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Chapter 2 - Settling In...With A Little Family Drama

Cassandra slept until a little past nine the next morning. It took her a few seconds to remember she was in her old room. As she was walking down the hall to the bathroom she noticed Caroline's bedroom door wide open. Her bed hadn't been slept in. She must have spent the night at Elena's, she shrugged it off. When she was done in the bathroom she headed to the kitchen. She located the coffee maker on the counter and got a fresh pot brewing. Yes, she was one of those people. She needed coffee in the morning to wake up. She stifled a yawn as she retrieved her phone from her room and plopped down into a kitchen chair. She noticed a text message from her mom, a simple 'Morning sweetie, hope you slept well in your old bed' type message. She sent a quick reply back and set her phone on the kitchen table. She could smell the freshly brewing coffee as it slowly filled the pot and inhaled deeply. A few minutes later, with a steaming mug of coffee in her hand, she went into the living room and curled up on the couch.

"Mmmm, nectar of the gods," she murmured after taking a big sip. She took another, savoring the warmth of the hot liquid as it rolled down her throat. With a satisfied sigh, she reached for the remote to the TV and turned it on. She began casually flipping through the different channels looking for something to and paused on the local news station as a new special report began.

"Whether suicide, or a tragic accident, WPKW News has lost one of its shining stars. Field reporter and weekend anchor Andie Star was discovered dead early this morning outside the studio," the reporter spoke to the camera.

"Guess mom's gonna have her hands full with that today," Cassandra mumbled. She couldn't help wondering for a brief moment if the reporters death was more dark and sinister than was being reported knowing what she knew about some of the town's occupants. The journalist in her was extremely curious, but she wasn't ready to start poking her nose around town. She decided to wait and see if her mom shared her opinion. Besides, she thought as she drank another sip of her coffee, It's not like I'd be able to actually share whatever I discover. If they're covering up foul play, they're doing it for a reason, and in this town, there's some pretty good reasons to keep certain things quiet. Not wanting to dwell on the sad news she continued channel surfing and eventually gave up and turned the TV back off when she couldn't find anything else of interest to watch.

"So much for that," Cassandra mumbled softly as she placed the TV remote back onto the coffee table. Feeling her stomach rumble she rose to her feet and headed back to the kitchen. She settled on a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table with it. While she was eating she opened the web browser on her phone and searched around for more news reports on the dead TV reporter, giving in to her morbid curiosity.

After she ate she changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. She pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail and went to work unpacking the boxes she'd brought into her room. She spent the rest of the morning reorganizing things and deciding what to keep boxed up and what she'd want access to. The only disappointment came shortly after noon when her mom called to tell her she wouldn't be able to make it home for lunch due to an ongoing investigation that was taking up all of her time. It didn't take a genius to figure out the subject of the investigation. She'd almost forgotten what it was like being the daughter of the Sheriff. Being away in college tended to have that kind of effect.

Wondering what her sister was up to, Cassandra dialed her number after ending her phone call with their mom. The call went to voicemail after four rings. "Hey, it's your sister," Cassandra decided to leave a message, "Just wanted to see what you were up to this afternoon. Mom had to cancel our lunch plans because of work. I'd forgotten how time consuming her job can be sometimes. Guess I'll have to get used to that again. Anyway, call me back if you want to do something. I'll just be hanging out at the house all day. Talk to you later."

She ended the call with a sigh and slipped her phone into her pocket. After making herself a quick sandwich and wolfing it down, she decided to wash her car. An hour later she had a pristine looking vehicle.

By the evening she was spent, but it was worth it. She had finished unpacking as much as she possibly could. After scrounging up a bite to eat for dinner and a long, hot shower Cassandra curled up on the couch with a book and read until she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, In a cellar below the town jailhouse

Caroline woke up and discovered she had been shackled to a metal chair in some kind of dark dungeon. She was facing the door which had bars on the small window

"Hello! Mrs. Lockwood?! Somebody!" Caroline called out as she looked around and tugged on the shackles. She fought the panic that started to build in her chest when she realized she couldn't break them. A moment later she heard footsteps coming towards the door and a shadow appeared in the window. "Who's that? Mrs. Lockwood?! Please!"

When the door slowly opened she stared in shock at the man who stepped inside.

"Hello, Caroline," he spoke calmly as he approached her.

"Daddy?" she breathed softly.

The Next Morning

Cassandra woke up confused, but the feeling of the book on her lap quickly reminded her of the last thing she'd been doing. Rubbing her eyes she reached for her phone on the coffee table and turned on the screen. 10:12 AM flashed back at her. She'd slept for over twelve hours! She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept that long. She checked for any new messages as she sat up and stretched her neck. She was disappointed that Caroline hadn't gotten back to her.

"I wonder," she mumbled and rose to her feet. She quickly made her way down the hall to Caroline's room and sighed when she saw the door was just as wide open as it had been the day before. To her dismay nothing had changed. Her sister's bed remained untouched.

"Where are you Caroline?" Cassandra wondered aloud. It was unlike her sister to not at least send a text message. The lack of any contact for over twenty four hours now didn't sit well with her, but she was determined not to start worrying. Caroline can take care of herself. She's a vampire for god sakes. The only threat to her left town, she tried to convince herself.

Rather than dwell on it, Cassandra went to her room and got dressed. She ate a quick breakfast and spent the rest of the morning busying herself as much as she could with whatever she could find around the house. She tidied things up in the living room, started a grocery list of things they were running low on, washed dishes, she became a cleaning machine. She had just finished wiping down the kitchen counter when she heard the sound of her mother's voice coming through the front door.

"Caroline! It's mom," Elizabeth spoke into her phone as she picked up the pile of mail on the table near the front door. "Just coming up for air after a few all-nighters at the station. I thought you, your sister, and I could have lunch and you two could remind me I promised not to work so hard. Call me sweetie."

Cassandra stood in the hallway a few feet from her mom. "I left her a message too."

Elizabeth was about to speak when a knock at the front door interrupted her. Cassandra could see through the curtain that Tyler was standing right outside, and he looked worried. "Tyler," Elizabeth greeted him as she opened the door. Cassandra walked over to join them. Elizabeth could tell something was off by the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"It's Caroline," he answered quickly. "She's in trouble."

"What do you mean she's in trouble?" Elizabeth eyed him sharply.

"Where is she?" Cassandra asked.

"My mom she….after Elena's party we went back to my house. I fell asleep and sometime after that Caroline tried to leave and my mom shot her with vervain darts." Tyler tried to explain as quickly as he could. "She called Bill."

Cassandra hadn't been expecting that. "Dad?" Her stomach suddenly dropped. She knew there was only one reason why Carol would have called him. "Oh my god!"

"Where are they?" Elizabeth suddenly switched into Sheriff mode.

"The old cellar," Tyler answered. "She tried to get him to let Caroline go, but he wouldn't listen."

"It's okay, Tyler. I'll take care of it," Elizabeth tried to reassure him. She grabbed her purse and started to follow him outside. Cassandra followed behind her. Elizabeth turned around as her oldest daughter started to shut the front door. "Cassandra…"

"She's my sister, mom. You aren't talking me out of coming." Cassandra walked past her towards the police cruiser. She climbed into the passenger seat while Tyler hopped in the back. Elizabeth climbed into the driver's seat a moment later and together they drove off.

"My mom knows about me...and about my Uncle Mason," Tyler spoke after a few long minutes of silence. "I made her watch what happened to me during the full moon last night. She understands now. She feels horrible about this."

"It's okay, Tyler. I'm not mad at her. She did what she thought she had to," Elizabeth kept her eyes on the road as she spoke, guiding the cruiser around cars at a high speed as they headed towards the town square.

Cassandra was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her father was holding Caroline hostage. She didn't want to think about what he was doing to her sister. She knew how much he hated vampires, but she never dreamed he'd turn on his own flesh and blood. It made her both furious and sick to her stomach at the same time.

When they arrived at the jailhouse, they all jumped out of the car and ran inside. In the back of the building was an open door with spiral staircase leading down to a dungeon of sorts.

"Stay here until I say otherwise," Elizabeth whispered to Tyler and Cassandra.

They both nodded and watched as she made her way down, gun drawn and pointed outward. Cassandra could hear the sound of her mother's voice, but couldn't make out the exact words she was saying. She looked over at Tyler, about to ask if he could understand what was being said, when her mother's voice rang out, calling Tyler down. He disappeared wordlessly through the doorway and down the staircase. A moment later the sound of gunfire made Cassandra jump out of her skin with a gasp. Without thinking she ran through the door to the top of the staircase. She sighed in relief when she realized her mom had only fired a warning shot.

"Go ahead," Elizabeth nodded to Tyler who'd stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Cassandra watched him open the heavy door to the cellar and walk inside. She shifted her gaze onto her father who had just noticed her presence on the above ledge.

"Cassandra," Bill gasped softly, "I didn't know you were in town. When.."

"I moved back home a few days ago," Cassandra snapped at him. "If you bothered to stay in touch, you might have found out sooner, but…you didn't. I can't believe you would do this to Caroline. You disgust me!"

Tyler walked back out carrying Caroline before Bill could say another word. Cassandra kept her eyes on the two of them as Tyler made his way past Elizabeth and back up the stairs. She turned on her heel and followed them out. She hurried ahead of the pair and opened the passenger side door of the cruiser.

"Oh Care," Cassandra sighed as Tyler carefully placed Caroline on the seat. "I was so scared when Tyler told us what was going on. When I found out dad was involved…."

"I know," Caroline's voice was weak.

Cassandra held out her arm to her sister. "You need blood. Take mine."

"No, I can't." Caroline shook her head. "I'm afraid I won't be able to stop. Blood bags are safer."

"Care, come on. I trust you, Plus, I'm sure Tyler will help make sure you don't go too far. You need this to help speed up your healing." Cassandra insisted. "Just drink a little bit."

Reluctantly and because she was starving Caroline finally agreed and brought Cassandra's wrist up to her mouth. Cassandra winced as she felt the pinch of Caroline's fangs sinking into her skin. She drank for a few seconds, not long enough in Cassandra's opinion, but Cassandra knew not to push it. Once Caroline had let go of Cassandra's wrist, Tyler dug the first aid kit out of the trunk and handed Cassandra a piece of gauze to put on the bite marks.

Elizabeth came out of the jailhouse a moment later. The drive home was quiet. Once they pulled into the driveway Cassandra and Elizabeth helped Caroline out of the car and into the house. Elizabeth disappeared into the garage to get a blood bag for Caroline from the separate freezer they kept out there while Cassandra helped her get into her bed. She sat next to Caroline while their mother came in and handed Caroline a blood bag before sitting down at the foot of the bed. They were silent while she drank.

"Thank you," Caroline murmured to her mom as she handed back the blood bag once she'd finished it. She rolled onto her side as her head hit her pillow.

"Honey…your dad…all our families, we have beliefs that have been passed on through generations," Elizabeth explained in a soft voice. "And we were taught never to stray from them."

"You and Cass did," Caroline remained still as she spoke.

"You taught me to look at things a different way," Elizabeth pointed out.

"And I was too stubborn to simply accept those beliefs without questioning them first," Cassandra added. She reached over and gave her sister's arm a friendly squeeze. "Dad tried for a while, but eventually he gave up when he saw I'd never have the same opinion as him on the subject."

"I just thought that he was the one who got me," Caroline mumbled sadly.

"He did," Elizabeth tried to reassure her daughter. "He will again."

Tyler had been hanging outside in the hallway and picked that moment to slowly walk into the bedroom. Cassandra and her mother exchanged a quick look, getting the hint, and both stood to their feet.

As they moved around the bed to leave the room Caroline spoke out. "Hey mom? Cassandra? Thanks for believing in me."

Cassandra and Elizabeth both smiled at her before leaving the room. As Elizabeth went down the hall to the living room, Cassandra leaned back against the wall outside Caroline's room. She chuckled softly at Tyler's comment to Caroline about sneaking out on him. She sighed softly and as she was about to start walking to her own room the sound of Caroline crying stopped her in her tracks.

"He hates me. My dad hates me," she heard Caroline sob.

Cassandra desperately wanted to run back into the room to reassure her that she was wrong, but she knew it wouldn't help Caroline. Not wanting to listen to the sound of her sisters sobs any longer Cassandra quietly walked down the hall to her room and shut the door to her room. She walked over to the window and stared out at the night sky. She felt her eyes welling with tears and quickly brushed them away before they could fall. She hated her father for what he did to Caroline, and if she never saw him again it would be too soon.