everyonelives | the challenge, bring order to the whole

( Elena Gilbert always did prefer the slower nights, not that Katherine could blame her. Katherine sent a wrecking ball into Elena Gilbert's life years ago, all in the name of self preservation. And look where it got them. Elena in the job she was destined for, barf, and Katherine, with a hot piece of arm candy and a job she doesn't see as a job. It helps that she's more formidable than most humans should be. But, that's what comes from five hundred years of discipline.

That cockiness is not bulletproof, unlike her having been actually bulletproof in the past. The job was straightforward and she almost got out of it unscathed. She saved the girl and beheaded the vampire. But, word of her working with the Winchesters had spread and an errant demon entered the grateful girl, exchanged words with her and attacked. One thing led to another, a knife made contact with her cheek, she was just defending herself. Contrary to what some might think, she cares. This was an innocent girl. But, this is what most demons want. Innocent blood shed.

Demonic smoke flies out of the girl's mouth as she slumps against Katherine.

She calls the police anonymously. She supposes the girl, no longer possessed but having stabbed herself, might be wheeled in behind her. But, she also knows what happens when you step up, when you're a good person. And she looks too good to be in all brown or blue or orange or whatever color the prisons have decided on. That, and, she can't do real good behind bars or hire a lawyer or anything like that. So, she helps how she can and she takes herself out of it.

Mystic Falls General is the closest hospital, and after hearing the barbaric cries from the bed next to her and seeing the shoddy suturing from a, frankly, past her prime nurse, Katherine insists they call one person if she's on call.

Elena's hippocratic oath will keep her civil. She hopes. )

This is the closest hospital and Nurse Ratchett butchered the guy's face in the next bed. I thought if I want the best, why not ask for the best.

( Her cheek is cut deep enough that she will need stitches, but the blood has mostly dried. She did use her own antiseptic. It hurt like a bitch. )

Please. A hunter's face is her calling card.

( Or, Katherine's is. )

[There's a deep sigh through her nose, before she draws the curtain closed behind her.]

Didn't tell them not to go for the face?

[She steps to the side, pulling out some supplies from the cabinets in the room and grabbing a pair of rubber gloves to get started.]

( Elena can act like this is the most difficult thing she'll do all day. Katherine wouldn't rather be spending the end of her evening in the emergency room, and yet, here they both are.

And yes, she's aware she dragged herself in sans cat. )

Demons tend to only go for the face. Or the jugular. ( A different Katherine would expand. She'd say, 'that's right, you should know all about that what with your shacking up with hunter royalty,' because people talk and oh does Katherine talk. But she really likes her face. ) I don't think my saying so would've helped.

( Also, Elena. Any any time someone screams don't go for the face. You know that's the number one prime target. )

[She has heard some stuff about demons. She makes a face at the mention, before going to start cleaning out the wound.]

Was the demon in town?

Outside of, and inside a pretty blonde girl I thought I was saving.

( Demons are squirrelly like that. Get captured just to shove a knife in themselves and twist it just so. It still stings, seeing a girl with no freedom of her own and a slip of a life that could slip away. )

I'm sorry.

[It always sucks when you can't save someone you wanted to. She doesn't like empathizing with Katherine, but she can do it.]

Is she okay?

( Elena asks the worst question. Forget empathizing. Katherine empathized with her descendant once. She also needled her and her relationships and threatened everyone she loved, but she also empathized. Maybe one day Elena would discover that her priority should be herself.

She became a doctor, a shocker coming from compassionate, drywall Elena. )

I don't know. The demon left her after picking a fight.

( And with her own knife in her gut. Demons. )

[Elena doesn't want to be repetitive, so she doesn't say she's sorry again. Instead, she grabs the numbing agent and aims it over the clean wound.]

This is going to sting.

[She releases the agent, before reaching for the suture kit.]

( She's been through worse, she's even been through a worse interrogation, so she's happy Elena drops it. The only thing Elena has been repetitive with is her love life. Katherine doesn't react or wince. When you stab yourself in the thigh for hours, you develop a tolerance. )

How far into your shift are you? Do they really have you working for 48 hours at a time or does Grey's Anatomy lie?

No. I'm an attending, so I have more normal shifts. But there were a few weeks as an intern that were pretty harrowing.

[But that doesn't mean she doesn't have long weeks when she needs to be in surgery, but her schedule is a lot more managable day to day. She starts performing the sutures before raising an eyebrow.]

Why? Thinking about a career change?

( "I'm making conversation," she says, almost sounding bored. Won't this make things less painful? It will move faster if she doesn't just sit in silence. Though, she would.

Elena's phone in her lab coat vibrates. )

[She finishes the sutures and bandages the wound before she reaches for her phone, so she likely missed the call. But as Katherine is getting ready to take her leave, she checks and looks at who the missed call came from before checking her voicemail.]

That's weird. Stiles called.

[She'll hit "Call" and listen to the phone ring.]

Answer.

( But she doesn't, and the messages keep coming in. )

Friends of mine are in trouble. Like, all of them. They've been doxxed to people who should not know where they live, or anything -- ( he interrupts himself as she calls back and answers, on speakerphone. )

Elena! Your information, Damon's, the Winchester's everyone's is out there right now. It was all just released. You could be in danger. You could all be in danger.

[Elena's eyes go wide as she processes that, before looking over at the other woman in the cubicle with her.]

Katherine too?

[Because Katherine is fragile and human now, and if she is in trouble, Elena should at least warn her.]

( Katherine shrugs off Stiles, because she has no time for neurotic baby vampires. Until she hears her name.

"Katherine what?" )

Uhhh, ( A laughable ( natural 1) gives him absolute ZERO recognition of who this could be, but legen- give him a second as he almost drops his phone - wait for it, it won't be -dary ) I have a Katerina Petrova. Katherine Pierce. Cured... vampire.

( All these words as that registers weird. Interesting. Also, right. Audrey and Sweets are just -- emotionally supporting the danger, apparently. )

[They're waiting for Stiles to tell them what is actually going on, and finish conveying the news to his friends. However, neither of them seem surprised at the word "vampire" either.

Elena looks over at Katherine and puts the phone on speaker.]

She's here with me. Stiles, what does this mean? So our information is out there - do you think more hunters will be coming?

Edited 2022-01-31 23:04 (UTC)

( "Yeah. Anyone who -- believed in Monroe or that you're monsters, or were monsters, or loved monsters... Yeah," he manages, bringing a hand to his forehead, running it through his hair. "You can't go home or - or anywhere that's on file. I see basic information, but if you click..." He trails off. "Your office in Mystic Falls, an apartment under your name... Known associates. Dean Winchester's directly connected to you. These people keep tabs." )

We get it.

( Katherine's up, then, pulling a pistol from her boot. )

Give us information that can help us.

( "Well, it just went out, like -- if I got the alert, within the hour. But, it was on a delayed trigger, so people could've --" )

Had this information. All our information.

( Sorry, Elena, she leans in to the phone. )

Goodbye, Stiles. ( To Elena. ) We need to go.

Edited 2022-01-31 23:43 (UTC)

Stiles, be careful. If they know about Dean, then they might know about you too.

[But with that she'll hang up, and turn back to Katherine. She sees the gun, before going through one of the drawers to find a scalpel and pocket a syringe and narcotics, just in case.]

Wait.

[She pokes her head out the curtain, grabbing one of the abandoned wheel chairs and wheeling it back in.]

Sit. Use your jacket to cover the gun.

Elena, we --

( She purses her lips because Elena isn't wrong. She takes off her jacket and covers the gun in her hand, impressed with Elena's suggestive and what she's arming herself with. )

Ignore the women twinning down the hallway. ( But, she doesn't have a better idea, taking a seat and keeping her jacket over her arms again. ) My car or yours? I have the weaponry.

Yours. If we beat them out of here, maybe they'll waste time wandering through the hospital looking for me.

[But she will grab the handles and start wheeling them.]

It's no secret I'm adopted. Anyone asks, you're my long lost much older sister.

I could always shoot you and make a run for it.

( She's joking. )

We don't have much time on them, keep your eyes open.

Edited 2022-02-01 03:19 (UTC)

[Elena nods, keeping her eyes straight ahead and trying to find one of the back exits to the garage. As they keep walking, Elena's phone begins to buzz and an announcement comes over the loudspeaker:

"Doctor Gilbert, please call extension 227. Doctor Gilbert, extension 227."

She grits her teeth and keeps moving, pushing Katherine ahead of her. She does, however, slide her phone out of her pocket and when she sees it's Dean, tosses it into Katherine's lap.]

Answer it? Please?

( One hand on her gun, Katherine brings it to her ear glibly. There is a tense exchanging of words where Katherine does indeed confirm she is there, too, and they are on their way to her car. No, Damian isn't in town, she was on another job. Dean, she has this, let her have this. Maybe focus on the brother you're so obsessed with or your full frontal scenes in your book series.

She's read them.

And she hangs up. )

He's worried. Third floor.

( They find the right elevator and after the doors close, Katherine steps out of the stirrups, revealing her gun again and putting her coat back on. )

I always expected the Salvatore's to be in your speed dial when danger struck. Guess we both grew up.

( Everyone make spot checks as the doors open. Katherine has a (17). )

Well, Stefan's in Scotland, so ... not exactly the most useful right now.

[She pauses as the doors open and starts to glance around in the dark (19).]

I'll call Damon once we're in the car though.

( Katherine's (11) leaves her disgusted that the Salvatores are even a factor, but she supposes if Elena and her are on some list, than so must they be.

Elena can surmise the three people in tactical gear with guns approaching what must be Katherine's car are there for them. Two of the guards turn back with the ding of the elevator (19, 19), but one's too busy looking inside the car (11).

Elena can hit the door close button at any time. Or they can fight! )

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