Chapter 7

When Past and Present Coincide

Damon heaved a sigh of satisfaction as he finished draining his last body, blood dripping down his mouth as he let the dead weight fall to the ground. He then picked up his victims arm, taking it and wiping his mouth off on the sleeve of their jacket. He stood up once he was finished, savoring the taste of the blood on his tongue. Granted, he had to admit that it wasn't nearly as satisfying as Kali's had been, but that was a thought for another time.

He shook his head, dragging the body over to the roaring flame, dropping onto the pile. He could hear the sound of flesh sizzling, clothes burning, the smell filling the air. He went over to the next body, patting it down for a phone, before dousing the body in liquor. That was going to be the next one on the flame once it had grown enough.

"Ah," he grinned, finding a phone on the next body, tossing a bit of liquor on that one too as he started punching numbers into the phone.

He took a drink for himself as he placed the phone to his ear, hearing it ring once, before someone picked up on the other end.

"Hello."

It was Stefan, his voice tired, though surprisingly neutral at the moment.

"I want my ring," Damon informed him.

"Where are you?" Stefan asked.

"At the sizzler," Damon said simply. "I had the buffet."

Damon leaned down, picking up a piece of wood from the fire.

"Where's my ring?" Damon asked, not in the mood for games or questions for that matter.

"I don't have it," Stefan told him, before asking quickly. "Where are you? What have you done?"

"No," Damon drawled out. "What have you done?" he said, correcting his brother. "You're the one that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I've done…" he nearly growled out, before continuing, setting things on fire. "Whoever I've sucked dry, is on you, buddy," he said.

"Oh, you mean like Kali?" Stefan asked. "How many more animal attacks to you think this town is going to believe?"

"I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan," Damon reminded him, circling the fire.

"Like making Kali forget?" Stefan pressed, trying to get under Damon's skin.

"Where's my ring?" Damon asked a bit more forcefully, ignoring Stefan's previous accusations.

"I gave it to Zach to hide," Stefan confessed, making Damon's eyes widen slightly.

He'd killed Zach.

"Probably shouldn't have killed him," Stefan pointed out.

After a moment, a humorous look appeared on Damon's face.

"Ah, you almost got me," he nearly laughed, before his face went serious again. "Where is it?"

"I'll get it back, but I need time," Stefan answered after a moment.

"What, did you FedEx it to Rome? Where is it?" Damon asked sarcastically, getting annoyed. "I want my ring, Stefan, or my next stop's Elena's," he warned.

"I already want you dead. Don't give me another reason to make it happen," Stefan growled out.

"Don't give me a reason to rip you apart," Damon retorted.

"Yeah? Is that going to be before or after you get your ring back?" Stefan countered, knowing that Damon wouldn't have a comeback for it.

"Just get it," Damon said, snapping the phone shut.

He was on edge, standing there for a moment, feet shifting. He walked toward the fire, groaning when the phone start ringing.

"What?" he hissed, bringing it to his ear.

"Just thought I'd let you know, I moved Kali," Stefan said, hearing a faint growl from Damon. "She's at home now, sleeping, necklace around her neck."

Damon felt his lip twitch, biting back a snarl.

"You can't touch her."

Stefan hung up a second later, leaving Damon standing there, face contorted in irritation. He then hissed, tossing the phone into the fire.

"You just love to test me, don't you brother?

T

I let out a groan as I woke up, the sound of the doorbell ringing in my ears, along with knocking. Whoever it was, they were persistent.

"I'm coming!" I heard Jeremy yell, the sound of his feet running down the stairs pounding my head.

"Jeremy?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I pushed myself up from the couch.

I felt rather stiff for some reason.

"Hold on a sec Kal," he told me, rushing over to the door.

He opened it, silencing the noise.

"Hey," he greeted, finding Vicki in the doorway.

She just pushed her way in.

"The sun is killing me. My eyes are on fire," she groaned.

"Where've you been?" he asked, gently placing his hands on her waist.

"It's good. Everything's good," she told him, pulling him close and kissing him.

I scrunched my nose up at the sight, shaking my head.

"Ugh," I groaned, stumbling off of the couch and into the kitchen.

I needed something to eat, but the moment I got to the refrigerator, I was pushed out of the way.

"Hey!" I hissed, catching myself against the countertop. "Watch it."

"I'm hungry," she said, pulling everything out of the fridge one by one.

"What the?"

She was nuts. It was like she was on autopilot, rummaging around. Jeremy then came into the kitchen, brows furrowing together in confusion.

"Are you high Vick? It's the middle of the day," Jeremy said.

I rolled my eyes, moving out of the kitchen and grabbing my shoes. I wasn't gonna sit here and put up with this. I'd just woken up and having a high Donovan in the house wasn't how I wanted to start the day.

"Hey, Jeremy, I'll be back in a bit, okay?" I told him, moving to the door.

"Yeah, okay," he nodded, turning back toward Vicki as she started biting into everything.

If I was lucky, I'd run into Matt down at the Grill.

T

I shook my head as I pulled up to the Grill, the wheels of my bike coming to a halt as I squeezed the hand brakes. This time, I'd grabbed a helmet for the ride. I wasn't sure why I did it though. I never really wore a helmet any other time.

"Weird," I muttered, dismounting from my bike and pulling it into the rack.

I unwrapped the lock from the frame, stringing it between the rack and my bike a few minutes, before locking it into place. My helmet hung on the handlebar as I made my way inside the establishment.

This time, I actually had some money on me, meaning that I'd be able to get something to eat without worrying about it. I hated it when I didn't have the money to do stuff, I really did. The first thing I did though was find Matt, spotting over in the corner playing pool. Other than football, it was one of his favorite past times.

"Hey, Donovan," I called, waving a hand in the air.

He turned toward me, waving back.

"Hey, Kal, what's up?"

"Um, well, I'm not exactly sure how to put this," I started, rolling my shoulders for a moment.

"Okay?"

I sighed, looking over toward the counter.

"Vicki's over at the house right now and I think she's high," I told him, watching the expression on his face change.

"Not again," he groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Look, I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you," I told him, leaning up against the pool table.

He was about to continue, before he tilted his head to the side, moving forward and brushing my hair away from my neck.

"What's this?" he asked curiously.

"Huh?"

"You hurt yourself or something?" he asked.

I brought my hand up to the side of my neck, feeling it. I was confused when I felt something rough. I pulled my hand back to reveal something similar looking to dirt. It was dried blood.

"Not that I remember," I told him, trying to rub at it.

"Here," he said, grabbing a napkin and dipping it into his water, coming back and wiping my neck.

I just stood there and let him do it since I couldn't see to do it myself. Not that I really minded anyway. After all, this was Matt I was talking about. The kid had always been sweet. He had been best friends with Elena after all.

"Thanks, Matt," I smiled as he pulled back.

"Don't mention it."

"Hey, do you mind waiting a bit so I can grab a bite to eat?" I asked. "After that, we can head over and check on your sister."

"Yeah, sure," he nodded, moving over to his table and taking a drink of his water. "That'll give me time to finish up my game."

"Alright then, we'll leave when I'm finished," I announced, making my way up to the front.

T

I was mid way through when my phone rang, the sound making me jump, knocking my knee against the table.

"Ow!" I hissed, leaning back in my seat and grabbing my knee.

I was going to be feeling that later, that's for sure.

"Hello?" I answered, pinching the bridge of my nose as my hand twitched.

"Hey there, Calla Lily," came Damon's voice.

I smiled upon hearing, leaning my head back.

"Hey, Damon, how are you feeling?" I asked.

"Much better, thanks to you," he said. "Which reminds me, how's your neck?"

"Oh, it's fine. A bit stiff thanks to that spill that I took, but it's fine," I assured him.

"That's good."

"Did you need something?" I asked, wondering what he was calling for.

I figured that he'd been sleeping or something after being so sick yesterday. Although, I don't really remember what was ailing him. In fact, now that I thought about it, there seemed to be a gap in my memory. I knew that he'd called me over to the house, that he'd been sick. His voice…his voice had been weak, dry? I groaned lightly as I tried to recall the events in my head.

"Oh, I just figured I'd check up on you, make sure you weren't too sore," he told me. "That and I was wondering if you'd seen Stefan?" he inquired.

"Stefan?" I asked. "No, I haven't. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I just need my ring back," he grumbled.

"Wait, he took your ring? Why would he do that?" I asked, now confused.

I knew that those rings were very important to Damon and Stefan. In fact, I'd never seen either of them without them.

"He took it to…get it cleaned," he told me, though it sounded as though there was more to it than that.

Perhaps some more sibling rivalry or something? Stefan trying to prove something to Damon? I wasn't really sure. I just knew it wasn't right for Stefan to take Damon's ring and not give it back.

"Well, if I see him, I'll ask," I promised, grabbing a fry and nibbling on it.

"Why, thank you my dear," he said.

I could practically see the smile on his face as he said this.

"Well, I should get going, Damon," I told him. "I need to head back to the house with Matt to check on Vicki."

"Ah, I'd be careful if I were you," he warned.

"Why's that?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I ran into her earlier and she seemed a bit out of it," he informed me. "So, just be careful."

"Yeah, alright," I nodded. "I'll talk to you later Damon."

"I'll be waiting," he chuckled. "In fact, stop by later if you wish."

"Bye, Damon."

"Bye."

With that, I hung up, glancing over at Matt. He was done with his game now, merely sitting at his table drinking his water. I could only imagine how he'd react when we got to the house, the image of Vicki popping into my head.

"Hm…"

T

"Where is she?" Matt asked, stepping through the doorway.

Jeremy stood there, looking between the two of us.

"Come this way," Jeremy said, leading him into the kitchen.

I followed behind them, closing the door, sitting my helmet down by the door as I went.

"What's she on?" Matt asked, strutting forward until he was in front of her, slowly kneeling down to get a better look.

"I don't know," Jeremy said, unsure.

I came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder as I looked around the kitchen.

"Has she really eaten that much?" I asked quietly, looking up at him.

He just nodded his head, watching as Matt leaned forward, slowly pulling the sunglasses from Vicki face.

"Hey, Vick, how you doin?" Matt asked.

"Not good, Matty. I hurt," she told him, her voice tired and pained.

I'd never seen her like this before. Hangovers were one thing, so were the highs that you come down from. This, this was something completely different.

"Okay, where's it hurt?" Matt asked, his voice soothing as he took on the roll of big brother, even though she was the older one.

"My, my gums. My jaw hurts. My gum- There's something in my gums and it hurts," she rambled, showing them to him.

"You're okay," he said softly, tears falling from her face.

"No, just leave me alone," she cried, face contorting in pain as she spoke.

"Come on, Vick, don't be like that," he told her. "Let's get you home."

"Just turn it off," she hiss, the sudden tone in her voice scaring me, causing me to bump into Jeremy.

His hands came to grip my shoulders though, steadying me.

"Turn what off?" Jeremy asked.

"The talking, the chatter. Just turn it off," she yelled, annoyance lacing her words as he shoved Matt away from her, walking into the living room.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, watching as he walked off, stopping upon seeing the TV.

The sound coming from it was barely audible to the ears, but the scene before us caught my attention and I grabbed the remote, slowly turning up the volume as Logan Fell spoke.

"Three bodies were found dead in what is believed to be a drug deal gone awry," he spoke into the mic. "The bodies have yet to be identified."

The footage then turned to the scene behind him, sheets laying over the victims, some of the brush burnt to ash. It was somewhere inside the cemetery, that much I knew.

"They were discovered earlier today over at the old Mystic Falls cemetery…" Logan spoke.

"That's where we were last night," Jeremy exclaimed in disbelief.

"You what?" I asked, eyes wide as my voice rose slightly.

What the hell was he don't there at night time with a bunch of druggies? I thought that we'd talked about all this. He was starting to quit.

"What happened, Vick?" Matt asked, turning to his sister, there were tears in her eyes as she stared at the screen.

"…the homicide are fast underway and are looking for suspects. They're asking anyone with information…"

"Alright, I'm callin' the cops," Matt said, moving toward the phone, but Vicki cried out and grabbed him harshly by the arm.

"No, don't!"

"Vicki, what happened after I left last night?" Jeremy asked, worry in his voice.

The next thing I know, she sent him flying back into the couch, breaking something behind him.

"Jeremy!" I cried, rushing forward and kneeling down beside him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I yelled, glaring back at Vicki.

She just stood there staring at me, fingers twitching.

"Jeremy, are you okay?" Matt asked, moving to help him up.

"No, I'm fine, I'm fine," he told him firmly, his pride a bit bruised.

I still checked his shoulder though, making sure. At the same time, I heard the front door opening and closing, footsteps making their way toward us.

"Damn, Vick," Matt breathed, not believing his eyes.

"What's going on?" Elena asked hesitantly, walking into the room with Stefan.

"Elena," I gasped, looking up at her.

I didn't think she'd be back so early. Especially, since she had Stefan with her.

"She's really messed up," Matt told her.

"Elena, back up," Stefan said quickly, carefully easing her out of the way as he made his way to Vicki. "Vicki, look at me," he said softly, placing a hand on her cheek.

It looked like he was checking her eyes or something, but I didn't care at this point. She was freaking me out and as sad as it is to admit, I wanted her out of this house. Maybe this is what Damon was warning me about, but how would he have known?

"Look at me," Stefan repeated softly. "Focus… You're gonna be fine," he told her, voice soft and soothing as though trying to comfort a scared child.

"Are you alright little one?"

I blinked, brows furrowing together. His tone, it was so familiar.

"Don't cry."

I stood up from my spot on the floor, my mind racing. It wasn't possible.

"Everything's gonna be fine," Stefan whispered.

"I think she's okay now…"

My mouth went slack.

"I-I've gotta go," I said quickly, moving out of the room.

"Kali, where are you going?" Elena called after me.

"I'm sorry. I-I've gotta go," I told her, scooping my helmet up as I exited the house.

I grabbed my bike, snapping my helmet into place. I couldn't stay here, I just couldn't. Maybe it'd be best if I really did go over and see Damon. Although, what was I going to tell him? 'Oh, hey, I think I met your brother 15 years ago and now he looks exactly the same'? No. He'd think I was insane. Hell, I thought that I was insane.

"What's happening?" I choked out, quickly mounting my bike and away from the house, my tires spinning hastily.

My mind went back to that day 15 years ago, this time different than the flashback that I'd had in the park a while back. This one was fuller, nothing missing, nothing shortened.

T

"Daddy, Daddy, can we get some ice cream?" I asked, tugging on his sleeve.

He merely laughed, ruffling my slightly wavy hair with his large hand, his fingers smoothing it down afterward.

"Of course, but you have to make sure not to drop it," he instructed, walking with me over to the ice cream vendor, his hand resting lightly on the back of my head as we went.

"Yay!" I squealed, grinning from ear to ear as I clapped my hands, my little dress swaying as I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet.

I'd always loved ice cream, the frozen confession so delicious on my tongue. Unfortunately though, I didn't get it as often as I'd like too, but that was beside the point. Father just didn't like the idea of spoiling me too much and he made sure to tell me such from time to time.

"What do you want sweetie?" he asked, looking down at me, his dark eyes shining in the sunlight.

"Chocolate!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down.

He nodded his head in response, turning to the vender as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

"Alright, one chocolate, please?" he asked, a smile on his face as he handed the man the money.

"Here you go little one," the man smiled, bending down to hand me my ice cream cone.

I took it gratefully, thanking him as I licked away at it, walking off away from my father. I could hear him calling after me as I went, but I paid no attention, my thoughts on the butterfly that was floating around.

"Hey, come back!" I squealed, running after it.

The moment I was close enough, it took off again, fluttering down the concrete path.

"Come back!" I cried, my feet padding against the ground, my dress moving back and forth as I went. "Come back!" I said once more, nearly tripping over my feet.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, my ice cream flying from my hands.

"What it kid!" I heard a man his, watching as he walked by, his blond hair shielding his eyes.

"M-m-my i-ice c-cream!" I cried, tears welling up in my eyes, my shoulders quivering.

I heard footsteps after that, shiny black shoes coming into my vision. I noticed that they were slightly scuffed, kind of like my own.

"Are you alright little one?"

I looked up, sniffling, only to find a pair of warm hazel eyes staring back at me. It was a young man, maybe 10 years older than myself. He had a kind smile on his face as he crouched down in front of me.

"Don't cry," he said softly, tilting his head to the side as he brushed my bangs out of my face, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket.

He then used it to dab my eyes, swiping beneath my nose a moment later as it was slightly runny from crying.

"Why don't you take this instead?" he offered, bringing forth a piece of candy from his pocket.

It was wrapped in a little gold wrapper, the wrapper itself shining brightly in the midday sunlight. The shine of it reflected on the ground in a mesmerizing way. Then again, that's how I normally got when someone offered me a piece of candy.

"Th-thank you," I sniffed, slowly reaching out and taking it from his hand.

"Now, why don't we find your parents?" he suggested, a smile on his face as he held his hand out toward me.

"Okay," I nodded, rubbing my nose, before taking hold of his hand.

I was shocked at how much bigger it was than mine, the skin so smooth, and a large blue ring was placed upon his finger. The faint chill of his hand made me shiver though, but I paid no mind to it, gripping his hand tightly in mine as we walked down the trail. I could hear the sound of the other kids laughter as we went, looking up at him. Other than his hazel eyes, I took in his strong features and warm brown hair. It was cut short like a lot of boys, but still a bit on the long side. My father's was shorter, darker even. He was also slightly taller than my father.

"You're big," I piped up, smiling up at him.

"And you're very small," he chuckled.

"You're still big," I giggled, swinging his hand with mine.

"Hm."

"Kali?" I heard my father's voice, a smile spreading on my face as he called out. "Kali, sweetie, where are you?" he called.

"Daddy!" I cried happily, tugging the young man along with me.

My father appeared from behind a corner, rushing over to me and falling to his knees.

"There you are," he cried, heaving a sigh of relief. "You scared me," he told me, patting my head softly. "What happened to your ice cream?"

"I'm afraid she had a little accident," the young man told him. "I think she's okay now though," he said. "Right?"

"Mmhm!" I grinned, holding the candy that he gave me in my hand, showing it to my father. "See, Daddy, see?" I smiled, holding it up for him to see, the wrapper shining in the light.

"That was very kind of you," my father said. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"Please, it was the least I could do," he said humbly, bowing his head, his hazel eyes making contact with mine.

My father then started pulling me away, but I stopped, turning around and walking back over to the young man.

"Wait! What's your name?" I asked shyly, looking up at him.

"Stefan," he answered.

"My name's Kali," I smiled, pulling a thin fabric bracelet from my wrist.

"I know," he smiled, looking down at me curiously as I held it out to him. "What's that?" he asked, leaning down.

"A friendship bracelet silly," I giggled, reaching up and taking hold of his hand.

He just stood there as I maneuvered it onto his wrist, a grin on my face.

"Now, you're my friend," I said confidently.

"Kali, come on, sweetie," my father called. "We need to go home now."

"Coming, Daddy," I called back. "Bye, Stefan," I waved, hurrying off to my father.

In the distance, I could see him waving back, a small smile on his face as the sun shone behind him.

T

"It was real," I whispered. "It was real."

Okay everyone, I really hope that you liked it. Now you all know the full even of when Kali and Stefan met. Please, tell me, what was your favorite part? Is there anything that I need to work on? I everyone still in character? What do I need or should add? The more you tell me, the better I can write this story.

REVIEW AND MESSAGE ME PEOPLE. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS, THEY HELP!

MUSIC IDEAS ALWAYS WELCOME!