Eyes looked up as the door to the diner opened, and a gorgeous brunette in skin tight jeans and super high heels entered. Every set of eyes that looked up remained trained on her. It wasn't just the swing of those seductively wide hips that caught their attention; it was the aura of confidence that surrounded her.

She stopped briefly and looked around, either unconscious of or used to the stares, until she spotted a tall, lean, red haired pale skinned man with a smattering of freckles across his nose in a booth at the back of the diner.

She headed towards him, slipping into the seat on the opposite side of the booth.

He was just finishing up a meal, an empty dinner plate set off to one side, and a cup of coffee in front of him.

"Hello, Padraig."

"Can I order you something, Katherine?" he politely asked.

"No thanks! Can't linger. I left Stefan waiting at the airport."

"Yes," he said thoughtfully. "Best to keep the dear lad out of this."

He folded his hands in front of him, elbows resting on the table. "I was just thinking as I was waiting. When did this start?" He frowned, concentrating. "Must be at least two years ago, right, when you asked me to block Stefan from that Bennett witch."

Katherine nodded. "That's about right. Why?" she asked curiously.

He gave her a measuring glance before saying seriously. "I have every confidence in my talent, my power, but I could never have pulled all the little strings together the way you did to make this come out."

He tilted his head suddenly, struck by a thought. "You're like some kind of beautiful exotic spider spinning webs that go from bush to tree to plants, and everything that goes by either gets caught in your snare or brushes against it. Every drop of information gets caught on a strand of silk, and you sit in the center putting every vibration together."

She shrugged. "I do what it takes to survive."

"You are truly exceptional." He looked at her for a moment longer before he seemed to pull himself together and get back to business. "We have a deal to conclude and final payment to render," he said briskly.

Katherine smiled. "So?"

Padraig took a sip of coffee. "I traveled to the wilds of the far North to a godforsaken town that no one in their right mind would ever live in and found one Jenny Hanson at exactly the time and place you predicted. I stunned her and wrapped her in a tarp. She wasn't a very big thing . . . easy enough to load her in my van. She unfortunately woke up just as the sun rose, in a clearing, on said aforementioned tarp, staked with vervain soaked ropes. She burnt to a crisp. I rolled her ashes and the charred remain of her clothes up in the tarp and dropped it all at the dump you told me about. You even had burning day right, and I hung around until I saw the remains incinerated." He smiled at her. "There's not a CSI team or witch in the country that could ever trace her."

A satisfied smile lit Katherine's attractive face. "Such a shame." She then asked, "Did you find what I asked you to look for?"

He chuckled. "It was on her just as you predicted."

He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small folded square of paper, the grimy worn edges indicating it had been opened and refolded many times. He put it on the table and pushed it over.

Katherine delicately picked it up and carefully opened it, revealing hotel stationary. She read it silently.

Jenny,

I can't come back for ten years, but I will come back. Keep the PO Box in Shreveport and I'll write to you. When you have to move around send the forwarding address to Shreveport.

Just know I will come back to you.

Stefan

Katherine' lips twisted scornfully, and she crumbled the paper into a ball dropping it on the empty dinner plate. Padraig watched her face the whole time she was reading.

"Teensy favor, Padraig. Burn it!"

He smiled and concentrated.

As the paper caught fire and burned, his waitress rushed over. "What are y—"

Katherine caught her eye. "You sent this man burnt food. Apologize immediately and take it away. Make sure you don't charge him for your stupidity."

The waitress apologized over and over again, red faced. As she grabbed the dinner plate she exclaimed, "Don't worry sir. The meal is no charge."

"Now that compulsion thing you vampires do is really nice," Padraig admitted. "Not worth losing my power for, but it is nice." He took another sip of coffee. "Are you satisfied?"

"More than you know," Katherine replied.

Padraig eyed her smug little smile with amusement.

Katherine, without being asked, pulled a small familiar looking pouch out of her pocketbook and pushed it across the table.

He quickly grabbed it with a covetous hand and fingered the object inside through the pouch. He closed his eyes briefly and then quickly stuffed it in his shirt pocket. "You are a pleasure to do business with, my dear."

Katherine toyed with a curl. "I feel the same way." She pursed her lips. "I hope this is just the start. That we can continue our business association. We work well together."

Padraig nodded. "We trust, but not too much and we both know the cost of betrayal." If his words held a threat it was only a hint.

"I am impressed that you stuck to the terms we agreed upon, even though I know that you wanted some of the things I took."

Padraig nodded at Katherine's words and spoke slowly and thoughtfully. "I assumed since you can't use them that you took them to use as payment for future needs?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

She confirmed his assumption. "You're quite right. I never know when I'll need a witch, and it is so much easier to barter than to trick."

Padraig picked up his cup with both hands and looked at her over the rim. "I would hope you would come to me first." His tone made it as question.

Katherine assured him, "Though I always keep my options open, after this little, ah, deal, you would always be my first choice. And to convince you of that I brought you a present."

Padriag, taken by surprise, put down his coffee cup.

Katherine, smiling mischievously, reached into her large designer handbag and pulled out a wrapped package. "With my compliments."

She handed it to him. He looked at her uncertainly for a moment. She laughed softly and put it on the table and pushed it across to him. He held his hands a couple of inches over it, eyes hooded, as if concentrating, trying to feel something. He gradually lowered his hands until he touched the wrapping paper.

He tore it open and then stared at the old book inside. He looked up to see Katherine watching him. He slowly opened the cover and his mouth formed an 'oh' as he read a name. "Is this—?"

"I have it from a reliable source that this grimmoire contains anti-aging spells and herbal preparation that slow down the aging process. It was compiled by a witch in Chicago named Gloria."

"Lord love you, me darling girl! Can it really be?" He reverently flipped the fragile yellowed pages, and a covetous smile spread over his face. "Gloria's grimmoire."

Katherine nodded, smiling knowingly. "The old bat looked good. If you can decipher them then you're going to be one studly hundred year old man."

He took a deep satisfied breath. "I'm surprised whoever told you what this was, let it go."

"Not willingly," Katherine admitted. As he met her eyes, she added, "Fortunately they died soon after."

Padraig let out a bark of laughter that made some of the other patrons turn briefly to see the cause of his amusement. When he stopped laughing, he shrewdly observed, "This couldn't have been her only grimmoire." He tapped his forehead thoughtfully. "If I remember correctly certain interested members of her family went to go through her things and found a lot missing. Books, rare herbs, potions." He paused. "Amulets."

Katherine made a noncommittal gesture. "Chicago's a tough town and with this bad economy there's a terrible increase in crime."

"True." He mocked. "Must have been a robbery gone bad that killed her."

Katherine nodded soberly. "Pity."

He leaned back laughing quietly, eyeing her with admiration. "I just know we're going to have a long and mutually beneficial association." He touched the book. "I won't forget this," he said seriously.

Katherine smiled. "I really have to go now."

She started to slide over, but Padraig held up a hand. Surprised, she stopped and waited.

"Forgive me, but I have to ask."

Katherine raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he wanted to know.

He looked away for a moment as if to gather his thoughts and then turned back to her. "I had no problem removing that vampire Jenny for you. But why? You are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen —"

Katherine interrupted him smiling seductively. "Yet, you've never asked to have sex with me!"

He laughed out loud and reached over, picking up her hand to kiss it. His eyes momentarily filled with desire. "As beautiful as you are me love, and as much as I want you, I am too smart to sleep with a creature that could pull my heart out as easy as I could swat a fly. It's important to stay in control around vampires, and I have a feeling you could make any man forget that when he's in your bed. Besides you were very generous to compel that blonde model for me."

"Any time." She laughed and started to slide out again.

"That was a very clever way to distract me, by the way."

Katherine sighed and flung herself back against the seat. "So, what's bothering you?"

"Why?" he said. "Why waste time killing that woman, who could at best be called plain. Body like a young boy. And that nose? Why waste your time?"

Katherine looked at him challengingly for a moment before she nonchalantly responded, "I just don't like loose ends. They come back to get you."

"I see." Padraig nodded understanding. "I feel I'll definitely learn from our association."

He had one more comment to make. "I do kind of feel sorry for your Stefan though. From what I hear every woman he's ever been with except the Original sister and that doppelganger has died. One who can't be killed, and the one the brother loves. Shame really."

Katherine, without replying, slid out of the booth. "You know how to get in touch if you need to?" she asked as she stood.

"I do me dear. Have a good flight."

"We will."

As she sauntered out, Padraig watched all the male and some female heads turn to watch her. He signaled the anxiously watching waitress to fill his coffee cup. As she topped if off, he put it to his lips and took a sip, laughing silently.

Stefan, me poor lad, you will never be free of that woman. I hope you realize you signed up as a lifer.

Under his breath, he murmured, "The good Lord have mercy on the man or woman who comes between Katherine Pierce and her man."