(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Twenty

Damon clenches his jaw a little, still unsure as to why Katherine wanted this road trip and she's been remarkably tight-lipped about it. It's frustrating. He glances over at her and then back to the road. Something about this is bothering him. He pulls the car over and cuts the engine before he climbs out. Katherine frowns and follows after him.

"Why are we stopping?" She asks him.

"I thought we might want to stretch our legs. I'm tired of driving. It's your turn"

"Fine" He holds the keys out for her. When she's about to take them, he suddenly throws the keys away. "Hey! I..." Katherine scolds him.

"We're not going anywhere until you spill your guts" He warns her. She clenches her jaw and scoffs a little.

"Fine" She takes something out of her pocket and shows him Elena's necklace. "Do you recognize this, hmm? A little birdy told me that Klaus wants to get his hands on it"

"Why would Klaus want Elena's necklace?" Damon asks as he folds his arms over his chest.

"Does it matter? He wants it, and I have it. It's leverage, Damon. Always stay one step ahead of your enemy"

"I'll keep that in mind"

"But more importantly, when I stole the necklace, I found out something else...Something better" Katherine admits.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"Are you willing to do whatever it takes to stop Klaus? No turning back?" Katherine asks him, stepping closer to him.

"I'm not turning back" Damon answers.

"Good. Because this isn't going to win you any points at home" Katherine points out and then opens up the trunk. Daphne is lying in it, bloodied and unconscious. Damon looks at her and then at Katherine.

"What did you do?!" He snaps at her, stepping towards her with intent.

"I had no idea the two of you were so close" Katherine teases a little but does take a step back from him.

"We're not" Damon argues. Because they're not close. Not really. He barely knows the girl. But he does actually like her. He likes being around her. Whatever that means. They're...friends, he supposes. That's as far as they've gotten, if they're going to go any further he doesn't know. And he doesn't appreciate her getting hurt. Katherine raises an eyebrow at him, amused by this outburst, for someone he's not close to. Daphne groans as she sits up, her hand reaches up for the side of her head. Katherine and Damon both move back to the car.

"Son of a bitch" Daphne complains.

"You okay, Red?" She blinks a little and her eyes settle on Damon leaning over to check on her, she slaps at his hand and gives him a glare. Katherine stands at his side, her arms over her chest.

"You better have a good reason for this" Daphne warns. "Before I bash your fucking head in"

"I have your wand" Katherine holds up her wand, Daphne smirks a little and holds out her hand, twisting it. There is a snap and Katherine collapses slightly, clutching her leg.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem" Daphne adds as she climbs out of the car. Damon moves to help her but she shoots him a warning look. "Don't touch me" She scolds him. She doesn't know that he wasn't in on this. Right now, she wakes up after being bashed in the skull to find Damon and Katherine here together. She manages on her own, stumbling a little to her feet.

"It's about Klaus," Damon tells her.

"I'm listening" Daphne comments as reaches up for her head again.