A/N 1.0: okay there was some confusion/hurt feelings about what I said and how I included Hayley last chapter. I tried to explain myself through an ask on tumblr. here's the link if you'd like to read that: danceswithhybrids dot tumblr dot com /post/48130283691/i-really-dont-unerstand-what-you -mean-when-you-say all I ask is that you please take it all with a grain of salt- this is just my view on the subject and it's probably not going to be addressed in 4x20 because it's incredibly complicated. so feel free to take a gander if it would make you feel better.

anyways, lots going on once again so buckle up and enjoy!

edited April 18, 2013

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.

title courtesy of Mumford & Sons' 'broken crown'.


7

i like angels that stab you in the back and i like devils that break down and cry.

"What happened?!" Klaus snarled, striding up to stand toe-to-toe with his brother in the darkness.

"I found the witch at your request. It turns out she has no magi-"

"Information I already knew."

"It turns out she has no magic and is plotting not only a revolution against your favorite pupil but plans to annihilate the entire vampire race. If you don't go in there and face her, she plans on slau-" not bothering to hear Elijah out, the hybrid pushed past him with a growl, storming towards the iron-wrought gate of the cemetery. "And where do you think you're going?" Elijah snapped, flashing in front of Klaus.

"To end this! To do what you can't do and remove a vital piece from the equation."

"Killing Sophie will accomplish nothing, Niklaus! She's been building an army, if you kill her another will only take her place!"

"And I will kill that one as well, and the next after that. I will kill all of them until none remain and there is no one who is a threat to me!"

"It's not so simple, Niklaus!"

"And why is that? Enlighten me."

"Do you care nothing for her? Does she mean so little to you?!"

"Here's a spoiler alert for you, Elijah, just incase you've somehow missed it over the past thousand years. The reason our family has been kept in the good graces of the servants of nature was because of Kol, not me. I am not our brother and it would do you well to remember it," Klaus snarled, feeling his throat constrict with the thought of his deceased brother.

"You don't know, do you?"

"Know what, Elijah?" he snapped

"Sophie and her sister, the other witch in there, have Hayley and are threatening her life."

"And you think this means something to me?" Klaus yelled. "She is nothing, Elijah and it would do you well to get that through your thick head! She will die if necessary."

"I've been informed of an interesting detail that you seem to have left out about forming your own pack," Elijah snapped, cocking his head as Klaus narrowed his stormy eyes. "Did you even stop to consider the ramifications? Or are you so far gone that you would betray your true nature and take advantage of this girl? Is this some game to you?" Elijah hissed.

Klaus' upper lip trembled in anger, a warning growl resonating low in his throat. "I will not discuss this with you. You're not a wolf, you're not like me- you never have been! You. Do not. Understand. And you will back down. Now."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said 'no'."

The brothers stood in the tense silence, the bows of the large oak casting long and dark shadows on their distinguished, disgruntled features and angered eyes. It was a battle of wills Elijah knew he would have to step down from first, regain his composure to make his brother see reason. He relaxed his stance while Klaus remained rigid, ready for a fight that would never come.

"Niklaus," Elijah began in a much calmer tone, slowly raising his hand and placing it on Klaus' chest. "I'm beseeching you to see reason. No, you will listen to me," he warned upon seeing Klaus raise his chin. "You cannot and will not run into this cemetery, hell bent on taking out each individual in there to squash this rebellion. There are other ways to come out on top, Niklaus- smarter, more tactful approaches to winning a war that hasn't yet begun. If you run into the fray, you won't survive- your life is at risk just as much as Hayley's or Marcel's and I will not sit idly by and lose the only brother I have left, do you hear me?" he demanded, gripping Klaus' broad, leather-clad shoulders in both of his hands tightly. "Come to your senses, Nik, I know you have them."

Klaus swallowed and shifted uncomfortably under Elijah's intense eye contact. The sudden need of space from the tangible, emotional charged atmosphere got the best of him and Klaus pulled back, away from his brother, desperate to break the contact. Elijah let him go, fingers gently releasing their hold and dropping into the night air by his sides. He watched the tension slowly leave his brother until the only remaining sign was the haughty rise of his chin and steely look on his face. And only Elijah knew that was to guard the unshed tears in his eyes.

"Then what would you have me do?" Klaus asked, eyes shifting between the ground between their feet and Elijah's face, reminding the older brother so much of the young boy lacking fatherly guidance who desperately looked to him to fill the void.

"We cannot win a war against witches by ourselves, Niklaus. Surely you know that. We need time to gather allies, converse with other witches down here and get them on our side. We need to reinstate ourselves in the vampire community, we need Marcel to back down and choose a side. We need for you and Hayley to gather more of a pack and none of those things can be attained tonight. We'll walk into this graveyard together and trick Sophie into an armistice until we're prepared to make a move against her."

"And I though you were the moral brother."

Elijah raised his brows and pursed his lips. "Well, the reckless one taught me there isn't much of a place for morals when you're fighting fire with fire. Shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the foreboding black gate and the eerie silhouettes of the innumerable cement vaults.

Klaus smirked slightly, a quick tug of the corner of his mouth before it settled back into the emotionless mask with steely eyes. "Lead the way, brother."

Elijah strode past, Klaus on his heels, and through the gates. They wove in and out of numerous columns of vaults, Elijah following the sound of heartbeats, Hayley's thundering in her chest, until they came to the correct row. With a pointed look back at his brother, Elijah strode forward only to hear the telltale sign of Klaus vamp speeding away and he repressed a groan at his brother's constant need to make an entrance.

"Where is he?" Sophie asked.

"Assuming you're asking for me, I'm right here."

The party spun around to see Klaus standing on the other side, drawn to his full height, chest puffed out and hands hanging limply at his sides. The light of the candles flickered across his high cheekbones and in his eyes, his shadow looming across the cement pathway at their feet.

Sophie laughed. "I'm not scared of you, hybrid."

"That's your mistake, witch. Now, I believe you have something of mine. Let's not get messy, just return her to me and I'll let bygones be bygones, you go free and clear. That's an offer I don't give out very often," Klaus said, his eyes drifting over Hayley's relieved look before throwing a pointed look at Sophie.

The witch strode up to him with slow, even steps until Klaus was forced to look down his nose at her. "I don't think so."

Klaus chuckled. "I think your bravery is admirable, foolish but admirable, nonetheless. I have no quarrel with you, sweetheart. You'd be unwise to cross me. Moreover, I have no interest in a war with more witches than necessary. This ill-advised gathering is keeping me from more important business elsewhere. You're cooperation would be greatly appreciated."

Sophie cocked her eyebrow at Klaus' bored expression. With a sigh, she took a step back and cast a sidelong glance at Jane-Anne. The other witch turned her hard gaze to Klaus and the hybrid screamed, crashing to his knees.

"You see, you may not have a quarrel with me but, the way I see it," Sophe said, kneeling down by Klaus as he writhed under the pain provided by his unseen assailant, "you're the reason Marcel rules New Orleans. If you hadn't have turned him, none of the witches down here would be suffering the way they are. Do you know what it's like, being banned from yourself? Knowing that it's there but it's just out of reach?" Sophie said, her voice rising as Klaus' screams grew louder and more frantic. "I'd love nothing more than to end your pathetic life and see the look on Marcel's face when he goes down with you."

"Enough," Elijah barked. Jane-Anne broke her contact in surprise, having forgot the other vampire's presence. "You cannot kill him. Niklaus and I ran from the man who raised us for centuries, we know how to identify when someone is prepared to make a kill."

"You really think I won't take his life right here, right now?" Sophie screamed, jumping up and spinning to face Elijah. "I don't give a damn about how you've run from! I will not be underestimated!"

"We can help you," Elijah reasoned, his eyes wandering over Klaus where he lay panting on the ground. "There are other ways of getting your magic back, Sophie. Revenge and vengeance is not the way to do it. You will start an outright war between all species of supernatural beings. That is something the world will not survive."

"Maybe I don't want it to."

"Bloody hell, this is tiring," Klaus snapped, flashing up and to where a frightened Davina was standing off the side with Hayley. He grabbed the young witch, pulling her back flush against his chest, one hand gripping the girl's chin, the other arm wrapped around her waist. "Stop you incessant jabbering, witch or I'll kill her. One flick of my wrist and this scrap of a girl falls dead."

Sophie didn't move, her dead eyes never leaving Davina's.

"Well if we're going to sit around and wait, I might as well play a little bit," Klaus said, yanking on the girl's elbow so she was facing him. He raised a brow up at her tear-filled eyes as his face changed, morphing from the man to the monster. The flickering candles caught the gleaming white fangs hanging in his mouth and the shadows cast on his face enhanced the black veins underneath his eyes, make them look more menacing with the golden orbs sticking out in the black abyss of his face.

"Niklaus," Elijah warned, reaching out slightly. His advances were stopped before they began when Klaus' eyes snapped to his face and held him in place, dropping his hand uselessly by his side.

"No, no, no. Please no," Davina whimpered, shaking her head. "Sophie, help me!"

"Shhh," Klaus shushed her, taking her face in his large hands and wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. "It's not your fault, little witch." he murmured. "Sometimes people just respond best to acts of violence. It'll be quick, you won't feel a thing, I can promise you that, sweetheart." And with that, Klaus began to lower his mouth to the girl's neck, hard eyes never once leaving Sophie's face.

"Stop, stop!" she cried at the last minute.

"Now, that's more like it," Klaus smirked, pulling away from Davina, his face void of the monster as he did. "I knew you'd see reason with a little push in the right direction."

"Let her go."

"Now, why would I do that when it seems to be the way I can keep you in line? I think I'll be holding on to this one. Not to worry, Davina here will be well looked after," Klaus said, pushing the teen towards Elijah. "I needed a witch and I have one. You needed to step down and I have reassurance that you'll mind your manners in my absence. Do we have a deal?" Klaus asked once Davina was safely in Elijah's grasp.

"This isn't over," Sophie warned.

"Oh, it's far from over, love," Klaus agreed. "I'm a man of my word. If you want your magic back, there are ways for me to help you with that endeavor but I need you to be on your best behavior." He shot a glance at Hayley and jerked his head before striding away, Hayley scurrying after him with Elijah and Davina bringing up the rear.

"If you harm one hair on her head, I swear I-"

"You'll do what?" Klaus called, stopping to look back at Sophie. "I'll be back and we'll finish this. But whether it ends with you regaining what you lost or your organs scattered through the streets remains to be seen. We're done here."

"Well," Elijah said once they had exited the cemetery, "That wasn't quite what I meant by our little talk bu-"

"But it got the job done, Elijah," Klaus growled wearily. "Take them back to the house. I'll be along momentarily- there's one more thing I need to do."

"Marcel?"

Klaus nodded. "He needs to be informed of what's going on right under his bloody nose if I'm to trust my city in his hands again while I go back to Mystic Falls," he said, eyes finding his brother's and then Hayley's before speeding away into the night.

The scene in the bar Klaus had left Marcel in earlier was vibrant and full of life upon his return. The smell of blood was like fog in the bourbon-filled air, thick, mysterious and alluring as vampires feed on the patrons and human guests in the open. The music pounding in his ears and head made Klaus growl quietly as he scanned the crowd for his former student. Marcel wasn't hard to find dancing on a table with a faceless blonde, a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a trickle of blood down his chin marring his dark complexion. Rolling his eyes and huffing in annoyance, Klaus strode up to the table.

"Le roi est retourné! Tout est restauré dans le royaume?"

With a growl, Klaus grabbed Marcel by the ankle and flipped him off the table and the blonde girl who Klaus recognized as the bar tender from the bar earlier that day screamed. Two vampires had him held back immediately as Marcel recovered from the fall. Klaus' fangs dropped, not in the mood to fight them off, he bit into one of the vampire's arms, leaving a festering wound and the vampire backed away with a cry of pain. He made quick work of the other one before he had Marcel by the collar and was pulling him out of the bar.

"Have you any idea what you've done? There's a bloody rebellion brewing! Your disgruntled witch Sophie plans to annihilate the vampire race, Marcel," Klaus said, slamming Marcel up against the brick wall outside of the bar, music reverberating through the walls into the damp alley.

"She what?!"

"She has a personal vendetta against not only you but she very nearly killed me tonight. If I go so does 1/3 of the vampire race. I.E: you. So, tell me, Marcel, how am I supposed to go finish business elsewhere and leave this city in your care until I return, hhmm?"

"Look, Klaus, I don't want this anymore than you d-"

"You don't? Because it seems like you've turned a blind eye to all supernatural activity other than your vampire parties. I need someone to be my eyes and ears down hear, I need someone to keep things in line, to make sure those infants in there know who the true ruler of New Orleans is and ensure they will fight for me if need be. Sophie's on a bloody warpath, Marcel!"

"I'll do it! I swear to you tha-"

"You do?"

"Yes! What more do you need?! You have my allegiance, Klaus!"

"Your word isn't enough for me when both of our lives are at stake and a war is brewing. I need action," Klaus snarled, shoving Marcel away from him. "I need someone who will keep his wits about him, not some reckless adolescent! Keep your children in line, make sure they keep their heads down."

"I've done well controlling them so far, I think I can manage for a few weeks," Marcel snapped.

"For your sake, I surely hope so," Klaus stated, backing away, his eyes never leaving Marcel's.

"And when you come back?"

"Alors c'est guerre," Klaus said with a smirk.

"Longue vie au Roi de la Nouvelle-Orléans!"


Klaus emerged from the bathroom of their plantation house just outside of the city with a towel wrapped around his waist, his damp curls plastered to his forehead, to find Hayley sitting on his bed.

"So…," she started, watching the hybrid as he walked past the bed to his bag on the floor.

"So, I'm not in the mood, Hayley."

"Aww, really? That's too bad because we're going to talk about this."

"Watch yourself, little wolf."

"You won't hurt me, that much is obvious," she said with a roll of her eyes, pulling her legs underneath her. "Thank you, by the way, for saving me."

"Well, if it's true about you and I and the beginnings of a wolf pack, then I guess I didn't have much of a choice in the matter."

"You really had no clue, did you?"

"I had a hunch but I didn't expect see you so soon after you ran off that night so I never had the chance to act out on it."

"And here we are."

"And here we are," Klaus agreed, pulling a shirt out of his bag, "two alphas without a pack. Aren't we a pair."

"What do you say we do about that?" Klaus turned to look at her with creased brows. "God, you are so clueless. I didn't mean that, once was quite enough."

"Good, because I thought I already mentioned I wasn't in the mood."

"I meant about a pack."

Klaus shrugged. "I'm headed back to Mystic Falls shortly. Unfinished business there to take care of needs my attention more than your issue about a pack."

"Well, I just thought…."

"Thought that we'd be best friends now? That neither of us would be alone?"

"Look, I'm not interested in this to be your mate or anything. I told you from day one that I get it; it's all about Caroline. You didn't have a pack…well you did but I took that away from you but I could relate to your bad, bitter attitude and I chose you as my alpha, not my mate. I'm not that psychotic."

"The two lone wolves with trust issues, sticking out for each other. How touching."

"Something like that. But I can see you're not interested so I'll just be on my way then," she said, standing from the bed and moving to leave.

Klaus was in front of her in a flash, his shirt forgotten. "I do need someone to find that pack," he said in an even tone and a raised brow. "Try and get your foot in the threshold, as it were. They'll accept you since you have their mark and spread word of a growing revolution. I'm assuming you know the drill, what with the stunt you pulled with my hybrids. Let their alpha know I'll be paying them a visit in the near future and keep me updated."

"Is that all?"

"For now."

Hayley smirked and nodded. "I guess I'll see you soon, then?"

Klaus nodded, a small smirk of his own on his face, and walked past her back into the room. "And Hayley?" he said as an after thought, turning to look at her over his shoulder. The wolf-girl stopped in the threshold, her hand on the doorframe. "I will not tolerate a betrayal like that ever again, do you understand me?" She nodded. "Then consider it your only warning."

"Loud and clear, alpha."

Klaus raised a brow but nodded nonetheless and then Hayley was gone. He sighed as he heard someone else enter his room. "You can wipe that bloody smirk off your face, Elijah."

"What smirk? Can I not be intrigued by this development?" he asked, taking Klaus' words as an invitation further into the room. He watched the tense line in his brother's back for a moment before speaking again. "I simply came to inquire about your plans."

Klaus pulled his shirt over his head and turned, taking the offered tumbler of amber liquid Elijah held out to him. "I'll be returning to Mystic Falls. I have what I need, not that I intend to let Silas get his hands on Davina since she's our bargaining chip against Sophie. And after business is taken care of there, we return here. On to the next thing, brother."

Elijah nodded, shoving a hand in his pocket as he sat on the foot on the bed.

"Aren't you going to say something? Reprimand me about threatening an innocent child? Warn be about risks or complications? Talk tactics?"

"I'm proud of you, Niklaus. You handled the situation in the cemetery better than I anticipated. Although I disagree with some of your methods, it was very effective. I'd even venture to say we made a decent first move."

Klaus threw back his head and laughed, Elijah's lips pulling upwards at the sound. "Just like old times, then."

"Just like old times."

The brother's fell into an easy silence as Klaus finished the bourbon and set it down on the dresser. "Where's Davina?"

"Asleep in one of the guest rooms."

"Perhaps you should go rouse her, brother. We should leave shortly."

"I'll stay here, Niklaus," Elijah said, Klaus turning to look at him with a puzzled expression coloring his blue-green eyes. "You have more experience dealing with Silas and that seems to be the more pressing threat at the moment. I believe it would be wise for one of us to stay here to observe and get back in the good graces of the vampire and witch community, intervene in any action if need be."

"I think that would be for the best," Klaus said, nodding slowly in agreement and exchanging a glance with Elijah.

"It's settled then. I'll go rouse Davina and prepare her for a fifteen hour road trip with you. Do take it easy on the girl, Niklaus. She's had a trying day," Elijah said, the hint of a smile lighting up his high cheekbones, his warm eyes becoming a shade lighter. Klaus only rolled his eyes and smirked causing Elijah shook his head before leaving the room.


"We'll be eagerly awaiting your arrival, then," Stefan said, walking into the Boarding House's living room. He pulled the phone away from his ear and set it down on the side table.

"Who was that?" Caroline asked, looking up from the Calculus textbook and notes scattered on the floor in front of her.

"Klaus," he replied, pouring himself a drink as Caroline groaned. "He's on his way back from New Orleans."

"Can't he just stay away?" she snapped, sitting up with a fire alight in her cornflower blue eyes. "There are more hopes and dreams for him to crush there than there are here."

"Look, I know you the details of Prom night are uncertain and we're all confused about it bu-"

"I know what happened, Stefan. We've been over this."

"Okay. Whatever you say, Care. But the fact of the matter is, we need his help to get rid of Silas. So can I count on you to be the team player this go round? I'll do everything I can to make sure you don't have to do anything directly with Klaus."

Caroline was silent for a moment, eyes wandering on the notebook paper in front of her as she fiddled with the pencil in her hands. "Promise?" she asked quietly, her hurt shining in her eyes.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Stefan said with a tight-lipped smile, moving to the floor and pulling his best friend into a tight hug. "Now, let's get back to studying for exams, alright? We've got, give or take, fifteen hours of peace and quiet before chaos breaks loose and we've both got to pass calculus to graduate."

"Please. You don't have anything to worry about," Caroline said, removing herself from his arms with a roll of her eyes. "Me on the other hand? I'm hopeless."

"Well it's fortunate you have me for a best friend, then," Stefan said, playfully shoving her. He smiled when a giggle erupted from her lips.

It was the first one he'd heard in the hours since he got her home from whatever disaster happened in the woods during prom.

A/N 2.0: say goodbye to NOLA and hello to MF:) and hello to (finally) some Klaroline! it may be a bit painful at first but as I was telling someone earlier, this is a very wistful Klaroline story- wistful being the key word there lol. I just want to thank all of you lovely readers our there sticking with this despite the lack of Klaroline. I love you all:)

in a perfect world, I'll have another chapter out tomorrow at some point. I was more concerned about getting this wrapped up, bow and all, before the backdoor pilot next week and I completely forgot the fact 4x19 was the Prom episode...oops. Idk if we'll get to the big reveal/realization before then but this lazy author is doing her best, guys.

next chapter: some plotting, Davina (poor girl) gets thrown into the mix, some Klebekah, some Klaroline.

thanks for reading this monster of a chapter. please drop a review by if you have a minute- it's greatly appreciated:)