[Episode 30 - Rose - 2]

"What is that?" they look around, Kat suppresses her smirk.

"I don't know" Rose shakes her head in honesty.

"Who else is in this house?"

"I don't know"

Before the girls can react, the vampire grabs the sisters, taking them out of the room to the entrance. He pushes them roughly into Pixie's surprised arms

"Rose" he warns, concentrating around his surroundings.

"I don't know who it is"

"Up here" Stefan shouts from above, making Elijah vamp up the stairs in anticipation.

"Down here" Damon taunts from beside the girls, shooting a stake into the Original's hand.

Stefan pins Kat to the far wall, out of the big vampire's sight. His fingers press onto her chapped lips in a motion to be silent.

"Excuse me..." They all hear Elijah's voice from downstairs, along with the sound of wood chipping "To whom it may concern, you're making a grave mistake if you think that you can beat me.... You can't. Do you hear that?"

Kat slides the vervain grenades from the younger Salvatore hands, widening her eyes in warning when he tries to snatch them back. Wood continues chipping downstairs, each chip more violent.

The Guardian pushes him off with her chest, hiding the weapons behind her bloody dress. She takes a step but Stefan pulls her back slightly, hesitating only for a second before he plants a kiss on her forehead.

"I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girls, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"

Kat goes to the centre of the joining staircase,making sure Elijah can see her "I'll come with you. Don't hurt them"

He vamps up the stairs once again, this time stopping several steps in front of the Guardian. He tightens his fist around the makeshift stake "What game are you playing with me?"

She frowns sincerely, before her face morphs into a smirk "Kaboom" She throws the vervain bomb in his face. It explodes into small harmful puff of itchy drops, making the man groan as his skin burns but he heals immediately.

He steps up toward Kat but she removes the other bomb from behind her, getting a closer shot this time. Stefan arrives and shoots him with a stake-gun.

Imagine their shock when the wood seems to not even elicit a groan out of the old vampire. Stefan throws the weapon and rushes at Elijah and tackles him, tumbling down the stairs.

Elijah gets up immediately but Stefan stays on the floor. He goes toward Stefan but a whoosh sounds by and the next moment, Elijah Mikaelson groans, turning grey.

The Salvatore pushes him against the door with an angry grunt.

Pixie eyes the scene with a scared uncertain eye and vamps off "Just let her go" Elena allows from the other staircase. She comes to stand beside her twin when they see the Salvatore brothers take a relieved breath upon having them safe and sound.

Stefan smiles at Kat, an honest twinkle in his eye. The Guardian takes a step forward down the staircase, only to be bypassed by her sister.

Elena runs down and runs into Stefan's ready arms. He hugs her close, kissing her hair with love.

Kat slowly takes one step with every 3 beats of her heart. Stefan, still holding Elena close, mouths to her 'you okay?'.

Mustering up a smile, she raises a shoulder 'yes'.

They begin going out and Kat looks at Damon. He eyes the happy couple, then his sad eyes divert to Kat's moist ones. She tilts her head and smiles a sad smile, opening her arms at the top of the stairs.

"Come 'ere you" he beckons, sniffling. She speeds down the stairs, jumps on him, murky dress and all. She clutches him close, just as if she would hug herself close.

Alone again, together.

▹▹▹

The first thing Kat does when she's fresh and clean, is call Tyler. He ignores her call. Thrice.

She calls Caroline next, who picks on the first thing "Hey Kat"

"Is he with you?" she asks without preamble. In the background, she hears whispers of 'no' and 'I'm not'.

"Tyler, I can hear you, and we need to talk"

The Lockwood's voice sounds on the other end now "Just leave me alone Kat. Fuck off"

The Guardian chuckles humorlessly "Fuck off isn't gonna cut it Lockwood. I'm not leaving you, 'cause full moon is going to be very painful to you without me"

After a minute-long pause, he whispers "You know?"

"I know a lot Tyler, I'm coming over, just put your dick mode on pause. Caroline doesn't deserve all that venting" she waves to Elena and Jeremy in the kitchen, taking out her car.

Caroline opens the door the moment it rings. Kat barges in, setting her bag down in the first room itself. In the living room, Tyler sits sipping a whiskey.

Without warning him, she smacks him on the head, making him protest and growl "You angry?" she asks.

"Don't push it Kat"

"Have your eyes turned like this" she lets the anger surface, making her eyes go amber-gold 

"Are you a werewolf?" he whispers.

She kneels in front of him, accepting a glass from her blonde friend "No, what I am, is a Guardian. I'm created to protect the supernaturals from killing humans..."

His face weirds out, imagining the absurdity of his situation. The girl he once slept with is a vampire, his childhood best friend is a Guardian, he and Mason are werewolves. What else is this world hiding?

"Tyler..." Kat's voice brings him back to reality "You can't tell anyone, okay? Not about you, not about me. No one will understand what they cannot embrace. Okay? Please..."

"I know..." he takes a gulp.

"I want to tell you about my mom and yours and the founding families and the council but I need you to promise me no one will find out about us. This is life and death, Tyler" Caroline pulls Kat up, both of them sitting on either side of the Lockwood.

"It's just, I'm alone with this. It's gonna happen to me. On the next full moon, I'm gonna turn and I won't be able to stop it. I-I'm scared" he gulps down, causing both the girls to embrace him.

"Tyler look.... Look at me" the Guardian gathers his attention. Taking his arm in her hand, she raises her eyebrows "I'm here, you trust me right?"

He exhales slowly "I do..."

"You're going to get through this, you'll be safe..." she concentrates, and the vampire and the werewolf watch in awe and shock as they watch the veins in her wrist glow slightly golden. It flows from her hand into Tyler's, vanishing with the next exhale.

"What was that?"

She smiles, getting up "Luck that'll make you feel safe"

▹▹▹

Kat wraps a blanket around herself, at 4 the next morning, as she steps outside to the porch where a silhouette awaits.

"Hey...." Stefan Salvatore's sad smile shines in the fading moonlight.

"Hey... What happened?"

"Are you still taking vervain?" he asks out of the blue, making her frown "Y-Yes, didn't want al-all...." Her words fade into stutters as Stefan steps closer to her "Stefan what, w-what are you doing?"

He takes her soft face into his trembling hands, the bones of his wrist brushing over her chin "I've wanted to tell you something Viv. From the moment I saw the real you"

"St-"

"Ssh..." he closes his eyes, commanding the tears to go back.

"My whole life, I've hated myself for being the monster that I was. But ever since you came into my life, I feel like I've got a purpose to live. Someone to protec-"

"Stefan plea-" she tries to stop him from going on any longer. She can't take it anymore, her lips wobble from all the feelings she'd tried to bury for his sake.

"You make me feel like I can break, you make me feel like the most selfish demon for giving my heart to you. And I am, because whatever I touch breaks..."

"Stefan please don't do this..." Kat begs, her jade eyes luminous with tears of heartbreak.

"No, I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it. I love you, Vivi, even when I'm not supposed to and it's because I love you that...I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this. I don't deserve you. I can't give you the life you deserve..."

"Stefan, I-"

His lips touch her forehead in a goodbye to their past. Farewell to their hearts, ripping their own out for each other.

"Stefan I love you! So much. Please don't make it harder on me" she holds him close to her chest, muffling her sobs into his shaking shoulder.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispers, drawing her away from him , taking her necklace in his hand, she holds his shoulder tightly, knowing what was happening. Her fingers clutch his jacket, the very one that she cried into when she confessed her inner turmoil to him months ago. When everything was simple and the world was at peace.

"You know I won't forget this" she accuses through her tears. He smiles a sad smile "You will" he takes her face in his hands

"Please... Stefan don't" she sobs, somehow wanting him to do it, but somehow wanting him to never do it.

"God I wish you didn't have to forget this" he wipes her tear with his shaking thumb, looking into her broken eyes.

One blink.

That's all it took for the memory to vanish.

Kat looks around, frowning at the wetness on her cheeks. She really should stop zoning out. A figure comes walking up the driveway "Hey Stefan!" Kat smiles.

He waves, refusing to step on the porch.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" she smiles.