Title: Eternal Contemplations
Author: fading_tales
Pairing: Damon/Blair (Vampire Diaries/Gossip Girl cross-over)
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl or any of their characters.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Timing means nothing and everything when you have an eternity to live.
Chapter Five
The ever enigmatic Katherine. He's mentioned her. Once. Slip of a tongue perhaps or just a lack of judgment on his part. They were drinking an awful lot that day, but now she wonders if vampires can actually get drunk. She merely asked him if he's ever been in love. He had admitted he has. Once upon a time.
"It doesn't matter anymore, she's gone," he states taking a big swallow of scotch.
She asked him her name and he'd simply said Katherine. The way he said her name seemed like the three spoken syllables left scorched marks on his tongue. He never spoke of her again and so she concludes that obviously the relationship had not ended well. Her heart went out to him, despite their short time with each other he had quickly become a member of the short list of people Blair Waldorf cared about. He deserved to be happy.
xxx
He didn't mean to tell her about Katherine. He didn't know how they got to this place where the pseudo friendship turned into a real one. They were drinking a lot and he could tell she was getting a little more than tipsy, which could account for the number of indiscretions she confessed to him. He, on the other hand, was completely sober. The undead doesn't need to process alcohol, although he certainly enjoys the taste of it. Kind of like breathing. Technically he doesn't have to, but old habits die hard and he likes the semblance of being human. Maybe that's why he said it. She made him feel more human than he has for a while. He just… wanted to share something true about himself to her because yes, she really is his friend. Perhaps his only one.
xxx
"Katherine," she repeats.
"Yes."
"I always assumed that she was dead…"
"Well… technically she is. But then again so am I. We're both vampires."
She knows that he's not like other people, but hearing it said out loud was another thing. "He's dead. He's not a real person. He's a vampire. That kills human beings." The truth hits her a little bit harder now that the shock has worn off. The day has proven to be full of revelations. She finds her head spinning with the information. She stumbles a little and he quickly catches her arm.
"Blair? Are you okay?"
He almost sounds concerned for a blood thirsty monster straight out of a horror movie.
"I just found out that vampires exist and is currently being accused of being a witch," she pauses to give him a fiery glance. "How do you think I am?"
She wrenches her arm out of his grasp and starts pacing back and forth carefully avoiding the prone body of Damon's lunch still sprawled on the ground.
He knew that the clever exchange snark and barbs was going to end eventually, that her coping mechanism will ultimately fail and she'll realize what a predicament she's in. He just needs to make sure that now that the Novocain has worn off he can convince her to do what he needs her to do.
"I need a witch to open that tomb."
"So you can be reunited with you beloved. Yeah, yeah, yeah…"
"Are you going to help me?"
She continues to pace for awhile, her hand moving to her lips to bite her nails the way she usually does when she's stressed. It's a habit she's trying to kick and the moment her fingertips reach her lips she immediately remembers and thrusts them to her side. She looks almost funny marching the way she is with her arms at her side ramrod straight. He'd laugh if he thought she would find humor in the situation. She's always been a bit obsessive about maintaining the "proper mannerisms of a lady", but it's the discipline in her that he admires. She crosses her arms and moves towards a chair to sit down.
Blair's mind works frantically to sort out all the things she just learned and mulls over the pros and cons of opening a tomb and freeing an undead vampire.
She surprises herself with the next following words.
"Fine. I'm going to help you."
His shocked look causes her to roll her eyes.
"Honesty, as if you left me any choice in the matter. It's either that or you rip my throat out or something along those violent, murderous lines."
He had hoped that it wouldn't come to any "throat ripping" as she so poetically put it, but she's right. Worse comes to worst, she knows his secret. She's either with him or against him. Damon's simple that way.
"But don't you forget this, Damon Salvatore. You owe me one."
He won't forget it.
xxx
She makes up an excuse about going to go look at some colleges in Mystic Falls, wherever that is. Does anyone seriously believe that Blair Waldorf would waste timing looking at a school other than Yale? Or even anything that was not Ivy League? If Serena was still here she would have called her out on it, but she isn't and Nate doesn't have the brains to realize anything is up. The only person that could have caught on was Chuck, but he's hosting yet another Lost Weekend and is currently incognito. Blair's a little more than disappointed about her group of peers. But alas, Serena's not there and her absentee father doesn't care, neither does her mother. So, she hands in the note signed by her maid, Dorota, and the school doesn't bat an eye.
As she finishes filling out the necessary paperwork for her leave of absence she notices a pair of gossiping sophomores in the corner giving her snide looks. She hears one of them whisper, "Looks like it's time to play while the bitch is away" in a sing-song voice. "I'd like a shot at the tiara with prince Charming by my side. Does she honestly think she's fooling anyone? 'Virgin Queen' my ass." Blair intentionally bumps the girl on the shoulder making her spill her coffee over her blouse as she exits the building.
He's outside waiting for her when she comes out of the school administration office.
"Everything squared away?" he asks.
"Let's just get this whole road trip thing over with."
Damon smiles in reply as he twirls his car keys in his hand.
"I can't believe you don't want to fly there instead."
"Where's the fun in that?"
"Um, how about the air conditioning, the first class leather seats, the martinis and other luxurious amenities?"
"Pfft. My car has leather seats."
"Yeah… and I bet you personally killed the cows they're made of. Your car is ancient."
"It's retro."
"It's old. Like you are."
"Ouch. Someone got off on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Besides, I think of myself like a good wine… I get better with age."
"Come on," she sighs as she drags him over to the much discussed car.
xxx
It's an hour into the trip and to her surprise she's kind of enjoying herself, but she doesn't let him know that. It's the first time she's done something like this and it is one part scary, and two parts exhilarating.
Despite her bitchy behavior, Damon knows she's trying. Just two days ago she had caught him red handed (literally, his hands were red from all the blood) feasting on a minimum wage worker and had the whole fantasy world of vampires and the supernatural blown wide open. Most people would be in a nut house by now. Lucky for him, she's not most people.
Eventually they find a hotel to stay for the night. It's the best one the city has, but Blair still complains about thread count of the sheets. Seriously only 180? And they didn't even use Egyptian cotton.
The night at the hotel could have been a cliché scene from a sappy rom-com where they accidently book only one room with one bed instead of two, but it didn't happen that way much to his disappointment. Two rooms with two distinctly separate beds.
"You could always snuggle up with me if you get cold," he suggests.
"How would that help? It's not like you emit any heat. You're undead."
"We could try some exercising activities that will warm you up."
"Thanks, but I'll take my chances with the Mother Nature and the cold," she replies cattily before slamming her hotel door in his face.
Out of all the superpowers that vampire possessed he wished he had mind reading. Damon spends his night wondering what it was that Blair Waldorf was thinking about in the room next door. This is out of character for him since A) night time is Damon's favorite time to go out and about wrecking havoc not mulling about a hotel room and, B) he usually doesn't give two hoots about what goes on in the minds of teenage girls. But everything is going a little too well and if any past indication had taught him anything about Blair Waldorf, it's that she's making this way too easy for something not to be up.
On the other side of the wall, Blair sleeps soundly tucked into slightly inferior luxury sheets. Despite the lacking accommodations, she sleeps the slumber of best laid plans. And they say there's no rest for the wicked. Of course, she skipped the English class that one day they read Of Mice and Men*.
xxx
They arrive at Mystic Falls the next day. They park in front of the old Salvatore mansion and before he can take off his seat belt she stops him.
"What? Having second thoughts?"
"No… but I need you to promise me something."
He leans back in his seat, a knowing smile spreading on his face.
"I should've known you'd have something up your sleeve. You came around a little too quietly for there to be no ulterior motives."
"Would you have preferred if I came kicking and screaming?" she taunts.
"I always do like it a little rough."
She slaps his arm knowing full well by now that she could use all her strength and he probably wouldn't feel a thing.
"After all this is over and I return to the city… I need you to compel Nate."
"Oh, sounds fun. What should I make him do?" he asks mischievously.
Her face is serious when she answers him. "I need you… to make him to propose to me."
Damon stiffens at her request. A silent anger beginning to bubble from inside.
"No," he replies sharply, a frown gracing his elegant brows.
"No? What do you mean 'no'?" she can be angry, too.
"Why are you so fixated with that guy? He's worthless, less than worthless."
"He's Nate Archibald."
"So what?"
"So he's the key to everything! Without him I can't stay queen! Without him I'd lose whatever little ounce of approval from my mother! Without him-"
"Without him you'd be a lot more fun and a little less uptight! He's chaining you down. You don't need anybody's approval."
She scoffs. "For a centuries old vampire you sure are naïve. You have no idea what it cost me to go gallivanting off with you to do this gothic mission from hell. It was hard enough with him being all distant and my friends talking behind my back as it is, but this-"
"You're lucky I let you live," he snarls.
"I'm not afraid of dying."
He doesn't doubt her words. She's the type that would rather die young and glorious. She is in every essence the modern reincarnation of a beautiful tragic Greek heroine.
"No. Ask for something else."
"That's what I want, take it or leave it. You can slit open my throat right now if the terms aren't agreeable."
He stares back at her with disbelieving eyes.
"Honestly, Damon. Did you think I was going to ask you to turn me or something? Maybe you've been delving too much into those tween vampire romance novels, but I live in the real world. I want recognition, status, prestige! Why else would I try so hard to be the UES queen? I want people to recognize my face when I walk down the street. I'm not going to get that lurking in the shadows as a vampire now am I?"
They are silent as they glare each other down. From the topmost window, Stefan Salvatore spots his brother. As the younger Salvatore brother makes his way towards the parked car, Damon breaks his gaze with Blair.
"Fine," he bites out as he gets out of the car and slams the door shut.
Stefen is not pleased to see his brother back again after the failed attempt at opening the tomb that would free numerous undead predators into his hometown.
"Damon."
"Stefan. Miss me?"
"You'd have to be gone in order for me to do that."
"Everyone just loves you don't they?" Blair calls out as she makes her way to Damon's side. "Blair Waldorf. You must be Damon's brother, Stefan," she holds her hand out with a sugary smile. Her mood has improved now that she got her way, you can't say the same about Damon's temperament.
Stefan looks at her suspiciously before taking her hand in his in a brief shake.
"Yes… and who are you exactly, Blair Waldorf?"
"A friend of Damon's."
"Damon doesn't have any friends. His history with friends is rather… fatal, so not many are up to the job."
Blair slightly flinches at the mental images of Damon's many past acquaintances in a bloody pile much like that of the unfortunate cater waiter at her mother's luncheon. Luckily for the waitress she made it out alive. Blair hopes she'll fare better than just barely breathing.
"Yes, well… I don't swoon easily."
"Understatement of the year," Damon quips. "Are we gonna stand around here all day making idle chitchat? Because I for one am beat and I'd like to go in and take a nap."
"You're not invited," Elena calls from the just inside the door way.
"Elena, don't," Stephen shakes his head at her.
Damon laughs, pushes his way past his brother and towards the door. At the threshold he looks down, smirks at the angry brunette and steps through the door.
"You see, the problem with that little annoying vampiric trait is the house needs a human resident living inside to keep us nightcrawlers out. It was a minor pest control problem I neatly," he laughs "well not so neatly… handled. Nice try, but you should brush up on more of your vampire knowledge instead of just cuddling with my brother."
He gives the indignant Elena another smirk before casually pouring himself a glass of whiskey at the bar as if he owned the place. Technically he does, according to the will old Papa Salvatore drew up before the whole vampire hunting business started.
"Blair. Meet Elena. She's a bit of a saucy brunette too. Maybe you'll get along," Damon says smiling through his drink. "Maybe even become BFFs and have slumber parties with pillow fights. Be sure to invite me to the festivities." He adds a suggestive wink for good measure, Blair just rolls her eyes.
"Damon, seriously. What are you doing here?" Stefan persists.
"It's my house too, Stefan. Can't I just come home without any ulterior motive?"
"No," Elena supplies. "You're going to try something crazy and dangerous again."
"Hey, we're finally using our pretty little noggin. If you know I got something devious up my sleeve… do you really think I'm going to reveal it? Where's the fun in that?"
He polishes off his glass of liquid fire.
"If we're all done with the interrogation process… I'm gonna go to my room and make diabolical plots to destroy the world and what not."
Stefan, Elena and Blair are left watching him saunter up the stairs to his old room.
"Well… it was very nice to meet you all…" Blair smiles forcedly. "You do have someone to take care of my bags don't you?" She doesn't wait for an answer as she follows after Damon.
Stefan and Elena exchange nervous glances as Blair's figure disappears at the top of the stairs. Across town, a familiar feeling of uneasiness stirs in the pit of Bonnie's stomach. Hidden in her dresser, Emily's amulet flickers to life.
* According to the ever so useful Wikipedia, "the title [Of Mice and Men] is taken from Robert Burns's poem, To a Mouse, which read: 'The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley.'" Or in less gibberish terms… "The best laid plans of mice and men go awry." Foreshadowing! OoooooOooH. =)
A/N: Just for clarification purposes… So I kinda google mapped the distance between New York City and Virginia since that's where Mystic Falls is allegedly located and it's suppose to take about 7-8 hrs by car. Knowing Blair, she wouldn't be able to stand that long in a cramped old albeit very sexy bad boy mobile… so that's why they stopped for the night. Next up… the TOMB! Dun dun dun.