A/N: I believe a reviewer (EldestDurk) promised me a BIG cookie if I updated? I want to thank you all for your lovely reviews and you adding this to your favourites/story alerts :D

Another chapter for you all! Enjoy!

The bright Southern sunlight of a new day shone through the large windows of Damon's room. He blinked blearily for a few seconds, his thoughts of what the day might hold when he felt once again, Katherine's rejection in his heart. He snapped his eyes shut and turned away from the window, dragging his blankets over his head and submerging himself into the darkness he felt taking over him.

In the darkness last night's events played before him. Katherine's shining and radiating face as she danced with his brother. He remembered last night's ball, the way Katherine's face radiated with happiness when she was dancing with happiness. Her dark hair spilling down her back in silky curls and how he longed to run his hands through it, feel the soft texture of it as it slipped through his fingers. He remembered his own bitter jealously as he was forced to watch from the sidelines with Morgana. Morgana was a sweet girl and she had listened patiently, her fair face and dark blue eyes filled with sympathy for him. She didn't judge him, as he knew his father would have done, but rather looked upon his situation objectively and gave her honest opinion and advice, which he failed to take.

So it was his fault, really, that Katherine had threatened him last night. He shuddered as he remembered her crimson, veined eyes and her sharp, dangerous fangs. Yes, he'd seen them before and he had never been frightened of her vampire nature. But this time was different. She wasn't being playful, she was serious. She wasn't biting him to drink his blood, as she'd done before, she was being threatening. To think Katherine would hurt him was an unsettling thought and one he did not wish to dwell on but he couldn't say, honestly, that Katherine wouldn't hurt if she didn't want to.

He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to self comfort as the sadness crept into his heart. He couldn't stop his mind conjuring images of Katherine and Stefan together and he felt anger rise inside him. The thought that Stefan would be able to caress her creamy skin, kiss her full red lips, hold her soft hands and embrace her whenever he wanted to filled him with an unspeakable amount of rage, for now all he had were memories.

There was a brisk knock on his door and he quietly growled when he heard the creak of hinges and the tentative footsteps he recognised as Stefan's enter his room. Stefan was always wary to approach Damon in the morning, knowing full well his older brother was not a morning person.

He stood at the foot of his bed, unaware that under the white blankets Damon was trying to contain his anger at his brother, so not to give away his true feelings. Damon had always prided himself on being able to mask his emotions with a blank face or a flash of a smile.

"Good morning, Damon," Stefan said, hesitantly. He tugged on the collar of his shirt, the heat from the sun flowing through the large windows of Damon's room, far too hot all of a sudden.

This was a bad idea, Stefan thought. He shouldn't have done this. He should have carried on past the door straight downstairs to breakfast, not stop and walk into the room of his brother who was obviously harbouring a lot of angry feelings towards him as he'd been the one to escort Katherine to the ball.

Sometimes, Stefan didn't think things through carefully enough and he ended up paying for it in the most difficult of circumstances.

He watched Damon stir under the covers but he didn't show his face. Stefan decided not to comment on this, knowing it would only add fuel to the fire that would be sure to be rising steadily in Damon.

"Leave," Damon said, harshly. "Now."

His tone stung Stefan, a lot more than he thought it would. Stefan stepped back, on the verge of leaving but he steeled himself and clasped his hands behind his back, his shoulders high and a defiant look on his face, even though Damon could not see any of this.

"I wish to speak with you," Stefan said, his voice sure and confident. "It will take only a few minutes of your time and you can return to your sleep."

"I have nothing to say to you, brother."

Stefan could not pretend not to hear the sarcastic emphasis Damon had placed on 'brother'. He tried to stand his ground but he couldn't, knowing that Damon did not want to speak to him was a blow to his confidence. He hung his head and left the room swiftly, closing the door with a quiet click.

Damon buried himself in his soft mattress and cleared his mind of all thoughts and feelings, letting sleep steal him away from his reality which held no prospects for him now.

"Katherine has not yet made a decision on which of us she chooses. Escorting her to the ball did not mean a thing. You are still in competition for her affections."

Damon mentally sighed, tiring of hearing his brother's speeches about Katherine. Stefan was not as stupid as Damon thought, he was a very intuitive boy and he had taken no time in working out why Damon was refusing to leave his bed. He'd taken it upon himself to convince his brother that there was still hope and still a chance for him.

His words only annoyed Damon further.

"I do not want to hear anymore," Damon said, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"Listen," Stefan said, and Damon heard his footsteps approach his side in the darkness. The covers were whipped off him and the cold air of Damon's room whipped his bare chest. His lips pressed into a thin line to prevent him from shouting at his younger brother. "Do not ruin your chances now to win her. Katherine is still-"

"Is it 'Katherine' now?" Damon interrupted, suddenly realising why he found Stefan's speeches odd. He wasn't using a title, as all men were supposed to as a sign of respect for the lady. "Where is the formality, brother, unless you and she are more familiar than I am led to believe? I gather from this I have no chance."

"If you go to Katherine now," Stefan continued. "You will be sure to see that-"

Damon held up a hand to cut Stefan off. His mind was decided and he would take Morgana's advice. Better late than never, he thought.

"Pass Miss Katherine a message from me," he said, resolutely. "If she wants me to chase after her like a love struck schoolboy then she will be sorely disappointed. I resolve from this day on that I will show her any affection until she shows me hers first. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Leave."

Stefan put forward no argument and did as Damon asked. He watched Damon gather his covers and sink back underneath them, hiding himself from the world. Did he know that by spending his time in the darkness rather than outside, he was risking losing Katherine? The less time she had with Damon, the more she had with Stefan and whereas Stefan found that delightful, he couldn't help but fear his brother was losing his chance with her. If Katherine couldn't have one brother, there was always another to fall back on. He hoped Damon realised this before it was too late.

The gentle knock on Damon's door assured him it was not his brother once again trying to persuade him to leave the confines of his room, but it did not mean the person was any more welcome. He ignored whoever it was, turning his face into his goose-feathered pillowed and squeezed his eyes shut so to fall back asleep.

However, the person on the other side of his door did not relent and continued knocking in that gentle but insistent way.

"Well, Mr Salvatore," he heard a familiar voice say. "If you will not answer me then I shall come inside anyway. I pray you are decent."

A small smile appeared on Damon's face and he opened his eyes, pulling the cover down from his face. A strip of light fell into his room as Morgana Devereux walked in, her pretty face full of concern and worry. She closed the door behind her and stood at the foot of his bed, her arms folded across her chest as her dark blue eyes surveyed him.

"It has been three days since I last saw you," she said, her voice level. "Your brother tells me that he has tried numerous times to pry you from your bed. Either your bed is of the highest quality and you cannot bear to part with it or you are hiding from something."

He merely shrugged and propped himself up on his elbows, watching as she bit her bottom lip with uncertainty. He guessed she had not planned exactly what she was going to say or do when she entered his room.

"If you are hiding," she continued. "I think you are a coward."

"I am not a coward," he replied, irritated. He wanted to yank the covers back over his head but then he would be hiding from her and she would call him a coward again. Instead, he just fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling, pointedly ignoring her.

"You cannot keep your eyes closed to reality forever. Your dreams will only last so long and then what will you do? Hide in the empty darkness?"

He tried to ignore her words as well but there was truth to him that he couldn't cast from his mind. He hadn't thought of the long term when he had decided to hole up in his rooms and sink willingly into the arms of his depression over Katherine. He knew he would be returning to the War soon and he would have to leave his room for that, but he hadn't thought of what would happen in the meantime.

Morgana was obviously right, as usual, and he acknowledged this by glancing at her. She had a wry smile on her pink lips and if it was anyone else, he would have glared at them for being smug. On her however, he let it slide.

"You are a soldier, Damon," she said, and sat down beside him on the bed. "Soldiers never run from battle."

I am a soldier, he thought, and then embarrassment caused an uneasiness to settle in his stomach. A soldier who is not respecting a lady, he scolded himself for lying down in her company when he should have shown the courtesy to at least sit up. He did so, the cover falling away and revealing his bare chest.

"You are not decent," she said, her eyes widening at his naked torso. "I should leave."

She stood, averting her eyes, but Damon grabbed her hand, his fingers threading through hers. She glanced at their joined hand and then to him. In one look she captured his eyes and his emotions were laid bare in ice blue eyes. He didn't have time to hide them or cover them with a swift smile.

"Stay."

She didn't question him or refuse, she simply sat back down and waited patiently for him to speak. Several times she looked down at her hand, still held by his, and her cheeks would colour a light pink.

"When we spoke at the Founder's Ball," he said, slowly. "You advised me on how best to deal with the situation I was in with Katherine. However, I did not follow that advice and I only hurt myself by doing so. I am hiding because I was rejected and I cannot stand to feel that pain again when I see her."

She squeezed his hand gently and nodded once.

"You need to show her that you have been unaffected by her," Morgana said. "You need to prove that you do not need her so that she feels compelled to show you that you do."

"Play hard to get?" Damon raised one eyebrow, sceptical.

"Exactly," she grinned.

Damon shook his head at her grin, his eyes falling to their hands. It didn't look as strange as he thought, her small hand in his. If he wasn't mistaken, her hand fit perfectly with his. As if they were made for each other. His skin tingled at the thought and he couldn't stop the smile that spread on his lips.

No, he mentally shook himself. Katherine. You are going to win Katherine.