Who: Katherine & Tyler What: Running into each other at the mall, and sort of being friends - but not really When: Before Katherine's trip to Prague Where: Mall Rating/Warnings: Mentions of vampirism, death, that sort of thing Status: Complete!
One of the many perks to being a hybrid was that shopping was a whole lot easier when you could just compel people to give you the things you wanted instead of worrying about how much things cost. Not that cost was ever one of the things Tyler had worried much about - being the son of a rich senator also had perks.
The problem was that Tyler didnât exactly want to get jewelry for Blossom by compelling someone. First of all, he was pretty sure that Blossom wouldnât approve if she ever found out. Secondly, it felt too much like stealing a gift for her and she deserved better than that, whether she would have approved or not.
The charm bracelet he was looking at was nice. And gold. And expensive. He hadnât been working for the last few months, but he did have some savings. It would pretty much empty out what he had left, but it was worth it. Especially with Klaus around. And all the other vampires who could compel her to do their bidding. Jeremy would help him gather some vervain that he could place in the heart locket at its centre.
He was getting ready to purchase it when, from the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a familiar mane of brunette hair. âHold that for me,â he said, looking into the clerkâs eyes. âDonât let anyone else touch it until I get back.â And, confident that the man would follow his words to the letter, he rushed out of the store.
âKatherine!â he called, hoping it was Katherine. He knew Elena was back in town, but Katherineâs hair usually had a little more body than Elenaâs. Unless Elena had decided to change up her look.
Lo and behold, it was Katherine. Malls were her sanctuary, and shopping was her therapy - besides, she had a couple things to get before she and Hankâs trip to Prague, where itâd be a visit of pleasure and business. Business because it was related to her modeling career propelled by catty reality television, and pleasure because her scientist had never been. They could use some time out of this fucking county, anyway. Between the latest arrivals and the latest round of dreams, she needed the break.
Tylerâs voice was distinct and unmistakable and, well, the two just had a bond now, didnât they - he was the one that came banging on her hotel door because he needed her blood for transition and given the fact that she was in no position to decline a hungry transitioning hybrid his life, Katherine obliged. He owed her. That wasnât something sheâd forget.
âThe one and only,â she turned towards the direction of the hybrid, her smile every bit sarcastic and her hair every bit voluminous because, no, Elena hadnât the time to ever put as much attention to aesthetics as the devil twin did. Dolled up, over the top, always ready for a photograph to be taken. There was a bag already hanging off her wrist - shoes, most likely. Another pair to add to her ridiculous collection. âLong time no see, Lockwood.â
âIt has been,â Tyler said, a little sheepishly. The last time he'd seen her she'd bled into a glass so his first feed could be doppelganger blood - the only kind that wouldn't kill him. It could have gone a lot worse - he would have forced it from her if she hadnât given it up - and he was glad that for once in her life Katherine hadnât been difficult. But then he'd left town without so much as a âso long and thanks for all the blood,â and thinking about it now it seemed kind of shitty without even buying her drink in return. âYou still living in that motel?â he asked her, not actually thinking that she would be.
âHmph, no,â scoffed the vampiress, rolling her eyes. âMy condo got patched up from our little alien invasion - eventually. And as soon as I moved back in, I got murdered and then joined the ranks of the undead.â Her explanation was just so callous but she always did strut better as a vampire than human, in her opinion.
Difficult to kill, forever pretty. Though she did think about the downside of it when it came to having a mortal lover - a lot. Oh, humanity. Always a vampireâs greatest weakness.
Katherine sized him up, though, head to toe - half wolf, half vampire, and a more pain in the ass to ever deal with if they came to blows. âYou know that your makerâs made an appearance around here, donât you? Itâs been a month of unpleasant arrivals.â
Letâs just say that if she was ever in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Klaus and had to choose who to shoot, sheâd shoot Klaus. Twice. But, that was the vestiges of a terrorized, petrified, paranoid five hundred year old vampire that lingered within.
âYeah, we've run into each other a couple of times already. I actually stopped you so I could warn you. Not that this Klaus is so bad, but who knows what'll happen if he starts dreaming.â He never thought he'd say that Klaus wasn't so bad - there was no one in the universe he hated more than the Klaus he dreamed of (though Damon was a close second), but he didn't want to strangle him yet. Heâd even saved Klaus from getting his ass handed to him by a couple of frat boys. âWhat other unpleasant arrivals have shown up?â
Best course of action for this vampire was avoidance. Avoid Klaus, because god knows the entire Mikaelson clan was a shit show worthy of copious amounts of alcohol - and she couldnât exactly knock on him for the sins of another life when she had a ledger soaked in red herself.
âI had my own run in,â Katherine sighed, surveying her nails with a crinkled nose. âIâll happily keep away from that flaming trainwreck as much as I can - we donât need this place turning into the new Mystic Falls for us. Elenaâs here too, though. Iâm sure you saw.â
Why not stir the pot with more complications and add the twin sister, hm? âI trust you wonât be spoiling her too much.â
Apparently it was Damon that she needed to watch out for. Maybe they needed to have a chat.
âYeah, Iâd be fine without another Mystic Falls. But I have the feeling that no matter how many times you escape that place, it always finds you again. Even in another world.â It wasnât an idea that Tyler liked. He hadnât even been in Mystic Falls when Damon had found and killed him. âI can see why youâd want to stay away. But maybe getting Klaus on my side before he turns will stop him from murdering my family or whatever it is heâs going to decide to do.â Tyler could hope, at least.
He gave Katherine something of a half-smile. âI did see that she was back. Iâm going to assume Iâm happier about that than you are. But donât worry, Iâm not really a spoiling kind of guy.â
If itâd been an actual town (and it wasnât, Katherine researched it) then she would have been sorely tempted to complete one of her many threats and make it rain blood, just for the fun of it. But that was the bloodthirsty monster in her talking, and she had scruples. Mostly. If caught in the right mood, anyway.
In the middle of the mall was a gushing fountain, the floor of it littered in pennies and nickels, and she plopped herself on the ledge. âIâd like to think he wonât repeat the mistakes of the past. Hell, Iâm actively trying not to.â It wouldnât help it they treated Klaus like the shitty villain he was, but he also made it hard to like him even in this world. Either way sheâd practice the fine art of minding her damn business, all while hoarding away a stock of human doppelganger blood drawn from her human days (in case Klaus suddenly set his eyes on Elena as a human blood bank for an army of hybrids), and a vial of his blood from the dreams in case a werewolf got nippy. Staying ahead of the game was how she would always live.
âBut good to hear,â she snorted. âSpoiling either of them wonât be the way to go. Thatâs one combination of people where Iâll always be more partial to Elena, anyway.â
Tyler hesitated for a moment, and then sat down next to her on the edge of the fountain, deciding that that probably beat talking to her while towering over her. âWell, Iâm relieved to hear that. Canât say I was a fan of dream Katherine.â But then, who was? âHow far have you dreamed anyway. Have you turned yet?â A few months might not have seemed like a long time while he was away, but heâd forgotten just how much something could change for someone in a few months in the Orange County.
Neither was she. Katherine hated herself there - centuries of self-loathing, being alone, and she felt it all because unlike some she didnât turn off the âswitch.â She dealt with it. She deserved to feel the guilt of being a monster for all the things sheâd done but, boy, was she good at hiding it.
âRemember that this Katherine didnât let you die,â she rolled her eyes, fingers fiddling with the lapis lazuli hanging around her neck. âBut Iâve turned already - and dreamt things after I gave Klaus a dose of interesting information to uncover in New Orleans. Elenaâs humanity came back, whoop de doo.â
âYeah, I remember,â Tyler said. âI guess I owe you one. If you ever need anythingâŚâ It wasnât like he and Katherine were friends exactly, so she really had gone out of her way for him. âBut youâve gotten pretty far. Guess I was gone longer than I thought.â Especially since she probably had a few hundred years to dream before she had even met Elena. âSpeaking of, Iâve been meaning to ask. Whatâs it like not being related to Elena or Jeremy in the dreams? Is it weird?â
No, they werenât friends (not to mention she had a thing with his uncle briefly, like that ended well in either version) but they werenât enemies, either - and Katherine honestly didnât expect to be friends with most of the people she shared dreams. Stefan had been a special case, same with Elijah, and Jeremy was her brother and that wasnât changing. But she was making the conscious decision to be better than who she dreamt of being. That had to account for something.
âDid you stop me in the middle of shopping to ask me deep, emotional questions, Lockwood?â she asked, crossing her legs. âI dreamt of killing my brother and shoving my fist inside my sisterâs ribcage so, nah, itâs not weird and I sleep soundly at night with my thumb in my mouth.â Her sarcasm was a little explosive there, but not without reason. âOf course itâs weird. But I deal with it and consciously make the decision to not be the biggest cunt in their lives or anyone elseâs.â
And alright, she wasnât the nicest to Elena at the moment either - there was baggage to sort out - but if someone attempted anything on her sister sheâd be the first tear into their throat and then pick her teeth with their fucking bones.
Twins had a strong bond. Dreams couldnât mess that up, not completely.
âNo, I stopped you in the middle of shopping to warn you Klaus was in town,â Tyler said, cooly. He stood back up. That was probably what he got for trying to be friendly to Katherine. Later he might think that it might have been thoughtless question to ask, but right now he was just doing his best not to snap back at her. Controlling his anger as a werewolf had been difficult, but doing so as a vampire was more so. âBut I guess you already knew that. If it makes you feel any better, they were both alive when my dreams finish,â even if Elena was stuck in some kind of magical coma for the last five years, âbut Iâll let you get back to your shopping.â
Both alive when his dreams--
So they did finish for him. Interesting. Katherineâs eyes tightened, but the little smile on her lips was notoriously smug - always so satisfied with herself for whatever fucking reason, and everything she felt hidden by it. âArenât you sweet,â she teased, but it was a mystery to figure out what she meant by it.
If it was because he was letting her go back to her daily scheduled shopping, or if he confirmed a lingering concern.
âTry not to become Klausâ bitch, Lockwood. Youâre almost a little better than that.â
If Tyler didn't know better, he'd almost think that Katherine was complimenting him. âNot happening,â he assured her. âI'm passed that.â After all, he broke the sire bond in the dreams. Everything else had carried over; there was no reason why that wouldn't either.