elena. And as she headed home, thoughts spun through her mind. She wanted to help her brother. She had to find a solution. Should she set him up with a counselor and make him talk, or should she make him talk to her or Aunt Jenna?
It was still dark, as Elena headed home. And that's when she stopped in a desolate area on a sidewalk, not sure why she felt like she was being watched. She was alone. Then the hairs on the back of her neck prickled and someone in black clothes was instantly not far from her. He looked normal until she saw his face.
Vampire, she thought.
She started to run, but he was instantly in front of her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. She tried to pull away to get free of him, but she couldn't.
"You're a feisty one," he commented.
"Let go of me!" she yelled.
Damon was taking a walk when he suddenly heard her not far off and smelled the scent of another vampire. And that's when he followed the scents.
She continued to try and get free of him. And then that's when Damon came to her rescue. He threw him off her. Then she watched as they both fought until the vampire fled.
Damon walked up to and faced her.
She silently looked up at him with a million questions in her mind.
"Let's go to my place," he suggested, guessing that he should probably tell her.
Soon after, Elena Gilbert was seated on his couch with him standing not far from her.
"Did I really see a vampire?" she had to ask immediately.
"Yes. You saw a vampire. Vampires are a little different from the movies, though. They can compel you if you aren't wearing an herb called Vervain. Vervain weakens vampires. Some vampires compel, but others don't."
"How do you know all of this?"
"Because I'm a vampire too. But I won't hurt you."
"Do you burn in the sun?"
"Yes. But only if we're not wearing a Lapis Lazuli Daylight ring. It helps us walk in the sun, which helps us blend in better. As long as we don't show our true selves to the public, we stay blended in. If we're new, we're reckless and leave behind bodies. If we're not, we know how to cover our tracks."
"How about crosses and stakes?"
"Crosses to affect us and stakes kill us. We don't turn to dust, though. We turn into a corpse."
"Holy water?"
"That doesn't affect us, either."
"What about you?" she had to ask.
"Me?"
"Yeah. What's your history?" she wanted to know.
"My brother and I were turned here in Mystic Falls in 1864. We grew up here. Katherine Pierce turned us, but she died during the 1864 vampire raid. The Founding Families of Mystic Falls went in search of vampires. All one hundred and sixty vampires were captured and burned alive in St. Paul's Church. We couldn't stop it. Before we could rescue Katherine from the carriage, our father shot us in the middle of the street. It was too late when we woke up in transition. Stefan killed our father and turned first. He made me turn against my will. After that, we both left Mystic Falls and went our separate ways. And in the beginning, I made his life miserable. But after a while, I changed."
"So when you called me Katherine the other night..."
"I thought you were Katherine. You look and sound like her. You have almost every trait of her. You probably have more traits of her, but I just met you."
"You said you have a brother. Where is he?"
"Out hunting animals. My little brother can't control human blood, so he eats Peter the rabbit and Bambi."
"So he's your little brother."
"Yeah. But we don't get along."
She looked grim and sighed.
"Damon, can I ask you something?"
He sat beside her on the couch.
"Sure. What is it?"
"I know we don't have the same complicated little brothers, but do you think you could help me with Jeremy? He hasn't been the same since mom and dad. I think he's taking it harder than I am. Aunt Jenna and I don't know what to do. All he does is stay in his room or out late and do whatever he does up in his room. He's withdrawn. I try to get him to talk to me, but he just shuts me out."
"I don't do bonding with little brothers, Elena. But I'll do what I can."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"I should go home."
"I'll walk you there."
"Thanks."
"And Elena?"
"Yeah?"
"If you want me inside, you have to invite me in."
She got to her feet and he did likewise.
As they headed for the door, someone walked in.
"Who's this?" the newcomer questioned.
"Stefan, this is Elena. Elena, this is Stefan. Now I need to walk her home."
"Nice to meet you," Elena greeted.
"You, too," Stefan replied.
As they left the Salvatore boarding house, Damon felt his brother watching them.
Once they were on Elena's porch, he held out a necklace to her.
"Here. Take it. It'll protect you."
"What is it?"
"A Vervain necklace. As long as you wear it, vampires can't compel you."
She took it from him and put it around her neck.
"Thank you, Damon."
"You're very welcome, Elena."
He gave her a smirk.
She smiled back at him.
He watched as she went inside, before he walked away to head home.
Elena headed silently up the stairs towards her room so she wouldn't wake anyone up. She knew her Aunt Jenna would ask her tomorrow where she had been.
The next day, she headed for home alone again, but not for long. Damon was at her side.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Walking you home safely. If that's not a problem. Decides, I'd like to meet your family and get to know you better."
She smiled.
"Not a problem at all."
When they got there, she invited him in, he got to know her Aunt Jenna and Jeremy, and got to knowing Elena better. And as the months passed, he did his best to help Elena with her brother.
A year later, Jeremy was himself again and Elena knew more about Stefan. And then she came. Katherine Pierce.
Elena stood in the middle of the living room, looking straight at a mirror.
"How do we look exactly alike?" Elena questioned.
"Hello, Elena."
Elena stared at her in silence.
Katherine smelled her fear.
"You know me. You've been filled in," Katherine guessed. "Yeah. You're Katherine."
"The Salvatore brothers don't know everything, Elena. And as for your question well, you're a part of my family. I looked into your past to find out why we're so alike. You're adopted. Your mother has to be the daughter my father tore from my arms. He said I had disgraced my family by having an illegitimate daughter. Children like those weren't welcome back in the sixteenth century. You're a Petrova doppelganger like I once was."
Katherine looked at the front door, as the Salvatore brothers walked in.
Damon instantly stood at Elena's side.
"Don't listen to her. Everything she says is a lie."
"I'm telling the truth. I came back for Stefan."
She looked at Stefan.
Stefan looked back at Katherine, standing between the love birds and Katherine.
"I'm sorry for what I did. I wish you tow could look past everything I've done. I wish you could forgive me for faking my own death, but I had to run. I couldn't let him kill me."
"Who?" Stefan asked.
"Niklaus. Most call him Klaus. He's a vampire werewolf hybrid."
Before anyone could say anything else, she was gone.
"Katherine's been invited in. What do we do?" Elena wanted to know.
"Move," Damon replied.
"Other than that," Elena said.
"Be cautious and when we can, kill her," Damon answered her.
"What if she's telling the truth? We may not know the whole story," Stefan said.
"I thought we had established that Katherine's a liar."
"Damon," Stefan said.
"Whatever. You do what you want. I'll be here keeping Elena safe," Damon said.
Stefan left with that.
They watched him go.
A couple years later Katherine and Stefan had left town together, Caroline was a vampire, Bonnie found out that she was a witch, Tyler Lockwood became a hybrid thanks to Klaus, and Klaus and his family were in town. In the meantime, Elena and Damon were dating and everyone in Elena's circle was trying to figure out why Klaus was still in town.