All I Need (Vampire Diaries/Captain America Fanfic)

32. Don't Mistake My Trust For Kindness

It was 1864.

Our father had just taken Katherine in, feeling sorry for her after she admitted that she had lost her whole family in a fire. She'd been here for 5 minutes and already all the guys in the family were obsessed with her. Me, not so much.

"So, how long do you think you'll be staying?" I asked, walking around the room that father had given her.

"As long as your father will allow me," she said, sitting on the bed and beckoning me over. "Come and talk to me, baby Salvatore."

I reluctantly obliged, sitting on the bed beside her.

"Tell me about your brothers," she said.

"What about them?" I asked warily.

"Are they... involved with anyone?" she asked.

I scoffed. "My brothers don't have time for girls. Sorry to disappoint you."

"I'm not disappointed," she smirked. "I love a challenge."

"My brothers aren't here for you to play with," I said harshly.

"Ooh," she said, eyeing me up. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?"

"Only when father isn't around," I admitted. Around him, I was a completely different person, the good girl that he wanted me to be. That was why I loved spending so much time with my brothers, I didn't have to pretend with them. And they didn't have to pretend with me.

"Strict father? Been there," she said with an eye roll.

"Really?" I asked with a shocked look. I thought it was just Giuseppe Salvatore who could be a total asshole to his kids.

"Really," she said. "I hate to admit it but, sometimes I wake up and I feel so glad that he's dead. The only thing I regret is not killing him myself." She glanced over at me with a reassuring smile. "Do you ever want to kill your father?"

"No," I said quickly.

"Now tell me the truth." She looked into my eyes.

"When he hurts Stefan or Damon," I admitted. "Mostly Damon. Sometimes when I go to bed, I dream about how I would do it. Then I remember that, even if I did gather the courage to end his life, mama would never forgive me."

'Mama' was what I called Stefan and Damon's mother, Lily Salvatore. She'd raised me as her own, and I'd never be able to thank her enough for letting me into the family, for not making me feel like I was different. She'd died years before Katherine ever met us, but I refused to let her go.

"Serena," Katherine said, smiling at me. "I'm going to be the big sister you never had. We're gonna have so much fun together."

...

I pressed a finger to my lips as the person at the door knocked again.

"Hide her," I whispered, gesturing to Katherine as I walked to the front door. As expected, Klaus was standing on the other side of the door.

"Serena," he greeted me. "We really need to work on your timekeeping skills."

"Right, you see, the thing is," I stepped in his path, blocking him from entering the house. "You can't come in."

"Then bring Katherine outside," he said.

"Katherine's not here."

"You said she would be," he said. "Were you lying to me Serena?"