Midnight Rising

Dangling the Carrot

Elena fiddles with the necklace Stefan gave her mere weeks after beginning their relationship. She rubs her fingers over the ridged, metal surface, tugging strands of hair away from the ornament. She's uncomfortable in her own skin, not knowing how to feel about leaving the mountain without making contact with her one true love. Humans are so dramatic.

Clearing my throat, I step further into the room.

Stefan's girlfriend wheels around, clutching at her chest as a small gasp escapes her pouty lips, "Seriously?"

"I was wrong."

Elena narrows her eyes, staring me down as she takes a step backward towards the door, ready to attempt an escape if I try anything. I can't say I blame her. It wasn't too long ago that I forced blood into her system. "Are you drunk?"

"No," I scoff, pressing my palm over my heart as if her words truly cut deep. "I thought Stefan was gone, but I was wrong."

Her eyes light up. Forgetting her fears, Elena hurries to me, eagerly waiting what else I may have to say about Stefan, "You saw him out there? Damon, is he okay?"

"No, he's not okay, Elena. He's an insufferable martyr that needs his ass kicked...but he can be saved. Diana is doing her best to keep him from falling off the edge."

Elena chews at her bottom lip, "What happened out there? What changed your mind?"

"I changed my mind because even in his darkest place, my brother still can't let me die," I give her a shrug. "So, I figured I owe him the same in return. I'll help you bring him back."

I get a nod and the ghost of a smile, "Thank you."

"But before I do, I need you to answer one question." When Elena says nothing, I continue on, her chocolate eyes are locked on mine, trying to read me, "What made you change your mind?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were so hell-bent on staying on that mountain. Then you just gave up. What changed your mind?"

Elena lets out a scoff, rolling her eyes as if the question has already been answered and I'm a child unwilling to accept the original answer, "We were under attack, Damon."

"You had a bag full of weapons and a teacher with an eternity ring," I push back, not willing to let her gloss over the main issue here. "You could have kept going."

"It was too dangerous."

"It was too dangerous going out there to begin with, so what was it?"

I've cornered her. Elena's eyes dance around the room, searching for anything else besides me to focus on. "Why are you being like this?"

"What changed your mind, Elena?" I take a step toward her. She needs to admit certain things to herself before we embark on this journey. Diana's ways of bringing Stefan back from the depths of inhumanity are unconventional. There's no knowing what kind of a person he's going to return as. Elena needs to be prepared for that, to know there's more than just Stefan in this world. Elena needs to know that I have my own unconventional ways of doing these things. It has to be concrete that she can handle this; that my ways aren't going to send her spiraling.

She swallows hard, desperately fighting against the dusting of pink that rises to her cheeks. Elena's nose crinkles, her teeth working harshly against her bottom lip. Her nails hit against the trinket Stefan gave to her as protection. "I didn't want to see you get hurt, okay? I was...I was worried about you."

"Thanks," I give her a smirk. She's ready for this. Even though she's weak and breakable, she can handle this. Elena is going to let me tackle this in the ways I need to.

As I go to leave, she speaks again, her voice harsher, angry, "Yes, I worry about you. Why do you even have to hear me say it?"

"Because—" I back her up against the bedroom wall, cupping her cheeks in my hands, gently working my thumb over the soft skin there "–when I drag my brother back from the edge and deliver him back to you I want you to remember the things you felt while he was gone."

Her eyes lock on mine, that glint reentering them. While Elena may be willing to accept these words and my way, she isn't going to give up her old world without a solid fight. I shouldn't have expected anything less, "What about Diana?"

"Right now, she's telling Stefan the exact same thing I'm telling you. I guarantee he's eating up every word."

"No."

Giving her face a gentle squeeze, I step back, "Goodnight, Elena."

My phone chimes the second the bourbon lid touches my lips. The screen flashes 'unknown caller' as it vibrates against my thigh. I debate ignoring it. Whoever it is probably has a wrong number or wants to sell me something. That little voice in the back of my mind tells me it may be Diana, calling from some payphone in another go-nowhere town. She probably wants to make sure I'm holding up my end of our little bargain. Letting go of control never was one of her strong suits. "You're interrupting my drink."

"Miss me?"

Her voice chills the blood in my veins. I thought she would have left, disappeared to some foreign land to never be heard of again. What kind of trouble am I about to get myself wrapped up in? "Katherine. Where are you?"

"Lurking outside your window, pining away." I can see her pout, that cruel smirk settling on her painted lips. I bet she's lounging in some bar, everyone in there compelled to do her bidding for the night.

"What do you want?"

"I'm homesick. What have I missed?"

She's fishing. I wonder just how out of the loop she really is, "Well, Stefan is still Klaus's little prisoner. Elena still thinks she can save him. Diana is with Klaus and Stefan trying to keep my baby brother from shutting off his humanity. No one's thought about you since you left."

"And what about you? I'm sure now that you've given up on your brother; you're plotting some sort of way of moving in on his girlfriend, only with Diana's permission, of course. Has she already started having sex with him?" She's evil and cruel and I want nothing more than to hang up the phone. I know better though. Katherine wouldn't have called unless she knew something that she wanted to dangle in front of my face. I need to play along, get whatever information she may have.

"I didn't give up on him. I just don't know where he is," A half-truth in return for hers.

"Hmm."

She's going to be tough to break. Katherine has her guard up tonight. There will be no twisting words to get her to accidentally spill her knowledge. "But you do. Are you trailing them?"

"A hybrid and witch who want me dead and their sidekick who's off the rails?" Katherine chuckles. "I couldn't be further away."

Her way of telling me nothing and everything at the same time, "Which means you know exactly where they are."

"All I know is that Klaus pitched a fit once his hybrids didn't work. Now he's looking for some answers."

"How do you know that?" She's not telling me something.

Another chuckle, "Spend five hundred years running, and there will be a few people along the way that are looking out for you."

"Is that what you're doing?" The protector isn't a role Katherine falls into naturally. Whatever game she's playing, this silent watcher position must be serving some purpose. "Looking out for my brother?"

"Maybe, maybe not." She's probably smirking again, pleased with herself for dangling the carrot just enough to pique my interest, to make herself useful again. "Seems like Diana has got that department pretty much covered."

"Where are they?"