Title: she speaks in third person (so she can forget that she's me)
Fandom: tvd
Rating: teen
Length: ~500 words
Author notes: also for the oh nostalgia ficathon, title from emilie autumn's opheliac

“So you ran before he killed you?”

Katherine crushes the cup, standing up. She feels much more alive, no longer weak and ice cold- human almost how warm she is, she thinks with a smirk. Her skin’s returned to its usual pretty hue, and she turns from her doppelganger.

“Where are you going?” Elena immediately asks. As if there’s a plethora of underground options for her to flounce off to.

“My room, you can listen there,” she says lightly, laughter bouncing off the walls as she walks away.

It’s an obvious trap and she does hope the girl goes for it. Knowingly is even better, that Elena makes the choice. (One of these days Elena will need to start making better choices, or she’ll be dead.)

Elena walks into the tomb, footsteps echoing loudly. It’s tempting to whisk her away with vampire speed, but she’d rather let the anticipation build. (If need be, Elena’s deep enough that there’s no changing her mind now.)

Katherine lounges on the bed as she waits, the steps slowing down the closer she gets. Katherine nearly laughs, such caution is far too little too late. Still, there’s no need to upset her new pet before it’s necessary.

She pats the bed beside her, enjoys how Elena’s face blanches.

“Trevor sent me to Rose, she didn’t want to help- but I didn’t give her much choice.” And the brat got hers in the end, still on the run or dead. Katherine continues her story, and Elena sits with her around the time she gets to killing herself.

She can see Elena softening, eyes caught around her neck like rope.

“You want to live?” Katherine whispers, and Elena nods the barest amount.

She drags a nail across her throat, blood beading. “That’s the only way out.”

Elena’s precious heartbeat is monstrously loud, faster than before. Katherine’s lips quirk up, “I won’t force you. If you’d rather die for real, well, that’s your choice.”

In a move that genuinely surprises Katherine, Elena runs her thumb over the healing cut, sucks her finger dry. Her eyes go wide after she swallows, as she scrambles backwards off the bed, thumping onto the floor.

“Don’t- no I- that was a mistake, I can’t- I can’t turn. Oh god, what would he do?”

And with a bitter smile, Katherine finishes the story.

“Change your mind about turning yet?”

Stefan saves her from answering, yelling from the entryway, demanding to know where Elena is.

“Go on,” Katherine says, stretching out on the bed languidly, “you’ll be back.”

It’s a weak parting shot, a shallow amusement. But as it so happens, Damon in his infinite wisdom accidentally (allegedly) kills Elena, and his savior brother fails to save her (Katherine has her own suspicions).

And so, the latest doppelganger joins her in the tomb. It’s a clever hiding place she’ll admit, but the Mikaelsons have always had too many witch friends and conscripts. The moment they suspect it, they’ll find a way to crack open the tomb.

But that could be centuries away. Plenty of time to find a way out. And Katherine is feeling decadent, lightheaded with all the blood the boys dropped off. (Best roommate ever.)

Elena finally wakes up, and Katherine smiles, offering her a glass of blood. “Welcome to the other side.”