"I still have no idea as to what any of those dials do," Rebekah remarked as she watched Addie fiddle with a dial on the big, metal box.
Addie sighed as she adjusted the gain from the cymbals she had recorded earlier in the week. A loud, overly bright crash echoed the her left headphone, leaving the right one off so she could still hear her roommate. She twisted a knob at the top of the 16 channel mixer; definitely less cymbals. Turning back to her laptop Addie restarted the drum mix. While there were seven recording studios available to students it was very difficult to find a room that wasn't occupied at any time when fifty teams all had to churn out a whole song each week. Addie had found a way to cope with it, though. Each week their assignment was to produce a song of a different style or genre. On Fridays the following week's project would be announced first thing in the morning. She would spend all of Friday writing out her ideas. Around two in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays she could usually find an open studio to do her instrumental recordings as everyone else was out. For the first couple of weeks she had tried mixing in the studios but it was really cutting into when she should be sleeping so she broke down and bought an analog mixer that she could hook up to her computer via USB. The only time she had to go into a recording studio now was for initial records and whenever she needed to drag Rebekah in to do vocals, which usually didn't happen until Tuesday or Wednesday because of how booked the rooms were and the vampire's refusal to work in the middle of the night. So much for the creature of the night theory.
"You don't need to know what they do; I do," Addie pointed out as she turned off the high notes on the strip of dials that controlled what the bass drum had recorded. The microphone had picked up hints of the cymbals in a bleed over effect.
"True. You're coming out with us tonight," the blonde declared, pushing Addie's chair as she sat on the other girl's bed.
That was cute. Rebekah still thought she had a chance of convincing Addie to sneak into club with her and a couple of students who were 18 and actually old enough to get in. She pulled the headphones off and spun in her chair to face Rebekah. "Oh, sweetie, I'm not going anywhere," Addie said gently, a condescending smile plastered on. "We have an entire song due in less than 36 hours and while you did your pretty little vocals, I still have to arrange how the guitars, drums, bass, and piano are all going to sit."
"The song sounded good the way you had it yesterday. You're just being an anal perfectionist at this point."
Addie frowned at this and flared, "I know this is a blow off thing for you but what this programs is about, generating music, it's all what my future career is about. So, I think being anal and producing the best work I can in order to get the most accurate review and feedback."
"Come on! It's one song. You've been getting feedback on your obsession for weeks. What you haven't done is experience the nightlife of London!" Rebekah countered, pushing again at Addie's rolling chair. "It will be fun."
A strand of navy blue hair curled around Addie's finger as she looked at it pensively. Addie wondered, "Do you recall what happened the last time you told me something would be fun?"
"I meant getting rid of that purple and dying your hair a normal color, like brown or blonde. You're the one who decided on the blue hair," Rebekah protested defensively.
That was true. Katherine had planted the idea of dying her hair blue. But Rebekah was the one who had dragged her to the salon. "Sitting in a hair salon for any reason is not fun."
"This is a night club! It has cute guys, drinks, and dancing! What's not fun about that?"
"I don't drink or dance and have a boyfriend. None of that is appealing to me."
"Girly, girly. girly girls," twittered the voice of a thin, lanky, blond young man as he filtered in through their open door. Addie broke into a broad grin as he dropped himself into her lap. He wrapped an arm around her neck and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Ready for tonight?" he questioned waggling his eyebrows mischievously.
While Addie normally expected a large bubble of person space, Alex had made it clear that he would routinely pop that bubble when he pulled her into a hug when she made for a handshake on their initial meeting. The cheery Londoner had quickly become a large part of Addie's life in England. Alex knew all the best shows on and off West End and always knew someone who could hook him up with three amazing seats. Rebekah loved going to the theatre. She loved any excuse to gussy up. He also provided them with tours of the most beautiful and famous parts of the city. Whenever Addie needed guitar bits recorded, she could always count on Alex to record with her, even if it was at two in the morning. It was a lot faster than generating the sounds on her computer.
"No! Addie's refusing to go. because hot guys, drinking, and dancing don't sound like fun," ratted the vampire.
Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out two plastic cards, passing one to the blonde and waving the other in front of Addie's face. "You mean I got these for nothing?"
Addie snatched the card from him and looked it over. "Seems legit," she observed, before trying to put it back in his hand. "However, I have no reason for a fake ID. Where'd you get them anyways?"
"When you grown up in Kensington to know somebody who knows somebody," Alex answered coolly.
Her ocean blue eyes rolled. "I doubt they pedal fake IDs in the most expensive part of London, pretty boy. Where'd you really get it?" Addie pressed.
"Camden Market. There's this underground tattoo and piercing shop that pushes them," Alex confessed.
"Now that sounds like fun. Let's go get inked up and pierced," Addie perked up.
Alex considered this and proposed, "Sure. I'll take you if you go out with us."
"It's not going to be any fun!"
"Dude, there's drool worthy guys. How is that not fun?"
Tired of explaining herself time and time again Addie groaned, "I have a boyfriend."
Rebekah shook her head. "No, you don't. You have a guy who told you to go be with other guys."
"Ah, yes. That Damon fellow," Alex recalled distastefully. "I can't help but question his motives. Why would any sane man lucky enough to have you encourage you to kiss other guys? Unless he doesn't want to feel guilty about engaging in a bit of snogging himself."
"Damon's not about to go snogging someone else," Addie snapped, her stomach tightening as she questioned her certainty. Jeremy and she had been in near constant contact on Facebook. While he hadn't overtly told her anything his snide comments on the growing closeness between Elena and Damon. Although, just because Jeremy didn't approve of their relationship necessarily mean that something inappropriate was occurring between her sister and boyfriend.
"You've said yourself that he's a bit of a party boy."
As Rebekah was still adjusting to modern terminology Addie had grown into a habit of correcting her. Unconsciously she reminded her, "Playboy. He's a Playboy."
Alex hummed suggestively, "A Playboy with those smoldering baby blues. Even I would be tempted by that."
"That's who he was, not who he is."
Rebekah gave her a look that clearly said she was older and wiser, thus Addie should listen to her. "Once a player, always a player. He might not stray when you're right there, constantly reminding him of how good he has it. You're an ocean away though. And you've talked to him two times in a month. Do you really believe he is just sitting around while he believes you to be with other guys?"
"He doesn't think I'm… Damon wouldn't stray," Addie said firmly. But would he? He definitely wouldn't stray far but if he was tempted by Elena? He had lingering feelings for her. And Elena definitely had feelings for him. Sisterly love wasn't something strong between Addie and her sister; the fact that Addie was with Damon would have little impact on Elena's actions. She wouldn't betray Stefan like that, though. But if she did and Damon was feeling jealous…. "Get up," she insisted, lightly nudging Alex.
Biting at his lip piercing, the boy gave Addie a pained look. "'Fraid I can't do that, pretty girl. Not until you agree to join us tonight."
"You can get up willingly or I will shove you off me."
"Exactly how are you going to do that?" Alex smirked, holding onto her.
"I need to call my boyfriend. Get up."
Rebekah raised her eyebrows in mock surprise and gasped, "Have we succeeded in planting doubt about your boyfriend's fidelity?"
Feeling Addie tense, Alex decided that he and the other girl had pressed her enough. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before standing up and holding his hand out to Rebekah, "Come, my lovely. I need your keen sense of fashion to help me pick out what to wear tonight."
The blonde eagerly took his hand and Addie watched the two bound out the door in amusement, Alex closing it behind him. Rebekah had traveled far from thinking the little black dress she had tried on when they first were in London. Her side of the room was plastered with magazine cutouts of the latest trends in fashion. The glow-in-the-dark stars were the only decoration Addie had put up. Grabbing her phone off the desk she flopped onto her bed to look up at them.
It wasn't because she didn't miss Damon that she had only talked to him one other time than when he first called. Talking on the phone already gave her anxiety over long, awkward pauses. Their conversations were bound to be full of them when Addie was so focused on keeping the truth from him that she struggled to find what to say. However, the words of her friends and what appeared to be Jeremy's growing dislike of Damon left her unsettled. She had to talk to him.
As his phone began emitting a melodic ringing from his nightstand Damon groaned. He was not in a mood or state to talk to anyone but reached for the cell anyway. A glance at the caller ID made him groan again. Answering it he flatly said, "I'm sorry but you have reached someone who is not currently operating."
"What's wrong?" Addie asked in concern, hearing the slight slur to his words.
Damon's head turned to look at her side of the bed. Even though the pillow there was covered in black satin, just like every other pillow on the bed, he would always know it was Addie's; it was far too squishy. Changing the sheets meant it didn't smell like her anymore, though. "Ads, Addie, Addison," he moaned whining, "Come home."
She curled her arm around her pillow and breathed in the scent of his cologne. Apart from sounding a little drunk, it seemed like a genuine plea for her to return. As the nagging sensation she had come to know as guilt began to form in the pit Addie repeated, "What's wrong, Damon?"
"You're gone."
Wondering why he had to be so difficult Addie sighed heavily, "I know there is more wrong than that."
"Yes but if I listed every problem I have you would not get your escape from Mystic Falls and the world of crazy that goes with it," muttered Damon.
"I'm 3000 miles away from the drama. I think you can safely share what your problems are without me getting dragged down the rabbit hole and back into Wonderland. Come on, hun. Talk to me," she urged.
A tingle ran through him; that was the second time she had ever called him by anything other than his name. It was possible the term of endearment made him suddenly feel like talking. "Yesterday was your sister's birthday," he said quietly.
Addie already knew that. She waited for him to say more but when it became apparent that he wouldn't she prompted, "Did you give her the card I left for her?"
"Slipped it under the door first thing in the morning. I don't see why you bother; you're pissed at her about John and Jenna and she turns flaming red in anger each time you're mentioned," mused Damon as he slung an arm across his eyes.
She couldn't exactly answer that as she wasn't quite sure why she had left the card other than, "Elena's my sister. I'm as stuck to her as you are to Stefan."
"Doesn't mean you have to be nice to her."
"I left a card where all I did was sign my name. There was no heartfelt well wishing or anything. I'm just interested in keeping civility for Jeremy's sake. I don't want him to feel like he has to choose between us."
Damon chuckled humorlessly. There was no possible way Addie couldn't see how everyone was forced to pick either her side or Elena's. When he had offered to look over her he didn't know he was signing himself up for rants about his girlfriend and how it was all Addie's fault Stefan was missing. And if Damon didn't nod along with Elena she got sour and surly. When he was with Addie it wasn't much better as he had to hear of how it was Elena's fault for everyone being dead. Neither one would listen to reason. "Just by being who you two are, you make everyone choose a side."
"Then answer me this: whose side do you choose?" Addie reflected. Sensing his hesitation she added, "I would prefer the truth, Damon."
"Hers," he mumbled.
The guilt and concern she had been feeling morphed into anxiety as her voice cracked, "Hers?"
Damon nodded in exasperation before remembering she couldn't see him. "Yes," he admitted. "Only while you're away though. It's easier to protect her from by her side than having her shun me for sticking up for you at every turn."
So that was what he was going to call his actions - being at her side. Of course she didn't exactly know what he was doing; all she knew was that she was jealous, Elena liked Damon, Damon had remnants of feelings for Elena, and Jeremy's judgement over their growing friendship.
Lightly, Addie pushed for more information, "So, you and Elena haven't tried to kill each other?"
"Nope. I can't promise you I won't kill her before you get back, though."
Addie balled the sheets in her fist, wishing it was Damon's hand she clung to. He sounded awful. "Why are you gonna kill her?"
"She's not gonna give up on Stefan. He's gone, Ads," he whispered, feeling an uncomfortable stinging in his eyes. "He's really gone."
"No," she told him firmly. "He's not gone, Damon. You're not giving up on him."
Damon shook his head and depressedly maintained, "I have to. You don't know what he'll do if I don't stop searching for him. And Elena's not going to stop wanting to follow up every damn lead and I can't let her do it. I want my brother back but the risk, it's too much."
Conflicted between her desire for Damon to be happy and wanting him alive Addie decided to make him answer the probing questions. "Since when do you care about self-preservation? You always do stupid and reckless things for pointless reasons."
"I'm not worried about be." After a long silence he quietly confessed, "Stefan showed up last night."
Addie frowned in confusion. "If Stefan is there why do you say he's gone? Why does Elena need leads to find him?" He didn't answer. "Damon?"
He exhaled loud and slow, feeling the numbing buzz from his bourbon begin to fade. "Stefan didn't come to stay. And he didn't come to wish Elena a 'happy birthday.'"
"What happened?" she insisted. Sometimes getting Damon to talk was like pulling teeth.
"He came to deliver a message. Klaus isn't apparently too fond of us tracking them. Now, normally I wouldn't give a damn about what he wants and I would do whatever it takes to get Stefan but…" he trailed off, running a hand over her face.
"But what?"
It was hard to swallow past the lump in his throat. "They won't kill me if I go after them again. Stefan came to warn me that the next time I tried to follow him he's going to kill you. I can't - I won't risk your life to get Stefan out of a ten year deal."
Unblinking Addie stared up at the glowing plastic stars. She wasn't sure if the threat was real or not. Stefan was undoubtedly working under Klaus' orders. At the airport, though, Klaus had made it very clear that he wanted her alive for some reason. "It's a bluff," Addie decided.
"You don't know that," Damon retorted sharply. "Addie, if it is not a bluff you are as good as dead. I can't let that happen. It's either letting go of Stefan for a little while or losing you forever, It's… Addie, I can't believe you would even think I would even consider risking your life. It's not like I can even protect you from here."
"You need him. He's your brother!"
Rolling to his side Damon clutched her pillow to his chest and fought to stay rational. There was no reason to cause panic in her if he didn't need to but if she wouldn't listen to reason, he would have no choice but to tell her that Stefan had shown up with pictures of walking into her dorm, buying tickets at box office, and several other things. Klaus knew exactly where she was and those pictures proved that he would have no problem reaching her.
Definitively he said, "I've lived the better part of 145 years without being on good terms with my brother. I know I can go ten years without Stefan in my life. A lot of things have changed this past year. Now that I have you in my life I know that I need you. I'm in love with you. You are what I need to worry about, not Stefan."
"Damon, you can't pick me over your brother," objected Addie.
"I'm not… I mean I kinda am picking you over Stefan but it's not… It's not exactly the first time I've picked a girl over my brother," Damon uttered quietly, stumbling to find the right words. "Stefan is a big boy; he can handle himself. To a vampire, ten years is nothing. To you that's 2/3s of your life. He's lived many lives over the years. Your's is just getting started. I can't risk you losing your life for a measly ten years of my brother's"
"You're going to be miserable and guilt ridden."
Sighing, Damon looked over at the picture frame on his nightstand; it was him and Addie kissing at the top of the Ferris wheel on their first date. She had been scared of heights so he had used a first kiss to distract her from her fear. It was actually their third or fourth first kiss. Addie kept wanting a redo. He understood why she wanted a redo when he kissed her the night she pulled him from the fire. Damon had thought he had kissed Elena and arrogantly thought something was going to start from that but he had to act on his feelings for her just one time, no matter how wrong it was. Considering he had confessed he wanted her but was going for her sister, she handled it pretty well. It was perhaps the odd satisfaction of Katherine fooling him again that made her laugh of the situation rather than be pissed at him. Then there had been the redo of that first kiss when he successfully convinced her he didn't want Elena. Then she shut down all aspects of their relationship because she wasn't ready and he promised he wouldn't touch her again until she was. That next kiss, the first kiss of their relationship where she knew what she want, was on the Ferris wheel.
"I'm only miserable because you're not here."
Addie shifted her phone to the other ear as she decided how she wanted to respond to that. She couldn't tell him that it was just a few more weeks. "We've discussed this before," Addie replied curtly, wincing at her words. "I can't be responsible for your happiness. It's not fair for you to put that burden on me."
Damon groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. He never did that before he started hanging out with Addie; he picked up her uncomfortable, nervous habit. "I know. I know. It's just that everything is so much easier and better when I know you're right here with a hug and a kiss and all the right words that makes things just a little more bearable. Not to mention that you don't get on my ass about how I act."
"What? Who's said something? What have you done?"
"Why do you assume I did something?" he bit back offendedly.
Addie scoffed before gently answering, "Because I know you, Damon. You act out and do things without thinking when you get upset. The situation with Stefan has you upset."
"Yeah but I can't do anything stupid or irrational because I have to stay in your sister's good graces so I can protect her. Do you have any idea what that leaves me free to do?" he snapped.
She hummed in acknowledgement. Elena wouldn't forgive or tolerate Damon being Damon. What was something rebellious and taboo that Elena would deem permissible? Flirt with her. He had a girlfriend so that was something he shouldn't be doing but it was something he could get away with without hurting Addie. He could toy with Elena's emotions. It would explain why Jeremy didn't like their growing friendship. "Doesn't leave you with very much to do," Addie conceded dryly, "which makes me question what are you doing to keep your sanity?"
"Mostly I spend my time thinking about you. That's not exactly helping me keep my sanity. Only for half a second when I first wake up and I know I'm one day closer to picking you up from the airport. Then staying focused on finding Stefan kind of worked. However, I have come to accept that is a hopeless cause. So now, I drink. Whether that helps or hinders my sanity is up for debate," Damon answered dismissively.
"Well," Addie sighed, sensing he wasn't telling the complete truth, "I'm not going to hold that against you."
"And that is why I love you. You accept every fucked up version of me."
"You're not - you have your flaws. We all do. But there is so much more to you than your imperfections. You're… you're just you, Damon. And I happen to like you just the way you are."
Damon laughed bitterly, "You and I might just be the only people who feel that way."
"Who's been stupid enough to give you backlash about how you act?"
"Directly? No one. But everyone in your house is skating on thin ice. It's just a matter of time before one of them says something."
Addie chewed at her lip anxiously. "What will you do then?"
"Kill 'em."
"Damon."
"I'm joking," he reassured her flatly. "Possibly. I mean I can't kill your sister but Ric and Jeremy have those nifty little rings so I could take pleasure in killing them over and over again."
"I wouldn't recommend that as a solution." She wouldn't put it past Damon to snap his best friend or her brother's neck if he was angry enough. His feelings for Elena
"No, it's not the best way to handle the problem. The solution is you coming back home."
"Now, how is that going to change anything?" Addie challenged. She didn't want the responsibility of his behavior. Nor could she tell him she'd be back soon.
Damon scowled, getting up and pouring another measure of bourbon from the decanter on his dresser. He wasn't drunk enough to admit how Addie influenced his behavior so much that she made him act like a better man. She made the whole inconspicuous, blood bag lifestyle a lot less difficult. "In many ways," he muttered bitterly. "You don't question my behavior and for some reason everybody is just better at accepting me as I am. I don't know if it's because they accept your judgement of character or if it's because they know you'll start a fight with them. I shouldn't need my girlfriend to make people accept me as I am."
Addie nodded in agreement, despite him not being able to see. She knew what Damon meant; Bonnie and Jeremy definitely put up with more shit from Damon now that they were dating. She explained, "They put up with your shit because I do and if they don't keep quiet and deal with it they place themselves in a position where I have to pick you or them. They don't want to risk me choosing you."
He hummed in acknowledgement; that made sense. Damon chuckled darkly, "I feel things are better when I get to fight with you."
"Well, yeah. We piss each other off whenever we need to blow off some steam. And it's safe because we know that we're not truly angry at each other and we're not going to break up because we get into an epic fight about having tea or coffee for breakfast. But I'm not there to argue with you so how are you dealing with your anger and frustration? You can't tell me you aren't feeling that with everything going on."
"I drink," he answered simply.
Addie snorted in annoyance. It wasn't the healthiest option but at least he wasn't eating people. "In other words, you repress it and let it fester and it's only a matter of time before you snap and do something stupid."
"Pretty much."
Rolling her eyes she answered sarcastically, "That's gonna turn out well."
"Do you have any better idea than just telling me not to do something stupid?" Damon challenged back curtly.
She really didn't have a solution for him to slowly release his anger. Their bickering really did keep him balanced; it kept her from getting too stressed as well. "All I can say is don't do something that you can't undo or something you might regret."
"I'll try to keep that in mind when I go into a blinding rage."
"Alright," Rebekah called loudly, bursting through the door, "Alex is all set for tonight. Now we have to pick out our outfits."
Sitting up Addie scowled at the vampire, "I already told you I'm not going."
"Go where?" Damon asked from the other end of the phone.
"A nightclub," she growled.
His lips pursed; he wasn't fond of the idea but he did tell her to go have fun and exciting times. Though he wondered, "What nightclub lets in a 15 year-old?"
"None! They expect me to use a fake ID."
Damon burst into genuine laughter since she had left. In between catching his breath he snickered, "There's no way in hell that you're going. You would never use a fake ID."
"Why do you say that?" snapped Addie, not fond of him laughing at her.
"Ads, you'd never do something like that. You're too good and innocent to so blatantly break the law and sneak into a club."
Her eyes narrowed in frustration. She was really getting tired of Damon viewing her as the good girl. "i'll talk to you later, Damon. I have to go decide on what to wear."
"Drinks, drinks, drinks, drinks, drinks!" Alex cheered as he held onto Rebekah's hand and dragged her towards the bar.
Addie grabbed hold of the vampire's free hand so she wouldn't lose her friends in the crowded room. Her heartbeat synced with the racing beat of the loud techno music. The throngs of people made her feel cramped. As she brushed past people Addie felt her muscle constrict uncomfortably. It was as if she was a spring and being compressed as the social pressures increased. It was only a matter of time before she sprung back into place with a massive panic attack. Why had she let her desire to prove Damon wrong drive her into such a stressful situation?
"You ok?" the boy asked in concern as he leaned against the bar, waiting to catch a free bartender.
She shook her head as it became harder to breathe.
Rebekah squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled brightly at Alex. "She's fine. She just needs a drink to help her relax a little."
Addie mumbled something about how she didn't drink but her words were lost in the sound of the raging music and noisy crowd.
"Or maybe she needs two," suggested Alex as he watched Addie's dark blue eyes dart around the room, her face pale. "I'm thinking a shot of Jack to get things started and an apple martini to keep the nerves at bay. And for you?"
"Anything strong and fruity. We're gonna go grab a seat," Rebekah said over her shoulder, already dragging Addie away from the crowd. She saw a long red couch and gently pushed Addie into it. "Will you stop acting so weird?" she hissed.
Addie ran a hand through her hair anxiously. "I can't help it," she muttered as she stared at the dance floor as the tiles lit up in bright colors. "I don't like this. I don't want to be here."
"Relax! Loosen up! Have some fun! It's like one giant party; how can you not have fun?"
"I avoid parties like the plague," Addie grumbled. "I don't like being around big crowds. Unless it's at a music festival."
Rebekah gave a shrugged. "Well, this is just like that except indoors."
"You've never been to a music festival," she pointed out.
"Well I assume it's the same. There's music and people. How different could the two possibly be?"
"Drinks up!" Alex beamed, appearing from the crowd with a tray full of glasses. He set it on the small table next to the couch. "Shots first," he ordered, passing a small glass of amber liquid to Addie who passed it to Rebekah. Alex held out another glass towards her but she shook her head.
"I promise it will make you loosen up a bit," Rebekah swore, taking the shot from Alex and shoving it into Addie's hand, a little bit sloshing over the side. "It will make everything less overwhelming."
Addie eyed the glass warily, glancing between Alex's cheery smile and Rebekah's expectant, demanding glare. Wasn't there some warning label on her anxiety medication about mixing alcohol with her pills. But she hadn't taken her medication and that was why her heart was going to burst from her chest. Plus, how was she supposed to know what all the fuss was over alcohol if she never tried it? It would definitely be worth it if it made the club more tolerable.
"How am I supposed to drink this?"
Alex laughed. He couldn't believe she'd never taken a shot. "My suggestion is to slam it back as fast as you can. Don't stop to taste it. On three. One, two, three."
Tilting her head back Addie tried to pour the liquid directly down her throat. She coughed, sputtered and gagged as the disgusting alcohol seared a path all the way down through her chest. "God! Why the hell would anyone want to drink this? It's like pure rubbing alcohol or gasoline."
"Give it a minute," Rebekah smirked, setting her glass down. She picked up the martini glass and sniffed at it before passing it to Addie. "That should be better. You can't really taste vodka."
Addie sniffed the green liquid garnished with a slice of green apple. It certainly smelled a lot better than the shot but she wasn't exactly eager to try it. The burn from the alcohol started to turn into a warm glow in her chest. "Ok, we did the alcohol. Now what are we supposed to do?"
Waggling his eyebrows suggestively Alex held out his hand to her, "Now we dance."
"Oh, ha ha," she mocked. "No way in hell is that happening. I do not dance."
"If you're not gonna take him for a spin, I will," Rebekah smirked, snatching Alex's hand and pulling him to the dance floor.
It was interesting watching people writhe to the music against strangers or provocatively with those they knew in such a public space. The degrees to which people were comfortable exposing themselves fascinated Addie. Rules of what was considered proper and acceptable seemed to disappear the moment someone stepped onto the flashing dance floor. Addie watched in fascination.
"Excuse me," said a soft spoken, bespectacled young man, sitting on the other end of the couch, "but you look really familiar. Have we met before?"
"I highly doubt it," Addie replied with a smirk, carefully enunciating in her American accent. "Does that line usually work?"
The man blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck, "I'd say two out of four times. My face is pretty forgettable. It's usually fairly easy to convince a girl we've met before. It almost always fails when the girl is from another country, though."
"I'm surprised it doesn't fail more often," she replied dryly.
"Perhaps if I buy you a drink you'll better understand how it works," he grinned.
Addie rolled her eyes and held up the untouched apple martini. "I think I'm all set."
He sighed and looked around for a moment. "Well, it looks like you might be in need of a dance partner."
Spying Alex at the edge of the dance floor without Rebekah Addie made contact with him, her eyes wide and pleading as she slightly tilted her head to the guy next to her. Looking back at the man she gave him a small smile, "I don't think my boyfriend would like that."
Alex flung his lanky self into the small space between Addie and the other man. "My darling, I apologize about that. I leave you alone for ten minutes and the wolves descend," he sneered no less flamboyant than usual, turning his nose up at the other man.
"The boyfriend?" the man scoffed in disbelief.
Oh, most definitely," Alex smirked, wrapping his arm around Addie's shoulders. He knew the man was classifying him to be the stereotypical gay guy with his skinny jeans, hot pink v-neck, grey cardigan and perfectly styled hair. Over the years he had come to accept being stereotyped and it was usually to his advantage but not this time. The man's judgement was clear in his eyes but Alex couldn't quite tell if he was going to call out his bluff or get the hint and leave Addie alone.
Knowing what the man was thinking as he eyed Alex skeptically made the warm and fuzzy feeling from the shot begin to fade and start to replace with anger. Normally Addie wouldn't call someone out on being idiotic but the alcohol seemed to loosen her tongue. As she opened her mouth to say something Alex cut her off with a passionate kiss. Startled and greatly confused it took a long moment for Addie to respond.
It was nothing like kissing Damon. While Damon's mouth was always a bit cooler than hers but Alex was hot everywhere from his lips to the hand cupping the back of her neck. The only cool part of Alex's kiss was when his silver lip piercing brushed against her. Damon usually tasted of straight bourbon or scotch but there was a fruity taste in an alcoholic combination on Alex's lips. He seemed much more timid in his approach and actions than Damon, who was arrogant and sure.
Alex pulled away with a smirk when he felt the man get up and leave. Taking Addie's apple martini from her he sipped at it nonchalantly, leaning back into the couch.
"What was that?" Addie asked dumbfounded.
"That's how you get rid of pretentious douchebags," he chuckled. Suddenly he stopped and looked at her uncertainly, "Unless that's not what you wanted me to do…"
She nodded her head eagerly. That was what she had wanted but the kiss didn't make any sense. "You're gay."
"What? No! Where would you get that idea?" Alex scoffed, setting the martini down.
Addie ran her hand through her hair as she tried to figure out where she had miscalculated. "When we met you mentioned your ex-boyfriend," she recalled, certain that Alex was gay.
He cocked his head at her curiously. Had she really thought all this time that he was gay? "That doesn't mean I'm exclusively into guys."
"Oh," she whispered, an uncomfortable knot forming in her stomach.
"So, I'm confused," Jeremy declared, watching his sister through the webcam. "Are you and Damon together or…. I mean, what's going on there?"
Addie swiveled side to side in her desk chair; she always got jittery when she felt guilty. "Damon and I are…," she had no idea how explain where they stood. Curious she demanded, "Why would you question if we were together?"
Jeremy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He couldn't very well just blame Damon for something when Addie was doing it too. Judgingly he answered, "Well, you've spent the summer flirting with some guy and then kissed him. And with the way Damon and Elena are cozying up to each other, I'm not certain there isn't something going on there."
"I didn't know he was into me. I thought he was gay! I thought we were goofing around, not actually flirting," she snapped back defensively. "And I had no idea he was going to kiss me."
"Right," he drew out, his voice skeptical. "So that's your excuse for flirting it up with some guy. What's Damon's?"
Addie shrugged; it made her stomach churn hearing her brother talk out loud about her sister and boyfriend being close. Not wanting to believe the truth she questioned, "How do you know it's not just Elena chatting up Damon?"
"Because it takes two to tango. And Damon is Damon."
"Well there's your excuse: Damon is Damon," Addie replied curtly, her lips pursing. She had no doubt about him flirting with Elena while she was gone. His tendency to act out when he wasn't satisfied was just something she'd come to accept about him. Damon could flirt with Elena all he wanted; it was better than him pushing everything down until he snapped and killed someone. As long as he didn't do anything with Elena, Addie didn't really care.
Jeremy shook his head in disapproval. "And you two are just ok with what the other one's doing?"
Addie bit at her bottom lip anxiously. The kiss with Alex and his revelation of feelings and her finding out he wasn't gay was not something she had shared with Damon. She actually hadn't talked to him since the day after Elena's birthday. Not talking to him was miserable but she had to set up the pieces in her plan to keep him from wondering about her when she told him she wouldn't be seeing him until school started.
"We're… there's a mutual understanding that this summer we aren't holding each other to the same standards as we typically would," she answered evasively.
"For the record, I highly disagree with this and sooo don't want to hear about it when this understanding blows up in your face."
"I'll keep that in mind," she scowled before changing to a more neutral topic. "How have you been? What's been going in my dearest brother's world?"
"Bonnie's gone. You're gone. That doesn't exactly leave much to do besides working at the Grill," Jeremy answered, doing his best to sound bored. He considered telling Addie about seeing Vickie and Anna but that would probably be too much for her to handle. Vampires and werewolves were barely tolerable because "if it bleeds you can kill it". That wasn't exactly possible with a ghost. She'd been terrified of ghost since he told her that scary story when she was seven.
Addie smirked at her brother. "Isn't the mundane and monotony of no supernatural drama nice?"
The firelight flickered over Damon's face reflecting in his bright eyes. His fingers ran through his hair anxiously as he stared at his phone on the end table. Too many emotions passed through him but his thoughts always came back to Addie. Was she safe? How long would it take for Klaus to get to her? Would Stefan even tell Klaus that they had followed them into the mountains? If Klaus didn't know, she was ok. Unless Stefan had been compelled to kill her no matter what.
When Stefan corned Damon in his room the night of Elena's birthday he was so convinced that his brother had completely gone dark side. Stefan wanted to sever all ties to Mystic Falls, to his brother, and he made that loud and clear by threatening to kill the girl he loved. Damon could think of no more effective way to hurt him or make him stop trying to save Stefan.
Unfortunately he hadn't passed along Stefan's threat to Alaric and Elena. Had he done that Elena probably wouldn't have gone marching into the mountains hell bent on retrieving his brother. Actually, as awful as it was, Elena still might have done the same thing regardless of the risk to Addie's life. Elena had listened to him when he told her that Klaus taking Stefan had nothing to do with her sister as well as Addie had listened when he tried to convince her that her family's death wasn't Elena's fault. In short, his arguments were futile and fell on deaf ears of the stubborn sisters. Damon was fairly certain that a large part of Elena's flirting had to do with getting back at her sister. He didn't see the harm in flirting back, even if it did encourage her little crush on him.
Damon looked back at the phone. It was hard not to pick it up and call to see if Addie was alright but it was three in the morning where she was. She probably wasn't even awake to answer. He really should wait until a more reasonable hour. The best thing he could do was focus on where Stefan and Klaus were headed next. Picking up the cell he headed outside.
Three thousands miles away a phone rang. Groaning, Addie swatted at her cell to stop the annoying series of beeps. It fell from the nightstand to the floor still making noise.
"Shut that damn thing up," Rebekah barked, annoyed at the interruption to her sleep.
"It will stop," Addie mumbled, burying her face into the pillow. She blocked out the sound as the scent of ginger, cloves, and sandalwood, enveloped her. Damon made for a much better pillow. She imagined it was his arms that wrapped around her as she pulled the blanket around her.
The phone started to ring again.
"Answer it!" ordered the vampire, pulling her pillow over her head.
Scowling, Addie hung over the edge of the bed and grabbed the glowing device. The screen shined so bright she shut her eyes, missing the caller idea. Aggravated at being woken up she curtly answered, "Who is it and what do you want?"
Rebekah growled, "If I don't want to hear your phone, what makes you think I want to hear your voice? Take it somewhere else."
"Go outside," came a familiar voice from the other end of the phone.
"Hold on," Addie whispered as she slid on her slippers and quietly slipped into the hallway. She leaned against the wall, her eyes closed against the harsh fluorescents. Uncertain if she heard right she murmured tiredly, "Damon?"
"Go outside," he repeated.
She cracked her eyes open just enough to look at the time on her phone. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she grumbled, "It's three in the morning."
Damon rolled his eyes and insisted, "Go outside." He knew she didn't enjoy being woken up, particularly for pointless reason but he had to hear her voice. He had to know Klaus hadn't gotten to her.
"You're drunk."
He laughed. It was just good to know she was ok and she'd be safe by his side in two days. "I'm sober. Go outside."
"You're insane then," Addie muttered, heading towards the stairwell.
"Quite possibly," he conceded smugly. "Just humor me, love."
The cool night air cut against her face, sending a shiver through her. She looked around, half-expecting to see Damon. Feeling a little disappointed when she didn't she sighed, "Why am I outside."
"Look up," he instructed, a grin crossing his face. "See that big, glowing, white thing?"
Addie groaned, sitting on the porch steps. "You woke me up at three in the morning to have me look at the moon?"
"So you see it, too?" he snickered, too giddy to feel too guilty about waking her. She'd woken him up at crazier times many atimes.
"Yes, Damon. I see the moon. You're drunk."
"I'm not drunk," he maintained. "Do you realize that for the first time since you left we are seeing the same thing?"
She rested her forehead on her knees. Sometimes Damon could really test her patience. "Is this some moon gazing, telephone date or something? It's not cute in the middle of the night."
"I just wanted to know what you're looking at. You're free to go back to bed."
"No, no. I'm already up. I might as well talk to you," Addie grimaced.
He scoffed, "Gee, I miss you too."
"That's not - of course I miss you. I just didn't expect to be talking to you in the middle of the night."
"Sorry about that," Damon frowned. "I just…. After the day that I've had I wanted nothing more than to curl up next to you and discuss it. The closest I could get was calling you. I honestly expected your voicemail."
She snorted humorlessly, "If it wasn't for my roommate demanding I answer my phone, you would have gotten it."
"I'm really feeling the love tonight," he said sarcastically.
Tracking a crack in the cement step Addie frowned. "Don't be so dramatic. I wouldn't answer anyone's call at three in the morning, What happened to?"
"Should I start with the good or the bad?"
"Chronological order would be preferable. Good and bad tend to be subjective."
Order, there always had to be an order and sense to things. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered to ask such questions. "I mean this in the nicest way possible; you're sister is a suicidal idiot."
"That's a pretty big accusation coming from someone who generates one suicidally reckless plan after the other. What did she do?"
"She tracked Stefan and Klaus to a pack of werewolves in the middle of nowhere. Ric was stupid enough to encourage the rescue mission by tagging along. About the only smart decision either one of them made was Ric telling me what the hell was going on. Of course he didn't do that until it was already too late for me to convince them to turn back around," grimaced Damon.
Addie looked up to the sky and wondered, "Did you tell them about Stefan's threat against me?"
"No," he admitted shamefully. "I should have. It was stupid and arrogant of me not to. I just didn't think they would go after them without me. I'm so sorry."
"It doesn't matter. Elena still would have gone after Stefan," she decided, shaking her head in frustration.
"You don't know that."
Not wanting to think about her sister, Addie curtly demanded, "What happened in the mountains?"
His eyes dropped from the sky to his shoes as he ran a hand anxiously through his hair. Damn Addison for making him pick up that annoying quirk. To prevent doing it again he shoved his hands in his pockets and balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear. Hesitantly he confessed, "We ran into one of Klaus' failed attempts at a hybrid. He was rabid and mad and turning way before the moon was full. We had him chained up but he broke free. I got Elena and Ric out of there. The guy was about to bite me when Stefan showed up and ripped his heart out.
"I totally checked out on Stefan. With him off the rails and threatening you I thought he was gone, like his humanity was lost. I gave up on him when I shouldn't have. I should have found a way to protect you and save him at the same time. I have to do that now."
As a cool wind whipped past her Addie wrapped her arms around herself. Addie hadn't talked to Damon since the day after Elena's birthday. He had told her of Stefan's threat if Damon continued to follow and search for him. Addie hadn't expected Damon to actually stop, to give up on Stefan. That threat over her life versus his brother's freedom seemed like an easy choice, no matter what he said. Still disbelieving his choice she wondered, "What made you change your mind?"
"I changed my mind because even in his darkest place my brother still can't let me die. So I figure I owe him the same in return. Stefan is an insufferable martyr that needs his ass kicked but he can be saved. I just don't exactly know how screwed up he is.
"That's part of why I had to call you. I had to know you were ok. Klaus didn't see us but I wasn't sure if Stefan would report back on seeing us. God, Addie. I was told you would be killed if I didn't stop going after them. I have no idea if that threat comes from Klaus or is of Stefan's own doing. I just know that I went to where they were and that put a target on your back. Whether my brother would come after you or if it would be Klaus or one of his minions I didn't know. I still don't know. Ads, you need to be hyper vigilant; they could still strike."
"I already told you that was a bluff," Addie muttered, tugging at her blue hair.
"Let's just say that you are in real and imminent danger. I don't like gambling with the idea of this being a bluff," he growled out roughly as he headed back into the study, annoyed that she wouldn't take her safety serious enough.
"Yeah, uh-huh, ok. What do you expect me to do about it?" she challenged, not seeing the point of the conversation.
Damon sighed as he tapped at his laptop. "Why don't you just fly home today? There's a couple of choices in flights. I mean, starting at nine there are nonstop flights throughout the day. Some are into Philadelphia or New York but the few extra -"
"Shut up," Addie interrupted sharply.
He looked at his phone in confusion, wondering if he had heard correctly or if he had somehow switched to a call with someone else. Damon scoffed, "Excuse me?"
She took in a shaky breath, clutching at her pajama pants. It was now or never. For two months she struggled to come up with a way to tell him she wouldn't see or speak to him until school started. There had been only one theory she could conjure that wouldn't raise suspicion. "I'm not coming back early."
"It's one day, Addie! You can't just come back one day early for my peace of mind? For your own best interest?"
"No, Damon! I don't - I don't need you protecting me and watching over me all the time," clipped Addie, cringing at the gobsmacked look that was undoubtedly on Damon's face. She had to keep going before she lost her nerve. "I've done fine without your smothering protection all summer. Despite what you may think I'm not some fragile little girl that needs her big bad boyfriend to look out for her."
"I never-"
Her eyes stung as she continued talking over Damon; she had to get it all out before the guilt got to her. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't need you. I'm not… You were right that this was a time for me to branch out, try new things, and grow up. That's what I've been doing all summer. That's why I avoid your calls."
"Addie, I -"
"I'm not coming home today or tomorrow. I - I kissed Alex and I - I think there is something there that I owe it to myself to explore that. It's like you said; it's something different from you," Addie choked out, brushing away her tear.
Damon leaned back into the sofa, soaking in what she was saying. She didn't need him protecting her. No. She didn't want him protecting her. How could she say she didn't need him? He needed her; Addie was the only thing keeping him grounded. "When are you coming home? And isn't Alex gay? What are you going to do? Your program is over. You can't just…. What about us, Ads?"
More tears fell at the nickname. It was a struggle to keep her voice from quivering. "I thought he was gay. His jeans were tighter than mine so I kind of jumped to a stereotypical conclusion," Addie tried to joke, her voice too forced. Damon didn't say anything. "We're gonna travel Europe; Paris, Rome, Madrid, and all those other beautiful places. As for us, well, this is what you pushed me to do."
"I didn't mean for you to go gallivanting all over Europe with some guy. Everything was supposed to go back to normal July 16th. You weren't suppose to tell me days before that you decided to run off with some other guy!" Damon snapped, tugging at his hair in frustration.
"This isn't about another guy as much as it is about me getting to do things I'd never get a chance to do otherwise," Addie whispered. She knew she needed Damon angry and upset enough that he would let her go without question but she didn't like having to make him jealous.
"If that's what it's about then I will take you to Europe. It'll be romantic and we can do whatever you want. Just… come back home, please," he pleaded, knowing he sounded desperate and pathetic. He didn't care. He'd been distracting himself by playing with Elena and focusing on Stefan but two months was long enough. Missing her was starting to hurt too much.
Addie ran her hand through her hair as she fought to keep up her nerves. Her voice was icy as she challenged, "And exactly when would that ever happen? After you save Stefan? When we're going to be dodging and trying to out run Klaus because he wants to kill us for taking his pet? While we try and hide the fact that my sister isn't dead? Undoubtedly we will be searching for a way to kill an unkillable hybrid beast, too."
"Ok, so right now isn't the best timing but we'll get there!"
She shook her head, trying not to breakdown. "I'm already here. I can go now. Damon, this is something I have to do for myself. It's not just about seeing Europe or a crush on a guy. The truth is that I need some space from you, from us."
"Two months and 3,000 miles hasn't been enough space?" he scowled, pouring a drink. There was no possible way that Addie was serious. If he had known encouraging her to go to London would have lead to her touring Europe with a guy she was interested in he never would have pushed her to go.
"No," Addie whispered, "it hasn't been enough. I've spent this whole summer thinking about you and fighting the urge to call you every single day and writing sappy love songs about you! I need a complete break from us. I need some time to discover me and to think about our relationship and if it's right."
Damon scowled, "Right? You're questioning if we're right together? Addison, our relationship couldn't be closer to wrong if we tried. I thought we reached a point where you would stop analyzing and questioning every aspect of us."
Addie chewed at her lip in thought. They had reached that point; she knew all the ways she and Damon were wrong and she was ok with it. Damon was what she wanted. "It's a lot easier to just accept our relationship when every time I start to wonder about it I become mesmerized by your looks, your style, your charm and your unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift. I need to think about this without the distraction of wanting to kiss you or waiting until the next time I talk to you."
He couldn't argue with her on that. When he was first questioning if he wanted to start a relationship with her, if he was in love with her, if it was acceptable for him to be with her, the answer was always a yes and he couldn't figure out why he even had doubts whenever she was around. Addie deserved a chance to consider their relationship without his influence. He caved, "How long? How long do you need this... separation? How much longer do I have to be away from you?"
"I don't know," she mumbled. "Give me until school starts."
"You're going to be traveling the continent with Alex that whole time?" Damon grimaced.
Her stomach knotted as she lied, "Yes."
"How am I going to know you're ok?"
"Same system; I'll be checking in with Jeremy." She'd need to convince Klaus to let her do that.
Damon ran a finger around the rim of his tumbler, slightly surprised he hadn't thrown it yet. Sourly he asked, "So this is goodbye until school starts?"
The tears flowed freely down her face, the wet tracks chilling her cheeks in the cool breeze. "Yes," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Damon."
"It's fine," he lied, weighing the glass in his hand. "Just remember, whatever you decide, right or wrong, I will still love you."
Addie ended the call just before a sob wrecked through her, Everything was so wrong. She was suppose to be home bound in less than 48 hours. Chicago was too far from Mystic Falls.
A/N: Klaus and the windy city up next! Thank you all for your comments, follows, and favorites.