#so she actually never hung around the pit Bonnie all that much

[chloesimaginationthings]

"Oswald's mom has got it going on" - FNAF Pit bonnie

[thebrotherssalvatore321]

Keeping Secrets Ch. 10

Keeping Secrets Masterlist

Pairing: DamonxOc, TylerxOc, ElijahxOc, KlausxOc endgame. Warnings: Mental and Physical Abuse.

Katie and Damon were about to walk out the door of the boarding house to go to the fifties dance when Damon’s phone started ringing. He answered it and after a few minutes hung up. “We have to make a pit stop on the way to the dance.” He told Katie as he opened the door for her then walked out behind her. “A vampire got into Elena house and tried to attack her.”

A few minutes later they pulled up to Elena’s house and let themselves inside. They all migrated to the living room and Katie plopped down in the armchair near the couch.

“We’re pretty sure it’s the same guy she hit with her car. He’s been stalking her every since.” Stefan said as he and Elena sat down on the couch.

“How did he get in?” Damon asked as he walked over and nudged Katie silently asking her to get up.

“He was invited in.” Elena answered looking like she was in a slight state of shock.

“He posed as a pizza delivery guy last night.” Stefan added as Damon sat down in the chair and pulled Katie down to sit in his lap.

“Well, he gets points for that. Did he say what he wanted?” he asked as he ran his hand up and down Katie’s thigh.

“No. He was too busy trying to kill me.” Elena popped off.

“And you have no idea who this is?” Stefan asked with a pointed look at Damon.

“No.” Damon answered with a scoff and Stefan just kept looking at him. “Don’t look at me like that. I told you we had company.”

“You think there’s more than one?” Katie asked looking over her shoulder at Damon.

“We don’t know.” Damon shrugged.

“Damon, he was invited in.” Stefan pointed out again.

“Then we go get him tonight.” Damon said as if it were the obvious plan then looked at Elena. “You up for it?”

“What do I have to do?” she asked skeptically.

“Let your boyfriend take you to the dance.” Damon answered and noticed Katie picking at her cuticles so he grabbed her hands in his stopping her. “We’ll see who shows up.”

“That’s a bad idea.” Stefan argued.

“Is it though?” Katie asked. “I mean, supposedly you guys live for the hunt and if he’s been stalking her like you say he has then he’ll know that she’s going to the dance and he’ll be there when she does.” Katie pointed out. “All you two have to do is be ready for him.”

Elena and Stefan seemed to think about it. “Until we get him this house isn’t safe. Or anyone who lives in it.” Damon added. Stefan and Elena were silent. “It’s worth a shot.”

“I’ll do it.” Elena said then grabbed Stefan’s hand. “I’ll be with you two. I’ll be safe.” Both of the guys were looking at Elena making Katie feel as if she wasn’t even in the room.

In that moment all Katie could think about was the fact that no matter what everything always seemed to be about Elena. Rather it was human guys or vampire guys everyone seemed to want to hurt her or be with her. Either way it’s all about her and it always made things awkward for Katie. “Okay, so, let’s go catch a bad guy, or whatever.” Katie said in an attempt to break the silence making Damon cut his eyes up at her with a smirk.

Damon opened her car door for her then shut it behind her and got inside himself. “Are you up for this? It could put you in danger too.” He asked.

“Yep.” She sighed. “Anyone, including vampires, mess with my friends and they mess with me.” She said as she buckled her seatbelt.

“Slow down there cowgirl. Let Stefan and me do all the hard work. You just keep those observant eyes of yours peeled for the guy.” He told her with a laugh in his voice.

“Can I ask you something?” Katie asked and Damon nodded and hummed. “How does the whole invitation rule work with the boarding house? Since you and Stefan are the only ones living there and you’re technically dead can any vampire just walk right in?” she asked making Damon knit his brows together.

“I didn’t think about that before I asked you to live with us.” He commented more to himself than her. “A living person’s name has to be on the deed to the house for the rule to apply. After that any human inside the house can invite a vampire in.”

“So I’m not safe at that house?” Katie asked with a frown.

“Just because vampires can get in doesn’t mean you’re not safe.” he said as he reached over and grabbed her hand. “I got you.” she smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze.

TVDTVDTVD

They walked into the dance, Elena on Stefan’s arm and Katie on Damon's. "Come on." Elena jerked her head to Bonnie and Caroline headed their way from where they had been on the dance floor and the four girls met up at one of the tables. "Having fun?" Elena asked them.

"No, but this," Caroline motioned to her yellow outfit and super curly pinned up hair, "took about two hours. So I'm at least staying for half that."

"What's Damon doing here?" Bonnie asked seeing Damon and Stefan standing behind Katie and Elena, looking around.

"Um," Katie started awkwardly, "he's my date."

"Really?" Bonnie asked with a grossed out face.

Katie gave her a tight lipped smile and shrugged. "I know you guys don’t like him, he doesn't exactly make the best first impression, but I do." She explained.

"Katie please tell me you didn't." Bonnie said, being able to read the look on Katie's face like an open book with large print. Katie blushed and scratched the back of her neck. "Seriously, him?"

"What am I missing?" Elena asked not being able to read Katie as well as Bonnie could.

"Katie and Damon had sex." Bonnie blurted out.

"What?" Elena asked with wide eyes.

"Oh my God. You gave him you're v-card? How was he?" Caroline asked in a rush with a big smile. "I told you he was good." She said with a wiggle of her brows and a knowing smile.

Katie looked over her shoulder at Damon to see him smirking to himself, obviously listening to them. "Can we please not talk about this here?" She asked turning her eyes back to her friends. "Besides it's not like I have much to compare him to."

"But really, him? Katie you could do so much better." Bonnie said making Katie sigh and lean forward to rest her head on the table.

"We're just afraid that you're going to get hurt." Elena tried to explain things.

"I'm not going to get hurt so just stop worrying, please." Katie left her friends and headed over to Damon and Stefan.

"You okay?" Stefan asked at her frown and she just nodded stiffly.

"Her friends don't like me. Go figure." Damon explained with an eye roll. He stepped closer to Katie and placed his hands on each side of her face as she looked up at him and he pecked her on the lips. "They'll get over it."

"I hope so, because I miss when my friends were fun and less judgmental." Katie sighed and grabbed his hands off of her face. "Take my mind off of it?" She asked with a jerk of her head to the dance floor where people were dancing to a slow song. 

"Gladly." He told her as he wrapped his arm around her waist and walked to the dance floor. "I thought you didn't like dancing."

"I never said I didn’t like it. I just didn’t know how to." She argued as he started leading her around the dance floor.

"Well, now you know, thanks to me." He told her with a cocky smile.

She smiled back with a shake of her head. "I'm figuring out that I'd probably try anything if you asked me to." She admitted then frowned as she realized something.

"What?" He drawled suspiciously.

"Am I a doormat?" She asked not looking him in the eyes.

"No." He answered without a second thought.

She wanted to argue with him, but the slow song ended. So instead she excused herself from Damon with the intention of letting him keep an eye out for anyone suspicious while she tried to have a non Damon related conversation with her friends, but Bonnie and Caroline were nowhere to be seen and Elena was on the dance floor with Stefan. So Katie went to the restroom and touched up her lip gloss.

When she walked back into the gym she spotted Damon and Mr. Saltzman standing beside each other talking. Katie waited at a table not wanting to interrupt them. "So what were you and Mr. Saltzman talking about?" She asked curiously.

"He was chatting me up, being nosey. I don’t like him." He told her and she gave him a curious tilt of her head.

"Really? I do." She said looking behind him to where Alaric stood talking to Jenna.

"You do?" He asked and she nodded. "How much? Do I need to kill him?"

Katie smirked at him. "Aww are jealous?"

"Well you are in to older guys." He commented. 

"No. I'm in to you." She countered then let her smile fall. "Seriously though, I like him. He's a good teacher. One of the few who genuinely cares about his students." She explained. "He actually stood up to mayor douche bag."

"So is that what it takes to earn brownie points with you? Stand up to the assholes in your life." He asked.

"Well, it worked for you. You got the grand douche off my back and offered to kill the mayor so..." she answered with a smile and a shrug. When "My Boyfriends Back" came on Damon held his hand out to her and she took it.

They where dirty dancing, Katie laughing at Damon being silly and handsy with his dance moves, when she saw Elena run through one of the exit doors. "Damon." Her smile fell.

Her serious tone made Damon stop in his tracks. "What."

"Elena just ran through that door. Something’s up." she said as she pointed to the door.

"Come on." He grabbed her hand and they headed to the door. They found Elena in the cafeteria the vampire was trying to bite her neck but Stefan came out of nowhere and threw him off of her before he could bite her. "Stay behind me." Damon told Katie as he picked up the broken mop handle off the floor then got the guys attention. "Hey, Dickhead!" The guy looked at him and Damon held his hands up. "Nobody wants to kill ya. We just want to talk."

The vampire made a run for Stefan and Elena who were across the cafeteria from them so Damon threw Stefan the broken handle and Stefan staked him, making him fall to the floor on his knees. "Now do you feel like talkin'?" Stefan asked while Elena looked at Stefan in horror.

Damon and Katie walked over as the guy said, "Screw you."

Katie stood between Damon and Elena, creating a semi-circle around the guy as Stefan pulled the stake out and stabbed him again. "Wrong answer. Why are you doing this?"

Katie looked between Damon and the still unnamed vampire. Damon, staring at the vamp with his arms crossed over his chest sensed Katie's eyes on him and placed his hand on the small of her back comfortingly. "Because its fun." The guy answered and Stefan twisted the stake in the guy’s stomach. Elena closed her eyes and turned her head. When she opened them they landed on Katie, standing next to Damon, who smirked down at the guy, while Katie glared at him.

"What do you want with Elena?" Stefan asked.

"She looks like Katherine." The vampire panted out the words in pain.

The four of them shared a look before Damon asked, "You knew Katherine?"

"Aww, you thought you were the only ones." The guy replied sarcastically. "You don't even remember me."

"Tell me how to get into the tomb." Damon said as he dropped his arms and placed his hands on his knees as he bent down and looked the guy in the face.

"No." He guy huffed out. Stefan grabbed the stake and gave it a twist. The vampire grunted in pain. "The grimoire." He stated.

"Where is it?" Damon asked and when the guy didn’t give an answer Stefan twisted the stake again. Elena looked away from her boyfriend torturing another vampire and at Katie, seeing that her friend wasn’t looking away and instead glared down at him as if torture was no big deal.

"Check he journal." The guy practically screamed.

"Who's journal?" Katie asked stepping up beside Damon earning a look from Elena who was surprised to see Katie joining in with the questioning.

"Jonathan, Jonathan Gilbert." The guy answered quickly so Stefan wouldn't hurt him again.

Katie looked at Elena to see her looking at Stefan with creased brows. "Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked. The guy didn’t answer. “Who else is there?” Stefan asked this time raising his voice.

“No. You’re gonna have to kill me.” The guy answered and Stefan looked at Damon who just nodded his head. So Stefan pulled the stake out, making the vampire groan out in agony then stabbed him in the heart.

Katie just watched as his veins popped up from his skin that turned a grayish blue. “But…” Elena argued making them all look at her, “What do we… How are you gonna find the others now?” she asked, stumbling over her words.

“He had to die.” Damon told her.

“But…” she started.

Katie interrupted her. “Elena, he’d been invited into your house. It was him or you. Easy choice.” She told her friend with a hard face. Elena just looked between the three of them with wide, worried eyes.

When they heard something outside the cafeteria doors they looked up to see that someone had walked by. “Go.” Stefan told Damon. “I’ve got them.” Damon gave Katie a look that told her to listen to Stefan then ran from the cafeteria. The three of them stood in silence until Damon came back. “You two wait here.” Stefan told the girls then clapped his hand down on to his brother’s shoulder as they walked out into the hallway to talk.

“Are you okay?” Katie asked Elena as she started picking up the mess that Elena had made while fighting off the vampire.

“Yeah…Yeah.” Elena answered not looking like she was sure as she started picking up the papers that were scattered across the floor. “Are you okay? You look…unfazed.” Elena said as she started straightening the papers on the table.

“I’m fine.” Katie shrugged then pulled a grossed out face as she picked up a bloody pencil and tossed it onto the vampire’s dead body.

“I’m really worried about you.” Elena told her making Katie groan in aggravation. “I’m serious, Katie.” Elena stood back and watched as Katie picked up the white folding table that had been knocked over. “The whole time they were torturing that guy you didn’t even bat an eye. It’s like you’ve become desensitized to death, to torture, to all of it.”

Katie straightened the table. “So what if I have, Elena. Death is a part of life and rather you and I like it or not we are living in a whole new world. One where vampires and witches are real and sometimes torture is the only way to get things done.”

“Do you even hear yourself right now?” Elena asked with a judgmental frown. “Being with him is changing you and I’m not sure I like who you’re becoming.”

“I hear myself perfectly fine and I am changing because I have to. So do you, but you and your boyfriend are exactly alike. Damon embraces what he is and I understand it. He sees being a vampire for what is it and what it means he has to be and do. He doesn’t shut it all out and bottle it all up the way Stefan does and the way you’re doing.” Katie argued as she picked up the rest of the pencils and put them down onto the table. “So I’m sorry if I weirdly feel like I fit into his world, but I’m still me.” She walked off away from Elena.

TVDTVDTVD

Damon sat in his bath tub, Katie leaning against him. He had a glass of wine in one hand and the other played with the bubbles that had accumulated on Katie’s shoulder. “You okay?” he asked then took a drink of the wine and reached around her offering her the glass. “You haven’t said a word since we left the school.”

“Yeah.” she answered as she took the glass then really thought about it. She wasn’t okay and she didn’t know what to do about it. “I take that back. I’m not okay.” She said then took a drink of the wine and made a face at the bitter taste as she handed it back to him.

“Talk to me.” He encouraged quietly as he set the glass on the floor then wrapped his arms around her waist.

“According to Elena I’ve changed since I’ve been with you.” Katie said as she slid down in the water, resting her head on his chest, the water line touching her earlobes. “And she’s right, I have, but she seems to think that I’ve changed for the worse instead of the better.”

“What do you think?” he asked looking down at her as he placed some bubbles on the tip of her nose making her smile despite the serious conversation.

“I think…” she blew on her nose making the bubbles go flying, “that I don’t know what I think. I’ve been so wrapped up in helping you find Katherine and enjoying being with you before you find her that I haven’t stopped to actually evaluate myself and who I’m becoming.” His hands slid to her shoulders and started massaging making her sigh and close her eyes. In that moment she found herself wanting to say I love you and that realization caused her eyes to shoot open.

Her heart started racing and Damon heard it loud and clear. He tried to look at her face, but she sat up. “Katie…” he drawled, his tone telling her to look at him, but she didn’t. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She told him with a head shake as she closed her eyes and tried to push away the tears that were forming in them as she tried to slow her heart rate that she realized had tipped him off to her change of mood.

“You’re lying to me.” He pointed out as he moved her around in the slick water so that she was facing him, but she started down at the bubbles instead of at him. “We don’t lie to each other. That’s what I love about us. It’s why I trust you more than I’ve trusted anyone in a very long time.”

His confession and the use of the L word caused the deep breath she took to be shaky and he grabbed her face in his wet, bubble covered hands and made her look at him. “I…am…a naïve, immature, stupid, idiot.” She told him with a shake of her head, refusing to let tears fall as she got angry with herself.

“Are those your words or Elena’s?” he asked thinking she was still on the subject of how she had changed since she’d been with him.

“Mine.” She answered and he gave her a confused, questioning shake of his head. “I just realized that I’ve fallen in love with you, Damon.” She was surprised when over the course of three seconds his eyes grew wide, he almost looked hurt, then everything about him softened as he grabbed her face and pulled her in for a kiss so full of everything he knew he wouldn’t be able to put into words.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t tell a woman he loved her. He’d lied all the time to women just to tell them what they wanted to hear for most of his life. But he hadn’t told a woman that he’d loved her and meant it since Katherine. And he still loved Katherine, so he couldn’t let himself say he loved Katie. He stopped kissing her and pressed his forehead to hers as they both opened their eyes. He opened his mouth to say something.

But Katie cut him off, “Don’t say it back.” she said as she blinked and a tear betrayed her as it slipped from the corner of her eye. “I can handle loving you and not knowing if you love me back when she takes you away from me.” she told him as a few more tears slipped from her eyes to land in the water.

“And if I do say it back?” he asked, slipping his hand over her cheek and she closed her eyes at the feel of him

“If you say it back, I won’t be able to handle it when you chose her over me. I’ve already stupidly set myself up for heartbreak. Don’t turn a break into an explosion.” She pleaded then opened her eyes to stare into his beautiful blue eyes.

“How do you know I’ll choose her over you?” he asked as he leaned back and she turned around and leaned against him as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I just do.” She shrugged as she slid her hands over his arms.

“That’s not an answer.” He sing songed as he wrapped his legs around her making her smile the smallest of smiles.

Katie held up her right hand, palm facing up as if she were holding an invisible platter. “Gorgeous vampire who loved you when you were still human and still has you wrapped around her desiccated little finger over a hundred years later.” She then held up her left hand that was full of bubbles. “Stupid, human, teenager me.” She moved her hands as if they were a scale then raised one hand higher than the other. “Ding, ding, ding and the winner is: gorgeous vampire love of you life.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He argued.

She turned in his arms and he dropped his legs from around her. “Shut up and turn my mind off for me.” She told him as she wrapped her legs around him.

“Mmm, gladly.” He told in a deeper, sensual voice that instantly had her ready.

TVDTVDTVD

“You know one of these days you’re going to have to actually move in here right?” Damon said as he laid in bed watching Katie pull on one of his button up shirts and a pair of his boxers, her hair wrapped in one of his white towels. “Not that I don’t love the sight of you in my clothes, because I really do.”

“I’ll go start packing tomorrow after school.” She told him with a sigh as she took her hair out of the towel and started drying it with it. “I promise. I’m just not looking forward to it.”

“Do you want help?” he asked as she stopped drying her hair and disappeared into the bathroom.

“Sure, why not?” she called then came out of the bathroom, buttoning up his shirt as she did.

“No.” he pouted, “Don’t button it.”

“Well I can’t walk to my room with it wide open now can I?” she asked not getting in bed with him. “It’s bad enough I could run into Stefan dressed like this on the way to my room.”

“You’re abandoning me?” he asked as he got out of bed and walked over to her where she stood at the foot of his bed.

“I could really use some time to myself.” She sighed as she placed her hands on his still nude chest. “Besides, what’s the point of having my own room if I never sleep in it?” she asked with a small smile.

“Please stay with me?” he pleaded, poking his bottom lip out like a pouting little kid.

She bit it then kissed him. “I’m sorry…” she pouted back at him. “But no.”

He let out an aggravated growl. “Fine.” He pecked her on the lips. “Take all the time you need.” She smiled as he kissed her long and deep then gently pushed her away. “Good night Katie Cat.”

“Good night.” She walked out of his room and quietly to hers. She sat down at the desk in the room and slid her journal across it. With a weary sigh she flipped to the next empty page and started writing. “I realized tonight, while soaking with Damon in his freaking awesome tub, that I have made the biggest mistake I could’ve ever possibly made. I’ve fallen in love with him, hard. I don’t know if he loves me back and I don’t want to. If he told me he loves me too then I fear that I may never be able to love again. I knew when we started all of this that he wasn’t available. He’s Katherine’s and he’s so enthralled with her and invested in her that I know I will never truly have his heart. Even if I have it now as soon as she gets out of that tomb I’m done for. Hell, she might even rip my throat out when she finds out I’ve been with him.”

Katie paused and swallowed hard. “I think Elena and Bonnie think that he has me blinded. Like I don’t know that he’s not a good person. He’s selfish, self serving and cocky as hell not to mention a murderer. But when he’s with me and it’s just the two of us he’s the sweetest, most caring person I’ve ever met. It feels like he really cares about me, and maybe I’m fooling myself into thinking he does, but it’s so easy to lose myself in him. He’s like a drug that I’m addicted to. Even though being with him is going to hurt me I can’t help but think it’s worth how happy I feel when I’m with him. Yes Elena and Bonnie can pull that feeling down when we talk about him, but then I come home to him and it all fades away.”

“Because of him I don’t even have to see my grandfather every day. He offered me a room in his home and is even going to help me move here tomorrow. My room here alone could fit half of my house in it. As much I hate that my friends don’t like him and Elena and I are drifting apart, I really am happier than I have been in a long time and it’s all because of Damon. So how could I not fall for him? It’s going to really suck when he gets Katherine out of that tomb. I’m sure after he gets her back they will run off together. Then after that it will be up to Stefan if I get to keep living here or not, but he and Damon mutually decided that I could stay here. So I don’t see that changing unless Elena doesn’t like me living alone with her boyfriend. But that is a bridge for another day. This entry is getting long and pointless so I’m going to sign off now. Good night journal.”

She closed the book and pushed it aside then ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn’t sleepy and all her homework had been done. So out of boredom she tore a piece of paper out of her journal and started writing a poem. She didn’t do it often, but she was actually good at it. She wrote for a good two hours before she called it quits.

Feeling satisfied with what she’d just written she folded it up and stuck it in the back of the spiral along with some of her other poems. After making sure her phone was plugged into the charger at the desk and her alarm was set to get her up for school in the morning she slid into her bed for the first time since moving there and tried to go to sleep. However sleep didn’t come and after thirty minutes of tossing and turning she flung herself from her bed, grabbed her phone then made her way back to Damon’s room.

She used the light of her phone and the moon, coming through the opened windows of his room to find her way to his bed and slide between the sheets. “You just couldn’t stay away could you?” he asked and she could hear the cocky smirk in his voice.

“You’ve spoiled me.” She admitted as she snuggled into his side and he wrapped his arm around her. “I can’t sleep without you now.”

“Mmm, good.” He hummed as he kissed her on the cheek. “I hate sleeping alone.”

TVDTVDTVD

After school the next day Katie called her boss and told her she wouldn’t be able to make in to work and told her why. Luckily her boss liked her and understood. So Katie drove to her grandfather’s house and saw a truck with a trailer attached to it was parked in front of the house. Damon stood on the front porch waiting for her and her grandfather wasn’t home. “What’s with the truck?” Katie asked as she walked up the porch steps.

“You didn’t think we were going to make a thousand different trips in your car did you?” he asked as he watched her walk up to the door and unlock it.

“I honestly hadn’t thought about it.” she answered as she pushed the door open and went directly for the stairs.

“Okay, then let’s get to work.” He said as he clapped his hands then rubbed them together as they headed to her room. She started packing the books that lined her headboard while Damon started on her closet. After a few hours they had half of her room packed and Damon had started taking the clothes out of her dresser when he found two thongs. “Mmm. When am I going to get to see you wear one of these?” He asked holding up a hot pink thong with the words “Spank me, I've been a bad girl.” written on it. It still had the tag on it.

“God, I forgot about those.” She said with a smile as she grabbed a light blue lacy pair and held them up. “They were a gag gift from Caroline freshman year. She knew she'd get a reaction out of me because I was supposedly such a prude.” She rolled her eyes. “So you like thongs?” She asked as she took the pink one out of his hand and tossed both of them into the box with the rest of her underwear.

“Eh, it all looks the same to me. I just wanted an excuse to spank you.” He told her with a cheeky smile.

“Who said you need an excuse?” She asked with a challenging smile.

“Katie Finnegan, you keep on surprising me.” He told her with lust in his eyes as he leaned down and kissed her. They got back to work packing her stuff and after they had cleaned out everything Damon asked, “The dresser, taking or leaving?”

“Leaving. The only thing left in here that I want is the roll top desk.” She said with a point at the desk.

“Really, why?” He asked with a look at the old, ugly desk.

“It was my father's and the only thing of my parents that my grandpa didn't sell.” She answered as she walked over and started pulling the drawers out of it so that they didn't slide open while Damon carried it down the stairs.

“Hey, what's that?” Damon asked with a point to one of the drawers.

“What's what?” Katie asked attempting to find what he was talking about.

“This.” Damon walked over and took a drawer out of her hand and turned it over revealing a large white envelope taped to the bottom. He took it off and handed it to her.

She took it and peeked inside before she pulled out a stack of papers. “Last will and testament of Bradley and Dorothea Finnegan.”

“Is that your parents?” Damon asked as they both sat down on the bed.

Katie nodded. “Being of sound mind and not under duress we hereby state that our daughter, Katie Scarlett Finnegan, be entrusted our estate when she becomes 18 years of age.” She read then dropped the papers to rest in her lap.

“Your middle name is Scarlett?” he asked.

“Yeah, like ‘Gone With the Wind’ Scarlett.” She answered numbly then turned to him. “How can I tell if this is legit?” she asked finally turning her shocked eyes to him.

“Let me see.” He took the papers from her and turned them over to see a notary stamp on the back of it. “It’s legit.” He handed them back to her and she put them back in the envelope. “When do you turn eighteen?”

“February seventeenth.” She answered as she stood up and tucked the papers into her school bag. “After that I can kick my grandpa out of my house.” She said with a smile. “I won’t have to live with you and your brother anymore.”

“What, you don’t like my house?” he asked as he grabbed her hips and pulled her into him.

“I love staying with you, but I can’t stay there forever.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “As much as I would like to.”

“Well, like I said before, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want.” He told her then kissed her nose. “Come on let’s get this over with.” He said with a jerk of his head.

TVDTVDTVD

With her belongings around in her new room she was able to actually sleep in there alone, but she was woken up in the middle of the night to Damon sliding into her bed and snuggling into her back. “You’re not the only one who’s spoiled.” He sighed before she fell back to sleep.

[bellemorte180]

Wanderlust Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Klaus would not say he was a morning person but given the fact that he was a light sleeper, waking up early had become a habit. It was a side effect of years traveling between towns all across the United States and never being able to sleep fully throughout the night. Klaus rose before Marcel and was showered and dressed by the time his partner stumbled from his bedsheets. To be fair, it wasn’t even dawn but they both knew that they had a long day ahead of them.

Klaus drank his morning coffee while scrolling through his emails. He received one from their supervisor, Vincent Griffith, that a forensic team would meet them at the location site at six-thirty in the morning. He was sending Maddox and Greta along with several other agents, which pleased Klaus. There were few people within the bureau that Klaus actually could stand and those two were of the chosen few; which was probably why Vincent chose to send them.

Marcel stumbled from the bathroom, blurry eyed and with a yawn that told Klaus that he would be the one driving. Klaus grabbed a pair of boots and slid them over his jeans. He grabbed a simple black coat to toss over his Henley. While it was in the middle of June, the mornings still always had a slight chill to them. Klaus quickly filled up two Styrofoam cups with bad coffee and handed one to Marcel. The other agent grunted his thanks while Klaus just chuckled.

“I want donuts.” Marcel muttered in a sleepy tone and Klaus nodded. He chuckled as he picked up the keys to one of the SUV’s and had to all but drag his partner out the door. They quietly drove through town and Klaus parked in one of the many empty spaces near the square. Marcel was scrolling through his emails on his phone; clearly not wanting to move from his seat just yet. Klaus rolled his eyes and crawled out of the SUV and walked up to the small bakery in the center of town.

The bakery front was painted a deep green and was located between what appeared to be a flower shop and a small boutique. The store front gave Klaus old Southern vibes that he typically found in the south. The sign that hung above the store read Bennet’s Bakery and he briefly remembered Liz telling him that Bonnie owned the bakery in town. The sign indicated that it was closed but he could see Bonnie moving in the shop, stalking up the days baked good. Klaus knocked lightly on the door, causing Bonnie to look up. Seeing that it was Klaus, Bonnie moved around the large iron cart that held what Klaus thought to be bagels and walked to the door. She turned the lock and stuck her head out to greet him.

“I apologize for barging in. I know you’re not open, but I was hoping for a small favor.” Klaus asked and Bonnie nodded at him. He did his best to give her an innocent expression, hoping that whatever Caroline had divulged the night before bought him some points in the good column. “My partner and I have a long hike ahead of us. I was hoping to purchase some donuts?”

“Sure, come in.” She stepped aside and allowed Klaus to walk through. Much like the outside, the bakery had a very rustic feel to it. It was small but was filled with the smells of baked goods, coffee and sugar. There was a glass case near the register filled with brownies, scones and donuts. The far wall was littered with an assortment of bagels while there was a cooler that had a bunch of different types of cakes. The flooring was made of hard wood and the walls a soft yellow that made Klaus feel welcomed. “How many?”

“Just a couple, please.” Klaus looked around the bakery again as Bonnie grabbed a small box and put it together. “Are you often here this early?” Klaus asked, trying for small talk, and Bonnie gave a scowl of annoyance. It wasn’t directed at Klaus, but he could tell that Bonnie was not pleased about having to be at work that early in the morning.

“Sometimes. Today I wasn’t supposed to be here but Anna, my baker, decided to call last night and tell me that she can’t come in and since the bread need to be proofed before baking and I’m the owner; here I am.” Bonnie replied. “Despite the fact that I told Anna I was going to need help this week because I wanted to be there with Caroline, but I can’t completely ignore my shop.”

“Of course not. You need to continue with your life, and I know Caroline would not want you to put everything on hold for her.” Bonnie turned and looked at Klaus curiously. She bit her lip as though she wanted to ask something but was debating on whether or not she should get involved. “How was she this morning?”

“Fine. She was still asleep.” Klaus nodded and Bonnie smirked. “Although given the fact that I crushed up a sleeping pill and put it in her food, that could explain why.” Klaus snorted at that and actually laughed out loud.

“Did you just admit to drugging your friend to a federal agent?”

“Liz told me to do it.” Bonnie replied quickly, appearing completely unashamed by her actions. In truth, Klaus probably would have done the same thing; especially since it was clear that Caroline was too stubborn to take the pills herself. However, he never would have admitted it out loud to someone who could, in theory, press criminal charges against her. “Are you going to arrest me?”

“Should I?” Klaus replied cheekily at Bonnie’s grin. They both knew that he wouldn’t. He had far more important things to focus on than Bonnie’s small confession. Bonnie finished boxing up the donuts and handed them to Klaus. “How much do I owe you?”

“It’s on the house.” Bonnie told him with a kind voice. “The only payment I ask is that you find this bastard who hurt Caroline and killed those women. I spent the last few days holding my best friend because of the trauma she suffered. I want this asshole found.”

“You have my word that I will do my best to find him.” Klaus took the pink box from Bonnie and gave her a soft smile. “Thank you for the donuts. My partner will be very appreciative. He is not exactly the most pleasant person in the mornings. Sleeps like a rock and would continue to do so if it was not for me waking him up.” Bonnie nodded and Klaus turned toward the doors and left the bakery. When he climbed back into the SUV, handing the box of donuts to Marcel, he could see that his partner was more awake.

“Confirmation of Stefan Salvatore’s alibi came back. He was in Chicago during Caroline’s abduction. So, looks like the Salvatore brothers are in the clear.” Marcel handed over his phone for Klaus to read the email that was sent from Slater, their technical support, at their field office and who was responsible for contacting Stefan’s alibi. “I also asked Slater to run background checks on all the citizens of Mystic Falls. He said it would take a bit, but he will get it done.”

“Good thinking.” Klaus replied as he turned the SUV on. The pair drove through the town while Marcel continued to drink his now cold coffee; Klaus cursing himself for not stopping and picking up more coffee on the way. Once he drove just outside the town’s boundaries, Klaus saw two similar vehicles to theirs’ parked on the side of the road. Knowing that it was the forensic team and additional agents, Klaus pulled up beside them.

Klaus and Marcel climbed out of the vehicle and walked over to the agents who were at the back of their SUV. Maddox was a bulky man of few words. Klaus had worked well with him over the years, mainly because Maddox did not speak to many people. He did his job, made his reports and never caused a fuss. Klaus respected that. Greta, on the other hand, was hardly silent. She was flirty and had a devious side that made Klaus’s toes curl. If she wasn’t the best forensic scientist the FBI had, he would have refused to work with her long ago. While Klaus made it clear that he did not like Greta, he dealt with her, nonetheless. Klaus nodded to the other agents but did not bother introducing himself, only recognizing a few, instead allowing Marcel to do it for him.

Once the agents were ready, they made their way into the woods. Klaus and Marcel mapped out the way Caroline had taken them through the woods the night before. It was not necessarily a difficult walk, a straight shot, but neither of the agents felt the desire to get lost in the woods. The placement of the Lockwood tunnels was convenient. It was not too difficult to find if one knew where they were going, but deep enough in the woods that it would be rare for someone to simply stumble across them unless they were trying to find something. Given that fact that the entrance was well hidden; Klaus could understand why the deputies did not find it when they conducted their search party; since they were looking for a body and not underground tunnels.

The woods had an eerie feel to them in the early morning. As a child, Klaus lived near rolling hills in a small English town that was also surrounded by woods. There was almost a mystical feel to it and the sun slowly began to peek through the trees. Morning dew was prevalent in the air and the smell of dirt and bark assaulted his senses. The way the shadows hung and moved with the progressing morning made Klaus unnerved. He supposed that his destination was what was causing the discomfort and not the woods themselves but the ball that was forming in the pit of his stomach did not help matters.

Slowly, they approached the Lockwood tunnels and Klaus could feel the dread come over him. He was thankful Marcel was there because no matter how hard he tried to remain objective, he knew that he was going to see Caroline being held down there. He knew the extent of her injuries. He knew what she looked like the day she walked into the police station after breaking her own wrist to get free. Klaus knew how the killer murdered his victims and he also knew what he did to the bodies once became nothing more than a corpse.

It was moments like this, when he started down at that dirt covered stone steps that made him really hate his job.

“Are you ready for this?” Marcel asked Klaus, stirring him from his musings. Klaus nodded to his partner and allowed him to go down the steps first. Maddox put down his thick black bag and pulled out a couple of flashlights. Klaus took one, thanking Maddox who only grunted in response. He pulled out a pair of purple elastic gloves, put them on and followed Marcel down the stairs; leaving at least three agents at the top, ensuring that no one attempted to lock either Klaus or Marcel inside.

The first thing Klaus noticed was an old, rotted wooden door that had been pushed open. Holding the flashlight up to the door, Klaus could see scratch marks on the side of the wood, and he remembered Caroline’s words from the day before about how she had to dig herself out. He could picture her clawing at the wood; the imagine caused bile to rise in Klaus’s throat. Beside him, a flash went off and Greta was holding a camera up, capturing the imagine of the scratch marks.

Klaus turned towards Marcel and he could see the same grim look on his face that Klaus had. They both were thinking the same thing, picturing Caroline clawing her way to freedom. Instead of dwelling on the marks, they continued making their way down the dark tunnel, hearing Greta’s camera clicking behind them. Klaus lifted the flashlight up high enough to cast a shadow down the tunnel. There was no light in the tunnels at all but instead a terrifying darkness that consumed him; Klaus could feel the evil rolling off the stone walls. An agent behind Klaus, pulled out his flashlight, adding light and made navigating the tunnel easier.

Nothing remarkable could be seen as they got further down the tunnel. The walls were made of stone and dirt; having been crafted by man two hundred or so years prior. It wasn’t too long of a walk; the sound of Greta’s camera keeping them company as they went. At the end of the tunnel there was a wooden door that appeared so old, Klaus wondered if touching it would cause it to fall off its hinges. Slowly, Klaus pushed the door aside in order to pass through.

Inside was what appeared to be a circle room; almost like a man-made cave. Unlike the tunnel, there were camping lanterns stationed around the cellar and once Klaus turned them on, a soft light lit up the cellar. Klaus remembered Caroline’s words from the previous night and how these tunnels were used to hold slaves during the civil war. On the far end of the room, there was a cell. Iron bars stood from floor to ceiling and a cell door that was wide open; the lock on the door broken.

Stepping inside the cell, Klaus felt rage begin to linger under his skin. The cell was small but had enough room to cram a small bed that was pressed against the stone wall. It had a couple grey blankets, a few pillows, and sheets that where in a desperate need of cleaning. There was a battery-operated heater located near the bed and Klaus bent down to look at it. He clicked it on for a second before turning it off again once he realized that it was operational. He stood to his full height and looked over to the bed again. A small lantern, similar to the one he had turned on outside the cell, was perched at the end of his bed.

Klaus’s imagination went wild. He could see Caroline curled up on that bed so clearly; her back pressed against the stone while her left hand was cuffed to the bars at where located to the head of the bed. He reached out lightly and touched the bars. Clipped to the bars was a set of metal handcuff; still locked together. Sitting down upon the bed, Klaus handled the cuffs and noticed that there was still dried blood on the metal; Caroline’s blood from when she broke her own wrist to be free of her prison. Klaus could almost hear the breaking of her bones as he sat there. He looked over his shoulder, placing the cuff back on the pillow, and saw etchings on the stone wall.

Names. Each of their names were carved into the stone wall. The writing was different, telling Klaus that it was not the killer who carved the names. Klaus moved the pillows around lightly and saw a series of rocks on the ground; anyone of them could have been used to carve the names. He looked back to the names and read each one of them. Vicki. April. Andi. Cami. But the last words were not Caroline’s name. Klaus’s lips twitched upward humorlessly. Caroline was not going to add her name to that list, instead tell her killer exactly how she felt.

Fuck you.

“Klaus. Come look at this.” Marcel’s voice chimed through the cell door; causing the man in question to snap out of his daze. Klaus stood from the bed and walked out of the cell; Greta stepping inside, snapping pictures of everything inside. Marcel was standing by what appeared to be a large, old wooden barrel, beside it on the ground was a carboard box; filled with unpackaged syringes. “There is at least a couple dozen syringes here. However, all the Dilaudid is missing. I think he used the barrel to prep the Dilaudid before going into the cell to injecting it.”

“All the Dilaudid is gone? Even empty bottles?”

“Yes.” Marcel looked at him. “What are you thinking?”

“He came back here.” Klaus replied, looking around the man-made cave. In the corner was a wooden chair and a bucket. On the chair was a tray and plates that Klaus assumed he used to feed his victims. “He knew Caroline got out and came back here to get the bottles of Dilaudid. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to take everything, it would draw to much attention; especially since we were in town. He took what evidence as most important.”

“Why the Dilaudid though?” Marcel mused. “Perhaps it can be traced? We ruled out a medical professional because he was blowing the veins when he injected the medication. But if the Dilaudid can be traced back to a specific source, then that means he must have got it from someone in the field? Do you think he has a partner?”

“No.” Klaus shook his head. “Caroline only ever saw one man. Never two. But I think you’re right. Someone obtained the Dilaudid for him. Which means that someone in this town knows who the killer is. If we can find out who obtained the Dilaudid for him and get them to crack; we might have him.” Klaus’s fingers balled into a fist. “Greta!”

“Yes?”

“Make sure everything is bagged and collected. I want nothing left behind. Take everything back to D.C with you.” Greta nodded, and began taking photos of the boxes of syringes. He turned to one of the agents who followed them down into the cellar. “Help her and make sure nothing is uncounted for.” Klaus all but ran out of the cellar, Marcel trailing behind him. “I think it is time we spoke to Tyler Lockwood.”

The anger that was pulsing around him made the hike back to their SUV pass by quickly. Marcel said nothing, knowing that his partner needed to cool off. It wasn’t the first time that he had seen him close to losing his temper and was surprised that Klaus was not punching his fist into a tree or tossing rocks into the distance. There were always moments in each case they worked that Klaus just couldn’t control the rage that overtook him; only out matched but his desire to take monsters like these down and make them pay for the suffering they caused. When Klaus climbed into the SUV, slamming the door behind him. He drove for a few minutes before speaking again.

“What do we know about Tyler Lockwood?”

“His father was the Mayor until he died a few years ago from a sudden brain aneurism. His mother was elected shortly after that.” Marcel replied, raising an eyebrow at the clear nepotism by the towns people. “Tyler himself went to college at Whitmore for political science. Shocker there. Up until a year ago he was engaged to Caroline Forbes. She kicked him out and he has been living back with his mother since.”

“Job?”

“Assistant city manager.” Marcel snorted and Klaus couldn’t help the bitter laugh that escaped his lips. “Clearly he works for his mother with anticipation that one day he will run for Mayor. His social media shows that he is in a new relationship with a woman named Olivia Parker.” Marcel showed him his phone and a woman with curly blonde hair and soft grey eyes peered through the screen. “Seems that he has a thing for blondes.”

“Sounds like a boy who has never worked for a single thing in his life.” Klaus replied, as he pulled up to the Lockwood manor. While it was not as impressive as the Salvatore Boardinghouse, the manor still had old southern beauty to it. It was made of deep red brick with a large white front door and tall white pillars lining the front of the house. There were several cars in the front drive and Klaus parked the SUV in line with the other vehicles.

“Let me guess, still not as impressive as the Mikaelson Manor back in jolly old England?” Marcel teased and Klaus just rolled his eyes, not willing to reply; an action that Marcel only took as confirmation to his theory. His small laughter only had Klaus smiling, something they both knew eased the tension he was feeling.

The two agents climbed the brick stairway and knocked on the front door, noticing that at least this house did not have an obnoxious knocker on the front. Marcel muttered that it was such pity just in time for a tall, middle aged woman to answer the door. She had shoulder length brown hair with streaks of blonde running through it. She wore a tight pencil skirt and a dark blue blouse; lined with a set of pearls that probably cost more than Klaus’s monthly salary. She looked everything like a politician’s wife turned politician herself.

“Can I help you?”

“Mayor Carol Lockwood?” Marcel asked and she nodded. “I’m Agent Marcel Gerard and this is my partner Agent Klaus Mikaelson. Is Tyler home? We were hoping to have a word with him.”

“He is here but we have company. Would it be possible for you to speak with him later?” Carol asked and the two agents just looked at her with disbelieving eyes. While they had been met with hostility and flat out refusal at their request on almost every case, they had never been asked to leave and return at a later date because of company. It was the south, but hospitality only went so far.

“No.” Klaus replied simply and pulled out the warrant from his jacket pocket. He handed her the piece of paper and stepped over the threshold, not caring if he brushed her shoulder as he went. The foyer was large and had high ceilings, a large staircase and marble flooring.

“Excuse me? What are you doing?!”

“Mom? What is going on?” A voice chimed in from the large archway in the foyer. Tyler Lockwood looked exactly as he did the day at the hospital when he caused a scene outside Caroline’s hospital room. He was dressed in slacks and a white button down that made Klaus wonder if he dressed himself or if his mother picked out his clothes. In the back of Klaus’s mind, he knew he was being unfair but his bitterness at the knowledge that he hurt Caroline overshadowed that. Not only that, but it was clear to Klaus that Tyler was still be holding onto his mother’s coat strings. “Agents, what can we do for you?”

“We would like a word Mr. Lockwood, if you wouldn’t mind.” Klaus replied in a tone that he had no options but to speak with them. Tyler eyed him from head to toe, sizing him up as though he was realizing that he was not the alpha male in the room. He could see that he wanted to refuse; to tell Klaus no but couldn’t. Klaus could see the consequences flashing behind his brown eyes and the memory of Klaus having Tyler escorted from the hospital still fresh in his mind. Klaus could make his life very difficult and while his mother was the mayor of a small town in Virginia, Klaus had the FBI behind him.

“Of course. Follow me.”

“Tyler. The guests!” Carole hissed harshly to her son. Marcel strolled through the threshold and took the warrant that was still clutched in her hands from her and ignored her.

“It will be fine, Mom. You go and sit with them. I’ll talk with the agents.” Tyler responded and jerked his head at the agents to follow him. Klaus and Marcel easily followed Tyler towards the back of the house, passing a large dining area in the process. Inside, Klaus could see Pastor Young, Matt Donovan and Andi Star’s parents gathered around a table that was filled with pastries and coffee. “Mom invited the families of the victims, hoping to show that the towns support them and if they need anything, all they have to do is ask. She thought hosting a small brunch was the way to accomplish that.”

“How sweet.” Klaus replied in a sarcastic tone; in the back of his mind he was wondering if it was an election year. He looked towards the room that the mayor had congregated people inside of and realized that he did not see Liz or Caroline inside. “If this brunch was to show the mayor’s support, why are the Forbes’s absent?”

“Mom thought it would be insensitive to invite them…since, Caroline survived.” Tyler stated in an awkward tone as he opened a door and lead them inside what appeared to be an office. It was larger than the director of the FBI’s office and far more elaborate. Instead of chairs, facing the desk, there was a full seating area complete with sofas, a coffee table and throw pillows. It looked more like the Queen’s sitting room where she served tea than the office of a small-town mayor. “What can I do for you?”

Marcel handed Tyler the warrant and took a seat on one of the sofas. Much like he had done at the Salvatore house, Klaus paced the room. Part of him wanted to sit behind the desk to show Tyler exactly who was in charge. However, by his demeanor before they entered the mayor’s office, Tyler knew his place in this investigation and what the consequences would be if he refused to corporate. Klaus was unsure if that set warning bells off in his head or if he wanted to be suspicious of him. Klaus wondered at the change from the cocky man he had met at the hospital.

“Yesterday afternoon, Ms. Forbes lead us to one of the Lockwood cellars on your property.” Marcel told Tyler in an easy tone while Klaus took in the room. On the far right stood a tall bookshelf that held several leather-bound volumes that by the spines, Klaus could tell that they were unused. Not of speck of dust could be found and despite the fact that the volumes were unread, they were cleaned often. Pictures lingered around the room but lacked any sort of personal touch. The office, much like the other parts of the house Klaus had seen, felt showy and empty; making Klaus wonder if this was a theme that occurred often in the town’s most prominent families. “We obtained a warrant and this morning searched it and discovered that the victims had been held there prior to their murder.”

“Shit.” Tyler whispered, sinking down onto the couch. He put his hands into his hands and shook his head. Both agents stood there watching him for a second, allowing him time to collect his thoughts. Every movement was studied and calculated. When he pulled his head up, Klaus could see a million different thoughts running through his mind. Something was playing behind those brown eyes. “What was down there?”

“That’s classified.” Marcel stated smoothly and Tyler pursed his lips. “Are there any more cellars or tunnels on your property that we should be made aware of? If so, we are going to want to search them.”

“Yes. There are five in total. Two are caved in through and have been for years.” Tyler stood up and walked towards the desk. He opened a few drawers and pulled out a key. He walked over to an old painting that Klaus assumed was some Lockwood ancestor of sorts and took the painting off the wall. There was a safe behind the painting and Tyler opened the safe easily. He shuffled through a few things and pulled out a small leather binder that was tied with a small leather strap. Tyler untied the binder and rooted through several papers. “We keep the deed to the house and a few other things in here; including a detail on the surrounding property. Here.” Tyler handed Marcel a list of what appeared to be the cellars among other various landmarks on the Lockwood property. “All the cellars and tunnels should be listed on there as well as their locations. Search wherever you need.”

“Thank you.” Klaus took the list from Marcel’s hand and scanned over it. He pulled out his phone and took a screenshot of it, sending it to Maddox with instructions to have the agents stay behind and wait for them to search the remaining cellars. “Who all knows about these?”

“Honestly, I can’t answer that. We don’t advertise the cellars or tunnels. Mom feels that it would bring up bad options on our ancestors; because of what the cellars were used for.” Tyler informed the agents, avoiding looking at Marcel as though he would be offended about the subject he was dancing around.

“You mean the fact that were used to hide slaves?” Marcel asked in an unbothered tone. Klaus knew Marcel well and they both knew that he was descended from slaves during the Civil War. It was a fact that Marcel had come to terms with long ago but also did not like being reminded of it, especially by a man of privilege. Despite all of that, he was not about to let Tyler see that side of him.

“Yes.” Tyler nodded. “I can’t really give you a list of people who know about it because we don’t press charges against everyone who walks through the woods on our property. We would have to charge half the town and that would take too much time.”

“Fair point.” Klaus replied, eyeing Tyler. There was something he was withholding, and Klaus was not in the mood to play games with him. Images of the tunnels were far to fresh and Klaus wanted to hold Tyler responsible for their existence. “What are you not telling us?”

“Excuse me?”

“Mr. Lockwood, if you know something. Tell us. Us finding out later will only be worse for you in the long run.” Tyler was silent for a moment, and the agents could see the decision going through his mind; back and forth.

“Okay. I may have shown the cellars to a few people.” Tyler paused. “Specifically, woman.” Both Marcel and Klaus looked at Tyler in incredulity. After a second, Marcel started to laugh lightly as though he was highly amused, but Klaus could tell that by the tone that his partner was anything but.

“Let me understand you. You would take woman hiking through the woods and show them cellars that your ancestors used to hold slaves?” Marcel asked as though he was trying to understand him better. “To what purpose? To get laid?” Tyler nodded and Marcel just shook his head in disbelief. “Who was the last one?”

“Caroline. She actually gave me hell when I took her there. She was far from impressed.” Tyler replied, honestly. “I haven’t been down there in years. Caroline and I started dating in college and then eventually got engaged. I had no need to go down there anymore.”

“What about Ms. Parker? Your current girlfriend?” Klaus asked.

“She has never been down there.” Tyler replied, taken aback slightly. His eyes shifted between Marcel and Klaus, looking suspicious for the first time. “How do you know about Liv?”

“Was she the woman who you cheated on Caroline?”

“What? No.”

“Who was she? Did you take her down there?”

“Hayley? No, no Hayley as far as I know has never been down there.”

“Hayley?”

“Marshall.” Tyler held up his hands as though he was defending himself. “What are you accusing me of? I didn’t do anything. I admit that leading woman down there in hopes of sex was a douche of a move, but I grew up a lot since then. I stopped doing that after Caroline and I got serious.”

“And yet you still cheated on her.” Klaus snapped back. It was a rash comment and he knew that he would have to watch his tone if he did not want this interview to end the same way the interview with Damon ended; with the fatal lawyer request.

“I regret that. Hayley and I, it was stupid, and I have tried to make it up to Caroline since, but she refuses to allow me a second chance.” Tyler genuinely seemed sincere and Klaus did not know if that made him dislike him more. “I ended things with Hayley after Caroline caught us. I thought that maybe we could work things out. Get back together but she wants nothing to do with me.”

“And what does any of this have to do with you leading woman down to those cellars? If you no longer exercise that practice?” Klaus asked, trying to steer the questioning back towards the investigation.

“Vicki and I used to mess around in high school. It was nothing serious. She had a crush on me despite dating Jeremy Gilbert. I used that. We would use the Lockwood cellars as a meeting place.” Tyler admitted. “We wanted to keep things quiet. It was just sex at the time and ended before we left high school. I don’t know if she kept going down there or not.”

“I see.” Klaus replied, looking Tyler over. “So, you and Vicki used to have sex in high school, what about after?”

“No. Once I went off to college, I started dating Caroline.”

“You’ve already proven that infidelity is not an issue for you. I just wanted to check. Excuse me if I find your sincerity questionable.” Klaus told him with a cynical smile. He was scrutinizing him and Klaus had him pegged. He had seen dozens of men just like him before. Rich, with a sense of entitlement and having the audacity to believe that forgiveness should just be handed to them without having to earn it first. He was everything Klaus could have become but didn’t, a fact that Klaus did not want to admit to himself. The fact that Tyler was trying to be on his best behavior now intrigued Klaus. Tyler saw the damage that was done to Elena when the news of her affair with Damon became public and he clearly wanted to prevent that from happening to him. “What about drugs? Did you use those cellars to get high?”

“What?”

“Drugs. Maybe heroin, Dilaudid or meth?”

“I smoked weed in high school a few times but nothing since and it was never down there.” Tyler replied in a confused tone. “I never touched anything harder than that.”

“Do you know anyone who does?”

“Half the town. There isn’t much to do around here. Take your pick, someone is bound to be one something.”

“Like Vicki?”

“Yeah. Her drug habits were well known in town. She started getting messed up in high school.” Tyler paused and Klaus could read between the lines. Vicki would be high whenever they had sex and there was a fine line between consent and sleeping with someone under a drug induced haze. “But I haven’t really spent much time with her since we graduated.”

“Do you know where she would get her supply?”

“No.” Klaus watched him but Tyler was doing everything he could to keep his face passive. Before him was a serial cheater who had two politicians for parents. Lying was second nature for him. Caroline was an intelligent woman that if she had not caught Tyler in the act, never would have suspected his infidelity. It pained Klaus to admit that Tyler was a good liar and he was questioning whether or not he was being truthful.

“You knew both Vicki and Caroline intimately. What about April Young?” Marcel asked in a bored tone but studied him carefully. Both men were watching for the slightest hint of acknowledgment; however, Tyler did nothing but shake his head.

“No. Honestly? I forgot about April’s existence after we graduated high school. She was not someone who particularly stood out.” Tyler admitted and both of the men believed him. April, while pretty, did not have the same beauty as the other woman that would have caused Tyler to take a notice. “Mom had to remind me who she was when her name was among the list of victims.”

“What of Andi Star? Ever have a relationship with her?”

“Andi? No. I mean I knew her, but everyone did. She was the town’s success story. Mom liked to roll the red carpet out for her whenever she came to town. She and I never had any sort of relationship. I never even slept with her. I think the most we ever did was maybe dance at some town function or something, but I can’t be sure.”

“What about the name Camille O’Connell?”

“Never heard of her before this mess started.” Tyler replied. “Look, I admit it. I’m not exactly the best at relationships. I slept around and it wasn’t until Caroline called me on it, tossing the ring I bought her in my face that I realized that I messed up. But this, I didn’t do this. I’m not a murder.”

Both Klaus and Marcel just looked at him; something apparent became obvious to both of them. Tyler was terrified. The question became; what was he scared of? His dark eyes were darting between the two of them as though they were going to pounce on him. There was something lurking beneath the surface that Tyler wanted to tell them, and they could see it. They waited but Tyler apparently decided that he was doing speaking to them.

“Where were you on the evening of June 5th?”

“My girlfriend and I were here.”

“Which one? Hayley Marshall or Olivia Parker.” Klaus asked, not being able to help himself. While he did not like Tyler, the man did not stir anger inside of Klaus like Damon had. Perhaps it was because, despite his fidelity issues, Tyler shown no history of violence. That did not make him innocent and Klaus would keep an open mind about him until there was proof clearing him completely. However, that did not stop Klaus from the enjoyment of toying with him.

“I was with Liv. I told you. Hayley and I are over.” Tyler snapped. He stood and walked over to his mother’s desk. He grabbed a notepad and a piece of paper, jotting something down. He handed it to Klaus and gave him a dead stare. “Here is her number. Call her if you’d like.”

“Oh, we will.” Klaus took the slip of paper from his hands, looking down at the digits he had written. He tossed Tyler a smirk that was meant to irritate him; for no other reason that it gave Klaus joy to see Tyler squirm. Klaus handed the note over his shoulder to Marcel, who took it easily; already typing the number into his phone and passing the information off to Slater.

“Contact us if you remember anything else Mr. Lockwood.” Marcel told him without look up from his phone. With one last calculating look, Klaus turned from Tyler and headed towards the office door; opening and allowing Marcel to step through first. On the other side, he could see Carol speaking with Matt and Pastor Young; all three tossing questioning eyes at the office door. Andi’s parents were nowhere to be found.

“One last thing.” Klaus turned from the curious gazes of the onlookers. “When we met at the hospital the other day, you introduced yourself as Caroline’s fiancé. Tell me, how do you think Ms. Parker would feel if she learned that you still viewed Caroline as the woman you intend to marry?”

Not allowing Tyler to answer, Klaus left the office and passed by the mayor and her guest, knowing full well that the three of them heard his final question. It was petty but the sheer look of disappointment on Carol’s face brought a hint of satisfaction to Klaus’s mood. Toying with Tyler rounded out his bad temper from back in the woods. It was petty but frankly, Klaus did not care.

“Well he is a douchebag.” Marcel stated as they made their way towards their SUV. Marcel took the keys from Klaus, deciding that it was his turn to drive back to the edges of the Lockwood property. Klaus happily handed them over, the feeling of exhaustion creeping up on him.

“He has been involved with two out of the five victims and probably tried to sleep with Andi at some point, but was shot down. I don’t know if it is a coincidence or motivation. It’s a small town and there is bound to be some overlap.” Klaus replied and Marcel nodded in agreement. There was a slight scowl forming on Marcel’s lips that Klaus could see. He was not surprised; Tyler was the exact type of man Marcel despised. “You hated him.”

“Absolutely.” Marcel replied and his slight southern twang that all but vanished when he moved to D.C came out. Marcel started the SUV and began to pull out of the “Southern white man of privilege who likes to sugarcoat his family history. Of course, I hated him but that is irrelevant. Do you think he is our guy? Nothing about him screamed serial killer but they rarely ever do.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Like I said, he was romantically involved with two of the victims and had easy access to the cellars that they were held in, but he does not strike me as someone who would use street drugs let alone a narcotic like Dilaudid. If he is the killer, or knows who it is, how would he have gotten them?” Klaus voiced his thoughts, rubbing his forehead; fighting the headache that was threatening to form. “I think he is hiding something, but I don’t know what.”

“You have no idea what?”

“Do you?”

“No. Theories but nothing concrete.” Marcel added and Klaus nodded. They drove through town again and headed towards the outskirts of town. They were meeting the agents back at the edge of the Lockwood property to search the additional cellars. They both knew that it would take a bit of time to find them, but the information Tyler passed to them provided enough direction to begin looking. “Let’s get this over with and head back to the station. I’m sure Liz is waiting with batted breath to find out if we found anything.”

“To be honest. I’m surprised she didn’t just show up herself.” Klaus muttered but in the back of his mind, he knew she wouldn’t; especially with Bonnie being called into the bakery so early. Liz was not about to leave her daughter alone, especially when Caroline was passed out on sleeping pills.

By the time Marcel and Klaus were done searching all of the cellars, the sun was beginning to set. Much like Tyler had said, two of the tunnels were caved in and the rest held nothing of interest. They were smaller and beyond similar cells in each, they did not hold the same interest as the one where Caroline and the others had been held. Klaus knew that the killer was unlikely to go back to the first one but might try and move to another if he took another victim. Part of Klaus wondered if they could convince Vincent to allow the additional agents to remain in Mystic Falls but he doubted it; lack of resources or some other bureaucratic excuse. Either way, it was worth the request; if it came from Marcel.

The station was quiet and in the process of shift change when they entered. Klaus and Marcel weaved through the officers and made their way towards the conference room with takeout from the Grill in hand. While it was not the worst food Klaus had ever had, several days of it in a row was tiring. Seeing that the two agents were both starving, only having ate the donuts from Bonnie’s bakery earlier in the day, he would make do.

With his mind on food, Klaus almost missed seeing Caroline sitting in her mother’s office. He had to do a double take when she caught his eye. At first Klaus felt his stomach leap at the sight of her, the memory of their almost kiss surfacing in his mind. However, when he was able to take in her appearance the elated feeling that bubbled inside him burst. He had hoped that with the sleeping pill, whether it was willfully taken or not, would have given Caroline some rest but she appeared to be startled and terrified. She was sitting in one of Liz’s chairs, her knees brought to her chest and she appeared to be biting at her nails; a habit he had yet to see from her so far. Her hair hung in a loose ponytail and she wore a loose T-Shirt and jeans that looked as though she just tossed them on.

“Here. Take these. Call Vincent and see if he will give us the extra men.” Marcel nodded, his eyes flickering between Klaus and Caroline. Klaus could tell that he wanted to say something but refrained; knowing that it would be ignored. He took the food and headed towards the conference room while Klaus made his way towards Liz’s office; knocking on the closed door. Liz bid him entry and he slowly stepped inside.

Seeing Caroline up-close only confirmed his fears. She looked worse for wear. Her eyes were red, and she clearly had been crying. Her position told Klaus that she was doing her best to hold herself together but found it harder than she was expecting. Klaus wanted to walk over to her and take her into his arms; offering the comfort she clearly needed but was unsure of his welcome. He had feelings for Caroline, that much was clear, but he was also in Mystic Falls to do a job. It was a fine line to walk in order to balance the two.

“Did you find anything of interest Klaus?” Liz asked and Klaus nodded, not taking his eyes from Caroline. He took a seat in the vacant chair and turned it to face Caroline; knowing full well that Liz’s eyes were on both of them. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and reached out to take Caroline’s uninjured hand into his.

“Talk to me.” Klaus’s voice was low and gentle. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Liz looking at their linked hands, but he did not care. All he could see was the grief written all over Caroline’s face and needed to know what was wrong. “Are you okay?”

“No.” It was a useless question and they both knew it; but Klaus needed her to open up to him. “I woke up around noon. Mom had already left for the station, but Bonnie was on the couch. Everything seemed fine. I dressed and let Enzo out. I went to get the mail and I found that inside.”

Caroline nodded towards an envelope resting on Liz’s desk. Klaus reached over and picked up the envelope. It was a typical white envelope that Klaus could find at any general store. It was marked with Caroline’s name and address but there was no return address on the upper left-hand corner. It was stamped and mailed; telling Klaus that this was not hand delivered. This could have been sent from anywhere. Klaus opened the envelope up and pulled out a sheet of paper. It was a note, typed on a computer and completely unremarkable outside of the words that were printed on it.

Caroline,

I miss you. Why did you leave? Did you not like the home I made for you? Where you not comfortable? I gave you everything and yet, you still left. This is your home. You belong here with me, not wandering to places where it is not safe. Only I can keep you safe.

You’re mine, Caroline. One way or another, I will have you home. You will never leave me again and will forever be by my side. They took the others from me, but I refuse to allow them to take you from me too. You belong here with me. Soon you will see to reason.

See you soon, Your only friend.

“What does he mean that he will see me soon?” Caroline whispered as Klaus read the letter. He gripped her hand tightly, his knuckles turning white. If he was crushing her hand, Caroline said nothing; not willing to let go. Klaus could see that she was doing everything in her power to keep calm and not have a complete breakdown. While the emotions cursing through him caused him difficulty in remaining objective, Klaus tried to focus on the words in the letter and not how good it felt to hold her hand. “He is going to come after me, isn’t he?”

“No one is going to hurt you.” Klaus said. He turned his eyes toward Liz and her fear was radiating from her body. He could tell that she was thinking of every possible way to keep her daughter safe but was coming up with nothing. Klaus could understand how lost Liz must feel, having been there himself. The desire to chase down this monster was pushing its way to the surface. “Wait here.”

Klaus stood and left the office. He made his way through the police station with a furious pace. He entered the conference room and the smell of his dinner assaulted him; but any hunger he had had been replaced by a ball forming in the pit of his stomach. Marcel was on the phone and Vincent’s voice sounded through the speaker. Klaus tossed the note down on the table and Marcel picked up it, reading it.

“Jesus. He is taunting her.” Marcel replied and then proceeded to read it to their supervisor over the phone. Klaus explained that it was post marked and mailed to her without a return address; but not hand delivered. It was be difficult to trace without the return address. It could have been dropped into any mailbox in town.

“Clearly.” Vincent replied in a stilted tone. He went silent on the other end and both Klaus and Marcel could hear him typing. “I’ll have agents Rosza and Vanchure drive down in the morning. The agents that I sent this morning can stay in town for the time being. I can ensure that her house is guarded at all times.” Klaus paused, taken aback. He expected more fight from Vincent, citing red tape and not enough funding; not easy cooperation. “I want this to stay quiet. The director is concerned that if the masses discover that Andi Star was murdered by a serial killer, Mystic Falls will be overrun by journalist and that will only make catching him that more difficult.”

“Journalist are protective of their own.” Marcel told them. “We will do what we can to keep this quiet. The local paper has printed some articles about the murders but nothing more widespread than that. I can contact them to see if they will not contact larger papers or news outlets. Maybe we can keep this contained if we promise an interview or something when this is done.” Klaus shot Marcel a look and nodded. That was all he needed to hear before turning and all but storming out of the conference room. He would let Marcel iron out the details; Klaus’s first concern would be Caroline.

“We are going to post agents on your home at all times.” Klaus told them the second he walked back into Liz’s office. Gone was the sympatric and compassionate man who wanted nothing more than to ease Caroline’s pain and was replaced with the agent who was so focused on the job that he would do anything to complete it. “It would be best if you do not go out alone or leave the house without someone with you.”

“You want me to be a prisoner.” Caroline asked and her choice of words ate at Klaus. Images of the case she had been trapped in shot through his memory like a bullet, striking him where it hurt most. Looking at Caroline, Klaus knew that this was a woman who should not be held back; someone who deserved the world laid at her feet and not stripped from her as it had been.

“No.” Klaus replied, his voice forceful and his eyes held such conviction that Caroline almost believed him. “You are never going to be a prisoner again. The agents are to keep you safe, not hinder your movements. When this is all over and we find him, I promise you that you will never be forced in a cage again.”

“You saw it. You went down there.” It wasn’t a question; Caroline knew the answer. Klaus understood something about her in that moment. She was brave and fearless but that tiny underground cell would always haunt her. It was meant to be the place she was going to die in, and no matter of bravery, vengeance or justice would erase that terror from her mind.

“Yes.” There was no point in hiding the truth from her. No matter the amount of pain Caroline was in, Klaus knew that she would be able to handle the truth. One thing that Klaus admired about Caroline, despite having only known her for a few days, was how strong she appeared to be. It was one of the many things that drew him to her; because even in an abandoned dark tunnel, Caroline seemed to be the light at the end of it.

“I need to get out of here.” Caroline stood from her chair abruptly, pulling her hand from Klaus’s grasp and ran from the office. Klaus shot Liz a look, telling her that he would follow her and went after Caroline. He saw her run out of the police station and caught up with her easily as she walked through the parking lot.

“Caroline!” Klaus called after her and his long legs made it easy for him to catch up to her. She stopped when she saw him and brought her arms around herself; trying to hold herself together. She had been so strong the day before, walking in the woods; showing them exactly where she had been held. Now, Klaus wondered if it was too soon. Maybe she was pushing herself too much.

“I can’t stay here Klaus. I feel like I’m suffocating. It’s like the walls are closing in on me. I need to get out of here.”

“Do you trust me?” Klaus asked her and Caroline shot him a questioning look. He could see that she was thinking of the previous day and not just her incident at seeing the entrance of her prison; or climbing out of it. She was thinking of that moment by the car and how they almost kissed. Klaus had replayed that moment over and over again in his thoughts and he knew that Caroline had done the same. “Do you trust me Caroline?”

“Yes.” Caroline told him in a soft tone, the realization startling in her eyes. “Yes. I do.”

“Then come with me.”

[floresdeserti-x]

This drawing is a few weeks old, but I didn't want to post it until I finished the drabble. It's been a few years since I've written anything, so I'm a little rusty. Anyway, enjoy~.

Every floorboard creaked and groaned. What was once the front door wouldn't even budge. The darkness seemed all-encompassing – ever closing in. This wasn't where David Baker had gone to sleep early that night. At least, he believed it was the same night. But he did know for sure he had fallen asleep in his own bed – not surrounded by balloons and the empty smiling faces of the animatronics at Freddy Fazbear's pizza. Well, the posters anyway. The animatronics themselves were missing. Completely missing. At first, the believed it was a dream. He'd been working hard to find the missing kids. All of them. He was just a private detective – hired by one of the families. But it made him wonder if he had conjured up this place due to the case. Even though the pizzeria itself had closed not too long ago. He shuffled back to the entrance way and pushed against the doors, but they didn't budge. There wasn't even a sound. Outside, it was so pitch black he couldn't see streetlights or even the moon. It was... chilling. There was just nothing there. Finally, he turned away, venturing back into the showroom. He'd been here before. Seen the animatronics on stage. Though, he really only knew Freddy's name. The couple times he'd visited to speak to the owner, he'd taken a quick look at them up on the stage, but he never bothered to figure out all the characters names or their appeal to children. Even Freddy didn't stand out that much. He knew they all had the same rosy cheeks and they supposedly had facial recognition software, but that's as far as it went. Yet, with the place empty, it felt strange – lonely almost. David reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Tapping the pack against his palm, he grabbed the cigarette that slid out the most and pulled it to his lips. He then began checking his multiple pockets for a lighter. That's when a sound caught his attention and he froze – staring off into the darkness. It sounded like a soft clicking noise. Like one would hear when using the muscles of the tongue to bounce off the roof of their mouth. “Who's there?” David asked, turning to try and find the source of the noise. Only to be met with silence. After a few moments of waiting, he decided he conjured up the noise. However, that didn't stop him from looking around – just to make sure. As he moved around, checking rooms he'd checked already – all he was met with was darkness and even darker shadows – and that same eerie silence. To say he was unsettled was an understatement. He wanted to wake up. Light flickering in his peripheral vision caught his attention and his head turned towards the hallway. Quickly leaving the showroom, he passed the bathrooms and into the hallway. A single light from what he assumed was the security office flickered on and off with increasing intensity. But, as far as he could tell, no one was actually in there. Slowly he moved forward, completely cautious in his movements. As he moved, he took a moment to look into each party room – all empty. Strangely, the tables were all on the ceiling, rather than on the floor. Which definitely told him this was a dream. He had to be asleep. There was no other answer that made sense. The light turned off for an extended period of time as he reached the last of the party rooms. His head snapped back towards the security office and he stilled. Just as he was about to call out again, he heard a girlish giggle in the darkness. Like a young child. The light flicked back on, a deep red in color. The hallway was covered in blood splatter – wet and new, dripping down walls into the puddles on the floor. The metallic smell wafted through the air and assaulted his senses. He covered the lower part of his face with his elbow. But it did nothing to block out the smell of rot and decay. Another giggle. This time directly in front of him. He tore his gaze away from the walls and glanced down. A young girl stood there, with long dark curls and a ripped purple bow in her hair. She wore a black dress – darker than soot. He felt a knot twist in the pit of his stomach and his blood run cold as he gazed upon her face. Her eyes were empty sockets dripping a black liquid, and her smile was from ear to ear – as if carved into her flesh. He didn't recognize her face – she looked nothing like any of the missing children. “What's wrong?” She asked, her jaw flopping almost freely as if it was barely connected to her face. “Are you scared?” It took him a moment to realize he was. He was terrified. But the overwhelming smell of the hallway made him gag and he found answering wasn't possible. She giggled again, “It's okay. I can smell it – taste it even. You can keep silent.” For now, anyway. She wanted to talk after all. Well, she was probably the wrong term. He picked a form unassuming but still scary enough. David choked and gagged and she waited. If this form had eyes, maybe he'd have rolled them. Finally, she clapped her hands and the blood cleared up – the smell along with it. “What are you?” David finally asked when he finally stopped gagging. One of his hands moved for a cross that normally hung around his neck. Only, it was missing. “Normally, I would say something along the lines of being your worst nightmare.” She said with another giggle. “But that implies you're asleep and you're very awake right now.” She paused, moving slightly. However, oddly, when she moved, the building itself seemed to quake and rumble. “Welcome to the Labyrinth, Mr. Detective.” David's face scrunched up in confusion. “The Labyrinth?” He asked. This wasn't making any sense. Despite what she said, he was still very sure he was asleep and this was a nightmare. She looked like something out of a horror movie anyway. “It's exactly as it sounds. A giant maze with many twists and turns – ever building and expanding. There are all sorts of little doors if you know where to look.” She paused, a black fluid beginning to bubble from her lips. She shifted her weight closer, and the building trembled so hard that David almost lost his balance. He reached, again, for his cross – his already pale face beginning to drain of color. He backed away as he started to mumble out the first bible verse he could think of. The girl's empty eye sockets narrowed, and David found himself lifted into the air by an unseen force before he crashed into a wall – hard. There was a loud crack, and he was sure he'd been severely injured. Now at the end of the hall, he slowly pulled himself into a crouching position. The girl hasn't moved, now expressionless. Slowly he looked above her, with a nagging feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. Glowing gray eyes watched him from the shadows, nearly touching the ceiling. The girl slowly dissipated, and a huge clawed hand gripped the floor. “Your god has no power here, Detective.” It hissed, voice deep and gravelly. Yet, instead of sounding malicious, he sounded amused. As if someone has told him a rather silly joke. The lights flickered back on, and David let out a rather fearful gasp – his muscles stiffening. A giant rabbit crouched at the other end of the hall, large clawed feet digging into the floor – his one massive has curled and he could hear the floor crack and pop. His face seemed to be permanently smiling, large and sharp teeth curved into a grin. David felt rather small in comparison – like a child. It looked more demonic than the little girl had – but there was something recognizable in him. He was an animatronic, just like the ones on stage. Sure he was massive in comparison, but the resemblance was there. Only, he had to wonder as to why someone would build such a robot. The creature chuckled, though quiet, it seemed to come directly from the pit of his stomach. “No one built me.” He replied as if reading David's mind. David tensed up, beginning to look sick. “David, we need to talk. You're here for a reason.” “W-what do you want from me?” It couldn't be good, that was for sure. The being shook his head, moving from a crouched position. It started to walk down the hall and David clamored to get his back up against the wall – his heartbeat thumping wildly. The building shook with each slow step it took until he stopped within arm's length of David. “It's not what I want from you, Detective. But what you want from me.” He chuckled again, his head tilting to get a better look at David. He then crouched again, lower, until they were at eye level with each other. From here, David could really get the details of his face – every crevice and hole. His teeth looked very dangerous. It wouldn't take much for him to kill David right then and there. “What I want? That doesn't-” “It does make sense.” He cut David off before he could finish. One of his arms moved, and he gently – surprisingly, got his claws in between the wall and David, pulling him away from the wall as if he was fragile. Perhaps, in comparison, he was. He still had no doubt the being could break him in half. “Who are you?” David asked again, after a moment of silence. “What are you?” How could this creature just read his mind like that? Was he a demon? Or something else. “You do not recognize me?” He asked. One of his ears curled forward. “I am truly disappointed. It should be in the small details no?” He posed the question as if David should be able to figure it out. His grin dropped, but only slightly. Then again, it'd been a long time. Perhaps David would not recall his better half or the diner. The fear in David only escalated, and the being ate it down like fine cuisine. David racked his brain, trying hard to answer the question. The silence stretched between them before the being continued. “I am Nightmare Spring Bonnie. But you can just call me Springtrap.” After all, it wasn't truly a lie. He too shared such a destiny with his better half. A walking tomb, miserably seeking revenge. David looked a bit clueless for a moment. Seemed he really didn't remember aspects of his own childhood. Springtrap couldn't blame him for that. “Did you know I know the future?” Springtrap suddenly interjected again, changing the subject. “Time in the Labyrinth is such a strange concept. Not like the reality you live in.�� He backed away slightly, but his claws lingered. “Wait, what? You control time?” David was flabbergasted. This was making less and less sense the longer he spoke with the demon. Who still hadn't answered just what he was. Springtrap laughed loudly, the hallway swayed and groaned. When he finally stopped laughing, he bent forward further, until their faces were almost touching. “Uh, no. Controlling time would be akin to controlling your future, David. Here we are able to exist at all points in time, see all roads at once. I can tell you, with certainty, all possible future's and outcomes you could have, based on all possible choices you could make.” He almost sounded as if he was mocking David. But he paused. It was only brief. “With a single look, I could tell you, if you weren't here in the Labyrinth, what sort of future you could have and it would be correct. At least, one single thing would never change, no matter the choices. This is why you need me, Detective.” They'd come full circle. “You'll never fulfill your promise to those families. While it matters little to me, you'll never uncover what happened to those kids. You'll never catch the culprit. They are too slick – a master of disguise.  There is no trail to follow. Disgraced by your own inability, you lose your business and become a drunk – forever regretting the case. Eventually, you die in a fire, and the culprit is never caught.” David stared wide-eyed, then grew angry. Anger didn't taste as good as fear. “That's not-” “It's true.” Springtrap cut him off again. It was almost as if they'd had this conversation before. David took a deep shaky breath, feeling despair. His expression dropped and Springtrap cocked his head. “You're going to make ole Springtrap cry with that look.” He said mockingly. He didn't have the ability, after all. He let the silence between them settle, like a weight. David felt his head tilting downward. What could he do to change this situation? If this future was even real and not a lie. Creature's like him probably lied all the time. But... he was starting to figure out what Springtrap probably wanted from him. It was dangerous. For him, anyway. “You want me to offer something up in order to catch him?” David finally asked. Like his soul? “Oh no, don't be silly.” Springtrap replied, “Souls are meaningless here.” Again, reading his mind. “But I can bring him to you. It won't be easy to figure out who it is, but he'll be stuck here like the rest of you. Make the deal and you'll get the chance you won't complete in reality.” The deal? “If not souls, then what?” “I haven't made up my mind,” Springtrap said. “Isn't it worth it to take care of someone like they are?” So far, there didn't seem to be anything drastic in it for him. But the unknown of what Springtrap could want to bother him. Like he wasn't fully forthcoming with what this deal would really cost. He stood in silence for a long time, and Springtrap seemed to simply wait for his answer. He couldn't tell if Springtrap was getting impatient or not. “Answer me another question. Why do you want to make this deal?” Did Springtrap care about it? Would something that looked evil care about a kidnapper? Springtrap shrugged in response. “His actions don't affect me.” He replied, “I could care little about the situation and what happened. But, I have the ability to give it to you. Perhaps it's an apology for kidnapping you. Or, perhaps, I'm lying, and I do care. Or maybe, I only care about myself.” No real answer, because of course there wasn't. David went back to thinking. “Come on, Detective. I don't have all night.” Springtrap hissed, growing bored. “I'll... I'll take the deal. If this is the only way I catch them.” “Good choice.” David felt a searing pain cut through his skin, and for a moment, he believed he was dying. He screamed and choked. What was probably only a few moments felt like an eternity. The pain stopped and he wobbled on his feet. Springtrap steadied him. “What-what did you do to me?” David asked, still gritting his teeth. Springtrap only shrugged – now moving away. The room quaked again. David watched his back as the giant rabbit soon disappeared back into shadows and then there was a loud bang that echoed through the silence. A single door opened behind the security guards desk – where a door had not been moments before. David sighed. Seemed Springtrap was showing him where to go to leave this building. This was one hell of a dream. One that he believed was going to get a lot crazier before he woke. If he woke. He never got an answer on what Springtrap had done to him. Time would only tell, he supposed .

[thebrotherssalvatore321]

Keeping Secrets Ch. 31

Keeping Secrets Masterlist

Pairing: Currently-None. Previously-DamonxOc, TylerxOc. Warning: Mental and physical abuse in some chapters.

The next morning at school Katie watched as Elena and Bonnie decorated Caroline’s locker with happy birthday signs, ribbons and streamers. Bonnie caught her looking and gave her a sad smile while Elena pretended not to see her. With a sigh Katie shut her locker door and went to class. As the day drug on she realized that Caroline had skipped school and she couldn’t help but worry about her. But she had to keep reminding herself that she just like Elena had chosen to exclude her.

Later that night she got a text from Caroline asking her to meet them at the Fell tomb in the cemetery. She thought about not going, but Caroline was reaching out to her so she grabbed her bag and headed out. Instead of taking her car she whooshed to the cemetery. “I need it more than you do, trust me.” She heard Elena saying as she neared the tomb. “Caroline, what are you doing?”

“Huh? Hmm? Nothing.” Carline replied.

“Okay you’re a bad sober liar. You’re an even worse drunk liar.” Elena told her.

“I might have texted Tyler.” Caroline answered.

“And me.” Katie said as she walked up the steps to see Elena, Matt, Bonnie and Caroline in the tomb, a small birthday cake sat in the corner with a slice cut out of it.

“Caroline.” Elena scolded her.

“It’s my birthday.” Caroline argued. “I wanted all of my friends here.”

“Caroline I thought we talked about this.” Elena told her.

“Give her a break.” Bonnie spoke up with a snarky tone that Katie hadn’t heard from her in a long time. “You can’t control what everybody does all the time.”

Everyone looked at Bonnie with raised brows. “Wow.” Elena said with a nod as Katie walked over to Caroline.

“What did I miss?” Katie whispered.

“She compelled Jeremy to leave town.” Bonnie answered without looking at her.

“I’m doing it to protect him.” Elena told her. “I want to give him a chance at a halfway normal life.”

“He should be able to choose how he wants to live it. You’re taking his choices away.” Bonnie argued.

“Bonnie you can’t tell him.” Elena told her, Katie’s eyes were bouncing back and forth between the two girls.

“Why? Are you gonna compel me not to?” Bonnie asked with a glare.

“You know, you guys are ruining a perfectly good funeral.” Matt spoke up in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“I’m sorry.” Bonnie said as she grabbed her bag. “I’m just gonna go sleep it off or something.” She stood up and turned to Katie and Caroline. “Happy birthday.” Her eyes met Katie’s apologetically as she passed, but that was all.

With Bonnie gone everyone’s eyes turned to Katie. “I want to talk to Caroline. Is that cool with you Katherine 2.0?” she asked Elena with an attitude cocked head.

“Don’t compare me to her.” Elena told her with a cold glare.

“Then stop acting like her.” Katie argued back.

“Can you guys not?” Matt asked, getting their attention. “Let’s just let them talk.” Elena followed Matt out of the tomb.

“I’m sorry about everything.” Caroline told her quietly.

“I want to say that it’s fine, but it’s not.” Katie told her.

“I know.” Caroline answered.

Katie pulled the charm bracelet that three of them had given her for her last birthday out of her pocket. “It seems like Elena has been the instigator of the kick Katie to the curb movement.” She started making Caroline pull a pained face. “But I haven’t exactly seen you and Bonnie fighting back. I know that it’s because I’m linked to and in love with Elijah and because of that I’m on team Klaus by default and therefore you can’t trust me.”

“You helped Klaus kill the one thing we had that could kill him. You used to be on our side. You wanted him dead just as much as we did, but then he daggered Elijah and you changed.” Caroline pointed out. “You were no longer loyal to us.”

“I will be the first to admit that my loyalties lie with the originals now. But that only happened after you all turned your backs on me.” Katie argued.

“We never meant to hurt you.” Caroline told her quietly.

“But you did and I can’t forgive any of you. I have been friends with you guys since first grade and you all threw that away without a second thought. So with that being said, and I’m sorry to do this on your birthday but, we’re all done as friends.” she held out the bracelet and dropped it into Caroline’s palm.

She whooshed away and was walking up her porch steps when her phone started ringing. “Hello?”

“Katie, thank god you answered, it’s Matt. Tyler bit Caroline and I don’t know what to do.” He said into the phone panicking.

“Get her to her mom and I’ll talk to Klaus.” Katie told him then hung up and dialed Klaus number.

“If you’re calling about Caroline I’m already on my way to her house. Tyler beat you to the punch.” He told her, making her sigh in relief before she thought about something.

“Did you tell him to bite her?” she asked, clearly pissed off.

“Maybe.” He replied and Katie rolled her eyes. “I needed to send a message, Caroline was unfortunately collateral damage. Gotta go, love.” He hung up and Katie tossed her phone on the couch with a sigh.

TVDTVDTVD

For the next week and a half she managed to mind her own business and not get caught up in any vampire drama, which felt like a miracle.

“Katie.” Alaric called her name as she was about to walk out of his class room Thursday morning. So she turned around and walked over to his desk. “Are you doin’ okay?” Katie shifted her weight on her feet, but said nothing. “I haven’t seen you say a word to any of your friends all week.”

“I haven’t spoken to them because we aren’t friends anymore.” She said as she pushed the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder.

“Katie.” He sighed and tilted his head as if to say he was disappointed in her.

“I know you're looking out for me and I appreciate it, but I’m fine. My life is actually a lot better without all the witch, vampire, doppelganger drama. I actually have time to focus on the things I care about now.” She replied.

“Yeah I noticed your grades are getting better.” He sighed. "Well, except for calculus. You know you need to pass that for med school right?"

"Isn't that what compulsion is for?" She asked, getting an eye roll from him.

"I’m kidding, obviously. If I was compelling my teachers my grades would be higher." She answered. "Stop worrying about me.” She told him as she looked at the clock.

"Alright go to class." He told her with a jerk of his head to the door. She gave him a small smile and left.

TVDTVDTVD

She was sitting on the couch listening to a rerun of The Walking Dead and working on a calculus assignment when she got a familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach and her pencil stopped moving. The spiral notebook, text book and pencil were tossed onto the coffee table as she stood up and closed her eyes. Using their link to locate him she found him just on the other side of her front door and a smile spread over her face. With a whoosh she went to the door and pulled it open, her eyes landing on the smirking man. “Elijah!” she threw herself into him and pressed her lips to his. It took a split second for him to get over the shock of her reaction and start kissing her back. Not wanting to make out on the front porch he whooshed them inside and kicked the door shut.

It felt as if his hands were made of electricity as he held her thin tank top covered waist with one and cupped her cheek with the other, sliding his thumb along her cheekbone. Over the next few seconds the kiss slowed and broke. He pulled back and smiled at her. “Well, hello to you too.”

A bright smile took over her face before her brain started working again and she asked, “How long have you been back?” While she could feel it when he was daggered, she couldn’t feel it when it was taken out.

“A few hours.” He told her as he looked down at her hands still on his chest even though he had stopped touching her out courtesy for Damon. “Your boyfriend is actually the one who took the dagger from my chest.”

“I’m guessing you haven’t gotten a rundown of what has happened in months that you were out?” she asked and he narrowed his eyes and shook his head no. “First thing you should know,” she looked up at his hair that wasn’t parted down the middle like the last time she saw him. Instead it was kind of spiked up and messy looking. “I like your hair better like this.” She looked back into his dark chocolate brown eyes.

“And the second?” he asked with a bit of a smirk at her comment.

She slid her hands down his chest to the button of his suit jacket and unfastened it. “I broke up with Damon.” She slid her hands into his jacket to rest on his sides over his blue dress shirt.

“Well that certainly explains a few things.” He told her as a smile took over his face and his hands grabbed her sides again. “For example, why your bedroom at the Salvatore’s has been abandoned.”

“Did you try to sneak into my bedroom window?” she asked with a scandalous look.

“Yes I would have thrown stones but I did not want to shatter the glass.” He informed her and she laughed. “It also explains the rather enthusiastic greeting from you.”

“Well, I’ve missed you.” she replied, still smiling like a silly school girl.

“As I have missed you.” he replied as he slid his hand over her cheek then leaned down and caught her top lip between his. She sighed into the kiss and slid her hands up his chest and over his arms, pushing his jacket off. Not breaking the kiss he tossed it behind him onto the arm chair. She untied his tie and tossed it behind him missing the chair but she didn’t care and started working on the buttons of his dress shirt while he grabbed the straps of her tank top and pulled them down her shoulders.

His hands on her bare sides pulled a sigh from her as she finished up the buttons and pushed his shirt down his shoulders. Just like his jacket it got tossed on the arm chair. He whooshed her over to the couch and laid her back, sliding his hand from her cheek down her neck and between her breasts that he clearly admired in the black and red lace bra she was wearing. He looked into her eyes as he hooked his fingers under the elastic of her Nike shorts and pulled them off revealing the boy shorts panties that matched her bra.

She smiled at the look on his face as she sat up and stood on her knees on the couch, kissing him as she started unbuckling his belt. His lips moved to her neck, crashing her train of thought and her hands stopped working on his belt and instead gripped his hips to stabilize herself as a moan left her lips. He laid her back onto the couch and finished her work on his pants with vamp speed then lowered himself over her. She hooked her arms under his holding onto his shoulders as he pecked her on the lips then kissed his way back to her neck.

Her fingertips pressed into his shoulders as he sank into her, pulling a moan from her and a grunt from him that sent sparks through to her core. “Elijah.” She arched her back when he started rocking into her. In just a few minutes they were both dangerously close to falling over the edge. She pulled away from where she had been kissing his neck and looked into his eyes. With that one look they knew they were on the same page. Not wanting to hold back any longer they both let go and tumbled into the waves of ecstasy that consumed them.

After coming down from their high Elijah flipped them around so that she was lying on top of him on the couch, covered up with the maroon knit blanket that had been on the back of the couch. Knowing that she liked to bask in the peace that followed Elijah simply played with her hair content with the feel of her in his arms once again. When he felt as if enough time had passed he asked, “What…are you watching?”

Katie looked up to see a herd of zombies pressed against the fences of the prison that the group of survivors were staying in. “You’ve never seen The Walking Dead?” she asked with a look at the tv and he hummed a negative answer. “It’s a post-apocalyptic TV show. Right now the survivors are staying in a prison because what once kept people in, keeps zombies out.” She explained while watching people shove knives, crow bars and broken broom handles through the zombies heads. With a playful smile on her face she added, “Daryl Dixon is kind of my man.”

“Really?” he asked with a look down at her to see the smile on her face. “And which one is he?”

“The one wearing the black vest with angel wings on the back.” she answered and watched him look at the tv until he spotted Daryl. When he saw him he looked down at her with a look that said he questioned her taste in men.

“Do I need to be jealous?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

“Of a fictional character?” She laughed as she pushed herself up and pecked him on the lips. “No. You’re the only man I want.” Her eyes caught the spiral notebook and textbook on the coffee table and she sighed as she let her head fall to rest on his chest. “and as much as I want to just be with you right now… I have calculus homework that’s due in the morning.” She pushed herself up off of him and the couch.

“I missed your summer vacation.” He said as he sat up and kept himself covered with the blanket as he grabbed his pants then stood up. “How was it?”

“I spent some of it at Duke. It was kind of a pre, pre med internship thing.” she explained as she walked over to the armchair and grabbed his dress shirt. “If I can pull off the grades and life doesn’t get in the way I want go to med school.” She pulled on his shirt and buttoned the three buttons in the center. “But calculus is proving to be a colossal pain in the butt.”

He watched her breathe in the scent of his shirt and smile as she hugged herself. The small action spoke a thousand words and he couldn’t stop the pleased smile that spread over his face at the sight. He sat down on the couch and grabbed her homework off the table. “These equations are incorrect.”

“Are you serious?” she asked walking over to sit down next to him and looked at her work with a frown as she rubbed her temple with her fingers. “Do you think I’m aiming too high with this whole doctor thing?” she asked with a look up at him from the homework. “Doctors have to be good at math and it’s my hardest subject.”

“You can do… anything you set your mind to.” He told her as he took the notebook from her, ripped the page of her equations out and wadded it into a ball. “You just need a better teacher.” She smiled at him when he threw the paper ball at her.

“You’re going to tutor me?” she asked with a devious smile on her face as she threw her leg over him, straddling his lap.

His eyes sparkled with lust as a smile pulled at one side of his lips and his hands slid from her hip to her sides under this shirt sending sparks through her skin. “If you would like me to.”

“I would love for you too. I just don’t know if I’m going to be able to concentrate on the lesson when all I can think about is making out with my tutor.” She told him as she slipped her hands up his nude chest then lightly ran her pointed finger under his chin, beckoning him to her. His hand flew from her side to her neck as he caught her lips with his. Their tongues found each other pulling a moan from her and he sighed as his hand on her side pulled her closer. After a few minutes the kiss broke and they pulled back looking in each other's eyes.

“If we are going to get any work done on your assignment you, my love, are going to have to put some clothes on.” He told her as he moved her on his lap, letting her feel what she was doing to him.

“Am I distracting you?” she asked deviously.

“Perhaps just…” he held his fingers up in a pinching gesture, “a little.” She kissed him then slid back off of his lap. She took his shirt off and handed it to him. “Keep it. I like it on you.”

She smiled and tossed the shirt over her shoulder. “I’ll be down in a minute.” While she changed he went out to his car and grabbed a fresh shirt then looked over her text book preparing to help her. When she came back down he saw that she had put on a pair of loose fitting yoga pants and a t-shirt. He still found her amazingly attractive, but at least now they could both attempt to concentrate on the task at hand.

After an hour her homework was done and she actually understood everything. Satisfied, she stuck the papers in her text book and shut it. “You know, my teacher’s probably going to think I cheated.” She turned on the couch to look at him where he sat with the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up and his arm stretched out across the back of the couch.

“That, my love, is what compulsion is for.” She smiled and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “What?”

“Nothing.” She told him with a shake of her head. “It’s just really nice having you back.” She didn’t want to tell him that he had given her the okay to do something that everyone else in her life had encouraged her not to do.

When she yawned he looked at the clock on the wall he realized it was after midnight. “I believe it is time for you to head to bed.” he told her and she looked at the clock as she stood up with another yawn. He stood and hooked his arm around her waist pulling her into him as he pressed his lips to hers. She sighed and placed her hands on his neck while his other hand held the back of her neck. After a few seconds he gave her a peck on the lips and let her go. “Good night, my love.” He made a move to the door.

“Wait, where are you going?” she asked, taking a few steps after him. “You’re not staying here?”

“If I stay here tonight neither of us will get any sleep.” He told her with a bit of a smirk that made her blush.

“Yeah.” She drawled. “You’re probably right.” She sighed then yawned again. He grabbed his jacket off of the armchair and shrugged it on. She walked over to him and gave him a finale kiss. “Good night.” She saw him out of the door then shut it behind him. She fell asleep in his shirt smiling like an idiot.

TVDTVDTVD

The next morning the smell of bacon, eggs and coffee pulled her from sleep before her alarm clock even went off. So curious, she made her way downstairs and found Elijah standing at the stove that hadn’t been used in quite a while with the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up neatly. “Good morning.” He greeted her without turning around.

“Good morning indeed.” She replied as she grabbed a coffee cup from the cabinet and poured a cup. “Coffee?” she asked not knowing if he was a coffee drinker since it wasn’t widely available when they were together.

“I’ve already had a cup, thank you though.” He answered with a glance at her over his shoulder that lingered when he realized the only she was wearing was his shirt and panties. She smiled as she added a spoonful of creamer and gave it a stir then put the spoon in the sink and walked over to lean on the cabinet beside him. “I’ve been meaning to ask.” He started with a look up at her hair. “Why’d you change your hair?”

“After Damon and I broke up I felt…different. I wanted it to be reflected on the outside.” She answered. “Do you hate it?” she asked, then took a drink of her coffee.

“I actually quite like it.” he told her with a smile then flipped the egg in the skillet. “Why did you and Damon end things if you don’t mind my asking.”

“We just…grew apart over the summer. I went off to Duke. Being away from him and everyone else here in Mystic Falls made me realize that I’m a different person when I’m not around them. I started dreaming about you again.” She told him, getting a look of interest from him. “As it turns out even though Jonas Martin gave me back my memories I was still subconsciously blocking a lot of the “you” memories.” She took another drink of coffee as he put the bacon on two plates. “The dreams stopped when I came home from Duke, but after I broke up with Damon it was like the flood gate opened again. I even went through a phase where I day dreamed about you a lot.”

He put an egg on each plate and picked them up as he motioned for her to sit at the table. “Do you remember the song you used to sing to me?” He asked as he set the plate in front of her then sat down across from her.

“Siuil a rune.” She answered then picked up her bacon and took a bite. “Wait a second.” She said as she realized she didn’t keep bacon and eggs in the house. “Did you go grocery shopping for me?”

“Yes. It seems the only food in your house is junk.” He answered with a point at the open pantry that only contained a few bags of chips and a value size box of popcorn.

“Yeah…” she drawled and scratched the back of her neck. “I kind of don’t eat regular food very often.” She said then finished off a piece of bacon and started working on her egg. “You know you didn’t have to do this, right?” he hummed a positive answer. “And I’m not expecting a repeat in the morning.”

“You never did like it when I tried to spoil you.” he said as he looked up at her.

“Oh I like it I just don’t want to actually become spoiled.” She corrected with a smile then took the last bite of her eggs and looked at the clock. “So what are you going to do while I’m at school?” she asked, waiting for him to finish before she left the table.

“I’m actually going to meet with Damon. He left this in my jacket pocket.” He pulled a note out and handed it to her.

“Dear Elijah let’s get together and plot the destruction of your brother. Xoxo, Damon.” She red aloud then handed him the note back and grabbed her now lukewarm coffee. “So they are still trying to find a way to kill Klaus I see.”

“You were not aware of this?” he asked with a confused look.

“No, I uh, I’ve been keeping my nose in my own business here lately considering my friends and I are no longer friends.” she said as she took the last drink of her coffee. She noticed that he was also done so she grabbed her plate and his and put the dishes in the sink.

“I don’t understand.” He shook his head with a frown.

“It’s a long story for another time. I need to start getting ready.” She told him evasively then headed up stairs.

She hadn’t expected him to follow her so when she turned from getting something out of her closet and saw him standing in her doorway she jumped. “You loved your friends.”

“Loved being the key word in the sentence, past tense.” She said as she grabbed a pair of jeans out of her closet and threw them on the bed with the red tank top and black lace long sleeved shirt. He watched her get dressed in silence, wondering what had caused the downfall of her group of friends. People she would have given her life for. She grabbed a pair of black lace ballerina flats off of the shoe rack in her closet, her bag and tried to leave the room, but Elijah didn’t move.

When a smile spread over his face she realized what he was doing and she smiled back. She slid her hand over his chest and kissed him. When it broke he stepped aside. “What did Jonah call it when we did that?”

“Paying the toll troll.” She answered with a smile as she walked past him and down the stairs. “Have I mentioned that I missed you?” she asked with a look over her shoulder as she got to the bottom of the stairs.

“You may have mentioned it once or twice.” He told her as he watched her slip on her shoes and head for the door. “You are forgetting something.” She turned and looked at him with a frown, having flashbacks of Damon stealing her phone or keys to keep her with him a little longer. But when she followed his eyes to the calculus book on the table she snapped out of it.

“Oh, right, I might need that.” She headed over to the table, grabbed the book and shoved it in her bag. “Thank you.”

When she walked outside she saw a brand new black Lincoln parked behind her car in the driveway. “Will you allow me to spoil you a little by driving you to school?”

Katie rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “If you must.” She smiled letting him know she was playing with him.

“Oh I must.” He told her as he walked down the steps and she followed after him. “I’ve been waiting one hundred and seventy one years to spoil you rotten.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.” she told him as he opened her door for her, she got inside and he shut the door. “So you said Damon wants to talk to you about killing your brother?” she asked curiously as he backed out of the driveway. “Are you still on board with that?”

“You saw and felt him shove a dagger in my heart.” He said with a look over at her. “He will pay for what he has done.”

“I really hate asking this now, but I have to. Have you heard who really killed your mother?” she asked, turning a little in her seat to face him.

“Yes that is one of the few things Niklaus told me when I woke up yesterday and it is only one of the many reasons he needs to be stopped.” Elijah answered.

“Okay.” She told him as she turned her eyes to look out the passenger window.

"Are you still on board with that?" He copied her question back to her.

"I'm on board with whatever you want." She answered only to get an I-don’t-believe-you side eye from him. "I kind of helped him kill Mikael in exchange for him un-daggering you and in doing so-"

"You bonded with him." He finished for her.

"It was more like we developed a mutual respect for each other." She replied not liking the idea of bonding with Klaus. "And he was going to un-dagger you until freaking Stefan stole you and the rest of your siblings out from under our noses. Then when Elena, who daggered Rebekah in the back by the way, turned her over to Klaus she told him that she knew he killed your mother, there for ensuring that he wouldn't un-dagger her or you anytime soon." She finished as he pulled up in front of the school.

"When was the last time you saw Niklaus?" He asked, looking at her across his shoulder.

"A week and a half or so ago." She answered then looked at the clock in the car to see they still had roughly fifteen minutes to talk. "He invited me to the house he’s renovating and showed me the room he said was mine if I wanted it."

"He asked you to live with him?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

"And then proceed to try to get me to sleep with him, yes." She answered. "You don’t seem surprised."

"That is because this isn't the first time he has tried to seduce the woman I love." He explained while watching a student walk by then looked at her. "Did he succeed?"

"No." She answered with a shake of her head. "However because I like transparency in a relationship I will tell you that because I was bored I indulged him long enough to get him hot and bothered then left him high and dry. It was just kissing and it meant nothing.” She told him hoping she wouldn't have to go into detail because the clock was ticking. ”Are you mad?"

"No. You say it meant nothing and I believe you." He told her then glanced down at the clock in the car at the same time she did. "It seems we are out of time." As he spoke the five minute warning bell rang out.

They both got out of the car and he walked around to her and placed his hand on her lower back. "Thank you for breakfast and I'll see you after cheer practice?" She asked and he gave her a nod and a quick kiss on the cheek then pushed her toward the school with his hand on her lower back.

Since everyone else was already in class and she didn't want to be late she whooshed to her locker grabbed her history book and shoved her math book inside then whooshed to the door of Alaric's class. She walked inside seconds before the bell rang. "Cutting it close today aren't you?" Alaric asked as she walked over to her seat.

"My apologies Mr. Saltzman." She replied then pulled out her text book and opened it to the page written on the board. When she looked up he gave her a tilted head look. She looked at Caroline. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No you're just strangely chipper this morning." Katie just smiled and turned her eyes front.

TVDTVDTVD

After changing out of her athletic clothes she headed to the front of the school and easily spotted Elijah leaning against his black car in his usual suit and tie. She had to force herself not to whoosh over to him and when she got close to him he placed his hand on her side and kissed her head. "How was your day?" She asked with a smile up at him.

"How do you feel about accompanying me to a dinner meeting?" He asked as he dropped his hand from her side.

"Depends, who is the meeting with?" She prompted as she walked around the car and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Niklaus, Damon and Stefan." He answered as he started the car.

"You want me to have dinner with you, your brother who hit on me, my ex and my ex friend who stole you from me?" She asked rhetorically as she watched him walk around to the driver's side of the car. "Sounds awkward, but I'd love to." She opened the passenger door and got in. "But for curiosity’s sake, why do you want me to go?"

"Because I have missed you." He said as he slid his hand over hers that rested palm down on the center console. A smile took over her face as she looked down at their hands as he pulled out of the school parking lot.

She had forgotten the simplistic intimacy of just holding hands. "So what’s this meeting about? If I'm going to have dinner with them I should probably catch up on my gossip."

On the drive home he explained to her that Damon and Stefan had returned the coffins to Klaus that contained him, Kol, and Finn, but kept a coffin that was spelled shut. Not even Elijah knew who was in it, but all signs were pointing to someone or something that could kill Klaus. Elijah had no plans of helping them open the coffin. Instead his plan was to un-dagger his siblings and the four of them get the coffin and use it against Klaus. Stefan and Klaus however believed the meeting tonight was to work out a peace treaty between the two of them.

“So I’m going to meet your other brothers tonight?” She asked as they got out of the car and headed to her house.

“If all goes as planned, yes.” He answered as he watched her walk into her living room and toss her bag on the couch. “Damon mentioned that you have already met Rebekah and made friends with her?” he asked remembering that he thought the two of them wouldn’t get along.

“Yep. I didn’t think we would get along because she’s…well, Rebekah, but we didn’t hate each other.” She answered as she went to the kitchen and grabbed a blood bag out of the refrigerator. “So what time is dinner?” she asked with a look at the clock in the kitchen as she popped the stopper out of the tube of the bag and started drinking it.

“Seven thirty.” He answered as he pulled out one of the dining chairs and sat down at the table. She saw his eyes narrow at the bag in her hand. “Do you ever really feed?” he asked looking at her lips wrapped around the tube.

“That’s kind of frowned upon around here. One of the stipulations of getting my daylight ring was not feeding on people. If Bonnie found out that I did she’d de-spell it. So…it’s been strictly blood bags. Although I did get pissed the first day of school and fed on a classmate at the bonfire and it’s still working so I guess Damon actually kept something to himself for once.” She said with a look at her daylight ring on her right hand.

“Well that’s no fun.” He replied as he tapped the small square wooden dining table with his middle finger.

“Eh, it makes it all the more fun when I do feed.” She answered as she walked over to him and held the blood bag out to him.

He shook his head no. “You don’t have to answer, but did you and Damon ever blood share?” he asked, looking at his hand tapping the table.

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head with a shrug. “I don’t know what you mean.” she answered with a frown then finished off the blood bag and tossed it in the trash.

“Did you feed on each other?” he rephrased.

“No. I wasn’t aware that was a thing.” she said as she walked over and leaned her hip against the table. “Why wouldn’t I want to tell you if we did or not?”

“Blood sharing is intensely intimate.” He answered with lust in his brown eyes.

“We have three hours until dinner.” She pointed out not looking away from his eyes.

“I would prefer to wait until we have all night.” He told her as he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her to straddle him in the dining chair. “Until then…” he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his. They made out like a couple of love stuck teens until it was time for her to get dressed for dinner.

TVDTVDTVD

“Katie, I should’ve known you’d be joining us tonight.” Klaus said when she walked into the dining room where four pretty women stood close to the walls with their hands behind their backs, all wearing gold and black matching outfits.

She looked down at her jeans, cream colored flowy tank top and denim jacket, feeling a little underdressed then looked up at Klaus. “Is my presence going to be a problem?” she asked as she shrugged off her jacket as Elijah took off his then took her jacket from her and walked off to put them away.

“Not at all, you know I enjoy your company.” He told her with a closed lipped smile then turned his eyes to Elijah who placed his hand on the small of her back.

A knock at the door pulled them all from the tense moment and Elijah answered it. Damon and Stefan walked into the room and Katie felt herself tense at the sight of Stefan. After an unpleasant exchange between Stefan and Klaus they all sat down at the rectangle table big enough to sit six, but tonight was only seating five.

They were all eating in silence until Klaus noticed Stefan wasn’t eating. “Have you lost your appetite?” he asked.

“Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home.” Damon told him. Stefan gave him a sarcastic closed lipped smile and picked up his fork and knife.

“Isn’t this nice? The five of us, dining together. Such a treat.” Klaus said with a look around the table then settled his eyes on Damon. “Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?”

“Well I knew how he felt about you. So I figured the more…” he took a bite off his fork, “the merrier.” He gave Elijah a wink.

“Well Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries, but we always make it though.” Klaus replied.

“Kinda like you and Rebekah, right?” Stefan asked, getting a look from Klaus. “Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her.” Stefan said with a point at Klaus with the hand he held his glass in, then took a drink.

“If you’re referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother I already came clean to Elijah.” Klaus told him and he and Elijah looked at each other.

“Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad. You might want to dial down the judgment till dessert.” Damon told him then took a drink of the red wine in his glass.

“We’re here to make a deal, Damon. That doesn’t mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses.” Stefan told his brother as he folded his hands together and gave him another smart ass smile. Katie took in a deep breath and let it out, finding it difficult to keep her mouth shut. “Is there something you’d like to say to me?” Stefan asked, finally looking at her. She looked up at Elijah who slid his hand over her leg under the table. “Do you need his permission to speak?”

“No, I don’t.” she answered as she sat up straighter. “And there is something I would like to say to you, but this is not the appropriate place or time for foul language and violent actions.” She told him with a sarcastically polite smile.

Klaus laughed with his finger placed over his lips while Damon looked at Katie then Stefan. “Yeah, in case you didn’t know, you’ve severally pissed her off.” Damon whispered to his brother. “Katie Cat’s found a new family.”

“Yeah and maybe this one won’t stab me in the back.” Katie popped off.

“Are you forgetting that he was willing to let you die for Jenna?” he asked with wide eyes. “That your bloodline died with you and there’s a chance that you wouldn’t have come back?”

Katie had opened her mouth to argue but Elijah beat her to it. “As long as I am on this earth she will find a way back to me bloodline or no bloodline. I was willing to wait another one hundred some odd years for her if it meant she was free of you.” he said, making Katie look up at him with questioning eyes. “I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth.” He told her then looked back at Damon. “And I believe that she is competent enough to make her own decisions.”

They ate in silence for a few more awkward and tense moments during which Katie moved her hand under the table and wrote I love you on his leg with her finger. He looked down at her and she could see the message returned in his eyes. After a few more minutes Elijah asked, “Stefan, where is the lovely Elena tonight?” in an attempt to start the conversation back up.

“I don’t know, ask Damon.” Stefan answered and Klaus started laughing again.

Damon noticed Katie place her hand back on the table with a hurt look in her eyes that he was sure no one else had caught as Elijah looked at the laughing Klaus with questioning eyes. “I’m sorry, you’ve missed so much.” He told him then motioned to the brothers. “Trouble in paradise.”

“One more word about Elena, and uh, this dinner is over.” Stefan said with a look at Elijah and Klaus.

“You know what, it’s probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile.” Damon told them then looked at Elijah. “And you might not want to call her the lovely Elena.” He said with a motion to Katie.

“You’re probably right.” Klaus said while Elijah looked at Katie who dropped her eyes to her plate. “It’s just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger is still so strong.” Katie felt herself tensing at the talk of doppelgangers. “What do you say brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?”

“Why should we discuss matters long since resolved?” Elijah asked with a laugh as he took his cloth napkin out of his lap and put it on the table and leaned back in his chair.

“Well given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line.” Klaus’ words caused Katie to put down her silverware and hide her fists under the table.

Elijah noticed her action and turned to look at her. She forced herself to give him a smile. “Well, we’re not going anywhere, Elijah. Please, do tell.” Damon said as he grabbed his glass of wine then took a drink noticing the what-the-hell-are-you-doing-look he got from Katie.

Elijah slid his hand over Katie’s fist and she flipped her hand around to hold it. “When my family first moved here there was a girl named Tatia. She was…” he looked down at Katie realizing he needed to choose his words wisely “beautiful. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor. Even though she’d had a child by another man and none loved her more than Niklaus.”

“Oh, I’d say there was one who loved her at least as much.” Klaus said then let his eyes fall on Elijah then Katie who was doing a good job of keeping how much the topic was affecting her from her face. She wasn’t hearing anything she didn’t already know, but hearing it from Elijah himself was almost too much to handle.

“Wait a minute, so you both loved the same girl?” Stefan asked as he sat up and placed his elbows on the table, folding his hands together.

“Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her.” Elijah said as he rubbed Katie’s hand with his thumb. “Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia’s blood that we consumed in the wine on the night our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires.” Elijah grabbed his glass of wine and took a drink and set it back down. “Tatia wouldn’t choose between the two of us. So for a time, Niklaus and I…grew estranged. Harsh words were traded. We even came to blows. Didn’t we brother?”

“But in the end we recognized the sacred bond of family.” Klaus added.

“Family above all.” Elijah said as he lifted his glass to Klaus and they clinked them together in a toast as Klaus repeated his words.

“If you all will excuse me…” Katie took the napkin from her lap, stood up and placed it in her chair. “I need some fresh air.”

She walked out and to the front porch where she leaned against a support post. She hated that the fact that Elijah was with a doppelganger bothered her so much. She knew that Elijah loved her and that he and Tatia happened before she ever even existed, but she couldn’t help it. “You okay?” Damon asked, making her jump.

“I’m fine.” She said with a sigh.

“I can still tell when you’re lying.” He told her and she just shrugged. “Talk to me Katie Cat.”

“Don’t do that.” She told him flatly. “Don’t act like you still care…Like you won’t run back to Elena and tell her everything I say.”

She tried to walk past him back into the house, but he grabbed her wrist. “Katie.”

In a flash she grabbed him by his throat and pinned him to the post she had been leaning against. “I said…don’t.”

“Katie.” Elijah’s voice made her look to the front door to see his eyes bouncing back and forth between Damon and Katie. “It will soon be time.”

Katie let go of Damon’s neck and walked over to Elijah and back into the dining room to see that Klaus had fed on and killed one of the women. Katie listened to them talk about Elena and her safety and Klaus needing her to have kids so that the Petrova line will continue blah blah blah. Stefan shook Klaus’ hand and told him no deal and Klaus broke his wrist and leg then held his hand into the fire that was in the fireplace. Damon made a move to stop him but Elijah pinned him to the wall by his neck. “Katie do something!” Damon yelled at her.

Katie just looked at him. “Hmm.” She hummed in thought. “Na, I’m perfectly content watching him suffer.” Damon looked hurt, but she didn’t care.

“Bring me my coffin before I burn him alive.” Klaus said, still holding Stefan’s hand in the fire.

“I’ll get it.” Damon said as Elijah let go of him.

“Go with him brother, keep him honest.” Klaus told him. “When you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family.”

Elijah walked over to Katie and kissed her temple. “Stay here. I’ll be back.” she watched him walk away.

Only a few minutes later Elijah and Damon walked back into the room along with one of the women who was holding a tray covered with a dinner napkin. “Elijah. Why haven’t you left?”

“Well, where are your manners brother? You forgot dessert.” Elijah told him then pulled the napkin off to reveal two daggers.

“What have you done?” Klaus asked.

“What have you done?” Elijah echoed back. “See I’ve learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We’re doing this on my terms now.”

A very handsome guy who looked to be about Katie’s age walked into the room and over to Klaus. “Kol.” Klaus greeted with big eyes as he held his hands up.

“Long time, brother.” Kol greeted back.

Then an older guy whooshed into the room, grabbing a dagger on his way in. “Finn, don’t.” Klaus said in fear right before Finn stabbed Klaus in the hand with the dagger. When Finn pulled the dagger out Klaus tried to whoosh out of the room only to be stopped by Rebekah. “Rebekah.”

She stabbed him in the stomach with her dagger. “That is for our mother.” She shoved Klaus back and he stumbled into Kol who grabbed him by his arms from behind.

“You’re free to go.” Elijah said to Damon and Stefan. “This is family business.” Katie watched Damon and Stefan leave then walked over to Elijah. “You can stay if you want, but you don’t have to.”

She looked between Klaus and Elijah settling her gaze on Elijah. “I’m gonna go.” She answered. “Should I wait up for you?”

“No. I will call on you in the morning.” He placed his hand on her arm and kissed her head. “Good night.”

“Good night.” She told him then looked at the other four people in the room and gave them a small smile. As she turned her back on them and walked by Klaus she mouthed the words I’m sorry. He just turned his eyes to his family as she walked out.