A/N: So, this is my attempt to make a one-shot sequel to Beautiful Monster. I don't think it's as good, but I really tried to make it as good as I could running on two hours of sleep. Read at your own discretion from here on in.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Damon stood in the house, straightening his tie. It was the big day. The day he officially ended all the dating games and became obligated to be faithful to one woman and one woman alone. And as much as he liked to party, Damon found that he wasn't going to miss the canoodling with random women.
"Cailee, today I make an honest woman out of you," Damon murmured, looking at his favorite photograph of her, tucked in the corner of the mirror. "We'll be together forever."
"How sickening," came a familiar voice that Damon had grown to hate from the doorway. "My poor Damon getting suckered into a marriage with a sickly little girl, how nauseating…"
Damon turned around and looked at his sire, Katherine. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, his eyes narrowed in suppressed anger and hate.
"Oh, how rude you've become," Katherine crooned, taking another step into the room. "Didn't this Cailee teach you any manners or did she get rid of your charm by being so sick that she couldn't recognize it? Honestly Damon, I don't see where you've taken a perpetual fall when it comes to finding lovers. From one dumb blonde to this schizophrenic freak." She smiled slightly. "Of course, you've always had the heart for Elena…and that I can see as a good future for you. Much better than the one you'll get with Cailee."
"Cailee's not schizophrenic anymore," Damon muttered with a smug smile. "Turning her into a vampire cured her."
Katherine smiled a wicked smile. "Oh, is that so? Then tell me why she's been sneaking off into empty rooms and throwing fits without provocation…Damon, can you explain that?"
Damon's smile fell. He hadn't known about that. Had Cailee really been throwing fits in empty rooms? Was that why she left him sometimes and went on walks that lasted for over an hour?
"I…"
"I'm not sad to say that your precious Cailee can't be cured." Katherine purred, moving past him to admire herself in the mirror. "Vampirism can't cure mental disabilities. A human nutcase is a vampire nutcase if turned, but…" She smiled prettily at her reflection. "No one tries to turn a human with schizophrenia. No, they go for the smart ones with pretty faces. The strongest will survive and the weak shall fall."
Damon hesitated, unsure if he should believe anything that his sire told him. "How do you know that she's not cured if no one has tried to turn a human who was schizophrenic?"
"Damon, Damon, Damon…have I ever been wrong when it comes to vampire matters?" She grabbed Cailee's picture and studied it with a cool expression. "She's not cured. Ask the witch if you can't believe an old friend." She smiled at him as she tossed the photograph aside. "I shall be getting ready for the wedding…you know, I've always been a fan of weddings…"
She flashed another pretty smile in his direction before walking out of the room. Damon looked after her for a moment before bending down to scoop up Cailee's photograph. He frowned as he looked down at Cailee's smiling face and wondered if there was any truth in what Katherine had said, but he realized that if there was any truth to it that it meant that Cailee had lied to him…
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Cailee chewed on her bottom lip as she watched her two bridesmaids – Bonnie and Elena – apply their makeup and move so elegantly in their dresses. She wasn't dressed yet and hadn't put on any makeup, waiting for Elena to leave the room so she could speak to Bonnie in private. The two friends laughed and chatted so easily – much easier than Cailee had ever spoken to anyone besides Damon and even now that was becoming harder with the secrets she had.
Elena glanced over at her and Cailee turned her face away, pretending to be looking through her bag of makeup. "Cailee, why aren't you dressed yet?"
"I…I actually forgot the dress in my car," Cailee admitted with a soft, insecure smile. "I didn't realize that until a few minutes after I changed into this robe. Can you – can you go get it, Elena?"
Elena smiled. "Of course."
Cailee watched the brunette leave the room and looked at Bonnie, losing her smile. Bonnie saw the pain in her eyes and hurried over.
"Cailee, how bad is it now?" she asked, speaking softly.
"It's not as bad as earlier," Cailee murmured, shaking her head. "It's just…I thought I'd have peace today. I mean, it's my wedding day…I should be happy and full of love with peace to boot…but…"
"Cailee, you're going to have to tell Damon. He needs to know what's going on," Bonnie stated, stroking her friend's hair. "He's got to know everything…especially the fact that you're having episodes again…"
"Every time I try to tell him, his smile makes me stop," Cailee whispered with a small smile in memory of his, but it quickly fell. "He's been so happy lately that I…I don't have the heart to tell him. It's like he's finally happy to be rid of the schizophrenia that separated him from my world before…and now…" She sighed. "It's getting hard to hide it."
"You should tell him…now," Bonnie urged, picking up Cailee's cell phone. "He has to know all of your secrets before you get married or your marriage may not turn out as happy as it should…"
"But if I tell him, Stefan will find out about it and he'll…I don't know exactly what he'll do, but it won't be good. He didn't want me to be changed because of my schizophrenia and he wouldn't let me leave the room until he was sure I wasn't still hearing the voices…now that I am…I don't know what he'll do to me…"
"Stefan won't do anything to you." Bonnie promised, handing the phone over. "I mean, you didn't hear anything for a couple months, so of course you thought you were cured. I'm sure he'll understand."
They shared a doubtful look.
"You should call Damon," Bonnie said, watching Cailee's finger pause over the first number. "Maybe he'll think of something before Stefan gets wind of your condition."
"Yeah."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Elena stood outside the room, listening as the two talked about Cailee's condition. She's not cured? She's still hearing the voices and having episodes? Why didn't she tell me?
Elena realized with a start that Cailee still found that she couldn't trust her. She hadn't been a real friend for Cailee because she had thought that Cailee was too shy and odd to really hang out with. And Cailee hadn't made the effort to be friends with Elena or if she had, Elena had been too caught up in her own problems to worry about Cailee.
Stefan needs to know about this, Elena decided, pulling out her cell phone, before thinking twice about it. But after Cailee gets dressed…He needs to talk with her and Damon…I'll tell him in a few minutes. He's not going to be happy about this.
She put her cell phone back in her jacket pocket and entered the room. The vampire and the witch looked up guiltily. A cell phone was pressed against Cailee's ear and the redhead smiled as she saw her dress tucked carefully over Elena's arm.
"Thank you Elena," she said before looking at Bonnie. "He's not picking up. I've tried twice, but I can't get through to him."
"Maybe he's busy talking to someone else," Bonnie suggested. She glanced at Elena. "She's trying to contact Damon, but he's not answering."
"Oh." Elena handed Cailee the dress. "Maybe he's in the shower?"
"Maybe." Cailee looked doubtful for a moment. Her face lit up as she touched her dress. "I've been waiting for this day for weeks, but…why do I suddenly want it to be over with already?"
"Every bride feels that way," Bonnie assured her, putting a hand on Cailee's arm. "It's the nerves and stress getting to you that does it. Don't worry. You're wedding is going to go off without a hitch."
"I hope so," Cailee murmured, set the dress aside and looked at the bag of makeup she had brought with her. "All right, where do we begin?"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Damon walked calmly down the street in the direction of Cailee's house, dressed in his tux. Or he walked as calmly as he could with his heart pounding 'she lied' in his ears. He hoped to a god that he didn't believe in that she hadn't lied to him, that they weren't building another part of their relationship on a lie.
Maybe she didn't know how to approach me about the subject…Maybe she didn't realize that she wasn't cured until it was too late to do anything about it…But she's not dangerous…she's been feeding normally and hasn't killed anyone that I know of…Maybe she was scared…But of what? Herself? The voices? Of me and my reaction to her not being cured?
Damon sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. I guess I shouldn't have made it seem like a big relief that she was cured…that must have hurt her feelings and made her realize what a burden she was to me…but she wasn't a burden. I was happy taking care of her, with all the time that we spent together hiding away from the world in a world of our own design. Did she forget that world I helped create for her? I wouldn't have done it if I felt like she was burden. I drop burdens like they're a hot potato…but for Cailee's smile I would do anything.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the wedding photographer?" Stefan asked, appearing by his side in a similar tux. He was Damon's best man after all. "At the church."
"Maybe," Damon said, annoyed how the heroes always seemed to appear at the wrong time in every story.
"Then why are you heading to the bride's house?"
"I have to talk to her."
"They make cell phones for that kind of thing," Stefan commented, gesturing at the one in his hand. "It's bad luck to see a bride before the wedding."
Damon cast his brother a sidelong glance. "You don't honestly believe in that superstitious crap, do you?"
Stefan shrugged. "Maybe I do."
"Why are you walking to Cailee's place?" Damon asked, ready to get the topic off of him. "Shouldn't you be talking with the photographer?"
"Yes, but an important matter has come up." Stefan shifted uncomfortably. "Katherine came to me and said -"
"That she wanted your body," Damon guessed, rolling his eyes.
"Well there was that, but she told me something more serious." Stefan looked at Damon. "She told me that Cailee wasn't cured."
"Did she now?" Damon sighed when Stefan nodded. "She seems to like spreading that rumor amongst the Salvatore clan."
"Well, is she?"
"Is who what?"
"Don't play games with me, Damon. Is Cailee cured or not?"
"I don't know."
Stefan grabbed Damon by the arm and pulled him to a stop. Damon glared at the offending hand for a moment before meeting his brother's dark eyes. He had never seen his brother look so serious about something before.
"You don't know?" Stefan demanded like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So, we could have a schizophrenic vampire roaming the town freely and we haven't known about it until now. Is that what you're telling me?"
"I don't know if she's cured or not," Damon muttered, pulling his arm away from his brother. "I'm going to her house to find out the truth."
"And what are you going to do about it if she is not cured?"
"I'm going to take care of her like I always have. What else is there for me to do?"
Stefan's expression darkened. "We can't have a schizophrenic vampire running around town, feeding on people."
Damon's eyes narrowed. "You'll leave her alone if you know what's good for you, Stefan! If I even get the feeling that you're planning something for her, I'll kill you and you're stupid girlfriend! Do you understand?"
Damon turned and stormed away from Stefan. He realized as he walked away that sometimes the heroes could be the enemy too.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Cailee shimmied into her dress behind the changing partition and tried to zip it up as far as she could. "Um…can one of you help me zip this up?" she asked, coming around the changing partition.
Elena walked over and helped her with a sympathetic smile. Cailee turned and looked at her, smoothing her hands down the front of the dress. She found that she didn't like the look in Elena's eyes, the distant suspicion and sadness in those windows to Elena's soul. All of it seemed directed at Cailee and she didn't like it, but she was the type of girl who wouldn't speak up about it.
"You look beautiful," Bonnie said, taking a photo with her cell phone. "Damon's one lucky man and he'll be one forever and ever and ever."
"If we all last that long," Elena muttered, pushing a stray strand of hair behind Cailee's ear. "Because you know the good die young."
"I beat you there," Cailee sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. "I died and came back as a vampire."
"A beautiful vampire at that," Damon's voice floated in from the doorway.
Bonnie quickly rushed in front of Cailee, blocking her from view. "Hey! You can't see her yet!"
"Spare me the superstitious tradition," Damon said, walking into the room. "I already saw her in the dress. I think she's the most beautiful girl in the world." He glanced at Elena. "Sorry hon, but you've been replaced."
Elena rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I wasn't interested in you anyway, Damon."
"Sure, sure." He looked back at Cailee and she saw that he was worried. "Miss Cailee, can I talk to you? Alone?"
Cailee's heart sunk, but she nodded, keeping a brave face. "Ladies, can I have a few moments alone with my groom?"
Elena walked out of the room without looking back. Bonnie mouthed 'good luck' before closing the door behind Damon's back. Cailee took no comfort from her friend or the sight of her soon-to-be husband.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked after a moment of silence where he just stared at her.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Damon couldn't believe what he was seeing. His beautiful bride dressed in a stunning dress should have left him breathless, but he wasn't looking at her dress. He was looking at her eyes. And he didn't like what he saw there.
There it was, just like it had never left. The pain, the confusion, and the general unfocused light in Cailee's eyes. It had been months since he last saw it there, but maybe that was because he hadn't wanted to see it there.
"Cailee, how long?" was all he asked, knowing that she knew what he was talking about.
Cailee looked down at her hands as she sat down on a chair. "After the second month of my new life as a vampire," she admitted quietly. "I didn't want to believe it, I thought I was cured, but…it was like my schizophrenia had to find me again after I died and came back…and it has found me, Damon."
Damon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You should have told me."
"How could I tell you, Damon?" Cailee looked up at him with sad eyes. "You were so happy when I told you that I didn't hear the voices anymore or see those horrible, horrible images. I…how could I ruin your happiness by telling you that I wasn't cured? I haven't seen you so happy before…"
Her words stung with the truth. Damon walked over to her and crouched down in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Cailee, I should have been there for you sooner. I should have held onto you tighter and never let you go." He smiled up into her eyes, wishing he could make the pain go away. "I love you, all of you including your quirks. I know how long you've suffered with this disorder and I want you to know that I'll be there and be supportive of you for the rest of time." Damon squeezed her hands gently. "You're stuck with me forever, Miss Cailee and not a single thing you can do will change that."
Cailee smiled at him, the pain not quite leaving her eyes but it was pushed aside by happiness and love. "Damon, I love you."
Damon kissed her hands and then kissed her on her lips. She smiled into the kiss and Damon was glad he had brought the smile back. He pulled away and looked at her.
"You are the picture of my perfect bride," Damon commented, helping her to her feet. "Except for the dress."
Cailee looked down at her dress in alarm. "What's wrong with the dress?"
Damon leaned in close to her and smiled. He whispered in her ear and saw her blush. She smacked him lightly on the arm and called her friends back into the room.
"Hey, you're going to marry me today, Miss Cailee," Damon said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "So you're just going to have to get used to my charm." He smirked pointedly at Stefan who was lurking in the doorway. "Ladies and fallen heroes, I give you the future Cailee Elisabeth Salvatore!"
And I protect her from the 'heroes' as long as they threaten her existence, Damon thought as pictures were taken. No one is going to take this day away from me and my bride…
"We'll finally get our happily ever after," Cailee said, smiling at him.
"Yes, yes we will."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
A/N: I don't know what to make of the story. I tried, but I don't think my mojo was working. I'll probably do another one, better than this. You guys deserve better and I'm sorry if this isn't as good as the first one. Please review though. Thanks! ~Scarlet