Bloodlines
Chapter 27: Total Eclipse of the Heart
Beta: PrincessOfSilence
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.
"Look, I'm in for helping you and all, but what does sitting in on a class of Finite Mathematics have to do with getting you back into the land of the living?"
"Oh, will you stop complaining?"
Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest as she watched less than enthusiastic students file one by one into the lecture hall and take their seats. She and Vanessa sat all the way in the back, away from everyone since it was easier to get a bird's eye view of the classroom. The pregnant hybrid had told her blonde friend what happened with Damon and that she had put her fist through the windshield of Aaron's car. Vanessa explained it as a strange loophole. Meaning, sometimes when spirits became angry their emotions could become so strong that it would bend the border between the physical world and the spirit world. In some cases, objects can fall from shelves, light bulbs can burst and lights can flicker, but what had happened in Cassandra's case was highly unusual. Her anger had become so manifested and focused that she had managed to punch quite a hole in the barrier that held her where she was. With this little mishap, hopefully she'd be able to get in touch with Liv, so that she could help her out. The young witch sat quite a ways down towards the front of the class, seemingly uninterested in just about everything. Cassandra's eyes snapped to the doorway and smiled seeing Bonnie, Caroline and Ele—Katherine walk inside.
"Ah, right on time," Cassandra noted and leaned back in her seat, making sure to have picked a chair with no desk because of her bulging belly. Sure, she might have been able to squeeze herself into the chair with the desk, but she'd have a hell of a time getting out.
"And what do you expect us to do?" Vanessa asked her curiously.
"Just watch and listen." Her friend replied softly as Bonnie, Katherine, and Caroline took seats a couple of rows down from Liv. Caroline was chattering excitedly about an event on campus while waiting for the professor to come into the classroom.
"Today is the dawning of a new era. This is stage one of our metamorphosis into the land of the brave, the free, and the single," the blonde proclaimed quite proudly while Katherine's nose wrinkled slightly.
"Bonnie's not single." She noted and smiled at the Anchor who grinned back at her.
"Pff, Katherine needs to work on her Elena impression." Cassandra grumbled to herself, making Vanessa chuckle to herself.
"Bonnie's best friends are single, which makes her single adjacent. So, she can be our wing-woman." Caroline yanked a flyer from inside her binder and passed it to Katherine. Her scrunched eyes read over the wording as she read it aloud.
"'Whitmore's Annual Bitter Ball. A night to celebrate broken hearts, jilted lovers, and bitter singles.'"
"Where can I buy my ticket?" The hybrid bit lowly.
"This is our fresh start?" Katherine asked her friend.
Caroline shook her head and took back the flyer. "No. This is our purge; our cleanse. This is where we rid ourselves from the baggage better known as our tragic and mortifying first semester."
"I'll drink to that." The brunette smirked and settled into her seat while Caroline continued to jibber jabber about the party. Unbeknownst to all three girls, Liv was twirling her pen on her desk. At first she was using one finger to get it to spin and gain momentum, but now she was hovering her hand just above the pen. Bonnie, of course, was listening to Caroline, but sincerely wished that something would distract her.
"Wish me luck." Cassandra took a nearby piece of paper, crumpled it up, and lobbed it at the back of Bonnie's head. The Anchor immediately turned around, her eyes a flame and ready to confront the person who had hit her with the paper ball, but she caught Liv playing with her pen without touching it. She thought that she was seeing things, but she knew that kind of trick could only belong to that of a witch. Her mouth was open like a fish out of water and she continued to stare until a soft voice broke her concentration.
"Psst, Bonnie." The Anchor looked to the back of the classroom and she took in a breath to call out Cassandra's name in excitement, but the hybrid held a finger to her lips. "Don't say a word." She then indicated towards the door of the classroom and Bonnie nodded.
"Bonnie, you in?" Caroline's question shook her up a bit, but she still managed to pack up her bag.
"Yeah. Yeah. Sounds like fun," she mumbled, earning a curious side glance from Katherine and Caroline.
"Where are you going?" Katherine asked.
"I, uh...forgot my textbook. I'm gonna run back to my room-"
"Oh, here." Katherine extended her textbook towards the Anchor. "You can use mine." Bonnie looked over her shoulder to see Cassandra waiting patiently by the door for her, but then quickly directed her attention back to Katherine.
"It's okay. I really should use my own." She gathered up her bag and binder in her shaking hands. "I'll be back soon." The girls nodded warmly as they watched Bonnie turn on her heel and bolt for the door, making them look at one another again.
"What's up with her?" Caroline wondered.
"I don't know." Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "But it's like she's seen a ghost or something."
"What the hell..." Stefan muttered as he walked up to the front of the boarding house upon seeing Damon's Camero parked a little too close to the brick for his liking. He was lucky that the only damage he saw to the outside of the house was a shattered potted plant and some loose or missing cobblestones from the front entrance. The vampire only worried as to what the inside of the house would look like after his brother's rampage. Elena had told Stefan everything about Cassandra leaving Damon and Stefan knew that it would only add to Damon's already impulsive mood that he'd been in lately. Stefan told Elena that it was a bad idea to tell his brother, but Elena was overcome by guilt and the heaviness of knowing such a big secret. She didn't want to hurt Damon, she said to Stefan, but she felt that Damon had the right to know about Cassandra's plan.
It just doesn't make sense, Stefan thought to himself. Why would Cassandra just up and leave when she and Damon promised to work things out and take some time apart from each other? Something didn't feel right and Stefan knew that. He'd tried endless attempts to call Cassandra and track her down, but his search had come up empty. It was as if she had disappeared out of thin air or that she had never existed at all. He didn't want to give up his fight to try and find his sister-in-law, but so far he couldn't find any answers and each lead he followed led him to a dead end. If anything, he wanted answers for Damon. Damon deserved to know why she left, but Stefan had a feeling that his brother wanted nothing to do with someone who he had given his life to and had decided to walk out on him.
Stefan's eyes and nose caught a tell tale blood spatter on the trunk of Damon's car and his curiosity brought him to pop open the lid. Stuffed inside, quite uncomfortably looking, was Aaron Whitmore's pale body with an open bite wound on his neck. His limbs were scrunched inside the trunk and his eyes were wide open in shock. The green eyed vampire shook his head disappointingly and slammed the lid closed quite angrily. He knew that Damon would be lashing out, but this was becoming a problem. And now he had a body to bury. Taking a deep breath, he clutched the doorknob and pushed open the front door, bracing himself for what horrors Damon left for him inside.
To say that everything had been turned upside-down would have been an understatement. The foyer was a nightmare. The rug by the door was overturned, wooden rungs from the banister were broken and splintered, and shards of glass littered the floor. Stefan made sure to step carefully over everything and he tsked loudly at the torn canvas paintings that hung unevenly on the walls. As he stepped further into the house, his foot crunched on something. Looking down under his boot, he could spy the broken frame and splintered glass of a picture frame, so he picked it up. It was a photo of Damon and Cassandra on their honeymoon. Husband and wife were both facing the camera with huge, happy smiles on their faces. Damon was standing behind Cassandra with his arms looped loosely around her neck. His hands grasped hers, their fingers lovingly laced in one another's and the Spanish sun was setting in the distance.
Stefan heaved a heavy sigh and took the photo with him as he kicked aside some empty broken bottles while making his way to the living room. Damon was sprawled out on the couch, an almost drained bottle in his hand and Stefan cleared his throat loudly at the condition of the room. Bottles were strewn everywhere, the other couch and coffee table were flipped over and pages from ripped apart books were everywhere.
At the sound of his brother entering the room, Damon looked up and tried with much effort to stand, but he was too drunk to do so. "Hey. Sorry about the mess. I had some company and things got a little out of hand."
"You want to tell me what the hell's going on out in the driveway?" His brother asked while watching Damon wiggle around on the couch.
"Ah. I let Enzo drive last night. He's a little out of practice." Damon slurred and was finally able to get to his feet. "Almost ended up in the damn foyer."
"Huh." Both brothers were now standing opposite each other. Stefan glared at his brother knowingly and Damon smirked.
"Oh. You mean Aaron."
"Yeah." Stefan nodded.
"Yeah." Damon mimicked. "Well, last night, we hunted him down, and I ripped his throat out. I just figured it's time to shove the last branch of the Whitmore family tree into the wood chipper."
Stefan's eyebrows furrowed. "So, your wife leaves you, and your first instinct is to go in a killing spree? Could you be any more predictable?"
"It was my idea if it makes you feel any better." Enzo smirked as he walked into the room and he held out his hand to Stefan who eyed it. "Enzo. Remember? We met when-"
"When you were trying to tear Damon's head off." Stefan stepped on his words. "Yeah, I remember." Without shaking Enzo's hand, he turned his attention back to his brother. "So, what? You guys are old pals again? Murder buddies, is that it?"
"Oh, you know how it goes. I mean, I left him for dead, he tried to kill me, we worked things out. You spend five years with someone in a dungeon, you have a pretty unbreakable bond." Damon explained as he handed his bottle to Enzo over Stefan's shoulder.
"Say, you haven't heard from Dr. Wes Maxfield by any chance?" Enzo asked Stefan who turned to face him. "Bloke's next on the Augustine hit list and he's a slippery little devil."
Stefan then faced his older brother again. "Is that the plan? Kill off Augustine and then go back to your sadistic, psychotic old self?"
Damon smirked knowingly. "I happen to like my old sadistic self, Stefan. In fact, I miss that guy. That guy was dumb enough to try and change himself to get a girl." His younger brother just hummed in disapproval.
"So, get another hobby, brother, because I'm not in the mood to be saved." Damon added.
"What do you say? Shall we get you a new hobby?" Enzo asked cheekily. "Golf? Scrapbooking?"
"Scrapbooking." The blue eyed vampire grinned.
"Come on, Damon. You're better than this." Stefan offered.
"On the contrary, brother. I'm better like this." He smirked and jerked his head to Enzo, indicating for him to follow, which he did. Stefan took a few steps back, contemplating going after his older brother, but he knew that Damon was beyond helping at this point. He turned his back on Damon and headed outside to the shed in the backyard. After rifling around for a few moments, he finally found what he was looking for.
A shovel to bury Aaron's body.
"Lock the door." Cassandra instructed Bonnie when they finally got back to her dorm room and the Anchor followed without questioning her. Once the door was locked, Bonnie turned back to Cassandra who was nervously twiddling her fingers in front of her belly.
"Bonnie, I-"
"Where have you been, Cassandra? Damon thinks that you left him. No phone call? No email? Nothing?" She stepped right on her words and paced around her room a bit.
"I know and I have a really good excuse for not doing all of those things." Cassandra swore. "A really good excuse."
The Anchor leaned against her bed and folded her arms over her chest. "Look, we can talk about that later. I get that you and Damon needed your time apart. All that matters is that you're back."
"Not exactly." She muttered, but Bonnie didn't catch it.
"But the way you left...Damon went crazy. He's-"
"I know." She interrupted and the girl shifted on her feet. "I've seen it all."
Bonnie's nose wrinkled and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How have you been able to see it? You've been gone for..." A look of pure shock and horror crossed her face and she held her hand up to her mouth to stifle a gasp.
"Yeah...I know." Cassandra sighed.
"You...you died! You're dead!" She shouted and the hybrid shushed her.
"Shh! Stop yelling! No one is supposed to know. Got it? You weren't even supposed to know." She said just as a trickle of blood fell from her nostril. Bonnie moved closer to the hybrid, but she immediately backed away with her hands raised. "Ah! No! No, don't touch me!"
Bonnie's hands flinched and she realized that if she touched Cassandra or went too close to her, she could pass through her body and be gone forever. "What's happening to you?"
"To put it simply...I'm rotting away." She sighed and wiped the blood away from her nose with the back of her hand. "Your Grams explained it all to me."
The Anchor's eyes filled with tears. "You saw Grams? How is she? Is she alright?"
"She's fine. Me, on the other hand, I could be better." She said. "You know about the prophecy involving Damon and I, right?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Bonnie wondered.
"A couple of nights ago, it was completed when some Travelers killed me. So, now I'm on the Other Side. But the Travelers didn't stop with my death."
"They want to kill your child too." She finished and Cassandra nodded.
"Right. They think that the birth of this child will mess with the natural order of things, so they want her dead. So, me being on the Other Side is slowly killing her." Cassandra sat at Bonnie's desk chair and she pressed an anxious hand on her belly. Her daughter hadn't been kicking as much lately and scared Cassandra to death that her daughter was in pain or suffering.
"I need your help, Bonnie." A small whimper passed her lips. "I can't lose her."
Bonnie moved across the room to stand closer to her. She wished that she could hold Cassandra's hand or give her some kind of reassuring touch, but she knew what it would do to her. "What can I do?"
"Your Grams told me that maybe a witch spell can bring me back. Or that if I harness enough power, I could bring myself back into the physical world." She said. "The other night, I was able to break the barrier between the Other Side and this side."
"So, technically she's already halfway there." Vanessa grinned from her place at the door, making Bonnie jump. "Sorry about that, Bon."
"It's okay." She quickly turned her attention back to Cassandra. "So, you're saying that a witch could bring you back?"
"It's possible." Cassandra replied. "I was thinking about Liv the teenage witch from your math class."
"I'll talk to her. Without a doubt." Bonnie nodded quickly. "I'll figure out something, Cassandra. I won't let you or your baby die here."
A soft, warm smile tugged at Cassandra's lips and she was filled with more hope than ever before. This could be her chance to getting herself and her daughter out of this mess. Her eyes met Bonnie's and the pair shared a moment of understanding.
"Thank you, Bonnie. It really means a lot to me." She wished that she hug her and tell her how thankful she was to have such a good friend. "You just have to promise me that you cannot tell anyone about this. As far as you know, I'm still MIA."
"Of course. I won't say anything to anyone." The Anchor swore.
"Well, this sure is a morbid party." Vanessa mumbled as she stood with Cassandra on the balcony of the ballroom where the Bitter Ball was being held. Dead corsages were being sold at the front table and there were shredding machines posted all around the room for those who wanted to shred love letters and pictures.
"Tell me about it. I've been around so many angry college kids in my entire life." Her friend agreed quite weakly.
Vanessa knew that her friend was barely hanging on and it became harder for her to watch Cassandra deteriorate before her eyes. "I hope Bonnie can pull through tonight."
"Me too." Cassandra nodded, her shaking hands came up to grip the railing to steady herself. Only hours had passed from when she first spoke to Bonnie, but her condition had worsened. Her skin had become pale and ashy, her hair was now lifeless and thin, and her features were sunken in; especially on her face. She was extremely fatigued and the smallest motions required the most amount of effort. But her eyes had never been so spirited. Even with the endless possibilities that could go wrong tonight, she still kept a hopeful outlook.
The pair scanned the crowds below and could see some members of the Mystic Falls gang enjoying the party. Well, some more than others. Caroline was at the shredding station and adamantly pushing memory after memory down a shredder. Meanwhile, Katherine was cozying up to Stefan on the dance floor and it made Vanessa scoff loudly.
"She's a piece of work. I mean, she really thinks that she can get away with this. Wait till you come back and kill her in her sleep." She muttered under her breath and when she didn't receive an answer from her friend, she looked beside her to see Cassandra ready to faint. Her eyes were closed and her knuckles had turned white from how hard she was gripping the railing.
"Cassan-" she couldn't even get her full name out before Cassandra fell backwards almost in slow motion. Vanessa caught her and was able to set her down against the wall and away from everyone. The hybrid's cheeks were warm and she was mumbling to herself as if she was dreaming.
"Woah, hey! Wake up, Cassandra." Vanessa gently shook her and she gave a sigh of relief when her eyes finally did open.
"Sorry, Nessa." She swallowed thickly and adjusted herself against the wall. "I'm just so tired."
"I know you are, but Bonnie is going to get you back," her friend reassured her.
"You know, when Bonnie brings me back, I won't see you anymore." Cassandra fussed.
Vanessa's expression hardened and she took a firm hold of Cassandra's hand. "I know that."
"Come back with me." Her hand tightened around her friend's as she urged her to come back into the physical world.
"I can't do that, honey. We have to worry about you getting back. That's the most important thing."She rubbed the back of Cassandra's hand comfortingly.
"I can't raise this baby without you."
"Sure you can. Remember when you raised me? I mean, I wasn't a baby, but you did raise me as your own." Vanessa knew that without Cassandra, she wouldn't have lived the life she lived. Cassandra had taken Vanessa under her wing, taught her everything she needed to know and always put her own needs behind Vanessa's.
"You will be an amazing mother, Cassandra. Your little girl will be so lucky to have you." Tears welled in her green eyes. The large clock in the grand hall chimed loudly and they both knew that it was time to meet Bonnie.
"I'll miss you so much." Cassandra rose to her feet with Vanessa's help and she was leaning against her.
"I'll make you a deal." Vanessa started walking down the hall, being mindful of people passing them by. "I'll stay here. I won't pass through Bonnie."
Cassandra's eyebrows furrowed. "But, why? You'll be stuck here forever. You deserve to move on and be happy."
"Don't you see? Being a part of all this," she gestured to the party and people around her. She wouldn't normally admit it, but she enjoyed being in the limbo that she was in. She couldn't interact with anyone, but it was a comfort to watch her friend even if things weren't all roses and daisies. "This makes me happy. And being around all of you makes me happy."
"You're such a sap." She grinned amicably.
"I know." Vanessa hummed.
They located the room that Bonnie and Liv were in and the two were hard at work. Bonnie was teaching the young witch how to say the spells and Liv was slowly repeating it. Damon and Caroline were there too, but neither of them wanted to ask as to why. Vanessa sat Cassandra down across from Liv and Bonnie's face grew grave just seeing how weak the hybrid was. Vanessa shared her worry, but didn't show it to Cassandra as she sat beside her friend.
"She's getting worse, Bonnie. It's now or never." Vanessa warned.
Bonnie worried her bottom lip between her teeth and looked to Cassandra. "There might be a chance that you won't make it back."
"I know." She nodded and took a hold of Liv's hands. "But I have to try."
"Bon, who are you talking to?" Caroline wondered.
"It's someone who needs to pass through." She lied.
"Wait, what?" Liv stopped her chanting to pass a wide eyed glance to Bonnie.
"It's nothing. Stay concentrated." Her firm tone made the young witch roll her eyes, but she ultimately listened to her teacher. The reciting of the spell went on quietly for a few minutes and for the most part nothing happened which made Damon lose his patience.
"How much longer is this going to take?" He hissed.
Bonnie glared at the vampire. "Give her some time. She's just learning."
"Yeah, well, chop-chop." The vampire leaned back against the wall.
"Phesmatos tribum nas ex viras, sequitas sanguinem." Liv continued to repeat the spell, each time was more precise and focus. A subtle breeze picked up in the room and it made the chandelier above Cassandra slowly rock back and forth. The dripping crystals that hung from the bottom part clinked together and glistened in the now flickering lights.
"Please, let this work." Cassandra whispered to herself. She wanted nothing more to back with the people she loved and she wanted nothing more than to have her baby be safe.
"You're doing great, Liv." Bonnie smiled to the young witch who was still chanting. Cassandra tightened her grip on Liv and was slightly relieved that she couldn't feel it.
Vanessa leaned in closer to Bonnie, making sure not to touch her. "What spell is she doing?"
"A locator spell. He wants to find Wes." She replied and was thankful for Damon who was typing something on his phone and that he didn't hear her over Liv speaking. "He's threatening us with Enzo hurting Jeremy."
"Oh, man wait till Cassandra gets back. She's is going to rip Damon a new one." The blonde ghost grumbled. All of the sudden, a swell of power engulfed the room as Liv's spell grew even stronger. The breeze was now a gust of wind and the lights were blinking frequently. Cassandra could feel her body tingling and a small smile pulled at her lips. Maybe this was working after all. Bonnie and Vanessa saw it and they smiled too until they saw something out of a nightmare.
Bright red blood pooled underneath Cassandra's closed eyes and bloody tears streaked down her pale cheeks. Feeling the strange sensation, the hybrid lifted her hand to feel her face and recoiled in absolute horror and shock. Her nose also began to bleed at an alarming rate and a pain shot through her stomach. She cried out, only to be heard by Bonnie and Vanessa who were quickly beginning to panic.
"No...this can't be." Cassandra whimpered.
"The spell is killing you." Vanessa took her friend's shoulders.
"You have to let go." Bonnie demanded, but Cassandra wouldn't listen. Instead, she gripped Liv harder and the witch made a face when she registered the touch on her arms.
"Something feels strange," she murmured but went back to the spell.
"It's working."The hybrid grinned through her pain.
"Cassandra, stop this now!" Her friend begged.
"I can make it through." She fought. "I have to fight this."
"Your body is too weak now." The Anchor told her.
"No." Cassandra shook her head. "I feel it. I can feel myself coming back."
"Cassandra." Bonnie had all intentions to scold her, but her voice was suddenly caught in her throat when Damon's eyes locked with hers. He heard her say his wife's name.
"What did you just say?" He asked, his eyes were wild.
"Nothing." The witch tried to cover it up. A strong gust of wind blew through the room and the light fixtures on the walls began to spark. The bulbs shattered one by one, glass flying everywhere in the wind, but Cassandra was still holding onto Liv without any thoughts of letting go. Blood was now in a puddle in front of her and she continued to bleed, but she refused to let go. The chandelier was now fully swinging back and forth. The crystals moved with the momentum and the chain that anchored it to the ceiling groaned loudly.
"Bonnie, you have to stop her. She'll die!" Vanessa hollered. The Anchor reached her hands towards, Cassandra, but was stopped by a loud snap and a shrill scream. It was all happening in slow motion. The chain above Cassandra's head broke in two and the chandelier was falling right for her. Liv was the one to notice it first and she was the one who screamed, ducking herself and Bonnie out of the way. Cassandra was too late to notice it, but the last thing she saw when she looked up were the pointed glass drippings from the chandelier coming right for her like the jaws of a shark that were ready to close down on their prey.
Jeremy Gilbert fought hard against the tight ropes and zip ties that Enzo had used to tie him to the chair, but they just wouldn't budge. He was losing circulation to his hands and feet, but he continued to struggle as if his life depended on it; which it did. Enzo had taken him to use as bait for Bonnie to find a witch to do a locator spell to find Wes. Damon and Enzo had some unfinished business to attend to with the doctor, but Jeremy wanted no part of it. He was now stuck in the Whitmore house with a psycho vampire friend of Damon's and no one knew where he was.
"Damon tells me your sweetheart hasn't come through on your behalf." Enzo teased. His back was turned to Jeremy, so that he was standing in front of the blazing fireplace. His eyes were glued to the seductive, siren-like movements of the orange flames.
"What are you going to do? I'm sure killing me would really inspire her." Jeremy snapped sarcastically.
Enzo chuckled heartily and faced Jeremy, making sure to keep his hands behind his back. "You know, you're right. She'll think I'm just some cliché murderer. I really like to make a good impression, you know?"
Jeremy strained and tugged his limbs to try and free himself, but his body sunk down in the chair in frustration when he realized that this would not end well for him. "You don't have to do this."
"You see, that's the thing about threats. If there's no follow-through, no one takes you seriously." The vampire was now standing over his prey and he took his hands from behind his back to reveal a plastic bag. Before Jeremy could jerk his head back, the bag was wrapped around his head, the plastic constricting his airways.
"Sorry to make this about me." Enzo tsked as he watched Jeremy fight violently against him to get the bag off, but his fighting was only depleting his oxygen. The vampire rolled his eyes at the valiant effort that Jeremy was putting up and patiently waited until his victim burned out and passed out from no longer being able to breathe.
"See? Wasn't so bad." He smirked evilly. He was so wrapped up in suffocating Jeremy, that he hadn't noticed someone had creeped up behind him. The metal edge of a fire poker had embedded itself in his cheek and the bones in his face cracked loudly from the impact. A hook on the end of the poker had pierced his cheek and knocked out a few teeth as well. His body flew across the room and frantic hands worked to get the bag off of Jeremy's head so that he could breathe.
"Come on, Jer. You can't die on me now." A distant voice made the teenager stir a bit, but he wasn't conscious enough to warn his savior that Enzo was ready to pounce. His hands fisted long locks of hair and his attacker shouted out as they tried to pry his fingers away. He hoisted up the body and bared his teeth angrily at the person who gave him a hole in his face.
"Well, well. Look what the wind blew in." He hissed. "If it isn't Damon's trophy wife." He threw the person to the ground towered over them.
Cassandra smirked triumphantly up at him. Liv's spell had worked. Enzo could see and touch her even though she wanted to cut off his hands after he fisted them in her hair. She was more than satisfied that she was able to knock a few of his teeth loose and to give him a hole in his head, but she wanted to do more for what he'd done. Her clothes were still blood stained from the night of the accident, but her body was unscathed. She felt renewed and recharged; ready to fight. Her daughter was even rejoicing in her belly, kicking and moving around more than she had before.
"Back so soon, Cassandra? I'm almost disappointed. Damon and I have been having so much fun." He admitted quite cheekily and advanced slowly on her.
"Yeah, well, that fun will be ending soon." She backed away, making sure to keep her distance from him.
"That's such a shame." He clicked his teeth threateningly. "Why don't you get back in your car and speed off into the night, yeah? Damon is much better off without you. He's already made that quite clear."
"Nice try, Enzo, but you're not getting rid of me that easily." Her fingers came into contact with the fire poker she previously beat him with and she closed her fist around the cool metal.
"Is that so? I've been told my methods of persuasion can be very convincing." The vampire bared his fangs and dove down to attack her, but Cassandra was faster. She drove the poker upwards, burying it into his chest cavity. The crunching sound of his muscles and skin being torn apart was like music to her ears and she only wished that she could cause him more pain.
For a moment, Enzo was stunned, but that quickly faded and his gaze trailed down the poker to where Cassandra was kneeling on the floor. He cracked a wide smile and laughed manically in her face. His hands curled around the shaft of the poker and he smirked down at Damon's wife.
"Just like I told Stefan, darling." He then jerked the poker even further into his chest without showing any pain on his face and pulling Cassandra to her feet. He was in her face now, mocking her with a cocky grin that she wanted to wipe off his face. "What do you think you can possibly do to me that hasn't been done a hundred times before? Give it your best shot."
"Don't tempt me." A feral growl passed her lips and she pulled the poker out of Enzo to then jab it through his throat. Blood trickled down his neck and he gasped sickly. He took her by the shoulders and shoved her hard, making her stumble back into the fireplace and her head smashed against the mantel. A loud crack echoed in the room and Cassandra's body crumpled to the floor with a thud. Pain shot through her skull and she felt her grip on reality slowly slipping from her fingertips. Her vision doubled and the room began to spin violently out of control. She could faintly hear Enzo cursing and struggling with the fire poker in his neck, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.
Like what had happened in the room with Liv, a witchy presence was now in this room. The fire crackled even louder and grew, its flames just tickling the edge of the mantle above it. A whirlwind whipped through the room and it tugged persistently at Cassandra's curls. Something was happening and Cassandra was convinced that it was not good for anyone. Was Liv's spell backfiring? Was she being sucked back to the Other Side against her will? Cassandra could feel her limbs becoming heavy and useless. An overwhelming numbness was seeping through every part of her and she could hardly wiggle her fingers. Around her, she could see everything becoming engulfed by a glowing white light and she found herself entranced by it. A crash could be heard from the other side of the room, but Cassandra was already under the trance of the white light. Pretty soon, sounds, sights, smells and touches were gone and there was just white nothingness that stretched on forever.
"Ugh...ow." A stinging, aching, nagging sensation in Damon's neck made him groan and turn over onto his back. As he awakened, he was greeted by the dimly blinking laboratory lights above him and the sounds of his friend stirring beside him. The locator spell to find Wes had worked and both vampires were on the hunt for the crooked doctor. Their search brought them to a makeshift lab which they guessed that Wes had used ever since Aaron had cut off Augustine funding through his family's trust.
Once inside, the vampires were scouring the lab and found Wes when some Travelers decided to intervene. Damon and Enzo went down like nothing, but Wes thought it appropriate to leave one final parting gift for one of the vampires. He stabbed a syringe filled with some liquid into Damon's neck and left without a trace. Now, the two vampires were awakening from their Traveler induced slumber to find that they were still in the lab.
Enzo came too and he very slowly sat up, rubbing his temples. He felt dizzy, but that was the extent of his hardships. He could have been worse off and he realized that when he saw Damon prodding his neck.
"What did he stick you with?" He asked him.
Damon shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know."
"All right. Come here." Enzo got to his feet and offered Damon his hand to pull him up as well.
"What I can tell you, if he stuck me with that cannibal vampire poison, we might have a little problem." The raven haired vampire said.
Enzo's eyes squinted. "What kind of a problem?"
"Wes has this sick little scheme to destroy vampires by making them feed on each other." He explained and Enzo was going to retort, but a low sound made him and Damon listen carefully.
"Do you hear that?" Damon whispered and Enzo nodded silently. It was a heartbeat, that they knew without a doubt, but it sounded like more than one. The vampires focused in on the sound, eliminating every other noise in the lab to really zero in on who or what could be in the lab with them. After a few moments, Damon could identify three distinct heartbeats. Two of the three heartbeats were thumping synchronously and were relatively close by. To the untrained ear, the two coexisting rhythms could have been mistaken for one while the other lone heartbeat was very lethargic and further away.
They both followed one another out of the room they were currently in and down the hall to where the closer heartbeats were. The lab room was plain with a few metal tables and stools and some supply cabinets, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Damon's crystalline eyes scanned the room one last before leaving and he was thankful he did because he caught the body of his still, unconscious wife on the floor. Those were the two heartbeats he heard, Cassandra's and the baby's. In seconds he was on his knees beside her and trying to wake her.
"Cassandra! Hey! Cass!" He smacked her cheeks a little rougher than intended, but he was trying to see if she was really there with him or if she was a mirage. "Wake up, Cass! C'mon, open those eyes for me!" He pleaded with her to come back to him and very, very slowly, her eyelids parted from one another. Her deep brown irises came into view and for a few moments, Damon was unsure if she was still unconscious, but he watched her pupils expand to catch more light even though the lab room was very dim. She blinked a few times, her gaze focused on nothing but the ceiling above her and she can hear Damon still calling her even though her eyes have been open.
Finally, her gaze shifts downwards and she is looking right at him; right into him. He rested his shaking hand on her cheek and let out a long sigh of relief seeing her come back to herself. Her chest rose and fell with each breath she took into her lungs and she was becoming more and more alive with each passing second. Enzo watched from the side and from where he was, it looked as if Cassandra's spirit had been floating just above her body before discreetly slipping back inside. The hybrid groaned quietly, flexing her stiff fingers and shifting her body a bit to get some mobility back while Damon was at a loss for words. When she focused her attention back on him, she cupped his hand that was holding her face and Damon waited with bated breath as she prepared herself to speak.
Crack!
Throbbing heat and pulsing pain engulfed Damon's nose and he knew that Cassandra had broken it with one hard punch. He howled out, holding his bleeding nose while Enzo's jaw hit the floor and Cassandra sat herself up with a look of pure hatred. Her own knuckles ached from the punch, the bones in her fingers had snapped, but they were healing with each flex of her fist.
"God, I have been waiting forever to do that." She hissed and advanced on him. "Not mine?! Not my problem?! As far as I'm concerned, it's her kid now?!"
"Ah, my nose..." The vampire moaned.
"You're in trouble now, mate." Enzo sniggered from the corner of the room.
Cassandra's head whipped around in his direction and she jabbed a finger at him. "I'll deal with you later, pretty boy!" She turned back to Damon who was adjusting his broken, but healing nose back into place and shoved him hard. "I should leave you for all of the crap you put me through! How could you think I actually left?! Are you that stupid?!"
"Cassandra, please just-" he held out his hands to prevent her from moving any closer to him.
"Please just what, Damon?"
"Just hear me out, okay?"
Her eyes grew wide and she roared at him. "Hear you out?! Are you crazy?! That's all I've done! All I did was hear you out and listen to everything you had to say. Quite honestly, I'm done hearing you out." She glared down at Damon who was slowly rising to his feet.
"So, let me get this straight." His voice trailed off. "You suddenly come back to me and you are tired of hearing me out?"
"Yes! I am!" She screeched. "And for your information, I did leave. At least not by my own will."
"What are you talking about?"
"I died, you jerk!" Her fingers gripped the lapel of his leather jacket and she pushed him back. Damon growled animalistically at her and moved to rush towards her, but Enzo quickly stepped in between them.
"Listen, you two. You can fight and tear each other's heads off later." He pressed a hand to their chests to keep them apart. "Right now, we need to find a way out of here. Yeah?"
For a few moments, Enzo tossed around the idea that both husband and wife would push him out of the way so that they could continue their fight, but they remained still. Cassandra was the first to back down, taking a few steps away from Enzo and Damon followed suit.
"Fine." She grumbled.
"Fine." Damon echoed and Enzo rolled his eyes.
"You two are like children." He spat. "It's even worse that you two are going to have to raise one."
"If you don't shut up, I will—whoa..." Cassandra's words slurred as a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. She pressed a hand to her forehead and wobbled around a bit on her feet. "Oh...I don't feel so good." Her legs buckled and she reached out for the table beside her to brace her fall. Her husband was the first to react. No matter how angry he was with her, she was still the love of his life and the mother of his child. He just got her back and he swore that he wouldn't lose her again.
"Woah, easy, Cass." Damon looped an arm around her waist to keep her steady and he assessed her condition. "What's the matter? Is it the baby?"
"Like you care." She batted him away to stand on her own and he practically winced at her comment. His eyes were downcast, guilt-ridden and filled with shame. He couldn't even look up at his wife; he didn't deserve to for what he'd said and done.
"Someone's got a case of the munchies." Enzo teased and Cassandra glared at him.
"Shut up." Damon growled defensively before looking to his wife again. "We'll find you something to eat, okay?"
She nodded wordlessly and side stepped him to explore the rest of the lab. This must have been another part of it that she hadn't seen yet. Thankfully. This one was bigger and no doubt had its share of horror stories and shiny tools. The lights above them flickered sickly and Cassandra kept one hand on the wall to guide herself out of the room they were in and down the hallway to another room. She could hear a heartbeat and she moved faster to the source of food.
It was a lab room that mirrored the one that they were just in, but there was another guest inside. It was a young man, probably a college student who was hooked up to some wires and IVs. He was most likely Wes' new experiment or test subject. Cassandra drew closer to the unconscious student and smacked his cheeks gently to wake him up.
"Hey, kid. You okay?" She asked him.
"Can you get me out if here?" He breathed weakly and Cassandra took up his wrist. "I don't want to be here. I need to get out."
"Sure. After I have a little snack." With one swift movement, her fangs sunk into his skin and she took a few pulls of blood to satisfy her hunger until she could get home. When she finished, she let go of his wrist and yanked the chains that held him.
"Thanks. I owe you one." The man smiled at her.
"What's your name?"
"Joey. I'm a student at Whitmore." He replied and rubbed his bloodied but quickly healing wrists. He was a vampire.
"Where is Dr. Maxfield?" She asked him, her gaze narrowing.
"I-I don't know." Joey stammered.
"You better tell us or we'll string you up by your toes." Enzo warned and Joey was glancing between them both, not sure which one was a bigger threat.
"I told you, I don't know. Last I woke up, he wasn't here."
The entire time this exchange had gone on, Damon was entranced by the couple droplets of blood that were on the young man's skin. He was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to feed and all of the vampires in the room could hear his fangs lengthening and the pulsing veins appear beneath his eyes.
"Damon..." Cassandra trailed off worriedly. She'd never seen him this hungry or this desperate to feed. The look in his eyes was murderous.
"What's happening to you?" The young asked.
Damon tried to control himself, but his urge to feed was quickly taking over. Veins protruded even deeper than before and the ache in his fangs was unbearable. "I'm going to go ahead and say 'karma.' Karma is happening to me."
In seconds, he lunged for the man and bite savagely into his neck. Enzo and Cassandra could have guessed that Damon was just hungry, but the way he was feeding suggested that he was being fueled by some other dark urge. The young man was screaming and clawing at Damon to get him off, but the vampire only clamped his teeth down harder.
"Damon, that's enough!" Cassandra commanded, but Damon was beyond listening. She stepped forward to grab him, but Enzo grabbed her first, hauling her back.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He told her and ignored the deadly glare that was in her eyes. Enzo and Cassandra had their tension, but he knew that if Cassandra interfered, it would not end well for her or the baby. Damon's victim was now dead, hanging limply in the vampire's hold, but Damon continued to feed like a savage.
"Damon, stop!" Enzo shouted loudly. The pair then heard the sickening sounds of Damon's fangs ripping through Joey's spinal cord and his head fell from his shoulders. It rolled to rest right at Cassandra's feet and she was left to stare at the bloodied face of her husband. Now she knew why Damon had fed on Joey so ferociously. Now she knew why Enzo had pulled her back.
Damon had been injected with Wes' perfectly concocted ripper virus.
"Okay. I can see how this might be a problem for us." Enzo spoke up while Damon just smirked at them with blood dripping off his chin. With Damon infected, it meant that Enzo, Cassandra and the baby were in grave danger. Watery eyes looked upon her husband and she found herself wondering if she and Enzo could survive this or if Damon could control himself around them.
Neither option seemed plausible.
WOO HOO! Cassandra is back! But BOO that Damon has now been injected with the ripper virus :( Please leave a review and tell me what you thought! I went back to previous chapters and tried to answer your reviews below. If I missed any, please do not take it personally - it was not my intention. Please do, however, leave a review with your questions/opinions and I will be sure to answer it in my next chapter.
So, I'm leaving for Disney in T-minus a few hours and will not be updating for the time that I am away. I will be writing and relaxing during my trip! Please feel free to spam me with reviews and messages ;)
Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust xoxo
Guest: Thank you so much for reviewing! As far as what months this story is taking place in, I am just trying to follow the outline of the show. It kinda annoys me that they don't really say when the show is taking place.
Guest: Thanks for reviewing! I think Damon is scared to be a father because he remembers his own childhood and how terrible is own father was to him. Plus, it's a terrifying thing for a man who is a reformed serial killer. Think of all of bad things that Damon has done and he worries that his daughter might become like him. It's like this whole idea of having a family is becoming a reality for him and he isn't sure if he can handle that. The relatives that Cassandra knows were mentioned at during the wedding.
Guest: A chapter about their wedding anniversary is a super idea! Maybe I won't make a whole chapter on it's own, but I would LOVE to mention it somewhere in the upcoming chapters. Thanks for reviewing!
dassandra: Well, here is Dassandra! They aren't exactly happy with one another, but they are back! That's gotta count for something, right? Thank you for reviewing!
ThisIsMeAndYou: Ooh, that's an excellent question! I am currently struggling with what will happen to Giuliana when it comes to the season and how the finale happens. I have no definite answers yet, but I promise you that my readers will not be disappointed.
SomebodyWhoCares: HAHA! Of course Nik and Bekah were going to listen and act like they weren't! Thank you for reviewing :)
grapejuice101: Thank you, my dear! I am enjoying teasing my readers with Elijah/Giuliana moments and I would like to add moments with Klaus/Giuliana and Marcel/Giuliana, but I am finding that they do not fit with the original plan of my story.
binks13: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying this story :)
NicoleR85: Oh gosh, don't say sorry! I love answering tons of questions! Keep 'em coming :D
Noel Blue: Hello there! I originally wanted to have Giuliana with Klaus, but I am finding it difficult to mesh them together because Klaus is so concerned about getting New Orleans back. I will be looking for a love interest for Klaus because he does need one ;)
Guest: Hi and thank you for your review and the well wishes for my graduation :) It was wonderful! I have thought a lot about having a place for the baby and I think the Salvatore boarding house has a ton of rooms for a baby nursery.
Shining Ruby: I was a bit surprised when I wrote Elijah's reaction about Giuliana lying to him, but he is a person who has strong emotions. I am happy that they were able to forgive each other too :) Thank you for reviewing!
xJenzaFreakx: Thanks for your review! I have never been a huge fan of Hayley, but she has grown on me. I think I like her more that she has Giuliana and the two girls have a strong friendship. I didn't like adding that tension between Elijah/Giuliana, but I feel like it adds more dimension to the story, however I am glad that they resolved their issues. I kinda had a feeling that Davina wasn't going to live long on the show, but it was very sad to see her go so soon. Please, I am still emotionally wrecked from the TVD finale - I don't think I will ever get over it. I have parts of that chapter written, but I won't be giving anything away. You'll just have to wait ;)
Guest: Thank you for reviewing! Even if the baby doesn't look like Damon, I have a feeling that she will grow up to be a spitting image of her father.
elisesellas: Congrats on your graduation! Hope it was awesome :) Thank you so much for reviewing and I am happy to hear that you've been following this story since the first installment. Your support means the world to me! I hope you enjoyed this update and I will try to finish both TVD and TO installments before the shows come back in October.
damandra: Aww, get an account! That way you can follow/favorite the story and when I update, you'll get an email :) Thanks for reviewing!
lisa p: Good question! Damon and Cassandra were most definitely a couple back in 1864, but ever since they became vampires, they went their separate ways for a while. They were somehow brought together by fate and it's unknown if she's ever had any "boyfriends." I would say that she had some kind of relationships with other men, but I wouldn't call them so serious enough to be called boyfriends. Thanks for your question and for reviewing :)
Guest: Here's your update!
beth: Here's your update. I am very busy during the summer, so it is difficult to get a lot of writing done.
Riley T: So sorry for the wait, but thank you for reviewing and being patient with me :)
VampirePrincess11: Yes, Cassandra is a fighter and she won't stop fighting ;) Thank you for reviewing!
xJenzaFreakx: I love to hate Katherine, LOL! I feel like everyone has that struggle with a character like Katherine. She adds a layer of dimension to the show, however she really knows how to wreck people. Especially my characters ;_; She has completely managed to get under Damon's skin and make him believe that Cassandra has left him, but never fear! For Cassandra will come back swinging ;) I have thought about the possibility of Kol and Vanessa hooking up, but they kinda have a love/hate relationship which was fun to write. Thank you for reviewing!
SomebodyWhoCares: Slap away, dear. Although, I think Cassandra beat you to it in this chapter ;)
NicoleR85: Well, Cassandra didn't beat the crap out of Damon, per say, but he knows how angry she is. That anger will also travel into the next TVD chapter.
elisesellas: Thank you for reviewing! It is so wonderful to have your amazing support :)
grapejuice101: Yeah, it isn't good for Cass at all :( Thanks for reviewing!
21angle: Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, Cass has got to stop dying -.-
binks13: Ah! Please don't be sad! Cassandra is back in fighting form :) Thank you for reviewing, girly! Hope everything is going well with you and your family xoxo
hihi: I'm sorry I hurt your heart :( I have to admit, it was a bit of a wrestle to think of an idea on how Damon could go into a tailspin. All this Delena stuff can be hard to work around :/ Damon and Cassandra will definitely have a talk about what really happened to her and a lot of emotions will come out. Stay tuned and thanks for reviewing ;)
Guest: Thanks for reviewing! I think I got all of your questions, but if I missed any of your questions, please put them in a review again and I will be sure to answer them.
heytay1:Thanks! I love the relationship between Elijah and Giuliana too! I like the slow burn between them - like at any second one will snap and admit their true feelings! Eeeee! Thank you for reviewing :)
GingerDepphead: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I do miss Klaus, but I find that trying to add him into the chapters adds more work on my part and I find that he doesn't fit. He will be in the next chapter ;)
DritneyForever: Thank you, my dear! I'm so happy to hear that you're enjoying my story :)
binks13: Thank you, darling! I am happy that I decided to have Hayley and Giuliana become friends. I think it adds something special to the story and I am finding that a lot of the readers are enjoying it as well. Elijah will have to make a very important choice in the next chapter and I think it will shock a few people on which choice he decides to make. Audrey will take some warming up to, but I really think readers will like her once they understand what her purpose is.
Guest: I mentioned above, that if I missed any questions, please send them in a review again so I am sure to answer them :)
Guest: Things have been a little difficult to really add in when Cassandra felt her daughter moving around, but my guess is that she felt her daughter moving earlier than a human woman because she has a very heightened sense of touch. Figure in a typical pregnancy that the mother will feel her baby kicking at about 16-22 weeks. Cassandra felt her daughter at about 7-8 weeks of her pregnancy. As for adding a time jump, I am not too keen on the idea, because I do like how the rest of the season goes as far as pace goes. I do know that there will be about a 4 month time jump between the end of season 5 and the beginning of season 6 according to spoilers.
CharmedGirl92: WOAH! Was I surprised to see your name come into my email! HOW THE HECK ARE YA? I'm SO thrilled that you stopped by to review! I missed you, girl! Hope all is doing well :) Don't be sorry, honey! I'm just so glad to hear from you! I will give you Elijah and Giuliana - don't you worry! Just want it to play out well and I don't want to rush things. It'll happen ;) Glad you're enjoying the twists and turns as well.
Guest: Thanks for the review! Well, Cassandra's family has been able to stand against the test of time and she has kept in touch with her family throughout the years.