Blood's Thicker Than Water

by citigirl13

When Tari's mother dies, she has to live with her father - Damon Salvatore. How will the two of them cope, considering she is exactly like him? Was her mother's death really an accident? And why does it feel Damon is keeping a secret?

17. Deck the halls with cloves of garlic

This is a LONG chapter! Surprising really, because it's kind of a filler chapter – or it was meant to be. I'm not sure if it turned out that way. I think this is going to be when the relationship between Damon and Tari gets better.

Anyway, I wanted to do a chapter on Xmas, because it would be the first one without Rebecca and with Tari and Damon together. If I'm honest I don't know how this one has turned out, whether it's good or bad – but hey, at least I've finally finished it. Some days it felt as if I was trying to squeeze words – ANY words – out of my mind.

I hope you enjoy it!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill; I do not own any of the characters, except for Tari, Rebecca, Liam and Allen

xXx

Chapter Fifteen

Deck the halls with cloves of garlic

He lunges for me, and part of me yells to move but I don't, something is telling me I can't. So I don't and I let him push me. I fall through the air, falling and falling, unable to see where I am going.

Falling...

Falling...

Falling...

Tari pushed herself up from the bed, but not as fast as she usual did. She was getting used to the dream, wasn't so surprised when she felt herself falling. Yet it always left her with a certain chill, and with that in mind Tari wrapped the cover round herself. Then again, it was probably the weather: it was the middle of December, and the weather had definitely taken a cool turn. The heating was usually on, but it was early in the morning and it hadn't been switched on yet.

She was a little annoyed that she had woken up; she already had school, so every second that she had to sleep was precious. She curled in bed, closing her eyes and filling her mind with warm thoughts...like the beach...

The doorbell rung, followed by three quick knocks. Tari groaned, throwing the pillow over her head. She waited for someone to answer the door – they were vampires after all, shouldn't they have super-sensitive hearing? But the doorbell rung again and this time there were four knocks; then it rang again, and another set of knocks. Realising that no one else was going to get the door, Tari pushed herself up and stuffed her feet in her slippers.

How is it that Damon always wakes up when I'm trying to leave, but when someone is at the door he magically stays asleep? Tari grumbled as she went down the stairs. Bloody selective hearing if you ask me.

Once she got to the door, she unlocked it and flung it open. A tall, stunningly gorgeous blonde was standing at the door. Her skin was clear, her blue eyes bright and filled with unwavering joy. How can someone be so bright this morning? Tari wondered. "Surprise!" she yelled, and Tari leapt about a foot in the air.

"Ohmigod, I'm so sorry!" the blonde said. She stepped forward, her hand on Tari's shoulder. She smiled comfortingly. "I was expecting it to be Elena or Stefan or Damon. I mean they usually get up when I knock, but they must be tired I guess – WAIT!" She gasped again, her blue eyes wide, practically leaving her head. "Are you – oh my God, are you Tari? Damon's kid?"

In response Tari pushed the door further open. "That's me," she said a little awkwardly.

The blonde shrieked, hurting Tari's ears. She leapt forward and pulled the girl into a huge hug, almost choking her. "Oh my god!" she said (third time now?). "I can't believe it!" She suddenly shoved Tari in front of her, those blue eyes searching her. "You don't particularly look like Damon – oh, your eyes are like his though! And you have excellent bone structure!" she said, lifting Tari's chin to see it properly.

"I'm sorry," Tari said, managing to get a word in edgeways. "Who are you?"

"Oh I'm sorry!" the blonde said, giggling. "I'm Caroline, Caroline Forbes. I was high school with Stefan and Elena, though I've known Elena since we were like, five years old."

"Forbes, as in Liz Forbes?" Tari asked, thinking of the sheriff – the one that knew about vampires.

"Yeah." Caroline entered the kitchen, rolling her eyes. "I came back with Tyler to surprise her – but the surprise was on me, because as of today my mother left to visit my aunt. She said she'd come back for Christmas, thank God, otherwise more than likely I'd have to spend it with Tyler's mom, and don't get me wrong – I adore Tyler and his mother has been good to me, but she can be very trying at times. She likes things done a certain way, y'know? And I don't think she'd believe anyone would be good enough for her son." Caroline glanced round the kitchen. "Hey, where's the frying pan?"

Tari wondered whether she should be nervous that this Caroline was going to cook – but then, who was she to stop her? "Up there." Tari said, pointing to the cupboard above the oven. Since Caroline was across the other side of the kitchen, Tari stood up to get it; but in the space of a second Caroline was on the other side of the kitchen with the pan in her hand.

Tari stared at her.

Caroline smiled, undaunted. "What?" she asked.

"You're a vampire?"

"Yeah." Caroline broke into a smile. "Of course, they must not have told you. I'm sorry, I didn't realise you didn't know. Yeah, I was turned about seventeen years ago – which means technically I'm about thirty five. Oh God, thirty five. Being a vampire definitely has it upside."

"So are you the one that lives in LA?" Tari asked.

"Yeah. I love LA I do, but it's not the same as your home is it? Plus when a full moon came along we had to get down to the countryside, 'cause let's face it, we wouldn't be able to keep a werewolf in the apartment-"

"Werewolf?"

Caroline missed the bowl, cracking the egg on the side. Quickly she scooped it off the table and threw it in the waste disposal. "They didn't tell you?"

"There are werewolves?" Since when were there werewolves? How could there be werewolves? She had never heard howls during the night. But then, why should she be so surprised? There were vampires and witches, why couldn't there be werewolves too? Maybe Sawyer's comment about angels wasn't completely off the mark. Who knew? Maybe angels, fairies, goblins and other mythical creatures existed. She should start asking – but she had never thought to ask about werewolves.

"Not many," Caroline answered, mixing the eggs in the pan. "Vampires have managed to exterminate werewolves, because werewolves are only strong during the full moon. One bite of a werewolf can kill a vampire. Thankfully none of us have ever been bitten*, but it's still a danger."

"And you're dating one?" she asked, a little sceptical.

"We've been dating on and off for a long time. It was only about five years ago that we've managed to stay committed. The transformations aren't bad now; as werewolves get older it gets easier." Caroline scooped the eggs onto a plate as the toast popped out. She arranged them carefully on a plate and placed it in front of Tari, smiling brightly at the girl. "Eat up!"

Tari glanced at the plate and back at Caroline. "You're making it for me?"

"You have school don't you? And are you on Christmas break?" Caroline asked, her eyebrows scrunched together in concern.

"Yeah, I have school." She began to cut the toast. "Thanks."

Caroline shrugged. "Usually I have to make Tyler breakfast – though, according to him, I don't make it as good as his mother." She snorted. "As if she ever bothered to make him breakfast! I bet they had a chef that made all the delicious bacon and fried eggs-"

"This is really good," Tari interrupted. She realised quickly – as most people did with Caroline – that she could go off on rants now and then, and thought it probably best to cut her off before she went on another one.

Caroline beamed at Tari. "Y'know, you're nothing like Damon."

Tari simply smiled at her. I don't know about that.

"Caroline?" Elena had appeared at the bottom of the stairs and was now staring her friend. Caroline squealed and rushed over, hugging Elena tightly. The dark-haired vampire couldn't help but smile at her friend's enthusiasm. Caroline and Elena emailed and talked on the phone often – after all, they thought it best to communicate and therefore know something strange was going on.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, leading Caroline to the counter.

"It's nearly Christmas – of course I'd come home," Caroline said. "Tyler's back too – we should all have dinner and catch up!"

"Sure," said Elena, who looked back at Tari. "You two have met?"

"I answered the door," Tari said, swallowing a mouthful of eggs and toast. "Why didn't you hear it?"

"Stefan and I were...preoccupied," Elena said, her face blushing but pleased nevertheless.

Caroline let out high-pitched giggles. "Don't," Tari groaned. "I'm eating here, I do not want that image in my head."

"So you and Stefan are good then?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, we're good. What about you and Tyler? You two still okay?"

"'Course," Caroline said with a grin. "We've been great actually. Every time I try to go out with anyone else I always find myself comparing them to Tyler. And the sex. I don't know whether it's the fact that I'm a vampire and he's a werewolf, but it's-"

"And on that note..." Tari interrupted, standing. "I'm going to get ready for school. Thanks for breakfast," she called to Caroline as she ascended up the stairs.

Caroline turned back to Elena, beaming. "She's so cute!" she cried. "I can't believe that's Tari! And Damon's her father? I mean, she's so polite! She doesn't seem to be anything like Damon at all."

"I don't know," said Elena, grinning slightly. "You haven't heard about things she's done yet."

"Before we get into that," Caroline interrupted. "Have you and Bonnie talked?"

Elena sent Caroline a dark gaze. "If we're getting into this, I need coffee." She stood up and started it. "Do you want some blood?"

"Sure, thanks. And coffee too, if you don't mind."

She handed her friend the blood bag and lean against the counter. "No, I haven't talked to Bonnie. And I'm not going to."

Caroline sipped her blood bag, and Elena could tell she was trying to be tactful – something that didn't always come quite naturally to Caroline. "Things have gotten way out of hand," she said carefully. "Me you and Bonnie were like, inseparable for years. We can't just give up on a friendship like that."

"I wanted to remain friends with Bonnie," Elena pointed out. "She was the one who ended it."

"But you could make it better," suggested Caroline.

"Bonnie hates what I am. How can you get over something like that?"

"Bonnie got past it with me."

"But that's different," Elena reminded her. "She accepted you-"

"Not at first!"

"But she accepted you nonetheless because it wasn't your choice to become a vampire. She hates the choice that I've made."

"And it has nothing to with Jeremy?" asked Caroline carefully.

Elena sighed as she passed the coffee to her friend. "Not exactly. The thing with Jeremy just stopped me from trying with her."

Caroline shrugged. "Well I'm making the rounds. I'm visiting Matt – it's so good that he's manager of The Grill now! And obviously I've seen you guys. So I might as well pop in and see Bonnie too."

Elena didn't try to talk her friend out of it. "Good luck."

During this reunion of friends Damon was sleeping soundly. He had been sleeping pretty deeply recently – probably because Tari hadn't been trying to sneak out during the night – so he hadn't heard Caroline. And he didn't hear Tari as she entered his bedroom. Picking up another pillow, she hit Damon over the head with it.

The vampire jerked upwards in surprise. "Wha-?" he asked, his eyes landing on his daughter.

"That's for not telling me about werewolves," Tari informed him. She walked back out the door, preparing for school.

Damon lifted his arm up in her direction, momentarily speechless. "How is this my fault?" he moaned, putting the pillow back over his head. 'Vampires can't procreate' – trust me to be an exception to the rule.

xXx

"Werewolves?" Allen slammed his locker shut. "There are werewolves?"

Tari shrugged as they began walking down the hall. "I figured you would know if no one else would."

"I didn't know about werewolves," Allen admitted. "My mom's journal was early, when she was first discovering magic. If there were any others, I didn't find them. Hell my mom would kill me if she knew I read the first one."

"I shouldn't be surprised," Tari said, shaking her head. "They're and vamps and witches, why can't there be wolves too?"

"And you said that a werewolf bite is fatal to a vampire?" He glanced at Tari. "What does that mean to you?"

Tari lifted her shoulders as the turned the corner to reach her locker. "I don't know. I get really sick? It could kill me?"

"What could kill you?" Sawyer asked as they reached their lockers. She held out the herbal tea and coffee and both Tari and Allen took theirs gratefully.

"A werewolf bite," Tari explained.

"Werewolves?" Both Liam and Sawyer gave Tari their full attention. "There are werewolves now?"

"Yep," said Allen. He smirked, he couldn't help but smile. "So let's not have a mission during a full moon, okay?"

"Noted," Liam said, pulling out his books.

"Let's not have another mission for a long time though, agreed?" asked Tari. "Damon's finally let me off the hook for the last one, I don't want to be on house arrest again."

"No missions near Christmas!" commanded Sawyer. "Forget Vs, Wis and even Weres; its Christmas and we're going to have some fun."

"Well I need a trip to the mall," said Tari. "I need to get Stefan and Elena something. Its times like this I miss New York – you can find anything for anyone there."

"Yeah, our mall definitely doesn't have everything," agreed Sawyer. "What're getting them?"

"I have no idea," admitted Tari. "I guess I'll find something there."

"What about your dad?" Liam asked.

"I already have his present. What about you guys?"

"Just Mom and Dad," Sawyer answered. "I should find something easily for them."

"Easy for you," snorted Liam. "I have parents, plus a brother and sister. I'm not particularly looking forward to Jamie coming back. He's always bossing me around, calling me 'little brother' and-"

"But you are his little brother," Sawyer said, laughing.

"So? I'm used to being the big brother in the house."

"What are you doing for Christmas Al?" Tari asked, trying to stop a pointless argument between Liam and Sawyer.

He shook his head. "Just me, my mom and Grandpa." He smiled, but Tari could tell it was a little forced. "Christmas isn't really a big event in our household."

I don't really want it to be a big deal, Tari thought. It was the first Christmas without her mother. Usually she was able to push the sadness out of her mind after a few minutes – but this was Christmas. Christmas had been Tari's favourite time of year. She remembered when she was younger Damon visiting during the holidays, but those visits had come less frequent. Usually they went down to Tari's grandmother's house. Her grandfather was sometimes there, but not often. Still they would have a good time. Tari and her mother would come early to decorate the tree; on Christmas Eve they would all sit by the fire drinking hot chocolate, gazing at the brightly wrapped presents underneath the tree with mounting excitement; pulling crackers at the dinner table... She wondered whether her aunt would miss her now. Her grandmother probably didn't even remember her. Poor Aunt Isabel, Tari thought with a pang of regret. She's the only Snow left now. Even I'm not one any longer.

Yes, she really didn't want Christmas to be a big one. But what she didn't know was that she was fighting fate: as she thought this Caroline burst through the door of the boarding house, thoroughly shocking Stefan and Damon, the former half-dozing on the sofa.

"Good news guys!" Caroline called brightly, strutting into the living room.

"The planet of barbies have found you and they're willing to take you-"

"Shut it," said Caroline, holding her hand in front of Damon's mouth. Damon rolled his eyes at Stefan, who simply smiled them both. Caroline and Damon were surprisingly close despite what happened between them in the beginning. But ever since Damon had helped rescue her from the werewolves and again from being sacrificed by Klaus, things had changed. You couldn't go through something like that without a bond forming, and all of them who had survived the original had formed that bond. That was why Caroline found it so strange that Bonnie could just cut them out of their lives.

"I just got off the phone with my mom, and she wants to spend Christmas over at her sister's. I said what was the point in spending Christmas in a place that isn't your home? So I told my mother not to worry, I am spending Christmas with you lot!"

Stefan beamed. "The more the merrier."

Damon paused for a moment, deliberating. "Fine, just don't go overboard okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't go insane. It's just Christmas, nothing more. A normal Christmas."

"Oh of course," Caroline said, smiling easily. She glanced in the corner of the living room, her eyes narrowing, murmuring to herself. Damon sent a look of alarm to his brother, who glanced worriedly at their friend. "Now I'm thinking the first Christmas tree should go right there."

"The first Christmas tree?" asked Stefan, a little worry tingeing his voice.

"Yeah. Look, this house is so big you need more than one. Personally I would like this one to be the biggest and ideally pink, but we can have the pink one somewhere else if you want. I'm assuming both of you are going to do the cooking since we don't want a disaster on our hands, so let's start on a list. I'll grab a pen and paper and we can organise." She gave a little squeal, like a hyper chipmunk before leaving. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

Damon turned to his brother. "'The more the merrier'? That was a brilliant idea Stef. One of your best ever."

"C'mon Damon. Having Caroline here will make this Christmas even better. She's the one who pays attention to the little details."

Damon sent Stefan a knowing look. "In Caroline's case the little details turn into big details."

xXx

Friday was the last day of school, and most students were hyper. Elena told Tari that on the last day before Christmas break the seniors snuck alcohol inside the school or drank some before school. Tari found that easy to believe; one girl in the hall was leant against the lockers, unable to stand because she was laughing so much – at a bent paperclip it seemed, of all things. Another boy was being calmed down by teachers after sobbing hysterically that he had lost his feet. "God knows what he's taken," Sawyer said.

"It's so unfair," Liam said, gazing outside the window. "We could be acting like that, but no, we're stuck inside revising for our stupid history exam. Why the hell did it have to be on the last day?"

"What, history doesn't come as easy as maths?" teased Tari. It was good to see Liam struggling with the history question while Tari breezed through it. History could always be counted on to be her saving grace.

Liam sent her a smirk. "Bet I can still beat you."

"We'll see."

"And you say Lee and I fight," Sawyer said calmly, her eyes on the book. Tari didn't know why Sawyer bothered revising; there was no doubt that she aced all her classes, and Allen usually did well in his too. Liam struggled with history and English, but he could usually do well in the scientific subjects. Tari was the opposite. Neither of them was so confident that they would get perfect grades, and in consequence were stressed. At least it was nearly over.

"Maybe Liam just fights with everyone," Allen said. Liam smacked him on the arm; Allen chucked a pencil at him, but it missed and hit Tari; Tari then threw a rubber back; before they knew it bits of paper were being flicked back and forth.

"Stop it," Sawyer said, catching a piece of scrunched up paper as it flew through the air.

Liam gave her an appraising look. "Nice skills Sawyer."

"He started it," Tari said, pointing at Liam who stuck his tongue out at her.

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish it." Sawyer remained firm until Liam flicked a pencil her way. That started it over again. Five minutes later the four of them were kicked out the library for causing a disturbance. They tried to care, they did, but they couldn't quite manage it, still smiling. After all, it was nearly Christmas.

The history exam was easier than expected. Tari was finished fifteen minutes early, and she stared out the window. It was so peaceful, the sound of pen's scraping against paper against the quiet. Yet this wasn't what she wanted. Not really. She wanted to be distracted so her mind couldn't go there. To Christmas.

Yes, she adored Christmas. Yes, she was somewhat glad she was going to be spending it with her father this year. But she was experience a nagging feeling. Last night a thought had crept into her mind, one that she told herself was stupid and yet entertained the notion even so. She wanted to do it, she knew she did. But at the same time she didn't want to ruin Christmas for other people. She also knew that she would have to run the idea past Damon and, Damon being Damon, he would probably say no. As usual.

It doesn't have to be on Christmas, she told herself. That brightened her a little bit. Maybe if it wasn't on Christmas Day Damon would allow it.

"And...pencils down folks," Mr Saltzman called. "Test is over."

There were some sighs but most people smiled in relief, realising that the exam was finally over. Tari glanced over to Liam who raised an eyebrow. He shrugged slightly. She smiled and he quirked a corner of his mouth before shrugging. I've done all I can, it seemed to say. Tari laughed a little – typical Liam.

"Congratulations students, the exams are officially over," Alaric announced, picking up the exam papers as he walked down the classroom. "Now you can enjoy the holidays without stress and worry. I may be the evil history teacher, but even I'm not going to force another assignment down your throat." The bell rung and the students cheered loudly, standing up and one or two even shoving papers on the floor. Some teachers would have been crossed but Alaric smiled. "Have a good Christmas and be prepared to work hard when you get back."

"See you later Mr S," called Tari. Alaric gave her a nod and smile before she left. It felt strange: Alaric was so calm and collected when he was talking to the class, even when he was dealing with disruptive students. She tried to imagine what he would be like holding a stake over a vampire. It didn't seem like Alaric.

Then again, she supposed that his calmness would serve him well during an attack.

"So what's the plan?" Tari asked as they walked home. "Mall tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow," answered Liam. "Jamie's coming back tomorrow."

"Day after," corrected Allen. "I need to get my mom something. God knows what."

"Right, tomorrow," Sawyer agreed. She and Liam turned right, heading towards their houses. "See you then!"

Allen and Tari called out goodbyes. For a few minutes they walked in silence, lost in their own worlds. Tari snuck a glance at Allen: his calm face looked tight, as if he was worrying about something. Allen was always worrying about one thing or another, but this looked different.

"What's Christmas like at yours?" Tari asked.

Allen sighed. "Okay. Not what I'd want them to be."

"Why not?"

He lifted a shoulder. "The ideal Christmas picture is a huge family: a mom and a dad, grandparents, uncle and aunt, brothers and sister. I have my mom, who I love, and my grandpa, but it's not what I'd like." She saw his eyes darken ever so slightly, and she already knew he had gone somewhere else.

"Your dad?" she whispered.

"Yeah." He said it so tightly that it closed off any other questioning. "What about you? Are you dreading it to?"

Tari exhaled. "I'm torn. This would be a brilliant Christmas if... I always wanted Damon to be with us at Christmas. And that picture you have? That ideal Christmas? Well, I have an aunt and uncle, and friends of the family. But... My mom's not there."

"Funny, isn't it?" Allen asked, his tone laced with bitterness. "We both have parts of the perfect picture, but it's not big enough to complete the puzzle."

xXx

When Tari arrived at the boarding house, she could hear something coming from the kitchen. Unsure of what it was (in this house it really could be anything) she walked through. She recognised the jittery blonde instantly, but she couldn't see the face of the dark haired man she was kissing. Tari didn't feel embarrassed at walking in on them, not after the initial surprise. Instead she folded her arms and watched them make out. They were acting like teenagers – but then Tari supposed Caroline was, at least in body – almost sucking the faces off each other. Even Elena and Stefan, who made Tari feel a little queasy, weren't this bad.

Caroline must have heard her because she broke off. "Tari," she said, pushing the dark haired guy away. "We didn't hear you."

Tari smiled a little. "Clearly." She turned to the dark haired man. His face wasn't as young as Caroline's, but it still held a certain youthful aura about him. "You must be the werewolf."

He eyed her up and down before smirking. "You must be the hybrid."

He had balls, and clearly wasn't going to treat her that she was a precious little child. Deciding she liked this guy, she said, "That's only my formal name; my friends call me Tari."

The guy stuck out his hand. "Tyler," he replied. "And I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Caroline pouted. "But you only got here, like, five minutes ago."

"An hour ago Car, and I'm sorry but I have to. It's my mom," he said, as if that was an excuse. He shrugged, looking guilty. "You know what she's like. She wants me to stay in Mystic Falls, and she's using anything she can – which of course is guilt." He kissed her again. "I'll be back soon, okay? I promise, we can spend the whole day together tomorrow."

Damon appeared, walking down the stairs. "Hey kid," he said, wrapping his arm round her shoulders. His gaze, however, remained on Tyler. "You leaving?"

"Yeah. My mother wants me back for dinner."

Damon gave a mock sigh, rolling his eyes. "Are you ever going to stand up to her Ty?"

"I will when you do," Tyler said, smirking.

He laughed a little. "Alright, fair point." As Tyler moved pass they locked hands, almost as if it was a hand shake. Yet there was something more to it. Yes, maybe it was an act of friendship, but it was almost as if there was a bond there. It only lasted for a second, but even so...

"Tell Stefan I said goodbye," he said.

Once Tyler had left Damon turned to Caroline. "Don't pout Caroline, it causes lines."

"I can tell; I see it on your face."

Damon stuck the tip of his tongue out. "Are you still going to help me?"

"Sure."

"What are you doing?" Tari asked.

Damon moved over to the other side of the counter. "We're making home-made pizza. And where is little brother? He's supposed to be helping."

"Why does Stefan need to be here?" asked Caroline, facing Damon.

"He needs to redo the work that you do."

Caroline snorted. "I'm glad to see you have so much faith in my work. I can cook you know."

"Women are useless cooks."

"That's very stereotypical," Tari commented.

Damon turned his blue eyes on her. "Really? I can let Elena make dinner tonight, if that's what you want."

Tari motioned zipping her lips, and even Caroline laughed. No one wanted to let Elena cook; they loved her, just not her food.

When Elena came home an hour later, she could hear voices in the kitchen. By the counter, in a straight line, was Stefan, Caroline and Damon. All three of them were rolling dough out. Stefan's and Damon's looked a good, thin size, but Caroline couldn't seem to roll hers flat.

"This isn't working."

"Here, let me do it-"

"No! You can't do it for me, I need to do it."

"But we've finished ours," Stefan said. "And we need to move on."

"It's not fair," Caroline said, pouting again. "You two are terrible teachers."

Elena sat down next to Tari, who had started eating a bar of chocolate. She had only started one square, because she had wanted to keep herself going. The pizzas had meant to be ready when Elena had come home, but the three of them had spent so much time bickering that they were only half way through.

"Do you think we're going to get dinner any time soon?" Elena murmured lowly to Tari.

"Maybe at nine?" Tari said. "If it's going to any longer I'm insisting we get take away."

Hearing this Damon glowered at her. "It's going to be done in ten minutes."

"Just so you know I'm timing this," Tari threatened.

"Fine. And stop eating chocolate, you're going to spoil your dinner."

"I'm starving!"

"So am I," added Elena, breaking off a square of chocolate and popping it in her mouth. "Seriously you guys, I'm the one who works all day-"

"And what do I do all day?" Tari asked, offended.

"I'm only counting the adults."

"You want dinner now?" Damon glanced out the corner of his eye at Caroline who was being helped by Stefan. "Fine." He blurred away, and all that Tari could see was Caroline and Stefan being shoved backwards. In ten seconds the pizzas lay on the counter, perfectly ready to be placed in the oven.

"Damon!" cried Caroline.

"It would have taken forever if I let you have your own way." Damon shoved all five pizzas on a tray and in the oven. "Now these should take about, oh I don't know..." he said, his eyes on Tari, "...ten minutes?"

Tari glowered at Damon while Caroline, also glaring, sat down beside her. "I'm never going to be able to make Italian food," she grumbled.

"You're not even Italian! The Americans always do it wrong."

"Elena, shall I get you a glass of wine?" Stefan asked, his eyes pleading to bring not to get into an argument. But Damon had said the one thing that would always get her angry.

"Is that a dig at my cooking?" she snapped, irked.

Giving in, Stefan poured himself a glass of wine and sat in the living room. After a few minutes Caroline wandered over. "Are they always like this?" she asked. He could tell he was a little shocked at how they argued, how none of them seemed to have any intent on stopping.

"They'll end it soon," he said, turning on the television. "They're just..." Stefan tried to find an excuse for their arguing, but he couldn't; after all, it was just their nature. "It's alright, they're like magpies; easily distracted. Once the food's ready they'll stop."

xXx

Caroline knocked on the door and waited. She hated waiting; she wasn't a patient person, and she was nervous. But she couldn't let this argument continue. It had been going on for over sixteen years – both World Wars combined didn't last that long. If she had to be the one to end it, then so be it.

Bonnie opened the door and stopped, staring at Caroline. The second they saw each other memories rushed out at them: Bonnie opening the door when she was five years old, smiling when she saw her two best friends at the door; Caroline grabbing hold of Bonnie at the Eighties dance in Freshmen year and pulling her into a dance, laughing and singing with the song at the same time; all three of them on the bed together at a sleepover, whispering about their crushes (Matt and Tyler featured prominent in this discussion). As the flow of memories slowed, Caroline felt confident; after all, they had a shared past, Bonnie couldn't ignore that.

The witch folded her arms across her chest. "Caroline."

Or maybe she could.

The blonde gave Bonnie a soft smile. "Hi Bonnie. It's good to see you."

Bonnie didn't repeat the notion. Instead she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Caroline chose the simple answer, the honest and easy answer. "Because you're my friend. We haven't spoken in a long time and I miss you. We've been friends for too long to allow it to fail. It's Christmas," she said, lifting her shoulders. "A time of forgiveness."

"I think that's Yom Kippur."

"Are you saying that you don't want us to be friends Bonnie?"

Bonnie drew a breath. "Of course I want to be friends Caroline. But it's not as if you live here anymore, you're in LA." The witch lifted a shoulder, her eyes looking a little regretful. "We have nothing in common anymore."

Caroline's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "We have an entire past in common Bonnie. You can't just ignore that."

Bonnie sent her a scathing look. "Don't you think this is hard for me too? You and Elena were my best friends-"

"Are your best friends," the blonde said, a note of pleading in her voice. "We still love you Bonnie."

"Why don't you ask Elena?"

Caroline couldn't ignore that. This fight was between Elena and Bonnie, after all. "Be the bigger person Bonnie. Take the first step and maybe you'll work it out."

"Are you serious?" snapped Bonnie. Caroline noticed that this was the first time in the conversation that Bonnie had been angry. Her brown eyes glittered, and she stared accusingly at Caroline as if she had suggested that they join a cult.

"You got used to me and I'm a vampire-"

"You didn't want to become a vampire. Elena, she chose this life. I'm a witch, I'm meant to stop people getting hurt, from vampires turning humans. As a witch I can't accept the choice she made."

"It's not as if she died Bonnie. She's still Elena."

"She's a vampire, therefore she's not Elena."

"How can you say that Bonnie? That's so close-minded."

"You changed when you transformed."

"For the better. Don't you remember what I was like before Bonnie? I was always self-conscious, second guessing myself. I didn't think I was worth anything. But after I became a vampire I got stronger, braver. I didn't worry about little things anymore. I really think that being a vampire made me a better person. Besides," Caroline gave a little laugh, "it gave me and Tyler something to talk about."

Bonnie met Caroline's gaze. In her eyes the vampire could tell she had made no difference to her opinion. "I can't change my beliefs Caroline. It's just not me."

The blonde felt her frustration rise. "Elena has a reason to be mad at you too," she taunted.

Bonnie paled. "Don't go there Caroline."

"You can't expect Elena not to be upset about what happened with Jeremy-"

The next thing Caroline knew, she was on the floor of the porch. In an instant she jumped up, on the attack front. She knew that Bonnie was touchy with Jeremy – hell, Bonnie was touchy about a lot of things – but she didn't think that she would literally blow her to the floor. When she saw the expression on Bonnie's face though, she knew that her friend hadn't meant to do that. Sometimes witches lost control of their power when their emotions went into over-drive.

Nonetheless, Bonnie's voice was firm. "Do not talk about Jeremy." Before Caroline could say anything, she slammed the door shut on her.

Caroline stared at the closed door. So much for helping.

xXx

Damon ran his finger over the spines of the books. Vampire books. He grimaced. He hated how Rebecca had instantly read every book ever written about vampires once she found out that they existed. What worried him, just a little, was that all he could see was fiction books. He knew Rebecca; she would have done more research, real research about vampires. Damon knew more than anyone that if you looked hard enough, you could find the truth.

He sighed as he lay on the bed, growing bored. He was waiting to say goodnight to Tari, who was in the bathroom. He wished she would hurry up with shaving her legs – he could hear the hum of the shaver. If she was here he wouldn't have these thoughts curling in his mind, like paper wilting in the flames.

You should read the letter.

He had hidden the letter underneath his bedside table, stuck it to the bottom of it, just like Rebecca had done it. He knew he should open it, because there was probably a lot of information Rebecca wanted him to have. But there was other stuff that could be in that letter, things that he didn't want to read: this is all your fault; I wish I had never met you; I never loved you Damon. In his sanest moments he knew that she would never write that. Yet whenever he held the letter in his hands, felt the smooth paper on his skin, all the thoughts deep inside his head came out, terrifying him, stopping him from opening the letter. Every time he would shove it back in its hiding place, telling himself that he would do it later, when the time was right.

The time was never right.

At that exact moment Tari stumbled out the bathroom, rubbing her leg. "Stupid bloody shaver," she muttered, flopping on the bed beside him.

Damon pulled her leg into his lap, rubbing it. "Poor thing," he said. He tone was slightly mocking but he still continued to rub the sore spot on her leg.

Now. Damon was in a good mood, she could tell by the way he was being touchy-feely. She had bided her time carefully enough, waiting for this moment.

"Damon?"

"Mmm?"

"I was thinking of something that we could do on Christmas Eve."

He looked over, interested. This was the first time she had brought anything up that contained Christmas plans. He knew that this was going to be a difficult time for her; it didn't take a genius to figure that out. If she was contributing ideas than that obviously meant she was feeling more enthusiastic.

Still, this was Tari.

"I thought we could go to New York to visit Mom's grave-"

"No."

The denial was so speedy that Tari barely had time to register it. He couldn't have had time to even consider it. "But not on Christmas," Tari persisted. "On Christmas Eve – or Boxing Day if you'd prefer."

"No."

Tari sat up, feeling indignation rising. "But – I haven't even seen her grave yet. I didn't even get to go to her funeral." It was a little thing that irked Tari every now and then. Her mother's funeral had been a week after her accident – when Tari was still in the numb, grief, doing-nothing-all-day-and-not-even-realising-it stage. Admittedly she had not even noticed that she had missed the funeral until weeks later. When she asked Damon why he hadn't taken her, he had said, "You were upset and confused; I didn't want to hurt you even more." Tari could understand it, she guessed, but it still upset her. It would have been nice to hear all the good things people had to say about her. Perhaps it would have helped her move on a little more.

She couldn't turn back time; but she could visit her grave.

"No," Damon repeated.

"When then?" snapped Tari.

"Soon."

"Give me a time limit. Some indication of when I'll be able to visit."

"I don't know," Damon said simply. "But not on Christmas Eve, or Boxing Day, or Christmas Day – or any time this year."

The note of finality in his voice told Tari that there was no hope of appeal. She tried to pull away, furious at him. But he still had her leg in his lap. When he felt her pull away instead he pulled her forward, and with his strength he managed to get her his lap. He wrapped his arm round her, holding her close to him. She struggled; she was like him, couldn't bear to be touched when she was annoyed, especially by the person who had annoyed her in the first place.

"I know you're upset. I understand. But this is the first Christmas without her." She felt Tari tense. "You need to move on. Visiting her grave isn't going to do that." Glancing down he saw a tear falling from her eye. It almost made him give in.

Almost.

He reached down and wiped it off her face. "I'm sorry," he said, and meant it. But he wasn't sorry enough to agree to it. They weren't going to Rebecca's grave. He wouldn't allow that. "When you're ready, we'll go. I promise. But not now."

He sat with her for a while, holding her. Making sure she was okay, that she wasn't going to cry herself to sleep. He could remember those nights early on when she had sobbed almost every night, desperate for her mother. He had hated it. That wasn't going to happen again. Tari was healed now. He did not want to take her to Rebecca's grave and open up that wound again.

After half an hour of silence he finally lifted her off, moving her under the covers, wrapping them round her carefully as if she was a present. He then kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight," he murmured before turning off the light and shutting the door.

The one thing he hadn't been able to do was look her in the eye.

xXx

Caroline burst through the door, a habit that she seemed to grow fond of. The tree was up in the corner of the room, waiting to be decorated (and thankfully was not pink). Damon, Stefan and Elena had just finished carrying the boxes of decorations down, and were taking a break on the sofa. "Oh good, you're here," Caroline said breathlessly. None of the trio knew exactly who she was referring to.

She sat down on the coffee table opposite them. It was then that Damon noted that Caroline hadn't arrived empty-handed; quite the opposite. Instead she was carrying at least a dozen bags, and Damon dreaded to think how many other bags she had hidden inside the bigger ones.

"Jesus Caroline," said Elena, a little alarmed. "Did you buy out the mall?"

Caroline looked at Elena as if she was insane. "Of course not. I wouldn't buy out the Mystic Falls mall; it's got nowhere near the amount of good stores and too many sports ones. No, I was shopping for presents and I saw this adorable grey top that I thought would suit Tari perfectly and then these shoes to match, and then I noticed she didn't have a watch so-"

"Wait a minute." Damon sat up. "Are you saying – are all these things for Tari?"

"Don't be stupid Damon," said Caroline. She rolled her eyes towards him as she pulled out a tiny little blue one in another big one. "This one's for me."

Damon put his hand to his head, closing her eyes. "Caroline, I – it's great that you've got her all this, but I'm trying not to spoilt her. You've got her way too much."

The blonde folded her arms. "She's had a very difficult year Damon."

"I know that Caroline," said Damon. There was a notable touch of annoyance in his voice.

"If a few presents will make this year a little less miserable then who are we to say no? You don't get to make every decision for her."

"Apparently he does," Elena muttered under her breath; she knew well enough that when you're surrounded by vampires nothing is unheard. Damon sent her a scathing look.

Caroline of course couldn't resist. "What are you talking about?"

"Shut up Elena," growled Damon.

"You don't tell me what to do," she snapped. Stefan sighed, turning his head away, wishing Elena and Damon and Tari even did not have the energy to fight. Elena turned her attention to Caroline. "Tari wanted to go the New York to see her mother's grave. Damon said no."

Eyes widened, Caroline turned her attention to the dark-haired vampire. "You didn't!"

Damon put his feet up on the coffee table, knowing it would annoy Elena. "It's my decision."

"And it's a bad one," Caroline said.

"Told you," Elena said, looking – in Damon's opinion – horrendously smug.

"If that's what she wants to do then fine! We could spend Christmas in New York. It's so pretty during Christmastime; all the snow and everything..." She lost herself in a dream. Damon could practically see inside her head: how she would be walking in Central Park in a thick white fur coat or at a party on the Empire State Building. He shook his head – it was scary how he could read Caroline's mind.

"Maybe in a few years," Damon said. "Not this year."

"But she wants to go," Caroline said. "What's the harm?"

"No."

"Why?"

"She's not ready. If we go it'll just set her back, remind her of Rebecca and make her upset again. Once she's ready, I'll even book the ticket."

Damon saw the blonde send a look to the Elena. There was something in that look, something that indicated they had superior knowledge to Damon. He felt his irritation grow. He suddenly wanted to go for a drive, to leave the other three behind and just allow himself to think for a while. Or rather drink. Yes, he would enjoy a drink.

"I'm her father," he said, his trump card. "It's my decision."

"Yes," Stefan agreed when he saw Elena was about to speak. He raised his eyebrows at her, reminding her that they needed to take the higher road. Elena let out an irritable sigh but said nothing, conceding that he was right. "You know what's best for her."

"Thank you," said Damon, sending a look to Elena and Caroline.

"Fine," said Caroline, holding her hands up. "But I'm still giving her the presents."

xXx

On the night of December 23rd Tari slept fitfully. If a person was watching her they would see her twitching, making odd movements now and again. There was a frown over her face. A few moments later she pushed herself up, awake and heart hammering. In a second she remembered it was a dream, that she was safe under the covers of her bed, and collapsed back down.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was nearly Christmas Eve. Her stomach tightened almost painfully. She didn't know what would happen today, what Damon had planned. She was sure it would be nice and that she would have a good time, but...

It was sad. Her mother would be spending Christmas alone. Maybe her Aunt Isabel would visit, but even if she did, Tari knew it wouldn't last long. She was probably going off with her boyfriend to his house, wherever that was. There would be her mother's grave, standing there in the snow. It made Tari feel lonely inside, that her mother was alone.

Screw it. She stood up quick and then realised that she might be making too much noise. Damon couldn't hear her. If he found out what she was doing... She had to be quiet – no, silence. She deliberately did everything slowly, and stood still for a minute or so, hoping that if anyone heard something they would think it just the house.

She dressed for cold weather: she wore jeans and her long brown boots with fur in them. She put on two layers of shirts and a purple hoodie, a woolly scarf and a purple and blue hat. She admired her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a New Yorker – a quirky New Yorker.

Tari didn't let herself believe it until she managed to get to the train station. She shouldn't have made it; Damon woke up briefly as she was dressing, glancing up sleepily. He probably would have gotten up if he hadn't heard a voice whispering in his ear. Damon... The voice was soothing to him, and he closed his eyes and fell straight back to sleep.

She managed to buy two tickets, one that dropped her off at a bigger station that would take her to New York – take her home. She couldn't stop moving, practically dancing in her seat, though she didn't fully relax until she was actually on the train.

I'm going home. I'm actually going home. I can't believe this.

I'm going to see Mom.

xXx

Damon could smell someone cooking the second he woke up. Panicking – many times he had woken up with Elena burning something and/or almost setting the kitchen alight – he rushed downstairs.

Caroline almost threw the frying pan at him. "What the hell?" she shrieked in surprise.

"And you call yourself a vampire?" Damon scoffed. He glanced down at the kitchen, and was a little worried that there seemed to be a lot of equipment out. He tried to calm himself; Caroline had proven herself in the kitchen, managing to make Tari breakfast when she had been in school. He shouldn't be worried when someone was cooking in the kitchen. Living with Elena had ruined his faith of others people cooking. "What are you making?"

Caroline grinned, going to the warming oven and gently lifting out a plate. "I made pancakes – in the shape of gingerbread men!" She unveiled them with flare. Damon had to admit they looked pretty good: she gave them little chocolate drops as buttons, blueberries for eyes, a nose and a smile, and strawberries as shoes.

"How much time have you spent on this?" Damon asked, sitting on the stool.

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Do you want one or not?"

As she piled two on his plate he asked, "So what plans do you have for today?"

"Well since I know how you feel about gambling I was thinking we could have a few games of cards."

"Newmarket," Damon said. "I've played poker too much recently."

"Fine. Ooh, and I got Twister too!" Caroline cried, her eyes lighting up.

Damon widening his eyes sarcastically. "I am so not playing Twister."

"Yes you are."

"You can't make me."

"Oh sweetie," she said, batting her eyes lashes and sending him a sweet grin. "You really think you have any power against me?"

She didn't, not even when she was playing cute. Only two women had power over him, and Caroline was not one of them. Damon didn't have the heart to break it to her, so he stood up. "I'll go get Tari. She'll want to try some of these pancakes."

"See," Caroline called as Damon left while Elena and Stefan came downstairs. "I can cook!"

Stefan smiled, shaking his head. "Happy Christmas Eve."

"You too Stefan." She put two gingerbread men pancakes on Stefan and Elena's plates.

Elena sipped her orange juice. "I've been meaning to ask," she said. The girl paused, trying not to sound too eager. "Did you see Bonnie?"

Caroline hid a smile. I knew that Elena wants to be friends. And I know Bonnie does, even if she's too proud to admit it. Still, the blonde thought, frowning. It doesn't really solve any problems right now. "Yeah I did."

Elena lifted her eyebrow. "Doesn't sound promising."

"You know Bonnie; she's stubborn."

"She clearly doesn't have any problem with leaving things the way they are."

"She'll weaken," Caroline said, but it was more wishful thinking than anything else. She would have to do something to break the ice, because Bonnie would not come crawling to them on her own. Problem was, Caroline didn't have the faintest clue how to do it.

"It's been sixteen years," said Elena, placing a piece of pancake in her mouth. "I think it's clear that she can hold a grudge."

They were interrupted by thunderous footsteps down the stairs. Instantly they all turned their heads to see Damon stride forward, his face like a thundercloud. "I don't believe this," growled Damon. "I fucking don't believe this."

"What?" Elena looked from Stefan and Caroline, back to Damon.

Stefan's mind was already there. "Where's Tari?"

"Three guesses," growled Damon, pacing.

Stefan shook his head. "I knew this was going to happen."

"You could have told me that!"

"She's in New York?" Caroline asked. "When?"

"She must have gone last night," Damon said, shaking his head. "I let my guard down. I thought-"

I thought that this was over. I didn't think I had to watch her all the time.

"How do you know?" asked Elena.

"She left me a note." He threw it at her. Elena had to unravel it; it seemed that Damon had been unable to keep it in its smooth condition.

Damon,

DO NOT BE MAD. Okay? Are you calm now? Probably not.

I want to see Mom's grave. I don't need to, but I want to. It's nearing six months since she died. What kind of child doesn't visit their mother's grave?

You can punish me when I get back – and I AM coming back. I should be back in the evening. I promise.

Love,

Tari

xoxo

"Well," Elena said after a moment. "At least she told you where she had gone. She did promise that she's coming back. If this was any other situation," she said, putting the letter on the counter. "I'd say that this...isn't so bad."

"But this isn't an ordinary situation and Tari isn't an ordinary kid," Damon informed her, pacing up and down the kitchen. He faced Elena. "You know that every time Tari steps out that door, she puts herself in danger. Do any of you know how hard it is to let her go, knowing that?"

Elena sat straighter. "But all she sees is you being a protective father. If you told her-"

"No."

"Then you can't expect anything to change!" snapped Elena. "If you want her to do what you say, if you want her trust you, then in turn you have to be honest with her."

"I'm her father," Damon said. "I make the decisions."

"If Rebecca was here," Elena said, "she would have told her."

A silence gasp went in the room. Stefan stood up, wanting to be on his feet if things got rough; Caroline backed away. Even she, who had only met Rebecca a few times and hadn't, like the other two, seen Damon fall head first in love, knew that Elena had crossed a line. If Elena knew that it didn't show on her face, but she too stood up.

Damon's face was a mask of indifference – at least, to strangers. But Stefan, Elena, Caroline – they knew him, better than he liked to think they did. They could see the anger burning in his eyes.

When he spoke his voice was soft and low, but none of them could fail to hear the imperative behind it. "Don't go there, Elena."

"Rebecca would have trusted Tari to make the decision herself-"

In an instant Damon was in front of Elena. When Elena had been human, this action may have scared her; it may have stopped her from saying things that made him angry. But Elena was now a vampire, and she knew she could match Damon blow for blow if it came to it.

"Do not go there." He said it slower this time, as if Elena was a little child that did not understand. "You are not her mother. You do not make the decisions about Tari. You could never be Rebecca."

He didn't know whether those words hurt Elena or not – he had hoped that they did. Elena would never have children; not just because she was a vampire, but because if she had, she would have given Klaus another chance at the sacrifice – something that none of them were willing to do.

The room was thick with tension, as if it was the scene of a film. A second later Damon whizzed out of sight, but all three vampires could hear him upstairs.

"He's going after Tari," Caroline said softly.

"Of course he is." Stefan turned on his wife. "What were you thinking?"

Elena, still in the mood for an argument, fired back at him, "He's going about it the wrong way, Stef. You know it."

"Maybe he is," Stefan said a little unwillingly. "But he's right: Tari is his daughter. And you know better than to mention Rebecca to him. You know how much it hurts him."

They saw a shape flutter in the hall and the door slam. Stefan went towards it, following his brother. "I'm going with him," he called.

"Stefan-" began Elena, but he cut her off.

"We'll talk when I get back," he said. He didn't mean to be cruel, but he knew Damon was heading to the train station after Tari, and he had to catch up to him. He slammed the door closed, and the kitchen remained eerily quiet.

xXx

As soon as Tari stepped onto the streets of New York, she knew she was where she belonged.

How she had missed it, she couldn't even tell you! The streets were cold and damp, but the way Tari saw them, it seemed as if they were made of gold. She walked with a spring in her step, and smiled at everyone who passed – some who gave her strange looks, for it seemed odd that a girl would smile at them like that. Tari didn't even care that some of them didn't smile back; she was just happy to be there. She ravaged a hot dog that she had bought from a vendor as if she hadn't eaten for years. She moved down to Brooklyn, where there was a tiny little bookshop that she had gone to with her mother. She spent only an hour there, and finally purchased a book – a little Christmas present to herself.

As she placed it in her bag, she realised that she had Damon's present inside. She had wrapped it last night, and she couldn't even remember why she had put it in her bag. Stroking the silver paper, she began to feel guilty.

It wasn't as if you hadn't tried, she told herself. It's not your fault he said no.

Thinking of Damon reminded her of why she had come here in the first place. New York suddenly didn't seem so magical anymore. Maybe it never had been. Maybe it had been her mother that was magical, not the city.

It made her want to cry – after all, that magic could never return.

xXx

"Damon." Stefan's voice seemed a great distance away. Maybe it was – he was going at such speed that it was quite possible that Stefan's voice was being carried away too. "Slow down."

Damon pressed down on the accelerator, speeding the car even faster down the road.

His brother sighed. "Damon, please calm down."

"How can I calm down Stefan?" he asked, his voice low. "Elena-"

"Will apologise. She's knows what she said was cruel."

"It's not that. Well it is, but its Tari." Just her name made him grip the wheel even harder. "Why did she go? Why the hell couldn't she do what I said!"

"Because she's you," Stefan said patiently. "She's independent like you; you said yourself she always had been. She doesn't expect people to solve her problems, she almost doesn't want them to. She's private, always has been. She doesn't like to ask for help. And she's like you, which means that she doesn't like people telling her what to do. And again, like you, she doesn't always think of the consequences of her actions, she acts on impulses.

"She loved her mother," Stefan said, stating the obvious. "Think about it Damon: her mother was the only constant in her world. I'm not saying that you were a bad parent, but the fact is you were here solving one problem after another and she was in New York. You weren't there when she came home from school or when she woke up in the morning-"

"Are you trying to make me feel bad?" snapped Damon.

"No. I-" Stefan heaved a sigh, putting his hand to his face. "I'm not explaining this right. What I mean is that Rebecca was. Rebecca was there for every single moment in Tari's life, and now-" He saw his brother's face flinch. "Well, you know what I mean. Now Tari has to live without her. You do too, but Damon, you've done it for years. Tari's just learning to. You can't get mad at her for wanting to have one part of her mother again, wanting to feel close to her for a little while."

Damon gritted his teeth. "I know," he said after a moment. "I know it's hard for her."

"She's used to being free. And I get it. I know that you need to protect her. But she doesn't understand. Fine," he said as Damon began to speak. "It's your choice whether you want to tell her or not. But you can't expect her not to try and break your grasp. You can't hang onto her forever."

"Yes I can," snapped Damon. The thought of Tari leaving, even if she was just going to college, terrified him. It scared the hell out of him.

Stefan gave up. He hoped that he had planted some seeds of wisdom in his brother's mind, that his words would take effect once Damon mulled them over. As they pulled up at the train station the brothers got out the car.

"I'll walk back."

Damon looked surprised. "I thought you were coming."

"No. You and Tari need to do this alone." Damon stared at his brother for a moment before nodding. He started towards the entrance when Stefan called him back.

His brother's face was serious. "Tari is ready for this Damon. I think we both know who's not."

xXx

Tari knew which cemetery that her mother would have been buried in. Her grandfather was buried there, and she knew her mother would be resting beside him.

She couldn't remember exactly where their graves were, but she didn't mind. Naturally the cemetery was quiet at this time, and the blanket of snow only enhanced it. It seemed as if there was no one else on the planet but her. A year ago this would have bugged her, the New Yorker was used to people around her always. But the Mystic Falls girl adored the quiet; it gave her space to think, to collect her thoughts.

She looked at all the names on the graves. Some looked worn down, as if they hadn't been visited in years; others were brand new, as if they had been buried yesterday. She wandered down the graves, finding it comforting to see all the names there. It was like one big extended family. Tari liked the thought of her mother being part of it.

She froze when she saw her grandfather's grave. She knew which grave would be next. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath as if it would give her more strength, and walked a step forward.

The name Rebecca Snow was scratched on a white headstone. She moved her hand over the top of it, as if she was touching her mother. But her mother had always been warm, and the headstone was ice cold. She wiped the snow off the top of it, and placed a single yellow rose that she had bought on top.

At the bottom the words, Loving daughter and mother stood out. Tari grimaced. That was so common – her mother wasn't common; she wouldn't have wanted something like that. She would want something like not really dead or crazy girl buried here. Aunt Isabel had probably chosen it. Clearly she hadn't given it too much thought. In fact Tari thought her mother would prefer to be cremated. The thought of her body decaying... Tari shook herself. She didn't want to think of her mother like that.

"Hi Mom," she murmured. "I miss you." The stone didn't answer. Tari sighed. People probably thought she was crazy.

Then again, she bet she wasn't the only who felt close to the person they loved here.

"It's strange, not waking up and going down stairs to find you. It feels weird. I mean, I'm getting used to it. It's good to go down and find Damon." She smiled sadly. "I always wanted to wake up and find him there, remember? Sometimes I would keep my eyes tightly closed, pretending I could hear him. He was never there though. Of course he's here now though. It's funny: he's here now and you're gone. Why is it I could never have the both of you?

"This Christmas is going to be weird. Remember the last one, where Aunt Isabel nearly set the tablecloth alight? I laughed so hard..." She closed her eyes, almost picturing it. Almost feeling it.

"I can't believe how long it's been," she whispered. "It feels like I have spent years away from you.

"It scares me Mom. I'm forgetting you. I read somewhere that your eyes can't exactly remember what they see after about ten seconds, and it goes every second. I can't quite remember how the sun shone on your hair, or how many freckles you had on your face. And my hearing's no better: I can't remember how your laugh sounded. It was so beautiful, no one realises it, and it's so fleeting...

"I'm going to forget you, and that kills me. I can't stop it. And it's not fair. Some people go through their entire lives without losing so much as a maternal grandmother, and I go and lose one of my parents. Thing was I never had both of you anyway."

She realised time was speeding up, and that she would miss her train if she didn't leave soon. She wasn't in a hurry to go home and be yelled at her by her father, but it would be even worse if she came back late. "I have to go," she murmured. "I love you though. Don't forget it. And I promise I'll come and visit as soon as I can."

Slowly she began to trudge back towards the exit, back towards the train station and Mystic Falls. It was curiously hard to turn her back on her mother's grave. She felt tears prick her eyes. Stop it! Tari told herself, furious for being so silly. It's just a stone. It's not really your mother.

As she passed each grave she took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to think of happier thoughts: like hanging out with Allen, Sawyer and Liam at their spot by the lagoon – a place which, sadly, they hadn't been too for ages because of the cold weather – and the sound the fire made as it burnt wood, and lying in her warm bed at night.

Eventually it calmed her so she didn't feel like crying anymore. Hopefully she looked normal as she walked down, finally out the cemetery gates and heading towards the station.

Tari turned the corner, trying to think about how long it would take her to get to the train station, and instantly banged into someone. It was her own fault, for not looking where she was going. But the person gripped her arms tightly, and in that instant Tari knew who it was – who it always was.

Damon stared at her, those light blue eyes of his seemingly made of ice.

"I'm sorry," Tari said immediately. It did seem the best way to start things off, especially when Damon was menacing.

He didn't say anything; he just stared at her. Tari tried to imagine what was going on in his head, but as always trying to read Damon's mind was like trying to read Latin – only geniuses could go it. She began to feel a little scared; she knew Damon would never harm a hair on her head, but she could never truly predict his actions.

"If I lecture you," he said finally, "will you listen?"

"Yes," Tari answered honestly.

"Will you obey?"

It seemed as if the truth would serve her better right now. "No," she admitted.

He sighed. "Then I might as well save my breath." He let go of one of her arms but increased his grip on the other. "Let's go."

He moved forward by she stood still, and he jerked back. Gritting his teeth he asked, "What now?"

She jerked her head to the cemetery behind her. "Do you...?" She left the question out in the air. It was a cemetery after all; he knew what she meant.

Once again Damon didn't even think about it. "No."

Because he had to admit that Stefan was right: he wasn't ready.

I see her as soon as I step off the train. It would be hard not to spot her; after all she looks as if she's stepped straight off a runway. I wonder whether that's just how I see her, if the rest of the world sees her as an ordinary girl, or even an ugly duckling, but to be honest I don't care. She's beautiful inside and out, and more than that, she's mine.

When she smiles I swear, my heart goes into overdrive. "Hey you," she says and kisses me as if we do it every day. I haven't seen her for a week which really, isn't very long in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like it's been years since I've kissed her. We kiss on the platform for a minute and I can feel the stares of people around us. I am smug; I can feel their envy. They wish they were this happy.

"Hey," I murmur in her mouth, and we break apart. Laughing she takes my hand and leads me out of the station onto the streets of New York. Joy.

"Can you please explain to me while you're living here?" I ask.

"Because it's my home," she says. We've had this discussion a thousand times.

"Why can't your home be my home?"

"You want to move to New York? For me?" She grins at me. I pull her towards me and wrap her arm round my shoulder, and she puts her arm round my back, her hand on my hip. My heart soars; I've wanted to do something like this for so long.

"Or you could move back to Mystic Falls?"

"Oh yeah, we've known each other what, almost a month? Sure, let's move into together." She shook her head. "We can't just rush into things. It takes time."

She's right; after all, she doesn't know what I am. How would I be able to hide drinking blood bags all the time? I sigh, pressing my cheek against the top of her head. "It just sucks that you're in New York and I'm in Mystic Falls. It's too far."

"I know. But this is where I live; it's where I have a job." She presses her lips against my cheek. "We still see each other. We talk all the time. You could always move here."

I screw up my face. "I'm not a big fan of New York. It's too busy."

"Then I guess we're stuck." She grins that grin and I'm flying. "I have something to show you."

"Oh God," I say. "Why do I not like the sound of it?"

She takes me to a quiet spot in Central Park. Throwing down a blanket we lie there. It gets dark quickly, but I think that was the plan. She huddles close to me as it gets cold; I place my jacket round her, naturally not caring about the chilly weather.

"This is so annoying," I murmur.

She glances at me curiously. "What is?"

"You can't see the stars here. In Mystic Falls, they're as clear as the sun."

"You can see stars," she argues. I'll admit that there are a few bright ones, but in Mystic Falls there are thousands of them; here there are hundreds, maybe.

"Not many." I shake my head. "Stupid. Why the hell you want to live here is beyond me."

"Stop complaining, it's romantic."

"I have to admit, it's nice to have you so close to me." Her head is on my chest. I wonder if she doesn't wonder why she can't hear my heartbeat. I wish I had one. It would be nice to feel how it speeds up every time I see her.

There's silence (or as silent as it can be in New York) with us for a while, but it's comforting. She is in my arms, so of course I feel safe. It's amazing how Rebecca has become the most important thing to me. She works during the evening so I call her at about eleven o'clock every day and she calls me when she gets in from the evening shift at the restaurant. She whines that between the hours she works and the hours she talks to me on the phone she barely has time to sleep – and yet she still doesn't want to hang up.

"I've never done this before." Her voice is soft.

"What? Look at the stars?"

"Fall in love."

The words make time freeze. My heart, if beating, would have stopped like a truck. I didn't expect those words. Even through all of this, how close we've grown, I never expected it. It's after years of never hearing it, of hardening my heart so that I wouldn't care about hearing it. I thought it had to be Elena. But maybe it doesn't. Maybe Elena only prepared me, readying me for something better.

"Say it."

She turns her head away. "I'm scared."

She doesn't have to tell me that. I know how terrifying it can be to say those words and not hear them back. So I say them first; after all, don't I always say them first? "I love you."

She turns to face me. Those brown eyes of hers are wide. I can tell she wants to hear these words; like me, has wanted to hear them forever. But those words also entrap you; they mean that you are important to someone. Being important to someone...you have a responsibility.

For a moment I am seized with fear: what if she doesn't say it back? What if once again I am turned down, what if she doesn't want me?

"I love you too."

I close my eyes. God I have waited to hear them for so long. It feels better than I thought it would. Something loosens in my chest, and I feel it float away, never to return. I'm free.

"Thank you," I whisper.

She rolls over, on top of me. "No," she murmurs, pressing her lips against mine. "Thank you."

Tari loved New York because it reminded her of her mother, of the life they had before.

Damon hated New York for exactly the same reason.

xXx

Both of them stood at the platform, waiting for the train to appear. It was ten minutes late and the weather wasn't exactly warm. Neither of them had spoken since they left the cemetery.

"Can you just yell at me?" Tari finally asked. She could take Damon yelling at her, or insisting she do something, but she didn't know how to handle him being calm. She didn't know how to handle it.

Damon, who had been staring straight ahead and not looking at her, turned his head slightly. "You want me to yell?"

"I want you to do something," she said. "You're not acting normal."

He didn't say anything for a few moments. "We can't keep doing this Tari. You can't keep running off and having me chase you. It isn't going to work."

"Okay."

He focussed on her fully, surprised at agreement. "Okay?"

"Okay." Tari glanced down at her feet, feeling suddenly embarrassed. "I just wanted to see Mom's grave. I've seen it now." She looked up him with such boldness that he saw Rebecca. "You'll need to, one day."

Damon pressed his lips together, not replying.

But Tari knew that sometimes actions were better than words. Opening her back she pulled out the silver package and handed it to a surprised Damon. "Your Christmas present," she explained.

He raised an eyebrow. "You know it's bad luck to open a Christmas present before it's actually Christmas?"

"Close enough."

He tore it open easily, and Tari saw him freeze. She was exceedingly glad she gave it to him now; she would have been embarrassed if she had given it to him in front of everyone else, and he probably would have been too.

"Where did you find this?" he finally asked, and she felt pleased; he was smiling, lost in a memory.

"It was sandwiched in-between the pages of Dracula."

Damon burst out laughing. So Rebecca. "I forgot about this picture," he said, and Tari realised that he sounded delighted.

Tari edged closer. She remembered when she first saw the picture; she stared at it for a good ten minutes. Damon and Rebecca were grinning hugely, like they had bananas in their mouths. Even Tari was staring at the camera, and she must have only been two years old at the most. She thought that the background was Central Park, but she can't be certain; after all, they're what the camera focuses on. It occurred to Tari that she had never seen Damon smile like that – like it could almost go into a laugh. And her mother's eyes are shining with happiness. They both look years younger, and Tari doubted it had anything to do with the twelve year difference; after all, it wasn't as if Damon could age.

For one moment Damon really did seem younger, caught up in the past. But then he must have thought of something because his eyes dimmed slightly. He still managed to smile though when he looked at Tari. "Thank you," he said simply, and in an instant he pulled her into a hug. She felt the tension in her chest ease. It was okay. Everything was okay again.

Close enough anyway.

xXx

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Even Damon leapt in the air when Caroline appeared out of nowhere. Neither of them had trouble believing that she had been waiting there all night just to jump out at them like that. "You made it back just in time!" she said as the grandfather clock chimed twelve o'clock.

"C'mon!" Caroline yanked Tari down by the tree. Before they could notice he hadn't followed them Damon whizzed upstairs. He placed the photo on his bedside table. He remembered the day it was taken: Rebecca had a day off so Damon came up to spend the day with his two girls. They walked through Central Park, Damon resting Tari on his shoulders as he pointed out the type of trees and tried to get her memorise them. "For goodness sake Damon," Rebecca had said, half laughing, "She's not even two yet."

There was a timid knock on the door and he turned round. Elena stood at the threshold, looking sheepish. "You're back," she said.

"Yeah." Damon didn't know what to say. They argued all the time, but it had been years since they'd fought about something serious like this.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's fine," Damon answered, relieved. He didn't really need the apology. The fight seemed a long time ago. Besides, it was Christmas.

"Are you sure?"

"Elena, I'm not one to hold a grudge. That's your department."

She glowered at him, but was fighting a smile. "You're an ass."

"You're a bitch." They were both grinning now, and Damon slung his arm round her. "Has little brother forgiven you?"

"Now that I've apologised to you, yes. And we have to go downstairs before Tari has no choice but to stake Caroline."

xXx

It was one of the best Christmases Tari ever had.

None of them went to bed: instead they stayed up and opened presents. Tari had never gotten so many gifts in her life. She realised that Caroline had bought her so many clothes that she wouldn't be able to open her wardrobe without it exploding on her. Elena and Stefan kissed after opening each other's gifts while the other three tried not to vomit. Too wired for sleep after that, even Tari who hadn't slept in twenty four hours, they played Twister.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Damon growled. He had his feet splayed on the yellow spots but one arm was on red, the other green. He was in a position that a cheerleader would make. It was a good thing that he could die, because all the blood was rushing to his face.

"Stop whinging," Caroline replied. She spun the arrow. "Elena, right hand green."

"It's already on green."

"Then you'll have to stay in that position."

"Great," Elena murmured. One foot was on one corner, her hand on the other. She was stretched out like someone was stretching bubble gum, about to snap in a moment.

"Is it my go yet?" Stefan begged. Tari couldn't even tell his position, but he looked like a pretzel.

"One sec," Caroline replied. She answered her phone, and her entire face lit up. "Ty! What are you doing awake?" A pause, and Caroline turned away. "You're so sweet."

"Caroline, hurry up," growled Stefan.

There was another pause, and the blonde burst out laughing. "I don't believe it! She said what?"

"THAT'S IT!" Damon blurred away from the board, moving so fast it was as if he hadn't been there in the first place. Caroline had disappeared too, and they could hear her screaming, "Ty, help me, he's coming after me!" Giving up the other three relaxed there postures – well, Elena and Tari did; they had to help Stefan uncurl himself.

Later – much later, when they had argued, played even more games and begun to drink, Alaric came over. Damon and Stefan cooked with Ric's help, while Caroline and Tari (as a precaution) kept Elena busy. There was so much food: a huge turkey, more stuffing than you could imagine, mash potato and so many vegetables Tari couldn't count them.

The day passed so quick, almost in the blink of an eye. Starting at ten they all played cards – Newmarket. Tari, who was taught it that evening, caught on surprisingly quick; Caroline too, seemed be winning a lot of money.

"You're cheating," accused Damon.

"How am I cheating?" asked Tari. "At least I'm not looking at everyone's cards like you are!"

"How is it that you and Caroline seem to be winning every bloody hand then?"

"We're not – Ric's won a few."

"How come I haven't won any?"

"Neither have I," said Stefan. "I think this is a bad year for us."

Alaric finished his glass of scotch. He would be staying at the boarding house tonight; there was no way he could drive. "It's not that bad."

"How is it that only three people are winning?"

"You lot take it too seriously anyway," Elena commented. She sat up suddenly. "Damon, you've given me an extra card."

"CHEAT!" everyone at the table except for Damon cried.

He shrugged, a smile on his face. "I guess we'll have to put in double money!"

"No! I can't afford to put in money again!"

They played for who knows how long; it seemed like it lasted a minute but at the same time felt like hours. All at once Tari's eyes seemed to be closing on themselves. She had been running on adrenalin, but it seemed that her tiredness was catching up on her.

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she woke up when Damon was tucking her into bed. Instantly she sat up. "Where's my money?" she mumbled.

Gently Damon pushed her back down on the bed. "It's in your bedside table."

"Without about five quid missing if you've had anything to do with it."

"Even another five quid wouldn't cover my losses." He shook his head. "It's been a bad year." He sat beside her on the bed, pushing the hair off her face. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"No," Tari said, too tired to even be grudging. "It was good."

He pulled himself on the bed beside her. "It's still Christmas, at least for a few minutes. Do you want one more present?"

Tari opened her eyes, though it was a struggle; she hadn't slept in over twenty four hours – maybe even forty eight. She couldn't even be certain that this wasn't a dream. "Another one?" She smiled softly. "I think I've gotten too much already."

He placed a wrapped present in front of her. Despite being exhausted Tari forced herself up, opening the present. Her eyes widened when she saw it, a smile breaking like a wave over her face. "You remembered."

Damon leant back on the bed, eyes closed and smiling. "How could I forget? How the hell could anyone forget? Your mother and I practically knew the words of that film off by heart."

When Tari was seven years old she discovered the film A Little Princess. Rebecca had bought it her and she didn't stop watching it. When Damon visited for a weekend he watched a total of seven times. Both of her parents had tried to make her watch something else or better yet do anything else, but the girl had the wilfulness of both of them combined and flat out refused. Years later all three of them still knew the film line by line.

"I can't believe you bought me the book," said Tari, leaning back and closing her own eyes. Sleep was beckoning, and it was too strong to refuse.

"You can compare it to the film," Damon replied. He was tired too, not having slept for an entire night.

"Thank you," she murmured, her head on his chest.

Damon opened his eyes and smiled. She was perfect, his own little princess. "You're welcome."

xXx

"Finally!" Tyler stepped through the door into Caroline's warm embrace. "I thought we weren't going to see each other for the entire day."

Tyler smiled, and his grin was so easy and full of youth that it wasn't difficult for Caroline to remember why she had fallen for him; why she still fell, every time. "I would never allow that to happen." He kissed her, and her feet stuck to the floor as usual. In that moment she couldn't remember ever being angry at him, ever loving anyone else but him. His kiss was the reason she came back to him again and again; how could she forget this feeling?

"I have a suggestion," Tyler said after they broke away.

Caroline raised her eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "A suggestion of your mother's, perhaps."

His shoulders sagged. "Car just try to keep an open mind, okay?"

Caroline crossed her arms. "I guess I can try."

"She said that if we wanted to stay in Mystic Falls-" Caroline opened her mouth and Tyler hurried to get the words out "-we could stay in an apartment that she bought, rent-free."

"Ty-"

"I know Car, I know, but think about it. It's so much easier here: we have the tomb to keep me safe, we don't have to drive for practically a day to set it up; you can see your mother all the time, and your friends. And Damon wouldn't mind have two more sets of eyes on Tari."

Caroline was quiet for a moment, and turned her head. She could hear Elena, Stefan and Alaric laughing, all drunk out their minds – it promised to be a good night. She herself was a little tipsy, so it wasn't a good time for Tyler to be propositioning her.

But he was right: staying here had made her realise how much she missed her friends and Mystic Falls. This was the place she had grown up in, where she had spent so many hard years – and yet fun years, loving years. It was where she had grown up. And it would be safer; if anything happened, any of the things that Damon feared, then they were right in Mystic Falls to help out.

The blonde turned round, sighing. "Let's see this apartment then."

xXx

*I've taken a bit a liberty with the facts of TVD. During the sacrifice Damon didn't get bitten by Tyler, therefore Stefan didn't go off with Klaus. I'll explain more later, but that's all you need to know for now.

Also, I don't know how long it would take to get from the Mystic Falls area to New York and back. Hopefully I'm not wrong, but if I am, it's about sixteen years in our future; let's just say that the speed of trains has advanced to make them EXTREMELY fast, okay?

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