𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞
- - -
❝There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando❞
Fernando
~ ABBA
- - -
The next morning, there was a skip in her step, a smile on her lips and a hum at the back of her throat. Though her eyes were dry and red from a lack of sleep, she didn't feel that obstructed by her senses. It all had to do with how she didn't set her papers on fire again, and that Jeremy had gotten out his. He was sketching again, excitedly showing her a new flash portrait that he had made of her when she was watching Mamma Mia! with Jenna last night. Only then had she realized how emotional a few sheets of paper and a bunch of crowded lines could make her.
No, Elena hadn't called or texted a status update about Bonnie, nor had Caroline picked any of her calls up. But Kat was adamant about being happy that day. She needed the spirit, mostly since it was the day of Mystic High's Annual Career Fair for the seniors. She couldn't wait to be in that crowd of curious people trying on different futures like heels or clothes. There was a sense of power and control that came with imagination. Kat Gilbert craved that power once in a while.
Life might be all good again. That night she was going to get a taste of what exactly her career in art or literature would be, and finally Matt and Tyler could tell her about what they planned. Matt would probably choose a serious job, like a tin-foil astronaut or firefighter. Tyler would have no idea what he'd want to be so it would be time for Kat to yet again present her Florida plan.
Kat pinged Caroline one last time that morning— half hour before school— to ask her if she needed a ride or a coffee with it. Contrary to Caroline's usual quick crowd of replies sent sentence by sentence or word by word, her side of the conversation that morning consisted of loading bubbles bobbing up and down for over a few minutes. In came a giant message.
Well, giant per Caroline's standards.
It was one full paragraph explaining everything from the seance that led to Bonnie and Elena 'pranking' her, her meeting with Matt. It all ended up two lines of just exclamation points. The detail that stuck in Kat's mind was that Matt stayed over at Caroline's for the night and there was no hanky-panky.
Her person deserved a medal.
Channing: And I do need a ride... See you in 15?
With a satisfied nod, Kat pocketed her phone. Jenna had been still as a stone under her covers, so Kat scribbled a quick note about some orange juice in the fridge to help with her wine-binge last night.
She bent over the kitchen platform to crane her neck around the pillar. In the living room couch, she could see Jeremy's mop of dark hair, ever so messy without her to comb into dignity. Her brother was crouched over, scribbling some remaining parts of his homework before school.
"Oh great mind of the future," Kat sing-songed, "Would your Majesty oblige me with getting thine ass up to the car?"
"Huh." he continued without answering her.
"Hey donkey," Kat announced, "I'm ordering you to pack up quickly. We're bolting to Hell in a few."
Technically, Kat was supposed to be polite and normal to him, acting as if Damon didn't compel him to get his life in order. But calling the only boy in her family names like donkey, Betty Crocker and Shinchan seemed to be normal enough.
Jeremy bit into his pencil, trying to align his papers tardily. "You know what? I don't even understand what you say half the time..."
Kat rolled her eyes, rushing to him with a stapler in hand. She carefully arranged the sheets, happy with quite the dedication he had put into it. Handing them to Jeremy, she gave a sleek grin, "That's because you were dropped on the head as a kid."
"I bet you were the one who did it... Mad Hatter."
Kat blew a raspberry, "That's a compliment by the way. By the way, we're making a pit stop at Care's. Remember your rules?"
Jeremy looked from under his hair that Kat combed through with her fingers. She pushed his head down to her height, prompting him to list the rules as she set his hair right.
"Don't say The Notebook is boring. Don't talk about Anna Karenina. Don't talk about her mom."
"And if she brings it up?" Kat quizzed.
"That's a trick question." Jeremy was taught well, "Because even if she did, only you have the right to handle that conversation."
"See? All you have to do is be trained." Kat smiled. She hadn't almost hurt him with just a series of normal hand-brushing. Today was good already.
Maybe she thought of that too soon.
"I've known her for a long time," Kat overheard a familiar voice from the porch, "I'll handle it. We don't know if her parents told her anything about the Council..."
Another voice supplemented the statement, "Isn't it risky to try now though? She might go in search of it all."
The Gilbert siblings made their way towards the door, Kat acting very deaf to what Jeremy couldn't hear.
"All my other sources have come up dry. The Gilberts are the only chance we've got."
She opened the door, eyes widening as a part of her facade as she beheld none other than Sheriff Forbes and Mr. Saltzman at her doorstep.
"Sheriff! And Mr. Saltzman... Good morning."
"Hi, good morning." Alaric's smile was polite while the Sheriff's was maternal. Jeremy returned a respectful greeting and a handshake.
"Sorry, we were just going to knock. Caught you at a bad time?"
"We were just to pick up Care actually..." Kat shrugged. "Jenna's actually asleep, she was up late writing her second thesis paper,"
Jeremy snorted at that. If only Meryl Streep was here, she'd kiss Kat at the face she'd made.
"Oh, we wanted to meet you Kat," Liz corrected.
Kat shared a silent moment with Jeremy. Slowly, he began to make his way to the garage. "I'm calling shotgun."
"Thank you."
In the next few minutes, both the early morning guests had huddled inside, settling down into one of the couches Kat had tardily cleared of all of her and Jeremy's pencils, paints and papers.
"You're interested in art?" Alaric smiled.
Kat knew he was just trying to make conversation, or probably get into her good graces to help with Jenna. But her heart was pounding in her chest at what might happen. Whenever Kat saw the Sheriff, a blanket of heavy guilt and fear weighed her down into the depths of incomprehensible nightmares. Alaric just irked her curiosity. Or his ring did. If he was associated with the Council, Kat wanted to bolt for the falls.
Her father had once told her not so sternly that any of the Councilmen were not above killing their own kin if they were supernatural.
She didn't know how Elena would take the news of one less girl to fawn over Stefan, but Kat really liked living.
The brushes almost tumbled to the floor, Kat struggled to dump them all in a vase behind the television stand. "Y-Yeah, I like art. So does Jeremy actually. We got it from our uncle."
"You'll enjoy the art booths at the Fair tonight then." he gave a laugh.
Kat gave a shrill one of her own, plopping down into the opposite loveseat as Liz cleared her throat. Alaric's face morphed from jolly to serious within just a second, letting the woman get to the point.
"Why we're here at this time has to do with your father."
Uneasy became her, Kat's fingers pulled on the stitch of her hat with a wobbly smile. "I'm sorry?"
"Grayson grew a few flowers for me, they smell like roses. Purple flowers? Well, Mr. Saltzman here," Liz looked at the teacher with a faux-warm smile. The look was something Kat had usually seen whenever Liz smiled at Matt's drunkard mom. "...Was just settling in and wanted some of that to brighten up his condo."
"I did?"
A stern glare.
"Do you have any idea about the flowers Kat...?"
She doubted the Sheriff was just being a good welcoming party to Alaric. Because the purple flowers were vervain.
"Well, I did take over my dad's garden," Kat let slip, observing their faces, "Which flowers are we talking about exactly?"
Both of the adults cleared their throats at the same time, awkward smiles and waving hands.
"You know, just normal looking?" Alaric supplied.
Liz looked hopeless, stuck in a situation. Sighing, she stopped the teacher from embarrassing himself any more. "Maybe you could take me to your backyard and I could... maybe tell you."
Kat looked in between the adults with an idea forming in her mind. It was kind of stupid, a whole lot dangerous... But it was a beginning for a more elaborate safety net. Her entry into the inner circle of the Town Council.
In the very eloquent words of Caroline Forbes, Kat reiterated 'Fake it till you make it' in her mind until she was confident enough to speak with stuttering. Offering a small knowing smile (which she ripped off from Damon's), Kat withdrew a small wooden box from her leather satchel. It was a wooden box, a keepsake from Stefan's attic that he let her borrow.
She opened it in front of them, watching their reaction to the dried vervain. "Maybe this is what you're looking for... Liz?"
Fake it till you make it. Don't lose that smile. Do not lose that smile.
"Yo- you got this from your father?"
"Learnt to grow it from him," Kat shut the box with that nonchalant admission.
Damon was so going to kill her.
"So you have more of it?"
Being needed by the Sheriff of Mystic Falls was so exhilarating, even if it could end up with Kat's slaughter.
Like every year, that day too was spent aimlessly wandering in and out of classrooms for the whole day. The cafeteria was closed for the day as the Career Fair was being set up there, officials from nearby universities and exam centres were trying their own amateur touch to their booths with Kat and Caroline's help. Ribbons hung from the ceiling right from the first period of the day and the teachers chose to nag about the day being eaten up by yet another important town event rather than actual education.
"So what are you?" a very inquisitive Bonnie Bennett had looked up from beneath her curly black bangs. Bonnie was seemingly okay, though flanking Elena's side like always.
Elena bit her lip, eyes lowered when it was Kat's turn to speak.
"Honestly? I don't know."
"So you're not a..." Bonnie's eyes widened, "Y'know?"
Kat smiled, amused, "I'm not. But I can heal, make things catch fire, come back from the dead, hear from five miles away when I'm high on Advil and run just a bit slower than light."
"...Dude, that is cool."
And that was that.
Bonnie was never one to express her dilemma out loud, but Kat felt lighter with one of her best friends knowing her secret. Everyday Kat was one desperate step closer to spewing the truth to Caroline but everyday Stefan pulled her back with a 'it's for her own good Viv'.
Speaking of, Stefan Salvatore had skipped school once again.
Kat hadn't gotten a stable minute from the butt crack of dawn to message or call Stefan. He never told her he was planning on dropping out but by the red 'A's in the attendance register, he might as well.
When school ended for the day, Elena and Kat were among the cheerful crowd of sweaty teens that swarmed out of class.
"Think I can take Jenna for the first half?" Kat asked, her phone alight while texting Jenna. She had made grand plans to reveal her aspirations to her aunt, and for that she needed to hijack half her evening. The other half could be eaten up by Elena.
"You know what? I don't even know what I'm choosing so you have her to yourself." Elena's reply was hoarse and reckless but it was enough for Kat. She planned to talk Jenna's ear off that night and get her choices straightened.
Before Kat could shout and wrangle up Caroline and Jeremy into the parking lot, Elena's firm grip on her hand pulled her back.
"What?"
Her twin silently pointed towards a lone figure sitting by the lawn benches.
Stefan stood up as his eyes caught them. Kat, oblivious to Elena's tensed air, gave a big smile and a cheery wave. "Hey Broody!"
"Hi" Elena timidly approached the benches with a greeting.
"So have you resigned from student life or what?" Kat punched his shoulder, "'Cause Tyler might feel relieved that girls are throwing themselves at him aga..."
Stefan, true to his nickname, was marinating in a pensive brooding silence.
"What's wrong?"
The day was a very important one for Kat Gilbert. It was one of those days that she prayed would not go south.
Seemed like chaos was marching to its own beat.
Someone was piling up dead bodies as they spoke. According to Stefan, it fit the pattern of a vampire killing spree. Only one body was left behind from the tens that were disappearing everyday for a week and now the Council was on high alert. That explained Liz's surprise visit in the morning.
"So, you have no idea who it could be?"
"None." Stefan sighed, "But it must be somebody new because leaving a body like that, they're either sloppy or they're trying to send a message."
"Are you sure it's not Damon?" Elena asked.
"I don't think so,"
Stefan's gaze snapped to Kat's when she defended Damon, shocked and a bit curious. She wordlessly shrugged. Be it her emotional moment with the older Salvatore the night before or the cynical part of her that knew Damon would never be sloppy, Kat felt it in her gut.
"Well, I'm never sure about Damon," Stefan brought the words out slowly, still unsure, "-but he's been trying to keep a low profile lately, so it just doesn't make any sense to me."
"So what are you gonna do Stefan? There's a supernatural killer loose in the town on Career Night. I thought you guys were the only vampires here."
Kat smacked her lips at Elena's words. She was always one to state the obvious.
Stefan started walking away, "Damon is tracking them right now. Look, I promised you the truth so I wanted to tell you. I want you to be careful... Both of you."
"You got it captain."
Elena pulled him back, fear in her eyes. "When I saw you, I...thought you were coming to say goodbye-"
"I..." Stefan fumbled. "I did plan on leaving. But I couldn't leave town with this—"
Kat frowned, looking between the both of them like a tennis match before she gave one shrill laugh. "I'm sorry, but have I been invited to a play I didn't know about? Because I'll need the script to follow through."
"I just wanted to say my goodbyes Vivi..."
What did he mean goodbye? He couldn't leave. It's his home here. His house was here, his grave was here, his love was here...
Kat looked down to observe his hands. Both were bare and he wasn't wearing the watch she gave him — their promise of friendship.
His oak green eyes were windows to his soul, ramming shut and open with guilt.
"Ooooooh" Kat's eyes perk up in a sarcastic smile, "I understand what you did there. Good one buddy. I'll talk to you later? Cool. Bye."
She walked away, only to have him trail behind her with Elena. "Viv I was going to te—"
"Don't, Stefan." Kat's choked reply still had her back to him. She clutched her satchel tighter, fiddling rigidly with her hat, "I'll talk to you when you're sane."
Why did she care that much anyway?
Damon Salvatore was a puzzle. One that she didn't try to solve the night before. He had killed, maimed and compelled everything that was in his way and he wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again. But Kat saw a side of him that she didn't expect to see in a man so emotionless and monstrous. When he begged Emily to not abandon the plan, when he was desperate to be the one loved.
Maybe all he wanted was to be loved.
Considering the fight that her mind lost with her heart, it was not really surprising that she found herself answering his texts.
She wondered if Damon had stolen Stefan's cell phone. There was no other reasonable explanation for how her number wound up in Damon's phone.
"Why am I doing this again?" she whisper-yelled. She was stuck in a tree like a helpless kitten, Damon squished against the bark. Contrasting her panicked and frowning face, he was cool as a cucumber, his hands lazing on her shoulders.
There was something strikingly cunning about his beauty. Sharp cheeks that looked calloused from Michelangelo's hands, eyes that put sandy beaches to shame, every time Damon smiled he chipped away a loose piece of a shell that protected Kat's reality.
"Shh," he pointed a finger to his ear, "Be patient." Leaning back, he fished his phone out from his pocket as it rang.
"So what do I do now?"
Her eyes widened at the voice that rang from the other line. Kat pulled on Damon's collar with a glare. She warned him to never compel Caroline again or come near her ever again.
"Yeah just stay there and tell me if it points to the warehouse," Damon ordered her.
Damon didn't give Kat a warning, holding the nape of her neck.
He winked, "Hold on"
One whoosh and they were back on the ground, Caroline standing in front of them, her back to them.
"Thanks," Damon snatched a compass out of the blonde's hands, patting her shoulder quickly before walking towards the warehouse.
"Ugh, he really has a lot of free time on his hands," Caroline rolled her eyes.
Kat couldn't believe this, "Wha-... What are you doing here, Care? What happened to that manicure hour!"
Caroline didn't seem as concerned as Kat felt. Pushing a stray lock back into her braid, she shook her head at Kat. "Damon wanted me to check this out for his business. Apparently he minds Feng shui."
"No, wait, do you have that perfume I gave you?"
Caroline's eyes widened with a beloved smile, "I do, I've been smelling of roses this whole day. Matt liked it too!"
"So Damon... didn't do anything weird?"
"You mean other than just being creepy like himself?"
"Well, yeah. Did he do the creepy eye thing?"
"No. Well, I have to go hon. I think I'll have to yank my mom out of the station to Career Night. Tell me how your... warehouse hunting goes?" Caroline ended the wish in a question.
"Yeah sure," Kat gave a little smile, kissing her quickly on the cheek and seeing her off.
Damon whistled for her from the closed shutter of the warehouse he chose. "You have superspeed Katherine, act like it."
"You didn't compel my friend."
It was a statement, not a question. If Damon was surprised by himself, he didn't show it. Pulling back the sleeves of his button down, his reply was nonchalant, "My smile does have its perks you know?"
Kat rolled her eyes, "As much as I want to knock it right off your face.... Why am I here Damon?"
"Beautiful company never hurt sweetheart. Though I'd take you away from my brother."
"You don't know what you're talking about,"
Damon slowly opened the shutter, his muscles bulging at the sudden activity. "I can sense it when you're mad."
"Maybe you're making me mad huh?"
She stalked closer to him. They were chest-to-chest, each of them breathing against each other with matching predatory challenge. Her doe-like dirty green eyes pummelled through his light ones for a fraction of a heated moment.
Damon froze, finally almost leaning in, "I admit, I do have that effect on ladies..."
Kat realized what she was doing. Beating herself up for losing her head, she stumbled backward.
"But this one's all my baby brother. I mean, not telling that he was leaving to protect you Gilbert sisters...." He mocked. "Dick move".
"Fuck off Damon."
She started walking out of there, ready to get away from Damon and the creepy warehouse. But he vamped in front of her, "Look, you were all for protecting people against... Well, me..."
"Aren't you perceptive," Kat scoffed.
"So are you. So you can see that I've changed... I'm here to help you see—"
"You just wanna stay low for the Council" Kat gritted out.
One thing she had yet to get used to, was how nothing about her seemed to affect Damon and he affected her. He let her allegation slide with a passive glint in his eyes that made her heart beat faster. "Beauty and Brains. Consider me impressed."
She doesn't let him speak anymore, silently walking out of there. The warehouse looked empty for the most part, smelling of pee, dirt and metal in its lone haunting aura.
Before she could make it another step, a loud familiar thud tore through the air, a sharp piercing pain putting Kat down. Another one. And another one.
"Kat!" Damon was lying beside her, bending in pain on the ground.
Her entire stomach felt numb now. But only when the air filled with a scent of blood, did she realize that it was her who was shot.
As she winced over Damon's growl, a figure emerged from behind a barrel of machinery. Kat recognized the tell-tale smirk that she had cursed a million times on TV.
"I have tons of these wood bullets, so nothing funky"
"Great," she groaned, "The town's ass is shooting at us."
Damon sighed.
"Just great."
irene's corner
The sexual tension between my
piling assignments and editing Allure
for Wattys though...
But also the sexual tension
between Kat and Damon.