1. Emancipator

It's a dark night, as I walk pass allies on my way home. My name is Alaric Saltzman and I am a Vampire Hunter. I hunt down and kill vampires. But I wasn't always like this. I was once just an everyday normal human. I was married and had dreams about having children. She was an extraordinary, beautiful, caring woman by the name of Isobel Flemming. I thought nothing of it, when she started obsessing over vampires. I thought it was a joke, when she told me that she wanted to find a vampire. Back then, I didn't believe in vampires. But almost every night, she would stay up late researching. She even gave me a ring; a special one. She called it special, and it would protect me. I didn't believe in magic or protection against things, so I just laughed it off.

All of her research paid off in the end, because she found a vampire. One that, when she begged him to, was willing to turn her. I know that now, but I thought he had killed her back then. After all, I had witnessed him feeding from her one night, when I had come home. But when he saw me, he vanished from my home and sight. So in the end, she was turned. It twisted her in a way that I didn't know her anymore.

You're probably wondering who turned her and what the ring is. You're also probably wondering how I found her. Let me shorten it, since it's a long story.

When I came to live in Mystic Falls, Virginia for the first time, I applied for a job as a History teacher at Mystic High. And I got the job.

Shortly after I started my new life with a new job, I found out that Mystic Falls has a lot of history to it. It starts with vampires in the winter of 1864. But I won't go into it. I also found out that the vampire I had seen was Damon Salvatore.

Later, Damon Salvatore became my best friend and I met Elena Gilbert and Damon's brother, Stefan Salvatore.

Not long afterward, several things happened. Katherine Pierce, Elena's descendant and Damon and Stefan's Sire, came to town first. She started playing games with everyone, centering it all in on Elena, trying to get Stefan back. She killed Elena's best friend Caroline whom became a vampire afterward, cut John Gilbert's fingers off which put him in the hospital for a little bit, and we think she's the one whom put Vicki in transition. Just so you know, Vicki was Elena's friend and Elena's ex-boyfriend, Matt Donovan's sister, as well as Tyler's girlfriend and Jeremy's crush. But Damon and Stefan had to kill her when she almost bit Jeremy, Elena's brother, and bit Elena on the shoulder. To top it off, Katherine pretended to be Elena at times. But after a while, Katherine stopped all together. That was when Klaus, a werewolf-vampire hybrid, came to town to find his doppelganger. Elena.

After Klaus came to town, we all did our best to keep him from Elena. We protected her. But when Damon was bitten by a werewolf, one of Elena's friends and Caroline's boyfriend, Tyler, now a hybrid that broke the Sire bond between him and Klaus, Stefan gave himself up to Klaus in exchange for the cure for his elder brother; Klaus' blood. So Damon survived, Klaus turned Stefan back into the Ripper, and Stefan was under Klaus' compulsion. He even compelled him to feed from and kill Elena. But his love for Elena was so strong that he told her to run and fought it. And then Klaus compelled him to turn his humanity off.

I should probably tell you that Klaus did kill Elena once, and killed her Aunt Jenna. Luckily, Damon's blood was in her system and she woke up, feeling fine. So after Jenna, whom I had been dating for a little while, was killed, I took over Elena and Jeremy Duty.

Sometime after we tried to kill Klaus and failed, and after Stefan was freed and slowly went back to his habit of hunting animals, Isobel came to Mystic Falls. A few nights later, I ran into her but she was later killed. After she was killed, we found out that Isobel had been part of Katherine's family, but Katherine didn't tell us how they were related.

Just last month, I found out that my ring is indeed special. If I die from a supernatural force or being, it will bring me back to life. And that all leads up to the present.

I stop by an alley, hearing something. I follow the sounds to a desolate street to see the scene. Klaus is walking away from Katherine. She lies on her side, dagger in her stomach, stake in her chest writhing in pain. Only one thing can make a vampire act like that; vervain.

I know what she has done in the past, but I have to help her. She's Damon and Stefan's Sire and Elena's descendant. Damon and Stefan may not care if she dies, but Elena does. So I'm doing this for Elena.

2. Damsel in Need

As I lay on the hard ground, I hear Klaus' footsteps as he walks away. Then he's gone. But the next thing I know, I hear someone racing towards me and I smell Alaric's scent.

A few minutes later, as my vision blurs, I vaguely hear Alaric after I feel the dagger come out.

"Katherine, hang in there. You're going to be okay."

I feel the stake come out, as I weaken.

"You'll live," he assures me.

He gently sits me up.

"Alaric," I greet.

I feel my wounds close up, but I'm still weak.

He helps me to my feet and I put a hand on his shoulder to keep from falling. I feel weak and light headed.

"Katherine, look at me," he says gently.

I do.

He gently puts hands on either side of my head. He then looks back at me.

"Focus, Katherine. Focus. Stay with me."

I can barely stand, as he tries to keep me awake. It's hard on my part. I'm starting to lose my senses. Usually, vervain doesn't make me feel this way. But I haven't had any for a month. My body isn't used to it anymore. I feel dizzy, unsteady, drained, and unfocused. All I want to do is close my eyes. I've been fighting one thing or another for 500 years. I'm tired of fighting.

"Alaric, I-" I start.

"Whatever you want to tell me, can probably wait until you're feeling better," he interrupts.

"No. Alaric, I can't. I feel…" I try.

I feel like I should tell him how I'm feeling.

"I don't feel well," I finally get out.

He lets go of me.

"I know. And I'm going to help you."

A moment later, I collapse to the ground, but he catches me with a hand between my shoulder blades, another hand behind my head, holding me up, as I start to lose it. And then he gently picks me up in his arms. I wrap my arms gently around his neck, as he starts walking, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Try to stay awake," he encourages me, as I try to fight, but know I'm losing the fight.

3. Revelations

I walk towards the Salvatore boarding house, which is lit up but silent. It looks silent, anyway. And I don't hear anything.

As I approach the door, I feel her losing consciousness.

"Damon, I need help," I say at a normal tone, knowing he'll hear me. "Katherine got vervained and staked by Klaus."

A moment later, he opens the door and I walk in. I then feel her grow limp in my arms.

"I'll get her upstairs, Ric," Damon says.

I let him take her from me and vanish up the stairs.

I close the door and walk over to his drinking table, pouring myself a glass of liquor. I guess I was wrong about Damon. He cares about her. It's just an act he puts on.

I take a sip from the shot glass.

A few minutes later, Damon comes down the stairs and heads over to me.

"Is she going to be okay?" I ask, remembering how she had looked.

"She'll live, as far as I know. But since when did you start caring?" he replies.

"Since she has been helping; and she's you and Elena's family, as much as you would love to block her from your family tree. And you weren't there. You didn't see what I saw," I answer him.

He raises an eyebrow.

"And what did I not see, Ric?"

"She was in pain. And she nearly died; again. I saved her life for the sake of her being Elena's and your family."

"What do you mean again? What do you know that you haven't told me?"

"I'm sorry that I kept it from you, but it's her past. I thought she should tell you, instead. I should probably start at the beginning."

I finish the glass and sit down on the couch. I then look at him where he is standing by his drinking table.

He looks at me, as I continue.

"She was born in Bulgaria in 1492, under the name of Katerina Petrova. She lived in a village and lived like any human. But then when she met Elijah at seventeen years old, he introduced her to Niklaus and Trevor. She was fond of Klaus, until she found out who she was to him and what he and his family are. She was his doppelganger. The day before he had to do the ritual, she ran for her life. Because Trevor loved her, he helped her run. He gave her a compass necklace and told her to show it to Rose. When Rose found out that Trevor wanted to save her, she argued with him over it. After Katerina failed to kill herself by cutting her wrists with a knife, she took the advantage of their distraction to hang herself. She had Rose's blood in her system when she died, and when she woke up, Trevor asked her why she did it and that he would've helped her escape. She told him he would've helped her run and that would never be enough. When Rose tried to kill her, she pushed the old woman whom owned the cabin, in front of her, and Rose staked her, instead. Katerina fed from her and then fled back to her Bulgaria village. But when she arrived, the villagers were dead; slaughtered. She ran to where she lived and found her uncle dead with a sword through him and her parents killed with their throats torn open. She wept over her mother before she fled to America. She hadn't escaped Klaus yet. And from there, she went to England before she came here. And that's when she met you two."

Damon turns to walk over to the fireplace.

He looks into the fire.

"Is it true, Ric? All of it?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because if it is, then that explains it; no wonder she knows so much about Klaus and doppelgangers. What have I done?"

"What do you mean? You haven't done anything," I say, not sure what he's talking about.

"Stefan and I always gave her a hard time. We thought she was playing games with us for fun. But maybe she wasn't. Maybe she was trying to keep us together and safe. I was the worst, because I loved her the most. And I still care. I understand now why she's so intent on keeping family safe and together, and why she's so terrified of Klaus."

"I think you're right. When she comes out of it, you two need to talk. So I need to go. It's getting late and I'm Elena's care taker. I need to make sure they're home and safe."

"Night, Ric," he says, as I close the front door behind me and walk the route to the Gilbert house.

4. Thank You

When I head downstairs that morning, Katherine's at the bar in the kitchen. She's sipping a wine glass of red wine.

I enter the kitchen and sit at her left on a bar stool.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, but what are you doing here?" I ask her.

"I came to see you. I heard that you told Damon."

"Yes. I hope that wasn't a mistake."

"It wasn't. I just came by to thank you for that, and for what you did for me last night. I think I owe you one after that."

"You don't owe me anything, Katherine. I did it for Elena. Don't make me regret it."

"Keep telling yourself that, Alaric. But I think you're starting to care. And it scares you that you're starting to care for a vampire like me. Because you know what others think of me."

As she speaks, I know she's right.