What Goes Around…:

Simone’s Notes:

Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive social contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Often betrayal is the act of supporting a rival group, or it is a complete break from previously decided upon or presumed norms by one party from the others. Someone who betrays others is commonly called a traitor or betrayer. Betrayal is also a commonly used literary element and is often associated with or used as a plot twist.

Damon and Katherine spent breakfast together. Usually, they would be trying to talk each other to death. Not this morning! Damon stared on in nervous silence. His own beloved had that damning mark on her back. For the past few weeks, she had been a gift from the devil. How could he have been so weak and lonely not to see that? Now what was he going to do?

“Damon,” Katherine spoke up at last. Her date looked at him oddly.

“Hm?” he asked.

“What is this mark on my back?” the dancer asked him sternly. Damon looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights. “Damn it, I knew this would happen!” he thought. So now, what to say to that?

“Uh… what do you mean?” he asked, playing dumb. Katherine looked at him sharply. She didn’t buy it at all.

“You know what it is,” she said. “Tell me what it is or I’m leaving!” Damon became really nervous. Now, he was trapped. Tell her the truth and lose her forever or lie and still lose her. Either option sucked. Damon looked away some.

“Uh… well…” he began. His words just trailed off from there. That was not good for Katherine. She stood and pushed her chair in. Damon looked at her confused.

“Wait! Where are you going?” he asked.

“Enjoy breakfast,” she sighed as she walked out of the motel. Sanders watched her in defeat. He screwed up big time! Now, he would have to fix it. The man only knew of one way how. Boy did this mess really hurt him so!

Damon walked out to the graveyard to look for Manami. The man looked around in the dirty snow. He shivered not from the cold, but from the shame of what was to come next.

“Manami!” he called. “I need to talk to you for a second!” He looked right ahead of him and saw the Fallen Princess herself smirking at him.

“Miss me?” she asked in a sensual tone. Damon was not in the mood right now.

“What the hell did you do?!?” he snapped. She looked at him innocently.

“Why Damon,” Manami replied. “I have no idea what you are talking about!” The lt. col. glared at her with hate in his eyes.

“Don’t give me that!” he barked. “What the hell did you do to Katherine?!?” Manami still played with his head a little bit.

“Katherine who?” she asked sweetly. Damon was really pissed off now.

“The fire burlesque dancer you gave to me!” he snapped. “That Katherine!” Manami still pretended not to know what he was talking about. Then, she let up on him.

“Oh, her!” she said. Damon nodded at her in shimmering rage.

“Yes,” he hissed at her through clinched teeth. “Now, what the hell did you do to her?!?”

“How do you mean?” she asked. Sanders just about lost it now.

“The fallen mark!” he snapped. “Why does she have that on her back?” Manami pretended to think about that for a moment. A smirk came onto her face.

“Ah yes!” she said. “I marked her.” Damon raised an eyebrow at her.

“And what does that mean?” he questioned, sharply.

“Basically, she is my property,” Manami answered. “But don’t worry, your Katherine is still human.” Damon felt a little better now. But still…

“Well can you think it off of her?” he questioned. Manami looked at him slightly odd.

“And why would I do that?” she challenged.

“Because, she hates it and I hate it!” Damon answered. “Now could you take it off of her?” The Fallen Princess pretended to take about it for a moment. The lt. col. waited on bitterly for a reply. Manami grinned at him wickedly. She patted him on the shoulder.

“Since I’m in a good mood today, I’ll do it for you,” the Fallen Princess replied. Damon looked at her oddly.

“Just like that?” he questioned. Manami shrugged at him harmlessly.

“Hey,” she said. “It’s right there for you, take it or leave it!” Damon stared on for a long moment. He didn’t seem to trust her anymore. (Could you blame the guy?)

“And you want nothing from me in return?” he asked.

“No,” Manami said, shaking her head. “So what do you say?” Damon thought about that for a moment. He sighed at long last.

“Fine,” he hissed. “But you better not be trying anything funny on me!” Manami looked at him in a strange way.

“And why would I do that?” she asked. He glared at her still.

“Because you do!” he hissed. Manami shrugged again.

“Fine, fine,” she said. “Believe what you will.” Damon looked on at her still.

“Thank you,” he said sternly. Then, the soldier turned and walked away. Manami smirked as she watched him do so.

“You’re not going to do that so easily, are you?” Envy asked behind her.

“Like Hell I am!” the Fallen Princess replied. “I’m not done with him yet!”

“Thought so!” the homunculus said back. They watched Damon disappear from sight. The first shot was now fired into the Unholy War. Lt. col. Sanders just didn’t know he had through walked through several hornets nests. He didn’t know or care at the time. He was just happy to find his Katherine again at the coffee shop they visited every afternoon. When he saw her at the door, Damon ran all the way over to her. Katherine looked up at him and strangely felt overjoyed. The lovers reunited on the street.

“Katherine, I am so sorry!” Damon apologized. “I will never keep things from you ever again!” The dancer held up her hand to him.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” she whispered. “I just missed you, that’s all. And look!” Katherine turned around and lowered her clothes some. Damon looked on in surprise. The fallen mark was gone. The lt. col. looked on surprised. Well, what do you know? Manami kept her promise after all.

“Wow!” Damon said, pretending to be amazed. “It’s gone!” Katherine smiled at those words. Then, her mood changed. She turned back around to her date. Damon noticed the sad, somber look in her eyes. Worry came onto his face.

“Katherine, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“Damon,” the dancer murmured. “Can you hold me in your arms?” The soldier paused for a long moment. It came quite as a surprise to him. But yet, he loved her as much as Carole in a way. So what was the harm?

“Sure,” he said softly. Katherine walked over to him and he held her tight to his chest. The dancer shut her eyes and got lost inside of him. Damon just looked up at the snowy sky. He began to miss his wife and son already…