1863...

[Erika Mirazida]

Elizabeth sighed as she rode in the carriage that would be taking her to meet the Salvatore boys. Her hair was up in tight bouncy curls and a hat upon her head. Her dress was red and silver, very elegant. Her father had told her to dress as nicely as possible. She mostly figured that it was because her father had hopes that she would marry one of them. Benjamin, her older brother, was already happily married to a young woman by the name of Annabeth and had a child on the way. Annabeth was a lovely young woman and Elizabeth truly looked up to her.

Erika sighed as they pulled up in front of the Salvatore's home. She fiddled with the chain on her necklace as she looked at her father, "Oh Papa," she said to him, "Must I meet these Salvatore boys?" she asked. She was 16 years old, and was still having fun being one of the few ladies in town that was single.
"Elizabeth," he said to her, "we’ve gone over this, we may been joining properties with Giuseppe and they are very charming young men. And both are single bachelors." She smiled to him as a hand was offered to her to help her down from the carriage.

Elizabeth was greeting by Giuseppe, she smiled polietly at him, then noticed two young men running around outside, tossing a football back and forth. One of them, the one with very blue eyes and curly brown hair had already caught her eye and she smiled to herself as Giuseppe called for his boys to come and meet her and her father.

[Stefan Salvatore]

Stefan caught the football and walked over to Damon. They had both watched the coach meandering up the drive and knew it held William Mirazida and his daughter Elizabeth, a young woman they had both been assured on many occasions by their father to be both eligible and suitable. Stefan handed the football back to his brother.

"Well here she is, Damon, with her head no doubt filled to overflowing with romantic ideals and wedding plans." He rolled his eyes. "I almost feel sorry for you, brother, being that you're the eldest, which most likely makes you the primary target." He looked at Damon in time to see him roll his eyes.

[Damon Salvatore]

Damon caught the football and tucked it under his arm, rolling his eyes at Stefan's declaration.

"In case you've forgotten, Stef, I'm not planning on staying long enough to be married off to the highest bidder. So in the spirit of brotherly love, she's all yours." He grinned and patted Stefan on the shoulder. "After all, she is eligible and suitable, remember? I may be older than you, but I'm also the unreliable one, the disappointment." He moved aside to avoid the elbow Stefan aimed at his ribs, and laughing the two approached the carriage.

[Erika Mirazida]

Erika tried her best not to look as bored as she felt. Her hair was over one shoulder only by this point. She smiled slightly as the two came closer to her and her father. Well, by this point her father and Giuseppe had wondered off somewhere to discuss the property joining, something she cared little about. When the two boys were mere feet away from her, she gave them both a curtsy, just as she had with many other young men her father had her meet.

"I'm Elizabeth Mirazida," she said to the two of them, then noticed the football that the one with curly hair had under his arm. Now that they were much closer, she could see that his eyes very blue and very dazzling. She couldn't help but meet them, they were almost distracting.

[Damon Salvatore]

Damon regarded her for a moment, her eyes clearly reflecting boredom. Still, he had been brought up to show proper manners and gallantry, so he smiled even though it was the last thing he felt like doing.

"Welcome, Miss Mirazdia, I'm Damon Salvatore, and this is my brother Stefan. We've heard much about you from our father, it's a pleasure to meet you." He took her gloved hand and pressed his lips briefly to it. "Please, come up to the house and out of the heat."

[Stefan Salvatore]

Not to be outdone by Damon, Stefan reached out and took Elizabeth's hand as soon as his brother had let go of it. "Miss Mirazida, it is most definitely a pleasure to meet you. Father certainly didn't do you justice when he told us about you."

Before Damon could object, he tucked Elizabeth's hand into the crook of his arm and led her off towards the house. "I can't imagine how it is that we haven't met before now, I know I would have remembered seeing you around town." He turned briefly and shot a victorious grin at Damon, who was now walking behind them.

[Erika Mirazida]

"Believe me, Mr. Salvatore. We have met before, we were both very young. We played together out in your front yard while our parents stayed inside." Elizabeth said. She smiled as Stefan tucked her hand into the crook in her arm, "You have a very lovely house, Mr. Salvatore." she said as Stefan lead her through the house.

[Damon Salvatore]

Damon held back a moment, having caught movement on the other side of the hedges out of the corner of his eye. He turned and looked, finally able to make out the form of Emma Elisabeth Parsons, the far-too-obviously eligible daughter of Frederick and Mary Parsons. Rumor had it that she had set her cap for Damon, but he had no intention of being 'caught', especially by the likes of Emma.

Regardless, he gave the hedgerow a mock salute and headed into the house a few steps behind his brother.

[Erika Mirazida]

Elizabeth couldn’t help but have a very quick glance behind her at Damon. He was very handsome, and even though she wouldn’t admit, she thought that he was far more handsome than his younger brother. She knew that Damon had gotten back from the war and she figured that he probably did not want to settle down with a wife yet, seeing how much of his youth was taken from him by the battlefields. She looked around, Elizabeth’s memory of when she was a younger girl came back to her of playing with Stefan and Damon. Remembering when they would run around outside and their father would tell them to be careful with her.

She knew that if she wanted Damon that she’d have to work at it. She was very aware that Emma Parsons had her sights set on Damon. Elizabeth didn’t find her a huge threat, but a threat nevertheless. Then again, almost every woman wanted to be with the Damon Salvatore. And really, who could blame them? He was dashing, handsome and able to make any young girl’s knees weak.

She turned her head to Stefan, “The interior of your home is just as I remember it, very lovely and warm.” She said softly to him, as they continued walking. Her little curls bounced with each step they took.

[Stefan Salvatore]

Stefan looked at her for a moment and grinned. "I do remember you!" he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You were the one who always wanted to run around outside with your skirts hiked up above your knees!" He laughed. "And you put a worm in Damon's hair and let me take the blame for it!"

He finally managed to get the laughter under control. "I'm sorry, that was inexcusably rude of me. It has been a lot of years since we last saw you, though. Your family left Mystic Falls for a number of years, did you not?" She had certainly grown into a beautiful young woman, he mused. It was unfortunate that her father and his were probably discussing whether he or Damon would be a better match for her.

[Erika Mirazida]

Her cheeks flushed slightly when he brought up their childhood and her running around with her skirt above her knees, and sometimes above her head. “Yes Stefan, that was me and I do appreciate you taking the blame for me on that one. Father would have had my head had he ever found out.” She arched an eyebrow as he burst into a fit of laughter, which even she had to admit was a little silly. Elizabeth remembered those days, where everything was carefree ad innocent and now, here was. Twelve years later, meeting her future husband.

Elizabeth looked up at Stefan, “Yes we did. Atlanta was wonderful, but after mother was killed, father wished to return back to Mystic Falls and believe me, I am very grateful to be back. I missed here terribly, my friends here and besides, Mystic Falls is my home and it always has been and always will be.” She said, hoping that she was right.

When her father and Giuseppe caught up to them in the drawing room, they both had a wonderful smile on their faces and Elizabeth had been chosen a husband. Quietly and very unnoticeably, she sighed. She still wanted to be single and looking for the right man, not being set up with someone.

[Stefan Salvatore]

Stefan watched his father approach the room with hers and sighed inwardly at the ridiculous grin on his father's face. He knew that his father had always favored him as the one to take over the running of Veritas, but he had rather hoped he might at least be able to choose his own wife. Preferably at his own time.

Not that Elizabeth Mirazdia would be a bad choice, he mused. He smiled at her. "It would appear that our fathers are hoping for a betrothal between us. And it is equally apparent that it wouldn't be your choice to grant them that particular wish."

Privately he wondered if she didn't favor Damon, most of the women did, with his brother's piercing blue eyes and innate charm.

[Erika Mirazida]

Elizabeth’s eyes landed on Damon for a brief moment, then her father, then Giuseppe. A decision had been made and Elizabeth felt her own little heart flutter inside her chest. It wasn’t like Stefan Salvatore was bad choice for a husband, she did find him very attractive and could admit she did feel slightly attracted towards him, but she also felt something else towards him. She felt that his heart may belong to another, and because of that, it would end any betrothal that was made.

“I would rather not have to grant them this wish at all, not that I find you or Damon both very wonderful, I just wish that this marriage was because I wanted to, not because I have to.” She said, meaning every word of it. She looked back up at her father and Giuseppe again.

[Damon Salvatore]

Damon walked into the room and took everything in with a sweep - both fathers beaming like a pair of idiots, and Stefan and Erika on the settee looking rather like deer caught in the crosshairs of a rifle.

He calmly walked across the room and poured himself a drink, then held it up in a mock salute. "I take it congratulations are in order then?" he said. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved, or just irritated, that it had taken her so short a time to choose Stefan over him.

[Erika Mirazida]

William and Giuseppe glanced at each other, then back at Damon. Elizabeth frowned slightly their expressions.

“Actually son, the congratulations is to you and Elizabeth.” Giuseppe said to Damon, then looked at Elizabeth and smiled, “Welcome to the family.” He said to her.

Elizabeth blinked, slightly confused. She had thought that their father’s had picked Stefan for her over Damon, not the other way around. Although, he was the eldest brother out of the two and Elizabeth wasn’t going to complain. She blinked herself out of her deep thoughts and smiled at Giuseppe, “Thank you, Mr. Salvatore.” She said to him.

Elizabeth sat down on the couch, still looking between Damon and Stefan and their father and her father. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt. Breathless was one word, but that was probably because her dress was laced to tightly again. She looked up at Damon and met his eyes.