The Revenge Con

19. Something About You and Me

"We never speak of this again," Elena mumbled as she started collecting her clothes from around Damon's bed. When she noticed him watching her she grabbed a sheet and wrapped it around herself. 

"Really?" Damon rolled his eyes. "You realize I've already seen everything." He pointed out. 

"Trust me, I know." She groaned. 

"Elena-"

"Before you say something we both regret, I'm going to go get dressed." She slipped into the adjoining bathroom and put her clothes on, not looking at her reflection. When she was fully dressed she finally gazed into the mirror and fixed her hair. Maybe if she looked the same as she did the night before she could pretend the night before had never happened. That proved to be more difficult than she had thought when she noticed the bruises lining her neck. 

When she emerged from her room Damon had also gotten dressed, surprising her. 

"Elena, I don't want to pretend this never happened." His tone was more genuine than she had expected and she was reminded of the sweet words that had gotten her into this position in the first place. "I meant what I said last night." 

"Damon I-" Elena froze as her hand shot up to her neck. "Where's my necklace?" She asked, beginning to panic. 

"You took it off last night. If it's not in here, it's probably by the couch." He shrugged. She pushed passed him and searched the living room. She dug her hand between the couch cushions before laying on the floor to look underneath. "Why don't we go get some breakfast and then we can come back and look for it?" Damon suggested as she ran around frantically searching. 

"I don't want to go get breakfast I want to find my necklace and then go home to shower and scrub off the events of last night." 

"Oh, please. A little bit of soap isn't going to make you forget the way I made you-"

"Then I'll use a lot. Now are you going to help me or are you going to stand there eyeing me like a piece of meat?" Elena snapped. 

"If you're so desperate then go home and I'll give your necklace to Bonnie if I find it," Damon argued, suddenly not interested in being around her either. Elena hated the thought of leaving without it but she needed to get away from Damon. 

"Fine." Within seconds she was gone and Damon went back to his room, opting not to pour himself a drink.

"You've barely said a word to me since you got back." Camille stood in Klaus's doorway as he painted. 

"I spoke to you at the interview."

"No, you spoke about me at the interview." She pointed out.  "What are you painting?" She asked slowly stepping in to try to get a look. He stood up, blocking her path. 

"Camille now's not a good time." Klaus snapped. 

"Are you actually still mad at me for tricking you into going to Paris? You got your brother back! Everything worked out!" She argued. "I'm sorry-" 

Klaus knew it wasn't fair. He should have been honest with Camille. He wasn't mad at her for tricking him. He knew she was trying to do what was best for him. He was frustrated with himself because of what Rebekah had said. He was still hung up on Caroline. 

"What are you doing tonight?" 

"I have an exam to study for but it's not urgent." 

"Let me take you to dinner." He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I will make it up to you." He promised, lightly kissing her hand. Camille deserved better than what he could offer. But going back to Caroline wasn't an option. He had to do better. Klaus wanted to be better for Cami. She had gotten him through his hard times and he needed to be there for her, not thinking about his ex. 

"Is everything okay? You're not like dying or anything are you?" She pressed her hand to his forehead and he rolled his eyes at her. 

"I'm fine." He chuckled. "You were right. I've been frustrated. But it's not fair of me to take it out on you." He took her hand and placed a kiss on it. Camille could still sense something was off with him. She wanted to believe everything was fine but she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in her gut. 

"You don't have to take me out to dinner to apologize." She sighed, studying his face for any signs of what was really going on. 

"I want to. I want to spend time with you, away from my family." Klaus assured her. 

"Okay. I'll let you get back to your painting. I will see you tonight." He reached up and cupped her cheeks before kissing her, accidentally smearing some paint on her face. He smiled at the sight of her blue-stained cheek as she pulled away. "I'm gonna get you back for that." She mumbled, still a little breathless after the kiss. He grinned at her and she playfully rolled her eyes before slipping out of the room to wash her face. 

Klaus walked back over to his painting and let out a sigh. He had started with the intention of painting Camille but the more he tried to make it perfect the more it just looked like Caroline. Camille was a beautiful woman who he cared deeply for but Caroline was his muse. 

Bonnie had gotten used to living with Kai and Damon, but that was in Europe before everything had changed. Now Bonnie wasn't just living with Kai and Damon. She was living with her boyfriend in Damon's house. Everything seemed to be moving so quickly and it was all hitting her at once. 

The town had been buzzing with gossip after the Mikaelson's address. Everyone knew what she had done to Kol and everyone wanted to make sure she knew that they knew. She knew most of the anger and judgement was being thrown at Elena but she was still receiving her fair share. 

"So we've been doing this whole couple thing for a while and I think it's time I take you on a proper date," Kai announced after he finally stopped spinning around on the desk chair in her room. 

"I don't know if that's such a good idea right now." 

"I don't care what people think." He shrugged. She shook her head in disbelief.

"How can you not care what people think?" 

"I was always the black sheep in my family. Everyone was always looking down on me and in general, I was never good enough. After a while, you get used to the judgy stares and the whispers." Kai explained. Bonnie was surprised. Kai hadn't really opened up to her about his past before. 

"I loved Kol. I really truly loved him. And I know I shouldn't be talking to you of all people about this-" 

"Hey, I know he's your ex but I want you to be able to talk to me about anything." Kai rolled the chair closer to where she was sitting on the bed and she couldn't help but chuckle. 

"I know I got involved with him for the wrong reasons but I fell for all the right ones." Kai placed a hand on her knee and she held it. "I know I messed up, but I already lost someone I loved."

"At least it led you to me." He countered. Bonnie gave him a small smile and leaned forward. He followed her lead and she rested her forehead on his. They stayed like this for a tender moment before they were interrupted by Kai's phone. He jumped away and answered it, leaving the room. 

When he returned he seemed off, almost a little irritated. 

"Is everything okay?" 

"My siblings are having a crisis so I might be out of town for a few days." He groaned. 

"You're leaving me alone with Damon?" Bonnie cringed.

"Only for a couple of days. Then the dream team will be reunited." 

"We're the dream team?" 

"I meant me and Damon." He teased. "I promise I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone."