Disclaimer: TVD belongs to whoever receives the royalties and that sure as hell isn't me. I just pretend while I'm writing.
Summary: It starts as the taste of him hits her tongue and before all is said and done, tears and blood have been spilled and lives have been lost... but most importantly none of them will ever be the same.
Elena's journey to realization that she's in love with the other brother. AU from the moment Damon forces his blood on Elena. Prequel to Unsuccessfully Saying Goodbye, but can stand alone.
AN: I'm so sorry for the long wait RL got in the way as did a few malicious anon reviews.
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Unwillingly Succumbing to Truth
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gemstones, garments and gourmet meals
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It's been oddly quiet for the past weeks. No supernatural crisis in sight and she isn't sure if that fact is making her nervous or if it's something entirely else, namely a certain blue eyed boy. He's been ignoring her and it's far more bothersome than she could ever have imagined. She thinks her heart just might be breaking.
She's perusing the shops looking for something pretty to wear to graduation... thank goodness for the three very determined parental figures determined to help her get a GED and graduate by the end of the school year... but she's yet to find anything appealing.
For once she's actually on her own and although she's being ignored by a certain someone it feels quite amazing that she, for once, isn't surrounded by her bodyguards. It's then, while she's all alone with only her mind as her companion, that she finds it.
What it is, well, perfection is what the slender brunette finds. She stares at it for quite sometime through the murky glass counter top in the little vintage store that she's in. It's a place she's often in and she's never seen that divine piece of perfect jewellery in there before.
The small gold signet ring is of modest size and has a simple square piece of lapis lazuli that has a particularly beautiful pattern of gold flecks. The dark yet vivid blue of the stone will surely set off the ethereal hue of the eyes that refuse to even look at her any more.
"Would you like a better look at it?" The hippy chic owner of the store questions as she flips her long red hair over her shoulder.
She bites into her plump lip for a moment. "Yes, please." She answers not seeing the harm in having a better look at the beautiful thing even if he seems to dislike the upgraded version of the old Elena.
It has a nice weight to it, she notes at first and then she notices the breathtaking filigree that is creeping up the sides and holding the small stone in place... reminding her of his delicate and complicated yet strong personality. OH GAWD! He's all she can think about any more and it's killing her that he doesn't want anything to do with her any longer.
"I've got a guy that can fix that... if you'd like." The red head says effectively cutting off the slender girls panicked thoughts.
With raised eyebrows she looks up at the woman. "Fix what?" She questions, seeing as she finds the small ring to be one of the most gorgeous things she's ever seen.
"The engraving." She answers with a raised brow. "It's supposedly part of The Sempiternal Pair." The red head adds as if she's supposed to know what the heck that even means.
She reads it over and over again barely believing that the ring already dons the perfect inscription. "What's a sempiternal pair?" She questions while rolling the small gold ring between her fingers making the metal catch the rays streaming through the window.
The clerk smirks seemingly glad to have captured the doe eyed beauties attention. "The Sempiternal Pair: rings of undying love for endless days..." She informs before crinkling her forehead in deep thought. "...or perhaps it was endless love for undying days. I really can't remember, but they're supposedly magical." She adds chuckling a bit clearly finding it silly.
The pretty girl knows better though as she studies the small jewellery with new found appreciation and wide eyes. "Do you know anything else about the other one?" She asks knowing that she's getting at least half of the pair.
"Well, as it's a pair I assume the other is almost identical, but I know for a fact that the other one is for a woman. It has a similar inscription... something about love and the soul." She says scratching her head as she thinks. "Anyway, I have a guy who can remove the engraving and fix the bit of filigree that's loosened there on the side."
"No, the engraving is perfect, but..." She bites down hard on her plump lower lip feeling an idea form. "Can he make a filigree monogram over the stone?" She questions not wanting to risk ruining the spelled rock by engraving it.
"Sure, the guy's never gotten a task he couldn't handle." The red head says grinning goofily. "You'd think he was a magician or something." The brown eyed girl supposes that wouldn't be too improbable considering they seem to be living in a supernatural sink-hole.
Although her brother's the resident artist of the family, the gene is definitely from the Gilbert's. Pulling out a small notepad and pen she begins to draw from memory. "Is there any chance of tracking down the other one?" She questions the grinning woman.
"I could check with the guy I got it from. It's been a few years, but I think I still have his card." The hippy chic red head says as she begins to rummage around behind the counter clearly looking for said card. "Found it!" She adds triumphantly holding up a small business card with absolutely nothing on it.
The slender girl with olive skin looks at the other questioningly. "Does it have a number?" She asks hesitantly wondering if maybe the lady's crazy or if maybe she's been compelled.
"Yeah, right here." She says cheerily tapping the blank little card as she starts to dial and then proceeds to chatter happily into the receiver about the other half of the pair.
Nifty. Vampirism sure has its perks... she'll have to try that one some day.
She stops drawing abruptly wondering where the hell that came from... right... or just hold on a sec... nope, no panic what so ever. Glancing down she studies her little drawing realizing that it's done. A drawing meant for a ring that is a part of a pair; a ring she already knows who she's going to give it to... and the other she wants for herself.
"Sorry, he didn't know where it was." The woman says pulling her out of her musings. "He's a weird one though. Said the ring would find its rightful owner on its own." She gives a very unattractive snort laugh that makes the doe eyed girl want to cover her ears and frown.
So she found this one, so maybe he is supposed to find the other to give to her... BUT he's avoiding her so that might not happen in this century or ever really.
She shrugs her slender shoulders. "Doesn't matter." She says nonchalantly as she rips out the page with her drawing and hands it to the very pleased clerk. "I'd like that in filigree on top of the stone."
The red head takes the paper and ring back and then the two of them hash out the details and the pretty brunette forks out the hefty sum... oh, but it's worth so much more. It'll make sure he understands exactly how she feels about him and hopefully he'll accept it and leave his past in the past.
The rest of her shopping trip passes in a haze as thoughts of how, when, where and what to say when she gives him the precious object take over completely and before she knows it she's back home with several bags filled with only God knows what... she sure can't remember what's in them or even how she managed to carry all of them.
The slender girl struggles with her far too many shopping bags as she tries to get from her car and into her house with them all in one go. Prying the door to her room farther open with her foot she then proceeds to waddle into her room and drop EVERYTHING on the floor as she exhales a long sigh in relief.
"What d'ya have there?" A curious voice says startling her half to death and making her yelp.
She raises her earthy gaze and locks it on a pair of much missed perfectly clear blue eyes. "You're here!" She shouts gleefully, barely managing to restrain herself from jumping up and down while clapping like a complete idiot.
The raven haired boy gives her a strange look that makes her feel more than a little embarrassed about her joyful outburst. "Clearly." He drawls dismissively.
"Great!" Again; she shouts not managing to contain her overjoyed mood. "I need your help." She says grinning, but furrowing her brow as the undead boys face flashes with pained defeat before he manages to slide a nonchalant mask of mild amusement over it.
"Who's trying to kill you this time?" He questions with feigned exhaustion.
She chuckles at his antics as she rolls her big brown eyes at him. "Trying to decide what to wear to graduation is what's killing me." She says while trying to arrange her newly acquired goods so that she can close her bedroom door behind her.
"OK..." He says slowly shooting her another strange look. "... and you need my help with what?"
She shoots him an odd look of her own. "What to wear to graduation." The brunette repeats bending down and rummaging through the various bags trying to get some handle on what she's actually bought.
"Isn't that what your little girlie friend are for?" He asks bemusedly as he plops down on her bed and makes himself comfortable... fiddling with Teddy as he always does. She likes to pretend that he does it because he knows how important the ragged little bear is to her.
Shrugging her slender tanned shoulders she stuffs a few dresses into one of the bags. "Yeah, but you have better taste." She replies and she can see that the comment clearly pleased him just as much as it threw him off guard. "I'll be right back." She says to the rapaciously smirking vampire playing with a stuffed teddy-bear on her bed.
She emerges in an obscenely short red dress that she must not have even tried on before buying it. The beautiful brunette fidgets awkwardly knowing that her cheeks are already tinted crimson.
"No, next one." The boy on the bed utters dismissively with undercurrents of restrained jealousy.
Her dark brows draw together as she studies the angry looking boy. "Is it really that bad?" She asks feeling even more uncomfortable than before.
"Quite the opposite." He murmurs before pointing at the bathroom door. "Next."
She turns and does exactly what he says with bright red cheeks and a very pleased grin covering her lovely face.
They repeat the procedure several times and with each rejected garment the blue eyed boy seems to get more agitated which is not a good sign. She genuinely thought he'd have a bit of fun with her while she gave him a private show... of sorts.
Finally when she enters her bedroom clad in a modest little lavender number does he perk up. "Perfect." He breathes with awe and a bit of bitterness. "That's the one." The boy adds a bit louder as he shoots up off her bed and heads for the door.
"Really?" The doe eyed girl questions disbelievingly which causes the exiting boy to turn back towards her... and she's asking about so much more than just the dress she's wearing.
He lets his powder blue eyes trail up the length of her body, lingering at every drastic dip and curve as if he's trying to memorize the exact way she looks at that very moment. "Yeah." He confirms reverently. "Stefan's back to normal and out and about. See ya'round Gilbert." He says quietly, the lack of the usual spark in his eyes and of sexually charged double entendres slipping through his luscious lips leave the pretty girl slightly baffled.
A sudden feeling of dread washes over her as he turns his back on her and saunters down the hall. Somehow she just knows that if she lets him leave now, she wont be seeing him ever. Panic rises through her and the shards of him embedded in her feel like tiny claws digging deeply into her very being, urging her to go after what is rightfully hers... he just doesn't know it yet.
"Wait!" She shouts after him as he disappears down the stairs, but he doesn't seem to understand that it's him she's calling for. The claws viciously dig deeper, making it hard for her to breath as she stumbles after him as fast as her long legs can manage.
When she hears the front door slam shut she just about has a breakdown. He can't leave, it would destroy her. The claws start to tear at her insides making her bleed painfully as she sprints down the stairs and out of the house. The sensitive soles of her feet pay the price for her stupidity as pebbles and asphalt dig deeply into her skin, puncturing and scraping the delicate skin.
"Wait!" She shouts once more and it stops him dead in his tracks. "Stay." She pants stopping half a step away from him hoping that he understands what she's truly asking of him and praying to whatever deity may be listening that he will do as she asks.
He turns back towards her slowly, his beautiful blue eyes flicking over her face, taking in every nuance of her features. He just stands there silently studying her as if he doesn't know her at all.
Smiling hesitantly she takes that half a step towards him. "Stay." She pleads once more as her fingers itch to touch the beautiful boy standing before her... so she does. Hesitantly she wraps her slender fingers around one of his wrists and tugs gently on it.
His crystalline gaze flicks down to where she holds onto him and she realizes that she's holding her breath as she waits for him to make his decision.
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She pops her head out the open front door finding who she was sent to look for. "Damon!" She shouts causing the slender brunette and her dear friend to turn to look at her questioningly. "John wants to know if you're staying for dinner." The tall blonde says realizing that she may just have interrupted a delicate moment.
"Yeah..." He starts and his gaze leaves the Sheriffs to lock with the gorgeous girls. "...I'm staying." He finishes and her daughters best friend turns towards her with a huge grin on her face as she tugs the raven haired boy after her.
The girl runs upstairs as the blue eyed vampire saunters by her and heads for the kitchen. She trails after her friend with about a million and one questions on the tip of her tongue which she bites. She hasn't earned the right to be asking them... just yet.
"You need any help Jonny?" The vampire casually asks the blue eyed slayer slicing carrots which she finds strange after learning that they'd both attempted to kill each other... with some success.
"Jeremy's making French onion soup as a starter. I'm doing a roast and vegetables so you're on desert duty." The eldest Gilbert in the room answers. "There are fresh strawberries in the fridge." He adds pointing at the appliance with the tip of the knife he's wielding.
The boy immediately slips out off his jacket and strolls around the kitchen pulling varying appliances and ingredients out of their designated places as if he lives there. She can't help but wonder just how many times the blue eyed vampire's been in this kitchen taking care of the humans residing in that particular home. No monster she's ever heard of would do that.
"Can I help?" She asks as little Elena Gilbert, that isn't so little any more, saunters into the kitchen wearing very short shorts and a top... with no bra. Good GOD!
The girl makes her way to the handsome boy and dips a finger into whatever it is that he's making and he playfully swats her hand while grumbling something she can't hear.
"You can help with this." John thankfully offers, handing her a grader and a block of cheese that she doesn't understand what part of the meal it's meant for, but never the less being thankful for being allowed to contribute... even though all sharp and potentially deadly objects are being kept well out of her reach.
She will earn their trust back stronger than it ever was before. The funny thing is that the first person who shows any sign of trust is the boy she actually killed.
"Excellent!" Said boy exclaims when he spots the tall blonde grading cheese. "Thanks." He adds smiling goofily at her before turning to follow her curious gaze that is firmly planted on the disturbingly beautiful couple that aren't actually a couple at all... which sort of baffles her considering how obvious their flirting is.
"Idiots." The boy mouths rolling his eyes and crinkling his nose cutely, clearly thinking the two are as adorable as she thinks they are, but not wanting to admit it. If only her sweet little Caroline could find a nice boy like the Gilbert kid to shower her with all the love she deserves and that she herself never figured out how to show her.
She gives a small secretive smile back to the easygoing boy freely sharing a secret with her. "It's adorable." She mouths back and he amusedly rolls his eyes at her.
"That's enough cheese." He says loudly; meaningfully and she can't help the girly giggle that escapes her and causes John to eye her strangely.
Yeah, she'll earn their trust back and it will all be so very worth it.
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AN: Although Liz is an epically horrendous mother, I still kind of like her and want her to be on the debatably right side of things.
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