The Fun Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries)

Prologue

3rd person P.O.V.

Jessica Gilbert stood next to the raging hot fire talking to her best friend, Caroline Forbes. Caroline hands her a red solo cup and Jessica takes a sip before handing it back. "Well, I should probably go find Elena. She's bound to be off the phone with the 'rents by now."

"Wait, what exactly happened?" Caroline asks before chugging the rest of the contents of the cup.

"She and Matt got into a big fight about their future. Elena's been over the relationship since they got together, she's just now starting to realize."

"Weren't you the one that got them together?" Care asks laughing.

Jess starts to giggle as well. "Yeah, but at the time I thought they would be cute, I mean they're best friends and they love each other, they just both tried to convince themselves they were in love. Besides, I had to direct Matt's attention somewhere else. After all, it's not like I could agree to go out with him. It's the same with Tyler. I don't want to ruin my friendship with either of them."

"I get it. I just wish it had worked out for them."

"That's because you're an amazing friend, Caroline!" Jessica exclaims as she backs away to go find her sister. She hears Caroline laugh as she heads through the woods to the main road. She sees her sister and starts to head towards her as she sees her put her phone away until a voice stops her.

"Katherine." The voice says and Jessica has to admit, it is a sexy voice.

"No, sorry, my name's Elena." Answers Jessica's sister. That's when she realizes that the man seemingly appeared out of nowhere, which can only mean one thing. Vampire. She reaches into her boot and grabs the stake she has just in case. Vampires haven't been in Mystic Falls for a while so the council has gotten lax on a lot of things, including vervain. Jessica watches, ready to protect her little sister if need be.

"No, it's my mistake. You just look like someone I know." She analyzes the way he stands and realized he isn't going to attack her. This confuses Jessica because from her ancestors' journals, vampires usually attack on sight, but this one is different. She finds herself checking him out, which is a new thing for Jessica as she doesn't usually care about boys unless she's friends with them, but for some reason, this black-haired vampire has her attention. So much so that, before she can realize what she's doing, she's placing the stake back in her boot and walking out of her hiding spot.

"Hey, Elena. You alright?" She asks, speaking both about the Matt situation and the vampire she's speaking to.

Elena nods her head and goes to speak but Damon beats her to it. The black-haired killer turns towards the new voice and can't help the gasp that escapes his lips in the form of a name. "Jessica?" He asks. He blinks, not believing that Jessica would be with Katherine's lookalike. After all, Jessica should be dead and she didn't even know Katherine, she left before Katherine arrived.

Jessica is shocked, not only at the fact that the man knows her name, but at his startling ice blue eyes. She can't help but continue to check him out discreetly. Luckily, he's too busy in his own head to realize what she is doing and she notices that while her name is Jessica, he is clearly thinking about a different person. "Yes, actually, but not the one you think I am, I'd guess." He looks at her confused, so she clarifies. "I clearly remind you of someone named Jessica, but I've never met you before so it couldn't have been me." She sticks her hand out between the two of them. "Jessica Gilbert, Elena's sister." He glances to Elena before taking her hand and shaking it.

"Damon." He responds. Jessica wants to ask his last name but he clears his throat and looks to Elena, almost like he can't bear to look at Jessica any longer. "So what are you two doing out here by yourselves?"

Although the question was clearly directed at Elena, Jessica answers, seeing that Elena is still upset. "My sister got into a fight with her boyfriend so we decided family night would be a better bet than this party."

Damon wants to ask what the fight was about, not wanting Jessica to answer. He can't deny that it hurts that his Jessica is dead and this one looks so similar. But his mouth has other plans. "If she got into the fight, why are you leaving?" He can't stop himself from asking.

She laughs and Damon can't help but smile, a genuine smile, at the fact that he made her laugh, though he isn't sure what he said that was funny. "She's my sister, we're practically twins-"

"Where one goes, the other is bound to follow." Elena cuts her off, joining in on her laughter, and Damon can't help but notice how her mood seems brighter now that her sister is there. He wonders if it's their bond but he gets the feeling that Jessica just has that sort of effect on people.

Damon goes to ask Jessica a question but her phone rings and she walks away to answer. Despite the pain that he feels looking at Jessica, he can't dispel his disappointment that he is no longer talking to her. To distract himself, he asks Elena about the fight and she tells him.

Meanwhile, Jessica talks to her parents who are just checking that she is coming home with Elena and not staying with Care so she can stay at the party. Jessica assures them that the party is lame and she would rather spend family night with Jenna, Jeremy and "the best parents in the world". She walks back to Damon and Elena to hear the end of their conversation. "So tell me, all-knowing, mysterious stranger, what do I want from life?"

"You want what everybody wants." He answers glancing to Jessica as she joins them. "You both do. You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, maybe even a little danger."

Elena looks taken aback by his answer, clearly taking what he said to heart, but Jessica just looks at him in interest, almost like she is reading his mind and trying to memorize all the information, until she finally speaks. "And what to do you want from life?"

Damon pauses, not having expected her to ask the question with so much interest. Almost as though she won't be able to live without the answer. Before he can answer, he sees headlights and Elena notices them as well. "That's our parents." She and Jessica turn back to Damon and he's suddenly right in front of them. He looks in Elena's eyes, telling her he hopes she gets what she wants, but he needs her to forget, before turning to Jessica who doesn't seem the least bit scared or concerned about what he's done to her sister.

"As for you, Jessica, I hope to see you again soon but for now, I need you to forget me, beautiful." She blinks and when she opens her eyes, her parents' car is next to her and Damon has left them both before getting discovered but he stands in the trees, watching Jessica get into the car and thank her parents before the car continues down the street.

Little did anyone know, that night would change the Gilberts' lives forever.