This little fic came out of nowhere. All the same, I hope you enjoy.
It took years to figure out the truth, and it was only through Elena's revelation that she was able to move on.
It was never about the Salvatore brothers.
They were stuck in the same role decade after decade in a never-ending loop. Her and Katherine both. Katherine, being as selfish as she is, hadn't wanted to let them go, and in a way, she never had. So Elena had been the one to release them, breaking their hearts little by little until the shattered remains crumbled to dust. They'd never fall for another Petrova doppelganger ever again. No, definitely not after that.
In a way, she'd saved them from themselves. They, at last, were free of the Petrova curse.
It was never about the Salvatore brothers.
No, no it wasn't. But who was it about then? Elena and Katherine could only draw a blank. Years passed, all they had were each other. Running, running, running . . . but to what cost? From who do they run? Themselves? Katherine's past?
It was Katherine who figured it out for a change. She was in a pub, nursing her whiskey when she spotted a tuff of achingly familiar blonde hair. She couldn't place it, for it had been so long since she'd seen the person's trademark features.
Klaus Mikaelson.
The poor human who reminded Katherine of aforementioned man was nearly drained dry on the spot. Fortunately, Elena arrived back from the restroom to stop her. Katherine instead took him out back and did the deed, ridding him of every sweet drop of life.
"What the fuck was that all about?" Elena scowled from beside her, glancing sadly at the dead man in her doppelganger's arms. Even after years of being a vampire, the death of an innocent still haunted her. That would be her curse to bear for the rest of her eternity, just as it had for Stefan. Pissed off as she was, Elena couldn't trample down her curiosity. Katherine wasn't usually this quick to go in for the kill. Her doppelganger like to play with her meal first and then at least compell them to forget and be on their way after she was finished. Clearly that wouldn't be the case this time.
Katherine lugged the body over her shoulder, ignoring Elena's inquiry for now, focusing on her task. She led Elena to their car, shoving the corpse into the trunk and began to drive them somewhere thick with forest where this man would never be seen again.
It was only during the process of digging the unmarked grave that Katherine spoke, "Klaus." Elena's eyes furrowed, unsure if she heard the older woman correctly.
"Klaus? As in, Klaus Mikaelson?"
"No, I meant Klaus as in Santa Klaus," Katherine's tone dripped with sarcasm. "Yes, I meant Mikaelson."
"Okaaaay," Elena drew out slowly, "what about him?"
"Don't you see Elena?" Katherine coyly replied, "All roads lead back to Klaus Mikaelson." Elena's jaw dropped slightly, eyes widening a tad.
"No," Elena shook her head disbelievingly, "you don't think . . ."
"On the contrary Elena," Katherine smirked wryly, "yes I do." Elena sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Of course she would. I mean, why not?" Elena shoveled the rest of the dirt on top of the body, sorrow filling her with the reminder of another innocent's blood on her hands. Katherine moved to leave, but Elena's sudden grip on her forearm halted her.
"What?"
"Can't you at least say a couple words?" Elena growled. "You did kill him in cold blood." Katherine opened her mouth to say something along the lines of murdering being in a vampire's nature but immediately stopped herself. Katherine seriously didn't want to deal with an infuriated Elena on an hours long road trip.
Katherine cleared her throat, "Here lies the lookalike of Niklaus Mikaelson. May the poor bastard rot in hell." Without another word, she struts away, deciding that an angry Elena maybe wouldn't be so bad. The curly haired brunette managed to dodge the first object thrown at her back, but the next shard of tree bark happened to lodge itself into her shoulder. "Damnit Elena! I liked this shirt." Katherine removed it with a pained groan and tossed it back over her shoulder, kinda hoping it landed in Elena's eye.
Unfortunately, it didn't.
How Elena managed to make it back to the car first without Katherine noticing, she would never know and didn't bother asking.
"Passenger seat," Katherine ordered.
"Don't I know it," Elena muttered, quickly taking her seat. "Where to?" She knew that if anyone would know where a specific person would be, especially Klaus for that matter, it would be Katherine.
"Last I heard," Katherine revved the engine and began speeding down the highway, "New Orleans."
"Well if it isn't my favorite doppelganger," Klaus smirked down at Elena before his eyes caught Katherine's a little way back, "and my least favorite doppelganger. Both in one day nonetheless. Now what is it that I can provide some assistance?" Katherine's jaw clenched, and Elena looked down awkwardly. Both were unaware of how to explain their situation, especially to the unpredictable Original Hybrid in front of them.
"We've had a bit of a," Elena struggled to be as vague as she was blunt, "problem these last few years and we think we've found our solution. Ironic as it might be." Her last words were mumbled but could be heard all of the same by both Katherine and Klaus.
Klaus continued to eye them both with amusement, much to Katherine's irritation.
"And what is this problem you talk about?" Klaus raised an eyebrow. Again, Elena struggled for words.
"Spit it out already," Katherine snapped, "It's going to sound unbelievably stupid no matter how you phrase it."
"Then go right on ahead," Elena retorted, "you tell him."
"That's enough," Klaus interrupted strongly, snapping them both to attention. "I don't care who lets loose their tongue, but do so now before I compel it out of one of you." Katherine and Elena shared a quick glance.
"A vengeful witch bound us to each other," Katherine uttered, "and you." Klaus didn't say a word. He didn't even seem to be breathing.
"What do you mean, 'bound you to me'?" Klaus's eyes grew dark as his anger surfaced. Who the hell did this witch think she was? No matter. Whoever she was, he'd find her and have her head displayed on his wall within the week.
"I don't know," Katherine grew exasperated, haven't been told about the whole ordeal entirely herself, "something about melding our souls into one. And believe me, I called bullshit the minute she said the words because there's no way that there's a soul in there," Katherine pointed to his muscled chest emphatically, "but the minute we were more than a hundred miles away from you, we dropped to our knees and pain." Klaus froze, reminiscing the moment he'd felt such excruciating pain. Not that he'd mention aloud, but about a week or so ago, he felt it too. Being a thousand years old, give or take, gave him the ability withstand a hefty amount of pain, thankfully, and he managed to not make a fool of himself in front of Elijah and Rebekah.
Elena nodded her agreement, recalling the horrid feeling akin to liquid vervain flowing through her veins, "Yeah, and at the time, we felt this weird pull in the opposite direction towards you, although it was only recently that we realized that this is where the pull was leading us."
"Oh? And how did you know that it was me they were talking about?" Klaus swiftly ran his fingers through his hair, a habit he'd picked up recently when he was stressed.
"Think about it," Katherine snorted, "it's too poetic for her to not link us to you, is it not? Besides, she may not have said it outright, but there were little clues here and there that gave it away. Granted, it took us a little while to figure it out."
"'Course it did," Klaus's lips quirked upwards. "So, what did you want help with?"
"Remove this link between us," Katherine bluntly replied.
Klaus seemed to think about it for a minute before he promptly responded, "No can do, Katerina." Katherine's eyes narrowed.
"And why not?"
"Because if what you said is true," Klaus sighed, "then what we're dealing with is ancient magic, stuff my mother use to draw upon, and that now-a-days is impossible to find in a dozen witches, let along just one. Not to mention the damage that'll be done when the link is removed. To be honest, I'd rather fair with our little situation. It could prove to be . . . fun."
Katherine and Elena couldn't believe their ears. Klaus was willing to keep the link intact? Surely he knew that it could be a major weakness for his part.
"Pick a room ladies," Klaus drawled, "looks like you'll be staying a while."
Questions? Comments?