—...My father called me last night. He told me he missed me and he told me about the past year in Mystic Falls. He says they need my help, which doesn't surprise me. Sometimes I wonder if he really misses me or if he just calls me when he needs something. Anyhow, I'm going back to Mystic Falls. I really miss my father, I don't really care about anything else they need my help with, I just want to see him, and uncle Stefan too...It's been so long...—
~Extract from Cassiopeia's Diary~
Seeing the 'Welcome to Mystic Falls' sing, Cassiopeia Salvatore sighed.
Ever since her father had called her she'd been more than worried. After everything her family had been trough in that damned town they were back there...They surely were masochists. And all because of that Katherine doppelgänger, Elena.
Cassiopeia hadn't been excited upon hearing how her father and her uncle were both in love with the doppelgänger of the woman that destroyed their lives. But...like a good daughter, Cassiopeia quickly left her apartment on New York and headed for Mystic Falls when her father called.
When she approached the Salvatore Boarding House, the feels invaded her, and she couldn't help but simply stare at the house that so long ago had been her own too. She remembered the good times she spent there, and with that the bad times came into her memory too, and that gave her the strength she needed.
After exiting her car, Cassiopeia approached the Boarding House's door with her heart thumping. She was nervous about seeing her father again, after all they went trough, and all their fights...It was one thing to talk over the phone, but now she was actually going to see her father after more than 20 years without seeing each other.
She knocked the door twice before realizing the house was empty. With a sight of sudden relief after realizing she had more time to prepare to see her father again, she opened the door and stepped inside.
Looking around she smiled sadly. Everything was exactly like it'd been last time she was there. Some things were missing, others were new, but it was still the same place she used to love so much.
"Home sweet home," she whispered into the air.
Dragging her baggage behind her, she went upstairs to her room. Opening the door and stepping inside she had to gasp. Her room had been renovated. Before, it used to match her childish taste and stuff, now, it looked like a totally new room with new things from the year. Looking around, she saw some of her things remained untouched.
"Thank you, dad," she said softly, dropping her baggage on the bed and looking around to see what else could be new.
Glancing towards the new mirror on her bathroom, she saw a note with an envelope at its side. She took the note first, recognising her father's signature.
We're at the ball.
See you there,
D. S.
Cassiopeia frowned. "A ball?"
Opening the specially craved envelope, she saw a fancy invitation to some ball held at the Mikaelson's mansion.
"The Originals' ball," she said softly, to the groan and roll her eyes.
Of course her father would be attending to the ball, Elena received an invitation to it, so both Stefan and Damon would go and play to be her bodyguards.
So predictable.
Twisting the invitation around, she saw the Salvatore's name included there, along with a plus one. She was the plus one. She scoffed tiredly, but made her way towards the bath to prepare herself for the ball.
If her father wanted her there, she'll be there.
...{}...
Getting out of her car, Cassiopeia felt her heart thumping loudly in her chest. Maybe too loudly, but she didn't cared. She was scared, she'd heard rumours about how deadly the Originals were, and attending their party uninvited, and without really knowing why or where her father was...It scared her to make an error and die there at the hands of any Original.
She sighed, trying to woman up and find courage. She started to walk towards the mansion, her heels clicking against the floor, making two of the humans there at the reception look at her. "Invitation?"
She held up the invitation her father left her. "I'm the plus one."
After looking at it, both humans nodded, and stepped aside opening the door for her. She took a deep breath, smiling in thanks at the humans, and stepped inside.
The mansion was even more beautiful inside. Soft fine music could be heard among with some conversations people she didn't knew were having. For a second she didn't knew what to do.
She was new in town, she didn't knew anybody there...
But glancing towards where the drinks were, she was glad to see a familiar face. She started to walk towards the mayor of the town, Carol Lockwood. "Hey, you're Carol Lockwood, right?" Cassiopeia smiled politely.
The mayor turned to her, and nodded. "Yes. And you are?"
"I'm Cassiopeia Salvatore," she introduced herself, shaking Carol's hand. "I'm new in town." "Salvatore, as in...?"
"Damon and Stefan? Yes," Cassiopeia smiled.
For a second Carol was too surprised to say anything else, and Cassiopeia took advantage of that. "So, I have a question, and I hope it doesn't come out too boldly. How come the Mayor of this town—a member of the council, is attending a vampire party without any hesitation or fright or actually doing anything."
Carol only smiled pleasantly, taking a sip of her drink. "I'm the mayor, Cassiopeia. When the oldest, deadliest family of vampires moves into your town, you welcome them with a smile."
"Hmmm..." Cassiopeia replied, copying her smile. "Well, at least you know who you're borrowing that cup of sugar from."
Carol turned to her with a small glare. "I already had this conversation with Damon, Miss Salvatore. But if you must know, I'm only trying to protect this town. They've assured me they want peace, and I've assured them that I'd enforce it."
Cassiopeia's interest perked at the mention of Damon. "Where is him?"
"Who?"
"Damon," Cassiopeia said.
"Oh, he's with Elena and Stefan." Carol replied, pointing to the entrance. "Excuse me, I'm going to greet a friend."
Cassiopeia turned, and rage shook her body when she saw both Damon and Stefan escorting a Katherine look alike. Her dress was beautiful, but Cassiopeia could only think of how much she looked like Katherine, and of how much she wanted to smack her father for falling for her.
"They never learn," she said bitterly, not noticing how someone had approached her, and was standing just at her side. Looking more at her father, she swallowed, only then realizing how much she'd actually missed him.
"Beautiful girl, huh?" the stranger said referring to Elena Gilbert.
Cassiopeia scoffed, without bothering to turn towards him. "I beg to differ."
The stranger chuckled. "I believe we haven't met," he said, his voice heavy with an accent, a hand stretching towards Cassiopeia. "I'm Kol Mikaelson."
Cassiopeia turned. The stranger was a handsome young man with brown hair and brown eyes. For what she've heard Kol was the most unstable and sadistic of the Originals. Fin was the one that hated being a vampire, Elijah was the moral one, Klaus was the evil hybrid, Kol was the sadistic crazy one, and Rebekah was the one that craved love and affection.
"Oh...Pleasure to meet you," Cassiopeia said, blinking her surprise, "I'm Cassiopeia Salvatore."
Kol kissed her hand, and Cassiopeia felt the slightest doubt in herself. Looking at Kol Mikaelson, she found that his face was quite familiar. "Have we met before?"
"I've met lots of people before," Kol replied, a smirk appearing on his face. "But I think I'd remember meeting a beauty like you."
With that he was gone, leaving Cassiopeia to raise her eyebrows. She was sure she'd seen him before...but it wasn't possible, Kol had been daggered for 900 years, and Cassiopeia herself hadn't been around for that much. So she shrugged it off, turning back to where her father had been with the doppelgänger and Stefan, only to find them gone.
She groaned in frustration, why did her father invited her to the ball if she wasn't going to actually have the chance to talk to him?
"Uh, if anyone could gather, please."
Everyone started to walk towards the voice, and Cassiopeia followed. On the beautiful staircase the Originals awaited for their big speech. As they waited for the rest of the people to approach, Cassiopeia had a chance to observe the Originals.
They were just as handsome as beautiful as she expected, Finn, Elijah, Klaus, Kol and Rebekah Mikaelson. Looking at them, she felt her heart thump even more loudly as she got nervous again.
"I'm telling you, you're not going there alone," a familiar voice said in the distance, and Cassiopeia turned.
She saw Damon, Stefan and Elena approaching too along with a beautiful blonde girl, Caroline, if Cassiopeia remembered correctly, and a human boy, probably Matt.
"Welcome. Thank you for joining us."
Cassiopeia tore her gaze away from her father and glanced at the Originals. The Original Witch, Esther, the mother of the Originals, was comming down the stairs in that moment. When she first heard of her, Cassiopeia thought of an old lady with murder issues, but Esther was none of that. She was beautiful and sort of young.
"You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this," the original continued, "It's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."
The one talking was the first to come downstairs. Not knowing anyone there, Cassiopeia glanced around, searching for where her uncle Stefan used to be to dance with him, or even with her father. In the distance, she saw her father having a small discussion with the doppelgänger. She thought about approaching them, but she didn't wanted to speak to the doppelgänger, so she simply resigned to be the only one there not to dance, which could be seen as a rude gesture.
"Excuse me," someone put a hand on her back. "Would you like to dance with me?"
She turned. The Original that had been talking was the one that asked her to dance. Looking at him, Cassiopeia saw the same brown hair and eyes that Kol had, but this one was very much handsome in its own way. "Sure."
They took positions to dance, half of the couples at one side, and the other in the other side. Cassiopeia felt a little nervous having to dance with an Original, something he seemed to notice, because the grip on her hand softened, and he smiled politely at her.
"I believe we've never met," the Original started as they moved softly along with the other couples in what was know as the beginning of the waltz. "I'm Elijah Mikaelson."
Cassiopeia nearly sighed in relief, it was the moral and polite Original. Instead, she smiled in his direction, and introduced herself, carefully avoiding to say her last name, "Pleasure to meet you, Elijah. I'm Cassiopeia."
They moved together along with the other couples. They passed in the middle of the couples of the other side, she smiling when she passed her uncle Stefan, and he saw her. His eyes widened, but he continued to move with his dance partner. Cassiopeia briefly wondered how the humans dancing knew how to dance that specific dance. It wasn't easy, Cassiopeia herself only knew how to because she had been born around the time were the most populate dance was the waltz.
"May I ask who invited you?" Elijah asked with a spark of interest. "I've never seen you around."
"My father," the woman replied, "I'm his plus one."
The men all spin their partners, Cassiopeia's body fell perfectly on Elijah's, her right hand going to his shoulder, the other one on his own hand. Elijah's other hand on her waist.
They started to dance, along with the other couples.
"It's a beautiful party."
"It is," Elijah agreed.
Her breath hitched when she saw her father dancing with the doppelgänger just at her side. Anger overcome her as she remembered her first ball, where she was supposed to dance with Damon, but he had been too busy dancing with Katherine to mind that it was his daughter birthday.
"For someone new in town you certainly seem to hate some of its habitants already."
"She reminds me of someone I hate," Cassiopeia explained softly, blinking back to Elijah.
He was watching her carefully, like he was trying to understand something. "You've met Katerina."
It didn't sounded like a question, but Cassiopeia nodded. "She destroyed my life. Because of her my father is a vampire, along with my uncle."
"And you?"
"My father transformed me when I was dying," Cassiopeia said softly, unsure of why she was sharing such personal things with an Original Vampire, apart from the fact that she just admitted to being a vampire. "Uh, anyway. I don't intend on boring you with past things."
"It is quite alright."
They danced for a couple of minutes in silence.
Elijah was the first to break the silence, "If I might ask, what did you do to have both Salvatore brothers staring at you like that?"
Cassiopeia followed his gaze, and it landed on an angry looking Damon, still dancing with Elena. She couldn't see Stefan, but she suspected his gaze was a little less intimidating than Damon'.
"Its a long story," Cassiopeia said softly, turning back to Elijah. "We go way back."
"Hmmm."
"Do you know them?" Cassiopeia asked, even tough she knew the answer to that.
Her father had made sure to fill her in on everything happening ever since his return to Mystic Falls. She knew of the deals they've made with Elijah, and how he'd protected them some times. But still, she found herself curious as to what he could say about them.
"We have the same common interest, the Salvatore brothers and I," Elijah replied.
"Hmmm, if I might say, I don't see what could an Original have in common with two arrogant vampires," Cassiopeia mock whispered, leaning into Elijah one last time before she was spun around, into the arms of her new dance partner, a nice looking human.
Glancing back at Elijah, she simply smiled at him.
They danced for a while before the first dance ended. Cassiopeia exited the ballroom then, too tired and bored to dance again. She went to the bar and made herself a drink.
After a while, Stefan and the doppelgänger came back, unfortunately seeing Cassiopeia.
"So it is really you," Stefan said, uncharacteristically cold . "Cassie?"
"Hey, old man, long time no see," Cassiopeia replied, turning back with a tense smile.
"What are you doing here?"
"I called her," Damon said, appearing.
Cassiopeia's anger flared at the questioning look the doppelgänger send her. For some seconds, Damon only looked at Cassiopeia, unsure of how to react around her, specially after everything they went trough the last time they were together. They settled with a tense smile and a nod.
"Who's that?" the doppelgänger asked.
"I could ask the same thing," Cassiopeia said bitterly, looking directly into her father's eyes. "I thought you were over Katherine. Really low to be dating her doppelgänger, huh?"
"We're not dating," Elena said, frowning awkwardly, after stealing a glance at Stefan. "Who are you? Is she...one of your ex girlfriends?"
"Worst," Damon said, still not breaking eye contact with his daughter. That made the younger vampire smirk. Yes, she was definitely worst than any of Damon's ex girlfriend. "I can get rid of annoying girlfriends, with Cassie that's not possible."
"We should go upstairs," Elena said then, clearly annoyed with being ignored.
Cassiopeia rose her eyebrows at her father, but he just shrugged. Stefan shared a long look with Elena, and nodded subtly.
Once upstairs, they entered an empty room, and before Cassie could opened her mouth to ask why they were there, Stefan appeared besides Damon in a blink, and snapped his neck. Cassie gasped at Stefan, who then snapped her neck without any hesitation.
...
Cassiopeia groaned as she regained her senses. Damon was slapping her face to wake her up, he looked so annoyed that Cassiopeia restrained herself from making a sarcastic comment about how Stefan snapped their necks.
"Easy, buddy," Stefan's voice called. "Don't want you doing anything stupid."
In a second, Damon was grabbing Stefan by his throat, pinning him against the wall. "Where's Elena?"
"Exactly where she belongs, talking with Esther."
"What did you do?" Damon pushed him rougher against the wall.
"Ah, don't blame me. This was all her," Stefan pushed Damon away from himself. "Right down to the broken neck."
"I can't believe this...neither of you have changed," Cassiopeia whispered in shock. "You're both still fighting over one girl!"
"Wake up, princess, people don't change," Damon snapped, not bothering to turn towards her.
Cassiopeia, unable to stand being there with the fighting brothers anymore, she disappeared from the room in a blink. Slowing down to a human pace, she started to walk downstairs, her only wish being to get away from there.
...
Elijah was taught from a young age to be a gentleman and polite and moral. He still was, even after he was transformed, so when he saw the lovely lady whom shared a dance with him going away with tears on her eyes and looking very distressed and upset, he quickly approached, worried that it had to do with one of his brothers or his sister.
"Cassiopeia, everything alright?"
She sniffled, halting to a stop, sighing before answering. "My uncle just snapped my neck, and my father is too centred on the doppelgänger to care about the fact that we hadn't seen each other in more than 20 years...no, Elijah, I'm not okay." she sighed deeply, closing her eyes to stop the frustrated tears. "I thought things changed between them, but they're still the idiots I run away from in the first place."
Elijah stared a her for a second before putting his hand on her back and guiding back to the party. "Come on, let's get you a drink."
Upon reaching the bar, he handed her a drink, one she took gladly. "Thank you."
"This might not be the right time to ask, but I must know. You mentioned your father and uncle, and a doppelgänger. Are you...?"
"A Salvatore? Yes. I'm Damon's daughter."
Elijah rose his eyebrows, feeling very curious. Vampires couldn't breed, so that meant Damon had her when he was still human, and for all he knew Katherine had been his first love, or that's what Klaus said Stefan told him. Nevertheless, he smirked at the woman in front of him, "My condolences."
Cassiopeia smirked too, taking another sip of her drink. Their eyes met, and she changed her smirk for a nice smile, one he returned with one of his owns.
Looking around, he saw the people starting to walk towards the stairs again.
"Let's go back, shall we? I suspect my mother is about to make a speech." Elijah said.
They started to walk together.
"Your mother," Cassiopeia nodded, like she just remembered about her, "Are you happy your mother is back?"
He paused for a second, thinking of how to express himself. "I am happy she's back."
"But?" Elijah hesitated again, and Cassiopeia noticed it. "You know, I'm new in town. I don't know anybody, so, I guess you can trust in me. It's not like I have someone to tell whatever you'll say."
Pursing his lips, Elijah breathed a long uncharacteristic sigh. "I don't fully trust her, I don't understand how after years of being trapped in the other side watching all of our wrong doings she forgave us so quickly."
"You'd be a fool if you trusted her. It's normal to feel uneasy, you are quite right in your point. I don't see how she's so calm about everything."
"And she asked to speak with Elena privately," Elijah added.
"That's suspicious," Cassiopeia said, rising her eyebrows slightly. "Why would she want to talk to her, and in private?"
"My thoughts exactly."
Feeling the back of her beck tingling, she turned slightly, and saw Damon staring at her. With a sight, she looked at Elijah. "Excuse me, Elijah. It appears my father is angry at me."
Approaching her father, Cassiopeia took place at his side, and they both watched as Esther entered in all her glory, to make a speech. Damon had a firm grip on her elbow, making her feel like she was a little girl who just did something wrong.
"What was that?" Damon hissed at her.
"What was what?" Cassiopeia hissed back, shaking her arm until Damon hesitantly dropped his grip on her.
"You were being all smiley and flirty towards Elijah," Damon said. "I don't like it."
Cassiopeia snorted unladylike. "For goodness sake, dad, it's called being polite, not flirting."
"It looked like flirting to me," Damon muttered.
"Everything looks like flirting to you." she snorted again, to which Damon had to agree silently.
As Cassiopeia accepted the champagne a waiter brought her for the glass raising, she heard one heart beating exaggeratedly fast, missing some beats. She looked around, searching for the owner of the heart. Instead, she met Elijah's gaze, and he discretely looked at Elena, then back at Cassiopeia. The Salvatore girl understood, and narrowed her eyes.
"Stop with the look sharing," Damon hissed. "I don't like it."
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Cassiopeia hissed back.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Waiters are coming 'round with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one." Esther said. "I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening." something on Esther's smile changed. "Cheers."
They all muttered "Cheers" back as they raised their glasses.
Elena looked back at Damon from her spot at Elijah's side, and Cassiopeia gritted her teeth.
"Don't do that," Damon reprimanded.
Cassiopeia turned back to him, frowning. "What?"
"She's not Katherine, Cassie. She's a whole different person, please give her a chance." Damon said softly. "My feelings for her are real, just do it for me."
Cassiopeia sighed exasperatedly. "Fine. But you tell her about us."
"Okay," Damon said, accepting the deal. It was better to have Elena know Cassiopeia is his daughter than to have Cassiopeia judging Elena before knowing her. What was going to be hard was explaining that he had a daughter when he was human. "I'm...glad you're here."
Cassiopeia turned to him surprised. The old him would never admit that, "I'm surprised you care."
Damon pursed his lips, slightly annoyed. "Why is everyone saying that?"
...
Once Damon disappeared again to stalk Elena and ask her about what she spoke with Esther, Cassiopeia was left alone once again.
She made her way towards Elijah once she saw him talking with the mayor.
"Hey," she smiled at both.
"Hey," Elijah turned to her, "Carol, could you excuse us?"
"Of course." the mayor left, and Cassiopeia rose her eyebrows at the Original in front of her.
"What?" she asked confusedly.
"Elena is lying to me," Elijah said.
"I know, I heard her heart," Cassiopeia nodded, pursing her lips. "You think it's something bad she is lying?"
"I need to know my mother's conversation with her, I have this feeling...I don't think it was a pleasant conversation. At least not for us," his eyes moved to the rest of his brothers, "You're Damon's daughter."
"Yes..." Cassiopeia said hesitantly, not liking how meticulous his voice sounded. "I told you I am."
"And Damon loves Elena," Elijah continued.
"What's your point?" Cassiopiea crossed her arms over her chest, hating to hear that.
"You said I could trust you," Elijah said, referring to their conversation before Esther's speech. "Is it true?"
"Uh...yes."
"Can I trust that you'll tell me whatever Elena tells Damon about her meeting with my mother?" Elijah asked, his brown eyes staring into Cassiopeia's icy blue ones.
She saw the real worry on them, and she swallowed. He was so worried about his mother's real intentions that he was asking a mere stranger for help. That was sad. And yet, she understood it perfectly, if it was the other way around she'll trust anyone with vital information about her father.
Cassiopeia bit her lips before nodding slowly. "Yes, of course. You have my word,"
His face broke into a relieved smile. "Thank you."
...
The rest of the evening was quite good, Cassiopeia spend it talking to everyone and meeting important people of town.
At the moment, Cassiopeia was talking to a nice and funny boy, she was chuckling, "Yeah, that's true, but—" A window broke. And she heard his father's voice along with a neck cracking sound that worried her. "Excuse me, please, I think my father just did something very stupid."
She quickly moved outside. Standing next to the Mikaelson' and the doppelgänger, she pursed her lips when she saw her father, and of course, he snapped Kol Mikaelson's neck.
"Damon," Cassiopeia hissed, calling him by his name, "Are you completely out of your mind?"
"Maybe," Damon shrugged, sparing his daughter a glance before looking back at Elena, "Far be it for me to cause a problem."
He turned and swaggered away.
Cassiopeia hissed in annoyance, and followed him, not after giving her uncle a look, one that clearly warned him to go too before Kol gained consciousness.
And off she went, chasing her father like she always did.
