Previously in "Pages in Between", drama unfolds as Mackenzie catches Penny and Riley together, and then, after visiting Aubrey in the hospital, she meets Luke, whom she uses for revenge sex.
Chapter Four
Damon & Elena's House – That Afternoon…
After Mackenzie had gone back to South Carolina, Elijah decided to talk to Damon and Elena about what had been going on. He knew that Mackenzie would probably think he was going behind her back, but he couldn't keep this from them. Once he arrived at the house, he went up to the front door and knocked. A few minutes later, Damon opened the door to see his wife's brother-in-law standing there. "Elijah? What's going on?"
"Damon, I need to speak to you and Elena right away," he replied. "It's about Mackenzie."
At the mention of his eldest daughter's name, Damon let Elijah in and both men headed to the kitchen, where Elena was pouring some tea. She saw her brother-in-law and immediately got curious. "Elijah, what a surprise," she said. "I didn't know you were coming over." Curiously, she added, "Does Katherine know you're here?"
"Not exactly; I told her that I needed to run an errand that I'd be back later," Elijah said. "I know, I know, I don't normally lie to my wife, but I couldn't risk her knowing about this." He sighed. "Mackenzie came to see me this morning."
"Mackenzie?" Elena said. "Oh my God, is she okay?"
"She's fine, but she was a bit upset," Elijah said. "Remember Riley Talbot, the boy who broke her heart at your mother's funeral?"
"Yes, we remember him quite well," Damon said. "In fact, I wanted to kill him for hurting her. I still do, come to think of it." He raised a curious eyebrow. "Why? What happened?"
"Mackenzie had revenge sex with a man she picked up at a bar owned by a friend of hers."
Elena blinked. "Wait, revenge sex?" She looked at Damon. "Isn't that what you used to do in high school, Damon?"
"Yes, it was," Damon said. "Not one of my best moments from that time, but I used sex as a means of burning a lot of adolescent steam." He sighed. "Apparently, our daughter has done the exact same thing, as Elijah has just pointed out."
"I don't understand," Elena said. "Why didn't Mackenzie come to us? We could've helped her."
"She didn't want to tell you what she did, so she came to me," Elijah said. "Elena, your daughter is very confused right now. She was betrayed by the boy she thought she loved, and therefore, she's resorted to doing things she's not proud of."
Mystic Falls, Virginia
Sage smiled up at her husband as he carried their grandson Cooper into the room. "Nana, look at what I made!" Cooper said excitedly as he showed her the picture in his hands.
"That is a beautiful picture, Cooper. Nana is very proud of you," Sage said as she kissed him soundly on the cheek, blowing a raspberry immediately after that. He giggled then wiggled out of Finn's arms, climbing onto the bed with Sage and curling up to her.
Finn joined them on the other side, settling his arms behind his head as he watched them play together. He had to admit, when Ruby had first told them she was expecting, it meant she would have a grandchild that he and Sage could spoil, and then Cooper arrived into their lives and they gave him lots of love, especially after the accident, when Ruby lost her sight and her husband abandoned them, refusing to live with a "blind" woman.
Finn smiled as he watched his wife and grandson. Although it was a shame that Ruby's husband left her after the accident that robbed her of her sight, the good thing that came from it was that Cooper still had his mother and his grandparents, as well as his aunt and uncles, and even his great-grandparents.
Sage looked from playing with Cooper and saw the smile on Finn's face. "And what is that smile for, Mr. Mikaelson?"
"That smile is for you, Mrs. Mikaelson," he replied. "It's also for our Ruby and little Cooper."
She giggled, feeling like a young woman again as she moved closer to bestow a soft, quick kiss on his lips before pulling back when Cooper brought his hands up to their collarbones and pushed them away from each other. "No kissin', kissin' is bad!" he told them both in admonishing tone. Finn and Sage looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Who told you that, Cooper Finnegan?" Sage asked as she turned her attention to her grandson.
"My girl friend did, she said that kissin' is bad for people, especially adults," he replied.
"Mum, Dad? Can someone come and help me?" their daughter's voice called from the other room. Finn quickly departed the bed and went to help his daughter, following her voice into the kitchen.
"Hi, sweetheart," he greeted her as he brought her hand up to his cheek and watched as she smiled that sweet smile that matched Sage's.
"Hi there," she replied. "I have some groceries in the car. Can you help me with unloading them?" Finn nodded before dropping her hand and leaving through the garage door to go to her minivan, opening the back with ease and grabbing as many bags as he could handle, carrying them back in the same way he'd come from.
Ruby smiled at her father as he returned with the groceries. "Thank you so much, Dad."
Finn returned her smile as he placed the bags on the table. "You know I'd do anything for you, Ruby Red."
Ruby giggled at the nickname he'd given to her when she was little, just adding her name to the nickname her mother had earned from him. "You and Mum have been great ever since Caleb left us, and I couldn't have asked for better parents than you two," she told him. Finn looked down to see the tears at the corners of her eyes and he pulled her to him, resting his chin on top of her head of dark auburn hair, stroking the curls she'd gotten from Sage.
"Caleb was a fool to leave you the way he did. You didn't deserve his abandonment, and you've done a great job raising that precious little boy in the other room by yourself," he told her as he kissed her forehead.
"I love you, Daddy," Ruby replied and Finn felt his breath hitch at the word 'Daddy'. She had stopped calling him that when she turned 13 years old, but just to hear it made his heart swell with pride for the way he'd raised her; he'd taught her to be her own person and here she was, her own person, with a little boy and a failed marriage under her belt.
"I love you too, Ruby Cornelia Mikaelson Steward," he replied, hugging her tighter to him.
"Actually, Dad, I've been thinking and I want to go back to my maiden name," Ruby said. "Now that Caleb is gone, I see no reason to use my married name anymore."
Finn nodded. "I had a feeling you would. Your grandfather can help with that. He's always helped me out whenever I needed him."
"Good, because I don't want to have Caleb's name attached to mine. It'll just remind me too much of the past."
He nodded again before hearing his cell phone ringing in his pocket, reaching down to his pocket and pulling it out, seeing that it was Henrik calling him. "Henrik, what can I do for you, brother?"
"I was wondering if Ruby had any plans for later, because Francesca is on her way to pick her up for a late lunch and she's going to take her shopping," his youngest brother said through the phone.
"She doesn't that I know of, but I'll let her know," Finn said before lowering the phone away from his ear. "Ruby Red, how do you feel about a late lunch with your Aunt Francesca?"
"I feel like I could eat a horse," she said with a soft laugh and Finn chuckled before bringing the phone back to his ear.
"Did you hear that, brother? She'll be ready soon," he said then ended the call. "Come on, my precious red Ruby; let's go find you something to wear."
"No offense, Dad, but I would much rather have mom help me, okay?" she said and Finn nodded in understanding before hearing his wife enter the room.
"Sage, sweetheart, Henrik just invited, well, technically, it was Francesca's invitation, our daughter out to a late lunch and for them to go shopping afterward," Finn mentioned with a smile.
"Come on, Ruby, I'll help you pick something out to wear," Sage said, handing Cooper off to his grandpa and putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder to help her upstairs.
Ruby smiled. "Thank you, Mum." She kissed her father's cheek and went to get dressed for her late lunch with Francesca.
Finn watched them go then took Cooper around the house, carrying him airplane-style and making the necessary noises that needed to come with it.
Upstairs
Sage guided Ruby into her room and helped her sit down on the bed before she went over to her daughter's closet to help her with some simple clothes. "So, I'm thinking the red silk blouse, or maybe the green one, with a pair of jeans," Sage said as she thumbed through Ruby's closet. "What do you think, sweetheart?"
"I think the green one will work. I don't want to be too fancy for Aunt Fancy," she replied with a smile.
Sage nodded. "Good point. This is a casual thing."
She sighed as she gave the blouse to Ruby, which her daughter noticed, or rather, heard. "Are you okay, Mum?"
"I'm all right," her mother replied. "I'm remembering when you were Cooper's age and how cute you were."
Ruby sighed as well. "Mum, do you think I'm a good mum?" she asked Sage. She wanted her mother to be honest with her.
Sage turned at the sound of the soft question that came from her daughter's lips. "Why would you think that you're not a good mom?" Sage asked Ruby as she sat down next to her.
"Well, I heard from Caleb's attorneys this week, and he's fighting me for custody. He says that I'm not a good mother, and I just wanted to sure someone else thought that I was before I had my say in it," Ruby told her mother. Sage grew angry at her former son in law; he shouldn't be doing this to her daughter, not when she was not able to see.
"We'll get Granddad to help out. Your father has told me that he's ruthless when it comes to the courtroom," Sage told Ruby as she hugged her gently.
Ruby nodded. "I'd like that. Dad is going to talk to him to see about helping me change my name back to my maiden name anyway, so this will be another thing he can help me with."
Sage nodded again before helping her daughter stand up so she could lift her scrub top over her head then she slipped the green silk blouse in its place. "We'll go by there and take Cooper with us so you wouldn't have to worry about him," she told her daughter as Ruby replaced her scrub pants with her jeans without any help from Sage.
"Thanks, Mum," Ruby said as she hugged her mom one more time before the redhead – with a few gray hairs scattered in it – helped her go back downstairs, where Francesca was waiting patiently.
"Hi, sweetheart," Francesca, often called Fancy by her husband and his family, greeted Ruby with a kiss on the cheek before taking her arm and guiding her outside to the car she had warming up.
Ruby smiled at her aunt once they were in the car. "I'm glad you invited me out, Aunt Fancy. I needed it."
"It was my pleasure, Ruby," her aunt replied. "It's been a while since the last time we hung out, so I told your Uncle Henrik to extend the invitation."
Mikaelson Mansion – Half an Hour Later
Sage walked in front of Finn as he carried Cooper up to his family's former home, which Henrik and Francesca now resided in with Mikael and Eleanor. "Do you think he'll take her case once he hears about it?" Sage asked her husband as they waited in the foyer/front entryway.
Finn nodded as he set Cooper down on the small couch they had just outside his father's office in the front of the mansion. "He'll do it, I'm sure of it," he said. He pulled Sage close to him and gave her a soft, lingering kiss, moaning a little when her tongue darted out and played with his.
Club Salvatore – That Same Moment…
Stefan was in his office, looking over the ledger, impressed by the profits from the last month, when he heard the door open and two women walked in. Stefan looked up and scowled curiously at them. "May I help you ladies?"
The first woman had long black hair and blue eyes like Damon spoke first. "That's a strange question to be asking family, isn't it?"
"Family?" Stefan was confused.
"Yes, we're your sisters. Half sisters, actually," the first woman replied. "I'm Natalia." She pointed at the other woman, who had long dark blonde hair and green eyes like Stefan. "That's Arietta. We have the same father."
"That's not news to me," Stefan said. "I already know that Dad was married to another woman while married to my mother. But, why show up? What do you want anyway? If you want money, you're not getting any."
Arietta shook her head. "We don't want money, Stefan. We just want to fulfill Daddy's dying wish and make amends with out little brothers."
"Before I agree to that, I'm going to call my brother Damon and tell him that you're here, and we'll talk once he comes to Mystic Falls," Stefan said before picking up his phone and dialing the number for Damon.
"This is Damon's phone, Elena speaking," his sister in law's chipper voice said when the phone call was answered.
"Elena, this is Stefan. Is Damon where I can talk to him?" Stefan asked, his hand running down his face tiredly.
"Sure, I'll give him the phone now," Elena replied as she held out the phone to Damon, who took it but not before giving her a curious look. "He said he wanted to talk to you. I don't know what about."
Damon nodded and brought the phone up to his ear. "Hey, brother, what's going on?"
Stefan kept his eyes on Natalia and Arietta before he said, "You know how Dad was already married to another woman while he was married to Mom?"
"Yeah, that's why Mom was having him investigated," Damon said. "Why, what does that old bastard want now?"
"Actually, these two women walked into the office just now, saying they're our half sisters. Their names are Natalia and Arietta," Stefan said. "According to them, they want to fulfill Dad's dying wish and make amends with us, or some crap like that."
"And what did you tell them?" Damon's tone was a mixture of both skepticism and curiosity. After all, they didn't know these women from Eve, so there was no telling what they wanted.
"I didn't agree to anything yet," Stefan said. "I told them that I'd call you and that we'd talk more when you come to Mystic Falls."
"Good," Damon said. "I want to meet these women for myself, see what they're all about. Given how Dad literally screwed us over the night he walked out on Mom, I have no reason to trust them, and neither should you."
"I don't trust them, not one bit," Stefan said. "Hell, if I wasn't a gentleman, I'd kick them out."
Damon nodded. "Tell them I'll meet with them. Perhaps they can tell me just why Dad wanted them to seek us out."
"I'll definitely tell them. See you soon, brother." He hung up and said, "Damon said that he wants to meet with you, see if what you're saying is legit."
Natalia nodded. "I can understand his skepticism, especially after what happened between him and Daddy."
"Stefan, I saw these people coming back here and I wanted to see what was going on," Rebekah said as she appeared in the doorway, their granddaughter Landry in her arms. Their son Vincent had gotten married almost 5 years earlier, and he and wife Maggie had welcomed Landry Eleanor Salvatore two years later. "Hello. I'm Rebekah Salvatore, Stefan's wife."
"I'm Natalia Salvatore, Stefan's half-sister. And this is Arietta, my sister, Stefan's other half-sister," Natalia said as she shook the blonde woman's hand courteously.
"It's nice to meet you both. Stefan, could you be a dear and keep an eye on Landry for a little bit. I've got customers to take care of, and she's driving them all crazy," Rebekah said to Stefan, who nodded and she set Landry down, watching as she ran around the desk and into her grandfather's open arms.
Stefan eyed Natalia and Arietta carefully as he held Landry. He still didn't trust them, even if they were going to explain themselves further when Damon came. "Papi, can we play checkers?" Landry asked as she poked Stefan's cheek to get his attention.
"Sure, sweetie, why don't you go get it out of the storage closet and we'll set it up on the desk?" he asked, putting her down and alternating between keeping an eye on her and the two women that still stood in the office.
Two Hours Later
Damon arrived in his brother and Rebekah's club, and nodded in acknowledgement to his sister in law, who pointed toward the upstairs office. Damon nodded again and headed in that direction, finding the door partially open. "Stefan, I'm here," he called out before hearing his brother's voice beckon him inside.
Stefan heard Damon's voice outside the door and said, "Come on in, Damon."
Damon walked into the office and saw Stefan at his desk, as well as the two women he had mentioned on the phone. "I take it that these are the half-sisters that we just found out about?"
Natalia nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry that we had to spring the news on you like this."
"We weren't sure if you would've agreed to speak on the phone, so we came in person," Arietta said. "You see, Father passed away about a month ago and before he died, he told us to meet you and Stefan, and possibly make amends. As Talia said, we don't want any money, just a chance to get to know the brothers we never knew."
"Really?" Damon said. "Well, we don't know you, so how do we know that you two aren't just some women that were hired to pose as our sisters? As far as we know, our father never had any other children aside from me and Stefan. We know that he was married to another woman while he was married to our mother. It's only just now that you two came into the picture?" He pulled his shirt collar down and showed Natalia and Arietta the scar on his neck. "Did dear old Dad ever tell you how he gave me this? I've had this since I was eight years old, when I tried to prevent him from walking out on my mother. I could've died that night and the bastard didn't even bat so much as an eyelash."
Natalia and Arietta looked at the scar and then at each other before Arietta said, "I'm so sorry, Damon."
"Why are you sorry?" Damon asked. "You're not the one who has to bear a scar on your neck." He raised an eyebrow. "I'm willing to bet that he treated you a hell of a lot better than he treated us."
"Daddy didn't give as much luxuries as he must have given you," Natalia confessed. "We didn't have much, and we just worked our way to the top of our game. We're both successful in business."
Stefan listened to Natalia's confession and said, "We didn't get that many luxuries either, to be honest. Even though we had the boardinghouse, we still struggled a bit. And I think we have business in common. In case you didn't notice when you walked in here, I own this club with Rebekah. Damon has a photography business with my brother-in-law, Klaus, who now has an art gallery in New York and his friend, Matt, who now has a New York version of the Mystic Grill."
"Wow, that's amazing," Arietta said. "I'm a lawyer and Talia is a banker. She also sings on the side."
Natalia blushed. "Etta, you promised!" She usually didn't use her sister's nickname unless it was necessary, like right now.
Damon and Stefan just exchanged a smile. They were similar in the way they'd argued growing up, except they used nicknames for each other, and they hardly ever did that. Stefan turned his attention back to Landry when she yawned rather big, and picked her up in his arms, nestling her into the crook of his shoulder as he rubbed her back. He enjoyed the time he got to spend with her, and he knew Rebekah did too. Standing up, Stefan carried her toward the door adjacent to the office and placed her gently on the bed, covering her with the blanket that lay at the foot of the bed.
Natalia watched as Stefan put the little girl down for a nap and smiled. "She's beautiful. Whose daughter is she?"
"She's my nephew, Vincent's daughter," Damon said. "And you're right, she is beautiful. Stefan dotes on her like you wouldn't believe. I'm not a grandfather yet, because my kids aren't old enough. My youngest is sixteen, and my oldest is twenty, so there's still time."
"And how many children do you have between you?" Arietta asked after Stefan returned to the doorway, remaining there in case Landry woke up.
"Let's see, Elena and I have five, and Stefan and Rebekah had 3, so eight between us," Damon replied as he counted on his fingers. "Elena and I have Mackenzie, Damian, Dominic and Juliet, and 16 year old Katie, and Stefan and Rebekah have Dante, Alexis and Vincent."
Stefan nodded as he listened from his place at the door. "We did try for a fourth, but Rebekah miscarried in the first trimester and was so depressed that we decided that if we were destined to have just three, then so be it."
"The ones you do have sound remarkable," Natalia said. "And I agree with Arietta, your granddaughter is very precious."
"We're very proud of her," Rebekah said from the doorway and Stefan smiled at his wife as she came over to him, her arms settling around his still-lean waist. He kissed the top of her head and held her close. "Vincent and Maggie just called; they're on their way to pick her up."
Stefan nodded as he looked down lovingly into her eyes. "She's resting until they get here," he said, gesturing over his shoulder to Landry on the bed.
Damon smiled at his brother and sister-in-law and then looked at Natalia and Arietta. "Do you ladies have any special men in your lives?"
Natalia raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you trust us now?"
"Let's just say I'm curious," Damon said. "So, are you going to answer my question or am I to assume that this is a secret that only you two share among yourselves?"
"Talia's engaged," Arietta said, answering the question for her sister. "His name is Erik Williams, who, oddly enough, started out as a client."
Natalia glared at Arietta. "Etta, I thought you weren't going to embarrass me? You don't see me mentioning Jake, do you?"
"Jake?" Damon said. "Who's Jake?"
"Jake Matthews, Etta's boyfriend," Natalia said. "She's been dating him for about two years now."
Arietta groaned and ran a hand down her face then pulled out her cell phone when it began going off in her pocket. "Excuse me, I need to take this, its important business for the bank," she said before departing the office. "I asked you not to call me here!" That was spoken in a hiss as she tried not to grind her teeth together.
On the other end, Luke Garrison chuckles. "On the contrary, Etta, you may have said that, but I have important things to discuss," he told her in a low voice. "Did you get a chance to talk to Salvatore?"
"Yes, but he's only mentioned her once," Arietta told him. "She's the eldest of their children, so you better not screw this up, Luke, or I'll make sure you live to regret it." With that said, she ended the phone call and went back to the office.
Damon raised an eyebrow as Arietta walked back into the office. He had a feeling that something was up, judging by the look on her face, but he didn't say a word to Stefan about it, not with Rebekah and Natalia still here, and especially not with little Landry in the other room. He took a piece of paper and wrote: "I have a funny feeling that something may be up. Meet me outside." He then folded the paper and discreetly put the paper into his brother's pocket before walking out of the office.
Stefan had also seen the strange look that Arietta had on her face, and when Damon placed the piece of paper in his pocket, he quickly kissed his wife on the lips. "I'll be right back," he told her after reading the note and joining his brother out in the alleyway behind the club. "Something isn't right. I'm guessing that you sense it is too?"
"Yes! She's working with someone, and Natalia sounds more like the legit half-sister then Arietta does. I'm going to guess that Arietta is playing Natalia, and that the real Arietta is still out there, wondering where Natalia is," Damon told Stefan with a worried expression in his eyes.
"I think we should call Lexi before we go into any drastic measures," Stefan said before pulling out his phone.
"Bonjour to you," Lexi's voice sounded through the phone. "You've reached Alexia. How may I be of service?"
"Lexi, this is Stefan; can you do a favor for me and look someone up?" Stefan asked her. She was the most reliable source he could trust when it came to finding people and faces.
"Sure, Stefan," Lexi said. "Who do you want me to look up?"
"A woman is here and claims to be our half-sister," Stefan said. "She says her name is Arietta Salvatore, but Damon and I both think that she's working with someone. If you could look her up, we would appreciate it."
"No problem," Lexi said. "I'll get right on it."
"Thanks, Lexi," Stefan said. "Tell Kol we said hi." He hung up and looked at Damon. "She's going to look into it."
Damon nodded. "What should we do in the meantime?"
"Don't let Arietta know that we're suspicious of her," Stefan said. "If she knows we're onto her, she could bolt. So, until Lexi can find any information, we pretend that nothing is wrong."
Damon nodded again. "I'll tell Elena that I'll be sticking around here for a few days, if you're okay with that," he told his brother, who nodded and put an arm around Damon's shoulders and they walked back into the club together.
When they got inside, they were instantly pushed back outside by Rebekah. "I don't know what's going on, but you're not leaving me out of it," she demanded in a cruel, low voice. Stefan gulped and shut the door behind her.
"Are you prepared for the truth, Rebel?" he asked her, giving her the nickname his brother-in-laws had once told him they'd called her growing up.
"First of all, you don't get to call me Rebel, and second of all, I know that something is up, so you better tell me what it is, and you better tell me now!" she hissed, planting her hands firmly on her hips.
Stefan looked at Damon. "We can't leave her out of this, Damon. She has to know."
Damon nodded. "Definitely; it might be good to have another ally."
Stefan looked at his wife. "Bekah, I think that we might have a con artist among us. You know the woman who calls herself Arietta Salvatore? Well, Damon and I have a feeling that she's playing us, so we called Lexi and told her to look up information."
"So you think Arietta is a con artist?" Rebekah said. "Are you sure? What if your hunch is wrong?"
"We don't know if it's wrong, or if it's right," Stefan said. "We do know that Arietta Salvatore may not be who claims she is. She's working with someone, someone who is looking to destroy the family."
Rebekah looked at her husband and then at her brother-in-law. "If what you're telling me is true, then you're going to need me. I can keep an eye on Arietta while Lexi is doing her investigation." Curiously, she added, "What about Natalia? Is she also a con artist?"
"No, she seems to be more legit," Damon said. "In fact, I think Arietta is playing her too, and that her real sister is out there, looking for her."
The blonde British woman was about to respond when gunshots sounded muffled from inside the club. They all quickly ran back in, one after another, and finding the club in total chaos. "Oh my God, Landry," Rebekah breathed when she saw the little girl at the top of the stairs, struggling against Arietta's hold on her. "Well, do something; don't just stand there!"
Stefan and Damon quickly rushed to the toddler's aide, cornering the woman who had been claiming to be their half-sister. "Take one more step, and she dies," she threatened in a low growl.
"Please, she's just an innocent little girl," Stefan told her. "I'll make you a trade. You can take any of the patrons in the club, but Landry has to stay behind."
Arietta scowled at Stefan. "What makes you think I want to trade?"
"Because you don't want to hurt a little girl," he ground out. Stefan was sweating profusely now. He didn't want his granddaughter to get shot.
She scoffed. "Oh, please, I think Landry would make a great young con artist, what do you think?" she said before standing up and tossing the toddler over her shoulder, keeping her gun aimed at Stefan and Damon. "If you follow me, I shoot her, and you'll never see her again, got it?"
They both nodded and waited until she was outside before counting silently on their fingers, looking at each other as they did that, a matching smirk on each of their faces when they heard her screeching tires come to a halt, and the sirens that blared outside.
Arietta bit back a curse as she saw the cops. Damn those Salvatore boys and their cunning ways! They were dead if she ever got out of this. She set Landry down and allowed the cops to take her gun away from her before cuffing her wrists in a non-gentle manner then pushing her into the back of the first squad car.
Author's Note: Another long chapter for y'all to enjoy leisurely, so enjoy it!