01: Prologue

Chapter song- Bad Blood; Bastille

Lifting the sparkling glass of champagne to her lips, Katherine smiled as she took a small sip, aware that when she lowered it, there would be crimson lipstick on the rim. Like blood, she thought, and felt the familiar prick of fangs in her mouth, although she quickly forced them down again.

Blood lust was rarely something she indulged in anymore. To be fair, she had never been addicted- she had seen first-hand what the thirst for human blood could do to a person. No, she was far too clever to fall into that particular trap.

The party- her party- was in full swing, and it was difficult to believe that the person she was just a few short years ago had created this. The Katherine she remembered danced all over the world, too scared of her own shadow to even think about turning back. Someone touched her shoulder briefly and she turned on one silver stiletto to greet the witch with a smile, revelling in the feel of the champagne silk gown she was wearing and its slide over her legs.

"You've done well," Maya said, the folds of her purple silk gown shimmering as she moved to embrace Katherine. No one would think, looking at her now that she had been a broken, feral thing, just a year ago. She was the closest thing to family Katherine had.

Handing the barely touched champagne to a passing waiter, Katherine nabbed a sugared strawberry off the silver refreshments plate, smirking at the curly headed man across the room as she bit into it. Beside her, Maya groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Seriously?" She asked, green eyes flashing as Katherine turned to her with a smile.

"God, it's not like I'm sleeping with him," and she wasn't. Nathan wasn't even remotely attracted to her, although he did have a few lingering feelings for the witch standing beside her, if Katherine's instincts were right.

"I'll have you know," Katherine began, biting back a laugh, "We just happen to have an extremely unconventional friendship."

Maya raised an eyebrow at her and smiled, the ghost of a smile touching her lips. "Well, bedroom eyes at a formal event such as this are impolite, and you know that as well as I do, Miss Pierce."

Katherine's smirk returned full force, widening into a smile. "And when have I ever cared about propriety?" She bit back, turning to walk away with the soft sound of Maya's laughter following her.


"Do a speech!" Someone called from the centre of the ballroom, and she squinted to find the werewolf Piper, beaming at her with her glass held aloft in mock salute. The crowd gathered seemed to agree, and Katherine raised an eyebrow before sighing and beginning to walk to the centre of the marbled ballroom, aided by a few helpful shoves from Nathan and Maya. She took one look at the glittering chandeliers before her, the strings of their diamonds gleaming, drew a deep breath, and began.

"Only a few years ago," She started as a hush fell over the gleaming room, "I thought I was irrevocably broken. I was so tired of running, so tired I contemplated taking off my daylight necklace and burning before Klaus could reach me. My story is not unique, and this is something all of you know so much better than anyone else. You have all experienced loss because of him, and we have all decided not to take this any longer. All of you have found me; through some contacts, through some other means. Together, we are the largest-group; pack; coven of supernatural beings to exist, but to each other, we are so much more. We've found something many of us believed to be taken away from us forever- and that is family. So thank you all."

Katherine took in the appreciative faces surrounding her, the smiles that told her that everyone there knew exactly what she was talking about, and beamed. Klaus had taken everything from her, but he would not take this, she told herself firmly. She would not let him.

"You look gorgeous," George said from behind her, and she thanked him quietly. He was a little older, by around 50 years, and had come into contact with her after Klaus ripped apart him entire town and turned him to serve his family. Apparently, he had served at the very manor where she had been trapped, and had ultimately, met her end.

"Aren't you worried for us?" She asked, feeling the familiar clink of her diamond ring as she shifted her fingers on the stem of her glass. "Aren't you worried," She repeated, "That he is coming for us?"

"Always," He confessed, the smooth stone of his face twisting slightly as he frowned. "But I believe we have the means to destroy him."

"We have the cure, yes, we have an army, but his is not the honourable way. He will not meet us out in the open."

Almost like clockwork, Nathan appeared before her, smile at the ready.

"Great speech up there," He said, taking in the slight frown at her forehead.

"Thank you."

"It was so cheesy I wanted to kill myself."

"Shut up," Katherine hit him with the back of her hand, ring finger connecting with his chest.

He caught her finger and looked at the gleaming stone on it, twisting it. "You never told us why you wear that thing. It's not a daylight ring, I know that. It looks like…a wedding ring."

"I made some bad decisions a couple of years ago," She said cryptically, "Now why are you over here bothering me?"

"I was looking for Maya." Katherine poked him in the arm, a knowing- if condescending- smile on her face as the witch strode through the double doors at the end of the ballroom, a heavy frown on her face.

Nathan stepped forward before the brunette reached Katherine. "Are witches always this moody?"

Maya rolled her eyes and neatly sidestepped him, causing Katherine to let out a slight snicker.

"There's someone at the doors insisting on seeing you, Katherine, and the guards could not deter him."

Katherine turned to the doors, smile at the ready, waving off Maya's concern.

"I'm sure it's nothing."

"You don't understand- he had a crest on his ring finger. He-"

An ominous hush cloaked the room, as the rest of its occupants turned to the doors, before a smattering of whispering broke out. Katherine kept her smile firmly in place and tried not to think about who it could be.

"What is he doing here?-"

"Do you think Klaus sent him?"
"Oh my god…"

Her eyes widened the slightest bit as he walked towards her, enough for him to have noticed, with his supernatural senses. It didn't feel like real life, she thought, as the clean cut figure in a suit she had dreamt about for so long strode towards her.

She rotated back to Maya slowly, the barest hint of a smile playing on her lips.

"It appears that my husband has returned," Katherine said slowly, twisting the diamond ring around her finger.


a/n: Okay, so this is a new story. I originally planned it to be around 15 chapters, and then realized I can't commit for that long, so it should be around 5-10 chapters. It will be Kalijah, and it will have OCs as well. This is also the most ridiculously cliched story I've ever written, and hopefully I'll enjoy writing it, but updates will probably be slow and sporadic :(

katherine and maya's outfits can be found at tagged/NODIB

please review because it keeps me motivated and helps me to make the story better, than you so much! :D