UPDATE: This chapter has been re-written as of October 16, 2014.
I hummed along to the song blasting from the radio, my feet kicked up on the dash and my head nodding along to the beat. "Have you heard Jimmy Eat World's new album?" Damon asked over the music, one hand on the wheel the other handing out of the window.
"Nah, not yet," I said. "Is it any good?"
"Well I think the-"
The car suddenly came to a violent halt, Damon slamming the brakes on as he saw the flipped over car in front of us. I jolted forwards, hitting the dash as I hadn't been wearing a seat belt. I grunted, righting myself and peering out of the window with a frown. The car looked familiar. "Is that Elena's car?" I asked frantically, sitting up properly in my seat.
"And who the hell is that?" Damon bit out as we noticed a man strolling casually towards the wreckage. I cracked open my door and slid out, racing towards the figure. He disappeared before I could get to him, and I stopped, looking every direction for any sign of him while Damon knelt down beside the car, soothing a panicked, sobbing Elena.
"How you doing in there?" Damon asked her gently, assessing the damage.
"Damon," she choked, pulling frantically at her jammed seatbelt. "Cassie."
"You're stuck," I concluded, crouching down to see her better. Damon stood up to check it out while I tried to calm her down. "Hush, Elena. It's going to be okay," I soothed her, exchanging a concerned look with Damon. We couldn't just leave her here.
"It's my seatbelt. It's stuck," she cried. Damon ripped the door off it's hinges with ease.
"We're going to get you out of here. I want you to put your hands on the roof. Just like that," he explained as she did as asked. "Ready?"
"1, 2, 3," I counted softly and Damon reached up, breaking the seatbelt and sending her crashing into the roof. He wrapped his arms around her middle and dragged her out of the car gently. "Are you okay?" I asked as I checked her head for injury. She had a cut on her jaw, but other than that seemed okay. She might have gotten a concussion though, so I made note to keep an eye on her.
"Can you stand?" Damon asked as he carried her away from the wreckage. "Is anything broken?" She moaned in pain but shook her head. He put her on her feet carefully, still holding the majority of her weight. "Whoa," he said as she dropped, unable to keep herself standing. He caught her just in time.
"You're fading fast Elena," I said softly as her eyes slipped shut. "Elena. Look at us!"
Her eyes snapped open and for one long second she appeared completely alert. "I look like her," she cried.
"What?" Damon asked in shock, eyes widening at the words. She collapsed, becoming dead weight in his arms. "Come on. Let's just take her with us," he said as he lifted her up into a better position to carry her.
"Um, no," I dead panned, not wanting her tagging along and making things tense and awkward. I moved over to her car, now just a hunk of twisted metal. I grabbed onto the bumper, hauling it across the asphalt and onto the grass lining the road with ease.
"I'm not driving her all the way to her house."
"It's only ten minutes out of our way," I reasoned, crossing my arms as we strolled back towards the car.
"Think about it," he said as I opened the back door and watched him slide her into the back seat. "What better way to get on Stefan's nerves then kidnapping his girlfriend?"
I stepped around him, opening my own door and hopping into the passenger seat. "It seems petty."
"That's because it is petty," he replied, sliding into the drivers seat.
"Whatever," I hummed, leaning forward and fiddling with the radio idly. After I'd settled on a song, I leaned my head back onto the seat behind me, closing my eyes as Damon turned onto the interstate. "What do you think she meant?" I asked, keeping my head tipped back and my eyes closed.
"What else could it have meant?" he countered quietly, eyes glued to the road. "She knows."
"I'm changing the station," I told Damon simply, reaching forwards to turn the dial. He slapped my hand lightly as I moved, and I huffed in annoyance.
"Drive picks the music-" he began, only to be cut off by my voice.
"Shotgun shuts her cake hole," I finished, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms, tilting my head back and trying to get lost in the old Beetles song. "She's not going to be happy when she wakes up, you know," I said after the song had ended and a new one began to play.
"What's the worst she could do?" he asked with a smirk.
"I sure as hell don't wanna find out," I shrugged, focusing on the Nat King Cole track playing from the speakers.
"So I saw your most recent drawings," he said suddenly, casting me a heavy look.
"Oh yeah?" I asked, acting nonchalant. Inside I was a cyclone of nerves. My art wasn't something I freely shared with people, not even Damon really. He only knew about it because it was hard to keep a secret from someone you'd spent every spare minute with over to course of a century.
"Yep," he confirmed, peaking in the mirror. "You never ask me to model for you any more. Why?"
I shrugged again, not saying anything as I heard Elena's heartbeat pick up from where she was sprawled in the back seat. I glanced over my shoulder at the sound, watching as she slowly blinked her honey eyes open, peering up at the roof in confusion. Damon noticed she was waking up at the same time I did, and said, "Morning," at the same time as I did.
"Where are we?" she asked, slowly sitting up and pressing a hand to her no doubt pounding head.
"Georgia," he told her, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"Georgia?" she asked, eyes and lips tightening in displeasure as her heart raced. "No. No we're not. Seriously Damon. Cassie, where are we?"
"Seriously. We're in Georgia," I repeated, kicking my feet up onto the dash and sticking my hand out of the widow, moving it against the wind with a grin.
"Ah," she breathed, a hand moving to her ribs in pain.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, indicating as he changed lanes.
"I just, ah."
"Well there's no broken bones," he confirmed.
"I checked," I threw over my shoulder with a mischievous smirk, wagging my eyebrows suggestively.
"My car. There was a man, I hit a man," she explained, sitting straighter and panicking more as her memories came back to her. "But then he got up. Who was that?"
"That's what we would like to know."
"Where's my phone?" she asked, patting down her pockets frantically. "Okay, we really need to go back. Nobody knows where I am. Pull over." We were silent, not even peeking at her in the mirror as we studiously ignored her. "I mean it, Damon. Pull over!" she demanded. "Stop the car!"
"Oh, You were so much more fun when you were asleep," he moaned, pulling off the main road sharply and onto a stretch of gravel beside the motorway.
"Amen to that," I muttered, rolling my eyes at her theatrics.
She opened the door before the car was even completely stationary and tumbled out, clutching at her bruised ribs and gasping in pain.
Damon shot to her side and helped her stand up, keeping an eye on her as she steadied herself. "I'm fine," she said and I scoffed. "We have to go back," she insisted, loosing balance for a moment before grasping at the car to right it.
"We have established you feel that way," I said through gritted teeth, growing frustrated. "But it's not going to happen!"
Damon moved beside me and threw an arm over my shoulder, fixing her with a bright stare. "Besides, we've already come this far."
"Why are you doing this?" she asked angrily. "I can't be in Georgia. I wrecked my car. I have to go home. This is kidnapping."
"You're kidding right?" I sneered.
"That's a little melodramatic don't you think?"
"You're not funny," she spat, staring daggers at us.
"Yes he is," I added with a frown, looking up at Damon who tightened his arm on my shoulder and sent me a fond smirk.
"You can't do this," she reasoned. "I'm not going to Georgia."
"Well you're in Georgia," he dead panned.
"Without your magic little necklace, I might add," I smirked, eyes flicking to her empty collarbone. Her hand snapped up to pat at her bare skin, swallowing anxiously as she realised I was telling the truth.
"We could very easily make you agreeable," he finished, throwing her a wicked smirk.
"What are you trying to prove?" she asked resentfully, glare up at us with rage.
A phone started to ring, the sound floating out from Damon's pocket. I knew his ringtone and that wasn't it. I knew it wasn't mine either, and realised Damon must have swiped her phone from her while she was unconscious. Smart move. "That's my phone," she hissed. I rolled my eyes as Damon slid it out from his jacket and peeked at the screen.
"Hm, it's your boyfriend," he purred, wagging his eyebrows at her. She turned away, tears brimming her eyes and shaking her head. Damon smirked and pressed the green button
"Elena's phone," he answered, letting me go and strolling away from us to talk.
"Where is she? Why do you have her phone? Is she okay?" I could hear everything the youngest Salvatore was saying with my heightened hearing, and his panic and worry made me smile.
"Elena, you mean?" he asked.
"Yeah Stefan, she's right here and she's fine."
"Where are you? Let me speak to her."
Damon threw me the phone and I snatched it out of the air with ease, flashing Elena a cheeky grin. "He wants to speak with you," I told her, offering the phone in her direction. Her lower lip wobbled and she shook her head again, wrapping her arms around her middle and turning the other way. I shrugged, throwing the phone back at Damon who swiped it from the air and pressed it back to his ear.
"Yeah, I don't think she really wants to talk to you right now."
"Damon, I swear to God, if either one of you touches her..."
"You have a good day," Damon cut him off, a please smirk on his pink lips. "Bye now." He ended the call, moving over to Elena and handing it back to her.
"Look, nobody knows where I am. Can we please just go back?" Elena begged, eyes filled with tears.
"You're no fun," I groaned, crossing my arms and leaning against the baby blue of the car.
"We're almost there," Damon sighed.
"Where is there?" she yelled, clearly getting fed up.
"A little place right outside of Atlanta."
"Very cosy. A lot of fun," I added, smiling as I tried to entice her. I could always compel her, but I figured Damon had his reasons for not doing it in the first place, so I trusted his judgement.
"Oh come on, Elena. You don't wanna go back right now do you?" he whined, folding his hands in front of him.
"What's the big hurry?" I put in, raising my eyebrows at her.
"Time out," he said doing the universal hand signal for the words. "Trust us, your problems are still going to be there when you get home."
"Come on! Loosen up!" I exclaimed.
"Look. Step away from you life for five minutes."
"Five minutes," I repeated for emphasis. Elena turned around and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose tiredly.
"Am I going to be safe with the two of you?" she asked, watching us carefully.
"Yes," Damon answered.
She looked at me when I hesitated. He elbowed me sharply in the chest, cracking two of my ribs in the process. I hissed in pain, glaring up at him before nodding and saying, "Yes."
"You promise not to do that mind control thing with me?"
"Yes," he answered the same.
I pressed my lips together, frowning before reluctantly muttering, "Yes."
"Can I trust you? Both of you?"
It was silent. Damon and I glanced at each other, silently agreeing that it would be better not to answer. "Get in the car," he replied, tapping her on the arm to get her moving before cracking open my door and disappearing around the car and reappearing in his own seat.
"Sometime today, please," I prompted her as I noticed she hadn't moved. She huffed and stomped over to the car, cracking open the door and sliding in quietly. "We need some music," I declared after a few minutes of silence and Damon reached over and turned on the radio. A good some from the eighties played through the speakers and I tapped along to the beat, humming under my breath.
"So where's my car?" Elena asked, obviously sick of our tapping.
"I pulled it off to the side of the road – HEY!" Damon exclaimed as I hit him in the back of the head. "Okay, Cassie pulled it off to the side of the road," he corrected, shooting me a glare. My lips twitched and I turned to stare out of the window, eyes on the passing countryside.
"I don't think anyone will bother it," I added, moving my head to the beat.
"What about that man on the road?" she questioned as she leant forward and laid her head on the back of our seat. "Was he a-"
"From what I could tell," Damon cut her off.
"No human can run that fast," I continued.
"Neither of you know him?"
"If we've never met him we wouldn't know him," Damon drawled as I raised an eyebrow, throwing an annoyed glance over my shoulder. "I mean it's not as if we all hang out together at the vamp bar and grill."
I laughed loudly, tipping my head back and pushing the hair from my face. Damon grinned cheekily, waggling his eyebrows at me only making me giggle harder.
"Where are we?" Elena asked us once I'd settles down and Damon was pulling us into the car park of the bar. It looked just like it did last time I was here, same rusty paint, same blue shutters. "You brought me to a bar? Guys, I'm not old enough. They're not gonna let me in."
"Sure they will," he told her, cracking his door and sliding out. I threw a wink at her, smirking as I appeared beside him, my eyes scanning the car park. It wasn't very crowded, which was good. The less people around to witness anything that happened here today, the better. Damon strode in front of us, pulling the door open and holding it while we ducked under his arm. It slammed shut behind us, making a few of the bar's occupants heads snap up towards us. We ignored them, moving confidently up to the bar while Elena followed behind us meekly.
The dark woman behind the bar threw a dish towel over her shoulder, pressing her hands to her hips and looking at us with a disbelieving grin. "No. No it can't be," she smiled looking between us. "Cassie, sugar. And Damon, my honey pie."
She leant over the wooden bar, grabbing the latter by his collar and pulling him in for a long kiss. I chuckled under my breath, watching them as I sat down on one of the red bar stools. Elena blinked in surprise, looking between the three of us curiously. After a while I moved my gaze from the embracing pair, growing irritated by their kiss. Finally she let him go, moving straight to me and pressing a quick, chaste kiss on my lips. I smirked, waggling my eyebrows back at her. Elena looked about ready to pass out at this point. "Hey Cassie," Bree grinned as she tapped me on the shoulder, winking at me.
"Bree," I greeted back, crossing my arms on the bar and leaning my head on them.
"Listen up everybody!" she suddenly shouted as she lifted a bottle of bourbon and toasted us. "Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness. And to his best friend who made my life hell but was one hell of a kisser," was her speech as she filled 4 shot glasses and handed them to us where we sat at the bar. "Drink up!" I tipped my head back, downing the shot with ease that came from a century of practise. "So how did he rope you in?" she asked Elena as she refilled our shots, one of them overflowing and pooling on the wood.
"I'm not roped in actually I'm dating his-"
"Honey if you're not roped, you're whipped," she interrupted, pouted lips spreading apart in a grin.
"Here here!" I enthused as we banged our shots together, tipping them back for the second time.
"Either way, just enjoy the ride."
"Okay," she said uncomfortably, looking around, clearly trying to come up with something to say. "So, how did you three meet?"
"College," she answered with a laugh, frizzy hair ruffling as she shook her head.
"You guys went to college?" she asked, grinning with disbelief.
"We've gone to a college campus, yes," he told her.
She raised an eyebrow at me, one hand pressed to the back of her neck as she waited. "I actually have two masters," I told her simply, deciding not to comment on Damon's achievements. If he wanted her to know, she'd know.
"You?" she asked sceptically, eyebrows raising. I pulled an offended face, taking the glass of whiskey Bree poured me. "Masters in what?"
"Oh, this and that," I replied, waving a hand like it didn't matter. She opened her mouth, no doubt to question me more but was cut off by Bree, who thankfully stepped in to answer her previous query.
"About 20 years ago when I was a sweet young freshman, I met this beautiful man. And I fell in love. Then he introduced me to this irresistible little lady, and I was hooked. Then he told me about their little secret; made me love them even more. Because you see I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."
"She's a witch," Damon whispered theatrically.
"A damn good one at that," I cheered, tipping my glass to her respectfully.
"They changed my world you know," she said, grinning at us fondly.
"I rocked your world," he corrected.
"He is good in the sack isn't he?" I laughed lightly, rolling my eyes. "But mostly he's just a walk away Joe," she finished as she tossed back her shot. "Well, from everyone other than Cassie, that is."
I smiled affectionately up at Damon, nudging him with my shoulder softly. He bumped me back, returned the gesture.
"So, what is it you want?" she asked us directly. I liked that about her. She always got straight to the point. And boy, was it a big point.
I hummed along to the melody of the song drifting from the jukebox in the corner. It was an old Rolling Stones hit that was big back in the late seventies, and I was just starting to get into it when Elena parked down on the bar stool next to me. I paused, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye before picking up the beer Bree had gotten me and taking a sip, contemplating what to say. "Are you drunk yet?" I asked her playfully, deciding I wasn't in the mood to keep up the rude facades.
"No, you?"
"Getting there," I answered, swallowing another large mouthful.
"Can I ask you something?" she inquired gently, seeming to summon some strength as she straightened her spine, pulling herself up to her full height.
"You're going to ask me no matter what I say," I sighed. She blinked, expression carefully cooled. "Yes Elena," I said, rolling my eyes. "You can ask me a question."
"Why are you and Damon friends?"
Well that was unexpected.
I glanced over my shoulder, pondering the question as I watched Damon explain the situation to Bree. He must have felt my gaze, because he paused for a moment and turned so our eyes met. I cracked a small smile, nodding at him encouragingly and watching as his lips twitched and he turned back to the witch.
I was ready to answer, but Elena found it necessary to elaborate. "I just mean, he can be so..."
"You think, for whatever reason, that I disagree with his actions?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She swallowed at my sharp tone, eyes suddenly on her own beer. I huffed, irritably blowing a piece of my hair off my face. I figured, what harm could it do? All I was doing was talking. "I just love him, Elena," I responded quietly, picking at the peeling label of my bottle. "It's like asking why you love Bonnie."
"I love Bonnie because she's sweet and kind, funny and warm," she defended immediately, eyes blazing. "Damon is none of those things."
"On the contrary," I said, holding up a hand to stop her rant. "He's all of those things." She scoffed, rolling her eyes and casting a hard glance over her shoulder at the man in question. "You don't see it right now," I told her, a smile spreading across my lips. "But stick around us long enough, and one day you will."
I thought back to 1864, remembering a human Damon. I loved him, but I loved the man he had grown to be more. Human Damon was innocent, so full of love and adoration for Katherine. This Damon was tough as nails, he was darker, and I was drawn to that; the darkness. I craved it like a starving man craved a steak, or a vampire craved blood. I had grown bitter and twisted over the years, I wasn't blind to that. I'd come to enjoy the suffering of humans, finding it fun to watch them squirm. I definitely enjoyed it more than Damon did, he liked to pretend it made him feel alive, liked to pretend he relished in it as much as I did. But I could see through him. I could always see through him.
"We were each other's first kiss, you know?" I said after a pregnant pause, lightening the atmosphere.
"Really?" she asked, a small smile appearing on her lips. I nodded, grinning at the memory.
"We were 12 and we swore we would never, ever speak of it," I laughed. It was silent again as we nursed our beers, eyes on the counter.
"Why do you hate me?" she asked, once again unexpectedly.
I frowned, blinking in surprise. I took a sip of beer, contemplating how to reply. I didn't want to baby her in any way, it was probably best to tell the truth and see where it led. Worse came to worse I could always just compel her. "I don't hate you Elena," I told her honestly, biting my lip as I thought my answer through. "I don't particularly like you, but I definitely don't hate you."
"You're always so mean to me," she said, appearing hurt.
"I'm mean to everyone, Elena," I replied bluntly, shooting her an exasperated look.
"Not to Caroline," she reasoned.
I pressed my lips into a thin line, considering how to respond. "Think of it this way," I said, turning in my seat and gesturing wildly with my hands to help drive home my point. "It's sort of like a test."
"A test?" she asked hesitantly, cocking her head to the side.
"Yeah," I nodded. "It's a bullshit filter."
"I don't understand," she admitted reluctantly, throwing back another sip of the water she'd gotten. A man in the corner hissed in pain as he accidentally sliced his hand open on an stray splinter of wood jutting out from the bottom of his chair. I caught the scent of the blood immediately, my throat burning in response. I swallowed, reaching over the bar and helping myself to a bottle of bourbon. The harder the liquor, the better it warded off the cravings.
"It's like this," I began, pulling my discarded glass from earlier closer to me and starting to fill it with the amber liquid. "In my century and a half, I've met a lot of people. Ninety percent of those people were fake, narcissistic assholes. I learnt pretty quickly that the best way to see at the heart of a person, the best way to cut through all the fake bullshit, was to be horrible and rude. It shows people's true colours. So, I act the this way to find the people who have a spine, who have a good heart."
She considered what I'd told her for a long moment, eyes on the wood of the bar before her. "Haven't I proved myself enough?" she finally asked, lip wobbling slightly as she looked up at me from under her lashes. She looked so much like Katherine, it was like a dagger to the heart.
"You have," I admitted cautiously, swallowing a mouthful of bourbon. I huffed, rolling my neck and shutting my eyes briefly. "About seventy years ago, I gave up trying to be good, Elena. It's easier to be bad, always has been. Stefan's living proof of that," I smiled ruefully, thinking back bitterly on my brother's troubles in the past. Elena's brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to ask what I meant but I kept talking, keeping her from opening that can of worms. "Turns out, being mean is fun. It really is as simple as that," I told her, shrugging. "It's just who I am."
I refilled my glass, casting an eye over to the corner where the man had wrapped a piece of cloth around his hand, stopping the bleeding. I was grateful, the incident had shown me how much I seriously needed to feed. I couldn't wait to get my hands on some hot, unsuspecting boy.
"No."
I snapped my head across to look at Elena in confusion. "What?"
"No," she repeated, staring at me heatedly. "I don't believe that, Cassie." I frowned, tilting my head and silently asking what she meant. She hurried to elaborate, arms moving with passion. "I've seen the good in you. I know what's there; a girl that cares, and loves so deeply it turns her savage and hateful."
My lips twitched up into a small, bitter smile. I looked into my glass, thinking over her words. "That girl died in 1864, Elena," I said tiredly, swirling the alcohol around in my glass.
She exhaled in defeat and it was silent once again. Obviously we had to agree to disagree. Eventually she said, "I heard you can sing."
"You're going to try and persuade me to get up on that stage and sing, aren't you," I replied, gesturing lazily to the small stage in the back of the bar, holding a microphone and half an old drum kit.
"Well, after you've had a few more beers, yeah."
"At least you admit it," I chuckled into my glass, eyes slipping shut as I drank deeply.
Damon appeared on my other side, a beer bottle in one hand and a basket of chips in the other.
"Ah, there he is. And he brings chips," I exclaimed as he lowered himself onto a barstool, smirking widely.
"Of course. You get the munchies for human food when you're drunk," he said, pushing the basket closer to me. I grinned up at him, pulling a chip from the paper and popping it into my mouth happily.
"So say I am descended from Katherine. Does that make me part Vampire?" Elena asked curiously after a long moment. I snorted around the food in my mouth, reaching for my glass thoughtlessly.
"Vampires can't pro-create," Damon answered, idly picking up a chip and twirling it in his fingers. I hummed in agreement, thinking about our late night, drug and alcohol induced hazes back in the sixties when we sat up on a hill at Woodstock, crying because we'd never have kids. "But we love to try," Damon's comment brought me out of my revere. I giggled at his words, nodding and making an obscene gesture towards Elena with my hand and tongue. She rolled her eyes and looked away, fighting a laugh and taking a sip of beer. "No look, if you were related that would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned," he explained.
It was something we had talked at length about, wondering why she'd never told us she'd had a child. We hadn't come to a conclusion yet, but I knew there had to be a good reason.
"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace her?" Elena asked sadly, swinging on her stool and pouting.
"It's kind of creepy if you ask me," Damon replied. I smacked his arm, rolling my eyes.
"No, Elena as much as I hate to say it, he is actually a good guy. He knows that you're not Katherine. In fact, he feels the need to say the words 'she's not Katherine' in almost every conversation we have involving you," I told her sincerely, shaking my head at how annoying Stefan was when he wasn't ripping people apart.
"Come on! You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" Damon exclaimed as he noticed her avoiding them. He grabbed some and gave me half before piling the rest in his mouth. I grinned and did the same, moaning at the wonderful flavour.
"How can you guys even eat if technically you're supposed to be..." she trailed off awkwardly, apparently not wanting to offend us or something with the brazen use of the 'D' word.
"Dead?" we answered in sync, turning and nudging each other with grins before Damon continued on. "It's not such a bad word. As long as we keep a healthy diet of blood in our systems, our bodies function pretty normally."
"It's a nice act. Is any of it real?" she asked us cheekily, tilting her head and fixing us with a judgemental stare.
"Hmm..." Damon hummed non-committally, shovelling another handful of chips into his mouth.
"Here you go," Bree said, materialising across from us behind the bar and sliding over two beers.
"Thanks hon," I grinned, winking at her. She giggled, waving her hand at me playfully.
"I'll have one too," Elena declared, tapping the bar and sitting up straighter.
"Huh?" Damon, swivelling around to stare at her confusedly.
"Time out, remember? For 5 minutes. Well, that 5 minutes is going to need a beer!" she told us, smiling apprehensively as Bree uncapped and passed over another beer.
She was shy now, but with a few beers in her I'd have her out of her shell in no time.
"Ready... GO!" Bree shouted and we all threw back our shots. Damon and I both went a little slower than we could have, letting Elena's glass slam onto the wooden bar a moment before our own.
"That's 3!" she sang, steadily moving passed tipsy and onto drunk. "You need a bib?" she asked Damon, pouting extravagantly.
"I'm sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol!" he retorted, rolling his eyes jokingly.
"Whatever," she shrugged, poking her tongue out for a brief second before spinning back around to face the magical bartender. "Alright who's next? Another round Bree?"
"Honey, you should be on the floor," a woman who had wandered in a while ago and challenged us to a drink off said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I'm not even drunk. My tolerance is like way up here," she declared, jumping onto her tip toes and pointing at the roof with a cheeky grin. She picked up her discarded beer, holding it up and cheering loudly before taking a deep sip. "So," she began, swivelling on her barstool and nearly toppling off if I hadn't grabbed her arm to steady her. "Are you drunk enough to sing yet?"
I smirked, shaking my head and bringing the bottle to my lips. "Nope."
"Oh come on," she pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her and giving me her best puppy dog eyes. "Please Cassie?"
I huffed, finishing off the last of my beer and slamming it back on the bar. Damon applauded lazily, pushing me in the direction of the small stage. I moved over to the old acoustic sitting in a stand, fingering the neck gently before grasping it and tugging it up and off the stand. I pulled the little stool over to the centre of the stage. There was no lead connected to the microphone, so I assumed it wasn't turned on. I pushed it out of the way, grinning up at Elena and Damon where they sat at the bar, watching me closely.
If I see my reflection about my intentions
I'll tell ya I'm not here to sell ya
Or tell ya to get to hell
I'm like a puzzle but all of my pieces are jagged
If you can understand this, we can make some magic
I'm on like that
I wanna fly I wanna drive I wanna go
I wanna be a part of something I don't know
And if you try to hold me back I might explode
Baby by now you should know
I can't be tamed, I can't be saved
I can't be blamed, I can't, can't
I can't be tamed, I can't be changed
I can't be tamed
I sang loudly, making the most of the lack of microphone. I let the last chord ring, looking up at the small crowd gathered around the stage. They clapped politely, one man wolf-whistling loudly and winking. I nodded at them, putting the guitar back where I found it and moving over to edge, jumping down with ease. Damon was in front of me before I could blink, handing me a fresh beer.
"Loved the song," he purred in my ear, throwing an arm around my shoulders.
"That was great Cassie," Elena said as she appeared in front of us, new glass in her hand. "Hey, wanna play darts?"
I pursed my lips, considering the request. "Okay," I decided. "But you should know, I can't play to save my life."
"It's easy," she said, grabbing my arm and gently pulling me from Damon's arms. "Here, I'll show you." She led me over to the dart board, picking up the chalk and writing our names atop the board beside it. She picked up the darts, throwing them impressively into the board. They hit mostly around the outer ring, but she racked up a fair few point. "Your turn," she said, tugging the darts free and offering them to me with a smile. I grinned back, taking them in my hand, aiming and throwing a dart without looking at the board, maintaining eye contact with Elena. She frowned and spun around, eyeing where the dart lay embedded in the bullseye. "You're hustling me, aren't you?" she asked with a light laugh.
"Pretty much," I nodded, throwing another dart and watching it hit only an inch or two from my first one. I was just about to throw the next one when Elena's phone rang. I paused, eyeing her as she dug it out of her pocket, squinting down at the screen. "Are you gonna get that?"
"Yeah," she nodded, wandering towards the door. "I'll be right back," she told me. My gaze shot to an older man in a tailored suit sitting by the door, eyeing Elena with hungry eyes.
"Actually I think I'll come with you," I said, throwing the dart carelessly at the board, not bothering to see where it landed. She frowned in confusion, tilting her head at me as she headed for the door. "I could use the fresh air," I lied as we passed the dangerous looking man. I flashed my teeth at him as we left, and if looks could kill he'd be ten feet under. He coughed awkwardly, shifting in his chair and pulling out his phone, pretending to fiddle with it as we exited the bar.
She pushed the door open, swinging around onto the porch and tripping over nothing, yelping as her knees hit the ground. I chuckled, leaning down to pull her up easily. "Hello?" she finally answered her phone.
A hand wrapped around my throat, and before I could do anything the person snapped my neck. The last thing I heard before everything went black, was Elena's terrified scream.
I woke up suddenly, gasping for breath. "Ah," I groaned in pain, reaching up to rub my aching neck. I knew somebody had broken it, it had been done all too many times over the last century. I spun around in a circle, looking for Elena. "Elena?" I asked, spying her a few feet away. "What the fuck hap-" I was cut off by a man smacking me across the face, then grasping my throat and shoving me up against the fence.
His red eyes glared at me with pure hatred as he shoved a stake into my chest. My heart stuttered with fear, but after a moment I realised he hadn't hit my heart. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground, clutching my bleeding chest desperately. My lungs burned as I worked them, trying to bring oxygen into my body. I heaved, convulsing slightly as I reached for the stake. He reached down and tugged it out. The relief only lasted one short moment before he was shoving it into my stomach. I yelped in pain, trying to push him away with my weak arms.
"Cassie!" Elena screamed from somewhere behind me. "Damon, no!"
"Cass!" I heard Damon's panicked voice call. I opened my mouth to yell back, but all that came out was a whisper.
"No Cassie, stay with us," Elena said, suddenly beside me. I stared up at her with tired eyes, watching as she put her shaking hands on my stomach around the stake, trying to stop the blood flow.
"Damon," I breathed, catching her hand with one of my own, meeting her eyes. "Help Damon."
She looked like she wanted to protest, but I squeezed her hand lightly, begging her with my eyes as I overheard the fight Damon was having only feet from us. Finally she nodded, hand slipping from my grasp as she scurried over to the two fighting vampires. I could hear her talking, but I had no idea what she was saying. All my focus was on the burning in my gut, leading me to believe the stake was laced with vervain. I hissed, grabbing the wood and attempting to yank it from my stomach. It just burned more, and my arms didn't have the strength necessary to pull it out.
My head lulled to the side, energy rapidly draining from me. Then it was Damon's voice that pulled me from the brink of unconsciousness. "Cassie? Cass! Come on, talk to me Cassie," his voice was panicked. I opened my eyes, blinking up at him tiredly. He squeezed my shoulder once, hands moving to the stake protruding from my stomach.
I noticed Elena watching worriedly from over Damon's shoulder, eyes shining with emotion. He yanked the stake from my gut, a terrible burning lighting up within me as he did.
"It's okay," he assured me, hand brushing back my hair gently. "The stake's out, you're gonna be fine."
"Blood," I rasped, slowly letting Damon pull me to my feet. The wounds were healing, but not as quickly as I would have liked.
"Of course," he said, gesturing to Elena. "I'll be right back."
He was gone in a blink, and Elena moved up beside me, pressing a hand to my elbow to steady me. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
"I will be," I reassured her as Damon rounded the corner again, the leering man in the suit from before following him like an obedient dog.
"Dinner is served," he said, grinning crookedly at me before turning to Elena and pressing a hand to the small of her back. "Come on, let's leave them be for a moment." Elena looked ready to process, but quickly realised what was about to happen and nodded gratefully as she let him lead her away.
"Don't scream," I compelled him drowsily, weakly grabbing him by the collar and pulling him to me. I pressed my open lips to his neck, fangs descending and cutting through his thin skin like butter.
"You didn't kill him, did you?" Elena asked in concern, twisting her hands worriedly in front of her. I looked up from the front of my shirt, I was assessing the damage. Two large holes in my chest and stomach from the stake, also covered in blood. There would be no fixing this shirt. I patted it sadly, remembering the day I bought it in Manchester fondly.
"No," I told her honestly, not adding how much I'd wanted to. "I only took enough to heal myself then compelled him to forget her ever saw us."
She breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping tiredly. I moved forward, awkwardly placing an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her to me for a along, tense moment. "Um..." she said, clearly confused.
"You saved Damon's life today," I told her, letting her go and stepping back, crossing my arms. "And probably mine too." She didn't reply, just stared at me, waiting for me to make my point. "You're not so bad, you know? I don't say this to many people so appreciate it for what it is; I think that, with some work, we could be friends."
It was hard to suck up my pride and say that, but a weight inside of me lifted, and I knew I'd done the right thing. She smiled widely, something like relief colouring her features, and nodded. "I would love that," she answered honestly.
I nodded, letting my lip twitch up into a small smile as Damon sauntered out of the bar. I could see him wiping blood from his hands through the dark, and cocked my head curiously. "Is it done?" I asked as he approached, watching him closely.
"It's done," he assured me. I said a silent prayer for my fallen friend, trying to ignore the fact that it was us who did the killing.
Later that night Damon pulled open the door to the Grill, ushering me through first before joining me and letting it slam shut behind him. He straightened his jacket and led me through to the bar. "Don't you think it's a bit sad we've been drinking non-stop since last night?" I asked lightly, shrugging off my own jacket and handing it on the back of my chair at the bar.
"We've done worse," he said, gesturing for the bartender to bring us two bourbons.
I lifted mine up as soon as I got my hand on it, turning to Damon with a resigned smile. "To Bree," I toasted and he clinked his glass against mine as we took a drink for out old friend. As we put our glasses back down on the bar, we noticed a guy sitting a few seats down, staring at us blatantly. Damon nodded politely and I saluted him lazily, sending one last smirk his way before turning back to Damon and wondering where the hell we were going to go from here.