chapter twelve — dead to me  

      "Gwyn," A small feminine voice called from the distance. Through the darkness of the night, it wasn't unnerving to witness Elena walking towards from outside her own house. Gwyn had just returned from the hospital after discussing the aftermath of the device with the sheriff. She was meeting with her and the Salvatore brothers to continue their plans. Elena seemed troubled as she exhaled slowly, a puff of smoke expelled into nothingness, her arms closed and brows furrowed. "Did Damon end up giving Caroline his blood?" Caroline, her friend who Damon had compelled and manipulated, had been severely injured that night because of a car accident. The medical staff wasn't convinced she was going to survive. Bonnie urged them to feed Caroline Damon's blood to improve her condition.

      Gwyn raised a brow as soon as the words fell from her lips. She would have assumed she would have questioned her about her friend's unstable condition instead of Caroline's intake of vampire blood, but she dismissed the concern. "Yeah, right before he left," She answered, eyes quickly glimpsing towards the porch lights of Elena's home. She could see the shadows of movement inside. "Aren't you coming inside?" She asked, looming closer to the concrete pathway. The whole purpose of her coming to her house was to discuss their discoveries and how to continue, but Elena seemed keen on being as far away as possible.

      Elena smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, just have to get something from my car," She answered nonchalantly. "I'll meet you inside." Elena dismissed her as if she were rushing to disappear. It was certainly odd of how dismissive she was acting. And as she walked passed her, her arm brushed against Gwyn's hand and she was overcome from the coldness chilling her throughout her body. It was as if Elena's soul was detached, severed from the balance of nature.

      Like a vampire.

      She stopped and glanced over her shoulder, eyeing Gwyn warily. This wasn't Elena, she didn't know how she hadn't noticed before, but as soon as the realization flashed across her expression, her eyes narrowed. Katherine disappeared within seconds in a hazed blur as she understood that she had been discovered and caught red-handed. Gwyn rushed up the porch, the wooden boards creaked beneath her weight, and quickly unlocked the door before hurriedly closing it behind her. Gwyn muttered a simple spell that prevented the doors from being opened and she whirled on her heel, facing the brothers and a frightened Elena Gilbert. "That bitch is here." She spat, "Just ran into her outside. She was pretending to be Elena. Once I figured her out, she disappeared."

      Damon inched closer to Gwyn's seething figure. "Did she say what she wanted?" He reached for her hand, a simple gesture, but the warmth of his skin was enough to have her centralize her focus on calming down.

      She tightened her fingers around him. "No, she's scared of me. She left before I could even say anything."

      Elena descended from the staircase, an exasperated expression on her face. "I told Jeremy. I can't lie to him anymore. " She declared, accepting Stefan's embrace as he asked if she was okay. "No, I'm not all right. I thought with all the tomb vampires gone, things would get better."

       Stefan sighed heavily. "I know, we all did."

       Elena's expression transformed into a combination of horror and realization. "Katherine was in this house," She said, startled. "That means she's been invited in. What are we gonna do?"

       Gwyn narrowed her eyes at the bloodstains on the floor. "Shouldn't be our main concern right now," She said, "If she wanted you dead, you would be. You were alone with her, she had the chance to kill you, but here you are. Just means she has other plans right now."

      Stefan helped Elena sit down at the table. "Right, and we need to find out what those other plans are and not provoke her in the process." He said with a pointed voice, his tone obviously directed at her. Gwyn rolled her eyes but didn't respond. She supposed his comment wasn't so far-fetched. Katherine had a habit of aggravating Gwyn's ancestors and because their memories are inside her, she hadn't forgotten.

      "John must know something," Elena pondered aloud, "There has to be a reason why Katherine tried to kill him."

      Damon snatched his hand away from Gwyn's. "She's Katherine," He snapped, "She loves to play games, and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to find out what she's up to before she wants you to know."

      Gwyn contemplated with a concentrated expression. "No, Elena could be right, actually." She said, surprising both Elena and Stefan. "Think about it. John could know something through Isobel, who knew Katherine. We could talk to John tomorrow. I have a few words for that asshole."

      Damon sighed. "I have a better idea," He said, "I'm just gonna ignore the bitch. If Katherine thinks she's being ignored, it'll lure her out. She'll make a move."

      Stefan didn't appear impressed. "Then what?"

      Gwyn smiled. "Isn't it obvious, Stefan," She asked coldly. "We're going to kill her."

<<>>

       The energy of the hospital was thick, dense with tragic and negative auras as Gwyn roamed through the jam packed corridors. The sterile smell that flowed through the walls was unsettling, the occasional whimper from red-eyed mourning families huddled on the floor forced her to keep her eyes ahead. Stefan walked beside Elena, his hand clutched reassuringly on hers as they neared John Gilbert's room.

      Gwyn stepped inside, entirely unconcerned with her own abruptness. John laid across the hospital bed, pale and unresponsive. As she inched closer to his motionless body, the anger bubbled inside her. This was the man that tried to kill her less than a day prior. He poured the potent gasoline all around her and threw the match that almost engulfed her within flames. She was seething just hearing his steady breaths.

      She flicked her hand and the door closed behind Stefan. He and Elena jumped at the sound, the room suddenly was filled with an ominous vibe. Gwyn walked to his bedside, dark eyes examining his injuries. With one quick movement, she slapped the side of his face. John's eyes shot open and immediately grasped his cheek. "We're going to make this quick. We know Katherine did this to you and we need to know why."

      John exhaled deeply as he struggled to keep his distance from the fuming witch. "Where is she?" He asked, swallowing heavily.

      Gwyn narrowed her eyes. "Does it look like we fucking know, John," She clenched her hand into a fist and John exclaimed with sudden pain. "You feel that? That's me tearing open your stitches. Can't play the tough guy now, can you? Answer our questions and you won't be needing a second surgery." She released her fist and he cried with relief.

      Elena apprehensively walked forward, placing his ring onto his palm. "Please. Tell us why she's here," Elena pleaded, her face was soft and distressed. "What does she want?"

      John didn't answer, couldn't even look into Elena's eyes. Stefan sighed. He had expected this. "She'll try again," He said, "We can't protect you if you don't confide in us."

      John scoffed. "In you?" He asked, disgusted.

      "In your daughter, then."

      "My daughter should have driven a stake through your heart by now," John struggled to speak, but the obvious aversion for Stefan was obvious. "I haven't spoken to Katherine directly. She never trusted me," John took short breaths. "So either kill me or get out. Because I can't stand the sight of you with my daughter."

      Elena shook her head, eyes brimming with salty tears. "You see the problem with such hatred. It's gonna get you killed." She stormed out of the room, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.

       Stefan opted to chase after her but stopped himself. He sped towards John, his hand nearly crushing his skull. Gwyn smirked and stepped back, watching the spectacle with amused eyes. "You may be okay with dying, but I have a better plan for you," Stefan ripped open his wrist with his teeth, pressing his open wound onto John's mouth. John groaned with revulsion as he involuntarily swallowed from the one thing he hated the most. "You now have my blood in your system. All I have to do is kill you. Now, take my advice—leave town. Elena doesn't want you here. You have twenty-four hours before the blood leaves your system. That's enough time for you to disappear or so help me God, I will turn you into a vampire and I will watch you hate yourself more than you already do." Stefan pushed down hard on John's neck before eventually releasing him.

      John screamed as soon as the fresh air filled his lungs. The overwhelming relief of finally being able to breathe was discarded by the sudden dread of what was inside him. With outrage, he wiped the blood that stained around his mouth. He stared at the crimson-red smeared on the back of his hand with wide eyes. Gwyn seemed to enjoy the bug-eyed horror and smiled. "The clock's ticking, asshole."

<<>>

      The Mayor's wake was brimming with blissfully ignorant townspeople, jubilant despite the circumstances. She would have thought the town would be grieving over the death of the Mayor. They seemed much more invested with the open bar and buffet. Gwyn entered the decorated mansion of the family with a world-weary expression. There was a wide variety of other things she would have preferred doing such as arranging her grimoire collection or collecting rainwater, but she was stuck here. The chatter and soft music filled the hallways, a small distraction of loss they experienced. As she stepped further inside, Bonnie appeared from across the room. Gwyn's gaze hardened as she came across the bitch that lied through her teeth and nearly killed her. A lightbulb in the distance shattered as Gwyn's magic pulsed from wrath and a few guests shrieked, chuckling to relieve themselves of embarrassment.

      As Gwyn approached the Bennett witch, she was nearly seething through her teeth as she spoke. "You pathetic, lying bitch," She grabbed Bonnie's wrist and clenched down, yanking her to a secluded room where the music slowly diminished into a hushed blur. With one flick of her hand, the doors slammed closed. Gwyn's fingers were pale as they dug into Bonnie's forearm tightly. "I trusted you and you lied to my face, almost had me killed in a fucking fire and nearly killed Damon." She released her and Bonnie rubbed her flushed forearm as she backed away from a seething Desdemona witch. Gwyn's eyes transformed into a pitch black as she leaned closer. "You're getting brave, Bonnie. That little flicker of power you felt when you had all of our lives in the palm of your hand is getting to your head. Well, guess what? I bleed power and you've just made me your enemy."

      Gwyn narrowed her gaze into Bonnie's for a brief moment as her eyes returned back to normal before eventually backing away and disappearing back into the main entrance of the home. She released a breath and released a wispy smile as she saw Damon outside, a drink in his palm as he watched the lingering bodies speak beneath the sunset's glow. She slowly walked to him, a pleasant expression rising on his face as he noticed her presence. There was a moment of quietness. "So, how've you been," She asked awkwardly. She mentally slapped herself as soon as the words fell from her mouth. She sounded like a nervous teenager.

      "Great, walking on sunshine." He responded sarcastically, his tone lighthearted. He was messing with her, but somewhat dismissing the conversation because his hands were becoming damp, an evident sign he was becoming nervous.

      She smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Damon." She jokingly warned.

      "Gwyndolyn." He mimicked her voice. He rarely used her full name, mostly because it was a mouthful, but she liked when he did.

      "I think we're close enough to talk about this," Gwyn said, watching the auras of strangers merge together in a rainbowed blur. "We're both mature adults, one of us being a lot more mature than the other."

      "Just because I'm one-hundred and—"

       She chuckled, interrupting him mid-sentence. "I wasn't referring to you." She said, smiling at his amused expression. She enjoyed this version of Damon. He wasn't cold or an aggravating smartass, but simply a man who enjoyed watching the sunset with a drink as he talked to the woman he cared for.

<<>>

      Damon Salvatore poured his scotch inside an ornate glass, the liquid poured smoothly as he watched the amber-brown alcohol with jaded eyes. He placed the glass cork back inside the bottle and walked towards his room before ultimately coming to a complete stop. The room shifted, the air was warmer and the atmosphere was thicker. He wasn't alone anymore. It didn't take much effort for him to deduce that this was the woman widely known as Katherine. "Very brave of you to come here." He said simply.

      Katherine was as beautiful as he remembered. She, although physically appeared the same as Elena, was much different than her doppleganger. The air moved around Katherine much differently, everything was much more sultry and lightless when she was around. Temptation and mystery lured you into her trap. Katherine didn't flinch from the coldness of his voice. "I wanted to say goodbye." She said.

      Damon reeled, looming closer with his glass still in his palm. "Leaving so soon?" He inquired, uncertain if he was believing the words falling from her pink lips.

      "I know where I'm not wanted."

      Damon stepped forward. "Don't pout," He said, "It's not attractive on a woman your age." He downed his scotch and placed the empty glass on the small table where Katherine crossed her legs on.

      She scoffed. "Ouch." Damon didn't want to play these games with her. Without another word, he turned around and left, aiming towards his room to escape from whatever it was Katherine had planned that evening, but she sped ahead of him. "What, no goodbye kiss?" A small, teasing smile rose on her thin lips. She enjoyed the negative reaction she received from him and it was obvious it didn't take much effort to crawl under his skin.

      "Why don't I kill you instead?" As she stared at him through her lashes, the anger suddenly appeared, he remembered that she lied to him and didn't even bother to ease his suffering of longing after her for a century and lived her luxurious lifestyle. "What are you doing here?" He eventually questioned.

      Her smile fell. "Nostalgia, curiosity, ect." She answered simply.

      "I'm better at the enigmatic one-liners, Katherine. What are you up to?"

      "Trust me, Damon," She said, "When I'm up to something, you'll know it." She inched forward, her eyes never leaving his. "Come on. Kiss me. Or kill me. Which will it be, Damon? We both know you're only capable of one." She leaned closer, her warm and sweet breath tickled his lips, but there was only one voice haunting his thoughts; Gwyn. He couldn't do this to her. Regardless of how much he considered closing the distance between their lips in that moment. He turned on his heel, but she was already there to toss him onto the floor and sprawl her petite frame on him. Katherine's breasts were pressed against his chest, her perfume lingering in the air as her doe-eyes looked at him innocently. "My sweet, innocent Damon." Her hand caressed his clothed chest as her lips teased his sensitive neck.

      He wrapped his hand around her neck and pushed her onto the floor, his large frame hovering over her docile body. There she was; the woman he had loved for one-hundred and forty-five years beneath him like he had remembered, her lips aching for his and her body curled into him, her warmth calling to him. And it didn't take long before he gave into the temptation and instantly forgot about the one voice that had been there for him. He kissed her.

      Their passionate moans and heavy breathing filled the room as they forcefully pushed each other onto the wooden walls, their hands never leaving each other's exposed skin. And he kissed her neck, he couldn't seem to get his thoughts out from the one question that was buried inside his mind. "Brief pause," Katherine rolled her eyes and pushed him from her. "I have a question. Answer it, and it's back to fireworks and rocket's red glare. Answer it right, and I'll forget the last 145 years I've spent missing you. I'll forget how much I loved you. I'll forget everything and we can start over. This can be our defining moment. Because we have time. That's the beauty of eternity. I just need the truth, just once."

      Katherine rejected his incoming touch. "Stop," She said softly. "I already know your question. And its answer. The truth is, I never loved you. It was always Stefan." And there it was. The wretched answer he had feared had been confirmed. She removed his hands that were desperately caressing her face and walked away without another word, leaving him brimming with heartache and regret.

       And just as Katherine was reaching for the doorknob, the door suddenly opened and there stood Gwyn at the doorway, eyes wide and troubled as she realized Katherine was inside the house. Her hair was misplaced and tangled, lips flushed and plump. Gwyn's watery gaze traveled down to the vampire's torn blouse, exposing her lace bra.

       Gwyn's gazed hardened and became achromatic shade of black as she turned around and disappeared back inside her car. As she trudged further in the distance, Katherine smirked.

       Damon was dead to her.