Here we go, chapter 3. Hope you like it and sorry for the wait. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and put my story in the alerts and/or favourites; I wasn't expecting the reaction this story had so thanks so much! Please tell me what you think about this chapter as well!
A guest wrote: :I honestly think Guest 1 was right about you. 63 stories and not one is finished. You have some serious commitment issues. I get muse hits you and you have to write but did you ever think about finishing it before you post it? Come on FINISH SOMETHING!
My answer: I honestly don't understand what the problem is. I'm updating, am I not? Slowly, sure, but I am. I'm updating all of my stories (or at least I'm planning to). Once again I don't have commitment issues. Having commitment issues means starting a story, then abandon it and start another one and then abandon it and start yet another one. The difference is that none of my stories are abandoned. I thought it would be obvious since I update them but obviously to some people it's not. And once again, what arrogance to think that you can order me about. I decide what and when to write, because I'm the author. If you are not okay with how I do things, don't read my stories, it's that simple. I don't get why you would bother leaving a review to tell me this. What did you think to accomplish exactly beside pissing me off? I'm sure you're one of those people who has never written anything in their life (otherwise why would you be a guest) and therefore think that finishing a story is just that easy. Well, it's not. Do you have any idea how long it would take to finish just one of my vampire diaries stories? Why would I write only one story for years until I finish it and then leave all the rest? I don't think my readers would be okay with it and, to be honest, neither would I. I write what I'm in the mind to write and that's it. You can leave 100 reviews like this and it wouldn't change a damn thing because that's just the way I do things and there's no changing it. So you can be okay with it and keep reading my stories and you can't and simply don't read them. But stop bothering me because this is the last time I reply to such a useless, stupid review.
Chapter 3
Kate walked towards the entrance of the Lockwood Mansion. Immediately Tyler Lockwood spotted her because he smiled at her, grabbing her hands in appreciation.
"Hey Elena, thanks for coming. Come on in."
Kate enters the house with a smirk. That was just too easy.
She took a look around, spotting Damon talking to Liz and Carol but tried to stay out of his sight for now. Stefan and Elena weren't there yet but she imagined they would arrive soon.
And there was Mason Lockwood. He smiled at her when he saw her and she smiled back, feeling guilty for the way she – Katherine? – had used him.
She decided to step outside for a bit and stood on the front porch, keeping a look out for Elena.
A few minutes later Bonnie Bennett walked over to her, mistaking her for Elena.
"Oh my god! Damon drives me crazy. He's walking around like he's some kind of hero for healing Caroline when it's his fault all of this happened in the first place." Bonnie complained to her and Kate almost rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry Bonnie but I don't agree." Kate said, not sounding apologetic in the least.
"What?"
"Well, if you had deactivated the device like you were supposed to, Tyler – and therefore Caroline – would never had had the accident and she wouldn't be in the hospital right now. The way I see it, Damon fixed your mess so you should be thankful."
Bonnie looked at her with wide eyes, not believing what she was hearing. "What?" She asked again, seemingly in shock. "What are you saying Elena?" She grabbed Kate's arm but after a second she moved her hand away like she had been burnt. Kate smiled at her, realizing that Bonnie had figured out that she was, in fact, not Elena. She knew her smile looked like Katherine's playful/menacing grin and she was perfectly okay with that because that was exactly what she was going for.
"I've got to find Tyler and pay my respects. I'll be back." Bonnie said, fear plain in her eyes and voice.
Katherine kept smiling. "Okay."
Bonnie walked away and Kate watched her go. She watched her entering a room and heard her dialing a phone. Elena picked up on the other end.
"Hello?"
"Elena? Where are you?"
"Bonnie, I know I'm late. I'm getting in the car now. I'll be there in five."
Katherine moved at vampire speed and, as soon as Elena hanged up, she stood behind Bonnie. Bonnie turned around and gasped at finding her there.
Katherine tilted her head to the side, looking at her curiously before she smiled again. "We haven't officially met. I'm Katherine."
Bonnie glared at her, trying to look braver than she felt. "I know who you are."
Katherine laughed. "Of course you do. You're the best friend right? I've been putting all the pieces of Elena's life together. Isobel told me it was a bit of a puzzle. I do know who Jenna and Jeremy are and I met that delicious ex-boyfriend Matt, who's sweet on Caroline, and then there's you, the vampire-hating Bennett witch. Did I do good?" She mocked her.
Bonnie tried to leave but Katherine sped around her, blocking her way to the exit. "Ah, ah. You're not going anywhere until we talk."
Bonnie glared again and used her migraine thingy against her. Katherine grabbed her head, a little surprised by the pain but it didn't last long. It was like an annoying headache, rather easy to ignore.
"I've been around a long time Bonnie; you're gonna have to do better than that." Katherine warned her before adding, "I don't want to hurt you, I'm just here to talk. It's about Elena."
Bonnie didn't listen and hit her again with that migraine thing. Katherine snarled in irritation, her face transforming. Bonnie opened the doors with her magic, wanting to expose her to other guests but Katherine immediately reverted back to her human features.
Then she felt Stefan's presence behind her, just outside the doorway and turned around. "Hello Stefan. It's been a long time."
"Katherine." Stefan replied, voice neutral. "Leave her alone."
Katherine shrugged. "Okay." She walked until she was standing at his side and smiled playfully at him. "Won't you keep me company?" Stefan sighed and gestured with a hand for Katherine to precede him.
Stefan followed her out of the main room and stood at her side. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, after what happened with Damon yesterday, I figured a public place would be safer." She took a glass of champagne from a nearby tray and sipped the delicious bubbly drink. "Tell me, is he so very mad at me?"
Stefan ignored her question and said. "You're taking this a little far, don't you think? Elena could walk in at any moment."
Katherine grinned. "Mmm, but that's part of the fun, Stefan." She picked a cherry from the table and put it in her mouth. It was such a relief, the fact that she could still enjoy human food. Fortunately these vampires were unlike the Twilight ones. She couldn't imagine giving up on certain foods even if the thing she craved most now was blood.
"Hey guys." Matt said to her and Stefan with a smile. Another person that mistook her from Elena.
Katherine took the cherry out of her mouth and said, "Hey Matt. I heard that Caroline is doing much better. Her recovery was practically miraculous, you must be so relieved."
Matt smiled at her. "I am. Thanks Elena."
Katherine gushed at him. "Uh! His eyes are so blue! Almost as beautiful as Damon's. Almost, of course."
"You need to leave now."
Katherine pouted. "You're hurting my feelings, Stefan. Damon was much happier to see me, then again he thought I was your girlfriend so..." That reminder still hurt but she could use it to rile Stefan up so it was okay.
Stefan glared at her slightly. "Katherine, I'm not doing this with you."
Kate raised her hands a little. "Okay, how about we don't have a couple's fight in front of all of your friends? Walk with me." She extended her hand for him to take it but he didn't.
"Just tell me what you're doing here."
"Well, if you want to know, I missed Damon. One hundred and fifty years without him have been hell. Is that an acceptable reason?"
A look of slight jealousy passed quickly behind Stefan's eyes but it was gone as soon it came. "What game are you playing?"
Katherine giggled and shrugged. "Why? You want to play with me?"
"I don't know. How can I play if I don't know the rules?"
"No rules, Stefan. Don't you remember? No rules."
Katherine walked around him and towards the exit, knowing that Stefan would follow.
Damon stood on the front porch, glass of bourbon in hand. He spotted Elena arriving with Jenna and Jeremy in tow. A few seconds later, she stood next to him and asked, with that irritating, caring voice so similar but so different from Katherine's. "Hey, how are you doing?"
Damon almost rolled his eyes. "Great Elena. Walking on sunshine, thanks for asking."
"Damon."
"Elena."
"We should be able to talk about this. Damon, we're close enough now. I really want to know how you are doing."
"I tried to kiss you, thinking you were, well, you. Instead I found out that my ex-girlfriend just showed up out of the blue after 150 years and I have no idea why. How do you think I'm doing?"
"I think that you're confused, and hurt."
Damon scoffed. "No, I don't get hurt, Elena."
"No, you don't admit that you get hurt. You get angry and cover it up and then you do something stupid."
Damon looked at her, realization setting in. "You're scared. You think Katherine is gonna send me off the deep end, don't you? I don't need her for that."
He began to step away but then thought better of it and turned around, unable to hold in the question he really wanted to ask her. "You looked surprised when I admitted that I tried to kiss Katherine, thinking that it was you. Why is that such a surprise that I would kiss you?"
"That's not a surprise. I'm surprised that you thought I would kiss you back."
Damon almost winced. "Now I'm hurt." He turned around once again to walk away when Bonnie ran up to them.
"Elena!"
"Bonnie, what happened?" Elena asked, looking worried.
"Katherine's here. I think she's with Stefan now."
Katherine and Stefan were walking in the Lockwood Mansion's gardens. Kate looked around, impressed despite herself, and commented, "The Lockwoods have a lot more land than they used to. The possessions from all the tomb vampires built them quite a fortune."
"Yeah, why did you want them dead? You're the one who turned most of them."
Katherine looked surprised that Stefan would ask her such a question. "Why? Did you want them feeding on the population? Aren't you glad that they're gone? I would think I did you and Mystic Falls a favor. There's nothing more dangerous than a vengeful vampire, Stefan. You should know, as would John Gilbert."
"You haven't changed at all, have you?" Stefan asked, sounded disappointed.
Kate shook her head. "Oh, I did change a great deal. But you, judgmental like always. Shouldn't be too surprised, after all the vampirism only heightens what's already there." Her serious face turned mischievous once again, "Though I have to admit, you're stronger. Meaner. It's sexy."
"Don't flirt with me Katherine. I'm not Damon; I haven't spent one hundred and forty-five years obsessed with you."
Katherine smirked. "Yeah, based on your choice of women, I'd say otherwise. Not that I care, mind you. I'm here for Damon, not you. I'm sure that Elena will be relieved, that I'm not here to steal her boyfriend."
Stefan looked hurt, once again for a split second, before his face returned blank once again. "So, you did finally make a choice."
Katherine grinned. "Yeah. Took me long enough, eh?"
Stefan shook his head. "I don't buy it."
"Buy what?"
"That you're here for Damon. Why not come to him sooner if you missed him so much? Why let him believe that you were trapped in that tomb?"
Katherine sighed. "I didn't say I was here only for Damon. There's a reason I faked my death in 1864 and why I stayed away from both of you so many years. But now, things have changed and I can come out of hiding…sort of. I'm still on the down low, that's why I'm pretending to be Elena so much."
Stefan laughed but it wasn't an amused laugh. "I don't believe you. You want to know what I think? You're here to mess with me and Elena and Damon. You're here because I've finally move on, because Damon and I are finally in a somewhat good place, or at least starting to patch up the relationship you destroyed in 1864. You're the same lying, selfish, manipulative bitch that you've always been. So, whatever it is that brought you here, why don't you just get on with it and leave town? Because if you don't, I will hunt you down and I will rip your heart out."
Kate smiled at seeing him so worked up. It was rather fun messing with him. "Believe what you will, Stefan. But I'm not going anywhere. However, I assure you, you will soon be very grateful that I'm here."
"I doubt it."
Kate smiled. "I'll explain everything soon, just because I owe you that much. Feel free not to believe me though. There's only one person whose opinion I care about." Then her ears picked up on the sound of footsteps approaching and she said, "I have to go now, but I'll see you and Elena soon. Send my love to Damon." And with that, she vamp-speed away from the mansion.
"Stefan?" Elena cried out as soon as she saw him. "Are you okay?"
Stefan nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. She didn't do anything to me. We just talked."
Damon arrived in that moment. "I tried to track her but she's gone."
Stefan nodded, already expecting that.
"What did she want?" Elena asked then.
Stefan shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know. I tried to figure her out, playing along to whatever game she was up to but…"
"Well, what did she say?" Damon asked this time.
"Not much. She wanted me to believe that she finally chose one of us after all these years. That she came back because she missed you, Damon. But it's probably just a way to play us against each other. That's what she does."
Elena, feeling uncomfortable at their discussion of Katherine that in this case, she had no business hearing, decided to leave them to talk alone and joined Bonnie inside the mansion once again.
Damon tried to ignore the feeling of hope burning in his chest at Stefan's words about Katherine and instead, he did what he always did, resort to sarcasm. "Oh, brother, don't you worry. Our bond is unbreakable."
"I'm serious, Damon. Whatever Katherine is up to, it's nothing good. We need to stay united against her. So yes, as much as I would like to kill you, I'm not gonna fight you."
"I tried to kiss Elena."
"Because you feel something for her, because you actually care and I'm not gonna let Katherine come in here and destroy that part of you that is finally, after all of this time, willing to feel something. She will try to break you, she will try to break us and how we respond to that will define us. It's our choice. So, no, I'm not gonna fight you." Stefan looked at him, trying to convene the seriousness in his words before walking away.
Later that evening, Damon returned to the Boarding House, walked to the living room and poured himself a drink. Then he stopped, sensing a presence behind him, and turned around to find Katherine sitting on the couch.
"Very brave of you to come here." He commented, trying to appear indifferent.
"Why? Am I not welcome?" Katherine pouted.
"Don't pout. It's not attractive on a woman your age."
Katherine smirked and faked hurt. "Ouch."
Damon pretended to ignore her and kept sipping his drink. Only when he felt her vamp-speeding in front of him, he raised his head to look at her. She didn't look much different than she did yesterday. She was wearing all black: black skinny jeans, black top and black jean jacket with black high-heeled ankle boots, her hair let loose and styled in big curls framing her lovely face. The only colour in her outfit was a blue pendant that he imagined was her daylight amulet.
"Do I not even get a kiss? And yet, you're so eager to kiss your brother's girlfriend?"
Damon scoffed. "What? Are you jealous?"
"Are you so surprised that I am?"
Damon didn't answer, instead he said, "Why don't I kill you instead? What are you doing here?"
"Nostalgia, curiosity etc."
"I'm better at the enigmatic one-liners, Katherine. What are you up to?"
"Trust me Damon, when I'm up to something, you'll know it. Right now, I just wanted to see you. Come on. Kiss me. Or kill me. Which will it be? We both know that you're only capable of one."
She inched closer towards his lips but he turned and walked away from her. Kate frowned but it didn't let that dissuade her. She rushed in front of him and grabbed him by the throat before pushing him to the floor. She lied on top on him and said, against his lips, "My sweet, innocent Damon."
He turned himself on top of her and grabbed her by the throat. After a few seconds of hesitation, he kissed her. Katherine responded immediately, feeling lust and love swirling in her belly. Damon ignited a fire in her that she couldn't understand or control but she loved it. She loved him.
"That's more like it." She whispered against his lips before attacking them once again. Their tongues intertwined and fought against each other. She tasted the bourbon he had just drunk on his tongue and wanted more. She pushed Damon against the wall with vamp-speed and ripped his shirt open before caressing his perfect chest and abs, scratching lightly with her nails. They kept kissing, devouring each other, with even more passion than they used to in 1864. The years apart had only made them more eager for each other.
Damon knocked a few books off a nearby small table before pushing Katherine down on it. He kissed and nipped at her neck but then, he suddenly stopped.
"Okay, wait, brief pause." He said, one finger raised in front of his face.
Katherine stood up, not bothering to try to cover herself, wondering when the top she was wearing had been ripped. She looked at Damon straight in the eyes and waited for him to say whatever he wanted to say.
"I have a question. Answer it and it's back to fireworks and rockets' red glare. Answer it right and I'll forget the last one hundred and forty-five years that I've spent missing you. I'll forget how much I loved you, I'll forget everything and we can start over. This could be our defining moment because we have the time. That's the beauty of eternity." He gently caressed her face and Kate closed her eyes in bliss.
"I just need the truth, just once."
"Stop. I already know your question and its answer. The truth is...I've loved you in 1864 and I love you now."
Damon looked relieved and smiled. Then he asked, a frown on his face. "What about Stefan?"
Katherine sighed and walked a few steps away from him, pacing a little. "I don't love him anymore, not like that. But I still care for him. I'm sorry about everything that happened in 1864. I know it doesn't change anything but…I wish I could go back and change what I did. I was selfish but I loved both of you, for different reasons but…I did and I didn't want to give either of you up. I couldn't choose, not then. But it's different now. I spent a century and a half without you and I don't want to spend any more time apart, ever again."
Damon looked surprised at her words, obviously not expecting so much from her. "Then why did you stay away for so long? Why did you let me believe that you were trapped in that tomb? Why didn't you come for me sooner if you missed me so much. And why come back now?"
"I couldn't, not then. I needed to let everyone believe that I died in 1864. I would have preferred if you hadn't asked Emily for that spell. I had hoped that you would think I died and moved on. Not because I wanted you to forget me but because it was safer for you."
"Safer from what? You already said that. That you disappeared to protect me, but protect me from what?"
"Have you ever heard the name Klaus?"
Damon scoffed. "Just a fairytale to scare misbehaving vampires that risk exposure."
"He's not a fairytale. He's very much real. Him, his brother Elijah and the rest of the Original Family."
"Original Family?"
"Yeah. I only met Klaus and Elijah but there are more of them. Rebekah, Kol, Finn. They're all siblings. The very first vampires."
Damon looked confused. "Okay. Let's say I believe you. What does that have to do with you?"
"Klaus wants me dead. Or possibly in agony for the next how many centuries. He's been after me since I became a vampire."
Damon looked even more confused. "Why?"
Katherine sighed. "It's a long story. And I plan on telling it just once. Stefan and Elena need to be here for this. I owe Stefan an explanation and this concerns Elena more than anyone else."
"Does this have something to do with the fact that you and her look exactly alike?"
Kate smiled at him. "Always so perceptive. Yes, it has everything to do with that. So, how about we postpone this conversation until tomorrow? So that your brother and Elena can be here as well."
Damon looked unsure at this, probably thinking about Elena's safety. Kate felt once again the familiar jealousy at Damon's feelings towards Elena but tried to ignore it for the moment.
"Look, Elena is in no danger from me but if you don't trust me with her safety, which I can understand, ask whomever you want to come as well. The witch, your teacher/hunter friend. Whatever. It doesn't matter to me."
Damon sighed and nodded. "I can't promise you that Stefan will be okay with it."
"I would like to point out that, if I wanted to kill her, I would have done so already. I have an invitation to her house after all."
"I know. But maybe you're playing a long game."
"Maybe." Kate smiled mischievously but then, turned serious. "I promise, Elena is perfectly safe with me."
"I wish I could believe you, Katherine. In fact, I wish I could believe you about everything that you just said but…I don't know. I guess I'll have to wait for your full explanation for that."
Kate tilted her head to the side and really looked at him. Then she smiled in realization. "You were playing me before, with the kisses and the whole 'I'll forgive and forget. We can start over.' You were just trying to get information out of me." She was impressed despite herself. "You definitely did a better work than Stefan. Bravo!"
Damon smirked at her. "Did you really think I'm such a doormat that I would simply pretend that nothing ever happened? That I would simply forgive you, just like that, only because of a few sweet words from you? You must think me pathetic and very easy to fool."
"I wished that you would but I guess I was fooling myself." She sighed, feeling sad but not surprised. "Look, I know that I hurt you, more than I can probably understand but, please, believe me when I say that I love you. Only you. I choose you, Damon. I did since the moment you died."
"It's unfortunate for you because I hate you."
"No, you don't." Kate said, sure about this at least. "You're hurt and angry at me but you don't hate me. And even if you do, you loved me once, you can love me again. I'm not giving up on us. Like you said, we have time, it's the beauty of eternity."
"You're going to wait a long time then." Damon said, pretending to be indifferent to her words but he wasn't. He desperately wanted to believe her words but he didn't know if he could trust her, he didn't know if she was telling the truth. He needed more time to figure her out. He wouldn't allow her to fool him.
Kate shrugged. "I can be patient." Then with a grin to lighten the mood, she added, "It's rather late. Aren't you going to invite me to stay the night?"
Damon scoffed. "I don't think so."
"Oh, come on. I'm not asking to sleep in your bed, though I would love that. But you have so many rooms. You won't even notice I'm here."
Damon rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just as long as you choose the one furthest from mine."
"And something to eat, perhaps? I'm starving."
"There are blood bags in the basement. Serve yourself."
Katherine smiled at him in thanks before going to do just that. She devoured two blood bags before going upstairs to search for a room.
As soon as she found one that was to her liking, she took off her clothes until she was just in her underwear before going to bed.
She tried to fall asleep but she couldn't turn off her heightened senses. She was hyperaware of Damon being a few rooms over, in bed as well and turning from side to side, unable to fall asleep as well. She breathed deeply and heard Damon doing the same.
She turned on her side and then on her back to look at the ceiling, feeling tense in a way that had nothing to do with anxiety. She rubbed her thighs together slightly to try to ease her discomfort but it didn't do much.
She heard Damon sighed, then the noise of sheets being moved, then his feet on the floor. She held her breath and heard his steps coming closer. Then he stopped, right in front of her door.
Katherine sat up in bed and watched the door. After a few seconds of stillness, she saw it being opened.
Damon stood on the threshold, only wearing a pair of boxer shorts, lust plain on his face. She knew that there was the same look reflected in her eyes and she didn't try to hide it.
In a few strides Damon was on her, kissing her passionately. He wasn't gentle, he wasn't loving. This wasn't about love, this was about sating desire. He grabbed her by the shoulders and push her to lie on the bed before moving on top of her. Kate put her arms around his neck, caressing his hair with her nails and nipping at his earlobe to get him to slow down a bit but Damon wasn't having it. He ripped her panties in his haste to get her to take them off, put her left leg around his waist, then freed his member from his boxers and pushed himself inside her roughly.
It was over quickly, a few hard, quick thrusts – his only intent reaching his own pleasure – and then he came inside her.
They stayed still for a few seconds in each other's arms, Kate still unsatisfied, then Damon get off of her and left the room without another word.
Kate's eyes filled with tears, feeling used and dirty and heartbroken. Then she reigned herself in. Damon was angry and he had every right to be. She deserved it after the hell she had put him through – well, not her exactly but still. He was trying to punish her and that was fine because it meant that he wasn't indifferent to her, that was the most important thing.
She would regain Damon's love, even if that was the last thing she ever did.