When Elena Gilbert was seventeen years old, she found out she had a disease called endometriosis. The doctors told her that she'd soon be infertile, so she made the decision to have a sperm donor and go ahead with having a child. When she looked at the donor list and picked out Stefan Salvatore, she never in a million years guessed she'd end up married to his brother three years later.

Damon Salvatore, the wealthiest businessman in America, had made a headfirst slide into Mystic Falls, Virginia on a bad bet. His boss, Alaric Saltzman, had sent him and his business partner Katherine Peirce, to board at Damon's old family house and expand their business to the southern states. About eight weeks later the company was ready to open their new office and Damon and Katherine went to Mystic Falls Grille to celebrate, where Damon became instantly smitten by a young brunette who was helplessly attempting to get her young twins to eat. No wedding ring meant no rules, and he quickly ditched Katherine to sit with the troubled looking mother.

"You look like you could use some help Miss...I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore." The girl blushed.

"That's okay, sir, my children are just stubborn." He chuckled.

"I think I may be able to help." He whispered something into both children's ear, never breaking eye contact. Both twins began eating instantly and the woman tilted her head to the side.

"How did you..."

"I can be very persuasive, Miss." He said with a wink, causing her to blush again.

"May I ask your name?"

"I'm Elena...Elena Gilbert." Damon smiled, recognizing the last name from when he'd previously lived there.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Gilbert." He got the response he was hoping for.

"I'm actually not married, but anyway, just call me Elena."

"Okay then...Elena." He said as he kissed the back of her hand.

Once the couple was wed several months later, it didn't take long for them to realize that her twins were each smaller copies of Damon's younger brother Stefan, who had visited that Christmas. A paternity test was taken that proved it...Damon's brother Stefan was the same Stefan Salvatore on the donor list when Elena conceived. The already distant Damon Salvatore wanted hardly anything to do with Elena's children after that, barely acknowledging that they existed. Katherine, who was to Damon's surprise Elena's twin, became colder toward Stefan, her husband, after hearing about the paternity test from Damon. Katherine and Elena had been separated at birth, meeting the night Elena and Damon did. Katherine and Elena's parents had also each had a twin, it ran in the family. Katherine had grown up with their mother, and Elena with their father.

And poor little Thomas and Julia were caught in the middle, the two innocent brown haired, green eyed twins who had accidently caused both their parents to have loveless marriages.

*Two years later*

"Damon, are you ready to leave?" Elena called over her shoulder to him as she touched up her make-up.

"Yes dear, I'll be heading to the airport shortly." He said as he adjusted his tie, kissing her cheek and heading towards the door. She frowned.

"The airport? Damon, we're going to Thomas and Julia's kindergarten graduation, you are not getting on a plane." Damon scowled.

"I have a business trip to go on, babe. I probably won't even be back by the end of the month." Elena crossed her arms.

"Yeah and I bet Katherine is going, huh?" Damon could hear the jealousy in her voice and his frown deepened.

"She is my associate, Elena. She has to come, if you want to think I'm screwing your sister so be it."

"Are you?" She accused, her eyes narrowing. Damon stalked toward her and yanked her hair back hard.

"So what if I am? What would you do about it wench?! Take your stupid children to their little ceremony with their real father. I am a busy man with far better things to do." He slammed her head into the wall and then released her, grabbing his briefcase and exiting the room quickly. Searing pain was shooting through Elena and she felt the back of her head to find blood, lots of it. She stood slowly, looking for her phone.

Meanwhile Stefan was in a similar predicament. Of course he wanted to see his children be promoted to the first grade, even if they did refer to him as "uncle". However, Katherine was preparing to leave with Damon and giving Stefan a lecture.

"I don't want you seeing my slut of a sister or her bastard children while I'm gone do you understand me? I don't like how much time you spend with them..." Stefan tried to wrap his arms around his wife but she pushed his hands away and he sighed.

"I can't promise that. Those are my babies, Kat. I love them." She rolled her eyes as she grabbed her clutch purse and applied some bright red lipstick.

"Love is for the weak, Stefan." His mouth fell open.

"Well I love you..." She laughed menacingly and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah...good one. Let's not pretend like you didn't marry me for money and I didn't marry you for those rocking abs..." She said in a super slutty tone, running a finger down his chest. Stefan looked hurt but didn't say anything as she leaned in for a smoldering kiss. He kissed back half-heartedly and his eyes darkened with sadness, as they usually did when she left on these ridiculously long trips with his brother.

"Bye, Steffy." She purred, walking downstairs and out of the house to her car. Stefan pulled out his journal to vent when he received a phone call from Elena.

"Damon did what?! This is the third time he's hurt you this month...yeah I'll be over ASAP." He hung up and worriedly threw a shirt on, racing out to his car and driving to his brother's house.

When he arrived, Julia and Thomas were waiting for him at the door.

"Uncle Stefan, Daddy hurt Mommy again...she's lost a lot of blood." Both of them looked terrified and he gave them soothing looks.

"She'll be fine, okay? Just stay down here and I'll make her better." He promised, running up the stairs to her aid. She was sitting in the floor, blood all over her hands from where she had been trying to apply pressure. Stefan picked her up in his arms and sat down on her and Damon's bed, with Elena in his lap. He bit his wrist and put it up to her mouth.

"Drink it, it'll heal you." Elena had found out that the Salvatore's were vampires about six months into her marriage with Damon. She still was scared of them due to Damon's abuse and had bite mark scars all on her body, so she hesitated. Stefan gently caressed the scars on her arm and his voice became very soft.

"I won't hurt you like that, Elena. Don't be scared of me, drink it." Elena pulled his wrist to her mouth and took a nice long sip. She looked deep into his jade green eyes that mirrored her children's.

"Why are you so sweet to me? Most vampires are so..." She shuddered. Stefan absentmindedly stroked her hair; hardly aware he was doing so, which for some reason comforted Elena.

"Not all vampires are like that...if I were your husband you'd be treated like a princess. That's the way you deserve to be treated, Elena." His confession surprised her, this being the only time the two had ever had a private conversation. She enjoyed the closeness, never getting that with Damon.

"Do you want to stay for a while before the graduation ceremony? Damon doesn't allow me any friends anymore, and I'd love to get to know you better, Stefan." Stefan smiled and hugged her tighter to him.

"That sounds wonderful." Was his thoughtful and intrigued reply.