Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings, or other details of the Vampire Diaries.
Chapter 1 - The Arrival
The planes economy cabin was dark with the exception of a few overhead lights illuminating random seats. One of the illuminated seats contained a girl no older than 25 years old. She was wearing a baggy sweatshirt with "Oxford" written across the chest and mesh athletic shorts. Her feet were curled up under her as her neon blue running shoes lay on the floor in front of her. The woman sitting next to her was in her late 60's and was snoring every so often to wake herself.
The speaker system overhead crackled on and a male voice was recognizable, "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I'd just like to let you all know that we'll be landing at Richmond International Airport. The stewardess' will be around to collect your garbage and have asked all passengers to prepare for landing with their trays in the upright position and everyone buckled properly. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your flight." The speaker system crackled off as people started moving around and preparing for landing.
The young girl had looked up from the old large leather bound book in her lap to listen intently to the message from the captain. After the speakers had crackled off it wasn't until the older woman spoke up that the girl realized she was awake.
"What are you reading there?" the older woman asked trying to catch a glimpse of the sun damaged pages as the girl closed it to protect it's contents.
"Nothing special." the girl responded quickly.
"Oh you're accent, where are you from?" the woman continued to press.
"London." the girl shortly responded in the hopes that the woman would stop the questions.
"Oh! I bet it's gorgeous there." the woman replied.
"Yup."
"So, what are you doing so far from home?" the woman continued.
"Visiting an old friend." the girl didn't even look at the woman as the seat belt light dinged on.
"How long has it been?" the woman asked, not picking up that the girl did not want to continue the conversation.
"Many years." the girl stated bluntly.
"Well I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, are they picking you up at the airport?" the woman raved on.
"No, they're unaware of my arrival." the girl looked down at the book in her hands.
"Oh, I'm sorry, well I'm sure they'll be pleasantly surprised then." the woman touched the girls shoulder and was shocked slightly and pulled back quickly, "sorry just a bit of static electricity I guess."
"He'll be surprised for sure." the girl said more to herself than to anyone else.
The plane started their descent and bumped slightly as the wheels folded out from under it to prepare for landing. Before they knew it the plane was touching down on the ground and the speakers were crackling to life once again.
"Hello this is your captain again and I'd just like to welcome you all to Richmond International Airport. Please remain seated and phones off until we've come to a complete stop at the appropriate terminal. Thank you for flying with us and we hope you'll fly again soon." the speakers crackled off.
As soon as the plane came to a halt and the seat belt signs dinged off the girl quickly stored her book in her camel back day pack and got in line to exit the flight. She couldn't quite get away from her seat mate quick enough.
"Well if you're in the Virginia Beach area, look us up, Emily Donnelly." the woman said to the girls back, "by the way what's your name?"
"Kat." the girl responded.
"Is that short for something?" Ms. Donnelly pressed as Kat tried to inch away from her.
"Katarina." Kat said quickly, "and it was a pleasure to meet you Ms. Donnelly."
"Oh, please call me Emily." Emily smiled as the girl got into the crowd finally ushering up the aisle and off the plane.
Kat made her way down the terminal and into the waiting area. Her bag slung over one shoulder and her sneakers squeaking as she made her way across the shiny granite like flooring. She followed the signs to baggage claim and waited patiently as the turn style started slowly moving luggage around the crowd that now surrounded it. It wasn't long before a medium sized black suitcase appeared in front of Kat. She grabbed it and headed for the exit. Outside sat a line of taxi cabs and town cars waiting for people to sit inside them. Kat went up to the first taxi cab and leaned in the passenger window.
"Can I get a ride to Mystic Falls?" Kat asked sweetly.
"Sure, can. Where bouts there?" the driver asked.
"Some place called, the Grill?" Kat responded.
"Oh yeah, sure, hop in." the driver hopped out of the drivers seat and came around to grab Kats suitcase to put in the now open trunk.
Kat got into the backseat of the taxi and waited for the driver to return and get on their way. It wasn't long before the taxi was pulling out of the airport and taking an on ramp going east. The taxi driver was silent for most of the ride but then spoke up.
"So I heard you're accent earlier, where you from?" the driver asked back to Kat.
"London." Kat responded as she watched the trees pass by.
"Makes sense." the taxi driver responded then remained silent until they stopped in front of a building with The Grill in bold letters over its entrance, "well, here ya go."
"How much do I owe you?" Kat asked politely leaning forward to talk to the driver.
"Twenty-five." The driver responded and Kat handed him a few bills and exited the cab.
The driver got out of the car and made his way to the trunk that he had already popped and started to unload Kat's suitcase. She thanked the driver and took her suitcase and headed for the entrance of the Grill. She entered to the noise of people chatting and dishes clinking as they were cleared from a nearby table. She headed straight for the bar where a tall, young looking gentleman sat sipping at a glass of whiskey.
"Is this seat taken?" Kat asked politely.
"What do you want Rebekah?" The boy replied without turning around.
"Sorry, I think you've mistaken me for someone else." Kat responded trying to suppress a smirk.
The boy turned around to face Kat and his expression changed from one of irritation to one of surprise.
"Oh, yeah, the seats empty." the boy said quickly and returned to watching the wall behind the bar.
"Thanks." Kat said and took the seat, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but who's Rebekah?"
Kat noticed when she said the name that a busboy near by stopped in his tracks to listen in on their conversation. At this the boy next to her spoke up.
"It's none of your business Matt." The boy said icily and the busboy continued on his way clanking dishes as he went. The boy turned to face Kat, "just a girl that lives around town, annoying as hell."
"Oh, sorry to hear that." Kat responded and turned her attention to the bartender now standing in front of her.
"Can I get you anything?" The woman smiled down at Kat.
"A shirley temple, thanks." Kat smiled back and turned to face the quizzical face of the boy next to her.
"Who are you?" He questioned.
"Katarina, but most people call me Kat." Kat smiled, "and you are?"
"Damon."
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Damon." Kat turned to the shirley temple that the bartender had just delivered to her.
"What are you doing here?" Damon questioned now glaring slightly at Kat.
"Surprising an old friend." Kat smiled, "maybe you know him."
"Maybe, I know a lot of people in this town, but I don't know you." Damon leaned in closer to Kat and she backed away slightly so as not to touch the boy.
"Niklaus is his name, but most people call him Klaus." Kat noticed Damon's eyes widen slightly for a second and then return to a calm facade.
"What do you want with him?" Damon asked pulling away from Kat.
"We have a deal and I'm here as a reminder." Kat replied, "Do you happen to know where I can find him?"
"Right now?" Damon asked like he didn't care.
"Yes."
"Probably with his girlfriend, Caroline." Damon looked at Kat to judge her expression.
"Oh where can I find her?" Kat continued to smile, not changing her expression to please Damon.
"I don't know." Damon responded and finished off his whiskey and was getting ready to stand when he doubled over in pain.
Laying in the fetal position on the floor of the restaurant he looked up at Kat now looking down upon him.
"I'm sorry, I missed that, where can I find her?" Kat smiled sweetly down at him.
"What the fuck did you just do." Damon yelled up at her.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I didn't do anything." Kat smiled down and slowly knelt down next to him.
Kat's grasp upon Damon's shoulder was one of super human strength. He tried to budge away from her. She slowly reached into his chest as though there were a hole directly where his heart lay in his chest. He felt cold fingers slowly tighten around the organ and he gasped.
"What are you?" Damon whispered menacingly up at Kat who was still smiling down at him.
"Just an old friend, so if you'd please tell me where I can find Niklaus I'll be on my way." Kat twisted her hand slightly and Damon flinched.
"Alright, alright, let me text him and I'll find out." Damn said, "but you gotta get your hand out of my chest."
As Kat removed her hand from Damon's chest she saw him smirk and before she had a chance to blink he was moving for the door. Damon had made it to the door but then was slammed to a halt as though there was an invisible barrier holding him inside the building. He rapped against the barrier and then slowly walked back to the bar where Kat had returned to her shirley temple and she had now ordered Damon another whiskey on the rocks.
"What the hell are you?" Damon whispered menacingly as he came back up to the bar.
"A girl?." Kat replied sweetly, "now would you so kindly find out where he is."
Damon pulled out his cellphone and started typing away.
"So tell me, what are you?" Damon asked looking Kat from head to toe.
"I'm not alive nor dead." Kat riddled, "what do you think I am?"
"A vampire with witchy powers?" Damon stated more in a question.
Kat smiled, "So where is he?"
A good fifteen minutes passed in which Damon and Kat sat at the bar and sipped at their drinks when a handsome boy in his early 20's came rushing into the restaurant.
"Damon. What's the emergency." the boy made his way over to the bar, "you just wanted a drinking buddy again didn't you?"
"No, no." Damon was interrupted by Kat.
"Who is this? This is not Niklaus." Kat stated flatly looking highly unimpressed with Damon and the other boy.
"No, this is my brother, Stefan. Stefan this is Katarina." Damon introduced and leaned forward on to the bar so that Kat and Stefan could shake hands behind his back.
"A pleasure, I'm sure." Kat said blandly, "Now, Damon." Kat continued sweetly, "I thought you were going help me, not call on your brother to save your life."
"Seriously Damon? You interrupted my evening with Elena because she wanted to see Klaus?" Stefan asked shaking his head, "I'm leaving, you can deal with this. Just find out where Klaus is and tell her."
Stefan was making his way to the door and was about to exit when he came as well to an abrupt halt as though there was an invisible barrier stopping him.
"What the hell?" Stefan asked trying to exit again but coming again to a halt. After a couple more attempts he gave up and made his way back over to the bar. He took up the stool on the other side of Damon and looked down the bar to Kat who was sitting there smiling and sipping on her shirley temple, "so where is he?"
"I don't know, if I knew I would have told her already." Damon snapped back at Stefan.
"Fine I'll call him." Stefan pulls out his Iphone and dials a number listens as it rings. After a few rings a male voice finally picks up.
"What do you want, I'm busy." Klaus is over heard by the other two at the bar.
"Well you have a visitor here at the Grill. She says she's an old friend." Stefan says and waits for a response.
"Unless she's got the rest of the map to the cure, I don't care." Klaus stated bluntly.
"What's your name again?" Stefan asks to Kat.
At this point Kat gets up from the bar and walks away and out the exit. Leaving Stefan and Damon at the bar still on the phone with Klaus.
"Hello? Who is it?" Klaus says through the phone.
"Umm, we'll call ya back." Stefan quickly hangs up and heads for the door with Damon right behind. They again both are stopped as the invisible barrier hold them back.
"What the hell. You know you can't keep us locked in here." Damon protested at the retreating form of Kat.
"Well you'll be let out when I want you out." Kat responded and waved at the two boys watching her go.
"Get a hold of Bonnie." was the last Kat heard Stefan say to Damon as they headed back to the bar and Kat headed for the park in the center of town.