Previously in "Out of the Darkness", Henrik gets into trouble with some werewolves and both bite him before Klaus comes to his brother's rescue.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Turn Me, Part II

Daniel & Cassandra's Room…

Cassandra sat on the bed in the room she and Daniel shared, thinking about a few things. She had caught snippets of Francesca's conversation with Henrik and it made her wonder if she herself would like to become a vampire. Just like Francesca, she had had her magic for many years, and she was more than ready to make the transition. Daniel noticed how quiet she was and grew concerned. "Cassie? Are you all right?"

"Danny…would you still love me if I was a vampire?"

"Of course I would," he replied. "Cassie, it doesn't matter if you were a witch, vampire or a werewolf, or even a hybrid like Niklaus and Caroline." He raised an eyebrow at her. "What brought this on?"

"I overheard what Francesca and Henrik were talking about," Cassandra said. "It got me to thinking that maybe I should do the same. I can only control the aging process every so often, and it's going to get to the point where I won't be able to anymore, and…I want to be able to not age at all and live forever."

Daniel nodded. "I suppose we could ask Niklaus if he'd be willing to turn you. I can't turn you because I'm not a vampire, so he's the only one who can do it. He loves you just as much as I do, in the son-in-law way, and if you were to ask him, I'm sure he'd do it. Hell, he'd even make me a hybrid if I asked him. I'm even surprised that I wasn't among the ones he tried to turn in Tennessee. Though, according to Caroline, I'm kind of glad I wasn't."

"When were you in Tennessee?" his wife asked with a curious look.

Daniel sighed. "That's right, you don't know. I told Caroline that several years before I got my memories back, I ran with a pack in Tennessee. In fact, those wolves that Niklaus killed earlier were part of the pack I ran with."

"And were you planning on telling me about that woman?" Cassandra asked. She stood and turned her back to him as she crossed over to stand by the window.

Daniel bit his lip. "You heard that, huh?" He went over to her. "Cassie, that woman meant nothing to me. We just spent one night together and after that, I never saw her again."

"You don't need to explain it to me, Daniel. It's perfectly understandable, you turning to another woman, even if it was just for one night," she said before turning and brushing past him to head out of their bedroom to go downstairs.

Daniel growled and sped off after her, catching her as she arrived at the bottom step. "Cassie, please, you have to understand. That was the late 90s, before I got my memories back. She meant nothing to me, like I said. I love you and only you!"

"Danny, please…I told you that you don't have to explain to me. Can you just do me a favor and drop it?" she asked, gently easing her arm from his grip and going in search of her daughter and son-in-law. But, Daniel wasn't finished. Leaping until he was in front of her, he, with a gentle smoothness, lifted her over his shoulder then carried her back upstairs. Cassandra growled at him and pounded on his back with her fists. "Damn it, Danny, put me down!"

"No can do, princess," Daniel said with a smirk. Cassandra growled again, keeping up the pounding on his back. Daniel only laughed at what she was doing. "Cassie, you know that hitting me like that only makes me want you more."

"Danny, just put me DOWN!" she demanded in a shrill tone. He finally obeyed her order once they were safely locked in their room, where he crushed his mouth to hers. Cassandra only pushed him away from her, slapping him across the face.

Daniel felt her slap him and growled at her, grabbed her and pinned her down on the bed. "Damn you, Cassie, what is it going to take to prove to you that you're the only woman for me, huh? You were the only one who mattered to me and you're STILL the only one that matters to me! When I said that other woman meant nothing to me, I MEANT it! Do I regret what I did? Yes! Would I do it again? Hell no, because there's only ONE woman for me, and that's the beautiful witch I married centuries ago!"

"I slept with another man too. Many centuries ago, but still…" she whispered. Her hand balled up into a fist as she tried to keep the tears at bay, but couldn't do it.

Daniel stopped growling and his eyes widened. "Wait, you what? Cassie, why? Why did you sleep with another man?"

"I don't know," she replied. "All I can tell you is that it was a mistake, and he wasn't at all like you. In fact, he was rough with me and…and he hurt me. I never saw him again after that hellish night, but the experience was something that took me weeks to get over, and I hated those hags in my coven for making me do it."

"The other witches made you do it?" Daniel asked. "Why would they do that to you?"

Cassandra bit her lip. "Why do you think? They were angry at me for my devotion to you, so they arranged for me to meet with that man. I tried to refuse them, but they forced me to do it anyway."

Daniel growled again. "How DARE they do that to you!"

"It gets worse," Cassandra said. "They were also the ones who wanted Carolina dead." He cursed then turned away, spitting figuratively in an angry manner. Cassandra heard him curse and saw him spit. "I know that this wasn't what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth."

"It doesn't make it right," he replied, the growl still in his tone. "Those hags had you sexually assaulted and then they hurt our eldest daughter!"

"But they didn't hurt her. I wouldn't even let them come near her," Cassandra said.

"I still hate them for what they've done," Daniel said. "If they weren't already dead, I'd track each of them down and make them pay."

He stiffened when he felt her fingers caress over his broad back. "I know you would, Daniel, but we're not in that century anymore. You are alive with me here and now, and not deceased like I once thought you to be," she said softly.

Daniel nodded and then looked at her. There was a silence between them and then, he leaned down and kissed her passionately. "I love you, Cassie, so very much."

"Centuries have passed, but not my love for you," she responded quietly.

Daniel smiled. "That's good, because I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you."

"I would not survive without you, Daniel. You are more than just my husband and the father to our daughters. When you died, my soul died along with you. I shuffled through the centuries, not ever knowing if we would be reunited," she said, looking down at her feet.

Daniel brought his hand up and caressed her cheek. "Believe me, I was the same way. I wandered through the centuries with half a soul and no memory. However, something told me that I would get my memories back and find you again."

"You were successful," she said, afraid that if she met his eyes, she'd only push him backward and ravish him like she'd done earlier.

Daniel saw that she wasn't looking at him. "Cassie, look at me, I want to see your beautiful eyes."

She shook her head no in a silent manner then nearly snapped in frustration at him when he didn't hesitate to frame her face in his hands but her protest died on her lips when he crushed his mouth to hers, tongue plundering deep and dancing furiously with hers as he pinned her against the door with his hard body. Cassandra returned his kisses and ran her hands up and down his body, enjoying the feeling that it was giving her.

A deep growl reverberated through him as he then turned with her still in his arms then walked toward the bed, where he tossed her down in a gentle but still harsh manner, coming over her in a hovering kind of way. "Do you remember our wedding night, Cassie?"

His question brought her out of whatever reverie she was in and she smiled at him. "Oh, yes, I definitely remember that night. It was so romantic and even though I was a bit nervous, you were gentle with me and made the experience pleasant for me. Well, for us both, actually."

"That was also the night that we conceived Carolina," he said with a smile back at her.

Cassandra returned his smile. "Oh, yes, that's right, we did."

"Mm-hmm…and you were right about me being gentle. But, I don't want to be gentle now. I want it fast, furious and hard," he said in a low, husky tone. At his huskily-spoken words, Cassandra shivered involuntarily. Daniel felt her shiver. "You'd like that too, wouldn't you, Cassie?"

"Oh just shut up and kiss me already," she said, pulling him down and crushing her mouth to his hungrily.

Daniel ran his hands down her body, then pulled away to remove his shirt, as well as hers, throwing them to the floor and then leaned back down to kiss her even more hungrily than the first time. Cassandra returned his second kiss and moaned softly into it, her nails digging into his upper back. Daniel growled against her lips and moved his hands to the pants she wore, pulling them down and throwing them to the floor. Cassandra moved her hands to his jeans, undoing the button and zipper, throwing them to the floor as well, rolling over so she was on top. She then glided herself on top of his hardened member, rocking against his hips, moaning as she felt him thrusting hard and fast in time with her rocking motions.

Two Hours Later…

Cassandra smoothed down her blonde hair the best that she could with her hairbrush, jolting slightly in surprise when her husband appeared behind her, his hands spanning the length of her waist. Smiling at her, Daniel said, "You were amazing, my beautiful witch."

Cassandra returned his smile. "You were too, my handsome wolf."

"Hmm, I love it when you call me your wolf," he said huskily as he began to kiss along her neck.

"I know you do," Cassandra said. "And I love it when you call me your witch."

"That's because you are. My wicked little witch," he said with a smirk.

Cassandra giggled. "That's true and I'll be even more wicked when I become a vampire."

"Hmm, yes, and I'll probably be even sexier as a hybrid," he said, grinning at her through the mirror before stepping back, swatting her on the behind then left their bedroom.

Cassandra laughed as she felt his hand on her rear. Even after all these centuries, he still fascinated her. After he was gone, she finished brushing her hair then went in search of her older daughter, finding her sitting with someone that she didn't recognize right away, but knew immediately what she was. Caroline sensed her mother's presence and looked toward her as she said, "Oh, hi, Mama. Come on in."

"Hello, darling," Cassandra said as she stepped into the room.

"Mama, this is Belinda La Fleur, she's a witch that is dating Marcel Gerard," Caroline said, introducing her to the African-American female. "She and Francesca are also good friends."

Belinda smiled at the older witch. "It's nice to finally meet you, Cassandra. Your daughter has been telling me about you and I knew I had to meet you in person."

Cassandra returned her smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Belinda." She paused then went on to say, "And thank you for looking out for Francesca when she didn't know where her family was."

Belinda nodded. "Oh, it was no problem at all. Francesca and I are really good friends and I couldn't just let her be out there on her own like that, so I let her live with me. We've become almost like sisters, she and I, and there's absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for her, and she for me."

"And I appreciate that. Not many witches would have good hearts like yours, because the one that I was in centuries ago, they turned against me and my family, saying that I was unworthy to be a part of it," Cassandra said solemnly.

Belinda nodded and hugged her. "I know, Caroline was just telling me about that. Unfortunately, there are many covens that would turn against their members, especially when they fall in love with or marry someone they deem unworthy, such as a vampire, a werewolf, or even a human."

"Yes, and in my case, it was because my husband was a werewolf."

"Let me guess…he was one of the Original werewolves?" Belinda asked.

Cassandra nodded. "Yes, he is."

"And I suppose you didn't care about that?"

"Definitely not," Cassandra said. "I loved Daniel, Belinda, and I still do! Our differences meant nothing to me. The only thing I cared about was how I felt about him, and how he felt about me. His pack accepted me, which was a good thing, because at least I felt like I belonged somewhere."

"You never told me that, Mama," Caroline said, interrupting them.

Cassandra nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry that I kept it from you. But, it's true. Your father's pack was very gracious and welcoming toward me. In fact, they made feel like family, even if I wasn't yet. The one who was most welcoming was your father's brother, Garrett."

"The one who died in place of Daddy?" Caroline asked.

"Yes," Cassandra said. "He liked me right away." She giggled. "In fact, he teased your father endlessly."

"What kinds of things did he tease Daddy about?" Caroline asked.

Cassandra smiled. "It wasn't anything insulting. It was just some jokes, like 'Do you wag your tail when she scratches you behind the ears, brother?' Another good one was 'I'll bet she had you under her spell the moment you met'."

Caroline giggled. "That doesn't sound like it would come from Daddy's family, but it is pretty funny."

Cassandra giggled as well. "It is, isn't it? It's also one of the reasons why I enjoyed being with your father's pack. They knew how to have fun."

"Fun is good. I love fun, especially when it's with Klaus' hybrid packs," Caroline said.

Cassandra nodded. "Speaking of which, your father expressed interest in becoming a hybrid. As for myself, I'd like to become a vampire. I've had my magic for centuries and I think it's time. I can only keep myself from aging every so often and if I was a vampire, I'd be young forever."

"I will talk to Nik, but I'm sure he'd agree with doing it," Caroline said.

Cassandra smiled. "Thank you, Caroline. I appreciate this immensely."

"You're my mom, of course I'd do anything for you, so you don't have to thank me," her eldest daughter said, scooting over and hugging her mom fiercely.

Cassandra returned her daughter's hug, tears welling up in her eyes and falling down her face before she could stop them. "I love you, Carolina," she said softly, and if it wasn't for the advanced supernatural hearing Caroline had gotten, she wouldn't have heard her mother say that.

"I love you too, Mama," Caroline said softly back.

Cassandra smiled through her tears. She was certainly happy to have her family around her again, the family she thought she lost no thanks to the vindictive hags that made up her former coven. Pulling back, she smiled once again at her daughter. "Carolina, do you care if we go shopping later, after Niklaus turns your father and me?" she asked.

Caroline smiled. "I'd love that, Mama. I need to get some things for the nursery, as well as some new maternity dresses."

"No. No maternity dresses; I'll make you those myself," Cassandra replied.

Caroline nodded. "Okay, no maternity dresses then. But, I need to get some things for the nursery. The twins will need plenty of things."

"On second thought, I'll let you buy the dresses, but the baby clothes…I'm making them," Cassandra said, changing her mind.

Caroline nodded. "That's even better."

"Do you mind at all if I go with you? I, uh, I could use some too," Belinda said, interrupting their conversation.

Caroline turned to gape silently at her then asked, "Belinda, are you saying that you're…?"

"I won't know for sure, but I had a prophetic dream last night, and my grandmother told me I would bring a son into the world very soon," Belinda replied.

Cassandra smiled at the younger witch. "Belinda, that's wonderful. In that case, you're more than welcome to come with us."

"Thank you. Give me a call when you are ready to head out," Belinda said before hugging Caroline, giving Cassandra a smile and a nod then departed the mansion.

Caroline watched Belinda leave and then looked at her mother again. "I like her."

"As do I," she replied. "She's definitely a kind young witch, much like your friend, Bonnie Bennett."

"Bonnie and Belinda are amazing with being both my friends and being able to juggle their magic and romance," Caroline said.

Cassandra nodded. "That's good to know."

"So, what were you and Daddy fighting about earlier?" Caroline asked.

Cassandra sighed. "I guess it's pointless to lie, since you're going to find out anyway. We were fighting about his past."

"About his past…why were you fighting about that?" her eldest daughter asked.

"I don't know. I guess it was because I thought I didn't need to hear about it," Cassandra said. "I…I even told him about how my coven had this man sexually assault me."

Caroline gasped. "What? Why...why on earth would they do that to you?"

"They were angry at me because I married your father," Cassandra said. "The assault was to punish me. Thank God I never saw him again, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt."

She noticed right away the changing of colors in her daughter's eyes and she reached out to pull Caroline into a fierce hug. "I hate them! I hate that they did this to you," her daughter repeated over and over.

Cassandra nodded as she held her eldest daughter close. "I know, sweetheart, I hate them too. Your father reacted the same way when I told him."

"It must be the werewolf in us then," Caroline said between sobs.

Cassandra nodded. "I know."

"Mama, will you tell me about when you and Daddy first met?" Caroline asked.

Cassandra smiled. "Of course, sweetheart, I think you're old enough to know."

"I'd like to hear it too," a voice said from the doorway and mother and daughter looked over to see that Francesca was standing there.

Cassandra placed a hand on her heart. "Francesca, I didn't hear you."

Caroline then sensed something different about her sister. "Oh my God, you're a vampire now. Henrik turned you, didn't he?"

"He did, sister. And I feel like a new person," Francesca said as she joined her sister and mother.

Caroline nodded. "Well, I can't promise that the first weeks are going to be a picnic. When I first became a hybrid, even though I didn't KNOW I was a hybrid at the time, it was hard. I even killed someone."

"Everyone has their faults, sweetie. You just didn't know it at the time," Cassandra told her elder daughter.

"I know," Caroline said. "It was still a tough time for me." She sighed. "Anyway, we're not here for that. We're here to talk about when you and Daddy met."

"Let me see if I remember…ah, yes, it was a beautiful spring day, many centuries ago," Cassandra said as a starter.

1000+ Years Earlier…

Cassandra gently tugged on the scarf that hid her dark blonde hair before hoisting the basket she carried on her arm closer to her. As she walked through the woods, she got the suspicion that someone was following her. At first, Cassandra shrugged it off as being nothing, but as she walked further, the feeling got stronger and she immediately turned around. "Who's there? Come out! Show yourself!"

"My apologies, ma'am," the person said, stepping out from the bushes. She immediately covered her eyes upon seeing his…well, all of him, in all his glory. "I could use some clothes to wear."

Turning around, Cassandra removed her cloak then tossed it over her shoulder. "May I ask why you are emerging out of the woods in a state of undress?" she asked.

"I do apologize for that," he replied. "You see, last night was the full moon and my clothes were torn when I transformed. I reverted back to my human form before sunrise and I've been wandering around ever since." He chuckled. "My sincerest apologies, I haven't introduced myself first. My name is Daniel. Daniel DuCaine. What's your name, fair lady?"

"My name is Cassandra Valencia," Cassandra replied.

Daniel smiled at her. "It's lovely to meet you, Cassandra Valencia." He wrapped her cloak around him before going up to her, lifting her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. "It's not often I meet a beautiful woman in the middle of the woods."

"Well, I have to counter that by saying that it's not often that I meet a handsome man wandering out in the woods," Cassandra said. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red, kind of like a fire-engine…or maybe a tomato.

Daniel smiled. "I guess you could say our meeting like this was a happy accident."

"Yes, I guess you are right."

"I know I am right," he said.

Cassandra giggled then asked, "Does your pack live nearby, Daniel?"

"Our lands are due north of here," Daniel said. "In fact, I was just on my way home when I happened to catch your beautiful scent."

Her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. "You think my scent is beautiful?"

Daniel smiled. "Sweet lady, your scent rivals that the spring flowers which adorn the forest floor."

As soon as he said that, Cassandra's face turned completely red. "Well, I am really flattered that you think that, but I must be going now. I have to go to the market for some food," she said.

Daniel nodded. "I have to be going myself or my brother will think I got lost." He kissed her knuckles once more before leaning in to kiss her cheek. He would've gone for the lips but didn't want to scare her. "It was good to have met you, Cassandra Valencia, and I hope to see you again soon."

With that, he dashed off, leaving Cassandra where he had found her. After he was gone, Cassandra went about her tasks, including going to the market.

Present Day…

Caroline smiled as her mother finished the story. "Mama, that was beautiful. So, I'm guessing Daddy was smitten with you from the moment he first laid eyes on you, huh?"

"He was," her mother replied. "And I was as well, even if I didn't want to admit it."

"I just find it fascinating that he met you after he had reverted back to his human form," Francesca said. "I wonder if he still has the cloak you gave him to cover himself?"

"I am sure that he does somewhere. But, you will have to ask him, my angel," Cassandra replied, reaching over and tweaking her younger daughter's nose.

Author's Note: Woo, another update! I hope you enjoyed seeing the flashback in this chapter, as it is significant to the story, and so will others in the future!