Floromancy

Chapter 5

"Always choose the ugly truth over a pretty lie"
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Cassiopeia didn't know why she kept all his things packed up nicely in the back corner of her attic or why she tried to remember all of the good times spent together so she could retell them to the quadruplets as a bedtime story. Maybe it comes from the part of her that grow up without knowing who her real dad was or maybe it came from knowing how important memories were but for whatever reason, there was Cassiopeia couldn't bring herself to raise them with no knowledge of their father. Although she knew it was his fault he was not in the quadruplets life she would feel guilty for not speaking about him.

So every night right before she sent them off to bed, she would tell them a story about their father. Sometimes it would be about things he did but at other times she would lie to paint him in the best picture she could. She knew how wrong it was, to lie to the poor five-year-olds but the look on their faces as they heard about how good, how loving their father was made the guilt dull a little each time up until they asked the dreaded question.

"If father loves us so much, why isn't he here" Cleo's soft voice questioned as her head fell back down onto Leo's Shoulder. Cleo although the shyest was also the most curious of her siblings so it wasn't a surprise when it was her who asked the question Cassiopeia wished no one would.

Even with all the time she had to find an answer to give, she hadn't. Her grip on the sleeping Kara tightened as she struggled to come up with something to say to the young children sitting on the couch across her. Deciding to just make something up on the spot, she opened her mouth and-

"He was a free-spirited man" Cassiopeia lied, forcing her face to remain smiling so as to not give herself away. "He just couldn't stay put" she continued when she saw their expecting faces. And before they could ask any more questions she sent them to bed before quickly escaping to Kara's room. After tucking in the sleeping four-year-old, Cassiopeia proceeded down the hall and towards her room to call Alaric to say goodnight to the twins.

"You have to tell them the truth eventually," said Stefan the moment she walked into the room, having been waiting for her.

"I know but now is not the time" Cassiopeia tried to excuse themself, already knowing want he was referring to.

"The longer you drag this on, the worst it's going to be for them in the long run" the vampire explained, trying to make his wife understand.

Cassiopeia threw herself onto her bed and let out a troubled sight. She knew she had to do the right thing and tell the truth but that felt like an almost impossible thing to do just like it did the first time they asked about him.

"How?" The redhead mother asked, "how am I supposed to tell them that their father just left them to raise his mistresses child?"

"we'll find a way" Stefan assured her as he sat next to her and pulled her towards him, comforting her the best way he knew how.

What neither of them knew was that the quadruplets were listening in on them because Cassiopeia had left the door cracked, canceling out the soundndproof they had installed.