Arriving back at the house she had spent a few day at the last time she was in town, Payton slowly brought her hand up to the glass on the door and knocked at it lightly, the nerves bouncing around in the pit of her stomach to see him again, as well as the concerns circling regarding everything else that was going on.
After a few seconds, the sound of the door being unlocked and then with drawn was heard, causing Payton to step back slightly and then come face to face with a surprised Matt, not expecting to see her back at his door.
"Matt." Payton found herself saying, a small timid smile forming on her face.
"Hey," Matt greeted her, also feeling some form of nerves to see her again after the last couple of times, as well as what he found out lately, "You want to come in?"
"Uh sure, may I?" She asked hopeful.
"Sure," He assured her, pulling open the door more and allowing her entrance in, "Come on in."
"Thanks." Payton slipped past him and headed inside his home.
Once she was inside in the kitchen, she turned back round to face him, just as he had closed the door behind her and was now facing her, the tension coming over them as to how to even act around each other after the last time they had been in a room together, Payton had broken down on him, nearly teared his head off and then got up and left with no goodbye.
"How are you?" She asked, breaking the silence.
"Me? I should be asking you that," Matt told her with a small smile, causing Payton to frown slightly, "after everything you've been through the last few days."
How the hell did he know what had happened? Who had told her? Did he know now about the supernatural?
Uncomfortably shifting on her feet and smiling back at him unsurely, Matt leant over to one of the counter top draws and retrieved a note, the same note she had written him weeks back about the truth and he had somehow been smarT enough to find it.
"You found it?"
"Yeah," Matt confirmed with a slight nod, "Good job I did after I found out about vampires, huh?"
"Oh my god," Payton gasped slightly, a nervous laugh following shortly, "I am so sorry, Matt."
"It's ok, Payton," He put her at ease regarding the situation, "Seriously."
"I wanted to tell you. I did," She tried to explain herself to him, "I swear. But I just didn't know how and with Caroline being one too..."
"It's ok," He assured her once again, "You haven't done anything wrong. But, uh, taking of Caroline, we're not together anymore."
"What?" Payton was a little surprised by this, despite their on/off situation, she thought they were cute together, "What happened?"
"Everything was just too much, I can't deal with it," Matt began to rant to her, referring to everything that he had found out about the past few weeks, it had been a lot to get his head around, he was still struggling, "Tyler. Caroline. You. Elena. Stefan...I don't know just all of it."
"I am so sorry."
Payton felt so sorry for him. It was a lot for anyone to deal with, especially Matt who probably felt more alone in everything more than ever before. But she hoped he would understand that she always had him now. She was there for him.
"It's fine."
"I know how you feel," She sighed lightly, thinking over her own feelings, "The heartbreak. It sucks."
"I know."
"You miss everything, the kisses, the cuddles," Payton began to rant to him sadly, "the intimacy."
"You mean the sex?" Matt smirked.
"Yep," Payton laughed lightly, "that."
"I haven't had it in weeks." He exclaimed, with a small chuckle.
"Really?" She raised her brows up surprised, "Me neither actually."
The laughter lightly died down, Payton looked over at Matt as he was staring back at her with a strange look on his face. She couldn't work out what he was implying by the look on his face, but Payton knew she just felt uncomfortable, but not in a bad way, more of a nervous one.
"What?"
"Would you?"
"Would I what, Matt?" She asked in confusion, fighting away the redness that had hit her cheeks.
"Do it with me?" He asked, somewhat nervous but also hopeful and confident.
"You're joking?" Payton asked in shock that he was really asking this from her.
He had to be lying...
But the shake of his head proved her wrong.
"Matt," She laughed nervously, shaking her head in absolute disbelief, "Seriously!"
"What?" Matt looked at her in confusion, but also found himself laughing back with her, "C'mon, don't tell me you haven't thought about it before," he teased her, "remember when we first met, you were hitting on me.."
"Yeah because I like to have fun," She justified her past actions, "and I knew it would piss off my Dad."
"Yeah and that's exactly what we need," He told her, "We need fun. To let loose."
"You think us having sex will do just that?" She asked, still unsure of the idea, but it wasn't 100% bad in a way.
Payton had been horny and feeling down about not having any intimacy in her life lately. It had been hard since Mason had been the only guy she had ever been like that with, so the idea of it with someone else terrified her, but after everything that had happened lately, Payton was willing to do something a little bit risky and out of the ordinary for her.
She was so fed up of living in fear. Payton trusted Matt. He was a good friend to her since being in Mystic Falls. She could see he was also in need of a bit of cheering up and as a friend, she hoped she could do just that, even if it meant slipping out of the friend zone for a brief few moments.
Maybe it was going to be good for both of them. They needed the release, in more ways than one..
"Yes," He nodded, before he began to try persuade her that his idea was actually sane, "We're friends. We trust each other. We're both single. We both need to take the edge of things a little. No feelings. No attachments. Just sex."
Payton stared hard back at him with raised brows, she could see how it was going to be good for them. But then her worries began to kick in. She was debating in her head whether it was really what she wanted with Matt and if she could really be saying goodbye to him this way.
"What about my Dad?" Payton began to express her concerns, "And what about our friendship? What if it's awkward? What if you don't even find me attractive?"
"Your Dad doesn't have to know. It won't be awkward," He assured her, stepping forward slightly, "Because it's just this once. We'll get over it. And you don't even have to ask me how attractive I find you, I think it's been pretty evident since we started talking."
Hearing how calm and cool he was surrounding the idea, as well as how sweet he was complimenting her like that, she found a smile forming on her face for the first time in a long time and it felt good to hear someone say something positive about her.
"You seriously want to do this?"
"Yes," He stepped forward again, before he slowly laid his hand on her side, before he moved them round her back and rubbed them along her back, "I do."
Gradually Payton found herself bringing her hand's up to his shoulders, before Matt pulled her closer, causing her to break into laughter at not only her nervousness surrounding this idea, but also how he had basically slammed her into him.
"Matt!" She shrieked.
"What?" He asked pretending to be confused, but he couldn't fight off the amusement, "C'mon, show me just how skilled you are in the bedroom..."
"Oh my god," Payton broke out into more fits of laughter, "What makes you think I'm 'skilled'?"
"Tyler mentioned sometime ago that you sounded like you were good fun," Matt explained, causing her to cringe massively at this, Mason's little nephew had heard them going at it, she was never going to look at Tyler the same, "he heard you and Mason one time."
"Ok..gross," Payton commented, scrunching her face a little in disgust, trying to hide her sadness to think back to Mason, "That is gross. But thanks?"
Grinning back at her, Matt slowly began to lean in closer to her, ready to just get things over with and make himself, as well as Payton feel better again. Watching his lips move closer to hers, she found her eyes shutting slowly when his mouth grazed against hers, before a few pecks were exchanged between the two.
After a while, the kiss began to heat up a little, both of them enjoying the feeling of someone else's lips on their own, something they hadn't felt in a long time with Mason's death and Caroline not sharing any passionate moments with Matt in weeks.
Wanting to progress things further, Matt brought his hand's up to the side of her face and cupped her face in his hands, deepening the kiss slightly, but it was short lived when Payton pulled away with a nervous laugh.
"Are you sure you're sure about this?" Payton asked again, more so to herself because she didn't want to make things awkward between them.
But Matt was hopeful and certain it wouldn't be.
"100%." He smiled back.
Biting her bottom lip somewhat with a mixture of excitement and nerves, she found herself leaping forward and smashing her lips back onto his. Only this time, it wasn't light or kid like, it was full of passion and hunger for the deed to just be done. Payton realised the more it heated up, the more she knew she just needed to forget for a while about her problems and the real reason she had come here.
In her eyes, it was just a bonus she was getting sex of it.
They slowly yet carefully wondered out of the kitchen, their lips still attached to each other and their hand's roaming each others bodies. When they arrived in the living room, Payton pulled herself away from him and slipped her arms out of her jacket, before she quickly removed the white t-shirt off her body revealing her bra to him.
Matt found a smirk forming on his face immediately when he saw how eager she suddenly was for it, as well as how attractive he found himself being towards her. He felt so lucky right now and wasn't regretting a thing.
Stepping closer to her, Matt scooped his hand's under her bum and gently picked her, before he walked the both of them over to the couch, where he laid her down and then climbed on top of her.
Moving his lips over to her neck, he began to place light kisses down her skin, as she started taking off his top, the lust she suddenly felt taking over her body and right now she couldn't focus on anything else than what Matt was making her feel.
It felt amazing. The most amazing feelings she had felt in a long time. It felt so strange to feel good for once. She didn't want it to be over nor end.
Payton wasn't the type of girl to sleep with any randomer, drunk or sober on a night out, she wasn't like the girl's she went to college with. It took a lot for Payton to even go up to someone and talk to them, so this was so out of her ordinary for her to just have sex with Matt.
But after everything she had been through lately, she wasn't the same girl anymore.
She was different.
The same feelings she felt hit when it was over, when Matt withdrew from Payton and crashed back on the couch, shutting his eyes in exhaustion from working hard, after going at it over and over again, but also tired from his shift earlier on in the day. All he wanted to do now was sleep, which worked in Payton's favour because her time was up.
She had to go. She had to leave town. Payton had to go with Katherine and go on whatever horrendously torturous travels with Katherine for god know's how long. She really didn't want to go after seeing Matt and being back with her Dad again, but she knew she couldn't take the risk of staying.
Somehow she felt safer going with Katherine and being away from the drama in this town.
But the pain of leaving her Dad was still very real and there. Plus she felt super rude for what she was about to do to Matt after he had eeven suggested the crazy yet so worth it idea, but she really did have to leave before her time really was up.
Creeping up off the couch, Payton grabbed her clothes and slipped them on as quietly as she could, before she made her way back through into the kitchen to leave Matt another note. She was really hoping that wasn't going to become a habit, her leaving him notes instead of saying goodbye.
But Payton somehow saw that as her goodbye to him.
Once she was done, she folded up the note and laid it on the table, before she checked on Matt one last time and then headed out the door silently as she could. She made her way to the town square where Katherine wanted to meet her.
As soon as she arrived, of course, Katherine was already waiting for her on the side of the road, a black shiny car parked beside her and she had the keys in her hand, waiting for Payton to meet her.
When their eyes met across the road, a small smirk grew on Katherine's lips and Payton rolled her eyes like it was an impulse to do so. Coming across the street, she wondered over to Katherine and it was then she was reminded of how she even got into this mess.
Not like she cared nor had she forgiven Damon, but she still thought she would ask for interest.
"How's Damon?" Payton asked, shoving her hand's into her jacket pocket, "Get everything sorted?"
Katherine nodded simply, before asking, "Where did you head off to? Where are your things?"
"I didn't bring any with me since I got snatched from my own home in the middle of the night," Payton informed her bitterly, ignoring the other question of her where abouts, before she went round to the passenger side of the car and opened up the door, "let's get this over with then."
Joining the girl in the car, Katherine took the drivers side and put on her belt, just as Payton did the same. The older vampire then put the key into the ignition, then slowly accelerated off the road side and began to head in the direction of their next location.
Katherine already had loads of plans for them, some that Payton wouldn't be aware of, where as others she knew Payton wouldn't mind too much.
"Well?" Katherine asked with raised brows, turning to look at Payton briefly after they were a few minutes into their journey.
"What?" Payton asked confused, looking over at her, then seeing the look on her face and realising what she wanted, "Why do you want to know so bad?"
"Well if I had two hours to say my goodbyes, I'd make it pretty special," Katherine smirked, "So where did you go?"
"If you really must know, I'll tell you," She responded, before she slowly took her phone out of her pocket, "but only if you let me phone my Dad and say goodbye."
On the way to the town centre, Payton had figured out she couldn't leave without saying goodbye at all. Though she had run out of time to go see Alaric in person and also didn't have the guts to, she decided a phone call on the way to wherever they were going, would be the better option.
Katherine's smile grew bigger upon hearing Payton's proposal, "So you didn't visit Daddy? Sacandalas."
"Seriously..." Payton complained, hating how everyone called Alaric 'Daddy' whenever Payton was around.
She really wasn't a seven year old...in fact she was a twenty one year old woman.
"Fine. Call him," Katherine huffed, focusing her attention on the road, "then tell me."
Unlocking her cell phone, Payton got Alaric's number up, before she slowly hit the call button and brought the device up to her ear. After a few moments, the ringing tone came to an end and the sound of her Dad's voice broke out on the other end.
"Payton? Hello?"
"Dad," Payton sighed lightly, realising she hadn't even talked to him since yesterday and since then she had run off with Stefan, he was probably so worried about her, whilst she had been doing the dirty with one of his students, "sorry I never got back to you."
"It's ok, you're ok though right?" He asked concerned, his protective father nature coming over him, "you're safe?"
"Yeah I'm safe, Dad," Payton rolled her eyes over to Katherine for a second, reconsidering her words when she had to come to terms with being with her worst enemy, "Don't worry about me. But there is something I have to tell you..."
"Ok. What is it?" Alaric questioned, more worried than before.
"I'm leaving town, again." She confessed to him, fearful of his reaction.
"What?"
"I know you're upset by it because I just got here again," She tried to explain herself, "but it wasn't by choice remember. There's somethings I need to take care of. I need to get away from everything, that includes Florida, so please don't come looking for me there."
"O-ok, Payton," Alaric wasn't convinced this was what she truly wanted, "are you certain? I mean, you are welcome here, sweetheart, you know that. Are you mad because I wouldn't let you stay with me?"
"No, of course not," Payton assured him, feeling her mouth going dry and a wave of sadness hit her, hating having to leave him, "you know I want to be with you, but I just can't right now. I need some time away to think. I'm sorry."
"Ok, I get it," He sighed, she could imagine him sitting there running his fingers over his face in distress, like she always did but with her own hair, "And what about Stefan? Where is he?"
"U-uh I don't..." Payton glanced over at Katherine again, who gave her a hard look, "I don't know. I didn't leave with him. Is everything ok?"
She hated having to lie to him again and act oblivious to what was going on, when really she knew where Stefan was and where he was going to end up.
"Don't worry about it," Alaric didn't want her to worry, "just forget it."
"O-ok, Dad, listen," Payton felt herself beginning to get choked up, the realisation of what she had agreed to do in order to save his life, but it didn't mean it hurt any less leaving him again, "Please just stay out of trouble. Please be careful."
"You too, Payton."
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you too."
"Bye."
Bringing the phone away from her ear, she ended the call quickly before she broke down more and made herself look like a weak fool in front of Katherine. Quickly she wiped the tear that had escaped out of her eye from her cheek, before she slipped her phone away and faced Katherine.
The other vampire was briefly looking over at her when she got the chance to, already waiting for an answer from the girl, not buying the little girl and her daddy act, "Well?"
"Why are you doing this?" Payton found herself asking, her emotions getting the best of her and anger taking over, "Bringing me with you? Why did Klaus want me to be with you?"
"Because I think he believes I need a companion," Katherine responded, "all these years of running get's kind of lonely."
"More like a lap dog to do your dirty work for you." Payton scoffed.
"No," Katherine snapped back at her, "Is it so hard to believe that I actually might want a friend?"
"You a friend?" Payton found herself holding back a laugh at that statement, "Please!"
"C'mon, Payton," Katherine found her annoyance levels growing listening to the girl taking the piss out of her when she was just being honest with her and maybe even a bit human, "I like you. You're basly, much like myself, no wonder I turned you."
"Right.." Payton turned her head to look out the window, not buying this.
"I'm serious," Katherine assured her, trying to persuade Payton she was telling the truth, "What so bad about me wanting you to be my friend?"
"I don't know, Katherine," Payton responded quickly and sarcastically, snapping her head back to look at the girl driving, "maybe the fact I don't want to be sat in this car with you."
"Where you would rather be then?" Katherine raised her brows up, "Playing happy family's with you Dad or having scandalous sex with Mason? Oh wait..." Payton gave her a glare, "maybe Matt."
Payton found her jaw drop slightly, a nervous feeling come over her more, "H-how did you know that?"
"So that was where you were?" Katherine smirked, she didn't even know that was true, she had just been joking but now she felt victorious for getting it right.
"It's none of your business..." Payton tried to tell her.
"Oh but it is," Katherine corrected her sternly, "Are you forgetting the multiple times you went behind my back?"
"Of course not," She sighed, tired of Katherine's presence already, "But don't you think I've already paid the price for that?"
"Not at all," The older vampire shook her head wickedly, "C'mon. This could be fun. Get you away from everything."
"I don't want to be away," Payton informed her sharply, "I want to be back home."
"We can't always get what we want," Katherine reminded her, causing Payton to fold her arm across her chest dramatically, "I'm sorry, sweetheart."
Groaning to herself, Payton sunk her body down in the passenger seat and stared out the window next to her, trying to keep her calm and not freak out about how the hell she was going to survive being with Katherine for god know's how long.
She just hoped that somehow things would work out and for the first time ever, she wished she'd be returning to Mystic Falls sometime soon.
The whole summer Payton kept the wish in mind, from every state they travelled to and with every BnB or hotel room they slept in, she had the same prier on her mind every time she went to sleep and from the moment she woke up the next day.
Payton hadn't figured out just yet what Katherine's intentions with her where or what the reasons for them travelling so much, but Payton could only presume it was because it was all Katherine had ever known. She had been on the run pretty much her whole life, no wonder she couldn't stand staying in the same place for more than a few days at a time.
Tonight was there last night in Memphis and then they were headed to the next state, that like Katherine had the whole summer so far, had kept to herself until they drove through the town sign and it was then Payton would find out where they were.
Every night without fail, they had visited a few bars within the location they were staying in and every night without fail, Katherine had got with random men, whilst Payton would sit to the side, watch in disgust and drown her sorrows in alcohol.
Tonight was no different.
They were in a little old run down bar, full of drunks, desperate men and more desperate woman. The perfect fit for Katherine, Payton thought as she sat at the bar on a stool, sipping beer from her bottle and trying to drown out the noise from people around her by focusing on the music that was coming from one of the speakers.
Tapping her combat boot covered foot against the metal foot rest on the bar stool, Payton wrapped her fingers around her beer bottle and brought it up to her lips, taking another swig from the liquid.
Her eyes rolled over to Katherine on the other side of the bar, who was currently making out with some random guy, who had been eyeing her up as soon as they had walked in the door and she had seen as a great chance to have some fun, as well as distract her from whatever was going on in her own mind.
Payton had been studying her a lot lately. Something wasn't right with her. Well, nothing had been normal about Katherine. The girl was a manipulative psychotic bitch, but she still had feeling's and something had been bothering her over their travels.
The only reason Payton could put her finger on was the Klaus and Stefan situation. She had been running from Klaus her whole life, she was probably just skeptical he would show up and try to kill her like he always wanted. And of course, Katherine was still madly in love with Stefan, she was probably worried about him and how he had managed to get himself out of the Klaus situation.
Payton really hoped he had found someway out of that and was safe and sound back in Mystic Falls with Elena, his cocky brother, Damon and also looking out for her Dad on her behalf.
She hadn't heard much from Alaric, not that Katherine would let her get in touch with anyone at all, otherwise some threat would fall from the vampires lips. Instead, she text him occasionally, making sure he was alright and that she missed him. Aside from that, she hadn't let him in on much that was going on with her and Alaric had also done the same back.
A hand gripping her shoulder broke her quickly out of her thoughts and onto the person now stood beside her, when their eyes met, Payton found a frown forming on her face to see a stranger now staring back at her with an over friendly smile on their face, sweat dripping off their forehead from their drunken state and also how humid it was in the bar.
"Can I help you?" Payton asked over the music, shrugging his hand off her shoulder and clutching her beer bottle in her hand.
"I was just wondering whether you wanted a refill," The guy responded, nodding over to the beer in her hands, "saw you were sitting alone, drinking away and thought you might need a friend."
"I'm good," She assured him, bringing the beer up to her lips, "thanks."
"Oh c'mon," He wasn't taking no for an answer, "let me buy you a drink. Can't leave a pretty girl like you all alone and not have anyone treating her."
Looking down at the bottle she was drinking, he called the bartender over and requested for another one of her drinks, before he ordered something for himself and Payton found herself rolling her eyes in annoyance at how this guy wouldn't leave her alone.
When the bartender laid their drinks in front of them and the guy paid, Payton finished her old beer and took a hold of the new one, just as the guy picked his own glass up and held it out towards her,
"Cheers."
Faking a smile back at him, she knocked her bottle against his glass and then watched as he downed his own beverage. Payton leant her elbow down onto the bar side, her hand awkwardly going up to the back of her neck and she awkwardly played with the hairs at the back of her head.
"So you come here often?" The guy asked her, still not leaving her alone and integrating her.
"No." Payton told him.
"Oh that's a shame," The guy sighed, before he laid the glass down and then extended his hand out to her, "I'm Alex."
"Payton." She awkwardly shook his hand back.
Payton really wished this weirdo would leave her alone. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.
"So what brings you here?" He asked interestedly.
"Me?" Payton raised her brows up, before he nodded back at her, "Uh I don't know, just passing through I guess."
"You should stick around," Alex suggested to her, stepping closer slightly and laying his hand back on her shoulder like he first had when he came over to her, "maybe you could head back to a hotel, maybe we could..."
"I don't think so..."
"Oh c'mon," He whined with a smirk, "you're all alone, that's no fun. You need some fun. I could make things fun for you."
"I'll pass." Payton flashed another fake smile his way, going to shrug his hand off her again, but he began to trail his fingers down her arm, toying with the strap on her floral romper.
"You're just such a pretty girl," Alex continued on, slowly moving her strap down and leaning closer, "too pretty that I can't refuse."
The guy began leaning in towards her, his lips puckering up slightly to kiss her, but Payton wasn't too sure where he was going and she knew for sure she wasn't going to let this guy touch her anymore.
Raising the beer bottle up into the air, she quickly hit it against the guys shoulder, causing him to wince and the sound of the glass smashing to the ground, caused people surrounding them to look over, including Katherine who was smirking from a far.
"Ouch!" Alex yelled angrily, looking down at the wound that had formed on his shoulder from where the glass had cut him, "What was that for?"
"Didn't I tell you no the first time?" She reminded him, sliding off the bar tool and giving him a look.
"You can't blame a guy for trying," He defended himself, as Payton rolled her eyes and turned around on her heel, making an escape to the exit of this crappy bar, but before she could leave, he grabbed her wrist, "Payton! Wait!"
Feeling his skin back on her eyes again, she felt disgusted and also pissed that this guy wouldn't leave her alone. Payton didn't want any guy other than Mason to touch her or even pester her like he was. She didn't want to be with any other guy or even sleep with them for fun, aside from the slip up with Matt before she left town, no one would replace Mason.
Pulling her wrist back, she turned back round to him and swung her leg up, before her foot came in contact with the Alex's crotch, within seconds Payton forcefully kicked him and with her vampire strength sent him flying across the bar in pain from her kick.
Ignoring the stares in horror and surprise from the people in the bar, Payton quickly hurried over to the exit of the bar, ignoring the calls from the bartenders asking her to come back to pay for the glass she smashed, as well as the physical assault she had just carried out on this guy.
Once she broke outside, she exhaled loudly and breathed in the fresh air, the heat inside the bar had been way too much for her that night, as well as the anger she felt from that guy hitting on her.
From behind her, she heard the sound of heels hitting against the pavement and knew it had to be Katherine who had followed her out of there. Spinning around, she came face to face with the vampire, who was already smirking at her in amusement and trying to hold back a laugh.
"You don't know how happy I was to see that."
"I don't want to hear it, Katherine." Payton turned back round, before she began her journey back to their BnB room that was just up the block from where the bar was.
Thank god she didn't have far to go. A cold shower and a long sleep was calling her name.
"Oh but you do," Katherine caught up with her, walking just a few paces behind her now, "I have been waiting the whole summer for you to lash out like that. It was a pleasure to watch."
"I love how you find some guy hitting on me and not taking no as an answer funny." Payton grumbled.
"No it was the event's that happened after that was the best part for me."
"Great."
"Oh c'mon," Katherine laughed slightly in disbelief Payton was still being so braty with her, "you've been groggy this whole trip. You needed to that. Surely you feel better."
Having enough of Katherine's voice and constant comments about what had just happened with Alex, Payton spun round on her feet and snapped at Katherine, "Just stop! Ok? Stop! I'm tired. I just want to have a shower and go to bed. I'm not in the mood for this crap tonight."
"Good," Katherine decided to keep her mouth zipped, looking over to the BnB that was a few yards away now, "I was thinking the same thing. You'll need your rest. We head to Chicago in the morning."
"Chicago?" Payton asked surprised that Katherine had informed her of their location this time.
"Yes," Katherine answered, before she brushed past Payton and headed to the BnB, "let's go."
Once they got back to their room, Payton stepped into the shower and allowed the cold water to cool the steam she felt from this whole trip, but also what had happened at the bar tonight. That guy was asking for it, but she did feel bad he got the back end of her mood from being stuck with Katherine.
When Payton stepped out of the shower, she grabbed the white towel off the towel rack and wrapped it round her body, before she went over to the basin and glanced at her bare faced reflection in the mirror.
Just as she was about to splash some water over her face, she heard Katherine's voice from inside the other room and felt her eyebrows furrow together in confusion. Payton couldn't work out who she was talking to, because she wasn't aware Katherine was communicating with anyone right now. She had hardly used her phone this whole trip.
Something didn't seem to add up that night.
Wondering over to the door, she pressed her ear up against it and thanked the lord that she had increased hearing so she could hear what Katherine was saying, because it gave her the chance to find out the whole reason they were even on this god damn trip.
"Miss me?" Payton heard her first say.
She couldn't make out who she was talking to just yet until a few names were dropped and things began to make sense.
"Where are you?"
"Lurking outside your window," Katherine taunted the person, "pining away."
"What do you want?"
"I'm homesick," She informed them, causing Payton to roll her eyes, she didn't even know the half the feeling, "What have I missed?"
"Well, Stefan still Klaus' little prisoner and Elena still thinks she can save him, no one's thought about you since you left."
"And what about you?" Katherine asked next, causing Payton's ears to prick up more, "I'm sure now that you've given up on your brother, you're plotting some sort of way of moving in on his girlfriend."
Katherine had to be talking to Damon!
"I didn't give up on him. I just don't know where he is."
"Hmm."
"But you do," Damon presumed, "Are you trailing them?"
"A hybrid who wants me dead and his sidekick who's off the rains? I couldn't be further away." Katherine informed him, but Payton knew that was far from the truth.
"Which means you know exactly where they are." Damon knew it too.
"All I know is that Klaus pitched a fit once his hybrids didn't work," Katherine explained,
How the hell did the she know that?
Payton didn't even know that.
But then it explained Katherine's disappearing acts in the middle of the night when she thought Payton was sleeping and when she compelled random people in towns to tell her information,
"Now he's looking for some answers."
"How do you know that?" Damon asked the question Payton wanted to know too.
"Spend 500 years running and there will be a few people along the way that are looking out for you." Katherine stated.
"Is that what you're doing? Looking out for my brother?"
Of course she bloody was!
"Maybe," Katherine teased, "Maybe not. I'm conflicted."
"Where are they?"
Before Katherine could inform Damon of Stefan and Klaus' where abouts, Payton burst through the bathroom door and into the bedroom with an angry look on her face, causing Katherine to quickly end the call and face up to the truth she hadn't told Payton.
"This whole time," Payton began, puling her towel round her body tighter, "This whole freaking time we were travelling from state to state, because you were following Stefan and Klaus," she shook her head in annoyance, "How stupid of me not to realise that?"
"Sorry," Katherine flashed her a brief smile, "Its been fun though, right?"
"Oh yeah...real fun." Payton rolled her eyes dramatically, before going over to her duffle bag on the top of her her bed and grabbing her night shirt to sleep in.
"You're so dramatic," Katherine complained, watching Payton shift through her bag for the one item, "Tonight was the first time since being away that I've seen you really let rip. Why can't you be like that more often?"
Pulling the t-shirt out from the her bag, she spun round to face Katherine, "Maybe I lashed out because I'm fed up of being here with you."
"Don't be mean," Katherine pouted, "I gave you so much."
"No, you took so much." Payton corrected to her.
She was referring to all the loss and pain she brought into Payton's life.
"C'mon," Katherine slowly walked over to her, "I've given you immortality and the freedom to do whatever you want."
"No you haven't," Payton frowned back at her, as she came to a stop beside her bed, "I'm stuck here with you," she shook her head, fed up of this crap and wanting answers herself, "Why are you still so clung on Stefan anyway?"
"He's my one true love," Katherine explained, taking a seat down on her own bed, "surely you know how that feel's."
Looking over at Katherine, Payton found herself sighing and realising all her anger, "I suppose so..."
Taking a pair of knickers out of her bag, she wondered back over to the bathroom door and shut herself inside of it, changing into her night shirt and also getting ready for bed that night.
Trying to ignore the fact the whole time they had been on this tip, all over the states was not even for any random reason, it was for Stefan and Klaus. Payton couldn't believe she hadn't seen straight through Katherine and seen that was her plan all along.
But it wasn't until Payton climbed into bed that night, her phone in her hand and the screensaver of a picture of her and Mason back home in Florida, taken the same night when she got turned into a vampire, stared back at her, she fully understood why Katherine would follow Stefan.
Because Payton did the same thing but with Mason. She stayed and watched him get killed by Damon. But she didn't regret it.
It was true love made you do crazy things.
Author: Hello again! Ahh I'm sorry this is a bit shorter than usual and also ahhh please don't hate me for the lack of Stefan and the Matt and Payton situation. I needed to spice things up a little and Payton couldn't help herself hahaha. But don't worry, there's lot more Stefan interaction coming!
Thanks so much to RHatch89, LMarie99, HPuni101, Ann & Adela for reviewing the last part. I really hope it isn't going to be boring, I actually think you'll enjoy what is to come in the next couple of part's with Katherine. Let's be optimistic, ey!
Please let me know your thoughts on this short yet sweet part.
Many thanks,
guiltypleasurexo
