I.

Chicago, Illinois, 2025

Katherine frowned as she ran her fingers over the bottles lining the shelves as she tried to decide what she wanted. She'd just come home from a long day of traveling and a craving for a vodka tonic to discover an empty liquor cabinet, no doubt the work of Lucy, who'd been watering Katherine's plants while she was gone, and so she'd gone on a brief run to the liquor store around the corner from her apartment.

After a few moments, her hand finally settled on a bottle of Grey Goose when she felt a prickling at the back of her neck. A shadow seemed to pass over her and she froze. After a brief hesitation, she turned around slowly, relaxing slightly when she saw that no one was there.

She headed towards the checkout, grabbing a bottle of tonic water from a display as she passed by, and put both bottles on the counter.

"Find everything you need?" the guy behind the counter asked.

Katherine's eyes dropped to his throat, her teeth aching to extend and sink into his neck, and then she raised her gaze to his eyes, rolling them when she caught him ogling her cleavage.

"I'm fine, thanks," she said, glancing at the clock behind the counter. It was only 11:35 and the night was young. Perhaps she could convince him to—

At that moment, the bell over the door rang and she started, turning to look. They were still alone in the store, but she could see a shadow moving away, too fast to identify. Her stomach twisted instinctively, but she tamped down the response. It was years since she'd been on the run from Klaus, but that didn't mean she wasn't vigilant. She'd made enough enemies in her life to know that the next stake could be waiting just around the corner.

She paid and left the store without partaking in a "snack." She still had blood in the freezer at home, she was sure of it. She left the shop and headed down the street to the brownstone where she lived.

After a few paces, she became aware that she was being followed. She continued on until she reached an alleyway about a half a block from her apartment and then dashed into it, slipping into the shadows behind the trash container and waiting. She didn't have to wait long. After a few moments, a dark figure appeared at the head of the alleyway, pausing as he seemed to peer into the dusk. Katherine shrank back against the wall, holding her breath as the man advanced into the alley. Perhaps it was a mugger, perhaps a rapist, but she was a predator, too. She jumped out and was on him in a flash, sinking her teeth into his throat, moaning as the taste of his blood hit her tongue. Her eyes rolled back in pleasure, as she drank and she pressed closer, anxious for more. It was obviously the blood of a vampire, but different, like nothing she'd ever tasted before. He was delicious.

Suddenly the other vampire braced his hands on her upper arms and pushed, sending her flying through the air. She slammed against the wall and slid down, panting as she tried to get air into her emptied lungs. The figure reached into his coat and pulled something out, the light of the waxing moon shining on a white patch of material. The figure shook it out and then pressed it to the wound on his neck. As she watched, he started to move towards her.

"Katerina…" the figure growled. The voice went right through her, to her deepest instincts and fears, and she panicked. She didn't want to wait to see what he wanted. Instead, she jumped to her feet and fled.

oOoOo

Lucy was ignoring her calls and texts, but she couldn't pretend not to hear Katherine pounding on her door. She opened the door, fixing Katherine with a glare instead of a greeting.

"Finally," Katherine said, her voice filled with exasperation and not a little panic as she pushed past Lucy into her apartment. "I've been texting you for hours."

"It's only been 20 minutes," Lucy said.

Katherine's eyes swept the room and settled on the TV. "Real Wives of Chicago? Really?"

Lucy sighed and sat down on the couch. "It's all that's on. Is that why you're here at 10 to midnight? To criticize my TV viewing choices?"

Katherine propped herself up on the back of the couch, peering at the TV.

"Among other things," she said, tilting her head to the side and wrinkling her nose. "I think I munched on that woman's husband once. Sociopathic creep."

"Katherine…"

"Fine," Katherine said with a huff. "Whatever. You have to help me. I'm being followed."

Lucy rolled her eyes and Katherine could tell what she was thinking. Katherine had frequent feelings someone was after her, no doubt from having been pursued by Klaus for so many years. But this time it was no delusion.

"Who is following you?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know," Katherine said with an exasperated sigh, "for sure. But he attacked me. Okay, I attacked him first, but he was totally going to attack me."

"Katherine..."

Katherine stomped her foot. "I'm not imagining things, Lucy," she said irritably. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Lucy turned back to Katherine, giving her a long, considering look.

"You think someone's after you?" she asked. "Maybe someone you screwed over years ago? Wow, it could be pretty much anyone in that case, couldn't it?"

Katherine glared at her.

"Ha, ha, very funny," she said. "I'd think you'd be more anxious to help me. If I die, you'll be all alone."

Lucy reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing slowly. "Of course I want to help you," she said finally with an exaggerated sigh. "Besides, I doubt very much that even death will keep you from annoying me."

"True," Katherine said with a mischievous grin. She reached out and poked Lucy on the shoulder. "And I will come back to haunt you if something happens to me this time."

Lucy sighed.

"All right," she said. "Look, you can sleep in the spare room. Maybe I can find some spell to figure out who this mysterious person is in the morning."

Katherine nodded. "Thanks, Lu," she said. Bending over the back of the couch, she pressed a kiss to Lucy's forehead. "You're a life-saver."

"Don't thank me yet," she called.

As Katherine headed off to the spare room, Lucy clicked off her television and sighed.

"I'm so going to regret this," she muttered.

"What?" Katherine called.

"Nothing! G'night, Kat."