A/N: okay, so it's been a while, this chapter is the longest I've done to make up for it. Keep up the reviewing.
NOTICE: This chapter has been re-written as of the 5th of October 2014. I hope you like the improvement.
"Good morning Stefan," I smiled as he passed me where I was reading on the lounge, my legs thrown over the arm rest, the heels of my boots clicking on the table.
"Morning?" he questioned with an eyebrow raised. I rolled my eyes at him, annoyed that I couldn't be even slightly pleasant without everybody thinking I had ulterior motives.
"Yes, good morning. You don't have to be so sceptical all the time?" I told him lightly, peeking at him over the top of my book. He narrowed his eyes at me, then turned and headed for the front door. "What-cha doing?"
"I'm going to go give this vervain to Elena to give to her family and friends," he explained, pausing and spinning back around to watch me as I slowly closed the book and stood.
"Okay, well tell her I said hello," I smiled again. I was in a surprisingly good mood. I was happy I had made peace with Elena. I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but I liked having one less person hate me in this world.
"Why?" he asked, clearly suspicious.
I shrugged, tucking my hands into the pockets of my leather pants and strolling towards him. "We made a truce in Atlanta," I informed him as though it were no big deal. "She's not so bad, you know? I would even say we're on the road to friendship."
What he did next shocked me. He stepped forwards and wrapped his free arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a slightly awkward side hug. "Thank you so much for giving her a chance," he mumbled into my hair. "You're not a bad sister."
"High compliments from you," I smiled as I pulled back. I decided, what the hell, I'd already gone this far. Why not take it further. "It's nice to know that after everything I've done, you still consider me your sister."
He smiled down at me, squeezing me to him one last time before nodding and pulling away and heading for the door, box of vervain in hand. "Have fun with your girlfriend," I called after him. He shot me a smile just before he ducked out the door. I smiled at the slab of painted wood, a fondness I long thought gone reappearing in my chest for my little brother. I collapsed back on the couch, picking up my book and cracking it open to the right page.
"Cassie!" Damon said from somewhere upstairs. I groaned, annoyed I'd been stopped from reading once again and got to my feet, leisurely made my way upstairs with my book tucked under my arm.
"What D?" I asked, trying not to sound as irritated as I felt. I supposed the good mood would never stay that long.
"You wanna give me a hand?" he asked, tearing books off the shelves and tossing them carelessly onto the floor. I cringed and replied, "No, not really. And you're cleaning that up."
Now it was his turn to groan as he turned back to continue looking for his father's journal. I sat down in the comfy red chair and put my feet up on the desk, kicking back and once more opening my book.
"What are you reading?" he asked me, continuing his search.
"Alice in Wonderland," I told him distractedly. He stopped pointlessly making a mess and turned to face me.
"Seriously? Again?"
"Yes. Seriously," I answered, rolling my eyes and attempting to focus on the words before me.
"What is it, like the hundredth time you've read it?" he asked. I sighed again. "Why are you reading it again?"
"Because it's my favourite book Damon," I said, flipping the page idly. "You know that."
"The thing's practically falling apart," he continued, frowning over at me and crossing his arms, leaning back against the bookcase. "Why don't you buy a new copy?"
"Because this is a first edition," I snapped, glaring up at him. "Can I please get back to reading now?"
He held up his hands, rolling his eyes at me before turning back to the wall of books and returned to sorting through them. A good hour passed with Damon scouring through books and journals, looking for the specific one we needed, while I let him to all the leg work, letting myself get lost in my favourite book.
"What are you looking for Damon?" Stefan's voice sounded from the staircase. I looked up, not particularly interested as he moved into the room. They weren't saying anything important so I turned my attention back to my book. He and Damon conversed for a minute about Atlanta and Elena and other boring topics while I just sat there, happy to keep reading my book.
"You're pathetic when you're fishing."
"You're transparent when you're deflecting."
"You're both stupid when you're bickering," I added without looking up from my book, irritated that they're fighting was distracting me from my book. Stefan turned to face me, seeming to just realise I was there.
"Don't you have school?" Damon asked him. The younger Salvatore just smirked, a weird look on him, one I hadn't seen in a good fifty years.
He made to leave, picking up his backpack and throwing it over his shoulders. I called out, "Have a nice day sweetie!" half teasing, half sincerely.
"You too mom," he yelled back as he disappeared down the stairs. I growled and slammed my book shut, grumbling about stupid kids these days. Damon laughed slightly as I got up and started to help him search. I figured it would get done quicker with more than one person searching.
"Screw, marry, kill."
"Matt Damon, Haley Williams and Tom Cruise," Damon offered, stepped forwards to push the door to the Grill, holding it open for me and watching as I ducked under his arm.
"Easy," I chuckled in reply. "Kill Tom Cruise, marry Matt Damon and screw Haley Williams."
He nodded, accepting my answer. "Wise choice."
I opened my mouth to respond but paused when I noticed Bonnie alone sitting at a table in the middle of the eating area. I reached forwards and grabbed Damon's hand, tugging him to a stop. He looked up confusedly, and I nodded to Bonnie discretely. He nodded in reply, no matter how reluctantly, and I used our connected hands to drag him over to her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned her head and saw us sitting opposite her, having not heard our silent approach.
"What do you want from me?" she asked us once she'd gotten her heart beat under control.
"We think we all need a fresh start," he admitted, letting go of my hand to fold them together on top of the table. I nodded, happy he was taking the lead with this. Talking wasn't my strong point.
"You tried to kill me," she exclaimed in outrage, shifting further away from us.
"But I didn't," he defended himself. I had to admit, he had a point. But maybe I was biassed.
I chuckled under my breath, adding, "Well I did pull you off of her."
Bonnie stopped glaring daggers at Damon long enough to shoot me a perplexed look. "You did?" she asked.
"Well, Stefan helped too," I said awkwardly, suddenly uncomfortable with not knowing what her reaction could be. I didn't want any praise, or anything even close to that.
"Thank you," she told me sincerely, sounding surprised that she was saying it at all. I didn't know how to reply, so I just smiled.
"Look, if I had really wanted to kill you, I would have. Does that not count for anything?" Damon put in, tilting his head in that stupidly adorable way he sometimes did.
"You know I can start fires with my mind. Fires kill Vampires right?"
My lip automatically peeled back as a hiss worked its way up from my chest at the threat. Damon put a hand on my forearm, just his reassuring touch calming my down.
"Just stay the hell away from me," Bonnie practically spat, scowling at Damon.
"Everything okay over here?" asked a random stranger who turned out to be pretty hot. I let my eyes travel down his form shamelessly, and Damon squeezed my arm so tightly it nearly hurt.
"Yeah, we're fine," he said, eyes flickering between the newcomer and myself.
"I wasn't talking to you," he replied back and I felt the urge to growl, but managed to keep all animalistic noises firmly contained inside myself. I settled for smirking quietly up at him, my expression matching Damon's. His hand slid from my elbow to my hand, and he intertwined our fingers together. He pulled me to my feet and led me over to the bar.
Once we sat down I realised I was still holding his hand.
"D?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
I looked pointedly at our connected hands. "Oh," he said as he let go. I immediately wanted the contact back then immediately chastised myself for thinking that way.
We felt it best to just have a few drinks, get our minds off everything.
"Okay, Alex Gaskarth, Reese Witherspoon and Billie Piper," I said, continuing our game from earlier.
"Okay..." he began, throwing back his whiskey before replying. "I'd screw Alex, I'd kill Reese and I'd marry Billie."
I grinned, sipping my Martini. "Same," I told him, and he threw back his head and laughed.
"Excuse me? Cassandra Miller?" asked a female voice to our right, which was laced with false kindness. I immediately cringed at the sound of it, but turned to face the person with a smile nonetheless.
"Yes?" I asked, blinking in surprise when I realised just who it was. "Oh, Carol Lockwood. Hello, what can I do for you?"
"Well, a week ago, I was in here when you got up and sang," she explained, twisting her hands in front of her almost like she was anxious, which I understood. I knew I could be seriously intimidating, in fact, I kind of took pride in it. "You were amazing."
"Thank you," I smiled as genuinely as I could, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. I had to stay on her, and everyone else on the council's, good side.
"I was wondering, we're looking for someone to sing at main events. Founders Day parties, balls, Galas, any celebration this town has. We need some lovely music and we would prefer it to be live. You would be set up with a band and everything else you'd need. Would you like the job?"
"Oh," I responded, floored by the question. That was the last thing I expected to happen. "Um..." I trailed off, looking to Damon for help. He grinned widely, nodding and silently telling me to say yes. I supposed he'd want me to have an in on all the parties and going ons of the town. "Well, sure I guess," I told Carol, smiling crookedly. I'd never had a job before.
"Thank you so much Cassandra, give me a call to discuss details," she rambled giddily as she handed me a card with her name and number on it.
"Will do," I answered. She smiled falsely again as she walked off, a bounce in her step. I turned to my best friend, a smirk sitting comfortably on my lips. "I have a job."
"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes. "Don't let it get to your head."
I was sitting next to Damon as he wrote out the names of the main founding families. The door opened and Stefan walked in, all dressed up for the dance. "You got the hair right," Damon commented. Stefan said nothing and just set something down in front of us.
"Why are you bringing me Dads journal?" he asked as I blinked up at the younger man, keeping my face carefully blank of all emotion so I gave nothing away.
"Because you were looking for it," Stefan replied.
I cleared my throat, crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair. "And why would we want it?"
"Gee, I don't know you guys. Maybe you wanna do a bit of bonding?"
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you honey," I snapped back, flashing my teeth momentarily.
"Go ahead, enjoy," he said, totally ignoring me, much to my chagrin. "Read it, I have. No where in it does it say anything Katherine or the tomb or how to open it."
"I'm not surprised. The man could barely spell his own name," Damon snarked, pretending not to be as interested in it as I know he was.
"I'm really sorry that it won't be of any help with your diabolical plan. The sequel."
I laughed a little, unable to help myself. "You know, I could help you," Stefan went on to say, seeming as devious as I knew he was being.
"You help us?" Damon said. "I don't know, it seems a little unnatural."
I chuckled again, sliding my legs off the table and throwing one over the other, staring at Stefan carefully, analysing his every move. "I'll do anything to get you out of this town. Even release Katherine," Stefan admitted slowly. I felt kind of hurt that he really wanted me out that badly, but I refused to let it show.
"What about the other 26 vampires?" Damon asked as I raised an eyebrow, my face frozen in place.
"No, no they can't come, they have to stay put," Stefan said. "But Katherine. I would consider that."
My still heart just about jumped in my chest at his words. The very thought of getting my sister back exciting me.
After a long, heavy beat Damon spoke up. "What are you doing?"
"Hm? What's your angle?" I added grumpily, narrowing my eyes at him, our earlier truce sliding into the back of my mind.
"Think about it," Stefan shook his head.
"Why would we trust you?"
"See that's your problem Damon. You apply all of your short comings to everybody else. If history's any indication, there's only two lairs among us."
I stood up, pushing my chair back roughly and snarled. Damon stood with me and grabbed my hand again to calm me. Stefan met my eyes, smirked and casually strode from the room. "Dick," I hissed, the nails of my left hand digging into the wood of the table.
"Hey, don't ruin the furniture," Damon whined, moving his other hand to dislodge my claws from the mahogany. "Just calm down," he instructed me, moving me so I sat back down. "Don't let it get to you Cas."
Finally my breathing returned to normal and I began to feel the rage melt away.
"I see that temper of yours is still intact," he smiled down at me, finally letting me go. I smiled back slightly, not really in the mood to play nice.
I picked up my book, cracking it open and settling into my chair to read. I'd only gotten about a sentence in when the phone sitting beside me started to ring.
"You have got to be kidding me!" I all but screamed as I picked up the phone, blocking out Damon's laughter. All I wanted to do was read a God damn book.
"What?!"
"Cassie! Where is he," Elena's voice drifted through the speakers, she sounded panicked.
"Oh, Elena, hi. He's on his way to you," I told her. "He forgot his phone."
"Oh thank god!" she sighed in relief. "This compass was spinning. Stefan must be here."
"You're sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, thanks Cass," she replied, sounding much less stressed.
"You're welcome," I smiled said, not waiting for a goodbye before I removed the phone from my ear and pressed the red button to end the call. I chucked it carelessly over onto the desk, it made a loud noise and I secretly hoped it had cracked, it would serve Stefan right.
"That was weird," Damon commented from where he was spread out on the couch.
I nodded and sat down opening my book to the page I had been trying to finish all day. I was only a paragraph in when my phone started ringing.
I growled, utterly irritated as I fished it out of my pocket. "Somebody had better be dying!" I snapped into the phone
"Cassie, you and Damon need to come to Elena's right now," Stefan's voice filled my ears, choosing to ignore my previous statement. I looked at Damon and he nodded to tell me he'd heard.
"Why?" I asked cautiously.
"Leave now, I'll explain on the way," he insisted, and I let Damon lead me down the stairs and to the coat rack.
"Okay, we'll take the car-"
"No, run, it'll be faster," Stefan interrupted, sounding urgent.
"Uh, no," I replied flatly. "I'm not running, do you have any idea what that'd do to my hair? No, we're taking the car. We'll be there in a sec," I said soberly. "Be patient. Now, tell me everything that happened."
"How'd he get in?" Damon asked, pacing the floor, not even pausing to look at Elena when she spoke.
"He was invited in," she answered shakily.
"He posed as a pizza delivery guy last night," Stefan explained, leaning into her and holding her hand.
"Well he gets points for that," Damon admitted, and I nodded.
I sat up from where I was thrown over a couch in the corner, my legs hanging over the arm rest. "Did he say what he wanted, Elena?"
"No, he was too busy trying to kill me," she spat, arms wrapping around her middle as though holding herself together.
"And neither of you have any idea who this is," Stefan asked again.
"No," Damon snapped back.
"Why would you assume we know him Stefan?" I asked still royally pissed at him because of earlier. "It's not like all us villains do poker and bingo nights every Friday. We don't know every bad guy in the world."
Damon moved over to the couch I had claimed, picking up my legs and sliding under them before resting them back on his lap and beginning to draw patterns on my shin with his fingers.
"Don't look at us like that," Damon exclaimed in annoyance. "We told you we had company!"
"You think there's more than one?" Elena asked, shrinking back into Stefan like it would keep her safe.
"We don't know," I told her, trying to keep from getting distracted by what Damon was doing. "But we're going to find out."
"Guys, he was invited in," Stefan told us, voice thick with meaning. We nodded seriously, eyes on the younger brother. We knew what that meant. Elena wouldn't truly be safe until he was dead.
"Then we go get him tonight," Damon proclaimed, patting my leg twice.
"Are you up for it?" I asked Elena, excited for a fight. It had been a while since I'd had the chance to bash somebody's teeth in.
"What do I have to do?" she asked, putting on a brave face. I could hear her heart beating frantically in her chest with fear, but I admired her for trying to appear tough.
"Let your boyfriend take you to the dance," Damon told her, leaning forwards and smirking in anticipation. "We'll see who shows up."
"That's a bad idea," Stefan interrupted quickly, immediately shooting the idea down. It was a solid plan, with us around she couldn't be safer. He was just too anxious to risk losing her, which I understood. I don't know what I would do if I lost Damon.
"I don't hear you coming up with a better plan," I replied snidely, narrowing my eyes at him.
"Until we get him, this house isn't safe," Damon reminded him.
"For anyone who lives in it," I added, casting a meaningful glance towards Elena. She exhaled loudly, eyes on the floor as she no doubt thought about her aunt and brother.
"It's worth a shot," he continued.
She snapped her head up, meeting out eyes with a determined stare. "I'll do it."
"You're doing the right thing, honey. You'll be fine," I smiled in what I hoped was a comforting way. I wasn't very good at the whole maternal thing, but better late than never. "Nothing can happen if we're there."
"Exactly. I'll be with the 3 of you, I'll be safe," she reassured Stefan who looked beyond worried. Clearly he was still against the plan, but he knew he really didn't have a choice.
That night when we walked into the party people stared. I had dressed according to the theme, the 50's, wearing one of my own personal dresses from that period. It was white with a black sash tied around my waist and matching black heels that weren't easy to run in but would deliver one hell of a kick to the face if it came down to it.
Elena was holding onto Stefan's arm while Damon's hand rested on my waist as he led us through the sea of dancing teenagers, keeping an eye out for any bad vampires. They weren't easy to spot, I often wished we had some sort of ability to sense when others were near, but unfortunately my life was not a Bram Stoker novel.
Elena wandered off by herself in the direction of her friends while Damon, Stefan and I stayed to the side to keep look-out. One of the children dressed in a pink frock bumped into me, and I grunted as I knocked my arm on the wall from the force of the blow.
"Do you see anyone?" Stefan asked as Damon reached out a hand to steady me and remind me I couldn't attack anyone in public.
"I see lots people Stefan," I retorted bitterly, smoothing the creases of my dress. "The last time I checked, this was a dance." I pursed my lips, eyeing the table of food across the room. I hoped they had pigs in blankets.
"I mean have you seen anyone suspicious?" he corrected for my benefit, shooting me an irritated glance.
"Nope," I answered, not bothering to look his way.
"Well, I'm positive that guy just slipped something into the punch," Damon pitched in, gesturing in the general direction of the guy slipping a flask back into his jacket pocket. I burst out laughing, clutching onto Damon's arm for support.
"I'll go check it out, shall I?" I offered as I headed to the table where the young Jeremy sat, keeping watch. I had to admit I had ulterior motives. I really wanted a drink to take the edge off. "Hey dude, heads up, some guy just emptied a flask of some highly suspicious liquid into the punch," I told Elena's brother offhandedly.
He grinned lopsidedly and shrugged carelessly. "Oh well. It was bound to happen at some point."
"Cassie Miller," I introduced myself holding my hand out.
"Jeremy Gilbert," he replied, shaking my hand. He frowned for a moment and I knew he was thinking about the temperature of my skin.
"Well, at the risk of getting poisoned," I said to distract him, picking up a cup and holding it out to him. "One cup of punch please."
"Coming right up," he grinned at ladled me some punch. I stared down at the orange liquid, eyeing the floating bits of fruit in it before taking a sip and grimacing dramatically. "What is it?" he asked, sounding worried.
"Orange. I hate orange," I replied, winking at him as I smirked. "Oh and whiskey." He laughed loudly, rolling his eyes before shrugging again and pouring himself a cup. "Have a good night," I told him sincerely, turning and walking back to Damon.
"I like orange," he told me as I slid in beside him, plucking the plastic red cup from my hands and moving it up to his lips to take a sip. I rolled my eyes again, of course he'd been listening. "Hm," he hummed, handing me back the cup. "Not bad."
Elena and Stefan appeared in front of us, holding hands and looking worried as usual.
"This party's getting lame," groaned Damon, leaning back to wrap an arm over my bare shoulders as I took another sip of spiked punch.
"Amen," I murmured into the cup, scrunching my nose up at the taste. It was worth it for the alcohol, I needed something to get me through the night.
"Stefan, would you like to dance?" Elena asked, turning to her boyfriend and smiling up at him with stomach-churning innocence.
"Absolutely," he answered as he took her arm and led her to the dance floor. I watched with boredom as he spun her around under his arm. I sighed and leant into Damon, getting comfortable but staying alert. We could be attacked at any moment.
"Can we go dancing?" I asked Damon, looking up at him from under my lashes, knowing he had trouble resisting that expression.
"We're already at a dance," he countered, pointedly looking away from me. "What more do you want?"
"No, you know what I mean," I replied, wrapping my free arm around his waist. "Some place with jazz and cocktails, not techno and spiked punch."
He sighed, finally moving to meet my eyes. I let my lips pull up and over my teeth, smiling widely at him. "Fine," he moaned, glaring at me playfully. "When this whole thing blows over I'll take you dancing."
I pushed myself onto my toes, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Yay," I said, grinning ear to ear.
"Hey, I don't recognise you guys. How did you get roped into chaperoning?" a voice from right beside us asked, and we instinctively jumped apart, crossing our arms defensively and meeting the new comers eyes. We stared, waiting for him to elaborate. "Oh, Alaric Saltzman," he introduced himself, seemingly to realise what a shitty introduction his first words had been. "I'm the new history teacher."
"Ah the cursed faculty position," Damon joked, playing nice as he held out a hand to shake.
"So I've been told," he replied, a smile toying on his lips. I eyed him closely, noticing that he was actually rather attractive in an Indiana Jones kind of way. His heart was beating rather fast, but then again he was very close to my cleavage, so I shrugged it off as nothing.
"Damon Salvatore and this is Cassandra Miller," Damon told him, shaking his hand firmly then gesturing to me.
"Cassie," I corrected, squeezing his hand slightly tighter than I usually would. He didn't react, merely smiled at me kindly.
"Salvatore?" he asked after a moment. "As in Stefan?"
"He's our little brother," Damon answered, turning to look at where Stefan was swaying to the music with Elena.
"Oh, you two are related?" he asked, looking between us with narrowed eyes, obviously not seeing any resemblance.
"No, I'm adopted," I told him, taking another sip of the whiskey-punch. He nodded politely, seeming honestly interested.
"We're his legal guardians, hence the chaperoning," Damon added, gesturing to the mass of sweating teenagers.
"I hear he's very bright, not that I've seen for myself," he said, nodding towards the boy in question.
"Very bright," I agreed, for a moment thinking back to the days when he was going through school for the first time. I remembered when he'd come running to me, holding his report card all excited to tell me how he was excelling at one thing or another. For a moment I felt nostalgic, missing those days. Damon spoke up, distracting me from the sad path my thoughts were taking.
"His attendance records a little spotty. Family drama."
"No parents?" he asked. I glanced up at Damon at the exact time Damon glanced down at me. I could see suspicion blooming in his eyes before he snapped them back to Alaric, answering strategically.
"It's just the three of us now."
"You live here your whole life?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow, keeping my eyes away from his so he couldn't see how apprehensive I was about the whole conversation.
"On and off," Damon answered, taking the cup from my grasp and sipping it leisurely.
"We love to travel," I added, thinking about how much I missed places like London, Paris, and Australia.
"Really?" he asked, his interest at an unnecessary level. "Where? Around the States?" He reeked of desperation, it was obvious he was grilling us and trying to be sneaky about it. We both turned to look at him, eyes narrowed with suspicion. He laughed lightly, changing tactics. "I'm sorry, I'm being nosy. I don't mean to pry. Look, it was nice meeting the both of you," he said sincerely, smiling politely.
"You too," we answered in sync, his brow lifting in bemusement before he turned to leave.
"Enjoy the rest of the dance," he said. I nodded, forcing my lips to twitch up into a smile as he disappeared into the crowd.
"Okay, so I'm officially bored!" Damon exclaimed, draining the rest of the punch from the cup and carelessly tossing it over his shoulder.
I sighed, rolling my neck. "Join the club." I couldn't wait to go home and soak in a nice, hot bubble bath. After a long pause he suddenly grabbed my hand, tugging me towards the dance floor.
"Seriously D?!" I asked, laughing as he spun me around under his arm and caught me as I fell back into him.
"Come on. You said you wanted to go dancing!," he laughed, shimmying his hips and putting his hands on mine to make me do the same. "Besides, you're the only other person here who was alive in the 50s, so you're the only one who knows how to do it right!"
"Incorrect!" I replied as we stun me around once more before his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me in so out chests brushed. "Stefan was there."
"There is no way in hell I'm dancing with Stefan," he responded, chuckling as he nodded his head to the beat. I threw my head back and laughed, letting him lead me in circles around all the other couples on the floor.
After a few minutes I began to loosen up, finding that I was actually enjoying myself. It reminded me so much of the actual 50's, with everyone in poodle skirts and dancing. "Remember when this song came out?" I asked him as we swayed.
Damon tilted his head to hear the song better, nodding. "Oh yeah," he said, remembering. "They sang it in every club for weeks."
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
crying all the time
We sang along with the music, laughing as we stumbled over the lyrics slightly.
"You really can't take them anywhere, can you," I heard Elena say from a few metres away with my heightened hearing.
"I resent that Elena!" I yelled over the music while Damon laughed and twirled me away from them.
After another long moment the song changed to one I didn't recognise, something much slower and more bluesy. Damon pulled me closer to him and I allowed myself to rest my head on his chest as we gently swayed to the music. I couldn't help the smile spread across my face, this was where I was happiest. In Damon's arms. "Do you think Katherine will want to come dancing with us?"
My chest suddenly ached, a frown marring my face. I swallowed thickly, for the first time in a long time the thought of Katherine didn't bring me happy emotions, but rather negative ones. "I'm sure she will, Damon," I replied, knowing it was probably what he wanted to hear.
"Cassie, Damon," Elena cried softly, appearing beside us. I pulled away from Damon, looking over at her in worry.
"Come to tell us how we have shamed you tonight Elena?" I asked jokingly as Damon dipped me down, my back bending uncomfortably.
"We found him. Stefan's checking it out now," was her frantic reply.
Then he dropped me.
"Where?" he asked, concern colouring his tone.
"Ass," I muttered, tripping him with my foot mercilessly and standing up, brushing the dirt off my dress. He groaned, holding his head where it had hit the ground and glaring up at me. I shot him a sour look, not bothering to help him stand before turning to Elena for more information. "Where's Stefan?"
"That way," she told me, moving to walk towards the exit. I grabbed her hand, pulling her to a stop.
"Okay, Elena," I said seriously as I moved my hands to her shoulders and turned her to face me. "No matter what happens, you have to stay in here, with the crowd."
She looked like she wanted to argue but nodded as Damon came up, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the exit Stefan took. He was just walking out of it as we approached. When we reached each other he shook his head disappointedly and looked around.
"Hey, Sherlock! You wanna tell us what the hell happened?" I asked, not looking him in the eye but rather searching the crowd for anyone suspicious looking.
"It was a false alarm. The Vampire gave his hoody to some punk at the refreshment table," Stefan said, looking in that direction. "Where's Elena?"
"Right..." I began, my eyes gliding over where I'd left her. "Not over there," I sighed angrily. "Dammit Elena!"
"Come on," he huffed. "This way."
We walked out of the gym normally so not to arouse suspicion, but the minute we rounded the corner we sprinted at our regular pace to where we could hear Elena panting and groaning in pain. They were in the cafeteria. Stefan and Damon got there before me, because my heels slowed me down a little.
Stefan was in first and grabbed the guy, throwing him off her and into the wall.
"Hey, dick head!" Damon yelled, getting his attention.
"Nobody wants to kill you!" I lied, pasting a kind smile on my lips.
"We just wanna talk," he finished.
He smirked wickedly and ran towards Elena. He was obviously young, as Damon was much faster. He threw the stake to Stefan who ruthlessly staked him in the stomach. He collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily.
"Now do you feel like talking?" asked Stefan, the look on his face reminding me of the twenties. That was a dark decade for him, and I wasn't in any hurry to re-live them.
"Screw you," he spat, lip curled back as he snarled.
"Ass-wipe!" I muttered as I walked passed him, smacking him in the head as hard as I could on the way. He yelped in pain at the blow, neck bent at a painful looking angle. I was at Elena's side within seconds, my arm around her shoulders as she sunk into my embrace. She was trembling, most likely going into shock, or at least she would when the adrenaline wore off. As much as I wanted in on the action, I know somebody had to stay by Elena's side, keep her calm and safe. Apparently that job fell to me.
"Wrong answer," Stefan said. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because it's fun," Damon and I smirked and shared a look fond look. It looked fun too, if I didn't know Elena personally I might have even wanted in on the action.
"What do you want with Elena?"
"She looks like Katherine," we all froze for a fraction of a second, taking in what he had just said. That hadn't been expected at all.
"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked incredulously.
"You thought you were the only ones," he replied, a cruel smirk on his lips. "You don't even remember me. Cassandra should," he looked directly at me. Elena flinched in my arms and I held her tighter, silently assuring her she would be okay. I hissed at the vampire, warning him to keep away.
"Tell me how to get into the tomb," Damon shouted, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.
"No," the guy said forcefully, earning him another staking. Elena winced as he groaned, blood pouring out of his wounds.
"The grimoire," he breathed, coughing up more blood.
"Where?"
Silence. Another stake.
"Check the journal," he choked, holding his stomach, probably to keep his guts from spilling out. "Use Jonathan's journal. Jonathan Gilbert's."
"Who else is working with you?" I asked from my place slightly in front of Elena. A protective position in case he by some miracle was able to stand and take a run at her.
"No, you're going to have to kill me," he said.
"That can be arranged," I replied smugly as Stefan staked him in the heart.
Elena gasped and clung onto me, still shaking like a leaf. I could tell my giddiness at the bloodshed wasn't helping so I swallowed my grin and focused on her. "How are you going to find the others now?" she asked, panicked.
"He had to die," Damon told her gently.
"But..."
"Elena," Stefan said, staring at her seriously. "He'd been invited in." She looked down to her shoes and I grabbed her in another side hug, unsure if I was helping or just making it worse.
There was a noise from the entrance and we saw that teacher guy through the glass on the door.
We looked at Stefan who nodded reassuringly. "Go, I got this." I looked at Elena and she nodded, affirming that I should go with him. I shot her a soft smile before racing after Damon and catching up with him just as he stopped the guy.
"What were you doing?" asked Damon, looking in his eyes deeply enough to begin compulsion.
"Looking for miss Hilton," he replied, staring blankly back at him, his voice monotone.
"Why are you in Mystic Falls?"
"I got a job as a teacher."
"Do you know what we are?"
"You're my students siblings."
"Is everything you're telling us the truth?"
"Yes."
"Then forget we had this conversation."
I grinned as Damon wrapped an arm around my waist, and as we passed I patted the teacher's cheek, effectively breaking the compulsion.
"How's Elena?" I asked Stefan as we met up with him in one of the hallways. Damon and I mirrored his position leaning against the wall.
"She's better," he said broodingly, not look as ecstatic as he probably should be. I supposed he was still sore about the whole thing.
"Good. That's good," I replied, nodding. I was truly and honestly glad that Elena was okay and that the immediate threat was eliminated. I didn't want anything to happen to her. I could count on my hand the number of true friends I had, and these days it was starting to get old. I wanted to have people in my life, shutting everyone out was exhausting.
"There's no way that guy was working alone," Damon blurted, shaking his head.
"You two are," he said.
"Ah, but we're a team," I countered, smirking at him.
"So the grimoire," he said. "That was Emily's. Right? That's what you need to reverse the spell. When the founding families burned her, they took her things. And you were hoping that Dad's journal would tell you where it is."
"Look at you," Damon smirked, nudging me before looking back at him. "Putting the pieces together. That was half right. Well, it's out there now. Let the games begin."
"My offer still stands," he shrugged.
I scoffed. "Sure Stefan."
"No, nothing hidden about it. No lies. No deception. I'm there when you open up that tomb. You and Katherine go. And the other 26 Vampires die."
"If we agree?" Damon asked. My eyes snapped to him in surprise. There was no way he was listening to this. Stefan doesn't get to change his tune so often. One minute he was helping us, the next he was against us. He needed to make up his bloody mind.
"You're not actually considering this, are you Damon?" I asked in disbelief, crossing my arms and turning to face him, only to be ignored.
"I'll help you," was Stefan's argument.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm you're brother," he said. I snorted, like that meant anything any more.
"That's not going to cut it," Damon replied with narrowed eyes.
"Because I want you gone," he finally admitted. He glanced at me, "Both of you."
"You're serious?" I asked. He just looked at me, unblinking. "So everything you said about me still being your sister, all that was a lie?"
I could feel my eyes start to burn with tears. I felt betrayed, I felt like everyone around me had an agenda. I pushed down the sadness and outrage and waited for his answer.
"I just want you both gone. I figured it would soften the blow a little," he told me.
I wanted to cry. I felt a feral growl grow in my chest, travel up my throat and snarl out through my teeth. Before I knew what I was doing I had slammed him into the wall, my hand crushing his windpipe. My fangs were bared, my eyes black and his face was void of emotion.
"You won't hurt me," he choked out from under my hand. "You don't have it in you."
I hissed again, tightening my hand feeling the bones in his neck threaten to give way. A pained, chocking noise left Stefan's mouth, and Damon touched my shoulder gently. It snapped me out of it and I let go, stepping back as if I had been burnt.
"Enough," Damon growled, moving in between us with a hand on each of our chests, obviously just in case. Once he was sure we were both calm enough he nodded and let us go. "Okay Stefan. You can help," he sighed. I froze. I couldn't even find the strength to growl. I just stared at him.
"Listen Cas," Damon said as he turned around, but I wasn't hearing any of it. I couldn't handle it. I felt like everything was caving in around me. I backed away from him and down the hall. "Cas!"
He took a step towards me. "Either of you come anywhere near me I swear to God I will rip your head off," I threatened, edging away.
Damon looked hurt, but I knew he couldn't be as hurt as I was. I felt my eyes start to burn again and this time I didn't stop them. They filled with water. Through the blurriness, I saw Damon's eyes soften. While Stefan's widened. Damon had seen me cry plenty of times. Back in the early days when we'd first been turned, when people we called friends died, when I got so drunk I got weepy. Stefan had never, ever seen me cry. Not since we'd been turned, at least.
I spun and disappeared, ignoring the car and running at my full pace towards the boardinghouse. I tried not to think as I ran, tears running down my cheeks. I supposed even vampires could get overwhelmed sometimes. Once I was halfway to the house I realised that it was most likely the first place Damon and Stefan would go. I needed time and space, but I didn't exactly have a little black book full of people in Mystic Falls whose couches I could crash on.
I knew of one option. One place I could go that I was likely to be accepted.
"Hey," I said as cheerily as I could when Elena opened her door.
"Cassie?" she asked, almost unsure if it was me.
"Yeah," I laughed weakly, unable to blame her. I had tear tracks running down my face and my hair was no doubt a mess from running all the way over here.
"Oh my god," she breathed as she stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. It felt so strange to be hugged by somebody that wasn't Damon. I hesitated, but eventually decided I could probably use a hug right about now. After a long moment she let go and pulled back, holding me at arms length and examining me. I sniffled pathetically and her expression softened. "Come inside," she told me, stepping back and holding the door open for me. I walked in after her and she immediately led me up the stairs and into her room.
After I told her what happened, she was furious. It felt good knowing she didn't think I was overreacting or anything. My emotions felt validated for once, and I liked the way that felt.
"Um..." I said after a few seconds silence once Elena had stopped ranting about how disappointed she was with Stefan. "So I know this might sound kinda weird, but can I please stay with you for a while?"
She was quiet for a long while, and my chest tightened, sure she was going to say no. "Of course you can," she finally said, a gentle smile on her face.
"So, does that mean I can use the shower?" I asked hopefully, trying my best to smile.
She laughed lightly, patting me on the shoulder. "Go for it."
"And can I borrow some clothes?"
"Absolutely."
"You're a life saver," I told her gratefully, a real smile gracing my lips as I took her hand in my own and squeezed it tightly for a moment.
"Meet me downstairs when you're done," she told me, squeezing me back one last time before leaving me to my own devices.
I snooped through her draws, finding the one with her pyjamas and picking out a pair or boxer shorts and a tank top. The shower was fantastic, it had amazing water pressure. It felt amazing to wash off all of my tears and make up.
When I got out of the bathroom, dressed in my borrowed pyjamas, I moved over to the vanity to brush my hair. I could hear Elena downstairs talking to Jenna, explaining my situation and asking if we could watch movies and eat ice cream in the lounge room all night. I smiled at how kind she was being, she felt like the only friend I had left right about now.
"Cassie."
I didn't jump or even start, I just sighed as I turned to face Damon who was sitting at Elena's window seat, watching me with hesitant eyes.
"What Damon?" I asked tiredly, rubbing at the spot above my right eyebrow where I could feel a headache building. I hadn't fed in a long time, I knew I'd need some soon, but I figured that was yet another problem I could deal with in the morning.
"Why are you here?" he asked me quietly. "Why not just come home?"
"Because I don't know if I can handle being around the Salvatore boys tonight," I responded honestly.
"So you ran away?" he asked, standing but staying where he was. "That's not the Cassie I know!"
"Maybe I've changed," I raised my voice a little, hoping Elena and Jenna couldn't hear me. "Time tends to do that to a person. Especially when they've had over 150 years of it!"
"Why now?" he asked.
"I don't know," I admitted, putting down the brush. "But what I do know, is that I need time. He said things that he had no right to. And my best friend in the entire world did absolutely nothing. And then sided with him."
He said nothing, just looked down at his shoes, lip pursed in thought.
"Go away please," I whispered tiredly.
I felt a gust of air and in the time I took to blink he was in front of me, his face dangerously close to mine.
"Look at me," he whispered when I refused to look up. I felt his hand under my chin as he lifted it to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry. I've never been more sorry."
I felt a tear travel down my cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb.
I couldn't speak. I just nodded, looking down again. He sighed. "Cas -"
"Hey Cassie, do you wanna..." came Elena's voice, trailing off when she noticed the vampire standing chest to chest with me. "Damon."
"Elena," he greeted without looking away from me.
"Go, Damon," I said forcefully. "Go now!" I said louder as veins formed under my eyes and my fangs elongated.
He was gone just like that. That's the great thing about Damon, he knew when to back away, at least when it came to me. I turned to face Elena and saw her frozen with fear. Oh. I made my face change back to normal, my fangs sinking back into my gums and my green eyes clearing.
"Sorry," I told her as I walked over to the mirror and picked my brush back up.
"Oh, no don't worry about it. It's just strange, you know, seeing such a beautiful face, one you see everyday, become so..."
"Evil?" I supplied as I brushed my hair.
"Well, no..."
"It's okay Elena," I laughed a little, trying to shake myself out of feeling so sad. "So what were you saying when you came up?"
"Oh, I wanted to know if you wanna have a movie night," she smiled. "Something to take your mind off it all?"
"Of course," I said. "But nothing with Vampires in it."
"No," she smiled. I smiled back slightly.
"Thank you again for letting me stay here Elena. I understand Damon's reasons, it's Stefan I'm really mad at. I just don't wanna be around him right now," I said as we made our way down the stairs.
"That's okay," she said softly, "I understand."
We got downstairs and started narrowing down the movies to watch. Then something hit me. No matter how mad I was at Stefan, we were going to get Katherine back. I was going to get my sister back. But now that I really thought about it, I wasn't sure that's what I really wanted.
