Broken Crown is here! Thanks for waiting and I hope that everyone who read to build a home will love broken crown just as much, if not more.
Disclaimer; I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified.
Warnings for depictions of violence and likewise gruesome things you'd expect from this trio of bloodthirsty vampires.
Also, blood sharing is defined, considering I had Klaus and Stephanie share blood before the show did it with Elena and Damon. It's a mix of the book and the TV definitions, because they're DIFFERENT.
There's an author's note about that at the bottom of the chapter. Also, I recommend listening to the song the chapter is named after (counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of war drums) while you read the first part because it really helps put you into Stephanie's shoes. I've never listened to it before this, but a friend of mine recommended it and I knew that it was perfect for this chapter. I'll warn you, it's quite dark like the title suggests.
The second song (the quote from dark paradise by Lana Del Rey) is also fantastic to read during the balcony scene.
counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of war drums
"And there's no remedy for memory your face is
like a melody, it won't leave my head
your soul is haunting me and telling me
that everything is fine
but I wish I was dead."
-Dark Paradise, Lana Del Rey
.
.
.
She felt disconnected from her body, like her mind was floating in between realities, and her motions were blurred through the hazy vision of bloodlust that was always haunting her. Her fangs slipped from beneath their sheaths in her gums easily now, and she avoided looking into the mirror to keep from seeing the monster that she was, to keep her from looking at those bloody lips and black eyes that preoccupied her nightmares.
The pounding in her head never ceased, always drumming and drumming, keeping her attention and making her mouth water and her stomach twist. She lost herself in it, keeping beat with the drums and letting them lead her to source that would temporarily relieve the burning desire in her for throat quenching blood.
But the beast was never sated for long.
When she found herself in this disoriented space there were always two others who she was never sure were anchoring her or were the ones that had set her adrift.
"That was fantastic, love," Klaus would whisper and Stephanie would shudder from disgust or pleasure (she could never tell which it was anyway).
Stephanie would look over the bodies and feel a sharp pang in her breast and like she was ghosting around a dream, she'd step forwards and with bloodstained fingers, pick up the body, dragging it over to the couch or other living space and set it up as if he was merely having a late night on the sofa with his family. Stephanie made sure it was situated perfectly and still and she scrambled back to where the head was sitting, vacant eyes staring emptily up at the ceiling.
Quickly, she reached for it and paused, staring transfixed at her blood encrusted fingernails. They were chipped and attached to red hands, which led to wet arms and sleeves, and her clothes stuck to her body because of the thick, sticky substance. Her entire body, it smelt like, was saturated with blood. She shook herself continued, picking up the head gently and carrying it over to the body and setting it right.
"Come on, Stephanie, we've other places to go before the evening is through," Nik's voice would say quietly, "Let's go."
If she didn't know any better, Stephanie would think that he was afraid of this side of her, the way she teetered from dangerously furious and deliriously happy to horrified with guilt and agony in the span of a single kill.
As it was, she knew that he liked it, loved it about her even.
Stephanie would forgo the outstretched hand as was ritual by then, and speed away with him into the dark depths of the witching hour. They'd go into the city and pretend to be debonair, getting into expensive parties and galas, enjoying themselves (well, Niklaus enjoyed himself while Stephanie floated in her in between space, not quite there, but far too close to reality to be able to live with herself) until the end of the night where they tagged teamed and murdered and drank their hosts. Sometimes Rebekah would join them in their hunts, but never in the games.
The games were what the Hybrid and his Ripper were known for.
When Stephanie forgot herself, forgot her brother and his doppelgänger and forgot her own love for a strong and passionate boy, she found herself entranced and emerged in this new (old) lifestyle. It was like slipping into an old coat that was well worn; it was comfortable and familiar, all too easy to remember and fall back into old patterns of blood and killing.
This was not to mention the all of the remembered sensations and feelings and emotions evoked from the mere presence of the two Original's; seeing Rebekah was like encountering an old friend and it painfully reminded her of Lexi and her visits. (She wondered how Lexi was; she hadn't heard from her since 2009 and probably wouldn't until this ten year jaunt was over to bring Stephanie back from the depths of hell. She might be too late this time.) Rebekah was older, of course, but she was like a sister in a way that Katherine had never been. She was a bitch and condescending and sarcastic to the bone, but there was a genuine promise of loyalty about her that Katherine had never had.
Niklaus was . . . Niklaus. He was the Original she remembered but changed in so many ways. It was like he was a split personality – there was Nik; the lover and friend, the one who was loyal and faithful, the one who was her equal, the one who made it rain blood with her as they walked down the street hand in hand. And then there was Klaus; the Hybrid, the monster who'd taken her brother and friends away, stolen her from her home through blackmail.
Both were murderers, but so was Stephanie, really.
They were playing a game of cat and mouse and it was undetermined who was who. Klaus went after Stephanie with the singled mindedness of a man on a mission, but she kept him at an arm's length that just kept shrinking and shrinking as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months and summer was coming to an end.
July was coming to a close and the trio had journeyed up and down the Eastern Seaboard, leaving destruction in their paths. Klaus was intent to two things: making Stephanie realize she was his and creating a Hybrid army to protect the three of them from Mikael, so they'd be safe and never desert one of their own again.
The group was staying in Nashville in a hotel of the finest caliber, compelling to be so by Rebekah with just her wicked smile and a flick of her long blonde hair. (And a promise that would never be fulfilled, but the human behind the desk needn't know that bit quite yet.)
They had two rooms that were conjoining with a balcony that overlooked the busy city. Stephanie stood out on it, relishing in the cool night breeze as it swept through her, blowing her hair behind her face. The pounding of their neighbor's heart was a constant distraction, though, and more than once Stephanie felt her fangs bulging beneath her gums, ready to be unleashed in a moment's notice to feed on the unsuspecting victim.
"Enjoying the view, then?" Klaus drawled, "I had Bekah pick the hotel especially for you, because of the-"
"Apartment in Chicago," Stephanie murmured, "Yes, I remember."
She felt Klaus prod at her mind with his Power, something she knew that older and stronger vampires had the ability to do. Katherine had done it before, and Stephanie had overheard Elena remark about dreams that had centered on Damon and crows; Steph knew it not to be a coincidence, as the other girl thought.
Unbidden images of Jeremy flashed through Stephanie's mind; his smile and his laughter; his tears and cries. A knot formed in her stomach and she blinked her eyes hard.
"Would you come around faster if the boy was dead?"
The question was asked idly, but Stephanie flashed to Klaus, pushing him up against the brick wall of the hotel, fangs out and eyes black.
Lowly, she hissed, "You won't touch a single hair on Jeremy's head if you value your testicles." She put pressure with her knee on the area in question to make herself perfectly clear.
In seconds, Klaus had their positions reversed, knocking Stephanie's head against the brick and caging her in with his muscular arms and grabbing onto her wrists hard enough to bruise. Undesired images of Fredrick crossed Stephanie's mind and she sucked in a sharp breath, stilling on instinct. Klaus' face leant in close to hers and his breath on her cheek made Stephanie shiver.
"What was that; that image? Who was that man?" Klaus whispered into her ear. "Who was it that hurt you?"
"No one," Stephanie hissed and fruitlessly hoped that Klaus would drop it. But Nik never would.
"No," He whispered and released on her arms to free his hand, which he used to trace up to her shoulder, "He hurt you. I'll make him suffer; I'll make him bleed until he cries out for mercy but I won't give it to him."
"He's dead," Stephanie said, "He's dead and gone so forget about your perverse revenge fantasies." Klaus' eyes were alight with anger that only cooled minimally when Stephanie told him Fredrick had perished.
"Your brother killed him, I assume?"
Stephanie nodded once and Klaus' lip curled. "I guess he's not as useless as I'd thought," He said quietly with teasingly lilt to his voice.
Steph pressed her lips together in a firm line and turned to leave Klaus to himself on the balcony. Her hand lingered on the door hinge, and she turned her head to look back at the Hybrid, but he was already looking over the city, his eyes bright with future plans. Stephanie took her deft fingers off of the door and stepped over the threshold to her and Rebekah's room, sliding the door shut to the balcony.
"Tired of my brother's company already?"
Steph lifted her head and saw Rebekah lounging on her bed that was closest to the door that led to the hotel hallway. Her blonde hair hung around her shoulders and her hands were knitted together behind her head, where it rested on the fluffy feather pillow at her headboard.
"A bit," Stephanie said with a wry twist of her lips, but said no more as she closed the curtains until they shielded the balcony from the pastel colored room so she could strip to her nightclothes.
"Go easy on him," Rebekah called teasingly, "He hasn't tried to woo a woman for decades. Longer, even, considering the first time you two met was in 1897. After that, we always met when you were off the wagon, so to speak, and you were more inclined to love a man like Niklaus."
"I don't want him to woo me," Stephanie said, eyebrows pulling together in a frown, despite the sharp pang in her that did want the older man's affections. "I love Jeremy," She said clearly, arms folding defensively across her chest.
"But will he love you if he ever finds out about our adventures?" Rebekah asked mockingly.
"Yes," Stephanie snapped, but thought about it for a moment more. Jeremy had never really seen her off the rails: he'd only seen her, to use Damon's description, 'spayed vampire side.' It was crude, but unfortunately very accurate.
Rebekah smiled victoriously, as if she'd peaked into Stephanie's mind. (And she well could have, Steph admitted to herself grudgingly.)
"See?" Rebekah asked, her voice softening, "You know it, Steph. Jeremy's a young human who is doubtlessly furious about the loss of his sister. Who's there to blame besides the vampire that came to Mystic Falls and ultimately leading Klaus to their town?" Except Elena wasn't dead, Stephanie thought and tried to keep a poker face.
"You're wrong," Was all Stephanie said.
"I'm really not," Rebekah told her quietly. "What's left for you in Mystic Falls after that? Your friend is dead, your brother and your boyfriend are probably furious and upset about that; they're not likely to be good company."
"But they're still mine," Stephanie muttered.
"But you're ours," Rebekah said flatly, rising from the bed, "You're my friend and Klaus' lover. We have claim to you too."
Stephanie said nothing and merely pursed her lips. The neighbors' heartbeats shattered her concentration and she twitched, wanting to make her teeth pierce their necks and bleed them dry and bathe in their blood. Her fingers clenched into fists and she closed her eyes and tried counting backwards to regain some control.
Rebekah intervened. "Hungry?"
And Stephanie felt herself nodding her head.
"Of course," Rebekah said, "You're always hungry, aren't you Stephanie?" Steph opened her eyes and offered little resistance when the taller girl grabbed her hand and led her from the hotel room and down the hall and the staircase. Finally, they were out of the stifling building and Stephanie took a deep breath, only to smell more blood.
Rebekah sent her an amused glance. "Let's go to a club, shall we? There will be a lot people to choose from there."
Steph frowned. "And most of those people will be drunk or high."
Rebekah rolled her eyes and drug Stephanie away despite her protests. "You never stop complaining, do you? You have the worst case of depression I've ever seen. Ever heard of Prozac?"
Stephanie didn't bother with a response as they entered a bar. Her quick green eyes swept the place for her victim and they landed on a young blonde man, but Rebekah tugged her away.
"That one," Rebekah whispered into Stephanie's ear and the latter winced. The boy was tall with light brown hair and matching eyes; he looked like mocking version of Jeremy, but Stephanie knew that was why Rebekah had chosen him.
"No," Stephanie said quietly, "I've already got someone picked out."
"You're going to get that one," Rebekah glared, "Or I'll tell Nik to go back to Mystic Falls to kill your little ex-boyfriend."
Stephanie swallowed and said dryly, "If that's your way of trying to endear me to you, it needs a little work." But she went anyway. Rebekah and Klaus knew that the one sure way to get Stephanie do to anything was to mention Jeremy or Damon.
She walked up to the boy and fluttered her lashes, gently brushing passed him on her way to the bar. Stephanie knew his interested had been peaked and he followed her as she sat down on a stool.
"Hey," He grinned, "I'm Jack."
"Stephanie," She replied with a leering grin.
"How about we get out of here?" Jack smirked, "I'm on my way to a frat party and I need a date."
"Sure," Stephanie said easily and slid out of the stool and took Jack's hand. He led her out of the bar and Rebekah gave Steph a wink before turning back to her own victim.
"Who was your friend?" Jack asked.
"Of friend of mine," Stephanie said vaguely and as they passed an alley in between bars, lunged for Jack's exposed neck.
"What the hell?" He shouted, surprised and wary. His arms pin wheeled until Stephanie shoved him up against the brick alley wall and tore into his neck. Jack screamed until his Stephanie ripped his head off.
"I don't understand why Niklaus finds that attractive," Rebekah drawled from the mouth of the alley and Stephanie came back to herself and righted the body and set the head back on gently. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and gave no answer to Rebekah besides a shrug; she had no idea what perverse pleasure Klaus derived from one of Steph's more horrific habits.
She could remember Nik and her killing for pleasure and then sharing blood afterwards. Blood sharing was intimate to vampires; it was an extremely personal act that was performed between lovers as a form of romantic bonding and was the equivalent of making love.
Stephanie and Rebekah flashed back to the hotel as the sun started to rise and both entered their hotel room quietly. Steph couldn't hear Klaus, but that didn't mean he wasn't in his room somewhere. The heartbeats of their neighbors were still distracting, but not to the point of a painful disturbance. She stripped into her nightclothes and slipped into her bed.
She clothes her eyes and saw her victims' faces flash before her eyes and wished that she could just shut off her emotions; but she knew that if she thought herself a monster now, then she'd truly be a demon if she let herself go out there and kill with no remorse at all.
Morning came and Stephanie woke up to Klaus' breath on her cheek. Her eyes flew open, surprised, and she glared at the Hybrid's amused smile. The bed was large and luxurious, but Klaus had put as little space between them as physically possible.
"Good morning, love," He murmured with half lidded eyes.
"Go to hell," She hissed.
"Only if you pave the way, darling," Klaus grinned.
"Please, leave off your marital spats until we've all woken up at a decent hour," Rebekah groaned but she rose from her bed anyway, glaring at the other two before heading to the bathroom.
"It's not a marital spat," Stephanie denied, "He's not my husband, we're not married, and we're never going to be married."
"I don't really believe in that institution of marriage anyway," Klaus smirked, "It really fits if we live in sin anyway, don't you think?" Stephanie rolled her eyes and jumped out of the bed and Klaus whistled appreciatively. "You've lovely legs for such a small woman, love."
Steph blushed furiously and quickly shoved a pair of jeans onto her hips, pulling them up and buttoning quickly. She reached for her bra and shirt and glared at Klaus.
"Get out."
"It's nothing I haven't seen before," He drawled with a twinkle in his eye and he settled back onto the bed, exposing his less than decently dressed self.
Stephanie glowered.
"For the love of – Nik just leave the room," Rebekah snapped as her head came into view from around the corner of the bathroom, "She's bound to give in to your wily charms sooner or later, so you might as well have some patience." Stephanie choked but Rebekah's words had done the trick; Klaus smirked and waved, disappearing from the room as if he was a ghost.
Stephanie quickly clothed herself and left her hair down. She was driven to distraction as she and Rebekah packed their bags by their neighbors once more, and trying to ignore their heart beats was fruitless. Klaus met them in front of the hotel in a flashy blood red sports car; it did nothing for Stephanie's growing hunger and by Klaus' look, he knew it too.
"Get in ladies," Klaus called with a wicked glint in his eyes.
"Where are we going?" Rebekah asked as she slipped into the back and put all of their bags in beside her, forcing Stephanie to sit up front unless he wanted to ride in Rebekah's lap.
"Werewolf hunting."
A/N: Julie Plec has had an interview about the topic (of blood sharing between vampires): ["That's a little bit of a shout-out to the books, but also just to vampire folklore in general. If you look at any of it metaphorically, it's a very intimate exchange of bodily fluids. So you can read into that what you will," she says. So is it fair to equate it to vampire sex, or should we not go that far? "Well, it's like vampire naked cuddling," Plec says, laughing. Does it come with any side effects? "No," she says. "Elena doesn't know what she's doing, but Damon damn well knows what she's doing. That's really Stefan's point: It meant something to him, which means it means something to me."]
In the original books by L.J. Smith, blood sharing really equates to 'vampire sex' as the interviewer asked.
I just wanted to clear that up.
