A/N: As usual I don't own Vampire Diaries or any canon characters. Sorry that it's been longer between updates, I got hit by a nasty flu bug last weekend and it put me behind on all writing projects. On the plus side the new book is continuing to coming along well, just over 60K words so far.

Jeremy had thought that dying would relieve him of all of his cares, remove all of his problems, simple things up that had gotten too complicated. Being a vampire was supposed to be this amazing, powerful, life altering thing. But all he could think about, as he stumbled into his kitchen, was that he felt like total dogshit.

Thank god they hadn't gotten to the point of stripping him out of his street clothes in the morgue, or it would have made for one hell of an uncomfortable walk home. His head was pounding, eyes watering from behind the dark glasses he'd stolen from the hospital gift shop for the walk back home through the fading daylight. Everything was sore, his arms and legs, his feet, his teeth, hell, even his hair felt sore. What kind of bullshit was this? Where were the heightened senses? The strength and enhanced reflexes? If he'd wanted to feel like this, all he had to do was drink too much tequila on an empty stomach, and he wouldn't have had to die to do it.

Maybe he hadn't really died at all? The thought came to him as he caught his reflection in the microwave. Maybe he'd just passed out and they'd taken him to the wrong part of the hospital and accidentally shut him away in the cooler? If that was the case, they were going to have one hell of a lawsuit on their hands, he could have died in there without any air… But he hadn't.

A minute passed on the microwave timer and Jeremy held his breath. He'd never been able to hold his breath for shit before, and he'd taken a beating for it in gym class when he'd been roped into a game of water polo by Tyler. Not that Tyler needed a reason to lay into him, but it was a well known fact, Jeremy Gilbert just wasn't the athletic type. And that had been fine with him. More than fine. For years he'd been content to be on the outside of the "cool kid" clique, most of those guys were total assholes anyway, not the type of people he would have sought out as friends in the first place.

Another minute went by on the microwave timer. Jeremy's head tilted for a moment, his eyes closing halfway as he concentrated on listening for movement in the house. It sounded like there was someone moving around upstairs, maybe Elena or Jenna, it wasn't anyone heavy that was for sure. Maybe his hearing was a little sharper than normal, but it was hard to get a definitive answer.

Another minute went by on the microwave timer. His stomach growled uncomfortably, bringing a scowl to his lips. He was pretty sure that vampires didn't get rumbly tummies… in fact he was certain of it. The burning feeling in his stomach suddenly crystalized into a recognizable phenomenon.

He was starving.

It had been more than twenty-four hours since he'd eaten anything after all, and he moved from his spot in front of the microwave to open the fridge, standing in the open door while he scanned the contents with dissatisfaction. Nothing sounded good, even though he was painfully hungry now, nearly doubling over as another spasm went through him.

Another minute went by on the microwave timer. Finally his eyes lit upon a plastic wrapped package on the bottom shelf and he pulled it out, fingers digging reflexively into the thin plastic barrier to tear it open. The aroma was… incredible, and he instantly felt his mouth start to water at the sight of the raw meat. Thinly sliced strips of beef steak, all ready to go for stir-fry glistened appetizingly under the harsh kitchen light. Jenna was probably saving it for something, but he didn't care. Setting it on the counter, he retrieved a large frying pan from the cupboard and put it on the stove.

Another minute went by on the microwave timer. Jeremy turned the stove on high, not wanting to wait a minute longer than he needed to for the meat to be ready, but as he reached for the package of steak, he couldn't bring himself to throw it in the frying pan. His hand hung in the air, strips of raw meat dangling from between his fingers as they hovered over the pan that was now starting to smoke a little from the high heat.

Another minute went by on the microwave timer. A fat, red, droplet of blood gathered on the end of his finger, and Jeremy watched, fascinated, as it swelled to pregnant perfection before falling to hiss against the hot frying pan, disappearing. Unable to resist the impulse any longer, he crammed the gobbets of uncooked meat into his mouth, as fast as he could, his senses on overload as he tried to feed the fire that was burning in his belly. There wasn't any sense of revulsion like he would have thought there would be, only the sharp hunger that would not be abated, no matter how furiously he chewed and swallowed.

Only after the last of it was gone, his fingers sucked clean, did he stop to realize that he still wasn't breathing. And the hunger remained.

*** back from commercial***

"Sweet Jesus…" The empty glass of juice fell from Bonnie's nerveless fingers as she came upon Jeremy standing in the kitchen.

"No, just me." Jeremy smirked, moving to the sink to wash his hands, not wanting her to see the blood crusted under his fingernails.

"But you're… Elena said that you were dead!" She gasped, taking a step or two closer to him but then halting, her face clouding with suspicion.

"Well obviously I'm not." He scowled then, pressing a dishtowel to his face and then drying his hands.

"Have you talked to her? She's gonna want to see you, they went down to the hospital to get you I thought." Bonnie dug into her back pocket for her phone, pulling up Elena on speed dial.

"Sorry no. Contrary to popular belief, the world does not revolve around my sister." The scowl remained fixed on his face, she wasn't even really his sister, was she?

Bonnie's head came up in surprise, he'd always been moody before but this… "I'm just gonna give her a call. I'm ah… glad you're okay." She nodded, nervously, stepping out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Ugh, he couldn't get any peace and quiet in his own home. Case in point when the kitchen door opened, and Elena stood there on the back porch staring stupidly at him.

She stood at the kitchen door, face contorted with rage that was instantly replaced with one of surprise, her lips pursed speculatively as she stared at him across the threshold.

"Yeah… so?" Jeremy stared back at her, more than a little annoyed by the expression on her face. He hadn't forgiven her, not by a longshot and truth be told in his current mood he was just spoiling for a good argument.

"Jeremy…" Her head tilted to one side as she continued to study him. "You look, different. Special."

"Yeah, not being dead will do that for a guy." He returned sourly, about to turn away and head upstairs when something about her expression struck him as… off. Slowly he approached the rear door, watching her as she watched him. "Something wrong?"

"Several things actually." She replied simply, and did not elaborate further. "How are you feeling, Jer?"

"Pretty shitty Sis, thanks for asking." Something was definitely off. Why wasn't she coming in? And why was she staring at him like that? Operating on instinct, he closed his eyes, gathering the stillness around him, he extended his senses… and met a big fat nothing. His eyes popped open again, he should be able to hear something from her, shoudln't he? But she was completely and unnaturally still, no rise and fall of the chest, no shifting her stance, not blinking, swallowing, nothing. "You're not my sister… are you?" He breathed.

"Good call, you're smarter than you look." Katherine smirked. "Although technically she's not either, is she? Your sister I mean."

"You're that Katherine, the one I read about in Elena's diary, the one who turned the Salvatores." It was a statement, not a question. If it was true she was hundred of years old, and she could kill him with her pinky finger. Instead of repelling him, he moved a step closer to her, and then another.

"In the flesh." She confirmed with a sultry smile, running her hands over her curves and smoothing out her top.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, feeling emboldened by the barrier than kept her out of the house.

"What do you think I'm doing here?" She countered, leaning against the doorjamb, her face very close to his, with only the invisible wall and a few inches of air between them.

"I'd say…" He paused to think it over for a moment. "That you're here to kill Elena, or maybe just stick her someplace out of the way. Then you can take her place, maybe pit the Salvatore brothers against each other, whatever would cause the most chaos." It's what he would do if he was in her shoes.

"I'm impressed, that does sound like me." Katherine allowed, her hand moving across the invisible barrier, testing it almost like a tangible blockade for any weaknesses. "But you're completely off base."

"I am?" Jeremy scoffed, not sure if he could take her at her word. "You're not here for Elena?"

Katherine trained those dark, fathomless eyes upon him then, the hint of a smile tilting her lips. "Don't be silly, I'm here for you."

*** back from commercial break***

Elena ran up the front steps, not bothering to wait for Alaric to catch up with her. "Jeremy?" She called out as soon as she breached the front door. "Jer?"

Alaric had to jog to catch up, pausing just inside the doorway beside her. "I'm gonna go upstairs and check on Jenna, okay?"

"What? Yeah, of course, you go right ahead." She nodded distractedly, moving deeper into the house. "Bonnie? Jeremy? Where are you guys?"

"In here…" Came Jeremy's voice from the kitchen and Elena all but wept for joy at hearing his familiar voice.

"Jeremy, thank God you're here, we went to the hospital to get you but you'd already…" Elena froze in the kitchen doorway, unable to form a verbal response at what she found inside. Bonnie sat motionless at the kitchen table, a blank expression on her face with no sign of recognition that she'd noticed Elena's entrance. Jeremy stood by the sink looking pale but alive… and right next to Katherine.

"Hello Elena." Katherine smiled pleasantly, and Elena was struck with the strangest, most surreal feeling at finally being face to face with the woman who had started all of this so long ago.

"Jeremy… come here to me." Elena breathed, finally finding her voice, all she could think about was getting her brother away from her.

"I don't think so." Jeremy replied, his voice curiously devoid of emotion. "I think I'm right where I want to be."

Oh god… could this get any worse? "Whatever she told you, I promise it's a lie." Elena tried again.

"You know all about lies, don't you Sis? You've had plenty of practice lying to me all year long haven't you?" He spat out bitterly, and she could see the hurt behind his anger.

"Jer… you know I'm sorry about that, about a lot of things that happened this past year. But I'm still your sister, we're still a family and we need to stick together. Whatever deal she might have proposed might sound like a good plan, but you can't trust her."

"Which one do you want to be today, the pot or the kettle?" Katherine tilted her head to one side. "We both know you just want what's best for your little world Elena, and if anyone gets hurt in the process? Well that just wasn't your fault was it? It's never poor sweet Elena's fault." She added in a singsong voice.

"Stay out of this, it has nothing to do with you!" Elena's eyes flashed in anger.

"Ouch, I must have hit a nerve there don't you think Jer?" Katherine draped an arm casually around Jeremy's shoudlers.

"I'm not the one who's causing everyone pain." Elena retorted.

"No? Think about it Elena. Look at poor Bonnie there, and Caroline, what about all the pain she suffered at the hands of Damon? And Aunt Jenna upstairs drugged into a stupor because she can't handle everything that's going on. And Vicki, what about her? And then there's your dear dead parents, do I need to go on?" Katherine's eyes glittered cruelly.

"I didn't do anything to any of them!" Elena's eyes flew wide at the accusation, tears threatening.

"Oh but you did. If it wasn't for you the Salvatores wouldn't have set up shop here in town again, and none of this would have happened. Do you deny it?"

Elena stared back at her in shocked silence. Was she right? Was she truly to blame for all of this?

"Don't forget about Jeremy here." Katherine pressed her advantage, twisting the knife. "In so much pain, losing all the people he could count on, one after the other. But you couldn't see it could you? Didn't want to see it, you were too wrapped up in your own life until he was forced to take his own life."

"It wasn't like that. Jeremy you know that I love you, I've tried to get you to talk to me so many times, but you closed yourself off to me."

"Oh so now this is my fault?" Jeremy scoffed.

"She's twisting everything around, please… just think this through. You can't trust her, she just wants to break this family apart."

"You've already done that Elena." Jeremy returned coldly. "She doesn't treat me like a child, as if what I have to say doesn't matter."

"Jer, I don't think your opinion doesn't matter…" Elena tried to interrupt him but he plowed on.

"No, I'm sick of it Elena. Sick of all the secrets. She's going to help me, tell me everything I need to know about my new life. How to be powerful and strong, and best of all, how to make eveyrthing else go away."

Elena blanched, unable to process what he was saying for a moment. Jeremy was actually joining forces with Katherine? "Don't be stupid, you don't know what she's capable of." She took a step towards him, intending to rip her brother away from her bodily if she had to.

"You don't know what I'm capable of." Jeremy growled reaching for Elena's throat as he shot forward, pinning her to the wall.

Her eyes flew wide and she scrabbled at his hand, trying to dislodge it and pull in a breath.

"That's a good boy." Katherine purred at Jeremy's side, her lips brushing light over his ear.

Feedback is love people