A/N: I'm sorry for the wait, school work and the like. This chapter is a little sad and doesn't move too far ahead, but next chapter things should really start happening. :) Thank you all for the support!
Last time I checked, I still own nothing besides Ellie and my plot.
Summary: A spell gone haywire, Bonnie accidentally resurrects a long since dead woman, who has no idea who she is other than she woke up in a grave and Caroline has her necklace. But, as it turns out, she has a connection with Damon and Stefan.
Not The Person You Used To Be.
Chapter IIV
A party was being planned at the boarding house for Elena's birthday party. There had been little to no communication between Ellie and Damon other than a few one word answers or nods. Ellie was intent on giving him the cold shoulder, though Damon noticed it wasn't really out of anger.
She was just outright avoiding him.
Ellie was probably still a little upset about not being able to go and find Stefan, but she was probably also still taking in the information about her brothers being vampires. Damon found himself growing tired of her antics, hoping that she would just get over it on her own was taking way to long.
He stopped her in the hall, stepping in front of her. Ellie let out an annoyed she all but ran into him. She made a move to try and go around him, but he followed her movement with one of his amused smirks on his face.
"Can you move, please?" Ellie asked after having a minute staring contest with him, her mouth pulled into a frown.
"I don't know, you could ask nicely." Damon said with a shrug, Ellie crossing her arms.
"I said please."
"Yes, but your tone lead me to believe that it wasn't sincere," Damon said, looking at his younger sister as she openly glared at him. "You aren't still angry about this whole Stefan thing, are you?"
"I don't know," Ellie said, her voice slightly mocking, "you haven't exactly done anything to make me see forgiveness for you."
"You want me to be sorry for keeping you safe?" Damon said, sounding incredulous.
"No," Ellie said, "for not telling me that you were looking for him and not letting me join in."
"Stop acting like a brat," Damon said with a roll of his eyes, "you are much to old to be acting like this."
"And you aren't?" Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't you find this sad that this is the most we have talked in three days?" Damon asked, ignoring her question, "your cold shoulder is annoying."
Ellie frowned, her hand moving up to her shoulder for a few moments. Damon chuckled as she looked back at him.
"It's an expression."
"I hate those," Ellie muttered, going to move past him, but Damon stepped in her way once again. "Will you please just get out of my way?"
"Not until you aren't upset with me anymore."
"And you think this isn't making me more annoyed with you?" Ellie snapped.
"Just forgive me, seeing as you believe that I've done something wrong." Damon stated, Ellie clenching her jaw.
"I forgive you." she stated, Damon laughing.
"Yes, and the sky is purple."
"I don't feel like forgiving you right now!" Ellie exclaimed, "so just move the hell out of my way! I'm hungry and you are making my mood worse."
"Why don't I take you out to lunch, then?" Damon asked with a smile, watching as his sister just shook her head.
"No." she stated, shoving into his shoulder, but Damon didn't move an inch. Ellie stepped back, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"It's cool, I get it. I don't like take out food all that much, either." Damon said, smiling at his sisters outright irritation. If looks could kill...
Ellie closed her eyes for a few seconds, composing herself before she looked back up at him. "I forgive you," she stated, trying to sound sincere, "I'm sorry for not cooperating the way you want me to."
Damon looked her up and down for a few seconds, then shrugged, "your heartbeat gave you away, of course. But, I'm guessing that this will be the best I get out of you for now." he said with a slight grin and stepped aside. Ellie brushed past him, still processing the whole heartbeat thing.
He can hear my heartbeat? Ellie asked herself, heading downstairs, knowing that Damon was most likely behind her. She shivered slightly, she didn't know why, but it was a little unsettling to her to have someone hear her heartbeat so openly.
It just reminded her of what he must eat, and just sent another shiver down her spine that seemed to settle there for a bit as she walked into the kitchen.
This is ridiculous, her mind hissed at her, he's your brother, you shouldn't be scared of him.
She pulled out a few boxes and started to prepare her lunch, not feeling too good.
"E-Elena's birthday celebration is over here, right?" Ellie asked, glancing back towards Damon. He nodded his head, Ellie turning back to the soup that she was stirring in the pot.
"The parties in this time are pretty different from what you may remember," Damon said, "it's fine if you don't like it."
Ellie nodded her head, not looking away from the pot. She paused in her stirring, trying to remember a party that she had been to. She must have had a few birthdays, at least a few that she remembered. She could feel stress build up inside her, she just wanted to remember. Ellie had all the new information, like vampires, televisions, cars, a few other things. But, she didn't remember what laid behind her, what made a person they are. A history.
She turned off the burner, pulling the pot off the counter and placed it on the side rather carelessly. She turned, Damon watching with confusion.
"I don't think that was done," he said, raising an eyebrow as she passed, "where are you going?"
"Upstairs." Ellie stated, Damon quickly moving to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look at him.
"Look, talk to me," he said, "I can listen, I will."
"I don't..." Ellie started, moving away from him slightly, "I don't feel well, can I just go back upstairs, please?"
"No, tell me what's going on," Damon said, "you used to tell me everything."
"That was before," Ellie said, moving her shoulder out of his grasp, "you've changed, I've changed, everybody's changed. I don't even," she paused, her voice shaking, "I don't even know who I am."
Ellie's eyes became foggy, a few tears escaping when she blinked. Damon was a little unsure what to tell her, he had no idea how to deal with her half the time. He just settled in for pulling her into a hug, Ellie tensing slightly before she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him.
"You'll be fine." Damon said, Ellie nodding her head numbly. He pulled back, Ellie wiping her eyes as she backed away from him.
"I don't know how to deal with you," she said after a bit, "I remember father telling me about vampires, calling them demons and how dangerous they are. How am I supposed to react to you and Stefan being one? The people around me being one?"
"Ellie," Damon said with a sigh, Stefan was always much better at this. Damon usually just compelled his victims, or in the rare cases that he let them keep their memory, he just left them and let them deal with it. He couldn't do that to Ellie, as much as he made Stefan suffer, Ellie didn't do anything.
"I hope you understand that, out of all the vampires you might encounter, I am the last one you need to worry about attacking you."
"I know that," Ellie said, "it's just that I didn't want to wish this on you, or Stefan. On anybody, but..." she sighed, "I don't feel good, Damon. I feel sick, tired, like anybody who so much as looks at me makes me want to hurt them."
"You're stressed," Damon said, "knowing your past with sickness, you being stressed isn't a good thing."
"What should I do?" Ellie asked, sniffling.
"I don't know," Damon said with a scoff, "read a book, sleep, whatever. Just stop stressing yourself out."
"I'll try not to." Ellie said with a sigh, turning and heading up towards her bedroom again. She closed the door tightly behind her, leaning against it. She just sat down on the floor and leaned her back against it. She hadn't felt this sad in a long time, this scared. The last time she remembered being like this was when...Damon had left for the army.
Ellie blinked, her breath hitching as the flashback hit her.
Ellie and Stefan were standing in front of a carriage, Ellie looking at her brother in uniform. She was worrying about him already, Stefan looking surprisingly strong. One of them had to be, Damon letting out a sigh.
"I'll be back soon," he said, "and I'll write when I can. I promise."
"I'll be expecting those letters, brother," Stefan said, Ellie still not saying a word since she came down with Stefan.
She just stood there, looking him over with a distressed look on her face. Stefan looked over at her as he and Damon were waiting for her to say her goodbye. Stefan gripped his sister's hand, shaking it slightly to try and pull her out of her thoughts.
Ellie blinked, looking over at Stefan for a few moments before she looked back at Damon.
"Please, don't die," she said after a few moments, her voice shaking, "you come back here, brother."
Damon smiled, "as long as you will be here waiting for me."
Ellie smiled, a light laugh escaping from her mouth as she pulled her brother into an embrace before letting go and backing away, wrapping an arm around her stomach. Stefan placed a hand on her back, the simple touch relaxing her slightly as she watched Damon go.
"Don't worry about him too much, Eloise," Stefan said, rubbing her back slightly and started to lead her back towards the house, "you'll get those stomach pains."
"I can't help it, Stefan." Ellie said with a final sigh as she followed him back into the house, casting one last glance back towards the road.