▬ Paris, France ▬

The scent of coffee and fresh croissants waved through the opened windows and up to Katherine's nose, letting her hum in delight as she stepped out of the bathroom and strolled towards the bed where her clothes were. Le Marais is one of the most beautiful districts in Paris, filled with a lot of amazing Cafés and restaurants, and this charming old apartment just so happened to be in close proximity to one of the best Café's.

"Reviens au lit, chéri" the dark-haired man rolled over and reached out for her, his fingertips brushing along her spine after she sat down on the edge of the mattress. Katherine, however, didn't pay him any attention while she grabbed her underwear and pulled on her bra before she slipped into her panties.

"You know what I said, Philippe. No pas de câlin après," in her tone swings a mild reproval, her annoyance only mitigated because Philippe is really good in bed. Otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed the night. Nonetheless, it doesn't change the fact that she doesn't cuddle with her bed affairs. She's no cuddler and she certainly doesn't need cuddles and sweet talk from someone who's only supposed to give her mind-blowing orgasms. In which Philippe was really good, that must be said.

Philippe's corners of the lips dropped and he too pulled back the covers and slipped out of the bed before he searched for his clothes. It was a sight for the gods because the morning sun illuminated his butt just in the right way. Katherine licked over her lips and then averted her eyes before she changed her mind about leaving his apartment because the desire grew to bite him.

"Can I offer you something before you go, Katherine?", he asked, his french accent clearly audible. The brunette shook her head and walked over to the handsome male after she finished dressing.

"No, Philippe, but thanks for the offer" the tip of her index finger brushed over his collarbone while the male placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. She didn't mind it, although it destabilized her decision to not bite him. He's not only good in bed but also has also a mouthwatering scent. "Perhaps we can meet tomorrow evening again? Only for a short Tête-à-Tête?" she looked at him through her long lashes although Katherine has no doubt he would decline her.

It is obvious to her that Philippe desired a romance but that wasn't of Katherine's interest. She didn't desire dates or candlelight dinners with someone who's, without doubt, sexy but otherwise doesn't manage to catch her interest. In fact, Philippe's life bored her. He's studying something boring and has two even more boring part jobs. She has met him at a party and somehow they ended up in bed together. If it weren't for his talents in bed, she would have dropped him and would have disappeared without a single word. However, most men were absolutely unskilled and didn't know how to worship a woman properly, so she had taken the opportunity to have someone who's absolutely devoted to her to have some fun.

"On se retrouve à 20 h?" Philippe asked and leaned in closer, his lips brushing her neck, "Oui", Katherine confirmed their 'meeting' tomorrow at 8 pm before she pulled away as his lips wandered up to her lips, ready to kiss her.

"I'll see you" and with that, she turned on her heels and left the apartment before Philippe really ruined her mood by being too clingy.

Katherine quickly stopped at the Café whose delicious baked goods could be smelled miles away to order a fresh out of the oven Croissant and a cup of coffee before she strolled through the streets and enjoyed the early morning hours. Currently, there weren't that many annoying tourists around but Katherine knew that is going to change in the next hours.

While strolling through the streets, Katherine eventually ended up at the Fontaine du Jardin du Trocadéro, one of her favorite places in Paris. Not only were the gardens amazing and The Fountain of Warsaw provided spectacular water features, but it also provided a great view of the Eiffel Tower.

The brunette took a seat at the staircase leading to the Palais de Chaillo before she finished her coffee and ate her Croissant while enjoying the feeling of the early sun. It's still a bit fresh but Katherine didn't mind it. In fact, it was quite refreshing.

Yes, moving to France had been one of the best decisions she could have made. Far better than staying in stuffy Mystic Falls and feel sorry for herself.

Actually, it was much needed to get away from there, especially because she felt her control slipping after Bonnie Bennett had betrayed her. It scared her how emotionally weakened she had been. How easily it had been to lose all her caution and behavior patterns just because one stupid man broke her heart.

She had become careless, reckless even. Thankfully, Katherine managed to draw the line before she did something stupid. Something potential dangerous. And the universe knows how close she had been to go all mad and wreck havoc.

Yes, Katherine had been in Mystic High School. Yes, Katherine had waited for her Doppelgänger. Yes, Katherine had yearned to kill Elena.

She deserved it after all. She took something from her and Katherine was about to return the favor, no matter if it was deserved or not.

She only lived up to the saying about doppelgängers: That they usually torment the people they look like trying to undo their lives. It's harder than anyone can imagine watching a carbon copy of herself getting the life Katherine herself had wanted: Family, Friends, a normal life without having to be scared that one step can be wrong, without having to care if she had been too careless or not.

For a long time, she hadn't been aware of her jealousy over Elena's life situation. Yes, Katherine had been jealous because Stefan chose Elena and not her but apart from that jealousy isn't the word Katherine would have used to describe her feelings for the younger doppelgänger. In the beginning, she had pitied her because of the simple, boring life she led. Why would a Katherine Pierce want that? Furthermore, she had expected Elena to die in the sacrifice, so there was clearly no need to think too much about it, thinking that the matter would be resolved in a few months.

But then Elena survived the sacrifice and suffered no consequences. At first - after Katherine found out about it - it bothered her, but then it was revealed that a human doppelgänger was still useful for Klaus. And in all honesty, being the living blood bag of Klaus Mikaelsons was definitely not something that was desirable. Yes, it annoyed Katherine that Elena didn't have to go through this alone, that she still had her friends and boyfriend and the remaining family fighting for her, loving her whereas Katherine had been all alone.

No one has fought for her, no one has been at her side. She tried the best to convince herself that there's no reason to be jealous of someone so clearly unworthy of her attention, of someone with such a restricted life revolving all-around Mystic Falls.

But the more she was around, the more she wanted to have it: A normal life, even if it was in a boring town such as Mystic Falls. She wanted people that love her, no matter what (even if they get killed because of her). She wanted friendships that last forever (although to be fair: Katherine had been the one who tends to ruin it). She wanted a family. Gosh, she was even jealous about annoying little Gilbert who inexplicably managed to come back from the dead, knowing that her own little sister was denied such a thing after she was brutally murdered.

It even got worse after Elena turned into a vampire. Until that moment, Katherine had believed that her irritating shadow self is going to die in a few decades.

Elena being a vampire was a game-changer. Suddenly, everyone kept spinning around her even more, trying to help and save sweet little Gilbert. Something Katherine never had. Even without humanity, Elena was still considered worth saving. They allowed her to walk all over them, let her do whatever she wanted, and still loved her. She even switched Salvatore brothers out of sudden and she was still not insulted as a slut, as a lying, betraying bitch whereas she herself had been slut-shamed to hell.

Where was justice now?

What made Elena so special that she didn't need to fear any consequences?

She could betray Stefan and sleep with Damon without losing Stefan completely. She could switch the Salvatore brothers without being slut-shamed.

Katherine also knew about her involvement with the Mikaelsons. To be frank, it had taken some time until she had found out about the true extent but the amount of time Elena Gilbert had betrayed and played the Mikaelsons, even was involved in at least one Mikaelson's death amazed her because she still suffered no consequences.

The brunette knew that if it had been her, she would have been tortured, quartered, and burnt alive. She would have died a slow and painful death. Hell, she had already been severely punished for running because she didn't want to die in a sacrifice. Because she had been afraid of death because she wanted to live.

Where was justice? Where was it?

And then Elena has had the audacity to blame everything that happened to her on her! That she focused her entire hate on her.

Yes, she has done some nasty things that were entirely Katherine's fault. Caroline's death. Tyler's turning. Jeremy's death.

But that was it. The major stuff that happened to Elena wasn't Katherine's fault.

The Salvatores causing Elena some inconvenience wasn't her fault and she really can't be blamed that Stefan returned to Mystic Falls because Elena resembled her so much. Even more so because if it weren't for that resemblance, Elena would have died in 2009.

It also wasn't Katherine's fault that the Mikaelsons were after Elena because both Elijah and Klaus would have eventually found her as they had their own sources and people looking for the next doppelgänger. The sacrifice itself and the losses that came with it were also not Katherine's fault because she had initially picked other people: Caroline as the vampire and Tyler as the werewolf. She had nothing to do with the deaths of Elena's family members, that had been entirely Elena's fault.

So where had Elena taken the boldness to blame her for everything bad that has happened to her?

Most things that happened to them were because of their own faults. Stefan went with Klaus in exchange for Damon's life who had been stupid enough to let a wolf bite him. And the back and forth with the Mikaelsons were also not her fault but instead the result of their own wrongdoings and their incapability to listen to her warnings.

And yet Katherine Pierce was the scapegoat for all and everything.

Perhaps she should have killed Elena in the cellar when she has had the chance but that would have been too easy. She wanted Elena to crumble, she wanted Elena to break. She knew it's a matter of time until Elena got her humanity back because the humanity switch isn't designed to last for a lifetime. If anything, the switch is a cheap exit that won't last for too long. The same result could be achieved if one got drunk until they passed out. It dulled the pain for a moment but eventually, there's always a rather rude awakening.

But the spark that finally did light the fire was the moment Elena took her chance of happiness away from her when she turned Elijah against her.

Katherine is by far no daydreamer but she knew it would have worked out with Elijah. It would have been a long and rocky road but it would have been worth it. In hindsight, perhaps there would have been an issue with the new revelations in New Orleans but Katherine believed they would have found a solution if Elijah had believed in them, in her. They've could have worked it out.

But Elena had disconcerted him about her intentions. Katherine knew that she gained at least a bit of his trust back when she handed him over the cure but ... it hadn't been enough. She had told him it's up to him how their future would look like but he didn't come back to her. In fact, if she wouldn't have stayed in their old mansion, Elijah probably wouldn't even have said goodbye to her. He only came back for Rebekah, but not her.

Yes, that year had been shitty. Really made for the trash.

The only thing that kept her sane had been the promised Silas-like immortality. But shocker, Bonnie Bennett didn't keep that promise. That had been an unexpected turn because Katherine didn't believe she's such a great liar.

Everything together gave a pretty bad mix, leading to a mental meltdown, waiting to end in a super eruption. A super eruption called 'Elena's death'.

Did Elena want to put the blame of all her misery on her? Fine, Katherine could do the same and her reasons were even justified.

The only reason why she hadn't done it in the end and was able to hold back and vanish had been her gut feeling once she managed to get control over the immense hate and loath but also over jealousy she felt.

Katherine had been inside Mystic Falls High School, waiting to ambush Elena Gilbert who managed to get her switch back on. She had prepared her silly, evil monologue before going ahead and kill her and end her life & future. It was worked out perfectly and Elena even entered the building alone.

All her senses were directed at Elena and Elena only, so she almost missed the sound of another voice. He was far, far away and didn't know she was as well. But nonetheless, she eventually noticed his presence: Klaus Mikaelson.

It tore her out of her hate-filled bubble and although Klaus' presence meant no danger for her, her senses sharpened.

Her gut told her that it's better to stay hidden. She just had the feeling that something is about to happen which isn't going to be to her liking if she gave in to her revenge-soaked thoughts.

Katherine always relied on her gut and her added senses and that was the reason why she stayed put and eventually left.

A few years later Katherine learned that the cure had been with Elena during the graduation ceremony and that it had been in fact the presence of the cure that triggered her alarm system. Katherine didn't know to which extent Elena would have been willing to go and use it as a weapon but since Katherine aimed to kill her, it would have been a fight between life and death, hence making everything possible if one were desperate enough.

But no matter if Elena had used the cure or not, Katherine was thankful that she had listened to her intuition. Not only because of the potential danger but also because she hadn't counted in Klaus's presence at the ceremony and didn't know how that could have turned out. Furthermore, killing Elena (although she would have deserved death) could have turned into a true rat tail because everyone likes to be against Katherine and in general harbors no understanding for her or her actions.

In the end, it wouldn't have been worth it. Katherine also didn't bother to investigate any further after she left but some time later she has heard that life hasn't been rosy for Elena so she guessed that's the deserved karma she finally got.

God, apparently her mind still rambled way too much about the nasty moments that had occurred in 2011, she had eaten the entire Croissant without even noticing it.

Katherine rolled her eyes and crumpled up the paper bag before she skilfully threw it in a nearby trash can.

The Fontaine du Jardin du Trocadéro was filled with more people by now and the sun had already ascended further into the sky. The air was notably warmer than before she somehow started to be all lost in oh so unpleasant thoughts.

She cannot deny that the thoughts of the events in 2011 still made her pretty aggressive but fifteen years had passed ever since and she led a quite pleasant life by now.

After she had left Mystic Falls, Katherine had settled in Florida before she moved here to Paris and enjoyed her life. Parties, exhibitions, plenty of chances to show off and fashion shows along with other activities made life pleasant.

She was long over what happened fifteen years ago and enjoyed her life completely. She led a nice and varied life and had plenty of sex, what would she want more?

A smile graced her lips and she sighed contently as her gaze wandered over the Eiffel Tower.

Chacun est l'artisan de sa fortune - everyone is responsible for his own good fortune. She would be stupid to not see that life is a beautiful, magnificent thing. Why waste it with nonsense and bad memories?

▬▬ xxx ▬▬

Katherine had enjoyed her day in Fontaine du Jardin du Trocadéro a little longer before she went to an appointment in the afternoon. As already mentioned, she had a very varied life that keeps her occupied. Fortunately, the appointment went along as planned although it was already early evening when she finally left.

Various restaurants looked inviting but weren't of Katherine's interest. Instead, Katherine made her way into an exquisite wine shop and acquired a bottle of exceptional Bordeaux before finally returning to her apartment.

It's already dawning outside and Katherine hummed quietly as she walked up the stairs, the sound of her heels echoing through the hallway. A glass of red wine by candlelight on the balcony sounded like a good plan to end the day. She's not sure if she should move her plan in the bathtub instead, but she'll decide that spontaneously.

Katherine didn't turn on the lights in her apartment because she especially didn't like the corridor lights as she considered them as way too bright for her eyes. Furthermore, they aren't needed because her eyes could see everything despite the lack of artificial light anyway.

The brunette got rid of her jacket and then strolled into the kitchen to get a glass for the wine.

Somehow, however, she had an uneasy feeling in her gut and she noticed that it smelled differently. Katherine arched an eyebrow and took a look at the fruit bowl, fearing that her grapes had turned bad over the day. However, they were still impeccable. Nonetheless, she felt like something was very off.

Placing the wine on the fully equipped kitchenette, Katherine remained where she was and listened to her surroundings. Everything was quiet, nothing was suspicious.

Her eyes narrowed but then she moved to the living room to get the candles so she can make the balcony ready. She remembered that the cleaning person had been here today, so perhaps it's because of a different cleaning supply or something like that. She's by far no expert on that matter but she knew there are various flavors available. So perhaps that's the reason. Whatever it is, she shouldn't make a drama out of it. After all, nothing bad had happened in the past few years.

The brunette reached for the candles and went for the scented ones - smelling of roses - before she suddenly startled and her heart skipped a beat as a male voice filled the silent room.

"Hello, love."

▬▬ xxx ▬▬

A/N: I hope you like this new Kalijah story that is placed in The Originals universe.

How do you think is Klaus going to deal with Katherine? Will they get along? What is his plan?

Please note that feedback is important to me because feedback keeps me motivated. I would really appreciate it if you could take some time and leave feedback if you liked something or if you're excited about something.