Chapter Text
It didn’t take them too long before they were at the club.
“Really? Is this where we’re supposed to meet the vampire?” She asked as she looked around the crowded place. “I’m pretty sure I won’t be be to get past the front door.” She said as she looked at bouncer standing by the door.
“Oh, you’ll be fine, no one will stop you.” He said with surely.
“You’re gonna compel him, aren’t you?” She said, compulsion wasn’t something she liked. It was a violation to make people do things they normally wouldn’t but even she didn’t really have a leg to stand on, after she had Jeremy compelled.
“Not really, well, at least not tonight.” He said as he led her to the door, past the line of people, and she could feel the ground vibrate from the music. Klaus slipped a small card, a deep royal purple, to the guy, who took one look at it and let them in.
She frowned.
“Who are we meeting?” She asked as they walked in, and she could feel the music, loud and vibrant. It made her want to let go of her inhibitions and get on the dance floor.
But she knew that wasn’t what they had come for, and didn’t have the time for it.
Besides, she couldn’t imagine Klaus liked being in clubs.
“His name is Lucien.”
The good thing about coming to a club with a vampire was that she didn’t have to yell to make herself heard.
The bad thing was that in order for her to hear him, his lips needed to be at the shell of her ear.
“Oh.” She breathed out as he slipped his hand up her waist, fingers brushing along her side as he did so, and making her skin heat even through the material of the dress.
“Yes.” His stubble brushed against the soft skin of her jawline and she felt goosebumps being raised along the exposed skin.
She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
“Where is he?” She asked, her pulse thumping against her neck.
“Look up.” He said, his voice harder than before as he brought his other hand up to her neck, his thumb brushing along the scar he had left her, her spine tingling as he did. There was something about that scar and it wasn’t just because it turned Klaus into a hybrid, but because it had linked them, at least halfway through.
She slowly raised her head, and it was impossible to miss him.
He had a presence, she thought, as she saw him leaning against the railing.
He took up just as much space as Klaus did, and if it wasn’t for their features, she would’ve thought he was exactly like Klaus.
He raised a hand to wave at them, and she wondered, how it was that she was always stuck in such situations.
His gaze was fixed on Klaus, but she knew that it was just an illusion, that he had taken note of her. Especially after Klaus’ actions.
Klaus moved then, urging her along, and he was parting the crowd like seas, like he was used to making nature bend to his will.
He was.
They walked to the stairs and each step she took up them set off her heart, making her want to turn and run.
For the first time in a long time, his arm around her felt constricting.
When they finally reached him, silk shirt and dress pants, at least three women hanging off him, he was looking at Klaus in wonder.
“This is Lucien, an old...acquaintance.” She looked to him, his lips were upturned into a smirk but his eyes had a hard edge to them.
“Old acquaintance? You wound me.”
“Well, then it seems as though I’ve done something right.” His voice was just as strained, but there was also a teasing quality behind it.
“Oh come on Nik, just get over it, and introduce me to your lovely girlfriend.” She looked at Klaus in surprise when he let out a laugh, an actual laugh. Not mocking, not cruel, but a genuine laugh, one she hadn’t actually heard before, and then they were hugging.
She had never seen him hug anyone, she didn’t even think he hugged his siblings.
“How come you didn’t tell me it was you I was supposed to meet tonight?” Lucien asked Klaus, looking as though Christmas has come early.
Well, it wasn’t that far, now that she thought about it.
Her life was no longer measured by milestones like birthdays or Christmases, but by blood rituals and killing sprees, which was why it had slipped her mind.
“Well, I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Quite a pleasant one too.” She could feel more than see his eyes roving over her form, the dark lighting making it almost impossible to see.
“She isn’t here for you Lucien.” She could tell that he tried to sound casual, but there was an edge to his voice that told her he was anything but casual.
“Don’t tell me you’re actually entertaining meaningless relationships with humans now.”
Meaningless.
Of course.
“Well, she isn’t your regular human. This is Elena, she’s the-“
“Doppelgänger.” He said the word almost like a prayer recognition colouring his face. “You don’t know how famous you are in our circles love.”
“What circles?” Her voice was barely audible, but she knew he heard her.
“The ones of us ancient vampires You’re quite the talk of the town. No one thought you existed.” She knew that Klaus had been looking for her, she didn’t know it was that big of a deal. “Let’s go in, shall we?” They followed him to a separate area where they were well removed from the general crowd. The music was less intense there, and it was a lot more comfortable.
It was just the three of them in that area, but she could see the girls he had sent away.
“Business before pleasure.” He had said and Klaus had agreed.
There was also a man, who looked quite intimidating, standing by the entrance.
“Who’s that?” Elena asked from her position between the two men.
“That is Gregory, he’s my head of security, he used to be a navy SEAL, I turned him myself.”
“Yes, you’ve done quite well for yourself, haven’t you?” Klaus asked casually.
“I do have quite extensive resources. They are the reason I could get what you wanted so quickly.”
“Well then, time you gave it to me.” This was the real reason he was here, and after meeting the werewolf and the hybrid that afternoon, she was really curious about what it was.
Lucien pulled out a small, wooden box and handed it to Klaus wordlessly.
“Can I see that scar love?” Lucien asked motioning to her neck and she knew what he was talking about.
“No.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that.”
“It’s just a scar.”
“Oh, I disagree. It’s what made Nik a hybrid, what made him truly, one of a kind.” He said, and Elena decided to really take a look at him.
There was something about the way he had said it that made her think that there was more to him than just being an amiable friend.
Elena shook her head, deciding to think about it later, and took the freshly delivered drink that was kept in front of her.
Unlike their dark red glasses, hers was a nice, light colour.
“Just let me see it from afar.” Lucien was saying but her attention wasn’t on him any longer, instead she was looking at the stone in Klaus’ hand.
“What is that?” She asked never having seen anything like it.
“Black kyanite stone, here.” He handed it over to her, and she turned it over in her palm.
She wondered why he needed it.
“Wait, is this....smuggled?”
“Oh yes, of course it is,” she felt her eyebrows rise at how uncaring he sounded. “They aren’t exactly diamonds, but they are still hard to find.”
“So you stole it?” She asked Lucien, and could feel Klaus’ eyes burning into the side of her face.
“Well, it is rather an oversimplification of things, but yes, I suppose you could say that I stole it.” She looked away, shaking her as she scoffed and caught Klaus looking at her with something between amusement and exasperation.
“Well, I suppose they’re good.” Klaus said as he slid the box into his own pocket.
“They are absolutely authentic.” Lucien said nodding to the man standing guard, and he let three girls in.
“Oh great.” She said, and Lucien turned to her.
“You’re quite judgemental of my party, aren’t you?”
“Is your party interested in being here?”
“They’re humans. Does it really matter if they aren’t interested?”
She felt burning anger in her as she reached for her glass, but felt his hand wrap around her wrist and she looked up into blue green eyes.
She frowned at him.
He thought she was going to throw the drink in Lucien’s face.
Well, she should.
She shook her and he let go before getting up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.” Klaus tells her instead of answering Lucien’s question, but does look to the guy. “Behave yourself.”
“When do I not?” Once he had left, she felt a strange sort of discomfort at being left alone with the vampire.
There was something about him that was just off.
“So tell me love, since when does Nik have a girlfriend?” He asked her, and she realised that he was referring to her.
“I’m not his girlfriend.”
“So if I offer..” he turned to the red head next to him and asked her name, “Cindy, and you wonder why I don’t care for her, to Nik for well, a snack and something just a little more,” he moved closer to her, “You wouldn’t mind, would you love?”
“Yes I would, she isn’t a toy you can pass around.”
“Well, tonight, she’s whatever I want her to be.”
He reminded her of Damon.
He bit into Cindy then, and she noticed the bleeding open wound on her wrist.
“So how do you know Klaus?” She asked wanting to look away, but also wanting to distract him from the girl.
“Oh, I met Nik a thousand years ago. I am the first of his sireline.”
“You’re the first vampire Klaus ever turned?”
“Yes, you might not know it, but it is quite a big deal around here.”
“Oh.”
“Exactly, now tell me, how did you two meet? Give me the account of how enemies turned lovers.” He said, and she could hear the mocking in his voice.
“We aren’t-“
“Nonsense. I can smell him on every inch of you. It’s as though he’s covered you in his scent.”
The museum.
“There was nothing romantic about how we met.”
“Oh I don’t doubt that. But there must have been something manipulative about it.”
“He took over my teachers body.”
“Yes, that does sound like him.”
She didn’t grace his words with a response, and he didn’t seem to be looking for one,
“So not before the sacrifice? Afterwards then?”
“Yes.” She realised there was no point hiding anything, it wasn’t as if she would ever see him again.
“And now what?”
“Now nothing.”
“Oh well, I certainly hope he’s taken you more places than just New York.”
“I told you I’m not his girlfriend.”
“Well then, perhaps you could join me. I’m going to Scotland next.” He moved even closer to her, ignoring the girls behind him.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to.”
“I could compel you to accompany me.”
“I know someone who wouldn’t like that.”
“Oh please, while Nik is quite possessive, you’re no Aurora so I’m sure he’ll share.”
“No, I won’t.” Klaus said, sliding his arm around her shoulder. She didn’t even know when he was back.
“Oh come on, don’t be like that.”
“Oh shut up Lucien.” He said before looking away. “Well, I think it’s time we left.”
“Already?” The vampire sounded disappointed.
“Yes.”
“Well, at least have a drink for old times sake.” Klaus looked like he was going to refuse, but got up and made two of the girls leave, settling in beside the brunette.
She knew what he was doing, because soon he had bitten into her neck, while Lucien had her arm, and Elena knew the girl was looking at her.
The girl who had hazel eyes and tan skin, who didn’t look as though she wanted to be there.
Instead, she was looking at Elena pleadingly, her face contorted in pain as the two of them drank from her.
“Stop it, she’s...” but by the time she protested it was too late, and she was dead.
The two vampires pulled away from her, and Klaus smirked at Lucien, lips bloodstained.
“Well, that was delicious.”
She couldn’t stop looking at the girl, her face contorted in pain, her eyes wide open as she lay dead.
“Oh yes, she had the Bombay blood group. It is quite delicious, I actually flew her in from Iran.”
It didn’t seems as if anyone cared that she was dead, talking about her as if her corpse wasn’t lying between them.
She wondered how they would explain her death. They’d probably just burn her body, hundred of miles from her home, and she’d become yet another unsolved missing person.
“A rare pleasure then. Well, as good as it has been to see you, I think it’s time we left.” Klaus said and she knew she’d never forget that girl.
The drive back to the hotel was silent.
She was seething inside, and he seemed to know it, because he didn’t say anything to her.
When they were back, she left to go into her room without a word.
“So, are you ever going to speak to me?” He asked, and she turned to see him leaning against the doorway.
“No, of course I will. What do you want to talk about?” She pulled out an oversized t-shirt, as she undid the zip on her dress. “Do you want to talk about Lucien? Your vampire best friend who suggested we have a threesome?” She pushed the dress off her shoulders.
“He isn’t my-“
“I’ve never seen you be this nice to Elijah!”
“That’s quite different. I wasn’t trying to-“
“Or the fact that the only reason we had sex earlier was so you could make sure he knew we were sleeping together? Why did you want him to know that anyway?”
“For one, I didn’t do it so Lucien would know, in fact I didn’t want him to know.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t known that.
“I do have a reputation you know.”
“Is that why you killed that girl? To maintain your reputation?” She asked as finally removed the dress, and pulled the shirt on.
“Well, to be fair, she was dinner.” She looked at him scathingly, and he raised his hands as if he was trying to calm her. “Yes, I did to maintain my reputation.”
“I can’t believe you. Was it really more important than her life?”
“Yes!”
She looked at him in shock, she hadn’t expected that answer.
“Why?”
“Because I needed him to fear me!”
“Well, your plan was successful. Because I’m afraid of you.” He walked towards her then, stopping just short of where she was standing.
“You’ve never really been afraid of me. Certainly not tonight.”
“No, I’m just so used to the fear when I’m around you, I’ve learnt to just live with it.” He looked crestfallen, not hiding his emotions for once.
“Were you afraid of me this evening then? When you let you me have you in a restroom? Or the day after the ball? Or that very night in your bedroom?” She knew he was right, that there had been times when she hadn’t been afraid of him.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid of him at all.
“I was afraid on senior prank night. When you slapped me in the face.” He looked as if she had hit him, and there was a part of her that felt vindicated. “I was afraid in Chicago when I thought you would kill me.”
“You say that. Yet, you continued defying me after all of those things. I have made many fear with just my name. But not you Elena.” He slid a hand to her face, cupping her cheek. “Even if it would be better for both of us if you were afraid.”
She looked up at him, knowing he was right.
“Do you hate me for this?” He asked.
“Yes.” She said, knowing it wasn’t really true.
“Why?”
“Because you can’t just kill people.”
“And yet I did. But you aren’t only concerned about the fact that I did. You’re concerned about how you’ll justify it. How you’ll convince yourself that I’m still worth saving. I’m not. There is no need to justify anything I do. I am the devil. What I did tonight, I have done much worse than that and you know it. You’ve always known it. And yet, here you are. The only question that remains, is why.”
And that was something she didn’t have an answer to.