The Long Way Home

Chapter 12: Prayer for the Dying

Beta: me

Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD. I only own my original characters and this story.

It was a rude, yet confusing awakening for Cassandra when she found herself curled up on the carpeted floor in Ava's room. Every muscle in her body screamed when she moved to unfurl her body and only then did she realize she was naked. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she pressed her hands onto the carpet and felt the blanket atop her body. She stood on shaky legs and pulled the blanket closer around her naked body. She peered down at Ava who had not yet been awakened by the morning light. Cassandra tried to run a hand through her hair, but her fingers quickly got caught in the multiple knots and tangles that plagued her curls. Rubbing a hand over her tired eyes, she blinked a few times as if to try and remember what happened the night before. Bits and pieces were coming back to her, but she wasn't exactly sure how all those jagged pieces fit together or made any sense.

The shuffling of feet in the hall made her turn to meet Damon's form that was poised in the doorway. He held out a cup of coffee and she had to take it with both hands because she was still so weak. She tucked her arms close to her in order to keep the blanket around her. He smiled warmly at her and took a sip from his own cup while she noisily gulped down hers.

"Good morning, sunshine." She removed her mouth from the cup and wiped away the little dribbles that tried to escape down the corners of her lips with the back of her hand.

"What the hell happened last night?" Her head was still spinning. "Was I drunk?"

"Nope." His lips pursed.

"Then why do I have a headache so bad that I want to chop my head off?" She pressed her fingers to her temple.

"You turned into a wolf last night." He mentioned. "Do you remember that?"

Cassandra glanced down at her naked body that was hidden beneath the blanket. "Well, that explains the nakedness."

"And Kai cast a spell that made you stay as a wolf for a few hours."

"Ugh, that kid still isn't dead yet?" She made a grimace.

Damon's face now matched hers. "Sadly, no."

"Wait..." she paused and rubbed her eyes. "I was a wolf for hours?"

"I was worried I'd have to let you out to pee in the middle of the night."

"Very funny." She deadpanned. "What else happened?"

"Kai is knocked out and in Ric's apartment and we're needed at the hospital, so get dressed."

"Geez, I turn into a wolf for a few hours and the entire world goes to shit." She grumbled and stomped her way to the bathroom for a well deserved shower.

"I had a look over Colin's medical records. This head scan is from earlier this week." Jo explained as she placed a scan up on the board. Colin's brain looked fairly normal besides the small mass of cancer that was neatly tucked away near the left side.

"This one was taken right here, ten minutes ago." She placed another image beside it and all three supernaturals were gobsmacked to see huge blotches of red that had nearly overtaken Colin's brain.

"See all that red?"

"Well, I'm no doctor but that guy is screwed." Damon muttered.

"Oh my God." His wife hushed. Her brown eyes remained glued to the scan. "How did the cells metastasize so quickly?"

"They had some help." The vampire grumbled under his breath and Stefan rolled his eyes.

"So, the blood didn't heal him, it sped up his cancer and killed him."

"Wait, who fed him vampire blood?" Cassandra wondered, her body turning so her eyes could examine the other three faces in the room.

Stefan didn't want to speak up, but he knew that this would effect everyone, so with a heavy sigh he spoke again. "Caroline was researching if vampire blood could cure cancer."

"And let me guess," Damon interjected. "It didn't work and only made it worse."

"So now, I have a stage 10 cancer patient. Which, by the way, doesn't exist. Who is beyond terminally ill and a vampire, meaning all of his emotions are heightened and he can't die." Jo explained.

"Hey, no offense," Damon interjected. "But could someone tell me why I was called down here to listen to the story of Colin the Cancer Vamp?"

"Because Caroline fed me her blood last night." Liz was now standing in the doorway with her daughter close by her side for support. Caroline's eyes were glued to the floor, ashamed to look up at her friends.

"So, the same thing is gonna happen to me."

"Liz...I'm so sorry." Cassandra could feel a weight in her chest at the fate that Liz would have to endure in the coming days, or maybe even less.

"Well, when you're as right as me, I don't have to say "I told you so."" Damon's snark caused Caroline's eyes to snap up and meet his with a deadly glare. She then opened her mouth to say something, but tears welled up in her eyes. Cassandra turned to her husband to reprimand him, but a gust of wind dusted her cheeks. By the time she turned back around, Caroline was gone.

"Caroline!" Cassandra rushed after her and into the hallway. The blonde tried to zoom away, but her hybrid friend caught up with her rather quickly. Caroline bumped into Cassandra and made an effort to go around her, but she was held still.

"Caroline, please—"

"Don't you get it?!" Caroline screeched. "It's all my fault!"

"No—"

"Yes!" Her tears were now rapidly streaking down her cheeks. "My mom is going to die because of me. I fed her my blood and now she is going to die! It's my fault!"

"You tried to save your mom." Cassandra protested. "You didn't know this would happen."

"But, I did." She whimpered and the hybrid's eyebrows creased in confusion. "Damon told me he never heard of vampire blood helping cancer patients in all of the time he's been a vampire. I...I should have listened to him."

"Damon has never been in this position in his life, so it is very easy for him to say what he thinks." She growled. "I pray he...or any of us ever have to make this kind of a decision because, dammit, I would have done everything in my power to save someone I love. Even if that means taking a risk like you did with your mom."

"It's all my fault." She repeated sadly.

The vampire turned to run again, but was stopped by two arms wrapping around her. She struggled against Cassandra's hold, but the hybrid kept herself locked onto her friend. Eventually, Caroline's struggles calmed and she brought her tired arms to encircle Cassandra's back as she wept into her chest.

"Shh," Cassandra rocked her gently and combed through her hair. "I'm here. We're all here for you and your mom. Anything you need; we're all here for you."

Caroline continued to weep and wail against her friend, murmuring how disappointed she was with herself for making such a selfish choice. Cassandra ignored her ramblings and let her cry, knowing deep down that she would go to the ends of the earth for her loved ones. In fact, she already had. Countless times had she killed, sacrificed and lied to keep her friends and family safe. And with Ava now in the picture and Damon back in her life, she dared for someone to try and take the two most important people in her life away.

With the help of Jo and Damon, Liz was brought back to her room and into bed. It didn't take her long to fall asleep after the emotionally draining day she'd had. Jo and Damon decided to let her be and wait outside her room. The vampire peered through the glass at his dear friend and he felt his heart sink. He never though that he'd see his favorite Sheriff in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of her. Liz was always strong, hell, she was the protector of Mystic Falls. Who would take her place when she died? If she died? Matty Blue Eyes? Damon had to roll his eyes at the very thought.

"So, what's the prognosis?" He asked Jo, desperate to get off the subject of someone else taking over for Liz.

"Medically speaking, this is our best option." Jo began. "If vampire blood is the issue, then a full transfusion of human blood might stabalize her condition."

"Please, sound less confident, Doc." Damon grumbled sarcastically.

"Look, we are in uncharted territory here. This isn't just a medical problem, Damon, it's a magical one." She narrowed her gaze at him.

"Well, then you're uniquely qualified." He smirked at her. "Witch-doctor and all."

"Now you believe in my magic? Gee, thanks." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Unfortunately, this goes beyond any witch ability I've ever heard of. But please, if you have a better plan, I'm all ears."

Jo's beeper rang noisily in her pocket, so she fished it out and glanced at it. "I have other patients to see."

With that, she left Damon to his wondering. However, he was not alone for long. He was so focused on looking in at Liz that he barely noticed his wife had come to stand beside him. He watched her stoic reflection in the window quickly fade to a somber one at Liz's condition and Damon also noticed that Caroline wasn't with her.

"Where'd Blondie go?" He asked.

Cassandra's expression cracked to one of weariness. "She told me about the conversation you two had about her giving Liz vampire blood."

Damon turned to face her. "Yeah, and how I didn't agree with it."

"You can't fault her for doing that." Cassandra met his stance. "She tried to save her mom."

"I'm not faulting her." His bright blue eyes were gleaming with frustration. "I'm just saying that she isn't the only one who is going to lose someone important in their lives, Cass. Hell, Liz is the only member of law enforcement who I actually liked and who liked me."

"We will all have to deal with it, Damon." Her tone was becoming more heated to match his. "Caroline made a choice that she thought was right."

"I told her she didn't have my support. Don't you think that would be enough for her to think about what she was planning on doing?"

"Obviously not because she still had hope that this would work."

"Thanks to that, I'm now going to lose one of my best friends."

"Damon, we are all going to lose her!" She was shouting at him now with her hands shaking angrily in the air. "I know you're angry, but you can't be upset at Caroline for the choice she made when you and I both know we would do anything to protect Ava. Even if that meant sacrificing what we love the most. Don't you dare tell me you wouldn't because I know you better than anyone on this Earth."

Cassandra hadn't realized she'd been crying until Damon's own eyes began to well up. Their heart strings constantly plucked at each other's; some were tugged on harder than others. Tonight's conversation was one that had yanked the strings near to fraying. Neither of them wanted to let go of Liz so soon, but Cassandra knew that Liz would not be on this earth much longer, so she tried her best to be graceful during the process. Damon was livid that Caroline had blatantly ignored his opinion and did what she wanted to do anyway. Now, he would have to come face to face with the death of the Sheriff that gave him a second chance to try and do thing right in his life. He could call Caroline selfish and at times, she was, but he knew deep down if he was in Caroline's position that he would do anything to ensure her being around for much longer.

Despite his best efforts to keep his composure, Damon sidestepped his wife and stomped down the hallway Jo had gone down. Cassandra ran a hand over her face and tried to think of something to say to make him come back to her, but she could feel how upset he was and perhaps it would be good for the both of them to cool off. She wiped her tears, took a deep breath and counted to ten before letting it out. Sadly, it didn't expel the heavy feeling in her chest at the reality that Liz would not be on this Earth much longer. They'd all have to plan her funeral, her burial, and memorial within the next few days and the very thought made Cassandra physically ill. How would any of them be able to do it?

She peered in at Liz again before entering the room. She quietly pulled a chair close to the side of the bed and plopped herself down in it. For a few minutes, she sat in silence and just looked over Liz's drawn features. Her eyes traced every wrinkle and dip in her skin. As much as she wanted to wake her, Cassandra decided to let Liz sleep for now since the treatments had been draining her. She took out her phone and sent a text to Damon; asking where he was and pleading with him to come back to the hospital to be with Liz.

"Hey." Liz's weak voice made Cassandra look up from her phone.

"Hey." She pocketed her phone and gave Liz a warm smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a human pin-cushion." She tried to joke.

"Is there anything that I can do?" She asked. "Fluff your pillow? Get you an extra blanket?"

"You could not be so hard on Damon." Her response made Cassandra's face screw up in confusion. Liz gestured to the window in her room and gave a chuckle.

"You guys...argue kinda loudly."

Cassandra shook her head, slightly embarrassed that Liz had heard them shouting at one another like children. "I wasn't happy with what he said to Caroline."

"Caroline will be fine. She is a big girl and can handle herself." Liz protested. "I raised a strong girl."

"You're damn right you did." Cassandra's smile matched Liz's, but it quickly disappeared as quickly as it formed.

"You'll be okay. You all will." She reached for Cassandra's hand who took it and held it firmly. Her skin felt so cold. Cassandra looked at their joined hands and she felt her eyes becoming misty again.

"We're not ready for you to go yet. None of us are."

"I'm not exactly ready to go either, but I'm not stupid, Cassandra. I know the blood transfusion didn't work. That was our last option."

Cassandra hung her head; that transfusion really was their last shred of hope. "I just wish there was something else that could be done. Being a hybrid, you kinda just go through life and fix whatever problems you have. A little compulsion here, using blood to heal someone there. But you...there's nothing any of us can do."

"You guys have tried everything. Don't for a second think I don't know and appreciate that."

"But it wasn't enough." She shook her head.

"Maybe it's just my time to go." Liz relaxed against her pillows. "I've lived a good life. It was filled with a lot of unexpected supernatural friends that I'll never forget."

Her tears were running freely now. "We'll never forget you...ever. We'll hold a beautiful memorial service for you and dedicate a bench to you in the town square."

Liz smiled despite her own tears that were threatening to fall. "That sounds beautiful."

"It will be." Cassandra squeezed Liz's hands. "And everyone in this town will know how much of a strong, incredible person you are."

They were both crying now. The droplets hit their joined hands and felt like bullets against their skin. Cassandra's heart broke even more as the reality hit her that Liz would be just another body in the ground and as the years went by she'd be forgotten by those in the town that were humans. It just wasn't fair. She moved to leave until she felt Liz's weak grip becoming stronger. She looked to Liz who kept tugging on her hand.

"Can you stay with me a little while longer?"

Liz didn't even have to ask, but Cassandra happily rested her upper body against the bed. She and Liz intertwined their fingers and laid in silence. The only sound accompanying them was the steady beep of her heart monitor.

"Damon, it's me." Cassandra paced back and forth outside Liz's room. She'd fallen asleep after a while of crying, so Cassandra used the opportunity to slip outside to make a phone call or two to her husband who seemed to be avoiding her.

"Please pick up. I just want to hear your voice. I'm sorry things got heated earlier. Just please come back to the hospital." She held the phone to her ear for a few more seconds as if to find more words to say, but only three more left her lips.

"I love you."

She hung up the phone and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans before heading to the cafeteria for something to eat. Although as the scent of stale food wafted up her nostrils as she got closer, she quickly decided that coffee might be a much safer choice. Or maybe even tea. How badly could someone mess up hot water and a tea bag? She stepped inside the cafe and her eyes scanned the room. Most tables were empty, but the few that had patrons seated at them looked worn and tired while leaning over steaming cups. To her surprise, she saw a contemplative Caroline seated at a small table while her eyes were glued to the screen of her phone. After grabbing a cup of coffee, Cassandra wandered over to Caroline's table and greeted her.

"Oh good. You're here." Caroline then went back to her phone and pulled up two photographs of floral arrangements. "I need a second opinion."

"Okay," Cassandra sat down opposite her and Caroline showed her the pictures side by side. One of them had sunflowers and the other had pink roses.

"I kind of like this because sunflowers are her favorite flower, but at the same time, I was also thinking maybe they're a little too over-the-top cheerful for a memorial service." She then pointed to the other picture. "So this was the second option, um, because roses are classic, right? I mean, especially in this shade of pink. Obviously, I would change out the vase."

Cassandra's eyes moved other both photos and she admired the beauty of each one. Sadly the only time anyone ever comments on flowers are at weddings and funerals.

"You want to know what I think?"

"Sunflowers, right?"

"I was thinking that you have far more important things to do than plan a memorial service for your mother." She explained. "Who, by the way, is still very much alive."

"Yeah, but all of this has to be done."

"Not right now." She shook her head. "Trust me, your mom isn't in a hurry."

"Are you trying to make me feel better? Because if you are, it's not working."

"No, I'm just saying that you should spending time with your mom. This stuff—" Cassandra took up the phone, shut it off and put it in her lap. "Can all be taken care of later."

Caroline was going to protest, but the hybrid before her took the phone and stuffed it in the back pocket of her jeans. She then clasped her hands on the table and looked to Caroline expectantly.

"I just...I can't even see her." Caroline argued.

"Just go sit with her." Her friend negotiated.

"How? She probably can't bear the sight of me."

"That's not true. We had a very nice talk about you. About how you don't take anyone's crap and that your mom raised a strong young woman."

Blue eyes met brown ones and the vampire sat back in her chair. "Really?"

Cassandra nodded and gave her a warm smile. "Really. Your mom loves you, Caroline. Please just go see her. You'll regret it if you don't. I would give anything to see my parents again; even just to spend ten minutes with them."

Caroline worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Deep down she knew her friend was right, but it hurt her heart that the very reason her mom was sick was because of her own selfishness. She looked to her friend who was becoming misty-eyes at the memory of her own parents who had died almost two hundred years ago.

"Klaus killed them." She said and Cassandra nodded.

"I was initially told it was because I was a reckless young vampire and needed to be taught a lesson. It wasn't until later when I learned the truth about Klaus' true intentions."

The blonde vampire swallowed thickly before speaking again. "Did you feel guilty?"

"Every day." She nodded. "Part of me still does. If I had never gotten involved with them...Katherine would have killed me that night and I would have stayed dead."

Caroline frowned and toyed with her hands in her lap. "But, if that happened you wouldn't be here now. We all wouldn't have an amazing friend. And, can you imagine Damon without you?"

"He'd be miserable, but he'd find someone else, I'm sure."

"Yeah, some bitch like Katherine."

The joke was exactly what was needed to break the tension between them. They wiped their tears and took a breathe each before exhaling in-sync. Cassandra grabbed Caroline's hands and squeezed them reassuringly, causing them both to smile. The hybrid moved to speak again, but the low buzzing of chatter from down the hall caught her ear. Scuffling doctors and muffled cries were what she could make out along with the monotone beeping of a heart monitor. Caroline read her friend's face and before any of them said another word to each other, they were in Liz's hallway in a gust of wind.

A doctor left the room in a trance, but Cassandra stopped him by gripping his shoulders while Caroline rushed into the room to a screaming Elena and a frantic Damon.

"What happened?" She compelled the doctor.

"I'm a total failure." He replied robotically and Cassandra let him go. She entered the room to see Elena doing compressions on Liz while Caroline sat at the edge with her mother's hand nestled tightly in her grip.

"No, no. I will not let this happen. Wake up!" Elena cried in the middle of chest compressions.

"What the hell happened here?" Cassandra asked again, hoping for a answer.

"I thought it would work." Damon's voice from the corner of her room reached her ears. "I made a deal with Kai."

"Where is he now?"

"Him and Jo are gone. He wanted to merge. Tonight." His eyes didn't leave Liz's form. Cassandra searched for words to say, but she watched as he was put into the same shoes as Caroline with one decision that he had made.

"No, no! Mom, mom!" Caroline's screams cut through their silence. "Mom, mommy! No, mom, no. Don't leave me, please. Please, no. Please don't leave me, mom."

She dissolved into a puddle of tears as Elena continued to work on Liz. Cassandra and Damon were frozen in time, neither of them wanting to tell the girls that it was too late. There was no way Liz could have survived this long without oxygen to her brain. It would be impo—

Liz suddenly let out a gasp and her heart monitor began to beep again. Elena backed away from the bed as if she'd been electrocuted while Damon and his wife were gathered around the bed. Silence hung in the room like a grey cloud until Liz's breathing was steadied and the heart monitor leveled out.

"Mom?" Caroline whimpered.

"It's okay, baby. I'm right here." Liz squeezed her daughter's hand back and Caroline cried even harder.

"Mom," she wrapped her arms around Liz.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm right here. I'm right here, baby. It's okay, it's okay." Liz whispered as she rubbed her hand against her daughter's back in an effort to calm her.

Elena stood on shaky feet and bolted out of the room, but Cassandra had an opportunity to catch her in the hall. When she did, her hands were shaking and her skin was deathly pale.

"Elena,"

"I— I just need some fresh air." She stammered. "'Cause...she almost died in my arms. Caroline's mom almost died in my arms."

"But she didn't. You jumped right in there and did what you had to do. Now, she's okay." Cassandra tried to comfort her friend, but she was clearly shaken.

"Damon helped too..he got the doctor." She said and Cassandra nodded. Her gaze found her husband who came to join them in the hall.

"I know he did." She ran her hands up and down Elena's arms and squeezed her shoulders. "How about we all go home? We've all had a long day and we should give Caroline and her mom a chance to talk?"

Elena nodded shakily and nervously toyed with the sleeve of her shirt. "I left my bag in the waiting room."

"We'll meet you there, okay?" Without another word Elena nodded numbly again and started in the direction of the waiting room, leaving husband and wife in the hallway. For a few moments, they let the silence between them soak in. Cassandra's eyes passed from him to Liz and Caroline in the room and they both thought it best to move their talk to another part of the hospital.

"You've been ignoring my calls." She tsked as they rounded the corner and slowed to a halt.

"You gave me a lot to think about." He replied.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Damon, but we're all going to be effected by this."

Her husband nodded solemnly. "I know."

She watched the gears turn in his head and waited for him to speak again. He looked down the hall towards Liz's room and rocked on his heels and ran his hands through his hair. She caught onto his nervous ticks and tried to gently grasp his shoulder.

"Damon, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I just almost killed one of my good friends by making a deal with that little weasel." He babbled. "And while Liz was down, all I kept thinking was, I should have listened to my wife about being okay with making tough choices."

Cassandra let herself chuckle at that. "Damon, Liz is okay."

"Yeah, but she could be dead right now and we would be picking out funeral arrangements." The blue in his eyes were frantic and panicked.

"Caroline already has it all figured out, but—" she gently cupped his cheeks to bring his focus into her in hopes to calm his rapid pulse which was beating against her skin.

"Liz is not dead. She's very much alive." Her voice was soft and gentle as if she were trying to lull him to sleep. "You tried to save her life. So? It didn't work. What's to say something else won't?"

His hands found hers and he let himself find solace in her gaze before speaking again. "I feel like this is a very constructive way to say, "I told you so."."

Cassandra leaned up on her tippy toes and brushed her lips against her husband's. He wrapped his arms around her waist, longing to feel her against his body. When Cassandra relinquished her kiss, she smirked up at Damon.

"When you're as right as I am, you don't even have to say it." She patted his cheeks and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. Damon stood still for a few seconds, slightly shocked by her jest, but he knew it was all in good fun. They would joke about how she was always right and this situation was no different. His shock melted into a smirk as he watched her saunter down the hallway.

"Let's roll. We have a baby to get home to." She called to him over her shoulder and was suddenly met with a string of giggles leaving her throat as Damon scooped her up and carried her out of the hospital doors.

*crawls out of the ashes* I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiive! I promised you guys I'd be back! I'm sorry it took so long, but writing has been super difficult lately. Please continue to be patient with me because more chapters are in the works. Thank you to every kind word/comment/review of condolences. It's been a really hard couple of months, but we're all on the road to healing. I love you guys! Please leave a review and continue being awesome :)