1864

1864 Chapter 5

After supper, he holds his arm out to me and I take it. He guides me down the gravel path and the stars and moon beam down on us. The world without street lights makes the stars more beautiful.

"Tell me about yourself."

"Ok Damon, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know. I just want to know everything about you."

"Everybody has this sort of, life changing moment. One second you're just a stranger walking down the street and you meet a stranger and the next minute you learn the true meaning of the word stranger and how you have just become one to yourself. It was that day that both my parents died in an accident. The Elena I know today is someone I never thought I would meet."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

"I don't know. When my parents died, that was the first time Death had made himself my acquaintance." We continued to walk and the sound of crickets sang the blues to my sad tune.

"Then one by one, Death beckoned everyone I have ever cared about towards him with a crooked finger and everyone was dead. My whole family. All of my friends. But Death you see, Death is spiteful, and if you cheat, he punishes you. I cheated Death, so he took everyone away from me, saving my soul mate for last."

"Not everyone Elena, he didn't take Katherine."

"He will."

"Your soulmate, was he named Damon too? Was that why I thought you were calling me?"

"Yes, his name was Damon."

"What was he like?"

"Hmm, he was strong, protective, arrogant, seductive, dangerous, mysterious, beautiful, unorthodox, loyal, sweet, amazing and mine. He was all mine."

"I'm sorry Elena, look at us though. Bonding over our broken hearts. Maybe talking about him will help you mourn? How did you meet him?"

I stop walking and I take a good look at Damon. Sure he's the same. Same eyes. Same crooked smile. Same coal color hair. But what hurts the most is that I would die for the man looking at me confused. I know everything about the man in front of me and he doesn't know anything about me. I am in love with someone who considers me a stranger. As far as I'm concerned, the Damon I fell in love with is dead. Because I'm the only one who remembers it. Falling in love. He doesn't remember it with me because he hasn't experienced it. As soon as this realization hits, tears are flooding my face. They begin to puddle in my collar until its damp. I can't stop crying. Damon pulls me against him. Damon is comforting me. He is trying to make me feel better about him dying. This is some Twilight Zone gold right here. At that realization I begin to laugh. Hysterically. My boyfriend from the past is holding me while I cry over his future self dying. He pulls me over to a wooden bench and he sits down raking his fingers through his hair frustrated.

"Elena, I'm not sure what to do with you. One second you're fine reminiscing, the next you're crying and the next you've laughed yourself into oblivion. What is it you're not telling me? And if you don't tell me, I can get Katherine to compel you."

"Good luck with that Damon, I drink Vervain. It won't work."

"How long has it been since he..."

"Four months. I had this witch friend who would mix herbs so that I would see him. So I wouldn't have to confront his death, because everytime I did, it was bad. But eventually, the herbs would make me thirsty. Really thirsty. And thirsty for a vampire is not good. I came to the unadulterated consensus that, that wasn't a permanent solution."