Author's note: Okay, I know it's been a long time and I probably don't have any readers but I had to at least try and post another chapter. So, if there are any readers out there – this one's for you.

Chapter 8: Morning Rush

WOW.

That was the only word that sprung to mind as Katherine finally had time to reflect and think back on the previous night. It was a slight blur around the edges but she couldn't stop thinking about how amazing it felt to be with him. Sure, humanity still sucked and she was desperate for an escape hole but the last evening was possibly the most exhilarating and amazing feeling she had ever felt in her life. It was as though her being human made it feel even better when her lips were pressed against his or her skin brushed against his.

Katherine's eyes finally flickered open, a small smile on her lips as she leaned back against Elijah's muscular and toned torso. She knew that he knew she was awake but she closed her eyes over again, biting down on her bottom lip. Maybe she could just lie there for a while, savour the time until the pair would actually have to exchange words rather than kisses. Elijah's hand gently brushed against her own torso and she continued to smile to herself, eventually rolling over to face him and opening up her eyes again.

"Morning."

Her words were ever so slightly slurred and she hoped it sounded mildly seductive in some way. She was hoping that she could find a way to distract him from getting onto serious matters and have some more fun whilst they could. His eyes were open and he was looking down at her, not saying a single word, so she leant up and softly kissed along his jawline.

"Katerina..."

Katherine stopped, pulling away slightly in defeat. They were going to have to talk, she knew there was no way she could avoid it.

"Elijah, let's talk later, we have plenty of opportunities to talk. Not so many to do this…" She replied, trying to make her tone as seductive as possible as she practically pushed herself on top of him and leant down to kiss him again. Her lips were just started to graze against his when he flipped her off gently, letting her roll along the sheet back to where she had been before. Katherine rolled her eyes slightly, pulling the duvet around her slim body as she fixed her hair and leant back against the headboard.

"Fine, what is it?" She spoke in true defeat. He really was eager to talk, not even any of her tricks would work. "And if you're going to start on about us and what's going on between us, I don't even know because you're the one that turned up out of the blue in my room. I mean, you basically came here wanting to sleep with m-"

Elijah broke her off, "Katerina, Niklaus is coming."

Katherine stopped dead in her tracks. Well that wasn't embarrassing at all; recently she seemed to have a thing for blurting out the first thing that came to her mind. She really needed to reconsider that rule 'think before you speak', it would really help her out at the moment.

"What do you mean Klaus is coming?" She questioned, furrowing her brow. "Doesn't he have enough to deal with in the New Orleans?"

The brunette shifted slightly, turning to face Elijah more clearly.

"He's mad and he's coming, that's all I know. He wants his Hybrids and he intends to get them one way or another."

Katherine looked away from Elijah,

"Is that the only reason you came here, to warn me?" She asked, embarrassment rising in her. She should have known that Elijah wouldn't be coming to stay, he was only here to tell her about Klaus and then he was going to swoop back off to the New Orleans. She felt like a complete idiot.

"Here we are, after a night spent like last night and you think the only reason I have come is to give you a head start on my brother?"

His tone was full of disbelief and Katherine looked back to him. A grin started to tug at the corner of her lips.

"It was… A pretty great night."

The brunette was flushed with relief and warm emotions. He had come for her and he had admitted it to her. She felt like screaming with joy she was that happy. For once someone picked her. Someone liked her.

"Katerina, did you honestly think I didn't care for you?" The way Elijah said her name made her want to melt.

"Well, no one seems to care for me." She admitted, "All that's happened to me since I turned human is be pushed around."

Elijah moved over towards her and Katherine could help it when her eyes scanned up and down his toned torso. She felt blessed to be lying next to him in the state she was in at the moment.

He moved the duvet away from her petite frame and looked over her body. For a change she suddenly felt completely self-conscious and wanted to hide every inch of her body from him. His hand gently brushed against her hip and up her side, running along one of the purple bruises covering her skin.

"No ones going to hurt you again." He said, eyes looking away from her frame and to her eyes instead. "I promise."

Katherine felt like each time he spoke or touched her she melted a little bit more, soon she was going to be nothing more than a puddle on the floor.

She managed a nod, not being able to help but notice that his hand was still against her bare body.

"As much as I wish we could stay, my brother will be here soon." Elijah spoke up after a short silence, "We should get a move on."

Katherine managed a nod again and it wasn't until Elijah had slipped off to the en-suite bathroom that she collapsed against the pillows and started to grin like a mad woman.

After showering, piling on a whole lot of eyeliner and making a change of clothes, Katherine Pierce felt a lot more like Katherine Pierce. Having an Original on her side made her feel a lot more confident than before, it gave her assurance that no one would be able to throw her across the room again for quite some time.

Taking one last glance in the mirror Katherine made sure her curls were perfect, makeup flawless and outfit fashionable as well as slightly revealing. Not to forget the heels – she was still Katherine Pierce, human or not. Elijah was waiting for her downstairs in the small breakfast room since he was forever the gentleman and left her to get ready in her own privacy. There was already a selection of food spread out across the table and it was making her even hungrier just by looking at it. She gorged into it straight away, momentarily forgetting that she had company. Half way through a bagel she looked up and noticed the grin on Elijah's face,

"What?" She raised an eyebrow.

He simply gave a small laugh in return, "Nothing."

She shrugged to herself and continued on, only stopping when she truly felt like she couldn't eat another bite.

"I'll be right back," She managed to say, pushing herself up and tottering off to the ladies room.

Just as she was coating her lips in a last layer of gloss, she heard the scream. It was a spine tingling scream and Katherine had heard far too many of them in her lifetime. She ran to the door that led back out the to lobby but was only knocked back when it wouldn't budge. The brunette gripped on the handle and pulled harder, only for it not to move even a millimetre.

"Hello!" She shouted, banging against the door. Screams were all she could hear on the other side and it just made her knock harder.

"Help! The doors jammed." She tried again, starting to panic. Whatever the hell was going on out there definitely had something to do with her – she was sure of it.

SMASH.

The shatters of glass rained down on the girl as she tried to hide herself. The bathroom window was broken but there was seemingly no one around.

Katherine gulped.

Taking a few steps towards the toilet cubicles she tried to remain as quiet as possible but failing as her heels made the glass crunch underneath her step. Each cubicle she passed she pushed open and was met only by a vacant toilet.

She came to the last one.

It was closed over.

Deep breath.

Katherine stopped in her tracks in front of the door and then quickly kicked it open.

It was vacant.

The girl let out a sigh of relief and collapsed back against the wall. She'd scared herself for nothing.

CRUNCH

Katherine stopped and closed her eyes tight before opening them again. Her hands were clenched into fists and she slowly turned around to face a figure.

The man before her was tall with black messy hair; his arms were about the size of her own head and chest as though it had been inflated. But the thing that scared her the most was the blood covering his face, t-shirt and hands.

She screamed.

And not just any scream, a proper blood-curdling scream. A lot like the one she had heard not long ago. Katherine started taking steps back, moving until her small behind hit the tiled wall at the end of the row of toilets.

The figure grinned at her in a way that made her want to throw up the breakfast she had just eaten. He moved towards her boldly, not hesitant in the slightest. Katherine looked around for something, anything she could use to defend herself. Where was a wooden stake when you needed one? The man stopped and Katherine continued to stare him down.

Was he done?

Nope.

His face changed, eyes becoming a deep black and teeth becoming sharp fangs.

He ran at her then and Katherine tightened up, ready for his impact. The vampire was within arms width when he stopped, face turning pale and lifeless. A bloodstain appeared on his t-shirt and his body seemed limp. There was a horrible ripping noise and then his body fell to the floor, revealing a perfectly calm Elijah with a bloodied heart in his hand.

Katherine let out a shaky breath in relief and had to lean against the bathroom wall for support. "What…Just…happened?" She stuttered, looking down at the body on the floor as Elijah washed the blood off of his hands.

"Niklaus." He replied, briefly catching her gaze in the cracked bathroom mirror. Katherine nodded; to be honest she had known what he was going to say before he even replied. Of course it was Klaus. He was never going to give her even a day of peace.

"We need to go." She managed, still pretty shaken up. "He can't be far behind them, what if he's already here?"

Elijah turned to her having dried his hands, "Niklaus is sending a warning and I'm sure these aren't the only vampires he's sent after us. We'll leave straight away."

Katherine nodded again, following him out of the bathroom. She could make out the remains of a large cabinet by the side of the door – that was why she couldn't open it.

The rest of the lobby wasn't much better; it was lined with blood, shattered glass and wrecked furniture. However, the girl's eyes drew straight to the lady leaning against the door.

"Mrs Flowers."

She scrambled across the remains of the hallway to the lady,

"Hello dear, have a good stay?" The old ladies total oblivion to the situation around her made Katherine want to laugh but she restrained when she saw the blood soaking its way through her clothing.

"Oh god… You're bleeding." She said, assessing the wound that was dominating the right side of her hip. "Elijah."

The brunette turned her head to get the Originals help but was met by him having his back turned to her and phone against his ear. She only heard a few words of the conversation but she knew straight away whom it was with.

"Elijah." She repeated again.

He continued to ignore her.

"Elijah!"

She was truly becoming annoyed now. There was an old woman bleeding out and he was having chitchat with his sister.

This time he turned to her and gestured with his hand for one second. Katherine sighed and impatiently looked back at him.

"Elijah Mikaelson. Here. Now."

The call was hung up and the Original was by her side in seconds.

"Thank you…" She mumbled, standing up and leaving him to feed Mrs Flowers some blood. She turned her back on the pair and stifled a giggle at how her harsh tone had worked. Human or not, even an Original wasn't going to ignore her.

Once Elijah had finished helping Mrs Flowers, the pair were in Elijah's car and pulling straight out onto the road. Katherine frowned as she looked out the window,

"Elijah, the way out of Mystic Falls is that way." She said, gesturing in the other direction.

He kept on driving at a speed limit that probably wasn't very safe, "I know."

Katherine just gave him a puzzled expression and waited for him to explain, "When I was on the phone earlier I was organising for some backup." He told her, "I don't know what Niklaus is up to and certainly don't want to put you at risk. Which is why we're going to get-"

Katherine cut him off and finished his sentence, "Rebekah."