Fall

Chapter 45: Mont Blanc

"Mom!" I try to grab on to her, to address her. She looks at me wildly, hazel eyes widening as she forces a smile on her face. She holds a glass of champagne in her hand and she takes a quick gulp of it. "Why won't you talk to me about my dad? You've been avoiding me ever since I brought it up." I ask her, trying to keep my voice down and prevent a scene from happening. 

I can feel some eyes on us despite how inconspicuous I'm trying to be. "I'm not avoiding you. It's just...it's just too painful. I don't want to talk about it." She flicks her hair over her shoulder before drinking some more of the champagne, not even looking at me. 

"It's been seventeen years, Mom. You should be able to talk about it by now. I think I deserve some answers." I try not to come across as harsh, I really do, but my anger gets the better of me and my tone is significantly icier than I wanted. 

A hand clasps on my shoulder and I jolt at it, turning to see John Gilbert walking up. "Kara, this isn't the time for this. Besides, you're mom's been through enough. If it's too painful for her-"

"Why the hell are you coming to her defense, you two hate each other." I hiss at him, bristling at his tone. Who the hell is he to lecture me on this, he's not even my family. He shares a quick look with my mom, something flitting across their expressions that I can't catch. But it raises my suspicions and I work to relax my face, relax my body. "Fine, whatever. You're right, wrong place." I nod and move away, wanting to get a good enough position to watch the two of them when they think no one is looking. 

I head up to talk to Damon after he has a chat with Elena, where he offers her a rose. I see what's going on here. And she pretends not to be affected by it. Looks like Damon's obsession with Katherine is being transferred to my cousin. I sit down next to him and observe my mom and John whisper to each other, a panicked look on my mom's face, before they part ways. They both know who my father is, they're both hiding it from me. Why? "I've got some hot gossip for you, Kara." Damon says teasingly, with it's own edge to it. 

Reaching my hand out, I grab his drink and down it, wincing as the alcohol burns my throat. "Fine, go ahead. Let's share theories." 

"That was my drink!"

I glare at him, taking a breath. "Yeah, and you took my food. We're even, now tell me what's going on." 

He rolls his eyes and orders another bourbon from the bartender, twirling a pink Camellia flower from the vase nearby before handing it to me. "Elena's uncle John is on the counsel, making things difficult for me. He keeps looking at me weirdly. And Jeremy is asking questions about why Vicki's body was buried if it was an overdose. I'm gonna have to compel him." He sighs, getting off of his chair. I slam my hand down on his, getting him to stop. 

"You're not gonna do jack shit. Elena and I will talk to him, you're not messing with his mind any more than you already have." I glare at him as Damon rolls his eyes and sits back down on the chair. 

"And if he reveals us to the counsel? If they point at me, and I'm dead because you wanted to do things the hard way? It wouldn't just be me dead, by the way. The man you're in love with would be dead too, don't forget that." His words bite.

I now twirl the pink flower in between my fingers, trying to keep my frustration to a minimum. "A) I recognize that. It's not gonna come to that, I promise. And B) I don't love Stefan, I'm off him. Elena can have him." My lies are so good they almost taste like the purest truth, but for once, Damon is the only one who doesn't believe them. He just chuckles and shakes his head, before bringing his glass of bourbon to his lips. "In other news, my mom and John are being super cagey on who my dad is. Like, unbelievably cagey. They hate each other, but it makes you think." I bite on my cheek, watching the two of them.