Chapter 20
"Fine but no lies." Elena said
Cassie just stared at her.
"Why didn't you stay after our parents died?"
Cassie ran her hand through her hair. "Do you really want to start with that question?"
Elena glared at her. "Fine, what happened to your friends."
"They died, they didn't wait for a plan and allowed those vampires in, and they killed them."
"The fire?"
"I started it, Isaac didn't want his family to answer questions about what was in the house."
"And your friends?"
Cassie looked Elena in the eyes "I buried them."
Elena felt a pang if guilt. "Oh"
Cassie stood up and poured herself a drink. "Want one?" she asked.
Elena shook her head.
Cassie sat back down and waited for Elena to continue.
"Why are you back?" Elena asked
"Jeremy called and asked me to come back."
"Why?"
"He said he missed me and wanted me to come back."
"Did he know that you knew about all of this?"
"Yes"
"How?"
"We have been talking."
"What?"
"Jeremy and I, since Anna died."
Elena remained quiet.
"I missed you guys." Cassie said in a whisper
"What?"
"I missed you guys, I thought just watching and making sure you guys were ok was enough but it wasn't."
"Why didn't you come back after the funeral." Elena asked.
"It's complicated." Cassie whispered.
"Try me."
"Elena I wanted to go to college and get away from everything, and you guys had Jenna."
"I blame you." Elena said "for the car accident."
Cassie took a drink and stared of to the side "I know"
"If you hadn't of called them."
"I know Elena!" Cassie yelled. "I blame myself, so I know how much you blame me!"
It was quiet, neither one knowing where to go from there.
"Cassie," Elena began "I…I"
"Save it Elena, I don't want your pity, I made my decisions and I have to live with them."
"Who did you talk to?" Elena asked.
Cassie sighed. "Jeremy, Caroline, and Matt."
"Why them?"
"Because they called me." She said.
Elena stared at her older sister as she finished her drink.
"I'm adopted" Elena said.
"I know"
"But if you're a Petrova doppelganger then"
"Isobel is my mom but John isn't my dad."
"Oh, who is your dad?"
"I don't know."
Elena felt pity for her sister.
"What's with you and Damon?"
Cassie stared at her sister, "why does it matter to you?"
"Because I care about him."
"Like you care about Stefan?"
"That's not your business."
"Oh" Cassie said "anything else?"
"I still don't trust you." Elena said bluntly. "You show up, become friends with all of the originals and you expect us to believe that you want to help."
Cassie stood up put her glass down and walked out the house not saying a word leaving Elena there.
Cassie kept walking until she made it to the Grill.
When she got there she saw Katherine sitting at the bar.
Cassie walked over and sat next to her.
"So how did sister bonding time go?" Katherine asked.
Cassie took Katherine's shot and drained it.
"That well?" she asked.
"That well." Cassie replied. "After all of our talking she still doesn't trust me."
"Did you tell her?" Katherine asked.
"Nope" Cassie said popping the p.
Katherine looked at Cassie.
"Shut up" she said laughing.
Katherine laughed too.
"why didn't you tell her?" Katherine asked.
"I know my sister and she cant keep a secret and too many people know already." Cassie said who voice a whisper. "I wish I could."
"Are you ok?" Katherine asked looking at her friend.
Cassie shook her head. "I don't know what I am Rin but I am most definitely not ok."
Elena stared at the seat where her sister was sitting. Letting all of the information soak in.
She didn't hear Stefan come in and sit next to her.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
Elena leaned in and Stefan wrapped his arms around her.
"I thought I would feel better hearing her answers," she said.
"Do you?" Stefan asked.
"They weren't good enough." Elena said. "I want my sister back but there is something that is just not right."
"But she is here now and she hasn't does anything but help." Stefan said.
"I know, do you like her?" Elena asked.
Stefan paused for a moment "I do" he said after thinking about it. "she seems nice."
"Damon likes her" Elena mumbled.
Stefan looked down at her.
"is that why you don't like her?" Stefan asked. "because she is getting close with Damon?"
Stefan unwrapped his arms from Elena.
"Elena, you cant hate her because she likes Damon." Stefan said.
Elena stood up still not saying anything.
"Elena, you need to chose." Stefan finally said.
"Stefan" she said.
"no, you cant keep doing this with me and my brother." Stefan said and walked out of the house.
Jeremy and Damon sat in the living room of the gilbert house, Alaric was with them and they were making stakes.
"so Damon" Alaric said.
"don't start Ric" Damon said.
"what?" Jeremy asked.
"Damon was kissing Cassie when I went to go get them." Ric teased.
"um.." Jeremy said turning to Damon "are you over Elena then?" he asked.
Damon was glaring to Alaric fully ignoring Jeremy and his question.
"seriously?" Damon asked standing up and leaving.
Alaric and Jeremy looked at each other.
"I don't think he knows how he feels for your sisters." Alaric said.
Jeremy nodded and the two of them returned to making stakes.
Damon went to the grill and saw Cassie and Katherine sitting at the bar. He sat next to Katherine and ordered a shot.
"how did it go?" Damon asked.
"fine" Cassie said coldly still hurt about what she saw in the living room.
Damon looked at her confused at her attitude, but said nothing.
Stefan joined them soon after that. "Cassie I'm sorry about Elena its just that her senses are heightened, she doesn't know what she is doing."
Cassie and Damon shared a look and drank their shot.
Cassie turned to Stefan. "you cant keep using that excuse for her, I gave her the answers, she didn't like them, life goes on."
"she is your sister Cassie." Stefan said
"I'm her sister too" Cassie whispered. Standing up she looked at Damon "I am not going to be your back up, I refuse to be." And she left
Katherine looked at Damon. "I have no right to say anything I know but Cassie deserves better then being trapped in your guys love triangle." And she left.
Leaving Stefan and Damon alone at the bar.
"I never thought I would say this but Katherine is right." Stefan said. "I have done this triangle we did it once and I have no interest in doing it again, so I told Elena she needed to choose today."
Damon looked at his brother "I told her the same thing." He mumbled.
The two brothers looked at each other and Stefan nodded his head toward his brother.
"I need to apologize to Cassie" Damon said. "again"
Stefan half smiled "there was a time where I would of never guessed you could say sorry."
Damon chuckled and stood up.
Stefan raised his drink in farewell and returned to his drink.
Elena was furious today hadn't gone how she wanted to and she didn't know what to do anymore.
"how is it going?" a voice called
Elena turned around to see Katherine was.
"what are you doing here?" she asked.
"I wanted to see if it has hit you yet." She said.
"to see if what has hit me?" Elena asked.
"you have driven everyone away from you." She said. "your alone"
Elena stopped and looked at Katherine .
"what?" she asked.
"don't worry its not that bad I did it for a couple hundred of years." Katherine said.
"what are you talking about. I'm not alone." Elena said.
"really?" Katherine asked. "your boy toys are tired of being pulled along, and your friends cant stand the way you are acting towards your sister. Face it Elena your alone."
Elena turned and looked at the empty boarding house, she turned to say something to Katherine but found she was gone too.
Guilt flooded Elena as she realized she has become exactly what she didn't want to be.