"How's it looking?" Elena asks gesturing to her forehead where Stefan was currently holding some tissue to the bleeding wound Nadia had inflicted.
Stefan sighs pulling the tissue off wincing at the sight of it, she may need stitches but she would live, that was something at least "You'll be fine." He assures her both glancing back at the travelers that had surrounded the room as they chant some spell in Czech, never taking their eyes off the two doppelgängers.
The vampire whose ring had been disabled by the travelers and the woozy Banshee were pretty much trapped just waiting to see what would happen.

As they stand together Elena glances up at Stefan with a small smile "So um...you and Buffy are looking closer than ever."
Stefan arches a brow and glances down at his friend in disbelief "You wanna talk about this now?"
"It's not like we can go anywhere." She points out gesturing to the still chanting travelers, as long as they were trapped she was going to milk Stefan for as much dirt as she possibly could.

The vampire sighs at her words before shaking his head in amusement as he spots the all-knowing smirk on Elena's face, she was too smart for her own good "Shut up."

Elena merely smiles at him, he was nervous it was kind of obvious but she knew that today he had been happier than she had ever seen him. Just seeing him sat with Buffy both of them playing with her niece, it had been so sweet "Come on..." She teases "I saw you both with Joy. Buffy adores you, her daughter does too. So what's the problem?" She questions, there was something holding the couple back, she could tell. She had spotted the looks the two of them had been exchanging all day, something must have happened when he went to see Buffy in New Orleans. Something he had neglected to tell any of them.

Knowing what she was hinting at Stefan sighs, this was not a conversation he wanted to be having with her, this was something he and Buffy were still trying to figure out. "It's complicated."
At his vague words, Elena merely frowns in confusion "Why?"

"Because I'm here, she's in New Orleans." That was all he said not wanting to get into the deeper details, this was something he and Buffy needed to talk about, and he wouldn't talk about it with Elena till he and Buffy had decided where they stood.
Elena couldn't help but smile "I don't get what's so complicated. She'll be back soon enough on a permanent basis. See not complicated."

Stefan frowns at her words and looks down at her in disbelief. Watching her carefully he couldn't help but sigh, she actually believed that it was that simple, but it wasn't and she was just denying the inevitable.

Inhaling tightly he tries to think of how to get through Elena's head to make her see reality, she was thinking that Buffy would just take Joy away from Klaus and live here like none of it had ever happened. And it was naive.
"Elena, the father of her child lives in New Orleans."

"Yeah but—"

Cutting her off he shakes his head at her "Buffy's father abandoned her, then only wanted to be in her life to get to Joy. She will never take Joyce away from Klaus, she wants her daughter to have Klaus in her life. To not go through what she did. She's never gonna let Mystic Falls go through more with the Originals..."
At his words, Elena's eyes widen in shock as she thinks back to the conversation she had with Caroline when the two of them had been so sure that Buffy wouldn't leave them all for Klaus. The two girls had been so sure that Buffy would come home, yet the look on Stefan's face was making her pause "Wait...you think she's gonna leave."

Stefan couldn't help but clench his jaw as he thinks back to all the hell this town had caused Buffy and the rest of them "I think Mystic Falls is a black pit of despair in her life and she should escape it. Nothing but bad things have happened to her here. She deserves a new home. You didn't see her in New Orleans Elena, while scared about what the wolves had said...I had never seen her more at peace than when she was in that city. She felt like she could be herself for the first time in years, without having to worry about running off to save one of us."
Elena merely shakes her head at his words, she knew her sister, Buffy was happy here, she had to be, she couldn't just leave, she had just got her back...Buffy couldn't just leave.
At her clear denial Stefan takes a deep breath "Elena, you don't get it. She has a child, she has a new set of priorities. She's wanted to leave Mystic Falls for years, we were going to leave all those months ago. She's not happy here."

Before Elena could speak another word however one of the travelers steps forward placing a large silver bucket in front of the two doppelgangers making them both frown in confusion. What the actual hell was going on?
"You don't happen to speak Czech, do you?" Elena asks as she looks up at the vampire nervously.

"Uh no." Stefan breaths before his eyes widen as he spots the traveler walking over to them with a knife cutting into both their wrists. Elena's eyes widen "Doppelganger blood. Great just great."


Buffy sighs as she stands in Katherine's doorway watching as Xander adjusts the still weak Katherine in her bed. "How's our Killer Queen doing?"
At her joke, Xander sighs before standing and moving over from the drowsy human and over to his best friend "The drugs the Sheriff left her are making her a little drowsy. She keeps hallucinating. At one point she called me Mama."

"Weird." Buffy mumbles making Xander nod in agreement "Way weird."
When Xander doesn't move to leave Buffy sighs "I'm not gonna kill her."

The human hesitates before nodding and quietly leaving the room, once he was gone Buffy remains in the doorway merely watching the half dead ex-vampire. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh, who would have thought Katherine would go out this way.
"You know..." She says drawing Katherine's attention as she makes her way over and sits on the bed looking at the graying woman carefully "...I always thought you'd go out in some epic way. Or you and I would battle to the death in a dome or something."
Katherine doesn't speak as she merely continues to stare at Buffy with wide eyes, however what made Buffy frown in confusion was the way water was filling the human's eyes as a happy smile covered her lips "May." She whispers making Buffy finally click it all together.

"You think I'm Mary." She whispers before sighing as she looks at Katherine carefully honestly in that moment seeing the vulnerable look on her face she couldn't help but feel for her. So she offered her a small kindness "I'm here Kat." She whispers back squeezing Katherine's hand while the ex-vampire's other hand raises to cup Buffy's face as she stares at her, still seeing the face of the woman she had loved for so long.

Buffy groans trying not to gag slightly before shaking her head "It's okay Katarina."
"I'm so sorry May...I miss you."
"I know." Buffy tells her before sighing knowing for a fact that Mary at this point did not actually give a crap about Katherine but, the woman was on her death bed, so maybe a little compassion was okay.
Leaning forward she kisses Katherine's forehead making the ex-vampire smile softly leaning her forehead against what she thought was her ex-lover.
Buffy sighs and moves to pull away only to gasp in shock as Katherine leans forward and kisses her softly on the lips.
"Woah." She gasps pulling back abruptly "I try and be nice and you mack on me." She jokes making Katherine's eyes widen as she finally spots the blonde locks "Buffy?"
"Yep. Was being nice. Didn't know you were gonna kiss me." Before the blonde could say anything else however Xander appears in the doorway with Nadia, sighing Buffy stands ignoring Katherine who was still watching her. Moving to the doorway she turns to Xander and Nadia "I'll give you a minute then I want Stefan and my damn sister back. Or I kill you." She warns Nadia both finally leaving the room ignoring Mia who was stood with the vampire.


"Hold up." Damon states as he sits on the couch watching as Joy attempted to use the table to stand only to drop right back on her butt again. Helping the little girl back up with an amused grin he then turns to look at his best friend who still looked as horrified as she did when she stormed into the room.
"Katherine kissed you?" He repeats before laughing as she glares at him, shrugging he sighs before a thought occurs to him "Is there video?"

At his words, Buffy grabs the book next to her and launches it at his head but he quickly ducks out of the way as he continues to laugh. As he continued to enjoy her horror she rolls her eyes "Shut up."

Damon merely smirks before leaning back in his chair very much enjoying her misery "So you, me and Stefan have all made out with Katherine and Mary. Fun."

Buffy groans and drops down to sit beside him, dropping her head to her hands she lets out an amused breath "People seriously need to stop kissing me." She huffs, Mary had kissed her, then Katherine, and not even two weeks ago Klaus had kissed her. This was getting annoying "Do I look like a damn kissing booth?" She laughs just as Damon smirks before turning to Joy "Funny right Joey?" He asks before holding his hand out making Buffy's eyes widen in disbelief when the little girl high fives him.
"Don't turn her against me, Damon!"

Damon merely grins at her words but before he could say another word a dirty covered Caroline walks back in helping a still weak Matt "I found him!"


After Stefan and Elena had finally returned Xander walks into Katherine's room watching as she struggles to keep her eyes open. Rubbing his hands together he moves over to the dying girl sitting on the edge of her bed he watches her sadly. Honestly, the Katherine he had gotten to know was pretty great, she was smart and funny, he had actually enjoyed spending time with her.
"These drugs..." She whispers noticing him sat beside her "...are hard-core."

Xander takes a shaky breath before glancing in the doorway where Buffy was waiting, he had practically had to beg the hybrid to agree to this and he knew she was going to get him back for this. Probably by beating him up while he wears the puffy Xander suit, but he didn't care.
Taking Katherine's small hand he smiles sadly "I asked Buffy to go into your head. She's gonna give you some happy thoughts. Something beautiful."
Katherine takes a shaky breath as she forces her weak eyes open to focus on the human "Thank you, Alexander." She whispers "You may be my first actual friend in my 500 years. Maybe if I had people like you and Buffy things would have been different."

Xander lets out an amused breath as he watches her, he couldn't imagine how her life must have been, 500 years unable to talk to anyone or truly trust anyone "I'll take that as a compliment...it was nice knowing this side of you Kat. Cause I think you're pretty extraordinary. A little evil but extraordinary."

With that, he squeezes her hand softly before standing and making his way over to Buffy "Thanks for doing this."
Buffy sighs as she glances over at Katherine, hearing Xander's words had made the blonde pause, Xander had always had a good heart and as he had grown he had seen good in people. Even when he hadn't wanted to admit it.
Squeezing his shoulder she walks past him and over to the dying brunette beauty. Sitting on the edge of the bed Buffy hesitates for a brief moment before slowly lifting her hands to the side of Katherine's temple and closing her eyes.

Buffy opens her eyes to find herself stood in a small bedroom, the room was covered in blood, a man she assumed to be Katherine's father was pinned to the wall by a sword while what was probably Katherine's sister was laid out on the floor her throat ripped to shreds. Finally Buffy tears her gaze from the horrifying sight that she knew the father of her child had caused and focuses on the bed. Crouched beside her dead mother's body Buffy couldn't help but sigh as she spots Katherine dressed as she would have been that day in the 1400s.
"Damon?"
Katherine nods as she continues to stare at her mother's body "He had his fun...this was the worst day of my life." Sitting up Katherine takes a gasping breath as tears spill down her face making her look so much younger than her years, so innocent "He said it was my fault." She tells the Slayer turning to look at her "That I deserve everything bad that's ever happened to me. He's right."

Buffy frowns slightly at her words before taking a step towards the brunette and sitting beside her "We are the architects of our own unhappiness." Buffy tells her remembering back to something a friend of hers had told her "But we're also built upon our circumstances. You were just a kid Katherine. And fate screwed you over. Like it did me." Pulling the Bulgarian up to her feet Buffy places her hands on the crying girl's arms "This wasn't your fault. You were a kid. And yes you've done horrible things. We all have...but you didn't ask for the path given to you."
Slowly Buffy closes her eyes as she does Katherine's eyes widen in confusion as every drop of blood in the room disappears.

"Buffy, what are you doing?"
Buffy smiles and opens her eyes looking down at the sad girl "Never tell anyone I was nice to you..."
Katherine lets out a small laugh before arching a brow "I don't think I can."
Buffy snorts "Sorry." She mumbles before turning Katherine to face the corner of the room where now a little brunette girl was sat on a small bed playing with a doll.

As Katherine stares with tears streaming down her face at the young vision of Nadia Buffy smiles "Everything we do...is for our daughters. I understand you Katherine...and I respect you...you deserve a moment a peace with your little girl. It's all I would want."
Katherine lets out a small gasp as tears of joy fill her eyes, turning around she surprises Buffy by hugging her tightly. Tucking her chin into Buffy's shoulder she smiles happily "Thank you."

Buffy couldn't help but smile at the woman's words "You've gone through a lot and to survive this long...that makes you a pretty cool person. Yes, kind of a bitch..." At that Katherine laughs making Buffy snort "But in another world, we probably could have been great friends."
Pulling back Buffy smiles sadly at her before gesturing to where a 3-year old Nadia was running towards her mother happily "Goodbye Katherine."


Buffy sighs as she hangs up the phone after speaking to Klaus, it was official, the wedding was taking place tomorrow so she needed to get on the road tonight to make sure she got there in time. Sighing she glances down at Joy in her arms who smiles brightly almost like she knew she was going to get to see her father soon.
The blonde let out a small breath kissing her daughter's forehead before she walks into the parlor where Caroline, Matt, Bonnie, and Jeremy were all sat together.

As she walks in she turns to Bonnie "Katherine doesn't have long left." She informs the anchor as she takes a seat putting Joy on her lap while Bonnie nods.
Matt turns to the ex-witch curiously "So this Anchor thing, does it mean that you'll like, be able to feel Katherine's death or whatever?"
"I think so." Bonnie mumbles honestly there was still a whole lot about being the Anchor that she didn't understand "I mean, she's human...but she's a doppelganger and a traveler, apparently."
Buffy sighs before arching a brow "Anyone cool on The Other Side? Ooh, Damon said Shakespeare was a vampire is he there?"
Bonnie lets out a small laugh "Haven't seen him yet." She assures the now pouting blonde "But I see a lot of people. My grams. The other witches. Vicki...I just don't talk about it..."
"Because it's depressing as hell." Viki pipes up from behind them making Joy giggle and point at the empty space while Bonnie merely grins as she spots Joy looking directly where Vicki was stood watching them.

Bonnie smiles as Vicki continues to complain about Rebekah and talk about how much she missed her brother "She's missing you."
"What am I missing?" Matt asks only for all of them to freeze as a familiar voice pipes up from the doorway "Me."

Tyler sighs before turning to Buffy "Your baby daddy called. Said I was a gift."
Buffy gulps slightly everyone quickly noticing the tension given that the father of her child had killed Tyler's mother, plus Tyler had spent months trying to bring down Klaus for revenge.
Matt thankfully cuts through the tension walking over to give Tyler a hug while Caroline tenses giving the fact that just downstairs in the celler was the very cute guy she had been spending time with since Tyler left.
Buffy sighs before standing walking over to her sister, Xander and the Salvatore brothers as they enter the room. Stefan smiles at her brightly before his eyes widen at the empty booze all around the house "Have we really gone through four bottles of bourbon today?"

Suddenly Joy squirms in Buffy's arms before pointing behind Jeremy, behind the ex-hunter Alaric grins "Smart kid."
Jeremy's eyes widen as he recognizes the voice and spins around "Alaric? Where the hell have you been?"
Buffy couldn't help but pout unable to see the hunter/Original vampire "Okay I've died more than any of you and I don't get to see ghosts! This is not fair!"

"It's not that great." Alaric laughs making Bonnie and Jeremy smile "Plus someone's gotta keep an eye on all of you. And make sure Damon isn't sneaking baby Summers bourbon when you're not looking."

At his words Jeremy couldn't help but shake his head in amusement while Damon frowns at the grin "He's talking about me, isn't he?"
"He says you're a dick." Jeremy tells him before glancing at his niece "And to stop sneaking Joy bourbon."
At his word's Buffy eyes widen and she quickly slaps Damon's chest in annoyance "Damon!"

"He's lying!" Damon argues before sighing "Thanks a lot Buddy, she's gonna kick my ass now."

Elena snorts in amusement before turning to spot Bonnie staring at the doorway with wide eyes "What is it?"

"Katherine." She mumbles staring at Katherine's ghost before suddenly she disappears "She's gone. She was just there."

Elena frowns in confusion before sighing "I'll go." She mumbles before moving to make her way upstairs, however before she could Xander grabs her wrist pulling her away from the others.
Noticing her reluctance Xander sighs and quickly cups her face in his hands "I love you okay. I helped Katherine because she was miserable. I've been there. I've been the weak human around so many powerful people. But I love you."
With that Elena inhales tightly before slowly she smiles, leaning up she kissing him softly. As she pulls back she leans her forehead against his before groaning "I should go talk to the stubborn human." She mumbles "I'll regret it if I don't."


As Buffy was trying to strap Joy into her car seat without waking the little girl she sighs as she feels a presence behind her "I have to go Damon." She mumbles before closing the backseat carefully and turning to face her best friend.
Damon rolls his eyes "Yeah, yeah. I know. Just don't not answer your phone this time." He tells her seriously before a sad look crosses his face, he hated this, hated that she had been back for barely a day and now she was off again, with no knowledge of when she would return. He had never imaged it like this, they were supposed to be having adventures today but it seemed fate had other plans.
"Just...don't disappear again Buff."
Buffy takes a shaky breath before moving over to Damon wrapping her arms around his neck holding onto him tightly "I won't." She whispers softly before pulling back and rubbing her eyes knowing that their was an unspoken truth here. There was a chance she may not be coming back for months, maybe longer.

Running a hand through her hair she reaches out squeezing Damon's hand softly "If you need any help with this Augustine..."

"I'll call you Clyde."
At his words Buffy lets out a small laugh "And I'll be there Bonnie."


"Wow, you really don't wanna die, do you?" Elena asks in shock as Katherine gasps awake making the banshee who was sat at her bed side jump slightly. Katherine really was stubborn, even knocking on death's door and she was holding out.
Katherine merely continues to gasp for breath staring at Elena in confusion "Where am I?"

"Still alive." Elena informs her before grumbling under her breath "Sadly."

Katherine merely sighs in relief thinking back to that moment where her heart had stopped, she had been so sure that had been it, but she was stronger than she thought "I thought I was a goner there for a second. And I still have unfinished business."
Elena nods in agreement with her, she was missing out on a goodbye with Buffy to do this, but despite what Stefan had said, she knew Buffy would be back, she felt it in her heart...at least she hoped "So do I." She mumbles focusing back to the reason she was here "I had this whole speech that I was preparing to give your...unconscious body."
Katherine couldn't help but groan slightly at Elena's words, she hadn't expected her dying moments to be with her literal shadow self "Let me guess. Hate, loathe...screw you, die, bitch, et cetera."

Elena opens her mouth to argue before it quickly clamps shut, that had pretty much been the original idea "Yes." She admits before looking down at her hands nervously "Plus one more thing." Inhaling deeply Elena summons as much courage as she can before finally she forces her body to speak "I forgive you." She whispers, the words feeling foreign on her tongue.

"You what?"

"I forgive you." Elena repeats to the shocked Katherine "You weren't born evil. Your life made you that way. You lost everyone that you cared about way to young. And you didn't have a family to look out for you. Sound familiar?"
Katherine adjusts in her death bed ever so silently as she watches her shadow self a little bemused by her words "Is this the...we're not so different, you and I doppelganger speech? Because I'd be happy to skip it."
Elena couldn't help but smile in amusement at the woman who had pretty much made her life a living hell for the past few years "I'll save it for the funeral we probably won't have for you."
"Perfect."
As Katherine closes her eyes Elena clenches her jaw ever so slightly as she watches the dying woman "I just wanted to get the forgiveness part over with. It's a part of me that...I never want to lose."

"Good for you." Katherine mumbles before coughing weakly, wincing in pain at the tightness in her chest the human turns to the banshee with a pitiful look on her face "Now maybe you can help a girl out. Give me one more syringe." She asks looking over at the pain killers on the table "If anybody's gonna plunge a needle in me one last time...it may as well be you. Symmetry and all that."
Elena glances at the syringe hesitantly before slowly nodding and moving to grab it, she may hate Katherine but no one deserved to die in pain. If she could take some of that away she would.
As she carefully lifts Katherine's arm prepared to give her the injection, she is halted as her doppelganger speaks up "Elena."

Elena looks over at Katherine who looks her straight in the eye as she clears her throat "Thank you for your forgiveness." She whispers weakly.
"You're welcome."

With that the two doppelgangers share a rare smile before Elena slowly presses the needle against her skin. As she injects the whole syringe into Katherine's body she is taken off guard as suddenly Katherine using the last of her strength grabs Elena's face with her hands.
Katherine holds onto her looking her dead in the eye as she forces out the spell, the one that would save her "Jaryakat a zem. Daryeet acza." With that Elena's eye's flash black before she drops to the ground.


"Don't forget this."

A voice calls out just as Buffy is about to climb into her car to head back to New Orleans, spinning around her eyes widen as she spots Stefan stood holding the small white wooden knight in his hands.
"Oh thank god." She breaths taking it "Klaus has had this thing 1000 years and I manage to lose it in a day." Pausing she places it in the back with Joy before glancing back at the green eyed Salvatore "Thank you."

"No problem." He whispers glancing down at her, trying desperately not to grab her and kiss her like he so badly wanted to.
Buffy smiles slightly before sighing as she glances at her car before glancing back at Stefan, this sucked, she was supposed to have more time to figure everything out. But things in her life never seemed to go to plan "We didn't really get to talk."

"We'll figure it out." He assures her before cupping her face in his hands and pressing a small kiss to her forehead making the blonde lean into his familiar embrace. Clenching her eyes shut as she relishes in the small moment as she leans her forehead against his own and smiles.
Stefan couldn't help but smile as he runs his hands through her hair "Buffy just know this...go where you think you belong. I'd pretty much follow you anywhere. Wherever makes you and Joy happy...that where I'll be."

Buffy lets out a small breath at his words, that was honestly the most perfect thing he could have said in this moment, everyone else had just been hinting at her where she should be, how she should live. But Stefan always said the right thing and it was what she needed.
"I'll call you when I get to New Orleans." She promises reluctantly pulling away from the embrace. Stefan merely nods clenching his jaw slightly as he watches her move to get in her car, sighing he looks up at the sky before huffing "Screw it." He mumbles before grabbing Buffy's wrist and pulling her back.
Without a second of hesitation he cups her face in his hands and kisses her passionately, he hadn't been able to do this in so long, and he had learnt that every time they had said goodbye it might be the last.
Buffy freezes in shock for a small moment before she wraps her hands around his neck kissing him back relishing in the embrace, it still felt like it had all those years ago. So intoxicating.
As her fingers run through his hair she moans softly before finally pulling back now hating the fact that she had to leave even more. Stefan merely smiles down at her lovingly as he strokes her cheek "I'll see you soon."


Elena groans as the sound of a loud ringing fills her ears, blinking her eyes open she frowns in confusion as she finds herself laid on the floor at Katherine's death bed. With Katherine pretty much dead to the world now. Hearing the ringing again Elena groans and pulls herself off the floor and grabs her phone "Hello?"

To Elena's utter confusion an unfamiliar voice pipes up through the phone, one word coming through "Vyidi."

With that one word Elena's eyes slam open darkness filling them once again, after a long moment those black eyes finally morph back into the stunning chocolate brown that belonged to the Banshee.

"Hello? Are you there?" Nadia asks her voice piping up through the phone.
The banshee gulps and glances around the room making sure Xander wasn't nearby both moving to the body on the bed "I'm here."

"Did it work?"

The Banshee sighs before grabbing Katherine's wrist and sure enough there was no pulse, Katherine Pierce was dead. Slowly a small smirk covers the Banshee's face "Of course it worked. I'm Katherine Pierce. I survive. I'll see you soon."

With that Katherine hangs up just as Xander walks in and smiles over at who he assumed was his girlfriend "Lena you okay?"
Katherine smiles brightly as she glances over at him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her in a hug she glances over his shoulder at the mirror in front of her. As she stares at herself in her new body Katherine couldn't help but smirk "Everything is perfect."