So, here it is! The promised first revamped chapter of Too Many Words. I apologize for it taking so long but life caught up with me and I've had little time for anything else. If you've read my oneshot Reflection then you'll recognize the beginning. Reflection was going to be the beginning for Too Many Words but it didn't fit. Anyways, enjoy this and there will be more to come!

Too Many Words
- Sick Puppies

I've tried to balance these lives that we are living
You always feel justified but you never feel forgiving
I woke up one morning to find myself wrapped in the things I swore I'd never touch
And here I am again trying to save what's left of you and I
So why aren't you satisfied?

I reached out, fell short
Now you're hurt, too many words
Breaking the silence
I felt it, bled it, screamed it
It only gets worse
And it kills me what's in me, too angry for us to survive
I used too many words tonight

I tried to get it right
But I was just wastin' my time
'cause you never compromised when it came to us
We struggle and fall apart, we build it back to static start
The endless accusations, I can't believe we made it this far

I reached out, fell short
Now you're hurt, too many words
Breaking the silence
I felt it, bled it, screamed it,
It only gets worse
And it kills me what's in me too angry for us to survive
I used too many words tonight

Waking alone tomorrow, has gotta be better than this

I reached out, fell short
Now you're hurt, too many words
Breaking the silence
I felt it, bled it, screamed it,
It only gets worse
I used too many words tonight
Too many words
Too many words
Too many words
Too many words

Part one

Human. The word tasted like dirt on her tongue. Human. She gave a shudder. She had been a pitiful, oh so delicate human. A scowl marred her forehead, fingers gripping the steering wheel until she had to remind herself that she was, in fact, a vampire and things such as leather and plastic were all too breakable. She took a deep breath, let it out. Her fingers relaxed their death grip. Katherine repeated the process.

In and out. In and out.

It was not to quell her temper that she did this, though anyone who knew Katherine would have assumed this. It was for the fear, the all-consuming panic that constricted around her chest like a python. She forced more air into her lungs.

In and out. In and out.

Being human again was too close to what she had felt all those years ago, when she had found out what it meant to wear this face, her face. It was like a bucket of ice cold water had been poured over her head. All the wounds she'd thought healed had been ripped open, had salt rubbed in them.

In and out. In and out.

Katherine had always said that humanity was a useless, tedious thing. She had spoken of it flippantly, like it was nothing but an irritation for her. A mere inconvenience. There had never been a greater lie. Humanity was the one thing Katherine feared above all, above even Klaus. Humanity meant being beaten down, used, abused, discarded like rubbish, left to rot. It was synonymous with weakness and pity and death. Synonymous with everything she had been and refused to be again. Couldn't be again.

In and out. In and –

Stop it, she ordered herself. You're not human. There's no need to behave like one. She straightened, focusing on the road ahead of her as she wound her way through a city she hadn't been in for fifty years. You're not human, Katherine.

And she thanked whoever was up there for that small reassurance.

There were more important things to worry about than her recent mortality. While she might not be human, she could very well be dead within the next five minutes if the universe wasn't on her side. She snorted, shaking her head. In that case coming here, to New Orleans, had been like signing a suicide note.

Her headlights reflected off the windows of the old colonial mansion, tires crunching on the gravel, as she pulled up outside. She cut the engine and climbed out, eyes never leaving the front door. The dread that gripped her now was not dissimilar to earlier. This time, however, it was not behind her but laid out in front of her. It did not approach her. It was almost as if it knew it would not need to. She was all but offering herself up to it. To Klaus.

Katherine wouldn't turn around though. Her entire self screamed at her, every instinct telling her to get back in that car and drive until New Orleans was nothing but specks of light in her rearview mirror. And she wanted to, wanted to but couldn't. She wasn't here for her, after all. She was here for him.

Elijah.

She drew both comfort and pain from his name. Comfort because she knew without a sprinkle of doubt that he would protect her, if not for her then for the feelings he used to have. Elijah was a man who respected the past, their past.

There was pain because he'd left her, left her for his brother. That had stung. It went deeper than a wounded pride though. Elijah Mikaelson had done what no man had done in five-hundred years. He had caused her to relinquish the one thing she'd sworn she never would.

Her heart.

She had given it to him, bruised and tender, and trusted him with it. She had trusted someone. And what had he done? He had shattered it, ground it under the heel of his expensive Italian shoes, claiming honour and duty whilst he did so. Always and forever. She sneered at the words. Hypocritical, self-centred, back-stabbing bastard. She should loathe him. And yet, here she was. Risking her life for him. She didn't feel like analysing the whys.

Katherine rapped on the front door, hoping against hope that Klaus wasn't in. It seemed she was in luck. The footsteps echoing from inside the house were distinctly female, unless Klaus had taken to wearing heels. The door opened and Hayley, her not-so-dead werewolf informant, appeared. Katherine blinked, thrown for a second. Hayley was alive; that meant Will was dead. Of course. In the moment it took for her to recalibrate, she heard it. The fluttering of a tiny heart. Her eyes followed the source of the sound to Hayley's swollen belly. Pregnant, she realized with no small amount of shock. Just like you were, her head reminded her.

Frightened. Alone. Pregnant.

Katherine bit back a distressing wave of emotion as memories of her daughter sprung to the surface, of that precious little bundle being ripped away, the sound of her and the baby's cries. She swallowed the lump that had accumulated in her throat. Get a grip, Pierce. You don't have time to walk down memory lane. She turned her attention back to the werewolf, schooling her features into her trademark smirk.

"Hayley, what a pleasant surprise."

"Likewise," Hayley replied stiffly.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked, voice arrogant.

"No," came the short answer.

Katherine stuck her foot out, preventing the door from being slammed in her face. That was not something she would stand for. "That wasn't a question, wolf."

"It sure as hell sounded like one," Hayley snapped.

Katherine chuckled. It was a cold, mirthless sound. One that sounded foreign to Katherine, almost as if it didn't fit her. She pushed her hesitance away, this was not the time for her humanity to show up, and shoved passed the werewolf, striding into the foyer. Her heels clicked satisfactorily against the gleaming floorboards. She took in the lavish decorations and gave a nod of approval. Hayley watched on warily as Katherine reached out to run elegant fingers along the rich, smooth mahogany mantelpiece.

"I must admit, Klaus has good taste." She turned her head, catching Hayley's eye. "In most things anyway."

The werewolf resisted the urge to snarl. "What do you want, Katherine?"

There was no doubt in Hayley's mind that this was Katherine Pierce, the bitch who had tried to have her killed, who had lied to her, used her. Elena was too pure, even when she'd had her emotions turned off. Elena was naïve; Katherine had never been naïve. Elena could never have scared Hayley; Katherine terrified her.

"Nothing much, wolf," came the flippant reply.

Hayley squared her shoulders and scowled. "Tell me or you'll wish you'd stayed under whatever rock you crawled out from."

Katherine glanced over at the werewolf and quirked an eyebrow, amused. "I see you're still pissed."

"You tried to have me killed," Hayley retorted. "Sue me for feeling a little bitter."

Shrugging, Katherine strolled into the living room and poured herself some bourbon from the decanter that sat on the piano. She tossed it back and began pouring herself another. She had to commend Klaus on his taste in alcohol. The man had a knack for it, like killing and torturing.

"Is that the only thing you feel bitter about, wolf?" she asked when she heard Hayley come up behind her.

"What are you talking about?"

Katherine tilted her glass in the direction of Hayley's baby bump. "You're knocked up, cupcake." She lifted the tumbler to her lips. "Tell me, how's Klaus dealing with impending fatherhood?"

Hayley stiffened and Katherine knew she'd been right in her assumption that Klaus was the father. It was a simple conclusion. Why else would Klaus want a pregnant werewolf around if the child was not his? Katherine watched the fear Hayley had so brilliantly been managing to hide seep onto her face, hands clutching at her stomach. Katherine remembered that fear, the fear for a child, for her child. It was a fear that clamped around your heart until there was nothing else but it. Her expression, against her will, softened a fraction.

"I'm not here to harm you or the baby, Hayley." Her voice was almost soft, almost kind. "I'm here to talk to Elijah. That's all."

Hayley didn't relax for a second. It was understandable; Katherine had tried to kill her once. "He's not here."

"I can wait," Katherine replied, settling herself on one of the sofas with another glass of bourbon. "I have all the time in the world."

There was a knock at the front door and Katherine paused in the act of swirling her fourth glass of bourbon. Her head tilted slightly. She could hear the measured beating of a heart, a vampire's heart. It wasn't Elijah's, nor was it Klaus', nor Rebekah's. She knew theirs as well as her own.

She was immediately cautious. A natural response for someone who had spent five-hundred years surviving on caution and ruthlessness alone. There was an unknown vampire outside that was most probably stronger than her and she had no idea whether or not it was friend or foe.

"Were you expecting someone?" she asked Hayley.

The werewolf shook her head, still wary enough of the vampire sitting across from her not to lie. "No."

Another thought occurred to Katherine and her expression darkened. "Who did you call, wolf?"

"I've been with you the entire time," Hayley pointed out indignantly. "How could I have?"

"Stay here then and be quiet," she told Hayley. Katherine squared her shoulders, slipping into her Katherine Pierce façade like an old glove. "This won't take long."

With slow, calculated footsteps, she approached the front door and opened it, leaning against the frame, hand on her hip. It was a standard Katherine disarming tactic. Her body was her most lethal weapon and she knew how to wield it. A tall vampire with dark skin and even darker eyes stood before her. There was something vaguely familiar about him.

"And you are?" she asked, giving him a once over; he was handsome, smooth, oozing charisma.

"Marcel Gerard." Ah, Katherine thought to herself. Klaus' protégé. The self-proclaimed king of New Orleans. She watched as his eyes ran over her curves, his lips curving in appreciation. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you before."

"Probably because I'm not usually within sniffing distance of Klaus. You'll have heard of me though," she told him confidently. "I'm Katherine Pierce." A knowing light came to his eyes and her lips twisted into a smirk. "Thought so."

"Well well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Ms Pierce."

He lifted a hand to his lips and she tried not to yank her hand away. She didn't want him touching her. Unusual, she knew, but there was only one man she wanted right now. She kept a pleasant expression plastered on her face. Marcel was older than her and he had a legion of vampire followers behind him. She had to be careful or Klaus would be the least of her worries.

"The feeling's mutual," she said, subtly wiping her hand on the back of her jeans. "What do you want?"

From his expression, it seemed he appreciated her ballsy attitude. "Can I come in?"

"Afraid not. The master of the house isn't here at the moment." There was steel in her voice, steel that Hayley had to admire. The women was a force of nature. "I'll be sure to tell him you dropped by."

Marcel's hand flashed out, preventing her from closing the door. "That wasn't a question, princess."

"That's funny," Katherine chirped, narrowing her eyes. "I don't care."

His expression hardened then relaxed into casual charm. She knew it was purposeful. A tactic to let her know that he was letting her get away with it. You're walking on thin ice, Katherine, she thought to herself and something knotted in her stomach.

"You obviously don't know how things work around here," he said. "So I'll let that one go."

"I think I can guess," Katherine drawled, stepping out onto the porch. She circled him, running her fingertips along his muscled bicep. "You tell people to jump, they ask how high. You're the king."

He chuckled. "Sounds about right."

Katherine leaned in close, lips brushing his earlobe. "Unfortunately for you, I don't jump for anyone. Least of all for the likes of you."

Before Marcel had time to react, Katherine had snapped his neck. His body fell to the floor like a lead ball and her shoulders sagged with relief. She'd almost felt scared for a second there, a second when she'd been sure he was going to discover that she wasn't five-hundred years old anymore. It was becoming harder, she found, to keep up the image of Katherine Pierce, ruthless and cold-hearted, when these emotions kept battering her from all sides. She felt like a shell being tossed around in the waves.

Hayley emerged from the lounge, grudging admiration in her eyes. The werewolf had never liked Katherine, especially after the brunette had broken her promise to help her find her family, but even Hayley had to admit that she had a flair about her, so unlike her boring, compassionate, moralistic counterpart.

"I knew there was something I liked about you," she said by way of thank you, toeing Marcel's temporarily dead body with the tip of her boot. "Though I must admit you kind of ruined it when you tried to have me killed."

Katherine never took her eyes off Marcel. "He's not going to be down for long and when he wakes he's going to be pissed." Her voice was low and urgent. "You need to get out of here. Is there anywhere safe you can go?"

Confused by her odd behaviour, Hayley nodded. "I know a place where vampires can't enter."

"How far away is it?"

"Not far."

Marcel's fingers began to twitch and Katherine all but shoved Hayley out the door, handing her the keys to her car. "Go there and stay there. Don't come back."

The Katherine in her was yelling, asking her what the hell she was doing. What the hell was she doing? She didn't know. That was the problem. She should be getting out of here before anyone realized she was a newborn but a part of her - the sweet peasant girl - also told her that she couldn't leave this poor, pregnant werewolf. It told her that she had to make sure Hayley didn't become a bargaining chip, didn't become embroiled in all this, didn't become like her. Katherine didn't like the werewolf but she would never willingly wish this life on anyone. Except, perhaps, Elena.

"Leave," she ordered again when Hayley didn't move.

The werewolf hesitated; there was something odd about Katherine. She wasn't acting like herself. Hayley knew her and the stories enough to know this. "What about you?"

Katherine flashed her a grin, letting her fangs show. "I can take care of myself."

Hayley nodded and moved as fast as her pregnant belly would allow her. Her instinct to protect her child overrode her sudden concern for Katherine Pierce. Katherine waited until the car had pulled away from the street and the sound of the engine had faded into the traffic before she turned back to Marcel. She would stall him as long as she could, as long as it took for Hayley to get away.

She knew how out of character this was for her. She had come to the realization that she didn't care. The name Katherine Pierce was beginning to fade and the legend was becoming further and further from the truth. Katherine was finding herself being weighed down by the enigma, by the legend. She had always taken pride in who she was, in what she was. Revelled in it. Now it tired her. Instead of wearing the disguise, the disguise was wearing her. And it was heavy.

Marcel gasped and sat up, eyes wide and dazed, tearing her from her thoughts. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest, smirking down at him.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," she drawled. "Nice nap?"

His head snapped in her direction and in the blink of an eye, he slammed her into the wall, causing the whole house to shudder and her to gasp. She felt the bruises forming. Her pride was bruised as well. When had it come to this?

"What the hell did you do, Katherine?" he demanded.

Katherine shrugged. "I stalled. I thought it was obvious."

"Why are you helping Klaus?"

She shoved him off her, not letting on that it had taken most of her strength to do so. "Why are you against him?" she asked. "Didn't he save you from a miserable, painful fate as a slave? Seems a little ungrateful to me."

Marcel growled at her, lunging. She darted out the way but wasn't quite fast enough and his blow sent her crashing onto the hard wooden floor. Blood dripped from her broken nose, falling onto the wooden floorboards beneath her. It had been a while since someone had managed to do that, to catch her off guard and she cursed her doppelganger. If she had the time, Katherine would see Elena rot in hell. She had to wait for a moment as her jaw and nose healed then she got to her feet and faced Marcel.

"That was rude," she stated, unfazed. She could taste her own blood as it dripped from her nose over her lips.

His hand circled her throat, crushing it until she began to see black spots. She hadn't even seen him coming at her. "Why are you here, Katherine?"

"Why are you here?" she rasped; she wanted to piss him off. "Perhaps this is why Klaus has almost succeeded in taking your kingdom. You get distracted so easily."

It worked. His eyes turned red and veins rippled from beneath them. "If you won't tell me," he said, voice cold, "then I'll just have to torture it out of you."

"You're welcome to try," she spat.

"I intend to."

He snapped her neck and Katherine's world went black.

When Elijah returned home, the first thing he did was call for Hayley. Though his brother's paranoia had created the illusion that Elijah was falling for the young werewolf, Elijah knew this to be false. Hayley held the hope for his brother's redemption. The hope that his family could be reunited. That was all. He gravitated towards her as a companion, a friend for she reminded him of her, of Katerina. Hayley had that same spitfire attitude, that same callousness he somehow found endearing. He was fond of Hayley; he was in love with Katerina. He still felt that love resonate within him.

"Hayley," he called again.

His brow furrowed when he got no reply. Moving through the house as a blur, he checked her room but there was no trace of her. His nostrils flared. She had been here, not long ago; her scent of forest and gardenia's lingered. Where could she have gone? Perhaps to visit her werewolves in the bayou, or maybe she had convinced Rebekah to take her with.

He was just about to pull out his phone and call Rebekah when he noticed the droplets of blood on the foyer floor. There had been a fight. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he crouched down, dipped a finger into one of the small crimson puddles then brought it to his nose and inhaled. It was the cool, vanilla scent of a vampire's blood. He touched his finger to his tongue and drew in a sharp breath. He would know that taste anywhere; it was Katerina's blood. She had been here. Even as his heart sped up, dread filled him. What had she done?

He whipped out his phone and called Rebekah, who answered on the first ring. "Goodbye means goodbye, Elijah –"

"Is Hayley with you?" he interrupted her, hoping against hope that she was.

"What?" came Rebekah's reply. "What's going on, Elijah?"

"Katerina was here," he said through gritted teeth. "Hayley's missing."

There was a brief silence then Rebekah's feral snarl rung in his ears, echoing the monster inside him. It was accompanied by the screech of tires. "I'm coming and when I find Katherine, I'm going to rip her to shreds. Don't you dare try and stop me, Elijah. Not even you can save her this time."

His sister hung up and the silence was deafening. Elijah straightened, staring at that crimson puddle, torn. His heart told him to warn Katerina but his head told him that it was time he let her go. This love for her would destroy him in the end. If it hadn't already. Perhaps it was time he listened to his head.

The door swung open and Klaus strode in. From the way his face was set, Elijah could tell he was furious. "Brother?"

"Marcel was here," Klaus said, voice colder than ice.

Elijah gestured to the blood on the floor and with three little words, he signed Katerina's death sentence. "As was Katerina."

Klaus's eyes flashed. "Katerina?" He made her name sound like a curse.

Elijah felt a part of him break. What had he done? "Hayley's missing, Niklaus."

Klaus's face darkened to a storm cloud, lightning snapping in his eyes. A car pulled up outside the house, headlights hitting the brothers. Klaus and Elijah's heads both snapped in its direction, watching with amazement as Hayley climbed out, hand across her swollen stomach. Elijah was by her side in an instant, hands resting on her shoulders.

She jumped slightly when he appeared then glared at him. "Don't do that, Elijah. You're going to give me a heart attack."

"Are you or the baby hurt?" he asked, searching her for any injuries.

"I'm fine. We're fine."

Klaus appeared beside them and his nostrils flared, veins rippling under his eyes. "This car reeks of Katerina Petrova."

"Well, that's because it's her car," Hayley said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Where is she?" Elijah wanted to know, releasing her shoulders.

"Yes," Klaus put in, voice light. "Where is the lovely Katerina? I think she's past her sell-by date."

Hayley shook her head slowly, confusion clouding her face, and her next words told them why. "I know what you're thinking and you've got it wrong. Katherine didn't take me; she helped me."

Both brothers blinked at her words. "What?" Elijah finally said, not sounding as composed as he usually would.

"Katherine turned up" – she nodded at Elijah – "asking for you." She saw hope flash across Elijah's face before he hid it under his usual, stoic mask. "I told her you were out and she said she'd wait. Marcel showed up." Klaus let out a low hiss; his progeny would die for this. "She snapped his neck, gave me her car keys and told me to go."

Elijah just stared at her, disbelieving. Klaus clearly shared the same view and he eyed Hayley sceptically. "Have you been drinking, sweetheart?"

Hayley tossed her dark hair indignantly, chin lifting. "I'm telling the truth, Klaus. Katherine protected me from Marcel."

"Where is she then?" Elijah asked. He was trying to keep his emotions in check. A futile effort that had always been impossible when it concerned Katerina. "Katerina is older than Marcel and she's a formidable opponent. I doubt he could have taken her against her will."

"Perhaps, you're overestimating our dear Katerina," Klaus said bitterly. "Your fondness for her is clouding your senses."

"She managed to outsmart you for over five-hundred years, Niklaus," Elijah reminded him evenly. "Don't be such a fool as to pretend you don't know what she's capable of."

Klaus shrugged, brushing off his brother's words, a casual smile on his face. "It's not our problem anymore, brother. Let's not fight over it."

"You're not going to help her?" Hayley asked, incredulous. "Granted, she's a complete bitch but she saved my life, Klaus."

"After she tried to end it, if you recall," Klaus pointed out.

"She didn't have to do that," Hayley continued as if he hadn't said anything. "If she hadn't been here, I would be with Marcel by now." She shuddered at the thought, fingers clutching her stomach tighter. "I would be dead."

"As heartfelt as that was, I'm going to have to decline. If we show an interest in retrieving Katerina, Marcel will have an advantage over us," Klaus told her. "I cannot allow that to happen."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother stiffen. Klaus sighed. His brother's affection for the firebrand doppelganger rivaled his devotion to Klaus. This was a fact Klaus knew all too well and was not inclined to accept. He needed absolute loyalty from his siblings, especially Elijah. Turning to face his eldest brother, he directed his next words at him.

"There can be no weaknesses in this game we're playing. Is that understood?"

Elijah's jaw was tight and his body was rigid but he managed a nod. "You have my word."

Klaus, satisfied at this for Elijah never broke his word, turned and blurred into the night. No doubt off to cause some poor soul unimaginable pain. Hayley, once she was sure Klaus was out of earshot, laid a hand on the eldest Original's arm. He glanced down at her. She saw the intention brimming in his dark eyes and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"You're not going to leave her." It wasn't a question.

His lips curved just a little. "I couldn't if I tried. I've never been able to leave Katerina."

Hayley nodded. "I'll cover for you. I may hate her but she saved my life. I don't take that lightly."

So, better or worse? Lemme know.