The Mikaelson mansion was in shambles. Good riddance, however, I did feel sorry for Elijah and Rebekah, but Klaus on the other hand, I hoped his corpse was burnt to a crisp under all his dead dreams of having his family together.

Because of him, Mystic Falls was on the verge of becoming a ghost town, nothing went untouched. Sirens rang in my ears. I heard voices yelling in the distance, I stirred. My back ached, I felt heavy weight crushing me to the ground.

"Katherine!" my own voice shouted, "Stefan! She's over here!"

Who would have thought that my dearest doppelganger would have come around to give a damn about me?

"Shit, here help me!" Elena yelled.

Soon I felt the weight lift off me, I could breathe.

I lifted my head up to see Stefan looking down at me, "Katherine." He called softly pulling me into his arms.

I wrapped my arms around him tightly, "I was so worried."

"I'm okay—" then a thought hit me, my heart dropped to my stomach, "Where is Anelie?"

"We're still looking for her, we haven't been able to find her."

I pulled myself together and got to my feet, "We need to find her, Stefan."

"Hold on Katherine calm down, we just found you under a brick wall. You need to rest a minute." He insisted. I shook my head, "I'm fine, I've rested long enough. I need to find my daughter."

"Katherine, Stefan!" A voice called to us, I looked over my shoulder, "Elijah's found Anelie—come quickly, she's unconscious!"

"Oh no," I whispered and quickly followed Rebekah.

There she was, bruised up and covered in ash. Elijah held her in his arms while pressing his wrist to her mouth. Something wasn't right.

"Elijah, what's wrong—why isn't she waking up?"

"I don't know." He answered quickly.

I dropped to my knees and took Anelie into my arms, "Baby, please, please wake up…let me see your eyes." I pleaded softly.

Anelie

Ambulances and fire trucks sped by, police sirens screamed through my ears. We were all dead, my home was dead.

I got up from the ground and began to wonder around; I was not completely sure what I should be looking for. People rushed by me, paramedics helping an older man. The smell of blood was overwhelming. The old man I recognized from the high school…I think he may have been my substitute teacher once. Mr. Rumple. He sat against what was the Mystic Grill, his glasses were broken in two beside him and the glass was shattered.

"Katherine!"

I looked over my shoulder at who I made out to be Elena, I rushed to her side. "Elena!" But she didn't respond to me, did she not see me?

"Stefan! She's over here!" I heard cries of my mother's name and then Daddy rushed past me to a fallen debris where Elena was standing. Together with all their strength, they pulled away bricks, and heavy beams pushing them away from my Mama's unmoving body. Her hair moving in the wind. Mama was underneath, her eyes opened and Daddy carefully pulled her up.

"Where is Anelie?" She demanded

"I'm right here, Mommy!" I cried and rushed to her. I smiled with relief when they began towards me.

"Katherine Stefan—Elijah found Anelie. Come quickly she's unconscious!" My Auntie stated

"No! I'm right here!" I yelled but they all ran away following Rebekah. Mommy ran right through me.

I followed them and gasped when I saw Uncle Elijah and my dead body in his arms. He bit into his wrist and then pressed it to my lips.

Suddenly the taste of blood filled my mouth.

Mommy knelt in front of uncle and took me in her arms, "Baby please, please…let me see your eyes."

I went to her side, I observed my body. It was strange seeing myself, what I looked like to other people…how my family sees me. I knelt at my head and leaned down pressing my lips to my own.

In that moment, I watched her looking down at me, the relief in her smile and how tightly she embraced me. I knew that she had gone through a time when the thought crossed her mind that she may never see my eyes open again.

"Anelie," she said, smiling and relieving tears crowed her eyes

"Hey, Mama." I returned my voice slow and raspy.

"We were all so worried, Anelisia—you weren't breathing," Elijah said

"Yeah, thanks for the blood," I smirked playfully. "I've lived for over five centuries and you thought I would get put down that easily? I expected more from you Uncle Elijah—And you too, Mommy."

They all laughed.

"Where is he?" I demanded, my voiced cracked I whined at the pain I felt in my throat.

"We couldn't find him," Elena reported.

I looked over at my dad, and he took my hand between his own, tears racing down his cheeks leaving behind streaks of salty water on his skin.

"We need to keep looking!" I insisted I started to get up, "come on we must find him, he is waiting for us to find him, let's go!" I cried.

Daddy grasped my arm while Mom wrapped hers around my body not allowing me to get up.

I reached for daddy and he held me close.

"We aren't for certain, but we have searched everywhere. He isn't here." Elena insisted

I began to cry uncontrollably,

I did not want to believe this, not for a moment did I want to let myself believe that he could be gone. I had hope that he was alive, but if no one could find him…what could hope really do for me?

I wished that it were a dream, a horrible nightmare that I would soon awake from and be held in my Uncle's arms. Relief would escape my breath and then I would tell him about my nightmare; I would then listen to him contently as he says, "Baby, I'll never leave you."

I lifted my head up gazing at the desolate world around us; smoke lifted to the skies.

My home had been demolished, this place had become my safe haven that I vowed to protect, however, I failed my home. My family, and myself. The devil himself took pleasure in crumbling it between his fingers.

Now, seeing the reality that cannot be undone, I vow to make who did this pay for hurting us; for killing innocent people and taking away the happiness that this town thrived on.

"Where do we go from here?" Caroline asked

"We go home," Dad answered

"That is only if we have a home to return to," Rebekah responded

Everyone followed him; Stefan cradled me in his arms as we walked through the empty streets.

We approached the boarding house and it was just as we left it.

At the very least we had our home.

"Can you please take me up to my room?" I asked

"Of course" He nodded and we left down the hall just off the entry.

When he opened the door to my room, I squinted at the bright light flooding in from the window. The sky was gray and the sight no longer emanated happiness.

I crawled onto my bed kicking off my shoes; Daddy walked over and shut the curtains.

I turned over when I heard heels descending the hallway, as they got closer my mother appeared within the threshold.

"I will come and check on you later, I'm going to see how everyone is doing downstairs." He informed softly as he leaned over my bed planting a kiss on my forehead, "I love you, Daddy."

He smiled softly, "I love you too, Anie."

He slid past my mother out the doorway disappearing around the corner after sharing a kiss with her.

I looked up at my mom while she softly closed the door behind her. I felt lost, hearing about Damon and that triggered thoughts of my best friend Cassandra. She was a girl that became my other half after my Parents had decided to settle down in Mystic Falls for the second time.

She knew everything about me. We understood each other, she was my soulmate; the only person who understood me in ways no one else had before. After a year of knowing each other, we were inseparable, it was as if she and I had known each other all our lives.

Momma was now lying beside me, snuggling under the warm covers with her arms around me protectively. I cried into her chest and she rubbed my back hushing softly into my ears, assuring me of her presents.

"We'll get through this, Anelie. Together…I'm right here with you." She said

Katherine

Anelie's compassion was overwhelming. I know this event destroyed her emotionally and losing the people that she loved most was like driving a stake through her heart.

When Anelie was born I made a promise to not just my newborn but to myself that I would do everything that I could to protect her from harm, to shield her from the evil that this world offered generously but as she grew older I knew that promise was not to be kept. And when she made her transformation it was like asking for all fighting to stop. This world was not made that way and being a Vampire or a supernatural in a human world, fighting and evil were our only way of survival.

Bulgaria, 1497

"You cannot catch me, mommy!" Anelie teased to her mother running around the courtyard

Katerina laughed at her daughter, lifting up the front of her dress slightly, she ran to catch her at human speed

Anelie looked over her shoulder watching her mother who ran just a couple feet behind her. She screamed with excitement and thrill.

Anelie with all her might as fast as her four-year-old human legs could carry her tried to outrun her vampire mother.

Failing Katerina wrapped her arms around Anelie's small torso lifting her up, hugging her close and spinning her child around.

Anelie squealed loving every moment in Katerina's arms.

Katerina stopped and set Anelie down on the green grass, sitting beside her on the ground their dress skirts spread out around them.

Anelie, still human and out of breath laid her head on her mother's lap feeling the warm rays of the ball of fire hit her.

"Are you tired my darling?"

Anelie shook her head rejecting the tiredness that took her over, the sensation that made her eyelids droop.

Katerina could not help but giggle, "Oh yes you are I can see it in your eyes."

Anelie stood up shaking her head, "No I am not mommy, I promise." Her child assured her, but Katerina smiled and shook her head at the determination to convince her.

Katerina herself stood up from the ground, "Alright, well why don't we go take a walk through the gardens, maybe your grandfather can meet us?" she suggested.

Anelie brightened up and nodded with a smile that went ear to ear.

Katerina offered her hand and Anelie reached up quick to grasp to her mother's side. Both their dresses grazed the grass creating an almost slithering sound as they walked.

I tightened my embrace around my now sleeping daughter at the memory. That little child of innocence now five-hundred years later, she has gone through more than any one person should go through, we all have; she and I both have. Since the death of her biological father that was murdered in front of her, she's fragile even though she loves to put up a strong exterior.

I combed my fingers through her curly, dark hair; it would be hours before she would wake up and it would be then when she woke up, that something good would come about her—I could feel it. And it would be something that gives not only Anelie but all of us a sign that there, behind all of this darkness a bright future awaits.

Tatia

All of us sat in silence in the grand room just off the entry. Caroline threw a few logs in the fireplace and let them burn turning into chard blocks of delicacy.

We turned our eyes to Stefan when he entered the room going straight for his mini bar of bourbon.

"Is she okay?" Rebekah wondered softly looking up at Stefan with a worried expression.

Stefan set down the glass on the table in front of him; he shook his head, lightly peering down at Rebekah with a look of seriousness and worry but his voice was soft and sincere, "She's a mess, Bekah . . . I left Katherine to calm her down, but Anie started crying again when I did." Stefan admitted

I watched as Stefan took a huge drink from his glass after shaking his head in thought before he finally said, "I can't believe that my brother is dead . . ." He whispered absentmindedly

"This is not how things were supposed to be, Damon was never supposed to die and none of us were supposed to lose our lives and the people that we loved; Bonnie is dead along with Jeremy and the rest of the only family we had left."

I sighed shaking my head, this was bad and everyone around was in mourn. Caroline lost her mother; Stefan lost his brother, Bonnie, again, lost her life in the battle and there was nothing we could do.

I now had my arms wrapped comfortingly around Rebekah

"She's going to be okay . . . Bekah . . . I promise. She just needs time to heel. Anelie has lost so much—you all have." I spoke slowly trying my best to comfort and assure her.

Rebekah nodded sending me a sad but appreciative smile,

"Thank you, Tatia."

She let out small tear drops, quickly escaping her already glassy ocean eyes. Rebekah cared deeply for Anelie, she has after all, known that sweet girl since the day she was born. Trevor a foot soldier was Anelie's biological father, Klaus unfortunately killed him when Anelie was eight years old. Although Katerina never truly loved Trevor, she loved him enough to marry him after she had become pregnant with his child. Rebekah loved both Katherine and Anelie like family even more now and she hated seeing them in any such pain.