#tvd damonxoc fan fiction

[thebrotherssalvatore321]

Keeping Secrets Ch. 6

Keeping Secrets Masterlist

Pairing: DamonxOc, TylerxOc, ElijahxOc, KlausxOc Endgame. Warnings: Physical and mental abuse.

Katie sat in Damon’s car staring at the boarding house with flared nostrils and a heart that was beating a mile a minute. She knew she needed to go inside and talk this out with Stefan, but at the moment if she went inside she would fly off the handle like she had with Caroline and she couldn’t do that. It wasn’t the way to handle this and even though he didn’t seem the type, Stefan was still a vampire and could easily kill her if he wanted to.

So she leaned back in the comfortable seat and focused on taking deep, calming breaths until her heart slowed down and her hands stopped shaking.  “Okay, Katie, you can do this…keep it together.” With a steady hand she opened the door and got out.

Her hand stopped half way up to knock on the door and started shaking, but she forced it to stop and knocked three times. A man she remembered seeing when she took a tour of the boarding house when she was little, answered the door. “Hi, you must be Katie. Stefan told me you might be stopping by. Come on in.” he jerked his head as he stepped aside.

Katie walked in and looked around. The house looked pretty much the same as she remembered. It had too many rugs, old lavish furnishings and a certain amount of old school elegance. “Where is Stefan?” while she was calm for now she really wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries.

“He is taking care of Damon.” He said as she followed him into a living room where two couches sat on each side of a big fireplace.

“And what exactly does ‘taking care of Damon’ mean?” she asked, trying not to get impatient with the guy.

“Look, I really don’t want to get in the middle of this any more than I already have. Have a seat and Stefan will come talk to you when he’s done.” He motioned her to the couch then walked away.

After sitting on the couch for fifteen minutes, she grabbed her cell phone out of her clutch, flipped it open to use the keyboard and texted Damon. “Please tell me you have your cell phone on you.”

“Nope. I have it.” Katie looked up to see Stefan walking into the room holding up Damon’s phone. “He won’t be talking to anyone for a very long time.”

“Where is he?” she asked standing up, no longer able to just sit there.

“He’s locked up, downstairs.” Stefan answered coming to a stop in front of the fireplace.

“Well, will you let him out?” she asked, letting some attitude slip.

“I think you know why I can’t do that, Katie.” He answered with tight lips and a shake of his head. “You know that he’s the one that killed Coach Tanner, right?” Katie tossed her clutch and Damon’s keys on the couch then crossed her arms over her chest as she nodded. “Then you know it’s only a matter of time before he kills again.” Katie’s anger faded and slowly started turning into guilt. She drew her foot back and started tapping the closed toe of her shoe on the floor, attempting to keep it together. Stefan was making it really hard to keep overlooking Damon’s wrong doings. “He hurt Caroline, he was hurting you and Coach Tanner isn’t the only person he’s killed since he’s shown up here.”

“He wasn’t hurting me.” She argued. “I know what he is and I know what he’s done to me. I wanted it.”

“You only think you wanted it because he’s messed with your head and made you think so.” Stefan argued back.

“He hasn’t compelled me, Stefan.” She was getting angry again. “I know more than you think I do. Like I know about compulsion and I know that if you two aren’t wearing your rings you will burn in the sun. I know that vervain is basically vampire repellant and I hate that you spiked my drink with it.”

“He threatened to hurt Elena, Katie.” Stefan told her knowing it would get her attention.

“You’re lying.” She accused as her foot stopped tapping and her eyes started watering.

“I wish I was, but I’m not.”

“Why would he do that?” she asked.

“Because he is a bad person, Katie, he is manipulative and every move he makes has an ulterior motive. He didn’t show up here just to make my life a living hell. He has a bigger plan and I don’t know what it is, but I know if he goes through with it more people will die.” Not being able to stop it, a tear slipped down her cheek. “Don’t cry over him, he’s a monster, he doesn’t deserve your tears.”

Katie wanted to slap him, but she knew it wouldn’t hurt him so she restrained the urge. “I know that he killed Mr. Tanner to prove to you that he has no humanity left inside him. I don’t know why he wants you to think that,.I didn’t feel like asking and opening that can of worms, but I obviously see a different person when I look at him. Call it manipulation, I don’t care, but I refuse to believe that he is completely heartless.”

“You can’t tell me you don’t see why I’m doing this.” He was getting aggravated with her.

She sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “No…I get it…I just don’t like it.”

“The best thing you can do is forget about him and move on with your life.” Stefan told her sternly.

Katie squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to hold back tears as she nodded and opened them back up. “Can I at least tell him goodbye?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, he’s weak, but he’s also angry which means he’s unpredictable. I wouldn’t put it past him to kill you just to get back at me.” He informed her with a sympathetic look.

“He won’t hurt me, please… let me see him and I’ll act like nothing ever happened.” She begged and Stefan nodded.

“Follow me.” He waved a hand over his shoulder. She followed him down a flight of stairs into a really old unfinished part of the basement and stopped when they got to a big metal door with a barred window. “He’s in there.”

“Katie.” she heard Damon groan as Stefan grabbed the latch and pulled the door open revealing Damon where he leaned against the wall, dirty from lying on the floor of the cell.

“I’m here.” She said as she rushed in and fell to her knees beside him. He tried to look at her, but couldn’t keep his eyes open. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he spiked my drink.”

“It’s not your fault.” He whispered then coughed.

Katie looked behind her to see Stefan still standing at the door. She ignored him and turned back to Damon. “I’m still sorry.”

“You came to say goodbye?” he asked, blinking slowly at her as she moved a leg over his lap and cupped his face in her hands.

“I don’t want to.” She pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes.

She felt his hands move to hold her for a second before he got too weak and they slipped to rest on his lap against her butt. “But Stefan’s making you.” she nodded and tears slipped from her eyes, lading on his face. He mustered enough strength to cup her cheek in his hand and wipe a tear. She grabbed his hand and held it there. “Kiss me.” She placed her shaking lips on his for a slow, sad kiss that he returned. When it broke she placed her face in the bend of his neck and wrapped her arms around him. “You should go… move on with your life… forget about me like Stefan told you too.”

“I’ll move on because I have no other choice, but have you met you?” she asked with a sad smile in her voice that made Damon crack a smile. “You’re not a forgettable person.”

“Come on, times up.” Stefan spoke up reminding her that he was there. Katie pulled her face from Damon’s neck and pressed her lips to his, kissing him until he had to pull away. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

“I’ll walk.” She commented coldly as she pulled herself up off of Damon and walked out of the cell.

“Don’t…you dare… let her walk.” She heard Damon tell his brother then start coughing.

TVDTVDTVD

“I don’t get it.” Stefan said from where he sat in the driver’s seat of Damon’s car.

“You’ve got to be a little more specific.” She said not taking her eyes off of the side window where she watched the trees pass by.

“Why he hasn’t compelled you, why you were okay with what he is and what he’s done.” He said, really just thinking out loud at this point.

“No, you wouldn’t, would you?” she said, still not looking at him. “Do you have any intentions at all of telling Elena what you are?” she asked to change the subject.

“No, I moved here to have a normal life. Damon wouldn’t let me, but now that he’s out of the picture I can.”

“She’s going to figure it out, you know.” She said, finally picking her head up off the window. “She’s already suspicious. So unless you start telling her about yourself she’s going to keep prodding until she figures out what you’re not telling her.” she looked over to see him looking at her with a creased brow. “Damon was eavesdropping on the two of you earlier at the party.” She said with a shrug and an eye roll. He didn’t say anything back and Katie got lost in thought, replaying the night with Damon in her head a few times as she got angry again.

“We’re here.” Stefan informed her and she realized that she didn’t even know when he had stopped in front of her house. Seeing her grandpa’s car in the driveway she looked at the house to see him sitting on the porch, waiting for her, so she stayed in the car.

“If Damon is weakened, does that mean any compulsion that he’s worked on someone will be weakened too?” she asked looking away from her grandpa to finally look at Stefan.

“No, that will stay until he dies, or unless whoever he compelled becomes a vampire.” He answered.

“And do you intend on killing him?” she asked, blinking back more tears.

“No. During the dark ages when a vampire’s actions threatened to expose or bring harm upon the entire race, they would face judgment.” Stefan started explaining. “They sought to reeducate them rather than to punish them. Not feeding will make him weaker and weaker and eventually he won’t be able to move or speak. He’ll essentially become a living corpse, unable to ever hurt anyone ever again. I’ll move him someplace safe and after fifty years we’ll reevaluate.”

Katie bit her lip and nodded, trying not to cry. “Good to know.” She shoved the door open and got out.

Stefan got out and stopped her from walking away. “I am so…sorry.”

Katie looked at her grandpa to see that he had moved to the porch steps, watching them. She gritted her teeth then turned her glaring eyes back to Stefan. “You ruined the most perfect night of my life. Sorry doesn’t cut it.” she walked around him and over to her grandfather who was blocking her way up the steps.

“Where were you?” Grandpa asked his voice hard and hateful like always.

“I went to the founder’s party.” She answered tiredly. “Can I go inside now please?”

“The party was over hours ago.” He replied not answering her question.

“So?” she asked, getting aggravated.

“So where have you been?” he asked, taking a step closer, towering over her.

Knowing he couldn’t hurt her she glared up at him challengingly. “I’ve been hooking up with my boyfriend in the back of his car.” She lied just to piss him off.

“You-” he started with a sneer that she knew would lead to a beating if he hadn’t been compelled not to touch her.

“Skanky, tacky, slut, piece of shit, motherless whore?” she finished for him, making him stare at her slack jawed. “Come up with some new insults because I am sick of hearing you call me the same untrue things over and over and over again just because you hate me and have anger issues.” He just kept staring at her like he couldn’t believe she was talking back to him for the first time in her life. “Are we done here? Because I have had a really bad night and I do not need you making it worse.”

Her grandpa just nodded, still dumbstruck. So she walked around him and into the house.

TVDTVDTVD

She worked at the grill for the rest of the weekend then when Monday rolled around she put on a good face and pretended that she was fine. That day during lunch, Bonnie noticed she wasn’t smiling as much as she had been before and asked her what was up. Katie lied and told her that Damon dumped her, left town and wasn’t coming back. Bonnie knew her well enough to know she wasn’t okay, but she believed the rest. Katie noticed that Stefan wasn’t at school and when she asked Elena about him she said she hadn’t seen him or spoken to him since the party. He left her a voicemail telling her that he had something that he needed to do and that he would explain in a few days. 

Thursday morning Katie stood at Elena’s locker talking to her and Bonnie about how over the top Caroline was being with the carwash fundraiser tomorrow when Stefan walked up. “Hey, uh, you know I gotta go…be somewhere right now.” Bonnie quickly dismissed herself knowing that Elena and Stefan needed to talk.

“See you later, Elena.” Katie gave Elena a small smile and ignored Stefan all together.

Later that day she was working at the bar when Elena walked in and sat down at one of the tables in Katie’s section. So she grabbed her order pad and a pen and walked over. “What’s up?”

“Just waiting on Stefan.” Elena answered with a small smile. “If he shows.”

“Want anything while you wait?” Katie asked, refusing to talk about Stefan.

“No, I’m fine, thanks.” Katie started to walk away when Elena stopped her. “Hey, you never said what he did at the party that made you so mad.”

Katie sighed and looked around to see if anyone else was sitting in her section that needed to be served. It was empty so she walked back over and sat down. “I never said, because it wasn’t my business to tell. It’s still not.”

“Why do I get the feeling he had something to do with you and Damon breaking up?” she asked looking at her friend for answers she couldn’t give.

“All I can say is ask Stefan.” Katie saw someone sit in her section. “I have to get back to work.” She stood and headed over to the couple at the table, feeling like shit for not being able to tell her friend everything she needed to know.

Almost an hour later Stefan finally showed up and he and Elena argued. After she walked out on him Stefan spotted Katie handing someone at the bar a basket of curly fries and walked over. “You have a minute?” Katie nodded and walked down to the end of the bar where no one was sitting. “What did you say to her?”

“You mean other than, ask Stefan?” she asked, seeing a water spot on the bar so she grabbed a rag and cleaned it to look busy. “Nothing. I gave you the opportunity to tell her whatever lie you want to.” She tossed the rag under the bar, “Now if you don’t mind I have a paycheck to earn.”

TVDTVDTVD

Friday

The next day after school she once again put on a good face and went to the car wash fundraiser that thankfully she was able to get off work for. Katie was helping Bonnie and Matt dry a car when a new car drove up and Bonnie told Tiki, one of their fellow cheerleaders, that it was hers to wash. “Why do I get the homely ones?” she asked as she set down her bucket and sponge and turned to the driver of the car. “Just to be clear your car’s a p.o.s. I mean, we can wash it but it’ll still be a p.o.s.”

“You don’t have to be rude.” Bonnie spoke up.

“No, rude is uglying up the road with that junker.” Tiki argued.

Bonnie looked at Katie who was drying the car and looking at Bonnie over her shoulder, then back to glare at Tiki. Katie was turning back to finish drying the car when she saw the bucket of water explode in Tiki’s face soaking her from head to toe as she freaked and started spraying water everywhere. Matt being the sweet guy he is, grabbed the water hose from her and kinked it as he handed her a towel.

“Was that you?” Katie asked Bonnie quietly and she nodded. “Not that it wasn’t hilarious and completely deserved, but did you mean to?”

“No, I kind of zoned out.” Bonnie admitted. “I hate this.”

“I know you do.” Katie sighed as the two of them got back to drying the car that was now wet again thanks to Tiki spraying it during her freak out. Looking around Katie noticed Stefan washing a car by himself while Elena sat at the money table. “Hey, I need to go talk to Stefan about something, you and Matt got this?” Katie asked and Bonnie nodded at her.

Stefan gave Katie a polite smile when she walked over and grabbed a soapy rag out of one of the buckets. “You still hate me?” he asked quietly.

“I’m trying not to because you’re with my best friend, but it’s not going so well.” She answered honestly. “But that’s not why I came over here.”

“Then why did you?” he asked while running a rag over the hood of a car.

“You got back in Elena’s good graces.” She started as she washed the windshield. “I just wanted to know what lie you fed her, that way our stories don’t get crossed because I know she will eventually cross examine us.”

“I told her that Damon has a substance abuse problem and I was missing for four days talking him into going into rehab. You’re mad at me for exposing that fact to you at the party and forcing him to go away.”

“Okay, so Damon’s in rehab, got it.” Katie threw her rag into the nearby bucket and walked away.

She went back to helping Bonnie on a new car that had driven up. They had just finished when Tiki walked up with two push brooms in her hands. “Sweeper duty.”

“Come again?” Katie asked, in no mood to be bullied by Tiki.

“You two have to clean the pavement.” Tiki forced the broom into Katie’s hand.

“It’s a car wash. By definition the pavement’s clean.” Bonnie argued.

“But not dry.” Tiki argued.

“And we have to listen to you since when?” Katie asked, stepping up to Tiki.

“Caroline bailed. I’m a senior. That puts me in charge.” Tiki handed Bonnie the other broom and started to walk around her, but Katie tripped her with the end of the broom, making her stumble. “What the hell, Katie?” Tiki snapped getting ready to hit her, but she stopped and looked over Katie’s shoulder with wide eyes.

Katie turned around to see a trail of water leading from Bonnie to a car that was engulfed in flames. “Tiki, call the fire department.” Katie urged throwing the broom to the ground and Tiki took off running. “Bonnie.” Katie yelled and grabbed her shoulders shaking her. “Bonnie, snap out of it.”

Stefan ran over, “What’s wrong?”

“Bonnie’s doing this.” Katie whispered to him. “Bonnie!” Katie snapped and Bonnie finally blinked.

She looked back and forth between the two of them with wide eyes. “Did I do this?”

“We think so, yeah.” Katie said with a nod.

“Nobody else saw, did they?” She asked, still freaked.

“No, I don’t think so.” Stefan told her and Bonnie nodded then walked off. Stefan was about to ask her a question when Katie’s phone started ringing.

Looking at the number she saw that it was her boss. “Hello?” she answered with an aggravated sigh. “Vicki flaked again?” she asked as she headed over to the building where she had left her bag of stuff and grabbed it. “Yeah, I’m on my way.” Since she was already close she walked to work instead of driving and clocked in.

Her shift was almost over when her phone started ringing, she was just going to ignore it, since it was an unknown number, but something told her to answer it. So she pressed talk and put it to her ear as she headed to the back. “Hello?”

“Katie, hey, it’s Stefan. I got your number from Damon’s phone. He got out, have you seen him?” he asked frantically.

“No, how did he get out?” she asked, taking off her apron not bothering to put it on the hook before she grabbed her bag and tossed it over her shoulder.

“I don’t know, he got to Zach somehow and killed him.” He answered and Katie froze. “I need you to get to your house and stay there. If he comes to you, call me, don't try to talk to him. You hear me?”

“Yeah, Stefan, I hear you.” she said as she started moving again and headed to her car. “There’s something else.”

“What?” she asked as she pulled open her car door and slid inside.

“Elena knows about what we are. I’m going to tell her everything including the truth about Damon. Do you want me to tell her that you know?”

“No.” she answered quickly. “She needs to hear that from me.”

“Okay.” He told her as she started her car. “And Katie,”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.” He told her and she hung up on him.

Her grandfather was home when she got home, but unlike usual he didn’t confront her about anything. Her converse thudded against the wood stairs as she ran up to her room, hoping to find Damon sitting on her bed waiting for her when she opened the door. But her shoulders slumped when she slung her door open and found nothing.

As the night drug on Katie's eyes grew heavy and the book she had been reading to keep herself awake fell to the floor with a thud as sleep overcame her.

As she slept, Damon quietly let himself into her open window. It was easy to tell as he took in Katie, passed out still in her black t-shirt and Jean shorts that she had been waiting for him. The sight caused a pain to shoot through his chest. He'd just killed three random people and Zack. He knew that once Stefan told her she would have nothing else to do with him. Out of the need to touch her he leaned down, swept her hair to the side and placed a kiss to her temple before he whooshed out of her window. Katie stirred, but didn't wake.

TVDTVDTVD

Saturday

As the morning sun beamed through her open window her alarm sounded, waking her to get ready for work. So she groggily turned the alarm off, pulled up Stefan’s number and texted him. "He didn't come to my place. Any signs of him?"

She was getting out of the shower when her phone chimed. She dried off her hands and picked it up to see that it was Stefan. "No. He didn't go to Elena's either. Just go about your day as usual. He doesn't have his ring. I'll call you if I find out anything." So she did as Stefan said. If Damon wanted to see her he would've come last night.

She had just gotten off work and was getting into her car when her phone started ringing. "Stefan, please tell me you found him."

"Yeah, he’s at the boarding house." Katie sighed in relief. "But I need you at Elena's. Damon turned Vicki. She's new, hungry and on the loose. I had to leave Elena and Jeremy alone and she could really use a friend who knows about all this.'

"Okay I'm on my way." She cranked the car and held her phone to her ear with her shoulder as she started to Elena's.

"Katie, you need to tell her everything." Hs tone was serious.

"I will tell her that I know about you and Damon and let her take it from there." She answered. “She’s going to hate me enough just for not telling her that I knew.”

"She won't hate you forever."

"You just find Vicki." She hung up and tossed her phone into the passenger seat.

When she got to Elena's she let herself in. "Katie?" Elena asked with Jeremy right behind her as they met her at the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Stefan called. Said you could use a friend." She answered then turned her eyes to Jeremy. "Would you mind giving us a minute?" He just headed upstairs.

Katie followed Elena to the kitchen and started helping her clean up. "I don't even know where to start so I'm just going to come out and say it. I know what Damon and Stefan are." Katie set a stack of plates in the sink then turned to her shocked friend. "I've known since the night the comet passed."

"You've known all this time and you didn't tell me?" Elena asked in disbelief and hurt clear in her eyes.

"There are so many reasons I didn't tell you. It wasn't my secret to tell. On top of that Damon swore me to secrecy and said that you were completely safe because Stefan only feeds on animals." Katie started and the words would have kept on flowing out of her mouth but Elena held up her hand stopping her.

"Did Damon blackmail you into dating him?" She asked realizing that Damon might have messed with her mind. "Did he hurt you? Is that why you were mad at the party?"

"No to all of those questions." Katie answered, trying to simplify the complicated.

"Are you sure? Because Stefan said that vampires can mess with your memories and if he did then-" Elena was asking but Katie cut her off.

"He never messed with my head, Elena." Katie's eyes slipped to the countertop no longer able to look her friend in the eyes. "Can I see your necklace?” she asked, holding out her hand. Elena grabbed the pendant in her fist and shook her head no. “Let me guess, it has vervain in it because Stefan didn’t want anyone getting into your head including him.” Elena gave Katie a tilted head, questioning look. “So does mine.” She said holding up her moon and star pendant. “Damon gave it to me at the party to prove to me that he wouldn’t mess with my head.”

“But Stefan said that he found him feeding on you. That he was hurting you.” Elena said, blinking back her confusion.

“Damon was feeding on me at the party.” Katie answered. “He’s been feeding on me since he broke up with Caroline. I knew he had been messing with her head and feeding on her so to protect her and anyone else from him I asked him to feed on me and he agreed.”

"How could you do that?" Elena blinked back tears.

"It gets worse." Katie didn't answer her question.

"How could it get any worse than you letting him feed on you Katie?" Elena asked, placing her hands on the bar that separated them.

"I fell for him." Katie answered as a tear slipped down her cheek as she drew back her foot and started tapping the toe of her converse into the floor. "I know Stefan thinks Damon is a heartless monster, and I know he’s done bad things, but he's not heartless."

"How can you defend him? He killed Vicki. He turned her into a blood craving monster. He's killed people." Elena practically yelled.

Katie wanted to tell Elena that her grandfather had treated her like a human punching bag for the past seven years of her life and that Damon swooped in and changed all of that. However, she decided that tonight wasn’t the best time to drop that bomb on her. So she simply said, "I made a mistake." Katie blinked back her tears. "All I can do is say that I never wanted anyone to get hurt and ask for your forgiveness."

"You need to leave." Elena told her sternly.

Katie bit her lips closed and nodded. "Okay." She headed for the door and when she pulled it open Damon was on the other side. "Damon." Katie gasped and stumbled backwards.

"Leave, both of you." Katie looked behind her to see that Elena had followed her out of the kitchen.

"No need to be rude, I'm just looking for my brother." He told Elena with a sarcastic smile. "Huh, you're scared of me. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Stefan finally fessed up." He looked down at Katie taking in her tears. “And you told her you know too.”

"Stay away from me." Elena warned.

"No problem. Tell me where my brother went and I'll leave." Damon said still standing in the doorway, blocked by Katie.

"He’s out looking for Vicki." Katie answered quietly.

"Thank you." He said then turned around and walked off. When he saw Katie come out after him he stopped and grabbed her hand as she tried to walk by him.

"Don’t touch me." She practically hissed and pulled her hand back as if she had been burned.

He watched her get into her car before whooshed into the passenger seat. "They've turned you against me haven't they?" He asked quietly.

"To be honest, I don’t know." Katie answered exasperatedly. "You killed four people and turned Vicki, I don’t know what to think."

"I killed four people because Stefan starved me. If he hadn't locked me up in the first place I wouldn't have needed to." He argued, turning sideways in the seat to look at her.

"And what about Vicki? Hmm? You going to blame that on Stefan too?" She asked with an attitude induced sway of her head.

"I have no excuse for that." He answered letting his eyes fall to the floorboard of her car.

"After Stefan told me that you got out I waited for you...all night. Why didn't you just come to me, Damon?" She asked, holding back tears.

"I was afraid I would hurt you." He answered in a partial truth.

"Nope try again." She told him folding her arms over her chest.

"I knew after you found out I'd killed people that you wouldn't want me back." He answered honestly this time.

"That's the bad thing about all of this, Damon. I would have." Her words made him look at her like she was crazy. "If someone starved me for a week then plopped a fresh cheeseburger into my lap there’s no way in hell I wouldn't eat it. I wouldn't have been happy by any means about you sucking people dry, but I would've understood it. But instead of just coming to me you turned an innocent girl. That is what hurt me. That is what I can’t forgive." Damon opened the door and put a foot out on the pavement then whooshed out of sight.

TVDTVDTVD

Monday

The next day Katie got a text from Elena asking her to meet her at her house after school. Katie agreed, afraid that Elena was going to tell her that she couldn’t be friends with her anymore. When she got to Elena’s instead of letting herself in like she used to she knocked on the door. Jeremy answered, “Hey, since when do you knock?” he asked with a confused smile.

“Since your sister and I got into a fight.” She answered.

“Like you two haven’t fought before.” He said with a small laugh as he opened the door further and stepped aside, letting her in. “She’s in her room.” he jerked his head up the stairs and Katie gave him a small smile in thanks.

“Hey.” Katie said as she knocked on Elena’s door and opened it.

“Hey.” Elena sighed as she grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest.

“Are you still mad at me?” she asked as she walked over and stood at the foot of the bed.

“A little.” Elena sighed and Katie sat down on the foot of the bed. “So let’s start with what all Damon has told you about…what they are.” Elena started as she motioned for Katie to start talking.

“Okay.” Katie drawled as she kicked her shoes off and moved to sit Indian style. “I know that a wooden stake to the heart will kill them. They can mess with your memories and basically control your mind if they want to. They can jump high. I’ve seen Damon jump from the ground to my roof. Their blood can heal wounds. They will burn in the sun if they don't have on their rings. Vervain weakens them and if they don’t feed they will basically mummify. That’s what Stefan was planning on doing when he locked Damon in the basement.” She laid it all out on the table and the longer so spoke the higher Elena’s eyebrows got. “Why, what do you know about them?”

Elena shook her head, “Not even half of that.” She answered as she turned her eyes to the bed. “What all do you know about their past with Katherine?”

“Just that she dated both of them and wanted all three of them to be together. They both loved her.” she answered honestly. “Damon hasn’t told me much about her other than he liked her laugh and she was apparently really pretty. Oh and she was a vampire”

“That’s about all I know too. They aren’t very open about her are they?” Elena asked curiously.

“Well, if you were in their shoes would you be open about it?” Katie asked with a head tilt.

“No I guess not.” Elena said with a shake of her head.

“So how are you and Stefan after everything that happened with Vicki?” Katie asked hesitantly not knowing if that was a subject that they could discuss.

“We broke up.” She said as she blinked back tears. “I just can’t do it. I can’t put up with the lies and the secrets and people getting hurt.” She ran her fingers through her hair pushing it out of her face and shrugged not knowing what else she could say. “What about you and Damon? Are you two still…whatever you were?”

“Yeah…”Katie drawled as she tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. “I never really knew what we were, but I can’t forgive him for turning Vicki. So whatever it was is over now.”

“I still don’t see how you could like him in the first place.” Elena commented. “He’s not a good person. How could you see anything but bad in him?”

Katie took in a shaky breath, getting ready for what she was about to tell one of her best friends. “I was going to tell you and Bonnie and Caroline at the same time, but…” Katie stopped when a tear slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. “Didn’t you guys ever notice how often I had bruises…how often I got hurt?”

“Yeah, but you’re clumsy and you play sports…it happens.” Katie started shaking her head wondering if her friends were blind or if she was just that good at hiding it. “What are you trying to say?”

“My grandpa…” Katie said her hands shaking from trying to hold back her tears.

“No.” Elena said tears forming in her brown eyes as she realized what Katie was trying to tell her. “Tell me you’re not saying what I think you’re saying.” Katie just turned her eyes to the white comforter on the bed and let the tears fall. “All these years…all this time…the broken wrist from softball…the broken ankle from track that was all…Your grandpa’s doing?”

Katie finally looked up and nodded, tears slipping down her lightly freckled cheeks. She took her glasses off and Elena handed her some tissues off of the night stand. “Yeah.” She nodded as she wiped her face.

“I don’t get it. Why did you keep it a secret so long?” she asked, confused.

“I knew that if I told them, I would get taken away from the only home I’ve ever known. Not to mention my friends.” she said with a shrug.

“So why are you telling me now? What does this have to do with Damon?” Elena asked.

“Damon figured out what Grandpa was doing. After the football game, Grandpa was…upset, that Coach Tanner died and he decided to take it out on me. Damon heard what was going on, barged in and threatened to kill him.”

Elena’s brows raised and her mouth fell open. “He didn’t…did he?”

“I’m not gonna lie, a part of me wanted him to, but no. Instead he compelled him to never touch me again.” She answered, getting a headache from crying so much. “After that he helped me to my room, made sure none of my ribs were broken then stayed with me.” Katie said with a shrug.

“Yeah, but on that same night he murdered our teacher.” Elena argued.

“I’m aware.” Katie nodded. “He also didn’t have to help me. He could’ve carried on his merry way and let grandpa beat me to a pulp, but he didn’t. He made my life easier. I’m no longer afraid to open my front door, wondering if I’m going to get a black eye when I walk through it. For the first time in seven years I was truly happy. I’m not making excuses for him. I just want you to understand why you and I see him so differently.” Elena nodded as things fell quiet between them for a bit. “So are we good?” Katie asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, we’re good.” Elena sighed as she fell back to lay on the bed. “This is all just such a big mess.”

“Yep.” Katie said popping the p at the end of the word then laid down next to Elena and hugged a pillow to her chest. “At least I don’t have to keep secrets from you anymore.” Katie admitted.

“So we’re keeping Bonnie and Caroline out of this?” Elena asked.

“I think it would be safer if they don’t know.” Katie answered.

“Agreed.” Elena said before things fell silent again.

“So is Stefan a good kisser?” Katie asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Katie!” Elena laughed and hit Katie on her shoulder.

“What?” Katie laughed. “You know if Caroline was here she would ask.”

“Yeah she’d probably pry the answer out of me.” Elena said as she sat up. “Truth is I don’t have much to compare it to.”

“At least you have Matt to compare it to.” Katie said as she sat up. “I’ve got nothing.”

“Wait I thought you and Tyler…seven minutes in heaven, junior high?” Elena asked and Katie shook her head. “What? Even Tyler said that you guys made out.”

“Nope.” Katie said with a small smile. “We both lied to keep everyone from knowing that we were chickens.”

“So Damon was your first kiss?” Elena asked in awe. “How was it?”

“Not bad considering I had no earthly idea what I was doing, but he kind of took the wheel and crashed my train of thought into a brick wall so…pretty damn good.” She laughed and shrugged.

“Yeah Stefan’s pretty good too.” Elena finally admitted with a raised brow and a smirk. “It’s too bad things are so complicated with them.”

“Yep.” Katie answered then hopped up off of the bed. “I’m gonna head home. I’ve got a crap ton of homework to do and work after school tomorrow.”

“Alright, see you later.” Elena waved.

Katie waved over her shoulder and headed home.