Back Then, 'Til Now
Pairing: Elena/Damon
A/N: This is an AU story… So that means Damon isn't a vampire.
o-o-o-o-o
Elena lifted the sunglasses from her eyes as she stared at the very beautiful garden before her.
The past months had been nothing close to ordinary for her. As a matter of fact, she nearly thought that she was mentally deranged because for the past few months, she had been getting these visions. But they weren't those philosophical and religious visions other people claimed they have. They were actually visions of a past she couldn't understand. Elena always saw herself in those visions… a version of herself in the past. Why she kept getting them she didn't know but what was certain was that she often saw the same gated garden that was part of a splendid mansion. And because of that, she searched all over the country for the mansion that was now transformed into a simple hotel.
But there was something else. There was always this certain tall, dark haired, handsome man in her visions who went by the name of Damon Salvatore. She had never met anyone with that name and she couldn't help but wonder if he really existed or if he was just a product of whatever it was that was wrong with her. From what she could understand from her visions, she was supposedly close to this Damon Salvatore. Elena couldn't help but wonder if he really existed and if he was getting the same visions if he did exist.
Putting the sunglasses at the top of her head, Elena began to walk around. She had never been there all her life but the place seemed so familiar to her for some reason. She knew that the place itself was huge but she had this feeling of certainty that she would never get lost there even if she tried. Walking towards the side of the garden closest to one part of the mansion, a smile made its way to her face as she saw a whole line of beautiful flowering trees, making the place more beautiful than it already was.
Elena slowed down as she felt dizzy once more, knowing that a vision was coming.
A carefree laugh escaped Elena's lips as she ran around the line of blossoming trees. The flowers bloomed beautifully and the breeze was cold. A scream left her lips as soon as she realized that she needed to run faster and in different directions so as not to get caught.
"You can run all you want, my lady." Damon called out as he chased after her. "But I will always catch you."
Despite the long gown that she could easily trip on, Elena had no difficulty running around. "Says who?"
"Says me." He smirked triumphantly when he eventually caught up to her – thanks to his pair of long, strong legs – wrapping his arms tightly around her slender waist. "I wish it'd always be like this…"
"Damon…" Elena sighed, knowing what he meant. It was the topic she had been avoiding to talk about at the first place. "There's nothing we can do… You're required to go to war soon."
Damon smiled sadly, tightening the grip around her waist. "I won't give up, 'Lena. I'll find a way to get out of this."
"Don't… You know your family won't like that." She sighed one more time. "Just promise me one thing, my lord. Promise me you'll get back safely."
"I promise, my lady." The dark haired man rested her forehead against hers. "But whatever happens… Promise me that I'm the only one you'll ever love. Because I'm promising you that. Whatever happens to us, I'll always love you until the end of time."
Letting a tear drop from her eyes, she nodded. "I promise."
And from what she saw from the past visions, Elena knew that it was the last time she ever saw this Damon ever again. He went to war… but never came back.
A gasp left Elena's lips as the vision ended. She understood everything perfectly now that she finally saw the vision that completed the whole story for her. Everything she saw in her visions was her past life… she was alive back then and she's alive at present. As stupid and senseless as it would seem to other people, it made perfect sense to her. Her soul lived in the past and she saw what happened through her visions. Everything fell into place… She remembered it all now.
"You remember."
Her eyes widened as she turned around, facing the owner of the said voice. She knew whose voice it was and a huge part of her didn't believe her ears. But as Damon Salvatore stood before looking just the way he did in the past, despite being in a modern day outfit, she finally believed that he did exist.
"You remember." Damon repeated. "You're back."
Letting actions do the talking for her, Elena ran into his arms, hugging him tightly as if she was afraid that he would suddenly disappear anytime soon. Damon let out a laugh as he hugged her back. "I didn't mean to break my promise, my lady. I fought as hard as I could..."
"But you're here now." She interrupted him. "I still can't believe we're here… after all those years…"
"I promised you I'd love you until the end of time. That's why I'm here." He pulled away slightly to look at her face. "You're still as beautiful as always, my lady."
Elena rolled her eyes good naturedly. "It's 2011 already… So it's just Elena now, Damon."
He smiled tenderly. "I love you, Elena Gilbert. I loved you back then and I still love you."
"I love you too." With that, she allowed him to claim her lips with his.
Their love was always meant to last through eternity.