you and me, forever.

5. The Older Siblings

Ever since the party, Caroline has been inviting Katie to go do things with her friends and her, which she usually made up an excuse for. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with them, but the fact that she was mooching off of her little sisters friends. She felt weird about being dependent on her sister. However, she did think about who she would spend time with, and she started to realize that's what happens when you go off to college; all of your hometown friends were scattered and were never really home at the same time. In Katie's case, this was especially true since they all had the same idea of going to school far away.

"Katie!" Caroline yells before popping her head into her room.

"Yes?"

"You're coming to the grill with me, you have been cooped up in the house all day-and before you say it, I know it's because you're taking classes but we all know those don't take THAT much time," she says before telling her that they leave in 10 minutes.

She did have a point, since she was only taking general required classes for the most part. She sighed to herself, realizing she didn't have a way out of this one, and that she would have to break out of her anti-social cave soon enough.

After throwing together an outfit and putting on a little mascara, she was ready to go, and followed Caroline out the door.

When they showed up at the grill, Katie immediately saw Elena, Bonnie, and Damon.

Great, him again. She thought mentally groaning in annoyance.

"Care I thought it was just us?" She whined quietly.

"Well, we all see that you have been trying to avoid spending time with everyone, so I figured if I forced you, maybe you would see how everyone genuinely spend time with you!" She smiled, "but yes sorry I tricked you."

"My avoiding hasn't been intentional per say, I just don't wanna crash on the high schoolers thing you know? Isn't that weird?" She says to the girls now that they are all next to each other.

"Well, we hangout with Damon, granted, he is eternally 22, but actually over 100. So you cannot argue that you're too old for us," Bonnie argues playfully as she gestures for me to join them all sitting at a table.

"I guess you have a point," Katie says, "but I'm going to need a drink first."

"Agreed," Damon groans, jumping up to join Katie at the bar.

"So, how's your high blood pressure today, Katie-Kat?" He smirks as he leans next to her, resting his arms on the bar counter.

"First of all-if we are going to be friends, never call me that. Second, my what?" She says, before immediately regretting it, remembering that was her excuse yesterday at the party for getting slightly flustered.

"Thought so," he smirks wider than she thought possible, "two bourbons," he says after compelling the waiter that it's on the house.

I guess I could get used to that. Who am I to say no to a free drink? She thought, mentally adding to the pros of having Damon as a friend.

"So, before we go back to the table, what is actually going on here besides the little 'get-out-of-the-house-you're-wasting-away' thing? I know it's not just an intervention for me avoiding everyone because they look really concerned right now," She says gesturing to the serious faces Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline were currently sporting.

"Yes, they are worried about you being a little hermit, but besides that, we have been trying to track Stefan down. He ended up having to go with Klaus, the original vampire-werewolf hybrid after I got bitten by a werewolf. He found a cure for me at a high price," he says sipping his drink, "so he is at the mercy of the great Klaus right now..." he mocks, "whatever he is making him do...all thanks to me..."

"Right, Caroline told me about that. She said you have been looking but you haven't found anything yet?" Katie asks. She noticed how he seemed to feel guilty for what his brother was doing to pay for saving him. She couldn't think he would actually feel bad about something like this, they did have eternity after all.

"No, I have. A lot of bodies up and down the east coast. I just kept it from Elena because she holds my brother in such high standards it would crush her to know his dark side,"

"Oh my god...Don't tell me you have a thing for your brother's girlfriend," She laughed.

"What? Do not. Or maybe I do, are you jealous?" He smirks.

"No, it's just very obvious you feel something for her, being concerned about her getting crushed with the truth of her relationship with a murderous vampire, that may not end well," Katie says, slowly headed back to the table as Damon followed close behind.

•••

"Well, your mom gave me more leads on where he could be, why don't we go to Tennessee?" Elena says to the Forbes sisters, handing Damon a newspaper article.

"You will not go. I will go," he says putting the newspaper in his jacket pocket.

"I am going Damon," She says back angrily.

"Again, it's too dangerous, so you're not, end of discussion."

"I have to agree Elena, it's not safe for you." Bonnie chimes in.

Katie understood, though. If she were in Elena's shoes, she would be pissed too. But Elena was practically another little sister to her, so Katie wouldn't encourage her putting herself in a situation she probably couldn't handle.

"I guess I could go with you," Caroline suggests and immediately Damon and Katie both responded simultaneously,

"No way in hell."

The two looked at each other, surprised for a moment before Caroline continued.

"Or Alaric works too...or Katie, seeing as though she is trained in vampires courtesy of our father," she scoffs.

"So it's too dangerous for me but not for Katie?" Elena says looking at Damon.

"Well she is trained and can't be compelled, so yeah I'm gonna say I agree," he says looking to her, "if you want to go that is," he raised his eyebrow, flashing her that smirk he can't seem to stop doing.

"Don't do that. I want you guys to be friends because Stefan and I are good friends so it just makes sense that you would be too. I did not mean for you to harass and hit on my sister," Caroline glares at him.

"I will go, she has a point us older siblings have to stick together right?" Katie says, looking to Damon.

"Right."