A Prevailing Love (2) // TVD

Chapter Twenty-Two of A Prevailing Love

Damon and Cassidy had raced back to Mystic Falls, Virginia while Stefan and Avery stayed behind in New Orleans to continue to look for answers and the current evil in their lives. The whole ride home Cassidy couldn't sit still in her seat from fiddling with her new engagement ring to bouncing her leg to missing with a piece of string loose on the seat. The drive felt longer than it was supposed to feel nonetheless and when they finally reached the Mystic Falls Memorial Hospital, she ran inside before Damon could fully stop the car.

"I need Alaric Saltzman's room number," she wasted no time as she reached the receptionist's desk. She retrieved the room number and hoping that Damon already heard, she rushed to the elevator.

She rushed down the hallway looking at the room numbers as she passed them but seeing Caroline and Jeremy outside a room told her she was at the right location.

"Cass!" Caroline shot up from the chair and engulfed Cassidy.

"Is he okay? What happened?" she gave Caroline a quick hug but pulled back as she looked between her brother and her best friend. Not giving them a chance to respond she opened the door to get inside to her father whom was only hooked up to an IV drip and oxygen. She pushed her hair from her face as she took small steps toward his bed and she examined the lack of color in his face.

As she examined him, she noticed not only the lack of color but the different scratches upon his face. Her eyes wandered down to his arm wrapped in a big, white gauze bandage that had blood seeping through it and she did notice the tube coming from beneath the blanket. She took in a sharp breath as she went to move the blanket, curious to see his bodily injuries.

"Oh, Ric what happened?" she whispered to herself as she went to touch his hand which had made her react with her breath hitching in her throat at not only the coldness of his body but the scenery around her changing.

She had seen Bonnie running into the Gilbert Household where both Alaric and Jeremy had been doing what looked like research for something. The alarm on Bonnie's face had been what pulled the two men from the task they were doing at hand, but before she could get any words out another figure had stormed into the household and the first incantation that spilled from their mouth pushed Alaric across the house where he landed in the kitchen. He had rammed into a few glass valuables resulting in the cuts that Cassidy had seen before.

Bonnie stood in front of Jeremy ready to fight off this witch, but the witch was two steps in front of Bonnie Bennett which had been a surprise to Cassidy. The witch seemed to be going for Alaric and it only made Cassidy feel targeted and threatened.

She had began to see a burning light taking over the area around then that was quickly changed into amber flames. Not wanting to see anymore, she quickly pulled back from her father, ramming into someone as she held her hands close to her chest. She twisted her head to see her fiancé's ocean blue eyes looking in worry at his love.

"I ... I think my house is burned down," she whispered as she looked back to Alaric Saltzman who took in a hard, forced breath.

"Did you heal him?"

She shook her head softly, "He wouldn't want that ... not if there's a chance he's going to .. "

She couldn't finish her statement as the thought of losing more family flooded her head. She frowned but stopped the tears from falling as she exited the room wanting to know where Bonnie is and if Jeremy had been okay.

"Where's Bon and are you hurt any, Jer?" She pulled on Jeremy's hands to investigate her brother as much as she could.

"I'm fine, Cass. Bonnie's still getting examined. I just have a few burns, I rushed Ric out as fast as I could. Did you find anything out in New Orleans?"