Previously on ATCL: '…her eyes rolled back into her head and her legs gave out, sending her straight to the floor.'
Upon hearing her last words, Elijah flashed over to her prone form and attempted to wake the limp woman. "Katerina? Katerina, I insist you wake up." He received no response. Sighing, he tried a different tactic. "Rebekah! Niklaus!" He shouted a few times. Soon the sounds of doors and footsteps brought his brother and sister to his office, both clearly unhappy at being awoken.
"What the hell is going o— Oof!" Klaus stumbled forward as a half-asleep Caroline collided with his back.
"Sorry!" She squeaked, sidestepping him. "I heard shouting!" Caroline shook herself awake, disheveled. "What's going on?"
"I was attempting to ask th—" It seemed that Klaus was destined to be eternally interrupted, for at that moment Rebekah noticed Katherine on the floor and rushed over.
"Elijah, what happened?!" His sister knelt down beside him.
"Oh my god, Katherine!" Caroline gasped, taking residence at Rebekah's side.
"We were talking, and shortly after she stood, she collapsed." Elijah said, running his eyes over his love's form, praying that she would wake up.
"Did she complain of anything? What were her symptoms?" Caroline asked frantically, attempting to determine the situation.
"She complained of a pain in her left shoulder and arm. And when she stood she was dizzy." The eldest Original rattled off.
"Anything else?" The blonde snapped, heart sinking. She had idea of where this was going.
"She told me this morning that she has felt nauseated for the past few days, but I didn't think anything of it." Rebekah piped up.
"Call an ambulance." The youngest vampire said immediately, standing up. The Mikaelsons just looked at her, confused. "She hasn't just fainted, damn it!" Caroline scanned the room for a phone before noticing Katherine's on the chair. She snatched it up and started dialing. "Are you three so out-of-touch with humans that you can't even comprehend the fact that Katherine is most likely dying on the floor!" Elijah paled significantly, and looked from Caroline, to his sister, to Katherine. She was dying, and he had no idea. "Operator?" Caroline paced the room. "My friend just had a heart attack, and now she's unconscious. How do I know that? She complained of pain in her shoulder and dizziness! No, no chest… Look! I am well-educated on the different heart attack symptoms, and I know exactly what I am talking about! Now can you just get here before my friend dies! Thank you." She gave the address of the manor, before closing the phone and sitting down, wringing her hands. "They'll be here soon. All we can do is wait now."
"How did you know, sweetheart?" Klaus asked, taking a seat by the girl, attempting to comfort her.
"I had nothing to do this summer, so I spent the majority of it reading and really just talking to people in the long-term wing at the hospital. I found out about the program from this person my mom works with. Honestly, it wasn't as boring as it sounds. The people I met really didn't have any family that could be there in the day, and lot of them were elderly, and I kind of enjoyed it." She shrugged. "Anyways, I had to take this class, and I learned how to identify heart attacks and strokes and things like that, just in case something happened while I was in the room, you know?"
"And Katherine has all the symptoms?" Klaus questioned. He did not exactly care whether or not Katerina Petrova lived or died, but she was important to Caroline and his siblings. Therefore, he could at least try to be civil about this situation.
Caroline nodded, shoulders shaking. Her gaze wandered to her motionless friend, surrounded by Elijah and Rebekah, and tears started to fill her eyes. "H-her time's running out, isn't it? I mean, she had like three months at best before we came down here. It's been half that."
"I think it might be." He attempted to be gentle with her emotions, and dared to rub her back. Caroline simply nodded and put her face in her hands, waiting. All they could do was wait.
When the paramedics finally arrived, everything was a blur. The manor lawn was washed in red and blue, the whine of the siren cancelling all other noise. A team of EMT's rushed in the house and up the stairs, the three Mikaelsons and Caroline stood to the side as they loaded the startlingly frail Katherine Pierce onto a stretcher, and fitted her with a breathing apparatus before taking her down the stairs and to the ambulance.
"Does anyone want to ride with her?" One of the paramedics had asked as they all stood out in the dewy lawn. Everyone looked at Caroline, as she was easily the most familiar with modern medical technology, but she shook her head.
"You should go." She said to Elijah, who blanched. "You were with her when it happened, and you're the only person she would really even want with her. We'll be right behind you." He simply nodded and followed the EMT's into the ambulance, and they drove off, lights cutting into the darkness.
Not thirty minutes later, Klaus, Rebekah, and Caroline were rushing into the emergency room. They had stayed at the manor long enough to dress and inform Bonnie—who opted to stay with Hayley and look for a possible spell with Kol—of the situation before leaving. Klaus had known not to argue with two volatile women when they said that he absolutely had to go with them, and they had all piled into his car. Upon arrival they found Elijah pacing the busy waiting room, looking extraordinarily disheveled. Then again, he was simply missing his suit jacket and his tie was loosened, but that counted as extremely unkempt for him.
"Any news?" Rebekah had asked, practically falling into a seat.
"None." He said. Turning to Caroline, he asked "How long do these things normally take?"
She arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You three really have no clue on the matters of humans, do you?"
"Well, we haven't exactly had reason to visit the hospital in the past thousand years, now have we?" Klaus retorted.
"I just thought one of you would have like…grown bored or something and taken a real job. With people." Rebekah gave her a distasteful look. "Whatever." Caroline huffed at the elitism. "Anyways, sometimes this can take hours, sometimes it is just a few minutes. It all really depends, I guess."
"Hours?" Rebekah groaned. "But these people are sick… That man over there looks like he's dying, for god's sake!"
"Yeah, but there's also high risk people like Katherine—not to mention everyone already staying here—that need the attention of the doctors first." The blonde vampire shrugged, running a hand through her hair. "It's just how it works. The system kind of sucks, but they're doing all they can, okay? Some of these people work twenty-four hour shifts, and just trust me with the fact that they're going to do their jobs."
"You care about them. All of them." Klaus noticed, really for the first time.
"Of course I do." Caroline said as if it was obvious.
"But they're just people. They live short, insignificant, lives. Why care about someone who has only a few decades left?" Klaus was genuinely interested as to what she would say. He had given up on caring for the human race centuries ago; he truly did not give a damn anymore.
"Yes. They're people. And they do live short lives compared to us." Caroline agreed. "But it is because they have such a short lifetime that they are precious." She sighed. "I mean… I'm not saying that we should all go on the bunny diet and be vegan vampires or anything. And I get that we're a form of population control. Just… About a year ago I was one of these insignificant little human beings, meandering about my life with no idea of how scary the world actually was." Caroline leaned back in the chair. "I don't want to hurt those that have such limited time on the earth, you know? Maybe that will change in a thousand years or so, but it's how I see the world right now." Klaus simply nodded, not really agreeing with her, but understanding her point of view, and everyone fell into silence.
Almost two hours later, they were all getting antsy. Rebekah had long ago started compelling information out of the nurses, but other than one time when they discovered Katherine was with a team of doctors, they had received nothing. Elijah had not ceased his pacing since they arrived; every time one of the group attempted to get him to sit down, he simply shook them off and continued with his restlessness. Caroline spent her time texting Bonnie, who went looking in some of the grimoires she had packed for a spell that could even just slow down Katherine's condition. Klaus had gone to sleep, Caroline's feet propped in his lap.
"Mikaelson?" A man asked, causing all four people to look at the new person-Klaus albeit grumpily awoken. It was a young doctor clutching a clipboard.
"Yes?" Elijah finally stopped his pacing.
"I'm here about Katherine Pierce." He said.
"And? How is she?" Caroline swung her feet onto the floor.
"She has been stabilized, but is still currently unconscious. We've moved her to a room and will be keeping her overnight, but as we cannot determine the cause of her heart failure, we will be placing her on a strict regimen of medication and sending her home in the morning-assuming she wakes up, of course." The doctor continued. "Unfortunately visiting hours are over, and as none of you are fam—"
Elijah walked to the doctor and compelled, "You gladly will take us to the room housing Katherine Pierce immediately and you will not question us. The number of people will not be a problem." The doctor repeated the words back, and with a smile on his face, asked for the group to follow him.
Whomever said hospitals were not a daunting place had clearly never been in one. With its blank tangle of hallways and the stench of bleach and sterilization permeating the air—not to mention the coppery smell of blood mixed within—this place was like hell on earth for the group of vampires. As they walked past the rooms, their heightened hearing picked up the whimpers and moans of pain, the incessant whirring of machines, and the cries of newborn babies. Life began and ended in such a building. What a circle of life.
Finally the young doctor stopped at a room, and a card with the name K. Pierce rested in the slot.
Elijah was the first to enter, and it was a shocking sight for the Mikaelsons. Other than the few times that Klaus had taken blood from Elena—and that had all been set up by a compelled nurse, because he was utterly clueless on the subject—the three were basically ignorant when it came to the petty customs of humans. It was to be expected after all. They had grown up in a raw and hard time, and lived in the lap of luxury while the world changed around them. They fit in well with the humans, yes. But things like this—mundane things people would just accept as a part of life—were not relevant to their elevated status. So, the sight of a person they all had seen awake and...smirking merely hours before, now pale and motionless, hooked up to a bunch of machines in a terrible looking gown, was a shocking sight. Katherine's situation was now made more real to all present.
After standing around in an awkward silence for a few minutes—Elijah had taken residence in the chair right beside the bed, Rebekah and Caroline sitting in the farther ones—Klaus broke it. "Considering it is almost four in the morning and I have had roughly two hours of sleep, I am going to go find some tea or coffee or whatever they offer in these types of places to wake me up. Does anyone want anything, or will this be a purely selfish venture?"
"Can you bring me back a cup of coffee? Extra sugar, if they have it, please." Caroline asked, meeting his eyes, receiving a nod and smile in response.
"Sure, Nik. You know how I like mine." Rebekah nodded.
"Brother?" Klaus asked, but received no answer, his brother focused on the occupant of the bed. He shrugged, nodded to the ladies, and left in search of the magic liquid they call coffee.
About ten minutes after Klaus left the room, Katherine stirred for a moment, calmed down, and then opened her eyes. Slowly becoming more aware, she laid there for a moment, studying the unfamiliar ceiling above. She certainly wasn't at the manor anymore. Looking around, the first thing she saw was an extremely rumpled Elijah sitting next to her bedside, chin resting on his folded hands as he stared at a random spot on her bed.
"Elijah?" She croaked, internally wincing at how terrible she sounded. Hopefully that was temporary.
"Katerina?" He shot up, moving to kneel at her bedside. Elijah handed her a glass of water which she sipped and handed back. On the other side of the room, Caroline and Rebekah ceased their whispered conversation and paid attention to their companions.
"Where the hell am I? And what happened?" Katherine feebly attempted to sit up, but he signaled for her to stay laying down with a brief but firm touch on her forearm. "We were talking, and… I don't remember anything else."
"You are at the hospital." He explained gently, his eyes filled with pain and worry. "Katerina, you collapsed and fell unconscious after you stood up. Caroline recognized your symptoms as cardiac arrest, and we rushed you here."
She grasped his hand and squeezed lightly. Katherine could see the distress he had been in. The last time he looked this terrible was when they had received word of Kol's death. "How long was I out?"
"A few hours. Nothing more." She nodded weakly.
"I want to go back to the manor." Katherine whispered.
"Katerina, they will release you tomorrow morning. You should stay here." Elijah cautioned, seeing where this was going.
"And I don't want to stay here overnight. The sheets are scratchy and whatever they've got me plugged into hurts and this thing I'm wearing is a disgrace to clothing everywhere. I want to go back to the manor." The brunette whined, getting a snicker from Caroline. She was clearly still herself.
"Katerina, if I must I will make you stay here by any means necessary."
"Elijah, if you try that then I'll rip this tube thingy out of my arm and have Team Goldilocks carry me out." Her threat—as the woman was currently extremely pale and fighting to stay awake—was borderline ridiculous. However, she was someone who was known to go through with her threats, no matter how absurd.
"I am supposed to expect my sister to willingly help you walk out of here mere hours after having a heart attack because you dislike it and I wish for you to stay?" Elijah asked, though mainly directing his question at his sister.
"Chicks before dicks, brother. Chicks before dicks." Rebekah managed to keep a completely straight face as she attempted to lighten up the room, though Caroline fell into peals of giggles.
"I can't believe you actually said that!" The latter laughed. "And to him!"
"I've been dying to for days." Rebekah joined in the mirth.
Katherine looked over at the two laughing blondes and sighed indignantly. "How I put up with those two, I will never know." She croaked, turning to Elijah. "Now that you're completely outnumbered, and the fact that I am leaving this horrendous place one way or another has been established, can you please call a nurse to discharge me?" She smiled sweetly before motioning for more water, which she was quickly given.
"You are being ridiculous, Katerina." Elijah reprimanded, only half-meaning it.
"I know." She attempted to smirk. "But you said they were going to release me in the morning anyways. Technically it's the morning somewhere in the world."
The Original sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before giving in. "You will be on complete bedrest. And I do mean complete."
Katherine rolled her eyes. That did not sound pleasant at all. "Fine."
"And you will adhere to the dietary and medication outlines they give us down to the letter."
"Alright…" She sighed. There goes the fun food. Wait… "But chocolate-covered strawberries!" If anyone could sound irritated about the thought of not being able to eat her favorite food roughly three hours after she had a heart attack, it would be Katherine Pierce. She may be feeble, but she was fierce.
"You've already agreed, dear. If it's not in the plan, then it is not allowed." He smirked.
"Damn you." The human pouted.
-0-0-0-0-0-
It had been three days since Katherine was whisked home from the hospital, and she was miserable. Bedrest was driving her crazy, and therefore everyone else. It could never be said that Katherine Pierce was not a proponent for the 'if I go down, I'm dragging you with me' concept. It turned out that a heart attack surviving and completely bedridden Katherine was almost as needy as Hayley the pregnant wolf was, so that was another thing for the household to deal with.
Thankfully Rebekah and Caroline had stepped up and either spent most of their days sitting with Katherine, or assisting Bonnie—and her invisible helping fairy Kol—in their search for the correct grimoire that held the counter-spell to the cure. Bonnie remembered having it at one point, so after calling Elena and having her, Damon, Stefan, and Jeremy box up her huge collection of grimoires—both the Bennett and Martin collections were included, which made for a very large pile of books—and ship them all to New Orleans, they were currently in the process of looking for the one spell that she thought was the correct one. Needless to say, it was a tedious and time-consuming process, the latter of which they were running out of. Davina was ready to do the spell; both Bonnie and Kol were sure of it. After a month or so under their combined tutelage, she was determined and ready to tackle whatever they gave her. It was just getting the spell to the witch in the first place that was the issue.
Caroline walked up the stairs with a tray for Katherine's lunch, hoping she would be awake and they could talk for a bit. It was just her, Elijah, and Katherine in the house: Klaus was having one of his 'I'm pretending to enjoy your company so I can take over your kingdom' meetings with Marcel after an all-morning combat training session with the hybrid pack; Rebekah was taking Hayley to another doctor's appointment, and judging by the look on Rebekah's face, her Original friend would be heading to the fro-yo place for a sugar high as soon as she dropped the werewolf off; and Bonnie had gone to Davina's to see if the girl had done her homework or whatever… Something about another spell.
Nudging open Katherine's door with her hip, she turned around to see the brunette in a fitful dream, thrashing about, sheets tangled. Setting the tray down on the dresser, she moved to the side of the bed, shaking Katherine, but she would not come out of it. Attempting this a couple more times, Caroline sighed and called for Elijah. When he appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, she stepped to the side.
"She was like this when I came in. I've tried to wake her up but it just didn't work!" Caroline said.
"I will handle this, Caroline. Thank you." Elijah said, gently directing the blonde towards the door. She sighed, gave up, and handed the reigns over to him.
Elijah turned to the still-dreaming Katherine and shook her gently, before whispering, "Катерина, трябва да се събуди." (Katerina, you must wake up). She calmed almost instantly at his words, though Elijah could still see the worry and anguish etched on her face. When he shook her this time, her eyes opened and she sat up, blinking sluggishly. "Was it…" He trailed off, pulling up a chair as he spoke.
"Yes." Katherine said simply, fixing her blankets.
"I see."
She rolled her eyes yawning. "Oh, for god's sake stop with the pity party. It was too long ago to feel sorry about now. I want to feel happy in the midst of my current situation."
"And how do you propose we accomplish that?" Elijah asked, wary of that particular glint in her eye. It always signaled mischief.
"Show me a childhood memory or two or yours!" Katherine smiled, still very weak after her hospital visit.
"Katerina…"
She smirked and bit her lip. "Oh come on. I'll show you mine if you show me yours..." The pretty doppelganger enticed.
"What brought this sudden desire of yours on?" Elijah reclined in his chair, crossing his legs.
Katherine rolled over so she was laying on her side, one hand propping up her head while the other lay across her stomach. "We've done this before, you know. Don't be so pouty at the prospect."
"Yes…" He thought back the various times he had let her into a memory of his and vice versa. They were not exactly PG-rated moments, one could say.
"Okay then." She shifted slightly. "I want to see how utterly adorable and mischievous you were as a kid because—let's face it—you weren't born with the suit on." Katherine laughed as he shook his head, eyebrow arched at her antics. "And in return you get to see little tiny me, thoroughly corrupting her younger siblings by teaching them to sneak desserts before dinner and how to avoid our evil tutor."
"You are ridiculous, Katerina." The corners of his mouth rose in a half-smile. "However, I will give in this time. Merely because I want to see how utterly terrible you were at becoming a proper lady."
"I was a fabulously proper lady." She insisted. He gave her an amused look, causing her to roll her eyes. "In my own way." She sat up and scooted over, patting the spot beside her. "Well, you can't get into my head from there, now can you?" Katherine asked impatiently. "I'm bored and this will be fun, so let's get to it!"
Elijah stood and toed off his shoes before he divested himself of his jacket. Getting rid of the tie, he dropped the unnecessary garments on the chair before sliding in beside the unwillingly weak woman. He could see how much her condition was affecting her mentally. Even in 1492 she was strong and fierce. His Katerina had always had a fire about her-the Petrova fire, as she called it. She shared this attribute with Tatia. But Katerina… She had a grace about her that Tatia never possessed. Katerina was elegant like a lady should be, yet wild and free. She was a breath of fresh air to him. He loved her tender sides; that much would always be true. Yet, the darker parts of his being demanded her other half. Elijah's wrathful side yearned for the dark angel which styled herself as Katherine Pierce. It was why they were marvelous together. His entire person called out to the whole Katerina: both the sweet girl and the deadly woman.
Now, it was as if she attempting to be that person, and simply could not reach her goal. Katerina hid her struggles very well, but not to him. Never to him. He knew every emotion on her face, every moment of her body language, as if it was his own, and he knew she was the same with him. "Are you up for this, Katerina?" Elijah studied her.
She nodded. "Yes, I am. I need a bit of fun in my all-too-boring life, after all. Bedrest annoys me." Katherine pouted. "I'll just nap after this, and that'll solve any tiredness problems."
Agreeing with her judgment—for she knew her body better than any other—he gave her a short nod before scooting over. Elijah touched her temples and Katherine's eyes fluttered closed at the contact. Thinking of the particular memory he wanted to give her, he closed his eyes, and projected the scene he wanted to give her.
Elijah traipsed through the woods near his home, a train of siblings trailing behind. Mother was at the birthing time, and Ayanna had shoved him and the rest out the door, telling them to stay away. Feeling a tug on his shirt, he looked down at his little sister: she was nearing four winters old, constantly tripped over her dresses, and was always asking for flowers in her hair.
"Yes Bekah?" The twelve-year old asked. She simply raised her arms in response, whimpering. "No. Father says you're a big girl now and should walk." The little girl just pouted and stomped her foot before sidling up to Niklaus.
"Why did we have to leave again?" Kol complained. He threw a nut at Bekah but missed, which caused her to stick her tongue out at him.
"Didn't you hear Ayanna?" Finn said loftily. "Between yours and Niklaus's fighting and Bekah's whining, we were too loud. It's your fault we are out here."
"Silence, Finn." Elijah reprimanded. "You are not in charge."
"Yes, because you always are." His eleven-summers old brother complained.
The eldest child rolled his eyes. It was time to put an end to this and figure out what to do. Unfortunately, when he stopped in the path, his family did not realize quickly enough and ran into each other. Niklaus and Kol ran into Finn, and Bekah—who was still holding Niklaus's hand—ran into Kol, who then shoved her to the ground, causing the little girl to start crying.
"Kol!" Niklaus sighed. "Mother said not to push Bekah."
"Bekah ran into me." The little imp grinned wickedly. "She deserved it."
"She's a little girl. Of course she doesn't." Niklaus shot back.
"Well if she's such a baby, then she should be with the girls. Back home. Not with us boys." Kol crossed his arms.
"I not a baby!" Bekah wailed, her head full of wispy curls. She then saw that her hand was covered in dirt, causing her to sob again. Elijah sighed, picked her up, and brushed his little sister off. She stopped her crying immediately.
"What are we even doing?" Finn asked from his spot on a rock. "I'm bored."
Elijah looked around at his fighting mess of siblings. "We… We're all going to go berry-picking. That's what we will do." Instantly he was met with smiles and agreement from everyone but Finn, who was sullen. Then again, Finn was always miserable when not in Mother's company.
The rest of the day was spent gorging themselves on fruit, and when the little group arrived back at the village, they were met with the sight of a new baby brother named Henrik.
Shaking herself loose of the little scene, Katherine turned to look at the man she had just seen as a twelve year old. "So a happy memory consisted of your siblings bickering and Rebekah crying? Charming."
The man sighed. "I never explicitly stated that it was to be a happy memory. Though I suppose it was, for Henrik was born." His eyes saddened at the remembrance of the lost little brother. "Instead it was a…realistic one. In a house with that many children, arguments do tend to break out."
"I'm aware." She intoned. "You were a cute kid, though. Needed a haircut, and your voice was a bit squeaky, but I imagine you at least had a few girls interested." Katherine teased, nudging him with her shoulder.
"How that fills me with joy." Elijah deadpanned, well aware of her games.
"Shhh." The lady placed her finger on his lips, effectively silencing him. "It's my turn now." They re-assumed their previous position, and she summoned her chosen memory.
"Mama, Mama!" A little girl of about five rushed into the sizable home, shrieking at the top of her lungs. "Mama, Papa is home!"
"Papa is home?" An older girl came down the stairs. She was wearing a well-made yellow dress, and her dark curly hair was wild and free. "Are you fibbing again Anka, or is he really home this time?"
"Katerina…" The young child rolled her eyes. "Papa is with the horses."
Her whole countenance lit up. "Then go tell Mama, and I will greet him!" She giggled, rushing past her sister. Picking up the hem of her dress, Katerina nearly flew out the door and to the stables. "Papa!" She smiled brightly, dipping into a brief curtsy before rushing to embrace her father. "You have arrived a week early!"
"So I have, малка птичка (little bird)!" He laughed. "And have you been good for your Mama?"
"I am always good." Katerina gave an all-too innocent look. "Boris and Andrei have been little devils as usual," She tattled as they walked back to the home "but when they became too terrible, Mama had Uncle Danail put them in place. Olga lost a tooth, and Anka has been learning to read. I believe that is all that you have missed." The young girl smiled. "Oh, Mama let me carry Baby Hristo into the garden yesterday! I had to stop him from eating an insect!"
"I see you have been very busy while I was away!" Her father said endearingly.
"Yes we have, Papa. You were gone for nearly two months. That is too long." The little lady said matter-of-factly.
"I agree with you, Katerina." She looked up to see her mother gliding down the stairs. "Two months is much too long to be away from your many children." Her mother fixed her father with a look.
"Mama?" The adults in the room snapped out of their conversation and back to the child in the room. "May I play with Evangeliya? She invited me this morning while I was in the village."
Her mother sighed. "Very well, but take your brothers with you."
"But Mama!"
"No protests, Katerina! You will take your brothers with you to Evangeliya's, or you will not go at all."
Pouting, the brunette stomped up the stairs and to the nursery. On her next birthday she would receive her own bedroom, and finally be out of where the children slept. "Boris? Andrei?" Her identical little brothers popped up from some random corner. The three shared the same wild hair and impish smiles. "I am going to Evangeliya's and Mama says you both must come."
"But I do not want to go see Evangeliya." Boris pouted. "She is boring."
"She said this morning Viktor would be coming to play as well." Katerina coaxed.
"Fine. We shall go." The other twin answered. "Viktor is not boring like all the girls. Especially Lidiya. All she does is follow me around while I am trying to play."
"Careful, Andrei." Their older sister smirked as they traipsed down the stairs and outside. "There is talk of a match between you and Lidiya. I would be more polite to her." There, of course, was no talk of a match, for the parties involved were seven and nine. However, Katerina dearly loved to tease, and the expression on her brother's face was worth the little lie.
"How many siblings did you have?" Elijah asked as her memory concluded.
She pondered for a moment. "I was the eldest of eight. It was I, Borislav, Andrei, Olga, Anka, Hristo, Teodor, and Yuliya. I do not believe my mother had any more children after I left home."
"And Teodor and Yuliya were the ones who…"
"Yes." Katherine cut him off. "They perished before." She did not like to think of her little brother and sister who died as mere children. Not many things had stayed in her mind after five hundred and thirty-eight years of memories, but the days her littlest siblings died were certainly two of them. Young children perishing was not an uncommon thing in her time; if a child made it to eight, the family was considered blessed. This did not make the loss hurt any less.
"Were you and your father close?" The man beside her asked.
"We were." Katherine sighed. If anyone else asked her questions such as this, they would have been dead long before now. But for some reason, she found it incredibly difficult to deny him anything. "I was the apple of his eye, and I knew it. He spent more time with my brothers—simply because I did not stand to inherit and they did—but I was the child he loved best." She smiled fondly, remembering times gone by. "I suspect that he blamed himself for my…indiscretions, in the end. I was allowed to join in lessons with my brothers, you see. I was educated far too much for any girl of that day and age. My thoughts went unchecked, and as I grew into my marriageable years, I rebelled against convention."
A soft chuckle rolled from the chest of Elijah. "You would use your superior education against the system, Katerina. Only you."
"Oh, silence." She smacked his shoulder, not that her hit was even hard whatsoever. "I did not want to be married off to some old pig in order to gain money and land for my family, so I took matters into my own hands. Sue me."
They continued in this vein of conversation for many hours, trading anecdotes until the afternoon faded into the evening. Katherine eventually became exhausted—for though she put up a marvelous front, she was still very weak—and fell asleep while Elijah talked to her, his fingers running through her mess of curls all the while. What little time they had left, he would spend making up for every disastrous moment they had wasted. If his Katerina was to leave him behind upon this earth—and that would be a terrible day, for there was no world for Elijah if she was not walking it as well—then she would leave happily and peacefully. He would send her off full of love, before spending the rest of his existence attempting to find a way to bring her back. And, well, he was an immortal being. The rest of his existence was a very long time.
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Across the city, a young man stared up into the light of the moon. He was of the type that many would call troubled, and they would be right. He was troubled. His entire world had been taken away from him by the man thousands feared, and the girl he loved had crossed sides willingly. There was nothing left for him now. To assist this King of New Orleans in making life hell for Klaus and his family was all that his life held purpose for. Everything else meant nothing. Revenge was what he needed; revenge was what he craved.
Pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket, the dark-haired man scrolled until he found the one person who would give him what he desired most in the world. "Marcel? I've made my decision. The plan goes in action tomorrow. I know where the target will be." With that, Tyler Lockwood snapped his phone shut. Tomorrow, vengeance would be his. Tomorrow, Klaus Mikaelson would be brought to his knees. Damn the consequences.
AN: So... How was that? Like it? Hate it? I didn't have a huge response to the previous chapter, so I'm just trying to get a feel for your opinions. I hope you all are still reading this, because really, I love my readers. I giggle ridiculously whenever I get emails from FF.
Did you all like the oodles of Kalijah I wrote? I wanted to make another chapter heavy with them, and I think I pulled it off. This chapter was a bitch to write though, and I only finished it like two days ago, so I would love your opinions on how it turned out.
I know there wasn't much Bonnie or Kol, but really they were not integral to this chapter. They make a reappearance next chapter, however! The childhood flashbacks were so much fun to write, so I hope you all enjoyed them as much as I did. I'm considering turning it into a drabble series in the future, actually.
Just FYI... The cliffhanger for this chapter is extremely important. In fact, next chapter-where the consequences play out-was originally going to be one chapter but I stretched it into two simply because of the awesomeness of it all.
On a side note, late last night I finished planning out the final chapters of this story, and I almost started crying. ATCL has been my baby from the very first planning stages, and we're over halfway through now.
Songs for this chapter (yes, I actually made a chapter playlist this time) are Be Still by The Fray, Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson, Ungodly Hour by The Fray, When I Was Younger by Liz Lawrence, and Bitter by Benny Marchant! The last one was for the final little scene, because really, it fits.
Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!
-Abi