Chapter 5
The Ties That Bind
"Isn't technology just wonderful little brother?" Damon asked, leaning back onto the couch, bringing the glass of scotch up to his lips.
He held his phone in his other hand, looking through it. On the screen were pictures of Kali, ones that he'd taken without anyone knowing. This made him smirk, eyes traveling over to his brother as he came forward, taking the phone from Damon's loose grasp. He laughed when Stefan glared at him, seeing the pictures on Damon's phone. What Stefan didn't know, was that Damon had taken them deliberately, just to piss him off. It was purely for his own amusement.
"What's this?" Stefan asked.
"Oh, nothing," Damon grinned. "Just bored. Am I at the point of stalking now?" Damon asked, watching Stefan's expression growing darker. "Taking pictures of her wherever I go?"
How he loved to toy with his brother, putting ideas in that tiny little Good Samaritan head of his. Damon was just having too much fun with this. In fact, it kind of reminded him of when they were human, the occasional good natured jokes. That was a long time ago though. Now, he just wanted to get back at him.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from her?" he asked, nearly tossing the phone back in Damon's face, who caught it with his quick reflexes.
"I don't know, until it clicks?" he chuckled, downing his drink in one gulp. "Besides, our little friend seems to attract trouble."
Damon then got up, moving to place his glass on the table.
"Not to mention, we've already exchanged numbers," he said happily, a large smile on his face, purposefully put there to annoy his brother. "I'm helping her with little Jeremy's drug addiction now."
"Why are you helping her?" Stefan asked warily. "What's in it for you?"
"Hm, let's see, that's for me to know and you to dot, dot, dot," he grinned, making his way up the stairs to change. "Do you think she'd go to the Founder's Celebration with me if I asked?" he chuckled, seeming Stefan's expression. "Maybe later then?"
T
"Come on, Kali, you have to come," Elena whined, making me roll my eyes.
"Oh, yes, of course. I'll come alone while everyone else has a date," I scoffed lightly, shoving a spoon full of cereal into my mouth.
"Hey, it's not that bad," she tried, a small smile on her face. "You could always take Jeremy," she suggested. "I'm sure he'd say yes. After all, he did have a crush on you all those years."
"Yes, of course, after he got turned down by Vicki? He'd think that I pitied him," I told her.
The last thing that I wanted to do was make him feel any worse than he already did.
"Plus, Caroline's taking Damon, right?" I asked.
"I think so, but according to him, he doesn't like putting up with her that much," she told me.
"Then why go with her? I wouldn't want to go with her if I were him either," I said honestly.
"I don't know, it's kind of hard for some guys to say no to Caroline."
I rolled my eyes.
"Fine, I'll ask Jeremy," I sighed, pushing myself up out of my chair and walking upstairs.
I knocked on the door once, standing there, listening.
"What do you want?" he called from inside, sounding irritated.
Honestly, I couldn't really blame him after getting turned down the way that he did.
"It's me, can I come in?" I asked.
"It's unlocked," he told me, giving me permission to enter.
"Hey, I've got a question for you," I started, closing the door behind me.
"Sure?"
"Um, if I were to ask you to come with me to the Founder's Celebration, would you?" I asked, feeling slightly nervous for some reason.
He stared at me for a moment, searching for something it seemed.
"Why me?" he asked, pushing himself into a sitting position.
"Why not?"
"It's just…" he sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I don't think I'm worth taking anywhere," he whispered.
"Hey now," I went and sat on his bed, moving beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Jeremy, you are worth it," I told him, brushing his bangs out of his face. "Besides, I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think you were worth being around," I smiled, trying to cheer him up.
"Really?" he asked, still doubtful.
"Of course," I nodded. "But if we're going to go, we're going to have to get ready," I said, nudging him.
T
"Elena, are you sure about this?" I asked, looking down at the dress that she'd given me to use.
"I think it'll look good on you," Bonnie piped up from her spot inside the bathroom.
"Really?"
I was kind of skeptical about this and that was putting it nicely.
"Come on, I'm serious," Bonnie smiled, standing up and walking over to me.
She took the dress from my hands, holding it up to me. I felt her mess with my hair a bit, the smile on her face growing even bigger.
"Nice," she grinned.
"Stop it!" I blushed, getting embarrassed.
Just then, the phone rang. Since Elena was closest, she picked it up, placing it to her ear.
"Hello?" she replied sitting on her bed. "Hi Ms. Lockwood," she smiled, placing a hand on her knee.
I watched her from my spot next to Bonnie, Elena's face turning into one of confusion.
"What do you mean? It is?"
Something was wrong.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "Because I saw it," she told her, sounding slightly frustrated. "Let me check. Mm-hm."
She then made to get up off of the bed, heading out of the room.
"I will find it and bring it," she promised. "Okay. Bye."
With that, ended the call, making her way over to Jeremy's room.
"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked, stepping out of the bathroom.
"Elena, what are you doing?" I asked, following her.
She ignored me as she marched over toward Jeremy, deliberately smacking the headphone off of his head. I winced when I heard it though, feeling sorry for Jeremy as he raised his hand to his cheek.
"Ahh! God, what now?" he asked.
"Elena," I warned, stepping forward.
"The pocket watch, where is it?" she asked.
"What watch?" he asked, cringing as the spiraled cord of his headphones tugged at his hair.
"The one you stole from Mom's box," she said pointedly, irritation in her voice.
"Elena, what's going on?" I asked.
"Just, give me a sec," she told me, turning her eyes back toward Jeremy. "Look, Ms. Lockwood just called me freaking out," she told him. "It's on the list, Jeremy. She can't find it and she thinks she's the one that lost it."
"And maybe she did. Maybe Tyler took it," he told her.
"Don't even play that card," she warned him. "You took it."
"Elena," I tried.
I didn't like seeing them fight, especially, after everything that they'd been through.
"If I go online am I gonna find it on E-Bay? Is that how you pay for your pot?"
"Elena, enough!" I told her, stepping forward in Jeremy's defense.
"Screw you," Jeremy said curtly, getting up out of his chair.
If there's one thing that I knew, then it was that he'd never steal something like that and sell it for his drug addiction.
"No, I won't stop!" Elena fought, her eyes now focused on me. "Is this what he's going to do every time? We take it away and he just steals stuff in order to replace it?" she asked.
"Elena, would you just stop for a moment?" I asked, trying to convince her to stop and breathe.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jeremy couch down by his bookshelf, reaching his hand behind the speaker. The sound of metal moving against wood met my ear and we stopped, staring at him. He looked hurt; disappointed.
"I would never sell this, okay?" he told her, holding it up for her to see.
"Then why did you take it?" she asked, ignoring me at this point.
"Because it's supposed to be mine," he told her, leaning down a little so that he was more at eye level with her. "Dad said it goes to the first born son. His father gave it to him and now what?" he asked, taking Elena's hand and clamping it down into her palm.
"And he was going to give it to you," Elena finished, a sigh nearly escaping her lips as she realized just what was going on, the truth behind why he took it.
He was attached to it, it was his father's, and now he's gone. It was one of the only things that he had left to tie him to his father.
"Yeah," Jeremy breathed, sitting back in his chair and fiddling with something.
"Look, Jeremy, it's still yours, okay?" Elena sighed. "Mom promised Ms. Lockwood. What do you want me to do?"
"Just take it and get out," he told her, his voice trembling slightly.
At that, Elena looked toward, searching for answers. Unfortunately, I had none for her, so she left. That left me standing there, standing there watching the kid that I'd always been so close to.
"Jeremy," I breathed, reaching forward and tentatively removing the headphones from his head.
He stiffened, but I didn't stop, placing them down on the bed behind him.
"Jeremy," I whispered softly.
I pulled the chair around to face me as I sat on the edge of his bed, my hands reaching over and grabbing hold of his own.
"It's gonna be alright," I promised. "You'll get it back, I'll make sure of it."
"Y-you don't get it!" he cried, trying to push me away.
I stood there for a moment, watching him as he gripped at his hair, pulling at it.
"That was supposed to be mine!" he told me, eyes watering. "I-I can't stand the thought of Tyler or anyone else having it," he cried, trying to curl up on his chair.
"Jeremy…"
I felt for him, I really did, and it tore me up seeing him like this.
"Jeremy, listen," I started, reaching out and taking hold of him.
I draped my arms around his shoulders, feeling him lean against me, his hand curling around the back of my shirt. I could feel him shake as he tried to hold it in, trying to be strong and seem like he was fine. He was anything but though and I could see that.
"It'll be alright," I promised, placing my hand on the back of his head. "Shh…" I cooed, holding him close, reminding me of when he was small.
I nearly smiled at the thought, thinking back on it. He'd fallen before when on his bike, tumbling down onto the pavement. He was smaller then, light enough to pick up when he was unable to walk. I remember how he'd clung to me, crying into my shirt, arms wrapped tightly around my neck. He was so small…
"Jeremy?"
I heard him mutter something.
"Jeremy, hun, look at me," I said softly, pulling back and taking his face into my hands.
He tried to look away in embarrassment, not liking the fact that I'd seen him cry. Personally, I couldn't blame him, if I were in his position I'd be the same way.
"I'll get it back for you, okay?" I told him, gently wiped his eyes with my thumb, brushing his hair out of his face. "It's not going anywhere."
"Kali, come on, you need to get dressed," Bonnie called.
"Give me a minute!" I called back, before looking back down at Jeremy. "I'll get it back for you, alright?"
He nodded his head, wiping his nose.
"Yeah," he said quietly, looking back over at his computer screen.
A small smile worked its way onto my face as I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his forehead. I then picked his headphones up, placing them in his hands.
"You'll have it before we leave," I promised, heading over toward the door. "I guess it's safe to say that you're not coming anymore?" I assumed.
He nodded his head, placing his headphones on and turning toward the computer, his cheeks slightly red.
T
I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror, wringing my hands by the sink. I wasn't used to wearing something like this. In fact, I'm not even sure why I let Elena and Jenna convincing me to wear this.
"I must be out of my mind," I sighed, letting my fingers run over the light glossy green fabric.
I had to admit that it didn't look too bad, but still. The color was an in between green, toning from forest to grassy meadow, spots of yellow and orange blending into the mix. The center hugged my waist, the silver embroidery lining the dress along with the top of my chest as it remained strapless, my necklace hanging around my neck.
"I wonder if she'll recognize me," I voiced, catching Elena's attention.
"You'll be fine, come on," she said, moving toward her door.
I then looked down at the counter, the pocket watch sitting there on the edge. I picked it up, running my thumb over the surface. It was a beautiful piece of work.
"Remember our discussion, I'm giving this back to Jeremy," I told her, holding it up for her to see.
Elena nodded her head quietly, not saying a word. Those two were going to sit down later and talk.
"Jeremy?" I called, knocking lightly on the door.
He didn't respond, so I pushed it open, making my way inside. He was working on something at the computer, his headphones still on.
"Hey," I said, carefully pulling them off of his head.
He looked up at me, eyes still a bit red from being upset. His eyes widened though slightly upon seeing the watch in my hand, a smile pulling onto my face.
"You…"
I nodded my head, placing it into his awaiting hand.
"You sure you don't want to come?" I asked. "This will probably be one of the only times you'll actually get to dance with me," I joked.
"Nah…"
"You sure?" I asked, a more serious tone this time.
He nodded his head, a sigh escaping my lips in return.
"Alright," I sighed, ruffling his hair. "I'll see you later then. Call me if you need me, Jer," I told him, walking out the door and closing it behind me.
It was time to face the past.
T
"I nearly forgot how big this place is," I breathed, looking around at everything.
"You're telling me," Jenna said, looking around as well.
"Then again, it hasn't changed much," I told her.
"Good point," she nodded.
"So, she actually did it," Bonnie sighed.
"Huh?" I looked over at her, confusion written on my face.
She then pointed toward the front of the line. There, I saw Caroline, sporting Damon on her arm like a piece of candy. This caused me to sigh, shaking my head. Strangely, I also found myself slightly disappointed. Not just the fact that she was with him, but the fact that I didn't have a date. I was by myself, Jeremy sitting back at the house.
As though sensing my thoughts, Damon turned, locking eyes with me for a moment. Was that a smirk on his face?
I shook my head, trying not to think about it. I'd probably go home early anyway. Either that or I'd be sitting by the pond all night. Either way, I was by myself tonight in this mansion called a home.
"Hi, Mayor Lockwood," Elena greeted with a smile, waving at the man inside the house.
"Hey guys, come on in," he said, gesturing for her and Stefan to come inside.
Both obliged, stepping inside the house. Jenna and Bonnie were next, stepping up to the front of the doorway as Ms. Lockwood came back.
"Ah, Jenna, Bonnie," she smile. "Come in, come in."
I was next, stepping forward, brushing a bit of hair out of my face. It had been forever since I'd been here. I was reminded of that even more as our eyes met, an image of shock appearing on Ms. Lockwood's face.
"Kali? Kaliandra Henderson? Is that really you?" she asked, moving forward and wrapping me in a hug.
"Hi, Carol," I smiled, hugging her back.
"My dear girl, it's good to see you again," she smiled. "I didn't realize you were back."
"I figured your husband would have told you. After all, he is the one that gave me my job up at the high school," I told her.
"Ah, yes, it seems that he forgot to mention that to me," she stated, looking toward her husband. "Well, it was good to see you again Kali. Please, make yourself at home."
"Thank you," I nodded, walking inside and looking around.
I felt self conscious as I stood there, unsure of what to do.
"Kali!"
"Huh?"
I turned my head, searching. I found Damon standing there, a smile on his face.
"My, you look stunning," he grinned, taking my hand in his and kissing the back of it. "Absolutely delicious."
This made my face go a bit pink.
"Damon," I whined, looking around me.
"Come now, don't take compliments well?" he chuckled, guiding me further inside of the house.
"No, not really," I said honestly, following along beside him as he kept his hand pressed against the small of my back.
"Well, then I guess I'm just going to have to fix that, aren't I?"
"You something else, you know that, Damon?" I asked, looking up at him as he led me out back.
"You have no idea," he chuckled.
"You know, I thought that you came here with Caroline," I voiced, looking around, taking in all the faces around me.
I barely recognized anyone, making me feel uncomfortable, moving closer to Damon. He seemed to catch onto this, moving his hand into mine and squeezing it lightly.
"Don't worry, you're fine," he told me, making me blush faintly. "As far as your question goes, I didn't really have much of a choice."
"And how's that?" I inquired.
"Let's just say, I lost a bet with Stefan," he chuckled, naming his brother for the current problem.
"Ah, sibling bargains," I nodded, biting my lower lip.
"I meant what I said though," he told me, looking down at me, before snatching a couple of glasses of champagne. "You do look beautiful."
"Thank you," I smiled meekly.
"Care for a drink?" he offered, holding a glass for me.
"Thank you," I replied, taking it into my hand and placing it to my lips, leaving us to talk for the next couple hours.
T
"Excuse me miss," someone said, brushing passed me.
I let out a groan, shaking my head as I moved, heading over to the pond. It was beautiful out and now I was left alone. Damon said that he had to find Stefan, discuss something with him. That and Caroline had finally tracked him down, begging him to dance with her. I felt sorry for him, I really did. Unfortunately, other than stealing him away, I couldn't do much.
"Heh, me, steal him away?" I laughed at myself for that, shaking my head. "Hm?"
I heard my phone start ringing, pulling it out and flipping it open.
"Hello?"
"Kali?"
"Elena, is something wrong?" I asked, worried that perhaps something had happened or that she wasn't feeling well and was ready to head home.
"No, nothing's wrong, I just figured I'd tell you to check out the heritage display before you leave tonight," she told me. "You should see the registry, all the signatures and stuff. There's even other Damon and Stefan Salvatore."
This caught my attention.
"Wait, what?"
"Damon and Stefan's ancestors," she told me.
"Cool," I mused. "Yeah, I'll check it out."
"Alright, talk to you later."
"Bye."
With that, I hung up, placing my phone back in my purse.
"Another Stefan and Damon Salvatore, huh?" I mused. "Interesting."
T
From a far, a man stood watching, watching a young woman in green whom seemed so familiar to him. He was quite sure if it was her because it had been so long. What? Four or five years now? It had been too long in his opinion, but if it was her, then he was going to fix things tonight. In the end, she'd be begging him to take her back after leaving him.
With that in mind, he made his way forward, pushing through the crowd. When he finally got there, her back was to him as she talked with someone. The man was too young to be her boyfriend though, so he had nothing to worry about.
"Kalibear?"
T
"Kalibear?"
I froze, my blood running cold as I stood there, that voice in my head. Kalibear, a name that I hadn't heard in years. The only person that had ever called me that was my ex, one Jason Hunter.
"Kalibear?" the voice repeated, a hand being placed on my shoulder.
A moment later, I was being turned around, only to come face to face from the one person I had run from. The same person that had practically run me out of town, the same dark hair and eyes, the same thin build. I felt my eyes water, thoughts crashing down on me.
"J-Jason," I choked out, feeling my hand shake.
I couldn't do anything, couldn't walk, couldn't run. I just stood there as he smiled down at me, taking my hand in his and pulling me onto the floor, people dancing around us.
"I've missed you," he whispered, pulling me close.
"W-what are you doing here?" I asked, trying not to sound too freaked out by this whole thing.
"Trying to dance with you? What's it look like?" he chuckled.
I took a quick breath of air, closing my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest so hard it felt like it might burst. This way the day that I'd feared for the last five years, the day that I'd finally have to face him again. I'd prayed so hard that I'd never have to go through with it, never have to face it. I'd hope that I could just continue running from it for the rest of my life without a care.
"Never were much of one for dancing, where you?" he snickered, pulling me closer, his hand resting on my hip.
T
The moment he stepped out back, he knew something was off. Damon saw his brother in the crowd, the same with Elena. Caroline was at his side, so that obviously wasn't the issue at hand. Then, standing in the crowd, he found the problem. It was Kali. She was standing there in the arms of a stranger, moving back and forth, even though it looked like the guy was the one moving her.
"Who's that?" Damon asked, pointing out the two figures.
"Oh, well, that's Kali of course," Caroline told him.
"No duh," Damon rolled his eyes. "The man, who's the man dancing with her?" he asked.
"How should I know," she shrugged, walking off toward Stefan and Elena.
"I should have known better than to ask that girl anything of real importance," he groaned lightly, slowly making his way through the throng of people.
T
"Y-you didn't answer my question, Jason, what are you doing here?" I stammered, trying my best to keep my composure.
"Well, I wanted to see you," he told me. "I figured if I waited long enough, you'd come back to town eventually," he grinned.
"I left town for a reason," I told him.
"Yes, yes, I know," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "To broaden your horizons," he nearly spat as though completely annoyed by the whole idea.
"Excuse me," came a sudden interruption, Jason being pulled from me a moment later, Damon taking his place.
"Damon," I heaved a sigh of relief, a smile pulling onto my face. "You don't know how happy I am to see you right now," I told him, moving closer to him, my arms coming up to wrap around his neck as I tried to hide my face from Jason. "In fact, I could kiss you right now."
"Hm, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," he smiled, leaning down a bit. "Let's put on a good show, shall we?" he asked, a smirk forming on his face.
Before I knew it, his lips were on mine, a wave of electricity washing over me. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before, one of my hands moving up to wind in his dark tresses, while his made their way to the back of my neck and hip. It was almost like he needed the feeling of my there against him, something that I had missed. I'd missed the feeling of being wanted, needed, even if it was for a short moment.
A moment of pure passion, I thought, pulling him just a bit closer as I kissed back.
"The hell is this?" Jason hissed, moving to grab Damon, only to have him move a few steps back like a dance.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met," Damon said, eyeing Jason closely.
I knew what he was doing, I knew exactly what he was doing and I was going to play along without a seconds thought.
"You are?" Damon asked, holding me close while I rested my head against his chest, our hands intertwined.
"Jason, Jason Hunter," he said firmly. "And you are?"
I had to try my hardest not to laugh. It was obvious how irritated he was and it was just too funny at this point.
"Damon, Damon Salvatore," Damon introduced in the same fashion that Jason had, before adding, "Kali's boyfriend."
He leaned down and kissed me again for emphasis, keeping his lips there just a bit longer than necessary. He was doing that though for his own amusement, pissing Jason off even more. Not that I minded. In fact, it was rather nice.
"Are you a friend of hers?" Damon asked innocently, rubbing my arm lightly with the back of his fingers.
He just seemed too at home with this one.
"You could say that," Jason twitched.
"Really, how did you meet my little Calla Lily?" Damon asked, making me blush lightly at the nickname.
He was calling me a flower, something that Jason had never done. Sadly, it actually sounded romantic, affectionate even when he said it. He was a good actor, I'd give him that.
"Through school," he answered, watching us carefully. "How'd you meet her?" he asked.
"Oh, we met through a mutual friend," Damon told him, looking down at me with a smile.
Technically, that was true.
"It was love at first sight actually," Damon said fondly.
"Really now?" Jason asked skeptically, before turning toward me in a casual voice. "So, you left me for this uptight asshole?"
"Well, this uptight asshole as you call him, treats me far better than you did," I told him, watching Damon's reaction. "That and he's a far better kisser," I said, bringing my hand up to Damon's cheek, my fingers trailing lightly over his jaw as I leaned up and pressed my lips to his.
Okay, so maybe we were both enjoying this a bit too much for our own good.
"Kali?" came Elena's voice, startling me slightly. "What's going on here?" she asked, her eyes slightly wide.
"Oh, Elena, I was just introducing Jason to Damon. I mean, he is my boyfriend after all," I told her, hoping that she'd catch on.
Luckily, she did, putting a smile on her face.
"Yeah, it's kind of funny actually, I'm dating one brother while you're dating the other," she giggled, hugging Stefan's arm.
I could only imagine the look on Stefan's face right now, but the grin on Damon's only seemed to grow bigger by the second.
"Funny how things work out, huh?" Damon chuckled. "Well, I'm sorry to be rude, but I think I should get back to dancing with my girlfriend," Damon said, bowing his head, before dragging me off a feet and out of ear reach from Jason.
The moment he did, I burst out laughing, having to muffle it within his shirt.
"My God, Damon, that was priceless," I laughed, looking up at him.
He seemed just as pleased as I was at the moment, guiding my hand up to the back of his neck, while his went to my waist.
"Yes, that was far too much fun, my little Calla Lily," he grinned, leaning down and burying his face against my neck.
I could feel my face heat up as he did this, sucking in a breath of air.
"Just play along," he told me softly, his breath tickling my ear. "He's still watching."
"Well, that shouldn't be too hard," I told him, resting my head against him.
"So, that was Jason then?" he asked quietly, keeping me close as we swayed back and forth to the sound of the music.
"Yeah," I sighed, nodding my head faintly. "That's him."
We were silent for a few moments, merely standing there with one another, before I finally decided to speak up again.
"Thank you," I whispered, gripping the back of his jacket.
I'd been so scared before he'd come forward, sweeping me off my feet.
"Well, I couldn't very well leave you there like that, could I?" he asked, placing his hand on my cheek.
I could feel the heat in my face.
"Besides, I like pissing people off," he chuckled. "Not to mention, you were a wonderful little actress," he grinned, trailing pointer finger all the way down to my chin, before tapping my nose lightly.
A small giggle escaped me at the action, his eyes softening.
"Well, with your charming personality and good looks, what's there to act?" I asked, pulling away for a moment, the realization of everything hitting me. "You don't have to keep this charade up though anymore."
I'd had so much fun and sadly enough, it actually felt real. At least, the closest thing to real that I'd felt in a long time.
"Well, you're not so bad yourself," he told me, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. "So, who's to say I was faking it?" he inquired, catching me off guard.
"Damon?" I asked, my brows furrowing in confusion.
"Shh…" he whispered, pulling me into one final kiss, his touch soft and sweet. "This'll be our little secret," he told me, before pulling back and taking my hand.
He then bowed, placing a kiss on the back of my hand.
"My lady," he nodded. "Thank you for the dance."
With that, he walked off toward the house, my face dust with scarlet rose.
Okay everyone, that was chapter 5. I REALLY hope you all liked it? Personally, I feel that I did pretty well with it. Damon got to get Stefan real good by playing along as her 'boyfriend'. I was having too much fun writing that part. Anyway, let me know what you think. That meas REVIEW and MESSAGE people.
Anyone with song ideas, please place them in the REVIEW or MESSAGE. It will be greatly appreciated. Any ideas you have in general would be awesome as well. Even if it's just little things that Damon can do with Kali or situations in general.
Thanks everyone!