A/N Wow! I'm blown away by the response to chapter 1! Seems you guys really like this so far. I hope the 2nd chapter lives up to your expectations! Thank you so, so much for all the reviews and Favourite Story adds. I appreciate every one. The best thank you that you can give any author if you like what they write is to leave a review. Too many amazing writers have quit writing fanfic recently and it makes me so sad. Please show the good ones your love by reviewing. It only takes a minute. Thank you.
Special extra big thanks to fellow fic writer Layla Reyne for betaing this chapter for me. Please go read & review her stories, she's awesome!
Chapter 2
Katherine pulls out of my grasp in an instant and takes a moment to smooth down her low-cut red top before answering. Which of course draws my eyes to her cleavage, just as she intended.
"A little bird told me that Klaus is finally dead, so I thought I'd come check up on my boys." She gives me what she assumes is a seductive look but I am so not in the mood for her games right now.
"I also heard my sweet, innocent, little doppelganger got vamped." Disdain coats every word. One flawlessly tweezed brow arches in my direction. "Stefan must be thrilled."
Aha. Now I get it, a least a little bit.
I smirk at her. "Yep, you two twinsies can now bond over makeup, hair, being evil and how best to emotionally destroy the men that have the misfortune to fall for you." I roll my eyes hard. "I can see it now – you'll dress up as her to fool Stefan, she'll dress up as you to…well…fool Stefan again, I assume."
I sigh and look her in the eyes. "Really, Katherine - what do you want? I'm busy."
"Busy sleeping off a bender?" she snorts. "I need somewhere to stay while I'm in town. This place will do nicely." She picks up a bag I hadn't noticed off the floor and starts for the stairs.
I zoom in front of her. "Absolutely not. No fucking way. Not gonna happen." I brace both hands on her shoulders to stop her from going upstairs. I note that touching her affects me not in the slightest.
Of course she's 330 years older than I am, so the next thing I know I'm flat on my back looking up into her carefully composed almost-pissed-off-so-don't-push-me face.
"Not up for negotiation, Damon. But I won't be in your hair for long." She drags her perfectly manicured fingernails along my scalp and wrenches hard on said hair. I barely contain the wince and only just manage to maintain my impassive features under her scrutiny. "That is, unless you want me to be?"
That sultry look is back in place. She's still as bi-polar as ever. I can't believe that hot and cold act actually used to turn me on. Who was that guy? Doesn't seem like it was ever me.
"Get the fuck off me," I breathe with low menace. The promise of imminent pain in the tone of my voice would terrify anyone but Katherine. She just laughs in my face.
A second later both she and her suitcase have vanished up the stairs and I'm staring at the scrollwork on the ceiling wondering what other torments I'll have to endure before I can get the hell out of this godforsaken town.
Rebekah should be showing up with her bear-traps and pointy, pointy knives shortly.
Sweat drenches my skin at the memory and I shudder involuntarily. There goes any hope for further sleep tonight.
No rest for the wicked, right? Instead I decide to jump in the Camaro for a long drive to do some discreet hunting on the outskirts of Richmond. After I get my fill, I hang around for several hours in a grimy roadhouse that serves alcohol twenty-four hours a day if you have cash or, in my case, compulsion. Going back is not particularly attractive to me right now, and I'd prefer to delay that aggravation for a while longer.
Eventually the lunch crowd starts drifting in and I figure it's a good time to make myself scarce. I still feel as sober as when I walked in here hours ago. Seems little can relieve that ever-present ache anymore. Blood and booze may dull it for a bit, but only just.
I'm around halfway back to Mystic Falls when my phone rings. It's Stefan this time, so I deign to answer.
His voice is anxious. "Where are you?"
Worry momentarily spikes through me at his tone. But then again, disaster strikes every other day lately. How bad can it really be this time? Nothing can top The Night That Destroyed Everything, so I respond calmly. "On Route 15 somewhere between Richmond and you. Why? Does the world need saving again?"
"Damon, something just went down. Rebekah's dead. Come straight to the boarding house."
A broad smile stretches across my face at that news. Since Klaus turned out to be a liar-liar-pants-on-fire, we're back to not being sure who started our bloodline. I was already pretty confident it wasn't Rebekah and this just reaffirms my suspicion that papa bear is Elijah. I mentally cross 'Kill Blondie-Bex' off my to-do list. No one deserved to die more than that Original Bitch, I just hadn't yet figured out a way to do it without getting myself killed in the process. I start to comment to Stefan that I hope it's one big motherfucking celebration he's throwing, but he's already gone.
Can't deny this is a fabulous development but why do I need to suffer the torture of hearing the details in person with the rest of them? Couldn't he have just told me over the phone? There must be more to it. I sigh.
Then it hits me hard and all of the air rushes out of my lungs. The only way now to kill an Original is with the silver-coated white oak stake that Ric had clutched in his fist when he died. The very same stake that's supposed to be carefully hidden in my house. Oh, fucking hell no! I slam both hands down on the steering wheel. This is so not good. Not good at all.
I'll go home first to confirm it's missing. Now I know exactly what to expect at this meeting of the Mystic Falls Misfits - another round of the Blame Damon game. And this time they'll be completely justified. Exactly what any of us needs right now - another reason to fear we're all gonna die.
I know one thing for sure though. If I have to deal with this shitstorm this afternoon, Katherine is damn well coming with me.
We pull up the curved driveway of the boarding house an hour and a half later. Needless to say, I didn't exactly break the sound barrier rushing to get here. This is so not gonna be my definition of 'fun'. Various vehicles are parked around the edges. Looks like the gang's all here. Waiting for me to vent their anger on, no doubt.
The stake, of course, wasn't in the crevice where I oh-so-carefully hid it. I have no fucking clue how anyone could have found it. No one knew its location but me. And I don't have a murderous alter ego taking over my consciousness every now and then like Ric did. No, my murderous alter ego doesn't wait and bide his time. He sits right there in the back of my brain daily, fully alert and sliding me lurid suggestions detailing nasty things he'd love me to do to every pretty young thing that walks by. Usually these days I ignore him, but occasionally I still enjoy letting him out to play.
Yet another reason why I'm not the man Elena wants to believe I am. She wants a 'nice guy' - someone to coddle and play house with her. I am not a nice guy. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can never be the kind of guy she needs.
"So, ready for all the judgy eyes?" Katherine asks me, knowing full well I'd rather be dipped head first in a vat of vervain than walk in there right now. She's adept at reading a situation and she's got this one pegged.
"Not even slightly," I reply succinctly.
Grasping the doorknob, I suck in a deep breath and square my shoulders before I walk inside. As I step into the archway to the drawing room, Katherine appears beside me and places her hand on the small of my back in a subtly possessive way. Everyone's eyes are drawn to the two of us. I flinch slightly at her touch but I don't step away from her. Let them think what they want.
Stefan steps forward and considers both of us for a moment. "When did you get into town?" he asks Katherine.
"Last night," she replies, offering nothing more.
He turns to me. "Is she staying with you?" Do I detect a tiny note of jealousy in his voice? Well, well. Wonder if his vampire girlfriend picked up on that, too? Brother dear, you may have some 'splainin' to do later. Don't think she's the sort of girl that's willing to share her toys.
I plaster a sly grin on my face and slip an arm around Katherine's waist, pulling her against me as I nod. Suddenly I do see a benefit to having her around again.
Stefan narrows his eyes at me for a split second. Then he composes his features and begins to tell us what happened.
Apparently he, Elena, Little Witch Judgy and Vampire Barbie were having it out with Becky behind the Grill after lunch. The two blondes were getting all hot 'n heated about something or other – I pretty much tune Caroline out when she relays that bit. A muscular, bald, black guy appeared out of nowhere and next thing they knew, Miss Original gasped, fell forward onto Care and burst into flames. The dude pulled the stake out of her back, glared pointedly at the rest of them and vanished before anyone had time to react. Cause, you know, vampires. Obviously way too slow to catch him.
"I thought you hid the last white oak stake somewhere safe?" my brother accuses me. "How the hell did it end up in his hands? We all could have died, Damon!"
I roll my eyes. There it is. As predicted, this is all my fault.
"Yeah," I snap. "I kinda figured that bit out already, Hawking. I don't know what to tell you." I shrug casually. "I did have it well hidden. No one knew where it was but me, I swear."
I notice Barbie's little lap-dog watching me closely. They'd thought he died when Klaus did. And no-one has a good explanation for why he didn't. The best guess seems to be his hybrid status. Not sure if I buy that or not but honestly, it's the least of my concerns. Since realizing her lover-boy was alive, he hasn't strayed far from Sweet Caroline's side at any given time. He's currently paying more attention to our conversation than I've ever noticed him do in the past. But then again, all our lives are in danger now more than ever.
"That black guy, the one who has the stake now?" I train my stare on Stefan. "He's a Hunter. I've been trailing him off and on for a while. He's ingratiated himself with the Council already, too." My fingers still rest loosely against Katherine's ribcage. I've refused to glance her way so far, but I'm aware without a shadow of a doubt that Elena's glaring daggers at the two of us. Good. Let her jump to conclusions. What can it hurt?
"How did you know he's a Hunter?" Junior Gilbert pipes up. "Before today, that is."
"Yes," my brother asks, taking a step closer to me. "How did you know that? And why didn't you warn me?"
A thin smirk curls my lips and again I focus solely on him. "Call it intuition. And I didn't tell you because I had no proof. Which I've been trying to get. And take him out. Guess I'm a little too late."
"Guess so," Caroline snips. For the first time I realize Bonnie isn't in the room. Which is also odd. Why wouldn't she be here? Working on a spell to answer one of our thousands of questions, no doubt. Again, I don't really give a shit enough to think twice about it.
Elena has been surprisingly quiet during all this. Maybe that's a good thing. I'm fully aware she'll tell me off the next chance she gets to speak to me alone, but I intend to do everything in my power to not let that happen. Ever again, if I can help it.
"Has anyone contacted Elijah yet?" I ask, and the room falls silent. Lockwood is looking at me oddly again. What the fuck is his problem? If he tries to bite me a second time Barbie's gonna be mightily pissed when I rip the heart from her puppy.
"I guess that's a no," I sigh. "Fine, I'll do it." I pull away from Katherine and turn to walk back into the entryway. It's as good reason as any to get out of here and I'll take whatever excuse I can get, no matter how feeble.
Miss Gilbert picks this moment to finally speak up. "No. No, Damon. I'll do it. I'll break the news to him."
I stop in my tracks and half turn back toward the room but I don't meet her eyes. "Fine. You do that. I'm gonna go back to doing something useful and hunt the Hunter."
Without another word I leave them behind, Katherine hot on my heels.
I search all over town for the guy, but can't seem to find him. I do, however, overhear a couple of female council members gossiping about him at the Grill and discover his name is Connor. Don't know if that's his first or last name, but it's a start. They think he's sexy and 'mysterious'. You'd think, living in Mystic Falls, mysterious should equal suspicious, but no. No wonder this town is a supernatural danger magnet.
When I get back to the house it's dark and mercifully empty. Maybe Katherine's off annoying Stefan and Elena tonight. Hope she doesn't come back 'til morning. I could really use a stretch of uninterrupted quiet.
I walk silently through the dark house, not bothering with lights. My footsteps creak on the stairs. I can hear the air conditioning's low hum and the muted clunks as the fridge drops ice cubes into the dispenser.
Just before I flick the light on in the master bedroom, I catch the scent of honeyed jasmine and I groan. I hit the switch and find Elena sitting in the chair in the corner waiting for me, laying in wait for me like a predator would its prey. And I freeze like said prey, caught in the mesmerizing eyes of the fox and too paralyzed with fear to run.
I shake it off a second later and drag my eyes from hers. Bracing my forearm on the doorframe, I rest my forehead against it and sigh. "Can't you take a fucking hint? What do I need to do to get my point across to you? Tattoo it on your goddamn forehead?" I don't look up as I sweep my other arm behind me in a get out of here gesture.
"You won't even look at me any more. Why won't you look at me, Damon?" Damn it. Her tone conveys she has no intention of leaving. Not until she says what's on her mind. I mentally calculate how many seconds it would take me to get to my car and how many hours after that it would take me to drive to fucking Argentina, since that's about the furthest away from her I can think of.
Yet I know I'm not going anywhere. Not yet, anyway. Not with that motherfucking stake in the hands of someone who could quite literally kill us all with a single stab. Why didn't I keep it on my person instead of hiding it away? For all the times I've bitched about stupid things the rest of them have done, this one takes the cake. I win. Dunce cap, please. If we all wind up dead it will be entirely my fault.
What was she saying? Something about me not looking at her? What does that have to do with anything?
I try a different tactic to get her out of here. "Katherine's over at the boarding house with your honey-bunches-of-oats, you know. You okay with that? He might need rescuing right about now." Still won't lift my head. Don't want to look into those eyes again. I can't take her emotions – any of 'em – anymore. Not one.
"Stefan's a big boy. He can take care of himself. Since you won't answer when I call, I have to catch you by surprise if I want to talk to you." She pauses, obviously waiting for me to say something. I remain silent.
"And don't run away from me. I can keep up with you now." Oh, I fucking hate how well she can read me. "Please, Damon, just sit down. Sit down and look at me and let's talk like adults. You've been avoiding me like such a child lately."
My fingers clench into tight fists and my teeth grit together hard, but I keep my forehead pressed into my arm. "You are not an adult, Elena. Why should I treat you like one? Just what do I need to do to get you to leave me alone? Seriously. Haven't you done enough? Do you have to keep adding insult to injury, even now?"
She doesn't answer and I lift my head an inch. Just enough to see her Converse-clad feet on the white carpet. And the dirty tracks marks they've left. Yeah, I'm the child.
Look, I know I've done thousands of horrendous things in my long life, but if this is my penance - having to deal with this shit now - I'd almost prefer to be staked and just get it over with. Elena Gilbert is my fucking albatross. She will drag me below the waves and drown me and expect me to be grateful for it.
"Stefan told me that you guys flipped a coin." Goddamn it. Fuck, not this, too. Does everyone in this town hate me? Oh, wait. She keeps going. "That he lost the toss and was supposed to be the one to kill Abby. That you turned her as the last, best option and you did it so that I'd be angry with you instead of him. You still think he deserves me more than you do, don't you?" At that last her voice has gotten very, very soft.
I mentally beg with everything I've got for a hole to open up in this second-storey floor and swallow me whole. I'd prefer being dropped into the pits of hell over this conversation.
The shattering of glass interrupts my internal supplication and I look up. Just in time to see a bullet hit me in the shoulder. Bright red pain blooms out from the entry point. Holy fucking hell that hurts! My vision blurs and I hear the low underwater sound of Elena's voice as she screams my name. What the hell's going on? Why am I so drowsy? Her hand lands on my arm and her worried brown eyes swim just beyond my tunneling field of vision.
Then there's nothing. Nothing but silent night, holy night.