A/N: Hey all! So sorry it took me a while to post this update. I've had really bad writers block that I'm slowly getting over. So, with that being said. Hope you all like this update. It does have a small time jump of a few weeks. And, it also has a flashback.
Thanks so much for reading & enjoy!
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Within Temptation- Chapter Twenty-Five
"Katherine, is that you? Honey what's going on?" Isobel questioned as she came down the stairs quickly, rushing to her daughter who was trying everything in her power to gather her things and quickly make an exit out of the house before her mother could ask her any more questions.
"Where's Ethan? I need to go." Katherine asked her, watching Isobel remove the towel off her shoulder and lean against the banister near the stairs. "He's napping. Katherine, what the hell is going on? Is that blood on your jacket..What happened!" She nearly yelled, exhaling deeply and trying to calm her breathing as she locked her eyes on her daughter, noticing the frantic pace at which Katherine was moving around the house, throwing things into a large white purse.
"I'm taking Ethan and we're going away for a while." Katherine said in nonchalant tone as she stopped her movements when Isobel stood in front of her, grabbing a hold of her by the wrist and securing her eyes. Her tone was demanding, a bit harsher than expected when she asked once again. "You are not taking my grandson away from this house until you explain yourself! What the hell happened and who's blood is that on your coat?"
Katherine stopped, leaning against the couch in the living room and removing her hand away from her mother's touch. "I did something that I'm going to regret. It was out of anger. I'm sorry. But, I need to go..You can't contact us anymore after I take my son and I leave." Katherine said, brushing past her mother as Isobel grabbed her by the wrist, searching Katherine's darkened eyes for an explanation.
"What happened, Katherine! What did you do!" Isobel asked, a frantic plea in her voice as she watched her daughter cross her arms over her chest, inhaling sharply through gritted teeth when she muttered out. "Everything will be explained over time...I just, I can't say anything right now. I'm sorry. Now, please. Let me take my son and let me get out of here."
Isobel huffed out a breath, standing her ground as she forcefully blocked Katherine's way towards the staircase that they had moved in front of. "I said. You're not going anywhere with my grandson. Until you tell me what the hell is going on!"
She watched her eyes shift down to the ground, Katherine bit down hard on her lower lip as she removed her jacket, the blood stain still seemingly fresh when she admitted. "I just wanted to scare her into leaving town. I didn't think it was going to turn into this mess. I didn't mean to have this happen to her. Please, you need to believe me. All I wanted to do was scare her away from him." Katherine confessed, tears in her eyes as Isobel lifted her hand, placing it on Katherine's overheated cheek, wiping away her falling tears.
"Katherine. What did you do? Honey, please. I'm sure whatever you did. We can fix it." Isobel urged, watching Katherine step away, shrugging her shoulders back and throwing the jacket to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "My whole life..I've been a screw up! I'm not the daughter you wanted. You should have picked her. She's the one who wanted this life..Who should have had it..But, because of me and my own jealously. She'll get none of it. I'm sorry, mom. I'm so sorry for everything that I've done. I just- Please….I need to leave." Katherine begged, breaking down in tears as Isobel pulled her daughter into an embrace, holding her tightly as she whispered into her ear. "Katherine, did you do something to Elena?"
Katherine pulled back, hearing the door open upstairs as she looked up to hear Ethan stepping out of his room. She swallowed the lump in her throat, leaning into her mother's eyes when she said. "I don't know where it all went so wrong. I was jealous….I just wanted my old life back. I just.. Please, know that I didn't mean for this to happen to her. You'll learn everything in a few hours, it'll be all over the news." Katherine said, closing her eyes and glancing up at her son who was standing at the top of the stairs, inhaling sharply when she added. "Please, take care of Ethan for me. Tell him that I loved him and that I'm sorry for all the mistakes I've made. That I'm going to miss him while I'm away for awhile."
"Katherine. You can't just leave without telling me everything! The police will look for you, they'll think I was involved in whatever you've done!" Isobel said as Katherine inhale deeply, slinging her purse over her shoulder as she began walking towards the door, opening it and turning around towards her mother one last time when she said in a firm tone. "If they do, tell them that you don't know anything. Because, you don't. Trust me, I'm protecting you by not telling you everything. I love you, mom and I'm sorry for what you're about to find out."
"Your sister won't be a problem any longer." Matt commented, sliding into the passenger seat of Katherine's parked car. Blood under his fingernails and on his shirt as she took off her sunglasses and glanced at him in confusion.
"What happened? Matt, what did you do to her?" Katherine asked him, a worrisome look in her eyes and curiosity in her tone.
"I got rid of her like you asked me to, Katherine. Now, give me the money and we'll go our separate ways." He pleaded with her as Katherine handed him an envelope, opening her mouth to speak. But, just as she did. Her cell phone went off, revealing a text message.
"So, where will you go once it's all over. Into hiding once again?" Matt asked her, causing Katherine to glance down at her cell phone, the text message making her stomach tighten a little at what it said.
"It's not important. Matt, please tell me that you just scared her off into leaving town, like I has asked you to do and that you didn't harm her in anyway." Katherine said, glancing over at Matt who was smiling mischievously.
"Oh, don't worry. I didn't do anything that harmful to her. Just know that she won't be a problem any longer." He vowed, opening the car door in the empty parking lot that was darkened, the only light shining in the area was a street lamp that was above them, just a few feet away.
"You're not telling me everything. Why did you have blood under your fingernails! Matt, did you hurt her?" Katherine asked, her hands shaking at the thought of her own jealous actions. She had every intention on scaring Elena away. However, she had never thought that it would turn into this…..blood, a gun and a sentence for attempted murder.
"I shot her, Katherine. The bitch begged me not to do it. Like, I was going to listen to her or you though! You may be her sister. But, you'll be just as guilty in all of this as I am, once it's all out in the open. Too late to try to rectify your actions. So, I suggest that you leave tonight, leave everything behind and go somewhere far away, instead. Because, once they find out our connection. You'll be in federal lock up for a hire to kill plot." Matt said, opening the car door and stepping outside without another word, leaving Katherine's stomach in a bundle of knots and her guilty conscious eating away at her.
Three weeks and counting. That's how long she had been in the hospital. That's how long she had been in a medical induced coma. It had been that long since Stefan had heard the news and was allowed to be by her side. He held Elena's hand tightly. Closing his eyes even tighter when he felt the warm tears fall against his cheeks. Stefan felt as if he had been sitting there for hours, just waiting for a sign. For something to give him hope, for the girl he loved to open her eyes.
"I caused all of this, she's in this hospital because of me, because Katherine wants to make my life a living hell...Elena wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't found her in that shelter. She should be far away from me. From all of this!" Stefan said exhaling heavily, not even caring that Damon and Rebekah were in the room with him. Both of them just inches away as they watched Stefan fall apart, regret falling on his every word.
Damon slowly walked towards his brother, placing his hand on to Stefan's shoulder and squeezing tightly enough to watch Stefan's head snap up from the lock he had on Elena's breathing. The rising and falling of her chest, giving him some peace for the first time in a few weeks, knowing that she wasn't in pain for at least a while.
"Who found her?" Rebekah asked softly, tears welling up into her eyes at the sight of who they all knew was Katherine's twin sister. Damon stood back, grabbing a hold of Rebekah's hand tightly and holding his breath when Stefan turned towards them, his eyes glazed over as he whispered. "I don't know..No one wanted to come forward after a group of doctors found her outside of the E.R. doors, covered in blood and gasping for air to breath, until she passed out."
"Do we know where she was found at and who the person was who dropped her off?" Damon asked, leaning against the wall of the room, holding Rebekah in his arms as she watched Stefan wipe away the tears in eyes, shrugging his shoulders back.
"I don't know. But, I found out on the news. She's all over it and no one can seem to find out who brought her to the hospital. Now, that I'm finally home from rehab and that I've been upgraded to just being an out patient..I came here as quickly as I could. Look, Damon...I need you to call her family. Elena lost touch with them for a shouldn't just hear about this on the news." Stefan said, running his hands through his hair as he sat back in the chair that he hadn't left in the last few days, it was almost like he was living in Elena's hospital room with her, just waiting for her to wake up.
"Who do you want me to call? I thought she didn't have any other family besides Katherine, her mom and her aunt, Jenna." Damon asked him, watching Stefan pull out his cell phone, clearing his throat when he said. " Call Jenna. Katherine and Elena have an older brother named, Jeremy Gilbert. She had mentioned him to me once or twice. So, has Katherine. He's a doctor in Dupage county. He lives in Naperville. I need you to call him and tell him about his sister's condition."
"So, he knows about his sisters and that Elena was homeless?" Damon asked Stefan as he walked towards his younger brother's outstretched hand, grabbing the cell phone that had Jenna's phone number already programmed inside of it.
"Yes. He knows everything about them. But, he's never wanted to be a part of his sister's lives that much. So, because of it. He and Elena lost touch, because of Katherine. She's made things difficult for him and his family over the years. Jeremy and Elena have had a rocky relationship too. Yet, he still cares about them from what she's told me about her brother." Stefan elaborated, remembering the few times that both Elena and Katherine had talked about him. Although, Jeremey had never really made an effort to reach out to his sisters over the years and with that result, Stefan had never met him before.
"Stefan. What makes you think that he's just going to come to even see Elena?" Damon asked him again, watching Stefan turn in his seat as he glanced over to his brother and exhaled deeply before replying with him most honest answer. "Because, he's the only person in Elena's life that has ever cared about her in her family. Jeremy Gilbert's the only real family that Elena has right now."
"Katherine?" She heard her name being questioned as she glanced up from her magazine and when her eyes met his, she felt relieved to see a familiar face in the small town where she felt so unknown.
"I'm glad that you came. I thought that my replied text message would be ignored after what happened between us the last time I saw you." Katherine commented, watching him sit away from her, crossing his arms over his chest, an irritated gaze in his eyes.
"What do you want, Katherine? It's been weeks since I heard from you. I told you to contact me only if you really needed me. So, what is it?" He asked, his voice being harsher than usual as he watched her lean towards him, placing her hand on to the small table in the cafe that she had been sitting at.
"Please, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry, alright. I just... I miss you." Katherine tried to explain as Elijah exhaled deeply, noticing the sudden hurt in her brown eyes.
"Katherine...What did you do?" He asked her, watching as she ran her through her curls and took a sharp intake of breath. " Elijah. I didn't do anything wrong. I've missed you. So, how about I come over to your place tonight and we can talk about us?" She asked him with her signature charming smile as Elijah locked his eyes on to hers and nodded. "Okay. But, know this. If you did anything that could incriminate you, Katherine. I swear to god that I won't be involved in it. I will turn you in without hesitation.. I want to make that very clear."
Katherine swallowed the lump forming in her throat, trying to shake off the nauseating feeling in her stomach that was growing as she smiled up at him and calmly replied. "Of course not. I just want to talk us and what our future could hold, away from here and all of these people."
"We've been here for three weeks, tucked away from the world without tv or anything to keep in touch with anyone back in the city. Klaus, don't you think we should go back home soon?" Caroline asked, turning around towards her husband as she watched him place Sarah onto the couch, covering up her sleeping body with a fluffy red blanket as he smiled up at her.
"We should. But, I don't want to go home, just yet. Well, maybe we could at least turn our cell phones back on." He winked at her with a grin, watching Caroline glance up at him as she giggled and stepped towards her husband, pointing to Sarah and whispering in a soft tone. "Nah, I like living in the moment with you and Sarah. Our whole relationship has been under such pressure from the media lately. That it's been nice to get away from all the drama." Caroline commented, grabbing a hold of Klaus's hand, intertwining their fingers as she watched him glance up at her.
"Caroline…" He began to say as she stepped closer towards him, the cabin's wooden floor creaking under her feet as she smiled, placing her hand on to his lips.
"Don't say anything. Let's just, go upstairs and enjoy this little moment of peace. Please, Klaus." Caroline said, watching Klaus run his hands through his hair, smiling up at his wife and exhaling a heavy sigh. "Okay. A few minutes of peace sound heavenly."
Caroline felt Klaus's hand release hers as she slipped off her shirt and stepped in front of him with a smile as he closed the door to the bedroom behind them. "No cell phones, no distractions. I like it." She whispered, watching Klaus shake his head as he bite down nervously on his lower lip and glanced over at the cell phone on the night stand in the room.
"What's wrong? Are you worried about work?" Caroline asked him, watching Klaus sit down on the bed as she began to unbutton her jeans, slipping them off as she lifted her head back up at him with a grin, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck, straddling his lap and pushing him back with her hand firmly placed on to his chest. "Because if you are, I can help take your mind off of it."
"Sweetheart, don't you think we should take this slowly. I mean, we're just starting to reconnect." He pointed out to her. Caroline paused, taking Klaus's hands and placing them on to her hips as she leaned down towards his ear. Her breath washing over him and making his heart pound heavily as Caroline whispered in a seductive tone. "We should. I agree. So, let's take it as slowly as possible." She commented, leaning into him and capturing his lips against her own in a needy and desperate kiss.
A/N: The introduction of Elena and Katherine's estranged older brother, Jeremy should be interesting. ;) I made him older in this story for a reason. Also, I promise that the Klaus and Caroline scene will be continued.
Also, reviews make me happy and I might even update quicker because of them. So, feel free to leave me some love. :)
-Until next time with more goodness to come!-