The Vampire Diaries: Little Shadow

Chapter 1

"It would have been perfect" thought Elena as she was lying on the bed next to someone who'd come crashing into her life. Someone who threw away every illusion that she had created about a future not that far away. She loved him, she didn't care that everything changed because of him, or that even having a future wasn't as certain as it used to be.
 There she was at 04:00am on a Sunday morning concentrating really hard to breathe like she was in a deep sleep, that of course one other thing that this new life of hers has been teaching her.
There was a melody playing in her head, if she hadn't been occupied with Damon thoughts, she might have actually put a little frown on her forehead trying to remember where she'd heard that sad, soulful melody before. A convenient guess might have been her mom's record disc from back on the day.
  She'd gotten used to the noise, to the constant chatter, to the laughs, the whipping noise of the air when someone moved; noise meant safe.
Now that the sun hadn't set in quite yet, it felt too quiet. Silence led her to deep thinking, getting to that part of her mind that one can never reach during the day because of daily occupations.
Somehow in our sub conscience we know that part of us is there, that feeling of self awareness, but to meet it like this...skin on skin, that's one tough task even for her.
If she could find something, do something to lessen those sighs that came from his bedroom, to lessen the snarky comments, the looks of disappointment, the smirks, if only there was something to make him feel a little less left behind, that's what would have been perfect.
What Damon thought he needed was not something she could hand over, not without hurting that precious one lying next to her, not without hurting a big part of herself, a big part of what she is sure to belong to her only.
Her precious one is feeling beyond guilty for knowing all of this...I hadn't intended to be sneaking on her thoughts, I swear. It's just impossible sometimes, all the things I've put her through would have made anyone close up on themselves, but that's not the case with her, on the contrary she's become an open book to anyone who cares enough.
I used to think it was my fault, that without realizing it, I've become the needy boyfriend who wants to know-it-all, but then Damon knows exactly when not to mock her with his daily dose of Damon-ness, and Bonnie knows when to use cinnamon on her coffee and when not and even Jeremy all of a sudden starts saying all the right things. She's like a radiating red neon sign that says READ ME to all of us.
Somehow she finds a way to make everything her fault, so when her thoughts began to escalate I kissed her, it's one of those rare moments that I feel okay, a split second where I believe that I am exactly right for her, that with me she doesn't lack anything, that if we hold on to the kiss we won't be different and I feel happy. I feel happy with her, plainly and simply happy. She rests her head on my chest thinking that her breathing gave her away, she smells heavenly, not her perfume, not her shampoo, just her. The feather weigh of her body makes me relax mine. Feeling bad for having read her thoughts, I tell her mine, except mine are very simple and it takes only 3 seconds and a gesture to show her. I now understand why people put all that effort in making all those books, songs and movies about love.
Even though this moment is one of the most beautiful moments of my existence, I can't help but pick up her thoughts and continue from where she left them off. 

Things on this weirdly, yet stunning world have a way of throwing us to our knees and still making us want to get right back up. That's what happened to Damon not long after Elena had tried desperately to make him feel better, actually scratch that, that's what happened to everyone in the household of "The people who care about Elena".
This is the kind of story I would have totally started with 'Once upon a time' but I can't, because my story has a Damon in it.
Do you know those old cliché movies where a man finds a crying kid in the street on a rainy night, he takes them home, gives them food and blah blah blah, you know the rest of the story yourself. Well that's what kind of happened to Damon too, except of course he didn't buy a meal for her, instead he tried to make a meal out of her. He tried to compel an innocent child one night, that's how far low he had gone. I heard him telling her not to move a muscle in her body, but by divine intervention or maybe just luck something threw us both off, the kid started to fake laugh and when she saw Damon crouch over her to inspect her small figure she started laughing for real, I caught site of this bizarre story only because I happened to be driving around the block that night, just kidding I was on Damon babysitting duty.
It had to be vervain,right? But why would a kid have vervain on her? Does she know? If she knew why wasn't she running for the hills or at least screaming to the top of her lungs? Was she crazy?
  She then stopped, wiped the tears that had welled on her eyes form her uncontrolled laughter and told Damon "Whoops, sorry you were saying what? Right don't move a muscle" she kept a straight face and stood stiff like a soldier. That was one of the very few times that my brother was caught off guard, he turned to look at me with the kind of expression that I had never witnessed Damon show before. I already liked this kid. I got out of the car, the amazement finally starting to fade away. She was so odd.
I had to accept this was something odd, she wasn't a supernatural creature, I could hear her heart beating normally, but then she either had to be a maniac or crazy. Part of me wanted to believe that she was just a poor little thing who'd lost her mind but then I decided that I am in no position to judge anyone and I could see no harm in asking her kindly to ease my curiosity.
  "Please don't be afraid we don't wanna hurt you, we just—" and she didn't let me finish my sentence " I am quite positive that's exactly what your jackass of a brother here wanted to do. Oh and trust me, I am not afraid."
By this point Damon had snapped out of whatever zone he had entered, he was approaching the kid with a pinch of annoyance in his eyes " Alright kiddie, let's cut to the chase, no more playing around, what the hell are you?!"  She was enjoying herself and was even considering not answering at all, she really was insane. Then she answered "I am a vampire...just like you guys", this time it was Damon the one laughing, after he was done he put an arm around me saying "alright, c'mon baby bro, let's not let your girl wait, she must be getting worried".
  He was just getting in my car when this girl ran across the road with inhuman speed and smacked Damon's head, even the hit was too strong to have come from a human, let alone from a—I don't know a 12 year old perhaps?