VANE

I woke up this morning realizing I had slept in. The house was silent – no sign of Damon apparently – so I went down, still in my pajamas. I entered the kitchen, wondering if I would find someone. I didn't.

I thought about taking a shower, so I went back up after grabbing some crackers I'd found earlier. I kept saying to myself what a wonderful day it was, even though I hadn't seen daylight yet. Just then, my cell phone rang. I had forgotten I even had a cell phone. I didn't recognize the number, but I still picked up.

"Hello?" I said. I waited, but no one answered.

Out of nowhere, someone finally talked. "Vane." The voice said, not in a friendly tone, more like a threat. "He's coming for you. Both of you." There it was.

"What? Who is this?" I asked. "How did you get this number? Wait, don't hang up!" And so it did. "Okay, think." I said to myself. How was I supposed to take this? I wasn't awake enough to take this crap.

I threw the phone to the bed and went downstairs again. I caught Stefan on my way. "Hey, Vane. Is everything all right? " He must have seen the glimpse of uncertainty on my face. I was sure I was wearing it.

"Uh, I think so. Have you seen Lidya around here?"

"She left with Damon a while ago. Why, is something going on?" He asked. Keeping something as big from Stefan would be hard. For now, I summarized as much as I could.

"I don't know. I think we're in trouble."

LIDYA

"We're almost there." Damon's voice interrupted my thoughts. What was I supposed to do once we arrived? Was I going to kill Katherine on the spot? I guessed I was grateful for Damon's presence beside me. His interruptions were able to distract me from this kind of thinking. I could relax.

"Where exactly is there?" I asked.

"She's on a little apartment not far from where we are."

"And how did you find out about this?"

He breathed, and then smiled without taking his eyes off the road. "The things I do for you." I smiled, even laughed a little. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing." I said. "You just sound so… decided and sure about this."

"That's because I am. We're going to be fine. What could happen to us?"

"I don't know. Fail? Get us killed? Something of that nature." I responded. He turned to look at me, and then rolled his eyes.

"Well, being a pessimist is not a good way to start."

I shrugged. "You were the one who put me in this car in the first place."

"And I'm considering dumping your butt along with your attitude in the next town."

I laughed, a bit too loud apparently. "I'm glad I could amuse you." He smirked.

"Me, too." I said.

We stood relatively silent for the rest of the trip; only moving to glance looks at each other, smiling like idiots when we did. A few minutes later, Damon parked the car. We were on a closed street that seemed to be on a small neighborhood. He opened the door for me, and let me out. "Madame" he said.

"Don't get all fancy on me right now."

"Just come on." He laughed, pushing me lightly towards the main door. We got inside, and Damon led us trough the corridor, until we reached the stairs. The place wasn't bad, but still, it wasn't as fancy enough for Katherine.

"Why would she live in a place like this?"

"Beats me." Damon said. "Third floor." He said, pointing up with his index finger.

And so we went. As we climbed the stairs, Damon kept quiet, only signaling for me to keep walking with his hand. When we got to the second floor's stairs, I touched his arm.

"Wait." I kept my voice low, for I knew Katherine would be able to hear us. "I don't expect you have a plan, do you?"

"Let's go with the flow, shall we?" He smiled.

"It's just, I…" I sighed. "Be careful."

"You're the angsty sister. I think I should watch out for you."

I gave him a look. It had been so long since the last time I saw her that I didn't really know what I was getting into. He touched my shoulders, and then grabbed my hands. "We'll be fine. I'm here, remember."

I nodded. "Let's keep moving."

I walked towards the last set of stairs that would finally lead is to the third floor, and as I walked, I could feel Damon's gaze on me, which didn't help me get any less nervous, but still, I didn't want him to stop, at all.

We walked through the hall all the way to the end, where Damon pointed out a door, and I followed. We both nodded to ourselves before he opened it slowly.

The room I saw was simple. White walls, small kitchen, and a very evident lack of furniture.

"Well…" I heard a voice. Her voice. "I honestly wasn't expecting you today – or anytime soon – Damon." Her voice sounded as it did five hundred years ago; as seductive, careful and harsh as it always had been.

"So, what are you do- " She stopped herself when she appeared before us. She eyed me carefully. "Liddy?" She said surprised, but not in a good way.

"Hello, Katherine." Luckily for me, I knew how to hide my insecurity.

"What is this?" She asked, not taking her eyes off me.

"Not to worry, Katherine. We're just passing by, seeing what you're doing… what you're up to." Damon said. I realized, we hadn't passed trough the door yet.

"I'm not up to anything, Damon. At least not for now." She said.

"So, can we come in?" I asked her, making sure my tone sounded more confident that what I thought I was being.

"Of course we can." Damon answered. "She doesn't own the place. Hmm… Compelled or killed?"

"How about both?" Katherine smiled.

I took the first step inside. I walked towards a chair, removing a black dress that was placed there.

"I see you've acquired a fine taste in fashion."

"I think it would look good on you. Lot's of props from Klaus, for sure." She said to me.

Next thing I knew, I was holding her neck against the wall. "Don't think of this as a game. Like me, you're nowhere near safety." I told her.

She grabbed me by the wrist, trying to turn it. "Unlike you, I know how to have fun on the job." She was strong, but I was stronger.

"And unlike you, I know how to use my head." I pinned her again. Now she looked surprised, just like I wanted. "You may be older, but not stronger, Kathy."

"Have you come here to kill me? Mom and Dad would be so proud, sis." She smiled at me. Not a pleasant smile, more like an annoying smile that made you want to hit the person in the face. I restrained myself from it.

"Don't you dare talk about them. Think about what they would say about you first…all that you've done." I said.

"That doesn't affect me at all." She replied.

"Of course… you don't care." Another accusation. I noticed that Damon had been awfully quiet. I'd wish he would say something. Something to stop my anxiety and wanting to rip my sister's head off right then. But he didn't.

"If you do kill me, you know Klaus would go after you and kill you anyway."

"He'd do the same even if I didn't, so why not save the pleasure for myself?" She locked eyes with me.

"I hadn't realized… you've grown so much." She said.

"I've been dead for half a century in your head. I didn't expect you to notice, much less care." I said.

"Have you been running from Klaus all this time?"

"No, I was hiding from the Easter Bunny because I murdered one of its babies." I responded sarcastically. What could I possibly be doing besides looking for ways to save my ass from Klaus? Damon let out a laugh, but neither of us turned to look at him.

"How?" She asked, returning to the Klaus topic.

"You have your methods, I have mine." I turned away from her, staring at the empty walls instead.

"We could share." She suggested. I walked towards the door and placed myself next to Damon. He still had the car keys in his hand, so I took them from him.

"I think I've had enough." I told him. I wanted to clear my head a little. Forget for a moment that I did want to come al the way here to just talk to my sister. "I'll wait for you in the car, or… something."

He nodded. I stared at his face. He looked concerned, like there was something on his mind that he could not say to me right now, and so, I made my exit.

"It was nice seeing you, Liddy." I heard Katherine's voice.

I had to yell, as I was halfway through the corridor. "Can't say the same, Kat."

DAMON

I stared at the empty hallway on which Lidya had been a while ago. I got lost for a moment to think about the recent events. I thought of Lidya's presence in the room; her fierceness and apparent security. Unfortunately, Katherine was still there. Me being aware of her brought me annoyance, especially when she had to open her mouth.

"Well, she was not always this feisty." She said.

"I think you brought it on yourself." I told her. "I really don't feel like chatting with you, so I'll leave too."

"I don't remember you being so feisty either." She pouted. It bugged me. I knew I was handsome and captivating, but couldn't she just let me leave?

"So, what do you think you're doing?" She asked, serious now.

"What do you mean?" I played along. Probably not a good idea.

"Do you really think you have a chance?" She said.

"Chance at what?"

"You're obviously getting attached to her. You're starting to like her," She said, with a tone of anger in her voice. "Do you honestly believe that in time… she might love you?"

Crap. Why did she have to involve feelings into this?

"I don't ask anything from her." I said.

"But you want her anyway." She said. I frowned, wishing she would stop messing with things that were my business.

"And this concerns you… how?" I asked.

"I'm just warning you, Damon. Just so you know that… She'll never love you back."

And that's when I wondered, how a simple statement could take o much power over me. What the hell did she mean by that? But wait… I'd never really taken Katherine's opinion into account. I wasn't going t start now. She was still smiling, a fact I hated.

"This isn't your business, Katherine." I repeated my thoughts, now loudly to her.

"She is my sister, so it is." She replied,

"You haven't seen her in five hundred years, I don't think it is anymore."

"Whatever. You know now, so I'm just saying, don't waste your time."

She sat and watched her nails. I just looked at her, thinking about leaving.

"Okay, I'm out of here." I returned to the door, turning my back on her, finally leaving. But, oh, did she have to open her mouth again.

"Think about it, Damon. I know a lost cause when I see it."

"Funny. We've been saying the same about you to ourselves for 150 years." I smiled, and then left the room

I went downstairs to meet Lidya back at the car. I followed the curb until I reached the car. I looked through the window. She was not there.

Damn… I opened the door, seeing that she had left the keys on the back seat.

Lidya, Lidya, where the hell did you go?

I tried to search her around the street, but found nothing. 'I'll wait for you in the car or, something.' Something. That something managed to get me worried. Final option: Boarding house. I drove as fast as I could, cursing at each little thing that would slow me down, wishing with all my strength that she were there.

When I finally got there, it was almost midnight. It took me a couple of minutes to realize I was infuriated. Once again, I had let Katherine piss me off. I entered the house and began to walk upstairs. Every step I took pissed me off even more. I recognized where I was once I was already in.

I was in my room, speaking loudly, kicking things as well. I heard my own voice once I concentrated on it.

"Damn it! To hell with all this! Stupid Katherine… what does she know?" I kicked a chair beside me, and put my back against the door. I closed my eyes and breathed, until I heard a breath that didn't belong to me.

I searched until I saw what I should have seen ten minutes ago: Lidya's body resting on my bed. I didn't know what to think.

It could have been: Of course, idiot, now she'll wake up because of you, or, She's going to get it in the morning for bailing from me like that.

Either way, it could all be summed up with Holy Crap. I was so glad she was safe, but neither my mind nor my heart became calmed. Words bounced around in my brain, and I could not get the to stop.

She'll never love you back.

I hoped, for my sake, that it was not true. I wanted it to not be true. I needed it.

I placed myself next to her. She was beautiful even in her sleep. That got me thinking. All these years, not needing anyone or anything, no one to trust, no one to be with. Then, along came her…

For now, I just stroked her hair, and whispered in her ear, "At least I have you."

And she was all I needed.