Hi there everyone! So, this is a one-shot on The Vampire Diaries' Katherine Pierce and Damon Salvatore! I really hope you like it, I absolutely LOVE Datherine; they're just so cute together! Any who, this is kind of like an AU; it takes place before they ever knew there was a cure and Katherine is staying in the Salvatore home along with Elena, who is going out with Stefan and she is still a human. Note that no one still fully trusts Katherine, but she needed a place to go and after a long argument with Stefan and Elena saying no to letting her stay, Damon finally made the final choice and said yes.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could please leave a comment/review; that'd be so awesome and I would really like to see what you all think of it! Thank you! :)

Thank you for reading! ^_^

I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN THE VAMPIRE DIARIES.

"It Will Always Be You"

. . .

Her long, loose chocolate curls blows behind her from the wind, allowing the sun to shine brightly down on her face. She smiles at the warm feeling of the heat the sun is giving off; the feeling could make you feel so alive so… so human.

Katherine's hand reaches out so her fingers are gently touching the red petals that belong to the red roses on the bush. She finds herself wandering meadow she found miles away from the Salvatore Brother's home and hundreds of different kinds of flowers surround her.

She just had to get away; get away from all of it and all of them. Stefan and Elena were being all cute together; embracing their romantic life while Damon was off doing whatever Damon does; he was probably at the grill having a drink.

After wandering around Mystic Falls for what seemed like hours, she finally came across a small meadow in the middle of nowhere. The different colors and kinds of flowers had drawn her in, and to be quite honest, she did not mind. She enjoyed the peace and quiet for once instead of all the yelling and accusing Elena always did to her every time Elena was in the same room as her.

Katherine rolls her eyes when she thinks of Elena; she still could not stand the sight of her. How ironic.

Katherine sits down on the ground, almost disappearing from sight due to the tall grass. She lies there on her back while she stares up at the afternoon sky, her mind wandering off; she is lost in thought.

An image of her when she was a small child, maybe seven years old, skipping around in her front yard while her laugh echoed through the night. She was wearing a nightdress with her father and mother shaking their heads, standing by the front door. They were watching her run around and smile, enjoying herself. Her father tried telling her it was time to come inside to go to bed, but she shook her head, giggling, and calling back that she wasn't tired. She continued that way until her father came to get her; her picked her up and brought her back inside, telling her a story of his own childhood of how he use to do the same thing she was doing.

Katherine rolls her eyes now and sighs; she was a human back then. She had a family back then. Now… now what did she have? She has a doppelgänger that she cannot stand and two the two brothers who want absolutely nothing to do with her.

She closes her eyes and sighs while her body just relaxes as the sun hits her skin, making her feel warm. She takes in deep breaths while images of when she was actually a human come to her mind. She could almost feel the corners of her lips curving up into a smile for some of the memories that begin to replay in her head.

Suddenly, the light is being blocked from hitting her and it makes her pout, sighing in annoyance. Before her eyes fully open, she snaps, "Hey, move it or-" She then stops speaking when she looks up and her eyes lock with Damon's.

He smirks down at her and shrugs one of his shoulders, looking away from her, "Eh, I think I'll just stay where I am."

Katherine rolls her eyes at him and then she recloses her eyes, shaking her head slightly, "Damon, what could you possibly want from me? Can't you leave so I could be peacefully alone again, or you just can't help yourself and be apart from me?"

He laughs at her comment and shakes his head, "Oh trust me, I have no problem staying away from you." Her jaw clenches at that and he continues, "I mean, why would I want to spend my precious time with a selfish, crazy, vampire, like yourself?"

Her eyes snap open and before he could finish blinking, she was standing up, glaring at him with her face only inches from his, "Then why the hell are you even here, Damon?"

"Because!" He yells right back at her, "Elena and Stefan said when you left a few hours ago you looked all, I don't know, upset or whatever, so, I decided to look for you."

"Oh, is that so?" She sarcastically asks, folding her arms across her chest, "Well, last time I checked, I don't need a babysitter! Besides, since when have you ever cared?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Katherine?" Damon asks, his eyebrow going up at her last comment. She glares up at him and then shakes her head, backing away from him, "I don't have time for this. I just wanted to clear my head, but that is obviously impossible with you around."

He just rolls his eyes at her, folding his own arms across his chest, "Oh grow up, will ya'? I came to see if you were all right. Elena wanted me to make sure you-" He didn't get to finish before she snapped at him, her eyes as cold as ice, "Of course! That makes so much more sense now. You'd do anything for her!"

"Katherine, what the hell has gotten into you? What are you talking about?" He asks, knowing something is bothering her. After knowing her for so long, she may be a spiteful bitch, but she has feelings and he knows when something is wrong.

"You and Stefan would do anything for her because she's a human! There is nothing that separates her and me except for the fact that I'm a vampire and she's a human. You both would die for her and for me? I'd be the first own thrown to the wolves. I wasn't always the crazy, selfish bitch who cares about no one, but herself. I use to be just as innocent as she is now; I use to be pure and a regular, sweet human. I… I have nothing and no one now. Elena gets to have a family, kids, a husband; a life! She gets to grow old one day and then die with the love of her life. She gets to have a normal, happy life while I'm stuck at the same age and frozen in time! I don't get to have a family or kids… I don't get to be married and live in a small home with my family. I get to be alone and I have to live like that for the rest of my life, Damon. You and Stefan love her because she isn't a monster like one of us… like I am."

She turns her back to him and pulls her jacket tighter around herself, "I miss being human. I miss my family and my life I use to have. I miss my friends I use to have and the life I was starting to build. I miss waking up every morning, feeling so alive and going to sleep every night, anxious to see what tomorrow would bring. I think about it all the time; I think about being human and being… free. I think about being the innocent girl I use to be before I turned into this… this cold monster."

"Katherine-" Damon begins, but her cold whisper cuts him off, "What? Are you going to try to deny it? Don't bother. I know exactly what I am. Just admit it, Damon. I know it and so do you. I have done so many horrible things to you and Stefan and I played so many mind games with you… I hurt you so many times and in so many ways. You think of me as a monster, so, just admit it."

"Katherine," He tries again while he shakes his head at her. He takes a deep breath and gently places his hand hesitantly on her shoulder, "I don't think of you as this cold 'monster'. Yeah, you could be one pain in the ass or a crazy bitch, but I know there is more to you than that. Hell, I've known you for so, so long and you have no idea how much time I spent chasing you. I knew exactly the type of person I was chasing, but I didn't care. I loved you, Katherine. I spent every single day searching for you, longing to be with you. I wanted to hold you, kiss you. I wanted to be with you. I tried for so long to bring you back to me. Do you honestly think I would do that if I thought you were some kind of monster?"

She is now staring up at him, not knowing how to respond. She runs her hand through her silky hair and sighs, biting her lower lip, "You would still be a human if it wasn't for me." She could feel the tears in her eyes, "You would have never been forced deal with all the pain and suffering you received and caused. You never would have been turned into a vampire if it wasn't for me! I… I'm sorry." She was surprised herself she was apologizing; that is something she never does.

He stares down at her and then he finds himself grabbing her hand and pulling her to the ground with him. She cautiously sits down on the ground beside him, looking at him with her eyebrows knit together.

"Let me ask you this," He begins, looking ahead, staring at nothing in particular, "what do you miss most about being a human?" She goes to reply, but he quickly adds, "It could only be one thing. I know you mentioned it before, but just enlighten me on this."

She sighs and shrugs one of her shoulders, staring up at the sky, "Um, having children. I have always wanted children, but I could never have them. Besides, it would also be hard to watch them grow older than you and then… die. I don't know, but I miss that the most." She turns to look at him, a small smile on her face, "You?"

He purses his lips as if lost in thought while he taps his fingers on the ground, cocking his head to the side. "I would have to say having a real family." He watches her eyebrows go up and he rolls his eyes, giving her a sarcastic laugh, "Ha, ha, very funny."

She shakes her head, "No, it's just that… well, I never pictured you as the 'family man'."

He shrugs his shoulders and sighs, "Yeah, well, I never thought it was possible either. I always wanted a home, a wife to go home to and maybe have a few kids. I always thought my kids and Stefan's kids would hang out and end up being close." He runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath, "Honestly… I always pictured that wife I would come home to was, well, you."

Her eyes widen at that confession and she shakes her head, looking down at her lap, "You don't mean that." She didn't know what else to say. Did he really mean that? Well, if he did, he surely didn't mean it now.

"Yeah," He corrects her, "I always thought you'd end up being my wife after you chose my over my brother and that we would live happily together. Everything changed though. I mean, look at us now." He watches her smile drop into a frown, but he watches her try to hide it. He sighs and slowly places his hand on top of hers, "That doesn't mean I still don't think of that fantasy. That doesn't mean I still don't think it's possible."

She looks up at him and raises her eyebrow at him, a questioning look on her face, "Damon, it isn't possible-"

He stops her, raising his hand up to her, which makes her stop talking and wait for him to explain. "What I mean is that…" He sighs, not knowing how to put together his words. The girl sitting next to him has created more chaos for him than anyone else. She has ruined his life and made it a walking hell, literally. She has done so much to him, but even after all these years; after all the pain and the hurting, he finds himself still deeply in love with her. No matter how hard he has tried getting over her and no matter how many times he tried moving on, he always finds himself drawn to her. He can't let go of her.

Just like Elena told him many times before, it will always be Stefan; to Damon, it will always be Katherine.

He closes his eyes and she waits patiently for him to continue. After sitting there in silence for what seemed like forever, Katherine goes to say something, but Damon finally finds his voice again, "I know we will never have a 'normal' life, but we could still have something… right?"

Katherine raises her eyebrow at him, shocked at his reply. It feels like all the wind has been knocked out of her and she is finding it hard to breathe. Did he just say what he really just said? Does he even mean it? Katherine Pierce just stares at him, trying to understand this situation. Just two weeks ago he tried sticking killing her and today he is confessing that he always has and still does love her? She just shakes her head and chews on the bottom of her lip, "No. No, I don't get it." He looks at her with a confused and questioning look, but she just runs her hand through her curls, "I don't understand, Damon. One minute you're trying to kill me because you're trying to 'protect' your lovely Elena and now you're basically asking me if I would build this life with you." She narrows her eyes at him, "How stupid do you think I am? You know what's funny? I never stopped loving you. I always wanted you to continue chasing me; I knew you would. The thing is, when you finally stopped… when you moved on, I felt this pain in my chest, but instead of dealing with it, I easily turned off my emotions. Damon… Damon you Salvatore brothers are so confusing, but the thing is, I learned by now. To you and to Stefan, it will always be Elena. She's a human and that's what you want."

"Oh, bullshit!" Damon finally raises his voice, looking at her like she has three heads. He rolls his bright, mysterious eyes, "Are you kidding me? Yeah, Elena's a human, but that doesn't matter to me. I'm glad she will be able to have a real life, unlike the rest of us, but Katherine, she may look exactly like you, but the thing is, she isn't you. She never will be and because of that, I'll never love her. Not like I love you."

Katherine can't help, but let the corners of her lips twitch up into forming a smile. She could almost feel herself blushing. She purses her lips and instead of saying what he was hoping, she shrugs one shoulder, "I never imagined the Damon Salvatore being the type of guy to confess his feelings and be all… in love."

"Yeah, well I guess I surprised you more than once today, huh?" He says with a smirk. She nods her head, grinning, "You sure did, that's for sure. I never thought you'd be the family man like you claimed before and now you're confessing that you're in love…"

"Well I never would think Katherine Pierce was capable of love either, so looks like we both surprised one another." He says with a smirk and a small chuckle, but she just rolls her eyes.

"Damon," She begins, "I-" She suddenly stops herself and changes what she was going to say, "Do you remember the times we shared together in 1864?"

He tries figuring out what she was going to say, but he ignores it for now and nods his head, a smile still on his face, "How can I forget? I mean, don't get me wrong, I've had one hell of an adventure for the last few years and I've been… having some 'fun', but 1864 has to be the best times of my life. Of course, I remember. I'm assuming you remember as well?"

"Why, of course, Damon!" Katherine exclaims excitedly, giggling, "Oh, do you remember when you took me riding on that horse, the one with the beautiful white hair? Oh, she was beautiful. I believe her name was Scarlett. She was such a beautiful horse."

He nods his head, smiling at the memory, "She was indeed a beautiful horse. I could still picture the smile on your face when you first saw the horse. I remember the main reason why you loved the horse so much was because her hair reminded you of the snow. You have always loved the snow; you thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world."

"Hm… and do you remember what you told me after I told you that?" She asks, her eyebrow raising, hoping he remembers.

He smirks, "How can I forget?"

1864

"Damon! Damon, oh, where are you taking me?" Katherine Pierce yells at the man running a few feet ahead of her. He glances over his shoulder and grins at her, "Just wait and you'll see! We'll be there momentarily."

"Yes, well, you do realize we have been wandering for over two hours, right?" She calls back at him, a wide smile on her face. The two of them snuck out of their homes and decided to explore the night together.

"Do you not trust me?" He asks her, a wide grin on his lips. She just rolls her eyes, smiling at him, "Why, of course I do, Damon. I trust you with my life."

"Ah, that's good to know." He winks at her, but she just shakes her head at him. He finally stops running and she finally catches up to him. She raises her eyebrow, waiting to see what his next move was, but he finally pulled out a piece of cloth. She looks at it questioningly, "What is this for?"

"Put it on," He simply replies, "please?" She hesitates, but with his reassuring smile, she nods her head slowly and wraps the cloth around her eyes, blocking her line of vision.

He grabs her hand and guides her a little further until they reach an old barn. He grins at the sight and after walking right up to the barn, he tells her to take off her blindfold. She slowly does and then just stares straight ahead at the barn. "Um, Damon? What is this?"

"My father knows the owner. I know his schedule and I know he has returned back to his own home for the night. I want to show you something." He explains and then grabs her hand once again and brings her inside the barn.

There were so many animals in there, but one special horse stood out the most. Katherine gasps and she quickly runs straight to the horse, faintly hearing Damon's chuckle.

Damon watches as she lifts up her long, beautiful green dress and watches her long, chocolate brown curls bounce as she runs. She dashes over to the tall, stunning white horse and she slowly strokes her hand over the soft hair. "Oh my-! Damon, this horse…"

He nods his head, walking up behind her, "Her name is Scarlett. She is a gorgeous, amazing, and very good horse. She rides very nice as well."

"I love her white hair… it's reminds me so much of the snow." She happily sighs, "I love the snow…. It's so beautiful… I love it." She continues to stroke the horse's head, smiling, "I think the snow is the most beautiful thing in the world. What do you think?"

"Well, I do enjoy the snow, but to be quite honest, Kat, I think I know one thing that is more beautiful than snow." Damon says with a smile as she eyes him suspiciously, "Oh, what would that be?"

He places a piece of hair behind her ear and smiles down at her, his lips only inches away from hers, so when he speaks, they brush slightly against her own. He quietly, softly whispers, "You, Katherine. You are the most beautiful thing in the world."

He chuckles and runs his hand through his hair, "That was so long ago…"

"I remember you took me riding after that. It was such a wonderful, amazing night. The moon looked so beautiful and the weather was perfect. You made that night perfect, Damon. I remember we ended up stopping during the ride on the horse and we just lied down on the ground, staring up at the sky. I remember you and I… we both kissed more than we talked." She sighs, "That has to be one of the best nights of my life."

"It was mine as well, Kat." He says, smiling at the old nickname. He takes a deep breath, "We should probably head back."

"Wait!" She quickly calls after him when he goes to stand up, her hand curling around his wrist as she stares up at him with wide eyes. He gives her a confused look as he sits back down on the grass and faces her.

She sighs and shakes her head, "Damon, I love you too." Then, without warning, she presses her lips against his. She closes her eyes, kissing him with all the passion she has inside of her. At first, he's shocked, but he soon closes his own eyes and kisses her back, cupping her face with his hands.

They stay like that, for what seems like forever to them. She smiles into the kiss and when they break apart and rest their foreheads against each other's, Damon sighs, his lips curving up into a smile. He kisses her lips once more before quietly whispering, "Katherine, whether you're a human or a vampire, it doesn't change how I feel about you."

"You mean that?" She asks as she swallows the rock that suddenly formed in her throat, scared to hear his reply. However, he only smiles and kisses her lips softly. He takes a deep breath and nods his head, whispering the words she has been waiting to hear for years now. The words slip off his tongue like they were meant to be there from the beginning; the words sounding so soft, so natural. He simply says:

"It will always be you, always."