II.
When Katherine arrived home the next morning, the sun was bright in the sky, making her fears from the night before seem silly. She tossed her leather jacket on the back of the sofa as she headed towards the kitchenette for breakfast. Grabbing a bag of blood from the freezer, Katherine nuked it to body temperature and then set the automatic coffeemaker as she sipped from the bag.
"Good morning, Katerina."
She whirled around in shock, her eyes widening as she saw Elijah standing on the other side of the island. She gasped and the blood went down the wrong way and she started to choke. Elijah reached out and snatched a napkin out of the dispenser, holding it out to her once she'd gotten control of the coughing fit again. She nodded her thanks, wiping the blood off her lips and chin and then throwing away the napkin. Then she leaned on the counter, narrowing her eyes in suspicion as she met his cool stare.
"What are you doing here?" she rasped.
"I need your help," Elijah said.
"My help," Katherine repeated, giving him a nonplussed look.
"Yes," Elijah said, raising his chin as he regarded her coolly. "I require your... expertise." His lip curled in distaste, as if he were beholding something particularly nasty.
Katherine's jaw tightened as she wondered exactly what he was implying. Apparently he was always going to hold the events of more than 600 years ago against her.
"Go on."
Elijah sighed. "Someone took something from me," he said. "A man named Mitchell Edwards. And I would very much like to get it back. And Damon," he grimaced as he pronounced the name, "told me that you... have certain talents when it comes to tracking people and things. I was hoping you could help me."
Katherine felt a flash of irritation at the mention of Damon—and by proxy the perfect Elena, for whom Elijah was no doubt still carrying a torch.
"How is Damon?" she asked with false sweetness. "And his ladylove?"
"They're both fine," Elijah said curtly. "Now, will you help me? It will be entirely non-dangerous for you, I give you my word."
Katherine's mouth twisted. "Ah, now see? I remember exactly how much your word is worth."
Elijah's eyes darkened and Katherine braced herself for an attack, but he seemed to get himself under control again after a few moments.
"I'm willing to pay you for your services, of course," he said, his lip curling in disdain. "Name your price."
Katherine opened her mouth to tell him just where he could stick his money, but then she closed it again. If he was that desperate to find this Edwards guy, there was no reason why she shouldn't profit from it. She'd probably find him with a few Internet searches, and Elijah would be none the wiser. And what was that saying about a fool and his money?
"A hundred thousand dollars," she said. "Half now, half when I find him."
Elijah nodded, to her surprise.
"Agreed." He took out his smartphone and looked at her expectantly. She recited her account numbers and then checked her own phone to make sure the money had arrived.
"Well, now that that's settled," he said as he put his phone back into the pocket inside his jacket. "When do we leave?"
Katherine snorted. "We? No way. I work alone."
"No," Elijah said firmly. "Definitely not. I'm going with you. It's not that I don't trust you, Katerina—"
"Really?" Katherine said incredulously. "Except that, you know, you totally don't."
Elijah's nostrils flared. "And whose fault is that?" he hissed. "Do you think I wanted to ask you for help?"
Katherine's chest tightened so much that she could hardly breathe. She should've known this wasn't going to work. Elijah was never going to get over himself and her imagined slight.
"You know what?" she said, taking out her phone again. "We don't have to do this. I can just give you your money back, and you can walk out that door and find someone else stupid enough to go on this wild goose chase."
Elijah clenched his fists and then opened them, pressing his palms flat against the counter.
"No," he said. "It has to be you. I... I apologize, Katerina."
"Katherine," she said.
"Pardon?"
"Katherine," she repeated. "That's my name. Not Katerina. I haven't been Katerina for a long, long time."
Elijah gave her a long, considering look and then he nodded.
"Very well," he said. "Will you help me, Katherine?" The way he seemed to savor her name on his tongue made her insides feel funny in a way she didn't want to analyze.
"Sure," Katherine said. "Why not? I'll do it. Have you ever known me not to have a death wish?"
Elijah laughed. "No, I don't think I have," he said, his eyes softening. Katherine hadn't had that look directed at her in hundreds of years and she'd forgotten how it felt. "Thank you, Kater—Katherine."
"No problem," Katherine said, turning back to the coffee-maker. "Now, how do you take your coffee? Elijah?"
She whirled around, pot in hand, but he was gone.