Chapter 1
Changing Tides

There is an odd sensation you get when someone gives you bad news, maybe it's something skin to shock I suppose, when you can't really talk and the world around you becomes loud and heightened. A car horn and a bump in the road are ten times more jolting than usual, all colors feel painful to look at, and nothing seems right or in place. And sometimes, when it's really bad news, you get this sickening feeling where your skin feels like it's vibrating with adrenaline to the point where you're sure someone touching you could feel the blood pump beneath your skin.

When Damon told me that Caroline was in the hospital after a car accident that was more or less how I felt, the dreading familiarity of the situation made my heart sink into my stomach. The car ride itself was a struggle; I'd been feeling fragile enough to the point where every pothole we went over made me almost vomit.

I was comforted when Damon put a hand on the back of my head and gently curled his fingers into my hair. His cool hand making the nausea ease up and if I closed my eyes I had the smallest feeling of safety. But only for a brief moment.

We got to the hospital soon enough, practically sprinting in to find anyone we knew. The first person we saw was the Sherriff.

"Liz, we came as soon as we got the message." Damon said, "Is she okay?"

"She's in surgery, it's… They're doing everything they can."

"How long will-"

"I don't know." She told me, "But they've been in there an hour now and…"

She suddenly looked a little startled, as if she were about to say something she shouldn't. Sherriff Forbes turned to him after clearing her throat.

"I need your help, Damon."

"Sure, anything Liz." He said pulling her aside to talk.

I walked over to the small window overlooking the surgery. It was hard to see much of anything besides the doctors maneuvering around in what would've appeared to any non-doctor as randomized. But I looked closer to see a small tuft of blonde hair that let me know it was Caroline on the operating table. I swallowed heavily as the sick feeling from the car returns.

"Hi Care, it's Katy here." I whisper awkwardly at the door, "I hope you're gonna be okay, I hope you are okay…"

It's not like I'd been expecting an answer, but the empty silence made me want to cry a little. I took in a breath and tried to think of something, anything to relieve my mind of the pain I felt stirring in my chest. I looked over to see Damon no talking to Bonnie and Elena. Trying to force out a snort, I turned to the window again.

"You know, I've been thinking about calling you 'Aunt Caroline.' Yeah, just seems appropriate, you know. I mean you're practically Elena's sister and-and her and Damon are one private, flat surface away from…"

I'd been looking at my feet mid-way through that sentence, but as I looked up and that tuft of hair was blocked from view in favor of a doctor wielding some sort of medical tool. I realized I couldn't make a joke now. Not with this. Not when Caroline is on a slab. I felt myself missing her and she was Gad damn in front of me! I hated this feeling looming over me. I couldn't even help the large lump forming in my throat or the tears dripping down from my eyes.

"God I hope you're okay! Please be okay!" I began to cry out loudly, not caring as I saw some people turn to look at me.

"Katy?"

Elena stood to my left, looking just as upset as I was and holding her arms out to me-which I gladly rushed into for a needed hug. She held me there for a while, stroking away stray hairs from my face as I managed to choke out,

"I thought it was getting better."

"I know… I know…"

We don't have much time to ourselves when Damon coughed to gain our attention. We looked up, me giving him a questioning look through my tear-streaked face. He has an urgent expression, but I can tell he's not happy about breaking up mine and Elena's hug.

"I'm sorry to break this up, but we really have to go."

"What? Why?"

Elena looks like it pains her to say what comes next, "We think Katherine might be back."

"No, we know Katherine's back." Damon insisted, turning back to me, "And we have to go now."

My mouth hung slightly ajar, and I looked back to the operating room as another feeling came over me, one I'd been infinitely more comfortable with compared to the sadness I'd felt. A readiness, an anger bubbling up through the stress and fear. I liked it much better, and I allowed myself to settle into the familiar sensation that felt both stale and fresh in a way. I clenched my jaw and turned to Damon with a final nod as we walked out into the parking lot, angrily wiping my face with the sleeves of my jean jacket.

***Third Person's Perspective***

Across town, in the home of the Gilbert siblings, the doppleganger quietly entered looking about her. She took a few steps inside the house before Stefan Salvatore came downstairs, seeming to mistake her for Elena.

"Hey." He moved closer, "How's Caroline?"

"Not good." She replied, shaking her head and hugging him close to her. As he wrapped his arms around her she began to smile slightly, "Just what I needed."

Katherine pulled back to look him in the face, and began leaning up to kiss him when he grabbed her by the neck hissing and showing his fangs. Stefan threw her over the couch, but she got up in the next second.

"Katherine." He whispered angrily.

"At least I fooled one of you." He slammed her against the wall, "Feel better?"

Once again he grabbed her off the wall and pushed her against the opposite them. He was ready to strike when the jingling of keys outside the door caught his attention. Katherine took this opportunity to twist the arm he was holding her with, throwing him to the ground, than speeding off without a word. Stefan popped his arm into place and Damon, Katy, and Elena entered the house.

"Stefan?" Elena said, questioningly.

"Elena-"

"Wha-What happened?"

Damon looked around, and began hovering over Katy more as he replied, "Katherine happened."

Katy looked annoyed, briefly kicking the side of the couch in frustration then ran to close and lock the still open door of the house, leaning up against it for support.

"Did she say what she wanted?" Damon asked his brother.

"No."

Stefan and Katy had been pacing back a forth, though the younger of the two had been wringing her hands angrily and occasionally letting out frustrated grunts and sighs.

"Woman certainly knows how to make an entrance."

"She said she fooled one of us, at least. What does that mean?"

Damon looked briefly at Katy who only rolled her eyes at the situation, he said, "She pretended to be Elena too when I showed up earlier tonight."

"Little whore hasn't learned any new tricks I see." Katy muttered.

Before Stefan could ask anything else, Elena herself returned from her brother's room, "I told Jeremy." She said, "I can't lie to him anymore."

"Is he able to talk?" Katy asked, though rather coldly.

"He's shaken but-"

"Are words coming out of his mouth, yes or no?"

Elena gave her a look of surprise, "Yes, of course but-"

She didn't wait for the older girl to answer and stalked up to Jeremy's room, ignoring the brief calls Elena made after her. Katy didn't even bother knocking and just opened the door to see him sitting on the bed. She walked over and stood in front of him.

"Hey." He murmured.

"I heard what happened." She stated, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"No broken bones? Nausea? Gad reflex when eating raw sea urchin still intact?"

"I said I'm fine."

"Good."

Just then her otherwise solemn expression turned furious, and she started hissing out swears even she wouldn't use normally while continually beating her friend. Jeremy tried to move out of the way but she kept coming at him with punches from all sides.

"God!" He yelled, "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"You took pills?! You little son of a fucking bitch, you took pills! What's wrong with you! Have you any idea what that could've done to you?! Do you!?"

"Katy stop it-"

"No! You stop it! You big, selfish, reckless, stupid-"

He finally managed to push her off, "Katy shut up!"

Suddenly, as if by magic, Katy's furious fit ceased and her angry face turned sad as if he had just physically hurt her.

"Katherine was in this house, that means she's been invited in, what are we gonna do?"

"Move." Damon replied sarcastically.

"Very helpful, thank you."

"Wait, what about the Boarding House? It's in Katy's name now so-"

"Sorry Stef." He interrupted, "We already discussed that in the car."

Elena turned to Stefan, "She pretended to be me when Isobel was in town."

"She's been here this long?"

"Yes, so she's one step ahead of us. We know that. We just need to figure out what to do-"

"Katherine wants you dead, there's zero you can do about it; you will be dead. But you're not. So clearly she has other plans."

Elena sighed in exasperation and sat down, barely able to really pay attention to Stefan's following words.

"Right and we need to find out what those other plans are, and not provoke her in the process." He looked between the two, "What happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?"

Damon paused, looking at her and then back at Stefan.

"To risk another frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead." He started smirking a bit, "We… kissed."

There was a brief pause, before Elena questioned, "And you thought it was me?"

"What do you mean you kissed?"

Damon crossed his arms, now looking fairly smugger than usual, "Well, you know, when two lips pucker and they go-"

He childishly started making cartoonish "kissing" noises and sped away just in time and Stefan blurred forth in his direction.

"Don't be obvious Stefan."

He came at his brother again as Elena stood up between them, "Stefan wait, he kissed Katherine, not me." She looked purposefully at Damon, stressing her words.

"I wouldn't do that."

Meanwhile, in Jeremy's room, he and the now crying Katy argued,

"I just want you to be safe Jer, I want to help you-"

"I don't need help." He hissed, "I can make my own choices, and I can live with the consequences."

"You could have died! For real! You wouldn't have had to live with the consequences!" She screamed, "We would!"

"Just get out Katy!"

"But-"

"Get out now!"

Katy started for the door to find Damon standing there, looking murderously at the young boy in the room. He nodded for Katy to go passed him and once she did, he turned to Jeremy again and practically growled out,

"If you ever speak to my daughter like that again, you will wish those pills had done the trick first."

Then he was gone before Jeremy could retort.

Fun Fact: Katy Weston is named partially for a character I'd been playing at the time I started writing this story. Mina Weston in Chaminade High School's production of Dracula.

An original draft for her first name was Tabitha as opposed to Katy.

Margaret is also because it's my own middle name and also as a send up to the little sister in the original book series that cross-gendered and grew into a fifteen year old Jeremy Gilbert in the series.