Welcome to 'Turn the Page'. I won't be able to update my other stories till at least mid week because they're making me work days shifts for the next few days. That's going to be tough for me having worked nights shifts for more years than I care to mention. However, I wanted to give you all a peek at this story since AF and Dig are both in the home stretch now. There are a few chapters of each left to post though. I still have maybe 3 chapters left to write for this story so I don't plan to post anymore till Dig and AF have concluded.

I want to give a big shout out to my dear sweet Eva for helping me bring these stories to life and to my dear, dear friend Kate for another brilliant cover image. Please read her stories, her user name is Florencia7. Her take on DE is always breathtaking.

Without further ado, enjoy the first chapter of 'Turn the Page'.

"Grandma, I'm here," I say aloud when I walk into her house. Looking around I smile widely when my eyes fall on a picture of me and grams. My parents died in a horrific car accident when I was a little girl. After the tragedy that claimed their lives, I came to live here. Grandma and grandpa took me in and raised me with my aunt Jenna, their youngest daughter and a happy accident to boot. Only five years older than me, Jenna and I had a few knock down drag out fights when we were growing up. Between the two of us though, we kept them on their toes, giving them a run for their money as it were. Grandma wanted to pummel us on more than one occasion but she has always said, we are keeping her young at heart. My grandpa died five years ago, dropping dead instantly from a massive heart attack. As hard as it was, we were all grateful that he didn't have any needless suffering. My grandma is the strongest person I know. Even though his death was such a shock and she was left widowed at a fairly young age, she didn't let the grief bury her.

"Hello, Elena dear. I'm so happy to see you."

"Well don't act so surprised? You're the one who invited me."

"I know sweetheart. I have some news to share at supper tonight. Jenna and Ric are coming over too as well as some other guests."

"What's going on?"

"I just have something to tell you all."

"Really? You can't tell me, your favorite granddaughter?"

"You're my only granddaughter," she scoffs, shaking her head. "And no, you'll wait till this evening like everyone else."

"Do you need some help with supper?"

"I thought maybe you'd bring Kol along with you. You two are nigh inseparable."

"Well grandma, he is my best friend."

"I know that."

"You didn't answer my question, do you need some help getting everything ready?"

"No, dear. If you have some work to catch up on, please do so that way I'll have your full attention tonight."

"Okay, grandma. I do have a piece that I'm working on. I'm hoping it'll be the lead story on one of next week's broadcasts. I'll just go up to my old bedroom and get some work done. Holler if you need some help."

"I will, child."

"Grandma, I'm not a child anymore," I reply in exasperation. After giving her a hug, I pick up my valise and hurry up the stairs.

Overtaken by nostalgia, I set my things on my bed and then sit down myself. Reaching over I grab one of my high school yearbooks to thumb through. Looking at the date, it's my sophomore year in high school. How could I ever forget it and especially him? As handsome as he was, he sometimes had the personality of a pit viper. He could be so mean sometimes that it makes me mad even to think about him. All the girls would fall all over themselves just to get his attention. It was as if his approval was the be all and end all. Luckily, I only had to deal with him for two years in high school because he was a senior when I was a sophomore.

But Damon and I go way back. Even as children, we despised each other. After I moved in with my grandma, we became neighbors because the Salvatore family lived in the big boarding house just down the street. His half sister, Katherine is ten years older than he is so they didn't really hang out together. And me, I was the 'ugly duckling' as they say. I had glasses, crooked teeth and freckles back then. He teased me relentlessly because of it. There is no doubt in my mind that his picture is beside the word bully in Webster's Dictionary. Even just imagining him lights my fuse.

"Hey metal mouth, what cha doing today?"

"Don't call me that."

"Why not four-eyes?"

"Why are you so mean?"

"Oh come on, Lena, you make it too easy."

"I don't care. You don't have to be such a bully."

"I'm not a bully, I'm just stating fact, little Elena," he smirks, then picks up his ball and runs off.

Even back then, he had that panty dropping smirk but I didn't dwell on it at that time. All I wanted to do was cold cock him into next week. And although I got rid of my glasses and contacts and the braces by the time I got to high school, I still wasn't glamorous like some of the girls. I never wore makeup despite Caroline's nagging. It wasn't until junior year that I really started to enjoy cosmetics and those kinds of girly things.

In all honesty, I think he loathed me almost as much as I loathed him. It didn't start out that way of course. There was a time or two that he tried to worm his way into my good graces. When we were little and after I moved in with grandma, we played together. And then seemingly out of the blue, Dr. Jekyll became Mr. Hyde.

The arrogant bastard would strut around campus and the hallways as if he was God's gift to all woman kind. And of course it didn't hurt that he lettered in football, track and field and varsity basketball. During summer break, he was the star player on our local baseball team.

As much as I detest even the thought of him, it was so easy to fall prey to his piercing blue eyes. They're an unworldly hue, almost as if Tinkle Belle created them with one stroke of her magic wand. Shaking my head, I thumb through the pages, even finding one of the me and him together. It's comical actually, we both look like we want to torch each other.

Surprisingly, his parents and my parents were quite close. But since I was so young when my mom and dad died, I don't remember much about those days. Just a few years later, Damon's mother died of cancer. Although I know he is very tight with his dad or at least he was back then, he was always a momma's boy or so my grandma told me. After she died, he was left reeling in wake of her death. He lost some of that sparkle in his eyes and his swagger wasn't as confident. I was a freshman then.

We were both reporters for the school newspaper. There was one story that we both wanted. We had a big problem with vandalism that year and both Damon and I were determined to identify the culprit or culprits. The local police believed it to be students rather than more seasoned professionals because of some amateur mistakes the thieves made. Even if they did leave fingerprints, this was a school so there were valid reasons for any of student body's fingerprints to be in the room.

Against my better judgment, I agreed to work with him. The two of us set a trap, publishing a story about some new state of the art equipment that was going to be donated by Richard Lockwood, the richest man in town. He's Mystic Falls own version of 'Mr. Potter'.

After the equipment was installed, Damon and I found a hiding place and set up a hidden camera so we could catch whoever was wreaking such havoc at the school. As it turned out, it was Damon's cousin Stefan and his best pals, Matt and Vicky Donovan. Vicky dabbled in drugs and alcohol but Stefan was completely smitten with her. When we called the police, we were both there to witness their arrest. For reasons that I still don't understand, Damon got all the credit for nabbing them. Even when we wrote competing stories about the capture, he still got all the credit. I guess in fairness to him, he did name me as his cohort in his article but still, all of the adulation fell on him because our editor had a big crush on him.

"But Rose, you know I played just as much a part in solving this case as he did."

"I know that Elena and your name will be on the article too."

"Why does he get top billing then? My name is just a little footnote on the bottom. That's not fair and you know it."

"Elena, get serious. He's older than you. This whole thing was his idea so why shouldn't he get most of the credit?"

"His idea? You can't be serious? We did this together."

"Uh, Elena. You're just a measly sophomore, he's a senior and a Salvatore to boot. What would you have me do?"

"What would I have you do? Play by the rules that's what. Why does he get special consideration just because of his looks. You know it's true," I add, seething.

"Elena?!"

"Look Rose, I'm not asking for top billing, I'm just asking to receive due credit."

"Sorry, Elena. The paper is already printed."

"Print a retraction then."

"I'm not going to do that. This is the way the world works, Elena. Get over it," she snaps at me.

"You will regret this Rose. I intend to go to talk to the principle about you playing favorites. Everybody has seen how you fall all over yourself and practically drool in his presence."

"Are you accusing me a playing favoritism to get a date with Damon?"

"If the shoe fits?" I counter, getting in her face. "Either you fix this or I'm going to the principle about your lack of integrity."

"Have at it, Elena."

"You had your chance," I warn. Picking up my backpack, I stomp out of the room, slamming the door closed so hard that I can hear window glass rattle.

And I did complain to the powers that be at school about Rose's lapse in objectivity. It didn't take long for her to be replaced by me in fact. Even though I had no love lost for Damon, he was a good reporter so I kept him on staff but I only dealt with him in an official school capacity. After the Rose fiasco, he apologized and went all out to try to make up for Rose's lack of professionalism.

Even though I knew better, I still fell into his trap momentarily. He asked me to go to the grill so he could make it up to me. Again, I warred with myself as to whether I should accept and in the end I did. But he was a no show. It was only later when I was walking home that I saw him drive past with floozy Fiona in the passenger seat. He never saw me and I never spoke to him again except in my official capacity as one of the schools reporters. He actually had the gall to accuse me of standing him up. Completely dumbfounded, I turned around and give him the full force of the Gilbert stare.

"You stood me up," he barks, closing the distance between us.

"I stood you up?" I snap, baring my teeth like an angry dog.

"Yeah, I showed up and you weren't there, Elena."

"And that's because I saw you with Fiona an hour after you said you'd meet me. You do not get to blame me because you couldn't keep your zipper up for one night!"

"Are you being serious right now? I wouldn't sleep with her if she was the last woman on earth. She's a walking, talking STD!" he sneers, focusing his beady eyes at me.

"I saw you."

"You may have seen me giving her a ride but I assure you, Miss Gilbert, that was the extent of it."

Feeling disgust at every level, I scrunch up my face, turn on my heels and leave the room, slamming the door closed behind me.

From what I know about his whereabouts, I've heard that he works for a Chicago TV station now. Although I still visit my grandma regularly, I have my own apartment and I work for the Mystic Falls TV station as an on the air reporter, co-anchor on the evening news. I do hope that it will lead to bigger and better things. As much as I love my hometown, I do dream of a life outside of its confines. Putting the book away, I decide to shower and freshen up. Afterwards, I put on some perfume and fresh makeup before going back downstairs to join my grandma.

"Do you need any help?"

"Sure, you can set the table if you'd like. Set six places."

"Six?"

"Yes, six."

"Okay?"

With a shrug of my shoulders, I reach into the cupboard. Taking six plates in hand, I then reach for six water glasses, setting them on top of the plates. After sharing a look we grandma, I take them to the dining room to set the table. She is really going all out so much so that she even has a bouquet of flowers on the table. Hmm, I wonder who's so important? After placing the silverware and napkins, I go back to find the salt and pepper shakers as well as condiments. When I'm done, I go back in the kitchen to visit with her while she puts the finishing touches on her roast and mashed potatoes. Her mashed potatoes are the bomb. Reaching into the refrigerator, I grab a bottle of water. Just as I put it to my lips, the doorbell rings.

"That must be our guests. Would you answer that, Elena? I'll be right out."

"Sure," I utter, then walk to the door, my water bottle still in my hand. And when I open it, I get the biggest shock of my life when standing right in front of me is the one and only, Damon Salvatore.

I hope the first chapter intrigues you just a little bit. There is a lot to come.

Thank you so much, Eva. These stories wouldn't exist without you. I can never begin to thank you enough for your friendship, wise counsel and constantly whirring mind.

Story title: 'Turn the Page' by Metallica. Bob Seger is the original artist for this song. And although his version is very nice too, I just prefer the Metallica rendition.

'Mr. Potter' is a character in 'It's a Wonderful Life'. It's the best Christmas movie ever. He was the richest and meanest man in Bedford Falls.

'Dig', 'Nothing Left to Fear', and 'Angels Fall' are all still in progress.

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I hope you all have a safe and wonderful rest of your day and a happy tomorrow. And thank you all again for always supporting me and my stories.