#damonxoc

“Okie dokie.” She told them with a nod.

“So are you planning on coming back to school?” Bonnie asked.

“Yeah your spot is still open on the cheer squad if you want it.” Caroline added.

“I was thinking about homeschooling before everything happened. I’ll stick with it.” Katie said with a shrug.

“But you’ll still come to prom and graduation right?” Caroline asked with wide eyes.

“Definitely. Klaus already picked me out a dress from his creepy trophy case of family collectables. It’s vintage and very glamorous.” Katie answered, making Caroline smile.

“So we’re seriously not going to talk about the fact that you called whatever is going on with you and Klaus nothing serious?” Bonnie asked circling back to the topic Katie had purposely changed the subject from. "When I told him you were dying he started crying and threatened to rip Elijah's spine out for what he had done to you. That's not 'nothing serious'."

"He did?" Katie asked and Bonnie nodded. "Maybe it's heading toward serious, but right now I just want to focus on getting back up on my feet. Part of that is going to be figuring out how to balance my life, you know figuring out how to be with him and not lose you guys like I did before." Katie shrugged. "I know he's the 'bad guy', but he was there for me when I had no one an-"

"You don't have to explain it to us." Caroline interrupted.

"Yeah, we won't make you choose. If he's good to you then he's okay in our book." Bonnie added. "He is good to you, right?"

Katie smiled and bit her lip, "Yeah."

“So, how is he?” Caroline asked with a devious smile and a wiggle of her brows in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Of course you'd ask that, Caroline.” Bonnie laughed.

“Oh come on, even you have to wonder what the bad boys are like in bed.” Caroline told her with an eye roll then looked back at Katie. “So…spill.”

Katie laughed and shook her head. “I’m not going to answer that in the middle of the grill where anyone could overhear.” She answered and jerked her head at Damon, sitting at the bar with a glass of bourbon in his hand and one sitting at the empty stool next to him for the memory of Alaric.

“Right.” Caroline said with a disappointed nod. “But he was good right?”

Katie sighed and let her head fall forward. “She’s not going to stop until you answer her.” Bonnie pointed out.

“Yes, he is really, really, good.” Katie answered reluctantly. “There, happy?”

“No, but it will do until I can get better detail.” Caroline said with a smile. Katie let her believe she would get those details eventually.

~*That Night*~

“So where are we going?” Katie asked Klaus who sat in the armchair in her room watching her look through her wardrobe in just a black lace strapless bra and matching boy shorts panties. Her auburn waves were twisted up into a bun that was secured with a wooden hairstick that had a Celtic knot on the end.

He was wearing a suit and no tie, so she knew she should wear something dressy, but how dressy she didn’t know. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you would it?” he asked and she turned to look at him.

“Something you should know about me…I don’t like surprises.” She told him with a tight smile. “Plus, if you don’t tell me where we’re going I won’t know what to wear.”

He walked over and pulled a little black dress and black lace Louboutin heels out of her wardrobe and set them on the bed. “Problem solved.” She looked at him and took a deep breath. “What, Love?”

“Please tell me where we’re going?” she asked again.

“You’re just going to have to trust me.” he told her as he watched her put on the dress then turn her back to him and he zipped it for her. She put on the heels then walked over to her vanity, opened the jewelry box and grabbed a random necklace then turned around to find him standing right behind her. “Do you trust me?”

She took a deep breath and let it out. Just because she had come back from the dead and managed to get a clean start didn’t mean she trusted easily again, but with him…she was cautiously doing so. “Yes.”

“Good. Are you ready?” he held his arm out for her and she looped hers through it.

TVDTVDTVD

“An art exhibit.” She said with a smile as they walked into the building. “I should have known. I did ask for an art lesson.” She told him as they walked around one of the dividers that paintings hung on.

“This isn’t the lesson, just something I wanted to do with you.” he told her as they walked around looking at the painting’s, sculptures and photos. “See anything that speaks to you?” he was paying more attention to her than the art.

“That one.” She pointed to a landscape painting of a grassy clearing over hung by tree limbs. Blue, purple, orange and pink flowers colored the ground. A waterfall could be seen off in the distance.

“I didn’t take you for the landscape type.” He told her, taking in how her eyes concentrated on the painting.

“It reminds me of home.” She told him and for a second he was confused, then he remembered that she lived in Ireland in the 1800’s. “There was a waterfall behind my parent’s house. My sister and I would run there to get away from Father. He had an irrational fear of water so we knew we’d be safer there, behind the waterfall, at least until night came and we had to go home.”

“Do you want it?” he asked.

She looked away from the painting to see him standing behind her with his hands tucked behind his back. “Is it for sale?”

“Anything is for sale if the price is high enough.” He told her with a devious smile.

She rolled her eyes and gave him a smile. “I want it if the artist is willing to part with it.” she told him pointedly. He gave her a big smile and walked off to find the artist.

When he got done procuring the painting from the more than willing artist and arranging for it to be delivered to the mansion he found Katie staring at a photograph in thought, her fingers fiddling with the necklace that rested on her chest. He stood back looking at her distant eyes that took in thick clear pieces of broken glass spread out over black sand, a dark cloudy sky in the background. “Why does that fascinate you so?” he asked, making her jump, not realizing he had found her.

She looked back at the photo. “I know it’s just broken glass, but…for some reason it makes me feel lost. Like I don’t know who I am and I don’t know what to do about it.” she told him then took a deep breath and looked at him. “So was the artist willing to sell?”

“Yes. Your painting will be delivered to the mansion tomorrow.” He told her with a smile.

“Did you see anything you liked?” she asked.

“Yes, but I believe she is already mine.” He told her, making her smile and blush a little. “Are you ready for dinner?” he held his arm out for her and she took it.

TVDTVDTVD

He brought her to a five star restaurant and got them an intimate table in the corner. “So is medical school still something you wish to pursue?” he asked then took a bite of his stake.

“I don’t know.” She paused to take a bite of her side salad. “I only ever wanted to be a doctor because I wanted to prove to everyone in Mystic Falls that I could make something of myself and be more than the slutty piece of trash they labeled me as.”

“And now?” he asked curiously.

“Now I just want to make it to graduation in one piece.” She answered honestly. “If I still feel like going to college for something by the time summer is over then I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

“We haven’t discussed the cure.” He said, making her tilt her head.

“Yes we have. There’s a cure… everyone but Rebekah agrees Elena should have it.” she stated.

“But would you take it if I got it for you?” he asked, making her stop eating and think.

She had once told Damon that she didn’t want to be a vampire because she didn’t want to watch her friends grow up, start families and move on without her. That she wanted a husband and a family, but so much had changed since then. When she said that, she didn’t remember that she’d already had that life. Now she just wanted to have fun and live freely for a little while. “Do you think I should take it?”

“I don’t want to influence your decision.” He told her with a tilt of his head.

“Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?” she asked with a playful smile. “I know my answer. I just want to know if you would want me to take it.” She told him then took a bite of her salad.

“If I’m being selfish, no, I don’t want you to take it.” he answered. “But I also want you to get all the things you want out of life and if a human man and a human family is what you want then I wouldn’t stop you.” she smiled at him then looked down and played with her salad with her fork. “So are you going to answer me?”

“I don’t want it. Even if there were multiple doses, I wouldn’t take it.” he gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her. “I’ve had a human man and a human family…the human life. Now I’ve been reincarnated and come back from a shattered soul, I didn’t go through all of that just to turn into a pumpkin again.”

Klaus gave her a smile. “I’m glad to hear that.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box with a red bow tied around it. “I know you’ve already received two necklaces from previous suitors and I did not want to be cliché, but I noticed you don’t wear bracelets or earrings often. You also reach for your neck when you’re thinking about something. So…” he placed the box on the table and slid it to her. She picked it up, slid the ribbon off and popped the lid open to see a silver pendant made to look like a wax seal stamped with a phoenix, it’s wings spread as it soared up, a dazzling trillion cut diamond grasped in its talons. It hung off a thin silver Singapore chain. “Happy birthday, Little Phoenix.”

This necklace felt different than the others she’d received. It wasn’t meant to represent them as a couple or protect her like Damon’s had been, it wasn’t a show of how he would love her forever like Elijah’s had been. It was simply something he thought represented her as a person and if she was being honest, she kind of felt as if she had risen from the ashes of her old life. All she had to do now was spread her wings and soar. After a few minutes she heard him clear his throat and when she looked up she realized then that her eyes had watered.

After clearing her throat and blinking back the tears she managed to say, “It’s perfect. Thank you.” As she took it out of the box he got up from the table and took the necklace she was wearing off, put it on the table then took his necklace from her and put it around her neck. When he moved around her to sit back down she caught the front of his jacket and pulled him down for a kiss. When it broke he sat back down and Katie looked around to see people jerk their eyes back down to their plates. “People are staring at us.” she told him with a smile.

“They probably think I’m some kind predator…taking advantage of my sweet, beautiful and innocent date.” he told her then smiled.

“Or that you’re simply too old for me.” She said as she picked up her wine glass and took a drink. “Mmm, no, I got it…” she told him with a smile as she pointed at him still holding her glass in her hand, “They think you’re my sugar daddy.” His jaw dropped and he smiled. “Older guy plying a young girl with a fancy dinner, wine, jewelry…” She finished off her wine then sat her glass down. “So if anything, I’m praying on you mister rich, charming and devilishly handsome.” He laughed making her smile.

TVDTVDTVD

Klaus opened her car door for her then offered her his arm. “You know I remember a time, not long ago, when you refused to take my arm when I offered.” He thought out loud as she slid her arm through his.

“Do you want to go back to that?” she asked with a look up at him through her lashes as they headed to the mansion.

“No, I much prefer to have you willingly at my side as opposed to turning your nose up at me.” he told her as they walked into the house.

“Oh, I can still turn my nose up at you from your side.” she told him with a smile that let him know she was messing with him. “So I have a question.” She stated as they walked into the parlor and she tossed her clutch onto the coffee table.

“I may have an answer.” He replied as he watched her sit down on the couch.

“Tonight was a date right?” she asked as she pulled off the thousand dollar heels. He hummed a positive answer. “So…we're dating?”

He walked over and sat down next to her and pulled his leg up on the couch to face her. “If that is what you want.”

His answer caused a fleeting smile to grace her lips as she looked down and turned to face him, folding her legs modestly to the side in the short dress. “You always make everything about me. You give me whatever I want and if I’m being honest I love how much you dote on me.” her words made a small smile pull at the corners of his lips. “When we first started this I made my intentions clear and you went along with it. Even though I got the feeling that there was something you weren’t saying, I didn’t ask because I was happy and I didn’t want to possibly ruin it. It kind of felt like I was using you and you were letting me, but I don’t want to be selfish anymore. Not with you. So I have to ask, what do you want?”

“What did you think I would have to say that would ruin your happiness?” he asked and her eyes fell to look at her knees.

“Three little words that can do more damage than a nuclear bomb.” She answered then looked back up at him.

“I know you’re not ready for that. You’ve loved too hard too fast and I understand why you are unable to love again so soon.” He told her then grabbed her hand in his. “But you asked me what I want. So I will tell you.” he brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “You gave me an easy out and told me that you wouldn’t tie me down if I wanted Caroline. You didn’t let me say that I never wanted her. She was a distraction while you were with Elijah because I didn’t think I could have you.” Even though she had told herself she was over feeling like she came in second to one friend or the other, his words gave her a sense of pride. No one had ever chosen her over Caroline or Elena. Even Damon had chosen Caroline at first. “Elijah and Damon are your first loves. When you are ready, I want to be your last.” When a tear slipped down her cheek he brushed it away. “I only want you and I want you to only want me, but that does not mean I want to tie you down. You,” he looked down at her necklace then back into her eyes, “Little Phoenix, have risen from the ashes once only to have your wings clipped by the men in your life. You’ve recently risen again and I will not let anyone, myself included, keep you from making the sky yours.”

He wanted to be exclusive yet still let her make her own decisions and be herself. He also wasn’t going to rush her when it came to confessing their love for one another. It made a smile spread over her lips, but she couldn’t find the words to tell him how much he and what he’d just said meant to her. Since she couldn’t find words, she decided to let her actions speak and grabbed his suit jacket and pulled him down for a kiss, pouring her every emotion into it. As they kissed he pulled her into his lap, holding her black cotton covered sides. When the kiss broke she looked him in the eyes then moved her lips close to his ear and whispered, “I only want you, Big Bad Wolf.” She kissed down his jaw line and pecked him on the lips before she looked him in the eyes again. “I’m yours.”

It wasn’t a proclamation of love, but it was one step closer. “And I’m yours.” his hands slid up her back, pulling her closer into him as he started kissing her neck, pulling a sigh from her lips. While his lips placed loving kisses up and down her neck and shoulders, her hands worked on the buttons of the black dress shirt he wore under his suit jacket.

“You look good in a suit, by the way.” She told him as he pulled away from her neck and slid his hands down to grip her thighs.

“You have a thing for guys in suits don’t you?” he asked with lust in his eyes.

“No. I said you look good, not that it’s my favorite look on you.” she corrected him. “If I have a thing for anything it’s men with british accents who are way too old for me.”

“So what is your favorite look on me?” he asked as he slipped his hands up the skirt of her dress.

“Your everyday look.” She answered. “Jeans, a belt and a Henley shirt, preferably a short sleeved one so I can see your arms, but long sleeved is just as sexy.” She pushed his shirt and jacket down his arms.

“You like my arms?” he asked as he pulled them out of the sleeves and wrapped them around her waist.

“Yep, and I like your lips almost as much as your hands.” She pecked him on his lips. “And I like this.” She slipped her hands down his chest and used her pointer fingers to trace the v of muscles that led down into his pants and hooked her fingers under his belt. “There’s not a single part of your body that doesn’t turn me on. I even find your feet attractive which is weird because feet usually gross me out.” She told him with a smile before her eyes turned admiring. “You’re perfect,” she kissed him on the lips, the cheek, “strong,” the ear, “romantic,” a whisper of a laugh left his lips as she kissed his neck, “sweet,” she kissed across his chest, “Sexy,” then cupped one side of his neck in her hand as she kissed up to the other side of his neck, “protective without crossing the line into controlling,” she kissed to his ear, “and really turned on right now.” she whispered then bit his earlobe as she rocked her hips against him.

“It’s no wonder when my gorgeous girlfriend is showering me with affection.” He told her as he slid his hands up her thighs to grab her butt. Klaus calling her his girlfriend made her heart skip and beat and butterflies to kick up in the pit of her stomach. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes with a smile. He smiled back and pulled her into him for a soft kiss that slowly deepened.

Their hands explored each other as they made out. After a while he pulled the hair stick out of her hair letting it spin out of the neat bun she’d twisted it into to fall around her shoulders. He slid his fingers through it and held the back of her head as his other hand grabbed the zipper of her dress and slowly pulled it down. His hands on her bare back pulled a sigh from her as he slid them up, grabbed the straps of the dress and pulled them down her arms revealing the black lace strapless bra she wore underneath.

With the dress out of the way he kissed down her neck and chest to the valley of her breasts. As he did she slipped her fingers through his hair and let her head fall back with a sigh. Not in the mood to bother with the hooks, Klaus grabbed the cups of her bra and pulled, ripping it in the middle then tossed it to the side. A gasp left her lips when he closed his mouth around her nipple. The other breast got cupped in his hand, kneading it before he gave it a pinch pulling a moan from her. His hand replaced his lips as he pulled back and looked into her lust clouded eyes.

Her hands slid down his chest to his belt and started unbuckling it, not breaking eye contact with him as she unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans then slid off of the couch and pulled them off of him, catching him in her mouth as soon as he sprang free from the tight confinements of his boxers. A moan left his lips as he let his head fall back onto the couch and put his hand on the back of her head, gently fisting her hair in his hand.

She was having fun finding new ways to pull sighs and grunts of pleasure from him when she felt him give her hair a tug signaling her to stop. “You keep that up and I won’t last much longer.” He told her in a huff and she pulled her head up with a pop causing his body to twitch and a smile to form on her lips.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She stood up and pulled her dress that had gotten bunched up around her waist, over her head while he pulled her red lace cheeky panties down. She was going to straddle him again, but he grabbed her hips, turned her around and pulled her back to sit in his lap and lean back against him. His lips placed kisses and nibbles along her neck while one hand found her breast and the other slid slowly and teasingly down her stomach over her inner thigh pushing her leg to the side before he finally dipped into her core. “Klaus.” Her back arched as one hand grabbed his over her beast and the other reached back and imbedded itself into his hair.

“You like that?” he asked, his voice deep and low in her ear.

“I love it.” she replied, her voice just the opposite as she writhed against him. A laugh left his perfect lips before he growled and bit her neck not breaking the skin. He knew she was getting close. So after a few more seconds he pulled his hand away, offering her his slick fingers. She grabbed his wrist and sucked them into her mouth, tasting herself. He hummed in her ear, “Such a naughty girl.” She just laughed and slid his clean fingers out of her mouth and put his hand on her chest.

She shifted to the side and pulled his lips to hers. As they kissed she slid her hand down and started touching herself. When he realized what she was doing he grabbed her wrist, pulled her hand away and took her fingers into his mouth. She bit her lip as she watched her fingers slip from his mouth. Unable to handle anymore foreplay he grabbed her hips, lined her up with him and slowly lowered her down on him.

She bit her lip and let her head fall back onto his shoulder. He started kissing her neck as he rocked into her. One of his hands played with her breast while the other gripped her outer thigh. When he noticed one of her hands making its way down he grabbed it. “No cheating, Sweetheart.” He threaded his fingers through hers and held her hand against his thigh to keep her from touching herself as he rocked into her. After a few minutes he moved her around to straddle him and she instantly caught his lips with hers. A few minutes later he was getting close and he could tell she was too. This time neither of them said a word as they looked into each other’s eyes and let pure ecstasy consume them.

As they came down from their high, he absentmindedly caressed her back and she kissed his neck and held his sides. “I think I’ve already said it once today, but just in case I haven’t, I’m going to say it again. You’re…amazing.”

“Best you’ve ever had?” he asked, being cocky.

“Definitely top five.” She answered as she pulled back and gave him a smirk. He rolled his eyes knowing she’d only ever been with five different men. “The answer to that question will only do one of two things, give you a big head or hurt your feelings. I’m not looking to do either.”

“At least tell me I’m better than Tyler.” He told her as he wrapped his arms around her and bit her neck playfully.

“You are definitely better than Tyler.” She laughed. “But in his defense we were both still human. Now that he’s a hotshot hybrid I’m sure he’s a lot better.”

“Easy.” He told her in a warning tone.

She laughed. “Jealous?” she asked with an innocent tone.

“Possibly.” He answered and she leaned her head back to look at him.

“You are aware that I’m talking about Tyler Lockwood, right? The douchebag wolf boy turned hybrid that tried to kill you?” she asked.

“The same douchebag that was going to ask you to marry him?” he asked, making her realize that he’d watched the dvd.

“Yeah, but he didn’t.” she turned around and sat on the opposite end of the couch, her legs outstretched on top of his. “Besides, I would’ve said no anyway.”

“Would you have?” he asked, doubting her.

“Yeah, I mean I loved him and I liked being with him, but… my heart wasn’t fully in it and because of that I wasn’t a good girlfriend to him.” she admitted as she picked up his foot and started massaging it.

“How so?” he asked curiously, clearly liking her messaging his foot even though feet grossed her out.

“The background photo of me and Damon kissing that you saw on my phone…” she said and he nodded remembering it all too well. “That was taken while Tyler and I were still together. Then after I turned and before I broke with him I slept with Damon.” She dropped his foot and grabbed the other one. “So I guess you should keep in mind that I have a history of being unfaithful.”

“I should also keep in mind that you cheated on Tyler because you weren’t completely happy with him.” he told her as he grabbed her foot and kissed her big toe before he started massaging it. “I on the other hand know how to make, and keep, you happy.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked with a laugh and took her foot out of his talented hand then leaned forward on her hands and knees to be face to face with him. “What makes you so sure, Big Bad Wolf?” she pecked him on the lips.

“Because I’ve been at it for the past six months and you’re still here.” He pointed out.

“Huh.” He huffed realizing he was right. “Feels more like three months to me, but I see what you’re saying nonetheless.” She pecked him on the lips then stood from the couch and picked up her clothes. When she picked up her bra remembering that he broke it she sighed. “Can you do me a favor and not destroy my bras?” she asked. “It’s hard to find bras that are pretty and actually hold me up.” He gave her a smart ass solute and a closed lipped smile and she threw the bra at him making him laugh.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie woke up to find that she wasn’t tucked into Klaus’s chest like she usually was and his side of his bed was empty. “Klaus?” she groaned as she sat up and looked around, her eyes landed on a note on the bedside table and she picked it up. “I had to leave for a bit. You looked so peaceful I did not want to wake you. –Klaus.” She read his pretty cursive words aloud.

After tucking the note away in her room for safe keeping she threw on a robe and headed down to the kitchen. She was sitting at the bar sipping on a cup of coffee when she heard Klaus come in. “Good morning.” He told her as he turned her around in the barstool then placed his hands on the bar behind her.

“Good morning.” She told him and kissed him back when he pecked her on the lips. “Where’d you go?”

“A wolf friend of Tyler’s needed rescuing. She has information about Katerina that I need. So I helped her, she will be staying here until Katerina’s lackeys are no longer after her or I have the information I need. Whichever comes first.”

“Okay then.” She told him as she wrapped her legs around his.

“You’re not mad that I brought a girl home?” he asked looking into her eyes with a smirk.

“What am I, your mother?” she asked with a small laugh. “No. I’m not mad or jealous. Believe it or not… when it comes to us, I trust you.” she slid her hand around to the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “Where is she?”

“Resting.” He answered.

“Good, then she won’t walk in on this.” She pulled him down for a more heated kiss that made him pick her up and carry her to the study.

They were making out on the leather couch when they heard a knock on the door to the room. Katie moved from his lap and straightened her tank top while he answered it. “What an unpleasant surprise.” Klaus said as Damon walked into the room with a stack of papers in his hand.

“So I just came up with a list.” Damon told them then turned his back on Katie where she still sat on the couch to look at Klaus. “It’s called things you suck at.” Klaus just folded his hands in front of him with a small smirk. “Number one: Finding Katherine, ever.” Klaus’s smirk fell to a look of aggravation. “Number two: Covering up your secret phone conversations with that little back stabber Hayley.” Damon waved the papers at him then turned and tossed them on the coffee table. “So where is she and what does she know about Katherine?”

“I should help you?” Klaus asked with a motion between himself and Damon. “After you lot killed my brother and imprisoned me in the Gilbert living room?”

“You might want to prioritize, Klaus, you have much bigger problems.” Damon said, raising his voice. Katie stood up and looked past Damon to Klaus. “Katherine has the cure. My guess is she’s gonna want to cram it down your throat. You help me find Katherine, I’ll get the cure, I’ll give it to Elena, everybody wins. Just let me question Hayley about Katherine.”

Klaus gave Damon a smirk as he walked over to the couch. “Can’t help you mate, Hayley’s off limits.” He sat down and pulled Katie to straddle his lap. “Although I did have a run-in with a vampire who may know where Katerina is.” He slid his hand over Katie’s leg and up to her thigh. “Too bad for you I bit halfway though his bloody neck. He probably won’t have much time for chit-chat.” Katie started kissing his neck, no longer caring that Damon was there. “You can see yourself out.” Damon made a disgusted sound before Katie heard him walk away and the door to the room shut.

After a while of making out Katie looked at the clock in the room. “Not to cut our fun short, but I have to get to the school. Caroline asked me to come to the cheer competition and help keep an eye on Elena who has randomly decided that she wanted my old spot on the cheer team.” she slid off him and stood up. “Plus it will probably be easier for you to get information out of Hayley if I’m not around.” He gave her an interested look. “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” She told him with a smile. “Damon used to flirt info out of women all the time. It never bothered me because I trusted him, and as I said before I trust you. As long as you don’t kiss her or sleep with her we’re good.” She finished with a smile then grabbed her keys off of the table. “And if you decide to use vinegar I won’t be around to see it. As much as I like your diabolical side, I don’t think I’m ready to become a spectator just yet.”

“You will never cease to surprise me.” he told her as he stood up and tucked his hands behind his back.

“And it will never cease to amaze me that I keep surprising you.” she pecked him on the lips then turned her back on him. “See you later.”

TVDTVDTVD

After the competition Elena decided to throw a party at the boarding house, but Katie went home instead. As she was going into the mansion, Hayley was leaving. Neither of them said anything to each other. Katie found Klaus in the parlor with a drink in his hand. “So how did that go?”

“I wined and dined her, got the information I needed then pissed her off when I didn’t put out like he expected.” He told her with a smirk.

“Yeah she looked pissed when we passed.” Katie laughed and flopped down next to him and took the drink out of his hand.

“How was the competition?” he asked watching her take a drink.

“Elena fed on a cheerleader from another school, just as I expected her to. Then when Caroline called her out on it, Elena dropped her during the routine.” Katie told him then took another drink and passed him the glass back. “According to Caroline, Damon tried to use his sire bond to get Elena to behave, but I don’t think they realized that because the sire bond stems from emotions the bond is broken without them. So what they thought was Elena behaving and joining in on school activities was really her finding vervain free bodies to feed on.” Klaus didn’t say anything. “Sorry, I’m sure you could care less about teen gossip.”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t care.” He pointed out. “I was just thinking about that one time you got on stage and sang karaoke.” He told her.

“Eesh.” She commented as she moved around to lie on the couch with her head in his lap.

“Not eesh.” He scolded as he started playing with her hair. “You were good. You had the attention of every man in the room, some women too.”

“Stop.” She laughed and smacked him in the chest with the back of her hand.

“Sing for me?” he asked, surprising her.

“I don’t know…” she drawled.

“If you can sing in a room full of strangers you can sing for me.” He pointed out.

“That was when I was fearless.” She pointed out.

“It’s just me, Love, there's nothing to be afraid of.” He told her quietly. “Please?” he looked down at her with puppy dog eyes and his bottom lip poked out the slightest bit.

She couldn’t help but smile at him. “You and those damn eyes and pouty lips.” She sighed. “Fine. What do you want to hear?”

“There was a song on your phone I grew fond of. It was in your top songs list, from some tv show soundtrack.” He told her not being able to remember the song.

“Most likely the Nashville soundtrack.” She commented as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket then started going through her songs.

“It was a duet.” He added.

“When the Right One Comes Along?” Katie asked and he shook his head no. “Fade Into You?”

“That one.” He told her and she smiled a bright judgy smile at him. “What?”

“You’re such a sappy romantic.” She told him and he rolled his eyes with a smile.

“Are you gonna sing it or not?” he asked impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll sing.” She told him with a wave of her hand then closed her eyes and started singing the slow love song. When he brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek she opened her eyes and looked into his. The look in them caused her heart to skip a beat. When she got to the last line of the song she reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. “There’ll be no trace that one was once two after I fade into you.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” He told her as he took her hand from his cheek and kissed the underside of her wrist. Her eyes slipped closed and reveled in the intimate touch.

TVDTVDTVD

The next morning Klaus and Katie walked into the boarding house, finding Caroline cleaning up the mess from the party last night. Not knowing they were looking Caroline picked up a cup, sniffed it then drank it. “Care, I know we’re vamps and all, but can I just say…ew?”

“Desperate times?” Klaus asked with his hands tucked behind his back.

“What is he doing here?” Caroline asked Katie.

“Not judging you for starters.” Klaus answered for himself. “Although if you are determined to get drunk then perhaps I might recommend something a little more sanitary?” Caroline drank what was left in the cup she had in her hand then threw it away. “Well then, you showed me.” Klaus told her with a smile.

Katie punched him in the shoulder then pointed at him. “Stop it.”

“Yes ma’am.” He told her with a smirk that made Katie roll her eyes.

“Seriously Care, what’s wrong?” Katie asked as she walked over and started helping her clean up.

“Your boyfriend is what’s wrong.” She grabbed a cup and threw it into the trash can aggressively. “Because of him, Tyler gave Matt the deed to his house. He’s not coming back.”

“Oh…” Katie said then started looking around the house feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Tyler made it his life’s mission to kill me.” Klaus told her as he walked over to the girls. “You can’t hate me for driving him away.”

“Oh I can. And I do. Now if you don’t mind I’d like to get back to spiraling.” Caroline told him. “So go away.”

“We were kind of invited.” Katie spoke up.

“I asked them to be here.” Stefan said as he walked into the room. “We need their help. I think Silas is in Mystic falls.”

“What makes you think that?” Katie asked with a frown.

“Blood has gone missing the Mystic Falls and Grove hills hospitals.” Stefan answered as Klaus walked around to the table behind the couch and poured two drinks.

“So some blood went missing from some hospitals.” He handed one to Katie and she took it and sat down on the arm of the couch. “What about Elena? Vampires with their humanity off tend to overindulge in human blood, or were you the exception?” Klaus turned from the table and looked at Stefan.

“It’s not Elena.” Stefan answered, putting his hand on his hip.

“Well, let’s say for a moment that it was Silas. I’m struggling to see how this affects us.” he sat down on the couch and wrapped his arm around Katie’s waist.

“Look, Silas wants to die and be reunited with his one true love, but he’s supernatural, so if he takes the cure and dies, he gets stuck on the other side.” Stefan explained.

“How Shakespearian.” Klaus commented with a cocky smile then took a sip of his drink.

“But if he destroys the other side all together, he can take the cure, die, and pass on. But in destroying it every dead supernatural being will return to our side.” Stefan’s words brought a frown to Katie’s face and she threw back her drink.

“That means every werewolf, every witch, every vampire. I wonder how many of those you personally killed. Care yet?” Caroline asked Klaus from where she stood behind Stefan.

“My interest is piqued.” Klaus told Caroline then looked at Stefan. “How do we stop him?”

“Bonnie said Silas needs to complete 3 massacres to do this spell.” Stefan answered. “Before professor Shane died, he convinced the pastor to blow up the council. Next he had you kill your hybrids and now he only needs one more massacre. So if he’s here, that’s what he’s doing. We need to find him.”

TVDTVDTVD

“So what are we even looking for?” Caroline asked as the four of them walked into Professor Shane’s apartment.

“Well, if Shane really was working with Silas chances are he was helping him plan his next move.” Stefan answered as they all started walking around, looking at all the random stuff.

“Where, on his evil villain to do list? Steal blood, perform 3 massacres, pick up dry cleaning?” Caroline asked.

“Actually not to nit-pick, but we evil villain’s usually use minions to pick up our dry cleaning, that sort of thing.” Klaus spoke up.

Katie bit her lips closed to keep her snippy comment at Klaus from coming out in front of Stefan and Caroline. “Why is he necessary again?” Caroline asked, making Katie smirk.

“Well, we don’t know what Silas can do. So if we do have to go head to head with him, an original hybrid who can’t die might come in handy.” Stefan answered.

“Besides, Stefan and I work well together, or at least we did in the twenties.” Klaus said as he walked over to the desk chair and sat down on it.

“Well, granted my emotions were off.” Stefan added.

“And that’s why you were more fun.” Klaus said as Katie walked over and pulled herself up to sit on the desk facing him. Normally she would be all for snooping for helpful information, but in this case she had no clue what she’d be looking for. “Just as Damon is probably relishing in Elena’s emotionless company in New York.”

“My brother knows what he’s doing.” Stefan told Klaus in a hard voice.

Katie bit her lips closed and Klaus smirked at her knowing she was fighting hard to keep her comments to herself. “Does he?” Klaus asked. “Don’t underestimate the allure of darkness, Stefan. Even the purest hearts are drawn to it.” Stefan just turned his back on them. “Still, I’m sure it will all be fine.” He placed his fingertips together with a smirk and swayed back and forth in the chair. Katie took in his devious smirk when he looked up at her.

“I think I found something.” Caroline spoke up and walked over to the desk with a book. “Symbolic figures in the dark arts.” She opened the book and put it on the desk. “Didn’t Bonnie talk about expression triangles? Here.” She pointed at a triangular drawing with different symbols at each of the points. Katie slipped off the desk and turned to look at the book.

“In some schools of magic such as expression, human sacrifice can be used as a focus for power. It’s rumored that the addition of two supernatural sacrifices compounds the mystical energy creating an expression triangle.” Stefan read from the book.

“Human’s, that was the council fire.” Caroline pointed at the top symbol, “Demons, Klaus’ hybrid failure.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a failure.” Klaus said dropping his clasped hands to wrap one around Katie’s waist. “What’s the third?”

“Oh no.” Caroline said looking at the book.

“What’s oh no?” Katie asked.

“Witches.” Caroline answered.

“Bonnie.” Katie said with a look at Caroline.

“I’ll go call her.” Stefan said as he pulled out his cell phone and headed out of the apartment.

Caroline grabbed a map, ruler and sharpie and laid them out on the desk. “There’s been two massacres. Pastor Young’s farm is here,” she drew an x on the map, “and the old Lockwood cellar, where Klaus spitefully slaughtered 12 of his own hybrids, is here.” She drew another x then connected them. “According to the book, the expression triangle is equilateral, putting it here.” She made a third x and connected it to the first line she drew.

“Or…” Katie hip bumped Klaus and he moved to the side. She moved so that she could stand across from Caroline. She took the ruler and made a mirror image equilateral triangle to the one Caroline had drawn. “here.” Katie pointed at the second location that the witch massacre could happen then looked up at Caroline.

Caroline didn’t get a chance to say anything before Stefan walked in getting their attention. “Hey, what’s going on? Did you find Bonnie?” she asked.

“No, but I talked to her dad. I think I found Silas.” Stefan answered getting Katie and Klaus’ attention. “He said Shane has been helping her learn to control her magic. Bonnie called her mom to get a group of witches down here to perform a ritual to help her…tonight.” They all knew Shane died on the island.

“Okay.” Katie looked out the window to see that the sun was starting to set. “Then I guess we don’t have much time do we?”

TVDTVDTVD

Katie and Klaus walked through the woods headed to the location she’d marked on the map on the cell phone in Klaus’ hand. “So I have a question.” Katie started. “You liked Stefan better with his humanity off and you think Damon likes Elena better with her humanity off. Why didn’t you like me better without my humanity?”

“Because I like you better with it.” He told her simply. “Don’t get me wrong, you were fun and carefree without your humanity, but all the things I like about you were gone.” They came to a stop and he turned off his phone and put it in his pocket.

“And those things are?” she drawled.

“Now who’s fishing for compliments?” he asked her with a smirk and she rolled her eyes and gave him a look that asked him to answer the question. “Your fire, your compassion…everything that makes you who you are.”

“Mkay, second question.” She started. “I told you once that I didn’t know why I was drawn to you. So was that, “don’t underestimate the allure of darkness” comment you made earlier, really aimed at Elena and Damon or were you talking about us?” she asked, trying to mimic his accent.

He smiled at her bad attempt. “Both.” He answered.

“That’s not why I’m drawn to you.” she told him matter-of-factly and he gave her a curious look that she was growing to like. “It’s the man hidden under the monster that pulls me in. The little glimpses of your humanity that I’ve gotten to see. You like my humanity, I like yours.”

He leaned down and kissed her then pulled back and looked around. “We’re here. Although judging by the lack of witches, here is not the correct location.”

“Awesome.” Katie sighed now even more worried about Bonnie.

Seeing her worry he held his hand out to her. “I’m faster than you, Love.”

She ignored his hand and walked around him, placed her hands on his shoulders then jumped and wrapped her legs around his torso. He grabbed her thighs and looked at her over his shoulder. She pecked him on the cheek. “Whisk me away, Big Bad Wolf.”

When they found Stefan, Caroline and the witches Katie saw Bonnie laying in the center of a pentagram with her hands and feet tied to stakes that were hammered into the ground.

“They’re linked, Bonnie’s going to kill them.” Stefan informed them.

“Not if the witches kill her first.” Klaus pinned Stefan to a tree with his hands on his chest.

“Klaus, we can’t let them kill her.” Katie pleaded with him.

“The only way to stop the witches is to kill them and Silas gets what he wants.” Klaus pointed out.

All of their eyes turned to the witch that sat at Bonnie’s head, a knife raised over her head. Katie didn’t know what to do, she couldn’t just let them kill Bonnie, but at the same time it was like Klaus said, the only way to stop them was to kill them. Take one life or twelve? Before anyone could stop her Caroline whooshed over, grabbed the witch’s hands and made her stab herself in the heart. “No!” Katie and Klaus yelled at the same time.

Stefan went to Caroline’s side while Katie stood next to Klaus. “Well, you wouldn’t happen to have a shovel would you?” Katie asked with a sigh.

TVDTVDTVD

By the time Katie and Klaus had dug twelve holes in the middle of the woods the sun had come up. Katie and Klaus did most of the work, Caroline was still in shock at what just happened. “There, twelve graves for twelve witches, like it never happened.” Klaus told Caroline as he rolled his sleeves down. “Only it did happen.” He grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on. “Now Silas has everything he needs to open the gates to hell on earth.”

Katie slammed her shovel into the ground then grabbed her denim jacket off a fallen tree and pulled it on. “You two were just gonna let Bonnie die.” Caroline told them with a glare.

“I know arithmetic isn’t your strong point, but one is still less than twelve.” Klaus told her.

Caroline looked at Katie. “That one, is our best friend.”

“Yeah, Care, but those other twelve witches had best friends and probably families too.” Katie pointed out.

Caroline’s face turned to one of horror. “I just killed twelve people…” she whispered looking like she was about to cry.

“Okay, I’m going to drive Caroline home.” Katie told Klaus who gave her a nod.

Katie spent the night with Caroline, not wanting her to be alone with herself after what she’d done.

TVDTVDTVD

The next morning Katie got a message from Klaus asking her to come home and that it was an emergency.

“Klaus?” Katie called as she walked through the house.

“Go away.” She followed his voice to a room she’d never been in and found him sitting on the floor leaning against the bench of a piano, shirtless and shaking from pain.

“I got your message, what happened?” she asked as she walked into the room.

“I need more time. Stop hounding me!” he yelled at her.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She walked over to him and kneeled down, brushing his sweaty hair out of his face. “What's wrong?” blood was on his back a day fingertips.

“Katie…Is it really you?” he asked shakily.

“Yeah.” she drawled in confusion.

“Prove it to me.” he told her.

“Um, okay.” She sighed not knowing how she was supposed to prove that she was herself. So she simply kissed him then pressed her forehead to his and looked him in the eyes. “Now tell me what happened, please.”

“Silas, he stabbed me with a white oak stake.” He told her motioning to his back and she moved around him to see a bloody spot on his back that looked more like he’d been clawing at it than if he’d been stabbed. “There’s a piece of it stuck inside me.”

She moved back to kneel in front of him and cupped his cheek in her hand. “I’ll see what I can do.” She stood up and held her hand out to him. He took it and let her pull him up. She pulled the piano bench out and motioned for him to sit. So he sat down and leaned forward on the piano. She picked up the bloody trimming shears off the floor, grabbed a wooden chair and set down behind him.

After an hour and a half of digging around in his back and coming up with nothing she tossed the sheers onto of the piano. “You’re giving up.” He observed.

“On those stupid sheers, yes.” She said then started digging around in his back with her fingers.

“Are you using your fingers?” he asked.

“That’s what she said.” She joked and he heaved an aggravated sigh. “Sorry, not the time for jokes. Yes, I’m using my fingers. And if I still don’t find anything then yeah, I’ll give up because there’s nothing in here and I can't keep torturing you.”

“It’s there.” he told her, still in a lot of pain.

“So why did Silas come after you anyway?” she asked while poking and prodding around in his back.

“He wants me to get him the cure.” He answered truthfully.

After another hour of digging in his back she gave up. “Klaus, I swear there’s nothing there.” She told him as she stopped poking around in his back.

“I can feel it!” he yelled as he stood up and turned to her, knocking the piano bench over. She held up her bloody hands and took a step back.

“Do you think I would just stand by and let you die?” she asked with a hard tone.

“Probably.” He answered quietly, not looking at her.

“I flipped my switch because I thought you died!” she yelled at him. “So believe me when I tell you there is no white oak splinter working its way to your heart. You’re imagining it!”

“Do not raise your voice to me!” he told her, taking a step closer to tower over her.

“I will raise my voice at you any time I damn well please you stubborn, egomaniacal douche bag!” she yelled back taking a step closer to him as she glared back at him.

Instead of lashing out at her he frowned and looked at the floor. “It’s gone.”

“Huh?” Katie asked, confused.

“The pain…” He reached back over his shoulder. “The pain is gone.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “It was…It was never there.” He opened his eyes and looked at her, all anger gone from both of them. “You were right, I was imagining it. Silas…” he pointed at his temples with two fingers, “got inside my head.” He cupped her cheek in his hand, kissed her then pressed his forehead to hers. “You took my mind off it. You brought me back, Little Phoenix.”

“Well, then I guess my temper paid off for once.” She said with a small smile that he returned. “So you’re okay?” she asked as she pulled back and rested one hand on his shoulder and cupped his cheek in the other.

“I am. Thanks to you.” he told her then rested his hands on her waist.

“So…do you really think I’d just let you die, or were you just talking out of pain and frustration?” she asked, having been a little hurt by him.

“I didn’t mean it.” he told her honestly. “I apologize.”

“Hmm, how often does that leave your mouth?” she asked jokingly and he rolled his eyes at her. “Restock the fridge with ice cream and all is forgiven. And I’m sorry I called you a douchebag.” She told him with a small smile. He tried to kiss her but she pulled away “You need a shower. Contrary to popular belief a sweaty man is not a sexy one.”

“No?” he asked with a look down at himself, his jeans riding low on his hips.

“No.” she answered with a small laugh and a shake of her head. When a devilish look appeared in his eyes she smiled bigger. “Klaus.” She drawled with a warning tone.

“Katie.” He mimicked her tone as he smiled back.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Katie answered with a smile down at the baby as she gently slid her hand under her head and another under her back. As she picked up the tiny baby and moved her into the crook of her arm, making sure to support her head, it started crying. “Hey, sweetheart, no tears.” Katie told the baby softly, temporarily forgetting about the other people in the room. “I got you, it’s alright.” She started gently bouncing the baby, humming a lullaby and the baby’s cries quieted.

“You have the magic touch. Baby Smith usually cries the whole time she’s being held.” The instructor told her with an impressed look. “Does anyone else want to give it a try?” Katie almost didn’t want to let the baby go, but she knew she had too.

--That night—

~Dream~

Elijah opened the door of their cabin, letting Fiona, who was cradling a six month old baby in her arms, inside. “He is absolutely perfect.” Hannah gushed as she caught sight of the little boy’s dark complected face that was surrounded by a soft hand made blanket.

Elijah moved behind her and took a peek at the baby over her shoulder. “Hannah is right, as usual.” He told Fiona then looked at Hannah with a look that said he was kidding with her. “May I?” he asked with a motion to the baby.

“Of course.” Fiona told him then passed him the baby.

The sight of Elijah, a strong man that some would call a monster, holding something as small and fragile as a baby caused Hannah’s heart to skip a beat. Fiona saw the look on her friend’s face and nudged her shoulder with hers. “Do you need this?” she asked holding burp cloth out to her.

Hannah blushed and slapped it away. “Oh stop it.”

“You know,” Fiona started with a look between Elijah and Hannah as she sat down at the dining table, “Julie over at the inn is in bad health and looking for someone to take in her two year old if you two would like to consider it.”

“Oh, Fiona, I don’t…” Hanna drawled with an unsure look at Elijah.

“We will talk about it.” he told Fiona surprising the hell out of Hannah. Elijah’s eyes found Hannah’s before he looked back down at the baby in his arms and started talking to him in a soft voice that made Hannah smile.

~End of Dream~

The whole time she was gone she dreamt of Elijah.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie walked into the boarding house to find that, nothing had changed. That was until she walked into the parlor and saw Damon, covered in soap suds while wrapping a red throw blanket around his hips and Elena stood across from him covering her eyes. “What’s going on here?” she asked a little shocked at the scene.

“Elena doesn’t know how to knock.” Damon answered with a smirk. “I thought she was you.”

“He’s covered now. You can put your hand down.” Katie told Elena who peeked through her fingers then dropped her hand as Damon walked over and kissed Katie on the cheek.

“Sheriff Forbes gave us another location to check.” Elena told Damon as she pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket then held it out to him as Katie ducked under his arm and he wrapped it around her shoulders. “Memphis.”

“Another dead end, you mean?” he asked as he took it from her.

“You don’t know that.” Elena told him.

“You’re right, Elena. This could be the one.” Damon told her. “After almost two months this could be the clue that tells us Stefan’s alive and well and living in Graceland.”

“Fine. I’ll go by myself.” Elena took the paper from him and walked around him, but he whooshed in front of her and took the paper.

“And let Klaus know that you’re tracking him? He thinks you’re dead. Let’s keep it that way.” He told her as he looked at the paper.

“It’s a new lead, Damon.” Elena argued. “We haven’t had one in a while.”

“Okay. I’ll check it out. If I find anything, I’ll call you.” he told her then turned around and walked off leaving Katie alone with Elena.

“So, how was med. camp?” Elena asked with a sigh and an aggravated look on her face.

“Good. I’m going to be a pediatrician.” She answered getting a raised brow look from Elena.

“Really?” Elena said as she pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair making it fall around her shoulders.

“Yep.” She said with a shrug as she watched Elena gather her hair back up and tie it back up into a ponytail. “Are you excited about your birthday party tonight?”

“I don’t even want a party. Caroline is-”

“Being Caroline?” Katie asked with a smile and Elena nodded. “It’s happening, so the least you can do is make an appearance and eat a piece of the cake I’m making you.”

“Wait, you’re making the cake?” Elena asked as Katie headed into the kitchen to get to work.

“Yep, you said no gifts so I’m making you something you can’t say no to and it’s not technically a gift if everyone enjoys it.” she told her as she started looking around the kitchen for cake pans.

“Since when do you cook?” Elena asked as she sat down in one of the barstools.

“If you ask Elijah you might have to run to the store and buy a second one, but that was before these were invented.” She told her as she grabbed the chicken shaped timer and set in within arms reach. “So I guess the answer to your question would be since freshman year, home economics.” Katie said as she slammed a cabinet door shut. “How is it possible that there isn’t a single cake pan is this big ass kitchen?” she turned around to see Elena looking at her. “What?”

“Do you miss him?” she asked, making Katie give her a confused shake of her head. “Elijah. That’s at least the fiftieth time you’ve mentioned him this summer.”

“I’ve been at a medical camp half the summer and a lot of medical emergencies happened when we were together. It’s just drumming up old memories.” She answered truthfully as she tapped her ear and pointed up.

“Have you heard from Bonnie recently?” Elena asked, getting the hint that Katie wanted to change the subject.

“I talked to her this morning. She compared her father’s family to wet paint that never dries.” Katie answered as she pulled her car keys out of her pocket. “I have to go buy cake pans you wanna tag along or…”

“No, Caroline is on her way over with Tyler to decorate.” Elena answered so Katie waved over her shoulder and left.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie worked on the cake all day and was putting the finishing touches on it when people started showing up for the party. “Are you done with that yet?” Caroline asked as she walked into the kitchen to see Katie still slaving away over the cake.

Katie ignored her and finished writing Elena’s name in cursive with black icing. “Done.” She stood up and motioned to the cake with the hand that wasn’t holding the icing bag. “What do you think?”

Caroline walked around the white three tiered, topsy turvy cake covered with pink and black poke-a-dots glaring at it with her appraising eyes. “A professional could have done it better, but I think Elena will like it.”

“Okay, now that I have your seal of approval I’m going to go get dressed. Make sure no one messes with this please.” Katie didn’t wait to hear what Caroline had to say as she headed up to her room to change.

She was straightening the neckline of her white, spaghetti strap sundress with a scoop neck and a floral print of small red flowers, when Damon walked into her room. “I missed you.” he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

As Katie turned in his arms a hard box in his pocket brushed her leg. “What’s this?” she asked, tapping it with her finger.

“Elena’s birthday gift.” He answered as he stood up straight and pulled a small black box out of his pocket then opened it for her to see Elena’s necklace that Stefan had given her laying on a pad of white fluff. “Alaric found it in his apartment. I thought it might make her feel like she still has a piece of Stefan.”

“That’s sweet of you.” Katie thought out loud then walked over to her dresser and grabbed a pair of small silver hoop earrings off of it. “So how was the road trip?”

“Interesting.” He told her. “Stefan killed two people, but the interesting part is there was a secret werewolf holding cell under the house.” He didn’t give her a chance to say anything before he said, “I’ll meet you down at the party.” as he tucked the box back into his pocket and left the room. Katie couldn’t help letting her ears follow Damon up to Stefan’s room where Elena had been getting ready. “I got you something.” She heard him tell her. “I know I promised not to buy you anything. So don’t worry I didn’t pay for it.”

“You stole it?” Elena asked and Katie rolled her eyes.

“No.” Damon told her with a scoff. “I found it.”

“My necklace.” Elena said quietly. “I thought I’d never see it again.”

“Alaric found it in his loft. I figured you’d be happy to get it back.” he told her.

“I am happy.” Katie could hear the sad, but slightly happy tone in Elena’s voice. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Damon told her.

Katie left her bedroom just as she heard them walking by and a little jealousy shot through her when she saw Elena’s arm looped through Damon’s. He could see it on her face so he held his other arm out to her. She took it, but as soon as they were at the bottom of the stairs she let go and headed to the kitchen to make sure no one had messed with the cake. However when she got in the kitchen she found that it was gone.

Worried she headed to the parlor where she saw Elena and Caroline getting a cup of beer from the keg in the corner. “Caroline!” Katie called getting Caroline’s attention so as soon as she could Caroline and Elena headed over to her where she stood on the steps.

“I moved the cake to the laundry room.” she told her then offered her a cup of beer.

“Thank god.” Katie sighed as she took the cup from her. “Where’s Damon?”

“I think I saw him go outside with Alaric.” Elena answered.

“Happy birthday by the way.” Katie told Elena then looked at Caroline. “I’m gonna go see if Damon wants to dance.”

She found Damon and Alaric out back sitting on the brick half wall between the cement and the grass. “How was the internship at Duke?” Alaric asked when he saw her walk up. “Did you decide if med. school was right for you?”

“Yep. You’re looking at a future pediatrician.” She told him with a proud smile.

“My girl, the future doctor.” Damon said as he grabbed her hips and pulled her to stand between his knees as he pulled her in for a kiss.

“Hey, can you keep the p.d.a. to a minimum please?” Ric complained and Katie laughed as she moved to sit beside Damon on the brick wall.

Before she could ask Damon to dance Elena walked out, said “Drink”, grabbed the glass of bourbon out of Damon’s hand and took a large drink. “Jeremy’s smoking again.”

“Is his stash any good?” Damon asked, getting a slap on the arm from Katie.

“You’re an ass.” Elena told him with a pissed off look then turned her eyes to Alaric. “Talk to him, please. He looks up to you.” she put the glass in Damon’s hand spilling it everywhere.

“You’re screwed.” Damon told Alaric who just shook his head.

Katie nudged Damon with her shoulder to get his attention and he looked over at her. “Wanna dance?”

“Na, I’m good.” He told her then refilled his glass with the bottle that was sitting between him and Alaric.

Katie sighed in disappointment. “Okay then. I’m going to go get another beer.” She said more to herself than him as she hopped down off the wall and headed inside. She had gotten a refill and was headed to her room to change shoes because the ones she was wearing were impractically high heeled when she saw Caroline leaning on the wall watching Tyler and Slutty Sophie dancing as she drank straight from the bottle. “Would you two just hook up already and get it over with?” Katie asked, getting Caroline’s attention.

“He’s had all summer to do something about us.” Caroline told her. “Besides, it’s…complicated.”

“Okay,” Katie started as she walked up the steps to stand beside her and watch people dancing on the dance floor, “weren’t you the one that told him you didn’t want to go there after he kissed you?” Katie asked, getting a look from Caroline across her shoulder. “You are also the one that said and I quote, It’s easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy. Sex.”

Caroline laughed remembering that she told Elena the same thing when she first met Stefan. “That’s not exactly one of my best quotes.”

“Either way the ball is in your court now. Pick it up and take a shot.” Katie told her with a smile and a pat on her shoulder as she headed up to her room. She expected to find some random couple making out on her bed, but instead she found Stefan, sitting at her desk reading her journal. “Stefan?”

He looked up at her with an emotionless face then whooshed over to her and stabbed her in the neck with a vervain dart causing her body to grow weak. It affected her more than it should have considering she ran out of vervain two weeks into her trip and hadn’t had a chance to drink any since she got back. She stumbled to her bed and grabbed the post of the footboard, holding herself up. “Hello, Katie.”

“Why are you doing this?” She groaned.

“Because I need to send a clear message to my brother.” He told her as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“What message?” she asked quietly.

“He and Elena need to let me go.” He told her in a matter of fact tone “Just like you need to let him go.”

“What?” she asked with a weak frown.

“I thought I heard you kiss Elijah before we went to Klaus.” He grabbed her journal and held it up. “I was right. You need to let Damon go. The longer you draw this out the more it’s going to hurt him.” He told her as he pushed buttons on his phone. Before he could hit the call button Damon walked into the room and Stefan grabbed Katie, holding her back to his chest with his arm wrapped around her chest. “Hello brother.”

“Stefan.” Damon greeted him worriedly. “What did you do to her?”

“Vervain.” He answered as if it was obvious.

“I swear if you hurt her…” Damon threatened.

“Now that I have your attention.” Stefan said, making Damon look back at him. “I need you to stop following me. It’s causing some…problems.”

Katie, growing weaker and weaker as the vervain spread through her system, couldn’t hold her head up any longer and it fell limply back onto Stefan’s shoulder. “With who, Klaus? I’m supposed to care what he thinks?” Unlike Katie, Damon could see the stake in Stefan’s hand and knew that if he made even one move toward her Stefan would stab her and possibly kill her.

“What you’re supposed to do…is let me go.” Stefan answered as Katie’s eye’s slipped shut, slowly losing consciousness.

“I’ve got a birthday girl downstairs that isn’t going to let me do that.” Damon answered.

Stefan stabbed her in the side with the thick stake making her wake up and scream. “I said…let me go.” He let Katie fall to the floor then whooshed out the window.

Damon pulled the stake out of her side making her scream again before she passed out. Damon sighed and picked her up in his arms. He laid her on her bed and brushed her hair out of her face. He tore a clean page from the notebook on her desk, wrote her a note and left it on her bedside table in case she woke up and he wasn’t there. Reluctantly he headed down stairs to make sure Stefan hadn’t gotten to Elena.

When Katie woke up she saw the note. “Went to find Elena.” She read then tossed the paper to the side as she stood up and walked over to her door. The party was still going on, but as she pulled the door open Damon and Elena’s voice’s hit her ears and she stopped. “All summer, every single time I came to you with a lead you made me feel like an idiot for having hope.” She heard Elena saying.

“You were an idiot. We both were.” Damon told her as Katie made her way toward Damon’s room.

“Tell me what you know.” Elena demanded and Katie could tell just by the tone of her voice that she was really upset with him as she should be.

“I know you need to get back to your party, Elena.” He told her dismissively.

“We’re supposed to be in this together. Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been tracking Klaus’ victims?” Elena told him.

“Because they’re not Klaus’ victims, Elena, they’re Stefan’s!” Damon snapped at her.

“What?”

“He’s left a trail of body parts up and down the eastern seaboard.” Damon told her, his voice agitated.

“No. You’re wrong.”

“I’ve seen it happen before. He’s flipped the switch, to full-blown ripper!” Damon practically yelled at her and Katie wanted to step in, but she knew Elena needed to hear what he was telling her.

“Stop it Damon.”

“No you stop, Elena. Stop looking for him. Stop waiting for him to come home. Just stop!” instead of standing out in the hallway eavesdropping Katie went back to her room to wait for them to get done arguing. “Stefan’s gone and he’s not coming back. Not in your lifetime.”

Katie didn’t know where Damon went from there, but he didn’t come to her. So she headed down to the party that was almost over and started compelling people with the line, “you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here”.

She was picking up the plastic cups and trash that lay around when she heard Damon destroying Stefan’s room. Deciding that it would be best if she didn’t interrupt she kept cleaning. She was picking up the study when Damon found her. “What are you doin’?”

“Cleaning. This place is disgusting.” She shoved a plate with half a piece of cake on it into the black trash bag she held in her hand.

“That’s what maids and compulsion are for.” He took the trash bag out of her hand and tossed it to the floor. “Come shower with me. You still have blood on your shirt.” His hands found her hips and pulled her into him. “How long have you been awake?”

“Since you and Elena started fighting about you keeping secrets from her all summer.” She answered as she lifted her eyes to his. “I guess I really could use a shower.”

TVDTVDTVD

“Are you okay?” Katie’s eyes didn’t look at his, but at her hand that rested on his chest, knowing their conversations like these usually went better without eye contact. “I heard you in Stefan’s room earlier.”

“It’s been a long time since Stefan and I have been as close as we have been recently. I screwed everything up.” He answered.

“You didn’t screw everything up.” She told him as she trailed her fingers down the center dip of his abs. “It wasn’t your fault Tyler bit you. I never thanked you for saving him and Caroline. I know you mainly did it to try to stop the sacrifice, but it still means a lot.”

“You need to stop…just stop trying to make me feel better about this.” Damon snapped at her. “Stefan is gone because of me.”

“Stefan may be gone and he may be off the rails, but he is alive.” Katie sat up and looked at him with insistent, stubborn eyes. “Had you not done what you did not knowing you would get bit, my friends would be dead. Dead, Damon. It sucks that Elena may never see Stefan again, but one of these days you and I will and well go Lexi 2.0 on his ass as soon as we do.”

“Katie, he vervained you and staked you in the side.” Damon argued.

“But he didn’t kill me. If he was really as gone as he wants us to believe he would have killed me.” She argued. “I will help you get him back even if it means I get staked in the side a thousand times over. Hope isn’t lost, Damon, not yet.”

“Either way I’m done chasing him.” Damon’s words made Katie breathe in a deep breath then led it out as she nodded.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie woke up from another Elijah dream to the smell of burning paper and sat up in bed with a sigh as she saw Damon throwing his research on Klaus and Stefan into the lit fireplace. “Are you sure you want to do that?” Katie said as she grabbed one of his shirts out of his dresser and pulled it over her head. “Maybe you should sleep on it. You might change your mind and decide to not give up on him.”

“I have slept on it, Katie. Last night, nothing’s changed and nothing is going to change. So Let it go.” He told her, not looking at her.

“Okay.” She sighed as she held her hands up in surrender then headed to her room to get dressed.

TVDTVDTVD

She was sitting on the couch in the living room reading a book when Damon walked over and sat down next to her. When she didn’t look up from her book he started walking his fingers up her hand and over her arm. She smiled but didn’t look at him so he grabbed the book out of her hand and tossed it across the room. She laughed as he grabbed her by her shoulders and moved her to straddle his lap. “Are you bored?” she asked as he slid his hands up her sides. He hummed as she started unbuttoning his shirt then grabbed his sides and caught his lips in a kiss.

He had moved her around to lie on the couch when his phone started ringing. He ignored it, but as soon as it was done ringing it started up again. So he pulled it out of his back pocket with an aggravated groan and answered it. “Bad time Ric.” Damon told him as Katie started kissing his neck, not paying attention to Alaric. “She what?” Damon’s change in tone made her stop and pull back to look at his eyes, wide with worry and aggravation. “Yeah we’re headed your way.” Damon told him as he got off of Katie and hung up the phone. “Stefan and Klaus are in the Smoky Mountains. Elena talked Alaric into going with her to find Stefan.” he told her as he headed to the door.

“Is she insane?” Katie asked as she stood up and rushed after him.

“She has to be because I’m about two seconds away from locking her in a padded cell.” He said as he walked over to his car and pulled the door open as Katie opened the passenger door. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going with you.” she told him as if it were obvious.

“No. Tonight is a full moon and we will be in werewolf country. It’s too dangerous.” He told her over the roof of the blue mustang.

“All the more reason for me to come with you.” she argued and he took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “I’m not going to just sit here and not help make sure my friend gets her stupid ass back here in one piece.”

“Fine, just…don’t do anything stupid.” He told her and jerked his head for her to get in the car.

TVDTVDTVD

When they found Alaric and Elena halfway up the mountain, Damon, still pissed at Elena, pushed her off the ledge she was standing on into the water below. “Damon, Katie, what…? How are you even here?” Elena asked, soaked from head to toe as she stood waist deep in the muddy water.

“Thanks for the tip, brother.” Damon told Alaric over his shoulder.

“You sold me out.” Elena asked Alaric with her hands held out to the sides over the water.

“You think I’d take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?” Alaric asked, getting a pissed look from Elena.

“Just get out of the water so we can go home.” Katie told her with an aggravated tone.

“No.” Elena answered making Katie sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose.

“Get out of the water, Elena.” Damon told her with more force.

“No. If I get out of the water you’re going to make me go home.” She stated the obvious as Katie dropped her hand from her face and rolled her eyes.

“Yes, because I’m not an idiot like you.” Damon told her as he propped his arm up on the tree beside him.

“Right now, you’re both acting like idiots.” Alaric spoke up, over their arguing.

“You gave up on him, Damon.” Elena told him standing her ground in the water.

“I didn’t give up on him, Elena.” Damon told her as he walked a little close to the small ledge. “I faced reality. Now get out of the water.”

“No!” Elena argued as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“What’s your big plan Elena?” Damon asked as he hopped down to her level. “You gonna walk into a campsite full of werewolves,” he started walking out into the water, “roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan to stop by?”

“My plan is to find him and help him.” Elena argued. Seeing as how this was going to take a while Katie walked over to a tree and leaned back against it, content to watch them argue. “This is the closest that we’ve been to him since he left. I’m not going home.”

“Klaus thinks you died when he broke the curse. That makes you safe.” Damon told her with a glare. “This?” he asked with his hands held out to the sides. “This is not safe.”

“I’m not leaving before we find him.” Elena told him.

“It’s a full moon tonight, Elena.” Damon told her really getting aggravated.

“Then we’ll find him before then.” Elena told him and as a moment of silence passed Katie realized something. Damon was actually listening to Elena and considering letting her stay. Normally Damon didn’t listen to anyone but himself, and on the rare occasion, Katie. “Damon, please.” Another moment passed Katie turned her eyes up at Alaric to see if he was noticing the same thing Katie was, that Elena had more power over Damon than they thought. He looked at her then down at Damon and Elena then back at her.

“Ok.” Damon caved. “Okay, but we are out of here before the moon is full and we’re wolf bait.”

“I promise.” Elena nodded.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Katie asked, jealous anger bubbling to the surface. “The plan was to bring her home not go on a hike in werewolf territory. I’ve lived in Irish werewolf territory as a human and I gotta say I’m not liking it any more as a vampire that could die from a single nip.”

“If you don’t want to be here, go home.” Elena snapped at her.

“Unfortunately I’m just as stubborn and stupid as you are, so no. I’m not going home unless you’re coming too.”

“Not happening.” Elena told her stubbornly.

“Then let’s stop wasting daylight.” Alaric spoke up with a look between the two girls.

They had been walking in silence for an hour when Alaric, who was walking behind Damon and Elena spoke up again. “So you lived in Ireland?” Katie knew he was trying to break the tension and she decided to let him.

“In the 1800’s, yeah.” She nodded.

“Why didn’t you just move out of werewolf territory?” he asked just to keep her talking.

“Because I was a struggling single mother with nowhere else to go.” She answered. “They killed my sister one full moon. Bit my son another, and one would have ripped me to shreds on another. Elijah saved us both.” She saw Damon look back at her at the mention of Elijah. “Before Elijah showed up I wasn’t even aware werewolves were a thing. I just thought there was an overpopulation of wolves.”

“How you doin?” Damon asked Elena when he noticed she was getting winded.

“Fine.” She told him aggravatedly.

“You know I can help you.” he told her.

“No thanks.” She replied as they climbed a small hill.

“Just one little whoosh.” He told her as he moved his arms out in front of him like superman.

“Yeah, with my luck, you’d drop me.” Elena said with a groan as she took a large step up.

Alaric looked at Katie who was still walking beside him. “You’re not whooshing me.”

Katie laughed with a shake of her head at the thought of how awkward it would be to have to grab him and whoosh him that far. She loved him as a teacher and friend of friends, but it would have to be an emergency for that to happen.

They had been walking for what felt like forever when Alaric said, “We’ve got about a mile left.”

“And the sun isn’t far from setting.” Katie told them, getting antsy.

“I can see that, Katie.” Elena told her with an attitude. “The moon doesn’t reach its apex for a while. We have time.”

Damon’s walking slowed, sensing someone else around them so Katie opened her ears and heard someone’s shambled footsteps and beating heart. She was about to say something when a guy in jeans and a red flannel shirt over a grey t-shirt stepped out of the woods. He had blood on his face, dripping from his eyes and down his throat and his t-shirt. When he saw them he looked up and said, “Vampire”.

In a flash he grabbed Damon, spun him around and pinned him to a nearby tree. Damon was keeping him from biting him with his hand on his throat. In a flash Katie grabbed the werewolf guy around his waist and slammed him on the ground. She pinned him down with her body and placed her converse clad foot under his chin to keep him from biting her. “Someone wanna help me out here?” Katie asked, surprised that the werewolf seemed to be on the verge of overpowering her when most werewolves couldn’t take a vampire out of wolf form.

Alaric grabbed a wolfsbane dart out of his backpack and stuck the guy in the neck with it, weakening him enough that Katie could stand up, but she kept her foot on the guy's neck as Damon and Alaric started tying him up. “Let me guess. Hybrid.” Alaric said getting a look from all three of them. She only moved her foot when Damon tapped her ankle then picked the guy up from the ground. After using everything they had the guy was tied to a tree, but still managing to fight. Nothing seemed to be holding him down for long. “Alright, that’s the last of the vervain.” Rick said as he tied vervain soaked ropes around the guy. “We don’t have enough stuff to hold him. I don’t think we’re gonna make that ridge before the full moon.”

“If we can get him to talk we don’t have to.” Elena was reaching her hand out to the hybrid guy when he took in a deep breath, lifted his head and screamed out as his neck started twitching, the sickening sound of breaking bones filled the air around him.

“Is he turning?” Damon asked with a frown as he looked up at the setting sun.

“It’s impossible. It’s still daylight.” Elena said as she too turned her eyes up to the sky.

“Tell him that.” Alaric popped off.

“There aren’t supposed to be werewolves out here until the moon is full.” Elena said freaking out as Damon placed his hands on the hybrid’s shoulders keeping him pinned to the tree.

“Those ropes and us are nothing to a wolf, much less a hybrid with wolf and vampire strength.” Katie told Elena and Alaric as the hybrid leaned forward trying to bite Damon.

“We’ve got to get out of here.” Elena said and Katie breathed a small sigh of relief that Elena was starting to see the light on this whole adventure of hers. “Damon, we’ve gotta get out of these mountains, now!” she shoved Damon and he took his hands off of the hybrid as they all made a run for it.

Katie wished with everything in her that she could just whoosh away to safety and a dark part of her thought about it, but she couldn’t leave Elena and Alaric behind. So she stuck with the group. The sun had completely set when Elena tripped over a tree root and they all stopped and turned to look at her to see a wolf staring her down where she sat on the ground.

Katie’s eyes looked at the wolf, then Damon who knew what she was thinking just by looking at her eyes. Damon mouthed the word no at her. She was about to whistle at the wolf to get it’s attention before she ran when Damon said, “Here doggie, doggie.” and zipped away with the wolf on his trail.

“Son of a bitch, Damon.” Katie cursed him as Elena stood up.

“Come on. Let’s keep moving.” Alaric waved his hand for them to follow him.

“We can’t leave Damon.” Elena argued.

“He can handle himself. Let’s move.” Alaric argued.

Elena looked at Katie. “Go after him.”

“I can’t Elena. So let’s go before I throw you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carry you down kicking and screaming.” Katie told her as she put her hand on Elena’s back and gave her a small push to get moving.

“I’m the reason he’s out here, Katie.” Elena argued.

“I’m the reason he’s out here.” Alaric snapped at them. “I told them where we were and I’m telling you to keep moving!” Elena hesitated, but started walking down the mountain.

Katie was leaning against Alaric’s car waiting for Damon, seriously considering going to find him when he came out of the woods and she whooshed over to him. “Are you okay, were you bit?” she asked, getting an aggravated look from him.

“I’m fine, Katie Cat.” He sighed as they started walking toward Alaric and Elena who were getting out of the car as they neared them.

“Damon, are you okay? Did you-” Elena asked as she rushed over to him.

“I’m fine, bite free. Get back in the car, please.” Damon told her as he put his hand on her chest and pushed her back.

“Can you just give me a minute to appreciate that you’re not dead?” she asked.

“I’ll give you ten seconds, 9, 8...” he grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her around. “Hey Ric, did you happen to see where I parked my car?” he pushed her toward her car.

“Damon, stop being such a caveman.” Elena complained as he opened her door and pushed her into the car then shut it behind her.

TVDTVDTVD

“What happened out there?” Katie asked as they headed into the boarding house, Katie walking behind Damon. “You haven’t said a word since we got in the car.” He turned and looked at her with wide pissed off eyes. “You’re mad at me. Why am I not surprised?”

“Probably because you know I’m pissed at you for even thinking about letting that wolf chase you. Do you have some sort of death wish?” he asked as he walked closer and closer to her. “If you keep putting yourself in harm's way you’re going to end up dead and you know it.”

“What I know,” she started as she took a step back, “is that my best friend, my family, was in danger and I will die before I let my family die knowing there was something I could have done to prevent it! If you call that a death wish then fine. I have a death wish!” Damon just stared at her.

“No. I refuse to let you get yourself killed just because you think you will come back in god knows how many years.” He told her with rage in his eyes.

Katie took a deep breath and held it as she placed her hands on her hips and looked down at the ornate rug that covered the floor. Those three words, I refuse to. They started ninety percent of the sentences that her grandfather had ever said to her and in that moment, in the tone of voice Damon was using with her, she got jerked back in time and heard her grandfather’s voice in her head. Then once again heard her first father’s voice telling her ‘you will do this’ or ‘you will not do that’. “Damon,” she let the breath out and looked up at him, “I have been told all my life, in both of my lives, what I can and can’t, will and will not do. Please don’t be another one of those people who refuse to let me do something. What I do with my life, my choices, are mine to make.”

Damon didn’t say a word as he walked to the front door, opened it, walked out and slammed it behind him causing Katie to jump and the pictures on the wall to shake. With a heavy sigh she dragged herself upstairs to her room and took a shower. When she was done she threw on some cheer shorts and a tank top then sat down at her desk and let her hair fall around her shoulders in loose wet ringlets. She grabbed a pen and opened her journal to a fresh page.

“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I love Damon, I do, but when he says things to me like he did tonight it makes me wonder if why I put up with it. When we first got together it was just for the fun of it. Then I saw how good of a person he could be and I fell for him. Even though I knew we wouldn’t last…I fell. He’s fun to be with, but here lately it feels more like we spend more time fighting to have a relationship than we do actually having one. When we’re not fighting about Katherine or Elijah we’re finding something else to argue about. I’ve never actually seen a functioning relationship, but I’m pretty damn sure this is not what one is supposed to be like.” She lifted the pen from the paper, debating on if she even wanted to write down what she was thinking and feeling. If she wrote it down, she’d have to accept it and it would become all too real. But she forced herself to put pen back to paper. “I’ve been dreaming about Elijah. I know it’s no longer the spell making me have dreams. It’s me. It’s my subconscious pushing me to be with him. To follow my heart and stop pushing back everything I feel for him. I love Damon. He has been with me through everything and we’ve been through so much, but it feels like we are slipping apart and I don’t know what to do.” Getting aggravated she threw the pen on the desk and slammed the journal shut.

She thought she heard something and she followed the sound to Damon’s room where he was getting out of the shower. “What?” Damon asked as he wrapped the towel around him.

“Where’d you go?” she asked timidly.

“I needed some fresh air.”

“You know I can tell when you’re lying to me right?” she asked as she leaned on the door frame.

“I went to Elena’s okay?” he told her then turned to his dresser and pulled the drawer open.

“Why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?”

“Because I know how jealous of her you can be.” He told her in a choppy tone without making eye contact.

Katie bit her lips closed and nodded. “Okay. Goodnight I guess.” She went to her room, flipped off the light switch, slid into bed and closed her eyes. The image of Damon on his deathbed filled her mind as his words echoed through her head, “Thank you for choosing me. You have no idea how much that means to me.” Feeling the stabbing pain of her heart breaking, she rolled over and pressed her face into her pillow then covered her head with the second one she never used and sandwiched her head between then as she let the tears flow.

“With this.” He said as he pulled a pocket watch out of his back pocket.

“A pocket watch?” she asked as she watched him open the gold circle watch and flip it around.

“It’s a compass that points to vampires.” He said as he pressed the button on the link where a chain could be put and the pointer started spinning until it pointed at Damon and clicked into place. When he moved behind her it started spinning again until it found him and clicked into place again. “See simple.”

“So because you would interfere with the vamp signal I have to be the one to use this and figure out where the vampire you’re looking for is?” she asked piecing things together.

‘Yep.” He answered. “And it’s daylight so nine judges out of ten suggests that the vampire is somewhere inside and not able to hurt you if you’re in the daylight so…” he said as he walked around her and flopped down on her couch, propping his feet up on the table. “Get to lookin’.”

“Okay one, I’m not even sure I want to help you after you ditched me at the church. I had to walk home just so you know. Two, what do I get out of this? And three get your dirty feet off the coffee table.”

“What do you want to get out of this?” he asked as he took his feet down off the table.

Katie thought about it for a second. “Make me an offer I can’t refuse.” She challenged.

“Hmm, I know sex isn’t going to work…” he said as he stood up and started pacing around her in a circle. “Or is it?”

“It isn’t.” she confirmed. He hummed and started walking around her looking her up and down as he thought about what he could offer her. “Seriously, you can’t think of one thing you can give me in return for helping you?”

“Uninterrupted time with me at my place.” He offered and she made a motion for him to sweeten the deal. “And I’m sorry for leaving you alone at the church.” She made the hand motion again. “Dinner and a movie?” he asked not knowing what else he could throw in to make the deal better.

“Bump me back up to girlfriend status and we have a deal.” She said as she stuck her hand out and raised a challenging eyebrow.

He took her hand and shook it twice before he pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her. “Deal. Now get to it before you lose the light.” He let go of her and she rolled her eyes.

After two and a half hours of driving around and watching the compass it finally clicked into place and she followed it to an abandoned warehouse. So she closed it and called Damon. “I found it. I’m sending you the address now.”

“I’m on my way.” He told her and she could hear wind over the phone.

“Are you…whooshing, all the way here?” she asked before he appeared outside her car.

“Yep.” He answered with a smile then they both hung up the phone.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” She said as she opened her door and hopped out, shutting it behind her.

“Have I thanked you for this?” he asked as he grabbed her hips and pulled her into him.

“No, but you’re welcome.” She said with a sigh. “Can I go to career night now?” she asked as she placed her hands on his chest and gave him a light push.

“What are you planning on doing with your future?” he asked curiously. “You work so hard to be at the top of your class…it must be something good like a doctor or…a dentist.” He asked with a sarcastic eye roll.

“I’ll let you know after I go to career night.” She told him and he finally let go of her hips.

“Okay, go. Have fun.” He told her as he opened her door for her and shut it behind her.

She’d been at the career fair for a few hours and was looking at the booth handing out pamphlets on law degrees when she got a call from Damon. “It’s Logan Fell.”

“What?” Katie asked as she headed outside where it was quieter.

“Logan Fell is the vampire and he’s there, at career night.” Damon told her. “I’m on my way, but until I get there stay away from him.” He warned. “Find Elena and Stefan…stay with them.”

“Okay.” she told him and he hung up. Katie was leaning in the corner of the building taking a few calming breaths when she saw Mayor Lockwood pushing Jeremy and Tyler out the door she had come through, completely overlooking her.

Katie stood back watching Mayor Lockwood talking to the boys. Mr. Saltzman, the new history teacher walked out, not missing her like the Mayor did and walked over to them as the Mayor shoved Tyler. “Whoa. What’s goin’ on out here?” Mr. Saltzman asked.

“I can answer that question.” Katie spoke up as she walked over to stand next to her teacher who gave her a questioning look. “He’s bullying them.” She answered then looked at the Mayor. “Just like he and my grandpa used to do to me every time they got drunk together. They called it preparing me for the real world. Isn’t that right Mayor Lockwood?” Katie asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“What?” Tyler asked looking past his father to Katie who let her eyes slip to the concrete.

“Okay I think we all need to go back inside.” Mr. Saltzman spoke up, placing a hand on Katie’s back to usher her back inside.

“Na, we’re good here. You two go back inside.” The mayor said turning back to the boys.

“I don’t want to go back inside.” Mr. Saltzman spoke up taking a step closer to the mayor. “What I want is your answer to my question.” He pointed at the mayor.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” the mayor asked, walking a little closer to Mr. Saltzman. “Do I look like a student?”

“No, you look like a full-grown alpha-male douchebag.” Mr. Saltzman replied

“Yeah…I’m gonna move…somewhere out of striking distance.” Katie drawled as she moved to stand next to Tyler anticipating a fist fight between the two men.

“You don’t talk to me like that.” The mayor said walking even closer to the teacher. “I could have you job like this.” He snapped his fingers.

Mr. Saltzman laughed. “You do that. Then it’ll be me and you out here in this parking lot working things out.” He broadened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “You cool with that?”

“You just mark yourself.” The Mayor threatened.

“Yeah, ok” Mr. Saltzman whispered.

The mayor glared at Tyler before they walked off together. When they were gone Katie started to walk off, but Mr. Saltzman grabbed her jacket sleeve as she passed him stopping her. She looked across her shoulder at him to see him looking at Jeremy. “Are you okay?” Jeremy nodded and walked off leaving her alone with her teacher who let go of her leather jacket sleeve and turned to her. “Was any of that true or were you just stoking the flames?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Katie sighed and walked over the lean against the railing where Tyler and Jeremy had been standing. “It was all true.” She admitted as she crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably. “I thought Tyler should know that he’s not the only one who’s been…bullied, by his father.”

“And what you said about your grandfather…” he prompted.

“He used to, but…he stopped thanks to a close friend of mine.” She answered with a small smile. “Thanks for the concern though.” Katie said as she pushed herself off of the rails and headed for the door.

“Any time.” He told her with a small, close lipped smile and a nod as he opened the door and jerked his head to inside.

She found Elena in the hallway. “Hey, where’s Stefan?” she asked Elena with a frown. “And have you seen Logan Fell?”

“What do you know about Logan?” Elena asked, looking confused.

“I know that he’s a you-know-what and that he was here.” Katie answered, earning a questioning look. “Damon called me, wanted me to stay safe.” she said with a shrug as if it were no big deal.

“Last we heard he was giving Caroline a ride home. Stefan went after him.” She told her with a shrug. “Stefan told me to stay here, you probably should too.” She told her as they looked around at all the people in the hallway. “So you’re talking to Damon again?”

“He called. I answered.” Katie said with a shrug.

“I swear you’re like a fish on a hook and he just keeps reeling you in.” Elena sighed, moving to lean against a locker.

“And that’s different from you and Stefan how?” Katie asked Elena who just stared at her. “I need some air.”

She was sitting on a picnic table outside the school, not caring if Logan Fell found her when Tyler walked over and sat down next to her. “Is it true?” he asked and Katie looked across her shoulder at him. “What you said about my dad.”

Katie started picking at her cuticles as she nodded. “Yeah, it’s true.” She looked back down at her hands.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” he asked leaning forward to put his elbows on his knees.

“Probably the same reasons you haven’t said anything to anyone.” She answered quietly. “And because I didn’t know he did it to you too.” She answered leaning forward, mimicking his position. “I thought it was just some sick game he and my grandpa played when they got drunk.”

“So your grandpa-?” he asked looking over at her and how she was picking at her nails.

“Yeah.” She answered with a nod, not letting him finish the sentence.

“That sucks.” He said not knowing what else to say and things fell awkwardly silent.

“You came here with your dad right?” Katie asked, looking around to see that the Mayor’s car was nowhere in sight. Tyler hummed a yes as he looked around too. “Do you need a ride home?”

“I was gonna ask Matt for a ride, but it looks like he’s already left.” He said with a sigh.

“Then it’s settled. You’re riding with me.” She slid off of the table and looked at him to see him giving her an ‘are you serious’ look. “Do you have any other way of getting home tonight?” she asked and he shook his head no. “Then come on.” She told him as she jerked her head toward her car.

He hesitantly followed her to her car and climbed inside. “You know I don’t think we’ve had a conversation this long since…” he trailed off when he remembered the last time they had really talked.

“Since eighth grade?” she asked with a smirk at the memory.

“Yeah.” He laughed a little.

“You know up until about three weeks ago Elena still believed that you were my first kiss?” she asked with a smile over at him before she turned her eyes back to the road.

“Yeah, no one I know really believed that we made out.” He admitted as he shifted in his seat.

“I’m going to pretend not to be offended by that.” She said as she pointed her finger at him.

“No offense but you aren’t exactly the make out in the closet with a guy type.” He replied honestly, getting no response from her. “Who was your first kiss?” he asked being nosy just to try to get a reaction from her.

“Yeah I’m not answering that question unless you do.” She said with a shake of her head.

“Vicki Donovan.” He answered without missing a beat.

“Damn, I was banking on the fact that you wouldn’t answer.” She sighed as she turned onto his street.

“Come on, I answered now it’s your turn.” He said challengingly.

“This is what I get for bringing up the past.” She sighed as she pulled into his driveway. “Oh look we’re here you can get out now.” She prompted overly cheerfully as she pulled the car to a stop.

“Nice try but I’m not getting out until you answer the question.” he said with a playful smirk.

“Then we’re gonna be here all night.” She told him stubbornly.

“You have had a first kiss haven't you?” He asked when she still didn't answer. "Because if you haven't I'll gladly change that."

"Is that your douchey jock way of hitting on me?" She asked with a stunned smile and reddening cheeks.

"Maybe. Is it working?" He asked cockily.

"A few months ago I probably would've said yes, but I’m seeing someone." She answered feeling kind of sorry for turning him down. "And to be completely honest I'm kind of surprised you just hit on me."

"Why are you so surprised?" He asked with a smile.

"Well because you're...you." she answered getting a 'what are you talking about?' look from him "You're the hot football player that all the girls want." She said being her usual, blatantly honest self.

"And you're you. The hot, geeky, cheerleader that all the guys want, but are too intimidated to approach." He said as if his statement was as obvious as hers. "What's your point?"

"I’m...um...what?" Katie asked, completely stunned by what he had said.

But he didn't get the chance to answer because someone knocked on the passenger side window and he rolled it down revealing his mom. "Hi, Mrs. Lockwood." Katie greeted.

Mrs. Lockwood just ignored her and smiled at her son. "Tyler, sweetie, don’t you think it's time you come inside?" She asked her tone sticky sweet.

"Yes ma'am." He mumbled as he looked at Katie and rolled his eyes as he took off his seat belt then got out of the car. She smiled at his reaction to his bitch of a mother.

"I see you found more trash to drag up to the house.” Mrs. Lockwood’s words floated in through the still rolled down window.

Katie's nostrils flailed as she put her car in drive and left the driveway as calmly as she could. No matter how bad she wanted to do a burnout on the pretty white concrete driveway she didn't do it for fear of Tyler getting in trouble.

She was almost home when she got a text from Damon asking her to meet him at the boarding house. On her way she looked down and reached for her phone in the passenger seat. When she looked back up at the road she saw a car swerve to miss someone standing in the road. But the car still hit the person then started flipping across the road.

Katie slammed on her breaks, stopping a few feet from the car. Only thinking about the people involved in the accident, Katie put her car in park and hopped out. The overturned car was closer to her than the person who got hit so she ran to the driver to see that it was Elena. “Elena? Are you okay?” Katie asked, but Elena pointed behind Katie to the person she had hit. “Oh, shit.” Katie whispered when she saw that the person was popping their broken limbs back into place and standing up.

“Run.” Elena croaked, but Katie didn’t have the chance to even think before the vampire whooshed over and sank its teeth into Katie’s neck. She screamed right before her world faded to pitch black.

TVDTVDTVD

Music pulled Katie from her slumber and as she opened her eyes she realized she was in Damon’s car. “Damon?” Katie asked. An ache in her neck made her reach up to message it only for her hand to land on a bandage. “Did you bite me?”

“No.” he answered with a glance over at her as she sat up and adjusted herself in the seat. “But whoever did is a lucky man.”

“What?” Katie asked, confused she looked around, her eyes landing on Elena in the back seat. “What happened?”

“Elena wrecked her car. You drove up on the accident on the way to see me. A vampire fed on you. He would’ve killed you if I hadn’t come by and stopped him.” He explained.

“Wait, I’m confused. If you were at the boarding house how did you find us?” Katie asked, placing her hand on her neck, feeling the oval wound beneath the bandage.

“I was on my way to the boarding house. I was supposed to meet up with Logan at the old Fell church, but Sheriff Forbes called and said that someone killed him.” He explained and looked across his shoulder at her to see her looking at him with furrowed brows. “Before you ask I was meeting with Logan because he said that there’s another way to open the tomb. I was going to kill him after I got the information I needed from him.”

“Okay I still have questions.” She said turning sideways in the seat to look at him without hurting her neck. “One, where are we going? Two, is Caroline okay? Three do you really believe that there’s another way to get into that tomb? And four, is Elena okay?” she asked looking back at her friend.

“Caroline is fine, she just has a minor concussion. Stefan brought her to her house after we found Logan. Elena is okay, just a little beaten up.” He answered then looked over his shoulder at her asleep in the back seat. “To answer your other two questions I don’t know if there really is another way to open that tomb, but that’s what we’re going to figure out. I know a witch named Bree. She told me how to open the tomb with the crystal. She’ll know if there’s another way.” He answered looking back at the road.

“And where is Bree?” Katie asked looking around at the empty fields that they were driving past.

“Georgia, just outside Atlanta.” He answered causing Katie’s brows to shoot up. “Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“Are you freaking kidding me? I’m missing school right now. I have a math test today for Christ sake and a history test tomorrow.” Katie started freaking out, the reality of the situation sinking in.

Damon rolled his eyes. “If I promise to compel your teachers to let you make up the tests, will you relax and enjoy yourself?” he asked.

Katie thought about it as she watched the fields pass by. “Fine.” She sighed and uncrossed her arms from her chest. “But this doesn’t count as uninterrupted time with you since Elena’s here.” She said pointing at him, reminding him about the deal they had made. Damon smiled and placed his hand on the back of her neck, caressing the side of it with his thumb.

“I should probably warn you about Bree though.” Damon said, making Katie give him a questioning look. “She’s an ex-girlfriend of mine. So don’t be mad if she kisses me as soon as she sees me.”

“You’re so cocky.” Katie brushed him off.

A few minutes later, Elena woke up and sat up. “Where are we?” She asked as she looked around. Her eyes landed on Katie then Damon.

“We’re in Georgia.” Katie answered, turning further to look at the confused Elena.

“No, seriously where are we?” Elena asked.

“Seriously. We’re in Georgia.” Damon answered looking back at her in the rear view mirror. “How are you feeling?”

“My car…there was a man…I hit a man…but then he got up and…who was that?” Elena asked leaning forward to look at Damon.

“That’s what we would like to know.” Damon replied not looking at her, but at the road.

“Where’s my phone?” she asked, feeling of her pockets. “Okay we really need to go back. nobody knows where I am. Pullover.” She told Damon who just ignored her. “I mean it Damon, pull over.” He ignored her again. “Stop the car.”

“Ugh, you were so much more fun when you were asleep.” He scoffed and pulled the car off to the side.

Katie listened as Elena argued with Damon about going back home. “I’m not going to Georgia.” Elena argued as Katie got out of the car.

“Well, you’re in Georgia. Without your magic little necklace I might add.” Damon pointed out as Katie walked around him to look at Elena’s neck. “I could very easily make you…agreeable.”

“Damon.” Katie spoke up in a warning tone as she gave him a pointed look. “Why did you take off your necklace?” Katie asked knowing that something big must’ve happened for Elena to take off the only protection she had from vampires.

“Because she found out that she looks exactly like Katherine. A little fact that Stefan forgot to tell her.” Damon answered Katie then looked at Elena. “Am I right?”

“Um, I’m sorry, what?” Katie asked, blinking up at Damon, but he didn’t get a chance to answer her before Elena’s phone started ringing in his pocket.

“That’s my phone.” Elena stated glaring at Damon.

He pulled out of his pocket and looked at the screen. “It’s your boyfriend.” He held the phone out to Elena and she shook her head no so he answered it. “Elena’s phone.” He answered and they could hear the murmurs of Stefan on the other end. “Elena? Yeah she’s right here and yes she’s…fine.” Damon held the phone out to Elena. “He wants to talk to you.” Elena shook her head no. “Yeah…I don’t think she really wants to talk to you right now.” They could hear Stefan talking on the other end before Damon interrupted him with. “You have a good day. Bye now.” Then hung up and handed Elena back her phone.

“No one knows where we are, can we please just go back?” Elena asked Damon.

“We’re almost there.” Damon argued.

“Where is there?” Elena sighed.

“A little place just outside Atlanta.” Damon answered as he walked over to Katie and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Why aren’t you fighting harder to go home?” Elena asked Katie.

“Because Damon promised to compel the teachers to let me make up the tests that I’m missing and honestly a time out from all the bull crap going on back home sounds fun, something you used to be a lot more of.” Katie said.

“Come on, take a time out with us for five minutes?” he asked with a smile and raised brows.

Elena sighed. “Fine, as long as you promise not to do that mind control thing on me.”

“Yes.” He sighed. “Now get in the car.” He jerked his head to the car then they all climbed inside.

“So where’s my car?” Elena asked from where she sat in the middle of the back seat.

“I pulled it off to the side of the road. I don’t think anyone will bother it.” Damon answered, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.

“What about that man in the road?” Elena asked, still not playing along with Damon’s plan to get away and relax for one day.

“Oh, you mean the asshole vampire who bit me?” Katie asked sarcastically.

“So he was a-?”

“Yeah.” Damon answered.

“You didn’t know him?” Elena asked.

“If I’ve never met him I wouldn’t know him.” Damon answered uninterestedly. “I mean it’s not like we all hang out together at the vamp bar and grill.”

Damon rounded a corner in the street and parked outside of Bree’s bar. “You brought us to a bar?” Elena asked before Damon and Katie got out and Katie leaned the seat forward for Elena to get out. “Damon, We’re not old enough. They’re not going to let us in.”

“Elena?” Katie said, getting her friends attention. “We’re with Damon. We could probably get away with murder if we wanted to. I don’t think getting into a bar is going to be a problem.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.” Elena mumbled, earning an eye roll from her friend.

When they walked into the bar the first thing Katie's eyes landed on was a beautiful, tall, dark complected bartender with dark curly hair. “No. No it can't be.” She said as she walked to the side of the bar that the three of them walked over to. “Damon?” She asked as she hopped over the bar and stood in front of Damon. “My honey pie.” She grabbed his face and started making out with him.

Elena looked at them, taken aback at the sight, then turned her eyes on Katie who didn't look surprised, just annoyed. “Are you okay with this?”

“Nope, but I was warned.” Katie answered then wiped the annoyed look off of her face as the two finally pulled apart.

Damon stepped over and wrapped his arm around Katie's waist. Katie made herself smile at Bree. “Bree, this is my girlfriend Katie and her friend Elena.” Damon introduced them then they sat down at the bar.

Bree set down a row of clear shot glasses then started pouring clear liquor in them as she said, “Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life and ruined any and all chances of happiness.” She sat a shot down in front of Katie then Damon then Elena and said, “Drink up.” While she took her shot Damon took his and Elena's. Damon reached for Katie's, but found the glass missing and looked up from the bar to see her head tilted back downing the liquid.

She set the glass on the bar and made a face at the burn of the liquor then let her eyes travel to Damon to see him giving her a questioning look along with Elena. "What?"

"So how'd he rope you in?" Bree asked as she poured them more shots.

"He jumped onto my roof and talked me into letting him into my bedroom." Katie answered, not looking at Damon but at the bartender. “How did you meet Damon?”

“College.” Bree answered with a smile.

“You went to College?” Elena asked, surprised.

“I’ve been on a college campus, yes.” Damon answered then took his shot.

“About twenty years ago I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him more. Because you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody.” Bree explained.

“She’s a witch.” Damon whispered to Elena since she was asleep for that part of Katie and Damon’s conversation.

“Changed my world.” Bree said looking down at Damon.

“I rocked your world.” Damon said with a lazy look at Bree as she slid his hand over Katie’s knee.

“He is good in the sack, isn’t he?” Bree asked Katie who immediately blushed.

“I wouldn’t know yet.” She replied with a scratch at the back of her neck.

“Yet?” Damon asked looking over at her with big eyes.

“Yeah what happened to all that ‘Caroline’s over him and I want to get under him’ and ‘you only live once’ stuff you were talking about before the founders party?” Elena asked with a laugh as she quoted Katie.

“Yeah and what happened to girl talk staying with the girls?” Katie asked leaning forward to look past Damon to Elena where she sat on the other side of him smiling.

Damon leaned over and kissed Katie’s neck then whispered in her ear, “Were you planning on having sex with me that night?” he kissed her neck again and pulled back to look her in the eyes. She hummed a positive answer then let her eyes fall to the shot that Bree sat down in front of her, assuming she could use it. “Damn you Stefan.” Damon cursed as he hit the bar and turned to Elena. “I hate your boyfriend.”

Katie grabbed the shot and tossed it back before slamming the glass down on the bar. “What time is it?” Katie asked no one in particular as she pulled out her phone and looked at the clock. “Oh look it’s five o’clock. Bree can I have a beer please?” she asked as she hopped down off of the tall barstool. “If the night keeps going on like this I fully intend on getting smashed.” She took the cold dark bottle from Bree and moved to a nearby table.

Elena’s phone started ringing so she went outside to take it. Damon and Bree followed Katie to the table and sat down. “So are all your ex girlfriends so...colorful?” Katie asked as Damon sat down next to her and took her beer from her hand.

He took a drink then gave it back. “No, some were actually kind of boring.”

“Like me?” She asked with a raised brow.

“You're not boring.” He argued as he looked into her eyes. “You're...” he didn't finish his sentence because Bree sat down beside him.

“So what can I do for you?” Bree asked as she kicked her feet up on the table.

Damon looked from her to Katie. “Will you give us a minute?”

“Yeah. I'll go check on Elena.” She said as she got up and handed her beer to Damon.

As Katie neared Elena she heard her hang up with Jenna. “So is Jenna pissed you didn't come home last night?” Katie asked as she rounded Damon's car to stand next to Elena.

“Yeah, but she's Jenna so it's not like there are going to be any real consequences.” She sighed. “So are you and Damon back together?” She asked with a glance back at the bar.

“It's kind of hard to not be with him.” Katie sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the car.

“It's not hard, Katie, all you have to do is say no.” Elena argued as she too leaned on the car.

“I don’t want to say no. I know you don’t like him and you don’t trust him, but I do. He makes me happy, Elena.” She said as she pushed herself off of the car and moved to stand in front of her friend. “You know how you were so sad after you lost your parents then Stefan came along and made you feel alive again?” Katie asked and Elena nodded. “That's what Damon does for me. So can you please just be happy that I am happy for once?”

“I'm sorry. I didn't stop to think about it like that.” Elena said and had opened her mouth to say something else, but her phone started ringing, stopping her. “I'm here.” Elena answered and Katie could hear Stefan's voice on the other end. “You lied.” Elena's words were harsh. “So you didn't lie?” Elena stared pacing as she spoke to him. “How am I connected to Katherine, Stefan?” Katie had been wondering the same thing since learning that Elena looked like Katherine. “And I'm supposed to believe that?” Elena listened to Stefan for a total of two seconds before she hung up the phone.

Damon walked over and pulled Katie into his side. “You girls okay?”

“Mmhmm.” Katie hummed answering for both of them.

“You hungry?” Damon asked looking down at Katie.

“Starving.” Katie answered with a small smile.

“Then come on.” He jerked his head for them to follow them so they did.

They ordered three burgers and fries then sat down at a table. “So let's just say that I'm a descendant from Katherine. Does that make me part vampire?” Elena asked as their food was sat down in front of them.

“Vampires can't procreate.” Damon answered as he popped a fry into his mouth. “But we love to try.” Katie and Elena both rolled their eyes. “No, if you were related it would mean that Katherine had a child before she was turned.”

Katie took the top bun off her burger and picked off the onions while Elena did the same with her pickles. “Did Stefan think he could use me to replace her?” Elena asked.

“It’s kind of creepy if you ask me.” Damon said then noticed the girls removing their toppings. “Come on, you don’t like pickles? What's wrong with you?” Damon asked Elena as he took her pickles that she set aside.

“How can you even eat if technically you're supposed to be...?” Elena asked, not wanting to say the word dead.

“Dead?” Damon asked as he took the onions off of Katie's plate. “It’s not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system my body functions pretty normally.” Damon explained then tossed a fry into his mouth and smiled.

His eyes watched Katie as she picked up her burger and took a bite. Bree walked over and switched out Katie and Damon's empty bottles for fresh ones. “I'll have one too.” Elena spoke up earning a look from Damon and Katie.

“What?” Katie asked with a smart ass smile. “Is the stick in the mud finally loosening up?”

“Time out remember? For five minutes. Yeah well that five minutes is going to need a beer.” Elena said as Bree walked over with a beer and set it down in front of her.

Damon stuck his bottle out over the table and the girls clanked them all together. “You never told me what you wanted to go to college for.” Damon said with a look at Katie then took a sip of his beer.

“I'm undecided.” Katie answered.

“You don’t want to go to med school anymore?” Elena asked with a frown.

“I think we both know I've been shooting too high with that one.” Katie replied earning a frown from both Elena and Damon.

“What are you talking about? You're at the top of our class.” Elena pointed out.

“Yeah and I'm fighting tooth and nail just to stay there. I have to try ten times as hard as everyone else.” Katie pointed out then took a big drink of her beer. “Change of subject please.” Katie suggested then took another bite of her burger.

The conversation went back to Elena and Katherine then when everyone was done with their dinner Elena suggested they do some shots so they moved back to the bar, a girl on each of Damon's sides. "Let's see who can drink the fastest." Bree prompted as she sat the shots down in front of them then counted to three. Katie tossed back the shot and slammed the glass into the bar in a flash.

"Looks like someone has a hidden talent." Damon said as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his lap.

"I have more hidden talents than that." She smiled and pressed her alcohol slicked lips to his.

"Break it up you two." Elena said, pulling them out of their kiss as another round of shots were poured and sat down in front of them. Katie once again threw it back before Damon and Elena could. "Are you seriously kicking my butt right now?" Elena asked with a laugh and raised brows.

"Yes, Elena, you're not always the best at everything." Katie popped off as another shot was poured. Bree counted to three then Katie purposely took her time with the shot, letting Elena win.

Elena did a little celebratory dance then sat her shot glass one the bar. "Are you okay?" Damon whispered in Katie's ear.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just forget how much of an attention whore she is when she drinks." Katie answered then when Bree put another shot down in front of them Katie picked it up. "Watch." Bree counted to three and Katie let Elena win again.

"Yeah!" Elena yelled as she threw her hands in the air and spun around. "Ha! I knew I could beat you." Elena said with a smile. "We're tied, you wanna break it?"

"After this one I'm done." Katie replied as Bree poured some shots then counted to three. Katie tossed it back at lightning speed. "Would you look at that, I win." Katie smiled a bitchy smile at Elena then turned her eyes to Damon. "What's my prize?" Damon pressed his lips to hers. He had started kissing her neck when she pulled back and asked. "Where are the bathrooms?"

Damon pointed to them then she slid off his lap. As she circled around the corner that led to the bathrooms a hand went over her mouth and jerked her to the side as she was whooshed away. When she regained her ability to process thought after being brought outside at high speed she found herself being held from behind on top of a large tank of some kind. "Are you afraid of heights?" A voice asked before the vampire circled around her revealing his face to her. "Good then you will stay right here."

"I'll stay here." She repeated then the vampire sped away. She was almost down the ladder when she spotted Damon and Elena walking around the building looking for her. She was going to call out to him but then the vampire came out of nowhere and started beating Damon with a metal baseball bat. "No!" Katie screamed as she tried to run to Damon but the vampire turned its reddened, vein framed eyes on her and she stopped in her tracks.

Katie stood still, not saying a word while Elena walked over to her, talking him down as she did. Apparently he was Lexi's boyfriend and he wanted Damon dead for killing her. after the vampire threw Damon then sped away Katie’s feet and mouth finally unfroze and she sprinted to Damon. “Oh my god, are you okay?” Katie asked, looking down at Damon and pushing his hair out of his face before she looked up at Elena who was kneeled down on the other side of him. “Thank you.”

They helped him stand up, not caring that he smelled of gasoline, then walked with him to his car. “You two stay out here. I’m going to go back inside for a minute.”

“I’m coming with you.” Katie spoke up as she took a step closer to him.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” He countered, placing a calming hand on the side of her neck.

“Damon, let me.” He took his hand off of her neck and held it. “Please.”

“Fine, come on.” He placed his hand on the small of her back as they headed inside, but he grabbed her hand, stopping her just outside the door. “Why are you insisting on coming in here with me?”

“Because I know what you’re about to do and if I’m going to be with you…I need to see it.” she said as she gave his hand a squeeze.

He swallowed hard and gave her a nod before he grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open. When Bree turned around she looked shocked to see them alive. “We were just leaving. I wanted to say goodbye.” He told her with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Good to see you again, Damon.” Bree replied.

“No kiss?” Damon asked, still holding Katie’s hand.

“I’m full of vervain. I put it in everything I drink.” Bree answered looking both pissed and scared.

“And you’re telling me this why?” Damon asked not looking at Katie as he pulled her into his side.

“Lexi was my friend. How could you?” Bree turned to walk away but Damon let go of Katie and sped around the bar, cutting Bree off. “The tomb can be opened.”

Damon looked her up and down for a second then scoffed, “You’re lying!”

Bree jumped back, more scared than mad now. “Emily’s grimoire, her spell book.” Bree said backing away as Damon closed in on her. “If you know how she closed the tomb the reversal process will be in her book. You can open that tomb.”

“And where is this book?” Damon asked and Bree stumbled back and started stuttering. “You have no idea.”

“I’m telling you the truth.” Bree argued shakily.

“And I believe you.” Damon reached up and cupped bree’s face in his hand. “My dear, sweet Bree. That’s why I’m almost sorry.” Before Katie could even blink Damon shoved his hand into Bree’s chest cavity and yanked out her heart. But Katie was looking at his hand. Instead she looked at his eyes, that seemed so apologetic yet he still killed the woman because she had tried to have him killed.

Katie watched as Damon washed the blood from his hands. “Could you kill me just as easily?” she asked as he used a towel to dry his hands.

“If you did something to piss me off, yeah.” He answered as he grabbed his jacket off of the back of one of the barstools.

“You once told me that you wanted me to be your moral compass. If I tell you something you don’t want to hear, are you just going to rip my heart out and not even think twice about it?” she asked, turning in the stool to look at him.

He walked over to her and cupped her face in his hands. “I would never do that to you, okay?” he asked as he looked into her eyes.

“How can I be sure?” she asked.

As he looked into her green eyes he didn’t see judgment or hatred, just genuine worry for her safety. He’s pressed his forehead to hers. “Because I have feelings for you, Katie.”

She sighed and let her eyes slip shut before he pressed his lips to hers. “Okay.” She whispered, “I believe you.”

“Come on.” He jerked his head to the door and she hopped down off of the bar and walked outside with him.

They had been driving for thirty minutes when Elena fell asleep in the back seat. “Why did you bring her with us?” Katie asked with a glance back at Elena.

“I knew it would piss off Stefan.” He answered. “Why are you jealous that I took both of you?”

“A little, but at the same time if you hadn’t drug her along you would be dead right now.” She said.

“You don’t know that.” He countered.

“Yes I do. I wouldn’t have been able to talk him down the way she did. Hell I couldn’t even have guessed that he was Lexi’s boyfriend.” She said reminding herself to keep her voice down so she didn’t wake up Elena. “Do you want to know why I decided that I couldn’t be a doctor? Because I don’t do well under stress.”

“You need to stop being so hard on yourself.” Damon said with a glance over at her. “You can’t blame yourself every time something bad happens to me.”

“I can if I don’t do a damn thing to even attempt to help.” She argued.

“You attempting to help me will only put you in harms way. I actually prefer if you stay back and keep yourself safe.” Damon argued back then reached over and placed his hand on her knee. “Don’t be jealous of Elena.”

“Even though she looked exactly like the person that I’ve been trying to help you rescue from desiccation?” she asked as she grabbed his hand and threaded her fingers through it. “The supposed love of your life?”

The boy glared at her. “Be nice!” he ran off making Katie run after him. “Nanna nanna boo boo. I can outrun you.” the boy sang as he ran. Something about the phrase made Katie start laughing as she caught up to the boy and scooped him up in her arms.

“I remember you now.” Katie told him as she made a claw motion with her hand and attacked his stomach, making him giggle from her tickling him. “Hello my sweet little Jonah.” She told him as she set him down then kneeled down in front of him.

“Hello momma.” He told her as he placed his little hand on her cheek with a smile. When she smiled back he evaporated into a mist that swirled around in the air forming a bright yellow ball. It sank into her chest causing a feeling or motherly love, caring and compassion overtake her.

With him gone the forest faded away and she was back in the dark place, standing in the center of the shattered glass again. “Phasmatos Tribum,” Katie heard someone say and looked down at a piece of glass to see a beautiful almond skinned woman standing at a table in the bedroom of an old Irish homestead, working a spell. This time as Katie reached down for the glass, she got sucked into it and she found herself sitting on a bed while another, slightly younger woman that looked a lot like the woman working the spell, pressed a cloth to Katie’s back making her hiss in pain.

“Sorry.” The young girl told her. “Someone needs to show that man how it feels.”

“Fiona.” The woman working the spell snapped at the young woman. “Mind your tongue. If someone should over hear you it will be you on the receiving end of that whip.”

“Yes mother.” Fiona told her quietly. Fiona finished cleaning the wounds then sat down on the bed in front of Katie. “Hannah, promise me when we get old enough we will leave this place, both of us. I know you do not want to live under your fathers thumb forever and I don’t either. Promise me that when you find a good man you will take me with you.”

Katie had been sitting quietly on the bed, trying to remember this and when she looked into Fiona’s dark brown eyes she did. She remembered that when she married Ronan she stole money from her father’s office and ran with Ronan. They used the money to start Fiona’s shop in the town they moved to. “I promise, Fiona. You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t dare leave this place without you.”

Fiona wrapped her arms around Katie who wrapped her arms around her first best friend’s shoulders feeling friendship and loyalty sink into her and when she opened her eyes she was back in the black place.

“Okay I see what’s going on here. These pieces are me, I’m a mother and a friend.” She said looking around at the shattered glass around her. “This is going to take a while.”

“Not as long as you might think, Doormat.” A voice came from one of the pieces and Katie looked over to see a woman pop up from the floor, joining her in the black place.

Katie looked at her, taking in her blond hair streaked with red, pulled back in a Vikings ponytail. A leather corset with buckles covered her torso while a leather Viking’s skirt wrapped around her hips. There was a fire in her eyes and a spear in her hand. “Why are we still here? Aren’t you supposed to take me to a memory or something?”

“I’m not a memory, I'm a feeling.” The warrior told her with a voice full of strength. “But if you insist on memories…here.” The woman walked across the water with an eye roll and plopped her hand down on top of Katie’s head. Katie telling Alaric about Mayor Lockwood abusing Tyler, telling her grandfather off and telling Elena off when Caroline made them all have a sit down flashed through her head. The last memory was Katie fighting the werewolves that were holding Caroline hostage in a camper.

“You’re my fight, my strength to keep going.” Katie said as she lifted her eyes. “My inner warrior.”

“You often forget I exist and quite frankly I’m tired of it. You need to learn to be a big girl and pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you have to. We’re stronger than you think we are.” She told her and Katie swallowed hard. “And if we’re going to survive in this hard world you need me.” she held her hand out to Katie who grabbed it and gave it a shake. The warrior pulled her into a hug and sank into her filling Katie with strength and power. Most of the other shards of glass floated up, turned into a big ball of mist that floated over her head then dropped, filling her with all the memories she had lost when she shattered.

After she absorbed it all she looked down at the last, large piece of glass and picked it up to see within it an auburn haired woman in a black, form fitting tank top, short black shorts and thigh high stiletto boots standing in the middle of a street as a man strolled past, the woman grabbed him around the neck and spun him around for Katie to see his face, he was an older man, too tan and too buff for his age. It was her grandfather. The woman’s eyes turned red and fangs appeared in her smile before she bit his neck, killing him before she tossed him to the side giving Katie an unforgiving smile.

Katie watched from an aerial view as people came to the woman as if drawn to her like flies to a honey. Each of them were either drained of blood or got their hearts ripped out. The last person to come to the woman was a little girl that looked no older than six and a man. Fear was clear in the girls little eyes as she watched the woman rip out the man’s heart. The dark ruthless girl placed it in the girls hands making the girl scream and run. The woman looked up at Katie and hissed, showing off the blood on her fanged mouth and the veins under her red eyes.

With a hard face and fight surging through her she threw the glass away from her like a throwing star. The glass stopped in mid air a few feet away from her and materialized into the haunting, monstrous version of herself. She reeked of anger, hatred, danger and most of all an overpowering thirst for human blood. “I won’t accept you.” Katie told her.

The dark, terrifying woman whooshed over to her grabbed her by her neck and body slammed her into the granite. “Then you…will die.” Her words came out as an angry growling hiss.

“No.” Katie brought her feet up and kicked her in the chest sending her flying through the darkness. Darkness landed in what Katie called the superhero landing and skid backward splashing water up around her. Katie flung herself up and held her fists in front of herself.

“You think you can survive without me?” Darkness asked as she whooshed back over and threw a punch that Katie dodged.

“I will be better off without you.” Katie told her, making her laugh.

“Look at yourself.” Katie looked down at herself to see she was now wearing a white ribbed racer back tank top, jeans shorts and black and white converse, but her arms were purple all the way up to her shoulders and spreading fast. While she was distracted Darkness threw a punch, catching Katie’s jaw and she stumbled back from the blow.

“It will stop when I get out of here.” Katie threw a punch that Darkness dodged.

“You get out of here without me and you will die within seconds.” Darkness threw a punch and Katie dodged it then threw one of her own catching Darkness in the jaw then kicked her in the chest knocking her to the granite.

She grabbed Darkness up by her black tank top and glared at her. “I said no.”

“And I said…” Darkness breathed hard from the blow to her chest, “You will die if you don’t. You may be stronger than me, you may be able to keep me at bay, but if you go back to your body without me…without a piece of who you are…you…will…die.” Darkness looked at her with a dead serious face. “No more Elijah. No more Klaus. You can kiss your friends goodbye too.” Katie’s eyes grew wide remembering everything everyone told her in the video Caroline made for her. “Accept me.”

She blinked, tears slipping from her eyes. “If I accept you…I accept that I am not a good person.”

“You’ve never been a good person.” Darkness told her as she jumped up. “When we were known as Hannah did we not think of a million different ways to turn that whip on Father, or to poison him? You even thought about running away in the night and abandoning your poor little sister. Then as Katie…you contemplated killing your grandfather in his sleep. You thought about tying him to a chair and breaking every bone in his body then slitting his throat for ever letting Mayor Lockwood touch you. You cheated on Tyler with Damon and yeah you knew it was wrong, you felt a little bad about it, but you weren’t sorry. You slept with Klaus knowing that Elijah still loves you. Then of course there are all those people you killed after you flipped your switch. You don’t feel sorry about that. You don’t care that they had family and kids. Their blood tasted better than any blood bag ever did. You have power over humans and you revel in it. There has, and always will be, a darkness in you whether you want it or not. The only thing you regret is what you did to that poor little girl.”

“I don’t want you. Suppressing you is tiring. I managed to hold it back as a human, but now…every day is torture.” Katie said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Then maybe it is time you accept me…accept the darkness in you…and find a way to embrace me instead of suppress me.” She told Katie with a glare. “You have to accept me or need I remind you. You’ll. Die.”

As much as Katie hated the darkness in her, she loved her friends. And she loved Elijah and Klaus. She still wanted all the things she always did out of life…she wanted to live. “I accept you…”

As soon as the words left her mouth the woman threw herself into Katie, not sinking into her gently like the others had, but invasively inserting herself into her. Like the splitting of cells, but reversed. Katie threw her head back and screamed out in pain as the darkness seeped into her, fangs formed in her mouth and veins popped under her eyes, pumping the whites of them full of blood. She squeezed her eyes shut and fell to her knees. After a while the pain subsided and she fell back in relief.

She expected to hit granite; instead she started falling down a black tunnel. She felt like she had been falling for forever when out of nowhere she stopped mid air and a woman appeared in front of her holding her hand out as if she was keeping Katie from falling further even though she was floating too. “Who are you?” Katie asked, taking in the woman’s long brown hair and blue eyes. She looked to be in her late forties.

“Dahlia.” She answered. “It seems fated that you should end up here in the place of my slumber.” Katie gave the woman a confused shake of her head. “Your soul shattered, landing you neither on earth, passed on or on the other side. That’s not something that happens often.” Katie just glared at the woman. “When you shattered, your memories scattered throughout this place. While you were putting yourself back together I was looking at them and I’ve seen enough to know you’ve been intimate with my nephew.”

“Look I don’t know who you are, but I’m pretty sure my memories and who I’m intimate with are none of your business and I’d like nothing more to continue my journey back to my body.” She told her with an attitude induced sway of her head. “So if you could kindly put me down it would be highly appreciated.”

“Before I put you down I’m going to give you a gift.” She told her still holding her hand out in front of her.

“What?” Katie asked.

Dahlia flicked her wrist causing an odd tingling feeling to spread over and sink into Katie’s lower abdomen. “You’re welcome.” Dahlia dropped Katie and as she fell she looked up to see Dahlia disappear.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie shot straight up in bed taking in a deep breath. She looked around to see her friends in the doorway of her bedroom at Klaus’s house, “What the hell happened?” she asked then looked up at the blood bag hanging on an iv that was stuck in her arm. “I’m starving.”

As her friends came back into the room Elijah took the blood bag off the pole while she pulled the needle out of her arm. He disconnected the tube then handed her the bag. She grabbed it and sucked it down, the color returning to her skin as she did. “What is the last thing that you remember?” Elijah asked as he took the empty bag from her.

“You…making me feel with our link.” Katie answered, then realized that she didn’t feel the pull in her stomach that she usually did when he was near. “Our link…” she sighed, looking Elijah in his brown eyes. “It’s gone.”

“I assume you are relieved.” He told her bluntly as he looked down at the tube in his hand.

She frowned remembering she had told him that she’d hoped it would break when she turned off her humanity. “I-” she was cut off when something started burning her chest and she grabbed it and pulled it off to see the necklace Damon had given her hanging from the chain in her hand. “Ouch.” She sighed and put it down on the bed beside her seeing the picture Stefan had framed for her and the drawing of her in her ball gown that Klaus had made. “Seriously someone tell me what the hell’s going on.” She said as she took the necklace Elijah had given her off her wrist and set it on the bed next to Damon’s. She noticed the bracelet her friends had given her and decided to leave it on.

“We thought you were dead, Katie Cat.” Damon told her from where he leaned against the white post of her footboard.

“Huh?” Katie asked.

“When Elijah reached out to you with your link he overpowered your soul and shattered it.” Bonnie answered. “Without a soul, your body started dying.”

Katie looked over at Elijah. “Did you know that would happen?”

“No.” he answered simply. “If I did I never would have reached out to you like that.”

“Okay, I’m out of here.” Elena said and left the room.

“Good to see you up, Katie Cat.” Damon said as he walked over to her and kissed the top of her head. “Try not to die again, okay?” he told her then rushed after Elena.

“Yeah, I’m gonna go.” Stefan spoke up feeling awkward since he and Katie hadn’t been on good terms for some time now.

He started to leave ,but Katie spoke up. “Hey Stefan?” he turned and looked back at her. “I don’t hate you, just do you know. You weren’t really yourself and you rightfully wanted revenge. I just happened to be on the bad side of that.” Stefan just looked at her. “Are we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” He told her with a closed lipped smile and a nod then left the room.

Katie looked at Bonnie and Caroline, “Is a fresh start too much to ask for?”

“No, we’re good too.” Bonnie told her with a teary eyed smile.

“So we’re all friends again?” Caroline asked with a bright smile that made Katie smile.

“Yes.” Katie answered. “Well, the three of us are. I’m not sure what was up with Elena.”

“She flipped her switch, but that’s a long story for another time.” Bonnie told her looking sad all of a sudden.

Caroline looked at Katie, sitting on the bed with both Elijah and Klaus at her side. “We’ll give you three some space.” She hit Bonnie’s shoulder with the back of her hand to get her attention then jerked her head to the door. “We’ll see you tomorrow?” Caroline asked Katie who nodded.

With them gone Katie looked back and forth between Klaus and Elijah. “I need a drink.” She slid off the bed and headed downstairs. She grabbed a bottle of bourbon out of the liquor cabinet and a glass. When she turned from the fridge from putting ice in the glass she found Klaus and Elijah sitting at the bar behind her. “I have no idea what to say to either of you. Somehow I’m sorry just doesn’t seem to cut it.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Elijah told her and she sighed.

“Yes, I do. I shouldn’t have told you about me and Klaus.” Klaus blinked at her and tilted his head to the side. “Not like that anyway.” She poured some bourbon over the ice and capped the bottle. “But you know what?” she picked up the glass and pointed her finger at Elijah. “My love life stopped being your business when you…what did you call it again?” she asked looking around in thought even though she remembered exactly what he’d said. “Right, you let me go. Like a bird that wasn’t perfectly fine with the cage she was in.”

“Niklaus, will you give us a minute?” Elijah asked with a look at Klaus. Klaus looked at Katie and she gave him a nod. So he walked away. “I left because I thought it was what was best for you.” he told her and she opened her mouth to say something, but he held up his hand and she closed her mouth. “But as you pointed out before we passed out, you’ve had enough people telling you what to do. I will forever regret becoming one of them. All I can do is hope that you will one day forgive me both for leaving you and shattering your soul.”

Katie took a drink then set the glass down. “You hurt me, Elijah. You broke me, my trust and my belief in love.” She took a drink as she watched him straighten the place mat in front of him. “And yes, I’m relieved that our link is broken.” he stopped and looked up at her with a frown. “But it’s not because I hate you for leaving me or any other malicious untrue reason. It’s because the whole time I was with you I didn’t know if what I felt for you was real or if it was the link pushing me to feel something for you. I blindly trusted it and jumped in feet first because I wanted so badly to feel loved and wanted.” She paused to take a breath and another drink.

“I will admit it was unfair of me to expect us to simply pick up where we left off. I just missed you so much and waited so long to find you again that I overlooked that while you are exceptionally similar to the woman I fell in love with you are also vastly different.” He told her, not looking her in the eyes.

Katie threw back what was left of her drink and poured another. “I told you that I would always love you, link or no link and I meant it.” she walked around the bar to stand in front of him.

“As did I.” he told her and she smiled a little then let it fall.

“I’m going to be honest with you, I was hoping when that link broke that I wouldn’t feel anything for you. That I could have an easy out of the pain that loving someone inevitably brings. But I look into your eyes and I feel that pain and heartbreak. So I know it was real.”

“So what does that mean for us?” he asked as he propped his elbow up on the bar.

“It means that while I still love you and I always will, I can’t overlook that you chose to leave me. It means I can’t just…jump back into it with you. However what I can do is forgive you for leaving me and shattering my soul. We both need to let go of the past and move on.” She told him.

He looked back down at the place matt, tapping it with his fingertips. “And do you intend to move on with Klaus?” he asked quietly.

She sighed and leaned her hip on the bar. “If he will still have me, yes.” She saw a pained look flash across his face. “I hope you know it wasn’t my intention to hurt you by sleeping with him. I never intended on having feelings for him at all, it just kind of happened.”

“You do not have to explain yourself to me.” He told her as he took his hand off the bar and stood up. He looked around with squinted eyes and pursed lips before he sighed and placed his hand on Katie’s cheek, touching her for the first time since she woke up. Her eyes slipped closed from the comforting, familiar touch before she opened them and looked at him. “Does he make you happy?”

She picked up her foot and started tapping the toe of it into the hardwood floor. “Yes.”

“Then you have nothing to feel bad about.” He told her then leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead as her eyes slipped shut. “Goodbye, Katie.” By the time she opened her eyes he was gone.

She was getting a blood bag out of the icebox when Klaus found her. “I see Elijah is gone.”

“Yep.” She said as she ripped the corner of the bag off with her teeth and spit it onto the bar then poured the blood into a clear glass.

“And you’re still here.” He observed.

“Is that okay with you?” she asked as she lifted the glass to her lips and took a drink.

“You are kidding right?” he asked as he walked around the bar and picked her up by her hips making her yelp and attempt to not spill her drink as he set her on the counter. She set the glass to the side and wrapped her legs around him as she rested her hands on his broad and toned yet kind of skinny shoulders. These actions told him all he needed to know before he pressed his lips to hers in a slow passionate kiss. After a few seconds it broke and he pressed his forehead to hers. “Do you know how hard it was to not kiss you the second you opened your eyes?”

“Not a clue. I’ve never wanted to kiss myself.” She popped off and he pulled back to give her a get-serious look that made her smile a cheeky smile at him. “How long have I been out?”

“Three weeks.” He answered.

“And how long since I flipped my switch?” she asked. “I kind of lost track of time in that horrible windowless room you and Elijah locked me in.”

“Around three months.” He answered and she slipped her hands down his chest.

“A lot can change in three months,” She pointed out looking him in the eyes.

“A lot has changed.” he told her as he looked into her eyes and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers, “I’m hoping we haven’t?”

She smiled and bit her lip. “We haven’t.” As soon as the words left her lips he kissed her hungrily and slipped his hands under her white tank top. She pulled away. “Whoa, hey, what about Rebekah?” Katie asked.

“She has her own house now.” he told her then started kissing her neck. “We had a bit of a falling out.”

“Something tells me a dagger was involved.” He rolled his eyes at her then started kissing her neck. “Slow your roll there Big Bad Wolf.” she told him as she pulled back and smiled at the aggravated sigh that left his lips. “Before I get too lost in you can I have a few minutes to myself to shower and just…take a beat?”

“Of course.” He told her then back up.

She hopped down, grabbed her glass of blood and down it. “I’ll find you when I’m done.” She told him with a flirty look as she headed upstairs.

Since they had the house to themselves she didn’t bother grabbing clean clothes before she went to the bathroom, turned on the shower, waited for the water to warm up then stepped inside. As the warm water cascaded down her shoulders and back she thought about everything that she’d done since she flipped the switch, every kill, every person she compelled to do her bidding...none of it bothered her. She knew she should be weeping at the thought of taking someone’s family away from them, of how many grieving people there were in the world thanks to her and her blood lust, but she didn’t feel the need to. Yes she shouldn’t have killed them, but she couldn’t beat herself up about it.

Then she remembered the horrified look on the little girl's face as she placed her dead father’s still warm heart in her little hands. The thought of her face being the stuff of that little girl’s nightmares, how much therapy that little girl was going to need just to function as a human. The realization that she single handedly crushed that little girl’s innocence broke her. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she pressed her back against the shower wall and slid down wrapping her arms around her wet knees as she let it all out.

Eventually though she realized crying wouldn’t make it any better. So she stood up, finished showering then wrapped her towel around herself and went to her room. After throwing on her usual lounging around outfit of a tank top and shorts she found Klaus in his room, lying shirtless in bed, reading a green faux leather book. “So this is your room huh?” she asked from the doorway as she looked around. Brown and cream sheer curtains hung over the windows, a brown and cream bedspread covered Klaus’s lower half and a round dining table sat under a crystal chandelier that matched one of the chandeliers that had been in her holding room. Several framed handwritten letters hung on the wall over the head of the bed. A lamp that sat on the bedside table dimly lit the room.

“How was your shower?” he asked, having heard her crying. She walked over to his side of the bed and hopped up on it then straddled him. Instead of answering him she pressed her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist. The hug surprised him. Yes, they were close, they spoke intimately and had sex, and he’d hugged her when she cried about Elijah leaving her, but this hug was something more. This hug showed a certain amount of neediness and that wasn’t something he’d felt from her before. She cared about him, she wanted him, but he never thought she needed him. The fact that she did shook him to his core as he wrapped an arm around her waist and held the back of her neck with the other hand. The words I love you almost slipped over his lips, but he kept it to himself. Her soul had just shattered and in doing so flipped her switch back on, she was dealing with enough emotionally without him adding to it.

So instead of saying it, he slid down in the bed, keeping her on top of him as he grabbed a pillow and put it under his head. In an attempt to further comfort her he started playing with her damp hair. She hummed, closed her eyes and started lazily sliding her fingertips up and down his side. “That feels good.” Her words made him smile. “Klaus?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, Sweetheart?” he asked, still playing with her hair.

She found herself wanting to say those three little words, but she couldn’t let herself. If she said it out loud she’d be letting him in. If she let him in, he could hurt her and if he said it back…she could hurt him. He was the last person she’d ever want to hurt. So instead of I love you she simply said, “Thank you.”

“Any time.” He told her, making her smile. Then she opened her eyes and saw the green book on the bedside table.

“Is that my journal?” she asked, putting her hand on his chest as she pushed herself up.

“Yes.” He answered and she sat up to straddle him.

“Why were you reading it?” she drawled with suspicious eyes.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” He answered and she glared at him. “I’m the reason you abandoned your humanity, I wanted to be the one to help you find your way back.”

“So what did you find out from reading the melodramatic bull crap that is my journal?” she asked as she started drawing nonsensical shapes on his chest.

“I know you like Italian food, hate chocolate and love cheesecake and strawberry ice cream. I found out that you lost your virginity to Damon, poor choice if you ask me, as well as a plethora of other things, but what caught my attention most was the poetry.”

“Ugh.” She made a disgusted noise and wrinkled her nose. “Why?”

“Because it’s good.” He told her, giving her thigh a light squeeze. “And I like poetry.”

“So…” she sighed, deciding to change the subject before he decided to start filling her head with compliments. “Fill me in on what I’ve missed, please.”

He pushed himself up to lean against the headboard then moved her around to sit between his legs leaning back on him with his arms wrapped around her.

From there he told her everything that happened since she flipped her switch. How, when he found out about Katie flipping her switch, he made Bonnie put him back into his body that hadn’t been completely burned because the casket he was in when he was stabbed got closed and extinguished the flame.

How the hunter named Connor showed up in town. He was part of a group of five supernaturally gifted vampire hunters whose mission was to find the original immortal, Silas, and the cure to immortality, cure Silas then kill him. Klaus had to leave Katie with Elijah to help control the hunter. The freshly turned Elena killed the hunter and therefore became haunted by the hunter's curse. When Elena killed the hunter, the tattoo that only hunters and potential hunters could see, showed up on Jeremy and the only way for Elena’s hallucinations to stop was for Jeremy to kill a vampire. Caroline talked Klaus into letting Jeremy kill one of his hybrids.

Some guy named Shane who was a professor that took over the college class that Grams used to teach, started teaching Bonnie a type of magic called expression not telling her that it was dark magic. Stefan and Elena broke up. Klaus and Stefan started working together to grow Jeremy’s tattoo that would lead to the location of the cure to immortality. They both want it for Elena.

They found out that Elena was sire bound to Damon. Meaning she was in love with him before she turned. Klaus found out when they all tried to neutralize him that his hybrids had broken their sire bonds to him and Tyler had led the rebellion. Klaus killed all of his hybrids and Tyler’s mom. Kol found out about them trying to find the cure and knew that if they did Silas would unleash hell on earth so he tried to thwart any attempt to find Silas. Klaus turned a bar full of people for Jeremy to kill and complete his mark, but Kol killed them before Jeremy could. Elena asked Klaus to help keep Jeremy safe from Kol who was trying to kill him to keep them from following the hunters mark. Kol also compelled Damon to kill Jeremy so he got locked up in the basement for a little while.

Kol tried to cut Jeremy’s arms off to keep the tattoo from spreading, so Elena killed him. Klaus was going to burn them both in the house, but Bonnie managed to trap him in Elena’s living room with a spell. Because Kol’s whole sire line died, it completed Jeremy’s mark. Klaus was stuck there while the others, besides Caroline and Tyler, went to Nova Scotia to find Silas and the cure. Tyler told Klaus that his plan was to cure Klaus and kill him. Caroline cleaned up Kol’s body while Tyler taunted Klaus on exactly how he was going to kill him. Klaus took his anger at Tyler out on Caroline by biting her. Tyler left Caroline there to make Klaus watch her die. Klaus couldn’t let her die and cured her. The next day Klaus, Caroline and Tyler used a hunter’s sword to decode Jeremy's tattoo, revealing that there is only one dose of the cure. Because Tyler tried to kill him, Klaus ran him out of town. Katherine killed Jeremy by feeding Silas his blood in order to get the cure out of his mummified hands.

Jeremy’s death put Elena in unbearable pain and Damon told her to turn her humanity off not knowing it would break the sire bond. She burned her house down with Jeremy in it.

“Can’t say I haven’t thought about burning my house down.” She commented.

“After everything I just told you that’s what you comment on?” he asked, putting his chin on her shoulder as he looked at her face. She just shrugged. “No comments on the fact that I slaughtered my hybrids and killed your ex-boyfriends mother?”

“I get why you killed your hybrids, but on the flip side I get why they tried to kill you.” he poked her in the side. “What? For someone who wanted them for a back up family you kind of treated them like slaves.” She told him bluntly. “As for Tyler’s mom…she had her nice moments like trying to help me win Miss Mystic, and she loved her son, but mostly she was just a bitch. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard her call me trash. Pretty sure if you didn’t kill her I would have eventually.” She told him then turned around and straddled his lap.

Things were comfortably quiet for a little while as they both just enjoyed being with each other. “Happy birthday, by the way, I’m sorry I did not get you anything.”

“You’re the only birthday present I need.” She told him then wrinkled her nose. “That sounded far less cheesy in my head.”

He smiled. “I do not mind cheesy.”

She glared at him playfully. “You secretly love romantic chick flicks don’t you?”

He laughed looking a little embarrassed. “Maybe.” Katie smiled and looked at her hands exploring his torso. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Nope. I like it.” she told him then leaned down and kissed his neck.

“So what do you want for your birthday?” he asked as she kept placing random kisses over his neck and chest.

“An art lesson.” She answered, surprising him.

“The woman that colored in a coloring book to pass art class wants a lesson?” he asked and she stopped showering him with kisses to look at his face.

“I would have liked to learn, but the teacher sucked and it was kind of nice to have a break from my other, harder, classes.” She told him as her hands slid over his shoulders and down his arms to his hands that rested on her thighs and grabbed them in hers. “I want to know more about the things you’re passionate about.” She admitted as she pressed her palms to his.

He threaded his fingers through hers and pulled her into him catching her lips with his in a kiss that slowly deepened. After a few minutes of making out he let go of her hands, grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head. He looked into her eyes as his hands found her breasts and kneaded them as he kissed her neck, his actions pulling a sigh from her as he slid down to lay on his back. She grabbed his chin and kissed his lips then kissed down his jaw line to his neck, pulling a sigh out of him with her touch. Her hands explored his torso as she kissed his collarbone, the hollow of his neck, the center of his chest then surprised him as she kept kissing lower, making his breath quicken when she threw the covers over her head and took him into her mouth. The grunt her action pulled out of him made her laugh only giving him that much more pleasure.

She was just starting to have fun when he threw the covers off of her, grabbed her chin and pulled her up for a heated kiss. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?” he asked between peppering kisses over her neck and shoulders and his hand caressed her back.

“Show me?” she asked and he pulled away from kissing her to look her in the eyes as he rolled them over. She wrapped one arm around his torso while her other hand held the back of his neck. As he hovered over her, braced on his hand on the bed next to her head, he slipped his hand down her chest. He didn’t break eye contact as he moved his hand to her breast, kneading it before he pinched her nipple making her moan and dig her fingertips into his back. Desperate to have his lips back on her she pulled him to her for a needy passionate kiss. As they kissed his hand moved down her stomach then slipped into her shorts and panties. His talented fingers pulled a whimper from her that made him pull back and look her in the eyes as he pleasured her.

After a minute she pushed off the rest of her clothes, grabbed his wrist, pulled his hand away, rolled them over then sat up. When she slipped his slick fingers into her mouth he thought he was going to lose it, but he managed to hold back as he slipped them out and sat up. He grabbed her beast in his hand as she slid her hands over his toned arms. A growl left his lips as he attacked neck with kisses and nibbles making her laugh then sigh before he whooshed them around and sank into her.

A sigh left her lips as she squeezed her eyes closed and wrapped her legs around him. His sighs and groans only fueled her fire just as her whimpers and moans fueled his. He could tell she was getting close and as if on cue she sighed, “God, Klaus.”

“Come for me, sweetheart.” His words tipped her over the edge making her dig her fingernails into his back and tighten her legs around him. The slight pain of her nails in his back and intense pleasure of her orgasm sent him tumbling after her and pulled a loud grunt from him, making her smile as he let his head fall to her chest.

After they had both come down from the high he picked up his head and looked her in the eyes. As she moved her hands from his back to his chest she saw the blood on her fingernails and her smile faded. “Did I scratch you?” she asked, taking her hand off of him a little shocked at what she had done.

“Mmhmm.” he hummed and started kissing her chest absentmindedly.

“Did it hurt?” she asked, still looking at the blood on her fingertips.

“Only a little.” He answered.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never done anything like that before.” She told him.

He stopped kissing her to look her in the eyes. “Pain and pleasure sometimes go hand in hand.” She just looked at him with a frown. “It’s fine. I liked it.” he assured her.

“If you say so.” She told him deciding not to harp on it. He rolled off of her to lie on his side, turned off the lamp then pulled the covers over them. He smiled to himself when she tucked herself into his chest, intertwined her legs with his and wrapped an arm around his waist. She was being clingier than usual and he couldn’t help but love it.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie and Tyler stood outside the door of the holding cell that held Caroline, listening to Sheriff Forbes talk to her ex-husband. “That’s our daughter in there. She looks up to you. She loves you.”

“Then she’ll trust me to do the right thing.” Bill argued. “Let me do this Liz. Not because she’s a monster. But because we love her.”

“Tyler, Katie.” The sheriff called and the two of them came inside to see her standing on a spiral staircase pointing a gun at Bill.

Katie, pissed at Bill for hurting Caroline, simply jumped down while Tyler walked down the stairs. “You’re not goin’ in there.” Bill tried to step in Katie’s way when she neared the door, but the Sheriff fired a warning shot near him.

“Go ahead.” The Sheriff told them so Katie and Tyler went inside.

“Katie, Tyler?” Caroline asked weakly.

“We’ve got you Care.” Katie told her as she and Tyler broke the restraints that were keeping Caroline in the chair.

“Yeah. We’re gonna get you out of here.” Tyler told her.

“My ring.” Caroline said as she pointed to the floor next to Tyler. So he grabbed it and put it back on her finger then carefully picked her up. Her back was blistered from the sun and wasn’t healing due to the lack of blood in her system.

They were on their way out when Bill spoke up. “Katie Finnegan, a vampire. Your parents would be so disappointed. After everything they did to protect you from all of this.”

Katie stopped and turned to him with a glare. “What do you know about my parents?” she asked.

“I know they would die before they would let you turn or have anything to do with vampires.” He told her.

“Bill.” The Sheriff spoke up with a warning tone.

“No, I want to hear this.” Katie told her without looking at her. “Do you know how they died?”

“The first time or the second time?” he asked with a look that made her want to slap him.

“Katie we need to get Caroline home.” Sheriff Forbes spoke up.

Katie sighed, turned from him and headed up the stairs, content to get her information from the sheriff later since it sounded like she knew whatever Bill wasn’t saying.

She sat in the passenger seat of the Sheriff’s car while Tyler sat in the back with Caroline. “Katie, about your parents.” The Sheriff started, testing the water on the subject. Katie looked at her, clearly wanting to hear what she had to say. “They were on the founder’s council. They called me and told me that they found a vampire in New Orleans willing to turn them. They said his name was Marcel. I begged them not to do it and come home, but they wouldn’t listen. They turned and I didn’t hear anything again until your mother’s body was shipped here and cremated. I scattered her ashes over the empty grave. I still don’t know if your father is dead or still a vampire.” She told her then looked over at Katie’s watery eyes. “If you ever want to know what happened to your parents I’d try to find Marcel. It’s not much of a lead, but it’s all I’ve got.”

“My father’s still alive.” Katie told her and when the sheriff gave her a questioning look, Katie added, “Damon tracked him down for me before I turned. He said dad said he would never come home to me because it wasn’t safe for a vampire to be in my life.”

The sheriff laughed then looked at Katie apologetically. “I’m sorry, that’s not funny. It’s been a long night.”

“No, I see the irony.” Katie told her with a wave of her hand. “Thanks for the Marcel tip.”

“You’re welcome.”

TVDTVDTVD

She was sitting in her room at the boarding house, writing in her journal when Damon stopped in her doorway, leaning on the frame. “How was your day?” he asked with a sigh.

“Fine until Tyler told me that his mom figured out that Caroline’s a vampire. The sheriff brought us to a holding cell where Bill was torturing Caroline. He said that he was fixing her. We got her back, but I think she’s hurt emotionally more than physically.” She told him as she stood up and turned to him. “And Sheriff Forbes told me the name of the Vampire that turned my parents so that’s an upside. How was yours?”

“Elena and I went to see Stefan.” He said making Katie raise her brows at him, not surprised that he was with Elena today. “Let’s just say Caroline isn’t the only one of your friends who got emotionally hurt tonight.” Katie just sighed and placed her hand on the desk and leaned her hip on it.

“So Stefan’s really gone huh?” she asked, looking at him tiredly.

“Yep and now Elena realizes it too” he told her, still keeping his distance.

“I’m sorry.” She told him, meaning it. She knew Damon missed Stefan and she did too, but there was nothing either of them could do at the moment to make it any better.

“I need a drink. Do you want one?”

Katie picked her head up and shook her head. “Na, I’m good.”

“You’re still mad at me.” he observed.

“I’m not mad at you. Unlike the people of my past, you try to tell me what to do because you care about me and you don’t want to lose me. But there’s a fine line between caring and controlling.” He just stared at her. “So I’m not mad at you I just…need some time to clear my head I guess.”

“Okay. Goodnight then.” He told her with a nod then walked away.

~*Dreaming*~

Elijah and Hannah lay in bed in their room of the cabin, her head resting on his shoulder while his hand played with her hair, making her curls frizz even more than usual, but she didn’t care. “Tell me about your sister.” She asked just wanting to hear him talk.

“Rebekah is…spoiled.” He continued to tell her about how she falls in love too quickly and deeply. How stubborn, hot headed and snarky she could be as well as being a bit of a brat. “I don’t know if she would like you.” he finished.

“I don’t know if I would like her either.” Hannah said with a look up at him. “But I would very much like to meet her one day.”

Elijah slid his hand over her cheek. “Where my siblings travel trouble is sure to follow.”

“So, if I ever meet her, you will have to leave?” Hannah asked and he nodded. “I retract my statement. I never wish to meet her.” Elijah smiled and pecked her on the lips.

~*End of Dream*~

Katie once again woke up alone. Instead of wallowing in the loneliness like she wanted to she pulled herself together, got dressed and started on her dish for the founder’s potluck party. She figured since her parents were on the council she should participate in council events like Elena and Caroline.

Not having to work, she figured she would stop by Elena’s and check up on her after the events of the previous night. When she let herself inside she heard Damon and Elena in the kitchen. “Yeah, I knew your old family. They made sucky chili.”

When she walked into the kitchen she saw Elena hip dump Damon and giggle. Damon smirked down at her only for the smirk to fall when he saw Katie. She hid it well, but he saw the hurt in her eyes. “Katie, I didn’t know you were dropping by.” Elena said when she saw her.

“Yeah, I uh, made a dish for the founder’s party.” She said as she walked over and slid the plate covered with saran wrap onto the counter.

“Why?” Elena asked since Katie had never participated and her parents weren’t founders of Mystic Falls.

“Because I learned last night that my parents were on the council.” She answered getting interested looks from Damon and Elena. “Sheriff Forbes told me that a vampire named Marcel turned my parents.”

Things became quiet and the tension in the air was becoming stifling when Elena said, “See Katie didn’t make Chili.” to Damon who was still standing next to her with a point at the dish.

“That’s because everybody and their mother brings chili to potlucks.” Katie replied as she sat down in the barstool.

“See, told you.” Damon told her then looked at the puffs under the plastic wrap. “What did you make?”

“Pepperoni tomato basil puffs.” She answered.

Not long after, Damon got a call and went outside to take it. He came back inside. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you at the party.” He told Katie then looked at Elena. He pecked Katie on the forehead and walked away.

“Everything okay with you two?” Elena asked with a frown.

“Yeah, peachy.” She answered with a fake smile that Elena believed. It’d been a long time since she had to put on a show to cover up her problems, but apparently she still had it.

Katie played on her cell phone, not having it in her to make small talk when she had walked in on her flirting with her boyfriend, until Bonnie and Caroline showed up. “The problem with my dad’s normal side of the family is normal made for a really boring summer.” Bonnie said from where she sat beside her in the barstool while Caroline and Elena finished up the chili.

“After the last few days, I would kill for a normal family.” Caroline said then looked at Katie. “Hey are you okay? You’re being really quiet.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Katie lied and Caroline gave her a look that said she didn’t believe her. “Hey, Elena, my phone’s going dead can I steal you charger for a little while?”

“Yeah, you know where it’s at.” Elena told her with a point up to her room. So Katie headed to Elena’s room.

While she plugged her phone in she listened to the girls downstairs. “So when did you learn how to cook?” she heard Caroline ask Elena.

“Damon helped a little.” Elena answered.

“Damon’s helping you cook now?” Bonnie asked. “Aren’t he and Katie still together?”

“Both of you stop judging. He’s just trying to be a good-Ow!” Katie heard Elena hiss in pain.

“Did I splash you?” Caroline asked.

“No, no, my necklace.” Elena answered. “It burned me.”

“Maybe it’s a sign you shouldn’t be wearing it.” Caroline replied being her judgy self.

“Caroline.” Bonnie warned.

“What, I’m just saying. You know if you’re going to be cooking without Stefan.” She heard Caroline say. “How long does it take to plug up a cell phone?” she could hear Carline’s distinct footsteps headed her way and she sat down on Elena’s bed with a sigh. “Hey.” Caroline greeted and Katie looked up at her. “I’m guessing you heard all of that?”

“That Elena’s necklace burned her? Yeah.” Katie answered, dropping her eyes to her hands where she picked at her cuticles.

“That was weird, but you know that’s not what I was talking about.” She replied as she sat down on the bed next to her.

“Yeah.” Katie said then started chewing on the inside of her lip.

“I knew there was something off with you when we came in.” she told her with a slow blink at her. “I thought you and Damon were doing good.”

“I don’t even know what good mean’s these days. I’ve slept in my own bed the past two nights. Then I come over here and walk in on Elena flirting with him.” Katie told her.

“Maybe it’s not what you think.” Caroline tried to defend them, but Katie stood up and unplugged her phone.

“Or maybe it’s exactly what I think and I can’t even be that mad at him because I’ve been dreaming about Elijah all summer. It's not even him that's pissing me off. It's Elena.” Katie answered and walked out of the room before Caroline could say anything else.

“Elena’s necklace shocked me.” Bonnie told them when they got downstairs.

“That’s weird.” Katie said as she walked over to the counter and grabbed her plate of puffs. “I’m heading to the party early so Carol can have time to make one of the little name things for my dish since it wasn’t expected of me.” She didn’t give them time to say anything before she was already out the door.

“What is up with her?” Bonnie asked after the front door was closed.

“She didn’t want to tell you guys that she’s actually going to the boarding house. She forgot to drink her blood bag this morning.” Caroline covered for her attitude and Katie pulled out her dieing phone and texted Caroline a thank you.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie was at the party fixing a plate of food, just to look busy while avoiding the friends that she was eavesdropping on where they sat away from the rest of the group while Bonnie worked an identification spell on Elena’s necklace. When she peeked up at them she saw Caroline look at her then at Elena. “So you’re not, like, switching Salvatore’s, are you?” she asked Elena, making Katie’s heart stop.

“What?” Elena asked since the question seemed to come out of nowhere.

“Caroline.” Bonnie scolded.

“Stay focused.” Caroline barked then turned back to Elena. “As your friend who worries about her friends daily, what is the deal with you and Damon?”

“There is no deal. He’s been just as focused on finding Stefan as I have.” Elena defended.

“Yeah, but you are aware that he and Katie are still together right?” Caroline asked.

“Of course I know they’re still together.” Elena asked with an awkward laugh.

“Then why have you been spending so much time with him? You can’t tell me that hanging out with him and cooking chili has anything to do with finding Stefan.” Caroline pried knowing Katie was listening.

“Why are we even talking about this?” Elena asked, getting aggravated with Caroline.

Caroline didn’t get a chance to answer because Bonnie started talking about how the necklace has its own magic so Katie tuned them out. She was pouring herself a glass of sweet tea when she heard Alaric and Damon talking. “I think you need to take a beat with Elena.” Alaric told him and Katie couldn’t make herself look up at them. “Maybe try focusing on your own girlfriend instead of your brothers.”

“Excuse me?” Damon asked.

“Whatever it is you have going on with Elena, I think it’s a bad idea.” Alaric warned him.

“I don’t really think it’s your problem, Ric.” Damon told her with an attitude.

“It is my problem. I’m supposed to look after Elena and Katie doesn’t have parents to keep and eye on her. This is me looking out for them.” Alaric told him.

Katie walked over to an empty table and sat down, glancing up at Alaric and Damon as she did. “What do you think I’m doing?” Damon asked practically getting in his face.

“What I think…is you need to take a beat.” Alaric repeated before the sheriff interrupted to let Damon know the council meeting was about to start.

Katie finished off her plate of food then threw it and cup in the trash and left the party.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie sat at her desk in the boarding house, her journal open on the journal entry she had just finished. She took the necklace Damon gave her that she had been using as the page marker out of the book and put it on the empty desk. She tucked the journal into her shoulder bag then grabbed two boxes that were sitting on the bed and started downstairs. She had just gotten out of the door when her phone started ringing. She didn’t want to answer it when she saw Elena’s name on the screen, but she forced herself to answer in case it was an emergency. “What?”

“I just wanted to let you know that Damon tried to kill Bill Forbes and he killed Alaric, but thankfully he’s wearing his ring.” She told her sounding stressed and worried.

“Thanks for letting me know.” Katie’s words were flat.

“So he's probably going to be pissed when he gets home.” Elena warned her.

“Well he may or may not get even more pissed when he gets here.” Katie told her with the same borderline uncaring tone as before.

“Why?” Elena drawled even more worried.

“Because I’m packing my things as we speak.” Katie answered. “I’m moving back to my house, permanently.”

“What? Why?” Elena asked, sounding surprised even though she shouldn’t be.

“Don't play stupid, Elena.” Katie replied then hung up no longer willing to have this conversation with her.

She was putting the last two boxes in her trunk when she saw Damon walking to the house, spinning his car keys around his finger as he did. When he saw her out of the corner of his eyes he stopped. “What are you doin’?” he asked, not looking at her, sounding tired and aggravated.

“Moving back home.” She answered flatly as she grabbed the last box off the ground and sat it in the back of the car.

“I thought you said this was home.” He said as he walked over, tucking his keys into his pants pocket.

“It was, but if I’m being honest it hasn’t felt like home all summer.” She answered as she closed the trunk, leaving her hand on it.

“What are you talking about?” he asked tiredly.

“I’m talking about us, Damon.” She told him as he rested his hand next to hers on the back of the car. “You can’t tell me you don’t feel what is happening to us.”

“I love you, Katie.” He told her, putting his hand on her cheek making her eyes slip closed and a tear slipped down her cheek.

“And I love you, Damon.” She told him as she opened her eyes and took his hand from her face, holding it in both of hers. “A part of me always will. I am so grateful that I had you there with me though all of the bullshit in my life and I thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she kept her voice strong even as her hands shook and she tapped the toe of her converse into the cement. “I want you to know that I will always be here for you if you need me, but let’s face it…you don’t need me anymore.” She told him with a shrug. “I see the way you and Elena look at each other and I’m not going to stand in the way of your happiness.”

“Katie…” he sighed with tears in his wide blue eyes.

“Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll stay, but please…don’t lie to me.” She told him as she held onto his hand a little tighter between hers.

“I…” he paused as a tear slipped down his cheek. “You’re not wrong. But I told you I wouldn't give up on you."

"And I told you I would always choose you." She felt her heart breaking as she placed her hand on his cheek, wiping his tear with her thumb. "We meant what we said when we said it, but...We just…changed over the summer…we grew in different directions and that’s okay.” She said with a shrug then took her hand off his face and wiped at her own.

“Do you think we can still be friends?” Damon asked and Katie smiled sadly.

“Eventually.” she nodded. "But right now I need space."

Damon breathed in a quick breath as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into him. “Can I still call you Katie Cat?” he said into her neck.

She laughed through her tears. "Yeah.” she then leaned back and looked into his eyes as she cupped his cheek in her hand. They kissed each other one last time before they let go. He held her hand and walked her to her car door, opened it for her then waited for her to get in and shut the door as she cranked the car. He couldn’t watch her drive away so he whooshed into the house and made himself a drink.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie spent the next three days unpacking her things from the boarding house, cleaning and rearranging practically the whole house. To say she didn’t know what to do with herself without Damon would be an understatement. She felt as if she was just biding time before school started and there was something to give her life structure. She thought seriously about getting her job at the grill back, but she would just end up quitting again so she threw the idea out along with half of her clothes and shoes. However she couldn’t make herself throw out the red dress and heels that Damon had bought her for the Miss Mystic pageant or the white, black and blue dress she wore the night he gave her the vervain necklace.

She also found that in her solitude, no longer attached to Damon, random memories of her and Elijah would make their way to the front of her brain throughout the day. The more this happened the more she realized that even after Jonas Martin tore down the barrier of her memories, she herself had unknowingly been suppressing them because she had been with Damon. The more memories she recovered the more she wanted Elijah back and she itched to be with him once again.

TVDTVDTVD

She was shopping in town when she passed the hair salon, backtracked then went inside. When she came back out her auburn hair that once hung to the center of her back was now layered and just long enough to brush against her shoulders. Its dark red wavy strands were now mostly blonde with lowlights of her original color. She had been feeling like a different person, now she felt like it reflected on the outside.

As she pulled into her driveway Caroline and Bonnie pulled in behind her. “Hey, I’ve been trying to call you all day, where have you been?” Caroline asked as Katie started getting shopping bags out of the back seat of her car. “And what’s with your hair?”

“Retail therapy.” Katie answered holding up the shopping bags then looked up at her side bangs that were swept to the left side of her face. “Does it look bad?” she asked knowing Caroline would give her an honest opinion.

“No it’s just really different for you.” Caroline answered as they all headed inside. She watched Katie set the bags on the couch that had been moved from where it had been against the front wall of the living room to sit in the middle of the room across from the television that sat on the fireplace mantle. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Caroline asked for the thousandth time since she found out from Elena that she broke up with Damon.

“Yes, Caroline. For the one thousandth time I am fine.” Katie told her as she looked at Bonnie who was smiling at her knowing Caroline was getting on her nerves.

“Elena said you’re not answering her calls.” Bonnie added agreeing with Caroline that something wasn’t quite right with her.

“That is because I’m not completely happy with her right now and until I figure it out if I am being a typical vampire and overreacting or if I’m just genuinely displeased with her, I don’t really want to talk about it.” Katie answered as she pulled a sundress from Aeropostale out of a paper shopping back. “So what’s up?” she asked getting back to why they were here as she tossed the dress on the back of the couch.

“It’s senior prank night.” Caroline told her as if she should know these things.

“Ugh.” Was the only response it got out of Katie.

“Come on. I’m not letting you skip this.” Caroline whined.

“No, Caroline.” Katie responded as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Katie, you are the one that thought of covering the hallway floors in bubble wrap. We’ve been waiting for this day since freshman year!” Caroline ranted. “We’re about to be seniors. These are the memories that will stay with us forever and if we don’t create these memories now, then what’s the point of it all?”

“If I do this will you stop yelling at me?” Katie asked.

“Yes.” Caroline answered with a please smile.

“Fine.” She caved then looked at Bonnie. “Did you get the same speech?”

Bonnie gave her a tight lipped smile and a nod. “Yep.”

“Let me have some lunch and I’ll be ready.” Katie told them as she went to the kitchen and grabbed a blood bag.

TVDTVDTVD

Since it was her idea Caroline put her in charge of covering two entire hallways with bubble wrap along with Dana, her boyfriend Chad and a few other people. She wasn’t thrilled about working with Dana and Chad, mainly because Dana was annoying by herself but put her with Chad and they turned into one of those annoyingly sweet, lovey dovey, over the top couples that Katie wanted to strangle even when she did have a boyfriend of her own. However she stuck with the group she was given because her only other option was to be around Elena.

After taking three hours to cover the hallways with bubble wrap Katie abandoned the group and went outside where no one was and hatched another idea. With a look around to make sure no one was watching she moved all the trash cans on top of the sidewalk awnings. This is what she was doing when she saw a moving truck parked behind the school. Stefan and a blonde vampire girl were behind it, the blonde stabbed Stefan with a crowbar.

Curious Katie jumped off the roof as quietly as she could and headed inside assuming that Klaus was somewhere in there. It took a while, but she eventually found him, Elena, Chad and Dana in the gym where the seniors had been working on covering the floor with cups filled with water. “Katie, run!” Elena yelled at her.

Katie took in Dana standing on one foot while Chad stared at her with wide eyes. Her eyes found Klaus as she said, “Mmm, no…I don’t think I will.” Katie let the gym door shut behind her and walked over to stand between them and Dana and Chad.

“You really should listen to her, Love.” Klaus warned.

“Why, because you’ll kill me if I don’t?” Katie asked with a roll of her eyes.

“Why don’t you do me a favor and go find your witch friend, what’s her name…Bonnie?” he asked and she could tell that he was trying to compel her. She knew the smart thing to do would be to let him think it had worked and go get help, but at the moment she didn’t feel like being smart.

“Because I don’t take orders from you.” she answered with a smart ass look and shake of her head.

“You’re on vervain.” Klaus said with wide eyes.

Katie gasped exaggeratedly. “How’d you guess?” she asked with an attitude. “I’m guessing you’re here to kill her?” she asked, getting a disbelieving look from Elena.

Klaus copied her gasp. “How’d you guess?”

Katie smirked at him with a quiet laugh.

“What is the matter with you?” Elena asked Katie with a disgusted look.

“Nothing.” Katie answered then looked back at Klaus who had opened his mouth to say something, but the gym door opened behind him and he turned to see Bonnie and Matt walk in.

“Bonnie get out of here!” Elena yelled.

Klaus whooshed around stopping Bonnie from leaving. “Ah, you’re here. Now we can get started.” He told her then looked past her to Dana and Chad. “Uh, Dana, you can relax. You and Chad sit tight.” Dana and Chad sat down where they were standing then Klaus looked back at Bonnie. “I assume you’re the reason Elena’s still walking around alive?”

“That’s right. If you want to blame someone, blame me.” Bonnie answered,

“Oh, there’s no need for blame, love. It’s just that your witchy interference seems to have caused some undesirable side effects and since you caused the problem, I’m going to have you find the fix.”

The gym door opened again and Tyler and the blonde that stabbed Stefan outside earlier came in. “Let go of me.” Tyler yelled at the blonde that was holding his hands behind his back and told him to hush up.

“I’d like you all to meet my sister, Rebekah.” Klaus held his hand out at her as he introduced her. “Word of warning, she can be quite mean.”

“Don’t be an ass.” Rebekah told him and Katie noticed she too had the same English accent as Elijah and Klaus.

“Leave him alone!” Elena told Klaus as he grabbed Tyler by the back of his neck and headed to the center of the gym, but she got ignored.

“I’m gonna make this very simple.” Klaus started then turned to face the group of teenagers that was his audience. “Every time I turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transition. It’s quite horrible, actually.” He bit his wrist and pressed it to Tyler’s mouth. “I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, Bonnie.” He told her as he forced Tyler to drink his blood. “And for Tyler’s sake…”

When Katie saw Klaus grab Tyler’s head she sped over and tried to shove him off of Tyler, but Klaus easily shoved Katie to the floor with his shoulder and broke Tyler’s neck anyways. “Tyler…” Katie sighed, not bothering to get up off the floor.

“You better hurry.” Klaus finished what he was saying to Bonnie then looked down at Katie. “And you, Love, will not try something like that again or I will have no problem removing you from my brother's life again.”

Katie glared up at him as she stood up. Matt kneeled down next to Tyler as Klaus walked off. “He killed him.”

“He’s not dead.” Katie sighed as she kneeled down across from him. “Klaus’s blood will turn him into a vampire werewolf hybrid.” Katie said while Elena paced back and forth pointlessly.

“And if Bonnie’s successful, he’ll live through his transition.” Klaus told them as he walked back over to them. “Go on then. Go and fetch your grimoires and enchantments and what-not.” He told Bonnie as he strutted over and grabbed Elena’s arm. “I’ll hold on to Elena for safe keeping.”

Elena gave Bonnie a nod and her and Matt ran out of the gym. Rebekah walked up behind Elena. “So this is the latest doppelganger.” Elena jumped and looked over her shoulder as Rebekah moved around Elena sizing her up. “The original one was much prettier.”

Katie bit her lips closed and smiled. Elijah had been right. She was snarky. “Rebekah, I don’t think you’ve been formally introduced.” Klaus said as he held his hand out at Katie. “Meet Katie Finnegan a.k.a. Hannah Easton-Finnegan.”

“Elijah’s Hannah?” Rebekah asked and Klaus smiled. “You're not nearly as wildly beautiful as Elijah described.”

Katie laughed. “I was going to say you were prettier than Elijah described, but…” Katie looked at Klaus, “I don’t like to lie.”

“Why you little-” Rebekah started at Katie but Klaus stopped her.

“Enough Rebekah. Take the wolf boy elsewhere would you?” he told his sister who rolled her eyes but grabbed Tyler’s hand and started dragging him out of the room.

“Ignore her…petty little thing.” Klaus told them as he walked around Elena and over to the bleachers where he sat down to wait for news from Bonnie. Katie watched Elena walk over to Chad and Dana, who Katie had honestly forgotten were still in the gym, and start assuring them they would be okay. Katie rolled her eyes and walked over to the bleachers on the opposite side of the room from Klaus and sat down in the middle of them.

She was playing around on her phone, listening to “Crawling” by Linkin Park when Klaus walked over and sat down next to her.

She ignored him. “You have seen me kill a werewolf, a vampire, your best friend and your long lost lover yet…You do not run from me and you have the gall to stand up to me. Why?”

She looked at him where he lounged back on the bleacher like her. “You’re leaving out the part where for several months straight I saw you rip my head from my body every time I closed my eyes.” Katie told him with a snarky smile then decided to answer his question. “Call it a lack of give a damn.” she said as she moved her eyes out over the rest of the gym. “Or stupidity. I really don’t know anymore.” she answered with a shake of her head and a shrug.

He narrowed his eyes at her and cocked his head to the side. “I don't know what it is, but there is something about you I like.”

“Yeah, your brother likes me too.” She popped off as she looked at him and he smirked at her. “So if you would kindly pull the dagger from his chest and send him my way it would be very much appreciated.” She told him with a sarcastically nice tone and finished with a smile.

His smirk grew into a smile. “What about Damon? I thought you were in love with him.”

“Things change…people change.” Katie answered honestly.

“I think it would be best if he remained with the rest of our family.” He told her as he looked back at the three humans in the room.

“Damn it.” Katie said as she snapped her fingers and moved her arm in front of her in an oh-shucks manner. “I had to at least ask.” She sighed and sat up, put her elbow on her knee and placed her chin in her hand. Klaus laughed at her attitude. After a few seconds of silence passed between them Katie twisted her head in her hand to look at him. “There wouldn’t be anything I could do to sway you, would there?” a devilish grin took over his face. “If you’re thinking naughty thoughts stop it. That’s not what I meant.”

“I know, love. I was just joshing you.” he laughed as the gym door opened and she expected it to be Bonnie and Matt, but Stefan walked in and over to them.

“Come to save your damsel, mate?” Klaus asked as he sat up and propped his chin up on his folded hands.

“I came to ask for your forgiveness.” Stefan answered. “And pledge my loyalty.”

“Well, you broke that pledge once already.” Klaus told him.

“Elena means nothing to me anymore.” Stefan told him and Katie could tell he was trying way too hard to sell it. “And whatever you ask of me, I will do.” Stefan finished.

“Fair enough.” Klaus said as he stood up and headed over to the couple in the room. “Let’s drink on it. Kill them.” He pointed at Dana and Chad who scrambled up. Stefan looked at Katie, who just looked at him emotionlessly, then looked at Klaus. “What are you waiting for? Kill them.”

“No, Stefan, don't. He’s not going to hurt me. He already said-” Elena’s words were cut off when Klaus backhanded her across the face.

Stefan charged at Klaus, but only ended up with Klaus’s hand on his throat. “She means nothing to you?” Klaus asked as Katie watched from the sidelines. “Your lies just keep piling up.”

“Let her go. I’ll do whatever you want. You have my word.” Stefan rasped.

“Your word doesn’t mean much. I lived by your word all summer, during which time I never had to resort to this.” Klaus looked him in the eyes. “Stop fighting.”

“Don’t do this. Don’t do this.” Stefan begged and Katie watched as Elena looked at him with wide tear pooled eyes.

“I don’t want to. All I wanted was your allegiance. Now I’m gonna have to take it.” Klaus told him and Stefan begged him not to compel him, but Klaus looked him in the eyes and said, “You will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run, you will not hide, you will simply…just…obey.” Klaus took his hand from Stefan’s neck and jerked his head to Chad and Dana. “Now kill them, Ripper.”

They all watched as Stefan whooshed over to Dana and bit her neck. The smell of the fresh blood drew Katie from the bleachers and over to stand next to Klaus. She didn’t even realize she had moved or that blood had rushed to her eyes until Klaus bumped her shoulder with his. “Would you like me to tell him to share?”

Katie looked at Elena only to get a disapproving look from her and for a second Katie wanted to tell Klaus yes. Instead she took a deep breath and let it out through her nose, pushing back the need to feed. “I’ll pass.” Katie answered with a look at Klaus who smirked at her. She looked at Elena who was still giving her a judgy look. “Don’t look at me like that. You have no idea what it’s like to eat tv dinners day in and day out when you could have surf and turf hot off the grill.” Katie told her with a glare.

“You say that like you drink animal blood.” Elena bit back.

“Animal blood is a tv dinner that’s been microwaved in an old boot that someone fished out of a redneck’s pond.” Kate answered. “I’d bite him before I drank that crap.” Katie jerked her head at Klaus.

“You keep up that fiery attitude of yours and I might just let you.” Klaus told her with a smirk down at her.

“Keep dreaming, Big Bad Wolf.” Katie popped off then looked back at Stefan. “I do miss the fresh stuff though.”

“What is wrong with you? He’s killing our classmates and you’re thinking about joining him?” Elena asked with a disgusted look.

“Um, hello, vampire.” Katie answered holding her hands above her head as she pointed to herself.

“Caroline’s a vampire and I can assure you she would not be acting like you if she were here.” Elena told her as she moved around Klaus who was standing between them watching Stefan continue to kill people. “There is something else wrong with you.”

“If you can’t figure out what’s wrong with me then you are way more self centered than I ever thought. I gave Damon a pass because my attachment to Elijah practically drove him away but you…? There’s no excuse for you.” Katie told her with a glare. She had been trying to hold it back and not hold Elena accountable for flirting with Damon when she was still technically with Stefan and Katie was with Damon. “And you know what? I’m pretty sure that magical little humanity switch that us vampires always talk about is stuck between off and on right now because at the moment I hate you.” Elena stared at her with a gaping mouth.

Klaus looked down at Katie with a smirk. “Easy, love, let’s not say things we don’t mean.” Klaus placed his hand on her shoulder and Elena was surprised when Katie didn’t shrug him off. “Why don’t you go take a breather, maybe check on your witch friend?”

“Gladly.” She answered and headed for the exit.

“And Katie?” he called and she stopped and looked back at him. She saw Stefan throw Chad to the floor, finished with his meal. “Do not run away. I’d very much like to have another chat with you before the night is over.”

“Ten-Four, rubber ducky.” She told him with a two fingered salute as she walked backwards to the door, pushed it open with her hips and walked out.

She pulled out her phone as she breathed in the cool air of the night and dialed Bonnie. As the phone rang Rebekah passed her like a woman on a mission and went into the gym. Bonnie didn’t pick up making Katie worry so she called her again. “Meet me at the pool!” Bonnie huffed into the phone then hung up.

Katie whooshed to the pool to find Bonnie pulling Matt out of the water so Katie grabbed him and finished turning him onto his back. “Wanna explain what’s going on?” Katie asked as Bonnie started CPR.

“Later.” Bonnie huffed as she kept up the compressions. “Come on Matt!” she yelled right as he coughed up water and turned onto his side.

Matt looked between Bonnie and Katie then flopped back down on the tiled floor. Katie zipped into the locker room and grabbed a towel then zipped back over to them. “Now does someone want to explain what’s going on?” Katie asked with a look between the two of them as she held her hand out to Matt who took it and let her pull him up.

“My grimoires don’t go back far enough to be able to help save Tyler.” Katie handed Matt the towel. “We needed Jeremy to talk to Anna and Vicki and see if they could talk to someone on the other side who might know something. But we can’t find Jeremy so this idiot decided to kill himself so that he could talk to his sister.” They left the pool and started walking through the halls on their way to the gym.

“But it worked.” Matt said as he walked around to stand in front of the two girls. “I saw her. I saw Vicki. She said she had a message for you.” he told Bonnie. “From the witch that put the hybrid curse on Klaus. She said that Elena shouldn’t have survived Klaus’ ritual. The hybrids can’t transition because Elena’s still alive.”

While they continued to talk Katie started thinking, remembering things that Elijah had told her back when they were together. Things about the witch that put the curse on Klaus, the first witch, their mother, Ester. Ester would have done anything and everything in her power, which was a lot, to keep Klaus from becoming a hybrid and siring more hybrids. It was a good possibility that she wanted Elena dead for a reason and that reason would be to keep hybrids from being created. When she heard Klaus’ voice she looked up from the floor she had been staring at in thought to see him giving her a curious look. “Why does it look like a light bulb just went off over your head?”

“Because I think I’m at least half way to figuring out the answer to your problem.” She answered honestly. “And killing Elena isn’t it.”

Klaus looked at Bonnie. “Your services are no longer needed. Good night.” Bonnie and Matt rushed off, happy to have the green light to get the hell out of dodge. “Why don’t you go check on Tyler and Caroline while I go make sure Stefan doesn’t kill my much needed doppelganger?”

“Since you asked so nicely…sure. Why the hell not?” she sighed and headed to where she could hear Tyler and Caroline talking in the Chemistry lab.

When she walked into the lab she saw Tyler leaning over one of the black counters. Caroline was next to him stroking his back caringly and Rebekah sat on the counter behind them playing around on a cell phone. “How is he?” Katie asked as she walked over to stand across from Caroline and Tyler.

“Not good. Any news?” Caroline asked while Rebekah completely ignored her.

“None that I know for sure.” Katie answered not wanting to get their hopes up. “I’m pretty sure Klaus sent me here to keep me away from Elena.”

“Why?” Caroline asked.

“We kinda…got into it and I told her I hated her…all while Stefan was killing Dana and Chad.” Katie admitted.

“Katie.” Caroline sighed with a judgmental look.

“She just has this way of pissing me off with a single look.” Katie replied and ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it back out of her face.

“Well, the verdict’s in. The original witch says the doppelganger should be dead.” Klaus said as he strolled into the room and over to Katie giving her a nudge out of the way so he could stand across from Tyler so she scooted around to the end of the counter.

“Does that mean we can kill her?” Rebekah asked eagerly.

“No, I believe Katie and I agree that it means the opposite.” Klaus said with a look at Katie then Rebekah.

“What?” Caroline asked just as Rebekah grabbed her to keep her away from Tyler.

“Call it a hunch.” He pulled a tube of Elena’s blood out and held it in front of Tyler's face. “Elena’s blood, drink it.”

“No, Tyler don’t.” Caroline said, struggling to get out of Rebekah’s grasp.

“If he doesn’t feed, he’ll die anyway, love.” Klaus told her. “Consider this an experiment.” Katie watched as Tyler drank the blood then fell to the floor in pain. After a few seconds he looked up at Klaus, his iris’s golden while the whites of his eyes were blood red and veins popped under his eyes. “Well, that’s a good sign.” Klaus said as he took in Tyler’s vampire fangs then looked up at Rebekah with a smile. He stood up and turned to Katie. “Now, let’s have that chat.” He jerked his head to the door and placed his hand on her upper back ushering her through the door. “You said you were close to solving my problem and you knew Elena didn’t need to die. How?”

Katie looked down at the floor as they walked through the hallway. “Elijah.” She answered.

“I’m afraid I’m going to need more information than that.” He told her with a look at her across his shoulder.

“I liked to hear him talk so I’d ask him to tell me about your family. This was every night, so I kind of know a lot about your history with your mother. I knew that she’d do everything she could to keep you from siring more hybrids. So if she said to kill Elena, that’s probably the last thing you’d want to do.” She told him as they came to an exit and walked out to where the moving van was parked. “That’s as far as I got. I had no clue her blood was the solution.” As they walked around the truck to the open back Katie’s eyes quickly found the coffins inside of it. “Is that…?” she asked taking in the dark wood coffins, one of which wasn’t covered in a thick layer of dust like the others.

“My family? Yes.” He answered and Katie looked at him then back to the dust free coffin. “Make one move toward Elijah and I will rip your head off again.” He warned.

“I wasn’t going to.” She said as she turned her watery eyes back to Klaus’. “I just really hate knowing that he is alone in the dark with a dagger in his chest. And I hate you for doing this to him.”

Klaus tilted his head to the side and looked at her down his nose as if he were thinking about something. “Can I see your cell phone please?” he asked and Katie pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Ugh, you’ve got to change that background, Love.” He commented and she rolled her eyes. She wasn’t quite ready to change the background of her and Damon kissing yet.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she watched him tap around on her screen then pull his phone out of his pocket.

“I just got your number and gave you mine. Should I think of a way for you to sway me, I will call you.” he told her with a smile as he held her phone back out to her.

“So why did you give me your number?” she asked suspiciously as she took her phone from him.

“If you ever have a problem I can help with, call me, but you only get one favor. So use it wisely.” He told her as he tucked his phone into his pocket then turned from her and pulled the back of the truck closed.

“Does asking you a question count as a favor?” She asked as he turned back around. He shook his head no. “For curiosity’s sake, what happened to Stefan and Elena? Stefan’s never been anything but a good friend to me.”

“I compelled him to flip his switch. He took Elena to the hospital for a little blood donation.” He answered.

Katie bit her lips closed and nodded. “God I hate you.”

"If you hate me so much why are you still standing here?" He told her with a look that suggested she actually liked him.

Klaus looked at her with suspicious eyes. “Either you are a really good actress or you have no idea what your friends are planning.”

“Both” she answered then let her eyes fall to her hand that rested on the back of the couch. “My friends no longer trust me so if they are plotting against you…I know nothing about it. Since I have nothing to offer…you can see yourself out. I have a dance to get ready for.” She headed toward the stairs against the wall to the right of the entryway, but he sped in front of her stopping her. She heaved out an aggravated breath and put her hands on her hips as she glared up at him.

“You wanted to know how to sway me?” he asked and she gave him a nod. “You know your friends better than I. You will be able to sense if something is off with them. Stefan and Rebekah have both assured me that Mikael has been daggered. I do not believe it. So stand with me tonight, help me insure that my father is dead and his dagger destroyed and I will let you watch me pull the dagger out of Elijah. Yours will be the first face he sees when he opens his eyes.”

She chewed on the inside of her lip and looked at the floor in thought. She knew that if she did this, everyone she was close to would have nothing to do with her, but she’d already lost them. Her mother had told her to make up with them, but she had meant it when she told her mother she didn’t think she could. “Okay.” She looked up at him feeling sick to her stomach with nerves. “I’ll be your date.” She wrinkled her nose at the words that left her mouth.

“Then you should probably start getting dressed.” He told her with a look at the clock in the room. She grabbed her dress and bags and headed up the stairs. “Wait.” She stopped and looked over the hand rail at him. “Cell phone, please. I don’t want you giving your friends a heads up.” He held his hand out for her phone so she took it out of her pocket and dropped it over the rail into his outstretched hand.

An hour later she walked down the stairs, her blond and red hair pinned in a messy, but pretty updo. A plain black choker was around her neck and paired nicely with the one shoulder white dress. Black lace covered the shoulder strap on her left shoulder, swooped across the bodice, wrapped almost completely around the waist then tapered off along the left side of the short tulle skirt. Classic closed toe back heels with a strap around the ankle finished off the look. “Well don’t you clean up nicely?” Klaus asked from the bottom of the stairs where she met him.

“It’s my last homecoming dance.” She answered and when he held out his suit jacket covered arm she walked past him.

“I’ve commandeered your homecoming dance. The gym randomly flooded so Tyler graciously offered to move the dance to his house. It is now a wake for my father.” He told her with a smirk then opened the front door and jerked his head for her to walk out.

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” she asked as she walked out then waited for him to close her door.

“Not at the moment, no.” he answered as he pulled the door shut then held his arm out for her again and once again she walked past him and down the steps. Her heels clacked against the cement walkway as she headed to her car.

“You know you can touch me. I won’t bite.” He told her as he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.

“Yeah,” she scoffed as she slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door, “You’ll understand if I don’t believe you.” Klaus just smirked at her.

TVDTVDTVD

When Katie parked outside the Lockwood’s house lights and music were coming from the back yard and when they went inside the house she saw several kegs and coolers sitting around. They passed a beer pong table as they headed to the back yard where the band was practicing. “Should I be worried at how good you are at throwing high school parties?” she asked with a look over at him from where they stood on the back steps that led down to where a dance floor had been set up.

He smirked. “I’m no stranger to throwing lavish parties. I simply modified the age group a bit.” He told her then pulled her phone out of his jacket pocket and looked to see if she had any messages. “I see you finally changed your background and not one of your friends has messaged you. Including my sister whose number I see is in your contacts.”

“We’re on the cheer team together.” Katie replied, deciding that it would be best if he didn’t know she and Rebekah were friends.

“Oh, look, the photo trash folder. Wonder what could be in here?” he asked with a devious look at her.

Her eyes went wide when she remembered she never deleted the naughty photos she had sent to Damon. “Do not look in there!” She jumped and tried to grab the phone from him but he easily dodged her and opened the folder filling the screen with pictures of her in different poses, only wearing lingerie. “Klaus!”

“Bloody hell, love, are you secretly a lingerie model?” he asked with a cheeky smile and wide eyes. Pissed, she knocked him to his knees, taking him off guard enough that she was able to grab her phone from his hand. “You will give me that back.” he told her with a glare.

“Yeah, I will, as soon as I clear out all the pictures I don’t want you to see.” She told him, not looking up from the screen she was tapping on. When she was done she tossed him the phone back.

He turned the screen on to see that it was now password protected. He turned it off and tucked it onto his pocket. “Your classmates are starting to arrive.” As he said this, the band started really playing instead of practicing and random people came out of nowhere and started dancing.

“Who are all these people?” she asked, not recognizing a single one of them.

“My hybrids.” He answered as he turned to her. “When your classmates start showing up do me a favor. Pretend to be enjoying yourself and stick to my side like glue.” He told her so she nodded. “And smile.” He told her with a smile of his own in a voice that was meant to pep her up. “You look like your dog just died.” She pulled her lips back in an awkward smile. “Now you just look constipated.” He complained with an eye roll and she stopped. “Make it believable.”

“I’m at a party with you because I’m stupidly trusting you to stick to your word and not stab me in the back with the dagger you may or may not pull out of Elijah.” She told him with a glare. “I will pep up when the time comes. Until then I’m not going to waste my energy.” She replied.

“You think I will not keep my promise to you?” he asked with a tone that suggested he was hurt, but she didn’t believe it.

“Your reputation isn’t the greatest.” She answered with a cold tone.

He stepped up to her and grabbed her chin gently with his long nimble fingers. “Trust me when I say I will bring you to Elijah as soon as I see my father’s corpse.”

She glared at him, her eyes meeting his blues as she grabbed his wrist and took his hand from her face. “I’ll trust you when you earn it.”

As soon as everyone was at the party Klaus held his arm out to her. So she hooked hers through it and walked up on stage as the band stopped playing and the crowd cheered and clapped. The vanilla scent of the smoke machine that sat on the stage filled her nose as they walked over to the microphone and Klaus dropped his arm and placed his hand on her lower back. “Good evening everyone!” he greeted the crowd that cheered again. “I want to thank you all for being here with me to celebrate. It’s been a long time coming.”

As they walked down off the stage Katie looked over at him then his arm that was still on her lower back. “What the hell am I supposed to tell people if they ask me why I’m here with you?”

“I don’t know.” He told her as they walked through the crowd and when she noticed her classmates looking at her and Klaus she smiled at them as if nothing at all was wrong in her life when in actuality she was screaming on the inside.

“Klaus.” Stefan said as they walked over to him. “Quite the homecoming.” He chose to completely ignore Katie who stood next to Klaus with her arm looped through his and a look on her face that let everyone believe she was enjoying herself.

“I’ve been planning my father’s funeral for 1,000 years.” Klaus replied. “Granted, in no version of it were any of these people invited. But you get the idea.”

“So what now? You just stop running?” Stefan asked.

“Now I reunite my family.” Klaus told him then glanced down at Katie.

Stefan finally looked at her with his usual brooding expression then back at Klaus. “Your family. You mean, the people you cart around in caskets?”

“None of that matters anymore.” Klaus looked away from Katie to Stefan. “Mikael’s gone. Bygones will be bygones and Elijah will be happy I kept his woman happy and safe.” he looked back down at Katie who made herself give him a closed lipped smile.

“So that’s what this is about?” Stefan asked, moving his finger between the two of them. “Taking care of your brother's girl while he lies in a casket with a dagger in his chest that you placed there?”

“It’s really no different than Damon and Elena.” Katie spoke for the first since the party started. “The only difference is there is absolutely zero chance of me falling for him.” Katie said with a jerk of her head at Klaus.

“Really great party.” The homecoming queen said as she walked by them, her pretty crown atop her head. “I really like the band.”

Klaus smiled at her smugly. “Seems the homecoming queen still walks among the living, which leaves me to believe Rebekah isn’t here. Where is she?” he asked Stefan.

“I have no idea. I thought she was coming with Matt.” Stefan answered making Katie look around to see Matt standing with Elena. Katie’s eyes also spotted Caroline chatting with people while getting a refill of beer from the keg.

“Oh, be honest now, Stefan.” Klaus told him knowing Stefan couldn’t lie to him since he had been compelled to tell the truth. “Where’s my sister?”

“I said…I have no idea.” Stefan answered again and a tense second passed between the three of them.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a party without the guest of honor, would it?” Klaus asked with a smug smile. “Bring him to me.”

Stefan looked off in the distance in thought for a second. “Alright. Perhaps there’s something in it for me?” Klaus and Katie both looked at him curiously. “My freedom from your compulsion.”

“Oh, you want your freedom?” Klaus asked with a tilt of his head. “Well once he’s dead and his weapon destroyed, you’ll have your freedom. It would be my pleasure to give it back to you.” Stefan gave them a tight lipped smile as he walked away.

“Klaus.” Katie said, getting his attention. “Stefan was telling the truth, Rebekah was supposed to come with Matt, but he’s here with Elena. Elena should be here with Damon. He never says no to a party so there has to be a reason he’s not here.” Klaus looked at Elena and Matt who were both drinking beer out of glass bottles. “And by the way…you’re keeping me safe and happy?” she asked with raised brows. “You couldn’t come up with a more believable lie?”

“Who said it was a lie?” he asked with a smirk.

Katie gave him a challenging look. “You wanna make me happy?”

“All in due time, Love.” He told the impatient Katie.

“I need more beer.” She sighed so Klaus walked them over to one of the igloo coolers, lifted the lid then motioned for her to pick her poison. She didn’t even look. She just grabbed the cold bottle, popped the cap off and chunked it aside as Tyler walked over to them. Klaus grabbed a beer of his own and shut the lid of the cooler.

“My mom would seriously freak if she saw all these people here.” Tyler said with a look out at the dance floor packed with people like tuna in a can.

Klaus smiled as he looked at his handy work. “You’re mother won’t be a problem. I’ve compelled her to go to church and pray for your friends.”

Tyler laughed. “What are you talking about?”

Klaus let go of Katie’s arm and walked around to stand in front of Tyler. “I want you to look around. There’s Bonnie.” He pointed over Tyler’s shoulder to Bonnie who was talking to a guy. “There’s Elena and Matt.” He pointed to Elena who took a drink from a beer then handed it to Matt. “And there’s your pretty little girlfriend Caroline.” He pointed to Caroline talking to the group of cheerleaders. “Their big dance was wrecked tonight and who came through with a party?” Tyler looked back at Klaus. “You did. What a pal. But who are all these other people?” Klaus asked with a point over his shoulder.

Tyler looked around with creased brows. “I…have no idea. I’ve never seen half these people in my life.”

“Well, that’s because I invited a few dozen friends of my own.” Klaus answered then started pointing out his people in the crowd.

“Hold on, are those people all hybrids?” Tyler asked with a frown.

“Well, they also love a good party.” Klaus said as he took a step closer to Tyler. “And they, like you, are sired by me. They wish to serve their master. So if anyone should so much as make a move against me, they may feel obligated to retaliate.” Klaus’ serious face turned into a smile as he backed away from Tyler. “Feel free to warn your friends.”

“I assumed that he assumed you’d sired more hybrids as soon as you got Elena’s blood donation and skipped town.” Katie said as she watched Tyler go into the house like a man on a mission.

“That is because you are smart.” Klaus said as they started walking around. “And thanks to my brother you probably know me better than anyone else here tonight.” He smiled down at her and she shifted her gaze elsewhere. When they walked past Elena, Klaus stopped. “Where’s your date?”

“Getting me a drink.” Elena answered stiffly.

Klaus held the beer in his hand out to her and she gave him a look that said, ‘seriously?’

“Seems I have you to thank for Mikael’s demise.” Klaus told her.

“He came at me. I didn’t have a choice.” Elena once again answered stiffly.

“Still I’m impressed. It’s not easy for a human to dagger an original.” Klaus said and Katie rolled her eyes and took a big drink of the beer in her hand.

“It wasn’t my first time.” Elena told him with a sneer.

“Right. Elijah. I’m sure that won a lot of points in her book.” He said with a jerk of his head to Katie then looked around at the crowd. As he did Elena looked around as if she was expecting someone to jump out at her. “You seem nervous.”

“I’m not nervous. I just don’t like you.” Elena told him with an attitude.

“Right. I’ll just get straight to the point then shall I love?” he asked then leaned in closer to her. “People have been after me for 1,000 years. And I am always one step ahead. So whatever it is you’re thinking of trying, go for it. Give it your best shot. You won’t succeed.”

“It won’t be for a lack of trying.” Elena answered with a bit of a head sway and a glare and tried to walk off, but Klaus let go of Katie and stopped her.

“Now, you’d be smart to tell Damon to mind his manners tonight. ‘Cause if I die, I’ve already insured that he’ll die along with me.” Kaite’s heart stopped at his words. “Even in death, my hybrids have their orders. So, you kill me you’re killing him too.”

“What?” Katie asked with wide eyes.

“All the more reason for everyone to cooperate.” He told her with a smirk as her shock turned to a glare.

Elena walked away while she had the chance. “Can we do something more fun than just walking around please?” she asked just wanting to find ways to get the night over with.

“What do you suggest?” he asked.

“We can go kick some stupid jock’s ass at beer pong.” She suggested and he actually took her up on it.

As they were playing the guy she had drank from at the bonfire walked up. “Hey, Katie.” He greeted getting a little too in her personal space.

“Hey…you.” she told him as she took a step away from him.

“Oh, don’t pretend like you don’t know my name. We did make out the other night after all.” He said with a shitty attempt at being flirty, catching Klaus’ attention and he gave her a look that seemed to ask, you and this guy?

She looked at him and whispered, “I really need to work on my compulsion.” Then looked back at the guy. “I’m pretty sure I told you that’s never going to happen again.”

“Yeah but-” he started.

“Is this guy bothering you?” Klaus asked as he stepped up beside her and draped his arm over her shoulders.

“Who the hell are you?” the guy asked with a challenging attitude.

Katie breathed in a hiss between her teeth. “That was not the road you should’ve taken.” She cut her eyes up at Klaus. “Don’t kill him, please.”

“I’m her date.” Klaus answered then grabbed the guy up by his dress shirt and looked him in the eyes. “And it would be wise of you to remember, when a woman says it’s never going to happen again…You should stop pursuing her.” he threw the guy away and he fell to the floor on his butt knocking down a tower of beer empty beer cans that someone had made.

The guy was standing back up when Mindy, one of Klaus’ hybrids, came over to them. “You have a visitor.”

“Well, tell my visitor I’m on the brink of victory here.” He told her with the white ping pong ball in his hand.

“He said his name was Mikael.” She told him with a sway of her head.

Klaus sighed and tossed the ball into the rinse cup. “Then we mustn’t keep him waiting.” He told her as he dropped his hand from Katie’s lower back. “Move everyone out back. I’m going to have a little chat with my dad.”

Mindy started moving everyone out of the house and to the back yard as Katie and Klaus headed to the front door. An older man stood on the other side of the threshold. “Hello, Niklaus.” He greeted him ignoring Katie who stood not far behind and to the side of him.

“Hello, Mikael. Won’t you come in?” He asked. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot. You can’t.”

“Or you can come outside if you want.” Mikael replied.

“Or I can watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb.” Klaus retorted as his hybrids gathered on the front lawn behind Mikael.

“They can’t kill me.” Mikael pointed out.

“True, but it’ll make a hell of a party game.” Klaus said with a smug smile. “All I have to do is rub these two fingers together,” he held up his right hand, his thumb and middle finger centimeters apart, “and they’ll pounce.” He touched the fingers together.

“The big…bad…wolf.” Mikael said and Klaus dropped his hand. “You haven’t changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward.” Katie frowned at the guy who called himself Klaus’ father. “Though you forget, they may be sired by you, but they’re still part vampire and they can be compelled by me.” As he said this Mindy walked over to stand beside Mikael and pulled Elena into view. Katie looked at Elena with glaring eyes. “Come out and face me, Niklaus, or she dies.” He grabbed Elena from Mindy by her arm.

“Go ahead, kill her.” Klaus told him and Katie looked between him and Mikael then to Elena.

“No, Klaus, he’ll do it.” something about the way Elena was acting didn’t sit well with her, especially when Elena didn’t look at her for help.

“If she dies, this lot will be the last of your abominations.” Mikael told him with a jerk of his head to the hybrids that still stood in the front yard.

“I don’t need them. I just need to be rid of you.” Klaus told him with his fists clenched at his sides.

“To what end, Niklaus?” Mikael asked. “So you can live forever with no one at your side?” Katie glared at Mikael. She understood what kind of person Klaus could be, but if this hateful man is the one who raised Klaus…Then it’s no wonder Klaus turned out the way he is. Elijah had told her how abusive and hard Mikael was on his children, especially Niklaus. After everything she had been through, two rounds of shitty parents and a shitty grandfather, she had grown a special hatred of men like Mikael. “Nobody cares about you anymore, Boy!”

The way he called Klaus boy caused something in her to snap. “Not true.” she stepped up to the door to stand beside Klaus. “I do.”

Mikael finally acknowledged her. “He killed you and yet you stand with him.”

“You’re an abusive piece of shit and a pathetic excuse of a father.” Katie answered with a glare, hatred dancing in her eyes. “If standing against men like you puts me on his side then I am perfectly okay with that.”

Klaus put his hand on Katie’s lower back. “I’m calling your bluff father. Kill her.”

Katie noticed that Klaus’ words should have affected Elena more than they did, she had been listening to Elena’s heart and it had remained fast, but steady. “Come outside and face me, you little coward, and I won’t have to.”

“My whole life you’ve underestimated me.” Klaus said and as Katie moved her eyes from Mikael and Elena to Klaus she saw just how much Mikael was affecting him. He looked to be on the verge of tears. “If you kill her, you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on, kill her.” Mikael just looked at Klaus with a slight shake of his head. “Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!” Klaus yelled and Katie looked up at him to see a tear slip down his cheek.

Mikael started chuckling. “Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing keeping you from truly being great.” Klaus and Mikael looked at eachother with fixed stares for a second before Mikael stabbed Elena in the back making her let out odd sounding groans of pain before she fell to the ground.

Mikael laughed at Klaus’ look of shock, but Katie trained her ears on Elena to hear her heart still beating strong. “Klaus.” Katie said to get his attention, but at the same time Damon whooshed in from behind them and stabbed Klaus in the gut with an extravagantly carved, old stake. Klaus yelled out in pain. “Klaus!” she yelled as Damon body slammed him on the floor.

She heard Mikael say, “Katherine.” Before Katherine tossed vervain grenades out at the hybrids.

Damon pulled the stake out of Klaus. Katie was making a move to tackle Damon off of Klaus when Stefan came from behind her and beat her to it. Seeing the stake lying on the floor next to Klaus she whooshed over, grabbed it, put it in Klaus’ hand and closed his fingers around it then jerked her head to his distracted dad. Klaus gave her a nod then whooshed at his father as he turned around. He tackled him, stabbing him in the heart as he did. Mikael cried out as Klaus stood up and the stake burst into flames catching Mikael on fire too.

“What the hell did you two do?” Damon asked while Stefan held him down.

“He’s earned his freedom.” Klaus answered then looked at Katie. “She earned my brother.” Stefan stood up and moved to stand across from Klaus. They looked each other in the eyes. “Thank you, my friend. You no longer have to do as I say. You’re free.”

Stefan blinked then looked down to see that Damon was gone then whooshed away. Klaus walked out into the yard and told his hybrids to clear everyone out, the party was over. Still processing everything that just happened, Katie walked into the parlor/living room and sat down on the pretty white couch, leaning forward with her chin resting on her hands that were folded into a fist. Soon, Klaus came in and sat down on the couch across from her. “Thank you.”

“For what? I didn’t do anything you asked me to. I figured out too late that Elena was really Katherine and I should have known that if Damon wasn’t here with her and that he would probably be off doing something sneaky like he did. I completely flopped as a wing woman.” She told him, looking down at the fancy area rug.

“Mikael is dead because you put that stake in my hand.” He argued.

She shook her head no. “You still would have picked up that stake and killed him. I just saved you a few seconds.” She shrugged.

“Then I am thanking you for standing with me when you didn’t have to.” He told her and she looked up at him. “Why did you?”

“Because you and I have something in common.” She answered with a solemn face.

“Pathetic, piece of shit fathers.” He told her with a bit of a smirk.

“Yep.” She answered with a nod. “I hate seeing people’s parents bully them, possibly even more than I hate you.”

“You claimed to care about me.” He said with a point at her.

“I do in a really screwed up, roundabout way. Rebekah too. You’re my soul-mate’s family and despite the…many problems you all have with each other, I know how much family means to you all.” she told him with a shrug. “And after tonight…I have no one.”

Klaus stood up and held his hand out for hers. She took it and stood up. When he stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her arm she thought he was going to try to kiss her. Relief spread through her when he placed a soft kiss to her cheek. “Go home. Get some beauty sleep. You’ll want to look pretty when I take you to wake up Elijah in the morning.”

The thought of getting to see Elijah again brought a bright smile to her face. “See you tomorrow.”

TVDTVDTVD

The next morning Klaus picked her up and brought her to the lot where the van that held the coffins containing his family was. “Rebekah where are you?” Klaus said to Rebekah’s voice mail as they walked through the parking lot. “Pick up the phone, darling. Daddy’s dead. It’s time for a family reunion.” Klaus hung up then answered an incoming call. “Stefan. Miss me already?”

“I’m just calling to thank you for my freedom.” Stefan said as they walked by truck after truck.

“I like to believe I’m a man of my word. More or less.” Klaus replied cockily.

“The thing is, it came at too high of a price.” Stefan told him and both Katie and Klaus frowned. “You took everything from me, Klaus.”

“Let bygones be bygones. Trust me, resentment gets old.” Klaus told him as he stopped at the back of a truck and grabbed the latch of the back.

“You know what never gets old?” Stefan asked as Klaus unlatched the back and pushed it up. “Revenge.” The back of the truck was empty making Katie’s heart sink to the pit of her stomach.

“No.” Klaus practically growled into the phone as Katie placed her hand on her stomach.

“What’s the matter, Klaus? Missing something?” Stefan asked smugly.

“What are you doing?” Klaus asked, walking away from the truck that Katie was leaning on. “Other than breaking Katie’s heart?”

“I’m just enjoying my freedom. Her broken heart is a small price to pay.” Stefan answered as Katie’s disappointment turned to anger and she felt the blood rush to her eyes and fangs in her mouth.

“I will kill you and everyone you’ve ever met.” Klaus threatened.

“You do that and you’ll never see your family again.” Stefan said as Klaus turned and looked at Katie. “I wonder, Klaus. As someone who’s been one step ahead for 1,000 years. Were you prepared for this?”

Klaus glared at no one in particular as he took the phone from his ear and hung up. After a few seconds he turned to Katie and saw her face. “If you don’t kill him, I will.” She told him as she closed her eyes pushed back the blood and fangs.

“I know, love.” He told her as he slid his hand over her face. Too made to be touched she knocked his hand away. “We will get them back.”

“We aren’t doing a damn thing.” she told him with a fire in her eyes like he had never seen. If he had to guess, Stefan was going to pay dearly for what he had done. She whooshed away.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie saw Elena and Damon in the parlor so she whooshed in, grabbed Damon by the neck and pinned him to the wall next to the fireplace. “Where is Stefan?” she asked, more furious than either of them had ever seen her.

“I don’t know.” Damon rasped.

“What is wrong with you, put him down!” Elena yelled at her, worry was clear in her voice.

It didn’t even faze Katie. “Were you in on it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Damon rasped, his hands on her wrist.

“Katie let him go!” Elena yelled at her again.

Katie turned to her showing Elena the blood that had flooded to her eyes. “If you know what is good for you, you will shut your fucking mouth.” She looked back at Damon. “Stefan took him. He took Elijah.” An angry tear slipped down her cheek.

“We had nothing to do with it. I promise. I wouldn’t do that to you.” Damon told her and the honesty in his eyes made her drop him.

As soon as she did he tackled her face down on the ornate rug with her hands held behind her back. Over the few seconds it took Elena to get a syringe of vervain all anger faded and tears silently slipped down her cheeks. Damon stabbed her in the neck with the syringe and she slowly slipped off to sleep.

When she came to she was lying across Damon’s bed, him leaning back against the headboard with his legs draped over hers. “You wanna have a rational conversation or are you going to attack me again?”

“I’m sorry.” She said as she pulled herself up to sit cross legged in the middle of the bed.

“I know you are.” Damon answered. “I of all people know how much Elijah means to you.” Katie pulled her knees up and hugged them. “So what kind of deal did you make with Klaus?”

She rested her chin on her arms. “If I helped him kill Mikael he’d give me Elijah. He was going to…he brought me to the truck that their coffins were stored in. That’s when we learned that Stefan took them to get back at him for everything Klaus had taken from him. According to Stefan my broken heart was a small price to pay for the satisfaction of revenge.” She wiped at her wet face with her hands.

“His humanity is off. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.” Damon told her with a face that told her she was supposed to already know that. “What did you think would happen when you got him back?” Damon asked.

“I didn’t think that far ahead.” She answered as she slid off the bed. She started for his bedroom door but he zipped over blocking the door. “What are you going to do, keep me prisoner in your room from now on?”

“Nope. I just want you to promise me that you won’t make any more deals with Klaus.” He told her with a determined look.

“I’m done making promises to you that I can keep. So either vervain me again and put me out of my misery or let me go.” Damon stepped out of the way and watched her walk out of the door.

TVDTVDTVD

The next day Katie was sitting at the grill having lunch at a far corner table listening to Damon and Elena play darts and talk about how Jeremy was backsliding when Klaus came in. “I’m surprised you stuck around town long enough for happy hour.” Damon told Klaus while Elena stood safely behind him.

“My sister seems to be missing. I need to sort that out.” Klaus told him.

“Cute, blonde bombshell, psycho?” Damon asked. “Shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

Klaus took a few steps closer to Damon. “Truth is, I’ve grown to rather like your little town. I’m thinking I might fancy a home here.” Klaus took a dart out of Damon’s hand. “I imagine you’re wondering how this affects you. The answer is not in the slightest.” He turned to the dart board, putting his back to Damon and Elena. “As long as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves, you can go on living your little lives however you choose.” He turned and looked over his shoulder at Elena and Damon. “You have my word.”

“What more could you possibly want?” Elena asked.

“Well, for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan.” Klaus told her as he walked over to her and leaned down at her.

“Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass.” Damon answered.

“Well, you see, that is a shame.” Klaus said as he turned to the dartboard. He threw a dart landing it deep in the bull’s eye. “You’re brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what’s mine.”

“That sounds like a Klaus, Stefan and Katie problem.” Elena replied.

Klaus walked over to Elena but Damon stepped in the way. Katie scoffed and shook her head making Klaus’ eyes find her where she sat in the corner of the room, unseen by Damon or Elena. He turned his eyes back to Elena. “Well, this is me broadening the scope, Sweetheart.” He told her, making her frown. Klaus headed over to the bar and grabbed a beer then walked over to Katie, making Damon and Elena realize for the first time that she was even there. “Hello, love.” He slid into the corner booth to sit across from her and she ignored him, keeping her eyes on the book sitting in front of her. “Have you heard from my sister?” he asked.

Instead of answering him with words, knowing that Damon and Elena were listening, she closed her book and pulled out her journal and a pen. He watched her write, “If Damon and Elena have her she’ll most likely be in a cell in their basement.” in the book and turned it to him as she stood from the booth and took a final drink of her lemon water. When he was done reading it he looked up at her with a smirk. She grabbed her journal, book and pen and shoved them into her messenger bag.

She started to walk off but he grabbed her wrist stopping her. “Don’t ignore me, love. Answer the question.”

She understood what he was doing, keeping Damon and Elena from knowing that she had given him a secret message. “The last time I saw her was at school yesterday.” She told him and he let go of her wrist and let her walk away.

She was cleaning the kitchen out of the need to do something to keep her mind off things when she got a message from Klaus asking her to meet him at an old house. Against her best judgment and because she was going insane with boredom she met him. “I see you’re renovating.” Katie said as she walked into the old house seeing Klaus standing in the middle of the entryway waiting for her. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were thinking about getting a home here.”

“Come.” He told her with a jerk of his head. “I want to show you something.” She followed him to a run down and falling apart bedroom that had been cleared of old furniture and he motioned for her to go inside. “I’d be careful on that floor, it's a bit weak in spots.”

“Why are you showing me a bedroom?” she asked as she walked over to the fireplace in the room and kicked at some ashes that had been left behind.

“Because when it’s ready and I have gotten my family back this room will be yours. You can share it with Elijah or make him get a room of his own. The choice is yours.” he told her from where he stood in the doorway with his hands behind his back.

“You want me to come live with you and your family?” she asked with raised brows and he gave her a smirk. “How do you know the rest of your family would even want me living here with all of you?”

“You’ve grown on me. Elijah fancies you and I have the sneaking suspicion that you have even gotten on Rebekah’s good side. I’m sure Kol and Finn will be no problem.” he told her as he walked into the room, being careful with his steps.

Katie carefully walked over to the window in the room and looked at the broken glass panes. “I don’t understand you.”

“What do you mean?” he asked as he walked to stand behind her.

She turned and looked at him. “You’ve had no problem killing Elijah’s lovers in the past, including me. You have the worst reputation out of all of your siblings. You’re ruthless, hateful and from what I can tell angry at the world. So why are you being so nice to me? And don’t give me that bullshit about keeping me safe and happy for Elijah’s sake.”

He smirked at her and looked down at the rotten floor. “You are everything Elijah said you were and more.” He looked up at her with a smirk. “You’re beautiful, strong and full of fire, I admire you.”

“You admire me?” Katie asked with a disbelieving look. “There is nothing admirable about me.”

“I beg to differ.” He told her with a tilt of his head, looking down his nose at her. “You stood up to a 1000 year old vampire because you couldn’t stand knowing that he abused people you care about.”

“Yet I could never stand up to my own abusers.” She said as her eyes dropped to the floor. “I’m not strong and I’m not admirable. I’m a coward.” She told him and walked around him, not watching where she stepped and her foot went through the floor. Rotten wood scraped up her leg and a yelp left her mouth as her left leg went completely through the floor and into the basement below. Klaus walked around her and grabbed her forearms. She grabbed his and he lifted her up, being careful not to scrape her leg even more on its way back through the floor.

She looked down at her leg as the deep scrapes healed leaving behind spots of blood. “Are you alright, Love?” He asked her, making her realize that they were still holding onto each other.

She let go of him and backed away. “Yeah, is there working water in this dump?”

“Yes and it won’t be a dump for long.” He told her as he jerked his head for her to follow him. He led her to the kitchen and motioned to the sink. “The construction crews will return tomorrow. Do you have any requests for your room?” he asked as he leaned his hip against the old island in the kitchen.

Katie tested the structural integrity of the counter near the sink to find it sound. “Antique white furnishings and a canopy bed and a white plush rug.” Katie answered just throwing a theme out at him as she hopped up on the counter and stretched her leg out over the sink, “Seriously though, I like living alone. Living in a house full of vampires that can hear everything each other say even behind closed doors doesn’t sound fun. I like my privacy.”

Klaus watched as she turned the water on and started washing the blood off of her long smooth leg that was scantily covered by her short denim shorts. “Are you afraid we will hear you making love to Elijah?” he asked and she cut her eyes over at him then looked back down at her leg in the sink as she washed the last of the blood off. “Because I can assure you it’s nothing we haven’t heard before.”

Katie turned and dangled her legs off the side of the counter. “So is showing me my room the only reason you invited me over here?” she asked looking over at him, taking in the thin green shirt that he wore a black leather jacket over, a beaded necklace hung around his neck, tucked into the shirt.

“No.” he answered and jerked his head for her to follow him so she hopped down off the bar and followed him to a room that was currently under construction. Rebekah was lying on a table in the middle of the room. “Elena turned Rebekah over to me, you were right. She was in the Salvatore’s basement with a dagger in her back that Elena put there.”

Katie rolled her eyes then noticed that the dagger was now in Rebekah’s chest. “So why is she still daggered?” She asked with a look up at him to watch his face drop. “Elena told you Rebekah knows didn’t she?”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” He told her as he did that thing where he looked down his nose at her.

“That you killed your mother, not Mikael. You’re keeping the dagger in because you know when she comes to she’s not only going to be pissed at Elena, but you too.” She told him and his eyelids fluttered as he nodded. “Just so you know…I’m not judging you. I killed my own grandfather and I try not to be a hypocrite.”

“And you wonder why I fancy you.” he told her with a smirk as he walked away expecting her to follow him. Instead she just kept standing there looking at Rebekah. As she thought about how bad it sucked that Rebekah had been daggered and she didn’t even know about it, her mind turned to her other friends. As she remembered what tomorrow was, a tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away. Klaus turned back and saw her wipe her face. “Are you alright, Sweetheart?” he walked back over to stand beside her.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She tried to walk around him, but he touched her upper arm and she stopped and looked at him. He gave her a look that asked her to talk to him. “Tomorrow’s Caroline’s birthday. I’ve never missed one of her parties. Now I’m not even invited. And it’s nobody’s fault but my own.” She walked past him and into the entryway. “Is there anything else you want to show me or can I go home?” she asked, turning back to see that he had followed her.

“You can if you wish.” He told her as he took a few steps closer to her. “Or you could stay for a night cap.”

Katie narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” she asked. Instead of answering her with words he lifted his hand and slid the backs of his fingers down her cheek, testing her. Just like he anticipated her heart started racing and a smile teased the corners of his nicely shaped lips. “Klaus.” Katie sighed as she pulled her head away from his hand. “I’m in love with Elijah.”

He dropped his hand to rest on her shoulder. “I’m not asking you to fall in love with me, Sweetheart.” She glanced down at his hand on her shoulder that her black and red tank top left bare then back up at him. “How long has it been since you broke up with Damon? Three, four months and you're still a new vampire so it's no wonder you’re practically biting everyone’s heads off.”

Katie busted out laughing. “So you’re saying I need to get laid and you’ll bite the bullet for everyone’s sanity?” she asked, still laughing a bit. “How long has it been since you talked a woman into your bed without the luxury of compulsion?”

“Too long apparently.” He answered as he took a step back and dropped his hand from her shoulder looking disappointed.

“I’m sorry I don’t mean to laugh, but you have to know that this…” she motioned between them, “would be a really bad idea.”

“Sometimes it can be fun to be bad.” He told her as he took a step to her and placed his hand on her side.