Still seeking to avoid the awkwardness that was the previous few hours Dan and Blair interaction, Dan had returned to his lavish hotel suite for a nap. He was thankful he rarely remembered his dreams because he was pretty sure Dan's little angry rant was all very Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, a movie which still somehow managed to make Damon quite uncomfortable.

He shed his clothes and eased himself into the marble tub in the bathroom, content to sit and do nothing for just a little bit. It seemed like an entirely valid plan.

The water calmed after he eased his nude frame in and found comfortable position. His eyes fluttered shut as his body shook loose the tense shackles that the Upper East Side was maybe responsible. Sure, some of it was because of his slow but steady pace of becoming emotionally involved into surreal personal life of one Daniel Humphrey. Either way, it was almost out of character for him. He mentally decided to chalk it up to personal growth.

As his mind eased further into Memories of Green, his phone buzzed. Not opening his eyes and trying to be as still as possible, he grabbed the phone from the adjacent tile stand by the tub. His blue eyes fluttered open to read the text. Gossip Girl. Again.

Well, well, Upper East Siders, it looks like Lonely Boy is just a little bit more smooth than we all give him credit for. Did you see the new accesory he's sporting?

Damon quirked an eyebrow before opening the picture attached to the blast.

From there, his worlds collided rather awkwardly.

"Katherine." He said simply, his drawl coming back out. What was the world's hottest psychotic bitch doing with Dan? Much less playing personal shopper with him. Rolling his eyes, he was at least thrilled that no one knew who she was. However, he did want to know where she was staying. Swallowing a good deal of his Antebellum pride, he scrolled over to the 'contact and submit' section of the Gossip Girl website.

To: Gossip Girl

From: SweetSouthernStud

Find out where that girl with Dan is staying, and I'll get you a name. Deal?

Damon sat the phone down, wondering if any of this was worse than years of drinking blood. If it was, he didn't care, and if it wasn't, at least he had found a good use for this blathering idiot of a website. His found chimed back after a few minutes.

To: SweetSouthernStud

From: Gossip Girl

Hotel Plaza Athenee.

Damon smirked as he sat his phone back down. Normally tracking down Katherine Pierce was a lot harder, and bloodier. And again, the only reason he was even going to try and get near her was that she was near Dan. And, well, that wouldn't end well for anyone. Katherine would turn him into a probably literal chewtoy, and Dan would be too stubborn to leave. So, like so many other times in his long existence, Damon Salvatore was tasked with fixing a situation before it got any worse. He was plenty noble, but no one seemed to notice.

Though, even Katherine seemed saner than Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass. That was bothersome.

Rising from the tub, he sighed as he dried himself off and found some nicer looking clothes. He still liked making a nice impression whenever he interacted with her. Color him self-destructive like that. He ran a hand through his hair, which had back to its more length and shaggy roots, and sighed. This was going to be probably painful. All his encounters with her never ended all that well.

Fetching his Camaro from the parking lot, Damon drove fairly swiftly towards the beyond ritzy hotel Katherine was staying at. He glared down the valet who thought he was going to touch his car. "My car stays right here." Damon ordered, compelling skills in full force. He entered the hotel and was a little impressed. Marble, massive amounts of flowers, elaborate paintings. He approached the front desk with that little smirk and eye trick of his already going.

"Hello, I need an extra key to the Presidential Suite," He casually asked and received it.

Spinning on his heels and making for the elevators, he tried, vainly, to rehearse in his head what he would say. He just hoped it would end well. Maybe both of them were finally capable of having an adult conversation. That'd be nice.

Nice went out the proverbial window as the elevator doors opened and he felt himself very roughly grabbed by the neck. This didn't bode well.

Damon quickly found himself pinned against a wall, hand around his throat.

"Well look who couldn't stay away," Katherine smirked, letting him go. Damon cleared his throat.

"So sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Katherine," He rolled his eyes, smoothing out his jacket. "That was an especially violent hello. Even for you."

"I was bored," Katherine shrugged.

"Of course you were," Damon said, faking a small laugh.

"What brings you so far uptown?" She asked. "Too much blood in the carpet in your room at the Essex House?"

Damon grumbled as he followed Katherine into her room. It put his to great shame. "I didn't come here for you, Katherine. I'm beyond that, remember?"

"That's a lie," Katherine chirped. "But I believe that you believe that."

"Clever. Also, leave Dan alone." Damon said evenly.

"I didn't hear a please in there, Damon." Katherine added.

"Because it wasn't a question," He retorted, earning a playful eyebrow raise from Katherine.

"Are you being dense again, sweetie?" She asked, turning around. "I don't want to pull your heart out, but..."

"Fine, fine," Damon said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Just...why him?"

Katherine laughed as she eased herself down into a a couch. "I like scouting your friends," she shrugged. "Also...you can't see it?"

"See what, Katherine?" Damon asked.

"He was born to be a Vampire."

Damon froze a little. Not because of her phrasing, but because she was right. And Damon knew it. "How long have you been here?"

"A week before you got here," She nodded, smirking. "Why? Miss me already?"

"Never," Damon spat, lying. "And you want to turn Dan? Dare I ask why?"

Katherine stood back up, going over to her purse and fishing out her autographed copy of Inside. "You read this, Damon. You're his friend. Tell me what he is isn't meant for something more. Something better. Humanity is a curse for him."

"Like it was for me?" He asked.

"You always bring that up," Katherine mockingly scrunched her nose. Damon didn't find it all that humorous.

"Do you really think that Dan will just go along with that?"

"He doesn't mind you. Especially after he stumbled on your little midnight massacre earlier. Compel him, I bet he's curious as to what we could offer him." Katherine slyly said, poking his chin.

"You mean being cursed?"

"He's a writer, Damon," Katherine almost laughed. "He'd leap at the chance to live as long as you and write about the complete world."

"Great," Damon rolled his eyes. "He can be Faulkner with fangs. Great plan, Katherine."

"Thank you," She said.

Damon sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was always difficult to argue with her considering she could quiter literally take his head off. "Just...promise me you won't turn him in a dark alley."

"I can promise you that," Katherine winked as Damon turned to leave. "See you at the Ball tonight, Damon. Promise not to get jealous if I dance with Dan?"