The Ties that Bind Us - Things (Fall) Apart (part 7 of 9)

[tamoline]

Title: The Ties that Bind Us - Things (Fall) Apart (part 7 of 9)
Author: Louisa and Tamoline
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Vampire Diaries
Pairing: Elena/Katherine, Caroline/Elena, Caroline/Katherine, but not Caroline/Elena/Katherine. It's *still* complicated.
Spoilers - End of season 3

A little way down the line from Three's a Crowd

The relationships between Caroline, Elena and Katherine have only gotten more complicated.

But things can't go on like this.

Notes: Apologies for taking so long to post the next part

Previous parts:
Overture: Melody  Harmony  Counterpoint
Main Act: Melody  Harmony  Counterpoint

We lie there on the bed, afterwards, satiated and satisfied. Silent. It's a comfortable silence, if not a comforting one. There's no need to fill it with words, to speak just for the sake of it.

Anyway, Katherine's never really been one for pillow talk.

Not unless she has a point to make.

I look over at her, stretched out like a cat beside me, limbs languid and liquid. A tiny smile -- more of a smirk, really -- plays lazily about her lips and her eyes are half-closed.

So are mine, I realise. In fact, she could be my mirror image. Or I hers. Both of us sprawled and smiling like the cats that got the cream.

Not the most inappropriate comparison, I suppose.

Suddenly and from out of nowhere, I find myself wondering what Caroline is like, would be like, after making love. Somehow, I can't quite picture her as the 'languorously sprawling' type. No, I bet she's one of those people who's full of pep and energy afterwards, who wants to go out there and *do* things. Great things. Impossible things.

I can just imagine it.

I can... Oh.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Caroline." Caught off-guard by the question, I automatically answer with the truth. (A dangerous habit, Katherine would say. Has said.)

Katherine looks at me thoughtfully for a moment or two, and then a sly smirk spreads across her face.

"Haven't fucked her yet, huh," she says, not really making it a question.

"None of your business!" Embarrassingly, I feel my face grow hot, a sure sign that I'm blushing furiously. (And how annoying is it that being a vampire didn't even cure that. At least not when I'm well-fed. Of course, being not-well-fed has whole other problems.)

Still smirking, Katherine scooches over so she can look down at me. "She's quite the firecracker, you know," she says, like she's confiding secrets. "Such energy. Such *vigour*."

"Katherine!" My protest comes out a little higher pitched, a little more panicky than I would like. I take a moment to modulate my tone before continuing. "This is not a conversation I want to have with you. Not now, not ever."

Her grin twists, taking on a wicked edge. Something dangerous glitters in her eyes. "Never say never, Elena," she murmurs, cupping my cheek lightly. "Have I taught you nothing?"

Even as satisfied and blissed out as I am, her touch almost makes me shiver, kindling a spark deep inside me. Before I fully think through what I'm doing, I find myself pressing my lips to hers, sliding one hand over the smooth arch of her back.

"We are not having this conversation, Katherine," I murmur, my words edged with warning. For emphasis, I press my nails into her skin.

"Mmmm..." Katherine shivers, kissing me back thoroughly. "Apparently you *have* learned a few things." She makes a show of considering my words deeply. "Well, since you ask so nicely, I'll consider the subject off-limits. For now." I start to protest, but she cuts me off with another kiss, trailing her nails down my spine in a way that makes my skin tingle.

She doesn't need to speak with words for me to understand her meaning. The subject is closed. On this occasion. But she reserves the right to bring it up again in the future. Oh well. That's about as good as I'm going to get, I suppose.

If Katherine *has* taught me anything, it's that I should savour my victories. Because next time is a whole new contest, and all bets are off.

We kiss and caress for a while, our movements slow and unhurried. We both know it's not leading anywhere this time. We both know she's going to leave soon. But if she happens to ensure that she leaves me wanting more, well, that's Katherine for you.

And that's one favour I'm more than happy to return.

"There is something I want to say," I venture, when by mutual consent we finally break apart. (Perhaps we're both a little flushed, a little sweaty, a little distracted. But I'm not too distracted for further conversation. And that's something I definitely have to thank her for.)

(Much as it sometimes galls me to have to thank her for anything.)

"So say it," she sighs.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stands up smoothly and easily, turning the motion into a full-body stretch that takes her right up onto her toes, arms upraised as if she's trying to touch the ceiling. She sighs deeply, smiling to herself. It's a secretive smile, enigmatic. A Mona Lisa smile. I wonder what it means.

It's funny: most of the time, I just *get* her. Not that she's an open book, exactly -- god knows she has her secrets, after all -- but I understand how she thinks, where she's coming from, what she means. But sometimes, every once in a while, there's a certain look in her eyes, or she says something so completely out of left field that trying to follow the twists and turns of her thinking makes me feel like I'm trying to tie myself in knots.

And on those occasions, in those rare, scattered moments in time, it's like she's from a different planet.

But then the moment passes -- as they always do -- and it's just a smile. (Well, as much as anything about Katherine can be 'just' anything.) Satisfied, yet sly. She's had her fun with me, and now she's moving on to the next thing.

What is her 'next thing' this time, I wonder? Stefan again? Damon? Caroline? Someone or something else entirely?

Unexpectedly, I feel a stab of some sharp, unpleasant emotion. Jealousy? Am I jealous? I don't want to be, but...

But.

I've come to realise that there is one thing in particular that I have in common with Katherine. We both claim people as our own. Even if they don't really belong to us. (Any more.)

But I'm getting side-tracked.

I prop myself up on my elbows, the better to see Katherine, unable to stop myself admiring the play of muscles under her smooth, supple skin. I keep my eyes on her as she finishes her stretch and starts prowling the room in search of her discarded clothing.

"I know you like to get under people's skins," I say, finally. "But don't force Caroline to do things that she doesn't want to do."

Katherine laughs softly, bending to disentangle her bra from the bedclothes. "Why would I?" she says, like the very notion is unthinkable. "It's so much more fun to persuade someone to do the things they *do* want to do." She looks up at me with eyes full of mischief and deviltry. "You should know that, Elena." She blows me a kiss and straightens up. "You, if anyone, should know that."

I think about asking her what she means by that last remark, but I know it wouldn't do any good. Not with her in this mood. So I wrap the duvet around myself and watch her get dressed.

For some reason, maybe because Katherine mentioned him earlier, my thoughts turn towards Stefan and the time before. Before I was turned. Before Klaus and the Ripper. Before Katherine, even. Back when the biggest complication in my life was the fact that my boyfriend was a vampire.

Pretty big complication, right?

And yet, compared to what came afterwards? Hardly anything at all.

As always, I feel a pang when I think back to those days; the old days. So long ago, now.

It feels so long ago. I've changed so much since then, even beyond the obvious. I guess we all have, really. And I can't even blame Katherine for most of it. Much as I sometimes wish I could.

What is she really doing here? What does she really want from me and Caroline?

Aside from the obvious.

"Is this a game?" I blurt out the question, not even knowing I'm going to speak until the words are out of my mouth and hanging in the air between us.

Katherine tilts her head, pausing in the act of stepping into her panties, her smile turning distinctly wry. "Well, of course it is," she replies, as if speaking to a particularly slow child. I can't help but bristle a little, even knowing that's exactly what she wants. Only the fact that she's still speaking stops me from saying something I'd end up regretting. "Everything is a game. The question you should be asking is: what kind of game is it?"

I sigh. "So, what kind of game *is* it?" I ask, resignedly, as she continues to get dressed. I did start this line of conversation, after all. I'm kind of curious to see where it ends up.

"I don't know yet," she murmurs, a wicked glint in her eyes. "But it's going to be fun finding out."

Quickly retrieving and donning the rest of her clothes, she fishes her boots out from under the dresser but, rather than sliding her feet into them, she climbs back onto the bed. I blink at her as she stretches out beside me.

"What are you doing?" I wonder aloud.

She leans in and kisses me lightly. "You should take her out," she says, ignoring the question.

"Huh?"

Katherine's lips quirk as she looks down at me. Not a full smile, just the merest suggestion of one, but she's definitely amused.

"Caroline," she clarifies, relishing the name, drawing out the 'a' and rolling the 'r' around on her tongue. She leans in a little, brushes a stray hair off my face, lets her fingers linger a little longer than strictle necessary on my cheek. "You should take her out on a date."

I look at her for a long moment, trying in vain to keep the frown from my face. "Why?"

She does smile now; a wry, sharp-edged thing, her eyes glittering like diamonds. A brittle sort of humour. But her voice is still gentle as she answers. "Elena, if you need me to tell you why a girl should take her paramour out on a date, then you're a lost cause. And I don't do lost causes."

"No." I make myself bite back the hot rush of irritation at her deliberate misreading of my question, propping myself up on my elbows so she's not looking down at me any more. "I meant: why do *you* want *me* to take *Caroline* out on a date?"

"Don't you want to?"

"I didn't say that!"

Even knowing her like I do, knowing that she's trying to wind me up, the words just burst out of me, hot and angry. She's always been good at pushing my buttons. Now, she sits back on the bed, facing me, arms stretched out behind her, legs out in front with her knees slightly bent. Her face -- damn her -- is a perfect mask of polite puzzlement, eyebrows arched quizzically.

"So you *do* want to?" she asks, innocently. Like anything she says or does can ever be truly innocent. (Except sometimes, when she's lying beside me in the dark of the night. Except in those still and quiet times when I wonder, when I think that maybe, in some strange way -- her own way -- perhaps she actually is.)

"I didn't-" 'say that either,' I almost say, but trap the words on my tongue before they can escape into the air between us. I take a deep breath, swallowing them back down, making myself think. This isn't the way to pry Katherine's reasons from her. Not this time. So I answer her question. "Of course I want to," I say softly. "I've done the best I can -- *we've* done the best we can -- but it's been hard. We've been trying to keep this whole thing under wraps." I gesture vaguely with one hand, unable to find the right words to describe the complicated push and pull between Caroline and Katherine and I. "For obvious reasons." Damon, Stefan, Sheriff Forbes, Tyler... No, not Tyler. Not any more. But still the list goes on. I sigh heavily. "Mystic Falls is a small town."

"You need to think beyond Mystic Falls." The amusement is gone now, as is the fake confusion. I sit up all the way, emotional turmoil receding in the face of sudden clarity. This is Katherine being serious; Katherine making a point. This was never just about dating. (Well, gee. This *is* Katherine, after all.)

"I know," I say, slowly. I'm strangely pleased that I sound thoughtful rather than defensive. "I am. I've been looking into a few places, but..." It will change things. It will say things I don't know if Caroline is ready to hear. Hell, I don't know if I'm ready to *say* them. (Yet?) Change is hard. (Change hurts. Even if it's a good thing, even if it's for the best. It always, always hurts.) I can't say any of this, though. The words stick in my throat, no matter how much I want to force them out. But that's alright, because I know that Katherine understands. (One reason -- the main reason? -- why it's so easy to just be with her.) Instead, I compromise with: "It's all so expensive."

Katherine smiles brilliantly. "Is that all?" she drawls. Before I can respond, she swings her legs over the side of the bed, blowing a kiss over her shoulder at me as she stands. A couple of strides take her to the bag I hadn't noticed, tucked away in the corner by the door. I hold back my question as she rummages, curiosity burning within me. I don't have to wait long. With a triumphant exclamation, she seizes her quarry and returns to the bed, carelessly throwing whatever-it-is towards me as she settles down. I catch it automatically, looking at my hand to see:

"A credit card?" I look closer, my eyes widening a little involuntarily. "A platinum credit card? In my name?"

She shrugs expressively. "Happy birthday."

I narrow my eyes at her. "First of all, it's not my birthday. Second of all, what the hell? You can't just *give* someone a credit card. I can't afford-"

"I can," she interrupts, firmly. Leaning forward, she kisses me lightly on the lips, silencing the rest of my protest. Sighing inwardly, I stop trying to talk and kiss her back, not-so-lightly, catching her lower lip between my teeth. She makes a low, pleased noise, but before we (I) can get too carried away, she pulls back. "That card is linked to one of my accounts. I'll be taking care of the bills. You don't have to worry your pretty little head about it. All you need to do is use the card."

"But..." So many questions bubble up inside me that I'm temporarily tongue-tied. I make myself focus. "What am I supposed to use it *for*?"

Katherine laughs at that, a throaty chuckle of genuine amusement. "Oh, Elena, Elena," she purrs, looking at me with an expression that can only be described as fond. "Use it for whatever the hell you want. It's *your* card."

"I don't understand," I say, wincing inside at the plaintive note in my voice. "Why are you giving me this?" I guess I've accepted the fact that she can, apparently, just *give* someone a credit card. Of course she can: she's Katherine. But I don't ask the obvious question: I don't ask what she wants in return.

"It can't just be a gift?" I don't even bother to reply to that. She knows I know better. Nodding at me -- in approval -- she continues. "A couple of reasons, if you must know. Emergencies, for one. Hypothetical example: having ready access to extensive funds is awfully useful if you have to drop everything and go on the run." She fixes me with a steady, sober gaze. "I've invested a considerable amount of time and effort in you, Elena Gilbert. I will be damned if I let that go to waste because you don't have enough money to run if you have to. You can't always rely on being able to compel or kill your way out of trouble. Don't get me wrong. Violence and compulsion are useful tools for any vampire, but using them exclusively is a trap that far too many of our kind fall into. Sometimes it's best to do things the mortal way."

Her words make my stomach twist uneasily. Not the last part, but the first. Mystic Falls is my home, has always been my home. Bad things have happened here, it's true, but they don't outweigh the good, can't diminish the happy memories I've made here. I can't stand the thought that I may have to leave it. Not choosing to leave it -- because I *would* like to see the world one day -- but being forced to up sticks and flee. I know it could happen. I'm a Gilbert and a doppelganger and a vampire, three reasons why people might want to harm me and mine. But I can't...

Maybe it's cowardly of me, maybe it's stupid, but I just don't want to think about it. I haven't let myself think about it. But, somehow, I don't think Katherine's going to indulge me in that blindness any more.

"You said you had a couple of reasons," I say softly, when she shows no sign of continuing unprompted. "What's the other?"

"I want you to know what it's like to have money," she answers, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" I almost think I've misheard. Almost. "Why?" Why do I need to know that? Why does she want me to know that?

"Aside from altruism?"

"Aside from altruism," I echo, flatly.

"You are going to live a long, long time. The attraction of poverty will soon pall." She flashes me a quick, wry smile. "Trust me on that. You're going to want comfort, maybe even luxury. That generally takes money." She shrugs. "Sure, you can compel your way into the finer things in life, but why take the risk of doing so directly? Money's easier. Money's safer. And it's becoming ever more so in today's world."

The look in her eyes is almost daring me to contradict her, to call her on her hypocrisy. Like she doesn't throw around compulsions like they were going out of style. Like I didn't have to practically order her not to use the old vamp-eyes discount around me. (I still don't know why she decided to humour me on that one. And I'm still waiting for her retaliation.)

But I don't want to fight with her right now. Not when she actually seems inclined to explain something for once. So I settle for merely raising my eyebrows quizzically.

"My family weren't exactly paupers," I point out, mildly. "And I do have my inheritance."

Katherine inclines her head to me. "The Gilberts of Mystic Falls have always been comfortably well-off," she concedes. "But there's a difference between being well-off and being truly, obscenely, *filthy* rich."

"You make it sound like I'm eventually going to be demanding gold plates and servants to carry me everywhere." I shake my head. "That really doesn't sound like me." I mean, I get wanting a comfortable life. That sounds reasonable. But living in the lap of luxury? Not really one of my priorities. And, for all that Katherine enjoys the finer things in life, I don't think it's really one of hers, either.

So, what's she really doing this for?

Her laughter rings out, clear and bright. "Don't knock it 'till you've tried it, darling." Her expression sobers again, although her eyes still sparkle a little. "Well, maybe not. But there will be times when you'll have to hobnob with the excessively wealthy." She sounds so sure about that. Does she have specific plans for me (us?) in that direction, or is it simply the voice of experience talking? "Blending in with those types takes a very particular skill set, part of which involves knowing how to handle having money."

"I think I know how to buy stuff, Katherine." I can't help rolling my eyes a little.

"Oh, it's rather more than that, Elena," she proclaims airily. "But I'm not going to argue with you. For now, let's just say that I want to give you that card. And I want you to use it."

"But..." My protest falters almost before the word is out of my mouth. I could say I don't want to be any further in Katherine's debt but, when compared to the rest of it, what's one little platinum credit card between friends? Or whatever we are to each other. I change tack a little. "I can use it for anything?"

"Whatever your little heart desires," Katherine replies, bestowing a beatific smile upon me. "Unless you're planning on purchasing a house or something on that order of magnitude, you don't need to worry about trifling things like credit limits. Those are problems for other people."

"And the bills...?"

"I'll pay them. All of them. You have my word."

"But what if you don't agree with..."

"It's your card. Use it however you want. Just use it. Learn how much easier things are when you have money. Have fun, live a little." Her smile softens, something almost gentle showing in her eyes. "It'll be good for you."

I don't quite know what to say to that, so I just go with the obvious response. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she says, and then winks at me. "Maybe you can take Caroline out on the town. Show her a good time."

"Yeah," I say, the word so quiet even I can barely hear it. I turn the platinum card over and over in my hands, watching the way the light glints on the hologram, the way it makes the embossed letters and numbers seem to gleam.

This is mine.

I don't think it's quite sunk in yet. It's not the money -- nice though I'm sure that will be when I can actually wrap my head around the thought. It's what it means.

It means freedom.

It means the removal of obstacles.

It means I don't have any excuses now.

Not that I was looking for any, not really. I mean, I do want to see where this thing with Caroline is heading. I do. But...

But...

Oh god, what if it all goes wrong? What if she's not ready? What if I'm not ready? What if she doesn't want to take things any further? What if she's just been trying to find a way to tell me she wants to go back to the way things were?

What if she just doesn't like me that way?

I don't know if I can do this.

"Hey." Startled out of my thoughts, I look up to see Katherine smiling wryly at me. She leans forward a little to brush a few strands of hair off my face, smoothing it back and sliding her hand down to rest lightly on my shoulder. "Amusing though it is to watch your facial contortions," she drawls. "There's no need to tie yourself up in knots. It's really not that complicated."

"Of course it is," I say. "She... We... I..." I can't find the words to continue. Katherine places a finger on my lips, putting a stop to my verbal floundering.

"Breathe, Elena." I frown, but do as she says, drawing in a deep breath that seems to start somewhere near my toes, letting it out again in a great sigh. I start to speak again, but she shakes her head, tapping my lips none-too-gently. "Keep going."

"I know how to breathe," I grumble, only just resisting the urge to bite her fingers, but I keep on taking deep, even breaths. After a few of them, Katherine nods approvingly and moves her hand away.

"You and Caroline have known each other for most of your lives," Katherine says, like the voice of reason. "There's no need to get dramatic about this. It's just the two of you in a nice restaurant. That's all. Good food, good company, good conversation." She shrugs. "No need to worry who might be watching or listening. No pressure. Just you and Caroline." She raises her eyebrows, holding my gaze. "Right?"

"Right," I say, slowly. But the word sounds far too hesitant for my liking, so I clear my throat and try again. "Right!"

And, just like that, I feel calm again. I would thank Katherine, but I know she'd just brush it off, so I just smile at her instead. She smiles back, something wicked glinting in her eyes, and leans in close, lowering her voice as if imparting confidences. "Who knows? Maybe she'll finally put out."

I start to protest, but suddenly Katherine's lips are on mine, and she's kissing me like she wants to devour me whole. And my heart is thundering in my ears and I'm kissing her back and my hands are starting to slide over her body, reaching for the fastenings of her clothing as I want her all over again, and...

Next thing I know she's across the room, *smiling* at me as I have to use all my willpower to keep back a growl of pure frustration.

"Goodbye, Elena." She doesn't even make a token effort to keep the satisfaction from her voice, blowing me a kiss as she gathers up her bag and boots.

A thousand possible responses flash through my head, but in the end all I say is: "Goodbye."

"Pleasant dreams."

And then she's gone. Leaving me with questions, leaving me wanting, leaving with the last goddamn word! That is just like her!

Just like always.

For now.