CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
× the untimely reunion ×
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A GASP ESCAPES HER LIPS AS SHE LAYS EYES ON A DIFFERENT COLOURED BUTTERFLY, her eyes lighting up at the sight. She picks up her dress in order to get over to it, a bright smile on her lips. Klaus was watching her with admiration as he watched her hold out her hand for the butterfly to land on. "Look at this one, Nik." She says as she stares at the creature in her hand. Klaus smiles as he walks over to her, his hands behind his back. They had been together for almost a year now and he still was captivated by her beauty. It was her birthday and he made it as special as possible, her last wish was to go see the butterflies she had always told him about.
"They are quite magnificent, love." Klaus tells her as Cassandra lets the butterfly fly away. She watches it go off before turning to her boyfriend, her eyebrows furrowing for a moment when she realizes he was staring at her.
"What?" She questions curiously as she meets his eyes. Klaus only plants a soft kiss on her lips, his hand cupping her chin as he does. When they pull away, Cassandra only gazes at him confused but also happily.
"You are beautiful." He tells her causing her to smile at him. Klaus leans in again only for Cassandra to dodge it, a smirk on her lips. "What are you doing?" He asks as he furrows his eyebrows, wondering why she was avoiding his lips.
"You do not get another until you earn it." She tells him teasingly as she avoids yet another attempt to kiss her. Klaus chuckles for a few seconds before gazing into her eyes.
"Has this been a nice birthday?" Klaus asks her as he strokes her cheek, tilting his head a little bit.
"It's been truly amazing, Nik." She tells him with a bright smile on her lips, leaning into his touch.
"Good. Because you deserve nothing less." Klaus says as he pulls her in towards him In order to wrap his arms around her in a tight embrace. Cassandra smiles as she grips him, not letting him.
"I can't help but think of my mother." Cassandra admits making Klaus turn his head towards her at the mention of the girl's mother. "She died for me to live." She says in a soft voice as she remembers her father always telling her that she deserved to die. That Cassandra was the one who murdered her mother.
"That was not your fault." Klaus assures her as she had told him a couple months into dating what had happened to her mother and how her father had not taken care of her the way that he should have.
"I know. I just wish I could've gotten to know her." Cassandra admits with a sad sigh, wanting to know if her mother would even love her knowing she was a monster. Did her mother know about her? That she has killed people? Surely she would hate her If she did.
"I am sure she was a extraordinary woman. I mean, her daughter is." Klaus points out as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Cassandra rolls her eyes, nudging him a little bit.
"Always one with words." Cassandra says with a giggle as she squints her eyes at him. Klaus smirks as he kisses her cheeks a couple times. "When do you believe these are going to go out of date? They are quite irritating." She asks indicating to her corset that was about to cut off her circulation. She was sure that if she was human, she would've died from suffocation by now.
"You look gorgeous though." He tells her with a smile as he places a kiss on her lips. Cassandra returns it before pulling away with a small frown, rolling her eyes playfully.
"Of course you'd say that. But it does not feel like that physically. It's squishing my insides." She says with a sigh, trying to move it a little so she could breath even for just one second. Why must women wear these types of things? The only ones it benefits are the men who gawk at them all day because corsets don't let them be covered since it pushes up their chests a significant amount.
"I can help with that." Klaus tells her as he sneaks his hand behind her, gripping her ass for a split second causing her to stare at him wide eyed as he gives it a little slap.
"Nik, we can not do this here!" Cassandra scolds him as she hits his chest but he only chuckles, capturing her lips once again. She falters into the kiss for a second before pushing him away lightly.
"It'll be spontaneous." He mutters with a smirk as he places a couple kisses on her neck. Cassandra doesn't stop him but she hated how they were so out in the open.
"People could see." Cassandra says with a gasp as she glances around the forest, hoping not to connect eyes with someone. She didn't need anyone seeing her indecent with her boyfriend.
"Let them. They will wish they were us." Klaus tells her with a knowing smirk on his lips before he undoes the top of her corset in order to cover her chest with kisses. Cassandra lets out a sigh of content as she allows him to do what he wants. His lips move over her skin, from her jawline to the top of her dress, causing her to intertwine her fingers in his hair and moan softly. He connects their lips in a passionate kiss, leaving her to moan into it as her hands grip his hair, pulling him closer. Klaus smiles, deepening the kiss as his hands roam over her trying to free more of her skin.
"There you are!" A voice shouts causing Cassandra to spring apart from Klaus with widening eyes. Klaus knew that voice anywhere which made him internally groan as he rolls his eyes a little bit. He licks his bottom, lip his eyes gazing over Cassandra once more before turning to see Rebekah making her way over to them.
"Sister, what a lovely surprise." He says with a fake smile placed on his lips. Rebekah only looks at him for a split second, looking at him disgusted as it didn't take her long to see what they were trying to do. It didn't help their case that Cassandra was trying to cover her chest with her hands.
"I am not here for you, Nik. I promised to get you a magnificent gift but I can't show you it with my brother hogging you." She grumbles as she stops next to Cassandra and starts to help her get her corset back on properly. Klaus clenches his jaw, hating how his sister had ruined their moment.
"She is my girlfriend." Klaus says, annoyance clear In his voice. Rebekah only raises an eyebrow at him, not caring about that at all since it didn't matter.
"And she is my best friend." Rebekah rebuttles with a shrug of her shoulders as she clasps her hand in Cassandra's. The girl gives her boyfriend a sympathetic expression before turning to face the blonde.
"I'll come with you Rebekah." She says with a kind smile on her face making the girl jump with glee as she was grateful the woman didn't decide to stay with her brother.
"Excellent!" She says excitedly, tugging at her arm to get her to start walking but not before glancing back at her brother. "I would button up your shirt before going back, brother." Rebekah points out making Cassandra blush as she purses her lips together. Klaus rolls his eyes as his eyes connect with Cassandra's one last time.
"Sorry." She mouths to Klaus before she is whisked away by Rebekah. Klaus smiles, his eyes watching the spot she had just been in. He was glad she got along with his family, he didn't know what he did to deserve such a pure love like her. But he would do anything to keep her his forever, he didnt want to mess it up. He always said love was weakness but it was different with Cassandra. She made him stronger.
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STARING AT THE LARGE MOUNTAIN IN FRONT OF HER, Cassandra instantly let's out a groan, not wanting to go on that long journey. Just because they knew the pack was around here, did not mean she was going to hike miles to find them. Stopping in her tracks, she gains the attention of the two men who just look at her curiously, wondering why she had suddenly stopped.
"Yeah, no." She says with a shake of her head as she stares at the mountain before looking at the two guys. "You two can go on that hike, I'll just wait here." Cassandra states as she crosses her arms. Stefan looks at her surprised for a moment before realizing that she was serious. A vampire hardly gets tired and she was trying to use that as an excuse.
"Seriously? You can literally do it without losing a sweat." Stefan tells her with a sigh as he glances towards Klaus who only shrugs his shoulders. There was no forcing her to go hiking because it would just lead to one of them carrying her the entire way.
"Sometimes people don't want to do things Stefan." She says in an annoyed voice, sending him a fake smile. Stefan only raises his eyebrows at her before taking a step closer to the girl, knowing the exact reason why the girl didn't want to do anything physical.
"Maybe you shouldn't have had a party in your room last night." Stefan tells her with a roll of his eyes making Cassandra snap her head towards him. It wasn't like the two had been quiet, at all. And with his vampire hearing, Stefan had heard all of it which be wished he hadn't. It was worse than walking in on her and his brother. Actually, he didn't know which was worse.
"If you think that has an affect on me, you're wrong. I'm not embarrassed I had hot hybrid sex with Nik because sure I hate him, but the sex is--" Cassandra explains with a playful smirk making Stefan grimace as he shakes his head, wanting the girl to stop talking so he didn't have to relive the previous night.
"Fine. Stay. Get bitten by a werewolf with the cure milesssss away" Stefan exaggerates with a smirk on his face as he turns to walk away from her. Cassandra flips him off, glaring at the back of the man's head.
"If any of us is getting bit, it will be you." She shouts after him but Stefan only waves his hand, ignoring her words. Klaus chuckles lightly as he looks towards Cassandra who finally took her deadly stare off of Stefan.
"We'll be back, love." He tells her softly before catching up with Stefan who only gives him a knowing look. Klaus smirks to himself for a moment, remembering back to last night. He knew it wasnt a lot but it was at least something.
"You dated her?" Stefan suddenly asks with a grimace as he glances back down the hill at Cassandra who was now sat against a tree. Klaus laughs, nodding his head as he licks his bottom lip.
"She was a lot less sarcastic back in the old days." He admits as she never used to be like this when they were together. Mainly because she was more innocent back then. "But her attitude is always something that I was drawn to." Klaus says as he glances over at Stefan who nods his head a little bit.
"She's right, you know. You don't know her anymore." Stefan admits as he avoids the look Klaus had sent him. The man sighs as he nods, understanding that Cassandra was way more complex than she was in 1492.
"I am in love with the old version of her and I will be honored to love this new version as well." Klaus admits with a small smile on his face and this is when Stefan knew now that the man truly wasn't lying about his feelings for Cassandra. But Stefan didn't want him to get back into her life permanently, not when she was so close to actually getting her life back.
"Let me tell you something about the new Cassandra. She may have been your sweet little angel but now if you piss her off, she will not hesitate to retaliate. Something I guess she picked up from you." He says as he scoffs a little bit causing Klaus to smirk lightly as he licks his bottom lip. "She's manipulative, a player and if I'm being honest.. the reason she kills now, part of that is because deep down I think she can't stop." Stefan admits with a small frown, hating how he couldn't even help her because he didn't have the best track record with control either.
"Yes, it was a struggle to help her tame her hunger but it was rare that she would leave a human alive." Klaus tells him as he knew he shouldn't have allowed her to feed on a human because she ultimately wasn't ready. She had almost killed that girl because of him.
"You've heard about me with my humanity off. I'm honestly terrified to know what she would be like if she ever did turn it off." Stefan states as he couldn't even imagine what that would be like. If she could barely control her urges while her humanity was on, would it just be a complete bloodbath. He just hoped they never had to find out and part of that was because he wasn't sure they would even be able to turn it back on. Stefan didnt know if he would want to because if she did end up going off the rails, she would break, not knowing how to deal with all the blood on her hands.
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CASSANDRA HAD BEEN SITTING AGAINST THE TREE FOR A BETTER HALF OF WELL A FEW HOURS NOW. She was getting insanely bored by herself, she had wished she had just went with them. Cassandra groans, hitting her head against the tree wishing for some company. She was about die of boredom. A branch snapping makes her head snap up, glancing around cautiously. She did not just jinx herself. Cassandra had seen a bunch of horror films and she was not about to be the one that dies because she wants to go see what the sound was.
Getting up from her spot, Cassandra looks around before heading back down the small slope, making sure to keep an eye out. Another snap coming from right behind her makes her spin around quickly and speeding whatever it was to a tree quickly. It was only when she noticed it was not an enemy, but the one and only Damon Salvatore that she let her grip loosen. She stares at him, not understanding how he had even found her, or whoever he was on this mountain to find.
"Cassandra." Damon gasps, almost not believing that she was standing in front of him. Cassandra offers a small smile, her eyes letting themselves roam over his features. His hair had grown a little bit, his blue eyes were more worn out, probably from searching for so long and being tired. "Ive missed you so much." He tells her with a smile as he pulls her into a tight embrace. Truthfully, Damon didn't think he'd ever see Cassandra again, at least not for a long time. He knew Klaus would probably let Stefan go a long while before Cassandra.
"I've missed you too, Damon." Cassandra says as she sighs, nestling her head into the crook of his neck, just appreciating the small amount of time they have. "But I can't stay for long." She admits as she sighs, frowning a little bit as she pulls away from the man's embrace.
"Is Stefan here?" He asks her quickly, just needing to find his brother again because then he could show Elena that Stefan was most likely not coming back anytime soon. Damon was glad that he had convinced Elena to stay with Alaric while he canvassed the area.
"You picked the wrong time for reunions. Klaus is here to sire his hybrids. It's werewolf central." Cassandra tells him as she glances around to make sure no one was lurking around, especially Klaus.
"I just want to talk to Stefan." He admits with a small frown, wanting to see his brother again even though the first time wasn't so great. Stefan had discreetly told Cassandra that he had seen Damon but Klaus had made him kill Andie, the news girl. Damon had been seeing her ever since Cassandra had left.
"If Klaus finds out you're this close again, he will personally come visit you. And it won't exactly be pleasant." Cassandra tells him, trying to warn him to back off while he still could. Klaus didn't do well with people not following his rules.
"Why did you do it?" He asks after a couple seconds, wanting to know why she would give up her life for him. He didn't deserve to be saved. He didn't deserve for two people to practically give up their lives to Klaus of all people, for him.
"I couldn't let you die, Damon." Cassandra tells him as a single tear leaves her eyes. Damon closes his eyes for a moment, shaking his head as he rubs his face.
"But you're stuck with him, now." Damon points out with a frown as he knew he was the only reason she didn't have her freedom. She was with Klaus because of him.
"I'm not stuck. He said if I wanted to leave I could." Cassandra says making his eyes widen as now he didn't understand why she wasn't running when she had a chance.
"Then come back home." Damon pleads as he grabs her hand to intertwine their fingers. Cassandra sighs as she shakes her head, not really believing that Mystic Falls was her home.
"I don't have a home, Damon." She replies as she frowns, kicking at the dirt beneath her shoe. Damon grabs her face, staring into her eyes and she could tell how hard he was trying to hold back his emotions.
"Yes, you do. With me. That's your home." He states as he had always made it clear that their was room at the Salvatore boarding house for her.
"I stayed for Stefan. I'm looking out for him, okay? He's fine." Cassandra explains to Damon who only looks at her like she had three heads. He didn't see how Stefan being on a ripper binge meant that he was fine.
"He's killing people." Damon points out the obvious as he waves his arms around. Cassandra sighs as she glances down at the ground for a moment before meeting the man's eyes again.
"I can't stop that, but I can make sure Klaus doesn't kill him." She admits with a small smile as she notices the faint smile form on the man's face. There was no way Klaus was going to allow Stefan to just stop binging on human blood but if Klaus was gonna try and kill him, that's when she would stop him.
"Thank you." He says with a small sigh as he stops walking, turning to face her fully.
"Im just glad you're okay, Damon." She admits, glad to know that Katherine did in fact give him the cure and she hadn't just lied to everyone, even though Stefan did in fact see Damon alive after that. Cassandra just had a hard time trusting people now.
"I heard we got mangled the same night. Besties who almost die together are bonded for life, right?" He jokes with a smirk playing on his lips. Cassandra laughs loudly as she shakes her head, nudging his shoulder lightly.
"Sure, D. Whatever you say." She tells him with a slight roll of her eyes. Damon smiles over at her, he couldn't help but notice how much brighter she looked today but didn't comment on it. "I have to go now, I don't want to draw attention to you." Cassandra says, not wanting Klaus to find Damon just because she was with him. He nods his hand, understanding what she meant before bringing her in for another hug.
"Stay safe, Cass." Damon tells her when they pull away from each other. Cassandra nods her head, giving a thankful smile.
"I will." Cassandra says before squinting her eyes at him teasingly. "Don't go on any suicide missions." She tells him with a smirk on her face making him roll his eyes playfully before heading off on his own. Cassandra smiles, grateful that she got to see the man again but she knew if Klaus found him, he was as good as dead. She couldn't help but feel like he wasn't here alone but there was no one else around to support her theory. Instead of dwelling on it though, she sets off to find Klaus and Stefan who by now should have found the pack and have been done.
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CASSANDRA HAD RUSHED TO FIND THEM AS SHE HAD HEARD A COMMOTION. Thinking Klaus had found Damon, she made her way quickly up the mountain in attempts to find them. Finally hearing the faint breathing of someone, she rounding a big tree, noticing a figure standing in the midst. "I heard trouble. What happen--" Cassandra cuts herself off as she sees the scene in front of her. Bodies were scattered everywhere, blood smeared on so many things. Klaus was standing in the middle, everything about him being bloody. "You killed them?" She asks with a short gasp, knowing she missed a whole lot while she was cruising around at the bottom of the mountain.
"It didn't work." Klaus says softly as he stares at the grounds his eyes wide as he was covered in blood.
"I don't understand.." She says as she looks around the forest, not getting why they didn't turn into hybrids.
"It didn't work!" He yells at them, throwing the heart that he held at a tree. Cassandra flinches a little, seeing the man so angry was something that made her fearful. "I did everything I was told! I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse, I killed a werewolf, I killed a vampire, I killed the doppleganger." Stefan shifts at the mention of Elena, luckily no one caught it though. Cassandra frowns as she moves to try and calm the man down since it was better if he wasn't in a fit of murderous rage.
"Maybe there's something missing." Cassandra says as she grabs at the man's face, her hands on either side of his cheeks. Klaus meets her eyes after a moment of hesitance. "I mean, it's a new species right? You just need to figure out what you're doing wrong." She assures him as she gazes up into his eyes. Klaus had calmed down, his eyes searching hers for a moment before letting out a sigh and letting her hands drop from his face.
"You look like hell." Klaus tells Stefan once he sees the man. Cassandra glances over at him, realizing the man was drenched in sweat and he was a sickly white color.
"Last I checked I was dying and you don't want to heal me." He points out making Klaus only sigh before looking at Ray's body. "I had to take him out. I had no choice. I failed you. I'm sorry. Do what you have to do." Stefan tells him but Klaus only ignores his plea for death as he rubs his face. Cassandra was looking at Stefan curiously though, wondering why he was suddenly like this.
"It should've worked." He mutters mainly to himself as he glances around at all the dead werewolves scattered. Klaus clenches his jaw before glancing up at Stefan who did not look good at all. "Bottoms up." Klaus says as he tossed a water bottle filed with his blood to Stefan who immediately drinks it. "We're leaving." He announces before brushing past the girl and starting to make his way back down the mountain. Cassandra lets out a long groan as she realizes that she will have to go all the way back just as soon as she got up. Stefan watches the girl scowl before beginning to walk behind her.
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KLAUS SIGHED HEAVILY ONCE THEY MADE IT BACK TO THEIR HOTEL ROOM. Cassandra frowned as the man sat on the bed, putting his head in his hands. Sure, she thought that creating his own race would be a disaster in the long run but he had done everything right and was still failing. Cassandra felt bad for him especially since he killed a lot of people just to break his curse. "I'm sorry your hybrids didn't work out." She tells him honestly as she sits next to him on the bed. Klaus glances over at her, nodding his head as he realized she was being sincere.
"I'll figure it out. Like you said, I must be missing something." Klaus says with a sigh, rubbing his face a little bit before meeting her eyes once more. "Why help me?" He asks curiously as he watches the girl stand up from her spot on the bed. Cassandra turns to face him, her eyes looking at him confused as she reaches her hands to her back to pull at the string. "I thought you hated me." He answers her question before she could even answer It. Cassandra sighs for a moment, knowing now that hate isn't exactly the word she would use.
"Hate is a strong word." She tells him as she lets her dress fall to the ground. Klaus can't hide the fact that he was checking her out as she reaches for her robe in order to put it on. "More like strongly dislike." Cassandra corrects him as she sits back down next to the man who was looking at her with lust filled eyes.
"I'm sure we can change that." Klaus assures her with a smirk as he nips at her neck, his fingers pulling at the sides of her panties. Cassandra only giggles, removing his hands from her body
"I was being generous last night and filling my own needs." She tells him as she pushes him away from her lightly. Klaus looks at her curiously, not knowing why she wanted to push him away now.
"I thought it would become a regular thing." Klaus points out, repeating what she had said the previous night. Cassandra dramatically sighs, lounging back on her hands for a moment. She loved having this type of control over him because it was fun to mess with.
"Oh, sweetie." Cassandra says with a slight laugh, giving him a raised eyebrow. "I was high in that ecstasy state and today I just needed your blood. Not what's in your pants." She tells him with a pout, feeling proud as she saw the man's face drop for a moment. Klaus quickly covers it though, moving closer to her.
"Are you sure, love?" He asks with a smirk as his hand rides up her thigh. Cassandra looks at it for a moment before tilting her head at him.
"Yep." She says, popping the p before tapping his cheek. "You are a horrible roommate, I'm going to go see Stefan." Cassandra tells him as she hops off of the bed and makes her way over to the door. Klaus watches her, thinking she was just playing around until her hand twisted the doorknob.
"Oh come on, I was just teasing." Klaus calls after her but she had already closed the door. Making her way to the next hotel room, she knocks on the door a couple times before it eventually opens, revealing Stefan who was staring at her curiously.
"I see you have company." Cassandra says as she pushes herself into the room, noticing the blonde girl bleeding on a chair. She gives him a raised eyebrow but he only shrugs his shoulders.
"Have at it." He tells her making her smirk before she sinks her fangs into the girls neck. Stefan didn't know of Klaus's failed attempt to get Cassandra to know control again so he didn't realize what he told her to do was bad. Cassandra drops the dead body on the floor making Stefan stare at it for a moment. He didn't know if she was just hungry, if the girl was already almost dead or if she had just lost control. He didn't want to question her though. "I didn't mean to finish her off but okay." Stefan says with a sigh before watching the woman crawl onto the bed, trying not to look at the woman's body since he was still technically in a relationship with a presumed dead girl. "And now you're taking my bed." He adds as his eyes avert from her once she turns to face him. Cassandra was only in black undergarments and a silk robe, leaving little the imagination. Not that he had to imagine anything since he had seen it before.
"Nik doesn't have good bedside manners." She says with a pout as she throws off the silk robe, not liking the way it felt on her skin. The thing with Cassandra was that she wasn't afraid to show her body to anyone. If Stefan still had Elena, she wouldn't be half naked in front of him out of respect but she thought the girl was dead, so she didn't even know she was doing something wrong.
"So you come and hog mine?" Stefan asks as he raises an eyebrow at her, watching her sprawl out for a second before sitting up since they were having a conversation.
"Of course." She answers with a shrug, smiling at him before looking around the hotel room.
"So, you lasted three months." Stefan pipes up, looking at her expectantly as the girl had actually slept with Klaus last night. He had been making jokes all summer but he didn't think she would actually give in.
"It was a moment if weakness. I have needs." Cassandra tells him making him scoff a little bit but she could tell he wasn't judging her, he was only being curious. "It's not like I could come to you, your girlfriend just died. I was being respectful." She adds on, looking over at him. Stefan frowns a little at the mention of Elena but nods his head anyways.
"Right." He says, clearing his throat a little as he thought of his girlfriend.
"Do you want me to help you forget?" She asks, her voice full of sincerity, she wasn't going to force him into anything but if he needed help forgetting Elena then she would obviously help with that. It's what Damon and her did with each other.
"No, no I'm good. Thanks though." Stefan offers a kind smile, thinking it was nice of her to offer even though Elena wasn't actually dead. He felt terrible for having to keep it from her but he couldn't risk her telling Klaus or him compelling it out of her.
"I see it doesnt stop you from looking though." She pipes up with a knowing smirk as she had seen the glances the man had made towards her body. Stefan snaps out of his daze, glancing up at her as he rolls his eyes lightly. She smirks as she notices the longing look that he was trying to hide but the way her body was shown to him made it hard for him to resist looking.
"Shut up, Cassie." He says with a playful scoff, crossing his arms against his chest. Cassandra only giggles before moving up on the bed to lay her head down on the pillow.
"Okay, Stefan." Cassandra responds softly, feeling her eyes close shut, exhausted from not only today but the whole summer. It seemed to be taking a huge toll on her.
"You didn't have to stay for me, you know" Stefan says after a moment of silence, glancing at his hands as he wanted to finally thank her for sticking around. "Cassandra?" He asks after not getting a response from the raven haired vampire. Glancing over, he notices the girl fast asleep in the bed, her mouth parted open slightly. Stefan couldn't help but smile, moving to lay a blanket on top of her. He knew she was only sticking around for him and he was grateful for that, they weren't the closest recently but over the summer they had started to become like they were in 1864. Stefan also saw the pure soul behind the mask she had put on to protect herself. He just hoped that one day she could finally reveal her true self again, and not be tainted by the things that lurk around them.
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i am seriously on a roll with these chapters right now. this book is my interest right now, I'm also trying to do another chapter of my Spencer Reid fic but that'll take some time. i love Stefan and Cassandra honestly. they cute. Cassandra and Damon reunitedddd but why is Damon hiding Elena from her hmmm. Comment your thoughts on this chapter. Fave/follow/check out my other stories if you want!