Chapter 7: Tally

Too weirded out that the doppelgangers not just looked alike, but acted alike at the moment as well, Caroline decided it was time to go home. Elena and Katherine had both refused to leave the sleeping Damon's bedside, watching him intently, bit their lips every time he moaned and took turns to smooth stray hairs away from his face. It was simply all too weirding out for the blonde.

It was the vampire in Katherine who noticed the change in Damon's condition first, little movements, sped up inner processes. She shifted herself apprehensive as his body tensed into wakefulness, rising to consciousness.

Elena only noticed the change when his eyes fluttered and slitted open, but she was quick to put a hand over his uninhibited and caressed his cheek, trying a tentative smile as his gaze flicked around the room, alternating between the loves of his life. "How are you?"

Both of Tatia's descendents deflated however, hearts squeezing in dread as his hand immediately went to his stomach. He pushed his own belly and rubbed, "I'm think I'm fine," he accentuated the statement with a little nod and by sitting up, which rewarded him with a dizzy spell.

Katherine caught him, "it's okay, it is just the lack of blood," she assured the other two in a soft tone, or maybe herself. She helped him lie back on the pillows again and sped away for some blood bags.

"Is that true? Are you feeling better?" Elena fussed.

"Mmm," Damon started, realising that it wouldn't have sounded very convincing. "Yes." He tried to assure her assertionally as a result, but it was hard given the effects of several days of hunger. Besides, was he really sure himself?

Katherine arrived back with a casual smile and handed the bag to Elena. Understanding and accepting she was intruding, she leaned against the commode, letting the human open the bloodbag and smirking at the irony.

No disgust or aversion crossed Elena's face and mind when guiding the piece of plastic into Damon's hands. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before taking a mouthful, psyching himself up for the potential overwhelming nausea that immediately followed drinking over the last few days. Elena's hand slowly dropped away from the blood bag and instinctively went to his belly without her becoming consciously aware that she was doing this, she knew she would feel it clench if he felt sick.

All the pain and weakness lifted after half a bag, making Damon interested in his surroundings instead. Elena and Katherine, both looking at him affectionately. He arched a brow questioningly, his smirk appearing on his face. "So Emily's back having the hots for me," he established.

"Feeling good?" Elena still remembered asking before rolling her eyes.

Damon nodded, "just going to miss your fingers." Elena withdrew her hand as if burnt and Damon felt a bit conscience-smitten for going into joke mode so soon after everything's been happening. He grabbed her hand instead, looking into her eyes sincerely, "don't worry about me now Elena. I feel fine. All I need is a warm shower and I'll be the very same guy you can't resist ogling when I come out with only a towel," he smiled.

"A shower. What a terrific idea," Katherine remarked, her eyes trailing over the other vampire, negotiating in her mind how he'd look like naked, "over a hundred years in active and common use by households and I still can't get enough of that invention."

Damon turned his gaze towards her, not sure how to react to her whole behaviour lately. He was supposed to hate the bitch's guts, but then again she kept saving him and helping him and therefore none of his feelings were entirely appropriate. "I sure think the waterfalls the town got its name from could do the job quite well if you knew which bit of the river to go to," he chose the evasive approach. He wasn't going to thank her, was he?

"Not a bad place," Katherine agreed, "lucky me for having a certain bon vivant around to impart local knowledge. Although if I remember well the knowledge parting was a two way process," she tilted her head temptingly.

"Do I really need to hear this?" Elena stood somewhat discomfited.

"No, Elena, please stay. I don't think you should be alone tonight," Damon stood as well, moving to hold her hands again, remembering that the girl had more losses to grapple with. "Katherine was just leaving."

"Was I?" The older vampire drawled, "you know it'd be easier if I got a room in the house, rather than having to speed over from neighbouring towns when something goes wrong here.

"You don't usually go far, do you?" Elena shook herself free of Damon, taking keen interest in his maker. She had the suspicion they had misjudged Katherine. Her intentions were neither pure, nor selfless, but she had the tendency to appear when Damon really needed him. Saving his life has got to count for something, right? "I think I'm the one who needs to go," she turned back to Damon, "you two need to talk."

Damon rolled his eyes, "what could possibly be said that'd change anything?"

"It's okay Damon," Elena patted his chest encouragingly, "I'm just gonna go downstairs see if I can find any people food." Damon stepped to the chest of drawers, rummaging through for some aftershower underwear. He was just going to get on with what he was intending, alone with her or not. What did Katherine want? A thank you?

"Look, you know some vampires never learn how to control the bloodlust, no matter how long they live or how much you try. There's not much you can do, especially that Stefan's high on witch blood right now," Katherine gave leaning back in a leisurely manner.

"You were there," he established accusingly.

"There are certain things that don't need to be stopped from happening," Katherine smiled.

"So him going off the rails fits into your plan."

"He might take some tutoring from the right person," Katherine shrugged, "even if we all know temperance will never be his strongsuit."

"What are you waiting for then? Go after him," Damon finished gathering all the things he needed for his shower.

"Stefan needs cooling off. He must be on some bloodbender by now."

"You don't like bloodbenders?" Damon asked, curiosity taking the better of him over his irritation with Katherine's presence. He still hardly knew anything that would count as real about her.

She shrugged, stalking closer, "depends on the fun to be had during."

Damon raised his eyebrows, "wouldn't you be barking up the wrong tree? Cause quite frankly, Stefan and fun are two different dimensions."

"Klaus says differently," Katherine sulked, placing a hand on Damon's chest, fingering and undoing a button, "but I can see that fun is to be had here and now as well," she teased.

"Katherine." Damon blinked a little confused, grabbing at her hand strongly to yank it away. She was always ready for a little hanky panky, but he had promised himself he'll not let himself being played like that anymore. On the other hand, she had saved him more than once, so she didn't quite deserve the brush off treatment either.

"All right," Katherine rolled her eyes at him, letting go as he wanted and strolling towards the door, "well I'm glad you're okay, no thanks to me," she winked at him before intending to disappear out his life once again, "good bye Damon." Her route was cut by the swoosh of vampire speeding up, making her bump into his arm, his palm splayed out on the doorframe, making an effective obstruction. She looked up at him anticipatively, noting that he had indeed taken his shirt off in preparation for going into the bathroom. Cupping a cheek, he suddenly kissed her deeply, bruisingly, so strong, with an intensity and searing fiery passion that had shaken her to the core, psychically transporting her back to a time where the boy had shown her what real, barren and innocent love felt like. The same love and passion that always immobilized her, she was going practically limp in awe inside. After the momentary shock of recognition, she melted like butter. Wrapping her arms round his slender form she wanted to possess all of him at once, raking her fingers across his body from his firm buttocks and muscular chest to his dark, still slightly curly locks. Her response intensified their lips' union tenfold, Katherine moaning eager and willing as she gladly let him make love to her mouth.

For one more heated moment, he allowed himself a no regrets, unbridled kiss fuelled by a passion that had accumulated for decades and despaired for release, then slowly pulled away slightly, only to find her resisting it. Her body draped across him like a blanket, limbs entangled in him, she pulled him closer, her hip grinding into his no surprise erection until she could pull him closer no more. Hungrily, her tongue sought his, parting his lips, kissing him as if she could buy her absolution with it. It was her whole self she gave.

"That Katherine, is too close," he broke the kiss with a force of will, glaring at her, but he had to wince denying his manhood the carnal pleasures it craved, "remember, I still hate you bitch."

She shook her head, sighing, but disentangled herself nonresistant. "You know that I love you too, right?"

"I know," he nodded shyly, biting his bottom lip.

Katherine didn't shy away to stare into his bright blue eyes however, "its just relationships..they never bring anything but sorrow on the long run, you know?"

"Tell me about it," Damon breathed and leant forward once more to touch her forehead with his briefly in silent understanding, catching their breaths. "Good bye Katherine," he reciprocated her salutation as they swayed back and forth gently. He tilted his chin forward and their lips met slowly, tentatively, with a sense of need for exploration only typical of first, or last kisses. Reliving an almost forgotten taste of a different life and different possibilities so long lost it was almost like a different dimension, Damon kissed her with all the tenderness he could find in his heart. Then she was gone out his room like a dream.

Elena was trying to unscrew the never-before-opened, slightly out of date mayonnaise bottle for her potatoes, practically the only food items she could find usable in the fridge. If she microwaved the white potatoes a little, it could make for an acceptable salad.

"Let me help you with that," Katherine took the bottle from her hands and easily removed the top.

"Thanks," Elena looked at her somewhat befuddled, "Damon okay?"

"Functioning at a hundred percent I believe," Katherine smiled, remembering the feel of his cock rubbing against her just moments ago. She idly fingered the tabletop, kitchen roll and wooden spoons in their holder, then jumped to sit on the worktop.

"Is..is there something you wanted?" Elena eyed her warily, not really comfortable enough to tuck into her food while her lookalike was around.

"Mmmm," Katherine said just as slowly as her movements were.

"What is it?" The Gilbert girl asked somewhat frustrated. She knew Katherine as the action type of girl and she didn't understand what the hold up was this time.

"All right," Katherine suddenly flew off from where she was sitting, landing an inch before Elena, keeping nose to nose. She tilted her head a second just to make sure that the noise of the shower upstairs in Damon's quarters was indeed constant now. It was what she had been waiting for, "take this as a your warning or threat to your life if you might Elena Gilbert. You do know that Damon, for all intents and purposes, considers himself yours. Therefore, I think you should be primarily responsible for his heart's welfare. Hurt him again and you have to deal with my retaliation. Understood?"

"Well that's rich coming from you!" Elena protested, "weren't you the one who let him searching for you for one and a half centuries without bothering to tell him you were unavailable instead of in the tomb!"

"What I did wrong was underestimate how much a man named Damon Salvatore could love. All that affection is yours now. Don't forget that," Katherine wagged a threatening finger at her in farewell.

Tbc