It's been a few days since his phone call and life at the club is slowly returning to normal. Well, if there is such a thing as normal after Jeremy's body was found and murder confirmed to be the method. Neither Damon nor the other detectives have returned to question them and he hasn't called again...

It's for the best...

"What are you thinking about?" Kai's sitting on the desk just a few feet from her.

Elena swings her armchair back into position slowly and focuses on his face. He's smirking. Of course. "What if I were to say... that's for me to know and for you to dot, dot, dot?" she retorts, gesticulating animatedly with her index finger to make her point.

"You wound me, Elena," he gives her his best pout.

"Did you need something?" Elena's not one to be trifled with and certainly not by a child... Some of her thoughts must be visible in her expression as Kai's smirk widens.

"No, just checking on you. You've been distant, lately."

"Perhaps it's because things have been... difficult lately. Sometimes it's hard to turn off your mind and quit thinking about... everything." Since when does she need to censor everything that comes out of her mouth? With Kai?

"Okay," he sighs, and she knows his concern is real. "We could take a drive over to the Amazon, check it out if you'd like?"

Her face almost lights up and she takes a breath to express genuine enthusiasm but in the space of a millisecond it's just gone... "I... um..., maybe later?" What is the point in doing all these things as if nothing's changed?

Kai nods, he knows "later" will never come, at least not today. "I'll be downstairs, give me a call if you change your mind."

Elena nods and lamely waves her hand in a futile attempt to pretend she's delighted with his plan.

She's not about to let the cops ruin her life.

Damon covers his head with a blanket but it does nothing to mute the annoying sound of the doorbell.

Doorbell?

He cracks one eye open and he's indeed home, on the couch, it's barely eight in the morning and it's definitely Saturday. Maybe something unexpected in Jeremy's case?

"I'm coming!" he calls aloud but it comes out as a growl. He tests sitting up and putting his feet on the floor. His damn ribs! Clutching a pillow to support them, he grimaces, baring his teeth when he stands. Once he's upright, he's able to get to the door without any more trouble. Before pulling it open, he wonders if it'll even be worth it. If it's his nosy neighbor wanting to wish him good morning, he'll have a thing or two to say, none of it nice.

"Good morning!" the cheerful voice of... Katherine?

"What are you doing here?" It's not for the first time she's stopped by unexpectedly to check on him. A few days ago she called to offer him her help with some light shopping or cooking, eventually he agreed so she'd stop nagging. Despite his less than cheerful attitude, it turned out to be a good idea since his body still feels like he got hit by a bus. Katherine surprised him with her easy-going and helpful demeanor. They talked. They watched movies. They spent time together.

In a way it felt...disturbing, he felt like they had never separated, like they've been siblings all along. And yet, just a month ago he wanted nothing to do with her ever. He's still in awe how she came into his life and turned it upside down in such a short time.

"Niiice," she drags and pushes her way around him carrying a few bags into the kitchen. He follows her, contemplating how to tell her not to invade his place without calling first. Even though she barreled her way in here like an Abram's tank, it feels nice to have someone, a family member take care of him.

When did he start to think of her as family?

"These are for later," Katherine informs him putting some food into the fridge.

"Thanks. You didn't have to..."

"Of course I did. And besides, I had a phone call while I was on my way over here, I'm supposed to drag you kicking and screaming if necessary to your parents' house. They invited us to join them for the weekend. Jenna believes her little boy is in need of some TLC..."

Damon can't believe what's become of his life.

With precision born from experience, he slips into her room undetected. With a smirk on his lips, he blathers aloud, "What are we doing today?"

Elena shrieks and throws the magazine she's holding at Kol's roguish face. "Kol! You're such an ass... You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Kol laughs and places himself on the couch next to her. "Now Elena, how is it my fault that you were so deep in thought that you didn't hear me enter, please explain. "

"You're a jerk sometimes you know that?"

"I'll pretend you never uttered such foolishness. But you know what you really need...?"

"Oh don't let me stop you, what is it that I need?"

"You should have a dog. A big one."

"I don't need a dog, I have you. And Kai," she childishly sticks her tongue out at him.

"Oh, so mature," his smirk is still in place. "So? What aarreee we doing today?"

Elena takes a moment to consider it. Normally, she'd ask him to take her hiking or to the rose garden, maybe even a drive. It's not that hot today, there's light breeze, ideal weather for a strenuous walk somewhere nice. Normally, she would have planned days ahead for this.

The day before her birthday.

But somehow, everything feels wrong. Nothing is working the way it's supposed to, everything is up in the air... And the truth is...

"Don't worry about it, El, we can go anytime. Should I make myself scarce?"

"Kol, I...," it's hard to let go of traditions, memories and old friends. That's because she can't. And yet she can't shake the nagging feeling that it doesn't feel quite right either. "No," she makes the decision, "I'd love to have you join me for lunch."

"Cool, what are we having?" Kol's face lights up again. It's infectious.

"Surprise me!" she jumps on her feet and passes him the phone. "You get to choose."

"Oh, my dear, you are going to be sorry!" Kol goes through numbers with a devilish grin on his face.

It's a surreal feeling coming home with his sister. Now and then he gives her a look, she's clearly nervous too. Isn't it up to him to calm her nerves?

"Don't worry, we're a very open family. And you know all of them already."

"I know that, Damon. You're the only one who's grumpy in the family."

Damon's mouth opens at the insolence but then the door swings open and Stefan jumps in his arms. Several voices try to stop him but Damon's groan indicates it's too late.

"Stefan!" his dad immediately removes him and gently balances Damon's weight.

"Didn't we tell you to be careful with your brother?" Jenna gently scolds her youngest, watching the said older brother with concern. Then she gives Katherine, to her shock, a light hug and urges them inside.

Stefan follows along with a guilty face, "I'm sorry Damon, I didn't think..."

"You clearly didn't," Giuseppe comments but Damon hurries to calm the boy. "It's alright little bro, I'm just a little sore yet."

He grabs Damon's hand and tugs lightly. "I'll show you Abby's babies, they're so cute," he offers. "But mom says we can't keep them."

"Oh, did she?" Damon laughs, turning to his mom. "You mean you're not an old witch who needs to have a house full of cats and spiders to prove her mettle?"

"I'll show you a house full of spiders," Jenna mutters under her breath.

While they're waiting for lunch, Stefan shows him the basket full of tiny kittens. Two are black and white, one is gray with a white tip on its tail and the last one is jet black. Damon's immediately convinced the kitten is a "he", well, he's definitely bigger than the rest of the litter. Stefan takes one kitten at a time, petting them frantically, luckily, their mom, a big gray and white cat is very friendly and willing to lend her offspring to humans without even trying to claw their eyes out.

"See, Damon? They're so cute, we can't give them away. They will be crying and Abby will be unhappy."

"Look, buddy, maybe you can talk mom into keeping one of them but Abby has you to love her. The others deserve to find their own humans to play with and take care of them."

"Actually," Katherine steps in, "I think I would love to have one of these?"

Stefan's eyes widens, "You want to take one home? With you?"

"Mmmhm, would you give me one?"

"You want to take a cat to New York?" Damon looks at her doubtfully.

"I... will," Katherine nods but the short hesitation causes Damon to make a mental note to ask her about it later. He turns back to Stefan.

"That way the kitten stays in our family. You know Katherine is my sister?"

"Are you my sister too?" Stefan looks at Katherine but she's unable to answer because her throat tightens and her vision blurs.

"Of course she is," Damon winks at her. "She's family."

After lunch Katherine retreats with Stefan to spend more time with the kittens while Damon offers to do the dishes. Jenna doesn't want to hear about it.

"You either sit down, lay down or do whatever is the most comfortable for you, your dad can help me clean up in the kitchen."

Giuseppe just winks at him and as they are leaving Damon notices his dad caressing his mom's shoulder, it warms his heart to see how happy they are. However, finding a comfortable position is no easy task. Even though he loves their couch, it's not any better here than it is at his place and he ends up half sitting, half laying on the couch. His position isn't exactly relaxing but he can't seem to get comfortable no matter what he does. It doesn't take long till his dad joins him again, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa.

"How are you feeling?"

"Do you want the truth or do you want me to lie?"

"Damon?"

"I feel like crap as you can no doubt see by the green tint to my face. The doctor says it's going to take time... it is maybe a little better," he adds when he notices his father's concerned look. "Thanks for inviting us. I think it means a lot to Katherine, to be here, with us."

"She's your sister, she's family."

His simple statement makes Damon once again grateful. "I know, dad. But, I will never take it for granted..."

Giuseppe squeezes his knee and nods.

"Katherine wants to take one of the kittens," Damon informs him. "Would that be a problem?"

"Of course not, they're old enough and right now Stefan isn't keen on giving away any of them but maybe since it's her..."

"I told him it'll be staying in the family... Katherine... she seemed... to like it."

Giuseppe takes his time to answer. "I think your sister is very happy to have found her family. Everyone needs one."

Damon's caught off guard although it's hardly surprising. "I... never thought..."

"I know, Damon. But that's what you are to her, the only family she has. And she could be part of ours...," he pauses to consider his oldest child. "If it's not contrary to your wishes, you might think about asking her to stay?"

"Here? In Reno? She's used to New York, its shine and glitter, crowds of people..."

"If you want my opinion, I think if you were to ask, her answer may surprise you."

Damon thinks about her reaction when he asked if she's going to take the cat back to New York. "I think you may be right."

And then his thoughts turn to another lonely girl, one without a family, well... without any blood relatives but one who fights tooth and nail to keep her adopted ones. And he's about to destroy it.

"What is it?" Giuseppe doesn't miss the shift in Damon's mood.

"Being a cop sometimes sucks," he observes.

"You mean Elena? Is there anything you can do for her?"

How does his dad know everything? "I... hope there is. I wish I could do something, anything to make it less painful for her." He wishes he could be the one to comfort her and make things better. "But I doubt it can be done."

"You do what you have to do, Damon, surely she understands that's who you are. Still there's no reason for you not to try."

Damon shakes his head and while trying to escape this overwhelming conversation he strenuously gets up and crosses the living room, glancing outside at his brother and sister playing in the grass with the kittens.

"I think you're right," he says to his father before slowly getting up to join his siblings.

"So? How are the babies?" he notices Stefan now cradling the tiniest one, clearly not willing to part with it. Katherine's carefully considering the kittens. He makes a mental note to ask his parents to keep at least the runt of the batch for Stefan. "Do you have your eye on any of them?" he addresses Katherine.

"I'm not sure, either this one or..."

"Hey, don't even think about this guy," Damon reaches for and grabs the black kitten and holds it in front of his eyes. Blue meets blue and he experiences a warm feeling knowing with certainty that what just popped into his head is the right thing to do. "He's strong," he says aloud.

"You want one too?" Stefan's not sure if he's happy about it or not.

"I'd very much like to make a certain someone happy. And I happen to know she's sad because she lost her cat."

"You mean Elena?" Katherine turns to look at him and he nods.

Stefan hates loosing kittens but if he must, "I'd give one to Elena. Maybe then we can go see him sometimes?" he asks hopefully.

"Maybe. We'll have to ask her," he smiles at his little brother.

"Wait, how did you know he's a boy?" Stefan needs to know.

"And isn't he? A boy?"

"He is. The doctor said the others are girls."

"Well, he looks like one," Damon chuckles. "Wasn't he the first born?"

Stefan's mouth opens in silent wonder. "Dad! Damon can read minds!" he yells, eyeing his brother with the wide eyed wonder of a much younger brother.

His stomach churns a little bit, it's more than a little weird for him to show up on her doorstep. Damon suspects she won't be any too happy to see him and he's not sure about his present either. He keeps his hand in the bag to keep the kitty inside, the little guy fell asleep as soon as they hit the road. The one Katherine picked will stay at his parents' for a few more days, she needs to check with her motel about pets or make some new arrangements, some place that will allow them.

"Should I wait for you?" Katherine parks in front of Elena's house.

"I'm not sure..." Damon sighs and looks at her. "I'd say there's a 99.9% chance she'll kick me out the moment she lays eyes on me... Or as soon as I give her the present..."

"But you don't want to tell her someone's waiting just in case she surprises you and doesn't slam the door in your face?"

"Something like that," Damon gives her a lopsided grin and Katherine takes it for what it's worth... he no longer has his guard up around her.

"Tell you what. I'm going to that mall we saw a few blocks back and if you need me to pick you up, text or give me a call okay?"

"Sounds good."

"I'll be at the store for an hour or so, getting some pet supplies among other things."

"Thanks," Damon says gratefully.

He gets out of the car and waves at Katherine. Slowly he walks to the door and takes a deep breath before raising his hand and pushing the doorbell.

He feels like a fucking teenager.

Seconds pass like hours and he begins to think no one's home when suddenly the lock clicks and the door cracks open. He can see the confusion in her eyes as they come face to face.

"Ehm, good afternoon Elena." Could he be any more lame?

"Really, detective? Why are you here, to wish me a good afternoon? Have you rethought my confession or did something else happen?"

There is concern in the question. She does care and it feels unexpectedly good. "Um... not exactly, " he says aloud. "I came to check on you..."

"Check on me?" Elena's eyes widen suspiciously but that doesn't stop her from opening the door and stepping aside so he can enter. Her nerves are stretched thin but there's something else here too.

Butterflies.

She closes the door and gestures for Damon to go to the living room. He only now realizes he should have given her a head's up, what if... he definitely doesn't want to run into Kol Mikaelson. His thoughts are interrupted by her question.

"Can I offer you something, beer? Soda? Coffee?"

She's still unsure what to make of his visit, her body language is quite easy to read. "That's not necessary, Elena, I didn't plan to disturb your Sunday but there's something I felt compelled to do."

"And what would that be?"

"I just wanted to wish you... Happy birthday..."

Elena makes a painful face and falls into an armchair. "You can't be serious! You would know nothing about it if you hadn't been snooping into my files or whatever it is you have on me."

Damon chuckles at her frustration and reaches inside. "Sorry, but this couldn't wait."

When he pulls out a tiny black furry creature, all sleepy and cute, it's a shock to Elena's system. "How did you...You shouldn't have," she swallows thickly, all protest dying on her lips when the kitten meows.

Damon lays the animal into her lap carefully. "I certainly should have." He doesn't wait for her to find her voice again. Instead he reaches for his bag and takes one last look at them...

Elena's unable to take her glistening eyes off the kitty, petting its hair carefully with her fingertips.

The black fur, brilliant blue eyes... there's only one name that pops into her mind.

There's still quite a few chapters left to post. Some of you can probably vouch for it too but rib injuries are very painful.

Eva and I want to thank you all so very much. You're such an awesome and incredible group. We are truly grateful for all of your support and the friendships we've made mean the world to us.

Thank you to my sister Eva. I love you to pieces. Thank you for always going the extra mile to co-write these stories with me.

Chapter title: 'Everybody Wants to be a Cat' from Walt Disney's 'The Aristocats'.

I did update 'The Night All Angels Cry' Tuesday.

Have a safe and wonderful day, thank you all again. Take care and we'll see you next time.