-1A/N: how prominent a character do we want Klaus to be? I was thinking he was just going to be a background character but I was wondering. Big character or not? Threat or not? I don't want this to turn out like another version of Blurred Lines. I've already made Elijah less of an ass then I originally intended.

I'd spent the day in the kitchen, and had just finished the basic preparations for dinner. Now Elijah came in wearing his usual suit, drawn by the smell of food.

"Hey" he said, sitting at the counter "smells good"

"hope so. Wouldn't want to make a bad impression, would we?" I teased.

"Elena, thank you for doing this for me" I sighed.

"Don't start acting weird. I'm doing this because I really don't have any other choice. Now, can you watch my sauce while I get changed?" I asked. He nodded and came over to the oven. I handed him the spoon and looked at him sternly.

"If it burns, you're explaining" I told him. He smiled slightly and nodded. I left the room and went upstairs to change, style my hair and apply make up. I couldn't believe I was actually going along with this stupid, twisted…game. It was like a game. Too surreal.

I headed back downstairs. Elijah looked me up and down, eyes wide.
"Do I need to tell you not to stare again?" I asked, sarcastically "it's getting really tiring"

"I'm not going to apologise for looking, Elena. You are very attractive"

"Hmm. Thanks" the doorbell rang "Is that him?" I asked.

"Yes. Now, I need to warn you of some things first. Number one, Klaus may seem charming but he's deadly. Number two, he's a serious jerk with women. Don't let him irritate you, because if you do he'll hurt you Elena. He thinks nothing about hurting people. Third, never turn your back on him. And fourth, try to stay further then an arm's length away from him at all times"

"Do I want to know why or should I leave it to my imagination?" I asked.

"Imagination is probably best" he said, grimly "Now, go answer the door"

"Why me? It's your house!"

"He can't come in without your permission"

"Okay. That's cool. We're talking about that later" I said. I went to the corridor, straightened my dress before opening the door. A tall man with ruffled blonde hair was standing there, with a red headed girl. His silver eyes looked me over, seeming surprised.

"Well Katerina, this is certainly an unexpected surprise" he leaned forward but I took a step backwards and he halted, trapped on the threshold.

"you have a human in your midst? Perhaps it would be a good idea to have them invite me in"

"I'm not Katerina or whoever you think I am" I said, quickly. He cocked his head to one side.

"So who are you?"

"My name is Elena Gilbert. I'm Elijah's…" I paused "I live with Elijah"

"Oh. Forgive my rudeness. Nice to meet you Elena, I'm Klaus. This is Gabrielle may I come in?"

"Yes you may" I said, stepping to the side to let him in. He smiled widely and stepped in. I led him into the living room where Elijah was standing, face tense. When he saw Klaus, he appeared to relax but I could tell it was an act. I left them to their banter and went to finish making the food. I had cooked Italian as I figured it was the safest option since I was serving food to ancient vampires who had probably eaten everything in the world at least once.

"Food's ready" I called, carrying the plates into the dining room. I deliberately took the seat furthest away from Klaus and his girlfriend. Okay, that meant I had to sit next to Elijah but beggars can't be choosey.

"So, Elena, how did you and Elijah meet?" Klaus asked, after we'd all been seated and started to eat.

"Err…" I shifted uncomfortably.

"What? Runaway romance?" he teased. I shook my head.

"Not even close. He bought me off my parents" I said, meeting Klaus's eyes. Elijah ignored us both.

"Wow, Elijah. I never thought you'd have trouble getting dates"

"I wasn't. I merely decided that it was far too good an opportunity to miss. At least I'm not compelling her into staying and she's here of her own free will" I rolled my eyes. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Klaus.

"Elena doesn't appear to agree. Elena?" I glanced at Elijah who was shooting me daggers.

"No. I'm fine"

"You like it here?" I noted the double meaning in his question.

"It's a nice place" I said, ignoring what he was really asking.

"What about Elijah? Has age mellowed the old man?"

"You are older then me" Elijah pointed out.

"He can be a bit irritating at times but he's a…is it weird for me to say a softie at heart?" I said, enjoying the opportunity to wind Elijah up. He was making me do this, I was going to enjoy it!

"Not at all" said Klaus, smiling at me. Clearly he was also enjoying this.

"So what about you and Gabrielle? Where did you meet?"

"Nightclub" he said, wrapping an affectionate arm around her. She snuggled up to him instantly. It would have been a cute scene if it weren't for the look in his eyes. Hunger.

"Nice. I kind of guessed it would be something like that" I said, leaning back in my chair.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, eyes dark. Elijah's hand grasped mine under the table, not affectionately but as a warning. You're treading on dangerous ground.

"You just don't seem like the kind of guy to do the whole flowers and movie thing"

He leaned forward.
"You should have seen me in the eighteen hundreds. I was the scourge of the town. And of course I don't do the movie thing. I can think of much better things to do on a date" he winked at me. I felt colour rush to my cheeks. I noticed that the plates had emptied over the conversation.

"I'll clear up" I said.

"Help her" said Klaus to Gabrielle.

"I don't need help" I said "I'm perfectly capable of doing this myself. I'm pretty sure even a guy could put away a few dishes" I saw Elijah smirking out of the corner of my eye.

"If she's going to be here, she might as well make herself useful" said Klaus, coldly. Gabrielle stood up and followed me into the kitchen. I turned to face her.

"You don't have to. I can do that myself" I said, nodding at the plates. She shrugged.

"get's me away from him" I jumped at the venom in her voice. She raised an eyebrow.

"What? You think I like being little miss obedient?"

"I just assumed he'd compelled you into liking him"

"No" she sighed "sometimes I think that'd be easier. He just compels me into acting like I like him. He doesn't actually need me to feel it. It makes it easier for him to feed off me. But of course, you'd know about that?"

"No. Elijah's never…"

"Really?" he forehead scrunched up in confusion "Wow. That's odd. Vampires normally feed on the girls they pick up. I guess you must be something special" I laughed.

"Hardly. My only skill is to look like some ancient dead vampire"

"Yeah, Katherine. I met her you know" I blinked.

"How old are you?" she smiled wanly.

"Older then I look. I'm a witch. That's why Klaus doesn't care if I'm happy. He just wants me for my powers and my blood. Fuck my happiness. With humans, when he tells them to act happy they normally actually become happy"

"So he's just feeding off you…nothing else?" she laughed.

"I didn't say that. I must say though, there are some things he's surprisingly good at" she grinned "Come on, where's dessert?" I pulled out dessert (store-bought) and plated up. We went back into the dining room where Klaus and Elijah seemed to be involved in some heated debate. I slid back into my seat and was surprised when Elijah shifted my chair closer to his and slipped an arm around me. I shot him a disgruntled look and he just twitched his head slightly in response. When I looked over at Klaus, he was watching us intently. I sighed and focused on my dessert. This evening was dragging on.

**moving on**

I'd hoped that once the meal was over, Klaus would leave but instead we all moved into the living room where the men planned on having drinks. Gabrielle shot me a look behind their backs. I grimaced back, remembering what Elijah had said about having to bite me. I really didn't like that idea. Yuck.

Fortunately, when we went in, Elijah was pouring out scotch. He offered Gabrielle a glass which she downed but ignored me.

"Aren't you going to let your girlfriend have a drink?" Klaus asked.

"I'm not his girlfriend" I said, quietly. Elijah's eyes flashed to me and narrowed. I sighed and put on a bright smile "I don't drink" that was a lie. I was eighteen. Yes I'd drunk before. Klaus took a sip and grimaced.

"Where'd you get this stuff? It's disgusting" Elijah shrugged.
"it was a present. I felt it was a good idea to serve it up rather then waste any of the good stuff"

"oh, I'm hurt" I shared a slightly puzzled look with Gabrielle, which Klaus noticed. "small fact of life Elena. Your opinion of a man is expressed by the quality of the alcohol you serve him"

"Didn't know that. Does it work on girls too?"

"No. a man will only serve a woman the alcohol sufficient to shut her up" he smirked. I rolled my eyes. Klaus grimaced again and put the glass down "I can't stomach this stuff"

"Well, you don't have to drink it"

"I know I don't. Gabrielle?" Gabrielle went over to Klaus's side and bared her neck. Elijah looked away but Klaus smiled.

"Aren't you going to join me?" he asked. Elijah scowled and came over to me. He gripped my arm tightly, pulling me with him. He seated himself in a chair, and sat me down awkwardly on his lap. I gave him a raised eyebrows 'you-can't-be-serious' look. He pushed my head roughly to the side and bared his fangs. I stiffened and caught his eye, pleading without words. He looked slightly regretful and he stroked my cheek with one hand but the other hand didn't relinquish it's grip on my throat. Slowly, hesitantly, he lowed his mouth to my neck and bit down. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. It hurt…it hurt worse then anything I'd ever felt before. My head moved slightly so it was resting on Elijah's shoulder. One hand had wound into my hair, the other cradled me closer to him. A single tear slipped from my eye. I met Gabrielle's gaze from across the room. She was in a similar position except her expression wasn't sadness. It was sympathetic towards me but for the most part it was just…resigned. No emotions. I now understood what she'd meant when she said it was better to be compelled then to live in this harsh reality.

A/N: That was a long chapter. Or it seemed long to me. Did we like it? Poor Elena, she's having a bit of a rough time. Anyway, I have a dilemma and I need input from you guys! My dilemma is this…if Elena misbehaves (breaks one of Elijah's rules or…say…makes an attempt to poison him with vervain), how would he punish her? I'm not good at this kind of stuff. Well, sometimes I am but I don't want all my stories to turn out the same way which means the biting punishment is out. So, let me know! Go crazy! I'll look at all the suggestions and choose my favourite/the most suggested.