deercountry | out of the fire, into the frying pan

"I know you care about me. I don't doubt it and I don't doubt you. I'm sorry."

He doesn't really know how to make up for something that he's already said. He doesn't know how to prove to her that he doesn't really think that. He swallows, looking down.

"I love you, Katherine, and I know you love me. I don't think that about you. I...don't know what to say. I shouldn't have said what I said. It's not the truth."

A part of him must believe it, but Katherine's not going to argue. If he doesn't believe it—and says as much—then she has to do her part and believe it, too. She knows she has changed, much to the detriment of her own safety if she was to truly dip into her own five centuries' worth of paranoia. All it takes is for someone who wants her head to use that against her.

She sighs, letting her shoulders slump. Sliding her heel back on her foot, she holds the broken part of her shoe in her hand.

"I just want to go home and have a nice bath."

"All right."

Stefan...still thinks there's something here that she's not talking about. He thinks that she's still upset and she's holding it back because she's Katherine Pierce and that's what she does.

He strokes a hand over his face and then nods.

"Okay, come on." Pushing right here and now isn't going to help anything so he decides to give in to what she wants and let her have her bath. "Let's go."

At least they're going to try and head home. Katherine's not entirely sure if their destination will be met—or if they'll get lost on their way walking home. Despite doing her best to try and navigate and commit all the streets to memory, it's still a very new city to be in.

Katherine begins to walk, hoping that Stefan will follow.

"Maybe you can join me if you can keep your hands to yourself."

"I'm sure I can do that."

He still feels a little weight on his shoulders with her confession but he does follow. He catches up to her quickly, falling into step with her and tucking his hands into his pockets.

"But there's always a chance I won't. Don't know if you want to take the risk."

Finally, he admits that he can't resist her. This is information that is as mind-blowing as the fact water is wet.

Katherine walks a little lopsidedly with one heel broken, but she likes to think that she makes it work. It's not the worst that she's looked nor the most broken that her shoes have ever been.

"I think I can handle a horny two-hundred-year-old."

Stefan definitely doesn't say that he doesn't think he's horny after all that because she sounds a little lighter and he wants her to stay that way. Instead, he laughs and shakes his head.

"Why am I always the horny one whereas you're the well behaved one?"

After a second, he adds:

"With a broken shoe." Because he hopes it'll make her laugh.

"Because I am."

She's incredibly well-behaved. While it may seem like a bit of a joke, her manners and her behaviour has proven to be very fruitful for survival. Katherine, at least, doesn't have emotional fits like the elder Salvatore often has.

Tilting her head up defiantly, she ensures to walk with very little discomfort. "Well-behaved people have broken shoes, Stefan. You'd know it if you were well-behaved."

And had a broken shoe.

"Uh huh."

Whatever you say, Katherine, whatever you say. He's just going to keep walking with her and make sure she doesn't end up falling on that broken shoe of hers. He doesn't know how far away their house is still because he's still getting his bearing but he hopes it's close.

"Do you want me to carry you or something?"

He thinks she'll say no but he asks anyway.

You don't need to ask her that twice.

As soon as he says it, Katherine stops abruptly. She cocks her brow and smiles, looking at his back expectantly.

"Okay."

Holding out her arms, she wiggles her fingers expectantly. Come back and pick her up and take her home, Stefan. It's only a few blocks away.

Stefan had a feeling that she'd say yes to that. He could have seen her dismissing the offer because of what he'd said earlier but he's pleased that she doesn't.

She pulls to a stop and he looks back at her, laughing at how she beckons him. Since he'd made that offer, he comes back and reaches for her hand.

"Do you want to ride on my back or in my arms?"

Now that he's offered that, Katherine finds that she has to quickly plan out which one will be more advantageous for her. In his arms sounds sweet and nice, but on his back might give her far more room to play.

"Back."

She looks at him expectantly and ignores the fact that she's holding his hand. She can act like a prissy girlfriend if she wants to! After all, those shoulders and that back are hers now.

"Come on."

He let's her hand go and turns around so she can get on his back. She might be insanely strong but she's also smaller than him so he knows the weight won't be a bother. He looks over his shoulder at her and nods.

"Get on."

If she wants a piggy back ride home, she needs to jump on so they can go.

And get on she does. She ensures not to dig her sole heel into him as she does so, knowing that it might be a little more uncomfortable than it should be. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she's gentle in the way that she uses him to pull herself up and onto his back.

Resting her chin on the top of his head, she smiles. They must look quite the sight—Katherine Pierce on the back of Stefan Salvatore...

"Mush!" She laughs loudly and rests her palms flat against his collarbones.

"Okay, I'm not a sled dog or anything."

But he does start walking, tucking his hands underneath her legs to get them both going. He keeps her tight there, making sure that she's not going to slip off as he moves.

He doesn't go too fast since they seem to be out of harm's way and not wanting to fight each other so they can get a better feel of where they are.

"Make sure I don't take a wrong turn."

Initially resting her chin on the top of his head, Katherine bows and leans against the side of his face. Readjusting her arms, she remains still behind him and sighs loudly. She could get used to this. This is one of the few instances where she's let herself rely on someone else. While walking from Point A to Point B should ideally be simple, it's not for someone like her.

It does help that her travel buddy is very warm and nice to rest against.

After a moment of watching the scenery go by on the back of Stefan, she notes when they need to turn. Best to let him know than to let them get lost in a strange new town. Without lifting her head, she says quietly, "Turn left, but not too sharply. You have cargo on board."

"Thanks."

He does as she asks, taking the turn easily and looking back at her. They've been in this place a little while now but it still feels strange, like it's not where he should be. He'd gotten so used to Deerington that waking up and not finding himself there is still..jarring.

He's lucky that they've gotten their house back and that they're still together because he knows it could be much worse.

"What do you think of this place so far?"

"I think it's okay."

It's not bad, but it's not the worst place she's been in, either. She thinks it's somewhere in the middle of it all. It's still new and there's so much to discover, but there are some similarities between it and Deerington.

And Stefan's here. A new location hasn't seemed to change his mind about her.

"It reminds me a lot of Deerington." She sighs against his hair. "Fewer cats and... pastel people, but there's still something that feels so familiar about it."

"The blood is still an issue."

He's kept himself in check, which he's proud of, but he still knows that it could be a consistent problem. He looks back at her and smiles.

"I've told a few people what I am, by the way. Didn't mention you but I figured that it's just...pointless to keep it a secret."

Since there's blood and it's not going to be easy to hide in a place like this.

Katherine is a little pleased he can't see her face. Her brow crinkles; she's not entirely sure if that had been the smartest idea... but she's so used to remaining in the shadows. Vampires, werewolves, witches, lions, tigers and bears have always remained hidden. She knows that from Deerington, people seem more open to being met with proclamations of being a vampire.

"And how did they respond to that?"

Still, she can't help but worry. Sometimes Stefan is entirely too trusting. He trusts the education system, after all.

"No one's come after me with pitchforks so."

Stefan shrugs a shoulder. It could go back in the future but he wants to hope it won't. That things will be okay and that he can be a vampire and not be hunted down for it.

"It was to a few people who were in Deerington. I didn't know them well but I talked to them a few times. One's getting a clinic up and running here and the other's a...demon. It's weird. He's strange but I like him."

It still doesn't make her feel overly confident. It's a good thing that she's a woman with a plan. If anyone thinks to try and stake him, she'll knife them first.

"A clinic for blood or for sick people?"

Katherine can't help but wrinkle her nose at that. The only time she's been sick is when this place decides to strip her of her vampirism. While it's fun to have Stefan play doctor, she very much does not enjoy having the sniffles.

"A medical clinic. He's collecting blood but I'm guessing it's because of the whole...blood thing here."

He still doesn't completely understand that and he's stopped trying. He doesn't really want to think too much about the whole blood thing.

"I didn't really ask too much. He was being cagey and with healing being better, we might not need it."

"Hm."

She grips his shirt absently between her fingers and presses her chin against his shoulder. While that doesn't sound overly bad, she wonders why he's stingy. Does he know more than they do? Is he someone who simply can't share? While Katherine's more than happy Stefan's getting out there and making more friends than he had in Mystic Falls, she only hopes they're good people.

"Things feel different here to Deerington, but it might be good to have someone like that in your pocket." Furrowing her brows for a moment, she clears her throat. "As a friend, I mean."

She's unlearning how to be so defensive.

"Yeah. It's good to know that there's at least something like that around. John Constantine's going to help with the blood thing."

Because he needs all the help he can get. Having Katherine there is a good start but he knows she can't always hang over his shoulder if he's having an issue.

"He has a way to deal with it, he says. I've got nothing to lose, you know."

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