ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ⇴ ᴛᴠᴅ ² ✓

twenty seven

"You picked a hell of a time to get out of town, Blue"

Billie straightened up as she discarded her shoes beside the door. "I was gone for less than a week you can't have done anything that bad."

Damon actually laughed at that one. His dimples appeared folded into his cheeks and his teeth shone brilliantly like they hadn't ripped out a thousand throats. "Oh Blue." The vampire cooed cutely. 

And so he filled her in on the rollercoaster of Mystic Falls drama that she'd missed out on after only five days away. It seemed that Stefan had not only stolen their freedom out from under them, but had also used it to stab Klaus in the back, taking his family's coffins with him. That last part, Billie had to admit, was pretty badass.

Damon had apparently involved himself with his brother's schemes and the two were now in a battle of wits against the hybrid. The vampire slid in the fact that Klaus was no longer taking out his frustrations on the brothers, but instead on Elena's family.

Billie frowned a bit at that. She took a moment to form her words, trying to find the best way to phrase them. "Please be careful Damon. You're playing a dangerous game, you know that."

Damon smirked confidently, tipping his drink to the clairvoyant. "You won't let me die, Blue." He shrugged as though his next words were lawful truth. "I know you're obsessed with me." 

He easily deflected the pillow thrown his way.

The unstable duo drank comfortably for a long moment before Damon spoke again, lips pursed and eyes averted.

"I'm sorry... for how I acted before you left, I was angry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." His words were hesitant and spaced, like they weren't used to being spoken, but Billie smiled all the same, proud of him for admitting his wrongs. 

She wasn't quite sure why she had run away. They hadn't said anything particularly hurtful. Billie had been drunk, spiteful. Everything had gone wrong for her all in one single night and impulsively, she had simply fled, hoping to deal with the problem later.

"Are you saying that because you're sorry? Or because you never want me to leave again." She teased him, her bright smile shining in forgiveness. Billie expected him to roll his eyes, but he only smirked, having sorely missed her sharp wit in the short time she'd been gone. "Maybe both." 

Their gaze wasn't broken for a long moment. In which, Billie found herself thinking exclusively about the vampire in front of her. Not about Ricky or her parents. Not about Klaus, Elena, Georgie, Alex. Just him. 

They had the strangest relationship she'd ever seen, but Billie wouldn't have traded it for a thing in the whole world. 

So when that familiar little tickle of warmth invaded her cold heart, she stiffened considerably with recognition. It would never work. He was in love with the doppelganger and she was beyond too fucked up for anyone, even the infamous Salvatore.

Damon promptly cleared his throat as he noticed the subtle change in her demeanour. "Where were you anyway?" He released his curiosity, having asked around about the clairvoyant when he realised she'd disappeared. But no one had any idea about her whereabouts. It worried him a little, how inconspicuous she was. How easy it had been for her to simply vanish into thin air.

Billie contemplated telling him a half-assed lie, but frankly, she was too tired for that. If there was anyone in the world she could be at least a little honest with, it was the vampire across from her. "Brooklyn." 

She sipped at her bourbon, gauging his reaction. Damon shot his brows up for a moment in surprise and she began to explain. "I was drunk, I wasn't thinking straight." Billie dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "By the time I was sober enough to figure out where I'd gone, I was already surrounded by... obnoxious high rises." She shrugged casually at the confession. It was the truth. Billie had just decided to go along with the plan her cloudy mind had concocted, her legs too jelly to hop on another bus back the way she came.

Damon nodded in understanding, carefully approaching with his next words.

"Did you... talk with them." 

She pursed her lips, knowing exactly who he meant, remembering the argument. "Oh yeah, we talked alright." She drank some more from her receding glass, an ironic smile on her face. "Went about as well as you'd expect." Billie decided it would be best not to tell him about Ricky, or the business. 

Some things, she just couldn't help but keep to herself.

She downed the last of the amber, shivering subtly at the taste as it rolled along her tongue. "It doesn't matter." She tried to be as convincing as she could, for both their sakes. "Whatever it was in Brooklyn I thought I wanted, I know now... I can't have it." 

Billie eyed the bottle across from her, deciding not to refill her glass. Harper wondered if she would ever really hear from Cara and Noah again. She doubted they'd send her an invite to their baby shower. Would she ever get to meet the kid? Her brother or sister? It didn't seem right to have a sibling out there she never saw or talked to. 

Billie began to think maybe it was like her responsibility to make sure their new kid turned out alright. Would they raise it in their image? God she hoped not.

The clairvoyant shook her head roughly. Why was she still thinking about them? Just forget it, Willa, she mocked herself spitefully in her head. You never should have gone in the first place.

Damon had been watching her carefully as she thought. He liked to think Billie was more comfortable around him than she was with most. Her expressions weren't quite as difficult to read when they were alone like this. She wasn't as guarded. Damon had never met anyone in his life with such a believable happy face. Once she plastered that beautiful smile on, there was no one in the world that could tell she felt anything but what she showed.

He cleared his throat, snapping her from her own head. "Forget them, Blue. No stuck up New Yorker is worth this much of your time." He analysed the little smile she sent his way, like her head agreed with him, but every other part of her protested.

"You're right." She finally said, slapping her hands on the armrests of the chair and sighing heavily as she hauled herself to her feet. Billie clapped decisively, rubbing her palms together as she eyed her surroundings, Damon staring up at her sudden movement in confusion. 

"What are you doing?"

Billie smiled down at him with mischief in her charming twinkle. "The resident clairvoyant is back in commission!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. "I believe I have several messes to clean up."