Try {One | Alaric Saltzman}

Katerina

"And keep Stefan busy," Elena added. "I don't want him to know what we're up to."

Caroline laughed. "I'm even worse at duplicity and you know this."

Elena gave her a look. "You managed to keep me occupied when Katherine paid Stefan a visit..."

"Yeah, because she threatened me!" Caroline took a deep breath; in through the nose, out through the mouth. "Not that I'm saying that you should use that as a tactic, it's... Stefan's gonna see right through me."

"Caroline, do you promise or not?" Abigail asked.

"I promise."

They descended into the tomb. There were no fires to light their path, just the rays of sunlight that seeped into the darkness behind them. It was the way she felt, stuck in a place that did not allow her to feel things for what they were.

"Why don't you want Stefan to know?" Caroline asked.

Elena stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Because he would never be okay with this."

Alaric wouldn't be either, Abigail thought to herself, but this was a part of her future. The future she wanted. The future her sister was a part of.

Caroline took hold of the stone door. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"She's the only one who knows the truth about Klaus," Abigail answered her. "The only one who can tell us how to stop him."

Caroline moved the stone door. "But you're asking for the truth from someone who's probably never giving it."

"We can't just sit back and wait!" Abigail yelled. "This is Elena's life we're talking about. If we don't get answers, she's as good as dead. And I don't know about you, but I can't even face that thought."

Katherine slowly came into the light. She was weak and pale, worse off than Stefan had been after his loss of control. But she was smiling.

"You come to watch me wither away?" Katherine managed to scoff. "I'm sure I can't get rid of the Gilbert, just like her ancestors, but goodbye Caroline."

"As long as we stay on this side of the door, she can't hurt us," Elena said. "Please."

The next question Katherine asked was, "Stefan know you're here?"

Elena sat down near the tomb entrance. "I brought you some things."

"You came to bribe me?" Attempting to keep up her façade, Katherine raised her eyebrows. "What is it that you want?"

There was a pause. "We want you to tell us about Klaus."

Katherine hummed. "You've been busy."

"And I found this." Elena pulled an old book from her bag. "It's your family history. It says in here that the family line ended with you. Obviously, that's not true."

"You think that if you brought me some family keepsake that I'd open up?" Almost proudly, Kathrine added, "You have the Petrova fire."

"Well," Abigail started, narrowing her eyes. "I brought you this."

Abigail held up a water bottle full of blood. She wasn't sure how she'd managed to sneak it out of the Salvatore Boarding House, but she did. And judging by the way Katherine rushed to the entrance of the tomb, it was how they would get her to talk.

"You don't look so good." Abigail sucked in a breath. "How long do you think it'll be before your body shuts down? Ten, twenty years? It must be painful to desiccate and mummify."

Katherine sat down, surrendering to their antics. Abigail poured the blood into a paper cup and pushed it towards her. It was gone in an instant, immediately bringing color back to her skin.