[Episode 25 - Bad Moon Rising]

Caroline stares at Kat with tears in her eyes "Kat...?" She runs into the arms of the Guardian and sobs wordlessly. Kat hugs her back, running a hand over the distraught blonde's back.

"You could have saved me Kat" she pushes her off, her eyes blaming the Gilbert girl.

"What?" she mutters, staggering back. But she doesn't get an answer right away. Because her question punctuates the thud of Caroline falling to the floor, clutching her throat, gasping and writhing breathlessly. "S-Save me Kat. Please, Sa-" her gasps become more pronounced as she tries to crawl over to the aghast Guardian. "Caroline! What's happening! Caroline breathe! Ca-"

The girl goes limp in Kat's shaking arms, eyes void and unmoving. The Gilbert breathes in pain and shakes her best friend once. Twice. Nothing.

Then, answering her prayers and pleas, the blonde gasps awake, but her eyes now glowing black, a devilish snarl painting the once kind face "Kat"

▹▹▹

Kat jerks awake, taking in panicked breaths. She fumbles about her nightstand for her phone and checks Caroline's messages informing her of her good status - status of the living, how much ever alive that makes her.

"You gotta stop waking me up like that" Damon groans. When the girl doesn't answer, he lifts his head up from the pillow "You okay Kat?"

"Kat?" he crawls over to Kat, worriedly sitting in front of her deeply breathing form "Nightmare?" he asks softly.

The scared girl gulps with a nod. She needed a distraction, the nightmare was something that shook her to the mind and life wasn't going to live itself today. She puts on a smile for the older Salvatore, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him "Hmm, now that's more like it" he mutters and pulls her onto him as she squeals.

"We could've, slept, at my, house" he says between pecks and almost falls off the far corner of the bed. 

Kat chuckles "I didn't want to be assaulted with sex noises Smoldy"

Stefan and Elena didn't come home that night and instead went to the boarding house after their carnival rendezvous. Precisely the reason why Damon was standing at the closed window sill of the older Gilbert twin's room at 1 am in the morning.

"Next time, we're taking up monopoly first" Damon groans as Kat gets out off him and out of bed, pulling on her oversized shirt over the slip.

"So, where to now?" Kat asks from the bathroom door and Damon winks "How about the tub?"

"I'm talking of the Lockwood problem Damon" she rolls her eyes.

"Okay, okay. I guess it's time to call your step-dad of a History teacher"

▹▹▹

"Thanks for coming, Ric" she invites him into the Boarding House and they enter the parlour to find an anticipating Damon and Stefan and Elena. 

"Can I get you something to drink?" Damon oh-so-kindly offers "Coffee? bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?" ,hoping to get in the slightest good graces of Alaric. Well, he was the only one who might have any clue regarding the happenings of Lockwood power.

"Kat mentioned you needed my help" Alaric looks to Stefan, hoping that conversation with him would be less sarcastic.

"Yeah, we were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family" 

"Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" he looks around and Damon gives the teacher a non-smile "Well, you wouldn't. But your dead, not-dead vampire wife might"

"Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together"

"You said that she had spent years researching this town" Stefan pushes and Alaric sighs

"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folklores and legends but at the time I thought much of which was fiction"

"Like that amazing vampire story" Kat states with a straight face and Stefan follows "Aside from vampires, what else?"

"The lycanthrope" there's silence for one whole minute as the Salvatores and Kat take in what was said. "Wait, like werewolves?" Elena raises her eyebrows. Damon rolls his eyes and turns to Alaric. 

"I told you" Kat states with a raised brow.

"You gotta be kidding me" Damon rolls his eyes "No way, it's not possible, way too Lon Chaney"

"Is it?" the teacher challenges.

"I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, never came across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"

"It does make sense Damon. If you didn't understand from Twilight, full moon's the one day werewolves-"

"-turn" Stefan finishes and she nods. What is with this town. It's been a beacon that attracts all kinds of creatures to it, inviting trouble. First vampires. Now, werewolves. How many more?

"Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?" 

"Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founders' Day but the Gilbert device did and it affected Tyler" Elena says, only for her twin to offer proof "And Mason has supernatural strength too. I'm a Guardian Ric. I know when something is off-key"

"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure it out what it is" Stefan puts in politely, only for Ric to sigh "Well, all her things are still at Duke. I mean her office is still there. She's technically still missing"

"So can we get access to it?" Damon jumps up, but the Gilbert sisters don't. They wanted nothing to do with their birth mother, the last time they considered bonding with her past or her, they faced nothing but an emotionless glossy face.

Upon seeing the teacher hesitate, Damon paces, doing what Damon might call pleading "Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with. If this wolfman thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good. It means Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney junior, which means Bella Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed..."

"Please...?" Kat asks and the man finally nods "Fine, I'll make some calls"

▹▹▹

It was decided that Elena and Damon would accompany Alaric to the Duke University while Stefan and Kat stay back, taking care of Caroline's adaptation to the human world.

"Elena, are you coming?" the older twin shouts, entering the living room to find her aunt and a serious Alaric at the threshold "All okay?" she asks them as Elena and Stefan barrel downstairs. Jenna just looks at the couple and turns to her "Yeah, just men and their baggage" she murmurs, leaving with a air kiss to the sisters.

Just as they go out, Kat sighs to Ric "That bad huh?"

"What do I do? It's not like I can tell her why I'm doing what I am" he grumbles to the girl who has showed a part of her emotions to him, making him feel complete in the role of a fatherly man.

"Do you really like her?"

"Of course I do!"

She smiles "Then go tell her that. Jenna likes you a lot Ric, but she is going to move on if you show her that you've stopped moving.... Makes sense?" She questions hesitantly and Alaric surprisingly cracks a relieved smile, patting her "That, actually makes sense. Thanks Kat"

She waves it off, sheepishly grumbling "I just want you both to stop whining" 

He chuckles, raising his hands "Fine, whining phase over". He looks down at the brown paper bag in her hand as she gives it to him "Thought you humans could use a snack" he looks inside and raises his brows "Okay, okay! Lots of snacks"

He chuckles. Kat closes the car door just as the older Salvatore makes a smug remark to Stefan about Elena

"I'll take really good care of her"

Stefan gives him a look but Elena just grabs the back of his neck and shoving her mouth onto her boyfriend's. The elder siblings of either sides exchange raised eyebrows and rolls their eyes.

When Elena opens her eye a pinch to expect to see an angry Damon, she sees something she totally didn't expect. Elena staggers out of her kiss with a gasp and a frown, followed by Stefan. 

Kat and Damon dip towards the car in their kiss, each giddy and smiling at the reaction they're getting.

Damon smirks and kisses the older twin, enjoying the waves of jealousy and shock from his brother and his girlfriend. 

"See ya later... Kat" he winks and she gives him a look as he detaches from her arms. He calls shotgun and gets into the car but Elena stands outside, mouth literally hanging open as she stares at her twin.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Kat smiles brightly and waves "Happy journey" she all but pushes her into the backseat and then bypasses Stefan to lean into Damon's window, smirking.

Without words, he mirrors her expression, pecking her lips one last time. Alaric gives a surprised look and waves bye to her, speeding off.

After the car is well out of the driveway, Stefan looks at Kat, his jealousy still burning in his bones, the picture of Damon and her kissing burning an imprint on his mind.

"Oh don't look at me with those judgy little eyes, a girl has needs" she rolls her eyes, extending an arm over his stiff shoulder.

This is definitely going to be a very eventful day or a very uneventful one.

▹▹▹

One would think a beautiful stone like lapiz lazuli would be available very easily at the hippie jeweler's. But now, only Kat knew, how much that was not true. She had to drive all the way to Whitmore and back for the stone. Ancient stones like that apparently aren't previewed on the internet.

Parking her car in the lot of the Mystic Grill in 3 o'clock in the sunny afternoon, Kat sighs, palming Caroline's to-be daylight ring. This has to do. She goes in to find Stefan and Bonnie having a serious 'heart-to-heart'.

"Caroline killed someone, Stefan" Bonnie states bluntly "I can't make it easier for her to do it again"

The Guardian plops down beside Stefan and gives the witch a look "We're not making it easier for her Bonnie. We're just giving her the chance to survive. Listen, every day that she's cut off from her old life - from us, her mom, from Elena, from Matt, it'll make it that much harder for her to hold on to her humanity. Would you rather your friend kill or desiccate because she couldn't hold on to her humanity or would you like her back?"

"The Caroline we knew will never come back Kat, you should know that" Bonnie says, somewhat cruelly. 

Her audience sigh, Stefan with helplessness and Kat with anger and confusion 

"You know what you should know?" she spits out "I checked every place within 2 hours radius from here, and for what? To give this" she holds up the piece of jewellery to the hostile witch "to my childhood best friend so that she'll have a chance at a normal life and I can help her"

The girl stays silent for a minute and then looks up when Kat speaks again "You didn't see how sad she was, how horrified she was, when she realised you hated her. I'm trying to undo that piling up guilt and here you are, whining about her going rogue when you're the one who's supposed to hold her tight!"

The older Gilbert is almost in tears and she excuses herself to the restroom, cursing. Why emotions? Why vampires? Why werewolves? Why Guardians? Why Mystic Falls and why her?

Stefan watches her rush off and touches the ring, he feels the intricacies and the resident power the stone of the ring held. He sighs and looks to the undecided witch, the only one who can help Caroline in her own way, but refuses to.

"if we don't do everything we can to help her or at least trust the fact that she can keep it together, we might as well just stake her right now. But Caroline didn't choose this fate Bonnie. She's not bad, but if she doesn't get your help, she'll be on her way there..."

"I don't know if I can trust her, not with this"

"Trust me..."

She glares at him "You aren't any different Stefan"

"Then trust me Bonnie..." she looks behind to find Kat, her face wet, strings of locks sticking to her temples and cheeks. She was looking at one of her bad days but she still is trying. 

Bonnie sighs, holding the ring with her 2 fingers.

▹▹▹

"So, I don't get to choose the ring I have to wear the rest of my life?" Caroline Forbes displays the cynic in her usual self as she examines the beautiful ring. Kat's brows furrow "Don't you like it?

At the same time, Bonnie asks "Don't you want it?"

"No no, she wants it" Stefan offers with a look to the girls on the bed. "It's pretty Care..." the only non-hostile childhood friend in the room motivates and that causes the blonde to smile

"Actually.. It is pretty, thanks" she beams like a small girl. Apparently, Bonnie was having none of the excitement because she sets the grimoire on the fluffy bed.

"Now what?" she asks, eager to know what the witch has planned.

"Now is the part where I explain the rules. The witch who spells the ring has the power to de-spell it so if you ever do anything to hurt anyone..."

"Bonnie..." Kat warns but Caroline shakes her head "I'm not gonna hurt anyone"

"You are a vampire that mean the urge to kill is a part of who you are. The minute you let it take over, I will stop you" she grits out and Kat full-on glares at the witch now. 

She's being a hostile bitch to their friend right now, and one small spark is enough for anything to go wrong. And she wasn't sure if she could take any more anger or burning urge off from anyone.

"Bonnie, you're supposed to be my friend!" Caroline grits out, upset and shocked at her new behaviour.

"I can't ignore what happened, okay?" Bonnie protests "If you want to be friends, you have to prove that the Caroline I remember isn't gone. Now put the ring on the bed" 

Kat puts the ring on the bed and Bonnie holds it in her fingers, examining it once again.

"Do you really think I meant to kill that guy at the carnival?" Caroline whispers.

"He's still dead. Now, do you want me to cast the spell or not?"

"Just do it Bonnie!" Kat whisper-yells, angry and exasperated at the way her dark-haired friend was increasing the gap between them with her words and the dizzying pit in her stomach that won't just go away. Bonnie goes to the window and opens the closed curtain a little bit. A minute of closing her eyes, and she gives the ring to Kat who feels the ring first. She feels the buzzing magic in it, just making sure that this time would not be like that with Johnathan's invention.

She gives the ring to Caroline, who accepts it and puts it on her ring finger.

"So that's it? I mean nothing witchy happened. You know, no flickering lights, no gust of wind. Have you even done this before?" she bursts out and Stefan warns "Caroline..."

"What?" she shrugs "I just want to make sure that it worked" 

Rolling her eyes, Bonnie draws the curtain open so fast that it causes the Guardian to jerk her hands protectively around Caroline, trying to shield her in case the ring didn't work. Nothing burns and Caroline sighs in relief after the shock.

"It worked" Bonnie states, as if she wasn't sure of it's working.

"What if it hadn't?!" Caroline and Kat both shout in sync, Caroline's a bit louder and Kat's, a bit angry.

Bonnie gets to the door as Stefan and the Gilbert walk behind her. She whispers "She's all yours" and goes out without a second look behind.

▹▹▹

Caroline half-crouches to the green Earth as she asks again "So what I do when I see the rabbit?"

"Chase it, catch it, feed on it" Kat repeats again. She's been doing this for the past half-hour since they came into the forest and repeating those 3 phrases and conversation with the blonde is what's been keeping her firm on the ground.

"Isn't killing cute defenceless animals the first step in becoming a serial killer?" 

"Well, you sort of skipped the serial killer and went straight to vampire" Kat points out. Apparently, Stefan wasn't finding this funny "Caroline, if you're not serious about all of this I think you should tell me"

"No I am serious" Caroline gulps "Look, I swear that I am okay? But it's just...I haven't been in the sun for days and everyone is at the swimming hole having fun and Matt is there! And he finally told me that he loved me but I have been blowing him off..." 

Kat leans against a tree, praying for her eyes to not give out again as her friend bursts out to her and the 'vampire-coach' "-and now you want me to eat bunnies and I'm kind of freaking out okay?!"

The duo bursts out into laughter and the doppelganger almost feels her legs act like jell-o.

"And now you're laughing at me"

"No, no, I'm not laughing" Stefan tries to assure but starts laughing again.

"None of this is funny, trust me. It's just that..." Kat begins but falls to the ground. Stefan helps her up.

"What?!" Caroline shouts.

"When someone becomes a vampire, all of their natural behaviours get sort of... amplified" the Guardian explains and Stefan proves with an example that sets the mood back into all it's required seriousness.

"I mean...as a human I cared deeply for people, how they felt. If they were hurting I felt their pain and I felt guilty if I was the one who caused it and as a vampire all of that got...magnified" he gives a brief but meaningful look to Kat, which she ignores. That's the reason they struck such a relationship from the moment they met, they were similar in such ways.

"So you're saying that now I'm basically an insecure, neurotic control freak...on crack?" Caroline all but shouts and Kat's eyes go wide "Well, wasn't gonna say it like that but..."

Thankfully, the Salvatore hears a deer coming "Hey, listen, let's hunt okay? And then after that we'll go to the swimming hole"

"Really?" if Caroline's hope was electricity, it could have run a whole town.

"Yeah. Matt is the closest connection that you have to your humanity and I think that being around him is a good thing" Kat justifies, giving her word to the now smiling blonde.

"Okay, let's hunt"

▹▹▹

Caroline skips up to the edge of the swimming hole party as Mason passes by with a bag. Kat winks and speaks after swallowing the crackers in her hand "Barbecue Mase, date and time". \

He shakes his head with a small smile "Soon". She waves bye and then looks to Stefan beside her, giving the retreating figure a mild thoughtful look.

"Why are you looking at him with your serious vampire look?" Caroline interrupts his moment of thought and Kat's chewing and they both look to her "His what?"

"My 'serious vampire look'?" Stefan's brows furrow in comical questioning and Caroline smiles smugly "Uh-Hmm. I mean it's different from your worried vampire look"

"-neither of which stray too far from your 'hey-it's-Saturday' look" Kat puts in understandingly and Stefan gives her a small smile, making her heart jump.

"I get it, okay" he turns to the newbie vamp "You think I'm...you think I'm too serious. Is that it?"

"I mean I was not gonna say it like that but..." she tries to mock Kat and she playfully rolls her eyes. But inside, she's glad that there's something in Caroline, helping her fight insanity.

▹▹▹

"You've been dodging my calls all day and you get to show up here and be the jealous girlfriend? It's kind of lame, Care" Matt states after their minute-long reunion and walks off, dickishly in the same direction as Aimee Bradley. What's with the Bradley's and their preoccupation with A anyway?

"Hey, I saw that. You compelled her" Stefan points out sternly.

"Yeah, she deserved it"

"Care" Kat sighs "...nobody deserves to have their mind messed with for shallow reasons" she tries to drill it into her mind. Caroline snatches the packet of crackers from her friend's hands, shoving them into her face "You know, why is everyone sticking up for Aimee freaking Bradley?"

"You're letting the jealousy get the best of you" she points out.

"Oh, so now I have magnified jealousy issues, too. That's great" the blonde rolls her eyes.

"I told you this wasn't gonna be easy" Stefan placates gently.

"Yeah, well, I might as well have stayed dead. My entire personality is killing me"

Kat bursts out laughing again and Stefan cracks a smile, not the 'it's Tuesday' one. A real one, as he sees the silly scene of Caroline projecting and moreover, Kat laughing a lot today. It's been a long time since she laughed and really spoke to him. As much as he didn't want to accept it, last night's talk sounded more like farewell to him, farewell to their friendship, this bond that they both shared. It was that, in the first place, that made him stay here.

"Shut up" Caroline shoves some more crackers into her mouth and so does Kat, accompanying her crunching.

▹▹▹

The moon comes up faster than she could have wished. Caroline stares longingly at Matt, who's sitting along on a rock after the party got over. "Go, we'll wait" Kat pushes her friend and smiles.

She leans on the tree as Stefan comes with his phone glowing bright in his hand. She hears Elena's voice on the other end "I don't know what that means or if we should even believe it but it's a full moon, Stefan. After what you guys saw Mason Lockwood do-"

"We'll be careful Elena" Kat puts in.

"There's something else... According to the legend, a werewolf bite can kill a vampire..."

Kat immediately looks towards the rock to see it unpopulated and Stefan bids bye to his girlfriend.

"Caroline...."

"You try calling her and if you find her, get out of here. I'll go this way" she starts going but he stops her "I can't let you do that Kat. Mason's probably out here somewhere and I want both of you safe"

"Fine" she gives in and they rush past as they keep an eye out for any glowing eyes and ears open for Caroline.

Kat's steps stagger as she follows Stefan with half her focus on their path, Mason and Caroline, and the other half on telling her feet to not give away. Suddenly, a growl resounds in their ears and she runs forward to a nearby car, ignoring the chills in her spine. Her jaw buzzes with tension and then with shock as she looks into Mason's truck.

A pair of glowing eyes illuminate the face of a changing Mason Lockwood. The car swings to and fro and in all other directions as the werewolf tries to fight his way out. Stefan pulls the Guardian out just as the door breaks open and the snarling, primal transforming supernatural jumps out. He runs at the duo and pins them to the ground. Stefan struggles under the massive form but Kat twists the limb on her chest and pushes the wolf off with all her Guardian strength.

He runs off and she croaks out "Caroline"

They run to the part of the area they haven't checked, only to find Caroline feeding from her boyfriend. 

Soon to be dead-boyfriend if Stefan and Kat don't do anything. 

Kat, failing at suppressing her primal instincts, pulls Caroline off Matt and pins her to the opposite tree. She snarls but she looks at her friend's guilty face and hugs her, somewhat pining her bloody face to her shoulder. 

They hear a thud and look at Matt slumping down, fainting at blood loss. Caroline jumps to him "O my god. O my God!"

"No, no, no, stop!" the Guardian holds the newbie back "Listen to me. You need to get out of these woods now. You need to leave!"

They hear another loud growl, this time Caroline jumps back into her protective friends as she freaks out "What was that?"

Matt starts getting up, now conscious but Stefan pushes him down "Matt, stay down. Do not move"

They hear noise all around them, now it seems somehow closer.

"We-" he rushes to the girls "-we're gonna run. It's going to follow us. We need to lead it away from Matt. You need to run as fast as you can. Do you understand me? Go, go!" he pushes the girls in one direction and he himself runs in the opposite direction, hoping to spread out their distraction to the werewolf.

"What is it?!" Caroline shouts as they run

"It's a werewolf! He will try to kill us and he can!"

Tyler runs out in front of them out of nowhere "Hey! What are you two doing?"

"What are you doing?!" Kat breathes out and from the clearing in front of them, the wolf rushes and rushes into the new vampire. Kat growls and pulls the snarling figure off her friend. 

Downside of strength, you can't control it in the heat of the moment, and for the Guardian, especially now. The wolf falls on his back, on the Gilbert girl. 

She screams under the pain of her already-healing fractures and the bones and claws digging into her. She pushes again and watches the form of her uncle-like man run into the trees. Tyler looks at the girls in confusion and Stefan vamps behind him and compels him to forget and go away.

"What are we gonna do about Tyler?" Caroline asks after Matt is compelled. 

"Stefan took care of it and we're getting Matt on vervain, it'll keep you from being able to compel him and also to keep you from drinking his blood" 

"I can't believe I hurt him" she almost cries and Kat holds her face in her hands, involuntarily cooing to her "I know"

"He is the one person on this entire planet that I never wanted to hurt"

"It's not going to get any easier" Stefan speaks up "You're just gonna have to work that much harder"

"I shouldn't be with him, should I? Because if there is any danger..."

"I'm the last person to make that kind of decision for you" Stefan sighs "If I had follow my own advice, I would walked away from Elena and Vivi a long time ago..." the elder Gilbert twin sighs at the mention of her name.

"You ever think you should have?"

"I know I should have, I just can't"

Kat walks away.

▹▹▹

Kat leans against Stefan's car and sighs as she hears Stefan come up, keys jiggling sadly. Without a single word, they get into the car and rev along the road.

"Did you mean it?" she asks, low, almost a ghost of a whisper.

"What?"

"That you stayed back for us"

"Of course I meant it" he sighs "I couldn't leave even if I wanted you because of you.... Of Elena" he adds later, placating himself on letting it slip out that way, the way he actually meant it.

Kat hesitates and weakly nods, letting her eyes gently roll back a bit as she tries to hold in her anger and the feeling of jumping out of her skin. She takes deep breaths until Stefan drives to the Boarding House. 

Maybe she could eat something. He's been with her almost all day expect for her visit to Whitmore, and she didn't see her eat anything but those awful crackers, half of which Caroline had to eat.

As the car stops, the girl looks out at the wooden house and gets out on weak jell-o feet. She sees Damon standing outside and waving to her slowly.

Getting inside the brightly lit house, Kat squints under the magnified effect and places a hand over the image of the light. But they're too many and Stefan closes the door, the large sound makes her jump.

"Got a surprise for you. Guess what?" Damon asks playfully and she lets herself down onto the couch slowly, putting on a small smile, just to entertain the older Salvatore.

"Tada" he presents a fat book from behind his back and she widens her smile "What's that about?"

"The plights of a hunter" he jokes and she scoffs lowly and extends her hand for the bulk of the ancient book. But she overestimated her strength at that moment because, when Damon hands the weight, her hand cripples under it.

The book falls to the carpeted ground and Stefan rushes to pick it up. Damon frowns at the Gilbert "You alright?"

"Yea... Just feeling a bit, weak. I'll be fine..." She accepts the book from the younger Salvatore, or rather, lets him place it in her lap. The cover looks rich and hilted. She runs a hand over the carvings of the edge and opens the book. Surprisingly, it contains her portrait. Or Katherine Pierce's. Only, the apparel's far more ancient than just the 1800s.

Stefan sits on her right, accepting the glass of bourbon that his brother offers. Damon settles to her left, whistling "Is that Katherine?"

"It says 'Talia'" Stefan points out. Kat blinks. And blinks again. All she sees in front of her is a blur of pencil sketches and the buzz of concern around her from the two brothers.

"Kat?" the name buzzes a million times a second.

"Kat, are you alright?"

"Stop" she covers her hears, croaking and closing her eyes "Stop it shut up!" she shouts even louder. A piercing pain drills into her temples, making her eyes droop in pain.

"Viv?" Stefan ignores her pleas and takes her into his arms. She sobs, clutching the boy's shirt harder. She her leg and arms crack of their bones and she screams, pushing the vampire off in pain and anger.

Her back arches as a bone near her spine breaks.

"What's happening?"

The only reply are the agonised screams of the young Guardian. After a few more cracks, her body falls limp - at the Salvatores knees. "Kat!" they kneel over her and shake her.

Damon doesn't hesitate to tear his wrist and bring the dripping red liquid to her unmoving lips.

"Wake up. Wake up...." they both plead together.

Kat Gilbert gasps awake, her eyes glowing a golden over jade.