The first thing she felt was the rigid floor beneath her.
Katherine's senses slowly returned to her as she laid on the cold, hard floor, her surroundings shrouded in darkness. She hadn't yet opened her eyes, but the distant sound of faint mumbling and eerie chanting reached her ears, mingling with the uneasy pounding of her own heart.
Gradually, her vision cleared as her consciousness returned, and she opened her eyes to look around. The dim light revealed an unfamiliar place, and her heart sank as she realized how she got there. Isobel had double-crossed her.
Katherine sat up slowly as she looked over at where the chanting was coming from. Her gaze locked onto the man who was uttering the incantations, and she recognized him to be the same witch whom had paralyzed her earlier and kidnapped her to wherever this place is. Right now, he was mumbling some kind of spell while Alaric Saltzman sat above him, their eyes both closed. It was clear to Katherine that he was doing some sort of ritual, and soon the pieces fell together.
Her thoughts raced back to Isobel, and how she had suddenly betrayed her, luring Katherine into that trap so she could get captured by that witch. It had been sudden and uncharacteristic, and soon the realization struck Katherine like a stake through the heart. Isobel had been compelled.
Panic gripped her as she suddenly remembered what Isobel had told her over the phone; "He wanted the moonstone, and he wanted you."
She looked over at the witch as the chanting suddenly stopped, and Alaric opened his eyes and got up from the chair. Katherine began to stand up carefully too, and as she did, Alaric turned to face her. His expression was cautious at first, then it turned to something else, morphing into something far more sinister. His lips curled slowly upwards, almost triumphantly, as he carefully observed Katherine.
Katherine's heart raced as she studied Alaric, sensing a presence she hadn't encountered in centuries. The chilling aura was unmistakable, and a sense of impending doom gripped her. This wasn't Alaric, it was Klaus.
Katherine wasn't going to just stick around and wait for whatever came next.
In one sudden move, she bolted for the door, but there was some sort of invisible seal that kept her from leaving. She tried to push through the barrier, but it was useless. The magic seal reminded her all too well of when she had recently been sealed in the tomb, and she was filled with the same dreadful feeling.
She heard movement behind her, and the steady steps of someone approaching her. She turned around and saw him approach her with dangerous steps. Despite being in the body of Alaric Saltzman, Klaus made his presence known. The cruel smile that played on his lips sent shivers down Katherine's spine as he gently held her face and forced her to meet his gaze.
She couldn't hide the fear in her eyes as she looked up at him. Even in another man's body, the evil in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Zdravei Katerina," he murmured, his voice soft. Too soft. He wanted her to remember. To remember the exact way they had met over 500 years ago. To remember the feelings she had felt back then when she saw him for the first time.
"Klaus," she whispered, and she realized she was once again face to face with the man who had tormented her for centuries. After a 500 year old game of chase, he had finally caught up to her.
A wicked smile curled on his lips, and his menacing eyes bore into hers. "In the flesh... Well, almost," he said, his voice dripping with mockery.
Katherine swallowed hard, resisting the urge to flinch from the way his thumbs gently caressed her face. After the initial shock of seeing him again faded, her survival instincts kicked in yet again. "Why didn't you accept my deal? You have the moonstone and the doppelganger. You don't need me."
Klaus leaned in closer, his eyes filled with a twisted sense of delight. His breath was warm against her ear, and his voice laced with a sinister charm. "You didn't think I'd trade you away so easily, did you?" He taunted her, his lips grazing her earlobe. "Come on, Katerina, you know how sentimental you are to me."
Katherine scoffed, masking her fear with defiance as she raised her brow. "Sentimental, huh? And here I was thinking you preferred getting your hybrid powers."
Klaus's amusement turned into a sinister smirk. "Power is indeed my first love, but you, my dear, are a close second." His body moved even closer, and his proximity sent a shiver down her spine. "Tell me, why should I have settled for your paltry deal, when I could have both the Moonstone and both of the Petrova doppelgangers in my grasp?"
Katherine's mind raced as she tried to think of a way to maintain some sort of negotiation, to regain some control over the situation. After a few seconds, Klaus finally backed away from her, and Katherine almost let out a sigh of relief. His hands dropped from her face, and he took a step back, folding his hands behind his back as he continued to watch her.
"Now, sweetheart, I want you to tell me everything you know about the life of Elena Gilbert. And don't forget to leave out any details on Alaric Saltzman. I intend to be well-prepared to play this role."
Katherine couldn't resist a sarcastic retort. "Why the charades, Klaus? I didn't realize you had such a strong urge to pose as a washed-down history teacher."
"I do it because I can, and because it amuses me." Klaus's eyes narrowed, his patience waning. "And make no mistake, Katerina, your life hinges on your cooperation. Be a good girl, and I'll let you live. Don't, and... Well, you'll find out."
Katherine's gaze hardened at his threat, and with a subtle gesture, Klaus compelled her to answer his question.
"Now tell me everything."
Katherine could feel the weight of his compulsion, and she had no choice but to tell him everything he wanted to know. She began to recount everything she had learned since her arrival to Mystic Falls.
"Well you'll be happy to know that Mystic Falls is a town brimming with drama. It's like a never-ending soap opera," Katherine began as she rolled her eyes. Elena and her puppets truly had a way to put on a show.
Klaus, growing impatient, wafted with his hand. "Yes, do go on, Katerina. I'm all ears."
"Well, to begin with, there's the Salvatore brothers, Stefan and Damon. Both infatuated with a certain doppelganger, both with a penchant for drama."
Klaus raised an amused brow. "Ah, Elena. The object of their affections, I presume?"
Katherine scrunched her nose in disgust, her voice bitter as she continued. "Yes, poor, innocent Elena. The center of attention in this little melodrama. She, as well as her friends, all have a knack for sticking their noses where they don't belong. It's almost as if they're drawn to danger. You could easily exploit that."
Klaus nodded, considering her words. "And the werewolves of Mystic Falls? How many are left?"
"Well... There's Taylor Lockwood. Before, there was his uncle Mason. He was my original werewolf, before Damon threw a temper tantrum and killed him. Then there's Jules, she came to Mystic Falls not long ago with her pack, but I believe your big bro Elijah killed almost all of them."
Klaus raised his brow. "Elijah? Well... he's gonna be an issue."
Katherine simply nodded, a thinly-veiled frown forming on her face. The memory of Elijah's visit to the tomb, where he had chosen to free Stefan but callously abandoned her there for Klaus to find, still stung like an open wound. Katherine resented him for it.
She continued. "And of course, there's the ever-persistent, not to mention insufferable, best friend Caroline Forbes. Although I gotta say I admire her tenacity. She's the one I turned into a vampire. Then there's the Bennett witch, Bonnie, a real thorn in everyone's side. That's the other best friend."
Klaus listened intently, his interest clearly piqued.. "A thorn, you say?"
Katherine pursed her lips, her annoyance evident. "Yes, Klaus, a thorn. She's powerful and has a stubborn determination to protect Elena at all costs, even if it means sacrificing herself." She rolled her eyes as she said so.
Klaus's lips curled into a smirk "Loyalty is an admirable trait. It sounds like Bonnie Bennett could be a problem for me."
She nodded. "Then there's Elena's aunt, Jenna. There's some trouble in paradise between her and Alaric right now, so it's worth keeping in mind."
Klaus absorbed all the information, his mind clearly working to process the web of people and relationships in Mystic Falls. He appeared satisfied with the wealth of knowledge he'd gained so far.
Finally, when he deemed her brief complete, Klaus straightened and cast an assessing gaze upon Katherine. "Thank you, Katerina. I see you've been an attentive observer during your stay in Mystic Falls. At least you have some use."
Katherine resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she turned away from him. She expected him to go away and do whatever business he needed to, but he stopped her just as she was about to walk away from him.
"Did I say I was done with you, Katerina?" he asked, his voice suddenly cold again.
Katherine swallowed nervously and slowly turned on her heel to face him again. "Do you need anything else?" she asked casually, trying to keep a calm and collected front as she raised a brow at him.
"Hmm," he breathed, a sly smirk playing on his lips as he stepped closer to her once more. "I don't want you out of my sight Katerina. You see that chair over there? That's for you. Now sit."
Klaus nodded over at a wooden chair placed in the living room, and Katherine slowly turned to walk over to it. She felt her body move on her own due to compulsion, and she sat down.
He gave her a parting command, as his eyes locked onto hers. "Stay put, and don't get up until I tell you to," he ordered.
Klaus turned to leave, but Katherine couldn't resist the urge to toss out one more sarcastic quip before he left. "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere without your engraved invitation."
Klaus left to go talk with his witch whom Katherine had learned was named Maddox.
He returned after a few hours, as the time was shifting to day. Klaus began rummaging through Alaric's closet, picking out an outfit for the day. He asked for her opinion on what to wear, and asked further questions about Elena's life so that he was prepared for the day ahead. Katherine had overheard Klaus and Maddox talk earlier, and he was apparently going out for the day to pose as Alaric at the high-school. She knew it amused Klaus to play with his victims before he killed them, because now he was doing to Elena what he had done to her in 1492. There was no point for him to do all this. He could just take Elena and wait for the full-moon to do the ritual, no one would be able to stop him. He didn't need to infiltrate her life and taunt her beforehand, but that was such a Klaus-like thing to do.
Before he headed out, he had made sure to remind Katherine of his power over her, as he compelled her to stab herself over and over until he returned. He gave her forehead a gentle kiss as if he was kissing his dear love goodbye, then he left her to a day full of torture.