❝  lets just finish the dance  ❞

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Alaric stared down at the book on his desk as Katherine sat in the chair across from him, sipping a mug of coffee. "Now that my clock has run out, I'm thinking of donating the Valentine property to the school entirely." She explains. It was official, Katherine realized. Unless they found a new solution within the next few days, Katherine wasn't going to make it pass Miss Mystic Falls.

Alaric glanced up at Katherine. "Can we not focus on your Will right now?"

Suddenly, a familiar Phoenix walks into the room. "Hey, Dr. Saltzman, uh, can we talk?" He asks, looking over.

"Yeah, of course. Kat and I were just doing some Phoenix research." Landon glances at the vampire, who gives a small wave. "Please sit down."

"Um, yeah, well, I mean, obviously I'm dying to know more, pardon the pun.But actually, I wanted to talk to you about-"

Alaric cuts the boy off. "MG? Is he still acting weird? Look, once Emma's done with her therapy intensive with Raf, she'll work with MG. And she'll work with you, too, if you want to deal with the fallout of him, you know-"

"Killing you." Katherine finishes, giving a smirk.

Landon swallows the lump in his throat, feeling nervous under Katherine's stare. The only thing that never changed about their dynamic, was how his heart sped up 20 beats when she was around. He knew she could tell, too. Luckily, neither of them said anything. "Dr. Saltzman, I'm honestly just glad to know what I am. And that I belong at the school."

"Good." Alaric says, looking at Landon's neck. "You, got a little,"

"Yeah, that was actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Katherine leans over, wiping her finger across Landon's neck. "Paint?"

"Hope."

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

"I have some news." Says Alaric. He stands at the podium while Katherine stands to his side. "Many of you, like me, have forgotten that we are hosting this year's Miss Mystic Falls Pageant." Students begin to mutter and groan in annoyance. "Trust me, I know. But the rotation is set in stone. So, let's take the opportunity to maintain our image as a normal school for the rich and awful." Katherine looks at Lizzie, who seems more excited then Katherine is for the event. "As usual, anything remotely magical, enchanted, vampire, wolf or witch-related must be kept tucked away, hidden, and under lock and key. Now, with your chore assignments."

Lizzie looks around, smiling wide. "Okay, so we'll split into teams."

Later, Katherine walks around as students begin to put things awayI look down at my piece of paper. "So I've been thinking about why you've been acting so weird." Landon says.

"Suddenly everyone's got a psychology degree around here."

Landon chuckles. "No, I just, I just think you have cold feet."

"About what?" Hope asks him.

"Us. You know, we're good. We're finally in a solid relationship based on honesty and openness and I'm indestructible. You're relatively indestructible." He pokes her shoulder as Katherine leans on the table. "We finally have a long, clear road ahead of us, you know, with no obstacles."

Hope looks over his shoulder. "Katherine," The Valentine turns on her heel, shocked to see Roman Sienna. A beautiful blond vampire Hope almost killed after his mom brainwashed him into trying to hurt Hope and then killing Hayley. Also, Katherines ex boyfriend.

Landon watches closely, turning to Hope and Katherine. "Who's that?"

Roman looks at the two girls. "That is Roman." Hope chirps.

"Our ex boyfriend." Katherine grins. Landon nods in surprise, looking between them.

Roman walks over, Katherine giving him a closed mouth smile. "Kat."

"Roman," She hums, letting the boy take her hand in his, kissing her knuckles. "What are you doing here?" She asks.

"Dr. Saltzman's been a little overwhelmed, so, uh, I've been doing a little recruiting recon for him lately. But he asked me to come in today and lend a hand." Roman explains.

Hope opens her mouth awkwardly. "Oh, uh, this is Landon." She hums.

Landon comes from behind the two girls. "Her boyfriend. And a Phoenix." He shrugs, trying to size up the blond. "Which is, by the way, so cool." He chuckles. Katherine raises a brow, so unamused.

Roman nods slowly. "I better go find Dr. Saltzman." He says sheepishly.

The three of them watch as he walks away. "That was a little alpha male of you." Hope says to Landon. Katherine gags, disgusted by third wheeling.

"Isn't that the 90-year-old vampire ex you may have mentioned murdered your mom?" Landon asks her.

Hope blinks. "It is. Though I don't hold him responsible for what happened anymore."She says, her eyes are glossy and her voice is shaky. A complete change of her mood. She's not completely fine with it.

Landon raises a brow. "I'm gonna go hide more rats." He says.

Katherine hums. "I love a good plot twist." She tells Hope, walking away.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Katherine sat back in the hall, sipping on a glass of coffee once again as Penelope sits down. Humming, Katherine looks over. "I was wondering when you were going to talk to me again." She says shortly, looking down at her heels.

"You slept with my ex girlfriend."

Katherine scoffs. "You're going to Belgium, and I'm dying within the week. I think we have more important things to discuss than me sleeping with Josette." She retorts, crossing her legs. The Valentine looked around as people began to set things up. "Like how we are going to get you to be little Miss Saltzman's date." She hums, turning her head to look back at Penelope.

The Park rolled her eyes. "Josie's only entering so she can get Lizzie to win." She explains, looking around.

"And Lizzie only wins if she's in the race." Katherine purrs. Penelope furrows her brow as Katherine stands up, walking over to Vera Lilien, the mother of Dana. Penelope watches as Katherine whispers in the woman's ear, pointing to Lizzie. Katherine struts back to her seat, slowly sitting down.

"What did you just do?" Penelope asks.

Katherine shrugs, "Lizzie Saltzman will be out of the race in ten minutes." She chimes.

And she was right.

Lizzie Saltzman gathered Katherine, Penelope, Josie, and Hope. . "I am withdrawing from Miss Mystic Falls. Effective immediately."

Hope rolls her eyes. "I thought you had something important to tell us."

The Park witch raises a hand. "Come for the underwhelming announcement, stay for the epic meltdown." She chimes. Katherine smirks, sitting next to her friend.

Josie ignores her. "Okay, wait, why are you quitting?"

"A personal issue with one of the judges. A direct result of that bitch Dana's sabotage."

"She's dead, Lizzie." Hope scolds.

Lizzie rolls her eyes. "Correction; that dead bitch Dana's sabotage. Costing me the crown from beyond the grave." She leans on the desk behind her. "The head judge is her mother. The town pharmacist. There is always next year for me. But that does not mean that we here at the Salvatore School shouldn't bring home the title and stick it to those townies." She explains to the four teens. "So, I have studied all of the stats and advanced metrics, and I have chosen a replacement." Josie smiles, assuming it will be her. "Hope Mikaelson." Josie's smile falters. Penelope's jaw drops, while Katherine just hums in thought.

"This just got more exciting for me." Katherine coos, looking between them all.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

The day had passed, and Katherine was sent to the Old Mill to meet up with Lizzie Saltzman and Hope Mikaelson. "You are far from fine." Lizzie snaps. "You are one small moment away from a meltdown, trust me. I know the signs." Hope glares at Katherine, who shrugs in thought. "You know that feeling inside, like a balloon constantly filling up, always on the verge of popping?"

Hope looks between the two. "Maybe." She mutters.

Katherine shives her hands into her pockets. "So, let it pop." Hope sends the vampire a questioning look. "Scream as loud as you can."

Lizzie and the Valentine move behind Hope. She sends Katherine an unsure look. But something about Katherines smile made the tribrid feel better. Letting in a deep breath, Hope screams. The Mikaelson let's everything out, leaves flying in all directions. Katherine feels her hair whisk in her face as Hope releases all the tension. When Hope is done, she blinks, impressed.

"See? Wasnt so bad." Katherine chimes, waving the girls along.

Hope looks over. "You know? I actually feel a lot better. But I think I need to go back up to my room. I need to call it a day." She explains.

"No, you are not dropping out on me." Lizzie scolds. "If I'm right, which I am, our win probability is still at 87%. Even after that abysmal rehearsal. So buckle up, we're in this till the bitter end."

Landon rounds the corner, spotting the three girls. "In a situation like this, which one of us is supposed to apologize?" Hope whispers.

Lizzie and Hope look at Katherine"When it comes to jealousy?" She hums. "Always the guy."

Landon walks towards Hope. "Hey. I'm so sorry, I was totally insensitive, and I just, I-" He looks to his right, observing a stone structure next to them. "Where did this statue come from?"

"Uh, I-I don't know, somebody probably moved it up here when they were cleaning?" Hope shrugs. "Looks like one of the statues from the basement."

"Call me crazy, but doesn't this look like MG's mom?"

Katherine steps forwards. "Hate to break it to you, but this is MG's mom." She says awkwardly.

The teens get Alaric and MG. "Who would do this to my mom?"

"Well, not just who would," Hope begins. "Who could?"

Alaric shrugs s "It could be a bad spell translation, a potion mishap?"

"Or, hear me out, a monster." Katherine says, earning a glare from Alaric.

"There's no reason a monster would be here."

Lizzie hums. "Unless this sentient jar of artisanal mayonnaise activated a new artifact." She says to Landon. "What did you touch?"

Landon shrugs. "Everything. We cleaned the school from top to bottom, remember?" Lizzie nods, realizing he has a point. "But if we're just gonna throw out wild theories, here's one; what if the person who did this showed up today, out of nowhere, acting all buddy-buddy, manipulating romantic feelings to get someone's guard down?"

Hope turns to look at him. "Do you seriously suspect Roman?" She snaps.

"Yeah, we all should. The timing is too convenient."

Katherine raises a brow. "I thought you were sorry for acting jealous." She inquired, smirking.

Landon looks over. "I was sorry, but now I'm vindicated." He explains.

"All right, Lizzie, Hope, you keep an eye on the contestants." Alaric begins, looking between everyone. "MG, we're gonna search the campus. Landon-"

"I'm gonna go ask Roman some questions." The Kirby says as he walks away.

Hope scoffs. "Yeah, super helpful. Ask a vampire how he turned a woman to stone." She huffs. Katherine rolls her eyes playfully.

Alaric shrugs sheepishly. "All right, everyone stay alert and be careful out there."

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

"Miss Josette Saltzman, escorted by Miss Penelope Park." Josie smiles at the crowd. Katherine stands amongst them, wearing the beautiful dark blue dress her and Josie had picked out months ago. Josie glances at Penelope, and then at Lizzie. Katherines smile falls as Josie falls to the ground, her and Sasha, Hopes other remaining competition, hitting the wood surface.

Penelope glares as she looks down. "What are you gonna do when I'm not here to fight for you anymore?" She snaps.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Josie asks as she stands up. Katherine walks over, helping Josie fix her dress.

"You want to know? Read the letter." Penelope spits before storming off. Katherine opens her mouth to say something, but quickly shuts it.

Josie watches after the Park witch, slowly turning to glance at Katherine. "Do you know what she's talking about?" Josie asks.

Katherine looks at the Saltzman. She places her hand on Josie's shoulder. "Yes, but you shouldn't hear it from me." She says softly, walking away. "Just know, that you deserve better." Josie frowns in confusion as Katherine steps away. Sighing, Josie heads to her dorm to find the letter.

Katherine approaches the table, sipping on a glass as she hears Hopes name. The vampire turns around, her breath escaping her lungs when she sees how beautiful Hope looks. Katherine smiles wide as she recalls all the times she took care of the little Mikaelson, and now, here she was, a strong beautiful woman.

"You did well, Kat." The Valentine turns around, seeing Sheriff Matt Donovan once again. He was in a suit, and it reminded Katherine of their old times together.

She hums. "I would've been a good mom." She says shortly. Matt chuckles, nodding slowly as Katherine looks at him. "I have something for you." The Donovan frowns as she turns away, opening her clutch and pulling out a piece of paper. "Read this tonight. For me."

Matt frowns, looking at her. "Katherine-"

"Please, Matt." She cuts him off, her brown eyes glossy. The Donovan nods slowly, looking down at the paper. Katherine walks away, approaching Lizzie and Josie Saltzman. Josie had read the letter, from what Katherine could tell. And the Saltzman was angry.

"They're about to announce the winners. Where have you been?" Lizzie asks her sister.

"I was getting the note that Penelope wrote me. She's leaving the school." Josie tells her.

Lizzie giggles. "Oh, yeah, I knew that. I overheard Dad talking to her parents." Katherine raises a brow, shocked. She didn't know Lizzie knew, which made this all the more worse for the twins.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Josie hisses.

"The devil's exorcising herself from our lives. That's good news." Lizzie shrugs. "Why are you acting all annoyed?"

Josie scoffs. "I can't believe this. She's been telling me all along, but I could never hear it." She shakes her head at her twin. "You never consider anybody's feelings but your own." she snaps.

Lizzie turns to face her sister. "What? That isn't fair." She begins, but Josie cuts her off.

"Isnt it?" Josie asks. "It's bad enough that you didn't think I'd want to enter, but not a single part of you thought that I could even win." She mutters.

"Jo, I'm not a mind reader, okay? If you wanted to win-"

"Of course I wanted to win." Josie cuts Lizzie off. "But the second you dropped out, you gifted your entire plan to Hope."

Lizzie nods. "Because of science."

"Lizzie, listen to yourself. Science? What about your sister's feelings?" Josie argues. "Do you know how good it would feel to actually be competing? In Mom's dress?" Josie asks. "Did you even consider how Hope would feel wearing it?"

Lizzie looks towards Hope, who's dancing with Roman. "She looks fantastic. She should feel amazing." Katherine looks back at Hope, and she realizes Roman was listening to the entire thing.

"Will she still feel amazing when she learns where it came from?" Josie asks Lizzie coldly.

The blond shrugs. "It was a gift from some guy who used to crush on our mom." She says blandly.

Josie shakes her head. "From Klaus Mikaelson, Lizzie. Hope's dad."

Katherines mouth runs dry. Lizzie's face pales. Katherine turns towards Hope. Roman looks back at her, giving her a sympathetic look. They know. Hope knows.

"May I have your attention, please?" Vera Lilien's voice echoes. Things around Hope begin to shake as she takes in the information. "Without further ado, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls. From the Salvatore School, Miss Hope Mikaelson."

The lights shine on Hope as tears are rolling down her cheeks. Everyone from the school look at her warily. Katherine rushes over, wrapping her arms around the Mikaelson. Things stop shaki as Katherine brings the girl back to reality"Congratulations, Little Wolf." Whispers Katherine. Hope sobs into her arms. Katherine's voice is soothing and calm as she runs Hopes back.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Katherine sits outside the steps of the school in her dress, drinking a glass of champagne. "Is this the part I ask you to come with me?" The Valentine turns around to see Penelope with her luggage. Smiling, Katherine slowly stands.

"You know I'd say no." She replies, causing Penelope to nod. "I'm going to miss you, Park."

Penelope's eyes gloss over. "Don't make this sadder than it needs to be." She says. The pair of friends share sad looks, hugging each other tightly. They both knew, that this was their final goodbye. And even after all of the time they've spent together, it felt like there was never enough memories.

Katherine pulls away, smiling softly. "Goodbye," She watches her friend walk away, sniffling softly. The Valentine walks down the path, knowing Penelope had to say some last words to Josie.

"Katherine."

The vampire looks over, seeing Veronica Greasley. "Hey, MG's mom." She says. "I see they figured everything out."

The woman nods. "They did." She says shortly. Katherine looks down awkwardly, feeling a weird sensation in her gut. "Im afraid they never figured your situation out." Katherine raises a brow, her eyes widening in horror as Veronica lifts a stake, stabbing it through the Valentine's chest. "That's for turning my boy into a monster."

As Katherine stumbles down, Veronica walking to her car, the vampire struggles to breath. Landon Kirby walked down the path to the gate of the school, sadly missing the moment by minutes. Penelope wouldn't come through that entrance, and Katherine didn't know how much longer it'd be until someone found her.

"And that's the tragic story of Katherine Valentine. The brilliant witch turned horrendous vampire." Antionette's words echoed in Katherines ears. To think her mother won, after all this time. Katherine struggled for air as she leaned against the pillar.

"Alaric, that night, when I decided to kill myself, I was supposed to die. It was, my destiny, I guess. The natural order. But I came back. I defied the laws of, well, life. And this is life's way of paying me back." Katherine remembers all the things she said. Tears quickly running down her face as she realizes she may very well die alone. Nobody by her side. Katherine wished she had remained a witch, stayed alive, so she could spend her days with the people she loved most. Like Hope, or Matt. Matt. He cared for her, like she cared for him. But now, they could never live happily ever after together. Their love was now tarnished by time and the supernatural. And now, she was living her last moments.

It was only a few moments until Hope Mikaelson stepped out of the school. She was searching for her boyfriend, to apologize. However, her eyes landed on Katherine Valentine. "Oh my god!" She screams. "Someone, get Dr. Saltzman!" Hope falls to her knees, looking over Katherines wound. "What happened?"

The Valentine Vampire choked on her own blood as she looked at the stake. "I got a taste of my own medicine, I suppose." She joked, hissing in pain. Hope shook her head wildly, sobbing.

"The curse, you'll be okay, you'll-"

"I'm afraid my time is finished, Hope." Katherine whispered. Hope shook her head as Katherine weakly raises her hands. "Youre so strong. So beautiful. So much better than I'll ever be." Hope sobbed harder, and Katherine wiped her tears away with her thumb.

Alaric stumbles out, other students like Rafael, Josie, and Lizzie behind him. "Katherine!" He shouts, leaning down. He took Katherines hand in his, realizing it was too late. "I'm so sorry." He whispered, trying not to cry. He felt guilty. When she first turned into a vampire, she spent her time protecting young Hope. After that, she spent time in Mystic Falls, helping her friends here. He remembered the first day he ever met her. She had walked into his Occult Class at Whitmore college. She was so unique, so special. She had this natural confidence, and nobody knew who she was. Alaric remembers her introduction to the class. My name is Katherine, and I really love to drink with a classic Katherine smirk. Her entire life was surrounded by protecting these people, protecting Hope. And as he looked at her now, as she took her last breaths, he felt like he had failed her.

Katherine weakly smiled. "Thank you, for everything." She whispered weakly.

Hope shook her head. "It wasn't supposed to be like this." She cried. Katherine looks at her. The Valentines brown eyes glossed over as she grabs Hope's hand. Hope looked up, looking at the small smile on the vampires lips.

"Some people don't deserve a happy ending." Katherine whispers softly. She tightens her grip on Hopes hand. "I'll always love you, Little Wolf."

The Mikaelson watched as Katherines skin turned to gray, her last breath escaping her lips. Alaric Saltzman looked at his closest friend with a horrified look. Josie sobbed, leaning into Rafael. Lizzie looked down sadly. Hope screamed and cried, wishing with everything in her that Katherine would come back. She had to. This wasn't fair. As the Salvatore stood still, listening to the cries of their classmates, it was clear to them all what had occurred.

Katherine Valentine, was dead.