Chapter 1

It was the night of homecoming when Elena realized that she had changed completely. She had stabbed Rebecca in the back to succeed with her plan. It didn't help that Damon had totally agreed with her plan. As he asked her to sit the night out, she was somehow relieved because it meant that she didn't have to participate in the attempt to kill Klaus. Truth was, all she had ever wanted was to live in peace. It wasn't too much to ask. All she wanted was to have a normal life again. But it would never happen for her, not with the original family in the picture and Klaus wanting her blood.

So when they found out that they couldn't kill an Original without also killing their entire bloodline and Alaric trying to kill the entire vampire race, Elena made a decision. One night, while everybody was occupied, she went to see Klaus. It didn't take her long to find him; he was sitting on a bench drenched in blood. She tried not to be affected by the smell that came from him, when she sat down next to him. He didn't even look up; he just sat there, staring at the night. For a while, Elena just sat there with him, trying to see what he was staring at.

"Are, are you alright?" He didn't seem like it at all. He hadn't moved an inch since she got here, not even his eyes.

"Klaus?" But he didn't answer. So Elena chose a more direct approach. Slightly, she moved her arm, so that she was able to touch his hand. With a lot of caution, Elena put her hand on his, always anticipating a reaction out of him. And the reaction came, but in a different way than she had expected. Klaus took her hand and squeezed it lightly, not too hard. And then, finally, he looked at her.

She tried again: "Are you alright?"

He looked down at her hand, and as if he suddenly realized who he was sitting here with, he took her hand and placed it back in her lab.

"I'm fine."

"Well, you don't look like it."

"And why would you care?"
"I don't know. I figured, I'd ask. I assume not a lot of people have asked you that question in the entire time of your existence."
"You assume correctly. What do you want, Elena?"

"I wanted to talk to you without anyone trying to stop me."

"And what did you want to talk to me about?"

"A deal."

"Of course, the doppelgänger is so good at negotiating. Just ask my brother."

"Which one exactly?"

"You know too well which one. You know he fancies you right?"
"Elijah is not of importance here."

"He values your pure heart. You look like Tatia and of course Katerina, but you are so different from all of them. You care from the bottom of your heart, even you think it's a lost cause, you never stop fighting. Why is that?"
"It is just the way I am. I think nothing is ever fully lost."

"Even me?"

"Do you even care about my opinion in that matter?"
"Interestingly enough, I do. Call it curiosity."
"There is always a path for redemption. For some it is shorter, for some it is longer, but it is always there."
"My family seems to disagree."
"And why would you say that?"
"Because they only tolerate me because they have to."

"You daggered most of them and left them in caskets for at least a century. You have to give them time."
"I've never done well with patience."
"And yet, time is all you have."
"Immortality has its advantages."

"Do you want redemption?"
"Sometimes I ask myself if it is all worth it."

"What do you mean?"
"I mean, being the most feared person on the planet. Being all powerful and all that."

"So do you think it's worth it?"
"Everything comes with a price. Loneliness and I are good acquaintances."

"You don't have to be all evil to be all powerful, Klaus."

"Yet, it is the only way I know."

"Then learn some new things."

"You know it's not that easy. Every time I tried to be different, I got betrayed."
"I'm sorry." Klaus looked at her for a second then.

"And there it is, that pure heart of yours. You truly mean that don't you?"
"Of course I do. I understand that your upbringing wasn't the best Klaus. You lost your brother at an early age and found out that your father wasn't your father shortly after that. He hated you for what you were and made it his life mission to destroy you and your siblings. Nobody deserves that." Klaus didn't hold her gaze, instead he looked at the moon again.

"You said something about a deal."

"Right. I figured something out the night Esther turned Alaric. I haven't told anyone yet but Alaric's life is tied to mine. If I die, so does he. I want to save my friends and if the only way to do that, is to die, then I'm ready. I've always known, at least ever since vampires came into my life, that I wouldn't have a long and normal life."

"You're willing to die?"
"I am. But I know that you won't let me do that before you have enough blood for your hybrids. So, a couple weeks ago, I started taking my own blood. I've filled about four bags now and you can drain about four or five more out of me before I die. From the amount of blood Tyler drank when you first turned him, I assume this will get you a very long way. I want you to let me die, Klaus, but you will get to do it by draining me. I will simply fall asleep and at the same time, Alaric will seize to be a problem for all my friends."

"This is quite a plan you've come up with."

"What do you say?"
"I have to agree with my brother; doppelgängers do know how to negotiate."
"Do you agree, Klaus?"
"I don't know. I need time to value my options and risks here."

"Okay, I understand that. You know where to find me when you made your decision. Please don't tell anyone from this. My friends wouldn't understand and would try to stop me."

"What about your boyfriends?"

"I am with neither Stefan nor Damon at this moment."

"You know what I mean."
"They will be fine. They have each other and it's not the first love they overcame."
"Ah, yes. They also fell for Katerina."

"And I'm sure they were in love before that or after that as well."

"What about you. Do you not want a family? Kids?"
"Look at Tatia and Katherine. Tatia had a child and no husband and was killed to become the human sacrifice to turn your family. Katherine doesn't even know her child. I'm sure I would face some form of the same fate as the two of them. It's better if my bloodline ends with me. No more doppelgängers to push around."

"You are willing to sacrifice everything. Sometimes, I envy you."

"For what?"
"For all the compassion and love you feel and that your friends feel for you."

"Your family loves you too Klaus. You all just have no talent at showing it."

"I would love to believe you."
"Then do." Klaus smirked at her and then started to move off the bench.

"It was brave of you to come here tonight. You didn't know it, but I just turned back and I could have easily mistaken you for an animal and killed you. You gave me quite a lot to think about. I will let you know what I have decided."

"Thank you, Klaus. You're not that bad to be around when you're not trying to kill everyone I love."

"I dare say that was a compliment, Miss Gilbert."

"You just might. Goodnight, Klaus. I'm glad this is only animal blood."

She turned around and made her way back to her house. After the events of this night, she couldn't say how Klaus would decide. And Elena wondered: If she had known Klaus in his time, could she have liked him?