The Salvatore Boarding House rang of an eery silence which stormed through the residence with a fury-there was no sound to be snuck into the night, the silence would make sure of that. The quiet would keep in accordance with the throwback of the manor-the retainment of the amber hewed doorways, arching and magnificent; the dark honey of the wood floors with rich and thick carpets strew about in an artfully carless manner that was decidedly planned. The cathedral style windows bordered with mahogany oak, the wine rich drapes and the massive fireplaces, roaring with a fire dancing of orange and golden flames, licking away at the darkened wood. A glow was about Salvatore Manor, the paintings, all originals and so very ancient, seemed to have had a new life breathed into them-they seemed to illuminate in the firelight, as if trumpeting in their own quiet way, the signal of a new era.
Since Katherine's return to Mystic Falls and her stay at the Boarding House, she'd thrown out every single form of electric light and replaced them with antique gas lamps of a thick white glass, allowing the incandescent orange flame throw off a gentle golden light. She had painstakingly torn down the electric lights that once lined the spiral staircases and molded unto those dark maple walls Cavalier gas torches that threw about dark rich shadows of reddish yellow illumination. It brought a feeling of nostalgia back into the Boarding House, an emotion that stabbed deeper into the heart of Katherine than she believed possible; nights alone in the Salvatore Boarding House, now radiating of an eighteenth century gothic alcazar, tore upon her heartstrings with such a reverent passion that she feared the sight of the younger Salvatore.
She knew she had not been wanted after Elena's safety had been restored to her-since her deceit with Klaus all those years ago had caused the mere mention of her name a blasphemy to the Salvatore brothers. And she, Katerina Petrova, knew when she was wanted and when she was not; she had not wished to journey back to Mystic Falls after her second escape from that blasted tomb. She had ventured to London, then to Monaco, followed by a brief Spanish retreat and then-this is where she cringed-she had decided to go to Paris. The city of love. What compelled her to go there, she will never fully comprehend and even if she wanted to, Katherine was quite skilled at blocking out voices she didn't want to hear. And it was true to her credit-the first few days in Paris had brought her much joy. Seeing the gentle lull of Paris about her during the day, those little cafes that never seemed to stop bustling; the clear blue sky and the cobblestone streets had brought her to such a contentment that she dared not to believe herself to be in such peace.
And then Klaus came.
Sure enough, Katherine had decided to run like the wind once again when she saw sight of Klaus Mikaelson's golden head and flashing blue eyes, of his tall stature and devilishly charming dimples. Though she knew she was no longer in any danger and Klaus could care less of what she did, the internal feeling of dread that she had carried with her for five hundred years would not escape. They buried themselves deep into the recess of her mind until she could no longer ignore its cries; she'd kept herself on guard for the day when Klaus would appear-appear with his suave British accent, his dark hybrid eyes, and kidnap her away again.
Katherine had almost made it out of the cafe before she heard another voice-one she recognized. It was lighthearted, ebullient and so filled with a life that Katherine could almost see herself-fifteen and naive-celebrating the air she breathed. Turning, Katherine felt her (dead) heart stop: for there, right in front of her, was Caroline Forbes, her body pressed close to Klaus's and his own arm enveloped her frame-they held each other in a way only two lovers could truly embrace. Their eyes sparkled with a contentment (though Klaus's were icy and dangerous to any man who approached his lady love); even if Klaus had not pressed his lips passionately to the baby vamp, Katherine would have known they were in love. She could feel it. Their hot kisses, the sheer devotion and purity of love radiating off the both of them had gone straight into Katherine's head. She knew what those emotions were. She had felt them. And a hundred and forty five years prior they had been reciprocated.
She'd turned away after that moment, feeling a painful stab within her chest that rivaled the feeling of a cold metal knife puncturing her abdomen.
Her next destination had been Tokyo. She didn't know how she had made it to Mystic Falls.
But when she did, she sought her way to the Boarding House; she had been greeted coldly by Damon, the man who had stood guard over the tombstone for a good three hundred years, had demanded that she leave before her lips even parted. She could smell that worthless little human on him and she silently questioned why the gods could be so cruel as to give her a descendant so meaningless and impudent; but Katherine had swallowed her words of hatred. She had told him she was here for a few moments and then she would be on her way; she had paid him in advance (though he threw her money right back in her face) and before she could utter a word of protest, she saw two arms appear around his chest. She saw his entire body relax and meld into the body behind him and she heard a smooth cosmopolitan voice question why Damon was not with her upstairs in bed.
Rebekah Mikaelson.
Should she really have been surprised? Katherine pondered that question as she saw the two embrace each other-not with lust or hate, but with a tenderness that bordered on love. Damon's eyes flew to hers (and she could detect the regret in them) and even before the words tumbled from his mouth, Katherine knew. She knew that Damon had fallen in love with the youngest Original and had left Elena; the remnants of Elena's scent upon him were no doubt the doppelgänger's attempts to coerce him back to her. Katherine smirked.
"Ever hear the story of a certain King Henry VIII?" Katherine taunted as she entered the residence, her eyes taking in the old world presence of the boarding house. Turning her head, she saw Damon's tilt towards her in question. "First it's me, then it's Elena and now you've moved on to Rebekah? When's the fourth, Damon?"
"There isn't going to be a fourth, doppelgänger." Rebekah hissed as she pulled herself closer to Damon; Katherine's eyes flashed up skeptically towards the elder Salvatore who made no sounds of protest.
Katherine chuckled.
"So now you're going to claim you're in love with her?" Katherine gestured towards the blonde, "when the next girl comes around I'm willing to bet you're going to start claiming that Rebekah was a mistake made in a drunken stupor. Just like Elena was a deep fixation that you somehow compelled yourself into and I was a scheming little vampire who turned your world upside down." Cocking her head to the side, Katherine widened her eyes, "isn't that right, Damon?"
Katherine's answer was to have her whole body slammed into a mahogany paneled wall and saw first hand the rage within his eyes-he'd never expressed that level of concern. Not with her. Not with Elena. Only Rebekah.
Despite that little incident that occurred on the day she arrived, Damon allowed her to stay. Katherine knew better than to ask where Stefan was and so she kept her mouth shut, although she desperately wanted to know where her little doppelgänger was. The only person she could inquire with was Rebekah, and it was obvious Damon was head over heels in love with her because he didn't allow Rebekah to leave his sight. Well, until Rebekah sent him out to do something productive while she called her brother.
"…when are you going to propose to her, Nik? We all know it's a matter of time…patience was never my virtue, Nik you know that…what? No! I may not be her biggest fan but the fact that I get to plan an entire wedding is a joy all in itself…and-what's that sound? Is that running water? Nik!…well now I don't want to know…you can do it in your spare time not when you're calling me!…yes…yes…no…I would-you know you go back to doing Caroline, I'm hanging up…Call me when you're not ah, tied up Niklaus. Goodbye…and…I miss you too." A pause. "You can come in now, Katherine. Stop lurking by the doorway. Damon does that to me enough already."
Katherine stepped in, her eyes fixed upon anything other than the blonde in front of her.
"Well, it's nice to know that now that Klaus is done with his hybrid dreams he's moved on to something much more productive."
Rebekah laughed, arching a brow. "You think he's done? Far from it. He's got enough of Elena's blood to create at least two hundred hybrids-although now he doesn't want them for himself, but for added protection for his lovely wife-to-be, Caroline."
Katherine smirked, now walking into the room fully as her fingertips brushed upon the antique sculptures and silently marveled at how brightly they glowed in the summer light. Turning towards Rebekah, Katherine caught sight of a photograph scattered haphazardly behind her. Katherine knew the room where she was in had once been Elena's bedroom.
"What happened to her?" Katherine inquired, blunt and straightforward as she looked at the discarded picture of the doppelgänger.
Rebekah rolled her eyes as she moved to lay down on the bed, tossing the photograph to the floor. "She left town a year ago."
Katherine's eyes widened and before she could stop herself, the question spilled from her lips and the amusement that suddenly drew itself upon the Original's face had been enough to assure her of Elena's single departure.
"Stefan didn't leave. He's still in Mystic Falls; after all, you didn't honestly expect both Salvatore's to keep chasing her did you?" Smirking, Rebekah continued, "after everything that happened Damon and Stefan pleaded with that worthless blood bag to choose-to pick between them. She claimed that she couldn't and needed more time-they have her six years and she hadn't made a choice. Damon left first, he said that he was done with it and that if Elena couldn't pick between him and his brother, then to stop trying to tear them apart and simply let one of them know where her affections lie." A scowl was upon the blond's face, "she was a hateful wench. After Damon left she chased after him like her life depended on it; she'd finally become human again and then she goes off hunting down a vampire who doesn't want to be found." A sigh slipped through Rebekah's lips as she furrowed her brow with annoyance at the upcoming memories. "She found him with me in Venice; and she made this large and rather ridiculous declaration of love. She didn't stop to consider Stefan at all-why have the love of one when she could have the love of two? Either way, when he told her off at last and she learned that he loved me, she went to Stefan's arms and tried to convince Stefan to kill me. But by that time he'd had enough of it too. As if being tossed aside whilst she chased her brother wasn't awful enough, here she was with enough nerve and fault to believe that he'd actually kill the one woman who truly did love his brother." Giving a brief glance at Katherine's neutral face, she elaborated "you probably have had more first hand experience with this than I, but what I said was true. The Salvatore brothers' may fight like dogs but at the end of the day, they'd be willing to sacrifice anything for each other. And for Elena Gilbert to ask Stefan to rip me away from Damon's side was his breaking point. He told her that he had never met such a hypocritical girl with such an icy heart; the concern she had for others, he said, was zero to none."
Whether Rebekah knew Katherine would blanche at that or not was no concern of her's; turning back to her nails she inspected them with care while awaiting her verdict.
Finally, "He said that?" escaped Katherine's lips and a smirk formed upon Rebekah's. Turning towards the brunette, Rebekah gave a sharp scoff.
"You think I'm lying?"
"No. I just think that's hard to believe. After all, they wore themselves out and bent over backwards to achieve her every command." Katherine strolled further into the room before crossing her arms, "Why stop?"
Rebekah smirked, "Damon stopped because he fell in love with me. Stefan…well, I think news of your return may have…awakened something in him."
The Bulgarian beauty frowned, "he didn't know I was coming back. Neither of them did."
"They didn't," Rebekah agreed, "but that was before my brother called them to tell them that you were coming back." Taking the stunned expression in, Rebekah laughed, "you didn't think Nik wasn't aware that you were in Paris? He's hunted you down for so many years he knows your presence. And even if he didn't, the feeling of a vampire would put him on alert-ever since he's been with Caroline he's wiped out every potential threat to them."
This hardly surprised Katherine; she'd known Klaus for a good number of years (if speaking modestly) and his relentless approach towards anything that could harm himself or anyone who loved, he was brutal, skilled, and immensely terrifying.
Suddenly, a new thought occurred to her. Turning towards Rebekah, Katherine allowed a devious smile to grace her lips.
"How did the blood bag take it? Having both men leave her at the same time? She flip out?"
At this, Rebekah laughed as she shook her blond curls.
"That would be putting it lightly. I don't think I've ever seen someone so…shockingly upset; I'll have you know she began to threaten both of them that she'd leave with the other but by then they'd seen her nature and cast her out. Elena Gilbert was never, in my humble opinion, anything to be raved about. She lacked honesty, morals; and at least you and I" Rebekah gestured "were true enough to admit what we were. She didn't. And I think that's what drove Damon and Stefan away."
"Where is Stefan?"
"I think he's at the Grill. I'm not sure."
Katherine raised a brow, "you don't honestly think I'm going to buy into the story of Stefan staying at the Grill for a week do you?"
At this, Rebekah challenged Katherine with an equally wintering stare. "Well you know him. Broody and determined are practically stamped on his forehead."
To the Salvatore's credit, they never sought out Katherine and Katherine never sought them out. Since her conversation with Rebekah, she'd kept herself occupied by tending to any renovations she sought fit to make with the Boarding House and by having the blonde Original aid her, Katherine knew that Damon wouldn't put a stop to it. If he did, and this is what amused Katherine the most, one word from Rebekah would send him crawling back for her forgiveness; it felt as if there was an invisible string attaching Rebekah to Damon. Something that Katherine had never felt with the oldest Salvatore but had to be incapacitated not to sense it flowing from his lover and himself; she suspected that if it wasn't her presence that drove Stefan away from the house, then the constant sexual tension between his brother and Rebekah would be enough to send anyone running for the hills.
These days, however, Katherine had juggled everything she could possibly juggle: between the constant renovations, interior designing, and her latest hobby of finding intricately carved soap for the soap dish in the House, Katherine had hoped she would think of Stefan as a mere dot in her Pollock replete mind. That was false.
She'd been in the sun bedroom rearranging throw pillows and antique lamps tasseled with crystal beads, too busy to notice (or simply refused to acknowledge) the familiar vampire presence behind her. This was a luxury she wouldn't have for much longer, for after several seconds of standing by the doorframe, he spoke.
"Room looks good," Stefan nodded as he viewed in the antique French headboard of dark mahogany thrust diagonally in the furtherest right corner; his eyes seeking out the large square window that took up the entire north end of the wall next to the bed, allowing vast quantities of sunlight to pour in. The dark brown dresser with its gold tarnished handles stood felt against the coffee-with-cream wall adjacent to the window; the Victorian style wall moldings a stark white. Everywhere Stefan's eye traveled he caught the familiar tints of whipped coffee, tampered gold, dark mahogany, and just the tiniest hints of a pure winters white. He hadn't expected anything less-if anything, Katherine adored her birthplace, her Bulgarian blood refused to allow her to abandon her roots completely. The result was Katherine's constant adoration to all things superannuated with a twinge of an Old World feel-things that would cause images of posh horse races in a sunlit arena in summer, of smoky evening nights, everything twinged with a black paper cut shadow against a red and orange sky. Of an empty Louisiana plantation where nostalgia awaited at every corner.
Damon had been right-she was a sucker for the warmer climate. Stefan noted the distinct spicy Cajun scent of the oil wicks placed with artistic carelessness atop the surfaces; moving further from the doorframe, he entreated himself deeper into the little world Katherine had conceived. He noted the detail she put into it-the tiniest beads had to be a suspended amber tint, the little flecks of peeling paint upon the white sculpture carvings only helped to bring in more of that obsolescent ambience she so exalted.
He cleared his throat.
"If you want me to install the air conditioning pipes in here, I could make a run to the hardware store tonight." He tilted his eyes toward the now descending sun, its orange and red glow furbishing its surroundings to items resembling black paper cutouts once more. "The uh, the guy there wouldn't mind if I just picked up a few items. It gets pretty hot in Mystic Falls during the summer months, he'd understand if I needed a favor."
Katherine moved methodically from one throw pillow to the next, before examining the gold flecked bronze candle stick holder. She acknowledged Stefan whilst adjusting the creme colored candlestick,
"Thanks. But I kind of like that hot, sticky summer feel. Makes me think of Louisiana."
"Why are you here then?"
Katherine shrugged, "I don't know." Arching towards Stefan she smiled, "I guess I just wanted to check up on you before I left."
The younger Salvatore's brow furrowed, "leaving?"
She nodded before looking out the ocherous sky, its flame colored skyline retreating like reluctant soldiers to base before speaking once more, a hint of amusement in her tone.
"You didn't think I'd stay here forever did you?" Shaking her head she smiled with a bittersweet laugh following, "I'm planning to head to Bulgaria and visit some people that I've wronged. I'm five hundred years late but better now than never to right a wrong don't you think?" When Stefan didn't respond she continued, "and then I think I'll go to Rome. Italy's always held that old world appeal that the human's have worked so hard to push into box. Always improvement, always technology." A discontented scowl formed upon her lips as images of what he world has created since her livelihood days sent a swell of resentment towards the human race.
Stefan gave a wry smile.
"Technology's not always a bad thing, you know."
"Tell that to my five hundred year old ass. Don't tell me you don't miss the Regency days; those warm, lazy afternoons lounging by the plantation edges and watching the sun go down. Listening to the carriages and horses trot by; nowadays you can't watch a decent sunset because all those damned towers block everything. You don't hear horses and carriages anymore because the world has become obsessed with fast cars and motorcycles. Although," Katherine mused, "they are better to have sex in."
A soft chuckle escaped atonement seeker, himself moving ever closer to the honest beauty. He'd always adored her brashness.
"I should've known you could adapt."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Stefan elaborated, "that when I first heard you were alive the strangest thing flashed through my mind. I didn't think about protecting Elena first, I didn't wonder about how you managed to escape the tomb, hell, I didn't even stop to consider your betrayal. All I could think about in that moment was whether or not you'd recognize the world-if you would even consider the world a world anymore. I was worried for you-concerned," by this point in time, Stefan was standing so close towards Katherine she could have turned around and her lips would be on his. They stood next to the large glass window and she could feel every fiber of her body tensing; but on no premonition was she to turn around-she would not turn. A breathy chuckle left his mouth, "then I learned that you'd been out of that tomb for quite sometime. And the next emotion that I felt was even stranger than the first-I felt relieved. Relieved that you wouldn't have to suffer through adapting to his strange new world that we've somehow created. And I didn't think to question anything else." Stefan's hand gently ran along Katherine's spine, causing an involuntary shiver to erupt through her body. She trained her eyes to stay upon the sinking golden orb whilst she heard Stefan's breathing; somehow, she'd never felt more comforted. "And when I saw you again…when I saw you I felt the strongest anger flow through my body. I channeled it into the fact that you were out to get Elena, and that I would have to protect Elena because I failed you-I wanted to redeem myself because…despite everything Katherine, every time I heard your name, every time I looked at Elena, all I could think about was the beautiful young lady," at this he gently began to turn Katherine towards himself, "with the coquettish smile," his arms grasped hers, "and that passion for life," her cheek brushed against his chest, "that had me fall so deeply and completely in love." At this, Katherine found herself eye to eye with the gentle vampire who'd won her heart more than a century ago, he smiled at her-a gentle, mournful smile. "And when I saw you that day, when I heard your voice…I felt the most beautiful wave of abatement emanate through my body…but," and this is where he placed his forehead upon her own, that intimate gesture sparked life within Katherine and her arms began to travel up Stefan's sides, "I couldn't bear to look at you again. Because if I did, all I could sense was the shame in me…the failure I was in not protecting the woman I loved. I couldn't bring myself to hate you-all that hate was channeled towards myself, but with everything that went on-with Elena's indecision and my realization for what she truly was-I found myself trying to protect her because then it would be like replaying the past. Only this time…I would protect you, and that," he whispered, "that would've been my salvation." At this, the young suppliant gently closed his eyes, a contented smile upon his lips. "But at this moment," he whispered, almost horsely, "being with you...I don't think I've ever felt such a redemption."
And Katherine broke. Her heart shattered with the pain she had brought unto him and the eternal love she had kept burning within her soul for this young man; without thinking, without rationalizing, she pressed her lips upon his.
The response was instantaneous-for despite a hundred and forty five years of no physical contact, he had never forgotten the way Katherine's lips felt when they met his. Not even Elena's could compare-for Katherine's mouth in itself was an adventure. Sparking a vitality within him that he believed to be long gone; bringing forth an unspeakable joy and fiery love that Stefan felt spread throughout every inch of his body. He could taste her, fully and completely and without hesitation; he knew her devilish lips and her quick tongue, he knew those soft curls and smooth skin better than he knew the attacking aperture, straight strands and soft flesh of the human doppelgänger.
In that moment, two lovers had become one in soul and spirit. A hundred and forty five years of separation and undoubting love and secured for them a junction of an unbreakable kind.
That morning when dawn appeared through that single square cathedral window, Stefan Salvatore found himself lying in a damask bed with a woman of unspeakable beauty beside him. Her eyes were open and she stared out the window with a contented expression upon her face.
Stefan reached down to bestow the sweetest of kisses upon her lips as a soft bubble of laughter broke loose from her lips and her lithe golden arms wound themselves about his naked body.
"And what are you thinking about?" He murmured down gently, his fingers skimming her protruding collar bones and his lips followed no particular path as he kissed down her jaw and neck.
Katherine's face contorted into one of a sweet qualm as her eyes fixed upon the pale golden sun. Softly, her own fingertips began to trace patterns of a Bulgarian kind upon Stefan's back as her she turned her eyes to gaze into his own. She'd never seen his green eyes look so soft and gentle before-so filled with an overwhelming love for her, something she had yearned and craved for since her reappearance, but had failed to grasp.
"I'm thinking," Katherine began as she watched Stefan play with her dark curls, "about Elena."
Stefan frowned, a curious look painting itself upon his face. Using this window of opportunity, Katherine searched his face for any sign of anger, remorse, or self hatred at the mention of the doppelgänger's name but to her surprise (and delight) she found none but genuine confusion. "Elena?" He inquired, his hand stilling from his travels up and down Katherine's body, "why?"
"Because I want to know why you're not with her anymore." Sensually, Katherine rolled herself atop of Stefan and didn't miss his soft moans of want as she pressed her body fully upon his, "as much as I love making you squirm again," Katherine chuckled, "I want to know why you're not still chasing after her. Where's that burning love you kept for her? And why is Damon so in love with Rebekah?"
The confused look that had once been on Stefan's face had long since faded and was replaced by one of amusement.
"Do you doubt my love for you?"
Katherine gave a wry grin, "before? Never. Now…yeah."
"Dare I believe that the great Miss Katherine is…concerned?"
Though the words were spoken in a full tilled and jesting tone, Katherine couldn't help the swell of hurt that enveloped her chest when the phrase pierced her ear. She knew she had done cold things for the sake of her survival, but the thought that Stefan still kept with him-that she was cold and heartless and had (of all things) compelled him to love her-placed an ache in her heart deeper than any stake could penetrate.
Sensing the blow that Katherine seemed to have taken Stefan grasped her wrist, pulling her down towards him. Using one hand, he cocooned them within soft cotton sheets and his own physique, warm and hard, against her own. A whisper of apology escaped his lips and though simple, Katherine could detect the honesty of the undertone and the truth that was hidden within. She shrugged.
"It's all right. I haven't exactly kept a spotless track record to make you not think that but…" and here Katherine bit her lip, "I just want to know why, Stefan. I want to be sure this isn't you going through some brokenhearted phase and sleeping with the first desperate woman you see."
"And what makes you think you even fit that profile?"
A bitter chuckle left Katherine's mouth, "considering that I chained you down and locked you up to tell you that my love for you is real doesn't come off sounding the tiniest bit desperate?"
Stefan shrugged, "if anybody else said it, then yes. But coming from your lips…I don't think I've felt so…happy."
"Then why did you still stick with Elena? What did that human have that made her worth protecting so much? Did she cast some spell on you that made you and Damon follow her around like puppy dogs? Was it because Klaus was after her that you threw down your lives for her? What was it?" Katherine huffed, the annoyance and agitation she'd been trying to hide came flowing out and she could tell that Stefan was now smug. Extremely smug. "What?"
The younger Salvatore gave a contented fracture before looking upon his lady love. "I find it amusing," he said, unable to hold back his delight, "that you're finally jealous. After centuries of my and Damon battling over you, and me learning just how powerful that emotion is…it's a comfort to know that you feel it too, Katherine." Upon seeing the amused look upon her countenance, he laughed, "and to answer your earlier question, I never loved Elena, Katherine." He saw her eyebrows shoot up as he continued, "I loved that she was my second chance to redeem myself for you. I loved the idea of being in love with her because only then could I delude myself into thinking that it was you. I didn't bother with her faults because in my eyes, you didn't have any faults. But when you appeared…when you appeared my whole world was thrown out of balance because seeing you also made me see how I failed you. How I failed to protect you. And that," Stefan confided, "was the worst feeling of all."
"But you didn't have to feel that way, I told you I loved you." Katherine prodded, her voice confident and undeterred by her own sense of self. It was brutally honest and acknowledging-she acknowledged she was a bitch, she acknowledged Stefan's confusion and here, she acknowledged their love. Something she found impossible for Stefan to doubt.
"I know," Stefan sighed drawing Katherine from her revere, "but the fact was…no the fact is, I wanted to be with Elena because I didn't love her. If something were to happen to her, I wouldn't be hurt or injured or influenced by it." He grimaced "it sounds terrible but, that's what I honestly believed and maybe now still believe." Looking upwards, he found himself gazing into unbiased eyes, honest eyes and he shook his head, "sometimes I have to admit that Klaus is right. Love," he whispered, "can be a vampire's greatest weakness." A soft chuckle left his lips as he tilted his head to look at the woman before him, grazing her collarbone with his lips; he gave a soft smile, "But, when I'm with you," he mumbled, voice hardly rising an octave, "you make me feel like love is my greatest strength."