A/N I hope you like it!

I'll Be Good

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My past has tasted bitter for years now, so I wield an iron fist
Grace is just weakness, or so I've been told

I've been cold, I've been merciless

But the blood on my hands scares me to death, maybe i'm waking up

I'll be good, I'll be good and i'll love the world like I should

I'll be good, i'll be good

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"When love is not madness, it is not love."

― Pedro Calderon de la Barca

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1864

"Daniella!"

Damon ran through the woods, screaming at the top of his voice for his sister, eyes wide with panic as his sister continued to evade him. He ground his teeth together, inhaling large amounts of air as he traveled through the woods, his newfound senses still fresh. Everything was brighter, louder. He'd never felt more alive yet somehow revive into something greater t it wasn't to last, not without Katherine.

He was going to die.

But not until he said goodbye.

"Daniella!"

Worry lacing his tone as the long seconds ticked by, Damon ignored the pain in his gums and sounds of nearby heartbeats in the town as he neared the road. He needed to find Daniella; she'd been missing since their fire had fired three bullets into his children. She'd been alone for far too long, and if Daniella Salvatore hated something, it was being by herself.

Wiping an exasperated hand down his face, Damon slowed his pace, bracing himself against a nearby tree as he stumbled.

"Dan-"

He snapped his mouth shut when a familiar growling sound caught his ears, nearby but, at the same time, so far away. He suddenly stopped when the sound of growling hit his ears.

Using his vampire speed to flash in the direction of the sound, Damon caught himself before he tripped over his own feet, gasping in horror when he discovered a figure hovering over another. The growling sounds continued, the attacker's face hidden by the darkness as they pinned the body below them with their hands, face concealed in the darkness.

But, in spite of the darkness, Damon knew it was Daniella.

His sister was straddling a young man against a tree and was ripping into his throat. He gasped as he looked at the dozen of dead bodies laying around for him to see. Each had several bite-marks on their body mostly on their throats and wrists. He covered his mouth as the stench of corpses hit his nose, and he stumbled backward, staring at his sister.

She was feeding as if she'd been starved.

"D-Dani?"

His sister growled as she rose from the body, hastily spinning in his direction, staggering slightly. Bloody orbs shifting to her usual pale blue, his sister's eyes met his own, but the light that had been there before was no longer. Her dress was almost in tattlers, sleeves pulled and torn from her victim's trying to fight and her cheeks were smeared with blood.

"My brother!"Daniella sing songed, holding out her arms as if expecting her usual hug, blood dripping from her chin when she smiled."Finally, you have found me. It took you long enough!"

His eyes widened at the grim tone she used and swallowed the lump in his throat as he finally met her gaze.

"I'm sorry, but there is no more food left to share."Daniella continued, feigning a remorseful tone as she gestured to the now dead man she'd been feeding on with an impudent grin."I may have finished them without you."

Wiping at her chin with the heel of her palm, Daniella's gaze lingered on the body for a brief moment before she turned back to her brother.

"But we can go looking for more."

Snapping out of the startled daze he'd been in, Damon took a cautious step forward, avoiding the corpses.

"What have you done?"He mumbled as he advanced upon his sister, brows furrowed."You have fed?"

"Of course, silly. Katherine did say that if you don't feed you die."Daniella simpered with a large smile, shaking her head with a scolding tut."I do not want to die."

Damon instantly shook his head, refusing to indulge her.

"But without Katherine-"

Daniella's smile fell, and she held up a hand, cutting him off with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Forget about her; we do not need her."Daniella reached out and took hold of her brother's face, ignoring his wince when she smeared blood on his face."The power is unbelievable. I can feel it flowing through me."

Despite her smile, despite how she stared at him as she once had as a child with such love, he knew this wasn't his sister.

Daniella was manipulative and roguish at times, yes, but as was Damon, she'd been taught from the best after all. But, despite her tendency to be somewhat curt and petulant at times, she was otherwise a sweet girl. Just like their mother and Stefan. But the young girl that stood before him now, pale and not in her right mind, was not his sister.

He did not recognize the girl standing in front of him.

"I wish to die without Katherine!"Damon hissed in response, swatting his hands from his face and turning from her."This was all to be with her; you used her to be a vampire!"

"Of course."Daniella simply nodded with a small smile, watching calmly as her brother paced him back and forth."What else would I want her for?"

Daniella skipped towards him, holding onto the bottom dress as she stepped over the bodies. She stopped in front of him with a dreamy smile and placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to come to a stop.

"Come, brother. We can enjoy it together."Daniella offered him her free hand, her other cupping his cheek and she offered him a smile when he met her eyes."You, me and Stefan. Our family will never part, Damon. We'll be forever."

Damon worried his bottom lip between his teeth, gaze lingering on her offered hand, his own itching to accept.

"There is no you, me and Stefan. Not anymore. There is no family."Damon bowed his head onto her shoulder refusing to meet his gaze, forcing himself to not acknowledge the stabbing in his chest."Not without Katherine."

For a long moment Daniella was silent, and, for a split second Damon was convinced she would try and attempt to convince him once again and, for that split second he wished she had. It passed quickly, however, when she shoved him away from her with frustrated sigh.

"Then I shall enjoy my existence without you. For now."Daniella cavorted away, spinning on the heels of her bare feet, arms held out as if she were convinced she'd take off."The world is at my feet!"

Daniella slowed down far from her brother and dramatically bowed, laughter spilling from at her bloody lips, raising her head just an inch to wink.

"Give my love to our brother."

A second later she was nowhere to be seen, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

Present—Mystic Falls

"Something has to bring him back, Damon. We just...We just can't give up."

"There is nothing, Elena. Stefan is gone! Ripper Stefan is who we're dealing with now!"Damon groaned, running a hand over his face as he turned and looked at the brunette."We just gotta to deal with it until he crawls back with his tail between his legs and begs for forgiveness at your funeral 'cause that's how long he's gonna be off the trails for. "

Feigning a cherry smile, Damon turned on his heels and jogged his way up the rest of the staircase, Elena at his heels. He bounded up the stairs three at the time, giving Elena little to no chance of catching up to keep up their conversation.

"Just because you think you're dealing with it doesn't mean I have to."Elena fired back with, voice cracking when Damon remained turned from her."I...I need hope. Just give me hope, Damon, 'cause I can't see him every day and knowing that Stefan-"

"Stefan, Stefan, Stefan."Damon cut in quietly, kicking open his brother's door with one foot and wincing when the redolence of dead bodies hit his nose."Stefan's left a mess behind that i've got to tend to."

Unless you have some magic wand, Elena, this is the Stefan you have to deal with."

Damon shrugged and sauntered inside, setting down all but one of the trash bags on his brother's desk. He entered Stefan's room, shaking out the trash bags he'd brought up.

Elena held her hand over her nose, retreating to the doorframe when the stench became too much to bear, swallowing the lump in her throat as her mind flashed back to the happier times spent in the bedroom that were going to be dampened by what she was witnessing.

This wasn't Stefan.

Sprawled across the bed, the bed Elena once shared with Stefan, was what was left of a young girl. A young, brunette around Elena's age with the lower half of her body intact but her head neatly decapitated and placed on one of the pillows.

"Oh, my-"Elena slumped against the doorframe, screwing her eyes shut as tightly as she could.

Damon, sighing like a father would if he found his son's bedroom untidy, rolled his eyes and walked over to the bed, grabbing the girl by her wrists and pulling her down onto the rug, ready to roll her up before he used the trash-bags for the head and the rest of the mess.

"Hey, at least he does some good work."

"Not funny." Elena glared at the elder Salvatore, back still turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest when she was able to breathe without feeling the urge to throw up her breakfast."This can't keep happening."

"I know. I didn't sign up to play maid."

"There has to be something."Elena carried on as if he hadn't spoken, fingers drumming against her arm as she tried to think clearly."Anything. Lexi wrote that there was always something to bring him back. What do you think?"

She got no response. Not even the scoff she'd been expecting.

"Damon?"

Elena turned on her heels, ready to chastise the Salvatore brother for not being any help at all but instead found herself frowning when she noticed that he seemed interested in something else. Damon was knelt beside the bed, trash-bag forgotten at his feet and seemed to be staring at something that was somehow more important than the matter at hand.

"Huh, I thought i'd lost this."Damon murmured as he picked up something from Stefan's bedside table, it concealed from Elena as she was too far away to see."Seriously, Stefan? I don't steal your stuff."

Curiosity brimming, Elena slowly started to enter the bedroom, unable to resist sneaking a peek at what Damon was holding.

"Damon-"

Frowning in a confused manner and cutting herself off, Elena peered over Damon's shoulder at the object he was holding, That object being a worn picture. An old worn out picture of Damon, Stefan and a woman Elena didn't recognize. Her eyes widened as she looked at the picture, suddenly feeling a mix of curiosity and indignant.

The picture taken was of Stefan, and a young looking woman around his age tucked into his side. She had long black hair, a smirk instead of a smile and familiar blue eyes that seemed to look through you, eyes that mirrored Damon's. The two were smiling at one another while he had his arms wrapped around her, and she had her arms locked around his neck.

"Who is she?"

Damon blinked, arching an eyebrow while he raised his head to look up at Elena.

"Nosy much?"

Elena offered up no explanation, uneasily shifting from foot to foot, looked up at Damon when the vampire rose to his full height.

"Who is she, Damon?"Elena repeated, hands on her hips.

"Hey, hey, keep the green-eyed monster at bay."Damon lazily scolded, lips curving up into a smirk as he sauntered away from Elena, gliding across the floor to avoid blood splatter."It's Dani."

"Dani?"

Nodding with a ghost of a smile, Damon's eyes softened once again when he looked at the picture.

"Daniella Lillian Salvatore."He proudly stated, thumb brushing over his Daniella's face pensively."My sister."

"You have a sister?"Elena breathily asked in disbelief, venturing into the bedroom, careful to avoid the bloody puddles."You. Have. A. Sister."

"Yes. I. Do."Damon imitated, drawing out the silence with a bemused shake of his head."What of it?"

"You have a sister, Damon."Elena proclaimed as she stormed over to him, reaching out and snatching the picture from his grasp, ignoring the playful glower she got in response."You never told me!"

"You never asked."Damon simply responded, nonchalantly shrugging before snatching the photo back, pointing at Elena scoldingly."Didn't your mom teach you any manners?"

She followed Damon as he advanced upon the bed, shaking out the trash-bag once more and inserting his hands inside of it so that he could touch the head without getting blood on his hands. He didn't want to risk accidentally smearing red on his new shirt.

"Why haven't you told me about her?"Elena demanded, turning her head when she witnessed Damon dispatch the head into the trash-bag with far too casually."Why...Why didn't Stefan tell me about her?"

"She's big on the whole privacy thing. Likes to keep herself to herself."Damon replied almost defensively with another shrug, jaw tightening, dismissively adding."And we like to keep her to ourselves. It's a family thing."

In the matter of seconds, Elena's expression changed from dismay to hope.

"And so is Stefan flipping the switch. Don't you get it? Maybe she can help us. Help Stefan."Elena rushed out in relief, a small smile gracing her face."Dani-"

"Daniella."Damon corrected, cutting in with a wag of his index finger, clicking his tongue."Dani's also a family thing."

"Damon, stop deflecting. Listen to me. Please."Elena slowly made her way over to Damon, large doe eyes staring up at him in desperation."Call Daniella. Get her to come to Mystic Falls and maybe we can stop all of this."

Like before Damon was quick to cut in and, this time, refuse.

"Nope."

Elena pursed her lips, trying to compose herself."Why?"

"She's a pain in the ass. Drinks all of the milk, uses all of the hot water and refuses to share the remote. You know, a total control freak. The goody two shoes kind who's hiding from her past and trying to atone for her sins."

Damon rushed out with as much confidence as he could, forcing himself to remain straight-faced but Elena noticed his becoming become more hollow and strained with each word.

"You're familiar with the type."

Elena noticed Damon's hands shaking, and she turned him around to face her, frowning when she saw his eyes darken.

"Damon. What happened?"

"Family business. Point is to not open old wounds."Damon answered after snapping out of whatever reverie he'd been in, Damon forced himself to collect his composure and forced a smile."That's the end of the story, Elena."

Damon's quick and cold reply made Elena frown, and she watched the elder Salvatore as he perched the girl over his shoulder, fists clenching around the trash bag that contained the and began making his way out of the room.

"Damon?"

"But maybe you have a point. I'll call her. She was in Vegas last I heard."Damon looked over his shoulder long enough to nod at Elena before glancing around the room."Why don't you help out and start cleaning up in here?"

"Damon-"

"I said that i'll call her, all right?"Damon interrupted, the vacancy of emotion in his voice making Elena go silent, and he lingered for another moment before starting off towards the exit.

1958—London

"Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Very sure, Izzy. It feels good, doesn't it?"

Isabella gasped as her boyfriend's lips moved across her collarbone before they traced up her throat towards her ear. Her eyes fluttered as his hand crept up her leg that was hitched around his hips. She giggled as he whispered into her ear, things she would blush about later on.

Her father had never approved of her relationship with Leo, her father thought of him as a street rat. But she loved him which was why she had snuck to meet up with him.

They were breaking the rules.

"I-I should get back-"

"Not yet."He protested, pulling back from her neck and looking at her."Stay with me."

She just nodded and leaned up, pressing her lips to his.

"Being naughty, are we?"

Isabella jumped away from the Leo, her eyes widening in shock. Her boyfriend jumped back too, almost stumbling over his feet at the sudden voice. His eyes also widened as his gaze landed on a young woman wearing all black, her shining blue eyes the only bright color on her as she gazed at them, a teasing smile on her lips.

Her long black hair was swept to one side, her bare neck exposed as she wore a thin necklace that seemed older than she was. He looked anywhere but her eyes, ashamed of himself as he waited to be scolded for his actions.

Isabella went red as she smoothed down her dress and shook her head, trying to seem put together.

"N-No, miss, we were just-"

"Doing something you shouldn't be?"The young woman cut off Isabella, hands behind her back, eyebrow arching in suspicion."Does your father know that you're out this late, young lady?"

"Please don't tell him. I'll give you anything."

The woman perked up at this and, lips curving up, she tilted her head with an interested hum.

"I think we can come to an arrangement,"

Isabella gave a relieved gasp at her words, and she smiled a little, enthusiastically nodding.

"We can?"

The woman's smile broadened, eyes flickering between the pair.

"Yes."

The young woman's eyes suddenly turned blood red, and her lips parted, baring a pair of sharp fangs.

Isabella screamed as the woman flashed forward, pushing her back against the wall and something sharp pierced her neck. She screeched for her boyfriend but got no reaction as he turned and ran as fast as he could down the alleyway, running away from the two, leaving his girlfriend alone.

"Leo, please."

She fought violently against the young woman but she was far too strong, her hands were keeping her shoulders pinned to the wall as she drank hungrily from the younger girl.

"Pl-Please! You're hurting me."

This only seemed to urge the older woman on. She groaned hungrily, harshly drinking from her as her fangs tore into her neck once again.

"HELP!"

The young woman suddenly stilled against her and released a pained gasp. Her fangs loosened from her neck, and she inhaled sharply against her before she fell backward. Isabella's eyes opened slowly, and her eyes landed on a young looking man standing in front of her holding the woman.

"Wh-Who are you?"

"Run!"He ordered as he gathered the woman up in his arms, glaring at her when she showed no sign of obeying, paralysed with fear."I SAID RUN!"

She barely spared him another glance before she broke out into a run down the alleyway, holding her hand to her wounded neck. He watched after her before he looked down at his sister, tossing away the syringe he had used on her.

"Dani?"

"S-Stefan?"Daniella gasped against her brother as she slumped into his arms, vision hazy."What are you doing?"

"What I should have done a long time ago."Stefan answered as he made his way down the street, avoiding anything and everything but the dark."You're filled with vervain."

"What? Let me go."She fought against her brother, but her weakened state didn't help her at all. She fell further into his embrace as he led her back towards the automobile parked a few meters away."You can't do this."

"I don't want to, but I have to."

He opened the back seat door and gently pushed her inside so that she was laying across the back seats.

"St..Stefan, don't do this."

He took one last lingering look at his weakened sister before he slammed the door shut. His face was the last thing she saw before she found herself drowning in darkness.

Thank you for reading!

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