You are my Freedom

Tying the Knot

Flashback- Mystic Falls 1863:

Damon and Clara had long since declared their feelings to each other, but it wasn't as simple as both admitting they meant more to each other than best friends. He was still a Salvatore and she was still a servant. Every time there was a ball or town event Clara either had to stay home or was forced to work it and stand by and watch while Damon danced and flirted with other more appropriate ladies. When Damon refused to make any dance partners his wife he found out how right his mother was, he was forced to join the army. Virginia had already succeeded from the union 2 years earlier and it seemed the war was only just beginning.

With death becoming an increasing probability for him what little he cared about obeying his father and being a dutiful son dwindled further. Even if he survived the war and was able to come back home he only cared about doing it if Clara was by his side.

He had planned to propose to her publicly, declare his love for her for all of Mystic Falls to gossip and judge so he could show them how little he cared about what they thought. He wanted to give her a Fairy Tale day but that would cost money, and as soon as they were out in the open he would certainly be cut off. So he was forced to stay in the army, it was his only means of supporting himself and his future bride, it was only $15 a month but they could make due on that, as long as they had access to a tree and some food in their bellies he believed they could be as happy if not happier than all those wealthy couples in their big fancy houses combined.

He still planned on asking her to be his wife but before he had the chance to plan anything amazing he got word that they were moving out, there would be a big battle in Chancellorsville in the coming days and he needed to finally leave Mystic Falls to join his regiment.

He wasn't a coward, he would fight no matter how scary it was, but a big part of him wanted to take Clara and run... what if he never got the chance to marry her, he worried. What would this all have meant then?

He knew what he had to do.

Clara POV:

It hadn't been as difficult to persuade the town doctor as I had worried it would be. All I needed was to tell him I was concerned with doing my part for the confederacy, if war came here I wanted to be able to help our brave young men. He ate it all up and allowed me to shadow him whenever I could get away teaching me as he went along.

From what I could gather the south hadn't thought to organize a nurse/medic regiment. They were asking wounded soldiers who could no longer fight to tend to the wounded. It was a very flawed system and soon towns were being flooded with wounded soldiers, houses were turned into makeshift hospitals with no one really knowing what they were doing.

Therefore the way men thought about women in war actually women in general had to be put to the back of their heads as it was getting increasingly hard to deny they needed us. Dr. Barton was pleasantly surprised at my ability to learn, especially for someone who hadn't received any proper education. When he told me there was a woman named Sallie Tompkins who was turning her 22 room Richmond house into a Military hospital and was looking for other women to volunteer to care for our wounded men I eagerly asked him to write to her for me.

It had been a relief when Damon decided to go against his dying Mother's wishes and hadn't followed through with marrying one of those stuck up girls, I was so thankful for that... I loved him with all my heart if I had to see him love another I think that would break me. But now the other side of that choice was approaching, I knew he would be leaving soon and now it seemed so would I. If the thought of losing him to another woman was heartbreaking I don't know if I can adequately describe the fear when it hit me that I might lose him from this earth completely.