42

Damon was absolutely furious. He grabbed Kara by her arm and pulled her away with himself, "I am not leaving you one more second alone with this bastard." he blasted out and started dragging her away with himself.
He stopped when he felt a tug and Kara did not move. Turning his head towards her he fumed, "What are you doing?"
Kara was standing with a determined hold on her hand, and fixed in her spot, "I am not going anywhere with you."
"What? Why?!"
"Because you are not making any freaking sense!" she shouted, "you are not even listening to what I have to say or what exactly happened. You just assumed things and blamed them on James. How the hell is that fair?"
Neil stepped in between them and ordered, "We will discuss about this later. Go home with Damon for now, Kara."
Kara was getting annoyed with each of the words said by her family. Her eyes slid to James who stood indifferent in his spot. It had always been the same. He always got blamed for things and he shrugged them off without a word and stayed indifferent, and that is what made him the black sheep in the family. The one who got blamed for everything without doing a bad thing.
"Say something!" she whispered to him, begging him to take a stand.
James looked at her without a word but he did not utter a word. Not like it was going to make a difference. Things were the same as they were since he was born. There was nothing he could say or do that would convince his family otherwise.
"I held your hand too tight. I am sorry." he said and went to sit to went on the couch nonchalantly.
Those words broke the hell lose. Damon literally jumped ahead to attack James. If it had not been for Neil grabbing him on the right time and keeping him back, James would have gotten straight punches on his face.
"Stay back. You have still not recovered!" Neil barked.
"My hand got stuck in the car door!" Kara blasted angrily at Damon and Neil, "for the love of god, try to believe in some things that we say to you instead of blaming everything on him! He did not hit me. How lowly do you exactly think of him?"
She was furious at all of them. She turned her head to James who was sitting with his elbows on his knees without a worry in the world. Gritting her teeth, she hissed, "At least try to be a better human being, if not a good son or brother, James. Giving them an explanation is not going to ruin any of your reputation or ego."
"It is not like they are going to believe me, Kara." James rolled his eyes and smirked humorously, "did not you see how it took them the longest one second in the century to label me as a 'woman abuser'?"
"But you can clarify at least! Say somethng when someone is wrong. Explain yourself! Getting blamed for everything is not going to solve all the issues, James!"
He got up, and neared Damon and Neil. Then as he stared into their eyes for a few seconds, he muttered, "If they did not hear me in all these years, what is going to change now?" he looked at Neil while motioning towards Damon, "I will let you stay happy with your good son, Dad. Please go back to your happy home and leave mine within an hour."
Damon turned his head to Kara, and ordered, "Kara, let's go home. Dad will drive us."
"She is staying here!" James instantly interjected, "I said all of you go back. She is staying here with me."
"James." Kara stepped in to not drag the issue any further, "I will be back tomorrow. Let me go with them for now."
"You don't need his permission!" Damon clenched his jaw in frustration.
"Damon, stop it." Kara snapped.
James' furious gaze darkened at her words. She was taking their's side despite of seeing what they had said to him? His rage was rising with each passing second, "You go with them, don't come back here ever again." 
"Don't be absurd." she stepped ahead and tried to grab his arm gently, "They have just come back. Let's not stress them out right now, please James."
James snatched his arm back and snapped, "You heard me, Kara."
Before she could try to change his mind, she felt a hand on her nape. She turned her head instinctively, and before she could realize what was happening, she felt a soft kiss on her mouth.
She was too shocked to even react at all. When he pulled back, Kara stared into Damon's burning gaze as he muttered, "I will see you tomorrow." before stepping back from her and leaving followed by Neil and Rita.
She could not even believe what had happened. This was the first time when Damon had kissed her. He had never made any kind of romantic gesture towards her and now the sudden kiss was a huge shock to her.
She turned around to look over her shoulder only to meet a pair of feirce eyes. She almost trembled from the fury she saw in them, and the reason of the rage was clear to her.
Next few moments were fuzzy to Kara. She felt tremor going through her body. She tried not to show it but James' coldness did nothing but increase her anxiety. She was confued and a part of her was freaked the hell out of her mind seeing the cold devil back in James' gaze gain. But a part of her heard whispered that he will not hurt her, at least. 
At least this is what she had hoped. But that hope got crushed when he grabbed her arm and pulled her with himself until they were inside their bedroom and the door was locked behind them.
"James." she tried to call him meekly, but James was pacing back and forth like a lion.