𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐲 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐝

- - -
❝You'll see me in hindsight
Tangled up with you all night❞

Wildest Dreams
~Taylor Swift
- - -

"Hmm, here, taste this" Kat hands Bonnie a spoon to taste the spare serving of the pasta. Night had fallen pretty quickly and in the Gilbert's pristine kitchen, Elena was rushing into the refrigerator often in her hurry to be presentable.

Bonnie's eyes widen when the rich sauce tingles on her taste buds, making her moan, her eye roll back.

Elena scoffs "Of course it would be good, who was I kidding?"

Kat winks cheesily as her Bennett friend continues speaking about her latest hurdle in life. Which was mostly fake - Grams' witch talk had gotten through to their friend and Bonnie was officially freaking out "Okay... you explain it. Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial breaks come on and I'm like 'I bet it's that phone commercial' and sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench"

Kat frowns in observation while Elena looks ready enough to check their friend for a fever.

"He flies to Paris and he flies back? They take a picture....?" Bonnie begging eyes flit from Elena to Kat.

"That's freaky" Kat frowns.

But her younger Gilbert just huffs with a mocking roll of her eyes "Oh, come on. That commercial's on a constant loop!"

"Fine!" Bonnie glares at air "Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers. 3 numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22. How weird is that?"

The kitchen is silent for several moments as Kat's hand freezes over the plates. She'd never even considered that Bonnie might need someone to believe in her, believe with her, about these weird things. But now, the more she thinks about it, Kat realised that Bonnie might just need support.

Tense silence hung in the air for a minute, finally broken as Elena's lips spread into a wide smile, followed by her conspiratorial whisper "Maybe we should try the lottery"

Kat perks up with false happiness as she raises her voice a few decibels "Elena Gilbert! Why don't you take that adoring little bowl and put it on the table? Oh thank you!" she nudges her twin away with her hip. Elena rolls her eyes and leaves with a grumble of 'I really meant it'.

"Have you talked to Grams?" Kat asks the dark-haired girl in front of her. Bonnie busies herself with non-existent lint on the table cloth, grumbling "She's just gonna say it's because I'm a witch. I don't want to be a witch. Do you want to be a witch?"

Kat paused for a moment. In the past few months, she'd gone from a perfectly normal teenager to a frantic person who snuck magic herbs into her aunt's tea. Being a witch didn't seem like such a far-fetched thought when she compared it to bloodsucking Draculas. Would Kat like to have the powers of a witch? Absolutely. Would she want to look over her shoulder for the anti-mythical Founder's Council out to kill her? Hell no.

"Well... It would be okay" Kat decides, but she sees Bonnie cringe at that statement and amends "...ish"

"You know what?" Bonnie snaps her fingers in remembrance "I totally forgot to tell you! Grams found that herb thing you gave me at the night of the party..."

"Yeah....?" Kat resists her flinch and hands a roaming Elena another bowl of dinner as Bonnie says "Even she thinks it's legit! I mean - all that clear mind stuff you told me about"

"Oh, uh, cool!" Kat's laugh comes out shakier than she intended it to. What does Grams know? Are vampires really out there? Or... Is the old woman just cuckoo like all the Council members?

Before a harrish Elena can make any rotten humour out of the conversation, the bell rings, making Bonnie deflate and Elena's eyes widen.

"Just be your normal self Bonnie" Elena assures her before rushing out to the door. Kat shrugs and drags Bonnie all the way to the door, her slippers coming to a thudding stop as they stood in front of none other than Stefan Salvatore to play the role of the welcome party.

Elena's new boyfriend stands in the doorway like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a leather jacket that had already managed to become a signature among Mystic High's girl gossips. He dressed dark, not really focussing on his appearance, except his hair which seemed gelled and swept into a swoon-worthy mess. A box of packed chocolates was gripped in his pale hands as he smiles at all the girls

"Hey..." he hugs Elena and chuckles when Kat blows a not-so-subtle kiss to the goodness in his hand.

"Hello Bonnie" he smiles.

The Bennett girl just plasters an awkward third-wheel smile on her face that even Kat didn't have on her face. She raises her left hand fingers in a small acknowledgement.

This was going to be a very long dinner.

▹▹▹

It was approximately ten minutes into the dinner and Kat was already bored. Bonnie didn't even bother to pitch in with any of her usual conversation, while Kat had just given up on bringing up any topic. She thought of how she managed to intimidate Tanner this afternoon, but passed it off as a mildly adequate topic to gain anyone's attention. Damon Salvatore did not seem like a good cheer-inducer either.

In fact, Kat felt like abandoning her delicious cooking just to go drag Caroline - who was not here, mind you - to the Falls and squeeze all the news out of her. She thought the blonde would give in and tell her everything when she asked after cheer practice, but Kat had gotten nothing out of her.

Elena was the only one speaking at the table, her voice awfully perky and desperate as she had asked how Stefan had liked the food, how he felt about being on the team and other such topics. Stefan was just left awkwardly smiling at Kat from across the table. He made sure to nod to his girlfriend at the right moments and occasionally scatter a hum or two when needed.

It was becoming more and more difficult for Kat to stop observing Stefan's features, given that her sister was busy carrying the weight of the awkward air. However, she made sure not to let her eyes linger on him for long stretches of time.

Just when Kat was restraining a roll of her eyes at the disappointment of a conversation at the table, she hears Elena say witch. "Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches,"

The elder Gilbert looks up with a swift air to see her twin staring expectantly at Bonnie. Oh so now she wants to entertain the idea of Bon being a witch!

"It's really cool" Elena smiles even wider as Stefan's look turns to Bonnie. However, he was no longer politely smiling or blandly providing a reply. Gone was the façade of awkwardness as the boy's lips twitched up with an interesting curiosity "Really?"

Bonnie tries to sink further into her chair with a mumble at the sudden attention on her "Cool isn't the word I'd use"

"Well, it's certainly interesting," he looks around cautiously, as if testing the waters around Bonnie "I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s"

Kat tilts her head, her lower lip automatically tucking under her upper lip as she leans in curiously.

"My family came by way of Salem" Bonnie nods.

"Really?" he perks up "Salem witches? I'd say that is pretty cool"

"Why?" Kat blurts out in interest. He's got a way of saying things that make the air seem so archaic. It was as if he'd lived in some grand centre of the Renaissance and learnt this after years of research.

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity"

Elena may have played blind to the tension around Bonnie before, but Kat could definitely sense the shift in the dark-skinned girl's mood. Bonnie cracks a small proud smile and nods "Yeah... They ar-"

Ding dong.

Kat frowns at the sound of the bell. Jenna's staying at Whitmore for another day and Jeremy's crashing at Greg's. Caroline said she had plans with her new fling (much to Kat's chagrin) So who could it be?

She gets up, discarding her napkin in her seat as she motions of the rest of them to continue with dinner, I'll take it, you guys go on"

"Surprise!" A wave of blonde hair flies past her, colouring her shocked at the sudden appearance of her best friend, who barged in like she owned the place with a flimsy plastic box into her hands and a very happy smile on her face "You said y'all were doing dinner, so we brought dessert"

"Hey..." she pastes a bright smile on demand, though it was sincere. Making sure the cake in her hands doesn't wobble, Kat gives a half-embrace to Caroline when something strikes her senses  "Wait... We?"

"Hope you don't mind" a smooth voice stands at the threshold now with a smirky-smile. Who else but Damon Salvatore.

"Damon h-"

"What are you doing here?" Stefan frowns seriously, coming up from behind her. Maybe Stefan really meant it when he said he didn't talk to his sibling. Because it seemed that all the younger Salvatore could muster for his brother was veiled contempt. Kat it could even be annoyance or fear. But poorly concealed.

Caroline and Elena and Bonnie stand in the corridor with confusion oozing from their eyes. 

"Waiting for one of these amazing ladies to invite me in" Damon's amused words breaks Kat out of her Freudian analysis. "Huh?" 

He's speaking as if he's forbidden from entering the house. She looks to Stefan whose narrowed eyes peel away from his brother's to her. " He can't, uh...he can't stay. Can you, Damon?"

Damon mockingly narrows his eyes that translated a silent conversation to a myriad of meanings ranging from 'how dare you' to 'I dare you'. All that the girls could understand that one of them really wanted to be invited in, for some reason, while the other was strictly against it. 

Caroline scoffs, trying to break the tension "Come in here" But that gives Damon no incentive to step in. Doubt irks Kat and she folds her arms over her chest and leans against the wall "We're just...finishing up" Stefan folds his arms while standing beside her.

His flexed muscles barely touched her shoulder, but Kat was just focussed on observing them both and for the first time, it was not just because they were insanely hot. 

Elena smiles apologetically at all this and waves Damon in with a compromising smile "It's fine. Just come on in"

His smile widens with a charming glint as his left foot hovers right over the threshold. He finally steps in after all that wait - followed by Stefan exhaling with closed eyes. "Katherine... Elena... You girls have a wonderful home"

Awkward food is exchanged with the newcomers, Caroline shamelessly eating Kat's cooking while Damon politely helps himself. The dinner had resumed it's previous tense air as Elena kept shooting the two brothers curious glances. Bonnie was busy expertly staring at the planes stripes on the coasters while everyone finished up.

Finally, they all settled for a fireplace chat, plopping down on the couches in the living room of the Gilberts. Caroline sat on Kat's lap while stirring a straw in her lemonade glass (I can't possibly eat all that diabetes in a box. That was for y'all to get fat on!) Damon's brows rose at the unfamiliar choice of their seating but the others were long used to the sister duo of the two Mystic Falls fashionistas.

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team" Caroline hums while talking to Stefan across the tea table "Tyler must be seething. Is he seething Kat?"

"Didn't talk to him, he's on probation for chucking a ball at me" Kat mumbles through cake. She knew it was just a cycle she went through with Tyler every now and then - he got angry, then got sad, then both of them got angry together.

"But good for you Stefan. Go for it" she smiles. 

Stefan nods in acknowledgement just like the past half hour, doing what Kat read into as avoiding turning his brother into ashes with his pretty green eyes.

"That's what I always tell him" Damon crosses his leg over his knee like he was the go-to advice columnist "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it!"

"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today" Caroline waves her hand in a 'bleh' gesture. Being thrown into the air for style wasn't Elena Gilbert's style, she was more of the drama club type. The younger Gilbert had only joined the cheerleading squad because the rest of her friends were, and because Matt was on the football - yes, Elena was a sucker for wanting to make her life a cliché. 

"It's only because you missed summer camp" Care rolls her eyes. She could be a little frank at times, but she tonight was not a good night for that, especially if Caroline was going to criticise Elena in front of her boyfriend and his brother 

"God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines"

"I'm co-captain Caroline, we'll work" Kat assures. 

"You know..." Damon leans forward in a faux display of interest "You don't seem like the cheerleader type Elena" Surprising everyone with her indifferent tone, Caroline scoffs "Oh, it's just 'cause her parents died. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. And Kat used to be way more fun...." 

Kat smacks Caroline's head, making the blonde realise what she was saying. But her following splutter made Stefan tense in realisation. Her words were.... as if she was instructed to say them. Compelled. 

"....And I say that with complete sensitivity" Caroline amends with a wince, shrinking into Kat with apology clear in her stance. "Too much?" she whispers.

"Ya think?" Kat pouts wistfully at her.

"I'm sorry, Elena" Damon's brows furrow "I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die"

Gee talk about a lively conversation topic, Kat sardonically remarked to her mind. It was not as if she didn't respect the dead or the grief loss brought into a life. Kat was just not that open to people about such dark periods of her life. And Damon Salvatore was not winning any points by all the hints of doom he had been dropping in any and all of the two conversations he had had with the Gilberts. 

"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon" Stefan shuts him off with a glare. 

Damon's eyes droop with a hint of sensitivity in them, for once making him look older than Stefan "You're right, Stef. I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up. Mmm" he hums with curved lips, making Elena look at Kat dubiously. 

Kat glares at air with half-closed eyes, nothing short of leaning back onto the couch with a wicked sigh that Caroline's figure would surely mask. 

Why can't life be easy? 

▻▻▻

"You lost" Kat smugly reminds

Caroline had dragged Damon home with, again, no smut. However, before she could leave, Kat had dragged her upstairs to make her promise she would be safe with Damon. She'd even offered some condoms from the loose floorboard near her bathroom but the blonde had waved her off with a scoff "You think I need condoms after leading the safe-sex campaign for three months straight?" No sooner had Caroline left than Bonnie head out to her Grams' house with a beep of her car. 

Presently, Kat was leaning against the banister of her staircase while Stefan was getting ready to leave. However, he still remembered about the challenge that the elder Gilbert had posed this morning.

He chuckles and loops a hand around Elena's, turning to his friend "Actually, let me tell you about something interesting I found out today from the administrator's office Violet" 

Kat hisses with closed eyes "Sneaky minx"

"Katherine Violet Gilbert" Stefan proudly states "I'm liking Vivi, hmm?"

She chuckles, rolling her eyes, it wasn't a bad nickname (her worst was 'Mentos' that Tyler had temporarily assigned for a few weeks). 

"Okay okay, but I get to nickname you too huh?" Kat smirks. "Oh come on, I need some couple time with my boyfriend" Elena grits out, pulling Stefan out. 

"Broody! There, you'll be Broody!" Kat triumphantly shouts to the fading silhouettes on the driveway. "Good night Kat!" she hears Elena shout back, yanking on Stefan's grip harder.

▻▻▻

One second she was arguing with George Clooney about which heist to perform, and the next she was thrown into a dreamscape that resembled her own room. She was furiously making out with someone that she was straddling on her duvet. 'Well, that seems new', Kat thought - she never made out in all her 17 years of life on Earth.

"Don't stop, don't, stop" came her moans as she paused for air between getting her lips covered with another pair of smooth ones.

Not knowing what came over her, she rips off her shirt, (wait, wasn't she wearing her nightgown tonight?) leaving her in a sexy lace bra far too perfectly fit to be real. She runs her nails over rock-hard abs that heaved in moans.

"Please tell me I'm making out with Shawn Mendes" she suddenly says, much to the surprise of the guy with her in her dream. 

"What?" comes a hoarse reply, making her look down and actually see what in the holy hot mess of wet dreams she was groping around with.

But, she did not expect to see the face of Damon Salvatore.

Why was she dreaming of Caroline's fling? Instead of erupting into a scream, her consciousness chooses to do what was not expected of her, Kat punched Damon right in the nose with a panicked shout.  

Her effort is rewarded by a satisfying scrunch in her dream, making her gasp awake.

She was sweating like she had run under the hot Virginia sun. Everything in her room was intact, her duvet was over her snugly, her nightgown was sticking to her skin loyally. 

"Dream" Kat sighs. She slaps herself lightly "Dream, dream, dream"

It wasn't the first time she had had dreams, but it was, in fact the first wet dream she'd had. She just felt so dirty, but tired all of a sudden. The silence in her dark room didn't help with her erratic heartbeat either. 

A crow sat outside her locked window with its black head tilted in the camouflage of the darkness. It was wondering how the hell could a normal girl manipulate a dream that he had induced.

Obviously, he missed the brief amber glow in her eyes before she collapsed back into sleep.

▻▻▻

The next day went by in a blur of cheer practice and arranging the pom-poms like Kat had expected any High School Saturday to proceed. 

"Okay! Now again! 1! 2! 3! 4! 4! 3! 2! Split! Good, good... So, let's do this one last time" Caroline and Kat instruct as they step into the crowd as a part of the formation on the gym floor and counts along with their movements. Dark may have been falling over the school, but the illegally tiny clock on the far wall of the room told them that they still had sixty minutes before the match formalities began.

It was the first football match of the year of the Mystic Falls High School - it was practically a royal festival for all the parents and the jock kids.    

"Go Timerwolves!" their female shout echoes strongly in the end as half the formation catches Kat from her high-air split. 

"Good to go girls! We'll see you out there in an hour"

She wipes off her sweat and walks out of the gym onto the front lawn of the school. Caroline was silent beside her, chewing gum when she suddenly bursts into a blubbering laugh.

"I would have paid to see that though" she says in between several chews. 

When Kat had told her about her 'Dream Works' last night, featuring Damon, she had expected Caroline to be mad and throw a pissing contest to prove her liking towards the ice-eyed boy. But she had broken into a loud un-Caroline guffaw to inform her that what she had with Damon was a fling. 

"I really meant it when I said we could share" Caroline winked presently "But even I know punching a man won't get him to moan into your thighs" 

Kat had faked a gag at such crude words, only to join in on the laughter. "You know I'm gonna die a virgin" she throws an arm around Caroline as they lazily wander. They had merely five minutes before proverbial shit hits the fan and the other school players will arrive from the town over.

"The question, my dear Virgin Mary" the blonde sing-songs "Do you wanna die a Virgin Mary?"

Before they could answer, Dana calls for Caroline about Sheriff Forbes policing the other team's entry. This makes her rush off with hands on her hips in a very Sharpay fashion (how can I ogle the new meat if my mom keeps breathing on their necks with her hand on her gun?!)

Kat decides to let a family matter (ironically) be dealt by family and walk onto the edge of the field where everyone gets ready for the first game. 

She sees Stefan pinning something around Elena's neck with a twinkling smile. Despite her sister's profile in front of him to remind her of his relationship status, Kat found herself whistling at Stefan "Boy you're cheesy" 

Elena scoffs at her sister as Stefan gives her a small smile. Elena had unofficially quit cheerleading as of her intimation this morning, so she was standing in her normal clothes with a small satchel of packaged snacks hanging on her shoulder while her mirror self was standing against the fence in her cheerleader uniform. 

"Uhm" Stefan clears his throat, "I, uh, got this for you too" he shows her a brown bracelet.

"Nice" she gazes at it with wide eyes. 

"Token of friendship" Stefan smiles and extends his wrist towards her. Torn between accepting it and admiring it, Kat says "I- I mean, it's, I mean..."

"You don't like it?" Stefan murmured, she could see his face fall just an inch. "No!" Kat amends eagerly "I-It's wonderful, but I have your 'token' in my car" 

"Just take it" Elena waves an irritated hand at her. 

"Well then, thank you Stefan" she smiles softly, gently taking the gift onto her wrist. But just as the bead charm touches her skin, it burns her "Ow" she yanks it off, holding it by the thread. 

Stefan frowns "What happened?"

Not fully getting the situation herself, Kat plasters a smile on her lips that barely managed to cover her hysteria, walking off "Nothing! All the best for the game Broody, I'll get your gift right now"

"But the team's arriving now!" Elena shouts at her sister, but her beckon felt on deaf ears as Kat was long gone from their vicinity.

 ▻▻▻

Kat goes to her car at the end of the parking lot, her lips still set in a frown. Jenna and jeremy were probably by the bleachers to peck her good luck for the first match, Elena must be busy with Stefan somewhere. The only thing she was concerned about was Caroline could blast her phone with calls anytime soon. 

Switching on the light inside her car to see in the darkness, Kat examines the bead with a closer eye. She handles the bracelet carefully with a tissue and her eyes widen when her nails find a stop, she realises that the bead is a small chamber.

And inside it... lay squished dry vervain leaves. She couldn't mistake them for anything else - she had not spent the past four months inhaling their scent to not recognise them now. But why would Stefan know of vampires? Why would he believe in them? She closes the bead an- 

"Ah, Katherine" a voice booming right behind her makes her jump "Motherfucker!" she screeches and hits her head to the roof of her car. Pain ricochets through her skull which she grabs with a frantic hiss. She carefully bends out of the car to face the intervener -  "Damon? You scared me, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm... hiding from Caroline" he admits as she closes the door with a thud, leaving the bracelet inside. 

"And why is that?" her voice comes out snarkier than she expected it to, because she didn't trust Damon because of the glares that Stefan sent him last night, and after her weird dream - Kat might as well black list Damon out of hysteria.

" I needed a break" he rolls his eyes "She talks more than I can listen"

Kat raises a mildly threatening finger "Don't" and starts to walk away, only to be slightly blocked by him "She's awfully young, you know?" 

What was with this man and wanting to be chest-chest with her every time they were alone? She had flashbacks to the first time she and Elena had walked into the Salvatore Boarding House to encounter him. Defensively crossing her arms over her chest, Kat steps back to look up into his eyes "You speak as if you a hundred and fifty years old"

"I think she'd drive me crazy"

He totally ignored her words. 

"Caroline does have some really upfront traits" Kat says "but she's my best friend. So if you wanna back-talk her, you chose the wrong town buddy" she pushes him aside and rushes by. 

"I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable. That's not my intention" he follows her swishing curly ponytail. She scoffs and turns behind, almost smacking face-first into his chest. Again! 

This time, she doesn't step back but raises her piercing jade eyes to narrow them at the cocky man "Yes, that is exactly your intention. Otherwise you wouldn't put an alternate meaning behind everything you say"

"You're right" he smiles in the pale white light of the nearest building "I do have other intentions, but so do you"

"Excuse me?" her hands freeze at her sides. 

He leans in closer, inch by inch claiming up the minute space between them "You want me... I get to you. You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me even when you don't want to think about me. I bet you even dreamed about me" those words make her mouth stand ajar. 

"And right now...You want to kiss me" his nose is particles away from Kat's. She swore she could see his eyes go weirdly wide for a second. He brings his lips breathing are almost on her parted ones...

And that's when she slaps him.

Pushed away by the surprising force, Damon staggers back a step or two and raises his head to face a fuming Kat "What the hell? I don't know what game you're trying to play with Stefan, but Stefan's my friend and Elena's my sister. And Caroline's my fucking best friend. Don't mess around with my family. I don't know what happened in the past, but let's get one thing straight...I am so much more than a toy to manipulate, fuck off Damon"

She stomps off, still glaring at air. 

She joins the cheer squad and players on the field when Tanner's making his speech. At least this time, it was not the speech from 'Independence Day'. Stefan had busted his off at practice all day today too hard to be announced with more than a few plagiarised words.  

"Wait. Wait!" Tanner calms down the cheers of the high schoolers in front of him "Let's be honest here. In the past, we used to let other teams come into our town and roll right over us!" Everyone boos from the crowd. "But that is about to change! We've got some great new talent tonight starting on the offence" Kat finds Stefan's eyes from a few people across and throws him a smile "-and I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!"

"Hands like these!" Caroline and Bonnie shout in her ear among the football team's, making Kat join in on their cliché-induced laughter. They all wave our pom-poms in the air before people start breaking off into duos and trios.

"All the best Broody!" Kat shouts to him. His lips twitch under his helmet.

"I have only one thing to say to you...Your Timberwolves are hungry?!" she nudges Stefan lightly and mocks with a gesture that competes among a cat roaring and a lion yawning. He shakes his head and walks off with her outside of the crowd.

"Stop, you're hurting him! Tyler! Tyler, stop! Tyler! Stop it! Tyler, stop!"

And that's how everyone's attention is drawn to Tyler crouching over Jeremy Gilbert, landing blow after blow to each other. 

𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫
Wow, that was a lot of gifs. So, I know that this chapter might not have been that as good... But if you think otherwise - please do leave a comment and vote for the chapter! What do you think about Stivi (Stefan and Vivi)? And let me get you in on this secret... The sun's rising over Mystic Falls and light ain't the only thing dawning over Kat tonight!! Dun Dun Dun!