A Magnetic Personality
DG32173

Sarah: just something I thought up with my beta that was influenced by both Pirates of the Caribbean and a short fanfic I once read several years ago. This was started way back around the year 2015ish, but has only just now had the inspiration to finish the first chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

CREDIT
Credit goes to my darling beta crzykittyfangirl for her help in making my stories the best they can be. Credit also goes to Zoraya Windwalker for their fanfic "The hearts true desire". Go read it, it's awesome. That story inspired the compass part of this story.

DISCLAIMER
If I own it, I'll claim it before the chapter it appears in. If I'm inspired to write it by someone, I will put a credit section like the above. This story as it is written belongs to me. If none of the above applies, it's safe to say that I don't own it nor was I inspired to write about it by anyone.

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE ALERT! PLEASE READ!
Okay, I hope everyone at least stops here to read the background info of the universe this story takes place in before continuing to the story. In this story's universe, Elena never forgave Stefan for hiding the fact that she could pass for Katherine's twin from her. So she never got back with him after she and Damon got back from Georgia. Rather than going along with Stefan's attempt at subterfuge in regards to helping Damon open the tomb, Elena was determined to help Damon get into the tomb. She just pretended to go along with Stefan to act as Damon's spy on the liar in case Stefan finds the hiding spot of the grimoire first. Elena managed to get Sheila's full cooperation in opening the tomb and lifting the seal, though it cost Sheila her life. Pearl was the only tomb vampire to survive the opening of the tomb because the others were burned. Upon finding out that Katherine was never in the tomb, Damon realized that Katherine was not worth his time. He realizes that the close bond he had developed with Elena was a lot more than mere friendship. So he's determined to make the suddenly gun-shy girl his. Isobel does not appear in this fanfic and John is unable to get his hands on the device that will cripple all vampires within a five-mile radius because Pearl crushes the thing into a little ball of metal. Be aware that Mayor Lockwood will die in this fanfic but not because of the device. Bonnie's grudge against the Salvatores isn't nearly as strong as in the show because they did follow through with their end of the deal and destroyed all but one tomb vampire.

WARNINGS
Other than the above, this is rated M for more than just my sanity. Alternating viewpoints between Elena and Damon. This chapter starts with Elena.

SUMMARY
In which Bonnie and Elena's magical experiment with a compass doesn't go quite as planned, which is no big deal … until Damon finds out. Damon/Elena

Chapter 1
The Spelled Compass

"So why did you want me to bring all this stuff?" I ask Bonnie as I carry a large duffel bag crammed with a variety of items into the house that Grams had left Bonnie. Her dad is never happy when Bonnie practiced her magic in his house so Bonnie always came to Grams' to practice.

"Since I come from a long line of witches that have created spells of their own for centuries, I figured with the tutelage of all these grimoires Grams had collected, I might be able to practice creating my own spells," she says.

"Does the fact that you're asking my help mean you forgive me for my part in Grams' death?" I ask warily.

She sighs. "I've decided that given how experienced Grams was, she had to have known what would happen if she performed that spell even with help," she admits. "Let's start with the compass. You did bring one, right?" she asks, leading me into the living room.

"I managed to find the one I got in girl scouts," I say, digging it out of the duffel bag and handing it over. "What do you plan on doing with it?"

"Well, I watched the second Pirates of the Caribbean again last night and it gave me an idea," Bonnie replies.

"You mean Jack Sparrow's compass? You want to make my compass seek out the heart's desire of whoever is holding it?"

"Not exactly," Bonnie says slowly.

I raise an eyebrow. "What then?" I ask, my curiosity eating me alive. There's a reason Damon's nickname for me is 'kitten', after all.

"I want to spell it so it will seek out the soul mate of the holder," she replies. "I always thought Jack and Elizabeth should have gotten together instead of Will and Elizabeth."

I frown. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" I ask.

"I mean, it will be my first ever original spell, so there is a chance something could go wrong," she admits. "But we won't know if we don't try."

I take a moment to contemplate possible repercussions of this spell. "I just hope the compass doesn't decide Stefan's my soul mate," I say at last, handing over my compass. "Let's do this. I'm eager to find out who my soul mate is."

It doesn't take Bonnie long to cast the spell on the compass. She hands it to me. I watch as the compass swings around from pointing north to pointing south-west, in the direction of town hall. I frown in confusion. Who could be in that direction that would be my soul mate? I know Damon's got a secret council meeting right now at town hall but I dismiss thoughts of him. He's still getting over Katherine's betrayal, after all. He's not yet ready to move on.

"I'll follow this later," I decide after a moment.

Bonnie and I continue enchanting the other odds and ends she had me bring for the rest of the afternoon, relishing in our renewed friendship.

It's only after I leave with a bag of enchanted items that I decide to follow the compass, see where it's leading me. I pull it out of the bag and put it on the dash. It leads me straight to The Grill. I notice Damon's car is in the parking lot. I squash the little butterflies that enter my stomach at the thought of seeing him again. The compass might not be pointing to him, after all.

After locking my car, I follow the compass inside. I notice there's not a lot of people around right now, which is unusual for a Saturday night. The only one in the direction the compass is pointing is Damon, who's seated at the bar sipping at a glass of bourbon. I tuck the compass in my pocket and make my way over to sit next to him, deciding to think on the fact that Bonnie's spell made the compass lead me to Damon later.

"Hey, Damon," I greet as I signal the bartender. He motions that he'll be right with me.

"Elena, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" he asks with a smirk.

I decide to share with him what I've discovered about my birth mother. "So, thanks to Jenna's help, I've discovered who my birth mom is," I tell him.

"Why do you care? She left you, she sucks," he interrupts, taking a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, well, I still want to meet her, to find out why she abandoned me," I reply. "Anyways, her name was Isobel." I frown when I notice a strange look pass briefly over Damon's face before he wipes it away. "Jenna talked to my history teacher about her and discovered that Rick was actually married to her at one point but she vanished one night. He suspects foul play but her body has never been recovered. But Rick's not my birth father, it turns out. He claims he never even knew she ever had a child, much less when she was only fifteen."

Damon opens his mouth to say something but the bartender showing up interrupts whatever he had been about to say. I order a burger, fries, and a glass of sweet tea for my dinner, telling him no pickles on the burger. Damon chuckles, obviously remembering our frequent debates on the pros and cons of pickles. I hate them, Damon loves them. Enough said. It's one of the few things we disagree on but we both have a blast even at the height of 'arguing' over it.

I enjoy a companionable silence with Damon as I eat my dinner. After I finish, I stay there, right next to him. Suddenly, Damon speaks. "Elena, we need to talk," he says softly.

I turn to him in surprise. I notice that strange look is back in his eyes, the one I had noticed appear when I mentioned my birth mother's name. "What about?" I ask.

"Not here. Too many prying eyes and ears," he says.

I notice that The Grill had filled up a bit while I was eating. I realize that whatever Damon wants to talk about, it can't be conversed around people not in the know. I nod, pay my tab, and follow Damon outside to the alley behind the building.

"What is it?" I ask when we're alone.

"There's something you should know if you're going to continue looking for your birth mother," he says slowly, obviously picking his words with great care.

"What is it? Do you know her?" I ask.

"I really hope not. But the name Isobel is uncommon enough that there's a chance I do," he says. "Long story short, a few years ago, I was in North Carolina when this woman walked up to me on the campus of Duke University. She introduced herself as Isobel and said she knew who and, more importantly, what I was. She said that she had wanted to be a vampire for years, ever since she found out the truth. It took some convincing but I eventually came to like her audacity. So first I slept with her, then I turned her. Her husband walked in on us while I was draining her of blood so I vamped us both out of the house. After a few months of training, I abandoned her to either make it on her own or not. I never got a good look at her husband so I can't tell for sure if your history teacher was the same guy or not."

I'm silent as I absorb his words. Finally, I take a shaky breath. "Thank you for telling me this," I say softly. "It would have been nasty to discover this some other way."

"That is why I had to tell you. I didn't want you mad at me again," he replies.

I nod my understanding. I can't really hold a grudge against him for what he did. If she really was my birth mom, this had happened long before Damon and I ever met. At least he didn't kill her, just turned her. There's a chance I can still track her down and get my answers. "Anything else you want to confess while we're here?" I ask, hoping that he'll take the opportunity to tell me about our true first meeting. Knowing Damon as well as I do now, I know damn well that 'first' meeting in the boarding house was staged and can't have been truly the first time I met him. I know we had to have met before that and he had made me forget for whatever reason.

"Nope," he replies, dashing my hopes. "Up for a game of pool? I promise I won't use my special abilities to cheat," he wheedles.

I roll my eyes but nod and follow him back inside to the pool tables. Damon never makes a promise he doesn't keep, I know that much about him. As promised, he plays the game with strictly human capabilities but still manages to beat me. He cajoles me into continuing our tournament until I have to leave to make it home for curfew. Some games I win, but most games he wins.

By the time I've finished my nightly routine and am in my bed ready to write my day in my journal, I decide not to write about the compass Bonnie had spelled. Damon is in the habit of reading my journal and leaving little notes for me at the end. I'm going to keep at least that secret from him as long as possible. But I do write about everything else that had happened today, including going to The Grill and hanging out with Damon for most of the evening.

I had hidden my newly spelled compass in one of the few hidey holes I have that I don't think Damon's found just yet. But just to be safe, I'm going to carry it with me from now on. Can't have him finding out about it.

Sarah: and there, finally, is the end of Chapter 1. Let me know what you think and how you think Elena should use her compass against Damon in future chapters. Who knows, maybe I'll even take one of your ideas and make a chapter revolving around it. Also tell me how you think Damon should end up finding out about the compass, because, as the summary says, he does inevitably find out about it. Just the when and how is up in the air right now. Review and tell me your thoughts. You never know, I might just give you a credit section dedicating a scene or even an entire chapter to you.