Summary: Set in S8 in the future. What if Kat came back to life?394Please respect copyright.PENANAoSU1ien8f6
It was a dismal night in Mystic Falls, as Damon Salvatore sat on his couch, shot glass of Bourbon in hand, sipping it. He’d been saved from Evil Herself and so had Enzo. Bonnie was dead and Damon and Elena had fallen out of love. After so long of her being under Kai’s sleeping spell, he had realized that he didn’t love her. He had only thought he had. Elena was back to going to college and Stefan had left, figuring it was time to move on. Caroline had been trying to get a hold of the Originals with no luck so she could see Klaus. Enzo was by himself doing his thing, as well was Damon now. That’s what brought him to the present, casually drinking, nothing to do.394Please respect copyright.PENANAZmmnrayWly
After escaping the prison world and Kai, Katherine suddenly appeared with the ascendant in hand, outside the boarding house, quite injured. Despite the injuries she’d sustained and despite what he’d done to her on her deathbed, she limped towards the door, hoping Damon would save her. He’d loved her the most once. Besides, she knew he couldn’t resist playing the hero, no matter what.394Please respect copyright.PENANAHSi2mYEgC3
As she limped inside, closing the door behind herself, and headed for the living room, ascendant in her hand, she knew she’d lost a lot of blood.394Please respect copyright.PENANALjI06iRCpw
As she entered the living room, her vision was blurry and tunnel-like. Everything started to seem far away.394Please respect copyright.PENANArNrnY1pO6k
Damon set his shot glass down when he saw her.394Please respect copyright.PENANAOYV3ytnitD
“Katherine?”394Please respect copyright.PENANA91hz9ZqEtd
He blurred over to stand in front of her and knew she’d lost a lot of blood and had come from a prison world. He took the ascendant from her, putting it in his jacket. He knew who had done this to her. The dagger in her lower stomach by her abdomen and arrow in her thigh gave it away. She’d just escaped Kai. Technically, he’d done this to her too, because he’d been the one who had ripped his head off to save Bonnie to stay on Elena’s good side.394Please respect copyright.PENANA9xkrvcVJYN
“Damon," she said softly from blood loss and her injuries.394Please respect copyright.PENANAOyIUb2YTHI
“It’s okay. I’m here. You’re gonna be okay,” he replied, though he couldn’t promise her anything.394Please respect copyright.PENANA99XCZLWVOG
As she collapsed, too weak to stand, he caught her from hitting the floor and then gently layed her down on the floor. He gently took her jacket off and pulled the dagger out, tossing it a foot away, and used her jacket to tie around the wound. He then blurred off, grabbed some towels, and then blurred back and took the arrow out. He used a few towels to tie around her thigh that he realized had an opened artery. He wasn’t a doctor, but he knew he had to get her to the hospital. She had and was still losing a lot of blood and he knew an opened artery for a human could be deadly. She was very pale too and fighting to stay awake, but he knew she couldn’t fight it for long.394Please respect copyright.PENANAaJ2Uci1sMT
He put her arm around his shoulders and gently pulled her into his arms and got to his feet.394Please respect copyright.PENANASI9CkKqzAn
“Stay with me, Katherine. I just need you to fight a little longer,” he said, before blurring towards the hospital. He just hoped she’d be okay.394Please respect copyright.PENANAP2X5lSIwuW
As he blurred towards what she assumed to be the hospital, hoping to save her, she could feel herself losing the fight. She didn’t want to go to sleep, though. She knew she could die if she did before he got to the hospital.394Please respect copyright.PENANAFEA2M16ZJG
A few minutes later, he got to the hospital with her.394Please respect copyright.PENANAjiBwOV1oKw
As she closed her eyes, she could hear doctors around her and feel herself being rushed down a hall. Then everything went black for her.394Please respect copyright.PENANAxkDYX13Eft
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Five hours later, after Katherine was out of surgery and in a recovery room, Damon walked in and sat on her bedside. He rested a gentle hand on the side of her face. Apart from the injuries he’d seen, he’d been told that she had a concussion, too. He’d been told it could be a few days or so before she woke up, but they didn’t know her. He knew her. He knew she would go down fighting. That was the Katherine he knew. Human or not, she was still a fighter to the end. That’s what he’d always loved about her. She was a fighter and 145 years ago, he’d thought she was free; something he hadn’t been until he’d turned. She’d given him a gift.394Please respect copyright.PENANAY63bUJ64hk
“Katherine, it’s me. Can you hear me? I need you to wake up for me,” he called. “I need you. I need you to open your eyes. Prove them wrong and open your eyes.”394Please respect copyright.PENANASVJ44miBDK
He looked at her, but didn’t see any sign that she was waking up.394Please respect copyright.PENANAsdMgOyjzOO
“Remember when you first came to me for help 65 years ago, even though for you it was three years ago, looking like hell? It took me 60 years to figure it out, but I was never in love with Elena. I got my feelings mixed up, because you were right that night. I don’t want you to die. At first I was relieved that you were dead, but 60 years later, I realized something. I never stopped loving you. Maybe, if you still love me, and when you get out of this, we can start over until our end,” he confessed to her.394Please respect copyright.PENANARWgTlgGriB
As she lay there, she heard everything, though she couldn’t quite wake up yet. What she heard though, made her happy. Her sweet Damon was still there; the Damon she’d fallen for back in 1864.394Please respect copyright.PENANAaanTEomQue
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A couple days later, she woke up and was able to go home with Damon. That’s when their love story continued.394Please respect copyright.PENANAVJvLiYTl6Q