A/N: A reminder for everyone reading - I started writing this story near the beginning of S2 so I had no idea what Klaus looked like. So my Klaus in this story, is completely different than the Klaus on the show. Hope it's not too confusing! Enjoy the chapter.
Shadows
The past will always come back to haunt you…
Chapter 12: Opposite Direction (The Knife Cuts Deep)
Katerina smiles wide.
"I love my sisters so much. No one will ever separate us ever!"
Elena smiles as she finds herself replying with, "No, never!"
Nana calls Katerina and Nikolina into the house and Elena is left standing there.
She looks around at the huge garden.
She never wants to leave this place.
She never wants to be away…
Elena suddenly gasps and turns around. She had heard a whisper but all that is behind her are bushes.
She starts to walk toward the house when she hears it again.
"Elena… You will be mine…"
She lets out a bloodcurdling scream as two dark red eyes stare at her through the bushes.
Elena wakes up and she's in the garden again only…its night and she's older.
She's wearing a twinkling, midnight blue dress and her hair is slicked back in a fancy updo.
She's also wearing her golden locket! It's so beautiful. She starts to pry it open when someone suddenly grabs her from behind.
She gasps and lets the locket go.
The man whispers her name in her ear, causing her to shiver, and begins lightly kissing her neck.
Elena lets her eyes close. "Mmm…Damon…."
His hands begin to roam over the front of her dress and Elena feels her body begin to respond.
He turns her around abruptly so she's facing him and she grins.
"Oh Damon…" She begins saying as she opens her eyes.
His eyes…they are blue, so blue. The same rich ocean blue as she had grown to love but…these eyes are different.
They don't reflect love and desperate longing; they reflect menace and possession. His face…it's so similar to the one that provokes her to grow weak in the knees…but this isn't that face. This man has an evil smirk and Elena begins to tremble out of fear.
"Elena…you will be mine…"
Elena pushes him back and lets out a horrific, agonizing scream.
Elena sits up with a loud gasp.
She wipes the sweat off her brow and struggles to catch her breath.
She had seen Klaus. That was Klaus!
He looks so, so similar to…
Elena looks down at the warm, sleeping body next to her.
Damon looks so peaceful…so serene.
Did he know? Was he aware of the similarity between him and….
Elena didn't even want to think about him.
She leans down and presses her lips to his cheek and gives him a light peck.
He smells so good.
How can anyone smell so heavenly this early in the morning?
Elena pulls the covers back and as quietly as she can, begins to get out of bed to brush her teeth and just freshen up a bit. As she reaches for her vervain necklace on the table, she realizes that it's gone and in its place…is a note.
Her hands are shaking as she unfolds it and reads…
My dearest Elena,
Now that I have found you again, you shall never escape me. You're not fit to be a princess…you were always meant to be my Queen.
You will be mine.
And at the bottom of the note, it is a signed in an elaborate, cursive…
K
A bump at her window causes her to drop the note and she begins to scream hysterically.
"Elena!"
Damon rushes over to Elena and clutches her body to him.
Elena is shaking in his arms and gripping his back so tightly that her nails are digging into his skin.
"He knows where I am Damon! He was here! He was here in my room!"
Damon shakes his head baffled, "Who was here Elena? Who—"
He notices a crumpled piece of paper on the ground and, not letting go of Elena, picks it up.
K
He throws it against the wall and holds Elena closer to him.
"I won't let him near you Elena! On my life, I swear that-"
Elena suddenly hushes him, holding her fingers to his lips. "Don't swear on your life Damon. Not again. I don't want to lose you."
A surge of pure love rushed through Damon and he lifts her face up. Slightly expecting her to resist and pull back, he smiles when she lets her eyes close and he kisses her tenderly.
Elena pulls back smiling and clears her throat, "I—um, my vervain necklace is gone. Klaus must've taken it when he left the note. What are we going to do?"
Damon, hiding disappointment, strokes her hair as he moves away from her and grabs his cell from his pants.
He gives a tight smile as he reads something on his phone then looks at Elena.
"There's someone we need to go talk to. It's important and they will be able to provide us with answers. Go and shower…call the school, friends…it'll probably be all day. I mean, if you want to come…you don't have to, of course…"
Elena nods. "I do. I need to figure out what I'm going to do but…while I'm in the shower…will you please stay here. I'm…scared."
Damon gives her a real smile and places a hand over his heart.
"You are what makes my heart beat Elena. I won't let any danger come to you…I'll protect you, even if it's the last thing I do."
Katherine twirls the dull, dusty moonstone in her hand and stares at it with a puzzled expression.
Elijah had come but had left the moonstone.
Yes, she had been keeping it hidden but she had been sure he was aware of its location.
Maybe he really didn't know.
Katherine smirks. Maybe I can still outsmart them after all.
But as soon as thinks the thought, Elijah's words begin echoing in her head.
No one has ever needed you Katerina. No one has ever even loved you. Elena is going to DESPISE you! She's going to spit in your face! No one has ever loved you! No one, no one!
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
"Katherine…?"
Katherine's eyes pop open and she realizes she had let go of the moonstone and her hands were now clutching the sides of her head. She probably looked like a lunatic.
She feebly stands up on her feet and wipes the dust from her worn, black dress.
"Stefan," she croaks out, "Come to watch me wither away? It's absolutely free of charge. Sit down wherever you like."
Stefan kneels down at the entry of her cave and looks off to the side with a faraway expression.
Something tugs at Katherine's heart and she finds herself kneeling down opposite him. She observes the way his fingers tap nervously on his knee and the way his eyes are glazed over, deep in thought. She longs to reach her hand out and softly caress his beautiful face. After all these years, after all this time, he was still as striking at the first time Katherine had laid eyes on him. The first time he had completely mesmerized her with his dancing leaf-green eyes.
Eyes that used to reflect so much innocence and love.
Eyes that now reflect only hatred at her and…why were his eyes watering?
Oh how Katherine wished she could kiss all his pain away.
If he would let her, she could make him forget all about her; all about Elena.
"She's with him, isn't she?"
Her voice takes Stefan aback and he turns sharply.
He expected to see a smug grin on her face but Katherine looks…. sad?
"Why do you care? You've never cared about me…"
Katherine narrows her eyes. "Yes I did! Why do you insist on believing that our love was false? I always loved and always will love you!"
Stefan rolls his eyes and says in a mock tone, "Keep on repeating that for another two centuries and maybe I'll believe you. But I doubt it."
Tears sting at the back of Katherine's eyes but she refuses to cry. She won't show weakness in front of Stefan.
Stefan looks at her directly and intently in the eyes and points his finger at her.
"You know what I KNOW Katherine? I KNOW you don't really UNDERSTAND what love is! You don't know what it MEANS to love someone!"
Fire blazes in Katherine as she rapidly blinks her eyes and glares at Stefan.
"Maybe I don't love the same way Elena loves you and Damon…but I DO LOVE YOU STEFAN! I love you!"
Stefan, somewhat astounded by the fierceness in her voice, mumbles, "Well, the way you love…frightens me."
A tear escapes from each of her eyes and Katherine internally curses but mutters, "It's the only way I know how to love."
She says the words with such honesty and her face appears so miserable, that Stefan can't help but feel sorry for her.
Her appearance is horrid and Stefan remembers her days of glory…back in the 1800's when not a single hair was ever out of place and she looked like the epitome of perfection.
Now, Katherine looks like a drowned rat with her scraggly hair and torn dress.
For a fleeting second, Stefan wants to grab her hand and pull her out of there. He wants to take her to his house, wash her and restore her to her former beauty. If he does that, if he shows kindness, perhaps there would be a chance that she would be the same Katherine that he had first met so many years ago. With her sweet and playful attitude and her curious nature. Stefan shakes his head sadly. Who was he trying to kid? Katherine had always been the same self-serving, psychotic bitch. She could never change…not even for him.
Katherine sighs and scoots away from the edge of the invisible wall and leans back against the tomb.
"Elijah came to talk to me."
Stefan is abruptly taken away from his thoughts and he looks up at her, shock written all over and face.
"Elijah? But…he's dead. I saw Damon kill him…"
"He is an ORIGINAL Stefan. They are a bit more difficult to kill than your average, friendly neighborhood vampire."
Fear begins to cloud Stefan as he replies, "But…what did he say? What does he want with Elena?"
Katherine's lip gives a slight twitch.
"HE personally doesn't want anything with Elena. It's all Klaus. Klaus will do anything to have Elena and will kill anyone who gets in the way. He would have succeeded in 1863, but Damon ruined his plans. Oh Damon. I saved his life you know? He's never given me thanks but then again, he probably still doesn't remember."
Stefan gives a harsh guffaw and says, "Saved his life? It was probably your fault he needing saving in the first place."
Katherine gives him a grim smile. "Hmm. You know me so well Stefan, love. But this time, I assure you, I have nothing to do with. Klaus will probably be here any day to kill me and get his revenge…and then he'll kill you and Damon and he'll run off with Elena."
Almost hysterically, Stefan says, "But why?"
"Klaus is the 'king' of all the vampires. He is the ORIGINAL vampire and he used to rule them all, like a kingdom. But, chaos erupted and more vampires were created. So many in fact, that it was impossible to keep track of. Klaus wishes to establish order again but for that to happen, he needs someone reigning beside him. That's why he wants Elena; to make her his Queen of the Night."
Stefan shakes his head, trying to process al this information, "But why Elena? Why HER?"
Bitterly, Katherine replies, "I never understood exactly why he chose her and not…I never will understand. He was obsessed with our mother but when he no longer found her suited to be Queen, he let her kill herself. Shortly after her death, when he first set eyes on Elena, she became his new obsession. Even from an early age, Klaus deducted that she would be the one that would rule with him. And I never knew why. He kept an eye on her, stalking her throughout her entire childhood. One time I swear I saw his face reflecting through the golden locket she used to have. The point is…she's doomed. Elena has always been doomed. She wasn't able to escape death last time…and won't this time either. Only this time, she won't awake in a new lifetime…. she'll awaken to discover that she has been bonded to Klaus and will have to spend all of eternity with him."
"Bonded?" Stefan whispers fearfully.
Katherine shakes her head gravely.
"The Shadows spell. It's a powerful spell that bonds two people for eternity. Damon and Elena were bonded permanently back in 1863 due to…well, they are still bonded but it can be broken. Klaus can break it and bind her to himself. I'm sure the witch can fill you in on all the details."
Stefan croaks out, "When does he plan on bonding with her?"
In almost a whisper, Katherine says, "It can only be on one day and one day only. On her 18th birthday."
Bonnie slams her locker shut and sighs loudly.
Only a few more hours and school would be over and it would be spring break.
Who was keeping up really?
Certainly not Elena. She texted Bonnie letting her know that she would be out with Damon all day. Researching. Right.
Elena had missed so much school, she was sure to have to repeat senior year.
Bonnie wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her dad. She would prefer to be searching through the books Lucy had brought her for something…anything to help protect Elena from Klaus. Just thinking about him made Bonnie shiver…and she had never even seen him.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Bonnie jumps at the interruption and finds herself standing face to face with Jeremy.
He gives her an amused smile. "Didn't mean to scare you. Must have been some deep thoughts."
Bonnie clears her throat and attempts to resist looking directly in his brown eyes since that would surely make her melt.
"Yeah, um. I'm worried about Elena."
Jeremy sighs and leans against the lockers. "Yeah, me too. But at the moment, she's with Damon and I don't think she could be safer with anyone at the moment."
Bonnie looks down nervously at her shoes. "Do you really think so? I mean, it's Damon we're talking about."
"Trust me Bonnie, "Jeremy says firmly, "Damon would do anything for Elena. It's almost frightening how much he loves her. But I can't blame him…some girls are impossible to resist…"
Bonnie looks up and notices that Jeremy is slightly blushing and she realizes that the last part was directed at her.
Bonnie blushed, "Jeremy I—"
"I have something for you."
Jeremy suddenly retreats his hand from his back and Bonnie gasps.
He is holding out a large and perfect sunflower. Bonnie's favorite flower.
She reaches out for it and gently takes it from him. "It's…beautiful Jeremy. Thank you."
Jeremy gives her a cute, lopsided grin, "You're welcome Bonnie."
And then he leans in.
Bonnie feels her heart pounding loudly and she lifts up on her tiptoes…slowly letting her eyelids close….
He is cursed Bonnie. You will die…
Bonnie's eyes pop open and she stumbles back.
"I can't! I'm sorry Jeremy! I can't!"
And she runs out of the building leaving Jeremy in the dust, his mouth open and a puzzled expression on his face.
Elijah walks into Klaus's parlor, where Klaus is taking off his coat and straightening his tie.
"Master Klaus, returning from an early stroll?"
Klaus smirks at his single cohort and replies, "Something like that." His face turns serious and he asks, "Did you bring him?"
"Of course."
Elijah exits the door, returning shortly and gripping a struggling Tyler by the collar.
Klaus lets out a harsh laugh, "I knew the wolf wouldn't resist. It does suck to be a wolf…I'd rather be dead to spend the rest of my life having to run on all fours."
Tyler glares at him through narrowed eyes and roughly grunts, "And I'd rather die than spend eternity as a filthy vampire!"
Klaus suddenly smacks Tyler causing him to fall on the floor and Elijah takes his cue to leave.
"Never disrespect me you disgusting mongrel. You are working for me and in order for our little deal to work…you have to be very aware of who is in charge here."
Tyler glowers fiercely up at him but huffs out, "I beg your pardon…Master."
Klaus grins evilly and sits at his elaborate desk.
He points at the chair opposite him and spits out, "Sit!"
Tyler groggily stands up and makes his way over.
"Now, tell me about Elena. What is her relationship with the Salvatore brothers?"
Confused wrinkles appear on Tyler's forehead. "Elena? What does Elena have to do with anything"?
"Just answer the question!"
"Uh, ok… Well, Elena was dating the younger brother, Stefan but Caroline mentioned that they had broken up. Caroline also said that Damon had feelings for Elena or something but I'm not really clear if Elena and Damon have anything to do with each other."
Klaus furrows his brows. "Stefan? Hmm. Who is this…Caroline?"
Tyler wrings his hands nervously. "She's one of Elena's closest friends and she…well she used to be…my friend too. She's a vampire."
Klaus groans. "Ugh, Katherine. Just one more to add to the list."
Tyler looks up fearfully. "You're not going to hurt her are you?"
Klaus rolls his eyes. "Not if you keep to your side of the deal."
"I will," Tyler responds immediately.
"Hmm…well we will see about that. I need you to be friends with the Caroline girl again. Get close to her and find out what the relationship between Damon and Elena is."
"What's so important about Elena? What is she to you?" Seeing Klaus' expression he quickly adds, "Master."
Klaus lets his fingers graze over the vervain necklace.
"Elijah will contact you in two days to bring you back. You better bring back some relevant information. Now GO! GO!"
Tyler stumbles out of his chair and runs out where Elijah is waiting to take him back.
Klaus grunts and leans back in his chair.
Everyone has always questioned his motives for wanting Elena. Why her? Why Elena? Why not Katherine?
Elijah grasps the necklace tightly.
Katherine.
Yes, she was feisty and fiery, but she was selfish. She had proved that ever since she was younger. Always taking what wasn't hers and always so jealous.
Letting her be Queen and give her equal amount of power as he had would only erupt in hell. She would waste no second on destroying Klaus and overthrowing him. No. She was no fit for royalty. Only for scum.
Elena was pure. And innocent.
Only she could be his queen. Only Elena.
