TVD: Beyond the pale moon

I wasn't always a nocturnal creature. Though my life was shaped and molded by the hands of vile creatures and the Shepards of nature. My past life seems like a distant memory so different from who I am now, that it might as well be a dream. I remember my life before, even though it wasn't what I would call a good life. It was somehow better.

In Tom's room, he lays wake by bed, with his estranged father's journal in his hand. He remembers his father, he remembers how hard and rough his hands were and how it carried a weight like a smith's hammer. His words cold and bitter like his heart. The man had no warmth for Tom or for his first born.

Both of them were subjects of their father's ridicule and wrath. They both had a sense of self that was instilled in them by their father. Similar in so many ways yet different in so many. One of which was their love for the younger brother. Yet that to had changed in some ways for one.

"Reminiscing the old man?" Tom removed his gaze from the journal and followed the voice back to its originator. He saw Damon leaning by the doorway with his usual smug face.

"Wasn't much of a father… but the only one we got." Tom said as he sighed and closed the journal.

"Loved Stefan though… the prodigal son… the one who can do no wrong. Oh… Im sorry he did the one wrong thing that cost us everything." He walked inside and made his way straight to the bottle of liquor on top of the table.

"I mean they would have know anyway. They had that compass remember?" Tom got up and Damon handed him a drink of whiskey and one for himself.

They both drank and it was bitter and burned their throats but not for the usual reasons. Damon coughed and asked, "What the fuck?"

"Vervain… very little dose. It's good for you." Tom said with a big smile on his face as he took another sip. "This is good."

"And speaking of Stefan… can you please leave him alone?" Tom said as he sat down on the bed.

"As I said last night no." He was going to take a sip but then stopped and put the glass down.

"Oh, well… I tried." Tom said as he took another sip.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked as he scrunched his eyebrows.

"I could ask you the same… why here why now?" Tom asked him as he looked at him.

"Not gonna happen."

"Hmm… well, then I guess we both have to figure out why we are here?"

Damon scoffed and walked out the room. Tom went back to reading the journal. 

Giuseppe was a troubled soul. Losing his wife to consumption. Leaving him to raise his sons by himself. He did what he thought was the best for them. Yet he could never fully love them. He had closed his hearts to them. So they did the same for him.

In his journals, he wrote a lot about the demons of the night and how it was like consumption. Slowly consuming his town. Spreading like a disease, his worry for his children even for Tom. He was specially worried for him. 

He wrote, "Our beloved town is slowly being consumed by these soulless demons, these walking dead, abominations against everything holy. If something is not done sooner, Mr. Gilbert is working on something that will help us immensely. I have to talk with my sons about this. Im sure they will help us. Im worried if something isn't done sooner everything will all be lost. I've been meeting with the other families about this problem and they too are worried for their children. If something happens to me if something happens to Tom. I would fail my promise to her."

Tom hummed as he looked at it and said, "Didn't know the old man cared that much."

Tom heard a girls voice inside the house and he recognized it. He walked out the room and saw Damon and Elena talking, "Elena?"

She turned her head and saw Tom by the stairs and she smiled and said, "Hey, Tom."

"Hey." He came downstairs and asked, "Looking for Stefan?"

She nodded Tom looked over Elena's shoulder over to Damon and she said, "You guys didn't tell me about Damon."

"We're ashamed." Tom said as he put his hands in his pockets.

"There's nothing to be ashamed about… even tough I get it… I would be jealous if I didn't look like this." Damon squinted and smiled. "Where are our manners… come in… let's us show you around."

"Maybe we should call Stefan, you know? She's here to meet him." 

"Yeah, you go do that." He took her away and Tom cursed, "Son of a bitch." As soon as they disappeared out of sight Tom quickly ran over to Stefan to get him. He was out in the back hunting game for blood.

Back inside, Damon was doing what he does best, creating chaos. "I see why my brother's so smitten." Elena blushed as Damon went on "I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

"Last one?" Elena asked as her eyes met the floor 

"Katherine, his ex… Oh… you guys haven't gotten to the awkward ex talk. Sorry." Damon sighed as he looked at her, "Bound to come up now… isn't that right Stefan?"

Elena turned and found Stefan and Tom there, "Elena… Didn't know you were coming over."

"I know I should have called." Elena apologized as she grew closer to him.

"Nonsense you're always welcomed here." He looked at her and then at Stefan and asked, "Isn't that right?"

 "Maybe I should take out the family album or the home movies… But I have to warn you. He wasn't always such as looker."

"Thank you for stopping by Elena. Nice to see you." Stefan said in a monotonous tone as he continued to stare at Damon.

"Probably not the best of time… come Elena I'll walk you out." Tom said as he walked over to Elena and she looked at Stefan and said, "Yeah…" She looked at Damon and said in a low tone, "It was nice to meet you Damon."

"Great to meeting you too, Elena." He took her hand and kissed the back of it and Tom curled his toes in his boots.

"Stefan?" She looked at him hoping to or expecting something. But nothing, she got nothing from him. Tom tapped on her shoulders and said, "Yeah… come on. They'll be like this for a while."

Both of the walked out to Elena's car and she got inside it and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"You came home at a wrong time." Tom said as he looked at her. 

She was worried, "Who's Katherine?"

"Sure you want to hear it from me? Cause I have a bias against her." Tom smiled and looked at her and said, "It's a touchy subject for all 3 of us." 

She looked at him with her eyes wide open, "No, nothing like that… She was like a family friend. You know and you know how it goes with the whole thing when you have a girl running around boys. Someone's bound to be hurt."

"Who got hurt?" She asked as she looked at him waiting for his answer.

"All of us did. She died…" Tom looked at her and said, "If you want my advice, stay off this topic. You two are still new. The ex conversation can happen after some time."

She smiled and started the car, "Thank you." Tom nodded and said, "Give a call to him later, when you get home."

"I don't have his no." Elena said with a wry smile.

Tom chuckled and gave her the no and said, "Stay safe… 10 and 2." She nodded and drove the car out of there. Tom sighed and turned around and walked inside the home.

Damon and Stefan were fighting and Tom walked inside and said, "She's gone."

"Thanks." Stefan said to Tom.

"Why do you always have to ruin my fun?" Damon asked

"That was not fun. That was disgusting… you don't take shots at your brother's girlfriend." Tom looked at Damon.

"Oh, please… they are barely even friends."

"You're unbelievable."

Damon walked out of the room and Stefan looked at Tom and said, "What did you say to her out there?"

Tom looked at him and said, "I told her to talk to you about it. But I suggested that she don't really ask about it." 

Stefan sighed and nodded as he turned around ready to walk away but Tom stopped him and said, "You really need to calm down…"

"It was Damon."

"Damon will do what he always does, you need to act normal around her or she'll freak out or worse… realize something's wrong with you. She's a Gilbert those guys have some antenna for these kind of thing." Stefan nodded and was about to walk again and Tom asked, "And why didn't you give your no. to her. What are you a caveman?"