I lay in bed, awake all night, just staring at the ceiling. My body felt numb, my heart not slowing from the moment I had seen him.

As soon as I glimpsed his face, all of my memories came back from after my mother had died. How he had abused me, verbally and physically. How he had made me feel as if I didn't matter. How sickeningly good I felt when I thought he was dead.

I shivered, even though the room wasn't cold. I couldn't believe he was working with Jules! He must have had a bigger agenda. Maybe it was something to do with the huge plan Jules was talking about.

I needed to confront him about it, but deep down I still feared him.

The real question was, how was he still alive? First, how could he have survived the fire? And even if I got that answer, how has he not aged? Was he like me?

Maybe he could help me figure out what I was. Maybe he had matured over the years, and we could form a stable relationship.

But even I knew that was naive and hopeless. The Liam I remembered would never show weakness or any sign of affection. He was cold and ruthless, and always with some huge master plan that would end up hurting people.

Eventually, I fell into a restless sleep, coming in and out of consciousness, and sweating furiously.

The next morning when I woke up, I was extremely grumpy. I decided to skip school that day and stay inside.

I then spent the entire day sitting in bed, then getting up to eat, then screaming at my wall, and then trying to make a plan of how to talk to Liam.

My friends called, but I ignored them. I needed space to think. By the evening, the reality that Liam was alive completely dawned on me, and I completely lost it. I almost got kicked out of my apartment for making so much noise.

Those darn old ladies.

I was sure much had happened in the day that I missed. I swear, someone probably almost died, a grand plan was orchestrated, it failed, and people just managed to stay alive. I felt as if no day in this town was ever calm.

Late at night, I decided to call Caroline, so she could catch me up on the day. She didn't pick up, so I tried Bonnie.

"Hey! I haven't seen you all day!" came her worried voice on the other line.

"Yeah, I've just had one of those days," I explained half-heartedly. "Did anything exciting happen today?"

I heard her sigh dramatically. "A whole lot of stuff happened today. Prepare to sit down, it's a lot."

I didn't mention that I had been in bed almost all day, and sitting was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Bring it on," I said.

"So, it turns out that Elijah is planning on sacrificing Elena, but he's going to manage to kill Klaus afterward. We're trying to find a way to stop that. I found out that Luka and his father are working with Elijah because he promised them Luka's sister or something."

"I knew the Martin family was fishy," I remarked. "And Elena could die? So sad."

"Kaitlyn," Bonnie warned. "Anyway, Elena and Stefan went to the lakehouse for a romantic vacation, but this guy almost killed them. And they said it wasn't anyone that had seen before. But I'm sure it was a guy from Jules."

"Wait how did he look like?" a pit in my stomach formed.

"He had blonde hair and was tallish. The funny thing was, they said he had angelic features, and innocence that caught them off guard," she explained.

"Where is he now?" I demanded.

"I don't know, he escaped with Tyler. Oh right, can you believe that Tyler would help that guy? Unbelievable!" she scoffed.

"Do you know where he went? Where Tyler is?" I questioned.

"I think they left town, Caroline said Tyler's mother got a note saying that he was going away for a while. I'm assuming he left with Jules and the other guy. Why are you so interested?" she asked.

"No reason," I muttered, wondering how I was going to be able to spy on him now. "Keep informing me."

"Well, Damon almost got killed by Jules and some werewolves earlier today. They want the moonstone for some reason. I think they know about the sacrifice."

"Oh no," I mumbled to myself.

That meant my brother knew about the sacrifice as well. But why would he care about it?

"Don't worry! Elijah saved him. You know, cause of the whole deal," Bonnie reassured me. "The only good news of today was that I kissed Jeremy!"

"Oh, you did? That's great Bon!" I congratulated, but my mind was elsewhere.

She could probably tell because she said she would let me sleep, and then we said bye.

I placed my phone on the nightstand and buried myself under the covers like I used to do when I was small. Before my mother got sick, she would lay in bed with me every night, hugging me and whispering how much she loved me.

She would make sure I got a good night's sleep every single day and would stroke my hair and arms until I fell asleep. I had been avoiding thinking of her all night, but my mind wandered to her now.

Over the many decades, I had found a way to make myself forget about the past because all it would bring me was pain. I lived an unfeeling life, and that was okay. But when I saw Liam yesterday evening, all of those feelings rushed through me, and I realized that I was hurting.

I missed my mom. I needed her.

My eyes glistened, but I furiously wiped them dry. I was so sick of crying! I was stronger than this. Who cares if my brother most likely came here to kill me? Who cares if I still had no clue what I was? Who cares if I felt absolutely useless and helpless? Who cares that I felt utterly alone?

Who cares...

∆ ∆ ∆

"So, you and Andie huh?" I commented with a small smile on my face.

"Yeah..." Damon trailed off. "She's pretty great for a human."

We were walking to the Grill to meet Alaric. We were going to see if the professor got any intel about Elijah. I wanted to talk to Elijah myself, and maybe ask him about what I was.

Perhaps the only helpful thing Jules said was to ask the oldest vampire I knew. She had mentioned that I was some time of celestial divinity or something. But who knew if that was true.

"I'm happy for you Damon," I said earnestly, and he smiled ruffling my hair.

"Other than your lecture on Mystic Falls, got anything on Elijah?" he asked as soon as we had gotten a table in the Grill.

Andie had joined us and was complacently sipping her drink as she listened. Wow, so Damon was compelling her. Great.

"No, it was boring," Alaric huffed and then grimaced. "Of course Jenna thinks he's charming."

"Well, he is," I spoke up, and then quieted when I realized it was the wrong time.

"You sound a bit jealous," Damon smirked. "Doesn't he sound jealous?"

"He kinda does," Andie giggled, and I couldn't help but smile at her mischievousness.

"I just need the right opportunity to stab him," Damon muttered.

"Weren't you gonna host a dinner or something?" I reminded him.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Damon said, then looked at the door of the Grill, grinning. "Ah, there's Jenna with her new boyfriend."

Alaric whipped around with lightning speed to see the Original walking with Elena's aunt and seeming to be charming her.

"Hi," Damon waved them over, and Alaric turned back around irritably. "I heard you two had quite a meeting of historical minds."

"Yeah," Jenna chirped happily. "I guess you could say that."

"Well," Alaric cut in sharply. "As much as I'd like to continue this, I've got papers to grade."

He abruptly got up, but before he could leave, I decided to cause one last riot of mischief. "Hey Jenna, do you want to come to the dinner party Damon's hosting tonight? Elijah and Alaric are going to be there."

"Oh no, I don't think–" Alaric tried to stutter, but Jenna interrupted him with a nod.

"Yeah, I'm free."

"Great," I smiled cheekily as Damon winked at me. They left soon after, and I told Damon I was going to visit Katherine.

"Be careful," he grumbled, but I waved away his concern.

"I'll meet you for the dinner party."

∆ ∆ ∆

Katherine was almost unrecognizable when I opened the tomb. I felt so bad for not visiting her for weeks, and I thought the others would keep her fed, but apparently not.

I had gotten blood and brought it to her lips. Her skin slowly bloomed in color as her eyes opened.

"Lynie," she croaked. "You're here."

"I'm so sorry for not coming sooner," I apologized profusely. "A lot has happened Kat. And the only person I thought of to talk to, is you."

"That's okay. I am after all the person who told you not to visit," she chuckled ruefully. "So catch me up on your life."

"My brother is alive," I revealed quietly, and her eyes widened.

"What? He's like you?"

"I think so."

"I promise you Lyn when I get out of here, I'll kill him for you," she gritted her teeth angrily.

"No, I don't want him to be killed," I cut in. "I need to know what he's planning. I know I'm involved, I just don't know how."

"Do you think he's working with Klaus?" she spat the name as if it were poison.

"I really don't know," I admitted truthfully. "Knowing my brother, he doesn't like working with anyone. But then again, I don't really know him anymore, so he could be planning anything."

"Let's talk about happier things for now," Katherine pressed, seeming to notice that I was uncomfortable.

We spent the next hour talking and laughing, while I supplied her a healthy amount of my blood to keep her satiated. Eventually, I needed to leave, otherwise, I would be late for dinner.

"I'll come down here every day okay?" I assured her, blowing her a kiss.

She smiled lovingly at me, before sadly watching me walk away.

∆ ∆ ∆

"Hey," I brushed past Damon who opened the door for me. "Are all of your guests here yet?"

"Andie and Jenna were the only ones to arrive so far. Alaric is in the kitchen," he informed me, walking me towards the dining room.

"So what's the deal with you and Alaric?" Andie was asking nosily as they set up the cutlery and glasses.

Jenna looked at the other woman uncomfortably. "I don't know. I really like him. It's more than like, and I really want it to work."

"Don't worry Jenna," I reassured her. "Alaric is just having some trouble accepting that he's worthy of you. I'm sure soon enough, everything will be cleared up. If not, I'll be knocking some sense into him."

Jenna chuckled. "I appreciate that Kaitlyn. You know, you should come by the house more often. I'm sure Elena will love that."

"Oh, I don't think she likes me that much," I said bluntly. "But thanks anyway."

Damon had left to help Alaric prepare the dagger, and I could already hear them bickering as I walked into the room.

"This is a bad idea," the professor reminded the raven-haired vampire, who just rolled his eyes.

"There's no such thing as a bad idea. Just poorly executed awesome ones."

Just then the doorbell rang, and Damon asked if I could open the door. I walked expectantly towards it, thinking it was Elijah, but when I opened it I only saw a blonde man waiting impatiently.

"Ew who invited him," Jenna said in annoyance from behind me.

"Um, who are you?" I asked a little rudely, given that no one here seemed to like him.

"John Gilbert," he introduced snidely, reaching out a hand that I didn't take. I recognized his name from earlier.

"John, what a surprise," Damon drawled. "Leave."

"Jenna told me she was coming to a dinner party with Elijah," the man walked right in, downright refusing Damon's command. "I decided I couldn't miss on all the fun and games."

"What games?" I asked innocently. "It's just a friendly dinner party. And it doesn't really look like anyone wants you here."

"Not so angelic after all are you, Kaitlyn?" John hinted, making me confused.

The Gilbert strode past me and towards the food.

"Don't worry Kaitlyn, he's always this annoying," Damon informed me, causing me to smile.

"When Elijah comes, can you give him some time alone with me? I want to ask him about something," I told Damon, and he nodded easily.

I sat on one of the couches for a few minutes, waiting for the fun to start, when right on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Good evening," I heard Damon greet, most likely giving his signature smirk. "Come in."

"One moment," the original vampire uttered authoritatively. "Can I just say, if you have less-than-honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider."

"Relax Elijah, the dinner's to die for," I came up behind Damon. "Damon's a great cook."

Elijah looked at me for a few moments, before seeming to believe me.

"I didn't even cook this," Damon hissed in my ear as we followed Elijah back to the table.

"Whatever," I mumbled back.

I couldn't explain the uneasy feeling I had in my stomach. For whatever inexplicable reason, I didn't want Elijah to be hurt. One might even say I had developed a fondness for the noble Original.

∆ ∆ ∆

"I hate to break it to you Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town," Jenna poured some wine in our glasses.

"Hmm, do tell," Damon said, uninterested.

"Well as I mentioned to Jenna earlier," Elijah began, taking a bite of his food. He then went on to describe the history of the Salem witches who got burned at the stake violently.

"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me," John said, eager to be part of the discussion.

"So," I interrupted. "Why do you want to know the location of these massacred witches?"

It wasn't as if John Gilbert had done anything to unsettle me, I just didn't like the smug look on his weaselly face.

"Oh, healthy historian's curiosity of course," Elijah lied easily.

"Right, so Smith," I challenged. "Where did that last name come from?"

Jenna looked a little confused as to why I was asking that, but I enjoyed grilling Elijah.

"From my father," Elijah gritted his teeth. "He was a simple man."

"Would anyone care for some Cognac? I have a bottle I've been saving for ages," Damon suggested.

"None for me thanks," Alaric belched not sp subtly. "Nine bottles of wine is my limit."

"I would like some," I said, sending Alaric a not so disguised look of distaste.

"The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study," Andie stood up, and I frowned.

"I'll join as well, I have some things to talk about," I looked at Damon forcibly.

"Right," he nodded, motioning for most of the guests to follow him.

On the way to the room, by phone incessantly started pinging, and then buzzed as someone was calling me. I hung back to answer it and realized it was Stefan.

"At least you picked up," he grumbled. "Sorry to call you like this, but you need to tell Damon that if he can't stab Elijah. It has to be a human that does it. The blade will kill a vampire."

"Okay," I said, before hanging up.

I then raced into the room where the men were in a tense and heated discussion.

"Hey guys, it looks like dessert will actually be now," I said, while Damon shot dagger-filled glances at me.

"What the hell was that for?" he hissed angrily after the Original had left.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the table. I then grabbed a spare piece of paper and wrote down the piece of information Stefan had just told me. His nostrils flared and he flung the paper across the room in irritation.

We walked back to the dining table, where Jenna had left for the dessert and Andie was prepared to ask Elijah some questions.

All of a sudden, a dagger shot out of Elijah's chest as he craned his head back in a yell. Andie jumped up and screamed, while I gasped, my hands clutching my chest.

Alaric had stabbed Elijah through the back of the chair, and right into his heart.

∆ ∆ ∆

"I thought you were going to let me talk to Elijah," I said angrily to Damon after Alaric had escorted Jenna out of the house and John had left.

Alaric had pulled the dagger out of Elijah's chest and dumped his body in the cellar.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Damon apologized. "What did you want to talk to him about anyway?"

"He most likely knows what I am," I said. "Or at least can give me more information that I have now. Great, now I'll never figure anything out."

"Kaitlyn, I–" Damon began but stopped when his phone started ringing. "Sorry I gotta take this."

A few minutes later he ran back, his eyes wide with fear. Before I could ask him anything, he zoomed downstairs, and then back to me.

"Elijah's gone. We shouldn't have taken the dagger out," he gasped. "He's going for Elena. I need to go."

"What?" I spluttered, but Damon was already shrugging a jacket on and walking outside towards his car.

"Stay here Kaitlyn, it's gonna be fine."

After he left, I sullenly cleaned up the dinner table. Andie helped me a little bit before saying she was going to go home.

Now that it was only me, I walked up to Damon's bedroom, wanting to lay in it for a while before he came back. But I stopped halfway there when I heard that the shower had been running. It stopped and I heard shuffling.

I walked hesitantly towards the bathroom, grabbing a lamp on the way as a makeshift weapon.

"Whoever you are, just know that I have excellent karate skills!" I yelled, opening the door quickly.

"Thanks for letting me know I don't need to worry about you," I heard a chuckle, and my jaw dropped as I saw the seductive brunette standing before me, a hand on her hip.

"KAT!" I squealed, running over to her and hugging her tightly. "I'm too happy to even question how you're out right now!"

She stroked the back of my hair comfortingly. "I always find a way."

Our foreheads rested against each other as we just took in the moment.

"You're amazing, you know that right?" I whispered, and I saw her smiling, and then trying to conceal it.

"You're not too bad yourself," she muttered sheepishly.

∆ ∆ ∆