As I'm writing this chapter there is a thunderstorm. Life's funny like that. I love thunderstorms too, at least when you're not out in there. The lightning was so bright that it almost hurt my eyes, and the thunder is so loud! It's right above us.
I also fell on my ankle today, and it is killing me. I seem to have a weakness in my right ankle; I keep going down on it. But this time I thought I heard crack this time, and it's been very painful. I kills to walk on it. But on the plus side I think I may be bed-ridden, so I'll probably write a lot more and a lot faster.
So here's the next chapter – in record time I might add! But I really do love this story, and I have more and more ideas coming every now and then – at the beginning of the next chapter will be my latest brainwave. Please enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill or any of the characters; exceptions are Tari, Liam, Allen, Rebecca, Mr Herman and Mrs Kennedy (latter will come more into the story in later chapters)
xXx
Chapter Fourteen
Eye of the Storm
Tari had seen Damon mad – of course she had. With her stubbornness and his pride, it was inevitable really. She had seen his quiet fury, his snappy comments, his frustrated moments – she had seen every side of him. Well, she thought she had. But she had never seen Damon truly lose it – not until now. Now though, he was utterly terrifying; worse than last night when he had found her. Now he was inconsolable. Volcanic. A tidal wave. An avalanche. And she was the landing spot, in hitting distance. She had never seen anyone this...tempestuous before. Even in their worst fights, her mother had never been like this. But anyone who truly knows Damon Salvatore knows that he is like the wind: unpredictable, unique, unstoppable. There is no way to hide from it. When she finally admitted (how could she deny it now?) that she had killed the vampire, she unleashed the savage rage inside him.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he roared. She could not move, not just because he had her pinned against the counter. She was literally scared stiff. She couldn't move if she wanted to. "Taking on a vampire? A vampire? Have you not been listening to me at all? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? This-" he pulled her arm upwards, the wound like a brand of the disobedient. "-is barely anything! He could have killed you! You think you know everything? Or at least that you know enough? You've seen nothing. You cannot even begin to contemplate what vampires can do. Did you even consider what would have happened if you have died?"
Did you ever think about me? Did you ever consider what it would have done to me if you had died? Don't you know what losing your mother has done to me?
"What was the point?" he demanded, his voice still loud. "Why did you have to take him down yourself? Why the fuck couldn't you have told me?"
"Because," she said. She wished she sounded braver, but her voice was weak with fear.
"Because why?" Damon spat out. If it had been any other time he would have laughed; they sounded like children.
But she was a child. A stupid little girl that didn't understand the consequences of her actions.
Tari didn't think so though. That was the problem.
She lifted her chin. "I wasn't going to be scared of him," she informed him.
For a second Damon was utterly speechless. His rage grew inside him at that answer. "Why not? Why can't you be afraid of them? They can kill you. Why shouldn't you fucking be afraid of them?"
"'Fear is the cause of all evil'," she quoted, to which Damon snorted. "It's a weakness, to be afraid. I wasn't going to be scared of him." Having a rare chance for her case to be heard, she added, "I wasn't even sure that he was a vampire. What was the point-"
"The point?" snarled Damon. "The point was your life, Tari." He pushed himself away from the counter, finally realising her. His anger was simmering under his skin, just waiting for another excuse to appear. "You're grounded for three weeks, confined to your room. No laptop and once you get your new phone you'll only have it when you're out of the house." He turned back to her, and she had to force her not to flinch away; his eyes seemed darker. "I swear if you come out of your room I will chain you to the bed."
Tari returned his gaze, despite how difficult it was. She couldn't say anything – not when he was in this mood. So she simply pushed away from him and walked away, upstairs and slamming the door shut.
Damon continued to pace in the kitchen, gritting his teeth together. In a flash of anger he threw a glass to the wall. Upstairs Tari heard it smash and a shiver worked its down her spine.
She had been brave downstairs, when he had been screaming like a banshee at her. But it had shaken her up far more than she was willing to admit. She shut the door of her bathroom, and once locked slid down to the floor against it. Tears began to cloud her vision and she felt her chest ache, wanting to sob. Furious with herself for crying, she wiped her eyes.
It's okay. He's just scared.
That's what her mother would have said. She would have told her that her father loved her deeply and tell some story about how he treasured her when she was a baby and couldn't bear to let her cry. She would say that he was terrified that she got hurt and that's why he got mad. He'd calm down soon.
Tari didn't know about that.
xXx
It was a miserable weekend. Tari and Damon didn't speak to each other. It was easy considering Tari was banished to her room. Elena and Stefan were walking on eggshells, sensing their bad moods.
"It's crazy," Elena hissed to Stefan when they were curled up in bed together. "If either one of them would just admit they were wrong – or that they were sorry then this would be over in a minute. But they're as stubborn as each other. Who knows how long this fight will last?" She placed her head on Stefan's shoulder comfortingly. "Someone should tell them that they're being idiots-"
Stefan whirled her round. "Please Elena," he begged, his eyes pleading. "Whatever you do, don't get involved. The last thing we need is another person's opinion."
"I just feel bad for Tari," Elena said. She pulled away from her husband, her eyes narrowing accusingly at him. "I remember what it was like, back to the time of Klaus, when you and Damon were so damn protective of me. You were trying to control me because you thought that I was making stupid decisions-"
"You tried to sacrifice yourself," Stefan pointed out, a little exasperatedly. They had fought over this often enough.
"To protect my friends and family," argued Elena.
"And look what would have happened," he said. He kissed her shoulder, moving upwards to her neck. "Did you really want to miss these sixteen years?"
She smiled widely, kissing him back. "I guess not."
In bed together was the only time they could have that was peaceful, or where they could laugh. The Salvatore house was as grim as a graveyard. Damon went out to the bar in the evening without fail, but even then Tari didn't dare leave the bedroom. She wasn't sure whether Damon would make good on his threat on chaining her to the bed, but she wasn't about to test him; the look in his eyes scared her, even now.
They ignored each other all weekend, not talking once. There was a stony silence at dinner, no one having the courage to talk – or rather, the suicidal tendency. The weather seemed to match the mood: there was on and off lightening storms, pouring rain and horrendous winds. In reflection Tari believed it was a good weekend to be grounded – she wouldn't have liked to go outside. It hadn't let up on Monday morning, when the rain was coming down in sheets. Tari didn't even bother making an effort with her hair; it would just get blown out of place in the wind.
Damon entered her bedroom without knocking; a sign that he was annoyed at her. "You'd better get undressed," he told her, a malicious glint in his eye. "You're not going to school today."
It was the first time she had heard his voice since Saturday. She folded her arms, facing him. "Yeah I am. I'm not staying in this house any longer." She lifted her bag from the chair and threw on her jacket.
She made a move to go past Damon, but he grabbed her arm. The grasp on it was just a little painful, though she made sure not to show it. He wasn't looking at her when he gritted out, "Don't even think about walking out that door."
"It's nearly the end of the semester; I have tests. If I don't go in now it'll put me back until next semester and distract from my other courses."
"And I care because?"
"Look, I'm going whether you like it or not," Tari snapped. "You can either drive me or walk. But I'm not missing a day to see my friends." She yanked her hand away from him, heading towards the door. She could hear him growl threateningly, but when she got outside she could feel him following her.
They drove in silence. It was probably a good thing: the roads were a nightmare. Even though there weren't many cars on the road the wind was blowing hard, along with the torrent of rain that pounded the car roof. It sounded like it was stones instead of water.
Damon pulled up in front of the school. She went to open the door, finding it locked. Tari turned to Damon, raising an eyebrow. "Well? Are you planning to keep me in here instead? Put me in a smaller prison?"
"Cut it out Tari," Damon snapped. "You're in the wrong here, not me."
She couldn't argue with that. "Yes, fine, I was wrong. I shouldn't have confronted the vampire. But I'm glad I did. And you know what?" She saw Damon's face harden slightly. "I'd do it again."
He leaned back in the seat. "And you're trying to convince me to let you go?"
"I have a place to be," she pointed out.
"Tari just come home," Damon said. "This weather is terrible – it's dangerous."
"I survived a vampire; I think I can deal with a bit of rain."
"This storm's meant to get worse, not better."
"Other kids are going into school," Tari pointed out. "If it's safe for them, it's safe for me."
"No it isn't. You're my daughter; there's a different criteria for you."
"Lucky me," muttered Tari.
"Just do what I say, okay?" Damon said. "Is that so hard?"
"Yeah, it is." Ah sweet success: she had finally managed to pull the lock of the door up. She threw it open. "I'm my own person and, more importantly, I'm your daughter. I don't do what I'm told." She jumped out the car.
"Tari!" snapped Damon, so sharp that she paused to look at him. He lifted something out his pocket and handed a new phone to her. Silently she took it, slamming the door without as much as a word of thanks.
Damon gripped the steering wheel hard, debating on whether to go after her. She was being such a bitch. Right now he wanted to ring her neck in the safety of the boarding house. He adored her, he did, but she had the ability to drive him up the wall – or rather, into it. When they got on, everything was perfect; but when they were fighting it was like World War III. If only she would just listen to me!
He watched as she entered the building, and then started the car. The last time there had been a storm this bad in Mystic Falls Stefan had been kidnapped and Vicki's body had been discovered.
He hoped that wasn't an omen.
xXx
"You're late," Liam informed her as Tari approached the lockers.
"In this weather?" Tari said, matching his position. "You're lucky I'm here at all." She noted that it was only Liam at their lockers, the usual meeting place. "Where're the others?"
"Late," Liam replied. "Sawyer text me to say she's on her way; I haven't heard from Allen. For now it's just you and me, Baby."
"Whatever you say Johnny," Tari said, sliding down to sit on the floor.
"Alright fine," he said, sitting next to her. "No nicknames. Can you believe school isn't cancelled in this weather?" They could still hear the rain, as loud and demanding as a child.
"We've got the maths test," she reminded him. "If we don't do it now we'll just have to do it later – when we should be studying for something else."
"Thanks Mom," Liam said, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, no nicknames."
"I'm betting it'll be cancelled anyway," said Liam. The hope was clear in his voice. "Not everyone will be able to make it in. Did you hear about the tree that was brought down on Appleby street? That'll make it twice as hard for people that take that route – they'll have to go round unless they walk, and who's really going to walk in this weather?"
"All I know is that they're warning us that we might lose electricity," Tari answered.
"As long as we're not stuck in school," he replied. He pulled a face. "God, can you imagine it? It'd be like one big, bitchy slumber party. I think I'd walk if it came down to it."
"I don't know," Tari said, her voice low. "I think I'd rather be here."
Liam tilted his head to her; his blue eyes, ones that verged on violet, were scrunched together. "What's up?" he asked, not unkindly.
Before she could answer they heard the clomp of high heels and a chipper voice. "Good morning kids!" Sawyer said, much too brightly than before.
"Is it?" Tari grumbled, raising an eyebrow at Liam. Typical Sawyer, it said and Liam smiled understanding, but it didn't quite reach his eyes – ones that were still scanning her face.
"It is now," she said, pushing the usual drinks order at them. Liam cried out triumphantly and snatched his hot chocolate while Tari sipped her coffee. God I needed that, she thought. She knew that fourteen probably wasn't the best age to start drinking coffee, but damn she needed it. She looked at her friend, whose hair was in perfect loose curls and dark eye make up that wasn't smudged. "What are you, super girl? How did you manage to get us our usual and look like that in crazy weather?"
"You're part vampire," Sawyer said. "Maybe I'm an angel. I'm certainly beautiful enough."
"Of course," Liam said, his tongue slightly mocking.
"Hey before Allen we didn't know a lot of things existed," Sawyer said, now that some people were actually passing them in the hallway. "Where is he anyway?"
"No idea," said Liam. "He's not answering his cell."
"Speaking of, what about you?" Sawyer asked Tari, her green eyes on the girl. "I sent you a ton of emails and you never replied."
Tari leant her head against the lockers. "Guess whose dad found out about Mission Caleb?"
"What?" Sawyer gasped.
"He saw the bite?" Liam asked, his mind going straight there.
"Yeah," Tari said. She frowned. "But it was like he was looking for it. As if he already knew. I mean, he went to the warehouse when they realised there was a dead vampire – can you say dead vampire? Anyway, I don't see how he made the connection between us being out and the vampire being staked."
"I think I know why," Allen said, coming down the hall. He sat down next to Liam, his face a little glum. "My mom grounded me and took my cell off me. She knows what we did – and I don't know how. She confronted me about it and eventually I couldn't deny it."
"Are you saying our parents are communicating?" Tari asked. She shook her head. "First my teacher and now my friend's mom. He's always keeping tabs on me. How long are you grounded for?"
"Two weeks."
"Lucky you – I'm stuck in the house for three weeks, and fighting with my father."
"My mom's pretty mad at me," Allen commented. "It's like the Arctic circle at my house."
"I feel bad," Sawyer said, biting her lip. "You two are imprisoned in your houses and my parents don't even know anything happened."
"Yeah it sucks, but I'm not telling my parents that I went and stabbed a vampire," Liam snorted. "Never mind ground me, they'd have a coronary. Or send me to the mental hospital."
Sawyer looked crestfallen. "Yeah, but now we all won't be able to hang out for ages. Except in school, which-"
"What are you students sitting here for?" Mrs Diane Kennedy stormed towards them. She was one of the strictest teachers in the school. Many students groaned if they had her for English, because she was notorious for grading harshly – though from what Tari heard, she was certainly accomplished. She was a published poet and writer, and once worked as a judge in Chicago before, as it was claimed by mocking students, she decided to work in schools where she could stop students from reaching the courtroom. "There's an assembly for freshmen in the main hall. Get going."
"I bet she was an army general in a former life," muttered Sawyer, standing.
"She's tough," Allen agreed.
"Tough?" snorted Liam. "You don't have her for English. I've taken to reading the cheat notes on the internet just so when she questions me I have an opinionated answer." He sighed. "Why couldn't I have had Mr Herman like you two? You're so lucky."
"Sawyer definitely is," Tari said. She flashed a grin at her friend who glowered at her behind Liam and Allen's backs.
The school day was hectic, but Tari reflected that it was like a holiday. None of the students took their work seriously, chatting in class, not bothering to do their work. Even the teachers seemed to be acting as if it was the last day of term. In classes where the teachers barely gave them anything to do, Tari studied for her maths test. But as she was heading to the maths lesson, trying to remember the Pythagoras theorem, the electricity died, and the teacher sent the class to the library, where the emergency generators forced the lights on.
"This is so lame," muttered Sawyer, flicking her hair behind her ear. "They won't even send us home."
"I told you," Liam said to Tari. "We'll be sleeping in the hall, mark my words."
"Damon will come through the storm to get me, trust me."
Liam shrugged. "As long as he drops me off."
"This is so annoying," muttered Allen.
"I know – why can't we take the maths test in here?"
"Not that," he said, grimacing. "I can't get this problem right."
Tari leant forward, her eyes over the math problem. "You forgot to carry the extra amount over here, see?"
"Oh yeah... But look, the answer still isn't right."
"You two are morons," said Liam, also leaning forward. "You got that part wrong, it's seventy three."
"Have you even revised for this?" Tari asked.
"I don't need to," replied Liam, not even bothering to hide his smugness. "Maths is easy."
Sawyer snorted, though it didn't seem as if she was really listening. Her eyes were scanning the library, as if she was searching for someone, though Tari knew that she was simply curious. Sawyer was like that, unable to keep sit still, hating being kept in the dark. Tari believed that she had been a cat in a former life. "Not everyone has a genius for a mom."
Liam smirked. "My mom's nickname in high school was tutorgirl," he explained. "I have her brains and my father's sports talent. Best of both worlds."
"You certainly got neither of their modesty," Sawyer said cheerfully. She moved her attention to Allen and Tari. "I wouldn't worry guys; this test isn't going to happen today, trust me. If you ask me the school will probably be closed for the rest of the week." She couldn't help but laugh at Allen and Tari's horrified expressions. "That's a good thing!"
"I'll probably ace this test; I have nothing else to do but revise," muttered Tari gloomily. She shut her maths textbook. "My mind is spinning with numbers."
"Take a break," Sawyer suggested eagerly. "We can go for a wander-"
"No, I need to start on my English work," Tari replied. She pulled Wuthering Heights out of her bag, flipping through the pages. "It's so complicated," she murmured.
"I love Heathcliff," Sawyer said, almost dreamily. "He's so...damaged."
"And that's the perfect man for you?" Tari asked sceptically. "An evil, abusive husband?"
"That was Hindley's fault," argued Sawyer. "And Heathcliff was troubled: in love with Catherine but unable to have her, and having to settle for Isabella. Of course he hated her."
"He didn't have to settle," Tari pointed out. "He married her because he wanted more land, he wanted more power."
"Only because he was afraid. Think about it: he knew what happened if he didn't have any wealth or land, like when Hindley returned."
"I just can't see it as romantic," Tari murmured. "It's so obvious that Catherine was meant to be with Heathcliff. Maybe on some level she was attracted to Edgar, but Heathcliff suited her so much better: they were both wild, a little cruel, maybe lively. They were destined to be together. It was that simple, but neither of them had the guts to be together."
"My friend the cynic," Sawyer said, with a note of exasperation.
"I'm not cynical," argued Tari, though she admitted to herself that she was, just a little bit. But it was easy for Sawyer: her parents were the perfect love story. She had read Lucas' book, An Unkindness of Ravens, and it was beautiful. In her wildest dreams Tari wished that she would have someone to do that for her: lay out his love for her for the whole world to see. Yet she had grown up watching her single mother going on date after date, sometimes have a boyfriend for a month or two before ending it or having it end; listen to her mother crying into her pillow at night when she thought Tari couldn't hear her. How many people got divorced these days? How could she believe in love when she had seen her mother look for it and never find it? "I'm a realist."
"That's one word for it," said Sawyer.
"No – I mean, I adored the romance between Rhett and Scarlett. That was real and still so beautiful."
"I'll admit Rhett was hot, but he was nothing compared to Heathcliff-"
"Rhett loved children, how can you not adore a man like that?"
"Can we please stop talking about books?" Liam asked. "I mean, we've taken down a you-know-what and we're going on about literature?"
"We can't talk about that, not when other people are around," Allen pointed out.
"And I need to go see Mr Herman," said Tari, standing. "He needs to mark my practice question."
"He's in his classroom," Sawyer said. She could tell her friend was wondering whether she had said too much. It must have been hard, not knowing whether she was being too intimate or not. Tari couldn't understand why she did it; after all, didn't the risk outweigh the pleasure?
Tari made her way through the darkened hallways. Some students had gone rogue, leaving the library and hanging out in the halls – probably smoking weed or something stupid. The halls were so dark; it was like a setting for a horror film. But at that moment Tari wasn't afraid of vampires – for some reason she couldn't picture being attacked in school. She was more afraid of the storm. She could hear thunder in the distance, getting louder. For a moment she wondered if Damon was right, that maybe she should have stayed at home. Why is Damon always in the right? Tari thought, gritting her teeth. He could be so insufferable when he was right.
Tari was about to enter the classroom when she stopped suddenly, her eyes seeing through the glass at the top of the door. Mr Herman was in the classroom, but he wasn't alone. There was a student with him. A female student.
She couldn't tell if anything was going on between them. After all, Tari did tend to have a wild imagination – or at least she always thought she did; lately she was beginning to wonder whether the things she saw were really her imagination. Mr Herman and the student were talking, but the way their body posture was – he sitting on the desk, leaning over it towards her, her standing there as if she wanted to be on the desk with him. Their heads were close, and she could see the girl – a junior, Olivia Delinsky – was smiling.
It set Tari on edge.
Without thinking of what she was doing she burst through the door. Olivia jumped back, but Mr Herman turned his gaze to her, cool and calm. "Excuse me Mr Herman," Tari said, her own voice stubbornly frosty. "I was wondering if you could mark the practice question that I've done?"
He smiled at her. "Certainly Tari," he said. He had leant back, away from Olivia. He turned back to the junior, smiling. "I'll talk to you about the test later Olivia."
"Thank you Mr Herman," she said. Picking up her bag the blonde walked towards the door. As she passed Tari, the girl could almost feel a distinct smugness about her. It didn't make her feel confident.
Mr Herman held out his hand and Tari gave him the sheet of paper. She couldn't make herself look away, her anger being to bubble so much that she clenched her fist, as if her body wanted to punch him. And she did entertain the notion. Tari had avoided Mr Herman as best as she could, not even raising her hand in class. She knew something about him that could ruin his reputation and make him redundant in one fell swoop. Yet he also had one up on her: if she turned him in she would hurt Sawyer too. Teenagers could be cruel, and Tari knew if they found out that Sawyer had dated Mr Herman her friend would never hear the end of it.
"I'm sorry it's taking so long," Mr Herman said, his eyes on her paper. "In the darkness it's hard to see. The school shouldn't be open; we'd send you lot home if we didn't think it would be too dangerous." He looked up at her, smiling. "Perhaps I can mark it another time?"
Tari pursed her lips together, and began to turn away. She walked a few steps towards the door but the stopped. She knew that this was stupid; and yet she knew herself well enough that she couldn't keep her mouth shut. It was a fault of hers, but she knew that she would be in a terrible mood if she didn't speak.
She whirled round like a hurricane, and stormed forwards. She was angry at Mr Herman, yes, but this fury was also because of what had happened with Damon. And she would be damned if she was going to admit it, but she missed Damon: she missed talking to him, surprisingly enough; missed how he would hug her and kiss her on the forehead when he said goodnight to her. Recently he had been out at the bar until about one in the morning, and didn't see any reason to disturb her. It reminded Tari of those early days when her mother had first died, when she barely saw Damon at all, only when he made sure she wasn't trying to leave. She couldn't understand why she acted that way before; it was almost like she was still in the dream. She supposed that she had still been in shock.
"Listen to me," Tari said in a low voice, as if she was worried that someone would hear. "Sawyer may think that you're the perfect man, but if you ask me you're Heathcliff – people believe that you're a good man, but in the end you're just an abusive person that will take whatever he can. I didn't ask to know about this, but I do. And if you hurt my friend, I swear to God that I will make you pay."
The lightning flashed and Tari could see his face. His usual smiling, attractive face was now hard, as if it had been carved from stone. Those light eyes of his were dark, just like the storm. He stood up slowly, but that made him even more threatening; he was now taller than her too. She wondered if that made him feel stronger - and then realised that he was feeling threatened by a schoolgirl. It gave Tari just a little bit of courage to maintain eye contact.
"What Sawyer and I do is none of your business," he said. Though his voice was calm, his eyes flashed in anger. He didn't like being put in his place, Tari realised.
"Sawyer is one of my best friends. What hurts her hurts me, and if she can't hurt you back then trust me, I will. If you make my friend happy, great – but don't even think about cheating on her. Don't flirt with other girls, especially not when she could just walk in on you."
"I am a teacher; I'm going to have to talk to female students. I can't avoid the female population just because you want me to. Sawyer understands that. She's a big girl."
"She's fifteen." Tari glowered at him. "What's wrong with you?" she asked him. "Obviously you have mother issues." She went to move away when she was jerked back because he grabbed her arm. She turned her head slowly, eyeing him.
"Watch yourself," he whispered. "I don't take orders from high school girls."
She hadn't realised he could be so threatening. What was it with her, why did she seem to confront the freaks? She tried to move her arm away, but he clung on. "What is it?" he hissed. "Are you jealous?"
She laughed, loudly. A little exaggerated she'd admit, but it was still funny, the thought that she wanted him. "Oh yes, because I'm desperate to kiss a man who can't get a girl his own age so has to pawn off school children-"
He yanked her closer to him, so much that it caused a jolt of pain. Her body was still sore after the whole vampire attack. "What does it take to shut you up? Be careful, or I'll take that mouth off your face."
She dug him in the ribs, pulling her arm away. His hand went to his side, and he winced as he rubbed it. Now at a safe distance, Tari glowered at him. "Don't you dare threaten me. I have faced tougher men that you, believe me. And if you hurt me, I will tell my father and he will do a lot more than just get you fired." She and Damon may be in the middle of a fight, but if she came home crying her eyes out about an abusive teacher she knew Damon wouldn't sort it with a phone call – he'd break into his place and throw him through a window. While Damon's protectiveness drove her up the wall, it had an upside.
"Hurt my friend, and I will make sure you suffer. Got it?" His glare told her that he did, and she turned away and slammed the door.
Despite the bravado Tari felt shaken. She took herself to the bathroom, pacing and taking deep breathes to calm herself. But then she wasn't as scared as she hadn't been – Mr Herman was nothing compared to Caleb. Yet she worried about Sawyer. Would he tell her what she said? And yet she doubted it, because she would then tell Sawyer how he threatened her. Maybe he was hoping that they would fight – and yes, they could, but they would make up. Their friendship was stronger than that.
xXx
"For fuck sake Ric, pick up your phone once in a while," Damon snapped. He was lounging on the leather couch, feet up on the coffee table. Elena always complained about it, but she wasn't here, so...
"I'm a little busy here Damon," Ric replied. As they spoke she shooed a group of kids (stoners, almost certainly) back into the library. "Today's manic. The electricity's gone down so only the lights in the library are working. We've got too many students shoved in there and it's getting a bit crowded. What's up?"
"I'll get to that in a minute. One question: are there any exams going on today?"
Ric frowned. "Well yeah, for the weeks leading up 'til winter break. There was a maths one scheduled for today."
"Damn it," Damon cursed. "She was telling the truth."
"Can you stop using me as a spy? Technically I'm already a babysitter/protector – and you're still not paying me enough."
"Look, I was just calling to ask whether or not I should pick Tari up."
"Don't worry, we're fine," answered Ric. "No lessons are going on and the students are treating it like it's a holiday, but other than that, we're fine."
"There's a tornado warning not far from here." Damon's voice was unusually low and...timid? "I don't like the thought of Tari being out in a tornado."
Ric sighed. Where's the Damon that was cut-throat? The one that killed dozens of people? Right now I'd take over the wimpy, parental Damon. "She'll be fine. It's more dangerous if you come over – you could crash, and that would be worse." After all, Tari had been in one only a little while ago. If Damon crashed with Tari, she probably wouldn't go in a car again. He didn't think of mentioning that to Damon though – it probably wouldn't go down well.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine. Look, I'll keep an eye out for her okay? We're going to move the students down to the locker room for as a precaution."
"Thanks," Damon said, sighing. "Call me if there's a problem."
He hung up, his eyes on the flames in the living room. He didn't like being away from Tari when there could be danger. It always worried him. There was nothing he could do – he couldn't control the weather, and there was no guarantee that she would be safer here then at school – especially since they were fighting at the moment. It was such bad timing – perhaps she would have been more eager to have a day at home if they weren't fighting. They could have watched a film – though he would have preferred not to; after all, instead of watching the Thanksgiving football game they watched Sex and the City instead (though admittedly he found Samantha as the female version of himself – when he was still in that dark period with Katherine). They could play chess. She was actually getting better – the last time it took him twenty minutes to crush her.
If it only it was warm – summer even. If he closed his eyes he could almost feel it: the rays of light on his skin, the smell of flowers in the air, and Rebecca. In that pretty white dress, she looked so...
There are no words to describe how she looks. I cannot take my eyes off her. Then again, maybe it's not the way she looks – after all, Rebecca has always been stunning, breath-taking, leaving me shaking afterwards, but this is different. She's here. I left her – no, I let her go, and she came back. That's got to mean something right?
"Damon!" I turn and realise Elena is talking to me. She looks a little insulted that I haven't been paying attention to her, but really, it's Rebecca. "Are you listening?"
"Look Elena, can we talk later?" I move my eyes back to Rebecca, but she's gone. "Damn it!"
"What's going on?" says Elena, and her eyes are wide and she actually looks concerned. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be back," I say and hurry away, my eyes searching for Rebecca. Damn it where is she? What if she's got the wrong end of the stick? What if she thinks I'm with Elena? I push past Stefan (who tries to get my attention but absolutely fails) and walk along the path towards the fountain. We've had the gardens done up for this party, and the plants neatly cut and in bloom. I try to think where Rebecca would go, and go towards the water fountain.
It's like something from a film: she's sitting on the ledge, looking into the water. Her hand reaches out, touching it. There are water lilies, pink ones, floating on top (yes, Stefan went all out for this party). I just stare at her, drinking in her beauty.
I'm not nearly done when she turns to me. She smiles again and I swear I must have a heart; I have to have one to feel this.
"I changed my mind," she says simply.
I stay where I am. "Why?"
She shrugs. "You were right. I was hiding. This is probably going to end in my heart break, but you're right; I need to take a chance. It's better than wondering what might have been."
I can't help but smile as I sit down beside her. "Tell me," I say. "Who hurt you?"
"My parents," she says softly. Though that wasn't the answer I was expecting, I lean back to listen. "Since I was seven I remember them arguing. They could fight about anything: money, what to watch on the TV, my sister and me – even what to eat for dinner. It was awful, watching them tear each other into shreds. Isabel would come into my room and we never said anything, but I'd hold her hand.
"When I was eleven they finally got divorced. It was a long time coming – in fact I would have preferred they got divorced earlier. Of course they fought over us: my dad wanted us to live with him, my mom would her. Isabel and I didn't know what to do. How could you pick one parent over the other?
"After a long time – and the slashing of tires, shouting matches in the school, and a mediation – my mom got custody of us. That strained the relationship with our father; he thought that we had picked Mom over him. We didn't see him a lot after that. Christmases were a nightmare; Mom and Dad tried to be together, but it never worked." She tries to smile, but I can tell it's hard for her. "Not a great childhood.
"But as you can see, it's scarred me. Stupid I know, but whenever anyone wanted to go out with me, I would get scared. Sometimes I would go out with them for a while, but..." She turns her dark eyes away, almost ashamed. "I would end it once it got serious. Like I tried to do with you."
"Why me? Why change for me?" I ask. I am holding my breath; I want to hear the answer to this.
"Because you were right. I was hiding. And in truth, this week has been the best one since...ever I guess." Her face softens at the thought and I want to take hold of her. But I push the thought away for now; I don't want to scare her. Despite coming tonight, I don't want to put her off. "I was sitting in my room and realised that I didn't want it to end."
I look into her eyes – I always seem to fall for brown eyed brunettes – so she knows I'm serious. "I don't either."
We hold each other's gaze for a moment. She snaps out of it, sitting up straight. "So that's my sad little tale. C'mon, I've told mine. You should tell me yours."
"And you assume that I have a sad story?" I ask, crossing my legs. I allow a smirk to cross my lips.
She gives me a look. "Damon, the first night we met you got drunk out of your mind and told me that the girl you loved was marrying your brother. Now that I'm considering dating you-"
"Considering?" My smirk widens. "Honey, you came here. You're not considering, you're certain."
"A girl can change her mind – its part of her prerogative," she informs me, looking at me from under her eyelashes. "Anyway, now that I'm considering dating you, you have to tell me everything."
I can't help but glance at her doubtfully. "Are you sure? It's a long story."
Her face turns serious. "I can take it."
She can't. I'm not stupid; I'm not going to tell her that I'm a vampire whose killed more times than she has hair on her legs. But there's the other stuff too...
I sigh. "Okay: once upon a time I had a mother and father who both loved me very much. I was a happy kid until I was seven. My mother became pregnant with my brother, and we should have been even happier. Hell, we were happy. But a few months she was thrown off a horse. Broke her neck." Her gaze has turned sympathetic. "I saw her fall off. I remember seeing her..." I shake myself, not watching the image, but it appears in my head anyway: her neck twisted in a terrible angle, her blue eyes lifeless. It haunts me through the night.
"That ended the fairytale," I continue. "My father was grief-stricken. He couldn't take care of himself, let alone me and Stefan. He couldn't even look at me – I look like her. He sent me out the room for a year. As for me, I was confused; I cried out for my mother every night, but my father never comforted me. It wasn't him."
"Oh Damon," she says, and she takes my hand. "I'm sorry."
I give her hand a squeeze. While I don't enjoy pity – okay, its sympathy, but it feels like pity – I don't want to let go of her hand. "My father and I never got on well after that. I grew up wilful and always disobeying him over the silliest things*, and my father didn't like that. He preferred Stefan, who was quiet and did what he was told. Surprisingly though, Stefan and I got on really well. We were brothers, after all." Sometimes I miss those days – before Elena, before Katherine... Oh yes, Katherine.
"Then Katherine came along."
"Katherine?" Rebecca looks surprised.
"Another woman we fought over, believe it or not. She was selfish, a liar, cunning, but extremely beautiful. I can't say what brought me under her spell-" compulsion, "-but I was infatuated by her."
"But so was Stefan," Rebecca finishes.
"Yeah. Long story short it all climaxed, and Katherine left. Stefan and I were never the same again. Fast-forward a few years later, and Elena comes in. Stefan dated her first, I'll admit it. But I began to fall for her too. I wasn't meant to – in fact I'd sworn off relationships since Katherine – but there was something about Elena that made me fall for her." I shrug. "But she chose Stefan."
I fidget under her dark gaze. "I wish I had a drink in my hand," I murmur.
She laughs. "You don't need a drink Damon." She smiles sadly. "But now I understand about you and your brother. Everyone picked him."
So simple, but it's true. It's always Stefan; he races ahead while I'm left in the dust, forever destined to be second best. "I guess."
She continues to look at me. "Let me get this out the way now," she says. "I haven't met your brother. I don't have any desire to. Believe it or not, I like you. I don't want to meet Stefan at all, or Elena." She moves her hand on to my knee. "I just want to spend time with you."
We talk for a long time: about our favourite films and music and places we've been and places we'd like to go. I can't remember ever talking so much – and it's been a long time since I've laughed. We talk about families and growing up and what we'd like to do. It's easy, now that we've gone through the painful stuff. I feel more comfortable with her now, and I think she does too.
When Elena and Stefan and others are making the toasts (thank God Rebecca is here) we sneak into the house. She is amazed by it, looking over at the wood work. She demands to see my room, and doesn't take no for an answer. If she is surprised by bareness of it, she doesn't remark upon it. Instead she looks over the books. "Gone With The Wind? Call Of The Wild? Not exactly the most modern books."
"I happen to like classics," I say, leaning against the bedpost.
"I suppose you could get used to them," she says, shrugging. She turns, moving closer to me. I feel electricity jump between us, and I take a step closer. She looks up in my face, those big eyes huge.
"Are you sure?" I ask. I don't want to scare her off.
"Damon, I want to be with you," she says, looking me in the face. "And I've been dreaming of your kiss since the time you kissed me in the car." I know she is certain because she leans forward and kisses me. I am surprised, but I put my arms round her and pull her closer to me. She fits seamlessly, like a glove specially made for me.
I take my time with her. Slowly I undress her, not like other girls who I have torn the clothes off. I take her dress, the beautiful white dress that a princess would want to wear, and let it fall to the floor. As I am doing this she pushes off my jacket. I take my top off and study her as she studies me. Both liking what we see, we smile, conspirators. She unzips my trousers as I unhook her bra (the clasp is on the front of it – my kind of girl) and then she pulls down her underwear as I pull down mine.
We are both completely naked.
Moving onto the bed, we begin to kiss. Everything seems to be happening at once: her hands are on my chest, my lips on her neck (but I notice I have no desire to bite her), and she allows me to be on top. It seems to be a little painful when I enter her, but I am gentle for once, and in the end we are both crying out in ecstasy. Finally I roll on the bed beside her, breathing rapidly.
God that felt good. I haven't had sex like that for a long time – since Rose, and this is much better. It's the first time I've had sex with someone with feelings – powerful feelings. I am about to say something to her when I smell it.
I catch my breath. Blood. I glance down at the sheets and see they're a little stained.
Rebecca was a virgin.
I am prepared to have to control myself; to have to force myself on the bed, or leave, or make her leave. But as seconds turn into a minute I realise: I'm not fighting the urge. I don't have an urge. I don't want to her drink her blood. For some bizarre reason her blood doesn't appeal to me.
She rolls over to face me. Her legs swing in the air and she smiles, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone this sexy. "How was it?"
I smile back. "I don't want to increase your ego, but that was the best I've ever head."
She shakes her head. "Liar."
"Am not," I tease. I move closer to her, feeling her breath on my skin. I kiss her again, gently and softly. I can feel her happiness, every inch of it. I hope she can feel mine too.
We do it more than once that night, and once again when the sun begins to rise. We are dozing in the morning sunshine, my arm round her and her face on my stomach. I am playing with her gorgeous dark hair when I hear footsteps. I don't take much notice when I hear the door open. Rebecca lifts her head the same time I do and we hear a muffled shriek of shock. Elena is standing in the doorway, staring at us with wide eyes.
"Oh God I – sorry!" She rushes back out, slamming the door.
We pause for a moment and we can't help it, we laugh. A smile on her face, she lifts her head to look at me. "Elena?"
I nod.
She says, without even attempting to hide her smugness, "I guess she knows you're over her now."
The door opened and closed, and Damon turned his head, confused and a little peeved that he was brought out of such a beautiful memory. Elena came into the living room, looking as if she had been swimming with her clothes on. Her hair was flung about at odd angles too. "Do not go outside, whatever you do."
"The television already told me that." Elena moved next to her, shoving his feet off the coffee table. Damon rolled his eyes. "What you doing back?"
"The electricity in the library got cut. There was no one there anyway." She rested her back against the sofa. "I'd feel safer if Tari was home," she admitted.
"So would I," Damon agreed. "But the tornado warning's far from here. I can't see it being a problem."
"That would convince me even more if your face wasn't like that," Elena said, grinning.
"Like what?" he asked.
"Like you're panicking on the inside."
"I'm that obvious?"
"Completely." Elena leant back on the sofa beside him, now out of her wet coat. "It's okay to care Damon. I get why you were upset about her confronting the vampire. I'm not taking her side," Elena said hurriedly when she saw Damon glower at her, "what she did was wrong and she could have killed herself. But I understand why she did it." Elena shrugged. "She wanted to get back at them. It sucks being the victim, believe me."
"I can't let this go Elena. She could have killed herself."
"I know," Elena said, holding up her hands. Slowly a superior smile appears on her face. "But you'll go easy on her once you two make up. You're both hurt now, but it won't last. And when you're both happy again, you'll slowly let her have some fun again."
"I'm not letting her out the house, not ever if I can help it-"
"I'm betting you'll give her back her laptop," Elena replied as if she hadn't heard him. "You're too anxious about, well, you know, to let her go outside – in fact you love it when she misbehaves, just so you can ground her and keep her safe – but you won't make her miserable." She can't keep the smile off her face when she said, "Believe it or not Damon, you don't have the heart to."
xXx
"Attention! Attention! FOR CHRIST SAKE LISTEN!" All the students paused in whatever they were doing, thought it was to be said that they weren't doing much. Even Tari, after her confrontation with Mr Herman, had given up, her concentration out the window. "We've just been informed that there was a tornado warning. While it's a good distance away, we still believe that it's best to be safe – so we're all moving down to the locker rooms." Groans were issued, but people began to get up and follow the teachers.
"This is crazy," said Sawyer, shaking her head. "They should give us a day off because of this."
"If we can get the school to flood somehow, that would be better," Liam said, already in planning mood. The other three grinned, noting how he took to planning when the chance of a day off school was offered. "Allen, you're a you-know-what. Can't you do something to get us a running water system in here?"
Smiling, Allen shook his head. "I'm in enough trouble from my mom as it is. If she found out that I gave myself a day off, she would go insane and I don't think I'd see you guys until the New Year."
"But a day off school," Liam whined, and Tari laughed at his expression.
"I can't believe it's nearly December," she said. Soon it would be Christmas, and the thought of spending it here and not New York made her a little sad. New York was best at Christmas time: everywhere was decorated, you could ice skate and go to the huge Toys R Us store. Even when Tari had really grown out of toys, she still loved to go there.
Quickly she focussed on something else – anything else – so she fumbled in her bag for her copy of Wuthering Heights. "Damn it," she murmured. "I must have left it in the library." Throwing her bag to the floor, she began to fight the current of people to get to the library.
"Tari!" Allen called to her, trying to follow. "You have to stay here!"
"Do you know how hard it is to get a good copy of the book?" his friend called back. "One that hasn't been puked on? Relax," she said with an easy smile, "I'll be two minutes."
She was surprised that no teachers stopped her – then again she was new and often managed to creep by unnoticed. None of the other students paid any attention to her. That was what high school was like: if you didn't make yourself noticed, then you weren't, plain and simple.
The lights in the library had been switched off, so it was dark. Moving carefully, Tari cursed the fact that they had chosen a table the furthest away from the doors, right by the windows. She crept down the aisle of books, realising for the first time how big the library actually was. Tari usually loved libraries: she had always enjoyed reading, and libraries were so calm and quiet, relaxing. She had spent a lot of time at the New York library. She missed it: it had been so big, every little noise echoing – but the libraries here were tiny.
She moved as fast as she could in the darkness, not wanting to trip over anything. When she found the table, her copy of Wuthering Heights was nowhere to be found. Muttering curses, she bent down on the ground, searching underneath the table. Someone's taken it, she thought angrily. Now I'll have to get a battered one. Plus find where I left off.
Still Tari wasn't one for giving up: she stood up, her eyes searching the darkness. The lightning flashed again, illuminating the room. In that second she saw her book. It was away from the table, tossed right against the window. She walked to it, wondering why some kids were such idiots. Really, what's the point? she asked. Some teenagers were so immature.
Rising from picking the book up, her eyes went to the window. It was a huge one, covering the wall. It led to a small courtyard, where the flowers and plants that had been planted were scattered, and the few trees that were there had branches hanging off. Tari wondered what the chances of a branch breaking the window were. The thought of it was bad enough, and Tari started to turn away.
The lightning came down again, when her eyes were still on the window. A face appeared, directly opposite hers.
She screamed – she couldn't help herself. Her quick instincts made her rush backwards, and she fell over a chair. It was a large wooden one, heavy, and it caught her in the creases of her legs. She fell straight over it, rolling over and landing on the floor – no, on her head. The pain shot straight through her, but she couldn't stop to take note of it; instead she made herself run, hurry as far away from the window as possible. She hid behind one of the large shelves, breathing hard. Her arms felt wobbly and her head ached. Yet all she could think about was that face. That's impossible, she told herself. It can't be. It can't –
Tari felt a hand on her arm and she jerked away, crying out. "Hey," Alaric said, holding his hand back. "It's okay."
"Mr Saltzman," she gasped. Despite him being there she was still stuck on the shelf. "There's someone outside."
"What? A student?"
Tari was already shaking her head. "A man – it was a man. But it couldn't have been – could you please go and look for me?" she asked, her blue eyes pleading. "Please, just look."
"Okay," he said, staring at her face. It was quite obvious the girl was scared, and he thought it was a good idea to do anything he could to calm her. He eyed her for a moment before walking towards the window. The lightning shot out the sky again, but Alaric couldn't see anyone, even when he pressed his face against the glass. All he could think was that he didn't like the way the trees were swaying like that. We should be in the locker room, he thought, turning back. He found a book on the floor and picked it up.
"Missing this?" he asked her, holding out Wuthering Heights.
Tari tried to smile as she took it, but even in the darkness he could tell it was forced. "There was no where there?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
He shook his head. "No, I couldn't see anyone." He watched her face carefully, seeing it tighten. "Who did you think it was?"
She shook her head, not wanting to answer.
"You said 'it couldn't have been'," Alaric pressed. "So you obvious thought it was someone."
She sighed, relaxing a little. "I thought – I thought it was someone that I've been seeing in a dream. But it must have been my imagination. The man I see in the dream – well, I don't know him. He might have been someone I saw in passing, or someone that doesn't exist."
"Maybe you're just tired," said Alaric kindly. He knew he should take the girl into the locker room, but he wanted her to calm down a little first. She was pale, though with her blue eyes and dark hair, it as natural. "You enjoying the book?"
Tari glanced up at him. "You know it?"
"I read it when I was in college. What do you think of it? The great love story?"
The girl shook her head. "It's not a love story."
Alaric was surprised. "You've not fallen for Heathcliff then?"
She snorted. "Please. Maybe the writer wanted women to swoon over him, but I can't believe that's love." Feeling the need to confess – and why to Mr Saltzman, of all people, she didn't know – she blurted out, "I don't think I believe in love."
She expected Alaric to say something about how sad that was, how she too young not to believe everything would be okay. But instead she saw him smile. "You sound like Damon."
A new interest in him, Tari straightened a little. "You've know Damon for a while then?"
"For a long time," he said. He leant against the opposite bookshelf, scrutinising her. He knew that Damon wouldn't want him to reveal anything about their past, but he was finding it increasingly hard not to. His life was tangled with Damon, and even more so with Elena; after all, he had practically been her stepfather, what with married to her mother and dating her aunt. "We didn't much like each other at first."
"I'm not surprised," Tari said.
"We got on better after that. After all," he said with a grin, "I could help him out with a few missions. I think he also felt a bit threatened by me, knowing that I had enough skill to kill him."
He could see and almost feel her stiffen. "What do you mean?" she said slowly. "Are you...?"
"A vampire?" said Alaric. Still smiling he shook his head. "Close: I'm a vampire hunter."
Tari tried to process this new information. "So you know that my father's a vampire? And-"
"And Elena and Stefan are, yes I know. I knew Elena when she was human."
Tari still couldn't take her eyes off him. For a few minutes they were silent, Alaric quietly allowing Tari to come to terms with it. Finally she said, "Does everyone know about vampires in this town?"
Alaric pretended to consider it. "About half, maybe." He laughed a little. "More people than you think. Liz for once."
"The sheriff?"
"Yes. We work with her with any vampire attacks. There hasn't been any for years, not until recently." He gave her an appraising look. "Which you took care of, I understand."
"Do you think I was wrong?" she asked bluntly.
"I can't answer that," Alaric said. "After all, it's a hobby of mine really. It wouldn't be right to say that you shouldn't. Though Damon was pretty angry at you. He couldn't stop going on about it at the bar. Then again, he was intoxicated." He studied her. "You two are still fighting, I take it?"
"Yes," Tari said sighing.
"I can imagine it'll be a long fight," commented Alaric.
"He's right though, isn't he?" asked Tari softly. "I was wrong to do it."
Alaric didn't say a word.
"Maybe I wasn't wrong to kill him – Caleb, I mean," Tari said fairly. "But Damon was right to be angry. I get that he's annoyed at me." Turning defiant, she said, "But I'm not sorry I did it."
Alaric laughed again. "I'm sorry Tari, but you really are like Damon."
"Well I'm not. That vampire was killing people. He had to be stopped."
"I think the part that annoyed Damon was that you didn't let us handle it."
Tari choked out a laugh. "I will next time – not that I'm saying there will be a next time. It was harder than I thought."
"What?" said Alaric, smiling. "You thought it would be easy."
"In my defence, attacking him wasn't part of the plan. We were going to spike his drink with vervain and if he reacted I would have called Damon."
"Not a bad plan," admitted Alaric. "You did well though, to fight off a vampire."
She shrugged before smiling a little. "I guess this toughness is in my blood."
Before Alaric could say anything they saw lightning flash again, and the thunder almost straight away – it was right above them.
And then they heard an enormous crash, which sounded like thunder again. But it wasn't thunder; they felt the ground shake.
xXx
"What time is it?" asked Elena. Stefan and Damon were on the couch, Elena on the armchair beside them, reading. Whenever there was a football game or a basketball match or any type of sport, she always read.
"Just after one," Damon answered. His eye was on the clock almost constantly.
"C'mon." Stefan leant forward, eyes on the player that was dribbling down the court. "C'mon... Yes, yes-!"
As the ball flew towards the hoop the screen changed, the sign of channel five news appearing on the screen. Stefan looked deflated while Elena laughed out loud at her husband. Damon shook his head, but he couldn't help but smiling too.
The news wiped that grin off his face.
"We interrupt your current program to bring you breaking news," said the anchor. His face looked grim, his head shaped like an egg. "We've just been informed that there has been an accident at Mystic Falls High school. Ambulances and firemen are travelling to the school. It appears a tree has be blown down and landed on part of the school. We have no specific details, but it is said that two people have been serious hurt, at least one a student."
The three of them were completely still, staring at the television.
"Tari," whispered Damon, almost numb. Elena turned to him, her look panicked. Stefan was still staring at the screen, and though the game had returned, none of them were paying attention.
As if a switch had been flicked, Damon leapt up. Without a word to the others he grabbed his jacket and car keys; it was when he started the engine he realised Stefan was in the seat next to him with Elena in the back.
None of them spoke for the first few minutes as he drove. "Damon," Elena said as the car skidded, nearly hitting a lamppost. On her side.
"Please tell me you're not suggesting that I slow down," Damon replied through gritted teeth. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
"Just take it easy," Stefan said, the mediator as always. "We won't do Tari any good if the car's been damaged."
If Damon agreed he didn't say anything about it. "Can you call Ric, please?" he asked – almost begged. He would have thought Ric would have called him – unless he had been injured. That thought made Damon feel even worse. He had told Ric to keep an eye on his daughter – but at what price?
Stefan was on the phone for a few seconds before hanging up. "It went straight to voicemail," his brother answered. By the sound of his voice, Damon could tell he was worried too.
It wasn't far from the school, but parking was a nightmare. Other parents must have heard about the accident and rushed in, worried about their child. Damon didn't give parking much thought; he pulled up on the sidewalk and practically leapt out the car, followed by Elena and Stefan.
"We'll split up," Stefan said. "I'll go round the back-"
"I'll go to the accident sight," Elena offered. If Tari was hurt – or worse – Damon shouldn't be the one to see it.
Damon didn't answer either of them. He burst through the double doors, going through the main entrance. The place was a nightmare though: parents rushing their students out the building, children calling on cell phones, teachers snapping orders. How he was supposed to find Tari in this chaotic place...
He pushed past people, his eyes searching. He tried Ric's mobile, and Tari's, but neither of them answered. The storm had probably brought the network down, in which case he doubted he would be able to get a hold of any of them, Stefan and Elena included.
Damn it! Why did I let her out of my sight? She should have been at home – I should have made her stay.
He was in the main hall, where a lot of parents and students were. His eyes searched for a dark haired girl. What was she wearing? What kind of parent am I? he thought with a wave of self-loathing. How can I not remember what she was wearing?
Hair up, another voice seemed to whisper to him. She was wearing her hair in a ponytail.
He glanced round again, quicker this time.
As if by magic, he saw her.
She was sitting on the stage, talking to Ric. She was playing with her ponytail, twirling her dark brown hair with her fingers. Damon took a moment just to appreciate her, alive, well and breathing. She was okay. Why did it seem that Tari always seemed to manage to dodge a bullet? She had to be the luckiest girl alive.
He only prayed that her luck – their luck – wouldn't run out.
He moved towards them, and she saw him first. He knew that another year was just added on to his life by the look of relief that covered her face. It warmed his dead heart, he swore it did. She pushed herself off the edge of the stage and rushed to him. She felt him press against her chest, and he pulled her eyes closer. "Damon," she whispered.
"Are you okay?" Damon asked, his nose on her head.
"Yeah I'm fine," Tari breathed. "It was just scary there for a minute. We heard the tree fall down and when we looked out the window there was the tree – and then there was this girl screaming-" Tari shook her head, unable to speak.
Ric came forward. At Damon's look he said "She's fine. Just a little shaken, but she's fine."
"Someone got hurt?" asked Damon.
"A girl and a boy. Stupid kids thought they would have a private make out session in a building that definitely wasn't secure enough." Ric rolled his eyes before smiling, patting Damon on the arm. "Listen, I need to help the other teachers get the students in order. I'll see you later."
"Ric," called Damon, still keeping a firm grasp on his daughter. His friend turned and Damon found himself momentarily speechless. "I owe you," he finally said. "I mean it."
Ric nodded before moving away. There was no point in telling Damon it was okay; he understood that when you protected someone's child they will repay you. Children were different. Jeremy and Elena hadn't been his, but he took on the role of parent after Jenna and John died. They were almost his children, and he understood the powerful need to protect. It must be different for Damon and Tari – Elena and Jeremy were more or less fully grown. Tari was barely a teenager.
Once Alaric had gone Damon pushed Tari forward, gazing at her carefully. "You're sure you're not hurt?"
"I'm fine," Tari said, giving him a nod. "Just a little shaken. I mean, we were in the library and we heard the crash, and then the girl screamed. Mr Saltzman was good though; he stayed with me, even taking me with him to get some teachers to help her." The girl, as it turned out, had been Olivia Delinsky. Life was funny like that.
"Ric's a good guy," Damon said, making a mental note that he would buy him a bottle of whisky – the most expensive he could get.
"And a vampire hunter," she said, her voice a tad lower.
He froze. "He – Ric told you?"
"Yeah. C'mon Damon," Tari said, managing a smile. "It's not surprising that there are vampire hunters, if there are vampires. It didn't surprise me as much as it should have. I must be getting used to these bombshells."
Damon nodded, his eyes on her. "Are you still mad at me?"
Tari hesitated. "Are you still me mad at me?"
Damon pursed his lips.
"Look," Tari began boldly. "I'm sorry, okay? But like I said before, I'm glad I got rid of him. He was a bad guy – he didn't deserve to die."
"But that doesn't give you the right to do it." He held up his hand when he saw Tari open her mouth. "What's done is done I guess – but promise me that next time, if you have any suspicions about someone, you will let me handle it, got it? 'Cause if I find out you do something like this again Tari, it'll make the blow out that I had last time look minuscule."
"Okay," Tari agreed. "I guess I'll be able to control myself."
"Why thank you," said Damon, but he couldn't help but smile. It was okay again. They were talking.
"Hey!" Stefan appeared, looking immensely relieved. He pulled his niece into a hug, and watching them, Damon felt...happy? Was that how he felt? He was glad that he had given Tari more of a family – not just him, but Stefan and Elena too. She had more family than either of them realised.
xXx
"Oh crap."
"Language," Damon teased.
"Shut up," Elena shot back. "You're just pleased that I owe you money." She fished through her collection of monopoly money, grudgingly handing it to him. She turned on her husband. "I told you not to sell him your orange!"
Stefan leaned back on the sofa, holding up his hands. "Hey, I needed the last pink."
The storm raged outside, but none of them even noticed. Though it was still bad, it had calmed down, and would hopefully end in later that night. Yet Damon couldn't help but be grateful; if this storm hadn't have happened, than the P.E. storage building wouldn't have collapsed and Damon wouldn't have rushed over and made up with Tari. It was strange really, how life had a way of sorting itself out.
Damon rolled the dice and moved the battleship. "Damn it," he muttered.
"Language," Elena mocked while Tari laughed.
"And you told me not to buy Mayfair," she said, shaking her head with an amused smile.
"'Course not," Damon said, lifting the beer to his mouth. "I wanted to buy it."
"Can we just end this game now?" asked Stefan, leaning back in the chair.
"No!" the other three exclaimed.
"Jesus, you lot are so bloody competitive," he sighed, drinking his own beer.
"Only because you're losing," Tari said.
"I'm not losing!" Stefan replied.
"You don't have many properties," commented Damon.
"At least I have some houses – Elena doesn't!"
There are moments in our lives that we call the greatest: your son being born; your eighteenth birthday; the first time you lost your virginity. And yes, these moments, these events in our lives can truly be great. But how many times have you sat down with a close group of friends at the dinner table and felt loved? How many times have you gone to a bar with your best mate and just talked, smiling and feeling like they're actually listening, like they understand you? Or played a game of monopoly with your family during a storm? Sometimes the best moments in our lives are the less important ones, the ordinary ones. We have a dozen of them, more often than we even notice, more often than we can remember. But every now and then we sit back and realise: we will remember this moment for the rest of our lives. Maybe it won't be one of the greatest moments in our lives; but it will be one of the most perfect ones.
xXx
*Remind you of anyone? ;-)
PLEASE REVIEW! Pretty please?