Icy water hits warm skin. Frozen branches move in the wind. Flames are put out in the cold wasteland. Blue eyes stare as the murderer of the bunnies strikes again...
Cerulean eyes watched as two figures ate dinner. Standing outside of the restaurant and in the cold, Damon grimaced. He couldn't help but feel the slightest bit upset that she had agreed on going out on a date with his little brother right after kissing him. He scowled at the thought, still wanting to focus on getting Katherine out of the tomb. The Founder's Day Dance was coming, though; it would be his chance.
His hearing sharpened as he forced himself from his thoughts. They were speaking of Founder's Day. He focused back in on their conversation.
"I don't know..." That was Elena.
"You said you don't feel close to me. This could help."
When had that been said?
"...sure. Yeah."
Damon receded into the darkness, thinking on this new development.
B.G.
Staring at her front door, Elena rubbed her arm with a gloved hand out of nervousness. Her dress was beautiful and perfectly portrayed the time in which Mystic Falls had been settled. She stared at the door, awaiting the sounding bell to inform her of Stefan's arrival. Anxiously, she looked at her watch, wondering if he was going to be late.
At that thought, the doorbell rang and she hurriedly grabbed her small purse, heading to the door. She swiftly opened the door, hoping it would end her anxiety. Black, polished shoes. She slowly lifted her eyes, taking in the surprisingly-scrumptious form before her. Stefan had nice arms, but not quite that nice...
She blinked, eyes focusing on the person's face. "Damon?" She barely had time to take in his smug smirk before he was pushed aside, Stefan glaring at his brother.
"He refused to be left behind," Stefan said, exasperated. Elena could hardly keep back a grimace. She wished Stefan had brought someone unattractive along, because his attraction paled when he was next to Damon.
"My, my," said Damon, elbowing Stefan. "Doesn't she just look like she fell out of the 1850's?" Stefan shot a strange, irritated look at his brother, before reaching out a hand to Elena.
Eying the two of them strangely, she accepted Stefan's hand.
"Ready to go?" asked Stefan.
S.W.
Damon couldn't place the strange feeling in his chest, as he watched his brother dance with Elena. He shook his head. He had better things to do than watch Stefan and Elena all night. He needed to get his crystal.
"Well, hello there." The voice was accompanied by a pretty blond girl, a friend of Elena's. Damon could tell right away she had self esteem issues. Perfect.
"Caroline?" he asked, recalling her name as he flashed his bright blue eyes at her. It didn't even take compulsion to charm the average girl.
"That's me," she said, smile brightening at the attention. "And you're Damon, right?"
From the corner of his eye, he could see Elena looking at him. His smile was more of a smirk, really, as he took Caroline's hand. "You remember, but then again I'm hard to forget. Accompany me upstairs?"
B.G.
Matt crept up the staircase of the old, magnificent Salvatore house. Admittedly, what he was doing was stupid. Not to mention wrong. Sneaking into the house of anyone was bad, but someone that was possibly a vampire?
However, his sister had already died, and now Elena was surrounded by the possible murderer. He had to find something concrete. Something to prove to her that she wasn't safe. She may not have been with him anymore, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to still look out for her.
He flinched as the floor creaked loudly, even though he knew the brothers were at the Founder's Day Ball. He had taken the only chance he knew he could get, but still felt jumpy, as if he'd be caught any moment.
"What're you doing here?" came a voice.
Matt froze, looking down the staircase. At the bottom stood a brown haired, brown eyed man of average height. "I... uh... just..."
The guy raised a brow. "Snooping?"
"No!" Matt exclaimed, cursing how obvious he was being.
The man laughed. "Like I care. Go ahead. Just don't touch my room and we're good. But just be warned, if Damon finds out you touched his things, he won't be happy."
"Wait, what?" asked Matt, but the man was walking away, soon disappearing through a door. He was tempted to just leave right then, but he doubted he'd ever get an opportunity like this again. Taking a few deep breaths, he continued on his trek. He entered the first door he saw, finding a decent sized bedroom. Where to start?
He walked through the room, just glancing at everything, when a picture caught his eye. He stared at it, picking it up. It was attached to a piece of paper, with the name Katherine under it, as well as the date 1864. It fell from his trembling hand, as he stared at it with disbelief. The picture... was of Elena.
S.W.
Caroline giggled, following The Super Hot Guy up the stairs. "Where are we going?" she asked, grinning.
"Just going to find something that's mine," he said, guiding her into a room. She waited happily for some macking time. Any second now, and those perfect lips would be hers.
Suffice to say she was confused when he pulled apart a random jewelery box and took a gem out of it. "...what is that?"
"A crystal."
"And you're just gonna take it?" She reached out, and he lightly slapped her hands away. "That's stealing!"
"It's not stealing if I put it there. Now calm down."
"No, I am not going to calm down. You're breaking things and stealing things and..." She broke off as bright blue eyes locked with hers, gulping as he stepped closer. She took a step back, somehow feeling like she was in danger. A strong hand gripped her chin, as a compelling voice filled her head.
"You are going to calm down and forget all about this. Do you understand?"
She stared blankly, mind fuzzy. "I understand." She said the words, but neither felt nor heard them.
...what was she doing against the wall? Ooo, Mr. Hottie was cupping her face with his hand. Where had she been during this development? Well, no time like the present... She leaned in for a kiss.
Except... she was all alone. "Damon?" she called out. "Hello?" Frowning, she left the room, peeking around for the guy. Maybe he'd gone to the bathroom...? She descended the stairs, glancing over the dance floor. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted him. He was approaching Elena and Stefan. Of course. He wants Elena...
She wasn't going to let him get away that easily.
B.G.
"Your ancestors... also signed this registry?" Elena traced the names through the protective glass. Damon and Stefan Salvatore... their names were on the original registry... "Why do they have the same exact names?" She glanced at Stefan.
"That's because-"
"The original Salvatore brothers."
She glanced up, surprised to see Damon standing there. "Original Salvatore brothers?" she repeated. Stefan placed a hand on her back. Possessively, perhaps? She wanted to move away from him, but didn't know how to without being rude. And besides, why was it she didn't want him touching her possessively when Damon was around? Why did it even matter? "Let's not bore her with family history."
"No, that's not boring. I'd love to hear about it," she said, taking a step towards Damon. Stefan stepped with her, as to keep his hand on her back.
"Hey you," Caroline said, coming out of nowhere and resting a hand on Damon's shoulder. Elena couldn't help the anger that rose up within her at the gesture. "Want to dance?"
"Actually, I was telling Elena here a story. Why don't you and Stefan dance?"
At the suggestion Caroline rolled her eyes. "Because I want to dance with you. Besides, Stefan is here with Elena."
Damon seemed to fight back a frown with a tight lipped smile. "Very well then, Elena, would you like to dance?"
The brunette cast a glance at her date before taking Damon's hand and moving onto the floor with him. She tried to ignore the tingles that were spreading quickly through her being at the contact and keep in mind the reason for dancing with Damon. "You mentioned your ancestors?"
"Yes, the original Stefan and Damon Salvatore. We were actually named after them."
"What's their story?"
"Same as any, I suppose. They both fell in love with the same girl and ended up losing their lives for her. You see, we Salvatore brothers seem to have a curse in that department."
Though he hadn't shown it, she somehow felt a bitterness underlying his words. She gently squeezed his shoulder with her gloved hand, offering him a sympathetic smile.
No words followed, as sound was unnecessary. They moved together, fluidly, to the beat of the song, entranced by the gaze of each other, satisfied by the company of one another. His attention was solely directed at her, and it sent her heart aflutter, cheeks feeling warmer. Though she wasn't embarrassed. No embarrassment could exist in such a moment. No, she just felt... peaceful.
A voice broke in on her lovely moment, and she felt a scowl trying to overtake her features. "Hey, dance is over. Give me my date back, Damon." Elena took her eyes from Damon's, instead looking at the man she for some reason called her boyfriend.
"Why don't you ask her to come to you yourself? Afraid she'll say no?" taunted Damon.
Suddenly, it clicked. They were putting her in the middle. She was like their new 'Katherine'. She ripped herself from Damon's still-lingering hold. Shooting them both glares, she turned and stormed from the manor. She could hear Stefan calling after her. She didn't care.
The cool night air did little to calm her anger. Her hurt. What was she to them? And why were they both so into her? There were trillions of people on the planet, and while, yes, Mystic Falls was more limited, there were enough girls that the Salvatore's shouldn't have to fight over one. Was she just part of some trivial competition? Whoever gets the girl wins?
There was no way she could be with either of them if they kept this up.
"Elena, why don't you come back inside with me?" It was Stefan. He had finally reached her.
As it so happened, she wasn't in the mood to be reached. "Stefan..." She made sure to stare straight into his eyes, standing up at her full height. "What am I to you?"
"...what? Elena, did Damon say something?" The worry in his eyes only further upset her.
"Does it matter? What does he have to do with what I mean to you? Is it because I'm like some chew toy between the two of you? Whoever gets me is the alpha dog?"
"No, Elena, of course not. Damon is just putting things in your head- trying to ruin our relationship." He took her hands into his. "Don't you see? This is what he wants."
She yanked her hands from his grip, stuffing them into her pockets and out of reach. "I'm not asking about what he wants. I'm asking about what you want. From me." He opened his mouth, perhaps to reply, but she was done with his stupid responses. He gave no answers- just excuses. "Don't. Just don't, Stefan. Until you can give me an answer, we're done."
S.W.
Elena stared unseeingly at the house across from hers, the cold of her patio porch seeping through her thin dress. She couldn't go in. Not yet. Not to Jenna's questions about why she was home early, or about how her date went.
She looked up at the sound of approaching steps, narrowing her eyes at the thought of Stefan. She relaxed ever-so-slightly when her eyes settled on Damon. "What are you doing here?" she questioned.
His expression suggested that even he wasn't sure. It was a second before he answered, perhaps gathering his thoughts. "I was just passing by." He searched her eyes. He must have seen what he was looking for, because he lowered himself so he was seated beside her on the porch. "I heard your fight with Stefan."
She sighed. "Is that why you're here? To rub it in?"
"Yeah. I took time out of my day just to come here and mock you," he joked. Light tone fading into one of seriousness, he said, "I was making sure you're ok."
Elena gazed at him, unsure what to make of it all. "Damon, what exactly do you want from me? What am I to you?"
She had been expecting some sarcastic comment, or perhaps a brush off. So, when he gently framed her cheek with his left hand, skin tingling from the contact, she was taken aback. "What are you to me?" he repeated. "You're the one person that can take everything else in the world out of my mind, and replace it all with thoughts of you. You're the one person that I desperately wish to touch... but also to protect and keep safe. Elena, you're the one person that's going to be my undoing." His eyes reflected the sincerity of his statement, even as they portrayed confusion.
Elena felt tears pricking at her eyes, unused to such passion being directed at her. She lifted a hand, placing it over the one on her face and intertwining their fingers. He gently wrapped an arm around her, and she snuggled up to his side, watching the streetlight-darkened sky.
B.G.
Miss Flowers' Bed and Breakfast. The sign shone brightly over the dimly lit motel. A dark-haired woman stood in lingerie in front of a mirror in her room.
"So why are we going to Mystic Falls again?" asked a sandy blond male lounging, hair disheveled, on the bed.
"I told you, I have some business to take care of there," she said, pursing her lips at her reflection.
"But Katherine," he complained, "there's nothing there for us. Visiting will just bring up unwanted questions with my family and then there's the full moon coming up..."
"It is precisely for that reason that we need to go. I left something there, and I need you to retrieve it for me. After that we'll never have to set foot in that town again. We can go wherever you wish, Mason."
'Mason' smiled at this, getting up from the bed. He wrapped his arms around Katherine's lithe form. "Then to Mystic Falls it is."
Disclaimer: Don't own. How is it possible? After all these years of thinking I owned- nah, never mind.
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