A Talk Show

Chapter Six

A Talk Show

“Cleo!!!” Stephane yelled when we got off the plane.

“Steph.” I smiled hugging her but then I saw her mom and my dad. “What’s this?” I asked.

“Well I wanted to come and tell you the two surprises that I had.” Dad smiled and Stephane sent me an apologetic smile. “First your mom and I got a divorce and second Lindsey and I are getting married.” He smiled.

“You and Mom got a divorce without telling us and you’re getting married in the same week!!!” I yelled a few hours later after he finished explaining.

“Daphne Swift!” Dad chastised, “You’re supposed to be the calm headed congratulating one.” He told me.

“I’m tired of playing the part you want… that everybody wants.” I snapped, “This is ridiculous!!” I yelled, “You shouldn’t be getting married in the same week as your divorce!!!!!!” There were cameras all around us capturing my first time yelling at my parent but suddenly I felt myself start to collapse with the pain.

“Baldwin!!” Damon yelled for his dad.

“Get her inside to your room.” He ordered and Damon picked me up carrying me and putting me in a bed. By the time we were there though I was better.

“How long has this been happening?” Marcus asked. Damon was still with me but he was across the room so I knew he was asking for Damon.

“I’m not sure.” I whispered looking right at Damon.

“A year.” Edlyn’s voice came from the doorway. “She told me three months ago that it had all stopped when I threatened to tell Damon during the next attack she had.”

“They started small.” I begged Damon not to leave.

“I’m not leaving.” He decided after a deep breath, “We both kept secrets from each other.” He nodded knowing that with as desperate as I was to keep him in the room I would bring up his affair.

“Please…” I begged holding my hand out.

“I can’t right now.” He shook his head, “I’m not leaving but… I also can’t be here.” He explained and I realized how painful it was for him to have to tell me so I tried to hide the pain that it’d caused me to hear him say it.

“I need to hear what happens during your attacks.” Baldwin told me.

“Please just talk to Baldwin for now… Damon will be fine.” Rebecca, Damon’s mom, promised when Damon went into the other room of our hotel room. He was keeping his promise while not having to look at me.

“I get lightheaded, out of breath, I shake, and there’s pain.” I whispered.

“Sabino?” Baldwin asked turning to him.

“I’ll go get him.” He nodded all of us knowing that Baldwin wanted Damon in here and that Sabino was the only chance we had of getting it that way. I crawled out of bed though with tears flowing with the pain praying I could get to the…

“I’ve got you.” Marcus promised and he ran me to the bathroom holding my hair back as I threw up along with the pain. When I was done I just fell back into him realizing that everything was getting worse and that I had just ruined hiding the fact that I also threw up. Marcus picked me up carefully after the pain was gone and started to carry me but I felt my body shift from one pair of arms to another pair and when I looked up I saw that Damon had decided that enough was enough. I just put my head in his chest not wanting to talk and let my tears continue into his shirt.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get into the bathroom. Baldwin made me stay and talk about ways to make all this better.” He promised as he sat me down on the bed and laid down with me.

“I need you to take this pill for me, Cleo.” Baldwin whispered and by everybody’s faces I knew the pill was a long shot.

“Damon?” I asked when everybody was gone.

“Yes.” He whispered just keeping his arms tight around me.

“I’m working on my normal life range aren’t I?” I whispered painfully.

“We’re finding a way to fix this.” He shook his head painfully.

“But a witch wouldn’t be sick like I am.” I continued to push.

“Let’s not talk about it.” He ended the conversation. I nodded and just laid in his arms tossing my choices around all night.

“It’s time to get ready for the show.” I whispered when there was a knock on the door.

“We shouldn’t go.” He shook his head.

“We’re going.” I declared getting up and walking to the door and opening it for the stylist.

“Here you go.” He smiled unzipping his wardrobe of designer outfits.

“I’m looking for simple but cute.” I smiled happily.

“So maybe this?” He checked pulling out a t-shirt dress that tied so that I could show my tiny waist and a black pair of leggings.

“That’s great.” I smiled carrying it into the bathroom and changing quickly when I walked into the room again I saw that Damon had once again refused to wear any designer clothes and had put on some of his instead. “My lovely…” I trailed off and his arms tightened knowing exactly that it was pain that’d made me trail off, “I’m fine.” I smiled taking one of Baldwin’s pills after it faded. Damon took the bottle from me though when he saw my shaking hand and took a pill out and handed it to me. “I’m getting…” I trailed off and shook my head knowing that would just make all this harder on him if I told him how often the pains happened.

“Are you two rea…?” Nadia trailed off at the tense standoff that Damon and I had been having for a couple minutes, ever since I’d slipped and almost said just how often I’d had the pains.

“We’re ready.” I said not even turning to her refusing to back down this time but then I collapsed and Damon’s arms caught me.

“Get… Baldwin…” He managed and I knew he was about to lose his ability to stay calm.

“It’s the stress my best guess is that you two were fighting when this one happened.” Baldwin said walking in. “She can’t be in any stressful situation until I get this figured out or…” he trailed off at Damon’s snarl and I knew what the end of that sentence had been. I would have the same ending I always had.

“Let’s just go.” I whispered looking up at Damon and begging him. “Please.”

“Are you sure you can…?”

“Yes.” I interrupted him quickly not able to stand that the question was going to start being asked when I wanted to do anything. “You know what would make me a lot less stressed though…” I started.

“No Cleo.” He laughed and I smiled having gotten what I’d truly been after.

“You look tired.” The make-up artist complained as he worked his magic.

“Sorry.” I smiled.

“How much make-up do you want?” Damon’s make-up artist asked.

“None,” He said quickly.

“That’s my Damon.” I smiled happily reaching over to him and he took my hand quickly, “Always natural.”

“If only you’d go completely natural.” He whispered in my ear and I smiled up at him smiling more after he kissed me for the first time since my first attack he’d seen. “I love you, my Princess.”

“So today I have with me my dear friend Daphne Swift and her boyfriend Prince…” Stephane couldn’t help the chuckle that came out with the title, “… Damon Salvatore of Italy.”

“Just Damon.” Damon chuckled too.

“Okay well Cleo Damon kind of asked me to help him with something today.” Stephane smiled gesturing for the rest of the family to go ahead and join us. I felt confusion cover my face but then Damon got on one knee and I felt a tear fall.

“Daphne Cleopatra Swift… in front of all of our friends and the whole world will you please agree to marry me?” He asked and I just nodded unable to talk anymore as he put a ring on my hand and gently kissed me.

“I love you.” I promised as he pulled me closer to him now on the couch.

“I love you too.” He promised.

“So let’s see how much trouble we can get the new couple in with each other…” Stephane smiled after I’d spent the whole show just looking at my new ring and laying on Damon as he whispered sweet nothings in my ear.

“I’d like to see you try she’s been trying to get that ring for weeks.” Edlyn laughed.

“Cleo?” Stephane laughed.

“Yes?” I answered distractedly.

“Who would you be getting married to in a few years if you hadn’t met Damon?” She asked.

“Ummm…” I looked at Damon for a second considering lying.

“Go ahead and tell her.” He nodded knowing exactly what I was considering but he just smiled and then he added, “You’re mine now either way.”

“I’d still be with Jordan.” I nodded and everybody in the audience turned to look at Jordan who was sitting right next to Aimi.

“Okay so let’s see if you handle the question as well as Damon did…” I felt myself tense preparing for the answer and begging that with my new friendship with Aimi that I could handle it. “Damon, who would you be marrying?”

“I would have married Aimi like I was…” he trailed off when I pulled away and moved to sit by Jordan. “Don’t do this Cleo.” He begged.

“I’m just moving so that I don’t.” I whispered but we could both see that him mentioning the fact that he’d once been engaged to Aimi had brought the pain of his affair right back and harder than ever.

“Cleo…”

“Shut up Damon!” Edlyn went off. “I’m sick of seeing her deal with so much from you!!”

“You don’t get to yell at him for me!!!!” I screamed at her. “I do a damn good job at yelling at him whenever I see the need to yell at him and I don’t need you or anybody else butting into our relationship!!!! That’s what causes it problems!!!” I felt my pain kick up in my chest and when the tears in my eyes changed to tears of pain I saw Damon’s eyes notice.

“Change to commercial now!” He ordered Louis and he nodded but I knew he didn’t listen. “Cleo, come on take this pill.” Damon begged me trying to get the pill Baldwin handed him into my hand. He gave up though and just put it in my mouth and then also put a bottle of water up to my mouth.