Chapter 14

December 15th, 2009

Damon opened eye when he heard muttering and looked down to see Evelyn, gripping his t-shirt tightly. She was frowning. Obviously having a nightmare.

"Hey, Eves." He said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Wakey, wakey."

She frowned deeper. "No...D."

He looked at her in surprise. "Hm...nickname? I kind of like it." He felt himself smiling stupidly.

"...not here. Not here."

"Yeah, I'm here. Wake up." He leaned down and cupped her cheek. "You've having a nightmare."

He was a bit smug, knowing that she was dreaming about him. She started wiggling beneath his fingers.

"Why are you touching me?" She croaked finally and he smirked.

"Awake, are we?"

Evelyn opened her bright green eyes and blinked sleepily before focusing on him.

"You're still touching me. Get off." She made him roll onto his back with a flip of her hand and he snorted at the ceiling.

"You're such a grouch in the morning."

Evie sat up and yawned, stretching her arms above her head.

Damon watched her and she eyed him. "What?"

"I didn't know you were trying out nicknames too."

She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You called me D."

A pink flush went across her cheeks then. "How'd you know that?"

Smirking, he reclined against her pillows. "You said it in your sleep."

Scowling, she tossed back the covers, effectively covering his head from view and got out of bed. She dug through her clothes and headed into the bathroom.

When she came back out, she was tugging a maroon colored sweater over her head.

"Where are you going?"

"Out to help look for Elena. Stefan's having a hard time."

He groaned and pulled the sheets back over his head.

"You don't have to go." She told him with a roll of her eyes. "I'm just going to help Stefan locate her. Who is that Anna chick anyway?"

Damon sat up with groan. "She's a girl I met in 1864. Her mother is in the tomb."

Evelyn paused and then frowned. "Well that sucks. I suppose that's why she's got Elena so she can get her hands on the grimoire." Her phone buzzed. "Oh and Bonnie too, great."

"You're on my side." His tone was slightly jealous sounding and her mouth twitched.

"I am." She told him, looking back up at him. "But I will not sit here knowing that someone has Bonnie and Elena trapped. I may not be Elena's biggest fan right now and I think she and Stefan did you wrong, but I can't not do anything. Bonnie's my friend."

Damon sighed. "Fine."

She grabbed her keys. "So...What are you going to do in the meantime?"

He shrugged.

Evie rolled her eyes. "Do you have things for Katherine? I mean she's been in a tomb, so I doubt she has anything. Like a hairbrush, clothes from this century..." The vampire groaned.

"I hate shopping."

"Get over it. It's for your girlfriend."

They both tensed at the word and their eyes met for a moment. After tonight, things would be different. Katherine and Damon would leave town or wreak havoc probably. She doubted that he'd go off without a bang in retaliation to the town that entombed his girl. The man held grudges.

After tonight...She'd lose a friend. Damon had been a constant in her life since September. Four months of his obnoxious self...and then a whole month and a half of sleeping in the same bed...then the recently added sex. Now she was getting too close to him. It was good it was stopping. She had no claim on him. They were just...friends with benefits.

Damon stared at her, trying to understand his own feelings. He should be happy, ecstatic to have Katherine back. And he was. Only, he also felt not so happy. Once he had Katherine all his time would be devoted to her. No more late nights with Evie. He shouldn't feel so conflicted. That meant he was getting too close to her. So, it was good they would have to stop right? He just wanted Katherine.

Both nodded at one another. It was time to end it. Then they looked elsewhere, opting to stare at the wall than show the emotions swirling in their eyes. Eyes were the window to the soul, so they say.

"Well, I'm off to play hero." Evie said eventually. "I'll let you know how it goes." She left rather quickly, not giving him a chance to speak.

Damon turned his head to the doorway to her bedroom and gave a long sigh.

Try as he might, he wasn't the same vampire he had been when he had first arrived back in Mystic Falls. He had grown to enjoy a human girl's company. Something he hadn't expected. But it was time to stop.

Evie came back in. He felt relaxed at her presence. "Change of plan. We're going to your house. That way Jeremy or Jenna won't see."

"Right." He muttered and then said: "So to the granny mobile?"

"Not for you. You can walk."

He grinned.

Damon looked up from the grimoire, watching his brother stare at Evie in fascination. He smirked slightly. He had no idea just how powerful his little Eves was.

Stefan watched intently as Evie did the spell over Elena's hairbrush. Her hand glowed yellow, as she passed it over the object.

"She's at a motel nearby...I think it's that ugly one at the edge of town." She told frowning in concentration. "That's all I can see."

"Thank you, Evie." He murmured and turned to Damon. "Won't you help?"

"Nope. You can go now." He said in a sickly-sweet voice. "Really." Evie rolled her eyes.

"You know, all I can remember is hating you." Stefan began, frowning at his brother. "There might have been a time when that was different, but your choices have erased anything good about you." Damon gave him an incredulous look. "But see, I also know that you have just as much reason to hate me. This all began with me. Katherine got taken from you because of me. And I'm sorry."

Evie looked from one brother to the other. Damon looked more bemused an anything.

"Apology accepted." He said and sounded sincere. Evelyn wasn't so sure.

"So, please...Help me get Elena back."

Damon sighed dramatically and stood up. "I mean this sincerely...I hope Elena dies."

"Okay, whoa." Evie stated, standing up. "No, she hurt your feelings. She lost your trust, but we don't want her dead." The girl pointed a finger at him and he rolled his eyes.

She turned to Stefan. "Ready to go?"

"You're not going."

"The hell I'm not. I've got the magic, you got the muscle. Let's go."

He hesitated and Damon snorted. "If I were you, I'd take her. You'd have a better chance." Stefan didn't question him.

"About last night..." He began softly.

Evie was driving them into town. It had been awkward silence until then. She was glad for the reprieve from the silence, but it wasn't what she wanted to talk about.

She frowned. "Look, just because Damon and I are working together and, the fact that I want him gone, doesn't mean that you and Elena get to double cross him like that. It wasn't right of you and it hurt him."

Stefan sighed lightly.

"I know."

She tucked her hair behind her ear. "You know...He may have said he forgave you for Katherine, but part of him still resents you. And it may always resent you, because of the betrayal. Maybe showing him a bit of understanding would help. It's not my place, I'm an only child, but I can see how it affects him. And I can clearly see how much Elena's betrayal hurt him. He wasn't expecting it for sure. He respects Elena on some level so that really cut him to the quick."

Stefan watched her for a moment. He could see that she obviously cared for his brother more than she was admitting. Whether it was love or not, he couldn't tell. Evie didn't seem like the type to fall for Damon's charms, but that didn't necessary mean that she didn't have somewhat of an attraction to him. And now that he thought about it...Damon seemed rather protective of her. Though, he may have only pretended to care for Evie because of her powers. That and he couldn't see his brother dumping Katherine for another girl. Not as infatuated he is with Katherine.

"Bonnie won't open the tomb." Elena declared boldly and Anna snorted.

"Oh, one of them will. Evelyn or Bonnie."

Elena sat up on the bed. "What?"

"Yeah, I know she's got witch powers. She's part medium and part witch. She has the potential to be freaking awesome."

"What's a medium? Like a psychic?"

Anna turned from the window. "Sort of. Mediums have telekinetic powers. She can throw things, lift them from the other side of the room without moving. But she can also channel things. Which is how I know she'll find us very soon. All she needs is an object of yours and she'll find you. Unlike Bonnie, Evelyn can find us with a single flash of a vision." Anna huffed. "Would have grabbed her first, but she wasn't home. So we got Bonnie instead."

Evie motioned with her hand and the door burst open, starting the people inside. She walked purposely though the door and slung open the curtains with another wave of her hand. Brad screamed and scrambled out of the sunlight. Evie pinned him to the wall with her magic.

"Go Bonnie." She said.

Stefan came in behind her and Elena ran up to him.

"Evie, let him go. I've got him." He told her and the girl released him.

"Come on." She told Elena and they went outside with Bonnie.

"How'd you find us so fast?" The witch asked. "And that was totally badass. By the way."

Evie smiled. "I can sense things from objects. Like the night Vicki ran away from Damon. I located her at the school by an earring she left behind."

Bonnie only blinked. "That is so cool."

Elena tilted her head. "What else can you do?"

"Little of this, little of that." She smirked. "Let's get out of here."

They went to Bonnie's Grandmother's house where Shelia invited them inside warmly. Even Stefan.

Bonnie turned to her Grams. "How did Evie find us so fast? What kind of witch is she?"

"A different one. Her powers are drawn from forces within herself. Her powers like ours have limits. And hers can be dangerous if not controlled. She seems to be in control of them however." Shelia smiled at Evelyn as the girl came and sat down across from them.

The girl smiled back.

"Many things can fuel a witch's power. Worry, anger." She explained to Bonnie. "After Stefan told me what happened, I had a lot of both. But young Evie here, can use a supernatural sense to find the exact location through an object. Not many can do that. So, I recommended that he call her."

"That's me. Supergirl." Evelyn smirked and Bonnie and Elena giggled.

Elena frowned. "Anna said that Evie was part medium."

Evelyn blinked. "What?"

Shelia nodded. "Yes. Her magic, as I stated before, is so very different from our own. I'm not sure how to explain it in a way you'd all understand, but her powers come from a source within her." Evelyn was frowning in thought, mulling over the new information.

Elena frowned. "What do we do now?"

"We have to let Damon have Katherine back." Evie spoke up. "He won't stop until he gets her back and you promised him...We all did." She added the last part softly, but Stefan heard her.

"I agree," She said. "Maybe if we help him, that'll end it."

Bonnie scowled. "No! He doesn't deserve to get what he wants!"

Shelia sighed. "Witches being pulled down by vampire problems."

"I'll open the tomb." Evie frowned. "I can do the incantation. I've seen the spell."

"No." She shook her head. "You're magic alone won't be enough. It's a big spell to do yourself, sweetie."

"I'll help open the tomb." She looked at Stefan. "You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over."

"We still have to get Damon to agree." Stefan pointed out.

"He already agreed once."

"But you stabbed him in the back." Evelyn rolled her eyes. "He doesn't trust anyone."

"Evie's right." Stefan spoke up. "He's angry."

"He's hurt." Elena shook her head. "There's a difference."

"Evelyn." Stefan said quietly. "He'll listen to you. He's got you on his side."

She shook her head. "No...It has to be Elena." She turned to the brunette. "He was especially hurt by you."

Elena nodded and went out the door.

Stefan frowned when Evie went upstairs with Bonnie.

"What are you not telling her?"

Shelia sighed. "The spell is big. Her magic has it's limits as well. The spells in Emily's grimoire are made for witches like Bonnie and I. If Evie had tried to do it alone...it might have hurt her."

Evie pulled her coat on.

"Where are you going?" Othella asked her, frowning.

"A party."

"With Damon?"

"He'll be there I guess..."

"I see."

Evie arched an eyebrow. "I thought you liked Damon?"

"I did. Until I realized what he was." She snorted at her granddaughter's wide-eyed look. "Yes, I know he's a vampire. I saw your spell bag. But since I saw him inside the other night, I don't suppose its for keeping him out."

Evie sighed. "Look, Gran-"

"What you want to do is your own decision, I've always told you that. I may be your grandmother, but I've always let you choose what you want to do. But it's usually because you make the right decision. This is very dangerous, Evelyn. He's dangerous." She knew that he was. Always had that sense that he was a dark, scary man, but that's what drew her to him.

"He won't hurt me." She said softly. "He just wants his girlfriend back."

Othella looked up sharply. "Back? Please don't tell me that this flirtation with you was to get you to open that tomb?"

"You know about the tomb?" Evie frowned.

"Yes, of course I do, and I don't want you near it. That tomb is full of evil."

"I promised to help."

"Be careful then." Othella told her. "There's nothing good in that tomb."

Evie nodded. "Shelia Bennett is going."

Othella let out a breath. "Good. Good. I trust her to make sure you stay out of trouble." She took Evie's face in her hands. "Please be careful."

"What's in there, Gran? My book was warning me about it." She said and her grandmother shook her head.

"The vampires probably. If you were warned, then I'd stay far away from there. I don't know much about that tomb."

Evie could only frown after her grandmother. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a text from Elena.

"Damon, won't listen. You talk to him." She read aloud and sighed.

Elena stepped aside and Evie went into the house.

"I tried." The brunette murmured and she nodded.

"He's a stubborn ass. You just gotta keep at him."

Elena snorted. "Better you than me."

She continued down the hall as Elena followed with curiosity. Damon was pacing in the living room, a glass of bourbon in his hand. He looked conflicted. She leaned against the doorframe.

"Hey, there partner."

He turned his head and eyed her. "What are you doing here?"

"Come to see why you're still being a giant pain in the ass." She retorted. "Elena's got Bonnie and her Grams ready to open the tomb and yet here you are..."

"Fool me once, shame on you." He muttered, frowning at Elena, and started to walk off.

Evie pushed off the wall and stepped further into the room. "Well, I'll be there. I promised to help open the tomb and get Katherine out. Now you can come along and get your girl or stand there and pout and make me look like a liar."

Damon stared at her for a minute and then rolled his eyes. "All right, stop looking at me like that."

Smirking, Evie turned to Elena. "Such a push over."

"I heard that."

Elena just shook her head.

She would never understand the strange friendship they had.

"Anna won't stop, no matter what I do." Damon reminded and Evie shrugged.

"We'll deal with it. Let her get her mother out if we have too, but no one else."

Evie got out of the car first and frowned.

"Aw, it's the Duke party." She grumbled. "I'm going to miss it." Damon snorted.

"Drink on your own time, boozie."

"You're one to talk, Mr. Bourbon Breath."

Elena ignored them and glanced around.

"I hope they stay clear of the church."

"You're hope, not mine." Damon retorted.

They made their way through the crowd, heading for the tomb, when someone stepped in front of them.

"Elena."

It was Matt.

"Elena, oh my god. Where have you been?" Caroline gushed, taking hold of Matt's hand aggressively. Matt looked at his hand that was being squeezed by her.

"Awkward." Evie muttered to Damon who rolled his eyes.

"Long story, no time to tell it."

"Wasn't talking to you." The cheer captain retorted, glaring at him.

"Sure you were." He smirked.

Matt offered his free hand to Damon. "We haven't met. I'm Matt."

"Matt, there's a reason we haven't met."

Evie elbowed his ribs. "He's Stefan's older brother." The girl told him. "Big pain the ass." Caroline looked from her to a smirking Damon and then gasped.

"Oh, my god!"

Evelyn shoved Damon's back, making him go towards the woods. "Don't we have somewhere to be? Let's get the hell out of here!" The vampire merely looked at her in amusement.

"Is he the guy you're screwing!?"

People glanced in their direction and Evie's face turned tomato red. Elena's eyebrows rose. Matt shook his head.

"Caroline."

"No, damn it! Shut up, Caroline!" Evie snarled and shoved Damon faster.

They managed to escape to the darkened trees and away from the campfires. The girl scowled at Damon.

"Well, you were no help back there. Standing there smirking. You asshat." Damon grinned shamelessly.

"Well, I wouldn't say no if you wanted..."

"Hell, no."

Elena shook her head. At first, she thought Caroline had been onto something, but Evie wouldn't sleep with Damon. They annoyed each other too much.

They neared the tomb and Damon whistled to get Stefan's attention.

"Brother, witches." He greeted Stefan, Shelia, and Bonnie.

Stefan nodded at Evie when she waved her hand.

"Are you okay?" He asked Elena.

"I just want to get this over with."

Damon stood next to Evie, watching as the witches setup the torches. She glanced at him.

"You got stuff for her?"

"Mmhm." He hummed.

"Air, Earth, Fire." Shelia said, lighting each torch.

"Water." Bonnie shook the bottle in her hands.

Elena looked confused. "That's it? Just water from the tap?"

"As opposed to what?" Shelia smiled.

"Holy water to ward off the demons." Evelyn spoke up.

Bonnie shook her head, hiding a giggle, and Shelia pointed a finger at Evie.

"Behave."

Damon untucked something from his pocket.

"What's that?" Stefan asked, shining his flashlight in his direction. It was a blood bag.

"For Katherine."

Evie grimaced. "Have you had that in your pocket this whole time? Barf."

Damon grinned. "Well, Elena could always tap open a vein..." The brunette scoffed.

He leaned over towards Stefan. "Admit it, you can't wait to get rid of me."

His brother hummed in agreement. "I can't wait to get rid of you."

Evie felt her stomach twist at the words and then scowled at herself.

"We're ready." Bonnie said to them and Evie nodded.

She and Shelia stood up and held hands, starting to chant. Evie was focusing her magic on the door,

She almost jumped when Damon's lips brushed her ear. "What are they saying?"

She shrugged. "I dunno." She whispered back. "I'm just glad I don't have to say it."

"Sounds like Latin." Stefan spoke up.

"I don't think it's Latin." Elena added.

They kept chanting and Evie could feel the air changing.

"Their doing it." She murmured. "Now I can get the door." With their magic breaking the seal, Evie was able to pull on the door with her magic.

The torches flared up and the air vibrated.

"What's happening?" Elena asked, clutching at Stefan.

A crack came from behind them and they turned to watch the tomb door become unsealed as Evie motioned with her hands.

"Well, it's open." She muttered, holding her flashlight up and examining the open door.

Damon looked over his shoulder at Stefan. "We have some fires to build?"

He nodded and turned to Elena. "I'm going to get the gasoline, I'll be right back."

She watched him go before turning around and seeing Damon standing far too close to Evie, who was wiping at her forehead. It had taken a lot of concentration.

"What are you doing?" Elena demanded after a few seconds and Evie turned around only to find Damon's chest right there, blocking her.

"You ready?" He asked her and she looked confused.

"Huh?"

Damon wrapped an arm around her, drawing her against his chest. "You think I'm going to go in there by myself so you can seal me in?" He challenged Shelia.

The witch narrowed her eyes. "Don't you take her in. I'll bring the walls down."

"You'll bring the walls down if I don't." He snapped back. "You think I trust you?"

"As much as I trust you. Don't take her in there." Shelia warned. "Evelyn, I know your grandmother warned you."

The girl nodded. "I know, but it's okay. I made a promise and I'm going to keep it." She wiggled out of Damon's grasp. "Let's go."

He turned and plucked one of the torches from the ground. "May I?" He mocked and then led the way into the tomb. Evie shuddered at the cold air.

"What was she talking about?"

"Oh, my Gran said there's something scary in here. I dunno...And she knows you're a vampire. She's not too happy."

"Hm." He hummed and Evie heard rasping breaths.

She swallowed and hurried forward, bumping into Damon's elbow. "The hell is that?" She whispered.

"They can sense you."

"Well, that's not creepy."

"Now, where is she?" He zipped forward, leaving her behind.

"Salvatore!" She hissed, but he was gone. "Damn it." Her wrist started burning and she dropped her flashlight from the pain. "Ow!" The light hit the ground and went out. "Hey, Damon, where are you?" She held her hands out, bending down to try and find her flashlight. "Ow!" Her hand hit a rock, scraping it and she felt blood well into her palm making her recoil in nausea.

Her fingers wrapped around the flashlight and she lifted it, giving it a smack. The light turned one and she yelped. She was staring at dried up vampire. It was an older man as far as she could tell. Though internally she thought he resembled Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. With a flash, his eyes opened, showing a demonic black color. She was too frightened to make a sound, other than a gasp of air.

She backed away abruptly and fled down the tunnel, smacking into Damon's back.

"Don't be a chicken." He muttered at her, hearing her heart thudding wildly in her chest. "They can't get you." He sniffed the air. "Unless, you stupidly try to feed one of them..." Evie scowled.

"You left me, jerkwad." She finally found her voice and stayed close to him. She was no longer near the black-eyed vampire, but his eyes haunted her and made her insides quake with fear. She had felt something pressing on her mind, still felt it a bit. She could almost see herself going back, lifting her hand and holding it at the mouth of the vampire, wetting its lips. A shudder went down her spine.

Damon noticed how close she was to him and wondered what had spooked her. He didn't think she'd freak out over dried up vampires. She liked those old scary movies. He could see an opening to another room and tensed. She had to be in there. It was the last place to look.

From behind them, Elena screamed. Evie whipped her head around.

"Elena? Did she follow us in here?"

Damon didn't answer, concentrating on the doorway.

Evie turned around. "I'm going to see what's going on." She told him and went back down the tunnel.

She rounded the corner and found Anna holding Elena's wrist to what she could only assume was the vampire girl's mother.

Elena looked at her, wincing at the teeth in her wrist and Evie flung her hand up.

"Noo!" Anna screeched as she was tossed backward into the wall behind her, releasing Elena.

Stefan appeared in time to pull Elena away from Anna's mother and he nodded gratefully Evelyn.

"Annabelle." They turned to see the vampire looking a bit healthier looking. "Annabelle."

"Mother! Mother!" Anna went over to her and they left her deal with it.

Evie turned to Stefan. "Okay, so you get her out and I'll get Damon. He's taking too long as it is."

Stefan nodded.

She went back down the tunnel to find Damon muttering to himself.

"She's not here...She's not here." He said frantically, looking around wildly.

Evelyn frowned and stepped further into the little chamber. There was no one there, but a few others scattered about. No one that resembled Katherine.

"Oh, no." She said quietly. This was going to break Damon. How had she survived and not be locked away down there? Where was she then? Why hadn't she come looking for him? She glanced at him, wincing at his confused and obviously pained and frantic expression. He could turn into a complete nutjob, terrorizing the entire town. Not that she would exactly blame him. His sole purpose in life for over a hundred years was find Katherine. Save Katherine. Everything for Katherine. So where the hell was she?

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Stefan.

"The spell they did...it would have kept Damon and I from leaving. Bonnie and Shelia are trying to fix it so we can all leave. But we've got to hurry." He said lowly, and then noticed his brother erratic behavior.

"She's not here. She's not here." Damon bemoaned again and Evie sighed, looking at Stefan.

"Where the hell is she?"

Stefan shrugged, but she could see he was in shock as well. Neither one of them had thought she had escaped the church.

"She's not here!" Damon shouted and threw the blood bag at the far wall.

Stefan stepped over to his brother. "Damon, we have to get out of here."

"It doesn't make any sense." He ranted madly. "They locked her inside."

"Stefan, they can't hold it much longer!" Elena's voice echoed down the tunnel.

The younger brother frowned. "If we don't leave now, we're not getting out." He said with a little more force. Damon ignored him.

"How could she not be in here?" He asked, sounding very upset.

"It's not worth spending all of eternity down here." He grabbed his brother's shoulder. "She's not worth it."

"No!" Damon jerked away. Evie knew he wasn't going to listen unless someone made him.

"Damon." He wasn't listening and Evie took his face in her hands, making her look at him. "Damon!" His eyes landed on her, still frantic like a deer in headlights. She softened her voice. "D, she's not here and we need to leave, or you'll be in here and she'll be out there. Are you listening? You will be stuck if you don't come on."

Stefan pretended not to hear the nickname, concentrating on Damon's reaction to her words. He was staring at her blankly and he worried for a moment that he'd turn on her.

"Please." Evie implored gently. His eyes refocused on her and slowly he nodded.

She let go of his face and held her out hand out like he was a small child. "Well, come on then." He took it after a moment and he led him out of the cave, following Stefan.

Though again he was floored by Damon's easy acceptance of Evie, he didn't question it right then. In fact, he was relieved to know there was someone that was able to decipher his brother's moods. He thought at first it would have been Elena, she was, after all a reminder of Katherine, but she had texted him earlier explaining that she had to call in Evie. That Evelyn had prompted Damon into helping them.

The tomb door was still open, a good sign, and he hurried out of it, gathering Elena to his chest as Damon and Evie came out the door. It slammed shut behind them and the torches around them extinguished, darkness swallowing them.

When Stefan looked over at Damon, he found him and Evie far from each other like nothing had happened. That she hadn't been holding his hand and leading him out of the tomb. His brother looked broken and miserable and for a moment, he watched Damon's eyes find Evie, a flicker of something oddly tender in his gaze before it disappeared.

Out of the stuffiness of the tomb, Evie turned to Shelia and Bonnie.

"Are you okay? I should have come to help. You should have called to me."

Shelia shook her head. "It wouldn't have mattered. The spell was almost too big for anyone to handle. Emily was a very strong witch in her time. Much stronger than the three of us together. No, it wouldn't have mattered if you had come back out. But we're just fine, honey."

"Tired." Bonnie answered. "We're tired too."

Evie nodded and watched Bonnie and Shelia as they left the old church ruins and then turned to face the others.

Elena was checking on Jeremy and Stefan was too. The vampire looked up and caught her gaze, motioning with his head in another direction. Evie turned and saw Damon.

He was standing in the moonlight, looking lost and very lonely.

She looked back at Stefan in confusion. What did he want her to do? Comfort him? She wasn't stupid, she knew that Damon had some connection to Elena. She was apparently a nicer version of Katherine, the woman he loved. Wouldn't it be better for him to be comforted by her? Apparently, Stefan didn't agree.

He made the gesture again and she sighed to herself.

Evie went over to him. Damon turned at her approach, eyes not entirely focused on her. She could see the anguish on his face, and it upset her.

"I'm sorry, D." She said almost inaudibly and hugged him tightly, not entirely sure why she was still using the nickname. To her surprise, his arms wound around her loosely. She felt her cheeks flush and she pulled away from him and he let his arms drop. Without a word, she turned and walked off.

She toed her shoes off and approached the bed. Damon was lying propped up by pillows on the bed, bare-chested and a glass of bourbon in his hand. He didn't turn his head to acknowledge her. He was watching the rain pelt his bedroom windows. Thunder crashed and lightening lit up the bedroom every once and a while. It had started about an hour ago, hence why he had trouble falling asleep. He loved storms, but not this particular night.

"I didn't think you'd come." He said quietly. After learning about Katherine from Pearl and Anna...He immediately searched for something to make him feel better. The bourbon helped a bit, but it hadn't been enough. "Why did you?"

She hesitated. She wasn't so sure why either. She had jumped up at his first text asking her to come over. She felt stupid. "I dunno...Do you want me to go?"

He was silent for a moment, contemplating. "No." He said at length. "No, I don't." He downed the bourbon and poured another glass from the decanter on his nightstand.

Thunder rolled again, shaking the house.

"She got someone to bail her out." He spoke again. "Promised him eternal life."

"Oh." Evie said softly. "I'm sorry about Katherine." She told him sincerely after a beat. "Must have been hard…Where do you think she is?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Come on, Damon. You pined after her for decades. You must be curious on some level."

"Apparently "She doesn't care"." He mocked bitterly. "So I don't care either."

"Who says?" She frowned.

"Anna." He spat. "Little brat got what she wanted. I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine."

He glanced over at her. "Come here."

She came and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Thanks."

"For?"

"Trying."

She nodded. "I promised didn't I?"

"We're in a serious rut, Eves." He said out of the blue. She knew immediately what he meant.

She ran a hand through her hair, mussing it up more than it already was from her flinging her hoodie off and onto the floor.

"Yeah. Maybe we should stop."

"Maybe...Thing is I don't want to. We're in a rut because I can't fucking sleep without you nearby." He admitted sounding angry.

It was a surprising confession and Evie felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. She started shaking her head.

"Don't."

"Don't what? Admit that I want you to get in the bed?"

Her cheeks flushed red and she shifted on the bed. "I thought we decided to stop."

"I don't want to stop." He said childishly. "I just told you that."

She rolled her eyes. "What do you want then?"

Quicker than she could register, she found herself jerked onto the bed completely, Damon hovering over her. His scent of leather, cologne, bourbon, and mint hit her all at once and made her dizzy.

"I want to sleep." He said intensely, his eyes boring into hers. "I need to sleep. Stay or don't stay I don't give a fuck, but what I want is to close my eyes." Evie watched his eyes flicker with different emotions. He didn't want to think about Katherine.

Evie pushed at his chest. "Personal space, Salvatore." She said and he thumped over onto his back, mouth twitching. "How can you sleep, if you don't shut your yap?"

Evie slipped out from under Damon's arm. The vampire muttered something and rolled the other way, freeing her from his octopus like grip. He had fallen asleep quickly.

Taking her shoes in her hand and her hoodie under her arm, she tiptoed from the room, turning to shut it back softly. Evie turned and choked on a yelp. Stefan was standing there, giving her a knowing look. She pressed a finger to her lips and hurried down the stairs, Stefan behind her.

He followed her outside and she stopped to put her shoes and hoodie back on. The rain continued to pelt the house.

"How long?" He asked quietly.

"A month or so." She answered and turned to face him. "Look, it's not romantic or anything." She was quick to add. "It's a weird sort of-"

He held up a hand. "I don't need to know the details. I just wanted to thank you actually."

"For what?"

"Being his...person I guess. I think you're keeping his humanity on."

"It's by a thread as it is." She muttered and he nodded. "This is weird isn't it?"

"It is, but not to him. He's calmer with you, I've noticed."

Evie looked away. "He shouldn't depend on me."

Stefan rocked back on his heels. "Do you love him, Evie?"

"No. We're just...weird friends."

He nodded but didn't say anything.

"What is this Katherine's problem?" She frowned.

"I stopped trying to figure her out long ago."

Evie looked up at the house. Stefan watched her.

"I know I said I didn't need the details, but I just want to know what it is he wants from you."

She sighed. "He wants an escape. An off switch to the day by day. And he needs sleep."

"Why don't you stay then? I already know you're here."

There were so many reasons why she should leave. Damon's emotions were off the charts, they were supposed to stop seeing each other because of Katherine, now there was no Katherine and it scared her. It scared her to be Damon's go to person because he'd seek her out all the time, he was close enough as it is. What if she ended up liking him too much? More than she did now. More than she did now.

Evie shook her head rapidly, fidgeting from her own inner thoughts. "No. We both knew I wouldn't stay all night. It's better this way."

Curious as he was, he again, chose not to inquire any more of her.

"Goodnight then."

She nodded and started to walk off, stopping in the middle of the yard and turning to face him again. rain pelted her head down.

"Look, it's not my business, but if he...gets bad off...Call me."

Stefan nodded and waited until Evie got into her car before shutting the door.

Evie pressed her forehead to the steering wheel of the car. Tears stung her eyes and she shook her head.

"Stop it." She scowled and wiped the spilled ones away. She glanced up at the house once more and then backed out of the drive.

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