**Author's Note: Again, I apologize for my long absence. I know it took me about a month to finish this chapter, and I know that I suck for that. I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting, but somehow, life continued to intervene. As much as I am happy about that, I am definitely not entirely thrilled that I didn't have a quicker opportunity to write and finish this... Nevertheless, I do hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. And please stay tuned for the next. :)

Thank you again for continuing to support and read this Fan Fiction! I am absolutely grateful. Oh and please do tell me what you think. I would love to hear from you guys. :)**

The Ascension

"This is going to be fun…"

Elizabeth muttered to herself just as someone charged up at Klaus, then at her. This vampire was aiming for a punch, but she immediately caught his fist before it actually landed on her face, twisted his arm behind his back, bent him over, and she hit her knee on his spine, which quickly broke once it made contact. Just then, Klaus just tossed some vampire's body towards the wall, and some of them charged at them.

A vampire jumped towards her, immediately, she caught his neck, grabbed his shoulder and his jaw and snapped his neck. She tossed his body while a girl who held two daggers, punched her on her jaw and stabbed her by her shoulder. She then kicked her which made her bend over as she held her by her hip, and broke her spine. As she did, another came charging at her, but with her vampire speed, she blocked this guy's punch with her forearm and whisked it away, before she grabbed his collar, and bit him. With that, she managed to have a few gulps that expertly drained him quickly before she ripped his head off. Another came behind her, trying to choke her with his arm. She elbowed his nose, grabbed him behind his neck and tossed him towards the ground in front of her. And with a glance at Klaus, she noticed that they most of them were coming after him. She felt a girl kick her towards her abdomen, and then punched her several times on her jaw. Elizabeth then gracefully then turned around and slapped her really hard, that nearly threw her head off, but then another lurched at her. She drove her hand towards his chest, and pulled his heart afterwards. The girl returned now, more determined than ever with a punch, but Elizabeth caught her hand, spun her around, grasped her jaw before she twisted her head and ripped it off her neck.

With her vampire speed, she helped Klaus by tossing several of the vampires that were crowding towards him. Chains were tied around his wrists, as everyone ganged up on him. She knew, however, that he would be fine, considering the fact that he just revealed his hybrid features. She then, drained a vampire, before she ripped their head and hearts out. Two men came charging up at her, one with a pipe that hit her head, and another that punched her gut. Although, they were hard hits, she revealed her vampire features before she growled. The man was about to hit her with the pipe again, but she caught it midway, and pulled it away from his hands, before she kicked the other one, and swung the pipe around the puncher's head that knocked him out. She then stabbed the one who held the pipe with it, at his abdomen, deep enough that it went through his back.

Just then, Klaus regained strength. He was no longer playing games. He tossed several of the vampires, and used their weapons against them just as Elizabeth did. He gave her a look, before he tossed the chain towards her, which she immediately caught, and she then pulled him really hard. He leaped towards the walls, landing his foot there to give him more impact, as he knocked out several vampires with kicks and driving their heads squarely towards the walls. As she kicked another one charging at her, Klaus finally landed on the ground again, and withdrew the chains by tossing towards the neck of another vampire, and drove him towards the wall. Elizabeth grabbed a girl's hair who was charging at Klaus, and immediately dug her fangs onto her neck, draining her in seconds and ripped her head off.

"MARCEL!" Klaus yelled at him. "COME AND FINISH THIS!"

Just then, Elizabeth dug her fangs onto another guy's neck before she ripped his head off. Klaus was on a roll, but she didn't really focus on him much just as when there was another girl coming towards her. She drove her hand onto her chest and ripped her heart out within seconds, before Klaus snapped a guy's neck who was bent over from Elizabeth's kick.

"ENOUGH!" Marcel yelled towards them. Elizabeth drained the vampire and ripped his head off, before she looked at the crowd that was just about to charge at them. She then tossed the head towards them, with a sick smirk on her face as her features returned to normal. Klaus squeezed the girl's neck that were on her knees until she was unconscious and dropped onto the ground. Marcel then crouched down and picked the coin up with his trembling fingers. She knew that he somehow cared for his men, but defeat was slapping him across his face at this very moment. The vampires that were crowding around them disappeared in fright, just as Marcel looked up at Klaus, wincing at him.

"Well… Well… Well…" Klaus said as he walked towards him. "The great Marcel, self-proclaimed King of New Orleans; bowing before me." Marcel glared as he tossed the coin towards Klaus' feet. Elizabeth stepped forward and stood behind him. The truth was, she enjoyed this little take down. Of course, somehow, Klaus did show mercy by letting the others live, but Elizabeth enjoyed the kill more. It did really feel like the old times. And she couldn't believe it.

"There!" Marcel bitterly said as he did, and he remained crouched down onto the ground. "I hereby pledge my allegiance to you. You have the keys to my kingdom. It's yours." Rebekah's glance remained down, as Elizabeth's eyes shifted towards her and Marcel. But then, Klaus looked at her with that victorious smile of his, and Elizabeth smirked back at him.

He finally got what he wanted.

He won.

Klaus approached Marcel by the balcony as he grieved over the dead bodies of his loyal men. They were covering their bodies with blankets and spilled alcohol onto them, ready to be burned. He then looked at Marcel as he stood a step away from him, and rested his palms onto the rails. Marcel glanced back at him with a defeated glare.

"Looking at what you've brought…" He commented as Marcel glanced away.

"Look, if you're gonna kill me, let's get this over with." He replied and glanced back with a determined gaze. With a smirk, Klaus looked back at him because that suggestion or assumption of his was the last thing on his mind.

"Why would I kill you?" He asked. "You picked up the coin. There are rules of engagement in battle, Marcel." He then looked away again before he looked back at him. "Without them, you'd have anarchy. I would, however, like to talk about accommodations. We'll live in quarters, for example. I believe they used to be mine."

"You want all this?" Marcel waved his hand towards it. "Fine, it's yours. You can put me back on the street, for all I care." He stared directly at Klaus eyes, and Klaus stared back. "But let's make one thing clear. You will never have this: loyalty. You can't buy it. You can't own it. You can't force it. It comes only out of love and respect for the people who believe in you. You taught me many things, Niklaus Mikaelson, but this I learned myself. And it is something that you will never know." His gaze hardened as Marcel said this, but somehow, he remained silent. "Enjoy your kingdom," He then said before he walked away.

Klaus however, was left a tad bit surprised. But then he glanced at the floor, and saw Diego – one of Marcel's men, now a member of his – flick his lighter on, before he tossed it towards the body, and a fire quickly blazed because of the liquor. As Diego walked away, the fire spread, and Klaus watched it as he was left with only his thoughts, knowing that Marcel was right. But of course, he wouldn't admit it because Klaus was the master, and he did teach him all that he knew.

"He is right, you know." Klaus knew that he wouldn't be alone for long enough, just as he heard that familiar voice. With an expectant look at where Marcel once stood, Elizabeth had appeared by his side. He gave her a small smile, since he was genuinely happy to see her. She then rested her palms on the rail as she looked over the fire. "Loyalty is the key to any kingdom. Without it, the so-called kingdom crumbles into ashes." Klaus scoffed.

"And you seem to know all about that, don't you?" He asked with an amused smile now. He silently admired her profile, as the fire sent gleams of striking light towards her features. It was nice to know that even this take-down was not part of the deal, she still managed to join the fight against Marcel and Rebekah – even if she knew he could take them alone. She then smirked as her deep green eyes landed on him in a sidelong glance.

"Why do you think I have London and Paris at the palm of my hands?" She knowingly asked as he rolled his eyes towards the fire again. The only reason she had it was because of her friendship with Isaac. It wasn't exactly all too impossible that Isaac was still sired to her, but she had been daggered for centuries, so perhaps not. "But congratulations are in order, because apparently, you've finally got what you wanted." He looked at her again and saw that her eyebrows were arched matter-of-factly. Klaus slowly smiled. He finally got New Orleans back. But somehow, it did anger him to know that Rebekah had sided with Marcel against him. He was brushing that off, though. He will have to deal with her later.

"And I suppose you're already planning your departure?" He asked with an expectant look in his eyes. She smiled as she knew that she was already caught. There was no point in denying it. After all, Damon detested the fact that they were here – especially that little scenario earlier where she had made him stay at the house. The only reason why that Salvatore prick came along was because of her. Although, he didn't really need to, did he? Klaus actually preferred if he stayed in London just what Elizabeth offered to him.

"Well, I don't see why I should stay…" She breathed and then shrugged afterwards. "Unless you would want me to handle Rebekah's treachery with some spanking, but I think you can handle it pretty well without me." With a smirk, she glanced at Klaus in amusement. He smiled as he gave a little throaty chuckle, in which she did too. And then they fell silent for a few moments as they held each other's gaze. What could he possibly do to convince her to stay? Perhaps another bargain? But they've already got tons.

"It'd be a shame for you to go." He finally broke the ice as he stood straight, resting his wrists onto the railings. The fire was still blazing, and he stared at it for a few moments. "After all, you haven't been here to New Orleans; I would love to give you a tour." With that, he glanced back at her, and she smiled warmly at him – although, her eyes did seem to be mocking him in amusement.

"A tour?" She scoffed incredulously. "Is this how you pick women up to bed for the night? You do know you could save that, because that doesn't exactly work with me." She chuckled silently as he rolled his eyes. Of course, this was what she would say. Everything seemed to amuse her – she has such a strange sense of humor. He then turned to face her directly now as he held her gaze.

"Elijah would love for you to stay," He then said. "And I am sure that he would love to give you that tour around the quarter, even if you prolonged your stay for just a day." Slowly, he smiled at her. Somehow though, her gaze danced around his face, clearly taking this into consideration. "Besides, it would be better if you stayed longer, not just for the family, but also because I want you by my side as I reign – just as I've said before." Finally, Elizabeth looked down and shook her head as she smirked scornfully.

"And why would you want that, Nik?" She asked, looking directly at his eyes again. It was a piercing gaze, and her smirk had already faded. "I'm not your queen. Therefore, I cannot stand by your side and reign with you." He smirked. Whoever said that he desired her to be his queen? He wanted her there because they work well together even if they themselves can self-destruct. But he wanted to see past that, he wanted to see beyond that… Back to the time when they have reigned together, when they were in power with mighty fists. Although, deep within himself, he knew that he wanted her to be here because of her telepathic skills after all, he would need to know who were betraying him. Besides that, of course, there was this deepest darkest desire for her to be his queen. But that small desire could remain to be buried into oblivion.

"But that doesn't matter…" He replied with an amused smile and shook his head. "You're already one, even if you're not mine." She rolled her eyes as she smiled.

"I think it will." She firmly replied. This time however, she laid her hand on top of his and squeezed it gently as she gazed into his eyes yet again. "Do not lie to me, Nik. How many times will I have to state this?" She narrowed her eyes as she said this rather saccharinely than warningly. And her voice was calm, even if she said them firmly. "Besides, we've already gone down that road," She arched her eyebrows as she knew that he knew what she was talking about. "Do you not think it'll only end that way as well?"

He inhaled deeply as she suddenly opened her mind to his, and made him recall that one fateful day at the woods back in England…

England, 1491

She sped through the woods with her horse, Clementine. She then shouted for him to go faster, as she pressed her ankles on his sides. It was nearly sundown, but it wouldn't be for about an hour so. Yet, there was no time to worry about the sun and its wonderful setting by the lake, or its gleaming rays onto the trees and the grounds, making every color look more saturated and warm. They were beautiful. But somehow, she managed to ignore all of that since she heard her name was called.

"ELIZABETH!"

He was near, she knew. His anger echoed through the trees and actually disturbed the birds which led them to flee from where they perched. With that, she shouted again for Clementine to go faster, in which he whinnied as he obliged. But then, she saw Klaus appear yards away, standing with that murderous glare in his eyes. Immediately, she pulled for her horse to stop. It was too late though, because they were about to hit Klaus head first. But that might be the other way around, because a few feet away, he already managed to pull Clementine's leg, toppling him over. He whinnied yet again, this time in fear and surprise, as Elizabeth felt that they were falling. So she immediately sprang up from him before they even got to hit the ground. Her feet landed onto the ground safely, with her dress fluttering behind her every move. As much as she wanted to check on her favorite horse, she had more important matters at hand. So she smirked at Klaus' murderous glare.

"And I thought that we were playing tag." She commented sarcastically as she fixed the creases on her dress. But apparently, Klaus wasn't so amused. He was furious with her. And before he could even confront her (and since she was already riding Clementine), she immediately decided to run – just to annoy him even more. It wasn't like she didn't know what this was about at all. In fact, she knew perfectly well, since this had been Klaus' concern for the past few months already, that all of them had grown weary of the subject. And of course, out of his growing frustrations of being "so near, yet so far," it actually triggered his temperaments even more. Apparently, her sadistic ways of annoying him did not help either. She then held his gaze before he went towards her with inhumanely speed, and grabbed her neck afterwards, choking her and lifting her up inches from the ground.

"Stop this ridiculous charade, Elizabeth!" He hissed under his breath and glared at her before he threw her away towards a tree, in which she hit her back with a thud and toppled down, hitting branches that scratched her skin. Yet, she managed to get proper footing as she landed on the ground. Immediately, she glared back at him. "You lied to me! The doppelganger is nowhere to be found, and yet you managed to make me seek her with false direction!" He said, as he charged up towards her with her vampire speed again and pushed her towards a tree trunk. She let out a sharp breath as her back hit the trunk with another thud. But she charged up at him, pushing him towards the ground, and then she sat on top of him.

"I absolutely have no idea what you're talking about, Nik!" She hissed as she began to strangle his throat. "You're paranoia has completely gone into your head! And attacking me will not solve your damn doppelganger problems." He gave a low growl, before he held both of her wrists away from his neck, and turned them around. Then he held her jaw tightly.

"And you expect me to believe that you have nothing to do with this?" He demanded. She tried to break free from his hold by imitating what he did, holding his wrists away from her face, and then she twisted it, attempting to break his bones. Though, that attempt seemed to fail because immediately, Klaus grabbed her hair and brought her up to her feet as he too stood up. But as she read his mind, she knew that she was about to be thrown away again into the trees, and so she managed to punch his abdomen. Once he broke his hold from her glorious hair, she slapped him with the back of her hand, and grabbed his neck before she managed to throw him. Still with her vampire speed, she got to the spot where he was supposed to fall over, and as he was just about to, she hit his spine with her knee. He finally fell on the ground face down, but it wasn't hard of a hit to knock him out – after all, he was a hybrid. And so, she decided to kick his side, hard enough to make him leap off the ground again, and then land with another thud. But since she was sort of sadistic, she kicked him again, hard enough to have the same effect. He groaned as he rolled onto his back.

"I do expect you to believe, Nik." She walked towards him with much annoyance. "Because I have had about enough of this! It is not my fault that you cannot happen to find the doppelganger," She saw him furiously stand up. "I've already said my piece, and directed you with what I know. Do you not think that you owe me a bit of some gratitude?"

"Gratitude," Klaus sputtered once he stood up straight and laid his murderous glare on hers once again. He then lunged towards her, and pushed her towards another tree trunk, where her back landed with a thud. "Gratitude?" He then demanded rather incredulously, and strangled her neck once again. "You lied to me, Elizabeth! And you expect me to have some speck of gratitude, over what? Some false information, to distract me – to lure me into a trap! How can I know that this wasn't some ploy to lead me to Mikael, huh? To have me dead by his own hands?" His grasp wound tighter around her neck, and yet, she still managed to give a mocking scoff that matched with her hardened gaze.

"I pity you for being so foolish…" She said, with her voice low and even. That was when she decided to go for something much more aggressive. She will not take this accusation so lightly, of course. With that, her eyes turned red before they returned to normal, as she was the one who held on his neck and threw him high up, making him land on the large tree, imitating what he did to her just moments ago. He toppled over, hitting parts of his body on large and small branches, leaving him with tons of gashes and ruining his clothes. With her vampire speed, she went towards the tree, waiting for him to come down so she could catch him. Once he did, she jumped and grabbed his shoulders, and then directed his back to a large, jagged branch. It wasn't much of a surprise that she calculated her hit correctly, since the branch went from his back and out of his chest. He hissed under his breath as he groaned. Yet, she held him in place. The branch wasn't that high from the ground, but she managed to look up at him within arms' reach. "Have you ever thought that if I directed you to Mikael, not only would you be dead, but I will too?" She glared at him with much scorn and anger. She was always getting the blame for all of this, not to mention, she was always the one who got to face his temperaments, and she was damn sick of it. She won't have it anymore. "I have chosen to stay with the only family I have left. I have chosen to help you than to help him! I was supposed to kill you centuries ago, and yet I manage to put that off longer than I really should have. It wouldn't have taken him that much time to figure things out, Nik." She then firmly stated. "So spare me these petty accusations." Her eyes danced as she gazed through his glare. His mind was whirling with furious, irrational thoughts that she wanted to slap him out of it because it gave her this throbbing headache. They were too directing for her thoughts. But then, she knew what was going to happen next, because once he managed to grasp one of her wrists, and twisted her arm around, she got too distracted that he got the upper hand. He pulled her towards him, and he kneed her in the middle of her back – clearly avenging what she did to him, the same as she avenged what he did to her.

Perhaps they really do think too much alike.

She let out a loud yelp. It wasn't enough to break her spine, but it nearly did. Suddenly, he was in front of her, with this wound on his chest, bleeding out from his clothes. He held her by her neck before he directed her back to the branch, where she yelped again in pain. "And should I congratulate you on that?" He mocked with his jaw clenched. And then, he raised his chin ever so slightly towards her face, looking up at her. "You do not exactly think that I believe that you had nothing to do with this mysterious disappearance of the doppelganger?" He gave a mocking glare at her. Then he scoffed as he smirked. "Elizabeth, we've lived for six hundred years already. I don't suppose you're too foolish to leave the doppelganger alone, without anyone to keep her safe? To know of her whereabouts? To not be touched by anyone of my enemies, because clearly, you were offering her to me? We both know that the doppelganger is too precious to be left exposed with danger. And we both know that if you offered her to me, only for me to discover that she's dead, then we both know that I'd have to kill you." Now it was her turn to smirk. She couldn't help but mock him especially if his statements were as if she was actually afraid of him or even feel threatened by him. In which, she was apparently, not. Otherwise, why would she be here, pinned on a tree trunk, with a branch staked through her chest? And yet, she still managed to be sarcastic.

"Oh now that's frightening…" She mocked as she gave him a vicious smile. He rolled his eyes. But as much as she wasn't threatened by him, she knew he was right. She wouldn't leave the doppelganger alone only to be plucked by anyone of their enemies. Most especially, she couldn't let Mikael have at her. Once the girl gave birth to her daughter in 1490 – a shame for her family that her father took her daughter from her and banished her to England – Elizabeth managed to have someone help the poor girl come and adjust here in England. She should've told Klaus about this, but it was better off for him to try and search for the girl in Bulgaria. It bid Elizabeth more time to spend time with him and the rest of the family. Besides, if Mikael was close, it would keep him uninterested in England since Klaus wasn't here. It would make him move onto the next location – as they always have done, when Elizabeth was still under his wing, training. As much as Klaus thought that he knew Mikael, she knew him better. "But go ahead, and do kill me – just to get this all over with. Tempting as that may sound, Nik, it would be a grave mistake on your part, I assure you that." She smirked knowingly at him. His eyes slightly widened as he pressed him deeper.

"You do know where she is!" His voice rose as a sudden realization came over his mind, she read. Clearly, he finally figured that all this time she knew, and she had managed to trick him. If he killed her now, because of his fury, then he would never know where the doppelganger was. Of course, Elizabeth knew that this would happen, at least eventually. And the time had come. It took nearly a year for this moment. He then pressed her deeper onto the branch as his nose scrounged. "TELL ME!" He shouted. Elizabeth inhaled sharply, feeling the wood pierce through her flesh and her heart, making it all too difficult to breathe. She didn't reply, since she was too distracted with her pain, also it was an attempt for him to actually get her off the branch. Although that attempt failed since he only pressed her deeper with a fierce jolt. "TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!" She scrounged her nose as she breathed heavily. Her eyes were narrowed as she grabbed his jaw with such a strong hold; she heard his bones cracking while she lifted him up, vis-à-vis.

"You'll have to try harder than that." She said with a sneer before she managed to throw him high up towards the nearby tree. It bid her enough time to pull herself out of the branch with her vampire speed, and jump down. She managed to see several broken branches, huge and thick enough to be used as stakes, on the ground. Quickly, she took as much as she could, and went under the tree in which he eventually fell onto. But before he could, she threw the stakes at him with much precision of where she wanted him to get hit. And once he finally fell, face down, the stakes plunged deeper. He groaned loudly in pain. Elizabeth smirked, ignoring the pain that was still on her chest, even if the wound already began to heal.

"Did you really think that such demands would make me squirm into submission?" She asked with sheer mockery in her tone. He then began to get up on his feet, staggering to get his balance. "It's such a disappointment, if I may add." She smiled deviously at him as he began to pull the stakes from his body with such ferocity. She then fixed the creases of her dress that was now dirty, although she did try to ignore that. "You were right though," She then added. "I couldn't leave the doppelganger exposed to danger and for anyone to take her for their own liking. I knew of her whereabouts, and I still do. I just didn't want you to find her too soon." Klaus breathed heavily in anger, and abruptly turned to face her, ignoring the amount of pain he was in.

"AND YOU THINK YOU COULD FOOL ME?"

She gazed at him, still with sheer mockery, as she saw him clench his fists. She raised her eyebrows with that smile. "Haven't I already? It did take you long enough to finally figure it out." She shrugged casually as she looked away. It was already twilight, and in a matter of time, darkness will finally fill the woods. "But you see, I heard Mikael was nearby. I had to distract you to leave town, and that was what I did." He smirked bitterly as he scoffed. She knew he was restraining himself from fighting her yet again, but she knew how fickle this could be. It will happen soon enough.

"How noble of you..." He spat angrily. "You, trying to save the king from the villainous Mikael... It's going down in the books." He scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "And I don't suppose that you have continued to drive me out of town because he kept coming towards our way." Elizabeth continued to arch her eyebrows while she gave a patient smile.

"No." She replied. "He didn't. But I wanted to take my place, Nik. And with you gone, I have spent more time with my cousins." That was when Klaus glared at her yet again as he continued to breathe heavily. His wounds began to heal, and hers were already healed. "I have my own fair share of loyal men within your army. Perhaps you shouldn't have underestimated me too much just because I'm your so-called queen."

Klaus made a low growl before he lunged at her with his vampire speed. He grabbed her shoulder, then her neck before he threw her yet again. Elizabeth knew that he was fighting the urge to actually snap her neck or rip her heart out of her chest, because the next thing she knew after she read his mind, she was actually in midair and she was falling into the lake. It only took a matter of time before her body plunged the water, and she quickly spread her arms and legs as she swam up for air immediately. She wouldn't actually die in the water, but she wanted to see Klaus' furious and defeated face. He never realized until now that he had been defeated, how she had fooled him and played him again and again. Quickly, her head popped out of the water, with a full smile on her face. It was already dark, but with her heightened senses, she could see clearly.

But Klaus was already gone...

Damon swirled his drink around, completely nonchalant of his surroundings. He was at a small bar called "Rousseau's Kitchen" which was quite ironic now that he thought about it. The thing was, he was too pissed off to even notice. After settling their bags in two separate rooms, he let this guy Joshua, handle Elizabeth's and then he handled his. It didn't take too long though, so he immediately went to the Quarter, watched the parade for a moment – just because he didn't have much of a choice since the streets flocked with people – before proceeding to the nearest bar he could find. And so here he was...

Not only was it annoying that Elizabeth agreed with Klaus for him to stay for their bags, as if he was nothing but an assistant, but then she promised that it wouldn't take long, and it did. They arrived at New Orleans at evening, but now it was already almost midnight. Everyone around him was already drunk, singing happily and dancing at the band playing jazz. Vampires swarmed around, trying to feed discreetly, in which he smirked at in sheer mockery. Everyone seemed to be having a ball, everyone but him though. And the only thing that he could turn to, as always, was liquor, in which he enjoyed more often than he really should.

But that's not really the case right now.

The case was Elizabeth.

She brought him here, not that she forced him to; in fact, she actually gave him a choice for him to stay in London, offering her home to him. But no, he just had to come with her. Not that he was complaining with the environment in New Orleans, he actually loved it here, but what he didn't like was the fact that she was associated with Klaus. Where was she anyway? Somehow, she hadn't even called yet. And it was clear that she hadn't come back to Klaus' manor just yet either. And that pissed him off even more. But then, he realized that he sounded like a clingy boyfriend – in which he was not, by the way, because apparently, he and Elizabeth weren't exclusive or anything at all. So, he just let out an exhale as he stared impatiently and annoyed down at his drink before chugging it down in one quick swig.

"Time for a refill?" The blonde bartender girl asked. She had blue eyes that gazed questioningly at him, and her plump lips curved into a warm small smile. Damon narrowed his eyes and gave her a slow smirk, with a hint of flirtation as he arched his brows slightly. She held up the bottle of bourbon while she waited for him to say something.

"Don't mind if I do," He replied, now with a full smile. That was when she poured some onto his empty tumbler.

"Tough day, huh?" She asked as she poured. But then, she laid her blue eyes at him again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I just saw that you've been glaring into space several times since you got here. I'm just assuming that someone really pissed you off." Damon picked up his glass once she was done, and narrowed his eyes at her yet again. So this girl had been watching him. Had he been too pissed off to not even mind his surroundings? With telepathy, he would've known that she had actually been observing him for the past several hours. And yet, he managed to overlook all of that, just because he was too absorbed with his thoughts of annoyance at Elizabeth.

Damn her!

That was when he decided to read this girl's mind, and actually go through her memories. Currently, the girl thought that he was handsome – which was a given fact, so he moved on – and it looked like she actually knew Klaus. In fact, she has had several encounters with him. There was one memory that really piqued his interests, though. It was when she was in one room, typing out what Klaus had been narrating to her, which was his memoir. Damon then rolled his eyes. How completely conceited of Klaus to actually pick some poor human girl to write his memoir for him? How hard could typing be? But the other thing that interested him was the fact that this girl was psycho-analyzing Klaus and really did identify him as a psycho, because she was a Psychology major.

Now that was interesting.

Finally, someone who actually hated his guts as much as Damon did! This girl could actually be worth talking to. Now... what was her name?

He slightly frowned. "You've been watching me?" He repeated, slightly in a teasing tone, as he finally arched his eyebrows and smirked. "Like a hawk?"Now, the girl let out a throaty chuckle.

"Well..." She shrugged as she took this into consideration. Now, she thought he was funny. "Not like a hawk, but whenever I pass by, that's all you've been doing." Damon shrugged as he was the one who took this into consideration. And then, he finally got her name. But of course, he pretended as if he didn't know. It was much more fun that way. Besides, it was one of the many perks of knowing telepathy.

"I guess I'm guilty then," He pursed his lips slightly before he took a sip on his tumbler. "But apparently, you are too." He said afterwards with a wide smile. She nodded with a smile.

"I guess I kind of am, huh?" She replied with a shrug. Damon continued to smile.

"Yup," Then he swirled his drink around again before he took a sip. The conversation was clearly over, but somehow she was still there. Not that he was complaining, of course. He suddenly wondered if she suspected that he was a vampire. But then his phone buzzed from his leather jacket's pocket. His thoughts were interrupted as he sighed expectantly. It was about time...

He looked at his phone's screen, and then rejected the call. As expected, it was Elizabeth, and he was still too goddamn pissed with her to even hear whatever she was about to say. "Well, gotta get back to work then." The Blondie bartender said with a smile. He gave a charming smile back before his phone buzzed again. He glanced back at it and saw that it was a message from Elizabeth.

"Where are you?" It said.

"Just guess." Damon sent through telepathy. Why would he have to bother typing a message when he could just use the power of his mind, right? He didn't really know why Elizabeth had to even bother with normal human interactions and modes of communication anyway. Elizabeth didn't exactly reply, but he knew she got it. He then decided to call the bartender again by gesturing towards her with his hand. Her other bartender friend, pointed at him, for her to notice. He then drank on his tumbler until it was empty, which bide her enough time to hover over.

"Another refill?" She teased.

"There just aren't enough." He shrugged as he pursed his lips slightly. She stifled an air laugh, as if incredulously. "Maybe you should just give me the whole bottle." She continued to smile.

"Or, you can just do shots and get over it." She shrugged as she suggested. "If getting wasted is your main aim for tonight, of course." He cocked his eyebrows up and shrugged in consideration. This girl was absolutely straight-forward, and he had to admit that it made her even more attractive. Maybe he should sleep with her to piss Elizabeth and Klaus off...

That wasn't such a bad idea.

Sex never was.

"Or maybe..." He leaned forward on his elbows that were resting on the counter. He then gave her a flirtatious smirk, as he gazed directly into her eyes. "We can just do shots together." With that, he now gave her a full smile. She now chuckled slightly.

"I'm not exactly much of a drinker."

"C'mon..." He replied teasingly. "It'll be fun. Besides, we both know you've been working hard, it'll help you relax even for just a bit." She then gave him a reluctant look before she scoffed again.

"You're suggesting that I should drink with a stranger?" She asked matter-of-factly with her eyebrows cocked. Damon knew that when she said that last word, she was actually suspecting that maybe he was a vampire. He smirked as he nodded.

"Well... I won't be a stranger if I introduced myself, right?" He stuck out his hand. "I'm Damon Salvatore – a hundred and semi year old vampire." He gave her a full smile. When he mentioned what he was, her eyes immediately looked at him, somewhat taken aback by his directness. She then decided as if she didn't know that his kind existed.

"What?" She asked, raising a brow. He rolled his eyes as he withdrew his hand.

"Don't act so surprised." He shook his head slightly. "I know that look you were giving me. And considering the fact that you've been observing me for the past few hours since I got here, you saw the amount of alcohol I've been consuming, and you noticed that I have an abnormally high tolerance for it. So y'know, let's just save this vampires-do-not-exist and me-pretending-to-be-human act, okay?" He looked directly at her eyes that were still wide from his directness. It was only appropriate after all the lies she had been put through with her twin brother, who was hexed by those witches that led him to mass murder his fellow seminary students and then himself.

Basically, this should really impress her considering that said fact.

She continued to look at him for a moment, which he noticed that she was trying to think about his motives, as she raised her eyebrows somewhat hesitantly. He then decided to speak up again, since the silence was taking them too long to drink a shot. "It'll save both of us time…" He shrugged as he leaned forward again and gave another smile. "Trust me on that." She then breathed as she smiled.

"You caught me off-guard." She said in amusement. "And I was right all along." Damon gave a full smile back.

"Yes, you were." He nodded. "Now how about that drink?" She shrugged as she finally decided to do it. With that, she took two shot glasses; put them on the counter, before she grabbed a bottle of tequila. Then, she opened it and poured some on both.

"I guess your honesty does deserve a drink." Damon continued to smile as she said this, and then she gently pushed the glass towards him after settling the bottle on the side. He caught it, and they both raised them. "To honesty," She stated with a smile.

"To honesty," He repeated as he gave a little toast towards her direction.

"I'm Cami, by the way." She then added. And so, he nodded, and they both drank the tequila in one gulp. Once it was empty, they loudly put the glass down on the counter with a clang, as they looked at each other, maintaining that small smile on their faces. He had to admit, for a second there he thought that the tequila had vervain in it, because of how comfortable she was with this. But, he knew he could've known sooner since he was reading her mind. Plus, he could smell it after all. Fortunately, it wasn't. And basically, Cami was just an innocent human girl, dragged into a world full of supernatural species. It was a bit comforting though, that it looked as if Klaus was actually protecting her from all of this. Damon had to admit, it did look like the hybrid psychopath cared for her.

But he was getting ahead of himself.

Just then, they heard the door open as the bell that was attached above it, rang. Damon knew who it was, and so he patiently – or at least tried to, – inhaled deeply. He was ready to face to music, even if he wasn't exactly too ecstatic about this.

"You weren't exactly all too difficult to find." He heard Elizabeth say beside him. Suddenly, she was perched on the stool beside him. He looked at her with his bored and slightly drunken eyes, which still had a hint of a glare, and raised his eyebrows, feigning interest. "I just had to find the nearest bar in the Quarter." She said with a smile.

"Elizabeth, this is Cami." He introduced them as he glanced from her to the other. "Cami, this is Elizabeth." And for the first time since Elizabeth got here, her gaze finally landed on Cami, and there, she smiled with that signature mocking gaze of hers. But, Cami smiled warmly back as she held onto the bottle.

"Nice to meet you," Cami said, and Elizabeth maintained that smile as she arched her eyebrows.

"I'm sure it was." She replied as she rested her chin onto her fist, and then her elbow on the counter as she leaned forward. "I'll have some bourbon please." Damon rolled his eyes at her tone – trying to be kind and pleasant, when really, she was anything but. Of course, now as he looked at Elizabeth, her beauty still took his breath away. He still ached to feel her smooth skin on the palms of his hand, and smell her hair. But he was still too pissed to even bother and try to give into these temptations. Cami, however, just smiled before she nodded.

"Coming right up," She replied. Damon looked away, knowing fully well that Elizabeth's gaze just landed on him again. As Cami shuffled for another crystal tumbler and a bottle of bourbon, pouring it onto the empty glass, he glanced at his empty shot glass, and reached for the bottle of tequila, pouring some for himself.

"You seem to be a little distressed." Elizabeth finally commented. Damon arched his brows as he put the bottle back on the counter. He then drank the shot in one gulp again. "What's the matter?" With that question, his gaze landed on her in a side-long glance. Did she just ask him why he was pissed off? Did she actually care? And shouldn't she be just reading his mind? Oh right, he had it blocked – which was good. Maybe he should tease her a little.

"Shouldn't you already know?" He asked as he poured some tequila again. Cami just served Elizabeth drink before giving him one last smile.

"I'll leave you two then." She said before walking away, but Elizabeth just ignored her yet again. Damon glared away then. Once Cami was out of earshot, Elizabeth fully smiled in amusement. He then decided to directly glare at her.

"Everyone seems to fancy that human…" She commented, and then she pursed her lips in wonder before she smiled again. "If I'm right, I'll say that you and Nik do have the same taste." He looked away again, ignoring that comment. Of course, she was saying that because he and Klaus already like her. But the part where Elizabeth was wrong was the fact that he didn't really have any interest in Cami. What interested him to talk and even flirt a little with her was because Damon knew that he and Cami shared the same hatred for Klaus.

"Weren't you just asking me a question?" He shot.

"I was, but then I knew that you wouldn't even tell me anyway." She shrugged as she replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, I already know." Then she waved her hand dismissively. He cocked an eyebrow.

"You do, huh?"

"Yes, and I do understand that you weren't entirely pleased about what happened earlier this evening." She replied, in all seriousness now. "And that was why you're sulking here with booze, as always." Damon exhaled and decided to pour another shot. "But I'm afraid that you wouldn't be entirely pleased with what I'm about to tell you either." She then added. Immediately, he cocked a brow and glanced at her. He saw that she stared at her drink as she swirled it around before finally drank until it was empty. So he then decided to read her mind, to try and know what she was about to say. Unfortunately, her mind was blocked. He looked away and held up his shot glass, ready to down it in a second.

"So hit me…" He replied with his voice low and even, but it had a tone of impatience. He wasn't entirely pleased now that he couldn't even read her mind to know it for himself now either. With that, he downed his drink and let it loudly hit the counter as he placed it back on it. She exhaled.

"I've decided to stay…" She slowly said, clearly choosing her words carefully. Or, making him hear them carefully – whatever. His gaze hardened. It was as if those words did hit him in the guts. "But just for a day or two." He inhaled deeply, avoiding eye contact, but he knew her gaze lingered at him. He could feel it pierce his skin. And god was it so unbearable, especially now that he wanted to strangle her. This was clearly a huge slap in his face, because clearly, this was what Klaus wanted all along. He knew this because he had read Elizabeth's mind when he wanted to know what went on between him and Klaus and all these crappy bargains they agreed on together. And Damon knew that with this, Klaus had finally won – other than this petty throne of his that he had wanted to regain.

The shot glass shattered in his hand.

He didn't realize that the glass was the one he was strangling. And then, he exhaled, as he slowly casted his eyes downwards at the shattered glass and blood in his hand. He also realized that Elizabeth's hand was on his left wrist where his fist was clenched so tightly. "Damon…" She nearly whispered. "I don't want to force you into anything. If you decide to leave, I would understand." Her voice was calm, and it was silkier and smoother than ever.

He hated that.

He was breathing deeply as anger made him feel this knot in his stomach and his throat. Why did she always have to choose Klaus? Why does it always have to be what he wanted? Sure, she might "hate" him – as she said – but somehow, it didn't exactly seem that way, especially now that that psychopath was pining for her again! How many times will Damon have to follow her like a lapdog? How many times will he have to try and please her just so she would love him? He was too damn tired of this. For more than two years, he had always been the one who wanted to be with her – the one who chased after her because of this disgusting emotion called love! And yet, here he was again, stuck in a vicious cycle.

Words somehow couldn't come out of his mouth, and so he shook his head in utter disapproval and dismay. He realized that her hand was on his clenched fist, holding it firmly – as if that could comfort him. Then, he glared at her, but he still managed to give her a bitter smirk.

"Of course you would." He sputtered. "But then you'd expect for me to stay again. That's what you want right?" He scrounged his nose as his tone became low with much anger. "For me to follow you around like one of your sired lapdogs?" Elizabeth frowned as she sat up straight, clearly taken aback.

"Of course not." She objected. "Why would you say that?"

"Well… Let's see." He said in fake wonder. "For the past few years, that's what I've been doing. First, you disappeared and I did everything I could to find you, only to find out that you were in New York, kidnapped by that psychopath ex of yours. Second, you left me a note saying that you wanted me to follow you to Paris, and y'know what? I'm glad that I didn't. As much as I do hate to admit this, Katherine did have a point then, and that point applies right now. I'm not your dog, Elizabeth. And after Paris, you basically hated my guts for not doing what you told me to. Then after all the saving and the scheming and all that you've done, you left! Just left; the same as you did a few weeks after you came back after that. And now two years later, here we are again." Elizabeth continued to furrow her eyebrows at him as she leaned forward.

"But I'm not leaving…"

"Yeah, you're staying." Damon quickly sputtered. "For Klaus. That's as worse as the first time you left, saying that you don't have any reason to stay anymore." He rolled his eyes at her as he begrudgingly withdrew his wrist from her grasp. That was his cue to finally stand up as he glared directly at her gaze. He could see that she was absolutely taken aback by this directness – the same as Cami had looked earlier. Maybe this really was the trick with Elizabeth. Nobody could beat her at her own game of scheming and manipulating, so instead of doing that, he should do the opposite – surprise her with the truth. Fight fire with water – as they say. "I'm leaving before sunrise. If you want to stay, then stay." He stated firmly. "I wouldn't want to force you into anything." He then added bitterly, repeating what she had told him earlier, and then he gave her a smirk.

Her eyes were wide. And as much as he wanted to drown in the pool of her deep green eyes, he finally left, giving her one last look before doing so.

If that was how it's supposed to be, then so be it.