Lucy woke early the next morning. She dressed and made breakfast before returning to Damon's room to wake him up. She tilted her head and ran her gaze over him, appreciating the view for a moment. When she'd had her fill for the moment, she grabbed a pillow off the bed and smacked him in the face with it.

Damon sat bolt upright with a shout. His gaze darted around until it fell on Lucy and the big smile on her face. He fell back and groaned as he ran a hand down his face. "What the hell, Lucy?"

"Time to get up."

He glanced at the clock then back to her. "Why are you up? You never get up this early."

"We have things to do, Salvatore. So, get up."

He tossed the covers back and headed to his closet to find something to wear. "What's on the agenda, kitten?"

"We need to visit Caroline but first we have to pick up flowers to take with us. When we're done with that, we need to talk to John Gilbert about Katherine."

Damon popped his head out of the closet to look at her in question.

She shrugged. "If Jenna had a conversation with Katherine, I figure she was the one that attacked John. Maybe we can get confirmation from him that she's in town."

"Makes sense." He disappeared again before stepping back out as he pulled a t-shirt after his head. "Is that it?"

"Nope. Then we have to come back here and change before heading to the Lockwood's to pay our respects."

He groaned. "Do we have to? I didn't even like the mayor."

Lucy huffed a laugh. "Neither did I, but you're on the council and he's Carol's husband. Appearances must be maintained."

"So what's the story? I'm certain they aren't telling everyone he was thrown in a basement to burn with the vampires." He stepped closer to her and settled his hands on her hips. After a quick kiss, he grabbed her hand to pull her behind him as he left the room.

"Heart attack."

Damon made a noise of acknowledgement. "I smell bacon," he said as he stopped in the doorway of the kitchen.

Lucy pushed him into the room. "Your plate's in the microwave. Coffee? Tea? Blood?"

He laughed as he sat at the table with his breakfast. "I'm good on all counts. Thanks, kitten."

She kissed his cheek and ran a hand through his hair before leaving him to eat on his own.

***

Damon carried the arrangement of sunflowers as he trailed Lucy through the hospital. They arrived at Caroline's room to find her smiling and talking to Stefan as he sat beside the bed.

"Hello, beautiful," Lucy said as they entered the room. Caroline held her arms up for a hug and Lucy kissed her cheek as they embraced. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Thanks to Damon," the blonde said cheerily as the friends separated.

"It was my pleasure, blondie. Where do you want the flowers?" She had several arrangements already along with balloons and a teddy bear.

"Hmm. Put them on the windowsill so I can stare at them. They're so pretty. Move those pink ones over to the counter." Caroline clapped her hands together in happiness.

Lucy was so relieved that her friend would be okay. The world would be much dimmer without Caroline Forbes in it.

"You okay, Luce?" Stefan asked.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, why?"

"You're crying, sweetheart," Damon answered as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. His brow furrowed as he looked her over.

She shook her head and smiled. "I'm just so happy we didn't lose her. I love you, Care."

"Aww. I love you too, Lucy."

"Hey, I'm right here you know," Stefan said with a teasing tone in his voice.

Lucy scoffed as she sat in one of the chairs. "Come on, Stef. We know she'll always pick me."

Caroline nodded. "It's true. Sorry, babe."

They chatted for about an hour before Damon piped up. "We better go."

"What's going on?" Caroline asked.

Lucy looked between the brothers. They both shrugged. She gestured to the door and Damon pushed it closed. "Did Stefan explain why you crashed last night?"

"Yeah, of course."

"The mayor collapsed when they used the device. They grabbed him with the vampires and threw him in to be burned with the others. They're calling it a heart attack. We need to go pay our respects," Lucy explained.

The blonde gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, poor Tyler. Tell him I'm sorry, would you?"

"Of course."

Damon sighed. "We're also going to talk to John Gilbert. Lucy thinks Katherine might have been the one to attack him last night. Stefan can fill you in on that after we leave."

Stefan's lips pressed into a tight line. "Let me know what you find out."

Damon nodded and held out his hand for Lucy. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He kept hold of her as they said their goodbyes and left the other couple. He navigated the halls expertly and Lucy figured he must have already found out what room John was in.

Sure enough, they arrived at the room. It was empty of visitors and devoid of flowers or any thing of the sort. Obviously, he wasn't well liked. Lucy snorted at the thought. Ass.

The sound woke him from what must have been a light slumber. His gaze darted between the two of them and he reached for the call button. Damon stopped him and moved it out of reach.

"You look like shit, John," the vampire told him.

It was true. His skin had a gray pallor and sweat beaded his forehead.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"We figure it was Katherine that attacked you, are we right?" Damon asked.

John licked his lips but didn't answer, though Lucy supposed that was answer enough.

"She'll try again, you know," Lucy said. "So, why don't you tell us why she's in town and what she wants and maybe we can help."

He tried to sit up and Damon pushed him back down with a hand on his chest. "Just tell us what you know, Gilbert. It's not like you can go anywhere."

John huffed a laugh. "You want me to confide in the two of you? You can't be serious."

"No's not really an option. So talk or I start breaking the fingers on your other hand." Damon grabbed one of the fingers in question to emphasize his point. Lucy walked over and shut the door.

"I never talked to Katherine directly. I don't know what she wants. Now kill me or get out," John finally said.

Lucy shook her head. "I still can't get over how much you hate the Salvatores but you work with a bitch like Katherine. Or Isobel for that matter."

"Our goals align. I've done a lot for Elena I never thought I would."

"I can guarantee, whatever Katherine is after, it is solely for selfish reasons. You need better friends, John." Damon tilted his head to look the man over. "Once you are discharged from the hospital, I'll give you twenty-four hours to leave town. Stay past that and I won't kill you, I'll turn you. No one likes you, John. Take a hint and get out of town."

"That's harsh, babe," Lucy said as they left the room. "True, but harsh."

***

About an hour and a half later they arrived at the Lockwoods. They no sooner walked in the door than Damon heard Liz and Carol arguing about who was to blame for Richard's death. He told Lucy he'd be back and went to play peacekeeper.

Lucy paused to deliver Caroline's message to Tyler before she moved to the edge of the room to wait for Damon. She took the opportunity to people watch, trying to guess who was here because they genuinely cared and who was here to keep up appearances.

Her attention was drawn to the door when Elena walked in alone. Lucy frowned. She thought for sure the girl would be with Matt or at least her family. When the teenager paused to smirk as she looked around, Lucy realized this wasn't Elena at all. Torn between wanting to keep Katherine in sight and warning Damon, Lucy finally decided on the latter and went to find him.

She found him still in conversation with Liz and moved to his side with a fake smile. Lucy grasped his hand tightly. His brow furrowed as he looked down at her. She didn't glance at him, simply keeping his hand gripped in hers and the other wrapped around his arm. Her gaze darted around the room hoping to catch sight of the vampire doppelganger once more.

"Excuse me for a moment, Liz," Damon said. He didn't wait for a response before leading Lucy to the side of the room. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Her eyes darted up to meet his. "Katherine is here."

His grip tightened. "Are you sure it's not Elena?"

"Like 98%, yes."

"Shit." He was quiet for a moment as he thought. "I'm going to find her. You stay here. I don't want you anywhere near her."

She thought about protesting then decided this was the best plan. She nodded and released him, her gaze trailing him as he went. As soon as he disappeared from her sight, she felt someone come to stand beside her.

"I thought he'd never leave," Elena's voice said. God that was creepy. They sounded identical.

"What do you want, Katherine?" Lucy asked without turning to the vampire in question.

"Your relationship with the Salvatores is difficult to determine though you seem to be closer to Damon. You're lucky you're here with him because it means I'll let you live. You should move out of the boarding house before I change my mind." The longer the vampire talked the sharper her words became and the less she sounded like her identical descendent.

Lucy finally turned to look at her. "What is it exactly you think you know about me?"

"Lucy Williams, recent addition to Mystic Falls, though god knows why. You live in the boarding house with Stefan and Damon. What more is there?" Katherine narrowed her gaze and ran her eyes over the human as if that would reveal everything she didn't know.

"Hmm. Who knows? I'm always full of surprises. Hello, Damon," Lucy greeted as the man in question walked up to them.

Damon wrapped an arm around Lucy's waist and tugged her into his side. Katherine frowned at the gesture. "What are you doing here, Katherine?"

"Can't I come for a visit?" she asked as she batted her eyelashes and curled a strand of her hair around her finger.

"No," the other two said in unison.

She glared at them and dropped the act. "Believe what you want."

"You're not welcome here. So do what you came here to do then leave," Damon bit out before leading Lucy out of the house and away from the unpredictable danger that was Katherine Pierce.