Summary: Set in S8. Based on the song “Not Meant To Be.” Katherine comes back to life after escaping the 1994 prison world and Kai. Will Damon save her or not?423Please respect copyright.PENANAmHzIXirofI
It’s never enough to say I’m sorry423Please respect copyright.PENANAFhGU7GQMFX
It’s never enough to say I care423Please respect copyright.PENANAkI135IyIlb
But I’m caught between what you wanted from me423Please respect copyright.PENANAE3pcAom2CH
And knowing that if I give that to you423Please respect copyright.PENANAtFMmar7OCK
I might just disappear423Please respect copyright.PENANAcZK3P4c0yx
Nobody wins when everyone’s losing
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It was a nebulous night, as Damon drove through Mystic Falls, on the way out of town. A few weeks ago, he and Enzo had been saved from the siren, Sybil, when they’d destroyed it. Just last week he’d gotten his humanity back on. Now he was on his way out of town for a break from Mystic Falls and everything that came with it.423Please respect copyright.PENANAVUvME2Fcsm
Suddenly, on a road, close to the edge of town, he stopped the car, seeing someone on the road. Deciding to see who it was and if he could help, he got out and walked towards the shoulder of the road.423Please respect copyright.PENANAkxxYyrOqcZ
Once there, he immediately knew who it was. She wasn’t Elena, but he’d know her anywhere.423Please respect copyright.PENANA8aisjJOB1m
“Katherine?”423Please respect copyright.PENANABEBn6c64D9
He knelt by her to assess her condition and wounds with his eyes. When he did and saw the arrow in her lower stomach and the ascendant not far from her, he knew where she’d come from.423Please respect copyright.PENANA5WH4UGXjnL
“I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve this,” he said, knowing she’d just escaped Kai and it was partly his fault. He was the one that killed Kai to save Bonnie, and Stefan was the one that had killed her. Damon had just watched instead of trying to keep her alive, because he’d loved Elena. He couldn’t deny that there was still connection between them, though. She’d taught him everything he knew.
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*As I Lay Dying*
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It’s like one step forward and two steps back423Please respect copyright.PENANAcBB8tjw62t
No matter what I do you’re always mad423Please respect copyright.PENANA5Eukki6QRP
And I, I can’t change your mind423Please respect copyright.PENANALg99ZE4l7Q
I know it’s like trying to turn around on a one way street423Please respect copyright.PENANAhTci1qdSnO
I can’t give you what you want423Please respect copyright.PENANAhhwgvpS5yA
And it’s killing me423Please respect copyright.PENANAMHZo1hL0MH
And I, I’m starting to see423Please respect copyright.PENANAQmZBnytlXf
Maybe we’re not meant to be423Please respect copyright.PENANAFaKamYOo2m
It’s never enough to say I love you
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It was a dismal night in the Mystic Falls woods in 1864, as human Damon stood in front of her, her standing against a tree.423Please respect copyright.PENANADpYk7rFHsc
“Why must you run from me?”423Please respect copyright.PENANAov5N7WpZka
“Because I know that you will chase,” she answered with a smile.423Please respect copyright.PENANAkrauAWmXOH
“Then let me chase you forever,” he replied.423Please respect copyright.PENANAuLVI0q5ejW
She used a fingernail to make a cut by her collarbone.423Please respect copyright.PENANAl6eQ8KwHGu
“I’m not going to feed you, Damon. If you want it, take it. Choose.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAx909rqsIzp
“I choose you, Katherine,” he said, before he began to drink from the cut. That was the first lesson she taught him; take what you want without consequences.
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*500 Years of Solitude*
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No it’s never enough to say I try423Please respect copyright.PENANAato9tFm5xu
It’s hard to believe423Please respect copyright.PENANAaX5N2zDqsn
That there’s no way out for you and me423Please respect copyright.PENANAOlIb6U1mPy
And it seems to be the story of our lives423Please respect copyright.PENANADcJzYt6aJ5
Nobody wins when everyone’s losing423Please respect copyright.PENANA5A2AhkPEr7
There’s still time to turn this around423Please respect copyright.PENANAPGUTNGJfqQ
You could be building this up instead of tearing it down423Please respect copyright.PENANA872KcN5e4a
But I keep thinking423Please respect copyright.PENANARoqisxvT11
Maybe it’s too late
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As Katherine lay in bed, resting, stuck in the memory of her parents slaughtered, Damon appeared in her memory, ready to torment her about it.423Please respect copyright.PENANA8TA4El967B
“You know, your family’s death was all your fault,” he told her.423Please respect copyright.PENANAIyaOabHd28
“Get. Out. Of. My. Head,” she said angrily, mad at him for being inside her head and trying to torment her.423Please respect copyright.PENANAOIZdvYSi92
He didn’t heed, but instead, went on to comment about the style that Klaus used, saying that he admired how he’d put the sword through her father and made him hang on the wall.423Please respect copyright.PENANATRLBtHLmou
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*The Return*
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Katherine stood in front of him in the living room.423Please respect copyright.PENANAKzPidf6wJp
“Kiss me or kill me. Which will it be, Damon? We both know you’re only capable of one.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAe7Z7iWD2tS
He pinned her to the floor with a hand around her throat. He thought about the latter, but then a moment later, he let go of her and kissed her.423Please respect copyright.PENANA5YjUFPLKGo
She kissed back with a smile and they blurred towards a wall, her against it, and they continued kissing.423Please respect copyright.PENANAVb9vFs7lbG
He pulled away five minutes later.423Please respect copyright.PENANA1uaZRhfNSk
“Wait. Time out.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAqMSycZhH5r
She pushed him away and stepped back, waiting for him to continue.423Please respect copyright.PENANAKzCcOMdwNS
“I have a question. Answer it and it’s back to rockets and red glare. Answer it right and I’ll forget the last 145 years I spent missing you. I’ll forget everything and we can start over. That’s the beauty of eternity. See, we have time. I need the truth just this once.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAUrV1pi4hCH
She stood in front of him.423Please respect copyright.PENANAugSFedGeOE
“Stop. I already know the question and its answer.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAsmj4c6lq1q
He rested gentle hands on either side of her face.423Please respect copyright.PENANARNVVANACu0
“The truth is…I’ve never loved you.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAIdIXqKEA09
She took his hands and put them down, before walking off.423Please respect copyright.PENANA99tq946aoR
As she walked off, everything she said sunk in and he grabbed a shot glass, chucking it at the fireplace. As a result, it shattered into a million pieces, just as he felt like right now.
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*Present*
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It’s like one step forward and two steps back423Please respect copyright.PENANAMBjOQh4k0L
No matter what I do you’re always mad423Please respect copyright.PENANAGDX5Wx7hrE
And I, baby, I’m starting to see423Please respect copyright.PENANAFs7hBXdAjT
Maybe we’re not meant to be
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As he scanned her, he saw a dagger in her thigh and her lower stomach and side were bleeding. To top it off, there was blood on either side of her head and she was pale from blood loss.423Please respect copyright.PENANAZh3gMbx3RO
After another moment of looking her over, he pulled the arrow out and gently picked her up in his arms, taking her to his car.423Please respect copyright.PENANAIGBY0T4DgP
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As he drove out of town to the nearest town and hospital, he hoped that she’d make it. All he could do was hope. He’d hated her for so long and now he cared for her. He didn’t hate her anymore. He just wanted her to live. His hatred had died when she had died. Besides, no one deserved to be treated the way Kai liked to treat others.423Please respect copyright.PENANAIAUT8GkGVY
He looked over at her.423Please respect copyright.PENANAImDacAOxCO
“Katherine, can you hear me? I need you to open your eyes. I know I was an ass before you died and I’m sorry for that.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAnGKo3keHAI
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When he got parked in the hospital parking lot and opened her side of the car, she began to wake up and he went to her side. He could see that though she was awake, she was fighting as to not go under again.423Please respect copyright.PENANAeqbK8ApKnr
“Hey. You’re finally awake.” He gently picked her up in his arms and walked to the hospital building. “Stay with me. You’re going to be okay. Just stay with me.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAXEvNH2CooO
She was barely awake, as he entered and got some help for her.423Please respect copyright.PENANA2yOSTruhqX
A few minutes later, she was rushed down the hallway with a breathing mask on her.423Please respect copyright.PENANAxBSFvxyU65
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A few hours later, he entered her hospital room after she’d survived the surgery, and sat on her bedside, his hands in hers.423Please respect copyright.PENANACMr46KqaVd
“You’re lucky. You know that? You’ve been through hell and back and survived.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAqaCuxDHT9J
He gave a smile, though she wasn’t awake yet.423Please respect copyright.PENANA52uahwtoZ0
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An hour later, she woke up and he gave a smile, which she returned.423Please respect copyright.PENANAgd9Vb3r2s0
“Thanks,” she said.423Please respect copyright.PENANAnlMhOiyPjV
“Well, you didn’t deserve that and I don’t hate you anymore,” he replied.423Please respect copyright.PENANAhdwMZrIyPP
“Well, thanks for the save anyway.” She smiled. “If it’s any consolation, thinking about you kept me going.”423Please respect copyright.PENANAybeXoKThWQ
She slowly sat up in bed and gave him a kiss, which he lustfully returned. After her death and near death experience, he realized that he loved her.423Please respect copyright.PENANADl2qorwN5n
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A month later, they were a couple again.