Hey, dudes! Okay, so I've been thinking a lot about why David is so interested in Cassidy and decided to go a little bit deeper into it. So that's what this chapter's about! Haha I love keeping you guys in suspense! Oh, do any of you guys know what Stupid Fox is? If you do, I just ordered the new pins that came out! They're epic!

Gemma- First off, thanks for being the very first to review! I appreciate it! Yeah, I didn't want all the average clichés in my story! That would just be boring!

Emzy2K10- Thanks for the review! I'm really glad you like it! Yeah I think she's awesome too!

Hollywood Angel- Thanks so much for the review! I appreciate it tremendously!

Amya- haha I'm glad you like! Thanks for the review! :D

Ladywolf101- Thanks for calling me by my name and thanks for saying it was the best! That review made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

Mel Richards- OMG! Thanks so much for reviewing! I love your story! It means a lot that you reviewed!

CarvedKid- Yes, I do love the reaction from the dogs! They won't ever really like the boys, haha I didn't really expect dogs to like vampires in the first place! :D I love Cassidy too! Lol Yeah I thought David would do something like that too! Haha that's why I wrote it! I soooo glad you like my story so much! Thanks!

ObSeSsIoN- You know, that's funny because it seems you're the only one who thinks that. Plus, not only was that comment insulting to me, but it was insulting to every story that's so called "Average" in your opinion. Everyone on Fanfiction tries their hardest to write a good story and for you to bash them, well, that's not very professional of you. Thanks for the "review" though. Any suggestions on how to spice it up a bit?

Sayuri-miko-dog-demon- Thanks for the review!

Mordecai Green- I'm so glad mine's the first one you read! I'm glad you think it's interesting!

Grey'sTrueBlood1228- OMG! Your review made me so epically happy inside! Thank you soooooooooo much!

000

The night was just beginning on the boardwalk, but I had long ago parted ways with my brothers. On most nights we were all together, out causing trouble, but tonight we had split up. It was just one of those nights where you felt like being alone. These didn't come too often though, like I said, we were usually together.

I walked through the thick crowds of tourists and locals and watched them part like the Red Sea. I almost laughed at their frightened expressions. I assumed it was my appearance and reputation that kept people at bay. I searched for about half an hour for dinner, but nothing really appealed to me that night. I sighed, frustrated, and continued walking around.

Somehow, I ended up at a market in the middle of the boardwalk. I had heard about it before from tourists, but I had never been. Apparently, it sold every item from here to France.

Lots of people were swarming the stalls, trying on clothing, or tasting different types of food. Every kind of person was here and it honestly surprised me how crowded it was. I thought I might possibly find dinner here, so I stayed and hunted. All around me, people moved, almost as if the crowd was one giant, flowing music note. Nearby, a group of children were playing with a football in the midst of the market, screaming and laughing at each other. I watched them for a minute in disinterest before hearing one of the children speak up.

"Hey, Cassidy! Why don't you come and play with us?" The other children stopped and starred at "Cassidy" with disapproval.

I looked in the direction of the children's' gaze and saw her.

She was sitting there with a picture book in her hands and two Border collie puppies on either side of her. Her curly, blonde hair got in the way of her stunning blue eyes and she pushed it back with an annoyed sigh. She was about seven or eight and was wearing jeans, little grey converse, and a T-shirt that had the phrase I bite written across it. How ironic.

She spoke then in a surprisingly high voice. "Uh…no thanks. I wanna finish this book."

The other children shrugged, obviously relieved that she wasn't playing with them and went back to their game. She looked back down at the picture book then and patted one of the puppies on the head. She was the most beautiful child I had ever seen, with her angelic features and quiet personality, and I could not understand why the other children disliked her so much.

"Cassidy, are you still reading that book?"

I saw a woman, most likely her mother; look over the edge of the stall. She had the same blonde hair as Cassidy, but her eyes were chocolate brown. She had a soft face and a kind voice that one could definitely get used to.

Cassidy looked up. "Yes, mama."

"You'll have to thank Daddy for buying it for you," her mother said gently.

Cassidy nodded and went back to reading. I heard her mother sigh as she saw the other children playing without her daughter.

What was so different from this child than the rest? Why was she being rejected?

Cassidy continued reading her book, every now and then looking up to watch the other children play. Her gaze was filled with longing, but she didn't approach them to ask if she could join their game.

The other children pretended like she wasn't there and tossed the football back and forth. One kid threw it too far and it landed by my feet. Two boys, about eight or nine, came running up to me, but I grabbed the ball before they could get their hands on it.

"Hey, that's our ball!"

"Yeah, give it back!"

"I'll give it back if you answer a question," I replied.

The two boys looked at each other with confused expressions.

"What do you wanna know?"

"Why isn't she playing with you?" I motioned towards Cassidy.

The younger of the two snorted. "We don't play with cripples."

"Yeah, she'll just ruin the game."

The older one laughed and held his hands out for the ball. I gave it back to them, scowling and looked at Cassidy again. Nothing seemed to be wrong with her, from what I could see. The boys scampered off to play again and snickered as they ran by Cassidy.

She looked up then, finished with her book, and watched the children play. One of the puppies climbed in her lap and she stroked its head tenderly.

"Cass, I'm going to help out Mrs. Kymberly, okay? I'll be back in half an hour! Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Yes, mama," she answered, not looking up.

This was it. This was my chance to speak to her, to see if there was actually anything wrong with her.

Wait, what the hell was I thinking? She was a kid for god sakes! I couldn't just walk up to her and start talking!

"Have you heard of the new thing? It's called stranger danger, you idiot!" I thought to myself. And why was I even interested in talking to a kid? I was a hundred year old vampire! I didn't even like kids!

So I stood there instead, watching her watch the others. She was an oddity indeed. She observed how they played, how they talked, how they moved. I could see her process all the new information and store it away safely in the back of her mind. I probably stood there for a good ten minutes before the other children stopped playing football and ran off somewhere else. She watched them go, but did not make a move to go with them. I felt a tug at my heart, but quickly brushed it away.

"She's just a kid," I told myself.

Then, suddenly, she turned around to look at me. Her eyes looked straight into mine and I was held there, stunned. Her gaze was intense and full of emotion that no eight year old should have.

"If you're going to watch me, why don't you just come over here and talk?" she asked in a high voice. I was surprised, if not amazed. How could she have known I was watching her? She motioned to me with her hands, instructing me to come closer.

I waited for a minute, unsure, and then walked forward until I stood above her. She looked up at me then, with the bluest eyes I had ever seen. They were even more stunning up close.

"I wasn't watching you, you know," I said calmly, taking a cigarette from my coat pocket out of habit.

She nodded. "Yes, you were. I saw you standing over there." She pointed in the direction where I had previously been standing.

"Those things will kill you, mister," she said, looking at the cigarette in my hand. I shrugged.

"Oh well," I growled bluntly. How many times had I heard that one before?

"Why were you watching me?"

"I wasn't. Why would I watch you?" I bit back quickly.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."

"Yeah, definitely a smart ass," I thought.

"How come you weren't playing with the others?" I asked. She looked away then and sighed.

"They don't like me very much," she whispered.

"Why?" I asked, pretending not to be very interested.

She shrugged. "I have a limp."

I raised one eyebrow. "A limp?"

"Yeah, you know a limp."

"Oh."

Awkward….

It was silent except for the constant growling coming from her puppies. I bent down and patted one on the head, smirking as it shrunk away from me.

"You've got beautiful dogs."

Her face lit up then and she nodded fiercely.

"Thank you! This is Winchester and this is Jesse," she said excitedly, introducing her two dogs.

"I'm Cassidy, by the way," she said, holding out her tiny hand. I shook it, mine practically swallowing hers.

"David," I replied, while lighting my cigarette.

"That's a cool name. I don't like mine, though. It sounds too much like a farm girl."

"You should. It's a pretty name."

She smiled a toothy grin and a blush formed around her cheeks, staining them a pale pink. The color was brilliant on her slightly tanned skin.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

It was silent and she looked away then.

"Why were you watching me?" she asked again. She turned to face me, her blue eyes searching mine.

"Do you wanna hurt me?" she asked bluntly. I nearly winced. How could anyone want to hurt her?

"Of course not. I don't know why you'd think that," I growled, standing back up.

"My mama says not to trust strangers."

"Well, you know my name, so I'm not technically a stranger," I said, taking a long drag from my cigarette.

She smiled again. "That's what I was hoping you'd say."

I figured out then that she was far more intelligent than any child I'd ever met. She was quick and witty with her responses and something told me that she could certainly take care of herself.

"I see you around a lot, you know."

I looked back at her, surprised again. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. People are scared of you."

I took another drag from my cigarette, not responding.

"I don't know why though. You're not that scary. I think you're pretty nice."

I snorted. Nice? Yeah right.

"Whatever you say."

She looked embarrassed then and I felt a little bad for saying that. She was only trying to be nice. I tried to take the conversation elsewhere.

"What are you reading?" I asked, looking at the picture book next to her.

"Winnie the Pooh," she replied, embarrassed again, her cheeks turning bright red.

"I like that book," I said, trying to reassure her.

She grinned. "Really?"

"Sure."

"I know it's a little kids book, but I like Winnie the Pooh. He's funny," she smiled.

She was still a little kid herself. "How old are you, again?"

"I never said I was anything. But, I'm eight."

I smirked. "How old are you?" she asked.

I stopped everything for a minute. What could I tell her, that I was one hundred years old?

"I'm twenty," I lied.

Suddenly, she started counting on her fingers. I could hear her whispering the numbers as quietly as she could.

"What are you doing?"

She looked up, embarrassed again. "Oh, just counting…."

"Counting what?"

Her whole face turned blood red. "Counting to see how many years it'll be 'till I'm twenty."

I wanted to laugh then.

"She likes me. Cute," I thought.

Jesus, what was I doing? She's eight! Eight! Still just a kid!

"Do you have any brothers?" she asked then, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Three."

"I have one. Do you like you're brothers, David?"

It felt so strange to hear her say my name in that high voice of hers.

"Of course. Do you like your brother?"

She nodded. "He's my best friend. Well, he's my only friend."

Guilt burned in the pit of my stomach. What was wrong with kids? Cassidy was perfectly fine in my standards.

"I'll tell you a secret," I said quietly, bending down to her level again.

She leaned forward, eager to hear what I had to say.

"I don't have that many friends either. It's just me and my brothers," I whispered in her ear. I don't know why I felt like making her feel better; I guess I just felt a little sorry for her.

She reached up to whisper in my ear now. "Would you like to be my friend?" she whispered, smiling.

"Sure," I whispered back.

"Well, then let's start this all over again!" she declared.

She stood up then, on shaky legs and put her hands on her tiny hips.

"I'm Cassidy Angela Reeves and I live on a farm with my mama, daddy, and brother. I have two dogs named Winchester and Jesse that I just got for my birthday and my favorite color is purple!" she said quickly, finally taking a breath at the end.

I laughed slightly at her presentation. It was cute.

"I'm David, and I live with my three brothers, Paul, Dwayne, and Marko and I my favorite color is black."

No surprise there.

"Cool! You don't live with your parents?"

"Nope."

"That sounds like fun! What do you guys do?"

I shrugged. "Just…stuff."

"I play with my dogs a lot. I won't be working the farm until I'm ten. Daddy told me that."

"Daddy also told me I have to clean up my toys," she mumbled to herself. She bent down and grabbed the Winnie the Pooh book. I now saw what she meant by "limp". When she walked, one leg was slightly shorter than the other, causing her to…well, limp. She noticed me starring.

"My doctor says I'll grow out of it when I get older. I sure hope he's right," she sighed.

"You'll be fine," I said sternly.

She looked sad for a moment and looked down at the ground.

"It's the reason why no one wants to play with me," she whispered. I brought my hand under her chin and tilted it up so I could look at her.

"You'll be fine," I said again. She smiled and pulled away, placing the book on the stall counter.

I suddenly remembered that her mother would be back soon.

"When will your mother be back?"

She looked at me with a confused expression. "She said half an hour, but she'll probably be gone for longer than that."

Ideas were running through my head like crazy. I could take her now, and no one would even know she was gone until it was too late! She could stay with me and grow up with me and the boys and….

"What am I thinking? Christ, she's just a kid!" What the hell what going on with me?

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I have to go."

"W-why!"

"I'm sorry." I stood up then and began to walk away. She grabbed my hand and turned me to look at her.

"Will I see you again, David?" she asked, her eyes pleading.

"I don't know." Then I was gone.

000

Max sat starring at me for a long time before he spoke.

"I know the girl's father and I'm glad you didn't take her now. He would have been heartbroken and I don't like seeing my friends that way."

"But what am I going to do? What happened back there?" I asked, pacing around worriedly.

"Have a seat, David." I continued pacing.

He sighed and thought for a moment. "You've found the one you're meant to be with," he said proudly.

"What?"

"Cassidy, she's your destined mate. That's why you were attracted to her."

"But don't you find that a bit…disturbing? She's eight for chrissake" I growled.

"Not at all, David. In the vampiric world, love as no boundaries. She felt it too, you know. I can tell from your memories."

I stopped pacing then. "You haven't answered my question. What am I going to do?"

"The only thing you can do. Wait."

I didn't like the sound of this. "Wait?"

He nodded. "Wait until the girl's eighteen. She'll be moving out then and you can take her and no one will notice. It'll be perfect timing."

"But, will she remember me?"

"Most likely, no. You'll have to meet all over again. You can't run the risk of her finding out what we are until the time is right. You must avoid contact at all costs."

I ran a hand through my hair. Ten years. Could I wait that long? I knew I would have to if I ever wanted to see her again.

And so I did wait, year after year, watching her as she came and went. She grew more and more beautiful every time I saw her and I grew more and more infatuated with her. You could call it obsession, but I wasn't a stalker. I was only waiting for the day to come that I could finally approach her again.

When that day came in the video store, I felt as if nothing else mattered. It was just me and her. When we locked eyes, I was certain she would remember me, but she showed no signs of knowing who I was. I felt a tinge of sadness then and I hoped that she was still the same little child I had fallen in love with all those years ago.