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?504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FOzTzRDNh
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGli6EY5Jgd
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6JA1jk3mZ
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Qc1HzM85Q
“How much control do you have left?” Enzo questioned. “I’m down to like two percent.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsUU3n8tkM
“None. I turned it off. You should try it. If she sees nothing, she knows you don’t care about anything,” Damon replied.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIVxNlMLwG
“We don’t even know what it is,” Enzo stated.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3bXRVpUAk
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbF1qQwPfL
She quietly left and headed for the boarding house. Maybe the others would like to share with her what all she’d missed.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OTgSZwBVB
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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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1b84NHIAAl
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJ8BBX7lvJ
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmpA4M93rB
“Katherine?” she questioned, shocked that she was alive. What the hell? she thought to herself.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6S9Ng6Zu5E
Katherine gave her a smile.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSMlliJf0J
“Hello, Blondie.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHo40BI0SI
“What are you doing here? Stefan killed you,” Caroline inquired.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSCUB8M9ra
“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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ532SKhXJgB
“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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6COSsYTmDP
Katherine set the ascendant on the drinking table and poured herself a shot glass of Bourbon. She took a sip from it.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bodtvb1Ov
“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.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZIrel1eRz
“Why would you want to help Damon or us?” Caroline quizzed.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppE2fBVLp0
“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.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFUVHJqniz
Caroline could tell that she was telling the truth this time around.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf28TqJhY3t
Katherine set the empty shot glass down.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSq8J6jfa0h
“I’m going to take a shower.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuyySbhPSp
Caroline watched, as she left to go do just that, before calling Stefan.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp2P3z5qSL
“Hey,” Stefan greeted.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8s7BfZE0bK
“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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6B62BxrE3
“How is she alive?” he inquired.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiTT8Qysuo
“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.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIN3qSOVxG
“I’ll see you in a little while then,” Stefan replied.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6Pj88Bqz8
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzexC0KiOQC
After her shower and putting on clothes of hers from last time she’d been human, she went downstairs to rejoin Caroline.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nNZFPze7Q
“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.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1zLFds2bV
Caroline looked at her.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyFkyMD4n9
“Then tell me where they are.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqqLVS6OiM
“Fine,” she said, before telling her their exact location.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJpOn7aNfZ
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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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfza9t0iaM
Katherine revealed herself by coming out from the tree line.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFxwlEpTTT
“Hello, Damon,” she greeted with a smile.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTz8TBzVTU
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZnAWJ1lIs
“In what universe do you get to be alive!?” he growled at her.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAvF9xQzxS
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.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFSRD8CSaf
“I’m glad you still feel something with my presence. At least you feel something; anything.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHx2GyGQNJY
He let go of her.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYFuVFxEer
Enzo stood by, watching, ready to stop Damon if he tried to kill her.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphznYtoSzN
“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.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ6vE9AoBm
Damon knew she was right, as he stood there, looking at her.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpvTtZ30Tb
“It’s not that simple,” he informed her.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1DwuzHMAQ
“I know,” she replied. She knew him too well. “They need you, though.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0FAHdNxTR
After some consideration, he closed his eyes, concentrating on turning it back on. Then, when he opened them, he had it back on.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKG2sOr63WZ
He looked at her.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkGTatUff8
“I never thought I’d say this, but thank you, Katherine.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aXc1GQIVC
She smiled.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmc4qFbBrIV
“You’re welcome.”504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iikXaOoke
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A month later, Katherine and Damon, after settling things and forgiving each other, were together once again.504Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmWLKA4Pel
