Epilogue
The cool breeze hit Katherine on the face and whipped her dark brown curls in the air as she with Loki drove down the freeway towards JFK Airport. She couldn't help but smile, she did it. She was back. She was free. But most of all she was alive.
"Why are you so happy?" Loki said sounding annoyed as he looked at the cars that were next to them. "I don't know how of all the places we could have gone you choose here."
"Hey, it's better than being trapped in a cage for the rest of our lives." Katherine pointed out. "And don't you get it, Loki we're free now. No one is after us, not Odin, not Klaus-we don't have anything to fear. We can be anything we want here." She looked at him. "You do know that you're going to have to change your appearance otherwise everyone will run away screaming."
Loki smirked. "I really don't think they'll remember me."
"You tried to take over the world, remember I'm pretty sure that they will remember you. And unless you want to be dragged back home, I suggest you keep a low profile."
"Did you guys hear?" Tony said as he and the rest of the Avengers were spread around in the living room. He handed Bruce a beer even though he was shaking his head back and forth insisting that he didn't want any. "Katherine and Reindeer games are going to be staying on earth for a while."
"Yep, I overheard Thor telling Fury." Clint said as he took a swing of his beer. "Fury almost popped a vein in anger-apparently Katherine had promised that she would leave and never come back if she could kill some girl named Elena."
"Well, we both know how crafty Katherine can be with lies." Steve said somewhat bitterly as he ate a few chips.
The Avengers exchanged quizzical looks. "Ignore him," Tony said. "He's still bitter about Katherine using his comrades as smoothies during the war, even though I told him constantly to get over it."
"And Thor just agreed?" Natasha sounded surprised. "What if they cause more trouble?"
"They won't." Bruce pointed out as he started eating Chinese take out. "Thor said he will make sure of it."
"Since when has Thor been reliable, he has never been able to keep Loki in line, what about his sister." Tony ate a piece of dumpling thoughtfully. "Apparently Daddy God kicked them out, though you have to admit having Katherine and Loki here for a few months or even years might be an interesting experience."
"Mr. Phil Coulson?"
Phil looked up from where he had been eating a bagel at a café in front of Stark Tower. He wiped of the crumbs from his mouth. He stared at the pretty blond woman in front of him. "Yes, that would be me, how can I help you Miss-"
"Mikaelson." Rebekah said with a smile. "Rebekah Mikaelson. I knew Katerina Odindottir as well as her older brothers Thor and Loki. Thor told me a little about the kind of work you do to protect the earth and its innocents. SHIELD isn't it?"
"Yes," Phil said uncomfortably. "Though, Thor really shouldn't be discussing it with anyone."
"Oh, I won't say anything." Rebekah promised. "I was an Original vampire before taking a cure rendering me human, I've seen the injustices that have occurred for the past 1000 years and I'd like for it to stop."
Phil looked at her curiously. "And how do you plan on doing that?"
Rebekah smirked as she sat in the seat across from him. "I would like to talk to you about joining SHIELD."
Stefan entered the Salvatore boarding house feeling weary. Even though it had been weeks since he and Damon had found Elena's desiccated body on the floor of Damon's bedroom and Bonnie telling them that she hadn't crossed her, meaning either Elena had found peace or worse the alternative that Katherine had succeeded in sending her to a place worse than the Other Side, Stefan hadn't been feeling like himself.
It was true that he and Elena hadn't been together at the time of her death. But she had been his second great love after Katherine, if he could still call it love, which he didn't. Elena had been one of the kindest, compassionate people that Stefan knew and she had died. In a way it was almost karma, Elena had shoved the cure down Katherine's throat in order to prevent Katherine from killing her, only to have it backfire and have Katherine kill her instead and permanently.
Stefan, Caroline, Matt, and Jeremy had been mostly the ones that had taken care of her funeral and processions. They had decided to have her cremated so that no one notice the gray skin. Caroline had set up a very nice funeral and people had said very nice things. The only one that hadn't attended was Damon. His older brother had only been drinking since Elena had died, which didn't help Stefan's temper.
Katherine won again. Like she always does. Stefan couldn't help but be bitter.
He frowned when he saw a letter and a small flask with a strange liquid. He opened the letter and recognize it almost immediately. Katherine.
Dear Stefan,
I know you probably never want to hear from me ever again, so I'll make it quick. I'm sorry that I turned you into a vampire back in 1864, I'm sorry that I manipulated you and made you something that you never wanted to be. I was selfish in doing it and I saw through the years how it destroyed you, yet you still managed to remain that kind, compassionate, and thoughtful boy you always were.
I envy that, because unlike me you can let the past go, you can forgive, you can love. You're a good person, through all my life I have made decisions that I am not proud off, that I regret most of them I did them out of loneliness, out of despair, out of love. If anyone can understand that it's you. The flask contains one of the two final cures left that will turn you permanently human. No side effects. No, turning back into a vampire. So this is my last gift to you. Have the life you always wanted, Stefan. Best of luck and warmest wishes.
With regards,
Katherine Pierce.
Stefan stared at the flask for a moment before opening it. He took a sip and waited.
It was time for him to live the life he had always wanted.
Damon stared at the gray, cold tombstone in front of him. It had been the first time since he had visited Elena's grave since her death. Here lies Elena Marie Gilbert, a great person and great friend to the community. Rest in peace.
Was she at peace? Damon couldn't help but be bitter. Because she was sure as hell not on the other side and Damon had a nasty feeling in his gut that Katherine had sent Elena' soul to a dark place.
Her tombstone was filled with flowers and teddy bears like he had expected, but there was also a small bottle full of whisky with a letter next to it. He couldn't help but smirk, this was Stefan's lame attempt to cheer him up, he was sure of it. The letter was probably something lame and poetic like how brothers should stick together that sort of thing. If it was that he better drink the whisky for a strong stomach.
Ignoring the letter, Damon grabbed the small whisky bottle that he easily drank in less than ten minutes. Now for the sappy part. He opened the letter and frowned when he recognize the handwriting. It wasn't from Stefan, the handwriting was different, curly, and feminine.
Dear, dear sweet Damon,
You sold me out to Silas, you tricked me, you sacrifice me for Silas like I was the sacrificial lamb all to prove to your girlfriend, sweet Elena (may she rest in hell, because that's where I send her) that you will do anything for her even sacrifice me to bring her even more pathetic friend back to life. In your own words, wrong move dick.
All these years you have blamed me, childishly for every wrong thing you've committed. I turned you, Damon. But I didn't tell you to kill people, make your brother's life miserable, or steal his girl. It's pathetic, how everyone wants to blame little me. Man up and take responsibility.
You blamed me for your deaths, for everything even though I gave you everything. Power. Strength. Immortality. But you didn't appreciate my gift. Fine, I take it back. Enjoy the rest seventy years of your life. In your precious Elena's words, "Have a nice, human life, Damon."
See you in hell, love and kisses,
Kitty Kat
Damon dropped the letter on the floor and stared at the empty bottle. There were two cures left to make someone permanently human. Katherine couldn't have mixed it in with the whisky, could she? No, she wouldn't have dared!
But Damon felt his strength leaving him as everything around him turned black.
"You gave the cure to Damon and Stefan, when you could have given it to Klaus, why?" Loki asked. "Not that it wasn't brilliant, it was. But if someone had chased me for 500 years I would like to see their face as they realize I took away everything from them."
"Don't get me wrong, I was planning on giving it to Klaus. But then I though immortality feeling completely alone was a worse punishment." Katherine replied as she entered the airport parking lot. "Besides I owed it to Stefan, as much as he hates me, I really did love him. And I can't think of a single person who deserves it more than he does." She smirked. "Damon on the other hand, is going to have a rude awakening. The summer I spent as a human is going to look like heaven compare with the life he has to live with for the next seventy years of his life. Mortal. Weak. Fragile."
"Mother?"
Thor stepped into his mother's room. "All you all right? About Loki and Katerina leaving?"
"No," she admitted. "I wanted them to stay here, but I think we can all agree and say that it wouldn't be the best decision right now. They need time. All of us. They will come at least once a month and we can at least pretend to be a family."
"Mother," Thor hesitated. "Do you still think there is some good in them? Some redemption?"
Frigga stared at him sadly. "I think your brother and sister are very lonely, very sad, and very scared that they feel that they can't trust no one but themselves and occasionally each other," she said. "Perhaps, it is because I am their mother, but even after they have done a hundred wrong things, I can always find the one good thing they have done."
Odin sat in his study, pushing heavy books away until he found the one that he had been looking for. The House of Odin. The family tree.
The book was dusty and he flipped absentmindly through the pages, until he found the page that he had been looking for. Katerina. Thor. Loki. There were portraits of them from when they had been children.
He touched the worn out pages.
"Daddy, Daddy," Katerina wrapped her arms around Odin's neck "Tell us a story. The story that you were telling me before you went to war. About the princess."
"No, I want to hear about the war!" Thor said throwing imaginary punches. "How many people did you kill?"
Loki sat in Odin's lap. "Did you trick them? Did you win?"
Odin chuckled. "I'll tell you tomorrow morning. Come now, go to sleep otherwise your mother will be most upset at me for waking you up."
"All right, Daddy." Katerina kissed his cheek, "I love you."
Odin closed his eyes as he closed the book. His children. What had happened to them? And where were they now?
"Do you trust him?" Loki said as Katherine parked the car. "Odin?"
After a pause, Katherine said. "No, but I haven't trusted anyone lately and sadly, to survive you need to be able to learn how to trust."
Loki scoffed. "You do know this won't last long, the peace treaty between Odin and us," he got out of the car. "Sooner or later he's going to find a way to drag us back home."
"Well, then I'm going to make my time here count," Katherine smirked as her heels made a click, click sound. "This will be my last gran adventure. I'm going to make sure that everyone remembers who Katherine Pierce was for centuries."
The End
So this marks the end of Blood Siblings, Loki and Kat on earth, Damon and Stefan humans, and Rebekah joining SHIELD. I'm planning a mini sequel to this (only three chapters) it's mostly going to be Kalijah, but I'll also add what other characters are up to. I'll post it in a few days. Thank you so much for your support!