'love?' when you live as long I have, 'love' is a surprisingly rare occurrence, something that many would have given up on. Yet, as I look into the eyes of the man in front of me - his innocent blue eyes filled with hope of what life holds and fear...
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I have to leave.
Mystic Falls- 1864
Isabella
"Damon, I wish it was that simple," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper, weighted with sorrow. His hand gripping mine in a desperate silent pleading for me to stay. His touch was a lifeline, but also a chain binding me to a fate I couldn't accept. I had to run, if I stayed my death was certain. I can not stay here any longer, I have to run.
"You don't have to leave, we will think of something " he said, begging me to stay, his ocean blue eyes shining with unshed tears. "....anything".
"She is here, which means I have to leave....." I said with a shaky voice. "soon he will follow her and come here, I can not risk it.'' This is unfair, for once I am happy and the universe wants to do this and send her right where I live. The unfairness of this situation is killing me. "I cannot be here.." My brother - Niklaus - was hellbent on pursuing the Doppelgänger who got away all those years ago, the one I helped escape. And now, she is here. Katerina is here, which means my brother would soon follow to claim his revenge. Just as I was getting used to things here...
Months turned into years, and years into decades, yet the spectre of my past continued to haunt me, an ever-present shadow lurking in the corners of my consciousness. Each day was a battle for survival, a relentless struggle to stay one step ahead of him that pursued me.
I became a master of disguise, blending seamlessly into the tapestry of anonymity, leaving behind a trail of false identities and forgotten lives. I had spent months as a silent, invisible inhabitant of this town. I will come back, I had to come back, I always do. This is my home, at-least this was my home. Nobody suspected a thing about me, suspicion was high enough on this town and I wasn't one to add to this hysteria. Who would suspect a girl?
His grip on my hand tightened, his fingers intertwined with mine as if holding on for dear life. "Isabella, We can figure this out together," he insisted, his voice trembling with emotion. "I won't let you face this alone." The warmth of his touch, the sincerity in his eyes, threatened to unravel the walls I had built around my heart. But I knew that staying would only invite destruction.
"I wish it was that easy," I whispered, this human is willing to stand up for me, against the unknown, "But I can't let you sacrifice anything for me."
My tears finally spilled over, I gently pulled away from him, the ache of leaving him behind tearing me apart from the inside out. But I knew that it was the only choice I had.
He gently cupped my face and wiped away the tear that fell from my eyes with his thumb. Damon looked down, his eyes strung as he blinked hard, not letting himself cry to no avail. He had to say it, at least once, before it's too late.
" I love you, Isabella"
'love?' When you live as long as I have, 'love' is a surprisingly rare occurrence, something that many would have given up on. Yet, as I look into the eyes of the man in front of me - his innocent blue eyes filled with hope of what life holds and fear which was also laid bare.
As Damon's heartfelt declaration washed over me, the weight of centuries pressed down upon my soul, a reminder of the countless lives I had lived and lost. Love, once a distant memory, now stood before me in the form of Damon, his earnest gaze piercing through the veil of time.
"And I love you... Always and forever, Damon." I replied, the weight of my words carrying the weight of centuries of solitude. It was a promise etched into the fabric of my existence, a vow I had made long ago and carried with me through the ages.
But even as I spoke the words, a sense of sorrow washed over me, a bitter reminder of the price of love in a world fraught with danger and uncertainty.
"And which is why I have to leave... I am sorry," I continued, the ache of my decision weighing heavily upon my heart. It was a choice born out of necessity, a sacrifice I was willing to make to protect the one I love. " I have to do this, I am sorry, I really am". He glanced at me quizzically - his brows shifting and opened his mouth to object - before I cup his face with my hands and lock eyes with him. God how I will miss these eyes. "Forget everything about me, Damon. Forget everything we shared, everything we dreamed of. And live your life happily."
"I will forget you, move on, and be happy," he responded in a monotone voice, his eyelids fluttering closed as if a heavy weight had settled upon him. The compulsion had taken hold, its ethereal grip erasing the memories we had woven together. He looked serene, and for a moment, I allowed myself to believe it was for the best.
Perhaps this was what he deserved—a chance at a normal life, untainted by the darkness that clung to me. He was human, after all, destined to age and wither while I remained frozen in time. It was not my place to selfishly bind him to my existence, to burden him with the eternal curse of immortality.
"Goodbye, Damon." I whispered, the words barely audible as I turned away, disappearing into the shroud of night.
Little did I know, fate had other plans in store. A wagon pulled up at the Salvatore mansion, bearing an unexpected passenger—Katerina Petrova. With her arrival, the Salvatores would be unwittingly drawn back into the supernatural world that I had desperately tried to shield Damon from, despite my best efforts to erase our shared history.
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( Side Note - I am not going to write about the events that happened with Katerina Petrova, because I feel it is a waste of time, when we both know what happens.)
