For You, My Love, I Would Do Anything

Chapter 6: The Catalyst

Katerina hummed happily as she knelt in the flower fields. It had been just a few short hours since she and Damon kissed and confessed their love for each other, and she had never been happier. He was the first person she had felt any kind of romantic love for in her life who genuinely loved her too. Not even her daughter's father brought out that kind of love in her. Damon made her happy, made her challenge herself and re-evaluate everything she had ever believed in. He made her adventurous and gave her a freedom that she had never had before.

Katerina smiled as she thought of her beau and, gently plucking a bright blue violet from the bunch of colorful plants, inhaled the sweet, fresh scent and could only picture Damon. His bright eyes, so much like the color of the violet, shone with so many emotions whether it be anger, sadness, frustration, joy, or love automatically appeared first before anything else. Then his black hair, so messy but yet so sleek. Then his face with the beautiful tanned skin that she loved that still had a slight hue of paleness mixed in, appeared last in her mind.

But what really made her heart pound were his lips. His lips were full and nicely shaped, if not only slightly dry from his time outside. He could form those lips into a gorgeous smirk or a winning smile, but every time she looked upon his lips, she could not control herself. She just had to be near him.

"Katerina?"

Katerina gasped, jumping, the violet falling from her grasp and onto the ground in front of her. Turning, she saw Elijah standing behind her, observing her.

"My lord! Forgive me, I had no idea you were behind me! If I had known, I would have greeted you properly," Katerina apologized, quickly smoothing out her skirts as she stood from the ground, giving him a quick curtsy.

Elijah smiled softly at her. She was such a sweet and beautiful soul, always having such a positive outlook on life in all of his conversations with her. She was so innocent and unaware of the evil that was lurking around her. He felt guilty that he had to be the one to make its existence known to her.

"It is alright, Katerina," Elijah gently reassured her. "In fact, I should apologize to you. I am sorry for startling you. Are you alright?"

Katerina blushed from embarrassment. "Yes, my lord," She answered him.

Elijah nodded. "Good. Katerina, may I speak with you? I need to tell you something important and if I do not tell you now, I fear that it might hurt you later," He said, watching as her face changed from embarrassed to confused.

"Of course, my lord," Katerina gave her consent and followed him to a more private area in the fields. Sitting on a stone bench, she looked at him. "What is this news?"

Elijah was quiet for a moment before asking her, "Katerina, how well do you truly know your companions?"

Katerina looked at him. "I know them rather well, my lord. Why do you ask?" She inquired.

"Katerina, there are things in the world that cannot be explained through natural means, things that can shatter worlds and interrupt logic. I believe that your companions are some of those things," Elijah told her.

"I do not understand. My lord, what is it that you are trying to tell me?" Katerina asked, very confused. First he tells her that he needed to speak with her about an important matter, then he queries on how well she knows her friends, and now he is speaking in riddles. What is going on?

"Katerina, there are no easy ways of saying this, but your friends are vampires," Elijah said.

For a long time there was dead silence throughout the fields. Then Katerina began to laugh. Placing a hand to her mouth, she let her shoulders shake as her giggles gave way. When her body ached from laughing so much, she stopped and removed her hand before looking at him. "My lord, that is not possible. Vampires are myths that parents tell their children when they are being naughty and refusing to go to bed," She told him.

Elijah watched her with such an intense gaze that Katerina's smile faltered. "You are serious, my lord?" She asked, just managing to push the words out.

"I am, Katerina. Regretfully so," He answered,

"And you say that...my friends...they are ones?" Katerina questioned, looking at him.

Elijah nodded again.

Katerina sat there in shock and denial. How could that be true? There were no such thing as vampires. People were born, they grew up, and then they died; that was how life worked. There were no prolonged lives or superhuman strength or anything like that, and yet...

"I must ask Damon. He will not lie to me," Katerina spoke, standing up.

"Katerina, be careful," Elijah stood as well and gently placed his hands on her arms. "I do not wish to see you hurt."

Katerina nodded. "Thank you, my lord, but I do not think that Damon will hurt me," She responded and hurried off to find Damon, leaving Elijah behind, watching her.

"You have everything in place, I assume," Elijah said, not even glancing behind him to know that Klaus was standing right behind him.

"I do. The servant girl I compelled was being fed on as we speak," Klaus answered, smirking.

A slow grin appeared on Elijah's face, but his eyes shone with regret. He wished that he didn't have to traumatize Katerina, but this needed to be done.

"Damon! Damon!" Katerina called out for the older Salvatore, hoping that he will appear soon like he always seemed to. She needed to talk to him, needed to see if Elijah's accusations held some truth to them. She was about to call Damon's name a third time when a strange sound came from the corner she was about to turn. Swallowing nervously, Katerina walked cautiously to the source of the noise, and what she saw was horrifying.

Damon was standing there, his teeth deeply embedded into a servant girl's neck, greedily gulping down large mouthfuls of her blood. When his vicious feeding concluded, the girl was dead, her glassy eyes staring mindlessly up at the sky. Letting the girl fall unceremoniously to the ground, Damon licked his lips, looking satisfied.

"Damon," Katerina whimpered, staring at him.

Damon froze when he heard her voice, slowly turning to look at her. "Katerina, I---" He spoke, stepping toward her.

"Do not come near me!" Katerina cried out in fear, stepping back.

Damon's footsteps ceased, but his pleas didn't. "Katerina, please, I didn't mean---"

"No!" Katerina screamed. "Stay away from me!" Then she turned and ran as fast as she could away from him. She ran around the corner, gaining speed and looking behind her to see if he was following her when she suddenly ran into something solid. Stumbling back, Katerina would have hit the ground had a hand not reached out and stopped her. Looking up at her savior, Katerina saw Klaus.

"Oh, my lord!" Katerina cried out, lunging into his arms, seeking comfort.

"Katerina, what happened?" Klaus asked, holding her and smoothing her hair back as his voice took on a concerned tone.

"Damon, he is not the man I thought he was. He is not even a man, he is....a monster!" Katerina sobbed, holding tight to Klaus.

"Shh, love, it is quite alright," Klaus comforted the brunette. "He shall never hurt you, not while I am here to protect you."

Katerina's sobs began to lessen as he soothed her until they completely stopped. "I am so sorry, my lord. I thought---" She started but could not finish. The truth about the man she loved was too horrible for her to repeat.

Klaus hushed her again. "No need for apologies, love. I will protect you from him. Just promise me that you will never go near him or the two that have betrayed you and that you will stay with me," He said, kissing her hair softly in a show of warmth.

Katerina nodded against his chest, loving the warmth and security that she felt come from him, finally feeling safe again.

"I promise."