Tangled Fate

Know Thy Enemy

April 9, 2010

"Isobel's back in town."

Immediately after Damon heard Louise's words through the receiver of his phone, his face darkened. "Are you all right?"

"I guess." She shrugged, even though he couldn't see her. "Jenna's completely freaked out - Alaric had told her Isobel was dead and then Isobel just showed up tonight at our door and was all, 'Hello, I'm Isobel, Louise and Elena's mother, let me smile politely and screw with your mind'"

She knew she was babbling and not making much sense. "Elena slammed the door in her face. Jenna's furious and confused - like I would be - and totally mad at Alaric, mad at Elena, mad at me. We've...we've never fought like that. So I dumped even more vervain in all the alcohol in the house, put Jeremy on red alert and well, now I have to figure out how to get Jenna to speak to us."

After getting off the phone to his girlfriend, Damon went to find his brother to inform him of the news. Soon enough, the two brothers are making their way down the stairs. Stefan reached the bottom of the staircase and moved briskly to the door with Damon trailing behind him. Just as they stepped down into the hallway leading to the foyer, the Pierce sisters stepped out of the parlour with their ears hot from eavesdropping.

Katherine led the way, looking effortless in a form-fitting taupe ribbed camisole that clung to her frame, paired with sleek black ultra-skinny pants. She leaned against the doorframe, her black stiletto boots adding a lethal edge to her posture.

"I don't think that you should tell her that we're here." Katherine suggested lightly.

Stefan's eyebrows knitted together. "What? Why?"

"It's better if she and John not know that we stayed in town after we got out of the tomb." It was Vivienne to answered this time. She looked every bit the sophisticated predator in a plush black velvet vest adorned with delicate lace trim. The vintage-style silver buttons caught the hall light as she stepped forward, her own black stiletto-heeled leather boots clicking rhythmically against the floor.

"You're the ones in cahoots with them." Damon resorted viciously, his eyes scanning the dark-wash skinny jeans Vivienne wore. "You made a deal with John that almost got me killed."

Vivienne, however guilty, covered her shamed with a snarky remark. "Ugh, get over it already." She rolled her eyes. "I already told you, John provided us with an offer I couldn't refuse, and although the endgame failed, what with you surviving his devious scheme and all." She shrugged. "A deal's a deal. We did what we had to get out of the tomb. Now we're reconsidering my alliance." Vivienne and Katherine turned around about to leave but Stefan halted them.

"What do you know?"

The two brunettes simultaneously looked at each other before turning back to face the brothers.

"I know that we want Klaus dead, which puts us squarely on team you. Besides, if you two ever need us to swap places with Elena and Louise, the less people know that we're here, the better." Katherine seductively sauntered over to Stefan's side and purred. "Think about it, Stefan. Come on. Be smart."

"Tell you what. Why don't you, uh...Call Alaric and let him know that his wife just showed up on his girlfriend's doorstep." Stefan stated before walking away. Vivienne and Katherine looked at each other before the two brunettes turned to look at Damon.

━ ➶ 𓆉｡˚ ✧ ༉‧₊˚. ━

Coaxing Jenna from her bedroom the night before had not gone the way the twins intended. In fact, it hadn't worked at all. Elena's soothing voice and urgent pleas had only seemed to amplify the raw, jagged sobs echoing from behind the mahogany door, and Louise's attempts to bribe her with a pint of double-fudge ice cream had been met with stony silence. As the restless night bled into a grey morning, the air in the Gilbert house felt heavy, thick with the static of unspoken secrets.