Wow! I can't believe this is the final chapter of Crazy Stupid Love. It has been an incredible ride taking you on the first part of Cassandra's story. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me this entire time. Every review, every favorite, every follower, has meant the world to me! It's bitter sweet knowing I'll be flipping the status of this story to completed, because I've loved working on it, but at the same time I am so excited to start sharing the sequel with you guys. Ak, it's going to be epic! (More about at the end of the chapter.) With that said, enjoy this last chapter! I've got tissues handy if anyone needs them (for happy or sad tears).

Chapter 36 - Graduation Day

The Mystic Grill hummed with the soft voices of the many patrons enjoying the restaurant's Graduation Brunch the following morning. Amongst those in attendance were Cassandra and Elijah. It hadn't been hard persuading him to go with her. Even her mom had found a few minutes to swing by and eat a couple of pieces of crispy bacon before being summoned by one of her deputies to handle some undisclosed issue.

As she swallowed the last bite of her pancakes, Cassandra casually glanced around the restaurant. "I'm gonna miss this place. Just like I did when I went off to college."

"You'll be back one day," Elijah tried to give her something positive to focus on.

"Yeah, with a kid on my hip. I know, I know, it's not a bad thing. It's just...this is a small town. People will talk once they learn the Sheriff's oldest daughter became an unwed mother. It's..." She trailed off when her eyes landed on a dark-skinned man sitting at the bar, a man she knew to be dead. Her eyes widened and her heart began to race. "Oh my god!"

"What is it?" Elijah spoke calmly, though his eyes were full of concern.

Cassandra lowered her voice to a whisper. "Over by the bar. The black man facing us. He's a hunter. One of the five. Elena killed him a while ago, which means the veil is still down. What's he doing here?"

Elijah kept his eyes on her as he used his vampire hearing to listen in on Conner's phone conversation. "He's after Silas and the cure."

"Of course he is. It's what he was programmed to do by that witch Ketsy-something," she sighed.

"Qetsiyah. Come," he pulled a wad of bills out of his jacket pocket and left a couple on the table. "We need to leave. Now."

Nodding, Cassandra grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth they'd been seated at. As she was sliding her purse straps onto her shoulder, she froze when her eyes landed on Alaric who had suddenly appeared beside Connor.

"Alaric," she uttered in a soft voice.

She watched as he spoke to Connor in a hushed voice she was unable to hear. When Connor opened his jacket, she caught a glimpse of the colored wires inside. Before she could say anything to Elijah a click sounded, followed by the explosive sound of splintering wood and breaking glass as he set off whatever he'd strapped to himself. She blinked and stared at the spot where the two hunters had been as people around her shrieked, realizing from the lack of damage outside the bar area that Alaric must have grabbed Connor and whooshed into the open storage closet before the explosion could do any serious damage. She threw caution to the wind and ran straight to the doorway at the end of the bar with Elijah hot on her heels.

"Ric?" She called out as she batted away the dust from the fallen debris.

"Ugh," he coughed as he pushed himself from the floor. "Hey, Cass."

"Hey yourself," she held out a hand to help him up. He took it and brushed himself off once he was standing upright. "It's good to see you. The real you."

"It's good to see you to," he smiled at her. It took less than a second for him to notice the presence behind her. "Elijah? What are you doing in Mystic Falls?"

"I'm here to ensure Cassandra's safety," Elijah replied in a light tone.

"He's my bodyguard. It's a long story," Cassandra sighed.

"What's the short version?" Alaric wanted to know.

"I'm pregnant with Klaus's child and my life has been magically linked to a witch down in New Orleans as a means to get Klaus to take down this vampire in power there. Even longer story," Cassandra gave him the briefest explanation as they made their way outside. "Hang on a second. If you're here, does that mean Jeremy…"

"He's with Elena," Alaric grinned.

"Oh wow! That's great!" Cassandra grinned back. She was about to say something else when Alaric's phone rang from inside his pocket. He gave her an apologetic look as he pulled it out and glanced at the caller before answering.

"Hey. Don't worry about Connor. I took care of him," Alaric spoke into the phone. Cassandra watched as worry flashed in his eyes from whatever he was being told next. "What? You're kidding? Well, your timing is impeccable. I'm actually standing with Cassandra right now. I'll talk to her."

Cassandra eyed him curiously, waiting for him to end his call. She cast a glance back at Elijah and could tell from the look on his face that he'd been listening and knew exactly what Alaric was going to talk to her about. She was about to ask him she was stopped by the sound of Alaric's voice.

"So here's the situation," he slipped his phone back into his pocket and faced her. "Damon was shot with a werewolf venom laced wooden bullet. Apparently there's more than one hunter around looking for the cure and Silas."

"Oh I see where this is going," Cassandra folded her arms across her chest. "Damon needs Klaus's blood to heal him, and you need me to ask Klaus for it."

"Pretty much, yeah.

"There's a small problem with that, though, Ric. I'm not speaking to Klaus right now. I haven't in weeks."

"Please, Cass. You're the only one that can do this. Damon's life depends on it. I know he's not your favorite person, but he has a good side to him. Granted he doesn't let many people see it, but it is there. And he did save your life last fall."

"Fine. I'll call Klaus and ask him to come and heal Damon. But only because it's the right thing to do, and because, like you said, he did save my life," Cassandra agreed to do what she could.

"Thank you, Cass. Text Elena and Stefan once you know something. I gotta run," he gave her a quick one armed hug and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Cassandra headed home with Elijah and closed herself off in her room to make the phone call. Sitting on her bed, she stared at the screen on her phone for a long minute before dialing Klaus's number. When he didn't answer, she couldn't deny she was relieved to not have to speak to him directly.

"Hey, Klaus. It's Cassandra. I'm calling as a favor to my friends. Damon needs your blood. He was shot with a werewolf venom laced bullet. Bonnie lowered the veil inside the expression triangle, and now there are undead vampire hunters roaming around with a vendetta against the vampires that killed them. Please come to Mystic Falls and heal Damon. I know he's not your favorite person, but for once he didn't do anything to deserve this. So please come and heal him. Uh, yeah, I guess that's it. Bye." She quickly ended the phone call and let out a slow breath. She sent a quick message to Stefan and Elena to let them know she called Klaus. With a few hours to go until the Graduation Ceremony, she decided to take a long, hot shower. She grabbed a towel and her robe before disappearing into the bathroom.

-o-

"Welcome parents, family, and friends. What a beautiful day for Graduation," Mayor Rudy Hopkins, also Bonnie's father, stood in front of the podium on the stage that had been set up at the high school stadium for the ceremony. "Thank you for joining us today on this special day as we celebrate our graduates, so let's get started."

As he began calling out names of the graduates, Cassandra made sure her phone's camera was on and sat on the edge of her seat in the bleachers, waiting to scream for her little sister. She cheered for Bonnie and Matt when their turns came. When the Mayor said Caroline's name, she jumped to her feet, screaming at the top of her lungs as she snapped picture after picture. Caroline turned and grinned at her before making her way to her seat.

"I'm so proud of you little sis," Cassandra spoke in a normal voice knowing Caroline would be able to use her vampire hearing to get the message. As she sat back down she felt tears stinging her eyes and quickly wiped them away. She found Elijah, who was seated beside her, holding his handkerchief out to her. She put a hand up and shook her head rapidly. "Thanks, but that's okay. I am determined to get through this without becoming a blubbering mess. There will be plenty of that later when it's time for us to leave."

"If you're sure," Elijah paused, and after she nodded again he slipped the handkerchief back into his pocket. His phone began to ring, prompting him to pull it out. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," she nodded, watching as he slipped away to take the phone call. She turned her gaze back to the stadium and watched as the remaining students went on stage and shook the mayor's hand. As he neared the end of the list, she noticed her sister, Elena, and Stefan cautiously making their way towards the back of the bleachers. Curious, Cassandra stood and carefully side stepped past the people around her until she reached the isle steps and met up with them.

"What's going on?" She asked as she hugged Caroline.

"It's Damon," Elena's voice trembled. "He's getting worse."

"Ugh," Cassandra groaned. She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed Klaus's number again. When his voicemail came on, she sighed and hung up before turning around to face Stefan who was also on the phone. She shook her head to let him know Klaus hadn't answered. As she was stuffing her phone back into her purse, Elena, Stefan, and Caroline began to clutch their heads and wince in pain. Cassandra spun around and found a group of twelve people walking towards them. The woman in the front had her hand out as they walked. Cassandra quickly realized she was a witch, that they were all witches.

"Remember us, Caroline?" the front witch sneered as she put more power behind her spell.

"Oh my god," Cassandra gasped as her friends began to fall to their knees in pain from the spell. She wrapped her arms around Caroline to keep her from falling. "You're the twelve witches from the woods…the sacrifice…."

Before the witch could say anything more, Klaus, wearing a crisp black suit and tie, appeared out of nowhere and threw a graduation cap at her like it were a Frisbee, taking her head off with one fierce movement.

"There are plenty more of these to go around," Klaus held another tasseled cap in his hands. "Who's next? I can do this all day."

Cassandra let go of her sister now that the witch casting the spell was dead and stared at Klaus in surprise. The remaining witches quickly scattered, valuing their temporary lives more than the desire for revenge. Klaus walked past her and over to Stefan, sharing a few quick words, then disappeared from their sight in the blink of an eye. A moment later, Cassandra felt her phone buzz inside her purse and pulled it out to find a new text waiting for her from Klaus. Wait for me to return to the school. I'd like to talk to you. She sent a simple 'okay' reply and put her phone away.

A little while later, after the Graduation Ceremony had concluded, she urged Caroline to head over to The Grill and start celebrating without her. Reluctantly, Caroline agreed and left. Cassandra hung around the bleachers until everyone had cleared out. As she mulled over whatever it could be that Klaus wanted to talk to her about she wandered over to the stage that had been set up for the ceremony. She was admiring the decorations when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps and spun around to find Klaus walking towards her.

"How'd you get here so fast?" She asked in a soft voice.

"I was already on my way," he gave her a small smile as he came to a stop in front of her. He pulled an envelope out of his inside jacket pocket. "I received your sister's graduation announcement. It's very subtle."

"Caroline actually sent you one?" Cassandra raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wow."

"I assume she's expecting cash."

"That or a mini fridge."

"Well, I had considered giving her money, but then I opted for something even better, something no amount of money could buy," he paused, and then spoke in a softer voice. "Tyler is now free to return to Mystic Falls."

Cassandra couldn't believe her ears. "What?" She whispered, staring at him wide eyed.

"I thought you might like to be the one to tell her."

"Yes, of course," she nodded her head. "She'll be absolutely elated. Thank you, Klaus."

"You're welcome," he flashed her a tiny smile. "Now then, I believe I owe you a rather large apology."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah, I'd say that's the understatement of the century."

Taking a deep breath, Klaus put the envelope back into his pocket as he stepped closer to her and reached for both of her hands, clasping them in his own. "I know I overreacted in the cemetery. I was wrong to accuse you of being with someone else. I reacted without thinking, and in doing so said things I did not mean. I am truly, truly sorry for the way I hurt you, Cassandra. I want you to know that I am overjoyed that we are having a child together. There is nothing on this earth that I want more than for us to be a family."

"Wow," Cassandra blinked once her ability to form coherent thoughts and speak actual words returned. "As far as apologies go, that was actually really, really good."

"So you forgive me?" Klaus eyed her hopefully.

"Klaus, I…" she sighed and looked down, collecting her bearings before meeting his eyes again. "It's not that simple. You really hurt me when you accused me of betraying you and said you didn't care about what happens to me or the baby. I can accept your heartfelt apology, and I do, but it's going to take time before I'm ready to forgive you."

"I understand," he nodded slowly, making no attempt to mask the disappointment in his eyes. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you," she murmured.

He released her hands and motioned for her to walk with him. "Let's get out of here before twelve angry hybrids decide to pick a fight."

She nodded and followed him off the stage and down the aisle between the seats set up for the students. "Hey…where's Elijah?" She'd just now realized he never reappeared after leaving to answer his phone.

"He's already on his way back to New Orleans. I thought it best not to leave the city and its supernatural inhabitants without the presence of a Mikaelson for longer than necessary. He knows I'm here." A mischievous smile tugged at his lips as they walked towards the parking lot.

"His phone call…that was you!" Cassandra stared at him. "I should have known. I wonder why he didn't tell me."

"I don't know, love. You'll have to ask him once we're back in the city."

"I will."

She flashed him a smile as they climbed into his black SUV and headed over to the Mystic Grill to celebrate with Caroline.

-o-

"Oh, I wish you didn't have to leave," Caroline grumbled as she hugged Cassandra tightly. They were standing in the driveway early the next morning in front of Klaus's SUV saying their goodbyes. "You stay safe, you hear me? And I want lots of photos updates of your growing tummy."

"You got it, sis," Cassandra gave a weak laugh as her eyes became glossy with tears. "I want you to have as much fun as possible this summer with your friends. Celebrate the ending of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. And have an incredible time at college."

"I will," Caroline sniffled. They both stretched out their arms towards their mother who quickly joined them for a big group hug.

"My sweet girl," Elizabeth ran her fingers through a strand of Cassandra's blonde hair.

"I'm really going to miss you, mom," Cassandra threw her arms around her mother and buried her face against her shoulder. "I don't know how I'm going to get through this pregnancy without you."

"I''m only a phone call away. Day or night, it doesn't matter. I will always answer when you call. Okay?" Elizabeth gently rubbed her back.

Cassandra sniffed as she raised her head and nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Same goes for me," Caroline reached for Cassandra's hand and gave it a squeeze. Cassandra squeezed back.

"You'll keep me in the loop on the goings on?" Cassandra eyed her sister.

"Duh," Caroline laughed as she wiped her eyes. "You will too. Especially on the witch front. If there's something Bonnie can do to help now that that everything's back to normal and good again…"

"You'll be the first to know."

"Good."

"Alright, Caroline. We need to let them get on the road so they can beat the morning rush out of town," Elizabeth spoke softly. Cassandra gave her and Caroline one last long hug before finally heading over to the open passenger door of the SUV.

"I love you guys!" She called out to them one last time, waiting just long enough for them to say they loved her too, then climbed into the car. She silently buckled her seat belt and gazed at her family through the window as Klaus pulled out of the driveway. She continued to watch them through the side mirror until they were out of sight. Focusing on the road now in front of them, Cassandra blinked and ran her index finger gently under eyes to wipe away stray tears.

Klaus silently reached over and took her left hand into his, lacing their fingers together. "You'll see them again, sweetheart. I promise. As soon as we deal with the witches and break the link binding you to them, we'll come back to Mystic Falls for a visit."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Cassandra laughed softly as she gave his hand gentle squeeze. He brought her hand up to his lips and softly kissed the back of it as he drove down the road leading to the main highway that would take them south all the way to New Orleans.

Well, there you have it. Crazy Stupid Love is finished. But never fear, Cassandra's story is far from over. The first chapter of the sequel, Crazy Wild Life has now been posted for your viewing pleasure. You guy are the best! I love you all!