damon marcello

He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. It couldn't be her. Could it be another Doppleganger? Or was Katherine not really as dead as he had thought? Either way, the more he blinked, the more he came to realize that she was not his mind playing tricks on him. Other people could see her. How could they not? From the first time he had seen Elena, he knew he was staring at the face of beauty itself. He confirmed that she wasn't a mirage by looking around. He could see other men glancing slyly at her and he had to stem that possessive urge to scowl in disapproval. She wasn't his anymore. He had made the choice to walk away, trying to give her a normal life. So why would she be here, of all places?

He knew she'd been determined. From the moment other vampires started seeking him out, he knew that she must be awake and looking for him, but during that time, Damon didn't want to be found. He was in a dark place, back to playing with his food and just not giving a damn about human life. He fed when he was hungry and he made a game of it like he always did. When the vampires tried one by one to coax him into coming with them, he would do what he did best. He killed them all and had a good time doing it. When more came for him, he decided that he needed to go a step further so this time he ripped out their hearts and sent them back in a box. If that didn't get the message across that he didn't want to be found, he didn't know what would.

And yet here she was, sitting on a bench like it was just another day, scribbling on her pad. He was almost curious to see what she was drawing. She used to draw him a lot, sculpt his face and his brooding brows, his intense eyes, his scratchy jaw. He always told her there was much better things to draw them him. He hated looking at pictures of himself. It only reminded him just how much of a monster he had become over the centuries, how different he was from where he had started, how little of his humanity he had left.

He knew she must be here to find him. She must have found a lead or some other clue and had to follow it. He was stuck. Should he give her closure and approach or disappear like a ghost and leave no traces that he was ever here. He couldn't do that without repercussions. Isolt, for one. There's no way he could show up asking her to pack and leave with him and expect her to do it without question. She would start asking questions that he'd be hard pressed to answer. She wouldn't just up and leave everything they had worked so hard for. The coven, the pub. He knew her better than that.

And he couldn't bring himself to leave her again. He'd already done it once and he didn't want to. He wouldn't do it again, not without good reason. That time, it was about her safety. He would never question his priorities when it came to Isolt's safety, but his past coming back to bite him? He couldn't place that on his list and expect her to understand. Isolt was always wanting to know more about him, to understand where he had come from. She might not be so happy with this part of his life, the part he thought he had buried a long time ago. He had told Isolt about Stefan and Katherine but he had never touched on Elena. It wasn't because he was ashamed or anything like that. They had had a love like none other. It was wild and untamable and marked with so much darkness.

She had gone for Stefan first and they had that high school sweetheart love that everyone always dreams of. He had watched from afar and held in his jealousy, knowing like always that his brother was the good one. His brother deserved happiness and that's exactly what she was for him. Happiness, pure and undiluted. But when matters got complicated and he could see her unhappiness with how things were changing, Damon couldn't just stand by and let it stay. So like he did in all things, he ruined a good thing and got between them. He confessed his emotions to Elena and she ended up leaving Stefan for him. Damon never quite got over the guilt he felt for doing that to Stefan but in a way, he almost felt powerful in a way he never had before. For once in his existence, he had something that Stefan didn't. He had found happiness and stole it from his own brother to have it.

Damon was very twisted, no doubt about it. But when he got a chance to make things right and do the other way, he chose to do just that. Elena deserved happiness and he never truly believed that she had that with him. How could she? She was human and he was a vampire. So he decided that he wouldn't be there when she woke up from the spell. It was the best thing for her. It was also one of the hardest things Damon ever had to do, right behind leaving Isolt to go find the coven that was hunting her. And now his past was coming back to haunt him. Or rather, to sit idly by on a bench and draw who knows what while looking innocent. Hell, compared to him, she was very innocent. So why come all this way for him?

He heaved a heavy sigh before stepping toward the bench. If all she needed was closure then who was he to stand in the way, or rather, out of sight? Besides, the last thing he needed was her strutting into Red on the Water and asking Isolt about him. He knew that Isolt would have to know about Elena eventually, but maybe he could be the one to tell her before someone else has to. She was a big part of his past and he had left that out on purpose. Isolt would have questions. He would have to hope the answers are good enough. He stopped behind the bench, glancing over her shoulder to see what she's drawing. His lips tugged in the corners, a small smirk as his gray blue eyes shimmer with amusement.

"STILL DOING PORTRAITS OR DID YOU MOVE ONTO LANDSCAPES?"