Chapter 5

Damon stepped across the threshold into the tiny apartment easily. Following his decision to completely forget about his encounter with the strange bartender, Damon realized that he had said too much and spoken too easily. She was never supposed to know about vampires and, at this moment, Damon could not remember what had compelled him to tell her in the first place. As he stated then, Charlotte was a loose end; he could not allow this to continue. After all, humans did silly and stupid things when they discovered their world was not as it seemed. Charlotte had walked around with the knowledge of vampires all day and Damon could not forget the curiosity she showed when she first discovered their existence. What had she learned since then? What had she seen?

It took a surprising amount of time for Damon to track down her exact apartment. As far as he could see, there weren't many contacts Damon could compel to help point him in the right direction. In fact, it appeared as if Charlotte hardly talked to anyone at all. No one seemed to know her. Damon pushed away the dark thought that because she wasn't well known she could disappear and none would be the wiser. No, Damon thought. I'm not that person anymore. For a while, when Damon had turned off his humanity, such thoughts would come easily to him and he would see no problem with carrying them out. No remorse. No guilt. Just action, and the power of being in control of whether a person lived or died. He spent years like that, until the flood of emotions came back in. As good as leaving humanity behind felt, having it return was much worse. Therefore Damon was attempting to turn over a new leaf, so to speak, he had one goal: free Katherine. He would avoid distractions at all costs.

When Damon finally discovered where Charlotte's apartment was located, it wasn't long until he discovered that the apartment was not in her name. In fact, it belonged to a very plump, mildly bald, easily compellable landlord. Once that task was done, all he had to do was walk up the stairs and compel the last problem in the list of problems he had made for himself the other night. The quicker he finished his task, the better. Without another moment of hesitation Damon vamped up the stairs to the apartment door and knocked purposefully, if not a bit forcefully, on the wood of the door. He listened carefully to the shuffling on the other side came closer until eventually the door was opened and he looked down into the face of the girl he had met last night.

"You are going to forget everything you saw and heard last night" Damon compelled her looking into her eyes and stepping into the room.

"Wait, what are you doing here? How did you find m-"

"You are going to forget everything you saw and heard last night" Damon compelled her again.

"No, you don't get to come back here after leaving me standing alone and tell me to forget!"

Damon stared at her with wide eyes before grabbing her shoulders and looking deep into her eyes and repeating, for a third time.

"You are going to forge-."

He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because he was too busy being punched in the face.

Damon stepped back and stood shocked while holding his jaw until the pain receded.

"Why can't I compel you?" he muttered more to himself than to Charlotte. Suddenly something occurred to him and he scanned the room until his eyes rested upon the small cup on Charlotte's bedside table. Silently, he walked over to it, picked it up, and smelled it's contents.

"Vervein" he muttered again to himself. "Where did you get this!?" he demanded to Charlotte who was standing by the door with her arms crossed staring Damon down.

"Well they have a very nice selection at the store down the street." Charlotte replied with a very nice poker face.

"Not the cup!" Damon exclaimed. "The vervein."

"I don't know what you're talking about" Charlotte avoided.

"Don't play games, I don't remember telling you about this." Damon told her.

"You didn't," she retorted crossing her arms. "I decided to take matters into my own hands."

Damon ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of what to do next. This was not part of the plan. She was not supposed to remember. As usual, Damon had trusted too much and ended up screwing things up. He sighed, he would have to wait until the vervain was out of her system which would take about a day.

"Listen, I thought we already agreed." Charlotte began. "You don't have to make me forget, I won't tell anyone."

"Look, it's not only a matter of telling anyone. Knowing this stuff, it gets people hurt in situations they shouldn't be in."

"Well you didn't strike me as someone too concerned for my safety" Charlotte retorted.

"I'm not," Damon replied tersely. "In fact, I couldn't care less and don't you dare punch a vampire again or you'll regret it."

"Are you threatening me?" she exclaimed.

"I'd like you to leave. Now."

"Fine," Damon replied. After all there was nothing he could do at the moment. He would come back tomorrow and make sure the deed was done. This girl meant nothing to him and he would solve the problem he had created my any means necessary. Walking out the door he slammed it shut behind him frustrated beyond belief by how difficult and complicated this girl had made the process. He didn't care, Damon told himself. The task had to be done. There was still so much about his world that Charlotte hadn't found out yet and that knowledge, especially in this city, could be used against him. Somehow Damon could tell, that this wouldn't end well for either of them.