Bloodlines
Chapter 37: Resident Evil
Beta: PrincessOfSilence
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.
"Damon, stop that," Cassandra giggled giddily while her husband took nips at her earlobe. "You're gonna make me mess up."
"It's not my fault that you're lining up the shot wrong. I'm trying to show you how to do it correctly." He tsked.
Enzo rolled his eyes, wishing he could gouge them out with his pool stick, but with vampire healing, that wouldn't do him much good. He came over to the boarding house for a game of pool with Damon since he bought a brand new pool table. The game was underway, but Cassandra insisted on playing which made Damon tease her about her techniques. She made excuses about her belly getting in the way, so naturally Damon took it upon himself to re-teach her and by re-teach, he took any chance to put his hands on her and whisper naughty things in her ear. At this point, Enzo would have much rather stayed home.
"Do you two lovebirds mind?" He cleared his throat. "I was enjoying a nice game of pool, not watch your friend fool around his wife."
Cassandra and Damon broke apart, grumbling and mumbling under their breaths and it was Enzo's turn to line up his shot.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be? You know, other friends to hang out with?" She wondered aloud, but then realized who she was talking to. "Oh, right. You don't have any other friends."
Enzo took his shot, knocking two balls into their pockets with a loud clunk. "You're just a ray of sunshine, sweetheart."
"Aren't I always?" She challenged and kissed her husband on the cheek. "I'm gonna run to the Grill for a bit. I can trust you boys to behave yourselves?"
"You got it. No wild parties, no women, no breaking anything." Enzo joked. "And of course, no breathing or smiling or having fun."
Cassandra glared at him, but Damon took her chin in his hand, bringing her attention to him so he could kiss her lips. He slowly pulled away, making her entire body tingle and she smiled widely.
"I've got it all under control," he assured her and kissed the back of her hand. "Until we see each other again."
"You're so corny." She giggled and kissed him one last time before gathering her purse and leaving the boarding house.
"Alright, now that the wife is gone, I'll run out to get a keg and bring home some scantily clad women." Enzo smirked
"Nice try." Damon shook his head and lined up his shot.
The vampire pouted. "Come on, mate. Where's your sense of adventure? Marriage has made you very boring."
"Marriage has made me happier, Enzo." He said. "By the way, does your mysteriously missing girlfriend know how insufferable you are? Maybe that's why you haven't found her. She doesn't want to be found."
"I haven't found her because the Travelers, i.e. my only lead, decided to play a fun game of spontaneous combustion before giving me what they promised." He muttered under his breath.
"Right. Now you're here annoying me," he deadpanned.
"Now, you're sounding like your wife." Enzo scoffed.
"Please? Just one more?"
"You said that like six fries ago."
Cassandra made a face before snatching a french fry from Caroline's plate which earned her a sharp slap on the hand from the blonde vampire. The hybrid popped the fry into her mouth and stuck her tongue out at her friend, making Elena laugh aloud. The Grill was packed with people and a bit noisy, but Cassandra was thankful to spend some much needed girl time with her two good friends.
"You two are crazy." She smiled and shook her head.
"She keeps stealing my fries," Caroline bellyached.
"Sorry that I'm pregnant and want to eat everything in sight," Cassandra defended. "I almost had to ask Damon to put a lock on the fridge."
Elena nearly choked on her water. "Seriously?!"
"Yeah! It's quite disgusting."
"Speaking of, where is the dad-to-be?" Caroline asked.
Cassandra groaned and palmed her face. "He's home with Enzo."
"Ugh." Both vampires scoffed.
"I know, right? He's such a pain in my ass. I had to get out of the house for a bit before I shoved those pool balls down his throat."
"You should say something to Damon." The blonde dipped a fry in her ketchup.
"What am I supposed to say? They are friends and I don't want to be the crazy, psycho wife." She shrugged.
"Mmm, crazy, psycho wife would not look good on you," Elena pointed out. "But that shirt totally does."
"Thanks!" Cassandra beamed. "You know, I love being pregnant, but I can't wait to go back to wearing regular clothes."
"Soon enough." Caroline was bubbling with excitement and she reached forward to pat Cassandra's stomach.
"Yeah, by the way, what's going to happen as far as you giving birth?" The brunette vampire wondered.
"My niece, Jennifer, who lives in New York is an OBGYN, so she's gonna fly down here as it gets closer to the due date. Everything will be set up at the hospital, so that I'll have my own room." She explained.
"It's so amazing how you've tracked your family and kept in touch with them after all of these years." Elena said.
"Even though I didn't have any siblings, I had cousins and nephews and nieces that grew up and had their own children. We can trace all of them back to my bloodline." She added.
"I'd like to do that." Caroline nodded. "That way I can always keep an eye on my family."
"Oh, and speaking of family." Cassandra started and her eyes passed between her two friends. "I know that you girls have your own lives, but when I first came back to Mystic Falls, I didn't know anyone besides Stefan and Damon, but you girls accepted me into your lives and I can't thank you both enough. That being said, I'd like for you girls to be there with me when the baby is born."
Elena and Caroline were nearly moved to tears. This baby was something they were all excited about and being asked to be in the delivery room was such an honor. Cassandra had been like a mother or older sister to everyone and she always took care of her own. Now it was time for her to be a mother and for others to take care of her and the new baby. They looked at one another, all smiles and each of them took Cassandra's hands.
"Of course!" Elena smiled.
"We would love to!" Caroline squeezed Cassandra's hand.
"Great! I'm so glad." Cassandra then pushed her chair out from under the table and stood up. "And now if you ladies will excuse me, I'm gonna head to the ladies room because my baby feels the need to press on my bladder and make me go to the bathroom every five seconds."
"Okay, see you later." The girls waved and watched Cassandra hobble off. She'd made it to the bathroom without bumping into anyone which was a huge accomplishment and when she finished, she primped her make-up in the mirror. She reached down in her purse to grab a lipstick when a sudden faintness loomed over her. She blamed it on moving too quickly, but the sensation spread to her entire body. Black spots danced before her eyes and the hands that kept her poised against the counter slipped.
"Come, Stefan. Help me decorate the tree." Cassandra pranced around excitedly in the Salvatore foyer. A tall, full tree stood proudly in the middle of the room and maids were stringing fruits and nuts to be hung on its branches. Cassandra's father had gone away on a business trip, so that meant that her and her mother would be spending Christmas with the Salvatore's as per Giuseppe's invitation. While she was unhappy that Damon was still at war, she was overjoyed to be with Stefan and his family.
"Are you excited for the party tonight?" She asked him.
The younger Salvatore shrugged. "You know that Damon is more a fan or balls and parties than I am."
"But you should still have fun. Maybe I'll even ask you to dance." Her optimism made him smile back at her.
Stefan had been feeling a bit down that his brother would not be home for the holiday. It would be the first Christmas without his big brother, but Cassandra managed to bring a smile to his face with her warm heart and infectious holiday cheer. Even the maids and servants loved having her around because she treated them like people and not like help, much like Giuseppe did. She wound the strings of fruit around the bottom of the tree and passed it to a young servant who was standing up on a ladder, so that he could place the string on the higher branches.
"Thank you, Miss Emerson." He nodded to her. "I'll say, that new dress is looking mighty pretty on you."
Cassandra smiled and twirled around, letting the fabric of her ruby red gown flutter elegantly. It was a present that she'd received for her birthdayfromDamon, but she refused to wear it until Christmas. The corset strings were tied tightly, making her waist much smaller while the bottom belled out with a short tail in the back. It truly was a work of art and Cassandra treated it as such. Her dark curls were pulled up off her face into an intricate bun;the locks weaved into and through one another with a red feather at the back. A pair of long white gloves encased her arms and stopped at her elbows.
"Why, thank you, James." She gushed.
"Master Damon has wonderful taste. I reckon that you'll be the prettiest girl at the party tonight." James added.
"Now you're just trying to sweet talk me." She giggled.
"He does the same thing to all of the maids." One of the women, Abigail, joked amicably while helping another maid bring out the silverware for the tables.
"Do you ladies need help?" Cassandra wondered.
"No, no, Miss. We can take care of everything" The maid shook her head. "In fact, you aren't even supposed to be lifting a finger. Mr. Salvatore will have our heads if he sees that you two are helping."
"Nonsense. I love every second of it." The girl told them as she handed more things to James to hang on the tree. "Christmas is my favorite holiday."
"It's mine too." Katherine Pierce purred as she sauntered into the foyer wearing a dark green gown. The maids and servants all muttered under their breaths. None of them took a liking to Katherine. She's always made herself unapproachable and cold. She never liked to get her hands dirty or help out anyone in need unless it would be helping herself as well. "I especially love receiving gifts."
"Merry Christmas, Miss Katherine." Cassandra beamed.
"My, aren't you chipper for a girl whose fiancé is away at war." Her dig made the girl frown quite deeply and even Stefan looked up from his work.
"I'm just trying to be cheerful, that's all." She replied softly, keeping her eyes low on the engagement ring that shown on her finger. Damon had proposed some time before he left for war and he promised to come back to marry her properly.
Katherine wandered up to Stefan, starting up a conversation with him while Cassandra continued to help out in any way she could. James tried to cheer her up, but Katherine's comment really made her rethink her current mood. She should at least be feeling a bit somber that Damon wouldn't be home, but instead she felt hope that he would soon come home to her.
"Chin up, Miss Emerson." Abigail placed a finger underneath her chin. "I don't wanna see any long faces tonight."
"Katherine is right. I should not be so happy." She sighed. "I am sad and I miss him terribly. Maybe I should act like it. I would not want the other ladies at this party speaking ill of me."
"Those ladies should be so lucky to be as beautiful and as kind as you are. Especially Miss Katherine. They just jealous because Master Damon is a catch and you snatched him up,"shesaid. "Now, would Master Damon want to see you moping around like this?"
"No, ma'am." Cassandra shook her head back and forth.
"And why is that?"
"He would want me to be happy and enjoy myself."
Abigail grinned widely. "Then that's what you're gonna do."
The corners of Cassandra's frown turned up just slightly. "Thank you Abigail. You always know exactly what to say."
"What is going on in here?" All head's snapped in Giuseppe's direction and they began working at a quicker pace. "The guests will be here any minute. I want everything in place before they arrive." The help nodded their understanding and went back to work without as much as a peep.
Cassandra and Stefan went back to helping too and everyone worked quietly since the master of the house was just in the next room. She hadn't noticed much of a change in Giuseppe's behavior even since Damon left, but that was to be expected. The two never had a good relationship, but Cassandra had hoped that his father would feel an ounce of melancholy now that his son was away at war, but she wasn't so lucky. She knew that she couldn't fix things between them, but she did try to keep tensions from both sides at bay whenever they arose.
Everything in the room had come together beautiful when there was a knock at the door. Cassandra was the first to look up, hopeful that it would be her love that had come home safely just in time for Christmas. Even Stefan was chomping at the bit to see his big brother. Giuseppe had gotten to the door before one of the servants and opened it, revealing a tall, lanky man dressed in uniform. The young woman frowned, turning back to her business, but she kept glancing at the door where the two men were still talking. The gentleman outside handed Giuseppe a letter, tipped his hat and promptly left as quickly as he arrived. The door slammed shut, making everyone in the room turn towards the sound and they all watched Giuseppe unfold the letter and read it. An uncomfortable silence descended upon the entire room like a heavy, black cloud just before a rainstorm and everyone held their breaths. A man in a uniform like that did not come to give good news and clearly the letter in Giuseppe's hand would state why. Giuseppe's expression didn't change as he read the letter over and he very slowly made his way to Cassandra who had been frozen like a statue.
"I'm sorry, Cassandra." Giuseppe handed the girl a crumpled letter and she took it in her gloved hand. Her eyes read over the text, taking in each elegantly written word. It was exactly what she had feared, but she couldn't get the words to make sense in her head. They just swirled around manically, clouding any and all sense of logic. Tears stung her eyes, blurring the words on the page, but they had already burned themselves into her mind for the remainder of time.
It is with my deepest regret to inform you that your son, Damon Salvatore, has been killed in the line of duty.
Her body suddenly went limp, unable to hold itself up any longer and she plummeted to the floor of the foyer. Stefan looped his arms around her middle, catching her just in time and he lowered her down gently. He tried to rouse her, but she was knocked out cold. Gasps and shouts were exchanged and bodies bustled all around the young widow. Abigail had rushed forward with a bowl and a cloth, pressing the damp fabric to Cassandra's forehead. Her eyes moved lethargically beneath her shut eyelids as if trying to wake up from a dream and a few soft whimper passed her lips. Everyone in the room seemed to be helping the fallen girl, except for Giuseppe and Katherine who each remained where they stood. For a moment, their gazes locked and Katherine bowed her head, offering her condolences, but Giuseppe merely disregarded it. As if being brought back to the situation at hand, he moved closer to the crowd of people, shoving some of them aside.
"Take her upstairs," heordered Abigail. "I won't have guests come into my home to find an uproar."
Abigail's look alone wished it could kill. She knew that the relationship between Damon and Giuseppe was strained. It always had ever since Damon was a young boy and she knew that father and son would continue to butt heads for the rest of their lives. Giuseppe was not an easy man to love and he never made it easy for anyone to love him. While he liked Cassandra very much, he still couldn't get over the fact that someone could actually love his son. As much as the maid wanted to interject, she knew that she could not unless she wanted a lashing or to find a new job. She and a few other maids helped Cassandra to her feet and took her to her room. They undressed her, tucked her into bed and Abigail stayed with her the entire night, holding and rocking the sobbing girl in her arms until she'd run out of tears.
Damon paced anxiously like a caged beast as he waited for Caroline and Elena to exit Cassandra's room. He received a frantic call from the two vampires saying that Cassandra had fainted in the bathroom of the Grill. She had a gash on her forehead, but the rest of her looked fine. The girls helped to get her home and into bed by sneaking her out the back of the Grill. The entire ride home, Cassandra was mumbling about a dream she'd had when she was unconscious, but her friends couldn't make heads or tails of her jumbled words. The girls had mentioned it to Damon and his mind automatically reeled to the night where he and his wife were both plagued by nightmares. He was practically itching to get to the bottom of what was happening to them.
The door opening and closing quickly made him stop his pacing and look up to see Caroline and Elena coming out of Cassandra's room. He'd nearly bitten his nails down the nail beds waiting for them to give him an update.
"How is she?"
"She's better now." Elena replied. "More embarrassed than anything."
"What the hell happened?" He asked.
Caroline shifted on the balls of her feet. "Everything was fine. We were enjoying a nice lunch and talking about the baby—"
"The short version, blondie." Damon cut her off.
"Fine, okay." The blonde vampire huffed. "Cassandra got up to go to the bathroom and a few minutes later someone had come out saying that she passed out."
"Her head was a bit bruised, but she healed." Her friend added. "She didn't let us take her to a hospital. She wanted to come right home."
"And the vision she had?" His gaze flicked between the two vampires when none of them answered. "I'm waiting."
"It was weird. Probably just a hallucination." Caroline said.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Damon spoke uneasily.
"Why? What do you think happened?" Elena asked.
"I don't know exactly what it is, but I find it a little weird that we are having nightmares about each other."
Both girls fell silent, casting sideways glances to one another, but moved aside so that Damon could get into his room.
"We'll be downstairs."
"Yeah, holler if you need us." Elena told him and they made way for the stairs.
"Hey, girls," he called after them and they looked over their shoulders at him. "Thanks."
"Welcome." They smiled and traipsed downstairs.
Damon took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was no way that this vision drama was a coincidence. He didn't know who or what was causing these dreams, but he had to figure out a way to end them. He could practically feel a road trip coming on, but he pushed those thoughts aside and turned the door knob to open the door.
His wife was sitting up in bed, her face screwed up in pain with a sheen of sweat along her forehead. One hand was on her swollen belly while the other was fisting the sheets, wringing them between her clammy hands. She clenched her teeth as another contraction ripped through her womb and stifled her scream as to not wake the entire house. Damon kneeled by her bedside, patting her face with a damp cloth and combing her hair back. The air was hot and thick, barely breathable, but that was to be expected in the summertime. Candles illuminated the room and the windows were opened, but the wind was dead and only made things hotter.
"I've sent for a doctor. He should be here soon," hetold her.
"I don't know how much longer I can wait." Cassandra breathed. "Dear God, will this pain ever end?"
"It will soon. I promise." He took the hand that was on her belly and held it tightly. Tears streamed down her cheeks as another wave of pain hit her, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. She screamed loudly, surely waking the dead and shattering Damon's eardrums. Nervous chatter could heard out in the halls and Abigail burst in moments later.
"Oh lord. I just knew that this baby would be comin' tonight." She bustled about the room. "Doctor is on his way, Master Salvatore."
"Thank you, Abigail." He winced hearing his wife scream again and wished that he could take all of her pain away. He took her hand that was wrapped in the sheets and held it tightly, but he was quite surprised at how hard she was squeezing back. Cassandra was a tiny thing, but she was strong too and could hold her own.
"It hurts." She whimpered, throwing her head back into the pillows.
"I know, my dear, but please hold on for a little while longer." He pleaded and kissed her temple. She clutched his hand whenever she felt a contraction and Damon kissed the back of it lovingly. Abigail took her leave, fetching some drinking water for Cassandra and to check if the doctor had arrived.
"I...I didn't think that...you'd be here for when the baby...was born." Cassandra murmured between her deep breaths.
Shortly after Cassandra and Damon were wed at his father's estate, Cassandra learned that she was expecting a child. Joy filled their hearts, but it was dulled when Damon was called to fight for the South. Cassandra's belly had already gotten big when he left, but he promised her that he would be back for the birth of their first child. Months had gone by and Cassandra had lost hope that her husband would miss the birth and the constant worry that he would be killed in battle always plagued her mind. They would exchange letters frequently, always replying as soon as they received one and they poured their hearts and souls onto those pieces of paper. On a dark and rainy day, Cassandra heard a carriage pull up in front of the house and she checked the window of her bedroom to see who had come to visit her. She nearly fainted seeing her husband step out of the carriage and she rushed downstairs to greet him. The maids ran after her, shouting that she'd catch her death running out in the rainstorm, but she hiked up her dress, stomped through the mud and threw her arms tightly around Damon. She cried into his shoulder and thanked the heavens that he had come back to her unharmed.
"I told you that I wouldn't miss this for the entire world," heassured her. "I promised you that and you know that I never break my promises."
Cassandra managed to smile widely at him and she shook her head. "No, you never break your promises."
"Mr. Salvatore?" A knock at the door made Damon rise up and answer it, revealing the man he had been sending for.
"Good evening, doctor." He shook his hand firmly. "It's my wife, she's—"
"Yes, I know. I received your message." He walked to Cassandra's side and beckoned two nurses to follow him. "We're going to get started right away. You will have to wait downstairs, Mr. Salvatore."
"I will do no such thing." He growled lowly and looked to his wife who was still in pain. The two nurses were helping her to sit up in bed and her worried gaze passed between her husband and the doctor. "I intend to stay with her all night."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Salvatore, but I cannot allow that." The man shook his head.
Damon was going to argue, but Abigail had come in, hearing the back and forth banter from outside. "It's alright, sir. I'll stay with Miss Cassandra if the doctor will allow it."
The doctor looked to his two nurses and his patient who was practically begging him in silence and he finally budged. "Fine."
"Thank you, sir." Abigail bowed her head respectfully. Damon strode over to his wife's side and kissed her on the lips softly.
"I love you so much." He pressed his forehead to hers. "I will be right downstairs, I promise."
"I know, my love." She cupped his cheek. "I'll be fine. I'm in good hands."
Damon took another sip from his glass of brandy as he paced in the library. The alcohol had begun to dull his senses and he'd lost count of how many drinks he'd had. It was torture for him to stay downstairs and wait while his wife wailed and screeched in agony. He tried to occupy his mind with other things, but just when he'd start, Cassandra moaning in pain would make him worry again. Seeing that his glass was empty, he grasped the decanter and drank right from the spout. This waiting would kill him. She had stopped screaming some time ago and the house was silent, which led Damon to believe that Cassandra was resting, but he'd never be entirely sure since the doctor made him leave the room. If he wasn't the family doctor, he'd have him strung up by his toes and dragged by his horses. He laughed at the very thought, the alcohol clearly getting to him. He took another swig from the decanter when he saw a dark shadow enter the room.
"Master," Abigail announced herself and Damon immediately went to her.
"Abigail. How is Cassandra?" He was slurring his words and the maid took the brandy from him, placing it on the table. Through his blurry vision, he saw that her apron has been stained with blood. Abigail's eyes were pricked with tears, but she held them back.
"I'm so sorry, Master Damon." She spoke softly.
"Where is Cassandra? I need to see her." He pleaded.
Abigail looked down at her bloodied apron, taking the fabric in her hands. "She's gone, sir. Doctor said that having the baby was too much for her."
Damon shook his head in disbelief. "No, no. She's...she's strong. She told me that she would be okay. Abigail, this can't be true. I can't live without her."
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She whimpered, finally letting her tears fall. "Miss Cassandra and her baby are in a better place now."
It was like he'd been shot through the heart. How had life managed to be so cruel and take the love of his life and his child away? Why? What had he done to deserve such a sentence that would haunt him for the rest of his life? He fell to his knees, numb with shock. He should have stayed with her. He should have fought that damn doctor tooth and nail to stay by her side. Maybe if he had been there, Cassandra and their child would still be alive. A baby was something that they'd always wanted and they were so close to having it, but it had been ripped from them. This was his fault; he'd be the talk of the entire town. They'd whisper behind his back at the service as he watched her casket being lowered into the ground.
Abigail moved to take her leave, knowing that Damon would need some time alone. She worried for her master dearly. She knew that this news would break him. Her heart ached as she listened to him sniffle, but she couldn't bear to look at him. She'd been in the family ever since his father hired her and she would remember how he would cry after his father would scold him. She knew that if she turned around, she'd see that same broken little boy from all those years ago.
"And the baby?" Damon's small voice made her screw her eyes shut tight.
"A boy," shewhispered and rushed from the room, unable to keep her composure. Damon lost it. He sobbed on his knees, fisting his hair and yanking at it. A boy; he and Cassandra would have had a little boy. He cried and drank endlessly that night. He locked himself there and refused to come out. He hoped that if he continued to drink that he'd die right there in the library. Damon couldn't possibly live while his wife and son were buried in the ground.
"Damon!"
The raven haired vampire snapped from his haze and looked about the room. He was no longer in the library of his old home, but in his bedroom of the boarding house. Blinking away the past, he wobbled on his feet, but caught himself on the bed frame. Cassandra nearly leapt out of bed in a panic to catch him and sit him down.
"Damon, talk to me." She smacked his cheeks lightly with her palms. She'd never seen him so distraught and out of it. "Say something."
"What...what just happened?" He stammered.
"You tell me." She stood between his legs as he sat on the bed. "You were standing at the foot of the bed, mumbling like a mad man."
Damon could feel himself coming back to reality and he peered up at his wife who was caressing his cheeks. He gently took her hands, removing them from his face and held them in his lap.
"These hallucinations are really getting old."
"So, let me get this straight." Enzo reclined in Damon's favorite chair. "The Universe doesn't want them to be together, so for years, things have been happening to them to keep them apart?"
"That's pretty much it." Caroline nodded uncomfortably.
"And Cassandra's baby is just another plot to kill her off."
"Yep," Elena agreed.
Enzo let out a sigh. "Poor bastard. You people really weren't kidding when you said that Mystic Falls was an interesting town."
"Can you not be sarcastic for one minute?" The blonde hissed.
"The way I see it, if the Universe doesn't want things to be, why fight it?"
"Seriously? You're gonna pull that card on us?" Caroline grumbled. "You haven't stopped looking for Maggie."
"Caroline, stop." Elena warned.
"No," she stood up and pointed her finger at the smug vampire. "Clearly the Universe thinks that you and Maggie shouldn't see each other again, but you haven't let that stop you. Fifty years later, you're still searching for the one person that showed you a shred of kindness while you were locked up in that prison."
"Woah, what's all the yelling about down here?" Cassandra's voice made them turn to see that husband and wife had come downstairs.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" The girls practically rushed over to her.
"I'm okay," she assured them.
"Thank you for saving me from that brutal realization from the little blonde one." Enzo smirked and Cassandra glared at him.
"Oh, I wasn't saving you from anything," she said. "Caroline is right. You're pushing against the Universe just as much as Damon and I are."
"Yeah, but the Universe isn't giving me freakish nightmares and naughty sex dreams." He grinned and Cassandra's mouth hung open. Damon palmed his face in the corner of the room while Elena and Caroline were borderline blushing.
"You told him about that?!" Cassandra whirled around on her husband who was fumbling around to find the right words to explain himself. It was one of the more pleasant dreams she'd had, but it was still a reminder that the following night would be accompanied by a nightmare. It would be the night before Damon has to leave for war and the two snuck away under the cover of night to meet in the barn. There, they climbed to the top, over the horses' stalls and Damon made a woman out of her. Everything about that dream felt so real. Even after she awoke in a hot sweat and tangled in the sheets, she could feel his hands grabbing her body, his lips scorching her skin and his eye burning into her very soul.
Enzo climbed out of his chair and smacked Damon's shoulder. "Come on, mate. You told me how much of a little minx she was. Why be shy about it now?"
Cassandra smacked the vampire's shoulder. "You're disgusting."
"I've been called worse." Enzo shrugged. There was a loud knock at the door and Damon took his chance to sneak away and answer it, hopefully escaping his wife's wrath, but he knew that he'd hear about it later. Opening the door, he saw a skinny, blonde haired kid standing on his porch. Damon gave him the up and down with his eyes and cleared his throat.
"We're all good on bibles. Thanks." He went to shut the door, but the teen stopped him.
"I'm Luke Parker, Liv's twin brother."
Damon's blue eyes grew impossibly wider. "Liv has a twin? Is it possible for there just to be one of someone around here?"
"Where's Liv?" Elena asked.
"Busy," Luke replied.
"Come on in." Damon opened the door wider.
"What do you mean you can't stop their visions?" Damon asked.
"Our magic doesn't work like that. We're not bigger than the Universe," Luke replied.
"Great; another dead end," Cassandra grumbled.
Damon eyed Luke cautiously. "Then why are you are in my house?"
"My question exactly." His wife copied him.
"Because we need your help. We think the Travelers are about to make their move." He explained. "Their leader, Markos, is here."
"From where? Chant camp?" The vampire joked.
"The Other side. He's been dead for centuries and we think the fire sacrifice allowed him to escape." Luke said.
"Seriously. How many more creepy guys can this town take?" Cassandra sighed. "We're clearly over the limit."
Caroline entered the room shortly after hanging up her phone. "Stefan just called. He said the scrap yard's been completely cleared out."
Damon rolled his eyes. "And let me guess, the witches don't know where Markos is."
"Well, the Travelers need doppelganger blood for their own prophecy, correct? And from what you've told me about the birth of Cassandra's child bringing chaos to the natural order, these visions could be a warning of things to come." Luke suggested.
"You think Markos will gather up some Travelers and make his move?" Cassandra asked.
Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. All I know is that it won't be good when he shows up."
"Here's an idea." Damon poured himself a glass of bourbon. "How about we just rip them all to pieces?"
"You wanna go against the Travelers?" He raised his eyebrows at the vampire.
Damon nodded simply. "Yeah. I've always wanted to go on a witch hunt. We kill the Travelers, so Markos won't have any buddies to help execute his grand plan and then we get rid of him."
"Damon, Travelers can be passengers inside people's bodies." Elena spoke up. "Katherine did it with me and no one noticed it for weeks. They're masters of blending in. They could already be here and we wouldn't even know it."
"Exactly," the warlock agreed with her. "And Markos won't be easy to take down."
"Well, then, I'm out of ideas." The vampire blew past everyone without another word and Cassandra heaved a long sigh, holding her head in her hands. She could see that Damon was becoming more and more anxious with Markos' arrival in Mystic Falls and she knew that he could only control his emotions so much.
"Hey, Luke. You think we can contact Markos?" She wondered.
"Uh, we can try. I can't promise that it'll work." He said. "Although, I'm not sure if he wants to be found."
"It doesn't hurt to try, right?"
"Great." Damon rolled his eyes. "I'll get the crystal ball that we have in the attic."
Everyone in the room was prepared to mentally scold the vampire, but the fireplace erupted in a fury of embers. The flames grew higher and brighter, roaring loudly at the group. Caroline, who was sitting closest to the fireplace nearly jumped out of her seat, practically landing right in Enzo's lap and the vampire wasn't complaining at all. The flames died as quickly as they started, resulting in a dim, cracking glow and Luke swallowed thickly. Perhaps Markos didn't want to be contacted, but there was nothing in the Traveler handbook that said that he couldn't contact others.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," the blue-eyed vampire chuckled.
"Shh," the warlock warned. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through the parlor. It howled like how the wolves howl at the full moon and snuffed out the embers in the fireplace. The room was then plunged into darkness and the power surged throughout the entire house. Caroline gave a worried shriek while Elena's eyes darted wildly around the room to get her bearings. Luke stood abruptly, ready to dart for the door if need be and Cassandra remained completely still, listening for any sounds of an intruder. Damon cursed silently and searched for the circuit breaker to turn the power on, but before he even managed to get out of the room, the lights turned back on. Nothing in the room seemed out of place and the gang would have blamed it on bad weather if it weren't for a clear sign that someone or something was in the house. Letters and numbers were painted on the wall in ruby red blood and spelled out an address that looked familiar to Elena and Caroline.
4620 Walnut Drive
The street was one that they passed on the way to Mystic Falls High School and Elena was almost positive that she had a friend who lived on Walnut Drive in elementary school. The blood dripped eerily down the wall, staining the already aged wall paper. Damon wasn't sure what pissed him off more, that some kind of magical being entered his house without him seeing it, or that his wall was now damaged and he'd have to replace the wallpaper. The bloody address stayed for a few moments more and then seeped into the wall, disappearing like it was never there.
"Well, you were wrong about Markos not wanting to be found." Cassandra finally broke the overwhelming silence that weighed on everyone's shoulders. It looked like Markos did want to be found and he wanted to talk.
4620 Walnut Drive held a quaint little house just off the boarder of the center of town. A left turn here, two right turns there, and another left turn would lead to the Mystic Grill and Town Hall which was awfully convenient for whomever resided there before Markos. Damon and Enzo jogged up the walkway leading up to the front porch and they tested the barrier on the house. Finding none, they stepped over the threshold and entered the desolate home. It was dark inside, no lights lit the way, but vampires had pretty good eyesight in the dark. They could not sense anyone else in the house and guessed that a family did live here at one time.
"Now, this is a scene straight out of a horror novel." Enzo spoke up. "Two dashingly handsome men enter an abandoned house only to meet a man who has questionable motives. We end up lying in pools of our own blood and our limbs chopped up into pieces."
"I'm gonna staple your tongue to your chin." Damon was really not in the mood for his friend to narrate.
"Not in my house, please." A voice from further inside the house made the men quicken their pace. In a bare room with only a lit fire place stood a man who was staring into the flames. He straightened his back, standing up at his full frame to meet his guests. Black hair sat atop his head and was matched with dark stubble along his chin. Equally dark eyes shifted between the two vampires and he did nothing to greet them, but they already knew who he was.
"Markos I take it." The raven haired vampire said.
"Correct." Markos nodded his head slowly. "I already know who you are."
"Well, I know that you're new to this town, but I'm kind of a big deal." Damon grinned widely.
Markos didn't reply. Instead, he stared back into the fireplace. "Why are you here?"
"I was about to ask you the same question. Plus, what do you want, and why are my wife and I having cryptic visions of each other?"
"First two are complicated. Last one's easy. I'm the reason you and Cassandra are having visions of each other." He replied.
Damon's eyebrows raised up high on his forehead. "You?"
"Well, would you look at that? I think we just met the Universe." Enzo whistled low.
"You mind telling me what the hell is going on?" The vampire asked Markos.
"The visions are a constant reminder that your wife is not meant to walk on this earth."
"Yes, I've been informed." He spoke through clenched teeth.
"There is also the matter of the doppelgangers. The doppelganger blood can help the Travelers." His hand ran along the top of the fireplace and turned to face the vampires. "Is it stuffy in here? Why don't we take a walk?" His gaze was pointed at Enzo. "You stay here."
Enzo's upper lip practically twitched. "Not bloody likely."
"You want to find Maggie? You stay here." At the mention of Maggie's name, Enzo seemed to back off which is what Markos wanted. With a charming smile, he gestured Damon towards the door. "Shall we?"
Elena wasn't joking when she said that the house on Walnut Drive was really close to the middle of town. Within minutes, they were walking along the street that the Mystic Grill was on. Some familiar faces from town passed by them as they made small conversation while making their way down the block.
"Mystic Falls is a beautiful town." Markos said.
"Oh, yeah. Picket fences, block parties, uncannily high death rate." Damon snickered.
"You take your homes for granted."
"I'm sorry. Are we walking so I don't fall asleep?"
"Two thousand years ago, Silas and Qetsiyah cast a spell for immortality. It created a schism in the Traveler community, giving rise to the witches. They tried to keep us scattered to make us forget how powerful we can be." Markos explained.
"And thus began the war between the Travelers and the witches. And it's still rages on and on." The vampire droned. "Sorry. I just nodded off."
"The witches put a curse on us that kept us from settling down as a tribe. Whenever we've tried to gather, disaster struck. Plagues, earthquakes, fire. Something inevitably wiped us out."
"Let me guess—the doppelgangers can fix this. So you found them. Now what?"
They had slowed their pace down until eventually they were stopped. "We simply need their blood, but we're not your enemy, Damon. And to prove that to you, I'm gonna stop the visions that you and your wife are having."
As if on cue, the handful of townspeople that were around stopped whatever they were doing and turned to face Markos. In a trance-like state, they began to chant, their murmuring reached Damon's ears. He watched as they spoke their ancient words and Markos smiled proudly to his fellow Travelers.
"The curse might prevent us from gathering in our own bodies, but we've found ways around that," he continued.
"Passengers." The light bulb inside Damon's head flicked on. These Travelers practically snuck into Mystic Falls and started taking over people's bodies one by one. "So how many of you are there?"
"A few. Here and there." He replied and the chanting of the Travelers grew louder until it seemed like they were shouting. They continued on like this for a few more moments, but suddenly stopped. The air was quiet and the Travelers went back to what they were doing before Markos had summoned them.
"It's done," he confirmed. Damon didn't feel any different, but he hoped that tonight he'd had a restful sleep. "Where is your lovely wife tonight?"
The question caught the vampire off-guard, but he kept his cool composure. "Oh, you know. She's at home knitting little booties."
Markos ignored his sarcastic humor, but took notice at Damon's sudden hostility. "You know, Damon, I told you that I am not your enemy."
"Well, any man who rolls with the same group of people who were responsible for putting my wife on the Other Side immediately becomes my enemy." He was becoming heated as he recalled Cassandra's death and journey on the Other Side.
"The Travelers that were responsible for that car crash were extremists. They believed that a child born of two supernaturals would alter nature." He spoke calmly as to not aggravate the vampire. "A child as unique as that will be bound to have her enemies."
"Before we continue this conversation, Markos," Damon squared off with him, his blue eyes blazing. "Let me tell you a bit about myself. I don't like when people touch what is mine. I get very testy when people try to hurt the ones I love. That being said, I will rip the limbs off of anyone who so much as looks at my wife or daughter the wrong way. So, if you were ever going to consider being my daughter's enemy. Don't, because you'll become mine also."
Markos admired Damon's gusto for defending his wife and unborn daughter, but he and his Travelers knew that Cassandra's death was only a matter of time. "You have a strong heart, Damon, but your wife will perish as a result of that child being brought into this world."
"Do me a favor. Take your doppelganger blood and get out of my town, alright?" The vampire hissed and sidestepped Markos, brushing shoulders with him and storming off. Markos watched in silence, his gaze then turning to the various passengers that had overtaken Mystic Falls. They went about their business like any other night and to the regular residents, they went unnoticed.
"It won't be your town for long."
Cassandra gently awoke from a rather pleasant dream and gave a long sigh of relief. Damon had gotten Markos to stop the visions and he assured her that the Traveler was just here for Elena and Stefan's blood to break the witch's curse that was placed on his people. She yawned and stretched her arms out, grinning when she heard satisfying cracks from her tired body. Her hand reached out for Damon, but to her dismay, all she found was the cold and empty side of the bed. Wrinkling her nose, she sat up in bed to see that Damon must have left her sleeping. She slid out of bed and put her robe on before going downstairs. Damon was nowhere to be found around the house and that made her a bit nervous. Maybe he'd gone for a drive to clear his head? Maybe he was at the Grill with Enzo or Stefan? As she walked to the front door to check the driveway to see if his car was parked there, she noticed that the front door was wide open and that Damon was sitting on the stoop. Raising an eyebrow, she drew closer, curious to what he was doing in sitting outside in the middle of the night. He had a drink in his hand and he was staring up at the stars.
"Hey," she called softly as she approached him.
"I thought you were sleeping," he murmured.
"I was." She said. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"
Damon looked back up at the dark night sky again. "Just sitting out here. Staring at the stars. Listening to the Universe laugh in my face."
His wife frowned and she lowered herself to sit beside him. She looped her arms through one of his and leaned her head against his shoulder. For a few moments, the pair sat in complete silence, accompanied only by the sound of their daughter's heartbeat. She knew that Damon was scared, she could see it in his eyes when he told her about meeting Markos and she was scared too. She'd constantly find herself wondering what would happen when she left this earth for good. Would her daughter survive? Would Damon be able to pick up the pieces and go on with his life? Would people be sad that she died? So many questions nagged at her mind, each one more impossible to answer than the last. She tried not to talk about it with Damon because she knew how adamant it made him, but after Markos' appearance in Mystic Falls, it was a reminder that her time here would be limited.
"Remember when we'd sneak out to watch the sunrise?" She asked him. They used to do it all the time when they were humans. Once everyone, in their houses, was fast asleep, they would crawl from their beds and slip outside where a saddled horse awaited them. They'd ride to their meeting place, tie up their horses and sit together under a tall tree. Secrets were shared as the sky became tinged with specks of pink and the horizon would be outlined in a gold hue as the sun rose up.
The smallest hint of a smile crept up on Damon's lips. Of course he remembered. He remembered sitting against the aging bark of that tree with the most beautiful girl in town. He remembered telling that girl about his dearly departed mother and the strained relationship he had with his father. He shared things with her that he never even told his own brother. He recalled their eyes being filled with sleep, but they pushed themselves to stay awake and just when it seemed impossible, the tiniest rays of light spilled out onto the ground. It was one of his fondest memories as a human.
"My mother said that I shouldn't see you because I had other suitors."
"And daddy-o thought I could spend my time doing more productive things."
Cassandra leaned up, examining the profile of his face. "Did we let that stop us from being together?"
Damon shook his head, keeping his gaze right in front of him. "No."
"And what about when Klaus took me to start his hybrid race? Did we let that stop us?"
His jaw clenched, the muscles shifting beneath his alabaster skin. "No."
"And what about when I died and was walking around on the Other Side?" He still wouldn't look at her, so she cupped his cheek and turned his face so that their eyes met. "Did we let that stop us?"
His steely eyes were gazing into hers, searching for any shred of doubt about their current state, but just as he suspected, he couldn't find anything other than hope and love. Her thumb gently brushed along his cheek and he pressed into her hand. This woman has been his emotional rock for almost 200 years and even through every challenge their relationship has been put through, they always managed to pull each other through. Damon tried to turn away from her, but she brought him back, staring deeply into his eyes.
"Did we let any of those things stop us from being together, Damon?"
Again, he shook his head. "No."
"We will make it through this. We will survive." The tips of her fingers combed through the hair on the back of his neck. "We always have."
"You're my whole world, you know that?" He spoke. "You are my life and I don't know how I would keep living if you weren't here with me."
"You'd have to." She told him.
"How?"
Cassandra removed her hand from his face and took up the hand that was closest to her. She placed it on her stomach and moved it around until Damon could feel his daughter kicking. He rubbed his hand back and forth against her belly, smiling as he did so.
"Our lives aren't just ours anymore." She cupped his hand that was on her stomach, lacing their fingers together. "When our daughter is born, she will be our life and it will be our responsibility to take care of her like we take care of each other. If anything should happen, will you promise me that you'll keep living and take care of her?"
Damon's gaze snapped up to meet hers at the sound of her wavering voice. She was on the verge of crying and he didn't mean to upset her or make her ever doubt that he couldn't take care of their child. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I promise," he whispered and sealed it with a kiss on her lips. "I want you to know that I will fight for you with every part of me to stop you from going away. I won't ever let you go."
"I know," she smiled and kissed him softly. "That's why I love you so much. That's why I will always love you, Damon."
The vampire pulled them eve closer together and she ducked her head into the crook of his neck. They remained tangled like this, refusing to let each other go no matter what came their way. Damon could feel her gentle breathing against his skin and he kissed the top of her head.
"Wanna go up to bed?" He asked her.
"No," she yawned. Even though she was exhausted, she forced her eyes to stay open. "Watch the sunrise with me?"
Damon smiled warmly and kissed her temple. "Of course."
Aww! A nice little moment before the shit hits the fan in the coming episodes! I had a really killer time writing this chapter and I hope that everyone enjoys reading it. Looks like Markos wants to take over Mystic Falls, but could that be all that he's after? Could he have a darker motive that he's hiding? I really liked writing the dream sequences, even though I was ugly crying while doing so, LOL! Please leave a review and thank you so much for reading :)
I hope everyone is staying safe in the snowy weather. It's snowing like crazy here in New York and driving is a real hassle. Sending prayers to everyone to be safe in the snow xoxo
grapejuice101: Thanks girl! Yeah, the witches have some things planned for them, but that will all be revealed as the season comes to a close ;)
ThisIsMeAndYou: Hi there! Thank you so much for reviewing! Yeah, that part of the show really made me kinda resent Elena a little bit. I mean, I have lost people very close to me and I have felt like my heart would never heal again, but I wouldn't EVER want to forget their presence on this earth. I feel like that was a selfish move on her behalf and I feel like Cassandra would not want to forget her husband because of her love for him and they will also have a child together.
As for explaining Cassandra's character, you hit it right on the head! You go girl! You're a hardcore fan especially if you're recalling things from season 2 ;) You rock! Naturally, Cassandra has been a vampire for about 200 years, so she has more experience with dealing with her feelings more than Elena, but I am still super annoyed that Elena decided to have her memories taken away. She and Damon can make all of the new memories they want, but the fact that Damon literally crawled his way back to Elena to have her forget him was just a dick move on Elena's part. Sorry, rant over LOL! I already have written bits and pieces for the new season and I can't wait to have you guys read them!
CarlyLynn: Thank you, CarlyLynn! I am so happy to see that you're enjoying reading this story! Here is your update!
SomebodyWhoCares: Ahh, I can't understand what you wrote :( But thank you so much for always reading and reviewing xoxo
elisesellas: Thank you so much for reviewing, my love! Audrey and Klaus will have an interesting relationship with some tensions of their own ;) Elijah and Giuliana will happen, I promise! So many readers want them to shack up already, but I enjoy the slow burn between them. You're absolutely right! Positive thoughts are the key for joy in life and I intend to have a very joyful life :)
NicoleR85: Thanks so much for reviewing, girl! Hope you liked this update!
binks13: Hi love! The holidays were wonderful! Ate like a pig and got everything I wanted :) I hope you enjoyed yourself as well! Elijah and Klaus have a great dynamic together and it makes them such a joy to write. I am so happy that you like Giuliana as a character, but I am curious as to why you don't like Audrey. I mean, you are absolutely entitled to not like her, I would just like to know why. Maybe she could just take getting used to. I hope that you will learn to like her in time. She will not be an enemy of the Original family, she knows better than to cross them ;) Thank you so much for reviewing as always!
Guest: Thanks so much for reviewing! Hmm, as far as special abilities, I am not sure. We will have to see when she is born ;) I have not chosen a middle name yet since I am still on the fence about her first name. I'd better pick soon because the Salvatore baby will be arriving soon!
Guest: Happy New Year, my friend! Thank you for reviewing!
Guest: Thank you for reviewing! Well, Klaus surprised Hayley with a nursery, so I would like that detail to be different from my TVD chapters, but I will think of something. As for the baby shower, I don't think there will be enough room in the timeline for it.
Guest: Thanks for reviewing! Hey, I never said that Damon will be the one to die ;) We just won't know until we read it, won't we?
Harshita94: Here's your update! Hope you enjoyed some Dassandra goodness ;)
Guest: Cassandra and Damon do deserve happiness and some peace and quiet after everything that they've been through! I am so glad you agree! Thank you for reviewing!
Guest: Thanks for reviewing! Well, I feel like Cassandra will be able to know if something is wrong. I suppose that is mother's intuition. I have not had a child yet, but many of my friends who have had children tell me that if something is wrong, they feel it.