Author's Note: This chapter does get a bit violent, so just a fair warning.

Previously in "Live and Learn", Sabrina and Mikael get into a verbal argument, after which he forbids her to see Maurice in secret like she had been doing.

Chapter Seven

Jaime Sommers was in her home that she shared with her twin sister Jenna. She didn't even bother to look up as the door opened, thinking it was her sister. They looked identical in every way from their eyes down to their feet. It was very difficult to tell them apart unless you knew them since they were children. She turned around and dropped the vase of flowers she had been holding and she screamed and took off running up the stairs. She ran into an empty room and shoved a chair beneath the handle hoping it would ward off the intruder. She backed into a corner crying a bit not understanding why they were coming after her. "Miss Sommers, we don't want to hurt you. We just want to talk," one of the bandits who had gathered to capture Jenna said.

"Well, you can go away. My sister isn't here," Jaime called out.

Another bandit nodded to the first one, who was Mason Lockwood, and he immediately lifted one boot-covered foot to kick the door open. He smirked at Jaime before advancing toward her, grunting and scowling when she tried to elbow him in the gut. "That was not very nice," he said in a low growl from behind the bandana before grabbing her around the waist and lifting her up and over his shoulder.

Jaime screamed and protested when he threw her over his shoulder. "Put me down, you…you ruffian!" She flailed and pounded her fists on his back. "My father will hear about this! Do you hear me?! Put me down!" She swung her legs harder kicking him in the stomach and just wanted to be put down.

Mason winced when she kicked him and he finally made it to where the horses were gathered and threw her onto the back of his horse, tying her wrists in front of her then gagged her smirking at her. "You're going where no one will find you." He smirked and climbed on with her then nodded at the other bandits who got in the back to watch her. "Tie her up if she misbehaves or tries to get free. And if that doesn't work, do anything it takes to shut her up." He flicked the reins and his horse took off in a cantered run, with the other bandits' horses following.

When it got dark, he brought the horse to a stop outside a town with a hotel and a general store. Jaime looked at him in fear over her shoulder, unable to speak from around her gag, but she squirmed to be let down. Mason smirked and set her on her feet, but kept a firm hold on her shoulder. "Walk." He commanded her and smirked glad she had complied. They walked into the hotel and he grabbed the key to a room and walked them up. He opened the door shoving her in first and he followed. His lackeys stood outside the door guarding it.

Mason removed her gag and she spat in his face. He refused to backhand her because that was violence against a woman, and he didn't want to do that to her, so he opted for using his handkerchief to wipe off the spit. "You are despicable," she ground out.

"Whatever keeps you up at night, Princess," he said with a smirk and walked over towards the kitchen and poured himself a glass of scotch and sat in a chair sipping at it and eyed her curiously. Oh, how he'd dreamed of ripping off that gown and feeling her porcelain skin beneath his fingers. He could feel himself getting hard just thinking of Jaime naked beneath him.

Jaime scowled and managed to run the cloth over a nail cutting it off her wrists and she stood up raising a hand to slap him across the face. She gasped when she was stopped and reached the other hand up to slap him, but that one was stopped as well. "Hey! Let go! Mason!"

Mason smirked setting his glass down and caught each of her hands in one of his. He stood up walking forward forcing her to walk backwards until she fell down on the bed. He straddled her slender thighs covered by her dress and he stripped himself down to his pants which he left undone and he reached forward tugging the tie on her corset releasing her upper body from it and he let one hand cup one of her perfectly round breasts, while the other teased the other one. "You…you can't do this. You can't keep me here forever," she said, shoving him off of her and getting off the bed, turning her back to him to fix her corset herself.

"Oh, I very well could. Nothing's stopping me," he said before departing the room. She glanced over her shoulder; he'd left behind the half-empty glass of scotch.

Something told Jaime she was in for the long haul, and she wasn't going back to Mystic Falls any time soon. Mason fixed his pants and sighed heavily, leaning back against the door. He had loved Jaime ever since the day she turned sixteen, only problem was he didn't know how to tell her, so he ran. He got caught up with some bad people and they demanded Jaime for his freedom. Only problem was he didn't want to give her up. He walked back into the room and sat in his chair and looked at Jaime biting down on his lower lip.

"Don't give me that look. I will get out of this mess, one way or another," she told him, still standing with her back to him, staring out the window at the nightly activity outside.

"I didn't even want to take you in the first place, Jaime. I was forced to. If I said anything, they would alert their boss before I could get you away safely. I only did what I did because I love you. I'm sorry if my actions spoke differently." He sighed and sipped at the scotch and frowned when the glass was knocked out of his hand and shattered on the floor.

"You lie like a snake in the grass. Everyone loves my sister more. It's always 'Jenna this' or 'Jenna that', or 'why can't you be more like your sister, Jaime? She's so pretty.' No, I know she is. But, I'm NOT her!" Jaime yelled in frustration, hands wrapped around the hair at the top of her skull.

Mason stood and embraced her, resting his chin on top of her head. "Hey, you are not your sister. She is not half the goddess you are, and yes, I know that you're twins," he told her.

Jaime felt tears swim in her eyes and she cried softly into Mason's chest. "It's not fair, Mason! Why does everyone like Jenna better?" She wrapped her arms around his waist holding on tightly.

Mason sighed and kissed the top of her head before placing a hand under her chin tilting her face up. He wiped away her tears before getting down on his knees before her, keeping his hands on her waist. "Because they don't see what I see. They are blind to seeing the true goddess that you are, Jaime. You are beautiful and I wish I had told you how I felt when we were sixteen."

Jaime watched as he got on his knees in front of her and hearing what he said, she couldn't help but smile. "Oh, Mason. I love you too. I have since I was fourteen. I wasn't sure how you'd react, so I never told you." She leaned forward and kissed him softly wanting to express all the emotions for him she had been burying for the past five years.

Mason growled then pushed her toward the bed, falling down with her as they exchanged ardent, passionate kisses, tongues dueling as they each fought for dominance. Mason eventually won and he trailed kisses down her jaw line to her neck and pulled away to look at her for a moment. "Are you sure you want this Jaime? I have no desire to hurt you." He smiled and looked down when she slowly untied her corset allowing her breasts to come into full view once more. He brought his mouth down on one, while his hand pleasured her other one.

She arched into him, hands drifting up into his dark hair, pushing his cowboy hat off and onto the floor. And then she was pulling him away from her chest, hands framing his cheeks as she brought his head up so that she could look into his eyes. "You will not hurt me. You might, but only for a minute," she said then looked away herself, cheeks turning red.

Mason smiled when her hands framed his cheeks as she spoke. He saw her cheeks turn red and he brought his hand up to caress them. "You're beautiful, even when you're blushing, Jaime." He gently took her dress off the rest of the way and tossed it to the floor. He ran his hands over her slender thighs, caressing down her body with soft kisses. After a moment, he removed the thing that blocked him and he tossed it, letting it join her dress. He stood up and unfastened his pants once more and pushed them as well as his own undergarments to the floor. He crawled back in between her legs and positioned himself. "Are you ready, Jaime?" He smiled and kissed her softly.

Her head bobbed up and down in a silent nod of affirmation before she replied, her tone soft, "I'm ready, Mason."

Mason smiled at her before pushing in gently and sat there in order to let her get adjusted to him. "You can grab my arms or whatever if you need to, Jaime." He kissed the tip of her nose before moving inside of her and held onto her hips. After a while, his movements were starting to become erratic. "Oh God yes Jaime!" He looked down at her and kissed her passionately and deeply.

Jaime returned his kiss, her hips rocking against his as she shifted herself on the bed. "Yes, Mason, like that…" she murmured, rocking faster.

Mason smirked against her lips and felt her rocking her hips against him. He slammed into her harder and heard the bed squeaking beneath them and he moaned into her mouth. He reached a hand down and gently pinched the bundle of nerves and moaned as he filled her with his seed.

Two Hours Later
"Lockwood! What are you doing in there?" someone called out, banging none too gently on the door, interrupting Jaime and Mason's peaceful slumber in each others' arms.

Mason woke up hearing the banging and he bit his lip. He woke Jaime up as well but put a finger to her lips telling her to be quiet. He leaned down and whispered softly in her ear, "Sorry, darling, but I have to make it look like I hurt you. They can't know about us." He saw Jaime nod and grabbing some rope he tied her wrists behind her back and made her hair look like it was roughed up. He then put her dress on her and tore it a bit to make it look like she had been fighting him. "Darling, I need you to yell like I'm hurting you." He sighed and then cleared his throat making his face look like a bandit and smirked down at her before smacking her bum none too gently.

Jaime gasped, but knew it was an act that he had to keep up for these people. "I hate you! Get off of me, you ruffian! You can't do this to me!" She screamed and tried to struggle with her hands against the rope.

Mason walked over to the door and opened it glaring at the person who had been banging on the door. His shirt was opened and his pants were loosened a bit. "What do you want? I was just about to have my way with her when you so rudely interrupted me."

"We've got company. Pack her up and let's get moving," the leader said in a hoarse demand before turning and leaving Mason alone with Jaime.

He nodded and shut the door locking it, before walking over quickly and untied her wrists which were red from the rope rubbing on her wrists. He took her in his arms kissing her quickly and softly. "I'm sorry, darling. I promise I'll get you out of this soon." He picked her up and set her on her feet and tied her wrists in front of her with cloth for ropes. "I promise we will be together again, just you and I." He leaned down and kissed the top of her shoulder nipping it softly.

Jaime swayed against him, tears falling down her face as she rested her cheek against his. Mason held her close, her arms still tied with the cloth rope between them. "I love you, Mason, and I will hold you to your promise," she said in a soft murmur, the tone slightly choked.

"I know you will darling, and if I have to kill all those men, I will. As soon as they release me, I will return to Mystic Falls and get help. They won't get away with this." He vowed before kissing her cheek. "If you think about me and cry it will make them think that I've been hurting you. Can you do that for me?"

She bobbed her head up and down in a quick nod. He stepped back, but not before kissing her softly one last time and then back completely. He cleared his throat and spoke in a gruff tone shoving her slightly. "Walk." He opened the door keeping a hand on her shoulder as they walked out to the carriage and he shoved her in the back and sat with her looking at her apologetically, but looked at the driver. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

The driver nodded and clicked the reins before the horses jerked the carriage slight, knocking Jaime from her seat but she righted herself the best that she could. Mason looked at her concerned when no one was looking. He felt bad that he had gotten Jaime caught up in this. He never wanted this for her, and he didn't care if he had to kill the lot of them, he would do it if it meant Jaime would be safe. He reached a hand to his waist and smirked feeling his knives. He knew what he had to do, but he had to time it right. He felt the carriage stop and he got out and took Jaime out. He walked her into the slightly darkened cabin.

His boss smirked at him and he just gave him a steely look right back. "I see you brought the wench as I asked. Good, I'm going to enjoy having my way with her…and you can watch." He smirked and waved the rest of the guards away so only he and Mason remained. He stalked over and ran a finger over the girl's cheek. "Oh, yes, so pretty, and mine!" With that he ripped her dress off her tossing it to the side.

She whimpered, closing her eyes and biting down on her bottom lip to hide out the pain.
Mason growled under his breath watching his boss, and he knew that without the guards, he had no one to protect him. He moved over behind his boss to make him think he was going to sit down. He held a hand over the knife that was sheathed and rested in the waistband of his pants.

His boss smirked, kissing Jaime forcefully and ripped the rest of her clothing off before forcing himself on her. Hearing her whimper, it only got him more excited. He began to pound into her smirking. "Get off of her, Vincent," Mason growled out getting angrier by the minute, watching the way he was taking advantage of his Jaime.

"Or what, you'll beat me up, Lockwood?" He just smirked and continued what he was doing to the woman beneath him not caring if she screamed for the entire world to hear.

Mason unsheathed his knife and dragged it across Vincent's throat quickly and deeply so he would bleed heavily and he pulled him off of Jaime. He stabbed him repeatedly and once he was on his back, he stabbed him in the heart three times. He made sure Vincent was dead before holding Jaime close and rocked her a bit. "I am so sorry for this, Jaime. We're getting out of here, my love." He wrapped her in a blanket and held her bridal style as he walked to a carriage and got in, still holding her as one of the drivers drove him to Mason's home just outside of Mystic Falls.

Once there, Mason carried his beloved inside and laid her onto the bed. He stood back, ready to leave but her hand shot out and closed around his, pulling him down next to her. "Stay," she said softly, shifting to rest against him, head on his chest. Mason smiled softly and did as he was told, letting out a soft sigh as one of his hands began to stroke over her dark strawberry blonde curls. Jaime smiled at his hand stroking over her hair and she looked up at him and smiled. "You were very brave, Mason. I thought he'd kill you. And I couldn't bear it if you weren't here with me right now." Tears swam in her eyes and she went to look away but was stopped.

Mason grabbed her chin in between his thumb and index finger stopping her from turning her head. "Never, Jaime. I will never leave you." He wiped away her tears before leaning down to kiss her. "I have loved you since we were children and I couldn't bear it if we weren't together either. I can see us growing old together, Jaime. You are the only one for me." Jaime smiled through her tears at him but still wiggled away to sit up, her back facing him. Mason reached out, his hand lifting to rest at the back of her neck as his fingers began to slowly but swiftly unfasten the buttons on the back of her dress. Mason smiled after he undid the buttons on her dress and he sat up and walked around to kneel in front of her. "Jaime, I vow to never hurt you." He pushed her dress down and leaned forward kissing her flat belly and north to her mouth. "I love you, Jaime Sommers."

She arched up into his touch as it moved upward then grabbed his face between her hands once he was close enough, leaning forward to kiss him passionately. Mason smiled and stood up, still kissing her, and he removed her other articles of clothing before straddling her hips. He pulled away briefly smiling down at her. "Jaime, do you want a family?"

Jaime nodded and traced patterns on his chest. "Yes, Mason, I do. I've wanted one since the day I turned eighteen. But, you know my Mama won't allow me to have one unless I'm married."

Mason stood up and reached in a drawer pulling out a ring box. "I think I can solve that problem. Jaime, ever since I saw you when we were fourteen, I couldn't get you out of my mind. You are my light and my world and I want to have a family with you. Jaime Abigail Sommers, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I promise to cherish and love you for as long as I live." He opened the box showing her the ring which was a heart shaped diamond, with other diamonds going around the band.

And then he let out a soft curse. I have to tell Tatia that I can't marry her, he thought to himself. "Mason, what is wrong?" Jaime asked with a concerned look and tone.

"I just realized that I have to be somewhere. I'll be back soon, my love," he replied, kissing her lips quickly before dressing and then hurrying out to go over to the Gilbert mansion.

Gilbert Mansion

Mason knocked swiftly on the door and chewed his lower lip. He knew Tatiana would be angry with him, but he knew he still had to tell her. He was about to knock again, when the door swung open to reveal Tatia. "Tatiana, I have to speak with you. May I come in?"

Tatiana looked at her future husband thoughtfully before nodding. "Yes, please come in. Will this take long, my love?" She walked to a chair and sat in it watching as he remained standing looking serious.

"No, it won't take long, in fact less than a few minutes. Tatiana, I realized that I can't marry you. I am in love with another and it's not fair to you or her if I was still engaged to you."

Tatia felt tears well in her eyes and she stood up angrily slapping him across the face. "Get out. Get out, Mason Lockwood, and don't you dare ever show your face around here again!" She screeched watching through her tears as he left. She sunk down in her chair sobbing and barely even noticed the person whom had been listening from the hallway.

"Tatiana, darling, what is the matter?" the person asked as they moved out of the shadows.

She whirled around to come face to face with the last person she was expecting. "You gave me a fright, Thierry. Has your mother taught you that it is not polite to sneak up on people?" she demanded.

Thierry chuckled softly and walked towards her smiling down at her. "She has, but I couldn't help myself, mon cherie. Why are you crying? You are beautiful even with tears streaming down your face." He reached a hand up and brushed away the tears that were sliding down her face.

"How can you say I am beautiful? The man whom I thought loved me left me for another woman. How can I be beautiful if he left me?" She looked at him and then went to turn away to continue feeling sorry for herself.

"He did not know what it meant to love you then, Tatiana. He was blind if he could not see how beautiful you really are." Thierry smiled and leaned down kissing the top of her head. "I am always here for you no matter what, Tatiana. I have loved you since the day I turned nineteen."

"Y-you have?" Tatia asked with a soft, hesitant voice.

"Aye, mon cherie, I have," he replied, giving her a smile.

Tatiana couldn't help it when her cheeks started turning the most delightful shade of pink. "Well, it, um, so happens that I have liked you since the day I turned fourteen. You just never seemed interested in me so…" She was surprised when she was cut off by Thierry's lips on her own.

Thierry smiled as she spoke and almost chuckled at how she was rambling on. She was adorable when she started to ramble and he leaned forward kissing her softly and pulled away after a minute. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much, Tia?" He ran a thumb over her cheekbone caressing it softly.

"No. No, they have not," she said softly.

"Well, you do, mon cherie, but I find it absolutely adorable when you ramble. Tia, mon cherie, may I have the pleasure of courting you? I find it nearly impossible to stay away from you. I had to force myself when you were with that lowlife." He scowled a bit, but then erased it from his face leaning down and kissing her on the lips tugging at her lower one with his teeth softly.

"That lowlife just happened to be my ex fiancé, Mr. Vanchure, but it is no matter now. He has found another and I am happy to live my life without him," Tatia said.

"I am sorry, Tia. Well, if you are happy to live your life without him, might I be included in that?" He smiled and sat in a chair tugging her down onto his lap and kissed her cheek holding her close to him.

"You might be included in that. But, we shall see if Father approves first," Tatia replied with a smile as the tips of her fingers moved over the outer part of his hand on her waist.

Thierry smiled and kissed her cheek softly nipping it slightly. "Okay, mon cherie, you will let me know, though? Speaking of…where is your father?" He looked at her curiously and kissed the top of her shoulder.

"I shall," she said then promptly exited his lap to head downstairs to find some food to eat and to look for her father to talk to him.

Author's Note: Time for a much-needed update for you all! I hope that you enjoy reading this, as their will be plenty of other couples coming your way soon!