This is the first of three parts that I'll be posting over the next few days. Enjoy!
I wait for the night to conquer me again
I can't say yes, I can't say no to you
"Can't Say No (To You)," VAST
I.
Isobel had once joked that whoever had said the road to hell was paved with good intentions must've had Alaric in mind.
Alaric reckoned she was right about that.
xXx
Alaric barely looked up to acknowledge Damon's presence as the latter slid onto the barstool next to him.
"Finally escape your roomie?"
Alaric slid his glass out of reach as Damon tried to snag it, obviously too impatient to wait until his own was poured.
"For the moment," he said with a shrug. "She's fuck-all annoying."
"You can say that again." Damon's own glass arrived at that moment, and Damon took it from the bartender and sipped it. "So, did Katherine ever say why she's squatting in your loft and not following the lovebirds around Europe?"
Alaric could feel his ears burning as he stared down at his glass. "Nope. She just said she likes me and we make a good team." She'd also said Alaric owed her after what Klaus had done to her in Alaric's body, but he wasn't about to tell Damon that part. Of course, he only had her word for what had happened: most of the things his body had done under Klaus's control were luckily still locked up in his brain, where they would hopefully remain.
Damon snorted.
"Yeah, right," he said. "She's lying, you know that. And she has an angle, even if she did help us bring down Klaus. You should just toss her out."
Alaric glanced at Damon.
"She more than just helped," he said. "Bonnie and Lucy wouldn't have been able to trap Klaus if she hadn't lured him to that clearing. Besides, kicking her out is sort of impossible. She's been invited in, remember? And I don't want to move. I like my loft, despite everything that happened there. It's cool. It's not every day you find a place like that on a teacher's salary. Besides, if I don't figure out how to get all those bloodstains out of the hardwood floor, I'll never get my deposit back." He knew he could still stay at the Gilbert's' as he had until Jeremy had left for college a few months ago, but it felt weird to be there alone now that they'd both moved out of the house even though they'd told him he was welcome to stay there as long as he wanted.
"Your stinginess just might get you killed, Rick, you know that, right?"
Alaric pressed his lips together to hold back a retort. He didn't really care much whether or not something that went bump in the night killed him, to be honest. In fact, his capacity to care about much about anything anymore was lying six feet underground with Jenna.
"It won't," he said with a shrug. "Klaus is out of commission, Stefan is traveling indefinitely, and I doubt very much that either you or Katherine is a threat to anything but my sanity."
Damon sighed into his glass.
"You know, I used to be the Big Bad around here. Just sayin'."
Alaric shook his head.
"Dude, I honestly don't know how to respond to that."
"Figures," Damon said. "I'm obviously losing my ability to intimidate." At that moment, Alaric's phone beeped. "Someone who isn't me is texting you at this hour? Should I be jealous?"
"Always," Alaric said. "And FYI, whiny emo-pires are not intimidating." Ignoring Damon's glare, he frowned at the display on his phone. "Fuck, I have to get home."
Damon's eyes widened.
"Dude, seriously? She rings and you drop everything?"
Alaric shrugged. "It's an emergency. We're apparently out of booze again and she wants me to bring some with."
Damon raised a brow and just stared at Alaric like he was trying to figure out what he should mock first.
"You said 'we'," he said finally. "Like there's a 'you'."
Alaric rolled his eyes. "There is no 'us'," he said. "This is Katherine we're talking' about, remember?" He sighed and got to his feet. "Later, dude."
"Later." Damon watched as Alaric bought a bottle of bourbon from the bartender and then waved as he headed out into the night.
xXx
Something was tickling his ribs, pulling him back to consciousness, and he swatted at it ineffectually. He slowly became aware of a warm, naked body plastered against his back and he pressed back, sighing in contentment.
"Jenna," he murmured.
"Guess again," a voice purred in his ear.
Katherine. Fuck. Fully awake now, Alaric squirmed away from her and switched on the lamp on the bedside table. "Jesus, Katherine. We've been through this before. Go back to the couch."
"The couch is lumpy," she said, her lower lip jutting out. "Your bed is much more comfy. I don't see why we can't share." She stretched out on the bed, arching her back, grinning when she caught him staring at her breasts.
Alaric's mouth fell open and he forced his eyes back up to her face. "Are you kidding me? How can you even want to sleep in the same bed with me after what I-Klaus-did to you? Or do... whatever else you're implying we should do."
Katherine stared at Alaric for a long moment, her surprise evident for a moment before she hid it, and then she cooed at him.
"Aw, sweetie, that's so adorable," she said. "You're being considerate of me! First of all, you're right-you didn't do anything to me. It was all Klaus's doing. And second of all..." She reached out and pressed her index finger to his chest, dragging it down his torso. Just before her finger reached the waistband of his boxers, he grabbed her hand and pushed it away.
Katherine rolled her eyes.
"C'mon, Rick," she said. "We're both adults here. And we're both hot. And I at least am horny. So let's do something about it."
"No," Alaric said, shaking his head. "Look, I can't do much about you staying here, but I'm not going to have sex with you. Maybe you don't have a problem with it, but I do, even if I can't remember... hurting you."
Katherine sighed.
"I'm a vampire, Rick," she said firmly. "A lot worse things have happened to me in the past five hundred years, believe me. And, like I said, you personally had nothing to do with the things that Klaus did." She leaned forward. "C'mon. Let's get back something of what he took from us. It might be empowering."
Her eyes raked his body hungrily, stopping at the charm hanging on a chain around his neck.
"This belonged to her," she said quietly, reaching out to run her finger over the smooth metal of the pendant. "To Jenna. Didn't it?"
Without answering, Alaric pushed her hand away. Katherine was the last person in the world he'd ever talk to about Jenna. Of course she'd recognize the charm from Jenna's vervain bracelet. She'd taken it from Jenna often enough while she was still alive, to compel her, to hurt her. Alaric had found it lying under the coffee table in his living room, no doubt where Klaus had thrown it after he'd-
Alaric screwed his eyes shut, blocking out the imagined scene. Jenna must have been so scared. Why hadn't he been with her that day, after everything that had happened? Maybe she'd still be alive, or he'd be dead, too. Either way, they'd be together.
"You can sleep here," he said, grabbing a pillow and pushing himself up. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"No!" Katherine's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, tugging on it with surprising gentleness. "Don't be a ninny, Rick. We're both adults here. Surely we can share the bed."
Alaric stared at her for a long moment. He had no desire to sleep on the lumpy couch either.
"Fine," he said finally. "Just... no sex."
"All right," Katherine said softly as she lay back on the pillows. "Good night, Rick."
"G'night," he whispered into the darkness.
xXx
Jeremy was down from UVA for the weekend. He only lived a half hour away, but his school work and other activities kept him on campus most the time, and Alaric missed the kid more than he was willing to admit, especially now that Elena was off traveling with Stefan for an indefinite period of time. When he did come home, Alaric would return to the Gilbert house, and they'd spend the weekend watching football and hanging out whenever Jeremy wasn't off with Bonnie.
After an afternoon spent playing console games, they ordered pizza and settled in the living room with a few beers. Alaric had just sat down again when his phone beeped. He pulled it out, groaning when he saw the name on the display.
"Who is it?" Jeremy asked.
Alaric sighed. "Katherine," he said. "I never should've given her my phone number."
Jeremy snorted.
"You know, you can live here," he said through a mouthful of pizza. "Leave Katherine alone in your apartment if you don't want to just throw her out."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Jer," Alaric said with a grin, tossing Jeremy a napkin. He looked down at his beer. He didn't really feel at home in the Gilbert house anymore now that the kids were gone. Besides, he felt oddly responsible for Katherine. Who knew what kind of trouble she'd get into without Alaric there to keep an eye on her? "I can't leave her alone, God knows what she'd do to my shit."
Jeremy gave him a knowing look. "Uh, huh," he said.
"'Uh, huh'." Alaric frowned at Jeremy. "What're trying to say?"
"That's just an excuse," Jeremy said with a shrug. "Just pack up your 'shit' and leave her there." He leaned back on the couch and studied Alaric for a minute. "I'm starting to think you like her."
Alaric's stomach tightened and his heart started pounding.
"Don't be ridiculous," he said with a scowl. "She's a psychotic killer, remember?"
Jeremy's face grew serious. "Oh, yeah," he said. "I remember." His hand wandered up to his neck and he rubbed it absently before he looked up to meet Alaric's eyes again. "I just hope you know what you're getting into."
"I'm not getting into anything," Alaric said as he picked up another slice of pizza. "Jesus. You sound like my dad when I started dating Isobel. He never liked her."
"Yeah, and look where that got you. Your dad sounds like a wise man." Jeremy eyed Alaric critically. "Dude, I worry about you. Have you been getting enough sleep?"
With an insanely hot, but crazy vampire in my bed? Alaric bit back the reply and shook his head with a snort. "Isn't it a bit early to start doctoring people? You only just started college. Med school's still a long way off."
"Just take care of yourself, all right?"
Alaric sighed. "Dude, you sounding more and more like Elena everyday."
Jeremy snorted. "I'll take that as a compliment." He wiped his hand on a napkin and reached for the controller. "Now, turn off your phone and get ready to have your ass handed to you."
xXx
The next morning, Alaric awoke to the sun beating into the master bedroom, where he usually slept when he stayed over at the Gilbert house, and he groaned, pulling the other pillow over his face. He hadn't gotten too drunk the night before, but he still felt a little hungover-his mouth was dry and cottony and his head was just as fuzzy. After a few moments, he rolled out of bed and padded to the bathroom, shedding his t-shirt and boxers along the way. Once he reached the bathroom, he popped a few aspirin into his mouth, bending over to drink water directly from the tap to wash them down, and then he turned on the water of the shower. After testing the temperature a few times, he stepped into the spray with a wanton sigh, his head clearing almost immediately. For the first time in days, he started to relax.
"Hello, Rick."
Alaric let out a girly shriek and whirled around to find Katherine poking her head through the curtain at the other end of the tub. He felt the blood rushing to the surface of his skin under her gaze and he snatched the washcloth off the soap dish, using it to cover his junk.
"What are you doing here?" he snarled. "Jesus, Katherine. A little privacy maybe?"
Katherine just leaned against the wall, giving him a thorough once-over.
"I missed you," she said. "Believe it or not, the apartment is boring when you're gone."
Alaric's heart made a strangle little flipflop, but he attributed it to the previous night's pizza. "Yeah, right," he said. "Run out of booze again?"
He snorted as Katherine made a face. Bingo.
"Believe it or not, I like you, Rick," she said.
"You're right, I don't believe you."
Katherine sighed. "You've obviously been listening to Damon."
"And Stefan. And Elena. And Caroline. And Elijah. And Jeremy. Even Klaus had your number. And I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of time till you add me to the list you've screwed." He frowned. "Screwed over." He glanced over at Katherine, who was smirking at his Freudian slip, and scowled.
Katherine smirk widened to a grin. "I'm sure you'd enjoy the ride either way, Rick," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. She looked him over once more. "You sure you don't want me to join you? I'll scrub your back. Among other things."
Yes. "No," he said emphatically. "Now get lost. I don't want Jer to get the wrong idea about us."
Katherine sighed as she pulled her head out of the shower and pulled the curtain shut.
"Fine," she called. "But you don't know what you're missing."
"Whatever," he called back. "There're a few beers in the fridge."
He didn't relax until he heard the door click behind her. He glanced down at his erection and let out a sigh as he turned up the cold water faucet.
Obviously, one part of him did know what he was missing.
