I am changing a few things in the timeline of the show to suit my purposes. For example, I am leaving a lot more time between Katherine showing up and Elena coming home.
1 year, 365 days. That's all it took for everything to change, and that's the time that the witches gave me back. They called it a gift for all that I'd done to set right the balance of nature, but I knew the truth. It was their guilt that compelled them to offer me this chance. They were the ones who set me on this path. Even in death the witches couldn't stomach so much innocent blood on their hands, so they sent me back to where it all began. Founder's Day, Mystic Falls.
I arrived on my kitchen floor with a thud and a groan. You would think with all the magic it took to get me here. The witches could see that I had a safe landing. As I stared up at the shocked faces of my doppelganger and my dearly departed father, my words caught in my throat. I never thought I would be so happy to see either. I leaped up and grabbed John into what was probably our first real hug since I was little. He seemed almost scared of me due to my rather dramatic appearance, but when he realized my intentions were not homicidal in nature, he relaxed. Katherine stood behind us looking perplexed. She seemed caught in the middle of a decision to either flee or kill us both. Before she decided on either, I broke my silence, "before you run off, you and I need to have a talk."
Never one to give up control that easily, Katherine came back with a witty retort, "my, my who ever would have thought little Elena could have so much courage, making demands like you control my decisions. I guess you have a little more Petrova fire in you then I realized."
"You have no idea," I responded as I fixed her with my best withering stare. She thought she was the big bad in this town, but after nearly a year of fighting with Klaus, I knew better. She was merely a tool that if used correctly could help keep the people I loved alive. I needed her if my plan was to succeed. She simply needed to be convinced of my unquestionable value. "Now, we can go back and forth with insults and threats or we can get right down to business."
"And what business would that be," she replied feigning boredom?
"Why killing Klaus of course," I answered. The color drained from her face and her trademark smirk disappeared. "I am quite busy, and I have things to do, so if you are interested, meet me tomorrow in the town square, and you and I can discuss how fun it's going to be to work together. Unless of course, you don't want to kill the man who butchered your family." I delivered my words with a cold detachment that I only reserved for Katherine. She and I were never close. No reason to start now.
"You seem to know a lot for someone who's never met me." She was clearly fishing for information, and I had no problem letting her in on my little secret. It was bound to come out eventually.
"See there's where you're wrong Katherine. You and I go way back. Don't feel bad for not remembering. I've traveled all the way from the future to stop you from enacting your idiot plan to hand me over to Klaus. So if I were you, I'd be extra nice to me. I am the only living person with the knowledge necessary to finally put an end to him. You need me."
"So it would seem. Tomorrow, at noon. Come alone," she demanded.
"You really aren't in a position to be negotiating, but since I'm feeling generous, deal." She left with far less theatrics then I would have suspected. John, who had stood stone still since I started speaking with Katherine, looked like he could use a drink. "Don't look so down John. I arrived just in time to stop Katherine from cutting your fingers off and stabbing you. A little gratitude couldn't hurt." I was using my sad attempt at humor to cut the awkwardness, an attempt that failed utterly. He simply kept muttering to himself trying to put the pieces together. I looked at him with a mix of pity and concern, and tried to reassure him, "I know it is a lot to take in, but I wasn't kidding when I said that I have places to be. I'll try to explain some of this later, but for now I have to go." I knew I had to get out of the house before my past self got home. That was a conversation that I was not ready to have. Too many questions that would need answering, and there was one person that I needed to see desperately. Once I saw him, it would all seem worth it. I used to house phone to dial his familiar number, and when his voice finally echoed out the receiver, I swear my heart leapt.
"Damon, we have to talk. Meet me at the hospital."
