It turned out to be a rainy afternoon. Elena's ears were picking up on the drops landing on the roof. The sound was comforting. Something simple that had always been in her life. Bonnie had fallen asleep on the couch and from the lack of noise upstairs, she guessed that Caroline and Klaus had done the same thing. Their romping around had gone on for a decent amount of time. Elena had tried to focus on Bonnie and hold a conversation over the noise so that she didn't know every little detail of the trist upstairs. Of course, she couldn't help but over hear things. Things that would be really hard not to think about when talking to either of them later. One thing she knew for sure now is that Klaus was one hell of a lover. Still evil as shit in her mind but that man had a lot of sides to him.
Bonnie's phone rang.
The witch didn't budge. She must have really been tired this morning when they woke her up to come. Elena grabbed it before it had another chance to ring so that her friend could continue resting.
"Hello?" She said in a hushed tone.
"Well, glad to hear that things have quieted down. Wait, why are you so quiet?" Stefan asked.
"Bonnie, Caroline and Klaus are asleep."
There was a little bit of silence on the other end of the line.
"Why is everyone asleep?"
"It's been a long night. And morning for that matter. How are you and Damon doing?"
"Guess that's answers my question about Damon."
"What? What are you talking about?" Elena was confused.
"Well, I'm in New Orleans and Damon's... not."
They must have broken every speed limit down there, she thought. "You don't know where he is?"
"Nope. We were walking to this witch's shop and after a while I realized that he wasn't behind me anymore. I don't know. I thought he might have gone back towards you. Or called you. Something."
Elena had enough on her mind without worrying about Damon. Why would he ditch Stefan like that? Had someone attacked him? No. Stefan would have noticed. The only way Damon could have left Stefan is on purpose.
"Have you tried his phone?"
Stefan made a scoffing noise. "No, Elena," he said sarcastically. "I'm just going to bipass that completely and call you."
"Stop that. You sound like you did when you were under Klaus' control." And he did. He sounded cold and bitter. Not that she blamed him. He had a right to feel betrayed but she also had the right to be with the man she loved. Elena still had feelings for Stefan but her feelings for Damon were stronger and there was nothing that was going to change that. Stefan wanted the cure for that very reason but he couldn't make her take it and he would only get hurt worse if he could. If she took the cure, she would still choose Damon and then Stefan would feel rejected twice.
Stefan took a deep breath. "Okay, just call his phone for me. He might answer for someone else. I don't know what's going on with him." He let out a short laugh. "I don't really know what's going on with anyone so..."
"Alright, I'll try him." With that, Elena hung up. What is that beautiful man up to now?
She called his phone several times but no answer. She left voice messages and texts and still nothing. She was in the middle of calling for the hundredth time when the front door burst open. Tyler came rampaging in.
He looked like he was out for blood. She'd never seen this look on his face before. She'd seen most other things: happiness, anger, sadness, guilt. But not this. His eyes zeroed in on her as she was the only one he could see. Bonnie was still lying down on the couch that faced away from him and still hadn't woken up. Jeez, what is it with her? Elena thought.
"Elena?" His mission temporarily put on hold. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for Stefan and Damon to come back with news of... look, there's a lot going on."
"You're telling me?" Tyler was building back up on whatever it was that he burst in with. "Klaus slaughtered all the hybrids!"
"I know, Tyler."
"Where is he?!" Tyler demanded.
"Tyler, calm down." came Caroline's voice.
She had descended the stairs in the same pair of Klaus' pants she had on earlier but a different one of his shirts. Her wardrobe didn't go unnoticed with the young hybrid either. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her in baggy men's clothes and then eased to normal size as he seemingly came to a conclusion.
"Oh god, Care. What happened? What did he do to you?" Tyler started heading towards her when Klaus came from behind her and stood close.
"Nothing she didn't want done, mate."
"Don't antagonize him," Caroline chided.
Klaus locked eyes with him.
"No, Caroline." Tyler said. "Don't worry about it." Something in his tone worried Elena. "I mean I guess all that talk in the locker room was true. You really are a sl-"
Caroline gasped as Klaus moved faster than anyone could have thought. Within a split second Tyler's head was rolling on the ground and his heart was in Klaus' hand.
Klaus gave Tyler's body a disgusted sideways glance and said, "You shouldn't talk about a lady like that, Tyler, people might react in a less than desirable manner." He sneered the last word.
The blonde vampire was motionless staring at her ex's lifeless body on the floor. There was no sound, no tears, nothing. She was still and frozen. Klaus held up the heart for her to see.
"The only heart he had was purely for physical purposes, Love."
"You said you wouldn't hurt him unless he came after you again." Caroline was barely audible, even to a vampire.
"He lashed out at you, Caroline. I consider them one and the same." Klaus waited but then spoke after it was clear that Caroline wouldn't. "This is me, Darling. I'm not a Salvator. I'm not going to repent for the things I've done and I'll not change how I react when someone I care for is being accosted. I'll not let a single person say what he was going to about you."
She was shaking and Elena didn't know what to do. This was a very intimate and fragile moment.
Klaus walked over and drew and finger down her cheek, leaving a blood streak in it's path and handed her the heart. "But maybe I can help though." he muttered before looking into Caroline's eyes. "Even though you just saw him die, for you it feels as thought he died a long time ago." Klaus was speaking very clearly and it dawned on Elena... Caroline hadn't had any Vervain since yesterday morning. None of them had.
"You're free to move on with your life however you want." The blonde's face eased as she looked down at the heart.
She was silent. Everything was silent and Elena began to fear that she wouldn't speak at all, that there would be no reaction and no reaction was worse than a bad one. They both continued staring at her, waiting.
She took a quick breath in and then let it rush out. "He was a dick but he still deserves a proper burial." And looked up to Klaus.
The Original hybrid seemed very taken aback. He hadn't expected her to react that way. He only meant to help her deal with what he'd just done. Otherwise, Caroline would have been catatonic. But neither him nor Elena had expected what came out of her mouth or the look of impatience she was giving him.
"I'll get on it right away, Love." Klaus couldn't keep the disbelief out of this eyes as he went to get something.
Caroline and Elena almost jumped out of their skin when they heard the most shrill scream they'd ever heard. It was Bonnie. She'd chosen that moment to wake up and see the body. The blood had started to spread and Tyler's head was covered in droplets from his severed neck. So much had happened in such a short span of time but Elena would gather her thoughts later. Right now she had to get to Bonnie.
"Look at me." Elena ordered and Bonnie's frightened eyes obeyed. She, like the rest of them, hadn't had any Vervain today. "You're okay."
"I'm okay," Bonnie repeated in a sort of trance.
"She's a witch," Caroline said. "She should be immune to compulsion."
"Yeah but you heard her talking with Klaus. Her powers are very basic right now and would be incredibly difficult to harness." Elena looked back into Bonnies Brown gaze.
"You know that Tyler died but you never saw his body. It was already gone when you woke up."
"already gone when I woke up," Bonnie echoed.
"You're still a little sleepy, Bonnie. Take another nap, okay?"
"Okay." And that was it. Bonnie's lights were out and her head eased back down.
Caroline walked over to the armchair that Elena had occupied and plopped down into it. "Wow, what a day." She looked up to the ceiling and then her eyes drifted to the shattered pieces of Elena's phone. "What happened to your phone?" She looked more stressed over this discovery than what just happened to Tyler.
That's what she's worried about?! I really need to get ahold of Damon, Elena thought and began dialing again on Bonnie's phone.
"Hey, you called me." She heard Damon's voicemail start yet again as Klaus came back in to role Tyler's body parts into a tarp...

***Hope I still have your attention ;)