Old Times' Sake Rules... They cramped Katherine's style, even out there, in the proverbial Twilight Zone.
Everything had a cosmic role to play. The meaning of life, apparently, was to learn and creatures of all types did so by trial and error. Even if you, yourself, could not benefit from a lesson, then your actions might cause someone else to.
And so it was, that even an inhuman murderess, like Katherine, had her turn in the limelight, too. With the vast majority of her wishes revolving around impeding the free will of others, however, those of the subconscious included, her choice was far from immediate.
"What if...?"
"But..."
"Well, how about..."
"What the fuck, man?! I rubbed my lamp! Gimme' my wishes!"
Thankfully, beings such as these truly did have eternal patience. Katherine's own would run out, long before theirs would. Eventually, though, a decision was made. One which was voiced out of exasperation, for she could not leave this place until choosing. One suggestion after the other, all of them being politely refused, on account of either changing another's life or history, itself.
All but one.
"Right now, all I feel like doing is taking a walk into the sun... If I can't get what I want, then let me out."
A sardonic note to end matters on, but, much to Katherine's surprise, one which was accepted. Accepted freely. Even she had no comprehension of how or why. Was this it? Had they taken her, literally? Was she about to get incinerated?
Well... The vampiress had been prepared for the end of everything, anyway.
And yet... Nothing. Immediate transportation back home and not even the slightest change. Katherine felt... The same. Buzzed, definitely, but mostly just glad to be released from what she had started to suspect could turn into some sort of weird, afterlife purgatory.
More than two years later and still nothing weird and fuzzy had come her way. The experience had remained with her and she had moved on, but no change was noticed. Katherine did what she always did and indulged herself in whatever unlife had to offer. To her, it was still mostly a constant proving ground. A way to show she at least had a good chance of featuring in the top ten, if not take the trophy. She ate, she drank, she laughed, she killed.
Someone told her it was pointless. That it effectively made her no different to a Slayer of her kind. Katherine just shrugged, remembered those she had met and reasoned that if it was good enough for them, then it was good enough for her, too.
Then she met another. A young woman hoping to make her name by turning a killer into dust. She was good, too. Focused. Had been up against some of the best and could anticipate almost every move. Things shifted from confrontation to that familiar ballet of death and as the dance continued, intelligence came into play: Katherine thought she had the upper hand. Her opponent only let her think so.
"Guess you forgot about dawn," the girl retorted, shattering painted glass to let those burning rays in. Enough for Katherine to curse for letting herself get so close to the same and reel back in expectation of the pain.
Pain which, even on the next smash of window, never came.
Or the next.
Walk into the sun... She could walk into sunlight.
And that was the girl's flaw. She had fought to a plan. Had executed it with perfection, feigning just enough weakness to lure her prey to where the trap could be sprung. But there it ended. There were no contingencies, in case the usual weapons failed.
And no key with which to open that locked factory door.
"You're good," Katherine finally smiled, making a point of kicking away the stake on floor, forced out of hand during the battle, just moments before. "But you're no Rhiannon..."
Vampire lunged at a Slayer locked in transfixed disbelief. This was not something which could happen. Not something which should be.
Moments later, neither was she.
Later on, Katherine would drink a more alcoholic brand of toast to whatever ruled the great hereafter. To think that she had wasted so very long, hiding from the day, when all such worries no longer had any foundation. If ever there would have been a time when Katherine might have got bored with unlife, this was now akin to opening a whole new chapter. She could walk in the day. She could go where others of her kind feared to tread. She could spend her time however she now pleased, without care for exposed skin against that big bright light, hovering in the sky. She could...
Looking above, as she got out of the bus on the mid-day Summer's afternoon, Katherine realised something else she could now do, too.
Namely, get too damned hot.
Las Vegas, she mused, looking up at a welcoming sign recalled, now, with a measure of nostalgic fondness. Good times.
Maybe she should pay a visit to that sleepy little trailer town, not so far from here.