The Wolf & The Raven

Past and Present

I sat there staring at my father. "It was 1862 and Georgina was getting ready to turn 16. She was good friends with Stefan and father was ready to hear of marriage any day then," Damon said with a faraway look in his eyes. I kept quiet. "It was July and we had a surprised birthday party planned for the girl. I never expected to see her. I had been away and with everything that had happened I hadn't seen Georgina since she was eight. Anyways, the party happened. While I was still helping Stefan get ready I noticed that Grace, Georgina's sister kept eyeing Stefan's room," Damon said taking a sip of his bourbon. "I wondered what was going on with her since she was so jumpy. I found out later." He inhaled for a moment and looked me right in the face. "Grace was expecting a child," Damon said softly. I just looked at his face. "And?" I asked frowning. "It was Stefan's child," Damon said flatly. I inhaled. "What happened?" I asked with wide eyes. "Grace confided in me. She told me that Stefan was the father. She also told me that Georgina and Stefan were only good friends and that Georgina was allowing Stefan to come over so that Grace could see him. This was unusual since Grace was twenty and Stefan was sixteen. You could see where there may have been a problem. Anyways, she begged me to help her deal with this and so I had accompanied her downstairs. As soon as I saw Georgina I knew. She was beautiful and she was everything I had ever wanted. I was ready to settle down," he said smiling at a faraway memory.

"Georgina seemed quite pleased with me and after conversing with her father I offered to court his daughter. He knew that Stefan and Georgina were just friends. He didn't know about Grace and Stefan though," Damon said. I nodded and he looked at my face. "The babe never turned 2," he said quietly. "I'll get to that though in a moment," he continued on. I sat there, waiting. "She and I courted until the time that the babe was born. We couldn't get along," Damon said sighing. "She wasn't ready to marry and I was. I was a little older than her so you can see why I was in a rush. But, when April of 1863 came around and Stefan's child was born it was a beautiful baby boy. He was the spitting image of his father. He had Stefan's green eyes and Grace's blonde hair. It was something that was truly remarkable. Grace's father, your grandfather, told Grace that she could keep it as long as Stefan and her married. My father found out about the child and forbade Stefan to have anything to do with it. So, Grace's father let a servant raise it," Damon said. "That's awful," I whispered as a tear escaped my eye. "Anyways, your mother and I parted ways. She never told me that she was pregnant. It wasn't like we planned for you to happen. But, I'm glad you did," he said smiling. "What happened to the babe?" I asked frowning. "Katherine Pierce entered town in April of 1864. The babe had just turned a year old and you were almost six months old. Katherine fell in love with Stefan and when she found out that Stefan had a child..." he trailed off taking the last sip of bourbon and then he crushed the glass with his bare hand. "She killed it in the worst, most cruel way possible," he said looking me straight in the face. "She made me and Stefan watch and then she made us forget. But, of course, mind control only lasts until the one you have compelled becomes a vampire," Damon said. He stood up and was in front of me in seconds. His hands reached around to both of my cheeks and I entered the scene that he had saw so many times.

I opened my eyes to see myself in a wooden house. The floors looked as if they had been walked on for many years. The walls were a nice shade of white while the pictures that hung on them were pictures of family portraits and some of just one person. I stared at one in particular. It was a picture of my seventeen year old mother. "I figured you would look at that," he whispered. Then he motioned his hand to follow him. "Where are we going?" I asked. "Where your double first cousin died," he said. I followed him without saying a word. "Just watch. Katherine will feel that you are here. We must not change the past," he whispered. I nodded and we became silent. Finally he stopped us at the living room. The sun had sunk behind the pine trees and we were left in candle light. He motioned toward the other side of the living room where there was a maid sitting, rocking a small child to sleep. I could see the babe's face from here. It was the spitting image of Stefan. We waited and it didn't take long. A scent wafted through the air. It was a scent I recognized all too well. It was the scent of death. The person that was carrying that scent made her grand entrance by throwing both doors to the parlor off their hinges. "Whose child is that?!" Katherine growled. The maid hugged the babe tightly to her. She was afraid for her life and the life of the baby. "Miss Pierce, it is my baby," the maid said softly. She was afraid and Katherine could scent it. The fear scent only fueled Katherine on. "Whose child is that?!" she growled lowly. This time she was calm with her question. The maid looked down at the child one last time and then looked at Katherine. "He is the child of Grace Flemming," the maid said with a sigh. "And Stefan Salvatore is the father," Katherine growled. The maid gasped and held the babe even tighter. Katherine laughed a maniac's laugh. Then she lunged and tore the throat of the maid out. The babe was falling from the arms of the woman when Katherine grabbed it. 

Damon and I watched on in silence. Then another person entered the room, followed by another. "Damon, Stefan," Katherine said, turning to show them her face. The veins were under her eyes and her fangs were long and sharp. "Stefan, did you really love Grace?" Katherine asked. "Yes," Stefan answered solemnly. "Do you still love her?" Katherine asked. "No," Stefan said after a few moments. "Did you love her too, Damon?" Katherine asked turning her attention to Damon. "No, she was a friend, that is all," he said calmly. Katherine seemed to believe them both. She looked down at the babe in her arms and she smiled. "Well then, it seems that since Damon didn't love your mother and that Stefan doesn't love her anymore, you, child, don't have a purpose," she said softly. Then she leaned down and ripped the babe's head clear off its shoulders. When she was done, she turned and threw the body into the fire in the fireplace. Stefan had fallen to his knees and Damon threw up. "Look at me both of you," Katherine said. Both of the brothers looked at her instantly. She had them compelled, I realized. "Let this be a lesson. Neither shall remember what has happened here. But you will not love another," Katherine growled before grabbing them both and disappearing.

My eyes shot open as I had watched the darkest part of Katherine Pierce. "Now you know, why I could never tell anyone about you. I knew you were alive all along," Damon said quietly. "And for that reason, you'll hate me forever," he whispered before disappearing.