Summary: Set in S8. What if Katherine came back to life after escaping a hellish prison world, and finds out what has happened to Damon and Enzo? Will she help save them? Can she save them due to Damon’s hatred towards her and because she hasn’t seen Enzo in centuries? How will Stefan and Caroline react to her being alive once more?461Please respect copyright.PENANAR7yTedLxfj
It was a nebulous night as Katherine, human, walked through the streets, ascendant in hand. She’d just come from a prison world and looked like hell with blood on one side of her head and nearly looking like the night she’d come to Damon for help. She didn’t know how long she’d been gone, but the population of humans had dwindled since the last time she’d been alive. It looked pretty vacant.461Please respect copyright.PENANACMVKZzZzUL
When she was about to walk past a warehouse, even human, she could smell the familiar scent of death. She could tell that it was more than a few deaths. Nearby she could also hear Damon and an old friend of hers,’ Enzo, talking.461Please respect copyright.PENANAV1FYuIpA7E
As she entered the warehouse, curious of what was going on, and once she was close enough, she heard what they were saying more easily.461Please respect copyright.PENANAZSmDkjT4vB
“How much control do you have left?” Enzo questioned. “I’m down to like two percent.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAgDaguTERug
“None. I turned it off. You should try it. If she sees nothing, she knows you don’t care about anything,” Damon replied.461Please respect copyright.PENANA2QoysfnKgD
“We don’t even know what it is,” Enzo stated.461Please respect copyright.PENANA3jCsT5RSxK
Katherine stayed hidden, figuring that it probably wasn’t best to let herself be known. She knew how he was when he had it turned off. She also knew that if something was controlling them; getting inside their heads; it was best to stay away from that thing, whatever it was.461Please respect copyright.PENANA3GLxt4RCem
She quietly left and headed for the boarding house. Maybe the others would like to share with her what all she’d missed.461Please respect copyright.PENANAm27aBS8FCO
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Thirty minutes later, she entered the boarding house, heading for the living room, assuming someone would be there. If she was lucky, someone that didn’t hate her very much would be there. She didn’t feel like dying again.461Please respect copyright.PENANABxDy1nG3yI
As she entered the living room, she saw that Caroline was the only one there, but it sounded like she was talking to Stefan over her phone.461Please respect copyright.PENANAFFI5TUtcoe
Caroline hung up after she told him to keep her updated, and then turned around, smelling blood and human, only to see a looking like hell human Katherine.461Please respect copyright.PENANAznjKSOWc7t
“Katherine?” she questioned, shocked that she was alive. What the hell? she thought to herself.461Please respect copyright.PENANAabG7rlLZJ7
Katherine gave her a smile.461Please respect copyright.PENANA8RskOw0AVe
“Hello, Blondie.”461Please respect copyright.PENANA9V7FG6X7lh
“What are you doing here? Stefan killed you,” Caroline inquired.461Please respect copyright.PENANAtDDgNjEJol
“I was sent to a prison world when I died. Now what did I miss? I just overheard Damon say that he turned it off and it sounds like something’s controlling them; getting inside their heads. Not to mention, there’s a warehouse full of brutally murdered people hanging from hooks,” she replied to the vampiress.461Please respect copyright.PENANAQxGXGIjz8o
“We opened a vault months ago that released something. We didn’t listen to someone that said not to open it. When we went in after Damon and Enzo, they were gone. Then numbers started piling up of missing people. We didn’t have any clues until tonight where they might be. You just answered our question where they are,” Caroline explained.461Please respect copyright.PENANAsaDbtEXq2m
Katherine set the ascendant on the drinking table and poured herself a shot glass of Bourbon. She took a sip from it.461Please respect copyright.PENANA3NtfJPI8DM
“I’m glad I could be of help. You guys need to find out what’s controlling them. While you guys do that, I’m going to figure out a way to get Damon to turn it back on. It’ll be easier though once he’s separated from that thing.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAWemd6PFj4t
“Why would you want to help Damon or us?” Caroline quizzed.461Please respect copyright.PENANAui9DPUw8o4
“Because I know I was a bad person as a vampire and I shouldn’t have body jumped, but I turned him and taught him everything he knows. You could say I feel responsible for him, whether he hates me or not. Besides, I loved Damon the most. As for the rest of you, you’re my vampire family and if there’s something evil in town, I’m going to help kick its ass.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAEXK00xJEhn
Caroline could tell that she was telling the truth this time around.461Please respect copyright.PENANAzdjtT2jzvA
Katherine set the empty shot glass down.461Please respect copyright.PENANAPLnMEaSQSv
“I’m going to take a shower.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAJdd612tLN4
Caroline watched, as she left to go do just that, before calling Stefan.461Please respect copyright.PENANAn2pR010vod
“Hey,” Stefan greeted.461Please respect copyright.PENANAq4mJpgugxI
“You won’t believe who just showed up. Katherine’s alive and human and has a lead on Damon and Enzo. She overheard them talking in a warehouse. Damon turned it off and she said it sounds like something’s controlling them. The missing bodies are there. Be careful,” Caroline informed him.461Please respect copyright.PENANA4bfpL89HyB
“How is she alive?” he inquired.461Please respect copyright.PENANA7fT0S546mF
“She said she came from a prison world and she looks like hell. I believe her. We can talk about this later. We have to figure out what’s controlling them.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAglzb2EL9eR
“I’ll see you in a little while then,” Stefan replied.461Please respect copyright.PENANAQiwguqhyKz
They hung up and Caroline went back to looking at the map, pondering which warehouse it could be and how to save them both. She hated to admit it, but Katherine was right.461Please respect copyright.PENANArfDhX6ThPM
After her shower and putting on clothes of hers from last time she’d been human, she went downstairs to rejoin Caroline.461Please respect copyright.PENANAQZUuIKrYMm
“If you want to know where they are, just ask me. I care about Damon and Enzo. I’m not going to lie about their exact location.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAuJGU6Er2UF
Caroline looked at her.461Please respect copyright.PENANAzWuKiD1oOx
“Then tell me where they are.”461Please respect copyright.PENANA8YNCZzdBCH
“Fine,” she said, before telling her their exact location.461Please respect copyright.PENANAogbjOnxLrT
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A few nights later, while the others destroyed the siren, Sybil, Bonnie helping magically, Katherine found them on a desolate road, talking.461Please respect copyright.PENANAFUX4KrBaRw
Katherine revealed herself by coming out from the tree line.461Please respect copyright.PENANAeve6QaPq3g
“Hello, Damon,” she greeted with a smile.461Please respect copyright.PENANAQmNtFAmICb
As she anticipated he would do upon seeing her, he went for her. He vamp-sped over to her and pinned her against a tree.461Please respect copyright.PENANAfUxDzZ9As5
“In what universe do you get to be alive!?” he growled at her.461Please respect copyright.PENANAABESlg5xgA
She gasped from his hold around her throat, but smiled. This was one step towards his humanity coming back. As long as he felt some kind of emotion, it was progress; even hate.461Please respect copyright.PENANAPUz0msnq9u
“I’m glad you still feel something with my presence. At least you feel something; anything.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAcFLzgjCx00
He let go of her.461Please respect copyright.PENANAbhl8kbhvxZ
Enzo stood by, watching, ready to stop Damon if he tried to kill her.461Please respect copyright.PENANAS9ozIsdLb8
“Look, Damon, I know what happened, okay? Caroline told me. You need to turn it back on. I know you’ve been through hell, but you have people that care about you.” She began to step towards him. “Elena wouldn’t want you to be like this and neither does Stefan.”461Please respect copyright.PENANA8jm79rHnJ4
Damon knew she was right, as he stood there, looking at her.461Please respect copyright.PENANAR5R44nC75v
“It’s not that simple,” he informed her.461Please respect copyright.PENANAReHcLTDmzf
“I know,” she replied. She knew him too well. “They need you, though.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAeOdTZPkxrV
After some consideration, he closed his eyes, concentrating on turning it back on. Then, when he opened them, he had it back on.461Please respect copyright.PENANAsaiWcYkCiH
He looked at her.461Please respect copyright.PENANAq1Wri6PvaI
“I never thought I’d say this, but thank you, Katherine.”461Please respect copyright.PENANANqEh2ZRlSN
She smiled.461Please respect copyright.PENANAtl8g85E7J9
“You’re welcome.”461Please respect copyright.PENANAqSuC9GFrQA
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A month later, Katherine and Damon, after settling things and forgiving each other, were together once again.461Please respect copyright.PENANA3yvYxTxHht