𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒
Chapter Eight | The Kryptonite to My Superman

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"I THINK I'M GOING TO BE ILL," KALLIOPE MUMBLED with pursed lips as Stefan drove up to the infamous Mystic Grill. Even though he had rolled down the windows to let in some fresh air, Kalliope wasn't used to the speed in which the vehicle drove.

"We're here, Kalli." Stefan smirked at his greenish best friend in the rear view mirror, unlocking the car with a simple push of a button.

The Genie jumped at the clicking noise, sending them a sheepish smile after realizing what it was. Taking in a deep breath, she held her hand on the door handle and pushed appropriately. Kalliope was suddenly filled with apprehension.

What if he was drastically different? What if she was putting too many expectations on their first meeting in over a hundred years. She wanted it to be memorable. Were they even considered married anymore? Damon had died and their vows were, until death do they part.

What if he was already married to someone else!? Kalliope didn't know how she would be able to deal with that. She was understanding. It had been a long time. However, she thought about him off and on during her entire isolation. She could dream up any setting she wanted, but she mostly spent it in 1864 with her in his arms. Comforting her despite the challenges they faced.

Kalliope was short of breath. Some would say anxious, even. "Kalli?" Stefan turned in his seat, eyes softening when he spotted her hesitating hand on the car door.

"Is it strange that I'm nervous, Steffy?" Her voice was small and insecure. Doe eyes rounded with the burden of the unknown. It caused Stefan's heart to constrict.

"Not at all, just take it slow. Go at your own pace." He licked his bottom lip, meeting Elena's eyes before turning back to her with a wary resolve. "Listen, Damon isn't like how he was in 1864. He's... different."

She nodded, "I figured as much. As have you, changed - I mean."

"Yeah... Just - be patient with him. Maybe you'll change things around here for the better." Smiling softly towards his friend, he tipped his chin to the car door. Kalliope swallowed shallowly before building up the courage to open it.

The door cracked open and she proped it with her foot, standing with the flutter of butterflies in her stomach. Padding towards the driver side of the car, she leaned down into the window with a friendly quirk of her rosy lips.

"Do enjoy your trip and be careful! It was nice meeting you Elena," She waved politely, getting a gentle smile back.

"You too," Was all she supplied, watching as the Genie entered the grill with determined steps. What was good above all else, Elena knew Kalliope was a nice woman.

Damon Salvatore was sipping a bourbon with his best pal Alaric and his recent spy, which was done by complusion, Andie Star when Kalliope walked in the grill. He was letting the reporter know just exactly what she needed to do today. She was his intel. Innocent and unsuspecting with enough charisma to slip under the radar and fake as his girlfriend - the plan seemed fool proof.

He had already gotten in with the town council, now Damon felt like he was shooting every shot to the bulls eye.

Alaric however, didn't approve of his brilliant tactics. The hunter scrunched his nose up as Damon finished his complusion. This all didn't seem right to him, but he couldn't necessarily do anything about it. The Salvatore couldn't be helped, either, honestly. "This is too weird," He makes a distrubed face at his vampire friend.

"Just think of this as an insurance policy. The more we know, the better." Damon waved his hand non-committedly, bringing the alcohol filled glass to his lip once more.

Rolling his eyes, Ric glanced around the grill, uninterested in everything. The usual participates around town littered the room, except one was obviously not from around here. The woman had a wide grin plastered on her rounded face. She glanced around in awe, like she was seeing the room for the first time. Like the shabby grill was some newly built exhibition.

Furrowing his thick brows he observed her out of mild intrigue. There was something about her that looked familiar. He simply couldn't place it.

She was talking animately to Matt Donovan as he welcomed her inside. Her round eyes squinted as she regarded him. Matt seemed to understand what she was asking him because he glanced right at Damon and Alaric's table. Pointing to them, helpfully.

"Uh," Alaric mustered, catching Damon's attention. "Do you know that woman?"

The Salvatore scoffed, "Like I'd know every woman I've ever come in contact with? Be specific. Who are you talking about?" When Ric nodded his head towards the front, his crystal blue eyes stopped on the Genie herself. The glass dropped from Damon's hand to abruptly land with a clatter on the table between them.

It rolls, heading off the table before Andie caught it just in time, watching with rapt attention as Damon mentally blanked.

"Who the hell is that," The Salvatore growled, clenching his fist in anger.

Ric eyed his friend suspiciously, wondering why he was so suddenly on edge. "That's what I'm wondering... but it seems like you already know."

"Nobody," He grumbled as he suddenly stood to his feet with the intent to approach the woman. "I'm going to go handle this."

"Woah, woah. Handle what?" Ric's protests fell on deaf ears as Damon stormed away. The Teacher slumped against the leather booth, praying they wouldn't have another unnecessary death on their hands. But everyone knew that's exactly how Damon rolled.

Kalliope faced Damon just as he grabbed her by the arm. She was so caught off guard, she didn't even put up a fight. Her lips were parted in confusion as he easily apprehended her. Taking her back outside where, in the sun, he could take a good hard look at her familiar face.

"Ow," She muttered with a quick pout, rubbing her wrist before glancing up to the Salvatore.

"Who are you," His tone was aggressive and suspicious. The deadly look in his serious crystal blue orbs was enough to call on the grimreaper himself.

Fortunately, Kalliope wasn't intimidated by him. She had face bigger foes with shorter patience. He scrutinized her entire frame, paying close attention to her supple face and curvy, petite body. Probably to see if she was a fake, a fraud with his wife's face.

"Damon, you know who I am." Her eyes softened, taking in his modern clothes and styled raven hair. She desperately wanted to touch his face, see if he was actually real but by the bewildered expression he was giving, that wasn't a good idea.

"No. No, I don't. Are you some ghost, doppleganger, a trick - what game are you playing." He took hold of her upper arms as if to peer into her soul. Damon towered over her, as he always did and the nostalgia was not lost on her.

Kalliope pursed her lips, "Please, unhand me."

Damon was a hurricane of mixed emotions. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, banging against his internal walls. He couldn't catch his breath.

He didn't want to believe her. This false image of his dearest Kalliope. Everything he ever had faith in disappointed him time and time again. Good things were never true. And by god, was Kalliope a good thing.

He answered his own question by her not being a ghost. Damon could feel her beneath his large hands. As always, Damon didn't believe in the impossible, even the things he could see.

Focusing his eyes, he tried to compell her, cupping her cheeks within his ring clad hands. "What is your name," His voice was pleading now. Badly hidden under his tough exterior, she saw right through it, because she knew him. An earnest emotion that could only be described as longing. It made her heart clench with sympathy.

Going slowly, she grasped his palms in her own, holding them to her face.

He jumped at her touch, caught off guard by the same electrifying reaction he had so long ago. Kalliope stared at him beneath her lashes and wistfully hoped her familiarity with him would have some clarification. "Damon, look at me. Really look at me."

For a moment, he faultered. His hard resolve slipped through his fingers, slack and defenseless. She could see the change in his face and that's how she knew Damon's core character had not changed no matter the century. His emotions played on his body language, heart braced against his sleeve. Vulnerable for the world to see.

Stepping closer, he finally took the time to really look at her. At the optimism in her cocoa brown orbs. Of the gentle way she regarded everyone she came in contact with. The little wrinkle in her nose when she concentrated. The benevolent power her words had over everyone without even trying.

His crystal eyes grew foggy. A mist collecting in the corners as his lips parted with the same name her heart beat to every waking day. "F-flore? Flore, I thought you were gone..."

The eldest Salvatore embraced her, holding her flush against himself as he breathed in her blissful scent. A culmination of his favorite things solely because of this woman. She was soft in his arms, fit like a puzzle piece, just like she did before.

Her chocolate hair tickled his nose, causing a breathless chuckle to escape his lips. "I've missed you, so much. I thought you were dead. I-I saw your bodies and I -" She cut off, growing overwhelmed.

Kalliope felt a few tears slip from her eyes, soaking into the inky leather of his jacket as she squeezed her eyes shut. This entire reunion felt surreal. However, the loneliness she experienced in that chalice was catching up to her quickly.

"Who turned you, Flore? Tell me... tell me and I promise I'll skin them while their still breathing," Damon cooed against her head, separating from her to see the melancholy look on her face. He cradled her head like she were made of glass, fingers combed through her hair. The embrace was intimate, something only people who had once dedicated their lives to each other could accurately achieve.

She shook her head, smiling up at him despite his dark words. "I am not like you, dearest. I'm something... entirely different."

If it were possible, his adoring eyes softened as he regarded her. "Are you in some type of trouble? Whatever it is, I'll handle it."

To quiet him, Kalliope kissed the corner of his lips. It was out of old habits. From when they were young, newly married and couldn't stop talking to each other about senseless things. It melted Damon's hard exterior that much further. "I'm okay. And, I know there's a lot to explain but I'd much rather savor my time with you... is that alright?"

He suddenly tripped over his words, licking his lips to collect his jumbled thoughts. "Yes, yeah. C'mon."

Leading her to the grill by an arm around her waist, he pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. The sweet gesture made her blush rosy, sighing in the comfort of his arms. "I'm sorry about before -"

"That is perfectly okay. I understand your apprehension. The world is a peculiar place." Even the way she spoke was dated, but that made him enjoy this moment all the more. She glanced at him briefly, grinning her pearly white smile that stunned him for a moment too long. "I don't fault you for it, Damon."

Exhaling at the shiver that zipped down his spine, he brought her inside and to the booth he shared with his drinking buddy. By the lack of Andie, he was sure she had left by now. Ric was holding his head in worry when he looked up, finding Damon with the same curiously familiar woman from before.

The hunter gaped, although, not surprised. "Did you seriously compell this random woman to sit with us?"

Damon scrunched his nose, scoffing. "What? No. I wouldn't need to compell anyone to relish in the awesomeness that is my presence. Now listen, this is Kalliope Debonair... Salvatore?"

He questioned her with a slightly raised eyebrow and Kalliope realized his wall was back up. No matter how easily she could see right through it, the facade was up for everyone else. She sent him a knowing expression, laying a gentle hand to his chest before turning to his friend.

Sticking out her palm, she grinned shyly. "Hello, Kalliope Debonair. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance." She knew Damon wouldn't be ready to jump into old lifestyles, so she chose the easiest answer. That didn't mean she wasn't completely smitten with him still.

Alaric's eyes widened comedically before he met her hand shake with a sturdy one of his own. "Hey, Alaric but I go by Ric. You look familiar, have we met before?"

Damon took her hand from his drinking friend, holding it within his own as he allowed her to enter the booth first. His presence overwhelmed her senses, coating her frame in a loving embrace, like fur coat in the dead of winter.

Despite her suddenly hazy mind, she wrinkled her nose. "Oh? I would assume not, but you can never be too sure." She winked, effortlessly growing comfortable with her surroundings. "Now, what are curly fries and can I have some?"

Kalliope couldn't get enough of the 21st century foods. Sue her.

Damon hadn't taken his eyes off her since they reunited, as if she'd disappear any moment and he'd regret the wasted seconds looking at anything else. "They're cut up potatoes and sure, you can have anything you want."

The Genie brightened, cupping her hands in delight. "Really? Alright." He picked up a menu for her perusal, laying his left arm over the back of the booth protectively. Her brows furrowed as she glanced over the menu in confusion, not understanding much of the elaborate choices.

She pointed to some dishes and asked Damon his input, to which he gladly coached her through. It was an endearing scene to behold. A side of Damon that Alaric had not seen yet. It both shocked and pleased him. He couldn't believe his eyes.

Ric wondered if he should get this all on camera. The moment couldn't be passed up. However, their relationship only made him curious. This interaction appeared to be history from more than a fling.

"So, how do you two know each other?"

A brain aneurysm just waiting to happen.

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Unedited. 01/31/21

Damon woke up and chose his violence pants today. Also, what?? The Salvatore knows the word, "Sorry"?? Their reunion gives me the feels.

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