A/N: So, I may have discovered One Direction. I sincerely apologise for my absence.

Disclaimer: I don't even own a GIF of Klefan to be honest.

Survive

"And then he gives me a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me."

- The Hunger Games

Stefan stared into deep blue eyes, breathing heavily, far too aware of his proximity to the blonde in front of him. He was broken out of his trance by blood running down his knuckles, across his fingertips and onto the cement below him.

Hissing, he stepped back from the district two tribute and brought his other hand up to brush over his wounded flesh. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't speak at all.

"You know, I didn't peg you as the quiet type."

Stefan had heard his voice before on the replay of district two's reaping but the slight inflection of an accent was something he hadn't noticed before and he wondered to himself if everyone from the district spoke that way – surely he would have heard it in someone else by now if they did.

"What do you want?" He managed to croak out lowly, taking another step back as the blonde stepped forward.

He looked at Stefan, considering for a moment before replying, "merely to introduce myself." As if Stefan would ever believe that. "The name's Klaus."

This time when he took another step forward, Stefan refused to budge and held his ground – an action that clearly amused the blonde career if the twinkle in his eye was anything to go by.

"I saw your reaping. I know who you are." The brunette held his chin up. Even if he wasn't going to ally with this 'Klaus' and his little group of careers, it wouldn't do to show fear. They may have been trained for this but with his bow and a good vantage point they couldn't stop an arrow through their neck.

"And I saw yours." The blonde replied simply, drawing Stefan's attention to his pink lips.

"What do you want?" Stefan ground out again, stepping forward himself this time into the other man's space.

Klaus merely smirked at him. "I told you already ripper, I want you." The blonde shifted his stance to back Stefan into the wall. The brunette's eyes darted back up to meet blue.

"Stefan?" Caroline's trembling voice croaked from the doorway and he jumped, shoving Klaus away from him forcefully and moving forward to meet her.

"Caroline, what are you doing up?" He asked quietly, putting himself between her and the career behind him.

"I couldn't sleep." She answered quietly and he reached up to brush her hair out of her face. He bit his lip, not quite knowing what to say. There was nothing that could make this better, or even any more bearable. He couldn't tell her it would all be ok, because it wouldn't.

"Hello sweetheart."

She looked to Klaus in interest as Stefan rolled his eyes. "Hi. I'm Caroline." She didn't back away as he stepped closer, Stefan could tell however that she was at least a little intimidated.

"Are you related to the president?" She blurted out suddenly and Stefan groaned mentally. Really Caroline?

The blonde's face darkened and his lips turned down into a scowl. "Yes love, unfortunately I am."

"But then why-" Stefan cut her off with a squeeze to her arm, hyper-aware of the other tribute's rapidly darkening mood.

"Perhaps you should go back to bed." He urged her with his eyes to just trust him on this one and for once, not ask questions.

Klaus' head tilted in surprise and he looked at Stefan with what seemed to be consideration.

"Alright, fine." Caroline huffed tiredly, squeezing his hand before disappearing through the door and back into the building.

He turned back to the other boy, taking in his jeans and sweater for the first time. He looked almost…nice – harmless – if you didn't catch the deadly gleam of his eyes that all careers seemed to come fitted with.

"Well she was lovely ripper-"

"Why are you calling me that?!" Stefan cut him off suddenly. What did that even mean?

The blonde looked surprised for a minute, before raising an eyebrow. "Everyone's calling you that. Your reaping caused quite a stir, Stefan."

Stefan huffed quietly, catching his bottom lip between his teeth. He walked to the edge of the roof, swinging himself up to perch on the overhang, legs dangling thirteen stories above the ground. What if the stir he'd caused had gotten Damon in trouble with their local peacekeepers? What if they were keeping an eye on him now and he couldn't hunt? He'd starve if he couldn't hunt. They didn't have income outside of the game they brought back.

Would he have to work in the mines? What if they were harsher on him because of what Stefan had done? He'd seen residents of his district whipped over looking at a peacekeeper the wrong way, had he condemned Damon to that now too?

He didn't even realise he was cold until the warm presence settled next to him. Did they not have any concept of personal space in District Two?

"Stop worrying about your brother."

Stefan's head shot up. How the hell…?

Klaus uncharacteristically rolled his eyes. "You bite your lip when you're concerned about something. It's your tell."

The fact that he'd figured Stefan out so thoroughly, studied him so well in such a short amount of time had alarm bells ringing in his head. It made him wary. Careers were skilled, something to be concerned about sure, but Klaus was on a whole other level. He was a predator.

"Oh come on, ripper." The blonde seemingly recognised where his thoughts were going. "You're not that hard to read!"

"I can't imagine how you must feel." Stefan can't help letting the words slip and flinches a little. The 'with your sister' goes unsaid.

Klaus shrugs noncommittally and as Stefan expected, remains silent.

"You should join us." He finally speaks. "Our alliance."

Stefan shakes his head immediately. "No."

Klaus sneers. "You're not going to get a better offer." And Stefan knows it's true. It's still better all the same if they didn't have any allies. That way they weren't waiting to get stabbed in the back.

"We don't need allies."

"Well you're certainly not helpless," the blonde eyes up Stefan's arms considering, "but you're not going to survive forever on your own."

Stefan scoffs, looking over at him. "Forever? You do realise that only one of us is getting out of this alive right?"

"And it's not going to be sweet Caroline." Klaus deflects and Stefan seriously considers shoving him off the edge of the roof, just for the fun of it. It's not like he would make it to the ground anyway, the invisible barriers would just send him flying back up. Couldn't have the tributes committing suicide before the arena now could they?

"Even if you can protect her all the way to the end, what are you going to do when it comes down to just the two of you?" Klaus kept pushing, following him as he stepped back onto the rooftop, walking back to the door.

"Are you going to let her kill you Stefan? Protect her the entire time and then hand her the win?" Klaus taunts him. "Maybe you'll kill yourself. Just to save her the guilt of running you through. Is that what you're planning Stefan?"

Stefan snarls, whirling around. "No!"

Klaus is smirking. "No what? What are you going to do, ripper?"

"I'm going home." He hisses quietly. He's going home to his brother, to his friends. He's going to win, no matter what the cost because he has too much to lose.

Klaus' smirk pulls up a little more until he can see gleaming, white teeth. "Good answer." And all of a sudden Klaus' mouth is near his ear whispering, "think about my offer Stefan."

And then he's gone, stairwell door slamming shut behind him.

Stefan groans, running a hand over his face. He turns to follow knowing he's probably only got another five hours, max, before he has to be up and in the training centre. Life is full of joys.

"Look, we already talked about this Caroline!" He growls frustrated. "And this is not a debate we should be having here."

Her blonde hair whips around her shoulders as she leaps to her feet, discarding the rope she'd held in her hands. "When then Stefan? When will someone finally listen to me and my opinions?" She snarls. "It's my life on the line here too, not just yours!"

"I know that Caroline," he hisses, drawing her close with a too-tight grip around her wrist. "But this isn't the place, or time." His eyes dart around warily, taking in the few tributes around them who were graced with inquisitive expressions. Luckily they were the only ones present at the knot tying station, but there was always someone close by. They didn't need to be seen as divided.

"They offered us an alliance Stefan!" She hisses, "we should take it!"

"What happens when they stab us in the back Care? What then?"

Her eyes are glowing with fury. "We're going to die anyway Stefan!" She spits, "we may as well spend our last days with them!"

He felt pity for her, but there was a difference between them. Caroline knew that she was going to die and she accepted that fact, but Stefan…Stefan had a chance and he knew it and he'd be damned if he didn't take it.

"You like him…" She trailed off quietly and Stefan inwardly groaned. She was trying to manipulate him into getting her way, he was sure of it and it was all because of that damn blonde tribute from district two.

"I don't know him." He stated coldly, "and I never will."

And with that he turned and stalked out of the room, leaving Caroline on her own to train. It wasn't as if the tributes could touch her here anyway – if she wanted to make friends then fine, let her – it was her own death she was walking into anyway.

He'd barely made it three steps out of the training centre before he was pulled sharply to the side by his arm and tugged into a dark room, door slamming shut behind him.

Turning, he snarled, shoving at the body next to him and waiting for his eyes to adjust to the low light.

"Easy ripper." A hand remained on his chest, resting over his furiously pounding heart.

"What do you want now?" Stefan hissed out angrily, blood pressure rising. At this point he'd be glad to get into the games and kill something just to relive some stress. Immediately he felt bad for thinking it, but that still didn't help his attitude in the slightest.

"Are we going to do this again?" Klaus sighed and Stefan's eyes finally adjusted to meet azure.

"Why are you so intent on me joining you?" He questioned and rightfully so. He wasn't anything particularly special – not a career, not overly strong or good at fighting. No one had seen his skills with a bow or knives yet, so what was it? Why was Niklaus Mikaelson so interested in him?

"You make it so hard Stefan." He answered coldly, dropping his hand. "Why can't you just accept that I want you and leave it at that?"

"Because it doesn't make any sense!" He protested, taking a step forward. "Which is exactly why I can't trust you."

Klaus raised an eyebrow, moving right into Stefan's personal space. "Just. Say. Yes."

"No." Stefan snorted, shrugging and leaning back against the wall. Klaus' arms came up to rest on either side of his head, blocking him in and Stefan's heart began to pound with adrenaline. "Why are you wasting so much time chasing me?" Even as he asked the question his mind was racing, fight or flight flickering in the forefront of his thoughts.

He jumped startled when he looked up to meet Klaus' eyes. He screwed his own shut for a second, before blinking and opening them to look again. He could have sworn…

"It's simple Stefan. I want you and you want me."

"No," the brunette growled, "I don't."

Klaus leaned down then, his voice a low whisper in Stefan's ear. "You're lying ripper."

"I'm not!" The protest sounded weak, even to his own ears but he needed to at least attempt to defend himself.

"Your heart is beating a hundred miles a minute Stefan. You're lying." He felt the blonde's soft lips on his throat then, over his pulse and it was all Stefan could do to keep breathing.

"Klaus…" He groaned out quietly, answered by a soft hum he could feel in his veins.

"Don't worry ripper. We have a few more days. I'm sure I can change your mind." And with that, he was gone. As if he were never there in the first place, the only evidence was the rapid beating of Stefan's heart against his ribcage like a frightened bird.

He was in far too deep already.

He takes the elevator back up, because while he'd like to clear his head, eleven flights of stairs is a little excessive and when he reaches their floor Alaric is waiting with an angry Caroline by his side.

"Where have you been?!" She shrieks and he covers his ears a little, eyes widening at the decibel.

"Caroline!" He yells, glaring at her. What was she going to air their dirty laundry to the rest of the tributes anyway? The capitol had some fancy things but he wasn't sure the soundproof rooms were one of them.

Alaric sighed, running a hand over his face. Stefan really pitied him to be honest, they were probably the worst pair of tributes he'd ever had.

"Look. I'm not attempting to take sides in this, but the answer is no Caroline. It's just not a good idea!" Alaric looked exasperated and Stefan threw his hands in the air.

"See!" He jabbed a finger in Ric's direction.

"Look, my job is to make sure that you both survive as long as possible," he turned to an upset Caroline, taking her hand. "You have to let me do that."

Stefan couldn't help but sigh as she crumpled into their mentor's arms. This was taking a bigger toll on her than he expected. He couldn't help but wonder once again how Damon was doing.

"I'm going out for some fresh air," he announced, even though he'd only just returned to the apartment. He slipped out the door breathing a heavy sigh. He just couldn't deal with Caroline, with all her emotions – he was having a hard enough time keeping his own head on straight at the moment, let alone dealing with hers.

He shouldn't have been surprised when he got up to the roof only to find it already occupied. Shouldn't have been…but was – at least it wasn't Klaus this time, though he supposed it wasn't that much better.

"I heard you denied my brother." She called out without so much as turning around. How did she even know it was him? "Come, sit with me Stefan." She didn't give him a chance to escape back into the stairwell.

He was resigned at this point to never getting another moment alone and he rolled his eyes, moving to the edge of the roof to join her, swinging his legs over the ledge in a manner reminiscent of his position with her brother the night before.

"It's Rebekah, right?" He asked needlessly, receiving a quiet nod in return.

"And you're the infamous Stefan Salvatore." She finally replied, the corner of her mouth turning up in a smirk.

"Infamous?" He questioned sardonically. "Hardly."

She shook her head. "Well Klaus hasn't stopped talking about you."

He grimaced at the image that produced in his mind. He couldn't picture Klaus ever talking about someone, certainly not to the extent or in the manner that she was implying.

"You're lying." He threw out, though he knew at once his words had no effect on her.

"No," she considered him for a moment. "I'm not. He wants you Stefan Salvatore."

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise at that statement. Her words felt loaded; like she wasn't just talking about an alliance in the Hunger Games and his brow furrowed, thinking back to his encounter with Klaus not even an hour previous.

It made sense, he supposed with the way the blonde was acting, that Klaus did want him in more than one way. You then had to put it in context though – they were tributes in the Hunger Games – they were eventually going to die, or at least one of them would. Probably him, because Klaus was definitely far more dangerous than Stefan, that much he could admit to himself.

"Stop thinking so loud!" Rebekah complained next to him, reaching out to hit him solidly in the arm. He found it a little charming he supposed, that she was brave enough to do such a thing considering the position they were in. He remembered who she was then but, and realised he wasn't much to be afraid of.

She was Niklaus' sister – she wasn't going to be scared of him and he ignored the little voice in his head telling him she should be.

"What do you want?" He asked quietly, raising his head to look at her.

"I want you to give in," she smiled at him radiantly and he couldn't help but compare her to her sibling. He could see the resemblance of course but she just wasn't…as captivating as her brother was. It was at that point Stefan realised he was sailing into treacherous waters.

"I can't." He answered strongly. "I don't trust him."

"You will." She said quietly, "eventually." The small smile never left her face.

"I don't understand." He responded bluntly, beyond confused with the turn this conversation had taken. There wasn't an 'eventually' for them, that was the whole point.

"Not everything is as it seems Stefan." With that, she pulled herself effortlessly back over the ledge and onto solid ground, beginning to stride away from him.

"Wait!" He called out loudly, halting her in her tracks. "Explain this to me!" He called angrily. "I don't understand!"

"I know you don't." She turned, "and you won't. Not until it's time." She looked him in the eye seriously. "You need to trust us. Trust him."

He growled low in his throat, hands curling into fists at his sides. "You're asking for too much." You're asking me to have faith in you when I don't even know you, when you're only going to kill me in the end, he thinks furiously.

"I can't make this any clearer for you Stefan." Her tone was so honest he almost wanted to take a step back. "You hold the cards here, even if it doesn't seem like it." Her smile had finally disappeared. "The question here is do you want him?"

"What?" He frowned, stepping closer.

"Do you want him?" She ground out simply and his stomach turned over. Did he want him? Did he want Niklaus? Especially in the manner she was implying – her expression leaving no room for confusion.

"I-…" He stuttered, mouth dry. He'd only met Klaus what, twice now? And already he could feel some sort of magnetic pull, calling out to him, dragging him toward the career even as he was fighting it tooth and nail. A deadly attraction in every sense.

"There's no need to be afraid," she said softly, smiling.

He immediately protested, "I'm not-!"

"You wear your heart on your sleeve, Stefan." Rebekah cut him off, chuckling softly and pulling her hair away from her face.

"He won't give up." She stated, noting the snarl that had graced his lips. "He never gives up, not until he gets what he wants."

"Well it won't matter if I'm dead." He mumbles angrily, running a hand through his hair. He's tired, just tired of everything.

She chuckled again, shaking her head. "Oh Stefan. You really think he's going to let you die?"

He frowned at her cryptic statement. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"I'll see you tomorrow, Stefan." She waved with one hand and opened the door in order to take the stairs, "good luck in your private session. I bet you score high." She winked over her shoulder and with that she was gone.

He was left open mouthed on the roof once again wondering what the hell is going on.

A/N: So yes, I am back. I have missed you my dear Klefan-ites. Basically I came back from a month abroad and went straight into hospital for surgery -nothing major! All is well now! But in my downtime I also discovered new fandoms, such as One Direction. And Teen Wolf. Which have had me so enamoured I don't know which way is up and have got me writing RPF of all things, erck!
Anyway, enough from me, how have you all been? Missed me? Ready for season four?