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.

"I don't trust him," Kol told me with conviction.

I made a noise of acknowledgment in the back of my throat. Kai is untrustworthy by nature. Volatile and unpredictable, someone you should never turn your back to. I have known this since day one. But I also figured that Kai Parker is an easy option compared to working with a whole coven of heretics psychos who would try to resurrect a douchebag called Julian, which later follows with a lengthy and pointless arc about Rayna Cruz, the mindless killing machine.

"You said there is an 82 percent of chance he will ditch us on his way out, right?" Kol whispered again from behind, right next to my ears.

I hummed lowly, my eyes still on the homicidal maniac who languidly sat before us on the soft couch with chocolate-covered fingers and a carefree grin on his face. He raided the pantry and stole my candy stash without a lick of shame. I would've forgiven him if he had stopped there, but no, the bitch had to go and take my ice cream as well.

"Frankly, Kol, looking at him now, I am willing to make it a 100," I said, narrowing my eyes at the thief. "He will definitely screw us over once he gets his hands on the headstone." I folded my arms and my forehead creased in deep thought. "By the way, I have been thinking—" I turned a little to face Kol, only to stumble back when I saw how close his face was to mine.

Kol raised his eyebrow in question, and I just waved it off, muttering, "Sorry, instinct."

"You were saying—"

"Right," I licked my lips and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, remembering what I was on about. "Your brothers gave me this gold bracelet," I said, holding out my wrist for the Original to see, "It's during the ball— in case your mother curses or hexes me, you know, for helping you lot," I retold the story to Kol. "Anyways, I have been wearing it ever since, you know, for situations like this. But, it didn't do shit when Joshua parker cursed us," I voiced out my doubts. "Is this even effective? Or was I just played by Klaus?"

Kol took my hand into his callous ones and looked at the runes etched on the bracelet intently, "So, this is what my brothers were up to," he muttered to himself.

"Huh?"

"Nik and 'Lijah came to me asking for the runes and spell required to prepare this just a day before the ball my mother threw," Kol explained, letting go of my hand. "It is effective, darling," he assured me. "But only against the bloodline of witches, it is connected to. In your case, no Mikaelson Witch can do you harm as Klaus gave the blood. But since there is no alive witch with our DNA now, it's an absolute waste. You might as well dump it down a drain."

Well, that's not correct. Sure there is no way for Momma original to come back from the dead, now that she died as a vampire. But that won't be the case with Crazy Aunt Dhalia and sleeping beauty Freya. And since Kol said DNA, I am sure Dhalia comes under the same category as an aunt and nephew kinda share at least 25% DNA on average. So, I quickly clasped my hands behind my back before Kol could take it away by himself and received a look from the Original at my response in the process.

"I will keep it," I said, with a half shrug, fiddling with the bracelet. "I like it. It matches with all the outfits." The rose gold bracelet was indeed beautiful, with butterflies hanging off it, and each butterfly had a rune etched on the back of it.

"And this has nothing to do with my brothers?" Kol inquired aloud, indifferently.

I scrunched up my face at his question and answered with honesty. "What? No." Kol didn't look convinced, "Don't think I would have been here with them then instead of you?"

"Well, they are not the ones to believe in Silas, unlike me," Kol began.

"—Kol," I interjected before the vampire could go any further. "Elijah and I are over. Our ship sailed long ago," I tried to explain, "Besides, if I want to start a relationship, I would do it with the one I trust. And there is no way I would trust Elijah now, not even my non-existent pet."

"So, if not Elijah, then how about Nik?"

"Klaus?" I was surprised at his question. "What about him?" I asked with a shrug. "You really 500 years of hating each other is a good start for romance?"

"Well, one would think not by the way you jump to help our family at every turn. I heard you had a hand in my father's demise," Kol said, offhandedly. "Tell me, darling, has your alliance with my brother softened you to his horrors?

"Your brother is sure hot. But he is a Grade-A asshole," I declared in complete honesty, "And I have never even seen or thought of us that way until you pointed it out."

Just when Kol decided to speak something, we were interrupted by an obscene rattling sound. We turned our head and looked to see Kai taking an incredibly long pull from his drink's straw.

"Should we just kill him and find another way?" Kol voiced out, barely holding himself from hurling something at the siphoners head.

As I expected, the two men didn't like each other— the ego clashes and ability to drive each other up the wall didn't help much either. It was a miracle Kol hasn't killed the guy already.

"Kai is immortal here," I clicked my tongue as I saw Kai dropping the empty paper cup onto the carpeted floor. "And, unfortunately, our only ticket to get the hell out of here. So, we just have to deal with his non-stop chatter— keep our cards close until the last minute and get home together in one piece." I paused, eyeing the half-empty ice cream tub in anger. "And maybe once he helps the pack break their curse, we can kill him."

Kai, who had been in his own world until then, decided to speak up, "So, Kitty kat, what's the plan to get out of here? And why are you here with that—" he said, wagging his finger at the Original behind me.

"That is an Original Vampire," Kol gritted out, stressing the word 'that.' "And you would do well to remember that mate, or I'll take off your head and wait for you to resurrect just to do it all over again."

"Original Vampires," Kai repeated to himself, completely disregarding Kol's threat. "I think I have heard of you in passing, but I don't really get what's the difference between you and Kitty Kat here. I mean, I'm a little unfamiliar with vampires, but from what I've gathered, a stake in the heart should do it, right?" he waved off uninterested. "Now move aside and let the pretty woman speak— because from what I see, she is the one with the brains and the plan," Kai said.

Kol looked ready to lunge at Kai, but I stopped him by grasping his arm. "Calm down. We need the guy," I managed to whisper, coming in to stand between the two madmen.

I turned to Kai, clapping my hands to get his attention. "So, Kai, first, let's make some ground rules before we go any further, alright?" I didn't give him time to agree as I listed off the rules. "One— stay out of my ice cream and chocolate stash. Two, stop antagonizing Kol because even though he can't kill you permanently, they are many ways to torture you so much that you will wish for death. And three, if you call me by any other name other than Katherine, I am gonna start calling you Malachai. And, last but not least, you won't be getting back home to enact your revenge on your beloved family until you agree with my terms of negotiation." I took a deep breath and smiled. "So, any questions?"

"Alright, so, I am kinda rusty with face-to-face type human interactions," Kai began, sitting comfortably on the couch. "But, you know, let's do this. I am sure whatever you got planned out for me isn't going to be as bad as my family dinner. By the way, do you know about my family?"

He didn't give me any time to speak as he continued, "Well, you must know, otherwise you wouldn't have known my full name. But since it's manners, I will say anyways. My father, Joshua Parker— the great coven leader. He treated me like crap for 22 years and then locked me here in this prison world. It's like his... like his kids didn't even matter. Coven always came first no matter what," He said resentfully.

Kai then went on, totally forgetting the main topic of discussion. "And my mother— God! she was like the perfect soulmate for him, you know, calling me an abomination and all that. And siblings; I grew up with a ton of little sisters and brothers? You know, all of them constantly yammering—"

"And then you maimed the lot of them," Kol interject, "Yes, we know. What's your bloody point?"

"Hello! Not everyone died," Kai said, looking extremely offended. "I had a soft spot for one of my sisters. 'Cause otherwise, I would've cut her lungs out, and not just her spleen. You can survive without a spleen."

Kol turned to me with an annoyed expression, "Not to be Mr. Judgmental here, darling, but I'm starting to question the company that you are willing to put your trust in to get us back home."

I groaned loudly, complaining, "You people make me want to commit a mass homicide."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Kol and Kai said, at a time, in slightly discordant unison.

"Oh my god!" I snapped. "You both—" I began menacingly. I turned to Kol first, "You— sit your ass down, and stop letting him get to you," I said, pushing him back onto the empty couch across Kai. "And you," I looked at Kai, "You keep your mouth shut, and when I ask you something, you answer with a yes or no—" Kai went to speak, but I cut him off with a glare, "Another word apart that, I am gonna tie you to cross and crucify you myself, Capeesh?"

"Alright, capeesh," Kai agreed, raising his hands in surrender.

"Good," I blew out my cheeks. "Now, for you to get out of this prison world with us, you have to help a werewolf pack break their curse as payment. The Crescent Pack is currently in their wolf forms, and they only turn into humans during the full moon because of a witch. So, can you help them revert back to their normal-forms by siphoning off the curse?

"Yes."

"Brilliant," I decided. "But since I don't trust you enough, I am not willing to share with you the location of Bennett blood and the magical rock with a shit load of magic that will help us until the last minute." Kai narrowed his eyes, and his jaw tightened at that, not pleased, so I continued. "But, I can clue you in about the place where you can get a taste of your sister's relinquished magic in exchange for your family's books related to Travelers. So, we cool?"

"Super cool," Kai said, "You know, you seem to know an awful lot about my freak show of a family."

"Yeah, she tends to have a creepy lot of information about a whole lot of things that are better left buried," Kol agreed. "It gets real old real fast."

"Or," I interrupted loudly, "I just do my research before I make a very elaborate plan to break out a clinical sociopath from an alternate dimension and decide to hang out with the infamous Mikaelson brother, who is known to be a psychotic maniac."

"Look, I know you think I'm a monster," Kai began, his eyebrows drew together as he spoke. "I mean, I did murder or heavily maim most of my immediate family," he acknowledged, "but after a long period of self-reflection, I've come to the conclusion that I could have handled my anger better."

"Really?" Kol looked unimpressed, looking with the same deadpanned expression as me.

"Pft, No," Kai guffawed at his own joke. "I just wanna go back and give the rest of the Gemini Coven an excruciating death."

"Lovely," I drawled. "I, myself, am dying to torture Joshua Parker for the mind-blowing aneurysm he gave me before we came here. I do hold grudges for a long time, after all. There is no way I would give up a chance for a nice payback."

"My father knows you are here?" Kai asked, sitting straight, his mouth set in a hard line.

"Yup," I then went on explaining in detail how we stole the ascendant from his sister and how just a few minutes before the comet passed, his family showed up to stop us. "But I asked a witch friend of mine to destroy the ascendant before he got his grubby hands on it and destroy this pathetic world while we are here. And since we are still in one piece, I say Maddox and Greta must have done a marvelous job at it."

"But he must be planning something to trap me here," Kai voiced out impatiently.

"Well, if he thinks there is a chance for you to come out and doesn't find a way to destroy this world- the I am pretty sure he would just kill Jo so you can't merge," I said with a shrug, "I mean unless he plans to merge your 19-year-old twins."

"Two years is a long time gap," Kol said, dismissing the idea. "I would place my bet on killing the other twin, though."

"But that means I can never be a coven leader," Kai stated.

"Do you want to be the leader of your coven, or do you want them all to die?" Kol asked instead.

"I want both," Kai ground out, "I want revenge on my parents by being the leader of the coven when they tried everything in their power to stop me from becoming one saying I am the defective twin. And on the coven for trapping me in the snapshot of this day that they imprisoned me on the ruse that they will conduct the merge."

"Look," I released a heavy sigh. "Let's stop thinking about the future, alright. For all we know, Jo might have had ran from your crazy coven by now, probably expecting this outcome. So, how about we just go with my plan— go home together in one piece, and then think about what to do with your family when we finally get there."

And that's how the motley group of three found themselves on a helicopter to Portland two hours later.

"How many times did you die to perfect piloting?" Kol asked, over the loud noise of the rotors, curious about Kai's flying skills.

"I stopped counting after 10," Kai replied offhandedly. "Speaking of my adventures, did I tell you the story when I broke into the Oval Office and took a picture of myself at the window, looking all JFK."

"What's JFK?" Kol interrupted.

"You don't know JFK," Kai said, looking scandalized, "What rock were you living under?"

When Kol looked at Kai as if he would throw him out of the moving plane, I intervened. "Kol was kinda in a deep sleep for over a century."

"Oh, well, JFK is one of the presidents of the united states. His assassination was kind of a big deal—" Kai explained, "Anyhoo, so I took the pictures of myself, but then, I was, like, 'Wait— How am I going to get these photos developed?'"

"Nevermind, you lost my interest," Kol waved him off, making me massage my temples.

So, what do you think?

By the way, do you think Kol will be okay with Killing a whole bloodline of witches? I mean, he sure did kill thousands of humans, but he is also a huge fanboy of witchcraft and witches.

Also, from what I saw, Kai doesn't know much about Original Vampires, right. I mean, he is like the black sheep of his family, and whatever spells he learned, they must be by stealing grimoires, so he might not have exclusive knowledge about Originals as they are things parents teach their kids instead of writing it in books. Travelers, on the other hand, must be well known as the Gemini Coven deals with them in a broad sense. BTW, do you think he knows how doppelgangers look like?

Anyway, what are your thoughts?