IX.

They reached Billings, Montana, by late afternoon, making surprisingly good time in the old truck so that they were only off their travel schedule by half a day, all told. A few times, she'd thought she'd seen her SUV in the rear-view mirror, but she convinced herself she was just seeing things. She dropped Elijah off at a dog groomer, where he planned to get an appointment through "persuasion," and then she made a run to a pet store and then a local hospital, picking up a small blood supply to last them to their next stop. After that, she made her way to pick up Elijah again. When she reached the dog groomer, Elijah was already waiting outside with a white, fluffy dog who started wagging his tail furiously when Katherine drove up.

"He was extremely well behaved," Elijah said as he lifted Charlemagne onto the seat and then climbed in after him. "The groomer gave him a treat."

"Aw, good boy, Charlie!" Katherine said, reaching down to pat his head before putting the car into gear.

"Charlemagne," Elijah muttered.

"What?" Katherine said, cupping her ear. "What did you say?"

Elijah let out a demonstrative sigh and took out his phone. "Nothing."

Katherine grinned. "Do you think whoever stole my car freaked when they found all the blood in the trunk?"

"Presumably. Perhaps they fear they've aroused the ire of a serial killer."

"Well, technically they have," she said with a scowl. "At least they'll wish it was just a normal serial killer after them if I ever get my hands on them. I liked that car."

"It was a very serviceable car," Elijah said. He looked up from his phone and pointed to the road. "I found a hotel that allows pets. Take a right at the next intersection."

Katherine bit back the observation that they could stay wherever they wanted and just Jedi-mind-trick the clerk into letting Charlemagne stay. Elijah had disposed of a dead body, committed arson, stolen a car, and compelled a visit to the dog groomer, all in a day's work—maybe his strict moral code wouldn't allow one more sin, no matter how small.

They obtained a room without a hitch, neither commenting on the fact that Elijah got one instead of two, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Elijah took Charlemagne for a walk as Katherine freshened up, returning just as she was finishing up. He stopped short in the doorway, looking her up and down as his brows shot up.

"You look… lovely," he said, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Are you going somewhere?"

Katherine suddenly felt nervous and she shifted her weight as she reached up to run her fingers through her hair, dropping her hand quickly when she realized she'd ruin the updo she'd put it in.

"Uh, yeah," she said, cursing herself inwardly at the hesitance and uncertainty in her voice. "We are going somewhere, actually. There's a bar nearby, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me? It's just a dive, really, probably not your thing, but I was thinking we could use a little downtime after all the stress of the past few days."

Elijah looked at her for a long moment, a look of surprise on his face, and then he frowned, looking down at Charlemagne, who was gnawing on one of the dog chews Katherine had bought him.

"What about Charlemagne?"

"I've thought of that," Katherine said, her face brightening. She walked over to the bathroom and opened the door. "Water, food, a blanket, toys - even some newspaper. Though I'm guessing that won't be an issue again till we get back."

Elijah nodded and then he smiled, genuine and sincere, and her heart leapt. "Then I'd be honored to escort you to this 'dive'."

oOoOo

They had almost reached the bar when Katherine spied a car parked in an alley, outside the sparse circle of light of the street lamp. She ducked into the alleyway and sauntered over to the car, ducking down behind it as she turned on the light of her key chain and started to look through her purse.

"What are you doing?" Elijah asked.

"We need new license plates," Katherine said. "They're bound to have reported the stolen pick-up to the police by now." She let out a noise of triumph as she pulled out a nail file and then glanced up at him. "Keep a lookout, will you?"

"Fine," he said, his voice dripping with disapproval. "But we could just buy a new car. There's no reason to turn everything into an exercise in grand larceny."

Katherine chuckled as she snapped off the plate and stuck it in her purse before pushing herself to her feet.

"Life is more fun that way," she pointed out as she walked around the car to the front. She thought she heard him mutter a "true," but attributed it to her imagination.

"Done," she said finally, straightening up as the second license plate joined the first in her purse. "Let's go." She started to head back to the street when she noticed that Elijah was standing stock still, his eyes fixed at a point in the shadows at the far end of the alley.

She lowered her voice. "What's wrong?"

Elijah slowly shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "I thought I saw something. I'm probably just seeing things."

Katherine frowned as she followed his gaze down the alley, her stomach twisting slightly in apprehension. It was easy to be paranoid after all they'd been through in the past twenty-four hours, with her stolen SUV and the dead clerk.

"Maybe," she said. She grabbed the sleeve of his suit jacket and tugged on it. "Come on, let's get out of here. I need a drink. Or ten. Grand larceny is hard work."

Elijah nodded absently and let her guide him back to the street and then to the bar, which was just a short distance away. She headed to the bathroom to clean all the dirt and grease from her hands as he looked for a table. When she returned, he had already ordered a glass of whiskey for himself and a pitcher of beer for her.

"Your ten drinks," he said. He wasn't smiling, but she thought she caught a teasing glint in his eye.

"Thanks," she said, slipping onto the chair next to him. She waited as he poured beer into a mug and then pushed it towards her.

"Cheers," he said, raising his glass. They clinked their glasses and she took a deep draught, drinking the glass half empty before setting the mug down again. She leaned back in her chair, letting out a sigh of relief. Elijah looked over at her and then snorted in amusement.

"Come here," he said, taking out his handkerchief. "You have a foam mustache."

"Um, no," Katherine said, leaning away and holding up a hand to ward him off. "I know where that handkerchief has been."

Elijah rolled his eyes. "I got a new one out of my luggage before we left, of course," he said, slightly scandalized. "What do you take me for?"

"All right, all right," Katherine said, holding up her hands placatingly. She leaned towards him expectantly, meeting him halfway. He dabbed delicately at her upper lip, removing the foam, his gaze fixed on his handiwork, and she started to get a funny feeling deep in her abdomen. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, and his eyes, still riveted to her mouth, widened. He dropped his hand and leaned in, his intent obvious, and sudden agitation overwhelmed her.

"I, um, I have to go to the bathroom." Katherine jumped to her feet so fast she almost upended her chair.

Elijah fell back on his chair and then got to his feet as well, his brows furrowing. "But you just went."

"I, um… weak bladder," Katherine said with a shrug. "I'll be back in a minute!"

Before he could reply, she hurried off towards the bathrooms, reaching into her pocket to retrieve her phone as soon as she was out of sight of their table. The door to the alley behind the bar was propped open and she slipped through it, pressing her phone to her ear.

"Hey," Lucy said, her voice heavy with sleep. "You know what time it is?"

"We're only an hour behind you," Katherine pointed out. "It's not even midnight in Chicago yet."

"I have an early coven meeting," Lucy said, but Katherine could tell from her tone that she wasn't really annoyed. "What's up? How are things with your favorite original?"

"Fine," Katherine said. "Horrible. I don't know. It's… complicated. Weird. He just wiped beer foam off my upper lip and I think he was going to kiss me and I… I don't know, I just panicked."

Lucy sighed. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"What?" Katherine's heart started to pound. "Don't be ridiculous, ew! Where would you get an idea like that?"

"I totally saw this coming," Lucy said. "You talk a lot when you're drunk. I've pieced together a few things over the years."

"No," Katherine said firmly. "We're not having this conversation. And I'm changing the subject. Right now."

"Okay."

"We found a stray dog on the prairie. His name is Charlemagne." It wasn't a complete change of subject, but she couldn't think of anything else to talk about at the moment that didn't somehow involve Elijah anyway.

"We?" Lucy's voice took on an arch tone and Katherine rolled her eyes. "That sounds very… domestic. So you two are adoptive parents now?"

"Ha, ha," Katherine said, "very funny. He tried to kiss me earlier—again—and then Charlie got in the way and now we're on an actual date and I just…" Her voice trailed off.

"Wow," Lucy said. "You must really be serious about him if you're losing all your maneater instincts."

"Lucy."

"Just kidding! All right, I will change the subject. Do you remember old Mrs Miller in 2b?"

Katherine leaned against the brick wall, the tension starting to ebb from her body as she listened to Lucy's anecdote about her dotty neighbor. She could always count on Lucy to help put a perspective on things. Even if Katherine ended up feeling like an idiot.

After a few minutes, they wound up the call, and she stuck her phone back in her pocket. She was about to head back into the bar to face Elijah with a little more of her usual aplomb when she heard a sound behind her.

"Hey, sweetheart. Gotta light?"

"I don't smoke," she called over her shoulder.

"Well, now, that's too bad."

She frowned at the man's tone and stopped. Before she could respond, she heard a click followed by a bang and she jumped out of the way, the bullet that embedded itself in the back door of the bar just missing her. She whirled around to face her attacker, looking for something that she could use as a weapon. The man, a scruffy, mean-looking bulky guy in his late 20s was standing about ten feet away from her, holding a gun pointed at her in one hand and a coil of rope. She could smell the vervain from where she was standing.

"Who are you?" she asked. "What do you want?"

"Name's Hank," he said, giving her a wide smile. "And I hate vamps."

"Well, that's obvious," Katherine said, glancing around as she looked for an escape. She wouldn't be able to reach the door before he shot her, but maybe she could rush him.

"You're a pretty one, though," Hank said. "Me and my friends are gonna have some fun with you before we—"

He choked suddenly and fell forward on his face. Elijah was standing behind him, the man's heart in his hand, his expression grim.

"Can't you—just for once—stay out of trouble?"

Katherine's joy and relief at seeing him were short-lived as his words hit her like a slap.

"It's not my fault that people keep trying to kill me!" she said, stomping her foot. "You of all people should know that!"

"I never tried to kill you!" Elijah snarled, tossing down the heart on the man's body as he stalked forward.

"Oh, really?" Katherine said with a bitter laugh. "How about that time you compelled me to stay in a cave to hand me over to Klaus? Or, oh, I don't know, how about that one time you conspired with him to kill me?"

"I never wanted to hurt you," Elijah said insistently. "I only ever wanted to keep you safe. But you always had to run away and save yourself!"

"So, I'm supposed to be sorry because I didn't stick around to get killed?" Katherine snarled.

"No!" Elijah retorted. "Because you didn't let me save you!"

Katherine's eyes widened, but before she could respond, he grabbed her and dragged her into his arms, crushing her lips with his. His mouth was hard and punishing and it thrilled Katherine down to her toes.

"Also," he said, breaking off the kiss. "You set me up to be stabbed."

"Oh," Katherine said, her head spinning a little. Then she smiled brightly. "That's true. But I knew the dagger wouldn't kill you dead-dead. Just enough to break the compulsion."

Elijah nodded. "Your reasoning is acceptable," he said, and he pulled her into his arms once more, his mouth demanding, but gentler and coaxing now and Katherine felt herself melting into him. She reached between them and pressed her hand against his erection, squeezing it through the cloth. He pulled away with a strangled groan.

"Not here," he said, his voice rough and strained. "Let's get back to the room."

She just nodded and he lifted her into his arms. They rushed through the streets and back to the room, the door banging shut behind them as they stumbled into the room, tearing off their clothes in between kisses. They fell onto the bed, rubbing and rutting against each. He rolled her onto her back and pushed inside her. Katherine wrapped her legs around him and raised her hips to meet his thrust, when suddenly he went rigid and let out a harsh cry. As she lay waiting for him to move finally, she felt a telltale wetness between her legs. Oh.

"Well," Katherine said, staring up at the ceiling. "That was…"

"You're not laughing." There was a note of surprise in his voice that Katherine found vaguely insulting, like he didn't think she could be sensitive in a situation like this.

"Of course not," she said, aiming for a reassuring tone. "Things like this happen. I am, after all, extremely hot, it's no wonder you'd lose control and blow your wad. I'm just hoping this doesn't turn into a common occurrence."

Elijah's jaw tightened. "Of course not," he ground out. "I assure you I'm normally quite adept in matters of the bedroom."

That's when the urge to laugh did come over her. His eyes narrowed as she pressed her lips together, her body shaking with repressed laughter. He reached between them to tickle her side and she shrieked and let out a peal of laughter as she tried to twist away, but his weight kept her pinned beneath him.

At that moment, Charlemagne barked and Katherine and Elijah stopped short. They turned their heads to find him sitting next to the bed, wagging his tail like he wanted to play, too.

"Oh, God," Katherine said, pressing her hand to her face in mortification. "He's watching us."

Elijah muttered a curse and rolled off her, pulling the blankets up over both of them.

"This isn't my night," he said. "How the hell did he get out of the bathroom?"

Katherine laughed and rolled closer to him, wrapping her arm around his midriff. "This isn't our week."

"I wouldn't go that far," Elijah said. He pulled her closer, his fingers entangling in her hair, which had fallen out of the updo.

Katherine buried her head on his chest in contentment. The sex had been… not so great, but she wouldn't trade this moment for the world.

"You know…" she said, trying to keep her tone free of humor, but failing. "I read somewhere that premature ejaculation is an evolutionary advantage in some species of primates—"

"Katherine…"

"Sorry," she said, pressing her lips together as she tried not to make another comment. Finally, however, she could no longer hold it in. "You know, in the old West, they called guys like you 'quick shoo-'"

"Shut. Up."

Katherine laughed then and pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to his heart beat as the borrowed blood pumped through his veins.

"You never told me what that Edwards guy stole from you," she said.

"No, I didn't," Elijah said slowly. "It wasn't so much what he stole as what he lost."

Katherine raised her head to look at Elijah, resting her chin on his chest. "What he lost?"

"Something that was of great value to me," he said, reaching down to stroke a strand of hair out of her face. "I want it back."

Katherine gazed at him for a long moment and then gave him a mischievous smile. "I'm sure that, between the two of us, we'll be able to persuade him to return it."

Elijah twisted his head to look at her, gazing at her for a long moment without saying anything.

"I hope you're right." He frowned as she started to climb over him to the other side. "What are you doing?"

"You get the wet spot," she said.

Elijah groaned. "Fine," he said, getting to his feet. "I'll get a towel. I have to wash up anyway."

She watched him head off to the bathroom, surprisingly unashamed of his nakedness, her eyes dropping from his broad shoulders to his ass. She could get used to this, she realized. And, for once in her life, the thought didn't seem so scary after all.

oOoOo

The sound of Charlemagne barking to be let out to do his business woke them up. As Elijah rolled out of bed with a groan, Katherine took the opportunity to grab his pillow and pull it over her head.

"Oh. My. God."

"What?" Katherine poked her head out from under the pillow, her eyes widening when she saw Elijah standing there with a few scraps of material in his hands. All he was wearing was a pair of boxer briefs that she wanted to tear off with her teeth.

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "Charlie! Bad dog!"

Elijah threw the scraps of material into the trashcan.

"My trousers," he said. "He ate my trousers. I could've sworn I repacked them last night."

"That's awful!" Katherine said. "I guess it's a good thing you brought the jeans."

Elijah narrowed his eyes. "You didn't."

Katherine's eyes widened in innocence. "I didn't what?"

"Katherine…"

"You don't think I did this!" Katherine cried indignantly. "I know how important your suits are to you. I love your suits. They're so… you. You and your suits, you're a thing, a power couple, like… like… Suilijah."

Elijah just stared at Katherine until she shifted uncomfortably.

"We can get you a new suit in Seattle," she said, widening her eyes in innocence. "No one has to ever know that you wore jeans."

"You will get me a new suit in Seattle." He frowned at her as her expression brightened. "No, strike that. I will never trust you with my suits again." He reached into his suitcase and took out the jeans and a Henley shirt. He dressed quickly and then grabbed Charlemagne's leash. He stopped at the door and gave her a longing look for a moment.

"We should take off when I get back," he said. "That guy said he had friends."

Katherine nodded. She would prefer to get him into bed for the rest of the day when he came back, but the sooner they put this town behind them, the better. He left and she slipped out of bed, heading to the shower.