Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries / The Originals, or any of the characters, plot-lines, dialogues from the shows or books
However, I do own Catherine Matthews/ my very own Katherine Peirce, her backstory, the storyline, and any additional characters that do not belong to The Vampire Diaries or The Originals. Characters in this story may not have the same opinion as you. These characters are all fictional.
The Mikaelson Mansion was an absolute mess when Katherine stepped inside. There were broken vases, damaged paintings, dents in the walls, ruined carpets, and destroyed doors.
A single glance and the vampire decided to just turn around and walk away from there.
Alas! It wasn't possible.
"Katerina," Elijah's call stopped her in mid-step.
"It's okay, I will come back later," the vampire murmured with a light shrug.
"Oh! No," Elijah said, with a wave of his hand, "You wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important."
"I really don't want to meddle in your siblings' squabble," The doppelganger said, eyeing the broken glass pieces on the floor.
"Ah!" Elijah made a noise of agreement when he looked at his living room, "Our siblings had quite a few things to say to Niklaus yesterday. We have yet to find someone to clean it."
"Right..." Katherine drawled, "Is Klaus still alive? I couldn't reach him through the phone, so..." she trailed off.
"I believe it is destroyed by Kol when he couldn't manage to operate it," Elijah said, a smirk plastered on his face.
"Ah! Katerina, love," Klaus said, loudly, making his entrance, "What a surprise? Miss me already?"
"Did you just say, Katerina?" A female voice screech followed after.
"And that must be your lovely sister Rebekah," Katherine said with a sigh.
"What is this wench doing here?" Rebekah asked as she came down the stairs.
"Always a pleasure, Rebekah," Katherine said to the blonde, simply. "However, I am on a busy schedule for a catfight, so if you could just lend your brother for a minute," the doppelganger said, motioning Klaus a bit to come outside.
Before the blonde Original could throw another tantrum, Elijah decided to help out and took the attention of his sister, while Klaus and Katherine stepped outside.
"I called you, but it seems your phone was also destroyed along with your living room," the doppelganger began.
"Well, family...you know," Klaus began with a smirk.
"No, I don't," Katherine said matter-of-factly, and Klaus smirk turned into a frown at her words. Katherine just shook her head and said, "Anyway, I wanted to know if you can lend your witch and warlock for a day."
"Why exactly do you want them?" Klaus inquired, lifting his eyebrow.
"Hey, remember the time I saved you ass from your psychotic step-father," Katherine said instead, making Klaus scowl. Just then, they both heard a chuckle from behind.
"Wow! Nik, someone finally put you in place," the accented voice began, and the frenemies both turned around. One in confusion, and other in annoyance.
"You look exactly like Tatia," Kol said in a sardonic tone, "Except you managed to cause a rift between my brothers."
"And you...look like mini Elijah," Katherine said, "Just without manner, apparently."
"You also have a sharp tongue," Kol mused and stared at her dead right in the eye, trying to find something, and when Katherine held his gaze, he smirked.
"I am Kol," the dark brown haired Original introduced.
"Katherine Pierce," the doppelganger said, shaking his hand, "Elijah had quite a few things to say about you."
Kol made a noise at the back of his throat, "Which one of my Massacres did you talk about?"
Katherine lifted her eyebrow at the strange question and said, "About your relationship with witches, actually."
When Kol nodded his head but still looked slightly confused as to why Elijah would tell her that, Katherine elaborated, "My father is a traveler. But since we cant practice magic in groups and stay in the same place due to the curse, he didn't really tell any of my siblings about it. I learned about it after I turned. When I told Elijah how I would've liked to know the feeling of witchcraft, he told me about you and your love for it."
"Ah," Kol made a sound of understanding.
"If you two had enough discussion about magic, can we discuss the matter at hand?" Klaus said, breaking their discussion and getting their attention back to him.
"Now," Klaus began, when Kol and Katherine looked at him in annoyance for interrupting, "I can't possibly give the only witches I have at my hand to you, definitely not without an explanation."
"Why does anyone need witches?" Katherine retorted, rolling her eyes. "I can't take the Bennett witch as she can't access her magic, for the stunt, she pulled the other day, and the ones I know are very far. So, I am asking you to lend Maddox and Greta for one single day. I will even pay for their services...and silence."
Klaus sighed harshly and threw his hands up in the air, "Fine. But I want them back in 24 hours."
"You got it," the doppelganger said, backing away slowly, her both hands pointing towards Klaus. "Ask Greta and Maddox to be ready. I will pick them tomorrow early in the morning." Klaus just scowled at her in response.
And so, the very next day, Maddox, Greta, Hayley, Stefan, and Katherine were found in Ford SUV. And no one knew the destination as Katherine wouldn't say.
Stefan was in the passenger seat, Hayley was just behind Katherine, sitting next to Maddox and Greta while Katherine drove with a coffee cup in one hand that has blood in it, and her other hand was on the wheel. As they drove past the countryside towns, Led Zeppelin, playing in the speakers, Katherine's phone rang, getting everyone's attention.
The brunette, instead of placing her coffee cup behind, she left her hand on the wheel and fished out the phone from the charge point. However, as soon as she saw the caller id, she spits out the coffee in her mouth.
"Shit...fuck...shit," the doppelganger muttered, realizing she hasn't called the old witch in three days. She immediately placed her coffee cup back and tried to answer the phone. However, due to the water on the touch screen, she also happened to press the loudspeaker.
"Hey, Mel," Katherine said, placing the phone next to her ear without noticing the speak key was on.
"Oh! You don't get to 'Hey, Mel' me young lady," The witch on the other side bellowed into the phone. And when the loud sound was heard right next to her ears, Katherine was startled with the heightened hearing she experienced. She unintentionally dropped the phone, and it fell below her seat.
And Melantha started scolding the doppelganger, oblivious to the fact that everyone in the car was hearing every word she spoke, amusement written on their face.
"You haven't called me in the past three days, and I didn't know whether you are alive or if you died in a ditch by doing something reckless," the witch all but shouted.
"Mel..."Katherine didn't get to say anything when Melantha cut her off...again.
"No, you listen here, young lady," the greek witch said, "We had a deal. You were supposed to call me every day..."
"Melantha, you are on the speaker, for the love of Olympus, stop scolding me," Katherine shouted, as she still searched for the phone under her feet. And there was silence on the other side. But it was of no use as everyone in the car already heard it.
"Well, you should've told me that before," the accented voice said through the phone.
"I would've done that if you gave me a chance," Katherine said, and when she felt the fingers brush on something hard, Katherine pulled it out and released a sigh when she got her phone.
But Hayley snatched the phone from behind with a sly smirk before she could turn off the speaker.
"Hello, Melantha. I'm Hayley," The werewolf said into the phone.
"Hey! Give me back my phone," Katherine exclaimed from the front.
"Ah! The wolf girl, right," Melantha said.
"You know of me?" The werewolf asked, surprised.
"For the past week, you and your pack were the only things she talked about," Melantha said.
"Melantha, you are embarrassing me," Katherine said from the front. At this point, the car was parked at a side, but Stefan caught her both hands, so she can't take the phone from Hayley. She changed her accent into Greece, partly forgetting Stefan could understand the language "Please don't say those things to her. I can't deal with her ego. I will do anything you want."
"No, Melantha. Tell us everything about her. It's hard to get anything out of Katherine, really. So please give us some blackmail material," Stefan said in fluent Greek, with a smirk on his face.
His lips twitched a little for the first time since Elena's death, 4 days ago.
"Who am I talking to again?" the old witch asked.
"I am sorry. I was just amazed someone can scold Katherine as if she is a 5-year-old. I am Stefan Salvatore, by the way," Stefan said.
"Ah! I know you. Katherine had quite a few things to say about you and your brother Damon," Melantha began, and Katherine muttered a quiet, "Kill me now, universe. My reputation went down the drain."
"This conversation should not leave this car," Katherine whispered into the car darkly, after they had a long discussion with Melantha, "If someone were to know anything about this outside this car, I am going to kill each and every one of you painfully."
Everyone agreed, of course, but the upwards twitch on their lips said otherwise.
"You want us to...what?" Maddox asked again, his eyebrows furrowed in question.
"I want you to cloak this place and from an outsider's view, and place a barrier around it so no vampire can enter without invitation," Katherine repeated it again, calmly.
"Why do you want to cloak a place that is all the way in Atlanta. That too so close to the woods?" Greta questioned, equally confused.
"Because someone is going to be living here, and I don't want any human hikers to see them if they, by chance, come across this place for trekking," Katherine explained vaguely.
When the witch and warlock looked at each other in hesitation at the request, Katherine rolled her eyes, saying, "Just...Just do it, alright. And don't mention anything to Klaus. I will pay you extra."
"You don't have to pay anything," Greta said, "Klaus said he will look after all the expenses."
Katherine scrunched her nose at that, thinking if it was some kind of repayment, but she still didn't trust him. Klaus didn't actually do anything that shows her that he can be trusted. Katherine has. Maybe, not killing her for her impudence, is a way to tell he won't kill Katherine. But the doppelganger still wasn't okay with the fact. To her, Klaus Mikaelson was like death - Something that keeps people on their toes.
"No. I am paying for my things," Katherine said, looking at her help, and they agreed after a while. And in no time they completed the task they were requested for, and they made Hayley as the person who can invite people in.
"So, what exactly was all that about?" Stefan questioned as soon as Greta and Maddox went back to Mystic Falls, his hands folded under his chest, and eyes curious.
"You will see in a few minutes," Katherine said mysteriously. She then looked inside and shouted, "Hey, Andrea! If you are done with the sightseeing, I would really appreciate it if you were to take a second to come out and invite us inside."
"Andrea?" Stefan inquired at the new name.
"Hayley has two names. Hayley is the name her adopted parents kept. Andrea is the name her birth parents kept her, which she recently knew about," Katherine explained, knowing he will meet the Pack in a few seconds. "I was the one who told her about her birth parents and introduced her to pack. If her parents were alive, she would've been an Alpha."
"Sorry, I forgot I had to invite you in," Hayley said with a wince as she asked them to come in."
"So, this is one of your houses?" Hayley asked as she looked over the living room.
"Yeah. This was the only one near in between New Orleans and Mystic Falls, and away from the city," Katherine said as she stepped inside. "Did you call Eve?"
"Yup," Hayley nodded her head, "They entered the town, and there were no problems in the way either."
When Stefan looked, absolutely confused and out of place, Hayley decided to help the poor guy out as soon as Katherine went to check out the woods outside.
"So, do you know how Katherine and I met, right?" The Labonair wolf questioned.
"Yeah, something about giving information about your pack and parents," Stefan said, and Hayley told him the whole story.
"...So, now that Marcel's after my Pack, Katherine decided to shift them," Hayley said, "I didn't believe the Pack would agree, seeing they were there their whole lives, and I thought they will never run from their home. But Katherine said something about how wolves were supposed to run, and I don't know she made an impression on them, and they said they also owed her an apology. So, Eve called me yesterday evening and said they agreed to move. And here we are..."
"Wow!" was the only thing Stefan could say.
"I know," Hayley agreed. "I really don't know what I would be doing now if it wasn't for Katherine. And she didn't ask anything in return until now. I had to force her so she would take me to Mystic Falls with her."
"That's Katherine for you, I guess," Stefan murmured, "The most unexpected person you will ever meet."
Just then, the younger Salvatore heard the sound of a truck, and he informed Hayley about it, which had the werewolf bounding out of the house eagerly. Stefan followed her and saw Katherine coming from the back, clearly hearing the engine sound.
The back door of the truck opened, and the wolves stepped out, one by one, and Stefan looked in awe and worry as he never saw so many at a time. Actually, the only wolf he saw was, Mason Lockwood and it wasn't a pleasant experience. So, seeing Katherine petting the wolves and addressing them by their names - it freaked Stefan out to know the end.
"Stefan," the calling out of his name got him out of his stupor, and when he looked ahead, he saw Katherine calling for him, waving her hands.
"This is Stefan Salvatore. He is my friend, and he will stay here for some time with me until you guys settle down," Katherine introduced him, and Stefan awkwardly waved his hand.
And Stefan somehow got a feeling that he was being judged by the Pack of wolves. And, apparently, he passed some test as a wolf nodded at Stefan in greeting before making his way inside. And the whole Pack followed the lead.
When Stefan shook himself aware after the strange meeting, he turned his head to see Katherine missing from the spot beside him. When he looked at the surrounding, he saw the doppelganger talking to the truck driver.
"Did everything go, alright?" Katherine questioned the driver, who was a vampire from what Stefan could see, "Did you need to use compulsion in between or something."
"Nah," the vampire muttered, "Everythings fine. I didn't think you were being serious when you called, though. But damn girl! How did you come across so many of them? And why are they like that in broad daylight?"
"I told you to not ask questions," the doppelganger stressed, "Now that you are done with your job, you can carry on," her expression deadly, "And not a word about this to anyone, otherwise..."
"You will gouge out my eyes and liver and make me eat it," The truck driver recited, "Yes, yes. I got the memo."
"Then what are you waiting for," Katherine asked, a hand on her waist, "Get a move on."
"Geez, fine!"
"Who's that?" Stefan questioned once the truck left the driveway.
"Just a vampire that owed me a favor," Katherine said, "Anyway, how's the surprise?"
"Wait!" Katherine said before Stefan could open his mouth, "You don't actually look that surprised." and when she saw the slightly guilty expression, the realization dawned on her, "Let me guess. Hayley spilled the beans."
Stefan scrunched his face a little and nodded his head, making the Petrova doppelganger huff in annoyance. "But it's a good thing she did," Stefan began, "Because I would've made a run for Mystic Falls when I saw all those wolves jumping from the pickup truck."
"It would have been quite a sight to look at," Katherine said, making Stefan roll his eyes.
A day ago, seeing her like that, smiling up at him, reminded him of Elena. Even though Stefan knew she is not his dead girlfriend and the fact that they were both polar opposites, a part of him, inside, wished they didn't look so similar in appearances. A minuscule part of him saw Elena in Katherine even though he knew he shouldn't.
'Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to come to this trip,' were Stefan's thoughts when he packed his bags that morning. 'But this is better than switching off his humanity and going on a ripper binge and killing innocents. Elena wouldn't want him to kill people because of her. That was the whole reason she decided to stay dead. He couldn't let Elena's sacrifice go in vain by his actions.
Another reason he asked Katherine to stay behind and to look after him was so that he won't go off the rails. Stefan knew he could take Damon's help, but Damon betrayed him in the past twice when he went for help, but Katherine proved to him that she will help him in times of need.
It was just unfortunate Katherine and Elena looked alike, but otherwise, they are two different persons with two different personalities. And being on a road trip made him realize that. So, no. Stefan Salvatore is not coping with the loss of his girlfriend using Katherine Pierce as an excuse.
In fact, he is coping through it by using the help of his trusted friend and ex-girlfriend, Katherine Pierce.
I am in a full swing, it seems :)
Anyway, What do you think...