A/N: To see Katie's ball gown google image search, rose gold lace ball gown prom dress and it will be the first picture (I don't count the row of dresses with prices under them). To see her hairdo, google image search, Pinterest 23 Gorgeous Knotted Blonde Updos for Women 2018 Granny hair and it will be the first picture.

Phoenix Rising
Ch. 32

The next morning Elijah found her sleeping in her bed, wearing his blue dress shirt. The sleeves covered her hands that were tucked close to her face. He sat down on the bed causing the mattress to dip. The movement made her to stir, bringing her shirt covered hands closer to her nose. When he laid his hand on her shoulder and rubbed, her eyes fluttered open and a sleepy smile spread over her lips when she saw his face. "Good morning." Her voice was a little gravely with sleep.

"Good morning." He greeted.

"How did it go last night?" she asked as she sat up and scooted back to lean on the headboard.

"Bonnie and her mother opened the coffin." He informed her.

"What was inside?" she asked wondering what kind of Klaus killing weapon would be in a coffin.

"My mother." He answered causing her jaw to drop. "She's alive and has forgiven Niklaus. She wants us to be a family again." Katie blinked at him in shock. "She wants to meet you."

"Your mother wants to meet me?" she asked feeling overwhelmed and intimidated. He smiled at how freaked she was.

"Tonight at the ball." He told her as picked up a dress box off the floor, took an envelope off the top of it and handed it to her.

Her name was written on the front of the envelope in pretty cursive and the envelope was stamped closed with an M in red wax. She broke the seal and took out the invitation. "Please join the Mikaelson family this evening at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails and celebration." She read aloud then looked down at the box that sat between them.

"Open it." he told her.

She took the lid off the box revealing sparkling rose gold lace over champagne silk. "Wow." She sighed then whooshed off the bed and pulled it from the box to see that it had elegant off the shoulder short sleeves and was floor length. Under the dress laid a pair of rose gold satin gloves and matching closed toes heels.

"I know I'm spoiling you, but-" she laid the dress on the bed and stepped in front of him where he still sat on her bed and cut him off with a quick kiss.

"I don't consider a dress for a last minute ball spoiling me." She told him then looked down at the dress on the bed while his hands found her hips. "I love it and I can't wait to wear it."

"Would you like to get ready here or with my family and me?" he asked looking up at her.

"Where would you like me to get ready?" she asked as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

"With my family." He told her with a small smile. When it faded Katie could tell there was something on his mind.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Something has been bothering me since last night's dinner." He told her and she sat down next to him and pulled her leg up on the bed facing him. "When Niklaus brought up Tatia you tensed before I even got a word out."

"I…asked Rebekah about your past relationships. You told me about your mother using Tatia's blood in the ritual that turned you into vampires. You didn't tell me you were romantically involved with her."

"I didn't believe it mattered." He told her with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out why his involvement with Tatia seemed to hurt her when it happened long before he and Hannah ever met.

"Yeah, well, it does." She answered not looking at him.

He cupped her face in his hands and she finally looked at him. "Explain." His voice was soft as his eyes searched hers.

She brought her hands up in front of her face and gently brushed his hands off of her. "I never told him or anyone really, but the whole time Damon and I were together I had this…fear, in the back of my mind that because he loved Katherine first he would somehow find his way back to her or end up falling for the new and improved version." She explained and dropped her eyes to her hands. "And I was right." She shrugged. "I can't compete with the doppelganger allure that you seem to have a thing for considering you have been romantic with two doppelgangers one of which is still alive."

"You think I would leave you for Katherine or Elena?" he asked with a frown.

She bit her bottom lip and shrugged. "It's just…It feels like no matter what I do Elena ends up with what I want most."

"I will never… leave you." he told her, but she didn't look up. "Look at me, My Love." Katie lifted her eyes to meet his. "I promise you. I will never hurt you. I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb as he placed his hand on the side of her neck and pulled her into him for a kiss that both of them poured their every feeling into before their small make out session slowed and he pulled back to give her a smile.

"I was also wondering…" he stood up and held his hand out to her and she took it and stood up, "What were you and Damon fighting about?" he asked as he drank in the sight of her in nothing but his dress shirt and a pair of white panties, making him fall deeper in love with her.

"He keeps acting like he still gives a crap about me when I know it's not true." She answered with a shrug then went to her closet and grabbed a ¾ sleeved plain black shirt and a pair of light wash jeans then set them on her bed.

As he watched her start unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing he decided to change the subject. "What do you say to lunch at the grill then I properly introduce you to my siblings?"

"Sounds like nerve wrecking fun." She told him with a smile as she shrugged off his shirt and tossed it onto the bed. "But, only if you promise to give me another shirt, that one is starting to smell more like me and less like you."

"I thought it looked like you smelled it in your sleep." He told her with a smile.

"Your scent makes me feel safe." she told him with a shy shrug.

"How about you stay the night with me and you won't need a shirt." He asked with a sparkle in his dark eyes.

"You're staying with your family at Klaus' house?" she asked as she grabbed a zebra print bra out of her dresser. "Where all of your siblings and their vampire hearing are also staying as well as your very old, possibly old school, mother?" she asked.

"Are you suggesting-?" he asked a little amused by her and she interrupted him.

"That your mother probably won't like me especially if I'm openly sleeping with her son?" Katie asked with raised brows as she pulled her shirt over her head. "Yes."

"I assure you fornication is not high on my mothers list of sins she would prefer her children abstain from." He told her with a small laugh.

"I will think about it." she told him with a smile. "So who all is going to be at the ball tonight?"

"All of the founders and their dates along with whoever my siblings decide to bring." He answered.

"So practically the whole town." Katie summed up as she pulled on her jeans then grabbed her old ratty converse off of her shoe rack.

"My mother also invited Elena." He told her.

"Well, her blood is a very powerful spell ingredient. It makes sense that your mother would want to meet her." Katie walked over to the stool at the end of her bed and sat down to put on her shoes.

"How long have you had those?" he asked with a look at the black and white, well worn converse that she slipped on her feet.

"So long I don't remember." She answered with a smile. "Why?"

"They are literally two steps from falling apart." He told her and she started laughing.

"I like these shoes." She argued.

"They smell." He argued back with a bit of a smirk.

She grabbed her foot, brought it to her nose and gave it a sniff. The sour sent of sweat and dirt invaded her nose. "Holy-." She dropped her foot and kicked the shoes off sending them flying across the room. "How have I not noticed that before and why didn't anyone tell me?"

Elijah started laughing. "You may think you have changed, but you are still the woman I fell in love with."

She smiled up at him remembering the house slippers she'd had in Ireland that she wore until Elijah bargained a new pair out of Fiona and convinced her to throw the old ones away. They too, had developed a smell that she had been nose blind too. He walked over to her closet and grabbed a new pair of black and white checkered slip on Vans and handed them to her.

"So why are you so convinced that my mother will not like you?" Elijah asked as the waitress set a paper bowl of cheese fries down in front of her and refilled Elijah's glass of tea.

"Because I have a history of pissing off mothers." Katie answered and Elijah just looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Ronan's mother hated me. She thought he could do better. Then when he moved us away from not only my parents but his it really made her mad."

"That is just one mother." He pointed out.

"Carol Lockwood, found out Tyler and I were together by walking in on us sleeping together." she pointed out making him raise his brows.

"Okay, I think you've made your point." He told her with a nod.

"Hey, you asked." She told him with a smile. "Besides sleeping together was probably the wrong description of what she saw."

"You do not have to go into detail." He told her with a serious look on his face. "It's bad enough my curiosity led me to see you with Damon."

"I don't think I've ever seen you jealous before." She said with a smile as she leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Tyler's a good guy and what his mother walked in on was purely innocent. He knew about the kind of man my grandfather was and that I didn't want to go home so he gave me a place to stay."

"That's the second time I've heard you mention your grandfather, yet I have never seen him." Elijah pointed out. "Where is he?"

Katie scratched at the back of her neck uncomfortably and looked around seeing that they weren't too close to anyone to be overheard. "Rumor is he had a midlife crisis, bought a motorcycle, quit his job and decided to see the world."

"And the truth?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"He's at the bottom of Wickery Lake where I dumped him after I killed him." She answered reluctantly. "After I turned, obviously."

"Did he deserve it?" he asked curiously.

"Absolutely." Damon answered as he walked past them on his way to the bar. "The guy was an abusive, alcoholic asshole."

"What he said." Katie said with a point at Damon then looked at her fries that had gotten cold. "I'm done whenever you are."

They swung by her house and picked up her dress and accessories then went to Klaus'. "Don't be nervous." Elijah told her as they got out of the car.

"Easier said then done." She said then took a deep breath and let it out as Elijah opened the front door. They found everyone in the parlor. Rebekah was getting her nails painted while the men were getting fitted for suits.

"Rebekah, tell me how handsome I am." Kol who was standing in front of a mirror said while looking at himself.

"Oh, Kol, you know I can't be compelled." Rebekah said while looking at her nails.

In the process of giving Rebekah a glare his eyes caught Katie standing beside Elijah and he walked over to her. "What about you, sweetheart, what do you think?" he asked looking her in the eyes. She would be lying if she said he wasn't handsome, but his attitude completely ruined it.

A closed lipped smile pulled at her lips as she looked up at Elijah then back at Kol. "I'm afraid if I give you a compliment you might become so full of yourself you explode." She replied getting a glare from Kol as Elijah's hand pulled her closer to his side.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Rebekah said as she dropped her hand and stood up. "Go away Kol she's not interested." She told him as she shoved him back to the full length mirror. "I was hoping you'd be getting ready with us. I've haired us a hair dresser and manicurist." She said with a motion to the woman that had been painting her nails.

"I was planning on doing it myself, but that sounds much better." Katie replied not seeing the small smile Elijah gave her and Rebekah.

He walked her around to Finn who was having his pants tailored. "Hello, Katie." He told her and she was taken a little off guard at how deep his voice was compared to the rest of Elijah's siblings. He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it formally, reminding her just how long he had been daggered.

"Hi." She replied not knowing what else to say to him. The manicurist walked over to Katie with a tray of different nail polishes in different shades of pink ranging from sheer to cream to metallic. Katie picked a metallic rose gold to match her dress and the woman motioned for her to sit on the couch so she sat down and the woman started working on her nails.

Elijah placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention and when she looked up at him he pecked her on the lips. Right when they pulled apart Klaus stormed into the room, "You went after Elena?" he asked Rebekah who had taken a seat on the other end of the couch. "What is wrong with you?"

"Here we go." She told him with a snippy smile knowing he was going to lay into her.

"Do you want another dagger in your heart?" he asked.

"Again with the dagger threats. Don't you have any other tricks?" Kol asked from the other side of the room.

"Oh go back to staring at yourself." Klaus told him then turned back to Rebekah.

"And who are you, my father?" Kol asked.

"No, Kol, but you are in my house." Klaus told him and Katie looked across her shoulder at Elijah who had taken off his jacket and was looking at a pair of expensive dress shoes and he gave her a smirk then turned his eyes back to the shoes and she looked back at the guys.

"Then perhaps we should go outside." Kol challenged as the two men moved to stare each other down.

Katie heard the clanking of heels on hardwood and looked in the direction it was coming from to see who she assumed was Ester walk up. "Enough." she didn't yell, but it felt as if she did. "Niklaus, come." Klaus glared at Kol as he walked past him and followed their mother.

Katie was sitting at the antique white vanity in the now refurbished bedroom Klaus had told her was hers, doing her make up when he walked in and sat down in the white and cream colored arm chair in the corner to her left. "Do you like your room?" he asked as he watched her apply a thin line of black liner to her eyelids.

"You do realize that I didn't really think you would do it when I gave you the suggestion of antique white, right?" she asked as she put the cap back on the liquid eye liner and set it on the vanity.

"That doesn't answer my question." He pointed out with a smirk.

She turned and took in the room. A grand antique white, Victorian style canopy bed sat against the wall across from the fireplace that now matched the style of the room. A cream and gold floral comforter and matching throw pillows covered the bed while matching bedside tables sat on each side of it. A chest of drawers that matched the tables and bed sat on the wall to the right of it and the vanity that she sat at was against the wall to the left of it. A matching wardrobe sat in the corner between the chest of drawers and the bed. A cream colored plush rug sat at the foot of the bed. It looked like someone plucked the room out of a fairy tale.

A smile spread over his face when he saw her trying to hold back hers. "You like it."

She laughed and turned back to the mirror on the vanity and grabbed a tube of mascara. "If you and Elijah don't cut it out I'm going to be the most spoiled girl within a hundred miles of Mystic Falls." She told him as he watched her sweep the mascara wand over her already longer than normal lashes.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked and she cut her eyes over at him.

"So, Rebekah has asked Matt to the ball, not a bad paring in my opinion. She's sassy he's sweet it works. Plus I love the fact that it will not sit well with my ex friends." she said to change the subject then put the mascara wand back in the tube and set it on the vanity. "Who are you bringing?"

"I've invited Caroline." He told her getting a slightly shocked look from her. "You are not the only girl in Mystic Falls that has caught my attention."

"I didn't assume I was. Caroline's bossiness might just be the kick in the butt you need." She told him as she pointed at him with a tube of liquid lipstick. He laughed at her. "I'll just be surprised if she shows up considering being associated with you is why they kicked me out of their little group in the first place. If she does it just goes to show how hypocritical they can be."

He watched her apply her lipstick, putting off getting dressed for the ball the he didn't want to attend to begin with. When she was done with her makeup she walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed her dress that was hanging on the open door. She laid it on the bed then looked at Klaus. "Can I help you?" he asked playing dumb.

"Get out so I can get dressed." She told him with a sweeping motion of her hand at the door. "Rebekah's keeping Elijah away from me until I'm ready like it's our freaking wedding day or something."

"Alright if I have to." He complained as he pushed himself up from the chair and started for the door, but when he passed her he purposely started walking really slow.

"Oh my god you're so childish sometimes." She complained, eager to get dressed so that she could be with Elijah. She put her hands on his back, pushing him and he leaned back into her making it even harder to push him, but she kept at it until he was out the door making him laugh. When he was fully out of the bedroom she shut the door behind him.

She stood looking at herself in the mirror on the inside of one of the wardrobe doors. Her hair was pinned back in a simple but elegant style that left a few wisps of her natural waves to hang around her face. Brown eye shadow with a pop of rose gold on the center of her eye lid and a line of black eyeliner and mascara made her eyes pop. Nude matt lipstick let her eyes be the focal point of her face. The off the shoulder dress pushed her ample cleavage up noticeably, but it was slightly hidden by the sheer bit of fabric that added a bit of modesty to the slightly plunging neckline.

She had turned from the mirror and was pulling on her gloves when Elijah walked in, his eyes admiring her. "You are…" he paused wrecking his brain for the right word to describe her, "an exquisite beauty."

She blushed and smiled as she finished putting on her gloves then walked over to him, her heels tapping on the hard wood floor as she did. "You don't look so bad yourself, handsome." She told him as she slid her hands up his tux jacket, taking in his black bow tie before her eyes found his.

"Don't get agitated." He stepped back as she gave him a confused look. He pulled a long rectangle, teal blue box out of his pocket.

"You're spoiling me again." She said then bit her lips closed to keep back her smile.

"It's the last time for tonight I promise." he asked with a glint in his brown eyes.

"I'm not complaining." She answered with a shake of her head then let her smile shine making him smile as he took the lid off the box revealing a necklace. A silver horizontal infinity sign with diamond accents and a rose gold heart in the center of it was attached to a silver chain at each end of the infinity sign. "It's beautiful." She told him in awe then look up at him. "Will you?" she asked with a motion to the necklace.

"Of course." He answered and took the necklace out of the box as she turned her back on him. He put the necklace around her neck and fastened the clasp then rested his hands on her shoulders. She placed her finger tips on the necklace as she turned toward him. "Come with me." He told her as he held his arm out to her and she slid her gloved one through it and he walked her to a set of closed double doors. "My mother would like to speak to you alone." She looked up at him with panic on her face. He smiled at her. "Just be yourself. She's not as intimidating as she seems."

"You're her son. You would say that." She said with an eyes roll. "I feel like I'm about to jump into a shark tank with a bleeding leg."

"You will be fine, My Love." He told her and pecked her on the lips then knocked on the door.

Finn answered and stepped aside for them to come in. "Hello, Katie." Ester greeted her.

"Hello, Mrs. Mikaelson." Katie responded as respectfully as she could.

Ester looked at both her son's. "Leave us please." the two men gave her a silent nod and left, shutting the door behind them. "So you are the woman who linked herself to my son." It was more of an observation than a question.

But Katie still felt the need to answer. "Yes, ma'am."

"And you're aware that I can easily unlink you if I see fit?" she asked with serious eyes as she walked closer to Katie who stood where Elijah had left her with her hands clasped politely in front of her.

"Fiona wasn't the most powerful of witches. So I'm sure you can, although I'm not sure why you would want to." Katie replied curiously.

"Because I fear you are using my son for his immortality." She answered without a beat.

"That's not why I asked Fiona to link me to him." Katie argued with a frown.

"Isn't it though? You were human yet you wished to live forever." She challenged, and it was pissing Katie off.

She took a deep breath and held it for a second and let it out through her nose. "I wanted to live with him for forever." She countered.

"Yet when he found you, you stayed with Damon." Ester pointed out.

"Okay." Katie unclasped her hands and started talking with them. "Since you seem to somehow know everything, I'm sure you know that there have been a lot of bumps in the road since Elijah and I found each other again. But I am with him now and no one, not even you will tear me from his side. So if you see fit to remove the link, go for it. It won't change anything. I will still love Elijah with every cell in my body." She finished then folded her hands back in front of her mentally preparing for whatever backlash her rant would get from Ester.

Instead a lashing out at her she simply walked over to the double doors and opened them then motioned for her to leave the room. "Enjoy the rest of your night." She gave Katie a polite smile that somehow made her even more scared than if she would have lashed out at her.

"You too…I guess." Katie replied mentally face palming as she walked out of the room and Ester closed the doors behind her.

She was on her way back to her room when Elijah met up with her in the hallway. "How did it go?"

Katie sighed and shrugged. "I told you I suck with parents."

"What happened?" he asked as he rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Metaphorically speaking, she poked at me with a sharp stick and I bit back." she replied feeling like she let him down.

"I will speak to her." he told her and made a move to walk past, but she touched his shoulder stopping him.

"I don't want her thinking I complained to you about her." She said and he smirked. "I'm no whiny baby."

"Then I will not talk to her about your meeting." he told her with amusement in his eyes. "I will meet you downstairs." He pecked her on the lips then headed to the room his mother was in.

As she walked down one side of the stairs that led down to the entryway, her gloved hand sliding over the wooden hand rail, her eyes quickly found Damon and Carol Lockwood talking down below. Carol's eyes landed on Katie and she asked Damon, "Is that Katie Finnegan?"

Damon turned and looked at her, his eyes glazing over a bit like they always had when he saw her all dolled up. "Uh huh."

When she got to the bottom of the stairs she walked over to them. "Careful Damon, you'll catch flies with your mouth hanging open like that." She told him then turned to Carol with a smile.

"Katie, I didn't see you come in." Carol observed curiously.

"I've been here for a few hours." She told them with a point upstairs.

"I didn't realize you were close to the Mikaelson's." Carol told her and Katie cut her eyes over at Damon.

"Rebekah and Katie became friends pretty fast." Damon answered for her.

Katie noticed Carol look at the stairs and followed her gazed to Elijah who smiled down at Katie. Carol smiled and waved at him. "He is very handsome."

Katie noticed Damon look back and forth between the two women. "Yes…he…is." Katie replied sounding as if she should be fanning herself as she watched Elijah walk over to them.

"Good evening, Mayor Lockwood." Elijah held his hand out to Carol who took it and he kissed the back of it.

"Hello, Elijah." Carol replied with a flirty smile. Elijah let go of her hand and she placed it back on the champagne glass in her other hand. "Save me a dance later?"

Elijah looked down at Katie with a fond smile as he slid his arm around her waist and she smiled up at him lovingly then looked back at Carol. "I do not know if my date would be comfortable with that."

Katie didn't miss the shocked look on Carol's face that faded into disappointment before she regained her composure. "So the two of you are…?" Carol left the question open ended.

"Together." Elijah finished.

Carol's eyes turned cold as she looked at Katie. "My son…Damon now Elijah." While her voice was pleasant her demeanor was anything but. "No matter how many high status circles you weasel your way into," she walked over to stand shoulder to shoulder with her as she looked at Katie with demeaning eyes, "you will never be anything more than the trash you spawned from."

She watched Carol walk away with a smug smile making Katie's gloved hands ball into fists and the veins under her eyes to pop to the surface. Damon made an uh-oh face and excused himself leaving Elijah to calm Katie before someone saw her slightly vamped out face. "Calm yourself." Elijah told her quietly. "She is not worth causing a scene."

Katie took a deep breath and pushed back urge to kill Carol. "I hate this town."

Elijah snagged two glasses of champagne off of a tray as a server walked by and handed one to her. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." He quoted as she took it from him and she gave him a small smile. "Who said it?"

"Eleanor Roosevelt." She answered and placed her gloved hand on his cheek. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome." He told her as he took a drink of his champagne then motioned to the stairs with it. "Excuse me for a moment. I have to give the welcoming address." He joined his family, including his mother that had gathered on the stairs. "If everyone could gather, please." Elijah spoke to the guests. "Welcome. Thank you for joining us. You know, wherever our mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz. So if all of you could find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."

Elijah walked down the stairs and held his arm out to Katie and she looped her arm through it. After everyone who had a partner was ready they joined hands in an awkward manner and started dancing to Ed Sheeran's Give Me Love. "Your dancing has improved."

"I've had a little Miss Mystic training." Katie replied. "Along with what I remember you teaching me." She answered.

"Did you win?" Elijah asked curiously.

"Nope, that honor went to Caroline along with the scholarship which was the only reason I ran." She replied. "Can you believe there was a time when I didn't own a single dress and the thought of wearing heels made me cringe?"

"Judging by those awful shoes you attempted to wear today, yes." He told her with a smile that let her know she was picking with her before they did a twirl and switched partners. Katie ended up with Klaus.

He placed his hand on her side and grabbed her hand in his as she placed her left hand on his shoulder. "So I see Caroline decided to come. How's that going?" Katie asked.

"She's playing hard to get." He answered. "But I'd rather talk about the fact that you ran for miss Mystic Falls."

"And I lost." She said bitterly as they danced.

"Perhaps you can run again this year." He suggested.

"And lose to an underclassman? No thanks." She replied. "I have a question though." She told him possibly setting herself up for a let down but it was Klaus so she didn't' really care if his answer was what she hoped. "If you were the one and only judge and Caroline and I were running for the crown tonight. Who would you choose?"

"You want me to choose between the two of you?" he asked with a surprised look.

"Maybe you should ask Elijah this question." He told her and her eyes fell.

"Elijah's bias. I want the truth from someone I know fancies both of us." she told him then looked up at him as she adjusted her hand on his shoulder.

"So you are acknowledging the face that I fancy you." he told her with a smirk.

"I am fully aware that you fancy me. You made me a very expensive, very beautiful room in your house and while I may have my oblivious moments I'd have to be blind to not see that you have a thing for me just like you have a thing for Caroline. Choose." She told him.

He smirked at her, "We're out of time, Love."

He gave her a spin and she ended up with Elijah again. "We meet again." She told him with a smile.

"Yes, we have got to stop bumping unto each other like this." He told her with a playful look in his eyes. "My mother has asked to speak to Elena alone." He told her making her tilt her head curiously.

"She's the doppelganger with magical blood and your mother's a witch. I would think that her wanting to talk to Elena wouldn't be out of the ordinary." Katie replied as they danced.

"It's not, but what I do find strange to say the least is her ability to forgive Niklaus." He explained.

"You think she's just pretending to forgive him?" she asked curiously.

"It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask." He confirmed with a nod. "Do you think I can depend on her to tell me the truth about what my mother says?"

"No." Katie answered without missing a beat. "But she's a bad liar. So it would be useful to ask her to tell you what your mother says before she goes talks to her then give her a sneaky little lie detector test when they're done." Elijah smiled at her and rubbed her side then dipped her as the song ended.

"Hey." Caroline walked up next to Katie where she stood at the dessert table looking for something that wasn't super sweet.

"Hey." Katie answered back as she grabbed a piece of plain cheesecake and a fork.

"I guess I know now why you looked so happy yesterday morning." Caroline told her and Katie looked up at her from her cheesecake with a small smile. "You're practically glowing."

"So you're here with Klaus?" Katie asked changing the subject.

"He invited me, I came to make sure Rebekah doesn't hurt Matt." Caroline told her with a look at Rebekah and Matt.

"So your attendance tonight has nothing to do with the fact that Klaus is extremely charming when he wants to be?" Katie asked with a smile as she took a bite of cheesecake.

"That… is beside the point." Caroline told her as Klaus caught her eye from across the room and gave her a smile. "I need some fresh air."

Katie smiled when her eyes found Elijah headed her way. "How did it go with Elena?" She asked as he noticed her eating cheesecake.

"We shall see." He answered. "Rebekah said you didn't much care for sweets."

"I usually don't. However," she paused to take the last bite of cheesecake and a waiter held his hand out for the empty plate so she gave it to him, "I can never resist a good cheesecake."

Elijah held his arm out to her. She took it and let him walk her to the ball room where people were dancing to another slow song. "What is your favorite dish?" he asked as they started dancing.

"Anything Italian as long as it doesn't have eggplant in it." she answered with a smile. "What about you?"

"Hmm" he hummed and narrowed his eyes in thought. "Your burned biscuits."

"Really?" she laughed with raised brows.

"No, not really." He answered with a laugh of his own. "I like Japanese curry." He gave her a serious answer.

"You know what else I like?" she asked as she slipped her hand on his shoulder up to his neck and he gave her a look that told her to answer. "You."

He usually wasn't one for public displays of affection, but he couldn't help pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.

Katie and Elijah were standing in the entryway while everyone gathered when Elijah spotted Elena. "Excuse me for a moment?" He asked and Katie gave him a nod so he walked over to stand next to Elena with his back to Katie. "So how was my mother?"

"Intense." Elena replied.

"And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private?" Elijah asked as he grabbed two glasses of champagne off a tray that was offered to them.

A server walked by with a tray and offered Katie a fresh glass so she switched her warm glass for a new one of bubbly light red champagne then trained her ears back on Elena and Elijah while keeping her eyes diverted.

"Elena, should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?" Elijah pressed.

Elena paused then answered. "She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed."

"So it's true, then? She's forgiven Klaus?" Elijah asked and Katie heard Elena's heart beat quicken.

"It's true." Elena lied.

Katie's attention was drawn up to the stairs when Ester tapped her glass getting everyone's attention. "Good evening everyone." Ester addressed everyone while Katie walked over to Elijah's side and he placed his hand on her lower back. "Waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass." People started switching out their glasses for the red champagne. "It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers." She raised her glass and everyone else followed suit and echoed the word back.

Elijah turned to Katie and looked lovingly in her eyes, "Cheers." He held his glass out to her and they tapped them together then both took a drink.

The two of them were about to go dance again when they heard a scuffle going on out side. They along with Finn, Rebekah, Klaus and Stefan followed the sound to find Damon crouching over Kol's still body. "Are you crazy?" Stefan asked him.

Elena was the last to make it out and see the spectacle. "Maybe a little." Damon answered then looked at Elena. "Far be it from me to cause a problem." Damon walked away leaving Kol lying on the concrete unconscious from a broken neck.

Thanks to that the party came to a quick end and within thirty minutes everyone was gone. "Should I head home?" Katie asked Elijah.

"You do not want to stay?" he asked.

"I want to, but your mother looks ticked. I didn't know if it would be better for me to get out of dodge. Especially considering I'm sure she doesn't like me." Katie explained quietly.

"You are still more than welcome to stay regardless of what my mother thinks of you." he told her.

"Then I'll stay." she told him then headed upstairs to her room.

After talking to Ester, Elijah found Katie in her room. "Klaus usually does a better job of decorating a house seamlessly." He said as he walked in and looked around. "This room sticks out like a sore thumb."

"Because he decorated it to my tastes." she answered from where she was sitting in the arm chair in the corner. "When he asked me to live with all of you he asked if I had any requests for my slash our room." she motioned around them with the cell phone in her hand.

"This is what you told him?" he asked with raised brows.

"Well, I said antique white, canopy bed and plush rug. I didn't expect him to actually do it much less take the idea and run with it." she said as she put her cell phone away and stood up. "If you don't like it we can stay in your room."

"Do you like it?" he asked as he closed the space between them and placed his hands on her dress covered sides.

"I do." She answered with an ashamed face. "But I feel bad for liking it because Klaus is the one that did all this for me."

"You do not have to feel bad." He told her as he placed his hand on her cheek.

"But I do." She took his hand off her cheek and held it in hers. "I feel like he's trying to compete with you or something and I shouldn't accept all of this, but at the same time I couldn't make myself be rude and not accept it from him. I'm sure even if I did try it wouldn't have done any good because he's…him. I just don't want," Elijah placed a hand on the back of her neck and looped his other arm around her waist as she kept talking, "you to feel like he-" he kissed her mainly to shut her up, but it quickly became more and she quietly sighed into it.

When the kiss slowed and they pulled apart she bit her lips closed as she opened her eyes and looked into his. "If it were a competition would he have any chance of winning?" he asked, his hand resting on the side of her neck.

"None." She answered without missing a beat. "You already hold my heart."

"Then stop worrying." He told her. "We will make this our room."

"I'm eager to get out of this dress, but I have a request first." She told him as she walked over to the vanity and picked up her cell phone. "Think you can get someone to take a picture of us?"

"I think I can make that happen." He told her and she followed him out of the room and down to the parlor where he found Klaus lounging on the couch with a sketch pad and pencil in his hand. "Niklaus." Elijah said getting his attention. "Take a picture of us?"

Klaus stood up and took Katie's unlocked phone from her. "Should I show him the trash folder?" he asked making her glare at him. "Or do you not want him to know what a naughty girl you've been?"

"Is there something I should know?" Elijah asked with a narrow eyed look between the two of them.

"Yeah, your brother's nosey." Katie answered then looked at Elijah. "He commandeered my phone and went through the trash bin that I forgot to empty after Damon and I broke up."

"You missed one, love." Klaus told her then turned the phone around for Elijah to see a selfie of her lying on Damon's bed wearing only a hot pink and black bra and matching cheeky panties.

"I'm going to murder you!" Katie took her phone from him and punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could.

"You can try." Klaus told her with a laugh.

Katie looked up at Elijah apologetically then back down at her phone as she closed out the trash bin and pulled up the camera. "Will you just…behave for two seconds and take the picture please?"

"Yes, I promise I'll stop snooping." He told her as he forced his smile back and held his hand out for the phone. As he held it up to snap the picture Elijah wrapped his arm around her waist, she placed her hand on his tux covered chest and they both smiled. After they heard the shutter sound Katie stepped away from Elijah and took the phone from Klaus. Satisfied with the picture that Klaus had taken she locked the phone.

"Thank you." she told him with a tone that said she didn't mean it then turned and headed back up to their room. "I'm sorry about that." She told Elijah as they walked into the room and shut the door behind them.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked as he loosened his bow tie then took off his tux jacket.

"I should have remembered to permanently delete those pictures." She pointed out as she sat down on the bed and kicked off her heels.

"Do not worry about it." he told her as he walked over to her and held out his hand.

She placed hers in it and stood up. "Are you sure?" she asked as she felt him start unlacing the ribbons of the corseted dress.

"Positive." He answered as she felt the dress loosen and she grabbed the front of it to keep it from falling to the floor. "What's your password?" he wrapped his arms around her with her phone in his hand.

She let him watch her type in her four digit pass code. While he sat down in the arm chair and messed around with her phone she stepped out of the dress and hung it back on the hanger. When she heard his text tone chime she turned from the wardrobe where she was hanging the dress up to see that he had put down her phone and had his in his hand. "Did you just…"

"Send that picture to my phone and delete it from yours?" he asked her with a smirk as she walked over to him in just her light pink lace strapless bra and matching cheeky panties. "Yes."

She straddled his lap and started unbuttoning his white shirt. "Are you sure your siblings wont listen in on us?" she asked as she finished the last button of his shirt then slid her fingertips down his toned, but not too toned torso.

He narrowed his eyes for a second in thought as he slid his hands down her sides to rest on her hips. "No, but if they do that's their own fault."

She leaned forward and started kissing his neck pulling a sigh from him. As she kissed his soft skin her hands worked on his belt buckle. When it was unfastened along with his button and zipper he whooshed them over to stand next to the bed loosing his pants in the process. She pushed him onto the bed with her hand on his stomach as she got on the bed and straddled him. He whooshed them around so he was on top but she quickly rolled them back over, grabbed his hands and pinned them down beside his head as she sank down on him. The playfulness in her eyes made him roll over only for her to giggle and try to fight him to be on top again, but he was stronger and there for won the fight.

She was kissing his neck again as he rocked into her when he sighed, "Bite me."

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "What?" he smiled and gave her a nod making her remember that he wanted to blood share with her.

He watched the veins under her eyes show themselves and the whites of her eyes turn red. So he sat them up and tilted his head to the side. A hissing growl left her lips as she sank her teeth into his neck and started drinking from him. Everything in her relaxed and a moan left her lips. The feeling only intensified when he grabbed her wrist and bit it. When he used his free hand to rock her hips against his their senses went into over load and she was pretty sure she saw technicolor fireworks explode behind her closed eyes.

"Is blood sharing always like that?" Katie asked not basking in the after feeling this time. "I mean, I know you said it was intensely intimate but…wow." She turned onto her side and propped her head up with her elbow and hand.

"I believe our link might've had enhanced it somehow." he answered as he grabbed her hand from his chest and kissed her palm then placed her hand on his neck. She laid her head on his shoulder and he started playing with her hair that was now free of bobby pins and hung around her shoulders.

The mention of their link made her think about Ester threatening to sever it and she frowned. "You know I will always love you…right?"

"Of course." He answered looking down at her to see her frown.

"Even if your mother undoes the spell linking us?" she asked and he gave her a questioning look. "Today…she accused me of using you for your immortality and said that she could easily undo the spell linking us."

"I will always love you and I know without a doubt that you will always love me. Spell or no spell." He kissed her only solidifying his words with the passion of his kiss before he pulled away and picked up his watch off of the bedside table to see that it was two in the morning.

"I swear I could easily trade sleep for you." she laughed as she snuggled into his side and wrapped her arm around his stomach.

He slid his free arm over hers. "Yes, but unfortunately we still need sleep to function properly."

Katie sighed dramatically, "If we must."

He chuckled at her. "Goodnight, My Love."

"Goodnight, Handsome." She whispered two seconds before her eyelids slipped shut.