Quick note: "ми Надя" = Bulgarian for "my Nadia." I have a headcanon that she occasionally refers to her as such (though not aloud… yet), with the sense of it being like "my daughter."

I never knew I had it in me.

I was never allowed to use traveler magic until a few weeks ago, and even then it was only one spell that I was taught the words to. Sure, I could technically have learned way back when I was human the first time, but I was way too scared of my father finding out at that point… So I really don't know how I managed this.

I'm not really one for cheesy explanations, like some Disney movies about true love between family members, but… I guess it might have been the determination that only a mother can have about saving her daughter. Because all I know is that our story… her story… I can't let it end like it did.

And somehow, I've gotten us a redo.

I look around, disoriented by the change in time and worlds. But before I can start to get my bearings, my phone goes off.

As soon as I pull it out of my pocket, I realize this isn't actually my phone, and Nadia is the one calling. Suddenly, I look in front of me and notice the dead body. And with a certainty that feels like being hit with a sack of bricks, I realize where I am. I didn't go back far enough. Damn it! This is what I get. I should have known my inexperience with magic would screw it up somehow. Now I'm going to have to just watch her die over again-?! With slightly shaking hands, I force myself to answer the call.

"Nadia, I'm coming back to the church right now."

It kills me to say that knowing exactly who it is and what's about to happen, but I repeat my words from last time, stalling as I try to come up with anything to change her fate. My mind is working as quickly as it can, and yet still coming up blank.

"She's not at the church anymore," Stefan's voice answers. "She's with me at home." I don't bother to ask why he's calling from her phone this time, and he continues speaking. "She doesn't have much time left, Katherine."

It's too late. She has… maybe about an hour left, and Maxfield is dead. There's no time to go see Klaus or anything. Damn it, am I completely powerless, even now…?

"Prove it. That she's with you. Put her on the phone." I'm… honestly just hoping that maybe hearing her voice can give me some sort of idea.

I hear her struggling to breathe, and it kills inside. I try to brace myself for the weak and pained sound of her voice, but I feel tears threatening to fall anyway. How could I not? She's my daughter… All I want is to finally do something right for her. To save her.

"Katherine? Run!"

I'm speechless again, but before I'd have any chance to reply anyway, Stefan takes the phone from her.

"You can always run, Katherine. That's what you do best. …Or you can come home and see your daughter one last time before she dies. It's your choice." And with that, he ends the call.

I know that if I hesitate, I'll lose the chance to be with her in her last few moments of full consciousness. But do I really have no other choice than to surrender us to this same fate? I already know that there's no antidote, just Ripper Virus 2.0.

If I don't inject myself with it, maybe I'd go to the regular Other Side instead of that hell world, and there we could meet again, at least. But maybe it was punishment for past sins, or what happens to expelled passengers… If I go back there, will I be able to get out again?

And with that, I know what I have to do.

I'm not giving up on you, ми Надя. I'm so… so sorry for what I'm about to do, but I'm going to make it right. I killed that other traveler lady, but I'm going to find more, and I'm going to learn how to fix this. If I did it once, it must be possible to do it again… Better this time. Earlier. Somewhere where I can actually save you. I swear it – I'm not going to let your life end like this, no matter what it takes. It'll be worse this time, but… next time, we won't get to this point at all. I'll start it yesterday or something… I'll start it with enough time to save you. To seek out Klaus's blood, like I should have in the first place.

With that, I leave the lab. Knowing it's possible they could have Elena's phone tracked, I decide it needs to be disposed of. My mind is in survival mode, because obviously the last thing I need is for them to track me down and kill me anyway. If that happened, I'd have put Nadia through dying alone for nothing.

I make my way to the airport. I quickly decide on a ticket to Czechoslovakia, which seems random enough I doubt they'd guess it… and with the traveler spells always spoken in Czech, it seems a good bet to find travelers. I really doubt any of that bunch would even recognize Czech, let alone guess that I'm looking for travelers, so it seems safe enough.

Once I'm past security, I look around for somebody who seems to be getting ready to board a plane but is isolated enough I can compel without being noticed. Thankfully, it doesn't take all that long to find a target.

"Don't ask any questions and answer me honestly," I say as soon as I've approached him, looking into his eyes to compel him. I watch it take effect before questioning, "Where are you traveling to?"

"Korea," he answers.

"Okay. Take this phone," I say, pulling Elena's phone out of my pocket, "And bring it with you. Keep it by your side at all times, got it? When the battery dies, just throw it away. If anyone calls, don't answer." I don't tell him the password, so there's nothing else he'd be able to do with it.

Compelled for the second time of the day, he accepts the phone and puts it in his own pocket.

"Good. Now, forget this conversation. All you know is it's vitally important to keep this phone by your side no matter what until the battery runs out. You don't remember seeing anyone who looked like me."

With that last compulsion, I go to my own gate, boarding the plane when it's time to do so. I can't help but to smirk, momentarily forgetting why I'm here in the first place. Korea! If they do have some way of tracking the phone and go chasing after it – which I wouldn't put past them when it comes to saving their precious Elena – they're going to be on one hell of a wild goose chase. Do any of them speak any Korean at all? I almost wish I could see them attempt to track me down like that.

I wonder if Nadia will watch them trying to find me, and suddenly everything comes crashing back down on me.

Enough time has passed that she's probably moved on to the Other Side now. I wonder whether she's with me right now, and I glance at the empty seat beside me. Most of all, I wonder whether she's glad or hurt that I ran like she told me to. …Probably both. She probably felt both before, too. Mixed feelings, wanting me by her side but not wanting me to die. This probably hurt her more than the alternative. But this time, I'm going to fix things completely, whatever it takes.

I don't know if she is here, but… I can only assume that she is. Maybe it sounds self-centered, but after spending her entire life trying to find me, and being constantly willing to sacrifice everything for me… yes, my guess is that she would stay by my side even now.

All I have with me are the clothes on my back. With no phone to show text on and no pen or paper, I try to figure out how I could get a message across to her without looking like I'm talking to myself, uncertain whether vampire hearing still applies on the Other Side. But the flight is a long one, and I'm going to go crazy just sitting here thinking about how hurt she must be and how she basically died alone, with the one person who loved her having seemingly abandoned her. After spending her whole entire life thinking I'd abandoned her before, too…

I turn toward the window, leaning my head on the side of it in an effort to reduce the number of people who'd be able to hear me speaking. As an extra layer of caution, I speak to her in Bulgarian.

"Nadia? …I don't suppose there's any way you can give me a sign you can hear me… Hell, I don't know if you're even here at all. But… if there's anything you can do, just… let me know? You're probably… angry, and I don't blame you. But there's something I need to tell you."

I pause in the hopes that maybe there is some sort of sign she can give me. Just when I'm about to give up and continue, going off nothing but the near baseless hope that she is here and listening, I feel a spot of warmth on my arm, as if a hand had been laid on it.

I close my eyes, because I can only assume it's her – desperately want to believe it is – and don't want to get emotional on an airplane full of people. After taking a few breaths to keep my composure, I promise her, "I'm not going to let it end like this. This probably sounds crazy, but I'm going to bring you back. I have a plan. That's why I chose to run… I'm going to save you, no matter what. I just need to find some travelers…

"I'm not going to give up until I get the spell right, okay? I'll explain more later, but… I just needed you to know why I ran. That I didn't abandon you…" The image of her dying alone and feeling betrayed and abandoned comes back to my mind, and I try to ignore the way that my eyelashes have become a bit wet. "I'm so sorry I wasn't by your side. I wanted to be there for you, truly… but if I got killed, I wouldn't be able to save you. Still… I'm sorry.

"I love you."

The warmth that had briefly touched my arm before now lingers on my shoulder, and I realize it must be her. I bite my lip hard, quickly wiping at my eyes. I wish I knew what she was thinking right now – whether she forgives me. I probably have no right to ask for her forgiveness, and yet… I can't help hoping she does.

"Once we get there, I'm not going to rest until I find some travelers to teach me," I tell her. If I could, I'd get to work on it right now, but unfortunately, there's nothing I can do at the moment. I decide perhaps it's best to try to nap now so I can spend as much time as possible searching before I get exhausted.

Of course, there's no reply. But my hand starts to feel warm, and with that, imagining her by my side, I manage to drift into a light sleep.