Bloodlines
Chapter 31: Gone Girl
Beta: PrincessOfSilence
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.
"She is brilliant." Damon awed when he'd heard about Stefan's theory's concerning Elena's strange behavior. He was still chained up in the basement, quite uncomfortably and he was still hungry, but happy for a visit from his wife and brother.
"Let's not give her anymore credit," his wife scowled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We haven't noticed that Katherine's been inhabiting Elena's body for weeks and that's all you have to say?" Stefan looked to his bound and chained brother.
Damon clicked his teeth. "Yep."
"And you realize that it was Katherine who lied about Cassandra, and not Elena?" He added.
"Mhmm." He nodded, suddenly feeling very stupid about the misunderstanding that he and Cassandra had about her leaving.
Stefan pursed his lips. "Right. So, your little murder spree with Enzo, where you, uh, killed Aaron, you nearly killed Jeremy, and you tried to kill Wes, but you got infected with that ripper virus. That was all you reacting to Katherine."
"Relax, Stefan. Keep in mind that Katherine played all of us for a fool." Cassandra told him. "She manipulated all of us."
"I'm trying figure out why you decided to tell a starving, bloodthirsty, vampire-feeding ripper that his nemesis is still walking around, alive and well, while I'm stuck in this cell and can't do anything about it." Damon wiggled his chains about, anxious to get more feeling back in his arms.
"I have it under control." His brother replied.
Damon threw him a smirk. "I would love to hear this."
Meanwhile on the first floor of the boarding house, Matt, Tyler and Caroline were rehashing the fact that Katherine was still alive and inside Elena's body. Needless to say, they were thrown for a loop and most of them could not get their heads to wrap around the idea.
"Hang on here. Katherine's still alive? How is that possible?" Matt asked.
"Remember that time Nadia's ex, Gregor, hitched a ride in your head?" Caroline clarified. "Yeah, well, it's kind of the same thing. Katherine is a passenger in Elena, except its worse, because none of us seemed to notice!"
Tyler shook his head back and forth. "She was at my house. How did none of us figure it out?"
"Because it's Katherine and she's smart, and conniving, and sneaky...and we're the worst friends ever." The blonde bellyached.
"We are not the worst friends ever," Cassandra interjected as she entered the room. "We all know how manipulative Katherine can be. She basically played all of us, but the jig is up."
"This makes no sense." Jeremy's voice came through over the phone that Bonnie was holding. "She saved my life. She gave me CPR when Enzo tried to kill me. Katherine would never do that."
"That's what made her so believable. She played Elena to a tee. If she let you die, her cover was blown." Bonnie added from her seat beside Jeremy.
"I was sleeping three feet away from her! She picked out my Bitter Ball dress. And I let her use my toothpaste!" Caroline groaned and flopped back on the couch.
Stefan came into the room too and leaned against the fireplace. "Well, did she lure you into a hotel room to make out with you?"
"Okay, so we can sit here all day and list each way Katherine managed to play us, but what would be even more helpful would be to figure out a way to get rid of Katherine and get Elena back." Cassandra said and everyone in the room agreed.
"So, how do we kill the bitch?" Tyler asked.
"Well, passengers can be expelled from their host. We saw it happen with Matt. Gregor died and Matt lived. All we have to do is stab her with the Traveler knife." Stefan said.
"I still have the knife Nadia gave me." Matt literally jumped out of his seat.
"Perfect! Go get it." Cassandra told him.
"Wait, you guys!" Caroline stopped them all. "This is Katherine we're talking about. She's going to see a sneak attack from a mile away. We've got to get her to come to us. Get her guard down, corner her."
Tyler sniggered in the corner. "Fat chance you'll be seeing her today. I'm pretty sure I bit Nadia."
Matt's eyebrows rose. "What do you mean, you bit her?"
"I mean, she was attacking Caroline, and I might've nipped her a little." The hybrid shrugged.
"And you're just mentioning this now?" The quarterback exclaimed.
Caroline snapped her fingers. "Hey guys! Focus! Tyler's right. Katherine's not going to leave Nadia's side. Unless not leaving compromises her identity."
"Which means...?" Matt trailed off.
"We've got to invite her to something that Elena can't say no to." The blonde concluded.
"Okay, so let's get started."
Caroline got up from the couch and anxiously paced back and forth in front of the fireplace while chewing on her cuticle. She fished her phone from her pocket and thought for a few moments before dialing Elena's number. Everyone waited quietly as the phone rang and just when they thought Katherine wouldn't answer, she finally picked up the phone.
"Hey, Care," she greeted. "What's up?"
"Hi! I was just thinking about Bonnie's birthday since it's coming up next week and I was thinking that we should throw her a surprise party." She exclaimed excitedly, hoping that this would be enough for Katherine to take the bait.
"Yeah, I don't think Bonnie would want a big party for her birthday." Katherine said.
The blonde vampire made a face before putting on a big smile. "Of course she does! So, when can you get over to Stefan's to help us set up?"
The group heard Katherine sigh and they exchanged glances with one another. "I can't."
"You can't?"
"I would love to, but I just...I can't?" She paused, as if trying to think up an excuse that could pass for why she couldn't help set up for Bonnie's party. "I, uh...I'm making arrangements for Aaron Whitmore's funeral. The only reason Damon killed him was because I told him about Cassandra leaving. So, I kinda feel like I owe it to Aaron. You understand, right?"
Crap.
"Of course! No, that's really nice of you." Caroline said and hung up the phone, tossing it onto the couch.
"Damn, she's good." Matt rubbed his face tiredly.
"I'll text Bonnie and try to get her to call Katherine. Maybe that will work." She picked up her phone again.
"Remember, we don't want to seem too eager." The pregnant hybrid pointed out. "We don't want her to know that we know about her, but let's keep at it."
"I'm hungry..." Damon grumbled to his wife who had come down to visit him.
Cassandra rolled up her sleeve and bit into her wrist, making four neat puncture wounds in her skin. She held a plastic cup under her arm to catch the blood the dribbled from the bites, but only a little bit of blood found its way into the cup. She waited for her wrist to heal and she handed the cup to him.
"Here. Have some." He took it and downed the glass hungrily in seconds. He licked his lips and extended the cup back to her.
"I need more." He breathed huskily.
"Nope."
"That was nothing!" He argued.
"That was exactly four ounces. When we were cooped up in that house, you had to feed every eight hours in order to keep your hunger in check, right? So, Caroline did a little bit of math." Cassandra took the cup back from him.
Damon sent her a curious look. "Caroline?"
"Chill, she had a calculator and I checked it over." She assured him. "So, you'd need four ounces, three times a day to help you manage the hunger."
"Manage me, you mean."
"So you don't rip anyone's head off."
"Cass, please, just let me out of here." The vampire begged on his knees with his hands clasped in front of him. "I'll find Wes; I'll get the antidote."
"No, I can't." She shook her head. "Look, I hate seeing you like this, but for now this is how it has to be. We'll get Elena back and we'll figure out how to get you cured okay?"
The raven haired vampire made a face and sat back on his haunches. "Fine...but I'm only saying yes to you because I have been a royal asshole lately."
Cassandra took a seat on the floor across from him, very slowly, might she add since her belly was in the way of her sitting. Damon looked quizzically at her, but didn't protest. In fact, it was nice to see her after spending a night alone in his cell.
"Did you get the picture I gave you?" She asked and he nodded. "Good."
"Where'd you get an ultrasound?" He wondered and dug around for the picture in his pocket.
"When I was trapped with Wes in his lab...he found out that I was pregnant. The whole time he was taking the ultrasound, I was so angry at you for lying, but I wished that you could have been there to see it." She admitted sadly, her eyes filling with hot tears. She blinked them away, but they still managed to escape, running down her cheek. "You should have been there, Damon. Not Wes."
"I know." He reached out his hand and gently touched hers, making her look up at him. "Hey, don't cry." Her hand grasped his and she moved closer to him, placing his hand against her wet cheek. He could feel her tears beneath his hand and his thumb moved soothingly over her skin.
"We're a mess." She sighed wearily.
"No, we're a hot mess." He corrected, making her giggle softly to herself. She moved his hand from her cheek and looked down at the wedding band that rested on his finger. Her wedding band and engagement ring were still missing since Katherine took them, but Cassandra couldn't help but smile seeing his ring on his finger. She felt proud to call Damon her husband even if she was angry with him.
"You know, I have never regretted marrying you, Damon. Even with everything that we've been through. Nothing was ever so bad that I didn't want us to survive. Elena...Katherine lied to you and to all of us. I promise you that she won't do it anymore." She proclaimed and Damon squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"I love you, Cassandra. I won't ever let anyone come between us again." He kissed the back of her hand lovingly. "I promise."
Husband and wife soaked in the tender moment and Damon didn't expect it, but Cassandra kissed him firmly on his lips. Even in his new ripper state, she saw him for the man she met and fell in love with in 1864. Damon was a bit dumbfounded, but his wife always had a compassionate nature. He gave her a lopsided smirk, making Cassandra's stomach flutter.
The lock on the door slid open and Stefan stepped inside with his phone in hand and a downdraught look painting his features. Cassandra stood up and shot him a nervous glance.
"Why do I get the feeling that you were unsuccessful with getting Katherine to come over?" She asked and he pocketed his phone.
"She's not budging; not even for Bonnie," Stefan sighed. "She won't blow her cover, so we're pretty much—"
"Screwed?" Damon finished for him. Cassandra's phone then rang and her eyes nearly bugged out from reading the caller ID.
"Who is it?" Stefan wondered.
"It's Katherine."
"Why is she calling you?"
"Who cares! Pick up the phone!" Damon all but shouted. She signed for the brother's to be quiet and she answered the phone.
"Hey, Elena." She smiled. "How are you?"
"I've had better days, Cassandra."
The pregnant hybrid's nose scrunched up and she tilted her head. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Look, I feel just awful about what I told Damon that night at Tyler's house. It wasn't right. I just never saw you and Damon so upset. I guess I just assumed. And I'm sorry about last night. I thought I could fix Damon by making him feed, but I almost got myself killed." Katherine explained as sincerely as she could while Damon and Cassandra both rolled their eyes, each of them making lewd gestures and faces. "I'm just really sorry about everything. I feel so terrible."
"I understand, Elena. Mistakes happen and I know that you would never do anything to hurt your friends." She made a dig and swore she heard Katherine cracking on the other line.
"Now that the dust has settled, I was hoping that, I don't know, maybe...we can talk about it? It would make me feel a lot better. Can I see you?" All three supernaturals stood with their mouth agape, she walked into their trap without even knowing it.
"Yeah, sure! Anything to make you feel better, Elena. You're my friend." Cassandra added sweetly. "How about you come over to the house?"
"Perfect. I'll see you soon."
"Okay, bye." The line went dead and while they should have been celebrating, the trio couldn't help but feel like it was too easy to get Katherine to come over to the house.
"Well...that was unexpected." Cassandra noted.
"That doesn't make any sense." Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. "She's dodged anyone's attempt to try to get her over her, and now she voluntarily wants to come over?"
Damon's blue eyes went wide in realization. "Unless..."
"Unless..." His brother echoed, pretty sure where he was going with this.
"She was testing me," Cassandra growled. "She knows."
Tyler Lockwood leaned against the door to Damon's cell, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes glued on the vampire who was lying down on a cot. Since Damon had nothing more to do than stare at the four walls that contained him, he decided to give the ceiling a try, but to his dismay, the ceiling was just as boring as his cell walls. It was decided by the whole gang that people would take turns watching Damon in his cell. It wasn't the best job in the world, but all they had to do was make sure he was fed properly and that he remained in his cell at all times. Tyler was the first one to take his shift as Damon's chaperone and he quickly got the feeling that he'd be spending a lot of time on his phone since he didn't have much to say to the captive vampire.
The sound of soft feet coming down the stairs made Tyler's head turn and tore Damon away from his careful analysis of the rotting ceiling which needed to be fixed. Cassandra reached the bottom of the stairs, keeping one hand on the banister and the other on her belly. A part of Tyler celebrated in hopes that she had come to relieve him of his babysitting duties, but his shift had just started.
"Do you need anything before we head out?" She asked the hybrid.
"No, we're all good here," he replied. "Nothing like spending a day on babysitting patrol."
Cassandra made a face and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry that you had to go first, Tyler, but everyone is going to be taking shifts. Damon needs to be watched at all times."
"I can watch myself, you know!" Damon's immature whining made the pair chuckle to themselves.
"Damon, you play nice. Understand me?" Cassandra called and she received a less than thrilled grumble from him. "Okay, I'm leaving, but call if you need anything."
"You got it. Maybe your husband and I can have some male bonding time." Tyler grinned wryly.
"Stranger things have happened." She tsked at him and exited the basement. Letting out a long sigh, Tyler plopped himself down on the basement steps and twiddled his thumbs for a bit. He played on his phone, made some calls, sent some texts, but the time he was spending in the basement was ticking by so slowly that he was sure time would begin to move backwards. Damon had been unusually quiet which made Tyler wonder what the hell he was doing in his cell that kept him so preoccupied that he wasn't annoying him. That quiet, peaceful moment, however, was broken by Damon shouting a complaint.
"I need blood!" Damon called out, causing the hybrid to shake his head.
"You just had your lunch 30 minutes ago." Tyler argued.
The vampire moved himself off his cot to kneel on the floor and stretch his arms behind him. "Or, you can give me a couple of sips of your hybrid juice. I can be on my way and take my Ripper situation to Wes."
"Not going to happen. Your wife made it clear that she doesn't want you out of here."
Damon picked up a rock from the cell wall and threw it at the wall in frustration. The rock merely bounced off the wall and hit the floor with a depressing thunk and he grumbled under his breath.
"Can I ask you a question? Without you getting all wolf-man on me?" He wondered and Tyler looked up from his phone.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Why are you still here?
"I'm a hybrid and you need a babysitter." He replied.
"Oh no. Here-here. In-Mystic-Falls-here." He clarified himself. "Your family is all dead and I don't see you getting a job at the Grill. And I don't see you in a Whitmore hoodie, either. Something tells me that there is a little masochistic voice in your head that's trying to convince you that you and Caroline still have a fighting chance in hell."
Tyler was ready to pummel Damon, but instead, he kept his composure. He and Caroline had been on the outs lately ever since a fight they had at his house party the other night. It wasn't anything major, but it managed to make things incredibly tense and awkward between them. Tyler revealed to Caroline that he had gone to New Orleans to seek revenge against Klaus by kidnapping Hayley. He thought that Caroline would understand his reasoning, but she blew up. Pretty soon they were screaming and pointing fingers at one another, accusing and blaming each other when Stefan had to literally pull them apart for fear that they would cause a fistfight in the house.
"I think you have enough problems without you having to worry about me." Tyler said smartly.
Damon pursed his lips and hummed in thought. "Hmm, you're probably right." Using what strength he had, he pushed himself to stand up. "There's just one small difference between you and me. You wanna hear it?"
"Not especially."
"You see, even after all the terrible things that I do, Cassandra still chose me because she's fighting for me. Caroline, on the other hand, chose the nuclear option. You know, that big red button that nukes your relationship once and for all. Well, causing a scene at your house during your party was kind of her way of slamming her hand down."
Within seconds, the door to Damon's cell was yanked open and Tyler was standing inside with a look of pure murder on his face. "You think Cassandra really still want you back after all of this? It's over Damon, fix yourself and run far away."
The vampire smirked deviously. "I plan on it. How's New Orleans this time of year? Cassandra and I have always wanted to take a trip."
"You killed Aaron, you almost killed Jeremy and you almost killed Elena. You're a joke, Damon." The hybrid was fuming now.
"Says the guy pining for the girl that can't see him for what he really is." Tyler sped towards Damon, his eyes a blaze and his fangs a stern warning.
"You know anything about me." He hissed.
"I know how to get you in this cell."
Damon grabbed Tyler and bite down harshly into his neck. The hybrid wriggled around, but the vampire was quickly gaining strength from his snack. The loud cracking of Tyler's neck being snapped was music to Damon's ears and he shoved the limp body to the floor. Damon didn't have time to savor his meal, however, so he made a break for the open door, traipsed up the stairs and zoomed through the front door of the boarding house. He had bigger fish to fry.
"Damon, so help me, you better answer your damn phone!" Cassandra hissed into her cell as Stefan lifted Nadia Petrova's body onto the couch. While they had gone to pick her up, Caroline and Tyler had called to tell her that Damon escaped from his cell. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Damon had gone to Wes, but Cassandra was furious. The whole idea was to keep Damon in the cell until they could find a cure for the ripper virus he'd been infected with. Now that he was out in the open and out for blood, there was no telling what he would do or who he would kill.
The duo found Nadia in a desolate church just out of town and were relieved that she didn't put up a fight. She was so sick from the werewolf venom, that all she could do was groan in pain and mumble to herself as the hallucinations came on. They knew that Katherine would now have to blow her cover to come after Nadia, but it was still a long shot if she would show up. As much as Nadia was Katherine's daughter, there was no guarantee that her own mother would come to her rescue. The bite on her arm was swollen and green puss was oozing from the holes in her skin. A fever had broken out and she glistened with a slick sheen of sweat. Her body gave little shivers and whimpers passed her paling lips.
Cassandra hung up her phone after leaving 10 more voicemails on her husband's phone and tossed it aside quite angrily. Stefan paced in front of the fireplace anxiously as he waited for Katherine to realize that Nadia had disappeared from the church. The room was absolutely silent and for a moment, it felt as if time stood still. That peace was shattered quickly once Stefan's phone rang. He held it up to his ear and he revealed that he and Cassandra had taken Nadia to the boarding house and that they all knew that Katherine was posing as Elena. The jig was up and now Katherine had to face the music.
It was a surprise to some that Katherine had come to her daughter's side so quickly, but she rushed to the boarding house shortly after her phone call with Stefan. She demanded to see her daughter and the gang decided to give her some much needed time alone. While all of them found their way into the kitchen of the house, Cassandra remained pressed against the opposite wall that bordered the parlor where Katherine and Nadia were saying their last goodbyes. She listened and said not a word, letting mother and daughter say what they needed to say. Cassandra couldn't imagine being in Katherine's place. She could only try to understand a portion of what she was feeling. Katherine was the biggest bitch to walk the earth, but she was a mother too and no mother should have to watch helplessly as their daughter died. Cassandra hoped and prayed that she would never ever have to face this with her own daughter. It's been said that there is no worse pain than for a parent to lose a child and just listening to Katherine being so affectionate with her daughter made Cassandra's heart drop.
Nadia took her last dying breath and Cassandra wiped a tear that had fallen down her cheek just in time for everyone to file back into the room. The group closed in on the Petrova vampire, leaving no room to escape and Katherine was cornered against the couch.
"So...this is it." Katherine's eyes scanned the room before rushing to the door to try and escape, but Damon blocked her way.
"Hello Katherine." He grinned wickedly and walked further inside the house, effectively pushing her back into the foyer. "You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?" Cassandra threw her husband a sharpened gaze, but said nothing more. He knew that he was never going to hear the end from her, but he'd explain himself later after Katherine was finally dead and gone.
Katherine's hands clenched and unclenched as she looked around at everyone who had come to her demise and she ground her teeth angrily. She was always one step ahead of the game, but she had somehow fallen drastically behind and was face to face with her death sentence. She would never admit it, but she was scared. After 500 years, it was over. However, she wouldn't give anyone in the room the satisfaction of seeing her sweat.
"Okay, so who's got the knife? Which one of you is gonna get to kill the elusive Katherine Pierce once and for all?" She asked the room full of people, but all she received were lots of blank stares. "What? Suddenly everyone's speechless? When I was on my deathbed you all had plenty to say." She then moseyed on over to where Tyler was standing and sized him up. "Is it you, Tyler? Because I triggered the werewolf curse? Gave you an identity and made you matter?"
"You've done nothing for me," he growled low in his chest.
"Oh, please, Tyler. If I hadn't walked into your life, you'd just be a wasted nobody with a boozy mom and a temper problem." A smirk painted her lips and that made Tyler step towards her, but Caroline's hand on his shoulder pulled him back.
"Hey, don't." She soothed him.
Katherine then glared at Caroline, narrowing her eyes. "And you. I'm not worried about you offing me because we both know I made you better by making you a vampire." She winked.
Caroline's lips spread into the biggest shit eating grin that she could muster and wiggled her fingers at her. "Goodbye Katherine."
The Petrova copied her. "Bye, bye Caroline." Matt was next and she smiled warmly at the quarterback. "The one girl here who actually appreciates how beautiful you are. You wouldn't stab me in the heart, would you, Matty Blue? No, I don't think so. You will definitely go down as the best night I never had. Oh, well..."
"Oh, well..." Matt shrugged his shoulders as Katherine rounded the circle to meet Jeremy and Bonnie.
"Well, little Gilbert, it was nice to have a brother for a second there...when you weren't being so damn annoying." She murmured and smirked at Bonnie. "Bon Bon, no need for goodbyes. I'll see you on the flip side." The pair didn't reply to her, so she sauntered her way over to Damon who was standing tall.
"Damon. How you would love nothing more than to drive that blade right through me."
"We've already done that, Kitty Kat. I've said all I needed to say." He replied.
"I know, but I never got to say what I needed to say to you. I'm sorry. You blame me for who you are and I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I turned you. I'm sorry that you didn't get to die as a forgotten nobody on a bloody battlefield and your father didn't get to live another day to be disgraced by you." She could see he was getting riled up and that only made her continue. "Damon, I'm sorry that I gave you a life purpose. Passion, drive, desire. I'm sorry that you are who you are because I'm the one that taught you how to love."
"I'll see you in hell, Katherine." The vampire hissed which earned him a wink from Katherine.
"Stefan." She looked upon her one love and frowned. "You know, I've always wondered how it would be like to be loved by you. You've gotta admit, for that one fleeting moment your feelings were real. It's truly has been the role of a lifetime. Stefan, I love you and I've always loved you." Her hands cupped his cheeks and she leaned in close to brush her lips against his, but he pulled back from her. Katherine's hands dropped from his face and in an effort to hide her hurt, her eyes turned to her last goodbye she had to say.
"It's been a hell of a ride, Cassie." The use of her nickname made Cassandra roll her eyes. "Out of all of the people in this room, I think you want to kill me the most. Well, besides Damon, of course. I killed you hoping that you would stay dead, but you've been nothing but a thorn in my side for the past two-hundred years. But then again, if I didn't kill you then you never would have been turned and you wouldn't be pregnant with Damon's child. A child that will kill you in the end no matter how hard you try to fight it. Your fate is sealed."
"And so is yours, Katherine." Cassandra countered and the vampire turned her back to face her enemies. So this was it. This was the end of the road. There was no turning back now.
"I want my rings back." That made Katherine look over her shoulder to see that Cassandra had stepped forward with her hand out. Katherine eyed the woman's palm and very slowly reached into her pocket and produced Cassandra's wedding band and engagement ring. She clutched them between her fingers and placed them gently into Cassandra's outstretched hand. The two women didn't say a word to each other, but their gazes said it all. Pure hatred and malice were exuding from each of them. Katherine then took a step forward, so they were toe to toe and leaned in to whisper in Cassandra's ear.
"Remember, I'm always one step ahead."
Cassandra looked down as a sudden burning pain engulfed her side to see that Katherine had stabbed her with a sharp object. The entire room rallied together, vampires, hybrids, and humans alike all moved to go after Katherine who had recoiled from the pregnant hybrid. She fell back into Caroline who caught her and with Matt's help. They lowered her to the ground and assessed her bleeding side. Damon ran over too, kneeling beside her and propping her against him. Just as Jeremy and Bonnie were going to charge Katherine, she turned around just in time to meet the Traveler blade that Stefan had plunged into her heart. She let out a groan of pain, her body suddenly going tense for a few seconds before falling limply in his arms. Her dying eyes met Stefan's tearful ones and she reached up to cradle his face.
"Then I guess this is how...our love story ends." She breathed weakly before letting herself succumb to death. Her body crumpled to the floor and her eyes turned pitch black for a split second. She blinked and her eyes were back to normal and she finally closed her eyes. Her last dying breath hung in the air and everyone was left in complete silence. Matt wordlessly stepped forward and carried her body upstairs to one of the spare rooms. Now everyone's attention had been shifted to Cassandra who was pressing a hand to her side.
Damon lightly tapped Cassandra's cheek to rouse her and she slowly blinked up at him. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Mmm...ah!" She wrapped her fingers around whatever Katherine had stabbed her with and yanked it out of her. The vampire clutched it from her shaking hands and examined the syringe looking item closely.
"The hell?"
Caroline then took it from him and held it up to the light. "Hmm, there was some liquid in here. There's still some left on the bottom."
"Vervain?" Stefan suggested.
"I'm not sure." The blonde pursed her lips.
"Alright, let's get you upstairs." Damon propped an arm behind Cassandra's back and the other under her legs. He lifted her bridal style, but she shook her head back and forth.
"Take me to a hospital. I...I don't feel right." She breathed tiredly. The mention of the hospital made Damon's face pale; something must have been seriously wrong for Cassandra to want to go to the hospital.
"I'll take her, Damon." Stefan stepped forward as his brother placed Cassandra down on the couch.
"No," he shook his head. "She's my wife and I'm taking her."
"You will need to feed again soon and I can't risk you ripping into the hospital staff." He explained.
"I'm fine now, Stefan." He snapped. "Don't you dare tell me-"
"Damon," the soft voice of his wife made him halt his train of thought. He swallowed his words and he took her hand in his. "I'll be okay. Stefan will take care of me."
As much as he wanted to fight her on it, he knew that his time to feed would come back and there was no telling what he would do. He couldn't risk putting her in danger again, so he decided to let her go. The vampire squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek lovingly. "Call me if you guys find anything."
"I promise." With Stefan's help, she held onto him as they hobbled toward the front door when she stopped and looked back at her husband. "And try to get along with Tyler this time."
His lips quirked up into a smirk and he chuckled softly under his breath. Tyler cleared his throat and motioned to Damon to get back downstairs and he did it without a fight.
"Everything is great. Mom and baby are doing very well and very healthy." The nurse smiled at Stefan who was sitting a chair by Cassandra's bed. Multiple tests were run and no one could find anything wrong with the pregnant hybrid. They were relieved to hear that everything was fine, but Cassandra still didn't like that she felt a little off. Maybe she was feeling that way because Katherine was finally gone and out of everyone's lives for good. Or maybe whatever Katherine stuck her with was affecting her health. Either way, Cassandra didn't like the feeling and wished that it would pass soon.
"So, when can I take her home?" Stefan asked the nurse.
"In a few minutes. We're just finishing up some paperwork." She replied and glanced between Stefan and Cassandra. "Are you the baby's father?"
Stefan's face went beat red while Cassandra let out a loud laugh. She shook her head and patted her belly affectionately. "No, he's my brother-in-law. The baby's father is on business."
The nurse blushed, embarrassed with herself that she made a mistake. "I apologize, Mrs. Salvatore. I was just curious."
"It's alright." Cassandra chuckled before stretching her arms above her head. "Man, I can't wait to go home and shower."
"Excuse me, Mr. Salvatore. I need you to come down to the lobby with me to sign Mrs. Salvatore's discharge papers." The nurse spoke and led Stefan to the door. "Once you're finished downstairs, I can bring her down to you."
With that, the nurse and Stefan exited the room and Cassandra sat back in her hospital bed. The pillows were so lumpy behind her and the blankets itched her skin. She absolutely hared hospitals, but she felt more at ease that everything had checked out. Her little girl kicked eagerly and the mother was anxious to get home to tell Damon the good news. While she waited, she flicked through an old edition of People magazine but it was the feeling of dryness in her throat that kept nagging at her while she read. Maybe there was a blood bag somewhere around? Cassandra dismissed the thought, knowing that she could get caught easily if she wasn't careful. Plus, it would be pretty easy to pick out a pregnant woman walking down the halls and being in places where she wasn't supposed to be. So, Cassandra tossed the magazine aside, becoming bored with it and she watched the clock, waiting for Stefan to come back.
"Yo! Wolverine!" Damon whistled from inside his cell and Tyler rolled his eyes. This time, he and Caroline were on Damon duty and while the tension between them was still awkward, but at least Tyler didn't have to watch a homicidal vampire by himself.
Tyler pushed himself off the wall and stood right at Damon's door. "What do you want now?"
"Besides a snack, some batteries." He replied and fiddled with an object in his hands.
"Some what?" Caroline was intrigued now and was standing beside Tyler.
"You two deaf? Batt-er-ies." Damon annunciated. "Triple As if you got them."
"What the hell do you need batteries for?" The hybrid asked.
Damon held up a small tape recorder in his hands and shook it for Tyler and Caroline to see. "Matt found this in Katherine's purse. Curious to hear what's on it. It smells like Wes, so I would imagine that he keeps all his research on here. Consider my interest peeked."
"Seriously?" Caroline whined.
"Yes, I am. Go get me batteries, blondie." He ordered and the blonde cursed him under her breath before climbing up the stairs.
"So, what exactly do you expect to find on that?" Tyler's head nodded towards the device in Damon's hand.
"Maybe a cure to this ripper virus?" He shrugged his shoulders.
"But then why would Katherine have it in her bag?" The hybrid wondered.
Damon almost replied, but Caroline had come back down the stairs, batteries in hand. "We're about to find out."
Cassandra's hunger only grew in the passing minutes and she was now biting at her fingernails to keep herself busy. Only about seven minutes had gone by, but it had felt like seven hours were ticking on the clock above her door. How could it be that she was this hungry? She'd always been conscious about her feeding times, especially now because she was pregnant and she was sure to keep track of how much blood she consumed. Since vampirism is not a genetic condition, it is not passed down through generations, so Cassandra's baby was not a vampire. Therefore, the baby would not crave blood and would have nothing to do with Cassandra's sudden urge to chew on someone's neck. Very carefully and diligently, she disconnected herself from the beeping machines that monitored her and quickly took out the IV.
She climbed out of the hospital bed and shuffled to the bathroom, literally throwing the door off its hinges and turned on the sink. She splashed her face with cool water to calm herself down, but when she removed the towel after she dried her face, she could see the veins trickling in from underneath her eyes. The pads of her fingers glided over them and she closed her eyes in a desperate measure to make them go away, but upon opening her eyes, she saw that they were still present. The whites of her eyes were beginning to cloud with red and her pupils were shifting to an amber color when the door to the room opened up. Her gaze checked the mirror to see who it was and to her ultimate horror, it was the cheery nurse from before.
Their eyes locked in the mirror's reflection and for that one moment, they were both frozen to their spots. Cassandra was now facing someone who saw her for what she was and had to act quickly to hide it. The nurse, on the other hand, was second guessing what she had just seen, but upon closer examination, she was looking at something out of a nightmare. A loud heartbeat could be heard thumping throughout the small hospital room and the very sound was weighing on Cassandra's last nerve.
"Mrs. Salvatore, are you alright?"
"Wes had no intention of helping Nadia. He was just using her as a case study in his project to wipe out vampires of the face of the earth."
Damon, Caroline, and Tyler were now huddled around the tape recorder, listening to what Katherine had to say. If it were any other person making threats and giving warnings, they would have shut off the tape without a second thought, but they were talking about Katherine Pierce and she was never one to be ignored. Damon would rarely say that he was nervous, but he was quickly growing anxious with each growing second as he listened to the recording. It was resting on the floor now and he watched uneasily as the wheels on the tape spun ever so slowly as the recording continued to play and he felt his anxiety only rise higher. Caroline and Tyler were on edge as well; they knew that Damon was very unpredictable and could act out at any moment, especially if it was something that had to do with Katherine. She just had this unique way about her that could get under his skin and set him off like a ticking time bomb.
"Stefan thought he gave me a choice. Run, or die. But that's not really much of a choice, is it? After all Nadia was the only person in this world who really loved me. And I wasn't about to let my daughter die alone. But Katherine Pierce wasn't about to go gentle either."
"Mrs. Salvatore-"
"Just stay back! Please!" Cassandra begged the nurse with her hands held up. Tears welled in her eyes as overwhelming fear gripped her soul. If this woman came any closer, it would not end well.
"Let me help you." The woman moved closer despite her patient's wishes, but Cassandra gripped her arm and pushed her back. The nurse braced herself on her hands to steady herself from not hitting the wall and Cassandra huddled herself into the furthest corner away from her.
"I told you to stay back! I could hurt you!" The hybrid warned. Where the hell was Stefan, she wondered.
The nurse held up her own hands to show that she was not a threat. "It's okay. I can help you." Her words could have eased Cassandra's worries, but she was more focused on the intense smell of fresh blood in the air.
Cassandra looked down at her hand to see that her fingers were stained with blood and some was caked under her nails. In her desperate effort to get the nurse away from her, Cassandra ended up causing more damage by accidentally scratching her arm with her sharpened nails. The nurse was aware of her wounds, but didn't seem too concerned with it. They were not deep scratches, but the blood oozing from the cuts were becoming too tempting to give up. The nurse caught how hard Cassandra was staring at her arm and covered it up with a sweet smile.
"It was only an accident, Mrs. Salvatore. Let's get you into bed and you'll feel better." She assured her, but Cassandra could not tear her gaze away from the droplets of blood that were dribbling onto the white tile floor.
"What a waste." She tsked softly to herself and wanted to taste the crimson liquid to quench the fire in the back of her throat.
"And so, I left Cassandra with a little gift. Something special to remember me by."
In that moment, Damon knew exactly what Katherine had done. It all made sense now. Each piece of the puzzle clicked right into place and the clear picture was staring him right in the face. He clutched the recorder in his hands so hard that it shattered with a loud pop. He hurled it at the wall and the already broken pieces were obliterated even more. They flew all over the cell and Damon rose to his feet in a heated rage. He was shaking his chains like an imprisoned animal and wailing at the top of his lungs.
"You bitch! You bitch!" His screams made Caroline and Tyler jump back, the latter shielding the former from Damon's wrath. The vampire tugged at his chains so hard that the metal was beginning to bend and creak, but they still held him firmly in place. His feet dug into the dirt floor, making imprints from his boots as he desperately tried to get himself out of the cell. He wrestled with himself for a while until he collapsed in complete and utter exhaustion. He sat on the floor, staring out aimlessly into nothingness while he let the very reality of what he just heard sink in. His wife, his Cassandra, was now infected with the same ripper virus that kept him in chains.
"Cassandra, no!" Stefan's command made the hybrid look up from the nurse's neck. Her mouth was covered in blood that dripped down her chin and stained her once pristine hospital gown. She dropped the limp body in her arms onto the floor and if the nurse wasn't dead before, she was now after getting her head slammed against the white tiles. Blood spurted everywhere and Stefan moved closer to Cassandra who looked like a creature from a horror movie. Her shoulders moved up and down as she breathed heavily from her feeding and she licked her bloodied lips. A part of her felt satisfied, but another part of her would never feel completed satisfied of blood. The last thing she remembered was suckling her fingers and tasting the nurse's blood before burying her long fangs into her neck.
Stefan was staring at his sister-in-law in absolute horror. He'd never seen her this thirsty for blood and this careless when it came to her feeding habits. He was looking at someone who he never thought he'd see in his entire eternity. He now knew why Cassandra was feeling uneasy; her body was reacting to the ripper virus that Katherine had stabbed her with. He had hoped that her body would have fought the lethal concoction, but it had taken root inside her in the worst way possible. Wes finally got what he wanted; two killing machines to rid the earth of vampires.
DUN DUN DUN! So, Cassandra has also been infected with the ripper virus! Did you expect this? Or did you guys see it coming? ;) Please drop me a review! I'd love to hear what you thought of the new chapter!
Guest: Thanks so much for reviewing! Yeah, I think their daughter will be a bit of a daddy's girl. I can see Damon spoiling his little girl and getting her anything her heart desires.
Guest: Excellent question! Since each author writes their supernatural creatures differently, I decided to follow how Julie Plec wrote her supernatural character. According to Plec, vampires and hybrids are considered undead. So, since Cassandra is a hybrid, she is undead. As far as having a heartbeat, all of Plec's vampires have the same bodily functions as humans do, save for the thirst for human blood. Thanks so much for your question and I hope you enjoyed my latest chapter update :)
Guest: Thank you for reviewing :) I would put conception during chapter 27 of Does This Darkness Have A Name because in chapter 28, it is revealed that Cassandra is pregnant.
Guest: Thanks for reviewing! Hmm, a nickname for their baby would definitely be cute, but I still have to decide on a baby name :)
Marlene: Thank you so much, Marlene! Hope you enjoyed this update :)
Guest: Thanks for reviewing! Damon and Cassandra smut is coming - I promise ;)
arabella: Thank you so much for reviewing! Well, I started this story in the middle of the second season simply because I did not see where Cassandra's character could have fit in. Even looking back on it, I am happy that I didn't write Cassandra into the first season. If you like the first season of TVD, I do have a story called Kaleidoscope Heart if you are interested in reading it :) Hope you enjoyed this update!
DritneyForever: Thanks for reviewing! I am so glad that you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you liked the latest update :)
s321: Thank you so much for reviewing! Cassandra's labor and delivery will definitely be included in the chapter. I won't say which chapter it will be in, but it is definitely happening. It's already written and I have to add a few more details before it is done. Hmm, not really angst. It will be more tension and anxiousness rather than angst.
NicoleR85: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed the latest update!
Guest: Well, I would think that Damon would get very antsy and tense when his daughter would come to ask him to go out on a date with a boy, but I think that Cassandra would be there to kind of reign him back him a bit. Both Damon and Cassandra have a way of balancing each other out and they compliment one another very nicely. Thank you for reviewing!
elisesellas: Thanks for your awesome reviews and constant support of my stories! The Elijah/Giuliana moments have been getting a ton of positive feedback and I have readers asking me when Elijah is gonna just plant a big kiss on Giuliana hehe ;) It's coming - don't worry! To hear you say that my story touches your heart is so wonderful to hear. I want my story to make my readers laugh, cry, gasp, and celebrate with my characters as they read and I am happy to hear that you're enjoying my story :) Hope you enjoyed the nice twist I threw in with Damon and Cassandra for this chapter and I hope you have an awesome day!
binks13: Thank you for reviewing, girl! I really appreciate your constant support of my stories :) I've already got a ton of ideas for season 2 that I can hardly keep up! It just makes me even more excited to finish this story, so that I can start on the next season! More of Audrey's backstory will be revealed in the next TO chapter, so she won't be much of a mystery anymore. Noble Elijah is just so handsome and makes me blush ;) and he and Giuliana are very sweet together. Hayley and Giuliana's relationship has gotten the most positive feedback from my readers and I am so happy to hear that since I find that many viewers of the show don't like Hayley too much. Gosh, thanks so much for reviewing not once, but twice. You rock!
binks13: Aww, so sorry to hear that you missed a chapter, but I'm happy to see that you're all caught up now :) Plus, I got two awesome reviews from you, so I'm not complaining ;) Katherine is such a witch, but a part of me loves her! Damon and Cassandra's relationship is so strong even though they have gone through a lot of hard times. I believe it all makes them stronger. Enzo is a wonderful character and his presence adds a lot to my story :) Stefan and Caroline are great too! Thank you for reviewing, dear! Hope you're doing well!
Seraphis88: Thanks for reviewing! Ah, you caught the references ;) I first played the game during the summer and I was obsessed with it! I wanted to use it for a story or writing piece, so I am happy to incorporate it into my TO chapters. Glad to hear you've enjoyed the chapter update!
SomebodyWhoCares: LOL! Elijah making any kind of hand motions can be funny, but he's just so fancy ;) Love him!
Guest: I did consider separating both stories just to have each one be their own entity, but I did have some crossover moments which lent itself to the benefit to having both shows in the same story. When I finish both season finales, I will start TVD season 6 and TO season 2 in their own stories. Thank you so much for reviewing!
grapejuice101: I would love to add more Klaus/Gil and Marcel/Gil moments, but I find that they don't fit in with the plans I have for the story. Hopefully I can add more as the story continues. Thank you for reviewing :)
Guest: Damon will definitely do something as far as a nursery for the baby and those are all beautiful names! I will definitely take those into consideration. Thank you so much for reviewing :)