For the longest time it was just my brother and I, we were the only children that our parents had since it was a surprise that we came into the world together….
Flashback 1838
It was a nice bright, sunny day out for people to enjoy the weather and mingle in the warm pre-summer season where spring was slowly changing to summer. The folks of Mystic Falls all revoled in this time to enjoy nature's bounty of flowers and growing crops, the trees were a lively green and all manners of life were frolicking in the forest. For the Salvatore household, proud prominent figures in the community and amongst one of; if not the second-wealthiest founding families in town, had recently celebrated and announced the newest additions to the family that made them four instead of a couple. The town was shocked when heard the news but were generally happy for the family as any child was a blessing in a time of high infant mortality and unknown possibilities that could happen to a child before reaching adulthood.
The community showered the household with well-wishers and congratulations as the house adjusted to the unexpected arrival of twins instead of the common single birth. Copies of clothing and furniture were spent out as well as increase in slaves and staff to maintain the family as well as the estate. Mr. Salvatore was elated to have both his heir as well as a daughter to dote on and have unite with another of the prominent families within the future. Mrs. Salvatore was still in shock and awe at the little beings that she brought into the world that were pure perfection in her eyes. The news travels all the way across the sea to Italy to the remaining Salvatore family of the happy news and prompted Maria Salvatore, the matriarch of the family, to board a ship to meet her new grandchildren.
It took many months to finally arrive in the Chesapeake Bay and take a train to Richmond and a carriage to the town where her family resided. Maria was a big help to the new parents and loved the children to bits, showering them in love and presents as well as lullabies from the old country. While during her stay, she sensed an entity hanging over the months-old babes as well as a feeling of foreboding that pricked her magic to investigate. After digging and searching for information as well as consulting with the residential witches, being a few slaves from the French providence south of them, found the horrid fate that awaited to be unleashed once more and the horror that would befall her beloved bambinos. Having talked it out and revealing this to her son and daughter, preformed a counter-spell to lessen the chains and allow more freedom while also finding out that her granddaughter took more from her side of the family with magic as well as her grandson having a bit of magic to be considered potent.
Mystic Falls 2009
Stefan rushed through the doors of the boarding house as his nephew Zack came towards him from the parlor. "There was another attack and it wasn't me."
Zack's look of concern and freight matched his uncles as they tried to brainstorm who the offender could be attacking people in the woods. With a hunch on who the culprit, Stefan stormed up the stairs to his room to be greeted by open French doors and a crow on the railing. The crow took flight as it spotted the eternal teen and caused him to duck with on word on his lips. "Damon."
"Hello brother." Answered a slightly older man with distinct black hair and blue- crystalline eyes as well as a permanent smirk on his lips with a trademark black leather jacket and white V-neck combo. The brothers having not seen each other in fifteen years scuffled over the new love interest in Stefan's life, a carbon copy of their ex-lover by the name of Elena. The brawl ended with Stefan throwing them out the second-story window into the backyard with Stefan taking most of the impact with Damon already up and leaning against the garden shed. "I give it a six, missing style but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face thing, it was good." Damon chuckled as he moved closer to his still groaning little brother on the ground.
Stefan huffed as he gained his footing as stood in front of his once hero, "It's all fun and games, huh, Damon? But wherever you go, people die."
"That's a given." Was the nonchalant response he received, shooting an invisible dart into the youngers heart with a thought of his long-gone sister. With more arguing about dietary habits and long made choices, Stefan gave into pleading "Damon, please, after all these years, can't we just give it a rest?"
With a snarl of instant retaliation, "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word."
A final plea of "Stay away from Elena."
"I take that as an invitation." came as its response as Damon made his was towards the back doors of the house. Thinking up one last ditch effort in reigning in his brother, Stefan quickly threw out "What would Issy think of all this if she were here? How would she feel about the way our lives have turned out and what we've become?... What would she think of us and how we're acting towards each other?..."
That was a curve ball and a gut shot that stopped Damon in his tracks. Their sister was always a sore spot for the brothers especially Damon since she was the oldest and his twin that took care of them as they grew up. The silence stretched before Damon continued towards the house with a comment of waking Zack, leaving Stefan alone in the backyard.
…. Night of the Comet
"That's what this is about? You wanna expose me?" snapped Stefan to his older brother on a rooftop in the square, pissed that Damon was holding Vickie Donovan hostage with compulsion.
"No! I want you to remember who you are!" exclaimed the older male, finally getting to the root of the problem in the situation. Damon wanting companionship again with his only remaining sibling. Wanting Stefan to stop kidding himself with the whole 'human feelings' and animal blood feeding to be righteous and moral.
Stefan, not finding his brother's reasoning sound or following his mindset, was done with the poking and prodding; "Why? So what, so I'll feed, so I'll kill, so I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls, let them chain me up and let them drive a stake through my heart, 'cause then at least I'll be free of you. Heck maybe I'll even be able to see Isabella again since I'll be gone."
That stopped Damon, having not expected his brother to add that last bit at the end of their usual bickering and talks about killing each other. Having mentioned their sister again in such a short period of time made Damon hesitate, trying to figure out both his and his brother's next move. Not willing to call his bluff, Damon whispered a forget-me compulsion command to the druggie and released her with only minor injury to the already healing human.
…. Friday Night Bites
After dinner and the surprise visit, everyone was in the living room/ den of the Gilbert house with small talk about the day's events. "You know, you don't—you don't seem like the 'cheerleader type' Elena." Commented Damon after witnessing her at cheer practice from dropping Caroline off earlier.
"Oh, it's just 'cause her parents died. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a 'blah' phase. She used to be way more fun… and I say that with complete sensitivity." Caroline explains while simpering, being completely clueless to her surrounding or the people near her.
Elena, feeling both hurt and betrayed by one of her closest friends, didn't say with words the look her face portrayed allowing her emotions to showcase to the room. "I'm sorry, Elena. I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die." Swooped in Damon, he too feeling the irritation that the blonde instigated as well as sympathy for the brunette across from his seat in a chair. Stefan having a feeling of where the conversation was being steered towards, quickly jumped in to defuse the incoming discord his brother was trying to create and initiate.
"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon."
"Ah, you know what? You're right, Stef. I'm sorry, I—the last thing I wanted to do was bring her up…" he cleverly counter, both achieving his goal while also unknowingly giving his brother ammunition.
"Which her are you perhaps mentioning Damon, you remember that there was her or her during that time." Stefan slyly questioned, appearing as an innocent to the others in the room while sending a direct look towards the intended target. No one other than Damon caught on to the subtle hint that was thrown but still sowed the seeds that Damon planted. Elena and Bonnie were confused over the question but left it alone in the meantime, focusing on the scene in front of them.
…..
"Does it matter?" questioned Stefan, still trying to figure out his big brother's devilish plans for the town as well as its citizens.
"Guess I could seduce her the old-fashioned way. Or I could just…eat her." Responded flippantly of Damon, disregarding Stefan's feelings while surveying their surroundings.
"No, you're not going to hurt her, Damon." Stated matter of factly, feeling confident in his conviction.
"No?" Damon raised an eyebrow, waiting for the explanation that was going to follow that he knew his brother had already hypothesized and prepared to give.
"Because deep down inside there is a part of you that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside you, that you had actually become that monster you pretend to be."
"Who's pretending?" not seeing where Stefan was going with this.
"Then kill me."
"Well, I'm tempted." Damon exasperated with the continuous murder command, making him want to end his brother for once.
"No, you're not. You've had lifetimes to do it and yet, here I am. I'm still alive and there you are. You're still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead and you hate me because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. Well guess what, Issy is dead too and you never let anyone speak about her because you are still in pain over it. And that, my brother, is your humanity."
Behind the veil…
Unseen and unnoticed by the warring brothers in the woods beside the locker rooms, stood another figure that watched the scene play out. The figure was slight and curvy while also being shorter than the taller of the two vampires. They were wearing a dress with full skirt common in the late 19th century made out of fine-quality material. The specter had by watching the two brothers since their return to the town and silently followed them in their day-to-day activities. Long black hair fell to their waist in curls while the breeze tousled them. Blue eyes were glued to the older while he killed the human that wondered onto the pair and a frown pulled at her full lips. Having wondered the woods and area for as long as those two vampires had been reborn, felt both heartache and disappointment as well as resentment towards the frozen duo. Wishing that she could make contact, a thought started forming as her eyes gradually shifted color to another as a spark unconsciously tipped off a young untrained witch in the vicinity.
