The Salvatore Sister

Chapter Eighteen – Two Kisses and a Compulsion

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries. And I sadly never will.

Mystic Falls, 1855

My skirts were spread out around me in an array of fabric and colour around the spot I had taken up on my bed. My breathing was short and rapid, but I did not know if that was because of my restraining – albeit beautiful – corset that was pushing in on my ribs and therefore my lungs – or if it was because of the newly formed memories of the day I had just had. I had spent the entire day with Julien; we had walked into town together – my arm laced through his the entire time – the Julien (or his cook) had packed a picnic and we sat and ate it in the park, then fed our leftovers to the birds. I wanted to scream at the romantics of it all – of course I wouldn't though, because that would be highly inappropriate, according to Mother anyway. Mother and Father seemed very happy that Julien and I were spending time together – they are just ecstatic at the idea of me marrying into the incredibly wealthy Lockwood family – an idea that I am not so adverse to anymore. Damon, on the other hand, was less than happy about my day with Julien. When I had returned home he had sent me so many glares and awful looks I had long since stopped counting them, but for the first time in a long time I couldn't care less about how my brother felt.

I let my eyes wander over to my extensive vanity table where there sat a cluster of gifts Julien had presented me with throughout the day. There was a bunch of beautiful sunflowers that Julien had somehow known are my favourite flowers (I think Mother had informed him); a tall, topaz coloured bottle of perfume; a golden chain with one simple, heart-shaped pendant decorated with intricate, flowing engravings; and my favourite gift – a sapphire and diamond incrusted egg-shaped broach that Julien claimed had reminded him of my eyes – I had blushed rather furiously at that exclamation.

My emotions were so heightened and I was still in a state of bliss from today's events that I had not yet confided in my diary about what happened, and my oh-so confusing and positively lovely feelings I was feeling for Julien. I was just about to dig under my pillows for my trusted, book-shaped friend when there was a gentle tapping at my balcony doors. Curious – and admittedly a little terrified – I hesitantly made my way over to the source of the foreign noise, reaching out, I pulled the satin curtains back to reveal a figure standing at the other side of my balcony door. I jumped back letting out a frightened yelp and was about to call for help when the figure outside spoke with an all too familiar voice, "Amelia, it's alright. It's only me: Julien."

My heart was thumping against my rib cage and I let out a shaky breath, "You scared me, Julien. Don't sneak up here like that."

Nevertheless, I opened up the balcony door, allowing Julien into the room.

"I am truly sorry, Amelia," Julien said, then smiled a wolfish grin, "But I just had to see you again."

"You only saw me about an hour ago, Julien," I informed him dumbly, watching his face as he chuckled lowly at me.

"I know, Amelia. But an hour is far too long a time to go without seeing your beautiful face," Julien smiled at me then turned to glance around my bedroom.

And suddenly, I was blushing a deep scarlet colour, because I had just realised that a male aside from my father or brothers was in my room, looking around with interest. As if coming to the realisation himself I saw his tanned cheeks tinge a pink hue and his eyes fell to his feet.

"I also forgot to give you something earlier today," Julien admitted, mumbling to his feet, and I saw his cheeks turn even pinker.

"You gave me so many gifts today, Julien," I told him, placing my hands on my hips in an attempt to look stern – even though I did want to know what his next gift was, "What more could you possibly present me with?"

Surprisingly, Julien's face became an even brighter colour as he said, "I know it's very inappropriate – I hope you'll forgive me Amelia – but I wanted to give you this..."

Out of nowhere, Julien's face was lowering towards my own and I felt myself unintentionally freeze as I just watched him continue to move his face closer to mine. His large, brown eyes darted up to look into mine as if seeking permission for what he was about to do, and when I made no objection his gaze returned to my lips. I watched as he wetted his lips, and then I could count the freckles on his nose and then my eyes fluttered shut as his lips touched mine. Kissing Julien was so very different to how I had allowed myself to imagine. I had always envisioned his lips to be rough and scaly, similar to the hide of a lizard, but in reality his lips were soft, like the softest silk – as embarrassing and cliché as that sounds. His hands were curled around my small, corset-clad waist as his lips teased mine into action, and I was all too happy to follow his lead. My hands were flat against his broad chest and I could feel his heartbeat under my palm, the erratic beating could only be rivalled by my own over-excited heart. All too soon, we both found ourselves lost for breath and we both pulled away, our lips parting slowly. When my eyes finally fluttered open and I saw him looking down on me intently with a slight smile tugging at his lips.

"I enjoyed presenting you with all of those gifts earlier today," Julien remarked after a moment of silence, and intense staring, "But that was most certainly my favourite."

And I had to say I agreed whole-heartedly with him.

Mystic Falls, Present Day

It was because of that memory that I found myself unable to react to Tyler's kiss. His lips were eager against mine, trying in vain to prise some life out of them. His hands were cradling my face as his lips moulded against mine, and they felt just like Julien's had all those years ago. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to kiss him too fiercely, and hold him too tight – but I just couldn't. My muscles weren't obeying my brain, the brain that was being hugely influenced and manipulated by my heart. Even though I couldn't bring myself to react to Tyler's kiss, I still wanted him to keep going, I wanted him to keep kissing me. So when he pulled away I couldn't help but feel disappointed and guilty that I hadn't been able to give him what he wanted. And I could see it, the disappointment and confusion in his eyes – the eyes that looked way too much like Julien's.

"Alright," Tyler sighed, letting go of my face and taking a step back, "I get it."

"No, Tyler. Let me explain," I said, trying to convey through my eyes just how sorry I was, but he was avoiding my eyes, looking at a spot somewhere behind me with his tongue pressed into the inside of his cheek.

"It's cool, Amelia," Tyler replied, plastering a smile on his face, "But it's just that – for a moment – I thought you actually cared about me."

"I do, Ty!" I insisted, "I – I need to explain. I just..."

"No need, Amelia. You know, I knew it was too good to be true, you being my friend," Tyler muttered without looking at me.

"I am your friend, Ty," I told him, trying to reach for his hand, but he snapped it away like he had been burned.

"You don't have to keep pretending, Amelia," Tyler continued, "I actually believed for a second that you had the same feelings for me as I have for you."

That hit me hard. I felt a blow of hard, hot guilt course through me at his words. A part of me wanted to tell him that whatever feelings he held for me, I felt them too but a bigger part of me still hadn't accepted the feelings – whatever those were – I held for Tyler. This bigger, stubborn part of me was the defence mechanism I had built up in the long years I had spent alone, murdering, a vampire.

"Tyler, I-" I tried to explain - what I don't know. I couldn't exactly tell him that the reason I couldn't kiss him back was because he reminded me so much of his ancestor, my first love; nope, I don't that that would go down too well.

"Save it, Amelia," Tyler snapped, interrupting any sort of explanation I could've given, "If you were my friend you wouldn't of just stood there while I was trying to kiss you – push me away, slap me, I don't care, but don't just stand there, making me feel like the dick in the situation – like I've done something wrong by daring to like you."

"Ty, I'm sorry," I said quickly before he could interrupt me again.

"Yeah, whatever, Amelia," Tyler shrugged, "You should probably leave, I'm sure your brothers are probably looking for you."

After those words had left his mouth, he turned on his heel and left the room without glancing back at me.

"Tyler!" I called after him but was unsurprisingly ignored.

Why do I have to screw everything up? I couldn't help but feel overwhelming guilt at what I had just done – Tyler was obviously humiliated and I couldn't blame him – I would be too, anyone would be. Now, I had ruined things with the only friend I had apart from my brothers.

I took a deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth as I tried to calm myself down – Damon and Stefan would be able to tell at a glance if I was agitated and upset. Although, my plan to control and hide my heightened emotions was thwarted when I looked up and saw a pair of eyes on me. Tyler's infamous uncle was staring at me with a smug smirk on his face and a patronising glint in his eye. Without another glance in Mason's direction, I all but ran from the room.

My brother's weren't too hard to find, maybe because they were both standing right outside the room I had just been in.

Stefan was standing nearest me, watching on as Damon stood in front of a tall, dark-skinned, bald guy with his hands on the guy's shoulders, looking into his eyes – it looked suspiciously like...

"Hey, Stef," I called to my younger brother, putting on a happy façade, "What's going on? What's Damon doing?"

"He's-" Stefan began, but then Damon started to speak to the new guy:

"I need you to pick a fight with someone," Damon commanded, "A kid named Tyler Lockwood."

So Damon was compelling him, I thought so – wait... What? Alarm bells started to go off in my head as I realised what my twin was doing.

"Damon, don't do this," I warned literally a fraction of a second after Stefan uttered the same caution.

"It's just an experiment," Damon told us without taking his eyes away from the compelled dude, and then proceeded to compel him further, "Get him mad. Don't back down no matter what he does, okay?"

"I won't back down," the guy murmured in a complete trance, and I knew he would have nothing else but this impending task on his mind.

"I know you won't," Damon answered, releasing 'the experiment', who scurried off.

"You do realise someone is going to get hurt, right?" Stefan asked Damon, and I felt my younger brother wrap an arm around my shoulders – he obviously thought I need some comfort.

"No, someone is going to get mad," Damon answered, glancing at me, "As in rage."

"And what's that going to accomplish, Damon?" I snapped at my twin, and his eyebrows rose in surprise – obviously at the venom in my tone.

"The Tyler kid is incapable of walking away from a fight. Let's see who intervenes. Maybe the ambiguous, supernatural, mystery uncle..." Damon explained with a smirk, then let his gaze fall on me, "Besides, I have a personal score to settle with the kid."

Stefan and I adorned similar glares on our faces as Damon winked in my direction, nodded towards Stefan and turned on his heel and stalked off with his natural cocky, swagger.

"Stefan, what're we going to do?" I turned to my younger brother, looking up at him with worry evident in my expression.

"Don't worry, Amelia," Stefan said to me, "It'll be fine."

"I've gotta find Tyler," I muttered more to myself than anyone else.

"Relax, Amelia," Stefan tried to soothe me, and I didn't even realise that I was working myself up, "We'll find him."

"But what if he ends up getting hurt? Or what if he hurts that guy and gets in trouble? What if-" I spoke furiously quickly, but Stefan's arms being wrapped around me stopped me talking.

Stefan made a hushing noise and kissed my hair before muttering, "I know you care about him, Amelia. And don't worry, we'll sort it out."

This unfamiliar feeling inside me was freaking me out. I was upset. Worried. About Tyler. A human. I really didn't know what was going on with me, but I intended to find out...

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

HEY GUYS *cricket noises* Oh, I don't even deserve crickets.

I am so sorry. There's not much else I can say about the long wait, and I'm sure you guys don't want to hear my excuses.

And I'm also sorry it's so short, crappy and boring.

Thanks for reviewing/favouriting/alerting everyone. And for being so freaking awesome all the time. I love you dudes.

-Megan