Authors Note: Hey everyone! Just to give you a little bit more info on this story... It follows sisters Cassidy and Abigail Gilbert falling in love with the Salvatore brothers as humans in the 1800s. The vampire mayhem of 1864 makes the Gilbert sisters think the Salvatore brothers are dead and vice versa. So for over 100 years, the girls think the fathers of their children are dead without the Salvatore brothers knowing they were fathers in the first place. This has been an absolute favorite of mine to write and I hope y'all like it too, I always appreciate comments!
Cassidy's POV
I look out the passenger window while my younger sister is driving the car. A couple of days ago a wave of nostalgia hit us and since then we've been making our journey back to Mystic Falls. Our dear hometown of Mystic Falls. I sigh as I start thinking about the past, about our previous lives as humans in the small town in Virginia. Ever since we were turned into vampires we've kept our distance from the dreaded town. But as of lately I feel as if a force is pulling us back there, the voice in the back of my head is whispering that's where we need to be. It all starts back in the 1800s….
Jonathan Gilbert and his wife Cordelia Summers welcomed their first-born daughter Cassidy Gilbert on February 2, 1840. Six years later they welcomed their second daughter Abigail Gilbert on December 10, 1846, Cordelia dying shortly after.
One January morning in 1851 Jonathan Gilbert was walking out of his home and into the crisp cool air, his daughters 10-year-old Cassidy and 5-year-old Abigail trailing behind him. "Dad, where are you going?" Abigail said looking up at her father. He smiled and picked her up, "I'm going off to Giuseppe Salvatore's home for a council meeting." He set his daughter back down and Cassidy asked, "Can we go with you, just this once?" Jonathan smiled, "I don't see why not, Giuseppe has two sons about your ages, they can keep you entertained until the meeting is over." Both of their faces brightened with smiles as the three of them headed over to the Salvatore home.
Once they arrived Giuseppe walked out the door and greeted Jonathan, they shook hands, and then he said, "Well whom do we have here?" Jonathan smiled, "These are my two daughters Cassidy and Abigail," They curtsied and said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Salvatore." He smiled then leaned his head back into his house, "Damon, Stefan!" He called. The two boys ran down the stairs racing each other. Once they were down Giuseppe introduced them, "Damon, Stefan these are Jonathan Gilbert's daughters Cassidy and Abigail, will you two entertain them while our meeting is going on?" The ten-year-old boy and five-year-old boy nodded their heads. Jonathan and Giuseppe smiled as they stepped into the house.
The four kids were standing on the steps and Cassidy spoke up, "I'm Cassie and this is my little sister Abby." Damon smiled and replied, "I'm Damon and this is my little brother Stefan," he said putting his arm around him. They walked onto the lawn and Cassie asked, "What should we do?" Damon shrugged and Stefan scrunched up his nose thinking, "Do you want to play in the garden?" Stefan asked. Abby's face brightened up at this idea, "Let's play chase!" she suggested. Cassie giggled and started running after her sister. She looked back and said, "Come on, you guys try to catch us!"
1853
It was a hot July afternoon as seven-year-old Stefan watched his thirteen-year-old brother Damon attempt to climb a tree. Stefan was laughing as Cassie and Abby came up behind them, "What do you think you're doing?" Cassie yelled up to Damon trying her best not to laugh. "Climbing this tree isn't it obvious?" He yelled back down. "Struggling more like it," Abby said, making her sister and Stefan smile. Halfway up the tree, Damon sat on a branch, "Oh and you think you can do it?" Cassie put her hands on her hips, "Is that a challenge, Mr. Salvatore?" He shrugged and said, "I don't think it'd be very ladylike Ms. Gilbert." All four roared with laughter. She started to climb the tree and easily within a couple of minutes sat down next to Damon. "Easy, plus try doing that in a dress." He just smirked and shook his head.
"Why don't you guys kiss already and get it over with?" Abby teased. Cassie's face got red and she picked an apple from the tree and threw it in her sister's direction. Stefan high-fived Abby and they started to laugh. The two made their way back onto the ground, "What should we do now?" Stefan asked. "Come on, let's go to the falls!" Abby said excitedly running in the direction. The four made their way to the falls.
They climbed up a little way and sat on the edge of a rock. They were only about seven feet up looking at the vast pool of water below them. Abby stood up and Stefan pushed her in. When she surfaced she couldn't stop laughing, "Hey I'll get you for that!" she yelled up. "Stefan, did no one teach you manners?" Damon said teasingly, pushing his brother in. Cassie stood up, "Come on let's jump in!" She said, grabbing Damon's hand.
For the rest of the afternoon, the four swam in the water, splashing each other. A couple of hours before dark they decided to get out. They were all soaking wet but none of them cared, "Damon can you give me a piggyback ride?" Abby said with a pout. He laughed and said 'sure'. They walked for a long way before making it back to the Salvatore house. Abby jumped off Damon's back and Cassie said, "Father is going to kill us." She shrugged and continued, "But it doesn't matter, today was fun," she said smiling. Everyone nodded in agreement. They said their goodbyes; shared hugs and the two girls made their way back to their home.
The next day at around 11 am the boys made their way over to the Gilbert home. When they arrived they saw Cassie and Abby sitting at a little white round table on the lawn. "What are you guys doing?" Stefan asked, looking at them. Holding up a teacup Cassie answered, "Abby wanted to have a tea party, want to join?" Damon laughed and shook his head, "Come on let's go do something fun," he turned and started to walk away but when he turned back he saw Stefan sitting down picking up a teacup. Damon sighed and sat down. Cassie and Abby laughed and Cassie said, "This is fun, we should do this more often." "Or not," Damon said quietly with a smirk on his face. Abby lightly hit his arm.
At the end of their little tea party, Damon and Stefan stood up, "Let's go back to our house and play chase," Damon suggested. Stefan nodded his head in agreement and they started walking. Damon turned his head and saw that they were still sitting down. "Won't you two be gentlemen and pull out our chairs for us?" Cassie said with a teasing smile. Damon laughed and the two boys made their way over Stefan pulling out Abby's and Damon pulling out Cassie's. They curtsied and said thank you and they all broke out in laughter. "Come on, we'll race you!" Abby said, grabbing her sister's hand and running off towards Salvatore's house.
1856
It was a chilly December night a couple of days after Abby's 10th birthday as sixteen-year-olds Damon and Cassie walked around the Salvatore property. "It's crazy to think we've known each other for six years," Cassie said, breaking the comfortable silence. She looked up into Damon's blue eyes trying to shush the nagging voices in her head that were telling her she liked him more than a friend. He just smiled looking down into her eyes. Cassie was tall and had long blonde hair and beautiful jade green eyes; she took after her mother. She would always wear long, beautiful dresses but she despised the underwire that women would usually wear under their skirts because she said it prevented her from doing fun things like climbing trees and running around.
"I can't believe Abby turned 10, she's like a little sister to me," Damon said sweetly. Cassie nodded, "I know and Stefan is like a little brother to me." Damon smiled and stopped walking. Cassie turned and looked at him. "Cassie," he started, "I've been trying to convince myself that I view you as a sister or a friend, but," he paused for a moment, "I can't, I don't think I would ever be able to." Relief and excitement washed through Cassie's body but she tried to hide it. She walked up in front of him, her being just a little shorter than he was. She smiled and said simply, "I like you too Damon, and not just in a brother or friend way."
Damon smiled and looked to the ground. Cassie bit her lip, her nervous excitement, her heart rate picking up just a little bit. Damon looked back into her eyes then leaned down and met her lips with his. It was a short and sweet kiss but left Cassie's cheeks completely red. She laughed a little nervously and they continued walking.
On the edge of the Salvatore property, Stefan and Abigail were at their usual climbing tree sitting on one of the thick limbs of the tree. Abby was leaning back on the center of the tree while Stefan sat across from her. She took a bite out of her apple and tossed it to Stefan who took the last bite and threw it on the ground. Abby saw Damon and her sister talking. "What do you think they're talking about?" she inquired. She looked at Stefan and he shrugged. She kept observing them, but they did not notice their siblings.
"Stefan look!" she said in a hushed urgent tone while slapping his arm. He laughed and leaned in to get a look, "Ew they kissed," he said through his laughter. She laughed and shrugged, "It was bound to happen, my sister has always had a major crush on Damon," she looked at Stefan and continued, "But don't tell her I told you." He nodded, "Yea I know, whenever Damon and I would be playing a game or anything he'd start talking about her."
She snickered and said, "It's pretty gross cuz' I think of him as a brother." He nodded in agreement. Abby looked up at the stars then back across to Stefan, "We'll always be best friends right?" She asked. He smiled, "Of course, no matter how much you annoy me," she hit him teasingly and he continued, "We'll always be best friends."
At the beginning of spring, the four made their way through the woods heading towards the falls. When they got there Abby and Stefan went up to the edge of the water and started splashing each other. "Come on, let's climb up a bit," Cassie said. They climbed up the side of the falls, they walked that trail so much, and it was almost like walking up a staircase. They only went up a little way and sat down on their usual ledge. Cassie rested her head on Damon's shoulder and giggled as he kissed her head sweetly. Abby stood up, "You guys are cute and all but I've had enough of this." Damon and Abby just smiled and rolled their eyes. Abby stood up to jump in, but Stefan beat her to it and just pushed her in. When she surfaced she was laughing and said, "How come I can never jump on my own?" Damon laughed and jokingly said, "When are you going to learn your manners, kid?" and pushed him in. Cassie stood up and grabbed his hand, "Come on let's jump in." "Aren't we a little too old for this?" Damon said thoughtfully. She just smiled and said, "We'll never be too old to have fun," grabbed his hand then jumped in.
