The siblings walked down stairs together. As soon as they reached the first floor, Cassy released her brothers arm and headed for the bar knowing Sterling would be there getting drunk. Before she took a step though, Brayden grabbed her gently by the arm. Cassy turned to him with a frown.

"Why are you stopping me?" She asked. "The drunk's over at the bar."

"Yes, I know. But your date is this way." Brayden said leading her back into the ballroom.

Cassy looked at her brother with an arched eyebrow. What was he doing? Sterling wasn't in the ballroom. He would be over at the bar getting so badly wasted that he wouldn't even remember his own name by the end of the night. She let her brother lead her back to where Alanna stood talking to--- Griffin. Her eyes turned onto her brother in shock. How could he do this to her? She had slapped the man for goodness sake.

"Griff, my sister needs a date from a Morgan. I was hoping that perhaps... you could be her date for the evening. Despite previous circumstances." Bray said his sly smile returning.

Now Cassy understood what he was doing. She hoped Griffin would say no. She didn't want to be his date. She almost preferred having Sterling as her date... almost. Cassy looked at the Phantom dressed man with contempt. She hated his mask, and his costume. The costume covered him, so she really didn't know what he looked like... she also didn't like not being able to see his facial expressions. It bugged the hell out of her. She was good at reading people by expressions, but since she couldn't see his facial expressions thanks to that damn mask only served to annoy her even more.

Griffin turned to her and smiled, "Of course I'll be your date Miss Lambert. Only if you promise not to slap me again."

Cassy tensed visibly, "Well, I guess you won't be my date then." She said sarcastically and turned to walk away. "I don't make promises, I can't keep."

"Wait, I'm sorry. I was only joking Miss Lambert. I would be happy to be your date. That is if you can bear my presence long enough." He gave her a crooked smile, "though, I will hold out hope you won't have the need to slap me again."

Brayden watched as his sister turned back to his friend. He winced seeing the look on her face. That look along with that outfit was truly scary. He wondered what Griffin would think. Apparently, he didn't seem to mind... or if he did, he didn't show it.

"Very well." She practically hissed in contempt.

Brayden sighed and shot Griffin an apologetic look. He then turned to Alanna who was watching the scene with amusement in her chocolate colored eyes. Wanting to dance with her all night, he finally offered his arm to her, "Would you like to dance, Alanna?" She hastily agreed and the two walked off without another word.

As Brayden walked away with Alanna in hand, Cassy glared at him. How could he leave her alone with a member of the Morgan family? With a sigh she watched as the couples danced on the dance floor. The music was upbeat and the people on the dance floor danced around like they were truly having fun. The floor was packed, and she could tell a few of the men and women were drunk.

"Would you like to dance?" Cassy heard Griffin ask her.

"No thank you..." She replied stiffly.

She heard Griffin sigh and she frowned in reply trying to think up some excuse. "I would, but the dance floor is packed... and there are way too many people that are drunk."

The Phantom man smirked... or maybe he smiled. She couldn't exactly tell with that stupid mask. He looked at her before looking back at the crowded dance floor. "Well how about we go outside to the garden?" He then suggested.

Pressing her lips together, Cassy looked towards the glass doors and then nodded. "I..." She began hoping this wasn't going to be a bad decision, "suppose we can..."

Cassy guessed the man smiled and he led her towards the garden. They had almost reached it when a woman turned around. Not seeing her, Cassy bumped into the woman sending the ladies drink flying. When it came down it spilled all over the woman's black and purple dress. Cassy gasped in surprise and looked up at the woman only to find that it was her step-mother.

The witches face turned red with fury and she glared at Cassy. The smell of alcohol was evident, and Cassy guessed the red punch had been spiked sometime during the evening. Well it was a good thing she had stuck to water.

"CASSANDRA!" The woman shrieked.

With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, she apologized to her step-mother. "I'm sorry Ma'am. I didn't see you."

"Of course, you didn't. If you were with Mr. Morgan, then this never would have happened. Where is your brother? He promised me you would stay with Mr. Morgan." The older woman continued to shriek.

Cassy opened her mouth to speak, but Griffin cut her off. "She is with me Mrs. Lambert."

"What? No. You're not... Don't' play games with me..."

"I'm Griffin Morgan, Mrs. Lambert. Sterling and Devon are my older brothers." Explained the Phantom of a man, calmly, defending Cassy.

The woman was dumbstruck, and her mouth dropped open and her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "I had no idea..." She finally said after a few moments of awkward silence. Her eyes then went to Cassy and she glared at her with contempt. If looks could kill, Cassy would have been dead.

"I suppose I need to change then." The witch said to the growing crowd and she then left to go to her room, rushing across the room.

Not waiting for Griffin, Cassy walked out into the garden. It was a brisk night and Cassy felt a little chilled. Walking onto the patio she saw a few couples making out on the little benches and the biker chick looked at them in disgust.

"Disgusting isn't it?" Came the Phantoms voice behind her.

Without thinking, Cassy nodded. She then turned to him and frowned. "It's beyond disgusting. Can't they get a room? Makes me wonder if they can breathe... Not everyone wants to be privy to their make out sessions."

Griffin smirked at her comment finding it amusing. Cassy then walked off without him and she ended up in the gazebo once again. She leaned against the low railing and looked out at the flowers in the garden. Like her mother, she loved flowers. She heard footsteps come up from behind her and she sighed knowing it was the Morgan she didn't know and didn't want to know. In her opinion they were all alike. How could one brother be different than the other two? Granted Devon wasn't as bad as Sterling, though, he had still done some idiotic things she didn't agree with.

"Your garden is lovely."

Cassy didn't answer him, but just stared out at the flowers. The music from the ballroom drifted to her ears and she noticed that it was a slow song. The waltz, she thought with a small smile, or the foxtrot... they both can be danced to this song. Her mother had supposedly loved to dance as well. And even though she had been forced to learn how to dance, she honestly enjoyed every moment.

The Phantom dressed man caught her smile and offered his hand to her. "Would you like to dance? We didn't quite get to finish our dance earlier..."

With a sigh in irritation, Cassy turned to him and looked over at his hand. Why did she feel like it was going to reach out and bite her? She really did want to dance though, but she didn't feel comfortable dancing with him. "Very well... but you try anything... you will regret it." She growled, almost instantly regretting her decision. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel it.

In perfect dance position form, Griffin led Cassy around the gazebo. He did well and never once stepped on her feet. After a while he spoke, "You know I would never take advantage of you."

"That's what they all say Phantom..." Cassy said coming up with her own nickname for him.

"I'm serious though, Miss Lambert. I would never take advantage of you. So, there won't be anything to regret" He clarified feeling the need to voice his intent.

Rolling her eyes, Cassy looked out the gazebo watching as the flowers floated by.

"In answer to your question before, I did learn how to dance, but I was always told I was never very good." Griffin said trying to break the silence. "So, I can dance, I just don't very often. And normally, I am not very good."

The biker girl frowned and then shrugged. "Well whoever told you that was lying... either that or they didn't know any better."

Griffin smiled, "Was that a compliment?" He asked.

Not bothering to reply, Cassy let the man twirl her around the gazebo.

The Phantom man chuckled softly, "perhaps, it's because I have a talented dance partner that I do so well."

Without realizing it, Cassy was beginning to relax in his arms and their bodies inched closer. They swayed and twirled along to the soft beat until it shifted into something lighter and quicker. Cassy noticed Griffin frown a bit before it was gone.

The two stopped dancing, but Griffin didn't let Cassy go just yet. He began to dance with her to the lighter beat. The quick step was a good dance for the song. Again, they danced around, but this time Griffin stumbled slightly, but Cassy didn't seem to mind. She was just having fun dancing with the man. And she knew that if she focused on who she was with, all sense of fun would disperse. So, for the moment, she would ignore the fact that the man she was dancing with, was a Morgan.

"HEY!"

Both froze and turned to see Sterling and Joel at the foot of the stairs leading to the gazebo.

"Hay is for horses and jackasses Sterling... but I guess you would know since you are one." Cassy said irritable about him stopping their dance. She had begun to enjoy it. This was the second time their dancing had been interrupted. Cassy had to then remind herself that she didn't care. The Phantom man was a Morgan and she wanted nothing to do with the Morgans.

The drunken Sterling frowned at Cassy and approached her. He stumbled on the stairs and then reached out to grab her. She was surprised that he managed to grip her face the first time he tried. He held her chin in one hand and shook her head harshly. "Yer mean t' me y'know tha'..." Said the man, slurring heavily before he hiccupped. He then slapped her rather hard causing the sound of the contact to echo through the gazebo.

Cassy's head jerked to her left and her cheek stung which also caused her anger to flare up. Lifting her gaze to Sterling, her eyes appeared to have a fire within them. The drunk didn't even notice, but Joel did as well as Griffin.

Sterling moved to grab her again, but Griffin stepped forward. Cassy looked at the man with a frown. What the hell was he doing, she wondered. She had been about to show Sterling a thing or two, but the Phantom had to go and block her way.

"What are you doing?" She hissed.

Griffin didn't answer her, "Stay away from her Sterling. Striking a woman? Are you insane? You're drunk, go cool off."

Now growing angry by his brother's interference, Sterling shoved him hard. "Stand back Griffy...This is between me an' Caz... You get involved... well it just may hurt..." The cocky vampire said. "C'mere biker babe. If you're good, I'll let you take a ride on my bike tonight."

Cassy lunged at Sterling, but Griffin held her back. That was the second time he had referred to that and it was pissing her off to no end. "I'll show you a ride Morgan. Why don't you come closer so I can kick your vampire ass to the ground!"

Sterling turned his blue eyes on Cassy, and he did move closer. Cassy tried to get out of Griffin's grasp, but the man just pulled her behind him blocking her way to Sterling.

"Let me go, Morgan... Let me kick his ass!" She growled.

"Stop it... I won't let you fight him Miss Lambert. And Sterling, go sober up. You smell like something rotten..." He said catching a whiff of alcohol and something else.

"Get out of my way..." But Sterling didn't finish. Hearing his brother insult him, he reared back and punched Griffin in the face, hard. The younger man stumbled back when, Sterling hit him a second time. "I wish you'd never come back Griffin! You're such a loser! Why do you have the girl, anyway? She's supposed to be mine! She was promised to me." The vampire dressed man shouted and then punched him in the stomach.

A crowd began to gather around as the brothers began to fight. Cassy blinked at the men in shock and tried to intervene. Sterling shoved her with enough force to have her stumble back. Cassy reached the short railing of the gazebo and tried to grab it but ended up falling backwards over it. She let out a startled cry and fell right into the little pond that made its way around the flowers as well as under the gazebo. Sitting there, Cassy felt the freezing water seep through her costume. It came up to her chest and she shivered slightly. The crowd laughed at her, which did not help her already burning temper. Sterling and Griffin peered over the railing and stared at her. Both men had bruises beginning to show on their faces. The only difference was Griffin's was bloodier since he had been on the receiving end of the first shot. Sterling was muscled and took great pride in keeping up his "sexy bod" as he called it, although when most women saw his body, they quickly became disgusted for some reason. Griffin was sturdier, however, and an inch or two taller than Sterling. In fact, she was pretty sure he was about the same height as her tall brother.

Suddenly Sterling burst out laughing, and Cassy's face turned red with humiliation and anger. How dare he?! He was the one that had caused this. She sat there freezing and when she tried to get up, she slipped and fell back in the pond once again. A small frog then jumped on her now wet head and croaked. The crowd roared with laughter. Her eyes then rested on Brayden who had just appeared, only to find that he was smiling at her. The only one that wasn't smiling... at least she couldn't tell if he was through his now cracked mask, was the Phantom.

Cassy cursed and once again tried to get up, but the pond floor was slippery with moss and she fell back again. She closed her eyes hearing everyone laugh at her. Humiliation soaking into every pore of her body. This was by far the worst party ever.

"Oh, yes, Cassandra's not only the rebel, but the klutz of the family."

Opening her eyes, she saw her step-mother pointing her finger at her and talking to one of her friends that had come to the party as well. Oh yes, she was humiliated. Her burning green eyes turned to Sterling and then to Griffin before they rested on her smiling brother.

"Do I get to sit here all night and freeze to death? Or is someone gonna help me the hell out of here?!" Growled Cassy, obviously in a foul mood now. If she could lay her hands-on Sterling, he would seriously be in pain... as for Griffin... she was angry with him too. If he hadn't kept her from kicking Sterling's ass, then she never would have been pushed into the pond.

Brayden immediately came forward to help his sister and pulled her drenched body out of the pond with a little difficulty. She slipped in the pond several times until she reached dry land. Looking down at her outfit, she frowned. Her clothes clung to her body. If her curvaceous figure hadn't shown completely before then it certainly did now. Her leather boots were now ruined too. Looking up, she noticed her brother chuckling softly before hiding his smile behind his hand.

Cassy's eyes narrowed for a brief second before she gave her brother a fake smile. "Thanks for helping me Bray... the water's really cold."

"I can imagine." He stated gaze going to the pond. The next thing he knew he felt a harsh shove and he went flailing into the water. When he sat up, Cassy was walking away from him. He knew she had been the one to push him. "Thanks Cassy..." He called to her sarcastically.

Cassy waved back to him as she walked away. She was even colder now that she was out of the water and feeling the cool autumn breeze blow against her wet body made her shiver and sneeze. She didn't care if her brother would be mad at her or not. He deserved it for laughing at her and so did Sterling and the mysterious Griffin. Though, to be fair, Griffin didn't seem to be laughing at her like everyone else.

Walking into the house, their butler came over and handed her a blanket in which she immediately wrapped around her shivering body.

"Th... th... thank y...y... you Hugo..." Cass chattered uncontrollably.

The young woman was now headed for her room and was not planning on coming back down again. She would take a nice warm shower and then possibly get ready for bed. The thought of bed sent a smile to her lips. Her big bed molded to her body and she loved it. She couldn't wait to sleep... especially after such a rotten day and an even worse evening.