The Charity Event

He got a flute from the passing waiter. He was wearing his best tuxedo with a white coat and a black bowtie. He took a good look around, as he began to sip on his Cristal champagne. The liquor went down to his throat, making a line that felt as if it burned.

"Mr. Mikaelsen, how lovely that you came," he turned only to see Anne Clarke, one of the wealthiest and famous socialites here in Manhattan. He gave her a genuine smile as he saw her pretty glowing face with her platinum blonde hair tied up in style of a goddess.

"Well, I wouldn't miss this benefit…" He said, smiling. Anne smiled back, and Klaus cannot help but see how the vein in her neck showed as she did. He wondered if she tasted just like any other human girls. Her beauty was definitely fit for a vampire – or even a hybrid.

"Are you waiting for your guest?" She asked as she continued to smile. Her eyes wrinkled at the outer corners, as if she was projecting too much of that smile that it can rip her face apart.

How pretentious.

"Yes" He nodded as he took another swig of his champagne. "My dear Elizabeth will be here soon. But first, why don't you introduce me to your dear friends?" Anne nodded.

"Of course, a good friend of mine should definitely meet my dear friends." She said as she took Klaus' hand and led him to the corner where other guests had gathered, wearing the best of the best in stylish and expensive garments. He knew because he was wearing one. The other guests turned around as they smiled at Anne.

"Anne how lovely to see you!" A brunette woman said who was wearing a gray dress that glimmered as the lights radiated. She came to Anne for a hug and Anne politely hugged back that made her let go of his hand. He stood there, watching intently. How this world can be full of lies. It's another thing why he loved this place so much – because he can play better than these foolish humans. Once they've finally let go, Anne turned to him.

"I'd like you guys to meet my dear friend, Klaus Mikaelsen. He just came back from a trip in Virginia." She said, as Klaus gave them a smile and a nod.

"Nice to meet you," He said. The brunette woman smiled faintly as she clutched on her husband who was smiling at him and was wearing a black tuxedo with brown hair and a clean chin. The brunette woman's husband was beside another a couple, an older one – around in their fifties – and was wearing another stylish and expensive garment. A young man was beside the young couple as well; he had dirty blonde hair, dark eyes, with a glass of scotch on hand, and was wearing a black tuxedo. With that, they formed a small crowd and a semi-circle, looking extremely snobby and sultry.

"You have an accent." The brunette woman said with her eyebrows arched. "Where are you really from?" She asked, and gave him a forceful smile that didn't match her eyes.

"I am originally from England, back in the day, but my family and I moved here in the States." He said without removing his smile.

"Interesting" Her husband said, flashing a grin. "How long have you been here?"

"A very long time already…" He replied with a chuckle. The old couple gave a soft chuckle as well. The husband of the old couple stuck out his hand for him to shake as he introduced himself.

"George Astor and this is my wife Clair Astor." He said, and Klaus shook his hand and shook Clair's hand afterwards. "We're one of the oldest families here in Manhattan."

"Yes, yes…" Klaus said, nodding. "Your family had been famous for generations. In fact, we are staying in your hotel, the Waldorf-Astoria." George grinned as he gave a good chuckle, and his wife smiled thoughtfully.

"How wonderful!" He added cheerfully. "Well I hope you are enjoying your stay."

"Of course, the hotel is marvelous. We're staying in a penthouse, maybe you can come for a visit." He said, and George smiled as he gave a nod.

"We would be delighted." George replied. He then turned and looked at the couple by their side. "Oh and this is our dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt." Klaus turned to them with a smile and they also smiled back.

"Russell Vanderbilt" He stuck out his hand and Klaus shook it lightly. "And this is my wife Emilia Vanderbilt." Klaus put out his hand for her to shake and she did lightly.

"You can call me Emily." She said with a faint smile and a piercing look in her eyes. Klaus only smiled as she turned to Anne – the girl she met earlier this morning at the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria. Of course, she only let him come because he compelled her for them to be friends. Not only that, but she told him that her fiancée died two nights before they got married. It's tragic, really. He cannot feel any more sorry for the girl, but she told him that that was five months ago, and that she was willing to move on. And there, he smiled at her and told her that with him around, she'll always have fun.

"You have such lovely friends, Anne." He said, and Anne blushed as she smiled.

"Thank you," She replied. "But I also like you to meet another friend of mine, William Rockefeller." She turned to the young man who had a glass of scotch. The young man smiled brightly at him as he stuck out his hand they shook.

"Another famous family," Klaus said with a chuckle. William chuckled and nodded.

"You can say that." He shrugged. Klaus continued to smile as he drank the last few gulps of his champagne.

"If you'll excuse me, I shall get myself another round. These are marvelous." He said as he raised his glass a little, and everyone smiled at him kindly. He turned away and walked towards the bar as he looked around to look for Elizabeth.

Stefan and Elena were having dinner at the Grill. It was nothing romantic, but they figured that they should keep it simple. They were only starting what they had ended or what Klaus had ended, and that's why they were only going to give it a try. Stefan ordered them some chocolate cake for their dessert.

"This night is truly amazing…" Stefan said, smiling as he looked directly at her eyes. She smiled back. Truly it was. Just by the feeling of having this with Stefan, it made her heart leap with joy. No words can express how much she had longed for this moment, and now it's with her, she won't ever let it go. She will never give up on Stefan. Never. She loved him so much that even though they've had their rough times, she was always there for him.

"It is." She said as she reached out for his hand and laid hers on top of his. She squeezed them as she gave him a smile.

"I love you, Elena." He said. "I'm sorry if I had been such a…"

"It's okay." She immediately interrupted before he can say anything. "Let's just… put it in the past and move on. It's been hard; we've all been through so much, Stefan. I just want us to be together." She swallowed back as she continued to look at his eyes. He stared back intently at her, full of regret and pain, but then he gave a faint smile as he squeezed her hand with his other.

"How dramatic" they heard someone say with a few claps. Elena frowned and so did Stefan. They then saw Kol, one of Klaus' half-brothers, approached their table. "Just like a scene from a movie. Did you rehearse that, because it sounded so real?" He added with a smile. Stefan and Elena withdrew their hands as they glared at Kol. But before Elena can say anything, Stefan stood up as he stared intently at Kol.

"Let me guess…. You're bored and rotting without your brother and sister." Stefan said, his voice was terrifyingly low and even. Kol only smirked as he shrugged.

"Quite the contrary" He said as he turned to point a group of girls huddled together at the far end corner of the diner. "See those girls? I guess I'm having more fun than Rebekah, nor Klaus." Elena narrowed her eyes as Kol glanced back at Stefan.

"Do you know where they are?" Elena asked. Kol glanced at her with an amused smirk.

"I apologize to disappoint you, Elena, but I don't." He replied. "Mother has been keeping it as a secret, burning some sage as they did a ritual a few weeks ago so I wouldn't hear."

"You're lying." Stefan said, crossing his arms over his chest as he jerked his chin up slowly, and stared down again. Kol chuckled, as if what he said was funny. And maybe it was for him, but for them it wasn't. Klaus might've been off of their backs right now, but the Original family still lives here, and clearly they forgot about Kol.

"Why would I lie?" Kol said, smiling great now, but then it vanished. "If you're so curious, lover boy, why don't you have a call with your brother? He's with dear Rebekah." He added, arching his eyebrows. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I only hovered here because I couldn't help but overhear your pseudo-romantic conversation, and that ruins my mood with my girls. So keep it down, will you?" He then gave them a last look and without waiting for them to reply, he left.

Elena glanced at Stefan who only glanced at her as he sat down. "Why don't we have a walk outside?" He asked, smiling now. She gave a soft snicker as she nodded. He offered her a hand, and she took it. Together, they left the Grill.

Elizabeth entered the Great Hall of Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Charity Event was held. Truly, the museum had outstanding art pieces. Her breath was taken away. As she entered, she saw that the guests were already seated, and the program has begun. She sighed. She hated to be in the spotlight, so she decided to stand there for a couple of minutes as she glanced around to look for Klaus.

Moments after looking around for Klaus, the guests started to stand for them to line up for the buffet. So she began to walk, and walk until she felt an arm was wrapped around hers that made her stop in her tracks. "You look so ravishing tonight." She heard a whisper, and she knew who it came from. So she turned to see Klaus there, grinning at her. She smiled.

"I'm sorry I'm late." She said, holding his hand with her gloved one. She was wearing a white mermaid gown that had a sweetheart neckline, and the fabric glittered which made her skin glow. Her brown hair was in a mass of curls around her shoulders down to her back. Plus, her gloves were shoulder-length to add drama.

Klaus squeezed her hand as he kissed her on the cheek. "It does not matter, my dear. What matters is that you're here with me…" Elizabeth looked down as she smiled. "Now, why don't we go to our table and I will introduce you to my friends." He held her hand as he led her to the table, which was already filled with people. He let go of her hand, drew out a chair, and Elizabeth sat graciously. Afterwards, Klaus sat down next to her on her left. "My dear friends, this is Elizabeth Rousseau."

"How lovely to meet you."

"Hello"

"Good evening"

She heard them say, and she only nodded as she smiled kindly. "This is Anne Clarke; she was the one who invited us." Klaus said to his left, a woman with platinum blonde hair tied up, who gave a gracious smile. "Then that's George and Clair Astor, they own the hotel we're staying in. They're one of the oldest families here in Manhattan." He continued to say, and she continued to smile graciously as Klaus pointed to the old couple on Anne Clarke's left. "The other couple is Russell and Emilia Vanderbilt, or you can call her Emily, if I can say so." Emily chuckled softly as she nodded.

"Of course, nice to meet you," Emily replied with a huge smile.

"And that's William Rockefeller" Klaus pointed to her right, the young man seated beside her. William shook her hand lightly.

"You look lovely Miss Rousseau." He said as he looked at her deep green eyes. Elizabeth smiled greatly.

"Please, call me Elizabeth." She said as she withdrew her hand.

"Why don't we go and eat?" Anne Clarke said. They all nodded, and agreed, so they all stood up, except for her, since she wasn't so hungry. Why would she even waste time eating human food, when she drinks vampire blood?

"Aren't you coming with us?" Klaus asked, she turned to look at him as she shook her head.

"I'm not hungry. Go ahead and I'll wait here." She said, giving him an assuring smile. He gave her a long look, before he said. "Alright, I'll get you some steak then." Then he left, and once he did, she inhaled deeply. The place was incredibly contenting. It made her feel satisfied because of the lovely ambiance and the architecture was definitely breathtaking.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. This place was full of wealthy people, and they're so-called "friends." She couldn't help but smirk at that knowledge. But then, a waiter interrupted her reverie as he put down a champagne glass in front of her. She looked at him with a frown. "I didn't order anything." She said, but then the waiter smile.

"It's all taken care of, Miss. I man sent me to give it to you." The waiter replied and left. Elizabeth then glanced at the flute where the champagne glimmered in the light. She wondered who sent it. Well, who was she kidding? Of course it was Klaus. So she took a swig, but then, as she did, she felt a piece of paper fall on her lap. She then put the glass back and picked the paper up.

Elizabeth immediately excused herself to go to the ladies' room right when Klaus and the others came back with their meal. The ladies' room was at the far end corner of the Great Hall, and she had to walk all the way across the hall to get there. Once she had found the corner, where there were columns that obviously led to the hallway, she found a man who was standing and leaning by the wall, with his head bowed. Whoever he was and why he had asked her to meet him here – as told by the note – but she had a tinge of feeling that she knew who this was. She stopped in her tracks as her footsteps were loudly heard. Once she stopped, the man raised his head and looked at her. She managed to inhale deeply and breathed the sigh of relief as a smile crept on her lips.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, as she watched him stand up straight, and her eyes cast downward only to see what he was wearing: a waiter's uniform. "And why in the bloody hell are you wearing that?" She added.

"Well…" He started, smirking. "A little bird called Katherine, told me that you'll be here. I can't let Klaus see me, or else I'm dead." He widened his eyes as he looked at her and stepped closer. She couldn't help but smile by the fact that Damon Salvatore dressed himself as a waiter to disguise himself just to see her. But then, she knew that Klaus might come and look for her, so she immediately held Damon's hand, and led him inside the lavatory.

"We must hide. Nik might come and look for me." She said as they went inside, and then she locked the door behind her once she knew that no one was inside but them.

"Seriously Elizabeth, what the hell are you doing here with him?" She heard Damon ask in his curious yet sarcastic tone. "I thought you despised the evil hybrid."

"I do." She quickly replied. "But he held me captive. The night when Esther was resurrected, he asked to meet me down by the woods, and we talked for a while there. But then he drove the dagger through my chest, and I was helpless. I woke up only to be here in New York City." She said and Damon looked at her with his icy blue eyes, as he solemnly nodded.

"Where's your phone?" He asked.

"I lost it in the woods, I think. Or Nik might've had it." She said. "But I've got a new one. He gave it to me. I heard Rebekah is with you. Where is she?"

"She's at the hotel." He said. "I left before she got back."

"Got back from where?" She asked, frowning.

"Probably hunting down some humans, you know how she is." He shrugged. Elizabeth only looked down and nodded. It was to know that he came here for her all the way from Mystic Falls. She thought that he might've forgotten about her. She is in fact, an Original, and Damon had been plotting for a long time now to kill them – though, he often failed. He then cleared his throat. "I came here to get you out of here. Why don't we sneak away tonight, and return to Mystic Falls? Plus, we can probably kill Klaus while we're at it." He said with a lopsided smile. She smiled, but then she sighed.

"I can't…" She breathed, and saw Damon's eyebrows furrow.

"What do you mean you can't? Sure you can. After all he's done to you!" He said as he continued to frown. Elizabeth managed to maintain a faint smile. Clearly, he was thoughtful. But she knew that she couldn't go just yet. She was here to have fun. And not just that of course, but the other reason is…

"I do appreciate you coming for me, but I'm afraid I cannot leave just yet." She said. "Nik wanted us to start over here in New York, and I accepted. If I go, he'll come after you as much as he'll come after me. You and you're little friends will all be in danger. I think it's best if I am here with him, to keep him out of your little town." She added, and gave him an assuring smile, in which he only narrowed his eyes and gave a piercing look at her. And as much as that pierced a little pinch in her heart, she didn't move an inch. She continued to stand there, strong and graceful.

"I just wasted my time to get here then." He said with his tone low and even from anger. He then looked away. "As much as your little rendezvous here in the city, Rebekah and I had gone through so much to get here."

"How did you exactly know we were here?" She asked, and then Damon gave a little snicker, as if he had a hiccup. He then looked at her.

"We had Esther to track you down." He said, rolling his eyes at her. She knew it was hurting his ego, especially by the fact that he had come to seek help from the Original Witch and from an Original. Still, she continued to look at him.

"Damon… I really am sorry." She said, slowly. He wasn't looking at her, he was irritated by the fact that she wouldn't come back to Mystic Falls with him. "But you can also stay if you like. New York is a very big city; you can have lots of fun." She reached for his hand, but then he immediately moved away. She then felt her mobile phone ring in her purse. He then glanced at her purse with a glare.

"You should answer that; maybe it's your dear Nik." He imitated her accent on those last two words. She sighed as she reached for it in her purse and saw on the screen that it was indeed Klaus. Damon then gave her a smirk, and a mocking gaze. She only rolled her eyes.

"Yes… I'll be back soon, just had a chat with a fellow guest in the lavatory." She said, and she knew that the way Damon glanced at her, he was eavesdropping. She clicked off and sighed. "I have to go." She looked at him, and he only gave a firm nod. "I really wish you can stay, and I really am sorry." She added, as she turned around, unlocked the door, and went out, leaving him standing there all alone.