Authors note: Wow. Thank you for such a positive feedback. This chapter is little bit shorter than the other and doesn't have much action in it – it does however start to set out the plot for this fanfiction. Happy reading, feel free to review with ways that I could improve.

Disclaimer: Still don't own TVD…

Chapter 2: Every Downfall of Humanity

Since experiencing tears for the first time in centuries Katherine Pierce had bolted. She had nowhere to go but nowhere sounded a whole lot better than Mystic Falls. She'd been driving for hours, trying to forget the pain that was searing through her body. Not to forget she was starving and dehydrated, she had been planning to stop at the next place she saw but it had been nothing but open greenland for the past hour or so. Her lip had swollen up by now from what she could tell in the mirror but somehow through all of the beating she had taken throughout the day, Katherine Pierce still looked beautiful. Maybe her hair needed a brush and the dried blood a good wash but she still looked good.

Relief ran through her as she spotted sight of what looked like a small bar at a turn off to the right. On top of being hungry and thirsty she was bursting to use the ladies room as well as wanting to change out of her clothing. She pulled over, shutting off the engine, and jumped out slightly to quickly and felt dizzy. She glanced up at the place, 'Bree's Bar'.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, the spare clothes she had bought with her over her arm as she pushed the door open and entered. The place was quiet, there were a few people playing pool at the table across the room and there was a slim dark skinned woman behind the bar. Katherine slipped into the bathroom in the back first, changing into a new pair of skinny jeans and a dark blue low cut top before slipping back into her knee length black boots and walking back out into the bar.

The place was completely empty and gave her the feeling that something definitely wasn't right. She walked towards the bar; even the woman who had been there was now gone.

"Hello…" She called softly, turning around in a hesitant circle.

She heard a creak and span around quickly(-ish) only to realise that no one was there. She gritted her teeth, someone was playing with her and she didn't like it.

"Hello." She called again, through gritted teeth.

There was another creak, from behind her and she spun around again. This time she wasn't being messed with.

The woman whom had been behind the bar was back in her place, as though she had never moved.

"Elena, good to see you again."

Katherine groaned slightly, how many people knew that stupid girl?

"Didn't bring Damon with you, did you?" She asked, leaning across the counter.

Katherine stepped forward, slipping onto one of the bar stools.

"Firstly, I'm not Elena." She said, "And secondly, what do you want with the Salvatore?"

The woman flipped a lock of black hair over her shoulder,

"You must be Katherine."

Katherine raised an eyebrow slightly, "Bree?" She guessed.

The woman leaned on the counter,

"Bree was my sister, I'm Aylese."

That's when she heard the footsteps behind her.

It was no surprise when she turned to three vampires all of whom did not look happy.

"She's not the doppelgänger." Aylese said, standing up straight as she looked to the figures that still didn't relax from their upright position.

"But she's human." One of them chipped in, his voice was deep and sent a shiver down her spine.

"...Don't remind me…" Katherine muttered to herself. Bree frowned and gestured to the three. In seconds she was in a grip with one hand to her throat and the others holding various body parts still. "God, give me a minute to explain…" She choked.

"Where's Damon, Elena?" Aylese asked, her voice firm and more threatening than she had expected.

"I'm not- Elena." She croaked, "It's a- compl-icated sto-ry."

The grip around her neck loosened at Aylese's command.

"I'd gladly tell you after a bite to eat."

"So, let me get this right… Elena gave you the cure and turned you human."

Katherine sipped at the glass on the bar, before taking another bite from the burger on the plate in front of her. She would never usually even touch something like that if she hadn't have been starving.

"Yep."

Aylese turned, starting to sort through the bottles in the cabinet behind her.

"I don't know all that much about the cure or Silas but I know that it was only intended for Silas to take."

"I need one of your vampires to turn me." Katherine said, ignoring her comment and eating another couple of fries.

Aylese continued sorting, not even glancing to the brunette.

"Won't work." She lay bluntly.

Now Katherine froze.

"What do you mean it won't work? You said you didn't know much about the cure, how do you know it won't work?"

Aylese put the bottle that she had been holding down and leant across to her,

"I know enough." She stated bluntly, "The cure was created so that Silas could be human and die with his lover – wouldn't be much good if he could get turned again. Would it?"

Katherine was still frozen.

"You mean I'm stuck like this?"

Aylese turned away again, "As I said, I don't know much about it myself but I do know a witch that may be able to help you."

So she was stuck as a human? Katherine Pierce could not be a human. As all of these thoughts echoed in her head, the vengeful thoughts she had for Elena came flooding back too. That girl had ruined her immortal life and now had laid this on her? Maybe, she had killed her brother and possibly been a bit of a… nuisance… in her life but did she really deserve this?

"What witch?" She asked. If there was a way to save her from this 'cure' (more like curse) she'd do almost anything for it.

"Perhaps you've hears of her, Jane-Anne Deveraux."

Katherine tilted her head back with a groan of frustration, not even a single thing could go her way could it?

"Is there a problem?" Aylese asked, glancing over her bare shoulder to the clearly annoyed human sat at the bar.

"Yes, there are a few problems actually." Katherine said, finally standing up. "Jane-Anne is a witch who was planning a protest against Klaus, something I found out about and told him." She started to explain, "He moved to the New Orleans and my guess is that she's dead or wishes she was. And I can't even go to find out, the minute I step on Bourbon Street and Klaus catches my human scent I'll be his personal storage of blood to make the hybrids he's been so dearly missing."

She almost spoke about the fact that she couldn't go there to face Elijah either, after she had pleaded to him. He'd left her for family when she had given him the cure and dropped everything to try and find out where the Katerina Petrova in her had gone.

But no, he picked his brother over her.

The brother of whom had wanted for dead for the past five centuries. She was sure that Klaus wouldn't let her change back to a vampire under his watch.

"Jane has a sister." Aylese imputed, "Sophie, she might be a good place to start."

Katherine raised a hand to her head, she felt dizzy all over again. Another thing on top of all of the other problems, like she didn't have enough already, was that she'd snitched on the witches – there was no way they'd be willing to help her especially if Jane-Anne was dead like Katherine suspected.

"Then it's settled." Katherine announced, stopping having been pacing for the last ten or so minutes in thought. "I'm heading to the New Orleans."

Was it a sensible decision? No. Was it the right decision? Probably not. Was it her only option? Yes.

After having thanked Aylese and possibly telling her a few things about where she could find Damon Salvatore, she left with a bit more of the old Katherine in her step. She wasn't what she used to be anymore but she wasn't going to let her chance of escaping humanity slip out of her grasps because of Klaus. She'd ran from him for to long and now that she was his only doppelgänger he couldn't kill her, unless he wanted to rule out the chance of ever being able to create another hybrid again.

So, Katherine climbed back into her car and turned in the opposite direction. There had been numerous occasions of which she had visited the city. Mainly she had been there for snooping but there had been a few times when she had been there for the well-known party life. As most people already knew, Katherine Pierce would never turn down a good party. As she was driving her phone vibrated and she rummaged for it on the seat next to her, which had her dirty clothes, and other belongings piled on. Not responsible driving but when had she had ever been responsible? The text message flashed up on the front screen and her heart skipped a beat when she saw whom it was from. Elijah.

Glancing back up to the road every so often she read the message, which was telling her a location to meet at. Fortunately, the location was in the New Orleans and she faintly recognised the name of the bar. Tossing the phone back on to the seat, Katherine leant back and exhaled. Being turned human and facing Elijah almost straight after another? She was nervous. A pesky human emotion that hadn't been focused on in her immortal life but was now one of the main things she was feeling. She felt hurt too. Elijah had rejected Katherine; she thought she had a chance to make a better life for herself. Maybe that was one of the reasons she had gone after Elena.

Katherine was unaware of the time but she knew that she was late for her meeting with Elijah. Guess she had a good excuse being in her new form. The nerves hit her again. How would he react to her this way? Would he even help her? Katherine knew how diplomatic and deep Elijah could be and he would probably end up telling her that this was the chance to find Katerina. She wasn't so sure she wanted to find Katerina anymore. Hadn't she caused her enough problems already?

Her heeled boots echoed as Katherine walked into the bar, aware that she seemed to be one of the only humans present – something she had expected since the town was known for having the dead walking around at free will. She checked her phone once more, having already scanned the bar in search for him with no luck. It was all here. By the bar, at nine. He wouldn't blow her off because she was a little bit late, would he? No, Elijah was too much of a gentleman.

"You're late, Katerina."

The voices sent shivers down her spin and she knew that it wasn't Elijah before she had even turned around. And as she did turn, she was filled with horror, distress, regret and about every other negative emotion that you could think of.

"Klaus, where's Elijah."

The Hybrid had his arms crossed over his chest, an all too familiar smirk plastered across his face.

"I believe he's with a few friends of mine, a few witches – you might know them."

Katherine glared, "Klaus, I'm here for Elijah. Take me to him."

Klaus walked forward slightly,

"You see, Katerina, I could use a few more hybrids and from the voicemail I heard on Elijah's phone, I've found the doppelgänger I need for them."

Katherine should have seen this coming; she should have run a mile whilst she could.

"Don't you have move things to worry about, like the witches?"

Klaus grinned in a way that made her feel stone cold.

"I do but one can always make time for old friends, can they not?"

His hand was on her arm in seconds and she was trying to pull it away as soon as it was.

"You seem to find the biggest houses in every place you stay, I'm impressed." Katherine muttered, being forced into the large house by Klaus. The journey had been so quick she hadn't even noticed which route he had taken to get there.

"This might hurt a little bit."

Blackness.