Yay! LONGEST chapter yet! A new record!
I know this fic isn't Delena centred – or Delena at all, but I HAVE to recommend this to you: Elena and Damon –Someone to Love posted by Kinna333. If you love sappy songs, Shayne Ward, or Delena – or all three, you should check it this video! It's BRILLIANT! If you've read any of my other stories, then you will know by now I am a HUGE Delena fan. Check out the video – you won't regret it.
Anyway, so I hope you enjoy this new chapter; I know it took a long time but I think it turned out really well. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill, or any of the characters; however, Tari, Allen, Liam, and Mr Herman are ALL mine (hint: the last will play a bigger role in future chapters).
XxX
Chapter Seven
First Day of the rest of your life
No kid is excited to go to school – that is, with the exception of Tari. She had been going crazy staying in the Salvatore house. Okay, she could bear it – for a while. But she was just relieved to be going out to breathe fresh air. So what if it was at school?
There was a knock on her door. By the way the person waited for her to answer, she knew it wasn't Damon. "Come in!" she called, and the dark haired Elena stepped in the room.
She handed Tari a coffee. "Nervous about your first day?"
Strangely, Tari wasn't. She had met Allen, Liam and Sawyer. It was possible that they would act as if she had a strange tropical disease and pretend like they had never met... But Tari was living with vampires – school should be a snap.
Right?
"Not really," was her reply. "I can't imagine Mystic Falls High School is any worse than what the kids in New York did to each other."
Elena tried to imagine what her high school days had been like, but all she could remember was Stefan coming and then Damon making an appearance, and then the school dances and Klaus. "You're probably right." She turned around, walking out the room. "Stefan's making breakfast."
Stefan wasn't use to cooking, though both he, Damon and Tari preferred him to Elena. The only times Tari had tried eating Elena's food was when she had just lost her mother; after that she had only smelt the cheese on the toast and almost thrown up. It was ironic: the once-human and half-vampire were the ones that should stay out of the kitchen, while the brothers who hadn't eaten food in nearly a hundred and fifty years were the chefs in the house.
The youngest Salvatore was surprised to see his older brother stumble down the stairs. "Damon," greeted his brother as he slouched onto the seat.
"Stefan," replied Damon. He winced at the sunlight. "How do people even cope getting up this early? It's inhuman."
"Which begs the question, why are you up this early? I mean, I know you're a vampire, but don't you take it a little too far, not getting up 'till noon?"
"I heard you and Elena getting up. I couldn't fall back to sleep after that."
Stefan accepted the excuse, though he didn't believe it. He and Elena got up at this time every day, yet on Tari's first day of school Damon woke up early? Stefan smirked at his brother knowingly, saying what he thought silently. Damon sneered in response and grabbed a piece of bacon. "At least your cooking is better than Elena's."
"You don't need to eat," Stefan reminded him.
"I can still smell. Elena's food-"
"Elena's food is what, Damon?" asked Elena, who had appeared like lightning.
Stefan would have stuttered, at once complementing his wife. But Damon wasn't his brother. "Your food is the reason I'm glad I drink blood."
"My food isn't that bad."
"You're right; it's horrific. Thank God I have another option. Right?" Damon asked Stefan.
Stefan looked from Elena to Damon in alarm. He either told his wife that he didn't like her cooking or he lied, which interfered with his morals. "I... Well, the thing is-"
"Morning!" Tari called, coming down the stairs.
Damon smirked at Stefan, instant communication between the two. Saved by the bell. He turned his attention to his daughter. "Ready for your first day?"
Tari shrugged, grabbing a piece of bacon just like Damon had moments before. "Not really," she answered. She grabbed another two pieces and started to back away. "I've got to go."
"What?" Elena glanced at the clock. "But you've got just under an hour."
"Yeah, but I need to walk there and find it, plus get all the forms filled out."
"I can drive you," Damon said. Elena glanced over quickly, but hid her surprise a moment later. Stefan, however, was not.
"Or I can," Elena offered. "I'm going out on my way to work."
"Or I can drive myself." Stefan, Elena and Damon all gave her reprimanding looks. Tari liked them, she did, but sometimes it felt as if she had three parents. "Or not," she muttered.
"Sit and have breakfast," commanded Damon, nodding at the stool beside him. "No one else but you eats human food."
"Then why are you?" Stefan shot back.
"Sometimes blood just doesn't hit the right spot," Damon answered, smirking.
Tari rolled her eyes. "Living with you three is going to make me weird," she said, taking a seat.
"You never had a craving for blood?" teased Damon. "Never stared at a human with a cut knee and felt your fangs grow?"
"Not recently, no." Tari dipped a bit of sausage in her egg and stuffed it in her mouth. "Then again maybe they'll be a blood bank and I'll feel the urge. Like in Twilight."
Damon and Stefan simultaneously groaned. "Don't mention that stupid book. That gives a bad name to vampires everywhere."
"As opposed to the name you give them?"
He smirked. "I give vampires a great name. Unlike that idiot sparkling Cullen."
Stefan laughed lightly. "Sparkling. She's definitely not Anne Rice, that's for sure."
"It's not so bad," Elena said, munching on a sausage. "I think its original, having a good vampire in the story."
"Vampires that sparkle? Vampires that don't kill? They're not vampires!" Here Damon shot a look to Stefan, who stuck his tongue out over his coffee. Tari watched in confusion, but then gave up: Damon obviously had a history with Stefan – they were brothers after all. Still, it didn't seem anything sinister, so she left it. She wasn't in the mood to decipher their implied meanings.
Damon and Elena were still arguing when Tari quietly finished her breakfast. "Well, I'll see you guys at four then."
"Wait," Damon called. "I thought we were giving you a lift."
"We?" Elena asked.
"I can give you a lift too."
"But I need to go now," Tari interrupted. "And you're not dressed."
Damon disappeared, and Tari groaned. "I wish you lot wouldn't keep doing that."
"It could be worse," Stefan pointed out. "We could compel you to be the best behaved teenager."
"Good point." A second later Damon was back down in the kitchen, dressed in blue jeans and a white buttoned shirt, different from his usual black attire.
"What, you run out of black shirts?" Stefan teased.
Damon rolled his eyes, landing them on Elena. "You coming?"
She shook her head. "I want to come back from lunch. I'll just take my car."
Damon nodded, walking after his daughter. "Wait a minute!" called Stefan, suddenly leaning on the counter. "That's my shirt!" The bang of the door was the reply to Stefan's statement.
He sat down, sulking. "Clothes thief," he muttered.
Elena laughed, reaching over and stroking his chin. "You look better in it," she replied. She glanced over to where Damon and Tari had exited. "I thought I would give the two of them some time together."
Stefan nodded. "Not a bad idea, I suppose. Those two need to bond, though I must admit I don't think Damon's a great role model."
"Really? I think the two of them are..." Elena struggled for the right words. "...alike already."
"You mean stubborn and quick witted?"
Elena laughed. "Yeah, I guess." She checked her watch and, smiling, reached over the counter and kissed Stefan's lips softly, slowly, seductively. "I can be late for work."
XxX
"Are you sure the top you're wearing is appropriate?"
This remark was asked from Damon while Tari was staring out the window of the car, a million miles away. Woken from her thoughts, she glanced down at the top. It was one of her favourite, a little red shirt with sleeves that barely made it past her shoulders. There was a little strap across her stomach, and silver buttons were very decorative, but a pain. True, it was getting a bit small now, which made it snug over her breasts – precisely why Tari liked it. "What's wrong with it?"
"It makes your breasts look huge."
"That's the point."
Damon tried again. "Isn't it a bit dressy for school?"
"No."
He gave up. "Looking forward to today then?"
She shrugged. "Would you?"
Damon chuckled. "Fair point. But seriously: do you even know what you want to do when you get older?"
Tari thought briefly. What did she want to do? She wasn't scientific, or particularly artsy. Author, actress, model, publisher, historian, lorry driver? "Do I have to decide now?"
"No. But you haven't thought about it?"
"Why can't I be a slob like you and Stefan?" The boys had enough money from the stock market (which Damon reported that after a while you could tell what was going to make money) and renting land they owned in Italy not to need a job, though Elena had published a book or two and worked at the local library. Stefan wanted to work, but found it easier not to get involved with other people.
"I do work. I'm a member of the town council."
"You are?"
"Yeah. When Stefan and I first arrived here we almost got discovered. As a council member, I watch out for any vampire threat. It seems to have gone quiet – for now." Damon chuckled. "To be fair, it's a good thing that we don't go out so much. People will soon realise that we don't appear to get old." He grinned at the mirror, seeing his pearly white teeth. "It's a good thing that we don't age – who would want to deprive the world of my good looks?"
His daughter rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, because that would be such a tragedy."
"Glad you see it that way." He suddenly felt Tari tense, and realise they had arrived at the school.
Damon had never been to school – he and Stefan had always had a private tutor. So he couldn't relate to what Tari was thinking. Why didn't I ask Elena about it? Oh right, because it's not very interesting. Still, he wished that he could understand what it was like.
How couldn't he? He, of all people, should know what it's like not to belong.
"You okay?" he muttered as he parked.
Tari felt herself nod. "Sure." And she had been. But that had been before she had seen the school, teaming with teenagers that seemed to know what they were doing, where they were going, who everyone was. She suddenly remembered, in her old school, when new students entered the classroom. They looked nervous, uncertain about themselves. She remembered thanking her lucky stars she had never been in that position.
That's irony for you.
"See you at four?" Damon asked, though it was more a command. If she wasn't home by then, he would go looking for her. He was lucky that he'd had the excuse to ground her; she was in the house where he could keep an eye on her. Hopefully she wouldn't get any ideas of wandering round the town like she had previously.
She is your daughter, a voice in his head pointed out. He smirked.
She nodded, gathering her things. "See you later," she replied, slamming the car door.
"Hey," he said before she got too far away. "You'll to be fine." He winked at her before driving away.
She would be fine. If any kid gave her a hard time then he would make sure that they were severely punished.
XxX
Tari stared at the school building. It looked old, though the town had only been around for 180 years*. She felt her legs weaken, watching everyone walk round knowing their purpose. With a deep breath – she was not going to show herself to be weak – she straightened and walked towards the double doors.
Immediately she saw the large desk, a bright sign explaining that this was the office. She waited for a mother of three to finish explaining why her middle son needed only one inhaler while her youngest needed three, whereas her oldest needed nut allergy medicine, before speaking to the woman. "Hi, I'm a new student here," she said hesitantly. "Tari?"
"We only have a Nefertari Salvatore."
She was quiet for a moment. She didn't know that her father had changed her name. Usually she was Tari Snow; now though, she was Nefertari Salvatore. "That's me," she whispered.
"Hey Egyptian!" Sawyer appeared as if out of nowhere, beaming brightly. The girl seemed in better spirits than she had before, and for that Tari was sincerely grateful.
She smiled easily back, surprised at that. "Hey Sawyer. What's up?"
She rolled her eyes. "School, y'know. What else is new?" She caught Tari's face. "Oh yeah, this is all completely new to you." She grinned sheepishly. "So, you ready?"
"For what?" For God's sake, was Sawyer on drugs on something? She was in such a bad – well okay, maybe not a bad mood but definitely not a happy one – two weeks ago. Not like today when she was grinning broadly as if nothing could bring her down.
"For the first day of the rest of your life."
The receptionist handed her the schedule and a bunch of papers, and Tari thanked her quickly before turning back to Sawyer. "Did you drink alcohol or something?" Tari said, finding it best to be bold. "I mean, no offence, but you seem a lot brighter than before."
To her surprise, Sawyer linked arms with her. "I know, and I'm sorry about that. The truth is, this guy I was seeing broke up with me." Before Tari could offer her condolences, she continued, "It's okay though, because we got back together."
Tari grinned. "That's great. Does he go to this school?"
Sawyer paused, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, but don't be offended if I don't introduce him to you just yet. He's a little older than me, so I haven't told Liam or Allen yet. My cousin in particular is very protective over me."
"Oh, of course," Tari said quickly. She wasn't one to tattle; besides, Sawyer had been honest with her, even though she didn't really know her. She didn't have to tell her that; she didn't have to be honest with her. But she had, so Tari at least needed to keep her silence.
"This is your locker," Sawyer replied, nodding. She past another one before going to her own.
"How do you know?" Tari asked, glancing down at one of the papers the receptionist had given her. Sure enough, Sawyer had led her to her locker. Is she a mind reader too?
"You're name's Salvatore, and my name's Scott. You're given your locker in order of second name."
Tari nodded as she twisted her own locker open. Realising that she didn't have anything to put in, she closed it again. She saw the girl holding her hands out. "What?"
"Show me your schedule," she commanded. Without hesitation she showed her the piece of paper. "We have...physical education together, no surprise there...history with Saltzman...and English with Herman." The light in her green eyes dimed somewhat, but she quickly covered it. "Great, right?"
Tari lifted a shoulder. "As great as schoolwork can be."
Sawyer laughed. "Good point. But hey, we're only freshmen. We don't need to be thinking about our futures quite yet. We can have fun."
Sawyer did have a point. And after this horrendous summer, all Tari wanted to do was have fun.
"Hey NYC Girl," said a voice behind her. She saw Sawyer roll her eyes before she turned round. Sure enough, there was Liam, his hair newly cut.
"Hey MFT Boy," replied Tari as he went to his locker. Sawyer laughed a little in approval and even Liam smirked.
"How's country life treating you?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Okay, though it's pretty dull."
He tut-tutted. "This is why we country kids end up smarter than you city kids: we know how to create our own fun, we don't just go down to the movies."
"At least in New York you can get pizza delivered instead of having to wait for half an hour in a restaurant for one."
She heard a whistle from behind her. "She's got you there Lee." She turned her head again, this time seeing Allen. He grinned at her. "Hey Tari, Sawyer."
"Hey Al," replied Sawyer. She sounded remarkably calm despite the fact she was rooting through Liam's bag.
Liam only looked mildly surprised. "Looking for drugs S? I told you, you need help."
"No, your schedule." She clicked her fingers at Allen. "Yours too!"
"I surrender," Allen said, holding up one hand as he passed her his schedule.
It turned out they all had history together. "Great," Liam said with a roll of his eyes. "History last today and Friday."
"What's wrong with history?" asked Tari. She happened to like history; she was good at it. Well, that and English.
The bell rang, and she felt Sawyer grab her hand. "See you later!" she called. "We've got to go to English."
The blonde haired teenager sat Tari and herself in rows in the front seat. She gave the girl a questioning look. "I know the front seats are a little geeky, but I need to pay attention in English," she explained.
She glanced round the classroom, eyeing the other kids. No one looked very stoner or mean girl. It was definitely not New York.
"Okay!" The teacher suddenly clapped his hands. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Peter Herman and I'll be your English teacher this year. Now," he said, beginning to pace. "This year we'll be reading a whole series of books, such as Of Mice and Men and Dracula." How ironic, Tari thought. "The course is going to be extensive: I want to have read The Great Gatsby in a month from now."
As he passed out books, he stopped at Tari's desk. "Are you new?"
Tari blushed. Thanks for drawing attention to me. "Um, yes. My name's Tari Salvatore."
"Are your transcripts on file?"
She nodded though she didn't actually know this. What transcripts? Why did they need that? "I trust you'll be better behaved this year, Miss Scott?" he asked, moving on to Sawyer.
She grinned. "Of course, Mr Herman. You know me."
As he began handing books out to the rest of the class, Tari felt a strange, niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was something not quite right... She bent her head over the book, trying to calm herself. For some reason she had the horrid feeling she was being stared at.
Uncomfortable, she took a quick glance round the classroom. No one was staring at her. Was she being paranoid? The feeling of eyes upon her was still lingering, and she couldn't shake it. This time she turned her head towards the windows, and saw a person staring in through them at her.
It was Elena. Tari exhaled in relief, though she still felt a little anxious. For one thing, Tari noticed that Elena was wearing different clothes; her dark hair was also curlier than she remembered. Elena was also staring at her in a freakish way: like she was something to eat...
Heart pounding, Tari offered a limp wave. Elena smirked at Tari's wave, and in a second she disappeared.
For some reason Tari felt shaken. That girl didn't feel like Elena; she felt like someone else entirely. It was as almost as if she had crossed paths with the devil and hadn't known it.
XxX
On the whole, school wasn't such a disaster. Sawyer, Allen and Liam kept her with them at all times. At lunch Sawyer grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the inside tables and outside. There were some benches outdoors, but Sawyer didn't pause; she pulled Tari towards a large oak tree. Liam and Allen were already there, but their lunches lay forgotten on the floor. They were tossing a football back and forth. "Liam's on the football team this year," Sawyer explained.
Tari glanced at Allen. "You too?"
He shook his head. "Nah. I enjoy football, but I'm not team material."
"You could be if you tried out."
"No thanks."
"Al!" Liam whined.
"Lee!" Allen mocked.
"C'mon! All those other guys are jerks who might as well be using their heads as footballs!"
"Whatever," Allen said, tossing the ball back to Liam and finally sitting down.
"So, this town is really that boring?" Tari said after a moment.
She almost missed the glance Sawyer and Allen sent each other. "You could say that," Sawyer murmured, looking round distractedly.
It was just one of the strange things that happened that day. The last thing that happened was last period history. She felt a familiar sense of relief as she walked into the classroom. She liked history; she got good grades in this class without even trying. She was a little anxious that they would be studying a period that she didn't like, but was fairly confident that she would be able to keep up.
Sawyer strutted in first, confident as always. "Hey Mr Saltzman." She was always so chummy would the teacher, so brazen that she almost seemed rude yet was never called on it.
The teacher glanced up. He looked about mid-thirties**, but Tari thought he seemed older. Maybe it was his eyes, which looked strangely exhausted. Too many years of teaching? Tari wondered. "Always a pleasure Miss Scott."
"Hey Mr S," called Liam as he took his seat. They were one of the first in the classroom, Tari noted, which made her feel more confident when she handed him a note (one of the teachers had given it to her and informed her to do this with every teacher – Sawyer had already explained he was a grouch).
"Hi," Tari said, immediately flushing when he glanced up at her. She had never been more aware of how much she hated the spotlight. "I'm new."
He smiled pleasantly. "Alaric Saltzman. And you are..." He took the slip from her hands. In that instant she saw his eyes widen. Once again she felt a shiver run down her spine; her senses began to tingle – a warning? "...Nefertari Salvatore." She could tell, by his tone of voice, that he was surprised.
"Tari," she said hurriedly, not wanting to end up being called Nefertari for the rest of her school life.
"Tari," he repeated mindlessly. He gazed up at her, and once again she felt that uncomfortable feeling. But then he nodded towards the seats that were starting to fill up. "Please take a seat," he said in a polite voice.
She nodded and went to sit next to Allen. The boy could tell something was bothering her, but decided to keep it to himself. Besides, the class was about to start anyway – how much would he be able to get out of her?
As Mr Saltzman taught, Tari could feel his eyes gravitate to her more than once or twice. She took to keeping her eyes on the book, not answering a single question. So much for history being my subject.
Even though the day had been good, it was still a relief when the final bell rang. She said a goodbye to Liam and Sawyer who were getting picked up ("Family barbecue," said Liam; "Which means a lot of family drama," Sawyer chimed in) and began walking down the street when she heard footsteps behind her.
It set her on edge, despite the fact it was broad daylight. She whirled round, her eyes landing on the person behind her. "Easy," Allen said, lifting his hands in the air.
"Oh, it's you." She visibly relaxed. "What's up?"
"I'm walking too," Allen said. "Is it cool if -"
"Sure," Tari answered, feeling embarrassed. They began walking up the street. Tari was both irritated and glad about this: irritated because she wanted time to think; and glad, because she was at least making friends.
"So," Allen said, turning to smile at her. "You survived your first day."
Tari nodded. "It's definitely a bonus. I didn't expect the school to be so..."
"Non-threatening?"
"More or less," she said, smiling slightly. "Back in New York, you had to watch that you didn't step on any popular girl's toes, or you'd make an enemy for life."
"Did you? Step on anyone's toes, I mean?"
She shook her head. "I had quite a few friends back home." She didn't mention that plenty of them had sent her frantic emails once finding out about her mother. She hadn't replied back to any of them. Reading their words of condolence, she simply couldn't reply. They were probably wondering whether she had died too, because of her silence.
"Do you miss them?"
She lifted a shoulder. "Not really," was her reply. "After what happened...with my Mom... I don't really want to be reminded of my life back then." She turned away, wishing they could talk about something – anything – else.
Allen seemed to understand, because he quickly changed the subject. "It's just me and my Mom at home," he said quickly. "My dad took off when I was little."
That hurt. Tari, though no matter how much pain she had been through, thought Allen's situation had been worse. At least her Mom loved her; at least she hadn't wanted to leave. "I sorry," she murmured as Allen shook his head, anticipating what she was going to say.
"Don't be. Sorry, I mean. He was a dick. I'm – we're – better off without him."
Tari really wished they could get off this subject. "So," she began, "you don't play football? What do you do?"
He grinned sheepishly. "Debate team, photography club, swim team, that sort of thing – I'm not a football guy like Liam is."
"Liam seems cool," replied Tari honestly, "and Sawyer too. How long have you known each other?"
Allen thought back. "I guess since five years old. I had a fight with Liam and we sort of became friends after that. Sawyer was Lee's cousin, so that's how I got to know her."
Tari laughed. "Well, that's one way to make friends. It's nice though, how you lot have known each other for so long."
He smiled, not really looking at anything. "Yeah. It's kind of like having a support system; a back up. Like, when our parents are pressuring us, and our teachers and yelling at us, we still have each other. Y'know, we have someone to depend on." He glanced at her. "You can be in that too. We're like a family. We don't judge."
She suddenly felt a big lump in her throat, like she'd dry swallowed a pill. Still, she managed to find the words to choke out two words: "Thank you."
XxX
It was times like these Stefan knew that he could kill.
Any sibling will tell you that they're brothers and/or sisters drive you crazy. They can push buttons like no one else can. And Damon had pressed his buttons more than enough times. But today, he wasn't pushing any buttons, such as the ones labelled: "Don't kill people" or "Don't compel people". They were buttons such as, "Don't mess up my room" or "Do not read my journal." Or, "Do not root through my wife's lingerie draw." Currently he was pushing the button that said, "Do not lounge on my bed."
"Let's do something," said Damon for the hundredth time.
Stefan sighed, running his hands through his dark brown hair. "Like what?"
"Go to a bar."
"Damon, it's not evening yet; it's five to four."
He expected his brother to say, "It doesn't need to be evening to drink." But instead he sat up, getting that almost childish look in his eye. "It's five to four?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "Tari should be home soon."
Tari. That girl was the whole reason Damon had been annoying Stefan. He had wanted a distraction, one that would stop him thinking about Tari; would stop him worrying about her. Damon hadn't mentioned her all day, but Stefan knew his brother better than anyone.
He was worried about his daughter.
Now he stood by Stefan's window, which helpfully looked out over the drive. "She should be back soon. I told her four o'clock. If she's not back by four..."
"So what if she's a little late?" Stefan asked his brother. "She'll come home eventually. Relax."
Damon turned to his brother. "I'm not being judgemental or anything, Stef. I don't mean to be...well, mean or anything, but seriously, you have no idea what it's like to be a parent. You have no idea what it's like to be scared day in day out, but not for yourself; for someone that you can't control; for someone that doesn't get how much you help them. For someone who you love more than anyone else in the entire world, who you could never stop loving, no matter what they did."
Stefan stared at his brother for a moment in wonder. Damon rarely made long speeches, especially speeches that were, well, right. "Sorry Damon." As his brother looked away dismissively, he continued. "No, Damon, I am sorry. I don't have a kid, remember."
He aimed a smile at his brother before looking back at the window. "It's okay Stefan. Really. I'm just worried."
Damon's mobile rang. He instantly picked it up in case it was Tari, but quickly realised it was someone else. "Hey," he answered quietly, distracted. He listened to the talker for a few moments. "Yeah, alright, alright. Meet me tonight, okay? At the Grill, okay?" After the other person spoke again, he replied, "Great. See you tonight." He hung up the phone quickly, his eyes rooted to the drive.
"Who was that?"
"It was-" Damon stopped, and Stefan saw his shoulders sag in relief. "She's back," he said, before racing down the stairs. Stefan stared after his brother. He had forgotten that look in Damon's eyes; the look that showed he was happy.
XxX
As soon as Tari entered the house, she felt a rush of wind, and Damon was standing right in front of her. She jumped, but was pleased to find that she wasn't as surprised as she usually was. "Hi," she said.
"Hey." He kissed her forehead and anchored her to his side, leading her to the living room. "How was your day?"
She shrugged. "It was okay," she said, wishing he would just let her go up to her room. But instead he pulled her onto the sofa, dropping her bag to the floor.
"What happened?" Damon asked, surprising even himself. Since when did he care about teenage drama?
Since your daughter was one.
She rolled her eyes. "Nothing much. Same old same old, you know."
"No, I wouldn't. I never went to school. I'm from 1864, remember?"
"Did you not get educated?"
He rolled his eyes this time. "'Get educated'. And I'm the one without education?"
"Are you?"
"No; Stefan and I had a private tutor." He pulled her feet up so she was now facing him, her long legs lounging over his lap. "Don't change the subject. What happened?"
Tari didn't want to get into a conversation about school, but Damon had his hands over her knees, so she doubted she would be able to escape without at least a few words. "It was, well, the usual. Boring really. The subjects were okay though, I guess."
"Any bitchy kids?"
She shook her head. "Actually, school was pretty tame." An idea came into her head, a way to escape this endless conversation. "Hey, I saw Elena outside the school today."
Damon didn't freeze, but he had to work very hard at it. "Oh?"
"Yeah. She was acting a bit weird though." She shrugged again – she seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "I guess I just don't really know her yet, right?"
Damon smiled, though it was forced. "Yeah." He reached over and gently stroked her long hair, playing with it delicately. "Tari..."
"Mm?" His daughter looked up at him inquisitively. At that moment she looked almost identical to Rebecca.
He choked on the words he was going to say. Chickening out, he said, "Just stay safe, okay?"
Confusion covered her blue eyes. "Sure," she answered, not understanding what had triggered this serious tone in the conversation.
He pulled her closer to him, holding her head to his chest. "Good girl," he breathed, once again kissing her on the temple. As if her word alone would keep her safe.
The hug confused and aggravated Tari. The more time she spent with Damon made it increasingly harder to believe that he could have killed her mother.
XxX
Damon sat in the bar, drinking another shot. He felt stressed. For the first time in a long while he didn't want to be in a bar; he wanted to be at home, watching over his daughter. Logic told him she would be safe – after explaining what Tari had seen today, both Elena and Stefan had taken babysitting duty a whole lot more seriously – but he still wished he could make sure for himself.
"Damon."
The vampire turned round. "Alaric," he replied in the same serious tone. "Have a seat," he said, as if that would have stopped him.
The schoolteacher sat down. "You have some explaining to do-"
"Hang on." Damon got the attention of the barman and ordered two glasses of scotch. Once the drinks arrived, he looked back at Alaric. "Continue."
He drank half his beer before setting it back down on the bar. "You have a daughter?" he questioned.
Damon's eyes met his. "Yes."
Alaric ran his hands through his hair. "Since when?"
"Don't you know her age? You're her teacher."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He shrugged. "What did it matter? She lived in New York with her mother, and honestly, I thought with my reputation it'd be safer if less people knew. But then her mother died in a car accident, so now she's living with me."
Alaric rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, that's a great idea. She'd be better off with a great-aunt or something."
Damon took a deep breath. "No, she wouldn't," he said, and began explaining. He was getting good at telling this story: first Bonnie, now Alaric. He wondered how many times he would have to tell it before enough people knew.
Alaric patiently listened until Damon needed another drink for his sore throat. "Okay," he said finally. "I get it, I guess."
"Good. Now I need you to do something for me."
"What? Jeez, what are you with these favours-"
"Alaric, seriously." Because of Damon's face and tone, Alaric closed his mouth. "I just need you to watch out for her while she's at school, okay?"
Alaric stared at the vampire. "How am I supposed to do that?"
Damon growled impatiently; Alaric had no idea how hard he was trying not to compel him. "Just watch out for any Elena look-alikes or suspicious people hanging round the school. I will protect her the rest of the time, and she already knows about vampires, but she doesn't know about Katherine."
"And why haven't you told her?"
Damon downed his glass and ordered another two. "Because I don't want her to feel scared every time she walks out the front door."
After a few moments of silence, Alaric nodded. "Okay," he said finally. "Buy me another drink and I'll watch out for her. I'll do my best to protect her from crazy vampires."
Damon let loose a breath he didn't realise he was holding. "Thank you."
Alaric smiled slowly. "Wow, did Damon Salvatore just say thank you? Where's a video camera when you need it?"
"Shut up." He waved to get the bar tender's attention once again. "Another round of shots, please."
XxX
Tari stared at the window. It was pitch black outside, but it was oddly comforting to her. She had never been afraid of the dark; you could hide in darkness, escape in it.
She felt safe, but the feeling that she was being watched didn't leave her. She wondered whether it was just that Stefan and Elena seemed to be taking babysitting duty way too seriously but...
You're acting crazy, she told herself, shaking her head. No one is watching you. You're perfectly –
"Bed."
Tari whirled round, her heart once again threatening to beat out of her rib cage. Once she saw Damon place a glass of water on her bedside table she relaxed. "Seriously, could you stop?"
He smirked. "Nah; its way too fun." He strolled over to her and once again lifted her under the covers of her bed. "You should go to sleep earlier."
"You should be back later," Tari shot back. If he had stayed out longer like he usually did, she would have been in bed by the time he got back.
He laughed, running a hand through her hair. She was surprised to see his eyes filled with compassion and – dare she say it? – love. "Go to sleep Tari. I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her on the forehead and walked out the room, switching the light on as he went.
She lay there in the darkness for a little while, staring at the ceiling. It was becoming increasingly hard to ignore the loving feelings she was beginning to have towards her father.
The one that she suspected killed her mother.
XxX
For the record, I would like to point out that I do not hold a grudge against Twilight. In fact I have all four books, though I have to say that I LOVE Vampire Diaries so much more. It's more real, if you know what I mean.
* The town is 180 years old because it's been thirty years since Damon and Stefan arrived in the town; that's how Bonnie is able to have a kid. Elena isn't that old because she's now a vampire. Just making sure everyone understands!
** I don't actually know Alaric's real age, but I don't want him to be too old. Besides, I don't think he's that old!
Btw, you know the part about Damon annoying Stefan. I know from personal experience i.e. my little brother. WHY couldn't have an older brother who brought over all his hot friends?
So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I definitely put a lot of Brooke Davis into Sawyer, I hope you like her. I love how I've managed to bring OTH into this fic. Like I said, I hope you like how I've brought her, Allen and Haley and Nathan's youngest son Liam into it. Let me know what you think about them.
So review please! They mean so much to me! And for those who have already reviewed, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
xXx
03/07/11: One of my favourite chapters! Hope you enjoyed it!