Chapter 1

Kate arrived in Mystic Falls at midday. She checked in at Mrs. Flowers' bed and breakfast and locked herself in the room she had been given. Another wave of memories hit her and she clutched her head in pain. After long minutes of watching Stefan picking up Elena's necklace from the floor of a bar in Chicago in the 1920's and then being interviewed by someone that she recognized as Mikael, she 'woke' up and took a deep breath.

All morning she had been having flashbacks of Katherine's memories, thing that had made it very difficult for her to reach Mystic Falls without crashing her car. She certainly took much more time than she would have normally to reach Mystic Falls. When she had wondered if she would get Katherine's memories as well she didn't really thought she would but there she was, reliving Katherine's 500 years of life like it was her own. She wondered if that was how a newly turned vampire felt when she remembered memories that had been compelled away.

It was strange, seeing Katherine's life through her eyes, feeling what she had felt – mostly what she hadn't felt since most of her emotions were turned off – and yet, being completely involved in the memories herself. She lived through Katherine's memories like they were her own, her feelings while seeing them were very much her own. And she didn't have her emotions turned off like Katherine had so everything was much more intense and real than anything she had ever felt before – not even her own memories were as strong. Now she knew what they meant when they said that emotions were amplified as a vampire – and also why a lot of vampires turned off their humanity. It was almost too much. The pain, the guilt…she felt like she was drowning in it.

Kate tried to calm herself down and concentrate on the few happy memories she had – they were mostly memories of Damon. Kate had no idea how Katherine could have fallen for Stefan and not Damon. Sure, Stefan had been sweet and kind but he had never accepted Katherine as she really was. He had been scared of her, he had thought of her as a monster when he had found out that she was a vampire. Katherine had to compel him not to afraid of her otherwise he probably would have told his father long ago what she was.

It wasn't real, whatever there was between them, no matter how Katherine wished it was. Wasn't Katherine herself that had said: 'True love isn't real unless it is returned'? Well, this wasn't real because Stefan had to be compelled – not to love her no, but to accept her as a vampire. Damon, on the other hand, had been a willing participant, always. He had accepted what she was – the good and the bad – and he had loved her anyway. He wanted to be turned just so they could be together forever.

Kate had never experienced something like this, so much acceptance and trust and so much love – and so much passion as well. It was all consuming. She couldn't help but fall in love with Damon while living these memories, even if they were technically not her own. He was more to her now than just a fictional character – albeit her favorite one – he was real for her, just like Stefan was, or Klaus or Elijah, because she felt like she actually met them, had memories of them that felt real. She genuinely loved Damon now and she was willing to do everything she could to make him fall in love with her as well.

Kate was not going to be like Katherine, she was going to be honest, she would tell him and Stefan everything. She would explain why she had faked her own death. She would tell them about Klaus and Elijah. And she hoped Damon would forgive her one day for everything Katherine had put him through. She wasn't going to give up. It wasn't like time was an issue for her.

Right now she had a few loose ends to tide up. Like Mason Lockwood. Fortunately it wasn't the full moon, therefore she didn't have anything to fear from his bite and she was stronger than him.

Katherine had basically forced Mason to turn while seducing him into thinking she loved him, just so she could get the moonstone and then she was planning on giving him to Klaus as a sacrifice. Kate had another idea in mind though, to deal with him.

She called him to tell him she was finally in Mystic Falls, like they had agreed before and where exactly she was. Mason said he would leave immediately and that he would arrive tomorrow.

"I love you baby!" He said and Kate felt like the worst person in the world.

"I'll see you soon." She barely said in response before hanging up.

She had to wait until after John would active the device before showing up at Elena's house. She would keep an eye on the situation because she knew John would use the device to capture and kill Damon and Stefan as well and she couldn't have that. She loved Damon, that was true, but she cared a lot about Stefan as well and she certainly didn't want to see him die.

She knew from her memories of the TV show that both Damon and Stefan would survive but that it would come really close for Damon and that was all John's fault. At the idea of Damon being hurt, she felt furious enough to want to kill John but she knew she couldn't. That didn't mean she didn't have to hurt him however. After all, as long as she left the Gilbert ring on his finger, she could technically kill him since it wouldn't be a permanent death.

Kate smirked a little before deciding to raid a nearby hospital for blood bags. Better not to feed on the Mystic Falls' population, she didn't want to attract attention to herself. And really, she still felt a little uncomfortable about feeding on people, maybe even more so after receiving all of Katherine's memories. She knew she was perfectly in control of her bloodlust but she still didn't want to risk killing anyone.

The rest of the day passed slowly then finally it was nighttime. She observed the rounding up of the vampires in the town square at night from the rooftop of a nerby building – wearing a pair of earplugs to fight off the effect of the device – and waited. She looked on with dread as John captured Damon and threw him with the other vampires in the basement of Dr Gilbert's old office and then, Stefan and Elena arrive with Bonnie trying to stop Elena from entering the burning building. Stefan ignored the two arguing girls and entered to save his brother. A few minutes later he was carrying Damon out. Kate a breathed a sigh of relief and went to steal Elena's period dress before making her way towards her house.

She was about to reach the front porch when she noticed Damon getting out.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked, though she knew why he was there. She felt her heart sped up in her chest at the excitement of finally seeing him in person. He looked so…perfect.

Kate almost smiled like an idiot in her happiness but fortunately refrained herself. It really felt like she hadn't seen him in 150 years.

Damon smiled slightly at her, mistaking her for Elena. "Failed and feeble attempt at doing the right thing."

"Which was...?" She asked, going the three steps up the porch.

"It's not important." Damon said, shaking his head before saying, "Let me take this for you." He took the dress and bag from her hands and put them on the wicker sofa near him.

"Thank you." Kate said, not recognizing her own voice because of how soft it was. She was sure her eyes were giving away all she was feeling so she tried to calm herself down.

Damon turned around in slight surprise, probably at the tone of her voice but didn't comment on it, though he had a very small smile on his lips now.

"You know, I came to this town wanting to destroy it." He said, coming closer to her. "Tonight, I found myself wanting to protect it. How does that happen? I'm not a hero, Elena. I don't do good. It's not in me."

It hurt, hearing him say Elena's name. It hurt that he hadn't recognized her. "I think it is." She said with conviction.

Damon shook his head. "Nah, it's reserved for my brother, and you...and Bonnie...who, even though she has every reason to hate me, still helped Stefan save me."

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

Damon came even closer to her at that. "Because she did it for you. Which means that somewhere along the way, you decided that I was worth saving. And I wanted to thank you for that."

"You're welcome." She replied, though her voice wasn't as soft now. Damon kissed her cheek and she felt cold because she knew that kiss wasn't for her. He looked into her eyes and was about to kiss her on the lips when Kate decided that enough was enough.

"You know, I have to say I'm disappointed." She said, her voice playful though she wasn't feeling it.

"What?" Damon asked confused, moving away from her.

"You waited a century and a half to open the tomb just to free me. I thought that meant you still love me." At those words Damon widened his eyes in complete surprise but seemed incapable of saying anything. He was rooted on the spot. "Granted, I wasn't there, but still, is the thought that counts, isn't it? And yet, now, you try to kiss Elena? Really?" She grimaced at that and then let her eyes shine with the hurt she was feeling, just for a moment. "Have you already forgotten me Damon? Don't you love me anymore?" She pouted at him, playful and sarcastic, pretending that it didn't bother her but it did.

"Katherine?" He finally asked in a strangled whisper.

She smiled at him sweetly. "Hello, my love. Did you miss me?"

The moment was interrupted by Aunt Jenna that probably noticed the tension between the two of them because she said, "It's late, you should probably come inside."

Kate smiled at Jenna in her best Elena impersonation. "Sure Aunt Jenna, just a second."

Jenna grumbled a little but went back inside.

Damon glared at her as soon as Jenna was out of earshot, his eyes now filled with hate. "What are you doing here Katherine?"

"Would you believe me if I said, I missed you?" She smiled at him flirtatiously but Damon just scoffed at her.

"Not a chance in hell, or you would have shown up…hum…I don't know…a century ago? Instead you made me believe you were trapped in that tomb for 150 years."

Katherine sighed in real sadness and guilt at that and Damon looked at her surprised. She knew that Katherine wasn't one to show her feelings openly.

"I wanted to, Damon. Believe me. I wanted to tell you many times. But I couldn't…I was trying to protect you." She said sincerely.

Damon looked confused at that. "Protect me from what?" Then his expression changed and became cold and angry once again. "Nah, you know what? I won't buy a word you say ever again. It's all lies anyway."

Kate shook her head. "It's okay if you don't believe me now but you will." Damon ignored her words and tried to attack her but Katherine sidestepped him easily before grabbing his neck in her hand before pushing him against the wall, slightly choking him and stopping his movements.

"I'll explain everything soon, I promise." She kissed him lightly on the lips, just a feather-light kiss that sent sparks down her body. Damon widened his eyes at the sweet, almost innocent gesture, then Kate said with a colder voice, "I'm sorry but right now I can't let you interfere." And with that, she snapped his neck and moved his body away from sight before entering Elena's house.

Jenna was going down the stairs in that moment, obviously ready to go out. She told her something about the assurance for the building that had went up in flames but she wasn't really listening. She entered the kitchen and watched John opening the fridge, her anger burning hot in her veins. John closed it and was startled to find her there.

"You scared me." He said and Kate heard perfectly his heart beating faster.

"Sorry." She replied a little mockingly. She grabbed a few glasses from the kitchen table and moved them to the sink, all the while feeling John's eyes on her.

"You know...I first met Isobel when I was a teenager." He explained. "I fell in love with her instantly, although I'm pretty sure she never loved me. She was special. A part of why I hate the vampires so much is because of what she became, how it ruined her." Kate listened vaguely to his words while in the meantime pretending to tide up the kitchen by putting away some cutlery. "And I never would have sent her to Damon had I known she wanted to turn. It's my fault."

She looked at him, feeling pity despite herself. Then she immediately looked away, arranging kitchen knives in its case.

"I'm telling you this because I hoped maybe you'd understand." He said, coming to stand next to her. Kate looked at him a second before saying, "Thank you."

John nodded at her. "Can I help?"

Kate looked at his ring, a large kitchen knife in hand, before she said, "Sure." Then, without warning, she pushed John against the counter, a hand on his throat. "Katherine?!" John asked her, now terrified. Kate smiled at him, her vampire face coming to the surface.

"I warned you that Damon and Stefan were off-limits." She said then, her voice cold and angry.

In that moment she felt Damon's presence behind her even before he spoke. "Let him go Katherine."

Katherine shook her head, not looking at him, her attention focused on John's terrified face. "I'm not gonna kill him. At least, not permanently." With that, she stabbed him on the stomach. John screamed but Katherine had already moved away from him and was standing in front of Damon.

"I'll see you soon Damon." She said to him before mouthing, "I love you," then she disappeared into the night.