A Means to an End
Chapter one
When the situation presents its self
"This is your fault!" Elena hissed as she hit Stefan's forearm as hard as she could. Stefan simply shook his head with a smirk playing on his lips. "How is this my fault again? I thought sneaking into Klaus' house was your idea?" Stefan smirked as he wrapped his arm around her head.
"Love Birds-" Damon nearly growled as he rolled his blue eyes, "I thought the whole point of this was to," he paused tight smile in check, "NOT GET CAUGHT! AND FIND A WAY TO KILL KLAUS?" he screamed nearly punching a wall. This whole scheme was Elena's idea of ganging up on Klaus, and just like Damon suggested it was the worst idea she had ever thought of; and that was saying something.
Damon sighed and he shoved his hand threw his long locks and down his neck. He glanced back over at Elena and Stefan—who happened to look like two school girls figuring out their sexuality. Damon shook his head turning away from his brother and their mutual love interest.
"Damon?" Elena's calm voice cut through the thick air that had been forming around the three of them since they entered Klaus' home.
"What is it Elena?" Damon asked spinning on his heels to face her. Elena walked into his chest, not expecting him to suddenly stop in front of her. Once she fixed herself back into a more suitable position, which meant spending thirty second running her hands flat down her hair, she began to speak.
"I think we should wait for Klaus to show uP," The sound of her popping of the P in the word up, echoed through the empty- or what Damon hoped was empty house. Her popping P was the only sound heard as Damon grabbed Elena's shoulders and pushed her, in inhuman speeds, up against a wall. He leaned down; his lips would brush her ear if he spoke.
"Do you want to waste all the hard efforts of those who have tried to keep you alive?" he hissed gripping her shoulders tighter. "Your mother, father, aunt, nearly your brother, and several times Alaric?" Elena whimpered slightly as she tried to wiggle her way out of Damon's grip. She glanced over Damon's shoulder at Stefan. Stefan shrugged keeping up his 'I'm all bad' attitude and didn't bother to help her.
"Damon-stop-you're-hurting-me," Elena gasped still wiggling in his iron grip. She could feel the bruises forming in the shape of Damon's fingers on her arms as she continued to beg. Damon chuckled and shook his head, causing his hair to tickle her face. Elena blinked her large brown eyes at him and she stilled.
"Yes Damon, do let the girl go," Klaus' thick accent filled the room dancing through the two vampires and one whimpering humans ears. Klaus smirked as he worked his way slowly down the spiral staircase. Damon instantly let go of Elena and turned to face the monstrous vampire.
Klaus' blue eyes shined as he took the last step, he leaned forward on the tip of his toes before he spoke, "So," glancing at each of them to get his point across, "Why wasn't I invited to my own house party?" Damon smirked trying to keep his cool.
"Thought we'd surprise you," Elena suddenly found her voice and pushed past Damon and quickly moves with wobbly legs over to Klaus.
"We-" Both Salvatore brothers coughed and Elena rolled her eyes, "I" she glanced over her shoulder to look at the brothers and rolled her eyes. "Would like to ask you a question," she smiled fake sweetly at Klaus as she turned back to him. Klaus smiled back.
"You just did love," he spun on his heels and began to reclimb the stairs. "I'm giving you all forty-five seconds to get the hell out of my-"
"Wait," Elena called as she reached out and grabbed his arm. Klaus slightly curios lets her weak human hand stop him. "Please just let me ask the question." Elena pleaded trying her hardest to make this plan work. She was hoping to find Klaus' weak spot- that didn't include his already departed family. One she could get her hands on and hold it over his head. A plan, the Salvatore brothers wouldn't have the chance to get a hold of.
"I'll amuse you this once Elena," Klaus warned as he turned to face her. Elena stepped down from the stair she was standing on. She quickly glanced down at her grey converse that covered her feet as she moved to Klaus' living room. Klaus rolled his eyes and followed, not before grabbing a drink. Klaus then slung his arms around the slightly dazed Salvatore brother's shoulders, his scotch spilling onto Damon's grey V-neck t-shirt.
Elena stood in the middle of the nicely decorated living room, with one knee bent and her bottom lips tucked in between her teeth. She gestured to the couches on either side of her. Klaus took one and stretched himself out carefully, while keeping his eyes on the trio the whole time. He still hadn't quite made up his mind on whether or not he was going to kill them. Damon fell back onto the empty couch leaving just enough space for Princess Stefan. Once Elena deiced she was happy with everyone's seated position she licked her lips uncrossed her arms and straightened herself up.
"Klaus, I was wondering-" Klaus raised an eyebrow, leaned forward, and then placed his slightly full glass on the floor next to his foot. "If you would tell me about something important in your life," Klaus started to chuckled, causing Elena to raise her octave higher. "Besides your family that is." She looked at Klaus and noticing his skeptical expression. "So that way I can make you less of a monster in my head and won't feel the need to keep trying to kill you-"she mumbled as fast as you could. If her audience hadn't consisted of vampires, she would have had to repeat herself.
Klaus leaned back with a large smirk on his face. "You want to hear about something I love-or loved that's not my family?" he asked making sure he understood her question. She nodded her head yes as she lowered herself to the floor. "Like I said Elena, I'll amuse you." Elena's eyes went wide as she realized her plan worked. Damon inwardly growled at the fact that her plans ALWAYS seemed to work out. Stefan didn't have any feels about the situation, except worry about Elena's safety, but then again he was 'bad Stefan' and wouldn't admit it if asked.
"Okay, what game are you playing Klaus?' Damon asked as he eyed the thousand year old vampire. Klaus smirked and swiftly reached down, grabbed his glass, and chugged the whole thing.
"I'm not playing a game Damon, I'm simply answering Elena's question." Klaus' face seemed to turn to stone as he leaned back into the couch, toying with his empty glass before he rested it on the empty seat beside him. His arms then moved to rest on the top of the top couch cushions. Damon sighed as he leaned back into the couch, he would never admit it but he wanted to hear Klaus' answer almost as bad as Elena did.
"There was once this box of Kleenex I really love-" Klaus busted out laughing and shaking his head. Elena frowned realizing she had been played, and when she glanced up at Damon's face she knew he'd never let her hear the end of it. "And then I used on of the Kleenex's and I couldn't throw it away because I loved it so much," Klaus roared as he threw his head back. Damon grabbed Elena's forearm and pulled her up with him as he stood. He shook his head in disgust at Klaus as he turned to leave. Stefan simply stood up shrugged his shoulders and mumbled ass before he disappeared. "And once there was a bottle of sunscreen I couldn't live without, and then a piece of grass! A wade of chewed up bubble gum."
Elena growled as she mumbled, "I get your point Klaus."
"Do you Elena? Because you seem to cause a lot of problems for me," Klaus chuckled as he thought of other things he 'loved'. Klaus watched amusingly as Damon nearly dragged Elena out his front door. He waited until they were on the porch before speaking again.
"Oh and Elena, if you really want to know what I just can't live without-"she glanced over Damon's moving figure to take one last hopeful look at Klaus. "Stop by the local Wal-Mart and pick up a box of Kleenex and a pack of gum!" Elena's eyes filled with tears as she turned away from him. She felt like a fool for even thinking he would tell her the truth. She pulled away from Damon telling him she'd get home on her own. Damon must have been pissed enough at her, because he quickly agreed and then disappeared.
Elena stood there outside Klaus' house fibrously wiping her tears away. "Elena love," Klaus' voice broke through the sound of her sobs, "Why don't you come back inside and I'll tell you the truth." Elena could hear the smirk in his voice, but she couldn't help but feel the hope build back up in her heart. "And maybe I'll even tell you the story that goes along with it." Elena turned to face the smiling vampire. Elena deiced that when he smiled like this, she hated him less.
Elena wrapped her arms around her midsection and followed Klaus back into his house. She followed him back into the living room and took a seat on the couch that Damon and Stefan had occupied earlier. Klaus stood pouring himself a drink when he started talking. "Everyone you talk to will tell you it was Tatia, but she wasn't the only one." Elena tucked her leg underneath her butt as she watched Klaus talk. He looked like a little boy who was dying to tell his mom that he stole the last cookie.
"This girl was a force to be reckoned with," Klaus chuckled as he turned to face Elena. "She had long dark hair- kind of like yours but with light parts- like she had spent most of her life in the sun. Her nose was spotted with freckles that stretched across her checks and down her neck, covering her shoulders. She had the brightest bluest eyes I had ever seen. Her smile was toothy and sweet, deadly at times but sweet none the less. She was taller than most girls, with the body of a goddess, but that's my bias opinion." Elena couldn't believe the things she saw on Klaus' face as she watched him talk and take a seat in front of her. Love, longing, and even guilt. Klaus quickly swallowed all the contents of his glass before continuing.
"I should tell you how I met her," Elena nodded her head eagerly; she was going to get the information she needed.
"I was walking out of the library at University of Tampa when I saw her. She had her tan knees bent and her bare ankles crossed her bare feet spotted with freckles. A camera was shielding her face and she quickly zoomed in on me and snapped a picture. I remember watching her golden brown hair dance in the wind as she laughed and tossed her camera on the ground, the grass shielding it from my view. With her face clear and in eye range I stared at her. She was-" Elena giggled at Klaus' unmanly reaction to telling the story of a girl who was probably dead now. Klaus snapped his body up off the couch and up on the balls of his feet. His blue eyes narrowed and focused straight on her. Elena gulped and quickly pressed her back into the couch.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled looking away. Klaus sighed as he suddenly dropped back on the other couch. Elena relaxed slightly.
"It's alright she used to laugh at me too," shaking his head Klaus turned back to Elena. "You're probably thinking she was perfect, but she wasn't. For every angelic quality she eventually had a terrible demoniac one to go with it." Elena frowned slightly confused, causing Klaus to groan. "She was a vegetarian but she grew to enjoy doing terrible things to animals. Another example would be she would spend her Saturdays before and after we met, at the homeless shelter feeding them, and then she'd tell me which ones to eat because she feed them the best. All the time with a dimpled smile on her face, like it was nothing, life meant nothing to her."
"Wait, she didn't have any regard for human life? Even though she was a human?" Elena asked appalled by the idea that a girl just like her could tell her vampire boyfriend who was the best to eat for dessert.
Klaus smiled and shook his head. "I don't think that was it love, I think she was always testing me. You know to see what my limits were." Elena still didn't understand.
"She sounds-" Elena noticed Klaus' eyes narrow, which caused her to close her mouth quickly. Terrible Elena finished in her head.
"I already told you she was a force to be reckoned with. She could move mountains with a bat of her eye and could have a man begging her to kill him with one kiss. She was a demoniac angle. She was the definition of a contradiction. And I loved her for it. She understood my love for art, my love for getting what I want, and the need to protect family."
"She was what? Your other half?" Elena snorted not believing a word Klaus just said. She was just sure Klaus was playing her again.
"My other half?" Klaus sat quietly for a moment, "I never thought of it like that," that's when something hit Elena.
"She wasn't human," Klaus sighed shaking his head.
"She started out that way, yes. She was nothing but angelic then. But if you want to know anything else, you'll need to sleep." Klaus stood and disappeared from the room, when he came back he held a pillow in one hand and a blanket in the other. "But I'm not tired," Elena mumbled as she frowned more confused than ever about the monster who was in front of her.
"Elena quite looking at me like I killed your puppy," Klaus snapped. Elena shook her head slightly.
"I can't help it, you've killed people, my aunt-"Klaus cut her off as he chucked the pillow at her head. It her in the face and then trickled to the floor, landing with a soft thud.
"You don't think Stefan or Damon have killed someone else's aunt, uncle, sister, child? Do you really think that they only kill people who have no one to cry over? Or are you just that selfish to only hate those who harm you personally?" He asked as he handed her the soft blanket. "It was hers," and with that Klaus was gone leaving Elena confused in her own thoughts. She picked up the pillow and leaned it against the arm of the couch. She then slipped her shoes off and sat down. The blanket was warm and soft against her face as she settled herself into Klaus's couch. She never thought she'd be here, but she was, and now she was dying to know who this girl was. Because even despite everything Klaus said, this girl was the key to killing him, and Elena couldn't let the situation slip away from her.