❝mommy dearest❞

"WE HAVE A PROBLEM." Elijah's voice rattles the group gathered in the living room, and they all look to the Original as he approaches with a frustrated look on his face.

Katherine looks around warily, eyeing the others gathered. Caroline was on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a textbook in her lap alongside a notebook. Damon was skimming the Gilbert journal again, most likely making sure he had answers as to where the massacre happened, and Rose was sitting in a chair, her head propped up on her hand and her eyes shut peacefully. 

"What's wrong?" Caroline sits up and closes the book in her lap, looking worriedly at Elijah.

"Isobel is back and Jonas left the Bennett witch with too many answers, and renewed powers."

His words make Katherine sit up straight, immediate panic filling her. "What? How do you know Isobel's back?"

"Stefan," Damon mutters irritatedly, wiping a hand over his mouth. He stands up, gesturing to the doppelgänger. "Katherine, you're coming with me."

She stands up willingly, but she can't help the confusion that floods her. "Where are we going?"

He smiles wanly, heading for the front door. "To crash a family reunion,"

"What about me? Elena won't suspect you if I go instead,"

Elijah shakes his head at Caroline's suggestion. "There's no point in covering it up anymore if Stefan has figured it out. Isobel returning is the catalyst to this entire situation. No doubt she's got some sort of trick up her sleeve."

"Besides, Caroline, Matt will need you around when he wakes up again." Rose's voice is soft, but sympathetic, and Caroline winces as she remembers Matt's presence in the room down the hall.

"Right, enough chit-chat. Katherine— shoes, coat, let's go." He snaps at the woman, earning a glare as she disappears to do as told.

Elijah stops Damon before he opens the front door. "If Stefan knows about you, be careful. We don't know what he could've told Isobel."

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Damon throws the front door to Elena's house open, a firm glare etched into his face as he and Katherine walk into the foyer.

They follow the echo of voices into the kitchen, and almost immediately his glare turns into a smirk at the sight of Isobel sitting before Stefan and Elena.

"Well, isn't this a sweet picture. Vampire mom meeting the vampire boyfriend," He nudges Katherine tauntingly. "Guess it runs in the family."

Katherine smirks when Isobel stands, looking between the two of them frightfully. "So, what are we talking about? Anything interesting?"

Elena glares at the sight of her doppelgänger and her boyfriend's brother. "I was just telling Isobel to leave."

"That's a shame," Katherine mockingly frowned, turning towards the woman. "You wouldn't be trying to betray me, would you Isobel? I mean, we all know what happened to John, right?"

Isobel's eyes darted to Damon, who fluttered his fingers in a smug wave. "If you want to pay respects, he's rotting in my basement."

Elena scoffs, stepping back towards Stefan, who wraps a protective arm around her as he glares at his brother. "What are you doing here, Damon?"

"Just checking in on our precious cargo. Can't have mommy dearest here trying to mess anything up."

"You mean you don't want Isobel to help Elena because it'll mean Klaus can't kill her," Stefan shakes his head, his anger evident to them all. "You're not going to get away with this, Damon."

"You don't know what I'm capable of, little brother," Damon's eyes shone with something dangerous, and he shot a glare at Isobel, snapping his fingers with a short, sharp whistle. "You— with us. Now."

Isobel sends Elena an apologetic look as she follows after Katherine and Damon, and the three of them leave the house silently.

As soon as they're in the car and driving away from the house, Katherine turns around in the front seat to look at Isobel. "So, what's your real plan?"

Isobel sighs, but a small smirk grows on her face. "You were right, I couldn't get anywhere near Klaus. But I got in contact with one of his witches who was willing to give me some answers."

Katherine rolls her eyes. "Klaus and his witches,"

Damon looks at Isobel through the rearview mirror, giving her a sharp, fake smile. "Spare me the monologue and get on with it."

"If I can deliver Klaus the moonstone and the doppelgänger, Katherine will get away scot-free."

"You're a little late to the party, I'm afraid," Damon turned the corner, driving through town to go back to his house.

"Katherine's punishment is on hold for the time being, seeing as there's much more important things going on. She's currently the Originals' lapdog, and if she doesn't try and stab us all in the back again," He trails off pointedly, earning an eye roll from the woman in question. "She'll at least live long enough to see another doppelgänger die."

He gives Katherine a saccharine smile that she mirrors mockingly before looking back at Isobel. "Shocking, right? Damon's been the bad guy the whole time."

Isobel looks at her sire in surprise. "You're working with Klaus?"

"We go way back. Basically best friends at this point." He holds his hand up, crossing his index and middle finger tightly.

Katherine rolls her eyes at his sarcasm. "He's got Original butt-buddies because his wife has been living with them,"

"Rosemary's alive?"

The two vampires in the front seats nod silently, and Isobel looks at them in shock. She takes a moment to process the conversation, but she looks around the disappearing imagery of the town that's slowly turning into surrounding trees. "Where are we going?"

"Evil Vampire Headquarters,"

"My house,"

Damon and Katherine speak in unison, and share a glare when they realize they've spoken over one another. Damon glances over his shoulder briefly at Isobel. "We're going to my house, so you can inform us of your plan, and then we can figure out some sort of combined scheme that works out for all of us."

Katherine looks at Damon, her eyebrows furrowing confusedly. "Hey, what about that luncheon today at the Lockwood mansion? Won't Stefan and Elena be there?"

"Probably. They do mind-numbingly boring things like that all the time," Damon shrugs.

Katherine nods like he answered her question perfectly. "We can send Caroline out to deal with them because they still don't know she's on our side,"

"You're forgetting the part where her human boy toy is in my house, awaiting a vampire crash-course because he almost died last night." Damon rolls his eyes at the reminder of Matt. "I'm still not sure why we couldn't just let him die, you know, he's so self-righteous and boring."

"What is going on?" Isobel's eyes ping-ponged between the two, her eyebrows furrowed confusedly.

"The vervain will be out of his system by now, it's been long enough. We can compel him and send him on his way with Caroline to find out what Stefan's planning to do with Elena, and once we know that, Caroline can just stay behind and explain everything to Matt. Problem solved."

Damon's silent for a moment as he pulls into the driveway and shuts the car off. He lifts his gaze eventually and meets Katherine's eyes, giving her a brief nod as he goes over her idea. "Elijah and Rose are going with me to the massacre sight. Caroline and Matt can go to the Lockwood's thing while we're gone, and you two can go as back up."

Damon turns around to face Isobel. "Did you get a name from your witch?"

"Greta, or something? I'm not sure."

"That's Jonas's daughter," Damon's eyes light up. "See if you can contact her again, and get her to tell Klaus we've got everything we need for the sacrifice."

"You have the moonstone?" Katherine looks at him in slight disbelief.

"Obviously I have the moonstone, who do you think I am?" He scoffs and swings his car door open, stepping out as the girls did the same. "Let's get this over with."

Katherine stops in her tracks, making Damon and Isobel do the same. "What about Bonnie?"

Damon shrugs, giving her a look. "What about her?"

"Jonas told her there was a way to kill Klaus. He probably led her right to it before Elijah killed him. She's a Bennett witch, she's strong enough to do it."

"That's why we get Elena taken care of before Bonnie even has a chance to do anything,"

Katherine sighs, rolling her eyes. "Fine. But I have a feeling this isn't going to end well."

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author's note; katherine and damon being reluctant allies for the greater good aka killing elena

edited and published; 8.5.22.

- liz