#but anyway WOW gilbert just loves me today huh

[maladaptivedaydreamsx]

threw a few of my tickets out into the water seeing if either of my dogs would bite... but i even up fishing out a whole tiger instead???

[koala-smiles]

Liquid Courage

My friends found my AO3 account and started reading my fics. Here’s a request of theirs.

Shirbert College AU

Read On AO3 When Gilbert’s professor had assigned everyone study groups, he didn’t think he could possibly be lucky enough to be in the same group as the cute redhead who sat in front of him every day. It completely surprised him when he was put in a group with her. The english class wasn’t part of his major, but he figured it was important for doctors to know how to write well, so he signed up anyways. He was glad he did, because even on the off chance that he didn’t learn anything, he got to meet the cute girl in front of him.

He had tried to make a good first impression with her on the first day, he really had. But, looking back, he supposed that calling her “Carrots” to try to get her attention probably wasn’t the best idea. After smacking him over the head with her textbook, she had stormed out of the classroom, and he could only think that it was lucky he had waited until the lecture was over to try to talk to her, or else she might have gotten points off for her absence. 

--------

The first time they met up as a study group, he was running late. He tried his hardest to be on time, but there was a big group in front of the library that he couldn’t, for the life of him, get through. When he finally got through and got to the table, he was out of breath. The three girls in the group didn’t seem to mind, though, as they were deep in discussion about some advanced literary topic that he didn’t understand. 

“Are you all in the same major then? You seem to get along well. I’m Gilbert, by the way.”

The girls looked over at him. The brunette, who’s name he remembered was Diana, smiled along with the blonde, Ruby. The cute redhead, he noted, was not.

“I’m Diana, this is Ruby, and that’s Anne. And yes, we are all English majors, but we’ve been friends for years.”

Anne met his eyes, tilted her head. “You know what they say, birds of a feather flock together.”

Lost in her gaze, he could hardly think as he finished it for her. “Until the cat comes.”

Her eyes got as fiery as her hair. “Excuse me?”

“You know, the full phrase? ‘Birds of a feather flock together until the cat comes’? It’s a warning about fair weather friends.”

“Are you saying that my friends are going to abandon me?”

He took a step back in surprise. “No, not at all, I wasn’t thinking, I’m so sorry. I had assumed that, as English majors, you guys would know the full phrase. I’m really sorry.”

This seemed to only make her angrier. “Oh, so you think that you’re smarter than us, mister high-and-mighty pre-med? You think you know more than me?”

“No, I just read it somewhere, I know I’m definitely not better than you guys at English. This whole study group will probably be you guys getting into higher stuff while I’m stuck on the most basic concepts. Again, I’m really sorry, I wasn’t thinking when I said that.” He was stumbling with his words, trying his best to smooth over his stupid mistake. Diana and Ruby just looked amused at this.

 Anne closed her eyes, seemed to calm herself, and sat back down. “Alright then, let’s get started actually studying.”

Gilbert couldn’t say he learned very much, as he spent much of his time stealing glances at the cute girl in front of him.

So her name was Anne.

He couldn’t get it out of his head.

-------

Anne loved studying in the library. She wouldn’t say she romanticizes life so much as that she enjoys the little things in life. And to study as people go about their lives around her? She couldn’t help loving it. It made her feel like the protagonist of a novel. 

What she could not say she loved, was her friends bailing on her study group for it’s fourth meeting. 

She couldn’t truthfully say she was still upset with Gilbert. They seemed to get along just fine when they weren’t arguing, which seemed to be happening less and less. At the last study group, they actually got into a really long conversation about coffee beans. She couldn’t pinpoint when it started, or why it lasted for an hour, but she really enjoyed it. 

She sat down at their usual table with her coffee, wondering how she’s going to explain to Gilbert that Diana and Ruby decided that they were going to a party at Charlie Sloane’s rather than come to the study group. She didn’t even realize it when Gilbert sat down.

“Small crowd today, huh?”

Her head jerked up and she almost spilled her coffee. “Gilbert! I’m so sorry, Diana and Ruby wanted to go to a party and I told them that they should come to the study group because it’s really important that we learn this week’s lesson but they absolutely refused and—”

“Hey, no worries, I was actually going to go to my friend's party after this. I completely understand.”

She smiled. He had a way of putting her at ease. They dove into their notes, determined to understand the really hard lesson.

Thirty minutes into studying, they were already off the topic of English. 

“I don’t understand how you’ve never had a latte!”

Gilbert shrugged at this. “I’ve never really thought about trying one. I always drink my coffee black, so I never have much of a reason to go to the fancier coffee shops.”

She shook her head in amazement. “Come on. We’re going right now. I know for a fact that the Starbucks down the street is still open. We’re going.”

“But the lesson—”

“It’s not like we were studying anyways. Besides, this is a more important lesson. The lesson of good coffee.”

As they walked down the street, his hand brushed hers. She pulled hers back and fought down a blush. There’s no way she liked Gilbert Blythe, right?

---------

As Gilbert sipped his overpriced coffee, he had to admit that Anne had a point. It was just sweet enough that it tasted nice without hiding the flavor of the coffee. He was sitting across from her, trying to think about anything other than how pretty she looked. Then he noticed the clock over her shoulder.

“Shit!”

This made Anne jump. “What’s up?”

“I promised Charlie that I would be at his party half an hour ago. I’m so sorry, do you mind if I go?”

“Charlie? Charlie Sloane?”

“Yep, that’s the guy. Do you know him?”

“No, but that’s the party that my friends are at. Do you mind if I come with you? If you can stand anymore of my presence that is.” She smiled during the last part and bumped his arm to let him know she was joking. 

“Of course! It’s not far from here, if you don’t mind walking.” His heart actually skipped a beat just thinking about spending more time with her.

As they set off toward Charlie’s, he noticed that her hand was brushing against his more and more. He smiled and looked over at her.

“What?”

“Oh! Nothing. Sorry.”

She shook her head and smiled. 

He made himself look straight ahead. 

Of course she doesn’t like you, you idiot. Stop fooling yourself.

He could dream. At least she seems to like spending time with him. He could be happy as friends, if that’s all she wanted. He focused on the road again, leading her to his friend’s house. He’s probably just jittery from the caffeine. Yeah, that’s gotta be it. 

When he opened the front door, Anne looked surprised by the number of people that fit in the house. 

“Charlie is known for his big parties. It gets a bit loud.”

She nodded, and made her way inside through the moving bodies. They found a quiet corner, as much as the corner at a party could be quiet.

“Can I get you something to drink? There’s usually a full bar, but there’s always non-alcoholic drinks if you’d prefer.”

She shook her head, “Get me something to take this edge off.”

He nodded and made his way to the bar. 

By the time he got back with their drinks, Diana and Ruby were talking with Anne.

“I see that you guys found each other!”

Ruby, clearly drunk, just giggled when he walked over. Diana took her by the arm, gave Anne a look that clearly meant something, and dragged Ruby back to the living room, where people were dancing.

Gilbert and Anne were just talking and drinking for a while, when suddenly Anne perked up. “I love this song! Come on.”

He let her lead him to the dance floor, and loosely danced as she let herself spin, wild and free, usually braided hair flowing behind her. He was captivated. After a couple spins, she seemed to get dizzy, and he thought it might be best to get her sitting down. He brought her to a bench behind the house to get her away from the noise, and was surprised when she leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“I see why they call alcohol liquid courage. I would never dance like that in front of anyone otherwise.”

He smiled at this. “Well I think it was beautiful. You looked free. And you should really let your hair down more often.” He twirled a piece of her hair around one of his fingers. “It looks as fiery as your personality, and as beautiful as your heart.”

She was silent for a moment, before asking a small “Really?”

“You look gorgeous either way, but you truly look like yourself when you let it down.” He dropped the strand he had. “Taking that elective class was the best decision I’ve ever made, just because it let me meet you.”

She pulled her head off his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m being too forwa—”

He was cut off when she pulled him in to kiss him. He was surprised, but quickly met her passion with his own.

When she pulled away, seconds or eons later, he let out a quiet “Wow”.

She smiled, put her head back on his shoulder, took his hand in her own, and looked up at the stars.

[parisian-nicole]

Altered (Bamon Fic)

Rating: T (contains very adult content)

Summary: A/U set within Season 7. Bonnie casts a spell that will forever change her relationship with Damon. I wrote this in one sitting and didn't want to post it until I was completely done. This is the entire story, there will be no other parts to this one. I hope you read, enjoy, and review. 

Completed Fic

*****

"And what happened to yours?" She asked as she walked through the door that he held open for her to enter the boardinghouse.

"I don't know, I guess I just misplaced it," He offered and she knew it was a lie, just as she knew that he knew that she knew it was a lie. Yet he still told it with such ease.

"Fine, then it would make more sense for me to do a locator spell-"

"No!" He cut off that idea and the tone of the simple word made Bonnie Bennett turn and squint her eyes at her best friend Damon Salvatore.

"Why not, Damon?" She asked as she folded her arms across her chest to prepare herself to hear of some nonsense, he had gotten himself into … AGAIN.

"Because it's not important, and besides I've been meaning to upgrade it anyway," Damon continued to lie as he walked over to the bar to fix himself a drink.

"Uh-huh, you know what, I don't have time for this today. I really don't," Bonnie announced as she unfolded her arms and raised her hands in surrender. "So, if you aren't going to tell me the truth then I won't help you," With that said she turned to walk back out.

"Wait, you're just gonna leave?" He asked a bit stunned that she wasn't more eager to help him as she typically was. "I have been stuck in this house all day, dying until you finally got out of your classes."

"First of all, you're already dead," Bonnie said with a smile to which Damon raised his brow and smirked at her. "And secondly … what the fuck happened to your ring, Damon?"

"Fine," He grumbled out as he smacked his empty glass back on the countertop and poured another drink. "I had a friend over and I think they might have picked it up by accident."

"Sooo, you had a girl over last night and she robbed you before she snuck out? And I don't even want the details on how she managed to get it off your finger without you knowing," Bonnie elaborated on what likely really did happen. "Why was that so hard for you to say, like over the phone?"

Damon thought on her question for a second. Why didn't he want to tell her the truth? He came to the conclusion that the fact of the matter was that out of anyone he knew, Bonnie Bennett's opinion of him mattered most. Also, if he were to be completely honest with himself, he felt like he was betraying her by having female acquaintances in his bed. He held some slight guilt with regards to Elena as well, but with Bonnie he just didn't want her to know about it.

"C'mon Bon-Bon help your old pal…"

"Actually, it's really only been about a year and a half since we've started our friendship," She countered as she feigned disinterest as she looked over to the huge fireplace where a fire brewed.

"And your very best friend in the world," He continued choosing to ignore but still smiled at her comment.

"I'd say that's kind of a toss-up between Caroline and Elena," She threw in knowing that that was actually a lie. Damon really had become her very best friend is such a short time, and she knew that he knew it too. She also knew that she was his. They had finally gotten to a point where they both truly cherished their friendship. They were bonded though neither would ever be able to tell anyone when that had actually happened nor how.

"Will you help me? Or will I have to find some second-rate witch who will likely screw it all up, and I will end up dying a very painful and fiery death," Damon said dramatically but knew it would rile Bonnie up and give her cause for concern. The one thing you could rely on with Bonnie was her concern for the people she cared most about. She had literally died to save her friends. But as he watched the way she pulled at her bottom lip he suddenly regretted using that threat to manipulate and scare her. "C'mon Bonnie we both know you're gonna help me. So, why do we have to do this song and dance?"

"Because once upon a time it was fun," She replied. "You know, you needing something from me, me making you beg me for it. Things between us have gotten very boring since we've become friends."

"I'm sorry. Do you want me to start hating you again? Because we're heading that way today," Damon mumbled out as he took a sip of his bourbon. She simply rolled her green eyes before she locked them onto him.

"Please, you've never really hated me, not even back when we were sworn enemies, and you know it," She stated and he raised his glass a bit to salute her very true statement. "Fine, let's do this so I can leave and go enjoy the rest of my day. I do have a life you know and it doesn't revolve around you."

"You sure about that?" He teased.

"Oh, so you don't want my help then?" She retorted as she again turned towards the door. He settled his empty glass on the bar top and stepped over to her and blocked her exit.

"Yes, I do want your help, Bonnie," He spoke as he grasped her about her shoulders. "Please save me. Make me a new daylight ring so that I'm not stuck in this house all day, every day."

"Fine," She agreed and he pulled her into his embrace, leaned down, quickly kissed the top of her head, and then released her. "Do you have a photo that clearly shows you wearing the ring?"

"Uhm," Damon thought as he glanced around the room. "Nothing recent I don't think."

"Doesn't have to be recent, it just has to show you wearing the ring," Bonnie stated and flinched a bit as Damon flashed away and then back to her just as quickly. He held out a photo of himself. Bonnie took it and studied the slightly faded photo of Damon with a group of people at what looked to be at some fancy party. "Wow, look at you, looking so suave and debonair. A tux looks good on you. When was this taken?"

"Back in the late 50s, early 60s. What I like to call the dark ages."

"Why?"

"I had turned off my humanity and was out for revenge. I killed every single person in that photo just because the party started to get boring to me," He stated nonchalantly but Bonnie could still hear the regret in his voice as she lifted her eyes to his.

"Well, you have your humanity turned on now and granted you can be a real asshole sometimes, you're not like this Damon anymore," She said as she tapped the picture. "Now, give me your hand," She commanded and he bunched up his brow a little in confusion but still placed his hand into her offered one. Damon stared down at his hand wrapped inside of hers and he found that he liked how their different skin tones complemented each other. It was a beautiful combination. And for a split second, a flash of other parts of their bodies entwined crossed his mind. He quickly shut them out and then shot his eyes up to Bonnie's face to gauge if she had somehow read his impure thought, but found that she had her eyes closed and her mouth mumbled out some chant. She then snapped her eyes opened and looked up at his as a smile spread across her face. Damon discovered a while back that he loved to see Bonnie smile, and loved it, even more, when he was the reason for her smile. She turned over his hand which she still held, he looked down at his hand and was shocked to see his ring was back where it was supposed to be. "You're welcome, and try not to lose that one. I'll see you later," Bonnie spoke out as she was already in the foyer making her way to the front door.

"Hang on," Damon called out to her as he flashed after her and put himself between her and the front door. "Now that I am able to leave the house let me buy you lunch as a way to say thank you," He offered but she shook her head at the idea.

"You only need to say, 'Thank you, Bonnie' to thank me, Damon," She stated as she smirked up at him.

"Thank you, Bonnie," He complied.

"You're welcome, now I really have to go," She added as she tried to push him from the door but he wouldn't budge as he cocked his eyes at her curiously.

"And why do you really have to go? What kind of plans do you have, maybe I could join-"

"No!" She quickly interjected. "My plans are my business and sorry but you cannot join me today."

"Why not?"

"Damon."

"Bonnie?"

"Would you please move so I can leave?" She asked as she smacked his chest but with no real force behind it.

"Have you met a … boooy?" He asked in a teasing manner but the thought of it did irk him. Bonnie groaned a bit as she rolled her eyes at him.

"I am not having this conversation with you, Damon. Besides, it's none of your business anyway."

"Huh, so it's someone I clearly would not approve of?" He declared as he folded his arms across his chest, leaned back more comfortably against the door, and squinted is eyes a bit as he stared down at Bonnie.

"You don't approve of anyone I date," Bonnie replied as she flailed her arms a bit in exasperation. "And you give the worse dating advice."

"All the guys you've dated are idiots and so beneath you. Don't even get me started on 'Jeremy Gilbert'," Damon countered. "And I give you excellent dating advice."

"Anytime I ask for your advice about a guy I like you always say the same thing, 'He sounds like a loser, Bonnie, dump him'," She countered as she now folded her arms across her chest.

"So, you don't want my true and honest advice then?"

"I want you to act like my best friend looking out for my best interest, and not act like some…jealous boyfriend," She mumbled out the last bit as it dawned on her in that moment that that was exactly how Damon acted whenever it came to her dating. And she could tell by the look in his eyes that he realized it too. "Look, I have a coffee date with a 'friend', who just happens to be a guy. We will likely hang out for an hour maybe two, and then I will come back here and we can have a movie night, okay?"

"Oh, good golly," Damon gasped out sarcastically as he clutched his hands together in front of him. "And can we braid each other's hair and do each other's make-up too?" He then batted his lashes for effect. Bonnie couldn't stop the giggle that was pulled from her at his antics.

"Fine asshole, forget it then," She cursed at him even though she was smiling. "I was just trying to show you that I can still be present in your life, be here for you even if I start a relationship with someone else."

"Yeah, easy for you to say when the said relationship is just hypothetical," Damon huffed out and Bonnie knew it was time to come clean.

"It's not hypothetical," She said as she averted her eyes to the floor, while Damon scowled at her. "I've been seeing Enzo for about a month now, and things are kind of getting serious," Damon's look of confusion turned to disgust as he frowned up.

"Enzo? Wait, 'my' Enzo?" He questioned and this brought a frown to Bonnie's face.

"God, I hope not," She replied. "You two never…" She let the question hang there and Damon took a moment to reflect and think on it before he replied.

"No, we were just locked up together and tortured for half a decade together. We bonded and grew closer during that time, but never 'that' close."

"Good to know. Look, we've only gone on a few dates … every night … for the past …month," Bonnie finally confessed and she could see Damon tighten his jaws as the muscles started to twitch. She knew that he was really pissed and she didn't fully understand why. "I know that he's your best guy friend and I'm your best female friend…"

"Bonnie, you're my bestie, your card trumps his."

"Really?" She cooed as she had sometimes wondered about that very thing. "Aww, thanks, Damon."

"But Enzo is also a friend and I don't know that I like you dating him," He stated honestly.

"Well, Damon, I'm not asking your permission nor do I need it," Bonnie announced as she rolled her neck a bit at his audacity.

"You're absolutely right, Bonnie," He said doing a complete 180 and made Bonnie look at him confused.

"I am?" She asked as she watched him move from in front of the door and then opened it for her.

"Yes, you are," He contended as he placed his hand on the small of her back and then ushered her across the threshold and out the door. "Now, you go and have a fun coffee date with Enzo."

"Damon, what's going on?" Bonnie asked as she turned and regarded him suspiciously. Rarely did he give up so easily when they had one of their many disagreements.

"Nothing. You seem to think that I meddle in your relationships too much and give you piss poor advice about men. So, this time I shall stay out of it, out of respect to the fact that you and Enzo are probably the only two true friends I have. So, if you two have somehow found happiness with each other well then, I am truly very happy for you, and I shall stay out of it."

"Are you planning to crash in on our date?"

"No." He answered fat-of-fact which only made her wearier.

"Oh God, you're planning to kill him," She stated and he had to roll his eyes and pretend that she was being ridiculous when really that the thought had played in his mind.

"And you call me a drama queen," Damon said. "No, Bonnie, I promise you that I am not gonna impose on your date with Enzo, nor am I going to kill him. Now, go have fun and we can have our movie night some other time."

"O…Okay," She stuttered out as she turned and began to walk to her car, but then she stopped and turn back to him a couple of times before she spoke again. "You sure you don't want me to stop back by later and we can just hang out?" A part of her felt somewhat guilty over the fact that he now knew she had sort of, kind of been dating his friend Enzo and had not told him.

"Bon-Bon, you know this door is always open to you, anytime, day or night," He proclaimed. "But I think I might go out tonight and paint the town red."

"Not with the blood of the innocent I hope?" She replied with a hint of true concern in her voice, which he took note of.

"Bonnie Bennett, you really need to get laid," He tossed out jokingly but also to test the waters to see where she was in this relationship with Enzo. Knowing would help him determine how badly he would have to hurt the man he once thought of as his best friend.

"Well, if I'm lucky and if Enzo plays his cards right, maybe I will," She said around a giggle and then she opened the door to her car, got in, cranked it up, and then drove away without even a wave goodbye. She knew that her last reply had been a complete lie just to get under Damon's skin, Sure she could admit that she did enjoy the time she had been spending with Enzo but it was all very much platonic and she knew that it would not likely ever develop into something romantic. Although, she was sure Enzo was hoping it would. But something inside of her screamed to her that he just was not the one, and she always listened to that voice within.

Damon held the smile on his face until Bonnie had driven off. He then moved back into the boardinghouse, grabbed his coat from the coat rack, and then flashed through the house and out the back. He went out in search of Enzo to let him know under no uncertain term was Bonnie to be another notch on his bed, like the pretty little brunette they had both partied with the night before, who had ended up going home with Enzo.

The second the back door slammed shut the unseen man descended the staircase as he played back all of the things he had heard and seen since he had been in the house. None of it had made any sense and seemed impossible. And if he were not standing where he was in that moment, he wouldn't have believed it possible himself. He moved to the study where he knew the good liquor was kept and he always did his best thinking with a drink in hand. He had to really think about his current situation and try to figure out how to fix it.

Read More: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13353128/2/Altered

[thecutestvamp]

Beauty of the Dark - A Damon/OC Fic (Chapter 2)

Pairings: Damon/OC

About: With the hopes of starting fresh, seventeen year old Lucy Adams moves to Mystic Falls, the town where her parents grew up. Shortly after arriving, she discovers that the seemingly boring town has secrets even darker than the ones she carries. Lucy is forced to confront her past as she ends up tangled in the dangers of Mystic Falls. 

FanFiction Link

CHAPTER 1 - Begin Again

CHAPTER 2 - Black Hearts (On Fire)

When I make it, I'll be on time Gonna take what I want and give you a piece of my mind

Your black hearts waited too long, Just to see me fall down, fall down, fall down Your black hearts won't be around, just to see me fall down

Your hearts on fire, so come on, burn brighter Your hearts on fire, so come on, burn brighter

Your hearts on fire, but your cold to the touch I know you want it but you love yourself too much Your hearts on fire but your head is a rut You best believe it, I ain't ever giving up

I groaned as my alarm clock went off. It would've been nice to have more than two days to settle in before starting school, but moving in the middle of the school year doesn't really leave you that option. I reluctantly got up and headed over to my closet to pick something to wear. I settled on jeans and a striped sweater, and my favorite pair of converse.

"Hi mom, hi dad!" I said, finding the two of them sipping coffee in the kitchen as I came downstairs.

"Hi honey, are you excited for your first day of school?" My mom asked.

"Excited and school are two words that never pair together." I said, pouring coffee into my thermos, "But I'm hoping it'll be a good day. What about you mom, any big plans today?"

"Nothing too exciting, but I did run into an old friend from high school at the store yesterday and we have plans to get coffee later." Mom smiled.

"Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder to swing by the school library and see if I can find yearbooks that document how dorky you two were back in the day." I teased.

"Anything to get you into a library." Dad chuckled, "But your mother was just as beautiful back then as she is today, so you might be disappointed at the lack of embarrassing photos."

I fake gagged, and went over to hug both of them.

"Aren't you going to get some breakfast?" Mom asked.

I held up my thermos, "Coffee is the best breakfast. Love you both, see you after school!"

I grabbed my keys and went out to my car. I glanced at the jacket on my passenger seat, the only reminder that I didn't dream up the beautiful stranger I met at the Mystic Grill. I left it there to avoid questioning from my mom, and wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Damon still hadn't called. I figured he would at some point, because it was a nice jacket, but his interest in me must've been chalked up to the liquor.

Heads turned towards me as I maneuvered into a parking space at Mystic Falls High. One girl in particular, a blonde, narrowed her eyes at me as I got out of my car. I'd be lying if I said I didn't love to make an entrance. It was apparent that not a lot happened at this school, and that "new girl showing up in a sports car" would be most interesting thing to happen this month.

I managed to get to my classroom right as the bell rang, thanks to the guidance from the secretary who helped me get my schedule. I walked up to the teacher to introduce myself.

"Hi I'm Lucy Adams," I said, "I'm new."

"Wow am I the luckiest guy in the world or what?" The teacher stood up to greet me, "I start here in the middle of the semester and still manage to get someone else to take over the role of "new person" for me."

"You're new too?" I asked.

"Accident with the old history teacher. But don't worry, I'm at least partially qualified to be teaching this class." He reached out to shake my hand, "Mr. Saltzman."

I smiled, he seemed a lot nicer than the teachers at my old school, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Tell you what, most of the kids sit in the same seat every day, why don't you go sit at the empty desk next to Ms. Gilbert?" Mr. Saltzman suggested.

I gulped and looked around, "Mi-Miss Gilbert?"

"Right over there." Mr. Saltzman gestured.

I made eye contact with who I presumed to be Miss Gilbert, and she lifted her hand to give me a small wave. I shuffled over to her and took my seat. She was beautiful, her hair was a deep brown like mine but instead of frizzy curls her locks were perfectly smooth and straight. She had large brown doe eyes that lit up as she gave me a warm smile.

"Alright class, as I'm sure you've all noticed we've got a new person with us today. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Mr. Saltzman suggested.

"Hi everyone, I'm Lucy Adams." I said, as all eyes in the classroom turned towards me. "I'm from Lynchburg but my parents grew up here, and uh. . . yeah."

Mr. Saltzman nodded, "Thank you Lucy. Alright lets get started with todays lesson which you should be easy to follow along with if you did last nights reading."

I tried to follow along with Mr. Saltzman's lecture on the Battle of Verdun, but I ended up alternating between assessing my classmates around me, and drawing amorphous blobs in my notebook. Despite my boredom, the bell rang soon enough. I turned to say something to the girl next to me, but all I saw was her brown hair swishing behind her as she quickly walked out of the classroom.

I saw her again before lunch, leaned up against the lockers talking to a girl I recognized as the blonde who was glaring at me earlier, and a taller boy I didn't recognize. I caught her eye as she passed, and she waved to me.

"Hey new girl!" She called, "It's Lucy right? We have history together. This is my best friend Caroline and my boyfriend Stefan."

I studied the trio. Caroline looked like your stereotypical popular girl, with perfectly curled blonde hair and an equally put together outfit to boot. Stefan was unlike anyone I had ever seen before. His face structure was intense, with thick eyebrows and beautiful green eyes that had a touch of darkness behind them. He was mysterious and entrancing- if she hadn't just said he was her boyfriend, I would've let my eyes linger on him longer.

"Nice to meet you." I said. Stefan just nodded.

"Pleasure." Caroline said, with a tone that let me know it was not, in fact, a pleasure.

"What did you say your name was again?" I asked, turning back to the brunette, "Sorry I missed it earlier."

"I'm Elena, Elena Gilbert." She smiled.

I nodded, "Gilbert, huh. Any chance you're related to John Gilbert?"

Elena grimaced, "Unfortunately yes, he's my deadbeat Uncle. Why, do you know him?"

"Just a family friend." I shrugged.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" She said, "I didn't mean to be rude, he just skipped town a while ago and I haven't heard from him since."

"No worries," I forced a laugh, "He's my parents friend, not mine. I've never met the guy."

"Well consider yourself lucky." Elena said, "Oh my gosh, Matt! Come say hi!"

Elena waved to someone, and I turned around to see the bartender from the Mystic Grill. I felt my face break out into a huge grin at the sight of someone I recognized.

"Who's this, your cousin?" Matt asked Elena.

"Hey! No, we've met actually." I said, "At the grill, remember? I'm Lucy, not sure I ever gave you my name."

"What? Oh . . . oh yeah I remember. I'm Matt." He said, shifting his eyes around.

"Matt, is everything okay?" Elena asked.

Matt sighed, "Yeah it's just my mom. She's back."

"What?" Elena exclaimed and looked back and forth between Matt and Caroline, who nodded.

"She said she hasn't heard from Vicki either, so who knows where she is." Matt said.

"Matt I'm so sorry." Elena said.

Caroline reached out to put a hand on Matt's shoulder, "You know my mom is doing everything she can to find her."

"It's whatever. I'll talk to you guys later. Nice to meet you." Matt nudged my shoulder before walking away, putting a smile on my face. I watched him as he walked down the hallway, wondering what the deal was with his family.

"Don't. Even. Think. About it." Caroline's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I looked at her to find her eyes narrowed at me, "Huh?"

"Matt. Don't even think about it." Caroline said, and I realized that she must have a crush on Matt, or maybe they were even dating.

"Caroline be nice." Elena sighed, and Stefan grimaced.

"Oh no I wasn't thinking about . . . I was just wondering . . ." I stammered.

"I know what you were thinking about." Caroline crossed her arms, "It's okay, you can make it up to me by having a killer back handspring."

I laughed, "A what?"

"Back handspring." Caroline said, "I'm head of the cheerleading squad, and we're down a member because our friend Bonnie's grams died, so she decided to skip down."

"Caroline." Elena warned, "A little sensitivity."

"No it's like, totally sad." Caroline said, "But that doesn't change the fact that we need another member. What do you say?"

"I'm not sure I'd really be the best person for the squad." I said, "I'm not exactly graceful and I've definitely never cheered before."

Caroline sighed, "Fine, we can put you in the back. At least you'll look cute in the uniform. Practice starts at 4 p.m. sharp on the fields. Don't be late."

Caroline walked off without giving me any chance to protest. I looked at Stefan and Elena, who both looked like they were trying not to laugh.

"Well she sure seems . . ." I tried to find the words to describe the blonde tornado I had just interacted with.

Stefan chuckled, "Yeah."

"No comment." Elena said, "Listen, don't feel pressured to join the squad. But it might be fun for you to get to hang out with some of the girls, since you are new here."

"You're right it can't hurt." I said, "I'll try it out, she'll probably end up kicking me off anyways once she sees how much I really suck."

Elena laughed, "See you after school?"

"Yeah, see you then." I said.

When I make it, I'll be on time yeah Well you might say I'm crazy, but oh I'm out of my mind Well excuse me black hearts, will you tell me who is up and who is down? Are you waiting for me to fall down?

Your hearts on fire, so come on, burn brighter Your hearts on fire, so come on, burn brighter

Your hearts on fire, but your cold to the touch I know you want it but you love yourself too much Your hearts on fire but your head is a rut You best believe it, I ain't ever giving up So come on, come on, come on, hey yeah!

Your hearts on fire, but your cold to the touch I know you want it but you love yourself too much Your hearts on fire but your head is a rut You best believe it, I ain't ever give'n' up Hey hey hey

I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I guzzled at least half of the contents of my water bottle. It was no surprise to me the Caroline's cheer practice was intense. My short interaction with her in the hallway was enough to solidify that she would not be going easy on me. I forced a smile at Elena as she ran up to me, her hair in a perfectly straight ponytail.

"How you holding up?" She asked.

"Boot camp would be like going back to preschool after one of Caroline's practices." I forced out between breaths.

Elena laughed, "Yeah, she's a little intense. But I promise you she has a good heart, she's just intimidated by you."

"By me?" I asked.

"Yeah I mean she kind of secured the role of most popular girl in our class, and then all the sudden you roll up in your sports car and all the boys are drooling all over you." Elena said, "But don't worry, she'll get over it."

"Please, I'm just the shiny new toy." I said, "I take it not a lot happens in this town if everyone's that amused by the new girl."

Elena sighed, "Honestly, a lot more happens here than you would think. But hopefully you won't ever have to deal with any of that. What do you think, are you gonna stick around on the squad?"

I nodded, "I think I can take it. Besides, my parents will be happy that I'm actually participating in extra curricular activities."

"Awesome." Elena smiled, "So there's a game on Friday and I doubt that your uniform will be in by then. Do you want to come over and borrow one of mine? We look about the same size."

"Yeah sure." I nodded.

Elena was surprisingly right. We stood about the same height, which was a pleasant change from me being one of the tallest girls in my class at my old school. She put her address in my phone, and I sent my parents a text to let them know where I'd be.

Elena's house was on a quiet suburban street. It was a nice sized house with a gorgeous wrap around porch. I was surprised to see a relatively young woman with strawberry blonde hair in the kitchen when we arrived.

"Hey Elena, new friend?" The woman asked.

"Yeah, this is Lucy, she and her parents just moved here." Elena said.

"Nice to meet you." The woman smiled, "I'm Elena's Aunt Jenna."

"Is Jeremy home?" Elena asked.

Jenna frowned, "No, he texted and told me not to wait up for him for dinner."

Elena sighed, "Well we'll be upstairs, lemme know if you need help with anything, okay?"

Jenna nodded, "Let me know when you two are done, I did some more research today."

"On . . . Isobel?" Elena asked. Jenna nodded again, "Got it. We can talk later."

Elena led me upstairs to her room. It was so beautiful and cozy. I smiled when I saw that she had a window seat, I had always wanted one of those.

"Who's Isobel?" I asked.

"Oh it's nothing, just someone I'm researching for a school project." Elena said. I could tell she didn't want to talk about it.

"Got it." I said, "So, you're close with your Aunt, I take it?"

"She's actually me and Jeremy's legal guardian." Elena said, "My parents died last spring."

"Oh my god I'm so sorry." I kicked myself for prying such personal information out of her.

Elena shifted, clearly wanting to talk about anything else, "Let's just get you a uniform, okay?"

Elena dug through her dresser and tossed me a somewhat wrinkled maroon cheer uniform. I tried not to cringe at how short the skirt was. The thought of wearing that in front of so many people made my stomach do backflips.

"Here, try it on, make sure it fits." Elena said.

I nodded, and turned around to change into the uniform. I checked myself out in the mirror. It was a little tight on me, but the top hugged my chest in a way that I knew would ultimately get me attention from boys.

"Ta-da." I said, turning back around, "What do you think?"

"Woah, your necklace." Elena said, noting the piece of silver that I normally kept tucked under my shirt, "I have one really similar to it."

I sat down next to Elena as she pulled her necklace out from under her shirt. The necklaces did have a similar round shape, and appeared to be the same antique silver. Elena's necklace had an unfamiliar etching on it, with either a ruby or a garnet at the top. Mine was etched with flowers, with an emerald in the center of the main flower. I instinctively closed my hand around mine.

"Weird." I said, "My grandma gave this to me in May. She raised my mom here, so I guess she got it somewhere in town."

Elena nodded, "Stefan actually gave this to me, so I have no clue where he got it. I always assumed it was a family heirloom. It's beautiful though."

"You guys must be pretty serious then, how long have you been together?" I asked.

"Actually not that long," Elena said, "We only met this school year. But what I have with him it's so . . . so real."

I smiled, "That's so incredible, you two make a beautiful couple.

"Thank you." Elena said, "What about you, any boys back home?"

I shook my head, "Nah. I dated here and there but it was never anything serious."

Elena nodded, "Well you're going to attract a lot of attention once the boys see you in the cheerleading uniform Friday night. You look hot. Here try the scrunchie with it too."

Elena handed me a hair tie that matched the outfit, and I turned to the mirror and attempted to mimic her ponytail. I sighed as I looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was like a prettier version of me. Our hair and eyes were the same color, but everything about her just seemed more perfect.

"I wish I had your hair." I said, "Yours is just perfectly straight it must be so easy to get ready in the mornings."

"Are you kidding me? I can't ever get my hair to hold a curl. You're so lucky to have this perfect wave at all times." Elena said, running her hand over my ponytail.

I shrugged, "Grass is always greener I guess."

Elena shoved me with her pillow, "I'll trade you."

"Yeah, let me just shave my head and make my hair into a wig real quick." I laughed.

We turned our heads after hearing a cough to see Aunt Jenna standing in the doorway.

"Dinner's almost ready Elena," Jenna said, "Will you be joining us Lucy?"

"Oh I should really be getting back home, I didn't realize it was getting so late." I stood up, "But thank you for the offer."

"Anytime." Jenna smiled.

"And thank you so much for the uniform Elena," I said, "You're a lifesaver."

Elena smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"See you tomorrow." I said.

I bounded down the stairs and sent my parents a message to let them know I would be home shortly. My heart felt an excitement that it hadn't in a while. My first day at Mystic Falls High and I had already been welcomed with open arms by the generous and beautiful Elena Gilbert. I was thrilled to have made a friend, and could only hope that this was just the beginning of a great last two years of high school.

[aswithasunbeam]

The Three Ten to NYC, A Modern Hamliza Fic

[Read on AO3]

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: Eliza and Alexander are stuck at Union Station in the middle of the night. Despite long coffee lines, angry tweets, and general sleep deprivation, Eliza is head over heels in love and feels like the luckiest girl in the world.

A fluffy modern hamliza AU

The dull drone of an announcement crackled over the speakers. Eliza listened just long enough to hear something about a delayed southbound train, then tuned it out once again. The line for coffee, which snaked back and forth through several loops of sleep deprived passengers, inched forward a little more, only for the woman who’d finally stepped up to counter to hesitate over her order. Apparently, the fifteen minutes she’d been standing in line wasn’t quite enough time for her to work out what she wanted, Eliza thought with an internal huff.

Trying to block out her frustration, Eliza swiped at the screen of her phone and opened the photo gallery. Alexander’s handsome face grinned at her from the latest picture. It was a photo she’d snapped just hours ago in their cramped hotel room. He’d already removed his jacket and loosened his tie, and he was trying to entice her to join him in the shower.

“I sat through a two hour meeting about climate change and the importance of water conservation today. I’m feeling very motivated.”

“We’re supposed to be washing up and taking a nap,” she’d reminded him, lying atop the covers on their bed scrolling through her phone. “Our train leaves at three in the morning.”

“Yeah, of course,” he’d agreed innocently, slowly removing his tie and backing up towards the bathroom. “This is just about being responsible with precious natural resources.”

“Uh huh.” A dimple had appeared in his cheeks as she’d hummed with disbelief. She’d snapped the picture just before she pushed off the bed to follow him, unable to resist. They’d never quite gotten around to properly washing up or napping. But a little sleep deprivation wasn’t such a high price to pay when he’d looked so damn cute, she granted herself.  

Usually when Alexander traveled to D.C. with the Senator, she remained behind in New York. This time, though, the dates of his trip happened to line up with a child welfare conference that she’d been wanting to attend anyway. Not being away from her new fiancée for a full week had only been an added benefit.

When Senator Washington heard she had accompanied Alexander to D.C., he invited them both to his second home on the Potomac for a quiet dinner. In Mrs. Washington’s kind and capable hands, that quiet dinner had turned into a surprise blowout engagement party, complete with many of Alexander’s oldest friends, a live band, and thousands of white lights strung up from the house all the way down to the river. Eliza wouldn’t have traded that magical night of laughter and dancing for anything in the world.

She was playing with the filter on a picture of the two of them down by the water when she finally found herself at the front of the line. Thrusting her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, she stepped up the counter to order two black coffees and, impulsively, a buttery croissant from the bake case. The two coffees were passed to her over the counter as she paid, allowing her to bypass the huddled mass of customers waiting on lattes and macchiatos. She placed her brown pastry bag on the coffee station to add a half and half to her cup, then headed back towards the benches with her purchases in hand.

Alexander had long since traded his suit jacket and tie for his ratty Columbia sweatshirt before they left the hotel, and thick framed glasses were sliding down his nose. The light from his laptop screen reflected in the lenses pounded at the keyboard. His eyes always carried a slightly bruised quality, but the circles seemed darker in the harsh unnatural lighting, and his face and shoulders looked tense.

“Hello, handsome. Is this seat taken?” Her voice was heavy with exaggerated flirtation and she batted her eyes ridiculously as she sat beside him, hoping to make him laugh.

He smiled weakly and accepted the coffee from her. The drink was still piping hot, but he gulped it down like it was room temperature. Putting the cup down on the bench on his other side, he jabbed his finger at his laptop and said, “Look at this.”

She scooted closer so their shoulders were pressed together while she looked at the screen. Twitter was open, and he was gesturing at a tweet from a senator’s aide in the opposition party. Why he insisted on reading that garbage and getting all riled up over it, she still didn’t understand.

Pressing a kiss to his cheek, she answered vaguely, without really taking in the content of the tweet, “How awful.”

“This kind of blatantly racist bullshit is why we can’t have intelligent, rational conversations about immigration in this country,” he fumed, and switched tabs to a google doc to resume his furious typing. He’d already filled a page and half with text, she noticed. A smile crept over her face as she tried to figure out whether he was writing some kind of op-ed or just an extremely long thread of tweets.

“Any updates on the train?” she asked, interrupting the rant she heard gathering steam under his breath.

“I guess it was delayed coming out of  Richmond,” he answered, still focused on his computer. “They’re estimating another thirty minutes.”

She sighed and pulled the croissant from the paper bag. Splitting the pastry down the middle, she offered Alexander half. He gave it a sidelong glance and shook his head. “I’m not that hungry.”

“You’re sure? You didn’t eat much before we left.”

“Yeah.” He slid his left hand under his glasses to rub his eyes. “My head is killing me.”

“That’s what you get for using up our nap time.”

He smirked and readjusted his glasses. “Nah, it was worth it.”

Leaning over, she placed a kiss against his lips and pushed his laptop closed. He chuckled warmly, although the tension in his brow remained. She ran her fingers through the hair at his temple tenderly. “I think I have Tylenol in my purse. Do you want some?”

He nodded. She bent down to rifle through her bag until she felt the travel sized bottle on the bottom. Dry swallowing the two pills she handed him, he chased them with another gulp of coffee.  

“Want to look at some pictures from the party?” she offered, a transparent ploy to keep him away from twitter. “People have been sharing them with me all day.”

Thankfully, he gave in easily despite the obvious tactic. Twisting on the bench to face her, he invited “Let’s see ‘em.”

She shifted closer so they could both see her phone. He laughed at the first picture of him, Gilbert, and Mulligan with their arms around each other, though she thought she heard a hint of melancholy in the sound. She’d seen dozens of similar photos of the group from over the years, but always with a fourth member: the legendary and beloved Jack, who’d been killed on his third overseas deployment a few years earlier. She didn’t linger or press, and his laugh turned lighter when she showed him the next picture of him looking at the buffet table. “Oh, God, please get rid that one. What is that face I’m making? I look like I have three chins.”

“You do not,” she laughed.

“No?” he asked as he made a goofy face and pulled his chin back towards his neck.

She snorted and broke out into giggles. “So sexy.”  

“Wow, I need to borrow those love goggles of yours.” He reached out and slid his finger over the screen to look at the next photo: a selfie she’d meant to delete already because her eyes were half shut. “See, now, that’s better.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think you need to borrow anything.”

They spent the next several minutes sipping at their coffees and scrolling through the rest of the photos.

“I want to print this one,” she told him, stopping again on the photo of them by the river, the same one she’d been fussing with in the coffee line. Mrs. Washington had snapped it early in the evening, so they both looked fresh faced and happy. Eliza was smiling for the camera, but Alexander was looking at her with the sweetest, softest expression she’d ever seen him wear. The pure love she saw shining in his eyes made her heartbeat quicken and her stomach fill with the wonderful kind of butterflies.

He nodded seriously. “We should. That came out nice.”

She cuddled closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. “It was a beautiful party.”

“It was,” he agreed, twirling a finger through the loose hair on her shoulders.

“I’m just glad I didn’t embarrass you.”

The words had tumbled out of her mouth before she’d really thought them through. He stilled beside her and then straightened. She could feel him trying to catch her eye.

“What are you talking about?”

She winced. Exhausted as she was, she’d let slip the insecure thoughts that usually floated, safe and unspoken, around in the back of her mind. She had a healthy amount of self-confidence, really. She knew she was kind, moral, beautiful, and far from stupid.  But ever since she’d started dating Alexander, she’d had a deep, dark fear that one day she’d say something in a group of Alexander’s genius friends that would make him realize how much she didn’t fit in with them. It was something she worried about secretly, late at night, when she watched him sleep beside her and wondered what sort of miraculous, world-changing ideas were brewing in his mind.

“It’s just…everyone there was so accomplished. So brilliant.”

“You’re brilliant.”

She scoffed. “Not like they are. Not like you.”

“Eliza, you are the most beautiful, compassionate, loving, amazing person I’ve ever met.”

Her gaze fell to her lap, not able to look at him as she tried to explain. “I barely made it through college. I’m never going to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a scientist. I only have the chance to do so much volunteer work because my family has money. I just, I worry that someday you’re going to look at me, and….”

“Hey.” He tilted her chin up. “You go to work every day and help dozens upon dozens of kids in awful circumstances. I see the kind of hours and the commitment you put in. You fight for those kids, you raise money for them, and you care about each and every one of them. You are smart, and capable, and driven. And I am so proud of you.”

Her throat went tight with emotion, and her vision turned a little blurry. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” he assured her. He gave her a sweet, soft kiss. “We all sit around and talk about policy language, and rant at each other on social media, but you’re the one doing the real work. It’s one of the first things that drew me to you. If everyone took the privileges they were given and used them for good the way you have, the world would be a beautiful place.”

A strange, but wonderful realization dawned on her.

As she’d gotten to know him, she would from time to time pick up on his insecurities, and she’d always find herself puzzled. It seemed to her that the things he felt the most self-conscious about were, in reality, his greatest strengths. He worried about his past, about his job, about his lack of money, but all she saw was someone who’d overcome long odds, who did great and important work, even at the cost of personal glory and fortune.

Now, seeing all that love in his eyes again, she realized for the first time that he felt the same about her. All those things she worried about late at night in the dark, the parts of her she’d tried to hide from him, he’d seen in her all along. He’d seen her, and he loved her, not in spite of those parts, but because of them. Never before in her life had she felt so wholly and completely loved.

“I love you so much,” she whispered.

He smiled. “I love you, too.”

The grainy voice announced their train would be arriving at platform ten, intruding on the tender moment. They shared a quick kiss before they stood and collected their baggage, Alexander shoving his laptop back into his bag while she popped up the handle on her carry-on. They fell easily into step as they made their way to the platform.

They didn’t speak as they stood under the orange lights on the platform to wait for the arriving train. Eliza turned to face him, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close in the cool spring night air. Hardly anyone was around for the late night train to the city.

She felt the powerful whoosh of air as the train approached, and she reluctantly released him so they could board. Thankfully, the cars weren’t particularly full. They found seats towards the back of the car and settled in next each other. She’d expected him to pull out his laptop again when they settled in for the three and a half hour ride home, but instead he rested his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

“How’s your head?” she asked softly.

“Better. I’m just really tired.”

She tugged him towards her, so that his head rested against her shoulder. He removed his glasses off, shoving them into the pocket of his sweatshirt, and adjusted to rest against her chest, his arm stretched out to embrace her. Her hand traced patterns over his back as the train pulled away from the station towards home.

In the quiet of the train, as Alexander began to snuffle softly, she gazed down at the diamond ring on her left hand and smiled. She was engaged to the love of her life. All the little frustrations and worries from the past hours had melted away. Delayed trains and long lines, angry politicians and sleep deprivation—none of those things mattered in the slightest. Not when Alexander was in her arms.