VD: Datherine

Family Lines

Summary: Set in S4 after Jeremy was killed. What if Damon hadn't had her turn her humanity off? What happens when Katherine shows up in person at the boarding house?

"No, no, no, no. I can't. I can't," Elena Gilbert sobbed.
The match she held burned her and she let go. Before it could hit the floor though, Stefan Salvatore caught it and put it out.
"Listen to me, Elena. You can do this," Damon encouraged her. "Let me help you."
She dropped to her knees and sobbed.
He knelt down by her.
"I can help you."
She wrapped her arms around Damon Salvatore and sobbed into his shoulder. As she did, he wrapped gentle arms around her and looked up at his brother.
"We have to do something. She won't be able to live like this," he told his little brother.
"I know."
He looked at Elena again.
"I can help you, Elena but right now, I want you to come home with me."

Half an hour later, she and Damon were in Damon's room. Elena was seated on his bed and Damon was seated beside her.
"It'll be okay, Elena. You'll get through it."
"Have you been like this before?"

"Well, not like you are, obviously but I have some experience with losing someone close. You know the basics, but you don't know what happened before Katherine."
"What happened? Whom did you lose?"
"We lost our mother. After that, we vowed to stay close and to never let a girl get between us."
"But Katherine did."
"Yes. But not until after I met her. Stefan met her while I was fighting in the war. I met her after I came home on leave to see Stefan."
"So, wait, you were in the war?"
"Yes. For the South; and that is not something you forget. My point is that time heals some things. It did for me."
"How?"
"By enjoying everything life can give you. And you have people that are willing to help you in every way."
"Thank you, Damon."
"You are very welcome, Elena."
"Am I interrupting something?" came the voice.
They looked to see Katherine Pierce standing in the threshold, the cure in one hand.
"I assume you want this. That's why you're looking for me. We can give Elena half and I can use the rest to Klaus. Assuming Elena wants the cure. Or shove it down either Klaus' or Silas' throat. Pick either one, but I vote for Silas. He's awake and that's bad news. Klaus can be dealt with another time."
"How brave of you to come here after everything," Damon commented, as he glared at her.
"It's not my fault Silas killed him. All I needed was the cure. I didn't know he was going to kill him. But I wanted to get it and then go," she explained.
She set it down on the table and walked into the room.
At vamp speed, Elena pinned her to a wall with a hand around her throat.
"Don't," Elena growled in warning and anger. She wanted to rip her head off, but knew they needed answers and she had them. "You have no right to come in here and talk about my brother!"
"I was trying to apologize. I know what it's like to have all your human family killed," she explained through the pain from Elena's too tight of a hold. "Elena, please," she added in almost a whisper.
She knew Elena was upset, but she didn't need to be so rough. She knew if Elena didn't let go, she was going to black out. She was already hurt. Now she couldn't breathe and her vision was dim and gray.
Damon saw that Elena had too tight of a hold on her and saw Kat's reaction. Then he smelled the mixture of hybrids and her blood. That's when he knew he had to help her. She was dying. No wonder she had said she didn't want Klaus dead yet. She had been apologized.
He was instantly at Elena's side.
"Elena, let go," he said, as he used the Sire bond to make sure she'd do what he asked of her.
Elena let go and stepped back, as she wondered what was wrong. As she did, Katherine slid down the walk with her back up against it. She coughed and gasped as she sat there with her eyes closed.
Damon knelt down beside his Sire.
"Damon?" Elena questioned.
"Bitten by hybrids," he told her.
"That's what that smell is?"
"Yes."
The elder vampiress stopped gasping and coughing. She felt extremely weak and tired, as she dimly heard their conversation.
He looked at his Sire. She looked so pale to him.
Her head rolled to the left and he gently used his hand to keep her head up.
"Katherine, can you hear me?" he called.
"Damon," she whispered.
"How long ago? I'm going to help you."
"Two hours," she whispered.
As he picked her up in his arms to get her on his bed, she went limp as she blacked out.

Once he had her on his bed, he sat on her bedside and looked at Elena.
"Go see if there's anything left of the cure in the basement."
He watched her vanish to go obey him.

Half an hour later, he had given the cure to her and they both were standing at her bedside.
Kat groaned, as she came to.
When she woke up, she saw that she was on his bed and they were both looking down at her.
"Welcome back," he greeted her.
"Thanks," she replied.
Kat sat up in bed and smiled warmly at them.
Elena smiled back.
Damon just looked down at her.
"You saved my life," she added.
"You're welcome," Elena said with sympathy.
She knew Elena was trying to apologize.
"It's okay, Elena," she assured the youngest vampiress out of the three of them.