Something Wicked 4

A/N: I make no money off this story. The Vampire Diaries does not belong to me; rights belong to the CW, LJ Smith, Julie Plec, and any other original owners.
I have no beta, and I wrote this on my phone, so please be forgiving about the minor errors. Please review and enjoy.

Chapter 4: What We've Become

"I never wanted you to see the darkest part of me. I knew you'd run away. I waited, but you never came. So afraid to be alone; I tried to let you go. Still I find you lost inside the darkest part of me." -Red

*Warning: Adult scenes toward the end of the chapter. Rating has been changed to M.

Previously... Klaus hums with a cold smile before he and the unconscious Damon slung over his shoulder disappear. They leave Stefan bloody, alone, and defeated.
After Elena greets everyone, and they wait for Alaric and her brother to arrive, she gives hugs and reassurances before asking Caroline for a phone charger. Not long after the screen bursts back into life, her phone chirps. She desperately hopes it's Stefan, telling her that he's on his way back with Damon. That they're safe.
It isn't a text from Stefan.
You made a deal. You have exactly 12 hours to return to me before your boyfriend is much less of the man you remember. Tick tock, my sweet Elena. I'll so enjoy ripping his heart out, however, should you decide not to heed me.
She drops her phone to the floor as though it's burned her, a dry sob bubbling up through her lips.

Bonnie is still staring at the text on Elena's phone when she sighs heavily, "I know what you are going to try to do, Elena. But first, I need you to just listen to me. Just for a few minutes. Please."

Elena hesitates, but nods. "But I can't wait too long. Klaus will kill him," she murmurs sadly. Stefan has yet to return. Elena is nervous that Klaus may have just staked him for good measure.

"I don't think so," Alaric says softly from the doorway. He looks as though he hasn't slept in a few days. "Why would Klaus even take Damon in the first place? He wants him for something, Elena. I'm sure of it."

Elena's small, sad smile is watery in her tears as she says, "I think I'm the reason," she whispers. "Klaus took him because I… Because I…"

"Love him?" comes Stefan's voice from behind Alaric. The former appears in the doorway beside the history teacher, looking even worse for wear than Ric. "It's alright to say aloud, Elena; we all know it already." He tries to smile slightly, but it's more of a grimace.

Elena nods absently, "Are you alright?"

"Not really," he sighs. Then, amends, "I'll be fine, but," his face crumples, "Klaus took him, Elena. I couldn't-"

Elena offers her phone for Stefan to take. "We know," she says softly. "We don't blame you," she adds at the look on his face.

Alaric is quick to agree, "Seriously. You faced an Original alone. You're lucky to be alive, frankly."

Neither of these sentiments seem to comfort him much as his eyes flick across her phone screen. His frown grows. "Twelve hours is something," he thinks aloud. "That gives us a small window of time to come up with a plan." He begins to pace, and Elena's heart clenches as she's reminded so of his brother. "Elena," he eventually says, "you should text Klaus asking for a meeting location. Don't tell him anything else, though."

She nods, and taps the message out on the phone before turning it over in her hand to let the others approve what she's written. It's a simple message, only takes up a line and a half in the text box. Stefan nods, shrugs slightly, and she hits send. She feels queasy and guilty.

It only takes a moment for the reply to ping in. The Quarry. Don't be late.

Elena swallows thickly and reads it aloud. "That's better than Wickery Bridge, right?" Matt says quietly.

Elena nods, but gazes toward the door. "Where's Jeremy?" she asks, suddenly wanting to hug him desperately.

"On his way," Bonnie says swiftly, noting that Elena is close to tears again. "He'll be here any minute." Bonnie throws a pointed glance at an uncharacteristically quiet Caroline, trying to encourage some positivity from the blonde. "Stefan," she says quietly as Caroline takes the hint, moves to hug Elena, and begins whispering what she hopes are encouraging words in her ear, "could I talk to you for a moment?"

He nods, and she leads them out into the hall, trying to get out of earshot. Though she knows that with a vampire in the room, she had still better whisper. "There's something you should know," she says quietly. "The poison, from Damon's blood, that I removed days ago. I," she falters for a moment. "I performed a spell, to try to determine its source. And, well," she hands him a scrap of paper with what they both recognize to be a cave drawing.

"But this is-" Stefan exclaims.

"Yes," Bonnie cuts him off in a whisper, tapping her ear and glancing in the direction of the room they've come from. "Hybrid."

"Does that mean…"

"That maybe Klaus didn't just happen to hear about Damon's condition? The perhaps that he was behind the poisoning all along?" Bonnie shrugs. "Would've been convenient for him, don't you think?"

Stefan swears softly, and gazes at the opposite wall, his eyes glazing gently in thought. "Yes," he agrees at last. "Yes, I do think so." He frowns, deeply disturbed by this. How could he have missed that. Of course Klaus had been behind it all along. "He sweeps in with a 'miracle' cure and wins Elena and Damon in one fell swoop." His hand clenches in anger, crumpling the drawing.

Bonnie sighs, "I haven't told Elena yet." Stefan nods absently, and Bonnie isn't sure he's really even listening until she says in a low voice, "There's just one thing I can't quite figure out, however." The vampire looks to her again. "Why? Why did he go to all the trouble?"

Stefan considers this. "Why, indeed," he murmurs.

...

Pain. A world of it. He's fairly certain he hasn't done much to deserve the pain he's currently in, but he can't quite remember where he is or where he was before this. Damon groans aloud and attempts opening his eyes. He understands before he does so that it isn't perhaps the wisest decision he'll ever make. The room tilts and spins in his blurry vision. He recognizes the after-effects of vervain, and if he really tries, he could start counting broken bones. He doesn't get a chance to, however.
"You're conscious, excellent. Now the real fun can begin."
"Kindly remind me what I did to piss you off this time?"
Klaus offers him a wolfish smile. "You? Surprisingly little, all things considered. Though I'm sure I somehow have you to thank for Elena's latest disappearing act."
"No idea what you're talking about," Damon states without missing a beat. He coughs, his lungs are having some trouble filling with air around the blood that's slowly filling them. "Care to tell me why my organs are rearranged then?"
"A demonstration, Damon. Honestly, you act as though you have no idea how much pain encourages the cooperation of others."
Damon spits a mouthful of blood onto the floor between them. "How effective can this demonstration really be when we're alone?" His vision blanks out occasionally, but he is fairly sure no one else is in the room with them.
"Damon, mate, you're missing the point."
"Yes, well, that happens sometimes when you have more broken bones than unbroken ones."
"Right," Klaus chuckles. "I am sorry about that, as I really felt we've grown closer over the past few days. However, I need doppelganger bait, and you happen to be the latest model."
"Lucky me," Damon deadpans.
Klaus pulls a particularly long blade from the table behind him. "Our little doppelganger only has three hours left on her time limit. I'm just going to give her a little incentive," he says by way of explanation, and then the long dagger is up to its hilt inside Damon's chest. "This might sting a little." He says lightly as he jerks it to the left.
A gasp of pain is torn from Damon's lips as blackness floats over his vision. He tries to say something, but it's lost on the blood that bubbles up and out instead. "Smile for the camera now," is the last thing Damon remembers hearing before the pain and everything else vanishes as he plummets into unconsciousness.

...

When Stefan and Bonnie return to the group, some time later, Jeremy is on their heels, eager to see that his sister is alright with his own eyes. Her face lights up when she sees him, and she runs to throw her arms around him. They embrace for a while, and when they finally break apart, both a bit tearful, they all silently decide that it's time now for strategy.
"What if we bargain Damon for Rebecka?" Elena says first. "Isn't she daggered in the basement?"
Stefan nods, shrugs, "More or less."
"I'm thinking unleashing a second pissed-off Original isn't really going to help us all that much," Alaric mutters.
"What choice do we have?" Stefan asks. "We can't let Elena anywhere near Klaus. He'll take her away faster than any of us can blink."
Bonnie stares intently into the fire. "I might have a plan to get Damon away from Klaus." She sighs, "I can't guarantee it'll work, though."
As Bonnie explains the complications of the plan she has half-formed, Elena's phone chirps again. She swallows thickly. "It's probably Klaus," she whispers. "We're running out of time."
Stefan wordlessly takes her phone, swiping the unlock code and opening the message. The look on his face is more than Elena needs to confirm it is indeed from the Original. He winces and closes his eyes as he turns his head sharply to the left. Ric glances around Stefan's shoulders to see for himself before gasping out a few expletives. Elena takes her phone, but she isn't sure she really wants to read whatever the text says. Both Stefan and Alaric protest, but she can't manage to keep her eyes away. There, in full color HD, is Damon. Only, there's more blood outside of him than there must be in him, and his eyes are dim, his expression slack. Elena swallows at the bile rising up in her throat. "I-I-I have to... I have to go, now." She clicks the screen back to black, and turns for the front door of the safe house. "I can't let Klaus hurt him anymore... Especially not because of me."
"That's exactly what he wants!" Bonnie exclaims. "You can't just walk back into his trap!"
"He's going to kill Damon if I don't!" Elena turns back to exclaim. "What else am I supposed to do?!" She takes a few steps toward the front hall. "I can't let him die. I never should've left him there alone."
"Elena, we all care about Damon, but," Alaric falters. "But think about what will happen to you if you do this. You're 18 years old; you have your entire life ahead of you. Damon has lived for over a century and a half, and I know he would gladly, without any regrets, die so that you can be free."
A tear slips silently down her cheek, "But what is a life without love?" She whispers, tugging her arms through the sleeves of her coat. It's difficult to tap out a message to Klaus through her tears, but she manages.

I'm ready. Please don't hurt him anymore.

...

As Damon's body slackens entirely, Klaus pulls free the knife, and hits send on the text to Elena. His smirk drops from his face. There's something about this vampire bleeding out before him that makes him feel… nostalgic. It irritates him to no end. If he wanted nostalgia, he'd go undagger his insufferable brother, Elijah. Still, he can't help but feel a somewhat kindred spirit in Damon. Perhaps that's why it angers him so to see just exactly the lengths Elena will go to just to save his life. The villain of the story wasn't supposed to fall in love with the heroine. And even if they did, said heroine definitely was not supposed to love them back. Damon, though, he is the exception to the rule, somehow. Klaus intends to figure out exactly why.

When his phone finally vibrates, hours later, the Original Hybrid can't help but smile. It's all just almost too easy.
Reentering the room Damon is strung up in, he moves to tap two fingers against Damon's cheek, "Come now, mate," he says, "We've got a date with our doppelganger."
Damon groans, his eyelids fluttering as he tries desperately to stay in the blissful unconsciousness. He nearly succeeds. He groans again. "Can't you just, I don't know, leave her alone?"
"It's as though you enjoy being intentionally thick."
"It's not like she'll run," Damon argues weakly. He knows this is all rather pointless.
"Like Katerina, you mean," Klaus nods sagely. "Perhaps I've grown bored of this silly, little town."
Damon coughs. "Imagine that."
Klaus frowns at him, considering something behind his sharp, hazel eyes. Regardless of what Stefan, Damon, or any member of their rag-tag band of misfits might think of him, Klaus understands Damon and what motivates him because he can see himself reflected in the darker features of the older Salvatore brother. He isn't a fool. He can see the unconditional and non eclipsed love Damon has for Elena. He recognizes it because the same unending affection once flickered in his own eyes, so very long ago. He knows the other man will go to any lengths to protect both Elena and his brother. So, it with some ease and confidence that the words fall from his lips, binding Damon to his will. "Tonight, during the exchange, you will not speak directly to Elena or Stefan, not one single word. If Stefan doesn't try anything stupid, he might just live through this. I've been remarkably patient and merciful with you all for some time now. My patience is wearing thin."

Klaus nods, satisfied, as Damon sags against his bonds again, the fight fading slightly from his tired eyes. It's in that moment that Klaus realizes the vampire is looking alarmingly grey. He sighs, "Well, this just won't do, will it?" He bites swiftly into his wrist and forcing it to Damon's mouth. "Drink your fill, mate. You aren't looking so fantastic. But be quick about it, will you? We're in a bit of a hurry."

Damon isn't sure he could've refused, even if Klaus hadn't given him a direct order. Certain he was only a few minutes from passing out again, his hunger urges him to drink deeply. The veins underneath his eyes slither to life, his irises darken and become surrounded in red. He gives a throaty moan against his will. He was so damn hungry. Klaus pulls his wrist away before Damon lets it go, causing a stream of blood to drip down his chin. He smirks humorlessly, showing off one fang as he does so.

"On your feet," Klaus growls, releasing the vervain ropes holding Damon. "Wouldn't want to miss our late-night date with the fair Miss Elena now, would we?"

...
Damon rides shotgun on the drive to the quarry. Though he's full of Klaus's blood and his wounds have all healed completely, he feels worse than he did previously. Knowing Elena, all his efforts for her escape will have been entirely for naught. He can only hope that between the witch and his brother, someone will stop her from handing herself back over to Klaus. Though, he admits silently to himself, Elena is too noble and self-sacrificing to let anyone else be harmed by Klaus if she can prevent it.

Their car trip is fulfilled in silence; Damon is too preoccupied with trying to create a plan to keep Elena safe to pay much attention to the smug satisfaction that oozes out of the Hybrid to his left. As they pull to a stop thirty feet from the water's edge, Damon watches the darkness intently. Either they're early, or Stefan managed to stop Elena from making this mistake. Klaus climbs from the car without a word, and Damon follows suit, equally quiet. Though he appears relaxed as he leans back against the flawless, black paint-job, crossing one ankle over the other, Damon's anxiety ramps up a notch when his sensitive ears pick up light, though hurried, footfalls in the wooded area on the opposite side of the water.

"It sounds as though our guest of honor is approaching," Klaus says lightly with a wicked smile.

Damon shrugs, doing his level best to seem uninterested. Inwardly, he's still hoping for a miracle via Saint Stefan. "Not if she's smart," he says off handedly. Klaus shoots him a look that clearly states he ought to cease talking, but then again, Damon never really enjoyed following the rules. "Maybe she pulled a Katherine and ran for the hills."

"Let's hope your sake she made the wiser choice."

Damon hums indifferently. Frankly, running as fast and as far as possible probably is the wisest choice Elena could make, for her sake at least. His opinion doesn't seem to matter much, however, for at that moment, a figure emerges from the treeline. Damon's hope flickers out. He could recognize her anywhere, and he is certain it is Elena that stands a hundred yards from them now.

She does her best to be brave, not to allow her heart to thunder in her ears. Seeing Klaus again, however, with Damon looking whole and healthy nearby him, causes her pulse to jump and quicken. Perhaps she was wrong, and the Original never actually meant to kill Damon at all. Maybe it really was all a trap for her excessively guilty tendencies. She sighs, still relieved that Damon is alright, despite the fact that he clearly wasn't whenever that awful picture was taken. She tries not to think about it, which proves difficult as it's burned into the back of her eyelids. "Klaus," she says. "I'm here. You'll let Damon go?"

Klaus chuckles, "That was never the deal, my dear doppelganger. He's alive, and that's all I ever promised you."

She frowns. It'll have to do. For now. "Fine," she agrees with some anger coloring her tone. "At least promise me you'll leave everyone else I care about alone."

"All in good time," he says, the smile yet to slip from his lips.

She takes a few steps toward them when suddenly, someone strong grabs her from behind. She's just about to scream, when she recognizes Stefan's voice. "Not so fast, Klaus. I've got a new deal for you." Before Elena or anyone else can speak, he's torn open his wrist and forced it to Elena's mouth. "Drink," he breathes in her ear. "Please. Trust me." When she swallows twice, he looks up at Klaus again. "If you'd like to make any more hybrids, I'd recommend releasing Damon."

Stefan's brother has gotten to his feet from where he had been casually leaning, suddenly alert and smirking. Perhaps he shouldn't have lost faith in his brother so soon, after all. Klaus, however, is no longer smiling. His face has contorted in rage. "This is very unwise," Klaus tells Stefan, the only warning he's willing to give.

Stefan shakes his head, "I'll even sweeten the deal. I'll tell you where Rebekah's daggered."

This sets off the Original. He roars in anger, suddenly gripping the collar of Damon's expensive shirt. "Where's my sister? Do not lie to me, Salvatore."

Damon smiles, "She was in the basement room of the Boarding House, but I'm positive my brother moved her somewhere I don't know about."

Klaus grips his shirt tighter, tearing holes in the fabric where his claws are. He looks back across the clearing, "Tell me where she is, Stefan!"

"Not until you let Damon free of your bond."

Klaus laughs now, humorless and hateful. "Doesn't work that way, mate. There isn't a cure for the loyalty Damon feels for me. Unless, of course, you count a stake." He pulls just such an item from his inner coat pocket. "I have eternity to search for Bekah, you have exactly two seconds to tell me where she is before I end your brother's bond with me for good." He poises the sharpened wood against the fabric covering Damon's chest.
Klaus smiles widely, turning to Damon, "Are there any last words you wish to say to Stefan?"
Damon closes his eyes, his head tilting to one side slightly, "No," he sighs in defeat, because there most certainly is. However, Klaus's will denies him the ability to speak directly to his brother.
"Damon!" Stefan cries, watching his brother closely, his arms tightening around Elena. "If you kill him, I'll drop her body into the Atlantic after I turn Elena."
Damon smirks, addresses the Original instead. "Klaus," he says, the snark returning to his tone slightly. "Clearly, we're at an impasse. Unless you want a second vampire doppelganger, this is pointless."
Klaus pretends to ponder this for all of four seconds before he gives up on the stake altogether and he shoves his hand into Damon's chest instead. "Or, perhaps, I'll get straight to the point, as apparently I've been unsuccessful in making myself clear." Curling his fingers around Damon's heart, and drawing an agonized groan from him, Klaus flicks his head back in Stefan's direction. "You can keep the girl, mate, and my sister's whereabouts, or your brother can keep his heart. Your choice."
"Do... it," Damon gasps. "Do it, Klaus!" He tries not to breathe anymore than absolutely necessary to speak as the movement of his chest rising and falling sparks agony where Klaus's hand is buried. "I'll call your... bluff, even if... Stefan won't."
The Original laughs, "You think I won't kill you right here?"
Damon shakes his head defiantly, gasping out, "No more leverage." Still, despite all his bravado, he flinches violently when Klaus clenches his heart painfully.

A cry falls from Damon's lips, just before Elena screams, "No! Stefan, let me go! Damon!" She's fighting against Stefan's somewhat slackened hold on her, her movements panicked and rather ineffectual.
"One move," Klaus hisses. "And you're dead."
Damon can't draw a breath anymore, but he hopes his eyes tell Klaus what he can't. Go ahead. He's lost it all already. Klaus doesn't get the chance, however, whether he understood Damon's unspoken meaning or not. Stefan has released Elena. She's stumbling toward them, ever closer to her cruel fate. Damon can't allow this.
He knows precisely what he must do now. He meets his brother's eyes with resolution, nods to him, just before he places both of his hands against Klaus's chest. He shoves off, tearing Klaus's hand from his chest before anyone can speak. He slumps backward, landing particularly hard as the world greys out and fades all around him. He can hear Klaus's laughter, Stefan's rage, Elena's sorrow. None of it matters anymore, not to him. If he's saved Elena from a fate so alike his own, he can die happy and without many regrets. He allows the darkness to overtake him, not that he ever had much choice in the matter.
Elena is screaming, running toward Damon's body, which has slumped backwards, one of his hands falling outstretched in her direction, almost reaching for her. Stefan recovers faster than she does, however. He's pulling her backwards, his body shaking as much as Elena's is. Klaus is still laughing. "So dramatic, that one," he says, seeming to be in a better mood suddenly. "He could give Elijah a run for his money with that. Noble sacrifice, indeed." He laughs again. "It was a good effort; I believe we can all agree on that." He leaves Damon where he is, approaching the other two at a casual pace. "You may join us, as well, you know," Klaus murmurs to Stefan after many quiet moments.
Stefan's watery eyes are watching Klaus carefully. It's then that he notices what both he and Elena had originally missed. Klaus's hand is bloody and dripping, but it's empty of Damon's heart. "You didn't kill him," he breathes.
"Of course not," Klaus scoffs. "Why would I, when there're much less wasteful ways to get Elena to come along?" He sighs, put upon. "Now, where is Rebekah?"

"If you take Damon and Elena, you'll never know."

Klaus nods, humoring Stefan for the moment. "Well," he replies, "Unfortunately for both you and my sister, Elena is more valuable to me at the moment."

Stefan is losing his upper-hand. He's running out of aces in the hole. He grips Elena tighter. Bonnie needs to hurry, though with Damon lying unconscious across the clearing, he fears her plan won't work at all. "Why must you take her away from her family, her friends, the only life she's ever known? I'm sure she would agree to make monthly donations if you'd let her live her life."

Klaus tuts. "You and your little friends aren't capable of providing her the protection I require. Until she carries on her bloodline, she's far too important to leave unprotected. This strange, little town is a danger magnet. No, she needs to stay with me where I can ensure her longevity."

Elena shakes her head, but Stefan speaks before she can, "Do you even hear yourself? She's a person, a human being."

"She's also the only living, breathing doppelganger, the last descendant in her bloodline, and the sole source of my ability to create more hybrids."

"If you want me so badly," Elena finally whispers, "then let Damon go free."

Klaus laughs. "We wouldn't want you to be lonely, would we? Besides, Damon is the best bodyguard for you that I could possibly ask for. Not only is he compelled to be completely loyal to me, he's also unfailingly loyal to you. So you see, he's an excellent asset."

Disgusted, Stefan moves them backward. "How can you be this way?"

"Surely you weren't always so hateful," Elena adds in a whisper.

"True," Klaus concedes, "However, that's a tale for another day. Come, now. Both of you, if you wish." He gazes into Stefan's eyes, "We were friends once, were we not?"
When Stefan says nothing, Klaus blurs to him, snapping his neck before he can lift his hands from Elena to defend himself. As the light dims from his eyes and he falls backward unhindered, Klaus smiles at Elena. "It didn't have to be this, you know," he tells her, offering her the crook of his arm. She doesn't take the proffered show of gentlemanly chivalry. Instead, she squares her shoulders and walks smoothly toward where Damon is lying still on the dead grass.

Klaus follows with a frown, leaving Stefan alone. If he senses the quiet heartbeat in the trees behind them, he doesn't react. Lifting Damon effortlessly and tossing him unceremoniously into the back seat before Elena climbs into the passenger seat, Klaus glances back at Stefan's prone form for a long moment before settling into his own seat and peeling away.

Bonnie holds her breath until the tail lights fade away. She rushes toward Stefan, pressing the opening to a water bottle of animal blood to his lips. "Wake up," she whispers.

Finally, Stefan comes around, coughing slightly and rubbing at his neck. "I thought you had a plan?" he asks her bitterly.

"I did, but Damon was incapacitated before I had a good opportunity. It doesn't matter, because he touched you, didn't he?"

"Klaus?"

Bonnie nods. "That's what I needed. We'll get her back, Stefan. And we'll take Klaus down, too." She smiles determinedly. "It's time we show him what we're all made of."

Stefan grins weakly in the darkness. "I just hope we aren't too late."

...

Upon their return, Elena quickly retreats to her room, slamming the door and curling up on the bed as sobs rack her body. She grieves for the life she will never have, for Stefan, for Damon, for Jeremy, for her friends, for herself. She's worn herself out from her tears by the time there's a gentle knock against her door. Hoping it is Damon, come to hold her and wipe away her tears, she moves to the door. It isn't the man she loves.

Klaus stands, a small smile tilting up his lips. "Miss Elena," he greets. "May I come in? I've missed you."

She frowns in disappointment, moving back to sit on the bed. "Where's Damon?" she asks.

"Sleeping off his foolishness," Klaus chuckles. "I can see why you enjoy him so much. He certainly keeps things interesting where you're concerned, doesn't he?"

Elena's frown deepens. "I love him," she breathes.

Klaus rolls his eyes. "Obviously, I'm already aware of that detail. How would I have known to exploit him, otherwise?"

Klaus sits down beside her, memorizes the contours of her face, though he has seen the exact face on several others before her. He brushes his fingers lightly over Elena's cheek. "So beautiful," he whispers. "I'm not wholly the monster you like to believe I am. Katerina loved me once, you know."
Elena grips his wrist to pull it away from her face. "I'm not as naïve as Katherine was back then. You don't fool me, Klaus. I'm here because you forced me to be. Don't forget that."
His eyes alight with anger. "You know what is worse than losing the one you love, you insolent child?" Elena swallows, but rising to her feet, stands her ground, and refuses to speak. "No? Allow me to show you." He grips her arm harshly, dragging her down several hallways before he opens a door she doesn't recognize. He tosses her over the threshold, leaving her to stumble to retain her balance. "You will suffer as greatly as I did once, I think," he growls as he slams the door between them.
She hears the tumblers of the lock in the door swing forward, then she is left in silence. Her heart is pounding, but she looks around the small room, confused by what Klaus can possibly have in mind for her. The room is long but scarcely wider than a walk-in closet, with one, dim overhead light. Along one longer wall is a large window, or what appears to be a window at first glance. However, when she moves to examine it, she realizes it isn't really a window at all. It's a thick, slightly tinted piece of glass that affords her a view into what must be the room adjacent to the one she's currently in. It, too, is sparsely decorated, with little else but a large bed situated in the middle.
She doesn't have long to ponder what this means for her, when the door to the other room is opened and a woman walks in. The dark-haired woman is speaking to someone Elena can't quite see through the doorway. Elena can't hear very much of their conversation, but she is able to catch Klaus's unmistakable voice saying one word to the woman: "Undress." Then, the door slams again, leaving the woman to do as she told. Elena looks away then, her stomach plummeting.

A sharp rapping against his heavy bedroom door rouses Damon. He winces, pressing a hand to his aching forehead before cracking an eye open as the door swings wide to afford entry to whomever stands on the other side. Unluckily for him, it's Klaus standing in doorway, looking particularly furious. Damon closes his eyes again, momentarily imagining he is absolutely anywhere else. "What is it now, O' Evil One?"

"Get up," Klaus snaps.

Damon does, as he has little choice. "Why so grumpy, hmm?"

"You'd do well to keep that infuriating mouth of yours closed. Come with me."
Klaus leads him to a room at the end of the hall opposite the one leading to Damon's room. It is dark, and though Damon is inwardly concerned, he can't help but numbly notice the cliché of it all. When Klaus stops, Damon resolutely refuses to meet his eyes. The Original is unfazed by this. "Her name is Maggie," he says to Damon, with an air of one discussing the weather. "You're going to fuck her until you forget all about my little doppelganger. You'll vent all of your pent up anger and frustration on Maggie until I say you may stop. And don't worry, she's quite the professional."
It takes Damon several bitter swallows before he trusts himself to speak. "You expect me to forget about Elena-" her name physically pains him to speak aloud, "-by screwing a prostitute?"
Klaus scoffs, "Of course not. I expect Elena to forget about you while she watches."
Damon closes his eyes, and tries to remember the last time he's had to fight this hard to keep from sobbing or screaming or maybe both at once. "I want something in return," he breathes, though he knows the evil monster to his left can hear him just fine.
"It's good to want things, Damon," Klaus chuckles. "But, very well, I'll consider your request."
"If I-" He gulps in air he hasn't needed in over a century. "If I... do this," he falters. "I want you to compel her out of love with me," he ends in barely a whisper, his eyes lost somewhere far away.

Klaus watches the other man sharply, his ire momentarily forgotten. Something passes silently between them for long moments. "It won't help," he says, equally quiet and slightly wistful.

Damon's gaze snaps back to Klaus's. "She can never be safe while she's in love with me."

"Perhaps. The hole it will leave behind, however, will always remain."

Damon's eyes search the Original's expression carefully before he says, "You know what this," he gestures to the door, "will do to her. To me," his façade slips slightly. "Please," he breathes; he doesn't trust his voice enough to speak any louder.

Klaus nods, "As you wish," he murmurs, and the moment between them evaporates as he opens the door to the room. He extends his arm toward the room, leaving Damon with little else aside from his anguish and regret as he slowly walks toward his fate.
The woman who sits on the bed, quiet and still, is beautiful; even Damon can admit that. She has short, dark hair and large, pale eyes. Perhaps in the years before he met Elena, he might've enjoyed this. Now, however, all he feels is contrition and bitterness. He appraises her absently, his dull eyes gazing over the contours of her thin body. She is unabashedly nude. She is human, as he can hear the calm, steady beating of her heart. If he looks hard enough, he can also find traces of tiny scars littering her pale flesh. Puncture wounds that were, perhaps, too deep to heal properly.
The dark-haired vampire swallows tightly, deft fingers soundlessly undoing the buttons of his black shirt, then the zipper of his dark jeans. His heart is heavy, and he tries, not for the first time this week, to turn his humanity off. Just like every other time, however, Klaus's laughing voice rings his ears, "He can't." He sighs as his clothing falls away. He's never been ashamed of his body, not even exposed as he is, but the mirror to his right, the one that fills nearly the entire wall, gives him pause. In the end, though, Klaus has left him with no options, and, he thinks sourly, if Kings in the 16th century could do it, he figures he can fuck with an audience, too. If only it wasn't made up of the woman he loves most and the monster who's ruined anything good about his life.
He approaches the woman, Maggie, and she finally looks up at him. She offers him no smile, but there isn't any hostility, fear, or sadness in her expression either. It's completely neutral, and he wonders if she's been compelled by Klaus to put forth no fight. He shoves lightly at her shoulder until she lies on her back before him. "Turn over," he murmurs. He has to do this; he doesn't have to see her face while he does. She obliges his request with no qualms, she even goes so far as to tilt her backside up in his direction.
Damon closes his eyes, steels what's left of his frayed nerves, and breathes, "I'm sorry," as he plunges into her. He isn't gentle, doubts he could be even if Klaus's order didn't forbid it. If he's anything less than harsh and quick, his mind wanders to that reflective pane of glass in the corner of his eyes; where, if he isn't very careful, he's fairly certain he can hear sobbing.
They don't finish together; Maggie is panting and writhing through her third orgasm by the time Damon realizes Klaus isn't going to show him any mercy. He's going to force Damon to thoroughly subject himself to this. The Original isn't going to give up until Damon gives in. With those defeated thoughts, Damon leans down and sinks his teeth into the flesh of her shoulder. She moans and whimpers. He can't drink any of the blood that bursts forth, but he can let the sharp, rich flavor roll across his tongue. He rights himself, blood dripping down his chin, and continues his onslaught, this time more desperate. He isn't supposed to enjoy this; he isn't supposed to give in to it. He doesn't have a choice, however, if he ever wants this to end. He tries to imagine it's Elena that he's leaning over, but he can't. The woman bent on all fours in front of him is not enough like his Elena. Perhaps that's why Klaus chose her. She doesn't feel the same in Damon's hands that currently grip either side of her hips. She's all sharp edges and dark passion, moaning and squirming beneath him in ways he could've once found delicious.
He stops breathing as he feels the inevitable release quickly building. The taste of her blood has pushed him nearly over the edge already. He groans aloud when he finally surrenders. The release washes over him in waves, and his muscles tremble slightly as he thrusts deeply one last time. Against his will, the euphoria immediately following his orgasm momentarily clouds his thoughts and leaves him blissfully less aware of the entire implications of the last hour.
It doesn't last. The moment he slumps forward, panting slightly, and he looks over his bed mate collapsed beside him, the world rights itself. His momentary high flees faster than he can blink, and dread fills him like lead. He closes his eyes as he tries to gather the willpower required to find his pants. He yearns to crawl into a bottle bourbon and stay there for eternity. Thinks he just might.

...

Klaus turns from the two way mirror to look at Elena. Though the anguish on her face evokes several emotions he doesn't care to identify, smug satisfaction is the one he focuses on. "There, you see how easily I've swayed him, Elena? Perhaps he never deserved your sacrifice at all." He turns on his heel without another word, leaving her to cry alone in the silent room.

Elena rips her eyes away from Damon, turning to run back to her own room before anyone can stop her. The painted colors of the walls swirling around her as she flees, heartbroken and anguished.

...

Klaus flicks open the door of Damon's would-be prison. The Original appraises them for a moment, before ordering, "Again." Then closing the door with a snap.

Damon has to try incredibly hard not to heave all over the plush carpet before moving to do as commanded. As he's fairly certain she's enjoying this far more than he is, he doesn't even bother apologizing this time.

...

When he's entirely spent and permitted to return to his own room, Damon discovers the bourbon doesn't help; there's not enough in this entire town to drown his sorrows this night. He's forsaken a crystal tumbler in favor of the bottle; though, admittedly, this is his second. Damon's coming unglued. He can feel the cracks and crumbles in his façade growing. He can't face Elena; he always was a coward, he thinks. He takes another long, heady pull from the bottle until it's very nearly empty. With an almighty howl of anguish, he hurls the thing, end over end, into the orange flames flickering in the fireplace. They burst into bright shades of blue as they burn through the alcohol remnants.
Though he isn't wholly surprised when Klaus shrugs casually into the room, he is enraged. "Get out," he says darkly, his eyes never leaving the flames.
"Is that any way to greet me, Damon?"
"Get. Out." He bites out, slightly louder this time.
The Hybrid Original laughs, clicks his tongue. "I'm wounded, mate."
Damon whirls on him now, "What more can you possibly want from me?!" His fingers fumble for the closest object they can find. They curl around an expensive, antique vase on the end table beside him.
"You're the one yelling," Klaus says off-handedly. "I'm here because I need you to do something for me."
"Haven't I done enough?" Damon shouts, his voice cracking as he flings the vase at Klaus's head. "Fuck you, Klaus!" His voice is tight and brittle.
Klaus sidesteps the projectile porcelain with a frown as it shatters on the wall behind him. "You're a bit old for temper tantrums, aren't you, Damon?" He growls into irritation.
"Aren't you a little old for compelling playthings for your own twisted entertainment?" Damon returns, half hoping Klaus will run him through with a stake.
Klaus stalks closer to him, but Damon doesn't bother moving. "You both needed to be taught a lesson. Keep it up, Damon. Go ahead," he dares. "I'll think up something better to correct your poor manners next time." He moves forward until he's all Damon can see. "Try me, mate. We have eternity, after all."
Damon sneers, "You've already ruined me," he hisses.
"Not even remotely," Klaus chuckles. "Evil isn't born, Damon, remember that. I've seen more in my exceedingly long life than you can possibly imagine. Don't think for a moment you can fully understand the torment that awaits you."
Perhaps foolishly, Damon suddenly asks, "What's the point? So I can be as much of a monster as you are?" He reaches for the last full bottle of alcohol on the mantle, single malt this time. "So you can see yourself without having to look in the mirror?" He takes a healthy swallow.
Klaus laughs. "Perhaps it's because we both know you don't deserve her." He lifts the bottle from Damon's slackened hand, drinking deeply.
He gazes at Klaus for a long time, before he breathes, "Say that again." Klaus eyes him carefully, but doesn't speak. "You... This is about Elena. You-you think…" He tries to breathe through the fury that this realization sparks. "She doesn't love you, like the other doppelgangers, does she?" It isn't really a question. Damon can see the exact moment some emotion flickers in the other's eyes. He takes a step toward Klaus, once again leaving them nose to nose. "That's it, isn't it? She doesn't love you, so you figure, you'll just destroy all that she does love?" Damon laughs without humor at Klaus's silence, bitter and hateful. "You'd think you'd've learned something in over a thousand years." The darker-haired vampire pulls the half-empty bottle back. He swirls it between his fingers before he drinks. He swallows as he savors the burn, then, "You're a fool."
Klaus is livid, but quiet as he says, "I wouldn't say such things, mate."
Damon frowns, leans forward, and whispers, "You don't deserve her either, you sick fuck. She will never love you." Damon sees the light of rage alight in Klaus's eyes just before everything painfully goes black.

To be continued…

A/N: I've moved the rating up to 'M' in light of this chapter. Thank you all, again, for all the reviews. I look forward to them daily. I received reviews with a request for more focus and insight into Klaus and his plans; I hope this chapter delivered; more to come with him. Don't worry; the OCs I occasionally utilize will not, in any way, be large parts of the story. They are just there briefly to fill a necessary role.

I will leave the long chapters for now, but you may have to be a bit more patient with me as far as update frequency goes. I will be leaving on a trip this week, but I'll still try to update with, hopefully, weekly frequency. I hope you all enjoyed. Don't hesitate to let me know. :) Until next time...