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❝where does your loyalty lie?❞
DAMON STARED AT THE FIRE, HIS GAZE WAVERING IN FOCUS AS HIS MIND WANDERED. He took a slug of bourbon straight from the bottle and sighed softly, hearing Rose enter the room.
"I'm sorry about today. I didn't know that was gonna happen."
Damon tilted his head slightly, his face staying purposefully blank. "I believe you,"
"I wish we could save Elena. I know that you want to, to help your brother–"
"That's where you're wrong, Rose. I don't want to help Stefan if it means dealing with Katherine, or Elena, because that means I have to deal with the Originals, and Elijah is already pissed at me."
Rose frowned, stepping forward. She placed her hand on Damon's shoulder, making him turn around to look at her. "What do you mean? You've had dealings with Elijah?"
"More than I'd care to admit." Damon stood, that dangerously empty look back in his eyes. "Your friend Slater knew too much, that's why Elijah attacked us today. He knew too much about Klaus, and me– two people Elijah hates dealing with on a regular basis."
Rose's eyes widened.
Damon laid a hand on her bare shoulder, uncaring of her surprise. "You should take lessons from him. Look too far into things and you'll end up like those vampires today did. Trust me, Rose, taking down an Original isn't worth my brother's happiness or Elena's. I mean, look where Trevor ended up,"
"What are you talking about? What do you know about the Originals?" Rose's tone grew hostile and Damon pushed past her, smirking to himself.
"Just trust me on this, yeah? I've known Elijah long enough to know that words mean everything, and I don't need to be saying too much and having him come after me. It's in your best interest to leave your grudges in the past."
"Is that a threat?"
"If Elijah wishes it to be." Damon held his hands out to the side, dropping them down with an arrogance only he could manage at a time like this.
Rose watched him, her eyes wide with fear. Damon's vagueness about his relationship with the Originals was dangerous, and it could only mean one thing. He wasn'ton her side, or anyone else's. He was fighting for himself, and only himself, and that made him dangerous.
"Oh, and Rose? It's best if you keep this between us, wouldn't you say? Wouldn't want Stefan to think you're trying to backstab his big brother. You know better than most how important family is,"
Rose watched him silently, fearful to say something else that would land her dead. Elijah had spared her, after all, and it would make Trevor's death meaningless if she went and got herself killed for asking too many questions.
Her phone rang, and she eyed it warily. Damon gestured to it, egging her on. "Are you gonna answer that? It might be important." His eyes flashed with something vageuly threatening and she reached for her phone slowly.
Her eyes widened when she saw Slater's name pop up, and with a shaky sigh, she answered the phone, never breaking eye contact with Damon as Slater started to speak on the other line.
｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡
Damon moved the tomb door aside, dusting the dirt off of his shirt as he stepped into the doorway of the tomb.
"Oh, Katherine! Don't be a tease, I know you're in here." His voice echoed through the tomb and he smirked, eyes darting around the dust-covered walls."Come on, Kat, I thought we were friends."
"We were," The familiar voice croaks, and Damon's eyes flash dangerously as she comes into view. "Until I got your wife killed and you offered me up to Klaus like a pig on a platter."
"Did I do that? I don't recall." Damon hummed, smirking maniacally at the sight of the woman's pale, desiccating features. "How about you hand over that moonstone so I can give it to Elijah and we can be on our merry way."
Katherine matched his smirk, holding the pale moonstone up tauntingly. "What's it like, Damon? Lying to your brother about wanting to save Elena when you're really just working with Klaus to get her killed?"
Damon contemplated her for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm indifferent. Now about that moonstone–"
"Why would I give it to you? So that once you have it, you can tell Klaus where I am? You know how easy it'd be for him to get a witch to release the spell on this place and kill me?"
The vampire nodded at her. "Yes, that's exactly why I want it. Once Elena's out of the way, Stefan mourns for a few centuries and then all goes back to normal– oh, and you're dead, too. Maybe we'll do a joint tomb; 'Here lie the two biggest, maniacal, crazy bitches to ever walk the Earth. It's a shame they weren't prettier'."
Katherine snarls, but Damon doesn't flinch. There's little about the wretched doppelgänger that's intimidating when he has the knowledge that she's dying in the most painful way possible that's not at his own hand.
"Everything goes back to normal, but Rosemary's still dead. What a shame. You know, I bet she would've tasted delicious before your father got ahold of her."
At that, Damon's carelessness disappears. He makes a move to step towards Katherine, but remembers the tomb barrier and stops himself. "No, go ahead, Damon. Join me in the eternal rot. It's not like you have anyone waiting for you up there."
"Your jealousy precedes your legacy, Katherine." His jaw ticks as his irritation bubbles over.
"I'm just saying, without your precious Rosemary, you've done nothing but kill and betray people. Why not stop the eternal revenge and die a slow death alongside the woman you hate the most. You'd be in less pain than she was."
Damon's eyes flood with rage, the cold blue swarmed by a sea of emotion. "It's funny, Katherine," He stands, starting to walk away from the tomb to get the large stone door. "You think that you're safe down here still, but who's to say I haven't already told him exactly where you are?I know she's a real prize, but Elena isn't the only reason he's coming to Mystic Falls."
Katherine's eyes widen and she watches as Damon grabs the stone door, slowly shoving it back into place. "Damon, don't! Tell me what you did!" Her hands beat against the rocks of the tomb uselessly, they barely crack under her weak state. "Damon!"
"Sleep tight, Kitty Kat. Oh– and don't tell anyone about this, or I'll kill you." He winks as the door seals shut again, and turns around with a heaving sigh.
Dusting his hands off, he goes home with a strong drink in mind.
When he walks in the door, Stefan greets him with Rose following him closely, eyeing him like he was one wrong word away from snapping. "What now?" He deadpans, going over to the minicart and pouring a glass of bourbon.
"We need to speak to Katherine about the moonstone. It's the only way to save Elena."
Damon smirks at the ground, before turning around to face his brother and Rose. "Sure, brother. Whatever you think is best."
