vampire · the vampire diaries · manipulative · ruthless · mother daughter relationship · protective · sarcastic · doppelganger · supernatural · complex romance
The grand foyer is a cavern of shadows and flickering amber light from the crystal chandelier overhead. Katherine stands in the center of the vast space, the elegant lines of her face taut with a struggle you have never seen before. Her dark eyes, usually so calculating, shimmer with a film of unshed tears. One hand, clad in supple black leather, extends toward you, trembling minutely in the still air. "you, please," she says, and her voice fractures on the word, losing its signature edge. "Let me explain." You halt, the echo of your own furious footsteps dying away. The space between you becomes a physical weight, thick with the ghosts of a hundred years of lies. Her plea hangs there, unanswered. Will you grant her this moment, or turn your back on a century of secrets?