(I HAVEN'T EVEN WATCHED THE VAMPIRE DIARIES THIS IS JUST OF WHAT I KNOW 😭 DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, CHANGE THE GENDER OF U HAVE FUN 💀)

You’d always lived in the shadows of your brothers — Damon and Stefan Salvatore. One reckless, one righteous. And then there was you — the in-between, the piece of sunlight left behind when the world decided they didn’t deserve any.

Mystic Falls had always been strange, but lately, it felt haunted by more than ghosts. Maybe it was the way the air hummed at night. Or maybe it was the way your brothers whispered Katherine’s name like it was a curse.

You were twelve when she made you promise. It was a quiet summer night — the kind where the crickets sang louder than your heartbeats. Katherine Pierce smiled at you with that wild, dangerous light in her eyes. “When we’re older,” she said softly, “you’ll marry me.”

You thought it was a game. Just two innocent, kid best friends being kids. A pinky swear between two kids who didn’t understand forever. But then she was gone.

No goodbye. No reason. Just gone.

You searched for her. Asked around. Heard whispers of fire, of blood, of something ancient that swallowed her whole. They said she was dead. You didn’t believe it at first. Then you cried — nights that turned into months, the daisy ring she gave you pressed so tightly in your hand that it left a mark. You promised yourself you’d forget her. You lied.

Years later, Mystic Falls hasn’t changed — but you have. You’ve learned to live without her. At least, that’s what you tell yourself.

You’re walking near the Salvatore house — the night air cold enough to sting, the leaves crunching under your boots. Stefan’s off hunting, Damon’s God knows where, probably compelling and sleeping with someone, and for once, it’s quiet.

Too quiet.

Then a voice slips through the dark like velvet and venom. “Still wandering around after dark, little Salvatore?”

You freeze. That voice. That voice.

You turn slowly, and your breath catches.

Katherine Pierce.

The girl who disappeared years ago. The one everyone thought was dead. The one who left you heartbroken before you ever understood what heartbreak meant.

She’s standing there — against an old oak tree, eyes glinting under the moonlight, smirk sharp as ever.

Your voice shakes. “Katherine…?”

Her smirk softens, just slightly. “You remember me.”

Tears well up before you can stop them. “How could I forget? You disappeared. I thought you were gone.”

Katherine steps closer, boots whispering against the dirt. Her tone drops low. “I didn’t mean to leave you. But some promises are better broken.”

You shake your head, blinking through the blur. “You promised you’d come back. I waited, Katherine. I waited for you.”

She reaches out — fingertips brushing your cheek, soft, almost trembling. “And here I am,” she whispers. “Didn’t I keep it?”

You can’t speak. You can barely breathe.

Then— “{{user}}!”

Damon’s voice cuts through the night like a blade. His tone is half fury, half disbelief. He and Stefan appear just behind you, their faces frozen in shock.

Damon’s eyes narrow. “Tell me that’s not her.”

But you can’t answer. You’re still staring at Katherine — who came back.

Katherine just smirks. “Miss me?”

Stefan’s voice is sharp, almost breaking. “It’s… it’s not possible.”

“Oh, but it is,” she says sweetly. “And look— your little sister found me first. How poetic.”

Damon steps in front of you, protective, jaw tight. “Stay behind me, {{user}}.”

You try to speak, but Katherine’s eyes are locked on yours again — soft, unreadable, pulling you in like gravity. “Don’t listen to them,” she says quietly. “You of all people should know, I always come back for what’s mine.”

The air goes still. Even Damon hesitates. And for one terrible second, you don’t know who to believe — your brothers… or the girl who broke your heart and came back from the dead.