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Sempiternal
Chapter Seventeen
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Steam fogged up the shower stall, warm water colliding with Carter's reddened skin. Damon's lips attacked her neck from behind her, his hair wet and sticking to his forehead. The two had woken up in a better mood than the night before, deciding entertain the other in a steamy shower. "I have to go out for the day," he whispered as his fingers ran over her slick abdomen. She hummed in response, running her fingers through his hair. "And what for?" He littered soft kisses along her jawline. He nipped gently at the skin before pressing a hard kiss to her cheek. "You can't get mad. Or tell anyone for that matter." She spun in his arms, her chest pressed to his. Her arms lazily looped around his neck as she stared up at him through her damp eyelashes.
"Okay. I'll do my best," she replied, letting his hands glide up the backs of her thighs and over her plump rear. She was intoxicating. Her body drew Damon in, and wouldn't let him go. "Stefan..." The name made Carter's skin crawl and she slowly back away from Damon. Her auburn hair fell in a thick, wet mess over her shoulders, sticking to her fair skin. His hands ran through his own dark shock of hair, pushing it away from his forehead. "He and Bonnie had a plan, and I'm supposed to meet them at the Old Witch's House. She hummed, her arms crossing tightly over her chest. "Why have you been keeping this a secret?" He moved forward, cornering the small girl within a corner of the stall. He towered over her frame, his icy blue eyes staring down at her with so much passion swirling behind them.
"Do you really want to waste one of our first uninterrupted times together talking about my brother?" She bit her lip as his hand slowly ran along her arm. His touch was electrifying. With an eye roll, Carter released the tension over her chest and allowed Damon to pull her arms apart, looping them over his neck. "Good girl... Let me make you feel good." His voice was soft, deliciously seductive. His eyes lingered on her sultry lips, admiring the way the warm droplets of water glided down her skin. His lips captured hers in a kiss that melted the uncertainty chilling her bones. She relaxed within his grasp, eagerly accepting the burning passion he had to offer her.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
"I'm so happy you called," Kaitlin spoke animatedly from the driver's seat. Her dark hair was pulled loosely into a ponytail, her bangs framing her heart shaped face. Carter smiled from beside her, her own hair tied up into a topknot. "Yeah, me too. It's been a while." Carter didn't know if Kaitlin knew everything. She didn't know if anybody did, but when she received a very long text from the Japanese girl, she couldn't just ignore her. "Have you talked to Scott recently?" the strawberry blonde questioned, her head resting against the headrest. Kaitlin's dark eyes narrowed into a stern glare pointed at the road as she shook her head. "Nope, and I don't plan to. I don't know why I ever got with him, or why I was surprised!"
Her words confused Carter, her eyebrows shot into her hairline as she stared at Kaitlin questioningly. "He cheated on me. With this girl. I should have known he would; he cheated on you." Her eyes may have been swirling with anger, but she was sad too. She couldn't believe Scott would do that to her. She thought they would be high school sweethearts and get married. When Bonnie told her the news, she absolutely crumbled. "He left a few months ago. The only person he talked to was Ty, and now they don't even talk." Her small shoulders lifted into a shrug as she threw on her blinker. The group were all headed to the High School to decorate Caroline's locker for her birthday. Kaitlin had picked up the developed photos and promised to bring them in.
"Scott's always been distant; with everyone. After his mom died, it's like he changed, you know?" Kaitlin nodded, despite not wanting any reason to sympathize with him. "I know you're angry now, but just be glad it happened sooner than later. You could have missed out on the one." Carter turned from the road to look at her friend, her green eyes twinkling with admiration. "There's someone out there for you, K. Someone who's willing to watch Legally Blonde with you on repeat and continuously tell you not to dye your hair blonde." Kaitlin slapped at Carter's arm, her lips tugging into one of her vibrant smiles. "Shut up! At least I wasn't obsessed with One Tree Hill years after it cancelled!" Carter gasped loudly, her hand placed over her heart. "Excuse me!"
The girls giggled at their interaction, their eyes landing back on the road ahead. "Did he know? About..." Kaitlin nodded slowly, biting down on her lip. "I think that's what sent him over the edge, beside... you dying. God, if it wasn't your mom or Damon who took it the hardest, it was Scott." Carter didn't want to think of that. She didn't want to conjure up images of her loved ones grieving over her. Her eyes screwed shut as she shook her head, her fingers digging into the fabric of her jeans. "Hey, Cee. Sorry." Kaitlin was concerned about Carter. She always was. They were best friends, but Carter had changed drastically upon coming to Mystic Falls. "No, its okay. I just... Its hard getting over something like that, especially since it isnt exactly normal." Kaitlin removed a hand from the steering wheel and wrapped it tightly around Carter's. "I know, babe. I know."
Elena and Bonnie were the only ones at the high school. Carter unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her contribution to the gift; a necklace with Caroline's name and a bag she knew the girl wanted. The two girls made their way through the parking lot and into the building, spotting their friends down the hall. "Hey!" Bonnie chirped, racing to meet Carter. The two embraced in a tight hug, taking in each other's warmth. "God, I missed you," Bonnie huffed, squeezing Carter tighter before letting her go. "I missed you too," Carter laughed, her green eyes twinkling. Kaitlin left the two to meet up with Elena, the photographs within an envelope in her hand. "By the way, Damon told me." Bonnie sighed, her eyes rolling skyward. "Figured. Are you mad?"
The strawberry blonde shrugged her shoulders, her plump lips pursed in thought. "No, but I do wish you guys would just include me..." Bonnie gripped the girl's hands, her eyes soft as she stared at her. "Cee, we all care so much about you. If we don't include you right now, you need to understand that its in your best interest, okay? It'll take some time for us to be okay with you helping. We just got you back." Bonnie's words made Carter's heart melt. She had been so selfish getting aggravated with everyone for leaving her out. She nodded with a sigh and squeezed Bonnie's hands with a smile. "I understand." Her lips pulled into a small smile when Elena called out her name. "Coming!" Bonnie called back, swinging around to face the girl.
"We have a birthday girl to surprise!" Carter chirped, pulling Bonnie behind her as she skipped down the hallway. Upon reaching Caroline's locker, Carter felt this bad feeling. The sad look in Elena's eye didn't help. "So, I have something to tell you guys and you might not like it." The three stared waiting for the brunette to speak as she flipped through the photographs. "What happened?" Bonnie asked, her eyebrows furrowed. "Jeremy is gonna be leaving town for a while. He'll be staying with some old family friends in Denver, until this whole Klaus thing blows over." Her words shocked the girls, all three standing there with open mouths. "What– But..." Bonnie shook her head, obviously confused and hurt. "Jeremy wouldn't just leave you to deal with Klaus on your own."
"I know... I asked Damon to compel him," Elena replied with a blank expression. Carter found herself growing angry once more. She felt that Damon was hiding everything from her. What more could he have failed to mention to her? Carter turned on her heels, fisting her fingers through her hair. "Hey! Where are you going?" Kaitlin called after her. She refused to look back as she fumbled for her cellphone. "I'll meet you guys at Care's, okay?" The remaining three didn't question her as she stormed through the double doors, successfully slipping out her cellphone. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, typing the very familiar number. Across the lot was Tyler and Caroline, and Carter felt drawn to her cousin. "Hey, babe—"
"Don't 'hey, babe' me. Why didn't you tell me about Jeremy?" she questioned as she raced toward a retreating Tyler. "Elena told you..." She huffed, grabbing the boy's shoulder. "Yeah. It would have been nice hearing it from you," she responded. After pulling the phone from her ear, Carter looked to Tyler desperately. "I need to get out of here," she told him, and Tyler understood. "Get in." She crawled into the car, buckled her seatbelt, and placed the phone back to her ear. "I'm sorry, Carter. I would have told you if I had thought about it. There's just so much going on." She bit down on her lip, her head falling to rest on the back of her seat.
"I talked to Bonnie, and she told me that I needed to understand why you guys are leaving me out. And I do, but, Damon... You're leaving me in the dark on everything. I can't help but feel that something isn't right." She felt tears began to gather behind her eyes at the various possibilities. Damon could be hiding anything. "Baby..." Her nose scrunched up as she tried to fight the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, her head hanging low. "I gotta go." Her voice wavered as she spoke. She pulled the phone from her ear and clicked the end button, tossing it in the backseat. Tyler hadn't moved. The vehicle was still in park, in the school parking lot, and he was staring at his cousin with sad eyes. "You okay?" he asked her genuinely, his hand resting on her arm.
She sniffled, angry that the tears were trekking down her face; angry that she was letting herself be paranoid. She threw her arms over Tyler's shoulders as her shoulders shook with her cries. She didn't want to be weak anymore. She didn't want to cry every time something unfortunate happens. She wanted to feel stable in her relationship, yet everything felt like it was falling apart. Tyler held her tight, his chin resting on her shoulder. He wasn't a comforting person. Growing up, he was raised like a drill sergeant. His dad bullied him, and his mom merely watched. He never got the luxury of being comforted, yet there he was, comforting Carter with a soft smile. "I hate this feeling," she whimpered, her cool tears stinging at the werewolf's skin.
"I hate feeling like I'm not enough for anybody. I... I think Damon's falling out of love with me.." She pulled away to wipe her tears, falling sluggishly into the seat. Tyler shook his head, scratching his neck. "Honestly, Cee, I don't even think that's possible." She rolled her reddened eyes, pulling her knees up into the seat. Her head rolled to his side, facing the werewolf who smiled at her. "You and Damon... What you guys got is special. Its those one-of-a-kind things, you know? You're one great true love." Tyler rested his head against the back of his seat, his dark eyes staring out across the parking lot.
"You're really lucky, and... you're wasting it away. If you feel unsure, talk to him. Its all you can do. But, I want you to know that he loves you. And he loves you like nobody has ever loved anyone before. I mean, what sane vampire would stay with his werewolf girlfriend, knowing that they could die?" Carter was digesting his words, her eyes lowered to her twitching fingers. Tyler was right. Damon loved her more than anything, or anyone in the world. She was throwing it away just because he cares for her and is trying to keep her safe. She silently chewed on her bottom lip, nodding her head. "Ty, can you drive me to Caroline's?" He nodded with a small smile, starting the car.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
"I get she doesn't want a party, but this is just weird," Carter stated as the five navigated through the Fell crypt. Elena rolled her eyes playfully at the girl, Matt wrapping his arm tightly around her shoulders. "This is creepy... even for us." Elena scoffed, turning to look at the teens behind her. "No, Caroline was right...technically, she's dead. Sorry. But you don't need a birthday, you need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life, so that you can move on with your new one." Caroline smiled at Elena, her blonde hair falling slightly into her face. Carter found herself looking at Matt, watching the way he smiled at his friend, his thumb rubbing against her shoulder. "Okay. Here lies Caroline Forbes..."
Elena starts placing the candles onto the cake, smiling. Matt looked back down at Carter, his blue eyes shining with happiness. She wrapped an arm around his torso and rested her head against his shoulder. "Cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, third grade hopscotch champion..." Bonnie chimed in, "Friend, daughter, overachiever..." Caroline chuckled. "Beautiful, enthusiastic, strong..." Matt looked down at Carter before adding his piece, "Mean girl, sometimes, no offense." Carter felt his chest rumble beneath her hand as he laughed. "Ah, none taken." Carter and Caroline locked eyes and Carter had never felt closer to the blonde. "You were pretty mean, but you made up for it." Caroline rolled her vibrant blue eyes before focusing back on Elena and the cake.
"She was 17, and she had a really good life. So rest in peace, so that she can move forward." She slowly began to walk up to the girl, holding out the cake with her extravagant smile. "That's what you really need. What we all really need. Amen, or cheers or whatever. Bonnie?" Bonnie's eyes narrowed at the candles, and they ignited into flames. The glow from the candles casted eery shadows across the crypt and Caroline's face. "Nice! Okay, make a wish," Elena enthused. Caroline squeezed her eyes shut and blew out the candles, making a wish. Everyone cheered for the vampire excitedly, Carter and Matt parting so Carter could give the girl a tight hug. "Happy birthday, Care," she hummed, pulling away from the blonde.
It didn't take long for the teens to cut up the cake and find themselves buzzed off tequila. Carter was scarfing down her second piece when Bonnie stated that she needed to leave. "You know, I need to go too. There's something I need to take care of." Carter stood, setting the paper plate onto Bonnie's. "Happy birthday! Bye, guys." She wobbled on her feet as she exited, dialing Damon's number with a frown. He picked up rather quickly and that pleased Carter. "Carter, are you okay? Last we spoke—" She hiccuped, interrupting Damon's sentence. She giggled at herself, tripping over a stick. Damon could hear the leaves crumple beneath her across the line, a sigh slipping past his lips. "I love you," she giggled out, sitting with her legs crossed on the cool ground. "Are you drunk—?" She hummed in response, her nose scrunching up. "I'm sorry, D. I'm sorry I'm a terr– terrible girlfriend."
"Baby, what are you talking about?" She picked at the grass beneath her, her green eyes sad. "I got paranoid and I thought you weren't... weren't in love with me anymore. I'm sorry." She could hear him sigh, but her head snapped up when she saw Tyler approaching. "Ty?" Damon's ears perked at the name, worry spilling onto his words. "Is Tyler there?" She looked to the hybrid confusedly, rubbing at her eyes. "Yeah, he's right there," she replied. Tyler rolled his eyes at his cousin, raising a single brow. "I..." She felt a sharp feeling within her stomach, and her head began to clear. "Wait– no!" She rubbed her forehead, looking up at Tyler. "Carter? Carter! What happened!?"
Tyler snatched the phone from the pouting strawberry blonde, pressing it to his ear. "She's upset she healed from the alcohol. I think you might wanna pick her up." He clicked the end button, tossing the phone into Carter's lap. "Night, Cee," he told her before moving toward the crypt. "Night, Ty."