A/N: Woo! I'm on a roll with this story, so I have a quick update for you! We're going to be bouncing between what's going on in Mystic Falls and Damon's trip. Really excited about this one. Enjoy – Vanessa

Chapter 9: Playing Games

Damon sat at the counter in a tiny bar in Boston and checked his watch. He'd been all over Maine, Connecticut and every state in between over the last month and every time he thought he was getting close he seemed to only be getting farther away. So instead of going to her, he'd let her come to him.

It wasn't long after that he felt the air shift, and someone stood next to him. "I got your letter." Katherine drawled, holding it between her fingers, swinging it between them with a playful smirk. "Dear Katherine, let's get together and catch up for a drink. We need to talk. Biddy's Pub, Downtown Boston…don't be a bitch." She canted her head to the side with a sour look, slapping the letter the counter, and slipping into the stool.

Damon grinned, still looking forward. "Xox Damon." he slid one of the two shot glasses to her and took the other one in his other hand. "Cheers." they clinked and they both tossed them back, although her more hesitantly.

She eyed him suspiciously for a long moment. "What is this, Damon? What could we possibly have to talk about?"

He finally took a moment to look her over, swiveling to face her on his stool; her hair, tumbling in a waterfall of curls, dressed all in black, skin tight like a glove, looking like a sexy panther. But even with her patented smirk on place, she looked too much like Elena for his liking. He ignored her question. "You're not an easy person to find."

She chuckled to herself. "Kind of like it that way. But when I realized it was you on my tail…" she leaned in conspiringly. "Maybe I let you find me." her eyes followed her hand as it trailed down his chest. "Stefan on the other hand…has been chasing me up and down the Eastern seaboard for the last few years." Her nose scrunched as she shrugged carelessly. "I've been avoiding him."

His eyes narrowed, not playing into her seductive ploys. "Well that will break his poor little heart. Why? I thought he was your 'everlasting love'." he recited mockingly.

Katherine's eyes rolled playfully, and she took her hand off his chest. "I'm playing hard to get." she deftly grabbed a bottle from behind the counter, and nodded for him to follow her out of the bar.

He scoffed. "Tease."

She threw him a raise of her brows over her shoulder, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. She popped the top off the bottle, and took a big swig, whirling around to face him once they reached the side street. "Trust me…Stefan enjoys these games we play." She looked at him from under her lashes, holding out the bottle. "Do you want to play with me, Damon?" a slender finger reached out to hook into the front of the waistband of his jeans, but he was quick to swat it away.

"God no!" He smirked at the petulant pout on her face and snatched the bottle from her hand, taking a long draw from it. "My days of dealing with your games are long since over."

She grabbed the bottle back, a bored expression masking her face. "Then why am I here?" she turned on her heel and started down the street.

"Klaus Mikaelson." she stopped dead in her tracks. "You know him?" he asked perceptively, watching as she took a second to compose herself before looking back over her shoulder with an offhanded shrug.

"Never heard of him." Katherine lied so easily, that if he didn't know any better, he would have believed her.

Damon sped in front of her so her next step was right into his chest. The bottle slipped from her fingers and smashed by their feet. "Liar." he whispered right into her ear. "I know you know him and I know you've been running from him for five hundred years. Wanna guess how?" he pinned her with a facetious grin.

She pretended to think about it, not at all intimidated by his nearness or his taunting words. A finger tapped her lips. "Hmm…it wouldn't have anything to do with my dull as dishwater doppelganger, Elena, would it?" she giggled prettily when the humor dropped from his face. As if they weren't close enough, she pressed herself against him, resting her hands on his chest, her lips just barely touching his. "My guess…is you're looking for a way to save her. Aw…that's sweet." she pushed, not with all her strength, but enough to make him stumble back. "But you can't." she finished harder, her voice snapping viciously. "Do you honestly think you have a chance of taking on Klaus. Come on Damon…be smart." she chided.

Damon straightened himself, a cocky and devious smirk pulled at the side of his mouth. "I know I can't fight Klaus…but I know he needs the moonstone for the curse." he tilted his head and held his arms out. "No moonstone, no curse." He was satisfied to see a glint of surprise and - was that admiration – in her eyes. But she quickly recovered, a stony mask in its place.

Katherine crossed her arms and cocked out her leg. "And where exactly do you plan on finding this moonstone, hm? Do you think it's just going to be lying around on a sandy beach?"

He raised his brows. "Well…" he drawled, taking a cautious step towards her. "That's where you come in, sweetheart."

She huffed a sarcastic laugh. "You're kidding? What in God's name makes you think I have it?"

A beautiful smile graced his face, knowing she walked right into his trap. "I never said I thought you had it…but you do, don't you?" she flipped the hair out her face, and her mouth tightened in a pucker, that reminded him of the face Elena would make when he made her mad. "Katherine…please." he wasn't above begging, not when it was for Elena. "If you have it…you have to give it to me." he pleaded softly.

She frowned, bothered by his change in demeaner. He was reminding her too much of the human Damon she turned long ago, and how eager he was to please her…so open and bare. It bothered her because he was doing this for her. "If I did have it…what makes you think I'd ever give it to you? Klaus wants me dead. The moonstone is the perfect bargaining chip for my freedom."

Damon tried a different tactic. "You were just like her once. She's just a girl, a human, who lost her parents, no way to defend herself…just trying to make it to eighteen." he saw the tension in her face as her eyes darted away. "She's scared, Katherine. Don't you remember what that was like? Wouldn't you have wanted someone to help you?" He could swear he was getting through to her; the emotion in her eyes starting to bleed through, swallowing down the memories of running from her certain death.

But with one deep breath, she fixed him with a cold glower. "I don't care what happens to Elena." she sneered hatefully. "You want to save her from the curse, Damon?" she leaned in, as if she were telling him a secret. "Turn her…or kill her. Either will be better than what Klaus has planned." she sauntered off down the alley and rounded the corner out of sight, leaving Damon stunned and wide eyed.

…

Elena was really starting to regret not calling for a ride. She was walking back from the Lockwood house, unable to throw herself into the party atmosphere. She had every intention of going home, but the further she walked, the more she felt like she was being followed. She instead, headed in the direction of the boarding house.

Glancing back, she saw a hooded figure walking about a hundred yards away, hands shoved in his sweater pockets. She picked up her pace. Looked back. Ninety yards. She walked faster, the boarding house coming into view. Looked back. Eighty yards. She ran as fast as she could up the driveway and slammed the door and locked it behind her, looking out the peephole. No one was there. She leaned her back against the oak, and let out a shaky breath.

Stefan came running down the stairs, concern written on his face. "Hey…what's wrong, I thought you were at the party."

She placed a hand to her chest, to calm her racing heart. "I was…I left early. I should have called for a ride, but I walked and I think I was being followed." rushed out, trying to catch her breath.

Stefan pulled her back, and stepped outside, looking around and honing into his senses for anyone nearby. He closed the door and locked it behind them. "What did they look like?" he walked her over to the couch, and sat down on the table across from her.

"It was a man. He had a blue sweater with a hood." Elena's eyes darted up to his filled with guilt. "Stefan…I think I made a mistake." He didn't say anything, but his frowned deepened. "When Damon and I went to Duke, a vampire ambushed me in the bathroom at the pub. She worked for Isobel…she told me to back off." her eyes dropped back to her hands. "I didn't. I did the exact opposite actually." She went on to tell him about how she called Isobel, and that she knew now that Elena was looking for her, while Stefan paced the floor in front of her, frustration rolling off of him.

"And this vampire from the pub? Why didn't Damon just take care of it then? Why would he let you go through with calling Isobel after you got a clear warning not to?" he stared down at her hands on his hips.

Elena winced. "Damon doesn't know…" she stated in a whisper, but she knew he heard her because he scoffed and chuckled to himself, running a hand over his face. She stood. "Stefan, I'm sorry okay…but I couldn't just give up when I've come this far. I don't think Isobel wants me dead, she's just trying to scare me. There's something she doesn't want me to know…or something that she's afraid of." staring him dead in the eyes she tried to keep her voice strong. "Whatever is coming…we'll deal with it."

Stefan nodded, softening under the gentleness of her eyes. "You need to tell Damon."

Elena sucked in a deep breath. "I will…when he's back." When Stefan looked like he was about to protest, she continued. "If I tell him now, he'll just come rushing back without the moonstone and his whole trip will be for nothing." he didn't seem convinced. "Please Stefan…"

"Fine. But you're going to have to be more careful. No more walking home by yourself, no more doing anything by yourself, do you hear me." he asserted firmly, and she nodded her agreeance. "I'll come back to school, so I can keep an eye on things around there. There's nothing stopping a vampire from getting in this house, so it's best you stay at your place."

Elena mentally checked things off in her head. "I should tell Bonnie; she might be able to help. And I'll need to make sure Jenna doesn't invite anyone in."

"Maybe Ric can-"

"Not Ric." she cut him off quickly with a shake of her head. "Ric can't know about any of this…he'll tell Damon. We can handle this without him."

It was clear that Stefan wasn't comfortable with this, but he agreed for now to placate her. "Let's get you home." He grabbed his jacket and keys and they walked out to his car, all the while he glanced around in the darkness checking for any sign of someone out there.

…

Damon couldn't give up that easily. He followed Katherine through downtown Boston from afar, hoping that she'd lead him back to wherever she was staying in town. After nearly an hour following her in a cab, looping and doubling back, she was let out on West Concord, in front of a three-story townhouse. She glanced around, but he was sure he was parked far enough away that she wouldn't spot his car.

He had to chuckle to himself at how paranoid she was to drive all around downtown just to be dropped off ten minutes away. He got out, and sped up behind her pushing her through the threshold into the darkness of the room.

She stood quickly, and pinned him to the wall baring her fangs. "You think you can sneak up on me, Damon? I knew you were following me." her eyes took on a more affectionate glint as the red faded, and the veins melted back into her skin. "I can always sense when you're near." she walked her fingers up his chest. "It's like a tickle up my spine." she bit her lip with a little giggle, her eyes drawing down to his slightly parted mouth.

He swallowed nervously, trying not to react to her closeness and the way her fingers flitted over the skin just above the collar of his shirt. His tongue darted out to lick his lips instinctively, and had to reign in all his strength not to give her what she wanted. How could she still get to him after all this time? "I don't want to play games with you Katherine." he growled lowly.

She tilted her head up and grazed her nose with his, responding in a seductive whisper. "Who says I'm playing?" her lips slid over his in a gentle caress, and her eyes closed as she let out a shaky sigh. "I've missed you Damon." her hands, moved up to bury in his hair, pulling him closer to her.

He was strong…but he was also a man. crushing his mouth to hers, Damon kissed her with barely contained passion and vigor, their tongues dueling for dominance. He spun them with speed, slamming her back against the wall, and lifting her leg to bring them closer together. The air was filled with their moans and sighs of desire, as he trailed wet, open mouth kisses down her neck.

She reached between the for his belt buckle, and her cold little fingers brushing against his skin was the cold splash of water he needed to pull away. "Wait, wait…brief pause." he whispered. He rested his forehead against hers, ignoring her protest and her annoyed 'Seriously?' "I need to you to promise me." she continued her assault of kisses along his jaw, licking and nibbling at his ear lobe. "Promise me you'll help me save Elena from Klaus."

Katherine stopped, shoving him away with all her strength, her eyes settling on him where he fell on the floor. Her chest heaved in rage. "Are you kidding me right now? I'm offering you the best sex of your life and you're thinking about Elena?" she snarled.

Damon stood gracefully with a smirk. "You're not the only one that can use sex to get what you want."

Her eyes narrowed. "Now who's the one playing games?"

"We both want the same thing. Klaus gone, right?" he approached slowly as if he was closing in on a wounded animal, and in a sense, he had wounded her ego. "What makes you think that the second you hand over that moonstone to him, that he won't rip your heart out?" he saw a flash of insecurity in her face. "We can work together. Strength in numbers."

Katherine lifted her chin high. "I work alone. I'm a survivor…the only reason I've lived this long is because I only look out for myself."

"And how lonely is that?" she blinked rapidly, and he knew he struck a nerve. "I know…I was alone for a long time after I ran into you in Chicago. There's only so long you can pretend before you can't anymore." There was a long silence between them, as they held each others gaze. "I'm staying at the Marriot on Franklin. I'm heading back to Virginia in two days. I'll be leaving at 8am…if you're ready to stop pretending." he didn't say anything more, and brushed passed her leaving her there to think about his offer.

AN: Hi Everyone! hoped you liked this one! I LOVE writing for Katherine, so I'm glad to finally be introducing her to the story. Don't worry, Datherine is not going to be a thing. lease let me know what you think 😊