Does This Darkness Have A Name?
Chapter 1: Echo
Beta: HarleyQuinn88
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD's, only Cassandra and my story.
Hello, hello
Anybody out there? Cause I don't hear a sound.
Alone, alone.
I don't really know where the world is, but I miss it now.
Cassandra's brown eyes counted the cracks in the ceiling tiles for what must have been the thousandth time. She didn't know how long she had been awake for, but she knew that she was incredibly bored. She let out a loud sigh and looked around the room. She was unaware of her surroundings but it didn't bother her. She saw Elijah walk into the room and she quickly sat up, ready to greet him.
"Elijah!" She smiled but he didn't reply. He didn't even look at her. "Elijah?" She called again but again there was no reply. The Original's eyes were downcast, looking to where she was currently seated. She followed his gaze, turning over her shoulder to see herself lying down on the bed. Her eyes were closed and her skin was grey. Cassandra jumped up, bolting from the bed and soon saw that she was looking down at her own dead body. "Oh…oh my god." She whimpered as Elijah took the hand of the still body and held it in his.
He didn't say a word; he just held her cold hand and silently cried. Cassandra rested her hand on his shoulder and she could feel him, not like the time when Gloria had juju-ed her. The crisp fabric of his expensive suit brought her some kind of closure and familiarity, but why couldn't he see her? Cassandra knelt beside her own body and hesitantly reached her hand out to touch the hand that wasn't being held by Elijah. Her hand meshed with her dead one, almost as if they were becoming one. It felt like Cassandra was slipping a cold glove on her finger. Altogether, it was very eerie and unsettling that she could feel surfaces and people but her own body was a phenomenon of its own.
"What the hell..." She murmured.
"Weird, right?" Vanessa's voice made her turn.
"Yeah...weird." Cassandra nodded.
"I'm sorry that we had to meet like this." The blonde slung an arm around her friends shoulder.
Cassandra looked back at Vanessa curiously, "What…what do you mean?"
I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name
Like a fool at the top of my lungs.
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright
But it's never enough
Cause my echo, echo
Is the only voice coming back.
My shadow, shadow
Is the only friend that I have.
In the blink of an eye, she was transported to Mystic Falls Hospital. The white hallways were scarce, with only a couple of scrubs occupying them. Cassandra looked around for the reason why she could possibly be here until she spotted it.
Damon.
He was shouting at Meredith, quite loudly and attracting the attention of patients and nurses. Dr. Fell quickly pulled him into an empty room and Cassandra followed close behind them, but someone shoved her. She looked over her shoulder to see an elderly man who smiled at her. He had salt and pepper hair and could easily be a grandfather.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry." He said and Cassandra nodded. A nurse walked by and the man tried to stop her. He called her but she didn't even turn to look at him. It was like she didn't even hear him. The man tried to stop someone else, but he was given the same treatment. Frustrated, the man walked back to Cassandra to see that she was looking right at him and not through him.
"Can you see me?" The man asked and Cassandra nodded. "Am...am I dead?"
"I..." She trailed off as she heard the frantic footsteps of doctors wheeling in a patient on a gurney. Nurses were shouting orders and doctors were asking for all hands on deck with this patient. As the gurney passed Cassandra, she looked down at the linens to see that it was the very same man that knocked into her.
Another rush of wind and she was in a dimly lit room with Meredith and Damon. He seemed to have calmed down from his tantrum before and was sitting on the edge of an empty hospital bed. It looked as if neither Dr. Fell nor Damon could see Cassandra as well.
"Where's Cassandra?" Meredith asked and Cassandra could see Damon flinch.
"She's dead." He murmured.
"No! No, I am not dead!" Cassandra growled loudly but neither of them could hear her. "Damon, I'm right here!" She sat next to him on the bed.
"I'm sorry…" Dr. Fell murmured.
"Klaus is dead and now she is too." Damon rambled.
"I am not! I am not dead!" Cassandra yelled and stamped her feet.
"But Klaus made your bloodline." She shook her head. "You and Stefan should be dead too."
"Well, we're not." The vampire bit.
Meredith was ready to add something, but her pager buzzed at her side. She stole a look at it and sighed. "I have to be in surgery now, but are you okay, Damon?" She knew deep down that he wasn't. How could he be? He just lost the only person who meant everything to him. Damon didn't answer her; he just kept his eyes locked on nothing in particular. Dr. Fell gave Damon one last look before taking her leave and closing the door behind her.
Listen, listen
I would take a whisper if that's all you had to give.
But it isn't, isn't
You could come and save me and try to chase the crazy right out of my head.
Cassandra's eyes traced over the features of Damon's face, his jaw was taut, and his eyes were tense. She could faintly hear him growling in the back of his throat and she reached out a hand to touch him. Her fingertips stroked against his cheek and she could feel the tension in his jaw. Like Elijah, he didn't flinch at all when she touched him. The raven haired vampire suddenly bolted up from his seat and proceeded to pace around the room. Cassandra sat quietly on the bed and watched him, her inner self being tortured since she was unable to calm him.
He took up a lamp from the bedside table and launched it at the wall, sending it shattering into million pieces. Cassandra jumped back to avoid the glass projectiles that flew through the air. Damon growled ferociously as he pounded his fist into the wall by the door, hoping to dispel his anger but it did nothing. His fist was making huge dents and the paint started to chip and the drywall was quickly crumbling.
I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name
Like a fool at the top of my lungs.
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright
But it's never enough
Cause my echo, echo
Is the only voice coming back.
My shadow, shadow
Is the only friend that I have.
"Damon…" Cassandra whimpered. Her eyes stung with tears and her heart was breaking at the sight of him. He bounded towards the bed and Cassandra jumped off of it before he flipped it over, tossing it to the other side of the room. He continued to wreck the room while screaming and yelling at the top of his lungs as Cassandra stood huddled in the corner, unable to keep her eyes on the broken man before her. Once Damon's anger seemed to finally subside, he dropped to his knees on the cold floor, his tears were flowing freely now. He delivered one last hard punch to the floor, smashing and cracking the tiles. He was pretty sure his hand was broken and his knuckles bled, but that pain was nothing compared to the pain of losing Cassandra.
"I'm sorry…" He spoke out into the empty room. He wasn't apologizing for his damage to the room or his inability to understand why Cassandra had been taken from him, but he was sorry that there was nothing he could do to save her. He felt worthless, insignificant, and useless, he felt like he shouldn't deserve to live anymore. He was broken beyond repair; he didn't know how to start living again.
Cassandra slowly made her way towards Damon, her feet brushed against the pieces of broken glass and drywall. She kneeled behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. Her own tears stained her cheeks and she pressed her face into his back. She could feel his erratic heartbeat and could smell the leather of his jacket. Damon didn't move in her hold and for that she was thankful. Right now, she just wanted to hold him even though he couldn't hold her back.
"I forgive you." She whispered softly near his ear. Her guilt for leaving him was unbearable. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be her. If there was any way that she could crawl herself back from the dead, she would have done so. But, she was gone and she could now witness the effect of what her death was doing first hand to those who loved her. Cassandra held him tightly, crying into his shoulder as she felt some glass digging into her knees. Her small hands fisted his leather jacket, her nails scratching against the material. She wanted to hold onto him for forever and never let go. "I love you so much, Damon." Her voice cracked as she rocked him back and forth. Cassandra then felt her own body become weightless and a building white light was starting to blind her vision.
I don't wanna be down and
I just wanna feel alive and
Get to see your face again
But till then…
"No…" She begged. She didn't want to leave, not yet. She felt something pulling her away from Damon and fought it with every ounce of strength in her body. The force was too strong and she slowly felt her grip on Damon loosen until he was gone and she groped to feel him against her once more. "Please, no! I love him! I love him!"
Just my echo, my shadow
You're my only friend and
I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name
Like a fool at the top of my lungs.
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright
But it's never enough
The white light cleared and Cassandra was now able to see once more. She was no longer in the hospital room and Damon was gone as well. She didn't recognize this place at all. Then again, what was there to recognize? It was a place of just white light. Cassandra couldn't even call it a room because she wasn't sure where the walls began and the floor ended. It was just an infinite expanse of light. She was still crying and sniffling, longing to feel or to even see Damon again. Her hands shook at her sides, but Cassandra had to smile as she caught sight of her ring that was resting on her finger. Looks like she had gotten her wish to take it with her. This would serve as a reminder that Damon was hers no matter what.
Moving through the whiteness, Cassandra saw Vanessa approaching her. She was still as beautiful as ever, with her shiny blonde hair and her sparkling eyes. The two women stood eye to eye and Vanessa produced something from her jacket pocket.
"Tissue?" She held it out and the brunette let out a chuckle before taking it and wiping her tears.
"Thanks. I didn't know they had tissues in heaven." Cassandra joked.
"Well, this isn't exactly heaven. Although, heaven is pretty awesome. You should come visit sometime." Vanessa smiled brightly.
"Wait, this isn't heaven?" The brunette asked as she looked around. It sure did look like heaven.
"Nope. This is kind of an in between. I call it 'limbo'." She replied.
"So, does this mean I'm not really dead?" Cassandra cocked her head to the side.
"Oh, no, you're dead. Dead as a doornail." Vanessa nodded. "Dead, dead, dead." She tisked.
"Gee, thanks. I feel so much better now." She whined. "Well, if I'm dead, can we go to heaven now?"
"Not yet." The blonde shook her head. "I took you here because I want you to do something really important."
"What is that?"
"I want you to pray." Vanessa said softly. "I want you to pray for the people on Earth who have to go on without you." Cassandra looked back at her friend with questioning eyes but nodded mutely.
"Well, I…" Cassandra trailed off, unsure of where or how to start. "I haven't prayed in a long time."
"Don't be difficult. It's easy!" She smiled, but Cassandra seemed unfazed. "Okay, I'll help you get started. What do you really care about?" She asked.
"Damon." The hybrid replied instantaneously. "And Stefan, Elena, Elijah. I care about everyone in Mystic Falls."
"I know you do." Vanessa nodded. "You want to be back with Damon?"
"No…" Cassandra shook her head. She knew that she was dead and there was no changing that. Why would she pray for something that she knew couldn't happen? "Yes, I do, but I know that it's impossible." She sniffled and dried her tears. She was asked to pray and dammit, she would pray for him. "I want him to be happy no matter what that means, even if it means that he finds someone else to love." Her heart stung at the thought of Damon finding someone else. It pained her to imagine Damon holding another woman in his arms at night and whispering how much he loved her. But in the end, she'd rather see Damon happy with someone else than living alone and pushing people away from him. "I want him to find someone who will give him all the love that he received from me. I want him to meet someone who'll see him always as I do now." Her eyes were fresh with hot tears as a lump was lodged in her throat. It hurt her deep down to let him go for good, but she knew that Damon could never forget her. "And if anyone breaks his heart, then I'll haunt their asses!" Cassandra giggled at her attempt to make light of the situation and Vanessa laughed with her.
"Now that's a prayer." The blonde vampire smiled.
"Yeah? It was good?" She wiped her tears.
Vanessa nodded. "It was perfect. I'll get right on it." The vampire then reached out toward Cassandra, placing a hand on her chest and the brunette jerked back harshly. Cassandra flinched as she felt like deadly volts of electricity were passing through her body.
Cause my echo, echo
Oh, my shadow, shadow
"Ow! God, Vanessa! That hurt!" Cassandra cried and Vanessa touched her again, sending pain through her once again. "Dammit! Stop that!"
"I'll see you around, kid." Vanessa hushed before touching Cassandra one last time. The hybrid screamed out as she felt the floor vanish beneath her feet and she fell. She saw Vanessa waving down at her as she continued to fall farther down. The white lights faded around her and Cassandra was quickly enveloped in darkness.
Hello, hello
Anybody out there?
Please review :)