Vampire Diaries Imagines

Feels Like Coming Home - Alaric Saltzman

A century and a half was a long time to stay away from home. But then again, for someone like me, home had always been more of a concept than a reality. And Mystic Falls... well, Mystic Falls had always been complicated.

I had heard through the grapevine that the Salvatores were back-both of them. That had been enough to draw me out of my self-imposed exile. If they could return to this town, after everything that had happened here, maybe it was time for me to come back too.

Except... Mystic Falls had changed. A lot.

The town square was lined with modern storefronts, busy cafés, and neatly paved streets where cobblestones and dirt paths had once been. It was unsettling-being somewhere that should have felt familiar and yet seemed like an entirely different place. But I suppose that was to be expected.

I stood on the edge of the square, scanning the streets for any trace of familiarity, but found nothing. I sighed, brushing my hair away from my face before finally spotting someone walking down the sidewalk toward me.

Tall, broad-shouldered, a worn leather jacket slung over his shoulders. His expression was focused but relaxed, like someone who had seen too much to be easily shaken. There was something in his eyes-sharp, intelligent, but tired.

I hesitated for a moment before stepping toward him. "Excuse me?"

He stopped, turning toward me. His gaze flicked over me with quick assessment, before settling on my face with a guarded, curious expression.

"Yeah?"

"Hi, um..." I smiled awkwardly, tucking my hair behind my ear. "I'm trying to find the Salvatore house. But... it's been a while since I've been here."

His eyes sharpened slightly at the mention of the Salvatore name. He folded his arms across his chest, studying me a little more carefully. "You know the Salvatores?"

I hesitated, carefully weighing my words. "We go... way back."

His eyebrows lifted slightly, and a small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Way back, huh?"

"Very," I confirmed, hoping he wouldn't ask me to elaborate.

"And you are?"

"YN," I said. "YN YLN."

His reaction was subtle-a slight shift of his posture, the faint narrowing of his eyes-but I caught it immediately. He knew the name.

"YN YLN," he repeated, almost like he was testing the weight of the name on his tongue. Then that small smile turned into a knowing one. "I've heard about you."

My stomach tightened slightly. "Oh?"

"Damon." He smirked. "He likes to tell his stories. And you... you're in more than a few of them."

I sighed, shaking my head playfully. "That's unfortunate."

"Depends on the story," he teased.

I tilted my head, amused despite myself. "Should I be worried?"

"Well," he said, eyes glinting with quiet amusement, "I wouldn't say worried. Unless you wouldn't like to be known as the girl that single handedly set fire to the general store because the owner made advances towards you to teach him a lesson."

"I didn't set fire to the store... His barn was a different story. But only after all the animals were out in the pasture safely. I'm not a monster."

His smile softened, the teasing fading into something quieter but yet still amused. "I'm Alaric, by the way. Alaric Saltzman."