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CHAPTER 4:
FAIRY GODMOTHER
Shield (noun): a person or thing providing protection
"Because when it comes to my offspring I will fight with the fangs of a wolf and the claws of a dragon. And no one, or nothing, will stop me from protecting them."
"To protect the sheep you gotta catch the wolf, and it takes a wolf to catch a wolf."
"Who will take the pain and shield me, shape my heart and never leave."
When Snow woke up in the morning, she felt something was amiss, and realized that, not only had she fallen asleep in her cheer uniform, but the bed she was tucked into was immensely more comfortable than she was accustomed to – and big! Shaking the last remnants of sleep from her eyes, she blindly reached out for her phone to check the time and a terrified shriek erupted from her, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my GOD! I am so dead!"
"Ugh, go back to sleep…wait, Snow? What's wrong?" Elena murmured groggily, twisting around in her bed to face her with one bleary eye opened.
…Wait, what?
A nervous laugh escaped Snow's lips, "Am I in your room, or are you in mine?"
Elena stared at her best friend in amusement. "You don't remember… Last night, you slept over. Jenna already notified Lucille so don't worry about it," she hastened to reassure her, knowing the reason behind her best friend's incoming anxiety attack.
"Phew," Snow sighed. "I can't remember the last time I woke up this late."
"Late?" Elena repeated, incredulous and full of disbelief at Snow's concept of time. "Snow, it's the weekend. If anything, it's early."
Snow smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I meant late for me. You know I have to cook for the step-monster and evil stepsisters… Huh," she blinked in afterthought. "I wonder how they'll get by without me today."
Elena shook her head, ensuring Snow couldn't see the simmering rage in her eyes that yearned to be unleashed on those ingrates. She despised the way Lucille and those step-bitches treated her friend; it wasn't right! She, Bonnie and Caroline were impatiently awaiting the day those barbarians got what's coming for them.
"You have two options, either come back to bed for a nice, well-deserved sleep, or go shower before Jeremy hogs all the warm water," Elena released a jaw-cracking yawn, stretched her gracile form, and allowed her head to droop into the pillow. "Oh, and pick whatever you want from my closet."
Beaming, Snow excitedly hopped out of bed, "Thanks! I'll go shower."
An hour and a half later, a refreshed Snow and a wide-awake Elena descended the stairs to join Jenna in the living room. She barely acknowledged them as was too busy staring at the television with intense hatred blazing in her usually kind eyes. "Scum bucket. Scum Fell," she snarled through gritted teeth, a tick in her jaw.
"Who are you talking to?" Elena asked in amusement as she bypassed Jenna to the kitchen and poured coffee for herself and Snow.
"Him!" Jenna practically growled, pointing her index finger at the television, where a reporter was currently broadcasting the morning news.
"The news guy?" came Snow's confused inquiry, her head tilted to the side.
"Also known as Logan 'Scum' Fell," Jenna added, emphasizing her deep disdain for the guy. She then turned to Elena, "Did your mom ever tell you why I moved away from Mystic Falls?"
Elena perked up at that little tidbit and moved closer to get a better look at the reporter, "Oh, no way. You and him? He's hot!"
Jenna gasped, a horrified look coloring her features. "He is NOT hot! There's nothing hot about him," she glanced desperately at Snow as Elena left the room laughing. "What about you?"
Snow shot Jenna an apologetic smile, "Sorry Jenna, but he is hot. Really hot."
"Ugh. Not you too. Bunch of traitors," Jenna groaned, burying her face into her hands.
"Anyways what was reported on the news?" Snow asked, curious.
"They found out what was attacking all those poor people. It was a mountain lion. It was roaming around the streets and they caught it," Jenna sadly informed her.
"Oh no…Thank God it's all over," Snow whispered. She still couldn't believe Tanner was dead. The man taught her for two years, and even though he was a douche, every single death had a huge impact on Snow and despite his flaws and cantankerous disposition, he didn't deserve to die. Nobody did. She didn't know why, but death and tragedy always hit her hard… her friends told her it was because she was sensitive and had a big, caring heart.
"What are you doing with that?" Jenna's voice snapped Snow out of her little pity-party reverie and she turned around to see Elena, holding a cardboard box, join them.
"I went yesterday and I got it from the safe deposit box. Mom had told Mrs. Lockwood she would loan it to the Founder's Council for their heritage display," Elena informed her aunt.
"Is that Grandma Beth's wedding ring?" Jenna admired an ostentatious sapphire ring inlaid with diamonds, her eyes glazed in awe.
Picking up the ring, Elena, after a quick scan, corrected her, "Originally, it was great-great-grandma Mary's wedding ring."
"I completely spaced about the heritage display. I don't know where Lucille put all my ancestors' things, or if she'd even allow me be in attendance," Snow sadly confessed, fiddling with a few Gilbert heirlooms that caught her eye and therefore, blind to the reactions elicited by her statement. Elena looked mad, but it was Jenna that spoke up, her customary kind and gentle hazel eyes alight with fury. "You leave that woman to Carol and I, sweetie. Besides, I guarantee when you head back home, there'll be a surprise waiting for you," she sent Snow a conspiratorial wink, prompting her to respond with her trademark soft smile.
She didn't know what she would do, or where she would be, or even how life would look like without her staunchest supporters: Carol Lockwood, Jenna Sommers, and Liz Forbes – those three super-women were her rocks, and she was thankful they were still around now that she lost Miranda.
"How much do you think this stuff is on eBay?" Jeremy's voice permeated the room. Joining them by the island, his large chocolate-brown orbs intently studied a pocket watch from the box. Huffing, Elena snatched the watch from his hand, "You're not going to find out."
Indignant, Jeremy snapped, "That stuff is Mom and Dad's. You can't just give it away."
"I'm not giving it away, it's called a loan, Jeremy," Elena gently disclosed before leaving them to answer the door. The next thing Snow knew, Stefan was pulled into the foyer and after a steamy kiss, the happy – and adorable! in her personal and completely biased opinion – couple ascended the stairs, Elena's bedroom door slamming shut a few seconds later, leaving Snow to shake her head fondly at their honeymoon-ish behavior and emit a dreamy sigh. Oh how she yearned to have what Elena had. She inwardly cringed, feeling her waist flare with pain, and she remembered last night… and the angry handprints Joshua parted her with.
She glanced at Jeremy, who was donning a kicked puppy-dog expression while he stared sadly at the box of valuables. Smiling, Snow placed a comforting hand on his arm, grabbing his attention, "I know how you feel, Jeremy. My parents died a long time ago and I, too, have to hand over their things for the heritage display. It's tradition in Mystic Falls, and it's just a loan. They can't keep the Founding Families' items with them forever."
"Yeah, thanks," Jeremy beamed at her. "Thanks, Snow. You always know exactly what to say."
Snow grinned, shrugging a shoulder, "Eh, it's a gift."
Thirty minutes later, Snow sighed sadly to herself as she stood in front of Silverstone Manor. It always surprised her, and equally saddened her, how much she hated entering her childhood home… the same Manor her ancestors lived and grew up and raised their children in, and so on. Exhaling a long-drawn-out breath, Snow mustered the small amount of courage that still remained inside her and crossed the lawn, took out her spare key, and hesitantly opened the heavy oak front door.
"Snow, sweetheart, is that you?" Lucille called out, her tone saccharine and filled with fake warmth. This was the only sign Snow needed to know that the step-monster was entertaining a guest, and one that probably knew her well, otherwise Lucille wouldn't have bothered playing nice.
"Yes, hi. Oh, Mrs. Lockwood! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you'd be here. I-I slept over at Elena's," Snow stuttered politely as she moved toward Carol Lockwood, expecting her to open her arms to embrace her as per usual. Carol genuinely laughed at the soft-spoken teenager, her eyes warm and fond, emotions that never failed to make an appearance whenever Snow was within her sights and at arm's reach. Beaming, she gently placed her teacup on its respective plate and tightly engulfed her in a hug filled with warmth that only a loving and caring mother had the ability to bestow.
Feeling as though she had died and temporarily gone to Heaven, Snow sighed happily. She loved Carol's hugs; they always left an imprint inside her of what a mother's embrace felt like, and the broken part inside of her that missed her parents, and the love of a parent, burst through and made its appearance.
"Oh, silly, silly, Snow. How many times must I remind you to call me Carol," the Mayor's wife tittered, steering her to sit beside her on the futon.
"Yes, Snow dear, Carol was waiting for you. She came to collect some of your ancestors' belongings for the heritage display," Lucille conveyed in a honeyed tone that prompted an internal wince.
"That's not all. I also stopped by to let you know that I have a gorgeous dress picked out especially for you. I chose it with you in mind. I wanted to inform you that I will have it dropped off at the Gilbert's with Tyler tomorrow. You absolutely must look fabulous for the Founder's party tomorrow. Don't you think so, Lucille?" Carol sniped, her tone biting as she glared at the step-monster and plastered a fake smile on her face.
Carol never fell for Lucille's nice façade, and she knew that if she hadn't come over personally, then Lucille would've forbidden Snow from attending. Lucille being a smart woman with a healthy dose of self-preservation, she knew that she could never dare deny the Mayor's wife anything, lest her reputation in Mystic Falls get ripped into shreds and burned into ashes, never to be assembled and restored again.
"Yes of course," Lucille managed to pleasantly spit out. Snow did not know how on earth she managed such a feat. Lucille Silverstone had always been a great actress; too bad for her, Snow had people firmly on her side, most of which were important individuals in their community, that never believed her act, not even for a second.
"Well then. Now that that's settled, I'm afraid I must dash," Carol elegantly got to her feet and bid Snow goodbye with another embrace, squeezing her reassuringly. "Lucille, it was nice to see you again. And Snow, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow on time with the dress I picked out for you."
It was women politics at its finest.
Snow knew Carol was sending Lucille a subtle warning that spoke volumes and Lucille heard it loud and clear: Do not, under any circumstance, make Snow late and don't dare force her into an ugly dress.
"Goodbye, Carol," Lucille shot back, her tone clipped.
"Bye, Carol. See you tomorrow," Snow exuberantly called after her retreating back with a jaunty wave.
Once the door closed behind Carol, a suffocating silence pervaded the room as Lucille leveled Snow with a loathsome glare, who attempted to make herself as small as possible. "Since you missed breakfast, go clean the house and get lunch ready for myself and my darling daughters. Now!" Lucille sternly snapped, her voice morphing into an eerie sibilant hiss toward the end.
The raven-haired girl scurried out of the drawing room and into the large kitchen in search for the right ingredients to cook lunch; she didn't need to make Lucille angrier than she already was. It was only for today. Just one day and tomorrow… tomorrow she'll be out all day among the presence of her friends and people that actually cared for her and her well-being.
"Snow! Tyler dropped off the dress, heels and accessories Mrs. Lockwood picked out for you! They're over there by the closet," Elena exclaimed excitedly, waving her hand toward the general direction of her closet where it hung on the knob, its garment bag preserving its pristine condition and ensuring it remained wrinkle-free. Jenna had confided in Elena the plan she and Carol cooked up together, making certain Snow would be in attendance of the Founder's party, undermining Lucille's authority over Snow in the process, and she thought it was quite ingenious of them.
The violet-eyed girl beamed like a child on Christmas Day and crossed the distance between the door and her dress, admiring it, incapable of suppressing her gasp of awe at the stunning sight. "It's beautiful!" and it truly was. It was perfect. The dress's material was red silk with an embellished open back, it fluted from her waist down where the hemline cascaded and stopped a few inches above the knee. Never in Snow's life, had she been given the chance to wear something so sexy and revealing and something so- so daring! since anything of the sort were unfortunately, too expensive for her meager budget.
Ironically, with the nickname her evil stepsisters had cruelly bestowed her, at this particular moment, Snow actually felt like Cinderella, and if anyone was to take the position of her Fairy Godmother, then the role would definitely belong to Carol Lockwood, hands down.
"So, Snow... you going to tell us what happened last night?" Elena pierced her with a 'don't you dare back out' look.
"Wait, what happened last night?" caught off guard, Bonnie blinked at her two best friends in surprised confusion. On second thought, she couldn't recall interacting much with Snow the other night.
"Are you going to tell her, or should I?" When Snow hesitated, Elena adopted a softer approach, "Snow, we're your friends. You have to trust us to always be there for you. We're always going to be on your side."
Snow sighed in resignation and sat cross-legged on the floor between Elena and Bonnie. "Joshua Reeves happened. For the past two years, he's been asking me out. Nonstop! I was never interested in him and I told him exactly that from the very beginning. I mean, it's cruel to lead people on; you guys know I don't like breaking hearts," Snow wiped a few streams of tears from her face. "But recently, ever since the party at the woods, he's been taking it to a whole new level."
"Define 'whole new level'?" Bonnie looked angry. Hell, she was downright furious.
A few sniffs emanated from the raven-haired girl and she scrunched the tissue paper in her hand into a ball. "He's been harassing me. Grabbing me and forcing himself on me. The first time, Elena actually saved me when she ran out of the woods yelling for help because Vicki was attacked. The second time, he came to the Grill with his friends and cornered me by the bathroom. Tyler walked in on us, thank God. Then, the third time was last night, he-he," Snow began to cry earnestly, and both Bonnie and Elena were apoplectic with rage at what their docile, kind-hearted friend had to go through all by herself.
"Last night I was talking with Damon, when I heard Snow scream my name. I saw his hands were around her waist and he wouldn't let go. Honestly, if it weren't for Damon, I'm afraid something worse would have probably happened," Elena seethed.
"What exactly happened last night, Snow," Bonnie asked, making sure to keep her tone gentle.
"I was about to help Elena break the fight between Tyler and Jeremy when somebody grabbed me from behind and placed a hand over my mouth. Joshua cornered me and pinned me to a tree and he-he, he kissed me, and he forced himself on me… I know it sounds lame to you guys, but I like being untouched and innocent until my Mr. Right comes along. I want him to be my first kiss and Joshua stole that from me," she sobbed, blowing her nose on a tissue.
It took two cups of tea spiked with a dollop of whiskey to soothe Snow's nerves and for her crying to finally subside before the girls were able to talk to her.
"You should have told us about Joshua when it first started, Snow. We aren't just buddies who hang out during and after school, or on the weekends. We're your best friends, your sisters! You have to trust us. Just like we come to you with our problems, we want you to come to us with yours," Elena passionately concluded, clasping Snow's hands in both of hers. "Besides, that doesn't count as your first kiss. A kiss is considered a kiss when it's reciprocated, 'kay?"
Bonnie nodded in wholehearted agreement to the brunette's heartwarming rigmarole. "Yeah. If you told us before, we could have sicked Matt or Tyler or even Stefan on him and threatened him to leave you alone. Bullies have low self-esteem, and Joshua is definitely a bully for picking on a girl…a girl that has such a kind heart and couldn't bear to harm anyone," she smiled.
"Thanks girls, don't worry, I have learned my lesson," Snow offered them a watery smile. "Do you mind telling Caroline for me? I don't want to repeat myself and relive it all over again."
She received twin nods in response. Deciding a change in ambience was desperately needed, Bonnie grabbed the two nail-polishes that sat between them, "Delicate flower vs. naughty vixen."
"Tough call. Can we mix them?" Elena suggested cheerfully. "Although, tonight Snow is going with naughty vixen since she is wearing a sexy and daring dress," she winked.
Snow beamed happily, snatched the aforementioned polish and immediately got started on painting her nails. Bonnie smiled at their no longer single friend, "Look at you, getting all pretty for your date. You seem happy-ish."
The brunette laughed, her smile threatening to split her face into two. "I am… ish. Tonight's going to be a good night. But don't let that stop you from telling me whatever it is you wanted to tell me as soon as you walked in the door," she slyly quipped.
Snow paused in applying polish, the brush frozen mid-air to better gauge the upcoming confrontation.
"What if I tell you in the morning? I don't want to ruin the night," Bonnie seemed suspiciously nervous, raising alarm bells in the other girls' heads.
"Bonnie, out with it!" Elena snapped. Snow proceeded to paint her nails, all the while keeping an ear out for whatever Bonnie was obviously dying to say. As expected, it didn't take much for Bonnie to cave, "Okay, but it has to go in the vault, because Caroline will kill me if it gets back to Damon that she squealed."
"But…hang on a second, Bon," Snow frowned in confusion as she processed her friend's words. "Caroline knows you'd tell Elena if it was related to her."
In response, Bonnie, not having expected that, stared blankly at Snow, and she could see the wheels turning in her head. "True… huh. Well, anyways, apparently Stefan has a very interesting back-story."
"Uh-huh," features neutral, Elena stared expectantly at Bonnie.
Licking her lips, Bonnie breathed out, "Do you know what happened with his ex-girlfriend Katherine?"
"Well, I know that Stefan and Damon both dated her," Snow casually interjected, though internally, she was distressed at the betrayal both brothers portrayed and wondered what exactly was so special about this one girl, she was able to turn the brothers against each other.
Elena inclined her head in Snow's direction, "Right. And that's why they both have issues."
"Yeah, they both dated her, only she chose Damon. And that drove Stefan mad, so he did horrible things to try and break them up. He manipulated Katherine. He filled her head up with all these lies until finally it worked, and she turned against Damon," Bonnie repeated verbatim everything Caroline spilled to her that morning when they met at the Grill for coffee.
"That sounds like one person's side of the story, meaning Damon's," Elena ground out, rolling her eyes in irritation.
Shrugging her shoulders in an extremely innocent gesture, Bonnie said, "I just wanted you to know." It was visibly clear to both girls that Bonnie believed Damon's side of the story.
"Anyways-" Elena laughed nervously, not particularly fond of their current topic, "-his past relationships are none of my business."
The caramel-skinned girl made a noise of disagreement, "Unless he's a calculating manipulative lair. That is your business."
Snow sighed loudly, the noise prompting the duo's attention to be fixated on her. Disregarding them for a moment, she performed the finishing touches on her toes and moved to her fingers before finally allowing herself to meet their gaze, "Honestly? If you want my opinion, I don't believe Stefan is any of those things."
"How would you know?" Bonnie scrutinized the docile girl, her visage contemplative.
Inhaling a deep breath, Snow, her eyes never once leaving her nails as she painted them a vivid red, broke into speech, "Because I can sense that Stefan is really into Elena, and when I say really, I mean he is starting to fall for her, and hard! I also sensed that Damon has major issues with his brother and that he's trying to rile things up for him. If you want my opinion, this is some kind of twisted version of Chinese Whisper. I think that Damon fed Caroline a bunch of lies, knowing she'd spill the beans to Bonnie, who, in turn, would tell Elena, who would start acting odd and suspicious of Stefan, which would create problems and most probably result in you two breaking up. And in the end, Damon would have succeeded in ruining Stefan's relationship with a girl he is starting to fall for thus making him unhappy… and that ladies, is probably Damon's goal in the first place."
Flabbergasted, Elena and Bonnie stared at Snow with wide eyes and gaping jaws, both of them devoid of comprehensible words.
"That's… wow!" was Elena's eloquent response.
"I didn't think of it like that. So… technically we're all being manipulated by Damon?" Bonnie scowled, not at all thrilled at being a pawn in the elder Salvatore's chessboard.
Snow shrugged, "I read Sherlock Holmes a couple of times. And you wouldn't believe how many backstabbing antagonists exist in romance novels, trying to break up the 'It-Couple'. You learn a few things."
"But what did you mean by you 'sensed'," Elena tilted her head, curious.
Unable to immediately formulate an apt answer, Snow put the polish away and blew on her wet nails. A minute later, she hesitantly uttered, "I don't know… I-I guess I'm just really good at reading people."
Accepting her answer, the girls finished applying their makeup and were slipping on their dresses when Elena's phone started ringing, "Hello? Hi, Mrs. Lockwood. What do you mean? Are you sure? 'Cause I saw it. Let me check. Mm-hmm. I will find it and bring it. Ok. Bye." Looking incensed, Elena tossed her phone onto her bed and without another word, she stormed out of the room with narrowed eyes, pursed lips and clenched fists.
"I wonder what's wrong with her," Bonnie pondered aloud.
"Something obviously Jeremy-related," Snow matter-of-factly hypothesized. "So you're my date tonight, right Bon?"
"Of course!" Bonnie beamed.
"Snow! You look absolutely stunning! I knew red would look marvelous on you!" Carol engulfed the younger girl in her arms and sent her a conspiratorial wink, "Lucille and her daughters have already arrived."
"Thank you, Carol. You really are a lifesaver," Snow laughed.
"Oh, think nothing of it, dear. Now you two girls enjoy your night," Carol parted them with one last smile before she moved on to greet the other guests that were lined up behind them, leaving Bonnie and Snow to head into the Lockwood's extravagant Manor.
No sooner had they stepped foot inside, did they come face-to-face with Mayor Lockwood, his handsome face alight with a crooked grin, "Snow Silverstone, you look beautiful, sweetheart."
"Thank you, Uncle Richard," she smiled, pink staining her cheeks.
"Go have fun girls, enjoy," and with a last smile, he left.
The girls separated for a while and Snow went to identify which of her ancestors' items Lucille handed over to Carol to be displayed. There was an impressive collection of jewelry and a few devices she didn't understand… there was also an archaic-looking horn that stood out like a sore thumb, not looking like it belonged at all, but what confused her greatly, was that most of the jewelries appeared to be masculine; the feminine ones on the other hand, had the Silverstone Crest alongside some other crest she couldn't distinguish.
"The Silverstones," a familiar voice that resembled honey resounded from behind her and she turned a fraction to see Damon approaching her with confident steps, a cocky smile on his face that she was beginning to think was his trademark signature, or perhaps his permanent expression.
Snow let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah. You know, this is the first time I'm seeing my ancestors' valuables."
"Really?" Damon glanced at her with both brows raised. "Meaning you're ignorant of your ancestry?"
Snow shook her head and she could practically feel the disappointment radiating from Damon, evoked by her unawareness. "I'm sorry," she whispered, shyly lifting her eyes to meet the elder Salvatore's.
A slight frown married his face, "Why are you sorry?"
"You're disappointed with my answer… I guess many would want to know more about my ancestors but I unfortunately have nothing to tell them," she admitted, her voice reeking with sorrow as her eyes traveled along each and every valuable on display, a wistful air to her.
Damon was shocked; yes he was disappointed, but it wasn't her fault. She was too kind. Snow Silverstone was an absolute mystery to him. But while he loved a good mystery, most times he never had the patience to solve them.
"Anyway, um, I was actually hoping I'd run into you," Snow smiled timidly at Damon.
That elicited a smirk to curl on his lips, "Really?"
"Yes. I wanted to-, I wanted to thank you for the other night with Joshua. You didn't have to help me… you barely know me. So, thank you," her voice rang with honesty, and Damon couldn't distinguish a note of malice in her tone, only sincere appreciation.
He nodded and Snow left him standing by his lonesome to ponder the mysterious dark-haired, fair-skinned beauty.
Snow kept mingling and even danced with Mayor Lockwood at his insistence, claiming that she should grab the opportunity to share a dance with somebody that was like a father-figure to her. She was having a good time and only bumped into Lucille once, although, throughout the night, she didn't fail to notice the plethora of envious glares her evil stepsisters would constantly toss at her from afar. Nevertheless, they made sure to keep their distance – and Snow had a feeling it was on Lucille's orders; Lucille was the only person the gruesome twosome listened to.
She later spotted Stefan and Elena standing side by side, reading the first registry and she went over to them. Elena beamed at her, "Snow! Hey, look at this: 'The Founding families in Mystic Falls welcome you to the inaugural founder's council celebration.' Look at all these familiar names – Sheriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood, Gerard Silverstone-" Elena suddenly gasped, looking closely at the following names, "Is that Damon Salvatore? And, Stefan Salvatore?"
"The original Salvatore brothers. Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually," the trio turned around at Damon's voice. He approached them with Caroline on his arm.
"Hey, Care!" Snow beamed.
Caroline's eyes widened and she moved forward to embrace Snow. "Snow! You look gorgeous! Oh my God, Lucille and the step-bitches must be seething!" she laughed.
Something about Snow made her very huggable to her friends and to strangers as well. Snow didn't know why, maybe it was because she was too gentle and kind that everyone felt like protecting her and snatching her up in hugs.
"We don't need to bore them with stories of the past," Stefan snapped, glaring meaningfully at Damon who merely responded with a lazy smirk that spoke of untold mischief.
"It's not boring, Stefan. I'd love to hear more about your family," Elena fluttered her eyelashes at Stefan.
"Well, I'm bored. I want to dance. And Damon won't dance with me," Caroline huffed. She then turned to Elena, "Could I borrow your date?"
"Oh-uh…" Elena trailed off unsurely, taken aback by the blonde's boldness.
"I don't really dance," Stefan stated.
Snow felt awkward; something was wrong and she was extremely uncomfortable. She didn't want to make a scene – not that she ever could – but she felt a very antagonistic atmosphere shrouding their small group.
"Oh, sure he does. You should see him. Waltz, jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all," Damon disputed with a devious smirk.
"You wouldn't mind, would you Elena?" Caroline looked beseechingly at Elena. Lifting her shoulder in a shrug, the brunette glanced at her boyfriend and sighed, "It's up to Stefan."
Not giving him the chance to refuse, Caroline moved forward and grabbed Stefan by the wrist, "Well sorry, but I'm not going to take no for an answer." She then proceeded to drag him alongside her toward the dance floor, leaving Snow, Elena and Damon behind by the registry.
For a while, an unnerving silence blanketed the trio, until Damon opened his mouth and looked at Elena contritely, "I want to apologize for being such a world-class jerk the other night when I tried to kiss you. There's no excuse. My therapist says I'm…acting out, trying to punish Stefan."
Snow blatantly gaped at him. While she knew her deduction was spot on and that he was, in fact, trying to punish Stefan for past wrongs, she was shocked he would go so far as to try and kiss his brother's girlfriend. That was not cool. "Um, you probably need some privacy; I'm just going to go…"
"No, Snow, stay," Elena pleaded, quickly taking her hand. Damon smiled down at her, a mocking quality to it, "Yes, Snow. Stay. Don't leave on my account."
Once she made sure Snow wasn't going to leave her alone with him, Elena turned back to Damon. For some reason unknown to her, Damon Salvatore made her severely uncomfortable, and Snow was dead on with her previous hypothesis. "For what reason are you punishing Stefan?" she inquired.
Damon smirked lazily, shrugging nonchalantly. "It's all in the past. I don't even want to bring it up. Let's just say that the men in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry. And it all started with the original Salvatore brothers," he ominously revealed. He then looked back at the registry, "The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town. Until the war. There was a battle here–"
"The battle of Willow Creek," Elena and Snow repeated in unison. Damon stared between the girls in mild amusement, "Right."
"I know, we talked about it in class. Confederate soldiers fired on a church with civilians inside," Elena recited.
He hummed, studying the two girls for a moment. "What the history books left out was the people that were killed. They weren't there by accident. They were believed to be union sympathizers. So some of the founders on the confederacy side back then wanted them rounded up and burned alive. Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much in that church. And when they went to rescue them, they were shot. Murdered in cold blood."
"That's so sad," Snow whispered, tearful violet orbs locked on the two names inscribed on the registry.
Undeniably hooked, Elena asked, "Who was in the church that they wanted to save?"
"A woman, I guess. Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?" Damon smelt salt in the air and noticed, to his surprise, that Snow had actually been reduced to tears.
"Look, I'm sorry that you and Stefan have this thing between you, but I can't get in the middle of it, Damon. I just… I hope you two can work it out," Elena gently imparted, as though letting him down easy.
"I hope so too," Damon murmured offhandedly.
"I'm going to go to the powder room," Snow chuckled wetly, wiping away her traitorous tears. Taking note of Elena's concern, she smiled and lightly shook her head, "You know how sad stories get to me, Elena. I'll see you later. Bye, Damon."
On her way to the powder room, she couldn't help but overhear Logan Fell, the reporter, and Jenna talking, or well… Logan was talking, Jenna on the other hand, she was definitely arguing. She didn't want to seem like she was eavesdropping but she could practically feel the love and sorrow on Logan and her conscious wouldn't allow his emotions to remain ignored. Seeing Jenna storm off, she quickly intercepted her.
"Oh hey Snow-, wow, you look beautiful-, wait, are you crying?" Jenna's face morphed from annoyance to happiness to concern, all in the span of five seconds.
She carelessly flapped her hand in the air, brushing off Jenna's unsolicited concern. "It's nothing. I heard a sad romantic story, you know how they get to me," Snow laughed. Jenna nodded in agreement, having had walked in on Snow crying plenty of times because of some book or movie. "I actually wanted to talk to you about your reporter."
She scowled. "He's not my reporter, he's not my anything," Jenna retorted, though her temper wasn't directed at Snow, merely the mention of that Scum-bucket rendered her incandescent with rage.
"If you want my opinion, I think you should give him a shot. He seems really guilty and I can sense that he really loves you," Snow smiled. Jenna looked over at the other side of the room to see Logan staring back at her, his expression fond.
Snow squeezed her hand and continued to make her way to the powder room. She smiled to herself upon noticing Jenna hesitantly approach Logan at the bar, where he seemed to be nursing a drink. When she entered however, she was frozen to her spot, surprised to find Elena and Caroline congregated inside and in the middle of a heated argument.
"Is everything okay?" Snow tentatively inquired from the entrance; there was real tension in the room and it was suffocating. Elena rushed toward Snow and dragged her forward, yanking the scarf from Caroline in the process, which prompted her to shriek indignantly and clutch at her neck.
"Look at this, Snow! Look at all these marks from Damon!"
Gripping Elena's hand, Snow felt faint and her jaw dropped, "Oh my God, Care! What is- di-did Damon do this?" He may have had his flaws, and that smirk of his meant nothing good, but Snow truly believed he was a good person.
"No!" Caroline nervously cried out, trying to grab hold of her scarf, "Of course not! Just leave me alone. Okay!?"
Snow felt tears accumulate in her eyes at the sight of Caroline's back – her pale and smooth back marred with horrid bite marks that were emitting a bluish-purple sheen; they looked utterly painful. Elena barged out of the powder room and Snow wordlessly followed, unable to look at her friend and the horrifying marks riddling her body without breaking down. She lost track of Elena, and a part of her was glad, she didn't think she could face Damon after this revelation. He saved her from Joshua, yet in the end, he turned out to be no better than him.
"Snow?" a familiar masculine voice echoed in concern. She whirled around to see Stefan and she couldn't help but sniffle, a few tears leaking down her eyelids. Stefan immediately rushed to her side and placed a gentle yet firm hand on each of her upper arm, "What happened? Are you okay?"
Snow shook her head tearfully, only managing to utter unintelligible broken words, "Caroline… Damon, oh God!" At that moment, Elena rushed over, her expression one of relief at the sight of Snow, and she gathered her into her warm and comforting embrace; she knew that the surroundings always had a huge effect on her gentle friend.
Keeping hold of her hysterical friend, she lifted her gaze to meet Stefan's, her expression a mixture of anger and contrition, "I'm sorry. I take it all back. You're completely right about Damon."
"What happened? Did he do something to Snow?" Stefan studied Snow's tear-stained face in concern, a gleam of anger passing through his eyes; he felt a connection, some sort of companionship with the docile and kind-hearted dark-haired girl, and the mere thought of Damon hurting her set his nerves on fire.
"No, no," Elena shook her head, rubbing soothing circles on Snow's back. "There are bruises all over Caroline's body. Bite marks, and he has her all confused and messed up in the head-" She abruptly paused, taking a good luck at Stefan as an ugly thought struck her and she stuttered, "You-You don't look surprised."
"I'm handling it, Elena," was Stefan's cryptic response.
"Handling it, Stefan?" Elena snapped incredulously, "You should be having him arrested!"
"Elena, please. I-I don't expect you to understand," Stefan locked eyes with her, imploring her to understand at least a fraction of what he was currently going through. Snow looked at him with red-rimmed eyes, and felt a great deal of sincerity, desperation and devastation.
"I don't understand anything, Stefan. So why don't you clear it up for me," Elena bit back.
"Look, there are things that you don't know, okay? Things that I want to tell you, but I can't. And I may never be able to. And I just need you to trust me," Stefan beseeched her.
"Trust is earned, I can't just magically hand it over," Elena retorted, her disposition stuck on incredulous.
Finally speaking up, Snow whispered his name, grabbing Stefan's undivided attention, "Just please, keep your brother far away from my best friend. Please."
Stefan nodded, glancing away from her intense stare in time to see his brother forcefully dragging a hysterical Caroline outside. He looked sorrowfully at the two girls, one practically inconsolable with anger and one radiating profound sadness, "I'm sorry. I have to go."
"Can you believe him?" Elena demanded, emitting an indignant huff.
"Put yourself in his shoes, Lena. Jeremy is doing drugs, and yet you don't have it in you to report him or send him away to rehab," Snow compassionately informed her. Vehemently taken aback, Elena stared at her gentle friend with wide eyes before nodding, looking a hint sheepish, "You're right… let's, let's just find Caroline."
Together, the two girls searched everywhere for their blonde friend, and they were having no luck until finally, they found her returning to consciousness by the front lawn with a strange amber necklace in hand.
"Care, oh my God! Caroline are you okay?" Snow ran to the blonde's fallen form and engulfed her in a tight embrace as she erupted into hysterical tears.
"Caroline, what happened?" Elena gently probed as she knelt by the crying blonde's other side. "You're shaking!"
"I'm fine!" she yelled, her body trembling.
"Caroline, come here, come here," and together, the two girls hugged their distressed friend on the Lockwood's yard.
"Some girls just can't resist my good looks, my style and my charm and my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift." – Damon Salvatore
"The real animal is out there, waiting for me, challenging me to fight back, to stop him. But how do I stop a monster without becoming one myself."- Stefan Salvatore
"How come you don't sparkle?" – Caroline Forbes
"How good are you at getting this little nose where it doesn't belong?" – Damon Salvatore
"She may not be my daughter by blood, Richard. But I love Snow as though she was my own, and I'll be damned if I let that bitch Lucille destroy the light within her." – Carol Lockwood
"Older sexy danger guy? Is that an official witch twitter tweet?" – Caroline Forbes
"You know you're making the wrong choice, yet you make it anyway. It's sad." – Jeremy Gilbert
"That poor girl needs her godfather. Where the Hell have you been?!" – Richard Lockwood
"Vervain hasn't grown here since 1865. Damon saw to that." – Stefan Salvatore
"Look at her, look how happy Snow is. I haven't seen her smile like that since Miranda and Grayson… We make a good team, partner." – Jenna Sommers (to Carol Lockwood)
"I admire your effort, Stefan. Pouring yourself a drink then spiking the bottle with vervain. I'm not some drunk sorority chick. You can't roofie me." – Damon Salvatore
"I came to the funeral." – Logan Fell
"There is something really wrong with you. You stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother, the sheriff. You got it? Stay away from her." – Elena Gilbert
"All day, I've never been happier. Wearing this dress, surrounded by friends and people who actually care about me, it's been amazing. But… despite it all, the tension's been slowly draining me. Something's wrong, Bonnie. And…I, I can't help but feel like, like this is just the beginning." – Snow Silverstone
"I was young and stupid, and then things changed. Life got…real. You'd know better than anyone." – Logan Fell
"You know, I couldn't spike your drink…So I spiked hers." – Stefan Salvatore
"I was thinking maybe I could make one more wrong choice today. I still have 17 minutes." – Vicki Donovan
"When I saw Snow crying, and she said your name. Brother or not, I felt this powerful urge to kill you. So, yes, you're right, Damon. There's something about her… she isn't normal." – Stefan Salvatore
"They've come back." – Logan Fell
A/N: Done! What did you think? Do you like Snow's character and how I portrayed her? There are some hints in this chapter regarding Snow, I don't know if you noticed, but there are more to come. Things will start changing soon.
Question: What do you want me to do with Logan Fell? I would like to read your opinions on what you would like to happen to him, and I'll try and see if I could have it fit into my plot.
R&R.