Passion or Poison

by, Wild Yet Innocent

( Prologue )

A carriage pulls up in front of a big cottage styled house, two girls carefully climb out.

One with slightly frizzed brunette hair, wearing a snug fitting, flared at the bottom mint colored dress. The other with darker hair, not as curly, but wavy, wearing an elegant lavender colored dress.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," says Giuseppe Salvatore.

"Thank you, like wise," the one wearing the mint dress replies.

Two boys, one with dark tousled hair, the other with lighter spikey hair, stand slightly behind Giuseppe. "Miss Pierce," the darker one steps forward, acknowledging both the girls.

"Please, call me Lilly. This is my sister, Katherine," the one wearing the lavender dress introduces, smiling.

The boys don't fail to realize how much smaller the one named Lilly is, she could easily pass as a twelve year old. "I'm Damon, this is Stefan," says the one with the dark hair, grinning from ear to ear.

"Stefan. Damon." Katherine sounds out their names, they drip off her tongue like honey.

Lilly looks up at her sister. "I think we'll like it here quite well."

Katherine smiles, "indeed we will, baby sister."

X

Weeks pass since the two girl's moved in with the Salvatore's, everyone quickly falls into place with each other.

Katherine is unfaithful, leading both boy's along, trying to play them against each other. Lilly is playful, innocent even, but quiet, not at all wanting the attention her sister does.

Stefan is chasing Katherine around, running all through the garden of beautiful in bloom flowers. Lilly sits beside a tree, reading a novel, listening to the birds chirp.

A door opens, making Lilly drop her book, standing to look for the source of noise. "My, my, little Lilly," a voice cooed.

Lilly spun the other direction, coming face to face with Damon. "Oh my, Damon!" she squeals, jumping into his arms as he twirls her in the air.

"I win, what's my prize?" Katherine asks, giggling.

Damon sits Lilly on her feet, pulling her close to him. They'd developed a very close relationship, but not a physical one at all. "What do you want it to be?" Damon asked, making his presence known to the older teenagers.

"They extended your leave?" Stefan asked, shocked to see his older brother home so early.

"I was simply having too much fun back home, to return to battle," Damon explained, smirking.

"Your commitment to the confederacy is inspiring," Stefan points out, chuckling under his breath, walking over to hug his brother.

Reluctantly, Lilly lets Damon go. "Well, this works out wonderfully for me," Katherine states, coming closer to her sister, grabbing her hand.

"How so?" Lilly asks quietly, her wide green eyes curious as ever.

Damon vocalizes his question louder than Lilly. "How's that, Miss Katherine?" he asks, his arm around his brother's neck.

"Now I'll have both of you to keep me entertained," Katherine explains, giggling. "First, I'll need someone to escort me to the Founder's Ball."

"With honor," both Salvatore's say simultaneously.

Katherine mock gasps. "The kind Salvatore brother's both coming to my rescue. How will I ever choose?" she asks, walking away.

Lilly looks at both boy's, shrugging, then runs to give Damon another hug. When she steps away, she looks both brother's in the eyes, her green eyes imploring into theirs. "It's nice to see Katherine happy. You're both a big part of that... so, thank you," Lilly says quietly, smiling up at them.

Both brother's smile back at the young girl. At only fourteen, Lilly was wise beyond her years. "It's a pleasure to be the reason your sister is happy," Stefan answers, giving Lilly a tight squeeze.

Damon's icy blue eyes gaze at Lilly. "You're adorable," he states, picking her up again, only to carry her away this time, while she giggles uncontrollably.

X

As their stay lengthens, the town's people begin to realize that vampires having returned, being that Katherine has turned quite a few people.

Pearl came to the Salvatore Estate this day, bringing her daughter Ana along.

Lilly walks beside her sister, whose talking quietly with Pearl. "How long do you plan on staying with the Salvatore's?"

Katherine pulls Lilly closer to her, intertwining her arm with her baby sister's. "The Salvatore's have been kind to take us in."

"As far as everyone here knows, we're orphans who lost their family in Atlanta," Lilly points out quietly.

"A match that your sister lit no doubt," Pearl says, a sarcastic tone to her voice, making Katherine giggle.

Pearl pulls out a small bottle with clear liquid inside. "Honoria Fell left this elixir at the apothecary, asking that it be sold at a reduced rate."

Katherine grows confused. "I don't follow."

Pearl sighs. "Try it."

Lilly take the bottle, pouring a bit in her hand, then yelping in pain. "Ow!"

"What in hell?" Katherine asks, examining her sister's hand.

"Vervain." Pearl states, no heat to her voice. "They know."

"They're trying to find us, they're even getting crafty about it."

"The town's people ingesting vervain?" Lilly whispers quietly, then scoffs. "That's inconvenient."

"It might be time to move on," Pearl tells Katherine, lowering her voice.

"No. I like it here."

Pearl gives Katherine a disapproving look, going to collect her daughter Ana, whose playing with the horses.

Lilly shrugs. "We're safe... right?" she asks her sister.

"Yes," Katherine smiles reassuringly, "we're safe."

Lilly let's out a little sigh of relief, but still isn't completely convinced.

X

The day's coming until the end get shorter, very much shorter.

Lilly's been devising a plan, to keep herself safe, if the plan the town is trying to pursue takes place. While Katherine, has been planning to turn both Salvatore brothers, much to Pearl's protest.

Stefan comes running down the long spiral stairs, forcing a shirt over his head along the way. Frightened, Lilly stands, "Stefan, what's wrong?"

"Go Lilly! Run, they know! It's not safe," he whispers harshly letting the young girl know how important it is she do as he says.

"It's time," Lilly whispers, running as fast as she humanly can, not stupid enough to expose herself as a vampire.

Once she reaches the property line for the Salvatore Estate, she looks back, searching for her sister. "Katarina, come on," she whines, her voice barely above a whisper.

She waits for a moment, but hears foot steps a distance behind her, so she uses her vampire speed, running, never looking back.

Lilia Petrova didn't lay eyes on her sister, Katarina Petrova, for another forty years.

X

Lilly sat in her sky rise view loft, painting a mural of the city her loft over looked.

Katherine walked down the busy streets of New York City, intent on finding the bar she'd visited once, needing to speak with Will.

Lilly stood, wanting a closer look at the streets below her, she gasped, fleeing her apartment.

Katherine slowly came to halt, feeling as if she was being followed.

Lilly crept up behind her sister, breathing on her neck, making Katherine flash her fangs.

"Who... Lilly? Oh my... Lilly!" Katherine was at a loss for words, after forty long years of searching, she'd finally found her baby sister.

Katherine pulled Lilly into her arms, giving her a long, tight embrace. Lilly enjoyed the familiar lavender-vanilla scent her sister wore.

"I've missed you," Lilly mumbled into her sister's blouse.

Katherine pulled away, holding onto her shoulders. "Where have you been, dear sister?"

Lilly shrugged. "Here, I've been in the city for a little over twenty years."

Katherine nodded, still not sure what she could say to her sister. Lilly gazed into her sisters chocolate colored orbs. "Still running from Klaus?"

Again, Katherine nodded, sadly. "Lilia," Katherine started, using her sister's Bulgarian name. "Why don't you worry... about Klaus?"

"Katarina, Klaus isn't as intent on finding me, as he is you. I'm just a consolation prize, you, he needs you... not me."

Katherine pulled Lilly in for another hug. "Oh Lilia, I love you so," she whispered.

Lilly wrapped her sister's hair around her hands. "I'll love you always, Katarina, my dear, big sister."

X

After reuniting with her sister, Lilly spend the next twenty years gallivanting from state to state with Katherine.

She'd hated not having a steady life style anymore, each day that passed, she longed more for her comfortable city life left.

So she wrote her sister a note, tucked it away in an envelope, and fled.

But, she didn't go back to the city... she went back to her home away from home, Mystic Fall's, Virginia.

X