If only | Damon Salvatore

004. A NIGHT OF PUTTING THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE

Chapter four

"A night of putting things into perspective."

The next morning, Beatrix sat frozen at the kitchen table, staring blankly ahead. Her mother slammed a breakfast plate down in front of her.

"I knew it! I knew that Salvatore boy was a danger to her!" her mother cried out, pacing the floor. "But no, you told me she'd be fine! You said she should go out with her friends and live her life! Look at her, mother—she's acting like a statue!"

Her grandmother huffed, snapping the morning newspaper down away from her face. "Oh, would you hush? Honestly! You and I both remember what it's like to see someone die in front of us for the first time. It's not meant to be pretty, but it builds character! Besides, from the description of this guy in the paper, everyone pretending to miss him is just spitting horse shit."

She shook her head, tapping the front page. "If anything, the big idiot Damon did it for some gusto. Stefan and Beatrix were right there for the kill. They probably said something that ticked him off, or our daughter spoke the truth about 'lovely' Mr. Tanner and Damon decided to do everyone a favor and get rid of him. Either way, the only other headline in the paper is 'Deadly Beast Captured: All is Safe in Mystic Falls.'"

The mention of Damon's name snapped Beatrix right out of her trance. She blinked and turned to her grandmother. "What?"

"Mm-hmm. See for yourself," her grandmother murmured, sliding the paper over.

Beatrix furrowed her brows, ignoring the print. "No, not the paper. I mean, yes, the cover-up is good for us. But what you just said about Damon..."

"What about it?" her mother asked, stopping her pacing.

"Well, yes, I said a few things to Damon," Beatrix admitted, her voice dropping. "Though I'm pretty sure what actually set him off was Stefan. Stefan was talking about his humanity and mentioned Katherine. I'm starting to realize that unless her name is coming directly out of Damon's own mouth, it is a huge, blood-dripping red flag that will end with someone dead. But..."

Her mother's eyes went wide. "But what?"

"But... I may have also implied that Mr. Tanner was, and I quote, such a dick. And right after that, before I even knew what was happening, Damon sped across the room and ripped his throat out."

"Beatrix!" her mother gasped, horrified.

Instead of scolding her, her grandmother let out a loud cackle, slamming her hand onto the table. "Ha! I knew it! See? What did I tell you ladies, hmm? Sometimes our wicked tongues get us into a whole lot more of a mess than our powers ever could." A sharp, calculating smirk spread across the older woman's face. "I say it's time we properly meet this Mr. Salvatore, especially now that he's covered his tracks. And I know the exact town function to do it."

While Beatrix and her grandmother, Winnifred, were out dress shopping, Beatrix's mother, Cassandra, stayed back. Wearing her sun hat and heavy gardening gloves, she was out in the backyard tending to a variety of exotic plants used far more for witchcraft than cooking.

Suddenly, she felt a shift in the air. Sensing footsteps approaching from behind, she didn't even bother turning around. "Mr. Salvatore? What can I do for you?"

Stefan furrowed his brows, glancing instinctively behind him before looking back at her. "Did you... sense me coming?"

Cassandra huffed, brushing some dirt off her knees as she stood up from a patch of wolfsbane. "Stefan, you brought my daughter home frozen and crying last night. Now, she's right back to her normal self after sharing the unfiltered details of how she called her teacher a dick right before he was murdered. She's currently out buying a dress for the Founders' Party. So, if you're looking to apologize, you're a little late."