The Strange Supper

Damon drove through the empty streets leading to the Mikaelsen's manor. He was still thirty minutes away, and he knew that he'd get there just in time. Although he wasn't exactly all too excited about this dinner thing with Klaus – of all people to have dinner with, – he was, at least, curious why Klaus invited him. He thought all of the possibilities already. Of course, the first thing that sprang up from his head is the fact that Klaus might kill him, the second thing that came up to his mind was probably because Elizabeth was plotting something against him (because he didn't follow her to Paris) and probably let Klaus kill him, the third was, well… Let's just say he hasn't thought of the third yet.

What else was there to think off, anyway?

What? Klaus invited him to truly have a friendly chat with him? Well, Damon wasn't exactly that stupid to believe so. And so, he drove and drove through the darkness, with the colossal trees on the side of the road that had huge shadows that made it feel as if the darkness was going to eat his car. But then his phone rang and he reached for it while focusing on the road, and glimpsed at the screen to see who it was.

Stefan.

"Let me guess…" He answered. "Elena made you call?"

"No," He heard Stefan reply as he pressed the loudspeaker. "But I won't let you go there alone."

"Please…" Damon rolled his eyes. "Just go and finish packing up all those books for donation. And you know, help Elena as well?" He frowned at the road that was right in front of him. "Besides, who invited you anyway? Clearly, Klaus only wanted to see me." He teased and smiled afterwards.

"Don't be stupid, Damon." Stefan snapped back. "I'm not going to let you go there alone." Damon then raised a hand from the steering wheel as he arched his eyebrows, taking that reason into consideration.

"Your call, brother" He said. "But if you really want to be my back up, then you gotta' think of something creative, and sneaky."

"Don't worry," Stefan said with his tone firm and assuring. "I will." Then Stefan hung up. Damon shrugged as he glimpsed at his phone and saw that he did hang up already.

The doorbell has rung, and Klaus knew that his guest has finally arrived. So, his hired waitress opened the door and led him to the dining room where Klaus waited. Damon was a few minutes late, but fair enough. Once he saw Damon come through the arched doorway, Klaus smiled as he sat on the head table.

"Ah," He said, and stood up. "Welcome, I am so glad you came." \

Damon narrowed his eyes at him after he eyed the table that was full of food, and then he smirked. "How could I refuse? It's not like I'd get invited by an Original Hybrid for dinner." Klaus grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Come on, sit down, and let us start." He said as he waved his hand at an empty chair beside him. So, Damon came over and sat down. The waitresses came over and started filling up their glasses of wine, serving them the food, and lighting up the candles. Sure, the table looked as if he had other guests coming over, but he only wanted to make sure that his guest was rather, impressed. And who wouldn't be? Everything on the table looked delicious, even the candles that were giving them a different kind of lighting look delicious.

If he can say it that way…

"Thank you," Damon sweetly said to one of the waitresses who filled his glass with wine, and gave her one of his most charming smiles. Klaus eyed them with a faint smile, and sliced his steak with his knife.

"So Damon, I believe you have stayed in New York for two months." He asked, still slicing. "I do apologize if Elizabeth suddenly disappeared without saying goodbye. I believe it was my own doing." Damon chewed on his steak as he shrugged coolly.

"It's not a surprise, Klaus." Damon replied. "Since you seem to take everything that you want away…" Klaus smirked.

"I won't deny that," He said with a half-hearted laugh. "I know you might be wondering why I invited you for supper…"

"Please," Damon said, looking at him with so much sarcasm and mockery, that Klaus absolutely felt annoyed. Truly, Damon was the prick. He never liked him unlike his brother, Stefan. "Do enlighten me," Damon finished. Klaus then gave a thoughtful nod.

"I know that you have this… certain fascination with dear Elizabeth," He started. "But I was wondering, about Elena. Since you have been rooting for Elizabeth, I had the thought that you're not interested in Elena anymore. Is that correct?" Damon smiled and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not interested in anyone," Damon said with a firm tone and gave a look directly at Klaus' eyes. After a few dull moments with their eyes locked against each other, Damon finally arched his eyebrows and smiled. "If you want Elizabeth and Elena, you can have both of them. I don't really care," He said, and ate the slice of his stake.

Klaus sipped on his glass of wine and maintained a knowing smile. Although he hinted that Damon wasn't exactly telling the whole truth of how he felt, he did say that, which makes it all too easy for Klaus. But just to see if Damon doesn't really care… "I believe Elizabeth is on her way back," He said, putting the glass down, and looked at Damon who was focused on slicing his stake. "And I am quite certain you'd run into each other." Damon then looked at Klaus again.

"And I need to know this… because?"

Klaus smiled and shrugged. "Oh, I was just saying." He replied.

"So that's it?" Damon asked, frowning. "That was why you wanted to have 'supper' with me, is to see if I cared about Elizabeth?" Klaus clearly noticed the sarcasm in his tone especially when he said "supper" (and he said that, imitating Klaus' accent). He looked at Damon, not showing any emotion whatsoever. But then Damon slowly smirked. "Doesn't it seem strange that you care for someone who wants you to be killed? If that's what she wanted a few months ago, what makes you think that that has changed?" Now it was Klaus' turn to smile.

"Our relationship might not be perfect, and centuries might have passed the last time we've seen each other, still… our feelings are mutual. And no petty little vampire can change that now, can't it?" Damon gave a slow nod, as he reached for his glass.

"Say no more," Damon raised his glass for a toast, and Klaus gave Damon a knowing smile as he toasted his glass onto his.

Tom opened his new apartment door and made Elizabeth walk in first. The apartment definitely was sort of old, and Elizabeth knew that it was definitely not of Tom's taste at all. She wouldn't live here even if she didn't have a choice. Surely, a French ambassador wouldn't settle for this. Elizabeth turned to look at Tom, who closed the door behind him, and put his luggage down beside a table.

"You know that you can stay with me, if you like." Elizabeth said, clasping her hands together. "The manor has tons of rooms; surely Nik wouldn't refuse to anything I wish…" Tom looked at her then smiled.

"I'd rather live here than to be around that scoundrel." Tom said with much disgust that made Elizabeth smile. "Besides, it's not all that bad. Although the wallpapers are ghastly, and needs to be renewed."

"And the furniture definitely does not suite your taste." Elizabeth said matter-of-factly, looking at a chair full of dusts, and the wood seems to be deteriorating. "If you sat on that, it'll definitely be shattered into pieces."

"I just moved in anyway," He said, "In a week, I'll get this place looking more beautiful than my apartment in New York." He smiled, but Elizabeth only turned to him, looking skeptical.

"Oh please, this place is no comparison to what you had in New York." She said, frowning as she looked around. "Now it makes me regret why I'd ever let you come here… Your French taste does not belong to a place like this." She then scrounged her nose.

"Well think of this as a good thing," He said. "Since I am a French Ambassador, living in a place like this would maintain my low-profile." Tom added with a grin, but Elizabeth only rolled her eyes at him and cocked an eyebrow, as if asking if he was serious. Of course, she knew he wasn't. Tom certainly did not belong to a place like this. Who was she kidding now? Tom was used to living the luxe life, even centuries ago. That was just the way he lived. She cannot let him settle for this ugly apartment that barely even looked like one since it was so old that it looked like it was a rat's hole.

But she suddenly glanced at her watch. It was half past ten, and she knew that Klaus was expecting her arrival. She then looked up at Tom again. "No, I will not let you settle for this." She firmly said. "You may want a low-profile all you want, but this is not low-profile, this is just… low." She then started walking to the door. "I have to go, but I will definitely find you a better apartment. One that's closer to town, and I guarantee you that by tomorrow, you will be moving out of this old, dreadful place and into a new one." She said then walked out, closing the door behind her.

Stefan was writing into his diary, since he hadn't written on it for such a long time. Since no one but him was in the house, he figured that it was the best time. Though, it was already morning, and he still hadn't seen Damon. He seems to have lost him last night when he was sneaking around Klaus' house. Wherever Damon has run off to, he'll surely come back in the morning.

As always…

And as if on cue, he heard the front door was shut loudly with a bang, and knew that Damon was going up the stairs. Stefan continued writing about his sudden remark yesterday to Elena. He knew he shouldn't have said that, but he couldn't control himself. Maybe he was just jealous of her concerns for Damon, and yes, it has gone way over the top, but still…

"I thought you gave up writing ever since you turned back to being a ripper…" Damon suddenly said, leaning on the doorway, with a smirk on his face. Stefan looked at his brother and saw that Damon looked a bit drunk.

But when hasn't he been?

"Well I'm not the ripper anymore, Damon." Stefan said. "And will never be again." Damon sniffed in mockery.

"Yeah, right" He said. "Oh Saint Stefan, I'd love to know more about your life, but you bore me to death… So I'd rather just do other stuff that's fun and dangerous – definitely way out of your league." He winked afterwards and then started turning away.

"Where had you been?" Stefan asked, patiently. "I lost you last night." That question made Damon stop in his tracks and turn his head to the side as he looked down with his lips pursed.

"Oh I just went someplace else afterwards…" Damon waved his hand then faced away. "Nothing to worry about brother," He added. But Stefan stood up, placed his pen beside his diary as he closed it, and called back at Damon.

"What happened with the dinner?" He asked.

"Nothing to worry about brother!" Damon called back and then Stefan heard his room's door shut with a bang, and he knew that Damon was left alone in his room, probably with a bottle of whiskey or even scotch.

"I had waited for you last night, but you were late."

She suddenly heard Klaus as he stood by her doorway. She was choosing a dress for her to wear today, and she was only wearing her silk robe. She put the clothes, holding it by their hangers, on her made bed. "Oh you were?" She asked as she turned to face him.

"Yes, I was." He replied. He was calm, and he was maintaining a slight smile on his lips.

"Well, I'm sorry if I arrived late. My flight was delayed." She said, smiling. He then stood up straight as he nodded.

"Did you find what you forgot in New York?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. She smiled graciously and nodded. Obviously, she doesn't want Klaus to know that her main purpose why she went back to New York is to get Tom to come here in Mystic Falls. And now that she had succeeded, she cannot feel any happier.

Which reminds her to call Tom for his new apartment…

"Yes, I did." She said, nodding with a smile. "But I traveled for a long time; I couldn't help but taste a few vampires here and there." Klaus now, smiled.

"What a surprise that you got to find vampires in New York."

"And they are very abundant there, which I happened to notice just yesterday." Elizabeth laughed, trying to seem well composed and casual. True enough, she was a great actress. And then Klaus laughed.

"Too bad I wasn't there with you…" He started walking towards her. "We could've caused more mischief there than in Paris."

"We have too much time in the world to cause mischief there in New York." Elizabeth said softly, as Klaus wrapped his arms around her hips. She held on his shoulders, and smiled. "But now, dear Original Hybrid, I am calling the shots around her." Klaus let out a chuckle.

"Calling the shots, eh?" He asked, as if it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever said. She arched her eyebrows and nodded. "Well then, I should ask what we shall be doing today… Since both of us are here." He smiled warmly at her, his eyes dancing in delight and pulled her closer.

"Perhaps I should let you decide on that…" Elizabeth replied softly, they face only a few inches apart, and Klaus smirked. So he kissed her, and she kissed back.

She stared at the boardinghouse, glaring at it without blinking, as if she was afraid that it would somehow disappear all of a sudden. Her hand gripped on the steering wheel so tightly that there might be imprints on it. She was here to do what she was ought to do… or rather, compelled to do. Surely, she could do this successfully. Damon had once loved her – she even broke his heart, and she was surely capable of making him love her again.

Obviously, she won't be doing this if she had a choice. But she doesn't. She doesn't have a choice. It's either she does this successfully or she dies. Klaus was on to her, he had been on to her for quite some time now. She'd been running, and running, but for what? He still knew where she was. It was useless.

She inhaled deeply. It's now or never. Her knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel. She then inhaled deeply and slowly let go of the steering wheel. She can do this, she knew she can. She'd done this thousands of times.

But things are different when her life was one the line.

She revved up the engine, and parked her car by the Salvatore boardinghouse. With one last look at the peaceful looking house, she sighed and opened the door. There, she went out, and headed into the house.

When she went in, no one was home. So, she closed the door shut with a loud bang, and looked around to see if anyone was around. After walking through the living room, she looked by the window and checked if both of the Salvatore brothers' cars were there.

Fortunately, she saw Damon's sleek black hummer.

So, she looked up by the stairs and smiled. It was perfect timing, although she didn't really want to go on with this, she has to for her life. And so, using her vampire speed, she went up the stairs, and then slowed down by Damon's door. She opened it and saw him lying on his bed, with his arms folding up under his head, lying still with his eyes closed. She frowned.

"Rough morning?" She asked, as she walked in slowly. An eye shot open, then closed again.

"I'm meditating… Go away." Damon said with his voice low and even. Katherine let out a laugh.

"You can't fool me, Damon." She said. "Vampires don't meditate."

"But I do," He shot back. "Now, go away." But, same old stubborn Katherine just closed the door behind her and walked towards his bed. There, she sat on the edge. She then ran her hand on his cheek, slowly and smoothly.

"Oh Damon," She breathed. "Are you getting terribly lonely in this too boring of a town?" Before she can continue to stroke his cheek again, he held her wrist to stop her.

"The real question is," Damon slowly said, with his eyes still closed. Katherine forgot how handsome Damon was. But she can perfectly remember how he was back then, so sweet, so loving… and boring. Now, he's full of menace and danger… so full of excitement and life. She suddenly wondered how she even fell in love with Stefan. "Why are you here?" So Katherine withdrew her hand and sat up straight.

"Well, you're not the only one who's getting lonely, Damon." She said, matter-of-factly. "I know we hadn't exactly been good friends lately, but we do deserve some company, don't you think?" She asked, pouting her lips even though he cannot see it. Damon didn't really reply, he only furrowed his eyebrows which made Katherine smile. She then ran a hand on his toned chest down to his taut stomach. After a few silent moments as she stroked, she finally asked, "Now, what do you say?" There, he opened his eyes; his beautiful and expressive eyes, and looked at her.

"Go away." He firmly said. Katherine smirked, and stood up.

"Clearly, you don't know what you're missing." Katherine said, with a smile. She was teasing Damon. And she knew it will somehow work… just like how it does with everyone else. Without another word, she walked towards the door (she knew he was watching her), then with a last glance, she went out and closed the door.