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?

19. The Tower

Hey!

So one quick word: I am going back to university soon and I'm predicting that I'm going to be very busy, so I don't think I'll be able to update this story as often as I do now (I have to admit this is some kind of record for me, especially considering the size of the chapter). I am NOT going to give up on this story, but... Life gets in the way of writing, unfortunately. I promise I will update, but I can't promise it'll be often.

Anyway, enough sadness! On with the story!

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

xXx

Chapter Seventeen

The Tower

"I have an idea." Sawyer sat on the spare seat, her face a big grin. Her green eyes were bright and she looked as if she was about to leap out the seat she just sat on.

"And...time." Liam checked on his watch. "I knew this would happen."

"Really," Tari said. "I thought it would be sooner than this."

Sawyer glanced between the three of them. "What are you talking about?"

Allen sent her a reassuring smile, sensing their friend's confusion. "We knew that you'd have a plan about my birthday."

"Like I'd leave it to you lot," Sawyer said, sitting up straight and looking almost regal. "You lot know I'm the one that plans everything here. I thought that to celebrate Allen's birthday we'd go to the Mexican restaurant on Saturday, then we can sleepover at mine." She crossed her arms as if she had just discovered the secret of world peace.

"What if my dad won't let me?" Tari pointed out. "You know what he's like."

"Can't you convince him? I could." Sawyer smirked, thrusting her size C breasts forward. "I don't mind talking to him. He's hot."

"Can you please not call him hot?" Tari begged. She knew Damon was more attractive than most people; she could tell by the way women looked at him when he walked through the room, they way they smiled when he spoke to them. It made her cringe at the way they acted towards him – it was so embarrassing.

Liam leant closed to her, lowering his voice. "It's not as if there's a vampire lurking around like before. Besides, if Sawyer's Mom and Dad pick us up from the restaurant and take us straight to her place, and your father picks you up...what's the problem?"

Tari lifted a shoulder. "It's worth a try," she admitted. Damon and Tari weren't fighting as much as they used to, at least not serious arguments (Stefan claimed that it would be cold day in hell when they got through a day without arguing; Damon said that according to Dante hell wasn't hot at all; Stefan then said that Damon had proven his point); it was possible that he would allow her to go without a fuss. If she promised not to do anything...stupid? No, not to do anything dangerous, though Damon would call it stupid, what she had done with Caleb. There was no reason why she would lie to him – they had nothing planned.

"We'll sort it," Sawyer said confidently, leaning over to squeeze her hand. "We haven't gone out anywhere, not really, not since that Caleb thing-"

"And God knows that wasn't relaxing," Allen threw in.

"I'll have to make sure not to misbehave," Tari muttered. "I'll have to be as good as gold."

Liam sent a look at the other two. "So there's no hope then."

xXx

"Keep your arm steady-"

"You're holding it crooked," Damon said lazily from his perch. They were in the history classroom after hours, teaching Tari how to use her crossbow. It was a tiny one, small and sturdy, and Damon was pleased that it wasn't too big. It didn't seem too threatening; he doubted she could do much damage to herself using that.

Tari let her eyes slide from the target drawn on the blackboard to glower at him. "You're not the teacher."

"Would you two stop arguing?" Alaric said. Damon didn't answer, instead he idly grinned from the window he was beside. He didn't seem to particularly mind not lounging in the boarding house; he seemed content enough to watch Tari attempt to use the crossbow – or rather hold it. She hadn't actually been able to use it yet – Alaric had been teaching her how to get it in the right position first.

"Now," Alaric said, positioning her arms straight. Tari tried to ignore Damon again, resting her eyes on the target. She pointed the crossbow right on the target. It couldn't be that hard, could it? "Ready?"

"Yeah," Tari said, nodding.

"Okay," he said. "Now...release." Damon sat up a little straighter, watching her take her first shot.

Carefully Tari released the crossbow. She was surprised at the recoil of it, however, and it threw her back a little. The sponge arrow ("Why can't I use a wooden arrow?" Tari asked; "Because this is your first lesson," said Alaric, and Damon added, "And I don't want to be hit by a stake.") bounced on the board, but it missed the target by at least a metre.

Damon burst into laughter. "Nice aim," he commented.

Tari sent him another glare while walking back and forth, shaking her arm. "I didn't expect the recoil to be that tough."

Alaric glanced at the board. "Not too bad for a first attempt."

Still shaking her arm Tari turned round. "Let me have another go," she said, going back to take the crossbow from Alaric.

In an instant Damon was in front of her. "I think that we should call it a night," he said.

Tari attempted to push past him to the crossbow, but it was like bouncing off a dam. "I want to have another go," she whined. "I've only just got to shoot."

"We've been here for at least an hour. And you've also hurt your arm." The vampire reached for her left arm and rubbed it; she couldn't help but wince slightly as he reached the sore point. "It's time to get home." Tari glanced over where Alaric was looking over, holding the crossbow. "We can go get take out."

"Fine," said Tari, deflating. She turned her attention to her teacher. "Same time next week?"

"Sure," Alaric said, patting her on the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."

In the car Tari was tired. She hadn't realised how exhausted she was until she sat back in the seat. Life was a blur of school, homework, listening to Caroline organise her wedding, spending time with her friends – including running with Liam on the weekends. Not to mention spending time with her family. That meant Elena, Stefan and Damon. They had become her family; before it had been only her mother really, and Damon of course, but he was more secondary family, like a beloved uncle. Since she had come to live with him, however, he had transformed; now he was definitely her father, definitely primary family.

"Tari, you're going to have to wake up." She didn't realise how close she was to sleep until his voice acted like an alarm clock.

"I am," she said, sitting straighter. "Can we get pizza?"

"Burgers."

"Why burgers?"

"It's easier to get," Damon answered. He glanced over at her out the corner of his eye. She didn't seem up for an argument, even a good natured one. She seemed tired intellectually as well as physically. "What time did you get to bed last night?"

Bed. Tari couldn't help but yearn to be lying in her comfortable bed right now, the one that had its sheets changed daily. "Not late."

"Hard day then?"

Tari shrugged her shoulders, once again leaning back in the comfortable car seat. "Not particularly. I guess it's just been a long one." She curled her legs up in the seat.

"Put your feet down," Damon said, switching from concern to stern in an instant.

Tari rolled her eyes; she was willing to wager whether that he loved his precious car more than he loved her. "My shoes aren't even dirty."

"It's the end of January, the ground's muddy."

"Well my shoes aren't."

"Tari, I'm not going to tell you again-"

They both saw a flash of silver at the same time, the lights reflecting off it. Tari gave a horrified cry and pushed herself further down in the seat while Damon braked. But it was too late – they both felt the bump in the car. He had braked so swiftly that Tari felt her body move forward; she now appreciated why seatbelts were so important. She was pushed back in the seat by Damon, who on instinct had put his hand out to keep her in the seat.

"Oh no," Tari groaned, horrified at what had happened. She adored animals and the thought of one hurt was too much for her to bear (she didn't like the thought of Stefan killing animals, but it was either that or humans). She leapt out the car and round to the front, Damon on her heels.

A cat was lying on the road, perfectly still. It wasn't moving, its eyes closed. Damon uttered a curse, though it wasn't as if he was particularly shocked over the death. After all, he had seen far worse. Tari, on the other hand, was young and innocent enough to be upset over it. He predicted a long night of her feeling guilty over the cat – he'd probably end up having to buy her something just to get her to obsess over something else.

"Poor thing," she said, bending down towards it. Her hand reached out to touch it.

"Don't Tari," said Damon. "It's probably got fleas-"

Before he could complete his sense the cat gave shake, lifting its head up. Tari gave a gasp of delight and relief, smiling. She now reached over and stroked the tabby cat; it began to purr as if nothing had ever happened.

"Thank God," she said. She went down and gave it a quick stroke, the cat closing its eyes in delight. "It's okay."

Damon bent down beside her, giving the cat a quick pat on the head. "It must have been stunned. It seems alright now; I can hear its heart beating." In fact, the cat's heart was beating quite slowly, as if it had simply being sitting on the side of the road instead of being hit by a car.

The cat didn't seem interested in Damon; in fact it seemed to be paying all its attention to Tari. "Ooh, it's so sweet." She glanced at Damon. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"I'm not sure," said Damon. He shrugged, standing since the cat didn't bother to notice him.

"It doesn't have a collar," Tari noted, less than subtle.

"We're not keeping the cat," he said without hesitation. He didn't like it anyway. It almost didn't seem like a cat, not when it had given him a cold gaze that could have frozen lava. He knew cats were moody, but still, this one seemed be the queen bitch. He smirked; it should be called Katherine.

"But we've just hit it by a car! We need to take care of it."

"It'll be fine."

"Please Damon," Tari said, turning on him with her pleading eyes. She only used them when she wanted something and Damon was being a stubborn pain in the neck as usual. Nine times out of ten Damon would give in when she used those eyes.

This was not one of them.

"We can't keep it," Damon said. "Stefan drinks animal blood for Christ sake. It wouldn't stand a chance." He was already at the car door, waiting for her to get in. "Let's go Tari."

She turned back to the cat, eyes closed and purring. It didn't seem to mind when she picked it up and put in on the side of the road. "Bye bye kitty. I'm sorry the mean old man won't let me take you home."

The "mean old man" shook his head. "I'm letting you sleep over at Sawyer's tomorrow, aren't I? I can't let you get too spoilt."

They were still playfully bickering, more out of habit rather than actual argument. The cat stood up elegantly, staring as the car lights disappeared down the road.

I was right. He always seems to watching the child. It may be difficult to get her alone. It turned away thoughtfully and began walking down the road, heading back to the hotel. She reminds me exactly of her late mother. She is very loving, just like Rebecca was. Though it still puzzles me that Rebecca fell for Damon. She could have done a good deal better. The cat gave a sigh. Still, each to their own I guess.

xXx

"I'm going!" Tari called, putting her arms in the jacket and stuffing her feet in her boots.

Damon appeared beside her, taking her arm – and she flinched. Instantly he let go, frowning. "Your arm hurting?"

Tari nodded, moving it gingerly. "Just a little bit." The recoil of the crossbow had taken its toll; her arm was sore from being knocked back. She had been taking painkillers ever since. It didn't hurt, not unless she tried to lift something, and then it gave out entirely. Without the painkillers it was useless. It would heal in time; after all, she when she slept she relaxed it. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"I'll take you to the restaurant." He grabbed his car keys and started heading out the door.

"WAIT!" Both Tari and Damon cringed, and the latter motioned her to hurry outside. But the two of them knew well enough: they could run but they there was no way they could hide.

Caroline came in the hallway, facing the two of them. "What do you think is better, tomato or potato and leek soup?" Her face was creased up in anxiety, as if it was a life and death decision.

Neither of them needed to ask what she was referring to. Ever since Tyler had proposed – just like Damon had predicted, though Stefan and Elena had been a little more optimistic – Caroline had been going crazy over wedding plans. She had already written out the guest list, adding and crossing out names and asking the others whether they thought this person should come over the other one; she had already visited seven places to hold the reception (including one in LA) before she decided to host it at the Lockwoods, generously offered by Tyler's mother ("And it'll be used against me for the rest of my life," Caroline said, "but the place really is perfect and we don't have to pay,") and now it wasn't unusual for the phone to ring at 3 a.m. By now everyone knew it was Caroline. Tyler claimed it was worse on his end: sometimes he would be woken up by her sobbing over some nightmare she'd had – something about her wedding dress catching fire and the cake collapsing. It was all very exhausting for everyone.

"Tomato," Tari answered the same time as Damon said, "Potato leek." They glanced quickly at each other before changing their answers at the exact same time.

The blonde rolled her ocean blue eyes. "You two are so related. I want an honest opinion."

"It's your wedding – you pick," Tari said, desperate to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

"But which do you think is the biggest crowd pleaser?" she persisted.

"Are we sure that soup's the way to go?" asked Damon, coming away from the threshold towards the other two. "What about fish?"

"Please," said Tari, snorting. "Somebody's certainly going to be allergic or just not like fish."

"Fine," he said, lifting his hands up. "Go with the soup."

"But which one?" Caroline asked.

"Potato and leek," Tari responded this time. "Then offer a tomato salad as another choice."

Caroline slowly smiled at the girl. "That's not a bad idea. I'll ask you more often."

Tari winced as Damon hid his smirk. "See you later," she said, backing away from the door.

"Where're you going?" Caroline asked, half-turned back to the kitchen.

"Out with some friends and then to a sleepover." She gave a wave to Caroline. "Say goodbye to Elena and Stefan for me."

Damon shook his head as they got in the car. "I told you," he sang. "Just wait. It'll get worse as it gets closer. I bet the night before the wedding she'll be waking up every hour or redoing the wedding cake. Good luck with that."

Tari's head swivelled to Damon, alarm. "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't she tell you her latest plan?" Damon couldn't help but hide a smirk. "She's booking a room at the hotel for you all to share on the night before the wedding. She figured it was easier for everyone." He glanced at her. "I'm sure you'll have lots of fun."

"What will you be doing?" asked Tari. "Hanging out with Tyler?"

Damon shrugged. "I'm not sure. Unlike Caroline he doesn't plan every detail approximately five months in advance."

"He'll need to start thinking about it, if he wants to avoid the full moon."

"He'll be fine," Damon said decisively. "The transformation isn't so bad. Didn't used to be though. It used to take hours of agonising pain before he would finally transform for a wolf."

Tari sighed. "Poor Tyler."

"In some ways it's worse to be a werewolf than a vampire," commented Damon. "Imagine having to endure all that pain every month. It gets faster and less painful as he has more transformations, but even so Tyler says it hurts like hell."

"Do werewolves' age?"

"Yes," Damon said. "Slower than humans, but they can't live forever like we can. Again, another advantage over werewolves."

"Is it though? I mean, who wants to live forever?" Tari watched his face carefully for any signs of emotion. She knew better really; Damon had been alive nearly two hundred years now, he knew how to hide his emotions. He had done it for too long, and with the type of life he led, it was necessary.

"True," Damon said. She could hear by the way his voice sounded that he didn't want to talk about it. It was so infuriating sometimes, how he wouldn't answer her questions. Sometimes she thought she knew absolutely nothing about him.

"I wouldn't want to be either," Tari said. "I would rather be a witch. They have all the power."

Damon laughed. "It's not really your choice, is it? It's what makes vampires different; witches and werewolves have to have the genetics for it. Anyone can be a vampire – well, except a werewolf or a witch. A werewolf can become a vampire, but only if their werewolf part is dormant."

"How do you become a werewolf?"

"Like I said before, it comes from genetics. But that's not all it takes: the werewolf part only comes alive if you kill someone."

"What, no werewolf bite?" Tari shook her head. "Are any of the stories true?"

"I doubt it," Damon said, a little bitterly. He could still remember when he attempted to stab Mason with a silver knife. The stupid legends had nearly caused his death.

"What does it mean for me-"

"Are you done with the questions yet?" Damon asked, turning to her with a smirk to show he was only teasing. In honesty he preferred to ask them; it showed that she had a keen mind, that she was curious to learn more.

Yet she really did ask some awful questions sometimes; ones that he did not want to answer.

"But what does that mean with me? How long will I live?"

"I don't know," Damon admitted; another annoyance. He hated it when he didn't know something. "You seem to be aging normally; maybe a little slower than a normal human, but not so much that people would notice."

Tari sighed again out of weariness. "It's all so complicated."

"Tell me about it." He pulled up near the restaurant. "All set?"

She reached in the back for her bag. "Yep. I'll see you tomorrow."

He kept his hand over her arm to stop her from leaving. "Sawyer's dad is picking you up from the restaurant, right?"

Tari didn't roll her eyes, but she wanted to. "Yes. And I'll call you tomorrow to pick me up."

"As long as that's agreed," he said, lighter than he meant. It was still difficult for him to allow her out of his sight. Half the time he had to clutch hold of where he was sitting so he wouldn't grab her back and take her home. Admittedly it wasn't such a risk, her sleeping over at a friend's house – after all, he doubted many vampires would visit the Scott residence. It wasn't a full moon – that had come and gone with little fuss. There was no reason Tari wouldn't be safe. He was the tiniest bit tense, but no more than usual.

"See you tomorrow," she said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. He watched her as she headed inside, making sure she was safe. No harm would come to her as long as he was watching. If anyone tried to lay so much as a finger on his daughter, they would pay. He adored that girl, against his better judgement. He always knew that love would be his weakness; it always had been. Stefan may have been pure hearted*, but his was an eager one. He tried not to fall in love, he did. But somehow his heart always found someone to love, even when he didn't want to...

If only I hadn't offered to go out to get dinner. I wished I had stayed in and cooked. Then none of this would be happening.

I come back to find the front door left ajar, and that is reason enough for me to hurry. Rebecca is in the kitchen, lying on the ground. It is instinct, I go to her automatically. She is bleeding badly from her stomach, almost choking in agony. She has been trying to cover it, but the red blood is seeping between her fingers.

"A robber," she gasps. "I tied to fight him...didn't see the knife..." She coughs. With each one I panic. I don't even notice the blood, my senses don't even pick it up. How can I, when I might lose the greatest thing in my love; the one that I have loved more than anyone else; the one I have waited for my entire life.

I will not let that happen.

She is fading, I can see it. She struggles to keep them open, and she is trying to speak. To say goodbye? No.

"It's going to be okay," I say to her. I can feel the veins round my eyes protrude. Her eyes widen a little as they see them, but I can't focus on calming her at this moment. Instead I tear the skin off my wrist and hurriedly thrust it to her mouth. She doesn't struggle, she doesn't have the energy to. Instead she drinks.

She loses consciousness, but I already lift up her shirt to check. Right before my eyes the wound heals, and my entire body collapses in relief. Thank God. Thank God. I don't know what I would have done if she had been killed.

Carefully I lift her up and to the bed. I know I should clean the kitchen (a glass has been broken in the struggle) but I can't take my eyes off her sleeping form. I won't. I am almost shaking with joy. I almost lost her. I love her and I almost lost her. That robber is lucky; I would have made his death long and tortuous if he had killed her. As it is I will make his death fast once I find him.

I am scared though. I cannot hide what I am now. Rebecca has seen it with her own eyes. I cannot lie to her. There is no point; if I wanted any future with her – and I do – I would have to tell her eventually. But damn it, I wanted to do it my own way. I would sit her down calmly and inform her what I am, reassure her that I would not hurt her. But this is perhaps the worst way for it to have happened. Still, what could I have done? I couldn't have called an ambulance, God knows how long it would take for her to get help. It's safer this way – maybe not for me, but I already know that I would sacrifice my entire life for Rebecca. Allowing her in on my secret is nothing, not compared to what could have happened to her.

Who says that I would have lived if she had died?

Time passes without me noticing it; my eyes are only for her. When she stirs I feel myself sit up, go to her side. "Rebecca," I whisper as she wakes up. "Are you alright?"

She sits up, and I can see she is bemused. "What...what happened?"

For a moment I feel a rush of hope. Maybe she doesn't remember any of it; maybe I can convince her it's a dream. Stupid I know, for she is already remembering. Her dark minstrel eyes look to me, wide eyed and nervous.

"The robber...oh God, he stabbed me!" Her hand goes to her stomach, grasping her torn shirt rapidly. There is no hole in her skin, it is perfect just like her. She then turns her head to me. "And you...your eyes."

My face must give something away, because one look makes her leap away from me. My chest aches at the sight; my God it hurts more than I ever thought; more than Katherine already, more than Elena even. She pins herself against the wall, but I don't think she really notices; her eyes are on me. "What happened?"

I stand slowly, not wanting to terrify her even more. "Calm down." I carefully take a step towards her. "I need to explain some things to you."

She is tense, and lifts her head straight. Those eyes do not leave me. She doesn't trust me. I feel another stab of pain. "Explain what?" She doesn't shout; she asks me it almost calmly, though her expression betrays her skittishness.

I pause; where to begin? "You were dying from the wound. I gave you some of my blood, which healed you."

She is confused. She shakes her head jerkily. "Why? How can you – how does that work?"

Slowly I move to her. She pushes herself further against the wall. I take a deep breath, knowing she won't believe me – but then, maybe she will. She has witnessed something that shouldn't happen – why would she not believe it now?

"I'm a vampire."

Her entire body freezes for a moment of rare stillness before she shakes her head again. "That's – that's not possible! Vampires don't exist! They're just a story!"

"They're not. I am a vampire Rebecca."

Rebecca steps forward, and I see the boldness that lives in her. "Prove it."

I can't help but rise to the challenge; it's who I am. In a second I move straight in front of her as quick as lightning. She flinches away from me, another shot of pain. She cannot deny it now; I know she believes it. My Rebecca isn't innocent anymore, and that hurts even more. No longer when she think fairytales are pretend. Now she will check outside before leaving her threshold; she will give everyone a second glance, looking for signs.

"How..." She stumbles for words, she cannot grasp them. Finally she lands on them. "You lied to me? All this time?"

I'm sure I can't hide my confusion. "What?"

"You're a liar. You've lied to me all this time, we've been together for months! You haven't even mentioned it!"

"You wouldn't have believed me!" I don't want to yell at her, I don't, but I feel myself losing my temper. "You would have laughed in my face, or thought I was insane!"

"I thought – I..." She can't understand it. I get it, it's too much. Being a part of the supernatural world often take a lot of explaining to do. I didn't want to burden her with this. I am suddenly overwhelmed with self-hatred. Why couldn't I have let her go? Why didn't I let her cancel on me before Elena and Stefan's engagement party? Why didn't I let her go free from this? If I honestly loved her I would have. I am a terrible person.

"Get out."

Her words wake me. "What?"

"Get out Damon – now."

I move forward to her. "Rebecca, please."

She slaps my hands away. "Get out! Get away from me now!" She slaps me again, trying to get away. In a fit of frustration I grip her wrists and pin her against the wall. We stare at each other, our bodies so close...it's like we're about to have sex. I look into her eyes and – to my absolute amazement – I see no fear in her eyes. When Elena found out she was afraid, you could tell. She may have had guts to face me, but fear was not absent. With her though...there is no fear. She isn't afraid of me.

I know then that it's too late. I love her. It's not something I can control anymore.

Swiftly I take my hands off her, lifting mine in the air. I turn away from her, and leave the apartment, only stopping to grab my jacket.

It's not the end, not for me and Rebecca. She hasn't broken up with me. I know she still loves me. There is hope.

I am Damon Salvatore. I do not give up.

xXx

"Finally!" Sawyer grinned as she saw Tari enter the restaurant, pushing the seat towards her. "You're late."

Tari smiled – typical Sawyer. "I'm not late, you're simply early. Besides, Allen and Liam aren't here yet."

"Liam's in the bathroom," her friend corrected her. She shifted in the high stool. Sawyer had picked a high table near the window. It wasn't the most comfortable table, but it was close to the bar and had the best view. "I don't know where Allen is though. Probably late as usual." Her friend leant forward, murmuring in her ear. "Liam's in a bad mood though."

Tari leant her head back, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"He's down about his family." Sawyer turned away, her blonde hair in curls. "He has this notion about not being loved by his parents or something. It's crazy – they adore him. It's all in his head, I know it, but it still gets him down."

"He's jealous," Tari said quietly. She slipped her jacket off, onto the chair.

Sawyer gave a little sigh. "Sometimes I want to shake him. Whatever I say he just ignores me. He's so bloody stubborn."

"He needs to get it though. We can't make him believe it."

"I know, I know. Let's not talk about it." She turned to Tari, smiling. "I don't want to be sad. It's Allen's birthday!"

But none of them seemed to be in a happy mood. Liam greeted Tari politely enough, smiling at her, but he seemed too much in his own head. Sawyer rolled her eyes at Tari, indicating what she thought of his behaviour, but the blonde didn't say anything about it. They both knew they couldn't talk Liam out of his black mood.

Though what was worse was that Allen wasn't happy either. It was his birthday, but he blew into the restaurant as if he was marching away from the hounds of hell. He didn't say much, his eyes lost in another world just like Liam. It was the first time that Allen's mood almost seemed angry instead of worried. She had never seen him like that.

"Okay, what is going on?" snapped Sawyer. Throughout the meal Sawyer had been keeping up a happy stream of conversation, but neither of the boys gave more than one or two word answers. "This is a birthday party! We're supposed to be happy!" Knowing that she couldn't say a word to Liam, she turned on Allen. "It's your birthday Allen. Be happy!"

"Leave it Sawyer," Allen said warningly. "I'm not in the mood tonight."

Instantly the girl softened. "What is it Al?" she asked softly. She reached over and squeezed his hand, but to her surprise he yanked it away.

He must have seen the hurt on her face – and the shock on Tari's – because he relaxed and said, "I'm sorry S. I didn't mean it. I've just had a bad day, that's all."

"Join the club," Liam muttered.

Sawyer rounded on him. "Oh please!" she snapped. "I have no sympathy for you-"

"Of course not!" Liam replied back hotly. "You never do, and yet I always look out for you-"

"Smother me you mean! And what are you saying? That I don't look out for you? You're my family-"

"Then act like it-"

"Enough!" Tari's voice echoed through the restaurant, and a few people turning their heads. She lowered her voice, hadn't meant to speak so loud. "Let's not fight, please. Let's just enjoy ourselves." She moved her hand towards Allen who was closest to her, but winced.

"What?" Liam asked, sitting up. Her pain seemed to have brought him out of his thoughts, at least for the moment.

Carefully she lifted her arm back up. "My arm hurts from the recoil-"

"Of the crossbow?" To her amazement – and Sawyer's – Liam smiled. "Of course. Girls can't use that sort of thing-" He couldn't finish his sentence when Sawyer flung a crumpled napkin at him.

Tari didn't particularly notice; she was rifling through her bag. "Damn it," she cursed. "I've forgotten my painkillers!" Without them her arm would ache throughout the meal; she wouldn't be able to use it without pain shivering down it.

"Do any of you have some?"

"Do I look like a drug dealer?"

"You're not helping."

"What Liam is trying to say is no, we don't," Allen said.

Tari swore, though she lowered her voice when she did. "I'll need to go to a pharmacy-"

"No you don't." Three heads turned to a fourth. Sawyer's green eyes were gleaming like a cat's; she was excited. Instantly Tari was on her guard. She turned her head and got notice of a waitress, pulling out an ID. Tari exchanged a look with the boys: Allen was still in his head, but Liam was attentive to her actions. "Can we have four margaritas please?" She gave the waitress her ID, and they couldn't possibly have looked twenty one, but nonetheless she went away and came back with the drinks.

"What are you doing?" Liam hissed as soon as the waitress was out of earshot.

"It's Allen's birthday – we're celebrating!" She passed each of them a drink. "Besides which, alcohol is a drug – it'll cure Tari's pain and make us all happy. We could all use a bit of happiness right now, even if we need alcohol to bring it out."

Tari was doubtful – Sawyer didn't have to face her father if it went wrong – and even Liam, who could usually be counted on to be reckless, looked hesitant. It was Allen who grabbed the drink from Sawyer's hands.

"I'm with S," he said. Sawyer sent him a half-grateful, half-triumphant smile. "She's right, it's my birthday. I'll do anything to forget right now."

Tari shot Liam a look of confusion, and he gave her the tiniest of shrugs; it was clear he didn't know what was going on with Allen right now. Neither of them had any inclination to ask. Tari turned to Sawyer to see if she knew, but she was holding up to her drink and motioned the others to do the same. "To Allen's fifteenth birthday!" she declared, holding it up. "And to be happy!"

Tari sent Liam a look. He sent her one in return as if to say, what the hell? He clinked drinks with her and drank the margarita. Tari knew that she was being reckless, but Sawyer was right; it would end the pain in her arm. She forced the sour liquid down her throat and let the chips fall where they may.

It happened quickly – Sawyer had drank alcohol frequently before and so had Liam, so it didn't affect them as much. But Tari had barely drunk any alcohol at all, and it became apparent that Allen hadn't either. Suddenly everything seemed brighter, funnier. She laughed at lame jokes Liam said and gobbled down the food at an amazing speed. Allen was grinning widely and would burst out into fits of laughter without reason – causing Tari to laugh with him. Sawyer and Liam didn't act like that, but they ordered more drinks and began acting silly too.

Tari could understand why people drank alcohol now. It made them feel more confident, act silly and not care about what other people said or did. People were looking at their table, but why was it important? Looks couldn't kill.

Currently the food had been eaten and Sawyer and Tari were watching Allen and Liam arm wrestle. Tari cheered for Allen while Sawyer (sticking with her family) cheered for Liam. "Ha!" Liam said, banging Allen's arm down for the third time.

"No fair!" Allen practically yelled. "You cheated!"

"Liar!"

"Cheater!"

"Idiot!"

"Weakling!"

"Harlot!" Tari called out, unable to help herself. This was what drinking was – that quiet voice that often stayed silent when Tari was sensible was made louder. It was like word-vomit.

"Whore!" Sawyer cried out, joining in the game.

"Bitches," said Liam, his head shaking. "Crazy bitches."

"Us, crazy?" Sawyer said, half-laughing. "I'm not the insane one."

"And are you saying you're sane?"

"I can't follow this conversation," Tari whispered loudly to Allen, who simply laughed.

"Must be a family trait." Sawyer stood up, wavering a little in her high heeled boots. "Now this lady," Liam snorted, "has to use the bathroom. Excuse me." She walked to the toilets, leaving the table.

Liam stared after to her for a moment before leaning back in a chair. "What's with her?" he mumbled.

"You're not making any sense Lee," Allen said, giving him a shove that nearly sent him off his chair. Tari closed her eyes, feeling tears of laughter squeeze out of her eyes. She suddenly felt the desperate need to go to the bathroom and rushed away.

Liam – always wise enough to catch on, even when he was tipsy – called out, "Send us a postcard for Niagara Falls!"

Tari (remembering they were in a restaurant) subtly gave him the finger before swinging through the doors to the bathroom. She wasn't prepared to find Sawyer leaning against the sink, tears trailing down her face.

Tari froze, unsure what to do. She had never seen Sawyer cry before – though she had to admit that her friend looked beautiful while she was crying, a stunning weeping angel. The blonde looked surprised to see her friend too, and maybe a little embarrassed. But they were friends.

Forgetting her urgent need to pee, Tari moved to her friend. "What is it S?" she said, wrapping her good arm round her shoulders.

Sawyer shook her head. "It's nothing, don't worry about it." She wiped her tears away from her eyes, looking away from Tari.

"S," Tari said firmly, "this is me. This is us." It sounded like the right thing to say, but then she was tipsy – what did she know?

Sawyer turned back to Tari. "It's nothing T, really. It's just...Peter."

"Peter? Who's – oh, Mr Herman."

"We're having problems," she muttered. She seemed a little ashamed about admitting it, but she did anyway. Maybe it was a relief to her to finally say it – after all, who else could she talk to it about?

Tari sat on the sink. "Like what problems?"

"He's just being so moody lately," she said. She turned to mirror, checking her make-up as if she was trying to forget the whole thing. "Like if I say one wrong thing he'll rip my head off. He used to be so sweet but lately... I don't know. He's worse than some of the girls at school."

It's my fault. Tari was the reason Mr Herman was so annoyed all the time. He was taking it out on her friend. Tari closed her eyes, leaning against the glass. Damn it. She should have known better.

Was this what he meant by game on?

"It's fine T, really." Sawyer squeezed her friend's hand and for a moment it was just the two of them, friend's forever. The blonde broke it off, sighing and leaning against the sink. "Lee knows something's up. He knows me too well. I'm sure he already knows I'm near tears." She groaned in frustration, slamming her first on the sink.

Tari glanced at him in alarm. "Relax S. It's no big deal." What she actually wanted to say was that she should break up with Mr Herman – then Tari could truly make his life miserable. If she was delicate...

"Maybe – if he's making you so upset – you should break up with him." Tari suggested it timidly, not wanting to put too much pressure on Sawyer – and not wanting to make her feelings obvious.

Sawyer was already shaking her head. "I love him," she said, the three words and eight letters Tari did not want to hear. "He's just stressed out right now. He'll get over it." She was already sorting her hair, pretending this thing had never happened. "I'd better get out there before the boy's think we're having a lesbian love-fest."

Tari couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at the thought – and realised it was probably Sawyer's intention. "Wait!" After applying more lipstick the brunette leapt off the sink and went to Sawyer. To the blonde's surprise she pressed a kiss on Sawyer's cheek, leaving a huge mark on her cheek. Sawyer moved away, stunned at Tari's behaviour. The latter sent her friend a wink. "Give them something to get excited for."

The blonde couldn't help it; she let out a huge laugh and returned the wink. "I'll see you out there." The door swung closed and Tari was left alone.

Once Sawyer had left Tari realised how desperately she needed to go to the bathroom.

xXx

"Okay, so the starter of the wedding is taken care of. Now for the main course-"

"Why don't we take a break?" Stefan asked. He glanced round the living room. He was willing to drop the television on Caroline if it would get Elena back in the room (it wouldn't hurt Caroline after all; she was a vampire). He was a guy for God's sake! Okay, he may not be the toughest one around but that didn't mind he wanted to talk about menus and floral arrangements.

"I've got less than six months before the wedding Stefan!" Caroline fretted. "I know I'm probably over-reacting-"

"Thank God you said it first," Stefan said, relaxing in the chair. He sent his friend a shy grin. "I know I'm your best friend, but even I was terrified to hint about it."

Caroline let her face go in an easy smile – one that Stefan hadn't seen in ages, ever since she began to stress over the wedding. "But seriously Stefan: five months isn't very long at all. I know that it's partly my fault, changing the wedding to June 30th, but Tari's birthday's in July and I don't want to overshadow it – and we'd have to go away for honeymoon and if we cut it too late then we'd miss her birthday."

"Where are you going for your honeymoon?"

"The Caribbean – for two weeks! At least that's where I want to go, but Tyler would prefer skiing in France, so I'm thinking we might do one week in France and then the Caribbean." Caroline shook her head dreamily. "He's so lucky to have me. I'm going to make such a good wife." As Stefan laughed she went to the fridge, bringing a blood bag with her. "But this will be Tari's first birthday without her mother, and I think we should all be there for her."

Stefan reached his hand over and squeezed Caroline's. "You're a good person Caroline Forbes."

Caroline smiled at her friend. "You are too Steffie."

The vampire pulled away, groaning. "I told you not to call me that!"

Laughing Caroline tossed her blonde hair. "Well you can't call me Caroline Forbes. Soon I'll be Caroline Lockwood." She frowned. "Oh God, I'll be Mrs Lockwood. Jesus. Or maybe... We can be Tyler and Caroline Forwood." When Stefan groaned she shook her head. "Think about it," she said, half-laughing. "That sounds much better, and it's both our names!"

They both heard Elena coming down the stairs, but when she appeared in the living room her face was gloomy. Instead the smiles died a little on their lips. "What is it?" Stefan asked.

Elena collapsed on her chair – one that had been known to be hers, especially when Damon and Stefan were watching sport. "I was just talking to Jeremy. He sends his apologises Caroline but he's not coming to the wedding."

"What?" Caroline sat up straighter and inwardly Stefan groaned. Just when he had gotten her to calm down...

"Why's he not coming?" she asked.

Elena sent her friend a knowing look. "You know why Caro."

Angrily Caroline stood up and began pacing up and down the room. Stefan moved to sit beside his wife, comforting her. He could tell she was upset; she had wanted to see Jeremy too. She smiled gratefully at him as he kissed her on the forehead.

"This is ridiculous," Caroline muttered, one hand on her hip. "Completely ridiculous. It's been nearly sixteen years! Why can't they just bury the hatchet? It would be good for them to see each other, to make amends..."

"We can't make them," Stefan reminded her, acting as Caroline's moral compass.

"I don't know if Bonnie's even coming to the wedding. I haven't even sent the invitations out yet!"

"Then maybe you should ask her," suggested Stefan. He felt his beloved wife stiffen. She didn't like talking about Bonnie and Jeremy.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah," she said, happier. "That's what I'll do. I mean, Bonnie and Jeremy have to come. We survived Klaus together. What can break that kind of bond?"

Neither Elena nor Stefan answered; they didn't need to. They all knew love can mend everything together, but it could also break it apart too.

xXx

"Stupid heels," Tari muttered as she pushed the door of the toilets open. She managed about four steps before nearly tripping over herself – that is, if someone hadn't caught her.

She righted herself almost instantly, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she said to the woman. "I didn't mean to-"

"It is alright child," the woman said quickly. Her hand lingered on her a second too long on Tari's arm, but before Tari could take much notice of it she pulled her hand away. "Be careful though – I saw the manager come in."

Tari's heart sank – the waitress may have given them alcohol, but the manager wouldn't hesitate to throw them out, or worse; call their parents. Damon would kill her. "I love you," Tari said without thinking. When the woman laughed the girl tried to come to her senses. "I mean thank you, for letting me know. We'll go."

The woman with light brown hair nodded. "It would be wise. It would be shame to get caught. After all, you are only young once."

Tari gazed at the woman before letting a genuine smile grace her lips. "Thank you. I mean it." She almost skipped away back to friend's table, who thankfully were already paying the bill.

The woman's eyes followed them as they left. Do not thank me child, she thought, her brown eyes sad. I can do nothing to help.

xXx

Sawyer led the way home – the second after she had ordered the drinks she'd told her father that they would stop off at The Grill, therefore they would be late. If she had told Tari this when the girl was sober, she would have been furious – this was one of the things that Damon insisted on. If he knew she was walking home in the dark, he would go mad.

But Tari didn't care now – in fact the walk in the fresh air made her feel better. The bag didn't even feel that heavy, and her arm didn't hurt at all. They were joking and laughing too much.

Liam paused suddenly; Allen who was behind him knocked into him and they both stumbled. "Jesus Lee, what is it?"

"Look." His voice was a low whisper. The trio turned their heads to see what had made his eyes so huge.

Instantly they saw it. How could they not? It dominated the view, no one would be able to miss it. Tari herself couldn't help but be drawn to it: it was the most beautiful colour of silver. She almost wished it was a full moon, because it would make it shine even brighter, like a land-lighthouse.

"It's the tower," Liam hissed.

Sawyer tossed her blonde head towards him. "It can't be," she said, though she sounded uncertain. After all, she was seeing it with her own eyes.

"What's the tower?" Tari asked immediately. It was so frustrating, how in some ways she was still an outsider.

"It's a legend in Mystic Falls." Allen's voice sounded sober and quiet, not like it had before.

"But it's just a legend," began Sawyer.

"Of course it isn't!" snapped Liam. "How can you be so dense S? Look." He pointed. Over the heads of the trees they could see it clearly: the tower was tall, peering down on the tops. It was not tall like great stone towers that you saw in films, but small. Nonetheless it was tall enough to be intimidating, for the four of them to crane their necks to look up at it.

"What is the legend?" persisted Tari.

"Nothing big," Allen said, his eyes still faced on the tower. "It's say that a tower appears in the forest during the night and only at night. Not in the day though. People say they've seen it during the night but when they go back during the day it's disappeared. We've all been told it when we were children, like a scary story, but we thought it was just a tale..."

Tari turned back. It looked so beautiful... Squinting she gazed right up at the top. Were they windows at the top?

"Let's go," said Tari, taking steps towards it.

Liam grabbed her arm (thankfully her good one). "Are you stupid?" he hissed. "You do not go to a haunted tower!"

"It's not haunted, that's not what the legend said," countered Tari. "It simply disappears during the day." Eagerly she moved closer to it, going off the beaten path. Twigs snapped against her face as if trying to pull her back, but she ignored them. "Are we really going to miss a chance to see it?"

"No," Liam said stubbornly.

"I say we go." Allen stepped towards her, following Tari. "She's right. Besides, I'm a warlock. Maybe this place will strength my powers or something?" His eyes were brighter than usual; Tari could see the ambition in them, a rare sight in Allen.

Liam glanced at Sawyer, and she too looked unsure. But she said, "If one of us goes, we all go. It would be reckless to separate right now."

"So we go," Tari said happily and strode forward, leaving the others to follow in her wake. She could hear Liam muttering curses behind her, but he went with them. After all, it was the four of them; all or nothing.

As they got closer, however, Tari began to feel nervous. Before she knew it they were right in front of the tower. She couldn't tell what type of stone made the tower. It didn't look like brick, it looked almost like marble. No wonder it shone.

It was strange though. It was almost...like she knew the place. Perhaps she had seen it in a book, or something similar?

"Oh my God," she heard Allen whisper. She moved towards the other three, and realised they were staring at a door. It was a wooden door, like something from the 1400s. Timidly Tari lifted her hand and grabbed the handle. It turned easily and opened, to reveal a set of stairs.

"Wow," Sawyer breathed. "It's beautiful."

"It's creepy," corrected Liam. He shifted from one foot to another, clearly nervous. "We shouldn't go up there."

Tari turned to him boldly. She herself didn't know where he found such bravery. Maybe it was the alcohol – though if Damon was here, he would say otherwise. He would recognise that fearlessness instantly, and he would curse when he saw it. Tari had her mother's bravery – yes, Rebecca was brave, sometimes even braver than Damon was. There was a difference; Damon was reckless; Rebecca was fearless. Tari possessed that bravery, and while Damon had adored that about Rebecca, he wished to God Tari didn't have it. With her stubbornness it would get her into trouble.

"Why not?" Tari asked.

Liam glowered at her through the darkness. "Who knows what's up there? What if there's some man with a chainsaw?"

"You've been watching too many horror films," she answered dismissively. She turned to the other two, knowing Liam couldn't be convinced. "Are we going?"

The other Scott looked as hesitant as her cousin, but Allen grinned. "Of course," he said. "Why should we be so scared? It's only a tower. Besides, we have each other. As long as we stay together," he said, emphasising his point, "then we'll be fine."

Tari sent a triumphant look at Liam and whirled on her heel, heading upstairs. Liam stuck his arm out, blocking her. "Liam-"

"If you insist on doing this, then at least let me go first." His face was made of stone, reminding her eerily of Damon, but he turned and started up the stairs. Tari waited by the door, stunned at his behaviour and feeling suddenly cruel for making him do this.

"Alright," Liam called from further ahead. "I can't see anything. I deem it's safe."

Tari went up the stairs, Sawyer behind her and Allen bringing up the rear. "Has your soul been taken?" the blonde called out with forced cheerfulness.

"It was the moment I was born," Liam called back, and to Tari's relief she could now see him. He turned to her, and though it was pitch black she could see the curve of a smile on his face. She was forgiven; perhaps he too was enjoying this.

They carried on up the stairs, though it seemed to be a long way. Every so often one of them would trip over the steps, which despite the outward beauty of the tower were not even and worn down. The person who tripped would cry out and cause alarm to the others, though thankfully none of them had fallen. They didn't even feel drunk anymore; the situation had left them all quiet sober, though Tari had to admit she was feeling a little eager.

"Maybe it's a never ending set of steps – we'll never reach the top," Sawyer suggested.

"Like a curse," Tari added.

"Please no," Liam said. "This would be a very sad life."

A few minutes later, to their intense relief, there was a shed of light underneath another door. "A door," Liam said with relief. He grappled with the handle, finally twisting it. When it opened light shone over them, and they all blinked as if they were seeing the sun for the first time.

They were in a small room: there was table, a chair, a few book shelves and a small stool. The ceiling was so low that Liam (who was the tallest) had to bend down. There were even candlesticks! But the place had a thick layer of dust, and there were spider webs in the corners of the room so thick that it looked as if they had been purposefully made to make the place look creepy. Tari had to pinch her nose to stop herself from sneezing.

Allen glanced round, running a finger over the shelf over a bookcase. "It's been abandoned," he murmured. "No books, no paper. It's as if there was never anyone here."

"As if it was set for someone, but they never got to claim it," Sawyer chimed in thoughtfully.

Liam didn't admire the room; instead he turned to Tari, who seemed to be leading them. "Are you satisfied now?" he asked; it looked as if it was annoying him.

Tari ignored his tone; instead she turned her head, indicating another staircase – one which Liam hadn't noticed. This one was made of finer stone, and Tari wondered why it seemed less worn down than the other one. She moved towards it, feeling Allen behind her. She heard Liam utter a soft sigh of annoyance, but she already knew he was following her.

This staircase was shorter, and the cool air greeted them as they reached the top. There was no roof now, and the open sky stared down at them, only the stars watching over them. There was some structure, such as the large archways. It was as if they were meant to be windows, but there was no glass.

This stone seemed to be even more silver, as if the entire building was magic. Instantly Tari felt as if she was on the edge of the world – no, on top of the world. There was indeed nothing above them, not even the clouds, but the stars.

"Amazing," she heard Sawyer breath.

"Beautiful," added Tari. She wanted to get married here. Even Liam seemed in awe of the place.

They were quiet for a long while, until one by one the others went down the stairs again, still silent. Only Tari remained, craning her neck so she could look at the beautiful sky. When she looked round the roof, it almost seemed like...she knew it. That she had been here before. But she had never been here before, she knew that – how the hell would she not be able to remember this place? How would anyone be able to forget it?

She looked to one of the archways. For some reason that particular archway seemed more familiar to her than the others, a rush a déjà vu hitting her like a river.

She did something very foolish then.

Without thinking she took the big step up so she was standing on the edge of the tower, right under the archway. There was nothing in front of her now but thin air; in fact if she took even so much as half a step forward she would fall.

And he lungs for me, and I should move away but I can't, I don't, I have no option. I have to stay there. He lunges at me and I manage it, I succeed, but then I fall through the air.

Falling...

Falling...

Falling...

Tari gasped, her chest almost collapsing in realisation. No... No, it was impossible. It can't be.

"Tari, can we go now?" Liam sounded annoyed now, impatient. He hadn't wanted to come here right from the very beginning; there was something about this place that unsettled him. He wanted to go back to Sawyer's, to forget that this place existed though he knew that would be impossible. How could they forget the legendary tower?

He hadn't expected to see Tari right on the edge, as if she was about to jump. "Tari! What the hell are you doing?" He realised that it wasn't a good idea to yell at a person when a sharp surprise could make them slip and fall, but he himself was scared. First they had come to this place, and now Tari looked as if she was about to jump. What if there was a spirit that possessed them? He realised how insane that sounded, but the fear in his stomach made it seem like anything was possible.

To his intense relief she whirled round and rushed from under the archway towards him. Her face was pale, her blue eyes making her seem almost ghostly. She gripped Liam tightly. "We have to go Liam."

"Well that's what I've been saying-"

"There's something wrong with this place." Only then could he hear the fear in her voice. She didn't look him in the face, his eyes fluttering round like a hectic bird. "I don't understand. It's almost like it's..." She couldn't form the words; after all, how was it possible? She hadn't even seen this place before, how was she able to see it in a dream? She didn't dare tell Liam that, or Allen or Sawyer. She could sound insane. She almost laughed then. Could? She did – she was.

Liam bent his head down, trying to see into her eyes. "Tari, what is it?"

"Nothing, it's – this was a mistake, that's all. Let's go, please."

Her tone was so utterly pleading that she almost succeeded in scaring Liam – who had more dislike of the place then he cared to admit, and it was making him nervous too. But he forced himself to keep calm when he said, "Okay. We'll get the others and go, okay?"

Tari nodded, trying to keep herself calm as Liam led her down the stairs, keeping hold of her. They were both nervous. The sooner they got away from here the better.

xXx

She walked into the room – it was a hotel, but really it should have been called an apartment, for it was spacious and not cramped like some of the places they had been. It wasn't luxurious – but then, nothing would ever match the extravagance of the Spanish palace Alhambra, or the bathhouses or Rome. She had to resign herself to the fact that those days were gone. But she couldn't see any of the apartment, for the place was smothered the darkness – that is, except on the balcony.

She sighed, already knowing what was going to happen. She opened the glass door and onto the balcony, where Axel was sitting. No matter what body he was in, he was always beautiful to her. But at her age, she knew that there was no true beauty in physical features; it was what on the inside that mattered.

He did not look at her. "You went to see her again, didn't you?"

She sighed, going to the railing. "Yes," she said.

He didn't swear – Axel never lost his temper, it was what she loved about him. Then again, they had been together for over two thousand years. He knew her and she knew him, they knew each better than you could imagine. It never got boring though. That was the beauty of true love.

"Regina, what are you thinking?" he asked her. "I have already told you there is no point going to see the child. You cannot do anything for her."

"I cannot help it," Regina said, turning to Axel. "This is Rebecca's daughter. I do not what her to be harmed."

"Nor do I Regina," said Axel. "But what can I do? I have seen the future; it cannot be rewritten."

"You do not know that for sure," Regina said. "You've seen the course of history change before. When Cromwell defeated Charles I you proclaimed England would never be ruled by a monarchy again; and yet you woke up during a storm and said that Cromwell was dead and Charles I's son would come back and rule. You have to admit that the future can be changed."

"Yes," Axel conceded. "The future can be changed, but it is rare Regina." His expression softened when he saw her and stood, going towards her. He held her and she pressed her face into his shoulder. "I am sorry my darling. I fear that you have held on too much hope."

Regina breathed in his scent. Most of it had changed – after all he had changed bodies so often, how could it be expected to stay the same? But there was still the underlying scent of apples, fresh – always there, as if that was the scent of his soul. "How can I let this happen to Rebecca's daughter? Rebecca was willing to do anything to protect her child. She would want me to watch over her."

"I understand Regina, but as I said before, you can't change the future. It is laid out like a path, and only rarely does another path emerge. You cannot continue spying on her and hoping that her future will change." He pushed her back, stroked her beautiful face. "I am afraid it will only make your disappointment even greater."

She understood what Axel was saying, she did. He was right really, and he was indeed only trying to protect her. But at the same time she couldn't resign herself to it. She had asked Axel before to see what would happened to Tari, and he tried for her, but they both knew that you could not control the Sight. He held back the truth for an even longer time from her, but she had known that he was keeping it from her. She knew him too well.

When he finally told her what he saw, Regina cried – unusual for her. She had never met the child, but she knew Rebecca and had loved Rebecca. And Rebecca had loved Tari with everything she had. She had been Rebecca's best friend – surely it was her right to protect the child?

The moment I knock on the door Rebecca answers. My friend's face is pace and I can tell she has been shaken. I take her in my arms and hug her. I feel her grip me in return. She is terrified.

"Come in," she says and I walk inside. Though Rebecca has been to my home I have rarely entered her apartment. It is very modern for my taste, but nice enough. I do not take a long look at the decor – this is an emergency.

"I saw him," Rebecca whispers. She seems unhinged somehow, and cannot keep her hands still. She is near tears. "Oh Regina, I saw him. And I can't do a damn thing to him – even... How am I supposed to stand up to him? I'm just a human."

"Rebecca Snow, you are not just a human." I take her hand and squeeze it. "You are more than that. I have met billions of humans over my lifetime Rebecca – among others – but none of them are like you. You are special."

Rebecca is already shaking her head. "I'm not special. I may have carried a half-human half-vampire baby and lived to tell the tale, but I'm not special. She," says Rebecca, glancing down the hall to where her daughter is sleeping, "is special. It's clear."

I see my friend looking down the hall. "Do you want me to check on her?" Rebecca doesn't like it when I call Tari 'the child'. A force of habit I'm afraid.

She nods and I go to the bedroom. Every time I look at the child I feel it; an electric bolt sizzling down my body. It lasts only for a moment but that's enough. An ability of our type is to be able to see behind the human masks and reveal what is actually hidden underneath. I feel it when I see other supernatural beings, but Rebecca's daughter was different; I have never seen another being such as her, therefore I have never felt what I do when I look at her. She should not exist.

"She is fine," I say. "Would you like some tea?"

Rebecca glances up, her brown eyes watery. "Can we have something stronger?" she asks. I cannot help but smile and bring out some wine. I pour two glasses and watch my friend drink it in one gulp and pour herself another glass.

"What are you going to do Rebecca?" I whisper.

She lifts her gaze. "Damon's coming."

I have never met Damon Salvatore, but I do not like him. As a supernatural being I have heard many things about the infamous Salvatore brothers. Both fell for the elusive Katerina Petrova, both got their hearts broken. Damon Salvatore drowned his sorrows in killing, but it is widely acknowledged that it is not his nature; the younger brother Stefan, however, has an even worse reputation for killing. A decade or two will pass and he will control his desires, but you then hear of an entire village being wiped off the face of the planet without a trace. That is the trade mark of a true vampire, and more often than not it has been the work of Stefan Salvatore. Both fell in love with the doppelganger, and Stefan succeeded in winning her heart. It was then rumoured that the oldest brother, Damon Salvatore fell for a human. The trail ended there until I officially met Rebecca – and that was when I realised how the story truly ended with the birth of a child. I still do not like the Salvatore brothers despite the fact they have not killed innocents for years now. I have seen too many people try to change their spots and fail to believe they have truly changed.

I cannot help but snort. "Damon has accomplished many feats Rebecca, but I doubt even he can help you."

"You don't know him Regina."

This is one of the things we quarrel over: Damon. Rebecca believes that he can solve everything; I am doubtful over his abilities. I understand though – if you ask me you always leave a piece of your heart, even if it's a tiny one, to your first love. I think Rebecca left a big piece with Damon Salvatore.

"He can help," Rebecca says confidently. "He will protect us. Even if he doesn't protect me, he'll protect his daughter. He adores Tari."

I close my eyes. "I hope you are right my friend. I hope with all my heart that Damon Salvatore can protect you. The enemy you are fighting against is incredibly strong. You had better be prepared."

Rebecca gives me the look that I call her warrior look: the one where I see her eyes harden, and I imagine her as one of the great women of the world – such as Isabella of Castile, a better warrior than most men – ready to battle whatever the cost may be. "I will not let him hurt my daughter. Even if I have to die myself, I won't let it happen."

Oh Rebecca, Regina thought sadly, still holding on to Axel. You were willing to put your life on the line for your daughter. And you did. I am sorry to have lost you.

xXx

For absolutely no reason at all, Damon woke up. He pushed himself off the mattress and stumbled to the window, still half asleep. He felt uncertain for some reason, a gnawing feeling deep in his stomach. He was about to leave the bedroom to check on Tari when he remembered that she was at Sawyer's. The vampire gritted his teeth, hating the fact he allowed Tari to stay with a friend.

He checked his phone. Tari hadn't text him when she got inside. He muttered a curse over his daughter's forgetfulness – surely she was home now? It was nearly one in the morning.

What if she isn't?

He ignored the voice of doom and called his daughter. Tari was in the bathroom, staring at her reflection. Her mobile buzzed on the table and she saw the name DAMON. She knew that he would continue to pester her until she answered, and if she didn't answer then he would come over – and that would be worse.

"Hey Damon," she greeted tiredly.

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I'm just getting ready for bed."

"You didn't text me when you got home." His tone was reproachful.

She suppressed a sigh and leant against the sink. "Yeah, I know. I forgot, I'm sorry."

"Tari, you know this only works if you check in with me."

His daughter's mind was too caught up with what happened to argue. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

Just like Tari couldn't fight him when he was calm, Damon couldn't fight her when she was apologetic. He sighed, leaning back on the bed. "Okay, just call me in the morning when you want to be picked up. Are you about to go to bed?"

"Yeah, I'm just finishing up in the bathroom. Allen's coming in after me-"

"Allen?" Damon sat up again, alert. "Are Allen and Liam there?"

"Yeah," Tari answered, a little surprised at his alertness. Then she felt a smile growing on her face. "Didn't I mention that?"

"No, you didn't. I thought we talked about boys-"

"Boyfriends, we talked about boyfriends. Not boys."

"You're not sleeping in the same bed with them, are you?"

"Maybe."

Damon put his hand to his head, closing his eyes. "I don't like this Tari." He had been a boy once, a teenage boy, and he had lived in a time where he'd had to curb his thoughts and desires (though when Katherine arrived that all went to hell). Nowadays boys didn't even try; they had foul mouths and grabby hands, and Damon detested the thought of Tari having a boyfriend.

"Calm down Damon. I'm also sharing the bed with Sawyer. We're not going to have multiple orgies-"

He groaned. "Please tell me my fourteen year old daughter didn't use the word orgies."

She rolled her eyes, but despite everything that had happened that night she couldn't help but grin. "Nothing's going to happen. We're literally going to go to bed now."

"No boyfriends allowed, okay? And after tonight we're going to talk about sleeping in the same bed as them."

His daughter sighed. "Looking forward to it."

He smirked. "Night kid."

"Night Damon." Once she hung up the phone Damon curled up under the sheets, feeling a ton better. His child was safe. It was stupid really, but he'd had a feeling that something was wrong. Shaking his head he turned on his side and closed his eyes, comforting the fact that Tari was safe.

xXx

"I've decided to forgive you."

Oh thank God. She doesn't say that though; time has taught her to keep her mouth shut. He didn't like her voicing her opinions even when he was in a good mood. And when she was in this position with him he could easily harm her.

He planted kisses down her neck, his hands squeezing her breasts. He held them so tight they ached in pain; he must have known but he did not loosen his grip. "Oh yes," he purred, nipping her ear. She let out a mew of pain, she couldn't help it. "I have an even better idea."

He kneeled down on the bed with her in front of him, pushing her legs apart. Knowing what was coming she began to struggle. "No, please."

He paused in the process of sucking her shoulder. "What?" She could already picture his face: perfectly calm like the sky before the thunderstorm.

"Please, don't, I..." She wished she wouldn't get emotional, but she was beginning to break. She had lasted for so long but she had always known that she wouldn't be able to always remain tough before him. "I can't take it."

"Okay," he said. Still not able to see him, she couldn't see his face, though she was surprised by the tone of his voice. He didn't turn angry; he sounded content. "No problem."

He moved away from her. She didn't dare breathe; too terrified to make a noise in case he changed his mind. She was scared; she knew him, and he had something up his sleeve...

He came behind her, wrapping a thick leather belt round her neck. Her hands went to it instantly as he tightened it, momentarily choking her. He pulled her off the bed and onto the floor; she fell on her knees and flinched. When she lifted her head she came face to face with his cock, long and hard.

His voice was rigid now, like immovable marble. "You know what I want."

She glanced up at his face and looked back down even faster. She didn't have the courage to refuse him twice; her punishment may be too great for her to bear. Doing as he said she opened her mouth and placed his dick inside. She wanted to be sick, but as always she forced it down and began to suck.

He continued talking as if she was facing him, though his hand was on the back of her head, playing with her hair. "It doesn't matter that we haven't been able to capture her yet. I have decided to allow her to have some freedom, let her grow close to her friends and family. I will let her bond with Damon strengthen. And then I will take her." He smirked slowly, a cold one that could freeze people in their tracks. "This will be the thing that breaks Damon Salvatore for good."

xXx

"I feel like shit," Liam said wearily, sitting up on his elbow. Morning had not been a welcome sight today. All of them had tossed and turned throughout the night, their minds still on the tower. It had shaken them all, particularly Tari and Liam. The alcohol they had drunk had left them all with headaches, and without a good night's sleep none of them were in the best of moods. Even the beautiful Sawyer looked exhausted.

"Tell me about it," she said, lying down on her bed. "My head is aching."

"Oh yeah?" said Allen beside her. "My head feels like a herd of elephants had a dance party."

"At least your arm isn't killing you," Tari shot back. "I've had so many painkillers I think I'm going to be high for the rest of the day."

"Lucky you," Sawyer muttered.

"You also smell like you've downed a hundred mints," Allen added. It was making him feel nauseous.

"That's because I have. None of you lot have fathers that have super scent."

There was quiet for a moment. "So," Liam began with his usual recklessness. "Are we going to talk about what happened last night?"

Sawyer sighed, leaning against the bed head. "What did happen last night?" she asked. "I was kinda hoping it had been a dream."

"Me too," Tari said softly. For her it almost had been. Had it? Her mind felt like it was made of sponge. It didn't help that she was exhausted. When she got home she was going to crawl into bed and go to sleep until tomorrow morning.

"Maybe it's best if we just forget about it," Allen suggested. "I mean, how has it affected us?"

"More than you'd think," said Tari. It had shaken her. That place meant something to her, and not in a good way. Even now she could feel the cool air on her skin and for a moment she couldn't catch her breath.

Allen stood up. "I'm heading to Marty's Pancake Palace for some breakfast." Sawyer and Tari shared a nauseated glance; the thought of breakfast made them feel like sick. Allen turned to the other three. "Fancy a walk?"

"I'll come," Tari said, getting up. "I could use some air. I'll get Damon to pick me up from there. Coming Lee?"

He shook his head. "I'll stay at Sawyer's for a while. My little sister makes so much noise – more when she's not playing one of the many instruments she owns – that I don't think my head can take it." Tari didn't miss the subtle glance that he sent Sawyer. She realised that he wanted to talk to her. She tried to imagine the bond that they shared – Lee and Sawyer were obviously close, like a brother and sister. She had a sudden desire to have a brother, someone that went through the same things that she did at the same time and helped her through them; someone that shared the crazy family she had.

Allen and Tari walked into town, taking deep breaths as they went. "This feels better," Tari said after a minute of walking in the cool air. She was exhausted, and really just wanted to sleep, but at the same time she knew the fresh air was good for her.

Allen shook his head. "We shouldn't have drunk," he said as they took the short cut through the park. "What was Sawyer thinking?"

Tari turned her shocked face to her friend. "What? If I remember correctly you were the one who agreed with her."

"It was only because your arm was hurting," Allen said back, his tone lightly teasing.

"And because you and Lee were in such bad moods." Her friend's face froze, and a moment later his brown eyes dimmed. Tari felt her face flush, embarrassed at bringing up. Why the hell did she say that? She didn't want Allen to go back into his dark mood again. "Want to talk about it?" she asked him gently.

He didn't look at her and she thought that he wasn't going to answer; she was even worried that he wouldn't talk to her at all. But Allen wasn't like that; unlike the Scotts he couldn't hold a grudge and didn't particularly have a taste for fighting. It was rare for Tari to meet someone like that: although Stefan was quiet and moderating, Elena and Damon fought constantly and of course Tari herself joined in; Sawyer and Liam were famous for their arguments. Tari wondered if it was natural with people that knew each other for a long time; they couldn't hide their true emotions from the other person, so they didn't even try. Maybe they even fought because they knew that the people they fought so fiercely with would never leave them, no matter what.

If that was the case, than Tari felt sorry that Allen didn't have that with someone.

"My dad didn't call," Allen said simply. There was no complexity behind that sentence, only pure pain. She could hear the sadness in his voice, and instantly wanted to comfort him. Even though Damon hadn't visited her often in her later years, they had texted and talked over the phone, it still hurt that he wasn't around. How could he not even call to wish his son a happy birthday?

"Can't you call him?" asked Tari, trying to be delicate.

"That's why I was in such a bad mood," Allen said. His voice grew a little stronger as he continued. "My dad moved recently, and I wanted his number or his address. My mom and I got into a big fight because of it. She refused to give it to me."

"She doesn't want you to get hurt."

"It's not her decision anymore T. I'm fifteen, I'm old enough to make my own decisions. But she's using the legal system, saying she'll let me have it when I'm eighteen." He shook his head. "Three years before I'll be able to see my father."

Tari didn't say anything. How could she tell him that it wasn't Allen's responsibility to keep his relationship with his father going? Damon may not have been around, but he did keep in contact. That said a lot.

xXx

"I thought I was picking you up at Sawyer's?" Damon said when she sat in the car.

"I wanted to walk with Allen," Tari answered. She leant back against the car seat, realising that she had come back to falling asleep in Damon's car.

"You want to pick something up? Have a brunch or something?"

The thought churned his stomach. "No thanks."

Damon sent her a strange look; Tari refusing to eat out? That wasn't like her. But maybe she had eaten a large breakfast at Sawyer's. Dismissing it he said, "So can we talk about sleeping in the same bed with boys?"

Tari stifled a groan. "Please Damon, can we not talk about this now?"

"It'll be quick," Damon promised. "We're you in the same bed with Liam and Allen?"

"Yes," she answered. She was beginning to feel like she was in court. In truth they had all slept in Sawyer's big bed; Sawyer was at one end, then Liam, then Tari and then Allen. Her beloved father would not be too pleased if he knew she had slept in-between two boys.

"Don't," he said, his voice firm. "From now on you're not allowed to be in the same bed with a boy, got it? And that includes being on a bed with a boy."

The girl wasn't feeling too good, her stomach swirling. Why the hell did they have Mexican food? She was feeling too ill to argue with Damon, even though there was nothing going on with either Liam or Allen. "Okay."

"Did you just agree with me? Jesus, is that a flying pig I see?"

Tari really wished they could get off food. "Well you wouldn't let me anyway would you?"

"Probably not," agreed Damon. "Still, to give up without a fight? Amazing really-"

"Stop the car."

"Huh?" He turned his head to his daughter, and realised how awfully pale she looked – and how hot.

"Stop the car now!"

Instantly Damon pulled over to the other side of the road. Almost as fast as the car itself Tari threw the door open and threw up on the side of the road.

Damon was almost in shock when she leant back in the car. She was sweating as if she was in a sauna, her hair sticking against her forehead. She was breathing heavily. "So," he asked after a moment. "What did you do last night?"

xXx

If Tari knew this was going to happen, she would have poured the drinks on the floor.

Tyler entered the girl's room, spotting Damon and Stefan outside the bathroom. "Hey," he said, grinning. "Caroline told me what happened. How is she?"

"Still throwing up," replied Damon. He couldn't hide the smirk on his face, and he didn't want to. It was too funny.

"She hasn't been drunk before, has she?" Tyler leant against the wall.

"Clearly she doesn't have my drinking skills," Damon said when he heard the toilet flush. After a minute Tari appeared out the bathroom, still a little pale, and came face to face with three grinning faces.

"You can all go to hell," she said without hesitation. It didn't help; in fact their grins increased, even Stefan's. She moved to the bed, pushing the cushions over her head, but even that couldn't block them out. If she had known that they would all find her struggle with alcohol so highly amusing she would never have drunk it in the first place. She almost wished Damon had been angry.

"What?" said Damon in mock bemusement. "Are you feeling a little under the weather?"

"Jeez kid," Tyler said, sitting down on the bed next to her. "You really can't hold you alcohol can you?"

"Like you could when you were my age." Tari's head was still under the pillow when she spoke.

"I wasn't bad," said Tyler, putting his hands behind his head. "I'd had a few drinks before I was fourteen. My first was my thirteenth birthday – one of my friends snuck me a bottle of whisky." He pulled a face. "I must admit I had a rough few days after that."

"Jesus," Tari said, lifting her head up. "You rich kids don't do things by halves do you?"

"We were founders," Elena said, entering the room followed closely by Caroline. "In this town it's like being royalty."

"And technically you are a rich kid now," Damon added. "And a founder."

"Then why don't I have a television in my room to escape the insanity?"

"Do you remember when we first got drunk Elena?" asked Caroline. She was now on the bed with Tyler, his arm hooked round her waist.

The brunette broke into a wide grin, one that puffed up her cheeks and narrowed her eyes like a chipmunk. "Oh God, yes. It was me, Matt, Bonnie, Caroline and Tyler – we were all hanging out at The Grill and Tyler had managed to get us some – what did we drink?"

"I don't know, some cocktail or something. It was definitely cherry," Caroline said, which earned a groan from Tari. The adults chuckled.

"We were drunk – considering none of us had drunk alcohol before-"

"Speak for yourself," interjected Tyler.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Whatever Ty; anyway, we were pretty drunk and who should come in and sit in the next booth? My parents."

Tari winced. "Okay, that's bad."

"My ex-boyfriend Matt got me to pretend I was choking so he could escape-"

"But Elena's dad was a doctor-" Caroline interrupted.

"So of course he rushes up to save her-" Tyler added.

"And I try to run away and slip, falling flat on my ass." She shook her head. "God we were so stupid back then. My parents grounded me for at least a month. And those drinks didn't even taste very good. It tasted really sweet and sour-"

Before she could finish Tari got up and walked to the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Yep," Damon said, collapsing on the bed beside Tyler. "She really doesn't have my tolerance."

"She's not having any alcohol at my wedding," Caroline said. She pulled herself off the bed, and everyone in the room saw her switch back to Wedding Mode. "I need to call the travel agent back, she's meant to be sorting out flights for us and the invitations-" She broke off, gasping. "Oh no!"

"Car, breathe," Tyler said, grabbing her waist and attempting to pull her back on the bed. But it was too late; they hadn't caught her in time.

"I picked a champagne background for the invitations! What was I thinking? Beige is a much better colour!" She had disappeared in a second, and they could hear her doing something frantic downstairs.

"Oh damn," Tyler moaned. He stood up, rushing after her. "See what I have to deal with all day every day?"

"You should have eloped," called Damon.

"Why didn't you suggest that sooner?" Tyler called from the hall.

Stefan slipped his hand into Elena's. "We should help him."

"Do we have to?" Elena asked, pulling a face. Stefan sent her a look and she sighed. "Okay fine." As they left the bedroom Damon heard her ask, "Why did I have to marry a saint?"

The toilet flushed again and Tari reappeared. "I feel like shit." She buried herself back on the bed, as if trying to dig herself a sanctuary.

Damon pulled her closer to him. "I know sweetie," he said, rubbing her back.

"So," Tari said, her face in his shoulder. "How long am I grounded for? Do you want me to give up my phone?"

He smiled slightly. "I'm not grounding you."

Tari was too weak to act more shocked, but lifted her head up to make sure that this was her father. "You're not?"

"No." As Tari glanced round the room, he asked, "Are you having dizzy spells?"

"I think I just saw the flying pig." She laid back down on the bed. "Why not?"

"I've never overly lectured you about alcohol because – and while I'm not overly happy with you drinking when I wasn't around – the best way to get your child not to drink alcohol is to have them drink too much off." He rested his eyes on her, her face even paler than usual. "You're not going to drink alcohol again, are you?"

Just the thought of it made her stomach lurch. Eyes closed she said, "Never again."

Damon laughed. "I wouldn't go that far but my point's proven." He wrapped her up in the covers, kissing her forehead. "Do you want anything?"

Tari shook her head. "Just sleep."

He left her alone for half hour before returning to the bedroom. By that point Tari was dead to the world. He watched his daughter sleep. If he was absolutely honest it was one of his favourite things to do, his guilty pleasure. But instead of binging on chocolate or settling down for another session of The O.C., his was relatively healthy.

Yeah right. Twenty years ago you would have scoffed at a parent acting this way. You would have called them obsessive.

But being a parent, it changed you. He would even say it was more powerful than the romantic love, because this love could not be twisted and it couldn't turn into hate. He truly believed that no one parent could completely hate their child. He could never in a million years hate Tari, even though she made him so angry sometimes he wanted to break everything in the house. She was his little girl. He loved her with every fibre of his body.

That was why he would protect her, by any means necessary.

xXx

"Tari?" The girl glanced up from her desk in the maths lesson. Her teacher handed her a pink slip. "You need to go to the office."

Tari glanced down at the slip in her hand. Shit. What had she done? She hadn't done anything wrong, had she? Gathering up her books she walked down the hall, fear snaking up her back every step. Had something happened to one of her family? She was a little surprised at how terrified she was of the thought of losing Damon. But it was understandable – she had lost one parent, she couldn't lose another, not her father.

It hadn't been a good weekend, not after Allen's birthday. Though she hadn't been grounded and slept like a baby, she'd had the Nightmare again. This time everything seemed more vivid, more real. She instantly recognised the tower now, the silver marble glinting off the moonlight. But the man had seemed more veiled than ever, and now Tari couldn't even recall his face properly – which was odd, because she had been able to before.

She hadn't told Damon about the tower. One reason was that he would definitely ground her after realising she had been walking at night alone. The way he acted it was like there were perverts and vampires lurking behind every rock and tree. Besides which, even if she did tell Damon – then what? What could he do? Okay, she had been in some mystical disappearing tower (and who was to say that you couldn't find the tower during the day? Maybe they just hadn't looked properly, these people who had visited once and hadn't been able to find it. Stories got out of hand all the time, and that's what it was – a story) – so what? Damon couldn't change any of it. How would he be able to tell her the significance of it?

God I need therapy.

"Nefertari Salvatore?" A woman with long light brown hair approached her. She was about the same age as her mother. She stuck her hand out. "I'm Mrs Smith."

Tari shook her hand. "Hi," she said, her voice unable to mask her confusion. "I'm sorry – who are you?"

"I am from admissions of Yale University."

Yale University? "Are you sure you have the right person?" There couldn't be many people with the same name as her, but let's face it, why the hell was Yale University looking for her? She was nowhere near ready to start thinking about colleges yet, let alone applying to them. She was only fourteen.

"We're absolutely sure," the woman said, still smiling. She glanced out the window to a bench that looked over the school field. "May we have a seat outside?"

Tari agreed, though why the woman wanted to go outside to talk was beyond her – the weather wasn't exactly warm. She followed the woman nonetheless. "I don't understand," she said. "I'm fourteen, and I know for a fact I haven't done anything-" She broke off when she felt the woman grip her arm tightly, pulling her further across the field and away from the bench. "Where are we going?"

The woman looked at her then. Her face was sober, her brown eyes serious and almost sad. "I'm not from Yale University."

Oh shit.

xXx

*I'm referring to what Emily Bennett said to Stefan earlier in the series. I think this is what she said to the best of my memory, but it was words to that affect. If not then just pretend that was what she said for the sake of the story

EEEEEEEEEEEE! I love the ending even if I do say so myself!

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REVIEW = LOVE + LONGER AND FASTER CHAPTERS!