THIS MIRROR ISN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE TWO OF US

CHAPTER 12: LIKE A ROLLING STONE

After Elijah left, Elena immediately got in her car and raced to the boarding house. She found Stefan and Damon in the library, hunched over some old parchment maps.

Damon looked up. "Hey, Elena! I think we may have found a way to save you from all of this sacrifice bullshit. There's a witch burial ground over by the old mill, near where that liquor store used to be, and I think-"

"I can't believe what you two jackasses did to Elijah!" Elena interrupted.

"Elena, we're only trying to protect you," Stefan said.

"Yeah, at what cost?" Elena fired back. "I hope you realize it that you two are both dead unless I deliver myself and the moonstone to Elijah within a week. So where is it?"

"The moonstone?" Stefan asked. "I have no idea. All I really do lately is make phone calls, hug you, and fantasize about Katherine in my spare time."

"I have the stupid rock," Damon grumbled.

"Where is it?" Elena asked nicely.

"It's in a very safe place," Damon taunted, "and only I know where."

"Give it to me," Elena demanded.

"Hell no," Damon said defiantly.

"Damon!" Elena blasted. "I need it! I'm saving your asses!"

"No way, Elena," Damon said. "If there's no moonstone, they can't sacrifice you. End of story."

"No, it's not the end of the story, because they can still kill us all out of spite!" Elena fumed.

"So I'm just supposed to hand you the moonstone so you can run off to your own death? Is that it?" Damon challenged.

"Yes! That's what I want!" Elena shouted, exasperated, throwing her arms in the air. "Can't you two just let me die already?"

Both brothers shook their heads in unison. "No chance, Elena," Damon said. "Elijah wants the moonstone? Let him try to come get it himself. We'll pump him full of wooden bullets again."

"No!" Elena huffed. "You guys are not going to ruin another one of his four thousand dollar bespoke suits!"

Stefan scoffed. "What a showoff..."

"What do you even see in that jerk, Elena?" Damon asked. "He's all flash! No substance whatsoever."

"You don't know him like I do," Elena said proudly. "So can I have the flipping moonstone so I can save both of your lives?"

"Nope," Damon said. Stefan shrugged.

Elena stomped her foot and walked off in a huff. She knew it wouldn't be simple getting that ridiculously ugly moonstone back into her possession. And now that the brothers knew she was after it, they wouldn't give her much of a chance to snoop around the house looking for it.

On Elena's way out, she was met by Katherine, who waltzed through the foyer in her short black satin robe.

"Where are you off to in such a huff?" Katherine asked.

"Aren't you ever dressed?" Elena complained. "This isn't the Playboy mansion, you know."

"You should see what I wear when you're not around," Katherine teased.

"I've got nothing to say to you," Elena said. She headed for the door, but Katherine stood in her way.

"But I've got something to say to you," Katherine said.

Elena rolled her eyes. "What..."

"I'm going to help you find the moonstone," Katherine said bluntly.

Elena's interest perked up. "Why would you want to help me?"

"Well, it gets you dead, gets Klaus out of my hair, and leaves me alone with my favorite boys," Katherine explained. "You can see how it would be a huge win for us both. So do you want my help or not?"

Elena sighed. "Alright. Damon has it, but he's not saying where it's hidden. If you can snoop around in his bedroom, that might be the best place to start."

"With pleasure," Katherine purred.

"Hurry. I only have a week to produce this piece of junk rock or else the brothers die. Call me if you find anything," Elena explained as she headed out the door.

"Leave it to me. I always get what I want," Katherine said.

Katherine stalked around outside Stefan's bedroom while he was preparing for bed. When the time was right, she sauntered in, looking seductive in her black robe which flowed loosely around her curves.

"Hi, Stefan," she said.

"Hello..." Stefan said, checking her out. It certainly wasn't the first time she had tried to get into his bed, and it wouldn't be the last time.

"Would you happen to know where the moonstone is, by any chance?" Katherine asked.

"Damon has it. I have no idea where it's hidden," Stefan said.

"Will you get it for me?" Katherine asked.

"No. Damon has it," Stefan said.

"What if I have sex with you? Will you get it for me then?" Katherine asked.

"No. I told you, Damon has it," Stefan said.

"Do you think he'll give it to me?" Katherine asked.

"No."

"What if I had sex with Damon? Would he give it to me then?" Katherine asked.

Stefan shrugged. "Possibly. You never can tell with Damon."

"Fair enough," she said.

Katherine left Stefan's room and went down the hall to Damon's bedroom. Damon was sitting on the bed, reading one of Jonathan Gilbert's journals, and writing notes on a small notepad. With a carefree stride, Katherine flung herself backwards like a gymnast onto the bed and let her robe fall open, exposing her lacy black undergarments, but her temptation didn't break Damon's concentration.

"Whatcha' doin?" Katherine asked.

"Reading," Damon said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm bored," she sighed. "Want to have some hot sex or something?"

"Not really," Damon said flatly.

"Say, that reminds me, whatever happened to that old moonstoney thing-a-majig?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Damon looked up from the book. "Why do you want to know?"

Katherine shrugged. "No reason. Just curious."

"I have it," Damon said. "It's stashed someplace safe."

"Will you get it for me?" Katherine asked.

"Nope," Damon said. "What do you want it for?"

"Nothing special... I just kind of miss having it around," Katherine said.

Damon frowned. "Why? It's ugly as hell, and everyone who comes into contact with it ends up dead or severely pissed off."

"That's true! It's terribly ugly," Katherine said. "So you might as well give it to me, huh?"

"Nope," Damon said.

"But it has sentimental value to me," she whined, feigning sadness.

"No, it doesn't," he said.

"What if I have sex with you? Will you get it for me then?" she asked.

"Nope," Damon said. "Did you really think that would work?"

"It used to. I don't know what's wrong with me lately," Katherine whined sadly.

"Aw, cheer up. Stefan's still into you," Damon said.

Katherine's eyes lit up. "You really think so?"

Damon nodded. "Definitely. He's in complete denial, though."

"So if I have sex with Stefan, will you give me the moonstone?" she asked.

Damon frowned. "That doesn't make any sense whatsoever."

Katherine sighed. "Damn it! This is going to be much harder than I thought." She climbed down from the massive bed. "So much for Plan A... time to move to Plan B."

"Have fun," Damon said disinterestedly.

"Hey Damon, do you have a pair of handcuffs I can borrow?" she asked on her way out.

Damon pointed. "In the dresser... top drawer on the right side."

A huge grin crossed her face when she opened the dresser and retrieved the handcuffs. "Thank you very much. I'm off to Stefan's room... call me if you need anything." She skipped away like a carefree schoolgirl.

After Katherine handcuffed Stefan to his bed, she hid down the hall and waited for Damon to respond to his younger brother's cries for help. Then she quietly slipped into Damon's room and began snooping around in every drawer, corner, and hiding spot. There was no sign of the moonstone, but an interesting looking receipt caught her attention, so she grabbed it along with a wad of hundred dollar bills, stuffed it all into her bra, and got the hell out of there before Damon returned.

Katherine ran back to her room, counted up the stolen cash, and examined the curious receipt. It wasn't a one hundred percent certainty, but it sure looked very promising. She immediately grabbed her phone off the dresser and called Elena.

"Hey! I'm pretty sure I've figured out where he stashed the moonstone," Katherine said.

"Wow, that was fast," Elena said.

"But it'll take both of us working together to get it," Katherine went on. "I'll pick you up at your house tomorrow evening. I'll explain it all to you then."

Elena sighed. "Fine. Whatever it takes."

"Great! So... what are you wearing right now?" Katherine asked seductively.

The phone clicked.

"Elena? Hello? Damn it..."