Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING
I ran out of the bathroom in my towel and went to the land-line, "Hello?"
"Hi, Cara?"
"Yes, this is she," I said.
"It's Carol Lockwood."
"Oh! Hi, Carol," I greeted sympathetically, "How are you?" Damon walked in, dressed in dark blue jeans and a black silk 3/4 length sleeved button down, and I pointed to the phone. He listened in.
"I'm okay, thanks for asking. Things are still a bit tough... But anyways, I wanted to see if you were available today?"
"Hmm, well I was just about to get ready to go out for brunch with Damon," ~~~Damon gestured: 'Lockwood's = more important.'~~~ "But I'm sure we could stop by before hand, if you like. What's up?"
"Well, I just wanted to talk to you about the Council. Damon, too, so that works out nicely. Say, 11:00?"
"Erm, forty minutes from now?" ~~~Damon: 'OK w/me,'~~~ "I guess that could work."
"Great! I'll see you two then."
"Buhbye,"
Click.
Still wrapped in my towel I went to the closet to pull out my clothes, "I wonder what she wants to talk to me about."
Damon came over behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, "Mmm I don't know."
I kept one hand holding my towel up and the other smacking Damon's hands away. "Don't you remember last time? An hour late, Damon. An hour."
He pouted and sighed, "Whatever. I'm going down for some real brunch. You want some?" he asked.
"Sure, whatever you're having," I answered, pulling out black and white polka-dot panties and a white lace bra. I decided to go with the same makeup as yesterday, so dropping the towel and sliding on my underwear I looked for something with a nice green accent. I found a pair of white floral skinny jeans with blue and pink flowers and green leaves, then decided to go with a white, midriff-showing jersey tank and a green paper-thin cardigan. I pulled out a light pink-creme pair of strappy heeled sandals and then went back into the bathroom. My hair was now back to it's super curliness, no longer wide and wavy. I brushed my teeth, then did the same makeup as yesterday, with that bit of green creme shadow under my lower lashes (which also made the green in my eyes pop) and pale pink lipstick.
I came back out of the room and downstairs Damon cooked some scrambled eggs and toast. Yumm! There was two plates set on the dining table and he brought in two glasses of orange juice.
"Thanks, boo," I smiled as he sat down. We ate quickly, but not rushed, then I went back upstairs to grab my shoes and my phone and Damon waited in his car. When I came back down, we drove to the Lockwood's property. Carol greeted us warmly when we knocked on her door.
"Hi! Come on in, I've just made tea." She moved us toward the formal living room and sat us on the couch, on the coffee table there was a tray with a teapot, and a small bowl with sugar, and three cups and saucers.
"Perfect, I love chai," I smiled, then poured myself a cup of chai tea and a half spoon of sugar. Damon made one too and then Carol said,
"So, I understand that John Gilbert has left town. Have they found the vampire that assaulted him?" she asked, sipping her tea.
Damon cleared his throat, "Well, the Sheriff has asked me to take the lead on that, and I promise you that I will get to the bottom of it."
She set down her tea cup and took a breath, looking over to me, "Which brings me to my next subject. With Richard gone, I'll be acting as interim Mayor until the elections- and I'm going to need someone to spearhead the Council," I nodded, "I'd like this person to be the two of you- as a team, I feel it'll make the Council stronger."
"Wow, whatever you need, Carol. I mean, that's such an honor," I smiled.
Damon placed a hand on my knee, "Especially being a founding family member, keeping the town safe from vampires is very close to my heart."
Carol smiled, but then we heard some noise coming from the front door where Tyler and Mason Lockwood came in, looks like from a run or workout. Carol got up and closed the separating doors.
"Is it safe to talk?" I asked quietly.
"It's my brother-in-law Mason, he's still visiting. I just don't want him to hear us- He didn't want any part of the Council when he lived here, and I see no reason to bring him into it now," she stated, sitting back down. I started listening into the conversation,
"What was that, like, seven?"
"Six. I don't count the last one. You crawled it," the deeper voice said. (I'm assuming this is the uncle, Mason)
"Whaaat,"
"I think Grandma Lockwood," he chuckles, "passed you," he laughs again, "in her walker!"
"Psh. Ya. Okay. Shoes off- mud...My mom... Nuh uh," he said.
"Cool, yea yea. So all this anger and aggression you were talking about- you notice a difference when you exercise?"
"Dude; I play three varsity sports, work out four times a week and run three. I'm gonna say no," Tyler scoffed.
Mason kept with the questions, "Do you have episodes? I mean, what happens exactly?"
"Starts out normal, I get angry. Typically over nothing.. It just amplifies and I go off."
"You blackout?"
"Yeah. It's like I go blind with rage," he said, a bit confused.
"Is there a pattern?" Mason asked, "Like, once a month- only at nights?"
Tyler paused, "All I know is I lose myself. You know? And I hate it-"
Carol snapped me out of their conversation, "More tea? Cara?"
"Oh, no thank you. I think I'm good, Carol. Damon?" I smiled.
"I think we best get going- Thank you so much, Carol. For the tea and the opportunity to better our town," Damon thanked her, then kissed her hand. I gave her a light hug goodbye, and we left without seeing the other two Lockwood's.
We took the Camaro right back to the Boarding House, figuring we'd only need to be there for say, twenty minute tops, until Stefan came home. Which obviously meant that we were needed for something.
XXxxXXxXXxXxxXx
I was wrong. Damon and I were home alone for a while. We just spent the day doing, dirty...nasty...unspeakable things to occupy ourselves.
Just kidding! You got excited there, didn't you?
Since Damon kept the conversation going with Carol earlier, I told him about the conversation between Tyler and Mason. I started to teach him about blocking aneurysms forced by witches, then we watched a few funny movies and lounged on the couch, made out a few times. Yup. Basically, we're the cool kids.
It was just about dinnertime, and Stefan walked in just as Damon was pouring himself a glass of blood, me drinking from the plastic connector that's usually used to hook up to IV tubes.
"Would you like some?" he offered.
"Nooo, thank you. Not hungry- just ate," Stefan said, coming to sit down next to me on the couch.
Damon strides over and brought me my glass as I said, "Aren't you worried that one day, all the forest animals are gonna get together and fight back? I mean, they surely talk."
"I'm just happy that's a, uh, blood bag and not an innocent bystander supplying your dinner," Stefan said. He was tense. Like, super tense.
"I like this," I started, "Walking on eggshells around me because you're scared I'll explode over this whole Katherine thing. Is Elena worried, too?" I asked casually.
Damon smiled mischievously, "I bet we're the topic of your every conversation.."
"Have you heard from Katherine?" Stefan asked suddenly. Damon and I both ignored this and Damon said,
"I think the Lockwoods have a family secret. Because the Gilbert device affected them, vervain didn't,"
"They're not vampires, they're something else," I finished.
Stefan raised his eyebrows, "Is this your new obsession?"
"Well if you'd rather let a mysterious, unknown supernatural being run amongst our town, then be it."
"We'll drop it," Damon offered.
Stefan ignored this and turned the topic back to her, "We haven't seen the last of Katherine, you do know that, right? We have no idea what she's up to."
I shrugged, "Pshh, sure we do. She came back to try and fulfill her lifetime dream of breaking Damon and I's undying love, with you as her sired-side-kick."
"So we're gonna let you deal with her," Damon finished.
"I have more important things to do. Like explode," I teased, "Naw, I'm joking. I'd much rather go to the carnival with my man."
Damon locked his arms with mine and we left to Damon's car. We drove to the school, and we could hear the cheesy ride music as soon as we parked. We got out and walked up the driveway, Damon's arm around my shoulder.
"How long has it been since either of us have been to a carnival?" I asked.
"Well," Damon started, "There was that time we went to the Shakespeare Festival in Oregon, and they had that whole Jackson County Fair set up a town over. Member?"
"Hmm..in Ashland?" I asked, we were now in the carnival area and coming up to the food.
"Yeah, the hippy town."
And then it struck me, "OH! That was the year I straightened my hair all the time and it was down to my butt."
Damon chuckled, "Mhmm, it sure was," he whispered in my ear, "It got in the way no matter what position we were in."
I elbowed him in the ribs as we came up to a food stand where Jeremy was buying popcorn.
"Jeremy! So good to see you alive, made it out of the fury that is Elena's death glare," I joked.
He turned around and looked at us, "Aren't you a little old for a high school carnival, Cara?"
I took some of his popcorn, "About five-hundred and fifty years too old," Jeremy's eyes widened- he didn't realize how old I really was. Actually, since it's been 548 years since I was turned, and I was turned at twenty, that makes me 568 years old.. ugh.
"Subtract four centuries from that and you've got me," Damon commented.
Jeremy scoffed, "Oh, you're pretty funny cracking jokes when I could- oh, I don't know. Blow the whole lid off this thing by telling someone what you two really are."
I stopped eating the popcorn and grabbed Jeremy's arm, pulling him away from the stand and into a smaller corner with Damon and I, "Please tell me that is not a threat."
"Maybe it is," he lifted his left hand where on his ring finger, he wore the same ring Alaric has- keeps you safe from supernatural deaths.
"Oh," Damon awed. Then he grabbed Jere's hand and twisted it back, then pulled him into a choke hold at vampire speed.
"This is what we're not gonna do;" Damon started, "We're not gonna walk around like we're invincible, when it's this easy for my to end you." He let Jeremy go, and then slyly he handed me his ring and stood back. I stepped forward toward a recovering, coughing Jeremy,
"If you wanna to tell people what I am- go ahead. Try," I lifted up his ring at eye level, "I will shove this ring so far up your ass that you'll really have something to choke on."
I tossed it on the ground and turned around to leave the scene with Damon. We walked around to the front of the school and went inside to look for some of the stuff the students came up with..
AKA finding Tyler undefeated at the arm-wrestling booth.
People were gathered around, watched him beat buff guy after buff guy after buff guy. We stood back a bit, watching from a distance. Then Stefan came up to us, "Wow, you're lurking."
I crossed my arms, "We're observing."
"More like obsessing."
Tyler slammed another giant fist into the table. "He's got strength," Damon commented.
"He's a triple-varsity athlete; of course he has strength," Stefan scoffed.
"I bet I could take hi-" Mason took the seat next him and Damon changed his words, "Ooh enter the uncle. Bring it on, surfer boy!"
Stefan smiled and shook his head, "This is ridiculous."
The bell rang, Mason and Tyler took hands. Tyler fought him for a few seconds. But then Mason smiled and slammed him fist into the table effortlessly.
"Alright! Mason's the champ- who wants to go next?" Tyler asked. The crowd cheered and I yelled out,
"Stefan want to go!" Everyone cheered and I yelled out, "Go Stef!"
"My sister-in-law over there think I can beat you," I heard him whisper. They both looked over to me and I finger-waved a little.
"Well she's wrong," Mason replied. The bell rang and they took hands. Stefan held him up for a while, but then Mason beat him. I dropped my arms from my chest and place them on my hips as Stefan walked over, followed with lots of 'Awws' from the crowd.
"You didn't put in any effort at all," I scolded.
"Yeah actually, I did," he sighed. I raised my brows to Damon and dropped my hands, Damon's taking their place.
"Really?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Come over here," Damon said, then walked Stefan and I over towards an empty area where an unknown black guy was working on some speaker.
"Is he..?" I started,
"No no no, it wasn't that kind of strength but it was more than human if that makes any sense," Stefan answered quietly, not letting anyone hear our topic of conversation.
Damon furrowed his brows, "What is up with that family? They're not vampires, what the hell are they?"
"Ooh, uh, maybe they're ninja turtles!"
"You're not funny," I stated.
"Or maybe zombies, werewolves," he went on.
I leaned in closer, "No comedic timing. At all."
Stefan smiled stupidly.
What a freaking child..
Damon looked over his shoulder at the speaker-guy.
"Hey, what're you up to?" Stefan asked.
"Since it's reality, and there's no such thing as werewolves or... combat turtles," Damon turned and walked towards the guy as Stefan mumbled, "It's a ninja turtle, actually.."
"Hey, you," Damon asked the guy.
"Uh, I have a name-"
"Yeah, I don't care," Damon grabbed his shoulders and compelled the guy, "I need you to pick a fight with someone. Kid named Tyler Lockwood,"
"Damon don't do this," Stefan protested.
"It's just an experiment," I told Stefan, then walked over and took the guy from Damon to add, "Get him mad- don't back down no matter what he does."
"I won't back down," the guy replied in monotone.
I smiled and let go of his shoulders, "I know you won't."
Damon slipped his arm around my waist again and I crossed my arms, watching speaker guy walk towards Tyler.
"You know he's gonna get hurt, right?" Stefan told us.
"No, someone's gonna get mad.. As in rage," I replied.
"And what's that gonna accomplish?;
Damon answered for me, "That Tyler kid is incapable of walking away from a fight. Let's see who intervenes,"
"...Maybe it's the ambiguously-supernatural mystery uncle," I finished. Damon squeezed my hip and led me down the empty hall that leads towards the gym and exit. We walked to mid-hall when I turned around and, standing there unharmed, was Caroline.
"Oh, hey, Blondie! They let you out?" I asked emptily.
We kept walking, but she didn't reply. Then she started talking about the year before-
I may have not mentioned this earlier, but when Damon and I first got into town we may have used Caroline as our personal blood bag. To cover up, I said I was tutoring her in math. This was before I could tolerate her annoyingly obnoxious personality.
-"I remember," she started.
Damon sighed and turned us around, "You remember what?"
"I remember how you manipulated me, erased my memories... Fed on me."
I raised my eyebrows at her, "Caroline- you're crazy."
"Well the memories have been coming back, in pieces."
Damon looked at me, then we started walking toward her ans he said, "But you can't remember, that's impossible. I mean, unless you're... becoming a-" he stopped. My eyes gaped at her.
"I have a message," she said, "From Katherine?"
I swallowed nervously as she stepped toward me, "She said 'game on,'" she turned around, but I stopped her.
"Wait-"
Before I could finish my thought she turned around and unexpectedly pushed me across the hall. Damon sped over and helped me up, but before we could say a thing she stated, "You suck."
Bam. She's gone.
XXxXxxXXXxXXxXxXxXX
"Elena, You're the last person I wanna see right now. But you have to come with us," I said. We found her re-stocking a booth with fluffy animal prizes.
"Whatever it is, I'm not interested."
"Yeah, but I need you to come with us right now, Elena," I pleaded, eyes wide. There are people all around us, Elena. Get the damn hint!
"Oh, okay... I'll text Stefan," she said. She walked away quickly and we followed her through the halls and into Ric's classroom. I sat on his desk and Damon leaned against it next to me while Elena leaned on a student's desk. Stefan was there minutes later and paced as we discussed the situation.
"How did this happen?" Stefan asked.
"Well, Cara fed her blood and Katherine obviously killed her," Damon stated, "A plus B equals..."
"But why?" Elena whined.
I glared into the distance and snarled, "Because Katherine is a manipulative, nasty little slut."
"And she said 'game on?' I mean, what does that even mean?" Stef asked.
"It means she's playing dirty," Damon said, "and she wants us to know."
Elena continued to whine, "But why Caroline?"
"Caroline must be completely out of her mind she has no idea what's happening to her-" Stefan rambled, running his hands through his hair.
No wonder he's got so many worry lines.. He worries a lot.
"Ohhh, I think she does," I drawled, "All my compulsion from the past started wearing off as soon as she went into transition."
"We have to find her!" Stefan stated.
"Yep," Damon agreed.
"And ill her," I finished.
Elena's jaw dropped, "You're not going to kill Caroline!"
"Psh, she's a liability. She knows who we are, we've gotta get rid of her," Damon said.
"Damon, absolutely not," Stefan replied.
I leaned my elbows onto my knees, "I may have been somewhat friend with Caroline, but do I have to remind you of a tragic little story of a girl called Vicki Donovan?"
Elena and Stefan stayed silent.
"Yeah," I continued, "Caroline would not make it as a vampire. Her mother's a vampire hunter!"
Damon took my hand and lace our fingers while he told the others, "Come on, guys, we all know how this little story ends so why don't we just flip to the last chapter and-"
"It's not an option, Damon," Elena protested.
"No?"
"Wait, Damon," I interrupted, "wasn't there a school carnival the night you staked Vicki?" He nodded, "Wow. Talk about a town where history repeats itself!"
I looked back over to the ever-silent Stefan, who was supportive of Damon's choice killing Vicki, and said, "You know I'm right."
He replied by walking over to me and pointing a finger in my face, "You're not gonna kill her," then walked out.
Confrontation = Not Stefan's thing.
"It's the only way," Damon said to Elena as she stormed out after him.
"Alright," I sighed, "Let's go find Blondie."
I hopped off the desk and Damon and I walked out of the room, swinging our arms back and forth as we walked down the hallway and back out the doors to the carnival. There was a tent right outside the door, and Damon let go of my hand to go down and grab a wooden stake that was holding it to the ground.
"Hey," I moved in front of him and looked into his baby blue eyes, "I got this one." I pulled the stake from the ground and spun it in the air, then caught it. We walked a few more feet, and then Damon stopped me.
"You smell that?"
It took me a millisecond to reply, "Blood."
We followed the smell, pushing through groups of carefree teens, eating their cotton candy and corn dogs, until we came to the edge of the carnival. I ran out to the empty lot behind the school, closed my eyes, and took a big breath through my nose.
Twenty yards, tops.
I ran a bit to the left, and there, sitting on the back of some tow-truck was Caroline. She was crying, wet blood and tears all over her face and a ravaged dead body next to her. It was the speaker guy. I walked up to her calmly, a sympathetic look on my face. She stopped crying and told me,
"He's dead. I killed him. Wh- What's wrong with me?" she started crying and hyperventilating.
I touched her back, "Hey, hey, it's okay. I can help you," Damon stood nearby, watching this.
"You- You can?"
"Yeah, sweetie, I know how to."
She stopped crying and kept her eyes on her bloody hands, "What are you gonna do?"
"The only thing I can do," I replied with a warm smile, and brushed her hair out of her face, "I'm gonna kill you."
She hopped off the platform, 'No, please don't! I- I don't wanna die!"
"Oh, but Caroline- you're already dead."
"No, I'm not! Don't say that, just- just help me, Cara," she pleaded.
"Okay, okay, it's all gonna be okay," I pulled her into a hug and she continued crying. I lifted the stake behind her back and-
"STEFAN!" he knocked it out of my hand. Damon sped over next to me, ready to fight. Meanwhile, Elena goes to try and console Caroline who just yells at her.
"No! Get AWAY from me! You KILLED ME!"
"No, Care, That wasn't me! That was Katherine," Elena explained.
"Then why did she look like you?! And WHY? WHY DID SHE DO THIS TO ME?!"
Elena turned around to Stefan, "Stefan, we gotta get her inside."
"Come one, Caroline," he said, walking with his hand outstretched, "come with me."
Damon rolled his eyes, "She will die, it's only a matter of time."
"Yeah, maybe she will, but that's not gonna happen tonight," Stefan replied.
"Oh yes it is," I picked up the stake and sped forward, only to find myself against Elena who was protecting Caroline.
"Cara, please, she's our friend," Elena pleaded.
I'm not saying Caroline's my friend, or that I listen to Elena, but I did back away.
"Whatever happens," I point at her as Damon comes to my side and takes the stake, "It's on you."
We back away, and Damon kissed the side of my head and whispers, "At least you tried."
I smile, and just as things are finally starting to calm down Bonnie runs out.
"Caroline? Caroline, npo, you can't be one of th-" she touched Caroline's arm and then slowly backed away, walking over to the body and started to cry.
"Bonnie? No, Bonnie, no!" Stefan dragged Care inside to clean up and Elena stayed with Bonnie while Damon and I quickly got a shovel.
When we were walking back, shovel in hand, Bonnie was saying, "I can't believe this is happening.."
"Aw, don't pout about it, we got a body to bury," Damon told her. We carried the shovel over to the truck near Elena and I asked,
"Thought you were calling the shots. No?" I chuckled and walked around to where the body was, "Sucks to be you, buddy."
Then Damon started moaning, and quickly I drop the shovel and grab the side of his face.
"Damon, remember what I taught you. Put up a barrier," he opened his eyes, now falling to his knees, "Babe, you gotta put that wall up in your mind! Picture it- the bricks, the cement!" I got on my knees with him, now pleading, "Concentrate, Damon! Block out the pain, block it out. I'm right here, baby, I'm right here, look at me. It'll be over soon, D," he falls into my arms, and I hear water. I get distracted by him, his screaming, and I lose concentration. My barrier falls. I join him now, on the ground, as I feel the blood vessels bursting in my brain.
"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt," Bonnie said.
"WE. DIDN'T. DO THIS!" I yelled.
"Bonnie, it wasn't their fault," Elena argued.
"Everything that happens is their fault, Elena!"
I try, I try and put up that wall inside my mind again, but the pain is making it so difficult to concentrate...
"Bonnie? Bonnie, what are you doing?!" Elena yells. I manage myself to look over at then, and the water that I heard has been lit to flame. It's coming closer, creeping along the blacktop..
"Bonnie, stop it!"
The fire hits my leg, and soon Damon's too. It catches us.. the flames.. I scream... I can't stop the fire...
"Bonnie! You're going to kill them!"
Suddenly, it all stops. The pain. The fire. I open my eyes, Damon's sitting up, patting me down, kissing my face. Why would she stop?
I hear her yell at Elena, "Why would you stop me?!"
"Because this isn't us! This can't be us," she replies.
I start to feel my legs heal from the burns. I'm alive..
XxXxXXXxxXxXXXxXxX
Damon's burns weren't as bad- I'd gotten the worst of it. He carried me from the car to the boarding house and onto the couch, bridal style, and went to pour a drink. I opened my eyes, and saw Jeremy sitting in an antique chair against the wall.
"Jere.. what're you doing here?"
"You don't keep your front door unlocked."
Damon did the rest of the talking, "Yeah."
"I wouldn't," Jere warned him, going for a sip of the alcohol, "I laced it with vervain."
Damon set down the glass, "Now why would you do that?"
"So I could stake you," Jeremy threatened, lifting up a poorly whittled stake, "with this."
Jeremy tossed onto the ground, and Damon picked up up then tossed it to me. I caught it- barely. Damn I need blood.
"You came here to kill me?"
"Well, at first," he replied.
Damon vamp-sped to the cellar and back, bringing me to A+ blood bags.
I love how this man can just read my mind.
He lifted my feet and sat down, placing my legs on his lap, all before he replied to Jeremy, "What made you wisen up?"
"My dad hated vampires," he started, as I dove into one of the bags, "my uncle too. They were absolute, they knew what they stood for. So maybe I should too- stand for something. But killing you? What's that gonna do?" he asked blindly.
Damon cleared his throat, and traded my my empty bag for the nest full one, "I didn't to the big brother thing very well... I don't have any milk and cookies to offer you."
Jeremy got up and went for the door, "Dick."
"Wait," I protested. Jeremy turned around and crossed his arms. I sat up and elbowed Damon, wiping my mouth with the back of my other hand.
Damon sighed and said, "My father hated vampires, too."
"He did?"
"Same reason your dad did. Only it was 1864," he held up the stake, "and people knew how to whittle."
Jeremy chuckled.
"Did you do that?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I tried. It's a lot harder than it looks," he stated.
"Hmm," I smiled.
A/N: Sweet little ending there :) So Jeremy's not mad at Cara anymore, Elena saved Cara and Damon, and Caroline's a vampire. Big chapter! So I haven't been writing much smutty things in the past few chaps- you like it better this way, or do you guys want more? Give me some feedback, I need it! Also, one favor I want to ask of all of you- even if you don't have an account, or don't like leaving real reviews, I ask that you still leave just one word for me-
A ship name for Cara and Damon. (AKA a name for them as a couple)
That would be soo, sooo great! Love you all
xoxo