The confined space had the nauseating smell of heated hair and aerosol hairspray. Addie hed her breath to keep from coughing as her sister set more large curls with the hazardous chemical.
"This is so messed up," she mumbled as she watched her sister wrap another lock of dark red hair around the large curling iron.
Elena studied her sister's reflection in the mirror and then looked at the curls closer up. The loose, large spirals were turning out as she expected. "Seems to be going ok to me," she disagreed.
"The situation," Addie sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "I'm the one crashing your guys' girls' date and, yet, somehow, I'm the one who is ending up dateless at a dance that I don't even want to go to."
"That might be because you're the only one going for all the wrong reasons. Most people don't go on dates to avoid their boyfriends," Elena pointed out chattily, watching her sister out of the corner of her eye for any kind of reaction in the mirror.
"I'm not going for the wrong reasons; I'm going to go hangout with my sister and best friends but they've all suddenly gotten boy crazy," she objected moodily. "And I'm not avoiding Damon."
"We," Elena waved the curling iron between, "don't hangout. We don't talk. We barely coexist and the fact that we are doing so in a confined space without trying to kill each other and actually being civil suggests that one, or both, of us has ulterior motives. Considering you're the one who suddenly decided to raid the drama department's costume closet and are letting me treat you like a lifesize Barbie, I'm gonna guess that one is you. Plus, you're being weirder than normal."
"Well, Bonnie's now going with Jamie, you're going with Stefan and Caroline's not coming because she's sneaking around with Tyler. Girls' night got crashed by guys; I'll admit to being a little bum," Addie said dismissively. Just because she was being civil with her sister did not mean she wanted to sit down and have a heartfelt conversation.
Elena set her light, casual manner aside and bluntly said, "We can reschedule girls' night. You're hiding out at the dance."
"So, are Stefan and you officially back together?"
"I don't know. We haven't really discussed that," she answered uninterestedly. "Why are you avoiding Damon?"
"I'm not avoiding Damon." grumbled Addie. She didn't really want to discuss her relationship with her sister. It was at his insistence that she was going to this damn thing. "I'm just a little upset with him for hurting Jeremy last night. He needs to know that is not ok."
"Silent treatment to punish bad behavior," Elena said approvingly, attacking Addie's hair with another round of the hairspray.
That was enough of the sisterly bonding. The last time she gave Damon the silent treatment he ripped through the NYC meat district; she wasn't stupid enough to do that again. The bitter chemicals tickled her nose, making Addie sneeze. When Elena came at her again with the iron, Addie waved her away and jumped out of the chair, firmly declaring, "You're done."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" insisted Elena, dragging her sister back into the bathroom. She grabbed a large hair clip that reflected several black stones and slid it into Addie's hair, on the left side of her haid. Satisfied that the clean part, flowing curls, an appropriately bejeweled accessory made for a fitting 1920s hairstyle given short notice, Elena decided she was finished with an approving nod.
"I'll be damned if I understand why but my sister insisted on me coming to this blasted thing," said a cool, accented voice as a shadow fell over the glowing screen of Addie's cellphone. She had felt his presence and the darkness that clung to him before he had even said anything.
"Did she bring a purse?" Addie mumbled as she leaned against the wall of the gym, invested in an electronic game of sudoku.
"Excuse me?" Odd question.
She gave him a quick glance; he looked nice in a light gray suit with a gray and blue striped tie. "Are you or are you not carrying her phone, keys, ectera, ectera?"
"Yes. What does that matter?"
Addie gave him a half-hearted smirk. She held up her hand to the side of her mouth and mocked whispering conspiratorially, "That's why you're here. Your sole purpose is to carry all her crap."
Klaus nodded as if suddenly enlightened, "That make so much more sense. I can't possibly understand how she thought I would enjoy this. The actuals 20s, yes. This? No."
"Well, you had such a grand time at the last school dance possessing Alaric and what not, she probably figured it would bring back fond memories," Addie mumbled as she filled in a square on the gameboard. It was far more interesting than watching people dance badly to bad music.
"Ah, yes," Klaus reminisced fondly as he draped an arm around her shoulders, "back when you all actually believed you could kill me. Speaking of Damon, where is your loyal guard dog?"
The fabric of his coat was rough against her skin, where the straps of the opulent and flashy, fitted flapper frock didn't cover it. A soft navy mesh over cobalt knit lining with scintillating dark blue sequin twirls in a gorgeous jazz age design, offset with streamlined blue beaded detail and feminine touches such as a high sleeveless sweetheart neck, the dress was a far call from Addie comfortable jeans and plaid but it looked straight out of the 1920s. She was tempted to brush Klaus off but she knew the message would be lost to him. Since Damon wasn't around to direct her frustration towards, Addie decided she could at least partially blame her feelings on Klaus.
"I figured I didn't need him," she replied with a curtness that wasn't there before. "Afterall, I thought I was under your protection."
"Yes, well, that was while Alaric, his alter ego, and only weapon that could possibly kill me walked around free. Damon eliminated Alaric as I anticipated. The-"
"So you admit it's all your fault that his mind is going to be all fucked up from killing his best friend, yes?" she interrupted snidely.
Klaus raised an eyebrow of mild surprise and intrigue. "That's what you think is going to have him all fucked up?"
Addie rolled her eyes as she held out her keys and phone to Klaus; if she was going to put up with him, he may as well be useful. "Damon is one hundred types of fucked up for a million different reasons, but this is just the latest addition."
She didn't understand in the slightest. It was his love for her that was going to screw with his head. Klaus pocketed the items without thought. "What do you know about the last White Oak stake?"
She gasped in feigned shock. "You mean crazy Alaric not telling anyone where it was before he died wasn't part of your plan?"
"No. I actually figured Damon would be smart enough to get the location out of him first. I suppose his his temper got the better of him," he shrugged. "Alaric probably made a comment about how stunning you look tonight and Damon interpreted that to mean he was going to rape you. He tends to get a little protective when it comes to you."
"I thought that was the idea," she muttered. She didn't like Klaus using and manipulating Damon. Replaying his words she frowned in distaste. "Was that some backwards-ass compliment?"
Klaus frowned."I thought it was rather direct. Damon wasn't supposed to go off-the-rails protective until after he figured out where my stake is."
"Picky bastard." Pushing Damon into killing Ric wasn't enough for him?
"Because I'm not fond of there being an object that can kill me?" he laughed.
"You know, Damon would never tell you if he knew where the stake was."
Klaus gave her a knowing grin. "I know but you're a lot smarter than him. If you knew where that stake was, you'd tell me, right, Addison?"
"And why, precisely, would I be stupid enough to do that?" Addie asked warily.
"Because you know that if Damon gets ahold of that stake, he will try and kill me. That's a suicide mission any way you spin it," he answered tauntingly, baiting her.
Addie scowled; she hated asking, mostly because he wanted her to. "How so?"
"Well, the most likely event will be I'll kill him as he tries to kill me. On the off chance that he does manage to kill me, well, I've sired his bloodline and you've seen how that plays out," Klaus answered haughtily.
"Cute," she muttered. Damon had informed her that Mary Porter was a dead end in the few words he did exchange with her that , it was highly unlikely that Klaus was telling the truth. A one in four chance.
"You think I'm lying?"
Addie shook her head innocently. "I'd never accuse you of something so criminal."
"You're a really bad liar, Addison," reprimanded Klaus.
"You're right. Honestly, I think you've turned so many people that you have no idea if you started Damon's line," she shrugged.
He raised a challenging eyebrow at her. "You want to risk that?"
Her lips twisted into a sour scowl; he knew the answer to that. Addie looked back out at the dance floor and couldn't resist an eyeroll. People were attempting dated dances such as the jitterbug and the handjive. The weren't even in the right decade. The music was awful and the flashing lights didn't mix with the 1920s. And the attire was tacky. School dances were awful.
"Dance with me," Klaus ordered as he followed her line of sight.
"I don't dance," she retorted bitter and monotonous.
"Sure you do. Addison, dance with me," he repeated, holding out his hand.
"No, Niklaus. I don't dance."
"Tell me, would you dance with Damon?"
Addie snorted humorlessly, "No. Damon would hardly be stupid enough to ask."
"I like to think of it as bravado as opposed to stupidity," Klaus winked charismatically.
"And I always like to think of your views of yourself to be a little warped compared to reality," she replied with a tight lipped smile.
"Reality is ever changing," he muttered pensively as they both stared out across the gym, converted into a dance hall.
Caroline looked stunning in her red dress and Tyler made for a handsome date. Addie had been surprised when the couple had arrived as she believed they were keeping a low profile as Tyler tried to break his sire bond to Klaus. The murderous glare the Original was giving the pair suggested there had been an interesting an exchange there that she had missed. Doubtless Addie would somehow know all the details before noon the following morning, however.
"Apart from the clothes and the music, this is nothing like the 1920s," observed Klaus.
"Oh, I don't know. You had prohibition then; there's not much drinking going on at a high school dance," Addie compared.
"I'm sure we could find just about the same amount of hooch," he snickered.
Dryly she remarked, "Somehow I get the sense that you didn't have to do any searching. It was more a matter of you snapping your fingers and it appearing as if by magic."
"True; that's pretty much how most things work," Klaus admitted. As his hand rested in his pocket, it registered that he had her phone and keys. He hadn't give the objects much thought when he had taken them from her earlier but now considered the implications. He held his arm out to her and asked, "Walk with me?"
"Why?" Addie inquired skeptically, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow nevertheless.
"It's a little loud in here?" he replied as if was uncertainly answering her with another question. He led her to the double gym doors, parting the paper streamers and ushering her out in front of him.
Addie's fingers tapped against him rhythmically as she followed him down one of the deserted, darkened hallways. The sounds of the dance grew fainter as they traveled further into the school. They seemed to be traveling aimlessly. Aloud she wondered, "What are you doing?"
"Damon killed Alaric two days ago," Klaus stated.
Not getting his point she uttered sardonically, "And in the latest news, circles are round, triangles have three sides and the Pope is Catholic."
"You and Damon are revoltingly codependent and seemingly attached at the hip when things are good and peaceful."
"Our relationship is never peaceful; there's always some Original bastard screwing with it in one way or another," Addie mumbled bitterly.
"I'm flattered to be such a big factor in your relationship," he teased, elbowing her slightly in the ribs. She didn't find it amusing. "You can't deny that Alaric is, was, important, as well."
"To Damon." She wasn't like Elena and Jeremy; Addie knew better than to get attached. And it had always helped that if it weren't for Damon saving her, Alaric technically would have killed her.
Klaus nodded in acknowledgement. "Right. You know, I find it interesting that Damon kills someone so important and, now, you're suddenly not disgustingly bound together. Tell me, where is Damon tonight?"
Addie's lips pursed; discussing her relationship with Klaus was only marginally better than discussing it with Elena. At least Klaus knew the truth. "Would you quit shouting to the world what you essentially blackmailed him into doing?"
"I didn't have to blackmail him into anything. Damon was going to kill Alaric for hurting you. That was the only way he could truly protect you from Alaric's dual personalities. All I might have done is pushed the fast forward button," Klaus responded defensively.
"Damon wasn't going to kill Alaric in cold blood," she insisted firmly. "You threatened my safety and he felt pressured into it."
Klaus snorted, "Yes, I can see how offering you more protection is a direct threat against your safety."
"He thought you were stalking me."
"It's not my fault he's an over-reactive, paranoid delusionist."
"You purposely screwed with his mind," Addie reprimanded in accusation.
"His mind is very imaginative; he makes it too easy," he shrugged innocently.
There was no arguing that Damon's worst enemy could be his own thoughts and he could develop some outlandish ideas. She didn't care what Klaus said; it was his words that had pushed Damon into actually killing Alaric. Left to his own devices Damon probably would have just kept him locked in the basement. Sighing, she pushed open one of the doors that led outside and walked out into the night. The air of early November was brisk but it seemed to sharpen her senses.
"What is it about us?" she demanded sharply. "What do you get out of screwing with Damon and me?"
Creases formed in Klaus' forehead as he pondered her question. "He wants to kill me, which, while he poses no significant threat, does make him a bit of a nuisance; I get the simple satisfaction of annoying him."
"Can't the two of you call, like a 'ceasefire?' He stops trying to kill you; you stop antagonizing him," Addie grumbled crossly. He kept screwing with their relationship just to annoy Damon?
"Why would we do that?"
"To stop this nonsense before someone else, namely one of you, ends up dead!"
"Aww! You care if I live or die," Klaus cooed.
"Don't fool yourself," she snapped dryly as she rubbed at her arms to warm them up. "Other than the fact that you might have sired his bloodline, which would result in Damon dying if you died, I really don't care."
"So," he rephrased as he helped her into his suit jacket, "your real concern is that I'm going to kill Damon."
"Thanks," Addie mumbled as the garment helped cut against the chill. Feeling annoyed and slightly petulant at his patronizing tone she headed towards the parking lot. "What is so wrong with me not wanting Damon to end up dead?"
In a singsong voice he taunted, "Clingy. Like I said, you guys are so codependent."
"Or, you know, in love?" she suggested. "I know that's a foreign concept to you but it actually does happen. People care capable of caring for each other. I mean, you're not because where your heart should be there's a lump of coal but, you know."
Klaus gave a mocking laugh as he draped an arm over her shoulder as they continued to walk. "You do realize that you both are so easy to control because of those feelings?"
Addie was never foolish enough to deny that the love between her and Damon was a weakness. It also just happened to be one of her most cherished, valuable assets. She gave him a rare, genuine smile. "Well, we all have our own kryptonite."
"I don't
"You're supposed to be this big, scary, immortal badass and yet you're afraid of a piece of wood," Addie said bluntly.
"I'm not afraid of it," he sneered mockingly. "I happen to like being the big, scary, immortal badass. I'd be stupid to not want to control the one thing that could end my immortality."
"I suppose it's lucky for you no one knows where that stake is," she lied smoothly. The last White Oak stake needed to be transferred to a more secure location than under her bed but at least no one had a clue as to where to start looking.
"It doesn't matter if it's lost. If it's lost it can be found. If it can be found it can be used. The smart thing to do would be to remove those who know about the stake out of the equation. At least if someone stumbles across it, they'll be less likely to know what to do with it," reasoned Klaus.
Addie came to an abrupt halt, her stomach feeling as if she had left it on the top of the hill of a roller-coaster. Slowly she said, "That's a lot of people."
"A lot of people you care about."
"Are you making a threat?" she demanded, no longer in the mood to entertain him.
"Where's the stake, Addison?" growled Klaus.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "You already established that I would turn it over to you if I knew where it was."
Klaus looked towards the sky pensively as he stuck his hands in his pocket. "I'm leaving town soon."
"That's wonderful," Addie said, clapping her hands together in joy. There was some catch.
"I want the stake by then."
"I don't - Ah!" she cried out in pain. Klaus had grabbed her wrist and dug his thumbnail into the tender flesh, drawing a cut along it. Horrified, Addie watched as bright red blood bubbled to the surface. She tried to yank her hand away but his hold was too strong. "What the hell?"
He raised her wrist to his nose and inhaled deeply. His grin was dark, feral, predatory. "Just as I suspected. You're not on vervain."
Addie paled as her heart plummeted to her stomach.
"Addison," Klaus said firmly, his stormy blue eyes meeting clear ocean, "where is the stake?"
"I don't know," she answered more confidently than she felt, hoping she sounded convincing.
"Does Damon know?"
"No, Alaric wouldn't tell him."
Klaus debated the benefits of further compelling her. It was better to be certain before he jumped into a situation. Smirking he commanded, "You're going to follow me and you're not going to make a sound."
This was bad. This was very, very bad. Addie was at a cemetery in the middle of the night with Klaus, who thought she was under his compulsion. As the hybrid stalked back and forth in front of the old Salvatore crypt Addie couldn't help but feel like she was falling down a dark, bottomless shaft. Every instinct she had told her this was not going to end well. The agitated energy to Klaus was a foreboding symbol.
"I'm not convinced you're compelled," Klaus declared suddenly, coming to an abrupt halt in front of her.
Addie simply blinked at him; he hadn't given her permission to talk. He was right but she wasn't going to tell him that. Something told her that she was safest if he believed she was under his control.
Stroking his chin he ordered, "Tell me, have you ever drank Damon's blood?"
"Yes," she said shortly, her lips pressing into a thin line. Her stomach churned nauseously. There was no way Klaus had any idea of what Damon's blood had done to her.
"How much? How many times?"
She shifted uncomfortably. He couldn't know. Any good lie incorporated as much of the truth as possible. Addie blushed as she said in a small voice, "I don't know. He has a tendency to leave hickeys and I prefer not to walk around like that."
Klaus laughed heartily, "I actually believe that. That doesn't really answer my question, though. Has Damon ever healed a serious injury for you?"
A lump in her dry throat formed. She couldn't completely lie about that; too many people knew the truth. "Yes."
"When? How many times?" he barked again.
"Alaric Saltzman pierced my lung with a stake at the beginning of the year and after I got into a fight with him when I tried to get the stake back."
"And those are the only times?"
"Yes." Her fingers clutched nervously around the hem of his jacket she was still wearing.
Klaus grabbed her chin between his thumb and index finger, leaning towards her until they were nose to nose. The moonlight showed a hint of amusement in his eyes as he sneered, "What about blood from another vampire?"
Resolutely, with feigned bravado, Addie answered, "I've only ever had Damon's blood."
He roughly let go of her face, turning her head away. He laughed humorlessly as he walked away from her. "You might sound convincing, Addison, but you're a crap liar."
Addie wanted to say that she wasn't lying but he hadn't given her permission to talk. It was possible that he was just trying to trip her up.
"You are forgetting that I know your abilities better than you do," Klaus said smugly as he leaned against a tree. "Care to comment?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said softly, forcing herself to meet his gaze with an icy glare.
"Alright," he smirked, as he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. "We can play your way." He stalked towards her with a predatory grin. "Your heart betrays you. It beats fast and irregular when you lie. You can resist compulsion." Addie gave him an incredulous look but didn't say anything. Klaus rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You can speak now."
"You're a pretty intimidating dude. Did you ever just consider that my heart is going berserk because I'm in a cemetery with the scariest person I have ever met? You never compelled me to stay calm!" she bit back, breathing heavily and anxious.
"People naturally become calm when they're compelled."
She shook her head in disbelief. "No, people don't act like they're freaking out when they're compelled. It doesn't actually mean they're not physiologically showing the symptoms." She wasn't sure if that was true but she wasn't going to just roll over and admit she lied.
Klaus's lips pursed. He didn't typically pay attention to the emotional state of the people he compelled. It was possible she was telling the truth. He waved a hand dismissively. "Either way, there is more than one way to check and see if you can be compelled."
Addie sighed heavily, "What are you talking about?"
"You built up a resistance to compulsion by using Damon's blood to heal you. I know the process; he healed injuries that were initially fatal and became increasingly less severe. Eventually you built up a magical tolerance to compulsion."
"Wow," Addie whistled lowly. Shit. "You sound nuts. A tolerance to compulsion from drinking vampire blood? That doesn't even make sense."
"Because the existence of vampires does make sense to you?" he snorted.
"No," she admitted quickly, "not in the slightest. However, at least there is a legend behind vampires and the existences of, well, a bunch of them to support the theory that they're real. If someone could build up a tolerance to compulsion, why wouldn't everyone do that?"
A flicker of doubt lit in Klaus. Perhaps he was wrong. More patiently he chastised, "I told you this summer that your problem was not being able to accept reality and needing everything to be neat and rational. Do you remember what I told you about your blood?"
Addie frowned, she didn't want to play his stupid games. Hazily she recalled, "My blood is poisonous to protect me from the vampires Jeremy may bring into my life, which still makes no sense."
"Your brother isn't the concern. It's your relation to your brother that makes your blood different. It's because your blood is different that you can build up a tolerance to compulsion. It's a further defense mechanism," rationalized Klaus.
"So, according to you, I've built up a magical tolerance to compulsion by consuming a bunch of Damon's blood?" she asked skeptically. If she kept playing dumb, perhaps he would buy it.
His smirk was dark and feral. "Well, that's not all you did."
He took a predacious step towards her and Addie moved backwards, stumbling into a tree. This time she was truly confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Maybe you can be compelled, maybe you can't. There is another way for me to check besides trying to compel you," he taunted ominously.
Her hand trembled as she ran it through her hair, the curls getting caught around her fingers. "Klaus, this is ridiculous. You said Damon would have to heal severe injuries! He's only ever done that twice! According to your theory I would have to be injured repeatedly. Do you really think Damon would allow that? Plus, neither one of us are exactly fond of me drinking so much of his blood that it isn't going to pass from my system before I have to do something. I don't exactly want to turn into a vampire."
Looking up at the sky, Klaus shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away from Addie. She had a very valid point. To build up a resistance she would have had been severely injured several times in a methodical fashion. Damon was so out of his mind in love with her that he never would have been able to hurt Addie and he wouldn't have let anyone else hurt her. However, he wasn't convinced she wasn't still lying to him about being compelled. Though, he didn't know how she would have built up a tolerance if Damon hadn't helped her. It was just so hard to believe that Damon would let her get hurt, even if it was for her benefit in the long run. It ultimately didn't matter. For what he wanted to use Addie for she needed to be able to resist compulsion.
"Let's say for the sake of argument that you still can be compelled."
"Because the idea that I can't be is preposterous," Addie mumbled under her breath.
He wagged a knowing finger at her and smirked, "Unh-uh. You're forgetting I know all about you, Addison. It is possible for you to build up a resistance to compulsion; I've seen it. Really, you can do quite a very special things. The first step into unlocking your full potential, however, is making it so you can resist compulsion."
She eyed the maniacal glint in his eye warily. "Or, you know, we could forgo whatever crazy idea you have and simply let me take some vervain, like I have been."
Klaus grabbed the wrist he had scratched at and sniffed at it again, despite the fact that it had scabbed over. Dropping it back to her side he scoffed, "Let's pretend I believe you. Even then you still haven't taken vervain in days. There's not a trace of it in your system."
"So, sue me," Addie bit back defensively. "I ran out and things have kind of been a little crazy. I thought I could trust the vampires I know to not compel me for a few days but apparently not."
"Apparently not," he winked charismatically. "Go on vervain, stay off vervain; I don't really care. You don't want to simply admit to me that you can resist compulsion so we're going to have to do this the hard way."
There was a loud crunch and then a searing pain blasted through Addie's chest. Instinctively she reached up to clutched over her heart but was blocked by Klaus, who was forearm deep at her sternum. She cried out as there was an agonizing clench and sharp pinch near her heart. His hand retracted with a loud squelch and she crumbled to the dirt floor. Klaus squatted in front of her and peered into her bloodless face. She tried to focus on him as she groaned in anguish but her eyes kept screwing close as she tried to keep the world from spinning.
"I've punctured your superior vena cava. You'll bleed out in four to six minutes," Klaus informed her as he fished her cell phone and keys from his pocket. "What's the passcode for your phone?"
What the hell?! Klaus was mental but he wasn't supposed to actually hurt her. She opened her mouth to retort but all that came out was a whimper of pain. The sobs that overcame her shifted the broken bones in her chest, causing more misery.
"Your birthday? That's so unoriginal," he muttered as he unlocked the phone. He went into her contacts and dialed Damon. When there was no answer he tried three more times as he watched Addie squirm and gasp for breath. It was possible that a bone had punctured a lung. He debated calling again but her movements had slowed and she was alarmingly pale. He dropped the phone by the keys next to her and sighed, "Well, I'm guessing your time is about half up. You know, you can't say I didn't give Damon a chance to save you but he's obviously busy with something much more important. I know if I saw you called four times in a row I would answer; that's the international distress signal. Perhaps I've given him too much credit."
Klaus bit into his wrist and shoved it against Addie's parted lips. Quickly she closed her mouth and feebly used the little strength she had left to try and move away from him. What if Klaus was feeding her his blood to kill her and try to get her to turn?
"Oh, come on, now," he coaxed. "Don't be ridiculous. You can either drink now or you'll drink on instinct once you lose consciousness."
Reluctantly she parted her lips; the bastard was right. Addie tried not to gag as she swallowed the thick, salty liquid. She'd never say Damon's blood tasted good but at least it didn't make her want to puke. Gradually the smarting in her chest eased to a mild discomfort. Shoving his arm away she growled, "Are you out of your fucking mind?"
"No, I'm quite sane. You say you can still be compelled. I need you to be able to resist compulsion. A stepping stone in that process is saving you from almost dying," he shrugged.
"You're insane," Addie whispered terrified, clamoring to her feet.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," scolded Klaus. Slowly he explained, "I'm going to keep hurting and healing you until you're able to resist compulsion. Or we could just skip all of that and you can admit that you already can."
It was too much. She shook her head as she stormed away from him. "I'm not doing this."
"I'm bigger, stronger, smarter, faster and all around better than you. You don't have a choice," he informed her, easily falling into step next to her.
"Assuming your deluded theory is possible, why do you care if I can resist compulsion?" Addie snapped as she pushed a branch out of her way.
Slowly he answered, "It is a necessary first step in getting what I need from you."
"I never agreed to be your chew toy."
He feigned a laugh, "Ha ha. You know I can't drink your blood. Addison, I'm being nice."
"Plunging your hand into my chest is being nice?!" she screeched. An unsettled bird flew from a nearby tree.
"Are you permanently injured?"
"It still hurt!"
"Well, there isn't exactly a non-painful way to almost kill you," Klaus argued reasonably.
She growled in frustration, "What do you even want from me?"
Klaus smirked as he wiped his hand covered in her blood on his pants. "All in good time, Addison."
"No, Niklaus," Addie spat curtly. "I'm done playing this stupid game with you. Leave. Me. Alone."
"You've been through a lot tonight. Let me at least drive you back to your car," he offered with a charming smile.
"No!"
It was a confirmed fact that curls made it far more difficult to obsessively run your fingers through your hair without tangling it. Addie was glad to wash out the curls Elena had set when she showered off the blood from Klaus tearing into her chest. Curtains of dark red hair shielded Addie's face as she stared into the fire, watching the ruined dress and Klaus' suit jacket burn. She had one leg crossed over the other and her foot bobbed anxiously. Damon wasn't answering his phone. She had walked to the boarding house in hopes that he would be there but he wasn't. She decided to stay there in case he was trying to avoid her. Her nerves were frayed. She wanted Damon; she needed Damon.
Her breath caught as her phone began chiming and vibrating. She exhaled in relief when a playful picture of Damon kissing her on the cheek lit the glowing screen. It took her a second to untangle her fingers from her hair and unwrap herself from the plush throw.
"Hello?" she answered breathlessly.
"Hey. What's up?"
Addie's jaw clenched; there was something weary and wary about Damon's voice. "Where are you?"
"That's, uh, well, I'd rather explain that in person," Damon said tensely. "Where are you?"
"I'm at your house. I've been trying to reach you for hours," she answered, a little more sharply than she intended to.
It was eerie how calm he remain as he replied, "I know. I was dealing with an emergency."
She cut him off before he could continue, "I'm dealing with a crisis of my own and I need you!"
"I didn't kn-," Damon stopped himself from finishing that thought. If he pointed out that she never left a message saying that it was an emergency she would just point out that he should have known by her calling him back to back several times and the slew of text messages. "Are you safe?"
When dealing with Klaus safe was a relative term. She could hear the sound of a car starting. "Yes."
"Good. I'm on my way home right now. Do you want me to stay on the phone with you until I get there?"
Addie flinched; she was being one of those desperate, pathetic, needy, clingy girls. She was fine. She didn't need to run to Damon every time she got a little rattled. The annoyance at herself painted her tone. "I'm fine. Go drive."
"Alright. I love you."
She hung up the phone and tossed it back on the couch. Since when couldn't she handle a tiny little altercation with Klaus? Yes, he had damage a major vein to her heart and almost killed her but it was only almost. She was fine; Klaus still needed her for some greater purpose. Addie took deep breaths, running her fingers through her hair slower, less frantic. Gradually she collected herself.
As abruptly as she heard the door begin to unlock, she could hear and see Damon twisting it back into place. There was a sag to his shoulders. Even from the back he looked drained and defeated.
Standing up and briskly walking towards him she worried, "What's wrong?"
"It's -" he faltered, grinning slightly as he stalked towards her, a sudden shift in his mood.
Leery she asked, "What?"
"I faintly remember you saying were wearing a dress and some very high heels," observed Damon, moving close to her. "I don't think my shirt and boxers count as appropriate attire for a school dance."
Her eyebrows furrowed in mild annoyance and in attempt to soothe the dull ache behind her eyes. She stuck her tongue out at him and retorted, "Honestly, I look better in your clothes."
He gave a hum and decided not to further antagonize her, seeing she was running on fumes. Damon wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her flush to him. A primal instinct of jealousy made him demand, "I agree. I have no doubt you looked gorgeous for the dance, though. Who else, besides myself, told you that you are an exquisite vision of perfection? I need to know who I should beat up."
"You haven't said that," Addie teased, wrapping her arms around his neck, all memories of Klaus forgotten for the moment.
"You should know that and so much more goes without saying."
"Ah," she nodded in understanding before flashing him a white, toothy grin. "In that case, just you... You look conflicted," Addie noted, observing the pensive look on his face.
"On one hand," Damon sighed, tucking a lock of curled hair behind her ear, "everyone should notice your beauty. On the other, I'm quite selfish and I'm quite glad that I have you all to myself."
"I like having only your attention," she admitted, placing a delicate kiss at the corner of his mouth.
He made a noise of agreement as his fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her in for a proper kiss. Addie generally seemed so strong and independent but when he held her, he could at least convince himself that she was small, fragile and did need him. That reminded him.
Gently cradling her face he coaxed, "Tell me what's wrong, love."
Her gaze shifted away from his nervously; he was going to be furious. "We can wait to talk about that later. I'm more interested in that emergency you were dealing with."
His fingers traced light designs on the small of her back as he took a slow breath, considering her. The soft, supple lower lip was slightly swollen as his thumb brushed over it; she had been biting at it. He wanted to talk about what was bothering her first but the defiance in her eyes said that wasn't happening.
"You're not going to want to stay and talk after I tell you what happened," confessed Damon, determined to get her story.
Her grip around his neck tightened as she stiffened. In a strained, anxious voice she asked, "Is someone else hurt?"
"No, no, no," he reassured her quickly. "Everyone's…"
Unnerved and stepping out of his embrace Addie demanded,"Everyone's what, Damon?"
"I can't fight with you, Ads, not tonight," he whispered, almost pleading as he walked towards the kitchen.
There was a sudden cramp in her stomach. Following him she hesitated, "Why do you think I'm going to fight with you?"
"When do we not fight?" he muttered.
Addie sat on one of the bar-stools at the counter, watching Damon as he moved about the kitchen, pulling out random boxes, jars of ingredients and measuring devices. Apparently he was in a mood to cook. It was a promising sign that it didn't seem like he was trying to add in anything remotely healthy to whatever flour based concoction he was making. He hadn't cooked in a while. While she didn't consider it odd for him to cook her breakfast at an appropriate time of the day, it was a sign of something bothering him when he did it nearing midnight.
"I'll admit that we may fight a lot," Addie conceded, "but I promise not to start a fight tonight if you don't. I really don't think I could handle it, either."
The flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar were all added to a large mixing bowl. He sliced off three tablespoons of butter from a stick and dropped it into a small bowl. The microwave melted it as he echoed her suspiciously, "Why do you think I'm going to fight with you?"
She raised one side of her mouth and desperately wished she could arch a single eyebrow to perfectly imitate his famous, charming grin. "When do we not fight?"
"You know, that is one sexy smirk," Damon teased as he cracked an egg into the bowl with the butter. "Whoever came up with that is a genius."
"He's definitely very intelligent and clever. If we were going to classify him as a genius, though, I'd have to say he's more of a mad genius," Addie thought aloud. She rested her chin in her hand and watched him in fascination. The tension seemed to evaporate as he methodically worked, adding milk and a splash of vanilla to the bowl of liquids.
"Yeah, mad genius is probably a fair classification," agreed Damon, giving her the exact grin they were discussing and a wink for added measure. Addie rolled her eyes at him but he knew the reason she bit her lip was to keep from smiling.
"So, no getting angry?" she asked, tentatively repeating her offer.
"On two conditions," stipulated Damon as he focused on slowly pouring the bowl of liquids in with the dry ingredients and whisking up a smooth batter, "one) you promise to stay and eat these pancakes and two) at some point, not tonight, we have a serious discussion about this fighting stuff. I know we work because we can blow steam off at each other but we shouldn't be afraid of having real, serious conversations because it might lead to a fight."
She tapped at her chin thoughtfully, "That discussion sounds like it will end up in a fight. We're not talking about that tonight, right?"
"No," he answered quickly as he momentarily disappeared behind the island as he ducked down to grab the griddle. He plugged it in and settled it over the stove as he gave her a sincere, reassuring smile. "No fighting tonight,"
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Addie felt a rush of relief; if Damon promised he wasn't going to pick a fight of how she acted with Klaus, then he would honor that promise. The only thing she was still anxious about was what she blindly promised not to argue about. "You go first. My stories better when I'm distracted by pancakes."
Damon gave her a look that clearly communicated he expected her to come up with a better reason as to why he had to talk first. That innocent grin was always what crumbled his resolve, though. He reckoned Addie was only as innocent as she appeared 15 to 20% of the time.
"That makes no sense. You were clearly more distressed than I was, making your story much more important."
"I panicked and overreacted. What was the emergency you had to take care of?" Addie demanded, leaving no room for negotiating.
"You don't overreact."
She snorted, "Have you met me? Spill."
What Addie wanted she almost always got; he hated not being able to tell her no. "You promise we'll discuss what happened to you after I tell you what I was doing?"
"Oh, my god. Yes," she groaned in exasperation.
Damon eyes were trained on the batter as he carefully poured it into a perfect circle on the griddle. Avoiding eye contact, he reluctantly explained, "I get that you panicked when Jeremy asked you about Alaric. And I am so grateful that you thought on your feet and your instincts were to protect me. Unfortunately, Alaric couldn't stay gone on a spirit quest for forever."
"He could have ran out of preservations and gotten lost in the woods," she said in a small voice as he briefly glanced at her between pouring pancakes. It was so nice when he actually cooperated as opposed to going rogue.
He shook his head sadly. "How long do you think it would take before everyone insisted on a manhunt to find him? It would be kind of odd if I wasn't one of the ones who strongly pushed for that. Jeremy and Elena wouldn't give up until remains were found. As since I snapped his neck, we would have to wait for the body to deteriorate long enough for authorities to be unable to tell the cause of death. Our world would be consumed with his death for months."
"And you couldn't handle, er, you would prefer not to have to suffer through that," Addie nodded understandingly. She forced back the mild irritation. Damon had done something serious, impacting all their lives and he hadn't discussed it with her again. "What did you do?"
Damon cranked down the heat on the griddle. They would burn at such a high heat if he wasn't paying full attention and he already knew he was going to be distracted. He leaned on his forearms as they rested against the island and sighed, "Everyone deserves closure from this, Ads. Ric's body was still in good condition. I felt everyone should get a chance to say goodbye."
"Funerals don't equate to goodbyes," she snapped sulkily, knowing what he was getting at.
Damon glanced at the pancakes; the batter wasn't bubbling yet. He delicately took Addie's hand resting on the counter and began tracing patterns on it. He wasn't mad; he knew that it was her issues with death making her snap. Addie had never forced herself to go to a funeral. And she had never had the chance to say goodbye to anyone she had loss. It felt wrong to manipulate her into seeing things his way but he wasn't it wasn't exactly manipulation if he was just being open and honest.
"It does for me," Damon confessed quietly. "Ads, my end with Ric wasn't pretty. My friend deserves one last respect from me."
"Alright," Addie nodded. She'd never understand the purpose of looking at a dead body and talking to it and making a big deal about putting it into the ground, where it would purify and become a victim to mold and maggots. But if it was what Damon needed, she would support him. "And, um, how exactly are we going to tell people he's dead? I am not letting them believe you killed him."
"That's what I was taking care of tonight," he said quietly, focusing intensely on perfectly flipping a pancake. "Ric had two injuries; there was a fight to get that damned ring, which resulted in the loss of a finger, and there was the final snapping of his neck. I kind of trashed his apartment to look like a fight to support those injuries. I took his body from the morgue this morning so it would warm to room temperature by tonight."
Remembering her promise not to fight, Addie buried her face in her hands. Her words were muffled as she uttered, "Let me understand. You have a dead Alaric in a wrecked apartment."
"Not quite," he cringed, prodding at the pancakes. "He's back at the morgue."
"What did you do?" she warily repeated.
"Well, good Ric didn't know where evil Ric hid the stake and good Ric wasn't around for me to ask him to tear apart his apartment again because he was off on a spirit quest so I had to go over the apartment and look for it myself. When I went in I found Ric dead and the place a mess," Damon said as he slid the pancakes onto a plate.
To keep him from seeing the frustration on her face, Addie moved to the refrigerator and pulled out the strawberries and whipped cream. By the time she turned back around her expression was neutral again. "At least that's your story?"
"Are you mad?" he questioned softly as he took the objects.
"We're not fighting tonight. I'm just here to support you, Damon."
His lips pursed thoughtfully as he shook the aerosol can she passed to him. "We should try this whole supportive, no fighting thing more often," he decided as he squirted a smiley face of whipped cream on the top pancake.
"Yeah, well, you still haven't heard about my evening. I do have one tiny little issue that I do need to ask about."
"What?" lamented Damon as he place two strawberries as fangs on the pancake.
"Who killed Alaric?"
"Klaus," he answered easily as he carried the pancakes and a bottle of maple syrup over to the table.
Addie gave him a small smile as he helped her into a chair. That smile faltered as she stared down at the smiling pancakes with strawberries as fangs.
Damon moved so that he was sitting right next to her, their shoulders brushing. Holding a fork out to her he sighed, "What's wrong?"
"Klaus is the only person outside of you and me who knows you killed Alaric."
"That's exactly why it works," he said patiently, cutting into the pancakes when she didn't take the fork. On the side of the plate he poured a small amount of syrup. "Who is the most logical person to kill Ric? The hybrid freak who wants the White Oak stake. If Klaus says I killed him because Ric attacked you, we just argue that. You say he never attacked you and would never dream of attacking you. And, I know I've done a lot of awful things, but how many people are going to believe Klaus over me if I say I didn't kill my friend because he didn't provoke me into it? United, we are more believable than Klaus. And the best part is that I didn't even have to suggest Klaus killed Ric. It was Stefan who came up with that. So it definitely doesn't look like I'm covering my own tracks."
Addie groaned and rubbed at her face. What made Damon think it was acceptable to play lone ranger? They were supposed to be partners. They were supposed to be equals. She had that and his twisted ideas of what constituted acceptable ways to protect her to discussion on a night when they could fight.
Dreading the answer she inquired, "How, exactly, is Stefan involved?"
"Well, upon finding Ric dead my natural reaction would be to call Stefan," he explained, dipping a speared piece of pancake in the syrup.
Addie's lips pursed. Stefan would tell Elena. Elena would tell Jeremy. And they would be devastated. Would Jeremy revert to being a delinquent like when their parents had died? Would Elena go back to… well, Elena was always perfect.
"Eat," Damon instructed, tapping the food against her lips. He could see Addie receding into her own dark thoughts.
"You're getting me sticky," Addie mumbled, licking the sweet maple syrup from her lips.
"No," he said swirling the pancake in the pool of syrup until it was sodden. He smeared the molasses over his lips before eating the bite of warm, fluffy deliciousness. Addie was too deep in her mind to be paying attention to him. Smirking, he grabbed her face and planted a loud, smacking kiss on her cheek. "This is getting you sticky."
"Damon!" she squealed, shoving him away. He'd left a gooey, icky, syrup imprint of his lips on her. He laughed as she continued to push at his shoulder, trying to shove him out of his chair. Loudly she whined "That wasn't nice!"
"I'm sorry," he chuckled. "I'll clean up my mess."
Her hand blocked his face as he leaned in, his tongue sticking out. Furious she threatened, "You better mean with a wet washcloth or paper towel because I swear to God, if you lick me, I will take the syrup and pour it all over you."
"Alright, alright," Damon jokingly grumbled as he got up to get a wet paper towel. Addie didn't find his antics nearly as amusing as he did but he had to lighten the mood; he didn't want her getting all beat down over Ric.
"What'd Stefan do?"
He'd hoped to keep her distracted for longer. He knew she was more concerned about her siblings reaction than what Stefan had done. "He told Elena. He left her at the dance to come help me. I didn't exactly need help but I figured I'd play along. We straighten up the apartment after he deduced that it was Klaus who killed Ric. Stefan offered to take Ric to the morgue for me but I said I could manage. He went back to Elena."
"Do you know anything about how-"
"How Elena reacted?" Damon finished, pressing a warm cloth to her cheek and gently rubbing off the syrup. "She insisted on cleaning out Ric's stash of weapons in his classroom before a janitor found it. Stefan's taking care of her."
Addie softly whispered, "And Jer?"
"I don't think anyone's told him yet."
"I should go do that."
Damon tossed the napkin aside and held the fork out to Addie as he reminded her, "You can't. You promised to eat the pancakes."
"Damon, this is serious," Addie sighed heavily.
"I know but you promised to eat the pancakes," he repeated.
She frowned in annoyance. "I think it might be a little bit more important for me to go tell my brother that Alaric is dead."
"Eat the pancakes," insisted Damon.
"I don't want pancakes! I want to make sure my family is ok!" Addie bit back curtly.
He set the fork down. They were close to breaking their promise of not fighting but he understood why she was upset and didn't blame her. Damon's fingers feathered through his hair as he searched for the words. He could try and be delicate but he doubted that would translate for Addie. "I don't think you should be the one to tell Jeremy."
Both her eyebrows rose in indignation as she leaned away from him. "Excuse me?"
Uncomfortably he admitted, "You aren't exactly the most comforting person when it come to bad news, particularly death."
"And just what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?" she challenged.
"Elena was given an overload of the empathy gene while you received twice the recommended dosage of sensibility," Damon shrugged. He used the fork to cut off another piece of the pancake.
"What the hell does Elena have to do with anything?" she hissed furiously. "Is she somehow better than I am because I actually think with my head and not my heart? Am I supposed to put on some great mask of grief and-"
"You're starting a tirade that's going to have no foundation but your insecurities and I'm not going to allow that," Damon said definitively, cutting her off. The sudden chill in her piercing gaze told him she was about to start in on exactly what he was allowed to tell her to do. He wasn't interested in having a power struggle, at least not a verbal one. He quickly continued, "No one is saying that you should be fake or need to drown yourself in a never ending river of tears over Ric's death. Just, most people are going to take the matter a bit more sensitively and aren't going to be as detached and objective as you."
Addie scoffed incredulously, "I'm hardly objective! I'm basically ignoring the fact that you killed Ric because you thought that you were -." Stopping short, she shook her head. She wasn't going to think about the why behind Damon's actions. Damon killed Alaric because Klaus baited him. It was easier to accept his actions if she could lay the blame at someone else's feet. If Damon had done something to protect her she was no better than Elena. Jenna and John and her parents had all died because it was for Elena's benefit or they were doing something for her sister. Resoloutely she said, "Jeremy deserves to know. It's not fair to keep him in the dark."
"I'm not saying no one should tell him."
"No, you're simply saying that I shouldn't be the one to do it because I'm not sensitive enough," Addie retorted bitterly.
Damon fought a wry smile. How easily she could be provoked proved just how sensitive she was. Not wanting to fight, he redirected the conversation. "You promised you'd tell me what happened to you after I told you what I was up to."
Addie shifted uncomfortably as the queasy, uneasy feeling returned full force. She'd almost forgotten her encounter with Klaus. "You're trying to change the subject."
"Yes, I am. You promised, though," Damon reminded, gently taking her hand.
She pulled her hand back as she mumbled, "That's before I knew what you were doing. I was overreacting and being dramatic. Nothing happened."
Shaking his head he firmly said, "You don't get to do that. I already warned you that you weren't going to want to talk after I told you what was going on and you promised you would tell me. You can't just change your mind because you're mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you," she muttered sulkily.
"Prove it. Quit pouting and spill," he challenged.
"I'm not pouting," mumbled Addie as she crossed her arms.
Damon snorted, "You might want to tell that to your face and voice. What happened?"
Addie chewed at her lip nervously. The only good thing was that Damon didn't have any way to kill Klaus so he couldn't form any stupid ideas of retaliation and risk Klaus killing him in his attempt or dying in the off chance Klaus actually sired Damon's bloodline. "So, I have good news."
"Yeah?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.
She took a bite of the pancakes to stall and nodded. "Yeah. Klaus said he's leaving town soon."
Sharply Damon demanded, "When did you talk to Klaus?"
"He was at the dance," Addie answered slowly. Placatingly she added, "It wasn't like I wanted to talk to him. He just kind of showed up there and I couldn't really avoid him."
"What did he want?" he grounded out through gritted teeth.
"Well, you know how Klaus wants to use me for some unknown reason in the future?" she drew out slowly.
Damon gave a terse hum of acknowledgement.
Leaning back in the chair Addie ran her fingers through her hair and sighed heavily, "It turns out that Klaus knows I can be made to resist compulsion and I need to be able to do that for whatever he wants."
"Does he know you can already resist compulsion?" growled Damon. His chair gave a deafening screech as he pushed away from the table.
"I-"
He held up a finger, indicating for her to stop and left the room. Shortly he returned with a tumbler and a decanter of amber liquid. If they weren't going to get into a fight, he'd need a drink. When he was settled on the bar-stool Addie had been sitting on earlier with a glass of bourbon, he motioned for her to continue.
"I don't know if he knows," she admitted, exhaling slowly.
Damon closed his eyes and reminded himself not to snap at her. "How do you not know?"
Addie cringed and groaned, "Well, uh, remember how we promised we weren't going to fight?"
"What happened, Addie?"
"So, Klaus kind of grabbed my wrist, scratched it open, didn't smell vervain and then compelled me to tell him the truth about the location of the stake. Obviously, I don't know. He asked me if you knew. Again, you don't. Then he told me to follow him. Well, we agreed that it was best if nobody found out that I couldn't be compelled so I kind of had to follow him. He took me out to the cemetery; I guess because it's remote. He started questioning me about how many times you heal me and whether or not I could be compelled. I told him that I could be and that he was nuts but I'm not sure if he believed me. He decided to take matters into his own hands," Addie rushed out in a single breath.
Damon drained what was left in his glass and poured a second helping, which he finished as well. Lowly he growled, "What do you mean 'he took matters into his own hands?'"
"Apparently Klaus knows the injure/heal process that's used to build up resistance," she mumbled. Guiltily she shoved a giant bite of pancake into her mouth.
"What happened?" he snarled, slamming his glass down.
Addie didn't look up from her plate as she quickly murmured, "He punctured my superior vena cava."
Damon jumped to his feet and barked, "What?"
"He healed me," she pointed out in a small voice. Telling him that Klaus had called him right after he had injured her wouldn't change things. If anything, it would just make Damon mad at himself for not answering his phone.
"He almost killed you!"
"Yeah but he still needs me for some reason so he didn't actually kill me. I'm fine."
"No! You are most certainly not fine! I don't care if Klaus healed you; I care that he hurt you," yelled Damon.
"I'm not hur-"
"Addie, I killed Ric and he didn't hurt you nearly as bad as Klaus did. Do y-"
She held up her hand, abruptly cutting him off. "You can't kill Klaus. Not only do you not know how to kill Klaus, he will kill you before you get a chance to kill him and he says he's the one who sired your bloodline, which means you still die!"
Damon turned away from her and braced his hands on the island as he scowled. He already knew Addie wouldn't support his attempt to kill Klaus; that was why she hadn't told him when she had found the last White Oak stake. While her support would be appreciated, it wasn't necessary. He didn't doubt that he could successfully kill Klaus in his quest to protect Addie. The possibility that Klaus started his bloodline was an idea that had flitted across his mind a few times but he had come to accept that. Klaus was up to no good with Addie. His eventual plans could possibly involve killing her. He had already seriously injured her. Damon was willing to lay down his life it meant protecting the girl he loved. He was even willing to risk Stefan dying if Klaus had sired their line.
"I know I can't kill him," lied Damon. "That doesn't mean I have to be ok with him hurting you. What was the point of making you able to resist compulsion if not to protect you from situations exactly like this?"
"We agreed that no one should know that!" Addie exclaimed.
"Yeah, we shouldn't go broadcasting it but that doesn't mean you obey every command of a madman!" he bit back.
"Ok, well, next time I'll just tell Klaus to try something that I couldn't possibly do unless I was compelled," she shrugged helplessly.
"Next time?" Damon scoffed. "Hell no. There isn't going to be a next time. You're not going to be left alone with him again."
Taking her plate to the sink Addie declared, "This is ridiculous. I am not arguing with you over Klaus. We said we weren't going to fight."
"You're right," agreed Damon. "Look, let me clean up white you head up to bed."
She giggled as she opened the dishwasher, "You're sticking the dishes in here; it's not exactly like you're cleaning up. I really don't mind helping."
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards the exits. "I appreciate it but I've got it. Now get."
"Fine, fine," she grumbled, walking away. Over her shoulder she asked hopefully, "You'll be up soon?"
"Five minutes," Damon promised as he gathered up the bowls and utensils he had used to make the pancakes. He gave her an encouraging smile, only turning away when she was out of the room.
His mind drifted to the White Oak stake stashed inside of his trunk. He hadn't given much consideration to when he was going to make a move against Klaus but that had been bumped up to his number one priority. Tomorrow he would slay the Original bastard. Klaus had hurt his Ads. He would not allow that to happen again.
Not only had Klaus hurt her, he had healed her with his blood; that did not settle well with Damon. God forbid something terrible happen to Addie and she died. She would be forced with making the choice of transition. If she chose to go through with it, it would be Klaus' blood that changed her and he would never be able to kill Klaus. Mostly, though, he didn't like the idea of anyone else's blood inside of her. He could possibly fix that, though.
A/N: We're almost done! One chapter left! Hip-hip-hooray! What do you guys want to see before we wrap up? As of right now I don't believe I will be doing Resist.
Thank you guys for all your love and support and comments!