As if reading braille Addie ran her finger over her name stamped onto the black debit card. It only took her a quick Google search to find out that the card was associated with a checking account that required a minimum balance of one million dollars. Damon was crazy. She hadn't used the card but considered it as she stared at the luggage cart rental machine. If she used the card Damon would undoubtedly be curious when the account showed a charge in Chicago. Wherever Klaus dragged her, she could make a purchase with it, leaving an electronic trail of her movements. It wouldn't take Damon long to connect that her trail matched his leads on Stefan, meaning they were both trapped with Klaus. The hybrid had threatened Damon's life if she told him about their arrangement. Being the reckless idiot he was, Damon would concoct some stupid plan to rescue his brother. The thought of him doing so made Addie so anxious that she had purposefully avoided learning anything about how he may have tracked Stefan over the summer. If he knew she was with Klaus, would that make him try harder to save Stefan and her or would it just make him act more irrational and lead him to his death?
The card from Damon was returned to her wallet in exchange for her own. Addie wasn't certain that Damon wouldn't do something stupid when he connected her and Klaus. For now it was best that he continued to believe she was in Europe. She could always change her mind and use the card later.
After renting the luggage cart Addie met up with Rebekah at the baggage carousel. Somehow the Original vampire had returned with three more suitcases than she'd arrived with. Addie had to buy a second suitcase mostly because she couldn't repack her bag in the extremely efficient way Damon had, not because she had bought a new wardrobe or that many souvenirs. She warily eyed the four bags Rebekah had already reclaimed.
"Should I have gotten two carts?"
"Don't worry about it," Rebekah scowled as she pointed at a bright pink suitcase and a man in a suit removed it from the revolving belt. "Nik sent a lackey to pick us up. Can you believe he couldn't even bother to pick us up himself?"
Addie rolled her eyes as she heaved one of her bags from the carousel. "Marginally surprised," she huffed, dropping the heavy suitcase onto the cart. "Though I'm fairly certain he has you instructed to kill me if I tried to get on a plane to Virginia. I do think he would enjoy killing me himself but he also seems like the kind of guy who prefers to immediately retaliate. It would probably be pretty inconvenient if he had to swing by Mystic Falls just to kill me. Oh, and my brother and Damon, since I believe our arrangement involves their lives if I breach contract."
"How do you know that?" inquired Rebekah, motioning for the man to load the cart.
The cart could only manage five suitcases so Addie dragged hers along as the man started to push the trolley towards the exit. It bothered her to confess, "Klaus isn't the first sociopathic, narcissistic, serial killing vampire I've encountered. Well, he's a hybrid now but that's just a matter of technicality; you get my point. Predicting Klaus is like predicting the opposite of what Damon would do because they're both…"
"Evil? Bad? Manipulative?" the vampire suggested.
Addie pursed her lips unhappily. "I don't want to label Damon but, well, sorta. He doesn't win the 'Upstanding Citizen' award. Damon would let someone get back home, have a happy reunion, and then rip that away. He'd enjoy the idea of someone having a false sense of security or being paranoid of him. Damon is so egocentric that he would like the idea of torturing someone with the simple idea of him. Damon's… negative actions are with a purpose and reason. Most of the time. When he loses his temper it's a bit of a free for all."
"And how does this help you understand my brother?"
"Klaus… I don't see a lot of reason in what he does. He just seems to do whatever thought passes through his mind. He kept Katherine around to gather information but once he was done with that, he let her go. Everyone expected him to kill her. He has this 500 year vendetta against her and he lets her go. He abducted me the day of the sacrifice because to use me as an insurance policy. He fed me his blood and threatened to kill me if someone screwed with his plan. Damon did and, while Klaus had everyone believing I was going to be the vampire in the ritual, he didn't hurt me. If that was never his intention, why did he feed me his blood? Why abduct me? He just seemed to randomly change his mind on using me. Then there's this whole scholarship thing and now meeting up with him. He's given no real reason. He taunted us on the day of the ritual. With no purpose. Then he killed my aunt. Why? There were other choices.
"Damon is obsessive and predictable. Maybe not to everyone else but Katherine and I can predict almost every move. It's his emotions that make him so transparent. Klaus is obsessive and I've never seen him do anything that seems emotionally based. Damon, when he was searching for Katherine, it looked like he did things that weren't emotionally based. Everything was a matter of efficiency. I predict Klaus like that; he does what is efficient. Why waste the time picking us up when he can compel someone to? He knows you're going to keep me in check," Addie snarled, helping the man load the suitcases into the black SUV.
Rebekah nodded her head towards the door, waiting for the servant to open it. She peered at Addie suspiciously, "If Damon's so awful, why are you dating him?"
"Have you not scrolled through my pictures enough times to figure that out?" smirked Addie. What answer would prove most beneficial in the long run? What knowledge should she feed Rebekah to keep Damon safe in the long run.
"You don't seem like the type to date based on looks, no matter how delicious Damon is."
"Damon is a horrible monster but that part of him just…," Addie ran her hand through her hair as she thought. She needed a rational explanation without exposing Damon's weakness. She scoffed and shook her head, bitterly saying, "Damon's a great actor. He fooled me into thinking he had a heart but Katherine took and destroyed that a long time ago. Turns out I was just something to keep him entertained."
"What? When did this happen?" Rebekah gaped, her head whipping around to look at Addie in the backseat. "You two were disgustingly cute in those picture."
"Yeah. That was before I found out he's been -" Addie quickly cut herself off. The best lies were always closest to the truth. But Elena was suppose to be dead so she couldn't say that Damon had been with her. She shook her head again and looked out the window, trying to play it off.
Seeing the hurt look on the younger girl's face made Rebekah scowl. Gently she asked, "What did he do?"
"He was Damon. You were right; once a player, always a player."
"I'll kill him."
Addie laughed dryly, "As much as he may deserve that, my feelings were and are genuine, even if his weren't. I'd rather him not be dead."
Rebekah frowned and amended, "Then I'll kill the girls he was with, assuming he hasn't already done so."
"Damon hasn't killed anyone. Not in a long time," she retorted curtly, her protective instincts for the vampire kicking in. "Well, I mean he did kill those two witches working with your brother but they were kinda out to kill my sister. On the whole, though, for a self-proclaimed serial killer, he's been on model behavior."
"That's not a vampire's nature. Our instinct is to kill. If Damon is going bad again, why not go all the way?" the blonde asked suspiciously.
"Because he's Damon and everything he does, he does with an agenda. Our town has a secret council specifically to hunt vampires. Damon's managed to infiltrate it. That's kind of how he was getting his leads on where to find Stefan. If bodies drained of blood started showing up, well, there are people who would know it was him and wouldn't hesitate to kill him. And if they didn't kill him, they would certainly stop helping in his hunt for Stefan," Addie explained. It was true.
"Do you think I'd like Damon?"
She bit back a laugh, smirking, "If you are immune to his charm and sex appeal, and I can't think of a single person who has been when he's tried to go after someone, then no, you probably won't like him. Had you asked me three days ago I would have said yes either way because I thought he was a nauseating hopeless romantic like you but I was wrong."
Addie groaned loudly as the door handle clicked out of place; she could sense the darkness and negative energy radiating from Klaus before he evened entered the hotel room. Rebekah looked at her quizzically.
"Have I mentioned how I much I despise your brother?"
"Come now! I thought we agreed to a peace treaty," Klaus taunted, arrogantly strolling into the room.
A sense of relief overcame Addie when she saw Stefan come in just behind the hybrid; it was nice to know someone was on her side in this situation. It seemed Klaus had not told Stefan that she would be joining them based on the way his face paled.
"No, you said the scholarship was a peace offering. I begrudgingly agreed to a deal with you. I can assure you there was no 'ceasefire' clause," she replied with fake sweetness.
Klaus faltered for a beat as he thought of a comeback. Addie couldn't resist the eye roll; Damon would have had one before she'd finished speaking. Eventually he darkly replied, "Perhaps. However, I can assure you that this experience will be a lot more pleasant for everyone if you play nice."
Addie sucked in air through her teeth and faked a wince. "Unfortunately, recess was the only class I ever failed. Turns out I'm not very good at playing nice."
"Well, you know what you stand to lose if you don't play nice. I'll leave it up to you if you want to pay that price," he replied dismissively. Addie considered remarking how her playing nice wasn't part of the deal to keep Jeremy and Damon safe but knew it would just be antagonizing. There would be plenty of opportunities for that, no need to start off on the wrong foot. Klaus' eyes narrowed in on his sister as he continued, "You took away her phone and got her off vervain, yes?"
When it turned out that Caroline couldn't drink her blood without her throat swelling, Addie had conceded with Damon on his theory of him being immune to whatever made her blood poisonous to vampires. Vampires couldn't attack her mind either, thanks to the gruesome training she and Damon had undertaken. Their goal of Addie not needing to rely on vervain for safety had been met but they agreed it was best to keep it secret. All summer Addie had slipped vervain into her morning tea, trying to be a discrete so it didn't look like she was suspicious of Rebekah but still wanting her roommate to know that she wasn't there to be a midnight snack. Addie had noticed the change of viscosity in the vervain about a week ago, alerting her that it was something else but as she did not need the vervain, she decided to keep quiet and see what Rebekah was playing at. She was quite shocked when the other girl never tried to compel her. In feigned surprise and outrage she growled, "You did what?"
"Yes and yes," the Original answered shortly, pulling out Addie's cellphone from her pursue. Knowing she needed to discuss the whole communicating with home situation with Klaus, Addie hadn't even questioned when Rebekah demanded her phone. "I did everything you asked. Now give Stefan back his memories."
The hybrid waved two fingers, indicating he wanted her to be quiet. He grinned wickedly, "All in due time, little sister. You know how Stefan's appetite is. We have to make sure he doesn't rip right through our guest's throat."
"I believe hostage is a more accurate term," Addie interjected brightly, carefully watching Stefan as he uncomfortably shoved his hands into his pockets.
"It's all in how you view it, Addison," gleamed Klaus. He crooked a finger and beckoned her to approach.
As she moved towards him through gritted teeth Addie hissed, "Let's get one thing straight: it's Addie, not Addison."
Klaus' lips twitched in amusement as he pulled a knife from his pocket and grabbed hold of her arm by the wrist. "Your birth name is Addison. I will call you by your given name."
Her lips pursed as she considered this, focusing on anything but the cool blade on her forearm. Boldly she declared, "If you wish to go by birth names then we shall, Niklaus."
"Ok," he agreed, not taking her bait. She hissed loudly as he swiftly dragged the knife over her skin. As he expected, her blood smelled unnaturally sugary. Blood scent was directly correlated with how healthy a being was. A typical human had a scent similar to a candy apple. A vampire was akin to artificial strawberry. Addie's blood was like sweet watermelon, sweetest and most appealing of them all with a slightly forbidding note of a sour crisp. Klaus smirked in satisfaction when he saw Stefan transfixed on the crimson liquid, dark veins spreading around his hungry eyes. "Drink," he commanded the younger vampire, moving to hold out the girl's arm to him.
Stefan shook his head, not understanding Klaus' motive. "I'll kill her."
"Something tells me you won't. Drink."
"It'll be ok. I trust you," Addie urged quietly when Stefan gave her an apologetic look.
Roughly the vampire snatched her hand and his lips descended over the cut on her forearm. She winced as she felt Stefan literally suck the blood out of her. After a few moments Stefan flung her arm away, coughing and sputtering, trying to get as much of her blood out of his mouth as possible. His eyes went wide as he began to grab at his throat; it was swelling shut. Every where her blood touched felt like it was hit with a concentrated dose of vervain. It took several minutes for him to calm down.
Ice flowed through her veins as Addie went into the ensuite kitchen and grabbed a paper towel to blot at her cut. She waited for someone else to acknowledge the incident, her mind reeling at how Klaus could have possibly known.
Laughing, the hybrid clapped Stefan on the back and taunted, "When the Ripper shows up, you might want to remember that you'll be dead before you even finish her."
"What - why did that happen?" muttered Stefan. Addie's stomach flipped at the sight of him ripping into a blood bag.
"If I told you that would destroy the mystery that is Addison Gilbert," Klaus grinned.
When the hybrid bit his wrist and held it out towards her Addie backed up into the counter, applying more pressure to the cut with the napkin. Taking Damon's blood was one thing but Klaus' was completely different. The idea of being a neck snap away from transitioning to a vampire wasn't comforting. "Thanks but I think I'll take the slow and steady healing process. It's how the tortoise beats the hare so there must be something right about healing like a human."
"That's gonna scar."
"Obviously," Addie sneered. She gave him a look of excitement and quipped, "Do you know how much of a bad-ass I'll look like when I show up with a battle scar from my time with you?"
Her lips pressed into a thin line when Klaus stepped so close that she had to tilt her head up to look at him. "That's just a papercut," he smirked superiorly. Suggestively he added, "I can give you a real battle scar, though."
She shook her head, refusing to give in to the awful desire to put as much space between them as possible. "Nah, I'm more into the clean cut versus rugged and scarred look. But since you're in such a giving mood I'd really like it if you could give me an explanation as to how you knew Stefan can't drink my blood."
"It's only our first night together. If I told you now, what would you try and weasel out of me over the rest of the summer? But as you said, I'm in a generous mood so I'll give you a hint. Your doppleganger sister fascinated me by the genes she received from her mother. They overpowered her Gilbert DNA. In you, I'm fascinated by the Gilbert DNA manifesting itself in the most divine way."
Addie forced her face to remain impassive; Klaus wanted her to ask more questions. She hopped to sit on the counter, placing a little more space between them and keeping him from peering down into her face. At just over five feet, height became a component of a power struggle; at least that's how it was with Damon. And Klaus had a good two inches on Damon. Average height was a Gilbert trait her siblings were blessed with. Siblings. Jeremy. "You know," she sighed heavily, resting her hands on her knees, "one Gilbert trait is being needy and overprotective. Am I allowed to discuss our arrangement?" She gave a pointed look at Stefan.
"Sure."
"So, I'm not supposed to talk to Damon during our little adventures. That's fine; I took care of him. We didn't exactly leave a clear understanding of what kind of contact I can expect to have with my brother. To put it simply, Jeremy and Damon are gonna flip and do something stupid if I don't check in with Jer every couple days. After the curse breaking and my sister and aunt, I'm sure you can appreciate their over zealous concern with me not directly under their noses. Story is I'm exploring Europe. If I don't keep that up it's not going to take long for Damon to put together the truth. When he does that he's gonna come find me. Now, that would kinda defeat the whole purpose of me going along with this because the second he shows up you're gonna rip his heart out."
"Does Damon enjoy your rambling?" Klaus interrupted boredly.
"Yes, yes he does. Don't you?" Addie asked sweetly, flashing him a flirtatious smile and fluttering her lashes.
"No. Get to the point of what you want."
Inhaling deeply Addie pretended to carefully weigh her words, "Well, it's not so much what I want; it's more about what's in everyone's best interest. It would be most convenient for all of us if you allow me to have my phone."
Klaus shook his head, laughing slightly, "You're joking. What part of, in your terms, hostage do you not understand?"
Addie gave a slight nod, indicating he had a valid point. "So, you're going to lead Damon to his death and not hold up your end of the bargain of that small detail about keeping him alive? I'll be the first to admit that Damon can be a bit of a party crasher. Him showing up would just put a damper on all our fun and debauchery. He claims he can be bad but something tells me you can be badder."
"Flattery gets you nowhere. How do I know you don't just want your phone to tip someone off?"
She scoffed and looked at him with disgust. "Do I look like an idiot? I'm your prisoner because I don't want you to kill the few people I have left that I care about. Do you really think I'm going to send up a signal flare and announce I'm with you on a blimp?"
"I will keep hold of your phone. I'll monitor every incoming and outgoing message. Try anything and everyone in your contact list will be slaughtered."
"Remind me again why I convinced Klaus to let us borrow Tony and the car," Rebekah demand boredly, snatching the giant cup of crushed ice Addie kept chewing. If she didn't stop it would be all gone by the time she went to use it for its intended purposes.
"Because neither one of us can drive. At least not legally. I'm not about to do something stupid and illegal. If I got caught driving, they could extend how long I have to wait to get my license. Right now, we are talking less than two months. Freedom is so close I can almost taste it!" exclaimed Addie, turning to look out window at the buildings flashing by. All she had to do was give Tony, the same man who had picked them up from the airport, an address and he drove to it, no questions asked. Her stomach twisted guiltily at the way the man was compelled.
The vampire rolled her slate blue eyes. Addie had proven to be more of a conundrum than Klaus had warned her about; Rebekah wasn't sure if she was being dense on purpose or not. Sometimes Addie found it humorous to state the obvious and other times she got frustrated when the obvious was pointed out because her mind was already 100 miles ahead. "I meant 'where are we going and why?'' she snapped before remembering. "You don't even have a car."
"True," Addie drew out, "but I'll get one as soon as I can test drive one." And she would; the monthly "allowance" from her parent's will plus the new "allowance" from John's was more than enough for the cost of a car, gas, and insurance. "It won't be my dream car but it will get me from point A to wherever the hell I end up." That's why Damon said he would never trust her with his car; she would get in with the intention of going to the store and back but would suddenly decide to just keep driving. Addie grinned broadly as she pulled out the plastic card with her photo on it. She waved it in the other girl's face and singsonged, "And we're doing what we're doing because I still have this."
Rebekah snatched the fake ID and reviewed it. "It says you're 18; that's not old enough to buy alcohol in the US."
"Yeah, it doesn't make me old enough to gamble, either. And you still owe me a bottle of Jack Daniel's," Addie remembered. She'd found that she actually liked the taste of the whiskey when it blended with Coke. "We're going to a tattoo parlor because the only thing this," she flicked the card, "let's me do in America that is still fun is get inked and pierced without parental consent."
"You have a vampire boyfriend and a new vampire best friend. You do realize that you could just get or do whatever you wanted with a little compulsion," sighed Rebekah as she passed the fake ID back.
"Where's the fun in that?" Addie asked blankly. Then she laughed, remembering what Damon had said the first she had gone to confront him about him and Stefan staying away from Elena. "Besides, my vampire ex-boyfriend would cut my fake ID in two just for the power rush. But he doesn't card when supplying alcohol."
"I keep forgetting you guys broke up."
Addie shrugged. "Well, now it's not cheating when he inevitably bangs m- Mu Sigma Upsilons. The sorority is big at the college next to town. Mujeres siempre unidas and all that," covered Addie, cursing herself for almost mentioning Elena as being alive for the hundredth time. She wasn't entirely convinced life wouldn't be easier if Klaus' plan had gone as intended.
Rebekah gave the other girl an apologetic smile for bringing up Damon. She tried to shift Addie's focus back to what they were doing by recollecting,"You literally just said you weren't about to do something stupid and illegal. You realize using a fake ID is illegal, right?"
"Yes. If you get caught."
"No, no. It's always illegal."
"Ok, well, getting caught using it would be stupid and I already said I'm not doing something stupid and illegal."
"Pretty sure doing anything that requires us going to a tattoo parlour gets classified as stupid," judged Rebekah with a click of her tongue.
Smirking, Addie wished she could waggle her eyebrows like Damon but settled for raising them up and down a few times. "Getting a tattoo would be stupid. I haven't thought out what I want, the meaning behind it, where I want it, how I want it, considered how it look in 20 and 40 years, and everything else you should do before getting a tattoo. I'll agree in filing 'impulsive tattoo' as stupid. But a piercing, which can be taken out, removed, and in all other words essentially undone does not count as stupid because you can always change your mind."
A humming noise of disagreement came from the vampire. "You already have a nose stud and your bellybutton and ears pierced."
"Katherine decided that it would make Damon more interested in me when she wanted me to manipulate him," Addie dismissed. "This time, I'm deciding where the needle gets jabbed. Actually, I decided to add in the belly button piercing last time…. My point is: I have a fake ID that needs to be utilized to its full advantage without me doing anything stupid. Not all of us can compel our way through life. Plus, if I'm deceiving someone, I feel more moral about using a fake ID than controlling someone's mind. It's not my fault is they can't tell that it's fake. Plus, isn't it more fun to live with the thrill of possibly not getting your way?"
"No. Life is far better when you get whatever you want without worrying."
Stupid, elitist vampires. They were always so entitled. Did none of them remember what it was like to be human and unable to demand your way through life?
"You do realize this fake ID is from the UK, yes?" Addie just gave Rebekah a wink. The vampire sighed in annoyance. "At least tell me you aren't getting some stupid and unreasonable piercing."
"Depends on how you classify a tongue piercing," Addie replied in an English accent. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on trying to sound more like a London native than from Northern England. "I can see it as beneficial to some aspects of life or a pain in the ass every time I accidentally bite it."
"Too bad Damon won't reap the benefits," snickered the blonde.
Addie tilted her head curiously. She'd never even considered what Damon would think. Oh, well; he'd just have to deal with it or get over it. She already made up her mind. A wicked grin crossed her face as she placed the ID back in her wallet and saw the black card from Damon. It would either annoy the hell out of him for paying something he hated. If he liked it, well, that was a reason to make him pay for it. Annoy him or make him pay for his own toys, it seemed like a win-win to her. And there would be a Chicago charge on the account. Damon was going to come to Stefan's aid. It was best that he be prepared and know that she was with Klaus and Stefan instead of having an unpredictable reaction when Klaus used her and her safety as a threat against him.
Addie stared at the brooding vampire as she leaned against the door to his room in the hotel suite. He hadn't answered when she knocked but she knew he was in there. Normally she avoided Stefan; it wasn't that she disliked him, she just wasn't exactly fond of the supernatural element he'd brought to Elena's life. Then there was the space she put between them so Damon would never question if she, like her sister and Katherine, preferred Stefan. It almost felt like a betrayal to Damon when she entered Stefan's room searching for reassurance, comfort, and familiarity.
"Not answering is not an invitation to enter," Stefan remarked, setting aside the book he was reading.
She crossed her arms and scowled, "Isn't Damon supposed to be the snarky one?"
"You haven't met me on human blood."
"Well, there was that little period around the Miss…," she trailed off at the daggering look he gave her. Addie raised her hands defensively, "Fair enough. I have no idea who you are."
He laughed humorlessly as he ran his hands over his face. "You know, I have no idea who I am anymore. I can't expect you to."
After a two weeks of deep-dish pizzas, five different zoos and aquariums, many nights at a pub and far too much time in a hotel Klaus had restored a small portion of Stefan's memories from his time with the Originals in the 1920s. Addie didn't know much but she gathered Stefan wasn't happy to learn that he had at least known of Klaus and dated Rebekah.
"How far gone are you from the Stefan I knew?" His lips pursed as he considered how to answer. Addie saw the struggle within him and reminded him, "Rebekah still has Klaus stuck watching her model every article of clothing at Ann Taylor. This is just between us."
"I'm just trying to keep Klaus from being suspicious about your sister. He can't make his hybrids because Elena's alive. While you've been on field trips I've been watching a witch; she's why we're in Chicago. Klaus wants me to observe with whom she interacts with and if she's on the up-and-up. Soon he's going to go to her and ask why the hybrids aren't working." Stefan admitted darkly.
Addie sat on the edge of the bed as she became lightheaded and the blood drained from her face. Everything they had done to save Elena and it was all about to unravel. Terrified, she whispered, "He's going to find out."
"I don't know," he said slowly. "Magic is complicated. The witch won't just look into a crystal ball and see Elena. Remember how Damon needed Emily's grimoire to undo the spell that was put on the tomb?"
"I vaguely seem to recall his obsession, yes."
Stefan gave her a half smile before continuing to explain his theory, "Damon knew as much about Emily's spell as Klaus knows about the spell placed on him. He knows it's purpose, what it does. Klaus is going to need someone or something to tell him the actual spell so he can undo it."
"Yeah, the witch you've been spying on!" Addie snapped, running her hand through her hair.
Stefan shook his head. "No, no. Damon tried to figure out from that witch in Georgia but she said he needed Emily's spellbook. He needed Emily's crystal to undo the spell in his original plan. I think Klaus is going to need something from the one who cursed him, the Original witch."
"Or this witch could just, oh, I don't know, chat up the spirit witches, find the Original witch and get the answer from her! The doppelganger isn't dead!" she countered sharply.
"The spirits don't work like that. Witches are anti-vampire, remember? They didn't want to tell me how to save Damon's life. I'm pretty sure they're gonna be anti-hybrid. The Original witch was. He's going to need either a thousand year old talisman or grimoire to figure out the spell. How likely is it that something has survived that long?"
Addie scoffed and exclaimed, "Klaus has!"
he ignored her and continued, "Even then all he's going to know is what he already knows: how to break the curse. As far as he knows, he did everything he was supposed to in order to break the curse. He'll just have to accept that part of the curse is that he can't make more hybrids."
Addie's eyes narrowed as she studied Stefan. The desire to ask if he was so naive to as to believe that Klaus would just accept that he couldn't had to be suppressed. Did he not understand the obsessive nature of guys like Klaus? Hadn't he learned from watching his brother focus on Katherine for 145 years? She didn't have any ideas of how to save Elena's so she'd just hope Stefan was right and tell Damon to take Elena to Guam when it turned out he was wrong and Klaus would start hunting her sister. "Alrighty then," she over enunciated. "Sounds good to me."
"Elena's going to be fine," Stefan reassured her, gently squeezing her shoulder. "Damon won't let anything happen to her."
"Yeah, he'll take care of her," she agreed. Her stomach knotted as she thought of Damon and Elena spending so much time together, flirting with each other. Damon had dubbed the period they wouldn't be talking a separation. Did a separation mean he would be doing more than flirting? With anyone? Leaving Damon thinking that she was experimenting with another guy had essentially pushed him to be with someone else. It was fair; she knew what she risked when she hurt him like that. Just as long as it wasn't Elena. If it was Elena it meant something to Damon. He admitted that he would always have lingering feelings for her. Addie scoffed; she never thought she'd wish her boyfriend was sleeping with someone else. Well, she'd prefer if he had no interest in anyone but he was Damon and she just hoped his interest didn't return to Elena. But, no. That would never happen, anyway. Elena was too crazy about Stefan. Though her diary reeked of her unrequited pining for Damon.
Stefan cleared his throat and sharply asked, "Speaking of Damon, how could you do this to him?"
"I didn't exactly have a choice," Addie snarled. "I didn't know my scholarship from Nik Mikaelson was from Niklaus. I was sitting in the airport and he showed up. It boiled down to I could either go to the program and join him after or skip the program and go with him right then. If I picked none of the above Klaus would kill my brother and yours. I'm not doing this to him. I'm doing it to save his life. Not mention saving your girlfriend's life because I doubt he'd go to Mystic Falls and not run into Elena."
"I'm not dating Elena anymore. That's over."
She broke into laughter, dropping her face into her hands. "That's wonderful. That's just… just great."
"I don't get the joke," frowned Stefan.
Addie flopped backwards on the bed as Stefan moved to sit next to her rather than against the headboard. She rubbed at her stinging eyes. "Your ex-girlfriend, the one your brother loved - well, I suppose that's both of 'em but you know which I mean in this instance - is being guarded by said brother, who I… care about very deeply. And your ex-girlfriend may or may not have feelings for your brother, who has instilled into my head that he will always care about your ex-girlfriend."
"There are so many simpler ways you could have said you think something will happen between Damon and Elena."
Her words replayed in her head and she conceded, "I suppose it could have been that short and brief but I have a very bad habit of not getting directly to the point and rambling on. I'm fairly certain it drives Damon insane. On the other hand, he doesn't really seem to mind as he tunes most of my pointless points out."
"How do you not confuse the hell out of him?" he muttered, following her thoughts.
"I believe I do. Actually, that's one of the few factors I have going for me; he's so confused that half the time he doesn't know what's going on. And we can't fight about something if we're both confused or either one of us is unaware of everything," Addie pointed out as she reflected on the many conversations she'd had with Damon. There were somethings, like her galavanting around Europe with Alex or Damon's feelings for Elena, that they should have really fought about, as opposed to fighting over whether or not Damon was ever allowed to use the waffle maker again after producing raw, healthy waffles.
All they ever did was fight. Was she saying that what they did wasn't actually fighting? Or did they not fight over important things because either one or both of them wouldn't know how to cope with their emotions? Stefan could kinda see that; they both only knew how to feel too much or not at all. All he knew for sure was that their relationship was a working dysfunction. He reminded her, "Damon loves you. Even if Elena shows an interest in him he wouldn't do anything about it. He can be a womanizer but you've turned him into a one girl kind of guy."
Addie awkwardly chuckled as she scratched at an eyebrow uncomfortably. "Yeah, um, I'm not so sure about that."
Nudging her foot with his Stefan grinned at her knowingly. "Trust me. My brother, he's crazy about you, Addie. I mean, I know there was a period Damon was interested in Elena but that's ancient history. You make him into a better man. He would do anything to make you happy."
"Mhm," she hummed, unconvinced.
"I'm surprised he hasn't shown up to save you. Even if he believes you're traveling around Europe," he remarked brightly, trying to understand her frown.
"I don't see Damon rushing to save a girl that broke up with him," spat Addie. "It's far more likely that he's enjoying some quality time with your not-girlfriend."
There was no way he heard that correctly. Addie and Damon fought and drove each other insane but they were oddly perfect for each other. "I'm calling your bluff. You're being paranoid."
Rubbing at her eyes she muttered, "You're surprised he hasn't shown up. I haven't talked to him in over two weeks and yet he's not freaking out. How do you think I've managed that? Damon and I are separated."
"This is so not sketchy," Addie muttered as she followed Stefan and Klaus through a heavy, metal door. The was a short, dark corridor with walls of stone that led to thick, red curtains that concealed an entryway.
Klaus held apart the curtains for her to enter as he reminisced with a smirk, "It opened up during the Prohibition. Everything was off limits, which made everything so much fun. It was an illegal club; obviously, it's sketchy. It makes for the perfect place for my favorite witch. If anyone can help us with our hybrid problem, it's her."
"We do not have a hybrid problem; you have a hybrid problem," she snapped, glaring daggers at him. Passing him with with a slight brush of her shoulder in the cramped corridor Addie entered into a large pub. It was dim, quiet, and empty. Despite the current, dilapidated look of old wooden chairs and tables, it wasn't hard to imagine the venue as once a grand spectacular with its large clearing in the middle for dancing, a stage for live entertainment, and beautiful crystal chandeliers.
Stefan gave Klaus a smirk over his shoulder and nodded. "I agree with Addie; you have a problem."
"Wait!" exclaimed Addie, abruptly stopping. Slowly she turned to Klaus with an astonished look and mocked, "You mean our as if we're all a team because we are so unwillingly shackled to you. In that case, we do have a hybrid problem."
The Original hybrid emitted a low rumble from deep in his chest and snarled, "You are not amusing. And both of you chose to be shackled to me."
"It's not really choosing if it's between you and Damon dying."
"So you wouldn't have come along to save just your brother?"
"I would have but Stefan and I both literally picked you over Damon dying or being killed. It's the golden thread that weaves our fates together, bonds my life with his, brings together two completely -"
With a sneer Klaus cut her off, "You know, I think I'm being far too nice to Damon in giving him several weeks of not having to hear you prattle on and on."
"Damon finds it endearing," Addie said smugly and stuck her tongue out. "You've only burdened yourself with my perfectly sensible nonsense."
"You got to be kidding me," came a female voice from across the room. A thin, willowy woman Addie guessed to be in her 50s entered from a shady corner, shaking her head in disbelief.
Klaus smirked and joked, "So a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender-"
"Stop," the woman insisted firmly as she walked towards them. "You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny." Her eyes crinkled at the corner as she smiled slightly at Stefan. "I remember you."
Stefan glanced to Klaus curiously. Addie watched in fascination as their eyes connected. Klaus pupils dilated and then receded. Stefan turned back to the woman and his eyebrows furrowed as he remembered, "Yeah. You're Gloria. Shouldn't you be…"
A trembling hand ran through Addie's hair as she realized Klaus had compelled back some more of Stefan's memory with just a look. It was troubling to know Klaus didn't need to use verbal commands.
"Old and dead?" the witch teased. "Now if I die, who's going to run this place, huh?"
Addie shook her head as she muttered to herself, "That's not possible. Witches are immortal."
"Gloria's a very powerful witch," Klaus loudly whispered. She jumped in surprise when she felt the breath of his words against her ear.
Addie scowled and hit his stomach with the back of her hand muttering, "Ass."
"I can slow the aging down some. Herbs and spells. But don't worry, it'll catch up to me one day," the witch informed her, the cheeky smile never faltering.
Klaus cleared his throat and looked pointedly at the other vampire. "Stefan, why don't you go and fix us up a little something from behind the bar?"
"Yeah, sure thing," Stefan nodded, heading in that direction.
Addie put a hand in front of her mouth as if she was to convey a secret but asked too loudly, "Should I go wait in the car now?"
He scowled at her, making Gloria's grin spread. "Now, I know Stefan but I don't know this pretty little spitfire."
"This is Addison Gilbert, my doppelganger's little sister," Klaus supplied, moving towards a table.
Glaring, she took the seat next to him and corrected, "Cousin, Niklaus. We're only siblings by law." Addie had been feeling decidedly anti-Elena lately. She was fairly sure it had nothing to do with the fact that, according to Jeremy, her and Damon spent every waking moment together; that would've been petty of her.
"Right," he replied curtly. He motioned for Gloria to take the free seat. "Won't you-"
"Don't bother with the flattery," Gloria chastised, relaxing back into the chair, scrutinizing Klaus. Addie's respect for her increased as she so brashly handled the Original. "I know why you're here. A hybrid out to make more hybrids? That kind of news travels fast."
"So what am I doing wrong? I broke the curse." Klaus growled.
Addie's heart began to race.
The witch raised one shoulder casually. "Obviously you did something wrong. Look, every spell has a loophole, but a curse that old…. We'd have to contact the witch who created it."
So far Stefan's plan was holding up.
"Well, that would be the Original witch. She's very dead," snarled the hybrid.
Gloria nodded understandingly. "I know. And for me to contact her, I'll need help. Bring me Rebekah."
Rebekah? The Rebekah who hadn't been dragged along because she insisted on having a spa day? Surely not. There was suppose to be some big, epic hunt to find whatever Gloria needed to talk to the Original witch!
"Rebekah," Klaus scoffed, shaking his head. "Rebekah is a bit pre-occupied."
"She has what I need. Bring her to me."
"What's this?" Stefan asked loudly, holding up a photo at the bar.
While Addie couldn't make it out, Klaus obviously knew what it was as he replied smugly, "Well, I told you, Stefan. Chicago's a magical place."
"But this… this is us with our arms over each other shoulders. Like we were friends."
"Yes," Klaus said shortly as he stood up. "Now let's go. I need to get my sister."
Addie scoffed and laughed, "You're batshit crazy if you think I'm going with you to drag Rebekah out of a spa."
"I don't have time for games," he hissed.
She looked up at him wide eyed and innocent. She maintained, "I'm not going. I've spent a whole summer with the girl. Her temper is worse than yours! Excuse me for saying this but I'd rather not have my neck snapped just because you want to drag her from a spa to a witch. Unlike you or Stefan, I won't wake up feeling sore in a couple of hours."
"Fine. Stay here!" he snapped.
"Oh, yes," Gloria muttered. "I'm all about being a babysitter."
Addie made to scowl but Klaus was already gone. Instead she exhaled sharply and turned to the witch. "You said you still run this place. Looks like I have nothing but time. What can I do?"
Based on a scientific article and experiment that suggested people use blinks as a sort of mental resting point, to briefly shut off visual stimuli and to refocus attention Addie blinked three times before staring back at the grains in the wood. This time she placed her finger on the groove that flowed out from the roughly circular, dark piece of wood, the knot. Determining where the vein of the knot ended proved more difficult when the lines started to blur together after three Coke and whiskeys. She pushed the tumbler across the bar; no more until she figured out where the line ended. With nearly five hours to pass and nothing to fill the time, Addie had succumbed to tracing patterns in the bar top. Gloria suggested that she find something more entertaining about two hours earlier so Addie order a Coke with Jack Daniel's. She was certain Gloria meant something more along the lines of socializing with the patrons that had flooded in when she opened the pub but had given her the alcohol anyways. Boredom didn't suddenly absolve her anxiety in talking to strangers. But each empty glass the witch kept replacing made her attempts at understanding the wood that much harder and amusing.
Gloria humphed as she swiped two glasses off the bar. "Don't see the Salvatore boys for nearly 90 years and then you get both those in one day? Obviously there's gonna be trouble," she muttered to Addie.
"What?" she gawked after a second of processing. Frantically she asked, "What do you mean both?"
The witch nodded her head towards the entrance but Addie didn't dare to look. "Stefan's brother."
Addie let out a quiet stream of colorful words as she bent her head down and tried to arrange her dark blue hair to shield her face as best she could. She debated on trying to make an inconspicuous move towards the bathroom. Gloria must have been able to tell something was wrong because she moved further down the bar before she acknowledged Damon.
"Well, look what the wind blew in," the witch grinned appreciatively. "Last I heard, you hated this place."
The nausea from the alcohol hit her as she tilted her head up just enough to see Damon arrogantly swagger his last few steps to the bar. God, he had to have twenty black shirts and to hell if she knew the difference between them except the one RRL. No other shirt fit his shoulders so perfectly or bared the perfect amount of chest when he left those top buttons open or made him look so lean and muscular at the same time. Damn. He looked even more perfect than when she'd left him. He'd been down right attractive but now he was, well, there were no other words besides smoldering hot and seriously sexy. Those words weren't even in her dictionary! Addie forced herself to look back down before he caught her. She shook her head lightly and pushed the tumbler even further away. If Damon was starting to look better, which wasn't physically possible, it was a clear sign that she'd had more than enough to drink.
"Gloria. Damn! If I knew you were going to age like this, I would have stuck around."
Addie bit at her lip to suppress the smirk that tugged at her lips. That was his flirting voice. Damon wanted something.
"I always did like you better. But I see your brother is still running in the wrong crowd," Gloria said disapprovingly as she pulled out a clean glass.
"You've seen him?" he asked, his voice slightly higher. Addie moved to biting the insides of her cheeks. That innocence and surprise was so faked. She sat on the side of the bar and at least he leaned up against it with his back to her so she could steal another little peek.
Gloria nodded as she filled the glass with scotch. "With Klaus. Bad combo."
Addie brought a hand up to cover her mouth as he too naively asked, "You know where they went?"
"They'll be back here later tonight," she informed as she tucked the bottle away. "They're out running a little errand for me," she finished sliding the drink to him.
Before she could pull her hand back behind the bar Damon's landed lightly on top of hers. "Gloria." Addie had to look away from that pressed smirk. He really wanted something. "Don't be a tease," he scolded gently. "What kind of errand?"
The witch removed her hand from under his and shook her head. "I don't think so. You may be cute, but you're still a vampire."
Addie could see the frustration on his face as he drummed his fingers against the bar. He stopped scowling just long enough to toss back the drink. His fingers stilled and his face relaxed slightly. Coolly Damon echoed, "They'll be back here later tonight?" She nodded. "Good," he said far too brightly before his voice immediately darkened again, "that gives me time to deal with my girlfriend."
She bent her head lower, again messing with her hair to hide her face. He meant Elena; he had to mean Elena. That was not Damon invading her personal space. Those were not his steel-toed boots she was looking down at. It couldn't be his stare she felt boring into her.
Silently Damon stood next to her for a few more moments. It was as much a chance to give her to respond as it was time for him to reign in his anger enough to be on a measurable scale. When he felt like he could talk to her without screaming he quietly demanded, "How long are we gonna play this game, Addison?" She could hear the threatening, dangerous undercurrent in his words. "'Til Klaus gets back?"
Her hand shook as she pushed it through her hair, raising her head as she did so. Warily she turned slightly to face him and recoiled. There was confusion and pain in those bright eyes but the anger nearly occluded everything else. Addie had seen Damon mad but she'd never witnessed him so livid that his face started to color. His emotions were volatile at best but as every second passed, she could read in his face, his tense stance that whatever he was suppressing was becoming more and more explosive. He made to grab her hand but unconsciously she pulled away.
His eyes narrowed as he quietly seethed, "You think I'm gonna hurt you?"
Bonnie's throat ripped out. Jeremy's snapped neck. Alaric's pierced lung. John's broken neck. Damon wouldn't hurt her but his temper was almost an entirely different person.
"Alright," he scoffed when it was obvious she wasn't going to answer. Inhaling sharply he lowered his face until it was even with hers and in a sickeningly sweet voice declared, "You're going to follow me outside or I'm gonna start ripping off heads." The wheels spinning in her head were practically visible. He dropped the tone and growled, "You really don't want to find out if I'm bluffing." Damon backed away slightly when he saw her continuing to debate whether or not to believe him. "You know it's not smart to underestimate a man who has nothing to lose. I lost my brother. I lost you to Klaus. Really, the question is why haven't I already ripped everyone's throat out?" He turned away and headed towards the door. She'd gone pale when he brought up that bastard hybrid. She'd follow. And it was obvious she wasn't thinking straight otherwise she would have made some smartass retort about how Gloria would have him rolling in pain before he could touch anybody.
Her whole body trembling Addie followed Damon outside. When he turned down a dark, narrow alley at the side of the building she hesitated.
No longer hearing her footsteps behind him, Damon was back at the alley entrance in three long strides. He snatched her wrist, being extremely mindful not to snap it and tugged her into the secluded side street. "God, have you gone stupid? You think Klaus isn't going to kill you standing out in the open like that?"
Addie pressed herself against the wall as Damon began to pace back and forth in front of her. He was like a caged animal as the anger rolled off him. She want to fight with him, to defend herself but he was right. Klaus was going to kill both of them. Mostly she just wanted him to stop pacing; it was making her dizzy and she already felt queasy.
"Will you stop flinching every time I turn?" he snapped. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just…." He growled, pushed a hand through his hair and grimaced. That was a particularly annoying habit he had picked up from her. When he went to pass her again he stopped and critically eyed her. It just didn't make sense. No, he wasn't great but Klaus was… more not great. God, she had him so confused he couldn't even string together a sensical sentence. He couldn't do it. He couldn't make two plus two equal four; it just kept equaling 'hybrid'.
Was she actually shaking? Did she really think he could ever harm her? Forcing his breathing to slow and deepen Damon encroached on her personal space. The palms of his hands rested against the brick wall on either side of her shoulder, careful not to touch her, despite the twitching in his fingers. Closing his eyes and exhaling slowly he bowed his forehead to rest against hers.
Hardly daring to breathe Addie stared at Damon's open face. Every emotion whipped across his features, anger, pain, doubt, confusion. She tried to match her breathing to his but he was inhaling and holding it far longer than any normal human could.
"I don't - I can't - I just-" he stammered, loss for words. He could feel her head slightly trembling under his. Annoyed he uttered harshly, "Stop. Stop shaking. Ads, I'm not going to hurt you."
With just that simple nickname Addie felt something in her start to relax. He was more her Damon than he was the caged animal, now.
He shook his head as he tried again to understand but failed. How she could be with Klaus was beyond him. Just letting her go, letting Klaus have her wasn't an option but he had to. She already made her pick in some competition he didn't even know he was competing in. It wasn't fair. No. He wouldn't just accept her screwing him over like that, not without…. His lips brushed tentatively over hers. When she inhaled sharply he reminded, "You still owe me a goodbye kiss. Told me to save it for when you got home."
The last of her fear slipped away as his lips pressed gently at hers again. This was her Damon; he'd beaten his temper for her. She meant her kiss as a brush, a butterfly touch of lips on lips, but he leaned down toward her, and his movement changed the angle swiftly; she pressed up against him harder than she'd meant to, her lips sliding to center against his. She felt him breathe out in surprise against her mouth. Their kisses deepened slowly, softly, the intensity growing between them as it always did, like a blaze that started with a single match and flared into was home, Damon's arms surrounding her, the cool summer night wind of Chicago in their clothes, her fingers digging into the back of his neck, the place where his hair curled softly against the skin. His palms were still flat against the stone behind her, but he moved his body against hers, gently pressing her up against the wall; she could hear the harsh undertone of his breathing. He wouldn't touch her with his hands and she knew it was because he didn't want her to feel trapped. He realized he had scared her and now he was worried she'd stay scared and skittish. She could still touch him, though, and she let her hands go freely, over the swell of his arms, down to his chest, tracing the ridges of muscle, pressing outward to grip his sides until the RRL button up was rucking up under her fingers. Her fingertips touched bare skin, and then she was sliding her hands up under his shirt. Addie hadn't touched him like this in so long, she had nearly forgotten how soft his skin was, how the muscles in his back jumped under her touch. She had taken control of the kiss. Now she felt him tense as he took it back.
Taking advantage of her slight gasp Damon slipped his tongue into her mouth. He hesitated when he hit something hard but felt Addie smirking. He probed at the object curiously and groaned, pressing harder into her. She'd gotten a fucking tongue ring. The taste of Jack and Coke still lingered. He growled softly. Whiskey and a tongue ring? The girl was trying to kill him. No, not him. Klaus. Reluctantly he broke the kiss and placed a small amount of space between them as he rested his forehead back on hers. He watched as her chest brushed against him as she breathed heavily. Damon laughed softly, "Should I be more surprised by the fact that you fot your tongue pierced or you now drink whiskey?"
"I only drink Jack Daniel's, which is technically a straight bourbon," she retorted, her lips tugging into a saucy smile.
"Oh, love, that's cute," he cooed teasingly, "but it's technically Tennessee whiskey, not bourbon."
She scoffed at his belittling tone, "The definition of Tennessee whiskey is a straight bourbon made in Tennessee. Jack is bourbon."
With pursed lips Damon shook his head and disagreed, "Ads, the bottle says whiskey; it doesn't say bourbon."
"Because it says Tennessee in front of whiskey which is basically the same as slapping on a label that says 'straight bourbon.'"
"But it's not the same since it doesn't actually say 'straight bourbon.' It's a whiskey, love."
Her lips pinched before relaxing into a smug smirk as she condescendingly patted his cheek. "All bourbon is whiskey, hun."
He closed his eyes at the way the little term of endearment made his heart race. That was the third time she called him that, the third time she called him anything besides Damon. Part him just wanted to cave in and tell her she was right and she could classify Jack Daniel's however the hell she wanted. The rational part of him knew it didn't matter because she was with Klaus. Rationality settled on wondering, "When did you come so versed in alcohol? When did you even start drinking?"
"Uh, early to mid June? Took several trials and errors to find that I only like Jack and Coke."
"Interesting choice," he muttered. "How did this fail to come up in, I don't know, all our conversations?"
"Because if our conversations simply consisted what we have and have not tried to drink it would prove to be a very one sided conversation and only you like hearing you talk that much," she answered simply.
"I meant that you, Little Miss Law-Abiding All-Around Good Girl, started drinking."
Addie faked a dramatic wince and inhaled sharply, "Yeah…. I'm afraid we're gonna have to toss that label. Fairly certain using a fake ID to get into clubs, buy alcohol, and get piercings is illegal. And I'm pretty sure almost none of that is good and some things I did this summer were definitely bad."
"That's how you got your tongue pierced?"
"No. I was an idiot and let Joe the Plumber jab a hepatitis soaked need through my tongue."
"Such a smartass. You know, I'm thinking of ways to keep pushing of the inevitable conversation but my efforts seem futile and I'm kinda on a deadline; gotta reign in an off the rails brother."
"No!" she snipped. "You have to let Stefan go. He's doing fine. He's handling everything ok. The blood...well, Chicago has enough people that he's not going to cause a stir with killing mostly the unknown homeless. And he does fine with Klaus. You have to let him go for now. You have to leave Chicago now."
"Not happening. I came here to retrieve a brother and I'm not leaving without one," Damon stated matter-of-factly.
Addie started to run a hand through her hair before realizing Damon still had her up against the wall. She sighed in frustration, "You can't do this, Damon! Not here. Not now. Klaus see's you and he's going to kill you." He didn't say anything as he continued to stare at her. Addie groaned, "God, what are you… do I even want to know what your plan is?"
"You mean distract Klaus while your sister convinces Stefan to come home?" Damon shook his head, "Probably not."
Addie thought. And thought. And thought. And considered how she would feel in a week. Deciding she'd be guilt free, Addie slapped Damon across his face. From the slack-jawed, gobstruck look she got, she assumed she earned his attention. "How the hell could you do that? You brought my sister here?! Klaus is minutes away from finding out she is alive! And another suicide mission? Really?! Do you have any idea what Stefan and I are putting up with to keep you alive? You selfish, miserable bastard."
Damon moved his jaw around until it felt like it was back in the right place. Addie was smaller than Elena but, like he always expected, she hit a hell of a lot harder. He hadn't been anticipating that reaction. Not with her nestled up with Klaus. But he'd rather skip the lecture. "What do you have to do with keeping me alive?"
"You're stupid, right? I mean the only plausible reason to me being stuck with Klaus is to protect the people I care about."
"I must be stupid because I never got the memo that you were stuck with Klaus. My send off was you wanting separation while you toured Europe with your no longer gay bestest buddy." He scoffed and shook his head, "I mean, I think I've been pretty generous and nice considering everything going on here-"
"Excuse me," Addie interrupted, placing a hand in the center of Damon's chest and pushing him back a few steps. "What do you think is going on here?" she snarled.
"That your gay bestest buddy is still gay and still in London and you're touring the states with Klaus and we're separated."
She had to swallow back a gag. Alcohol and stupid Damon's didn't mix. "I'm tempted to let you carry out your suicide mission for even thinking I'd ever be interested in Klaus."
Damon held up his hands defensively. "Hey, you, and I quote, 'give the bad guy more credit than he's due.' Wouldn't be the first time you fell for such a psychotic, serial killing, narcissistic vampire. Would be your first time for a hybrid, though."
Addie thought about it and decided she would likely feel guilty later if she slapped him again. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to think through her argument but she felt the alcohol was impairing her usual effectiveness. "You're an idiot," she muttered, rubbing at her head. "And you are literally making my head ache."
Damon snorted as he crossed his arms smugly. "That was a, uh, pretty frisky kiss from you considering we're out in public, you know. And I'm pretty sure I'm not what's making your head hurt. And, gosh, Ads, I hate to kick you when you're down but it just didn't seem to click to you that Gloria is a very powerful witch and would've had me on my ass before I could touch anyone inside. Today, I gotta say, you're arguments are really sub par. Well, your defense of Jack Daniel's as a bourbon was on point for you but I think that might just be because he's become such a close friend. I'm guessing the reason you never told me about Jack and all his buddies is because of just how close and… unhealthy your friendship is."
She laughed bitterly, running her hand over her face, "Wow. That's rich. You lecturing me about alcohol. My defense was good because I'm smart. My arguments are sub par because I don't know how to argue on a level that a child can process, which is obviously what I need to do if you're thinking I'm into Klaus. It all just didn't click with Gloria because I was waiting for you to snap my neck. And you are what is making my head hurt; you almost always are. You're also reading far too much into the first kiss we've shared in three months. On that basis alone it's surprising I didn't strip you here and now. Although I'm really questioning why I ever even missed you at this point. Did I miss anything?"
"Yeah. You missed the part where I'm your borderline alcoholic ex-boyfriend who can tell when you're lying sober because you're shit at it and you're an even worse liar when you've had a little too much to drink."
"Well, if that's true then you know I'm not lying when I say I hate Klaus, have absolutely no feelings for him and you're an idiot," Addie tossed back lightly, looking up at the dark sky.
Damon cocked his head in intrigue. She did hate Klaus. She did think he was an idiot, though that varied from moment to moment. And she did have feelings for Klaus. Her lie didn't tell him what they were unfortunately, good or bad. He sighed and gently rubbed her upper arm, squeezing her shoulder. "Come on. Let's go. Let's get your sister and get the hell outta dodge before he comes looking for her."
"Mm-mmm," declined Addie, slumping to sit with her back against the wall.
"Yes, Ads."
She shook her head, not looking at him.
"Why not?"
Flatly she answered, "He'll come after everyone I care about. You can't put Mystic Falls in a to-go box and bail out on the check."
Why had he missed her outlandish metaphors? All he understood was that he couldn't protect all of Mystic Falls then the rest got lost in translation.
"You and Elena need to run," Addie noted, her voice sounding automatic and emotionless. "You need to hide her. Klaus will be searching for her soon."
Sighing heavily Damon dropped to squat in front of her. "You know you're insane if you think I'm leaving Chicago without you."
"You'll leave."
"No."
She nodded slowly, her eyes on him but not seeing him. "Yeah. Because if you don't it means Stefan loses any hope he has. It means I lose my sister. It means you lose Elena. You won't lose Elena."
"Screw Elena. I'll lose her before I lose you," he hissed sharply.
"Why didn't you come sooner?"
"What?"
"I've been using your card all over Chicago for almost the past month. You've known I've been here that long. Why not come until now?"
Damon dropped his face into his hands and groaned. She was less than a day's drive for that long with Klaus. "Love, that card, that money is all yours to spend however you want. It's an account just for you; it's in your name. The statements that say where you use it are sent to your email. All I can do is transfer money into the account. I can't even look at the balance to tell if you're using it or not. I swear I would have come the second I'd known you were here. The only reason I even knew Stefan was here is because Katherine called and told me this morning. She never said a word about you. I… Whatever you tell Jeremy is what I've been thinking. I thought you were in Greece this week. Oh, and I'm royally pissed off about the lying but I'm thinking that's a discussion we can have once we put a few hundred miles between us and Klaus."
"I'm not leaving," Addie whispered, finally meeting his eyes. Even in the dark she could see that bright piercing blue.
"Yes," he insisted at her shaking her, "you are. I'll have Bonnie put a bubble shield around the town."
"She's not that strong anymore. The witch spirits cut her off. Besides, she's not in town."
"Then I'll find someone! This isn't safe for you. We need to leave."
Addie chewed at her lip. There wasn't going to be a way for her to rationally get Damon to leave without her. Why did everything always come back to her having to hurt him? Staring him down she curtly said, "I'm not leaving because I want to stay."
Had she slapped him again? He wondered, blinking in confusion. It certainly felt like it. "You don't know what you want. Klaus has you all brainwashed and screwed up like he does Stefan."
No. Klaus didn't control either of them like that. He just used the ones they loved against them.
"Klaus knew that Stefan would choke on my blood. He compelled Stefan to drink my blood knowing that he wouldn't be able to kill me." In the dark light she could see color rising to Damon's cheeks. She tried to make him stand another way. "Klaus knows what I am, Damon! Or he at least knows why my blood is so screwed up. He has answers that I need."
"We can find those answers, Ads. Klaus is not the solution."
"You said you can tell when I'm lying," she scowled standing back up. "Am I lying when I say I don't want to leave with you? Am I lying when I say I want to stay with Klaus and get answers? No. Get my sister and get out of town."
It took him a second to register her walking away but when he did, it took less than a heartbeat for him to catch her by the wrist. She hadn't been lying but he'd be damned if he wasn't getting her out of there either way. "You go back inside and I go back to my original mission," he threatened.
"You mean your suicide plan so my sister can talk to Stefan?" Addie pretended to mull over his threat before shrugging carelessly. "Oh, well. It's not going to work and Elena's just going to wind up getting killed by Klaus again. Successfully, this time. Has your life been rewarding enough for you to die in vain?" Certain Damon wouldn't leave Elena to fend for herself, she yanked her wrist from him and went inside.
A/N: This episode has been broken into two. We can't miss the epic showdown of Damon vs Klaus! Thank you all who favorite, follow, and comment.