Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used from The Vampire Diaries and from Kindred: The Embraced. They belong to their creators/producers. I'm just borrowing for the sake of my creative juices. I do not make any profit from this.
A/N: I'm unable to be sorry for anything that is out of character for what I have used. That's the beauty of AU, it's not supposed to be exactly as others have interpretted except for me because this is my muse.
Summary:
Elena Gilbert, AU after Season 2 went to college. She's not with either brother and wanted to get away from vampires so went to college across country inCalifornia.
Cash is in trouble with his Prince. He killed an innocent girl; but circumstances allowed the Prince to be merciful and he sent Cash away fromSan Franciscoso he could for lack of a better term repent his sins alone. Being Gangrel makes this is difficult, he's always been a member of a pack, been the bodyguard of the Prince which gave him purpose. So being alone is the worst punishment.
Stanford University was far enough Elena thought she was away from vampires for good. Almost graduated with Bachelors in Creative Writing, Elena meets Cash, Primogen to the Gangrel Clan; all kinds of vampire politics ensues and love, don't forget love.
Chapter 01
Cash had picked the ideal place to live, he thought to himself, as he strolled into a darker portion of the campus. All the self loathing and loneliness couldn't keep him from feeding. He knew better than to starve his animal; then he would kill again, and this time who knew if the catiff of the area would take him on. There was no clan structure that he could see in Stanford California. He didn't fear a lone vampire of any clan or catiff relation, he was Primogenitor of the Gangrel clan; he could take on a young whelp. He just didn't want to.
Cash had on his torn blue jeans, biker boots, a Stanford University tank top, and his biker leather jacket on. He found he was less likely to be questioned if he looked a bit like a lost student, than a biker thug. All it took was a question of where he was, a student giving him directions as they walked away from any prying eyes. Sometimes he'd have to give a few of the women his puppy dog eyes, they'd melt I his arms, and he'd feed. He never took enough to hurt them, but enough to sate his animal until he could maybe find another. It usually took 2 a night for him to be fed and okay for the day.
A young woman had come out of the library building and was heading to the same apartment building he resided in. Cash had taken a cheerleader to the back alley and fed from her, found her taste a bit strange and had stopped before he had a mouthful. There was a steroid in her blood. Human medicine, drugs, or some vitamins made the blood unsavory and he wouldn't feed from them for long. Not to mention how it could affect him; Kindred were just as human as vampires could get and even human chemicals could affect him.
Cash stood back against a one of the trees that littered the parkway to the apartment building. This human female passed him and he took in her scent. Cash's eyes took on the golden glow of a feral Gangrel for a few seconds before his silent growl and he pulled it back in. Who was this girl?
Long straight chocolate brown hair flowed down her back and smelled of vanilla. She stood a bit below his height, was thin, but toned underneath her purple halter top and skinny blue jeans. Cash sent a small growl over the wind and she turned around to face him for a second so he could see her big honey brown eyes and olive skin. She was beautiful.
Oh my God how can one stay in the library this long, Elena though to her self as she walked, half running from the building. If she closed her eyes she could see the books lining the shelves and the scribbling of her notes permanently imbedded on her eyelids. This last year was killer she thought.
She had moved from her previous apartment, an argument with her previous landlord had struck a cord with her and she felt it was best to move. Besides although this new one as a bit simpler than her old place, it was closer to campus and she needed all the extra time she saved in traveling, to study.
She passed a student standing against a tree and she couldn't help but appreciate his butt. She inwardly slapped her hand. She didn't have time for boyfriends. Actually she didn't want a boyfriend; all her past haunted her to this day and by God she wasn't going to bring a man into all that baggage, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate a good ass in nice jeans.
As she reached the path that was a hidden from the traffic and normal stream of populace that lead to her new apartment, she felt something at her back. It made the hairs on her arms shoot up and a tingle was on her spine. She knew that feeling and despite how it's been since she's felt it, Elena knew she couldn't ignore it; vampire.
On better judgment she turned around to the guy at the tree for a minute, her heart rate sped up for a second before she took control over it knowing that if he was a vampire he'd know it and she wasn't going to give him the pleasure. God he was sexy but wasn't that the nature of the monster. Draw you in with is appeal so he can kill you. Elena turned on her heal, sighing inwardly at destiny, and how she was always called to the undead, even if they were cute, she was horny, and that small part of her drawn to danger cried out.
Cash watched as she turned and continued on her way to the apartment building. He had heard her heartbeat rise and his senses for however brief went haywire and then the strangest thing happened. This woman calmed herself as if she knew she was in the presence of a hunter. He felt her mental power as she got her heart rate to go back to normal. In that moment he saw her recognition. Cash took in another lungful of her scent so he could memorize it so he could find her anywhere. The scent hinted of arousal, making his eyebrow shoot up slightly, and he also tested to see if she was marked by someone. Nothing showed.
Intrigued, Cash let her have a ten minute head start and then he followed her scent to the once vacant one bedroom apartment across from his. He looked to up with amazement to the Fates and smiled, of course you would.
Cash swore as he looked around his place trying to find something that would be a good icebreaker as a welcome to the neighborhood gift. He spied the credit card the Prince had given him in secret as he left the doors of the mansion. Sighing he called a place that delivered and had them bring to her door a gift basket of bathroom items. Vanilla soaps, bath salt, lotion, and sprays. Hopefully that's safe items, not mentioning a like but a nice welcoming. A plant may have worked better but if she was a student she had no time for plants, Cash reasoned in his head.
Inside his apartment sitting on his second hand chair, Cash listened as the delivery boy rushed with the basket to the girl's apartment. Cash had not given a name to whom they should deliver it to, just a rush order with a huge tip for the delivery guy if it was done today. If Cash learned anything from living at Luna's, money made people do things.
The knock on her door made Elena jump. She was still slightly on edge due to the recognition of a vampire on campus. She really shouldn't be so frightened it's not like this is the first time this has happened. It seems vampires are everywhere not just Mystic Falls. This one however struck something within her that no sighting has ever done.
She opened the door slowly knowing that she'd had to invite the vampire in and her daily routine of vervain tea combined with the sprigs she had in all kinds of jewelry ensured her that if it was a vampire at her door she would not fall victim.
A man in a white delivery outfit from the Bath and Spa supply store down the street held a basket in his hands. He smiled as he handed it to her and left her threshold. The card said, "Welcome to the Neighborhood". She took the basket inside quickly and shut her door.
"Wow." She said aloud, who ever gave this to her knew her. That store was her favorite here, and everything inside was vanilla. It's a safe scent but her favorite as she lost her self for a moment in the contents. It struck her odd but when she saw the card said from the guy in the apartment across from yours, she sighed in relief. It wasn't an insidious plan or crazy thing. She did just move in and it's nice to see that someone noticed.
After she put away the contents, opening each and every one so she could smell them and relish in the scent of warm vanilla, she stepped outside her place and was intent on telling her new neighbor across the hall thank you.
She straightened her shoulders, and knocked on the door.
Cash had heard her squeal of approval of his gift. He smiled. When she knocked on his door he didn't know what to think. He stood, calmed his heart beat to nothingness, this girl stirred things inside him and the anticipation of seeing her up close made him giddy. That was new, Cash can't remember the time he was ever giddy around a human girl, and even Sasha had stirred his loins but never made him feel like a teenager.
Cash opened the door and time stopped. The wave of her scent rolled over him and Cash fought for control. He saw every expression, every nuance of her to the look on her face, to her heart beat, to her subtle fear response that had his animal begging him on its knees to have her.
Elena didn't know what to expect but when he opened the door she was aghast. The guy from the tree up close was overwhelming. Dancing green eyes, spiked dirty blonde hair, and a very sexy goatee on his face framing sinful pink lips, the smell of his leather jacket coupled with cologne and his masculine scent, he was the epitome of what she would find if she wanted someone in her life. When the vampire vibe hit her she questioned it. She questioned insofar as she pushed it out of her mind to deal with later; even if that was a choice that could put her in harms way.
"I wanted to say thank you for the basket." She said finding her voice.
"You are very much welcome Miss…" Cash paused allowing her time to fill in the question.
"Gilbert, Elena Gilbert, Mr…" She did the same.
"Cash Collins." The shook hands briefly and Cash felt he was on air.
Her touch was warm and that spark that flew in the touch did not go unnoticed. He looked down to their hands before they parted and when he looked back up to her face he noticed she had felt the same thing. Her heart rate sped up again only to fall by her will.
"Well Cash, thank you again. I'm glad someone noticed me," Elena stammered, "okay not like that, uhm," she rambled, "I guess it's just nice to know that polite people still live in this world." She ended her horribly executed speech.
How someone could not notice you Elena is beyond me, Cash said in his head before he gave a nice warm smile and spoke, "Yeah call me a rarity." He shrugged his shoulders.
Sure, Elena thought as she smiled. It was getting awkward by then and she knew if she was going to survive with a vampire living across the hall from her she was going to have to cut this short. Not short enough however when Cash invited her in to his place.
Couldn't hurt to get a lay of the land right, Elena tried to convince herself as she looked harder in the his green eyes to see if there was any hint of mal intent. As if she could really judge it on that, but she threw caution to the wind and stepped inside.
Bad Gilbert she thought to herself as he closed the door, but the sight that greeted her wasn't something she expected. The Salvatore's had tainted her thinking apparently making her believe all vampires had wealth and loved to flaunt it. Cash did not.
The place was nice, but the furniture was second hand for sure, the TV was small, but his DVD collection was extensive with movies she hadn't seen in years as she approached the bookcase full of them and gave them a good look over.
She smiled when she turned around feeling Cash's eyes on her. "Nice collection." She said. She realized she was acting like she owned the place, but she didn't care. Let's see this vampire squirm she thought and was sickly amused by that idea.
It also gave her permission, as she saw it, to get that lay of the land in case she had to bolt. His kitchen was simple and when she opened the fridge to take a peek she questioned herself but it was gone in an instant confirming she was a snoop in her mind; she didn't see blood bags and it was scantily filled with take out. So this vampire drank from the source.
Her heart leapt into her throat when she turned around from peeking in his fridge to facing him inches from his body.
"Find anything interesting?" Cash asked. She was his first guest into his apartment, but when she snooped into everything taking in each detail as if she was memorizing it he let her. He wanted to see where this led and each step was more interesting than the next. When she scoped out his fridge he was baffled.
"Oh no, sorry I guess I was curious." Elena stuttered as she was met with curious eyes. "I just have a bad habit of…well…" She couldn't really say. If she tipped off this man she knew what he really was she knew she was in trouble, but then again when wasn't she? Elena sighed as she side stepped him so she could get out of being cornered.
That's when it dawned on Cash that Elena knew what he was. He wasn't sure of how or why but his instincts told him and he never doubted his instincts. The need to hide himself from her and keep the Masquerade was overwhelming and he leaned in to over come her will compelling her to forget him or any idea of what he is.
Elena noticed his eyes dilate and she knew she had been found out but of course he couldn't compel her so she stepped back from the weird sensation. It didn't feel like a normal compel but she didn't want to take chances.
"Well thanks again, I really should be going." She said and Cash couldn't hide his confusion. She couldn't be bent to his will. This could be a problem.
Instead of taking a sly navigation to this as a Ventrue would have, or even a Brujah, he decided she'd be weary of him more if he lied. "You won't tell will you?" He said asking a lot of her but told the truth.
"What are you talking about?" Elena had to respect what she knew he was asking of her. He knew she knew and wanted her promise of keeping him a secret.
"I am sure you know Elena, what I am, and I can't have it getting around." He further explained.
Elena backed up closer to his door but something within her, call it the Doppelganger Curse or stubborn Petrova Curse, told her to stand her ground and figure this out. "I won't say a word Cash." She said looking him in the eyes. "Just so we are clear I can't have you sneaking in my apartment in the middle of night or anything or you won't be a secret anymore." Elena pointed her finger at him.
So she does know Cash smiled, "Wouldn't dream of it, I don't do that anyways Elena." He said her name dripping off of his tongue like sex as he enunciated each syllable slowly.
"Good." She said a bit shakily, this was more than she'd extended to Damon when she found out what they were, but then again she's grown up and found more courage in her self over the years.
"May I ask how you know?" Cash was curious and instantly vowed to protect this human. Something of her called to his Gangrel and that's what they do, protect when called upon. He would keep the roaming catiff from her with his life.
"Really I don't want to get into that right now. Maybe I'll tell you when I can, Cash, this is all to…it's just too much." The look on her face told of long ago pain and Cash knew not to push for the answers now. "But as long as you stick to your word I'll be more inclined to tell you." Elena struck the deal.
"Okay." Cash bowed to her, he felt as if she was his superior in some way but couldn't fathom how.
"I can see why you knew I love vanilla." She joked and chuckled at her own joke as she made her way to the door.
Cash opened if for her suddenly in a manor that would have startled anyone else, but since she knew of vampire speed apparently it didn't catch her off guard. "Thanks for stopping by." He said with a smirk and Elena returned his look with one of her own as she stepped out and went into her place.