Previously in "Pages in Between", it is discovered that Hayley was the long-lost half sister of Damon and Stefan, and April gets taken to the hospital.
Chapter Six
Salvatore Mansion – A Few Days Later…
Elena looked at Damon as they pulled up to Stefan's mansion. She was still reeling from the news he had told her about Hayley being his sister. She couldn't believe that the same girl that Tyler cheated on Caroline with in college was really her sister-in-law and she never knew it until now. Damon noticed her looking at him. "I know, Elena, it was hard for me too when I found out."
"I just can't believe that we didn't know who she really was all this time," she replied. "In college, she was just the girl that came between Caroline and Tyler. Now, she's someone completely different."
"Yes, she is," Damon said. "She's family now."
She nodded, still shocked as they got out of his Camaro, Klaus and Caroline pulling up behind them in their Suburban. Front and back doors opened, and the very back opened, and all the children piled out. The front door to the mansion opened and all of them ran to hug their aunt and uncle as they stood there. "Aunt Rebel, Uncle Stefan!" they all shrieked.
Rebekah rolled her eyes at the nickname her brothers gave her as a younger woman that her nieces and nephews used, but still hugged them all as they came up the steps to greet her and Stefan. Once everyone was inside, she looked at her brother and sister in law, as well as her brother and sister in law. "Why, um, why aren't April and Matt here?" she asked.
"They, um, they couldn't make it," Klaus replied, his hand running over the back of his neck. "Matt had to admit her to the hospital; she had seizures. Francesca had to stay behind as well to help get started on the surgery process."
"Do they think she'll make it through the winter?" Rebekah asked softly. Elena and Caroline both shook their heads no.
"No. She's been in and out of the hospital, and multiple surgeries have kept them down, but now Francesca is saying that she won't be coming home this time," Damon replied.
Rebekah nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying. Her heart went out to Matt in that moment, knowing that he was going through hell right now. Stefan pulled her to him in a hug, kissing her forehead in comfort. He knew that she wanted to cry, but was trying to keep a brave face in front of the family.
A cell phone beeped, and Rebekah pulled hers out to answer it. "Hey, Dante, what's going on?" she asked her oldest son, stopping at the news that floated into her ears. "No. We'll all be there as soon as we can." She hung up and turned to the group. "The dinner will have to be put on hold. That was Dante; he told me that Francesca had just rushed April to immediate surgery."
The group of people all rushed out the door, grabbing their coats on the way and drove to the St. Joseph Good Samaritan Hospital, where they'd admitted April. Stefan and Rebekah spotted Dante and Andrea as well as Mackenzie just up the hallway with Matt as they all paced, well mostly Matt did. Andrea stood there with Dante's arms wrapped fiercely around her. "Hey! Have you heard any news?" Stefan asked as he came up to them with the others following behind him.
"No. They just took her into surgery, Dad," Dante said as he rocked Andrea in his arms. Ever since she told him she was pregnant, he had asked her to move in with him, and also to marry him. They'd kept the engagement quiet for a few months, and she wore the ring on a chain that was hidden beneath the blouse she was currently wearing, hidden very well beneath it.
Mackenzie felt her heart hammer as she saw her aunt and uncle, closing her jacket around her belly. She had only told her mother about her pregnancy, and although she was grateful that her secret was still being kept, she was nervous that something might slip. She nodded as well. "I'm sorry that your plans had to be postponed, Uncle Stefan."
"It's not your fault, Mackenzie," Stefan said. "While that dinner of ours was important, Aunt April is suffering right now, and we're here to help support your Uncle Matt."
Rebekah noticed how nervous Mackenzie was. "Mackenzie, are you all right? You're sweating, love."
"I'm fine, Aunt Rebekah," Mackenzie said. "I just…don't feel too good."
Rebekah saw that Mackenzie looked like she was about to throw up, so she led her niece to the bathroom, where she found an open stall and waited while the girl threw up, cringing at the sound. She wasn't kidding about not feeling good, but she wondered if it was something else. When Mackenzie came out of the stall and went to the sink, Rebekah decided to ask what was going on. "Mackenzie, what's going on? I know you said you weren't feeling well, but I need to know if it's something else."
Mackenzie knew that she couldn't keep it from her aunt, so she said, "I'm pregnant, Aunt Rebekah. And no, it's not Riley's. I was mad at him when I saw him with Penny, so I had revenge sex with a guy I met at Jacques' bar." She felt her heart hammer. "The only person I've told is Mom, and I want you to promise that you won't tell anyone about this, not even Uncle Stefan, at least not yet."
"I promise," Rebekah vowed as she hugged her niece to her in a gentle embrace. Mackenzie returned her hug and then they both turned when the door opened again to reveal Andrea.
"They've brought her back to her room. We're getting ready to say our goodbyes," she said in a blank voice. Mackenzie went over to her friend and hugged her fiercely before Rebekah did the same then hugged them both to her. April, though a few years younger, was almost like another sister that she didn't get to have, even though she did have Sabrina, her half-sister, who was in her 30s.
The three women left the restroom and rejoined the group that had gotten a little bigger, since all of the Mikaelson family, the Salvatore family and the Gilbert family had joined them.
Mackenzie tried to be brave as they went into April's room, even though tears were pouring down her face at that moment. She hated this. Everyone around her seemed to be dying; first, her Grandma Mimi and now April. Aubrey was still around, but only for another four months, and she hadn't alerted anyone to it, not even Liam.
Matt took his place at his wife's side, and Andrea took up the other side, with her fiancé right behind her, his arms resting on her shoulders in a comforting manner. They all turned when Henrik and Francesca came into the room together. "So, we have great news," Francesca told them with a beaming smile. "We were able to remove the cause of April's seizures, and she will be okay from now on. We'll be keeping her for a few days, but after that, she'll be free to go home with her family."
Everyone in the room cheered quietly so they didn't disturb the other patients and hugged Matt then Andrea, kissing April on the forehead, 'See you later' chorusing as they all left them alone. Dante decided to stay behind so he and Andrea could give April their news about the baby, and their engagement.
April scowled when Dante and Andrea stayed behind. "Aren't you going to go with them?"
"Mom, there's something you should know," Andrea said. "Dante and I are getting married." She gently took her hand and placed it on her belly. "I'm also having Dante's baby."
Matt looked at April and then at Andrea. "You're getting married? And you're having a baby?" He smiled. "That's the best news we got other than the fact that your mother is going to live."
"We're pretty excited about it, and she's also going to help out with the studio when she's not busy in her classes," Dante said as he leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. "Andrea has also agreed to switch to online classes for the remainder of the semester, and the beginning of the next one, since she'll be big and pregnant and very, very beautiful by then."
St. Joseph Good Samaritan Hospital – Later…
Mackenzie walked out of the hospital, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind at once. She stopped walking momentarily and looked up toward the heavens, knowing that Miranda was watching all of this unfold. In fact, Mackenzie wished that she hadn't died so that she had someone else to turn to. She knew that her other grandmother, Elizabetta, was still around, but she also needed Miranda's guidance. "Oh, Grandma Mimi," she whispered, more to herself than anyone in particular. "I miss you so much. I wish you were here so that I could call you and tell you what's going on."
No sooner did she finish than Mackenzie was grabbed from behind and a hand clamped itself over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Her heart hammering, Mackenzie slowly turned her head and saw that the person was none other than…Luke Garrison! Great, just the person she didn't want to see right now. She struggled against his hold, but Luke refused to let go of her. He held her tight against him as he all but dragged her to his car and threw her into the passenger seat as he got in on the driver's side, starting the engine and drove away from the hospital.
It was quiet between them until Mackenzie said, "What the hell are you doing, Luke? If you're looking for something more, I can't give it to you. What we had was just a one-night deal and…"
Luke growled. "Shut up! While the offer is tempting, that's not what I'm after. My partner thinks you're valuable, my dear, and considering the fact that yours is one of the founding families of Mystic Falls, I think you'd fetch a lovely ransom." He glanced at her. "You and the baby, of course…"
"Wait, you know about the baby?" Mackenzie was really scared now. How did he know she was pregnant?
A sly smile crept across his face as Luke said, "I listened in on the phone call you made to your mother the other day. Apparently, our one night together must've really been special if you wound up getting pregnant. It's mine, isn't it? Not that I care, I just asked."
Mackenzie felt her head spin at that. "Luke, you don't want to do this. Please, just let me go."
"And why would I do that?" Luke said. "Did you not hear me? My partner thinks you're valuable and I'm going to bring you to her."
Partner; that meant he was talking about the fraud who had tried to worm her way into Mac's family as her aunt Arietta. "I thought she was arrested and put in jail. My aunt has been found," Mackenzie told Luke as she used the hand in the back pocket of her jeans to dial the number for Riley, pressing SEND so he could listen to the conversation.
Riley was working on some inventory for the studio when his cell phone began to ring on the table in front of him. The caller ID said 'Mackenzie' and he picked it up then heard her voice before another one came over/through the line. "I was able to get her out, by posing as a security guard and springing her free when the time came," the voice said. It was distinctively male, and it irked Riley to no end to know Mackenzie was cheating on him but then he actually paid attention to the conversation.
Mackenzie gulped. "You don't want to do this, Luke. I know you're made at me because I walked out, but that doesn't mean you have to resort to working with some woman who was trying to worm her way into my family. What did she promise you, Luke, money?"
"She promised me plenty," Luke said. "Of course, once I hand you over to her, I'll get double, maybe triple, what she originally offered. Your old man will have to do what she tells him if he wants to see his little girl again."
In the studio, Riley clenched his fists then used the landline to call Mackenzie's family, especially her parents. "Damon, Elena, this is Riley Talbot," he said as soon as the line picked up.
"Riley, this is Juliet Salvatore, let me get my parents for you," a female voice similar to Mackenzie's said before the phone was passed onto someone in the background.
"Hello there, Riley, this is Elena, how have you been?" Elena asked in a soft, chipper tone.
"Um, Elena, are you in the room with your husband?" Riley asked as she scratched his forehead in silent frustration.
More shuffling could be heard and then Elena's voice came back on the line. "We're in the other room now, Riley, what's going on?" her voice asked, fully leaking with concern now.
Riley took a deep breath. "Elena, it's Mackenzie; she's been kidnapped."
Elena gasped in fear and Damon took the phone from his wife. "Who took her, Riley? Who has my daughter?"
"Some guy named Luke," Riley said. "He's working for that fraud that tried to worm her way into your family."
"Thank you, Riley, for telling us," Damon replied.
"Damon, there's more," Riley said, putting the phone on speaker before turning his cell phone on speaker as well.
Luke had a sadistic grin as he said, "You and that baby are going to make me rich, especially if your family has as much money as my partner told me they do."
"You're sick, Luke," Mackenzie said. "You definitely weren't like this the night I met you."
"Oh, you thought I was a gentleman that night?" Luke said. "I was doing that to get you to trust me. Then, once I got your trust, it was only a matter of time before we sprung our trap. You see, my partner has been doing quite a bit of research on your family, and it was quite interesting. Such a proud lineage you come from, Mackenzie."
"You won't get my family's money, Luke," Mackenzie spat. "And neither will that fraud you're working with. For crying out loud, you're my baby's father!"
"True as that is, I don't care," Luke said. "The only thing I was told to do was get close to you. If you're pregnant, that's your own fault, not mine."
Mackenzie felt hot tears stinging her eyes. "You're not just sick, you're a monster! How do you sleep at night knowing that you're putting an innocent child in danger?"
Luke laughed. "Oh, I sleep very well. And that friend of yours, the one who distracted me while you got away? She was quite the firecracker in the sack."
"You leave Tanya out of this," Mackenzie said. "She was just helping me!" She sobbed. "You actually think you'll get paid for this? How do you know you're not being played too? That partner of yours may have promised you money or whatever kind of reward, but she won't deliver!"
He slammed his fist on the wheel when he heard the sirens before they appeared behind his car. "Damn it! I thought I could get out of this, but apparently, your family has connections too," he said with another slam to the wheel.
Mackenzie saw the sirens as well and smirked through her tears. "Never underestimate a Salvatore, Luke. We're more powerful than you think we are. You mess with one Salvatore, you mess with them all."
Luke growled at her. "And that's supposed to scare me? Let them try their worst, I can take them!"
He was quick to shut up when the fist belonging to none other than Mackenzie went flying into his jaw before she was climbing out of the car to greet her Aunt Anna with a smile. "Thanks for remembering, Aunt Anna," Mackenzie said and the Asian woman nodded and smiled at her niece.
"Are you all right, Mackenzie?" Anna said. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm okay," her niece replied. "But, Luke is going to be hurting for quite a while. I broke his jaw pretty good."
"Good," Anna said. "Your parents will be relieved to know that I got to you in time." She looked toward the other officers. "Men, place that monster under arrest. I'm going to escort my niece back to her parents."
One of the officers then took Luke into custody. Mackenzie followed her aunt to her car, looking back at Luke and smirking evilly as she saw how much pain he was in.
A Few Hours Later – The Police Station…
Riley walked in behind Damon and Elena, and Jeremy, who greeted his law officer wife with a kiss. The photographer spotted Mackenzie before she spotted them and he ran up to her, kneeling down in front of her. "I'm so glad that you weren't hurt, Mackenzie," he told her.
She cried, tears running down her cheeks as she leaped forward into his arms. "I was so scared, Riley! I was scared that he would hurt me, and my baby," she sobbed into his neck as he held her close, rubbing her back in a comforting manner.
Riley nodded. "You're safe now. He won't be bothering you again. Your aunt and her colleagues are going to put him away for a long time." He pulled back and wiped her tears. "Are you still angry at me for kissing Penny? I'll understand if you are."
Mackenzie sniffed. "You did hurt me, which is why I slept with Luke in the first place. It's going to take time before I trust you again."
"I understand," Riley said. "Can we take it one day at a time?"
"Sure," Mackenzie said. "I'd like that." She placed his hand on her belly. "The baby would like it too."
"Okay. We'll take it one day at a time then," he vowed then kissed her forehead in a tender caress.
Damon and Elena watched the entire scene taking place, and looked at each other then back at their daughter and her former boyfriend. "I'm so proud of her for putting herself through this ordeal and still coming out on top," Elena told her husband as she put her arms around Damon's waist and hugged him to her.
"I am too, Lena," Damon replied as he hugged his wife back then kissed her temple.
Mackenzie smiled as she felt Riley's kiss on her forehead and then looked over to see her parents standing there. She looked back at Riley. "Riley, I think I'd like to talk to my parents now."
Riley nodded. "Sure." He helped her up off the chair and watched as she walked over to Damon and Elena. She hugged them, feeling their arms around her as they hugged her back.
She pulled back after a few minutes and looked at them. "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for, sweetheart?" Damon asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"For not thinking before I did what I did," Mackenzie said. "I should've listened to Jacques when he warned me about Luke. I wouldn't have gotten into the mess that I did if…"
"Mackenzie, you made a mistake," Damon said. "We all make mistakes. Hell, I made quite a few, especially when I was your age." He kissed her forehead. "But, that's not important right now. What's important is that you're safe."
"Your father's right," Elena said. "The most important thing is that you're safe." She touched her daughter's belly. "And the baby is safe too."
Salvatore Mansion – That Same Moment…
Klaus sat at the grand piano, plunking away at the keys. Whenever he had the opportunity at home, he would play the piano and just lose himself in the music. As he was playing, he saw Caroline approaching him and standing by the piano to listen to what he was doing. With a smile, he then launched into playing a song that he knew she'd like: "Drowning" by the Backstreet Boys.
Don't pretend you're sorry
I know you're not
You know you've got the power
To make me weak inside
And girl, you leave me breathless
But, it's okay
'Cause you are my survival
Now hear me say
I can't imagine
Life without your love
And even forever
Doesn't seem like long enough
Every time I breathe, I take you in
And my heart beats again
Baby, I can't help it
You keep me drowning in your love
Every time I try to rise above
I'm swept away by love
Baby, I can't help it
You keep me drowning in your love
Maybe I'm a drifter
Maybe not
'Cause I have known the safety
Of floating freely in your arms
I don't need another life line
It's not for me
'Cause only you can save me
Oh, can't you see
I can't imagine
Life without your love
And even forever
Don't seem like long enough
(Don't seem like long enough, yeah)
Every time I breathe, I take you in
And my heart beats again
Baby, I can't help it
You keep me drowning in your love
Every time I try to rise above
I'm swept away by love
Baby, I can't help it
You keep me drowning in your love
Go on and pull me under
Cover me with dreams, yeah
Love me mouth to mouth now
You know I can't resist
'Cause you're the air that I breathe
Every time I breathe, I take you in
('Cause every time I breathe, yeah)
And my heart beats again
Baby, I can't help it
(Baby, I can't help it)
You keep me drowning in your love
And every time I try to rise above
I'm swept away by love
Baby, I can't help it
You keep me drowning in your love
(Hoo, hoo)
Baby, I can't help it
You keep me drowning in your love
(Got me drowning)
You've got me drowning
Keep drowning in your love
Baby, I can't help it
Can't help it
(Got me drowning)
No, no
'Cause ever time I breathe, I take you in
(Yes, I do)
Then my heart beats again
(Oh)
Baby, I can't help it
(Baby, I can't help it)
Keep me drowning in your love
And every time I try to rise above
(Got me drowning)
I'm swept away by love
Baby, I can't help it
Keep me drowning in your love
Caroline smiled as the song ended and kissed him. "That was beautiful, Nik. I love it when you play a song for me."
Klaus returned both her smile and her kiss. "I know you do. That's why I do it." He cleared his throat. "Lately, I've been thinking about our wedding in Italy and how beautiful it was." He smiled again. "And my love, of course, how beautiful you looked in your gown, how it took my breath away as you walked up the aisle on your father's arm."
Caroline nodded. "Yeah, the same goes for me too." Curiously, she added, "Why? What's going on in that head of yours, Nik?"
"I was thinking that since our anniversary is coming up, we should renew our vows."
Caroline smiled again and kissed him. "Oh, that sounds great! We could even include the children in the ceremony."
"And just what were you going to include us in for, Mother?" a familiar voice asked and Caroline squealed when she turned around and spotted Liam walking into the room. She ran to hug him tightly to her. Liam hugged her back then walked over to his father to hug him as well.
"Well, your father and I are going to renew our vows in time for our anniversary, and we thought it would be nice to include you and your siblings in the ceremony in some way," his mother explained, still grinning. She was happy that he was visiting them today.
Liam smiled. "I was wondering what you were going to be doing for your anniversary. After all, it has been twenty years. Renewing your vows is perfect, and you know that I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to participate in the ceremony."
"We knew you'd agree, Liam," Klaus said. "And we're happy to see you. Things haven't been the same since you went off to college."
"Let me guess, dear Ana can't shut up about getting her own room?"
Caroline nodded. "Yeah, she mentioned it. She and Lily are fighting more than usual."
"I think you should let her have my old room. If it would make her happy then let her have it," Liam told his parents. "I mean, I do have my own place now, above the studio, and I'm also going to ask Aubrey to move in with me." Liam watched as his parents exchanged a brief glance. "What? What's going on?"
"Liam, we didn't want to be the ones to tell you, but Vicki came to us with some unexpected news several weeks ago. Aubrey is in the hospital," Caroline told him softly as she felt her husband's comforting touch pull her closer and she wound her arms around his neck while they waited for the reaction from their oldest son.
"What?" His voice had lowered an octave, sounding almost broken and desperate. "She was fine when I visited her…" Liam trailed off, realizing she must have landed in the hospital right after he saw her several months ago. "Do they know how long she has?"
"Six months, they told her two months ago, so four months now," Klaus replied, his hand coming up and patting his son on the shoulder in a comforting manner.
Liam pulled away from his father's hand, after which he growled and punched a hole in the wall with his fist, not caring if he had blood on it after pulling it out of the hole. "This isn't fair! Why must the one girl I gave my heart to have to die? I wanted to marry her, have children with her!" He turned to face his parents, tears running down his face. The last time he had cried this much was when he scraped his knee on the sidewalk when he was ten years old. "And they can't do anything to help her?"
Caroline shook her head. "No, baby, they said the tumor was inoperable."
Liam sobbed as he heard this. He felt like someone had taken a knife and stabbed him with it, laughing at his pain. "It's not fair! It's just not fair!"
Caroline and Klaus looked at each other and, after receiving a nod from her husband, Caroline went over to her oldest son, hugging him and running her fingers gently through his curly blonde hair. She hated that he was in so much pain and wished that there was something she could do to take it away. She didn't care how old he was, he was still her baby and he needed her.
Finally, Liam pulls back and wipes his tears away. "Can we, um, can we go see her tomorrow?" he asked his parents and they both nodded, knowing he needed to do this without hesitation.
Liam nodded and smiled. His blue eyes were slightly misty from crying. "I…I just need to see her. She might not be in the best condition, but I need to see her, talk to her. She probably had her reasons for not telling me, but I need to tell her how much I love her and miss her when she's gone."
"We know you do, son," Klaus said. "And we're sorry you had to find out like this."
"No, Father, I needed to hear it," Liam said. "I'm glad that I heard it from you and Mum instead of not hearing it at all." He sniffed. "If four months is all I have to be with her, then I'll try to make her happy, because she's probably miserable. I'll do anything, sing to her, paint her a picture, whatever it takes to see her smile at least once before I have to say goodbye, hard as it's going to be."
He heard his phone ring and saw Mackenzie's number, smiling again. He hadn't heard from that girl in what seemed like ages. They were the best of friends, almost like brother and sister. Excusing himself from his parents, he found an empty room and pressed SEND. "Mackenzie, love, it's good to hear from you."
"Hi, Liam," she replied. "How are you?"
"Pretty good, all things considered," Liam said. "I just heard about Aubrey."
"You did, from whom?"
"My parents," Liam said. "My mother said that Aubrey's mother came to them several weeks ago with the news. I won't lie when I say that I was in shock when I heard about it."
"You and me both," Mackenzie said. "She didn't want me to tell you because she didn't want you to get upset, seeing how much you care about her." She sighed. "She also told me that you were going to need a friend to be there for you, and wanted me to be that friend."
"Thank you, Mackenzie. I could always count on you to be there for me when I was either in trouble or needed a friend, even when we were kids," Liam said. "I'm going to visit Aubrey in the hospital tomorrow. I'd appreciate it if you came with me for moral support."
"Sure, Liam," Mackenzie said. "I'll definitely be there."
Author's Note: And there you have it! Chapter 6 of our next-generation fan fiction collaboration; we're going to have Chapter 7 up next, so make sure you R&R!