Mystic Falls, 2013

DS*DS*DS

Once everyone left to look for Matt, Damon turned to Felicity. She was still texting with someone.

"Do you want to explain?" He raised inquiring eyebrow at her.

"Huh?" Felicity muttered not lifting her eyes from the screen. Irritation he previously suppressed bubbled up to the surface.

"Nadia?" Damon prompted waiting for answers for unvoiced questions.

Devil spawn's name finally got her attention. Felicity's blue eyes widened and darted toward the staircase. Seeing her intention to go upstairs, Damon caught her wrist before she could make a move.

"What are you doing?" She almost growled at him. Eyes flashed with anger.

"Well I want an explanation." Damon pulled her closer trying to intimidate her with his most formidable stare. But just as every time before, it did not work on her. She countered it with heated glare of her own and yanked her hand free from his grasp.

"I need to go upstairs and see what I'm dealing with." Felicity said getting more frustrated by the second. "Clock is ticking."

Damon looked at her trying to understand why she was doing it. Why was she here in the first place? And why is she so keen on helping Nadia? Nothing made any sense.

They spent together sixteen years and she not once mentioned knowing Katherine or Nadia. She always was a private person, but he believed that she trusted him. Over the time she opened up to him. But now he saw that Felicity was still the volt of secrets.

"Tell me what's going on." Damon insisted.

"Nadia called and I came to help her." She tried to step around him but he stopped her again. "Let me through so I can do just that and after that I'll leave."

"I just don't understand why you doing this."

"I told you already. Nadia called, I came to this little cursed town and now I need to go upstairs to see the state in which Katherine is to see what I can do to help." This time Felicity moved with more force and pushed Damon aside to get to second floor where Katherine laid dying.

"Why?" Puzzled Damon fallowed her toward the room where Nadia's voice could be heard.

"It's a long story."

"Maybe you could tell me latter." Damon tried to coax her to share.

Before, when they were together, he was always able to sneak through the cracks in walls she build around herself, or at least he thought so. What else she left out?

"I don't think so." Felicity said in empty voice. There were no emotions in it. And he knew it well. It was always her way of coping with heightened feelings. If it got too much she would not flick her humanity switch off, she would push them aside until she was alone to examine them. It hurt a bit to realize that he was no longer a person she could be herself with. First time it took Damon over two years to show her that she can let her guard down around him. But now he's back at the beginning.

"I'll even add good bottle of red and tube of mint chocolate chip." Damon used his most seductive tone. And it worked. Felicity stopped and whirled around to jab her index finger in his muscular chest. Her eyes were no longer emotionless, fire was blazing bright.

"You no longer have a right to demand anything from me. You left. One morning you just weren't there anymore. But it was twenty years. I got over it. I moved on." She emphasized every point by jabbing him.

"Nineteen years, four months, two weeks and three days." Damon whispered so softly that even Felicity with her vamp hearing had trouble. Her eyes clouded with befuddlement.

"What?" She didn't understood why he was saying that to her now. He knew all her contacts. He knew her safe houses where she kept all the records about personalities she took on and her whereabouts. But he never reached out to her. But now he was sending her mixed signals.

"I said that I know how long it's been. And yes I might've moved on with my life, but I could never get over you." His dark eyes bored into her, pleading to believe.

"No." Felicity said furiously shaking her head and taking few steps back to get away from Damon's personal space which she unconsciously invaded in her anger. "Stop. I don't want to hear that. You are saying all of this only because Elena left you. She was your perfect fantasy. In your eyes she was everything Katherine pretended to be. Am I right?" Damon did not need to voice his answer; it shone brightly on his face. "And now that you lost her you want me? Well, I will never be anyone's second best." She turned on her heel and run towards Stefan's room where she-devil resided.

FS*FS*FS

Conversation with Damon left her reeling. But she couldn't let herself get dragged down this rabbit hole again. She managed to escape it before, but she wasn't sure she could do it again.

At least Felicity was glad Damon didn't follow after her immediately. It gave a minute to collect herself before she had to confront Katherine.

She never met the woman, though she heard plenty. After Nadia found out that Katarina Petrova was her mother ten years ago, Felicity did her best to research woman. She was already aware that Katarina was doppelganger and on the run from Klaus Mikaelson. But Felicity was shocked to discover that Katarina Petrova and Damon's ex-lover Katherine Pierce was one and the same person. Nadia refused Felicity's help with her pursuit to find her biological mother she wanted to do it on her own. Ever since she was little, Nadia was very independent.

In the last decade news from Nadia was scarce and far between. So when she contacted her two days ago, Felicity jumped to her trusty mini cooper and drove to Mystic Falls. And now she was in Damon's house, mentally preparing to go face the mother of the woman she called her daughter.

Stefan's bedroom was dimly lit, curtains drawn close. In the opposite side of the room stood the bed where laid frail looking young woman. Her hair was no longer vibrant brown color; grey strands invaded it diminishing the strong, shining look they once had. Her skin was sallow, sickly colored, big bags under her eyes. Katherine laid propped by the pillows, eyes closed - resting. Nadia sat on the chair next to the bed holding her mother's hand, drawing soothing circles on her palm. Quietly telling her about her life, about where she have been, what she have seen. She tried to cram in five hundred years into one night because she wanted to share it with her mother. If something went wrong it was her last chance to spend some time with woman who birthed her.

And even though Felicity wanted to give Nadia as much time with Katherine as possible, she knew if there was tiniest of chances that she could give them more time than one last day she have to interrupt them now. She quietly stepped to Nadia and put gentle hand on her shoulder in comforting gesture. Brunette vampire looked up, unshed tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's just they suggested a plan that could have saved her."

"It's okay, honey." Small forgiving smile was on Felicity's face. "But you called me. And you know that I always come when you call. Family is the most important thing."

"Always and forever." Nadia said as a habit she got from Felicity over the years. It was a promise she gave her that evening when she found her, just little scared girl hiding from the horrors of the world.

"That's right. Now do you have what I need?"

Nadia jumped up from her seat letting go of Katherine's hand to get to her bag. From which she pulled out menacing looking dagger. This was the moment Damon chose to walk in the room.

"Whoa, whoa. What are you going to do with this?" His eyes went to Katherine's dying body. "Are you going to help her to pass to the other side? If answer is yes I'm game."

His remark earned him two very angry glares from the females in the room.

Damon's raised voice woke up Katherine. She grunted, blinking heavily trying to clear her waning vision. She cast quick look around, evaluating the situation she was in. Felicity saw how Katherine shrunk into herself when she noticed that Damon and for her unknown woman stood nearest to the bed and her long lost daughter was in the opposite side of the room holding dangerous weapon.

"Hello, Katherine." Felicity smiled at her reassuringly. She wanted to make her at ease. To properly do needed spells Felicity needed Katherine to be willing and as relaxed as possible.

"Katarina," Nadia came to stand closer, gently taking her biological mother's hand. "This is Felicity. She will help you."

"There is nothing what could help me now. I'm dying." Once sultry and many men seduced voice was now hoarse and weak. It was obvious that it took a lot of effort to send a faint smile to vampire with Slavic accent. "I'm just glad that I was able to meet you, before I pass on."

"I'm certain that I can help you. But it has to be your decision." Felicity gave tender glance to Nadia. "Don't let anyone decide it for you."

"And what do you want for saving me?"

"Nothing. Nadia asked for help and here I am."

Ex-vampire scoffed. "There is nothing free in life. You know I lived half millennium and can attest to that."

"I lived longer." Blonde chuckled. "But you are right. There is nothing for free in this life..." Felicity was cut short by frail Katherine.

"Then I don't want it. Whatever it is, I'm not worthy." Vampire's turned human eyes not strayed from her daughter's. "Nadia, it should be me giving you something, not other way around."

"And you do. If you accept to do this, you will be giving me more time to get to know you. The real you." Nadia said passionately. For Felicity it was obvious that getting to know the woman who gave her life was the biggest Nadia's wish so she'd do her best to make sure it came true.

DS*DS*DS

During the conversation between three women Damon slinked silently to the wall. Even he had a decency to understand Nadia's heartbreak in the face of losing her mother. He still remembered how he felt then his mother passed away. And now that she-devil woke up, women chose to ignore his presence in the room. Not that he objected too much. Maybe he would be able to get some answers, Felicity refused to give him.

It was strange to see her so cordial with Katherine Pierce. In the past then he talked about her Felicity couldn't hide distaste she felt in regards to her, no matter how hard she tried to. And now he knew that her intuition was right. Katherine wasn't lost girl who loved him. No she lied, made him believe she was stuck in the tomb for century and a half. But her innocence and love was just an act. But now after Katherine betrayed him time and time again, he's no longer under her spell. Damon saw as she truly was - manipulative, cold hearted liar. She couldn't be trusted, but at the same time she seemed sincere talking with Nadia.

And it was clear that Nadia was desperate to have more time with her birth mother. It was understandable. If chance appeared before him to see his mother again, he would take it. But for now he was more interested to listen in on Felicity.

"As I started to say before Nadia is family. And I'd do anything for family, for her. And I know she would do the same if roles were reversed." Felicity stepped closer to Nadia and gently tucked lose wavy strand behind her ear. "It's shorter than from the last photo you sent me from Prague, Sweetie. It fits you. Maybe I should change my hair too." She shook her head. "Sorry. I sometimes do this." Felicity apologized for her strayed thoughts.

"Family?" Corpse-to-be croaked in surprise. And she wasn't the only one. Family was not the something she liked to talk too much. He knew she had siblings who were also vampires, but she never mentioned Nadia. Closest he could think was her friend Nadine, but they fall out of touch soon after Damon and Felicity met.

"Yes, family. She is mother who raised me. Felicity saved me when I was five and she took me in afterwards. I can't really remember what happened, but I can't forget the feeling of dread before Felicity found me behind the shed." Nadia visibly shivered as the memory came in forefront of her mind.

Damon looked at Felicity with wide eyes. He never heard this story before.

"You'll have all the time in the world after all this good and done. For now we need to concentrate on you not dying today." Felicity said.

"And how do we do this. Because I'm all for not dying but there is nothing to do." Katherine said her voice full of distrust she acquired over five hundred years on the run. "I tried to vampire blood but it didn't work." She said eyeing three vampires in the room.

"While driving here I compiled a list of ingredients I'll need to reverse effects the cure had on your body. It might take longer to procure them than you have left. Fortunately Nadia saw to that we have everything I need to put you into stasis, until Nadia came back with them."

Well this was something Damon was not okay with. He waited a long time for the bitch to die and now Felicity was going to foul it.

"Like I said before, I won't let you do this."

Nadia turned to him literally growling. Black veins pulsating around her eyes and her fangs on display - threatening him, and even though he didn't show he did felt unease.

"Shush. You don't get a say in this." Felicity reprimanded him, eyes narrowing.

"Oh darling shouldn't we make this decisions together. You know one life, joint decision making, till death do us part. Isn't that what marriage is, honey? Compromise?"

"Yes, sweetie. But if you wanted to compromise and share our decisions you should have stayed. And I think twenty years absence calls for divorce, don't you?" Felicity retorted still irritated with Damon from their previous conversation. "So now it would be better if you shut up and let me do my job."

Damon tightened his jaw but chose to say nothing more on the subject.

"Nadia dear, say what you want to Katherine now and then I'll start the spell."

Felicity went to other side of the room to the table where Nadia left the bag of some basic ingredients to give mother and daughter some space. Damon heard Katherine asking Nadia if Felicity was a witch and she deflected by saying that they will talk once she was better. He saw how Felicity pulled herself together before turning to Katherine with encouraging smile plastered on her face and menacing dagger in her hands.

Katherine was laid down with her hands on her stomach, palms up. Candles were placed around her body. Nadia clearly knew what the ritual entailed because without any word from Felicity she extended her hand above her mother. Chanting in the language Damon never heard, Felicity stabbed brunette's hand dripping the blood in Katherine's palms. Then she repeated action on herself. Adding a pinch of grounded salt to the blood she chanted even stronger. All candles ignited and wind picked up. Nadia took wary step back.

But then it all ended. The chanting, the wind and the fire.

Damon looked at Felicity ready to ask if it worked. But before he could, her eyes rolled upwards and she fainted. Damon caught her before she could hit a ground, gathered safely in his arms and left the room without even looking to his sire and ex-lover.