Hey people!

So here's the next chapter! In truth I'm not completely pleased with this chapter (maybe it's because it's past midnight by the time I've finished this) so I could do with reviews. What do you think of the character Tari? Do you think she is reacting the way she should? And what about Damon? Are his actions with Tari believable?

Please keep me posted - I need to know about this story!

Thank you, and as always, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or the characters - except for the brilliant and wonderful Tari.

Chapter Two

Then again...

Those next few days passed in somewhat of the blur for Tari. Looking back, the girl couldn't say how she had been able to get through them. All she could remember was the deep, burning pain in her body. She tried to understand it. She tried to push past it. Years ago Tari had believed that she was not a normal human being, that she didn't feel as much as other people did. Well, if this was God's way of showing her how wrong she was, lesson learnt. If anything, she felt too much.

"Hey." Tari glanced up, disorientated. She was in the kitchen, and it was early afternoon. How had she gotten here? How had it become afternoon when she was sure it had been morning?

Sun filtering in by the window, she saw Elena push a plate towards her. "You should eat," she advised the girl. "You haven't eaten properly in three days."

The cheese on toast made her feel queasy. She took a bite from one of the pieces and pushed it away from her. "Done," she said quietly.

"Tari, please, you need to have something."

"I did." Without waiting Tari stood and walked outside to the garden. She had finally been allowed outside, but only in the garden. Still, that was something. If she had been her old self, she would have challenged the fact that she couldn't go wandering round without an escort. Now though...well, she would do as she was told, as long as they allowed her to be alone.

She snuck past the set of maple trees, through bushes that were very close to each other but didn't actually touch, and finally to the large oak tree. It was the only one in the garden, but very beautiful. It was so big and wide. It had been there for years, and reminded Tari of a warm, comforting aunt, ready to embrace anyone in a hug.

She sat down underneath it. The air itself was warm, though not surprising considering it was August, but nevertheless Tari curled up in a ball. The world seemed a much scarier place now, without her mother. She had been taught that fairytales didn't exist; that karma didn't work; that bad things happened to good people. The world was a harsh cruel place, a place Tari no longer recognised as her own.

She didn't know what was going to happen to her. After the night of the accident she withdrew in her shell, barely speaking. Both Elena and Stefan had tried to break through. Tari could see Elena was trying to be kind and considerate, but Tari barely knew the girl; Stefan, on the other was desperately trying to talk to Tari, convince her that everything was okay. He had never known his own mother – how did he know what it was like to lose one?

As for Damon... He barely acknowledged her, and that was when he was here. The past few days Damon and Stefan had barely been around, out all day. Occasionally Elena left and Stefan took over, but Damon was hardly ever home. It was only when she would wake up in the middle of the night that she would realise Damon was there, asleep. Since she didn't talk and he didn't offer any information, Tari had no clue what he was doing.

Just thinking about going to bed made Tari feel sleepy. Nonetheless she didn't want to go to; lately sleep wasn't coming easy to her. For three nights, without fail, she would have the nightmare.

It varied, but basically the idea was the same: she and her mother would be driving home. Tari would know that the accident was coming, but wouldn't be able to stop it, though she urgently tried to. It was as if she was living it all over again, and she hated it.

Every time she woke up, she would find an escape route. For some reason, she would be struck by the sudden desire to go outside. She couldn't understand why, but it was like a feeling... But while she had this longing to go outside, she also felt this...fear. She could not understand why – she was perfectly comfortable going outside during the day, but the thought of going outside at night made her palms sweat.

So why, every night, did she try to go outside?

Not that it mattered. Every single time she made it to the door, Damon would suddenly appear. Locking it he would pick her up and take her back to the bedroom. Tari would be angry with him – almost trembling with fury – but she didn't understand why.

Like it mattered anyway. She didn't see him for any other part of the day. She didn't have to pretend with him. She was just waiting until they would let her go home. Well, maybe not home – to her aunt Isabel's, her mother's sister. Tari would feel better when she was with her: she saw Aunt Isabel all the time; she would understand her.

She had been so excited about seeing her father before; now she couldn't remember why.

xXx

I'm in hell.

Mom is driving, smiling out the front of the car. "Mom!" I cry, "Please stop the car."

She ignores me, switching on the radio . Did she not notice that it was a deathly song that would only be fit for a funeral?

"Mom," I sob, "please stop."

The car swings violently to the left; before I can catch my breath the car fills with water. Still I'm calling for my Mom, but now I can't even see her. And then I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

Tari gasped for oxygen as she pushed herself up. Her fingers grasped the sheets underneath her, clinging to reality. Her eyes scanned the room, immediately recognising it as hers –

As Damon's.

She turned her head, noticing that, for once, Damon wasn't asleep next to her. That was odd. She searched for her watch, as Damon didn't have an alarm clock like she'd had in her room. Deeming it "late" she stood up. She didn't want to turn the light on; didn't want to attract anyone's attention in case Stefan or Elena decided to have a heart to heart.

It was as if she was on autopilot. This was how it felt to her when she stepped towards Damon's side of the bed, reaching to the desk leaning against the wall. On it was a pad of paper and a pen, and a glass bottle of scotch, along with a glass cup.

Tari peered at the paper, trying to see if there was anything written on it. No, it didn't seem to be written on at all. Shrugging, her eyes landed on what she'd wandered over for: the glass of scotch.

Tari wasn't a drinker. She was only fourteen, for God's sake! Sure, she'd had a glass of champagne at her cousin's wedding and a beer here and there, but nothing like this; nothing this strong.

Carefully pouring some into a glass (God, it was heavy) she raised it to her nose. It smelt foul, but so did most alcohol. Tari never particularly yearned for alcohol, but people drank to forget, right? It numbed the pain, and Tari had a lot of pain she didn't want to feel; she had something she wanted to forget.

The light flashed on, as if someone had held a camera right to her face. "Thanks for pouring me a drink." Damon appeared by her side. He wasn't frowning, but not smiling either – it was more of a look of indifference, though there was a glimmer of something in his eyes. Something that Tari wouldn't like if she cared.

Tari rolled her eyes as Damon took the glass and downed the scotch in one. Once finished he breathed a quick sigh of pleasure, as if that's exactly what he needed. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Without a word Tari crawled back into the covers. Inwardly her father frowned. He had not expected it to be that easy. Turning his back he hurriedly (though it felt slow to him who could get dressed and undressed in the blink of an eye) changed into his boxers and a white shirt, before crawling into bed beside his daughter.

Neither of them fell asleep. In the dark Damon watched his daughter as she stared, unblinking, up at the ceiling. Every time she would glance his way he would close his eyes, so it looked to her that he was been asleep.

Slowly she began to creep out of the bed. Damon sighed: he knew what was going on. He waited until she heard her unlock the door and then appeared by her side. This time she had tried to leave via the back door, but Damon knew that.

He saw those eyes roll again before picking her up. She did not fall against him willingly, but sat stonily in his arms until he carried placed her back in the bed.

As soon as she was in bed, Tari leapt back out again. Damon glowered at her. "Bed."

"No."

"Funny." Slowly Damon strolled towards her. "It wasn't a question." He took her arm, but she quickly yanked it away from his grasp.

"I want to go back home, to New York."

"No."

"Why not?" exploded Tari. "I can go live with Aunt Isabel, she won't mind. She's now my legal guardian, you can't stop-"

"Correction, kid, I am your legal garden."

The girl gaped at him, for a moment purely speechless. Damon couldn't be her guardian. "But she's my God mother. In Mom's will – Mom told me-"

"She did come the night after the accident to collect you, but I convinced her that you should stay here."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tari felt her chest ache, tears forming in her eyes. Funny... I thought I that I'd run out.

"You were asleep; I didn't think it was a good idea to wake you."

Oh God, he's a psychopath. Even though Tari sensed that it wasn't exactly true, it's what first entered her mind when he said that. "I don't get it!" she yelled, for the first time feeling anger surge upwards like lava. "Why won't you let me go home?"

Damon couldn't – wouldn't – tell her the truth. Instead, he poured another drink and held it out to her. "On second thoughts, I would drink up. Something tells me you're going to need it."

With anger she shoved the glass away. It would have landed on the floor if Damon hadn't caught it. Tari recoiled slightly in surprise. The liquid hadn't even left the glass. She glanced upwards to find Damon glaring at her with hard eyes. This time Tari gazed up at him, unafraid.

"I don't want a fucking drink. I want to go home."

Damon crossed his arms, seeming to think about it. In truth, he was torn. On the one hand, he was annoyed by Tari's stubbornness, though he couldn't argue that it was unlike himself. But then, Damon was enjoying this: his usually stubborn, bold, unwavering daughter had barely spoken, being unusually meek. He was glad of the change – this was his daughter.

"Let's see," he said thoughtfully. "I think a week's grounding for language should be enough, provided you go to bed now."

Tari took a step towards him, and said through gritted teeth, "I want to go home."

Damon felt a smirk, preparing for the most powerful bombshell of all. "Honey, you are home."

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. She lunged for him, preparing to claw those cobalt eyes of his out. But a human could never win against a vampire, even though Tari didn't actually know that her father was one.

So instead of Tari catching her father's face, he caught her and whirled her round so her back was leaning against his chest and stomach. He leant forward, whispering in her ear. "A week and five days, and I'm being generous."

Tari struggled against the man, but of course she was no match for him. He glanced down at her, a little proud. She was certainly wilful girl, immediately reminding him of himself...and of Rebecca.

Don't think. Just breathe.

"Now," he said gently, stroking her hair. She tossed her head back angrily, but he continued running his hand through her thick mane of wavy hair. "Time for bed." Again he pushed her towards the bed. She fell forwards onto the big bed. Before she had the time to fight again, the lights went out and she felt the weight come down on the bed.

She felt an arm snake across her back. Instantly she flipped over, but as soon as she did she felt his muscular arms tightened round her, preventing her from leaving, just like every night before.

But this time, she struggled.

She flung her arms out, almost catching Damon in the face. She tried to twist round in his arm, finally digging her nails in his skin.

Damon quickly reached out and gently (as gently as he could with his strength) gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. He was weakening – he really wanted to use his compulsion on her, but he had said he wouldn't use it again, and God damn it, he was going to try his hardest not to. "Tari," he said, loudly and clearly. "Go to sleep."

"Why?" she growled, doing a brilliant imitation of a vampire, if Damon said so himself.

"Because you're tired," he declared. He stared into her eyes. "You're exhausted and you can't think clearly. Once you sleep, it'll go away."

"My anger?"

He lowered his voice. "It'll go away."

The answer wasn't good enough for Tari. She struggled against him, but after half an hour he could feel her tiring. Finally, at two in the morning, she drifted back into a exhausted sleep.

Damon listened, waiting. And sure enough he felt the evil presence leave the area, going away.

Damon finally allowed himself to fall asleep.

Anyone else curious about that evil presence?

xXx

03/07/11: Yesterday (for some reason) I began reading this story and absolutely CRINGING over some of the mistakes. So I've decided to fix them! I'm actually enjoying updating them. I can't promise that I'm going to continue with it, but ideas are floating round in my head.

(P.S. I updated chapter one as well – and corrected some grammar mistake that has been bothering me for AGES! I would advise you to read it – I think I've improved the story. There are no MAJOR changes – not yet anyway – but I would still read it if you want to keep up with the story).