Hello, my lovely readers. There is another disagreement that might change The Dare Club, forever. On with the show…
Chapter 16: Estate of Affairs
The sun was shining and school was out for the week; thanks to parent-teacher conferences. That Monday felt like a great day to gather The Dare Club for, what else: dares! Damon, Caroline, and I, agreed on that topic. However, we would soon find ourselves at odds over an adjacent topic that would alter the formation of our beloved club for years to come...
"Feels like a good day for some dare-defying acts!" Damon called out to us. He laid on the hood of his Camaro, arms folded behind his head and sunglasses firmly in place.
Caroline had thought Damon was asleep. So, we had been leaned against his front bumper, making out. Glancing at Damon, Caroline shot me an eyeroll and a smirk. "Sounds like a plan. Right, Nik?" Her fingers slid through mine and I nodded my assent. Her smile slid downward as her thoughts turned to a new subject. I wished I could see inside her mind, to find out what troubled her.
"Caroline?" I said softly, "What's wrong, love?" She did not look at me immediately. My fingers moved down to cup her chin. Her eyes raised to meet mine.
With a side-look at Damon, Caroline sighed. "We need to talk about The Dare Club..."
"What about it?" Damon called to us. I looked over to see him propped up on one elbow. His glasses had slid down to reveal his narrow-eyed gaze on my girl.
Caroline turned sideways in my arms, looking from me to Damon. She folded her arms over her chest and inhaled sharply. "We have to change how The Club works."
Now, Damon was frowning as he slid down the car to sit beside me. "Come again?" He cupped his ear and blinked at Caroline. "You did just say we have to change the club?"
Caroline's hands moved to her hips. "Come on, Damon!" Her voice rose. "You have to see it, too!" She looked to me. "We were just little kids when we started The Club-"
"Wait! Wait just a freakin' minute!" Damon slid off the car and moved to stand on the other side of us. We were in the Gilberts' driveway, waiting for Elena, or Kat, or even Jeremy to arrive home. Looked as if they would arrive just in time for the regularly-scheduled drama-of-the-week…
Damon rolled his eyes skyward. A laugh came out of my best friend before he shook his head at Caroline. "WE!" He waved his index finger between himself and me: "WE are the 'we' who started The Dare Club! You're an honorary founder! You do not get to up-end The Club!"
"Oh, really!" Caroline snapped. Her eyes took on that gleam that would end in something bad, for all of us.
Moving between them, I held up my hands. "Enough! Damon, let's hear her out before we make any decisions, shall we?"
Caroline smirked at Damon who rolled his eyes. "Fine. Speak! I already know how I'm voting!"
"As I was saying: Before Damon so rudely interrupted me!" Caroline shot Damon a dark look. Her hands went down and she smoothed the skirt of her dress and stood to her full height. "We are not little kids, anymore. We are teens. And our dares are more dangerous-"
"Duh-"
"Damon!" I snapped, glaring at Damon.
Damon held up his hands and nodded at Caroline. Caroline continued. "But we have little kids in The Club. Kat's kids. Elijah's son. Josh. You know, the kid you decided to adopt into our lives and into our club. Even Henrik is still too young to be a part of some of our dares-"
"So..."
"Damon, shut up!" Caroline cried. Her cheeks flushed she took several deep breathes before saying. "We need to have age-appropriate dares. I suggest we make a chart." Her eyes flicked from me to Damon. Damon rolled his eyes to me, as is to say: Told you so."
Yes, it appeared that Caroline was in planning-mood, and the only thing that could stop her would be a hurricane. "Before calling the full club together, we evaluate how dangerous the dare could be, and decide who is old enough to participate-" Caroline continued her speech, warming to the topic, and she probably would have gone on for another hour if not for Damon's inability to tell her what he thought.
"That is so stupid!" Damon said. He shook his head. "The kids will get pissed off! And we'll have a mutiny on our hands!"
"Well, what would you suggest? We bring Nadia to a frat party?" Caroline snapped. "Here, dear, have some beer!"
Damon opened his mouth. I clapped hand over it. "Damon, think. Caroline is right. There are dares the children can not be part of." I was beginning to see Caroline's way. If we continued allowing the younger children to be part of certain dares; all of our fun would be ruined.
"Like we didn't do stupid, dangerous things when we were kids!" Damon demanded, jerking my hand down.
I did not get a chance to reply because the sound of car pulling up in the driveway alerted us to company arriving. Elena Gilbert's car drove up behind Damon's. Seconds after she pulled in, Jeremy Gilbert got out of the car. He took two steps forward and then dropped into the grass, laughing hysterically.
"See!" Damon pointed at Jer. "Elena took Jer on a dare without us!"
"Did not!" Elena had gotten out of the car. "Kat went to work, early. So, guess who got to take Jer to the dentist?" She trudged over to try to pull Jeremy to his feet, and failed as Jer rolled away from her. He appeared to be trying to make snow angels in the green-green grass.
Damon smirked. Walking over to stand over Jeremy, Damon cocked his head to the side. "Hey Jer Bear, what's your favorite dare?"
"Jumping off the roof and into the pool!" Jeremy shouted. He rolled onto his hands and knees, getting to his feet. "Let's go to Damon's! I want to jump in the pool!" He tried to take off, but did not get far when Damon took a fist-full of Jer's collar. Puling Jer to his feet, Damon turned Jeremy around to face Caroline. "See, he lived through all the crazy things we've done to each other!" Damon's wide grin did not change Caroline's frown. If anything, it made her frown deepen and her eyes alight with fire.
Elena glared at her beloved. "Damon, let's get my brother inside the house. Please?" Elena pointed at the house, making it clear she was not in a joking mood.
Damon sighed, but he did as his girlfriend asked, half-dragging Jeremy to the front door. Caroline and I followed them to the door while Elena unlocked the door and let us in.
Once inside the house, Damon let go of Jeremy who stumbled over to the couch. The boy took a nose-dive onto the Gilberts couch. Letting out a loud snore, it became obvious that Jeremy would not be a part of this discussion.
Elena walked over to stroke her little brother's hair out of his face. "Why do I feel like we arrived in the middle of something?" Her dark eyes rose to assess us.
"Caroline has a brilliant thought," Damon crossed the room to throw his right arm around Elena's shoulders. "Blondie wants us to change The Dare Club. Put safety breaks on it." Rolling his eyes into the back of his head, Damon lifted his hands in front of him to mime driving a car without a clue of where he was.
Caroline glared back at Damon. "This is NOT what I said: I said we needed-"
"A chart! To tell us all about which dares are good for kids three-and-up!" Damon snarled with an eyeroll. "It's bad enough we have to watch kiddie shows with them! Why do we have to change our club, too!"
"I agree with Caroline," Elena said softly.
"See, Elena agrees with..." Damon's triumphant look disappeared and his eyes rounded. He turned to stare at Elena. "You what?" he demanded.
Elena looked at each of us. "We have almost gotten each other really, badly hurt-"
"But no one has died because of our dares-"
"They could, Damon!" Elena snapped. She sat on the arm of the couch. Her hand went down to Jeremy's hair. "I can't lose anyone else..." She shot her boyfriend a reproachful look.
Damon's shoulders sagged. "Okay... But Caroline is in charge of the chart. No way am I doing that."
"Fine by me!" Caroline offered us all a big smile. She won and she knew it.
My lips rose and I watched Caroline fail to hide how happy she was when a key moved in the lock. Then Katherine came in. "Oh, good. I need your help with something." Not paying attention, she strode into the living room and tossed her purse. It fell on the back Jeremy's right knee. He let out a grunt and his foot kicked the air; then fell back down on the couch.
Kat frowned, shaking her head and turned back to me. "I want a dare. A big one!"
"Oh, goody!" Damon moved closer to Caroline. "Lena has markers and whiteboard. Chart Time!"
Caroline took off and up the stairs. She didn't even take the time for the perfect retort.
Kat's brows rose. "Am I missing something?"
"Yes. Caroline has to chart our dares now. Don't worry about. It will just keep her busy. What's the dare?" Damon folded his arms over his chest.
"I need Elijah to fall in love with me! Again!" Katherine's eyes bore into us. Her wide smile made me cast a look at Damon who shrugged, like he had been expecting this for a year.
"You...what?" Elena called out.
Kat glanced at Elena. "Elijah! Hot. Smart. The cooler Mikaelson sibling."
"What?" My brows came together. I loved Elijah, but was her cooler than me. Deciding it best to not ask-for fear Damon would mention Caroline creating a new chart-I kept my mouth shut.
Damon grinned and patted me on the shoulder. "I love ya...but there is something about Elijah..."
Groaning, I shoved Damon away. Then I turned to Kat. "We can't make someone fall in love with you."
Waving a hand, Kat rolled her eyes. "I know that!" She rolled her eyes. "I was thinking...more...help him see that I have changed." She cocked her head to the side, her arms swept out in a dramatic gesture. "But that I am still fabulous! Just some reminding him of how pretty I am. Not like he needs reminding… How much fun we used to have together. That kind of thing."
"And you can't do that on your own?" Elena had gotten up and moved to lean into Damon's side.
Katherine stared at Elena like her sister was stupid. "Don't you think I've tried!" she snapped, pouting. "But Elijah is just too damned..."
"Polite?" I offered.
"Smart to think you changed?" Damon added, with a smirk.
"No longer interested in you-after you, well, were yourself?" Elena said.
Katherine's hands balled at her sides. Her cheeks turned a dangerous shade of red. "I DARE YOU ALL TO HELP ME WIN ELIJAH'S LOVE!" She screamed at us. Now, she seared us all with a look we remembered from grades K-now.
"Dare Club!" Jeremy shouted from the couch, waving his hands in the air and then passed back out.
Caroline coughed, letting us know she was back. "I don't think I will need a chart for that. We can do this one with everyone."
"Good." Katherine's curls bounced as she clapped her hands together. "I will see you all bright and early. Then my true love story will begin...again!"
Nodding, I tried to look happy. Well, at least we could all be part of the dare. Or so I thought...
~0~
Early on Tuesday morning, I walked to The Gilberts. The sun was still shining, but there were a few, ominous-looking clouds in the sky. Tugging the collar of my jacket up, I decided that those clouds were not a pretense of bad things to come.
I strode down the sidewalk. My eyes took in the sight of an unfamiliar silver Lexus in the Gilberts' drive. Not sure what that meant; my brow ross.
The lights were on inside the house. The curtains drawn. Trying not to be too obvious, I walked through the lawn and peered inside the window of the living room.
Katherine sat on the couch. Her gaze on a man I'd never seen in my life. Kat had a polite smile on her face. Perhaps I should come back another time...
"Klaus?" My head spun to find Elena Gilbert on the Gilberts' swing. Now, her expression I could read. She looked depressed and worried. "Hey."
"Hello, Elena." I moved to the porch and jogged up the steps. Walking over to Elena's side, I nodded at the other side of the swing. "May I?"
Elena nodded, not speaking. Her eyes went to the road. "I think today's plans are off. You should tell Care. And Damon."
I nodded. However, I did not get up to go. "Elena, are you alright?" Glancing at Elena, I tried to understand what was taking place. My mind returned to the view of the clouds. Perhaps I should have taken heed to nature's signs.
Elena rested her head on the metal chain. Her eyes went to meet mine. "That man. In there," she inclined her head towards the door. "The last time I saw him was at the reading of Mom's and Dad's will. He was their lawyer." Her eyes went to her folded hands. "I think he's here to tell Kat that she can't take care of us anymore..."
My breath stopped in my chest. "Really?" Looking to the closed door, I wondered how Kat would take the news. Perhaps she would relish the freedom. Then again, she seemed to be finding her rhythm in the parenting game.
I did not get an opportunity to answer, because a car was pulling up in the driveway. Elena rose to her feet. "I should have called him..."
Damon got out of his car. Caroline hopped out of the passenger side with a huge grin. "Hey! Whose ready to begin the Love Games?"
"Please, for the love of something holy: Stop calling it that!" Damon cried, shaking his head at Caroline as Elena and I moved to join them.
Running a hand through her long straight locks; Elena shook her head. "Sorry. I should have called-"
The front door opened, interrupting whatever Elena was about to say. We could hear the lawyer: "Thank you, Miss Gilbert. You have my card. My secretary will call you about the appointment." My head turned to take in the sight of the man striding toward us now. He stopped in front of Elena, looking at her with that look so many people used after my mothed passed. "Everything well, Elena?" His dark eyes seemed kind, but people could fool you.
"Yes." Elena nodded. If body language were vocal, it would be shouting: "Do I look okay to you, you fool!"
Nodding, the lawyer moved to get in his car. His eyes went to the drive. "Excuse me. Someone seems to be blocking me in." He looked to me, Damon, and Caroline.
"That would be me!" Damon said. "Let me just pull back out." He gave Elena a look before moving in the direction of his car. Damon took his time getting back into it and backing out.
In the meantime, Caroline moved closer to me. Her arms folded over her chest. "Nice car. Too nice. Lawyer?"
"My parents," Elena said, glancing from Damon to Caroline. She lifted her hand to wave back at the lawyer. The minute he looked away, a scowl appeared on her face and she turned away.
Caroline looked from Elena to me. "So...not good news?"
"No." Elena headed back up to the porch.
Damon came up behind us. "What did I miss?"
"Rich Guy is the Gilberts' lawyer. Not good news," Caroline summarized.
"Yeah?" Damon followed Elena inside as she opened the door.
We found Kat still sitting on the couch. She barely seemed to note our coming in. Elena rounded the couch to stand in front of her sister. "What was that?" she asked, waving at the window. "What did he want, Katherine?"
Kat shook her head. "I don't know, Elena. He came to talk about a clause: In the will. Something about a trust. I don't know what's going on. Apparently, I have to go to the office to discuss the matter." Gaze gaining a far-away look; Kat looked scared. Not a good sign.
Elena let out a growl. "This is bullshit!"
Snapping back into focus, Katherine sat up. "Pardon you?"
"Jeremy and I shouldn't have to be stuck in whatever you messed up!" Elena cried, hands shaking. "I don't even know why Mom and Dad chose you to take care of us!"
"They probably didn't! It was probably Jenna! And the whole mistake will be taken care of: SOON! Then you can get back to your perfect, little life!"
The Gilbert sisters continued to glare at each other. Neither about to give the other a moment's rest. Letting out another growl, Elena stomped out of the living room. We could hear her running upstairs and her door slamming shut.
Falling back on the couch, Kat placed her hands over her eyes. "I am the worst mom!"
Damon shrugged. "Can't argue with that." A throw pillow flew his way and he knocked it away. It smacked me in the arm before falling to the floor. "I'm gonna check on Lena."
"Code for have sex with my sister!" Kat yelled at Damon. He waved a hand in response, not looking back.
With a sigh, Kat grabbed a new pillow and hugged it to her. "I do not know what I am doing."
"You know...you could ask Elijah to go with you...to your meeting." Caroline moved to sit down with Kat. "He's Moral Support Man." Grinning, she added. "That way, you can spend some time with him, and have a shoulder to cry on if the lawyer is a jackass."
"I guess..."
Caroline looked to me. And I suspected we had a new dare on our hands.
~0~
Night had fallen, and Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Enzo, and I stood outside of the Gilbert family's old law firm. Bonnie waved her hands, speaking in Latin to the door before it opened for us.
"What, exactly, are we looking for here?" Caroline said as she walked beside me.
"The Gilberts' file," Damon answered.
Rolling her eyes, Caroline glared. "I'm not an idiot."
Bonnie had begun to whisper to the cameras whose little lights went out. We would need to gain access to the security tape, before we left. And that was not the biggest problem.
"We need to find out what the lawyer wants to talk to Kat about. But that might not be written down," Caroline said.
"Unlikely. Lawyers like to make notes," Damon retorted.
Caroline opened her mouth to reply, but the clicking of the lawyer's door made Caroline close her mouth. Bonnie entered first. Enzo followed her. Damon joined them. Caroline moved in inside and I closed the door behind us.
"Bon, computer. I'll deal with the file cabinet. Caroline, you can go through any notes you find lying around. Nik, you've got desk duty."
"Who put him in charge?" Caroline grumbled at Damon's back.
I patted Caroline's shoulder. "He's just worried about Elena, love."
"So am I." Caroline moved to rummage through notes on the lawyer's desk. "Nothing. Nothing. Some-nothing!" she groaned. "Does anyone want to switch?"
I looked to Caroline while Bonnie used her magic to open the drawers for me. Pulling out a stack of envelopes, I held out half of them to Caroline. She seemed pleased. Most of the correspondence had nothing to do with clients with names who I knew. Although one did have the name: St John on it. My eyes flicked to Enzo's back.
For his part, Enzo did not seem to note my gaze. He was concentrating on whatever Bonnie was up to. Folding the letter, I slipped it into my pocket, for later.
"Got something!" Damon waved a folder. Coming to stand at the desk, he flipped if open. "Boring. Not useful. Ha! Here we go, kids!" He pulled out a sheaf of papers. His brows came together as he read them. "Oh..."
"What is it?" Caroline demanded as Damon set the papers down and he moved to lean against the filing cabinet.
Caroline and I moved to stand over the desk. We examined the papers. "If our daughter, Katherine Gilbert, proves to be unfit to care for our minor children… Blah, blah. Gist: They go to their grandparents in Denver."
"What?" Bonnie looked away from the computer. "That's-"
"In Colorado." Damon looked at the floor. He dropped the folder on the desk, his hands sliding into his hair and turned to pace in tiny part of the office not occupied by his friends.
"They're not leaving!" Caroline cried. "We can fix this!"
"How?" Bonnie asked.
Caroline gestured at the computer. "Make a new file! Say something positive about Kat. Then, we'll...we'll do a spell! You'll do a spell," she corrected herself when Bonnie and Enzo stared at her. "Have the lawyer forget everything he knows about the will, or whatever!"
"Caroline-" Bonnie began.
"It's Elena! We can't lose her! Look at Damon!" Caroline pointed at Damon. He did look like he might disappear. "Okay! We will fix this! We have to!"
And so that might explain my day as a leather chair...
~0~
By Friday-of the same week-I sat on four legs, with a high back, and waited for someone to sit on me. Thankfully, Damon sat beside me. Caroline sat in the corner. She happened to be the only one of us with the presence of mind to claim: "Ficus!" This left Bonnie as a rolltop desk and Enzo as the lawyer's chair. Perhaps I should have said: "Computer!" But I feared becoming one with the Internet. No idea why…
The door opened and Mr. Teller, the gilbert's family lawyer, came in to sit on Enzo. Enzo let out a load groan as Teller adjusted his position. I would have smiled; if I still had lips.
Two hours later, Teller's secretary announced Katherine's and Elijah's arrival.
Teller got up. Minutes later, footsteps approached. "Katherine. Elijah. Please, have a seat."
Damon, Enzo and I groaned as we were sat on. "Can I get you some coffee?"
"No. Thanks. Nerves are already jangly." Katherine let out a quick laugh.
Teller laughed, too. Then Enzo let out a cry. I wish I had eyes. "Darn seat! Been making racket all morning," Teller told Kat and Elijah. "Let's see. Just give me a moment to pull up your file…" Again, I would have rolled my eyes, but I had none to roll.
It took a moment and then Teller said: "Katherine, you have nothing to be nervous about. You were under a six-month probationary period-as your parents will specified-which you passed with flying colors. Now, we might discuss the trust."
"Trust?" Kat said.
"Yes."
"Your parents left trusts for all three of you. Not just Elena and Jeremy as I led you to believe before. Pardon me for what might have seemed like a cruel gesture. Your parents di believe in you. However, they would prefer that your sole motivation was caring for your family. People will do lots of things for money."
There was a brief pause and then Kat said: "You mean, another fifty thousand dollars?" Her words came out slowly, cautiously.
"No. When you turn twenty-five—two years from today—you will be awarded the full amount of your trust. Including stocks, that will be in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars. Stocks that are estimated at another hundred thousand—just beware—the stock market can change that sum could be less…" There was a shuffling of papers and then: "A farm on Sterling Lake. And thirty percent of the Mystic Grill."
"What? What?" Kat sounded so confused. "I own the Grill?"
"You own part of the Grill." Teller stated. "Please, note: You must continue holding a job, care for the minor children: Elena, Jeremy, Nadia, and Davina. Finish your college education. And you will receive your entire inheritance, upon your twenty-five birthday."
"Really?"
"Yes." Enzo groaned and Teller's added, "I will leave you, to think this over. After that, I have some paperwork for you to sign."
The door closed and Kat cried out. "I own the Grill."
"Part of it," Elijah reminded her.
"And my parents left me a farm. I can buy horses!"
"Perhaps. Don't forget. You must return to college."
"Yeah. That's a lot."
"You won't be alone." Silence filled the room.
"Thank you, Elijah."
"Shall I get Mr. Teller?"
"Yes!"
I felt a weight lift. Oh, good. So, my brother had been sitting on me. I would never tell him. And I would kill any of my friends who told him he did. Never would I ever allow anyone to talk me into being a piece of furniture, again. Except for the time I was a vacuum cleaner. That story will go with me to my grave...
Thank you for reading, faving, following, and reviewing. :)
Be safe,
-J
