Journey To The Past [Sequel to At The Beginning]

Chapter 12

Lockwood Mansion
Later, Cassie stood whilst Elena and Stefan were sitting on a bench on the Lockwood grounds as Elena was cleaning Stefan's wound with a cloth. "You gonna be okay?" Cassie asked with a small smile. "Yeah, it will heal." Stefan told her reassuringly. That's not what she meant." Elena said with an annoyed tone. "I was trying to figure her out. I was playing along and I let her get to me." He said ashamed. Cassie looked behind her and saw Damon walking up to them. She rolled her eyes as he stood next to her. "I tried to track her but she's gone. Oooh, cover up, Fabio." He said jokingly to Stefan. Stefan pulled his shirt down. "We got a crazy ex on the loose." Damon said and looked at Elena. "Can you ever take anything seriously?" Cassie asked him with narrowed eyes. "You better watch out, looks like Katherine is trying to steal your guy." Damon said with his smirk. "Damon!" Cassie said as she punched him in the shoulder. "That's not what's happening." Stefan said sternly. "Isn't it? I mean it's only fair since I went after your girl." Damon said trying to get a rise out of them. "Oh my God can you please just shut your goddamn mouth for like one second?" Cassie said exasperated and fed up. Stefan and Elena exchanged amused glances. They both were enjoying snarky Cassie and her rage toward Damon. "I'm gonna go check on Jenna and Jeremy. Let me know when you guys are done." Elena said and walked away.
Cassie shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "So what's it gonna be huh? Fight to the death?" Damon asked Stefan as he got into a boxing pose and pretended to punch with his fists as Stefan snorted at him. "Go ahead, make your threats, stake your claim." Damon egged him on. "You're ridiculous. You know that right?" Cassie asked him with narrowed eyes. "I'm not gonna fight you." Stefan said to him. "Why?! I'd fight me." Damon said with his smirk. "Katherine is gonna try to play us against each other, you do know that right?" Stefan said trying to stay focused. "Brother, don't you worry, our bond is unbreakable." Damon said sarcastically. Cassie dropped her head in her hands. Stefan stood up and got in Damon's space. "We need to stay united against her. So yes, as much as I would like to kill you, I'm not gonna fight you." Stefan said and turned away from him. "I kissed Elena." Damon spouted out to get a rise out of him. Stefan turned to face him. "Because you feel something for her and possibly Cassie!" Stefan said and gestured to Cassie. Cassie and Damon exchanged an awkward glance. "Because you actually care and I'm not gonna let Katherine come in here and destroy that part of you that is finally, after all of this time, willing to feel something." Stefan said in a huff. Stefan got in Damon's face. "She will try to break you, she will try to break us and how we respond to that will define us. It's our choice. So no, I'm not gonna fight you. Let's go Cassie. " Stefan said, grabbed Cassie's hand and walked away. Cassie looked back and saw the hurt expression on Damon's face.

Gilbert Residence
Cassie took Jeremy home since she was going home to change into regular clothes before going back to Tyler's. John was in the hall preparing his luggage as Cassie and Jeremy entered the house. "Cassie. Jeremy." John greeted them. "What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked him with attitude. "I'm packing, leaving." John said hesitantly. "Guess this is you heeding to Stefan's threat." Cassie said with a smirk and crossed her arms over her chest. John hung his head in shame and remained silent. "So, you figured you'd kill all your evil vampires and then you leave town?" Jeremy asked him. "Not all, but enough. For now." John said then looked at Cassie. "Heh. No you've done enough. The Salvatore's will kill you before you kill them." She said with hate. John just ignored her. "Can you tell Elena I said goodbye?" He said to Jeremy. "Why don't you tell her yourself?" Jeremy asked him and began to walk away. "You know Jeremy, I was taught to hate them, the vampires. That's what I know; that's what your father knew." He tried to explain himself. "My father would have seen things differently." Jeremy told him. "No, he may have done things differently but there's no other way to see it." John assured him. "That ring on your finger, the one's that supposed to protect you, that was my father's right?" Jeremy asked him, "Yeah." John said as he stared at his finger. "Then why didn't it protect him, why is he still dead?" Jeremy said choking back tears. Cassie put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "What happened to your parents wasn't supernatural, it was an accident. There's nothing that can save us from that." John told him with sadness. "I wonder what he'd think of all this, of me." Jeremy said with shame in his tone. Cassie and John exchanged worried, heartbroken glances. "He would think that you're still young. You're still finding yourself but you are a Gilbert and you've been exposed to this town's darkest secret and with that comes responsibility." John told him and squeezed his shoulder. "I don't believe in that family legacy stuff." Jeremy said with attitude. "Sooner or later you'll have to." John said to him with a sad smile. Cassie knew by him saying that, Katherine being back and the tomb vampires gone... Trouble was just beginning in Mystic Falls.