This OFFICALLY the longest chapter I have written! I am so pleased! I can't believe I actually wrote this much.

I am going to apologise right here and now for any mistakes: I had a blocked nose last night which woke me up at 4:45 a.m. after falling asleep at 22:45 I'm pretty tired and dizzy right now. So I may not have written it so well... I have proof-read it (as usual) but sometimes you can miss things.

Anyway, I hope it's good. It's not such a gloom-and-doom chapter this time, so I hope you like it. Thank you for the reviews (they make me SMILE!) and please review and let me know what you think of this new "happier" chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill, or any of the characters in EITHER programme; Tari, Allen and Liam, however, are all mine!

XxX

Chapter Six

Finally, some fun

Tari sat on her bed, and took a moment to survey her new room. This was her first night in her new bed; in her new room.

Damon had promised that they would have her room done the day after the two came back, but it was her third night back here before she had finally moved into her own bedroom. She didn't think he trusted her, but that was fine, because she didn't trust him either.

Not that she hadn't been welcomed here: Stefan and Elena were nice and considerate to her, though Stefan was a little too serious. Even Damon had done his best to make her feel at home. All three of them had helped decorate her room, what with their speed and strength. And finally Damon had relented, allowing her to spend her first night in her room.

It was the biggest room, aside from Damon and Elena and Stefan's room. It had its own bathroom, though it was tiny and didn't have a bath, only a shower. She had her own desk and a bookshelf. She had never had so many books before in her life: there were her own books as well as her mother's. She didn't have a television, but she could live without it; she had her computer.

There was a quick knock on the door, and Damon entered. Tari didn't expect him to wait for her to answer. "It's getting late. You should be asleep."

Tari learnt that, with Damon, it was best to be direct. "It's only ten. These two nights you've been back after midnight."

"I'm a hundred and seventy years old; I've earned the right to do what I want." He sat on the bed, holding out a small box for her. Opening it, Damon pulled out a silver necklace. It was larger than other necklaces she liked to wear, with lines over it. There was also a little red ruby on the top. Tari didn't want to like it, but she did.

"This is the vervain necklace," explained Damon. He gestured for her to turn around and placed it round her neck. Tari almost felt as if it was a way to keep her with him. She always felt so uneasy: sometimes she thought herself crazy for believing that Damon would harm her mother; other times she reminded herself that she didn't guess he was a vampire – what else didn't she know about him?

"It keeps you from being compelled." Damon's voice came back to her.

"I'm half vampire; can I even be compelled?"

"I did it."

Tari whirled round. "What? When?"

"When you were hysterical, after I told you your mother died. I compelled you to go to sleep."

She stared at him for a moment, calculating. "Have you ever done it to me before?"

He shook his head. "Never needed to before."

"And you're not going to do it again?"

He sighed, rolling his blue eyes. "No Tari, I am not going to do it again, okay?" Before Tari could say another word, he lifted her up in the air. In an instant, he had her under the covers of the bed. He moved so fast Tari wasn't even sure what happened.

"Bedtime," he informed her firmly. He stared at her for a long moment. "Remember what you promised?" he asked her quietly.

Unexplained fear penetrated her. It wasn't as if he was being threatening, but all the same... Quickly she nodded, and was rewarded with a smile. He kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep well."

XxX

I stumble, but immediately get back up. I can't stop running, though my legs are aching and I can't catch my breath. But I can't stop running. I know my mother is somewhere beyond the forest, and I need to get to her. Besides which, if I stop, he will get me.

But I trip and fall. I crawl on the ground, trying to find a good place to hide. But then I find cold hands on my hips, and suddenly I am turned upwards. Red eyes meet me, fangs hanging out his mouth. He smirks as he sinks his teeth into my neck.

Tari jumped up, sending a pillow to the floor. She quickly looked round, making sure it wasn't real. Once she had reassured herself, she brought her knees up to her chest. She didn't even feel tired anymore.

She hated these dreams – or nightmares. But she couldn't keep them away. How did you stop nightmares? She debated on going on the internet, but decided she wouldn't do it tonight. I should try and get some rest, she told herself. The lack of sleep was taking its toll on her; she was actually getting used to the dark circles under her eyes.

Her mind wandered, reminding her of how she used to try and leave. But she knew that was pointless – where the hell was she going to go? It was quite obvious that Damon could find her. No point, she thought, closing her eyes. Besides, you promised.

She began drifting off, almost falling asleep, when she heard it.

Tari... Tari...

The girl froze. The breath in her body halted; she didn't move. She couldn't move.

Tari...

The girl sat up slowly. It couldn't be her imagination. Someone was calling her... But I've never heard it before. She covered her ears with her hands, but the voice was still echoing through her head.

This is crazy. Her heart was racing. I've lost it. Maybe this is all a dream, and I'll wake up back home in New York.

Tari...the voice hissed; she couldn't ignore it. It was like a cross between a hiss and a whisper. Tari...

"I need to get Damon," Tari whispered. No matter what was going on between the two of them, he would protect her.

Unsure whether this...thing was inside the house, Tari crept out of bed. She wasn't use to her new room yet, so she caught her foot on her desk. Stifling a groan, she carefully opened the door. It creaked; she flinched.

But she couldn't help but notice that the voice got louder. She paused: it would be stupid to go and discover the source of the noise alone, but... Well, I am part vampire.

She walked down the stairs, the voice growing louder with every step she took. By the time she got to the bottom, it was painful for her ears. "It hurts," she murmured, her eyes firmly closed. It almost hurt to peel her eyes open.

There, right in front of her, was the door. Just taking one step further caused the noise to get louder.

She stepped forward, hand trembling as it reached out to unlock the door. The voice was almost screaming at her now, causing her ears to nearly burst. TARI... TARI... TARI...

With a low growl the girl shot back from the door. She stumbled along the floor, turning away and heading into the living room. She was feeling sick to the stomach from fear; her legs could barely hold her up.

After a few deep breathes, she cautiously lifted her hands away from her ears. The silence sounded foreign to her. She put her hands over her ears again, but the voice didn't come back.

"What's going on?"

"Tari?"

The girl leapt out of her skin, letting out a gasp of air. She spun round, swinging her arm out in the dark. It was grabbed by the wrist. In fear, Tari tried to pull away, but the grasp was too strong.

Light suddenly met her eyes, and she blinked. Damon stood before her, his dark hair ruffled and his eyes tired but somehow alert at the same time. Tari's heart gave out in relief; she thought she was going to collapse.

Her father stared at her. Tari could see that, for once, Damon Salvatore was confused. "What are you doing?" he asked the girl, whose hand was over her chest.

Under her father's glaring eye, Tari felt the overpowering urge to lie. He was clearly wondering whether she had broken her promise; whether she had been planning to run away again.

"I was just getting some water," she told him. She ran a hand through her messy hair, trying to seem relaxed.

Damon stared at her, his eyes confused. For a moment Tari was sure he had seen through her; she was certain he would take her upstairs after yelling at her for trying to runaway again – she hadn't even been sure what she was doing. But instead he turned away to the kitchen. He pulled a glass out the cupboard and turned the tap. The silence was only interrupted by the sound of the water.

After what seemed like hours, he finally switched the water off and handed her the glass of water. "Thanks," she muttered quietly, her eyes downcast.

Damon watched as she delicately sipped her water. "Another nightmare?"

It wasn't a lie, after all. "Yes."

He sighed, stepping forward. Through limited light she saw him raise his hand, smoothing her hair. "They're not going away, are they?"

Tari shook her head. "What can I do to stop them?"

Damon shrugged, still running his hand through his hair. "I don't know. They'll go eventually."

"You sound so casual," Tari growled. "You don't have to live through them."

"They're not real," he murmured comfortingly. "Now, go to bed."

"Why are you so obsessed with going to bed?"

"Some of my happiest moments were in bed," he said, smirking. "Or are you forgetting how you got here?"

"Eww!" Tari held her hands up to her ears. "Stop speaking, please!"

"Only if you go to sleep," Damon said, offering a bargain.

"Fine," said Tari, turning away as she walked up the stairs. For a moment, a strange feeling came over her. She almost didn't recognise it as happiness.

XxX

Early morning light filtered through the window. Leaning against the doorframe, Damon watched his daughter sleep. She was curled in a ball, facing him, her dark hair spilling over her pillow.

Damon wished Rebecca had never died. Not just for the obvious reasons, but because it put Tari in his care. And Damon was feeling things he had strove hard not to feel ever again.

She's beautiful, Damon thought, not believing the word fully described her. So much like her mother. Sometimes she made him so angry, he wanted to lock her up in her bedroom and throw away the key; another times – like now – he wanted to watch her sleep, stroke her hair, hold her, reassure everything was going to be okay.

But he couldn't; as much as he wanted to, he couldn't. He could, however, take care of her in other ways.

He shrugged on his leather jacket. Pausing for a moment, he bent down and kissed her forehead. She stirred, but didn't wake up. Staring at her for a moment, he turned away.

XxX

Tari peered out the window. She could see Elena and Stefan in the garden, planting (Elena) and drinking lemonade (Stefan). She smiled slightly before turning away, grabbing her purse as she went.

She was sick of staying inside; sick of seeing the same old people every day. She was a girl from New York; she was use to people shrieking drunkenly outside her window, cars beeping, pizza delivery men knocking on the door. She craved the bustle and hustle of the city life; not the tranquil of a town.

As quiet as she possibly could, the girl carefully opened the door and slipped outside. Luckily Stefan and Elena were too distracted by each other to notice. She was, after all, grounded, time added on for running off to New York. Damon would not be pleased.

Before she knew it she was in the centre of the town. Tari breathed in, relaxed. She was relieved to find that people didn't look at her strangely; didn't notice that she was half vampire. She almost felt normal.

XxX

The door opened, and Damon plastered a sarcastic grin on his face. "Well, if it ain't little Miss Sunshine."

The woman, mid-thirties, leant against the doorway, knowing that she was safe; there was no way in hell she was inviting him in. "Damon Salvatore. What brings the devil to my home?"

He sighed exaggeratedly. "Well, I hate to ask, but-"

"No. I'm not doing you a favour Damon – people always get hurt."

"This is to stop people from getting hurt. Or rather, one person."

"And no doubt cause pain to a thousand others, or have you forgotten the tomb incident?" Her voice was filled with hate and bitterness which he expected.

She was about to shut the door in his face when he asked, "How's your son?"

She froze, widening the door slightly. "What?"

He shrugged. "I was just wondering how he was. He's fourteen, right? Coincidently the same age as my daughter-"

Her mouth almost dropped open. "You have a daughter?"

"Yes. And I think, her being part vampire, she should have a good night's sleep to make the right decisions during the day."

After deep thought, Bonnie Bennett stepped out on the porch in defeat. "What do you need?"

XxX

It was 12:09 p.m., and the girl was starving. She slipped into a bar – the Mystic Grill, it was called. Sitting down on a table by herself, she ordered a steak sandwich and coke.

When the waitress brought her the food, she dropped the napkin on the floor. Bending down, she picked it up – almost colliding with a teenage boy.

"Sorry!" said Tari, putting her hand out in apology. "I'm known for my clumsiness."

The dark skinned boy smiled. He had deep, chocolate brown eyes and coco brown hair. He had a nice smile, she noticed, like he hadn't seen any pain. Lucky him. "No worries." He surveyed her. "Are you new here?"

She blinked. "How do you know that?"

"In this town, people notice when someone new turns up."

"Someone hot," a voice from behind her answered. Tari turned round, seeing light brown and dark blue eyes. He had a heart-shaped face and more muscles than the first boy. He too, was incredibly cute.

"Thanks," said Tari. She felt herself coming into her element. In New York you could meet people and spend the entire night with them, and then sometimes you would either part ways or remain friends. And people in New York made comments like this: living in New York, you were all freaks.

The first boy sat at the table. "Got a name?"

"Tari." She didn't want to reveal her full name; no need in telling them she was a Salvatore or her full name was Nefertari.

The second boy sat down next to her; she wasn't surprised. "I'm Liam."

"Allen," replied the first boy. Liam leant forward and snatched some fries from her plate. Tari knew she had been spending too much time with the Salvatores when she wanted to growl at him. Instead she slapped his hand away.

"If you're eating this then you can pay."

Liam made eye contact with Allen, who turned his head to an upcoming waitress. "Can we get two cheeseburgers, extra fries and a tuna salad? Oh, and two cokes and a mineral water please."

Tari raised an eyebrow. "You two are eating all that food?"

"We're having the cheeseburgers and some of the fries," Allen replied.

A feeling of dread came over her. "Who's the tuna salad for?"

"Me." Tari turned her head; a slim girl with long straight caramel coloured hair was standing behind them. She was wearing blue denim shorts – very short – and a skimpy black top. Tari immediately felt intimidated: the girl, with her green eyes and sharp nose. She looked like a complete snob.

The girl filled the space between Allen and Liam. She raised her eyes to meet Tari's. "I'm Sawyer."

"My cousin," Liam added.

"Who are you?" she asked Tari.

"She's Tari," Allen said for her. Tari smiled at him a little gratefully, though she was wondering if they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Sawyer's mouth curved into a smile. "Short for Nefertari, 'for who the sun doth shine'?"

Wow, beauty and brains. What does this girl not have? "Yeah."

"When did you arrive in this town?"

She felt as if she was being interrogated. Tari had always been good with guys: you could say whatever you were thinking with them and it didn't matter. Girls, on the other hand, held grudges; they verbally attacked one another; whatever they did hurt worse than any beatings you could get from a fight. "Two weeks ago."

The drinks arrived; Sawyer took a sip of her mineral water. "How come I haven't seen you around?"

"I've been back and forth from New York."

Allen looked over. "You're from NY?"

Tari nodded.

"Cool!" Liam declared. "Have you eaten in that restaurant where it spins?"

Tari grinned. "For my tenth birthday. And I've been to the Empire State Building too, though it's pretty overrated after the twelfth time."

They continued talking. Tari found it increasingly easier the longer she talked. The conversation was mostly about New York, though they would chip in about other things now and again.

When they had all finished, the waitress brought them the bill. Tari's eyes widened in shock. "I can't afford this!" She had brought money with her, though not enough for all of this.

Luckily Sawyer lifted her bag on the table. "C'mon guys," she said to the others. "Chip in."

Liam looked to Tari. "Come with us."

Her eyes moved over the three of them. "Seriously?" They all nodded, though Sawyer was hesitant. "Where?"

Allen winked at her. "You'll see."

XxX

After he finished explaining, Damon leant back in his seat. Bonnie's dark eyes were filled distrust, but at least she hadn't shot him down.

"I don't want to get into conflict with another witch Damon."

"You won't. You've got to help Bonnie. Can't you do something, like, not so direct?"

She tilted her head, staring into the distant. "The nightmares are waking her up," she said slowly. "And that's when they get in her head. Or rather, get in her head when she's conscious."

Damon's quick mind followed her lead. "So if we stop her having the dreams, she won't wake up, then they can't control her mind when she's conscious."

The dark haired woman stood up. "Wait here," she commanded, and she walked back inside the house.

She was gone for at least half an hour. Irritated, Damon wondered whether she hadn't taken this opportunity to run. In normal circumstances he would have snapped but, remembering his daughter, he forced himself to be patient.

He hadn't seen Bonnie properly in years. Before Elena and Stefan became engaged, they got along pretty well. But when Elena announced she was marrying Stefan and becoming a vampire, Bonnie flipped. She had accepted Caroline becoming a vampire because, well, that couldn't be helped; but Elena choosing to become a vampire? Bonnie couldn't take that. She was so angry she didn't even come to their wedding. Hell, even Damon had been there and God knows he had enough of a reason not to be.

But by that point, he'd met Rebecca. Everything had changed then.

Bonnie was surprised, but didn't show it when she came back. She was holding a dream catcher, made of orange and purple cloth. Damon stared at the item in her hand. "You're kidding me."

"I've bewitched it. If a witch is entering her mind, then this will stop it. Hang it over her bed; it's the safest place."

Damon nodded, showing understanding. He took the dream catcher from her and started down the stairs of the porch. His good manners kicked in, and he turned to her. "Thank you Bonnie."

Bonnie's eyes widened. Did Damon Salvatore just say thank you? "It was for your daughter, not you." With that, she shut the door before she could be convinced to do any more work for the devil.

XxX

"This is what you three do?" She watched as Allen took his shirt off, revealing his chest. It was muscular, though not as much as Liam's, who was already in the lake.

Her three new friends – if she could call them that – took her to a secluded area in the forest. In the middle was the prettiest lagoon she had ever seen. It looked so calm and serene that Tari felt her blood pressure lowering.

"What, you never been swimming before?" This, of course, came from Sawyer. The girl had revealed her brown and pink flowered bikini. She was thin enough to be a model, her skin flawless. What didn't this blonde have?

"In a heated pool." She paused for effect. "On the roof."

Allen snorted with laughter. "You coming in?"

"I don't have a swimsuit."

Liam, of course, heard this. "You don't need a swimsuit."

"I don't think so." She began to lay down on the grass. "I'll just sunbath."

Allen jumped in the lake. Tari closed her eyes, breathing deep. It was nice, to be away from the stifling Salvatore house. Somehow it was easier just to relax.

"So," a voice from above her said. "Why did you move here?"

Tari opened her eyes to see Sawyer over her. Was it just her, or was this girl being a bitch? It was implied anyway.

She decided to give her the truth – why try to lie to her anyway? "My Mom died."

It was amazing, the transformation that it made. Immediately her green eyes softened; in fact her entire face did. Sympathy was evident on her face. "I'm sorry." She sounded sincere. "Is it recent?"

"She died two weeks ago, if that's what you mean." Tari wished she could take back the words. She sounded so aggressive.

To her surprise Sawyer smirked. "The whole defensive, 'I want no sympathy' thing – been there, done that." She sat down next to Tari. "My mom had cancer a few years back. She's fine now," Sawyer said quickly, "but when she told me, it was like the end of the world. Plus, her mom died when she was nine years old, plus her birth mother when she was eighteen." At Tari's confused look, she laughed a little. "Confusing, I know. Anyway, I know what you're going through."

"I'm sorry," Tari said, softly. "About your mom, I mean. Cancer's rough."

Sawyer grinned. "No sweat." She stood up, heading for the pool. "If you want to join, be my guest. Though you may have to put up with Liam ogling at you."

"I do not ogle!" Liam called. He probably would have said more but he and Allen were having a water fight, so he was distracted. "But, yeah, if you want to join..."

Tari leant back down as Sawyer jumped in the cool water. Okay, so maybe she's not so bad. She wondered what had made her so defensive at first, but decided not to dwell on it. They were okay, and that was the main thing.

Time seemed to pass quickly. Tari, still tired from lack of sleep, dozed in the warm sun. She was woken, however, by suddenly being lifted in the air. With a shriek she realised Liam was lifting her in the air. "What are you doing?" she screamed.

He grinned cheekily at her. "I said you were hot. I think you need to cool down."

"No!"

He reached into her pockets, taking out her phone and iPod. This was when she knew he was deathly serious. "No! Don't, Liam!" she cried, though she was half laughing.

"Can't swim?" he asked teasingly.

Allen looked over from Sawyer, who was floating on the surface. "Relax girl," he called, wandering over. "I'll catch you."

Tari's eyes widened. "You won't."

"C'mon, don't you trust me?"

"I haven't known you for longer than five hours!"

"Then this will be the test," he replied smartly. He held out his hands and nodded at Liam. The latter began to swing the girl in the air.

"My clothes will get wet!" she cried.

"The water's shallow; they won't sink you down."

With a final swing backwards, Liam threw her in the air. Tari tried to overcome the terror and just take in the feeling of flying through the air. She closed her eyes at the blurred scenery, only to feel slight wetness on her back.

Everything stopped moving. Very slowly she opened her eyes. Dark brown ones were looking down at her. "You caught me," she stammered.

His easy smile stunned her, an involuntary action. "I told you."

She wasn't so wet, to her surprise – that was until Liam leapt in, splashing her. "Hey!"

Sawyer chimed in, splashing the three of them. "Water fight!"

Tari couldn't help it; for once she allowed herself to let go, enjoying herself. Maybe it was because she had finally met some kids her own age. She found herself pulling Liam down in the water, joining Sawyer in her attack to Allen. She couldn't remember laughing so much in a long time.

Finally the four teenagers stumbled up the bank. Tari picked up her phone and iPod, glancing at the time. "Fuck!"

"Language kid," Liam chastised, drying his hair with his towel.

"That's the time?" Tari continued as if she hadn't heard him. "My dad's going to kill me!" At the blank looks she received, she informed them, "I was meant to be grounded." She stared down at her wet clothes. "What the hell is he going to think?"

There was silence for a moment. "Here." Sawyer threw her top to Tari. "Put my clothes on; I don't mind going home like this."

Tari stared at her for a moment. "You sure?"

Sawyer nodded firmly. "Don't worry about it." She turned her attention to Liam and Allen, who were watching the two girls. "Turn around."

"But – c'mon Sawyer! I never see a girl apart from you change and, well, it's not so fun when she's your cousin."

"Round! You too Bennett!"

Allen nodded, holding up a hand. He took Liam's shoulder, turning him round too. "We're not looking, okay?"

Quickly Tari changed, every now and then checking the trees, sure that some pervert was watching her. "I'm done," she called as she pulled the top over her head. Slipping on her dry shoes, she called out a goodbye.

Sawyer watched the girl leave before turning to her two best friends. "I like her," she said decisively. "She's got moxie."

Liam nodded. "She's fun," he said indifferently. "Could be a laugh, and she's hot."

Allen glanced over to Sawyer. "What did she say?"

The girl's eyes softened. "Her Mom died two weeks ago. She'll be grieving."

Liam winced. "Ouch."

But Allen stared after her with a different thought in his head. I wonder what she's hiding. Instead he shrugged it off. One way or another, he'd find out. It wasn't like she could stop him.

XxX

Elena tapped her fingernails against the wooden table. "Try her mobile again."

"I just tried it fifteen minutes ago." Stefan was pacing up and down. "I can't believe she ran off again. Do you think-"

"Don't even say it. I don't want to even think about what Damon would do to us if she's run off to New York again."

"She didn't take the car."

"Maybe she's smarter this time; maybe she got the bus."

Stefan held his head in his hands. "Damon," he moaned, "is going to kill us."

The front door opened; Stefan and Elena leapt up, but were disappointed as they were greeted by Damon. "Hey," he called. When he looked away Stefan and Elena sent each other anxious looks.

"Hi." Elena looked wildly at Stefan and then back at Damon. "What have you been doing today?"

"Just getting something to stop Tari's nightmares." He started walking upstairs. "Is she in her room?"

The couple exchanged horrified looks. "I want to be buried," Elena hissed as they began following Damon, "in case I'm not actually dead. His aim might be off."

Stefan ignored her, hurrying up the stairs after his brother. "Hey, Damon, do you want to shoot some pool?"

Damon looked at his brother in surprise. "Okay, sure. Let me just see to Tari."

Stefan felt panic rise as Damon knocked on the door. "Damon-"

He pushed open the door. "Tari?" he called to the empty room.

Elena took a deep breath. Truth time. "Look, Damon-"

"Hey." Stefan, Elena and Damon simultaneously turned to the bathroom. Tari came out of the bathroom in her pink dressing down. "I was just in the shower."

"Hi," Damon greeted his daughter. Tari looked behind him to Elena and Stefan. Elena's face was one of pure relief while Stefan's glance was murderous. "How's your day been?"

She shrugged. "Oh, this and that."

Stefan and Elena left the room. Damon stood on the bed, hanging the dream catcher from the top. "What did you do?"

Damon shrugged, just like his daughter had. "This and that." His voice made it clear that he wasn't going to tell her anything.

Tari gently tugged on of the feathers on the dream catcher. "What's this for?"

Damon smirked. "To stop the nightmares." On spur of the moment, he pulled the girl into a hug. She felt how tight he held her, his breath on the top of her head; could feel how much he actually loved her.

"By the way," he muttered in her ear. "You're grounded for the rest of the summer."

She pulled away from him. "What?"

He smirked, feeling victory running through him. "I'm not just a pretty face: I saw you sneaking in through the back, and the panicked looks on Stefan and Elena's faces." He walked out the room. "And this time I expect my rules to be followed!"

XxX

Bonnie sipped her red wine, staring at the fireplace. She wondered about Damon's daughter: what would she be like? Would she be a bitch like her father? And how would this half vampire fit into life with the Salvatores?

The door opened and closed. Bonnie turned, a smile on her face – even if it was slightly forced. "Hi," she greeted him. "How was your day?"

Allen shrugged. "It was fine." As a teenage boy, he didn't share his feelings with his mom. Besides, he had things to think about. "I'll be in my room."

Bonnie turned back to the fireplace. One thing's for sure: Damon's devil spawn is not going anywhere near my kid.

XxX

Tari finished brushing her dark hair. Now she tied it back into a ponytail for the fifth time. Knowing she could no longer stall, she went to the bed. The covers were freshly made, looking warm and inviting, but Tari knew better.

Damon walked into the bedroom. "So," he asked her, "what did you really do today?"

"I went to the Grill." After all, it wasn't a lie. "I got some food, wandered round the town. It seems nice."

He raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "This from the girl who was worried this place was going to be dull."

"Maybe not," she said, more to herself than to him.

Damon pulled her too him, kissing her on the forehead. "Goodnight." He felt her instantly tense at the word. He gave her hand a tight squeeze. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

He was walking out when he placed the glass of water on the table. Turning back, she saw the serious look on his face. "In case you get thirsty. Now you don't have to leave the room."

Once he had left, she collapsed on the bed. One moment he's Mr Nice Guy, then the next he's saying something while implying another. I don't get him!

She lifted her head to the pillows. This should make sleeping a lot easier.

XxX

For the second time that day, Damon leant against the doorframe. He watched his daughter sleep. Two a.m., and still not a peep out of her. He smiled, pleased with himself; looks like the witch did a good deed.

He waited in her room in case she ended up having a nightmare, but still nothing, not even when the sun rose. He couldn't help but grin as he left the room when she began to stir.

Tari slowly opened her eyes. She stared round the room, a little stunned; she had actually slept through the entire night. She smiled at the window, seeing the sun in the sky. Lifting her hand, she played with the feathers on the dream catcher. What d'you know? Damon's plan actually worked.

She didn't know how much.

xXx

03/07/11: Another revision. I'm enjoying this story too much to stop. Hope you liked the improved version!