Bloodlines

Chapter 15: Death and The Maiden

Beta: PrincessOfSilence

Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.

"No! Shut up!" Cassandra groaned as she placed her pillow over her ears. All night, Amara had been screaming and shouting in her cell downstairs and Cassandra was at her wit's end. She tossed and turned restlessly, trying anything to block out Amara, but her supersonic hearing could pick up the slightest sound even with two pillows over her head. Letting out a growl, she scooted over to her sleeping husband and nudged him.

"Damon," she called, but he didn't answer. "Damon!" She poked his bare shoulder and he groaned, but didn't open his eyes. "Damon, if you don't shut her up, I will." The vampire mumbled incoherently and pulled the blankets over him. A shrill shout could be heard from downstairs and Cassandra scowled, grabbing one of his shirts from the floor. She'd stolen one of his wife-beater tops to sleep in, but she was certainly not going downstairs in just a thin top and a pair of lace panties.

"That's it! I'm snapping her larynx!" She proclaimed and proceeded to pull the shirt over her head, but Damon was on her in a second. He had her pinned down to the bed, his legs straddling her hips and his hands wrapped tightly around her wrists.

"Easy, toughie." He peered down at her. "You can't kill her."

"Come on, Damon. She's driving me crazy!" She wriggled underneath him.

"She's driving everyone in this house with vampire hearing crazy. You think I don't want to keep her quiet?"

"Just let me compel her?" She offered, pouting her lips adorably.

Damon sighed and shook his head. "I'm not letting you go in a cell with her alone. I don't even want to go in there alone."

Cassandra scowled, rolling her eyes and pushing Damon off her and to the side. "You suck." She lay on her side, facing away from him and she closed her eyes, wishing to go back to sleep again. Damon clicked his teeth and moved closer to her, pressing his chest against her back. His lips brushed up and down the column of her neck and she squirmed away. "No, I'm mad at you."

"Ouch." He smirked and even though she was turned away from him, she could feel it against her skin. "Don't be such a sour puss."

"I can be a sour puss all I want." She huffed and his arms wound around her waist. His teeth nipped teasingly at her ear lobe and his hands danced over the curve of her hip. "Stop that."

"Nope." He snapped his teeth in her ear. "Did I ever tell you that you're very sexy when you're mad?"

"And did I ever tell you that you're annoying when you're overprotective?" She countered and she heard her husband tsk quietly.

"Someone is very sassy this morning." He murmured. "I like it."

"Don't think that by complimenting me that you're getting any." She said.

"Hmm, and what if I told you that I knew a way to block out the noise?" He suggested and a wicked grin painted his lips. Cassandra tilted her head slightly and peered at Damon over her shoulder. He smirked and turned his wife so she was on her back and she watched as Damon rolled up her tank top until it was in a pile on the floor. He then began to kiss down her nearly naked body. He started at her full breasts, his teeth and tongue making nips and licks all along her prickling skin. She guided herself to lie back down and her eyes fell closed, trying to block out all other noise and just focus on the pleasure that her husband was giving her. He suckled the warm flesh and his hands groped her orbs, squeezing and kneading them to further her arousal. His thumb and forefinger lightly pinched her pebbling nipples and she gasped out, her back arching and pushing her breasts into his hands. Once he finished there, he worked his way down to her stomach and his loving gaze met hers. His fingertips ever so gently brushed over her bump and Damon smiled when he felt his daughter kicking enthusiastically. He kissed all over his wife's stomach, wishing that their little girl could feel them and Cassandra just admired the sweet moment with little tears in her eyes. Seeing Damon like this was something else; she didn't know how to explain it, but it was beautiful. The adoration in his ice blue gaze brought her heart into her throat and the way he caressed her stomach caused butterflies to flutter under her skin. Hands and lips brushed softly over her belly and she could feel him smiling and whispering sweet words.

He then smiled up at his wife before continuing lower and removing her panties which then joined her top. He spread her legs apart and laved her inner thighs with little love bites, making her bite her lips in anticipation. Damon moved closer, his nose nudging her pubic bone and his lips rubbed along her labia. His tongue ran along the seam of her lower lips and Cassandra whimpered softly. He then circled her clit and his hands held her hips as she wriggled around on the bed. No movements were sudden or rough, everything was slow and gentle as he licked and tasted her. He licked her from bottom to top, spreading her soaking lips and flicking at her clit. Cassandra's hands gripped his, her nails digging into his skin as he teased her and she could feel him smirking against her desire. His tongue probed at her waiting entrance, just testing the waters before pushing inside. Her walls throbbed around his wet tongue and she lightly bucked her hips to meet his face as he thrust inside her. Her hands moved from his hands to his hair as he circled inside her, gently tickling her g-spot and she moaned as Amara screamed, blocking out the sound. Her back arched as Damon's tongue worked overtime along her velvety walls and her fingers tangled in his messy hair.

"Damon..." She tugged at his hair harder and she could feel him smirking against her swollen lips. He growled into her soaking sex, his tongue thrusting upwards and his lips suckling her clit. Her skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat and her lips parted as her body shook, her walls crumbled and she came hard. Her nails scraped over his scalp and her toes curled, but he worked her while her orgasm washed over her. Wave upon wave wracked her limbs, making them tremble as she let out a blissful string of sweet moans. Damon cleaned her feminine lips of any residual juices and lapped at her now flushed skin before sliding up her body and peering coyly at her. Eyelids fluttered lazily and a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Don't look so smug, Mr. Salvatore," she murmured and he simply chuckled, wrapping his strong arms around her torso. He tucked his chin in the crook of her neck and hummed smugly as the couple fell into a peaceful sleep.

"October 1852." Damon said.

"You broke my nose trying to teach me how throw a right hook." Stefan spit out and Cassandra cast Damon a sideways glance.

"But not on purpose. Just to be clear." Her husband clarified and she chuckled lightly. Tessa had snuck into the house last night and decided to give Stefan back his memories. Elena had been the first to find out and she burst into the couple's room to let them know. Because he wasn't too convinced, Damon had been quizzing his little brother about different events in his life. "How much did you pay for that hunk of junk motorcycle you ride?"

Stefan smirked and shook his head. "That's a trick question. You bought me that motorcycle, although I'm guessing it was pretty expensive."

"Okay, okay. How about December 6th, 1864?" Cassandra asked, wanting to test Stefan's memory as well.

"I caught you and Damon kissing in the library when you two should have been at the party my father arranged. I was going to snitch, but you told me that you'd punch me, so...I didn't." He recited and Cassandra pursed her lips.

"He's good."

"So, Tessa just gave you back your memories, no strings attached?" Damon questioned.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a gift. It was a lot to take in at once, everything from blowing out the candles on my first birthday cake to drowning in a safe." Stefan then trailed off and suddenly felt himself regress back to the time he spent in the safe. Over and over again, he relived the memory and he could feel his breathing become labored.

"Stefan." Elena called softly to try and bring him back and it did, but he realized that he was clutching his glass so tightly that it shattered in his hand.

"Whoa. Easy there, buddy." He brother coached and Stefan shook his head back and forth.

"Stefan, where did you go? Cassandra asked him.

"All that and I still can't remember my own strength." It was his own way of dodging the question and he was going to speak again when he heard a banging sound from downstairs.

"Oh no," the pregnant hybrid groaned. "Not again."

"What was that noise?" Stefan questioned.

"Uh, well that is..." Damon trailed off.

"We have a situation." Elena sighed.

"Of the doppelganger variety." He said.

"Yeah." Cassandra grumbled.

Stefan's eyebrows were raised high. "Katherine?"

"No, nope, not Katherine." His brother shook his head.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Amara screamed repeatedly while Stefan, Damon, and Cassandra looked in through the bars of the door. Her wrists were bound tightly and she was pacing the floor of the cell as she yelled.

"What's wrong with her?" Stefan asked.

"Tessa turned her into a block of rock, left her in a box for 2,000 years, probably went a little stir crazy like those deserted island guys who talk to volleyballs." Damon replied sarcastically.

"I said I don't know!" Amara yelled and kicked at the wall.

"So, you're telling me that this girl is the only thing holding together the other side?" Stefan wondered.

"Yeah, she's the anchor," Cassandra answered.

Amara was now pacing back and forth inside the cell, her gaze fixed on something or someone as she hissed, "Leave me alone."

"As long as she's alive, the other side exists, and we can keep trying to get Bonnie from over there." Damon said.

"I said I don't know!" She began shouting again and Cassandra rolled her eyes. She banged on the door, gaining Amara's attention and partially frightening her. She then spoke something in an another language and Amara seemed to understand it since she was now cowering in the corner. Both brothers exchanged a questioning glance with one another before looking to Cassandra.

"What did you say to her?" Stefan asked.

"That? Oh, I just told her to shut up before I reach down her throat and rip out her vocal chords." Cassandra beamed proudly and Damon smirked.

"I didn't know that you spoke ancient Greek." He said.

"You know me and dead languages." His wife grinned.

"Well, considering she's immortal, I'd say that she'd survive her tonsillectomy." He added.

"You'd think." She scoffed.

"Except last night she stuck a hole in Silas' neck, sucked the cure right out of him. So now she's not only nuts, she's mortal, which means we have to keep her ordinary little human heart beating until we get Bonnie back." Damon explained.

"How would you plan to do that?" His brother questioned.

"Silas made a pinky promise that he'd do a spell to bring her back," he said.

"A pinky promise?" Cassandra raised her eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, he's taking his sweet time coming back to Mystic Falls." Damon finished just in time to catch the smell of human blood wafting up his nostrils. He looked to Amara who had bitten a large gash in her wrist in hopes that she would bleed to death, but as Damon pointed out, they needed to keep Amara alive for the time being. Damon was inside her cell in seconds, grabbing her and holding her arms down, so she couldn't harm herself.

"Ah! Amara, stop!" He reprimanded her, but she wailed and continued to struggle against him.

"Ah! No! No! Let me die. I want to die!" She begged with hot tears running down her cheeks.

Damon then looked to his wife and his brother tirelessly. "Let's hope love is blind or at least deaf."

"Preferably deaf," his wife sighed heavily.

"Dammit." Damon cursed as Silas' phone went to voicemail yet again; he'd been calling the witch all day to make sure that he was still going to keep his promise about bringing Bonnie back, but by the way he was ignoring Damon, the odds did not seem at all in his favor. Cassandra was busying herself in the kitchen making something for Amara to eat while Damon dialed Silas again. A few moments went by and just when Damon was ready to fling his phone into the fireplace, Silas finally picked up.

"Hello, Damon." He greeted.

"Well, look who decided to pick up his phone. Is your secretary out sick?" The vampire jeered.

"They prefer administrative assistants now, thank you very much." Silas replied smartly. "I learned that on the bus. Very nice people on here, by the way."

"You're taking a bus?" Damon's eyebrows shot up, not taking Silas for a sitting on a crowded bus kind of guy. "Not to sound like a dick, man, but we're in a little bit of a rush over here."

"Yeah, but you know what's great about the bus? Open road, Damon. There's all this time to think, watch everyday human beings in their normal environment. Did you know that gas is over $3.00 a gallon at the moment? It seems to really concern a lot of people." The warlock rambled on and Damon rolled his ice blue eyes.

"This is not a time to have an every-man crisis. We need you back here to resurrect Bonnie before your nutter butter soul mate offs herself and destroys the Other Side."

"Yeah. I've been thinking about that. Amara needs to die."

"Pardon me?"

Silas tsked, "My poor Amara, all those years trapped in stone clearly left her unhinged, so look, if she doesn't want to spend another moment on this earth, then I'm more than happy to put her out of her misery and spend the rest of eternity in the afterlife with her, but listen, if you want to go ahead and kill her and save me the trouble, then please, by all means."

Damon shook his head, clenching his teeth. "Not till you bring Bonnie back, remember? Promises made, metaphorical hand shook."

"I've been thinking about that, too, Damon. Remember when I told you that the Universe is working to kill your wife and you laughed in my face? Well, I'm sure that by now you've found out that it's all true and that no matter what, she will die this time and stay dead. And it gives me this perverse amount of joy to watch you be helpless and have no idea how to stop the Universe from resetting itself. So, I've decided not to help you, Damon, and I will see you soon. I'm looking forward to all this being over. Bye." Silas hung up the phone with a quick click and all Damon was left with was the lonely sound of a dial tone in his ear. Once again the thought of Cassandra being killed some outside force was eating away at his brain again. Like a parasite, it spread its disease and occupied most of his thoughts even on a good day. He also knew that because Silas had decided against helping bring Bonnie back to life, that he would disappoint a lot of people by telling them, Bonnie included. His plans always somehow happened to go to shit even though all he wanted to do was help.

Bonnie stood beside the crestfallen vampire with tears pricking her eyes, but it wasn't because of Damon's failure. It was because he was willing to do anything to bring her back just to make people happy. Years ago when everyone had first met Damon, she remembered hearing many of them call him selfish or uncaring to other's emotions, but as she stood in the parlor with him, she could see that this man might have been selfish in the beginning, but today he was selfless. She'd seen it with Cassandra and she had seen it whenever he tried to do good for others. She watched as he stormed right by her, his head hung low and his fists clenched and she wanted nothing more than to place her hand on his shoulder and tell him just two words to express her gratitude.

"Thank you." She whispered into the empty room, wishing that he could hear it or at least be comforted by it.

Amara's head snapped up as she heard someone approaching the outside of her dingy cell. She had been working at her bound on her wrists to try and get free, but they were tied too tightly. She froze in place as the lock was turned and the door was open. The young woman from before entered the cell, the one who had yelled at her in Greek to keep quiet, and Amara scrunched even further into her corner. The women closed the door behind her and held up one hand because she was holding a plate in the other.

"It's okay. I just brought you something to eat." She told her calmly and held out the plate to Amara. Her brown eyes eyed the sandwich warily, her gaze switching from the food to the woman. "Come on, it's one sandwich. Trust me, it won't bring you any further away from dying."

Amara shook her head back and forth and looked away. "No, thank you."

"At least you're polite." Cassandra chortled and put the plate down on the floor for a moment. She then slowly approached Amara and took her bound wrists in her grasp. The girl turned to see the ropes come undone and placed to the side. She raised her eyebrows at Cassandra and rubbed her sore skin.

"Thank you."

"You're most welcome." She smiled and set the plate in the girl's lap. "I promise that it's good. I know that because I would never serve anyone I know anything bad."

"I'm not hungry." Amara declined, but kept the plate in her lap.

"I can hear your stomach grumbling from upstairs." Cassandra mentioned and Amara could feel her mouth watering as she looked at the food. Deciding to indulge a little, she gripped the sandwich and took a bite, chewing hesitantly as the fresh flavors burst on her tongue. She hummed softly and took another large bite of the food, unable to get enough into her empty stomach fast enough.

"This is wonderful." She mumbled with a mouthful of food and Cassandra smiled.

"Well, I'm glad that you like it." She said. "And I'm sorry about yelling and threatening you before. I was just a little cranky because I couldn't sleep and you were constantly screaming the night before."

Amara stopped mid-chew and swallowed. She looked down at her sandwich and then to her bruised wrists. "Why are you being so nice to me? Why can't you all just let me die in peace?"

Cassandra leaned against the wall casually and met Amara's gaze. "One, because I don't like seeing innocent people held against their will. I'd want people to treat me how I'd want to be treated. And two, we can't let you die yet." Amara frowned and set her plate aside, having enough to eat for the time being. "Besides, why do you want to die so badly anyway? I would think that a person who was freed from being a stone statue for two thousand years would want to live every moment that they could."

Amara's gaze was cold and fixated on her hands which sat poised in her lap. Her wrist that she had bitten open before was now cleaned and bandaged tightly to stop the blood flow, but she could spy some stray droplets on the gauze. She lifted her head to speak, but her breath caught in her throat seeing two faces standing in the doorway.

"Well, if it isn't the face that launched a thousand doppelgangers. A little birdie told me you aren't enjoying your immortal life." Tessa spat evilly.

Cassandra cast a glance to Damon who was standing behind the witch. "You called her?"

"I'll explain it later," he said.

Tessa looked between husband and wife. "That'll be all. Shoo now."

"Why are you here?" Cassandra glared.

"Your boo paid me a visit. Jealous?" The witch wiggled her eyebrows.

"Ugh, yeah right." The hybrid made a face and side stepped Tessa to meet Damon. They walked outside the cell and closed the door, but waited to watch what would unfold between the two women. Amara couldn't even look Tessa in the eye, so the witch roughly grabbed Amara's chin, making her face her.

"Two thousand years, you have nothing to say to me? No apology?" She seethed.

"I'm sorry." Amara whimpered softly.

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry. That is what you want to hear, isn't it? How I have suffered, how every moment of my life has been a living hell? It has!" She cried, her tears hitting Tessa's hand. The witch smirked in response, finally getting what she wanted. "My sin was falling in love, and I've learned my lesson. You win. You won. Now, please, kill me. Please. Please kill me!"

"Don't worry. When I make someone else the anchor, I will, and since you're nothing more than a non-supernatural human, you'll pass on while Silas is trapped on the Other Side, and the you and Silas, you're gonna spend eternity apart and that is gonna be kind of fantastic for me. Selfishly speaking." Tessa spoke and before Cassandra could speak, Damon had taken her hand and led her upstairs.

"Okay, so now can you explain to me why that psychopath is in our house?" She asked as she and Damon stood in the parlor.

"Silas decided not to help us bring Bonnie back." He told her and Cassandra's face fell.

"What? But he gave you his word."

"Remind me never to make a pinky promise with a two thousand year old warlock ever again." He poured himself a glass of bourbon. "So, I went to Tessa with a little side deal."

"What was the deal?" His wife wondered.

"We have Tessa do an anchor swap. Amara for Bonnie." Damon explained simply.

"And what makes you think that this will work? That's got to be a pretty powerful spell." She noted just as the door bell rang.

"Right on time." He smirked.

"The cute one's here." Katherine called out as she entered the house with Caroline in tow.

"Damon..." Cassandra groaned, hating the idea of Katherine being involved in Damon's scheme.

"I know, I know, but using doppelgangers are the only way that Tessa can draw enough power to complete the spell."

"And Tessa said that she'd do this?"

"She's here isn't she?" He heard Tessa come upstairs and greet Katherine in the foyer. Caroline had left and Tessa took all three doppelgangers into the drawing room. Cassandra sat back on the couch in front of the fireplace, rubbing her temples.

"I just hope that this works and that Tessa doesn't back out on us." She said.

"She won't. She knows that she needs the Other Side to remain in place. If it gets destroyed, Silas and Amara get to live happily ever after and Tessa will not be happy with that idea." He sat beside her and she leaned up to curl into his side.

"I will be much happier once all of this drama is over." She sighed and felt Damon wrap an arm around her shoulders.

Damon gently kissed her hair. "I know. Silas will be dead and gone, so he can't rub the whole 'universe is out to get me' speech in my face."

"You're still on that?" Cassandra peered up at him with a curious gaze. "We talked about it, Damon."

"Well, he likes to point out that I am completely helpless in the whole ordeal. He finds joy in my pain." He grumbled and his wife gave him a kiss under his jaw line which had tensed when he started to talk about Silas.

"Please, let's just enjoy ourselves and not worry about Silas or the Universe or any other crap. Let's just focus on us, okay?" He gave a low grunt and Cassandra smacked his chest. "I'm serious. I don't need any more added stress. You know how bad that is for pregnant women."

"Well then we're idiots for staying in Mystic Falls, AKA stress central. Elijah did mention that he had room for us in New Orleans."

Cassandra shook her head. "No, I like it here and it wouldn't feel right leaving everyone."

"Sooner or later, Cass, they'll leave us." He had a point, the gang was growing up quickly and they would have their own lives to lead. Maybe they would want to uproot from Mystic Falls and leave for good. Who knew. It was only a matter of time. Not that Cassandra didn't want them to move on and grow up; she did, but she just knew that she would miss them so much.

"Would you ever leave here?" She wondered.

Damon shrugged as his fingers combed through her hair. "Elijah did mention something about New Orleans."

"I don't think New Orleans could handle two pregnant supernaturals." She joked wholeheartedly. "Plus, we don't even know what kind of trouble that Klaus has gotten himself into."

"That's true too." He kissed her forehead. The two sat in comfortable silence for a while and not a word was exchanged between the two. Only the slight murmurs of the women in the drawing room could be heard. It was nice to just soak in the quiet and relax their minds from the constant hustle and bustle of Mystic Falls even if it was only for a minute or two. The grandfather clock in the room bonged loudly, chiming its haunting melody twice throughout the house.

"How about Ava?" He asked out of the blue and Cassandra raised her eyebrow at that.

"Hmm?"

"For the baby." He replied simply and she smiled.

"You were thinking of names?" Her voice rose an octave or two.

"Yeah...oh, don't look at me like that." He said when he saw her staring adorably at him.

"Oh hush." She shushed him and placed light kisses along his neck. "I think it's very sweet."

"Cass..." Damon groaned lowly as his wife moved to straddle his leg. His hands curled around her hips and he shivered when Cassandra nibbled at his earlobe.

"Hmm?" She hummed in his ear, her lips brushing over the shell of it and her fingers running down his chest.

"Well, what do you think of it?" Damon asked and pulled back so he could look at her and she sat back, tilting her head to the side as she tried the name on her tongue.

"Ava. I like it. I was maybe thinking Sophia or Valentina." She suggested and he nodded.

"I like those too, momma." He grinned wolfishly at her.

"I'm not a momma yet." She corrected him and his hands came to rest on either side of her face.

"Not yet, but I like the nickname." Damon winked slyly and kissed Cassandra's lips with such passion that all of the breath was nearly knocked out of her chest. Even after all of those years, he still had a way of making her melt in his hold. She grinned against his lips and kissed him back with just as much, if not more passion and took little teasing nips at his bottom lip. Damon's hands fisted the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her body to discard it on the floor. She would have normally scolded him for undressing her while there was company in the house, but pregnancy had made her extremely hormonal and she craved sex almost as much as the strange combinations of food that she found herself eating in the middle of the night. His fingertips brushed over her smooth skin, tickling her with his soft caresses and she giggled breathlessly. She rolled her hips into his, smirking when he groaned into mouth and squeezed her behind which pushed her even closer to him. She worked at his shirt too until it joined hers on the floor and she kissed along his collarbone. Suddenly, the lights in the room had begun to flicker wildly and a fierce gust of wind blew loose papers all around the room. They broke apart, looking about curiously and Cassandra jumped in Damon's hold when one by one, the light bulbs exploded.

"What the hell?" She murmured. The fire in the fireplace was quickly snuffed out by the wind and in seconds the entire room and boarding house was plunged into darkness.

"Dammit." The vampire whined and the two scrambled around for their clothes in the dark. "Stupid doppelgangers and witches and-ow!" He cursed as he stubbed his toe on the coffee table.

"Are you okay?" She pulled her shirt on and felt around in the cabinet by the bookshelves. She could have sworn that there was a flashlight there.

"Just broke my toe. No big deal." Her husband grumbled.

"Found it!" She exclaimed and switched on the flashlight. With the added light, she was able to illuminate the room and she tossed him an extra flashlight. He clicked it on and walked over to the circuit breaker while Cassandra made her way to the drawing room.

"I can't see anything. Can you?" Katherine said.

"Are you girls alright?" Cassandra asked and saw the room was a complete mess. "What the hell happened here?"

Damon joined his wife, standing beside her. "Electricity's out in the whole house."

"Silas is here," Elena replied.

"Well, Silas owes me a fuse box." The raven haired vampire jeered and flashed his light between Elena and Katherine. "Hang on. I only count two doppelgangers. Where's crazy pants?"

Cassandra noticed it too and cast her light in the dark corners of the room, finding no sign of Tessa or Amara. "And where's the other crazy?" Both Elena and Katherine shrugged and Cassandra took it upon herself to look for either Tessa or Amara. She felt Elena following her and they walked into the library, sensing the smell of blood in the air. Tessa was lying on the floor, a fire poker stuck in her shoulder and she was groaning quietly.

"What happened to you?" Elena asked as she and Cassandra bent down beside her.

"Can't a witch rest in peace?" The witch hissed.

"Oh, grow up. It's just a flesh wound." The hybrid rolled her eyes and yanked the poker out of Tessa's shoulder. "Did you finish the spell?"

"No. Silas decided to drop in." She growled.

"Well, you're going to finish it." Cassandra grabbed Tessa by her upper arms and hoisted her up from the floor. She walked her back into the room where she was doing the spell and led her to the table where Bonnie's grimoire was perched. "Now." Tessa glared at her and braced her arms on the table. She concentrated on the spell book and closed her eyes as she chanted softly where she had left off.

"Stefan and Amara are not inside." Damon announced as he walked into the room.

"That's because Stefan took her. You have to go find him before he gets himself killed." Elena pleaded.

"No. He's luring Silas away so he can finish this. It's typical Stefan. He'll be fine." The vampire shook his head.

"He's hurting. Damon, he's not thinking clearly." The female vampire spoke with pain in her voice. "Please go find him. I can't lose him again."

"And what am I supposed to do? Leave you guys here to go look for Stefan?" He glanced between Tessa and the two girls.

"Yes." Cassandra nodded, looking to her husband. "You have to get to Stefan before something bad happens. Please, Damon. Do it." We just got him back."

Damon sighed heavily, knowing that both Elena and Cassandra were right. He walked to Cassandra and gave his wife a soft kiss before leaving. "Be careful, alright?"

"I could say the same to you." She flashed him a small smile and turned back to Tessa, watching her work over the grimoire. Some time had passed when Tessa had stopped and told them that the spell was complete. Elena left the room while Katherine and Cassandra stayed behind.

"That's it. It's done." Tessa closed the book.

"Thank you." Cassandra said and walked past her. "You're free to go." As she walked into the parlor, she stopped dead in her tracks when saw Jeremy and Bonnie locked in a passionate kiss in front of the fire place. It worked. It actually worked.

"Woah! Easy, Jer. She just got back." She joked and the couple broke apart, the two of them blushing fiercely. Bonnie ran over to Cassandra and hugged her tightly, burying her face in her shoulder. The hybrid's eyes teared up, so happy that Bonnie was finally back in the world of the living.

"Welcome back, honey." She smiled broadly and pinched her cheeks. "It's great to have you back, Bon."

"Thanks. It feels good to be back." The girls separated and Cassandra picked at her jacket that she had been stuck in since she had died before graduation.

"I think it's time that we get rid of this...thing." She wrinkled her nose.

"Oh, yeah. I know. I'll burn this and go shopping tomorrow." Bonnie chuckled and wanted nothing more than to get out of her jacket. "I'm gonna go shower. I still feel...dead."

"Go ahead." Cassandra gestured for her to go back to Jeremy and the pair. He lightly grasped her hand and took her upstairs, making Cassandra smile. She was beyond ecstatic that Bonnie was now back in action and she knew that Elena and Caroline would be happy too.

Thankfully the day was finally over and Damon stripped himself out of his clothes as he walked around the bedroom he shared with Cassandra. Amara had died in his arms tonight and Stefan was still out in the middle of the woods doing God knows what. He had killed Silas, just as he promised and Elena had gone out to find him. Damon overheard the two of them talking and he frowned hearing how upset Stefan was that Elena wasn't there to bring him back from the safe that he'd been drowning in. Elena tried to explain that she, Damon, and Cassandra had done all that they could, but Tessa had gotten there first. Elena was the one who perhaps felt the most guilt. She was Stefan's boyfriend and for the entire summer, her thoughts were filled with preparing for college. Damon and Cassandra had their own problems to deal with as far as the baby and it made Stefan feel forgotten. Damon had heard enough, his own guilt creeping over him like a black cloud and he headed home. He'd heard about Bonnie's triumphant return and had to pat himself on the back for a plan of his actually working out fully. He was sure to rub it in anyone's face who ever doubted him again. Cassandra was nestled in bed under the covers and she propped herself up on her elbow.

"So, we killed three birds with one stone today." She chirped.

"Three?" He looked at her as he tossed his clothes that he was wearing into the laundry bin.

"Yeah. Tessa killed herself." She replied.

"Well, she was a psycho witch." Damon clicked his teeth and joined her in bed.

"You're telling me." Cassandra immediately snuggled into her husband's side, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm just happy that you're okay."

"And why wouldn't I be?" He wondered as he toyed with a lock of her hair.

Cassandra shrugged and kissed his lips. "I just worry about you, that's all. Can't a wife worry about her husband?"

He smiled widely and pulled her closer, pressing their bodies intimately together. "Of course she can, but I'd rather be doing much more pleasurable activities."

"You are such a horn dog." She giggled when he started covering her with kisses. He situated them so that she was on her back and he was braced on his hands, hovering above her. Their lips moved fluidly over one another's and Cassandra was pawing at his smooth alabaster skin when she suddenly heard some soft moans coming from down the hall. She broke the kiss and listened quietly, but her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she realized who was making the noise.

"Are they...?"

Damon leaned up and tilted his head to the side, surveying the sound before letting out a low whistle. "Well, I'll be damned. Baby Gilbert is finally getting laid."

"I'm happy for them." Cassandra relaxed into the mattress. "And Bonnie is back all because of you. So, thank you for helping to bring her back."

"That means she owes me and she better not witchy woo me anymore." He replied and his wife rolled her eyes.

"Don't give her a reason to." She stretched out beneath Damon, yawning tiredly as she felt her eyes falling closed.

"Tired?" He asked and she nodded. "Come on, let's get some rest." Lying beside her, he hugged her body from behind and lightly kissed her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too, Damon." She whispered softly and before they knew it, they were both asleep in mere minutes. A day of plotting and anchor switching took more out of them than they thought. Their bedroom was engulfed in darkness and silence, a perfect combination for sleeping in and their bodies lay tangled up in the silk sheets and one another.

However they were not alone.

Making her way out of the shadows, a ghostly Tessa stood at the foot of the bed. Her dark eyes trailed over the quaint picture before her and she had to quell her urge to vomit. She thought that it was laughable that Damon and Cassandra were so openly defying the wishes of the Universe that was so desperately trying to tear them apart. At times she did doubt the Universe's strength because it had too many failed attempts in separating them. History should have repeated itself like it had done so many times over the years, but for some strange reason, the Universe just couldn't rid the earth of Cassandra. No matter what had occurred, the two of them would always find their ways back to each other. Tessa, wanting to just end this would gladly strangle Cassandra in her sleep, but she knew that she had to be patient and let the Universe work its magic.

She then moved to stand at the side of the bed so that Cassandra was facing her and she placed her hand on her growing baby bump. Cassandra didn't feel her touch while she and Damon couldn't even feel Tessa's presence in the room. Being a ghost, Tessa could hear the strong heartbeat of the child and how she moved around in her mother's belly. This baby gave Tessa new hope that the Universe would come through with its plan after all. This baby would be the one thing that would succeed in making Cassandra's death permanent. Tessa couldn't see how she would die, but she knew that it would be because of the baby.

"Enjoy your happiness for now because it is going to be taken away from you very soon." She warned evilly and vanished from their bedroom.

Woah! What a cliffhanger! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! I had my first observed lesson in student teaching today and it went so well that I wanted to update to celebrate! Feel free to leave questions, comments, what you loved in the review. Go ahead, click that little button at the bottom. You know you want to ;)

VampirePrincess11: Thanks for reviewing, girl! I'm glad that you're enjoying it and I hope that you liked reading this chapter!

grapejuice101: Yes! Klaus now knows about Cassandra's pregnancy. Perhaps when he isn't trying to overthrow Marcel's empire, he'll give her a call? Thanks for reviewing and I hope that you enjoyed this one :)

Shining Ruby: I did feel bad for Giuliana too, but I am happy that Agnes is now out of the way so that she can't hurt her anymore. It is also good that Hayley and the baby are safe since that is the entire plot of the show lol! Thank you for your review!

xoxobianca13: Thanks for reviewing, girl! I like the relationship between Giuliana and Hayley. They are more like friends now more than ever. Elijah does care a lot for Giuliana, but he'd rather keep those feelings to himself. I wish that there was more Klaus and Giuliana action too, but hopefully within the next few chapters, I can add some in there. Rebekah's humor is hilarious! She has a lot of great one-liners that always make me laugh! Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, babe!

SomebodyWhoCares: Hehe, I kinda like Marcel. He's cocky and we know that he learned all of that from Klaus. So, he learned from the best ;) Ooh, very pretty names! Thanks for suggesting them and thanks for reviewing!

Bangbaby: Hi there! Thanks so much for that! You're making me blush :) Unfortunately the Klaus/OC fic is on a hiatus until I get some ideas for it. I am hoping to continue it when an idea does hit me. Thanks for your review and I hope that you enjoyed this update!

wholockian44: Thanks for reviewing! I love Damon and Cassandra too! They have a great relationship and wonderful chemistry ;)

Bilbo Baggins Is My Hobbit: Thank you for your review! I do like Giuliana with Elijah too, but she did leave with Marcel in the last chapter! Let's see if that changes things?

Rose1324: Thanks for reviewing! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and I am planning on updating Love Like This soon :)