VD: Datherine

Welcome Back

Summary: Set in S8E___. Kat comes back to life and finds out that Damon's humanity is off and that a deal was made with Cade, also known as the Devil. Can Katherine break the deal with Cade and bring Damon's humanity back?

A/N: Stefan hasn't turned his humanity off yet.

It was a nebulous night as human Katherine appeared with an ascendant in hand, having just come from a prison world. When she appeared, she saw that she was in Stefan's room at the boarding house. She also saw Damon with a wooden ornament in hand and Stefan. Something was different about Damon. She knew him just as well as he knew her. She knew that he'd turned it off. He was destructible enough with it on. He was worst with it off. She knew because she'd watched them from a distance for centuries when she'd been a vampire.
She walked over when he was about to stab Stefan with it and though she knew he was stronger than her, she put herself between them and put a hand around his wrist to stop him.
"Damon, stop," she said.
"Oh, don't worry. He won't stay dead; either of us dies, come back thanks to a little deal Sybil and I made with Cade. Now get out of my way."
"No. Not until you listen to me and stop. I don't care what kind of deal you made with the devil himself. I didn't turn both of you for you to kill each other," she tried to reason.
"I'm not listening to you of all people."
"You asked for it then." She let go of his wrist and magically through him against a wall. "I don't want to hurt you, but I can't let you hurt or kill anyone. Besides, everything you've done, you'll regret when you turn it on, and you will turn it on someday."
"What are you doing back?" Stefan had to ask after watching the scene.
"When you killed me, I ended up in a prison world, instead of hell. I finally got out with an ascendant. Why don't you go. I'll deal with Damon," she replied, keeping her eyes on her elder childe.
Stefan did as he was told.
Damon got to his feet.
"Of course you'd stop me. It was always Stefan. You'll save him any day," he said to try and hurt her, throwing her own words back in her face.

*Flashback-The Return*

It was a nebulous night at the Salvatore boarding house, as Katherine and Damon made out, him against the wall of the living room.
A few minutes later, he told her, "Time out."
She stopped and pushed him away a short distance.
"I have a question. Answer it and it's back to fireworks and red glare. Answer it right and I'll forget how much I love you. I'll forget the 145 years I've spent missing you. I'll forget everything and we can start over. See, we have time. That's the beauty of eternity. I need the truth just this once."
She stood in front of him.
"Stop. I already know the question and its answer."
He rested gentle hands on either side of her head, as he waited for her answer.
"The truth is...I've never loved you. It was always Stefan."
She gently took his hands off both sides of her head and let go, before slowly walking off. She hated hurting him, but this was for his own good.
As she left the boarding house, she heard the sound of a shot glass breaking, which meant that she'd succeeded in making him let her go.

*End*

*Present*

"I saved him because no matter what, you're brothers. You'll always look out for each other. You'd hate yourself for hurting or killing him when you finally turn it on. Besides, someone has to keep you in line and since your friends and Stefan can't seem to do it, it's my job now."
"I can take care of myself. Everyone can just stop trying to control what I do."
She understood what he'd said. Nobody liked being controlled. She had to help him before he did anything stupid. She had to turn his humanity back on. She didn't want to hurt him, but he was stubborn more so than herself. At least she didn't need too much work on when Pearl and Anna got her to turn it on.
"I know you just want to be left alone while your humanity is off, but if everyone does that, you'll either kill every human in sight or get yourself killed. I know you don't want that on your conscience. You feel things too deeply."
"I don't want your help or anyone else's. Just leave me alone and get out!" he yelled at her.
"I can't do that. You're spiraling. I don't want you to hurt someone you care about, whether you feel or not."
"Since when did you start caring about what I feel?" he questioned.
"Since I became human, but you didn't want to see that I want to be a better person."
"Well, I don't care about your attempt at redemption. If you don't get out now, I'm going to rip you apart," he growled, meaning every word.
"Don't threaten someone with magic. Haven't you learned that countless times before?"
He began to blur towards her, but she gave him a migraine, making him fall to his knees in pain.
"I warned you," she said, wishing she didn't need to hurt him. He was just too stubborn. She had to do this whether she wanted to or not. "If you just turn it on, everyone will leave you alone."
"Never," he growled.
"I know you don't want the emotional pain of what you've done by turning it on, but at least you'll feel. Why would anyone want to live without feeling emotions? If you can't feel, there's nothing left to live for." She knew she was starting to sound like the girl she had been 500 years ago, but she didn't care. She had to get him to turn it on.
"Go to hell," he said to her.
"Then so be it," she replied.


A few weeks later, she finally got him to turn it on and Cade to discard the deal. They even fell back in love and she helped him deal with everything he'd done and with the loss of Elena.