AN: umm, yeah, this was already done a few days ago, so i'm just going to post it now. There was a death in my family, and I'm really at the point where it's all, I don't know... I'm trying to keep busy but also just kind of staring at my computer. so who knows what I'll get written, or not.. anywho, here you go.
Disclaimer: See prologue.
AN: soooo we still have some readers?
and on another note, you should know that I have published my original fiction. epub anyways. It's available at Smashwords and is shipping to all retailers this week. I currently have 25% sample for free and it's only 99 cents to buy right now, if you're interested, let me know, I'll send you the link. or you can go to my profile page and follow the links. It's been "shipped" to all major retailers. The book is called Cursed. the author is C.D. Blaire so look for it on any ebooks site. let me know what you think or go to my profile and it's there... pretty please?
thanks
... ... ...
Do you feel like trying to make what's wrong, feel right.
Cause I'm ready for a change right now, it's time.
And I thought I heard you say, you love me.
So whatcha gonna do, cause I want you,
And how soon is soon, cause I need you,
And if you want some room, I'll give it to you,
Cause all you've got, is all I've got, and it's all we got to lose.
"Hey, I found you, yay me" Kenzie exclaimed as she entered the abandoned lake house her ancestor was currently hiding away in. "I brought presents too."
"Are you mad?" Jack asked in disbelief. "What if someone got you or followed you. We don't know where Jill is."
"With Katherine is my guess." Kenzie replied with a shrug. "She's out of the tomb, Jill disappeared, so I have a feeling they're planning something."
"And this does not worry you?"
"No because whatever they're planning has nothing to do with me. It's Klaus and the moonstone and Elena. So I'm really not worried."
He sighed. "Sooner or later, you're going to get yourself into trouble and I will not be there to save you."
Kenzie pulled out the blood bags she had swiped for him. "Look Jack, it's not your job to protect me."
"I seriously hope you do not rely on Damon to do this."
"Damon and I are totally on the outs." Kenzie snapped before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Furthermore, I can take care of myself."
Jack sighed again as he paced the cabin. "I fear what Jill is doing with Katherine. She will do anything to keep us together. What if Katherine threatened you or myself? Then Jill would do whatever was asked of her."
"Then we need to find Jill and let her know we can look after ourselves. Katherine already killed me once apparently, so she knows I have a nifty little ring to bring me back."
"Katherine… has killed you?"
Kenzie nodded. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." Jack replied.
"How was Jill able to make Katherine take Cynthia all those years ago? She doesn't really strike me as the type to care."
"I do not know how she talked Katherine into taking Cynthia to our family."
Kenzie cocked her head to the side as realization struck her. "Oh god, you don't know."
"Know what?" Jack asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Katherine raised Cynthia herself. She grew up, had a family and Katherine turned her, she died about 15 years ago."
A stricken look crossed his face. "I missed my daughter by mere years?"
Kenzie shot him a sympathetic look. "Maybe that's why Jill is with her. Didn't she love Cynthia as much as she loves you? Perhaps she just wanted a chance to know her daughter, even if it is through Katherine."
"Perhaps." Jack replied, still looking troubled.
"You should think about moving into civilization, you know, learn what the new millennium is all about. Learn how to swipe your own blood." She held up the few blood packs she had. "This was all I could get before my big fight with Damon, so this will have to do."
"I thank you." He replied. "I know this must not be easy for you."
"It is what it is, or whatever. I'm just glad you're not hiding anymore, it was annoying."
Jack sighed. "I did not want you caught up in all this but I can see there's just no use trying to convince you to stay out of supernatural affairs."
"I live for danger." She replied with a grin causing him to sigh again and in turn she rolled her eyes. "Jack, really, I'll be okay."
Her phone rang and she picked it up.
"Stefan?"
"Kenzie, we need your help, Elena is missing."
"Okay, calm down, where are you? What do you need me to do?" she looked helplessly at Jack, who moved closer to hear the conversation.
"Damon says you have something important, can you meet us?"
"Of course, meet me at my place, okay?"
They hung up and Kenzie quickly grabbed her purse, ready to leave.
"What do you have that they are searching for?" Jack asked.
Kenzie opened her mouth to tell him but stopped. "I can't say." She replied, "Not yet, anyway. Please just trust me on this?"
"For now." He replied, looking upset. "But I would very much like to accompany you."
"Fine, whatever." She replied, letting him lead them to her house the quickest possible way.
When they arrived, Damon and Stefan were already there, waiting on her front porch.
"Hello Kenzie." Stefan said with a strained smile.
"Hey." She replied before scowling at Damon. "I'm not talking to you."
She noticed Stefan was staring oddly at Jack, who was a couple steps behind her. "I'm sure you all remember each other.
"It's good to see you again, Jack." Stefan smiled warmly at him.
"Likewise. Damon." He inclined his head to the older brother who smirked in return.
"So why do you need my help?" Kenzie asked, opening the door. "Dad?" She yelled, knowing he was home as his car was in the driveway. He didn't answer and Kenzie shrugged, turning to the guys .
Stefan quickly explained what had happened. John was used as a distraction for Elena and Katherine to switch places. Isobel had taken Elena and Katherine shot Stefan up with vervain before disappearing.
"They're missing one important thing."
"The moonstone." She finished for him before glancing at Damon who nodded.
"Wouldn't they want that before they took Elena?" She asked with a frown.
"Katherine looked and she couldn't find it at our place." Damon answered. "So I'm sure she has something planned to get it."
"Look, take a seat in the living room and I'm just going to make sure Dad stays upstairs." She gestured to the living room before running up the steps and throwing open her dad's door. He wasn't there and she went to go back downstairs when she noticed her door was open. She never left her door opened and she walked over to it, glancing inside before her eyes widened in shock.
"Damon." She screeched, entering her room to find everything strewn about.
He was there in a flash, letting out a slow whistle as he looked around. "Fallen a little lax on the housekeeping?"
"Someone was here." She snapped. "They were looking for something."
"Probably the Moonstone." He replied, looking around again before going to her desk and picking up a piece of paper. "Is it safe?" he asked opening up the paper.
"Yes." She replied. "What is that?"
He held it out for her and she snatched it from him, her face going even whiter as she read the contents.
You want a trade, how about you get me the moonstone and I'll try not to break too many of your dad's bones while I wait.
"Dad." She whispered. "They took my dad."
Damon grabbed her, pulling her into a hug. "Shh, it's okay Red, we'll get him back."
"They took my dad." Was her only response as she grew more hysterical..
Stefan and Jack appeared in the doorway and Damon held out the letter for them to read.
"Is it Katherine?" She tearfully asked.
"She hasn't been invited in." Damon reminded her.
"It is not Katherine's writing." Jack informed them. "It belongs to Jill."
"Who does have an invite because you compelled my dad." She snapped, turning her anger on Jack. "This is all your fault."
"Kenzie, we'll get him back." Stefan promised her. "We just need a plan."
"We're wasting time." She snapped "She's breaking bones as we speak."
"If we give her the moonstone, we'll regret it later." Stefan softly told her.
Kenzie let out a frustrated noise. "If we're not giving her the moonstone, you better have a Plan B."
The two brothers looked at each other in silent communication before Damon nodded, grabbing Kenzie's arm in an attempt to get her to calm down.
"We'll talk to the witch." Damon told her, "We'll come up with something, a decoy."
"If they didn't find the moonstone here, where is it?" Stefan asked. "Damon told me you hid it."
"And I did." She confirmed, not elaborating and causing Damon to smirk at how she easily wouldn't give it up.
Stefan nodded. "I'll go find Bonnie. I know it's risky but do you trust me when I say your dad's going to be fine?"
"Do I have a choice?" She snapped before taking a deep breath. "I'd apologize for being snappy but I'll do that after my dad is home."
"It's fine." Stefan assured her. "I'll call you guys later."
He left and Jack looking extremely uncomfortable gave a small shrug of his shoulders.
"I apologize Mackenzie. I will go search and see what if I can find Jill." He left and Mackenzie turned on Damon, her eyes blazing.
"You're a jackass. One that I'll deal with after my dad's back."
"Aww, did I hurt Little Red's feelings?" he asked with a mock pout.
"I don't have feelings." She hissed.
"Of course you don't" He responded in a condescending tone. His head turned as if he was listening for something and when he was satisfied, his arms snaked out, grabbing her and pulling her to him. He wrapped his arms around her, turning his head into her hair.
"Everyone's gone." He murmured.
She pulled back enough to look up at him. "You really did scare me, asshole."
"That's why I sent you that text, telling you to play along. I didn't want Katherine getting any other ideas. So, sorry."
Her eyes widened. "The end of the world is near, Damon Salvatore has apologized."
"Shut up." He told her, with a small smirk.
"I want you to do one thing for me though."
"What's that?" He asked.
"Uncompel me or whatever. I want that memory back." She begged him.
He shook his head, understanding what that meant. "I can't do that."
"Tell me I asked you to compel me. Tell me and don't lie and I'll drop it." Kenzie whispered.
"Kenzie, you don't know what you're asking." He snapped, stepping back. "You have no idea what you were like that night, I had no choice."
She took a deep calming breath. "Damon, I need it back. I've been going in circles the last few days, thinking I couldn't trust you or anything anymore, so I need that back."
"Trust me?" He sneered. "No one trusts me. I'm Damon, Stefan's older brother, the one who fucks things up, the loose cannon, the wild one, no one trusts me."
"But I do." She whispered, sitting on her bed. "Please?"
He leaned down so he was face to face with her, one hand coming up to cradle her cheek, the other hand reaching down to remove her ring. "I'm sorry." He said, looking into her eyes. "Remember everything I made you forget that night."
Her eyes grew distant and he replaced her ring, stepping back as he watched the memories return to her, her jaw dropping in horror as tears filled her eyes.
"Mads?" She whispered, remembering that she had heard her sister and how hard she cried in Damon's arms. She looked up at him, seeing the pained look on his face at having to do that and suddenly, she was filled with this overwhelming feeling she had never felt before, towards him. The feelings she had for him and how he told her to forget them but something still fought against it and it was always there in the back of her mind. Even more, she remembered what he had said to her that night, how she begged him to not make her forget but he did anyways.
"You made me forget everything. My feelings for you, your feelings for me, dying, hearing my sister, what that ring could do."
"Yeah, I did." He replied.
"I have something to tell you too. Well a lot of things really. I went to see Katherine in the tomb."
Damon nodded. "And that's how she got the blood and clothes before I got there. I just assumed it was Elena."
Kenzie shook her head. "Totally me. I was confused if what she was telling me was the truth or not but then I figured out it was real when I died again."
"When did that happen?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"The night you didn't leave the dagger in Elijah. Totally broke my neck."
If Elijah wasn't already dead, Kenzie had a feeling that Damon's look alone would kill him.
"Anything else?" He asked, trying to keep his temper in check.
She stood up and walked over to him with a big smirk on her face, letting a finger trail down the front of his shirt before she grabbed a handful and pulled him down closer to him. She knew he was just letting her as he would be able to remove her hand no problem.
"Just one." She whispered before letting her smirk grow into a grin, her next words teasing. "You love me."
He batted her hand away, straightening out his shirt. "I do not, I was drunk."
"Liar." She sang.
"Your memories are still skewed."
"Liar." She sang again.
He opened his mouth with another excuse but she held up a hand to shut him up.
"Damon?"
"What?
"Shut up and kiss me."
He grinned as an arm wrapped around her waist and he pulled her closer to kiss her, his other hand coming up to tangle in her curls. They were stopped from going any further by a phone beeping and it took her a moment to realize it wasn't hers or Damon's but that extra one Jack had used to contact her. She rummaged around in her bag and pulled it out, opening it up to see a message for her.
Bring the Moonstone to the bridge in two hours and you'll find your dad safe. If not, you'll find him in the water.
She showed the message to Damon as the panic began to set in again and he picked up his phone, calling his brother. When he was done, he looked at Kenzie.
"Stefan found her, the witch is working on it."
"What if it doesn't work?" She asked.
"It will." He said. "The real one is still safe?"
She nodded.
"Are you going to tell me where?"
She grinned at him, grabbing his hand and putting it under her shirt. He shot her a confused look but she guided him to the padding of her bra where she had sewn it into the underside of her bra, amidst the padding. Since it was a push up bra, the stone fit in there nicely with no one any wiser.
"Are you serious?" He asked in disbelief.
Her grin grew. "Now can we go?"
He nodded and they left to go to the Salvatore house to meet up with the others. When they arrived, Bonnie was in the middle of a spell and they stood back to watch. When she was done, the witch turned to her, holding out a stone that looked exactly like the moonstone.
"This should do it. I'm really sorry about your dad Kenzie."
"Thanks." The redhead replied. "This will work?"
She nodded. "It will and you'll get your dad back soon. My advice, get him on vervain."
"I will. I'll put him on so much vervain, he'll OD on it." She swore. "I need to go to the bridge."
"I'll go with you." Damon said.
"No you won't. I have to go alone, I'll be okay."
"Like hell you will."
"Let her go." Stefan said. "She needs to be there alone but we will be close by."
"I'll give you a ride." Jeremy said.
Kenzie smiled. "Thank you. I don't drive."
"Really?" He asked as they left the house. "Why not?"
"After my mom and sisters accident, I decided I never wanted to be behind the wheel. It scares the crap out of me to be honest."
"I have no problem giving you a ride then." Jeremy said with a smile.
She returned his smile and got into the car, her body tense as he drove. He seemed to sense her mood and kept quiet, not wanting to push her at the moment.
When they arrived, Kenzie quietly thank him, telling Jeremy she would go on her own. She knew Stefan and Damon would be close by and would give her a ride after.
She hurried towards the bridge, stopping in surprise when she saw her Dad standing on the edge of the bridge as if he was about to jump.
"Dad." Kenzie cried rushing towards him. "Dad." She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away but he didn't budge, staring straight ahead and ignoring her. "Please Dad, we need to leave."
A soft chuckle sounded behind her and she spun around, her eyes widening at seeing someone who looked so much like herself, that if she didn't already have a twin sister, she would think this other woman was.
"Jill." Kenzie whispered, her eyes roaming over the figure of her ancestor. Upon closer inspection, Kenzie could see a few differences. Despite the era Jill was from, she was taller than Kenzie. The Vampires features were sharper, whereas Kenzie's was almost pixieish but the hair was the same fiery red color and curly as well, although a lot shorter than Kenzie's and their eyes were also different. Kenzie's was a bright emerald green while Jill's were brown. If not for the height difference and eye color, Kenzie figured she very well could have passed herself off as a doppelganger if the two were seen together.
"Well, well, if it isn't my little relative Mackenzie." Jill drawled, also looking Kenzie over. "I do hope that's the moonstone in your hand because Katherine doesn't like it when her orders aren't met."
"I wouldn't be here with just some stupid rock." The smaller redhead snapped.
"I hope not." Jill smirked. "Because your Dad's been compelled to tell you goodbye and step over the ledge if anything goes wrong here. So give me the Moonstone."
Kenzie lifted her chin, "So you're doing Katherine's dirty work for her? Fine, just take it."
She tossed the moonstone at the Vampire who greedily snatched it out of the air, looking it over closely.
"Enough games." Came Kenzie's exasperated voice, as she pulled out something Damon had slipped her before she left. "Give me my dad or I will use this vervain grenade on you."
Jill looked up, her eyes narrowing at the small teen. "You're lying. And for that, you might as well just say goodbye to your dad now."
Kenzie's eyes narrowed right back as the two squared off against each other, neither noticing when they were joined by someone else.
"Jill, this has gone far enough. These people are your family and if you won't protect them, I will."
The female vampire turned towards Stefan, an eyebrow raised in a move that was eerily similar to Kenzie. "The only way to protect them is to make sure Katherine gets exactly what she wants. You know that better than anyone Stefan."
Stefan shook his head, stepping closer to Kenzie's side. "I chose to stop being Katherine's pawn a long time ago, you can choose that too Jill."
"I owe Katherine and she knows it." She replied with a shake of her head. "The best way for me to protect my family is to make sure she's happy. For now though, you should all get out of here."
Stefan waited for Jill to leave before he stepped up to her Dad, grabbing him and pulling him away from the ledge.
"Kenzie?" Darren said, looking around in confusion, "How did I get out here."
the redhead looked towards Stefan who shrugged. "The compulsion seems to be lifted so maybe he wasn't compelled to jump at all."
Kenzie shook her head in disgust. "I knew it, never trust a Miller, we're top notch at lying."
"At any rate, if you want me to erase his memory, we gotta do it now."
"What?" Darren asked. "Macks, what's going on?""
She pulled a face at the nickname, ignoring Stefan's questioning look. "Don't call me that and nothing is, just look at Stefan dad, he'll explain everything to you." She turned to Stefan, helplessly shaking her head. "Tell him- tell him he came out here fishing or something, I don't know."
Stefan nodded in understanding. "I'll make sure he gets home. Damon's here."
She turned to see the elder Salvatore waiting for her and without thinking, she ran towards him, throwing herself into his arms.
"It's okay Red." He murmured. "We're good, we got him."
She nodded. "What about Elena?"
"If Isobel and Katherine took her for the Moonstone, she should be back soon. Stefan knows Isobel's lodging tricks so he'll go to the nicest foreclosure in town."
"I should go home and get my dad on vervain."
Damon nodded, leading her towards his car, both trusting that Stefan would get her dad home.
The drive back was quiet, Kenzie looking out the window the whole way, not up to talking. When they got home, Stefan and her dad were already there. The younger brother left and Kenzie went in, making her dad some tea with the vervain Stefan had given her before he left. She gave it to her dad, waiting for him to drink it before kissing him on the cheek and telling him she would be up in her room. She didn't notice the surprised look on his face at the unexpected affection she showed him. Kenzie stole upstairs, not at all surprised to see Damon waiting for her and without another word she fell into his arms, letting out a sigh as he held her close.
"I love you too." She whispered to a surprised Damon.
… … …
The two were lying on her bed in each others arms, neither saying anything when his phone rang and he untangled himself to sit up and answer it. He was silent for a few moments, listening to the other person talk before he hung up the phone.
"Elena called Stefan and he's on his way to get her."
"Is she okay?" Kenzie asked, sitting up.
Damon nodded. "Isobel was compelled to double cross Katherine because Klaus wanted her and the moonstone. Isobel delivered and killed herself."
Kenzie rubbed at her forehead. "What's going to happen when Klaus finds out we have the real moonstone? And what about Jill?"
"My guess is Klaus has her and when he finds out, he might kill her." Damon glanced at her to see her reaction, not at all surprised to see she didn't seem to care too much about that. Kenzie was loyal to a small handful of people and was indifferent about everyone else. But if you did something to piss her off and hurt someone she did care about, well if she didn't cause you pain herself, she would joyfully watch as someone else did.
"She made her bed." Was all Kenzie said as she stood up to gather some clothes.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked.
"Going with you." Kenzie replied. "I don't want to be alone tonight."
He only nodded, knowing how hard it was for her to even admit that.
… … …