Now and then

This story is based on a TV movie I saw a few years back, called ´This time around´. It was about a geeky girl, wanting to get back at a popular guy that humiliated her in high school. Only, they wind up falling in love. In my story, I would like to turn things around. Elena was the popular one in high school. Damon was the geek. Twenty years later, they meet again. Will sparks fly?

Prologue

Fifteen year old Damon Salvatore sat in the high school cafeteria, munching on his sandwich when she walked by. The goddess of Mystic Falls High.

Elena Gilbert.

She was surrounded by her usual posse. Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan. All were popular. Tyler and Matt were jocks. And Caroline was insanely rich. He knew that he didn't stand a chance in hell of ever getting near her. But he could watch from a distance.

He could fantasize.

She was so beautiful with her long, brown tresses. Her olive skin. Her..

"Hello? Earth to Damon?" his friend Alaric said next to him.

Damon snapped out of his daze.

"What?"

Alaric grinned and shook his head.

"No way, man! Pigs will fly before guys like us get next to the likes of her! I mean, look at her and then look at us. She's beautiful and has guys like Matt Donovan adoring her. We have bad hair, retainers and a lithe build. She would laugh her ass off!" he helped Damon out of his dream.

Damon sighed.

"I know."

Alaric patted his shoulder.

"We're not in her crowd. You've been pining after her for a year now. Time to move on and chase girls that we DO have a chance with! You don't want to die a virgin, now do you?"

Damon straightened his shoulders. Alaric did have a point. This crush had been going on for way too long. Time to do something about it.

He got up from his table and started walking.

"Hey man, what are you doing?" Alaric yelled after him.

But he wasn't stopping this time. For once, he wasn't going to be afraid. He was tired of being a geek!

His heart began to pound, his palms were getting sweaty. But he made it to her table without backing down. When she looked up at him with her beautiful doe brown eyes, he felt himself melting on the spot.

"Hi Elena," he squeaked.

She smiled up at him. But then confusion marred her features.

"Hi..eh.."

She didn't know his name. Damn! Was he making a fool of himself here?

"Damon," he told her his name anyway.

She smiled at him again.

He was about to ask her out. But then her friend, Caroline, butted in.

"Excuse me? Can we help you?" she bitched at him.

Damon felt himself start to blush. O damn!

"Look, he's blushing! Isn't that cute?" Caroline continued humiliating him.

Damon just focused on Elena, though. He cleared his throat and did what he came here to do.

"Listen, Elena. I was wondering if you would go out with me."

He released the words in one breath. There. She knew now. She knew that he liked her. Unfortunately, Elena's entire posse started laughing.

The entire cafeteria looked over their way, focussing on the group laughing at him.

"O that is so hilarious! Really, Dan? Have you seen you?" Caroline mocked him. He wanted to correct her on his name, but decided to keep his mouth shut this time. He had already dug himself in deep.

"We are the IT crowd. We are either popular, rich of insanely beautiful. Are you either of those things? No. So why don't you just run along, before the entire school starts laughing at you. Because there is no way in hell that Elena would ever go out with you!" Caroline finished her slaughter of him.

Damon felt his entire body start to shake. Everyone in the cafeteria was laughing now. Making fun of him. He focused his eyes on Elena, wanting to see her reaction. Did she agree with them?

She seemed very uncomfortable. Which gave him hope. But then Caroline interrupted again.

"You wouldn't go out with him, right Elena?" she squealed in laughter.

Elena looked at him for a second. Damon's heart almost stopped, waiting for her answer. But then she crushed all of his hopes.

She started laughing too.

"Right, Care."

Damon's face fell. He was the laughing stock of the entire room now. So he did the only thing he could do at that point. He ran…

Twenty years later

"Mmm, now this is a nice way to wake up!" Damon drawled at the naked woman in his arms.

She rolled over on top of him and started stroking his chest.

"I agree."

She stopped to lick at his nipple.

"You really do live up to your reputation, Damon Salvatore. You're a god when it comes to sex," she complimented him.

Damon grinned and rolled them over, cradling himself between her thighs.

"So you girls talk about me, then," he winked.

The woman rolled her eyes.

"When you have slept with the entire female population of Richmond? Yes, you are bound to build up quite a rep."

Damon got a cocky smirk on his face.

He rolled back off of her and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked, holding the sheet up to her chest.

Damon stalked over towards his bathroom buck naked. He turned around before he entered.

"I have to get to work, Andie. And so do you. Get dressed. I'll call you later," he told her.

Andie's eyes widened at his bluntness.

"I guess you live up to that reputation, too."

Damon crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

"What reputation?" he wanted to know.

Andie got out of bed and began collecting her clothes.

"You're a love em and leave em kind of guy. You never let anyone get too close. No woman has ever stayed in your life for more then a week. You sleep with them, and then you toss them aside. Doesn't that ever bore you, Damon? Don't you get lonely? Don't you want someone to spend your life with?"

Damon swallowed hard at her words. Who the hell did she think she was, judging him like that!

His face hardened when he spoke to her.

"No, it never bores me. Your little speech, however, does bore me. Get dressed and get out. Don't let the door hit you on the way out," he snapped.

Andie huffed and turned on her heel.

´Good riddance!´ Damon thought.

He stepped into the shower, letting the warm water cascade over his strong, muscular body. Women loved his body. They adored the way he looked. Which was why his bed was never empty. When he thought back on his appearance in high school, a shudder ran down his back.

Thank god for ear jobs, retainer removals, bench pressing and good haircuts! He never wanted to go back there again!

But Andie had made a point. He never did let women get too close. Maybe because he was afraid that they would eventually see through the cocky attitude. He used to be so geeky and insecure. No one was ever getting to see that side again! No one was ever going to hurt him. As far as he was concerned, he had a good thing going here.

He arrived at work an hour later, greeting his friend of many years.

Alaric Saltzman was the only one that had been with him practically his entire life. He could never hide anything from him. And he wasn't afraid to call him on his bullshit. He wasn't afraid of his cocky and overpowering attitude.

Which was why they started a business together a few years ago. The Salvatore Saltzman law firm was doing really well. They were drowning in cases.

Damon had become everything he always wanted in high school. He was successful and good looking. And he fought hard for it.

"You're late," Alaric grumbled at him.

Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"Rough night," he explained.

Alaric looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah yes, how is Andie?"

Damon plopped down on the chair across from Alaric and sighed.

"Andie is past tense. She left this morning."

Alaric shook his head, smiling.

"You just keep dumping them faster and faster. You know, it might be a nice change to actually be with one woman for more than a week," he told Damon.

Damon swung his feet up on the desk and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

"Are you turning into Andie now? Seriously bud, I know you're deliriously happy with Isobel, but some of us are not cut out for that kind of lifestyle."

Alaric raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay fine. I'll change the subject. We have a new client. But I don't think you're going to like it."

Damon squinted his eyes. That didn't sound good!

"Okay shoot. What did the fellow do? Am I going to have to represent a psycho?" he asked disgusted.

Alaric snorted.

"Hardly. It's a she. And the reason why you're not going to like it, is because she lives in Mystic Falls. Our old home town."

Damon's indifferent attitude faltered a little. He sat up straight in his chair and leaned forward.

He felt himself gulping.

"And there is more," Alaric continued.

Damon frowned. What more could there possibly be?

"The person were going to be representing is Elena Gilbert."

Damon felt as if a bomb had been dropped on him. He felt all the blood leave his face and his hands started trembling a little.

But he quickly recovered. He got up from his chair and started pacing.

"I'm not taking the case," he said with finality.

Alaric took out a file from his desk and leafed through it, indifferent to Damon's crappy mood.

"I already took it," he said without looking up.

Damon's pacing came to an abrupt pause.

"You did WHAT?" he snarled.

Alaric closed the file and leaned back in his chair.

"Look, this is easy money to make. She pays well, and the case is not that hard," he explained himself.

Damon took a few angry steps towards Alaric's desk, placed his hands on it and leaned forward.

"I don't care if all she did was jaywalk! I will never represent that stupid bitch! I don't even know why she would hire a lawyer all the way from Richmond! Let her find someone else!"

Alaric sighed.

"If you remember Mystic Falls correctly, you'll know that that shit hole doesn't have any decent facilities. And Richmond is the closest town to it. Look, I know you have some hard feelings towards her. And I don't blame you. But you're not that boy anymore, Damon. I mean, look at you. Woman fall all over themselves to be with you. She's probably not even going to recognise you. Try and put your personal feelings aside. You know, it might help you get some closure if you show up being all successful and hot. She won't know what hit her."

Alaric's words hit home. He was absolutely right!

Maybe it was time for a little payback. He would make her fall in love with him and then he would dump her ass! It would probably be the best feeling in the world!

His face broke out in an evil grin.

"You know what, Ric? You're right! I'm going to do this case. Elena Gilbert won't see me coming…."

What did you think of this first chapter? Would you like to see more? Please review!

Follow me for info about the story, or just to chat about TVD: /#!/Sandy1983b