𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐓 𐦟 𝐓𝐕𝐃𝐔

Chapter 53

"Tell me, what do you wear to the wedding of the woman you love? But oh wait, she's not marrying you. She is marrying some country talking doggy from the bayou because it'll help her wolves, whatever!" Cassie threw a dress onto her bed, swapping between the two in her arms. "Was that not in the Cassandra Salvatore handbook?" Elijah picked his head up, watching her frustration begin to build. "No. It was most definitely not or I would have come prepared." He chuckled, "I apologize." She shook her head and studied herself in the mirror, "Don't be! My life just kind of sucks as of late and I feel like I'm slipping down this deep dark rabbit hole of sadness and rage." She smiled and looked at him in the mirror, his eyes had widened. "Not even my apologies can fix that..." Cassie shook her head, "Nope!" She threw the black dress onto the bed and turned around to face Elijah. "What do you think? Does the green work?"

He looked back up at her, scanning over her entire body and face, "You'll look beautiful either way." She blushed at the words, suddenly getting shy as his gaze burned into her. "Can we talk? About the whole..." She trailed off, getting nervous about bringing this up now. "About our kiss? What could we possibly discuss about it?" Cassie took the dress off of the hanger, laying the satin dress onto the bed. "I'm sorry... what I did, it wasn't right. Not to you and I acted irrationally." Elijah seemed upset by her words, "Do you regret it?" Cassie shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip, "Not at all." He nodded and looked back up at her, "Cassandra I will always love you but we both know that you've fallen for Hayley."

"Of course she has feelings for Hayley, and it would be such a shame if those same feelings got in the way of our little arrangement here." They both turned to the doorway, Klaus strutting into the room. "You really think I'd jeopardize all of this over my feelings for her?" Klaus smirked, "Yes. I think you would." A part of her was appalled at the words, "You cannot be serious Nik... if this is the one thing that can save Hope then so be it! I'll let her marry Jackson a million times!" Her voice was raised, annoyance building at his accusations. He held his hands up in defense, "I'm just making sure all of my little puzzle pieces are in their correct positions before the grand reveal." Cassie rolled her eyes, "You can never rest... can you? Always scheming, always anxious, always looking for ulterior motives in people?" Klaus tilted his head, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "Perhaps... perhaps I am just some paranoid lunatic but I'd rather be safe than sorry when Hayley isn't on that alter."

With that he left the room, Cassie let out a long shaky sigh, desperately fighting back the tears. "Cass..." Elijah stood from his chair and sauntered over to her, Cassie put up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't. If we start this now I won't be able to walk out of this room." He could see it, the exterior crumbling away. Cassie knew he could see yet couldn't bring herself to care. She sucked in a deep breathe, a hand on her chest, hoping to calm her beating heart. "I'll leave you to get ready but Cassie?" She looked over at Elijah as he put his hand into hers, "Do not think for a second, that you are alone today. Whatever you may need, I'll be here." She nodded and forced a smile. "Thank you, 'Lijah." He smiled and squeezed her hand, before walking out of the room, leaving Cassie in her thoughts. She looked back into the mirror and chuckled, "And to think that I came into Mystic Falls with rumors of Nik's return. Now here I am, a mother to twins, swooning over a soon to be married woman, and in a completely different body." Cassie giggled and shook her head in disbelief, at her predicament and the entire situation, how much had changed in such little time. Yet apart of her wouldn't trade it for the world.

***

Cassie made her way out of her room, slowly but surely. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't happy about the wedding being here. Her safe place was now surrounded with reminders that she was alone and Hayley was being pulled from her grasp. Her heels clicked against the tiles of her home, she watched as decorations were being rapidly put up. Cassie stood there as people scrambled to get things together, she had to swallow down the lump in her throat. For a split second she wondered if the visions that Esther had shown her were a lie. Of course they were a lie, but a part of Cassie always thought they could have happened, that she could be happy. Living in a remote cabin, her kids and Hope playing in the garden, her and Hayley happily living their best life. "Cassie?" The small and hopeful voice prayed her from any thoughts, Cassie looked down the stairwell and scanned the small crowd to see who might've been calling for her.