Disclaimer: Set during The Italian Campaign - WWII 1943. Names of locations, attacks, operations are (hopefully) accurate. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Recognizable characters are the property of LJ Smith / the CW. No copyright infringement intended in this fan work.

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"I can't control the part of me that swells up when you move into my airspace. You move into my airspace. But each night, I bury my love around you... You're linked to my innocence ."

The 95th Evacuation Hospital
September 10

0600 HRS

On the golden-colored sand of Anzio Beach, Elena Gilbert sat watching the sunrise hit the wide rolling waves. In her hands were letters from her hometown sweetheart, Matt Donovan. After a string of weeks without any correspondence, his sister Vicki sent a wire confirming his death in combat. Vicki, the neglected high school student, had been home alone in Mystic Falls when she received the terrible news.

According to Vicki's letter, Matt had died in combat during Operation Cartwheel, on an undetermined date in July. Elena had known all along that the front lines of Bairoko Harbor were no place for an unexperienced Private like Matt. Three weeks had passed since Elena heard about Matt's death and she realized it was time to say goodbye, at least in her own personal way.

A tear-stricken Elena stood up from the sand and removed the promise ring off her left hand. She couldn't help but feel foolish for not losing her virginity to Matt when she had the chance. He had been the 'right' guy after all. Matt would forever be known as a loyal and loving human being. He was the guy of every parents' dreams.

"Farewell Matt." She whispered while throwing the ring into the ocean.

Elena couldn't handle looking at the ring every day and at the same time, removing it had left her with an uncomfortable feeling. It didn't belong in a drawer as a souvenir.

Next Elena continued mourning by lighting a match to burn the thick stack of letters, allowing the ashes to drift into the wind and ocean. It was a symbolic moment for her because she had missed his funeral. After seeing the last shards of paper disappear into nothingness, it finally felt like Matt was really gone. She smiled bittersweetly, wiping the stray tears off her cheeks. She hoped he made it to Heaven alright.

Very quietly, Elena said a memorized eulogy while staring out into the abyss of the ocean. Two minutes in, her peaceful scene was suddenly interrupted by obnoxiously loud sirens, alerting an incoming air attack by German forces.

"Damn!" She swore and started rushing back to the tented hospital. Elena's 12 hour shift technically wouldn't start for another hour, but it wasn't like she could relax during an air attack.

The 95th Evacuation Hospital was a large facility, fully staffed with 32 doctors, most of them having prior surgery experience. Elena was one of the 27 nurses stationed there, and in a few days there'd be 40 total in the unit. Also, a handful of Red Cross workers had arrived four days ago to provide extra assistance.

Inside the tents, Elena helmet checked the staff at various checkpoints. Every section of the hospital was manned 24/7. With constant gunfire coming from cruisers less than a mile away, the doctors pushed the limits of their steady hands daily. Elena deeply admired the stoic doctors, that never appeared alarmed or even mentioned the attacks within the hospital's radius. The doctors did their jobs well and enforced confidence within their brave young patients.

The hospital had been designed to comfortably fit 400 patients at a time. By the end of the day, some soldiers were transferred to US hospitals or they'd be ready to return to the battle field.

On an average day, Elena had up to ten patients assigned to her. There was a standard routine, she'd check their dressings, order meds and fluids. Nurses provided all types of personal support for the injured as well. Sometimes she'd read to them or write letters for them. Mostly the soldiers loved to brag about their hometowns. It seemed like everyone was a hometown hero of some kind. Occasionally, she'd get a shellshocked patient that eventually would have to be sent to a separate unit. Elena didn't like walking through the shock unit, it was too emotionally draining.

After washing up and checking her uniform, Elena checked into her shift, taking over the clipboard of assignments from Jules.

Jules looked happy to get some rest and food after another long night.

"Anyone new?" Elena asked flipping through the charts.

"Corporal Tyler Lockwood. Came in at 0400." Jules answered tiredly. "Cute kid, a little loud at times."

"What's his status?"

"Two wounds." Jules answered. "Both on his left side that entered and exited, no fatal damages. I just gave him Morphine, so he shouldn't be much trouble for the next two hours."

Elena nodded in approval. "Perfect."

"Hey, Elena, take good care of him, okay? He's one of Darby's Rangers." Jules said quietly just before leaving.

Elena's eyes lit up in excitement. She barely ever got a Darby. They were the reason why the hospital had been able to set up safely. All because Operation BAYTON had succeeded on the 3rd. Darby's Rangers were known as the daredevils, always heading out on night missions.

1600 HRS

"Nurse." Tyler called out groggy. "Nurse."

Elena looked alert and walked over to his side. Tyler was a handsome guy. The dark and handsome type.

"Hi Tyler." She smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Hey, you, I thought you were blond." He said confused.

Elena laughed at the expression on his face. "That was Jules. My name is Elena, I'll be taking care of you when she's not on the clock."

"Right. Okay, then." He said flatly. "Can I get out of here now?" He asked suddenly annoyed, holding up his arm with the IV.

"You were shot, Tyler." Elena explained like he was dumb. "We're not gonna release you overnight."

"It's just a flesh wound." He scoffed. "I'm fine. See. Perfectly fine. I mean, just look at me, I look good, don't I?"

"I'm glad you're feeling better, but there's still no way you're getting discharged by tonight."

He grumbled under his breath. "Bring me a new pillow. This one smells like a rat's ass."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Can I get a please in there?"

"No, you can't." Tyler replied sticking out his tongue.

"What are we 12?"

"You're making me stay here, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Yeah, it does, don't make me order you to like it." Elena snapped.

"You're so not pulling rank on me."

Elena raised a brow. It's been a few months since she's had a patient talk back to her.

"You know, you're not really a Second Lieutenant, right?" He scoffed.

Elena glared and crossed her arms.

"Your rank only exists, so you can't get hot and heavy with us hero types." Tyler continued. "But that doesn't mean you won't. I bet you've given a special treatment or two by now."

"Tyler you're being rude."

"What are you a nun or something?"

"No." Elena protested annoyed.

"Ah, baby, I was just playing around." He winked. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

"Uh huh." She replied dryly. Honestly, she didn't know what to make of him. He was a character for sure.

"So how's about a new pillow and some chow?" Tyler asked with a sweet smile. "Please."

September 14

1300 HRS

It had been a very rough day for Elena, because overnight a surplus of patients arrived after German troops surprised their borders, breaking the line. She saw a lot of dead bodies, too many, most were delivered to the nearby cemetery. Most were younger than her cousin Jeremy. There weren't any vacant beds left in the hospital, most patients had to sleep on the sand with only blankets as their cover. She spent most of the morning distributing soup and coffee. Later on she was instructed to pass out smokes and toiletries. Most soldiers had lost their possessions during the battle. A lot of the men came in practically naked, but Elena didn't blush once. She could handle seeing everything.

Back in Mystic Falls, Elena's mother had called her a tramp for enrolling in the 3 year nursing program at the local college. Isobel said nursing wasn't right for a girl right out of high school. Brought up in a strict Roman Catholic family, the idea that Elena would be seeing men's genitalia daily was shameful. Good girls weren't supposed to know about male parts until they got married.

Regardless of her mother's ardent protests, Elena enrolled. She was adventurous, independent and self-reliant, more importantly she wanted to get the hell out of Mystic Falls. What better way to travel and serve your country? After Elena enrolled in school, most of her girlfriends did too and later joined the Army's Nurse Corps. It wasn't a surprise, Elena had always been the role model of the pack with a perfect reputation.

A lot of days during the war had been rough and ugly, but she never once regretted her decision to enlist. She was making a good living of $88.60 a month and looking forward to attending an Ivy League university for free once the war ended. Honestly, before the war, Elena couldn't even consider college as an option 'cause of her drunk father's financial problems.

People in town were usually confused how Elena was so good in comparison to her parents.

Every girl serving in the Nurse Corps was awarded the 'relative rank' of Second Lieutenant. The rank was in name only like Tyler had reminded her the other night, the nurses didn't have to salute, but the rules of fraternization remained in place. As officers, they weren't supposed to engage in relations with enlisted men, but the majority still snuck around. Elena was an exception to the norm, she had been faithful to Matt since day one of the war. Yet even after Matt's death, she didn't pay attention to any of the soldiers, well, as romantic interests anyway.

September 20

1600 HRS

On the 18th, Elena had received frightening news about the other nurses in her unit. The others that were due to report, had been attacked aboard the H.M.S Newfoundland. Thankfully British vessels were around to rescue the girls, but they would be delayed for awhile longer. Elena had never been so mad at the Germans. The ship had been clearly marked with bright green lights as a medical carrier.

Yet looking at the bright side of a horrific situation, Elena's best friend Caroline Forbes had been transferred from the 93rd serving Paestum Airfield. Elena was so happy to see her after grueling months of separation. It was a wonderful surprise. Back in Mystic Falls, the girls had enlisted in the Nurse Corps at the same time. They had shipped out together in late March, but unfortunately were assigned to different units.

Both of their units had reported to hospitals in Algeria, but Caroline parted ways much earlier for an assignment serving the Invasion of Sicily. Meanwhile, the soldiers that were wounded in Sicily had been transferred to Algeria for care. The invasion had marked Elena's first experience with treating victims of combat. It was the first time she saw wounds to the bone in real life. Many of the men were from the Parachute infantry of the 82nd Airborne. Since the invasion had been a success, no one actually complained that much.

By early September, Elena's hospital in Algeria had closed and she knew that they'd be heading to an invasion, but she didn't know which one exactly. Thankfully Dr. Saltzman had secured Elena a spot on an early departing fleet, therefore she avoided the whole H.M.S Newfoundland fiasco.

Elena didn't believe in fate, but she believed in luck.

Paestum Airfield
The 93rd Evacuation Hospital
September 23

0500 HRS

Second Lieutenant Damon Salvatore was a rare breed of man in his unit. As an Italian-American, perfectly fluent in Neapolitan, it was surreal coming to the mother country for the first time with a mission to kill. While the Italian forces had surrendered on the 8th, he had still remained uniquely connected to the Italian Campaign.

Back in March when Damon's assignment had posted as Italy, he knew it was fate working its will. He was meant to experience Italy. Too bad he had only seen the skies of it and not much else. So far, there hadn't been any signs that he'd get the opportunity to visit Naples. He wasn't even sure if any of his extended family had survived the ongoing attacks in the area. The Germans were making communication difficult. Every night without fault, he listened to the radio for news on Naples, sadly, not even sure for what reason. What news was good news?

Damon's morning started damn good, because he had received Ace-In-A-Day status the night before. It was true, he managed to shoot down 5 German birds on one mission. He couldn't wait to order the red satin lining for his leather jacket. Man, he'd really knock the ladies out wearing it around the base.

Damon instantly became the most popular guy within the 33rd Fighter Wing of the Twelfth Air Force. Well, he had always been popular, but just not for the right reasons...

Not since Operation HUSKEY over the summer had Damon felt so good about America's war effort. He was determined to do whatever necessary to get German forces off Italian soil. He figured the more Germans shot down, the more of Italy's beautiful landscape would be saved in the long run.

After getting dressed in his flight suit and parachute harness, Damon headed out to his P-40 Warhawk. Once in the cockpit, Damon adjusted his helmut, B-8 goggles and oxygen mask.

In a few minutes, he was flying high and the group's first priority was to gain the necessary degree of air superiority. It was the rule of the air. After they would prevent the Germans from moving into the airspace of Ally bases while also supporting the action on the ground.

"Red section take the bombers. Blue section take the fighters." Captain Tanner relayed to the group, after being alerted of enemy planes in their vicinity .

Looked like they were going to get some action. This was why their jobs mattered.

The German planes started spreading apart in the clouds trying to confuse them. There were more planes than expected. The Americans were outnumbered 4 to 1.

0800 HRS

"Salvatore, come on, you gotta lose 'em like a skirt." Captain Tanner warned him, seeing two enemy planes on his tail.

Captain Tanner knew Damon could get too cocky for his own good. He couldn't afford to lose one of his best, especially not to an insignificant routine watch.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Damon replied calmly over the radio.

Damon was always calm. The other guys in his unit sometimes questioned his humanity because of it. Damon had told them off, saying emotions were for the weak.

He flipped the plane over with practiced ease, causing the two to crash into each other.

As time continued to tick, Damon thought he was safe and sound. He was gliding peacefully, moving higher and higher, just for the fun of it. It was a grave mistake to leave the group's eyes. The old words of wisdom proved true though, a smart enemy always hits you when you're safe. Completely catching him off guard from the right side, a German plane unrelentingly shot at his plane.

"I'm hit and going down." Damon announced to the radio. The radio exploded in protest, so he turned it off. There wasn't anything anyone could do for him. He needed to focus.

Damon was going to crash, there was no doubt about it. He didn't even have enough time to parachute out, let alone make it back to the airfield. Having to think quickly for a place to force land, Damon started steering in the direction of the ocean. At least if he landed on the water, he wouldn't have to deal with the guilt of any possible civilian causalities.

Concentrating and remaining perfectly calm, Damon used his flaps the entire way down to reduce his touching-down speed. He also remembered to eject all ammunition remaining in the plane as a safety precaution. He made sure all of the landing gear was retracted and just before the crash, he turned off the ignition switch and the master switch to avoid a possible fire.

While everything done had been to the book, Damon severely underestimated the velocity while gliding down. The plane hit the water with a reckoning force, instantly shattering the windshield and propelling his body through the glass. Underwater Damon started choking and he hastily removed his helmet and goggles. The plane's gravity was pushing him down, but he fought hard. Luckily, he was able to successfully make it out of the cockpit and swim away from crash.

Damon's face was streaked with blood from the windshield glass that had exploded on him. You could barely see the color of his skin. Everything was red. Red and black. Huge shards of glass were impaled deeply into his upper body. His head was pounding from the initial trauma that luckily hadn't knocked him out. Using any and all energy possible, Damon started swimming in the direction of the shore.

He didn't get far.

Just when Damon thought he'd die out there, a search-and-rescue boat from a nearby US Coast Guard cutter saved his life. The Coasties saw the extent of his injuries and knew the doctors aboard their vessel weren't equipped to handle the job, instead they had to transport him to the nearest evac hospital. That would have to do. It had to do.

On the boat's voyage over, Damon heard people shouting to keep him conscious. Meanwhile during the loud commotion, Damon remained quiet, confused seeing how foggy the sky looked, he swore it looked more blue before. The sky got darker and darker until he couldn't see anything. Everything had gone black.

"Lieutenant!" Petty Officer Maxwell shouted. "Come on, I need you to stay awake."

"I'm awake." Damon replied hoarsely.

"I need you to open your eyes."

"I can't."

"Yes - Yes, you can." Petty Officer Maxwell ordered in a firm voice. He thought the pilot had already survived through the worst of it. He couldn't just fade away into a concussion or brain damage, absolutely not on the Coast Guard's watch.

Damon fighting tooth and nail managed to open his eyes, only slitting them at best.

"Good." Petty Officer Maxwell said. "Just keep 'em open, you've been strong so far. We're closing in on the shore now."

1000 HRS

When Damon arrived at the 95th evac hospital, he was immediately directed to Dr. Feinberg, the senior opthamologist on duty.

Nurses around the table teared open his flysuit to examine his wounds. Damon had been in and out of consciousness the entire time.

"What's the story?" The doctor demanded of the admitting nurse.

"Second Lieutenant Damon Salvatore of the 33rd." Nurse Amber Bradley replied quickly. "Crash landed 10 miles off our coast."

"It's been awhile since a windshield wiper came in." The doctor mumbled under his breath.

"Lieutenant." He addressed loudly. "I need you to count to ten for me."

Damon mumbled incoherently. A corpse looked better than him.

"You have to do this for me, otherwise we'll have to open your brain to check for glass fragments."

"One... Two..." Damon slurred nodding his head.

After the doctor didn't find any signs of brain damage, he moved onto the principle examination.

"I need you to open your eyes." Dr. Feinberg ordered.

Damon slowly opened them.

"Can you see me?" Dr. Feinberg asked. "What color is my hair? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Foggy, it's all foggy." He replied.

The doctor immediately ordered for the local anesthesia team. Glass from the windshield had entered his eyes and would have to be surgically removed.

The 95th Evacuation Hospital

1200 HRS

"What are we looking at?" Dr. Saltzman asked as Damon's body hit the OR table.

"He's got all kinds of fucked up shit going on. I believe he suffered a concussion upon impact, scratched both corneas and likely developed secondary glaucoma." Dr. Feinberg explained. "It's likely he'll have little to no vision at all for the next four weeks."

Dr. Saltzman nodded in understanding. He would be responsible for the rest of Damon's general care. Caroline was one of the nurses assigned to his track.

"That's Da-, I mean, Second Lieutenant Salvatore." Caroline said disbelieving. This couldn't be happening, she thought.

"Friend of yours?" Dr. Saltzman asked remembering she used to work on pilots.

"Hardly, he's the only pilot that ever got on my nerves." Caroline scoffed.

The team spent over forty minutes removing glass and debris from his body. After he was sent to an x-ray technician to scan for any unknown broken bones. Damon suffered minor fractures along his clavicle, his right ankle and four ribs.

The doctors did what they could to patch him up. Damon's estimated recovery time would be at least 6 to 8 weeks long.

1500 HRS

"You're getting a pilot added to your charge. He's going to need consistent Morphine to get through the next 72 hours." Chief Nurse Flowers announced walking to Elena's section.

"Of course and what's his name - rank?" Elena replied right away.

"Second Lieutenant Salvatore."

2100 HRS

"Car, are you feeling okay?" Elena asked concerned thinking her best friend might be getting sick. The girls were hanging out in their private tent that they shared with two other nurses.

The best friends had just finished eating disgusting hot dogs. They were really looking forward to be stationed in a building after living outside for months. Being out in the middle of nowhere left food options limited to the shit soldiers ate.

"Yeah, yeah." Caroline yawned loudly. She looked run down. Her hair was a frizzy messy from sweating under her hat all day. "Just tired."

"Everyone was saying it was really rough in the OR today." Elena replied in understanding.

Caroline tiredly nodded and wiped her eyes trying to stay awake. She was on edge. Sometimes the shots from the cruisers got to her more than usual.

"How do you deal with seeing all those parts hanging out or missing?" She mused in wonder. She thought Caroline had been joking about working in the OR.

"It's only gonna get worse, you know?" Elena continued thinking about the incoming air attacks. She had a bad feeling about the war. There were still many parts of Italy occupied by German forces.

"I can't do what you do." Caroline retorted raising a brow. "My bedside manner sucks. I made a soldier cry in Sicily because I was such a bitch. I told him I had seen more spine in a jelly fish... he was acting like a goddamn little girl."

Elena laughed in disbelief. Her best friend had always been blunt. It was difficult to be around, but she appreciated it. "Harsh."

"Well. I've never been one to watch over things." Caroline justified with a smug grin. "I do things."

She smiled. "I still remember your old advice in high school... kiss first & ask later - was it?"

Caroline lost her virginity at 14. She didn't regret it either.

"How I wish things could be simple again." Caroline replied quietly. "Just like that."

Elena raised a brow. "Uh-huh. Seeing as we can't fraternize with any of the enlisted."

"Officers aren't any better." Caroline sneered in disgust. "I tell you. It was brutal seeing an officer today that I had kinda gotten with back at the airfield."

Caroline felt incredibly uncomfortable touching Damon's body earlier.

"What? Wait. What?" Elena exclaimed in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"Because it was a huge, huge mistake." Caroline confessed seriously. It was hard to admit such things, but it was good to finally have a close friend to chat with. The girls at her old unit were too vicious. Everyone had been jealous of her. The pilots affectionally coined her as the blond bombshell.

"You didn't ? Did you?" Elena questioned dramatically.

The look on Caroline's face gave her away instantly. There was no denying it. She totally had crazy amounts of sex with the officer in question.

"Oh." Elena replied trying to remain calm. Her hands got sweaty anyway. "So, what happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing happened." She replied sourly. "A couple of weeks later I realized that he was like that with every girl. Girls in my own tent! The self-absorbed jackass only acted sweet to get what he wanted. He's nothing, but a faker."

"What A...!" Elena cried outraged. "Ugh. So. You said he was here today?"

"Is here." Caroline corrected with a frown.

"Did he say something to you?" Elena questioned concerned. It sounded like someone deserved a slap.

"I wish. What I'd do for a smartass remark..." Caroline replied wistfully. "I had to pull glass out of his body. His plane crashed off the coast."

"He's alive though?" Elena asked warily.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, he survived, but he can't see for shit. It's all screwed up, go figure, the cocky womanizer can't prey on girls anymore. Can't even look at a pin-up postcard to jerk off, the sad fuck of a man."

"Car." Elena swallowed thickly, her body tensing. "He's one of mine now."

Out of 400 spots, he was assigned to one of her 10. Just their luck.

"No." She protested in horror.

Elena nodded.

"Yeah?" The girls shared matching expression of anguish.

"Second Lieutenant Salvatore?" Elena supplied the officer's name.

Caroline smirked sourly. "Definitely would never do your job."

"It won't be that bad." Elena shrugged nervously, because she didn't have much experience with fresh guys. "I mean, he's probably going to be asleep most of the time."

A/N: Hope you're still with me... Elena, Tyler, Damon, Caroline and Alaric are now at the same hospital. Other characters such as Stefan and Jeremy will be introduced later. Elena's parents are Isobel & John, so Jeremy is her cousin. Gilbert and Forbes are families from Mystic Falls. Lockwood and Salvatore are families from Fell's Church (AU: the rich neighborhood near Mystic Falls). No vampires, everyone is over the age of 20.

Next chapter will be more relationship / less war stuff - since Damon will be awake. :) I did way too much research for this story and hopefully you're enjoying it. My LiveJournal has tons of extras for this story (user: junkyatbest). If you get confused about the characters, there's a chart explaining the roles on my LJ.

Story will be 11 chapters & donated to breast cancer by Alli (toffeenutlatte). Be Good & Review!

Title + all lyrics from Interpol's album "Turn On The Bright Lights".