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Chapter Text

The city streets of mystic falls don’t often see construction crews and the streets are rarely decorated by “grand opening” signs. Which is why it drew Caroline’s eye to see the new florist going in down the block from the grill. Every event she planned had flowers coming in from at least as far as Richmond, having a florist in town would eliminate so many of her headaches. Well, the not vampire related ones.
The small shop was having the final decorations put up as a woman was laughing with one of the first customers and putting out a sign for the opening. Caroline walked over on her way to meet up with Tyler and smiled as she got the attention of the woman. The florist looked brightly at her as she turned from the other customer, pulling wavy brown hair behind her ear.

“I had no idea we were getting a new florist in town, I cannot tell you enough how bad we needed it.” Caroline said, making the florist’s smile widen.

“Well it was very short notice, so I didn’t get a chance to announce it the way I would’ve liked to. Do you have a passion for flowers?”

“Not exactly, but I am the planner for this town. My Name’s Caroline, and any event we have here pretty much goes through me, and every one of them has flowers. You and I are going to be best friends” Caroline said with finality and an outstretched hand. The slide of the florist’s hand into hers made the smile almost fall from the woman’s face but she quickly caught it and shook her head.

“Well then it’s perfect we met. My name’s Alea Chevalier. You look like you’re on your way somewhere but maybe we can talk another time.” She said with a motion towards the open door where flowers peeked out from inside. There were colorful bouquets and rows of pots, the smell of soil tickling Caroline’s nose.

“Oh my god I would love that. I’ll come back for your opening, and I’ll bring my friends, we’ll make a whole thing out of it.” she says, there’s a million new ideas in her head now. New events that need arrangements and dresses that need corsages. Alea holds up a finger and reaches behind her moment into a pouch, bundling something together before handing it to Caroline.

“I have a feeling these will do you good, it just feels right.” Alea says as she passes over the bundle. Caroline takes a sniff to make sure there’s no vervain or wolfsbane hiding in it, and finds the soothing scent of lavender, sage, and rose. She puts it in her purse with a smile and waves as she continues on her way to the grill.

Alea doesn’t quite know what to make of the young vampire. The feeling she got was the cold touch of the grave that all vampires give, with a hint of sunshine and a zing of electricity that was all her own. Most vampires had the remnants of their human aura hiding in a reading, it took a bit of work to feel it out past the chill that death held over it. With the honest way Caroline acted and the happy aura she had, Alea was leaning towards trusting her gut and getting to know the young woman. She could tell that she wasn’t much older than she looked, the magic in her was still young and didn’t taste as ancient as the older ones did. The older vampires had a taste to their magic that you could feel as they entered a room, it would raise goosebumps.
Alea was enjoying opening her shop, the small town seemed excited to have something new to gawk at and visit. She had plenty of people popping in just to get a look at the new face in town. She didn’t think she was much to talk about. Alea blended in well everywhere she went with her softly wavy brown hair, cut just below her shoulders. Her green eyes had been called blue in the right light, but what most people talked about was how old her eyes looked, which was easily waved away with a joke or funny story.

The flower shop was an investment Alea had made when she knew she was headed to Mystic falls. There’s an apartment above it where she’d moved in, gotten comfortable with the few things she has here in the states. It had been a bit rushed since her plans had changed so rapidly. Alea had been chasing grimoires in Greece before she’d been called here looking for a witch. She didn’t have much to go on, a name and a vision of the “Welcome to Mystic Falls” sign were all she’d gotten when she’d been contacted by the spirit. The Bennet line was well known even in Europe, but family trees weren’t exactly public, and for good reason. There were some in the last few generations that had been big names at least in the states, but the continents tended to be very separate.

The florist shop would be a good way to get to know people in town and cover any supplies she needed to order for herself. Wolfsbane and vervain weren’t as strange on an order list that included mandrake and patchouli. Hopefully that would also attract any local witches.
But Alea had a day full of business to go along with her investment, it wasn’t all just a cover. She and her local hire, Jackie, were kept plenty busy late into the evening with people popping in for orders of all kinds. From bouquets to new plants for desks, there were plenty of people leaving the shop proving that Mystic falls had needed something new.

By the last hour of the day Alea was forgetting all the good reasons she had for opening a shop in the first place. She’d let her assistant, Emily, go an hour ago and was leaning on the counter counting down the minutes till closing. Of course that’s when the bell above the door rings, she turns with a welcome on her lips before even looking. In the entry is a dark haired man in a well tailored suit looking closely around the shop with an assessing gaze. His eyes fall on her and there’s just a moment where she freezes, she can’t tell what’s behind his eyes but the feel of his aura has her wanting to hiss.

“What brings you in today?” she squeezes out between a tight smile, circling around from behind the counter as he makes his way down past the zinnias. Pulling on his cufflinks and smoothing out a half smile, the gentleman runs a finger across a petal and gently sniffs the roses he's stopped near.

“I have come to your lovely shop for a welcome present for a new friend. I’m hoping for some expert help.” He says as he turns back to look at her, raising an eyebrow and folding his hands behind his back. There’s the chill of his aura filling the room and Alea is trying to feel in it anything other than decay. There is a slow inhale that brings the scent of old library books, fresh linens, and the warm smell of oak. Even without the aura read she could tell he was one for the finer things, but what mattered was what he needed from this. The scent of his aura was enough to start her down an aisle as she called over her shoulder to him.

“Is this a business friend or a personal friend?” she clarified as her hand landed the jasmine, turning away from him to pluck a small handful and take another sniff of the permeating aura leading her further down the row of flowers.

“All my friends are business friends, I'm afraid.” He says with a hand wave as if to wipe away dust. He makes his way to the counter as Alea was pulled through the store until she arrived back at the counter across from him. A small rearrangement and wrap up later and there’s a blue and white swathed bouquet with ivy, jasmine, clematis, and small clovers poking up. He looks the bundle over once, lays a gentle finger against one of the petals and hums.

“Yes, I do think that works quite nicely. You have a real magic with flowers.” he says with the hint of a smile. The inside joke works to break a bit of the tension and Alea passes him the bouquet across the counter while ringing him up.

“Well they say to do what you love. Otherwise it sucks the joy out of life.” she parried, “I don’t believe I got your name, I’m Alea.”

“Elijah, and I believe we’ll see each other around.” he heads to the door with a sniff to the bouquet and a smirk. The bell jingles as he departs and the air in the room seems somehow lighter.

That night she’s climbing the stairs behind the shop to her new apartment when she sees that same little bouquet sat up against her door. It has the new addition of a card on plain white cardstock with crisp black lettering on it. It’s a simple card all things said, a welcome with a distinct lean towards wanting a chance at furthering some sort of business. What sort of business a vampire like Elijah could have with her Alea isn’t sure but his business card attached means she at least knows he’s serious.

Chapter Text

The Town has plenty of events, the mayor says she’ll be roping her into every one of them. Her first one is a tea event for an author doing historical research. The mayor tells her all about the founder’s events, how every year there’s a calendar full dedicated to a special set of families from back in the colonial days.
That’s before the Miss Mystic Falls events are even accounted for. She hadn’t realized when she picked a floral shop that she would be bombarded with requests.

How could one town be so starved for flowers?

But she had put in a rush order and had the mayor approve designs with enough time to make the preparations at a reasonable human pace, just in case anyone asked. Her one employee was quickly going to become several, she already had a sign in the window. She at least had to have someone trained to take over when she inevitably had to leave.

The tea event wasn’t as big as the mayor promised most founder’s gatherings would be, she said this would be considered small. Alea had come an hour ahead to set up and decided to stay at Mayor Lockwood’s request so that she could meet with some of the town's more important business leaders. She hadn’t planned on making waves here, making friends, or being noticed. Flower shops weren’t usually so popular.
When the event gets going the man of the hour is quickly surrounded, before Alea can even see who he is. She stays towards the edge of the building, taking in the architecture and the little antiques that they have displayed. The view from the back windows is beautiful and she’s watching the birds when there’s the distinct tingle in the air of magic.

At this point Alea wonders if there’s a day she won’t meet a vampire in this town. She’s already met two in the week she’s been here and now a third to add to the mix. Without looking all she can tell is that this one is older than Caroline but much younger than Elijah, which doesn’t say much. A second breath has the taste of bourbon, spearmint, and leather. Turning to scan the small gathering in the room it doesn’t seem that there are any eyes on her, but there’s a pair but clear blue eyes beneath black hair that she can see trouble in from across the room.

She tries to act natural as she mingles her way out of the room, dodging and weaving a slow path back to the main area. That’s when the real cold hits her. She recognizes it but it still takes her off guard with the way she was keeping one eye on the vampire and one eye on the exit. Now her eyes are drawn directly to Elijah where he stands between Carol Lockwood and her gaggle of important founder ladies.

Looking back towards the smaller room the other vampire has also laid his eyes on Elijah, setting his drink aside he strides with purpose across the room right past Alea. She can’t hear what they say, but Elijah seems tense as this other vampire smirks and makes sweeping gestures. His eyes pass over the room and land on Alea as she watches them, his eyebrow raises slightly as he takes note of her. She’s at a loss as to what to do, so shrugs, brings her phone to her ear and whispers conspiratorially, “Is he as annoying as he looks?” as though it's to anyone but him. He seems to understand, from the smile he hides in his fist. And the other man hasn’t caught on from the looks of it. She shuts her phone and looks around, seeing if Carol’s friends have all been greeted and appeased, she needs to make connections and establish herself to find what she’s looking for here. It looks like Elijah and the other man are headed into a closed door meeting, hiding in a back room, the usual place for supernatural affairs. Maybe she can catch Elijah after and ask him about the business he’s after. Alea decides on another round of schmoozing and sees a man looking about as uncomfortable as her next to a young woman in a corner.

“Hi I’m Alea, I’m the new florist in town, Mayor Lockwood told me I had to meet absolutely everyone or it’d be rude” she says by way of greeting to the couple. The man looks a little bedraggled, in a classic professor's coat, elbow patches and all, whereas the woman is put together and has a splash of makeup on. The woman smiles at Alea and offers her hand.

“I’m Jenna and this is Alaric, Carol likes to rope everyone into these things don’t worry. It’s nice to have a new face around here, I heard about your shop going in, I haven’t gotten a chance to come by yet.” she says as she grabs new cups of the tea being offered by a passing server. She seems comfortable here, Alea wonders if she’s one of the famed “founding families” or just a local.

“It’s nice to meet you both. I didn’t realize how many events such a small town would be running, I’ll be changing the way I order from here on out.” she fake whispers, it gets a laugh out of Jenna, but just a grunt out of Alaric, the man seems distracted by the meeting Elijah is having. Jenna seems to notice but shrugs it off, rambling a bit about the local events and Carol's domination of social hierarchy. It’s enough to get a good idea of how things are run and Alea nods along to every bit of it. This kind of information is just as important as road maps when getting to know a new place.
Before she realizes it, time has flown by and the door to the secret meeting clicks open. Elijah slides out and tugs his tie straight and his cufflinks flat as he exits, making a sweep of the room before his eyes catch hers. Alea makes her polite goodbyes and makes her way towards Elijah, grabbing two fresh tea cups on the way.

She offers one cup to Elijah as she approaches and it feels like lifetime before he reaches out to take it. A polite ‘thank you’ before he gets his sugar and cream and takes a dainty first sip.

“I wanted to thank you for the beautiful bouquet. From your card it sounded like you had further business planned, but I wonder what a writer would need a florist for.” She murmurs behind the lip of her teacup, her lips hidden from the women vying for Elijah’s attention around the room. The room has almost a perimeter of women split into small groups who are all sneaking glances over at the man. They are trying to be subtle but fail.

“My research includes the local botanicals. I’m looking into the Salem witches that may have settled here. The native plant species they may have used and cultivated would be of great interest.” He says as he takes a sip of tea, he looks over his cup as he quirks a brow. “I thought your skills may be a good resource. Swapping favors would seem beneficial since what I may need is not so simple as a bouquet or fresh flowers.” The subtext is obvious and Alea wonders how big a game he is involved in if he’s recruiting a witch after a first meeting and having backroom meetings with vampires at noon teatime. He may be a good resource if he’s strong enough to have such confidence, and to have an aura that feels so overwhelming.

“I don’t tend to make arrangements like that with people I’ve just met. Maybe we can try this, but if it doesn’t work out I want to know I can back out any time we’re even.” She whispers, looking into his eyes as she hides her lips and tries to get an inhale. The breath she takes is sharp with the scent of linens like before with the crisp cut of steel underneath. There’s metal beneath the gentleman, whether its a sharp sword or thick armor is yet to be seen, but she can feel the steel as she looks at him and he assesses her.

“As long as we’re even, you can leave. You have my word.” He says with finality. The steel sharpens, finds a place behind her lungs as she exhales the tension. She puts out a hand and they shake, a sharp snap of electricity popping as they’re hands meet.
“Sorry, static.” Alea apologizes, as she waves it off and tries to ignore the tingle in her palm. He seems slightly disturbed but ignores the interruption as he sweeps his gaze around the room.

“I apologize for leaving abruptly but I do believe I am required to continue mingling or there may be consequences.” He says as you both spot Carol looking his way with a tight smile and raised brow. “The price of a spotlight I’m afraid.” He sighs as he abandons his tea and bids her goodbye with a slight head tip.
It seems the best time to leave, no one else is looking her way and the shock of two vampires in one place has Alea wanting to look further into what she’s gotten herself into. She’s a few steps away from her work van when she sees a shadow flash beside her and suddenly those clear blue eyes from before are staring at her.

“And who do we have here?” The man asks as he grabs her arm and tries to pull her behind her van, being none too gentle in the process. His hand squeezes hers and she slams the heel of her palm into his nose, forcing him to release her in shock.

“Get the hell away from me.” Alea hisses as she weaves a rushed aneurysm spell and the man begins to writhe. The spell is enough to keep him down for a moment but she follows it up by opening her van and grabbing a gardening stake. She kneels over him with the small stick pressed to his chest, “Now how about this; who are you?” she flips on him.

“That is Damon Salvatore, and unfortunately I can’t let you kill him. No matter how much I would enjoy it.” Elijah says as he leans an elbow on the van and crosses his ankles. He looks relaxed as he observes Alea crouched next to the screeching vampire on the pavement. “If he promises not to continue his rather threatening behavior maybe we can all be a bit more civil, hmm? I could mark it as our first favor” He barters, looking at Damon as he makes his demands.

“I’m happy to find a peaceful solution, as long as he remembers how easy the deadly option is.” Alea agrees easily, dusting herself off and releasing Damon. She steps back and he gets up and sneers at her, his aura a jumble of bourbon and ash. He flashes away without another word to either of them.

“I didn’t think we’d be exchanging favors so soon. This town is far more exciting than I was expecting.” She huffs as she relaxes against the van. Elijah straightens his suit and she can almost see a smile as he ducks his head and turns away.

Chapter Text

She has plenty of research to do to feel more prepared to face this town. There’s something deeper going on here than meets the eye. Looking into the founders and the supernatural history here will take several all-nighters. So Alea decides to treat herself to dinner out.

She is coming out of the grill when she sees Caroline talking to a woman down the block. Caroline turns away and the woman pulls something out and sprays her with it. Alea hears a screech and begins rushing down the block, dropping behind a car when she hears a shot go off. She keeps an eye up, looking through the car's windows to see the man and woman pick Caroline up and into the back of a truck. A quick whisper under her breath and gesture of her hand has a hook in the truck to track it as they drive away and Alea rushes off to her car.

The hook in the truck feels like a little pull behind her belly button, like her gut is tugging her further into the woods down the trail they’ve left. She keeps a long distance between them and her lights off as she gets further from town, wondering who these people are that kidnap teenage vampires.
Coming to a stop, Alea can see a worn down RV parked by the same truck that Caroline had been taken in. She tucked her car in among the trees and silently shut her door as she crouched down. There among the shadows she paused, looking at the RV and sniffing the air she felt around for anyone nearby. There was the calm presence of nature surrounding her but beyond that was something wild. There was a whiff of magic and a feral stirring in the night that had her sitting up and taking another look around.

Nothing happens for over an hour, she sees five or six people wandering around the area but doesn’t see Caroline again or the man who shot her. The people here have the feral energy of werewolves seeping out of them, the smell of fur and grass as they pass the edges of her reach.
When Alea does hear movement in the RV again she tries to sneak a little closer between the trees and shrubs to hear what's going on. She can make out some yelling and bits of the conversation but doesn’t understand the context. It sounds like a revenge plot of some kind. But when another gunshot goes off is when she knows she has to do something.

A few werewolves can go down with the same spell that took down the Salvatore creep from earlier, if she can get them all at once and Caroline isn’t trapped then it should be a snap. But if she can’t free Caroline while casting, or needs another spell to free her then she may have problems.
She might have something in her car to help her, something to channel or maybe some wolfsbane. She turns from where she’s crouched and begins to sneak back through the shadows. But half way there she can feel the edge of an aura right before it’s right on top of her, literally. One of the werewolves pins her to the forest floor and growls down at her with gold in his eyes.

“How the hell did you find us and who the fuck are you?” He snarls as he shoves her down and squeezes her arms. They're far enough from the RV that no one has come looking yet but if he’s any louder she may not be any luckier. Between clenched teeth she spits in his face and in the moment he looks away she has her chance. He loosened his hands enough for her to move hers and looked away long enough for her to chant the rushed incantation that pulls his whole body taut. His face pales and the gold in his eyes dims as a rush of energy fills Alea.

The body falls onto her with a dull thud and she rolls it off with a quiet gag. The bruises from his hands fade as she crouches in the shadows and shuts his eyes. She pushes through the underbrush to her car and into the back seat with a sigh.
There isn’t much that she carries with her, she has a small travel kit that she keeps in the car with her most used herbs and ingredients, but she didn’t expect to be facing werewolves. The inventory she goes over doesn’t yield much besides wolfsbane that is helpful. She has a small knife for emergencies but it isn’t anywhere big enough to be useful considering their healing. She has more supplies for vampires than werewolves; she doesn’t tend to have issues with any. There’s a small piece of amber she snatches up, the warm feel of it in her hand a reminder of the power it holds.

Alea looks through her window at the RV as a scream pierces the night air. She steals her nerves as she grabs the supplies and crouches behind the car. If she can get in and out with as little fanfare as possible, this may be okay. She wades through the dark towards the RV, pausing as the pack moves around. She waits until the woman is the only one around, standing with her back turned and towards the edge of the campfire’s light.

Creeping around the edge of the RV, Alea reaches for the door and carefully pulls it open, one eye on the woman and a flickering glance to the door. Quick steps lead her inside before she crouches by a seat to see the inside. There’s a cage towards the back where she can see Caroline in one corner, hunched down and breathing heavily. It looks like there’s a man sitting in front of her but it’s difficult to see from this angle. Alea presses a hand to the amber in her pocket and whispers an incantation as quietly as she can. The head she can see begins to nod off, tilting to the side before he slumps over asleep. Alea sneaks forward until she’s at the door of the cage and can whisper to Caroline. She wakes her up quietly with a hush and a finger to her lips.

“I’m here to get you out.” She whispers as she lifts the pin on the door. She slides it out and pushes it up as Caroline shuffles forward. She’s obviously still healing and looks worse for wear, she’s pale and bloody with a spot on her forehead where they shot her.

“It’s dangerous here, these aren’t just thugs, they can really hurt you.” She says in a hush as she wriggles under the door and is free of the cage. Alea gives her a hand out and puts a hand on her shoulder as she looks her over.

“Caroline. I know, trust me, it’s okay. I have to get you out of here.” She replies under her breath. She tries to convey with her eyes the calm that will help settle the teenager, but it’s right then that she hears over her shoulder the sound of the door opening. She spins quickly to try the sleep spell again but the woman from outside is far faster than her, leaping from the door to her in a flash. She pins her against the floor with an arm against her throat and throws a quick jab in Caroline’s face.

“Where do you think you’re going? Trying to free our little hostage? And looks like you managed to get Brady asleep on the job. That’s a lot for a human.” The woman growls from atop her. She reaches for the gun on the floor and there’s a struggle as the three roll over each other in the small space, vying for control of the firearm. The werewolf ends up by the exit with the gun pointed in their direction, Caroline’s face distorted by her vampire features as the two growl. Alea hopes it may cover a spell whispered under her breath, but the werewolf whips her head towards her and fires a shot at her shoulder. Caroline’s eyes follow the action and end up fixed on the bloom of red on her shirt as she falls back against the cage, missing the following shot as it hits her in the head.

“Now I have two captives to worry about, and I have a feeling you’ll be more trouble than you’re worth.” The woman says as she steps towards her. It’s been so long since she’s been shot, she’s blinded by the pain and can’t think through it enough to cast or get her arm up as she’s pushed down to the ground. She struggles with her good arm and tries to headbutt the woman as she forces a gag in her mouth, tying it tight before she goes for her wrists. She renews her struggle and kicks out but it does little to deter as her arms are wrenched back, sending a searing pain through her shoulder, making her scream.

“We know how to deal with troublesome witches here. Maybe if you’re too much trouble we’ll have a little campfire.” She sneers as she tightens the binding on her wrists and shoves her into the cage. The noise from her scream was enough to wake the sleeping man and he shakes himself of the grogginess as he sees the vampire on the floor and the new captive.

“What did I miss?” He says.

Chapter Text

When Caroline comes awake she sniffs around and her vampiric features start to come out until she sees what’s going on. She gasps and groans as the bullet finishes working its way out of her head and she’s able to sit back and look at Alea with less hunger.

“Oh my god Alea, are you okay?” She whispers as she goes to free the gag from around her face. She’s stopped by a tisking from beside the cage, the man who must be Brady looks at them with a gleam in his eye as they stare at him. He’s smiling as Caroline backs away, he can see the way she’s shaking and smell how afraid she is.

“Look at you two so cozy together. You’re pretty good at hiding how much you want to eat her.” He says as he waves the gun lazily between them. There are other tools lying beside him but Alea doesn’t want to think about what he has planned. Without being able to talk or use her hands she’s basically human, she needs to find them a way to get out of here before this guy gets too torture happy.

“I wonder how long you can go before that control is gone and your friend becomes food?” He sneers as he grabs a dart gun and shoots Caroline in the neck. Caroline screams as she tries to claw the splinter out of her neck, but he just shoots her again. Alea wriggles to try and get her hands free or loosen her binds, but that only draws Brady’s attention. Brady lays down the dart gun and grabs the other gun again.

“The weaker she gets the harder it’ll be for her to control the thirst. The more you bleed the more of a temptation you become.” He says as he aims for a leg and shoots. His lazy shot hits her thigh and she screams through the gag as it hits bone. Caroline’s head turns slowly but she stays firmly on the far side of the cage.
Brady chuckles as he looks over his toys and it gives them a moment of reprieve. Alea tries to think of something she can do to free them, she wriggles her fingers towards her back pocket and feels the edge of something. She doesn’t recognize it for a second, when she does her eyebrows lift and she looks towards Caroline. The edge of Elijah’s business card are peaking out of her pocket, right next to her phone. If Caroline can get to them maybe he can get to them.

Alea reaches her finger tips towards her pocket and grasps the edge of the card, she gets the edge of it between her nails as Brady goes on another speech about vampires being a scourge. She tries to subtly get Caroline’s attention, it isn’t hard when her eyes are already on the fresh blood on her thigh. Her eyes go to the card peaking out from behind her back and she squints a little as she reads the name. Caroline seems to understand what she means and looks at Brady as he waves the gun at them and then glances at her hip from the corner of her eye. Brady has his eye on Caroline and grabs the dart gun again. As he’s going to grab it she flashes over to Alea and pulls both the card and phone from her pocket and dials with her fingers moving like lightning.

Brady recovers quickly and shoots her with a dart while her finger hovers over the dial button. He’s too late and Caroline grits her teeth and presses. Alea nods her head and grumbles to indicate the gag, squirming with Caroline across her lap. Caroline uses a quick flash to rip the binding off before Brady gets another shot off and moves to the door of the cage. The phone rings as Alea chants quickly and forces Brady down before he can unlatch the door. It’s on the second ring when she pauses a moment to look at Caroline.

“You need to feed so we can get out of here. I’m not on vervain, just take enough to heal.” She says in a rush before she hurries to chant again and get Brady back on the floor. She can hear someone moving around outside and she doesn’t want to have to deal with the whole pack coming down on them.
It’s on the third ring when Caroline has just struck the vein and she’s let out a small screech that Elijah picks up.

“Alea? What’s going on?” His even tone even in this rushed situation is a relief. Caroline pops her head up for a moment with a gasp and grabs the phone from the floor.

“We need help, please, these werewolves kidnapped us and shot us and I don’t think we can get out. Alea’s casting right now but she gave me your card, can you help?” She said all at once, her squeaky wobble showing her age. Alea wriggled her hands and raised her hands towards the blond, who already looked brighter. She rushed around and unbound her and put the phone on speaker.

“The whining and chanting did giveaway your predicament. Text this number your location and if it is close to town I should be there before you can get into too much more trouble.” He replies, there’s a shuffle in the background and Alea can hear movement. With her freed hands she begins texting him and hears him hum in consideration when he receives it.

“I can be there in five minutes. Try to stay in one piece until then.” He says and clicks off the line. Alea sighs and pulls the amber from her pocket. Concentrating, she changes her spell and looks into Brady’s eyes as they turn gold. She breathes in and feels the strength returning to her in bits, starting with the bite in her leg and the drained feeling from the blood loss.

“Alright, now we just have to survive five minutes.” She says as he droops to the floor. She looks towars the door as it creaks open and she shoos Caroline to hide.
They crouch together behind a bench and a new person comes in. This one is leaner and seems on edge, his eyes shifting about the room as he comes inside. Alea inches her fingers towards the gun that’s been left on the floor and almost has her fingers on it when his head turns to look directly at her.
His teeth are bared in a growl but it dies in his throat as Caroline launvhes herself at him and he goes down. His throat his in shred and he’s gargling in second. The blood drips down Caroline’s chin as she pulls back and gasps, siting on her haunches and sighing as she holds herself back from the body.

“Thank you, he would have been a problem.” Alea says as she holds the gun out to Caroline and tucks a long knife away for herself. Caroline seems to shake herself into focus and grabs the gun with a steady hand.

“The wooden bullets won’t be as effective on werewolves.” She says as she takes it, checking it over with a familiarity that speaks to regular use.
“They aren’t specifically made for werewolves, but a bullet to the head will still put them down at least for a while.” Alea says with a shrug and a grimace, looking pointedly at the smear of blood on Caroline’s forehead. She pushes the door shut gently and sits on the sofa with a sigh. “I think they have like four more people, but I don’t know for sure. We can wait here until Elijah arrives or see if we can get to my car.” She says as she wets a paper towel and passes it over. Caroline wipes her face and hands off as she looks around the room and over the two werewolves.

“Do you think this guy can take four werewolves on his own?” She asks in a small voice. She’s looking away as she says it, her curly blond hair mostly obscuring her scared fave and the way she bites her lip.

“I don’t think he would have offered otherwise. And from my read of him this seems like a small issue for him.” Alea answers, using another papertowel to staunch the fresh flow from her wounds. The healing had helped with the bite and the bloodloss but hadn’t been enough to erase two bullet wounds. She hissed as she pressed enough to stop the bleeding. Caroline looked up but her vampire features stayed hidden, the feeding had been enough for her to have control again and she looked better than she had before. “We have a better position here, taking them out as they come to us, rather than being out in the open. Let’s see what happens.” She decides.

Caroline nods and stretches her neck. She looks at Alea uncomfortably as she tries to keep her eyes off the blood. She keeps her eyes on the door and focuses on listening to the forest around them as they wait to see if they’ll be attacked again.
Alea leans back on the seat and tries to focus on expanding her senses to feel anyone who might come close to the RV but she’s exhausted. Her magic is waning even after channeling the werewolves and she needs rest. She can’t close her eyes too long or she’ll fall asleep. She’s fighting to stay awake as they start to hear movement out front.

There’s whistling, a tune they don’t recognize coming from a little ways away and the sound of the bushes around them as people come towards the RV. They both peak through the windows to see, pulling the curtains a tiny ways up to get a glimpse. The last four werewolves come from all directions into the clearing and look at each other in confusion. They seem to be arguing, but none of them are whistling, which continues to come closer to them as the wolves argue and turn towards the noise. They grab the few weapons they have, stakes and flamethrowers and sharp sticks. They’re facing the direction of the whistling when suddenly it stops.

That’s when Elijah appears behind the one with the flamethrower, with his hand in his chest, and rips. From there it’s a rush. He’s everywhere as he tears a head from a body and a heart from a chest. The last is the woman from before. He has her by the throat when Alea thinks.

“Wait! We need information!” She yells from the doorway. She hobbles down the steps and has Caroline next to her as she huffs. “Why the hell was she even doing this? It seems useful to know why she kidnapped a random teenager” she continues as she comes face to face with the final werewolf. Caroline growls at the woman as she hold Alea’s shoulder

“She said something about Tyler and Mason. Something about revenge and werewolf superior morals and honor.” Caroline supplied, sneering. Elijah raised an eyebrow as he held the woman at arms length, seemingly at ease surrounded by bodies.

“Well it seems we’re in a predicament. It’s of no consequence , I have need of a werewolf anyways, we can hold onto her for now.” He says as he knocks out the woman and slings her over his shoulder. “I do believe we are even again miss Chevalier. Unless there’s anything further I can assist with?” He says as he pointedly looks at her two wounds.

“Is first aid not included in rescue services? I may need to know for the future if this is anything to go by.” Alea sighs as she rolls her eyes. She could heal on her own, she could even heal at the human rate, but vampire blood or channeling would be the fastest option.

“Maybe we need to discuss the rescue package deal further, my car is this way.” He says over his shoulder as he turns as walks back through the forest. It turns out his SUV is parked just past her car, the sleak vehicle making her used compact look even older. Caroline is mostly holding her up at this point and she leans heavily on his car as he opens the trunk and throws in the werewolf.

“I could help too, I’m feeling a lot better. Really.” Caroline says, she tries to smile as she twists her hands. Alea places a hand on her neck and pulls out a splinter, making her squeak and flinch.

“You haven’t finished healing. If I take your blood I’m taking the healing from you.” Alea replies as she pulls another splinter free gently, trying to get them all out so she can start healing. She can see that there are small splinters around the bullet holes and there’s more splinter on her shoulder. “Do you actually have a first aid kit or do I have to wait till she gets home?” She says as Elijah comes around the car and watches her pull a splinter out.

“I do have a kit in the car, and blood. If you come back to town in my car I can bring you back for yours tomorrow.” He says as he hold the back door open for Caroline. He points to the center console and as she gets in she slides it open to reveal a stock of blood bags. Alea tries to get in but her leg almost gives out. Strong arms catch her and help her in, she manages a quiet thank you as Elijah lets her go. She grabs the first aid kit he offers and finds the tweezers. Elijah slides in and the car starts up with a purr.

"Thank you for saving us.” Caroline whispers, looking into the rearview mirror to catch Elijah’s eyes. He nods before turning them around and driving out of the woods. Alea carefully picks all the splinters out of Caroline as she sips a couple bags of blood. They arrive outside the girl’s house quickly and she walks her to her door.

“Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to stay? Do you have friends to call?” Alea asks as they say goodbye at the door. The girls face doesn’t hide her feelings as well as she thinks and Alea is worried for her, alone, after all that.

“I’m fine, I just want some sleep after all that. You helped get me out, thank you so much.” She croaks out, her voice is cracked and her eyes look heavy. Alea gives her a firm hug and looks in her eyes. She pops her phone out and hands it over, forcing it into the girls hands.

“Give me your number. If anything happens I want you to call me. I know you’re a big strong vampire, but if there’s a scary noise or creepy shadow, just text me. You have my blood in you, that means I’m with you and you won’t be alone.” Alea says as she holds her hand, taking her phone back but lingering for a moment as Caroline gets a little watery.

“I don’t know if that’s creepy or comforting.” She says finally and giggles before they hug goodbye. Alea waves as she goes back to the car and keeps an eye on the house until the door is completely closed. She sighs when she can finally lean back and close her eyes for a moment.

“You do realize you’re still bleeding, right?” Elijah says from beside her, one eyebrow raised and hand perched on the steering wheel. Alea looks down at herself and blinks as she realizes how tingly she feels. There’s a distinct line between adrenaline high and shock and somewhere between the blood loss and running for their lives she had stopped checking in with her body. She was starting to lose the weightless invincibility of adrenaline and the shakiness of shock was creeping in.

“Huh, you know I’d almost forgotten. I might be going into shock, I’m sure it’s fine.” She gets out between chattering teeth. Clenching them as she goesthrough some calming breaths to try and center herself. Alea closes her eyes and reaches into her pocket looking for her amber stone, and keeps looking. Her hand comes up empty as she turns and looks over the back seat for the small token. “Shit. Okay, so I have less options to make it better but I’m still fine. I haven’t fainted in years.” She mumbles, Elijah parks behind her shop, right by her apartment and looks over at her as she tries to fight the shaking. He flashes over to the other side and opens her door, and before she could even try to get out he was lifting her up and headed up towards her home. Her leg was screaming at her now that the adrenaline was gone, but she clenchs her jaw to keep the screech inside. He probably still heard the muffled noise of pain but ignores her as he asks for the keys and promptly let them in. Once inside he went directly to the bedroom, visible from the entryway, and laid her out on the bed.

“This town has not been easy on you so far. Now how about we discuss the terms of the full rescue package?” He says as he looks her over and takes off his jacket, laying it over the end of the bed and rolling up his sleeves. “ I should let you know, in all fairness, that your friend Caroline is already covered by someone else’s deal. While that deal is in place I will protect her life if I am able. So today I was only technically rescuing you.” He says as he goes towards the bathroom in search of first aid supplies. Alea can hear rummaging as she thinks this over and she has a minute to roll it over in her mind before he’s back with a small bundle.

“If this other person’s deal falls through then Caroline wouldn’t be protected anymore, right? And what this special person just gets to pick a list of people and you have to save them no matter what?” She asks as he sits beside her and examines the bullet hole in her shoulder. She tries to breathe through the gentle touch but the small prodding has her hissing through her teeth.

“That is the gist of it, yes. Now, are we going to let this heal the human way?” He asks, looking from her shoulder back to her eyes.

“This town is deadlier than I thought, having your blood would be dangerous.” She thinks for a second and considers for a moment and looks him over. “If I channel you I should be able to heal them myself. There’s other options though, we can consider first aid not a part of a rescue.” She says, holding his gaze assessingly. Elijah tilts his head and hums.

“Would the same apply if I were to require a rescue? It would seem only fair.” He asks, running a hand down the edge of the comforter. He looks pointedly towards the tear in her jeans where Caroline bit her, first aid for him would imply one thing. If he was willing to supply blood or magic for her, would she do the same if their position was reversed.

“If that ever happens, then yes, I would consider first aid part of the rescue. I would hope the rescue turns out better than this one though.” Alea says with a short laugh, cutting off when it jostles her shoulder and she winces in pain.

“That seems like a fair deal. Let me assess the damage better, I haven’t had a chance to look at your leg.” Elijah replies as he gently lifts her leg and gets a look at her thigh. The entry wound is weeping blood around where it has begun to clot, but is torn and swollen from the walking she’s continued to do on it. He turns her leg to see if there’s an exit wound and comes across unblemished jean. The bullet stopped when it hit bone and unlike her shoulder, didn’t make a clean through and through. He also notes the tear where he can see the healed bite marks, they look like they could be a few days old rather than an hour.

“We’ll have to get the bullet out first.” He says as he reaches for tweezers and holds her leg firmly. She sits up, ignoring her shoulder in favor of the renewed adrenaline. She looks from him to the bullet wound and back as she bites her lip.

“I almost wish I could do it myself. It’s so much easier when you’re on the other end.” She says as she lays back and puts a hand over her mouth. She remembers how much it hurts enough to know she’ll need to muffle her screams. He hums as he prods gently around the edge and goes back to the kit for a knife.

“Have you pulled a lot of bullets out of people?” Elijah asks as he preps the surface with a wipe down before he holds her leg down and presses the tweezers in. The first pushes of the instrument burn against the nerves and Alea presses her palm firmly against her mouth as she clenches her teeth.
He presses deeper and then pulls back slightly, dabbing away blood to get a better look. The shock and blood loss make her head feel light and she’s replying without really meaning to.
“Back in the war we pulled more bullets than we could count. It’s only been once or twice since then.” She says with a ragged inhale. She keeps her eyes on the ceiling and he doesn’t even pause before pushing back in and she has to force down another scream. She can tell he’s done this before, there’s no fumbling hands here, he’s precise and moving efficiently, holding the skin apart with one hand and digging inside with the other. She’s detached as her breath becomes harsh and she tries to focus on evening it out. She closes her eyes and sees the inside of the tents again. The rows of men moaning in pain, lying on cots in their uniforms. The sounds of the fighting are distant in her ears as the memory feels more real and the whistle of a bomb has her eyes in the memory turning towards the tents flaps as they fly open.

There’s a gentle shake that takes her out of the tent before she can see beyond the flap again. Elijah has a hand on her shoulder and leans back once he sees her eyes are awake. He wipes his hands clean and sets the tools aside.

“Which war.” He asks as though no time has passed. His calm tone is not broken by the long day or the stressful circumstances. He looks almost as put together as he did at tea.

“The Second World War, I served as a nurse in France. I’m French-Canadian, we were allowed to either work in the factories or serve as a nurse and I wanted to help as much as I could.” She says with a sigh, she hasn’t talked about it with anyone who isn’t part of her coven in a long time. It was an accident to even bring it up. But Elijah has been honorable since she met him and came through for her.

“Now how will this channeling work, I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar.” He says without further comment. He leans forward and lifts a brow in challenge.

“Similar to a witch channeling another witch or an element, I can draw from your innate magical power. The older a vampire is, the more power there is to draw on. It’s easier if we have a physical connection.” Alea explains and holds out a hand. “It won’t hurt as long as I don’t draw too much, and you would just have to pull away to make me stop. The magic will replenish naturally.” She continues as they watch each other. He looks at her, eyes her bloody palm, and slowly rests his cool hand in hers. The firm press of his hand is reassuring as she centers herself and closes her eyes. She breathes in and feels the steel of his aura as it settles in her chest. The brush of linen as it settles across her shoulders, and the fresh hint of mint that wakes her up.

She takes measured breaths as a slow stream of warmth travels from his palm up her arm and across her body. It isn’t like the rushed spell she used on the wolves, this opens with a slow, controlled stream before the raging torrent floods her. She almost feels overwhelmed by how much there is, the sheer amount of power that just tapping into him lets out, she has to tighten her control back to a measured pace to try not to drain him. She can feel her skin knitting back together and within a minute of the stream she gets from him, her skin is left only with the beginnings of scars. She breathes out and lets his hand go, opening her eyes in time to see the veins in his retreating.

“I’m sorry, that can be overwhelming. Thank you, I suppose we’re even now.” Alea whispers. Feeling like talking any louder would break the still energy that has crept into the room. She can feel how the wind had picked up while she channeled him and left her hair a mess, and see his hair is left askew too. She wonders what he felt on his end. It’s a long slow blink before he takes his hand back and straightens his unruly hair. He cleans up the first aid kit as she wipes off some blood with the washcloth. There’s still the warm feel of his aura lingering in her limbs as she sits up.

“Yes I suppose we are.” He replies as he unrolls his sleeves and grabs his jacket. As he gets up he turns back with a thoughtful look. “Should miss Forbes be in danger again, could I call on you, as a favor, to protect her?” He asks. Alea wonders how much trouble this kid is in that someone made a deal that included this level of protection. What sort of mess had Caroline gotten involved in, or what sort of person had made this deal with Elijah? But Alea felt bad for the girl, she had been alone on that street when she got shot and alone afterwards when she went home to recover, maybe she needed someone in her corner.

“Am I allowed to say that I will try within reason or if able?” Alea provisions, trying to find a bargain that won’t have her dying for a vampire she barely knows.

“That seems a fair allowance. I have your number now, and should you need me again, you know mine.” He says as he moves towards the door. She gets up and follows him out, locking the door after they say a polite goodbye. Alea sighs as she leans on the door. She looks around the room, it seems unfamiliar after such a long day. She wanders towards the bathroom and starts up the shower as she strips out of her blood soaked clothes. The fabric sticks to her and pulls on the freshly healing skin on her leg and shoulder. She jumps in the water as soon as it’s hot enough and starts to scrub where the blood has dried or coagulated.
The steam of the shower relaxes her muscles and she can start to feel the tension leaving her. She runs a finger across the tattoo on her sternum, tracing the curling lines and crossing knots as she thinks about the day. She came to town looking for a witch and has found three vampires so far and a werewolf pack. Something is going on here, more than a dying bloodline.

If there’s no coven here then whoever this witch could be, may need some serious help competing with all these other interested parties. A witch without a coven could be left very exposed if they weren’t experienced or powerful. She needs to find this witch before they get hurt or she does, doing something stupid or making a dangerous deal. She feels a spark from the tattoo as she passes over the design, watching as it sparks. The knotwork settles down as she mumble’s soothing words towards it. Feeding so much energy into it at once seems to have caused some indigestion. Little bubbles of energy popping in her throat before she swallows them back down. She doesn’t often get to take so much, let alone after two other channels in a day, there was plenty extra to store for later.
Back in the day, the tattoo was given to her to extend her life. A group of covens during the war had been facing casualties in the numbers not seen since the inquisition. They needed a way to save their history and their people. She had been the last one to be spelled and the only one to have it work. She was the designated historian for the allied covens in Europe during World War Two. Alea had continued working with a group of witches to form a library of grimoires, preserving the history of dead families and magics.

She has to feed the spell energy or she will continue aging. If she exhausted herself the fine lines and grey hairs begin to show. Few people knew about the spell, the ones who cast it were dead now, and she had few friends left from back in the day. In theory she could live forever. The herbs that most witches used to extend their life couldn’t be used indefinitely, eventually the age caught up with you and you could hold it off no longer. The shower was cold, shaking her out of her reverie and she grabbed a towel after turning it off. The bed was calling, she cleared it off and sank into the far side, leaving the blood stained side to be cleaned tomorrow. She turns into the blanket and burrows into the comfort as sleep wraps around her.

Chapter Text

Spending time at the flower shop was what she needed after the crazy day she had. She had interviews later in the week to conduct and she needed to look at her supply list. She was watering her potted plants and misting her greenhouse when the bell over the door rang. She raised her head and gave a quick greeting before she looked over. Her smile turned genuine as she saw Caroline with a young friend. The friend was looking around with a raised brow and holding tightly to a book bag. Caroline seemed to be talking her ear off and the other girl looked to be taking in the store with a skeptical face.

“Hey Caroline, how are you feeling? Who’s your friend? My name’s Alea.” She introduced herself, holding out a hand and offering a smile, the girl takes her hand and as soon as she does there’s a clear feeling. Warmth floods her and she gets a clear impression of rightness in her chest. That is passed over by a cold feeling settling over shoulders like a shroud, a shadow looking over her shoulder. The girl’s face lightens as she seems to feel something too, she grabs her hand tighter and smiles at her.

“I’m Bonnie Bennett, are you here to help me?” She asks breathlessly. She lets her hand go and they’re locked in a staring contest as they assess each other. “I feel like I can trust you, and Caroline says you saved her. That you literally took a bullet for her.”

“I want you to trust me, I actually came here specifically to help you. I had a vision that your bloodline was in danger and so I came here to protect you, or do what I could. I helped Caroline because it was the right thing to do, and I would do it again.” Alea says, she has a feeling she’s being tested and hopes she can pass. She’s only being honest. Bonnie looks at Caroline, who is smiling and nodding at her. She sighs and relaxes her shoulders.

“I could really use some help actually, but we have to be careful who we can trust, I hope you understand.” Bonnie says finally, nodding like she’s made a decision. Alea wonders again what these teenagers must be mixed up in. They don’t look older than seventeen or eighteen at most.

“Is someone trying to hurt you all? Elijah mentioned someone had made a deal that involved Caroline’s protection.” She asks with a frown, she waves them behind the counter and towards a couch in her back room, looking towards the door to check no one is coming in.

“Elijah told you about the deal? How do you know Elijah?” Bonnie asks as she backs away from her. She looks almost stricken, grabbing Caroline’s arm and trying to pull her.

“Elijah mentioned it after he helped me save Caroline. We have a deal to trade favors, is he trying to hurt you? If so then we should probably run away.” She says as she looks towards the door again, as though mentioning him might summon him. She doesn’t know him well enough to assume anything about Elijah, but the impression his aura left was pretty positive.

“Our friend is the sacrifice in a ritual he wants to perform, she’s willing to trade her life for protection for all of her friends. He’s an original vampire, and another of them, Klaus, is coming after our friend too.” Bonnie summarizes quickly, looking between Alea and the door. She relaxed slightly when she was on their side about running from Elijah, but the instinct to run is still there.

“Oh, he’s that Elijah, that makes sense.” Alea says as she leans against the wall. She puts a hand against her forehead and reassesses a moment. She does some math and it doesn’t take much to know what two original vampires would need a human sacrifice for. “This is worse than I thought. How much do you like your friend, is running no longer an option?”

“I love her like family, I have to find a way to save her.”

“Then this is going to be complicated. We need to get our hands on the original spell.” Alea sighed, her hand ran down her face and she smiled tiredly at the two girls. “I’ll help you save your friend, we’ll get through this. I’m going to see if Elijah knows where to find the spell’s origin, that should be a good place to start. If we can find a loophole maybe we can keep her from dying. If she has to die, we can look at options to bring her back, or make it just the brink of death. We still have plenty of options.” Alea lays out, listing things out on fingers and waving a hand around as she thinks aloud. Spellcraft has been a study for hundreds of years, witches have had to work around each other’s spells plenty of times.

“Really, just like that you’re going to help us?” Caroline asks, her eyes big and her face open. They both look surprised that she’s so quick to be onboard against such odds.

“Not only are you guys just teenagers facing people wanting to kill you, I came here specifically to help you and keep your family magic alive. If this is what it takes then I guess we need to save your friend.” Alea replies simply, to her it really was that easy. At least now she had a clear goal, she could work with this. It may seem like insurmountable odds but she had some experience with that. “Now take my number and we’ll meet up another time to talk more. If anything happens, call me and I’ll try and help, okay?” She continues, rattling off the number to them both and making sure they have it in their phones. She gives them reassuring smiles and they seem to relax as they head towards the exit. Bonnie stays back a step.

“The last witches to come into town, turns out they work for Elijah and we can’t trust them, how do we know you’re not the same?” She questions with a dark look in her eyes. There’s something there that speaks more to fear than anger, someone who has been lied to too many times.

“Elijah and I met in town, I wouldn’t put my deal with him ahead of my desire to help you. I came here because of a vision, that vision centers around you somehow, so that is my focus. I want to protect you, but I’ll be honest with you the whole time I do it. I can teach you a spell to force the truth from someone, we can do that next time.” Alea decides, thinking over the grimoires she brought with her. She has a few spells Bonnie should learn and that one can be among the first. A repertoire of defensive spells will be important for a witch so embroiled in the supernatural. “How well trained are you? Do we need to set aside some time to meet to beef up your skills?” She tacks on, not wanting to offend the girl.

“I could use some further pointers. Maybe some time after class.” Bonnie offers as she opens the door and looks over her shoulder, she offers a tight smile and a small wave as she leaves with Caroline. The two girls head towards the grill and Alea waits till she can’t see them before she puts up the sign for lunch and locks the shop door. Headed for the back room she pulls out her phone and thinks for a minute before dialing.

“Should I be worried that it has not even been a whole day without a call from you?” Elijah answers calmly, his tone seems colder than usual and it takes Alea back slightly.

“Maybe, I met the witch I was looking for and I was hoping to call in another favor. I’m hoping you know where I can find a particular spell’s grimoire, and possibly provide it.” She says evenly, trying to keep any apprehension from her tone. Knowing now that he is an original does change how she looks at him, though it does make sense how strong he is now.

“Hmm, I would need to know the spell to know if that will be possible. And it may take time to complete.” Elijah replies, it may be her imagination but he seems to almost be in a hurry, some tightness in his tone that makes her feel like there’s annoyance there.

“I actually don’t know what spell it is, but apparently you do. Something about Bonnie’s friend being a human sacrifice that has a deal with you? I need to review the original spell to see if I can save the girl.” Alea explains. There’s a sigh on the other end of the line and she can hear ice cubes and a glass being set down.

“Are you going to get in my way Alea? I hope you understand how poor a decision that would be.” He says slowly, and now she definitely hears the annoyance. There’s almost gravel in his voice now.

“I don’t plan on getting in your way or stopping whatever you’re planning, as far as I’m aware, Bonnie just wants to try and get her friend out of this alive. I thought I could try and find a loophole in the spell, if that doesn’t work I’ll just try and find a way to bring her friend back afterwards.” She placates, trying to earn goodwill by being honest with him. It’s a moment before she hears anything, the clink of ice against glass on the other end the only sound.

“I can provide you access to the spell, though I doubt you will find such a loophole. As for a method to keep the doppelgänger alive, I already have one available.” He says, his cool tone back.

“I’d still like to look if it’s all the same. And if your plan includes the girl surviving you might want to let her friends know that. It sounded like they were pretty upset about it.”

“If her friends think I plan to let her die then I may be walking into an ill planned ambush tonight. I didn’t think the Salvatore’s would be just as unreasonable as the teenagers they associate with.” Elijah says, there’s a bit of a scoff and she can hear him take a drink. “How do you feel about going to a dinner party?” He finally asks with a bright note, as though there’s an inside joke. Alea recognizes the name Salvatore from Yesterday, the vampire from the tea party who tried to manhandle her.

“And talking them out of the ambush is unlikely to be a possibility?” Alea clarifies.

“Undoubtedly.”

“Well I suppose it’s only fair, this sounds like it well end in a favor by the end of the night.” Alea sighs, she hopes its one that’s in her favor rather than one she has to call in, she doesn’t especially want to be rescued again.

“That’s the spirit, I’ll pick you up at six. I recommend wearing black, it hides blood the best.” Elijah says before clicking off the line. She failed to ask a dress code, but she can assume he’ll be wearing a suit so at least she has that to go off of.

Alea spends the rest of the day going through the motions with her customers as she thinks about her conversation with Elijah. She can assume the spell he’s trying to break given the mention of a doppelgänger. She’s been close with enough werewolves to know the myth of the sun and moon curse, but no witch has ever mentioned seeing the spell itself. There’s myth pieces but no grimoire to go with them. It seems strange.
A spell of such power should either be passed down a powerful line of witches or through a covens history. To have witches be silent about it is strange, but Elijah said he had access to it, so that may explain it.

She wonders about it the rest of the day. She also reviews her closet in her head. Trying to pick a dress that would work, but she didn’t care about having ruined. If there was supposed to be an ambush, she wanted to be distracting but mobile. She wanted something low cut enough to be an asset, and maybe short enough to be risque on that end too. She had a dress in her closet she had picked out by the five close time and she headed to her apartment to get ready.
She pulled her clothes hangers aside to reveal the dress at the back. It was short and black just like she needed, cut to her thigh with a slit on one side that went to just an inch past the middle of her thigh. The neckline was steep, it bared part of her sternum and tattoo with a racerback style. She hoped it was distracting enough to do the job, but would also still cover her body. A friend had gotten it for her for an undercover job that never ended up happening.
She pulled her hair up and grabbed her lotion off the counter, she made sure to check the label. She had a special blend with vervain in it that would burn to the touch and she applied it liberally to her neck, chest, arms, and thighs. There were plenty of other places that could be used to feed but those were definitely places she didn’t want to be touched by Damon.

She went light on makeup since she was low on time, she sprayed a tiny bit of perfume to cover up the lotion and added bright red lipstick to finish the look. She was done in time to hear the door ring and grab a crossbody bag from her kitchen counter. She pulled open the door and caught Elijah’s raised brow as he looked her over.

“What, I thought a distraction would be helpful.” Alea provided as she stepped out and locked the door. He pulls the door open for her at the car and she carefully climbs in with a quiet thanks. When he joins her and they pull away from the building she carefully pulls her arms in and tucks herself onto her side of the car. This gets her another raised brow and she’s quick to explain herself. “I have vervain lotion on, I didn’t want to get any on anything.”

“I thought that I smelled vervain, a smart move on your part, and I appreciate the gesture.” He says as he directs the car through the winding neighborhoods. It’s a quiet ride to the mansion in the woods that they pull up in front of. She looks out over it and tries to get an idea just by looking at it who these people are. She can’t tell. Alea manages to get out before Elijah can open her door for her and she walks with him to the large front door with an amiable foot between them. She’s taken aback when the door swings inwards unprompted, but seeing Damon on the other side she should have known he would listen out just to try and surprise them.

“Elijah, so good of you to come. And what’s this, you brought an appetizer?” He says with a sneer. Alea can see from her peripheral vision the laid back way Elijah is standing and adopts the same laissez faire attitude, ignoring everything that was impolite.

“Damon, as we have already seen, you are the one who should be feeling in danger here. Now do invite us inside, you’re being quite rude.” Elijah parries readily. He offers Alea his arm and she gently takes it, mindful to not touch any of his skin with hers. They pass Damon and make their way inside, where she sees Alaric and Jenna sitting on one of a pair of leather couches in a main room, and another woman that she also recalls from the tea event.

“Well now that everyone is here we can get over introductions.” Damon starts, but he’s immediately interrupted by Jenna who walks past him to greet Elijah and Alea.

“Really Damon the only one everyone hasn’t met is Andie. Andie Starr is a local reporter. Andie this is Elijah and Alea, he’s a writer and she’s a florist.” Jenna says with the necessary flourishes between everyone. There’s handshakes and greetings and Andie gives them both big smiles. There’s something a little wooden in the way Andie acts, something a little ingenuous that makes Alea think some part of this is compelled. They’re led into a large dining hall with places already set out for all of them. Jenna and Alaric are placed at either end, Elijah pulls out a chair for Alea next to him, and Andie and Damon are across the table. Damon stays standing a moment and clasps his hands together.

“Well, time for dinner, don’t want to keep everyone waiting.” He says before heading towards the kitchen door. Alaric stands as well and offers a hand with the plates. Everyone else sits and looks at each other with polite smiles.

“So Elijah, you’re new in town. I heard you’re doing some writing on Mystic falls history, what got you interested in that?” Andie asks, breaking the silence. Her face looks pulled taught, as though her muscles are straining to smile, Alea thinks this must be part of the compulsion, something to do with Elijah.

“Mystic falls has a rich history involving the settling of Salem witches after the trials. I had done other research on the matter and followed it here. What sort of reporting do you do locally may I ask?” Elijah replies, politely showing interest. Andie gushes about her anchoring for the local channel since the death of Logan Fell and Alea and Elijah nod along as necessary. When Damon and Alaric come back out it’s with trays carrying plates of steak and potatoes, Alaric with a bowl of salad. Damon lays out each plate and is sure to give Elijah a plate with a steak that looks almost too rare to eat.

“You like it rare, right? Nice and bloody?” Damon says with a crooked smile. He hands out the other plates and takes his seat across from Elijah. He holds Elijah’s eye and stares at him, seeing if he’ll be baited by the childish antics. Elijah silently takes a bite of the steak and thoughtfully hums. Everyone waits in silence, a taut tension in the room.

“This steak is well cooked, how could I be opposed to that?” Elijah finally says, ignoring the obvious jab and continuing the meal politely. Alea takes a breath and follows suit, clearing her face of emotion and trying the steak. A bite into the food is all it takes to taste the hint of vervain that’s been seasoned on the potatoes and she quickly whispers under her breath to avoid them. Elijah looks up and Damon is looking at Alea with a frown, a crease on his forehead and fire in his eyes. Conversation has halted with the addition of food but Jenna still notices the face being made.

“Is something wrong with your food Damon?” She asks, her wine glass halfway up. Damon clears his face and turns away.

“Oh, I just realized I over-salted my potatoes. Such a shame.” He excuses with a wave. He takes a gulp from his bourbon and looks back towards Alea, eye catching on her cleavage where her tattoo peaks out. “That’s an interesting tattoo. How much more is there?” He asks with a smirk, only flicking his eyes up to hers before looking again. Alea traces a finger over the design lightly and sees three heads turn her way.

“Oh this old thing, there’s quite a bit more, it just rarely gets shown off.''she says as she draws her hand away, tracing up the line of her collar and drawing Damon’s eye right yo her neck. It’s a solid distraction from the staring game he had with Elijah, now every thirty seconds his eyes are finding their way back to her neck. Jenna and Andie are engaged talking about one of the local founder’s events, Alaric nodding along and adding polite hmm’s. Alea knows Carol has asked her to do florals for the event and she mentions the arrangement’s she has planned. Damon silently watches and drinks his bourbon, alternating between his stare down with Elijah and glances at the conversation.
Conversation dwindles as the meal finishes and Damon clears the plates back into the kitchen. He comes out with a tray and a decanter.

“Well now that that’s done, how about the men retire to the library for cigars and the ladies enjoy some tiramisu in the gallery?” Damon proposes as he holds the tray towards one of the doors off the dining room. The ladies look at each other with matching frowns and immediately there are overlapping arguments against the idea.

“That’s ridiculous and sexist, why would we split up like that? And why wouldn’t everyone get deserts?” Jenna is the loudest as she stands and pokes Damon in the chest. He sighs and looks at Andie with pinched brows, she hops up and changes her tune.

“Maybe this will be a good chance for us to chat without the boys around. We also will get to see the gallery.” Andie proposes placatingly. Her eyes look distant and her smile seems strained. Alea looks at Elijah from the corner of her eye, she’s here to back him up and it would be difficult to do that from another room. She slides a finger to touch his cufflink and while the others argue she focuses on casting her magic into it, weaving a protective spell over Elijah.

“It’s fine, we need a break from them anyways.” Alea says as she gets up from the table. Elijah fingers the cufflink she spelled and quirks a brow at her which she returns. She slides her hand across the back of his shoulders while looking at Damon, sending a protective message before she leaves with the ladies.
They enter a gallery room set up with couches in the center and the walls lined in art. There’s a table where Damon sets the tiramisu and decanter before fleeing the room. The ladies settle on the couches and split up the dessert before pouring tasters of the mystery wine. It turns out to be a sweet port that agrees with their palates and they enjoy the pairing quietly as they take in the art.

“Those guys seem like they’re seconds from being at each other's throats. The tension in there was killing me.” Jenna says with a sigh as she sets her plate aside. Alea sets her desert down and swirls her glass as she looks for a good reply that doesn’t include the supernatural.

“Some guys just have that macho tension, they just need to figure out who’s in charge and then they’ll settle down.” Andie says with her strained smile. She sits straight backed with her second glass half full and takes another sip. Alea and Jenna look at each other, the same disbelieving face.

“I don’t know if that’s all of it. It seems like they’re something they’re not telling us. They’re hiding something and I’m tired of being kept in the dark.” Jenna says in frustration. Her grip on her glass is white knuckled and her face is pinched. Alea can tell this isn’t the beginning of the issue for Jenna, this is the end of a long time coming.

“It’s understandable that you’re frustrated. It sounds like there’s more going on than one dinner party. I’m sorry that’s happening Jenna, I hope he can tell you the truth.” Alea says as she holds Jenna’s hands. Jenna seems on the verge of tears, she leans on her shoulder and huffs. Alea wraps her in a hug and squeezes.
That’s when she feels a twinge in her heart and her body freezes. She apologizes to Jenna as she stands abruptly. Making an excuse as she rushes back into the dining room and looks around as she tries to follow the pull she feels. The door pushes through another door and sees Alaric pushed against a wall with Elijah’s hand around his throat. He’s holding a thin knife against Elijah’s chest, trying to push through her magic as he’s being choked. Damon is on the other side with a stake pushed against Elijah’s back.

Alea rushes a spell that pushes Damon away and against the opposite wall, moving towards them and weaving another spell. Damon flashes over to her and grabs her throat to cut off her chanting. As soon as he makes contact he hisses and draws back his burnt hand.

“You bitch!” He yells and back hands her instead, sending her flying. She falls against a chair and loses concentration on the incantation she had started. She stumbles getting up and has Damon grabbing her wrist to pin her as she struggles. He pulls away again with a burning hand from the vervain on her arms. “Are you covered in this?” He grumbles as he grabs her hands and slams them against the floor. He grits his teeth waiting for a burn and smiles when there is none. He grips her hands tighter and she feels bones grinding together.

Alea looks over at where Alaric is pushing against her magic and she feels it when it snaps. The small push between the barrier and Elijah’s skin, then it’s sinking into his chest and he’s turning gray. His grip turns slack against Alaric and then he falls against the carpet. Alea pushes against the hold Damon has on her and digs deep to concentrate. She rears back her head and hits him right in the nose, breaking it and causing him to pull back a fraction. Alea breathes in and murmurs a quick incantation as she pushes him off and against the far wall. Changing her chant she throws one of the nearby bottles of liquor towards Damon and lights a ring of fire around him, casting a barrier to keep him in place.

While she’s been busy Alaric has snuck behind her and wraps an arm around her throat to trap her in a headlock. She elbows him in the ribs, over and over, until he releases her. She turns towards him and he lands a hit across her face, almost knocking her down. She pulls back a step and stays out of his range as she walks across the room with him trailing her. He has the knife in one hand and she keeps a wary eye on it as she circles him.

“I don’t want to hurt you Alaric, let’s just call this a night.” Alea says as she’s getting close to Elijah. Alaric scoffs and takes a step closer to her, making her back up.

“Not gonna happen.” He replies as he quickly steps in and jabs toward her with the knife. She tries to dodge away but gets trapped by his other arm and the wall, pinned there with the knife in her shoulder and Alaric’s hand on her other. She gasps and struggles, pushing him to get space and try to dislodge the knife. But he is much stronger than her and pushes forward and has her stuck to the wall with the knife. “Release Damon.” He demands, twisting the knife.
Alea almost screams. Instead she yells in latin and has him screaming as the knife burns him and the candles in the room all go up, the flames bright. He steps back as he clutches his hand and she yanks out the knife. She takes a step towards him and has him stepping back as she chants a few lines that have the candles waving and him stumbling before he falls to the carpet asleep.

Damon is still struggling against her barrier as she stumbles over to Elijah and kneels next to him. He looks gray and desiccated but she can still feel his aura, lingering against his skin, a flicker under her palms as she lays them on his chest where he’s been stabbed.

“He’s dead, you lost, get out before you tire out and we get free.” Damon taunts from his place within the fire, snarling at her. Alea looks around for anything to help her. She wipes her arm off on her dress and looks at the dagger. Cutting her wrist over she seals it over Elijah’s lips. Her fingers begin to feel tingly, the pain from where Damon crushed them starting to numb. Alea waits as she feels the magic under his skin begin to grow and sees his face twitch. The gray in his skin fades and his eyes snap open the same moment he grabs her. His eyes are veined, red and wild. He takes one hurried look around the room before he pulls her arm away, picks her up and flashes them out of the house.

Alea gasps when they’re standing still again, leaned up against the car door as Elijah leans next to her. He looks pale and he has his face pulled away from her. His aura still feels weak, not the strong reassurance it usually feels like.

“We need to get out of here. Do you need to drink more or do you have a stash in the car?” Alea asks, pulling open the car door with her better arm and wrapping the other around her middle protectively. Elijah’s head slowly turns toward her and she can see the veins still showing just under the surface, fangs still bared.

“I have not had a chance to refill the cooler since our outing with Miss Forbes. I can get us back to my home, but feeding more fully would be safer.” He says, voice strained and the hunch in his shoulders showing the physical restraint he was using.

“We agreed this was part of a rescue. I can hold them in place from out here, but only for so long.” Alea offered while holding out her bloody wrist, hopping up into the car to get comfortable. Elijah steps up into her space, holding her hand gently and looking in her eyes one more time before he bites down. It isn’t a gentle bite, he’s still starving despite the blood already provided, and he can’t be a gentleman for a moment. Elijah takes long pulls, bending her wrist to his mouth and stepping closer into her space to get a better angle. He’s between her legs with his mouth tight to her wrist as she tries to breathe evenly and focus on the spells inside the house. She has half a mind on the numb feeling in her fingertips and the woozy feeling she’s starting to have, but she’s distracted by the feeling of his tongue over her pulse. His aura takes on a cinnamony heat along the steel edged desperation, and sits warm in her chest.

The warning for her is the waning of her leash on the boundary spells. She shakes her head clear and pushes on Elijah’s shoulder. The woozy feeling has her numb and her hand slips down his arm. The feel of the vervain on his skin is enough to snap him off her and a step away. He’s breathing heavy and his hair is askew as he looks at her.

“I lost the spells, we have to go.” Alea says as she pulls her wrist into her body and applies pressure. Her arms are wrapped around herself and she huddles in the seat without even looking at him again, letting him shut her door before flashing around to the driver’s side. They’re on the road back to town within the blink of an eye. Alea tries to keep her eyes open but finds each blink heavier, the tingly numbness spreading to a pit in her stomach. Her eyes get heavy and she can’t keep them open any longer, sinking into the darkness as her breathing slows.

Chapter Text

Alea blinks awake to an unfamiliar ceiling, the inset ceiling leading down to wood paneled walls. Her mouth has a metallic taste in it and she closes her eyes as she reaches out to see if she’s alone. She can feel Elijah at the fringes of her awareness, his presence warm and bright as she touches it. There’s two other people with him, it feels like witches.

Alea can feel the pains in her body are already gone and the exhaustion she felt earlier is lessened. There’s a glass of water on a table next to the couch she’s been laid on and she reaches for it greedily. She takes big gulps as she takes in the room. It must be Elijah’s place, it speaks to his personality with the way it looks like it belongs to an English professor. The walls are inset with bookshelves and the carpet is a warm red pattern, there’s the couch she’s using and one leather chair plus a reading nook by the window.

When she’s done with the water Alea knows she should seek Elijah out and leave, or ask what the plan is now. Instead she pulls her legs up into her chest and curls up, tracing a finger over where the knife pinned her shoulder and left a gnarled scar. The blood should’ve gotten rid of that. It got rid of all the marks of where he bit her. She lays there tracing the new scar until Elijah walks in. He leans against the doorway and she freezes on instinct, he nods towards her shoulder.

“What happened while I was indisposed?” He asks with a cold tone. Alea takes in his freshly washed hair, changed suit, and the stiff set of his shoulders. He seems uncomfortable, whether with her or the situation she isn’t sure. She kept up her end of the bargain, went above and beyond all things considered. Maybe he didn’t like that he had ended up needing rescuing? Or something may have happened while she wasn’t in the room that was causing it.

“I contained Damon and then Alaric became an issue. He ended up using that dagger to stab me, I burned him and contained him. I gave you some blood and then you woke up. You didn’t miss that much.” She summarized quickly, it had felt like it was seconds when the adrenaline was pumping and she thought they both might die. What now she could pick apart piece by piece and wince at, had been choices made on instinct.

“No matter, I have the dagger now, they cannot make the same play twice. They’ve broken their end of the deal and now I’m taking the doppelgänger.” He says as he brings out the dagger, twirling it in his hand as he considers it. Alea stares at him a moment before sitting up.

“They broke the deal? But the deal was with the doppelgänger and she wasn’t even involved?.” She said as she tried to understand. This deal sounded complicated and she was starting to get a headache. She put a hand to her head as she looked at the ceiling.

“Damon attacked me with no provocation, the deal only protects him if he can act as her protector without causing problems.” He answers smoothly, sitting in the leather chair and unbuttoning his jacket. He rests his wrists on his knees and sets the knife on the table.

“So let’s get Damon out of this, get him out of town or get rid of him for good. He’s a creep. If he broke the provision that covers his protection then let him face the consequences, but I don’t see why the whole deal has to change. It seems like they are just ill informed.” Alea lays out. she leans away from the knife and unconsciously crosses her arms over herself. Elijah tilts his head and leans back as he considers. “Have you talked to all of them at once before?” She asks. He shakes his head and she puts her hands up in resignation. “If only some of them know only some of the information, then there’s bound to be confusion and frustration. You’re bartering the death of a teenager, of course her loved ones are going to be untrusting.” She tosses at him as she curls her legs up on the couch, there’s a chill in the air and she can feel the hairs on her arm are raised.

“I suppose that I could convene the necessary parties and inform them of the particulars, to dissuade further dissent. It isn’t my duty to spread the word among her followers, if they act out it is her responsibility.” He decides. He puts a hand on the dagger and looks at her, a considering tilt to his head. He pushes it slowly across the table and watches as she leans further away.

“Get that away from me, or all your suits will fall apart at the seams.” Alea hisses as she rears back, scooting back on the couch as the chill in the air becomes a sharp coldness that freezes her the closer she is to the dagger. There’s an aura around it, some ancient spell beyond what she can tangle with. She didn’t feel it at first but with the spell she cast on it earlier, the older spell must be more awake now. “It hurts, get it away from me” She says as she pulls further away and gets up from the couch. He finally obliges and backs away with the dagger stowed behind him.

“What do you mean?” He asks as he backs further away, they’re as far as the room allows before she starts to feel better. She can feel the warmth of the room again and her breathing even out as she can look away from where she knows the dagger is hidden.

“I can feel it. It feels colder than ice and the longer it’s close the colder it gets. It has something old and dark cast on it, I cast a spell on it earlier without thinking about it and that must have done something. I don’t know but it hurts.” She rambles as her hand finds its way to the new scar on her shoulder. Elijah looks considering, his brows pinched as he hums. He waves her into the next room and precedes as he silently looks for an adequate place to store the dagger.
She follows slowly, pacing herself by the feeling of the aura around the dagger. The next room looks like a living room except for all the books that are stacked over the tables. There’s set around and some impersonal decor, but the table with books is the obvious center of the room. There’s a tall dark skinned man there that’s bent over the table looking through one of the books. There’s a similar looking boy across the table looking at another book. They both look up as Elijah and Alea enter and are focused on Elijah as he locks the dagger in a dark wood box sitting on the table. As soon as the box is closed, Alea feels relieved and lets out a deep sigh.

“We have new plans, I’ll be contacting the doppelgänger for a meeting but we won’t be leaving. We may be disposing of one of the Salvatore’s pending that discussion. Alea, this is Jonas and Luka, they work for me.” Elijah introduces, gesturing first to the man and then to the teenager. Alea gives a polite wave, the boy smiles at her and waves back whereas the man barely looks at her before looking back at Elijah. “There’s no need for further work tonight, you mentioned you had a long evening anyways.” Elijah dismisses them as he closes a few books and begins to make stacks. Jonas and Luka look between each other before Jonas nods at Elijah and then heads to the door.

They’re pulling on coats as Elijah straightens the table when Alea spots pair of glasses lying on the table, she picks them up and gets a sick feeling in her stomach that has her head spinning. She has the thick scent of Bonnie in her lungs as she turns to Jonas and asks with a voice that comes out frozen.
“What made your evening so long? Maybe deciding to play god” With her head tilted and the glasses dangling from her fingertips. He stands with one hand halfway into a sleeve as his son stares with a stricken expression. Elijah has frozen with a stack of books in his arms as he looks between the three of them.
Alea reacts first with a boundary of fire lit up around Elijah before he can set the books down. Jonas has the coat off and starts chanting, flinging her into a wall as he leaves Luka to untangle the boundary. She doesn’t bother getting up, picking up her head to look into Luka’s eyes as she chants and feels his spell weaken. She continues the latin, reaching out to stop him from breaking the boundary, pulling until he slumps to the floor.

“No!” Jonas screams, and ignites a wave of fire that rolls towards her. Alea mumbles a shielding spell under her breath as she stands up and steps forward. She draws on the residual flame to throw Jonas back against the wall and to cast an immobilizing spell that locks him in place.

“You took her magic, didn’t you?” Alea says as she walks over to Jonas, pressed against the door and growling as much as the spells will allow. “She’s almost the last of her whole bloodline. One of, if not the strongest witch families that has existed. What makes you think you get to take that away?”Alea continues as she lays her hand on his chest. The reason why he would do such a drastic measure almost don’t matter. She’s going to make him undo it. She ignores Elijah who is fuming inside her spell, he hasn’t bothered trying to get out.

“Give it back, that can drive a witch insane. If you know the spell for that then you should know that.” She growls as she glowers at him. She unweaves the spell enough to let him speak and presses him firmly against the wall in warning.

“The Bennett witch tangled in matters beyond her capabilities, she couldn’t handle the power she had been given.” Jonas grinds out. His face is set in stony anger.

“She needed guidance and training, as we all did. You could have helped her.” Alea presses, grabbing a handful of his shirt and using her other hand to hold his face. “I could do the same to you. I could leave you a husk of a man and let you go mad, never feeling the touch of magic again.” She continues as she feels his muscles twitch as he tries to squirm. She looks over at his son lying asleep at their feet and thoughtfully tilts her head. “Or I could take his. Maybe your son is more of a motivator.” She offers as she steps back. She sees his face drop as he watches her step over to Luka.

“No, leave him be, this is between us.” He begs, his eyes bouncing between her and luka

“Then undo your spell, keep Bonnie out of this.” Alea parries quickly. Bonnie may have done something worth his ire, but Alea was here to protect her and her magic. “Nothing else has to happen if you undo your spell.” She offers with her arms outstretched. She’s feeling the strain from so much magic in so little time, even with the healing this is taking a toll.

“Fine. Give me your word you’ll leave my son and I alone if I do this for you.” He asks as he continues to struggle against her spell. She considers him, and peaks at Elijah from the corner of her eye. If Jonah has a deal with Elijah then he takes deals seriously, he should be trustworthy.

“Alright, if you release your spell on Bonnie and leave her alone then I will leave you and your son alone. Barring any self defense if you should break our deal or attack me.” She offers with a hand out, releasing him from the paralysis. He steps forward and slowly places his hand in hers. His face is still hard anger and she expects nothing less.

Alea steps back and watches as he wakes his son and they leave together, leaning on each other through the doorway. Jonas looks once at her over his shoulder and has only a glare for her.

“You’ve made an enemy there.” Elijah says as the door closes and she slumps into a chair. She waves a tired hand to release the barrier around him and hears him set the books on the table. “As much as I agree that the Bennett witch is useful, that seemed like a more aggressive approach than necessary.” He says. He sits across from her and straightens his cufflinks as he settles into the seat.

“I imagine you’ve had your share of aggressive negotiations. Are we going to have a problem because I messed with your witch? Because I’m tired and I’d like to request a postponement.” Alea supplies as she slumps back into the chair and wipes away the blood trickling from her nose. She managed to hide how tired she was from the Martins but Elijah can obviously tell. He leans forward with his wrists laying on the table edge.

“Your issue with them is your own as long as it does not interfere with my business with the curse. Which reminds me,” he says with a flourish, sweeping his arm towards the books on the table. “you requested access to the original spell for the curse we will be attempting to break. I do not have the grimoire here. When I do have the book you will not be allowed to leave with it, it is of great value to me.” He finishes with a cold look. His face holds a cold resolve that Alea feels in his aura, the steel underneath the linen and tea.

She takes a deep breath and glances around the room. It’s obvious he’s been meeting the Martins here for something, working on some spell or having them perform magic for him here. There’s lingering shadows of the magic they’ve done, whispers of it across the room.

“So we could meet here and I can go over it. I don’t have a problem making time for that.” Alea offers. She eyes Elijah and sees him warm up a bit at the chance to negotiate. His shoulders relax minutely and he leans back.

“I suppose I could make time to supervise your use of the grimoire. Being familiar with it may be useful should the witch casting it fail.” He says with a considering head tilt. They look at each other to measure their resolve. Alea can almost feel him weighing her uses in his mind. She doesn’t like being a puzzle piece in his game but knows she won’t get to be the puppet master anytime soon.

“I may be able to cast it if I was familiar with it, but I can’t guarantee it.” She compromises with a nod, straightening in the chair and turning toward the door. She gets half way there before he speaks again.

“Be careful out there. It seems you attract trouble, and I am quite busy tonight.” He says with a teasing tone as he relaxes back into his chair. She can feel his aura wrapped around her and the small piece of it that beats behind her heart. She continues through the door without replying, just tugging on the string that she feels as she closes the door.

Chapter Text

Alea spends her next week in relative quiet. She calls Bonnie and meets with her at the grill to talk about what happened with Jonas. It goes as well as can be expected. Bonnie is scared and confused, she is scared that Jonas would come back at any moment.

Alea had to explain the new deal she had with Jonas, as well as Elijah’s plan to meet with all of the doppelgänger’s loved ones to stop the misinformation. Bonnie had been relieved and disbelieving when she found out there was a way for Elena to survive the ritual.

“How can we trust Elijah? What’s to make him help us like this?” Bonnie asked in frustration. She had gone around in circles with similar questions already. They’d been there a solid hour and gone through two baskets of fries already.

“He has a deal, for him that’s binding. He wants something so he will give something that he feels is of equal value. If you don’t trust him and you decide to break the deal, then you’re shooting yourself in the foot. I mean what has he done to not follow through?” Alea replied, she didn’t want to have to advocate for Elijah when she still had only known him a few days. It had felt longer but she didn’t know him really all that well.

“Damon is worried he’s got his own agenda. So is Stefan to an extent. Everyone has secrets and is lying, how can you trust anyone?” Bonnie asks with a resigned sigh, slumping back in the booth. Alea smiles tiredly and reaches out a hand to hold Bonnie’s.

“I know it’s hard, I’m sorry. But trust is grown by the actions the person takes, so we have to let a person’s actions speak to us, we can’t let other people tell us what to think. You have instincts and intuition that will help lead you down the right path, you just have to learn how to listen.” Alea says as she pushes a hint of magic through her hand and into Bonnie. She watches her face change as she takes it in, lighting up at the power and pinching in confusion at the aura mixed in.

“I can feel you, like a piece of you. What is that? It feels like warm blankets, mountain air, and fresh soil.” Bonnie says in an awed voice.

“That’s my aura you’re reading. When you’re open to it you can read the people around you. You can tell who’s a vampire or a werewolf, even who’s a witch.” Slea explains. Shdw pulls her hand away and smiles at the disappointed look on Bonnie’s face. “It takes practice, but I can show you how.” She says.

Alea waves down a waiter and gets a check. She’s getting them ready to go, setting another time to meet for actual practice. Bonnie mentions that she should meet the rest of the gang and tell them about Elijah, and she says it’s a possibility. She isn’t excited to get any more involved than she already is. But this is how she can protect Bonnie.

They part with smiles and Alea is happy with the progress she’s made. She has to build trust with Bonnie so they have a strong relationship and she understands that there aren’t any short cuts for that. She’s on her way back to her apartment when Elijah falls into step beside her.

“I was in the neighborhood and was hoping to speak with you.” He says as they walk away from the grill. He has his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face as he turns to her. “I have what you asked for, and the time to show it to you. If you’re available of course.” He continues.

She considers him when they get to the corner and readjusts her purse as she looks towards her home. She had been looking forward to a quiet night in, but this was more important than some much needed rest.

“I can make myself available.” Alea offers, motioning for him to lead on. He turns them back toward the street and walks them to his SUV. He opens her door before she can get to it and she stops a huff of laughter.

It’s strange thinking of her last memories here, the feeling of her limbs going numb and her eyes going heavy. Or of Elijah feeding on her. She shuffles a bit in her seat and decides staring out the window is her best option. There’s a knot in her stomach of anxiety, fear, and a confusing hint of arousal.

The car ride is silent and they get up to and into his apartment on the edge of town without another word. The front room looks a bit different than how it was the other day when she was here. The books are all put away and the table has been moved around. There’s a gramophone that’s sitting in the corner that she doesn’t remember seeing before, and the cabinet beside it has a stack of records sitting on top.

“Where are the Martins, will they be joining us for our study session?” Alea asks as she takes a seat at the table. She lays her purse beside her and watches as Elijah goes around to a locked chest. He kneels by it and unlocks it, pulling out a paper wrapped parcel and sealing it again.

“I’ve sent the Martins out of town. They can be useful elsewhere for now.” He replies as he sets the parcel on the table. “Is there anything else I can get you?” He asks politely, straightening his cuffs as he stands by the table. Alea quickly asks for pen and paper, adding a please and thank you.

Unwrapping the parcel reveals a thick leather bound tome. She can feel the old spells wrapped around the book, traces of magic left from whoever made it. She hovers a hand over the cover before laying her palm on it and flipping it open. The pages fly and it lands open on a page towards the back, a spell in old norse.

Elijah comes back with several pads of paper and a selection of pens, looking over the opened page and raising a questioning brow.

“Researching the dagger as a side project?” He asks as he sets the supplies down and takes the seat across from her. Alea picks out a notepad and pen and slides them over, taking note of the spell’s name on the open page.

“The book showed it to me. You still need to tell me what spell we’re even working on.” She replies as she turns the book over to him. He flips the pages slowly and she watches him read it leisurely. “Do you still remember how to speak it?” She asks with a nod towards the writing. There’s a tightening to his jaw as he looks at the book before replying.

“It is not often that I have reason to speak my tongue. But I still know it, I might just be a bit rusty.” He says as he settles on a page. He turns the book back to her and taps the spell. “I’ve been trying to break a curse for a thousand years. This spell will do it.”

The page is covered in the runic writing and small drawings of diagrams. She pulls it closer and looks it over before reaching for her bag. Alea brings out a piece of chalk and draws a diagram on the table, adding markings around the edges with latin words to empower the spell. Placing the book in the center of the diagram and finger to the edge, the diagram lights up and the words shiver on the page.

It’s hours of staring at the page, taking notes on the pad of all the details. The spell is breaking a curse on a hybrids, not said in such a way but the language indicates a person both controlled by the moon and by blood. The spell indicates that all the doppelgänger’s blood must be drained as sacrifice for the spell. It doesn’t specify that it requires her death which is a good start.

She’s hunched over the book until after sunset before Elijah interrupts her. He comes in from the office and sets a drink on the table in front of her beside the book, on top of her notes.

“Any luck so far?” He asks as he takes a seat across from her. He’s got another glass and he crosses an ankle crossed over his knee. He looks relaxed and she wonders how she forgot about him for the last several hours.

“I think as long as all her blood is drained, she can be revived without issue. We could probably find another way if I can spend more time looking over it. Even this much time is just to get familiar with it, it’s complicated spell work and it would take time to find any loopholes in how it’s written.” Alea says, taking a sip of the drink to test before taking a larger gulp. “And if I want to be able to cast it, I should probably dust off my old norse, my pronunciation has always been weak.” She finishes with a sigh.

“I can at least help you there. It is a pleasure to practice my mother tongue.” Elijah says, “I can allow you more time with the grimoire another time perhaps, you seem tired and it’s getting late. Have you had dinner yet?” He continues as he finishes his drink. He rests his hands on the chair arms and watches her consider it.

“I ate a little when I met Bonnie, but I could eat again. What would you suggest?” Alea asks as she polishes off her glass and starts wrapping up the grimoire. A whispered word and a quick puff of air erases all signs of the chalk marks on his nice table, one of her more innocuous spells.

“I can make a quick pasta if you’d like, you can choose the wine.” He says as he leaves his jacket at the table and heads towards the kitchen, he waves an arm at a rack on his way and points to the top. “I suggest a white.” His sleeves get rolled to his elbows and she can see him throw an apron on.

“I have to warn you that I know nothing about wine, I’ve been told it’s one of my flaws, a lack of appreciation for fine wine. But Eurropeans can be like that.” Alea says as she peruses the collection of bottles. She can see the stack of records by the gramophone and is drawn there instead. As she hears him start to move around in the kitchen she flips through the stack. There’s an album from Marvin Gaye, the Miracles, B.B. King, and an assortment of jazz albums she doesn’t recognize, and a hidden one by Quintette du Hot Club de France She puts that on and sets the needle to the first song. The scratchy sound of it starting up brings back memories.

She closes her eyes and she can almost see when she first heard the song. In a tent surrounded by other nurses as they listened to the tiny radio that the unit had. The ladies had so little free time, they tried to listen to music whenever it was safe.

“A taste for such things is often learned. Is there something you’d prefer? The other cabinet has the liquor.” Elijah calls from the kitchen, breaking her reverie. She looks through the collection, bourbon being the most popular of the assortment. She finds a scotch towards the back that smells similar to the ones from home and she brings that one to the kitchen. Alea heads to the fridge for ice and watches sets their glasses and the scotch on the counter.

Elijah is over the stovetop working on what smells like a cream sauce, stirring gently. He takes the new glass when she’s done and takes an assessing sip. He nods in approval and sets it on the counter, he puts down his spoon and moves the pan off the heat as he waits for the pasta to be done. He turns and takes the glass as he leans back against the kitchen cabinets.

“I need to tell you the whole story of the curse, it will be important now. To get the grimoire I had to take it from my brother, who unfortunately will be quick to come looking for it. But I was expecting his intrusion soon anyway.” Elijah explains as he sips. Alea leans across from him and takes a sip from her drink, urging him on with a nod.

“My half brother Klaus was the one cursed. He was born a werewolf and when our mother turned us she bound his werewolf side to contain him. He has been trying for the last thousand years to undo the spell and release his werewolf side.” He begins, checking the pasta quickly as he takes a breath. It gives Alea a second to take a gulp and brace herself for anything else. “The sun and moon curse is a lie, we created it to get the supernatural to look for the ingredients to the curse for us, to keep an eye out for the doppelgänger. They appear every 500 years. The current one is here in Mystic Falls, the lovely Elena, she has agreed to the sacrifice as part of our deal.” He summarizes.

Alea stares at him for a moment. Setting her glass down and thoughtfully circling the rim.

“You created the legend that had vampires and werewolves killing each other for hundreds of years, just to not have to do some leg work.” She says slowly, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. The rest is surprising but not earth shattering. It’s nice to have a name for the doppelgänger.

“Yes.” He says simply as he looks back at her, face open. His shoulders are still relaxed and he looks unrepentant. “It wasn’t my idea but I can’t say it wasn’t effective. Werewolves are deadly to us and the curse myth was just another contributor to the hunting, not the cause.” He explains easily. He turns around and checks the pasta, draining it and stirring the sauce in as she silently watches.

“Werewolf packs have become nearly extinct in some parts of Europe. It isn’t as bad in the U.S. but that’s only because the vampire population isn’t as organized and informed. I knew a pack that was wiped out for sport.” Alea says as he starts plating. He freezes a moment, midreach with the serving spoon. “I’m not blaming. But as the originator of entire sire lines of vampires, how much responsibility for their actions can be laid on you? If you and your brother could convince the entire supernatural community of this curse, what other influence could you have had?” Alea wonders aloud. She takes the bowls from him and walks out to the table. He follows with their glasses and silverware, a tight look on his face.

“It’s not a simple matter, my family and I are not altruistic in nature. It became natural to live in excess. To survive so long separated us from our humanity, we had no need to care or worry over how we influenced the history we were creating.” He says as they grab bowls and utensils, the glasses refilled. They each taste the pasta and eat in silence for a moment.

“I haven’t made it a hundred years yet, I don’t think I want a thousand. When I volunteered it wasn’t because I was scared to live forever, I wanted to help keep something greater than me alive.” Alea eventually says as she swirls her remaining scotch. “I haven’t been home since 1942. I was supposed to return after the war, but it’s never going to be what I remember.”

“Mystic Falls was our home originally. I have been reluctant to return for similar reasons. There are places here that remind me of how things used to be, but the world has changed and it’s hard to see.” He agrees as he pushes his bowl aside and leans back. The jazz in the background is soothing as they sit there quietly for a moment, finishing their drinks.

Elijah takes their bowls and Alea takes their glasses as they return to the kitchen, they get set in the sink and Alea finds herself leaning on the counter as she reflects. It’s nice and quiet standing in Elijah’s aura, the warmth of the kitchen making it a relaxing place to be. They’re comfortably standing across from each other just like while he was cooking and she thinks about a kitchen an ocean away that makes her frown.

Old English stonework and the scent of the sea, a chill that always meant she had a reason to wear her wool sweaters. Her home on the English coast had been hers for fifteen years. She’d settled there after the war and even when traveling it gave her a new sense of home.

Standing in Elijah’s kitchen reminds her too much of that long gone home on the coast. She straightens her face and draws herself up, she knows he noticed but doesn’t want to explain.

“I should go, I have to open the shop in the morning.” Alea says as she swings by the table to grab her purse. He’s reaching for his jacket on his chair by the time she’s at the door but she interrupts. “I think I’m going to walk, thanks for dinner.” She says quickly, pulling the door open smoothly, trying not to rush. He’s faster though and already has a hand on the frame.

“When you have time to review the book again, let me know. I enjoyed dinner, you’re good company.” He says as he holds the door for her, giving her a small smile. Her shoulders drop and she almost feels bad for her quick exit, offering a smile in return. But then she feels his aura warm up and smells a change as the scent of baked apple is poured in. Her face quirks down on instinct and she says a quick goodbye before he can read it.

She walks the street with that warm baked apple scent from his aura sitting in her gut. It gives her a tingly feeling that makes her brows pinch, the feeling isn’t her own and is so un-Elijah like, that she is surprised by it. Everything from him has been solid and comfortable, this cinnamony warmth is away from his usual feelings. She’s felt something similar before, when he had to feed from her.

Her mind is running in circles as she walks down the street, it’s further than she would usually walk but she didn’t want to be cooped up. The memories of the house in England taunting her for getting cozy, and with a vampire.

The werewolf pack she’d gotten close to had been when she was a nurse, there were some of their pack in a unit that was stationed in France that worked alongside hers. The supernatural troops had a way of picking each other out, and it was useful to have a witch to help during the full moon. She’d worked alongside them through most of her time in France.

She had fallen in love, she’d moved back to England with him, and then he’d been killed while she was away on a research trip. He still wondered if someone had known when she was leaving and planned it, or if it was chance. It may not have mattered anyways.

As long ago as it was, she still had the regret of not being able to protect the man she loved when he needed her. Their home wasn’t a home anymore without him, and here she was reminded of it. She hadn’t thought about that house in years.

She’s so caught up in her thoughts that she doesn’t see the shadow pass over her as she takes the corner to her apartment. It takes only a moment for a hand to come down and cover her mouth, cutting off easy spells. She tries to elbow them in the ribs but meets solid resistance. Another arm goes for her throat and begins to choke her as she struggles. She tosses and thrashes against whoever has her, and she gets an identity when he whispers in her ear.

“Just go to sleep like a good little witch or I’ll have to take a bite instead.” She hears Damon say as her vision gets dark. She tries to throw her head back but her throat gets squeezed too hard for her to try. She’s fighting for the last bits of oxygen as he takes his hand off her mouth and grabs one of her struggling wrists. “Maybe I’ll take a bite anyways.” He continues before his vampire features take over and he tears into her wrist. Alea blacks out as she tries to scream and she hears him groaning.

When Alea wakes up there’s the feeling of a gag in her mouth and her wrists firmly tied behind her back. The rope cuts into her already injured wrist and she still feels woozy from the bloodloss. She looks around the room and makes out the Salvatore’s entry room, she’s by the fireplace on the floor, tossed like forgotten garbage. She can hear arguing coming from another room, raised voices and at least one sounds like Damon.

Alea is looking around for anything that could help her when Damon and another man come into the room. Damon has a glass in his hands and sits on a couch with exaggerated ease. The other man looks stressed as he paces towards her, broader than Damon and with styled hair that makes him look younger.

“I’m sorry, Damon got a little hot headed and went off the rails a bit. He was supposed to ask you if you’d help us, not kidnap you.” The man says, kneeling down to help her into a sitting position. He moves to pull off the gag, but Damon is up and slapping his hand in a flash.

“If I hadn’t knocked her out, we wouldn’t get a chance to talk at all. Now don’t be stupid Stefan, keep the witch gagged, it’s rule one.” Damon says as he sits back down, taking a gulp of his bourbon and leaning back. He looks like he’s enjoying this.

“Again, I’m sorry, we’re just worried because Elena’s in danger. We need your help with Elijah so we can protect her.” Stefan says as he sits across from her, trying to look apologetic. Alea rolls her eyes and mumbles around the gag, frustrated that Elijah hasn’t fixed this issue yet. “See Damon, this doesn’t work unless we let her talk.” He tries again to take out the gag and has Damon off the couch again.

“You haven’t had to fight her. If you’re taking that out then I want some insurance.” He reiterates. Damon crouches beside Alea and puts his hand on the back of her neck, cupping the back of her head. “Even start with any of that latin crap and I start trying my hand at being a chiropractor.” He warns as he nods to Stefan, a chilling smile on his face. Stefan pulls off the gag and sits back, waving her on.

“Elijah is supposed to have a meeting with you guys about this. He doesn’t plan on letting Elena die, he has a way for her to survive the spell. You could have just asked him, rather than running around threatening people who you have deals with. Deals work on trust.” Alea provides hissing, she’s stiff and anxious, half baked plans rarely end well, especially for the hostages.

“And what happened to the dagger after you all left?” Damon asks, tightening his hold on her head. She tries not to freeze too noticeably, she keeps her eyes on Stefan. She can see he is a bit surprised by the question but doesn’t interrupt. If they still want the dagger, they want to try killing Elijah again.

“I don’t know, I don’t have it.” She offers, breathing evenly and holding steady. She can’t get most spell out faster than he can snap her neck, and very few are non-verbal when she’s tired and lost blood. She could be stuck here until they let her go.

“See that doesn’t sound very likely. Seems like Elijah trusts you, looked like you two were pretty cozy. I think you know more than you’re saying, so the question is, what are you gonna make us do before you spill?” Damon says with a sneer, whispering in her ear as she shivers. Stefan looks concerned and she isn’t sure if he’ll help her, until he sees her imploring eyes and hardens his. Stefan gets up and walks out of the living room. He’s by the doorway when she speaks up.

“Leaving so soon? Is this not a good family bonding opportunity?” Alea says, twitching as she feels the adrenaline starting to pump. Stefan looks back and grimaces, leaving before she can say anything else.

Damon smiles wickedly at her and puts the gag back around her mouth against her struggles. He hauls her over a shoulder and starts walking down a hallway she hasn’t been down before. She keeps an eye out at the path they travel, each hallway and every step down as they descend to a basement.

He chains her to the wall and releases her rope bindings. He leaves the room for a moment and comes back with a covered tray. She can see impressions of tools laying on the tray but is almost happier not knowing. The first thing he pulls out is a hammer and she knows this is going downhill faster than she can recoup.

She loses track of time in the cell with Damon. She screams her voice hoarse and when he heals her, she does it again. Her hands are broken and she has bites across her body. He’s taken to making small cuts along her ribs, just below her tattoo, asking after each one if she’s ready to talk yet.

There’s movement from above them and Damon freezes. He pulls away and listens with his head tilted. He looks back at her and grabs the key quickly. There’s the rattle of chains as she’s released, and she can’t even hold herself up anymore, he has to throw her over a shoulder before he flashes up the stairs.

She sees the walls fly by before being thrown onto the floor. She can see that they’re back in the entry room, Stefan is on his knees in front of her. Looking up past him she sees Elijah looking past her to Damon. She relaxes onto the floor, she doesn’t have the energy to try and get up.

“Damon, so good of you to join us. We were just talking about the discussion Elena and I had planned to have with you all. It seems you may have heard some of the details already.” Elijah says as he unbuttons his jacket and puts a hand in his pocket. Damon stands across from him with a sneer, tense and angry.

“I took some initiative and had a little chat with your pet. We still don’t like this deal, how about you just fuck off instead.” Damon says, his eyes are bouncing back and forth between Stefan and Elijah, keeping an eye on his brother.

“You have little regard for your life and others. And do your friends let you make all their decisions?” Elijah says cooly. He flashes in between Damon and Alea, pressing a hand to Damon’s throat. “You’re a danger to yourself and others, I think it's time you took a vacation. It’s for everyone’s best interests.” He says before breaking Damon’s neck. He lets his body fall to the floor, waiting as two people come in and drag the body out. He turns around and looks at Stefan. “We have an agreement. If someone breaks it then there are consequences.” He says lowly as he picks up Alea and walks towards the door. The back seat of his SUV feels comfortable after the dungeon.

“You can’t seem to stay out of trouble, can you?” He says from his place in the driver’s seat. Alea drifts off, falling asleep to the warm smell of baked apples.

Chapter Text

Alea is woken up by the sound of a chair shifting, she rolls over towards it and blinks awake to see Elijah sit down in a chair beside where she’s laying. He has his jacket off again and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his hair is brushed back from his face and he looks tired. She’s wrapped up in a comforter on a bed she hasn’t seen before, guessing from the decorations of the room it looks like it belongs to Elijah. Alea rolls her neck out and yawns as she blinks herself more awake, looking at him as he watches her. 

“The younger Salvatore informed me that Damon was attempting to ascertain the location of the dagger. Given that you didn’t open your shop today, I’ll assume he got to you sometime last night or early this morning.” Elijah says as he relaxes into the chair and leans his elbows onto his knees. His aura is a sharp contrast of cold steel and warm apples, a hint of mahogany that tinges it in place of the usual fresh pressed linen. Alea nods and presses the side of her face against the pillow. He nods along and grabs a drink that’s been set to the side. He swirls it a bit and keeps his eyes on the bottom as he continues. “Seeing your state when I arrived, I feel it necessary to ask if he did anything you’d like recompense for before I complete my deal with Elena.” He says, finishing his drink. 

The steel becomes icy and the apples fade away under ash. Alea is reminded of the bites on her thighs and chest that Elijah must have seen. She feels a tangled mix of shame, embarrassment, and anger. She knows it’s not her fault, but she still feels embarrassed for looking weak, for being caught by Damon and not being able to find a way out.

“Are you going to make him leave?” She asks in a whisper, her voice is healed but it still feels like it will hurt when she tries. She curls into herself on her side as Elijah considers. The bed smells like him and she feels safe surrounded by it. 

“I think having him out of the picture without his death will keep the others acting more in our favor and should keep hostilities down. I believe he is a main contributor to the issue, but if I kill him his brother then becomes one.” Elijah explains with a hand wave, pressing the other hand to his temple. He pours a glass of water and hands it to her. She takes gentle sips of it and sets it back down. Her whole body still feels sore. Even though she can feel that she’s been healed, she has the phantom of pain. 

“If I’m not allowed to kill him my options are limited. He’s a creep, but torturing people isn’t my thing. I want to think of something the Greeks might like, poetic and painful.” She says as she considers aloud. Retribution would need to be fitting, pain for the sake of it wouldn’t feel right. She looks at Elijah, seeing a glint in his eyes at the tone she used and the way she spit the word ‘creep’. He has a distant look in his eyes as he drums fingers on the chair. “Have you planned on when you’re meeting them yet?” She asks, trying to distract him. 

“I was going to wait until tomorrow.” Elijah says evenly. His cold look doesn’t ease, thinking about his plans for Damon. “Would you be able to come with me to the meeting?”

“I can, just tell me where to be. I should go home for now though, what time is it?” Alea says, shuffling up and swinging her legs over. He looks surprised and blinks at her owlishly. She blinks back, wondering why she hadn’t been kicked out already, or just brought to her own home. 

“It’s late, you left about this time last night. I thought it best you stay here until the deal has been made, or until any blood is out of your system.” He says with that surprised look still in place. She doesn’t know what makes her feel sick, that it’s only been a day, or the thought that she has Damon’s blood inside her. 

“I could get all the blood out of my system, there’s spells for that. I’m not hurt anymore, it wouldn’t be too difficult to perform.” She halfheartedly suggests, she has her face in her hands, rubbing across the arch of her brows where a headache is brewing. She raises her head when she doesn’t get an immediate answer and sees him looking thoughtful. 

“That would solve a timing issue with Damon, I had been planning on bleeding him out.” He says. She hadn’t contemplated that use of the spell, she may be able to do both with just one casting. He looks her over and seems considering. “How soon do you want to do it? We can wait.” 

“The sooner the better, I just need a couple basic things. A bowl and some candles.” Alea elaborates. Elijah nods and gets up, taking the glasses as he makes for the doorway.

“I’ll grab you some pants as well, wait here.” He says as he leaves. He retreats into the hallway and leaves her on the bed. She hadn’t even noticed that she was just wearing her underwear and a soft t-shirt, it smelled like it must be one of his but she never saw him in anything other than a suit.

 Her clothes had been lost during the torture, cut away so he could cut or bite more open canvas. The awareness of her naked legs reminds her of the way Damon’s teeth had felt in her thigh while he gripped her. Alea tries to breathe, tries to slow down and take deep inhales. But she can’t get the feeling of his fangs out of her mind. 

She’s crying when Elijah comes back, and she tries to not be embarrassed. She can’t put a lid back on the tears and sobs as he sits down on the chair and offers her his handkerchief. She covers her face and tries to reign it in, taking stuttering inhales. He quietly lays a pair of sweatpants beside her and she grabs them quickly, holding them to her chest. 

“I should have thought better of that. It was merely for expediency, and I thought you would prefer to dress yourself.” He says quietly, Alea blows out a breath and looks at him, his eyes concerned. She shrugs and takes the time to control her breathing and stop crying. 

“I get it, it’s okay. I just hadn’t noticed.” She wiggles the sweat pants and he gets up again, leaving the room and shutting the door. Even with him out of the room she can smell the tang of steel and the acid of ash in his aura, darker than before.

She quickly gets up and slips the pants on, tightening them around her hips and sighing when she’s covered up. She feels safe again. She heads to the door and opens it to see Elijah leaning on the wall, a dark look on his face that clears as soon as he sees her. They head to the livingroom and he walks ahead, grabbing the ingredients as she waits at the table. She watches him place everything in a bag and takes it as he passes it to her. 

“It isn’t far to where I’m keeping him, we can be there and back in fifteen minutes.” He says as he looks at her, he waits a minute to see if she’ll back out before nodding and leading them to the door. 

They spend a few quiet minutes in the car, she’s staring out the window and he’s glaring at the road. The destination is a place out of town she doesn’t recognize, some rent-a-storage looking place where they drive towards the back and park by one of the larger units. Elijah goes to the door and it has a lockbox where he puts in a key. 

Sliding up the door reveals a room divided between item storage and a dedicated person storage station. It looks like it was made to restrain vampires, it has thick reinforcements and is built into the concrete. Where Damon is lying inverted with his arms pulled back behind him, it looks like all his major veins are being drained, there’s a tub beneath him that’s filling with blood.

Alea pulls out her supplies and begins setting candles in a circle around herself near where Damon is being held. She places the bowl in front of herself and looks over at Elijah. 

“I need a knife.” She says without preamble. She holds a hand out and sees him hesitate. She waits. He comes over and unfolds an elegant wood handled knife, thin, and built for finesse. Alea offers her thanks as she makes a cut across her palm and hands the knife back, ignoring the cinnamon in his aura. 

Laying her hand open over the bowl she begins to chant in latin. The candles light and begin to flare as a thin trail of blood swirls slowly out of her hand and into the bowl. A larger trail surges from the draining cuts on Damon, pouring out and in a swirl to hover over the bowl. It takes a few minutes until the blood stops draining from him and she has a large sphere swirling in front of her, too large to fit in the bowl. Alea makes a face and draws away from the sphere as she estimates the splash zone. 

The blood splashing on the floor misses her and coats all the candles. She looks over at Elijah and nods as she heads towards the door. They’re back in the car and on the road quickly, she feels like she can breathe as soon as she’s left. 

“I still wish you would stay, but I understand why you need to go home. I’ll be speaking with Elena and her friends tonight. I will see about having Damon out of town when I am done.” Elijah says, breaking the silence. He looks over at her as he directs them down the road.

“I’ll be glad when they agree to stop acting like idiots, it’s been exhausting.” Alea replies lightly. She feels his shoulders relax and she can feel the sharpness of his aura smooth out a little bit. “How much longer is this whole thing supposed to take anyways?” She asks as she looks over at him. His mouth flattens out and he hums.

“We have to allow my brother to discover us and come to town. It could be very quickly now, with the theft of the grimoire and how much Elena has done to draw attention. We have to assume any full moon could be it.” He says thoughtfully. They pull in behind her apartment and she thanks him quietly as she gets out. He’s there beside her as she climbs the stairs and he leans against the wall as she unlocks the door. “After the meeting I could call the Martins back into town to complete any further spellwork I have need of, we’re currently even.” Elijah offers as he watches her, his eyes taking in the way she frowns. 

“And miss an opportunity to have you owe me a favor?”Alea says as she leans on the door jam opposite him. The feel of steel in his aura is fading and the ashy scent has gone, linen is back and the hint of cinnamon warms her. “I still need to protect Bonnie, and that means I’m needed here.” She decides, reaching out and holding his hand, rotating until she can play with his cufflink. She weaves a new protection spell into the inlaid silver and runs her thumb over it. “Try and stay out of trouble for a few hours, I need the sleep.” Alea says as she squeezes his hand. 

Elijah has a warm look in his eyes, the cinnamon in his aura heating her hands where she holds him. He traces his fingers against hers as he pulls away and it almost burns her. Alea looks back into her apartment to avoid his eyes and hums. 

“I’ll call you when it’s time for the meeting, goodnight Alea.” Elijah says softly, pulling back down the stairs, his eyes on her. She gives him a tight smile and a whispered goodnight as she goes inside, back against the door as she sighs. She can hear him on the stairs as she looks at the ceiling, letting the feeling of him slide away. 

It feels colder in the apartment when he leaves her range, she’s alone finally. She drifts through the rooms lazily and falls on her bed, her blanket offering comfort after such a long day. This mission is starting to feel like a war and she needs to begin treating it like one, she didn’t prepare for how serious this would be. 

She lays there with her face in a pillow and makes a list of priorities in her head. She wants to be smart about this and needs to strategize so the people who matter survive. Alea falls asleep with the shadow of fangs chasing her plans. 

Chapter Text

The phone ringing brings her hand out of the pile of blankets, her head coming out of its burrow and peering at the screen as she answers.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, the meeting will be in two hours at the Salvatore’s home. Would you like a ride?” Elijah answers. She pulls the blankets back further and yawns as she blinks awake. Cracking her neck she considers.

“Sure, if it’s not out of your way. Makes it easier if it’s an ambush again.” She replies breezily. She holds the phone in one hand as she gets up and goes to the closet. She’s considering the options as she stretches out the knots from yesterday.

“I’ll be there in an hour and a half.” He replies before hanging up. She looks around the closet for something comfortable and comes up with some jeans and a t-shirt and throws them on. She folds up Elijah’s clothes and sets them on the bed, her hand lingering on them as she feels the shadow of him on them.

She goes through her routine leisurely and has coffee cooling by the time there’s a knock on her door. She grabs a cardigan off the couch and opens the door as she reaches for the coffee.

“I made an extra cup in case you wanted some.” Alea says as she turns to the doorway and sees Elijah with his hand in his pocket. He looks at ease in her entryway and he steps over with a smile.

“I appreciate it.” He replies as he takes the cup and seasons it with cream and sugar. She passes him his clothes as well and he tucks them away under his arm. He puts the top on his coffee and waves a hand for her to lead the way as they head out the door.

The trip in the SUV is comfortable as they sip the coffee, she feels his shoulders relax as they wind down the road. Alea watches the view out the window as they pass through trees and over a bridge. She hasn’t mapped out most of Mystic Falls, hasn’t had a chance with the way things have gone, and she thinks it’s worth the time.

“You said you’re originally from here? And your cover story is researching the history of the area, would you be able to help me find some places? It could be useful for the spell.” Alea turns to Elijah and says. She’s turning over ideas in her head. If she needs to cast a spell with a lot of power, she’d need not only the power of the full moon but also a place of power to channel. Elijah’s knowledge of local history could help her with that.

“That shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve already begun mapping out possible locations for the ceremony anyways, you’d be helping me.” Elijah replies with a flick of his eyes as he continues down the road. She leans back her head and watches him for a moment, considering the complexity of his planning.

“How many back up plans do you have? Is it a whole alphabet worth or only a few letters?” She teases, taking a sip of her coffee.

“I wouldn’t say the whole alphabet, but telling you would give away too much.” He teases back, a quirk of a smile on his face as they pull into the Salvatore’s lot and park the car.

Alea takes a breath as she gets out and she looks at the door, she can feel Caroline, Stefan, Alaric, and Bonnie inside. There’s a werewolf and a human she doesn’t know, she looks at Elijah and relaxes when he doesn’t seem surprised. He gets the door for her and she ducks in ahead of him into the main room.

The teenagers are gathered on the couches in the center of the room and Alea finds a chair by the door that’s been left empty. Elijah stands away from everyone, looking over the assembled group and unbuttoning his jacket as he puts his hands in his pockets.

“It has come to my attention that a miscommunication has lead to the belief that I am your enemy. I’d like to clarify so that we can move forward without any further issues.” Elijah announces as he looks at each of the teens. His eyes land on the human Alea doesn’t recognize and rest there. “My plan does include the breaking of the curse, that is when Klaus is at his weakest and I will be able to kill him. I have an elixir in my possession that will revive Elena after the ceremony, as long as there is no vampire blood in her system. After that Elena has completed her part of the deal.” Elijah continues, laying the details out for the group.

Some of them look surprised. The human girl, Elena, looks relieved and looks over at Stefan with a pleading look in her eyes. Stefan looks at her and his brows are pinched, thoughtful.

“How can we trust that your elixir will work?” Stefan asks as he looks back at Elijah, his face is open and he looks almost desperate. Elijah looks at Alea and she looks at Bonnie.

“Bonnie would be able to verify, there’s plenty of spells available that identify elixirs and items. I can show her one and she can perform it. And if you don’t trust the elixir we can find another option, we can look into resurrection spells that Bonnie or I could do.” Alea offers, she glances between Bonnie and Stefan. Bonnie looks interested and nodding back to her. Stefan relaxes a bit but looks over the gathered group one more time before glancing at Alea.

“What about Damon?” He asks quietly. Alea feels her face pinch and tries to smooth it out, she can see Caroline shift where she’s sitting, her face also twisting at the name.

“Damon will be leaving Mystic Falls until I allow him to return, he will not be able to contact anyone here. He was not able to be reasoned with and a compromise is necessary.” Elijah says as he straightens his cufflinks, fingering them as he smooths out his face before looking at Stefan. Stefan looks resigned and sighs as he nods in assent. Elena looks relieved and puts a reassuring hand on Stefan’s shoulder.

“Thank you, I’m sorry for the trouble he caused.” She says. Elena looks genuinely hurt and repentant, her eyes displaying her feelings. Alea wonders how this group came together in such a small town, they seem young not to have an adult besides Alaric around. Stefan hardly seems like he acts his age and Alaric is human, he can’t teach a group of supernatural kids how to survive a situation like this.

“The deal remains intact, Damon will be removed and we can move on. This is an act of good faith, another action against me and mine will have consequences. This deal only works if we both act within the confines of our agreement.” Elijah says as he motions across them all. Elena steps forward and offers her hand to him, her face firm as she lays her palm out. He takes the shake and it’s a stiff shake before she says.

“I’m sorry Elijah, you’re a man of your word and I shouldn’t have doubted you. We’ll show that our word is worth trusting.” With a husky tone that holds the solid weight of stone. Alea sits up straighter at the feel of a hint of warmed apples in Elijah’s usually even aura. She looks closer at his face from the corner of her vision and sees a crinkle at his eyes that she doesn’t like. Alea looks away and nudges over to Bonnie, giving her a smile.

“We’ll just have to bump up how often we meet for tutoring, and we definitely have a subject now.” Alea whispers to her as she ignores the handshake behind her. Bonnie looks excited and nods along.

“I have time after school this week. Let me text you tomorrow and we can meet, is there anything I’ll need?” She asks as she grabs her bag. She has a bright look on her face and smiles.

“I should have all the raw materials, and all the grimoires, just bring yourself. Text me when you’re free or just head over to the shop, I’ll make time for you.” Alea says with a hand wave, she smiles at Bonnie before turning back to Elijah. His face is smooth again but the warm apple in his aura has only grown.

“If there’s no questions?” Elijah offers as he turns to the group and waits a moment. They turn to each other and try to talk to each other with just their faces.

“Elena has your number, are we just supposed to call you if we’re in danger? Like with the werewolves?” Caroline asks with her hand raised. Elijah tips his head at her and nods.

“Yes, if all of you have my contact then that is the easiest method. I’ve sent the Martin witches out of town so that will delay any response time they can supply me when relaying information.” Elijah replies off handedly. Bonnie perks up beside her and gives her a surprised expression. The others look between each other as well, they hadn’t noticed the absence of the witches and may have assumed it was due to a separate influence. It seems to sway them to know Elijah removed them.

There is the swapping of contacts and Alea waits by the door as Elijah finishes speaking to Elena. She closes herself off and ignores the pull of reading their energies. They’re discussing her human family not involved in today’s meeting, details that seem minimal. Alea waves goodbye to Bonnie and Caroline and waits by the car.

The woods surrounding the Salvatore estate are old and peaceful, she watches the swaying branches as she leans on the passenger door and breathes in the fresh air. There’s inherent energy in the nature around them and she can feel the forest as its energy hums around her. Alea can feel something out in the forest pulling her deeper in, a source of magic waiting to be tapped.

She’s broken from her meditation when Elijah leans next to her and looks down at her. His eyes are warm and assessing as they study her.

“Anything interesting, or should I be concerned?” He says lazily, his body is relaxed and he has a small quirk to his lips. Alea rests her head back on the car and looks over at him, studying his warm brown eyes.

She offers him her hand palm up and is surprised at how quickly he offers his. She closes her eyes and uses a kernel of power to push a connection to him, to draw her magic into him and open it to the feeling of the forest. His hand stiffens and he freezes for a moment as she holds the thread of the connection open to him. She opens it wider when his hand relaxes and lets him feel the pull that she discovered.

“There’s something out there, I just don’t know what it is yet.” Alea whispers as she opens her eyes. The connection is a thick rope between them now and she slowly closes it. Elijah looks caught off guard, his face more open than his usual mask. It’s a minute before he blinks away the expression and takes back his hand, sliding his fingers across her palm.

“Now may not be a good time to explore the woods. Is this a project that can wait?” He asks as he straightens his cufflinks and fingers them with a frown. He steps beside her and reaches around her to open the car door, his arm brushing her as he does. He holds it open as he waits for her answer and she looks between him and the forest. The pull feels ancient, like it’s a part of the very dirt, it’ll keep for another day.

“It can wait, we can go.” Alea allows, she slides into her seat and lets him get the door, taking a sip of her cold coffee and trying to block out the feeling of ancient trees and fresh earth with magic in its roots. Elijah slides in next to her and starts up the car, pulling them away from the boarding house.

Alea concentrates on staying present during the car ride, trying not to feel Elijah’s aura. She sits stiffly as she looks out the window, looking for any distraction. She wants to know if the warm apples are still there or if they’ve disappeared again, she wants to know what the cinnamon means.

“Is the forest still bothering you?” Elijah asks as the town comes back into view. Alea twists around to face him and she shrugs. She eyes him as he navigates the streets with ease, relaxed in the car with her. He has a concerned look on his face and she doesn’t want to worry him.

“I’m just distracted. I left the shop for my employees today. Do you have time for lunch?” Alea dodges, it’s true that it’s one of the first times she’s left the store for a full day, but she isn’t concerned about it. The three ladies she hired are competent and would call if there were any emergencies. The request for lunch just came out, she didn’t plan to ask.

“I have some time, we can stop at the grill. We can discuss your request to explore Mystic Falls further.” Elijah replies easily. His face relaxes back into a pleased grin and Alea looks away. She opens up just a crack and feels the fresh linen, smooth mahogany, and the heat of warmed apples in Elijah’s aura. She shuts the crack quickly and swallows a grin. She feels the warmth of the apples in her chest and wants to hold onto it.

They wind down the street and find a spot across the street across from the grill. The restaurant is busy as it always is, as the town’s main dining option. They find a booth in the corner and Alea knows what to order without a menu. Working just down the block this place helped her survive her move in.

Elijah steeples his fingers and looks over the restaurant, tilting his head as he peers over the faces. He takes a brief glance at the menu before his attention is focused on Alea.

“Now, I was investigating the area for places that may be used for the ritual using the history of any massacres in the area. I may have some options lined up. This, thing,in the woods may be worth looking into as well.” Elijah started simply. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through until a map came up. The map the marked in several places and he pointed to them. “We can look into these another day if you’d like, you may have a sense of these places that can help determine which will be chosen.” He said as he let her take the phone and look over the map.

“Do we know where the ritual was completed originally? That may hold power given the extent of the spell.” Alea offers, passing the phone back. She can make time for exploring the woods and tutoring Bonnie, she will just be a bit overloaded on the days she also goes into the shop.

“We may be able to locate it, things look different than they did then but there are landmarks I can use to get us close to it.” He says with a considering look on his face. He tolts his head and looks over the map. The waiter arrives and Alea orders a soda. “I have business in the morning tomorrow, will you be available in the afternoon, or shall I send you a copy of the maps so you can explore on your own?” He offers, he has a hand on his chin considering, looking the map over and glancing at her. Alea thinks it over quickly and doesn’t imagine that a walk in the woods requires an original bodyguard. It should be a magical issue anyways.

“Go ahead and send me the maps, I’ll go in the mornin and see how much I can get done. I’ll let you know what I find.” She replies. She leans back in the booth and taps a finger on the table. Elijah is watching her, his eyes flickering across her face. He fingers his cufflinks and rests his arms on the table. Alea doesn’t think about it as she cracks open herself to her senses, an instinct. The people around her are background noise as she is surrounded by Elijah’s aura. The apples are the most prominent scent, she takes a deep breath of them.

“Why apples?” Alea lets slip, distracted as she opens herself fully. Her senses stretch and she can feel the room around them.

“What do you mean?” Elijah asks perplexed, his brows pinch but his shoulders are still relaxed. Alea blinks a few times as she clears her head and she looks at him again. She clears her throat and looks away a moment.

“Uh, well, they’re in your aura sometimes. Most of the time I can intuit the meaning of the feelings or scent, but sometimes it has a personal meaning.” She explains with a hand wave, trying to make it seem trivial. She regrets bringing it up and curses her loose tongue. “I don’t read it on purpose, I’ve been trying not too.”

“But mine has apples in it, sometimes.” Elijah says, sounding like almost a question, his face shows that he knows she’s embarrassed. He’s trying to catch her eyes and she’s avoiding it.

“Warm apples like they’ve been baked, sometimes with cinnamon.” Alea confirms, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. The waiter comes back with her soda and she thanks them as they leave. She sips the drink as she waits.

“Apples used to be a treat when we were young. We had baked apples as a dessert. When it was available cinnamon became reserved for special occasions, it was difficult to get at the time.” Elijah explains as he taps his fingers on the table. It isn’t an exact explanation for the scent, but it gives her insight. He has a special fondness for apples, a special love for them. Alea doesn’t know why that almost frustrates her.

Alea can still feel him surrounding her and it’s almost suffocating know, knowing the story behind the scent. The fondness the apples might represent and the feelings that popped up when he spoke to Elena. She shouldn’t feel jealous, it’s ridiculous.

Alea finishes her drink quickly, regretting their lunch now. Elijah seems at ease as he lets her leave them in silence, not bothering with small talk.

As she pays the waiter she’s thanking them when something catches her off guard. She smiles and dismisses the waiter and turns back to Elijah and nods her head for them to leave. When they’re out the door and across the street the feeling follows her, pressing down on her, she rushes into the car and she grips Elijah’s arm when he gets in.

“We need to go.” She whispers under her breath. The feeling is under her skin and she tries to breathe past the tight panic that grips her. There’s someone nearby, an aura more intense than she’s felt before that feels wild. There’s fire and heat, the feeling of fur and fangs, there’s the smell of paint and moss underneath it all that tickles her nose.

Elijah moves them through the streets smoothly even with her tight grip on his arm, ignoring her panic as he navigates them back to her apartment. When they arrive the aura has left but the tight panic is still there in her chest. She feels like she can’t get a solid breath and puts a hand on her chest.

Elijah turns to her and takes her hand from its tight grip on his arm and holds it gently in his. He leans across the car and unclips her seat belt.

“It’s okay, he’s gone. Just breathe, you’re okay.” Elijah whispers as he pulls her closer and lifts the center console that separates them. He pulls her back to his front and presses his hand over hers on her chest. “Just breathe.” He whispers in her ear as he runs his thumb over her fingers. She focuses on the slow thrum of his heart and the feeling of his chest moving beneath her. She follows his breathing as she slows hers down, closing her eyes and relaxing into his aura. There’s no one else in her range and she can focus solely on his fresh linen and cold steel. The apples reammerge as her breathing evens out and she relaxes into him. Cinnamon fills her lungs as she sighs and her fingers lock with his.

“Thank you.” She whispers, she’s almost afraid to break the warm atmosphere in the car. She feels safe in his arms and surrounded by his aura, she wants to stay here. He hums behind her and it rumbles against her back. She sniffs in the heat of cinnamon and leans her head back on his shoulder. She wonders if the actual scent of him suits his aura.

Elijah turns his head slowly into her neck and breathes in as he runs his nose along her throat, letting out another rumbling hum. Alea stretches her neck to extend the feeling and hums back at him contentedly. She’s distracted and relaxed, feeling safe with him in the car. His lips skim the skin of her throat and her lips pop open. The spice of him on her tongue is heated and she takes a deep breath of it as he lays an open mouthed kiss against the juncture of her shoulder and throat.

The slip of his tongue against her skin makes her groan and she grips his hand tighter. His other arm comes around to hold her against him and she arches her back to press her hips against him. His jaw clenches where it is on her neck and the bite has her eyes flying open.

Alea pulls away from his hold and scoots across the seat from him. She clears her throat and looks away from him. Seeing the stairs to her apartment she grips the door handle.

“I have to go, I’m sorry.” She excuses herself with a glance back at him. Seeing his pinched expression hurts and she has to turn before he sees her frown. He’s silent as she leaves and she rushes into her apartment. She hears that it takes a minute before the car pulls away and she stands behind her door cursing herself.

She can’t get involved with him. He only has business friends and she has a job to do. She has a duty to protect Bonnie and then go back home and look for the next mission. Vampires have forever in fromt of them and they tend to treat relationships like that, or they throw people away because they know nothing lasts.

Alea has a slice of immortality but it isn’t a guarantee, running around with a vampire would go to her head. She needs to spend time with other witches and humans. She’s spent too much time with Elijah lately, she’s let herself become enamored by him because of the power of his aura and she needs to be stronger than that.

Alea looks around her apartment and heads to her kitchen to make some coffee and grab some cookies. She slumps on the couch while it brews and munches as she stares at the wall.

She’s gotten caught up in a mess and she needs to straighten out. Make a plan. And not make out with any vampires. Alea sighs as she reflects on the feel of Elijah’s mouth, it had been a while since she had felt anything nice like that.

The apartment still has boxes in the corner where she hasn’t unpacked yet, she hasn’t made this place home. She has no idea how long this will be where she stays and that’s a weird feeling. The last few times she’s followed leads to find grimoires or contact witches of old bloodlines for information. She hasn’t a vision that asks so much of her before, the task is open ended and she could be here another forty years.

When the coffee is ready Alea makes herself a spot on the couch with her notepad and a pen, looking over her notes from the curse and flipping to a new page. She lays out the basic kinds of magic, writes out some key points for each and estimates how long it took her to get a basic understanding of them. She tries to think of the grimoires that would be most helpful for teaching Bonnie. She must have something from her family, but a mix from other schools would give her a more rounded assortment of spells to pull from.

A few hours later she has a few rough outlines of lesson plans and a list of supplies she’ll need to add to her order. She pours out the remnants of her cold coffee and looks around the kitchen for something to make for dinner. She dismisses pasta off hand and opts for a frozen pizza she saves half of for later.

Sitting in her living room Alea almost feels bored. She texts Bonnie to set up a time the next day to practice and then lies down. She stares at the ceiling and sighs. So much danger recently has made a quiet night seem boring.

Chapter Text

Alea receives a text with a map in the morning, no message comes with it. She feels bad for how she left and worries over how Elijah will be when she sees him next. She thinks about texting back but leaves it alone as she gets in her car and navigates to the closest location.

There’s little labels on the map and when she arrives at the first location she zooms in to read it. The tiny words read ‘werewolf massacre’ and she wonders the story behind it. Werewolf hunting was still an issue that she had seen packs deal with in Europe. The last one she came across had worked with her in exchange for a spell that would ward the space they used during the full moon, keeping them in and everyone else out.

She gets out and looks around the edge of the woods where the road ends. She’ll have to hike farther on foot to get to where’s marked. She takes a breath of the fresh air and closes her eyes to expand her senses. She pushes the edges of her range and feels the tingle of magic at the edge.

Alea opens her eyes and pulls up the map, confirming her direction and starts towards where she felt the fizzle of magic. The air is crisp and the day is beautiful, sun streaming through the tall branches overhead as she walks. She takes her time and follows the magical trail, sniffing it out as she passes between trees and bushes.

She’s close to the feel of it when there’s a stirring of something behind her. Alea stills as she feels a wild lick of fire across her senses toward her back. It’s a flash before there’s a man leaning against the tree next to her and smiling at her. He has curling blond hair and dimples that make his face look cherubic. But Alea doesn’t return the smile, she focuses on taking even breaths as she thinks of how to get away.

“Come now love, are you a rabbit or a witch? I thought we could have a little chat, just the two of us.” He says as he circles her, she turns to keep him in front of her and her hand begins reaching to her pocket on instinct. He tsks at her and takes a threatening step closer. “Now, now rabbit, let’s keep this between us. Elijah can be so meddlesome. I wanted to see if you were a smart witch, you could work for me instead and I’d let you survive this little game. I can’t guarantee it if you’re working for my brother.” The man continues as he pursues her until her back is against a tree and he can lean in towards her. He leans in by her throat and takes a deep inhale.

“You smell like him. Getting cuddly, are we little rabbit?” He says as he pulls just far enough away to catch her eye. She snaps out of the fear enough to glare at him and push him away, a blast of wind sending him far enough away she feels like she can breathe again.

“You can do what you want, but it’s not a game to me. I have a deal with Elijah, and there are people here that I have to protect.” Alea says as she steps away from the tree and mumbles a quick protective charm. She watches the quirk of his lips as he smiles at her and her frown deepens.

“Oh love, I think you’ll be fun. Would you make a deal with me too, or is Elijah special?” He asks playfully, his hands shoved in his pocket and his shoulder leaned against a tree.

“I trust Elijah, and I get the feeling your deal would go against Elijah’s, I’m not going to betray him.” She answers honestly, her hands splayed. The wind is whistling in the trees and the peaceful atmosphere is a steep contrast to the tension Alea feels as she tries to navigate the conversation.

“And if he betrays you, will you make a deal with me then? To protect those people you’re responsible for.” He pushes, his smile is devious and Alea wonders at his interest. What must he know to offer such a deal. She takes a moment to consider it.

“I suppose, I don’t know. I only make deals with people I trust, and I don’t know you.” Alea hedges, she doesn’t want to give him an outright no, she might not get another offer. The answer seems to please him and he steps forward and takes her hand.

“Well then, my name’s Klaus. You’ll be seeing a lot of me rabbit.” He says as he lays a kiss to the back of her hand and disappears in a flash. She’s left in the middle of the woods with her heart thumping and the worry that she’s in over her head.

She leans against a tree and stares at the sky for a solid five minutes before calling Elijah. She thinks about not telling him, considers that he is already planning on betraying her. When he picks up she sighs and feels like she’s waking up from a dream, the whole experience seems so unreal.

“I just met Klaus.” She starts, and hears him inhale sharply on the other end. There’s a muffled conversation in the background and he asks her to wait a moment. She sits there with her head staring at clouds and waits until he says okay. “He found me in the woods and we talked. He said I should switch teams. I declined.” She simplifies. There’s no need to go into detail or explain that she got a nickname out of the ordeal. She hears him hum on the other end and wishes she could see his face.

“Did he threaten you?” Elijah asks, his voice is tight and she wonders what he was doing before she called. She could have texted, it would have been less of an interruption.

“No. He said he just wanted to talk, alone.” Alea specifies, she tries to keep any acid from her voice but hears the drip of it. Elijah hums again and she turns back to the woods as she waits for him to speak again. She trudges along the trail again and holds the phone against her ear as she walks. “I’ll call you if anything else happens, I still need to check out the first spot on the map.” She finishes. They exchange goodbyes and she moves on, sighing as she pushes through the trees.

There’s a clearing ahead where the magic feels strongest. The whole clearing is devoid of plant life, the grass at the edge is gnarled and starving, the roots of trees cringe away from it. She steps into it and feels the intense energy of it, feeling the shadow of the massacre and the reverberation of other magic that had been performed over it.

This space has been used before because of the residual magical energy here. The latent energy is strong; she’ll need to compare it to the others but it could be a good place to perform powerful magic like what they’re trying. She breathes in the wild scent of fur and pine, scenting the magic of the area to keep it in her memory.

Walking around the area of the clearing, Alea can feel that Klaus has been here; a trace of his energy lingers along the edges. She wonders if he must be searching for a location for the spell. The full moon is coming up, if he’s trying to break the curse with the next moon, they have less than a week left.

Alea rushes to get back to her car and the drive back to town is a blur. The trees pass into buildings and she turns onto her street on auto pilot. Alea texts Bonnie to confirm that they’re on for their meeting later. The shop is preparing for the highschool dance and she sees her girls wrapping bouquets as they watch the counter. She nods to Jackie and Corrie as she slips behind the counter

She has some time before she’s supposed to meet with Bonnie, and she sits in the back room bent over her notebook next to her grimoire. She pulls out her travel collection from under her desk and selects several tomes. Alea lays the grimoires out and looks at her notes.

Bonnie has been surviving on instinct and the help of the spirits, she needs some of the basic principles to help empower her spellcraft. Alea flips through her own grimoire and selects a basic warding spell to work on, something that will help Bonnie’s control and be useful to her.

Looking through her collection she makes a quick note of ingredients and runs through the shop to get ready. When her head pops out from the backroom she can see Bonnie wandering around the aisles of flowers and petting the petals as she passes them. She watches her and sees the plants she’s most drawn too, taking note.

“Hey Bonnie, you’re here early.” Alea says as she waves the girl over. Bonnie turns her head with a smile and passes behind the counter with her.

“Yeah I got done early, figured it would be good to get more practice time in. You have so many plants here, it’s amazing.” Bonnie says as they settle across from each other on the couches in the back room. The coffee table covered in grimoires and notes sits between them and Bonnie can’t keep her eyes off the books. Alea smiles at the compliment and points at the greenhouse at the back wall.

“I even grow special plants for spells, or order them. It’s important to have good ingredients, they empower the spell and it takes some of the load off of you.” Alea explains. She pulls her grimoire to the center and flips it open to the warding spell. “I want to work on some of the basics with you. You seem to be surviving on your own, but having a strong understanding of the basics will help you complete more complicated and powerful spells, or create spells of your own.” Alea continues, she tries to explain without offending Bonnie, she doesn’t want to push her away. “The basics will make spellcraft easier, you can take yourself anywhere with it.” she finishes. Bonnie looks a little apprehensive, biting her lip. Alea catches her eye and tries to convey with her open face just how honestly she means to help her.

“I want to make my gran proud, I want to be powerful. I need to be able to protect my friends and myself, if this means I can, then bring it on.” Bonnie responds with a small grin. She sets her shoulders and has a locked jaw as she sits straight backed. Alea nods and takes a deep breath, relaxing as she looks over the spell again.

It takes well into the evening to show Bonnie the lessons Alea wants to. Bonnie is a quick study and can perform the spells with little prep work. But she pours all her power out at once and it takes work to help her tamp down on how much she uses. Alea focuses on showing her how to be aware of her magic and feel how it moves as she casts.

“I didn’t know I could do that. I could feel every ounce of magic around me as I was casting that spell. I could feel the pulse of it like it was alive.” Bonnie says with a relaxed smile on her face. She successfully meditated while casting the ward and became aware of her own aura.

“That sense of magic can become second nature. You’d be able to feel people around you and sometimes what they’re feeling. Vampires and werewolves get special senses, with training, so do we.” Alea explains as she walks Bonnie out of the back room. The new sense will help with their training and could help her self defense if she can be more aware with it. They walk together to the door, the shop is closed and they have the place to themselves

In the shadowed street Bonnie turns back to Alea and gives her a tight look, her face contorted in indecision.

“You said you were here to protect me, that you had a vision that sent you here.” She says slowly, holding herself taut and watching Alea carefully.

“Yeah, that’s right. I had a vision while I was in Greece that showed me the welcome sign to Mystic Falls, a page of your ancestor’s grimoire with a dwindling family tree ending in a scorch mark. It showed me images of darkness and blood surrounding your family. I’ve been working on preserving witch history and family traditions, it seemed only right that I follow the vision here.” Alea explained in a hushed tone, pulling her closer to the flower shop. Bonnie looks worried and grips her bag tightly, looking over her shoulder.

“Do you think one of my ancestors sent you the vision?” She asks, she seems almost hopeful.

“I don’t know, I don’t have a lot of experience with visions that show the future. I could try and reach out to ask. They might not answer.” Alea offers with a shrug. Visions are a tricky business. Sometimes you can prompt a vision using a spell or by soliciting a spirit, other times they came without a known source and weren’t trackable. There wasn't a caller ID for things like this.

“I need to solicit my ancestors anyways, I can ask when I visit them. We found a house where a hundred witches were buried, I think I can channel them.” Bonnie whispers as she takes a step closer. They’re huddled by the door and Alea’s head pops up at the news, she huddles back near Bonnie and grabs her hand quickly.

“That is so dangerous. That is an immense amount of power for one person to channel at once, it could be deadly. But also, spirits are volatile and if you channel them you are opening yourself to them and their whims.” Alea warns with a squeeze to her hand, her eyes are wide in warning and she can see the responding fear in Bonnie’s.

“But we have to kill Klaus, he’ll be weak after the spell but still strong. I’ll need the extra power.”

“Let me help you, don’t put yourself at risk like that, we can cast the spell together and not only will the energy be easier to handle, you’ll have my magic to work with too.” Alea offers, throwing her hat in the ring and hoping she can make a difference. She can see the worry Bonnie has, the fear of betrayal and failure. The two battle for a minute until Bonnie grabs her in a hug and sighs against her.

“Okay, I’ll text you where the house is and we can meet to work on it. Thank you for this, I needed the help.” Bonnie says as she pulls away. Alea holds her arms a moment and give her a smile.

“I’m here for you Bonnie, I’ll help however I can.” she promises as they stand apart. They look at each other for a moment with smiles before the moment ends and Bonnie gets a text. She has to meet one of the friends at the grill and still has homework. High-schoolers never sleep.

Alea says her goodbyes and heads around the shop to her apartment, climbing the stairs slowly as she thinks about how the lesson went. She’s happy with what they got done, Bonnie’s a great student.

Chapter Text

Alea listens to the smooth peals of jazz as she mixes cream into her morning coffee, rocking to the slow rhythm. The French quartet has a similar sound to the album she discovered at Elijah’s apartment, totally by coincidence. She’s warmed up frozen waffles and is ready to go out to the next spot on the map this morning, it’s farther off the trail so she’s brought out her hiking boots. She’s just grabbed her coffee mug when there’s a knock at her door.

Alea pulls the door open a crack and sees Elijah standing on her doorstep, relaxed in a charcoal suit with a hand in his pocket. Alea gives him a surprised look and opens the door wider, heading back inside to grab her waffle as she throws over her shoulder.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” with a casual tone. She tries to lock down her sense of him and turns to look at him while taking a sip of her drink.

“I thought it best to visit the map locations with you today due to my brother’s impromptu visit yesterday. I also didn’t hear from you about the first location yesterday and wanted to check in” Elijah says as he leans against the doorway. He looks relaxed and his tone is cool. Alea had forgotten to call him about the clearing yesterday, she’d gotten distracted by her lesson with Bonnie. She frowns and bites her lip, trying to think of an excuse to get out of the escort.

“I’m sorry, I had lessons with Bonnie after I was done at the clearing and forgot to call you back. I found some magic at the first map marking but without something to compare it to I won’t know if that’s the one. The rest should go quickly now that I know what to compare against, it would be a waste to come with me.” Alea tries, she doesn’t want to invite trouble, but hours in the car with Elijah sounds like torture right now. It takes a moment for Elijah to reply, he’s looking at her like he’s trying to understand each twitch of her eye. He steps into her space and takes her coffee cup, setting it aside on the table. Alea freezes and her hand rests on his chest, she doesn’t know whether she wants to push him away or pull him closer, she promised herself she wouldn’t get involved. Elijah tilts her chin up so she has to look at him and rubs his thumb across her chin.

“You can’t avoid me, make a decision and then tell me. We can move on until then.” He whispers as his thumb rubs over her lip and she pulls back an inch. She looks into his eyes and sees the resolve there, the steady honesty. She nods her head in his soft grip and he smiles as he pulls away. “Now let’s visit the second location, the hiking boots will be a good decision.” he says as he turns for the door, a smile aimed over his shoulder.

Alea clears her throat and grabs her bag as she shakes off the sensual moment. His hand on her face had warmed her to her toes and his thumb on her lip had sent shivers down her spine, she took the second it took to lock the door to reign in her beating heart. He could surely hear the effect he’d had on her and she felt the burn of a blush across her cheeks as they climbed down the stairs. She took a glance at him before getting in, he was looking at her with an affectionate quirk to his lips as he waited to get in.

The drive to the next map location wasn’t as quiet as their usual, Alea turned on the radio and switched it to a blues station. She flipped through the country and rock until she got to a public access channel that played old blues and jazz. When she landed on the station Elijah nodded and hummed in appreciation, tapping a finger on the wheel to the beat of the song. It wasn’t one she recognized but the artist had a crooning voice and the trumpet was smooth as they sang about their lost lover.

“Before, you chose a jazz record. Is that your usual preference or just due to availability?” Elijah asked, making conversation as they drove through the dense trees.

“I like Jazz, it tends to be more instrumental but it’s more freeform than classical, it has a touch of chaos. When you’re there watching a concert it’s like magic being made, turning raw chaos into something transformative. Blues is emotional, it shows the soul stripped bare and vulnerable, it shows something real.” Alea starts, waving a hand as she talks. “Before the war I mostly listened to classical music, operas and symphony music, it’s all Canada had. During the war jazz was popular among the ladies and blues was brought to us from some of the American soldiers. When I settled down afterwards it was comforting to bring those things with me.” she says with a small smile. She thinks about all the nights around the radio. She still likes new music as it comes around, but that felt like home. His face tells her he understands, a sad smile that shows he’s remembering something similar.

“I understand, I sometimes miss the music we had when I was human.” He sighs, turning the car off onto the edge of the woods where a trail begins. “Don’t tell anyone, but I did enjoy disco quite a bit.” He whispers conspiratorially. She smiles at him, laughing as she shakes her head and pulls her door open.

They have a couple miles to hike into the woods before they’ll get to the quarry. Elijah puts out a hand, offering to run them there. Alea looks at him with raised brows and takes the hand gently, he tosses her up into his arms and dashes through the woods in a flash.

Alea closes her eyes tightly as the trees pass in a blur and she feels them move. Her stomach lurches and she tries to breathe against the tight weight of the wind. In what feels like an instant they’ve stopped moving and the world comes to a standstill. Alea clutches Elijah tightly as the air becomes lighter and she can gasp in a tight breath again. Her head clears in a moment, and she puts a hand to her head as she’s gently let down.

“I don’t like that, that’s not as fun as I thought it would be.” She says as she blinks around her at the quarry. There are gray stones piled around them along the waterline of the lake and she tries to get even footing as they look around the edge. Elijah frowns at her with concern and has a hand out as though she might tip over.

“It takes some getting used to, I've been told.” He says as explanation. Alea nods along and starts looking around. Alea closes her eyes and opens herself to the magic around her. There’s the thrum of power in the rocks beneath their feet and she crouches down to put a hand on the stones. The power is soaked into the rocks and beneath them in the water and soil, she can feel it in each pebble she turns over. Working magic here would be amplified an exceptional amount, more than the first location if channeled right.

“This place is strong, the magic here is old and deep. There’s a lot more than the last place, the others could be stronger. What was the cause for this one again?” Alea asks as she straightens and looks around. The quarry is large and beautiful, a ridgeline of stones descending into a clear lake.

“This was where the first doppelganger was born.” Elijah says as he looks out at the water, surveying the area as she rolls a pebble around in her palm. She whispers a spell into the stone and lights emerge like stars, brighter than any lightbulb as twinkling points hang in the air around them. She has a wisp of power flowing into the spell, the stone from the quarry empowering the spell tenfold as she connects to the latent energy.

“This would be a good place. It has deep energy and it’s connected to the doppelganger. If I was picking, it would probably be here or wherever she died, is that on the list too?” Alea asks as she lets the lights go out.

“The location is not on the map. I was unaware that it would be of interest, I can mark it.” Elijah says stiffly. Alea turns at the sound of his voice, and she feels the slide of steel as he closes himself off. She watches him as he turns from the lake and leads them back to the car. She keeps herself open and feels hot steel slide across her senses, the coolness replaced by the sizzle of the furnace.

“I can visit that location alone, I’m sure you’re busy.” Alea offers, keeping him in the corner of her eye. His grip on the steering wheel tightens and he blows out a tight sigh.

“I don’t suppose I can stop you from reading me, can I?”

“I try not to, sometimes I just slip up. I was looking at the quarry, you just happen to be around. If you don’t come with me it won’t be a problem.” Alea pleads, she turns to look at him fully and catches his eye between glances at the road. His mouth is pinched and his shoulders are stiff, he looks tense and she hates it. “It’s probably nothing, you really don’t have to come.” She reassures him, putting a hand on his arm. He checks her face to see the honesty there and nods tightly.

“We should head back now anyways, it’s not long until your meeting with Bonnie. I’ll send you a revised map later.” Elijah says as he takes them towards town. The streets pass by and Alea looks at the map they have. There’s several other locations, this town has had multiple significant magical events that have left a mark on it. It’ll help if she has to perform any powerful spells, or needs to top up her reserves, to know where the magical eddies are nearby.

Along the way to her shop Alea relaxes in the comfortable quiet of the car, trying not to overthink it. Elijah had basically said he was keeping things all business until she said otherwise, and she wasn’t about to start something in the middle of this chaos. But he was handsome, and he had this aloof strength to him that drew her in. She liked him and when he got close it left her flustered in such a pleasant way. It was hard to convince herself that wanting more was wrong when he offered it so easily.

Alea looked over at Elijah and the profile of his relaxed focus on the road, she liked seeing him at ease like this, his shoulders down and his hands loose. He glanced over at her, an eyebrow raised at her perusal. Alea looked out the windshield as they came up main street.

“What are you going to do when you’re done in Mystic Falls?” She asks him as he parks across from the flower shop. If she can’t get involved now, maybe she could be patient. Elijah comes around the car as she gets out, giving her a smile as they cross the street together.

“I need to locate my family, they’re my first priority. It will require some international travel I’m afraid.” He replies, his tone casual though his aura has the undertone of steel hidden in mahogany and apples. “But I’d be in need of some magical assistance along the way.” Elijah adds quickly.

“Yeah, I remember, all your friends are business friends.” Alea mumbles with a frown, he pulls back from her slightly and his face smooths out from the small smile. Alea pulls the door open and slips inside with him on her heels. She heads to the back room and passes behind the counter, Elijah follows her and closes the door behind them. She turns and he crowds her against the wall, his arm blocking her there.

“I think you are confused. If you decide we are business friends, then we are.” he says with pinched brows as he leans in. His expression relaxes as he slants down towards her. “If you decide otherwise then you won’t be with me for your skills, but I would consider them when making plans.” he whispers as his lips get close to her ear, they skim the skin and Alea can feel her heartbeat thrumming faster. She breathes in the warm smell of cinnamon and apples, leaning in as he lays a kiss against her cheek.

He lays his hand against her cheek and turns her face into his, his nose crossing hers as he presses his lips against hers slowly. His warm lips are firm against hers and she presses herself against him and grabs the lapels of his jacket for something to hold onto as his tongue slips across her top lip. Elijah’s thumb runs across her cheek as he pulls just far enough back to look at her.

“We can’t though, it would be a distraction and we both have responsibilities right now. Afterwards though…” Alea trails off as she pulls on his jacket. He resists and smirks at her, pulling her head to the side and kissing along her jaw before he whispers in her ear.

“Then we’ll have to wait until after, I can be very patient.” with a smile in his voice. Alea leans back against the wall and smiles at him, smoothing out his collar and letting her hands trail down his chest. She leans in one more time to lay a kiss on his lips, languid and sweet, sweeping her tongue against his lips as she pulls back.

“I guess I can be patient too.” Alea says as his eyes dilate and she can see his muscles tense. They sit there a moment breathing together and the tension feels like an ache in her chest. Elijah pulls back slowly and his hand slides from her cheek. He opens the backroom door and kisses her hand goodbye before slipping away.

Alea sits on the couch with a sigh and lays her head back. She closes her eyes and she can still feel the warm press of Elijah against her. Alea presses a palm to her eyes to try and wake herself up from the fog that his kisses swept her up in.

She manages to shake herself out of it and curl up on the couch with her grimoire for an hour before her lesson with Bonnie. Bonnie is a jumble of excitement over the decade dance and can hardly concentrate until Alea lets her have a chance to explain every detail first.

Bonnie finally settles down and can clear her head to meditate. She does well with their exercise, excelling at each stage that Alea puts her through. Bonnie struggles only with changing her mindset from the thinking and strategizing of spellcraft to the feeling and intuiting that is sometimes required. She works on seeing the auras around her but feeling them comes slowly.

By the end of their session They are both exhausted but Bonnie lights up when Alea praises her progress. Bonnie asks if she wants to chaperone at their dance to help them keep an eye out for Klaus in case he shows up, and Alea feels something in her gut twist. She says okay out of instinct, listening to a pull in her gut that tells her she needs to be there.

“Make sure you wear something groovy, you won't want to stand out.” Bonnie says as she leaves for the night, door in hand.

“I think I have something that’ll work.” Alea replies, already thinking about what she has left over from the decade. She tries to keep her favorites over the years, and the 60’s had been fun for fashion if nothing else.

Chapter Text

Alea pulls out a drop waist swing dress from her closet, fluffing the skirt and unpacking a petticoat to get the right shape. The blue plaid dress has sat in her closet since her time in England. She packed up most of her clothes from that time that were worth keeping and had them in storage, but a spare few of them she had packed for her trip, a sweater or two and a couple shirts that had held up well over the years.

Alea had loved her time on the English coast, it was peaceful and had felt like the best of both worlds. She had been allowed to travel for her magical calling, and had a home to come back to. Charlie had been happy to settle with his pack and become a fisherman, spending sometimes days away on the boat. When they were together it felt like they had something no one could touch.

Looking down at the dress as she tried to imagine Charlie’s face she could only see him as he turned to the sea, the shape of him as he walked away that last time. They had said goodbye thinking they would see each other in a week and he never saw her again. She only saw him as a body laying among a carnage.

The dress hangs while she showers and gets ready, taunting her as she does her makeup and the red lipstick smooths over her frown. She pulls it up in front of the mirror and it zips around her like a second skin and Alea tries to remember the last time she wore it. Was it for a date to the local dance hall, or when they went to the museum?

Her phone chimes with a text and it’s a welcome distraction from the direction her thoughts have turned. She sees Bonnie has asked if she’s on her way and to meet her in front of Alaric’s classroom. Alea sends a quick response and grabs her bag on her way to the door. She hasn’t been to a highschool dance in over fifty years, and she feels a little awkward, but she’s doing this for Bonnie. And to assuage her gut feeling pulling her forward as she gets in the car.

Alea’s trip to the school blurs by, the roads all look the same at this point and she has the basics down to get there. She doesn’t even make any wrong turns. Finding Alaric’s classroom is a little trickier but after asking a couple of the older looking kids she manages to get some good directions there. She stops at the closed door and looks around, wondering if she got it wrong, but she knocks anyway and a hand comes out to grab her and yank her in.

Stephen releases her when she’s inside and shushes her when she begins to protest. She looks around at the assembled group, the same as at the boarding house, except for Tyler.

“Sorry, we’re trying to keep a low profile, we think Klaus might already be here.” Elena explains from her place at the center of the group. She looks pale in her hippie inspires dress, holding herself as she stands among her friends and looks lost.

“Well he doesn’t want to kill you, we know he can’t before the full moon. We can call Elijah and have him come run interference, or you could go home for the night.” Alea offers, looking among the gathered teens as she tries to come up with a plan. Klaus might not kill Elena but there were no guarantees for the rest of them. And Elijah would want to know if anything was going on with his brother.

“We just want to enjoy the dance, does he get to ruin everything?” Caroline said from her place next to Elena, she looked frustrated and crossed her arms as her face pinched. “We don’t even know if he’s here yet, we shouldn’t leave until we know for sure.” she adds.

“If he shows up it will already be too late. We should leave before it becomes too dangerous.” Stefan urges, holding Elena’s hands and looking into her sad eyes.

“We could try to do a boundary spell, keep vampires out of the school until the dance is over, but it would also trap you in here.” Alea interjects offhandedly. The school cafeteria is bound to have enough salt to mark all the doorways, and she could focus on that while the kids dance. It would be a good learning exercise for Bonnie too. “We should decide now though.”

“Let’s try the boundary spell, if it goes wrong you can drop it and we’ll run.” Elena decides after a moment of consideration, looking between Alea and Stefan as she weighs her options. They all look at each other and there are nods around the room.

“Alright, I need some help to make this happen.” Alea says before dividing up tasks. She has Stefan and Caroline run to the cafeteria and grab salt, splitting the exits and sprinkling salt across each one at vampire speed. Elena runs to get candles from the science lab, and Bonnie grabs water from down the hall. They converge back in Alaric’s room

While the others retreat to the dance Bonnie and Alea put their heads together over their makeshift ingredients. Alea holds Bonnie’s hands as she begins a chant, slow and steady for Bonnie to pick up the words. She reaches out her energy to Bonnie, connecting them as she begins the spell and Bonnie gasps as she feels the power.

Bonnie helps her chant, picking up the words and combining her strength with Alea’s as she feels the whirlwind of power surrounding them. There’s a swirling of energy inside her and she feels as it’s directed through Alea.

The spell fits into place and a firm anchor sits in Alea’s gut where her magic connects to it. She sighs as the chant ends and she relaxes her hold on Bonnie’s hands, blowing out the candles and shooing the girl out of the classroom.

“It’s time for you to enjoy the dance. No more work for you missy.” Alea says as they walk towards the gym. Bonnie smiles as she runs off and finds her other friends in the dancing crowd of teens. The music reminds her of the mod teens of the day and all the short skirts and colorful clothes.

She decides to hang towards the back of the room where she can blend into the background and the students ignore her. She can see Alaric on the far side of the gym and he gives her the stink eye once or twice when their eyes cross paths. Alea leans back against the wall and closes her eyes as she focuses on the vortex of auras around her, so many it becomes a cacophony to her senses.

There among the many feelings and impressions is the scent of freshly mixed oil paints and misty moss. It’s intense and washes over her with a flash of heat, it’s at the edge of her perception, behind her. Alea pushes through the crowd and makes her way to the door of the gym, exiting to the hall where the feeling intensifies.

Alea follows the feeling until she meets one of the side doors, a smirking Klaus leaning on the edge of the doorway.

Chapter Text

“Hello rabbit, what a little trick you found up your sleeve.” Klaus says as he stands up and puts his hands in his pockets. His aura was bright with the scent of pine and moss, a hint of ash that tickled her nose. “I have some tricks of my own though.” He added with a wink. There was a tug at the knot of energy in her stomach, an unwinding, she curled over as she held onto it. The tugging felt like a hand had reached inside her and took a hold of her, trying to tear the magic out from the source.

Alea struggled to control her breathing, chanting as she tried to keep the spell together. Klaus stood there smirking as she slipped to her knees and she growled as she felt herself hit her reserves. Reaching out her hand, Alea caught Klaus's eye and whispered as he gasped. His energy came in starts and stops as he fought her, but it was enough to help her fight whoever was trying to break her boundary spell.

Until something changed. She felt a sharp snap as the connection was severed and the string in her stomach disappeared, she collapsed forward on herself and her grasp on Klaus’s energy dropped. Klaus was there in an instant with her hair in his hand to hold her head back up.

“You are full of interesting tricks, rabbit. I don’t think I care for that one though.” He says as he uses her hair to turn her face so he can meet her eyes. Alea pushes his hand away and struggles to sit up, feeling the world tilt. “I must be going now, people to steal, plans to foil.” he taunts as he stands up and struts down the hallway. Alea stands up with the assistance of a locker and leans there heavily as she watches him walk down the hall.

Bonnie may not have felt the effect of the spell breaking. As the anchor Alea would be more attuned to it, she had to assume all the kids will have no idea that Klaus is here. Alea started after him as she bemoaned leaving her purse in the gym, having forgotten it there when she left to investigate. She started to run as she wound her way closer to the gym, passing students who gave her odd looks.

When she pushed open the double doors there was the tableau of Klaus in the middle of cutting into Stefan and Elena’s dance in the center of the gym. Stefan’s face was a mask as he looked around them, eyes landing on Alea as he kept a hand on Elena. Alea began weaving her way over to them, watching as they talked but not able to hear them over the sound of the music and the crowd. She could see Bonnie nearby and tried to carefully get her attention.

Bonnie’s eyes met hers and widened as they saw the panic there, Alea mouthed ‘Klaus’ and pointed to where she was moving in Elena’s direction. Bonnie looked over and her hand went to her mouth as she gasped. She reached for her purse and brought her phone to her ear as she watched the scene, trying to find Caroline in the crowd.

Elena and Klaus were trapped in a fierce jitterbug that swept them across the room, they moved closer to the edge of the crowd as Stefan and Alea followed their progress. They broke apart close to where the dancing became standing room and Klaus’s arm became possessive as he smiled at Stefan and started pulling Elena out of the gym, his mouth near her ear. As soon as they passed the door their pursuers broke into a run and pushed through the crowd, popping into the hallway moments later.

The mere seconds were all it had taken for Klaus to get to the end of the hall, looking back at them with a sneer. Stefan yelled for Elena and tried to flash towards them but was thrown back against a bank of lockers. It had worked as a distraction at least, letting Alea craft the beginnings of a spell, wind picking up as she spoke the latin and spreads her hands wide.

Bonnie joins them in the hallway, adding her voice to her chant as Alea aims a hand at Klaus and pulls back the other in an imitation of an archer, releasing with the reverb of thunder. Klaus is thrown back from Elena and hits the doors at the far end of the hall with a great crash, going through them. Elena runs to Stefan, feathering her hands over his face and calling his name. He comes to with a groan and holds her hands as he gets up, dragging her back to the others as Klaus gets back up and tosses off the debris.

“Tsk tsk love. You could all make this very simple. All I need is the doppelganger, everyone else is purely expendable.” He says as he stumbles through the crumbling doorway, he cracks his neck and rolls his shoulder as he looks them over. There’s a crooked smile on his lips that doesn’t sit well in Alea’s stomach. She whispers the latin that will gather another spell, twisting energy together in her palms.

Klaus flashes in front of them and suddenly Stefan is on the ground with his head at an odd angle, his eyes staring unseeing at the ceiling. Elena Screams as she stares at Stefan, Bonnie covers her mouth and steps away, backing towards Alea. Alea keeps chanting, stepping in front of Bonnie as she raises a hand and makes a sign with her fingers. Klaus smirks at her as her words stop without any big effects or damage.

He makes to move towards them and his face freezes, a frown pinching his brows. Klaus looks back at her as she grabs the girl’s hands and starts running down the hall towards the exit. He starts shivering, his body trying to move against the paralysis she has him in.

“You can run, but I’m going to catch you, and then she will be mine.” He yells, his voice following them as they neared the exit. They ran as fast as they could, they’re shoes smacking against the floor and their breathing heavy as they broke through the outside door.

“What about Stefan and Caroline?” Elena asks as they turn towards Alea’s car. Alea slides into the driver’s seat and gets the car roaring to life before answering, waiting until they're on the road before looking behind them.

“They’re vampires, they can both handle a snapped neck, we can’t. They would want you to get away.” Bonnie says from the back seat. Alea feels drained as the paralysis spell takes its toll, waiting as long as possible before she has to let it go. She’s close to her apartment when she feels it snap, someone snipping the connection.

“Did you manage to call Elijah?” Alea asks as they climb the stairs two at a time, unlocking the stairs as they look over their shoulders and watch the night around them. They rush inside and sigh as the door is shut. Alea collapses on her couch and pats the other cushions as she sees the weary expressions on the girls faces.

“Yeah, he said he was on his way. I guess we were just faster, or something kept him.” Bonnie said as she slumped into the chair by the window. Elena curled herself into the corner of the couch and wrapped her arms around her knees, looking small.

“Do you think Klaus is working with someone?” she asks as she watches out the window, staring off into the night.

“I could feel some other magic at work when the barrier broke. At least one witch is working with him, they also helped him break the paralysis I cast on him. It makes sense since Elijah works with witches too.” Alea tells them as she stands to start a pot of coffee. The girls both look a little confused as they share looks between them. “Since they’re both originals, and they’re half brothers. I’m sure they have at least some similar habits.” Alea explains.

“They’re brothers?!” Elena shouts as she stands up, her back ramrod straight and her face alarmed. Bonnie looks frozen as she sits still in the chair, staring at Alea. Alea nods helplessly as she takes in their reactions and continues to calmly start her coffee. “Why would Elijah want to kill his brother? How can we trust him?” Elena questions as she starts to pace.

“I don’t know, they’ve had a long time to have their issues.” Alea says detachedly, leaning on the kitchen counter as she watches the pacing. “Do you have your phone? We could call Elijah and update him, ask him some questions about it.” she offers, she’s really regretting leaving her purse now, she hadn’t had an opportunity to grab it.

Bonnie grabs her phone and dials again, waiting as it rings before connecting. She patiently explains a summary of what happened and where they are, asking that someone make sure Stefan and Caroline are okay. The call is short and she hangs up once Elijah says he’s on his way there.

“I’ll make some pizza, adrenaline tends to make you hungry.” Alea says as she serves the coffee and turns to the kitchen. The girls curl up in their seats and their eyes look heavy, fighting the exhaustion of an exciting night. Alea watches them as they continue to blink awake and she mourns their involvement.

The pizza is in the oven when Elijah arrives, he doesn’t have to knock with how far Alea has her senses stretched, knowing he's there half a block away. He steps in with a frown and looks over the two girls who sit up straight at his arrival.

“We met Klaus. You didn’t mention he’s your brother.” Elena says as she sends a dark look at Elijah. Elijah sighs and straightens his cufflinks as he stands by the coffee table, keeping both girls in front of him as he gets comfortable.

“It sounds like there is some additional information you’re interested in, let’s have a talk.” Elijah says. Alea stays in the kitchen as they toss questions at him about the curse and his relation to Klaus. She’s already had this conversation with him so she only keeps half an ear out. Right around when the pizza is coming out of the oven is when she hears that his siblings have been dropped in the ocean. She does a double take as she looks over the counter, staring as she sets the pizza down.

There isn’t much explanation after that but she’s more careful to listen as she waits for the pizza to cool and cuts it into pieces. Alea serves the pizza to the girls as they’re winding down the conversation.

“Are they safe to go home, or is he going to make another play for her so soon?” Alea asks, looking over at Elijah as she grabs a slice of pizza. The girls follow her example with some prompting. Elijah rubs his chin and frowns.

“Tomorrow is the full moon; he’ll wait until then to make his big play. Knowing that we have two witches on our side will dissuade him from doing anything without being prepared. But he will come at us prepared.” Elijah warns, his face stony and his aura steely. Alea sighs and rubs her face tiredly. If this was him unprepared, she wasn’t excited for the alternative.

Alea waited until the girls had eaten before asking Elijah to drive them both home, watching them disappear into the inky darkness. She fell back into her couch and looked tiredly at her ceiling, thinking about what being prepared looked like for her. She eventually got up and made her way to the cabinet that held her personal supplies. She dug out several tomes, tossed out a couple satchels and pouches, there were several vials and jars that she set on the coffee table carefully among the collection.

Looking at the collection she found her travel grimoire and her travel belt, sliding several pouches onto it. Alea spent the next several hours flipping through grimoires and supplies, filling the travel book and belt with what she may need. She lay her head on the table at midnight and sighed as her eyes closed.

She just had one more thing to do before she could sleep. She took her chalk and laid out a diagram on her hardwood floor, sketching the strange letters around the concentric circles. Alea laid candles at the cardinal directions and set a ring in the center. Focusing her breathing she could feel the pulse of her magic as she spread it over the ring and wove it into the metal. The almost musical rhythm of her spell as she repeated the Latin invocation. The flames rose higher the deeper she pushed the spell, locking it into the stone and metal, affixing it as solid as the material itself. She could feel the blood from her nose as it ran but pushed that little bit farther.

When she was done the gold and amber ring glinted back at her as she leaned on the counter and wiped her nose. She set the ring aside and went to the bathroom for a washcloth, flipping the light on as she turned to the mirror. She pulled back as she saw herself, two gray streaks in the hair at her temples surprising her. She glared at the hair and huffed as she wiped off her face.

She had been using too much magic lately, tapping into reserves and not feeding herself any. Her tattoo was starting to show its unhappiness with the situation, and this would be just the start if she wasn’t careful. She needed to channel enough to top up her reserves for a while, or she would be in trouble.

Chapter Text

The next day Alea calls Bonnie and meets her at the old witch house, an ancient looking house on the outskirts of town. The feeling emanating of magic that surrounds the building is overwhelming, Alea has to shake herself as she gets out of the car and heads inside. She finds Bonnie downstairs, where she meets Jeremy for the first time. Alea drops the amber ring in Bonnie’s hand unceremoniously, smiling at the surprised and confused expression.

“I made this for you last night. It has a protection spell on it, it should be independent of my magic.” Alea says, avoiding explicitly saying that it would work even if she dies. “It also naturally boosts energy.” She adds, getting a hug after Bonnie has finished putting it on.

They get down to business and spend the day going over spells, preparing Bonnie to channel her ancestors. Alea tells her to rest as much as she can now, she won’t get a chance later.

When night falls Bonnie and Alea prepare to go to the ritual site, Jeremy speaking up and standing to go with them. Bonnie doesn’t even stop before casting a boundary spell and locking him inside the house. She apologizes to him and listens to him shout as they continue on their way to the car.

“You planned that from the start.”

“I had to, everyone who goes tonight is in danger. We might not come back from this.” Bonnie responds quietly. Alea puts her hand on hers as she drives, giving her a commiserating smile. They travel in silence as the night surrounds them, the road the only thing in sight and guiding them as they meet the others at the quarry.

When they arrive the ceremony has already started, three circles of fire can be seen even from the woods where she hides with Bonnie. There’s a small altar behind the circles where a woman has her hands spread above a fire. The woman is chanting in old Norse, Alea recognizes it as part of the ritual to break the curse, trying to estimate how far along they are.

They’ve already unlocked the moonstone, they're about to finish with the werewolf. Alea can see that they have the woman, Jules, from the RV. She’s struggling against her transformation and barely has strength to stand as Klaus enters the circle around her and lifts her up. He holds her and Alea can see his lips moving before there’s a sudden movement, and suddenly Jules is very still. Her heart goes into the flames at the altar.

The witch smiles as she continues the spell, a smirk in Klaus’s direction. Alea puts a hand on Bonnie protectively and holds her steady as Klaus approaches the second circle.

This circle has someone she doesn’t recognize in it, she can tell it’s a vampire, but she doesn’t know them. The circle opens and the vampire flashes towards the edge of the woods, trying to make a run for it. There’s a second blur and a moment later Klaus is back at the altar throwing the woman down. He has a stake raised over them as he kneels and it slams down into their chest, a scream bouncing around the clearing.

Klaus walks away from the altar and towards Elena. Alea can see how she trembles and cries, scared. Stefan should be across from them on the far side of the clearing and she can’t imagine what he must be feeling right now, knowing he has to wait and watch to be able to really save her.

Alea can see Klaus speak to her and Elena stands up to him defiantly, silently staring at him. They walk over to the altar where the vampire lays, Klaus parts her hair over her shoulder and lays a hand on her arm and chin, tilting her head just so. His bite looks gentle from the silent way she holds herself. His arms come around her as she starts to go limp, she quickly collapses completely as he sucks her dry.

The fire goes out and Klaus tips his head to the sky as the clearing goes silent.

Bonnie stands up and begins her invocation, sparking fires that lead down towards the clearing, drawing power from around them. Alea follows behind her and pushes her strength towards her, following the chant and lending her strength. She can feel where Bonnie’s energy starts to spark and get wild at the edges and pushes it back onto track.

The storm that kicks up from Bonnie’s spell sends Klaus hurtling as his transformation has him distracted. The witch turns towards them to stop them but Stefan is there to stop her, snapping her neck before she can speak.

Bonnie and Alea step towards Klaus as he writhes on the forest floor. Alea places a hand on Bonnie’s shoulder and focuses on the energy around them, drawing it in to further empower the spell. She smooths out the streams that Bonnie sends out to the spell, evening out the energy use so she’s more efficient and strains her body less. Bonnie has lightning striking from the sky and wind thrashing the trees as Klaus screams.

Elijah strolls out of the woods as the wind dies down, the spell coming to an end and Bonnie dropping her chant. Stefan holds Elena close and walks over as they watch Elijah step close to his brother. Alea listens as they talk, watching the way Elijah shoves his hand into Klaus’s chest.

The moment their family is brought up, she knows this is the moment. Alea wraps her hand around Bonnie’s arm and steps away as she shakes her head. Stefan sees her and he only has a moment to look confused before Elijah looks over to them and then back at Klaus. He caught Alea’s closed expression and saw the knowledge already there.

Stefan begs him not to and tries to tell him that Klaus is lying. Bonnie tries to threaten but Alea says nothing. His family comes first, she already knows that. When he looks at them again she can feel burning steel in his aura and the taste of ash.

Bonnie tries to send a spell their way as they flash away. Alea stands still and watches as they yell and scream, upset at the loss. She’s there to pat them on the shoulder as they all walk back to the car and lay Elena across Stefan’s lap in the backseat, waiting for her to wake up. The car is silent as they return to the Salvatore house.

They sit around together, Stefan and Alea with drinks, in silence as they wait for Elena. It’s an hour later that she gasps awake and looks around, her face clearing when she sees Stefan. They sit all together until morning, trying to feel safe.

Chapter Text

Three days later Alea gets a phone call from a blocked number on her phone while she’s getting ready for work. She declines the call and continues swiping on her lipstick. The phone rings again and she stares at it. Alea picks up the call already fearing she knows who is on the other end.

“Hello love, I’m planning a wonderful little road trip and I could use your help.” Klaus says as a way of greeting. Alea stares at herself in the mirror as she processes; anxiety running up her spine.

“And why would I want to do anything that you say?”

“Well I can always threaten your little friends. I’m prepared to offer you a deal but I want to offer it in person. I’ll send you an address, bring Stefan along, I have plans for him as well.” Klaus explains, a smirk evident in his voice. Alea hangs up without a response and receives a text with an address in town.

She has to call Bonnie to get Stefan’s number, giving the excuse that she wants to check in on everyone. When she finally gets through to him and tells him Klaus called, she gets stunned silence.

She gives him a brief overview of her conversation with Klaus and texts him the address as she rushes down to the car. “I can pick you up and we can go over together, we need to keep him in the dark that Elena survived. And protect everyone else.” She adds.

“Alright, hurry over, I want to get this over with.” Stefan replies with a dejected sigh. She’s off the phone and driving as fast as she can. The road is eaten up in what feels like seconds as she gets to the Salvatore estate, she pulls in and texts Stefan, waiting until he gets in. They’re silent as she swerves to take them towards town. The fact it was Klaus calling didn’t seem like a good sign, Elijah would have been the one willing to bargain. She feels a cold pit of dread in her stomach. Stefan pipes up when there’s a couple blocks left before the address.

“We need to put them first. If it comes to it, I want Elena to be safe. Do you understand?” He says as he looks at her. She peeks out of her peripheral vision at him and nods her head slowly, knowing exactly what he means. She feels a bit spiteful at the fact that she’ll have to look over her shoulder for the stab in her back from him if Elena is ever in danger.

“My job here has been to protect Bonnie. If I can do that, I will try to, but I will try to survive.” Alea responds, she glances at him as she parks, pausing before opening the door to see his nod.

They see the apartment complex and walk in. The text gave an apartment number and they make their way up. At the door Stefan knocks and the door swings open to reveal Klaus, smiling at them. He waves a hand to invite them in and they step over the threshold. Klaus sits across a chair in the living room lazily with his legs over the arms, watching them take him in.

“Welcome in, so nice to have you here. I was just planning our road trip and couldn’t wait to get going.” Klaus says as they stare at him. His smile widens at their look of confusion. “Ah, my mistake. You see I need to start making more hybrids, and it will be so much easier with some friends to help along the way.”

“There’s only one problem with that, we’re not friends. So why bring us?” Stefan interjects with a frustrated growl. He looks strung taut, the tension of waiting for the other shoe to drop getting the better of him. Klaus’s smile is taunting as he gets up and stalks over, putting a hand on Stefan’s shoulder in a mocking version of a friendly gesture.

“Now Stefan, I can’t reveal all my secrets at once. That just wouldn’t be nearly as fun.” He says with a laugh. Stefan winces as his shoulder is squeezed. “Don’t you want to know where your brother is? I’m sure we can come to an agreement for such information.” Klaus says as he steps back to lounge on the chair. Stefan peeks at Alea before gulping and staring at Klaus, nodding along.

“What happened to Elijah?” Alea interrupts, already thinking she has the answer. She wonders how he did it with the dagger neatly stored away.

“Elijah’s with the family, just like I promised. He’s just a little more indisposed than he thought he would be.” Klaus explains. Alea rubs her shoulder over the scar from the dagger. She has to just hope he’s being kept close by, because she’s assuming this counts as him needing rescue. Elijah broke his deal with Elena but he hasn’t broken any deal with her.

“What do you want in exchange for Damon?” Stefan asks, bringing Klaus back to the topic. Klaus grins and gestures to the couch across from him and the chair near it. Stefan and Alea take their seats slowly.

“I don’t want you to come with me.” he says, making them both stare at him confused before he reveals; “I want the ripper to come with me.” And Stefan looks stricken. Alea looks at Stefan with the same confused look, he doesn’t act like a ripper, most don’t live long anyways. “Come with me and do as I say, and you can have your brother’s location.” Klaus finishes.

Stefan stares at his hands and seems cut adrift. Alea stares at him and only glances at Klaus, who throws her a bright smile. He seems amused by Stefan’s torn behavior. Stefan eventually looks up. Nodding at Klaus silently.

“I’ll need more than that.” Klaus says, walking towards the kitchen. He grabs an armful of blood bags from the fridge and tosses them on the table in front of Stefan. “Have at it.” He orders with a wave. He lays back in his chair like a king on his throne and observes as Stefan grips his hair and stares at the blood.

He reaches slowly towards a bag and brings it to his lips, opening it tentatively and taking a sip. He finishes the first one in sips. The second one is gone in half the time, the third he finishes like a starving man. Alea watches from her chair and slowly edges away from him, his red eyes flashing dangerously.

“As for you, love, I’ll happily trade the protection of your friends for your work with me. Make a list and pass it along, I’ll see that they stay cozy here without any issues.” He says off handedly. He’s waving a hand in her direction as he watches Stefan, seemingly fascinated by the uncontrolled feeding frenzy.

“I want more. If I’m going off with you for who knows how long, and offering you my magical services, then I want something that would actually cost you.” Alea counters with some trepidation. Klaus takes his eyes off Stefan at this and looks at her with a wicked grin. “I want you to promise that you’ll wake Elijah.” Alea says with more conviction, prepared for anger. Instead he tilts his head in thought and pauses with a frown. He rubs his chin as he stares at her, seeing if she’ll back down.

“You’d have to stay in my service until I determine you’ve matched your debt.” Klaus barters, his lips quirked and dimples back. Alea weighs her options, she could end up in his debt for a hundred years if he has his way, being unreasonable seems in his repertoire. If she offers a specific time she could overestimate and offer too much.

“Let’s stick to the classics, a year and a day. Unless you release me first.” Alea offers, trying to find a reasonable time to offer. He could ask plenty of her in a year but it wasn’t much to her in the grand scheme of things. He didn’t know that though.

“I doubt I’d tire of you little rabbit. That will suffice, you have yourself a bargain.” Klaus says as he comes over and offers his hand. Alea reaches out to takes his and feels a jolt as her hand meets his. She tries to hide her reaction as she shakes his hand, ignoring the flash of burnt ozone and roll of thunder that she felt when their hands had met. Alea started to lean back but was pulled forward by him, towards the door.

“I think it’s smart if we start preparations for the trip immediately, you’ll need to pack a bag after all. And I have the feeling it will be dangerous for you here for a bit.” Klaus says as he holds her hand and leads her through the apartment. Stefan stands as they cross near him and she understands what he meant. “Do come back quickly, I would hate to think you’d break our deal.” He says with a brow raised. She pulls her hand out of his and steps through the doorway, not turning back as she leaves the building.

She had plenty to do to get ready. She had been ready to leave on short notice, to an extent, her employees were all trained and she could manage the store supplies from wherever. Her apartment was paid, she had money in the bank, and her fridge had barely anything in it.

The biggest decisions were what to pack and what to tell Bonnie. She had a runaway bag in her closet for her magical supply necessities. She packed a clothes bag too and set it aside while she dialed Bonnie.

“Hey, what’s up?” Bonnie picked up.

“Hey, I’m going away for a while,” Alea says, briefly explaining her and Stefan’s deals with Klaus. She tried to say it all calmly and slowly, not letting her voice shake with the frustration she was feeling. She sat on her couch and looked around her apartment that she never got to really make feel like home.

“Oh my god, are you okay? He’s taking Stefan too? This doesn’t make any sense.” Bonnie said, her voice a touch hysterical. “What am I going to tell Elena?”

“Listen, Stefan and I just want you all to be safe. Klaus still doesn’t know Elena survived and we want to keep it that way, him leaving is the safest thing for this whole town. Sometimes we have to do the hard things to do the right things.” Alea tells her, trying to stay calm as she hears her crying. She wishes she could be there and feels like she’s failing her.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I don’t want to leave. But you’ll be safe.”

Bonnie says goodbye with hiccupping tears, telling her she’ll pass along the message to Elena and Caroline. Alea sits on the couch with her bags and stares at the ceiling with her phone at her ear. She sighs as she leaves the apartment and drives through the town back to Klaus’s apartment.

When she walks up the steps and knocks at the door it’s barely been two hours. Klaus answers and lets her in, she’s greeted by a body on the floor and a hunched over Stefan, growling at her as she steps inside. Klaus stays between them as he walks her to the kitchen. He leans against the counter and watches Stefan as he unfolds and follows Alea with his eyes.

“Now that that’s done, time for us to get going. Places to be, people to track, we have things to do before the next full moon.” Klaus says, “Now Stefan pal, when's the last time you took vervain.”

“The night of the full moon, we thought you both had left.” Stefan says without looking away from Alea.

“Good, now look over here.” Klaus says and snaps his fingers in his face. “Our friend Alea is not for eating, she will not make you hungry and you will not think of hurting her unless I say otherwise.” Klaus compels as he stares into Stefan’s eyes. The additional ‘unless’ wasn’t comforting, knowing he might use Stefan to hurt her. The compulsion took hold instantly and Stefan seemed to almost come back to himself, he looked around at the bloody mess and seemed upset by what he had done.

“Goody, now let’s go.” Klaus says as he grabs a bag from the fridge and opens the door. He motions for them to depart and Alea steps through, not wanting to test his patience so soon.

Downstairs they climb into a waiting car, throwing her bag in with two other duffel bags in the trunk. Alea takes the back seat and looks out the window, as they get going she watches the town go by and wonders when she’ll see it next. The town’s exit sign passes and she’s reminded of the vision that brought her here.

Chapter Text

The first stop on the trip was Carolina Beach, they drove into a hotel on the boardwalk and Klaus strode up to the front desk like he owned the place. The front desk clerk gave them the penthouse suite with the whisper of compulsion and the flash of a black card. It was possible he owned the place.

Alea didn’t even have to carry her bag as they walked to the room, she just stared out the giant windows at the ocean view. She had only just come to the states for this, so this was her first time at an American beach. The crowds were crazy and she was reminded of the Mediterranean beaches she’d visited. She almost wished she was back in Greece, and felt guilty.

Klaus and Stefan were setting their things aside in the room as she watched the beach, she didn’t care much about the stuff. She hadn’t taken much, all her stuff was easy to throw on a bed once they’d fought over which they thought was the best one.

“Looking to take a dip?” Klaus said from over her shoulder, coming to stand next to her at the window. His overwhelming aura of fir and moss fills the room and has wrapped around her every mile of the trip, this close it feels almost smothering. He watches the crowds with an assessing eye that bounces around rapidly. “We have some time before we need to plan our next steps, you’re free to your own devices.” He says without looking, not even turning his head as she heads to the bathroom to take a towel and leaves the room.

Alea makes her way outside and savors the feel of sand between her toes as she peels off her shoes and socks. She marches out towards the water with her shoes and towel in hand, finding a place above the tide line to sit herself down. Facing the water she puts her toes in the sand and leans back on her hands as she takes deep lungfuls of the salty ocean air. It’s the first time she hasn’t had Klaus filling her lungs since they left on this trip, and it feels freeing.

It takes long minutes to get in a deep meditative state but the sound of the waves lulls her ever deeper once her breathing is even. She can feel the rhythm of the tide as she sinks into the power around her, letting the magic of the water fill her veins. Elemental energy seeps into her as she sits and breathes it in. When she opens her eyes again she feels like she could run, like there’s lightning in her veins. She smiles as she watches the water creep closer, the tide coming in.

There’s steps from behind her and she waits until they’re beside her before turning her head. Klaus is there with a distant look in his eyes, watching the water. He turns to her with his hands in his pockets and a crooked grin. He leans closer and takes locks of her hair in hand, letting the brown strands slip through his fingers.

“Looks like the ocean air did you good love.” He comments in a conspiratorial tone, like they’re sharing a secret. Alea pulls back a step and tucks the hair behind her ear, sliding her eyes away to the water. His closeness makes her anxious, waiting for him to snap.

“The ocean has good energy to channel, if you want magic from me, I may as well take advantage while we’re here.” She tries to excuse, explaining away the draw to natural energy. Klaus hums and watches her before glancing back at the ocean.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He says and turns towards the path back to the hotel, waving her to come with him. Alea follows along and they make their way past the tourists and into the hotel. “We’ll be tracking werewolf packs. They’re harder to find these days and I’m hoping you can lend us a hand in speeding up the process.” Klaus says while they wait for the elevator. Alea freezes, staring at the elevator doors as she listens to him explain his desire to create more hybrids.

The whole elevator ride to the suite Alea is going over questions in her mind. She wonders if it’s really as easy turning werewolves as it is turning vampires, or if there’s something else to it. Werewolves are born into it, wouldn’t hybrids be the same? She wonders if he’ll give these wolves a choice or turn whole packs against their will. She would be hunting wolves just like Charlie had been hunted.

She knew when she made her deal with Klaus she may be asked to do shady, possibly despicable, things. But she hadn’t thought it would end up being so personally taxing.

When they get back to the suite Alea sits on the edge of the bed that’s been left for her and sets her things aside. Klaus is leaning over a map with Stefan and they’re talking about something she’s not paying attention to. She knows she could track wolves, she had to track Charlie and his pack a few times. But she doesn’t want to help Klaus do it. It feels like a stab to her heart, something twisting in her gut as she thinks about it.

“What if they don’t want to turn?” Alea asks from atop the bed, watching them with a blank expression.

“What wolf wouldn’t want control over their transformation and eternal life?” Klaus asserts with a sneer, leaning on the table and looking up at her.

“How many wolves hate vampires enough to not want to be one?” Alea argues, spreading her hands and trying to play devil’s advocate. She wants him to know what he may be going into when he presents himself to a werewolf pack. “You know how werewolves are, they’ve hated vampires for generations, that isn’t going to go away just because you can offer them something they want. And if you stomp in there making demands their pride will demand they deny you.” She continues, sliding off the bed and walking over as she speaks.

“Then it won’t be a choice, they’ll just have to see the perks afterwards.” Klaus announces, his face showing his frustration as the smell of ash permeates his aura. Alea shakes her head, stopping a few feet away when she feels the heat coming off him.

“Then you’ll have a bunch of angry hybrids on your hands. What’s the point in building a pack that doesn’t trust or believe in you? If you want a pack, the soul of a good one is trust.” Alea maintains with a begging expression. Klaus’s expression is pinched and he swings around and throws a fist at the wall, creating a dent. Alea flinched, Stefan jumped and turned his face down to the map. Alea felt the cold pricks of fear running up her arms but pressed forward.

“I will have my hybrids. This is not a negotiable item, we will find a way.”Klaus said as he punctuated the words with a jabbing finger at the map. “We will find the wolves and we will find a way to turn them.”

“But we can find a way to turn them and build you a pack that trusts you.” Alea offers, taking a careful step closer to the table. Klaus jerked his eyes towards her and she could see the questioning there, see the spark of interest. “Why don’t we find one pack and get them to trust you. Once they trust you they’re more likely to accept. You need to learn about being a wolf too, it would be a good opportunity to do that.” Alea lays out, stepping closer until she has her hands on the desk too and is staring into his eyes and can see the flecks of gold. He looks consideringly at her and leans back, rubbing his face as he silently looks between her and the map. Alea swallows and hopes he hasn’t learned how to smell fear yet.

“Let’s find the wolves first, then we’ll see how to approach them.” He compromises. He puts his hands on the table again and leans over the map, his eyes holding Alea’s as they watch each other. “How will we find them?” he asks with a quirked brow.

“You’re part wolf, we can see if your pack is still around. I just need some maps and a little blood.” Alea says as she leans back, breaking the staring contest. Klaus waves to the map of the country they have laid out and bites into his wrist readily, holding it out to her.“Hold it over the map.” Alea explains before concentrating.

Locator spells are common, used often and usually easy. The difference here is that she doesn’t know exactly who she’s looking for. Alea is sorting through where his blood leads and following all the connections that the blood leads to. She feels through the blood, reaching with her magic to sort through the tangle of feelings to try and see any living werewolf relatives. She comes across one and grabs a hold of the feeling, pushing through it to try and see where it is, seeing the blood begin to move on the map. It sluggishly shifts towards the North East but it takes pushing from her for every centimeter that it moves.

She has sweat on her brow and the beginnings of a bloody nose by the time she has it circling closer to a location in Maine but she’s struggling to get any more. It feels like there’s something pushing against her, a force holding her back. She tries to force more magic against the barrier to break it but is pushed further back.

“That’s as close as I can get it, something is holding me back. It’s powerful too, maybe a witch is cloaking them.” Alea says as she leans back and puts a hand to her head. She wipes under her nose and her hand comes away bloody. Stefan passes her a tissue and puts a hand on her elbow for support. She lets him lead her to a chair as she wipes her nose and holds it as it dries it up.

“Maine is the opposite direction, surely there are wolves the way we’re already going.” Klaus says as he wipes off the bloody map. He looks up briefly to glance at her but goes back to his map.

“That one is connected to you, a living werewolf relative. I didn’t get a read on them to get any information, but they’re strong. If you want to find another pack I just need to prepare a different spell and rest a bit, whoever’s blocking that pack is powerful.” Alea says tiredly, waving a hand at Stefan as he hovers by her. Klaus hums and wanders around the room, leaning on the back of the couch with a frown.

“What we need is a good meal. We’ve spent a while in the car, you both must be famished. Why don’t Stefan and I rustle up some food while you rest?” Klaus says with a wicked gleam in his eyes, watching Stefan twitch under his gaze. He drags Stefan out of the room under a friendly arm and throws a devilish smile over his shoulder at Alea as the doors shut.

Alea is left to her own devices in the room and goes to her bag, pulling out pajamas and her travel grimoire. She slips into the sleep shorts and tank top in the bathroom and sits back to the chair with a fresh glass of water. She reads carefully through her book, trying to find anything that might help her. Sometimes a spell has hidden depth, a secondary purpose that can be helpful if used properly.

She’s down to a few options when the doors to the suite open and the guys come strolling in with women dangling off their arms. They each have a woman on each arm, their laughter just this side of drunken to give away their compelled state. Alea closes her grimoire and watches as Klaus takes the women to the kitchen, Stefan settles on the couch, sitting with them one on each knee.

Alea stands up and makes for the door, trying to slip away before anything gets bloody. But then she hears a satisfied, feminine, sigh from the kitchen and automatically turns to look. Her eyes catch Klaus’s from where he was watching her, and she knows the timing was on purpose. The woman he’s biting has a blissed out look on her face; his arm is wrapped around her waist and he has the other hand holding her throat so she stays in place.

Alea turns away from the display with disgust and pushes the doors open in time to hear the scream from where Stefan is on the couches. She knows there will be no blissful expressions from that direction. She continues until she’s back in the lobby, looking around wondering where she can go while dressed in pajamas and without her wallet. She heads to the hotel's restaurant and stops at the hostess stand.

“Excuse me, can I charge my meal to my room?” She asks the hostess who greets her, when she gets an affirmative answer, she smiles and asks for a seat by the window. The menu has so many options she’s overwhelmed and she takes her time to choose. Her cocktail is some fancy mix of expensive liquors, what matters to her is that it’s delicious and the tingles it gives her distract her from her night. The lobster ravioli she orders are rich and delicious, she enjoys the small bites she takes as she watches the ocean waves roll by and the tide comes closer.

She’s there long enough to have room for dessert. She orders the chocolate lava cake and marvels over the liquid center.She feels exhausted and each bite of the cake soothes a little of her frustration. When the waiter comes and she gives the room number, she feels no satisfaction. Alea has no doubt that one expensive meal is nothing to him.

Hoping that they’ve finished their meal by then, Alea heads back to the room, tapping her nails on her arm as she waits in the elevator and then pushes through the door. She’s greeted by a bloody scene. There’s no bodies and she’s grateful for that at least. Klaus is slumped on the chair and Stefan is washing his hands religiously in the kitchen, scrubbing his arms raw over and over again.

Klaus seems satisfied, a smirk across his lips as he surveys the scene and then awaits her appraisal. Alea looks it over once and then goes straight to her bed, turning off the light by her and rolling over to ignore them. She closes her eyes and breathes in the scent of the fresh hotel linens. It reminds her of Elijah.

Chapter Text

In the morning the hotel room is clean, spotless, and the boys are sitting across from each other with steaming cups of coffee. Alea groans as she stretches and plods over to the coffee machine to fix her own cup, they left her just enough. When she has a mug in hand and is comfortable on the couch next to Stefan, she finally looks between them and says good morning. She still feels a twinge of distaste from last night but ignores it, trying to not remember how the table and couch looked covered in blood.

“What’s the plan for today?” she asks once she’s gotten a good morning back from both of them. Deciding to get the day rolling and over with as fast as possible.

“We’ll look into our other options for werewolves, see if there are packs any closer to us. If none are readily available we will begin our journey to Maine and find a way to get a closer estimate of their location.” Klaus says as he sips his coffee, looking at her through his lashes. Alea nods and calls her grimoire over, drawing on it with her magic. With it in one hand and her coffee in the other she flips through the pages.

“I have a few options we can try, there are a few ingredients we’ll have to find first but I should be able to try at least one or two today.” Alea offers, closing the book and looking over at Klaus. He looks satisfied and she feels relieved he’s being reasonable so far today. She finishes her coffee quickly and rummages in her bag for shorts, the warm weather outside too much for her usual jeans. Alea takes over the bathroom and changes for the day, taking the opportunity as a break. She feels like she can breathe a bit more with a wall in between them.

Klaus has made a call by the time she’s out and he knows where they can go for the list of ingredients she’s written out. She’s picked the two most likely spells and listed out everything they might need, and the alternatives. Stefan watches her as she explains the spells and lists to Klaus, keeping a close eye on her.

The ride into town is quiet except for the jazz station that Klaus turns on, he nods his head along and seems content to hum along in his own world. Stefan and Alea exchange looks through the rear mirror, both looking exhausted. The small shop they arrive at is in the middle of a local arts district and fits into the scene of older brick buildings seamlessly. It has moss growing up the sides and vines hanging over the tops of its windows.

Klaus leads the way into “The Claw and Feather” where they wander around to find as much as they can from the list. Alea is looking around for wolfsbane when the proprietor, a woman in her late 60’s with white hair pulled into a wide braid, grabs her wrist and drags her toward the door.

“You’re marked sister.” The woman says in a hushed whisper. “Spirits work against you. You shouldn’t be here, you’ll bring bad luck.” She continued dragging her into the doorway and giving her a little shove. Alea stops as she stumbles back in surprise, surprised by the woman. She tries to reach back out to her but the woman pulls back, stepping away and right into Stefan. Klaus is looking on from near one of the tables, twirling the goose feather she had asked for.

“How interesting. Are you refusing our witch service? It would be a poor decision on your part I’m afraid, would definitely be bad luck.” Klaus says as he steps towards them and sets the feather in the basket with the rest of their items. “I’d recommend you rethink your stance.”

The shop owner is trembling and nods along as she steps around them all to get to the counter. Alea slowly asks for the remaining ingredients and the woman rushes to grab them. Alea feels apprehensive as she watches the woman’s fearful expression cross hers, wondering over what she said. They leave the shop with full bags and Alea looks back to see a closed sign promptly go up behind them.

Alea sighs as she sits in the back of the car, driving back to the hotel. She watches the city pass by and she wonders how many people will get entangled in their mess just by being in their radius, how many bystanders will get hurt. She couldn’t possibly calculate.

When they back inside the hotel room Alea lays out the ingredients and sets about organizing, she needs to have things in order. The first spell she wants to try would give them a map of the nearby people with genes similar to Klaus, the werewolf gene being one of them. She should be able to have it focus on just the werewolf gene, if she could direct it and harness the spell properly.

Alea laid out her spell circle with chalk on the hotel floor, drawing out the lines and latin as she referenced her book. She ignored the vampires watching her work as she laid the candles around evenly and set the herbs by the central bowl. Alea sat cross legged in the empty area she had left for herself and breathed in a centering lungful. Clearing her mind she focused on her need to find packs of wolves, pushing her need out with veins of her magic into the circle. The candles lit and a fire sparked in the bowl in front of her, she slowly gathered a handful of the herbs she had set aside and cast them into the flames. As the herbs burned an image sparked above the circle, sizzles of energy sparkling along a web. Alea reached out further and pushed more energy into the spell, chanting the incantation as she grabbed more of the herbs.

As she sprinkled the herbs across the flames the image flashed again. Hovering above the circle for several seconds was the web of a map, sparkling points and lines that darkened again. Alea growled as she pushed further and opened a flood of magic into the spell, the incantation becoming a shout as she took the last of the herbs and slowly dusted it over the flames, her hand stinging against the burn.

The image held firm as the sparkling points and lines formed to reflect the map on the table, flaming swirls in some places where she felt drawn to.

“There, those are the packs, get it down on the map.” Alea shouts as she holds the spell in grasping fingers. She points to the swirling sparks and tries to slow her breathing as she concentrates on the shifting energy inside her. She sees Stefan moving to the table and is holding the spell as tightly as she can when she feels a yank. She collapses forward onto her hands with how hard the force pulls on the spell. She barely has it by fingertips, gasping as she pushes herself into it. But it’s torn from her with a scream and a wind rushing through the room, banging the windows and blowing out the candles.

Alea is collapsed on the floor, air leaden in her chest as she tries to breathe, she has a hand to her stomach where it feels like someone just tore her guts out. She sees Klaus’s face as he kneels beside her and puts a cool rag over her forehead, a gentle hand wiping the blood from beneath her nose. He rolls her onto her back and looks her over, noting her burnt fingers and ragged breathing.

“Well that was dramatic.” Klaus announces in a hushed voice. He takes a glass of water from Stefan’s waiting hand and lifts Alea up, helping her as she takes the glass. Stefan sets the map and table to rights, making a couple marks before going around the room and starting to clean up. “No matter, we have non-magical means of tracking wolves. And plenty of uses for witches.” He says with a playful smirk, he steps away and looks over the map. “Not to mention I have quite the memory.” he says as he makes a few marks on the map.

Alea sits on the floor and finishes the glass of water, breathing through the pain in her chest. She can still feel that splitting sensation from when the spell was broken. Something snapped her spell to stop them from finding wolves, the same something that stopped her from finding the other wolves. If it was a spirit, it could be the spirit of a wolf, or it could be a witch on the other side fighting her.

Alea sat there and eventually felt more alive. Stefan came over and offered his hand, helping her up and giving her an appraising look, she shrugged and he nodded, understanding. Alea stumbled over to her bed and tugged the covers aside before sipping in, falling asleep as her head hit the pillow.

She woke up almost as groggy as when she went to sleep, feeling disoriented and dry mouthed. She shoved the covers away and got up with a huff. Looking around she saw neither of the vampires, the room was empty. She could feel that she was running on empty, she needed to get more energy and she would need enough for reserves. Working for Klaus was going to be an exhausting experience. She felt run ragged magically and emotionally.

Alea dug out the swimsuit from her duffle and put it on with a pair of shorts, she brought a towel with her and walked back out to the beach. Yesterday it had been enough to sit beside it and meditate, today she slipped off the shorts and set them aside with her towel, far above the tide line, and walked into the water.

The ocean ate her up like it had been waiting to swallow her. She dove in and let the waves devour her, she felt the rush of energy as she swam down to the bottom and sat there, letting the waves roll through her. Each pass over her rocked her with raw power, filling her as she held her breath and became part of the water. As she held her breath under the waves she let the seconds pass by like the roll of waves as she rocked with the current.

The pressure in her lungs started to feel painful and she swam towards the surface, breaching farther from the beach than she had realized. Alea felt full of energy, her body feeling relaxed and the knot in her stomach from hunger now feeling sated. She floated on her back and let the waves push her towards shore. She turned when she was close and felt Klaus there at the beach. She swam faster and then walked out of the water, feeling it try to drag her back as she left it.

“Will we have to stay near the water for you? Are you secretly a mermaid?” Klaus teases as he passes Alea her towel. Patting herself dry, Alea scoffs and picks up her shorts and shoes, heading towards the hotel. The ride to the room is quiet and Klaus only starts talking as he opens the door to the room.

“Is the other spell worth trying or shall we go the old fashioned way?” He asks with pinched brows as he props the door open for her. She walks in and leans on the table with the map. She sees the two sets of marks, one from Stefan’s memory and one from Klaus’s. Most of the marks are close together but a couple are hours apart. Alea taps her fingers and looks over at her grimoire.

“I can try, if we get nowhere with the first set of marks. They aren’t far apart, we can try and track them using this as a starting point.” Alea compromises, motioning towards the closest marks on the map, near Lancaster South Carolina. Klaus looks at them and rubs his chin, considering. Stefan leans on the table and points towards the marks.

“It isn’t far, less than a day. We should be able to start getting information on day one.” He adds. Klaus pulls up the map and folds it neatly, looking at them both with a smile.

“Well then let’s get going, no time to waste.” He says before turning and stuffing the map in his back pocket. Alea and Stefan look at each other with wide eyes before leaping apart to pack their things. Alea changes quickly and packs away her swimsuit. Klaus’s unpredictable nature left her feeling unbalanced and anxious, like the other shoe was always about to drop.

Klaus waits for them at the door, leaning on the wall like a bored teenager. He smiles as they come over and then leads them all away, back into the car for a trip. Alea gets shotgun this time and Stefan sits in the middle of the back with a frustrated look. Alea flips through the radio stations and lands on the blues, waiting for Klaus’s reaction, he says nothing and bops his head like he did to everything else. She lets it sit there and looks out the window, letting the landscape roll past as the music moves through her.

There are rolling hills of rocky landscape that give way to greener hills and plains. It’s hours of music with comments from Klaus when an artist comes on that he’s met and he has a story to tell. He gets animated talking about the art of it, he gets excited by the imagination that the humans had, painting pictures of what their lives had been.

“I’ve never been to America before now. I’m Canadian and then spent time in Europe.” She tells him when he asks about where she’s been in the states, whether she’s explored the south at all. Her answer seems to surprise him and she freezes when he turns down the radio and looks at her.

“Really? You came all this way for a witch you didn’t even know.” he says with a strange tone in his voice, there’s a tension in the car that she’s not sure how to read, she feels like she’s stepped on an invisible land mine.

“Europe wasn’t home anyways, leaving wasn’t a hardship. I would do it for any witch.” Alea answered honestly, glancing at him from her peripheral vision, keeping an eye on the road. Klaus’s lips quirked in a sneer of a smile at that and he peeked at her briefly.

“How selfless.” He said with a snort and turned the music back up. The questioning seemed over for now, the tension left Alea’s shoulders and she peered at Stefan using the mirror. He had an intense stare and it was pointed at Klaus, a glare that had his eyebrows bunched and his lips pursed. Alea went back to the window and sighed as another song came on.

Lancaster isn’t a large city but Klaus still finds the nicest hotel and books them the royal suite. They settle in and Klaus grabs Stefan in a friendly hug, holding him tightly as he smiles at him.

“The ripper and I are going to go see what this town has to offer. Stay nice and safe while we take in the sights.” He calls to Alea as he drags Stefan to the door. Stefan has a stricken look on his face, straightening as Klaus turns back to him.

“Just try to keep it out of our room this time please.” Alea replies, setting herself up on the couch with a snack and trying to ignore them. Klaus laughs as he drags Stefan out of the room.

Once they’re gone Alea pulls her bag over and opens her grimoire. She turns the pages and carefully searches for the summoning spell. She needs more grimoires, and summoning them from storage shouldn’t be a big drain.

Alea uses her chalk to draw the necessary diagrams on the hotel floor, concentric circles and long intersecting lines making strange angles with each other; she adjusts as she calculates based on their location. Her new supplies come in handy as she lays out stones on key points and lights a fire in a bowl at the edge.

Reaching into the magic resting inside herself, Alea spreads her awareness across the fire she’s lit and its glow reflects off the crystals laid out. She can almost feel the edges of pages and leather binding skim her fingers as she pushes her power into the fire and it glows hotter. The feeling grows and Alea looks into the circle to see a shadowy image of her books hovering over the chalk lines. She pushes just a little more, weaving her power through the fire and into the lines of the spell, the crystals shining ever brighter as though the flame is trapped inside them.

When the books materialize, Alea lets go of the magic and the flames extinguish, the crystals turning dark and cold. Three new grimoires rest on the hotel room floor and She cleans up her mess before sweeping them up to her bed. Resting on her side she starts skimming the first of them, looking for anything that might be helpful.

Alea is yawning two hours in and hasn’t found anything groundbreaking. She wanders around the room and finds the menu, looking it over lazily. She wonders if this is how the whole trip will be, or how the whole year will be, and sets the menu down with her lost appetite. She tries to pull her mind away from the sad thoughts but feeling trapped in the hotel room doesn’t help.

There’s a balcony off to one side that she decides to take advantage of, stepping out into the evening air and breathing in the warm breeze. There’s the hum of a small town and the sound of people, she listens to them moving around as she leans on the railing and zones out. She looks out along the streets and can see blocks of neon signs and restaurants. Her appetite is back and she reminds herself Klaus hadn’t told her not to leave.

Grabbing a keycard and her purse Alea stops for a minute and goes to her supplies to grab a baggie each of vervain and wolfsbane, just in case. Feeling prepared she heads out of the hotel and towards the neon lights, letting her gut guide her. She follows the main road past Italian and American restaurants, a couple pubs and at least one pizza place.

Then she sees the hint of a sign off the main road, just the corner of it. ‘Arkadia’s’ hung above a brick faced building, the place looking like a local tavern. Something about the name called to Alea and she slowed as she approached the building, looking over her shoulder as she turned towards the building. The black door swung open heavily and on the other side was a low lit bar that met her expectations. There were locals spread out at tables and booths, a few at the bar. The fanciest thing in the bar looked to be the recently updated pool tables and dart boards towards the back, otherwise the bar was comfortable over classy.

Alea approached the bar and waited as the bartender finished chatting with an older gentleman down at the far end. The bartender was a man in his early 30’s with slicked back hair and a band t-shirt stretched over well defined muscles, he slid over to her and gave her an easy smile.

“What can I get ya sweetie?” He asked with the hint of an accent, a slight drawl dragging his words. Alea briefly looked over the selection of liquors and settled on a whisky. Ordering it neat she took a stool and set herself comfortably at the bar. She noticed a couple of looks from around the room but focused on her drink and acting like she wasn’t aware of them.

She finished her drink and ordered another. Sitting there watching local sports and ignoring the looks she could feel was nerve wracking but she tried to think how she could use this. If she could isolate one of them without drawing any attention she might be able to take a sample for a locator spell. Alea did a subtle sweep of the room and tried to see who had been sending looks her direction. She could see several men in the corner talking together, and a couple of loners scattered around. She might be able to pick one of them off, but verbal spells were off the table in a place full of werewolves.

Taking a deep breath and another sip of her drink to steel her nerves, Alea closes her eyes and bites her lip, spreading the blood as she draws on her magic. Her scent slowly changes, each wolf in the room perking up as they smell the shift. It’ll be different than usual, stronger than how her natural scent would be, something like a lust spell.

One of the men in the corner stands up, the others quickly standing beside him and shoving against each other. The first one shoves them back into the booth and straightens his collar and struts over, leaning an arm on the bar and giving her a sly smile as he comes into her space.

“Well hello there darling. A girl as pretty as you, and you can hold your whisky, that’s my kind of woman.” He says as he looks her over, his smile getting brighter as she grins back at him. Alea finishes her drink and pushes it away, the man flags down the bartender and orders her another immediately. She feels her nerves lessen as the whisky warms her blood, making her more confident in her plan

“And who’re you, mr. charming and nice to look at.” Alea asks, as she leans into him and lets her scent surround him. His pupils expand so there’s barely a rim of blue around the edges and he takes a deep unsteady breath. His hand on the table claws the edge and Alea grabs her drink quickly as it comes, taking a sip.

“I’m Morris, I work at the local lumber yard.” Morris supplies, a hand on the back of her stool as he stares at her. “I’d be happy to show you around, you don’t look local.”

“That sounds perfect. Is there any good nightlife I should see?” Alea asked with a coy smile as she took a long drink from her glass, making eyes at Morris. He lay a hand along her knee and leaned in near her ear.

“I can show you a few things, but you wouldn’t see much of the city.” he whispered huskily, his hand sliding higher. She felt a little slimy inside but swallowed it. Alea giggled and threw back the rest of her drink, waving down the bartender as she pressed a hand to Morris’s chest. The bartender was quick and avoided Morris’s eyes as he bid them a goodnight, a chipper smile on his face.

Alea let Morris have her hand as he walked her out of the bar, his smiling face looking back at her as he led her down a block to a tall apartment building. His fingers slid to her wrist and as he unlocked the outside door he ran his nose across the pulse point there, laying kisses on the sensitive skin. Alea laid her hands on his shoulders as they pressed into the elevator and he moved in towards her throat, his nose drawing a line up from her collarbone to behind her ear.

When his floor came up he pushed her backwards down the hallway and she walked them down until the third door had him turning, pressing her against it and kissing her with plush lips. One hand was in her hair as the other fumbled with the keys to let them in, his body caging her in and every inch focused on her. When the door swung inwards he stumbled a moment and it gave them an inch between them, his eyes staring at her lips.

Alea presses a hand to his shoulder and a hand under his chin, holding him as she lays a kiss to his lips. She pulls back and before his eyes have opened from their kiss whispers “Dormi” which causes his body to stumble. He fights it for a minute and his eyes twitch as he tries to stay upright, kneeling on the floor of his apartment as she watches. She repeats it just in case, and he’s out like a light.

Alea walks around the unconscious werewolf and locks the apartment. She looks through his kitchen and grabs a ziplock baggie, a small tupperware container, and his sharpest knife. She feels that slimy twist in her gut again and pushes it away harder. She returns to him and sits next to him, laying out the supplies then rolls him to his back and sets him to rights. Brushing the hair away from his face and separating a piece in the back that’s underneath the rest and takes+ a small snip, dropping it in the ziplock baggie.

Alea sets aside the ziplock as she grabs the tupperware and knife. She carefully sets his wrist above the tupperware and makes a small cut, letting it drain into the container until his skin heals on its own. She gets a good amount and seals it up with a grin. Rinses the knife, levitates Morris into bed, and places her samples in her purse.

She leaves the apartment with relief, she rides down the elevator feeling tired, the adrenaline gone as she breathes in the cool night air and feels the breeze. She’s halfway back to the hotel when she can tell Klaus is coming towards her. She continues on her way and ignores him as he walks in stride with her, wiping blood from his mouth and sending her a grin.

“You smell absolutely divine rabbit, what fun did you get up to?” he asks as the hotel comes into view. Alea freezes and he blows past her, walking backwards to be in sightline again. Alea hadn’t thought of his enhanced hybrid senses when she’d cast her spell, she’d only thought about the wolves they were looking for. The spell would last another hour or two at least. She frowned as she considered the options.

“Is it that bad? I thought it would have dissipated by now. I can go.” Alea offers, her face scrunched as she rubs a hand across her forehead. Klaus looks amused and drags her into the hotel, shaking his head. Alea takes a step back from him as they get into the elevator, keeping herself as far away as possible. His posture is relaxed as he leans on the wall and watches her sway slightly with the lurch of the elevator.

They make it to the suite and Klaus waves her in ahead of him. Alea slumps into the couch and lays her head across the back of it, slinging her purse onto her lap. Her head has started to ache from the long day and the drinking on an empty stomach, she hadn’t gotten the chance to eat. She feels worn out and wobbly.

“So what have you been up to love, you smell like quite the adventure. Do let us in on all the fun details.” Klaus says as he lounges on a chair across from her, he has a glass in hand and sips on it gently as he waits for her. Stefan pops his head out from the bathroom, blood staining his chin as he continues wiping his hands off, a washcloth red with it already.

“I found a bar with some werewolves. I got one alone and got some spell components so we could track down the pack.” Alea simplifies, not wanting to get into details with them. They might get messy but she wanted to keep things clean. She had seduced Morris because it kept things less violent, it had been a calculated move on her part.

Klaus lifts a brow and gives her a knowing smirk.

“Is that why you smell like werewolf catnip, whisky, and some stray getting a little too friendly?” He asks before taking another sip. Alea doesn’t let her face change as she stares at Klaus. She feels embarrassed and angry but lets him smirk at her as she reaches into her purse and brings out the baggie and tupperware. She sets them on the table and leans back, raising a brow in challenge at him.

“At the least we can track him back to the bar, or we can track him back to his pack.” Alea says as she gets up and walks into the kitchenette. She grabs the little menu and flips it over. “Now I think I deserve a little dinner and dessert.”

Chapter Text

Klaus was up most of the night grilling her for details about the bar and the werewolf she met there. She went to bed early in the morning with a headache. When she got up late the next day she was groggy and had this foggy feeling in the back of her mind that something bad was on the horizon. She looked around the hotel room and spied both the guys leaning over the table talking.

With a long yawn she sits on the couch and looks over the city map that they’ve brought over. There are several points marked out and she sees where the bar and Morris’s apartment are.

“Ready to track down our furry friends?” Klaus asks as he leans away from the map and looks over at her. Stefan offers her a cup of coffee and avoids her eyes, the memory of him covered in blood still fresh in her mind. Alea sips it gently as she goes to her bag and rummages for supplies, coming back ready for the tracking spell.

Opening the tupperware Alea grabs a spoonful and drips it slowly over the map. With a fire going in a small bowl she focuses her magic on the blood and sees it begin to move across the map. The slow trail moves over Morris’s apartment and across the bar, towards a green patch on the outskirts of town. When it stops there’s a ranch that Stefan pulls up on his phone and gives them a nod that he’s found something, a name and some information that’s enough to drop the spell.

Alea puts away her magical supplies and rests back onto the couch, sipping her coffee. Klaus and Stefan look over the information available on the ranch, suggesting the best way to infiltrate it and how to trap the wolves. Alea watches them plot together and relaxes back. She almost feels used to the villainous hijinks, she isn’t sure that’s a good thing though.

Klaus is animated as he makes the plan, running his hand around the map and making large gestures. He ropes her in and has her flipping through her grimoire again. Alea suggests going back to the bar and luring out more wolves, maybe watching it for a night to see who he’s friends with.

Stefan suggests waiting until he’s left the ranch and then searching it, seeing what’s there and why he’s been stopped there so long. There might be something they can use there. He pushes for a covert approach. Sneaking into Morris’s apartment or the ranch for information.

Klaus contemplates for long minutes, pacing the floor like an anxious cat. He stops in front of them both and spreads his hands out wide, his cheshire grin emerging.

“We need to make a move that shows these puppies who the new alpha is.” He says, grabbing a glass and pouring from a blood bag. “We'll sneak into their ranch during the day, and then make our presence known at their bar tonight. A nice big welcome to town sort of thing, something they’ll remember. We want as many wolves at the bar as possible.” He murmurs as he turns towards the windows, tapping his glass. “How can we lure the dogs out?”

Alea and Stefan watch him, looking at each other nervously at the direction he’s taken. A big show of force may mean a big blood bath. Stefan slides his eyes to Alea and she shrugs her shoulders slightly, tilting her head. She didn’t think they could get out of the dramatic entrance. She didn’t feel like evil plotting was her forte

“Morris said he worked at the local lumber yard. If the wolves want to cover for each other they may work together, we could post something there to lure them in.” Alea offers offhandedly. She rolls the idea around in her head, even if only Morris fell for it he might share it with the rest of the pack. Klaus turns his head slightly and nods his head a bit, humming.

“The ranch might reveal more, let’s start there.” He decides, sweeping towards the kitchen and knocking back his drink. He motions them on and they rush through getting ready. Alea grabs her grimoire as they’re leaving, huffing as Klaus rushes her along.

The drive out to the ranch is along beautiful scenery, wheat fields and mountains turn into trees and brush. Klaus taps his fingers along the steering wheel to the pop station he found, his head bobbing along. The music turns into an ad and he growls as he jams a button to find another station. Alea takes over finding music and tunes the radio until she finds a local station with a steady mix.

“We should grab an aux cord in town, or it’s going to be a long trip.” Alea suggests, leaning back in the seat as she flips open her book and turns the pages. Klaus rolls his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye, a childish frown on his lips.

“Tired of my antics already? Tsk tsk.” He says as his lips upturn. Stefan sighs in the back seat and Alea rolls her eyes. They take the turns and twists at thirty miles over the limit, Klaus pushing the speed until Alea closes her book and grabs her stomach, shaking her head and rolling the window down.

The road becomes straight and narrow until a sign stands out with the ranch’s name, where they turn down a dirt road. There’s a small piece of wild forest at the foot of the mountain where a gate sits. The old wooden fence with a large wooden gate has a metal sign posting ‘no trespassing’, Klaus immediately ignores this and has Stefan open the gate.

Down the roughened road the trees break and a building can be seen. It looks like a large barn as they come towards it, an older building that looks like it once was used to house livestock. There’s one other car parked near the front of the building, a shiny red Jeep wrangler that makes Klaus smile.

“Looks like we get to start the fun.” He says as he swings the car into park next to the Jeep, leaping out and taking long strides towards the door. Stefan flashes to catch up and Alea is left to struggle with human speed to run after them. Klaus has a hand up as he stands by the door, his finger by his lips, signaling for her since she couldn’t hear whatever they were hearing.

With Stefan on the far side and Klaus swinging the door open, they swept into the room. Klaus steps in and looks around, his eyes sweeping the room in an instant. He finds the source of the noise he’d heard, bent over a table in the far corner. He puts his hands in his pockets as Stefan and Alea fall into step at his shoulders, wandering across the room until the man’s ears perk up and he swings around to face them. The square looking man has a fresh crew cut and wears a crisp white shirt on top of business slacks. He growls at them as they get closer, his shoulders hunched and his lip curling back.

“Come now mate, is that any way to greet your new friends?” Klaus asks as he opens his arms wide, his face a mask of concern as he looks the werewolf over. Alea fingers her bag of wolfsbane and watches from over his shoulder carefully. Stefan crosses his arms and stays close to Alea, keeping them all together but staying a step closer to her. The wolf eyes the three of them and his eyes swing towards a back door, calculating his chances against two vampires.

“What do you want, bloodsucker? We’re not friends, and we don’t want to be.” He asks as he begins stepping backwards towards the door. Klaus matches his steps and his smile widens, fangs peeking out. He runs a hand along one of the tables and looks up at the wolf with his golden eyes flashing, making him jump.

“Like I said mate, we’re your new friends. Now I’ve been so rude, let me introduce myself; my name is Klaus.” He says with a dramatic bow, making the man flinch “I want to meet your alpha.”

“That will take some setting up, I can call and ask him. See if we can put something together maybe.” The man says shakily, Klaus’s name obviously being recognizable. He’s still trying to step back to the exit, slow half steps as he shivers. Klaus flashes forward and pins him against the wall, an arm against his throat.

“What’s your name?”

“Ronnie.”

“Ronnie, you don’t seem to understand the order of things here. I tell you what I want, and you do it. Now who is your alpha?” Klaus demands as he presses against his windpipe, releasing at the last minute so he can answer.

“Morris, the lumber foreman, he works just out of town. He lives in an apartment downtown.” Ronnie squeals, spouting whatever he can to make Klaus release him. Alea perks up at the name and description, Stefan peeking at her with a tilted head.

“Good, now you’ll give me his number won’t you, I’d like to give good old Morris a call.” Klaus asks as he releases Ronnie, letting him drop with a cough. Ronnie scrambles to hand over his phone, Stefan taking it and scrolling through the contacts. Stefan finds a group of contacts listed as ‘the pack’ and copies the whole list, shaking his head at the lack of subtlety. He hands back the phone and Ronnie takes it shakily.

“Now Ronnie, are you on vervain?” he shakes his head. “Terrific. You’re going to forget that we were here, you’re going to walk out to your car and leave without noticing us again. Alright? Great!” Klaus says in an excited voice as he compels Ronnie.

They watch as Ronnie walks out of the barn and they hear the Jeep drive off. Klaus turns a smirk towards Alea and leans his hip against a table.

“Well you sure know how to pick them, don’t you, love.” He says with a laugh. Alea sighs and rolls her eyes. “Looks like we’ve found our alpha, lets get better acquainted shall we?” Klaus adds as he dials Morris’s number and sets it on speaker on the table.

“Hello this is Morris Aesher, what can I help you with?” The voice comes through the speaker, a crackly connection making him sound small.

“Hello Morris, I’m new in town and thought I’d get to know the locals.” Klaus says in a friendly tone, a smile stretched across his face. He’s walking around the table, running a hand around the edge and letting his eyes roam the walls as he talks.

“Who gave you my number? If you’re new in town then you can swing by Arkadia’s, we meet there most nights for drinks.” Morris answers, sounding confused but polite, trying to stay professional in the face of the unexpected. Klaus draws a hand down the corkboard on one wall covered in maps and hunting guides.

“Sounds brilliant, see you soon friend.” Klaus says before gesturing for Stefan to cut the connection. He motions them over and they look at the maps together. “Now, what are these?” He says as he walks his fingers over a red dotted line.

The maps were interspersed with lines and points, multiple colors of each. There was a key in the lower corner where Alea read off a list of names, including their friends Morris and Ronnie. The largest map covered the ranch and surrounding land, mostly wild forest.

“It could be their kills and movement as wolves, they might be keeping track in case they kill any humans. Or to keep score if they’re competitive.” Stefan suggests, walking around the table as he squints at the map. He glances around the rest of the room when their eyes turn his way, ignoring their attention. Alea sees the community space with its couches and kitchen, tables for planning and dining, it looks like a home away from home and feels a pit in her stomach. “They probably spend time here throughout the month, not just the full moon, it looks like they have a close bond.” He adds as he takes it all in.

Alea turns and nods along with his assessment, exploring down a hallway as the others look around the common area. The long corridor looks like it once led off to the corral but now it leads to a changing room of sorts. It's an antechamber with towels, water bottles, and lockers. Beyond she can make out an open space but she turns back at a call from Klaus.

“I think we’ve seen enough. This is a large enough pack to support itself and hide its members. We’ll introduce ourselves, properly, tonight.” Klaus says with a clap of his hands, sending a wink at Alea as he mentions their introduction. Alea gives him a bored glare and runs her hand along the back of a couch, tracing the auras left behind.

Her senses awaken and she picks up earthy scents of pine and cedar, moss and fern. The woodsy auras make sense coming from a pack like this and she tries to pick out anything that distinguishes each individual. There are ten or twelve people she can pick out between the couches and the tables as she runs her hands in the air and takes deep breaths. Alea tucks away the memory of each one as she opens her eyes and looks over at Stefan and Klaus.

“They have a good size pack, I think I picked up on at least ten different people.” She says as she heads towards the door, Klaus and Stefan are tight at her heels as she heads out into the sunlight. She stretches next to the car, leaning on the door as she looks out into the woods around the barn. The lingering trails of the packs auras trail into the thicket, crisscrossing over each other and doubling back.

Klaus drives them back into town, bopping along to the radio and taking each bend with a zest that has Alea squeezing her stomach. Town feels smaller on the way back and Alea watches out the window as main street passes by. It’s not any smaller than Mystic Falls but she had gotten used to bigger cities before that, she’s starting to wonder if America only has small towns.

Chapter Text

They waste hours in the hotel on their own activities. Stefan has an old copy of Shakespeare’s Macbeth that he brings out and starts reading, making Klaus chuckle when he sees it. Alea decides to take a break from her reading and sits in the sunlight meditating, feeling the rays filter down into her and the soft gentle magic she could absorb from it.

Klaus decided to lay back and sketch. It was near silent for hours except for the turning of pages and the scratching of pencil on paper. Alea hadn’t had much time for meditation when she was in Mystic Falls, things had been busy. She was glad to get the chance to calm herself and better align her magic. When Klaus cleared his throat at dusk, she felt like a whole new person.

“I think it’s a good time for us to go see our friends.” He announced as he pulled two blood bags from the fridge and tossed one to Stefan, raising his in a mock toast. They drank the blood quickly as Alea went and got changed, brushing out her hair and grabbing her bag as she pulled on shoes. By the time she was at the door they had both tossed their bags and wiped their faces, the picture of nonchalance.

They decided to walk to the bar, Alea only remembered the directions that way, and they made it there in under five minutes. The sign out front told them it was open and they welcomed themselves in. The bar wasn’t crowded and it was easy to see the faces that perked up at their arrival. There were five people scattered in the tables around the room that looked up and sniffed the air, low growls coming from most of them. And then there were the three men in the back booth. Two of them had gone totally stiff and the last was staring wide eyed.

Morris was sitting right where he had been when Alea was here last, and she follows next to Klaus's shoulder as they walk over to his booth. Morris is outright glaring at Klaus, a low rumble in the back of his throat.

“Hello Morris, I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Klaus, and I’m here to take your pack.” He says as he spreads his arms wide and his grin turns feral. The two men on either side of Morris leap up and rush towards Klaus, fists swinging. Stefan is there in an instant and has one thrown against the far wall and the other pinned to the table by the throat. Klaus steps around the squirming man and sits next to Morris at the table, steepling his hands as he rests them.

“Now, if I remember right, I can challenge you as alpha to win your pack. Easy as that. Am I missing anything?” Klaus asks, his face pulled into a serious look, one finger to his chin as though in thought.

“If you were a wolf, you could, but it doesn’t work for blood suckers. Why the hell would you want to anyways?” Morris asks in a low growl, his eyes yellow around the edges. His shoulders are tight and he’s obviously uncomfortable, knowing he’s outmatched. Alea leans against the wall beside Klaus and studies the rest of the room, reading the apprehension on the wolves and the fear in the humans. They were getting to a boiling point.

“Haven’t you heard? I broke a thousand year old curse and now I’m a hybrid, vampire and werewolf. And I want to make more like me, I want my own pack.” Klaus announces. The crowd around them starts shifting and the humans are growing restless. The ones that heard everything have gotten up and are headed to the door in a hurry.

Alea taps Klaus on the shoulder and nods at the room, raising a brow in question. He grins and stretches to his feet, taking large steps to be in the center of the room.

“Hello everyone, it’s time for the humans to leave, let’s make this easy and get into a group so my witch can spell away these awful memories.” He claps his hand and turns his head to her and Stefan. Stefan flashes to the door and blocks it off, pushing back anyone who approaches. Alea flips open her grimoire and clears her throat as she holds her hand out towards the group. The magic swirls in her gut and the chant rushes out of her in clipped latin. When the last words come out she shouts the command to leave and the crowd turns as one and files out of the door past a bewildered looking Stefan. She slams the book closed and goes back to her spot on the wall without another word, ignoring the headache in her temples. She feels grimy for using the spell but is glad the humans at least got to leave alive.

Klaus turns on his heel and his grin is still right where it was, the spell just a pause on his antics.

“Now that they’re gone, we can get down to business. My friends and I are here to make more hybrids, to do that we need werewolves. The part that you’ll like is all the benefits you’ll be getting once you’re turned.” He says as he makes a sweeping gesture, turning to make sure he can catch each of their eyes. “Turning won’t be painful anymore, and it will be much faster. You will no longer be controlled by the moon, you can turn at will. Plus all the benefits of vampirism of course, minus the sun issue.” He adds with a flourish. He pulls a chair across the floor to sit in front of Morris and sits down again.

Morris and the other wolves all look stricken. They’re frozen in place looking at each other for confirmation that this is actually happening. Morris is the first one to shake himself awake enough to have a reaction and looks disgusted.

“That’s absurd, what wolf would want to be a vampire, it goes against our very nature, it’s disgusting.” He says, choking on his last breath as he’s pressed against the wall by a hand around his throat. Klaus lifts him up and squeezes as his eyes go wide.

“Do I disgust you? Maybe you should be first then.” He says before he bites into his wrist and presses the bleeding wound over Morris’s struggling mouth. He forces him to swallow and watches for a moment before promptly snapping his neck.

The room goes silent after the resounding snap. Stefan stays by the door and Alea has leaned forward in anticipation as she watches closely. The rest of the room starts to fidget, some of the bolder wolves starting to take longing looks at the door.

One of the larger looking ones takes a run at Stefan while another jumps towards the back room. Stefan tackles the first and trips another as they all start making a break for it. Klaus has run after the one going for the back room and Alea is thrown to the ground in the bustle.

Alea looks around and sees the chaos as the wolves struggle to get out, Klaus and Stefan corralling them back to the bar. Getting to her feet she grabs the closest one and closes her hand around their wrist with fingers dug in enough to bleed. The connection is enough to let her channel them and she uses the extra energy to whisper the words of a sleep spell, enough energy pushed in to knock the whole group out. She pushes the words out into the crowd and swirls the mix of energy into it, empowering the spell.

When she sees the bodies begin to drop she releases her hold on the werewolf, already down on their knees, and they drop fast asleep to the floor. Alea sways for a moment and shakes her head to clear it, a hand at her elbow steadying her.

“Careful there love, you got your hands dirty.” Klaus says as he holds her hand up for inspection, turning her fingers up so the blood is obvious. Alea wipes her hand on her pants and sits heavily on a chair, ignoring the heavy feeling in her stomach.

“It would have gotten bloodier if they’d stayed awake much longer.” She says with a sigh. Klaus pouts and goes over to the corner to inspect Morris. The body hasn’t moved and he nudges him slightly. “Maybe it didn’t-“ she starts as the body gasps and Morris lurches awake. Klaus sends a grin her way and crouches by him, putting a cautious hand on his shoulder.

“Well, there’s only one step left, and then you get to be disgusting too.” He says with a sneer. He sends a look over Morris’s head to Stefan who pops out the door and is gone several minutes. When he comes back there’s a young man with him who’s bumbling drunkenly next to him. He walks him over and forces him to sit down next to the reclined Morris. Morris’s eyes turn golden and veins appear beneath them, his dual nature coming out, both sets of fangs dropping down as he bites the man’s neck and grabs him.

Morris doesn’t take long to drain the man, who gets rolled to the side where only Alea stares at him. Afterwards it doesn’t take long for things to go downhill. Morris looks ill, he has sweat dripping off of him and he’s pale. He starts acting hungry, not just staring at Alea, but looking at Stefan with the same gleam.

Klaus is still considering the options, listening to Alea and Stefan as he looks over a tied up Morris.

“He’s not well, something has gone wrong and we don’t have the tools with us to make it right. We need to put him down so he’s not a danger to us.” Stefan was saying as he paced the width of the room.

“We may not have the tools with us but we might have them back at the room, or we can get them. You made him so now he’s your responsibility, we should at least try and make this better.” Alea disputes, leaning her head back against the wall as she stares at the ceiling, pressing a hand to her throbbing forehead. Klaus rubs his chin and looks Morris over, he’s struggling against his bonds and begging for them to make it better, delirious from pain. Klaus turns and walks towards the bar, taking a bourbon at random down and pouring a glass, he places an ice cube in before taking a sip.

“Well this is quite the dilemma.”

“Is it, or have you already decided and are just humoring us with the illusion of opinion and sway in your decision?” Alea retorts, pinching the bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes shut. Klaus snorts and swirls his drink before sipping. He opens his mouth to reply as the rope snaps.

Alea is on the floor again and there’s a tear in her neck before she can even grasp the pain of it. The teeth and fangs that have torn her throat are clamped down tight and she can feel the drain. The scream is bottled in her throat as a force tries to tear him off of her and his fangs start to rip her skin. The scream comes free and she can barely think past the white out burning of the pain. As his hand is leaving hers her head leans forward and she’s able to see his eyes as he’s being hauled away from her. She has enough air to gasp a spell that makes his eyes turn yellow and the veins appear, his strength filling her. She takes a deep breath as the bleeding stops and the pain lessens. She holds onto the spell until she sees him lying on the floor, the last bits of magic leaving him as his eyes turn back.

“Looks like the decisions been made then.” Klaus says from above Morris, stepping around the body to give her a hand up. Her stomach turns and she feels sick with guilt. His hand stays on her back as she sways unsteadily, the unstable hybrid’s energy not quite enough to sate her. Ignoring her groaning protest Klaus picks her up and tosses her bag and the car keys over to Stefan. “Do try and stop getting into trouble. I only have the one witch, they aren’t as easy to find as vampires you know.” He says as they walk out of the bar and around the back alleys towards the hotel. Stefan walks ahead to redirect any humans, the blood on them not easy to explain.

Back in the hotel Alea just wants to sleep for the rest of the year, she’s sore and tired and doesn’t want to be sharing a room anymore. Klaus is whispering to Stefan in the kitchen and she tosses a pillow over her head to block out the noise. In moments the pillow is pulled aside and Klaus’s face is there, he has a blank look on his face that she doesn’t like, putting her on edge.

“What’s wrong?” Alea asks as she pulls away from him, pulling her pillow out of his grasp and hugging it to herself, it feels like more distance between them.

“That spell you used on Morris, the last one. You’ve used that on me.” Klaus says with that same unreadable look, she can’t tell what he’s trying to get out of this line of reasoning, or if it’s just a statement. “What does it do?” He asks.

“It lets me channel another creature’s magic and energy, absorbing it.” Alea explains, tightening her grip on her pillow but not daring to look away from him. He raises a brow and motions for her to go on. “It can let me heal, but I can also use it to empower spells.” Alea adds slowly, trying to only specify what she has to. The details of the spell are simple, but most people can’t use it the way she can, it would be hard for anyone else to use it without the other person’s permission, or to do it from a distance, and Alea has channeled the power of another person’s spell before. There’s something about her that lets her channel in ways other witches can’t, and she doesn’t have anyone left in her bloodline to figure out what it is or if it’s just part of the tattoo’s magic.

Klaus gives her a long look. “Does it have to do with the gray hair phenomenon I recall seeing not too long ago?” He asks with a raised brow. Alea nods with a resigned frown and his face cracks with a smile. “You’re a bit older than you look, aren’t you rabbit.” He says gleefully. “But you’re also still hurt so how about you top up and we go on with our lives.” Klaus says as he indicates himself, nudging her slightly as he encourages her. Alea frowns further and her faces pinches in confusion. “Don’t be thick, love, take a little of mine so you don’t slow us down. Don’t worry, Stefan and I will have fun refilling.” He adds with another nudge.

Alea relents and reaches out a hand for his, taking his wrist into her grip and focusing her eyes on his. His eyes turn a golden yellow and veins appear underneath, her eyes focus on the large black pupil as it expands into the gold and she breathes in the burning scent of cloves. Slowing her breathing she tries to only take a steady stream but when she connects with him she’s hit with a tidal wave of magic. Alea has to shut her eyes and stop breathing for a moment as she tightens the reins on their connection.

The tight bind on the energy doesn’t stop the feeling of how wild the magic is. It whips and lashes at her as she absorbs it, she has to struggle for every breath as she gains control. She finds herself with a tight grip around Klaus’s wrist, her nails biting into his skin and leaving crescents as she holds on. As she opens her eyes she can see his pupils are blown and the gold is just a rim. Her heavy breathing brings her the thick scent of fir, cloves, and honey.

When she can feel a warmth in her chest and tingling behind her heart that tells her that her tattoo will be glowing, she moves to release him. But he’s already seen the faint light and moves the blanket aside to see her better. The light shines faintly through her t-shirt, barely anything, and she can tell from the excited look on his face that he wants to know what it is. Alea huffs and releases his wrist, breaking the connection and waking him slightly in the process. He seems to pull back a little, confused a bit.

Alea pulls on the bottom of her shirt enough to reveal half of her tattoo, the amount visible without revealing her bra. It’s still glowing and Klaus’s hand automatically reaches out, stopping just before it touches the skin.

“Go ahead, it’s just ribs.”

His fingers trace the swooping lines and crossing knots, tapping the letters as he murmurs the latin under his breath. When the light fades and the tattoo is black again his hand stills and creeps back. His eyes catch hers and they linger a moment before sliding away.

“It’s good work, and obviously magical. From the Latin it sounds like immortality of some kind?” He says with a touch of sass, he looks down at her as she’s pulling her shirt down and grins devilishly “Did you barter away your soul?” He asks as he gets up and turns away.

“No, but my coven bartered their lives. And others have lost theirs. I haven’t decided if it’s worth it.” Alea replies as she sits up, the new energy making her want to run, something wild in her wanting to jump out. Alea doesn't like reflecting on the tattoo, the memory of it a sore spot she tends to shy away from. Klaus seems happy to leave well enough alone and she takes a breath to tuck away her feelings, pushing back the memories.

“Life always has a cost, even for humans.” Klaus says humorlessly, he grabs a glass of bourbon and knocks it back, holding one out for her. She takes it gently and walks to the kitchen, taking a seat by the window. The dark night is early, and the moon is waning as it rises in the sky. Alea can see Klaus watching the moon and hums in thought. She wonders how much of his werewolf instincts he's gotten in touch with.

“We’ll have to figure out what went wrong tonight.” Alea says as she props her chin in her hand and takes a sip of her drink. “It might take a while to find answers.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t. We have a pack full of wolves to test our methods on, and then we’ll move on from this town.” Klaus says tightly, he grips his glass so hard it causes a crack to form, the bourbon running down his wrist.

Chapter Text

The following days are strained. Klaus demands they find what has gone wrong in the process, and that puts a lot of the work on Alea. She has him bring Morris’s body to a storage locker where she can investigate it and she spends hours going over it every way she can.

By the third day in the storage locker, hours into her visit, sitting in a camping chair with her grimoires spread around her, Alea is still trying to find something to try. She knows from what she’s gathered of the body, that Morris was not a true hybrid when he died. Something stopped him from transitioning. What Alea needs is to figure out is if it was something wrong with Morris, or something wrong with what Klaus did. She’s just hoping they don’t have to do a lot of trial and error.

Klaus is waiting by the door, he’s come by for lunch and brought her a sandwich that she’ll probably forget to eat again. He’s begun to pace as she turns the pages of the books, looking over them and then blinking up at him.

“I’m going to need more information before I have an answer. Something went wrong, he didn’t complete his transition. I’m just not sure if something was missing or if you did something wrong.” She says as she rubs her face, her eyes sore from long days and short nights. Klaus growls and slams the wall, turning away from her.

“What do you need? I can get anything you want, make a list and we can have it brought here. I just want my hybrids.” He demands, swirling back and pacing the room again. His anxious energy is contagious and she presses her lips together to stop from snapping at him.

“I can write down the grimoires I need, it’ll just take time to review them. This is new ground, I doubt it’s been directly written about except in the same book that cursed you. Elijah had that grimoire last.”

“I’m aware, who do you think he stole it from?” Klaus says with a devilish grin. “No worry, my minions can get into his things without issue.”

“I might be able to find out more, but the spell I want to try will have to wait for some things to line up. I don’t have the power to do it without the full moon unless I find a work around.” Alea explains, shutting the book and turning to face Klaus directly. “There are a few things that might work but I might have to track one down if you want this on a deadline.” She offers. His face is tight lines of thought for a moment and then smooths out as he leans back against the door, his lip pulls back from his teeth as he snarls.

“I haven’t waited a thousand years just to stop now. I want my hybrids.” With a snap that she wonders is more man or beast. Alea glares at him and sets down her grimoire as she stands. She stalks towards him until she’s an arm's length away.

“I’m trying to help you, the only thing I’m asking for is a little patience.” she says pleadingly, trying not to pull her hair out. He huffs and crosses his arms, looking away from her. “I can’t just snap my fingers and fix this, give me some time to figure it out.” She continues, laying her hand on his arm and squeezing gently, patting him as she passes him on her way out the door. Klaus follows her out and grumples under his breath as they walk to the hotel.

They’d found a locker close to the hotel and Klaus had rented two, giving a key to Stefan with a wink and saying no more of it. Alea was hoping she was done with the body now and wouldn’t have to visit the place again. The more she could ignore their activities outside of what they needed from her, the better.

“Stefan should be back at the hotel by the time we’re there, let’s all go to dinner. We can find somewhere fun, ignore this drivel for a night. We haven’t gone out to dinner together yet.” Klaus suggests as they get close to the hotel, her head pops up and she looks at him, startled. “It’s not absurd to have dinner with your travel buddies.” He confirms with a nod, almost to himself. He smiles as he watches her shake her head.

“Stefan’s probably going to need a shower again, he always does, and he takes forever.” Alea tries to dissuade him, they’re already in the elevator, he’s got his finger hovering over their floor.

“Then we should go on our own. Give him time to clean up on his own.” Klaus agrees, stifling a chuckle at her growl. Alea stomps after him as he exits the elevator and pulls up a map on his phone. They start back on to main street and walk together in the evening light as the shadows lengthen.

“Your tattoo, is it the only one you have?” Klaus asks, breaking the silence after another block. Alea looks over at him and raises a brow at the odd topic but shrugs as they keep walking.

“Yeah, I only have it because it binds a spell. I don’t regret it, but it is functional to me, not beautiful or ornamental. I haven’t really thought of getting another one since then.” Alea answers breezily, ignoring the way talking about it makes her want to touch it. She likes tattoos, on other people. “Do you have any?”

“As it so happens, I do. Nothing so exciting as yours I apologize, and nothing I can show in polite company.” He says with a wink, Alea pretends to gag at him. He stops suddenly and indicates the restaurant across the street. It’s a little greek restaurant tucked between large brick taverns that make it look small and fresh, its white painted front a stark contrast. They cross over to it and Klaus holds the door with a dramatic bow.

The small restaurant looks family owned, the hostess seats them at the window and Klaus orders them wine right away. The menu looks appealing and the smell inside the painted room is full of the spices that Alea misses from Greece.

“As I’ve heard, it wasn’t long ago that you were spending time in Greece.” Klaus breaks the quiet, swirling his glass before taking a sniff and sip. Alea sips the wine and considers the warm spicy undertones, she likes a good wine but doesn’t have the patience for deciphering the flavors most of the time. It feels odd spending so much time just chatting with Klaus, everything they’ve talked about so far has been kept short or about the hybrids. He makes her feel jumpy with how short tempered he is.

“I was in Greece before I came to Mystic Falls. I spent a couple years there, working with some of the local witches.” She replies finally. Her work with witches and their grimoires is something she doesn’t want the vampires getting involved in. But she wasn’t sure if he would know if she lied.

“I enjoyed Greece, I was more a fan of France and England though. We spent a good amount of time in Europe.” Klaus tells her, leaning in with his elbows on the table. “But America held new possibilities for us.”

“I’ve been to France and England, but I think our experiences would have been very different. I was in France in 1945, and England off and on since 1950. Things were probably different when you were there.” Alea says, taking another sip of her wine. Klaus has a gleam in his eyes and opens his mouth to ask something just as the waitress walks over.

Klaus talks over Alea and orders a shared platter of mixed skewers and sides. She rolls her eyes and sips her wine as the waitress walks away. He smiles like a cat who’s got the canary and runs a hand across his stubble as he hums.

“France in 1945? What could you have been doing there? Playing hero no doubt.”

“It wasn’t heroic,” Alea starts, pausing as she swallows past the sudden dryness in her throat. “I was doing the right thing. So were a lot of people, supernatural or not. I met plenty of witches, werewolves,-and even a couple vampires- during the war. Now it’s just something the humans learn about in history books.” Alea sighs, leaning her chin on her hand as she sets her glass down. The waitress is out with the first round of side dishes and sets a large platter out with dips and flat bread and vegetables.

“A witch working with vampires and werewolves? How scandalous!” Klaus mocks, a hand to his mouth in feigned outrage. Alea steals his bite of baba ghanoush and slaps his hand as he tries to steal her pita. “You’re not one to look for fame then? I can’t tempt you with power or money?” He teases, a smile playing on his wine stained lips. He sneaks past her fingers for a bite of hummus and his nimble fingers swipe a tomato from under her hand.

“Why suggest this if you’re so bad at sharing?” Alea asks as she takes a bite of her pita and dip. The food is well seasoned and obviously homemade. “You had siblings, you should know how to share food.”

“My siblings never shared food. They weren’t a good example for anything.” He growls, his face turning to stone in an instant. The food in his hand is pinched and the hummus squeezes out onto his fingers. “But I can be good at sharing, when it’s worth doing.” He adds as his face snaps back into a smile and he releases the food onto the plate. He wipes his hand and takes a drink, looking away.

“Is it worth it to share nicely with me?” Alea asks, looking over the rim of her wine glass as she takes a sip, her finger hovering over the dip on his side. Klaus winks and shoos her hand away to dip his pita in the dip instead. He brings it to her mouth and waits as she gently takes the bite from his fingertips.

“For now.” He says, pouring more wine as the waitress brings in the skewers. The different kinds of meats and spices smell delicious, an overwhelming aroma that Alea breathes in deeply and leans into. She gets the hint of clove, her guard has come down and Klaus’s aura has slipped through the crack, even the hint of him is intense. She goes still and shores up her defenses, blocking off the sweet scent of honey.

The skewers are a quieter affair, picking them apart and splitting them between each other they make quick work of the meal. Klaus sits back after his last bit and looks around the restaurant, as though seeing it for the first time. He nods to himself in thought, and waves down the waitress.

Alea is three glasses of wine in and feels much more relaxed than when they left the locker. Working with dead bodies has a way of stressing people out. She glances out the window and watches the people along the main street. It's gotten into evening now and people are starting to go out for the night.

“What day is today?” She asks Klaus, realizing that in the haste after the ceremony and her deal with him, she’d stopped tracking the days. She didn’t know what day of the moon cycle it was, not without looking it up, and as a witch that was saying something.

“It’s Thursday the 12th, don’t tell me witches believe in Friday the 13th superstition.” Klaus says as the waitress walks over. He orders them dessert and turns back to her, she’s doing math on her fingers, trying to check the cycle. “And there’s nothing you’re late for I’m assuming?” he adds with a raised brow.

“I do need to go to the store, that’s a good reminder.” she says as she finishes her glass of wine. “I was actually checking the lunar cycle though, not mine. It’s important for spellwork. Sunday we’ll be due for a new moon, I might be able to use that for a spell, if I can use another component with it, something like weather or a natural feature, like a waterfall or lake. The more elements the better.” She rambles. She lays her head on her fist, giving him a pinched look as she thinks over the options.

“That sounds a bit complicated, love, but I’m sure you’ll be up to the task. I only kidnap the best.” He demures. Alea huffs and rolls her eyes, catching sight of dessert as it comes over with the waitress. Large, flaky, pieces of Baklava sit on the plate, glasses of a sweet port freshly poured once the waitress has set the plate down. Alea takes a small forkful and hums in delight as she eats it, a grin on her face as she’s brought back to the sunshine of Greece for a moment.

The port is a deep spiced flavor that coats her tongue and would be too much if had in any larger quantity. The fresh pistachio brightens the wine and they complement each other well, she takes alternating bites, savoring each one slowly. She feels wrapped in warm happiness, the glow of it like a palpable thing under her skin. When the food is all gone and the wine has been drunk, she sighs and sets her head on her hand like she’s been personally wronged.

“I had no idea you were so passionate about food.”

“Not all food, and not all the time. You picked the right food, and gave me wine on an empty stomach.” Alea whines, tired and sore now that the heat of the day has gotten to her and the wine is making her loosen up. She waits patiently as he pays. Her head feeling heavy and the fogginess making her slip. The heat of spiced honey wraps around her, sending warnings up her spine with the scent of fur.
She rubs her face, trying to wake herself up as he turns to her and offers her his elbow. Alea wraps a hand around his arm, leaning on him a little as he directs them down the blocks towards the hotel.

The ride up the elevator is a blur and Alea feels comfortably numb as she slips off her shoes and throws them on top of her bag. She stretches slowly and tips back onto the bed, relaxing into the duvet. She felt satisfied and happy, like she hadn’t in what felt like a long while. And in her tipsy mind she wondered why Klaus couldn’t always be like this, or just always bring enough wine to make her think he was.

Alea giggled at that and rolled over, wrapping herself in the duvet as she looked at Klaus.

“That wine was good, do you remember what it was?”

“As it so happens, I used my superb powers of recall for just that.”

“Good, we should order at least a case or two. I foresee needing it.”

“I had no idea you were a fortune teller too, any chance you can tell me how to make a hybrid?”

“Oh shit! That’s a great idea!” Alea sat up straight, stumbling slightly with how she had been caught in the blanket. She bounced off the bed and went to where her books were laid over the table, pulling open a few pages and flipping to a section on divination. “There’s a Greek spell I might be able to try, I just need a storm.”

“Oh good, you just need a literal act of god.” Klaus says drily, trying to hide a smile as he watches her sway. “Maybe we reapproach the topic in the morning?”

“I’m not agreeing with you, but I have seen people accidentally cursed by spells cast under the influence.” Alea sighs as she holds back a yawn. She sets down her book with the page marked for later and shuffles back to bed. As she’s turning over to sleep she pauses and with a drowsy smile that he can’t see she calls over her shoulder;

“Dinner was nice.”

Chapter Text

When Alea gets up, the weather channel is on and Stefan is scrolling through his phone's map at the table, coffee is brewing, and Klaus is gone. Alea remembers her idea last night and goes to the table to review the brief section on divination in her book. The spell is in another grimoire and she’ll have to have Klaus get it for her, she doesn’t know its exact location to be able to summon it.

She feels lighter after last night, more relaxed after seeing Klaus is a different environment. She reviews what she needs from the divination section and sets her things away, helping Stefan with the storm chasing. They discover quickly that Florida is known for their thunderstorms and is their best bet at consistency. Tampa is a days drive away and has the most days of thunderstorms per year in the country, in fact they’re due for some all the next few weeks.

Stefan orders them some breakfast and sits across the table from her with his coffee, looking over his phone at her.

“So. How are you?” He asks with an awkward tinge. Alea looks up at him and frowns at his question.

“We’re working for who we were just working against like two weeks ago, Stefan. How do you think I feel? And my only travel companion has been tasked with becoming an unhinged blood fiend in exchange for my ex torturer, excuse me if I haven’t been chit chatty.” She replies with venom, which she regrets when she sees the hurt on his face.

“Look, I’m sorry. I know this has been hard for you and you deserve someone to talk to about it. I’m sorry that I haven’t been that person for you. It’s just hard given what I’ve seen you do, and knowing there’s more that I’m not seeing.” She finishes sadly. As much as she wants to be there for Stefan, she also has to be there for herself, and he made the choice to do these things.

“I know, I’m sorry. He wants me to be the worst version of myself, and I don’t know why. This is the part of myself I hate the most, and I’m still fighting it.” He says, he puts his head in his hands and Alea can see his shoulders trembling. She reaches out tentatively and lays a hand on his shoulder, just resting it there so he knows she’s here for him as he pulls himself together and sighs.

By the time breakfast is dropped at the door Stefan looks more put together and Alea is starting to wonder where Klaus is. He’s usually around or tells them when he’s going to leave. Warning them to be on good behavior.

“Where’d Klaus go?” Alea asks Stefan between bites of Belgian waffle, cutting the fluffy bites as she questions him. He shrugs his shoulders and gets back to his phone where he’s been looking at the weather forecast in Tampa. Alea wanders the hotel room aimlessly and finds a comfortable spot on the balcony, setting herself up comfortably so she can meditate.

Klaus comes in an hour later looking pleased with himself. He sweeps into the room and looks over the state of them and tuts.

“I thought you’d both be ready to leave by now, no dawdling you two let’s get to it.” He says as he packs the blood supply into a cooler and throws his bags onto a cart. He looks over at them, motioning for them to hurry up as they stare at him. Alea jumps up from where she was sitting and rushes to gather her grimoires, carefully shuffling them into a suitcase. The packing is quick and everything is thrown onto the cart and rolled onto the elevator as they go to the lobby and out to the car.

At the car Alea slips into the front seat and notices the new cord in the dashboard, an aux cord like she’d suggested. She plugs her phone in and pulls up her music, trying to find a playlist that suits Klaus. As the others finish packing the car and they get on the road she turns on the bluesy guitar riffs of sixties rock.

The drive for hours listening through the decades and genres. They’re caught up to current pop with Klaus nodding his head along and humming the words under his breath. Alea has her feet up on the dash and is leaned back enjoying the sunlight. Then Klaus turns to her with a lazy grin and requests she change it.

“Do you have anything from the twenties? I have such fond memories of the era.” He says with a look back at Stefan. Alea wonders what the significance of that look could be, what secret is wrapped up in Stefan and the 20’s. Alea finds a playlist that matches with his request and they listen to the jazzy stylings for another hour. The long stretch of highway is plain and not as beautiful as the twists they took between Carolina beach and Lancaster. The long hours in the car take a toll and by hour five Alea is about to beg for a break but Klaus offers one before she can. Pulling off the endless miles of highway into a small gas station and diner, Klaus kills the engine and hops out with a stretch.

“I think it’s about time we got something to eat.” He says with a grin that brings out his dimples, he pushes the door open wide and the diner looks smaller with him taking up the doorway. The waitress seats them in a classic 50’s style booth by the window and is twirling her hair as she takes turns looking between the men, her cheeks flush as they smile at her. As soon as she’s gone Klaus doesn’t even bother looking at the menu, he eyes the humans in the diner and smiles when it suits his fancy.

Alea watches Klaus over the top of her menu, the way his eyes go over everyone in the diner, bouncing back and forth and looking like he’s doing math in his head. The face he makes shouldn’t be called a smile, a grin maybe but even that doesn’t suit the way his mouth pulls up and shows his bared teeth in a way that both shows his happiness and the imminent violence. She puts down her menu when she sees the expression and starts to slide out of her seat, inches away when a hand shoots out to stop her. Klaus has stood up and is looking down at her with a more relaxed smirk, the fire of violence more hidden behind his eyes.

“And where are you going, rabbit?” He asks as he leans on the booth and relaxes his posture, his arms crossed lazily. Alea’s heart pounds and she sniffs in a half breath to test the air, his aura the usual fir, moss and ash, nothing to give away any anger. She squeezes herself between him and the table, standing in front of him slowly.

“I don’t think I’m hungry, I think I’ll sit this one out.” She lies, her stomach is in knots but she can still feel how empty it is. Klaus’s smile dips for half a second and she wavers, freezing as he stands up straighter.

“It just wouldn’t be the same without you.” He says with a raised brow, his crossed arms tighter as he becomes tense. His aura has tension in it, the feeling of a rubber band being pulled taut and the smell of charcoal. Alea doesn’t quite understand the cause for the tension, she’s trying to avoid it but creating it instead.

“It would give me time to pick a playlist for the rest of the drive, or download an audiobook.” She tries to bargain. She waits to see if he’ll accept her offer with held breath, his eyes looking her over in appraisal. He hums and holds his chin as though he’s really thinking about it.

“That is fair, since you’ll be driving. It has been just so taxing, I think I deserve a break.” He replies with a nod, he dangles the keys before dropping them into her hand and slipping back into his seat. Alea is stuck frozen for a second, surprised in equal measure by him accepting her leaving and asking her to drive. She nods dumbly and leaves and silent feet, not daring to look back. When she gets to the car she slips into the driver’s seat and sighs deeply, relaxing back with her eyes closed. The first scream from the diner has her eyes flying open, and the blood splatter on the wall lets her know she’s glad she left.

She sits in the car for over a half hour, downloading audiobooks and curating playlists as she ignores fewer and fewer screams. When the diner is silent it's almost worse, sitting in the car waiting for them to come back for stretching minutes. Alea has four new playlists and six new audiobooks when the two of them are back. They pop the trunk and immediately change, discarding their clothes and returning to their seats in a fresh set. She silently starts the car and gets back on the highway, pressing play on ‘The Fellowship of The Ring’ and trying to ignore Klaus.

“What a choice, love. You know it’s never been my favorite, a bit slow, what else have you chosen for us?” He asks as he pulls the phone into his hands and scrolls through the list. His eyebrows bunch at the Jane Austen, he glowers at the Sherlock Holmes, and then he gets a childish grin as he taps on one at the bottom of the list. It was a last minute selection that Alea had added almost as a joke, but the smile she sees on Klaus’s face is genuine, she can tell by the bright notes of pear that spring up in his aura.

“Really? Dracula?” She asks as the opening starts to play and a deep voice begins to speak. The timbre resonates beautifully and it fits the gothic tone of the book, the reader suits it. Klaus gives her a mischievous glance and taps his fingers across the windowsill.

“I almost turned good old Bram, we had such fun late night chats. I still get a copy of every edition they publish, and the original manuscript is kept safe by yours truly.” He says without looking, his eyes glued to the fields as they pass. Alea considers this odd new piece of information as she switches lanes and flips off a driver.

“I don’t know if I believe you,” she starts as she chances a glance over at him. His face turns and it’s pinched with anger, she’s quick to finish her sentence. “You might have to show me that manuscript to convince me.” And his face is back to an amused grin. She sighs inwardly at the narrow escape but notes the quick reaction he had to the perceived disrespect.

They still have hours on their trip and they eat away at it while listening to the audiobook and Klaus’s commentary. He has something to say about almost every detail. Stefan is reserved in the backseat, too distracted to read his own book and not interested in the audiobook, he stares out into the dwindling daylight with an uneasy expression that Alea keeps catching in the mirror.

When they finally pass the sign for Tampa Klaus begins giving directions towards the hotel. He’s a terrible navigator, waiting until the last possible moment to tell her which direction to take or when her turn is. She misses two turns and feels like he’s testing her somehow and she’s failing. But they do eventually pull into the hotel and Alea happily tosses the valet the keys.

The suite here is larger than the last one and they have mini rooms for each of them, connected in the center so they each have privacy. Alea lays on her bed and breathes in the fresh linen scent of the new hotel room, reminding her how much she misses Elijah. She closes her eyes and wishes she could sense him. But instead she feels Klaus standing outside her doorframe.

“It’s been so long since lunch, are you ready for dinner?” He asks as he leans on the frame, his body relaxed as he watches her. Alea can see in his eyes the tension again, that he’s waiting to see what she’ll do.

“Is it going to be just the two of us, like the Greek place?” She asks, trying to be subtle like he wants. She wants to avoid the game he’s playing with Stefan, but he seems to want to play some kind of game with her. The bleeding of tension from his eyes and the way he stands back up tells her she did okay this time.

“I’m sure Stefan can entertain himself for the night.” He says as he offers his hand, Alea pauses but takes it gently he places it firmly on his elbow as he leads her out of the suite.

Chapter Text

Tampa is a much bigger city than any of the other American ones that Alea has seen, the city is sprawling and it seems to go on for miles. Klaus takes her in the car to the waterfront, driving down the boardwalk as she stares out of the open window like a child. She pops her head in and can’t stop the smile on her face, the water is so gorgeous and the beach so beautiful that she can’t hide her joy.

“Can we eat at the beach?” She asks without thinking, looking at Klaus as she leans towards the window. He has an indulgent smile on his face and nods as he tries to find a suitable place to eat. He ends up finding a restaurant on the pier that has tables by the edge so you can feel the breeze.

“I’m afraid you’re not helping your cause in fighting my suspicions that you’re secretly a mermaid. Your love of the ocean is simply supernatural, love.” Klaus says once they’re seated. Alea breathes in the salty air and smiles at the sunset that still sits on the horizon.

“I don’t know how anyone can’t love the ocean. It’s beautiful, it’s full of life and energy and it does so much for us.” She says as she looks over the menu. She can see Klaus turning thoughts over in his head and leaves him to stew as she considers her options.

“It’s also turbulent and brings destruction, it’s dangerous.” He says finally, picking up
His menu and peeking over it at her. She glances out at the waves and considers it. The ocean has both sides to it, it can be both beautiful and fiersome, but aren’t all things full of duality?

“The world can’t be split into simplicities like that, it is both a tempest and a safe harbor. Things are made up of mixed truths that make a bigger picture.” Alea says as she looks back at Klaus, he has an assessing look again, and she wonders whether she failed the test. The waitress chooses then to show up and dutifully takes their order, Alea orders a long island iced tea to start and she hopes they make it strong.

The view is amazing and Alea pulls her eyes away from the tide to focus back inside. Klaus is alert and his attention is scattered around the room, she watches as his eyes dart from person to person and track the movement of the people around them. His posture looks tense and she can tell he’s still aware of everything around them and just as on edge.

“We’ll need to find a good place for the ritual, there are nature preserves around here that we can check out while we wait for a storm. I think somewhere by a river is our best bet, but I might be able to find a local place of power, like the quarry in Mystic Falls.” Alea babbles as she tries to find something to say. She runs a finger across the arm of her chair and looks around the room again before glancing at Klaus. He has an odd look on his face, his lips quirked down and his brows pulled together like he’s trying to figure something out after biting into a lemon.

“Yes, I have no doubt there are plenty of good places for your ritual. I’m leaving the details to you, little witch, magic is not my forte after all. Stefan and I will continue the search for wolves as you prepare your spell. We may as well keep ourselves occupied.” He says before his face turns to a grin. “Idle hands are the devil’s plaything after all.” He adds as he sips his drink.

“Something tells me you’ve never needed that excuse.” Alea says without thinking, hiding her face as she takes a sip of her cocktail. Klaus chuckles and looks at her through his lashes, a smirk on his lips.

“What can I say, I have a flair for the dramatic and a tendency to cause tragedy.” He says as he leans his elbow on the table and presses himself closer. His posture is relaxed and she can see it in the his smile. His eyes have stopped roaming the crowd and have settled on her, watching her as she plays with her glass.

“I hadn’t noticed.” She says sarcastically, she matches his posture and leans in towards him, elbows on the table and shoulders leaning in. She watches his blue eyes reflect sparks of yellow as his aura begins to drip honey. Alea runs her finger down the condensation on her glass as she cuts her eyes to the window. The waitress comes back and brings out their dinner, eating silences them temporarily.

Alea enjoys the reprieve as she finishes her food. When the plates are cleared and they’re on the last sips of their last drinks she takes a look out at the water and feels the pull deep down. She waits until they’re walking out of the restaurant before she turns to Klaus.

“Can we walk by the water? I probably won’t get much time to see it while we’re here.” Alea asks before he can unlock the car. He leans against his door and raises a brow at her in question. “I’ll need to camp out waiting for that thunderstorm so I can do the spell, I won’t have a day off until then.” she explains.

“I suppose that hadn’t occurred to me. We’ll need to furnish a tent for then, shall we? Of course you’ll have to keep an eye out for alligators out here, these swamps aren’t the safest of places.” He says as he comes around and takes her hand into the crook of his elbow. They walk towards the beach, the stretch before them quiet in the early evening light.

“The alligators aren’t my biggest concern. This isn’t an easy spell and I’ll need to be prepared to cast it at a moment's notice, that doesn’t exactly put me at ease.” She says, bending down to take off her shoes, she comes back up with a frown and a focused crease on her forehead. “You and Stefan can’t be around when I’m casting this. There’s too many variables and the consequences we could be looking at are dangerous.” Alea says as she looks him in the eye.

“I’ll have you know, love, I’m very difficult to kill.” Klaus says with a grin sharp enough to cut glass. Alea steps away and her toes touch the water. She sighs as the coolness wraps around her and a pull tightens in her chest. She looks up at the waning moon that rests in the sky, barely visible, and then looks back at him.

“I need the best possible chance for this spell to go right. That means being alone. I need you to trust me on this.” She tries to tell him. His face shows his skepticism and Alea looks away so she doesn’t have to see his decision spelled out in his eyes. She steps another foot into the water and her pant legs soak up the cold water. The creeping undertow of the magic in the tide drags against her skin and she closes her eyes so she can breathe against it.

Alea listens as Klaus shifts in the sand behind her, restless. She listens to the crashing of the waves and the drag of the tide on the sand. Her breathing slows as she draws in the strength of the ocean and relaxes in the night air. She waits patiently.

“I could be persuaded to make that work, if it’s that important to the spell’s success. But I won’t be leaving you alone in the marsh to wait for this storm.” Klaus says from behind her. Alea turns and finds him with his hands stuck in his pockets and a pinched expression on his face. “As loathe as I am to camp, it seems unavoidable for the time being. I’ll have Stefan pick up the necessary supplies in the morning.” He tacks on as he edges away from where the water chases him. Alea smiles at the uncomfortable look on his face and steps out of the waves.

“If we’re lucky the weather won’t make us wait long.” She says as they wander back to the car. Her feet are dry by the time they arrive and she tucks them back into her shoes as she sits in her seat. Klaus leans on the car and watches her with an unreadable look on his face.

“See now you’ve doomed us to a dry spell, rabbit.” He says as he leans over her door and into her space. “Don’t tempt our luck, or it’ll run out.” he adds before leaning away and shutting her door for her. She runs a hand through her hair, smoothing it away from her face as she shakes off the chill that’s run through her. He slips into the driver’s seat and they’re on the road to the hotel in seconds. Alea watches out the window, trying to get used to the new city as it passes her by.

The drive is short and the elevator ride even shorter. Alea finds herself back in the suite with Klaus guiding her to the kitchen with a hand on her lower back, with the promise of one little drink before bed. She hops onto a stool by the counter and watches him as he seamlessly handles the bottles before they’re poured into her glass. The concoction is simple but it smells just on the right side of sweet, something easy to sip as they sit across from each other.

The quiet is fine for the first few moments but then she’s looked at everything in the room except for him, and hasn’t found anything to talk about. She tries to sip her drink rather than pound it and escape to her room. Klaus seems to know how she feels, his eyes have been on her the whole time and he has been silently watching her perusal of the room and avoidance of him. He eventually takes pity on her though and throws her a life raft as she’s nearing the end of her drink.

“You have quite the variety of magic at your disposal. Most witches I’ve known have stayed within their family’s spells.” He opens without preamble, sitting lazily next to her with a drink of his own. He’s closer than at the restaurant and his nearness makes her feel a strange kind of tense, she isn’t sure if it’s anxiety or just the tension that puts her on edge.

“I have plenty of spells from my family, but given how much time I’ve spent restoring other families' grimoires, I’ve picked up a few things. I also caretake a few tomes of families that have died out, so that the magic isn’t forgotten.” Alea explains, setting her elbow on the counter and resting her chin in her hand. Klaus leans into the counter and scratches a hand across his cheek and jaw, looking over at her curiously.

“That makes for quite a collection. I wonder whether you’re the most eclectic, or if there’s someone out there who can wrestle the title from you.” he thinks aloud, taking a sip of his drink as he looks around the room.

Stefan opens the door from the elevator and looks between them where they sit, leaning in towards each other at the counter. His face doesn’t do a good job of hiding his surprise as he watches them. Stefan wipes a hand across his mouth, passing the hand over his pants to get rid of phantom blood.

“Ah Stefan, good of you to join us, mate. I was wondering what fun you were getting up to without us.” Klaus taunts from his spot in the kitchen. He looks just as relaxed, stretched out on the stool and leaning towards Alea with a grin on his lips. Alea is tense on her stool, pulling back and sitting up straighter, her posture rigid. She watches Stefan as he flops onto the couch and throws his head back.

“Nothing that will get us run out of town. I made sure to clean up after myself, and keep it out of the hotel room.” Stefan grumbles as he throws a scowl over to Klaus and Alea. His brooding attitude casts a different kind of tension on the room and the stink of sulfur is back. Alea wrinkles her nose and turns away from the others, throwing back the remnants of her drink as she tries to clear her face of the frown. Alea hops off her stool and heads for the door to her room, but there’s a tug on her arm before she can turn the handle.

“Headed to bed, love?” Klaus asks with a coy smile, a small curl of his lips that’s softer than the sharp one he gave to Stefan. His posture has relaxed and she can feel his focus has shifted entirely to her.

“This is probably our last night in a hotel for a while, I want all the sleep I can get.” Alea tells him honestly. His hand takes hers and lays a kiss to her knuckles, holding her eyes as he brings them to his lips. He can probably hear the little stutter in her heartbeat at the gentle gesture, the soft intimacy that feels so reassuring.

“Goodnight rabbit, sweet dreams.” He whispers against her knuckles before releasing her hand and turning back to the counter. Alea is quick to get into her room and shut herself into the quiet darkness, leaning against the door as she takes a slow breath out.

Wondering why crazy people do things is pointless but Alea spends too long staring at the ceiling doing that. Asking herself why Klaus would bother taking her to dinner, why he would want to tell her good night, why his change in behavior. She decides it must be a manipulation or scheme, a ruse to get her compliance. She turns over before falling asleep, knowing there’s something strange going on.

Chapter Text

Klaus doesn’t just buy them a tent, he buys a yurt. The monstrous thing has room enough for all three of them to lay out their sleeping bags, and to have a little stove. Stefan picks up all their camping supplies after Klaus sends in an order, coming back to the hotel with the car buried in bags and boxes and brand new supplies.

They spend four days exploring the nearby parks before Alea finds one that feels just right and has a spot for them to camp. Stefan and Klaus flash through set up and have a campsite up and running in under half an hour while she’s looking around. The park is big, green, and surrounded by rivers and water. The campsite is surrounded by large old growth trees that hang their branches over the yurt and help keep the area cool.

The air outside is dense with humidity and the heat keeps them inside as the intensity of it presses on them. Alea is able to keep it cool inside the yurt, a spell or two working to cool the air for a while. The first day in the swamp they’re each out on their own little quest in the swamp.

Alea searches the area for somewhere close to camp that she can easily set up for her spell, but also far enough away that she won’t cause any damage if something goes wrong. She wanders through the overgrown foliage with her senses open, reaching out to feel everything around her. There is so much life around them that at first it’s overwhelming, but she tunes it to a more gentle hum in the back of her mind. Walking through the marshy park she finds an area that looks like a natural clearing, a dry area surrounded by creaks and swamp water, trees almost cover the canopy except for a peak through them that leaves a circle to the sky.

Klaus stays behind in the morning, citing evil plans and nefarious machinations. He makes some calls to the local vampires that owe him favors, catching up on where he may find the werewolves they’re looking for. He chases the gossip as much as he can from the swamp, and the frustration grows as he meets dead end after dead end. His phone meets the same end as the last one and is in pieces by lunch.

Stefan breaks away once camp is set up, a look at Klaus and then he’s gone. He has a list of ingredients that Alea has requested and he makes a run to the local supply shop, a suite in a business complex that looks empty until you enter it. The supplies are easy enough to get, and he’s back in the car without fuss. His next task is what he dreads. Klaus wants him to get their blood supply, and left the method up to him. He’s stuck in the car staring out the window as all the ideas run through his head. He can picture the bodies he’s already gone through on this trip and he knows it should disgust him, but it just makes him hungry.

He can feel his fangs wanting to drop as his thoughts turn bloody. He has to focus on his breathing to calm himself down, trying to clear his head of the bloody images. A blood bank is the easy option, find one nearby and get in and out as fast as possible. He can avoid contact with people as much as possible. He pulls up a map of all the hospitals and blood banks nearby, searching for the closest one. There’s one within a couple miles and they close early in the afternoon, he can wait till then and get in when there’s no one around.

The time passes slowly as he waits till the last minute to pull up to the bank. He parks the car and flashes up to the door as the last nurse if locking up. As the nurse turns around they freeze as they see him, a moment away from a scream as his hand clamps over their mouth.

“You're going to be silent.” Stefan whispers to them, his pupils dilating as he compels the thought into their head. “Unlock the door and turn off all the security for me. You won’t remember any of this, you lost your keys before locking up and you’re not sure what happened to the system, it must have been a glitch.” He continues in a soft voice, his face changing as he smells the fear from the nurse and hears their heart speeding away, it’s so tempting to just take a bite. With them under his compulsion it would be so easy to lean in just that little bit more and have a taste, he can feel his eyes changing at the thought and has to lean away.

Stefan releases the nurse and takes their keys as they walk into the bank as though asleep. He follows along as the nurse presses keys on their security pad and little lights in the hall turn from red to green, which he takes as a good sign. He’s so close to them and their back is turned as they finish putting in a code. It’s easy to push aside their hair and take a breath next to the pounding vein in their throat, feel the thin skin there with his tongue. He doesn’t even realize he’s crossed a line when he’s wrapped the nurse in his arms and has his teeth in their skin, not even feeding yet, just enjoying the bite.

The frenzy takes him and after that moment of bliss with the skin between his teeth, he doesn’t remember long minutes until he’s standing over the leftovers. There’s a blank space in his head and a chunk of heart in his hand, the rest of the nurse laying at his feet. He stares at the pile as he tries to slow the heavy breathing that he’s woken up to, the rapid beating of his heart loud in his ears. There’s a name tag laying on top of the pile and he knows it’s not accidental, that he left it there for himself to find.

Stefan flees the blood bank with armfuls of blood bags in a blur of movement, he has no time for finesse. He thinks about calling Klaus to come help clean up but can’t stomach the image of his face at what he’s done. He gathers the remnants of his victim and hidden behind a dumpster he sets them alight. He doesn’t leave until he knows they’re ashes, getting back to the car hours later still covered in blood and only able to wipe off the dried flakes from his face.

He arrives back at camp last, trudging into the yurt with his cooler and bags of supplies on his arms like a pack mule. Once he’s unloaded he doesn’t even bother looking at either of the others before going to take a shower. He rubs at his skin until it’s pink and raw, the pain keeping him centered on the present as he tries to scrub away the images of his day.

Klaus and Alea both note Stefan’s return, they’d been back at camp for hours by then. Alea made dinner over a little portable stove and they’d eaten in the surrounded by the noise of the swamp, quiet as they listened to it. Stefan’s arrival had come as they were sharing an after dinner drink, more of the wine Alea had specially requested.

“You know, you didn’t actually have to buy a case of this wine.” Alea tells Klaus as he finishes pouring her a glass, her eyes locked on where Stefan disappeared. Klaus has a devious smile and gives her a generous pour before setting aside the bottle and clinking his glass against hers.

“I have plenty of reasons to keep you happy, love. If you can’t accept it as a bribe then accept it as a gift.” He says as he gestures widely with his glass before taking a sip. Alea drinks hers slowly, enjoying the warm spice as she relaxes against her pillows and looks around the yurt. They have comfortable cots set up as well as this pillow couch, and a cooking station for their meals. She has space for her magic supplies separate from the others and there’s plenty of room for them to walk around without stepping on each other. It’s a comfortable space and Alea doubts it would be the same if Stefan was traveling alone with Klaus.

“But I don’t need gifts to keep working for you, that’s not part of our deal.” Alea almost whines, she wants to keep things within their borders, not let Klaus try and blur any lines. But she can feel the tension bleed into the room again as his aura smells of spicy cloves. Alea sneezes and turns away to take a deep, steadying, breath. Klaus is leaned in towards her and she can see the little flecks of yellow and green in his eyes as he watches her, the intensity of his stare making her heart stutter. And she knows he can hear the nervous pulse of her heart, the way his eyes wander down her neck and fall to the juncture where it meets her shoulder. His eyes feel heavy, like his gaze has a physical weight to it, and Alea isn’t sure how to feel about being the focus of it.

The fear is creeping in as he watches her pulse and she sees the moment he sniffs it out, the wrinkle in his nose and the way he blinks rapidly to clear his head. Klaus stops staring at her neck and looks back up at her eyes to see how still she’s become, frozen with anxiety as he’s watched her. There’s something almost wounded in his expression and Alea has the urge to apologize before he pulls away and turns to look around the room.

Alea drinks faster and turns herself away, sitting up with a straight back as she tries to ignore the instinct in the back of her mind that knows he’s a predator. Her first glass is barely a sip left and she twirls it in the glass without really seeing it. Klaus is every bit the predator that vampires can be, has embodied it and reveled in that identity, how can she accept someone like that?

“Pour me another please.” She leans over and whispers, turning from her distant position to face him more fully. Klaus turns at the sound of her voice and she can see the opening of his closed expression, the way his pinched eyebrows relax as he sees her position. He looks reserved and she can see the timidness in his eyes, a wall being drawn up. Alea pulls away from her pillow pile and fluffs them dramatically, laying them closer to him as though by accident. She sits back down, lounging barely a foot from him, close enough to reach out and touch him.

Klaus’s grip on the bottle is white knuckled and he fills her glass just as high as her first one. Alea makes a show of toasting him again and taking a sip, watching his eyes as the wall slowly lowers. He still isn’t as relaxed, his posture tighter than before. She ignores it, sighing and relaxing into the pillows as she sips from her glass. The wine is just as good as before and she finishes her second glass while they sit quietly together. Klaus seems to either enjoy the quiet, or not know what to talk about, Alea is fine either way.

“Are you prepared for the spell? We may have all the supplies and be where we need, but are you ready?” Klaus asks eventually, somewhere into her third glass. She’s shifted her pillow so she can look up at the roof of the tent and close her eyes as she listens to the swamp. Alea hums as she thinks about it, rolls onto her side and props up on an elbow, taking a deep drink before looking at Klaus.

“I’m as prepared as I can be. Magic is an extension of our will, shaping nature to suit our needs. I have to believe that I’m ready. If I’m not, I could be dead.” Alea tells him before finishing her glass. Klaus’s eyes harden and his posture is stiff, he turns his glass in his hand and looks away from her. He hadn’t realized that he would grow concerned about what repercussions this may bring. Witches had been an expendable resource in the past, if they wouldn’t or couldn’t perform a spell then they weren’t worth his time. Klaus might not be able to replace Alea, and he was starting to not want to, he liked her.

Alea gets to her knees and leans over to place her wine glass down, her arm a hair's breadth away from Klaus’s as she bends. Pulling back he catches her wrist and their eyes lock. There’s a rim of gold around his eyes and he glances down at her lips as her mouth drops open, she breathes in the heavy scent of honey and cloves. It only takes a small pull on her wrist for her to fall the few inches into him, her lips connecting with his and his arm coming around to catch her.

Alea is surprised by the kiss, it’s like a spark to her system. There are tingles down to her toes and she leans into it as he grasps her waist and pulls her into him. His aura wraps around her and it's overwhelming as his lips press against hers, his tongue flicking a stripe over her lower lip that makes her breath hitch. His lips move against hers and she lets him slip his tongue past her teeth to tangle with hers, slow strokes heating the coals that are already burning in her stomach.

Alea is half on top of Klaus and pushes herself away to gasp for air, the small space it makes between them only enough so that she can see his eyes again. His pupils are blown wide and they shine gold at her as she pants against his chest. Klaus lets her wrist go in favor of gliding his hand against her face, gently stroking down her cheek to her chin where he pulls her slowly back to his waiting mouth.

This kiss is slow, their lips gliding together as they hold each other. Klaus’s hand holds the back of her head and grips her hair, pulling until she gasps. Alea’s eyes open and she stops, pulling away from Klaus. Her hand puts distance between them as she catches her breath. Klaus watches her and his posture is frozen as she presses a hand to head and tries to clear her thoughts.

“We shouldn’t do this when I’ve had wine.” She says slowly, trying not to hurt his feelings as she sets his shirt to rights with careful fingers. Looking into his eyes she can tell she didn’t quite hit the mark, there’s something colder in his eyes. She pulls her hands back and leans away like she has to physically force herself. His aura is drawing her in, pulling her into him and surrounding her in a sickly sweet haze.

“Of course, rabbit, now run off to bed before the wolves come out.” Klaus says as he sits back and closes himself off, straightening his posture and pulling a hand through his hair. Alea turns away and gets up, going to her cot and rolling away as soon as she’s tucked in. She tries to ignore the stench of ash and sulfur in the room and block off her senses as she tosses in her sleep.

Chapter Text

It’s almost a week of camping before the weather changes in their favor. Alea feels embarrassed, she’s working with Klaus to free Elijah, and last she saw him they had something. She doesn’t know what that something was, but she can’t just turn around and start kissing the person who stabbed him. She liked kissing Klaus, it was intense and it felt amazing, but she doesn’t understand how her magic fits into that. Whenever she’s around him she feels him so intensely it engulfs her, she feels almost drowned by it.

Alea spends most of her time meditating. She waits in the yurt and from breakfast to dinner she sits in the pillows and breaths until she feels at one with the world around her. The other two work around her, she doesn’t even realize that they’re there. Her meditation works to avoid any awkward conversations and to help her gather strength, slowly drawing it in as she breathes.

On the fourth day they’re halfway through dinner when it starts to rain. They all stop mid conversation and look to the doorway that they had left open. Of course Klaus insists they can’t get too excited, it’s just rain, they need a whole storm. But Alea is already setting down her bowl and reaching for her bag, feeling the shift in energy somewhere in her gut.

The first peal of thunder has all of them on their feet and scrambling in different directions. Stefan runs for the door and towards the car, trying to get out of the way as instructed. Klaus stumbles to throw his phone and wallet on his cot as he throws his shirt off.

“Wait until I’m gone, jesus, you don’t even have to shift.” Alea screeches as she grabs her grimoire and stuffs the last candle in her bag before running to the door. She throws a glance over her shoulder before leaving. Klaus has his shirt thrown on the bed and a hand on his belt as he glares at her. “I left a copy of the spell in my things. Just in case.” Alea tells him, pausing at the door before running out as another roll of thunder passes over them. Klaus growls after her and is at the door a second later.

“I better not need it!” He yells after her as he watches her run through the pouring rain. He tosses his pants over his shoulder and finishes shifting as he jumps down the stairs, blurring through the marsh to scout the area.

Alea runs through the dense trees and tries to remember the path in the darkness. She misses a few steps, her feet slipping in the mud and almost slipping into the water as she finally comes upon the clearing. It feels like it pulls her in, looking different in the light of the new moon. The timing worked out and she’ll have the power of the lunar event on her side.

Alea sets up swiftly, her candles laid out in a circle she’s practiced hundreds of times before. She lays out the salt lines and brings out her bowl for the incantation. She sets herself in the center of the circle and sets aside the last of the ingredients. Steady breaths help center her and she raises the power of the candles to begin her chant. The invocation is Greek and it flows off her tongue in practiced waves. The magic spins from her, pulling from her center and into a woven spiral waiting to be worked. Thunder rolls and her breath picks up as she feels its nearness. The magic jumps and swirls as the energy around her boils. Alea speeds up her chant, pouring her ingredients into the bowl as she holds a hand over them, letting them burn. There are herbs and plants that she pours slowly, already mixed to a fine degree.

She saves the last ingredient off to the side, waiting till everything else has burned and the energy inside is pushing at her skin for a direction. The viscous liquid drips into the bowl in thick drops that reflect red in the flames. Klaus’s blood had to be collected fresh everyday, so it was ready for this moment. Sparks fly and Alea feels like she’s about to come undone.

She screams the incantation again, focusing her intent and narrowing her mind to a singular goal, threading all her power through a needle. The sky brightens and there is silence as the world whites out and she is filled with electricity. Lightning is there and gone, a moment in time that leaves a scream struck from her lungs rushing on the wind to match the thunder. Alea collapses on the floor, spread in her magic circle where the ground is scorched.

It doesn’t take long for Klaus to appear, despite her warning on the dangers of being too close, he’d stayed close enough to hear her scream and come running. His nose nudges her head where it lays in the ashes and salt, but she lays still. Klaus whines before listening carefully, his ears perking up as he hears the faint sound of her heart beat but barely the whisper of breathing. Klaus rapidly changes and rolls Alea over, petting her hair away from her face.

“Come on now, rabbit, let's pull another trick.” He whispers as he looks her over. There’s scorch marks across her chest from shoulder to hip, her shirt burned and showing the injured skin beneath. Klaus pulls her chin up and listens at her mouth for breath, the quiet wheeze making a frown pull his lips down. Klaus bites into his wrist and lays it gently over Aleas mouth, making sure the blood is swallowed before pulling away. He waits a minute, watching the skin heal until an aged scar is all that remains. Her breathing becomes deeper and her eyelids flutter.

“You had me scared, love.” Klaus says as he pulls back and looks towards her eyes. His face freezes when he sees her eyes, white with an unseeing stare. Alea takes a deep breath and grasps onto him, her eyes staring up into the sky as she grips him. “Shh love, shh be still.” Klaus tries to soothe as he holds her.

Alea blinks awake and her senses are on fire, the flash of the lightning left sparks in her eyes and she blinks them away as she tries to calm her nerves. Her senses are haywire. She feels the cool touch of death and can hear the squeak of shoes on freshly waxed floors, smell blood fresh and coppery. She blinks again and gets flashes of images that move almost too fast to see.

She gets the impression of a bite in her throat, fangs and teeth, arms around her before she’s dropped like trash on a forest floor. She’s rushed through to the slide of sneakers in a gym, the rattle of bleachers and the blare of a scoreboard. She feels a stab in her arm, she feels weak and tired, the scent of copper and the taste of blood on her tongue as she pants through the intense waves.

The vision hits her again and she tries to hold onto the impressions, death, gym, blood. If she can just hold on through the vertigo and the splitting in her head. She feels torn apart as she’s thrown through the vision again and again, begging for it to stop or to change. She pulls on a thread of her magic that she can feel in the mirage, and yanks, begging to make it stop.

Alea gasps as the visions fades and she can see the canopy of trees again. She can feel hands on her and turns to see a pale looking Klaus with his hands holding her down. Alea tugs at him and he releases her without a word. Her eyes are their normal chocolate brown again and Klaus breathes out a sigh as he leans back. Alea watches him and rubs her hands against her temples where she can feel a headache brewing.

“What happened?” Klaus asks as he stares at her. He leans towards her, on edge, and his eyes track her every move.

“I had a vision, bits and fragments. It was intense and I’ll need time to unravel it.” Alea mumbles, her voice coming out scratchy, she clears her throat and rubs a hand across her chest, finding the burnt lines and looking down across the scar. “The lightning was a fifty-fifty chance, I was hoping we’d get lucky.” She whispers as her fingers trace the edges of the pink skin.

“Your eyes turned white, and you were struggling to breathe. I had to give you blood.” Klaus tells her, catching her hand and making her look at him. His eyes are gold rimmed and his shoulders are tense. “You could have died. What did we get out of it?”

“I had a vision that will fix our hybrid problem. I just have to put the pieces together.” She tries to placate him, a hand on his where it’s caught her wrist. “The spirits were blocking my other routes, this way they couldn’t block.” Alea offers practically, trying to make the risks worth the reward. “And I didn’t die.” she adds on as an afterthought, shrugging off the near death experience.

Klaus growls at her answer.

“You aren’t so easily replaceable, take that into account when planning your deadly spells, witch.” He rumbles, holding her face and pulling her chin so she looks him in the eye. The air is still thick with the remnants of magic and it bears down on Alea’s nerves like a second skin. The hairs on her arms stand on end and she breathes in the sweet smell of honey, cloves, and peaches that seeps out of Klaus’s aura. His scent lingers in the air and wraps around her, mixing with the magic to fill her head with a dizzying fog. His hand on her chin holds her steady as she looks into his golden eyes but she feels heavy in the dense night air.

Alea lets her head lean into Klaus’s touch and closes her eyes, blinking slowly as she breathes in the sweet fog that the magic has made. Klaus’s hand tightens on her chin and he reaches for her waist pulling her in, pulling tighter when she goes pliantly. With her against his chest he gently connects their lips.

Alea feels like her skin comes alive. There are sparks that zing inside her from her lips to her toes as her magic connects with him. She’s so over full of energy she feels like a live wire. His lips slide against hers and her lips fall open in a sigh that lets his tongue into her mouth. The air is so heavy she feels like she can’t get enough of it, panting against his lips as he steals licks into her mouth and slanting kisses that leave her more breathless.

His hands grasp her hips and push her until she’s on the ground with him hovering over her. His lips reconnect with hers in a crush, pressing and sliding as he holds her face. His hand finds the burn in the center of her chest and traces across her ribs, his nails scratching lightly across her sensitive skin. As his nails skim across her abdomen she gasps and his tongue licks across her lips.

Alea feels absolutely surrounded by Klaus, his scent and aura are all around her and his body feels like it blocks out the whole forest, pressed up against her like this. His lean muscles crush into her and she wraps a leg around his hip, sliding her foot down the back of his calf. Klaus bucks into her and grips her hip tightly in his hand. His hand on her hip rolls her into him as her back lands in the salt remnants on the ground. His hips lock with hers and she moans at the sparks of energy. Every inch of skin pressed against his lights up with burning electricity, trapped inside her.

He growls and rips the shredded bits of her shirt off her, she can see her tattoo is lit up like a star. Klaus lays biting kisses across her chest, the revealed skin being claimed by his hungry eyes. Alea whines at the cool air but quiets as he thrusts his hips surely against hers. Alea runs a hand across his hip to the button of his jeans and twists it free. Her head feels light as Klaus’s nails turn sharp and tear across her pants, revealing the rest of her skin.

Alea grips Klaus tightly and uses her hips to roll their positions, sitting squarely across his lap. She lets her head hang back as she tries to breathe in cool air. She can’t get a full breath, the forest around them loud with the sound of their breathing. Alea moans and rolls her hips against Klaus, the tight grip of his hands sharp as his nails rake down her thighs. There’s little between them and Klaus shreds it with sharp nails and a growl.

Then there’s just the slick slide of him between her legs that makes every nerve in her body light up. She can’t contain the energy anymore, the candles that had gone to ash ignite to tall flames as Alea groans at the roll of his hips. She runs her hands across his chest and drags her nails until he groans. His teeth are sharp and bite into his lip as he watches her.

Klaus’s hands wander over her, cupping her breasts and gripping her hips. He lets one wander down to thumb between them and makes her head fall back, eyes shut and mouth go wide. Alea leans down to him and cups his face in her hand, her eyes caught in his, and licks over his lips before slanting them together. Alea slides down on him, agonizingly slowly as she pants against his lips. The candles are wild flames and dance in crazed sparks. Alea drops her forehead to his when their hips are touching, resting against him as she breathes him in.

Alea rolls her hips in a thunderous tempo, the rain beating against her back and the salt biting into her knees. Klaus groans and thrusts into her, their hips meeting . The magic has reached a fever pitch and Alea feels strung taut, she moves by instinct to try and assuage it. Her hips grind into him and her nails bite the skin of his chest, her breath is heavy where her head has dropped to his shoulder.

Klaus takes the opportunity to grip her hip and switch their positions, laying her out beneath him and pressing into her. He holds her thighs in a tight grip and thrusts against her, grinding deeper into her as she gasps and moans. His eyes are bright gold in the dark night and his sharp teeth glint as he growls at her. He leans down towards her, kissing between her shoulder and neck as he grinds into her. His breath rumbles out of his chest as his thrusts get faster and his kisses get hungrier. His teeth catch her skin and he leaves bitten kisses against her throat as she moans.

Alea grips his shoulders and wraps her legs tight around his hips, feeling the coil of magic deep in her core expanding. She feels like she’s about to boil and she curls tightly around Klaus, her bitten off cries getting muffled by his shoulder. He rocks into her and she feels wild, she screams as the tightly wound spring comes undone and her world goes blurry.

Chapter Text

The morning light doesn’t make the swamp look any better. The ceremony site has mostly washed away and what remains are a few clumps of salt in the dirt. Alea and Klaus took refuge from the rain under a tree, not bothering to go back to camp, and woke up to sunlight streaming through the canopy.

Alea stretches lazily and runs her fingers through her tangled hair. There’s dirt and salt in it, but a shower will make it better. She feels clearer headed now, like she can think again. Looking around the site and walking through the remnants she doesn’t feel the power she did last night, not even a shadow of it.

“Something weird is going on with this magic.” Alea says as she kneels by one of the burnt out candles, barely more than a puddle now. Klaus is shedding the vestiges of his ruined clothes, taking to forest nudity like an old pro.

“Is there really something strange in the magic or are you avoiding a postcoital talk, love.” Klaus returns nonchalantly while he passes her by on his way towards camp. Alea follows and picks up the scraps of their clothes as she hurries after him, trying not to litter on top of their poor choice in sexual activity.

“Well it’s usually a bad idea to have sex on top of ritual sites. It can have unknown consequences.” Alea defends while scanning the forest, trying to run behind him while also watching for people. “But I’m happy to have a post sex chat instead of discussing magical oddities if you’d prefer.” She adds with a huff. Klaus stops in his tracks and turns to meet her wide eyes. The trail in front of them is clear and they’re yards away from the campsite.

Klaus pulls Alea in by the wrist and gently tugs her chin until her eyes are inches away from his.

“Don’t worry, love, there’s plenty of time for both.” He says before sealing his lips over hers. Alea feels a spark of magic come alight inside her at his touch, mirroring each brush of his lips to hers. She gets caught up in the bubbling energy as he kisses along her chin to her neck and shoulder, sucking bruising kisses into the juncture there. Her head comes back to her at the feeling of his teeth on her skin, the sharp reminder breaking through the distraction.

“Something weird is going on.” Alea says again as she pushes a hand against his chest. She’s thankful when he moves at the slightest touch, pulling off her and looking at her with dark eyes.

“Sounds serious,” Klaus says as he pulls back and steps away. “A conversation better had with clothing on, maybe?” He adds as he backs up towards the camp and walks into the yurt. Alea hurries after him, watching over her shoulder as she goes. Once inside she rushes through a shower and throws on the first clean clothes she can find, standing in the bathroom in mismatched socks.

Alea watches Klaus carefully as she brushes her teeth, keeping him in the corner of her eye as she rolls thoughts around in her head. Thinking about last night, her senses had been heightened and she had felt drawn to Klaus almost in a fog. There had been magic around them, but Alea had been so out of it she isn’t sure what it was. She had sensed some coil of energy between her and Klaus, but that could be any number of spells. Alea sits on her cot and watches Klaus as he paces the small room.

“I think someone interrupted my spell, or cast something afterwards, using the storm to boost them. I’m not sure.” She tells him, tracing her hand across the edge of her cot. Klaus turns to look at her and folds his hands together in front of him as he walks over.

“To what effect?” He asks with a raised brow. She can tell his hackles are up, his shoulders are stiff and there’s a coldness in his eyes that tells her he’s wary.

“I don’t know yet. I felt some sort of magic, but I was distracted so I didn’t feel the source of it. Give me some time to meditate and I might have some answers.” She tries to placate, hoping to buy time. She can see he’s still stiff but he shrugs it off and returns to the makeshift kitchen where he’s started coffee. Alea sighs and rests back on her cot, resigning herself to hours of meditation.

“We’ll return to the hotel today, there’s no reason to stay in this jungle. Once Stefan is back we’re leaving.” Klaus says as he finishes his cup of coffee and looks around the room. He sees her starting to fold up cot and huffs. “Don’t worry about the non-necessities. I have a few people in town doing clean up for us. Get your little witchy bag together and we’ll be off.”

“Sorry, I’m not used to having minions. And before now we’ve traveled pretty light.” Alea puts her hands up as she puts the cot down. She looks at Klaus over her shoulder and sees him watching her over the rim of his cup. Her bag packs up easily and she tucks her grimoire in with careful fingers. Sitting back on the cot she gets a chance to take a breath.

Alea feels more awake than she has in weeks. Her magic feels fresh and restored, she can still feel the sparks sitting under her skin where her tattoo sits. Alea closes her eyes and takes a long slow exhale, letting out the tension resting in her shoulders.

Inside her, she can feel where her magic sits, smooth and curling where it spins along her veins. Reaching carefully she searches along a string of it and feels bright flashes of sharp energy strung through her magic. She runs hands through the strings of her magic to try and untangle the strands but it falls like sand through her fingers.

Alea grasps at the slipping pieces; coming up with sharp shards of bright light that feels like sunlight and fire, foreign to her. Looking at a shard in her palm it stings at her hand. The energy isn’t hers, it may be a remnant of the lightning.

Alea breathes in a sharp breath and blinks her eyes at the dark interior of the car. They’re on the highway and she can see the outline of the city coming into view. Her head feels heavy from where it’s slumped against the window and she picks it up to look around.

Stefan is leaning in the passenger seat, reading another book as he nods along to something Klaus has finished saying. Klaus’s shoulders are relaxed and his laugh travels back to her.

Alea relaxes into her seat and watches the window. Klaus continues into a story about a prince he befriended and eventually stole his entire estate, because he had slighted him. Stefan froze at the end of the story, page half flipped and eyes blankly staring.

When they pull into the hotel they unload quickly and are in the room unpacked in record time. They’ve had plenty of practice now and move around each other without a word. Alea calls dibs on the shower and slips away quietly. In the silence of the bathroom she looks at herself in the long mirror and leans on the counter as she stares.

She shouldn’t feel differently today, the spell was for one vision, though it was powerful. The spell was vague on some of the details and she’s remembering now why she doesn’t like to test other people’s spells. Her eyes look back at her and as she looks at herself and examines closely, she thinks she sees a hint of gold in the brown before it goes white.

She hears a crack, more dull than the lightning and not as loud as the thunder. Her vision is gray until she sees fog rolling in and the edge of a forest. She feels like she knows this place and she is drawn further in. A sharp pull forces her past trees and branches, scratching at her as they pass. She abruptly stops at the edge of a clearing, the treeline ends and she can see the line of rocks that leads to a lake. She does recognize this place, the sacrifice happened here.

Alea draws her feet back instinctively as she recognizes Steven’s Quarry. The altar is set up with the ashen remains and bloody remnants, only one body missing. The sharp pull in her belly feels burning and Alea gasps as the burning spreads. She falls to her knees and the vision wavers as the burning crawls up her throat.

Between blinks the vision is there and gone. One moment she sees the quarry and the next she is faced with Klaus’s growling scowl. His face is set in a snarl and she recoils automatically. There’s nowhere to go, caught in his arms where he’s holding her on the bathroom floor. Alea holds still as she tries to get a grip on the situation. Klaus’s grip loosens on her and his scowl lightens, realizing that she’s awake.

“Do you have fun scaring me?” He asks as he sits across from her. The large bathroom feels smaller with him filling the space up with his long legs. Alea curls up her legs and looks away. Looking over she sees a splash of red across the tile. A hand through her hair comes away with the same red but without causing any pain.

A second look at Klaus shows the remnants of blood on his wrist. His eyes have a ring of gold and his aura has the stink of sulphur. Alea grabs a washcloth and scrubs the blood off her hands, she stands by the sink so rinse it out.

“I had another vision.” Alea explains, washing out the blood from the washcloth, waiting for the water to run clean. She feels almost embarrassed for her accident, thrown off her groove by the unexpected fall.

“Do you know what it means?” He asks with an exasperated tone, leaning back against the wall with his eyes on the ceiling. Alea leans on the counter and looks over at him, her eyes feel drawn to him. He seems anxious and frustrated and she feels just as frustrated.

“Maybe. This one showed me the sacrifice. It wants to show me more, I just need to let it.” Alea tells him. Klaus gets up in a fluid motion and sets his hand on the counter next to hers. He boxes her in and his face is inches away.

“And how long will it take before we get answers? I am not a naturally patient man.” He says as he stares her down. Alea glares at him and tries to press on his chest to push him away. He doesn’t budge. She huffs and presses harder as he smirks at her.

“It takes however long it takes. Magical visions don’t exactly come with a manual.” She tells him with a scowl. She flicks her finger against his chest and shoves him with an ounce of power, sending him into the opposite wall. “I’m helping you. So let me do what you brought me along for and trust the answers I give you.”

Klaus pulls himself up and shakes himself like a wet dog. When he’s done he looks at Alea with a mischievous smile.

“You’ll find that my trust doesn’t come easily, love. But I think you’ve shown your skill.” Klaus says and steps towards the door. He tosses a smile over his shoulder as he leaves the bathroom. Alea sighs once she hears the click of the door and rushes to lock it.

Finally alone she takes her time with a shower and sits in her towel drying her hair as she thinks. The spell was a success and she’s grateful for that, but she hadn’t expected for the vision to continue after the initial spell. To have a second vision was unexpected. She feels a bit concerned, worried over what else might have been mistranslated or left out of the details she knew of the spell.

Then there was the energy she felt afterwards and when she meditated. Alea’s anxious about all the unknowns and can feel the knots building in her shoulders. She usually has plenty of time to research but with Klaus’s short temper, she’s running on his time. She wipes away the condensation on the mirror and looks at the dark circles under her eyes. Camping didn’t do any favors for her sleep, and sharing a suite with two men hasn’t been the most comfortable arrangement.

Her respite is over and she heads back out into the suite where Klaus is tapping his fingers on the counter and Stefan is reading on the couch. Alea throws her towel on her bed and curls up in her pajamas in the big chair across from Stefan. He looks tense, his shoulders tight as he stares at the pages of his book and ignores her. His knuckles are white where they grip the book and she wonders how much longer he can handle this road trip.

Alea stretches her legs out and curls across the arms of the chair, closing her eyes and trying to clear her head. The sound of Klaus’s nails on the counter taps away at her patience, the sound breaking her careful process. As soon as she feels the thoughts slipping away and the comfortable silence, the tapping breaks through.

Alea sighs and gets out of the chair, flicking her eyes towards Klaus and seeing his eyes already on her. His nails stop on the counter and his lips turn up at the corners in a mischievous grin. She rolls her eyes at him and leans forwards as she looks between him and Stefan.

“I’ll need time in here alone to meditate tomorrow, you’d both just be a distraction.” She says. Stefan puts down his book and takes a glance in her direction, his eyes looking guilty before they turn away. When he looks over at Klaus’s gleeful expression she can see the flinch that he fails to hide. Stefan will have to serve as a distraction while she works through these visions, and she wishes she was more apologetic for it.

“Stefan and I have plenty of work we can do to find local werewolves. Don't we, mate? There were a few leads we still needed to chase down.” Klaus says with no hidden joy at the prospect, a smile on full display. Stefan nods along and tries to make his face blank but Alea still catches the downturn of his brows at the way Klaus says ‘chase’.

Alea turns down the blanket on her bed and plugs in her phone, turning back and wishing them a goodnight before laying down. Her head hits the pillow and she blows out a calming breath. Listening to the quiet of the room and steady rhythm of her heart, Alea relaxes into sleep.

Chapter Text

Alea balances her weight steadily on one foot, leaning slowly forward with her hands clasping her other foot behind her back. The stretch makes the balancing even harder, a distraction as she tries to focus on her core muscles. Alea steadies her breathing and feels her weight settle.

The hotel is blessedly empty and Alea is stripped down for yoga, the furniture pushed away to make herself space. There’s a sheen of sweat on her skin and she can feel her muscles straining as she pushes to hold the position. She’s been at it for over an hour now and feels herself loosening up as she warms up. Days of yoga since the ritual have left her feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks and her shoulders feel lighter.

Slowly relaxing, Alea breathes out and rolls down into a sitting position with her heels together. Her focus turns inward and she loses track of her slow breaths as she looks in on her magic. The bright lines of it are woven into the fibers of herself and are easy to pick out, tracing along her veins as they race under her skin. Alea follows the twists of it towards the center and her hands fall against her stomach where the knot of it rests, turning in a vortex under her fingertips.

The deep hues of her energy still have the bright sparks that she saw in the car, stars in the dark sky of her magic. When her focus turns to them she’s able to touch them and draw their power out, hold it like her own and call on it, but it feels electric and tugs in her stomach, drawing her away. She can feel a distant pull as she holds the power and it stops when she lets it go.

Alea comes up for air, drawing her focus back to the room and rolling her shoulders. She needs her mind clear to meditate, a blank slate. Her breathing is a good place to start, she focuses on keeping herself even and slow. When her thoughts filter in she sweeps them away as though they were dust, slipping out of her mind so she is left in silence.

When her mind is quiet and her body starts to feel lighter. Alea stands up and can see herself step away from her own body. Watching from outside herself, the world slides in blurring speed. The Mystic Falls sign speeds past her and she sees the highschool comes into view. The Timberwolf of their mascot stands proudly outside of the door and growls at her before running off into the woods.

Alea takes running steps into the school and searches each room for anyone. Every room stands empty until she comes to the gym. Alea can see a kid on the floor, head at an odd angle and blood on the floor. A girl is crying at his side with her back to Alea and turns slowly at her entrance. Elena’s face is tear streaked and there’s blood dripping from a fresh wound at her neck, her wrists cut and bloody as she holds the boy on the floor.

“Elena what’s going on? What are you doing here?” Alea asks as she gets closer. Past Elena she can see a man in the shadows, glowing yellow eyes already giving him away. Alea reaches Elena just as Klaus comes out of the shadows and continues towards them. His mouth and chin are covered in sticky blood and she can see the same on his hands, a manic grin splits his face. Alea tugs on Elena’s arm and tries to pull her away from the boy.

“Come now, rabbit, I would think that’s obvious.” He says as he closes the distance and grabs Elena’s other shoulder. This close Alea can’t help but see how the gold has totally eclipsed the blue in his eyes, and the feral fire that burns in them. Elena is silent between them except for her crying, a deadweight in Alea’s hands.

“You think killing Elena again will fix your hybrid issue.” Alea considers aloud, staring Klaus down as she grips Elena harder. She takes a second look at the boy on the floor and now recognizes the Lockwood boy she’s only seen once or twice. His mouth is smeared in blood she has to assume is Klaus’s. “But if you're wrong you’re risking a 500 year wait, or worse. There must be something else we can try first.”

“If she doesn’t have to die, then what else is there?” Klaus growls, even her vision of him short tempered. He releases the girl and prowls away from them, stalking around the gym like a trapped animal. “What other purpose can a girl serve in our little magic ritual?”

Alea turns the question over in her head and looks at it from a less human point of view. To whoever made this spell the doppelganger wasn’t a person, they were an ingredient. What sorts of ways did you use an ingredient? Sacrifice was a classic, and was a favorite from what she had seen in the spell book this ritual was from. But you didn’t have to sacrifice the whole girl.

“Doppelganger blood instead of human. To trap you once you've broken the curse.” Alea says under her breath as she drops Elena like she’s been burned. The Lockwood boy picks that moment to wake up and gasps dramatically. Alea steps away as he sits up and his hands go around Elena, grasping her as his fangs pierce her neck. Elena doesn’t even struggle and is soon limp in his lap as he drops her.

Alea is silent when the boy looks at her, his eyes turning gold as they raise to her. She glances at Klaus who has a smirk like he’s almost proud of her, he puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“I knew you’d get it, love, just had to make it obvious enough.” He says as he licks his lips, running the back of his hand across his mouth. Alea steps back from the scene and her foot catches on something, she falls and lands hard on her hands. Her eyes open face to face with Bonnie’s glassy stare, dead face staring back at her where she lays on top of Caroline, piled next to Stefan and Jenna. She sees the other people from town, her shop assistants and the regular customers all piled together with blood splashed across them. Alea turns back to look at Klaus but finds him far closer than before, leaning into her space. “My children were hungry.”

Alea shoves Klaus away with a wave of power and the vision flickers. The pile of bodies wavers but the gym stays solid, a dark shadow in the corner flickering like an old tv. Alea throws another wave of power, directed at the corner, and sees the shadows flicker again, its outline blatant against the gym’s wall. Alea steps away from the bodies and towards the corner, ignoring Klaus as he stalks towards her.

“Who are you, haunting the shades of my visions and bringing death?” She calls as she gets closer, hurling a ball of light into the corner. The person curls away and only their back is visible before they dissipate. The soft edges of an older woman were all Alea could make out.

The vision of Klaus catches up to her and slams her against the wall, his hands a vise around her throat. “I will not be ignored!” He shouts at her as his claws dig into her throat. Alea gasps against his grip and her hands scratch at the skin of his wrists. His face is a dark scowl and the rest of the room fades to a dark cloud as her breathing stutters.

Alea grasps the threads of her magic and gives a hard tug, breaking her connection to the vision. Her breathing is hard and she can feel fresh sweat on her brow, anxiety a coil in her gut as she gets to her feet to pace. Her phone is in her hands almost before she knows it and she’s making a call without thinking. The line connects on the third ring and Alea is infinitely grateful it didn’t go to voicemail.

“Hello? Alea what’s wrong?” Bonnie says as she answers, her tired voice making Alea go still. Just the reminder that Bonnie is alive is enough to make her relax a little, the little ball of anxiety unraveling a little.

“Nothing immediate, I just had a bad dream. I needed to make sure you’re okay.” Alea tells her, her voice coming out rougher than she would have liked. The line is quiet for a minute and she can hear some shuffling before Bonnie speaks again.

“Yeah, I decided to spend some time with my dad. I left Mystic Falls for the summer, and I’m safe. Are you? You just disappeared with Stefan right after everything, it was crazy. They wanted to go looking for you guys.” Bonnie says in a rush, a hint of anxiety in her voice too. Alea can tell that even if she’s left Mystic Falls, she hasn’t left her worries behind.

“I’m okay, you don’t have to worry about Stefan or me. No one should come looking for us either, if you give me their number I’ll tell them that.” Alea insists urgently, if any of the kids were to follow them, let alone Elena herself, Klaus would be in an uproar. “I’m glad you got out of town, you deserve time away. If you want, I can send you some books so you can keep studying.” Alea offers, thinking of the few times they’d worked on Bonnie’s skills. Bonnie was such a gifted witch, she deserved all the resources that would help her become great.

“My dad doesn’t like all the witch stuff, I kind of have to keep it on the down low until I get back to town in a couple weeks.” Bonnie explains in a grumble, her annoyance betrayed by her tone. “Will you be back when school starts?”

“I don’t know. Even if I’m not, I’ll work with you on your skills, I can send books to the shop for you to practice with.” Alea promises, turning in circles as she talks on the phone, watching her feet as she walks the careful turns.

“It’s okay, everybody leaves.” Bonnie says with a sigh, silent when Alea starts saying her no’s and explanations. Their goodbyes are stilted and Alea ends the call feeling like a failure. Her circles end when she sets the phone back on the table and slumps into a chair in front of it, a hand in her hair pulling at the roots.

Klaus finds her like that when he and Stefan come back another hour later, he’s laughing at his own joke and Stefan is faking a smile. Alea turns at the sound and waits for them at the table, but Klaus freezes by the elevator, Stefan passing before he notices.

“What are those from?” Klaus says in a menacing whisper as he starts to creep further into the room. The sight is too close to her vision and makes Alea’s hackles raise as she backs up into the table, bumping it. She looks around for what he could mean and raises her hands in question. Klaus points an accusatory finger at her neck and Alea finds a mirror to see.

A ring of bruises has formed around her throat in the rough shape of fingers where she had been gripped in her vision. Alea traces the mark in the mirror and hisses when she presses too hard. Her voice had been strained but she’d attributed it to disuse while meditating.

“I had another vision, it was rougher than I thought.” Alea explains simply with a shrug. Her voice is gravelly and she wonders how she didn’t guess from the sound. “It’s fine.” she says with a flap of her hand. Klaus’s face is dark and she’s close to flinching, her tight grip keeping her steady. Stefan smartly stays quiet behind them and edges towards his bed.

“It seems nothing you do comes without a bit of danger, love” Klaus says as he steps closer and sits down next to her. He takes a sharp bite of his wrist that breaks the quiet in the room, dripping blood as he passes it over to her. Alea reels back from the arm and wrinkles her nose as she looks up at Klaus. His face is serious and he pushes his wrist closer towards her face the further she pulls away.

Alea sighs before pulling the wrist in and closing her mouth over the wound, licking over it as blood fills her mouth. The coppery taste isn’t entirely foreign, and makes her stomach turn at the first mouthful. Her tongue smooths over the teeth marks as they heal and her lips pull away with a pop. She could swear that Klaus purrs but the sound is too quiet for her to be sure, more of a rumble than a sound.

Alea tries to get space once she’s done wiping her mouth, standing up and stepping away. Klaus grips her wrist before she can get far. His gentle fingers circle her wrist and drag her back and turn her so she’s facing him. He tips her chin up and hums as he tilts it side to side.

“Perfect.” He says as he lets his fingers slide down her neck. Alea backs away and can’t fight the blush she can feel on her cheeks, shaking her wrist out of Klaus’s hand. His grin is mischievous and there’s a rim of gold around the blue of his iris.

The room feels too small with Klaus back. Alea wraps up in a sweater and grabs the menu off the table, using it to cover her flaming cheeks. The small list of food offerings is a good distraction from the mix of signals her senses are getting. Stefan is a constant bitter note of almond with bright notes of lemon and the zing of grapefruit when Klaus gets him riled up. Klaus’s aura fills the room with the sweet smell of peaches, honey, and cloves; smelling like a baked dessert.

She spent the morning clearing her head just to feel overwhelmed as soon as they came back. Her head aches from how strong it is, so she takes a deep breath and tries to wall it off. She manages to seal almost all of it off, only a sliver of it coming through, the hint of honey tickling her senses.

“So was this vision at least helpful, or did it rough you up for no reason?” Klaus asks as he lounges in his chair. He’s got an arm thrown over the back, a leg over the arm, and he looks for all the world like he couldn’t care. But the spark behind his eyes shows the hint of irritation he’s trying to hide.

“Yeah, it was helpful. I think I’m closer to an answer now.” Alea says. She tries to keep her eyes off Stefan, but they slide over to him on their own. His eyes are avoiding hers and she has a feeling he’s already guessed. The answer isn’t enough for Klaus, his nails are claws on the edge of his chair as he waits for her to continue.

“It’s a missing ingredient, there’s something we need as part of turning the hybrids.” Alea starts, pausing as she turns her eyes back to Klaus. Stefan shifts his eyes towards her sharply and she doesn’t see the angry gleam in his eyes before he pounces. His hand is around her throat and he’s dragging her towards the balcony in a flash that has her seeing stars. It takes barely a flick of his wrist to send her flying over the railing.

Chapter Text

She reaches out blindly for something to grab onto, a scream wrenched out of her throat as the air flies by. She throws out her power like a blanket as though just that will save her, the unshaped force of it slowing her descent slightly. Her hands catch on a railing and it feels like her shoulders might get pulled from their sockets.

Hanging from one hand she’s only two stories up from the ground. She reaches her other hand up and forces her muscles to work to pull herself up and onto the balcony. She lays there panting for unending minutes, staring at the ceiling as she tries to reel in her breathing. Her whole body tingles with adrenaline and she can’t tell what hurts the most. The remaining vampire blood in her system will work to heal her, and she can’t even start to think how glad she is to have not died.

Eventually a door slams open and footsteps stomp towards her until Klaus is standing over her. He falls to his knees next to her and his hands land on her face with gentle fingers that hold her cheeks with care. He tilts her face until he can see the extent of the damage and growls when he sees the fading marks. She bats his hand away and rolls to her feet with a grumble.

“Is there some reason Stefan wouldn’t like you talking about your latest vision?” Klaus asks with a tight voice, holding the door open and gesturing through. Alea sighs and knows there’s little escaping it now, even if there had been before. Stefan’s attack had only made it harder to keep anything from Klaus. Alea nods as she follows him to the elevator, watching the floors tick by so slowly.

“I think he already had an idea of what it could be, and he wanted to cover it up. He’s just shitty at it.” Alea tells him as they come back into the hotel suite. Stefan is dead on the carpet right by the balcony, his neck twisted at an odd angle, and Alea looks away with a shudder. Klaus strolls around the counter and disappears until he comes back up with a bottle of scotch and two glasses.

“I take it that I won’t be a fan of the remedy.” He says as he pours them both a drink and passes her a glass. He takes his own in careful fingers and motions for her to get on with it. Alea goes to take a sip but blanches when the smell turns her stomach.

“From what I can tell, we need to go back to Mystic Falls.” Alea starts slowly, already making Klaus groan. He throws back his drink and starts pouring himself more as he grumbles under his breath. “Because you need doppelganger blood to turn the hybrids. It sounds like it was meant to be a way to stop you from making more hybrids.” She finishes lamely, eyes fixed on her glass as the silence becomes deafening. Klaus’s glass shatters. Sending shards across the counter top and into the carpet.

“You knew the doppelganger was still alive.”

“You didn’t ask. And you still got to complete your ritual, your curse is broken, we just found a way around her permanent death. It just so happens that it now serves your purposes.” Alea tries to smooth over, sniffing her drink and recoiling as she watches him fume. His face is scrunched in outraged anger, eyebrows drawn and mouth a tense frown. He takes to pacing the room, long paths stopping near her as he refills his drink.

“I don’t believe you, I say we kill her again just in case once wasn’t enough.”

“Because doppelgangers are such a dime a dozen.” Alea says as she pushes away her glass and pours herself water. Klaus points an angry finger at her and marches over, caging her in against the counter as she slips the ice into her glass.

“Don’t think to lecture me on their abundance, I have waited through three generations of Petrova doppelgangers.” He says with a scowl, his hand gripping her chair and scratching down its arm as his nails turn to claws. Alea pulls an extra ice cube and slips it into his glass, clinking them together before sipping on her own.

“It wasn’t a lecture. If you want to say whatever will make you feel less frustrated, that’s one thing, but making a plan that will work is another. Witch’s tend to have a lot of experience using rare ingredients, one of a kind ingredients, sometimes even human ones. We have to make plans on how best to obtain them.” Alea explains as she puts a hand on Klaus’s chest and steps off her stool. He steps back, and steps further as she steps into him, until she pushes him to sitting on the couch. “We have to convince people that they want to give us things. We make deals to get those hard to find ingredients, those rare books or to die for recipes. Witches know how to make plans, because vampires forget how hard it is to survive, werewolves forget how weak they were, and humans don’t know how long life can be.” She lays out for him, dropping his drink into his hand and turning back to the counter for her own. She takes a long gulp of her water before looking at him again. His eyes are a bright fire and are flashing gold at her, the hold he has on his glass is careful where his other grips the couch with white knuckles.

“And witches have cornered the market on good plans then? I had no idea.” Klaus says sarcastically, his eyes rolling at her from across the room. Alea snorts at him and brings him the bottle of scotch from behind the bar. “ I suppose I can agree to trying alternatives before killing the girl again.”

“How gracious of you.” Alea says before sitting beside him on the couch. The room feels less tense, sitting together and sipping their drinks. They are quiet as they watch the sun setting across the balcony, its red hues passing over the room and casting deep shadows on the room. Alea swirls her water and sips slowly.

Stefan wakes up with a gasp and looks around with wide eyes. His head turns to them and his face turns pleading when he sees how relaxed Alea is next to Klaus. Klaus hands his drink over to Alea, his hand offering it to her silently as he stares Stefan down. He stalks across the room with his hands clasped behind him and the long shadows play across his features to make them look sharper.

“It seems we have an issue, mate. Not only have you been keeping secrets from me.” He says as he kneels beside Stefan, who’s gone rigid and wide eyed. “You also decided to attempt to kill my witch.” He adds as he rubs a hand across his chin, eyeing Stefan with a critical gaze. Stefan rushes to speak, trying to explain himself, but Klaus shushes him with a quick motion. He smiles crookedly and grips Stefan’s chin so he can’t look away.

“I think it's time you remember everything, friend.” He murmurs in a sickly sweet tone. Stefan’s eyes glaze over and Alea can see the way he sways for a moment before snapping to attention. She sets the drinks away and decides now would be a good time to step away, Klaus’s plans had a tendency to get messy when it came to Stefan.

“I knew you..” Stefan whispers, his voice small as he stares at Klaus in confusion. Alea looks between them with a similar confused expression, starting to understand why Klaus wanted Stefan specifically for this trip. “We were friends in Chicago. Why make me forget if we were so close?”

“We were on the run, and you would have drawn too much attention to bring with us.” Klaus explains with a shrug. He gets back up and casually goes back over to the couch for his drink, ignoring Stefan’s existential crisis.

“But, what happened to Rebecca? Your sister?” Stefan asks as he slowly gets up, keeping wary eyes on Klaus. Alea watches between them, not all that surprised he has a sister. Elijah had mentioned family, and she had seen the effect of the dagger on him. It reminds her of the deep cold of the dagger’s aura, making her reach fingertips to her scar instinctively.

It makes her think of Elijah, she misses feeling his aura wrapped around her and the string of it wrapped somewhere near her heart. If she concentrates, moving her fingertips just inches, she can feel the remnants of his power lingering even now. It hurts in a way she doesn’t expect, making her miss Klaus’s response as she reaches for the piece of Elijah she still has. Focusing inwards the small string of bright white energy feels strong as she tucks it closer to her heart, feeling the imprint of his aura. The scent of clean linen, tea, and warm apples.

When Alea focuses back on the room around her Klaus is looking at her with a frown. She feels the tear resting on her cheek and turns away as she brushes it off, ignoring the sharp feeling in her gut. Stefan is staring at the floor, rocked by the new memories and the revelation of his friendship with Klaus. Klaus seems frustrated, looking between them as he kicks the carpet and gets a refill.

“It’s time we head back to Virginia.” Klaus announces as he watches Stefan with a frown. Stefan’s head spins towards him and he gets ready to beg, his face stuck close to tears and he walks over. But Alea is faster.

“We still need wolves.” She points out. “The only wolf there is Lockwood, we may as well get wolves while we’re here and bring them back with us. Elena will be there.” She explains as she gestures. Klaus looks frustrated but she doesn’t mind, what’s the point in rushing back up there when they can be prepared?

“We have a few leads on packs in the area, we would have the best chance of finding them on the full moon, at the end of the week.” Stefan interjects, his face losing the desperation it had. Alea watches Klaus as his face displays his journey between frustration and acceptance. His pride is the biggest obstacle, appeasing that with practicality was the easiest method.

“We can attempt to persuade any wolves we find by the next full moon. After that we return to Mystic Falls.” He decides dropping his drink onto the counter. Stefan looks thankful for all of two seconds, the time before he’s launched out the window.

Klaus looks down at his handiwork and smiles a tight curl of his lips. He looks back at Alea as he pushes off the railing and heads back to her side.

“I’m sorry, he shouldn’t have been able to hurt you with me so close.” He says when he gets close, his hand reaching to play with strands of her hair. Alea holds his hand to stop him, he takes her hand and kisses her knuckles where bruises are healing. She knows she’s blushing, can feel the heat of it. He pulls her into his chest, laying her hand on his shoulder and sliding his fingertips down her wrist to her elbow, up to her shoulder and across to her collar bone.

Alea feels chills race across her skin and her head feels fuzzy, warm where his aura has filled up the room with baked peaches and the wild scent of the forest. The electric energy in her tingles where their skin touches, reaching out to connect them and feed off his energy. She can feel the heady waves of magic that he gives off when his palms lay across her skin.

His hand slides across the back of her neck and cups the back of her head, grabbing a handful of her hair to help direct her mouth to his as he lays his lips across hers. Everything wrapped up together feels so nice, the warmth of his body pressed up against her, the spiced sweetness of his aura filling her senses and overwhelming her, and the tingling sensation where her magic connects to him. But there’s something in the back of her mind, some small instinct that is warning her this is dangerous.

Klaus sweeps his tongue across her lips and she can feel his rumbling purr where their chests connect. Her mind is swept up in sensation, the warning bell her instincts are trying to give her just a distant sound that she can’t hear over her own moan. His hand in her hair tugs enough to make her arch her neck backwards, leaning away so he can leave biting kisses along her neck and down to her chest. Alea trails her hands down his shirt until she finds skin at the hemline, pushing her fingers underneath and laying her palms spread against him.

Klaus returns the favor and slips his hand under her shirt to pull it upwards, pulling away from her for a moment as he slips it over her head. When their skin is apart, just for a moment her head feels clearer, she looks up through her lashes and sees his bright eyes as he stares at her, his mouth open as he breathes heavily.

“You smell so good, love. I can smell how wet you are.” Klaus whispers as he pulls her back in by the hips, one hand spreading across her back as the other gently trailed up her chest. He nuzzled his face against her neck, his nose making a sweep between her shoulder and ear as he breathed her in. Alea gripped him tightly, breathing heavily as his hands held her.

Alea moans at the way Klaus pinched and rolled her nipples, pulling her hips into him as he growled into her throat. His hands on her hips pulled her tighter against him as he walked them backwards towards the couch. They twisted as he fell, falling so she laid beneath him on the cushions. Alea pushes at his shirt and he pulls it off in a flash, looking down at her with blown pupils and a feral smile. He’s snug between her legs and rolls his hips against hers with a growl.

Alea strokes down his chest as she bucks against him. Every bit of skin that touches is electric, it seems just like before at the ritual. With their chests pressed together and the friction between their hips Alea feels full of energy, overwhelmed by the magic in her veins. The heaviness in her head leaves her unfocused and she can’t concentrate, she feels out of control. He’s kissing her throat and nipping her jaw, purring against her when she finally snaps.

Too full of energy, Alea’s head falls back and as she sighs a wave of magic sweeps the room. A wind picks up and sweeps the loose items up with it. Klaus didn’t even seem to notice, caught up in rubbing himself against her and nuzzling his face into her throat. Alea gasps and moans, her hands claws in his shoulders and her legs wrapped tight around his hips. The wind is sharp against her face and the chill of it against her skin feels almost soothing on her overheated skin.

The crackle of the energy under her skin was almost too much. It burned and stung along her veins, reminding her of the lightning. Klaus smoothed a hand across her waist and the feeling of it was almost painful. The wind in the room became charged with static and a bolt burst a glass sitting on the counter. Klaus pulled away, looking around them at the howling wind and the static bolts that singed the carpet.

“Is there something going on, love?” He asks as he pulls further away, giving her room to breathe. Without his skin touching hers, Alea feels like her head is finally clearer, the air isn’t as heated and the energy in her veins doesn’t burn as much. The wind dies down the further away he pulls. “What seems to be going on.” He asks again as he sits back and gives her room, pushing himself a seat back from her.

“I don’t know. It's just too much energy, I can’t contain it. It feels like I’m burning up inside.” Alea groans, huddling in the corner seat and trying to focus on her breathing. “My head doesn’t feel right.” She mumbles as she presses against her temples and tries to block out the press of his aura. The storm has died down and Klaus is pressed as far as he can get from her on the couch. Klaus reaches out to her, a hand open to her, but she flinches back.

“I don’t understand, is it some magical trick I wouldn’t know about? Because I’ve fucked witches before and haven’t had an issue.” Klaus pushes as he pulls further away, standing so he can walk away from the couch and pace. The distance gives Alea clarity and she pulls her shirt on with trembling fingers.

“I don’t know, honestly. Since the ritual there’s been something weird going on when you get close to me. There’s some strange energy mixed up in my magic and I’ve been trying to figure it out. I think it has something to do with whatever this is.” Alea explains as she bites at her nails, looking everywhere but at Klaus who has frozen in his pacing. “It feels like my head gets stuffed with cotton, and when you touch me it’s like I get super charged, I can’t contain it. It was getting painful.” She adds, a flush creeping up her neck at feeling so exposed. Having her shirt off had felt less personal than explaining her magical conundrum.

“So after the ritual, the magic made you do it?” Klaus says slowly, his tone carefully neutral. His body is faced away but Alea can read the tense lines of his shoulders and back. She holds herself still as she thinks back over what she said and rethinks the last few days. She hadn’t felt totally herself after the ritual, almost in a haze, but she wasn’t blaming the magic for her having sex with Klaus. Should she?

“No…” Alea says weakly, looking down at the carpet as she thinks it over. She hadn’t felt weird about it afterwards, maybe a little since it had been so sudden, but she didn’t feel taken advantage of. Klaus had no idea how she was feeling, she hadn’t even really known. “The magic made it easier to do it, I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to.” She decides aloud. Klaus’s shoulders slump in relief and she can hear him sigh. He peaks at her over his shoulder and turns slowly, sliding down the far wall to sit across from her.

“But something is messing with your head when I touch you.” He concludes for her. “And that makes this complicated.”

They stare at each other from across the room, silent in the wrecked room. There are scorch marks on the carpet, papers strewn about, and glassware broken in the kitchen. Alea feels frozen where she is on the couch, her body is tense and she’s keeping all her senses on a tight leash. Klaus’s face is carefully blank, but she had seen the worry and hurt that he had hidden at the revelation, she hadn’t seen any anger though. Maybe some frustration, and she wished she could let her guard down to have the peak into his emotions.

“I’m sorry, the spell didn’t include any information about this, it’s not anything I was expecting.” Alea pleads in a whisper, she tucks her legs up to her chest and pulls herself as far into the corner as she can, feeling small. “I just need time to fix it.”

“Are my feelings affected too? I’ve felt something strange, an instinct to look at you maybe, or to find you sometimes.” Klaus says as he lets his head fall back against the wall and stares at the ceiling. His hands are tight on his knees and his body is tense where he sits. “Did you cast something to connect us?”

“The spell I used is very old, some of the words don’t have a direct translation anymore, I did what I could. With your blood being the focus, it’s possible that something went wrong, or that a connection was supposed to be part of it. But that wasn’t my intent.” Alea explains as she thinks it through. She sorts through her feelings and tries to touch the energy she’s been feeling inside her. The power is there at her fingertips and she tugs on it experimentally. Klaus’s head pops up to stare at her with raised brows.

“I felt that.” He whispers. His face drops and he frowns as he considers, hand rubbing his jaw. “We need to stay apart until we can get some control over this mess. Is it just skin or proximity?” He asks with a look of concentration. Alea is surprised at how level headed he’s taking this.

“I think touch is the worst. Your aura was overwhelming before but now it gets dizzying.” she tries to explain, feeling embarrassed at her lack of control. Klaus seems intrigued when she mentions his aura but nods along and slowly gets up and sits across from her on the armchair. “I think we should be able to control it given enough exposure over time, but right now it's too new. Some time with no touching would probably be best.” She continues with a tight smile.

“I agree.” He says with a sly grin. “I want the next time you kiss me to be because you want to, not because some magic makes you.”

Chapter Text

It takes a few days for them to find a new routine. Alea and Klaus avoid being close to each other for the most part, taking opposite ends of the room when relaxing in the suite. But during breakfast and after dinner they take time to practice. They spend time carefully close together, and holding hands, until it feels too tempting to do more.

The first day was almost a failure, they’d leaned in too far and Alea had reached for his arm to drag him closer. But Klaus had pushed back from the table with huffing breaths and left the suite without a backward glance. They had done much better after that.

Alea spent her days meditating and doing yoga. She devoted time to studying the grimoire that the divination spell had come from, trying to get some insight into what may be going on or how to undo it. She studied her books for any references to blood ties and other kinds of soul bonds to see if it may fit the bill. She’d felt better about her control of whatever connected them, but no closer to disentangling their bond.

Klaus and Stefan had continued their search for werewolves while Alea stayed at the hotel. They took the car and drove across the state to chase down leads and information. She didn’t want to know what all they had done together as long as they came back clean, they called if they needed any magical help. She knew by the look in Stefan’s eyes that he was still going on binges. If Klaus wasn’t instigating it then he was finding his own reasons for his ripper urges.

She had found blood in the shower and in the sinks too many times, living with them had gotten her too used to seeing it. Before this trip the idea of casual murder was much higher on her list of concerning behavior, now she lived in a gray area. She didn’t condone their actions but she had no power to stop them either. She had to find a way to live with herself.

Stefan had told her after about a week that they had a solid lead on a group of wolves in the area. At dinner both the vampires are too distracted to order anything. Alea eats on her own as they pour over maps and photos from newspapers. Her skills tend to be in tracking objects more than people so she orders herself something indulgent and sits on the balcony.

The city is still a vast unknown to her. As much time as they’ve spent here she’s spent almost all of it cooped up inside. She feels lonely, looking out at the wide view of busy streets and bright lights. She misses having a routine that wasn’t contained to a hotel room. Alea is surprised when she feels tears on her cheeks and quickly wipes them away. There are far worse things than being stuck in lavish hotel rooms that are being paid for by millenia old hybrids.

Still, Alea feels the tight leash like a collar on a lap dog. She’s worked freelance for sixty years and avoided contracts like this for a reason. Plenty of witches fall into lifelong deals with stronger supernatural beings and find safety that way, Alea didn’t want that to be her fate, she wanted to make her own way and set her own course. Now she felt trapped.

But she wanted to do right by Bonnie and see her contract with Klaus through, it had barely been two and a half months and already she was chomping at the bit, who knew how she would last a year. She missed Mystic Falls, she missed Elijah, she really missed her flower shop. Staring out into the wide cityscape and brushing off tears, Alea felt more alone than ever.

It was late, the boys had another hunting trip in the morning and Alea wanted to get some research done on werewolf culture. She slipped past Stefan and Klaus who were finishing off blood bags in the kitchen and closed herself off in her room. It wasn’t really all that private considering their senses but it made her feel better. This hotel had started to feel more familiar, spending over a week here had made it feel homey in a way that made Alea miss her apartment in Virginia.

Laid out in bed the silence gave her room to think about all the things she didn’t want to. She could feel a string behind her heart that felt cold and had been aching, a bruise behind her ribs that she’d been working to ignore. It had the smooth feeling of fresh pressed linen and the sharp edge of steel she knew belonged to Elijah, she just had hoped it would fade.

The small string has caught on her, pulling her some days, turning her head to look over her shoulder for someone who wasn’t there. She wanted him there and hated knowing he had that dagger in his heart. Just the thought of the dagger kept her up some nights, tossing and turning with the ghost of it in her shoulder.

Arm across her eyes she sighed into the silent room, trying to shake loose her thoughts. She needed a full night's sleep for once. Her thoughts usually turned to imagining what Klaus and Stefan had done that day, what blood they had on their hands, how high the body count had gotten. She was on a roadtrip with serial killers and couldn’t let herself forget that.

The night twists the day’s events into abstract versions of the truth. Dreams of red rooms filled with billowing sheets that tangle in her clawing hands as she races for freedom. Forests of eyes that watch her trip down a splitting path that crumbles the further she crawls, the ground falling apart between her fingers. The moon shines bright through windows and trees as the only constant, pristine and white.

When Alea wakes up the suite is empty, there’s a note on the table, and her stomach is rumbling.The fridge is completely empty and there’s nothing in the cabinet, her only hope is to order in. The menu is boring at this point, she’s had everything that looks good already. The menu gets thrown across the room and Alea sits at the counter with a huff.

Stefan and Klaus said they’d be back late, or tomorrow if things went poorly. She could be on her own until tomorrow and they’d call if they needed her. Alea scans the hotel room and sees her yoga mat rolled in the corner. Her muscles might feel better with a good stretch. The yoga mat is quick to roll out and the couch is light enough that she can push it out of the way without issue, she has a spot in the middle of the room big enough to work with.

But food first. Alea sighs as she picks the menu back up and dials for service, ordering the same thing she’s had the last three nights in a row. Hotel life has become draining and she never thought that would be possible, the cozy life here feels constricting. Alea misses her little flower shop more than she thought she would.

Alea grabs a few candles from her bag and sets them around her yoga mat, roughly mapping out a circle. She nudges one and nods as she looks at the set up. Sitting down and getting comfortable, she takes a deep breath, filling her lungs and focusing on the feeling of it. Alea clears her mind and focuses inward as she unwraps her energy, lighting the candles around her.

Alea stretches through her forms, breathing slowly as she moves into them. Her body contorts smoothly through each form, shifting into them and feeling the pull on her muscles as she stretches and flexes. She settles into a final pose, on her spread knees with her arms bent down behind her as her back arches to stretch her muscles. She breathes deep and opens her chest, spreading her shoulders, to get more air.

She can feel energy swirling deep in her gut, she spreads it outward, the flames on the candles wavering from tall blazes to barely there sparks. The burning magic radiates across her skin, a sweat gleaming where the heat has gotten to her, and she burns from the heat of it. She pulls on the glowing swirls of energy the connect her to Klaus and the heat redoubles.

The candles ignite in tall flashes before burning out. There’s scorch marks left behind where even the wax has been burned away. The energy still wants out though. Now that Alea has tapped into it the magic tingles across her nerves and into her fingers, begging her to let it out. Sparks form from the static energy, arcing off her and burning the floor around her. Her gut feels taut with holding back the flood of energy, Alea pulls back from her connection, trying to unwrap herself from the spark she tapped into.

The disconnect reverberates through her like a physical slap. Her body rocks with the change in energy and she shifts to kneeling, bending to have her arms in front of her as she gasps for air. She stares at the scorch marks beneath her and she tries to slow her breathing.

It comes out of nowhere when the vision whites out her vision. But maybe she should have expected it.

When she can see again she looks up to see trees. She’s in the middle of a swamp, the kind she’s seen around here with old trees that block out the sun and mossy water that seems alive. Alea looks around to try and get her bearings but she doesn’t recognize anything. She gets up and wanders around, walking wherever she feels pulled.

She steps across logs and through shallow water until she sees a light. There’s a bright light through the trees ahead and she pushes through the undergrowth until she sees it. Past the last branches she sees the light fade as Klaus is revealed. He’s standing in a large clearing surrounded by a group of wolves, maybe sixteen at the most.

Alea stays back as she watches him, holding to the treeline as she edges around the clearing. Klaus is staring at one of the wolves across the clearing quite intently, his golden eyes unblinking as his lips pull back and he growls at the wolf. The dark brown colored wolf growls back and raises his head, looking Klaus in the eye. Klaus takes a step forward and Alea wonders if he’ll just kill the wolf.

Instead she sees Klaus transform, leaping until he lands on paws that are covered in sandy colored fur. He snarls at the wolf and leans into his space, his jaws inches from his neck. The other wolf shies away and whimpers as he submits under Klaus’s dominating display. The other wolves howl and bark as they bow to Klaus, submitting in front of the new alpha.

Alea steps further around the clearing to get a better view, edging around the gathering of wolves. Her foot lands on a branch and the resounding snap echoes around the space. She looks up and sees that every head has turned her direction, the golden eyes of Klaus’s wolf looking at her sharply as his body turns towards her. Alea holds still as Klaus steps towards her, the pack watching his every move with heads that move as one.

When he gets to her Klaus’s wolf sits in front of her, his head tilted as he stares at her. Alea almost steps back but the wolf barks sharply at her, sitting up and quickly laying his paws on her shoulder, knocking her down. Alea pushes at the wolf’s chest and shoulders as she struggles underneath him. His jaws hover around her throat as she twists under him, the hint of teeth making her freeze. Alea holds as still as she can as the wolf sniffs at her neck.

There’s a deep rumble from his chest before he lifts his head and howls, the pack around him joining in. The sound dies off as her view of them blurs, the wolf above her becoming a gray blur before her vision whites out again. Alea wakes up breathing hard as she stares at the ceiling. She’s laying on her back flat on the carpet next to her yoga mat, on top of where her candles have been burnt out. She lays still and calms her breathing, holding a hand over her heart.

It isn’t much later that the door opens and Klaus walks in caked in dirt followed by an equally filthy Stefan. He takes one look at the burnt up living room and the way Alea is laying in the middle of it and sighs. He waves Stefan away and opens his phone, texting his clean up crew. He takes a comfortable seat on the couch close to where Alea is laying, her eyes watching him.

“It looks like you’ve had fun without us, love. What have you gotten up to?” Klaus asks as he surveys the scene with a more critical eye. He can smell the smoke and burnt carpet, the waxy smell of candles even if he can’t see any. He can see an approximation of a circle of burnt spots in the carpet as well as notice that the little electrical burns are distinctly missing from where Alea is laying.

“I was just trying to do some yoga.” Alea starts, folding up to sitting and pulling a hand through her unruly hair, she feels like a mess and her body is exhausted. “I had another vision when I started messing with our connection. It was about werewolves this time, but it wasn’t very clear.” She explains, brushing her hair over her shoulder. Klaus growls as she moves, leaning forward where he sits and gripping the couch tightly.

“What is that?” He asks in a tight voice as he nods towards her neck. Alea walks to the mirror and sees the red outline of teeth marks from where the wolf’s teeth held her. They should go away in hours, not even a real bruise, but Klaus’s face has transformed from the anger that has his muscles tightly holding him still. “A wolf marked you?!” he nearly yells, his voice cracking as he steps towards her and boxes her against the wall.

“It was your wolf. You marked me.” Alea whispers as she backs up as much as she can. Klaus freezes where he stands, his arm against the wall, leaning into her space. Both of their breathing is heavy as they stared at each other, held still and muscles taut. Alea knew some of werewolf culture, she had been married to one, but Charlie had never mentioned a wolf marking like this. She didn’t spend much time with him when he was a wolf, his lack of control a danger to her that they couldn’t do much about. But she had tried a few times to be close to his wolf, it hadn’t worked great.

“No.” He murmurs simply, standing straighter but not pulling back. “It’s just a vision, maybe it has another meaning.” He offers as his eyes return to their ocean blue, the veins receding slowly as his eyes leave the mark on her neck and return to her eyes. He stares at her, his eyes slipping to her lips and back to her eyes quickly. His hand on the wall slides down until it rests next to her shoulder, just a hair's breadth away. She can feel the static in the air between their skin, the tension the space creates, both of them tense as they watch each other.

“What would it mean? What is my vision telling you?” Alea asks him, she thinks she knows just based on his reaction. She’s not dumb. But she wants to know how he’ll react, she wants to see how he feels. She feels conflicted. If it means what she thinks it does then they’re in trouble.

“I don’t think you really want to know.” He whispers as he leans back in, his other arm closing her in. “I don’t think you want to know my wolf chose you in your little vision. I think that would scare both of us, love.” He says with a sad looking grin. He looks conflicted, his smile sad but his eyes showing a hint of happiness, a light behind them she could see. Alea breathes in a calming breath and tries to focus. His proximity was making it hard to think, the feel of his energy intoxicating. Alea pushes down those feelings and tries to lock them up, but she still feels a coil of heat in her gut, her own attraction a distraction of its own.

“I guess we’ll deal with it later?” Alea says with a trembling smile, feeling nervous under his intense scrutiny. He leans in close to her, his lips coming close to her ear as he whispers. His body is so close she can feel the heat of him.

“I hate seeing it on you because I didn’t get to put it there. But my wolf loves seeing its mark on you.” he says, so close she swears she feels his lips move against her ear, the ghost of his skin sending a shiver down her spine. Alea gulps before looking at him, seeing a bright fire in his eyes and tension in his shoulders as he holds himself back. There’s barely any space between them, if she just leaned forward they would be touching, and it’s so tempting. His head dips so that his breath ghosts over the mark on her neck and she feels the rumble of his purr as he inhales.

There’s the sick sound of crunching as he bites into his own wrist, offering it to her quickly. Alea takes the wrist in a careful hand and closes her lips over the wound. The blood fills her mouth and the coppery taste is hard to swallow,quick gulps and small licks across the skin with her tongue help the blood flow faster, letting her pull away sooner. When she pulls back his eyes are already on her, a gold rim around the edges. His thumb swipes across her lower lip, his hand cupping her jaw as he wipes away the excess blood.

They’re quiet as they look at each other, his hand resting on her chin as they watch each other’s eyes. There’s an electric charge in his touch, warmth and tingles that travels across her skin. She leans into his hand and hears a rumbling purr. He looks at her and she feels relaxed, safe in this little bubble that’s just the two of them. His whole attention is on her and she wonders for a moment why he hasn’t closed the distance, but she remembers.

“I want you to kiss me.” She whispers, looking at his lips as she says it. She’s watched his lips before, the berry kissed color of them a distraction when he talks. She can see the way his eyes drop to her lips too, so close to where his hand rests. His fingers trace her jaw and his thumb rubs across her lips, tracing the shape of them. He’s watching her reaction, the way her mouth falls open and her pupils dilate.

“I very much want to kiss you, rabbit.” He says as he leans the last few inches forwards, his nose tracing a line down hers before he hovers near her lips. He barely touches her, just the press of skin, and then he devours her. His mouth is devastating in the way he consumes her. He licks and nips, pressing his lips and sliding them across hers, tilting her head and using his thumb on her chin to press her mouth open. His tongue is scintillating, sweeping across her mouth and lips, stroking against her tongue.

Alea can barely breathe, focused so much on separating the sensations and how it all feels, it’s hard to get a breath. She brings her hands up to his arms and grips him hard along his biceps, feeling the muscles there. She runs her hands up to his shoulders and enjoys the feeling of his strong arms as she feels her way upwards. She pulls him in by his shoulders, pressing herself against him so she can feel the warmth he had teased her with.

He breaks away from their kiss breathing hard, and looks down at her, his hand running across her cheek and into her hair. He puts his forehead to hers and breathes her in, holding her close, pulling her tight like she’d pulled him in. He can feel the connection they have, the electric pull to touch her runs deep in his gut. But he’s promised himself to go slow, and he isn’t Elijah but he keeps his promises to himself.

Alea looks up at Klaus through her eyelashes, breathing in the scent of him mixed with his aura. They’re so close together and it feels right somehow, the connection to him soothing her nerves and tugging her closer to him. She could ignore that, but it was also nice to be held by him; the feel of his arms around her made her feel safe. The way he treated her made her feel untouchable. The feeling of his mouth on hers and the things it did to her were also a factor.

Alea ran a hand across Klaus’s jaw, feeling the rough stubble there. She knows this moment has to end, they shouldn’t get too caught up in it.

“How did your hunt go?” she asks to break the spell. Klaus blinks a few times, pulling his face away as he adjusts to the topic change. He doesn’t seem upset but he grumbles a bit and shrugs her hands off as he straightens himself out.

“We have a good lead. We found one of the local werewolves, we just need an opportunity to chat with them.” He says as he steps away and goes to the kitchen. He brings out a bottle of familiar scotch and Alea follows after him.

“Do you need help tracking him?” She offers as she watches him pour their drinks. He sets down the bottle and offers her a glass as he shrugs, his face scrunching as he thinks it over.

“I’m sure you’d be far more efficient than our methods but I thought it would be a lovely bonding experience for Stefan and I. I haven’t had many good opportunities with him.” He says as he looks over at Stefan’s door where the man had promptly disappeared once they’d gotten back. He looks sad as he glares at the door, she can tell he’s actually frustrated by Stefan. “Consider it a boy’s trip.” He adds as he swirls his drink.

“I don’t think a little hunting trip will be enough, but I wish you the best of luck.” Alea says as she leans on the counter. She takes a sniff of her drink and notices his appraisal of her, his head tilted to the side as he eyes her.

“Do you?” He asks flatly, the same inquisitive look on his face as he continues to look her over. “If I had asked you for a contract outside of all this, would you have considered it? Could you have even worked with me if I didn’t hold your friends' lives in my hands?”

Alea freezes at Klaus’s questions, she can see how serious he is about it in the set of his jaw and the tension of his shoulders. He wants to know if she’ll side with him, if she can be on his side. Alea wonders what it must be like to live like he and Elijah do, trading lives and always watching their backs for everyone to betray them. A thousand years of looking over your shoulder doesn’t breed trust.

“I do. I don’t do long term contracts. I do the work as it comes to me. But I would have done work for you if you didn’t threaten me for it.” Alea tells him honestly. She’s done work for shady people before, she didn’t feel great about it but she didn’t do any of the hurting herself. She also can see that breaking the curse was meant to happen, it was a missing part of who he was. She knows Klaus has other witches on retainer, there must be some of them that actually want to be doing the work.

Klaus seems to think it over for a while, she relaxes and trades the bourbon for water and orders them dinner before he turns back to her. His eyes are stormy and his face looks conflicted. He shuffles them over to the couch and has her sit down. His knees bump hers with how close he sits and she isn’t sure whether it’s an accident or if he is seeking comfort.

“Have I told you about my father?”

Chapter Text

Alea has the next day to herself, and she’s almost thankful. She needed the space to fully process Klaus’s story. The horrible picture he painted of an abusive father and distant mother, was disturbing her view of the man. He’d explained the truth of his parentage and the reaction the man who raised him had to the revelation. He had started to talk about his siblings but it had been past one AM at that point and Alea wanted to give her full attention.

She wasn’t sure what to do with herself. The new information made so much about Klaus make sense, but it didn’t excuse his behavior. How could she tell him that though. She felt like pulling her hair out. Alea skipped her morning yoga in favor of going for a walk, she’d had enough of the hotel room.

She took herself for a walk down to a nearby coffee shop, down a few blocks on a corner where she could see the water and the morning sunlight. Her tea was perfect as she ate a muffin and watched the clouds pass across the sky. The change in scenery was nice but what really felt good was being around people. Alea had forgotten what it was like to be around regular people with how insulated she had become.

There had been times where work kept her from people, she didn’t always have the time, but this had been different. She had been cooped up from one hotel room to the next and she needed a change in the routine. Seeing all the humans around her reminded her of the flower shop and how nice it had been to feel like a normal person for a short while.

Walking back to the hotel Alea kept her eyes on the crowds of people and her senses open to them. She felt them as they passed her, their frenzy of feelings and the sway of scents they carried with them. She had felt only Stefan and Klaus for so long it was almost refreshing to instead be overwhelmed by the sheer variety of auras.

It was on her way back that Alea felt the tug. Right behind her ribs, close to her heart, she could feel something tugging her away from her path. It wasn’t far off from the hotel, she knew she’d be able to find her way back. Alea looked back only once as she turned and followed the insistent pull. It led her over a street and back behind a warehouse. A lot where a large truck and trailer is parked.

The black trailer gives off a mix of energy that hits her all at once. She can feel something powerful coming from inside of it, it’s a swirl of feelings that scratches across her senses. Alea looks around the lot and takes quick steps to the back of the trailer, tucking herself behind it so she’s out of sight from the main street. There’s a large lock around the trailer’s latch and Alea takes a half step back. The lock comes off with a small bang after a short incantation, the metal breaking in half and falling to the ground.

The trailer door rolls up to reveal rows of coffins. Alea freezes at the opening as the energy wraps around her and the pulling becomes a drag. She recognizes the feeling next to her heart and it has her worried as she takes the large step up into the trailer. Her hand trails along the lid of a coffin and she can feel the ancient power underneath it. In the middle row on the right side she stops next to the coffin the string has tied her to and lifts the lid. Elijah’s gray face lays lifeless on the satin pillow, his flawless suit ruined by the dagger in his chest.

Alea puts a hand over her mouth to stifle herself as she feels the tears gathering in her eyes. The way his aura engulfs her is a fraction of what it was before, the bitter taste of rot ruining his aura’s warm smell. Alea can feel the biting cold of the dagger this close, the burn of frostbite as her fingers get close to it, she wants to tear it out of him. The rest of the coffins must have the remaining Mikaelson siblings, and the rest of the daggers.

But Klaus had said he daggered them to protect them, that their father hunted them for the last thousand years and they were in danger if they were let out. How could they be more safe carted around in a trailer than awake and able to fend for themselves? If she woke them Klaus would never trust her again though, her deal with him would be ruined and she would be putting everyone at risk. Alea stood looking at Elijah, tears streaking her face as she tried to think her way out of the horrible mess she’d walked into.

Alea’s rang in her pocket, the screen lighting up with Klaus’s name as she glanced at it. She held it at arm's length and silently let it go to voicemail. When it was silent she looked back at Elijah and crept her hand towards him, holding his hand where it rested in the casket. His skin was dry and cold as she rubbed soothing circles with her thumb. Her phone rang again and this time she couldn’t ignore the persistent rings.

“Hello.”

“Hello, love. I was worried you’d lost your phone, have better things to do with your time, or is yoga just that engrossing?” Klaus asks with a teasing lilt to his voice, she can hear Stefan huffing somewhere in the background and mumbling something that Klaus hushes.

“Sorry, I was distracted. What can I help with?”

“Well, our friend here is being less than cooperative. Would you be a dear and join us for some magical interrogation?” He asks quickly, not noticing the wet sound of her tear rough voice. Alea closes her eyes and tries not to audibly sigh. She has to go do this, she can’t let all of the siblings out and make it wherever Klaus has planned without him noticing. She’ll have to come back for them. And she’ll have to act like she doesn’t know they’re here.

“Yeah, send me the address, I just have to grab some components.” She manages to get out as she rushes out of the trailer and looks back. She stands at the tail end looking over the coffins, feeling them as they sleep.

“See you soon, love.” Klaus departs, hanging up without waiting for her goodbye. Alea stands there a moment longer, hand hanging on the latch as she makes her decision. It feels inevitable to slide the door down and rush to find all the pieces of the lock, whisper a spell to meld them back together, and run back to the hotel.

She doesn’t even think as she runs through the hotel. Her body is on autopilot as she grabs her bag and spell book and heads to the lobby. She hasn’t considered how she’ll get to the boys by the time the text comes through.

Klaus provides an address and tells her to go to the valet and give his name. The address is out in the city, what looks to be a bar downtown. Alea makes it to the valet in record time and has to take a breath before she can talk to the poor boy at the kiosk.

“I’m here with Klaus Mikaelson?” She tries to sound sure but it comes out like more of a question. The teen looks her over with a raised brow but rushes off with a key anyways. Alea has a moment to catch her breath and leans against the hotel wall to take in the fresh air.

A car comes around the corner and she thinks it must be some kind of joke. A sleek silver coupe with the convertible top rolled down glides to a stop in front of her and the valet hops out to hand her the keys. It seems just like Klaus to have something like this as his back up car. Alea slides in and can’t stop herself from running a hand across the leather seats and wood interior.

Her phone’s directions say the fastest route will only take her ten minutes to get to them, Alea feels the purr of the engine and has a feeling she can cut down that time. Traffic is light and she gets to enjoy the rumble of the engine and purr as she slid through the streets. She hadn’t gotten to drive much and it was nice to feel so in control.

The drive was over almost too soon. The bar was in a rougher part of town, neon lights and broken windows on hollowed out warehouses marked the neighborhood. The bar itself was a red washed out building with a fading sign and dim lights that had bulbs missing. Alea parked in the back and easily unlocked the employee entrance.

She could tell the boys had been having fun by the way the room sounded as she walked past the kitchen and behind the bar. There was the music of the record player in the corner, a little movement, Klaus’s laughter, but no other voices. Alea took down a bottle of scotch from the top shelf and took out a couple bottles of beer from the fridge before rounding the bar and joining Klaus on the other side.

“So nice of you to join us, love. Things were just getting fun.” Klaus said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and took one of the proffered beers. Alea tried not to cringe at the way he held her, feeling conflicted at the way she immediately felt safer. She could see the room was empty except for a man who was tied to a chair in the center of the room, bloody and out of breath. “Our friend Sam was going to tell us about his special trips during the full moon.” He added.

Alea looks the man in the chair over. His clothes are covered in blood and he has healing wounds, and there are places where his skin is sizzling under wolfsbane. There are broken bottles and pool sticks on the floor, Alea shifts them out of her way as she walks over to the chair and circles the man. She peels off all the wolfs bane she can see and tosses it on the floor with the rest of the mess.

“I thought we were going to use diplomacy.” Alea says as she pulls a piece of glass out of Sam’s knee before dragging a chair over. Stefan leans on the wall and watches with empty eyes as he wipes off his hands with a bloody rag, he looks tired. Alea sets her chair so her knees will bump into Sam’s, face to face with their captive audience.

“Diplomacy didn’t work in our favor so we decided to try some more creative options. We may have gotten a bit carried away.” Klaus says from over her shoulder. He sits at the bar with his beer and watches her work, leaning back, the picture of relaxation. Alea knows her heartbeat will give away how anxious she is, she takes deep breaths to try and calm the rapid beating.

Sam is a short man, lanky and lean, a head of mousy brown hair and a pair of narrow green eyes. He’s sweated through the thin t-shirt he was wearing and his jeans have seen better days, slashed and torn where he’s been worked over by Stefan and Klaus. Alea takes him in with a perfunctory glance before stepping around him and arranging her candles.

“There’s always candles, makes one wonder at a witch’s candle budget.” Klaus sneers with a smile as she finishes her circle and lights the candles with a snap.

“I wouldn’t go through as many candles if I didn’t have to perform as many spells. Maybe I should send you a bill for them.” Alea parries as she goes around the orher way with a sprinkle of salt.

“Love, I’ll be happy to buy you a whole candle shop. Name the brand.” He replies easily, arms spread wide and a grin splitting his face and making his dimples even wider. Alea stops her sprinkling and squints at him with a considering purse to her lips. She shakes her head at even the idea of it, finishes her circle, and takes her seat. Klaus buying her a candle company is too crazy an idea to consider.

Alea holds her hands on Sam’s knees and looks into his eyes. He tries to look away, shying away from her and pulling from her grip. Alea glances at Stefan. Stefan hold’s Sam head steady so he has no choice but to stare back at her as she looks into his eyes.

“Don’t worry Sam, this will only be painful if you’re strong enough to resist.” She tells him with a reassuring smile. Alea uses one hand to flip open her book and read off the spell, repeating it slowly as she focuses on where she feels his aura emanating from. His energy sits just behind his ribs, tucked between his lungs curled in a tight ball in a mass of hazy lights. Alea reaches into it as she continues the spell and pulls on the twists of light to get to the masses center.

“Sam, how many wolves are in your pack?” Alea asks between repetitions. She has the outer layers untangled and is peeling back the inner coils but wants to see her progress. Sam struggles against Stefan’s hold on his head and his body jerks as he resists the spell. Alea pulls tighter on the strings and pushes further. “Where does the pack meet?” Alea asks as she feels closer to the center of the mass, fists full of light and a sweat worked up on her brow. Sam is shivering in their grasps and goes still as his mouth jerks open.

“We meet in the nature preserve, Hillsborough. We meet near Burn Bridge road and hike out from there.” Sam gasps out before going still again. Alea looks back at Klaus for confirmation and he leaves the bar to join them. He circles the chair, minding the salt circle as he scratches his chin.

“How many wolves are in your pack?” Klaus asks as he swings a chair around to sit on and tilt back at an impossible angle.

“Eighteen wolves, we also have human family members, about thirty in total.” Sam answers slowly, his body more relaxed as Alea unravels him further. His resistance is gone and he’s jelly in the chair, Stefan’s hand fall away. Klaus smiles with a gleam in his eyes and leans forward, his chair slamming down.

“My name is Klaus Mikaelson. Have you heard of me?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent, that will make this much easier.” Klaus says as he gets up and returns to the bar, waving a hand to dismiss Alea. Alea pulls back gently from Sam, releasing him and his mind slowly. He comes to with a full body shiver, looking around and gasping like a fish out of water. Alea brushes away the salt and gathers up the candles into her bag. She looks at the last candle consideringly before putting it away, it wouldn’t be awful to have a free candle connection.

At the bar she declines the offered beer when she gets a whiff of it, before looking at Klaus. He has a smirk on his face and is leaned against the counter with practiced nonchalance. Alea gets a glass of water before addressing him.

“You haven’t asked about my last vision even though it has to do with the wolves.”

“I imagine you’ll inform me when it’s relevant, take now for example.”

“Isn’t the point that we know things ahead of time?” Alea says as she puts her hand to her face and tries to rub away the tension between her eyes. “In my vision you faced their alpha as both a man and a wolf, and you earned his submission as a wolf. I think it’s important that you embrace your wolf when we talk to them, they have a different culture and respecting that could win them over.” She told him as she looked back at him. His face contorted as he went through frustration, anger, exasperation, and acceptance.

“They’ll have to accept my way eventually, love. Why not show them how it will be from the start?”

“Why do you assume it can only be one way? What if you can do it without forcing them?”

“No one is loyal without a reason!” Klaus shouts, shooting up to lean towards her with his lip pulled back and his teeth on display. Alea takes an involuntary step back and keeps a hand between them, not trusting the way his shoulders tense. “ I have been around a thousand years, no one can be trusted and the only way to truly motivate people is with a threat.” Klaus growls as his fist bangs onto the counter top and cracks the hardwood, making Alea jump. Alea tries to think of his actions from his point of view, to keep in mind what he’d told her about his father and the fact he’d had to survive a millenia. But it doesn’t matter as much as the angry indestructible hybrid huffing and puffing less than a meter from her.

“I just wanted you to know what I saw, I don’t know exactly what it could mean.” Alea reassures. She takes a small step away while he’s looking away but freezes when he turns back. His eyes are piercing when they stare at her, cold and sharp. “I’m sorry.” She adds quietly. His shoulders droop and his heavy breathing quiets as he notices her posture and frozen demeanor. He falls back against the counter and runs a hand down his face with a long sigh, closing his eyes as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Stefan, take our friend to the car.” He says in a scratchy voice, not even looking up as he waves Stefan away. Stefan grabs the chair at its base and hauls the whole thing away with Sam tied to it, his head hanging limp. Alea watches Klaus carefully as he turns to the counter and holds himself away from it. When the door closes behind Stefan the room feels eerily still.

The jukebox keeps playing some classic rock ballad as they each stand there. Alea can feel the tense stench of ash and sulfur, the hint of salt, it permeates the air like a fog. Alea waits for Klaus to make the first move, taking deep breaths and trying to relax, she focuses inwards and calms herself down as they stand in their strange stalemate.

“You don’t understand.” Klaus says without moving, staring at the bar top where he stands with his arms wide and his weight pressed into the wood. He peeks over his shoulder at her, barely a turn of his head enough to look at her. “This is how it works, this is the only way it works. Ideals don’t last, they don’t survive.” He turns to look at her fully and she can see the torn look on his face, the way he can’t hide how upset he is. Alea takes a step forward and grabs the bottle of scotch, pouring him a glass.

“Ideals are what make us want to survive.” Alea argues, looking up from her pouring to glance at him. “I’m young in the immortality game but I’ve still seen plenty of examples of that. Reveling in the murder and mayhem gets old when you can’t trust anyone around you, doesn’t it?” She says. Klaus is slow to step closer and take the his glass, taking a small sip and staring into the drink like it’ll tell him the answer. He sighs and his shoulders droop.

“Finding a middle ground is such tedious work though.” He says looking up at her, a lopsided grin pulling his dimple into place. Alea grins back and places a hand on his elbow as she leans in.

“It can be rewarding. Like building trusting relationships, not being alone.” She whispers and pulls back. Klaus catches her elbow gently and pulls her back.

“I want you to trust me, love. I want you to be mine.” Klaus says quietly, holding her eyes with his as his thumb smooths over her inner arm. Alea watches his eyes and thinks about trust. Klaus hasn’t lied to her, he’s been brutally honest with her, but he struggles with issues from his past that still haunt him.

“I’m trying to trust you, but I don’t know if I can be yours. I’m scared by the way you react to things. I want to know that I’m safe with you.” Alea tells him honestly, she looks down at his hand on her, not able to look at him as she tells him her fears. His hand spasms and falls away from her, Klaus steps back and she smells an intense wave of salt and acid. Alea peeks up at him and sees tears in his eyes, a stricken expression on his face. Alea tries to reach out to him but Klaus pulls back, not letting her touch him. Alea pulls back and sighs as she wraps her arms around herself, waiting for Klaus to say something. He looks around the wrecked bar and his eyes fall to the floor before he looks at her again, not meeting her eyes.

“I’ll keep you safe, love. You have my word.” He says in a rough voice, his words catching in his throat. He looks back up at her eyes and she can see that even though his tears have dried he’s still disturbed by the way she’s affected him. Alea wants to reach out to him, he seems so alone and she wants to be there for him.

Alea pours another round of drinks and sets them on the bar, waiting for him to take his before she toast him and takes her first sip.

“Okay, I trust you.”

Chapter Text

The full moon is on a Sunday night. They load up the car with their camping gear and a change of clothes, she packs a magic bag, and they tie Sam up in the back. Alea makes sure his rope isn’t too tight and hasn’t been rubbing him raw anywhere, adjusting it over his wrists where she finds little burns. The boys watch her with confused looks and she shrugs when she finishes her inspection and they load him up in the car.

“May as well make him comfortable, he might be part of your pack soon.” She offers as explanation. Alea takes her seat up front and gets comfortable as they finish loading, flipping through her new book, a cheap fantasy she picked up from the corner market. Klaus slips in beside her and taps on the radio, twisting it until he’s happy and can bop his head along as they slide out of the garage.

The city rushes past them and the towering skyscrapers give way to greenery. Chapters fly by in her book, a boy crossing the world to defeat a foe and discover himself. The book doesn’t capture her attention and she steals glances up to the window to watch the scenery instead. Klaus sings along to the songs that have started to become familiar, off key but happy as he hums along to the parts he doesn’t know yet.

The trip isn’t too long and they park out of the way where Sam points, a country road off the beaten path that leads into trails. The trail he points out is rough hewn and looks freshly walked, tracks leading to it where several cars have also parked. Klaus has a wide grin plastered to his face and claps his hands together, rubbing them together before commanding Stefan to drag Sam along with them.

Alea has never hiked for fun. Hiking has come up for work, as part of contracts, getting to some of the older grimoires and family records. But it hasn’t been enjoyable and it still isn’t, especially not with the thick Florida humidity and heat that lays over them like a blanket. The vampires don’t seem as affected by it but Sam and Alea are breathing heavily and sweating through their shirts within the first quarter mile.

“If you’d let me carry you, love, we could be there much faster. As much as I appreciate seeing you in such a state.” Klaus called back as he pushed another branch out of the way. Alea pulled her hair higher onto her head, a disheveled top bun all she could muster as she stripped out of her shirt in favor of her thin camisole. She had considered vampire speed as an option, wanting this to be over as much as they did. But now asking would be a hit to her pride, eying Klaus she had a feeling he wanted to get under her skin.

“Klaus,” Alea growled, “Please let’s just get this over with. So sorry we don’t all have super speed.” She finished sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him. He was a flash as he picked her up in his arms, grinning at her like a mad man. His hands pulled her in and held her firmly to his chest, a bit tighter than she thought was necessary.

“No apologies necessary, you’re no dead weight.” He joked as he nodded to Stefan. They blurred through the trees, the surroundings flying by too fast for her to make out and moving so fast her stomach twisted in knots. When Klaus pulled them to a stop the lurch sent her stomach into her throat and made her swallow down her breakfast as she tucked her face into Klaus’s chest. Alea took a moment to breathe through the dizziness before moving her head again, looking up and seeing Klaus watching her. He let her down slowly and they stepped away from each other sharply.

The clearing they had stopped in was quite large, surrounded by shrubs and trees, a river on one side, and hedged in. There were tents already being set up by the group of twenty or so people who were wandering around the clearing, one or two had turned their heads to stare at their entrance. Whispers started to spread as more heads turned and then the crowd parted. A man walked through the group to meet them as they came closer. He was on the stockier side, a hairy man in cargo shorts with a tank top stretched across well built muscles.

Alea looked the group over and could tell this man was the alpha, his aura was stronger than the others, a distinct scent of maple, leather, and wildflowers. She could feel the unruly edges of him where he was a bit wild, the hint of his double nature. Alea didn’t have to tell Klaus though, the man wasn’t being subtle by the way he stood apart from the others and puffed his chest out.

“Who are you? What have you done to Sam?” The man demanded of them. Klaus waved to Stefan, having him toss Sam over so he laid between them. The man took a step back and looked them over again, reassessing them.

“I’m Niklaus Mikaelson, maybe you’ve heard of me.” Klaus said with a grin, waiting for the inevitable reaction of awe and fear. He let them gasp and start to talk amongst themselves for a few moments as he spread his arms, a classic Mikaelson move.

“I’m here for your pack. See, you may have heard I’m a hybrid, that makes me a werewolf and I want to challenge you as alpha.” He laid out for them, staring down the shorter man. He took a step closer, his smile pulling his lip back from his teeth and showing his fangs.

“You can’t… that’s not how it works.” The man fumbled to say, stepping back half a step before trying to stand his ground and puffing his chest out again. “You’re not the same as us.” he grunts. The jab seems to land and Klaus reels back before hissing and advancing on him again.

“You’re right, I’m not the same as you. I’m better.” Klaus punctuates with stabs of his finger into the man’s chest with claws. His eyes flash and he looks behind him at the huddled group. “I want you all to be better, that’s what being my pack would offer. Turning at will, living forever. You would be even stronger and heal even faster, better than ever before.” He preaches to them as he towers over the alpha, his clawed finger leaving a scratch down his chest. The man is almost shaking, his eyes large as he tries to stand still and not step away from Klaus’s challenge.

“If you weren’t afraid, you would accept the challenge.” Alea pushes, watching the alpha’s posturing. She can see he’s reaching for any reason to avoid the challenge to his position. He turns a glare onto her and growls, cut off by Klaus’s firm growl and snap of teeth in his face.

“Are you not able to face me? I can take you as man or wolf, I’ll even let you choose how you’d like to be defeated.” Klaus offers with a glance aimed at Alea that she nods at. He steps away from the alpha, eyes steady on him as he spreads his hands in welcome to his fight. The crowd has started to murmur, she can pick up on the gist of it, though she knows the vampires can hear it all. It sounds like they want the challenge, if only to prove their alpha, at this point he has to accept to maintain his pride in their eyes. Pack dynamics are tricky, denying a challenge puts an alpha in a bad position.

“Fine, under the full moon we’ll decide this. Will you release Sam to us?” He said reluctantly, his face showing hints of his terror, the stench of it clear to Alea in his aura. Stefan untied Sam and shoved him closer to the pack, he had long since healed from his injuries. Klaus smiled at the alpha and circled back to Stefan and Alea.

“See, mate, no hard feelings. We’ll solve this alpha issue, and then everything will get sorted. I’m not here to kill you all, I want a pack. A pack to make like me.” Klaus explained simply, gesturing as he spoke and wandering closer to the pack. He stopped and gave them a sly grin. “We’ll be the strongest pack the world has ever seen.”

Alea watched his performance and checked the way the pack was receiving him. It looked like some of them were entranced by him, they were listening intently and their eyes followed him as he walked and moved. But others looked afraid or disbelieving, they were shaky or frozen, some hid behind larger members. Alea hoped they could get some of the pack to convince the others, get a foothold and go from there.

Klaus turned away from the wolves and waved Alea and Stefan over to him, huddling away from prying eyes and ears. They still had hours until the moon would rise enough for the wolves to start the change. She could see the pack starting to make cooking fires and unpack food and supplies.

“Well that went well.” Klaus starts, a grin still firmly in place and dimples on display. “I’m excited, I haven’t had a good fight in a while.” He continues in an energized voice, the excitement palpable in his voice and expression. His posture was more relaxed than in front of the wolves. He looked happy. Alea wondered how bored you had to be to get excited for a fight like that.

“What about the fight with the failed hybrids?” Stefan offers with a huff, wiping his hands off and shoving them in his pockets. He looks just as frustrated and tired as he has everyday. Stefan has been worse the past few days since the Elena revelation, barely simmering below anger whenever she’s around.

“That was barely a scuffle. This is a duel, those are special.” Klaus says as he rubs his hands together. “There’s anticipation, rules and ritual, it’s special.” He explains with zeal, his face openly jubilant as he lays it out. Alea can imagine him in a sword duel, the image fits him somehow, he seems like the pirate type.

Alea takes down her backpacks and sets it by a tree, settling in for a wait. Klaus impatiently stalks the clearing, picking rocks to toss into trees faster than bullets. Alea sits beneath a wide trunked tree and closes her eyes, pushing away the sounds of the people all moving around and talking.

It’s hard to clear her head with so many people around, their energy is electric so close to the full moon. She breaths it in and feels it buzzing in her lungs. Blowing it out she tries to blow away the distraction with the air. But the sound of Klaus’s pacing breaks through her work. His steps are crisp and she hears every leaf and needle as it breaks under his shoes.

It’s hours before the humans pack up and the first sounds of the wolves turning make their way to them. The screams and groans fill the trees, the sounds of bones breaking filling their ears. Klaus gave Alea a feral grin, wide and lopsided before he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it over to Stefan. His pants were next and then he was falling to the ground and his shift was taking over. It was far faster than that of the other wolves, his body was not wracked by the horrible cracks and breaks but had a smooth transition from man to beast.

Alea finds herself sitting in front of a large sandy colored wolf. The wolf shakes itself and its mouth hangs open in the imitation of a smile, Alea can still see Klaus’s bright fire in its eyes. The other wolves howling carries over to them and Klaus’s ears prick up, swiveling towards it as his head tilts. Alea shoos him away, getting up and looking towards Stefan.

“It’s time.” She tells him and grabs her bag. Klaus steps back, a shuffle of his paws, but keeps his golden eyes on her as Stefan walks over. Alea passes him her bag as she takes her container of salt and begins sprinkling a ring around them. When she’s done she takes her book out of her bag and passes Stefan the salt to put away. Klaus watches her with twitching ears as she starts to chant and wave her hand. The protective circle has to be strong enough to keep out any stray wolves that decide to be interested in them.

When the magic settles into place Stefan and Alea are cut off from the rest of the forested clearing by a thick barrier that makes it seem like looking through frosted glass. She can still see Klaus as he paces around them, sneezing at the smell of magic. The sound of another wolf growling carries from nearby, a thick brown furred outline prowling around the edge of the treeline.

Klaus’s hackles are raised as he puts his back to them and growls at the darkened woods, a thunderous noise that rumbles up from his chest, almost a roar as it cuts through the trees. The other wolf slinks out from between branches and the rest of the pack filters out around him, filling the space with a circle of wolves. A few bump the perimeter of Alea’s spell but are forced back by the magic, yipping at the surprise.

Alea watches as the wolves surround Klaus and the dark wolf, rustling and nipping at each other as they grow restless. Klaus and the other wolf circle each other, growling with their lips pulled back and teeth bared. The dark wolf takes the snap at Klaus, testing the waters as the distance closes between them, Klaus doesn’t take the bait and easily prances out of the way without looking away. The wolf takes quick swipes at Klaus’s legs, chasing him across the clearing as he dodges from each swipe.

It’s clear how frustrated the dark wolf is, the saliva drips from his jaw as he continuously growls and stares. Klaus looks at ease as he stares the other wolf down, his lips pulled back in a wolfy grin. The next swipe from his opponent is a mistake, he lunges too far and is caught by powerful jaws in a bite around his throat. Klaus’s jaw locks as he rumbles and shakes his head. The dark wolf struggles against the grip and takes a snap at his legs, nipping him hard. Klaus drops the hold he has and the wolf backs up wildly.

They bark and growl at each other, spit and fur flying as they lock paws and their jaws battle. Their teeth tear at the fur around their necks, paws and claws scratching at chest and legs. They come down and circle, staring each other down as they look for a weakness. Klaus launches across the distance and lands across his opponent, pinning him, he holds his jaws around his throat, teeth laying on the skin and waits. The dark wolf whines and sags beneath him, surrendering.

Klaus pulls back and the wolves disengage from each other for a moment. They seem to assess each other differently now, sniffing the air and relaxing slowly as they ease closer. When they’re close enough they lean in to sniff each other, a natural greeting now that they’ve established dominance. The rest of the pack seems to shake from their stupor and bark at the new member. They close the circle to greet him, all taking turns sniffing their new alpha as they mix under the moonlight.

“That seems to have gone well.” Stefan whispers from next to Alea. He takes her by surprise, she was so focused on the wolves she almost forgot he was there. She nods tightly and turns back to where the wolves are disappearing into the trees.

“I think that’s as well as we could have expected. Nobody died.” She replies. She can still see the tails of a few stragglers but it looks like the wolves are going for a midnight run for team building. It’s probably for the best, not like Klaus can’t fend for himself. Alea still feels anxious, maybe it’s just being out during the full moon knowing she’s surrounded by werewolves. She tries to ignore the feeling as she sits on the hard ground and waits for morning to come.

Chapter Text

The border of her protective circle fades in the early morning rays and Alea yawns as she cracks her back. At the edge of where the salt rests there’s a long stretch of bare skin that has Alea covering her eyes and looking away. Klaus is curled up by the edge of the circle covered in dirt and naked. Alea can see he got into some fun by just how filthy he is, his fingers and hands covered in dried mud and twigs caught in his hair.

“Did you bring his extra clothes? I’m gonna grab some water from the car to deal with the mud.” Alea calls over to Stefan as she stumbles away from the clearing, trying to block her eyes as she walks. Her trip to the car gives her time to enjoy the fresh air and morning sun, she stretches as she walks and listens to the swamp life around her. The car is safe where they left it and in the back she finds a couple gallons of water and grabs a towel she finds tucked away.

The walk back is slow and she takes her time enjoying the light as it filters through the foliage. When she enters the clearing again she can see Klaus is standing with Klaus with a blanket wrapped about his shoulders and a bright smile on his face. There’s a couple of the pack members dressed and awake walking back into the clearing, one is carrying a camp stove and coffee pot.

Alea drops one of the water gallons by Klaus’s feet and tosses the other into his arms. He turns the smile her way and she can see an easy happiness there, his eyes are bright and his shoulders are relaxed. Klaus tosses the blanket back to Stefan and splashes the water over himself in an imitation of a shower. He scrubs a rough hand across the worst of the mud and manages to get a semblance of clean before the first water jug is empty.

“Ah, a refreshing way to start the day.” Klaus exclaims, holding a hand out for the towel and grinning at Alea as he stands there proudly. Alea tosses it at him and turns around to look at the rest of the people joining them. The rest of the pack seems to have handled the change back better than Klaus, they’re clean and in fresh clothes those that have joined them, a fresh pot of coffee is started on the camp stove that was brought over. Alea wanders over to the man working on the coffee and gives him a smile as she gets closer.

“Anything we can help with? I have extra water and some coffee back at the car.” She offers when she’s close enough. The man gives a look behind her at Klaus before grimacing and waving her over.

“The extra water and coffee is great, we’re always exhausted after the change.” He tells her as he checks the coffee pot and adjusts the flame. Alea looks around at the weary faces of the other pack members and recalls the years with Charlie spent adjusting to his pack. They had sometimes taken days to recover from the full moon.

“I might have something that can help, if I have the supplies with me.” She says as she thinks over what she brought. Klaus’s change seemed so painless that he hadn’t needed any of her remedies so she hadn’t thought to ready any supplies in advance. She rummages in her bag, laying the supplies out and reviewing the recipe in her head as she looks them over.

She has three quarters of one recipe and half of another. Together she can try to make one remedy that will cover most of their lasting ailments. She brews a tea alongside the coffee and when both are ready they pass out cups of it for anyone willing to try the concoction. She gets some good reviews.

Klaus is dressed in a new set of clothes and manages to drag himself away from meeting his new pack long enough to say a proper good morning. He jogs over to the tea and coffee station that Alea is camped out at with a few of the pack and smiles widely at her. Alea nods over at him, not breaking her train of thought as she finishes explaining the difference between Valerian root and Chamomile when treating insomnia in supernatural patients. The wolves she had been talking to look between her and Klaus anxiously the longer it takes her to finish, knowing he’s waiting on her. Alea cuts off before getting into lemon balm and hops and tries to remember to act deferential in front of the wolves while he’s still new.

“I didn’t get to say good morning before you ran off this morning, you’d think you were running from something.” Klaus teases as he looks her over. He can see the bush her hair has become and the tightness in her shoulders from the short night’s rest and his smile gets tight. He tilts his chin with a look at the pack gathered around the coffee station and they scatter to find somewhere else to be. “You look tired, love. Maybe you should go back to the hotel with Stefan and get some sleep. I can finish here for the day on my own.” He whispers and takes an extra step closer to her, a hand tilting her chin towards him. She closes her tired eyes for a moment and rests on his fingers, but blinks them open again when she remembers where they are.

“We need to be a united front for them, or Stefan and I won’t be accepted.” She whispers back to him. Her words are barely audible, only loud enough that his hearing will be able to pick it up in this clearing of supernatural senses. They frown at each other and Klaus taps her chin before dropping his fingers.

“They’ll accept you if I tell them too.” he says in a purring rumble, the heads of two of the closest wolves popping up. Alea looks between them and back to klaus with a glare, pulling him further from the crowd.

“It doesn’t work that way” She tries to put heat into the whisper. “If you force them, then it isn’t real and it won’t matter. We need it to be real so we need to earn it.”

Klaus growls as he crosses his arms and turns away from her, stomping away a few feet just to stomp back and glare at her. He huffs as he points a finger at her and opens his mouth soundlessly, and closes it. He tries again. This time he manages to grumble under his breath and spread his arms.

“Why must we do things the hard way?” He asks her with a put upon frown. Alea throws her hands up and then looks at the sky like it might have the answer. She has to take a deep breath and press a hand over her eyes to give him a good answer.

“The easy way would cause us just more problems, because it’s the wrong way. The right way is hard, but will cause less problems and lead to good things. Most people just accept that.”

“Most people have no other option.” He answers easily but with a frown. He puts a hand to his chin and turns towards the trees, looking away from her to think. “I haven’t had to do the right thing for almost a thousand years, it takes some getting used to.” He adds.

Alea sighs, pulling her away from her face and looking away from him to observe the pack as they milled around to get ready. They moved as a unit around each other and looked at home with one another. Working with them would be good for someone like Klaus who hadn’t had to work with a group for so long. Alea stepped over to Klaus and set a hand on his arm, tugging him to look at her again.

“I know you’re trying and I get that this must be hard. This is going to be interesting for all of us and we need to stick together. Now let’s go help your pack get ready to go home.” She tells him with a small smile. She sees the look reflected on his face and he looks vulnerable he away from the others, the dirt still caked in his hair and a nervous look in his eyes. Alea strokes the hand down his arm and pulls him as she walks back towards everyone else, smiling at him over her shoulder. “You can’t let them scare you after only one full moon.”

That earns her a wicked smile and he chases her back to the clearing. Alea walks with him as he walks amongst the pack, adding to conversations where he pauses and leaving openings for him to fill. She sees Stefan sitting off to the side reading and switches out with him after a while, pulling him into a conversation about history with the local history buffs. By the end of the day all three of them have engaged the whole pack in conversation.

The pack leaves the park with Klaus in their phones and them in his, a whole new list on his phone that he wasn’t prepared for. They’ve all been warned that a big change will be coming for them once he’s prepared to turn them. They plan to rendezvous with the pack again the following night to finalize the details of the plan and to leave someone in charge while Klaus is away.

Klaus leaves with Alea and Stefan in tow, a long silent car ride as they all realize what this means. They’re one step closer to turning hybrids, and that means they need to make a trip to Mystic Falls. Stefan is silent as they drive and Klaus steals glances back at him in the mirror. Alea tries to think of a strategy that would let this not end poorly. Bargaining for the doppelganger’s blood would need to be non threatening if they didn’t want to make a mess and have her friends trying to save her. Alea had heard just how messy things had gotten to try and avoid the sacrifice, she didn’t want it to go like that.

The whole drive back she watched it play out in front of her eyes. Scenario after scenario she played out tactics to win them over. It was hard to see a way to keep Klaus from becoming domineering while also letting Elena have a semi-normal life. She had a headache half way back, she rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes to try to get some relief. She stared out the windows at the scenery and wondered what she could really do about it.

By the time they got back she still had no answers and her headache was no better. They trudged up to the hotel room looking haggard and muddy, Klaus was the only one who still had energy. Alea steamed up the bathroom with a long hot shower and finally got all the tangles out of her hair with a long detangling session. She wrapped up in a robe, snuggled into the couch, and ordered chocolate cake. She sighed around the fork as she ate the cake happily, ignoring the boys as they moved around the rooms.

Stefan and Klaus were packing up their supplies, the few they had kept around the hotel room, and were making arrangements for the trip back north. Klaus was looking over the map on the table pensively with a highlighter tapping against his chin. Alea set aside her plate and joined him at the table.

“So, we’re leaving?” Alea asked as she sat beside Klaus and looked at the route he had mapped out so far. There was a trail that led from where they were north almost half way back to Virginia and he was working the last half. She pointed along a stretch of the road that passed between states and glanced at Klaus. “This highway sees less traffic, even though it’s technically longer it will go faster.” She explained.

“A good point, love.” He acknowledges and highlights the section. “I’ve enjoyed our little road trip but I’ll be glad to end my running, for good.” He continues in a serious one, his face set in a frown. Alea wonders at the way his mood has changed and his word choice. His eyebrows are deeply set and his shoulders look tense. She leans her cheek on her hand and watches him fuss over the map some more.

“How long have you been running?” She asks him, watching his expression carefully. It morphs quickly, anger and frustration mixed with a flash of fear. He looks over his shoulder at where Stefan is folding clothes and puts a finger over his lips with a nod to him.

“Stefan, take a load down to the car.” Klaus orders, keeping his tone light. Stefan looks up from his work and scrounges around for what to take, filling a cart and going to the elevator. Klaus watches him the whole way until the door finally shuts. When they have the suite to themselves his shoulders relax an inch and his head hangs.

“You must understand, we have to be secretive to keep ourselves safe. If someone knew our secrets they would use it to try and kill us.” He turns to her and says with a tired look. “He’s chased us for a thousand years. I have to keep my family safe, and they aren’t until he’s dead.” His face turns stoney, a determined set to his jaw and something in his eyes that reminded Alea just how old he is. A lifetime of running across the world from your father was something she could hardly imagine. It’s no wonder he struggles to trust.

“And he’s still after you? Even now?” Alea asked, looking down at the map and back at him. There were plenty of ways to find his father and stay ahead of him if they had to. Klaus pulled away from the table and crossed his arms in thought.

“I haven’t heard anything about him in the last 15 years or so. Usually I would have had to run by now, he has been consistent in his skill in finding us.” He says, looking up at her before looking at the map as his eyebrows pinch. He walks across the room and paces back to her. “You would be able to find him, and with the hybrids we may be able to face him. But there’s one more thing we need. We need to be able to end him and a white oak stake is the only way.”

“Do you have one?” Alea asks, leaning towards him unconsciously. The intensity of his energy is contagious, pulling her in with the look on his face and the swirling storm in his aura. His brows are pinched and his shoulders are raised like hackles. His eyes are dark as they sweep back to her.

“No.” The answer is cold in its finality and his look is icy. He turns back to pacing and rubs across his chin as he walks the length of the room. Alea watches him and leans on the table, thinking it over. Finding a specific type of wood that may be extinct could be difficult if not impossible, but there might be other options.

“We might be able to find some, if that’s what we need.” Alea slowly offers, laying a hand on the map and tossing ideas around in her head, different spells coming to mind but she discards them. “We could do it, or we can incapacitate him until we find some.” She confirms, looking over at him and seeing a smile. Klaus’s spirits look raised and he’s lost the air of melancholy that had taken over. Alea can see that her determination has bolstered him and he returns to the table with the confidence set to his shoulders that she’s used to, the lazy swagger returning to his face.

“Wouldn’t your siblings be able to help us?” Alea tries when he leans back over the table next to her. He freezes next to her and the air seems to turn icy with him. Alea knows she’s pushed the wrong button without looking up from the table at him and seeing the snarl on his face, the look makes something clench in fear inside her. She sighs and turns away, not needing a verbal response. “They’re some of the most powerful creatures on the planet and you keep them locked up rather than letting them help.”

“They can’t be trusted! They do as they please and pay no heed to their own safety. I have to keep us all safe!” Klaus yells as he sweeps the desk clear and growls. “They would be dead if I had let them have their way.”

“I’m sorry, I just thought they might want to be free from him as much as you do. I thought it would be enough motivation to focus them for a short time at least.” Alea offers to try and soothe him, stepping away as sweeps around and his eyes flash at her. She takes in his hunched shoulders and angry expression and raises her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry.” She repeats as she takes a further step away. His expression starts to clear as his eyes track her retreat, watching her submissive posture.

Klaus sighs as he looks her over and then looks at the scattered maps and papers on the floor. He shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. His expression looks apologetic when he turns back but his mouth can’t form the words, just muttering soundlessly. He waves a hand her direction as though she’ll understand and Alea nods it away, accepting the apology.

“Some of my siblings are more reasonable than others. Rebecca and Elijah are useful in their own ways and it’s possible they could be helpful if we woke them up.” Klaus concedes with a hand wave. He crouches to retrieve the maps and papers and lays them across the table evenly, smoothing out any wrinkles as he hums. “But they plot and scheme. They may promise always and forever but it means whatever serves them. Securing them if they became a nuisance would be a hindrance we might not be able to afford.” He explains as he peaks at her out of the corner of his eye while he reorganizes the papers. Alea takes careful steps back to the table and lays a hand next to his on the map.

“But it could be worth it. When we decide we need the help, we can leave the option on the table.” Alea offers as a compromise. Klaus tilts his head and considers her with squinted eyes.

“If we need it.” Klaus corrects.

Chapter Text

Alea wants to relax on the road back to Virginia. She has long hours ahead of her to look forward to, they don’t plan to stop until they get to Mystic Falls. But she doesn’t have books like Stefan or driving like Klaus, she just gets to sit and think about her job here, the magic. She already has an idea of spells that could be good for what they need, a multitude, but they all take time and ingredients to prepare. There isn’t much she can do sitting here in the car.

Alea pulls out one of the grimoires and flips through the pages, spread over her lap in the bright morning light. She has a list now. She needs to find Mikael, find the white oak, and maybe find a way to disable Mikael until they can find white oak. She might need more books if she can’t find the right spells in the books she has. The grimoire in front of her is an old Irish book full of Gaelic scrolled out in gold and black ink with some latin script that crosses it in dirty browned blood she’s become all too accustomed to.

There are a handful of spells that she adds to the short list to review later. Alea is tense as she studies the book, the car has a strange energy since her talk with Klaus. She felt like she’d pushed too hard, or spoken out of turn. But he’d shared something so personal with her, he’d let her in like he really trusted her. She wondered if he remembered that she was here on a bargain for only a year, after that she would be gone. Right?

Her duty to Bonnie could be life long, it depended on how long Bonnie needed to really come into her power and wisdom. So far her time with Klaus had been a cushy gig, if she could do this ad train Bonnie it would be almost perfect. There was just the strange connection between them, this energy that felt alive even with more than a foot between them as they are in the car.

Alea was tired of turning over her connection to Klaus, she’d spent so much time thinking about it she felt like she might scream. The connection was just as strong as it was when they first felt it and their energy seemed almost more entangled than ever. She had spent time pulling at it, working it like the roots of a weed and been left feeling sore and aching as though she’d pulled at a part of herself.

Klaus didn’t seem to have an issue with their connection, the times they worked on touching, spending time each night holding hands, he seemed more than happy to hold her hand in his and rub a thumb across her sensitive skin. They could spend over an hour touching now. They had held hands all through dinner one night and eventually Alea had called it no longer worth it, there would be no call to touch for so long. Klaus had been easy going through the whole experiment and laughed at her when she called it off.

But Alea was frustrated. They were hours into the trip, the landscape had changed from the muggy swamp of Florida to the hills and plains of South Carolina. Klaus had told them lunch would be soon and Alea was aching for a chance to be free of the tight confines of the car. She felt like her skin was too tight, anxious and crawling with the need for action. The scenery passed them in sliding colors and her fingers tap a rapid dance on the window sill.

She isn’t usually one for nervous energy, these waves of frustration and anxiety feel foreign as she struggles not to grumble and grind her teeth. She takes deep settling breaths and it takes some of the edge off, the energy burning off as she settles down and closes her eyes to meditate. There’s a feeling in her gut like she’s a fish on a line, a little tugging that gets her attention.

She follows down the line of tugging until she reaches the bright pool of sizzling energy she recognizes as Klaus. There’s swirling motes of agitation and anxiety that mix in him and trace down where they’re connected. She puts a hand on the cord holding them together and tries to pinch the connection closed, stopping his feelings from filtering in. She can’t quite get her hand to grasp the cord and it slips from her grip.

Huffing in annoyance, Alea turns her attention to the origin of the problem and looks at the swirling pools of anxiety and frustration in Klaus’s energy. She can’t see the reasons behind the feelings and there may not even be any, but she can soothe them away. Alea Pushes her feeling of calm across the connection to him, digging it deeper into him as his anxious energy tries to wriggle away. She smooths her own feelings into his side of the bond and retreats back out of his side when her side no longer shows his feelings slipping through.

Alea blinks tired eyes open and glances over at Klaus, his hands are tight on the steering wheel and his eyes are direct at her. They’ve pulled into a rest stop and Stefan is nowhere in sight, probably sent off on an errand again. Klaus’s eyes don’t give away his feelings, not showing any anger or frustration. He unclips his seat belt and leans across the flipped up console space to unclip Alea’s.

“Playing with my feelings, love?” He asks with a raised eyebrow. He pulls the belt loops of her jeans and slides her inch by inch across the seat until she’s next to him.

“Why were you frustrated?” Alea asks without thinking, her mouth forms the question on instinct before her brain kicks in. He traces her face with a finger and cups her cheek, rubbing across the expanse with his thumb. “Why were you anxious?”

“It would be easier if you didn’t know that sort of thing, love.” He whispers as he looks her over, his eyes taking in the feature of her face in detail, noting each freckle and scar. He swept stray strands of curling hair away from her eyes and ran his forefinger from the hinge of her jaw to the center of her chin. “I’m about to get everything I’ve worked for, for the last thousand years. I want things to go off without a hitch. Sometimes it causes me to worry.” He shrugs as he explains. His finger drops to trace down her throat to the hollow at its base and across her collarbone. “I’m not without feelings.” He teases with a self deprecating grin. Alea takes measured breaths as she feels the tingle of his touch and focuses on his words, her brows raising at the admission. Alea catches his hand at her neckline and holds the hand that reaches for her tank top strap.

“I’ve never said you’re without feeling.” She says. “And it makes sense that you’re worried, but we’re going to be okay. We know what we need and have the power to get it.” She reassured, soothing his hand with circles of her thumb. Klaus brought the other hand up to her chin and his eyes dropped to her lips. When he looked back up at her she could see the drops of gold there. She was caught in the pull of his gaze when he leaned in, pulling her chin gently as his lips descended to her. The kiss was light and the meeting of their lips was chaste compared to the heated and hurried kisses they’d shared before.

“We’re going to be okay.” He echoes. Alea looks up into Klaus’s eyes and can see him clearer now. There’s no more of the anxiety she sensed earlier, it’s been replaced by the steady resolve from the other night and a fire she recognizes that’s all his own. The look makes her breath catch and she feels somehow more comfortable, safer. Here in the circle of his attention and under the focus of his resolute gaze she feels untouchable.

She pulls back from him and they look at each other with shaky breaths in the tight space of the front seat. There’s a tap on one of the back windows and her head snaps towards it. Klaus just huffs and calls out to Stefan to come in, pulling away with a little squeeze.

Stefan opens the door slowly before popping his head in and looking towards them. His face is carefully blank but Alea can smell the stink of soured milk in his aura that can’t be anything good. Alea turns away from him and slides back into her spot, clicking her seatbelt back into place. She tries to ignore the glances he throws her through the mirror as they pull away from the rest stop.

The next hour is easier. The hills pass her eyes one after the next and they start to all look alike. Alea is glad they stayed in Florida as long as they did, any more road tripping would not have been good for her. She needs activity and to be outside. She’s always struggled with travel but in Europe everything is closer together.

She falls asleep before they reach the state border and she’s barely woken when Klaus lifts her from the car as they arrive. She’s next fully awake sometime in the night, the moon has risen and it’s visible through the large window in the bedroom she’s been laid in. The bed is surrounded by four posters and bound curtains that look velvety. In the dark of the room she can’t make out the details of the room but the size speaks to money.

She shifts under the downy comforter and tosses it off, tiptoeing towards the door of the room. The hallway stretches in both directions with doors on both sides. She can see a staircase to the left and creeps her way towards it. The night casts long shadows on the bare walls and the unfinished bannister she finds covered in a painter’s cloth. Descending the stairs she finds more unfinished areas of the massive home, like its part way through being finished or rebuilt.

She can tell where the kitchen will be, the counter laid out and cabinets started, but it has no appliances and is still being worked on. She continues through and past it to where she can see the beginnings of a large den have been set aside. Here the room is more than roughed out, there’s a reading chair and a small settee with a table where a snifter of brandy is set out.

She sniffs the brandy but sets it aside when it smells sour. Alea sets herself in front of the skeleton of the fireplace. She looks about the room and takes in the shapes of it in the shadows. It seemed strange to pick a place this big for just the three of them, maybe there was something more to it. The paint and construction looked fresh, like there had been workers here just earlier that day. Klaus could have any house he wanted, he could sweep it right out from under someone, so why pick this one.

Alea laid across the settee and looked at the ceiling as though for answers. The quiet house’s large windows let bright moonlight wash across the floor and she watches the stretch of it along the wall. The night’s energy waxes as the moon rises and will reach full when the moon is at apex, waning towards morning in a reflection of the moon’s own cycle. Alea has caught the last rays of the moon’s apex and can still feel the lullaby of its draw, its energy magnetic in its pull.

Alea rises to follow her meandering path back to bed.The stairs are blessedly silent and no boards creak as she sneaks back to bed. The house obeys her need for silence in a midnight spell that seems wrapped around her as she slips back beneath the down comforter and sets her head down. The chill doesn’t touch her and she drifts off still wrapped in the silence.

Chapter Text

Their first day back in Mystic Falls starts with a scream. Alea wakes up with someone else in bed with her and in her panic sets the drapes on fire and rolls off to the ground. When she looks around again she’s faced with Klaus’s bemused smirk as he pats out the flames she’s set on the fabric.

“Now, now, is that anyway to say good morning?” He asks as he offers her a hand up. She stands without help and dusts off her knees as she squints at him, he’d been above the blanket but she still wasn’t amused.

“You have a strange way of waking me up. Did Stefan get the same treatment?” She asks and turns to go, knowing he’ll follow. He’s silent but smiling as they trace her steps from the night before to the settee in the den. Alea sets herself up in her spot from last night, waiting to hear what he plans for them. She motions to him when she’s settled in and his smile quirks into a large grin.

“I have big plans for tonight, did you know it’s senior prank night?” He asks excitedly and rocks on his heels when she shakes her head. “Well our dear Elena will be at the highschool tonight and it seems the perfect time to test our theory since the Lockwood boy will be there too.” He continues without losing zeal. Alea watches him and frowns further the more he continues.

“So you want to attack the teenagers at their school and perform a magical experiment on them that might kill one of them?” Alea summarizes. She raises an eyebrow at him to let him know just how impressed she is with his plan. “No negotiation first?”

“I somehow doubt the doppelganger will be open to diplomacy from the man who killed not only her aunt but also her. Seems the odds are against me.” Klaus says with a hand wave. Alea’s brows pinch and she rubs the space between them to try and relax them. “It seems more efficient to skip that step and jump straight into getting what we’re here for.”

“We won’t make any friends by attacking her, possibly kidnapping her, using her for her blood, and experimenting on the Lockwood boy. Remember we talked about doing the right thing, now is the time for that.” Alea almost whines at him. He’s leaned up against where the fireplace will be and he grins at her annoyance. She rubs her face to try and wake up, scrubbing a hand across her eyes before looking at him again. She almost hopes she’s still asleep. “Maybe we could try something else first?”

“What would you have me do? Ask the girl nicely for a steady supply of her blood for the foreseeable future?” Klaus asks and spreads his hands in frustration. His brows drop and his mouth pinches into a frown, he turns towards the hole in the wall and seems to contemplate it for a moment. “I hate that I have to rely on a little girl to make this work!” He shouts as he turns back to Alea.

“And I’m sure she doesn’t want to feel like an ingredient in some ancient witch’s recipe. Neither of you had a choice in this but you do have a choice in how you move forward. Think of how she must feel and act like the thousand year old adult you are in how you treat this seventeen year old child.” Alea says as she approaches him, standing across from him at the wall. He turns his face away from her but she can see the corner of his mouth turn down.

“I don’t want to.” He whines. He twists away from her and crosses his arms defiantly. There’s a minute of silence where she lets him hang, stewing in his selfish words. She watches his face as he thinks it over and eventually his frown mellows into a softer line. “Maybe we could come to a compromise.” He announces and marches from the room without turning back.

Alea sighs and leans against the wall. The sturdy brickwork feels nice under her shoulders and she enjoys having the support of something so steadfast. She’s reminded of the cool steel of Elijah and wishes he were here to help her. She can’t help but think of his gray face in the lonely coffin that she left him in and feel guilty. Alea wonders if she’s really any closer to waking him up, if Klaus will consider it to help them get rid of Mikael.

The brick is cold under her and she turns towards the window where the dawn light casts rays across the carpet. The sunlight makes the room feel warm where last night the shadows made it eerie and cold. Alea pushes off the wall and follows after Klaus. He went through the kitchen but she doesn’t see him so she continues through to the beginnings of a study where he sits behind an oak desk.

The room is sparse but is lined in empty bookcases; besides the desk a chair and chaise fill out the room. Klaus has his hands together beneath his chin as he leans back in a chair behind the desk. Stefan sits in the chair and looks stiff as he watches Klaus closely, Alea can see the way his eyes flicker over Klaus’s expression. Alea takes the last open seat and waits patiently for Klaus’s announcement.

“I’ve changed my mind about tonight.” He says tonelessly, he looks at a wall as he says it and his posture gives nothing away. “Instead we’ll be waking Elijah and Rebekah and making a deal with the doppelganger.” He announces without a change in demeanor though he looks them both over. Stefan and Alea sit frozen in their chairs and barely breathe as they watch Klaus. He looks at them evenly as they wait for him to take it back. Alea looks over at Stefan to see his reaction and can see he’s just as surprised as she is.

“What kind of deal?” Stefan asks in a small voice. His face is pale and his posture is stiff as he looks up at Klaus. Klaus looks him over and then his eyes flicker over to Alea before he replies.

“We need to find a compromise with the doppelgänger. Elijah will broker a deal with her so we can have donations of her blood at regular intervals, taken humanely, for turning hybrids.” He says. “The girl trusted Elijah, he’ll be a better face for these negotiations.” Klaus adds with a bitter smile. Alea frowns at the explanation but she can’t help how happy she is at the prospect of seeing Elijah again. “I’ll wake them up shortly and bring them up to speed, we should be able to proceed with the plan tonight. Stefan, you’ll be with Elijah and I to assist in negotiations. Alea you’ll be with Rebekah distracting the doppelgänger’s little friends while we chat. Hopefully we don’t have to kill anyone.” Klaus concludes with a grin that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Alea watches his face closely and tries to figure out what might be bothering him. She breathes him in and can taste the tang of anxious bitterness in his aura. It could just be the prospect of waking up his siblings, but it could be something else. Alea stays seated when he waves them away, ignoring Stefan’s look as he walks out.

Alea comes to stand across the desk from Klaus and leans a hip there as she crosses her arms and looks him over. He watches her and his eyes roam her face as they assess each other, he’s trying to read her just as much as she’s trying to read him. He almost seems self conscious.

“That’s an interesting plan.” Alea tries, tilting her head and running a hand across the smooth surface of the desk. He sighs and straightens his chair, bringing his clasped hands to rest on the desk.

“It’s the plan that lets us compromise with these children.” He says, his nose wrinkling at the word. He looks disgusted and frustrated and Alea lays a hand on his white knuckled ones. She smooths out the tight grip he has and rests her fingers on his gently.

“I think it’s a good plan. You’re using your resources wisely.” She tells him with a smile. He sighs again and leans his elbows into the table, his body leaning towards her almost on instinct. Alea tilts into him and his head fits neatly between her shoulder and neck. She runs a hand through his hair and down his neck to the tense line of his shoulder, kneading away the knots there. The electric tingle of their connection lights up under her touch and she breathes in the warmth of his closeness. “It’s going to be okay.” She whispers into the quiet space of the room.

Klaus’s breaths are small puffs against her skin and his hands are warm in hers. They sit there in the silence for long minutes and just wait for something to break the moment. Alea focuses on the swirling mix of their energies and the way their auras ebb and flow together the longer they touch. Breathing him in is relaxing like nothing she’s experienced before and she knows it shouldn’t be.

She doesn’t know how much later it is that he slowly pulls his head inches away from her skin, taking long breaths of her as his nose skims the surface of her neck, and then pulls away entirely. He looks more relaxed as he sits back in his chair and blinks up at her. She looks down at him and leans away, they’re caught looking at each other and she’s not sure what to say.

“I have to go wake my dear siblings and give them time to wake up.” Klaus says as he watches her. Alea’s mouth pulls down but she tries to grin and nod as she leans away. She feels anxious at the idea of seeing Elijah again, a ball of nerves sitting heavy in her gut. Klaus starts to leave but turns at the doorway and looks over his shoulder at her with a pinch in between his brows and lips pulled down.

“You could come with me…?” He says uncertainly. Alea can see that self consciousness in his face again and wonders at how he must be feeling, what he could be thinking. His moods can be so mercurial that it is hard to keep up with his shifting feelings. But he seems to just need someone on his side.

“Yeah, I’ll come with you.” She confirms.

Chapter Text

Alea feels the cold grip of death as she stands in the brightly lit guest room that houses the five coffins. It’s in the stale air that hangs in the room and the bitter taste of acid that’s washed in their auras. Their energy is subdued almost like it’s resting, slumbering near death like they are. Alea feels a chill being so near the daggers and the hairs on her arms stand on end.

Klaus sweeps into the room looking confident and carefree. But Alea sees the little downturn at the corner of his mouth and the tightness in his neck from the tension of keeping up the act. She’s learning to read him a bit at a time.

“Well, they’re going to wake up hungry, we need something for them to snack on.” He announces to the empty room. With a snap of his fingers two people come around the corner and stumble in to join them. Alea hadn’t noticed anyone but they must’ve been waiting in the hall for his signal, a dramatic beckoning to show how ruthless he still is. One of them has an armful of blood bags and holds them tightly to his chest.

Alea stays at the back of the room, stepping away from Klaus’s sacrificial lambs and the coffins. Klaus lifts the lid of the first coffin and she can see a beautiful blonde woman, gray skin wrinkled by the daggers effects. He yanks the dagger out and tucks it away before waving over one of the men. He pats the man on the back and gives him a few of the blood bags. Klaus pauses by the next coffin, his hand laid over the top.

“Our deal won’t be over, you still owe me the full year unless I release you.” He says as he looks at her over his shoulder. His eyes are cold and his brows are drawn down in a frown, a whisper of sulfur in his aura.

“I know. I’ll still be working for you.” Alea confirms, she moves as if to go towards him but the freezing cold of the daggers is too strong, pushing her away. “This doesn’t change anything.” She reassures him. She doesn’t know exactly what Klaus feels for her, whether this connection has just sparked an interest or if he wants something more, but she can see he wants her to choose him.

It seems like her reassurance isn’t enough, he still looks conflicted as he lifts the lid and stares down at Elijah’s gray face. It’s a long moment as they stand there, Klaus not moving and Alea studying him. Klaus huffs a sigh and seems to shake off the moment, rolling his shoulders before he yanks the dagger out with a flourish.

Alea leans back against the wall, breath coming out in a ragged exhale as Elijah’s aura wakes up. Rebekah’s had been a bright tingling spark that had seemed to fill the room immediately, but Elijah’s took her off guard. His energy bubbled up and swept out in waves that lashed against her and filled her head with the scent of him. Her head fell back against the wall and was full of them, swirls of champagne and linen that had her spinning.

Alea took deep breaths to center herself, the cool of the wall a help to ground her. She pressed against the sturdy brick and closed her eyes against the onslaught of freshly awoken energy. It was like a newly tapped spring, a geyser freshly spraying. Alea takes deep breaths to push her way through it.

Klaus twirls the daggers around his fingers and slips them into his pockets, watching the coffins for movement. They wait in the silent room for any sign that either of them is waking. Rebekah is awake in a flash. She shoots across the room and has Klaus against the far wall in a blur of movement too fast to track. Her fangs are bared and she’s made fresh cracks in the drywall with her strength. Alea steps back and raises her hands as she watches the exchange.

“Sister dear, how delightful that you could join us. Look, I brought you a snack.” Klaus says with a smile. He ignores his position and his grin doesn’t fade as she hisses at him. He waves a hand at the man standing by her coffin with blood bags in hand and raises an eyebrow at his sister. The blonde growls as she releases Klaus, turning from him in a twirl of beads as she pounces on the man waiting by her coffin. Her face changes, her red eyes surrounded by veins and long fangs growing below her stained lips, she strikes the man’s neck like a viper and latches on as she holds him in a vice grip.

Klaus shakes himself out and leans back against the wall casually, watching his sister feed with a smirk. Alea holds very still, trying to fade into the background as the man becomes pale and Rebekah drops him. She picks up the dropped blood bags thoughtlessly and rips into them, finishing them in quick gulps, she’s at least a cleaner eater than Stefan.

While she’s been watching Rebekah, Elijah has silently emerged from his coffin and stands with a grip on the remaining blood bags. Alea almost wants to look away, it seems both too personal and like it breaks some illusion to see him feed. She looks away and doesn’t watch the careful way he sips the blood bags, not spilling a drop. His eyes catch hers when the bags are empty and fall to the floor. There’s a pinch in his brows that shows his confusion but he gives little away as he straightens his suit and pats at the dried blood on his shirt. Alea feels a pull deep in her chest to go over to him, the string in her chest has woken and is alight with energy.

“Now that you’re both awake, we have plans!” Klaus announces as he claps his hands together and steps away from the wall. He spreads his hands wide in a grand gesture and smiles wide at them. “I’ve made great strides since we last spoke, and all we need is the last ingredients and then we can kill father dearest. Do me some favors, behave, and we’ll all be free.” He says with a flourish, the smile becoming tight as his siblings glare at him. The three look at each other and the glares are dark enough that Alea almost thinks they could set something on fire.

“You want help from us? After keeping us in coffins for who knows how long, what gives you the right to make demands of us? How dare you Nik. How long has it been this time?” Rebekah shouts at him, her face starting to change as she stomps towards him. Alea can see from the beaded dress and curled hair that Rebekah belongs alongside the flapper girls of the nineteen twenties and wonders how she’ll take being locked up for almost a hundred years. Alea can see from their interactions already that this isn’t going to go well.

“Come now sister, it has been hardly eighty years. And it’s for all of us. Maybe you don’t remember running for the last thousand years, maybe you want to keep looking over your shoulder?” Klaus asks her, stepping up to her challenge and glaring just as hard as they meet in the middle of the room. Their tempers seem to match and Alea wonders if she’ll need to step in, until she notices Elijah. His eyes have been watching the conversation but they catch on her. Alea and Elijah’s eyes could almost have a conversation of their own but she wishes she could talk to him alone for a minute just to catch up.

“You can’t expect us to accept your word Niklaus. What sort of plan do you have, what reassurance can we expect that we won’t end up back in these coffins?” Elijah interjects, his face cold and nearly blank as he stares Klaus down. Klaus glances back towards her and she meets his eyes with an encouraging nod. Elijah catches the movement and frowns at their interaction, sending her a confused look.

“Tonight we’ll be making a deal with the doppelganger for her blood, with that I’ll be able to make more hybrids and form a pack of my own. My witch will track down the last of the white oak and then track down Mikael.” Klaus explains in a lazy tone, laying out a plan that is new to Alea, she tries to look confident when all eyes swing towards her. “We use the hybrids to ambush him. Once he’s dead you’re free to do as you please, no dagger required.” He finishes, flipping up the dagger and making Alea flinch. Rebekah and Elijah look thoughtful as they consider him, they look him and Alea over before they look at each other in some silent communication. Alea glances at Klaus and can see the mask of confidence he has on, the edge of doubt that he’s hiding with the bravado.

Rebekah and Elijah turn as a united front to Klaus and Rebekah crosses her arms as she smiles, a twist of her mouth.

“We’ll help you with your plan.” she leads, letting Klaus’s face brighten before she continues. “But if you try anything or break our trust, we’re gone and we’ll find a way to take the others.” She finishes as she lays her hands on her hips and glares up at him. Klaus starts to growl at her, his lip pulling back and the start of a rebuttal in his mouth until his eyes land on Alea. Her eyes are big and pleading, maybe not on purpose but she wants this to work. He sighs and his shoulders droop.

“Fine Rebekah, have it your way.” He grouses and waves a hand dismissively. Alea edges towards the door as he sweeps around and his hand lands on her elbow. He practically drags her out of the room. Alea’s eyes drag across Elijah’s as they exit and they’re cold; steel and mahogany in his aura. She follows Klaus’s quick steps and tries to keep up as he flies towards the front of the house. His aura is swirls of scents and colors that are dizzying mixes and don’t tell her anymore than her eyes do. He seems agitated, frustrated, and hurt. They come to an abrupt halt in front of the grand staircase at the front of the house, her breathing is fast as she nearly falls into him.

Alea lays a hand over his where it sits on her elbow and looks up into his face. His eyes are on the door and his mouth is twisted in a grimace. Alea squeezes his hand and his gaze swings towards her. His eyes are fiery and she can see how frustrated and hurt, the barely contained fever that he’s been pitched into. Alea draws him towards the door and flings it open, letting in the light. She looks around to try and think of anything to help, to calm him down. Her lips twist in a smile as she pulls him away from the house and jogs towards the woods.

“Come on Klaus, we have time for a break.” She tells him as she breaks into a run and their hands slip apart. The lines in his forehead smooth out and his grimace turns into a smirk as he jogs after her and playfully growls. Alea takes long leaps through the underbrush and lengthens her stride to try and out pace Klaus as he follows her trail.

Through the woods he trails her, around thick shrubbery and under thick branches. She looks over her shoulders for him and loses track of him as she takes a turn down an embankment. Her breathing is heavy and she has a wide smile as she takes a running leap over a log and twists to see if she can catch sight of him. He’s not behind her and she’s wary, stopping to turn in a slow circle as she catches her breath.

One moment she’s alone and the next she’s being pushed up against the nearest tree. His arms are beside her, locking her in, and his chest is against hers where she’s pressed against the rough bark. His face is tucked into the space between her shoulder and neck, she can hear and feel the deep breaths he takes next to her skin. She should feel trapped and anxious but instead she feels safe in his arms.

“You should know better than to run from a predator, rabbit.” She feels him growl. The vibrations of his voice rumble against her chest and she almost shivers. Alea tries to take slow breaths as she holds still in his grip, almost afraid for a moment. There’s the bare whisper of his lips across her neck and his nose tracing the line of her shoulder, nudging the strap of her tank top further and further aside. “You never know when they might bite.” He whispers against her skin. Alea feels the cold press of his teeth at her neck, a hint of pressure with long sharp fangs. There’s bubbles of energy that she can feel radiating through him and they tingle under her fingertips,his aura smells like sweet peaches and nutmeg and there’s the taste of sugar on her lips as she takes a stuttering breath.

“I thought you could use the distraction.” Alea tells him honestly. She wishes her words didn’t come out so breathlessly, her chest heavy under his weight. He laughs, the sound falling out of him like it catches him off guard. He pulls back enough to put a hand on her chin and caress her cheek.

“You’re better than a mere distraction, little witch. But I appreciate the effort.” He says with a grin that shows off his dimples. He leans in close and runs the tip of his nose from her chin to her jaw, landing an open mouth kiss to the hinge where it meets her throat. He trails rough kisses down her neck to her collar bones, sucking the skin between his teeth and nipping until it’s pink and she’s whining. Alea feels breathless and dizzy, holding onto his shoulders and gripping him tightly as he lays kisses on her. Klaus rests his forehead on her shoulder and groans into her skin, gripping her hips tightly. Alea moans at the movement and her grip on his shoulders tightens into clawing fists as she lets her head fall back against the tree.

“You smell divine.” Klaus whispers close to her ear, it’s under his breath like he almost didn’t mean to say it. She can see the gold of his eyes and the dark pupil that has dilated to almost completely erase it. Alea’s breath catches and they’re caught staring at each other for a long moment before his hand cups her face and brings her in for a kiss. His lips are soft on hers and they slide gently together at an unhurried pace. Alea’s hands weave into his unruly hair, his fingers dig into her hips, she feels like a mess. And then a throat clears to their right.

“Excuse the intrusion, Rebekah and I wanted to confirm the details of tonight's plans as well as get her up to speed.” Elijah says as they stare at him. Klaus is glaring at him but it’s much cooler than before, he doesn’t seem surprised by his sudden appearance. Alea feels like she could die on the spot, she feels almost frozen in embarrassment and is stuck staring at Elijah where he looks at them with an even expression. He’s far enough from them that she only just feels the edge of his aura now that he’s stepped forward and announced himself. She can feel cold steel and ice there, but no distinction over whether it's for her or Klaus.

Alea pushes Klaus a step away and wishes she could easily hide her flaming cheeks. Klaus has a roguish smile on his face and lets his hands fall away easily when she pushes him. He leans away and stuffs his hands in his pockets, walking lazily back towards the house and passing Elijah.

“But of course, there’s plenty to help our dear sister get reacquainted with. I’m sure Alea would be happy to bring you up to speed.” He teases as he passes the edge of the clearing and laughs his way back to the house. Alea’s face feels like it’s burning and the words she calls Klaus in her thoughts are not very kind. Elijah’s face is impassive except for the tick in his jaw and the small rise in one of his eyebrows. Alea rubs a hand across her forehead and tries to smooth out the crease between her brows that’s formed. She sighs as she looks over at Elijah, adjusting his cufflinks and waiting for her to open the discussion.

“Would it mean anything if I said it was more complicated than it looks?” She says while watching him out of the corner of her eye. His jaw tightens and he looks to the edge of the clearing where Klaus disappeared with a pinched expression. Alea breathes in the familiar scent of mahogany with a new hint of ginger sharp in contrast. Her hand covers her face and she pinches the bridge of her nose as though that will help her focus, trying to translate his feelings. “There’s been a lot going on in the last three months, and there’s strange magic involved.”

“It’s good to know I didn’t lose years at least, but I am confused what you could mean by a magical involvement. It seems straightforward, and I cannot begrudge you. Last we spoke we made each other no promises. And I was for all intents and purposes dead at the time.” Elijah says as he unbuttons his jacket and puts his hands in his pockets, leaning back on his heels. His posture is casual but the line of his shoulders is tense with unsaid words.

“My deal with him included waking you, I knew you weren’t dead forever, but that’s besides the point. Even if I don’t owe you an explanation, I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” she says, pausing and sighing. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings more.” she adjusts. “It really is complicated. A spell had unexpected consequences and now we’re connected somehow and there’s some physical side effects.” She explains, gesturing wildly and sighing when his face hardens.

“So the magic is to blame? That would imply a lack of control on both your parts and I find that difficult to believe.” He argues with a wrinkle in his forehead. They stand on
Opposite ends of the clearing and watch each other. Alea feels frustrated, she doesn’t want to make excuses or pass off blame for her behavior, but it’s more complicated than he might understand. She wants him to understand.

Now that he’s awake she still feels connected to him, all her feelings from three months ago are right there waiting for him. She wasn’t trying to betray or cheat on him, but she wants to acknowledge how this has hurt him. She feels torn about what to do. Her connection to Klaus isn’t going to go away, but she hasn’t been as focused on fixing it lately or ignoring it. She should ignore both, starve both strings and see if they wither and die. She can feel where the strands sit near her heart and the warm glow from both Klaus and Elijah’s strings is a comfort to her, it hurts to think of cutting them out.

“I don’t feel like there’s a good enough explanation to give you. But you’re right, I have to take some blame for being so careless and hurtful, I’m so sorry.” Alea apologized, her shoulders hunched forward and arms wrapped tightly around each other. Elijah turned his face away and took a deep breath, sighing deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose. They looked away from each other to try and maintain their composure, both frustrated and upset, Alea could feel how tightly wound he was and it was bringing her close to tears.

“Apology accepted, now let’s review Klaus’s plan shall we? He mentioned a deal with Elena but I find myself at a loss as to why.” Elijah asks as he looks back to Alea. He looks her over and swipes a hand through his hair, pulling it away from his face, he looks away when her eyes turn back towards him. Alea catches his eyes as she looks his direction and nibbles at her lip nervously as she thinks over her explanation. He’d had a deal with Elena, he may have a poor reaction to them using her.

“Klaus took Stefan and I on a roadtrip to make hybrids, we ran into issues when the first experiment failed. We discovered that doppelganger blood is the key ingredient in successfully turning them. Klaus is willing to make a deal with Elena for her blood and tonight we’ll be negotiating. He wasn’t lying inside.” Alea sums up. She tries to fit the last three months into as little as possible and finds that four sentences is surprisingly enough. Elijah looks caught off guard, his carefully maintained facade is gone for a moment as he looks genuinely surprised and his eyebrows both rise.

“Klaus will genuinely cut a deal with her? Forgive my disbelief but it seems unlike him to be willing to trade for what he thinks he can simply take.”

“Originally the plan included kidnap I’m pretty sure.”

“That does sound more like him.” Elijah nods as he says, his lips curving up at the corners. Alea relaxes her grip on herself and looks at her shoes, watching the grass blow in the wind.

“He decided to do the right thing, we talked about it before he woke you two. It wasn’t exactly the easiest discussion but I think it was a win, considering I didn’t think he’d wake you anytime this century.” Alea says shortly, not quite looking his way. She’s not used to defending Klaus but it seems only fair considering his compromise is the reason Elijah is awake. His shoulders slump a little at her words and she can tell he sees the same logic. The scent of ginger seems to ease in his aura and the steel is softer, the linen replacing the harsher scents as his shoulders relax.

“So he did.”

Chapter Text

Alea was on distraction duty with Rebekah. She had a bag full of fresh ingredients and a thick tome weighing her down. She felt prepared as Klaus drove them all towards the highschool. The car was silent as they neared, the vampires all ignoring each other and finding anywhere to look except towards one another. Klaus seemed to revel in the awkward atmosphere, a grin on his face and a bop in his shoulders as he drove them. Alea leaned against the window and tried to concentrate on picking the best spells for the night.

“Now Rebekah, remember that the Bennet witch is off limits for injury, let my witch handle her. The others are at your mercy.” Klaus reminded as he caught her eye from the rearview mirror and his grin widened. Alea didn’t bother denying the title or defending Elena’s friends, her intent was to trap them and then they wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble anyways. Rebekah rolled her eyes in the backseat and crossed her arms, she sneered at Klaus’s directions.

“You're sending me to deal with children, this is barely even a distraction. If your witch is worth anything she should be able to handle it all on her own.” She teased with a taunting look cast in Alea’s direction. Alea ignored the jab and played with the spine of her grimoire where it lay in her lap. Klaus’s lips turned down and he growled low in his chest, the sound filling the car. They came to an abrupt halt as he pulled them into a parking space and turned to face his sister.

“If I wanted to send my witch on her own, she’d have no issue handling these brats and I wouldn’t have to hear a complaint. I’m sending you along to make sure I can still trust you.” He snarls. Alea feels the pull to lay her hand on his, the string between them tugging on her, but she holds herself still and only watches out of the corner of her eye. She catches Elijah’s frown in the mirror and Rebekah’s shocked expression. When Klaus has sat back down and unbuckled, everyone else takes their queue and gets out a second later. Klaus flashes to her side and blocks her from stepping away from the car, putting a hand on hers where it holds the door. “Do be careful though, love. Remember how difficult witches are to replace.” He whispers into her ear before joining Stefan and Elijah at the other end of the car.

Rebekah stands with crossed arms and an expectant look by the back door and raises an eyebrow at their exchange. Alea shakes her head and shifts her bag into a more comfortable position before nodding towards the school entrance.

“Come on, so many teenagers to distract and so little time.” Alea grumbles as she makes her way to the double doors. Rebekah keeps up easily and glances at her nails with a bored expression as they travel through the empty hallways. The locker lined walls are silent except for the faint squeak of their feet and the whisper of distant voices. They follow the sounds and find a giggling blonde head covering a brunette one. Alea clears her throat making Caroline and Tyler jump apart and whirl around to face them.

“Alea! You’re back, what are you doing here?!” Caroline asks as she leaps at Alea, hugging her tightly. Alea pats her back and looks over at Rebekah with a shrug and sheepish expression. Alea doesn’t bother explaining anything, holding a hand to Caroline’s head and whispering into her ear a quiet sleeping spell. Tyler’s ears perk up and he’s quick to catch Caroline as she goes limp, looking between the two other women with concerned and frightened eyes.

“Don’t worry Tyler, we’re all friends here.” Alea says as she reaches for his arm, laying the same layers of magic across him and dropping him right next to Caroline. The two teens are laid out on the floor in under two minutes and Rebekah raises an appraising eyebrow at Alea as she pulls them towards the nearest classroom. Alea brings out the professional sized carton of salt and begins pouring a circle around the knocked out teens, watching Rebekah lean against the whiteboard as she goes.

“Nik’s worked with a lot of witches before, and he’s fucked quite a few too. I wouldn’t count yourself special just because he calls you his.” She announces as she twirls a piece of chalk almost as high as the ceiling. Alea is totally caught off guard and the salt piles up as she stands frozen. She blinks at Rebekah with a dumb expression and coughs when she shakes herself out of it, resuming her circle. She focuses on raising a barrier, pulling the magic out and wrapping it tightly around the salt she’s poured until it’s harder than steel cables and woven finer than the nicest silk. When she has it wrapped up and tied off she turns back to look at Rebekah where she leans on the wall. Her aura stinks of soured yeast and old dead flowers, there’s an undercurrent of lemongrass and rosemary but it’s covered by the stench.

“I’m not trying to get his attention, I didn’t even want to be involved with him.”

“I’m sure. That explains Elijah making eyes at you the whole car ride over here, another girl caught between them then? That never gets old.” Rebekah fires back, popping out a hip and crossing her arms as she narrows her eyes at Alea across the room. Alea’s eyes widen but she turns towards the door and walks away, waving the words off as though that will make them go away.

“I’m not doing anything with either of them, and whatever happened in the past has nothing to do with me. Now how about we take care of our part of the plan?” She offers as she points through the classroom door. Rebekah tosses her hair but follows through the door silently. The hallways criss-cross but they continue to come across students they don’t recognize.

Alea suggests they split up given how much ground Rebekah can cover on her own. They split at a hall juncture and Alea follows her nose as she picks through the mix of Auras that fill the school. There’s a strong imprint coming from ahead and she follows the edges of it as it moves through the halls ahead of her. Something feels familiar about it and she can almost put her finger on it but she can only feel the edges still. She picks up her pace and she’s jogging to keep up with the twists the person takes as she follows them.

Alea comes around a corner and gets the full impact of the aura on her senses as she suddenly catches them. Bourbon, Vanilla, and Leather are smooth across her skin as her eyes take in Damon Salvatore next to Bonnie at the end of the hallway. He has a crooked smile across his mouth and an arm over Bonnie’s hunched shoulders, she looks like she’s trying to shake it off. Alea scowls at him but it only makes him grin wider as he pats Bonnie’s head and squeezes her shoulder.

“Fancy seeing you here, witch bitch.” He greets. Bonnie throws a hand out and fire rises from the ground between them, wild and high. The blaze takes Alea off guard and she stumbles back and falls to the ground to roll her flaming clothes out. Her skin burns and she coughs out smoke as she tries to rise to her knees. Damon rushes around the flames and grabs her by the shoulders. “Missed me? Looks like you’ve lost your little bodyguard.” He taunts as he pulls her up and off the ground by his grip on her shoulders. Alea coughs through the burning linoleum and stares him down, her fingers working overtime as she watches him. The power rises inside her, the ball of light from her stomach to her fingertips rushing out in electric waves that crash into him, sparks and light shooting from him as he falls away from her.

Bonnie flips open a book in her arms and begins chanting in broken latin, her voice firm as her fire swirls between them. Alea raises a palm towards the fire and speaks in fevered Aramaic that pushes a wave of air through the hall, extinguishing the flames and pushing Bonnie back several hurried steps. Bonnie’s eyes are wide and her breath is fast as she looks between Alea and her book, rustling pages quickly. Damon recovers in huffing pants, rising to his feet against a locker and snarling at Alea with fangs bared. She throws an aneurysm at him and knocks him back to his knees.

“We should talk about this, Bonnie, what's going on?” Alea tries, holding her hands up and offering a peaceful solution. She keeps Damon on his knees and whining as Bonnie looks at her, she looks torn. Bonnie’s Aura is her base smell of violets and bergamot, but there’s a note of sour to it, something not right. Bonnie snaps her grimoire shut and her jaw clenches as her eyes harden.

“There’s nothing to talk about, we’re going to protect Elena.” She calls across the hall and her wrist flips up, bringing Alea flying to the ceiling with it. Her face is crushed and her ribs creak under the pressure, bruising from the force. When the magic drops so does Alea and she falls back to the hard tiles where her head cracks. Her eyes barely want to open and when they do the ceiling looks fuzzy. There’s a blonde head hovering over her with a sick smile on red lips, long hair falling almost into her eyes.

“I thought you were supposed to be able to handle all of these children without complaint? Seems you were oversold.” Rebekah leers from her view above Alea. Alea lifts her head to look over at Bonnie and tilst to look at where Damon has risen to lean against a locker and growl at them.

“I’m not done yet, this is just a setback, nothing to worry about.” Alea nods and scrambles to get to her feet, the world tilting at odd angles as she moves. Rebekah looks unimpressed and steps back with an arm wave as though to give the floor to her.

“Please, do show.”

Bonnie has a determined look on her face and has begun a new verse from her book, the pages flipped open in front of her as she reads. Damon stands aside and waits for the new player to make a move, content now that Alea looks bloody. The air goes hazy in front of Bonnie and arcs of electricity begin to form. Alea pulls herself up and puts a hand in front of her lips, whispering between two fingers as the arcs move towards her. The electricity begins to swirl in odd spirals and circle as though down a drain towards the fingers at Alea’s lips, her mouth wide as though to devour it. The bolts disappear into nothingness and the crackling turns to silence.

Alea points the two fingers towards Damon, looking down them straight at his face full of fear, and whispers a word to release the pent up lightning. Bolts come out all at once in a blinding streak of light. The power sends a ripple through the air like thunder, cracking windows and denting lockers, blowing Bonnie and Rebekah off their feet. Alea looks around the wake of her spell and points with her other hand towards Bonnie. Her words are hurried as she repeats the spell to make her sleep, needing to put more power behind it than for the other two as she pushes the magic into the spell.

When the dust settles and Rebekah has pulled herself back up Damon is dead on the floor and Bonnie is asleep across the hallway.

“I suppose that wasn’t too bad.” Rebekah says with a tilt to her head as she looks the hallway over and assesses the damage. She tosses Bonnie over a shoulder and drags Damon through the rubble by a wrist. “You left an awful big mess though, and made quite the racket for just the two.”

“I’ll make a note for next time.” Alea says as she presses a hand to the back of her head and comes away with tacky blood and remnants of floor tile. She puts up her hands at the look Rebekah tosses over her shoulder and limps along behind her as they trace their steps back to Caroline and Tyler.

“Are we missing any of the rabble?” Rebekah asks as they add Bonnie and Damon to the pile of sleeping teens. Alea counts off people in her head and tries to think over the list.

“I think we just need to round up the history teacher now, Alaric. Shouldn’t be a problem, he’s a human hunter.” Alea explains and holds the door open for the blonde. Rebekah snorts and tosses her hair disdainfully.

“Their list of allies is pitiful. They could never hope to stand against us.”

“You might be surprised by them. They’re a surprisingly resourceful group.” Alea says as they walk down the hallways and ignore the confused looking teenagers and strange looks that Alea gets. The students avoid them and they head towards the gym, central to the rest of the school. They’re just outside of it when they come across Alaric with a crossbow, sneaking towards the gym door.

“I assume this is the hunter.” Rebekah says flatly as she flashes behind him and snaps the crossbow in half, sending the bolt flying into the door. Alaric flips around to stare at her and takes careful steps away. Alea circles towards him but he keeps her where he can see her. Rebekah flashes behind him and kicks out his knees, sending him sprawling on the hard floor. Alaric scrambles to get back up but Rebekah is faster, grabbing his hair and pulling him to his knees with her lips at his ear.

“He’s barely a snack.” She whispers and laughs as she sends him sprawling again with a swift kick to the back. Alea whispers a quick incantation and waves a hand over his head, dropping him like the others into a dreamless sleep. “I was having fun.” Rebekah whines.

Alea shrugs and points a hand back down the hallway they just walked down. Rebekah pouts and hefts Alaric over a shoulder. They follow the twists in the halls back to their class full of sleeping teens and one vampire, and toss in a history teacher. The circle stays intact and the boundary holds them securely as they all sleep soundly together. The ladies look over their haul and then look at each other.

“What now?” Alea asks as she checks her head, pulling away a dry hand. Rebekah looks over the room and huffs.

“Now we wait, I suppose.”

Chapter Text

Alea rests as much as she can while they wait for word from the others. Her body is sore all over and she has a pain in her head like someone’s trying to drive a spike into it. She has her head down on a desk with an eye cracked towards the door as she tries not to breathe in a way that hurts. Rebekah has taken to filing her nails while reading over the syllabus.

“And you said that the classes aren’t separated at all, everyone is just lumped together and can take any subject, even in college?” She asks as she flips the page and scans the list of reading material. Alea tilts her head and throws a grin over towards the blonde, thinking of all the things she has to look forward to.

“Yeah, everyone has access to it, if they can afford the college classes. In the U.S. school is free through highschool, it works differently in England and Europe. I’m not sure of everything that’s different since the 20’s, but since the 40’s I’ve seen a big difference in how things work. Women and people of color have a lot more opportunity in most places.” Alea explains as she raises her head and rests it on a palm. It had been a while since she’d really talked to another woman about how different things were. Rebekah was just waking up to a very different time than when she fell asleep and would need to get used to a lot of changes. Alea could see her thinking as she flipped through some of the books on the desk and read the back covers, taking in everything around her.

“It was bound to happen, I’ll be glad to rub it in my brothers faces.” Rebekah laughs as she tosses the books away and circles the room for something else to take up her attention. She reminds Alea of an anxious cat, she can almost see the twitching tail in the static of her aura. The clock continues to tick away the minutes and Alea tries to ignore it as they sit idly waiting.

It seems like forever before they get a text from Elijah. Rebekah pops up from the teacher’s desk and lights up with a smile.

“They’ve come to an agreement, they’ll do the first blood draw tomorrow morning and another in six months. Stefan and Elijah will go with the doppelganger tonight and we’ll meet them in the morning at the hospital.” She summarizes with a flourish as she flings the door open and waits for Alea. Alea yawns and looks towards the spell circle, her hand stirs the air and she whispers a line of latin that sweeps up the salt. The boundary of magic falls and the sleep that covers their captives slips away. With all the magic cleaned up Alea folds up a quick note and tucks it into Bonnie’s hand before passing Rebekah into the hall.

The school is empty as they walk back out to the car, the pranksters all gone for the night. There’s another car next to their SUV and Alea sees Elena standing next to it, tucked next to Stefan’s side. Elijah is beside them and seems to be glaring at a smirking Klaus who’s leaned up against the SUV, his smile pointed at Elena. Rebekah ignores their drama and passes right through the middle to the front passenger seat, slamming the door and crossing her arms where she sits.

“Well, it seems our sister is still in one of her moods.” Klaus comments as he glares at Rebekah. He glances at Alea and does a double take at the sight of her, the blood on her head now dry and the burns on her clothes a dark char that’s left soot across her skin. “And what happened to you? I thought the Bennet witch wouldn’t be an issue for you?” He whispers as he pulls her away by the elbow, his hand tight where it pulls her around to the far side of the car. Elijah’s eyes follow them as they disappear and he makes an aborted move to follow, a pinch between his brows. Klaus pulls open the back door and waves her in, he looks at Elijah over the door and nods towards the other car to dismiss him.

“We’ll see you in the morning, I’ll have room at the hospital available by then.” Elijah tells them as he ushers Elena into the car and holds his own door open. He hesitates a moment, his eyes meeting Alea’s through the window and she nods at him, his shoulders relaxing an inch. With the other car pulling away Klaus corners Alea on her seat and assesses the extent of her injuries. His fingers trace their way over the back of her head and find the knot where blood has become sticky over the fresh scab, a cut low on her hairline where the tile was crushed. He looks over her clothes at the burn marks, pulling at her sleeves to expose the red skin on her arms.

“You know how to find trouble, don’t you, love?” He asks as he lays his hands on her shoulders, a tight smile on his lips. He looks tense and anxious from the set of his shoulders and the lines in his forehead, the flecks of gold in his eyes a bad sign.

“Nothing a little meditation won’t fix. I’m fine.” Alea reassures and pats his hands. He grips her fingers and brings them to his lips for a gentle kiss, his lips soft against her sensitive skin. Alea smiles tiredly at him, more exhausted than she realized, and leans into her seat. “We should head back, you can explain what happened.” Klaus sighs and his shoulders sag, he lays one last kiss on her hands before tucking her in and closing her door. He slams his way into the driver's seat and the car roars to life, she can see his eyes in the mirror watching her.

“Our deal with the doppelganger went quite well once she believed we weren’t there to kill her, which Stefan helped with.” Klaus explains as he navigates through the darkened streets. “Elijah was good enough to explain that we wanted to form an alliance that benefits both parties and were amenable to making adjustments in her favor. We bartered a bit and the girl came to an agreement that should be reasonable.” He continues. The town is eaten up and the streets houses disappear before they’re back to the forests surrounding the town. There's fog in the air and the road is barely visible as they make their way through the night. Rebekah stares out the window and her reflection shows her annoyed expression.

“And what sort of deal have you made with the doppelganger?” Rebekah questions with a pout, turning to look at Klaus. Klaus looks over at her and rolls his eyes at her, his smirk stretching out his dimples.

“My dear doppelganger will be making a few donations for us and then an annual visit should suffice. We’ll need to test out the blood on a werewolf to be sure that only a minimal amount is required for each turning, but after that we’ll keep her well guarded and comfortable in her human life just the way she wants.” He details as they pull around in front of the mansion. His explanation sounds like an oversimplification but Alea can only hope that it works out to be that easy. One human lifetime means little to a vampire who has lived over a thousand years, keeping Elena safe for her lifetime would be like a science project for him. Something to keep him entertained if anything.

Alea felt exhausted as they got into the mansion, the short walk into the front entryway felt like a mile and her head felt like it weighed a ton. The stairs seemed a daunting task and she set to work with her teeth grit and her hand braced on the bannister. Klaus’s hand swept her elbow up into his firm grip and steadied her where she began to teeter. Alea looked sideways at him and their eyes locked for a moment, as calm as he looked his irises still had anxious flecks of gold in them. Alea leaned on Klaus where he held her as the stairs ended and all that was left was the long corridor that led to her room. The floor looked like it warped and waved under her tired eyes but her feet kept steady with Klaus leading her on. Alea fell onto the bed as soon as soon as it was within arms reach, flopping bonelessly down on it with a sigh as though Klaus wasn’t even there.

“I would feel better if you would take some of my blood.” He murmurs as he sits beside where she lays and gently pulls strands of her hair away from her face. Alea blinks over at him and frowns, wanting the night over but not liking the idea of having his blood now that they’re back in Mystic Falls.

“How about I let you stay until I’ve healed, will that make you worry less?” She offers. He seems to turn the idea over in his head, his mouth puckering to one side in thought. Klaus sighs, sagging his shoulders and rolling his eyes dramatically, and nods his agreement. Alea rolls and shifts until she can get comfortable enough laying in the bed to concentrate on meditating, not wanting any of her injuries to be exacerbated and wake her up. Klaus takes up sitting with his back against one of the posters of her bed and watches her with a careful eye.

Deep inhales and steady exhales are difficult with possible broken ribs, but Alea finds a way to breathe around the sharp pain. With her eyes closed it’s easier to focus on the hum of magic that sits right beneath the surface, and with Klaus so close she can feel the warm light of his energy surrounding her like the sun. The cool pool of her magic swirls in steady spirals, certain and strong when she pulls on the strings of it. The bright sparks that light up inside of it bristle against her awareness and she feels them tingling in her nerves, making the small hairs on her arms stand up.

Alea focuses on weaving her magic into a familiar healing charm, the pattern old and comforting. The energy that’s become tangled with her’s lights up along the healing charm and races through the weave, zipping through the spell to ignite it with energy. The spell goes off like a shockwave through her system, ripples of it moving through her until she can feel traces of it in her entire body. She feels better than ever, she opens her eyes and can already feel the difference that the little charm has made.

“There, good as new.” She tells Klaus with a hand wave and a smile, brushing soot off her face to show the clear skin. Klaus looks surprised but he hides it quickly, humming as he gives her a brief appraisal and stands up.

“You look just as beautiful as always, love, but you might want to take a shower. Ashy isn’t the best look for you, but if you give pyromania a chance, let me know.” Klaus teases with a flashy grin. “If you get a chance tomorrow morning before we go to the hospital, can you look into some protective charms for my doppelganger? I hear she’s quite prone to trouble. You know all about that.” He requests as he swings towards the door, pausing briefly to look at her before shaking his head and waltzing out.

Chapter Text

The night is fitful, Alea tosses and turns in the downy blankets as a dream grips her. Wrapped in the cover of night the vision creeps into her dreams and turns the landscape against her. She finds herself back in the woods of Mystic Falls, a place that's become familiar, walking aimlessly. There’s a whisper in the wind that’s calling her onwards between the tall trees and across rocks that jut through the moss strewn floor. She can’t make out the words that are whispered but it almost sounds like a song, or a chant, something with a rhythm to it.

Alea steps past through a thicket of trees and finds herself facing the mansion. Her feet are pulled onwards and she makes her way up the marble steps and through the oak front door, the whispers lead her past the foyer and to a door she hasn’t noticed before. A small door set between the kitchen and the study looks almost like a closet but when her hand pulls it open she sees stairs leading down into the dark. The shadows part as they do only in dreams and she enters a large basement room that looks as old as the town. There’s five coffins around the room, two sit open and the other three lay closed.

Alea takes slow steps towards the center coffin, the whispered words now coming in louder. They sound like someone speaking just behind her but muffled by a door, something blocking her from them. The chant is Aramaic and she can make out every other word of it but doesn’t recognize it as any spell she knows and she’s still drawn to the central coffin like she’s on a string. Her hands land on the lid and lift it in a rush of blinding light.

Alea wakes in huffing pants and gasping breaths, sweat beading on her brow as she sits up in the large four poster bed. The room has the hazy light of dawn filtering in through the shuttered windows and the birds outside are beginning to sing in far away trees. Alea flops back down against the bed and looks towards her phone for confirmation and slams it down at the time. Four in the morning is too early to be feeling this awake. Adrenaline is still coursing through her system and the remnants of sleep are long gone, the memory of the dream all that remains. Alea stretches her arms and gives a quiet yawn, giving up on rest and getting an early start on her day.

The floor is cold and the room is chilly, the heater obviously not turned on yet or not in working condition. Alea makes a mental note to bring it up with Klaus. She takes quick hopping steps to the bathroom and takes the quickest shower possible in the frigid water, shaking like a chihuahua by the time she is done. Clothes are easy since she still only has the one bag to pull from, and she’s never much cared for fashion since it changes so quickly.

Alea makes herself comfortable in a wrap of blanket at the foot of the bed with her books strewn in front of her. The doppelganger would need some powerful protection, and some permanent charms, for their little deal. There were some good options that Alea had used in the past for friends or sold when she needed the cash. Protection spells were always a hot commodity. But she wanted something powerful for this, otherwise she would have to layer them on so thick the poor girl would be drowning in magic. She spent some time flipping through the thick tomes, comparing the various versions and highlighting some similarities.

There was a strong protection charm that she hadn’t used before in one of her old norse books, the cover a thick piece of leather with patches of fur still clinging to it. She decided to also pull up a cloaking spell, something to keep prying eyes from trying to spy on or find her. The two charms could be anchored by small tokens, like pieces of jewelry, and would be easy to hide. If Klaus could get her the supplies then she should be able to make this work.

Alea slid the two grimoires into her bag for the day and shuffled the rest into some kind of order. Her phone told her it was already seven so she hoped the others would be awake by now, and took her things out into the hall. Alea slows down on her way to the kitchen, pausing in front of the door from her dream. She looks over her shoulder at the study and back up towards the stairs, not seeing either of the vampires. She twists the handle, and it struggles against the lock. Alea pulls away in surprise and snatches back her hand.

“Going exploring, love?” Klaus asks from behind her, making her twirl and back into the wall. He grins wickedly at her and spreads his palms as though in surrender. “Did I surprise you? My apologies, rabbit, I only wanted to wish you good morning.” He continues. His posture relaxed and he sticks his hands in his pockets. Alea looks between Klaus and the door, studying his nonchalant expression.

“Good Morning Klaus, is there food in the kitchen or is it just for show?” Alea asks with a smile, stepping away from the door and relaxing from her surprised posture. She’d have to find another time to check out the door. Klaus offers her his elbow and she pauses only a moment before taking it, wondering what could be making his mood so bright this early in the morning. In the kitchen Rebekah is posed on a chair with a blood bag in hand and another held to her lips. She finishes the bag with a sigh and throws the empty plastic into the sink. She pats her lips with a napkin and was blood free and pretty by the time they joined her at the kitchen counter.

Klaus holds a chair out for Alea and she hops up while looking around to see what he would come up with. He spins around and flings the fridge door open with a flourish, pulling out eggs and bread, cheese and bacon. A pan was quick to be laid out on the stove and he added a spot of butter before the eggs. He stuck the bread in the toaster and tapped across the floor to some silent music that neither of the ladies could hear. Cheese was added to the eggs and flipped into a quick omelet that cooked for a few more minutes.

“Now tell me, what witchy shenanigans do you have up your sleeves for my doppelganger? I heard your thunder yesterday, and Rebekah mentioned there was lightning, are you going to brew up a showstopper for me?” Klaus asks as he flips the omelet onto a plate and adds the toast, pushing the plate across the counter to her. Alea takes the plate and sprinkles a little salt and pepper on it without replying, peaking at him from under her lashes as she takes her first bite. The food was nice and light.

“I have a few ideas I worked up this morning, I have an ingredient list that shouldn’t be too hard to get.” She tells him between bites. She waves a hand as he starts to talk. “They’re both spells I can handle without a full moon, if I do them in the right place. There are plenty of places of power here in Mystic Falls so it shouldn’t be an issue.” She explains as the last bite disappears from the plate.

“Well then, let’s get going. We have an appointment at the hospital at nine, Rebekah can go with you to get your ingredients while I’m gone.” Klaus dictates while throwing the kitchen towel in the sink. Rebekah nearly squawks from her place at the counter and turns a fiery glare on her brother.

“I am not your slave! Have someone else do your fetch work. I thought your witch was capable of handling herself, does she need a chaperone to go shopping?” she crows and throws her napkin on the counter angrily. Alea watches them from over her coffee. Rebekah was almost pink cheeked from how angry she was, standing tall in front of Klaus.

“I can go on my own, the list isn’t too long.” She pipes up. Klaus rolls his eyes and leans his hands on the counter, looking between the two ladies. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose when both held firm in their looks towards him, not budging in their expressions.

“I don’t want any of us left exposed should the locals decide to rally against us with some vague plot. These teenagers have some amount of power and we can’t forget it.” He tells them with a grim frown. His face is set in the downturned expression and he turns it on the both of them fiercely. Crossing his arms he stares them down as they look at each other. Alea shrugs and raises a brow in question at Rebekah, leaving it up to her.

“Fine! But we’re going proper shopping, not just for your magical trinkets and leaves. And I want your money to do it!” She demands as she holds out an expectant hand. He looks long sufferingly at her but he reaches into his pocket for his card all the same, a smirk coming onto his lips. He slips his sister the card and flashes a grin at Alea over Rebekah’s shoulder. Alea rolls her eyes good naturedly and hops off her stool and gathers her things. Rebekah flounces off through the hall without a glance back and Alea waves a quick goodbye before rushing after her.

In the foyer Alea catches up to Rebekah and they step as one out the front door. Rebekah raises her head and tosses her hair, sniffing lightly as she unlocks the car.

“We’ll get your shopping over with first, may as well get the boring bit done with.” She announces. Alea hops into the passenger seat and straps in quickly, throwing her things at her feet. Rebekah is quick to adjust all the mirrors and play with the seat. They peel out of the driveway at a frightening speed and hit the road towards town.

“This’ll be fun.”

Chapter Text

Her shopping trip with Rebekah takes a bit longer than her average shopping trip ever has. Before they get to the necessary magical components she insists on going to Richmond and visiting the mall. Rebekah seems to understand that one of the easiest ways to feel comfortable in a new place or time is to immerse yourself in their fashion. It's culturally important, or at least that is what Alea would be able to use as a justification for the seemingly endless time spent going through clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewelry. But she didn’t have to justify it.

Rebekah was happy to drag her to every shop at the mall, and a few shops that were just nearby. Her feet felt like they were going to fall off by the time she had decided they could look for her ‘silly witchy herbs’. In comparison it was barely even a stop at all, they were in and out in less than fifteen minutes. Alea was so tired she hardly got more than pleasantries out, not even a lick of small talk.

They were back at the house well into the afternoon, almost the evening. Klaus and Elijah were waiting in the first room off the entry with glasses of bourbon by the fire as though they were parents waiting up for misbehaving teens. Alea peeled off her shoes and rubbed her feet, worrying they may actually fall off. Rebekah looked anxious, like her brothers may actually be mad at her, and even as she shook off the look and raised her head, Alea was struck by it.

Klaus turned from the fire with a deep frown and regarded his sister with a raised brow. Elijah turned away and stared out the window. Rebekah stood at the entry to the room and her easy going smile turned into a sneer at the picture her brothers made.

“What, waiting up for us. I brought your witch back in one piece.” She teased, crossing her arms and tapping her toe. Klaus swirled his drink and looked over at where Elijah was standing before glancing at where Alea was leaning against the wall.

“I expected you back hours ago, since I was told her list was quite simple. We had work that could have been done.” Klaus told her in an off hand voice, tone even as he set his drink down and crossed his arms. Elijah turned towards the group and took a sip from his glass. “You also failed to answer your phone.”

“I wasn’t told we had time constraints, maybe I should’ve been given all the information. And I answer when I’m able.” Rebekah replied curtly, tossing her head. Alea moves to the entry of the room and leans on the frame of the entryway, arms crossed.

“Whatever you had in mind for me, I can do now. I have all the ingredients for those protection spells and I don’t need to be around the doppelganger to perform them, I’ll just need to go to one of the locations we talked about.”She murmurs, trying to ease the tension. Klaus sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose before shrugging.

“Then you may as well get on with it. I want her to be as safe as possible, as soon as possible. Go do your magic and then we’ll reconvene.” Klaus commands before sweeping from the room, his shoulder brushing Alea’s as he passes her. She waits another moment, getting her bag from amongst the pile before going back upstairs to grab her bag for her grimoire and supplies. She can feel a shadow on her back and a twist of her head reveals Elijah behind her as she reaches her room.

“Elijah.”

“Alea.” He whispers as she stands there feeling dumb, struck by a lack of words. Alea opens her mouth but finds she doesn’t know quite what to say, nothing comes out. “We haven’t had a chance to speak since our trip to the school.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to talk again.” Alea tells him honestly. “I don’t know if I can give you an explanation that will make any of this better.” She murmurs with a frown as she leans back against her bedroom door. Elijah sighs and nods towards her room, following her as she pushes the door inwards and makes her way in. Alea sits on the bed and sets aside the new ingredients, watching Elijah as he leans on the bureau and plays with a cufflink. Alea can feel the tether that links them flaring to life at their proximity, a tug towards him that feels hard to resist, that she wonders if he feels too.

“Maybe I can show you? The magic that I’m dealing with, maybe I can get you to feel it.” Alea offers, perking up at the idea. Elijah looks over and an eyebrow comes up as he thinks it over, obviously hesitant. He takes smooth steps to the edge of the bed and sits next to her, his knee bumping her’s where it lays. Alea smiles at him encouragingly and lays a hand up for him to take. “It’ll be fine.”

Elijah sighs deeply, his shoulders tensing as she closes her eyes and focuses and the tug low in her belly. The tug is something she usually ignores, a string between them that she blocks out in the hopes that starving it would make it disappear. But she can still feel it. There’s a steady thrum of energy coming down the string and it has the distinct taste of Elijah on it . Alea lays gentle fingers around the string and gives a little tug. In her hand she can feel his hand squeeze hers tightly and she knows he felt that.

Theory tested, Alea reaches further down into herself and looks for the place where Klaus is tangled up in her. There’s the glowing pool of light where her energy resides and she can feel the jolts of static that Klaus’s foreign strings give off. Pulling just a strand of the mixed energy out of the pool, Alea holds her string with Elijah in one hand and her string with Klaus in the other and gently brings them together.

Elijah goes very still. Alea opens her eyes to see that his eyes have shut and his whole body is tightly locked. She puts a light hand on the back of his and a shiver seems to roll down his spine. Alea holds very still as his eyes open and she can see the shadows of veins under his eyes. His tight hold of her hand loosens and he turns his hand in hers to slide up to her wrist and let his thumb rub circles over the pulse there. His other hand comes up to cup her cheek and smooth down the curve of her face. He shivers again and he blinks slowly.

“This is intense.” He whispers as his hand falls to her neck and his thumb smooths the sensitive skin of her collarbone. He blinks slowly at her, almost sleepily, and his eyes drop to her lips. Alea pulls back slowly and disentangles the bits of magic that she's played with, dropping their connection. Elijah’s face clears slowly and he pulls himself away from her like he’s been burnt. He straightens his tie and fixes his cufflinks.

“I’m sorry, that was stupid. I should’ve just tried to explain better.” Alea tries to apologize. She runs a hand through her hair and turns away from him, afraid of what she’ll see.

“No, I understand better now.” Elijah says after clearing his throat. “Was this just during the spell?”

“It happens anytime we touch, or get too close. But yeah, during the spell we didn’t know what was going on.” She explains simply. It’s more complicated than that, but right now simple is best. Elijah seems lost in thought, sitting with a hand smoothing down his tie. Alea puts a hand on his and his whole body tenses. “I’m sorry Elijah, it was an unintended side effect.” She reassures, holding his hand gently. His hand turns to hold hers back and he gives a gentle squeeze, making her smile. His hand on his tie stops mid motion and he turns slowly, carefully, and cups his hand gently around her cheek.

Alea can still feel the sparks from their connection, the deep tug inside that draws her towards him, and from the way his hand tightens on hers, he does too. Elijah looks torn, his face tight as he looks at her, and she hates herself for putting that look there. Alea tries to smile reassuringly at him but it must not come out right, because he frowns further. Elijah draws their foreheads together and Alea breathes in the rich smell of him, the soothing familiarity of his aura and the way he makes her automatically relax. Touching him isn’t the overwhelming experience that touching Klaus is. It feels more like being drawn in, like a magnet pull. Their foreheads are together and slowly their noses slide to touch, and they’re breathing in time. It’s slowly that their lips slide together, an inch at a time, falling together. It feels comfortable and safe, not the passionate kisses they’ve shared before, but something softer. They’re lips press against each other and Alea wraps her arms around him. His arms encircle her and she feels surrounded in the comfort of him, his warmth and safety. His lips against her and his arms pressing into her, holding her tightly against his broad chest, it feels perfect.

It doesn’t feel foggy, it feels so crystal clear, it feels like a piece that’s been missing. Elijah’s hands pull her into his lap and smooth down her hips, grasping at her thighs. Their kiss has grown heated and she has to pull away for gasping breaths. His lips trail down her jaw and to the hidden spot behind her ear where the thin skin is sensitive. Her breaths become hiccups as he licks the spot and her hands grasp at his shoulders. The tight rope that draws them together feels so close, like it's inches from its match, and it’s lit a spark that is clawing up her throat. That gets doused when she hears creaking on the stairs. Alea takes big lungfuls of air and tries to calm her racing heart as she pulls away.

“Elijah, we can’t, he’ll dagger you again.” Alea whispers, holding his face in her hands. Elijah’s pupils are blown wide and his hair is mussed in adorable waves that she tries to smooth out with quick hands. Elijah growls and ducks against her throat, rolling his hips against her.

“He can try.” He pants as he nips at her lips and pulls back, taking deep breaths. “We have some sort of connection, how can you ask me to deny it?” He asks as his breathing calms down and he looks more himself. She bites her lip and knocks her forehead against his, breathing against him and squeezing his shoulders. His hands are iron bands around her and Alea wishes she could curl up here forever, ignoring everything else. But she’s just starting to make things better with Klaus.

“I don’t know, I don’t know what to do.” She whispers against him, letting him hold her as she tries to think around the problem. There’s a knock on the door and she finds herself back on the bed and Elijah leaning against the wall as the door opens. Klaus’s head peaks through and as soon as his eyes land on Alea they light up.

“Ah, there you are.. Are you working on the charms or still preparing?” Klaus asks as he steps fully into the room. He sweeps his eyes from Alea to Elijah and his brows come down, a pinch forming between them. Alea wonders for a moment if a fight will break out right here, waiting for the moment everything will fall apart. But Klaus just turns back to her and waits for a response.

“I was just finishing preparations. I have all the ingredients now and if we go to one of the places of power I can cast both of the spells.” Alea tells him, shoving everything into her bag and turning to him. Klaus smiles and holds out a hand to her, she takes it without looking at Elijah.

Alea takes a deep breath at the intense rush of power from their bond, the way his energy sparks and flashes against hers. It seems almost agitated. She watches Klaus from the corner of her eye as he leads her downstairs, the corner of his smile is tight and there’s tension in his shoulders that she didn’t notice at first. Alea smooths her thumb across his knuckles as he opens her car door. None of the others come with them, waiting on the front steps and watching them leave. Alea watches Elijah’s face as they leave and can see the tight crease on his brow, the way he hides his hands that she knows are in fists.

The windy road through Mystic Falls is usually relaxing but there’s a tension in the air that keeps Alea from enjoying it.

“What’s going on between you and Elijah?” Klaus asks as he watches the road. His eyes are intent but the grip he has on the steering wheel gives away how frustrated he is. Alea takes a deep breath and runs a hand through her hair, tucking strands behind her ear. She’s been dreading this moment and she still has no idea what to say.

“Before you and I met, Elijah and I had a connection…” She starts, slow and unsure. “It’s different from what we have, but it’s similar. It’s something that connects us magically. I don’t know what it is but I didn’t make it.” Alea tries to explain, keeping a close eye on the hybrid. His eye twitches at the mention of their connection and the comparison. He parks them at the end of a dirt road and turns to fully face her.

“Why haven’t you mentioned this.” He demands.

“He was daggered. I didn’t think I would see him again, and I still don’t know what it is.” Alea tells him. His face is carefully blank and she grips her hands in fists tightly, nervous for his questions and demands. She waits as he watches her and she watches him.

“Get rid of it.” Klaus commands, turning away.

“Klaus I can’t!” Alea shouts, flinching. Klaus’s eyes flash gold as he growls and turns back towards her. Alea puts her hands on his chest and presses against him, holding tightly to their bond. “I can’t sever my bond to him anymore than I can sever ours. I don’t know what’s going on, but I will try and figure it out, I promise. I didn’t mean to come between you like this, I don’t want to hurt either of you. It’s best if we just try to avoid each other.” She adds, pulling back. Klaus huffs and steps out of the car, slamming the door. Alea follows after him, rushing into the forest with her bag and following the trail.

“I will not lose you to him.” Klaus mutters, throwing the words at her as he continues to walk ahead of her. Alea tries to keep up with him, stumbling through the woods over roots and rocks. He grumbles and growls under his breath, looking over his shoulder at her. “You have done something, twisted your magic and caused this. You’ve ensnared me in this torture.”

“We’ve talked about this. It was an accident, an unintended effect of the spell that you requested. I will try to untangle us, I just need time and opportunity.” She calls after him, pausing as she steps over a log. The forest has gotten denser and the trail is long gone, she’s not even sure Klaus is still leading them to the right location. Alea carefully navigates the thick roots and underbrush, keeping an eye on Klaus’s retreating back. “Klaus! Let’s talk about this.”

Klaus doesn’t call back to her and she huffs, stopping in her tracks. The dense foliage makes the forest feel like it’s wrapping around her and she feels almost lonely. But she’s a witch, Alea shakes off the feeling and closes her eyes. The energy of the forest is alive beneath her feet and stretches for miles. Breathing in for a moment it isn’t hard to feel where her connection leads. Alea follows the trail of power she can feel, little breadcrumbs of it she can sense.

Alea walks through the forest and enjoys the chirping of the animals, the sound of rustling trees, and the whisper of the wind. She has a little smile as she looks around, feeling more connected to her magic than she has in longer than she had thought. She had lost her connection to nature, Magic has become a job rather than a spiritual practice and connection to nature. While she’s enjoying the feel of sunlight dappled across her skin, between blinks, the world goes dark and she is tripping into a void.

Chapter Text

The darkness parts before her and she steps towards a mansion she doesn’t recognize. There’s a man facing away from her and she can see more people past him, a crowd of people in front of the building, a faceless mob. The man turns and reveals Klaus in his arms, a stake through his chest. Alea steps forward, a scream caught in her throat as something holds her back. Klaus begins to burn and falls back away from the man, consumed in flames and immolating to cinders. People in the crowd fall to their knees and cry out as they begin to spark.

The man smiles and his head turns towards Alea and his grin is twisted into something wicked and evil. He takes a step towards her and points a crooked finger in her direction.

“When my children are ashes, be sure that I will come after the abomination.” He tells her with a hiss. Alea twists away and stumbles through fog towards the shadows away from him. Her feet meet air and she falls on a scream as her hands scramble for purchase. There’s a cackling laugh around her and she can feel the overwhelming presence from her previous visions pressing in on her before her eyes close and the vision ends.

Waking up is not pleasant. She stumbles up with a pounding headache and looks around the now dark forest, night has fallen and the sounds of nature have changed, it doesn’t feel as welcoming anymore. Alea sighs at the sight of the waning moon and tries to focus on her connection to the earth’s power. The headache makes it hard, a knot on the back of her head causing a stabbing pain behind her eyes like an ice pick. She holds on as tight as she can to the connection and moves towards it. It’s harder in the dark.

Over twisted roots and dips in the dirt Alea hikes through the trees towards the pull of power that lures her deeper. When her feet stop at the edge of a river she takes a deep breath and tries to sort through the mix of auras. Deep beneath the surface is suffering from ages long past that has seeped into the earth under the water. Alea finds a less mossy seat for herself by the bank of the river and sets her bag of supplies to her side, grabbing the first ingredients.

No salt circle here, no rock formation either, just a diagram of candles and paint that streaks across grass and stones. She sits comfortably back on her chosen rock and straightens herself as she finds her center and calls on her magic. Reaching past her own well of energy and the swirls and eddies of Klaus’s, Alea touches the resolute power of the stained soil under her. The ground seems to groan and quake as she twists her mental claws through layers of energy. It writhes against her until she can leash it around her palm. A firm tug has a stream of it pouring in and through her, lighting her up like the sun at high noon.

She sighs with the warmth that fills her veins and rolls out her neck. Her hands go out in front of her, parallel to the ground and fingers spread. Under her palms a locket lays on the stones in front of her, beginning to glow as she focuses. Her mouth forms the chant in Aramaic and lets the rhythm of the river set her pace. She has all the time in the world. And it feels like it’s going to take that long. The words spin the string and her focus twines it around the locket, she has to remain solely focused for it to work.

There’s almost a hum to the air when it’s done, the metal warm in the palm she picks it up with. She rubs a thumb over the simple face of it and can see a faint shimmer in the metal surface, too subtle for human eyes.

One down, one to go.

Alea already has a headache, but she has plenty of energy left thanks to the power around her. She snaps her fingers to clear the wax and paint left from her first spell, leaving a blank canvas for her second. More paint gets brushed on the ground in wide sweeps and little twirls. She rearranges the candles and relights them as she clears her throat and starts her verse in Gaelic. It’s not as old a spell but it’s one she’s used before and knows works. Without side effects. The power comes rushing back when she reaches out to it, just at her fingertips. She funnels the torrent inward through herself and then focuses it outwards on her second item. She’s brought a dainty bracelet, a simple piece of silver chain with a tiny herbal charm.

The bracelet hovers in the air and twirls lightly in the breeze, the shine of it bright in the moonlight. The Gaelic words are slightly stiff on her tongue but she stumbles over them with approximate pronunciation and the spell holds true. The web of the magic is tight as it fuses to the silver and sinks into its surface, burning sigils into the links. Alea relaxes finally as the candles burn low and the bracelet falls into her waiting hand.

Her clean up is easy and she stands to brush off her ass and crack her back. The moon has risen and the air is full of the forest’s night sounds. It would be peaceful if she didn’t feel like Mystic Falls was cursed with bad luck. It’s a long walk back to the car, if the car is still there, and an even longer walk back to the mansion.

It feels like hours later that she shows up at the mansion, shoes ragged and shivering. Alea pushes the door open and starts trudging up the stairs to her bedroom, hoping a good shower will wash away the terrible day. There’s voices coming from one of the side rooms that stop as soon as the door closes and the three siblings pop out of the doorway, looking surprised. They look her over with various emotions, Rebekah just seems slightly disgusted. Elijah looks distressed in the way his stoic face is able to allow, and Klaus tucks his concern behind a bitter frown.

Alea doesn’t bother looking at them, she makes it to the top of the stairs and turns slightly to throw over her shoulder “I had another vision.”. The shower washes away the blood and mud, she feels fresh when she steps out. Her bed looks better than ever and she lays back into it with a sigh. The peace is short lived though and there’s a knock on her door just as she’s falling asleep. Alea considers just saying ‘no’ but that seems unwise.

“Come in.” She calls and tosses her blanket aside, revealing pajama shorts and tank top. The door creaks open and Klaus steps in, hands tucked neatly behind his back and face set in a tight smirk. He leans a hip against the dresser and looks her over, his eyes noting the cuts on her shoulders.

“It seems we have an issue, love.” He says, a strain obvious in the way he holds his jaw. Alea sighs and crosses her arms over her chest. They sit there for a moment, assessing each other.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I’ve offered to find a solution, but it’ll take time…”

“But I want you now.” Klaus interrupts, crossing the space between them and reaching for her hands, holding them between his. “These past months you have been all mine, how can you expect me to change that? You have bound us together and now you want to keep us apart.” Klaus strains, his voice almost hoarse. His eyes have a rim of gold around them and his hands are tight around hers. Alea feels guilty, all this mess is her fault, she should have stayed far away from Mystic Falls.

“I’m sorry, once this mess is done I will focus on these connections and unbinding all of us.”

“All of us?”

“Of course? Isn’t that what you’ve wanted?” Alea asks, trying to catch his eyes. He turns away and takes a deep breath. When he looks back at her he seems torn, his eyes pleading as he looks over her face. He reaches a hand out to touch her face, sweeping his thumb across her cheek, cupping her face gently. He leans in, resting his forehead against hers as he breathes in deeply. Alea can’t find it in herself to protest, it feels nice to be close to him, to breathe him in.

“I want you to want me, that hasn’t changed, love.” He sighs, kissing her forehead. Alea leans into his hands and holds his hands in hers. Their hands fall between them and Alea watches them in her lap as she bites her lip. Klaus pulls back slightly and lifts his thumb to rub across her lip, pulling it free from her teeth.

“I do want you, that seems to be the issue. I don’t mean to be indecisive, I just wasn’t expecting all this.

“You asked me to wake Elijah up. This is why, isn’t it?” Klaus asks and lets his hand fall to her throat, not threatening, just gently cupping. Alea swallows and looks up at him from under her lashes. She sighs, it’s more complicated than that.

“He and I had a deal, I had a duty to rescue him. And I wanted to.” She admits, making his hand spasm slightly but he forces it to stay loose. He takes a deep breath and lowers his head to her shoulder, hunching in around her. His hand slides around to the back of her neck and twists through her curls at the nape, tugging just slightly. Alea turns her head into his throat and takes an inhale of his aura and his scent. It’s conflicted. She can smell his usual heated sweet peaches but also a salty aftertaste like someone read the recipe wrong. “I just.. this thing happened between us and I wasn’t expecting it. I still don’t understand how I feel. But when I’m with you, I forget all that and it’s like there’s this bubble of just us. And I like that.”

Klaus pushes against her with a little growl and they fall back onto the bed together. His lips land on hers and she reciprocates viciously. He groans into her mouth and rolls his hips into hers. Alea feels heat rush over her and curls her body around Klaus as he rocks into her and his mouth strays to her throat. His hands drag down her body and rip at her clothes as they go, claws careful to stay away from skin as they free her from her pajamas. Alea fusses with his jeans in return and is rewarded with a growl when her hand lands on him.

“You’re mine.” He groans as enters her and their hips connect. Alea gasps and her back arches, her mind going blank at the way he fills her. His lips seal at the point where her shoulder meets her neck and the points of his fangs prick the sensitive skin there. His teeth sink deeper but no pain follows as he licks the wound and moans against her skin. Alea writhes beneath Klaus’s thrusts and the pull of his hands on her. His rhythm is smooth and deep, long rolls of his hips that hit a place that lights her up inside. Their magic connects in a flash of heat and Alea is helpless to control the wave of force that pushes out from them, lifting the curtains and tossing books. The whole room shakes and creaks.

Klaus releases her neck and lifts his head to look down at her, his golden eyes shining above the wrinkled veins as he studies her. He licks her blood off his lips and growls as he bites his own wrist, holding it to her lips until it has healed and she has taken small mouthfuls. He smiles down at her, vicious and victorious as he lifts her hips in his hands and picks up his pace. Alea grasps at his shoulders and her nails scratch lines down his chest as she moans against him. She feels like she could fly apart at the seams, like she must be on fire because this heat would surely kill a normal person, her toes tingle and there’s lightning in her veins.

She comes on a broken cry of his name, not sure if she’s begging him or exalting him. He throws his head back as he spasms inside of her and his muscles go taut, every line of him tense as he growls low in his chest and she can feel it rumble into her. He slumps into her and helplessly rolls until they’re facing each other, her eyes lazily closing as she yawns.

Chapter Text

The light of the morning sun falls across her face and Alea doesn’t want to wake up. She can feel Klaus’s arm around her waist and his warm breath against her neck. Maybe she can pretend to sleep for just a little longer.

“I know you’re awake little rabbit, your heartbeat gives you away.” Klaus whispers as he draws her closer and nuzzles into her shoulder. Alea rolls to her back and looks up into his eyes as he grins down at her, a smirk tugging his lips up. She sighs and traces his stubble covered jaw with a frown as she considers her vision from last night.

“I had another vision.”

“Yes, you mentioned when you came in last night. What wonderful thing is coming for us now?” He asks as he rolls his eyes and rolls away, getting off the bed and grabbing his jeans. Alea sits up and tugs the blanket up as she watches Klaus dress, biting her lip in thought.

“I don’t know who, but someone is coming to kill you, and your siblings. He also mentioned an abomination but I’m not sure what he meant by that.” Klaus freezes at her words and when he moves again it’s to rush over to her and catch her face in his hands, his eyes bright as he looks at her. He looks almost crazed.

“Who was he? Describe him.” He demands. He listens closely as Alea gives as many details as she can and then he speeds away, flashing out of the room and reappearing with a piece of paper. On the parchment is a hand drawn picture of the man she saw in her vision, exactly the man. Klaus turns away and she can’t see his face but his body is all tense lines and taut muscles. She hops off the bed and puts a hand on his elbow, turning him slightly so she can look at him. His eyes are golden and his face is frozen in fear.

“Who is it?”

“My father.” He says in a toneless voice. Alea hisses and looks back at the picture. Running a thousand years and now he’s caught up, or will catch up. Klaus flashes out of the room and Alea stands there a second wondering if he’s going to come back. After a solid 30 seconds she starts getting dressed and grabs her witchy paraphernalia, including the new things for Elena. She stumbles down the stairs and into the foyer before turning towards the first family room. The three siblings are gathered there, standing close, all with matching looks of concern and tense postures. Alea stays at the edge of the room and watches the conversation that it seems Klaus is leading.

“We need to take the doppelgänger and leave. We can find another place to let her live her little human life. Someplace we don’t have to risk our own lives.” He offers with a hand wave and a flippant tone. The others seem to agree, Elijah looks pensive but he still nods in agreement. Rebekah has a sour expression and is turned away, arms crossed as she rolls her eyes.

“She had a vision, witch’s visions are notoriously wrong. Why leave before we have more information? We’re just getting settled here.” She complains and Alea wonders if she’ll stomp her foot too.

“This information has been proven reliable by her previous visions, it would be irrational to ignore such a forewarning. We have run low on safe places to hide in this modern age, especially as a group. It may be safer to split up.” Elijah suggests with a raised eyebrow as he looks between his siblings. His eyes skim past Alea and she gets the distinct scent of curdled milk that wrinkles her nose. Yeah he probably heard her with Klaus last night, on top of this news.

“No, we’re stronger together. If we split up he will simply pick us off one by one.”

“You said you wanted to kill him. Can we rush our timeline on that plan?” Alea suggests, blushing when their attention swivels to her. Klaus rubs a finger across his chin in consideration but Elijah’s and Rebekah’s faces pinch immediately. They begin to disagree but Klaus cuts them off with a hand.

“We need to turn hybrids and find the white oak. We can begin both immediately and be prepared for his arrival. We’ll also leave ourselves prepared to flee if it comes to that. But this could be it, the end of our running.” Klaus says with a grin, looking between his siblings, putting a hand on Elijah’s shoulder just briefly. He claps his hands together. “I’ll send a message to the pack to begin the move to Mystic Falls and we should see them within days. You,” he says pointing lazily to Alea. “Said you may be able to find the white oak. We’ll get started on that.”

“Right, easy.” Alea agrees with a strained smile and sighs once Klaus is no longer looking at her. The siblings go back to their nefarious plans and Alea turns away, her stomach turning over, reminding her she hasn’t eaten yet. She walks past the locked stairway and pauses in front of it, her hand reaching out just an inch above the handle. There’s something cold down there, something that smells like dirt and stone. She passes the door and looks around the kitchen.

The milk smells sour, the oranges smell too sweet, sickly almost. The bread seems fine, she makes four slices of toast and taps her fingers as she waits. There’s a jar of peanut butter above the counter and she can almost reach it without climbing. It’s not worth it. She checks the cabinets again but she refuses to have dry cereal. The toast pops up and she butters it probably excessively. The first three bites taste like heaven and then the fourth hits her stomach and feels like lead. She swallows and grabs a glass of water, taking slow sips. She tries another bite but it turns her stomach and she drops the slice on the floor as she rushes out of the room.

Rebekah sighs when she finds her with the bathroom door open and leaves immediately. Klaus comes next and clicks his tongue as she moans pathetically against the porcelain. He takes her hair in gentle fingers and pulls it away from her face, petting her back soothingly as she hiccups.

“Did something not agree with you, love?”

“Toast, I was just trying to eat toast.” Alea complains, her voice petulant as she sits up and leans back against the wall. Klaus flashes away and returns with her toothbrush in hand. Alea swishes and then brushes her teeth as Klaus leans against the wall waiting for her.

“Maybe the bread had gone bad? Or you're under the weather? Humans are so fragile.” Klaus offers as they return to the kitchen and Alea disposes of the evidence. She tosses the rest of the toast and sits on the stool by the counter with her chin in her palm.

“I dunno, I don’t feel sick. The milk smelled bad and there was something off about the oranges. But my sense of smell is weird because it is so tied to my sense of auras. Sometimes it’s hard to separate the two.” She explains. Klaus squints but accepts the answer, tossing the milk and the oranges as he goes through the fridge. He grabs a block of cheese and passes it to her for her approval. She gives it a sniff and nods before giving it back. Klaus slices up the cheese and plates it with some salami, nuts, and craisins. Alea picks at the offering and takes a couple experimental bites, waiting patiently to see if her stomach will reject it. She’s able to get through most of the plate and pushes it away when she feels full.

“You finished the charms for the doppelgänger.” He says as he nods towards the necklace and bracelet she’s set out. Alea nods, not sure what he’s leading towards. “Even after I left you there.” Ah. “I should apologize for that. It was wrong of me to get so upset. I know that this is no plan of yours, it is simply frustrating to have you dangled like a prize in front of me, but kept at arm’s reach.”

“I understand, I’m sorry. We’ll get through this though, together.” She tells him, a small smile pulling up the corner of her mouth as
She looks at him from under her eyelashes. He grins back at her and leans into her space, his hand on the back of her stool. He closes the small space between them and gives her a small kiss, short and sweet, just a quick meeting of lips.

Chapter Text

Their plan is not as simple as it sounds. It’s only really three steps; make hybrids, find white oak, and kill their father. But there are a lot of steps in between that mean they will be very busy for a while.

The werewolves that they found on their trip will take about a week to come up to Virginia, they have to make their own plans for moving and can’t make it happen immediately. Once they’re here then they’ll turn them in batches, to be sure they all work. They should have 18 hybrids in the next two weeks. So Alea needs to try and match that timeline.

Finding objects isn’t as easy as finding people, she’s not sure why. If she had a sample of white oak then it would be different, but that is hard to come by. Different kinds of objects require different kinds of spells to locate or summon them. There may be a specific spell that will locate the tree or pieces of it. She needs to look into it.

Klaus is not a patient person. Alea has gotten used to this so she tells him from the beginning to hope for the work to be complete in about the same time as his hybrids. He doesn’t seem happy but he takes it in stride. Which means he doesn’t fly into a rage about it and only whines. And complains.

Klaus has Stefan watching Elena and reporting on her to ensure her safety and that her friends aren’t planning anything. Those teenagers get up to way too much trouble. Alea has reached out to Bonnie but the young witch has left her on read and her voicemails unanswered. She’s still protecting her, Caroline, and even the other stupid teenagers. Just by working with Klaus on compromising with them, she’s probably saved some of their lives. God this town is a magnet for disaster.

Their days settle into a sort of rhythm, not exactly comfortable but something that works. Alea wakes up whenever her body decides to, she’s stopped setting an alarm since their road trip set her schedule so out of whack. And she hasn’t been sleeping well, she’ll toss and turn. Several nights she has gotten up and felt a pull outside. She’s walked right out the front door with her feet bare in her pajamas and let herself wander until she realized what she was doing. Coming back to herself in the woods not sure how she got there.

During the day she tries to make herself breakfast but has continued to have difficulty eating. Things smell rotten and certain foods seem to just turn her stomach. Klaus has taken to making her small plates of finger foods for her to pick at as she works. When they all eat dinner together she pushes her dinner around the plate and tries to pretend she’s just not hungry. But she’s ravenous. If she’s not walking the woods at night then she’s in the fridge at midnight eating meats and eggs and cheese, any protein she can get her hands on.

She works on finding the white oak. She searches the books she has and then summons more books to look through those. It’s tedious and time consuming and it feels hopeless. She tries several spells that do absolutely nothing. They fizzle out and have no result, or just leave a bad taste in her mouth. She attempts several more spells that backfire spectacularly. They have to repaint a drawing room because of the minor explosion that one spell causes. She’s not injured more than a couple small burns and comes away from it mostly frustrated. She’s almost as frustrated as Klaus.

“There’s more to try.”

“Will it cost us another drawing room?” Klaus drawls from his place by the fire. Alea leans her head back on the sofa and sighs in exhaustion. The siblings are all gathered in one of the rooms off the foyer and have drinks in hand as they consider their options. Alea sips her ginger tea as she tries to settle her stomach. Elijah crosses the room and pours more tea into her cup, standing behind the corner of the sofa as he looks between Rebekah and Klaus.

“The teenagers are having issues. Stefan reported an incident with a ghost that caused an explosion of their own. He sounded concerned and we may need to deal with this spirit.” Elijah reports, sipping his bourbon and swirling the ice cubes. Klaus sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed as he turns towards the fire.

“Fine, Rebekah, you will go with Alea to investigate this issue and see if the children need our assistance. Elijah and I will greet the wolves.” Klaus decides and waves a hand dismissively. Rebekah scoffs and taps a toe as she flicks her hair but doesn’t disagree. They all disperse from the room, wandering to other parts of the mansion as they prepare for the day. Klaus stays behind as Alea remains on the sofa with a hand over her eyes. He sits beside her and puts a hand on her arm, looking her over when she turns her face to him. He raises a single eyebrow at her when her face remains drawn.

“You don’t look well, love. Do I need to call in reinforcements?” He asks as he strokes the side of her face with a frown. Alea shakes her head and goes to stand up, ready to prepare to face the teens.But the ache of exhaustion pulls at her.

"Let me meditate for a little while and then I'll take Rebekah to handle the children." She offers, squeezing his hand and rounding the sofa towards the hallway. Klaus nods and stays in his seat, swirling his glass as he stares into the fire and not offering a response.

Alea takes the stairs back to her room and yawns as she opens her door and falls back into her bed. She struggles into a more befitting position for meditation and rolls her shoulders as she tries to center herself. She hasn't been good about taking time for this in the last week, she had so much time to meditate during their road trip, she got a little spoiled.

She starts with her breathing, doing circular breaths to lead her into a deep state of relaxation. Her muscles loosen and she can feel the tension in her shoulders release. She sweeps away the worries in her mind, clearing space for her magical awareness. Some thoughts try to hold space, harder to clear away than others, but she continues to breathe and focus on a blank space. When her mind is clear and she can focus inwards she looks down into her center and into her own magic, the swirling vortex where her power lies.

The shifting colors have been restless, she has felt the roiling in the past few weeks as something has set off her instincts. Her magic is trying to tell her something and it is time for her to listen. Alea smooths over the fraying edges of the energy and winds the threads of it together into something resembling order. There are the tangled sparks of Klaus's power that burn against her senses and are knotted into the waves of her magic, holding fast. In the center of the mass is a bundle, something small and just barely there. She examines it, looking over it with a careful eye. It has the smooth waves of her magic and the bright sparks of Klaus's energy with a shimmer all it's own, something totally foreign and unique. She hasn't seen this here before.

And then she feels it. Under her fingers as she smooths a hand over this little bundle of magic, there's a thrum. A very familiar rhythm. A little rapid heartbeat right inside her own magic, separate from her own. The revelation breaks her concentration and she comes out of her meditation with a gasp. She blinks as she looks around and has wide eyes as she looks down at her flat stomach. That is something very impossible. She scrambles from the bed and to the door.

"Elijah! Can you come here please?" She calls down the hallway, trying to keep her tone even. Elijah flashes to her doorway with a single brow raised and enters when she steps aside. She shuts the door hurriedly and begins to pace as he stands there with a hand in his pocket and the other smoothing his tie. She's not sure how to ask this but she knows that she can trust Elijah.

"I need a favor." She starts, making him straighten and his eyes sharpen. She takes a steadying breath and stops her pacing in front of him, hands on hips. "How many heartbeats are in this room?"

"Well of course there's two..." He says but trails off as his eyes lose focus and she can tell he's beginning to actually listen in. He blinks at her and then his eyes drop and her heart plummets. "There's three, but I'm guessing that's what you expected."

"No one else can know. No one is going to believe me."

"Believe what?"

"I haven't slept with anyone but Klaus for almost a year. This is fucking imposssible." Alea whines, her voice pitching as she bites her nails and begins to pace again. Eliijah's face contorts slightly and his hand comes to his mouth as he thinks. Alea pauses her pacing and looks at the door before looking at Elijah and then looking at her bag. She scrambles for her grimoire and shoves it into her bag and then goes for her other paraphernalia. "I have to leave." She whispers.

"I think that's a rash decision." Elijah says as he approaches her. She continues to put away her items and barely turns his direction to grimace as she shakes her head.

"He's not going to believe me, and he's going to be mad, and I don't think I can stop his anger." She worries aloud. Elijah puts a hand on her shoulder and turns her around, making her pause and face him. His eyes are serious and his aura is all cold steel.

"I will not let him hurt you." He says solemnly. Alea really doesn't want to cry but she feels truly scared and overcome with the situation. She just found out she's pregnant with an impossible child of a mercurial immortal. She reaches for Elijah and hugs him about the shoulders, tucking her head into his neck and sniffling away the tears that are still trying to fall. He holds her and rubs her back in even strokes, shushing her softly as they rock back and forth slightly.

"You should tell him as soon as possible. Lying will do you no favors."

"I don't know what he'll do!" She whispers, worried how thin the walls are for the hypersensitive ears of a hybrid. Elijah sighs and runs a hand over her hair, the tears finally falling and wetting his suit as she hides in his arms. She doesn't hear the door open, facing away from it as she is. Elijah stiffens slightly and the hand in her hair stops the soothing motion he had started doing. She sniffles and looks up, turning towards the door to see a stony faced Klaus in the doorway. His face cracks a little at the sight of her tears but there is still a fire in his eyes and ash in his aura.

"What seems to be the issue, love?" Klaus asks as he steps into the room and leans on the dresser, hands in his pockets like this is a casual conversation. Alea can feel her fists tightening on Elijah's lapels and works to loosen them as she gulps and looks between the two. Elijah gives her a nod and his eyes tell her exactly what he wants her to do. But she's scared. She takes a step away from Elijah, letting his arm drop and standing on her own as she faces Klaus.

"I'm pregnant." She whispers, barely able to get the words out of her tightening throat. It's loud enough for Klaus to hear given the way he freezes, his entire body locking up. It takes a couple seconds before he moves again and in those seconds his aura becomes something darker than ash, something worse than the taste of sour milk. There is the burning scent of burning flesh and the awful taste of rotten food, making Alea gag as she rears back.

"Get out. You'll be glad I let you leave." He says with the drip of acid in his voice. "I release you from my service." He says and it's like a slap to the face. He turns to the window and doesn't watch as she grabs her bag and practically runs out the door. She trips over herself down the stairs and out of the mansion. She doesn't bother to steal a car, she runs following the road and doesn't stop until the private road meets the highway.

The tears don't stop. She thought they would fade while she ran or after when she got tired, but they continue off and on well past midday as she walks closer to town and down the endless stretches of highway. No one stops for her. No one even slows down. She must look a mess with her tear red face and her bedraggled hair. She doesn't stop walking as the miles pass and her feet ache. She's gotten soft, letting herself forget how hard the world is. She lets her feet go numb and follows the road until she's in town and recognizes the buildings and can see the Grill.

And then a car idles next to her. Rebekah is parked in a Porsche and steps out in her louis vuittons onto the dusty bricks. She has a look of disgust on her face but sniffs and steps up next to Alea as she continues in the direction of the Grill.

"This town has no taste, even their best restaurant is no better than a drive through." She says as they enter and get seated. Alea looks over the menu and sets it down before looking Rebekah over. She has her face pinched and her eyes scanning the crowd, assessing everyone.

"Did Klaus send you?"

"My brother treats me like a minion and needs to learn that I'm a fully capable person. But yes, he did send me." Rebekah admits with a handwave. The server comes and Alea orders a burger and coke, Rebekah orders a milkshake. Alea really looks at Rebekah and sighs. She's not a bad person, she just needs to loosen up a little bit and maybe have a friend she can actually trust. Poor girl has never had a real friend. But Alea isn't here to fix thousand year old vampires, she's almost forgotten why she's here. That stupid vision has led her down a rabbit hole of enormous proportions.

"I agree with the first part, Your brother is a bit thick headed. Did your brother say why he sent you?"

"He wants you to come back. Elijah convinced him to talk to you and be reasonable. You're very lucky, anyone else and he would have set the hounds on you." Rebekah says with a wicked grin that reminds Alea that this is a bloodthirsty predator that she's talking to. She could go back, talk it out with Klaus. Or she could run, she could be half a world away in just a couple hours. Klaus had released her from his service, but she still was held in Mystic Falls by her vision and duty to the Bennet bloodline. But she didn't owe her life.

"I don't know if I want to go back."

"It's not really a choice sweetie." Rebekah says in a mock sweet tone, her head tilting to one side as she examines Alea. Alea feels like a bug under a microscope, or a misbehaving dog. She's feeling that leash that he has her on again.

Alea eats in silence and Rebekah drinks her milkshake while scoffing at the locals, making comments on them as they enter and exit. Alea only half listens as she comes to term with her day. She was supposed to be dealing with Elena's friend's drama today, not her own. And she's pregnant. She hasn't had to worry about that in a very long time. There's a little thing inside her that will be a person in a few short months. And she got to feel their magic.

"Are you going to finish that or are we done here?" Rebekah interrupts her thoughts. Alea shakes herself out of her funk and blinks down at her half eaten burger. She shakes her head and Rebekah throws a few bills down on the table as she gets up. The Porsche is not the most comfortable, it's built to look good, not necessarily feel good. She squirms to get in a good position and Rebekah glares at her before pulling away from the curb. The drive back to the mansion is much faster than the walk was, it helps that Rebekah speeds the whole way.

Alea doesn't want to get out of the car. She pauses when they park and feels the weight of it when her foot meets the pavement. Elijah is there at the door and walks with them into the drawing room where Klaus is leaning casually against the fireplace. Alea stands in the entryway with her bag in hand and feels like she's on the edge of running again. Elijah's hand trails down her arm and squeezes her elbow before he stands by the desk and takes a glass for himself. Rebekah flings herself onto the settee and lounges like there's no tension in the room and this is a casual conversation.

Alea waits for someone to start the conversation, or for Klaus to really look at her. But his eyes are downcast and his focus is lost, his eyes hazy as he looks into the middle distance. And then he's in her face, his nose in her neck. Elijah is right behind him, standing at his elbow and ready to stop him should he become violent, she just hopes he's fast enough. Klaus sniffs at her and his hand reaches out to her in slow motion, coming to lightly lay over her stomach. He embraces her lightly with his hand barely resting low on her stomach and takes deep inhales of her scent.

"Is it mine?"

"It has to be, there was no one else." Alea admits, her hand covering his and pressing it harder against her belly. Elijah takes steps backwards until he's given them some breathing room and turns away. Rebekah scoffs and rolls her eyes from her position, sitting up and leaving the room, walking around them in the doorway. Klaus lays a gentle kiss against her throat and pulls back enough to look at her face, his mouth tight as he scans her face.

"It seems I am always apologizing to you. I shouldn't have reacted that way. I was angry and you must admit that it's a bit far fetched."

"Yeah, I know, I think it's a hybrid thing." alea says as she pulls away fully from his embrace. Klaus nods and takes her bag from her.

"You've had a long day, love, let's get you to bed." He says and puts a hand on her back to lead her towards her room. She looks over his back and makes eye contact with Elijah, mouthing 'thank you' to him. He gives her a nod back before turning away. Klaus leads her to her bedroom and sets her bag aside, standing aside as she leans back on her bed and pulls out pajamas.

"I released you from my service." He starts, his face pinched. "But I want you to stay. Can we make a new deal, perhaps one that serves us better."

"I think we'll need to reconsider what sort of deal we make, given the new circumstances." Alea points out, looking down at herself and then back up at Klaus. She turns around and changes into her pajamas and then pulls her blankets aside to shuffle into bed. Klaus kneels on the bed and traces a line down her collar bone to her shoulder.

"I agree, the new circumstances require consideration. Maybe we won't need a deal exactly? More like an agreement? I'm not Elijah, I can be more creative." Klaus says with a grin and a spark in his eyes. Alea smiles back at him and takes his hand in hers, squeezing. Her mouth pulls down as she considers.

"If we were making an agreement, then my protection and protection for the child would be included. You would need to be mindful of your actions."

"I can be decent, and thoughtful. It just takes a bit of effort. And You're worth the effort." He says before leaning down and taking her lips in a kiss. It starts out soft and gentle but when he breaks the kiss and takes a breath of air, something sparks and he comes back with more energy. His second kiss is rougher, he leans his whole body into her and his hands go to her neck and hair. She has to gasp for air and take every little break she can. When he gives her respite her lips feel bruised. Her whole face feels like it's blushing and she has tingles running down her spine to her toes. His face shows his glee, a sparkle in his eyes and a smile on his lips. He pulls away androlls to the other side of the bed, tucking himself in next to her. He wraps an arm around her and his hand finds a spot right over her belly, gentle over it.

Chapter Text

Those teenagers are messing with things beyond their control and way beyond what they're aware of. Touching the otherside causes waves that has consequences they cannot imagine and will cause ripples yet to be seen. The ghosts around town are just the beginning. Alea gets a frantic call from Bonnie in the morning asking for help and she knows that things are going to go downhill. She packs her usual bag and goes to the foyer to get the car keys but is stopped by both brothers, one at the door and the other with the keys dangling from his fingers.

"Where are you going little rabbit?"

"Bonnie called me for help, the spirits that have risen need to be sent back." Alea explains carefully, looking back and forth between the brothers. They seem united in their effort to keep her from leaving.

"And you can't do that from here?" Elijah asks, his hand in his pocket as he leans back on his heels. Alea shakes her head and then reaches for the keys again. Klaus holds them out of reach and tsks at her.

"So you want to go out into a town that has been overrun by the ghost of revenge happy vampires and werewolves to perform the spell that will send them back, by yourself?" Klaus asks as she jangles the keys and grins. Alea sighs and her shoulders slump. She waves a hand between the two and then points at the keys.

"Do you want to come with me? I can't sit here and do nothing. I can't just hope that an untrained 17 year old will be able to reseal the otherside." Alea complains. The brothers look at each other and then nod at her decisively. Elijah opens the door and holds a hand out to her. She reaches for the keys but Klaus keeps them in his hands and steps around her to walk out the door, smiling back at her as he steps around Elijah. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I need a bodyguard."

"I would say this situation calls for it." Elijah says from behind her, his hand skimming her back as he follows her to the car. The hint of contact sends a chill up her spine and she shivers. They take the SUV and Klaus waits until he's seen her buckle before he even starts the car. Alea rolls her eyes and looks out the window as the trees pass. The mix of auras in the car makes her sneeze and she rubs at her nose as she tries to block it out. The rich scent of linen and fir are comforting, they wrap around her like a sweater and with how tired she is it almost makes her doze off. Bonnie called her out to the witch house and the car parks a way away from it, framing it in the windshield like it's a movie.

"You won't be able to come in with me, the witches won't allow it."

"Then we will wait here and make sure you are undisturbed." Elijah says as he exits the car and straightens his suit. Klaus nods as he looks around the woods and sniffs the air. Alea walks alone into the ancient looking house and calls out to Bonnie. A head pokes out from the stairs leading to the basement and Alea smiles as she steps towards Caroline.

"How are you?" Alea asks and follows her down to the basement. The room is full of candles that are lit and Bonnie is at the center of it with an older woman standing next to her. Caroline shrugs and her smile is tight.

"I mean, how good can you be with all this?"

"Yeah, that makes sense. But are you okay otherwise, like once we fix this little issue."

"Yeah, I think so." Caroline says with a bit of a brighter smile, her shoulders relaxing. Alea pats her shoulder as she passes her and gets closer to Bonnie. She waits until there's a break in the conversation between the two women before she nods to the older witch and then smiles at Bonnie.

"I hope this time we can be on better terms."

"Yeah, Elena said she made a deal?" Bonnie asks, and her eyes look guarded, her posture tight.

"I wouldn't hurt you anyways, Bonnie. I want us all to be on the same page, this doesn't have to be a fight. I came when you called because I always will. We're witches and that binds us together as sisters." Alea explains with a small smile. Bonnie sighs and her shoulders quake as tears spring to her eyes. She holds herself very still for a moment and then she throws herself at Alea in a tight hug.

"No one is ever there for me."

"Well I will be. I will try to show up when you call and support you. I'm back and will stay as long as I can." Alea says into the girl's hair as she runs a hand down her back. The older woman behind Bonnie raises her eyebrow and crosses her arms but doesn't say anything. Alea makes eye contact with her and raises an eyebrow back at her. This is another ghost, she can taste it in the energy around her, the dirt of the grave and the decay of bones.

"I need help with the spell, we need to close the door. The original witch unleashed the ghosts and destroying her talisman will end the spell." Bonnie explains in a rush of words and hand waving. Alea looks over the grimoire that Bonnie is working off of and hums as she looks between her and the book.

"A witch from the otherside caused this?"

"Yeah."

"That may be connected to some other issues. I've been having some interesting visions, but that's a concern for after this. We don't have anything that belonged to her to do a classic locator spell, but there are alternatives." Alea explains as she pulls out her own book and lays it out next to Bonnie's. She flips a few pages and lands on a locator spell they may be able to use. She'd been eyeing it to use for finding the white oak.

"We might know where it is. It was Elena's, she used to wear it and it could be at the Salvatore house." Caroline pipes up from behind them. Alea nods and turns away from her book.

"If Caroline can go then she can bring it back and we can get started." The older woman says, nodding to Caroline, sending her on her way. Caroline disappears with a flash of wind and Bonnie and Alea turn back to the books. "Now we need to decide how to destroy the necklace." She finishes as she flips the pages.

Caroline calls Bonnie about an hour later and Bonnie blanches, her eyes going to Alea as she gives an affirmative and hangs up with Caroline. She rolls her shoulders and puts her hands down on Alea's Grimoire over the locator spell.

"It's not there. Caroline couldn't find it."

"Okay, let's set up and find it." Alea says as she grabs a piece of chalk and passes Bonnie the container of salt. She gives Grams her bag of crystals and they all use the space in the basement to set up the magic circle they need for the spell. Alea pulls out a map and passes it to Bonnie, who gives her a surprised look.

"You should do the spell, it's good practice. Don't worry, I'm right here." She reassures as she gives her the bowl of water and steps back. Bonnie smiles and gives her a firm nod before stepping into the circle. Alea can feel the magic as it rises from the baseboards and the foundation. She can feel the trails of the spirits as they gather towards Bonnie and swirl around her. The energy is electric and she can breathe in the sparks of it. Grams stands next to her and also seems affected by it, a small smile on her face.

"It's good that you came for her. She needs a coven to support her." Grams says as they watch Bonnie. alea nods and is about to reply when she cuts her off with a look. "You need to be careful, there are others who have marked you and are aware of what you carry. There will be those who move against you." She warns, her face set in stone and her eyes fierce. Alea swallows and nods, looking away. The spell isn't hard and it gets the results they're hoping for, Bonnie calls Caroline immediately and then when she turns to them her face falls.

"It's with Anna. I warned Jeremy and now she's interfering. Caroline is going to call Elena and then go after her." She says tightly, her face scrunched up as he looks down at the floor. Alea looks at grams and then steps back as she goes to hug Bonnie. They hold each other tightly and grams whispers in Bonnie's ear as she rocks them side to side. Alea walks up the stairs and sighs as she steps away from the house, feeling like a weight has lifted off her shoulders as she leaves the witch's presence. Elijah is standing by the car and within a moment a sandy colored wolf rounds the other side and sits with his tongue lolling out.

Alea explains the situation to them and then leans on the car, looking up at the sky. She asks Elijah if they have water and he grabs her a water bottle silently. Alea sips and looks around the woods, leaning next to Elijah and taking comfort in his steady presence. His aura is the even notes of linen and oak, he leans just a little into her where their shoulders meet. There's a rustling around them and the leaves crunch under feet as people begin to appear from the woods around them.

It's a crowd and it's obvious that they're vampires, they aren't even trying to hide it. Maybe twenty of them have stepped out of the trees and they have surrounded them and the car. Elijah steps in front of Alea and holds his arm out in front of her, his hand whispering over her stomach as it passes.

"Go to the house, they can't enter there. We'll take care of them." He says without looking back at her. Klaus-as a wolf- launches himself at the first vampire and the fight begins. Alea sends a wave of aneurysms out across the crowd as she runs back to the witch house, not looking back as she rushes. Downstairs Bonnie and her grams watch her descend and immediately ask her what's wrong. Alea tells them about the vampires and Bonnie tries to pass her to go out to help fight them.

"We have to be safe, so that when we're ready, we're still here to destroy the talisman."

"But we could help!" Bonnie says as she tries to pass her. Alea grabs her arms with both hands and looks her in the eyes, making sure she has her full attention.

"Sometimes you have to worry about yourself first." She tells herself in as serious a tone as she can. Bonnie opens her mouth to argue and looks back at her grams for back up, but finds none. She slumps a little and Alea offers a sad little smile as she pulls her in for a hug. When she pulls away she leads Bonnie back down to the magic circle and flips her grimoire open to a new page.

"We can work on a couple things while we wait."

Caroline flashes into the basement with a rush of wind that blows out half the candles and blows all their hair around. She huffs as she hands over the little necklace to Bonnie and smiles at them. Alea squeezes her shoulder and thanks her before turning to their diagram carefully written on the floor. They took a solid twenty minutes scribbling out the symbols and making sure it was correct. Alea would do this herself, she's worried about the feedback that it could cause, but she wants to let Bonnie do it. And there's that small part of her that is scared to do big magic now. The small piece that is scared to do anything dangerous now that she knows.

Bonnie sets the necklace on the altar and sits carefully in the diagram, her grams stands up and steps up behind her with her hands on her shoulders. Her voice is clear and confident as she chants the words. The spell begins to make the necklace glow and then float, the energy flowing through it and rushing around it. Alea can feel the way the necklace fights it. There's something inside it that's fighting back, a spell of its own that has enough energy to resist the spell.

Bonnie continues her verse and the necklace shakes where it hovers over the altar and the room starts to whirl with a magic wind. Alea steps into the circle and is wrapped up in the energy, and can feel it whipping around her. She steps around Bonnie and grams and reaches out to the necklace, ignoring Bonnie's 'no!'. Her hand closes on the charm and she focuses on the internal energy, not the torrent of magic from the spell Bonnie is unleashing, but the kernel of magic inside the locket. She breathes in the strings of it and pulls on it, drawing out the strands and unwinding it from the frayed edges. She absorbs the energy and leaves the locket empty, a shell.

Stepping back she watches as the spell takes hold and blasts the necklace apart, destroyed. She rubs a hand over her chest where her tattoo glows faintly and covers her mouth where she burps a little bubble of energy.

"What did you do?" Bonnie asks with a bit of wonder in her voice. Her grandmother is gone and Alea assumes the other ghosts are gone too. She shrugs and waves a hand dismissively. She leads Bonnie and Caroline upstairs and out of the house. Caroline looks exhausted.

"I can sometimes absorb energy, it's a special thing I can do."

"You did that before, when we were fighting." Bonnie says, reminding her of the fire Bonnie had thrown at her and the way she had eaten it up. Alea nods and then waves to Elijah where he stands by the car. He looks exactly like he did before, not a hair out of place. Klaus steps around the other side of the car zipping up his jeans and shuffling into his shoe before looking up and smiling at her.

"I should go, check on Elena." Caroline says as she hooks a thumb over her shoulder to her car. Bonnie agrees as she looks between Alea and the brothers with wide eyes. Alea lets them use the excuse and waves goodbye to them as they drive away. She sighs when they're gone and turns towards the car. Elijah holds her door open for her and she smiles as she thanks him and takes her seat.

"Good job, love. Hopefully these children can stay out of trouble for just a little longer." Klaus calls back to her from his place in the driver's seat. She gives a noncommittal sound and hiccups as she covers her mouth. This energy isn't sitting well with her. She can feel bubbles of it trying to get out, crawling up her throat. The hiccups continue and both brothers look back at her in the mirror as they drive back to the mansion. Halfway down the private road to the house Alea calls to Klaus to pull over. As soon as the car is stopped she unbuckles and stumbles out of the car. She's leaned over with her hands on her knees as she dry heaves, claws of magic scratching at her throat.

Elijah holds her hair out of her face and his hand on her back is firm. Klaus comes up beside them and looks at her face as her breath catches and her eyes go wide. He pulls her upright and into his chest, his hands around her and pulling inward in a tight thrust that dislodges something from where it was choking her. Alea goes limp in his arms, her head on his shoulder as she takes gasping breaths and squeezes her eyes closed.

Elijah looks in the grass and grabs something with his handkerchief, showing it to Klaus before showing it to Alea.

"That's the necklace that we destroyed." She croaks, swallowing hard as she looks up at Elijah. He folds his handkerchief around it and tucks it into his pocket before nodding back to the car. Klaus tosses him the keys and then picks Alea up in his arms as she protests. He sits with her in his lap and holds her tight to him as they ride the rest of the way to the mansion. She really doesn't mind that much.

Chapter Text

The necklace disappears. Elijah locks it in a safe and when he goes to check on it the next day, it's gone. There's no evidence of break in and Alea puts it down to magic. Klaus is furious and Elijah is simply intrigued, Rebekah has been nowhere to find for most of the time. She disappears most days and returns in the evenings just in time for dinner. Alea saw her in a cheerleader uniform one day, she must be going to the school. Alea wouldn't go back to highschool with her immortality, maybe college but definitely not highschool. Her brothers don't seem to take much mind.

Alea knows there's more going on with the necklace, especially if it's connected to the first witch. She brings it up with Klaus and Elijah the following evening after dinner and they look at each other like she's asked them to bury a body. Klaus is tight lipped and has a fire in his eyes but won't look directly at her, going to a drink cart and pouring a healthy dose. Elijah sighs as he rubs the space between his brows.

The first witch was a friend of our mother's, she taught our mother magic. Their mother was the witch of the original family, thus known as the 'original witch'. He explains their origins and their time in Mystic Falls as a colony. The wolves and the curse. Alea sits on the sofa and tries to absorb it all as he tells the story of their family and how the very first vampires were created.

"So not the first witch, but the witch of the original family." She confirms, seeing them nod. She bites at her lip and looks between them. "I think that she is the presence that I've been sensing in my visions, the dark entity. It would explain why she is so powerful. But she seems to be set against you, why would she be out to get you?"

Klaus looks to Elijah before he looks to her and he seems conflicted. He scratches his chin and stares into his glass before giving a dramatic sigh and turning to the fireplace, spreading his arms over the top.

"I killed her."

"What!"

"You heard me! She was a monster! She turned her children into monsters and trapped me in my own skin. She killed us!" Klaus yells as he swings around and tosses his glass at the wall. It crashes and sends shards everywhere. Alea jumps and stands, ready to leave if things get any more heated. Elijah's head is bent so she can't see his face but she can feel the heat in his aura, can feel the burning and the steel beneath the coals. Klaus held his arms wide as though inviting the fight, care free almost. He had a smirk on but Alea could tell it was pasted on, and could see the fractures.

"You had no right. She was our mother and we deserved a say." Elijah whispers as he turns and grips the desk. The wood cracks and creaks under his grip, Alea takes another step towards the entry. Klaus shrugs and puts one hand on the mantle as he looks into the fire.

"Is she the final coffin?" Alea asks from her place in the entryway. Klaus's head whips her way and his eyes are frozen. Elijah looks up and at Klaus, judging his reaction, and must find what he's looking for. He flashes out of the room and Klaus is on his tail. Alea is slower than them but she follows their path to the door by the kitchen. Elijah is struggling against Klaus as his hand reaches for the doorknob. Klaus holds him back and tries to get a hand around his neck but Elijah wrestles him adeptly. Alea stays at a distance and mutters a spell under her breath and waves a lazy hand at the door, unlocking the knob. It swings open and the brothers stare for half a second. And they're a blur.

Alea follows them down the stairs at a sedate pace and can hear them arguing as she enters the basement. The room is like her vision, the coffins lined up just how she saw. She watches Elijah struggle against Klaus and waits patiently.

"We shouldn't open that." She says slowly and takes careful steps up to the coffin. Klaus doesn't stop her, even when she lays a hand on the top. She listens carefully. She can feel something inside the coffin, she leans in closer to get a better 'look'. The energy is dark and sharp, edges that cut at her as she assesses it. She tries to reach a careful hand out to the magic, sense anything from it, but get's a coppery taste of blood and the stench of decay. She pulls back and coughs into her hand, seeing spots of the blood she had tasted. Klaus immediately pulls away from Elijah and puts a hand on her back, pulling her away from the coffin. "That thing is dark, there's something wrong with it."

"I did try and tell you." Klaus says as he looks between her and Elijah. Elijah steps away from the coffin but looks at it over his shoulder as he follows them up the stairs. They reconvene in the kitchen and Elijah gets Alea a glass of water where she sits at the counter. He leans an elbow on the counter and fiddles with his cufflink as he glares at Klaus. Klaus puts his hands in his pockets and leans back against the entryway, smiling coyly at them both.

"So. your evil mother is trapped in a coffin but reaching out to try and cause havoc or kill you from the otherside. And your father is on his way to kill you. And we have no way to kill him." Alea summarizes with her head in her hands. Klaus shrugs and waves a hand around the general area of the basement door.

"Let's worry about mother dear later. I think daddy dearest is more of a concern at the moment. If you can't find the white oak in the next two days then we can flee this unfortunate little town. Just like we talked about." Klaus reassures with a grin. Alea sighs and keeps her head where it is, rubbing her temples with her thumbs, Elijah lays a hand on her back reassuringly. Elijah talks over her head about the wolves and the hybrids they've already started to turn. Apparently it's going well. They've taken ownership of a vacant home in the neighborhood and the pack will be staying in the neighboring mansion just three miles away. How convenient. Klaus sounds excited and Alea is really happy for him, but she's also really tired, she's always tired these days. Apparently being pregnant is exhausting.

She doesn't have time to be tired though, she has a tree to find. She does her best to rally her energy and sit up from under Elijah's nice warm palm.Their eyes swivel towards her as she straightens and she raises an eyebrow back at them. Everyone has a role to play and hers is finding the weapon to kill their father and it's time she follows through. She pulls away but Elijah's hand tightens on her and keeps her in place.

"Running off to your sage and goose feather?"

"More likely blood and bones, but yeah, that's the idea." Alea confirms as she looks between them suspiciously. Klaus steps closer, leaning a hand onto the counter at the other end from her and Elijah. His smile shows his sharp teeth and he looks almost gleeful.

"We think it best if you don't strain yourself. You should consider reserving your strength and avoiding dangerous situations, given your conditions." Elijah says diplomatically. Alea slides out from under his hand and off the stool, away from both of them. She looks to both of their faces to judge just how serious they are about this, to see if there is any room to negotiate.

"Magic is a part of me, I'm not going to stop just because I'm pregnant. And I can't keep myself away from danger if I'm around your family, you attract danger like flies to honey."

"We're just asking you to be considerate."

“It would be difficult and a slight inconvenience but if I need to I will find a way to lock you in a tower, for your own good." Klaus adds. He waves a finger in the air as though drawing the picture of it, her in the tower, like Rapunzel or sleeping beauty, waiting to be saved. She scoffs but when his eyes land on her they are deadly serious. She takes in a cold breath and her shoulders slump in defeat.

"I guess I shouldn't do the more explosive spells." She offers weakly. Klaus steps closer and wraps his arm around her shoulder as he leads her out of the kitchen, towards the front room. She takes a sly look back at Elijah and he's following them towards the front drawing room, his pace sedate as he watches them with his hands in his pockets and a calm expression. But his aura is sharp, the zing of lemon over his usual aroma. Alea feels the pull to touch him, to reach back out to him and connect. Alea considers the spell she needs to try next and turns her head up to Klaus with a frown.

"I need a dagger."

"Of course, love, do you have a preference on style or length?" He responds immediately as though it's a normal request. Alea sighs and pulls slightly away so she can get a better look at him and they can pause in the foyer.

"No, I need one of the daggers. They're connected to the white oak tree in some way and I think I can find it through them."

"You have to use white oak ash to use the daggers, would the ash help?" Elijah asks as he watches them. Alea groans and runs a hand over her forehead as she turns away from both of them, muttering profanities. She turns back with her hands on her hips and nods with a pinched expression.

"Yeah, that would help." She says simply. Elijah flashes away and returns with a swoosh of wind and a small bottle. Alea takes the bottle and nods to him, turning to the drawing room where her supplies are already waiting. She takes the time to flip through her grimoire for a different spell, a simpler one since she has the ash of the tree. The spell design is simpler and quicker to lay out and Alea settles into place within a couple minutes.

The candles flicker to life and there's a light that glows in the glimmers from the stones. Deep breaths, clearing her mind. It used to be easy and now she's always surrounded by distractions, like the powerful auras of ancient vampires and hybrids, or the strange connections she has to them. And now whenever she taps into her magic she feels the little heartbeat, snuggled low inside her but loud in her mind as she tries to concentrate.

The spell comes first. The heartbeat becomes a metronome in her mind and she blocks out all the other noise. The ash feels cool against her fingers as she sprinkles a tiny amount over the map and whispers the spell. She focuses on twining her energy into the words, weaving magic into the whisper and pushing her will into it. She can feel the wisps of it as the ashes swirl over the map and begin to trickle. The paths converge in three directions. Alea repeats the spell and pushes a little more power into the words. She can feel the pool of energy inside her chest expand and contract as she pulls from it, plenty to spare. Three little spiralling swirls settle on the map into clumps and Alea exhales heavily.

They aren't exact, the places marked are probably still miles worth of land, but it's better than nothing. And there's some guessing they can do. Klaus marks the map and takes it from the circle after dumping the ashes back into the bottle. Elijah offers Alea a hand up and she takes it with a small smile. He squeezes lightly as he looks her over, his eyes holding hers, checking in on her without saying anything. Alea gives a nod and smile, squeezing his hand back. She waits for him to let go of her hand, and he doesn't, so they stand there hand in hand for a minute as Klaus examines the map at the desk and mutters to himself.

The connection to Elijah is a live wire, she can feel a bright bubbling energy coming through from him and she takes a sharp breath. She pulls her hand away after a moment, a blush on her cheeks, and snaps her fingers to clean her mess. She makes a lame excuse to the room at large and ducks out of the room. She's done what they needed, she gets to take a break now, she can blush alone in her room. So she takes the steps two at a time and closes her door, leaning back on it with a sigh.

Alea goes to her grimoires and pulls out one she's hidden below the rest. She's already set it aside as useless, but it's time she looked at it again. She cracks the spine and flips the pages. she is not exactly surprised by what she finds but she's not happy with it either. She grabs her phone and scrolls through her long list of contacts, looking up the witch she got the book from. The line rings four times before it connects.

"Lydia, hi, I need more information on soulmates."

Chapter Text

Lydia is pretty helpful, all things considered. There isn't information for her to pass on and the grimoire she recommends is owned by another family in Italy. And Alea doubts Klaus will let her go to Europe any time soon. Maybe now is when minions would come in handy? Alea got left out of most of the planning for retrieving the stakes and when they called her back down to review the plan she really didn't have much to say.

"There are three sites and three of you, should be fine." She says, looking over the map. Klaus wrinkles his nose and looks between his siblings and her.

"Actually love, it leaves us with a problem." She raises an eyebrow in question and he waves a finger in the air before pointing at her with a grin. "Can't leave our witch on her own."

"You left me on my own all the time during the road trip!"

"That was before, this is now. My mother and father are out to kill us and I'd like you to have an extra layer of protection. You could think of it as you protecting us, if it helps." He adds with a flourish. Alea rolls her eyes and points to the closest point on the map.

"Fine, I'm going with Elijah to the Salvatore house."

"Suit yourself, love." Klaus says as his grin twists and he turns around and refills his drink. He waves a hand at all of them to get on with it and Elijah offers her his elbow as they turn towards the door.

The car is quiet. They take the SUV and she's glad because it is so much more comfortable and the engine isn't as loud. It isn't that Elijah isn't speaking to her, more that he doesn't have anything to say. But she does.

"I don't think I'll be able to sever the connection between us." She says just above a whisper, her hands twisting her in her lap. It will be easier to tell Elijah than to tell Klaus. Elijah makes a noise of affirmation and looks over at her.

"Have you discovered the source?"

"Maybe. There's a grimoire that will have more information but it's owned by a family in Italy." She explains with a sigh. Elijah nods and pulls out his phone, scrolling through the contacts one handed.

"What's the family name?"

"Morasco." She tells him and watches as he calls a number and waits as it rings. A voice answers in Italian and Elijah has a short conversation that she catches a few words of. Something to do with the book, she’s hoping it's peaceful negotiations. He clicks off the phone and sets it aside. He looks back over to her and gives her a little nod which she returns. She bites at her lip gently as she turns away to the window and considers telling him her theory. When else will they get this sort of privacy?

"The grimoire is reserved for spells that deals with binding the soul. There will be information inside about soulmates, that's what I'm after." She explains as she turns back to him. His whole posture goes rigid and the car slows slightly before his body unfreezes.

"That's an interesting theory. I was unaware such a thing existed."

"The connections exist for everyone but they aren't tangible until touched by magic. as far as I'm aware. That's why we can feel it so acutely now; they've been awakened. I just need to figure out why I'm connected to both of you. Maybe the connection to Klaus was falsely created by the spell I performed. I don't know."

"But this grimoire will have the answers?"

"I'm hoping." She answers in a small voice. Elijah hums in response and flicks his eyes over to her. He takes one hand off the steering wheel and lays it on her knee, gentle and warm. Their connection opens up and it feels warm like sunlight, spreading across her skin from where they touch. Alea puts her hand over his and squeezes his fingers slightly.

The Salvatore house isn't far, all the founding family houses are on the outskirts of town in a perimeter and there are roads that connect them together from back when they often travelled to each other. When they arrive Alea waits beside the car as Elijah listens intently, his eyes closed and his face focused as his whole body goes still.

"Stefan, Damon, and Elena are inside."

"Do you want to wait or go in anyway?" Alea asks, Elijah sighs and offers her his arms, turning towards the house. They walk arm in arm to the door and he knocks with purpose on the door. Alea can hear a short trill coming from his pocket, which he ignores. The door swings open on the second knock and an out of breath Elena is wide eyed on the other side.

"Um, we weren't expecting you."

"It was an unplanned visit." Elijah explains easily as he moves past the startled girl and pulls Alea into the foyer. Stefan comes down the stairs and looks perturbed as he looks between the two with drawn brows. Alea has a bad feeling about this. Stefan's aura is acidic like sour candy and Elena's is on edge with the sharp taste of a gas station energy drink.

"Where's Damon?" Alea asks with an arched brow as she looks between Stefan and Elena. She pulls her hand out of Elijah's arm and he takes a moment to check his phone. He shows her the screen as Elena fails to come up with an excuse. There's an image of Mikael dead with one of the daggers in his chest. Forwarded from Elena.

"Where is Mikael?" Elijah asks with ice in his voice. Stefan and Elena look at each other before Stefan points over his shoulder and leads them up the stairs and down the hall of rooms. Damon comes walking out of the last room without looking, twirling a dagger.

"God that guy has a stick up his ass." Damon says as he turns his head to look at them, his eyes widening when he takes in the group. Elijah speeds towards him and shoves him against the wall by throat, hanging off the floor by a solid foot and dangling.

"Did you just wake him?"

"Yes." Damon gurgles as he struggles to breathe. Alea swears as she reaches for the dagger where it was dropped on the ground. Stefan beats her to it and holds it just out of her reach. Elijah sighs and snaps Damon's neck with an annoyed flick of his wrist. Damon slumps to the floor and Elijah turns towards his brother. Stefan tries to speed away, even jumps from the railing, but Elijah is faster. He catches him before he can make it to the door, slamming him against the wall and taking the stake from his limp grip. Stefan's neck snaps as easily as Damon's.

And then Mikael steps around the corner with a smirk. He looks Alea up and down and clicks his tongue like he's disappointed.

"A witch? I don't think you'll be enough dear."

"It's a good thing I'm not alone." She says in a steadier voice than she expected. She raises a hand towards him and has only half a word out before he slams her against the railing. Just as fast as she is slammed, she's released, Elijah rescuing her from his father's grip and beginning to struggle against him. Alea pulls her magic from the pit of her stomach and points a shaking finger at Mikael as she chants over the sound of their struggle.

Mikael laughs, even seeing that Elijah has the dagger, he laughs in the face of the fight. Mikael stops laughing when he is thrown from Elijah and pulled against the wall by unseen forces. Alea steadies herself and focuses on her spell, weaving the threads together to form a paralysis that will hold him still until they can deal with him. He struggles, he fights, he grabs a nearby candelabra and throws it at Alea. It glances off her head and stops her chanting mid verse. She leans back on the bannister and holds a hand to her forehead as she refocuses on the fight in front of her.

Mikael has the dagger. He holds it above Elijah and Alea's heart beats wildly in her chest. She reaches out towards them and her voice carries like thunder as she speaks only three words of Aramaic. The house shudders and Mikael is blasted away from Elijah. He groans under the power of the spell and sprawls on the floor, stunned.

Alea rushes over to where the dagger has fallen and lifts it in a shaking hand. She stabs it downwards. And her hand freezes inches from Mikael's chest, her wrist caught in Damon's grip. His smile is manic as he twists her around and grips her by her shoulders.

"Let her go."

"Make me." Damon snarks back with a twisted look on his face. Alea pushes her hand against his chest and he laughs at her attempt to break his grip. But she's not trying to break his grip. She starts to drain him. Whispering the word, barely more than mouthing it. She can feel the energy slipping from him into her and she pulls on it until it is a torrent and she can feel his grip weakening on her shoulders. His face slackens and he falls to his knees in front of her.

Alea steps back and sees that Stefan stands at the top of the stairs, staring at the scene. Elijah looks around and clicks his tongue before flashing towards her and picking her up. He doesn't set her down until she's sitting back in her seat in the car and then he's rushing over to his side. They're back on the road in seconds and Alea blinks to reorient herself.She tries to take deep breaths to calm down, to settle from the confrontation. Miles away, halfway back to the mansion, she still feels high on the adrenaline.

"Stop the car, pull over." She demands, her voice coming out more even than she feels. Elijah looks over at her unsure but does as she's asked, pulling off the road by a small copse of trees. Alea leaves the car and walks out to the trees, pacing back and forth until she feels like she can catch her breath. Elijah wanders over, adjusting his cufflinks as he watches her. He pulls out a handkerchief and approaches her slowly. She lets him approach and dab at the blood at her forehead, a small injury considering who they were facing.

"I'm sorry you were hurt."

"I wish I could have done more."

"You did wonderfully my dear. Any other witch would have been dead within seconds." Elijah praises. Alea catches his hand and his eyes fall to hers. She loves his eyes, chocolate brown with bits of hazel. They're warm. Her hands come up to his face on their own and she finds herself pulled into him, his hands on her back as her eyes flick between his. Their foreheads come together and she takes a deep breath, just breathing him in as they stand so close together.

"I don't know what I would have done if he had killed you." He whispers, his voice small and rough, like the words have been pulled out of him. Alea nods under him and her nose bumps his as she looks up slightly.

"Nor I you. It would have torn out a piece of me." She admits breathlessly. She reaches up the last inch and lets her nose slide past his as her lips land on his. His lips are dry, and she wets them with her tongue between kisses. His hands on her back tighten and there is a noise in the back of his throat like a growl. Alea's hand reaches up into his hair and rakes her fingertips against his scalp. One of his hands reaches up to the back of her head and tilts her head back so he can access her neck.

"I find that for the first time in nearly a millennium, I am jealous of my brother." Elijah says between kisses to her throat, trailing to her collarbone and pulling down the neckline of her shirt. "He has something I want, and has done something I could only dream of doing." He whispers as his hand skims her stomach before rising to cup her cheek. Alea sighs and pulls his mouth back to hers, pressing herself as close to him as she can. She grips his shoulder and his hair tightly, in fists, as she presses her worry for him into him through her lips. She can feel their connection flaring to life and opens herself to it, she knows he can feel it when he gasps beneath her and shudders. Alea strums the thick cord of their connection and feels the resonance of it, warm and soothing.

"I'm tired of pretending I don't want you." Alea whispers against his lips, their faces a whisper apart. "It burns me up inside, being so close but still apart."

His eyes are molten as they look into hers, the pupil blown wide and only a sliver of the color remaining. His hand comes back up to cup her cheek and he leans his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as he breathes her in. Alea let's her eyes flutter shut and holds tight to him as the moment settles into silence. The forest is still around them and the very air is quiet. For this moment it is just them, alone in an embrace and connected.

His hand slips from her cheek and he kisses her forehead before slipping away, pulling out of her arms. She feels the loss immediately and there is cold where the warmth of him just was. Alea feels like pouting, like stomping her foot an demanding that he come back and hold her for a bit longer. But she takes a steadying breath instead and shakes it off. He slides a hand down his jacket and smooths his shirt, tugging his tie as he turns away towards the car. Alea has the fleeting thought that this isn't up to her alone, they have a big role to play in the decision. Elijah wouldn't go against Klaus, not even for her.

Elijah holds her door open before taking his own seat and guiding the car back onto the road. Alea doesn't pay any attention to the road or really the trees that pass. She doesn't really see the scenery that passes her eyes, her mind is elsewhere. She should be considering what to do about the new danger, about their father who just attacked them. But she's thinking about something else instead.

She's imagining the future. Not the battle between the original family or the deal with Elena, she's playing out the idea of her future in all this. What does this family look like with a baby in it? What does Klaus look like as a father? It's hard to believe that a child is enough to keep him from the occasional rampage. But he's never hurt her, she's hard pressed to even think of a time he raised his voice at her.

She could disappear. She could help them kill their father and then slip away and never be seen again. Keep her child safe from their family drama and danger. But would running be enough to do that? Would the danger just follow her?

When they arrive at the mansion Alea doesn't feel any better about the situation. In fact she feels worse. She needs to get her hands on that grimoire from the Morasco family so she can dig into this soul bond. Elijah has someone looking for it, but it itches at her to not be doing it herself. Elijah holds the door for her and asks if she wants lunch, but she gives a noncommittal noise and wanders away. She finds herself in the back library, curling up in an armchair with a thick blanket and staring out the window. She's stuck in a situation beyond her control, a story being written around her. How can she take back control?

The hours slip away. Klaus and Rebekah return and she can hear them talking with Elijah in the front of the house, but she doesn't bother trying to make out what they're saying. She spaces out and moves the pieces around in her mind. She wants to find a way out of this.

Klaus finds her and struts into the room with a grin, it slips from his face when he takes her in. He creeps up to her and kneels by her side as though she's dying, his face marked with concern.

"What's wrong love? Did something happen? Elijah told us what happened at the boarding house with Father, but did he leave something out?"

"No, nothing happened, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Klaus argues, taking her hand in his and laying a kiss on her knuckles. Alea sighs and looks away from the window and back to Klaus. She bites at her lip as she considers him. His eyes are wide and concerned as he looks her over and he seems so genuine.

“Can we leave Mystic Falls after your father is dead? This place has been nothing but bad for all of us.” She whispers. “Can’t we get away from all the danger somehow?”

“Oh, love. Our lives will always have danger. There’s no way around it I’m afraid. I can promise you though that I will never let it touch you, or our child.” He promises as he lays his hand across her belly and grins. His voice is firm and she wants to believe him, wants to trust in his ability to protect them. But some instinct in her says that there are darker things lurking in the shadows. She tries to give him a smile as she tucks herself into his arms.

Chapter Text

Klaus wants to draw his father out. He wants to make a ruckus and draw him in somewhere they have the upper hand. Alea thinks they won’t have the upper hand no matter what, she doesn’t say that though. Elijah and Rebekah bicker with Klaus about where to stage this final match with their father and Alea watches them fight it out over a map of the little town. She sits in an armchair with a mug of tea and sighs as they go over the plan for a third time.

“He has the white oak stake, unless we have one of our own we are at a disadvantage.”

“We don’t, we burnt the bridge and the sign so there would be no chance of a remaining supply.”

"We do have numbers on our side though. Our hybrid friends will be a surprise for them." Klaus interjects. Alea rolls her eyes and sips her tea from her place on the sofa. Elijah and Rebekah look frustrated and it seems they're at an impasse. But it doesn't really matter what their opinion is, Klaus will do whatever he thinks is best.

"What can we do to tilt the fight in our favor? Mikeal has both Salvatores on his side, despite your compulsion. We should try and eliminate them from play before attacking him. And get Bonnie and Caroline out of the picture, we don't want them involved in this." Alea suggests as she looks over at Klaus and watches him smile. He snaps his fingers and points at her before looking back at the map.

"It is so easy to draw out the brothers, their weakness is obvious and easily manipulated. Get a hold of the Gilbert girl and they'll come running." Klaus suggests as he points to the map, Rebekah and Eijah nodding along. "As for the other children, I don't care how you convince them to play nicely with us, as long as they get in line before the battle."

"I'll set up a meeting with Bonnie, Elijah can take me." Alea suggests and already has her phone out ready to text. Klaus swoops in and stops her hand, his mouth opening to stop her. "They'll react better to Elijah than you."

"Alright , love."

Alea makes the call and sets up a meeting time with Bonnie and Caroline for that afternoon at Bonnie's house. She spends her time working on protective charms. She takes one of Klaus's necklaces and spends an hour with it in her room, locked away chanting. When she returns the charmed necklace it is warm to the touch and hums with power. She does the same with Elijah's cufflinks and Rebekah's earrings, spelling them with protection as much as she can.

She's tired by the time Elijah comes to get her to go. She feels the exhaustion in the ache behind her eyes as he leads her to the car and she leans against the passenger window. The drive would be pretty, The Virginia forests and afternoon light is beautiful. Alea is just too tired to enjoy it. When they pull up beside Bonnie's house Alea tries to wake up, stretching and cracking her neck. Elijah puts a hand on her thigh and waits for her to look at him.

"Are you up for this?" He asks lowly, his eyes assessing her. Alea holds his hand tightly, squeezing reassuringly as she gives him a smile. She nods and then tilts her head towards the house. Elijah nods but his lips are pressed tight together and his eyes are cold.

Bonnie is already standing at the door to her house. Her aura wavers, rosemary with an edge of lemon zinging through it. Something is bothering her, her smile is strained and her eyes bounce between Alea and Elijah and something in the house. She's nervous. Alea has a bad feeling in her gut, something is telling her that something is wrong here, she just isn't sure what. Reaching out with her senses she doesn't feel anyone besides Bonnie and Caroline, so there's no ambush.

"Hey, Bonnie, how are you?"

"I'm good, yeah, I'm glad you called." Bonnie says as they cross the threshold and enter the front room. She invites them to sit down and stands awkwardly as Caroline enters with a tray of drinks. "We didn't know that Damon wanted to team up with Mikael, he didn't talk to us about it."

"That makes sense. I didn't figure you would want to work with someone who wants to kill all vampires." Alea shrugs casually, making the girls tense. "Mikael will continue to kill vampires once his children are dead, it's inevitable. And it's unlikely you'd be able to stop him, if Klaus isn't able to."

"My mom was able to lock him away. But it took all her power, she's not a witch anymore."

"Hmm, I've never heard of that happening. It must have been an extremely powerful spell. And I don't suppose you have the spell so you could perform it?" Alea asks with a raised brow. The girls shake their heads and look at each other. Bonnie looks at her phone as it buzzes in her hand and she cringes. Alea sits up straighter and Elijah leans forward from his place on the couch beside her. Bonnie bites her lip and looks between Alea and the door before looking at Caroline and giving her a firm nod. Caroline frowns and then sweeps Bonnie up and flashes from the room, out the front door.

Elijah moves to follow them but is blocked, bounced back, when he connects with a barrier at the front door. Alea gets up and presses a hand to the air at the doorway. There's pressure that meets her hand as she presses towards the exit, resisting her. Bonnie trapped them inside her house.

Alea sighs and looks around the room, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head. Elijah straightens his suit and examines the door, looking for any weaknesses.

"It will take me a while to take down the barrier, I have to figure out what spell she used and then undo it."

"Take your time, I trust you. I will call Klaus." Elijah says simply and retakes his position on the couch. He reaches out and takes one of the glasses of lemonade and looks completely at ease as he sips it. Alea scoffs and stomps through the house towards Bonnie's room. She needs to find her grimoire and see if she can determine which barrier spell she used.

The Bennets were well prepared for every situation. Their family had many grimoires and within them had a spread of spells that covered a wealth of situations. It is a pleasure to read them. But that also means she has multiple barrier spells. Alea is stuck and gives up on that avenue, replacing the books and returning to the front of the house where Elijah is still sitting.

"This is a pain in the ass."

"Would you like to take a break?"

"How long has it been?"

"Several hours, come have some lemonade and sit down." Elijah suggests and waves her over. He holds out a glass to her and she takes it as she sits beside him. The couch is comfortable against her aching back and she sighs as she relaxes back against it. "Come here." Elijah commands. Alea raises an eyebrow but turns away from him and closes her eyes as his hands lay on her shoulders. His fingers dig gently into the muscles and they loosen up under the pressure. Alea sighs and groans as her back begins to ease under his hands.

Elijah rubs his way from her shoulders, down her spine, and to her hips. The muscles there are tense and there's a knot that his knuckles work at and circle. Alea leans forward, relaxing against the couch arm as Elijah works. Elijah pauses and leans away, making Alea whine but he shushes her. He pulls off his jacket and lays it across the other arm of the couch and rolls up each of his sleeves to his elbow.

Elijah draws his thumbs down the line of her spine from the nape of her neck to the base of her spine, digging in and making her groan. He sweeps his thumbs in arches across her hips and then transitions into circles. Alea is a puddle under his ministrations and practically moans as he digs his fingers into her. His hands are warm, and big, and make her skin tingle.

Elijah leans in, over her back, and kisses the nape of her neck. Alea whines and leans back into his chest. Elijah wraps an arm around her and presses himself tight against her chest, kissing her throat. Alea tilts her head back onto his shoulder and sighs when he lays more kisses there.

His hand traces a path from her sternum down her chest and stomach, down to the button of her pants. Alea gasps as his fingers undo the zipper of her jeans. There are benefits to vampires, one of them is the quick way that they get undressed, one second you're fully dressed and the next your clothes are in a neat pile beside you. No problem. Elijah wastes no time utilizing his speed in undressing her, his hands suddenly everywhere and her body being moved at speeds she can't keep track of. But she ends up back in the same position, leaned over the arm of the couch with Elijah pressed up against her back, just without her clothes.

Her breath has become fast and her mind is in a haze, she can only think about the heat of his skin on her like a brand and the impossible fusion of their connection. They are tied so tightly together she feels like she is a part of him, like she could find a place inside his heart and live there. Every touch is amplified and felt twofold as he smooths his hands down her arms and her ribs, leaving goosebumps and tingles. His aura is syrupy sweet and drips off of her tongue, she feels like she's drowning in him.

Elijah wraps one large hand softly against her throat, holding gently, and pulls her up into an arched position. Her back is bent and the tension in her stomach only grows tighter. He holds his other hand against her hip, a much tighter grip, one that might leave bruises. He uses that grip to drag her back against him and tilt his hips so he meets her.

His cock drags against her folds and she gasps at the doubled sensation that lights up her nerves. Elijah is careful as he angles their hips, directing her and holding her position tightly as he slowly pushes his hips into hers. His cock enters her in a slow press and fills her completely. She feels deliciously full, stretched and zinging with sensation. His hand on her throat tightens just a fraction and she groans at the way her whole body shoots with tingles.

"I will have you, in whatever way I can." Elijah whispers in her ear as he starts to move. His hips are slow, pulling back only a few inches before slamming back in, increasing incrementally. And then he gains speed. His hips drive into hers and she is ridden into the arm of the couch. She is breathless and gasping at the way his body overwhelms hers, surrounding and consuming hers.

His thrusts are measured and precise, powerful as they push her into the soft cushion. His lips trail from the nape of her neck around to the side of her throat and he lays open mouthed kisses there. His tongue licks a stripe up the side of her throat and she shivers in his arms. She can feel the tips of his fangs on her skin, dragging a burning line.

"Please." She begs, her voice reedy and strained. Elijah rolls his hips and just as his pelvis connects with hers his fangs connect with her skin and pierce it. She can feel her connection to him blossom and expand, her heart beating out of her chest as she is overwhelmed by the sensation. Her world whites out as every nerve ending lights up and lightning zings down her body.

When the world comes back into focus and her body no longer feels like it's made out of pure electricity, she can blink and see the house around her again. Elijah's chest is warm and firm under her cheek and his arm is locked around her waist as she rests on top of him. The connection she can feel to him lies between them, strong and vibrant as she feels it in her mind.

"Do you feel our connection?"

"I'm not sure. I feel drawn to you and there are times when I feel... something... But I don't know what to call it. I'm not sure how to quantify how I feel for you." Elijah tells her honestly. Alea rests her chin on her hand and blinks down at him, humming an agreement. She circles a finger on his chest and then drags it across his jaw.

"Maybe I can make you feel it." She whispers. Closing her eyes she takes deep breaths. The well of her power is already waiting for her, reaching to meet her. She doesn't need her magic for this, she needs the touch of her connection to him. Pulling on the cord that connects them she presses the power of it against his aura and into his chest until she hears his gasp.

"That tingles." He whispers as she pulls back slightly. Alea laughs and cups his jaw with her hand, angling his lips towards hers. The kiss is slow and warm as she continues to share the cord of their connection with him. He traces the curve of her cheek with a finger and his lips pull up in a smile as he looks at her. "I have never met anyone quite like you."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Alea laughs, smiling down at him.

It doesn't last long, the bubble they're in, they realize they just fucked on Bonnie's couch and are still stuck. Alea is the first to jump up and reach for her clothes. Elijah is slower to sit up but faster to dress, done in a flash that she envies. Alea pulls her hair away from her face and huffs as she looks at the door in frustration. She approaches it and kneels down to look for a border.

Most boundary spells are simple enough. A line of salt and some pretty words and Bam! you have a barrier. Some are a little more complex with certain locks in place. Alea just needs to determine what kind this is. She licks her lips and sits cross legged in front of the edge of the barrier.

Magic starts from inside. A witch draws from their own energy before even drawing from the energy around them or from their ancestors. If your internal energy is a mess then you won't be capable of much. Alea works to keep very good care of her magic, regular meditation and focus exercises. So it's easy for her to pluck at the strings of her own power and draw them out to touch the web of magic that makes up the barrier. It is twisted but the magic has holes. It is weak not from lack of energy but from a lack of skill, the weave is unpracticed.

Alea picks at the web of magic and pulls at the tangles to listen to the secrets. She hums as the spell speaks to her. She gets up and walks through the house on autopilot, sorting through ingredients and tossing things aside without care. She returns to the door with a handful of things and begins sprinkling them along the entryway. She chants in latin and her voice carries authority. She speaks with power and practice, like she's done this a thousand times. Half of magic is intention and will power.

When Alea presses her hand through the doorway it waves through to the otherside without stopping, no more barrier. Elijah is quick to pick her up and flash them to the car. She buckles herself in and breathes a sigh of relief as she relaxes into the seat.

"We'll need to call Klaus." Elijah says simply as he navigates the car towards the mansion. Alea freezes and slowly turns her head to look at Elijah. He looks grim as he stares resolutely ahead.

"Can't we just wait until we get home?"

"He'll want to know immediately." Elijah decides, taking out his cellphone. Alea sighs and leans her head against the window. She listens when Elijah relays their freedom and direction to Klaus, though she can't hear the reply. She stares out into the trees and roads of Mystic Falls and has the passing thought of wondering how her flower shop is doing. She sold it off a month ago and regrets it, she wishes she could have kept it.

She can imagine it now, a little child running through a garden as she chases them, teaching them about the flowers. But that isn't what their life will be like. Who knows what sort of chaos and danger will come for her child. Alea rests a hand self consciously over her stomach and bites at her lip as she tries to clear her head. Depressing thoughts have no home here.

Chapter Text

Klaus is standing outside the mansion when they get home. He looks grim and Alea sighs as she steps out of the car. Klaus rushes over and takes her hand. He walks with her through the door and into the foyer, talking over her head to Elijah about their little adventure. A carefully edited version of their adventure. Elijah looks between them, his glances subtle as he watches Klaus's hand on her back.

And then Klaus's nose twitches. He takes a deep inhale, and then sniffs at Alea's neck and down her shoulder. He spins her in his arms. His fingers are light on her as he sweeps her hair to the side and reveals a yellowing bruise from where Elijah's fangs had been. Klaus growls and then flashes, launching himself at Elijah and crashing them into a wall.

"How dare you touch her, she is mine!" Klaus shouts as he shoves Elijah against the wall and grips his lapels, knocking him back again. Elijah growls back at him and tosses Klaus across the room, throwing him into the other wall. Klaus scrambles up and crouches to leap at him again. Alea waves her hands and magic between them and shouts to get their attention.

"This is my fault! Be mad at me!" She yells, her voice hoarse as she looks between them. Klaus flashes to her and presses into her personal space, walking her back towards the wall as he gets in her face.

"Yes, let's lay the blame at your feet, love. Tell me, how long have you been planning to betray me and fuck my brother? Was it from the beginning or was this a spur of the moment decision to punish me?"

"I'm not trying to hurt you! I can explain."

"Do explain, sweetheart. Explain how fucking both of us isn't meant to break both our hearts." Klaus sneers as he leans an arm above her head and snarls in her face. Elijah pulls at his shoulder but is also grim faced and doesn't argue the question. Alea can feel tears coming and she wipes a hand across her cheek as she scrambles for the explanation.

"I need a book, Elijah is getting me a book. I was going to explain once I had it."

"Oh good, It's more of your witchy bullshit. Tell me more about your mysticism and playing god." Klaus continues as he turns away from her and tosses a side table. It crashes against the far wall and Alea flinches. He hasn't hurt her. He won't hurt her. Elijah stands to the side and straightens his suit as he watches.

"We're soulmates." Alea says quietly, barely even a whisper. Klaus turns back towards her and she can hear the rumbling growl as his eyes flash at her.

"You're joking. I have never in my thousand years seen soulmates." He laughs. Alea shrugs helplessly and sighs. She puts a hand over her eyes and turns away from the picture of them. They both look so angry with her. And so disappointed.

"That's what I've found. The soulbond we share can only be considered that of soulmates. It isn't something I created, it's something that was always there but dormant. The book I asked for will confirm it. You could even have another witch confirm it." She explains without looking at them. Klaus laughs again but Elijah makes a sound of consideration. He pulls out his phone and she can hear it dial as he steps away. Klaus circles in the hallways, every time he gets close to her it looks like he's about to say something but he snaps his mouth shut.

"Klaus..." Alea starts but stops when he raises a finger and points it sternly at her. Elijah returns and looks between them with a frown.

"My contact has the book and will be on a returning flight within the hour. We should have the book tomorrow morning. I also took the initiative in contacting a witch to verify the information. She will be here tomorrow evening."

"Terrific, until then you get to live." Klaus says to Elijah, clapping his hands. Alea begins to protest but he silences her with a glare. "You're on thin ice, the idea of you locked in a tower is starting to look tempting."

"We still need to deal with the Mikael situation. The plan is supposed to go ahead tonight but it seems the children know we have something planned."

"We'll go ahead with it. I could use something to kill." Klaus says and rubs his hands together. He stops his pacing and his nostrils flare as he scents the room. He snarls again and his eyes flash gold and he looks over at Alea. He flashes across the hall to her, boxing her in against the wall with his body. His head is bent down to her neck and he sniffs at the spot where Elijah bit her. "You smell like him." He says.

Alea blushes as Klaus presses himself against her, his whole body from shoulder to toes, and rubs himself like a cat. He nuzzles his face against her neck and she can feel the trace of his fangs but he pulls away. He bites into his own arm and offers it to her, pressing the bite mark to her lips. She sips gently at the wound and licks carefully at the sensitive of his inner wrist. Klaus groans and his body contracts around her, his muscles tight. When the skin has healed Klaus pulls his arm away and leans it against the wall beside her head. His head hangs next to hers and she can see the veins standing out against the skin of his cheeks.

"You should always smell like me."

Alea swallows thickly and all she can do is stare at him. The cord between them is humming with the energy that he exudes and is heated with his anger. It burns. She tries to tell him with just her eyes how sorry she is, and wants to put every explanation she has in just one look. But she can't. His golden eyes fade back to his natural blue and she licks her lips as she looks over his face, opening her mouth to say something. She thinks better of it and shuts her mouth tight. Nothing she could say would make this better.

Klaus's eyes shutter and he pulls back slowly, his hand leaving the wall and his body leaving her cold. She wraps her arms around herself and drops her eyes to the floor as he and Elijah go into the drawing room. She doesn't need to be part of the planning. She just needs to come out when they are ready and toss out some spells during the fight. She's just a tool to pull out when she's useful.

Alea takes the steps up to her room. She throws her bag on the bed and walks like she's in a dream through the room and into the bathroom, into the shower. She hardly remembers to take her clothes off first, stripping only as she trips into the walk in stall. She leans heavily against the wall, her arms feeling weak as she stares down at the drain. The tears feel like they're stuck on the border, they just won't come.

She takes her soap and loofah and she scrubs her skin until it's raw and pink. She rinses her hair with shampoo twice and still doesn't feel clean. She spends long enough under the shower that the water runs cold and even then she doesn't want to get out. But the shivers annoy her so she shuts off the water and towels off in a daze.

The room feels foreign. She calls the mansion home but it doesn't feel like it. Her room doesn't feel like hers and the mansion is too empty to have any feeling. This isn't where she belongs. Alea lays across the bed and the tears finally come. They drip silently down her cheeks and she sniffles quietly as she stares up at the ceiling of her four poster bed.

When the sun has set and hours have passed, Alea wakes from a fitful nap and creeps out of her room. She hasn't heard anymore crashes or fighting, but she doesn't trust that to mean much. Down the stairs and into the parlor she finds Klaus sitting on the settee with a map in hand.

"Elijah is in the kitchen making dinner." He says without looking up. Alea nods exits as quietly as she entered, silent feet on pristine hardwood. Elijah has his back turned when she enters but when he turns she gasps in surprise. His usually pristine shirt is covered in blood and there is a slash down the front that is ragged and drooping. Alea rushes over and checks him over with worry but relaxes as soon as she sees that he has healed.

"What happened?"

"Klaus needed to get out some of his aggression." Elijah says without any intonation, holding her hands and squeezing them lightly. He kisses her fingers before turning her towards the counter and leading her to sit at a lace he has set for her. There's a dish of pasta set with utensils and napkins, and juice. "Eat, I need to change."

"Thank you." Alea whispers as he disappears through the doorway and she's left alone again. She runs a finger around the rim of the bowl and sighs as she looks from the delicious food to where Elijah has gone. She's caused so much trouble and pain. Maybe if she just left...

She understands a little how Elena must have felt, god she feels so selfish. What a stupid situation to get stuck in. As soon as Mikael is dead she should leave town, take her things and get a plane to the otherside of the world. Decision made Alea feels better, more settled. She finishes her pasta with gusto and sighs with satisfaction. She just has to wait a little longer and then all this drama will be over.

Chapter Text

The plan to lure Mikael out is simple. Klaus will sabotage the prom and host it instead at the Lockwood mansion thanks to his hybrid Tyler. Who might be sired. If she was sticking around Alea would try to deal with that, but she needs to save herself. Once the party is at the Lockwood estate, they wait for Mikael to show up and lure him into a fight where they flank him and overpower him with the hybrids, Rebekah, and Elijah. The suggestion of waking Kol and Finn was shot down by everyone. It isn't a great plan. Alea said so and was given the sweet response of 'then come up with better.'.

So she did.

Alea prepared herself for a fight. She didn't want to be taken off guard again. She would go along with Klaus's plan, until it went wrong, and then she would move to plan B. She dressed up the way Klaus wanted her to, she fit in well with the teen party goers as she milled about the mansion. Klaus was playing with his hybrids and Elijah was hidden out in the woods somewhere. Rebekah was dancing with the humans, she was distracted from the plan and may not be helpful when the time came, but Alea still had hope.

The music was too loud and there were too many sweaty teenagers getting too close to her. She felt gross. The smell of people and beer and spilled alcohol was getting to her and she wanted some air. She stepped out on the back patio and looked around at the party; what a mess they had made. Someone slides up next to her and she gets a distinct chill down her spine. Turning she sees Elena. But her aura screams vampires, all ice and death.

"You don't have to help them." Not-Elena says under her breath. Alea snorts and continues scanning the crowd. "You could be working with us, with Mikeal. He's strong enough to kill them."

"And what then? You think he'll stop at them? That he won't go after all the other vampires and whoever helped them. Everyone will be fair game. Mikael can't be reasoned with, he knows only hate." Alea argues, shaking her head as she looks at not-Elena. The girl pouts and crosses her arms, looking ready to argue further. But then Klaus steps up behind Alea and her eyes go wide. Alea tilts her head toward Klaus, drawn towards him.

"It's cold out here, love, how about you run back inside?" He suggests with a smirk. Alea puts on a forced smile and nods, turning away. She ducks inside and leans against the wall with a sigh. Something is definitely up, the plan has started. She navigates the house to the front door and tries to look for all the hybrids in the crowd. They're mixed in pretty well with the humans.

It isn't long before there's a commotion. Klaus is known for his dramatics, though no one would say that. So it makes sense that his father is the same way. Klaus stands on one side of the door with his hands spread wide and a smirk on his face. Mikael stands across the threshold from him with a snarl on his face and his arms spread across the doorway.

"I should have killed you as a child, before you grew up, it would have saved so much trouble."

"And I should have killed you all those years ago. You're a heartless bastard though so there's nothing for me to rip out." Klaus laughs, waving a wand around as he smiles, his fangs showing. Alea stays near the stairs, just close enough to see everything but out of the way. She doesn't want to get involved unless she has to, that's the plan.

"Well go on then, son, set your abominations on me." Mikael says as he leans back. He laughs at the surprised look on Klaus's face and then drag's Elijah's body from the side, head twisted awkwardly at an angle. "Or sic your big brother on me, you always did cower behind him. Who's next? Your little witch?"

Alea stays silent and still, hiding behind the railing. Klaus growls and holds himself back from the doorway, holding the threshold in both hands as he fights himself. Mikael grins and grabs someone from outside of their sight. From the chill that goes across her skin and the stench of death on her, this must be the not-Elena. Alea frowns and glares, looking between Mikael and the woman.

"Maybe you'll come out for your hybrid blood supply? I can just kill her? It's no issue to me." Mikael threatens, holding a knife against the woman's ribs. The woman struggles and begs, Klaus starts to move.

"Wait! That's not Elena." Alea calls, stopping Klaus mid motion. Mikael snarls and tosses the woman to the side. There's a flash from behind Klaus and suddenly Damon is there with a stake, trying to stab it into his ribs from behind. Of course he came from behind.

"No!" Alea screams and throws out her hand with a wave of magic that tosses Damon back against the far wall. The stake goes flying to the floor as it falls out of his grasp. A flash comes out of the back door and lifts Damon from where he's slumped on the floor. Stefan shoves his brother harshly and then twists his neck until it snaps and he falls limply to the floor.

Klaus smiles viciously at the scene before turning to Mikael and picks up the stake. Mikael snarls at him and begins to back up off the porch. From up the stairs Alea hears groaning and looks up to see Rebekah rubbing her neck and looking rather disheveled. She wrinkles her nose and rushes down the stairs, standing next to Klaus. Mikael frowns and steps back farther, looking between them.

"Come now Niklaus, face me like a man." He goads, his arms spread and a smile on his face. Elijah begins to move, his body jerky as his neck heals and he comes back to life. Klaus finally steps out of the house and gives his brother a hand up as they turn to face their father. Rebekah stands next to them and the three of them stand shoulder to shoulder and look down at Mikael with fire in their eyes.

Vampires move at a speed that is not visible to humans except as a trail of light, sometimes, sometimes they simply appear in places. When they fight it looks like a jumpy cartoon, they are suddenly in new places with no motion visible in between. Alea doesn't get a good view of the fight, she can't comprehend all the ways they twist and turn and fly at each other. But she can see the final pose that they strike. Mikael is stuck between Elijah and Rebekah standing in front of Klaus, the stake inches from his chest.

"I will not miss you father."

"I'm not your father, you bastard." Mikael hisses. Klaus screams as he stabs the stake into his chest. Mikael begins to catch fire, the flames quickly consuming him. Alea watches as the three siblings look at their father's flaming corpse in the yard, silent as they stare. The flares collapse to smoldering embers and Klaus turns back to the house, his hands in his pockets.

"Well, now that that's done... back to the party?" Klaus suggests with a smirk. Rebekah scoffs and Elijah sighs but they follow him into the house without comment. Alea comes out of the shadows of the stairs and clears her throat pointedly. Klaus raises an eyebrow but laughs when he sees her point at Damon dead on the floor with Stefan above him.

"What fun! brother against brother, you have come in handy Stefan."

"All though he did not help us when father attacked us in their home. This seems a strange time to decide to help." Elijah says from Klaus's side. Klaus rubs his chin in consideration and shrugs before crossing his arms.

"There's nothing for it then. We'll either kill both of them or compel them to follow directions without rebelling. I just don't know if it's worth bothering."

"They could assist in guarding Elena; they already care for her." Elijah suggests. Klaus nods and tilts his head as he looks between the brothers. He grins wickedly and flashes forward, coming around behind Stefan and snapping his neck. He stands above him and laughs at the pile the two brothers are in and claps his hands as though to clean them.

"The hybrids will take them to the basement and we will dry them out in case they have taken vervain, then we will compel them. They will do well in protecting the doppelganger." Klaus decides and walks away towards where the music is still playing. Alea looks between the bodies and Elijah and Rebekah and sighs. This is just how life is here. Bodies, torture, and compulsion.

"I want to go home." Alea says quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Elijah holds out his hand and she takes it, his warm palm a reassurance after the hectic fight. He walks her to the car and they take the short drive over to their mansion. What a funny thing, their mansion. This isn't really her home and. She leaves him at the door and wanders up to her room. It's time to put her plan into motion and leave.

Her things are already packed, the little she has. Everything fits in two bags; her duffle she took on their road trip and her usual grimoire bag. She grabs a small bundle from inside her magical supplies and then loads both bags over her shoulders. Her steps are light as she takes the stairs back down and then opens the door to the garage. It's probably the keys to the car or the car door that give her away.

"What are you doing?"

"Somnus." Alea whispers quickly, her words rushed as she tosses the ingredients towards Elijah. He reaches out towards her but his hand doesn't reach her, his arm drooping before it gets to her. He collapses to the floor and She feels bad to leave in a heap like this but can't waste any time.

The keys are in the car and the garage door is open. She puts the car in gear and she's driving down the driveway before she can think any more about Elijah or Klaus or what they'll do. Her mind is totally focused on her next move. On her hands on the wheel and the road ahead of her. She can't think about anything else or she might turn around and go back.

Chapter Text

There is a flight scheduled at the airport that will take her to a larger airport in New York where she can take an international flight. She can then take a train and then a bus to where she wants to go. It'll take a couple days but she can be half a world away using cash and hopefully without being traced. She just has to be careful.

So, she drives just under the speed limit and does everything she can to not draw attention. She ducks her head and avoids cameras. The assistant at the ticket counter gives her a strange look when she pays in cash but she ignores it in favor of reviewing her plan again in her head. She thinks about it over and over. When she gets to the terminal for her flight she feels like she's constantly looking over her shoulder. How long will it take Elijah to wake up? How long until he and Klaus come after her and track the car?

The plane arrives within twenty minutes and she doesn't relax until they're in the air. She feels like she can breathe a little easier but the pressure on her chest isn't gone.

The flight from New York to Bucharest will be ten hours, and then it'll be a three-day trip to her little house on the English coast. The flight in New York is from JFK. Her flight from Virginia arrives on time and she has just enough time to stop at the ticket counter before her connecting flight.

She feels too wired to fall asleep even as all the lights go out and her neighbors start to snore. She covers her face with her hands and thinks about praying for the first time in probably fifty years. She doesn't want to get caught. She wants to spend the rest of her child's life in her little rural house and never see either brother again. Fuck soulmates and fuck this ache in her chest that is telling her to go back.

Every mile breaks her heart a little more. She can feel the tug around her heart that tells her this isn't what she really wants, a string in her gut that is so wrapped around her magic that it's a part of her. She silences the voice that whispers that she's a fool and instead listens to the snores of her neighbors and the quiet breathing of a plane full of people.

Ten hours of sleeplessness is exhausting. She feels worn thin and her eyes droop. There's a train station a couple miles from here with a route that goes her direction, she just needs enough energy to get there. Her steps are heavy and her bags feel like they're full of rocks.

Once she's on the train she stuffs her duffle against the seat and uses it like a pillow, cuddled on it as her eyes finally slide shut. Her dreams are a dark place though.

There are shadows and she cannot see beyond the ends of her fingers in front of her face. Fog rolls in and further obscures her view but there is light over her shoulder and she turns to move towards it. There where the shadows part she can see Klaus on his knees, a dagger to his throat. The dagger is not the one she is familiar with, is is golden and shines in the light. A woman she doesn't recognize holds the dagger and smiles as she looks down on Klaus.

"No! Get away from him!" Alea cries as she tries to get closer. Her steps do nothing and as she runs, she gets nowhere. The woman turns her head towards her and smirks. She grabs Klaus's hair and exposes his throat, yanking his head back.

"The reign of monsters must end." The woman hisses before slicing the dagger across Klaus's throat, spraying blood. Alea screams as she falls to her knees and the vision swims into darkness.

She comes awake with a jolt and her breathing is shallow as she looks around the cabin of the train. There's no one there, she has the little room to herself. She leans back against the wall and wipes her face with her hands, rubbing away the errant tears that gather at the corners of her eyes.

She's decided to leave Klaus and the others, that means she can't protect them. But she wants to. She can't imagine losing him. He's managed to find a place in her heart and she thought he was invincible, that nothing could touch him. Seeing his vulnerability is jarring.

Vampires get used to being immortal after a time. Years begin to fade and decades slide past. But those around them also forget their mortality. It isn;t that hard to kill a vampire, not really. Some sunlight, a stake, maybe a beheading. Falling in love with a vampire is only a little more safe than loving any other creature.

Alea has ridden plenty of trains, she remembers when they were the cutting edge of travel and the fastest way around. She doesn't mind the rocking or noise. She finds the rhythm of the train soothing, like the rocking of the ocean. She can't sleep anymore so she wanders the train, walking as far as the dining car and taking a seat there.

The food is about what she expects and she orders something simple. But it tastes like ash in her mouth. She stares at her plate to see if something is wrong with it but sees only delicious looking pasta. But the taste remains. She washes it away with water and swallows the lump in her throat. She looks out the window at the trees passing by but really, she's thinking about what else is passing her by. She could turn back, the hurt would be more with every mile she puts between them.

She misses the feeling of them. The way their auras would wrap around her as soon as they entered a room. The soothing smell of linen and apples or the forest and peaches. The syrupy sweetness and spices. It made her feel safe and warm and now she feels cold deep in the pit of her soul.

She barely finishes dinner. She tells herself she has to, for the baby. Everything she does now has to be for the baby. She will make her life safer and better for her child. No one can hurt this little bundle of cells that lies inside her, that will turn into the center of her whole world. She tries imagining what they look like but the image is blurry and she can't make it clear. She wants a curly headed baby with eyes like Klaus, she doesn't care if they're a girl or boy.

She returns to her cabin and rests against the window, trying to relax. Her chest is tight and she feels trapped in this little box she's put herself in. Just another day on the train and then a car ride out into the country. Just a couple more steps to the plan.

Time means little when all you can think about is who might be chasing you. One foot in front of the other and one type of transportation to the next. Another ticket and another handful of cash. The last leg of the trip is a car ride. She spent her dwindling cash supply on a used car that looks like it will die the next time she uses it.

But the car survives the trip and she arrives at the home she said she never wanted to see again. She's not even sure why she hasn't sold it. This is the place she lived with her husband, the place where she last waved goodbye to him and where she mourned him.

And now it will be where she raises her child.

It needs some sprucing up. It's sat unattended for probably going on twenty years now and has gotten some cobwebs since then. There's a village half an hour away and Alea hopes the car will survive a few trips back and forth. She can revive it with magic but she wants to reserve that as a last resort.

Her duffle is sat by the front door and her grimoire bag is laid carefully on the old kitchen table. The house isn't large, two bedrooms and one bathroom, it was never meant to be fancy. But the kitchen is big and the living room is spacious enough for the gatherings Charlie used to have with the pack. The pack that was slaughtered.

So many bad memories now lie here, she has so much pain to cover up. So, she grabs the old broom, takes out the aging trash bags, and gets to work. She has had an exhausting day already but she isn't sleeping in a bed covered in dust. The house has an ancient looking washing machine but the thing still turns on when she flips the switch, so at least she'll have clean linens.

She works long into the night, the moon has risen and the dark has set in by the time she looks up from her cleaning. She's made a dent in the bedroom and there's clean blankets and sheets for her to use. It's enough for one night at least.