Familiar Faces and Memories:
After about an hour that tow truck, Caroline called still hadn't come. Elena was getting more concerned by the minute. It was already dark outside. "Are you sure the tow's coming? We've been waiting for ever." She complained as she walked around the car.
"Maybe they're just caught in traffic?" Beth said leaning on the car door. "It's weird though."
"I know, it is weird, they said they'd be here by now." Caroline told them. Elena sighed.
"Yeah. I'm just going to call Jenna." Elena decided. As she was about to take her phone out of her pocket, Caroline stopped her.
"No!" She shouted and Elena and Beth looked at her weird. "Let me try the tow people again. And I'll use my mad girl voice." Elena was nervous about Stefan though.
"Can we just walk from here?" She asked her. She looked for Beth, for backup.
"It's not that far away." Beth agreed. She didn't want to worry Elena but it was kind of strange Stefan not answering his phone.
"I can't leave my car." Caroline told her as though it was obvious.
"We'll come back for it." Elena said.
"Just give me a minute, Elena!" Caroline asked getting irritated with her persistence. Beth didn't understand what was up with Caroline. She didn't usually act like this.
"Caroline, what part of 'I'm worried about Stefan' didn't sink in?" She asked her, stressed.
"Elena, it's okay. I'm sure he's okay." Beth comforted her putting a hand on her shoulder.
"What's the rush?" Caroline asked throwing her hands up in the air. "Why are you hurrying to get to a relationship that will never work?" Elena was shocked that she said that.
"Okay, look. I know you're upset over Matt but will you stop projecting it onto me and Stefan, please?" Elena said. Caroline wouldn't stop though.
"I'm not projecting anything!" Caroline yelled frustrated. "You're human, he's a vampire. You're going to be 70 and in diapers and he's still going to be smoking hot and you will never have his children, Elena! And you are too maternal to not have children!"
Elena and Beth were both taken aback by her outburst. This was definitely out of the ordinary for her. "Where is this coming from?"
"I'm just trying to be your friend." Caroline defended herself.
"Okay, well, do me a favor and stop trying." Elena said upset at her. Caroline looked a bit guilty at her outburst as the tow truck, finally pulled up behind her.
"There's the tow, I'm going to walk." Elena decided turning but Caroline caught her arm.
"No! Elena, don't!" She begged. Beth stopped her too.
"Elena it's dark out you shouldn't go alone." Beth reasoned. She was human and she couldn't protect herself like Beth and Caroline could.
"Caroline you're hurting my arm." Elena said to her at Caroline's iron tight grip.
"Don't leave me alone!" She pleaded, with wide eyes.
"Caroline, let go of her." Beth told her.
"What's wrong with you?" Elena asked her pulling out of her grip.
"Hey there, someone call about a flat tire?" The tow guy asked from out of his car window. Elena turned to Caroline.
"She did." She told him as she walked away. Beth knew she couldn't stop her so she went after her, ignoring the calls of Caroline. Beth and Elena walked down the street to the Salvatore boarding house. Elena was fuming and worried. "What the hell is up with her?" She asked.
"I have no idea. I'm sure it's just the stress and frustration of getting used to the vampire thing. Her emotions are heightened. She didn't mean that, Elena." Beth told her, truthfully. No matter how Caroline was acting she wouldn't say that to her friend. Elena nodded and they continued to walk until they got to the house.
The door was unlocked like always. "Stefan?" She called out as she walked in with Beth. They walked into the empty living room. "Stefan?" She called out again. Beth felt someone behind her. They both turned around.
"You must be Elena." She greeted her. Beth couldn't help but be shocked. She looked exactly like Elena, minus the curly hair. They both stared at her as Katherine walked around her doppelganger.
"How is this possible? How do we look alike?" Elena asked looking at her. Katherine trailed a finger around her neck and Beth saw Elena stiffen at her slight touch. "You're asking the wrong questions." She chuckled.
Katherine smirked as she walked around Elizabeth, as though she finally noticed her. "Elizabeth? Well, well, well, you haven't changed a bit have you?" She asked, as she looked her up and down.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Beth said, nervously. "You're Katherine?" It was weird how she looked exactly like the girl behind her. They were like twins and Elena seemed to think the same thing.
"Oh, come on. 1864 wasn't that long ago. Are you still upset about me taking Damon?" Katherine smiled crossing her arms across her chest. There was something different about her though. She came close to her and listened, there was a steady heartbeat coming her chest. "Huh, interesting. You're still human. Impossible."
"What the hell are you talking about?" She asked her, getting angry at her vagueness. Katherine grabbed her neck and shoved her against the wall and Elena gasped. Katherine's hand started to burn though as Beth looked at it. She hissed and quickly removed her hand.
"But still a powerful witch, I see." Katherine gave a hard laugh. She turned hearing Stefan come up. "Nice trick. I'll be seeing you." She promised before disappearing out of the house. Elena ran up to her as Stefan ran up to her.
"Are you okay?" She asked as Stefan looked at her and Beth just nodded.
"Are you okay?" Stefan asked Elena.
"Not really." She told him truthfully shaking her head. "Are you okay?" She asked him.
"Not really." He told her as he hugged her. They held onto each other tight while Beth just stood there replaying the scene that just happened. This night just got stranger.
Beth finally got home and went straight to her room. After the whole Katherine encounter, Stefan drove her home. Alaric was probably still at Jenna's house. She left her car so he could drive it home. Day hopped on her bed and sat right in front of her so she would be forced to pet him. Katherine knew her. What did that mean? Was Damon right? It was completely impossible though. But then again, werewolves, vampires and witches used to be impossible too. She lay on her bed, in silence trying to figure everything out. She felt her phone vibrate underneath her. She took her phone out from her pocket to read the text message.
"Need to talk now. Come over." It was from Damon. Okay, she thought that was a little weird seeing as he was backing off. And how did she get her number anyways? It probably was Alaric. It must have been important if he needed to see her right now. She sighed as she got off her bed and left.
Before she could even knock on the door to the Salvatore house, it opened. Damon stood there looking, slightly concerned. His worries seem to melt away when he saw her and let her in. "So what's so urgent that you needed to see me right away?" She asked a she walked into the living room.
"I saw Katherine and she told me that she saw you today. What did she want?" He asked her as he walked in behind her.
"It doesn't matter." She stated but she could see Damon getting frustrated. She didn't understand why he was so worried.
"Yes is does." He said through clenched teeth.
"What does it matter? She didn't do anything to us. Elena's safe, Stefan was there." Beth said annoyed. Damon grabbed her arm and pulled her close, not caring if she was scared of him anymore. She jumped a bit at his sudden movement. She had to understand. She wasn't taking Katherine seriously and she was going to get hurt.
"Listen to me! This isn't about Elena. Katherine is dangerous. She's cold-hearted manipulative little bitch. If you piss her off for any reason she will kill you without blinking. Don't you get that? She will kill you! Understand?" He asked her his eyes boring into hers. She saw a familiar glint of concern in his eyes. For some reason he was worried about her.
"Okay, you want to know what she said? She kept asking me if I was upset about her 'taking you' in 1864. What the hell did that mean?" She asked him equally frustrated.
His brow was furrowed in concentration. "It doesn't matter. You don't trust me or believe me anyways." He shot back. She sighed as he walked over and to the wet bar. She messed up she knew that.
"Damon…I made a mistake." She admitted. Surprised, he looked up from his drink. "I've been told what to do since I got here. I've been told who to trust and who to stay away from and that's mostly been you. I haven't given you a chance. And I haven't believed you because I'm honestly scared of what I'm going to find out about my past because if I'm here that obviously means something didn't end well. So, I'm sorry." She apologized sincerely.
Damon was a bit shocked that she actually decided to trust him. He gave her a small smile, which was rare for him. It was something only Beth could get him to do, at times. "Will you tell me everything?" She asked him sitting down. He hesitated but he couldn't say no. He nodded as he sat down across from her with a drink in his hand. He was going to need it.
xxxxx
Elizabeth kneeled and hid behind the hedge, quietly with her sword brandished in her hand. She stayed quiet to hear him coming. She heard him right behind the hedge. She smiled a bit as she stood up and turned to face him, her sword at his throat. Damon smiled a bit as he used his own sword to block hers. He took swish at her but she dunk and ran off with a laugh. He followed after her through the lawn. She loved playing on the Salvatore property. It was so huge and there was plenty of room. Sadly, Stefan couldn't come today. She stopped and turned a Damon took another swish at her sword but she blocked and she glided her sword across his and came in close. "You're getting better at this." Damon smirked. "But still not as good as I." He told her as he pushed her back and she fell on the grass. She held out her hand, protectively and he accidentally cut her hand. She closed her eyes and put her head down, her hair covering her face and she began to sob. Damon saw the blood and immediately felt bad. He bent down beside her. "El! Ellie! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that" He apologized quickly. He never meant to hurt her.
She let out a small laugh as she stood up and began fighting again, much to his surprise. She finally got the upper hand and got the sword out of his hand and had the blade of her rapier at his throat. "Not as good as you, huh, Damon?" She smiled, victoriously. "Looks like I won!" She bragged.
He was annoyed she tricked him but he couldn't help but smile with her. She had practiced for a while. "You tricked me, it doesn't count." This was the norm for them, though during this time women weren't thought to be capable of handling a weapon, Damon taught her and she was just as good as he was now.
"What was that saying you told me? All is fair in love and war." She winked at him. She dropped her sword from his face. She laughed happily. They had been friends for a few years and they would never think about really hurting each other. He stood up and tore a piece of his shirt off to wrap her hand.
"I believe I did say that. Well, a promise is a promise. I'll got with you to the Founder's party." He grinned at her and she smiled. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they headed back up to the house. "Besides, Elizabeth Brownstone you'll have the most handsomest bachelor in Mystic Falls with you."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever you say, Day." She said using his nickname. She saw his attention over at Katherine who was taking a walk. She smiled and waved at him and he waved back. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I though you were going to take Ms. Pierce." She asked.
"Of course not, I'm going with my best friend." He said finally turning his attention back to her. He could see the look of disbelief on her face. "What is it?"
"It's not just because Stefan is going with her and you can't?" She asked him. She knew that he would rather be going with her and she looked down hurt. Every since Katherine arrived, Damon hardly ever had time for her. She felt like she was losing him. Damon stopped them and turned to face her.
"No, baby brother was already going to take her and I was going to ask you anyways." He assured her and Elizabeth wasn't entirely convinced. "El, I'm not picking her over you. I like her but you're my best friend. I want to have some time with you before you leave." He told her sadly about her trip to England. She would be gone for leaving in a week.
"Don't try to make me feel guilty, Damon. I know that's what you're trying to do. I'll only be gone a few months. I just have a weird feeling about Katherine." She told him as she bit her lip.
Damon grinned cockily at her. "And it's not because you're jealous?" He asked her and she scoffed. "I like her, Elizabeth. I've never met anyone like her before. She makes me feel amazing." He told her sincerely. She had never heard him talk about a girl like that before.
Elizabeth sighed. "Okay, I understand. Just be careful, please." She asked him as he wrapped an arm around her waist again as they started walking again. She stopped and he looked confused. She grinned. "Race you back to the house." She said taking of, leaving him standing there. He chuckled and ran after her.
"Wait, wait, wait! So, let me get this straight. We went to the first Founder's ball together? While Stefan and Katherine went? After I beat you in fencing?" Beth asked him. Damon lounged out on the couch. He sat up straight. She was interested now after he had just told her how she made him go to the first ball.
"Yeah pretty much. That was the sword." He said pointing to the hanging weapon on the wall. "And the scar on your left palm, I gave that to you when we were fencing." He smirked at her turning her hand over to reveal it. She was shocked. She always thought that was her birthmark.
"But woman didn't fence back then. Especially against men." Beth said. She knew that for a fact.
"Yeah but you did." He told her and he couldn't help but smile a bit thinking about her challenging him to teach her. She of course knew that anything Damon could do, she could do. "And you actually kicked my butt a few times." He admitted sullenly.
"Of course I did." She grinned at him and he rolled his eyes at her. But the way they were now. It was familiar and Damon liked it. She was even in the same position she usually was when they talked. She was lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling listening. "Why did I leave?" She asked him and he frowned a bit at the memory.
"Your mother wanted you to get out and visit other places. She didn't want to keep you stuck here in Mystic Falls. So she shipped you off the England to stay with family friends." He told her what he remembered her telling him.
"Do you have an idea of my life in England? Did I tell you anything when I came back?" She asked him eagerly. He sighed. He didn't want to break it to her this way but he wasn't going to lie to her.
"You…didn't come back, El." He said softly. Beth was about to ask more but she saw the look on his face. She knew what he meant. She died sometime in England. She nodded, understanding. He changed the subject. "But from what you sent in letters you loved it there."
"It's funny. I've always wanted to go to England. And I've been and now I can't remember a thing about it." She sighed. Damon wore an amused smile on his face as he saw her thoughtful expression. "What did I tell you?"
"You mostly went on about the music, the theater. How you missed me oh so much. How it was beautiful there. How you missed me so much." He repeated nonchalantly.
"How I missed you?" She asked him in disbelief.
"You were practically begging me to come and get you." He told her dramatically and she rolled her eyes at him. "You also mentioned these 3 brothers you met. I remember distinctly that you said that they were very charming but you didn't like one of them. You said you had a bad feeling." Beth furrowed her eyebrows. She wished she knew who he was talking about. "From what you said the other two had quite the crush on you." He said wiggling his eyebrows at her.
"I highly doubt that, Damon." She laughed at him. It was the first time he had seen her truly laugh in a while. He had missed seeing her happy. Her smile actually reached her eyes this time.
He shrugged. "I'm just going off what I know! I bet if you saw them again, you'd remember. It was funny how you used to talk about them. Maybe they were vampires." Damon said jokingly.
"What are the odds that they would be vampires and I would ever meet them again? In Mystic Falls of all places! It's so not going to happen." She told him. He just smirked at her. "Changing the subject, what else happened?"
All night Beth kept asking Damon questions about the past and what happened, avoiding the one question she didn't want to know just yet. Damon happily answered every other one she had though. He hoped that talking about their times together would get her to remember some of it. Damon, for the first time in a while was actually happy. He had his best friend back, even for a while. It might have been temporary. It wasn't exactly the same as it was before, and she didn't completely trust him yet but she didn't hate him. She was giving him a chance. It was a start.
