Authors note: I'm so sorry this has taken so long but I just couldn't think properly and… blah. So, hope this chapter is all right. Elijah will be back soon, don't worry. (; Don't know when the next chapter will be up. Soon hopefully, don't worry I haven't given up on this fanfic and I'm so grateful to every single one of you who has read it.

Chapter 6: The Return

Gosh, Katherine had forgotten how wonderful a hot shower could feel when one needed one, and right now she needed one. The water was turned to the hottest it could go and made her pain seem less… Painful. She hadn't washed in days and the water going down the plughole was not a pretty sight, made up of blood, dirt and anything else she had been made to encounter. She must have been in there for more than half an hour or so, trying to yank her fingers through her knotted hair and wash away the rest of the dirt from her bruised skin. She didn't want to get out of the steamy sauna but she had a feeling she was starting to use up the cheap hotels hot water as it was starting to get colder by the minute. Finally, she shut the water off and reached for the towel to wrap around her body. She shuddered as she stepped out from the steam and back into the cold air of the bathroom. She looked much better now – she noted, as she looked in the mirror. Her swollen lip was starting to go down and without the dirt and blood the bruises weren't quite so noticeable.

The woman at the reception desk had been almost too nice to her and after she had showed her to her room she had offered to go and retrieve the few belongings she had in her car and bring them to her. She didn't have many things with her at all and the woman whose name she had learnt as 'Jill' had asked her several hundred times if she needed anything or wanted anything. To be honest, there was a lot that she wanted. A family, Elijah, to be a vampire, to not have to run from Klaus and mainly to magically be out of this mess she had found herself in. Sadly Jill couldn't help with any of those issues. She walked out of the small ensuite and went to the bag that Jill had brought up, rooting through it for the lacy pyjamas that she recalled throwing in for her stay in Mystic Falls. She pulled out the silk top and shorts, pulled them over her skin and went over to the bed. Her hair was dripping wet but she was too exhausted to even attempt to dry it. She didn't really know when her head hit the pillow but she fell fast asleep.

If it hadn't of been for the light beaming in through the cheap blinds, Katherine could have most likely slept in for another few hours. She wanted to stay there and sleep but knew she had to make a move, it was easier for Klaus to track her if she stayed in one place and she was sure that if he found her he would drain her of every single drop of blood – leaving her dead. She couldn't die. Even though she had been alive for so long she had hardly lived. So many things she wanted to do, needed to do and not much time left if she wasn't careful. It took a bit of effort to pull back the bedding and climb out but she did it. Then she made her way to her bag and pulled out some shorts, a low-cut top and a jacket.

After having got changed, coated her face in the usual amount of black eyeliner and slipped into her black heels she left the room and made her way down to the front desk where she found Jill. She liked Jill, wished that everyone treated her like she did. At least there were a few humans she could still stand. Jill looked up as soon as Katherine entered,

"Leaving so soon?" She asked, frowning at the bag hanging over Katherine's arm. She merely nodded in response,

"Yes, I need to get going. How much for last night?"

As she started routing for the spare cash in her bag Jill gave a warm laugh, something that Katherine liked the sound of – it was much better than Klaus's menacing one.

"Oh sweetheart, it's on the house. Have good travels, feel free to come back any time you need."

A smile formed on the swanky brunettes face and it was a genuine smile for a change – one to match Jill's.

"Thank you." She said before making her way out to the car park and to the far corner where her car was. Once she was in, she sat and paused for a minute. Someone was actually nice to her. There was no pushing, kicking, stabbing, bleeding, crying, screaming or anything else horrific for that matter. It was someone who actually wanted to do something that helped her for no cost, it was a strange thought. Sure, lots of people had helped her before but only when she blackmailed them or compelled them into doing it. Suddenly she threw her head back and gave a moan of distress. More feelings. She'd been crying non-stop and now she felt happy that someone finally cared, even if it was a stranger.

"Stop, don't start… just drive Katherine. Drive."

She was actually talking to herself.

Katherine Pierce had officially gone insane.

Insane.

She only had to drive for a couple more hours before she was in Mystic Falls. And once she was in Mystic Falls, all she wanted to do was turn around and drive away – Which she probably should have done to be honest. She was already mentally preparing herself for the threats and injuries she was about to get. All she needed to do was find the witch, convince the witch to help her and then leave as quickly as possible. She was positive if she stuck around for long, they'd get to the point of killing her.

Now where on earth could she find the witch? She wouldn't be at school because it was the summer, she never seemed to be at her house but she might just be with Elena and the Salvatore's. She seemed to spend a lot of time there. It was like there little 'club' hang out. The place where they all met to plot against herself, Klaus, Silas and all of the other enemies they had made. She couldn't just walk straight in there though. Elena had already made it clear she wasn't going to play nice, so had Damon, and she couldn't see the others being particularly nice to her either.

Suddenly, a blonde figure stepped out right in front of her car and she panicked trying to hit the breaks. Too late. The figure in front of the car was hit and fell down.

"Ow… Crap…" Katherine raised a hand to her head, which had been smacked against something hard during the sudden breaking. There were a few drops of blood on her fingers when she brought her hand back down. She had almost forgotten about hitting someone and when she did realise her eyes widened and she scrambled to undo her seatbelt and get out of the car. She made her way around to the front of the car where the body had fallen down, only to find that there was nothing there.

"What..." She muttered to herself in confusion, she had definitely just hit someone. 100% positive. It was as she bent down to see if the body had rolled under the car (what, it couldn't have just disappeared) when she felt a sharp piercing in her neck, coursing her to fall to the ground and scream out in pain. The pain continued until a satisfied voice pushed her hard against the concrete and said,

"For someone with such a nasty personality, you make a tasty snack."

Katherine didn't even have to turn to know who it was.

"Hello, Caroline." She spat as bitterly as she could with her hand on her bleeding neck. "Not the nicest welcome home gift one could give."

The familiar blonde laughed slightly, an annoying perkiness in her voice, "This isn't your home Katherine, and no one wants you here."

Gosh, even as a human she still hated how much… Energy came off that girl. She was all… Rainbows and butterflies… Yayyy!

Not.

Katherine got up to her feet, hand still at her neck,

"I hate to break it to you Caroline but I've been in this town a whole lot longer than you. This is my home whether you like it or not."

Caroline pushed Katherine back down with an almost flick of her wrist. She hit the ground and gave a groan of pain.

"You too? What have I even done to you?" She snapped from on the ground.

Caroline waited till she had Katherine's eyes on her, giving another disbelieving laugh.

"Are you forgetting you were the one that killed me, used me for your plan."

Oh yes, she supposed she did recall that.

"I did you a favour, how could you have followed Klaus around as an aging old, paranoid, self-conscious granny?"

It was true, even though Caroline wouldn't believe it. She was sure if she hadn't of been the one to turn her, one of the others would have eventually. It seemed like everyone in this town was getting turned into vampires. Well, other than herself who was being made a human again from her vampire self. Caroline gave the brunette the dirtiest look possible; giving a simple but powerful kick that sent Katherine tumbling across the ground.

"You KILLED me." Caroline hissed, "And you're just lucky that I want to see you suffer or I'd kill you right now without even thinking twice."

Katherine couldn't help but continue to taunt. Caroline said so herself, she wasn't going to kill her so she may as well make some fun of her own and wind her up.

"Wow. Sounds like you and Klaus have a lot more in common than I thought. You both make threats you can't live up too."

Caroline stepped towards her but Katherine just slowly got back up to her feet and dusted off her bare-legs.

"You know, I might not be the one to kill you but when Klaus lays eyes on you he'll drain you of blood for his hybrids and kill you."

Katherine smirked, casually playing with her fingernails.

"You know, that might not be the case. I actually just came back from a little trip to the New Orleans, Klaus seems to have a lot more on his plate than worrying about me." She said, not looking up at the blonde as she continued. "He misses you by the way but I guess he's got someone else to worry about now. Well, two people actually."

Katherine grinned smugly to herself as she looked up and met Caroline's confused face.

"I'm not playing games Katherine, what on earth are you talking about?" She snapped impatiently.

Katherine's grin grew as she gave a slightly shocked expression.

"Klaus didn't tell you, did he?"

Caroline looked even more confused, "Klaus didn't tell me what?"

Katherine gave a taunting laugh as her grin turned into a smirk.

"Aw, isn't this just embarrassing…"

Caroline took another step forward,

"Don't tempt me even more about the thought of killing you. What didn't Klaus tell me?" She ordered more firmly.

Katherine still wasn't fazed and this time she took a step forward towards the blonde.

"Klaus is gonna be a daddy."

The look on Caroline's face was so priceless; Katherine giggled as she climbed back into her car and put the window down.

"You don't happen to know where I could find Bonnie, do you?" She asked but the blonde was in so much shock she didn't even answer. Katherine took that as her opportunity to drive away from the scene. It was as she was driving into the town centre that she spotted him, her favourite of the two Salvatore brothers on his own.

"Stefan." She called, pulling over the car and climbing out. "Miss me?" She teased, walking over towards him. He turned and Katherine jumped slightly at the darkness of his eyes. Had they always been that dark?

"Katherine, what're you doing here?"

She placed a hand on her hip and casually played with her nail cuticles.

"Enjoying every downfall on humanity as your brother so nicely put it." She replied, glancing up to him every so often.

"Humanity?"

She stopped and looked up at him,

"Really? You haven't heard?" She frowned, "Elena didn't come babbling on to you about how she was so happy that she had shoved the cure down my throat?"

He seemed to look even madder at those words and put a tight grip on her arm,

"The cures gone?"

Katherine frowned even more, trying to pull her arm away.

"Yes, it's gone thanks to your now ex-girlfriend."

His grip got harder on her arm but he released it and left without saying another word.

Katherine Pierce may have been human but she wasn't stupid and she was sure that she had definitely not just been talking to Stefan Salvatore.