Chapter Text
July, 1863- Mystic Falls, VA:
Eloise sits on a blanket at the edge of the river, enjoying the shade of the large oak above her. The jade green silk of her skirt shifts slightly, her arm brushing against the material with each turn of the page. She's been there since early morning, face buried in the book. Only abandoning the novel to make polite conversation with any neighbors who happened to pass.
Her mind lost in the world that the words in her hands create, she doesn't notice the soft sound of boots on the grass behind her. Doesn't register the shift in the air from the man's presence, not until an arm wraps around her waist. A small squeak escaping her lips as she's pulled up from her spot on the blanket. The man's other arm wrapping around her as he holds her to his chest and lifts her a few inches into the air.
"You should really be more observant, Eloise. You never know who could come along and snatch you up." A familiar voice chuckles before allowing her to place her feet back on the ground.
His hands briefly moving to her elbows to keep her steady as he takes a step back. Turning around she meets the familiar blue eyes and mischievous smile of Giuseppe Salvatore's eldest son. She scoffs, giving him a glare that just makes his smile grow.
"I'm quite sure that you are the only one around here with such foul manners, Damon." She says with venom, despite the smile that makes its way to her lips.
"I think you've forgotten my brother." He laughs before a more troubled look overtakes his features. "Really though, Eloise, if you insist on going off alone you have to be more aware of your surroundings." He adds, his tone uncharacteristically serious causing her smile to drop.
"There's been another attack?" She questions in a quiet voice, a sigh escaping her lips when he nods.
"Not far from here, I don't want you out here alone when it gets dark. Stefan and I will come get you before dusk." He says in a tone that suggests there's no room for argument.
Damon waits for her to nod in confirmation before he makes his way back towards their homes. She takes a moment to settle back on her blanket, staring out over the river. She tries to tell herself that her neighbors, who are really more like surrogate brothers, are being overly protective. But the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach suggests otherwise.
Thoughts of those who have been found dead from 'animal' attacks fill her head. Attacks that were getting far more frequent. Then there were the ones they have yet to find, twelve people missing. Twelve dead, or dying, or maybe even turning. No one even knows if the missing twelve have anything to do with the vampire attacks. They all just assume that they do.
She only has passing knowledge of vampires herself. She knows that Giuseppe and the other founders, including her mother Delphine, despise the creatures. At least that's what her mother told her to say. In reality her mother believes that vampires are neither good nor evil. That they are, morally speaking, just the same as humans. That's the lesson that her mother instilled in her, to give them the same chance she would any other person. And Delphine knew what she was talking about of course. She had, after all, found comfort in a vampire when Eloise's father died.
Perhaps that's why, when a gentle hand on her shoulder draws her from her thoughts. And she looks up not to Stefan's blue-green eyes as she has come to expect with such a gesture; and is instead greeted by deep blue eyes— with the faintest hint of black veins dancing across the skin beneath them— she doesn't panic. She doesn't scream or try to run away. No, she smiles at the vampire. And perhaps it's also why she trusts him when he offers her his arm and promises to walk her home. Or, perhaps? It's because he's been sleeping in her mother's bed.