Bloodlines
Chapter 7: For Whom the Bell Tolls (TVD)
Beta: PrincessOfSilence
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.
AN: Hi everyone! I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to every reader/reviewer who has come across my stories. Without your support, I would not be here on fanfiction. You all rock and I love each and every one of you. Hugs and kisses xoxo
Cassandra hummed aloud as she busied herself around the Salvatore kitchen. With the heel of her foot, she kicked the door to the refrigerator closed and jogged back to the counter. She added a dash of vanilla to the full bowl of batter and mixed it around, folding the thick substance over itself. She licked the back of the spoon to taste it and she smiled at the sugary taste.
Perfect.
She filled a cupcake tin that was already lined with cups with the batter and slid it onto the tray in the oven. She set the timer and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
She was the only one in the house since everyone was celebrating Remembrance Day. You would speak the name of a deceased family member, ring a bell, and everyone would cheer. Cassandra would have joined in on the festivities, but in celebration of each person's life, a shot of some kind of hard liquor would be downed and since she could exactly drink, Cassandra decided that it would be better to relax home for the day. It wasn't like she minded it, plus she had an incredible craving for cupcakes. Also, if she went to the Grill with Damon, that meant that she would be dealing with amnesia Stefan which was not at the top of her list to begin with. Her phone rang from the kitchen counter and she smiled seeing Caroline's name appear on the caller ID.
"Finally, someone sane to talk to," she joked.
Caroline chuckled wholeheartedly. "I just wanted to check in."
"Nothing's changed with Stefan, Care." Cassandra shook her head.
"No! I'm not talking about Stefan. I'm talking about you. How are you feeling?" The blonde asked excitedly. Ever since both girls heard the news, they were like little children at Christmas. They would always call to check up on her to see how she was progressing.
Cassandra smiled and patted her belly. "I'm feeling fine. I've got a little bump, but it's early. I'm only about four months in." Now that she was feeling better, Cassandra had done her research, hoping that this supernatural pregnancy would be somewhat similar to a human one. Her bump was pretty small, but noticeable when she lifted her shirt or wore something tight. Not that Damon was complaining, she would always catch him trying to rub or glance at her stomach.
Caroline squealed happily, practically jumping up and down as she marched down the hallways at Whitmore. "You'll really start to show soon! Tell me, have you and Damon thought about the nursery yet? As you know, I am one hell of a decorator."
"Let's take things one step at a time, Caroline. Right now we have to work on getting Stefan's memory back. That's at the top of the list." She sighed and began to clean up the mess she made in the kitchen, placing dirty dishes and utensils in the sink.
"And how is that working out for you?"
"Not so good. This new Stefan is driving me up a wall. He's like Ripper Stefan minus the Ripper part."
"He still doesn't remember anything?" Caroline wondered.
"Nope. Damon's tried to help him. We all have. We've been showing him pictures, his diaries. Nothing."
"There's gotta be something else that you guys can do."
"Well, until we find such a thing, he will continue to be a royal pain in my ass." She grumbled.
"What do you mean?" The blonde vampire asked.
"Well..." Cassandra trailed off.
"Sit." Cassandra commanded, throwing her husband in a chair. She straddled his hips and kissed him hard, taking him by surprise. He kissed her back for a moment or two, but broke away, glancing curiously at her.
"Not that I mind, but why the sudden-"
"Because we haven't had sex in almost four months and I'm the horniest thing on two legs." She ripped his shirt to shreds, sending the buttons across the room. Her lips trailed down this side of his neck, her tongue flicking against his pulse point.
"But, Stefan..."
"Is out with Elena and Jeremy is at school. It's just us." She purred in his ear and kissed him passionately. He responded immediately, touching and grabbing at her skin and hair as if reminding himself what she felt like since they hadn't been so intimately joined in months. Damon's hands yanked her night shirt off her, burying his head in between her full breasts which were a little fuller now since she had become pregnant. Teeth, hands, and tongue tortured each peak until they were raw and aching while Cassandra moaned loudly on his lap. She ground her hips against his, feeling his erection just beneath his tight jeans. Her panties were already soaking wet and Damon could practically smell her desire.
"If you keep doing that, I'm not gonna last." Damon panted, looking up from her breasts.
"Then we'll have to start all over again, won't we?" She grinned coyly and Damon squeezed her behind, making her squeal. Smirking, he snapped the fabric of her panties and thumbed her clit. Cassandra's head fell back, her wild curls tickling her skin.
"You have no idea how bad I want you right now." He breathed and toyed with her button. Her hands were on his shoulders, bracing herself as she moved her hips to meet his thumb.
"Oh God..." She whimpered.
"It's Damon, actually." He chuckled before tossing her onto the bed.
Cassandra posed for him, laying on her side with one leg draped over the other. "Come and get me, Mr. Salvatore." She smirked playfully and his eyes glinted with lust.
Damon suddenly flashed them to the wall, scooping up Cassandra who smashed her lips against his. Her hands fisted his underwear, ripping them to shreds and the tatters fell to the floor. He immediately drove into her slick entrance and Cassandra leaned her head back against the wall. He felt bigger inside her and her walls were clenching around him already. Her eyes rolled around inside their sockets and her nails dug into Damon's back. He had his face in the crook of her neck, breathing heavily as Cassandra hugged his cock tightly. He throbbed inside her and he waited for her to adjust.
"So tight for me." He growled huskily and moved one hand down to where the two were joined. Her clit, swollen and slick was standing out from underitshood and his thumb stroked it firmly.
"Mo...move! God, Damon, please move!" She begged, her body jumping with random pulses. Her clit was sensitive to the point that she knew that she wouldn't last long. She had already started to crumble around him. Damon slowly pulled out so just the tip was inside her and pushed back in until he was balls deep inside her. He continued this torturous pace for what seemed like forever and Cassandra was ready to lose her mind. The sensations of him stroking her intimate walls were heavenly, but she needed more from him. Her nails shredded at his back going from his shoulder blades down to his lower back and the vampire roared loudly. The skin split and blood dripped down his back before healing over.
"You could have just told me to go faster." Damon panted as his hips snapped into hers.
"Oh, shut up." Cassandra breathed and brought his lip to hers in a passionate kiss. He smirked against her lips, taking the bottom one between his teeth and yanking at it roughly. She growled, moving her hips to meet his and she continued to scratch up and down his back, hoping to permanently mark him. Sweat broke out along their bodies, aiding their already frenzied pace as they frantically worked to meet their completions. Damon's hand snuck between their bodies and flicked at Cassandra's clit, making her break the kiss and gasp out. He worked her button hurriedly and her body stilled, paralyzed from the pleasure she was receiving.
"You're gonna cum for me?" His electric blue gaze held hers and she nodded mutely.
"Yes! Oh God! I'm so close, Damon!" She whimpered as he continued to thrust into her quickly. They couldn't look away from one another and that made this love making all the more intense.
"Cum for me, Cassandra. Let go and cum all over me." Her coil snapped, the waves of her orgasm crashing down over her. A shrill, pleasure-filled scream left her throat as her walls clenched tightly around him. Juices dribbled down her legs, soaking both her and her husband. Damon pressed his forehead against hers, holding her gaze as he spilled his hot cum inside her. He twitched around, shaking and trembling against her while they both basked in their powerful orgasms. Sweat dripped over their skin and Cassandra's legs loosened slightly, unable to hold her own weight. She went slightly limp in his hold and Damon was able to hold her up until he reached their bed. Easing her into bed and falling on top of her, he felt her shifting beneath him and Damon tugged her to lay beside him. She traced her fingertips over his chest and he ran a hand down her side. Cassandra was quick to roll them over and sheath him inside her again, taking Damon by surprise.
"Now, who said that I was done with you?" She grinned and proceeded to bounce on top of him. Damon's hands gripped her tightly, his short nails digging into her skin while she rode him. He could feel himself hardening quickly inside the grip of her walls again and he bucked his hips to meet hers.
"Mmm, yeah. Just like that." Damon breathed as Cassandra swiveled her lower body, her hips meeting him on each downward motion and she whimpered under her breath feeling herself become aroused once again. Damon's hands tightened around her hips and then trailed to her behind. He squeezed her firm globes and gave a little smack to each, making his wife gasp out.
"I love it when you do that."
Damon answered her with another swats on each cheek and she shivered atop him. "That?" He teased and watched her body slither about.
"Mmm," she nodded, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. Her fingernails raked firmly down his chest and her vampire growled lustfully.
Three knocks on the door made the couple growl under their breaths, but the refused to stop. "Damon?"
"God dammit- later Stefan! I'm kinda in the middle of something." Damon shouted loud enough for him to hear over Cassandra's moans.
"I...I thought that he went out with Elena." His wife panted.
The door opened and Stefan casually walked inside. "Well, we did and now we're done." Cassandra hissed and climbed off her husband who was still incredibly aroused. He pulled the covers over the both of them and scowled at his cock block of a brother. "Was I interrupting something?" He asked with a knowing grin.
"Yes!" Both husband and wife shouted.
"Oh, well, I just needed to grab something." He moseyed around the room casually as if he didn't catch his brother and sister-in-law fooling around.
"Get what you're going to get and leave." Cassandra glared, watching him pick up random items and place them back down messily.
"Oh darn," Stefan snapped exaggeratedly, not finding what he was looking for. "I think I left it downstairs. You two have fun." The green eyed vampire sauntered to the door and shut it loudly behind him.
"I'm going to kill your brother." Cassandra glowered.
"Take a number and wait in line." Damon grumbled before flopping back onto the pillows.
The timer on the stove dinged, shaking Cassandra from her less than pleasurable interruption of her husband's little brother. Stefan had constantly been a nuisance lately and both husband and wife were finding it difficult to deal with an amnesia ridden Stefan.
"So, he just walked in on you guys?" Caroline asked, her mouth agape in disbelief.
"Yep. It was pretty embarrassing. That's what I mean. This isn't the Stefan we know and the sooner we get him back the better." Cassandra sighed. "Anyway, how is college? Classes aren't too hard, are they?"
"I'm having a great time. Busting my ass studying for applied microbiology, but all in all, I'm okay." She babbled happily.
"Good for you. You lost me at applied microbiology, but good for you." The hybrid said.
"Oh! I know that I can't be home for Remembrance Day, but do you think that you could ring a bell for my dad please?"
"Yeah, about that..."
"Wait, aren't you supposed to be at Remembrance Day?" Caroline asked.
"Well, there's a little problem with that considering everyone around me will be drinking and I can't drink. And I refuse to take a shot of water every time they ring a bell in memory of someone." Cassandra grumbled before taking a sip of her boring water.
"So, you're just sitting at home?"
"Oh, no. I'm baking and eating..." Her brown eyes trailed over the array of battery cupcakes that were ready to go in the oven. "And baking and eating some more." She slid on an oven mitt and sauntered to the oven, taking out a pan of freshly baked cupcakes and placing them on the counter.
"Jeez, somehow I don't think that not being able to drink was so bad for you." The blonde leaned up against the hallway, waiting for Jesse to be finished with Dr. Maxfield.
Cassandra proceeded to pop the fluffy cakes from the pan, ignoring the slight burn in her fingers and she grabbed a tub of vanilla icing. She stuck her finger inside, scooped up a large dollop, and suckled the sweet, sugary frosting off. "It's not just that, but when your husband calls you in the middle of the night and says, "Hey babe. To prove to Stefan that we're vampires, I flipped and totaled a car that we stole." Your stress level goes up. And who was the one who had to drag their ass out of bed to pick them up? Me." Receiving that call phone was...interesting to say the least. She pulled up to pick them up and nearly dropped dead seeing the wreckage from the car. Pieces of the motor and frame were strewn all over the road along with spatters of blood from Stefan and Damon when they hit the pavement. The two brothers were fine, of course, but they still had to endure a very loud and chock full of choice words lecture from Cassandra.
"You might want to slow down on the eating part." Caroline suggested.
"I can't help it. I can smell everything and my hormones aren't helping either." She spread a generous amount of frosting on the small cakes. "Instead of you gaining the 'freshman fifteen', it'll be me."
"Oh, stop it! You'll be fine." The blonde chuckled. "Hey, listen, have you heard from Bonnie?"
Cassandra shook her head and placed the cupcake tin aside when she finished frosting them. "No, I've sent her like a thousand emails. I was hoping that maybe she could come home and see how the baby is doing. I don't want to risk going to a hospital."
"Dammit! She is seriously missing out on college." She pouted, but it was wiped away seeing Jesse waiting for her."I've gotta run. Studying."
"Okay, Care. I'll talk to you later." Cassandra hung up and dialed Bonnie. She groaned when it went to voicemail again, but she left a message anyway.
"Hey Bon, it's me again. I'm actually surprised that everyone's messages haven't filled up your mailbox yet." She joked while dribbling some B positive on the tops of the cupcakes. A perfect mix of sweet and savory. "Anyway, I was wondering if you knew when you were coming home because..." She was going to explain about her paranoia of going into the hospital to have the baby checked out, but that suddenly didn't seem so important. "Because the girls need you up at school. They miss you so much and Caroline tells me that you're missing all of the parties. Just come home soon, okay? We all miss you." She hung up the phone and leaned against the counter. Something just did not feel right in the pit of her stomach. Bonnie was never one to not answer her phone or ignore emails. It just didn't sit right with Cassandra.
"Hey, am I missing all of the fun?" Cassandra walked into the Salvatore crypt and kissed Damon's cheek. The festivities had moved from the Grill to the cemetery and Elena was there too, lighting candles within the crypt.
"Well, if it isn't Miss Cranky-pants." Stefan whistled.
The hybrid sent him a harsh glare. "That's Mrs. Cranky-pants to you."
"We were just filling in Stefan on how many family members he killed." Elena jumped in, hoping to defuse the obvious tension between the two.
"How are we doing, Stef? Remember anything yet?" She asked him.
Stefan shrugged and shook his head. "No."
"And back to square one." Damon drawled.
"We've literally done everything. Maybe his brain is as good as scrambled." Cassandra smirked evilly. "I was hoping that the car you two flipped would have rattled that empty brain around of his."
"You're still mad at us for the car thing? Come on, Damon and I were just having a little fun." The green eyed vampire chortled.
"Stefan, my idea of fun is not dragging a car off the side of the road in the middle of the night." She growled.
"It's not like you did it anyway. Damon made me do it," he defended.
Damon looked down at his wife. "She made me make you do it." Cassandra nodded proudly and he placed his hands on the backs of her shoulders. "Besides, I don't want her doing any strenuous activity."
"But having sex with you is strenuous." Stefan blurted out and Elena's cheeks flushed bright red. "What? I've heard the sounds from your room."
"Then cut off your ears." Cassandra suggested. "Better yet, cut out your tongue so I don't have to hear you talking."
"Guys," Elena stepped in between the feuding family members. "Come on, this is a day to remember those who are gone. Not to fight."
"She started it." Stefan mumbled under his breath and Cassandra scoffed.
"I'm gonna visit mom, dad, and Vanessa." She announced, giving Damon a soft peck. "See you later."
"Bye Cassandra." The green eyes Salvatore called after her, hoping to gauge some kind of reaction from her, but she didn't give him so much as a second glance.
"Why are you such a douche?" Damon asked his brother.
"Why is your wife such a nagging bitch?" Stefan quickly found his airways constricted when Damon wrapped his hand around his neck.
"Woah, hey!" Elena stepped in between the two brothers, pushing Stefan back. "Enough with the arguing. Today is supposed to be a celebration of those who are gone. Let's try to keep things civil."
Both brothers glared at each other, their low growls practically rumbling the Salvatore crypt. The past few days had been hard on each of them. Stefan, after being locked in a safe all summer, had his memory completely wiped and was now unable to recall anything about his life. On top of that, he now had to remember what it was like to be a vampire. Damon had taken on the responsibility of helping Stefan remember and adjust, as any good brother would do, and all he got was resistance and backlash.
"Fine." Damon was the first to break the staring contest between them. "You two have fun." He exited the crypt and trudged past the drinking couples sitting by tombstones to see his wife lying sunflowers down by her father's, mother's, and Vanessa's graves. He sat beside her in the grass, placing his hands on her shoulders and massaging gently.
"You okay?" He kissed softly along the shell of her ear.
Cassandra nodded mutely and picked up a sunflower for herself, cradling it in her lap. "Just thinking."
"Hmm, about?"
"How much of a pain in my ass your brother is," he replied and Damon chuckled.
"We can always vervain him when he's not looking." He smirked, digging his fingers into her tense muscles. Cassandra leaned back against him, enjoying the silence between them aside from their unborn child's heartbeat and the faint ringing of bells in the distance.
"What if Stefan never gets his memory back?" She wondered aloud, not liking the idea of having this Stefan around for eternity.
Damon was silent for a little while, not really having a definite answer for her. "Then we'll just add that to the Universe trying to tear us apart."
She turned to face him, frowning seeing his crestfallen look. "Damon, we've talked about this..."
"I know that we have, Cass, but doesn't it bother you that I was meant to be with Katherine, only to end up alone in the end? And you, you were never meant to set foot on his earth and ever since, nature has been trying to reset itself by trying to kill you. Doesn't any of that bother you at all?" He asked her.
"Of course it bothers me. It scares me, it angers me and it's making me question everything, but I'll tell you one thing that I'm not questioning. My love for you." She told him. "I will never doubt you, Damon and I will always love you no matter what Qetsiyah or the Universe says."
"And what about the baby?"
Cassandra's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"This whole pregnancy was never meant to happen in the first place. It can't happen. The only reason it did, is because the Universe is trying to kill you." Damon said and Cassandra stood up abruptly, needing to distance herself from him.
"The Universe can come up with whatever plan it wants to, but I won't let it stop me from living. I'm not going to live in fear and you shouldn't either." She growled and begun to trudge away, but Damon flashed before her to stand in her way.
"I'm not living in fear, Cass, but I refuse to let you die from this." He fought.
She snapped, unable to keep herself calm anymore. "So, what do you want me to do? Get rid of it?"
"No!" He jumped on the tail end of her words. Dammit; he had't meant for it to come out like that or for her to take it like that. "Cass, just-"
"What?! I know that's what you want me to do! I won't do it, Damon!" She pushed him away, making him stumble backwards slightly.
"Would you lower your voice?" He hissed and grabbed her wrists roughly.
"God dammit, Damon. Just leave me alone. Don't talk to me." Cassandra snapped his wrists, breaking them with a simple flick and she ran off. The vampire roared and buried his fist in the trunk of a tree, cracking the bark all the way up to the top and making some birds fly away from their perches on the branches. He always knew exactly what to say to set her off and she naturally flew off the handle. Now this was another mess that he had to fix and get himself out of. As if things couldn't get any worse, his phone rang in his pocket and it was the youngest Gilbert calling him.
"This better be good, Gilbert." He glowered.
"I need you to come meet me, and I need you to come alone." Jeremy said. He really didn't want to make this phone call, but he knew that he had to.
"And I need you to be less vague and less weird." The vampire made his way through the
Jeremy sighed loudly. "I know where Bonnie is. Get over here and I'll explain."
Jeremy Gilbert nervously twiddled his thumbs as he waited for Damon to get home. Time seemed like to span on for hours even though he only called the eldest Salvatore about five minutes ago. He sounded annoyed to say the least, but he always greeted Jeremy in a less than amicable when whenever they spoke on the phone. His nerves were beginning to get to him and he had talked himself on and off the ledge about a thousand times, but he came to the conclusion that he had to start telling everyone the truth about Bonnie. He couldn't keep it inside anymore and he couldn't keep lying to everyone. He looked toward the front door of the boarding house as it was opened and then slammed closed, but it wasn't the person that he was expecting. He had hoped that Damon would have come home alone, but why was Cassandra here?
"Cassandra, hey. Wh-" He stopped short seeing that she was wiping tears away from her cheeks. "What happened? Is something wrong?"
The wounded hybrid shook her head. "It's nothing, Jeremy."
"She and Damon fought about the baby." Bonnie told him sadly and Jeremy frowned.
"Can I get you something?" The teen asked politely.
Cassandra smiled as warmly as she could at him. Always the helpful Gilbert. "No thanks, Jeremy. I'm okay."
"She's not okay." The witch murmured.
"I know." Jeremy said back to her, completely forgetting that Cassandra was with him. She gave him an odd look, scrunching up her nose.
"Huh?"
"What?" Jeremy shrugged.
"You just said: 'I know.'" She said and the teen pursed her lips.
"I did?"
"Yeah, you-" Cassandra turned hearing the front door open and she quickly turned back seeing Damon step inside the house.
"You and I need to talk." He demanded.
"I have nothing to say to you, Damon." She clenched her fists.
"Then just hear me out." He pleaded with her.
"No, I've heard enough and I don't want to hear anything else that you have to say to me." Cassandra growled.
"Guys, I need to tell you something." Jeremy interrupted the pair, bur Bonnie placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't Jeremy." She couldn't have him tell everyone about her death.
Damon turned his attention toward Jeremy. "Where is she? Call her. Get her here."
"Where is who?" Cassandra asked.
"Let's go, Jer. Call up Bonnie and get her here now." He said.
Jeremy swallowed thickly. He had planned on just telling Damon, but now he had to tell both husband and wife about Bonnie. "That's the problem. I can't actually call her. No one can." They both looked confused, not quite understanding what Jeremy was getting at.
"Please don't do this, Jeremy." Bonnie begged from beside him.
"I've been lying to everyone for months, and I can't keep lying knowing that everyone's waiting for her to swoop in and save the day." The teen told them.
"I don't speak "crazy-person," Jer. You're gonna have to translate that for me." Damon grumbled.
"Think about it, Damon. I was dead. I wasn't supposed to come back." Jeremy said.
"Yes, but Bonnie's magic brought you back." Cassandra noted.
Jeremy shook his head. "You're not hearing me. Magic finds a balance. I'm not supposed to be here." It all suddenly dawned on them as to why Bonnie hadn't been home or only answering very few calls and emails. But, she just couldn't be...
"No..."
"What are you saying, Jeremy?" Cassandra asked.
"You can't just bring somebody back from the dead. There is always a price to pay for it." He said.
"Don't say it, Jeremy. Don't you dare." Damon hissed.
"She didn't show up to her dad's funeral. Nobody has spoken to her all summer." He explained.
"But she's sent some emails to people." Cassandra said.
"I sent them. I sent the emails to everyone using Bonnie's phone." He told her. Damon and Cassandra were slowly trying to get what Jeremy was hinting at. He hadn't said it outright, but it was hanging over their heads like a dark cloud.
Bonnie stood in front of the teen, wishing that he would just be quiet. "Please, Jeremy. Do not say it."
"Bonnie's dead."
It hit them worse than they had thought. At first, the words just settled on their skin, but with each passing second, it sunk in and held such a harsh weight that Cassandra had to physically sit herself down on the couch. Now it all made sense. Bonnie wasn't visiting family or traveling the world, no. She was dead and no one even stopped to consider that grave possibility.
"How long?" Cassandra asked tearfully.
"Since graduation," Jeremy replied and no longer saw Bonnie by his side. She couldn't bear to watch this.
"Oh God..." She gasped and palmed her face, hoping that this was all just some terrible dream and that she would wake up soon. "Bonnie's been dead for three, almost four months and you didn't even think to tell us sooner?"
"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want anyone to know about it and Bonnie asked me to keep it a secret." He told them. "She wanted everyone to enjoy the summer."
"Damn it, Jeremy! You realize what you just did?!" Damon snapped and walked towards him. "We've been trying to contact her all summer and so have her friends. You knew that and you still didn't tell us. You lied to everyone."
"I know that I lied, but I'm coming clean now. People need to know." Jeremy said and Damon's fists were clenched so hard that the palms had begun to bleed. He was so angry at him and wanted to slug him hard, but he did the next thing on his mind. He wrapped his arms around Jeremy and hugged him tightly, letting him know that even though he was lied to the entire summer, Damon was still going to forgive him. Bonnie's death was going to turn everyone's world upside down and Jeremy would be the person who had to break the news to everyone. He had stepped up like a man and wanted to make sure that light was shed on the truth. It was a huge responsibility and people would he angry with him for lying, but Damon let him know that he stood by him.
Cassandra plucked her earrings up from her vanity table and put them in her ears, securing them closed before she looked over her appearance. Her black dress made her figure look slimmer and it concealed her bump well, but it was times like these when she hated wearing black. Today Bonnie's funeral service would be held just for her friends. Everyone needed to say their goodbyes to their best friend and get their own kind of closure. Cassandra flipped her curls over her shoulder and turned to grab her shoes, but in the process she tripped over a pair of Damon's boots. Growling, she scooped them up and tossed them into a corner of the room.
"Big, dumb jerk. I told him to move those how many times?" She said aloud. Things between her and Damon were still sore from their fight in the forest. They hadn't spoken a word to one another except for little things like greeting one another when they passed in the hallway or asking the other to hand them something and she wished that this petty fighting would be over.
"The big, dumb jerk is sorry." Damon said from behind her. Cassandra turned to see him holding a single long stemmed rose and he was dressed in his suit for the funeral.
"Are you ready to go?" She asked, forgoing his apology and his flower.
"Wait," he stepped in front of her, blocking her way. "Just please hear me out, Cassandra." She gave him a hard look and swallowed before nodding slowly. Damon took her hand and led her over to their bed, sitting themselves down on it. While still holding her hand, he rubbed his thumb over the back of it in soothing circles.
"I am so sorry about what I said the other day. I didn't mean for you to take it that way. I just meant that...I don't want to lose you, Cass. You're too important for me to lose and I don't know how I would even begin to go on." He told her. "I want you and our child to be safe and I am sorry if what I said hurt you in anyway. I say stupid things that I don't mean and I know that's not an excuse, but that's just who I am. Cassandra, I'm sorry for making you upset, but just know this," her husband scooting closer to her and placed his hand on her stomach. "I would never ask you to get rid of something that makes you happy. Never." This child was too important to the both of them and Damon would never ever even suggest to her to get rid of it.
Cassandra's eyes were watering and she hadn't even made it to the funeral yet. The argument between her and her husband was merely a miscommunication that was only escalated by her raging hormones and pesky moods wings. She had wrong him too, she blew the entire thing out of proportion when really all Damon was trying to do was keep her safe. "I'm sorry too. I just...lately I've been taking things to heart and I'm just moody and everything seems to get to me. It's a stupid, lame excuse, but I was wrong to blow up at you. I know that you love me and were just trying to protect me." She said and looked down at their joined hands. She wordlessly interlocked their fingers together and squeezed gently. "I love you."
"And I love you." Damon cupped her cheek and kissed her softly, promising to think before his mouth spit out whatever his brain was spinning. She pressed her forehead against his and sighed deeply.
"I can't believe that Bonnie is gone." She whispered sadly.
"I know. Jeremy did a stupid thing by lying to everyone." He said.
"He was just respecting her wishes." Cassandra took up the rose in her other hand and sniffed it. "How did everyone else take the news?"
"As well as you think." Damon told her.
"Well, they need us now more than ever." He gently pulled her to her feet and reached to grab her shoes. "God, we've been selfish all summer."
Damon handed her a pair of black pumps. "Everyone has, Cassandra. We all wanted something from Bonnie and we just didn't realize that she was missing."
"But, we should have at least figured it out. We're not idiots for crying out loud. Bonnie is never one to just skip town for the entire summer and not answer emails or phone calls." Bracing her hand on Damon's shoulder, she slipped her shoes on one at a time.
"We can't blame ourselves for what happened. It's too late for that. The most that we can do is go to the funeral today and give Bonnie a proper goodbye." He tucked a curl behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "For Bonnie."
"Yeah, for Bonnie." She nodded.
Sad faces all circled around the trunk of a tree, each mentally preparing themselves for Bonnie's funeral. They all felt it best to hold it out in nature because a witch could draw on their powers from it. Each person held an item of significance to Bonnie, something to remember her by and no one could hold back their tears for too much longer. Bonnie's presence would be greatly missed and it seemed nearly impossible to continue living life when she was dead. Jeremy stood at the other side of the tree trunk, opposite Damon, Cassandra, Elena, Caroline, and Matt. He placed a picture frame of himself and Bonnie on the top and one by one, each person stepped forward to place an object that had their own special meaning in memory of Bonnie. Caroline placed red and black cheerleading pompoms beside the picture frame. The two girls had been cheerleaders at Mystic Falls high school each year and Caroline had such fond memories of her and Bonnie at cheer camp over the summer. Matt was next and he put his lifeguard whistle in the stump. He and Bonnie were lifeguards over the summer and he could remember sitting up in the lifeguard chair with her and listening to her stories about her Grams. A tearful Elena walked forward with a bowl of white feathers she had taken from a pillow and scattered them along the items already in the stump. Bonnie had told her that she was a witch by simply levitating a some feathers from her goose-down pillow. That very memory brought the most broken of smiles to Elena's face. Her best friend that she'd known since childhood was gone and she had just found out about that she had traded her own life for Jeremy's.
Elena ran back into Caroline's arms, the two girls hugging one another as they cried and Damon was next to place her grimoire inside. It was Bonnie's book of spells, such powerful spells that could literally alter the course of nature. It was a witch's most prized possession. Sure, he despised Bonnie when she'd give him aneurysms, but he wished that she would give him just one more. Cassandra shakily walked forward and placed a silver bangle bracelet down in the trunk. It had been a gift for each of her bridesmaids to say thank you for being a part of her life. Elena and Caroline had and wore their bracelets daily and the two girls even toyed with them around their wrists while Cassandra gave her offering. The hybrid's gaze lingered on the array of gifts placed on the altar, her heart breaking more and more with understanding the meaning behind each one. Elena, Jeremy, Caroline, and Matt had known Bonnie since they were children, it was like they were losing a member of their own family. Cassandra remembered meeting Bonnie for the first time, she was a young witch who was growing into the use of her powers and it was amazing to watch her thrive into the badass witch that she had become. She had no fear and would do anything to protect her friends. She was selfless, always putting others first before herself. When everyone had finished, Bonnie looked upon each face, all of them on the verge of tears and she whispered to Jeremy.
"It's okay. They need this. I need this." With her go-ahead, Jeremy grabbed the bell from beside him.
"We ring this bell in honor of Bonnie, in remembrance for her." He rang the bell a few times and it was the saddest sound that they had ever heard. Everyone was silent, unable to bring themselves to speak and Jeremy looked unsurely down at Bonnie. "I'm not sure what else to say."
"Say that I'm not going anywhere;say that even though they couldn't see me I've been there the whole time." She told him.
Jeremy cleared his throat and looked to everyone. "She says that she's not going anywhere, that she has been here all along. Bonnie has watched you have the summer of your life." The witch then walked to each of her friends and stood beside them, communicating to Jeremy to repeat her words as she spoke them. She started with Elena first.
"And I saw you happy, and I know you think now that you can't have a normal life..." She whispered.
"That you have to be there for everyone, but you don't." Jeremy spoke and Elena had finally cracked, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Everyone will find their way, so you are gonna repack your things, you're gonna go back to college, and you're gonna live it up." Bonnie smiled and as Jeremy finished explaining to Elena what she had said, the teen nodded, sniffling back her hot tears. She made her way to Matt next who was trying his hardest to stay strong and not cry.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Matt. You know I would have sent you 300 e-mails back if I could. I miss you." She said and watched him slowly break down. Bonnie then stood beside Caroline.
"I watched you decorate that dorm room like your life depended on it."She giggled and when Jeremy had said it, they all laughed too, knowing that Caroline had put her heart and soul into decorating her dorm room."And I know that college isn't everything you expected and that you feel like something's missing, but..." She trailed off seeing someone emerging through the forest and Caroline followed Jeremy's gaze.
"Tyler..." She whimpered and ran to hug him. He held onto her tightly, letting her cry in his hold and that made everyone else even more emotional. Caroline loved and missed Tyler so much when he had left and it was nice to have him back. Tyler then placed his own offering, a single white rose, among the other offerings and Bonnie stood in front of Damon who was holding a weeping Cassandra against him.
"Cassandra and Damon." Jeremy looked to the tearful hybrid.
"I got every email and every update about your pregnancy. I know that you and Damon are scared, but please don't be afraid. You are being given the chance to bring a blessing into this world. And your child will be born into a family that will love and cherish it." Bonnie told them.
Cassandra nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Tell her that I love her and thank her for watching over us. Over all of us."
A smile touched Bonnie's lips and she placed her hand on Cassandra's stomach comfortingly even though she knew that she couldn't feel it. Her smile only grew as she felt the couple's child inside Cassandra's womb. "Perfectly healthy."
"She said that your child is healthy." Jeremy added and both Cassandra and Damon let out a long sigh of relief.
Bonnie then reappeared at Jeremy's side and she took his hand, looking at all of the grieving faces that were mourning her death. It would be hard for all of them to move on, but this service would help to give them that little bit of closure that they needed."This is good. This is all I wanted. I'll be okay. We'll all be okay."
A charcoal pencil flew across the paper and Jeremy's eyes concentrated on the detail he was adding to his drawing. Today had been an emotional day for everyone and he was doing what he did best in order to unwind. Elena had gone to bed and Stefan had moved out to spend some time with Caroline who was helping him with his bloodlust and his memory. He heard Damon downstairs, mumbling to himself and Jeremy looked up from his pad of paper hearing a knock at his bedroom door.
"It's open." He said. Cassandra walked in and leaned against the door frame. In her hands was a plate with a vanilla frosted cupcake on it, minus the blood sauce.
"You okay?" She asked him.
Jeremy nodded, he was doing better than he thought he would, but maybe that was because he had contact with Bonnie over the entire summer, so she was never really gone. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"What you did today for Bonnie was really beautiful. I know that it wasn't easy, but you did a good job." She told him. "I'm proud of you Jer."
"Thanks." He gave her a winning smile but it faltered a little. "I mean, I've asked myself if I did the right thing by keeping it a secret from everyone. I know that they were angry with me, but I feel like I did the right thing."
Cassandra walked into his room and sat beside him. "Well, yes, we were mad at you, but you respected Bonnie's wishes. You did what was right for the situation at hand and now everyone can get closure and grieve in their own way."
Jeremy seemed to understand and he nodded. "Thanks for listening."
"Hey, I try." She giggled and passed him the plate. "Cupcake?"
"No, thanks. I can't." He said.
"Oh, yes you can because if you don't eat it then I will and I can't have that." She explained. "I'll just make you, Damon and Elena eat them." They both laughed at that and Cassandra got up to leave Jeremy to his drawing.
"You know," Damon stated as he took another bite of one of Cassandra's cupcakes. He found them just sitting on the counter and decided to steal one for a snack. One turned into two and two turned into three. He loved whenever Cassandra baked because she was always so good at it. He'd cook and she'd bake; a pretty nice compromise. "These aren't half bad." His wife remained planted on the couch, silently staring into the fire place in the living. "Cass?"
After she had spoken with Jeremy, she found herself on the couch, just sitting and thinking about the past few days. A lot had happened and it was nice that things were beginning to quiet down. However as soon as things quieted down, they'd start back up again, but that was the curse of living in Mystic Falls. Bonnie's funeral today had caused Cassandra to do a lot of thinking about herself and her life, sooner or later she had lost track of time and she turned to see Damon waiting patiently for an answer from her. Wordlessly, she stood up from the couch and wrapped her arms tightly around his body, hugging him close to him and squeezing him tightly. She nuzzled her face into his chest, breathing in his scent that was so memorable to her. Damon was a little started by the sudden movement, but he embraced her back, a hand combing through her damp hair.
"Cass?" He questioned.
His wife pulled back, her dark brown eyes peering up at him. "Sorry, I just needed that. I was thinking today at Bonnie's funeral, that you never really appreciate someone until they're gone. I just...I love you Damon. Some days I feel like I don't say it enough, but I do. I love you with all of my heart."
Damon smiled lovingly down at her, this woman was his life and there were days that went by where he felt like he wasn't telling her that he loved her enough times, but he would try to make that change. Cassandra was his reason for living and that baby growing inside her was just another reason to add to the list. The odds always seemed like they were against them, but they always managed to overcome every obstacle, every bump in the road, and every mishap. "Screw the Universe. You're my wife and the mother of my unborn child. I don't want there to be a day where I have to live without you, Cassandra, and there won't be because we have eternity. I will love you forever. I always have."
His wife gently cupped his cheeks, running the tips of her fingers down his soft, porcelain skin. As she reached his chin, she could feel a slight stubble from his facial hair, but she loved feeling it scratch lightly against her skin when he would whisper in her ear. Touching him like this gave her a sense of renewal and she felt reborn in a way to feel his skin under her hands. She couldn't quite explain it, but it was a rush through her veins that coursed throughout her entire body, encompassing each hair and each flake of skin. Trailing down the sides of his neck, she watched his Adam's apple bob up and down and she reached the top of his shirt. Ever so slowly, she undid each button, exposing more of his perfect skin. The days preceding this one had been rushed and filled with stress, but then again, what did they expect living in Mystic Falls? This moment was the first real time they had to themselves to reflect and let their bodies and minds unwind. Cassandra pushed the shirt off his shoulders and admired his defined chest, swallowing at each chiseled abdominal muscle and how the light from the fireplace bounced off them. Her fingers followed the trails of her eyes, tracing and dancing over his rippling skin till she stopped at the dark trail of hair leading to the button of his jeans. She popped it open and slid the zipper down too before pushing the dark material down his strong legs along with his boxer briefs. He stood completely naked, a perfect form of the male body and she grew even more aroused at the sight of his throbbing desire that rested against his stomach.
When she reached out to undo the knot on her robe, Damon grasped her wrists and shook his head. "My turn." He let her hands drop to her sides and he stepped in closer, now adding his own body heat to the warmth of the fireplace. He started at her eyes, those stunningly beautiful, brown orbs that drew him to her like a moth to the flame. He traced underneath them and bore into her stare as if wishing to get completely lost in them. Her eyes not only saw the goodness in others, but they saw the goodness in him which was so often hidden by his hard exterior. A single finger than ran down the bridge of her small nose, her pouty lips and chin, and his hands skimmed over the robe that he wanted to tear off her body, but he would take his sweet time with her. The satin was soft under his touch, but there no way that it would be softer than his wife's skin. He untied the sash and spread the fabric open, showing off her completely naked body underneath and nearly all of the air was knocked out of his lungs at her beauty. Her breasts stood proudly, her peaks hardening at the intense gaze of his eyes. He fondled them gently, knowing that they were tender and a little swollen. Cassandra closed her eyes and leaned her head back just slightly, enjoying his light touches. Thumbs brushed her nipples, feeling them harden under his skin and he gave a soft kiss to each one. His hands trailed lower now and he could feel her baby bump. If she turned to the side, he would find that it was still small, but that didn't matter to him. He could actually feel it in his hands and run his fingers over it. As if feeling its father's touch, the heartbeat quickened and both husband and wife chuckled at their child's enthusiasm to being shown some attention. He showered her stomach with kisses before coming back up and kissing his wife fully on the lips.
"She's excited to meet you." Cassandra said and he looked up at her with wide eyes and his heart in his throat.
"She?" He questioned and she nodded with tears in her eyes.
"Bonnie saw that it was a girl. It's still a little early to tell, but she saw pink when she put her hands on my stomach at the service." She told him and Damon suddenly swept her off her feet, covering her face with a thousand sweet kisses.
"A girl." He kissed her lips sweetly and she giggled against his lips. "A girl?"
"Yes, Damon." She had begun to cry, tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks and she hugged him tightly. When she had left Jeremy's room before, he had called her to come back in. He asked her if he wanted to know the gender of the baby because Bonnie knew. She thought about it and asked for Bonnie to tell her. She had started crying immediately and decided that she would give Damon the good news tonight. Even the midst of such loss of grief of today, there was still something good to come out of it.
"I love you. I love you so much." He could hardly bring himself to think straight. All he could process was that he and Cassandra could be expecting a little girl. He was overjoyed and ecstatic as he continued to kiss her. They were both crying, shedding joyful tears at the thought of holding their baby. Nothing mattered except the two of them in this very moment.
In the mess of kissing and crying, they had found themselves lying on the Persian rug in front of the fireplace with Damon nestled between her legs. He kissed along the side of her neck as he slid into her warmth. He hiked her legs around his waist and drove into her with slow, deep thrusts. Cassandra gripped his forearms, throwing her head back and moaning with each pump he made. The fire crackled softly and the heat hugged their bodies like a blanket on a cold night. He kissed and touched any shred of skin that he could get his lips and hands on, peppering her entire body with affection. Her walls felt him throbbing inside her and each touch sent her on overdrive. She tightened her legs around him and she scratched at his back, sending shivers down his spine. Damon pressed his forehead against hers, staring deeply into her eyes and he gripped her hands, holding them down by the sides of her head and he interlocked his fingers with hers. Cassandra kissed his lips, nibbling and swiping her tongue along his bottom one until he opened his mouth to circle his tongue around hers. Her back arched as her orgasm approached and Damon doubled his efforts to make her come first. He whispered in her ear, coaxing her to lose herself in him and she did. She was a withering, writhing, trembling mess below him and Damon held her body in his arms as she came all over him. He gave a few quick thrusts and came inside her, peppering her sweaty skin with kisses. Their bodies were tangled within one another, wrapped in each other and completely alone and uninterrupted. Cassandra giggled as he lazily kissed along her neck and he bit in random spots, making her squirm around. Unlocking their fingers, Cassandra cupped his cheeks and brought his soft lips to hers, kissing him passionately; their lips caressing one another's. They snuggled against each other's naked bodies, finding warm from their skin and the glowing embers from the fire. They laid there in the silence of the night and Cassandra felt her eyes growing heavy at the sound of Damon's heartbeat against her ear and the heartbeat of their little girl that they couldn't wait to meet. They fell asleep, curled into the curves of each other as the fire died down, surrounding them in the calming darkness of the night.
IT'S A GIRL! Are you surprised? Did you think it was going to be a girl? How do you think Damon and Cassandra will do with a little girl? I honestly didn't want to reveal the gender this early, but I felt like it fit well and a lot of you have been asking about the gender of Damon and Cassandra's baby. Stefan is a bit of a pain in bum in this chapter, but he and Cassandra will have a little moment in the coming chapters where they are on the same page. Damon and Cassandra FINALLY had a moment where they were not interrupted by anyone! Four months is a hell of a long time to wait, but I think in the end it was worth it.
PS - I know that I have been neglecting my other stories, but I am very tied up with season 1 of TO and season 5 of TVD that I find myself solely focused on them. Classes are also in full swing and I will begin student teaching in December. That will take up most of my time, but I am up for the challenge of juggling it all. I have been working on my other stories, but they are very slow. Please be patient with me and I will update as soon as I can.
Please review! What did you like? What questions do you have?
grapejuice101: Thanks for the review! I agree, I do love the new love triangle! Things will get more heated as the chapters progress forward ;)
nickiR0x: Thank you for reviewing! I loved he corset scene too! It was sexy and funny ;) I really can't wait for Elijah to be back in this story. I mean, I do like Hayley a little better in The Originals, but I think she's a little too tomboyish to be with someone as polished as Elijah. I do try to make my stories better than the show, so I'm happy you feel that way :) I honestly do feel bad for Damon too, but this chapter gave him a little something, something ;) As for the gender, I wasn't planning on revealing it this early, but I felt like the moment at the end of chapter tied in very nicely and it was a peaceful moment for them to share. I hope you enjoyed this update and I'll hear from you soon :)
Silently Tearful: Thanks for reviewing, girl! Giuliana was certainly abused a little with Davina's spell, but don't worry, she'll be okay! I have been absolutely horrible with updating my other stories and I am so, so sorry about that. Classes have been sucking the life out of me and with this new season, I want to get as much of it written as I can. I am working on all of my stories except for the ones on hiatus, so please be patient with me :)
SomebodyWhoCares: Hehe, I have never known the pain of a corset, but I can only imagine that it hurts. Especially if Nik was to yank on the strings. I really do love Rebekah on The Originals. I feel that the writers have done a lot with her character and I love her a lot :) Thanks for reviewing!
Seira asami: Thank you for leaving two reviews! An amnesiac Stefan is no good! He and Cassandra did butt heads in this chapter, but they will reconcile later on. I do believe that Damon deserves happiness and I am very happy to give him Cassandra because they are beautiful together! Davina is a very powerful witch and she did overstep her boundaries with Marcel. Elijah will be back soon!
VampirePrincess11: Thanks for reviewing! I do love both shows too! They are filled with action and suspense which keeps me sitting on the edge of my chair the entire hour!
sexytime321: Here is your update :) Hope you enjoyed it!
shippolove844: Thanks for reviewing! I love them together too! I try to make all of my OCs unique in their own way and I am so happy that you're enjoying them :)
xoxobianca13: Thank you for reviewing, girl! I love The Originals too! I do like Klaus and Giuliana, but it will be interesting to see what happens when Elijah is brought back into the picture. Rebekah and Hayley have really grown into their own on this show and I find that I like them better on TO than TVD. Marcel is a cocky vampire, but I do like writing him. I looovvvee Davina! She is absolutely gorgeous and super powerful!
