For You, My Love, I Would Do Anything

Chapter 2: Meeting Ms. Petrova

Damon stared at Katherine. 'No,' he corrected in his head, 'It's Katerina. She hasn't changed her name yet.' She seemed so sweet and loving that it was hard for him to think that she would soon morph into this evil, heartless bitch that cared for herself and no one else.

Katerina stood, watching this gorgeous stranger hesitate. She felt herself soften as she looked into his ice blue eyes. She always found that she had a soft side for men who had blue eyes as beautiful as his. "Are you alright, sir?" She questioned, stepping closer to him. "You've been silent for longer than is necessary."

Damon snapped out of his trance at the sound of her voice. "Yeah," he said, looking down to gain control of his feelings before meeting her eyes once again. "I'm fine. I'm sorry. My name is Damon Salvatore. The other two are Stefan Salvatore, my younger brother, and Elena Gilbert."

"What strange names," Katerina murmured, then she furrowed her eyebrows and slowly lifted his arm, taking a close look at the leather covering the appendage. "And such strange clothing as well." She gently traced it with her finger, feeling the cool softness of the article, so strange but pleasant to her. Then she looked up and saw him watching her. Flushing with embarrassment, she quickly drew away from him. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "That wasn't a proper thing of a lady to do. I do hope you forgive my rudeness."

Damon could only stare. He couldn't believe that this beautiful, innocent girl was the woman that ruined his and his brother's lives. But she was, and strange enough, looking at the girl, he didn't hate her. There was nothing about this version of Katherine that he hated. She was sweet, polite, considerate, but her eyes still retained that hint of mischief that Katherine always had, except it was in a more playful, childlike way instead of a cover for her manipulative nature. Katerina Petrova was everything that Katherine Pierce wasn't.

Damon gasped when Stefan elbowed him hard in his side. He glared at his younger brother, who motioned to Katerina, who was watching him with a hesitant expression. He must have been staring for so long that Katerina was convinced that he was offended. "No, it's alright," Damon finally spoke. Clearing his throat, he continued, "You're fine."

Katerina grinned so wide he thought her face might break. "Oh, how wonderful," She clapped her hands, her English accent growing thick with her joy. "I'm so happy that you're not upset. I couldn't bear it if I upset someone I do not know, especially so soon after arriving."

Damon smiled at her. "You're fine," he repeated in a more gentle tone.

Stefan and Elena both stared at him. They were shocked at his tone; that sweet, almost loving kind of tone was rare. The only time Damon usually ever used that voice was with Elena, and even then that wasn't very often since he liked to hide his feelings. Now, though, he was using that voice with Katherine, the woman he had claimed to despise.

"What do you make of that, Stefan?" Elena whispered to her boyfriend, watching Damon's soft eyes regard Katherine's human ones.

Stefan shook his head. "I don't know," he murmured, his eyes never straying from his brother.

"So are you aware of how long you will be staying?" Katerina asked, smiling at Damon.

Damon shrugged. "Not really. We weren't really thinking of staying for too long," he answered honestly. It was true, though; Esther was the one who sent them here. He never wanted to be used as a guinea pig for time travel, but Mama Original wanted to experiment with them today.

"Oh," Katerina's smile fell and her face became crestfallen. "I see. Well, I suppose I should not be bothering you if you do not intend to stay long," Katerina turned and started to walk off.

"Wait," Damon reached forward and grabbed her hand. Instantly Katerina turned to look at him, eyes shining with curiosity and hope as she regarded Damon.

For a second Damon's breathing hitched as he stared into those beautiful brown eyes. He truly saw something different from the Katherine he knew and loathed. For the first time in nearly two years, he felt something other than hate as he looked into those twinkling chocolate orbs.

He shook his head to clear it before he told her, "We could stay longer if you want us too. We've never been here. Maybe you could help us out as a fellow newcomer," he suggested, smiling. Not a smirk or a charming grin, but a real smile.

Katerina smiled. "I would like that. I will see you and your friends later, Damon," She then turned and walked away.

Damon smiled as he watched her leave, then he felt eyes staring at him. Turning to the side, he saw Stefan and Elena gazing at him with shock. "What?" He asked, the soft voice gone and the hard sarcasm back in his tone.

Stefan stared for a few minutes longer before shaking his head. "Nothing. Come on, Elena, let's go see if we can find any clothes that will make us blend in," he then walked off with her.

'Weird people,' Damon thought with a frown. He took one last glance at Katerina, who was happily chatting with another girl her age before he heaved a deep sigh and followed Stefan and Elena.