CHAPTER TWO

June 26, 2013

Alexandra jumped as a loud knock reverberated throughout her apartment. Her book fell to the ground and she sighed, muttering unhappily about losing her place. She lazily pushed herself off the couch and walked slowly towards the front door. Before she made it, another knock disturbed her ears. It was louder, accompanied by two other whacks on the door. When she opened the door, she rolled her eyes at the sight before her.

"You know," she said, "one knock is just as sufficient as 4."

"Why does it look like you're about to go to bed?" Klaus raised an eyebrow at Alexandra, and she just shrugged her shoulders in response.

"Because sleeping is more interesting than looking at you," she bit back, sending him a sweet smile to juxtapose her words.

"It's seven thirty." His words were laced with irritation and disbelief. Alexandra shrugged her shoulders, the innocent smile never leaving her face. "You promised me dinner and a name." Klaus looked at her expectantly, but she just smirked in response.

"If that were true, you'd have dinner, a name, and a headache." She tightened her smile, growing sick of their banter. "Right now though, I have a book that misses me too much to be left alone. You know what books are like. Toodeloo!" Alexandra tried to shut the door on him again, much like she had that afternoon, but she couldn't. He'd stuck his foot in between the door, ensuring that it wouldn't close.

Alexandra frowned, raising her foot and bringing it down on his Italian leather shoes with full force. He responded only by pulling the door open again, and Alexandra realised that he was stronger than her. He was probably just like her.

"Oh hell," she glared at him. "I thought you were human."

"Original, sweetheart. You've probably heard about me. Now I was promised dinner and a name, so let's go." He grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door.

"I'm in my pajamas!" Alexandra protested. Klaus just shrugged, not caring about her petty concerns. When they were out on the street, she decided to speak again. "I'll scream." She glared up at him but he just shrugged again.

"I'll kill anyone who hears you."

Alexandra sighed, running to catch up with him so it was less like he was dragging her. "How charming. How many women has that line got you?"

"None."

Alexandra poked her tongue out at him childishly, unsurprised that his collecting-women strategy had never worked for him in the past.

"But then, only one woman ever mattered to me." Klaus frowned. He didn't want to think about the woman he'd promised to stay away from.

"Please tell me that's not me. I'll kill myself," Alexandra groaned.

"No it's not you, you insufferable woman. I'm here on behalf of Stefan."

Alexandra's eyes widened at the name. She didn't reply.

"Finally," she thought she heard Klaus mutter, but she didn't respond, too caught in her own world to register the present situation.

She hadn't heard from Stefan in years — hadn't even thought of him — and now… "How is he?" Alexandra asked timidly.

"Who, love? Our mutual ripper friend? Fine, I'd say, although he did recently lose the love of his life." Klaus smirked, obviously unaffected by the news. "Want to see him?"

"Not if it means I have to spend one more minute with you, love." Alexandra smiled sweetly at him, signifying the return of her hard façade. She wrenched her arm from Klaus' grip and walked confidently beside him, showing that she still had some form of control over the situation.

"No need to be rude, Alexandria, sweetheart. You might hurt my feelings." Klaus grinned at her and she gaped at him.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, stupidly. No one had called her Alexandria in years. She hadn't even told him that her name started with an A.

"Oh but I told you, love. Stefan sent me. Shall we go in here?" He gestured towards an empty coffee shop and Alexandra nodded, dumbfounded. "Two Moroccan hot chocolates." He nodded at the girl behind the counter as she took the order down and busied herself with Klaus' request.

"That's a little creepy, Klaus," Alexandra quipped. She didn't understand how he knew that she didn't drink coffee, or how he knew she loved chocolate, or how he'd known where to find her. Even if Stefan had sent him, she couldn't imagine her former best friend leaving Klaus with any information other than her name. Stefan hadn't even known that she was living in New York.

"Сталкер." Alexandra spoke the word and winked at Klaus but he only glared back. "If you don't appreciate my humour, that's your loss." She shrugged her shoulders at him, but he opted to stare out the shop window instead of looking at her.

"It's dark out," Alexandra observed. "What about that window is so interesting to you?"

"Of course it's dark," Klaus replied in monotone. "It's already 8:15."

Alexandra rolled her eyes. The two of them were stating facts at each other. This was hardly a useful way to spend her evening. "Rather than giving me updates on the time, could you tell me why you're here?" She tilted her head forward, tired of the game they'd been playing for the past hour.

"I told you, love. I'm here for Stefan."

Alexandra sighed. "Thank you for telling me that three times. Now, you're going to tell me a fourth time and you're going to be explicit about it. Enough implications. What does he need?"

"He was right, Alexandria. You are a pushy one." Alexandra fought the urge to kick Klaus under the table.

"My name is Alexandra," she spat. "Why are you here?"

"Stefan's going through a bit of a rough time at the moment." Klaus looked up as though he was severely bored with the conversation. "I need him for a job up in New Orleans but he's too mopey to be of any use. I'd appreciate it if you could travel down to Mystic Falls and give him a push in the right direction, Alexandra. You know how irritating Stefan can be when he's brooding."

"Stefan's issues aren't my business anymore." She raised both eyebrows at Klaus, adamantly refusing to give in to his wishes.

"Would his issues be of interest to you on pain of death?"

"And he sent you to deliver a death threat?"

"Whoever said he sent me? He told me about you a long time ago. Think 1926." Klaus grinned.

"I'm not afraid of dying." Alexandra crossed her arms, unafraid of the original hybrid in front of her.

"No, love, I can see that." Klaus frowned, pausing for a moment before he continued in his speech. "I meant on pain of Damon's death. Fix Stefan for me, or his brother dies. And then I'll take his girlfriend." Klaus laughed before correcting himself. "Ex-girlfriend. And then I'll take his last remaining family members. And his pretty little friends too. Finally, I'll get rid of you. Imagine how poor little Stef would deal with that."

"He wouldn't," Alexandra realised. If Klaus followed through with his threat, Stefan wouldn't make it past his brother's death. No matter how strong he showed himself to be, he would never be strong enough to survive that.

"You have two months, or you'll have a few disappearances on your hands. See you then."

Klaus was gone before the hot chocolates even made it to the table.