[ 𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔣𝔬𝔲𝔯 ]

[ 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔞𝔪𝔦𝔩𝔶 ]

"𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘵?'

𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, "𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧."

"𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, "𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥."

"𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺. 𝘐 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨."

― 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦

"we've been living on a fault line and for a while you were all mine"

𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖

𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄

same day

Family.

It was a funny thing really, how your family were the people you can go around your entire life fighting with but in the end, would even die for. Sometimes, you hate them with every god damned fiber of your very being. And then, there are other times when you love them so much, so freaking much, and with all your heart. Family was the ultimate promise— people that were supposed to love and support you without limits, without restrictions and without any sort of question. Family was supposed to be accepting the person for who they were. Family was... family, and you just have to love them.

But God help you if your family happens to include the Parker's.

Distant yells, music playing, and gentle breezes. This was what used to be the Parker children's reality when they were together as a family. Sometime, it seemed as if their parents would forget about the coven, the looming threat of the next leader being chosen and both Kai and Peter would be a part of this didn't-seem-so-dysfunctional family.

Those were the times when Peter had felt everlasting love for the people that had been around him. He was sure he felt the same right now as Liz engulfed in a hug that almost smelt like home. For the longest time, the only family Peter had had been Aunt May. She was his mother, his father, his siblings, his everything. For the longest time, Peter had tried to forget the people he had loved the most in the world.

"Elizabeth," fell like a whisper from his lips as tears gathered in his eyes. He pulled away to stare at the same hazel eyes that mirrored his—it almost seemed as if he was staring back at that the teenage version of Mary Parker.

The man distinctly was aware of Wanda get up, her eyes still glued at the just-reunited pair of siblings.

"Peter—" she looked at him as if she couldn't really believe he was right in front of him... something he couldn't because their dad told them Peter was dead. They all thought he was dead. "Where have you been?"

Peter didn't know what to say. Confusion and so many unresolved feelings had swam back to the surface of him heart and mind.

"Liv!"

Before he could answer, another familiar voice broke him out of his reverie— a voice he thought he would never ever hear again. He turned slowly and as his eyes slowly drank the sight he saw like fine wine. She was supposed to be dead but here she was, making her way over to him and looking through him as if she had no clue who he was.

She was supposed to be dead— he felt her die.

"Liv!" Katherine Pierce spoke, some parts of her hair dyed red and an annoyed expression on her face. "I have been looking for you all over the school... Are you done with your essay yet?"

Liv groaned but Peter payed no attention to that as "Katherine" fell from his lips involuntarily.

The woman looked puzzled if not a little disgusted, "I am Elena, not Katherine. Any who, Liv, you look busy so... I'll just find you later."

And as soon as she said that, the woman was gone, leaving Peter mystified.

"Sorry," Liv gave a little fake laugh, "That's Elena. Her boyfriend just died and we compelled his memories away and ever since she has been a little..."

She made a little motion with her hand to show that Elena had been crazy.

"I am sorry," Peter coughed awkwardly, the twin shocks he had received on the same day taking quite a toll on him. "I confused her for someone else."

"For Katherine?" Liv smiled, "Trust me... everyone does but how do you know the manipulative bitch?"

"The Katherine I knew is dead, so..." Peter tried to avoid the topic completely, "Is Lucas with you?"

It seemed as if at that moment the blonde remembered that she had a twin brother that would be equally delighted to know Peter had not been murdered by there crazy big brother.

"Oh yes! He must be in his room," she shook her head, "I am sorry I am just in shock about all of this. Where did your friend go? Maybe we can, I don't know— catch up?"

Peter nodded, "Ye-Yeah that would be great. I think Wanda is out making a call but can we meet up tomorrow? I will have to take a day off. I was on some business here."

Liv nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, that's great Peter. I have so many questions. Just take my number and tell me the details tomorrow morning and we can—"

"We can meet tomorrow, Livvy, don't worry about it."

The Parker's were a family. Whether they liked it or not, they were still tied together, and the time for healing and promises to be completed had come.

Peter walked away from his little sister, a bazillion questions forming in his head but all of them forgotten when KAREN's voice in his earpiece spoke loud and clear.

"Peter, Mr. Stark has been calling you for the past five minutes. Would you like to pick up?"

"No, please don't," Peter took a deep breath, "I still have to figure out what to say to them."

| 𝘍𝘈𝘐𝘙 𝘎𝘈𝘔𝘌 | 𝘍𝘈𝘐𝘙 𝘎𝘈𝘔𝘌 | 𝘍𝘈𝘐𝘙 𝘎𝘈𝘔𝘌 |

𝟐𝟎𝟏4

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY

There was a cute boy outside the deli.

He was sitting on a bench, tapping on his phone, and Katherine felt like she was going to have a heart attack— even though that seems quite impossible with her non-existent heart.

It's the boy May told her about— her niece, sitting right where Katherine was told he would be - she'd come here to pick him up, actually, because May was busy in the hospital or whatever and she had volunteered to help the good nurse- but May did not tell her that he's this cute. May was a good woman and honestly, looking at this young boy... Katherine was impressed by her work.

She quickly decided she wasn't going to drink his blood.

Katherine slides onto the bench next to the cute boy. "Hi there!" She chirps, holding out a hand, "I'm Katherine, I am hoping May told you about me?"

The boy startled, nearly dropping his phone but catching it with lightning fast super attractive reflexes. "Yeah!" He said (even his voice was cute, what the fuck?), "I'm Peter!" He shook Katherine's outstretched hand.

The girl flicked her gaze to the deli sign and then back to Peter, "You, uh, come here often?"

Peter looked unimpressed, but his lips quirk up just a bit, and Katherine counts that as a win. "Yeah, I work here."

God damn it, Katherine.

| 𝘍𝘈𝘐𝘙 𝘎𝘈𝘔𝘌 | 𝘍𝘈𝘐𝘙 𝘎𝘈𝘔𝘌 | 𝘍𝘈𝘐𝘙 𝘎𝘈𝘔𝘌 |

𝟐𝟎𝟏6

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY

It's something different whenever she wakes up after a long night. First, it's the awareness of her limbs—long and sluggish. Next, it's the sun on her face and shoulders—warm and bright. Finally, it's the press of Peter's body against hers—calloused hands on her forearms, and his shoulders expanding against her chest.

Katherine thinks of the night before: the fear, the tears, the anger.

Her eyes don't sting so much when the light floats in from the hall, filtered and soft. She tucks her face between his shoulder blades and just breathes. She doesn't feel so worn in the early hours. She can't hurt him when he's asleep.

Katherine shifts and retracts her arms, pulling at the duvet around Peter's hips to replace her warmth.

Even Peter's advanced hearing was no match for his bone-deep exhaustion.

Katherine gets through opening the one window that doesn't stick in his apartment, watering the three plants still living on the windowsill, drinking some refrigerated blood and then boiling some water before she heard the creak in the bed frame as Peter pulled himself up.

The kettle starts to whistle as he exits the bedroom.

She looks at his face and the first thing she thinks is how tired he looks. Katherine knows that despite her immortal beauty she doesn't look any better. The second is how beautiful he looks in this kitchen. The space between her shoulders—a mirror of her favorite place on Peter's body to press her overactive mind—tenses.

"Is that tea?" Peter asks to fill the space.

"Couldn't be coffee since we don't have any."

One side of his mouth lifts. "Did you need any help?"

She shook her head, pushing some hair behind her ear, "I was going to pick a record to play..." she trailed off and gesturing towards their living room/dining room space.

The other side of his mouth lifts, "You trust me to put a record on?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes, a little less like the Katherine that woke up afraid and listless, and more like the Katherine that takes no shit, "I didn't say that. Pick a record, and maybe I'll let you put it on."

Peter turns to the cluttered corner. One of the only expensive pieces in this apartment was the record player and collection she got as the result of being the only one here being five-hundred-year old.

Records from her so many old years, from 1900s, from her not so forgotten past, and some Ned brought over and kept forgetting to take home—all organized and maintained lovingly.

Katherine knew May's records were in there too.

She put in a green tea bag in Peter's mug and a hibiscus tea bag in her own. She held her mug in both hands and leaned against the counter, letting another breath in and then out.

Katherine soon heard the static of the receiver as Peter turned the system on and the telltale crackling once as he lowered the needle on the record. He couldn't turn it up like they both wanted him to, it's too early and their walls were too thin. But when Bill Withers' voice spills from the speakers, Katherine felt as if she was back in the Parker's old apartment.

May was singing loudly and pulling on her and MJ's arms to spin them in a circle while Ned and Peter held each other close and hilariously attempted to lead each other in a waltz.

The record skipped and she's returned to the kitchen.

Her mind and heart ache.

Peter comes over, bashful and openly teary eyed.

Katherine put her tea down and opened her arms, "Good choice, baby."

Peter pulled her to him by the hips and presses his mouth against his favorite place; the space between her neck and shoulder, "I thought we needed something a little familiar after last night."

She wrapped her arms around his lower back and sighed against his shoulder.

"Peter, I'm sorry."

Peter replaces his mouth with his forehead and his hold on her hips tighten. "It's not your fault."

But yesterday's fight over never being home was not what she was talking about. She was sorry about what she was going to do. Katherine had to leave. If she didn't... well Katherine had been in this place too long and after what the Salvatore's seemed to be trying to pull of, she had to go.

He smiled at her. She can't begin to fathom how she would ever be able to forget the way his love poured out in that smile.

Peter kissed their interlocked hands before placing it on his heart, "It's always gonna be the two of us against the world."

Katherine smiled and then with nothing but lies falling through her lies, she promised, "Always."

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