The previous evening:
In a rush to leave, Katherine and Marcel slide into the tinted window Aston Martin Vanquish. He switches on the dashboard beacon as Katherine quickly removes his seat, pulling back the removable metal plate on the floor.
Marcel starts driving through the courtyard as the beacon starts to emit its signal. They're getting closer as the car is about to drive over the tracer that he shot into the manhole earlier. With the car in place, they quickly slip out of the car and into the sewer and replace the manhole cover.
Katherine holds the trigger, grimacing as she's about to push the button. "Such a nice car."
"Do it!" Marcel demands.
She nods and presses it. At street level, the Aston Martin suddenly detonates, blowing sky-high in a fireball. People are thrown back, other car windows shatter, and screams fill the night as chaos ensues. People flee, guards point, shout and scatter.
"Come on, let's get outta here. We need to get to Moscow."
"We mustn't keep Ms. Sienna waiting," Katherine replies they run down the passage, finally reaching an awaiting speedboat.
Marcel starts the engine and they race out from under the bridge. "Who is that guy that keeps showing up? Because if you're planning to double-cross me, I will hunt you down, Katherine."
"He's cute but I don't know who he is or why he keeps appearing. And Marcel, I would never double-cross you. Shame on you for even considering the possibility," Katherine scolds as she slips out of her six-inch heels.
"You better not be lying to me," he adds, staring at her for several seconds before speeding away while black smoke rises in the background.
Present time.
Damon's certain that somehow Elena's doppelganger escaped death in the car explosion. It's not only his gut feeling but also it's been reported that no remains were recovered from the burned-out hulk of the Aston Martin luxury car.
Having hacked into the outgoing flight data at Vaclav Havel Airport, Damon's looking for any images of them as well as Moscow-bound passengers.
He gulps his coffee as he stares at his computer. Damon gives himself a fist pump when he hits a button and a photo of Katherine and Marcel appear on the screen. She's wearing big sunglasses and a large floppy hat while her companion wearing a fedora and dark glasses in an obvious attempt to disguise their identities.
Although he has no idea what's in store for them in Moscow, Damon books two tickets for the twelve p.m. flight...
Ouch…" Elena wakes up with a start, finding herself in an empty bed. Opening her eyes, yesterday all comes back to her.
"Oh shit!" She yells out and tossing the sheets aside, she scurries into the bathroom and looks into the mirror above the sink, her eyes widening at the view staring back at her.
"What the hell am I doing here?" she whispers to herself before climbing into the shower. The hot water soothes the ache slightly as she stands under the spray of water as the memories start to come back with vengeance.
"Oh my God…" She whispers to herself, leaning back against the cool tiles. Everything she believed about Martin, or whoever he might be, come crashing down around her. As angry as she is at him for putting her in danger, she can't deny that she feels something whenever he's around.
She loves how her body buzzes with life in his presence. She loves how he makes her feel. And suddenly, she starts to question herself. How can she be in love with a man who didn't hesitate even a millisecond when she asked him if he was an assassin?
Elena knows all the reasons that she should keep herself away from him. He's ruthless and takes what he wants. And what if he is apprehended? Could she go to jail for being his accomplice?
What has she done?
How is she going to face herself and her friends after this? She already feels ashamed of herself with a hint of regret.
Regret… Secretly, she longs for the touch of his lips and the feel of his hands on her body.
Elena shakes her head at the thoughts and images pushing into her mind, various scenarios and positions, all naughty and all him…
She turns the water off and walks back to the room to throw her clothes back on. She stands dressed only in a pair of jeans, with her bra and top in her hand when Damon walks in with his trademark smirk plastered over his face.
Elena covers her breasts.
"Good morning!" Damon greets her and his eyes sweep over her bare torso with fascination. "No need to cover up for me."
"Stop it. I'm angry at you," Elena hisses at him, hating that he looks so damn handsome in his grey t-shirt and dark washed jeans.
"Elena, there are not enough apologies in the world that can make up for all the things I've done. I left Monte Carlo because I couldn't hurt you. It wasn't that I didn't try, I did and you should know that. I couldn't do it and now you're in danger because of me. Once you're safe, I'll remove myself from your life if that's what you want."
"Of course, that's what I want," she snaps as her hands cup her bare breasts.
Damon swallows thickly. "As you wish. Once I know you'll no longer have to look over your shoulders, I'm gone."
"Good," she blows out a breath. "So what happens now?" she changes the subject.
"Now we're going to Moscow. We have reservations on the noon flight."
"Moscow? Why do we want to go there?"
"Because that's where Katherine Pierce went."
"I thought she was in the car? Dead?"
"Apparently not. No bodies were found which means that she and her boyfriend somehow escaped. We're going to find them."
"I can't just go home?" Elena asks, sucking her lower lip between her teeth.
"No. We leave for the airport as soon as you're ready." Damon nods and leaves the room.
Elena sighs as she slips into her bra and tee-shirt. As much as she'd like to slap him upside the head, she instinctively believes that she needs to stay with him for both their sakes.
Somewhere over Belarus...
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it looks like we're going to have a bit of a bumpy ride ahead. Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts."
The voice over the plane's intercom is smooth and calm, but it doesn't fool Damon. The flight attendants leave the beverage service cart half-finished in their haste to get back to their seats and latch their seatbelts – a definite bad sign.
He shifts forward in his seat to get a clear view out the window. Even from miles away, he can see the lightning flashing purple through the anvil-shaped cloud tops.
"What's wrong?" Elena asks, trying to see around him.
As if on cue, the plane bounces on an invisible pothole in the sky.
"Turbulence. There's a storm," Damon explains as he links his fingers with hers.
Across the aisle, a little girl's face whitens to match her knuckles as she grips her mother's arm.
"Mommy?"
"Ssh," The young woman barely looks up from her magazine as she absently pats the back of the girl's hand.
"It's like driving down a bumpy road. We'll be fine," Damon assures Elena.
The plane pitches violently to the right. Damon hates turbulence and always has. He tips the tiny bottle of bourbon back and downs it in one gulp, his posture relaxing when the illuminated seatbelt light turns off and the occupants of the cabin give a collective sigh of relief.
"I told you we'd be fine."
"I wasn't worried but you were. Is there a story there?" Elena asks, locking eyes with his.
"Nope!" he shakes his head and turns back to the window.
Esther looks up from her computer as the doors to her Moscow office slide open. Julian Chambers strides through them confidently and takes a seat.
"Well? Are they dead?" she demands, her gaze piercing right through him. "I saw reports of a car bomb."
"You still doubt my abilities, Esther?"
"My people on the ground haven't confirmed the death of either Katherine Pierce or that miscreant companion of hers, Marcel Gerard."
"They were blown up. It will take time to identify the remains."
"Quit lying to me!" Esther slams her fist on the desktop. "No human remains were found in the car. How do you explain that?" She stands, and presses her palms on the desktop, casting an imposing figure as she leans forward.
"We're not in real-time contact!" Julian stands, too, not about to cower in her presence. said. "And if they somehow miraculously escaped that car, I know where to find them."
"Where would that be?" she narrows her eyes, not backing down in the least.
"I'll get Atticus to tap into the Prague airport's surveillance. We'll have eyes on them if they were there. And you know Katherine craves attention, she'll reveal herself soon," he points out as he walks over to the bar and pours himself a glass of whiskey.
Esther's son abruptly appears behind Julian. Niklaus raises the gun to his head and pulls the trigger, double-tapping his skull.
Smirking as the body crashes to the floor, Niklaus leans over the corpse and sifts through Julian's pockets, pocketing the cash he finds there.
"One less problem. I always enjoy cleaning house this way," Niklaus's eyes twinkle as he addresses his mother.
Esther holds his gaze for another split second. "You were in Prague, too. Don't let them escape again or the next time, that might be you!" she nods at Julian's dead body.
"You'd kill your own flesh and blood?" Klaus asks, toying with the gun in his hand.
"You don't want to be put in a position to find out." She lets the threat hang for several seconds. "First you need to get this mess cleaned up and second, you find and kill them. Keep me updated."
"Don't worry, mother. I'll kill her and that worthless assassin you hired."
"Make sure you do," she calls after him as he leaves her office. Esther is still in a bad mood about the entire thing. She doesn't like to be double-crossed and they will pay for it with their lives.
Massive thanks to all of you and to Eva.
I know this is a shorter chapter. I'll try to post 13 soon.
Chapter title: 'Danger! High Voltage' by Electric Six.
Have a fantastic day.