"Katherine?"
"Hello, Beautiful." Katherine praised before walking away from the door frame which she had been leaning against. "I hear you got in quite the accident."
"You can't be here." River denied.
"Ouch." Katherine deadpanned as she rested her hands on the bars beside the hospital bed River was in.
"I'm mated to the Mikaelsons." River blurted out.
"So I've been told." Katherine mocked.
"And if you're here Klaus will-" River tried but was cut off.
"River, my Darling," Katherine started, amused by how concerned River was for her safety. "I've been taking care of myself for a very long time. Trust that I took care of everything before I came here." She continued.
"Sorry forgot who I was talking to for a moment." River mimicked, "It's been a while."
"Okay I deserved that." Katherine accepted causing River to smile. Slowly, Katherine then ran her thumb over River's cheek, the rest of her hand cupping her jaw. River leant into Katherine's hold, despite the circumstances Katherine's touch still bringing her comfort. "Let's get you out of here." Katherine decided after a moment before she withdrew the various devices connecting River to different machines.
"Yeah I almost died I don't think I'm meant to be leaving anytime soon." River teased causing Katherine to pause, her expression falling slightly. "And I thought I was the one with brain damage." River mumbled.
"Rude." Katherine remarked once she had recovered, feigning offence for dramatic effect. "Come on," She encouraged as she picked up River, not giving her a chance to argue, "I can guarantee that any treatment these doctors will try and I can heal much faster."
"I get that I was the one in the car accident but you will be the one six feet under if you keep up that attitude." River analysed, "You may not have met all of the Mikaelsons but a certain blonde bombshell will torture you to death if you give me your blood."
"Rebekah." Katherine pieced together.
"You've met her?" River challenged, groaning as Katherine tried to get her to stand.
"Well I did my research once I found out you dropped out of school." Katherine reminded.
"Right." River mumbled, her body collapsing against Katherine's as she couldn't hold herself up.
"Put this on." Katherine offered as she took off her leather jacket and presented it to River.
"Way to look incognito whilst escaping a hospital." River deadpanned as she tried to follow Katherine's instruction but failed so she resorted to resting it over her shoulders.
"I have matching sunglasses once we get to my car." Katherine proposed.
"What are we waiting for then?" River asked. "Onward we travel." She declared, faking an English accent.
"Those Mikaelsons are rubbing off on you a concerning amount." Katherine decided as she picked up River again, not wanting to overwork her by making her walk.
"Wait can we take the blanket-" River tried as she reached back towards the bed. "OW FUCK." River cursed loudly, instantly drawing her arm back into towards her body.
"Well that's one way to draw the hospital staff's attention." Katherine muttered.
"That burnt like a bitch." River cursed, running her hand up and down the skin on her wrist which had been seared by the light.
UV rays are a real danger to humans.
...
You know who they're even more of a danger to?
ah fuck
River then looked up to Katherine, her mind working overtime to comprehend what was happening... or what had happened... or what was going to happen... or- well you get the point.
"I'm sorry." Was all Katherine could bring herself to say after a moment of hesitation as she understood what River had realised. Katherine, still carrying River, then continued out of the room and eventually down into the parking lot where her car was. Silently, Katherine helped River into her car before closing the door and getting in on the other side.
"Why am I not in transition?" River asked, breaking the quiet. River was already familiar with the process of turning into a vampire and she knew that vampires in transition weren't burnt by sunlight like actual vampires, contrasting what had just happened to her.
"As you probably know, vampires, whilst in transition, are at their weakest state, even more weak than when they were human and any wounds they sustain won't heal until they consume human blood." Katherine explained. "When you were in transition, you still had all of the injuries from the accident and even though you were technically part vampire, you wouldn't have made it so I compelled some doctors and fed you the blood you needed to heal the wounds and consequently complete the transition."
"Makes sense." River accepted.
"That's it?" Katherine challenged.
"Well if the Mikaelsons weren't going to kill you already they are definitely going to now when they find out my first taste of human blood was from a hospital blood bag." River deadpanned.
"Charming."
-----
"Oh my God." River moaned. "Can I orgasm off of food? Because holy shit heightened senses make this even taste even better."
"I don't think that's how that works." Katherine uttered.
"Well that's upsetting." River muttered before taking another large sip from the milkshake resting on the table in front of her.
Thanks to River not being conscious whilst she consumed blood for the first time, she was able to control herself enough around the few people in the diner Katherine had brought her too. According to Katherine, she knew the owner personally and that the diner's windows were adapted to filter out UV rays.
"How long does it normally take to murder an Original witch?" River questioned as she checked her messages yet again for any sign of the Mikaelsons.
"I can't say I'm experienced in the matter so I wouldn't know." Katherine answered. "Maybe 12 hours."
"We are going on 17 hours at the moment so thanks for fuelling my already overactive anxiety." River uttered as she nervously stabbed a fry into the small dish of sauce.
"I should have known that was a trick question." Katherine scolded herself.
"Your fault, not mine." River blamed, pulling her lower lip into her mouth as she managed to feel the slight remnants of sauce on her lip. As River ran her teeth over the soft skin, she cringed away.
"Are you alright?" Katherine questioned.
"It's going to take me way too long to get used to this whole vamp thing." River deadpanned as she wiped away excess blood escaping the small wound on her lower lips until it healed. "Will I have a lisp if I talk with my fangs out?" River questioned.
"Yes." Katherine answered. "It's absolutely horrible for the first like- century." She continued causing River to groan.
"Oh yeah I'm fucking immortal now." River recalled. "That sucks."
"You have no idea."
-----
"They're not dead." River announced once she read the text message Nik had just sent her.
"Well most of them are." Katherine corrected.
"You know what I mean." River added before she occupied herself replying to his text and explaining where she was. After a moment, once River had finally sent a message long enough to satisfy the Mikaelsons to believe it was her and not one of their sworn enemies trying to trap them, River placed her phone face down on the table.
"Well that seems like my cue to leave." Katherine stated reluctantly before getting up from the table.
"Kat." River tried, getting up beside her and reaching out to stop Katherine who was a few steps in front of her. Katherine turned to River reluctantly, shifting in her stance uncomfortably. "Please."
"I've been around a very long time River," Katherine started, her hand coming up to gently cup River's face, "And I know you have your soulmates, but..."
"But?" River prompted softly.
"I don't know." Katherine admitted honestly.
"I think me being the first person to make Katherine Pierce speechless makes up for what you were going to say." River remarked.
"Yeah." Katherine said quietly, "Yeah I guess it does."
"You'll find your soulmate as well." River reassured.
"I think the universe tries to punish people like me by taking as long as possible for my soulmate and I to meet." Katherine explained, her elbow subconsciously brushing over the M.P. soulmark on her side.
"That doesn't mean you don't deserve them." River corrected.
"Maybe not." Katherine agreed. "The Mikaelsons will be here soon." Katherine started, interrupting the silence they had fallen into, "I really should be going."
"Kat." River repeated causing Katherine to turn back towards her. Delicately, River then pressed her lips to the corner of Katherine's. Despite the stereotypical intimacy they both knew it wasn't to reignite their steamy Sapphic romance. River was content with her soulmates now and at some point Katherine would find hers but whether River and Katherine were fated to end up together or not, they had both helped each more than they knew.
"Thank you." River spoke tacitly.
"Goodbye, River." Katherine declared.
"Goodbye, Katherine."
Katherine was gone almost instantaneously. Even if River had tried to follow her with her new vamp speed she wouldn't have been able to catch her.
As this realisation set in, whether it was the effect of the heightened emotions after her transition or a result of her final goodbye with Katherine, River realised a small detail she'd previously ignored.
She was my first love.