Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. The plot is based on the novel The Cardoss Luck (1974) by Janet Louise Roberts. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: I'm completely messing up this story… the characters just won't cooperate with the original plot, and so things that are supposed to happen doesn't, and the opposite. Thank you for all your kind reviews : ) Enjoy!
FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE
~ V ~
"Niece," John greeted Elena as she left the kitchen after having discussed the menu with Bonnie. Not only did she have to plan the everyday dinners, now there would have to be an even more elaborate menu for the party – one that would appeal to both the townspeople and the guests from Atlanta.
"I do not wish to speak with you, Uncle," Elena snarled and swept past him.
"Not so fast, little girl," he hissed and grabbed her arm.
"Unhand me!" she spat out. "You are a coward and a bully and you are not welcome in this house."
"Is that any way to speak to family?"
"You heard my wife," a strong, cold voice boomed from behind them. "I will have one of the servants pack your bags and arrange for your departure at once."
"Hm…" John smirked at Elena. "Enjoy married life while it lasts." With that, he left them.
"Are you all right?" Damon asked Elena, concern in his voice.
"I am well," she said, brushing off her sleeve and avoiding eye contact. "Thank you."
"I apologize I did not act sooner."
"I appreciate your support."
"I am your husband, after all."
"If you'll excuse me, I have some preparations to make," Elena said and left him without a second glance.
"Where are we going, miss Elena?" David asked excitedly as they set off in the carriage.
"We are going to call on the Mayor and his wife and invite them to the party we will be hosting."
"The party for the Atlanta guests?"
"Yes."
"Why do they get a party? Do they not have a party every day?"
"This will be a big party," Elena explained. "Then, after this party, perhaps they will miss all of their other parties and return to Atlanta."
"Do you really think so?" his face lit up with hope.
"I really hope so," Elena muttered under her breath.
"Mrs. Salvatore, how nice to see you again," Alaric Saltzman beamed as he approached their carriage and helped Elena out. "And young David, how are you?"
"We are both well, thank you, Mr. Saltzman. I was wondering if I could lend your ear for a short while?"
"Well, if you do not mind sharing it with Mrs. Saltzman, I have no objections," he joked.
"Ric, tush!" a strawberry blonde emerged from the house and scolded him. "Why do you insist on speaking such nonsense? And in front of polite company, to make matters worse," she huffed, then turned to Elena and curtsied. "Forgive me, Mrs. Salvatore. I did not mean to intrude."
"Not at all, Mrs. Saltzman. I am delighted to finally meet you. Your nephew speaks so highly of you," Elena smiled warmly.
"I am pleased to hear it."
"Perhaps you both could be of assistance to me," Elena looked between the two. "You see, I am planning to host a party for our visiting guests and I wish to invite the townspeople. Could you assist me in this matter?"
"Of course," Alaric agreed.
"Splendid. Now, I also wish to know if there are any townspeople in need of assistance. I was thinking I would take David to visit Mrs. Daniels. I hear she is in need of encouragement?"
"Yes, the death of Mr. Daniels affected her greatly, I'm afraid."
"Well, we shall do our best to lift her spirits," Elena said and squeezed David's hand.
After getting a thorough account from Alaric on which townspeople were ill or in mourning or otherwise struggling, Elena took David with her to visit them.
The boy watched in awe as Elena did the dishes, cooked and cleaned for the bedridden, held an old woman's hand while she cried, and arranged for work to be done on houses and farm animals to be acquired for the poor.
"I did not have many things growing up," she said to David as they were returning to the estate, "but my mother and father always gave of what they had. Doing things for others is truly a blessing in disguise. It makes us less selfish, and feeds our happiness."
"Will you have supper with me tonight, Miss Elena?"
"Yes, my darling. Of course I will."
"Really?" his face lit up like a candle. "You do not have to eat with the guests?"
"I believe they can spare me for one night," she ruffled his hair. "I much prefer your company."
"Where were you?"
Elena jumped at the sound of the harsh voice in the darkness of her room. She searched for a light, but before she could find it, the room lit up. Rising from his seat in one of the plush chairs, Damon sat down the kerosene light on a table and approached her with feline grace.
"I had dinner with David," she replied casually.
"And left our guests without a hostess. Have you any idea how that makes me look?"
"I doubt I was even missed. I'm sure Katherine or Caroline could assume my duties."
"You are the lady of this house, not they," he hissed.
"What is this, Damon?" she replied angrily.
"What?"
"This… managing me! I am not your property!"
"We have a contract that states otherwise," he said, something shifting in his eyes.
"I… we agreed that that part of the contract would never be fulfilled," Elena said, backing away from his lust-filled gaze until the hardness of the wall ended her retreat.
"And what if I want to renegotiate?" he said in a husky drawl, closing in on her.
Elena could smell the alcohol on his breath, and so she ducked and slipped past him, tugging on the string to call for Emily.
"Good night, Mr. Salvatore," she said, retreating behind her cool exterior.
Emily soon appeared and he had no choice but to leave. Emily said nothing, simply helped Elena undress for the night. When Elena was sure Damon had returned to his guests, she thanked Emily and told her she may go to bed.
After Emily left, Elena lay in her bed, wide awake, her pulse racing. She could not get the look in his eyes out of her head. She thought of barricading the door, but the furniture was heavy and… would it be so terrible if he came to her? Yes. Yes, it would, she told herself. He did not truly want her as his wife; he did not wish to share his time with her, so why would she share her body with him?
When Elena went downstairs for breakfast, she found no-one at the table. Usually the guests slept until noon, so this was not a surprise. Elena let out a sigh of relief and sat down as Emily brought her her morning tea.
Elena heard footsteps descending the staircase and she lifted her head to see the early riser.
"Mr. Lockwood… I mean, Mason," she greeted him. "I must say I am surprised at seeing you up this early."
"I fear I have received some troublesome news from Atlanta and I must take my leave of you at once," he said regretfully as he approached her.
Elena rose from her seat to face him. "Oh dear, is it very bad?"
"It is of a delicate matter. I fear I am not at liberty to disclose it," he said apologetically.
"Oh, I see. I did not mean to pry. You will be missed, Mason."
"I hope I shall see you again very soon, Elena," he said and kissed her hand.
After Mason had left and Emily came to clear the table, Elena looked up at her handmaiden. "Emily…" she began tentatively.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Do you know… did you by any chance…"
"Yes, ma'am. I delivered the telegram to Mr. Lockwood myself."
It was uncanny how Emily always seemed to know the answer to questions Elena was too polite to voice. Elena despised gossip. It was a sign of poor manners and did no good to anyone. But she was also of a very curious nature.
"A Miss Julianne required Mr. Lockwood's presence immediately, it said," Emily elaborated.
"A family member in Atlanta?"
"No, ma'am. Deeper south, and a different family name."
"Did it say why?" Elena could not refrain from asking.
"It seems, ma'am," Emily said in an even lower voice than before, "…Miss Julianne is with child."
Elena felt the color drain from her face. Was Mason the father? No, it could not be true. Mason was an honorable man, a man who… showered his friend's wife with attention… No, she would not assume the worst. All would sort itself out with time. Besides, what business was it of hers if Mason kept a mistress? Who bore him a child… Did Damon have children neither of them knew of? Elena suddenly felt queasy. Why did her thoughts stray to Damon at this time?
"Are you not well, ma'am? Should I draw you a bath?" Emily offered.
Yes, a bath would calm her nerves. "Yes, please."
"We need a fourth for our game," Stefan proclaimed, looking around to only find Tyler and Damon in the room. "Where is Mason?"
"He was called away on urgent business," Tyler answered.
"Well, we cannot play without a fourth," Stefan grumbled. "Where is John Gilbert?"
"He is not welcome in this house," Damon stated coldly.
"Oh, cousin, you are too severe. John is family. I quite enjoyed his company."
"John Gilbert is not your family."
"By extension, yes. He is my cousin's wife's uncle. Does that not make us family?"
"I am bored," Katherine pouted. "Let us go out riding."
"If I cannot play cards, I'd much rather hunt," Stefan groaned.
"Well, you can chase me," Katherine winked and trailed a finger across his broad shoulders.
"That's not much of a challenge," Tyler huffed.
Katherine ignored him. "I have an idea. Let us all play, we can run through the maze in the north garden."
"I hate running," Caroline sighed, then her gaze fell on Tyler, "But I suppose, if we are all playing…"
"What are they doing now, Miss Elena?" David asked, peering out the window of the study.
From the upstairs room, where Elena was currently deciding on wallpaper, they had a perfect view of the north garden. Elena walked over to join David at the window.
"It seems they are playing a game," she said dryly.
"Hide and seek? But they are not children."
"Some of them are," Elena muttered under her breath.
"Miss Elena?"
"Even grown-ups can play games, David," she said patiently.
"I suppose. Look, it seems Miss Forbes had been found," he pointed to the maze where the dark head of Tyler Lockwood had caught up with the curly blonde.
Elena quickly steered David away from the window. "It is time for your lesson, David. Jeremy should be here shortly."
She cast a last glance out the window to see Damon chasing after Katherine and she felt nausea rising again.
Knowing she was expected at dinner, Elena put on one of her finest gowns, a winter-white and grey dress with a low waistline, wide skirt and lace-trimmed neckline, exposing her delicate shoulders. Her hair was pulled back and fell in ringlets down her back. She looked stunning, like an Ice Queen worthy of the name. She also put on an air of indifference, adding to her frosty reputation.
As Elena instructed the serving staff, making sure everyone's glass was filled and their plates never empty, she was under constant scrutiny. With Mason gone, she had lost her only supporter. She could hear the ladies whispering amongst themselves, but she ignored them.
Caroline's and Andrea's whispers did not escape Damon's ears, though, and while his eyes were fixed on Katherine and Stefan for the most part of the dinner, he could hear them insinuating that Elena had reverted to her old ways now that Mason had left, and that he had been the only one to even come close to melting the Ice Queen. The thought filled him with more rage than he cared to admit.
Stefan kept insisting Damon bring back John Gilbert, and he finally relented. Elena heard the news from Emily and took to her room. She left only to have supper with David and read him his story.
She sat by her window, looking out at the garden, the gazebo appearing even whiter in the pale light of the moon. She was freezing in her thin silk night gown and peignoir, but she did not care. Who would care if she fell ill, if she died even? Her uncle would rejoice… or perhaps not, not as long as she was still married. So she sat, unmoving, until she heard the door to the other room open and close. Damon was back in his room.
Fury surging up inside, she left the windowsill and pushed the door open to his room.
"Elena?" he looked up in bemusement, stilling in the unbuttoning of his shirt.
She didn't say a word. Instead she strode up to him and, with all the force she could muster, slapped him. Then she turned and, returning to her room, slammed the door shut behind her.
In a matter of seconds, that same door flung open and Damon's burning gaze was looked on her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he growled and slammed the door.
"How could you, Damon? You let that man back into our house when you know how I despise him. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"
"I don't like it any more than you do."
"Then why did you invite him back?"
"I didn't. Stefan did."
"Your cousin? What does he have to do with anything?"
"This is all about him!"
"Right… and I suppose he is the reason you chase Katherine Pierce around? Get out, Damon. I do not wish to hear it," she hissed and turned away from him, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Will you just listen to…" Damon grabbed her arm and spun her around, his hands coming to grasp her upper arms.
"You're cold…" his expression shifted from frustration to concern.
"Yes, I am the Ice Queen. I know. Let go of me."
"No, you're freezing, Elena," he said, running his hands up and down her arms, causing friction to warm her frozen skin. "Why are you so cold?"
"I was sitting by the window," Elena shrugged.
"In this?" he said, indicating the thin fabric in her night gown. "You could catch death."
"So what?" Elena said, removing herself from his grasp. "It is not as though I would be missed."
"Where did you get that idea?" Damon frowned.
"Look around, Damon. I am not wanted here. I would not even be here if it weren't for the money I…"
"You do not believe you are wanted? You could not be more wrong," he said fiercely and closed the distance between them, tangling his fingers in her hair to hold her in place while his lips crashed down on hers.